"Whoa! Sick Azrael Erebus costume brah!"


"Yeah! It looks so authentic!"


When Azrael heard these words spoken by two random strangers that were attending the Halloween party that Axle King was hosting at King's Tavern, it made the spaceman chuckle. The duo was dressed as Eli Manning and Golden Tate or at least, those were the names plastered on their football jerseys and they were quite inebriated. Although, Azrael didn't think sobriety would alter their intelligence by much, some individuals were just always dumb and the level of their IQ only lowered, when they consumed drugs and alcohol. Like they could afford that happening.


Still, Azrael remained polite and acknowledged them respectfully, after all he was there for one reason and one reason only. Rebel Star. She wanted to go and he was meeting her there. On top of that, he was late and couldn't afford any further delays. No need to stir the pot or piss off a pair of neanderthals, lurching around like both their names were Amjetkun Socio. Minus the steroids. Besides they weren't in their right state of mind, so correcting them was literally the last thing that Az wanted to do. Then they might want proof. Meaning in this scenario, ignorance translated into peace. Which further translated into bliss. So the spaceman simply replied...


"Thanks."


And left it at that as he navigated further into the bar, his eyes scanning the massive crowd, that stretched from the open door to the back of the establishment. In search of his beloved. Quite an easy task when you're the tallest man in the room. At seven feet tall, Azrael towered over all. A giant, slipping through a sea of patrons, dressed in festive garb and costumes. Humans as well as the supernatural and strange, were genuinely mingling with one another.


It was rather refreshing, to be honest and proof that discrimination didn't exist, when everyone was pretending to be something that they weren't. Everyone except Azrael, who merely enjoyed the anonymity of the evening. Tonight there wasn't any exclusion, he was seen as anyone else. A rare treat when you're an alien known for your amazing abilities, long life span and history full of adventure. Sometimes it was nice to blend in for a change.


"Spaceman!"


So much for that idea. Azrael spun around and found himself facing Axle King.




"Nice turn out. Where's your costume?"


"What? I'm in costume! Where's yours?"


"I'm flying under the radar tonight."


"Oh. Lame. Meanwhile, I'm fully embracing the spirit of the holiday, you have no idea, how many women have thrown themselves at me. I can't tell if it's the free drinks or if they really think I'm the guy that I'm dressed like."


"Okay, I'll bite, what's your costume? Cause I can't tell."


"Wow. Unbelievable. It's so obvious. I'm James Raven!"


"Funny. Lets hope you don't do anything too stupid, he finds out and sues you for character defamation."


"Psssh... please, that man can't touch me. I'm too fast, too furious yo."


"Right. I suppose then, I wish you luck in conquering females under false pretenses, just remember to wear protection cause he'll definitely come after you, if you wind up accidentally procreating with someone tonight and then that person seeks legal action. Against him."


"What do I look like... an idiot?"


"Short answer yes, long answer no, with a but..."


"Hurtful Azzy. Hurtful."


"Yes, well I am certain, the solution to that pain is probably stumbling around this tavern, as we speak. Just waiting for you to deceive her. Smart bet says she'll probably be dressed as Harley Quinn. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to locate Rebel. Have fun!"


Turning away from Axle King, Azrael almost walked directly into Rebel Star. Dressed in a black, strapless bustier with hooked closures down the front, a black leather skirt, fishnets, knee high black boots; made of vinyl with four inch stacks, and her face painted, like a skeleton.




"Rebel! I was looking for you and you found me! You look amazing. Sexiest skeleton dominatrix, I have ever seen, by far. Sorry I'm late, I had to take care of some business on another planet."


Rebel smiled and pulled Azrael down closer for a kiss as she inched upward on her tiptoes. Even with her elevated footwear, the alien still stood taller than her. Wrapping her arms around him, she stepped back and gazed up into his eyes.


"Why did you have to go to another planet on Halloween?"


"I had to take care of a situation. One that I was meaning to tend to for a while now. It took longer than I anticipated."


"What did you need to do that was so dire?"


"That's not really important. Okay, that isn't entirely true, it was fairly significant but not so vital, that it needs to be discussed at this precise moment. Just know the matter has been sorted and with that being the case, I've alleviated a burden from hanging over my head."


"So you're not going to tell me what that burden was exactly? Okay. That's alright. How about the planet? Can you at least tell me what planet you went to?"


Curse the insistent questioning. Why did Rebel have to be so persistent? Couldn't she take a hint that he would reveal things, all in due time? Times and places, these weren't the right conditions.


"Do I really have to get into the specifics now? Here? At a Halloween party full of strangers and friends alike?"


"Azrael. You promised, no more secrets. This is you keeping secrets. Again."


Fine. She wanted answers, so then Azrael decided that he would supply them. Even if it was against his own wishes, he would satisfy her curiosity. It was his fault for mentioning stuff in the first place. When he should have said something vague and generalized. Funny how his thoughts immediately turned to deception as the remedy. Nevertheless, this was proof that old habits didn't die easy, especially when they've been instilled for centuries.


"Fine. You want to know what I did, I'll tell you. Not here though."


With a snap of his fingers, Azrael teleported, the both of them, to the roof of King's Tavern. Poor judgement on his part because it also happened to be rather chilly and raining. Unfortunate circumstances that he hastily remedied, by giving Rebel his cloak. Pulling it close around herself, Rebel tilted her head and furrowed her brows as she laughed.


"Is this really necessary?"


"Yes."


"Why?"


"Because..."


"Because?"


"I wanted to tell you this when we were alone. I don't want you to distrust me though, so if telling you now stops that from happening, so be it. I'll tell you now."


Azrael briefly looked away, his eyes cast towards the stars.


"I went to Ozuul. My home planet and... left pocket."


"Left pocket?"


Full focus returned to Rebel, Azrael sighed and ran a hand back through his long, black hair, before pulling it into a quick pony tail.


"Inside the cloak, there's a pocket on the left side. Stick your hand in it and take out what's inside."


Confused, Rebel followed Azrael's instructions.


"There's just a piece of paper in the pocket."


"Technically it's parchment but it is also so more than that as well."


One quick glance at the text written on the parchment summoned laughter. Laughter that Rebel silenced swiftly, when she seen Azrael's reaction and realized this was something relevant.


"Okay, I can't understand a single word that's written on here, what is this? What are you trying to show me?"


"That is a document of divorce. The first ever in the history of marriage on my planet. Divorce is illegal but I went to Ozuul and appealed the high council, I requested that they make an exception and grant me permission to terminate my marriage with Orion. Since he's missing and by missing... I mean he's dead. I killed him."


Gravity weighed heavy on that admission of guilt, without the actual feeling of guilt and Azrael found himself speaking quicker, the words tumbling out faster and faster as he spoke. If only to rectify a possible negative opinion getting placed upon him by Rebel.


"It was an act that I committed out of necessity, trust me, there was no other way around it. He gave me no alternative. No one knows the truth about that because I had Theo Pryce pass himself off as Orion, in order to lift my banishment. An instruction that was decreed by Orion, when Lila was conceived and upheld by the highest authority of the law. The plan was a success, the only problem was that meant Orion was alive. So I was still shackled to him, connected by an invisible string to a dead man."


"When I spoke with the High Council, I pointed out the fact that Orion disappeared and hasn't been seen since. Of course, this raised some concern but I told them flat out that I was trapped inside a gold rock for three years, if something happened to him, I didn't know about it. He's just gone. Then I speculated that maybe he doesn't want to be found. Perhaps his duties were too stressful and he either needed a break or wanted to retire. I stressed that if I couldn't find him, no one could. Which isn't a lie cause I incinerated him, burned him beyond ash. There's no way anyone will find him. Ever."


"After much debating and arguing the High Council gave me what I wanted. For my loyal years of dedicated service and all my valiant efforts throughout the cosmos, they authorized my freedom from the confines of marriage."


Pausing to take a breath, Azrael restored the pace of his speaking to normal and flashed a grin.
.

"In the eyes of the entire universe, I am officially a free man."


"So wait... you were married to a man?"


"Yes."


"A man that you murdered?"


"He was going to kill Lila, while she was still in the womb. Like I said, he didn't leave me with many options. There was a deluded theory that went around that Lila was going to bring about the end of the universe. Procreation between my kind and humans, isn't supposed to happen and takes extenuating circumstances to occur, it isn't something that can simply take place out of the blue and at random. And a bunch of scared fools speculated the worst when it did."


"Lila was the first child created between species. Or so it was assumed but you and I both know, that's far from true. Oliver Last is my first born child, a factor that I wasn't aware of at that time and if I didn't know about it, neither did anyone else. That wasn't the case for Lila, the news about that conception spread like wildfire. Which meant that it had to be a bad omen of some sort. Shortly after that Lila's mother, Viola was abducted and I had to do whatever it took to save her and our unborn child."


"In the end, Viola still wound up being slaughtered, after she gave birth to Lila. Out of the masses of the stupid and frightened, one being managed to end her life and I failed to protect her but Lila lived. She survived and I raised her. Something I sadly can't say about my other children. As time passed and the universe kept existing, the myth slowly faded. Then died."


"Damn. That's intense."


"My past is definitely far from boring."


"Why did you want to tell me this alone? I mean, I appreciate the gesture but I don't understand, why you wanted to make a point of telling me that you're a free man?"


"Because I believe that it's time, for me to move on and I wanted to be able to do that properly, for real. So here goes, on the rooftop in the rain, Rebel Star... will you marry me? Fully according to protocol, in an official and legitimate manner, for the whole universe to bear witness? Will you legally become my bride?"


The spaceman dropped down to one knee and presented Rebel Star with a ring, unlike any other. Set upon a black metal band, a jewel glistened with the very heart of the universe. Shimmering and fluctuating as the stars do themselves. It was the true embodiment of the galaxies and the longer you gazed upon it, the more it captivated and enchanted. With a radiance and sparkling sheen, unlike anything on Earth.


"Holy shit, I was not expecting that!"


For a moment, time stood still for the spaceman, as he desperately tried to gauge Rebel's reaction. Was it good or bad, he couldn't tell and it removed any further words from leaving his mouth. He was speechless. All he could do was look at her with anticipation as seconds seemed to stretch on for years.


"Yes! Absolutely! I'll marry you!"


These exclamations were closely followed by Rebel kissing Azrael as she threw her arms around him. When their lips parted, Azrael rested his forehead against Rebel's and whispered.


"I think I've experienced my first heart attack."


To which she replied.


"Lets get out of this rain."


"Back to the party?"


"Not a chance."


It was a request that Azrael happily obliged and with a smirk and a snap of his fingers, they vanished from sight.




"A lot has been said regarding Lethal Lottery, particularly by my opponents, Donovan Blackwater and 'Box Office' Brian O'Haire. Speculations and assumptions were stated, mostly based on their participation factor and future performance in our match. On top of that there's been judgement placed against me and my dedication factor."


"Donovan says he puts his heart and soul into the fight. Says he gives his matches his all. Then he doubts my commitment level. Claims I'll get hitched to his father and split. Which brings about a conundrum. You see, Azrael literally just proposed to me and I accepted that proposal but I don't plan on going anywhere, so in that prediction your wrong, Donovan. It's okay, it must be tough living in the shadow of your father, trying to rise up to expectation."


"That's clearly why you stated such wild accusations and commented like you did. You're emotional and grasping at straws, desperately trying to make things stick that aren't true. It's sad because I think you realize that but your pride clouds your common sense and powers of reasoning. You're a clever boy though and deep down, I'm certain that you understand the truth."


"You're full of shit."


"Just because I didn't return and reclaim the throne or dominate and destroy the competition on my way to a new wave of fame, doesn't mean that I can't or won't. Hence me throwing my metaphorical hat in the ring, when I offered up my services for Lethal Lottery. Did it ever occur to you that I might have been preparing for this moment? My return. As you pointed out, three years is a long time and I wanted to do it right."


"So in anticipation of a revival I took the necessary steps and started training. Something that I don't really need to do because I'm stronger than most but I decided to make a change and really put the effort towards readying my body and mind for battle and now, here I am. Stepping up to the plate in order to participate in one of the grandest events of all time."


"You spoke of my 'figurehead title' well allow me to educate you on the process that eventually would award me that prize. I had to fight some of the toughest competitors in the company. For several weeks, I fought and battled to the bitter end of each match, only to have my hand raised in victory. Time and time again, I rose up and I excelled. Until I became the first ever, female, King of the XWF. In a mostly male federation, I showed the world that a woman could be just as tough. That a lady can rule supreme and then, I left. So what? Now I'm back and I promise you, it isn't for a limited time. Believe what you want, I'll prove you wrong like the rest. You aren't the first to be wrong about me and you won't be the last."


"Come Saturday Night, I intend to give that fight my all. You already stated that I'm the one that you have to watch out for. You better be ready to pull off a performance of a lifetime. Use those tricks, bust out your best moves and show me what Force-Wave is truly capable of doing. Teach me that being strong isn't everything. I dare you. You better stay on defense though, be ready to toss up those force fields and watch your back cause you won't last five minutes otherwise."


"One punch is all that it'll take, to initiate the beginning of the end. Donovan's downfall. And we both know if you fail, your partner doesn't stand a chance. 'Box Office' Brian O'Haire, the actor teamed with the pretty boy that spends more time getting ready than I do and looks like he walked off the set of a GQ fashion shoot. Sorry not sorry, I had to bust your balls on that one."


"Brian O'Haire. The man that proclaims the two of you will be the duet that takes the world by storm. Like two film franchises joining forces. Yeah, well not all movies and television shows are hits, meant to last. Some stuff barely makes it past the pilot episode and there are flicks that get created, that don't make it past the first week at the box office."


"Like Jem and the Holograms. The movie based on the cartoon from the eighties. Everyone assumed it was going to be amazing. It failed to live up to the hype and was pulled from theaters in the first week, that's how terrible and disappointing it proved to be. Please, keep telling yourselves that you're truly, truly outrageous but in the end, know that actions speak louder than words and Jake Avery and I, won't be holding our breaths in anticipation of yours. Till Savage Night Spooks, gentlemen."

Former...
King of the XWF