Post by Kyle Travis on Mar 7, 2014 17:55:41 GMT -6
::The interior of the church is quiet. The light is dimmed as it shines through the stained glass windows that line the walls. At the front, past the pews, is a podium and platform. Above that, Jesus is nailed to a cross, a crown of thorns on his head.::
::The door opens, bringing light inside. The elongated silhouette of a man can be seen in a light on the floor before the door closes. Footsteps can be heard along with the sound of a closing door. The footsteps stop before the pews. Standing inside this house of God, dressed in a black suit, white shirt with no tie, is Kyle Travis himself.::
::It may come as a surprise, but “the Canadian Legend” does not burst into flames upon enter the church. Nor does the holy water start to bubble and boil as he places his fingers inside and take them out. He closes his eyes and quickly makes the sign of the cross, forehead, abdomen, and both shoulders; The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.::
::Opening his eyes, looks upward. His hands touch the pews. The wood does not begin to burn him or rot.::
“Muriel, Pahaliah, Selaphiel, Raziel, Zerachiel, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Suriel, Zadakiel, Raguel and Aniel; all of those are names of angels in Christian, Jewish and even Islamic religion. Each of those names and many other names appear a member of the choir of angels, either appearing in religious texts or writings of scholars, or popular culture based off religion.”
“Michael, the warrior of God, is the one said to have cast Lucifer into Hell after his revolution failed. Gabriel, it is written, is the one that more often than not descends to the Earth to give man messages from God. But, there does not seem to be a Castiel in writings and texts.”
::For a moment, there is an amused smile on the face of Kyle Travis, but it quickly fades.::
“No, the name you chose does not appear in the Bible. Enter Castiel on Google, and it takes you to pages of the angel from the TV series Supernatural, played by Misha Collins. Searching Wikipedia lists Castiel as one of three choices. It lists Castiel, translated as “my cover is God” or “shield of God” as just part of theophory, adding the name of god to something to invoke or display the power of that god; it is a tradition dating as far back as when people began worshiping gods, or as a municipality in Switzerland, or as the fictional angel from Supernatural. And I doubt you picked it because you like quality chocolate, effective time pieces and secure banks that don’t ask a lot of questions.”
::“The Once and Future King” he shakes his head a bit.::
“No, you pick the name of an angel form a TV series, that, while good, in all honesty, really should have ended in season 5, because it seems like, while the last four seasons have not been terrible, wrapping up the main story would have worked for an finale. Obviously, you are not a Biblical scholar, but I suppose it’s a better name than taking any of the character names in Touched by an Angel.”
::He allows himself a small chuckle at his own joke, probably the only one who would find it funny.::
“But I digress. I simply find your choice of name to be interesting. Of all the angels of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, you not only pick one from television. And he is, really when you get down to it, kind of a failure.”
::Travis allows himself a smirk.::
“In fact, the only thing I think he ever did right was to get Dean Winchester out of Hell, and even that he did too late, because Dean had already opened the first seal needed to free Lucifer. Then, he decides to stop the Apocalypse, but that fails, and he fails to stop Lucifer, and then completely fails to stop the war in Heaven and declares himself the new God, only to be killed and brought back again. And then, he tried to close off Heaven to get the angels to settle their differences and unite again, only for all of them to be cast to Earth. So, not exactly the best in the choir, but he means well.”
::That smirk become a bit of a smile.::
“Then again, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, as they say. So many terrible, unspeakable things have been done in the name of God, or justice or whatever righteous and just reason people have had for doing things Hell would be proud of.”
::“The Canadian Legend” sighs and shakes his head again. He closes his eyes and rubs the bridge of his nose.::
“Do you honestly think that you are the first so-called “warrior of God” or “avenging angel” I have seen in my career Castiel? Do you think you are the first guy to say they will send me to Hell or that I am evil?”
::He stops rubbing the bridge of his nose, opens his eyes and chuckles again as if to answer his own question that this is not the first time and it probably will not be the last time. Truth be told, it has happened so many times that, by this point, he has lost count of how many times it has happened.::
“Please, I hear someone declare that I am evil every couple of years. And you are not the first person to say that they are going to end me or send me to Hell or tell me they have been through Hell. Honestly Cas, you are not even the most interesting person to stand there and tell me they are “chosen by God” or a “holy warrior” or whatever. Time and time again, Cas, I have seen your kind and time and time again, I have either beaten or seen them exposed as hypocrites. It has happened before, and it will happen again.”
::He looks ahead towards the alter of this church where the crucifix hangs against the wall.::
“Lust, Gluttony, Pride, Envy, Greed, Sloth and Wrath; the Seven Deadly Sins, as they stand today. Giving into each of them is that first step to the gates of Hell. And yet, each one of them is so ingrained in us that they are part of being human. They were a fundamental part of the design Castiel. Ironically, what can doom us helps makes us human.”
::There is a cold tone in his voice. But there is also a tone of irritation or anger. It is hard to really say which one, as it is that sort of tone one gets when one is falsely accused and offended by the accusations, or finds the accuser as big a criminal as he is.::
“You condemn me for giving into them? What makes you so different Castiel?
“Yes Castiel, I lust after championship gold, but if you are not in wrestling to win titles and to try and be the best at what you do, then why are you here? If you want to preach Castiel, then quit wrestling, join seminary school or something and become a priest.”
“To quote Richard Geeko “Greed, for a lack of better term, is good”. Everyone wants something Castiel. Right now, you want to win our match at Mayhem. I want to win it. I want to win every championship I go for in UWA. I want the respect I feel I have earned and that I deserve.”
“You can say I have given over into pride Castiel, but I like to think that I have earned the right to have a bit of pride in what I have accomplished. I mean is everyone who displays a trophy or a photo of their great accomplishments guilty of the sin of Pride? If you win the UWA World Championship Castiel, will you not have something into your home that displays that moment? You think you are going to just walk into Mayhem and beat me? Pride cometh before the fall Castiel, and I would love to see how far I can make an angel fall.”
“I will admit to being guilty of the sin of wrath, but many of those instances were entirely justified. It was simple revenge, and that, like love, is something all men are powerless against Castiel. However, you will see wrath at Monday Night Mayhem, when we step into the ring.”
::The anger or irritation, whichever it is, leave his voice. However, that coldness still says within it.::
“What do you think is going to happen at Monday Night Mayhem Castiel?”
“Do you think your sheer might, your holy quest, your attempt at redemption, or whatever you call it, is going to be able to beat me? You think I care about your life’s story, or how you found God or whatever? No Castiel. I have faced some of the best this business has ever seen. So many have tried to take me out and all of them have failed. You will not be the one to get the job done.”
::Travis sighs. He looks upwards to the ceiling.::
“Why is it every so-called righteous man who stands there and accuses me of being evil or a sinner is guilty of the same thing?”
::When no answer comes, he lowers his head and takes a seat, looking ahead of him.::
“I knew a guy who said he was on a mission of God, called me evil and that he would beat me, and this was early in my career when I was young and not quite as guilty as today. When I beat him, not only did he never say another word about it, but he pretty much vanished.”
::Travis turns towards the confessional booth on the right side of the church. It is as if he expects someone to exit the booth. However, after a minute, no one does. “The Once and Future King” turns his attention away from the booth.::
“There was another, a German, which right there should automatically disqualify him from being the moral judge of a company, but he did the same thing you did. He went on about being a tortured and tormented soul, and he got into this rivalry and started talking about who he was divine justice and this and that, while I told him he would fail to avenge the woman he claimed to love in exchange for protecting his true love, his championship. Not only did he prove me write, but he ultimately failed in his vengeance quest and later revealed to have sold out what little integrity he had left.”
::Again, he begins to sound just a bit upset, just a bit annoyed or irritated.::
“I just left an entire company where every so-called hero was nothing more than some self-righteous, self-proclaimed hero that never had the guts to stand and prove why they truly deserved to be called a hero. It was just a name there, a label for who the fans should be cheering for. They were not heroes. I have stepped into this ring with men who truly deserve that title. Where I just left was like Fox News, every one of them acting holier-than-thou and judging others, when in fact they were just hypocrites.”
“You preach Castiel and all I see in you is what I saw in them. I see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice. Sooner or later, you will fall from grace. And the sad thing is, the fans will still cheer you.”
“I have been in this game a long time and I have not seen a holy roller make it far. I have seen the holier-than-thou come and reveal that they are just as big a sinner as those they cast judgment upon. I see nothing different in you Castiel.”
“Sure, the words are different, but they have the same meaning. The look is different, but what is inside is the same as all the others. You cast yourself as an angel, but remember Castiel, Lucifer was an angel once before Michael cast him down into Hell. Now, the world knows him best as Satan or more commonly, the Devil. Two thirds of Heaven was taken with him, angels that fell into the pit and became demons. Those such as Azazel, the demon that gave mankind the sword and taught him warfare, were angels before their fall. What will your fall be like Castiel?”
::That irritation and anger leave his voice. It is replaced with a coldness and yet, there is a bit of malice in his voice.::
“Call me evil. Call me the devil if it makes you happy Castiel, because I really do not care. I make no excuses for who I am and what I have done. However, I actually have a sense of integrity. They call Lucifer the Prince of Lies, and yet, never once has he broken a deal. That is the difference Cas. Evil, for lack of a better description, knows what it is, and that clarity is never clouded by an attempt to justify actions. I have done many terrible things in my career, and yet, I am an honest, hard working guy who has provided for his wife and children. Yet, I saw a man fail time and time again to protect the woman he claimed to love, fail to even keep a roof over his head, but fight like an animal to protect an inanimate worthless piece of leather and gold, because he is nothing with out it. And you are going to accuse me of pride and greed?”
“I do not hide behind false logic or justifications that make sense only to me. I know who I am. I know what I have done in my career to get me where I am today, and if I could do it all over again, the only difference would have been not signing with the League of American Wrestlers or New Era Wrestling, but the methods, what I have done in this ring to carve my legacy in this business, would still be the same.”
“At Monday Night Mayhem, you enter the ring against me. Those fans will cheer you. They will not be cheering you because they like you, or because they believe in you or because they think you are the hero. No, they will cheer you because they just hate me that much.”
::Travis rises to his feet and turns from the crucifix at the front of the church. He stands between the pews. He sticks his middle and index fingers into the holy water again. Those cold predatory eyes of his look ahead. That cold malice of his is audible in his voice as he draws his fingers out of the water.::
“So, you can think I am the devil all you want Castiel, but I’ll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul that says I’m better than you.”
::With his fingers, Travis makes one vertical slash downward in front of him, from his forehead to his abdomen, the back up to his shoulders, moving his fingers to his right shoulder, and then to his left. It is the sign of the cross, but done this way, it is gestured towards a person, not to ones self. It is most commonly done when priests conduct a funeral. They do it over the body of the deceased. The message in this situation should be clear as Travis finishes and lowers his hand.:
“Challenge and learn.”
::The scene fades out as Travis walks towards the exit.::
::The door opens, bringing light inside. The elongated silhouette of a man can be seen in a light on the floor before the door closes. Footsteps can be heard along with the sound of a closing door. The footsteps stop before the pews. Standing inside this house of God, dressed in a black suit, white shirt with no tie, is Kyle Travis himself.::
::It may come as a surprise, but “the Canadian Legend” does not burst into flames upon enter the church. Nor does the holy water start to bubble and boil as he places his fingers inside and take them out. He closes his eyes and quickly makes the sign of the cross, forehead, abdomen, and both shoulders; The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.::
::Opening his eyes, looks upward. His hands touch the pews. The wood does not begin to burn him or rot.::
“Muriel, Pahaliah, Selaphiel, Raziel, Zerachiel, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Suriel, Zadakiel, Raguel and Aniel; all of those are names of angels in Christian, Jewish and even Islamic religion. Each of those names and many other names appear a member of the choir of angels, either appearing in religious texts or writings of scholars, or popular culture based off religion.”
“Michael, the warrior of God, is the one said to have cast Lucifer into Hell after his revolution failed. Gabriel, it is written, is the one that more often than not descends to the Earth to give man messages from God. But, there does not seem to be a Castiel in writings and texts.”
::For a moment, there is an amused smile on the face of Kyle Travis, but it quickly fades.::
“No, the name you chose does not appear in the Bible. Enter Castiel on Google, and it takes you to pages of the angel from the TV series Supernatural, played by Misha Collins. Searching Wikipedia lists Castiel as one of three choices. It lists Castiel, translated as “my cover is God” or “shield of God” as just part of theophory, adding the name of god to something to invoke or display the power of that god; it is a tradition dating as far back as when people began worshiping gods, or as a municipality in Switzerland, or as the fictional angel from Supernatural. And I doubt you picked it because you like quality chocolate, effective time pieces and secure banks that don’t ask a lot of questions.”
::“The Once and Future King” he shakes his head a bit.::
“No, you pick the name of an angel form a TV series, that, while good, in all honesty, really should have ended in season 5, because it seems like, while the last four seasons have not been terrible, wrapping up the main story would have worked for an finale. Obviously, you are not a Biblical scholar, but I suppose it’s a better name than taking any of the character names in Touched by an Angel.”
::He allows himself a small chuckle at his own joke, probably the only one who would find it funny.::
“But I digress. I simply find your choice of name to be interesting. Of all the angels of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, you not only pick one from television. And he is, really when you get down to it, kind of a failure.”
::Travis allows himself a smirk.::
“In fact, the only thing I think he ever did right was to get Dean Winchester out of Hell, and even that he did too late, because Dean had already opened the first seal needed to free Lucifer. Then, he decides to stop the Apocalypse, but that fails, and he fails to stop Lucifer, and then completely fails to stop the war in Heaven and declares himself the new God, only to be killed and brought back again. And then, he tried to close off Heaven to get the angels to settle their differences and unite again, only for all of them to be cast to Earth. So, not exactly the best in the choir, but he means well.”
::That smirk become a bit of a smile.::
“Then again, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, as they say. So many terrible, unspeakable things have been done in the name of God, or justice or whatever righteous and just reason people have had for doing things Hell would be proud of.”
::“The Canadian Legend” sighs and shakes his head again. He closes his eyes and rubs the bridge of his nose.::
“Do you honestly think that you are the first so-called “warrior of God” or “avenging angel” I have seen in my career Castiel? Do you think you are the first guy to say they will send me to Hell or that I am evil?”
::He stops rubbing the bridge of his nose, opens his eyes and chuckles again as if to answer his own question that this is not the first time and it probably will not be the last time. Truth be told, it has happened so many times that, by this point, he has lost count of how many times it has happened.::
“Please, I hear someone declare that I am evil every couple of years. And you are not the first person to say that they are going to end me or send me to Hell or tell me they have been through Hell. Honestly Cas, you are not even the most interesting person to stand there and tell me they are “chosen by God” or a “holy warrior” or whatever. Time and time again, Cas, I have seen your kind and time and time again, I have either beaten or seen them exposed as hypocrites. It has happened before, and it will happen again.”
::He looks ahead towards the alter of this church where the crucifix hangs against the wall.::
“Lust, Gluttony, Pride, Envy, Greed, Sloth and Wrath; the Seven Deadly Sins, as they stand today. Giving into each of them is that first step to the gates of Hell. And yet, each one of them is so ingrained in us that they are part of being human. They were a fundamental part of the design Castiel. Ironically, what can doom us helps makes us human.”
::There is a cold tone in his voice. But there is also a tone of irritation or anger. It is hard to really say which one, as it is that sort of tone one gets when one is falsely accused and offended by the accusations, or finds the accuser as big a criminal as he is.::
“You condemn me for giving into them? What makes you so different Castiel?
“Yes Castiel, I lust after championship gold, but if you are not in wrestling to win titles and to try and be the best at what you do, then why are you here? If you want to preach Castiel, then quit wrestling, join seminary school or something and become a priest.”
“To quote Richard Geeko “Greed, for a lack of better term, is good”. Everyone wants something Castiel. Right now, you want to win our match at Mayhem. I want to win it. I want to win every championship I go for in UWA. I want the respect I feel I have earned and that I deserve.”
“You can say I have given over into pride Castiel, but I like to think that I have earned the right to have a bit of pride in what I have accomplished. I mean is everyone who displays a trophy or a photo of their great accomplishments guilty of the sin of Pride? If you win the UWA World Championship Castiel, will you not have something into your home that displays that moment? You think you are going to just walk into Mayhem and beat me? Pride cometh before the fall Castiel, and I would love to see how far I can make an angel fall.”
“I will admit to being guilty of the sin of wrath, but many of those instances were entirely justified. It was simple revenge, and that, like love, is something all men are powerless against Castiel. However, you will see wrath at Monday Night Mayhem, when we step into the ring.”
::The anger or irritation, whichever it is, leave his voice. However, that coldness still says within it.::
“What do you think is going to happen at Monday Night Mayhem Castiel?”
“Do you think your sheer might, your holy quest, your attempt at redemption, or whatever you call it, is going to be able to beat me? You think I care about your life’s story, or how you found God or whatever? No Castiel. I have faced some of the best this business has ever seen. So many have tried to take me out and all of them have failed. You will not be the one to get the job done.”
::Travis sighs. He looks upwards to the ceiling.::
“Why is it every so-called righteous man who stands there and accuses me of being evil or a sinner is guilty of the same thing?”
::When no answer comes, he lowers his head and takes a seat, looking ahead of him.::
“I knew a guy who said he was on a mission of God, called me evil and that he would beat me, and this was early in my career when I was young and not quite as guilty as today. When I beat him, not only did he never say another word about it, but he pretty much vanished.”
::Travis turns towards the confessional booth on the right side of the church. It is as if he expects someone to exit the booth. However, after a minute, no one does. “The Once and Future King” turns his attention away from the booth.::
“There was another, a German, which right there should automatically disqualify him from being the moral judge of a company, but he did the same thing you did. He went on about being a tortured and tormented soul, and he got into this rivalry and started talking about who he was divine justice and this and that, while I told him he would fail to avenge the woman he claimed to love in exchange for protecting his true love, his championship. Not only did he prove me write, but he ultimately failed in his vengeance quest and later revealed to have sold out what little integrity he had left.”
::Again, he begins to sound just a bit upset, just a bit annoyed or irritated.::
“I just left an entire company where every so-called hero was nothing more than some self-righteous, self-proclaimed hero that never had the guts to stand and prove why they truly deserved to be called a hero. It was just a name there, a label for who the fans should be cheering for. They were not heroes. I have stepped into this ring with men who truly deserve that title. Where I just left was like Fox News, every one of them acting holier-than-thou and judging others, when in fact they were just hypocrites.”
“You preach Castiel and all I see in you is what I saw in them. I see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice. Sooner or later, you will fall from grace. And the sad thing is, the fans will still cheer you.”
“I have been in this game a long time and I have not seen a holy roller make it far. I have seen the holier-than-thou come and reveal that they are just as big a sinner as those they cast judgment upon. I see nothing different in you Castiel.”
“Sure, the words are different, but they have the same meaning. The look is different, but what is inside is the same as all the others. You cast yourself as an angel, but remember Castiel, Lucifer was an angel once before Michael cast him down into Hell. Now, the world knows him best as Satan or more commonly, the Devil. Two thirds of Heaven was taken with him, angels that fell into the pit and became demons. Those such as Azazel, the demon that gave mankind the sword and taught him warfare, were angels before their fall. What will your fall be like Castiel?”
::That irritation and anger leave his voice. It is replaced with a coldness and yet, there is a bit of malice in his voice.::
“Call me evil. Call me the devil if it makes you happy Castiel, because I really do not care. I make no excuses for who I am and what I have done. However, I actually have a sense of integrity. They call Lucifer the Prince of Lies, and yet, never once has he broken a deal. That is the difference Cas. Evil, for lack of a better description, knows what it is, and that clarity is never clouded by an attempt to justify actions. I have done many terrible things in my career, and yet, I am an honest, hard working guy who has provided for his wife and children. Yet, I saw a man fail time and time again to protect the woman he claimed to love, fail to even keep a roof over his head, but fight like an animal to protect an inanimate worthless piece of leather and gold, because he is nothing with out it. And you are going to accuse me of pride and greed?”
“I do not hide behind false logic or justifications that make sense only to me. I know who I am. I know what I have done in my career to get me where I am today, and if I could do it all over again, the only difference would have been not signing with the League of American Wrestlers or New Era Wrestling, but the methods, what I have done in this ring to carve my legacy in this business, would still be the same.”
“At Monday Night Mayhem, you enter the ring against me. Those fans will cheer you. They will not be cheering you because they like you, or because they believe in you or because they think you are the hero. No, they will cheer you because they just hate me that much.”
::Travis rises to his feet and turns from the crucifix at the front of the church. He stands between the pews. He sticks his middle and index fingers into the holy water again. Those cold predatory eyes of his look ahead. That cold malice of his is audible in his voice as he draws his fingers out of the water.::
“So, you can think I am the devil all you want Castiel, but I’ll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul that says I’m better than you.”
::With his fingers, Travis makes one vertical slash downward in front of him, from his forehead to his abdomen, the back up to his shoulders, moving his fingers to his right shoulder, and then to his left. It is the sign of the cross, but done this way, it is gestured towards a person, not to ones self. It is most commonly done when priests conduct a funeral. They do it over the body of the deceased. The message in this situation should be clear as Travis finishes and lowers his hand.:
“Challenge and learn.”
::The scene fades out as Travis walks towards the exit.::