“Take a dog and lock it up in a kennel.”
“Deny it food, water, and attention.”
“What does it do?”
“Most times, it will rock the cage, slamming back and forth in an ill-fated attempt to escape its confines. See, when it’s caged up, when you steal its freedom and starve it? That’s when the little mutt becomes the most violent.”
“That’s when it becomes deranged.”
“Every meal that passes by its wet little nose will light up its eyes as it slams against the iron bars confining it. The cage itself may seem strong and stable enough to deter its efforts…”
“But that simply isn’t true.”
“As its hunger grows and hours turn to days, days to weeks even, the dog will be fighting for its freedom from inside of the cage.”
“Gnawing at the plastic edges hour by hour until its cage door pops right off of its hinges.”
“And that vile, hungry, deranged little dog? It’ll do anything to feast on the world before it. Nothing will be safe from its rampage, and the cage that once held it is but the first casualty in its killing spree.”
“Now, Kaine, you yourself have acted as a cage of sorts to the demonic beast that lies within your heart. Your vampiric tendencies lie in wait behind your eyes, the Beast as you call it?”
“It’s the dog locked behind the bars of your iron soul waiting for the day its cage grows weak and decrepit enough for it to finally break free.”
“You can feel it, can’t you? The fangs of the beast gnaws at your heart and claws at your soul as it rocks the proverbial cage that is your body, trying everything within its power to break free from your nasty clutches. You’ve kept it contained day after day, century by century.”
“But like the cage that held the hungry dog, you aren’t as strong as you want to believe you are.”
“Far from impenetrable even.”
“One by one your many enemies have tugged on your body and rattled the cage, letting those hinges creak and moan against the forces outside. A war on two fronts your feeble soul of blood and iron can no longer combat. The Beast wants its freedom, Kaine, it wants nothing more than to see you torn in two as it busts through your chest and takes the world into its maw.”
“I’ve watched your cage grow old and decrepit, Kaine, I’ve witnessed as your body and mind have been ravaged by the world around you. And in our match? I’m going to finally break that cage open.”
“I’m going to rattle you one last time and let the beast free.”
“As your mind and soul are crushed under my boot the beast inside of you will run rampant.”
“You will fail to contain it.”
“The world will be its meal.”
“And I’ll stand back with a smile as I collect the remains of the cage at my feet.”