With a face full of fresh blood and heavy, tired breaths, Jonas squinted at his opponent, who lay bleeding and unconscious on the ground. It had only taken a split second, but it felt like minutes had passed because he was still processing the conclusion.

‘It worked?’ His brain slowly chugged back alive—Sin and adrenaline were a crazy combination. ‘I won?’ He turned his head and tried to see what was happening, but he had swollen eyes and could barely see his downed opponent, and he could just make out his hand if he waved it in front of his face.

“The Comeback Kid strikes again!” The announcer grabbed Jonas' hand and pumped it into the air. “Winner by knockout, Jonas Ariel!” The bloody teen was glad that his ears were plugged with fluids because he felt like the noise in the arena might have given him a brain aneurysm.

“Brow,” Jonas called out for his manager. “Get me the fuck out of here. I can’t see,” he clumsily stepped forward, and he felt a rough hand grab his arm and pull him in one direction.

“Good fucking work, Jonas,” said Brow, whose voice sounded muffled, “I got it from here,” Jonas was guided, like a blind man, out of the arena. However, he managed to keep one fist in the air to show the crowd that he was fine. It seemed like an eternity for them to reach the lobby doors; Jonas only wanted some peace. When he finally left the arena, the loud noises disappeared, and Jonas let out a groan of pain that he had been holding in.

“Fuck. I need the infirmary,” Brow didn’t hesitate as he picked up the pace and pulled Jonas around the bend and through the doors to the Hurts gang waiting room.

“Jesus, you look like shit,” Brow chuckled. “What a fucking fight that was. That’s how a damn main event should go!” Jonas' hearing was starting to come back to him, just in time to hear the happy tone in his manager's voice. Between the big smile on Brow's scary face and how his ponytail bobbed happily, Jonas could tell that the gangster was ecstatic with the fight's outcome.

“Just get me patched up,” Jonas had to whisper because his throat hurt. “I should heal in less than an hour,” he felt like he could have fallen over and just laid on the cold stone floor, but his Pride kept him on his feet, as did one of Brow's arms. He knew that as long as he could lay down and channel his Sin, he would feel much better.

Very soon, Jonas felt his back hit the smooth cotton cushion that belonged to one of the infirmary beds. The metal legs were rusted and squealed in protest at his weight, but his desire for rest outweighed his fear of the bed collapsing.

“Brow,” Jonas mumbled with his eyes closed. “I’m going to take a quick nap. Please, watch over me,” he didn't trust Brow to protect him while he slept, but he had no other choice because his brain was beginning to shut down.

"Sleep," said Brow. "You earned it."

Then, everything went black, and the next thing Jonas knew was opening his eyes in the room of shadow and blood.

"Very clever use of Sin, Jonas," said Pride, who sounded impressed. "Your opponent wished to use the sight of your blood to empower his Sin, so you made your blood colorless. It was a spell of True Sin that I didn't realize you were capable of."

Jonas found himself sitting in a soft armchair, looking out at an ocean of blood, a blackened sky, and a bright star shining down upon him. The glass pavilion was just as beautiful as ever, and he could see why Pride constructed such a visual. It was a painting splattered with auspiciousness and also a death-like peacefulness.

"You look—different," Jonas glanced at Pride and was shocked to see visual changes in the Sin Shadow's appearance. His hair was long like Jonas', his body shaped like Jonas', and his eyes were blue and human-like but also looked like Jonas' eyes. The two had always resembled each other, but Pride had been less defined and more of a shadow. However, Pride looked much more human, like someone had coated Jonas in dark black paint.

"Do I?" Pride shrugged his shoulders. "My appearance is not one of my concerns, I assure you. Your connection to your Sin is becoming strong, and your psyche is beginning to change. I look like you because I am a piece of you."

"You're a person, though, aren't you?" Jonas looked perplexed. "You have thoughts that belong to no one but you, and you can manipulate this room, and you teach me things."

"It's kind of you to assume I'm a person with feelings," Pride's blue eyes swept over Jonas while taking in his appearance. "However, I'm not. I'm a piece of you that gained some independence, but I still exist in your psyche. You need to understand that I'm not a person, Jonas. I'm a shadow, your shadow."

"Regardless," Jonas shrugged. "I still think you're a person. You're Pride, the Sin Shadow. You have a name, you have a voice, and you even have a body. You're a person in my books."

"Enough of that," Pride waved away the conversation. He looked a bit miffed.

"What's wrong? You've been weird the last few times I've been here. You should be happy, right? I'm learning True Sin, and I'll escape this gang soon, so we can go on our big adventure to find Drake."

"I'm fine," Pride interlaced his fingers and continued to stare at the ocean of blood. "A Sin Shadow doesn't have feelings, and they don't require love, affection, or empathy. They only need their better half to master the art of True Sin so that they can grow in power."

"Did you just call me your better half?" Jonas fought back a smile. "Pride and Jonas, sitting in a tree."

"Oh, shut up," Pride snapped. "I misspoke."

"K-i-s-s-i-n-g," Jonas sang.

"Fine, fine," Pride sighed. "You want to know what's been bothering me? I'll tell you if you shut up."

"I do. I do."

"You're correct in assuming I have some sort of human-like feelings. Lately, I've been dealing with feelings of guilt."

"Guilt?" Jonas narrowed his brow. "Why would you feel guilty?" He noticed that Pride shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"As your connection with your Original Sin continues to grow, I feel my connection to you starting to fade. I never realized this would happen. You're less dependent on me, and I'm constantly fighting the impulse to do something bad. I thought Sin Shadows would never hurt the person that created them. I was wrong."

"What do you mean? Don't you know I depend on you like crazy? You're my first friend and my teacher. I'll always need you. I know you'd never hurt me, never."

"You're wrong," Pride unintentionally raised his voice. "I do want to hurt you."

"Tell me why?"

"Just leave it, Jonas."

"Tell me why? Pride, I'm not going to drop this."

"I desire your body, Jonas. I want to steal it and take it for myself. I foolishly believed that Sin Shadows were born to guide and protect their creator. However, I now know that my purpose in life is to grow like a parasite and to steal my host's body."

"Pride—" Jonas tried to say, but the Sin Shadow cut him off.

"Don't try to use honeyed words to appeal to my sense of reason. You cannot tell me how I feel. They are my feelings and mine alone. Every day you grow stronger, and I feel my existence fading. Do you think I simply look like you? No, Jonas, I'm becoming you. I hate it," Jonas could see the self-loathing in Pride's eyes, and he could also see that his Sin Shadow was hurting inside.

"Then, what should I do? I don't want you to fade away, nor do I want to lose my body. How can I help you?" Jonas was surprised at Pride's vulnerability, as he had always seen his alter-ego being unfazed and mysterious.

"Don't worry about that. The impulses are there, but they are manageable. Just continue to train your Sin. I need you to focus on yourself, not me. Perhaps, when you're a powerful Sinner, you could conjure me a body."

"First, I am worried about you. Secondly, do you think I could do something like that?"

"You're capable of greatness never before seen in Hell. I know this to be true. Yes, when you get more powerful, simply conjure me a body. Problem solved."

"Then I will," Jonas gave a reassuring smile. "I'll work hard and make you a body. That way, you can exist on your own. Okay? So don't worry so much. I've got your back, just like you've got mine."

"You're right," Pride forced a shadowy smile. "I'll be waiting patiently for the day I leave you."

"Me too. We can spar together, maybe even get a beer."

"Sure, whatever." Pride shook his head. "When you're strong enough to beat Howard Hurts, I'll reveal some things you need to know about the Sin Assessment and your past. But not until then."

"Got it," Jonas felt himself caring less about his past and more about his future. He knew some secrets concerned him, but he had gone so long without knowing them that they didn't seem to matter."

"You should've recovered by now. I'll see you very soon. Thank you, Jonas."

Sometime later, Jonas woke up from his coma, and the first thing he noticed was that his eyes were no longer swollen, his body was burning with pain, his bones had mended and reset, and most of the swelling and bleeding had subsided.

“How are you feeling?” Jonas heard Brow’s voice.

“As if I got hit by a fucking truck,” Jonas grinned, and Brow saw the youth's teeth had grown back. “How do I look?”

“Like you just won a shit ton of Sin Stones for both me and Howard Hurts. Here, I got you a beer.”

“I'm going to need more than one,” Jonas took a mug from him and sat up.

“You’ll have more in your new fridge once I get one. The odds were against you, and I convinced Howard to put a huge bet on you to win—he did, and now you'll get to reap the benefits too."

"Did you bet on me?"

"Obviously," Brow tapped his golden watch. "You're undefeated, but Rodney probably should've beaten you, and the betters of Little Wrath City agreed with me. However, you beat the odds, and many people are kicking themselves in the ass for not putting a fortune on the undefeated Comeback Kid."

"It sounds like you should make another big bet for my next fight."

"Don't forget that winning more fights means the odds will be better. We don't make much money from betting on our best fighters— we make it from the purse."

“So, what did you think? How did it compare to the other main event fights you’ve seen?”

“It was exciting, to say the least,” said Brow. “Fights between Sinners can get pretty wild. I noticed your blood lost its color for a bit. Was that some sort of Sin Sorcery?"

"Yeah, but I think we better not mention it to Howard Hurts."

"Agreed. I don't think even Garth or Thomas can do True Sin. He'll see you as a threat, and who knows how Howard will react when he's threatened."

“For sure," Jonas chugged his beer, belched loudly, and then stood up. “I’m going to take a bath. I'll talk to you later."

The two of them separated, and Jonas left for his private bedroom. Within a few minutes, he was gingerly sliding into a hot bat and felt the hot water burn the old wounds that hadn't fully healed. About an hour later, Jonas opened his wardrobe and saw that Brow had stocked it with men's clothing. It was the first time Jonas wore anything that wasn't prison scrubs, and the feeling of everyday clothing was something he missed. He threw on a white t-shirt and a pair of jogging pants and was just about to lie down when he heard a knock at his bedroom door.

Yes?” He called out.

“It’s me,” a woman's voice responded, and Jonas grinned.

“What are you waiting for, an invitation?” The door was pulled open, and Yuki stepped inside.

“You won, obviously,” said Yuki, staring at him. “You’re leaking confidence. How did the fight go?”

“Average at first. Then it got worse. Then I won."

“The Comeback-Kid strikes again?”

“I wish you could've watched the fight," he smiled at her.

“No,” she shook her head. “ Even if they let me watch, I wouldn't want to see you get hurt.”

“Softy,” he quipped, but his gaze turned warm.

“Would you want to watch me get beaten up?”

“That wouldn’t happen,” said Jonas. “My girl doesn’t lose.”

“Oh, she does,” said Yuki. “I’ve lost plenty of times. Sometimes losing happens.”

“Flukes,” said Jonas. "Seriously, I thought I’d try to beat him the old way. Frustrate the Berserker until he loses his rage, you know?”

“That’s the best way,” Yuki agreed. “I’m guessing it didn’t work?”

“Not exactly. It’s hard to dodge someone with such accurate attacks, and it's even harder to shake the mindset of someone that knows what you’re trying to do.”

“Matches at the top level are more mental than they are physical. I learned that once I lost my first main event," Yuki took a seat on his bed and waited for Jonas to join her.

“You did?” He looked surprised.

“I did. I tried to beat my opponent using my physical skills, but instead, he turned the tables on me, shook my emotions, and broke my connection to my Sin Scars.”

“That sounds a lot like how the beginning of my fight went. He had me in the corner, and I thought my brain was about to shut down because he had hit me so many times in the head.”

“How did you escape?" Yuki knew how difficult it was to win a fight when backed into a corner.

“Well, I started to lose consciousness, but then I heard the crowd cheering my name—my nickname, I mean.”

“And that fired you back up,” she gave a playful smile. “You damn narcissist.”

“I decided that the original plan was still good, only this time, I’d just tank all his hits instead of dodging them.”

“What happened?” She asked.

“He beat me black and blue, but I didn’t go down, and I knew he would try to go for the legs to bring me down.”

“Rodney’s submissions are deadly," she gently rubbed his arm.

“I knew it was coming, and I gave him a knee to the head," Jonas laid down on his soft mattress, and she lay next to him.

“That’s the way to do it. One good hit to the head is a perfect way to break a Berserker's connection to his Sin.”

“Oh, I knocked him into a different dimension. Not only did I put my full force behind that attack, but the idiot threw his body at me."

“Well,” she said with a smile.“I’m proud of you, congratulations,” it wasn’t often someone had told Jonas they were proud of him, and although he’d never admit it out loud, it felt wonderful to hear.