Wish.

Enshrouded in darkness… Wraith sits with their legs crossed in the center frame, and their arms across their abdomen while rocking gently back and forth.

“There are some misconceptions that people have of me…” Wraith mutters.

Their eyes dart back and forth beneath them, seemingly intrigued by something that is happening below beyond the sight of any ordinary being. They crinkle their nose and chatter their teeth, unblinking from what is happening below, and without making contact again, resumes their speech.

“People ASSUME that I just want to go out there and hurt people, and that–” Wraith chuckles, “–is a perk! I…get control…and I…hurt everyone that stands between me, and my glory…”

A series of lights begin to protrude from below… It becomes so vivid that it is as if Wraith were sitting on the aurora borealis. The beautiful lights cause an uncharacteristic joyful grin to spread across their face. The shades of red, green, and blue; however, one light starts to illuminate over all the others: a golden yellow. Wraith continues to watch it in awe, then reaches an arm out as if they could gather the light within their hands until a manifestation appears…

The humanoid becomes unnaturally large, and retracts an arm, and as the arm pulls away from Wraith, so, too, does the light. Wraith’s hands begin to tremble while the light disappears. Wraith clenches both of their hands and continues to tremble, while snarling. Their lips quiver before letting out a piercing shriek that resonates in the void, and then everything goes black.

Several seconds pass with no visualizations coming back in… But a more joyous tone is heard.

“Hold on!” Jennie shouts.

The imagery returns to a brighter day…
Central Florida.
Orlando.
Walt Disney World.
The Magic Kingdom.
October 01, 2022.
Saturday.

The faux log continues along its track moving up, and up, and up; as they reach the top they get a momentary glance of Frontierland behind the momentary blinding light… The Country Bear Jamboree. The Shootin’ Gallery. The sound of Big Thunder Mountain in the background can be heard accompanied by many of the eager shrieks from children and adults alike. Sabin closes his eyes momentarily; it could not have been much longer than a standard blink, but within those moments, Sabin’s mind is considering everything that would come to pass at Rebirth.

The battleground… Sabin thinks to himself.

It is a bit unorthodox… I have seen Tláa and Tláak’w fight on such stages, but I did not think that I would be privy to join them. My battleground has been the ring; my battleground has been the arena… Where there would be zero excuses for anyone to make. Where there would be zero excuses when I walk out with a brand new title around my waist… While that part will remain true, there is one thing that I cannot help but notice about Joe Montuori: he always has an excuse… Sabin sneers and rolls his eyes when he considers that detail.

Sabin re-opens his eyes. Sabin takes a momentary glance around the park, again, but front and center: a spectator bridge where many of the families, and strangers, amassed to watch the next log begin to tumble over the side, and commit to the drop that would create the iconic “splash” of Splash Mountain. However, the crowd was a little indifferent; for a change, there is an entourage of security surrounding the Blake-Docherty family.

Jennifer Docherty, Sabin’s aunt, sits beside him. She grabs his wrist with one hand, and raises it up…Sabin squeezes his eyes shut, and could feel the sensation of having his arm raised and being announced as the winner. A moment that eluded him during some of his most recent matches: his match against his stepfather at IWF; his match at PWE against Dane Preston. Sabin could not restrain from scrunching his face and gritting his teeth while recalling the recent failures.

This year was supposed to be my year! This year was supposed to be my time in the sun to show this world what I am capable of… But every time that I think I have finally hit a stride; every time that I think– that I believe– I am unstoppable…something comes and derails me. JC Keeton. Ricky. Angel. Dane. And every time that I fall, I have to hear everyone who loves to hear themselves talk attempt to talk me down. Attempt to say that I am not on the same level as Tláa. Some…saying how the apple has fallen far from the tree… Sabin thinks as his eyes land on Tara, or Tláa; this was a term that Sabin had always used to call “Mother” as the word for it in Tlingit. Despite the thought racing through his mind of how many people had doubted him, he could see that even whilst holding his newborn sister, Lilith, Tara still beamed with pride in him, her firstborn.

Sabin closes his eyes again… He is anticipating the drop from Splash Mountain. He senses it getting nearer, and nearer, and nearer… Until…

“I will have it…”

The familiar voice triggers Sabin to open his eyes; he glances over his shoulder where he heard the hiss, but Wraith is not there; rather, just a stranger. He glances back to his aunt whose eyes light up while focusing forward. Her voice carries over the sound of the anticipated screams from the rest of the strangers, “Here we gooooo! WHEEEEE!” Jennie shouts whilst holding both of her arms into the air, and simultaneously holding one of Sabin’s arms up; Sabin, getting caught up, raises his other hand and joins in the joyful scream, and the log tumbles down along the track at a high speed! It crashes into the water, creating a huge SPLASH and resulting in Sabin and Jennie getting particularly soaked, as they were seated in the front…

“OH! MY! GOD!” Jennie exclaims. She pulls her hair up and wrings some of the water out, before tying it back into a bun, “Why couldn’t you have your match over here?!”

Sabin shrugs nonchalantly, “There was a rumor circulating that Joe is afraid of water…”

“OH, that’s what that smell is!” Jennie answers. Sabin blinks several times at her, and there is an awkward silence between them before Jennie finally continues, “He goes by the Rabbit a lot… Smells like an armpit.” Jennie nods, “But Sabie… Don’t take Joe for granted! I fought him, and he did manage to beat me…” Jennie says in a low, disgruntled tone.

“I remember…” Sabin says, and shakes his head, “That was what started your fight with Tláa. She doesn’t seem too fond of Joe, and so…I don’t know…I just really think that I have to pull everything I have to ensure I don’t suffer a loss to him, too.”

“Afraid Tara’ll disown you?” Jennie whispers to him.

Sabin lightly chuckles, but shakes his head, “I don’t think she would do that, but she would probably kick my ass in the gym until I win the next ten, straight.”

Jennie nods enthusiastically, “THAT she would definitely do! But let’s just avoid all of that and make sure that you win, okay?!” Jennie shouts with sheer positivity.

“There’s no need to worry about that… I’ll win.” Sabin nods. He did not share the same excitement and energy that Jennie had, but the tone in his voice does suggest his confidence walking into Rebirth to fight for the Impulse Championship.

“SHOW IT TO ME!”

The voice rings through Sabin’s head, and he instinctively scratches his ear. He glances over his shoulder a second time, certain that he may see Wraith appear there, but it is still the same stranger who in turn shares a puzzled expression. Sabin returns his attention forward, and licks his lips before finally speaking, “Do you want to go to Big Thunder next?”

Jennie pulls her phone from her pocket and begins to tap the screen several times, “Our fast pass time is coming up! I should–” Jennie’s voice trails away as she appears distracted by something on her phone. “We’ll get a Dole Whip, and then go there! Is that okay?”

Sabin nods. He starts to wring out some of the excess water from his clothing while the ride continues along the tracks until it comes to the end. The scenery goes black momentarily, but a shrill, mocking voice is heard in the darkness that sounds similar to Rumpelstiltskin.

“All magic…comes with a price…” Wraith mutters.

They click their tongue several times as the scenery fades back in, and Wraith sits at the head of a table. They lean one way, with one foot brought up to rest on the seat and their elbow propped on their knee, with their blackened nail that resembles more of a claw than anything else tapping against the side of their head. A smirk crosses their face, and the red iris glints a little bit brighter, before Wraith cocks their head to the side before continuing their speech.

“And it was undoubtedly magic that brought another title your way, Joe Montuori–” Wraith says, and rolls their eyes while the name escapes their lips, “–because there is just something about you that I just…I cannot stand! Why can’t you be more like Paul?” Wraith asks, while cupping their hand upward, “Why can’t you be bearable? Every time that I hear something escape your lips, the only thing that I ever wonder is if you thought about what you were trying to say, or does it all regurgitate out of your mouth uncontrollably?”

Wraith takes a momentary pause whilst pondering the question for themself. Their nose cringes a few times before finally planting their foot onto the ground, and props their elbows onto the surface and hunches forward.

“It is as if you have some desire, some urge, some need to be valued higher than you are actually worth, and so you are always telling people to… PAY… ATTENTION. You are always telling people to WATCH! To LISTEN! And think these methods are going to make people actually give a damn as to who you are, but who are you, Joe? What are you, Joe? Why should I care about who you are? Why should I not march into Big Thunder Mountain and tear you down…? Because…we are… C-C-P? Because we are allies?” Wraith asks rhetorically, with an outstretched hand as if the question were real.

Wraith clicks their tongue several times, and lets out a light snort, “No, no, no, Joe…Montuori…” Wraith says in a low tone, whilst cocking their head to the side, “I am going to speak…quite…honestly…and say…” Wraith subtly shakes their head, “The only thing that matters to me is MYSELF. The only thing that matters to me is MY GLORY. The only thing that matters to me is that I CONQUER! I THRIVE! MY LEGACY! I want EVERYONE, Joe, to one day look across the ring at me…and I want to see–” Wraith says while pointing to their blackened eyes, “–the fear in their eyes… I want to–” Wraith inhales heavily through their nostrils, flaring them up in the process, “–SMELL that fear! I want them to have second thoughts before they even get into the ring with me! I want them to know that they are standing toe to toe with a monster, and the monster has one thing on their agenda: BREAK. EVERY. PART OF THEM.” They lick their lips, salivating over the thoughts running through their mind of what they would do to Joe and Chelsea at Rebirth. The way they would twist and contort their limbs to force one…or both of them to tap out.

“And… so I repeat… ALL…MAGIC…comes with a price. What did it cost you, Joe? What did you have to give up in order to get yourself into a title hunt? What did you pay to make people even mutter your name in the same sentence as mine…? Because… I see you, Joe. I watch you. I try to see what all the fuss is about, and frankly…” They shrug their shoulders, “I do not see it. I DO NOT GET IT. It seems the only thing that is bringing attention your way is your love for hearing yourself speak, but come Rebirth, I am going to do the entire world a favor and rip your tongue right out of your mouth to SAVE EVERYONE from having to hear another one of your blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, BLAH! But…just like you seem to like to run your mouth just to hear yourself speak, you do not stand alone. There is another…who seems to love…hearing…herself…speak…” Wraith’s voice trails away as the scenery shifts back to the Magic Kingdom

Jennie and Sabin are walking behind the rest of the family, and Jennie has a Dole Whip in one hand, and is putting a wireless earbud into her ear with the other, but just as she is putting it in, she lets out a loud scream and holding the earbud back out for Sabin.

“Why would you do that to me?!” Jennie asks in a whining tone.

“I just keep hearing her talk about her band, and figured I would give it a listen…” Sabin explains.

“Nuh uh, honey! Honey-boo-boo better stick to wrestling, ‘cause…” Jennie shivers, “That was just… It was just– NOISE!”

“My sentiment exactly…” Sabin says while chuckling under his breath.

“How did she even get this title shot? Has she even won since PWE made its return…?” Jennie asks. She rolls her eyes upward as if to search the sky for the answer.

“Nope,” Sabin chimes in, “She’s a bit of a wildcard, though, I have to admit. There’s days where she is laser-focused, and it looks as if she would beat anyone on their best day, but then there’s just times where– well, she’s just all over the place.”

“I can see your point… She’s trying to do–” Jennie starts.

“I know…” Sabin interjects.

“And trying to–” Jennie says.

“I know!” Sabin interrupts again.

“…I just don’t want to tell you that you don’t have to worry about her, because if she’s hungry enough… You remember how people treat me, right?” Jennie asks, and Sabin nods. “People think that because I’m not Tara–” she says while rolling her eyes, “–that I am not capable of beating them, but damn it, I just don’t like being underestimated! I know how angry I get when people are doing that! And so…I just want to be sure you know: don’t underestimate her. That’s when these people always pull out all the surprises.”

The phone chimes, and Jennie glances at her phone to see an incoming message, “Oh! After Big Thunder, I’m going to have to catch up with all of you later…”

“Allen?” Sabin asks in a tone suggesting that he already knows the answer.

“Yeah! His birthday was yesterday, and–” Jennie continues to ramble on, but Sabin interjects again.

“It’s fine, Tláak’w. Just… be careful.” Sabin’s voice is riddled with concern for his aunt. The imagery fades back out, and we return to the previous room where Wraith remains.

“Speaking of magic…” Wraith mutters under their breath.

“It is quite magical that Chelsea Skye has found herself in our presence… There is something about her that–” Wraith clicks their tongue and taps their finger against their chin, “–that just makes me think that she is just IN…over her head…” Wraith finishes the statement with a smirk.

“Do you understand who you are stepping into the ring with, Chelsea? Do you understand that, while Joe Montuori is not quite so impressive, he at least does not suffer in the same regard as you, where he doubts himself…? In fact, quite the opposite: he has an overinflated ego, and an ego that I will deflate, but you, Chelsea; there is that part inside of you that KNOWS you do not belong in the same ring as the two of us… Whereas you have questioned your ability inside of the ring, I have always known that I would surpass EVERYONE! Do you believe you belong in the same ring as me, Chelsea? Do you believe you belong in the same ring as Joe Montuori?” They ask and allow the question to linger for several seconds.

“You fight, Chelsea… You do have spirits,” They say with a nod before cocking their head back to the side, “But that is only going to take you so far! You have to have GRIT! You have to have DEDICATION! You have to FOLLOW THROUGH! And that– is where you suffer. That– is where you drop the ball every single time, and why I am going to say right here, and right now, that you DO NOT belong in the same ring with me! You DO NOT belong in my presence! You are like Joe, Chelsea, in the sense that you just talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk talk, but you do VERY LITTLE to actually back yourself up! You do VERY LITTLE in actually accomplishing anything… But… every dog has their day, right?” Wraith says with a smug expression.

Wraith bites down on their bottom lip and tilts their head back and forth while the silence lingers longer than anticipated, “When will your day finally come, Chelsea? When will you shock the world with another title victory? When are you going to feel that joy? Now, now, Chelsea… If you really believed that you had a chance at taking the Impulse Championship at Rebirth, may I just say that it was just wishful thinking on your part… I know how bad you want it. I know how bad you want to silence every person who has doubted you! I know how bad you want to stand amongst the best and know that you belong! But… that is wishful thinking.”

Wraith crouches down and snickers before resuming, “Call on your Fairy Godmother… Find your magical lamp… Wish to the well! Use whatever MAGIC you can fathom to give you EVERY opportunity you need to finally see this come to fruition… But NONE OF IT is going to matter, because MAGIC…” Wraith smirks, “Is not going to give you your fairytale ending.”

The wait is finally over. The scenery shifts back to the Magic Kingdom, and Sabin and Jennie have reached the beginning of the line for Big Thunder Mountain; the destination where Sabin…Wraith…would compete against Joe Montuori and Chelsea Skye in hopes of walking out with a new title. The camera centers focus on Sabin as he treads carefully forward, and the atmosphere begins to shift; as if he were walking into a different dimension; the foreboding clouds roll in with a red hue, the destruction that would be in the aftermath; even the crowd can already be heard in what Sabin could only hope would be a sign of things to come.

Their chant rings in the air that shows their undying support for the second generation superstar.

“You can’t kill him!”

“You can’t kill him!”

“You can’t kill him!”

“You can’t kill him!”

“You can’t kill him!”

The crowd continues to chant. Sabin closes his eyes for not more than a moment, and can already foresee the carnage that would come to pass: Joe Montuori fighting for his life to defend his title… Chelsea… fighting for her chance to have the honor of walking out with it over her head. Sabin continues his stride forward, and leans against the safety railing before inhaling heavily.

“Impulse… Instinct…” Wraith’s voice is what rings through the air, but the camera does not shift this time; rather, it stays focused on Sabin as he continues overlooking the battlefield.

“It is in the name… And I look at my opponents–” Wraith says and snickers, “IMPULSE. To act on impulse, you must rely on INSTINCT! And they– they are all over the place! Joe Montuori has an attitude that he is bigger than he actually is… He, under some delusion, believes that he is capable of being the greatest! He, under some delusion, believes that he is going to CONQUER! EVERYONE! But the problem is that while his mind is focused on conquering…everyone…while his mind is focused on the next step…he is ignoring WHAT is DIRECTLY in front of him! That. Is. Me. Chelsea Skye…is all over the place! Music? Amateur…videography?” Wraith snorts.

“Neither one of them is FOCUSED on the task at hand… While I…” Wraith snickers, “My instinct– my IMPULSE– is to HURT whoever stands between me and my goals! My INSTINCT is to continue to break them down until…not only are they unable to get up…but they DO NOT want to get up! To leave them lying in a puddle of their own blood, and BEG ME TO SPARE THEM! BEG ME! To let them live for another day…” They say while beginning to let out a sinister laugh, “But whether you walk out or not, there will never be any doubt in your mind that I will have beaten you. My instinct– my impulse– is to SEND A MESSAGE because I want everybody to KNOW and everybody to UNDERSTAND that…I…am…the present, and I am the future. THIS. IS. MY. TIME. The ring is MINE because I SAY IT IS! The ring is MINE by BIRTHRIGHT! And any who want to challenge me for it, should they walk out, will walk out CHANGED… Because they will know that there is NOTHING they can do to have taken it from me. I do not CRY when things do not go my way… I do not think to make an excuse! I look for VENGEANCE.” Wraith can be heard snarling in the background.

“Dane Preston… DANE. PRESTON. Defeated me. The two of you might be asking: why does Dane Preston matter? He is not involved in this match! Why are you bringing him up? There is no erasing that, but when all was said and done, WHO IS STILL STANDING? WHO RETURNED? It was NOT Dane Preston, because when I was done with him… despite him having his arm raised… HE WAS NOT THE SAME. He COULD NOT return because he knew that the next time he shared the ring with me, he would be exposed. And that is saying something for someone who literally had a building fall on them. That is why he is gone.” They say, and let the word linger momentarily whilst clicking their tongue, “And that is why I will bring my INSTINCTS, and I will act on every IMPULSE to end this match DECISIVELY! When all is said and done, this is not going to end as my last match here did, but rather it is going to end with my arm RAISED as the winner! With the IMPULSE CHAMPIONSHIP over my head, while all of the crowd REMINDS BOTH OF YOU that you CANNOT KILL ME! That you CANNOT match me! That, at the end of the day, THIS. IS. MINE.”

Sabin continues overlooking Big Thunder Mountain as the line trudges along. END.