Post by Limitless Wrestling on Feb 16, 2020 23:02:48 GMT -8
He made his way back, through the catacombs once more and back into the main hallway. The voices that bombarded him before had disappeared, leaving him only with the echoes of his footsteps. He briefly wondered if the voice would return, if any would, but none greeted him as he stepped back in the arena. Looking around, he let out a deep sigh, noting just how long it had been since someone last stepped foot in this place. It was still in good standing, the business side of him taking over as he took note of the stands in the arena. It could-
“You don’t have to leave.”
The voice. There it was again.
“You could stay. You don’t need to leave.”
He froze in place, back still turned to the source.
“This is what you wanted, isn’t it? To be here, with me?”
He turned, face to face with the vision. He swore that it was real, that she was right there before him. Reaching out with a trembling hand, he was inches away from touching her.
“You could be happy Michael. Isn’t that what you want?”
“.... it was.”
He stopped, fingertips away from contact before pulling back.
“But I can’t depend on someone else to make me happy. And it’s been a long, long time since I last looked to you for comfort.”
He took a step towards the form, his hands tightening around the plague mask of Kursur.
“What you want, I could never be. I see that now. I can’t be anything but Michael Hayden, and no matter what we did, that couldn’t change. I can only be me, and I wasn’t what you wanted.”
Glancing down at the mask, he let a finger trace over the beak.
“Perhaps I never was.”
Sighing, he looked back into those eyes, staring deep inside, the comfort he once felt replaced by a cold resolve.
“I have people. I finally, finally have a family I can call my own. Those that depend on me, who want me around and want me to succeed. They make me happy, even on my worst days. And you…”
He slowly walked towards the image, and for a moment, he was transported. He wasn't in the arena, he wasn't in Nevada, no. He was on a yacht. It was New Years Eve 2018. They were minutes away from ringing in 2019, surrounded by numerous guests on the dance floor. He could even see Skye and Elijah, the two in their own world, looking at nothing else but each other. It was this moment that gave him comfort, the one that prompted him to lean forward and envelop her in a hug. The two were locked in a warm embrace, an unspoken bond shared between the two as people moved around them, neither registering anyone else on the ship but them. The moment stood still as he finally allowed himself to smile, a true smile for the first time in ages. There was calm… until he walked forward, moving through the image and causing it to shatter around him.
“You’re just a ghost from my past.”
He stood still, the smile still on his face as the last remnants faded into the ether. He opened his eyes, looking out into the stands once again before letting out a deep sigh. All that surrounded him now was silence. Blessed silence.
“You don’t have to leave.”
The voice. There it was again.
“You could stay. You don’t need to leave.”
He froze in place, back still turned to the source.
“This is what you wanted, isn’t it? To be here, with me?”
He turned, face to face with the vision. He swore that it was real, that she was right there before him. Reaching out with a trembling hand, he was inches away from touching her.
“You could be happy Michael. Isn’t that what you want?”
“.... it was.”
He stopped, fingertips away from contact before pulling back.
“But I can’t depend on someone else to make me happy. And it’s been a long, long time since I last looked to you for comfort.”
He took a step towards the form, his hands tightening around the plague mask of Kursur.
“What you want, I could never be. I see that now. I can’t be anything but Michael Hayden, and no matter what we did, that couldn’t change. I can only be me, and I wasn’t what you wanted.”
Glancing down at the mask, he let a finger trace over the beak.
“Perhaps I never was.”
Sighing, he looked back into those eyes, staring deep inside, the comfort he once felt replaced by a cold resolve.
“I have people. I finally, finally have a family I can call my own. Those that depend on me, who want me around and want me to succeed. They make me happy, even on my worst days. And you…”
He slowly walked towards the image, and for a moment, he was transported. He wasn't in the arena, he wasn't in Nevada, no. He was on a yacht. It was New Years Eve 2018. They were minutes away from ringing in 2019, surrounded by numerous guests on the dance floor. He could even see Skye and Elijah, the two in their own world, looking at nothing else but each other. It was this moment that gave him comfort, the one that prompted him to lean forward and envelop her in a hug. The two were locked in a warm embrace, an unspoken bond shared between the two as people moved around them, neither registering anyone else on the ship but them. The moment stood still as he finally allowed himself to smile, a true smile for the first time in ages. There was calm… until he walked forward, moving through the image and causing it to shatter around him.
“You’re just a ghost from my past.”
He stood still, the smile still on his face as the last remnants faded into the ether. He opened his eyes, looking out into the stands once again before letting out a deep sigh. All that surrounded him now was silence. Blessed silence.