End of Weakness (Kuroi/EoD Week 2)
Oct 6, 2021 12:48:28 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, mosler, and 1 more like this
Post by ForeverKuroi on Oct 6, 2021 12:48:28 GMT -5
The scene fades into an operating room. Two doctors stand outside of an operating room. One of them de-gowns and wipes the sweat off his brow.
Doctor #1: So how is he not dead again?
Doctor #2: I don’t know what you mean. Paramedics were at the events and were able to respond before he lost too much blood and-
Doctor #1: No, I didn’t mean it like that. That question was rhetorical. Like, I’ve never in my years on the job see a head injury that bad where they didn’t die.
Doctor #2 shrugs.
Doctor #2: Well he’s not out of the woods quite yet. He’s survived the trauma and through eight hours of surgery. He might need more. He’ll probably need more, but what he needs right now is a god on his side if he’s going to make a full recovery.
The camera pans up to a calendar where the pages just fly pass. As the camera pans back down, the room appears to be different. Instead of the scrubbing area of a hospital, the scene is at a patient's room. Kuroi on the hospital bed. A bandage is wrapped around the top of his head. His eyes are closed. Beeps from the nearby machines sound in the background. A doctor walks into the room and approaches the nurse that’s examining the output from the machines.
Doctor: How’s his BP?
Nurse: 115 over 75. He seems to be recovering well.
Doctor: That lucky son of a bitch appears to have actually survived the surgeries. It’s just not a pretty sight. Has his visitors been OK with what has happened?
Nurse: Visitors?
Doctor: ...uh, yeah. You know. Friends? Family? Coworkers?
Nurse: Doctor, the man hasn’t had a single soul come to visit him.
Doctor: No one?
Nurse: The only people who have seen him since he’s come to the hospital have worn scrubs. I guess he’s just not likable.
Doctor: ...I gue-
There’s a knock on the door, interrupting the doctor. Another doctor walks in.
Doctor #2: I hope I’m not interrupting anything. How’s our strong and silent type over there?
Doctor: Ah, Doctor Corvus. Not interrupting at all. The patient seems to be recovering well.
Nurse: Vitals are good, the incision is healing up nicely and I actually just finished up changing his bandages.
Doctor: With a stroke of good luck, he’ll be awake and back on the streets ready to scare the little children by the time Halloween rolls around.
Corvus: Good. Good. Well it’s 11 o’clock. You two must be tired.
Right on cue, the doctor catches himself yawning.
Doctor: Now that you mention it… Yeah, today just dragged on. We’ll get going. Just, whatever you do, make sure the nurse doesn’t miss the meds for the patient in 1402. If you’re five minutes over, you’ll have gotten paged six times already.
The three share a laugh as the doctor and the nurse head toward the door.
Corvus: Gotcha. Have a good night you two.
The two head out, leaving Doctor Corvus alone with Kuroi. Suddenly, Corvus’ smile completely fades. He reaches into his pocket while speaking with him.
Corvus: It’s not your time yet.
Doctor Corvus pulls out a push syringe filled with an unlabeled clear liquid and affixes it to Kuroi’s IV.
Corvus: Goddess Natasha still has use for you.
Doctor Corvus slowly pushes on the syringe, injecting the liquid straight into Kuroi’s blood stream. The beeping from the machine quickens.
Corvus: It’s my favorite thing about the night shift. No one’s here to bother me. I don’t have to worry about people getting in the way. And it just makes it so much easier for me to smuggle this gold in here.
The machine just keeps beeping away. Beep. Beep. Beep. Kuroi doesn’t move. He remains motionless.
Corvus: It goes by many names. You may recall one of the most popular names it has in its gelatinous form. Does the word Ambrosia mean anything to you?
Just the name Ambrosia being uttered causes the beeping to increase in tempo.
Corvus: Goddess Natasha has mentioned how you seemed too proud to reap its benefits. She’s so smart, Natasha is. In Her infinite wisdom, it has been decided that you will grow from this experience. It’s been quite a productive last few months for you. Now…
That’s when Doctor Corvus’ body stiffens. He starts to form a hump as his head and arms slump forward. After a few moments, his head lifts up. Through the magic of Hollywood, a transparent face matches over Doctor Corvus’. Eyes over eyes, lips over lips. Even Natasha’s voice thinly veils over his.
Corvus: It’s time.
Their eyes narrow as one fateful word is uttered.
Corvus: Awaken.
That’s when the trance that overtook Dr. Corvus fades. The image of Natashas disappears and the camera switches to Kuroi. His face begins to scrunch. His lips purse. He struggles with his body’s natural instinct to rest, and his eyes slowly open.
Corvus: Welcome back, Kuroi. How do you feel?
Kuroi’s lifts his head but doesn’t dare to turn his neck quite yet. Instead, he eyes the room around him, absorbing his surroundings. He does so for a full moment before moving back to Doctor Corvus.
Kuroi: I know what I need to do.
The scene cuts to the XHF Arena off hours. The stands are empty. There’s no one in the area other than the wrestling ring. That, and a bald Kuroi with staples over a discolored scar all over the crown of his head.
Kuroi: Calling life unpredictable would be a cliché, but that doesn’t make it any less true. We’ve all made mistakes before, but my mistakes were grave. I should have died. I should not be standing in front of you today.
He pauses, as he extends his finger outward and toward the canvas beneath his feet.
Kuroi: There’s atheism, and then there’s looking God in the eyes and challenging them directly. If you don’t remember, I’ll show you.
On cue, the Xtreme Tron lights up. Over the video, the date - 5/18/20 - is shown.
Kuroi: I didn’t think neither God nor a Goddess existed. In fact, I’ve dared to tell Natasha that she wasn’t a Goddess. I’ve denied Her very existence to Her face. Oh how stupid was I? That’s what I asked myself as soon as I was able to think, but upon reflection, I wasn’t just stupid. I was… I was a hypocrite.
He lets those words sink in for a moment before continuing.
Kuroi: As a member of Legion and the mentor of the troops that served under that name, I’ve told them about strength and how it was absolute, but yet I couldn’t recognize divinity when Her dark light shined upon me. And where did it leave me? Well, if you’re looking for a reminder…
Kuroi faces the camera but points his thumb over his shoulder and behind him, back to the Xtreme Tron.
Kuroi: It seems quite impossible for such damage to happen from someone so small, yet my life was quite literally in Goddess Natasha’s hands. She could have killed me. She could have ended my life, but alas, I still serve a purpose for Her. End of Days is coming and I have been requested to carry out the Goddess’ word. Speaking of the tournament…
Kuroi’s finger hands and his mouth is agape..
Kuroi: During the tournament, I will be focusing on the End. You see, my orders have been given to me and the instructions have been clear. This little… rag-tag group of hopefuls by Adam Sanders and Solomon Graham, people who tout inclusivity who ironically don’t fit into society. They may as well be LGBTKO for those who can’t carry on a conversation without sheepishly looking at the floor or otherwise breaking eye contact. These are the people who scratch the side of their head and struggle to assert themselves. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO SUCCEED WITH SUCH WEAKNESS!?
The arena actually echoes from a microphone-less Kuroi.
Kuroi: You’re weakness - weakness personified down to the very core. At least LGBTKO had the courage to come up to us and tell us what they want. You twol? You’re timid. You couldn’t ask a girl out, much less defeat me. I'm someone who has no qualms with enslaving such a girl and forcing her to serve The Ritual should Goddess Natasha require it. Luckily for you, Goddess Natasha has merely commanded for the End of other things. She has commanded the End of...
Kuroi lifts his fingers as he tallies them off.
Kuroi: Foolishness. She has commanded the End of the circus shows that we find plaguing the XHF. I’m talking about the freak shows like Dylan Black, Myojin, Nelly Angel, and even your mentor, Adrien Cochrane. As if you could call him that. I could have taught you true strength but then again, you couldn’t last a day of my training.
Kuroi’s eyes twitch as he forces them directly to the camera.
Kuroi: Goddess Natasha has commanded the End of one more thing. The End of Weakness. This includes mercy for all those beneath us and per Her teachings, I will follow this to the letter. Goddess Natasha gave me no mercy when I have shown weaknesses. I was arrogant. I was foolish, and yes - I was weak. And so, She put me in my place with the force to send me to the afterlife, but as you can all clearly see, I am not dead yet. No, luckily, Goddess Natasha still had a use for me. However, before She could use me, She needed to purify me. In Her infinite wisdom, Goddess Natasha destroyed me. She destroyed the weak me.
Kuroi closes his eyes for a moment before reopening them. His eyes shine, and his irises shine a shade more vivid than normal.
Kuroi: The way that you two stand right now, Adam and Solomon, your only use comes from your defeat. Your use comes from the message that your loss sends. It is not pretty and I promise you, what will come will not tickle, but do not undervalue what is to come from the important feat your fall will serve. After all, it serves the greater good. It teaches everyone to become better, to become stronger and perhaps... Perhaps one day, you two may be able to serve Goddess Natasha.
The former Legionnaire spreads his arms wide and looks up.
Kuroi: Behold. Week Two of End of Days falls on the same calendar as Week One of End of Weakness. You two will finally meet a Goddess in the flesh. You two will embark on the same journey that I have. You will taste the canvas with a beauty only the One true Goddess can show you. You will become humbled by the weakness even you didn’t know you had. And you two will suffer such a beautiful defeat just like the defeat I have experienced. And should the Good Goddess command it...
Kuroi lowers his head back to eye level. The room slowly becomes darker and darker.
Kuroi: ...You will ultimately emerge as a better fighter. A Stronger fighter. So Goddess Natasha commands it, so it shall be.
That's when Kuroi folds his hands on top of one another. He closes his eyes.
Kuroi: Amen.
SUDDENLY THE LIGHTS GO OFF… and immediately turn back on to normal. Kuroi isn’t there. He disappeared. The scene ends.
Doctor #1: So how is he not dead again?
Doctor #2: I don’t know what you mean. Paramedics were at the events and were able to respond before he lost too much blood and-
Doctor #1: No, I didn’t mean it like that. That question was rhetorical. Like, I’ve never in my years on the job see a head injury that bad where they didn’t die.
Doctor #2 shrugs.
Doctor #2: Well he’s not out of the woods quite yet. He’s survived the trauma and through eight hours of surgery. He might need more. He’ll probably need more, but what he needs right now is a god on his side if he’s going to make a full recovery.
The camera pans up to a calendar where the pages just fly pass. As the camera pans back down, the room appears to be different. Instead of the scrubbing area of a hospital, the scene is at a patient's room. Kuroi on the hospital bed. A bandage is wrapped around the top of his head. His eyes are closed. Beeps from the nearby machines sound in the background. A doctor walks into the room and approaches the nurse that’s examining the output from the machines.
Doctor: How’s his BP?
Nurse: 115 over 75. He seems to be recovering well.
Doctor: That lucky son of a bitch appears to have actually survived the surgeries. It’s just not a pretty sight. Has his visitors been OK with what has happened?
Nurse: Visitors?
Doctor: ...uh, yeah. You know. Friends? Family? Coworkers?
Nurse: Doctor, the man hasn’t had a single soul come to visit him.
Doctor: No one?
Nurse: The only people who have seen him since he’s come to the hospital have worn scrubs. I guess he’s just not likable.
Doctor: ...I gue-
There’s a knock on the door, interrupting the doctor. Another doctor walks in.
Doctor #2: I hope I’m not interrupting anything. How’s our strong and silent type over there?
Doctor: Ah, Doctor Corvus. Not interrupting at all. The patient seems to be recovering well.
Nurse: Vitals are good, the incision is healing up nicely and I actually just finished up changing his bandages.
Doctor: With a stroke of good luck, he’ll be awake and back on the streets ready to scare the little children by the time Halloween rolls around.
Corvus: Good. Good. Well it’s 11 o’clock. You two must be tired.
Right on cue, the doctor catches himself yawning.
Doctor: Now that you mention it… Yeah, today just dragged on. We’ll get going. Just, whatever you do, make sure the nurse doesn’t miss the meds for the patient in 1402. If you’re five minutes over, you’ll have gotten paged six times already.
The three share a laugh as the doctor and the nurse head toward the door.
Corvus: Gotcha. Have a good night you two.
The two head out, leaving Doctor Corvus alone with Kuroi. Suddenly, Corvus’ smile completely fades. He reaches into his pocket while speaking with him.
Corvus: It’s not your time yet.
Doctor Corvus pulls out a push syringe filled with an unlabeled clear liquid and affixes it to Kuroi’s IV.
Corvus: Goddess Natasha still has use for you.
Doctor Corvus slowly pushes on the syringe, injecting the liquid straight into Kuroi’s blood stream. The beeping from the machine quickens.
Corvus: It’s my favorite thing about the night shift. No one’s here to bother me. I don’t have to worry about people getting in the way. And it just makes it so much easier for me to smuggle this gold in here.
The machine just keeps beeping away. Beep. Beep. Beep. Kuroi doesn’t move. He remains motionless.
Corvus: It goes by many names. You may recall one of the most popular names it has in its gelatinous form. Does the word Ambrosia mean anything to you?
Just the name Ambrosia being uttered causes the beeping to increase in tempo.
Corvus: Goddess Natasha has mentioned how you seemed too proud to reap its benefits. She’s so smart, Natasha is. In Her infinite wisdom, it has been decided that you will grow from this experience. It’s been quite a productive last few months for you. Now…
That’s when Doctor Corvus’ body stiffens. He starts to form a hump as his head and arms slump forward. After a few moments, his head lifts up. Through the magic of Hollywood, a transparent face matches over Doctor Corvus’. Eyes over eyes, lips over lips. Even Natasha’s voice thinly veils over his.
Corvus: It’s time.
Their eyes narrow as one fateful word is uttered.
Corvus: Awaken.
That’s when the trance that overtook Dr. Corvus fades. The image of Natashas disappears and the camera switches to Kuroi. His face begins to scrunch. His lips purse. He struggles with his body’s natural instinct to rest, and his eyes slowly open.
Corvus: Welcome back, Kuroi. How do you feel?
Kuroi’s lifts his head but doesn’t dare to turn his neck quite yet. Instead, he eyes the room around him, absorbing his surroundings. He does so for a full moment before moving back to Doctor Corvus.
Kuroi: I know what I need to do.
The scene cuts to the XHF Arena off hours. The stands are empty. There’s no one in the area other than the wrestling ring. That, and a bald Kuroi with staples over a discolored scar all over the crown of his head.
Kuroi: Calling life unpredictable would be a cliché, but that doesn’t make it any less true. We’ve all made mistakes before, but my mistakes were grave. I should have died. I should not be standing in front of you today.
He pauses, as he extends his finger outward and toward the canvas beneath his feet.
Kuroi: There’s atheism, and then there’s looking God in the eyes and challenging them directly. If you don’t remember, I’ll show you.
On cue, the Xtreme Tron lights up. Over the video, the date - 5/18/20 - is shown.
Kuroi: I am the one who molded these soldiers around us. I am the one who built up everything Legion stands for. I am the enforcer of the mantra, 'Strength Above All!'. Without the forces here created and trained, Legion is nothing more than two mentally ill fools! Legion is NOTHING without me!
Kuroi: I didn’t think neither God nor a Goddess existed. In fact, I’ve dared to tell Natasha that she wasn’t a Goddess. I’ve denied Her very existence to Her face. Oh how stupid was I? That’s what I asked myself as soon as I was able to think, but upon reflection, I wasn’t just stupid. I was… I was a hypocrite.
He lets those words sink in for a moment before continuing.
Kuroi: As a member of Legion and the mentor of the troops that served under that name, I’ve told them about strength and how it was absolute, but yet I couldn’t recognize divinity when Her dark light shined upon me. And where did it leave me? Well, if you’re looking for a reminder…
Kuroi faces the camera but points his thumb over his shoulder and behind him, back to the Xtreme Tron.
Kuroi turns to face Natasha, who has crossed the gap to be right behind him. Before he can react she has her hand grasped firmly around his neck and hoists him into the air, all 270 pounds of him lifted from the ground. She slams him down with a sit-out chokeslam, delivering her ‘Hand of Fate’ with such coldness in her eyes. Kuroi hits the hard cement floor with a thud, but as he begins to rise up Natasha motions for the followers to attack. Some look to Hyperion for a second acknowledgement, but most react instinctively. Quickly, a dozen or so of her Crows are stomping and kicking on the floored Kuroi.
Kuroi: It seems quite impossible for such damage to happen from someone so small, yet my life was quite literally in Goddess Natasha’s hands. She could have killed me. She could have ended my life, but alas, I still serve a purpose for Her. End of Days is coming and I have been requested to carry out the Goddess’ word. Speaking of the tournament…
Kuroi’s finger hands and his mouth is agape..
Kuroi: During the tournament, I will be focusing on the End. You see, my orders have been given to me and the instructions have been clear. This little… rag-tag group of hopefuls by Adam Sanders and Solomon Graham, people who tout inclusivity who ironically don’t fit into society. They may as well be LGBTKO for those who can’t carry on a conversation without sheepishly looking at the floor or otherwise breaking eye contact. These are the people who scratch the side of their head and struggle to assert themselves. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO SUCCEED WITH SUCH WEAKNESS!?
The arena actually echoes from a microphone-less Kuroi.
Kuroi: You’re weakness - weakness personified down to the very core. At least LGBTKO had the courage to come up to us and tell us what they want. You twol? You’re timid. You couldn’t ask a girl out, much less defeat me. I'm someone who has no qualms with enslaving such a girl and forcing her to serve The Ritual should Goddess Natasha require it. Luckily for you, Goddess Natasha has merely commanded for the End of other things. She has commanded the End of...
Kuroi lifts his fingers as he tallies them off.
Kuroi: Foolishness. She has commanded the End of the circus shows that we find plaguing the XHF. I’m talking about the freak shows like Dylan Black, Myojin, Nelly Angel, and even your mentor, Adrien Cochrane. As if you could call him that. I could have taught you true strength but then again, you couldn’t last a day of my training.
Kuroi’s eyes twitch as he forces them directly to the camera.
Kuroi: Goddess Natasha has commanded the End of one more thing. The End of Weakness. This includes mercy for all those beneath us and per Her teachings, I will follow this to the letter. Goddess Natasha gave me no mercy when I have shown weaknesses. I was arrogant. I was foolish, and yes - I was weak. And so, She put me in my place with the force to send me to the afterlife, but as you can all clearly see, I am not dead yet. No, luckily, Goddess Natasha still had a use for me. However, before She could use me, She needed to purify me. In Her infinite wisdom, Goddess Natasha destroyed me. She destroyed the weak me.
Kuroi closes his eyes for a moment before reopening them. His eyes shine, and his irises shine a shade more vivid than normal.
Kuroi: The way that you two stand right now, Adam and Solomon, your only use comes from your defeat. Your use comes from the message that your loss sends. It is not pretty and I promise you, what will come will not tickle, but do not undervalue what is to come from the important feat your fall will serve. After all, it serves the greater good. It teaches everyone to become better, to become stronger and perhaps... Perhaps one day, you two may be able to serve Goddess Natasha.
The former Legionnaire spreads his arms wide and looks up.
Kuroi: Behold. Week Two of End of Days falls on the same calendar as Week One of End of Weakness. You two will finally meet a Goddess in the flesh. You two will embark on the same journey that I have. You will taste the canvas with a beauty only the One true Goddess can show you. You will become humbled by the weakness even you didn’t know you had. And you two will suffer such a beautiful defeat just like the defeat I have experienced. And should the Good Goddess command it...
Kuroi lowers his head back to eye level. The room slowly becomes darker and darker.
Kuroi: ...You will ultimately emerge as a better fighter. A Stronger fighter. So Goddess Natasha commands it, so it shall be.
That's when Kuroi folds his hands on top of one another. He closes his eyes.
Kuroi: Amen.
SUDDENLY THE LIGHTS GO OFF… and immediately turn back on to normal. Kuroi isn’t there. He disappeared. The scene ends.