Pissed Off. / Savage.

[Sabin / Madjinn]

Another year, and another failure. Sabin could not help but feel disgruntled after, for a third year, he had to endure another devastating defeat in Heir to the Throne… There was no denying the intensity that Sabin, that Wraith, had brought to the ring each and every time he had stepped between those ropes. He had not earned the right to call himself The Heir. There was no denying the intensity that they had brought to the ring every single time since their loss at the hands of his brother, Dean Harper, back in May while they were building toward their tag match at Night of the Immortals. That single loss had lit a fire under Sabin; it had caused him to shift gears, and become one of the most dangerous men to be in the ring with. The young man sits behind a table at a press conference taking place at the SAP Center for the LEGACY convention. Beside him is Brandy Cvetkova who hunches forward, leaning on her elbows whilst waiting for Sabin to answer the questions being directed toward him. A giant screen is behind Sabin, allowing the people in the back of the room to get a better image of whomever happens to be at the press conference at the time. The murmuring from the audience can be heard, as well as the overlapping voices that sounded more and more as if people were talking from underwater.

Sneering and clenching his jaw, Sabin blinks his eyes several times as the warped voices become more and more clear, and he widens his eyes, giving a questioning gaze to one of the fans who had lined up for a question.

“Wraith?” the fan asks to garner his attention.

“I’m sorry, can you repeat your question?” Sabin asks.

“I just asked how you feel about coming up short in Heir to the Throne for the third time?” the fan repeats the question.

“Umm–” Sabin fumbles over the words a little bit, shaking his head as he remains disappointed in himself, “It’s part of the sport, right? I’ve been trying to twist this into a positive since it happened, and honestly, the only positive notion that I’ve been able to bring out of it is that I’m still standing. I’m still standing. I’m still standing, and–”

The screen turns to static, accompanied by a loud sound of static that earns the attention of Sabin and the audience alike. Sabin looks over his shoulder, swiveling in his seat to face the camera as the imagery fades in to show a darkened room behind WRAITH. A malicious grin is on his face as he tilts his head back and forth, and taps a blackened claw-like nail against the lens a couple of times.

“San Jose! LEGACY!” Wraith snarls.

He cocks his head fully to the side, a questioning look on his face, “What’s the matter? Am I not the one that you wanted to see?! That’s a shame because I came to entertain… all… of you…” Wraith says whilst taking a couple of steps back, but keeps his arm forward as if to beckon the audience toward him. In the conference room, Sabin glances at the audience who has their undivided attention drawn to the monster on the screen, as the monster scratches the top of his head and chatters his teeth.

“I know… I know that all of you are wondering just what is going to become of me now that I failed in my task to become Heir to the Throne! But I have told you all from the very beginning that I! AM! FOREVER! There is not ONE PERSON on the roster, nor ONE PERSON in this ENTIRE INDUSTRY that is able to put me down for good! Y’see… I told you all from the beginning that this– THIS is not the hero's tale of how they vanquished the monster. This is the tale of how they PISSED OFF the monster, and the monster destroyed everything as comeuppance! Now, now, I know that Pax wanted to share– or should I say twist the story, twist the narrative to vilify me for things that I did not do, and things that I did not say! I have said it before, and I will say it again: I am a monster, and I will do monstrous things, but do not– I repeat, DO NOT blame me for things that I did not do!” He scrunches his face a couple of times as the red irises glow brightly from his gaze.

“But the pissed off monster comes back to dismantle anyone– to dismantle EVERYONE– standing in my way, and that is where one person in particular does catch my eyes. That puts me in the ring with someone–” Wraith runs his tongue across his teeth, chuckling under his breath, “–I have been wanting to get my hands on for a long, long time! STEPHEN! TERRELLA! Do you think that I’ve forgotten about you?” He taps his finger against his chin while contemplating.

“The last time that we were supposed to be in the ring with each other, you weaseled your way out of it! And then you had some suit sign some paperwork to save that title of yours, and deny me my rightful title match! What’s changed? I don’t think a damn thing has! I think you are still the same coward who was supposed to fight me at High Stakes, and the same coward that is going to find a reason to get himself out of this match! You are going to have to explain to the pretty little thing at your side why you just couldn’t make it… Why you are sending her into the devil’s den to fend for herself! Against the Father and the Son.” He curls his lips into a grin, licking his lips again.

“Stephen– you have nothing to say… You know that you are scheduled to step into the ring with the greatest tag team that the IWF has ever known! Why do you think people avoid us? We destroy one team, and everybody falls! SAVAGE BY NATURE? I’ll show you how SAVAGE I can be! I’ll show you– FATHER– will show you why when people step into the ring with us, they don’t walk out the same! And that’s why… you are not going to be there this Sunday. But Alexandra, on the other hand…” A smirk crosses his face.

“I would not judge her for what I know you are, Stephen. I believe– that Alexandra Calaway will show up. I believe that Alexandra Calaway will stand across from the Father and the Son, and she will fight! Y’see, I actually do– I admire her. I admire that she has such a fighting spirit! I admire that she is willing to go in when all the odds are stacked against her, and fight with everything she has! I mean, really, that’s why she did become the Invictus Champion, isn’t it? When everyone was counting her out… When no one thought there was a chance that she could walk out with her arm raised, she did the impossible! She won the championship… she beat the very man that you could not. I believe she will leave everything she has in the ring, and I believe that when all is said and done, she will be still begging for more, but…” Wraith clicks his tongue and shakes his head, “There’s just going to be nothing left of her. The only thing that she will be able to say with pride is that she went out, and she fought! But she just was not good enough, and she had the curse of teaming with a COWARD. For her sake, Stephen, I hope I’m wrong. I hope you show up at Legacy. I hope you show up to pay in the blood you owe me! But then, Stephen, if you do prove me wrong, it’s time that I ensure you understand everything that I have said to you before… everything I promised I would do to you, everything I swore I would do to you, it’s time you realize that I was not lying! After everything is said and done, Stephen, there is going to be one thought that races through your mind every single time you see me standing across the ring from you: hide.”

In the blink of an eye, the screen goes dark, and the crowd erupts into applause for the monster. Sabin turns his attention back to the audience, and speaks, “Next question?”

A girl stands from her seat, and gets the attention of the second generation star. “I have one!” Sabin nods to her, “Can I get your number?” she asks while biting down on her bottom lip.

Brandy pulls her own microphone close, earning a notable reaction from the crowd, “I’d have no problem sharing, if you were my type, but you look kind of boring to me.” She says.

END.