\Things had not gone as he had intended. Since his loss to Ben Jordan aboard the sun Princess Cruise, things had seemingly taken a downward spiral where the proverbial “Son of Salem” was concerned. Granted, his win-loss record was far from perfect, but then again the outcome of the match was never His Highest priority once he had gotten involved in the sport of professional wrestling. It was more what he accomplished during the match, not after, that had capped his end goals. And the target that had been painted on Ben Jordan, the very Target that Kedron himself had practically branded the “Cockney King” with had all but disappeared against every one of his best efforts.
A single victory over Ben, that was all he found he had accomplished despite sacrificing so much. And now? He had suffered a debilitating defeat at the hands of one of the biggest jokes in the men's division of SCW, Teddy Warren. Championship accomplishments were not of His Highest priorities, but still they had their merit and we're good for bolstering the ego. But somehow Teddy had come out on top and Kedron what's left to ponder what was next?
If anything. After all, Ben Jordan had been his sole purpose and the main reason why he had joined SCW as an active competitor. The Master wanted Ben’s soul, one of the purest in modern society, to either call his own or to blacken it beyond comprehension. He had failed at both.And this is why he was left pondering his own future. Would he continue to compete inside of the six-sided ring, now that the catalyst for his endgame had seemingly turned the tables against him. Despite everything that he had done to Ben, from the fire attacks to attempting to curse those closest to him, then had proven the weight of his heart and soul by actually sitting down across from his enemy and he talked to him.
That's it. All he had to do was talk to him, and then treated him as if he were anyone else. Past grievances all but seemingly forgotten. The proverbial Hatchet buried, and surprisingly not in the back of Kedron’s skull. And considering all of the emotional pain and torture that Kedron had put him through, he certainly would have been unable to place any fault at Ben's feet should that have been the direction he might have taken.
But there was another party, another's hand had taking action in his own downfall and it had been done seemingly out of the simple concern for his immortal soul. One who had loved him dearly despite all reasons that she should not. One who stood by him and aided him, even if he had not asked nor required her to do so. And it was one who had done all she had under the cloak of utmost secrecy. Not for fear of retaliation, but for the fear of being judged in betrayal and potentially losing him.
Salem, Massachusetts
Night had fallen several hours ago, but the darkness’s embrace gave him no comfort as the whispers continued to haunt his psyche. Time and again, more often than not, the taunting demands of the Master had turned into chilling nightmares that caused him to a weekend in a cold sweat. The Master gave voice to his arousing suspicions. The Master demanded Swift retribution.
Kedron stood in the darkened bedroom of the Victorian estate that he shared with his loving bride, Rinoa. He watched as she slept comfortably, her eyes closed and a blissful expression of peace and contentment Warren on her lovely, cherubic face. He stood there, clad from head to toe and his ceremonial black, arms crossed at the crook of the elbow and his chin resting on the curled fingers of his right hand as he stared at her.
He knew.
“ Color me surprised. I admit that things have not been going well for me as of late, seemingly beyond my own control. I was left with more questions than answers and for as long as I have been alive, I can quite assure you that the feeling of not knowing any direction in my life was very disconcerting. I could easily handle a loss to Ben Jordan. The man had proven himself more than I had given him credit for in every sense imaginable. After that match at Summer XXXTreme VII, I was somewhat pleasantly surprised by my showing supposingly being rewarded with an opportunity at the roulette championship against that female man, Teddy Warren. That is a loss that stings my little black heart, because it is a loss that never should have happened. I quite feel for any man who comes out on the losing end of an encounter with bat pathetic excuse for a Las Vegas showgirl. And unfortunately for me, I just so happened to be in that category.”
“So what then would be next? After a fair few weeks of not being booked, I was left wondering if I would ever set foot inside of the Ring again or if my so-called novelty had worn off in the eyes of Mark Ward and Christian Underwood, not to mention those souls who refer to themselves as the SCW Universe. Then lo and behold! I am notified that I am expected to be at Andros Island in the Bahamas this coming Sunday for Climax Control! My opposition? None other than one of the most physically imposing figures on the roster, and the former World Heavyweight Champion, Austin James Mercer!”
“Now this is what one might call an embarrassment of riches. I go from Ben Jordan to a roulette championship match, and now I soon stand across the ring from the only man who handed a singles defeat to Fenris. I look at Austin James Mercer, and I tell you this now. And you do not need a crystal ball or skill at the craft to know that it will not be long before the World Heavyweight Championship once again finds itself around his waist.”
“That will come in time, mark my words. But the journey that you have found yourself on ever since your loss has been as daunting as my own. First you fall to that flora crazed Senor Vinnie, then to Ty West who many say is a future champion in his own right. Two losses each, and with the exception of my lost to Teddy Warren, I'd say there was nothing for either of us to be ashamed of. And yet now here we are, ready to clash has each of us seeks to gain some semblance of recovery against these losses.”
“ and while I admit that you have the enviable advantage tab a 7-inch height advantage and a 46 pound weight advantage, please don't misconstrue this as an automatic yielding on my part. Far be it from me to Simply lay down like some wounded dog and accept that's another alpha predator stalks me and I simply may as well submit myself to him. You are hardly the first man that I have opposed in the ring that had been other larger physical stature than myself. I like to consider such disadvantages as being something akin to an inspiration to overcome such genetic adversity. You have won the world title in the past Austin, but now you have to probably consider whether you have anything left to give to this world or not. Perhaps you are wondering if you have perhaps peaked much too soon and are left to languish as a proverbial one-hit wonder. Perhaps the underlying insecurities over that loss to Vinnie makes you wonder if you have anything left to fight for.”
“I have always found such contemplation to be stimulating. The insecurities that one can take advantage of and twist them around in the psyche of the mind until just the right amount of pressure causes ones adversary to break physically and emotionally beyond repair. As I've confided to a select few in the past oh, I have done terrible things in my time. Great, but terrible. And if my rise has a phoenix from the ashes is to come at your expense?”
“So be it.”
