What it Means to Face Boredom

(Aren is seen conversing with a masked figure as the camera pans to him. He sits on a throne that is shown to be decrepit, cracked, and filled with gold but nonetheless, the throne sits as if it's a shell of its former self. Aren’s attention is to the masked figure who we’ve figured to be Echo from this past Apex. There’s a deep conversation to be seen with both getting into an agreement on the next step. Aren finishes the conversation and sends Echo on their way.)

It’s so nice when you have people you can depend upon. I mean my friend Echo, they’re just a sight to behold because if there’s one thing a Monarch needs is a consistent ally. Now Echo came of their own volition they wanted to help expand the reign of the Monarch and by doing so they have given their talent to become a sort of herald for me and our overall goals. And that includes bringing out a demon in all of us. I should know a thing or two about demons. Voin, an alter to myself is something I haven’t thought of bringing out in a long time, an alter that became the notion of extreme and physical violence in so long. And it's something that I’ve known to be a part of me for so long mostly because I used it as a measure of my breaking point. I never used it when I didn’t need to, I never used it when I thought I was fine. But in doing so I relied on it too much. You see this is why I must tell Havoc he isn’t welcome in this place, I need him to know that the damage he’s done hasn’t gone unnoticed but isn’t going to transpire here. So I will address Chris once and only once right now. Don’t get ahead of yourself, and don’t succumb to the sense of hopelessness that is Havoc. You’ve become weak, relying on such an outward power to handle your business that it’s poised to take care of you before you are even done with it. And you’ll be weaker for it having learned that you must rely on it and that your natural talent is something that can never get you by. You want to take me on? You want to be in the stories as a man who has beaten every and all comers? You want to be that person? You can’t do this if you keep relying on someone else. If you beat me as Havoc, then Havoc won, not Chris. If Havoc beats me that’s on him, not on you. I want to face Christopher Sabertooth, if I wanted to face a person with an alter I’d just look in a mirror. You have to prove your worth without it and as of now, I don’t see it.

And while I wait for Chris to find that worth within himself I must take on any challenger I get. And with that, I face Harvey Kennedy. I looked at his bio and saw that he kept his demon inside while being presentable to the audience. It’s like a family-friendly avatar of violence. If Cookie Monster had a bit of Oscar the Grouch in his soul. But all I see is another man tainted with some sort of alternate that he must keep using in order to win. A man who has everything to give but everything to lose as he does his “best” to keep a float. I see it as a lie as a simple as that. A lie you want to tell yourself Harvey but it’s just festering isn’t it. You must be tired, having to harbor all that energy, that chaos within you. You must want peace, simple peace but in order to do that you must admit you have a problem. And I don’t think you can do that. I don’t think you can admit that what is inside of you is a problem. A thing that will cause you turmoil the longer you repress it. The longer you don’t do something with it. It sounds like I’m being contradictory about using it but I’m not because let me tell you what you should do with it. Just let go. Let it go, let that energy go because if that lid is kept on it will just overflow and hurt those around you rather than those you want to use it against. So just let go of the energy so you don’t have to rely on it anymore. But I’m sure you don’t want to do that do you? You’ve become that person, you’ve become that energy. It is synonymous with you and because of that you will not let go. No matter the harm it could bring to you and to others. Instead you’re going to keep utilizing it until there’s no returning. That’s a shame honestly, I was hoping to be the one to extract that energy from you, make you feel like you owed me a favor. But I’ll just beat it out of you. Because a demon can be extracted, a demon can be taken. And I know what to do to do that. It’s going to be a fun experience for your Harv, it’s going to be something you’ve never had to ever think about. But that’s cause you’ve never faced me before.

Look Harvey, you seem to know what you’re doing here and everywhere else and your accolades speak for themselves. What you’ve done before just works. And while I can’t argue with the results I still have to argue with one thing. You’ve never done them yourself. Harvey, you’ve relied too much on this energy to get you through most of your tenure it seems like. So what would you be like without it? Would you be able to experiment with more tactics, would you more strategic in your maneuvers? Whatever would happen I just know it won’t be the same for you ever again. But maybe you need that, maybe you need that so you can actually make it here. I’m not here to gatekeep, I am here to make people a better version of themselves. Without that chaotic energy, without that “daemon” you’d be able to do so much more with the skill you have shown over the years. But with it, I don’t know if you’d be able to make it here unless pushed into the sea. Harvey, Harvey, Harvey, you can make it, I believe anyone can, it’s just up to your strength to do so. I want to see that strength during our match because I love a challenge here. And I think I could get that from you, I just need to know what I am working with. I need to know the raw ability that I am working with here Harvey. Are you able to give it? Are you able to make me less bored than I have been these last three weeks? I have been so-so bored, waiting for someone to actually show me what it means for their skill to shine brightly and I am starting to believe it’s not going to happen not while I’m waiting for people to come to me. Do I have to actively search for it? Or is it finally here? I don’t know Harvey, all I know is I better not be disappointed in who is standing before me. Because that’s going to be the least of everyone’s worries if I am bored yet again.