Juvenile hall was not meant for rehabilitation. It was a cage of wolves. The walls stank of sweat and despair, fists did the talking, and the guards only stepped in when blood began to pool.
Kang fit in immediately. He wasn't just another delinquent—he was a predator. Every fight, every clash in the yard, only made his blood boil hotter. But something gnawed at him. The image of Jin's foot slamming into his chest, the taste of defeat. That scar was deeper than any bruise.
One night, after Kang dropped another inmate unconscious, a low voice stopped him.
"You fight like a beast. Strong, but sloppy. No control."
Kang spun, fists raised. A man leaned casually against the wall. He wasn't an inmate. He carried himself differently—like a panther in human skin. His body was marked with old scars, his gaze sharp enough to cut steel.
"Who the hell are you?" Kang snarled.
The man stepped forward, and in a blur, his shin slammed into Kang's ribs. The boy crashed against the wall, breath stolen, eyes wide.
"I am Master Suriya. I trained champions in Bangkok. But they disgusted me—weak, soft, afraid to go too far." His smile widened into something predatory. "You… you have no fear of blood. That makes you worthy."
Kang gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand, ribs aching. He smirked through the pain. "Teach me, then. Make me stronger than anyone."
Suriya's expression darkened, almost pleased. "Very well. I'll show you a technique I never gave my students. Something banned in every ring. Something that destroys the body from within."
He leaned close, voice like poison.
"The Serpent's Coil. A strike that bends the body unnaturally, compressing organs with every clinch and knee until your enemy can't even breathe."
Kang's eyes lit up like fire. The path was clear. He would master this forbidden Muay Thai. And when he left juvie, he wouldn't just defeat Jin or Mikey—he'd break them, piece by piece.
The chapter closed with Kang training in the shadows, his body bruised and bloodied, yet smiling with every bone-crunching lesson.