Post by Khaos on Nov 15, 2021 20:44:50 GMT -5
Cerise emerged from the dark depths below, gasping for breath, flailing about as she tried to find something – anything – to grab onto to pull her from the watery grave that waited for. Her fingers scratched against rock, her hands falling onto a rough enough surfaces that she was able to dig her nails into, flopping like a fish out of water onto the crude ledge. She let the thin air circle into her lungs with each breath inward, each outward breath usually producing some leftover water that had slithered its way into her throat. She wasn’t sure how long she lay in the darkness, trying to catch her breath, or how long he had looked over her. When she opened her eyes, she saw his stern gaze staring back at her, a hint of concern hidden behind his dark eyes.
“Where…” Cerise managed to sputter, more excess water falling from her lips. “Are… we…?”
“Welcome to the Underworld,” Damien pronounced, lifting his gaze and looking around the sullen cave.
Were Damien a true “Reaper” once more, a trip to the Underworld wouldn’t be as taxing as the journey they had just endured. He could simply embrace the darkness, close his eyes, let the world fold in upon itself, envision where he wanted to go, and let the mystical current take him to his landing spot. In the beginning, a “Reaper” never really had much control over it – their destinations typically already predetermined by the sins of the living. But as the days turned to months, the months to years, Damien began to find ways to manipulate the darkness to his will. Not that there was such a thing as a “vacation” for those in his line of work, it was still nice – on occasion – to have the free will to go somewhere that didn’t result in him reaping another soul. There was a time that he had all but forgotten what it was like to be “human”; that is, until she came into his life…
“I’m all for waterboarding,” Cerise tried to joke, spitting more water out. “But even that was a bit excessive.”
“If it was easy to find, then the Underworld would be overflowing with wayward spelunkers and trespassers,” Damien stated matter-of-factly. “Trust me; this is as much for their safety as it is for ours.”
Cerise began to take in her surroundings, the two having dove deep into the silver lake. The only instructions Damien had given her was to hold her breath for as long as she could and for her to dive as far down as she could. She had held her breath so long; she thought her chest might cave inward. When they had swam down past where any light could see, it was then that she felt someone – or something – pull her onward. And then she was free, bursting through into this alcove, the natural stone surface eerily shining bright. She noticed that it was because tiny cracks ran along the rock surface, intertwining with each other and forming a sense of natural light that seemed to change hues depending on the angle you looked at it. Cerise admired the current kaleidoscope of somber purple, blood reds, and midnight blues as she felt Damien’s hands wrap around her then, a warm wool blanket being draped across her shivering body. She opened her mouth to mutter some sort of appreciation, only for her mind to go blank as her eyes glossed over…
In her mind’s eye, visions of his past, present, and future played out before her. It all happened so fast, like she was riding an out-of-control carousal and the pictures flew by faster than she could process. These revelations hit harder than before as Cerise gritted her teeth against them as they racked her brain, stretched her so thin she thought her head would deflate. She tried to focus on one of them, hoped that by doing so she could quiet the rest of the noise inside of her. She plucked one of the threads from obscurity at random, and immediately regretted it…
In these moments, Cerise felt as if she was living these memories like an innocent bystander. She existed only as a witness, no say in what transpired. Cerise looked on in anguish as Damien – once more the reaper known as Khaos – went to battle with the many evil forces of this world. He was bloodied, beaten, battered, broken – and yet he continued on. His newly-minted armor of midnight black was stained crimson from the blood of his foes. His left arm hung low at his side as he used his one good arm to drive his signature onyx blades into one of the acolytes. Damien twisted his head this way and that, he was looking for someone – something. He was distracted. And this was his undoing. She emerged from behind him then, her snow-white aura practically blinding Cerise. Damien didn’t see her. How couldn’t he see her!? Cerise tried calling out to him but her voice fell on deaf ears as a thin sliver of light penetrated his back and pierced his heart, the silver saber pulled from his back just as quickly as it had cut through him. Damien fell to his knees as his assailant rotated to stand before him. He dared look upon her face, instantly recognizing her as the Goddess of Light herself. Hecate lifted the thin blade, angling it at his throat. With one thrust, she felled yet another of Erebus’ dark order…
“Hmmm?” Cerise responded, blinking away the revelation and seeing Damien staring at her.
“I said… ‘Are you coming’?” Damien repeated, looking at her apprehensively. “This place is a maze full of twists and turns, you really don’t want to find yourself lost in this labyrinth.”
“Psh,” Cerise scoffed, trying to regain her composure. “I have an excellent sense of direction.”
Cerise brushed past him, coming to an intersection and looking down both corridors. She closed her eyes, tried to focus, harness her powers of premonition but – like always – these things didn’t seem to work when she wanted them to. Damien came to stand beside her, simply wrapping his arm around her and leading her down the appropriate path. Everything looked the same to her down here, each hallway just a mirror image of the other. She contemplated questioning if he – himself – knew where they were going but Damien’s focused gaze was all the proof she needed. Cerise could feel the anxiety oozing out of him, knowing full-well that what Damien did next was something he had hoped he would never have to do ever again. He had tried to rid himself of this world; tried to find a way to live beyond the darkness. But the stain on one’s soul is not easily washed away. Death had shown him just what his sins were; he had no illusion that hellfire and brimstone were a part of his eternal future. Prior to his brief stay in the In-Between, part of him had aspirations that maybe – just maybe – he’d be able to balance the scales before he took that final dive into the abyss; but he knew that was impossible now, nothing he could do would ever fully wash his hands clean of the blood.
“You know,” Cerise finally spoke up, breaking the silence. “This place wouldn’t be so bad if you just added a few lights, maybe a fire…”
Her voice trailed off as she found herself glancing at her reflection in the broken anthracite and quartz that made up the foundation of the Underworld. As she grew closer, she could feel the cracks within their walls grow colder, their melodic lights pulsating a little slower, almost hypnotically. In them, she saw through her guise of the broken and damaged Cerise; saw a sweet, innocent, little girl with her family – with her mother. Tears welled behind her eyes as she instinctively reached out, only for Damien to wrap his fingers around her wrist and pull her into him.
“Don’t!” Damien commanded, glaring over at the rocky surface, watching as the darkness shifted it back into its blank wall.
Damien lifted hand and wiped a tear away as he looked into her eyes, apologetically.
“This place plays tricks on your mind, you can’t trust anything you see or hear down here,” Damien warned. “The darkness is always hungry; never satisfied. It wants to feed on your fears – wants to trap you in its eternal embrace. You have to be vigilant down here, one false step and the Underworld will consume you.”
“It showed me…” Cerise tried to choke out before the emotions overwhelmed her; the tightness in her throat closing, forcing her quiet.
“It’s not real,” Damien reiterated. “Like a nightmare. Most everything you see down here isn’t. For all intents and purposes, the Underworld is alive. It sees inside you, what lies within your heart; your insecurities, your anxieties, it looks for any vulnerability it can exploit. It wants you to submit to its will, its desires. This place is not for the weak-willed, Cerise; down here, only the strong survive…”
“Damien!?” a shrill voice came from behind him. “Is that you!?”
“Well…” Damien cringed, turning and looking over his shoulder. “I guess there are exceptions even to that…”
Damien was unable to finish his sentence as Thea buried her head into his chest, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him tightly. Her hair shade was now a dark cerulean, the color always changing every few days or weeks, depending on her mood. It was one of the few things that Thea, one of Erebus’ Nightshades, had control over in her life of servitude to the Shadow Lord. She, like her “sisters” were his seers of fortune, watching the threads of fate – twisting them to his will whenever it suited him. They, like all under his employ, were gifted unnaturally long lives. Damien had never asked Thea how long she had served Erebus, only knew that since he had been indentured to him almost ten years ago, she had been at his right hand.
“What are you doing here!?” Thea inquired excitedly, pulling back from Damien. “And where have you been!? Erebus has been trying to track…”
Thea’s gaze went beyond Damien to Cerise standing behind him, recognizing her from their initial encounter.
“Oh,” Thea exclaimed. “I didn’t realize you had brought a ‘guest’ with you…”
“I know, I know… ‘it’s against HIS rules’…” Damien rolled his eyes. “But seeing as how we’re the reason that she’s even here in the first place, I feel like it’s only fitting she be with me now.”
“I don’t think I understand…” Thea stated, looking from Damien to Cerise. “Why are you here?”
“We’re here for the Realm Seeker,” Cerise blatantly remarked, narrowing her eyes.
Thea swallowed hard as she turned and looked over at Damien, almost apologetically.
“I swear I didn’t know that it was going to do that,” Thea pleaded. “I mean, I had seen her in your future… knew that she was important to you… but the portal… that other dimension…”
“She calls it the ‘Forsaken’,” Damien responded, glancing over his shoulder at Cerise. “And she needs to get back there.”
“And you’re going to help us,” Cerise stated, matter-of-factly.
“M-me?” Thea questioned. “Erebus will never…”
“You let me worry about him,” Damien replied. “Can you bring Cerise to the artifact?”
“About that…” Thea quietly squeaked. “One of the monoliths was, uh, how do you say… ‘misplaced’… that night…”
“One problem at a time,” Damien reassured her. “You still have the other two, yes? Let’s start there.”
Thea nodded and lowered her head as Cerise suddenly grabbed Damien’s arm, twisting him around.
“I thought you said ‘don’t trust anything down here’,” Cerise firmly restated. “But now you’re just sending me off with her!? While you… what!? Go face down an Archdemon!? By yourself!?”
Damien smiled slightly, placing his hands on Cerise’s shoulders.
“Demi-God,” Damien corrected. “Erebus is a Demi-God. And don’t worry, Thea will look after you. She’ll ensure you don’t stray too far from the light, I promise. You don’t have to trust her but you can trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
Cerise still seemed unsure as she looked past him to Thea, seeing the woman fidgeting with her fingers, impatiently waiting.
“Fine,” Cerise finally exhaled. “Just don’t go getting yourself killed… again.”
She brushed past him and went over to Thea, motioning for her to lead the way. Both took one last look back at Damien before continuing onward down a corridor, disappearing into the darkness below.
Deep within the hallowed halls of the Bridgestone Arena, the PsyKhotics prepared themselves for Tag Team Action; their recent list of victims including that of the unfortunate pairing of Toni Beasley and Chelsea Skye. It was unclear just where they were, exactly, in the arena – their surroundings resembling that of a boiler room. But as the chaotic and unpredictable duo readied themselves for their impending battle, the sounds of the eager fans filling in for the next episode of Sin can be heard from above. Cerise was busy ensuring that her attire fit just as snug and tight as she desired while Damien sat unflinching in his battle attire, flexing his fingers and making sure his fingerless gloves were properly worn in. The camera lens focused on the World Champion as he kept his head down, sensing their presence but refusing to acknowledge it. Cerise, on the other hand, turned around and was delighted to see that the Revo1 camera crew had found their little nest-egg for the evening.
“Well hello there!” Cerise crooned, pulling her shirt down over her bra just as the camera was attempting to focus in the dim light. “You guys are certainly getting better at this ‘hide and seek’ game of ours!”
“Maybe if you didn’t leave them the necessary bread-crumbs to find our hideout…” Damien groaned, continuing his routine of closing his fingers into fists.
“I mean, everyone needs a little help once and awhile,” Cerise winked at the camera. “Anyway, don’t mind sourpuss over there! Welcome to our humble abode! As you can see, we have everything we need! A roof over our head, a puddle of steaming water dripping from these leaking pipes, a few rats to keep us company…”
Damien clenched up at the mention of the vile vermin as a slight shudder ran down his spine. Cerise couldn’t help but giggle, knowing full-well his disdain for the rodents.
“Kidding, of course,” Cerise teased. “You really need to lighten up, D.C.”
“So I’ve been told,” Damien grumbled.
“You know what you need?” Cerise declared, having one of those glorious “eureka” moments. “A good ol’ fashion beat down!”
“You think me getting my ass kicked will make me feel… better?” Damien questioned, her logic not really seeming that sound to him.
“Not you!” Cerise clarified. “I mean, you need to deal out one of those beat downs! Like tonight, against Chelsea Skye and Toni Beasley…”
“What’s the point?” Damien griped. “Every week it’s the same thing Cer; every week Kylie Moore and Cecilia Ortiz puts some curtain-jerker in my path and every week I go out there and destroy them. At least when the Left Hand was around they provided some sort of a challenge for me. How am I supposed to better myself and further my own legacy within Revo1 when every single person that steps to the plate doesn’t rise to the occasion?”
“Is this because sweet little Lockheart didn’t choose you as her opponent for Christmas Chaos?” Cerise probed, looking over at him and batting her eyelashes sweetly at him.
“Maggie earned her right to choose,” Damien shrugged his shoulders. “Do I think she and I would’ve burnt down the Scotiabank Arena? Absolutely. But she’ll have her hands full with Jin Min-jun regardless. Lockheart was in a unique position where she could do no wrong; regardless of who she chose, the match was going to be a main event worthy of the biggest night of the year. My issue is that since Maggie made her choice, there has been little-to-no movement on Tuesday Night Sin on who the #1 Contender for my World Championship is.”
“I mean, does that really surprise you?” Cerise responded. “Everyone that is come up against you has been left as ashes in your wake. It’s almost career-suicide to go up against you D.C. I mean, just look at your list of victims; you defeat Cartier at The Ides of March and no one has heard from her since, you and I had our little ‘feud’…”
“Which I still don’t forgive you for burning Twisty alive,” Damien interrupted, glaring over at his partner.
“Hey now!” Cerise argued. “I had to ‘sell’ the fact that we were – legitimate rivals. Anyway, you go on to ReBirth where you bury Daniel Dream. And, of course, the final nail in the Left Hand coffin, you cripple Anny Coyle at Remembrance. Your track record speaks for itself D.C., the moment someone crosses you, they disappear shortly after.”
“Life imitating art I suppose,” Damien mused, referencing his “Reaper” persona.
Cerise goes and takes a seat down next to him, nudging him in the side with her elbow.
“Cheer up buttercup!” Cerise cheered. “They did start that whole ‘Race to Number One’ series! So maybe by this time tomorrow night, we’ll know exactly who you’ll be facing at Christmas Chaos…”
“Have you been tracking the scoring on that?” Damien asked, frustrated. “Because I have!”
“I mean, I seem to have left my abacus in the other dimension…” Cerise quipped.
Damien reached into his pants pocket and pulled forth a coffee-stained napkin, unfolding it and reading over his chicken scratch that passed as writing.
“In the lead, with three points, are…” Damien squinted his eyes, struggling to even read his own inscriptions. “Arden Taylor and Toni Beasley. In second place, with two points are: Brandon Hendrix, Chelsea Skye, and – you guessed it – myself!”
“Wait, you put yourself in that list?” Cerise questioned.
“Of course,” Damien responded. “I would’ve had at least three points had they not thrown out my contest with Sara Pettis! But that’s beside the point, of the top five individuals that are currently in the lead, do you want to know what three of them are doing at Christmas Chaos?”
“I’m guessing not Christmas caroling…” Cerise satirically responded, smirking.
“Chelsea Skye and Arden Taylor are facing off against Toni Beasley for her International Championship at Christmas Chaos!” Damien complained, ignoring his friend’s light-hearted attempts at humor. “Which, as of right now, leaves Brandon Hendrix in the lead.”
“I forget,” Cerise scrunched her face together. “Which ‘Brandon’ is he again…?”
“You’re not getting it,” Damien groaned. “I want the best, Cer. I want my match at Christmas Chaos to be the crowning achievement of my historic title reign. How can I possibly justify that when the best-of-the-best, the ones that have – thus far – proven they are ‘worthy’ enough to face me, are stuck in the mid-card fighting over the International Championship?”
“I mean,” Cerise sighed. “Where’s your girl Sara Pettis at in the rankings?”
“She only has 1 point accumulated so far; tied in third place with you, actually,” Damien scoffed. “And you’ve only been in one match over the past three shows. Clearly, Pettis peaked at Remembrance – your classic story of ‘one hit wonder’ – not sure what I ever saw in her that led me to believe she could actually be on my level. I - literally - handed her the victory against Brandon Hendrix a few weeks ago and, even then, she couldn't get the job done. I should've let him break her in half afterwards, maybe then she would've finally learned something.”
“I mean, I do feel like we sent a clear message to her at the end of the match though,” Cerise tried to console. "At least Chelsea Skye put up a decent fight against you a few weeks ago…?"
“That’s what I mean,” Damien reiterated. “Two weeks ago, Chelsea had the opportunity of a lifetime to go one-on-one with me. She knew it was an uphill battle and she didn’t let that deter her. She faced me like a true challenger should – head on. I implored her to give me her all; to bring her very best and she did not disappoint. The fact that we face each other again now, in such a short period of time, shows you the return value of what the fans and the front office saw in our one-off encounter.”
“But it’s not just Chelsea we need to worry about tonight,” Cerise mused. “We’ve got the International Champion as well.”
“When it comes to Tag Team matches, the only team that gives me any sort of pause is on Legacy,” Damien retorted, cockily.
“The Huffs are rather elegant…” Cerise began.
“I’m referring to our stablemates Cer,” Damien interjected. “Lee-Jin is the only team that could possibly hang with us. Not saying that Toni and Chelsea aren’t fierce competitors in their own right, but they don’t have luxury of being a team; not like you and I.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fun for us to see how the two try to co-exist with each other,” Cerise chuckled. “Especially given that, a month from now, they’ll be across the ring from one another, both women vying for that International Championship.”
“Maybe we should try and get you into that match,” Damien added, scratching his chin. “You picking up a pin fall against the International Champion in the Main Event tonight might go a long way in making that happen.”
“And here I thought I was going to be making a run at you for that World title,” Cerise joked, sticking her tongue out at Damien. “I heard that the ‘third time’s the charm’.”
“Like I told Jessie Lee,” Damien nodded. “Anytime, anyplace. At least, with you, I know that I’m getting a worthy opponent. As for our match, Chelsea proved to me the type of fighter she is the last time we faced off. If you're not able to get yourself added to that International Championship match at Christmas Chaos, she clearly has to be considered the odds-on-favorite to win. If she were to play it smart, she'd stay out of our way tonight and let us decimate her opponent for her. Nothing like softening up the Champion prior to the biggest match of her career."
“Look,” Cerise wrapped her arm around Damien, trying to comfort him. “I know that this is a heavy weight on your shoulders; that you want nothing more than the world to stand up and take notice all the grandiose things that you’ve done for Revo1 and their World Championship. Regardless of what happens – whether you end up fighting one person, two people, or the entire Revo1 locker room – the match at Christmas Chaos will be ‘legendary’ for one simple reason… because you’re in it. When the time comes, it won’t matter who it is that is standing across the ring from you. You’ll do what you always do; you’ll rack ‘em up, slam ‘em down, and cement your Legacy once and for all…”
Cerise leaned in and gave Damien a kiss on the cheek, smiling sweetly at him.
“Unless,” Cerise continued, realizing there was a flaw in her thought process. “You end up facing me… then you’re absolutely fucked.”
Damien did his best to hide his smile as he narrowed his eyes at his partner while Cerise sheepishly smiled in response.
“Come on,” Cerise instructed him, standing up and stretching. “Let’s do somethin’ crazy!”
