Nero Shall Fiddle Again - Chapter 9

[Nathan Saniti]

Nero Shall Fiddle Again - Chapter 9

Lord Chaos readied himself for what was to come. His shadowy underlings flew hither and yon, gathering pieces of his armor and applying them to their master as he stood statuesque, unmoving. The blue flames from the torches space throughout his throne room licked at the creatures as they flew past, chasing them with the promise of injury if they haphazardly ventured too close.

Within mere minutes, his enchanted ensemble had been assembled around him, the black metal gleaming menacingly from the blue flames. As the last piece clicked into place, the suit morphed into a shroud of plain looking black cloth, the helmet became a hood obscuring his skull. Only his boney fingers jutted within view as his scythe was handed to him.

When he visited the mortal realm, some people referred to him as Death, but that was no longer his position. Now, he manufactured fear and nightmares. The mortal world had become so callous a place that even that job began to become difficult, beyond anyone who had outgrown their childhood. That was why he needed the Mystical Madman. He desired Nathan's link to both the mortal world, as well as his ability to travel to other realms.

Swinging his weapon through the air with the accomplished ability of a martial artist, he sliced through one of the helpful shadows like butter, enjoying its death screech as it dissipated like a cloud of smoke. "Nathan Saniti shall take my place," he hissed. "When he does, all of Reality will bend to his will and the mortal world will once again know true fear."

Lord Chaos gave a shrill whistle, beckoning a pale horse to his side. He mounted the steed as a blue flame belched from its nostrils with a grunt. "And once they know fear, the mortal world shall be my playground. For now, I must gather my Brothers." He spurred the horse into action, galloping toward the exit of the throne room, its hoofprints scorching the ground with flames.

*******

Nathan could feel it now. He could sense the mask that encompassed his face like a smothering layer of plastic wrap, yet he couldn't touch it. Without his powers, he could no more remove the incantation than he could conjure a playing card from thin air. Worse yet, he could feel his ability to control his own body slipping away. It was as if he were in the movie, "The Shining," and his control over his own action were the hallway, ever elongating, teasing him with the door at the end of the hall he so desired to reach for his freedom. Then there was that looming presence; that absolute evil making the hallway appear to breathe. He has experienced this sort of feeling once before.

*******

He had been known by a different name then, as all members of the Infiniti Council tend to reinvent themselves throughout the eons do. He had unleashed, nay, personified a lunacy unrelenting before. As he stood on his balcony, his lyre in hand and a maddening grin on his face, he played as the man who would become known as Nathan Saniti watched the city of Rome burn.

*******

The memory shook Nathan to the core as his better disposition slipped deeper into his subconscious like a man struggling against quicksand. Now the rage was taking over once again. Darkness enveloped him as he helplessly watched on, the control over his body nearing a lost cause. The man the fans of PCW had once known and loved, the favorite that the Faithful had adored was becoming something darker.

It couldn't be helped. The Nightmare would soon begin.

William "Sadistic" Dillinger may not have been the catalyst, and his brother Phineas "Grimm" Dillinger may have played the part of The Stranger, but this ball had been set into motion long before their parts had been played to perfection. The (un)Stable, Q, the re-emergence of his sister Naomi, the rekindled friendship between himself and Rasputin, even his beloved Kelli Starr, had unknowingly packed more onto this snowball. Now it would become an avalanche of fear the likes of which PCW has never witnessed.

It will start at Deadly Intentions. The wrath of eons will unfold when Nathan finally gets his hands on the irksome member of the Black Hand.

"He's weak," growled Nathan aloud to himself, "vulnerable. When Eira impaled him, he became infected. Then the impish little boy known as Gem assisted his weakened state in a cage match at Trauma 179."

Nathan leered at himself in a mirror, adjusting his garb to his liking through eyes aflame with hatred and determination. "Once I got word that I would finally have my day with the man who had become such a torn in my side, I struck. I shall strike again. This time, I'll wrest his so-called control from him. This time, he shall be taught not to interfere with a man's love life." His face darkened, becoming almost demonic in appearance. "Most importantly, this time, I shall teach the entire world that the Black Hand, and their leaders, the Brothers Dillinger, aren't the rabid dogs to be feared. I shall put them down myself. Then and only then will this world know wherein the true fear should lie.

"Oh, I shall fiddle again. This world is a much bigger place now. Tonight, I shall set the world of PCW aflame and bask in its glow as it turns to cinders."

A knock came at his door. The darkness of his persona retreated, leaving his facade its usual shade of pallid, his grin its normal unassuming appearance as he pulled the portal ajar. Tyrone "Crazy Boy" Smith stood on the other side peeking in, examining the room with a curious look. "Who were you talking to?"

"Only myself, my good man," explained Nathan as he exited his locker room. "Sometimes, I simply need an expert opinion."

Crazy Boy nodded as if he understood. "Are you ready for Sadistic?"

"The questions are," uttered Nathan with no absence of venom, "Is Mr. William Dillinger ready for me? And is PCW ready for the (un)Stable to show the world what fear is?" Nathan extended an elbow each to Alexa and her bodyguard LaShawnda as Orin lead the way and Crazy Boy flanked the group down the hallway. "Our time is now, and we shall not be denied, come hell or high water."