As Cain awakened to the sound, he realized it was the clinkingvof a key in his cell door. One moon had passed. It couldn't be feeding time yet. In his weakened state, he had no idea though. Maybe he had passed out again and his sense of time was fucked up. Seemed like it anyway. But how was he to know? He was treated like a beast his whole time here in what he thought was Rome. But he was slowly finding out that it wasn't what it appeared. As were we, as we watched the saga unfold. He lifted his head and saw "her" standing there. He coughed a bit, his breathing weakened from the sedatives in tge coating of the arrowheads. They took a while to effect him, but nonetheless had put him down.

She was a vision of lovliness as she stood in the flickering torchlight. Her blonde curls cascaded onto her shoilders, stopping just above her ample, tanned bosom. Her figure was like an houeglass, and as she kneeled down in front of him, he could see her emerald eyes fill with concern. Her ruby red lips curled downward,she spoke. "I am so sorry..."

He managed a low, gutteral growl as she caressed his scarred face. "Tell your....husband...that if I ever get out of here..." cough cough. "...I will tear him to pieces."

She would have slapped him if it weren't for one simple fact. She did not enough love the man who called himself her husband. After all, she really didn't even know him. She wasn't even sure how she'd gotten married to him. The strangeness not only hit Cain, but her as well. A tear appeared in the corner of her eye. "Umm...I am not even sure how I got here. I have never met that man who calls himself my husband either. Not before now. But I am sorry he treats you the way he does."

Cain spat on the floor. "Pfft. I don't remember anything before those men who spoke a strange language kidnapped me and brought me here. Really fucked up.

"I know..." She forced a smile."...are you hungry?"

Cain looked at her and his eyes narrowed. Did he trust ger? Can't say. But she seemed to be in the same boat he was in. He shrugged. "I've not eaten in two days, so yes."

"Come on. Smile." she had NO idea why, but she felt a connection to the man in the Shackles. It was if they had met before. She just could not putvher finger on where...or when.

Cain shook his head."There are two things a true warrior never does for just any reason, and that is smile or cry. Just bring me food, and a key if at all possible."

"Fine..." Suddenly she looked back with a frown. Then she looked back at Cain and whispered."I have to take my leave. I'll do what I can."

"See that you do."

The reason the young queen left so quickly became obvious as Max, the prison guard, came strutting back down the stairs. He'd come back, wreaking of alcohol. Red grape wine, and French bread. Yes. French bread. Also, a slight difference in his attire caught Cain's eye. Earlier, his sash was red. Now, it was blue. He then smirked. "Old man..." he had a smart ass comment to make, but nothing came of his call. He narrowed his eyes and called again. "...Old man?"

Max looked at him inquisitively. "Who are you talking to, swine?"

Cain mentally spat at the brash young man and answered. "Not you, asshole." But it struck him as being strange. The old man just wasn't there anymire. He looked at Max through the cell bars at Max. No signvof blood on his gleaming blade. He thought...I must be delirious. Something isn't right here.". But as hr looked at the cell door closer, he noticed that it was slightly left open. He smirked.

---

Your Tv Screen Suddenly Seems to Melt

And we get a shot of Cain. It's obvious that this is present day, as he is in the weight lifting center of the XWF Headquarters. He is in his workout clothes, and covered in sweat. The weights behind him appear to be at least three hundred pounds. Cain's lip curls into a smirk.

"When Harrison beat me, I thought maybe my career was over. I thought maybe I should just hang up my boots. Then, the original number one contenders' match took place. I once again lost, through no fault of my own? Or was it? After all, it was my Devastation of Man which put Luna Hightower down and it was my violent nature that left her in the condition to be pinned. Ever the opportunist, Collins, you took that pin. You took that opportunity, and I canmot blame you. I almost felt as ifvI should just give up, but then, Shane booked us in our very on number one contenders' match."

"OPPORTUNITY, Aidan. That's exactly what this is. Like a cell door opened for a prisoner. An opportunity to escape. This? This is my opportunity to escape mediocrity. This is my opportunity to escape the naysayers and prove once and for all that I belong here. I know what you think. You're just like Pest. You think that I am not good enough, because I am not human. You just think you can discount my prowess because you think that this is a "gimmick".

"This. Is. Not..."

Suddenly, the scene faded to static...and once again, like Cain, it changed.

---

Rumble.

The distant sound of thunder echoed far off in the distance as a flash flash of light imprinted the shadow of his cell window on the cobblestone floor. Cain hadn't taken his eyes off of his cell door, which was obviously cracked open by a fraction of an inch. Not enough for that idiot Max to notice. He would bide his time however, as he'd learned to do that a long time before someone else did it in a certain match. He sat there in the corner and watched as Max leaned back against the stone wall in his wooden chair, dozing. Again. The guy may have been top of his class but he was also lazy as hell. Before you knew it, the young man was sleeping like a baby. Very vulnerable if Cain were in any position to attack. He needed to eat. And he needed to bide his time. Opportunity is a patient mistress and so is our hero.

Meanwhile, Queen Atlanta tiptoed back into her bedroom, her bare feet not making a sound. As was commonplace back then, her husband was knocked out cold. Drunk as a skunk, as the case may be. She looked from side to side and quietly tiptoed through the room, in an effort not to wake him. Though that would be extremely hard. For the seemingly short time she had known him, the man would get drunk every single night and when he was drunk he was dead to the word. The oil lamp provided just enough light for her to catch a glimmer out of the corner of her eye. There, in plain sight, was the key to the shackles. "Too easy." She throught to herself. She gingerly made her way over to the small table, and reached out, grabbing the key. Of course, in her excitement, she dropped it. The young Emperor began to stir, the Queen freezing in her tracks. He might be a drunk, but he was also quite fearful.

Back at the cell, the sleepless Cain continued his vigil of his captor. The young man had completelybtired himself out with whatever he'd been doing. Let's not venture to guess what that was. The storm outside was getting worse, rain beginning to beat the outside wall like a drum. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed through the bars again. Cain didn't flinch, for he knew his time was coming soon. He knew that sometimes good things happened to bad men. Bad men like him.

---

The screen waivered and rippled like an ocean once more, Cain finishing his statement. He controls the horizontal. He controls the vertical.

"...a gimmick!"

His eyes burn with intensity, veins popping out of his neck.

"No doubt you think you've already beaten me. Oh sure, that's why we've not heard hide nor hair of you since this match was announced! Me?! I've been having fucking nightmares about crazy shit that happened to me in the past, but still I don't lose focus. I remain vigilant, because I know that this is THE time! This is MY time, Aidan! No more "Cain sucks". No more "Cain's just a flash in the pan!"! Fuck no! And you know what?! I won't lay down for you. I..."

Goddamit...not again! This time, raindrops transition us to the next scene, in sync with the storm going on in what we now know as Cain's nightmarish past.

---

This time, her feet certainly made alot of noise as she ran down the stone steps as quickly as she could. Her breathing was harsh and labored as she stepped down into the dungeon. Cain's eyes snapped upwards to see her there, being chased by the Emperor himself. As the Emperor yelled, his voice rivaled the crackle of the thunder. "NO! STOP THIS INSTANT! HE IS MY TOY!" and as she fell, he pounced onto her. The poor young queen yelled at the top of her lungs as the Emperor began to beat her mercilessly with his fists. "YOU'RE RUINING EVERYTHING!"

Cain watched in disbelief as the whole landscape began to waiver and darken, everyone in sight save for him, the Emperor, and the queen turned to smoke. He looked down as the key slid from the Queen's demure hand and right into the lock of the shackle. Suddenly, an evil grin spread across the face of Cain. He toyed with the lock, and the shackles suddenly fell off just like that. He stood weakly and rubbed his wrists, saying only a name. "Morpheus."

The Emperor stopped his beating of the poor young girl who just laid there, bleeding profusely. He stood up and looked at the Last Son of Eden quite nervously, backing up. "N-n-n-o. What makes you say that!? Horseshit!"

"Romans worshipping Greek Gods? A drunk Captain of the guard who sleeps all the time, yet is appointed by the highest authority to guard the most dangerous man in existance? An African who worships Hades? Me? A fucking Spartan?!" Cain laughed."It's all a dream, God. But now, even for you...my dream becomes your nightmare. For I am Prince of all Killers..." Cain stormed over to Morpheus, who was powerless to stop him. The scenery now was completely blank. Even the Queen had disappeared. He grabbed Morpheus by the throat and began to squeeze, his own eyes flashing with Hellfire. "...and now you die."

In one of the most gruesome scenes ever shot in a Cain promo/story, the Last Son of Eden squeezed the throat of the God of Dreams so hard that his face reddened. His eyes suddenly began to buldge as he kicked and screamed, Cain showing no mercy. His power? It exceeded the range of a God even at his weakest. Morpheus let out a shriek and then a snap was heard. The murderous Cain dropped him and the camera zoomed in on his face. The scene itself once again faded back to the present day, but the unbridaled intensity in Cain's eyes remained as he finished his statement.

"...will...end...you."

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