The candle flickered in the dimly lit room as the man formerly known as Draven Lee, sat quietly flipping through the pages of a worn photo album. It had been a while since his eyes had peered at the pages. The aching in his heart had made the exercise painful.
“Loss had become synonymous with Draven’s life. Sarah was not the only woman to leave his side. You see, his mother was an amazing woman, Mark. She loved him throughout his childhood, shielding him from the neglect and torment caused by the so called symbol of masculinity in their family. For years, she was a protector, guarding from the dangers that lurked in the darkness of the world.”
A tear fell from his eye as he recalled the memories of a past now seemingly so far away.
“It was devastating telling him the news. Her voice crackled as she said the word…cancer. The news didn’t seem real. His mind carried him to a far off place, one allowing him to escape the harsh realities of the new world he now faced. The disease had infiltrated her body, slowly circulating, poised to kill the spark of life she had been for him,” he stated, his voice trailing off at the end.
“She wasn’t strong enough to stand against the virus. In her weakness, it quickly overtook her, making her a shell of what she had been. In a moment of clarity, she reached for the young boy’s hand, pleading for his assistance to ease her pain. He was weak, scared, unable to follow through on her desires. Instead, he witnessed the disease ravage her vibrancy.”
Suddenly, the raven landed on the album, breaking the man’s excessive thoughts of his former life.
“Mark, do you feel the disease roaming through your body? In a moment of weakness, you allowed Midnight’s heresy to enter your fragile mind. I’m sure at first, you felt confident you could fight it off, holding out hope that the good man you were could prevail. However, your body soon began to cede ground. Like cancer, his darkness spread, slowly overtaking all that you knew. You can feel it now, the pain, the anguish. You now glance in the mirror, unable to recognize the face of the man staring back at you.”
Raven stood from his seating position, taking the picture of Draven Lee’s mother from the album. He slowly placed the picture close to the flame, igniting the corner of the image. In a matter of moments, the memory was gone.
“The weakness that was once prevalent long ago, no longer remains. Draven Lee is gone, I remain in his place. At NXT Level, you will reach out in my direction, pleading for it to end. This time, I’ll show the mercy needed and end the suffering. You…Midnight…the Owls…are already dead, you just don’t know it yet. This plague must not be allowed to continue its metastasis. The cure is here. Quote the Raven…nevermore.”
Raven blew out the candle, sending the room into complete darkness.