Post by Skyler Striker on Mar 16, 2007 2:28:53 GMT -5
Loss is an essential part of human life. At some point, we will be forced to endure someone close to us leaving, whether it be a parent passing away or a wife or husband divorcing oneself. When we lose someone, we hold others closer – clinging to whatever we can so we can still comprehend sanity within our minds. For some, this is easier than others. Some people move on quickly, others do not. But no matter how we react, loss continues.
Today’s scene has no setting. Skyler Striker wakes up, dressed in his usual torn maroon pants and black shirt, and is simply standing on nothing. Everything as far as the eye can see is white and there are no divides, floors, roofs or anything resembling dimensional structures. Skyler is standing on white and can walk horizontally but there are no boundaries and the white continues. Skyler looks around and sees nothing, but all of a sudden, the complete nothingness is invaded by the voice, its three tones reduced to one that sounds familiar but that we cannot distinguish.
??: The time has arrived, Skyler. War is tomorrow, and you have your last lesson to learn. I will allow you one question which I will answer before we begin.
Skyler looks around, tempted to ask where he is, but prefers to find out the identity of the remaining voice which has been plaguing his life.
SS: Who are you? You used to have three tones – then Shaneyah came and left and you lost one, and Andrew did the same and you lost the second. Who else am I supposed to lose before you leave for good?
??: No-one. You must make sure that beyond everything else, you do not let the person this voice represents disappear or leave, because if you do, you will fail.
SS: Come on, then! Show me! I want this over with!
The voice disappears as the voice itself for the last time. It physicalizes quickly by simply appearing in front of Skyler, however when Skyler sees it he takes a step back. The voice has materialised as an exact copy of Skyler.
??: Happy now?
SS: You’re me…
??: Partially. There’s a lot more to this than you could understand, but at the moment, this is the simplest way I could explain it.
SS: Wait, wait. You’re telling me that I’ve been the one telling myself all these things? All these lessons, losing Shaneyah and Andrew, they’ve all been things I’ve told myself?!
??: Not exactly. Shall we get to your lesson, then?
SS: If you say so.
??: Extend your hand.
The real Skyler does so and the copy puts his hand on top of Skyler’s so they join palms. The real Skyler suddenly becomes flooded with memories, personalities, and various other things that overwhelm him. The copy holds his hand hard, not letting Skyler escape his grasp, and after about ten seconds, the copy lets go and Skyler falls to the ground.
SS: What the hell was that?
??: That was the memories and parts of yourself that you chose to hide in the past. They have now been integrated into your mind and will remain a part of you constantly instead of what you normally do with them – suppress them and pretend they never happened. Now, there are no levels – you are 100% you. There are no others. You are completely self-aware and now have access to your full range of memories and skills. You are Crusader, Fatebringer, and Skyler all rolled into one – but you are a Fallen One. You have a problem with personality, Skyler – whenever you have a big task ahead of you, you go and ignore all of the past memories or persons that could have helped you and try to re-invent yourself so as to constantly scare your opponents. A more effective way to do it is to establish yourself as a constant personality – one who does not change and who remains the same. That way, if you can make an impact by winning the War tomorrow, you will inspire the utmost fear into the World Champion, because they will know that you, Skyler, will be as much a threat to them as you were when you won the War.
Skyler shakes his head and the copy extends a hand, pulling Skyler up to his feet. Skyler looks around, the white expanse not changing, and then looks directly into the copy.
SS: So this is it? I don’t feel any different. That’s my final lesson? You’re going to leave me alone?
??: That’s the best part yet. The changes I have instilled in you will take a minute or two before you can fully comprehend them. I’ll be watching at War, Fallen One.
The copy places its hand on Skyler’s chest and disappears. Skyler is shocked briefly but looks around, expecting to hear the voice.
SS: Hey! I’m not done yet! I want my questions answered? You haven’t told me who you are, where I am, or even what the hell a Fallen One is! You haven’t told me why I had to sacrifice the friendship of two of the best people I ever knew simply to achieve this! You haven’t told me anything! I lost everything! EVERYTHING!!!!!
Silence. The white remains, and Skyler looks around, trying to find a way out.
SS:COME BACK!!!! I-
Skyler freezes, and, like the voice stated, feels the impact suddenly of the culmination of his life all coming into one. Skyler gets a feeling of complete renewal – in the past, where he would have felt slightly separate and unable to summon elements of his past, he now has everything the voice has given him in order for him to understand – he has a true motive for fighting at War, he has the best elements of his former persons intertwined into him, the knowledge that for him, wrestling is life, the knowledge of his part in Scott’s death, and now the knowledge of how to use himself to his full potential to go and win War. Skyler’s life flashes before him again briefly, and he smiles, stretching himself completely. Skyler waves a hand and the white is gone, and we are finally back into the physical world. It is morning, and Skyler is standing inside the same abandoned office that he began the week in. Skyler goes to the big glass windows and looks at the dark morning sky. It is slowly getting lighter but Skyler observes a shooting star, which falls beyond the horizon.
SS: I lost everything today and gained it all back…
A sudden rush of adrenalin hits Skyler just as his daughter Jade Striker enters the room through the elevator.
JS: Father? Are you okay?
SS: I’m done waiting. Let’s go to War.
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
-Sun Tzu
Today’s scene has no setting. Skyler Striker wakes up, dressed in his usual torn maroon pants and black shirt, and is simply standing on nothing. Everything as far as the eye can see is white and there are no divides, floors, roofs or anything resembling dimensional structures. Skyler is standing on white and can walk horizontally but there are no boundaries and the white continues. Skyler looks around and sees nothing, but all of a sudden, the complete nothingness is invaded by the voice, its three tones reduced to one that sounds familiar but that we cannot distinguish.
??: The time has arrived, Skyler. War is tomorrow, and you have your last lesson to learn. I will allow you one question which I will answer before we begin.
Skyler looks around, tempted to ask where he is, but prefers to find out the identity of the remaining voice which has been plaguing his life.
SS: Who are you? You used to have three tones – then Shaneyah came and left and you lost one, and Andrew did the same and you lost the second. Who else am I supposed to lose before you leave for good?
??: No-one. You must make sure that beyond everything else, you do not let the person this voice represents disappear or leave, because if you do, you will fail.
SS: Come on, then! Show me! I want this over with!
The voice disappears as the voice itself for the last time. It physicalizes quickly by simply appearing in front of Skyler, however when Skyler sees it he takes a step back. The voice has materialised as an exact copy of Skyler.
??: Happy now?
SS: You’re me…
??: Partially. There’s a lot more to this than you could understand, but at the moment, this is the simplest way I could explain it.
SS: Wait, wait. You’re telling me that I’ve been the one telling myself all these things? All these lessons, losing Shaneyah and Andrew, they’ve all been things I’ve told myself?!
??: Not exactly. Shall we get to your lesson, then?
SS: If you say so.
??: Extend your hand.
The real Skyler does so and the copy puts his hand on top of Skyler’s so they join palms. The real Skyler suddenly becomes flooded with memories, personalities, and various other things that overwhelm him. The copy holds his hand hard, not letting Skyler escape his grasp, and after about ten seconds, the copy lets go and Skyler falls to the ground.
SS: What the hell was that?
??: That was the memories and parts of yourself that you chose to hide in the past. They have now been integrated into your mind and will remain a part of you constantly instead of what you normally do with them – suppress them and pretend they never happened. Now, there are no levels – you are 100% you. There are no others. You are completely self-aware and now have access to your full range of memories and skills. You are Crusader, Fatebringer, and Skyler all rolled into one – but you are a Fallen One. You have a problem with personality, Skyler – whenever you have a big task ahead of you, you go and ignore all of the past memories or persons that could have helped you and try to re-invent yourself so as to constantly scare your opponents. A more effective way to do it is to establish yourself as a constant personality – one who does not change and who remains the same. That way, if you can make an impact by winning the War tomorrow, you will inspire the utmost fear into the World Champion, because they will know that you, Skyler, will be as much a threat to them as you were when you won the War.
Skyler shakes his head and the copy extends a hand, pulling Skyler up to his feet. Skyler looks around, the white expanse not changing, and then looks directly into the copy.
SS: So this is it? I don’t feel any different. That’s my final lesson? You’re going to leave me alone?
??: That’s the best part yet. The changes I have instilled in you will take a minute or two before you can fully comprehend them. I’ll be watching at War, Fallen One.
The copy places its hand on Skyler’s chest and disappears. Skyler is shocked briefly but looks around, expecting to hear the voice.
SS: Hey! I’m not done yet! I want my questions answered? You haven’t told me who you are, where I am, or even what the hell a Fallen One is! You haven’t told me why I had to sacrifice the friendship of two of the best people I ever knew simply to achieve this! You haven’t told me anything! I lost everything! EVERYTHING!!!!!
Silence. The white remains, and Skyler looks around, trying to find a way out.
SS:COME BACK!!!! I-
Skyler freezes, and, like the voice stated, feels the impact suddenly of the culmination of his life all coming into one. Skyler gets a feeling of complete renewal – in the past, where he would have felt slightly separate and unable to summon elements of his past, he now has everything the voice has given him in order for him to understand – he has a true motive for fighting at War, he has the best elements of his former persons intertwined into him, the knowledge that for him, wrestling is life, the knowledge of his part in Scott’s death, and now the knowledge of how to use himself to his full potential to go and win War. Skyler’s life flashes before him again briefly, and he smiles, stretching himself completely. Skyler waves a hand and the white is gone, and we are finally back into the physical world. It is morning, and Skyler is standing inside the same abandoned office that he began the week in. Skyler goes to the big glass windows and looks at the dark morning sky. It is slowly getting lighter but Skyler observes a shooting star, which falls beyond the horizon.
SS: I lost everything today and gained it all back…
A sudden rush of adrenalin hits Skyler just as his daughter Jade Striker enters the room through the elevator.
JS: Father? Are you okay?
SS: I’m done waiting. Let’s go to War.
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
-Sun Tzu
