The Infiniti Council - Chapter 6: Plans in Motion

[Nathan Saniti]

The Infiniti Council - Chapter 6: Plans in Motion

(Recap: Naomi, Rasputin, and Fate headed to seek advice from the Infiniti Council on what to do to get Nathan back on the right side of the world. It wasn't going to be an easy social call, since none of them had been to the Council since the French Revolution due to... personal differences. Meanwhile, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were given the task of implementing Lord Chaos' back-up plan whilst he molded Nathan to take his throne as the Nightmare King so that he may resume his role as Death. It was a plan that was executed nearly flawlessly. The only thing keeping Nathan human and mortal was his unrequited love for the lovely, pink-haired Kelli Starr. After collecting the Seven Deadly sins, it seemed that Nathan was destined to be the Nightmare King. The longer Nathan fights the powers he was given by Lord Chaos, the more violent he becomes, and the more people suspect him of violent things that happen around him. He even got himself drawn into the investigation of the death of Cory Steel's brother, the one known as "Judge.")

Naomi, Rasputin, and Fate stepped from the arched door, a blinding light obscuring the contents of the opposite side. As the door snapped shut, it shimmered into obscurity. Naomi stopped as they set foot on the wooded pathway leading to the world Nathan was trapped in; the PCW Universe. She knew what needed to be done. They all did. The enormity of the task set before them weighed heavily on her most of all.

"Do you think she'll do it, Grigori?" Naomi pondered worriedly. "Do you think Kelli would make such a monumental sacrifice?"

Rasputin thought about his words carefully, responding with a thoughtful sigh. "If I know my zaichik, she would move the heavens and the earth itself in order to return her beloved Nathan to his normal self."

"Let's hope she doesn't have to go to that extreme," chimed Fate. "For now, I think it's best to be honest with her, and allow her to choose her own destiny. She is the yin to Nathan's yang. Only she has the power to stop him, and only together do they have the power stop the upcoming calamity. Besides, you heard the Exalted. Kelli must decide to do this of her own free will, because once it's done, there is no turning back, and the world as she knows it will never be the same."

"It's just so much to ask, of anyone really," added Naomi. "I remember when it was asked of me. Even between the choice of death or eternal life at a price, I didn't take it lightly. Nathan dove right in without hesitation."

"That's what worries me the most," concluded Rasputin. "If he fully accepts the seat as the Nightmare King, then the Horsemen will run amok..."

"...And since I stripped him of his powers as the Keeper of Realms," interrupted Fate, "He would willingly jump headlong into such a seat of power, especially if the wrong influences were whispering in his ears." Fate nodded, knowingly. "Even I don't have the ability to halt the Nightmare King, much less the Horsemen. That takes a combined effort, one I can't do alone. The Council has spoken. If we can bring Kelli into our fold, then we have the glimmer of a chance to put things right before the world ends and billions die. When one world falls, it affects them all. We must do what we can to not allow that to happen."

Naomi inhaled deeply, puffing her chest up for the task at hand. "Then I suppose it's what we have to do."

Arm in arm, Naomi flanked by the two men, they fell silent as the strode purposefully towards the task at hand. What they needed to ask of Kelli Starr wasn't an easy choice, but they knew if she didn't make it, and soon, the world would fall apart.

*******

Nathan sat at the computer Kelli had given him, fuming over the inane bickering between his beloved and his former stable-mate Alexa Black. The two women had never cared for each other, and of course it was no shock that Alexa took to threats of violence when she felt slighted. He also knew in the back of his mind that slighting Alexa was as effortless as a feather floating on the wind.

He couldn't halt his growing rage at the vile things Alexa was purporting to do when she next saw Kelli. He knew Alexa wouldn't be alone. She could never work alone. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, solitude was one of her fears. Her attack would be inevitable. He couldn't foresee where or when, but he knew it would be on the horizon. That wasn't the part that concerned him most. What scratched at the back of his mind was the pure, unadulterated wrath welling up within him at the prospect of that black-hearted woman harming the one he loved.

If Alexa followed through, he knew his vengeance would be swift, cunning, and deadly. Despite his darker half's control of his body, Nathan set forth a warning to his team mate of the pain to come to try and stave her off.

"Stubborn as usual," he muttered, witnessing Alexa's response, her carrying on. He smoothed back his wild black locks. "She was always more violent than bright."

Until the awaited onslaught happened, Nathan would carry on with business as usual. Pure Class Wrestling's roster had thinned out substantially, most of the tag teams had broken up, faded into obscurity, or even half died. Before he could stop it, a snicker escaped his mouth at the thought of the latter. His mind raced in seven different directions. Had he become so powerful that he could affect his enemies without conscious thought?

The detectives that interviewed him made a valid point. First, Orin and LaShawnda, Alexa's then entourage, had fallen prey to some sort of peculiar ailment or poisoning. Nathan never recalled doing anything purposely.

And then there was Judge's sudden passing. Did he have something to do with that as well? He knew the dip he used on his hatpins could have adverse effects, but he never imagined death as a side effect. Granted, the timing on both events left him mired deep in suspicion, but was this part of his newfound abilities? He grinned outwardly at the notion while his inner self shuddered in horror.

The newcomers, the East Sutcliffe Gentlemen's Club would be across the ring from his beloved and him at the next Trauma. "If they know what's best for them, they'll opt out of the contest before it gets started," Nathan grumbled under his breath. "Once that bell rings, anything unfortunate that happens will be strictly a burden they shall bear." He sat back in the padded office chair placed next to the lone pine desk set oddly amidst the woods. "As for Miss Black. Let her come. Let her do her worst. Afterward, she'll know the true meaning of pain, for if she harms a hair on Kelli's head, I'll skin her alive with a rusty paperclip. She'd better hope whoever she surrounds herself with truly has her back. Her nightmares will have only begun."