"All The Devils Are Here."

Jan. 17
Victory - Denver, Colorado

Time had ground to a halt. He could hear the blood thundering in his ears, and almost swore the world took on a red hue as he stared down the maniacally grinning face of Angel. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to grab her and tear her limb from limb, but for some unknown reason he resisted the urge. He only stared coldly back at her, his eyes narrowed into slits as his chest heaved from the exertion of the match he had just competed in.

Where he lost his title.

No, not lost.

Where it was stolen from him.

Strangely enough, the loss didn’t affect him as much as he would have thought. Perhaps if the circumstances had been different, he would have been more upset that his title reign had now come to an end. Titles could always be won back.

But this…this ended now.

He could feel his hands balling up into fists at his sides, but before he had even made a move towards Angel, they were both surrounded by referees who were pushing the two apart. Lachlan stood rooted to the ground, never taking his eyes off of her even as the officials were forcefully trying to get him to back up. The amplified voice of Ophelia Knight echoing through the arena finally managed to take his attention away from Angel and glance up towards the entrance, though his body stayed tense and ready.

Part of him was actually quite shocked that the PWE owner came all the way down the ramp to the ringside and actually got into Angel’s face as she spoke, and he developed a new level of respect for Ophelia in that moment. But when she finally announced that not only would Lachlan finally get Angel one on one in a match at Magnificence, but it would be a No Disqualification match…he was almost ready to bow down and kiss her feet.

When Ophelia took her gaze off of Angel and looked towards him, he saw the slightest hint of a smirk on her face, and he answered in kind before turning his intense glare back to the bane of his existence. When he and Angel locked eyes again, he saw the wildly sadistic smirk painted across her face...but deep in her eyes, he saw the faintest flicker of trepidation.

And it was all he needed.

Got you now.

—-------

It was only one moment, but it was all I needed.

You wanted this. All the attacks. Targeting the family. The threats.

You’ve been chipping away, bit by bit. Trying to get at the darkness under the surface.

Little do you know, it goes far deeper than you even realize.

But you will realize. Soon enough.

And the regret will flow like your blood.

—----

He jolted awake, momentarily disoriented. A few slow blinks and a yawn as he glanced around his rented hotel room, and he remembered.

I should have gone to Sierra. I should have taken the girls home, comforted them.

Instead, as if being driven by some insatiable compulsion, he had taken a flight across the Atlantic, back to his homeland. Spent a day in Waterford, visiting his father’s grave and trying to justify what he had to do. Trying in vain to talk himself out of it. Hoping against hope that his father’s guiding spirit would show him a better way. But, at the end of his soul searching, he finally understood that the only way this would end would be with bloodshed. Not only hers…but his own, as well.

And for that, he was going to need the help.

So he boarded another plane. Destination, Tokyo.

Back to where the darkness first took hold.

Swinging his feet out from the bed, he stretched out his cramped limbs and groaned at the satisfying pop each joint made. He rose up and rummaged through the carry-on he had thrown together at the last minute. He hadn’t even flown home from Colorado that night. He just packed up everything he had brought with him and booked the first flight to Ireland he could find. His phone had been blowing up for days now, everyone from his brother and sister to Sierra and even his own mother trying desperately to get a hold of him. He knew he should be with them, to keep them safe…but somehow, he had a feeling that Angel would leave them alone. After all, she had seemingly got what she wanted out of him.

Well, almost. Soon enough, the darkness she had been teasing out of him would be on full display for her and all the world to see.

But he was going to make her regret it.

After he had changed into a clean set of clothes, he threw on his leather jacket and slid his shoes on, heading out the door with one destination in mind.

—-----

Just remember, dear Angel…

This is what you wanted.

This is what you begged for.

Everything you’ve done, every sick, sadistic, twisted moment in this little dance…it’s all been to get my attention, hasn’t it?

Well, you’ve got it. Fully and completely now.

The question remains…

Are you sure you’re ready for what you’ve unleashed?

—---

The cab pulled up outside of a ramshackle wooden dojo, and after thanking the driver and leaving a generous tip, Lachlan stepped out of the vehicle and stared up at the building. It seemed like a lifetime ago when he had been here last, when in all actuality it had only been five years since he last stepped foot inside. Back then it had seemed much more intimidating to him - a bright-eyed foreigner looking to make his mark in the storied history books of Japanese professional wrestling. The memories came flooding into his mind as he gently pushed on the door, finding it unlocked as it swung inward, almost as if to welcome him back like an old friend.

It was clear by the state of disrepair that the building was long abandoned. Thick layers of dust coated every available surface, cracked and peeling paint barely clung to the walls, and the floor squeaked in protest as he slowly made his way inside. Save for a few discarded mats, the building was empty, but his mind filled in the blank spaces from memory. The corner where he first learned a proper armdrag. The centre where his chest was hit with knife-edge chops from every student in succession until it nearly bled. Even now, years later, he brought a hand up to his chest, almost feeling the pain like it was fresh.

But these were not the memories he had come back for.

He ventured a little further into the building, past the walls separating the main front room from the smaller ones in the back. The ones where most of the training equipment was once stored, but now stood barren. There was one room in particular that called to him, one at the very back of the building, away from the general public. Tucked away so that no one could accidentally stumble into it unknowingly.

He slid back the sliding door, the scraping noise breaking the silence for the first time since he walked in. The room itself was nondescript - plain white walls, a faded red rug laid over the wooden flooring. But this was the room where he first embraced the darkness within himself.

Sliding his feet out of his shoes and discarding his leather jacket to the floor, he walked up to the rug and sank down to his knees. It was more threadbare than it had been when he first used it, but it would still serve the purpose he needed. With no windows to let in the light or sound from the outside, the room was silent and still. Perfect for what he needed to do.

Inhaling a deep breath in as he closed his eyes, he held it in for a few moments before pushing it out slowly, a technique taught to him by one of the first teachers he had when he arrived. He needed to be in control as much as possible for this to be successful…otherwise it would all be for naught. He continued this breathing for a good long while, allowing the repetitive action to lull him into a tranquil state, where his mind would open and allow him to delve deep into the darkest recesses. Places he hadn’t even thought about for years, but places he needed to go if there was any hope of ending the nightmare for himself and his loved ones.

Everything else faded away as he kept breathing, focusing his attention on the inhale and the exhale. With his eyes closed, he was oblivious to everything around him, and his senses heightened to make up the difference. He listened, picking up the tiniest sounds and filtering them out until he finally heard it.

That voice.

Well, it seems you have need of me once more.

As much as it pains me to say it…I do.

I have been waiting for this day. I have been watching, seen what you have endured, and I am surprised it has taken you this long to reach me.

I didn’t want it to come to this again. I thought I was strong enough to fight on my own.

But you underestimated her, didn’t you? There was no length she would not go to prod you, to awaken me.

When she laid her filthy hands on my children…she crossed the line.

She sealed her fate.

Can I count on you then? Will you help me with what I have to do?

Oh, my boy. It will be my absolute pleasure.

When his eyes snapped back open, there was an otherworldly, almost sinister look in them, as they glowed red in the darkened space.

“Never contend with a man who has nothing left to lose.”

As he spoke, his voice was soft, but it filled the room completely. His normally lyrical Irish brogue held a dark, raspy edge to it. “Since the day you stepped foot into this company, you have dogged my every step. You have haunted every corner, darkened every doorway. You’ve been relentless in this mad pursuit of me, all because you say you want to ‘bring out the darkness inside of me’. You’ve threatened my family, laid hands on my children, caused me to lose my championship. You have done everything in your power to provoke the beast inside of me for months now.”

His lips curl back into a snarl, baring his teeth gritted together as he spit out the next two words, dripping with disdain.

“Mission fuckin’ accomplished.”

He raised his right hand up to the level of his eyes, index finger extended straight up. “But I’m only going to say this to you once before our clash on Monday, and consider this your one and only warning - you will not like what you have awakened. Everything you’ve done has been filed away in my mind, ready to fuel the pure, unfiltered hatred that courses through my blood. There have not been many in my career that have pushed me to the brink like you have, so in that you can take pride. But rest assured, I will come ready to snuff it out of you in the most violent, painful, excruciating ways I can possibly imagine. And I won’t even need weapons to do it. Oh, they will be used, don’t get me wrong. I plan to draw this out as long as I possibly can. There are so many atrocities you need to atone for. So many lives you’ve corrupted with your nightmarish games. I told you once before that I’d make you pay for every nightmare you put into my daughters’ heads. Well, your tab just got a whole lot bigger. And I’m going to enjoy collecting every last payment from your twisted, mangled body.”

His hands were clenched into tight fists where they rested on his thighs, his knuckles pure white. “Do you feel the storm coming? Is your skin crawling with the anticipation? I bet you’re just tucked away in your little compound, surrounded by all your psychotic little sycophants, curled up at the feet of your beloved Master like the obedient little bitch you are, waiting for him to unshackle your bonds so you can come yipping into Magnificence. Baring your tiny little teeth, thinking that you’re going to draw blood. But you cannot draw blood from a stone, dear Angel. And I have hardened myself to anything and everything. There are forces at play here that you cannot even begin to comprehend. Forces that would put your pitiful Carnival to absolute shame. You claim to revel in darkness, that you are its unholy embodiment…but you truly have no idea.”

A sadistic grin broke the lips of Lachlan, his teeth bared in a twisted fashion. “You have barely scratched the surface. The darkness you thought you saw in me was only the beginning. It has resided in me for years, quietly watching. Waiting. I’ve only ever needed to call on it once before, but when I did…the person I faced was never the same again. Last I heard, he has never returned to a wrestling ring. Because everything I did to him shook him to his very core. He had no idea the kind of power he was awakening within me…and neither do you.”

The grin grew wider, more sadistic, more terrifying as the red glow of his eyes intensified. “But you will. Soon enough, you will. You’ve put on quite the bravado these past few months as you’ve antagonized me, but at Victory I saw the truth. I got close enough to gaze into your eyes, and in their depths I saw it. The fear. The trepidation. The realization that maybe, just maybe…you were not ready. But it’s too late now. You set everything into motion, put all the pieces on the board. And I will be the one to end it all.”

He turned his face down to study his hands and arms, as he unclenched his fists and stretched out his fingers. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the veins under the surface of his skin started to darken to almost black. The darkness crawled up his forearms, curling under the skin around his biceps and disappearing under the black shirt he wore. It reappeared along his neck, twisting and curling along his skin as it made its way across his face and when he looked back up, his face was entirely consumed in darkness, his reddened eyes glowing in the midst and the brightness of his cruel smirk slicing through the black.

“Hell is empty…and all the devils are here.”