Choke artist.

[Sabin / Madjinn]

The scenery fades into place at the Zenkoji Temple in Nagano…Sabin sits on the steps with his phone held in his hands, but his hands remain firm. As if he were waiting for a reply, he merely stares at the screen for several seconds before finally scoffing, and putting the phone face down beside him. He hunches forward and folds his hands in front of him, then shakes his head slightly. The silence lingers for several more seconds. The corner of his eye catches a glimpse of the upcoming camera, and the lights throughout the entire temple seem to flicker momentarily – as if a powersurge struck, and even a gust of wind seemed to cause the candlelights to flicker…it happens a second time, and this time, the figure ahead doesn’t resemble Sabin, but rather – Madjinn. The golden eyes are locked on the camera, as he tilts his head from side to side and with a sly smile…a blue light illuminates near his lips as he takes a hit off of his vape; he blows it out, and clicks his tongue before finally breaking the silence.

“What to talk about?” Madjinn asks in an amused tone as he recalls what had transpired at Rising Suns.

He draws in a sharp breath, “I mean, I can tell you all about how I thought I lost my brother. Or rather, I thought that the monster inside of him had finally moved on… But when he hit April with the Oathbreaker–” he sucks in air through his teeth, and shakes his whole body momentarily as if a shock had run through him, “Chills! Absolute… chills! And now, all I can think is… how… much… more… excited I am about the thought of him and I facing each other in Heir to the Throne. Y’see, I know I can beat him…when he’s soft. When he’s weak. It’s not even a comparison at that point. But when both of us are going… all of our gears are running – when we’re both competing at our best, week in, week out; when we’re both looking to not only win the match, but instill as much pain as we possibly can… we’re both… unstoppable… that’s when things start to get good, and that means that when I see my brother in the finals of this tournament, everyone is in for a real treat.” He says and traces his tongue across his lips.

“But brother, I promised you that I would do what you didn’t have in you to do the last two times you shared the ring with him – with that cancer, Warren, the cancer that was WEAKENING you! The cancer that was breaking you… Y’see, I could see that look in your eyes, and just as I saw it at Night of the Immortals– you don’t have it in you to do what is necessary to break him…you don’t have it in you to do what is necessary to end him. That is why – I will face you in Heir to the Throne, and I will win.” He states boldly, still holding a smirk on his face.

The silence ensues for a bit longer than his standard pause, as he even takes a moment to take another hit off of the vape. He holds it in for a couple seconds and exhales slowly, and smacks his lips together before finally continuing.

“Two very different paths… I know mine isn’t going to be easy. I mean, really, the chance to be back in the ring with Allen Chaney! My dear soon-to-be uncle! He has been on a bit of a run…he did stop me from keeping my word at becoming the Joker in the Pack, and out of everyone in this tournament, he’s the only one that I wanna get my hands on ‘cause we have a score to settle from way back when, and I want to take care of that little thing before we become…family…” He says and snickers right after.

“I know that Allen is going to do everything to get through that walking waste of oxygen, but I should focus a little more on the person that’s in front me this week… and– well–” Madjinn chatters his teeth, his demeanor shifting from amusement to annoyance for a brief moment before transitioning straight back to amusement, “Nick Knight. Nick Knight! The thorn in my family’s side for years, but it seems that every single time you try to climb to the top of the mountain, you get right there. You just have to take one more step, and you’ll be there! You’ll be at the top of the mountain! You’ll finally be living the dream and be able to call yourself the world champion!” He raises his hands as if to present the illusion to the former Invictus Champion.

“I mean, here you are– Heir to the Throne– again– the last four times this tournament has come around, you’ve been the one stepping into it and thinking that this could finally be your chance! You could finally walk out as the number one contender for the world championship! You could finally call yourself the HEIR TO THE THRONE! But each and every year that it has come and gone, and–” he raises his hands up as if to gesture for them to slow down, “–don’t get me wrong. I’m in the same boat as you. Every year that I’ve been entered in Heir to the Throne, I’ve come up short on winning the entire thing… So I know how it is, but this isn’t about me right now, is it? This is about you. And each and every year that you fought in Heir to the Throne, just something happens! It’s like watching James Harden in the playoffs…” Subtly shaking his head, his eye contact falters away from the camera.

“What happened?” Madjinn finally asks with a shrug of his shoulders.

“All year, you could be the people’s favorite rebel! A spot that you seem to have lost out to Allen Chaney this year. But you get all that buzz! All that excitement! You have everybody wanting to chant and cheer your name just because they want to see you finally do it. And I–” Madjinn presses his hand to his chest, “–would love to see your dream come true. One day. Not this year. But one day! I would like to see your dreams come true, because I imagine that you winning the world championship would be the equivalent of Nick Danger finally winning the TV championship…and I think you’re going to break another record as the shortest reigning champion, ever, in the history of this company, because just like Nick Danger, just like James Harden, you’re going to choke. You’re going to get in over your head, and you’re not going to know what to do. You’re not going to know how to handle it. And I will likely be the one standing across from you on that very day to take away the title in the same way that I did against Nick Danger, and put you back in your place and realize that you are simply out of your league. You don’t belong. At that point, you’ll probably ride off into the sunset at that point, and probably tell all the people in the retirement home how you were one of the greatest champions in the history of the IWF, ‘cause they’ll all be suffering from some form of dementia and wouldn’t have the cognitive ability to realize that you’re full of shit.” He nods his head and clears his throat.

“All those times that you came close, and then you thought that you finally had it in your grasp! You were able to do the impossible, and – be declared the winner of our match… I’m going to stand on principle and say that no matter what you threw at me, no matter what you did to me, you were not able to keep me down for the three, and you were not able to force me to submit! The only reason that match ended the way it did was because the referee decided to put himself in a position he didn’t belong… Don’t think I’ve forgotten, Nick, I owe you for that! I will break you for that! And I– have the opportunity this week. But let’s go ahead and say how you were able to get that monumental tenth defense of the TV championship, and get some privilege of now being named the DECIMUS CHAMPION and cash it in to challenge Father for the title! But– you failed.” He sneers.

“But you couldn’t just stop there, Nick, you just couldn’t bear the thought that perhaps– you were just not meant to win the championship at that point, and you thought that you had Father figured out! You thought that after getting your ass handed to you on yet another occasion, you finally had the answer…a best of five series. You forced it to a match five! But– like every other time, Nick, you choked. You choked, and you fell all the way back down…you had to scratch, claw, and fight your way; you had to give everything you could possibly find in your soul to keep yourself afloat, and get back into the ring, and then you finally manage to become the Invictus Champion! And– WHAT HAPPENS?!” Raising his voice in sheer excitement, he throws his arms out into the air and takes a momentary pause to allow the audience to think for themselves.

“You’re being labeled as a FIGHTING CHAMPION! You’re being labeled as being something– great– something monumental, you’re doing what no other Invictus Champion has been able to do, and fighting the world! But what world are you fighting? I’m watching these people who have never been under contract with the IWF before walk in, and walk right into a shot at the Invictus Championship…and I’m watching you struggle against them, but somehow scraping out a win. I’m watching these people take you to your limits each and every time. But it’s pathetic. It’s a disgrace. It’s disrespectful that they call you a FIGHTING CHAMPION when I promise you that you were probably pulling people from the street to fight you! Where were the real challengers?! Where were the people who fought their way to the top? Because the moment you got an actual challenge, it seemed you fell…” He snorts out and chuckles under his breath, subtly shaking his head again.

“Let’s not forget the most important match of your career…” He licks his lips, and smiles while cocking his head to the side, “Me.” He gives a quick wink at the camera still holding his smile.

“Y’see, I can’t erase the fact that you were declared the winner, but I can stand on the fact that you’ve never truly beaten me! And our first encounter? Your first real opportunity to fight for the world championship, and you thought that you had it! I made you tap the fuck out. I put you back in your place! And now– you’re in the ring with a re-vigorized version of myself, a better version of myself, and really, Nick– I don’t see you walking out of this in the same way… I see you… being sent back to the bottom. You’ll probably go after the Gladiator’s Championship for a while. Maybe become the first-ever two-time Invictus Champion. Go on a run that people will talk about! Come back for the world title… And… fall.”

He snickers, “Remember my face, Nick. Because every time you get your chance, this–” he points to his own face, “–is this the face you are going to see as you get knocked all the way back down!” He blows a kiss at the camera, as the camera fades out.