Ring of Darkness

Alters

Psychology and Philosophy and Religion

Of alters, in the realm of science, little is known about this phenomena that occurs in individuals who have experienced trauma wherein they are able to transform and take on extraordinary abilities in relation to the cause of that trauma. Psychology postulates that the memory of painful event(s) create a psychosomatic response that is somehow able to connect to the genetic makeup of the afflicted. To some, the existence of alters and their ethereal nature is proof positive of the existence of souls and supernatural forces. Research indicates that this is a lifelong condition; those who manifest an alter are encouraged to take control of it with therapy. To date. there is no confirmed 'cure' for alters. See: Mangel

- Encyclopedia Britannica

~*~

The spotlights formed a ring of heat and brightness, obscuring the outside crowd to a roaring wall of black with the fight at its centre in stark contrast. Under the glare, the two combatants threw punches and kicks in a perfectly timed dance of controlled chaos and there, Saphia Sankar, known to the world as the vicious Talia Ryzing, played her part. Her opponent was Fyre, real name Rebecca Toretti,a red-headed firebrand that loved trading blows. Case in point, Fyre caught Talia on the jaw with her fist and she fell against the turnbuckle. A voice whispered from inside her ear, Shall I?

“If you must,” Saphia straightened up and let her head roll on it’s neck, a familiar chill racing up her spine. Her tan skin shimmered as if overlaid with grey-silver screen which also tinted her dark brown hair and eyes and ombre lips into a corpse-like image. Her nail appeared to lengthen and she opened her mouth to bare the new grown fangs. The crowd boomed louder than ever, a chant of ‘COBRA’ blaring from all sides. Fyre smirked and shut her eyes, soon her entire body glowed, all her features gave way to blue flames that encased her completely. The women let the crowd enjoy the sight of them standing across from each other before diving back in. Fyre came at Talia-turned-Cobra with rapid strikes to the torso and head, using the corner to her advantage. Cobra in response, slunk down and under Fyre’s assault, grabbing her leg and hauling her back until she was face-first into the canvas of the ring. Cobra smirked; she’d won. She got on top of Fyre, placing a knee in the centre of her back and grabbing her two arms by the elbows. She pulled back, bending the other fighter at the spine and pinching her shoulder blades. The serpent’s snare. The tapping of Fyre’s hand signalled her submission and the referee called it.

“HERE IS YOUR WINNER BY SUBMISSION – TALIA RYZING!” You deal with this. Cobra retreated into her mind and Talia released the hold. That particular alter never really did enjoy the showboating. The referee raised her hand as Fyre’s fire ebbed away. Both of them were escorted out of the ring and into the back where the onsite clinic was.

The clinic for the wrestling promotion, Global Fighting Alliance, wasn’t much to look at. The ascetic nature of their business meant that everything had to be transported from one place to another. Their clinic was little more than some cots with portable medical equipment and supplies arranged with semi-cohesion. No one cared; the methodical madness fit well with the company and the team that ran it. “Good match,” Saphia said to Becca. “Fyre is getting faster.”

“Yeah, bet Cobra is disappointed,” Rebecca chuckled tiredly. “Not her usual level of blood and gore.”

“That was the trade. Though I’m sure Harpy will have something to say.” Saphia shrugged. Somewhere in her head, Harpy rumbled her agreement and she shushed it. Everyone had a different relationship with their alters but Saphia’s easy connection to hers was something of a marvel. As if having three dark and violent persona-like entities living within oneself wasn’t a marvel enough.

Alters dated back to ancient history where they were treated as fearsome, malevolent beings that consumed their hosts. Of course, those religiously inclined still regarded them as signs of the devil and evil but that wasn’t entirely true. Alters were borne in people during times of pain and trauma. For lack of a scientific answer, the poetic explanation was that when a person was hurt so deeply, their soul broke within them and a piece of it came away like shards of glass. That piece then absorbs all the pain and suffering and becomes twisted, manifesting itself as a reflection of that which created it. They are intrinsically connected to their host but are cognizant and independent as well. They existed in their own realm at same time as residing within their host. Straddling the line between here and beyond, alters enjoyed chaos in all forms. The desire for violence differed from alter to alter but they could be controlled or in her case, worked with.

Didn’t really matter, Saphia mused spotting the women’s division champion Abelle, aka Caina, passing by with a look of disdain. People didn’t trust alters and the more you had, the less stable you were seen as. Saphia just really lucked out when life handed her three: Angel the demon child, Harpy the fury, and Cobra the snake-like predator. All separate beings and all at different stages of her life. She couldn’t exactly point out where they had all come from with certainty. However she, and her alters for that matter, didn’t bother poking around, mutually deciding it was better to live in the here and now. There was only one other person she knew that had three alters her boss, mentor, and dear friend Christian Castle. A former talent for the company turned executive. He was a hero to her in childhood and was the one who discovered her and brought her to GFA.

The trainers declared Saphia free to go and with a wave to Rebecca, she made the long trek back to the locker room. The halls were filled with staff and talent. Some waved, or patted her on the back, others grimaced and shot disgusted glares. Saphia didn’t care at this point, people always found a reason to dislike her. Be it she was an unstable lunatic with three dangerous alters. Or – she was social-climbing bitch that used her connections to get her position in the company. Better yet, she was slut that slept her way to the top and was screwing the main star to stay there. It all became more of the same after a while. Finally she reached the locker room doors, leant back against them and donkey-kicked twice. “I don’t give a shit what’s out and where,” she called out, letting herself in. “I’m burnt and need to lay down.”

Naturally there was some male indignant squawking that made her smile. The scent of sweat and several types of male cologne mingled with the humidity of constant hot showers. Most people would find it distasteful but honestly it was a comforting atmosphere for her. She used to stay with the women but that situation deteriorated quickly and she moved in with the boys. Didn’t help with the rumours at all but the guys were mostly cool. Since she was one of the few that got into the ring with them, it helped their dynamic to hang out with her. “Dammit Saph!” someone growled. “At least don’t open the door so wide.”

“The entire internet has already seen your pasty ass Rex, a few grips won’t hurt,” she shot back. Still she obligingly kept her eyes down on the industrial carpeting before flopping onto a bench with an arm over her face. The bone-aching tiredness of the post-match comedown was setting in and she needed to sleep. Right when she was about to drift off, a presence sat near her head, “Hey raja.”

“Hey cielita.” Saphia took her arm away to stare up at Raul Garcia, known to GFA fans as the Arcane. He was the ‘hero’ of the company, the perpetual good guy standing for justice and what was right. The perfect contrast for the dark, twisted Talia Ryzing or at least that what the bosses thought. They’d be flung together from the moment Saphia step foot in the company and haven’t been separated since even when the cameras were off. Saphia would say they were in a relationship if either of them were capable putting aside their litany of hang-ups to start one. “How are you feeling?”

“Spectacular,” she replied sarcastically already sensing where this was going.

“I mean everything is ‘good’?” I hate that you’re so pretty, Saphia groused mentally. If he didn’t have those green eyes set in a perfectly chiseled face with enviable long black locks framing it all – like seriously who looks like that! – she would’ve broken his nose by now.

“My big, scary alters are safely tucked in their beds. No one is going to murder you in your sleep.” Saphia rolled her eyes, “Harpy might’ve mentioned something about never wearing that lime green shirt again. Can’t remember if she said she’d tear it or you to shreds.”

“Whenever Harpy wants a rematch, she knows where to find me.” Raul brushed off. “But seriously, did you need to bring out Cobra at the end like that?”

“It was in the script. Are you planning on interrogating Becks as well? No? That’s what I thought.” This had always been a point of contention for them. As far as many people knew, Raul didn’t have an alter – Saphia knew otherwise – but he was always wary of hers.

“I’m not worried about Becks, I’m worried about you,” Raul continued doggedly. “Anyway you and I have been summoned.”

“Where?”

“C’s office.”

~*~

Saphia and Raul strode into the general manager’s ‘office’ (read: spare room outfitted with a desk and computer) to find all the champions and smattering of other stars already there including the general manager and head of talent, Christian Castle. A short but beefy man with remnants of a dirty blonde mane cropped close to his scalp. He was one of the most illustrious champions GFA had ever known and the innovator/advocate for alters in wrestling and in society at large. He made it almost cool to have an alter for a long time and Saphia had looked up to him from day one. The hero worship faded out with time and they were like brother and sister to each other. “Sup Mistah J?” Saphia found a patch of wall to brace against.

“That’s a new one,” Christian chuckled. “Leto or Ledger?”

“Romero.”

“Bitch.”

“So Caina says,” Saphia insolently winked at the women’s champion who growled.

Caina was a beautiful, statuesque blonde who’s only imperfection was the permanently scowl etched on her face. Her talent? Undeniable. Her beauty? Radiant. Her personality? Absolute horseshit – except for when she was kissing ass to the higher ups. Case in point. She straightened her back with the huge fake smile of an overeager second grader who studied for a pop quiz. “Are we going to discuss the next exhibition Mr. Castle?”

“Yes we are.” Christian picked a clipboard with notes. Every month GFA held a huge exhibition with all it’s top stars. Their regular shows were about two hours long but exhibitions could run well into four with an enormous card, stacked with talent. “The show is in a little over a month. It’s going to be at the Rogers Centre so remember to pack for some cold weather. Toronto is just getting into spring so it’ll be chilly up there. Now what I really wanted to talk to you all about are the title matches. As you all know, every title must be contested at the exhibition. Therefore let’s run done the list – women’s division. Women’s tag team titles are set to change. Tina and Leah, you’ve been amazing with them but it’s time to switch things up and Nora and Sierra are hot right now. We leave it to your discretion on how you want to run it but there are few notes creative wants you to have a look at.” The four women nodded, taking the sheets from the man. “Women’s North American title is also switching, Brittany you’ve been good to us but Rebecca you’re up. Let’s see Fyre and Ice collide.” Rebecca was overjoyed and Saphia sent her a small smile. The audience has been clamouring to see those two and their alters battle it out for a while. “And of course, the Women’s Heavyweight Championship,” Christian turned to the next page. “Caina, you are retaining against Charlize. You’re an excellent champion and we want to see you hang on to this for a little while longer.”

“Oh thank you Mr. Castle, I really appreciate the faith and trust you have in me.” Of course Caina stared at her the whole time. A sleazy gloating air about her but Saphia didn’t care. Caina had this neat little trick of forgetting Saphia didn’t only fight in the women’s division.

Christian turned to the men, “Alright fellas and milady on the other side, both the men’s tag team and Intercontinental championships will be retained however we are crowning a new Heavyweight champion. And that’s where you six come in.” He pointed to Saphia, Raul, Tony (an Italian brawler with two alters), Cedric (an American martial artist, no alters), Jacob (another American technical wrestler with one alter) and Finn (an Irish fighter with one alter). “The company has come up with a new match concept called the Ninth Circle.”

“As in the ninth circle of hell?” Saphia checked.

“That’s the one,” Christian nodded. “What’s going to happen is that the entire ring and area around is going to be covered with a dome-like cage. No door. Once inside, you’re trapped until the match is over and the cage raises. No disqualifications or count-outs, first one to get a pinfall or submission wins.”

“What if someone gets hurt?” Tony asked.

“There will be medics with first aid kits inside the cage with walkies. If they think someone needs to be taken out of there immediately they will radio us, and we raise the cage and move them out.”

“I guessing this is going to be scripted like never before,” Raul commented.

“And you are correct.” Christian handed each of them of a set of stapled papers outlining each moment of the match. “This is the inaugural match for the one of top tier titles. We have to set a good precedent if we want this concept to stick. If it does, it’ll open more opportunities for both title and non-title matches.”

“So who’s taking it?” Saphia flipped through her script idly.

“You are.” The whole room went still. No one made a sound, not one. Saphia froze. Her eyes staring at page she could no longer read.

“What?” she breathed.

“You are winning this match.” Saphia’s first instinct was to look to Raul who was gaping at her. Okay so he really just said that. She found the strength to meet Christian’s gaze.

“Me?”

“Yes you,” Christian moved over to grasp her shoulder. “Everyone was onboard with the idea. You are going to win Ninth Circle and become our first female Heavyweight Champion.”

“People aren’t going to like that.” She cast a glance around at her fellow wrestlers, each with their own unique expression to this news.

“They didn’t like it when I won either, guess what? They got over it.” He enunciated those last three words very carefully for everyone to hear. The tension in the room was palpable but thankfully Saphia did have a few friends.

“Well congratulations Saph,” Rebecca walked up and extended a hand. “Once we have the titles, we should have a rematch.”

“You’re on.” Saphia shook it gratefully. With that the ice cracked, some wrestlers walked out, others lingered to offer soft murmurs of support. Saphia was still pretty numb to this turn of events. Christian gave her a hug, swearing that she was the right choice for the company. She stuttered out something akin to thanks and ducked out of the room. The whispers were louder than ever to her. She was acutely aware of every breath in her direction. Raul kept a calming hand in between her shoulder blades, guiding her back to the locker room. She winced when she heard the phrase ‘BULLSHIT!’ echo through the halls. It was too much to hope that it wasn’t meant for her.

It really was.

Inside the locker room, even the men were uneasy. This was new territory for them. Sure she stayed in their locker room. Ate with them. Shared hotel rooms, platonically, with some of them. Even visited their homes during down time. But actually taking a title? That wasn’t just new, that was a whole other level none of them were prepared for. “I don’t know what y’all are so sour about?” Raul snapped at their glowers. “She wins, we carry on business as usual. It ain’t the end of the world. Her title run isn’t going to be any different from ours. She’s been running with us for months, you can’t say she didn’t earn it.”

“There’s already a women’s title,” Rocky, a mixed race man with jet black hair, objected. “What’s wrong with her own division’s belts? Oh that’s right,” he sneered. “You got kicked out.”

“Yeah and you’re about to get your ass kicked clean off,” Saphia hissed. “I didn’t ask for this okay? This is how the company wants to move? Fine. You wanna bitch about it? Be my guest. But don’t bring your shit to me.”

Tony sighed, “For me it’s just…you think anyone would be cool with a man challenging for the women’s championship? We’d get laughed at in a heartbeat.”

“Maybe if they change the name,” Saphia supposed. “After all, you’ll be challenging me and it won’t be weird.”

“Maybe,” Rocky allowed.

That’s probably the best you’re going to get, Cobra sounded from inside her head.

Yeah, let’s just go, Harpy spoke up. Saphia cast her mind’s ear around for Angel but all she got was the typical childish humming. There wasn’t a whole lot that bothered her first alter. Both the oldest and youngest of the three, the child-demon rarely came out especially nowadays but she did enjoy the occasional fight. Saphia gathered her things and Raul walked with her out of the arena. She tried to block out the whispering with Angel’s hums, focusing on the tune, figuring out what today’s song was.

She got into the car with Raul, still firmly in her own head. The Florida man frowned, “Say something.”

“Oh ‘Leggo Me Nah Raja’,” she realized.

“What?”

“What?” Saphia raised an eyebrow at him.

“I hope you’re not letting this bother you.”

“It doesn’t, not really,” Saphia dismissed. “I mean how much more can they say that hasn’t already been said?”

“Just because people have said it before doesn’t mean it doesn’t bother you,” Raul insisted. “It’s going to be rough for the next couple weeks. Bottling up emotions is one way -”

“One way that alters form. Yes I know. I have three of them Raul, I don’t need the tutorial.” Saphia rolled her eyes. “You don’t get an alter from some schoolyard nonsense. My soul itself needs to break and all that jazz. You don’t need to be afraid of it Raul. It won’t hurt you.”

“It’ll use me to hurt other people,” Raul insisted.

They pulled up to the hotel and Raul escorted Saphia her room. She knew the man meant well and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek for his worry. “I’ll be okay,” she assured him gently. Raul nodded and returned to his own while she went to hers.

Inside, she wearily kicked her boots away and stripped off her gear. A shower would have to wait until morning, she was too burnt out to care. She did manage to drag herself to her bag to grab a t-shirt to sleep in. What she found instead was pretty damn close to soul-shattering. There was an old newspaper clipping of featuring two images, one of a series of battered and bruised people in states of near death and the other of the cheery, round face of Antoine Mangel. MANGEL EXPERIMENTS HORRIFY A NATION! Yes they did. And years later the twisted, vile machinations of that evil man still haunted survivors and those with alters to this day. Which made it all the worse that someone had written in giant black letters. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU!

Disgusted, she sent a picture of it to Christian, insisting they check the cameras to see who could have done it. He responded immediately with an affirmative. Saphia sat on her bed, staring at the accursed image. She remembered like it was a heartbeat ago.

~*~

Fourteen years before she ever stepped into a ring, at the tender age of 12, Harpy formed and her parents finally decided to take her problem seriously. In those days, you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing Antoine Mangel’s face. On TV, in newspapers, over the radio – everywhere. He would sit on some late night show’s couch for an entire segment talking about curing people of their alters. He was certain there was a way to get rid of alters and eradicate them much like how one would treat the cold or some allergies.

Then the letters came, inviting people of all ages to take part in his program for virtually nothing at centres all over North America. Like some sick Willy Wonka bullshit. And people bought in. Hundreds willingly signed themselves over to that butcher, hoping to be saved.

Saphia received the letter too. Her mother encouraged her to go if she wanted but she much preferred going to school and living her life. Having handled Angel for so long, she was comfortable dealing with her alters alone. Still he was one of the most respected alter experts of the time. That was until the raid.

There had been stirrings. Families who had not seen loved ones for a long time. No contact. Mengal said it was the ‘socio-isolation’ part of his treatment. Taking away any and all stressors that may have caused the alters in the first place. Eventually people got fed up with his excuses and called the cops going all the way up to the federal authorities. The moment the feds got involved, Mangel put a bullet through his skull and his subordinates fled the country in all directions. The first raid was broadcast on live television and the footage still online for everyone to see. The police had to break through several layers of fencing and concrete walls and what they found changed a generation. Men, women, and children lay battered, flayed, starving like desiccated carcasses. The dead had been left on the floor to rot right in front of the living and the living were not much better. Some cried. Some screamed. Some ran away. One woman got onto her knees for the police, offering them her body in exchange for her child. They had been beaten, tortured, assaulted, raped for months, some for years.

It later came out that Mangel wasn’t trying to get rid of alters but create them as weapons. He thought he could force people into spawning alters and then extract them like a personal army. Thankfully for everyone, his notes proved that he’d been unsuccessful. The world’s authorities leapt into action. Gathering up every last subordinate and prosecuting them. The survivors were rescued, brought to hospitals and given intensive therapy to try and undo all the damage.

Then fourteen year-old Saphia watched all of this unfold on her TV screen, horrified. Her mother readily told the story of how her daughter almost got caught up in all that. Her father brushed it off since she wasn’t involved but simply stated that he would have killed Mangel before he ever got the gun out. But Saphia never said a word. She still had the letter to join the Mangel project and even as an adult never threw it out. It sat in a box, in the back of her closet. A reminder of what the world really was.

~*~

Of course, nothing happens in Global Fighting Alliance that the entire company doesn’t hear about in 48 hours or less. By the next day, everyone was buzzing except now they were trying to figure who would do something like that. Most were sympathetic, others displaying some level of courtesy. Those with alters were angry and on edge, Saphia included. Bringing up Mangel was tantamount to a hate crime for the alter-bearing. If anyone actually agreed with the sentiment, they certainly weren’t about to do voice it with a group of people with alters who were also extremely skilled fighters. What made things more precarious was the fact that they couldn’t explain where the note had come from. Nothing on the security cameras. No eye witnesses. The guys swore up and down that no one had been near Saphia’s bag. What’s more, the notes didn’t stop coming. No matter where Saphia went or what she did, the articles kept coming. Even then, no one suspected it could get worse...until it did.

~*~

It was late in the night. Saphia had just torn up her twentieth Mangel article in the six days and finally convinced herself to rest. The window was open just a little to let a bit of night air. She was on the twilight of sleep and awake when something grabbed her shoulder. Saphia nearly screamed bloody murder but a hand clamped over her mouth and held her there. When her eyes focused, she saw Raul standing over her. "It's okay, it's just me."

Well Saphia wasn't known for her temperance and she kicked his legs out from under him in revenge. He fell with a small shout and she sat up, gasping. "You're such a shit, why would you do that?"

"Came to cheer you up," Raul got back to his feet and threw her hoodie at her. "Come on, let's go!"

"What? Now? Like this?"

"Yep." Raul hauled her out of bed and they left the hotel. He guided her to a park a couple of blocks away and she saw it had a full playset. "Race you!" the man called over his shoulder.

"You cannot be serious," Saphia laughed. "Raul why?"

"Because I hate seeing you so miserable," her companion said simply.

And you think I'm going to 'break', Saphia thought cynically but she couldn't bring herself to be genuinely upset. Instead, she hopped on the swing set, pumping her legs to propel her into the air. For one fleeting moment, she was flying. Her hands weren't anchors, weighing her down; they were in control, steady and comforting. The steady push and pull, gentle breeze lifting her air.

Her eyes drifted shut just a searing pain crackled up her spine. She was dimly aware of crying out and letting go of the chain before she flying again, down this time. Her hands connected to the rough sand before her head. She thought she heard Raul shout but the world went dark.

~*~

When her eyes opened again, Raul had her cradled to his chest, blue, white, and red lights flashing in her face. She held up a hand to block the piercing cast and that's when sound returned to her. There was chatter everywhere, a buzz of voices shouting and over one another. An officer entered her line of vision and crouched down. "Are you alright ma'am?"

Saphia nodded slowly and sat up to look at Raul. "What happened?"

"I don't know," he replied anxiously. "I thought I saw someone in the dark, further off so I didn't think about it but then suddenly you were on the ground."

"You didn't see anything yourself did you?" the officer asked.

"No, nothing."

~*~

And yet week later, the entire story was leaked to the press. The coming days were filled with online support and harassment in equal measure. The whole mess was dragged up again. People shared screenshots of the raid with ominous warnings. Others called for GFA to do more to protect their talent. Even still there were those that readily admitted to being a Mangel supporter from the safety of their computer screens. Some photoshopped Saphia and other alter-bearing talent into the various graphic images. Polls were taken of who ought to have been terminated in the Mangel centres. Upper management feared the break out of violence at any moment.

~*~

“It is no secret that Saphia and I have had our differences,” Caina smiled serenely for the paparazzi cameras. “And to be clear, no one deserves to be vilified this way. However alters are as trustworthy as the person who bears them. The perception is what matters. I think she fed into the image that society built for alters instead of breaking it. There are consequences to our actions. Saphia’s attitude has finally caught up with her.”

“Oh fuck off,” Saphia snapped her laptop shut. She glanced at Raul snoring on the other bed in their shared hotel room. The run-up to the exhibition and the Ninth Circle match meant that Saphia couldn’t stay out of the limelight so he was now permanently glued to her side. It was nice, if a little suffocating but it was a good excuse to have Raul with her. Her alters had been surprisingly calm throughout this entire ordeal. They rumbled with each mention of Mangel and every vicious social media post but they knew coming out wouldn’t help them. Cobra kept her cool. Harpy was positioned at the forefront of Saphia’s mind in case she needed to come out and defend herself. And naturally, Angel just kept on humming, All My Life this time, but Saphia knew she was listening.

~*~

The day of the exhibition came at last and there had never been more eyes on GFA. The talent cycled between excitement and tension like spokes on a wheel. The Air Canada Centre was dressed to the nines in a red and black motif with all the marquee posters of all the talent and the huge advertisement for the Ninth Circle match hanging from every available surface. It was also brimming with law enforcement. Christian had also gone all in on the security for the event. The backstage, the stands, ringside, barricade and every entrance and exit were guarded. Saphia was given her own dressing room with Raul to prepare for her match and never went anywhere without a bodyguard shadowing them.

The show began and everything was going smoothly. They alternated between the divisions and the title and non-title matches. Everyone was determined to put on a good show no matter how stressed they were. One would think whole hours wouldn’t just slide but time was operating on its own terms. Sooner than anyone would have liked, the main event was nigh and the whole atmosphere shifted. The six fighters, creatively dubbed Hell’s Six were waiting inside the curtain to make their entrances. The was excitement and energy that had carried the entire show now became weighed down; settling on heavily on the lungs and legs of each combatant and Saphia struggled to breath.

The ring announcer’s voice echoed the arena, “It is now time for the main event! THE NINTH CIRCLE!” The crowd cheered and one by one, each of the men did their entrance and stepping in the ring. Raul went second to last and his spot by Saphia was immediately claimed by Christian.

“You got this sis,” he murmured under Arcane’s entrance music. “You’re going to be perfect.”

“Yeah sure,” Saphia swallowed thickly. It was time for Talia to come out. The electric guitars heralded her arrival as she stepped out to roar of masses. Cameras flashes and people shouted. It was hard to pick out anything in the din, just the noise of endless humanity. Talia walked down the grated ramp and stepped into the ring with ease. In unison, the six of them looked up at the dominating cage hanging overhead. The monstrous structure was a simple but enormous chain link dome held by a series of pulleys. The bright lights illuminated every individual link, almost making it sparkle. Then it was slowly descending. Encapsulating entire area right up to the barricade.

“Anyone else feeling a little claustrophobic?” Jacob shivered.

“Yeah I’m getting that vibe,” Tony agreed.

“Game face time,” Saphia said more for herself than anyone else.

The announcer rang down the rules on the mic, “The following contest is scheduled for one-fall. There are no count-outs, no disqualifications. The first person to gain a pin or submission will be the declared the first winner of Ninth Circle and the new GFA Heavyweight Champion!” A cheer went up and the bell rang.

What happened next was nothing anyone could have ever imagined. Suddenly all the men were blasted off their feet, clean out of the ring, hitting the steel cage before falling into crumpled heaps on the outside. Saphia immediately ran to the ropes, overlooking the scene. The five competitors, the referee, and the medics were down. “What?”

“I told you it should been you.”

The voice stopped Saphia cold. Impossible. It had to be. There was no way – of all the people – why would – they can’t have – Saphia turned on spot to see Caina standing behind her, a sick leer stretching her face. “You?”

“Yeah me,” Caina grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off the ground with inhuman strength. “It’s about time you got what you deserved.” She flung Saphia in the turnbuckle. “You sicken me.”

“I haven’t done anything to you,” Saphia gasped.

“No, of course you haven’t, you’re perfect wonderful Saphia.” Caina mocked. “A loving boyfriend, friends who are like family, success and three alters all perfectly healthy and in line. But you didn’t earn it.” Caina struck her across the face with each sentence, “You didn’t suffer! You didn’t cry! You didn’t bleed!”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“HIM! It was supposed to be you but you didn’t bother so he took me instead!” Caina snarled. “You can’t imagine was those years in that centre was like. It should have been you, you stupid little bitch!”

“Mangel,” Saphia breathed.

“He promised to make me better. That I wouldn’t be a freak like you. Instead he tried to break me again. Except I was too pretty to beat black and blue.” Tears spilled over Caina’s eyes. “All because you had your perfect control and didn’t need to go, I had to go instead.”

“Caina that’s not how it worked, you know that,” Saphia tried to reason with her. “We weren’t even in the same country.”

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” Caina kicked her in the stomach over and over again. Hot blood began to drip from her mouth. Seeing the red on her hands, her anger grew and the world tuned out. The familiar chills broke out but settled right on her shoulder blades. Saphia made the decision to let go and let her alter have total reign of her body. To everyone else, she began to glow green and the shadow of colossal wings grew from her back, becoming corporeal at they extended up and out.

She rose from the ground, talons flared and jaws gnashing. “Fight me,” Harpy snarled. The two went blow for blow; kicks, punches, throws, each holding their own. Harpy used her wings to give her height advantage until she had her opponent backed into a corner. With deliberate cruelty, Harpy raked her talons across Caina’s face and down her neck. “Bleed.”

In the blink of an eye, Caina telekinetically forced her to ground and pinned her there. Harpy watched her disbelief, struggling to get up. Caina advanced her sinisterly, “I’ll give the bastard one thing, when he destroyed my mind and body, my alter’s powers were transferred to me. I don’t need to change, I can do it all by myself.” She tangled her fingers in Saphia and yanked the girl up. “You’re mine. I’ll finally do to you what should have been done a long time ago.”

Caina placed a foot right on her neck, “You deserve this.”

Suddenly an air-shattering roar filled the air. Caina’s lifted her foot and the two women watched a hulking black creature bound into the ring. Harpy blinked but then she saw under it. Raul. His alter had finally broken through. It was massive wolf, jet black with Raul’s vivid green eyes. It charged at Caina, tackling her to the ground. Harpy could move again but she was hurt. The dull ringing filled her ear but her mind was surprisingly clear. She knew Raul – Arcane wouldn’t be able to stand up to Caina. She knew that the world was going black. She knew that when Arcane didn’t win, Caina would kill them all. Cobra couldn’t take them and Saphia had retreated in the deeper recesses of their shared mind.

The humming stopped.

Let go. I’ll do it. Harpy’s eyes slipped close, okay.

When those eyes opened again, they were vividly red. They turned the side and saw Arcane and Caina staring back. Arcane had Caina by the shoulders but the red eyes looked to him and said, leave. Arcane immediately backed off, leaving Caina with none other than the demon-child Angel.

Every trace of Saphia, Cobra, and Harpy were gone. She and the alters had ceded all control to Angel. It wasn’t overlay or filter, she truly was the demon-child. Ashen skin, cracked and blistered. Long black matted hair with bruised red lips. Caina was visibly trying to use her powers but the demon-child was unaffected. “Hello Caina,” with flick of her wrist she hauled Caina to hover in front of her. “What happened to you wasn’t nice at all. And I’m sorry. But you tried to hurt me and that isn’t nice either.” She proceeded to ragdoll Caina just like the other had done before also taking the chance to whip her into one side of the dome and then to the opposite. Caina’s face was busted badly, just covered in crimson blood and barely alert. She forced the blonde to her knees in front of her and held up at fist. “I don’t know if this will kill you. If it does, oh well, that’s Saphia’s issue. But if you do wake up, don’t forget me okay.” She brought the fist hard down on the woman’s temple, knocking her out instantly.

The crowd cheered, still going, not having a clue what was actually happening. Angel frowned at them as she realized their existence but also what needed to be done. She looked at Caina then turned to Arcane, still in alter-wolf form. “Shall we?” Arcane nodded. They got the referee who was just coming to his senses and continued the match. Arcane wasn’t accustomed to fighting and quickly got frazzled, giving Angel the opening to trip him and plant a knee in his back. The demon-child smiled, “Always wanted to do this.” Angel pulled Arcane back into the snare and Arcane howled and tapped out. She dropped him at the bell and collapsed next to him. “Next time we’ll really raise hell.”

The last thing she heard was the wolf rumbling his agreement and the world going black.

~*~

Two days later, Saphia was packing her things. It was slow going with the multitude of bandages across her entire body but she wasn’t in a hurry. The company had her given a week’s vacation and a brand new championship belt which had been delivered that morning alongside a dozen roses from Christian. Poor guy still felt terrible for not being able to help her. Even though Caina had knocked him out and sabotaged the pulleys on the cage, he still blamed himself. When she got back from her week off, they’d talk.

Raul came in and sat down heavily. “Well they’ve moved her.”

“Where?”

“Somewhere upstate,” Raul shrugged. “I think a bunch of Mangel’s patients were looked after there. She’ll get the help she needs.”

“Damn Caina,” Saphia sighed. “Could be worse I suppose.” It was strange and terrifying how the entire audience assumed that everything going on was part of the show but it worked in their favour. Everyone from the cage opted not to press charges and the whole incident was quietly explained away. Caina was officially declared to have suffered a severe concussion and was no longer cleared to compete. In reality, Caina had suffered some bleeding from Angel’s punch but after short stint in the hospital, she was cleared to be moved to a psychiatric facility.

“In other news,” Raul continued. “Looks like you’ll be champion for a while and we’re heading for another onscreen feud. Featuring Angel and Arcane – the wolf, not me.”

“One and the same doofus,” Saphia chuckled.

“I don’t know what they think is gonna happen. I don’t know how to work with my alter. How to train with it or anything.”

“Comes with practice, I’ll help you. You’ve got me all week.”

“Yes I do,” Raul kissed her head. “Just you, me, and our four alters. I’ll go get the car.” Raul left and Saphia’s smile ebbed away. She walked over to the mirror and let her head roll on her neck. This time the chills circled her neck and wrists, it was too soon to see it but she knew what it was already.

“Five.”