It had been awhile since humanity crept into the Prince's mind. It had been even longer since his heart had pumped anything but hatred. But now, something was changing. His mind had slipped, he had no question of that. The pursuits that once pleased him, gaining wealth, silencing detractors, and outsmarting hustlers and criminals had no longer been able to satiate his sick desires. Like an addiction he sunk lower and lower into depravity, wanting more and more violence. Needing more war, more power to even begin to appease himself.

They say Home is where the Heart is and for the longest time Eddie Chamberlain agreed with that notion. But recently things had changed. Home had felt devoid and blank. The characters that normally inhabited the stage of his mind had long since left. In turn Eddie had renewed his vigour. The small apartment complex, once filled with junkies, hustlers, gamblers, and peddlers, once the site of a criminal republic, was now crackling and popping in a bright blaze, burnt to the ground like so many had tried to do for years. Dropping his can of gas to the dusty ground, Eddie tilted his makeshift crown of moss and thorns to fit snuggly. A subtle hint to his enemies.

Yet he could feel a small corner of his mind struggling. Somewhere, deep inside a part of him was rejecting the poison he was filling his body with. Some part of him hated it. Eddie hated it with the same passion, the same hatred that The Prince carried for everything else. And Eddie loved that small corner of his body for it. No matter what good it sought to do, it carried with it the ability to be malevolent on the same scale as The Prince. It could and would never be free.

From the ashes of a life of petty bravado, a figure called "The Prince" emerged. More sadistic, more hell bent on ruinous damage, a version of Eddie more depraved by his very nature. It was this Prince that now stood in front of a small abandoned church. Nestled safely on a hill resting on the City Limits, Eddie could overlook his Masterpiece from his bedroom or simply meander through the abandoned gravestones. It was in the hallowed halls of God that The Prince now resided. A subtle hint to his enemies.

Rust marred the large metal handles that adorned the bulking wooden doors. The paint had long been chipped away, giving a rebirth to the natural oaken colours of the door’s structure. The cold metal pushed through the leather gloves that gripped them, swinging them open allowing the miniscule amount of dusk’s remaining light to rush through small building. Eddie eyed the structure he was about to step into giving it an all around approving nod.

The shadows danced around the wooden floor following Eddie as he strode into the building. Harlequin tossed his jacket across the back of a pew before continuing up the aisle. To his sides he marvelled at the stained glass paintings. The intricate art work shone in the day’s remaining light casting faint shadows of the replicated saints across the floors and pews.

"E": It's nice to be among equals.

It was the twisted smile of The Prince that could shatter each fixture into a series of tiny shards. It was the very growl emerging from his vibrating vocal chords that would send tremors through the heart of those who would hear. It was lucky that each of the Saints adorning the walls was long since dead. For Hell walked through their halls.

Eddie chuckled quietly to himself as he passed the beheaded painting of John the Baptist.

"E": I understand your pain. He’s always going to be better than you...there’s just no reason to lose your head over it.

The various depictions of Saints adorned the walls of the abandoned church Eddie now found himself residing in. The old wood of the pews seemed to flash the memories of all those who had previously sat in them. Closing his eyes Eddie imagined service after service occurring, person after person walking past him on their way to the altar. With eyes closed Eddie reached his hand forward pretending rest his palm upon the foreheads of all who approached.

"E":What comes next... is my rapture.

I rise from the ashes of a dying sport, the plague of Sports Entertainment. Broken men and women, all of you. I walk as a God throughout this City untouched. I walk above them and they shall tremble at the vibration of my footsteps and at the sounds of my voice.

He stopped momentarily, his fingers resting against the altar peacefully falling into disrepair deep within the sanctuary. Eddie waited for an instant to be struck down by the mighty hand of God before continuing his exploration of his newfound home with a slight smile.

It wasn’t that he was entirely blasphemous he just loved the ability to be in the house of God and not be suffering his wrath. For as long as The Prince could remember God had long since vacated any of the churches in his name. For all he knew and cared God has abandoned humanity. With a smile Harlequin walked towards the window of the sanctuary before catching a glimpse of a tombstone in the courtyard of the church. While many of the tombstones sat in disrepair this particular one could have been no more than a year old. The bright marble glimmered in the setting sun’s light brining malice to the eyes of The Prince.

"E": I can hear the call. The ring bells, the roar of a hateful audience, the clamoring of senseless primadonnas yearning to be crushed beneath my fists.

Closing his eyes, Eddie rested his makeshift crown of moss and thorns upon the corner of the priest's high chair. He plopped down irreverently, cracking his knuckles and rolling his kneck about his shoulders until he heard a familiar chorus of pops. Eyes closed, he continued.

"E":...X...W...F...

A look of frustration hung on his face as he rested his chin upon his calloused knuckles. With a heavy sigh...

"E": I wish there was more I could say than stating the obvious. Some distant part of me harbors pity for the wayward jackass who will inevitably try and silence the realities I expound. And the man after him who wishes to avenge the brutality unleashed on the first, and so on, and so on, and so on. But you will find no empathy. You will find no mercy. If you want to come at the Prince, you better learn to aim for the crown. My rise will only be as painful as you make it. See that my ascent is nothing but attaining the honor and glory is rightfully mine, and the transition will be as smooth as a windless lake. But stand against the sound and the fury of a man beyond your recognition and I will bury you each and every one of you so far beyond memory, your families will never rise from beneath the cloud of shame. I will cripple this company just for being. I will not bring about the fall, I AM THE FALL.

Glancing up at the crown, he squinted as the very last remnants of the day shone through a sliver of broken stained glass. Through the glare of the dusk, he smiled.

"E": I knew you wouldn’t leave me to rest. You just couldn’t leave well enough alone could you?