0.1 - Prologue
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Slowly… memories seemed to return.
The glare of a thousand fireflies as they fleeted about in a rhythmic dynamic.
The roar of hundreds of thousands of voices as they screamed and clamored united by a common purpose. Driven by a single minded passion. A wish to see for themselves the birth of a star. An idol which commanded their respect and adoration.
I remember nerves.
Butterflies fluttering about inside my stomach as I tried to calm myself.
This was fine. I was going to be fine.
I’d done this before… somewhere… but I couldn’t remember what it was. Only that it made me uncomfortable. This oppressive feeling of being watched as you did something you considered personal and embarrassing. But I’d push through that, just as I had done before.
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Children of all ages! It is now time for your maaaaaaaaaain eveeeeeeeeeeent!”
A man’s voice reverberated through the walls.
The roar of thousands answered his call.
Chanting.
Screaming.
She could pick up thousands upon thousands meanings.
Felt the weight of their praise, their envy and their hopes settle upon her shoulders.
The darkness which had enveloped her world suddenly gave way to a ray of light descended from the heavens. As if God himself was opening the gates to heaven. Spotlights illuminating the center of the room before her. A vast expanse filled by dozens of thousands as they rose from their seats.
Her stomach did a flip.
She was never good with live audiences.
Instead I focused on what lay before me. The squared circle I’d come to adore and dread for the best part of a decade. It sat there, amongst the sea of human voices, undaunted by the noise and the stare of a thousand eyes. Like a monolith to everything I held dear and near to myself.
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Looking at it brought me an odd sensation of peace.
Perhaps it was nostalgia?
A feeling of something familiar which unearthed feelings of joy. It steeled my nerves and brought a thrill of excitement down my spine as I waited for the announcer to do his damn job. Yes, my memories seemed to become clearer the longer I looked at it.
I’d been here before.
Not here, in the now.
But that 'place'.
Yes. I could feel drawn to it. To a pristine white mat, caked with the blood, sweat and tears of others who fought before her. To those familiar red ropes. The sort I knew would bounce me back if I threw myself against them. And there, standing on its center with his silly slicked back hair and shades was a man which provoked a chuckle of amusement.
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“Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to announce that I received word from AWL’s management and that with the consent of both fighters, the following match will be contested under Last Man Standing rules!”
Conducting the crowd like a maestro, the announcer stood amongst them like a ringmaster, his voice drowning out the roar of excitement of the crowd as he brought the microphone he carried to his mouth with all the care of a lover.
Even as the arena erupted into a frenzy around him.
“ARE YOU REEEEEEADY?!”
The crowd responded with gusto. I couldn’t help but join in. That man was damn good at his job and always made sure to have her blood pumping before a match. Yes, now it was becoming clearer to me.
What I was doing.
Who I was.
“Then, here and now, before the thousands in attendance and the millions watching at home. I declare that this will be a match for the Amazon Divivion World Heavyweight Championship!”
That was when a familiar song blasted from the walls. It was energetic. It was heart pumping. It was everything I could have ever wanted in a song and it was shaking the ground beneath my feet as I started making my way to the entrance ramp.
“Introducing the challenger!”
She felt the voices grow to a crescendo as I stepped through the threshold.
“Hailing from the sunny shores of Fortaleza, Brazil. Standing at a towering one meter and ninety three centimeters. The youngest on-record holder of the American Division championship. Three times Amazon Division Tag Team Champion. Holder of the longest on-record title reign of Junior Amazon Champion!”
I guess that’s my cue.
“She is… ■■■■ ■■■■■■■ Silva!”
That… wasn’t quite right.
It sounded similar, and familiar. But I felt a disconnect from the name.
[Silva!]
[Silva!]
[Silva!]
The crowd echoed the name, sending shivers of molten courage pumping through my veins as I took a deep steadying breath and dashed through the curtains, the world coming alight asI descended the ramp, a radiant smile slowly etching itself on my face as my heart thundered against my chest.
This.
This was a joy I would never forgive.
And as I climbed through the ropes and over a turnbuckle, I could hear the announcer scream as if his very life depended on it.
“And on the red corner! Standing at a refined one meter and sixty five. With the might of a stallion, the pride of a mighty lion, the nobility of the soaring falcon. You folks know her. You adore her. You worship her. She is your queen. Your goddess. Your… Champion!”
Eyes burning with familiar heat, I felt as if the world had come into focus. The crowd, electrified, descended into insanity as the spotlights moved to the opposite entrance and a silhouette appeared from the shadows.
“Hailing from far north. The scandinavian beauty descends from her throne to defend her undisputed reign against an undefeated foe. Will she fail?! Will she be cast down by her rival?!”
[NO!]
The arena had turned against me. The shouts of my fans drowned out by the manic obsession of my opponent’s.
I couldn’t give a damn.
Because there sitting high on a faux throne, crowned with the belt I’ve come to claim was the woman whose name these people shouted as it under a spell. Compelled by what could only be a desperate attempt to make themselves heard over each other.
With a head of golden curls, eyes of whiskey and a smile reflecting the arrogance of a woman who’d been unchallenged for half a decade.
She stood from her throne and the arena went wild.
[Luvia!]
[Luvia!]
[Luvia!]
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She laughs.
It’s one of those obnoxious sounds, carrying through the arena as if it had been empty. Carrying forth her pride and sense of superiority. As if only she mattered in the arena. Like the emperors of old, standing over gladiators as they fought for their entertainment. Never mind the fact she was the one dressed for a fight.
I smile back.
I can’t recall why.
But at this moment, while adrenaline thrummed through my veins like the string of a guitar, was the happiest moment of my entire life. Why? I can’t recall. No matter how much I tried to recall anything beyond this point. All I am doing is drawing blanks.
Before deciding that it didn’t matter.
This joy.
Only this mattered.
Barely containing myself as the highborn fighter climbed into the ring. It was all I could do to not pounce her. Hands climbing the ropes of the ring in a vice as I waited for her to finish her theatrics. Frustrating as the wait was, I knew better than to interrupt. Nothing should taint this moment.
Least of all my own excitement.
The arena by this point had died down to a low simmer. Their energy replaced by expectation as the two fighters eyed each other from their corners and the announcer took his place under the spotlight once again, his shades gleaming with a joy I was all too familiar with.
The need to see these two who epitomized their craft fighting.
I could barely contain myself!
Come on!
Come on!
Let’s get the fight started already!
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A flash of pain hit me as my vision stuttered.
The world losing focus as a feeling of pain hit me. As if a nail had been driven into my head, just trying to stay focused sent another nail of agony through me. A wall of static drove me back as I tried to make out the words of the announcer, the roar of the crowd. My opponent’s voice!
I couldn’t hear them anymore!
Something wasn’t right
Why couldn’t I remember past this point?
Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
Don’t stop now.
Let me see it again. Let me experience it!
No matter how much I cried out or tried to force through it, the wall separating me from the memory grew thicker and started pushing me back towards the darkness, a roar of frustration echoing into the void as I was swallowed by the silence of nothingness once again.
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She woke up with a start.
Eyes swimming with images she didn’t recognise. Ears ringing with voices she couldn’t recall. All around her as the world slowly came into focus there was only one thing her mind managed to latch onto as she dragged herself off the ground with a groan of annoyance.
Silva.
A name?
A title?
She wasn’t sure. But she knew it was important.
Silva.
"Mas que diabos What the hell
Wrong. Something was very wrong.
This wasn’t her apartment. This wasn’t her floor. Silva blinked blearily, rubbing away the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes as she took in her surroundings for the fist time.
She… definetely wasn’t home.
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She might not remember much but she knew for a fact she didn’t recognize this place. Surrounded on all sides by massive towering walls of aged brick in a style she found vaguely familiar, the floor was rough and uneven, with neither wood or brick to smooth the feeling of dirt against her skin.
No doors or ladders leading up. Only pillars and arcs forming a full circle around her.
Parts of it were damaged, with broken stone forming jagged edges here and there. Maybe she could try and escape through one of the gaps? The walls were pretty high, at least twenty meters.
Silva looked up, hoping to see something.
Any sign that might help her figure out where she was.
Nothing.
The sky was a blank formless shadow. No stars or sign of the moon, only dark clouds which covered the ‘ceiling’ of the room. What concerned her most was the smoke which seeped through cracks on the walls, the feeling of the sickly purple mist against her body sending uncomfortable goosebumps down her back. As if she were being pressed from all sides.
Every twitch felt as if she were waddling through mud.
Each breath took a herculean effort.
There was a leaden taste to the air.
"" she let out a rasped breath.
What was this place? Some kind of abandoned ruin? It was hard recalling where she might have seen something like this. That same wall between her and her memories remained as stubbornly solid as it had been before. She was lucky enough to even remember her name… or part of it.
She was having such a nice dream too.
Even so, she had to find a way out of her.
Everything had the same distinct feeling of wrongness to it. The sky, the walls, even the air she breathed felt wrong. Like something that shouldn’t be. Couldn’t be. Like she was intruding somewhere she had no place in.
But how to escape?
Maybe she could try and climb the walls?
Or perhaps check to see if there was something she was missing? There was no way they could have dragged her in here without a door. So maybe a secret passage? Questions, questions, questions!
That 's all she had.
What could she do?
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Choice Time! |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Look for a Secret Passage |
Climb over the Walls |
Try to Remember more |
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Originally Posted by SpoonyViking
A wise and beautiful woman who exudes an aura of grace. She is a sly, cunning, manipulative person who always gets what she wants, whether through trickery or ruthlessness. Her own fighting abilities are low, but she should not be trifled with. What does she ride? Men, of course!
