A hand closes around a blue flower beside a dirt trail, the fingers cupping beneath it's petals as though primed to pick it from it's stem. But the hand pauses, and then slowly withdraws from the flower. No, best to leave it be.

Our view pulls back to reveal the form shared by Lux and Corey Smith. The weather is bright and beautiful, a far cry from the chilly elements gripping most of the country. The body steps back from the flower, considering it with a strange wistful smile before continuing down the path. A marker that we pass by identifies the location as Rainbow Springs State Park in Florida.

(LUX, earlier today) Okay Corey, if I'm going to trust you with this, we need to establish some ground rules. I want to stress upfront that these rules are not to be breached under any circumstances. This is a pact Corey, a bond. You have to appreciate how much faith I'm putting in you. You could jeopardize my entire mission.

We return to the path, where the form is still on the trail. A radiant, life giving sun breathes silky warm rays on the surroundings. The form passes by a series of trees, the branches hanging low and into the path. The form sticks a hand out, fingertips gracing the leaves of the tree ever so gently, causing them to sway in his/her wake.

(LUX, earlier today) Number one. No drugs under any circumstances. None. This rule is going first for a reason. This breaks our compact immediately if violated and you will lose any and all rights to this body. I don't care if you were born with it. I simply don't have time for self-destruction. If this body dies, I die too. And with me...the world....

The form stops in a clearing now and, removing the day pack strapped to it's back, withdraws a small packed lunch. Finding a large rock to sit on, he/she begins to unwrap a sandwich and eat. But then, in the distance, a deer bounds out of the edge of the woods. The form stops immediately, eyes locked on the beast, before breaking out into a fascinated smile. He/she watches the creature continue on it's way, oblivious to the presence of its observer.

(LUX, earlier today) Number two. You are not to engage with any member of your family, or anyone else you knew in life. I understand this will be...challenging. But doing so could alter your own time line, which could have any myriad of effects on our present circumstances. Moreover, you are in no way to interact with your younger self. Your life must continue on it's present course or, again, our present circumstances could be jeopardized. You ever see that old movie The Butterfly Effect? Then you know what I'm talking about. Just. Don't. Do it.

The form, having finished it's picnic lunch, leans over the rock it had been sitting on to consider the ground. Almost as if on some childish impulse, the form reaches down to take a handful of dirt into hand. He/she lets the dirt run through it's fingers, watching it intently as it tumbles and rubbing its coarseness in between his/her finger tips and seeming to savor the sensation.

(LUX, earlier today) Number three. This should be obvious, but you are not to engage in any other activities that could result in harm or death. No heroics. No dumb choices. And no fighting. That's my job. Leave it to me.

By now, the body has continued on the nature trail, and just outside our visual range the sound of rushing water can be heard. Our view swings around to just behind this body so we can take in what he/she is seeing.



The light catches the water as it tumbles, creating what looks like glowing embers in it's rivulets. An impossible image of peace and intensity. Life giving water and the destructive force of the flame, merging together as one elemental force.

Corey Smith, present now in his shell, is again awestruck. Not because he's never seen a sight like this before. But because he was seeing it AGAIN. Because fate, or some benevolent God, or even the capricious zag of an otherwise ambivalent universe had allowed it. Had given him another chance at seeing it. A warmth forms in Corey's chest, and slowly percolates inside him, spreading out...out...out, until it encapsulates the whole of his being. And when he can't contain it anymore, he gives it to the world.

YES! He cries out jubilantly. YES! YES! YES! He collapses into fits of laughter, losing himself in this moment before this sight of natural beauty. Appreciating all that it represented. A second chance. He drops to his haunches now, overcome. The tears appear in his eyes and start to cascade down his face. He weeps for himself. He weeps for the opportunity.

He weeps for joy.

Lux watches all of this from deep within the body, herself now a passenger to Corey's control. She tries not to be moved, to steel herself from the emotions and subsequent physical sensations that the young man is experiencing. But they're too intertwined. She experiences almost all of it. And her own mind's eye sheds a tear. I hope I can do this for us, Corey. I hope I'm strong enough for us. She whispers these words to herself, drawing her toned arms around her abdomen as she watches her counterpart born anew.



Management has seen fit to throw me back into the fray against two opponents I beat on my own last week. Except this time I'm getting help.

I won't claim to understand their logic here.

But I'm not the type to complain. I'll fight whoever they throw in my way. And if it's a body I've already beaten down, so be it. That being said, I hope this doesn't become a trend. The roster is full enough that I would think it not too difficult to diversify my opposition a bit.

Admittedly though, I am at a disadvantage here. I'm not quite sure what to say to Cadryn Tiberius above and beyond what I said last week. I already definitively revealed him for the callow sham that he is. A man full of ceaseless bluster who has built a “halfway there” career out of telling anyone who will listen that he's incredible all the while showing that he is incapable of matching his own hype. At this point I'm just pouring salt in the gushing wound. Granted, I'm not OPPOSED to that when it's warranted, but Cadryn's not an evil man. Just...a bit sad, I suppose. I think he desperately wants his hype to be true. Perhaps he even believes it himself. I hope me damn near kicking his face off last week hasn't done anything too damaging to his psyche. I imagine he's tiptoeing through the broken glass of his shattered illusions as we speak. But I do hope he hasn't done anything grave. Because I'm still not buying that that suicidal display was completely contrived.

Here's the thing Cadryn, you're a man who needs to walk before you can fly. I think you've built a career out of trying to fly too early, and you've fallen from the nest every time for your troubles. You could be great, if you want to be. But you need to drag that ego back down to terra firma, and for once in your life not run away when things get hard. Honestly though, I'll be shocked if you even have anything to say about this match. I checked you hard last week. The only question is if you've actually learned anything from it.

As for you Natia, I was a bit disappointed to see that the one dancing so furiously on the razor's edge had the least impact on our contest. Don't misunderstand me, I saw flashes of talent in you. It occurred to me that maybe you were even holding back a bit, contrary to what your words seemed to suggest. I think I can pull more out of you. You're not like Cadryn, you're not broken and desperate. There's a vitality, a fierceness in you, that I want to see more of. I still don't agree with your more nihilistic traits, but you could push me. So I'm declaring, here and now, that I am gunning for YOU in this match. I already beat Cadryn. There's no more laurels to be had there. I want you this time. I want to see what you have in you. Because I suspect there's a wellspring of strength hiding in there, and that your last outing was not a true indication of what you can do. We'll see. I just hope you don't prove me wrong. I hate being wrong.

Finally....Arthur Grey. This is the part where some people might tell you “not to fuck this up”. Heh. Those people are fools. Now, naturally, I want you to “not fuck this up”. But the people who tend to lead with that are vapid egomaniacs who don't see the value in cooperation. I have no problem asking for help. Now, whether I truly need it against these two is another matter, but if you're scheduled to be in my corner I certainly don't resent you for it. The XWF is a tough place, relatively speaking. Seeking allies and embracing partners is just prudent. But if we're going to do this, let's do it right. I invite you to come train with me, Arthur. You could have something to teach me, even though I'm a tad older. **pause** It's probably best you don't ask me too many questions about that though.

Cadryn...Natia....I'm not seriously expecting to hear from either of you. But that doesn't mean I don't want to. Especially you, Natia. But until then...”sweat more in practice, bleed less in war”.