Post by The Executioner on Mar 28, 2018 23:07:22 GMT -5
"Romeo and Juliet" vs. Alyssa Daniels By Aiden Deimos1526 WORDS
MARCH 29 TH, 2018
VERONA, ITALY
3:33 AM
“I fear, too early, for my mind misgives. Some consequence yet hanging in the stars. Shall bitterly begin his fearful date. With this night's revels, and expire the term. Of a despisèd life closed in my breast. By some vile forfeit of untimely death.”
Dust rests softly across the metal curves of the tomb, which lays in the center of the mausoleum. On the lead top of the tomb is a carved knight, the details in which used to show the chain mail armor now smoothed from the battle with time. Sitting in the middle of the breastplate is a family crest, two lions roaring as they face each other. The crest is of the Capulet Family, the very family who lived in this city at one time. The same city that in just a mere few days will play host to Union Battleground. The city of Verona.
Off in the distance, the sound of boots colliding with the cold solid wooden floor can be heard. Around the corner of the tomb, through a high gothic archway, Aiden Deimos is making his way towards the death that rests deep in the bowels of the mausoleum. A leather hood is casting a shadow upon his face, as the flame atop the torch crackles, breaking the still silence. He makes his way through the archway, as he does he lowers the torch and lights a pool of oil that wraps around the room. Shadows are cast all the way up the walls and cast from each inch of detail that litters the walls. He places the torch in a holder and approaches the tomb, softly laying his hand on its metal surface.
“Ms. Daniels, you seem to be a very educated being. Last week you were able to look upon your opponent Alexander Devin and pick him apart. You were able to study his past, learn from the mistakes of others that came before you and walked out victorious. Plain and simple.”
He stops at the head and slowly pushes the lid causing the heavy metals to scrape and grind against each other, causing a loud high pitch noise to echo throughout the halls of the mausoleum. After opening a gap close to about a foot, Aiden reaches into the tomb, pulls out the skull which has an orange and red tint from the fire casting upon the smooth surface of the bone as he raises it up.
“You see I stand here, in a tomb that resides in the same city that the story of Romeo and Juliet took place. The story of two star-crossed lovers attempting to defy fate and chase after their dreams of a life together. But that is where they failed, and in turn where I failed. Fighting your destiny, the sequences written amongst the stars, will only bring heartbreak. Last week I was confident, with no doubts in my mind that I would have ended the night with blood on my hands and a victory in the books, but that was not to be. The being that sits upon his throne, looking down upon us without truly seeing the full picture of the world being built. Taking it upon himself to change things where a change is not needed as if he is afraid of what will truly happen once Salvation has finally conquered all.”
Aiden lifts the skull up farther into the light revealing a single crack along with splinters expanding outward from where an ear may be. He wraps his finger around the back of the skull, dirt under his fingernails and looks directly into its eye sockets as if trying to see deep into its soul that is no longer there.
“Ms. Daniels, you have had a rocky year. You have loved, you have lost, and you have had to move on. Kevin Moss. He was the Romeo to your Juliet. He showed you the path to success. He helped you grow and expand, not only as a wrestler but as a friend and as an individual. He also showed you that in a tag team, especially as Champions, you have to be in sync and tune with one another by understanding each other’s weaknesses and strengths. You see, I was there when Kevin won the SKYFIRE Championship by pinning Mark Storm’s shoulders to the mat. I watched as he and you became the inaugural Elysium Pro Tag Team Champions. He was a great competitor, he was your friend, and he was your mentor. But Ms. Daniels, you are not Kevin Moss.”
He walks over to a fire place, the oil burning hot beneath it. He bends over to take a deeper look into the fire.
“You are nothing more than a student caught in the shadow of the mentor. Look back at your past, you were the one who pulled down the Elysium Pro Tag Titles when you won them, but when Kevin Moss was tragically lost, you immediately replaced him as if everything he gave you was easy just to cast aside and forget. You had your father replace him and the instant you two had to defend those belts, you lost them, and with that, you threw away the memory of your Romeo as if it was nothing. You lazily believe that destiny is written for you and isn’t able to be challenged or deviated, so instead, you go with the flow and accept whatever path is laid out before you.”
Aiden turns back around, looking out across the room with a different kind of expression on his face. His brows are crooked, and the corner of his mouth turned leading us to believe this is the look of concern. It is an odd look for the Executioner as if he is pleading with Alyssa, hoping that she listens to his next words very closely.
“But now you have to stand across from me, and I can be your new Romeo, Ms. Daniels. I can help you steer clear of the path that the idiot behind the curtain wants for you, let me show you the Path to Salvation. Allow me to help you prove to everyone that you are better than you mentor ever was. Why fight against the people who only want what is best for you? Why fight against a cause that will only strengthen your foothold in history? I want to see your absolute best or be the one to cause your fall because at the end of the day Ms. Daniels, I can be your future for better or for worse. I can be your Romeo, or I can be the poison that brings a conclusion to a career that has been nothing except for a few ‘so close’ moments littered throughout here and there.”
The flame that burns near the wall begins to grow, and suddenly the carved wooden walls catch fire causing smoke to start filling the top of the room. Still visible next to the tomb is Aiden Deimos, his eyes steady as ash begins to swirl around the room. Deimos raises the skull high up into the air and like the skull was a vacuum, the flames, ash, and smoke begin to collect together and whisk through the eyes in which Aiden had been looking at. Once the room clears, we see that the walls are black and the skull’s eyes glow red as it’s the only illumination in the room.
“Alyssa, last week you spoke about how you were viewed, saying that ‘I don’t know how you’ll view me. Weak. Delicate. A stepping stone. Let this serve as your warning: I’m none of those things. I’m an athlete, someone whose entire life has been about this sport.’ And you couldn’t be more correct, your life has been all about this sport, and it is because of this that you will in fact fail. I don’t fight for the love of this sport or the love of a family or the love of this company. I fight to teach every person that stands across the ring from me what it truly means to follow the Path of Salvation. Something Flash Kassidy has yet to learn, but trust me he will and at L!ghts Out 21 you will too. Go ahead Ms. Daniels, love this sport, it is your right but soon you will see the very thing that I fight for, and you will only be able to look on helplessly as the walls of Salvation’s Kingdom rise around you until they slowly close in and suffocate you.”
He pauses for a brief moment.
“You have a choice, right here, right now to bow down to your new Romeo my sweet Juliet because only I can take you by the hand and help you rise to your true potential...or you can fall by my hand and become just another brick in the walls of Salvation’s Kingdom. The choice is yours.”
Aiden simply closes his hand which causes the skull to crumble as burning embers slip between his fingers and float to the floor below.
It’s a cool night in Camden, New Jersey. A light rain sprinkles down onto the shores of the Delaware River making the sub-fifty degree weather feel cooler. Lightposts, as well as the nearby Battleship, light the way to the waterfront. She sports a royal blue raincoat that contrasts with her distinguishing bright pink hair, walks in the light toward the river. Alyssa Daniels holds an umbrella overhead to keep the rain away as best she can as she walks and admires the night. She looks straight ahead and sees… A child?
Her eyes lock onto the small figure up ahead. The child does not have a raincoat nor an umbrella. It doesn’t have a coat at all.
“Kid! What are you doing out here? Aren’t you freezing?”
The child turns its head to look at Alyssa. Alyssa gasps as she sees the nature of the child.
“Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream…”
As the eerie echoing sound of an unknown child’s voice echo through the air, few important features about this child are immediately clear.
“Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream…”
For one, where the dull irises of an undetermined color in the darkness of night should be, there are glowing red orbs that are visible despite the darkness. The hands of the young boy are restrained in shackles. The chain connected to the shackles just seems to disappear into the ground beneath him. His ragged clothes barely protect him against the elements but still yet, he does not shiver. He does not appear to be afraid, angry, happy, or much of anything on an emotional scale. He just appears to be… Content.
“Go away,” the kid urges Alyssa.
His response was monotone, void of all emotion. The young boy turns back to the river. Recognition begins to dawn on Alyssa. She cautiously walks closer.
“Kyle?”
His head twitches in response to the name. He turns his head slightly to the right, revealing one glowing red orb to Alyssa.
“That is not my name.”
“It's your name,” Alyssa points out to the young boy.
The boy ponders that for a moment before turning back to the river.
“I’m not real. Not anymore.”
“Not true,” Alyssa responds, seemingly unafraid of the strange phenomenon that appears to be occurring. “Turning away from something doesn’t mean it isn’t still there.”
“I didn’t turn away!” the young boy barks loudly as he turns to face the woman behind him.
Alyssa does not flinch. She simply looks upon the poor young boy with pity. The stern expression on the boy’s face softens slightly.
“I changed. I… became more.”
“More or less?” Alyssa turns the phrase.
“I don’t want to die,” the boy says in response. “I want to live. I don’t want to suffer. I want to cause suffering. I don’t want to end up--”
“Like Aiden?” Alyssa interjects.
The boy falters for a moment. Quickly, however, he restores his defiant glare.
“I am Aiden!”
“You took the name to honor him. Now, you’re putting that name to shame, burying it in darkness and destruction. For what? To rebuild this world for Salvation? To turn everything we know into hatred and agony?”
“Into a place where justice is served to those who deserve it! Where they can’t get away because of a tech… techin… techino…”
The young boy struggles with the word’s pronunciation.
“Technicality?” Alyssa offers.
The young boy’s face drops. He begins to sob softly. Tears begin to drip down his cheeks. Not just tears. Blood tears. Alyssa, undeterred, reaches out and takes the the boy’s hands in hers. He flinches but doesn’t immediately pull away.
“It’s OK, sweetheart. I understand. I know loss. I know what it’s like to see others ‘get away’ - so to speak - with taking from me that which I hold dear. It’s easy to let the darkness take over, to give in to that anger. But any path worth taking is never easy, child. You don’t have to let your anger burn--”
“Burn,” the child interjects. “Burn… Burn! Burn!”
The child rips his hands away, revealing scorch marks where Alyssa’s skin touched his. He looks down at them in horror.
“The light… It… It burns!”
The child shrieks as Alyssa looks down with concern. The Earth begins to quake as smoke leaks out of the child and slowly begins to engulf everything…
Flash!
Alyssa Daniels holds an umbrella overhead to keep the rain away as best she can as she walks and admires the night. She looks straight ahead and sees the Delaware River, flowing to the southwest. The imprint of her encounter with a child lingers in her mind as she steps forward and to the edge of the waterfront overlooking the river. Was it real? It felt so real. Now, she simply watches the water move peacefully in the night.
The rain is clearing up.
“Just across the Delaware from one another, two children grew up. They were four and a half years apart in age. One grew up with loving adoptive parents while the other struggled to get by in a rough neighborhood. One grew up with guilt and growing darkness while the other found that darkness through injustice. There are many similarities but also many distinct differences between the Heart of Infinity and the Executioner.”
Alyssa took a deep breath before letting it out in a shaky exhale.
“I do understand what it’s like to lose someone dear, Executioner. My mother died trying being a hero but in doing so, she left her baby lost and confused. For a while, I went dark. I let it consume me, control me, convince me that everything good about the world was gone. I kept quiet, constantly caged within my own mind, shackled like a prisoner. Shadowy shackles surrounded my wrists like designer bracelets, badges of honor for my suffering. I let it consume me because it was easy. Easy to justify, easy to accept, easy to ignore the ‘facts’ about my life and everything I would miss. But eventually, I realized that I was letting them have control over me. Men who would never face justice for what they did, men who got off easy in death would find their salvation through personal sacrifice, and here I am without my mother. It wasn’t fair. It still isn’t. You understand that more than most, Executioner.”
She smiles as she looks down the river, the direction the river flows.
“But I found light. I could think about how I don’t get to enjoy this success with my real mom but instead, I choose to think of how excited she would be for me, how proud she would be of me for everything I’ve accomplished and will accomplish. When Kevin Moss, my mentor, died a few short months ago, I could’ve relapsed but I didn’t. When he and I joined forces, we did so to bring light to an industry plagued with dishonor, egoism, and cruel punishment. How could I carry with me the fight for Infinity with all that corruption in my heart? No, I brought the fight with me and kept the name he had given me.”
Alyssa’s brow furrows.
“I will take down people like you, Executioner. You and your Salvation. You who would take names with meaning and twist them to your own ends. You who have no regard for the wellbeing of others, of this sport. You who have forgotten why you started doing this in the first place!”
Following her outburst, she huffs out a few breaths through gritted teeth.
“If I have to, I will personally carve a path through Salvation like a spotlight shining down a narrow lightless hallway! I felt pity for you, Executioner, but you are a victim of your own design. You destroy everything around you because it’s the easiest path you can wrap your mind around. That, or you’re just following orders, in which case you should consider Nazi Germany for how that will work out. Rather than being a redemption story, you show yourself to be just another thug who blames the world for his shortcomings and actions. You attempt to shackle the world, enslave them to your will but it is you that is a slave to your own mind and the darkness within. Maybe one day, you’ll have a true thought of your own again, one not controlled or corrupted by the pain you’ve felt in your life. Until then, I will prepare to add your name to the list of Salvation’s members who were unable to extinguish this flame.”
She laughs to herself.
“And if you’re wondering why I refused to say your name, it’s because I refuse to disrespect your brother or the Battleground any further than you have already. Bring your axe if you want, Executioner. It's gonna be your head on that chopping block!”
With that, Alyssa turns from the waterfront and walks away, leaving the scene to show it flowing to the southwest, unimpeded and undeterred.
