Time is an Illusion (697)

The fireplace burns.

It crackles and pops as the embers grow and steadily rest.

Roddy keeps his eyes posted at the door, trying to focus more on the sounds of fists meeting faces.

Another crackle.

His right eye twitches.



He stares into the fiery pit through the window.



The roars of the fire engulf his hearing, drowning out Doc’s fists.



It falls into the flames.






























































Roddy looks up from the floor.

The fire is gone.

Doc's impactful fists are gone.

All that remains is a room with clocks.



“Hello there. My name is Tina Timely.”

Roddy blinks and she disappears, leaving him alone.

In a room with silently ticking clocks.

He closes his eyes to better hear the silence.

“I don’t regret what I did.

If anything, I’m only doing what I was taught.

I was taught to do what you feel needs to be done and do it with no remorse, with no care for the consequences if you feel like what you did was right.

Of course, they don’t tell you about everything afterwards—”

Ṫ̸̢h̶͌ͅę̵̓ ̵̼̈́r̵͓͑o̸̗̐o̴̦̚m̴͉̋ ̶̱̽g̵̭̅l̶̻̆į̵̈t̵̞̿c̶̗̒h̶̖̕ȩ̴̑s̸̞̕.̷̪͗

̷̸̫͈̌̔̎̊
Roddy’s eyes remain closed.

“—but it helps me think closely on what I would do if I were in the same situation.

Would I act differently?

Or would I do the same thing?

CruiserHavoc is one of those moments.

I entered last and was eliminated before many of my peers.

But I wasn’t pinned.

I never lost in that ring.

I was thrown out by a makeshift tag team who had luck on their side.

Luck won’t benefit you here, Void.”

A̴̭̿ġ̷̝a̵͍̎i̶̫̇n̷̨̎,̵̈́͜ ̵̤̐ẗ̸̰h̸̝̋é̴̹ ̵͈̈r̷͍̓o̷̺̍ơ̸͜m̶͍̉ ̸̱̎ġ̵̰l̷̗̾i̶̟̋t̵̺͗c̴͍͊ĥ̸̡ȩ̴͆ṣ̴̚.̶̄ͅ

̴̯̊
Again, Roddy’s eyes remain closed.

“I have made a name for myself on CruiserClash in short order.

I’ve beaten numerous former and current Cruiserweight Champions.

I won the Cruiserweight Tag Titles on my first shot at them.

I’ve beaten countless CruiserClash stalwarts in Teo and Karlie.

But that doesn’t mean much to you, does it Void?

You care about what’s GOING to happen, right?

Well, this Baddest Bitch Crown bullshit that Bunga has compiled together might just seem like something that would make Jim Mud cream his pants, but really, it’s just another opportunity for a guy like me who has made opportunities out of shadows.

I have a destiny to uphold, one that has been derailed by timely luck, filler spots that have cost me victories, and interference from management.

Kit and I want our Tag Titles back.

That doesn’t mean I still can’t claim the Cruiserweight Title.

Because a guy like you Void? You might be destined to go down as a CruiserClash icon. Maybe people will remember you decades from now as the guy who Teo Blaze beat.

But that’s all you’ll BE compared to me. A statistic. A factoid in an Action Wrestling Trivial Pursuit game.

I will go down as not only an AW legend, but I will be remembered as the best damn thing this company ever had in its ranks.

And when I’m sitting on my throne watching doubters and forsakers like you try and hold on to some remnant of notability while the rest of AW passed you by, I won’t offer you a hand.

I won’t offer you words of support.

I won’t even spit on you.

I’ll just look away as you fall even further from your peak.”

T̷̲͝ḧ̴̞́è̴͈ ̸͔̄r̶̯͌o̶͓͂ǒ̷̞m̶͍̈́ ̴̟̍g̶̭͆l̵̛̟i̸͎͘t̸̨́c̸͇̕ḧ̴̰́ë̵̬́s̷̘͐ ̶͎̓ä̴̦́g̴̯͋a̵͍͗i̸̲̎n̵̳͗.̷͓͗

̷̨͝
Roddy opens his eyes.

“I have been climbing for too long.

It’s about fucking time I claimed my next step towards ruling this place.”

T̷̗͝h̵͚̀e̸̦̕ ̷̦̃r̸̳̆ö̴͉́o̶̝̓m̷̫͝ ̵̰̓ĝ̴̹l̸̙̔i̷̢͛t̴͈̀c̴̭̏h̵̺̔e̵͓͊s̵͈̀ ̷̼͋ä̴̱́n̷̲͒d̴͎̊ ̶̮̌T̷̗̓ǐ̷̺n̷͔̅ă̸̱ ̷͎̐Ţ̴̏ì̴ͅm̷͊͜è̷̮l̶̹̆y̷̼̅ ̸̫̎r̴̟̈́e̴͇͗t̵̡͐u̴̡͝r̶͖͝n̷̩̈́s̷̞͛.̷̠͝

̸͖̚


“Hello there. My name is Tina Timely. Are you ready to return home?”

Roddy doesn’t react behind a twitch of his right hand.

Then he nods.




With a simple blink, Roddy is back in the Palace of Paradise.

Doc is in front of him, tape wrapped around his knuckles.

“It wasn’t easy, but we have what we need. The mayor is ours, the police are ours, what we need next is the state.”

Roddy narrows his eyes.

“And Chinami?”

Doc frowns.

“She can meet you whenever you’re ready for her.”

Roddy takes his Raybans out of his pants pocket, putting them on as he smirks.

“Good.”