Dexter Grant vs. La Pequena Luz

[Konrad Raab]

2 RP Limit for singles

3500 Word Limit Per RP

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Wednesday, August 27, 2025

[Wisteria Waltz]

“You harlots will be dead shortly!”

The Nevados all turned to see Stephen Crane, who had desperately thrown his dagger to try and catch any one of them, preferably Luz, with a killing blow, scrambling to pull himself back to his feet before he frantically looked around and dove for the rifle left laying on the ground. He quickly aimed haphazardly in Luz's direction and moved to pull the trigger.

Time seemed to stop as a gunshot echoed throughout the abandoned parking garage.

After a few moments of closed eyes and fearful waiting, Luz slowly opened her eyes and pat herself down, realizing that her only wound had been the one on her face from the dagger. She quickly looked over to her mom and sister, also frantically checking themselves out, and no one found a single bullet wound anywhere.

Then they turned to look towards Stephen, and they were just as shocked as his Empire goons who were starting to stir and had witnessed what happened.

Stephen Crane was standing eerily still, eyes wide in horror but slowly rolling back into his head, before he fell forward and collapsed onto his face. This allowed for a very clear bullet wound to now be visible in the back of his skull, confirming that the leader of The Empire's splinter cell was now dead.

As Stephen's henchmen scrambled and retreated for their own safety, something felt... off.

And Luz realized it the moment her gaze lowered... and she gasped at the sudden appearance of a gun in her hands, the barrel still smoking from a freshly fired shot.

“No... no, no, nononono NO!” Luz shrieked as she dropped the gun, the mere sound of it clattering against the concrete at her feet sending jolts of electricity up her spine. “I... I didn't...”

Luz slowly turned her head, eyes beginning to water and jaw on the ground, as she saw the looks her mother and sister were giving her. They weren't looks of relief, like she swore they would wear because they were all out of danger now. No... they were looks of fear, and the two of them were slowly backing away from Luz, as though they would be next if they lingered too long.

“Tú... lo mataste...” Camila mumbled, her voice monotone from shock and horror.

“No! I didn't, I swear I didn't!” Luz pleaded as she dropped to her knees, though another scream nearly ripped from her throat as she saw the tears that had been raining into her palms now looked like blood.

“Lo mataste...” Valentina repeated, sounding just as horrified.

“No... no, this isn't right! I didn't! But even if I did, he... he was gonna...” Luz tried to plea, but her voice was failing her.

All she heard was her mom and sister numbly repeated the phrase “you killed him” over and over again in Spanish, all she felt was blood on her hands, all she saw was red consuming her vision as she tried to cry out, finding herself unable to say a word anymore. She couldn't have done this... even if Stephen Crane deserved it, she would never find it in her heart to take a life even in self-defense and left with no choice. This was wrong, this had to be wrong, she couldn't have-

“¡No, no lo maté! ¡Lo juro!”

Luz sat up, breathing heavily, feeling the cold sweat training down her skin. She looked around the room frantically, as if trying to convince herself that what she saw wasn't real. She remembered the techniques she and Amelia relied on to try and ground themselves whenever they began breaking down, taking in the sight of the alarm clock beside her bed, the walk-in closet where she and Amelia kept their clothes, the TV in their bedroom which had been muted but was playing K-Pop Demon Hunters for what had to be the millionth time since the movie had dropped on Netflix...

“Luz!? Luz... Luna... talk to me, Lulu. I'm right here.”

Despite the sound of her own heartbeat thundering in her ears, the familiar voice of her wife managed to cut through the cacophony. Luz turned, her unmasked face meeting Amelia's very concerned face in the dark. Under any other circumstances, Luz would've been thinking that her wife looked beautiful even though she'd just been woken up in the middle of the night, or consider herself the luckiest woman in the world to be waking up next to Amelia, or even turning several bright shades of red at remembering they were both naked after a night of passionate 'celebration' that felt long overdue.

This wasn't any of those circumstances, however, and Amelia let out a grunt of surprise but remained sturdy when Luz practically threw herself at her wife, clinging to Amelia like she would disappear if Luz let go.

“Easy querida, I've got you,” Amelia reassured as she held Luz tightly against her chest, one hand wiping the sweat from her bare back while the other gently petted her hair. “I'm here... I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Follow my lead... in for four, hold for seven...”

Amelia's constant talking was a big help as Luz followed her instructions, the two of them doing their breathing exercise that slowly but surely grounded her and cleared the maelstrom of thoughts that had been threatening to devour her brain. There was still the occasional tremble, but Amelia's hold on her was firm yet gentle, reassuring her that whatever happened, she was staying right here with her.

When she would look back on this moment later, Luz would find she wasn't surprised that it had taken a couple of days after Rise to Greatness was finally in the books before she had a nightmare over the encounter with the now-deceased leader of The Empire's splinter cell that made it clear he wanted her and Amelia dead.

As she slowly began to calm down and recover, Luz could now recall the day everyone had arrived in Houston for SCW's biggest show of the year clearly. Despite their found family and the government forces that were watching over them taking every precaution possible and thoroughly planning out how to deal with this fractured faction of the religious cult that had plagued them for years at this point, those who followed Stephen Crane had found a way to force both Luz and Amelia into playing by their terms. They had thoroughly discussed their respective encounters once they were reunited after all was set and done that day, and between the two of them, they could confirm that Stephen had been the only casualty. Amelia's parents and the splinter cell members with them had all been knocked out and were arrested once the NCA and MI5 raided that hidden forest mansion, while the ones who had tried to run following Stephen's demise had ultimately been tracked down and rounded up by the FBI, putting an end to any Empire distractions for the biggest wrestling weekend of the couple's careers yet.

Luz could also remember clearly that she was not the one who had landed the headshot that ended the life of the murderous misogynistic ex-conductor, nor had she even touched a firearm of any kind during that whole ordeal.

Still, even if no one had any answers as to who did pull the trigger and kill him on that day, the very sight of Stephen dropping dead in front of her had been haunting her nightmares ever since. Sure, the man deserved it for being a sick scumbag who gave Caleb White a run for his money, which was really saying something given all of the atrocities The Empire's leader had to his name, but it was still someone else Luz had watched die right before her very eyes in this continuing struggle with a religious cult that just would not leave her and her loved ones alone. Her father, Ryan Lumis, she would count Jacob Harrison despite not seeing his death and despite how much of a creep and nuisance he'd been in his own right, and now Stephen Crane... even if part of her could say some of those names may have deserved it, she still felt sick at the idea of the absolutely unnecessary death toll that was resulting from this whole conflict.

Truth be told, Luz was extremely grateful that wrestling had always been the perfect distraction for her to become completely immersed in, because if you watched her performance at Rise to Greatness, you would never have been able to tell that she'd gone through a life-threatening confrontation and watched a man die before her very eyes in the week leading up to that show.

Luz still couldn't believe it even as her eyes drifted down to the floor, seeing the SCW United States Championship belt that once again belonged to her resting beside her bag. This time, there was no 'interim' tag attached to it... she was, without question, the undisputed champion, having not only overcome Deanna Frost and Asher Hayes to do it, but also hopefully putting the nail in the coffin on the misguided efforts of Jordan Majors to simply claim a title belonged to her and act like it was fact. She also remembers being worried for her wife despite her own hard-fought victory that night, but any fears of jealousy were immediately quashed when Amelia reassured Luz that she already had a plan, and Luz knew better than to question a plan made by her brilliant, awesome wife.

All in all, the entire time they had been in Houston for Rise to Greatness had been an absolute rush of adrenaline that hadn't quite faded yet even when the couple returned to their home in Anaheim for what felt like the first time in a while during the usual post-Rise to Greatness break. In that regard, it really hadn't been that surprising that Luz had been riding that emotional high for so long that this had been buried beneath the surface until now, just when things were finally starting to calm down once again.

“I'm alright... estoy bien, Ames,” Luz slowly breathed out as she did feel her body relaxing finally against her wife's, the two of them just sitting there on the bed holding each other like they were the most precious thing in the world.

“Bad dream?” Amelia carefully asked, and Luz wasted no time in nodding in the affirmative. “Oh, Lulu... I'm here if you want to talk about it, but we can wait until morning if you'd rather try to get some more rest first.”

“No, no, I think it'd be better if we talk about it now,” Luz said, her voice becoming a bit shaky again but she did the breathing trick once more, followed by giving Amelia's lips a kiss to help truly keep her anchored. It didn't fully ease Amelia's worries, but she still gave Luz a reassuring smile that helped so much. “I, um... I d-dreamed about what happened... with Stephen Crane...”

That put a frown on Amelia's lips, but she remained silent, letting Luz take her time.

“I... I... I dreamed about him being shot, and- and falling dead at my feet,” Luz soldiered on. “But unlike how it actually happened, I looked down and... and I saw a gun in my hands, like I'd fired the shot that killed him! Mamá and V were horrified and scared of me and... I didn't kill him! I don't know who did, but he still died because of this stupid mess The Empire just won't let go of with us! Jacob, Ryan... papá...”

“I know, mi amor,” Amelia gently sighed as she somehow held Luz tighter. “I know you didn't kill him, even if he absolutely deserved it. It's... it's a messed-up situation all around, one we're definitely not equipped to be a part of but one we're stuck in the middle of whether we like it or not.”

“Too many lives have been lost, Ames...” Luz sniffled, a sound that absolutely broke Amelia's heart to hear. “All because of us...”

“No... no, Lulu, we can't think that,” Amelia shakily tried to argue. “We're not responsible for anything these lunatics do, no matter how much it hurts. We're not killers, we're not psychopaths, we're just... Amelia and Luna Nevado.”

“Amelia and Luna Nevado...” Luz repeated, trying to make it an affirmation to herself. “Or La Pequeña Luz when we're out in public.”

“There's the woman I know and love,” Amelia wetly giggled, provoking laughter from Luz as the two fell back onto their pillows, cuddling closer.

Despite the spark that seemed to lighten the fog that was suffocating them after everything that happened, Amelia's smile still turned into a worried frown again as she wiped the tears from Luz's eyes, her own landing on the scar that Luz had carried out of her ordeal with Stephen. She had spoken about the dagger that scored a clean cut even through her mask as Luz made sure to shield her mom and sister from anything potentially even more fatal when that thing had been thrown, and Amelia wanted to both smile and curse her beloved's selfless heroics. Thankfully, the scar was in an area that was likely never to be seen publicly for quite some time because Luz's masks would cover it, but seeing the permanent blemish on her wife's otherwise beautiful face beneath those masks...

“Hey,” Luz spoke up, trying to project whatever confidence she could muster to return the favor before Amelia started to spiral herself, gently taking her wife's hand and letting it trace over the scar that cut right through her left eyebrow. “I know what's going on in that big, beautiful brain of yours, querida. If you're going to start worrying about how I got that scar, that means I get to worry about the risk you took playing on your dad's pride to avoid getting shot by him.”

“I think we're both right to worry about those things and everything else that happened besides what we accomplished at Rise to Greatness,” Amelia mumbled. “We've... we've both been through so much, haven't we? And I'm not talking about this crazy ride we've been on together for years called wrestling.”

“More than any person probably ever should, and we asked for none of it,” Luz agreed, lacing her fingers through Amelia's as their hands drifted down to rest on Luz's breast, right over her heart to feel that it was, in fact, still beating.

“We should probably talk to someone about this...” Amelia mused, earning a sigh from Luz.

“You're not wrong, Ames,” Luz reassured her wife before she could take the sigh as a negative. “It's just... who would we even talk to about something like this? Like... yeah, maybe a therapist of some kind could help us better cope with all the crazy stuff we've gone through, because if we don't come out of this Empire nonsense with mental scars I think everyone would be rightfully worried about us. But to just... sit on some couch and unload about how this messed-up religious cult full of dangerous people led by an absolutely deranged and self-centered sociopath keeps trying to either murder us or brainwash us into joining them as some sort of grand plan to 'purge and save humanity' in God's name?”

“...it does sound crazy when you say it out loud, and I'd be afraid any therapist would probably think the same thing even if we had any of our friends or federal agents backing up our claims,” Amelia admitted. “Even if they don't think we've lost our marbles... who would even know how to help with something like that?”

“Maybe a therapist who's helped war veterans with PTSD from being out on the battlefield?” Luz genuinely offered. “That might be our best bet, even if this is an entirely different can of worms.”

“PTSD might be on the short list of issues we should consider when this is all finally over,” Amelia sighed, making sure to emphasize her belief that things with The Empire would come to an end... even if neither one of them knew how long that would take at this point. “You think we should consider talking to Dr. Marsh-Asher before the next Breakdown if he's around?”

“I don't know...” Luz bit her bottom lip in worry at the thought. “I don't want to sound like I'm holding anything against him because of the wrestler he used to be, but... I'd be worried, Ames. What if he realizes this is a problem that would require us to be taken off the road indefinitely, not just for our own sake, but as a safety precaution in case anything is actually tried at a wrestling show?”

“I...” Amelia coughed, almost wanting to vomit at that thought as she took a moment to regain her composure. “I'd like to think Caleb has too much respect for 'the purity of his wrestling' to ever cross that line. Stephen, maybe, but he's thankfully not a factor anymore. You've got a point, though...”

“He did it to Deanna to make sure she would be alright after everything The Enigma, Veil, whatever the heck he's calling himself now put her through,” Luz pointed out, perhaps a little more animatedly than she intended especially considering how late into the night it was, but it did earn a chuckle out of Amelia at seeing some of her wife's infectious enthusiasm starting to finally return. “I could absolutely see him and/or CHBK and the Board making that call if they thought this was going to be a problem they didn't want, and... our Rise to Greatness success aside, wrestling feels like the only real safe haven and outlet keeping us grounded right now through all of this.”

“Right, so the obvious solution is probably not the best one here...” Amelia pondered, although a yawn escaped her lips at that moment which made Luz start to look guilty. “Hey, none of that, mi amor. You had a really bad nightmare, and if you can wake up at ungodly hours of the night to comfort me after all my horrible dreams about my parents, then I'm allowed to return the favor after what happened in Houston.”

“You're...” Luz started to reply until a yawn of her own interrupted. “You're right, Ames... we're together in this for life and we support one another in this household.”

“And we're not alone anymore either,” Amelia reminded her.

“Right,” Luz smiled as she leaned over and kissed her wife's lips. “Maybe we can talk with Avery before we have to hit the road again when SCW picks back up, see what they might suggest as far as some sort of help with... everything that's happened.”

Amelia simply nodded, growing too tired to continue the conversation, and Luz knew her eyes were starting to grow heavy again as well. Part of her was afraid she'd just end up falling right back into that nightmare, but feeling Amelia snuggled up tight against her, the warmth of each other's bare skin serving as an anchor that reminded her she wasn't alone in coping with this or anything else that had happened... she knew that even if she found herself back in that terrible darkness, there would be a light waiting to heal her once she was removed from it.

She didn't know how they would go about trying to recover from everything that had happened up to this point, especially since the demise of the splinter cell didn't mean The Empire itself was dead just yet, but the hope that there was a road they could walk to heal both mentally and emotionally was enough to keep them moving forward.

Especially since Luz was only just getting started in proving what she could do as the undisputed SCW United States Champion.

[Digitox]

I apologize if this isn't as great as my previous efforts. Work's really been throwing me off lately and it's been hard to get into the rhythm I had before, but hopefully going forward I'll be able to find that groove once again.

RP: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gh3Q...sp=sharing

[Wisteria Waltz]

The very first thing we see as we open up is the legendary sight of Walt Disney World, complete with Cinderella Castle standing tall and proud in the center of the park. The blue skies are proof that it's daytime, so there's no fireworks display to expect anytime soon, but it's still an incredible sight that just about anybody is familiar with. As we find ourselves panning back, though, it quickly becomes clear that we are not, in fact, at Walt Disney World, or anywhere too close to the crowded theme park known the world over. No, the Magic Kingdom is simply a fitting backdrop for us here in Orlando, Florida, where the first Breakdown following Rise to Greatness will take place. Panning back enough does reveal that the hotel we're actually at is one of the ones that would be owned by Disney, and it really isn't a surprise that this is where we find the blinding smile of none other than La Pequeña Luz, wearing the ivory and gold mask we recognize from Rise to Greatness but otherwise dressed in attire that makes it clear she (and likely her wife) have spent some time enjoying the legendary park already. The other thing that immediately draws our eye is what's resting over Luz's shoulder, that being the SCW United States Championship belt, the title she fought to earn, undisputed, on SCW's biggest night of the year. Luz is practically bouncing in place as she finally begins to speak.

“You know, maybe it's a really old cliché to say 'I'm going to Disney World' after accomplishing something as significant as winning a championship, but... can you really blame me for being unable to resist when SCW is going to be live in Orlando this Thursday night?

All jokes aside, Rise to Greatness is in the books and SCW is ready to begin a new calendar year full of challenges and surprises, and The Light In The Darkness is starting off this next chapter of our SCW careers on the right foot. Amelia proved Chris Cannon wrong and took a big step forward for herself, while I... well, the fact that the title's sitting on my shoulder right now is probably a pretty big spoiler. That fourway, though, was exactly what it needed to be: four of the best SCW has to offer, putting it all on the line, fighting to see who wanted to walk out as with the unified United States Championship the most. Asher, Deanna... thank you both for pushing me beyond my limits and making me fight to reach this point, and if either one of you wants a one-on-one rematch, just say the word and I'll do my best to make it happen. And Jordan? I doubt you're watching if you're bitter about taking the fall in Houston, but... I warned you that you were going to have to truly earn this at Rise to Greatness, and I wasn't just going to let you have it that easily. There are no more excuses, no more lies... I am the undisputed SCW United States Champion, and if you still want this title so bad? Then you're going to have to earn another shot at it.

Speaking of earning U.S. Title opportunities... I know that David Striker is the current number one contender through winning that Scaffold Scramble, and while I do look forward to meeting you in that ring one-on-one for the first time David, I also wish you a speedy recovery after what happened following your match. Just please do me a favor... for now, try to forget about what Gavin did, because he's not challenging for this title and I have no plans on letting him try to weasel his way into a title match with me if that's how he thinks he can make it happen. Whenever we meet for this title, I want you at your best David, and if that means forgetting about Gavin... well, I'm sure his ego will be fine for a little while.”

Luz chuckles a bit before taking a deep breath, her smile fading in favor of a more serious look, her fingers gripping the title belt over her shoulder a little more tightly now.

“Do you all want to know what it means to me to be U.S. Champion? To me, being able to stand here with this title, especially without the interim tag attached to it anymore, is a symbol of how far I've come since I first set foot in a wrestling ring. It's proof that I've been able to do exactly what I said I wanted to do, and that's forge my own legacy in this business. I didn't just get handed this opportunity because of who my father is in lucha libre, nor did I end up in that fourway at Rise to Greatness just because I'm some sort of 'golden child' in the eyes of management. I earned the right to challenge for the U.S. Title almost one full year ago at Apocalypse, I was declared the initial interim champion because Deanna unfortunately wasn't going to be able to defend it, and I filled those shoes for as long as I could by proudly defending this title no matter what was put in front of me. Even when Asher ultimately dethroned me, I never gave up. I got right back to work, knowing that I had a rematch to my name but still wanting to feel like I earned it whenever that time came. Asher acknowledged that, Deanna acknowledged that, and even the boss acknowledged that. If anyone didn't truly earn their place in that match, it was Jordan, but we welcomed her into the fight anyway to teach her a lesson, one that hopefully sticks with her going forward.

That's why every word out of the mouth of a man like Dexter Grant paints him as more and more of a self-centered hypocrite every time he graces us with his presence.

Dexter, I heard what you had to say, as much as you were probably hoping I wouldn't because you clearly don't understand how this business works. Yeah, once upon a time it didn't need any of the things you hate, but in those times, most companies also kept themselves closed off and rarely extended the olive branch for partnerships or eagerly welcomed in new talent looking for a chance to prove themselves on a different stage. But times change and everything ultimately has to evolve in order to keep moving forward. If the business hadn't reached the point it was at today, Amelia and I likely wouldn't even be in SCW or even be aware of its existence despite the presence it has in the wrestling scene today... heck, we may have never ended up crossing paths in the first place.

Of course, I doubt that matters to you, because it doesn't fit your narrative. We hear it week after week Dexter, about how you hate social media and believes it's some sort of disease that's going to kill us all or anything morbid along those lines. You rattle off statistics that are supposed to prove your point, but SCW simply isn't this big 'social media machine' that you keep painting it as. It's a longstanding, well-respected industry where only the very best—and that includes you because I doubt you'd be here otherwise—come to test themselves and etch their names into the history books. And I'm proud to stand here and call myself not only a champion in SCW, but someone I hope is an inspiration to anyone looking to try and get into the business themselves. Believe it or not Dexter, wrestling as a whole is going to need fresh blood to keep going well into the future after athletes like you and me ultimately retire down the line, and if SCW can't put the call out or anybody doubts that they could ever possibly work their way up to this point that they don't even try... well, then wrestling doesn't return to some 'golden era' you think existed just because social media was out of the picture. It dies... and I refuse to let that happen.”

Luz shakes her head, her mouth almost curving into a smile at just how ridiculous the thought of some of Dexter's rationale truly is.

“Since you like to keep tabs on it so much to try and prove your points, I'm sure you've probably noticed that I'm nowhere to be found on social media, nor is my wife. That's a conscious choice we made a long time ago, not just to focus on pushing ourselves in the ring without distractions, but... for her, it was just another way to make sure her parents were truly cut out of her life after everything they'd done to her, and for me? Well... you've been making such a big fuss about online bullying over what happened while you were dealing with Kim, and yet you're looking at someone who was herself bullied, both online and in-person, and let go of social media so I didn't have to face that harassment anymore. But no, me being someone who actually fits into one of the very reasons why you claim to fight this crusade that only you're making such a big deal out of doesn't work with your image of me being a 'golden child' of SCW, beloved by management and specifically bred for this because my father is a legendary name in lucha libre down in Mexico.

Congratulations, Dexter, you're guilty of the very thing that you claim social media makes people do: you've made assumptions about me that aren't even remotely true and ran with them just to suit your own needs.

You know, I do find it kind of funny that you're blaming social media as the problem and you've created this whole effort to try and destroy it, thinking you'll somehow be hailed as a hero for doing so. You know why, Dexter? It's because you're choosing to ignore the real problem... it's not social media, it's some of the people that use it. People who revel in the anonymity of the internet to cause problems while painting themselves as half-decent people when face-to-face. People who were maybe always awful, and getting rid of social media won't change that, it'll just force them to find a new outlet for their vile, hateful views. Do you really want to be a hero to those kinds of people, Dexter? Because I can promise you that taking away a toy they love using to antagonize others isn't going to change who they are, and that's the sad truth about this business, this world in general, that you're just not listening to. Not everyone you meet is going to be a good person, and just because human beings have the ability to change doesn't mean that all of them will, and like it or not, you can't force that just to get what you want.

Just like you won't be able to force me to bend to your will just because you're more upset about losing the Adrenaline Title at Rise to Greatness than you're trying to let on.

I've been there Dexter, multiple times. Losing a championship sucks, and it's OK to be upset about it as long as you pick yourself back up and get back in the fight. But you're just lying to yourself and becoming more and more delusional in the name of your so-called cause if you think titles like the one I hold now don't mean anything. Maybe you think they're a waste, which then raises the question of why exactly you bothered to earn the right to become Adrenaline Champion in the first place, but believing that you being a champion is 'saving' anybody or 'proving' anything for your cause instead of recognizing the talent you do possess as a wrestler? As far as I'm concerned, any hope you have of 'saving' this title from me by proving you deserve a shot at it is going to end right here in Orlando come Thursday night.

I mean it when I say you're a great wrestler Dexter, and the fact that you did become Adrenaline Champion proves that. But until you actually open your eyes and stop seeing the world as some sort of mess that you, and you alone, can clean up even if it means bullying others into seeing things your way, then no one, and I do mean no one is going to buy into the ramblings of a hypocrite. Actions do speak louder than words, and come Breakdown, Dexter? You're not going to 'disconnect' me from anything... I'm going to be flying higher and shining brighter than ever before, because that's what I need to do to set the bar as the new... undisputed... SCW United States Champion.”

Luz offers us a proper smile that is both confident and eager to get back in the ring and prove herself, no matter what someone like Dexter Grant has to throw at her, and the bounce in her step as she moves past us and back into her hotel room only further proves that as we linger a little longer on the sight of Walt Disney World in the distance, knowing that it's considered the place where dreams come true and Luz is already working hard to make all of hers a reality, just as she will when she meets Dexter come Breakdown.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caleb White considered himself one of the most intelligent men on the planet.

He never approached a problem without some sort of plan, and he always made sure to account for every possible outcome and detailed alternative paths his plans could take in the event one path looked like it would fail.

There was a reason he was considered a legend in British and European wrestling circles.

His latest endeavor, however... for whatever reason, all roads were constantly leading to failure, and he couldn't figure out why for the life of him.

On paper, it was all so simple: build an Empire around himself, effectively raising an army for a holy war of his own making so that when his time on this Earth was done, he could leave behind a world that he truly felt God would be proud of. A world purged of all its sin, the problem children who he believed had forsaken the one and only true lord and savior of the human race all disposed of and ready to for their souls to be ferried off to eternal damnation in Hell.

The problem, however, lay in the crux of his plan, the one detail he refused to budge on because it was vital to him and him alone, even if no one else within his Empire was aware of that: saving the souls of La Pequeña Luz and Amelia Blythe from that fate by cleansing their sins and ensuring safe passage for them into the kingdom of Heaven when their time was up. In doing so, then everything he had done that could be considered a sinful atrocity in the eyes of God to get to this point would surely be forgiven and he would be welcomed through the pearly gates the greatest hero of all mankind.

Unfortunately, he had sorely underestimated just how much these two young women would refuse to be saved from their sinful lives.

It was truly heartbreaking to him, watching their efforts in Supreme Championship Wrestling and knowing they could be on top of the mountain there, if only they would be willing to let him guide them both to wrestling prosperity and true salvation. Compared to an entire company full of sinful, rotten, damned souls who would never amount to anything and may as well already be dead as far as he was concerned, he genuinely believed they deserved better... the only two wrestlers aside from himself whose efforts would define what the sport of wrestling should be in the new world he would leave behind after purging the sinners and uniting the pure and cleansed.

Beyond that, however, he was growing more and more infuriated that these two had somehow thwarted all of his best laid plans at every turn, and even managed to cause him to be wrongfully arrested for a period of time for crimes he was certain the Lord had already forgiven him for, thereby voiding the need for jail time. But human beings were such fickle creatures, always putting themselves first and foremost and defiling God's name with every action they took, and Luz and Amelia were sadly no exception.

The fact that they had not only turned Valentina, but also Henry, against him had been almost unforgivable, had Caleb not convinced himself they would return to him once he succeeded in this crucial final piece of the plan.

These were the thoughts that ran through his head as he returned to the seemingly abandoned castle in the Britain countryside that, unbeknownst to anybody, secretly served as the base of operations for his Empire. Many would be baffled as to how he was even able to leave the country and return despite his name and face being plastered all over every no-fly list due to his status as public enemy number one effectively as far as authorities across the globe were concerned, but it was nothing a simple little disguise couldn't fix. A wig that fit perfectly over his graying sandy-blonde locks, a big, bushy beard, some makeup to cover the notable scars that decorate his face (including the one over his crooked nose that never properly healed, courtesy of the last time he'd been face-to-face with Luz and Amelia), and he might as well be an entirely different person, especially with a little voice acting to disguise his usual accent.

That disguise, simple but effective, was currently tucked away into his suitcase as he strolled confidently through the castle to his private chambers, any Empire member he passed instantly stopping to bow to him. It made him grin to know how many were still unquestionably loyal to his cause, even if most of them had no idea he had zero intention of including them among the 'saved' once his plans came to fruition. If only more had been as loyal and trusted in his machinations... then he wouldn't have needed to put down one of his own Elites just to kill a splinter cell that should've never existed in the first place.

Even if Luz and Amelia hadn't been willing to share that information with him, he'd been able to put the pieces together with a bit of reconnaissance. After all, his disguise worked well enough that he practically blended into the background as he tailed the couple along their road to Rise to Greatness.

Still, with one of his Elites dead by his own hand and two more back in jail (and this time, he had every intention of letting the Blythes rot for daring to turn their backs on him after everything he'd done for them), he knew he was going to need a new strategy to not only get his house completely back in order, but to finally find a way to get into Luz and Amelia's heads and start directing them towards the salvation he needed just as badly as he knew they did.

As he threw his suitcase off to the side to begin researching the young women's resuming SCW schedule for possible ideas, he found his gaze drifting over to see that it had popped open from the impact of its landing, the pieces of his disguise visible. In that moment, he couldn't help but chuckle at how obvious the simple solution seemed to be, sitting right in front of his face all along.

“If I'm going to gain their trust,” Caleb grinned, “then perhaps they need to get to know another side of me first...”