Post by Artemis Kaiser on Jan 10, 2018 22:45:53 GMT -5
Rodney Stillwater, a man who had the world in his hands, sat in the endless stream of glimmering starlight. He seated himself at a table made of a constellation, and his chair was made from broken realities of those that fell by his hand. On his opposite, in a seat of the same cosmic material, sat a tranquil man moving a black chess piece. It glistened faintly with dying stars, and when it struck its place on the table, it sent a wave of light throughout the board. Rodney contemplated his own move, rubbing his bearded chin lightly until he rose his own piece, a shining white knight and tapped it on the square. He took the pawn, and crushed it into stardust. The particles returned to nothingness, where all things in the collective universe--and others are born. Rodney straightened up, staring at his opponent with a neutral look. A smirk dawned on the features of his older opponent, who motioned for him to speak to the camera that had found its way into the ethereal realm that the two played in.
“Elina Cartel, a marvel in the world, someone that many cannot grasp in the weak facilities that they call their minds,” Rodney complimented, yet not with a tone that reflected such. In fact, he contemplated his next move and Elina’s place in the seen world with a hesitant air, “we’ll fight to continue this path forged for us. For the King Cobra, I’ll defeat you, Elina. Like all stars in the world, you shine brighter than others. In many cases, you would even encompass me with that light of yours.”
Rodney’s eyes fell on his opponent, who took his rook, a beacon of light in its right, and charged down the mismatched lane. He crushed a defenseless Bishop, which burst from its temporary coil into galactic essence. Its dwindling existence grazed Rodney’s face, leaving his face a faint glow that soon vanished. Rodney nodded accordingly, intrigued by his mistake. He preserved, using his Knight to exact his revenge. He destroyed another of his opponent’s Pawns, closing any strategic routes on that end of the board.
“However, Elina, if we’re all pieces in this universe,” he paused, “if you’re a star, then I’m a black hole seeking to consume all that you are. For you, I’m your ultimate danger. A star that meets even the edge of the event horizon, it doesn’t even take an instant for all light to be taken away. Without a word, a struggle, or a whimper, the light vanishes forever. The black hole remains, continuing its sullen rampage against all existence. I shall not compare you to a star, Elina, for you are more than that. You have a clear vision that understands the concept before you, but also you can turn that view upon yourself. I’d be wrong to call you a star.”
“You are a sun, a prosperous entity that baptizes the world in an ever-present light. You are strong, Elina Cartel, but I am beyond that strength. No matter how strong you are, I’m still the black hole. You’ll go far in the universe. You’ll grow, and eventually, you’ll mask my existence with that essence. Once more, I’m the black hole. The worship and the devotion to you might propagate, but you’ll still meet your end by me. Others pray never to stray too close to the sun, while you seek never to find me.”
His opponent’s next move was powerful. He moved the Queen forward, the destroyer of all in her vainglorious path. The Knight, Rodney’s brush of vengeful action, became a victim in a move that traversed most of the board. Rodney seemed unperturbed, his eyes measuring where he went wrong. By his next step, the revelation came forward. Rodney’s moving eyes analyzed what damage he could do, and how safe the action could be. He ran his other Bishop into position, setting a trap for the Queen. Her desire to kill would fester, and potentially take the Bishop, but only if the Man would make the command. He snickered, a minor vocalization of what he bore witness to. Rodney took the bait, shifting the Queen over to take the Bishop, a vital piece in any chess game--cosmic or not. Rodney didn’t even need to think; he shifted his Rook over and defeated the Queen. She might be a mighty warrior, but she couldn’t stand to the ironclad behemoth that the Rook was.
The Man dealt out his hands, shrugging with one shoulder, “you might have me defeated there.”
Rodney’s eyes narrowed, “no, of course not.”
The Man’s Rook had Rodney’s King in position, and the Man rose his hands up.
“We’ll end here. I don’t want to be a distraction,” he said, to which Rodney agreed silently.
“Elina,” Rodney rose his hand, “let’s forgo the analogy.”
He snapped his fingers, and the cosmic setting shattered into particles. As they faded, the particles playing as a wondrous transition into the lavish room in Rodney’s apartment. The celestial seat had become a more uncomplicated lounge chair. Around him, he kept an emphasis on Prince’s sense of style. Everything, despite being in the real world, seemed to bear a twinge of interstellar flair. Rodney snapped again, and the dull sound of a turntable’s needle striking a vinyl came through. From Bowie’s Blackstar came “Lazarus,” and its intro accompanied Rodney’s next words.
“We are competitors, fantastic ones at that. I’ve seen your track record. In the span of the time you have spent in wrestling, you have managed to keep a substantial success rate. Everywhere you have traversed, you strutted with gold. You wandered into an abyss, vanishing from the naked eye, taking all that gold with you.”
“I did the same. I came out of the abyss myself, where I immediately met the fight that I needed to challenge myself. You see, I’m a man who needs things like this. If not, I find myself stagnant, like a snake that cannot shed its skin. To become the cobra, the beast that can take down any foe, I need to defeat someone like you. I need to defeat the radiant star in the sky to kill the demon deep down below.”
Rodney got up, heading over to the centerpiece table. On it, the chess board that was used in the earlier game made its appearance. The pieces that were taken were not present, but Rodney saw his move, in the end, made him the winner. He took a moment to analyze the pieces; he reached down to pick up the Man’s king. When he did, he saw it dissolve into cinders.
“Elina, I defeat you, do I send you back to the deep confines of space, the infinite abyss? I know you have returned, but do you miss your cue?” Rodney explained, letting the ashes fall to the table, “to me, I wouldn’t mind that outcome. Each time you return from the abyss, you show the potential to be something stronger. You began a fading star, and then you became a sun. One day, you’ll become a supernova. I cannot wait to do battle with you then.”
“At that time, Elina, will you be able to escape the black hole?”
Rodney stepped towards the window, staring out. The camera found the exact setting beyond his curtains. The ethereal world that he was in was still ever present. He opened the window, where a shooting star fell towards him. He stopped it with his hands, holding it with a fondness unfound in any other part of his body nor expression.
“Elina, I do ask you a question in conclusion?”
“With the cosmos on your side, you have taken the world by storm, but when you step into Relapse, it’s simple for me to ask you this.”
Rodney gave a long stare to the camera as the shooting star died in his hands.
