Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2023 0:10:12 GMT -6
I have never been one to define success by wins or losses, but rather by the message that was sent. In that regard, despite many people assuming that the battle royal was a failure, I don't see it that way at all.
In fact, it is the contrary.
I went into the match with one purpose and one purpose only - to send a message. Test the waters and get a feel for how the climate and landscape within the NEW since the last time I was here. After all, there is a lot that has changed in the near decade since I walked through these halls, and a lot of people who I know nothing about, just as they knew nothing about me or who I am in the lead in to the match. I wanted them to understand that it matters not what you may hold close to you. It matters not whether or not you walk out with the victory, as long as it is understood that you are simply a cog within the greater puzzle. A stroke on the great canvas that is this very realm that we call our own.
I ensured that was the case when the smoke cleared, and that is all that truly matters to me when it is all said and done.
I now know exactly what stands before me and where everything lays. I now know just what must be done in order to make sure that everything plays out in the manner that needs to be in order for the temple's destiny to be fulfilled, and how to go about it to ensure it is the outcome that is played out. You can consider it a recon misson of sorts, and to that regard - everything has now been laid out and is awaiting the moment when it shall be set into stone. The only thing that is unknown, is how it shall all be excuted - and to you, it will remain unknown until the time calls for it to occur.
For I have no intention of allowing anybody to have a peek into that window. It is one of the things I have learned over my time in this sport. Never show your hand until the time arrives, otherwise you have given up the greatest advantage one can give up. That being knowledge of the future. Once you give that up, you have already lost and your plans may as well be dirt - for your enemy will know exactly how to counter your every move.
It is much better when they don't suspect a single thing.
---
I'm not much of a Christmas person. Never have been, never will be. Yet that doesn't mean I'm not going to put some lights up or a tree - both Bianca and Lucina are Christmas people, with Bianca herself telling me that this is her favourite time of the year. So, I mainly do it for them more than for me personally. Just like when I attend the Christmas special show for MCW - I do it to catch up with those who are still there and to give back to the place that brought me into this realm.
Charity of sorts, in conjunction with the actual charity work I do. Both solo and under the Adams Enterprises banner.
That is to say, I have just finished helping Bianca set up the Christmas lights in front of our residence in the Geelong suburb of Norlane, with the help of a local electrician named Bryce. After all, if you want things done right, you are best served hiring an expert to do so.
Sitting atop our brown couch, I look down at the manila folder in front of me, which had been sent my way by Jane earlier this week, pertaining to some of the recent developments within Adams Enterprises, first and foremost our expansion within the European market. Things that I usually just sign off on before handing it off to those in charge of said projects. This time, however, Jane wanted me to look at the specific details within one of the projects in particular and ensure that I wish to still progress with it. Make sure that everything is still as desired when we held the initial discussions about it back in September.
That being the funding for youth housing in Greensborough.
It's not an issue of whether the project will still be funded or going ahead - obviously, it will be, but rather - it is an issue about the contractors we hired to build the homes. Namely, they have gone insolvent due to issues relating to their fiances over the past 3 years. Issues that we had no idea about, though admittedly, we should have. It falls on us, but at least she informed me now instead of when the buildings were about to be constructed, so that we can find new contractors with a mininum of fuss.
Bianca: Hey babe, you need anything? I'm just heading down to Corio Village to pick up some shopping.
I glance up at her, shaking my head before turning my attention back to the folder.
Bianca: Okay. Be back soon.
"Alright."
Scouring through the contracts in front of me, I grab a pen from the table, using it to sign the contract before placing it and the folder back atop the table, my mind beginning to turn toward what happened at the battle royal. More specifically, what played out with Bia and her being the one to eliminate me.
Honestly, I couldn't be prouder of her for being the one to pull the trigger. To take me out of the fold so that she could take on the 'passing of the torch' and answer the very words I spoke before the match. Show that she is ready to bloom and become the future of Australian wrestling like I know she can be. Like many would claim she is destined to be.
"I wouldn't have had it any other way."
Sighing, I let those words fester in the air, reclining back on the couch, a slight but sincere smile across my face. Everything that played out, including Bia being the one to eliminate me was all a part of the process. The greater plan that is being pulled along under the veil of darkness.
"It went as it needed to. I wasn't the one who needed to walk out with the win, but I was the one who needed to be the test. Make sure that everything that is being set into motion goes off without a hitch - including setting up the future for when my time arrives and the reaper comes to carry me away."
"That is why Bia had to be the one to pull the trigger. To call her shot and prove that she holds the key to the future. That she is ready to carry the weight of those who came before her and retain the prestige of Australian wrestling on the global stage. Yet what you don't seem to understand, is that this is simply the beginning. That was merely your first test, and now that we know that you are willing to step up to the plate, we can begin the next step."
"We can truly begin to dive deep and discover whether the song that shall play out truly plays for you, or if it was merely a mirage. An illusion, that doesn't stand up when truly put under the microscope. For the story of somebody having 'next' or being the one anointed as being 'next person up', only for them to fold when the pressure is at its highest and the eyes are on them."
I pause, glaring straight ahead.
"It is a tale I have witnessed play out many times in the past. People believing they have the fire inside of them. That they have more than just hope and belief, only for them to be turned into footnotes at the hands of the crashing waves."
"I hope that isn't the case with you, Bia. I truly hope that you are the one that answers the calling and ascends. The one who takes the throne and makes it hers. It would bring a smile to this jaded face of mine for that to be the case."
I smile to hammer that last point home, before letting out a soft breath.
"We will have to wait and see just how it plays out. Just know that your next challenge is awaiting you, and the time will come where you shall have no choice but to answer it."
I then lean forward, picking up my phone from the table, quickly shooting a message to Larni before putting it back down and going back to relaxing.
"I shall be waiting."
---
That is a message that the 2 people I am to step into the ring with would be wise to heed. Otherwise, they will find out that all they are doing is delivering themselves to the mire, without me having to lift even a singular finger.
I'm sure that's not what they want.
At least, if they were smart, they wouldn't want that. After all, why would they want to be the ones held to account for their own actions? Why would they want their own aspirations and dreams to be the weight that ultimately crushes them? Yet that is what their fate will be if they come into this match failing to understand that they don't hold the cards. That they are not the ones who shall dictate what is coming for them, no matter how much they might wish to assume control. No matter how much they might wish to convince themselves that they hold the keys to their own fate --- deep down, they know they don't.
They never did.
The sooner the 2 of them come to that realization, the better it will be for them. It will be then that they understand that it is futile to fight the tide. To attempt to resist what is coming their way and just drift into the place they shall be slotted into, and that has been designed for them to rest in. For it is the only way that this truly can be done. The only way that it can all come to pass at the command of the shrine.
Delivered at my hands.
For what neither of you understand is that I care not for the X-Kore championship. It is not my calling, yet it isn't yours either. That glory is not for you to hold, which is why I am here. Why I am in this match, despite the art of hardcore and extreme wrestling going against my ethos. I am merely here to make sure that neither of you are able to claim it. To hold it, so that you understand that the walls. The barriers that you have surrounded yourselves with, cave in to the point where you have no choice but to question yourself. No escape from the mirror that is right before your eyes.
See, you might not realize it, but your own reflection is painting a picture of your doubts. Your insecurities. The secrets that fester inside of you, waiting to be dragged into the light and revealed. Put under the microscope so that it can be seen how you react when it is you in the crossfire. And before you try and retort that the same will be occurring to me --- I make no secrets of who I am. I hold no skeletons inside of the metaphorical closet, because I am just like an open book. My intentions are clear from the start, so long as you have your eyes open and are truly searching.
Are you?
---
Lily: Glad you could make it.
I smile, taking a seat on the lawn chair set up in front of Lily Sterling's house in Montmerency. Having decided to pay her a visit for the first time in a while, though despite how it may appear on the outside --- this isn't a casual visit. It hardly ever is with me, honestly.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss this for the world."
What is this thing? Well, Lily invited Bianca and I, along with others over for an early Christmas party of sorts, seeing as the vast majority of us have other commitments over the Christmas period. Whether those be business or personal, it matters not --- just that they exist so something like this is a welcome distraction from them. Yet that isn't the sole reason I am here.
Laughing, Lily flashes me a smile.
Lily: Great.
She then hesistates, before deciding to follow through with something that is on her mind.
Lily: I saw you returned to the NEW ---.
I nod. I knew it would come up. How couldn't it? Whether it was Bia or myself at the forefront, NEW was always going to have an audience here. Especially as it is airing on Channel 9, as part of an agreement signed almost a month back now.
"Yeah. I realized I needed to get back to basics and where better to do so than one of the places that gave me a foot in the door when it comes to the US? Plus, it's good to see how things have changed in my time away."
Lily: I guess that's true. Though I'll admit --- I was kind of hoping you'd come back to MCW. We miss you.
I smile. What Lily doesn't know is that my NEW contract doesn't preclude me from making appearances with MCW. It was a term I ensured Rebecca added when they sent across the contract. If it had, I wouldn't have signed it. But I'm gonna keep that a secret from her, even if the expression on her face is one that suspects something. Though she knows better than to ask about it, seeing as she knows me well enough to know I'll simply play it with a straight bat so to speak and not give anything away. It's my way of keeping people on their toes and ensuring that my cards aren't played until they absolutely need to be.
Yes, I'm that way outside of the ring, just like I am inside of the ring. You kind of have to be if you wanna be successful. Otherwise, you're practically playing their game for them.
"We'll have to see."
I laugh, the tone in my voice light hearted as I flash a smile.
Lily: Anyway, how did it feel stepping back into their ring?
I sigh. I've never been one to let my emotions truly get the best of me or pay attention to the external stuff. The crowd is gonna react in any way they see fit, so why should I let it affect me? Why should I pay them attention when there is a task within the ring to complete? It's the sort of person I have always been --- it doesn't faze me whether they love me or hate me. Just as long as they understand just what this realm is at its absolute purest.
"Honestly, it felt like any other match."
Lily raises her eyebrow.
"Like, I knew that I needed to worry about ensuring everything fell into place more than the moment. Make sure that the tidal wave swept through and showed them what is to come as time continues to tick along. Give them the taste of what they had been craving rather than worrying about what those in the crowd thought."
"After all, if I am to truly serve my purpose. If I am to truly answer the call, then nothing else can matter aside from what awaits me. The desire that the temple has to bring about the world where purity is whole and the light radiates upon those who wish for it."
Somewhat perplexed by my crytpic nature, Lily nods.
Lily: I see somethings don't change with you, Scotty.
She chuckles, as a small laugh leaves my own lips.
"There's no need to change."
Lily: I guess so. Though I do wish sometimes that you weren't as --- cryptic. I don't need a philosophy lesson, ya know?
I can't help but smirk.
"I know, but gotta keep inside their head. Make sure they know that when they step into the ring against me, it's as much psychological as it is physical."
Lily looks at me, smirking just a tiny bit.
Lily: We're not stepping into the ring though.
"We're not, but I mean my opponents."
Lily: Touchè.
She then pauses, trying to conjure up a follow up question as Victoria comes by, placing 2 glasses of coca-cola on the table in front of us.
Lily: Thanks Vicki.
Victoria: No problems.
"Thanks."
Vicki then leaves, as Lily prepares to ask the question that had been on her mind.
Lily: What's the connection between you and Bia? I heard what you said about her, and she did eliminate you from the ---
I interject.
"Everything went as it had to. I was well aware that she would come for me when I made my statement, and I wanted her to. I wanted to be sure that she was the right one to take the mantle. Carry the burden and blaze a path for the new generation."
Lily nods, understanding what I mean by that.
Lily: She's a special talent. I truly believe she's the closest we have to being that next star, but just needs the right guidance.
"That is the plan. I truly do see a mixture of Alyce and Maddy in her, and it was only right that she was the one to throw me out. I just hope she knows that there is more to come. That this world --- is more than she could ever have imagined."
"Yet the time will come for her next test. For now, I will stand back and observe. I have faith she will make the right choices to lead her into the light --- and into the maze that awaits her. When she does, the true challenge can begin."
Taking a sip of the coke, I feel myself beginning to drift off. Bianca Davis shouldn't be too much of an issue for her - not after what I saw from her. Not with what she has inside of her. Yet I am also cautious not to overfocus on her, for I have my own task to fulfill. The next step to complete, and ensure goes according to plan. Otherwise, it could all fall apart before truly taking its hold over the industry, which is the last thing anybody should want.
For it will mean that they would have won. It will have meant that I wasn't able to appease the temple, and that I had let it all slip away. Something I have no intention of allowing to play out. I have no intent of letting this all fall into the void and for either Nocturnal, or the new vessal for the entity known as Nocturnal or Meg Coleman to fulfill what they believe is their destiny.
Lily: Anyway, I know you have an interesting contest at Ignite. You're facing Nocturnal II and Meg Coleman for a shot at the X-Core title --- which isn't something I thought I'd say I'd say about you.
She laughs, knowing that I have built my career on being the epitome of pure wrestling. Somebody who stands against everything that hardcore wrestling stands for, so to be in this position is ironic, to say the least. But hey, maybe just like I have done in the past, I can make that belt into something pure. Something that upholds the traditions on which wrestling was built.
"I embrace the challenge. Nocturnal and I have crossed paths in a previous life. A previous vessal in terms of that entity. I know exactly what he is capable of, but he should know that the game he claims as being his, is one that I am just as capable of playing too."
I pause, letting out a breath.
"As for Meg, I haven't had the opportunity to formally meet her yet, but that doesn't mean I am not aware of what she can do between the ropes. I know she has a background in MMA, as do I, which is what makes her supposedly dangerous. Yet she shall learn that it is one thing to present yourself as dangerous and a whole different thing to actually be dangerous."
"It is something that many people fail to realize. Instead choosing to attempt to make themselves seem like they are more threatening in the hopes that their opponents won't simply call their bluff and shine a mirror into their face."
Lily cuts in.
Lily: I mean, she is a fighter.
"Not denying that, but you should know all too well what it truly means to be a fighter. Remember, you've seen first hand what Stephanie Dawson and Kristy Knight can do. You know how they are just like Meg, except they didn't need to ram it down your throat every 30 seconds."
Lily: Doesn't the same apply to Nocturnal and him being a dark entity?
I nod.
"It does. Nocturnal and his insistance on being something to fear falls under the same parameter. Yet come Ignite, both of them are gonna see first hand what happens when the mirror is shone upon them and their flaws. Their insecurities are brought into the light."
I smile, as we both take another sip of the coca-cola and begin to move onto other topics we wish to converse about. Topics that people need not know about at this time.
---
If you aren't, then that is what shall spell your demise at Ignite. A demise that has been designed for you from the very moment this match was put onto the slate.
See, this to me is just another stroke of the brush. Another way for me to execute what has been called upon, whether or not I am the one who walks out with the victory. Whereas for you, this is what you need. This is your chance to establish where you stand or try to instill fear into your name, where nothingness was previously. For me, I already know exactly where I stand. I know exactly where it is I lay in the battlefield and have no need to make a play. To try and instill fear or credance, for those are what I already hold.
Those are things that resonate from me.
It is that which should make me more dangerous to the 2 of you. Knowing that I am doing this simply out of the desire to bring about the tide rather than holding any need for glory or fame. Simply wishing to bring about a clinic and bring about your deliverance. You don't need to fear me either, for I don't need artificial factors. I don't need to be the entity creeping in the shadows or the fighter who breathes hardcore in order to walk into that ring and play the game you wish to. Ensure that once the smoke clears, the both of you are mere husks, left with nothing but memories of the time you thought you could fly too close of the sun.
The moment you lived out the story of Icarus.
For that is how this bound to go. This is the game that shall be played, if either one of you believe that you can step into the light and face the hands of fate that have been designed for you. The suffocation of everything that you hold near and dear to you. I just hope for your sakes that you embrace that. That you are reality for what is about to play out.
Otherwise it shall be your final song.
---
Sitting inside of my studio, I turn my swivel chair around so that my back is to the table I had previously been working at, and so it is equally clear I am dressed in a simple shorts and t-shirt outfit. All too common for me.
"The time is nigh. The angels have begun to sing their tune --- and now all we await, is for the battle to truly begin."
My face remains emotionless.
"What neither Nocturnal or Meg understand is that they are walking into my game. A game that has been devised to bring everything they have out of them and reveal it to the world. Whether or not they wish for that to be the case, for it is the only way this can be done."
"It is the only way they can prove they are who they claim and not merely a facade, designed to be pulled to pieces and torn away. After all, that is what the temple wishes to occur - it is what I have been called upon to deliver in the name of purity."
I lower my voice into a whisper.
"And it is exactly what I shall be doing."
My voice returning to its normal volume as I narrow my eyes. Hoping that both Meg and Nocturnal understand exactly what awaits them in Saint Louis. Exactly what they must find a way to overcome if they wish to retain the traits they hold near and dear to them, whether or not they are able to stem the tide.
"To you, this is a key. An opportunity you wish to hold within your hands. To me, this is just another piece of the puzzle. Another chapter waiting to be set into stone, so that the process can take hold. Winning is secindary --- yet if it means you shall sprial into the nightmare. Left wondering where it is that you stand within this realm or if those you hold near and dear will spurn you, then I will happily hold it."
"Just know --- in this game, the only weapons you need are the ones inside of your mind. The ones you have upon your body. For they are the ones that shall guide you down your designed path."
I flash a grin, hoping that those words sink into their minds. Cause them to ponder just how they intend to approach this match, because I already know mine. I already know the cards in play and the situation they seek.
"For your sake, I hope you don't fold. That you come at me with all you have. With all the anger and rage pent up inside of you, so that I can pick you apart and rebuild you in the middle of that ring."
I chuckle.
"Don't worry. I promise it will be painless."
I then stand, beginning to walk out of the studio.
"I shall see you at Ignite."
END.
In fact, it is the contrary.
I went into the match with one purpose and one purpose only - to send a message. Test the waters and get a feel for how the climate and landscape within the NEW since the last time I was here. After all, there is a lot that has changed in the near decade since I walked through these halls, and a lot of people who I know nothing about, just as they knew nothing about me or who I am in the lead in to the match. I wanted them to understand that it matters not what you may hold close to you. It matters not whether or not you walk out with the victory, as long as it is understood that you are simply a cog within the greater puzzle. A stroke on the great canvas that is this very realm that we call our own.
I ensured that was the case when the smoke cleared, and that is all that truly matters to me when it is all said and done.
I now know exactly what stands before me and where everything lays. I now know just what must be done in order to make sure that everything plays out in the manner that needs to be in order for the temple's destiny to be fulfilled, and how to go about it to ensure it is the outcome that is played out. You can consider it a recon misson of sorts, and to that regard - everything has now been laid out and is awaiting the moment when it shall be set into stone. The only thing that is unknown, is how it shall all be excuted - and to you, it will remain unknown until the time calls for it to occur.
For I have no intention of allowing anybody to have a peek into that window. It is one of the things I have learned over my time in this sport. Never show your hand until the time arrives, otherwise you have given up the greatest advantage one can give up. That being knowledge of the future. Once you give that up, you have already lost and your plans may as well be dirt - for your enemy will know exactly how to counter your every move.
It is much better when they don't suspect a single thing.
---
I'm not much of a Christmas person. Never have been, never will be. Yet that doesn't mean I'm not going to put some lights up or a tree - both Bianca and Lucina are Christmas people, with Bianca herself telling me that this is her favourite time of the year. So, I mainly do it for them more than for me personally. Just like when I attend the Christmas special show for MCW - I do it to catch up with those who are still there and to give back to the place that brought me into this realm.
Charity of sorts, in conjunction with the actual charity work I do. Both solo and under the Adams Enterprises banner.
That is to say, I have just finished helping Bianca set up the Christmas lights in front of our residence in the Geelong suburb of Norlane, with the help of a local electrician named Bryce. After all, if you want things done right, you are best served hiring an expert to do so.
Sitting atop our brown couch, I look down at the manila folder in front of me, which had been sent my way by Jane earlier this week, pertaining to some of the recent developments within Adams Enterprises, first and foremost our expansion within the European market. Things that I usually just sign off on before handing it off to those in charge of said projects. This time, however, Jane wanted me to look at the specific details within one of the projects in particular and ensure that I wish to still progress with it. Make sure that everything is still as desired when we held the initial discussions about it back in September.
That being the funding for youth housing in Greensborough.
It's not an issue of whether the project will still be funded or going ahead - obviously, it will be, but rather - it is an issue about the contractors we hired to build the homes. Namely, they have gone insolvent due to issues relating to their fiances over the past 3 years. Issues that we had no idea about, though admittedly, we should have. It falls on us, but at least she informed me now instead of when the buildings were about to be constructed, so that we can find new contractors with a mininum of fuss.
Bianca: Hey babe, you need anything? I'm just heading down to Corio Village to pick up some shopping.
I glance up at her, shaking my head before turning my attention back to the folder.
Bianca: Okay. Be back soon.
"Alright."
Scouring through the contracts in front of me, I grab a pen from the table, using it to sign the contract before placing it and the folder back atop the table, my mind beginning to turn toward what happened at the battle royal. More specifically, what played out with Bia and her being the one to eliminate me.
Honestly, I couldn't be prouder of her for being the one to pull the trigger. To take me out of the fold so that she could take on the 'passing of the torch' and answer the very words I spoke before the match. Show that she is ready to bloom and become the future of Australian wrestling like I know she can be. Like many would claim she is destined to be.
"I wouldn't have had it any other way."
Sighing, I let those words fester in the air, reclining back on the couch, a slight but sincere smile across my face. Everything that played out, including Bia being the one to eliminate me was all a part of the process. The greater plan that is being pulled along under the veil of darkness.
"It went as it needed to. I wasn't the one who needed to walk out with the win, but I was the one who needed to be the test. Make sure that everything that is being set into motion goes off without a hitch - including setting up the future for when my time arrives and the reaper comes to carry me away."
"That is why Bia had to be the one to pull the trigger. To call her shot and prove that she holds the key to the future. That she is ready to carry the weight of those who came before her and retain the prestige of Australian wrestling on the global stage. Yet what you don't seem to understand, is that this is simply the beginning. That was merely your first test, and now that we know that you are willing to step up to the plate, we can begin the next step."
"We can truly begin to dive deep and discover whether the song that shall play out truly plays for you, or if it was merely a mirage. An illusion, that doesn't stand up when truly put under the microscope. For the story of somebody having 'next' or being the one anointed as being 'next person up', only for them to fold when the pressure is at its highest and the eyes are on them."
I pause, glaring straight ahead.
"It is a tale I have witnessed play out many times in the past. People believing they have the fire inside of them. That they have more than just hope and belief, only for them to be turned into footnotes at the hands of the crashing waves."
"I hope that isn't the case with you, Bia. I truly hope that you are the one that answers the calling and ascends. The one who takes the throne and makes it hers. It would bring a smile to this jaded face of mine for that to be the case."
I smile to hammer that last point home, before letting out a soft breath.
"We will have to wait and see just how it plays out. Just know that your next challenge is awaiting you, and the time will come where you shall have no choice but to answer it."
I then lean forward, picking up my phone from the table, quickly shooting a message to Larni before putting it back down and going back to relaxing.
"I shall be waiting."
---
That is a message that the 2 people I am to step into the ring with would be wise to heed. Otherwise, they will find out that all they are doing is delivering themselves to the mire, without me having to lift even a singular finger.
I'm sure that's not what they want.
At least, if they were smart, they wouldn't want that. After all, why would they want to be the ones held to account for their own actions? Why would they want their own aspirations and dreams to be the weight that ultimately crushes them? Yet that is what their fate will be if they come into this match failing to understand that they don't hold the cards. That they are not the ones who shall dictate what is coming for them, no matter how much they might wish to assume control. No matter how much they might wish to convince themselves that they hold the keys to their own fate --- deep down, they know they don't.
They never did.
The sooner the 2 of them come to that realization, the better it will be for them. It will be then that they understand that it is futile to fight the tide. To attempt to resist what is coming their way and just drift into the place they shall be slotted into, and that has been designed for them to rest in. For it is the only way that this truly can be done. The only way that it can all come to pass at the command of the shrine.
Delivered at my hands.
For what neither of you understand is that I care not for the X-Kore championship. It is not my calling, yet it isn't yours either. That glory is not for you to hold, which is why I am here. Why I am in this match, despite the art of hardcore and extreme wrestling going against my ethos. I am merely here to make sure that neither of you are able to claim it. To hold it, so that you understand that the walls. The barriers that you have surrounded yourselves with, cave in to the point where you have no choice but to question yourself. No escape from the mirror that is right before your eyes.
See, you might not realize it, but your own reflection is painting a picture of your doubts. Your insecurities. The secrets that fester inside of you, waiting to be dragged into the light and revealed. Put under the microscope so that it can be seen how you react when it is you in the crossfire. And before you try and retort that the same will be occurring to me --- I make no secrets of who I am. I hold no skeletons inside of the metaphorical closet, because I am just like an open book. My intentions are clear from the start, so long as you have your eyes open and are truly searching.
Are you?
---
Lily: Glad you could make it.
I smile, taking a seat on the lawn chair set up in front of Lily Sterling's house in Montmerency. Having decided to pay her a visit for the first time in a while, though despite how it may appear on the outside --- this isn't a casual visit. It hardly ever is with me, honestly.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss this for the world."
What is this thing? Well, Lily invited Bianca and I, along with others over for an early Christmas party of sorts, seeing as the vast majority of us have other commitments over the Christmas period. Whether those be business or personal, it matters not --- just that they exist so something like this is a welcome distraction from them. Yet that isn't the sole reason I am here.
Laughing, Lily flashes me a smile.
Lily: Great.
She then hesistates, before deciding to follow through with something that is on her mind.
Lily: I saw you returned to the NEW ---.
I nod. I knew it would come up. How couldn't it? Whether it was Bia or myself at the forefront, NEW was always going to have an audience here. Especially as it is airing on Channel 9, as part of an agreement signed almost a month back now.
"Yeah. I realized I needed to get back to basics and where better to do so than one of the places that gave me a foot in the door when it comes to the US? Plus, it's good to see how things have changed in my time away."
Lily: I guess that's true. Though I'll admit --- I was kind of hoping you'd come back to MCW. We miss you.
I smile. What Lily doesn't know is that my NEW contract doesn't preclude me from making appearances with MCW. It was a term I ensured Rebecca added when they sent across the contract. If it had, I wouldn't have signed it. But I'm gonna keep that a secret from her, even if the expression on her face is one that suspects something. Though she knows better than to ask about it, seeing as she knows me well enough to know I'll simply play it with a straight bat so to speak and not give anything away. It's my way of keeping people on their toes and ensuring that my cards aren't played until they absolutely need to be.
Yes, I'm that way outside of the ring, just like I am inside of the ring. You kind of have to be if you wanna be successful. Otherwise, you're practically playing their game for them.
"We'll have to see."
I laugh, the tone in my voice light hearted as I flash a smile.
Lily: Anyway, how did it feel stepping back into their ring?
I sigh. I've never been one to let my emotions truly get the best of me or pay attention to the external stuff. The crowd is gonna react in any way they see fit, so why should I let it affect me? Why should I pay them attention when there is a task within the ring to complete? It's the sort of person I have always been --- it doesn't faze me whether they love me or hate me. Just as long as they understand just what this realm is at its absolute purest.
"Honestly, it felt like any other match."
Lily raises her eyebrow.
"Like, I knew that I needed to worry about ensuring everything fell into place more than the moment. Make sure that the tidal wave swept through and showed them what is to come as time continues to tick along. Give them the taste of what they had been craving rather than worrying about what those in the crowd thought."
"After all, if I am to truly serve my purpose. If I am to truly answer the call, then nothing else can matter aside from what awaits me. The desire that the temple has to bring about the world where purity is whole and the light radiates upon those who wish for it."
Somewhat perplexed by my crytpic nature, Lily nods.
Lily: I see somethings don't change with you, Scotty.
She chuckles, as a small laugh leaves my own lips.
"There's no need to change."
Lily: I guess so. Though I do wish sometimes that you weren't as --- cryptic. I don't need a philosophy lesson, ya know?
I can't help but smirk.
"I know, but gotta keep inside their head. Make sure they know that when they step into the ring against me, it's as much psychological as it is physical."
Lily looks at me, smirking just a tiny bit.
Lily: We're not stepping into the ring though.
"We're not, but I mean my opponents."
Lily: Touchè.
She then pauses, trying to conjure up a follow up question as Victoria comes by, placing 2 glasses of coca-cola on the table in front of us.
Lily: Thanks Vicki.
Victoria: No problems.
"Thanks."
Vicki then leaves, as Lily prepares to ask the question that had been on her mind.
Lily: What's the connection between you and Bia? I heard what you said about her, and she did eliminate you from the ---
I interject.
"Everything went as it had to. I was well aware that she would come for me when I made my statement, and I wanted her to. I wanted to be sure that she was the right one to take the mantle. Carry the burden and blaze a path for the new generation."
Lily nods, understanding what I mean by that.
Lily: She's a special talent. I truly believe she's the closest we have to being that next star, but just needs the right guidance.
"That is the plan. I truly do see a mixture of Alyce and Maddy in her, and it was only right that she was the one to throw me out. I just hope she knows that there is more to come. That this world --- is more than she could ever have imagined."
"Yet the time will come for her next test. For now, I will stand back and observe. I have faith she will make the right choices to lead her into the light --- and into the maze that awaits her. When she does, the true challenge can begin."
Taking a sip of the coke, I feel myself beginning to drift off. Bianca Davis shouldn't be too much of an issue for her - not after what I saw from her. Not with what she has inside of her. Yet I am also cautious not to overfocus on her, for I have my own task to fulfill. The next step to complete, and ensure goes according to plan. Otherwise, it could all fall apart before truly taking its hold over the industry, which is the last thing anybody should want.
For it will mean that they would have won. It will have meant that I wasn't able to appease the temple, and that I had let it all slip away. Something I have no intention of allowing to play out. I have no intent of letting this all fall into the void and for either Nocturnal, or the new vessal for the entity known as Nocturnal or Meg Coleman to fulfill what they believe is their destiny.
Lily: Anyway, I know you have an interesting contest at Ignite. You're facing Nocturnal II and Meg Coleman for a shot at the X-Core title --- which isn't something I thought I'd say I'd say about you.
She laughs, knowing that I have built my career on being the epitome of pure wrestling. Somebody who stands against everything that hardcore wrestling stands for, so to be in this position is ironic, to say the least. But hey, maybe just like I have done in the past, I can make that belt into something pure. Something that upholds the traditions on which wrestling was built.
"I embrace the challenge. Nocturnal and I have crossed paths in a previous life. A previous vessal in terms of that entity. I know exactly what he is capable of, but he should know that the game he claims as being his, is one that I am just as capable of playing too."
I pause, letting out a breath.
"As for Meg, I haven't had the opportunity to formally meet her yet, but that doesn't mean I am not aware of what she can do between the ropes. I know she has a background in MMA, as do I, which is what makes her supposedly dangerous. Yet she shall learn that it is one thing to present yourself as dangerous and a whole different thing to actually be dangerous."
"It is something that many people fail to realize. Instead choosing to attempt to make themselves seem like they are more threatening in the hopes that their opponents won't simply call their bluff and shine a mirror into their face."
Lily cuts in.
Lily: I mean, she is a fighter.
"Not denying that, but you should know all too well what it truly means to be a fighter. Remember, you've seen first hand what Stephanie Dawson and Kristy Knight can do. You know how they are just like Meg, except they didn't need to ram it down your throat every 30 seconds."
Lily: Doesn't the same apply to Nocturnal and him being a dark entity?
I nod.
"It does. Nocturnal and his insistance on being something to fear falls under the same parameter. Yet come Ignite, both of them are gonna see first hand what happens when the mirror is shone upon them and their flaws. Their insecurities are brought into the light."
I smile, as we both take another sip of the coca-cola and begin to move onto other topics we wish to converse about. Topics that people need not know about at this time.
---
If you aren't, then that is what shall spell your demise at Ignite. A demise that has been designed for you from the very moment this match was put onto the slate.
See, this to me is just another stroke of the brush. Another way for me to execute what has been called upon, whether or not I am the one who walks out with the victory. Whereas for you, this is what you need. This is your chance to establish where you stand or try to instill fear into your name, where nothingness was previously. For me, I already know exactly where I stand. I know exactly where it is I lay in the battlefield and have no need to make a play. To try and instill fear or credance, for those are what I already hold.
Those are things that resonate from me.
It is that which should make me more dangerous to the 2 of you. Knowing that I am doing this simply out of the desire to bring about the tide rather than holding any need for glory or fame. Simply wishing to bring about a clinic and bring about your deliverance. You don't need to fear me either, for I don't need artificial factors. I don't need to be the entity creeping in the shadows or the fighter who breathes hardcore in order to walk into that ring and play the game you wish to. Ensure that once the smoke clears, the both of you are mere husks, left with nothing but memories of the time you thought you could fly too close of the sun.
The moment you lived out the story of Icarus.
For that is how this bound to go. This is the game that shall be played, if either one of you believe that you can step into the light and face the hands of fate that have been designed for you. The suffocation of everything that you hold near and dear to you. I just hope for your sakes that you embrace that. That you are reality for what is about to play out.
Otherwise it shall be your final song.
---
Sitting inside of my studio, I turn my swivel chair around so that my back is to the table I had previously been working at, and so it is equally clear I am dressed in a simple shorts and t-shirt outfit. All too common for me.
"The time is nigh. The angels have begun to sing their tune --- and now all we await, is for the battle to truly begin."
My face remains emotionless.
"What neither Nocturnal or Meg understand is that they are walking into my game. A game that has been devised to bring everything they have out of them and reveal it to the world. Whether or not they wish for that to be the case, for it is the only way this can be done."
"It is the only way they can prove they are who they claim and not merely a facade, designed to be pulled to pieces and torn away. After all, that is what the temple wishes to occur - it is what I have been called upon to deliver in the name of purity."
I lower my voice into a whisper.
"And it is exactly what I shall be doing."
My voice returning to its normal volume as I narrow my eyes. Hoping that both Meg and Nocturnal understand exactly what awaits them in Saint Louis. Exactly what they must find a way to overcome if they wish to retain the traits they hold near and dear to them, whether or not they are able to stem the tide.
"To you, this is a key. An opportunity you wish to hold within your hands. To me, this is just another piece of the puzzle. Another chapter waiting to be set into stone, so that the process can take hold. Winning is secindary --- yet if it means you shall sprial into the nightmare. Left wondering where it is that you stand within this realm or if those you hold near and dear will spurn you, then I will happily hold it."
"Just know --- in this game, the only weapons you need are the ones inside of your mind. The ones you have upon your body. For they are the ones that shall guide you down your designed path."
I flash a grin, hoping that those words sink into their minds. Cause them to ponder just how they intend to approach this match, because I already know mine. I already know the cards in play and the situation they seek.
"For your sake, I hope you don't fold. That you come at me with all you have. With all the anger and rage pent up inside of you, so that I can pick you apart and rebuild you in the middle of that ring."
I chuckle.
"Don't worry. I promise it will be painless."
I then stand, beginning to walk out of the studio.
"I shall see you at Ignite."
END.