Post by Mav. on Jul 31, 2020 20:58:27 GMT -5
I - The Curse of Anxiety
22nd of June, 2020 -- Canton, Ohio
The days drew closer to DOMINION from the castle of Wrestleworld, for what would be home turf for me seemed like walking in on enemy grounds, all due to a partner of mine in a Tag Team match set. A man that I put to rest a month ago, a man I decisively put out from The Underworld, a man that has haunted me since then. Wraith has made my life since that fateful night a living hell, one where I always watched over my shoulder and one where I would decisively fall victim to his masterful mind games. After a toughened stay in Ireland and Mexico within the past few weeks, I’ve relaxed on my very own king-sized bed within the Master Bedroom of the Penthouse home outside of the Wrestleworld islands. For the first time in a very long time, I can relax for a bit and have no worries. My dreams since that fateful late-night dream of Milan have been tormentful, have been nightmare fuel, have been traumatizing. As I lay on my bed and look out to the sun shining down through the pane of the glass, I feel a presence within the home. A very strong presence, and knowing I was all alone at home, I began to panic. As I sat up and looked around my surroundings, my thoughts began to roam freely within my mind of such things but one came to mind… One thought that was filled with my very own night terrors, one of Allesandro Devione. I stand up from my bed and slowly walk to the bedroom door, creaking it open slowly and seeing a figure within my very own sitting room. A quite tall and slim figure, a fiery red dress with some embedded black flourished designs flowing along the floor. Of course, I knew in an instant who it was from that one bit of clothing, it had to have been Claudia Michaels. I opened the door, which alerted Claudia to look behind her and see me standing before her, shirtless and not dressed for guests or visitors, especially one being the Queen.
“My apologies, Jason, I should have alerted you of my arrival but I had seen the front door opened, so I somewhat thought you expected me.” she would come to assume, but wrong she was just by one look at me. I had known about Rebecca leaving the home not even fifteen minutes ago, and more so glad guards were watching the property and who enters or I would have been in a much more different situation than the one I’m in now. “I was on my way back to the Island when I remembered that I never got a chance to see you in Mexico, you had your match right when I got to the back to look for you, a shame really, I think we’ve got some things to discuss.”
I sigh before speaking up to Claudia.
“Yeah,” I say as I bend my back to stretch and take my hands out of my cargo pants, placing them on my hips before I bring my left hand to behind my head to rub along the recently shaven area. “Honestly, I never expected to see you in the arena, let alone Mexico for Boiling Point that night until I heard your voice on commentary for Stephanie and April’s match. I had a feeling you were going to come to see me but by the time that match came to an end, I was told that my match was next and I needed to be ready. By the time I went back after it, I wasn’t in the best physical shape to even talk as you might have known.”
“I am very aware of the assault you took from Wolvesden, or whatever they are called, I don’t keep in touch with anything that happens in OWA but for the very few matches I hear when it’s from my allies…” She says as she gestures towards my direction. “...and ones of my enemies, or even rivals if you want to put it like that. My business lies within Wrestleworld, but I’ll show up for the very special occasion that I need to be apart of.” Claudia turns her back on me and looks out to the back garden, and the field of land beyond the fencing. I take a few steps forward until I’m standing by her side, also looking out to the back garden. “If I had known about you being assaulted after your match or even the threat of such a thing, I would have had The Underworld at hand. I expected your friends to have helped you in some capacity.”
“You mean The Ashes of The Wake?” I questioned, but knowing how tied and true to The Underworld she is, I was expecting a harsh response, which was exactly what I had gotten with a simple eye roll from Claudia. “Only Jacob was in the building that night, and he just came off of a loss to Arata Asakura. I doubt he would have helped me take on Kenny, GRiME and J.D. Damon.”
“Amazing how you’re there for them but they’re not there for you, doesn’t that sound like something The Underworld would have done to my loyal Prince?” she said in some sick and twisted calm manner, one I wasn’t very happy about nor was comfortable about hearing with my own two ears. “I don’t get why you’d have to even team with Christopher Sabertooth anyway, although he holds a strong ground in Wrestleworld as European Champion, my views of him in OWA have been somewhat tarnishing the man I thought I knew better of.”
“If this is some sick plot to try and separate myself and Havoc because we’re opponents at DOMINION then you are thinking that just manifesting a separation will work because I can tell you out straight that it won’t,” I glare over at Claudia with my choice of words. “The Ashes of The Wake are doing just fine as we are right now, and I don’t want to have this discussion with you when it has nothing to do with you in any form of capacity. It’s best if you keep quiet about it, I will deal with Havoc when the time comes.”
I hear Claudia snarling at my comments, of course, she would rather change the subject quick than to stand her ground with me knowing my past of a bad temper and using it to my advantage against someone, she sighs as she looks around the home, seeing all the pictures that hang from the walls. Pictures of my previous championship reigns, pictures of myself and Rebecca and pictures of my family members and myself from the past before I moved to the States in 2017. Claudia nods her head before turning back to face me.
“I have to say, it’s a wonderful place you have here. I guess even with The Prince’s Penthouse back on the island, nothing could ever beat this. This is… somewhat majestic. The view is wonderful, and that’s a high enough comment even for my standard.” she says with a resounding smile on her face, one I wouldn’t expect from someone like her. Though her comment leaves me a bit sidetracked, I let it slide and move on with the compliment.
“I appreciate the comment,” I say as I open the doors to the back garden, letting myself and Claudia roam free onto its soft grass. “I’ve held it to a very high regard ever since losing the hotel I once owned. It’s been a bit of a haven for me to relax and other things when I need to clear my mind of stress, panic and other things that might traumatize me.” I let that last comment slip from my tongue, and as expected, Claudia picked up on what I had said as she turns to face me with a bit of confused look as if she’s wondering if she heard me right but I could tell she knew damn well what I had said. She shakes her head and continues to head onto the grass, taking off her long heels to feel that soft grass on her own feet. At first, I thought she just acknowledge it and not speak up on it but I was quickly mistaken once she turns back around to face me.
“Traumatise?” she begins to question. “Please explain it, what might have you traumatized?” the more she would question, the more uncomfortable I would get, I slowly begin to sweat a little and not because of the heat from the sun shining down on us but from the nervousness of even confessing to her about the seemingly realistic night terrors I have been experiencing. I can feel her staring right in my direction like daggers are slowly pressing down on my skin. “Jason, tell me!”
I was never one to flinch at her words or even commands, but this time seems so different, it’s as if a more gullible version of myself has taken over of the more ruthless and violent version of myself. It felt weird, it just didn’t feel like it was me and I knew that deep inside. I knew that wasn’t who I was… but he affected me in a way I’ve never been put through before, and I hated it.
“I’ve been having these dreams of Allesandro, of Wraith, and they feel so realistic like they just happened but they haven’t.” I felt guilty even confessing such things so close to the time allocated to my match at DOMINION but I had to get it off of my chest, for what felt like a hydraulic press placing pressure down on my chest and bursting a hole through my body, crunching my bones and flesh in the process seemed like the soft touch of a pillow resting on your head. “It’s something I’ve been having problems of for a very long time with, it’s something I’ve been taking a bit too far with my thoughts, it’s truly affected me to the point where I’ve become emotionally and mentally scarred about it. If you were to have gone through the shit I have, you’d understand what I’ve felt and how I feel now.”
“He’s attacked you on a more personal level now… hasn’t he?” Claudia asks but the way she spoke of it sounds as if she already had known the answer, just needed the clarity of it. I nod my head, just to give her that clarity she needed. “I knew he’d do this. I just knew it. I’m sorry he put you through that, though I wished I knew this beforehand. I wouldn’t even allow the bastard to touch the castle if that was the case, let alone even be your tag partner for this. But the whole point was to put opponents against one another, but I’ll see to have our eyes peeled in case he tries to pull something he might regret.”
I stood there, taking it all in but something still felt off. I knew going into DOMINION that I would have to be a lot stronger than I am now, but this has taken its toll on this day. I take a few steps forward, onto the grass in my white Air Force 1 sneakers, and come close to Claudia’s side. She can see the distressed look on my face as if it couldn’t be any clearer as it is now. I walk back into the home and head into the kitchen, grabbing the only thing that could help with whatever I’m feeling and help me to forget about everything I’ve experienced, a nice and refreshing ice-cold bottle of Miller. Normally in any situation, I’d help myself to a glass of Jack Daniel’s but the mood is different, the atmosphere is different. Things have changed for the worst and it needed to be forgotten. I head back out to the back garden and see Claudia looking down into the empty jacuzzi pool, no water or anything inside. Nothing. I take one gulp from the bottle as Claudia looks over at me, and this look is one where the true concern comes in.
“I know when you’re drinking from the bottle of something so cheap, you’re going through something that’s truly affecting you.” is her response to my drinking problem, then again, she’s unaware of the stereotype of my own culture. “We need to discuss this more once I see you in the castle, I’ve let this go on too long under my nose. We’re getting to the bottom of this.” By this point, I’ve already downed half of the bottle and resting another two in my pocket. Claudia’s tone gives off a more disgruntled tone than before, she begins to make her way back into the home, placing the heels back on her feet once she steps off of the grass and back onto the wooden decking.
“Claudia, there’s no need for this. Can’t we just wait for DOMINION to pass before we settle down on what to do?” I ask but my question was once again met with a disgruntled glare from Claudia, you can tell this was getting to her head just a little but even then, it’s nothing like what I’ve dealt with. As she makes her way to the front door, she turns to face me once more as I stop in my tracks. “Claudia, you’re making a very big deal out of something that could be apprehended at a later date than just tomorrow or the next day. I’m not having this happen days before DOMINION and days coming off of a night like what happened at Boiling Point. I’m not the invincible man, I can’t just jump into the thought process of this with you having meetings with Professional or Lannister or even Cash. This has nothing to do with them, nothing at all. If anything, it’s going to fucking end on my terms. What happens between now and DOMINION is done on my terms, not fucking yours, Claudia!”
My teeth grit more and more with every sentence until the point that I am screaming right in Claudia’s face, I expected a hefty price to pay with a slap across the face but this has left Claudia in a position I’ve never seen her in before… somewhat scared, no threat of mine within the past few months have ever left her scared but a mediocre threat to Wraith has taken her back a little, her eyes widened and she’s left speechless. Claudia attempts to utter a word even from her mouth but she chokes up, wondering what to even say to me after seeing a sudden outburst.
“I… Uhm… I’ll just…” she stumbles her words, trying to grasp at a single sentence. “‘I’ll see you back in the castle, Jason.” She walks out of the front door, closing it shut and leaving me where I stand.
I look at the wall that stands in front of me, hanging from it is a mirror and right in the mirror is the reflection of myself but with one with something very different about me, something that might have scared Claudia to have her exit as quick as she did… The fiery red eyes, like something possessive has taken over me, are very clear to see. Seeing the red eyes of mine drives my blood to boil some more, the emotion of anger flows heavily through my body and out of nowhere, I bring my fist through the glass of the mirror, smashing it to pieces and leaving my hand to be cut open by the sharp glass underneath my knuckles. I slowly pull my hand away from the mirror and watch all of the glass fall onto the floor, seeing it rain made me feel something weird but then I look down at my hand, dripping with blood from my knuckles. The sudden feeling of fear flows through me, the fact that I have scared myself worries me a lot not knowing how bad things can get from here on out. The scene fades away with the final shot zooming out from me standing motionless in the hallway with the blood slowly dripping from my hand.
II - The Key To Immortality
24th of June, 2020 -- Wrestleworld Castle
A couple of hours before the show goes live on the Wrestleworld network, DOMINION is being hyped up as the most-watched DOMINION episode of all time due to its main event with yours truly and his opponent and partner for the night, Wraith, taking on both opponents and partners, Ozymandias and Havoc. The tension has been building up for a very long time and only now has some of it been let loose from everyone, all except for one, who’s been radio-quiet about everything that happened for a little over a month ago. That man being myself, once a man who’s always been vocal about my opinions and now left to nothing more but a shivering shell of myself, but after a recent confrontation with Claudia Michaels, it seems as if I have finally found my voice once again. I arrive in the castle long before anyone else has and find myself on the balcony where I once shared a bottle of champagne with Claudia and slapped silly on another occasion. Though the past shows me being with someone on this one particular balcony, this one is very different. As I stand there and let the wind flow through my dark navy blue suit jacket, I feel a presence behind me, expecting it to be Claudia but once I turn to face whoever it is, I find nobody near me.
“I always feel like someone is watching me, it’s been a common occurrence for me and that in itself says a lot, I’m never one to be scared so easily but for a certain someone, they have done just that. They’ve dug deep, right into my nerve system and they’ve tampered me to the point that even I scare myself and that could never happen no matter of the things I’ve done before. I could blabber on and on about how Wraith is this type of person, that type of person, the type of guy to take over your dreams and traumatize you to the point where you cannot fucking sleep at night. I would know. I was the one who felt every fucking bit of it. I’ve been through a lot of things in my life, my whole twenty-two… nearly twenty-three whole fucking years on my god damn life on this earth. I’ve felt pain and suffering that not even the bravest of men can say they’ve experienced, I’ve felt the heartbreaking grief of life take its toll on me, I’ve felt like I’ve died on the inside so many fucking times that you’d think I’m some edgelord.”
I sigh at the thought of even using such a word as “edgelord” though, for a younger audience, they’re more common to the usage of the word but for someone like me who finds the word a bit cringe, it’s time I addressed those who did call me such. I stare out to the grand view of the Wrestleworld Capital, seeing the bright lights of the city illuminating the evening sky and keeping a smile on my face as I take in the view for as long as I can.
“For those who wonder why I’ve been a bit quiet until now, they’ve yet to realise that I’ve been extremely busy. I’ve came from Ireland to be where I was the last chapter, I’ve been to Mexico this week and although my energy is very much drained out of me, I’m making use out of what I have left in the tank and right now, DOMINION has been hyped up all for one match -- The main event of such a show. I don’t even need to tell you who’s in this match because you lot probably already know who’s in the fucking thing. It’s been heavily advertised. It’s been well talked about, leading many to hype about Dreamworld and such. For my opponents, because yes, I rather do the smart thing of acknowledging my opponents than my actual partner who I may or may not fucking murder on sight when Dreamworld happens. I can save all of my shit for the later date, Wraith, but I have got a match I’d rather win than to please your crackhead ass with a reaction you so desperately wanted-- No. A reaction you so desperately needed. For attention is all you seek, but my attention is more focused on Ozymandias and Havoc, two men that would plough right through you, Allesandro.”
I begin to chuckle to myself, knowing that I can find the lighter side of things after a rough patch of days leading up to DOMINION was a bit heartwarming than I had expected. I pick up a bottle of beer I had left on the ground from earlier and open its cap, the same brand of beer from my encounter with Claudia earlier this week, Miller. The taste hitting my tastebuds from my first gulp of it brings back the memories of what had happened that day, remembering the red eyes coming from my skull through the reflection. I pull the bottle away from my lips and place it down on the marble stone wall in front of me.
“Christopher Sabertooth. Havoc. You knew a moment like this would occur, the day me and you would come to blows. Ashes of The Wake, would you throw it all away for the sake of one match? I sure hope not, but if you throw that away, just know I’ve free reign over you and that would mean beating you to a bloody pulp and getting sweet revenge for fucking possessing me all those months ago. Remember that? When the Ashes came to life… you had to fucking possess me to make sure you had me in your little band of boys. Not a band of men, they’re far from the fucking stages of puberty that brings them to be a man like myself and you. If you’re willing to throw some partnership away to make sure you win a match, at least do it the right way, seeing how you threw away your chance at winning the OWA World Championship once again, ain’t that right? You were all about having nobody out there to help you but by the end of the night and Shin-SEKAI were all over the Steel Asylum, you were wondering where the FUCK we were like you needed us.” I sigh as I shake my head. “But don’t forget, this was your idea and if you need me at any point tonight, then you can kiss your ass goodbye. If Ozymandias wants to manhandle you, that’s your problem. If Wraith wants to play ghost hunt with you, then you’re on your own. Just know, if you’re willing to throw everything away for the sake of being opponents in a match where they’d expect us to get physical, then you’re stepping on unfamiliar territory and you’re going to receive the same fate as J.D. Damon. All you have to do is keep my name out of your mouth, homie, or I’ll aim that kick right for your jaw and I’ll be damned if you even talk anymore after it.”
Again, I begin to chuckle to myself with my own choice of words but realizing the promise of beating up the man that once possessed men seems even more tempting for a one night only thing. I take another gulp from my beer and place it back down to where it was, placing my hands on both sides of the bottle. I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at the time, knowing many will be arriving soon for DOMINION as I place my phone back in the pocket I pulled it from. I take another gulp from the bottle, it’s half-empty at this point and only on my third gulp as I shake the contents of inside the bottle around in my hand.
“Ozymandias, I once knew you as a prominent figure within the XHF Network. I knew you from the early days, from Firestorm Wrestling Alliance all the way to your little return in Anonymous Xtreme Wrestling when you were standing by Brad Swann’s side. Then you moved to Master Class Championship Wrestling and you kept it up until you got to here, hell, you were a champion and all! You had all the hopes of being someone that would be feared, and you were, but when you got to here and realised that maybe you can’t work for some god knows what reason in both places, you dropped the title you had and you dropped your fucking dignity. You lost it all, Ozymandias, and even if you seem undefeated here in Wrestleworld… I’m willing to do what I do best and change that feat of yours around, and I’m sure when you’re opponent is watching from your own corner, you’d really want to be defeated by someone who’s probably mediocre at best but when on fire… he’s on fire.” A smirk appears on my face. “Ozy, you’re going to be entering a dream world and it’s time for you to experience your very first nightmare. Courtesy of me, the man that remains to be immortal for the rest of time.”
All of a sudden, my eyes shine a bright red hue out of nowhere, I throw the bottle into the air and watch it fall to the floor below, seeing it fall so far high up seemed so better beforehand but I laugh like a hyena. I pull my hair as I slam my head on the marble wall, letting blood flow through my nose.
“And for you, Wraith, I’d be very fucking careful where you step, son. You might be a fucking ghost of a Devione… BUT I’M THE HELLSPAWN OF THIS LAND! Dreamworld will be more than you ever fucking expected.”
I pull out something from my pocket, a roll of paper with something etched onto it. I head for the door to the castle and look back at where the camera is with a wicked smile.
“And I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true.”
I slam the sheet of paper onto the door, revealing it to be…
I slam the door shut as I head inside, the camera zooming in on the poster itself as the scene fades to black.