“It would seem that I am still defending my place against those below.”

First a four-way match, and then a special match vs. Finn Kühn, and Raion Kido had been victorious. Not so bad for someone that had lost the Universal Title a month prior.

“But Bad Medicine awaits, and if I am going to go back to the Universal Title, I cannot stay here forever!”

Of course, Jenny Myst and Chris Chaos were still looming near, and this could not be put aside for much longer. There was a reckoning for the Lion to deliver after all, and there was still the matter of getting back to the Universal Title fight.

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…”

“Ah, no! Halloween is over already, and this is boring, let’s get out of here.”

And indeed, a gloomy, dreary atmosphere draws the Lion away from his thoughts, as he lifts his eyes from the book he is reading, and sets it upon the white, gold-threaded marble table that dominates the Reading Room of Edgar Allan Poe’s National Historic Site in Pennsylvania. The room in this surviving site is cluttered with small wooden chairs, a large crimson silk sofa, and red curtains that match the red carpet on the floor - as described by the famous author in one of his essays.

“... and an analysis of “The Black Cat” shows that the narrator’s house was destroyed in a fire because of his own cruelty towards his cat…”

The audio guide that sounds around the room, telling of Poe’s works and providing commentary, is too much for the Lion’s ears.

“For Athena’s sake!”

It isn’t long before the Lion heads outside of the brick house, and sees a statue of a raven, cast in bronze, evoking no doubt the famous poem. Upon a 12-foot-tall steel pedestal, wings fully spread, the raven casts its shadow on the house in the light of the quiet morning.

“Not a horror story fan, are you, Mr. Lion?”

One of the other visitors, a young woman - a literature student, judging by the backpack on her back and the book in her hand -, gives the young Saint of Athena a smile, which the Lion returns, along with a shake of his head.

“Not at all, Miss. Too depressing for my taste. Much like this guy I’m facing, apparently.”

The lady gives an understanding smile and a nod.

“I don’t blame you, sir. That’s how he was received at the time, but the man did have to deal with a lot of pain. His sweetheart died from tuberculosis and he was given to drinking, and eventually that caused his own death as well. It is also said that he had some sort of brain disease that explained his unstable and erratic behavior. He was obsessed with death and mourning, and that reflected in most of the pieces he wrote.”

The Lion draws a sigh, raising a placatory hand. Far be it from him to demean a famous writer, but there was too much sadness in the world already. Someone had to stay positive, and inspire others to stay positive as well.

Was that not, after all, also the task of a warrior of hope?

“We all deal with grief however we can, Miss, so I don’t really have a right to judge him. But I believe that no one should endure grief forever. We know that life is hard - but it can be great. I’m sure Mr. Poe himself sought for greatness in his own way through his writing, or else this house may not exist today.”

And at this point, he gives her a smile and a tiny, imperceptible wink.

“And that’s what I choose to do, Miss. I may have lost my title, but I serve as proof that anyone could win it if they dedicate their soul to it like I have. And I’d like to believe I stand here today as an example to anyone else that steps to an XWF stage.”

Now the Lion raises a fist up to the heavens, as if he could reach towards the sun.

“Perhaps that is why I keep getting booked against newcomers now - so as to show them that they too can be Raion Kido.”

“Well I don’t think everyone goes around carrying a golden armor on their back, Mr. Raion!”

“Wha-!”

The young woman starts giggling, at which Raion can’t help but answer with a small laugh of his own.

“Point taken, Miss, but you get the idea. I’m here to be this Axel Van Osborne’s welcoming committee, so I figure I’d at least give him something to expect. If he’s too depressed to do so much as a simple address to me, I’m going to try to shake things up a bit.”

He glances at the bronze raven perched upon the pedestal.

“Because this bird over here has chosen to perch upon the bust of Athena.”

*THUMP!*

With a hard, loud impact, the golden box strapped to the back of Raion Kido hits the ground.

“So it’s time for her Saint to make him fly.”

The Lion pulls the box’s handle, and it starts to open, to reveal the shining Gold Cloth within…



Among the sound of crows, thus the Lion begins his speech, clad in his shining Gold Cloth of Leo, with the white cape floating at his back. The words of his recitation are carried over by the morning gale in the city of Philadelphia, and the stern, unforgiving gaze of the bronze bird atop his pedestal overlooking the young wrestler from Osaka.

But Raion Kido is not Edgar Allan Poe, to be eternally haunted by a raven.

He is a Saint of Athena - and no crow shall give him pause.

“Everyone knows The Raven, the poem by Edgar Allan Poe, who had a house he rented here at the City of Brotherly Love, and from where I talk to you right now, my friends. I’ll admit this type of literature is not of my preference, too gloomy and dreary for my taste, but then again I do like comics geared towards young boys, so who am I to judge?

But worry not, for I’m not going to recite the whole thing, nor will I end this with “nevermore”. That road has been trodden several times before, and you deserve better than that.

Alas, however, I cannot leave this reference unmentioned, for that seems to be exactly what I am facing this week, a raven perched upon a bust of Pallas, perched and sat, and nothing more.

One more time I find myself in the opening match, the first thing that the XWF Universe shall see once Savage Saturday Night comes on. Other people would probably be outraged at a former Universal Champion, no less, in this position. But to me it makes no difference, because just like my opponent for this show, I do remember that I too was once on that side.

And apparently, unlike this Axel Van Osborne guy I am facing, I know exactly what I need to do.”

Indeed, the Lion knows. This may be an opening match, and the eyes of the world may be set on Axel Van Osborne more than him, but he knows that the XWF Universe, and perhaps Chris Chaos, shall be watching.

But whether they did or not, there was only one thing for a Saint of Athena to do.

Once again, it was finally the time to let his cosmos burn.


“Because not so very long ago, I was just a rookie that came out of nowhere, trying to make an impact in my first XWF match. But even back then, with all the mystery and the expectations - and I can claim without boast that there were expectations -, I tried to make sure that the world knew exactly who and what Raion Kido was. Because I knew that, at Fire and Ice, my face would be the very first thing they saw.

And yet, here we are, one day before Savage Saturday Night, and all we know of Axel Van Osborne is that he looks like another clone of The Crow, that he has been an acclaimed wrestler in places that no longer exist, and that he had a mansion - because of course, it always has to be a mansion - that caught fire and marred his once handsome face.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not making fun of a personal tragedy, but I figure that someone that apparently used to be a big thing, and would join what may possibly be the best wrestling promotion in the world to make a comeback, and to rekindle his name and reputation as a wrestler, would have at least the slightest sliver of motivation for the world to hear their voice. That, at least, derives from what little we know about you, Mr. Axel. Where’s that quick mind? Where’s that wit? Admittedly, I am not the best talker in the world, but at least people know my voice, and are able to say “there is a speech by Raion Kido, and he does not disappoint”.”

The Lion clenches a fist as his trademark predator’s grin appears on his face. There might be others with quicker minds and better wit, but when the Lion speaks, people never fail to listen.

And if Axel Van Osborne had indeed the wit he purportedly claimed, he had better do so.

“Because in case you have been too busy sulking over the ruins of your mansion, or whatever the black-and-white, raven-motif types like you actually do, I’m going to tell you exactly what you’re up against in your very XWF debut.

You are, Mr. Van Osborne, going against someone that, just like you, made his XWF debut in 2022. You are also facing a former Universal Champion - the top title in this promotion, and one of the most sought-after, longest-lived titles in the world. On top of that, that is the first title I won here, so that should probably tell you the full story. You’re going up against arguably the best newcomer that has stepped into this promotion this year.

But above all that, Mr. Van Osborne, you are also facing someone that also knows about how things burn.”

The predatory grin upon Raion Kido’s face turns now into a feral snarl. Every newcomer in 2022 that came to the XWF had eventually come to know the truth behind the Lion’s words.

And come Savage Saturday Night, Axel Van Osborne would be no exception.

“So Mr. Axel, if you can hear me, if you can actually be bothered to answer and have not yet turned to dust and ash, are you actually aware of what you’re facing? Maybe you are, and you’re actually in awe and at a loss for words, or else we would have heard of you by now. Because that’s exactly the problem here, Mr. Corvid Antihero.

This is meant to be your debut. This is meant to be your chance for the wrestling world to know, or remember, if they already had, the name of Axel Van Osborne. This is meant for you to show that your tragedy has not daunted you, that you’re not feeling sorry for yourself in whatever remains of your old home and hiding behind your mask of shame.

I mean, that should be the prime motivation for any debuting wrestler, Axel! That should be the very basic thought, the minimal effort, the lowest common denominator among all wrestlers stepping into an XWF ring at their very first match, but for you, it should be infinitely more so, just by the very nature of the foe you’re facing. In my debut, I faced Xavier Lux, the hottest rookie at the time, but then I went against a Hall of Famer, and against one of the very stars that the XWF had the very match after that!

And faced with that, what do you think I did, Mr. Axel? Did I stay in the shadows like you’re doing? No! I went out there and beat them, and earned my name and my place in this business and this company, a place which I’ve held with pride and which I continue to defend even after having lost the Universal Title! Did I play the sulking, tortured wretch every single time there was a big chance that I missed?

One more time, no! For I am a Saint of Athena, a warrior of hope, and it is my duty to lead by example!! I am the reference to the other newcomers and to everyone else in a deep struggle, the living testament that anyone can achieve the greatest feats imaginable, if they make their souls ignite!”

The sound of the crows is drowned out by the echo of the Lion’s roar, followed by nothing but the whisper of the wind.

It did not at all seem like Axel Van Osborne had cared about who and what he faced, or even that he had a contract in the XWF. And with Chris Chaos and Jenny Myst around the corner, ready to strike at any second, the Lion’s time had been wasted enough already.

Raion Kido points directly at the camera as he utters the next words - a stern warning from the mouth with the Lion’s fangs.

“That is what stands in front of you at Savage Saturday Night, Mr. Van Osborne, your welcoming committee to your XWF career! Because this match, like every match I have had since Relentless, is founded on the premise that every wrestler has a chance of beating Raion Kido. That just like I have managed to become one of the best names in the XWF within the span of a year, the very same exact thing can be done by anyone.

Like Angelica Vaughn, who has become a tag team Champion. Like Atara Raven, who has held the Xtreme Title until now before Jenny Myst defeated her. Like Jenny Myst herself, who earned two titles this year despite going against better foes. All of them are names that I have defeated and that earned their glory after their loss at my hands, so you should consider yourself fortunate to be facing me in your very first match, Mr. Van Osborne. You don’t know what you’re facing, nor do you seem to care.

And that, unfortunately, is something of which I cannot let go.”

The finger pointed at the camera turns into a fist, as the Lion clenches his hand, peels back his lips, and grinds his teeth.

This time, there’s no sound of crows - and when the Gold Saint of Leo speaks again, even the wind has gone silent.

It was time to end this already, for Bad Medicine awaited.

“Because make no mistake, Mr. Van Osborne. I don’t know you - nor do I think anyone else does - so this is not born of any personal animosity. But I have come too far, and done too much, to allow myself to fall to someone who does not seem to have the slightest interest in the company whose contract he just signed, nor in the quality of the opponent that he received for his debut.

Whether on the opening match or at the very Main Event, Raion Kido is one of the best in the XWF, and comes to every match to prove that point. And on November 11th, at the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, the XWF Universe shall witness this one more time as the newest wrestler in its roster goes down to the Gold Saint of Leo.

But as if that were not enough, there is something that goes beyond you, Mr. Van Osborne. Bad Medicine is approaching and there is a reckoning for me to deliver there against Chris Chaos, or Jenny Myst if she chooses to rear her unstable, messed up head. That is where my sight is set and you are but a step towards that. A distraction. A mere raven perched upon the bust of Athena.

And I cannot abide for her statue to be defiled, so I shall fulfill my duty as a Saint, and remove you from it. That is my warning to you. If there is still an ounce of spirit in you, if there is still an ounce of courage, or determination, or sheer willpower, to return to the wrestling world and prove you were worthy of whatever accomplishments you once had, I would suggest you take flight.

Lift yourself from your lethargy, and fly from that perch before the Lightning Bolt reduces you to a cloud of black feathers floating in the air, before they finally fall to the ground, as forgotten as your name seems to be.”

One more time does the Lion point towards the camera, the shining in his eyes as bright as the burnished plate of the Golden Cloth that he wears.

“Because as eerie and foreboding as may be, a raven is no match for a Lion.

And whether you indeed come from the bowels of hell and have experienced the heat of whatever fire burns there, I assure you, Mr. Van Osborne…”

The Saint of Athena spreads his arms in a decisive motion - as the environment around him has gone as dead and lifeless as the bronze raven that stands behind his back.

“... no fire you have ever felt shall burn you as intensely as the power of the cosmos.”

Fade to black.