Syren vs. Selena Frost vs. Amelia Nevado vs. Gavin Taylor

[Kemal Yilmaz]

SCW World Championship

2 RP Limit for singles

3500 Word Per RP

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET SUNDAY, May 3, 2026

[Syren]

Well, for those of you who've seen my Instagram post you already know I had major surgery on Wednesday. But sheer determination has me posting this on Saturday, and hopefully another tomorrow.

The very special guest star appears with permission. I wasn't able to do a cast pic though because I'm in a ton of pain and can't find the PSD.

Enjoy.



The Syren Song: Verse 427
"Just tell her I’m here"

[Corner G]

SCW World Champion Gavin Taylor presents... The Flight Overseas

^^ CLICK LINK ABOVE ^^

[SnowQueenSCW]

Scars of a Fascade

”The Cost of Winter”

Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
April 28th, 2026
4:19pm

The tall house stood exactly as Selena remembered it. The walls, the shape, the pathway. The builders had done an excellent job rebuilding the house from the ashes of the house-fire that had claimed it almost a year ago...

That was the problem.

Nothing about the Frost “Forever Home” had changed. Not the black iron railings lining the short steps, not the soft amber glow spilling from the tall windows, not the quiet dignity of the Black Arrow neighbourhood that always felt just insulated enough from the chaos of Manhattan to pretend it wasn’t part of it.

For part of the platinum-blonde... It was still home. For another... it felt like a place she didn’t deserve to be.

Selena Frost stood across the street, gloved hands curled tightly at her sides as if she could sense a fierce cold coming.

Nome was colder. she tried to tell herself, and it was true. But Nome had been quieter, too. Empty in a way that suited her.

Nome had next to nothing. No expectations. No faces she had to answer to. No mirrors she couldn’t avoid. The perfect place for someone like her to hide...

Not here. Here, everything reflected her own image – something she found harder and harder to see, be it in a mirror or own posters, TVs, or – Gods forbid – SCW merchandise lining the stores.

Her sapphire eyes remained fixed on the front door across the street – a door that she had walked through a thousand times without thinking twice about it. On the other side, children would rush into her arms, or a dog would immediately be there, demanding pets and affection because ‘mom was home!’, or a redhead would be waiting there patiently...

Now... Selena couldn’t even cross the street in front of it.

You’ve come this far. The voice was firm, cold... The voice that had carried her through every match, every setback, every moment where her own boss, hell, the entire world had told her ‘no’.

They did all this. Not you. You’re so close! the voice urged her. You didn’t endure all of that just to stand here like a coward!

She felt her jaw tighten and her leg move, taking a step forward. Coward? another voice shot forth as Selena’s boot hit the ground. You stole from your wife. From the one person who believed in you when no one else did!

The Snow Queen inhaled slowly through her nose, the breath unsteady.

They were holding you back. the first voice insisted. You know it. You proved it! No ‘second match for the world title!’. No considerations for another chance! Did they ever pick YOU for the number-one contender spot? Oh no! They picked Kemal! Fucking Kemal! They picked Shaun Cruze fresh out of retirement! They picked Glory Braddock and Amelia Nevado – who ALREADY had title shots! But not you!

Every match.
Every win.
It never mattered... because every time... they told you to “earn it.”

Her fingers curled tighter. Another step was taken.

And what did you do? the second voice pressed. You took it! You didn’t earn it. You didn’t win it. You took it! From the-

Selena stepped off the curb before she could stop herself, trying to silence the latest voice.

It was necessary, she said to herself, the noise still going on inside her head. She had done everything right. Jumped through every hoop. Undefeated streaks that mocked Glory Braddock’s ‘reason’ for getting a shot at the world title. Beating people higher up than Kimberly Williams – way more than Syren had. Going the whole season unpinned – which was more than Amelia Nevado had done in her abysmal singles career! How the hell had Amelia even gotten into that number one contender match? Hell, how did Gavin even get a world title match in the first place?!

And all over you... who could beat them all... if CHBK hadn’t kept you locked in place with babysitting Xander...

HONK!

The loud sound of the horn jerked Selena out of her thoughts and ‘voices’ as she all but jumped out of her skin, turning her head to see the SUV stopped beside her, headlights glaring at her. Without a word, she quickly closed the distance, crossing the street, her heart hammering in her chest as the SUV carried on. By the time her heart had slowed, she wasn’t on the sidewalk or the driveway or the yard...

She was in front of her own front door of her ‘Forever Home’. And again, as it was across the street, she could only stare at the dark color of wood that made up the ‘barrier’ to the inside of the abode.

I could leave... she exhaled the thought. Right now.

It was true. She could just turn around go back to the airport and disappear again. Back to Nome. Back to the silence where nothing asked anything of her.

No judgment.
No disappointment.

Just the Snow Queen, preparing for a world title match long overdue – her only chance... a chance that was costing her everything...

Her hand lifted to knock but it paused half way up. She had a key. So why wasn’t she using it? Why not simple unlock the door and walk in like she owned the place? Like it was her own damn home that she had built for the family inside?!

Even so, her hand continued to rise up until her knuckles rapped against the wood. For a moment, nothing happened. Despite herself, the former world champion strained her ears to hear any sounds. Oberon barking – that was a usual tell when someone was at the door. Or maybe David running around or Ami yelling ‘I’ll get it!’.

There was nothing. No sound. And for that, Selena almost turned away. Almost took the silence as a sign to just leave, go back to Nome, and prepare for the main-event of Hubris. With Amelia and Syren involved, not to mention Gavin’s entourage, it was too easy to see that someone else getting pinned was the likely reason CHBK had made the match. A fatal-fourway meant she didn’t have to be pinned in order to lose, meaning no one had to be ‘better’ than her. They just had to get past her.

Gavin had been pinned this season.
Amelia had been pinned.
Syren had been pinned.

Selena hadn’t. And it made CHBK’s call to lump Selena’s ‘contract’ with Syren and Amelia make all the more sense. It was a way out for them and a way from keeping Selena from winning the world title – just like the old man had done for almost a year!

The sound of footsteps broke her thoughts. Light and quick, they seemed to patter down a flight of stairs and grow a little louder as they approached. Instinctively, Selena quickly adjusted her coat, maroon shirt, and her iconic braid, tossing it over her shoulder to rest against her back just as the door opened.

Elsianna stood there, mid-motion, already speaking. “Asuna, you forgot your-” She stopped as her eyes took in the woman before her. Immediately, everything about the girl changed.

The warmth vanished first.
Then the ease.
Then whatever softness had been there at all.
What replaced it now was cold.

Selena swallowed. “Hey, Snow-” she caught herself before she finished the nickname. “Elsa.”

Elsianna didn’t respond,  her eyes dragging over Selena’s face. “You’re not supposed to be here.” she finally said. The words were quiet – devoid of emotion.
“I know.” Selena replied with a sigh. “I just… I need to talk to your mom.”

She watched her eldest daughter stand there, Elsianna’s jaw clenching slightly. “She doesn’t want to talk to you.” the girl stated, causing Selena’s heart to drop.

“I know.” the Snow Queen forced herself to hold her daughter’s gaze. “But I need to talk to her anyway.”

Another silence formed, and, for a moment, Selena was sure the door was going to be slammed in her face. Instead, Elsianna stepped back without a word, letting her mother to cross the threshold.

The house wrapped around Selena instantly: familiar scents, familiar sounds. It should have made her feel ‘at home’. Instead, she felt like an intruder.

She saw Elsianna walk past her, the girl’s eyes refusing to meet Selena’s. She simply walked further into the house. They moved through the hallway, past photos Selena couldn’t bring herself to look at directly. Family portraits - moments frozen in time. Proof of something real.

Something she had broken...

The pair stopped at the living room and Selena saw the redhead before she fully entered. Deanna stood near the window, her back to both of them. The glow of the afternoon sun came through that window and showed the dark-green kimono the redhead wore.

She didn’t turn right away. Didn’t even acknowledge Selena was here, causing the older Frost’s chest to tighten at the sight.

“She’s here, mom.” Elsianna’s words broke the silence and it was enough for Deanna to turn slowly, her emerald-eyes taking in both women.

“Thank you, Elsa.” she offered a small smile to the girl. “Go look after David and Ami, okay?”

Elsianna hesitated for just for a second, her gaze flicking toward Selena before she gave a nod and slowly turned and left.

The room felt smaller without her, at least to Selena, which was odd considering the distance between her and Deanna in that moment felt so vast.

For a moment, nothing was said. Silence hanging in the room thicker than any fog. But slowly, almost unstoppable or perhaps fated, their eyes met. And for that brief, infinitesimal moment, everything else disappeared. The second voice that had chastised Selena outside was saying something – ambushing her with guilt – but Selena couldn’t understand the words as she looked into Deanna’s eyes.

“Hi.” was all she managed.

Deanna didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Selena was looking into her eyes after all. And what she saw...almost broke her instantly.

There was hurt there. Deep and raw.

“I didn’t think you’d come back.” Deanna said finally, walking away from the window and towards the family room where Selena now stood.
“I didn’t think I would either.” the Snow Queen whispered out.
A faint, humourless breath escaped Deanna. “Yet, here you are.”

Silence lingered again between them, but heavier this time.

“I needed to explain.” Selena tried lamely.
Deanna’s expression merely tightened, her walking halted by those words. “Explain?” she asked, her eyes no longer on Selena.

“Yes.” came the automatic reply.

“Okay...” Deanna said, folding her arms as she returned her gaze back on the older woman. “Explain to me why my partner stole my contract and forged my signature.”

Selena flinched, but only slightly. She knew the words before they even formed in her head. She had spent countless hours, days, in practice speaking these words. A rehearsal of sorts of what she’d say. It all came out so naturally as she spoke.

“They weren’t going to give me a chance...” she began. “No matter what I did. Every match, every win - it didn’t matter. They kept moving the goalposts. ‘Earn it.’” Gods, she hated those words!  “Always the same thing! ‘Earn it. Earn it. Earn it.’” her eyes flew back to Deanna. “Tell me I didn’t! Tell me I didn’t earn it, Deanna. Tell me after nearly a year that I didn’t earn it over and over again! Tell me that I didn’t earn it more than Shaun Cruze or Kemal Yamaz, or Glory Braddock, or Amelia, or Syren or Gavin! Tell me I didn’t earn it more than Gavin Taylor!”

Deanna didn’t say a word, though her eyes never left Selena’s, causing the platinum-blonde to scoff knowingly.

“They were never going to let me have it.” she continued. “Not fairly. Not cleanly. No matter what I did. Not CHBK or Frank were going to give me what I was owed... So I took the only opportunity that existed.”

“You took it.” Deanna repeated softly, her voice as flat as Elsianna’s had been, unnerving the platinum-blonde.

“What else was I supposed to do?!” Selena shot back, her frustration bleeding through. “Tell me that! You’re the hero, right? The one who does everything the right way. ‘The Frost everyone loves!’ now. What was I supposed to do?”

Deanna’s eyes flickered.

“Hmmm? What was I supposed to do? Sit there and keep waiting?” Selena pressed. “Keep proving myself while they kept denying me? How many times do I have to be better than everyone else before it counts? Before it’s ‘enough’ to be earned? Before you and everyone else believes it’s ‘fair’?”

“I never said it was fair.” Deanna replied, her voice rising slightly. “It wasn’t fair. They were holding you to a different standard. I saw that.”

Selena’s eyes widened a little in surprise. “You did?”
“Of course I did!” Deanna huffed. “Hell, I’m sure Xander did too! All those months and hearing all the names that came up for the world title and you not getting called up or mentioned once? Of course it was sketchy! And you keep blasting the fans – I’ll bet some of them thought so too-”

“Then you understand-” Selena stated.
“I understand why you’re angry.” Deanna snapped, interrupting Selena. “I don’t understand why you thought this was okay.”

Selena’s mouth opened - then closed. Again, her brain slipped into its rehearsed script. “They were screwing me over again.” she said, clinging to the argument. “Even now - it was supposed to be a singles match. Now it’s a fatal four-way! More politics. More games. They were – are - trying to cheat me out of this!”

“And your solution...” Deanna said, her voice sharpening, “was to cheat first.”

Selena’s expression hardened. “I did what I had to do.”
“No.” Deanna said firmly. “You did what was easiest.”
Selena’s jaw clenched at that accusation. “Easy? You think that was easy?”
“I think it was easier than trusting that you’d get there the right way.” Deanna shot back.

“I tried the right way!” Selena all but roared back. “And every path was blocked! Undefeated streak? Did that – got nothing. Applied for Trios – miraculously, I wasn’t drawn! What a surprise! Most of CHBK’s pals were drawn but not me. So that didn’t work! Babysit Xander? I made him a damn tag-team champion! Not enough! I TRIED to do things the right way!”

“And you were getting there!”

Selena shook her head. “No, I wasn’t! That’s the problem, Deanna! You just think that because you were handed everything!”

The redhead’s eyes widened and her jaw opened a little in shock. “How can you say that?”

“Cause it’s true!” Selena threw back. “Soon as you came back? You got the chance to get back the United States title! And you lost! But did you get told to ‘earn it’ for another opportunity? Did you get saddled with someone you hate?! NO! You instantly got put into the Shot of Adrenaline tournament!”

“Selena-”
“Instantly got put into the Trios Tournament-”
“Stop.” there was a begging in Deanna’s voice that Selena missed in her anger.
“You were given EVERYTHING and I was given NOTHING!”

“I WAS GOING TO GIVE YOU THE CONTRACT.”

The words hit like a gunshot or the loudest thunderclap. Everything stopped. It was like the world has ceased to move and sound had evaporated into nothing. In that silence, Selena could only blink.

“W-What?” she asked, sure she hadn’t heard right.

Deanna’s breathing was uneven now, emotion finally cracking through as tears formed in her eyes. “The contract didn’t matter to me. I won it because I could. Because I wanted to prove something. But... But I was going to give it to you.”

Selena stared at her, disbelief giving way to something far heavier. Far more shameful. “You…” The word barely formed. “You were going to—”

“Yes...” Deanna said, voice trembling now as the tears fell from her emerald eyes. “Because all I wanted was the Adrenaline title. That was my goal. You… you were the one who wanted the world title. You needed that shot more than I did.”

The room tilted in Selena’s mind. She felt it - just for a second. That shift. That fracture in everything she had been telling herself – the logic hitting her like a ton of bricks.

You didn’t need to take it. Her throat tightened. You chose to.

“No...” she said quietly.
Deanna’s brow furrowed. “Selena-”
“No.” Selena repeated, more firmly now, and stepping away from Deanna. “That doesn’t change anything!”

A bold-faced lie. It did change things – it changed everything. She knew it did... But she couldn’t let it. Focus on the task – why you’re here... she told herself darkly. It was too late – she was too far in. There was only one option left... and that was to win... by any means necessary.

“If you were going to give it to me...” she slowly continued, pushing forward, “Then you understand how important this is.”

Deanna’s expression faltered - confusion mixing with disbelief. Her eyes kept on Selena as the Snow Queen turned to her once more.

“I need you to talk to Kimberly... Like you did the other week.” Selena said. “And Luz, too. I need you to make sure they stay out of the match. No interference. No distractions. I need this to be clean.”

It took several seconds for the words to land and several seconds more as Deanna just stared at her.

“Selena…” Her voice dropped, almost disbelieving. “Are... are you kidding me?” she asked with a shake of her head. “You come here, after everything, and that’s – that’s why?”

“Deanna...” Selena insisted. “This is my only chance now. I can’t afford to lose again - not like at Rise to Greatness. Don’t you see? I lose and that’s it. Alex won’t give me another opportunity. Neither will Frank, no matter what I do. I lose this...”

“And you think I’m going to manipulate my friends for you?” Deanna asked.
“It’s not manipulation – it’s...it’s...” Selena couldn’t find the word, but Deanna did.
“It’s manipulation.” she cut in sharply. “And I won’t do it!”

Selena’s frustration flared. “You said you wanted to help me!”
“I did!” Deanna’s voice broke. “Before you made it clear you didn’t care how many people you hurt to get what you wanted!”
Selena stepped forward. “This is bigger than that.”
“No.” Deanna said, shaking her head. “It’s not. It never has been! It’s just been about you. You and that stupid world title! That’s more important than anything – anyone - else... including me...”

The silence was stifling as Deanna turned away from the woman she loved. “I’m not doing this.” she declared. “I’m not being part of it. Not like this.” she added as she started towards the door.

“Deanna-” Selena tried, her words failing.

The redhead stopped - but didn’t turn. “Maybe I...” she said quietly, before stopping herself with a sigh... “Maybe you should keep your appointment with that balcony in July.”

Then she was gone.

Selena stood alone in the room. For a moment, there was nothing. Until she heard a sound and turned her head. Elsianna stood in the doorway and her expression said it all. She had heard everything. Of course she had.

Selena opened her mouth to try and explain. “Elsi—”

The slap came out of nowhere! Enough to send Selena stumbling sideways, her shoulder colliding with the edge of a cabinet. The sound echoed and Selena could only look up, stunned, at her daughter.

Her daughter who was shaking. “Why?” she demanded.

Selena tried to speak - but nothing came.

“You had everything!” Elsianna’s voice cracked, tears spilling over now. “You had her back! You had us back! I was starting to believe in you again!”

Another slap Selena didn't see coming collided with her face.

“Why?!”

Selena’s head snapped to the side again.

Still no answer. Because there wasn’t one. Not anymore. The logic, the arguments, and the justifications - they all felt hollow here in front of her daughter.

Another slap.

“WHY?!” Elsianna screamed, her eyes crying like Deanna’s had.

Selena’s knees buckled slightly, her back hitting the cabinet as she slid halfway down it. She tried. Gods, she tried to find the words. But they were gone.

Elsianna’s hand dropped. Her expression shifted from anger to something worse. Something Selena hadn’t seen in weeks but recognized instantly.  Disappointment.

“Get out.” her daughter said weakly before glaring at Selena fully. “I said, ‘Get out!” Elsianna repeated. “Just… go.”

Slowly, Selena pulled herself upright. Her face stung and her chest felt hollow. She looked at her daughter. At the distance between them. At everything she had lost...

And said nothing.

She just.. walked out, hearing the door close behind her with a soft, final click.

Outside, the neighbourhood carried on like nothing had changed. And maybe it hadn’t.

She had come here for something: A purpose. A plan. And she was leaving with it intact.

The world title shot was still hers.
The path still set.
So close to everything she had ever wanted.
And yet-

Her hands trembled slightly at her sides. The cold didn’t feel like Nome anymore. It felt like something deeper. Something she couldn’t outrun.

Even so, she didn’t look back.
She couldn’t.
Because if she did...

She wasn’t sure she’d keep walking away.

[Wisteria Waltz]

“I've come this far... I'm going to make this work.”

That's what Amelia Nevado had been telling herself for weeks, and the more she said it, the more she made herself believe it.

Things in SCW were... not the greatest, is probably how she would have described it a few months ago. The World Title picture had become a chaotic mess with her caught in the middle of it, all of her efforts were being overshadowed once again, and perhaps worst of all, from an outsider's perspective it appeared as though she had sold her soul to the proverbial devil.

Maybe she had, in a sense, but deep down Amelia knew this was what she needed to do, and she wasn't as far gone as everyone believed she was.

She had spent the past several months drowning in her frustrations, questioning if she truly belonged here despite coming from arguably the best family of pure wrestlers to ever exist, despite her and Luz long since earning their reputation as arguably the greatest modern tag team in the company. She thought she had responded to the doubt and criticisms others put forth in the best way possible: when all eyes were on Luz as she cemented her status as a shining singles star as well with her U.S. Title reign, Amelia had been quietly stepping up and putting on arguably the greatest wrestling matches SCW fans had seen in a very long time. Yeah, maybe she'd lost those bouts, but no one could deny that she had pushed the likes of Cid Turner, Glory Braddock and even Syren beyond their limits, forcing them to dig deeper than they had in a very long time just to beat her.

She had stepped up to carry this company and its future on her back, even when no one asked her to. She had made it very clear that while she was just shy of reaching that next level, it was within her grasp and her moment wasn't too far off after all.

But all anybody could focus on were the losses, the failures, the setbacks.

It was just like listening to her parents all over again, constantly moving the goalposts to make her successes amount to nothing.

And then she decided to take a chance on hearing out someone who wasn't very well-liked around the locker room… and now she was being vilified for it.

Frank Delatosso had offered her the opportunities that CHBK didn't seem too keen on providing her, no matter how hard she worked. He pulled some strings to give her a chance to prove herself, and she made the most of it. She had proven she belonged here, and yet, everyone else was still insistent on pushing this narrative that she hadn't earned this.

Syren, interjecting with her rematch and being supported for it. Amelia was no stranger to the constant criticism against her and Luz anytime they lost a title and took their rematch, and she even remembers when CHBK criticized them for not wanting to take their rematch and instead earn their way back fair and square.

Selena Frost, who had to steal an opportunity meant for Deanna just to put herself back into this picture, who had crossed several lines and only added to it by pivoting from her claims that Amelia should challenge a World Champion who was truly worth her talents to just claiming she didn't deserve to be in the picture at all now.

Gavin Taylor… well, the man was in his own little world, and while Amelia had played nice up to this point, he had what she wanted and that was all there was to it.

Amelia sighed, feeling sick of the fact that everyone seemed to want to be against her, that any hatred and distrust towards Mr. Delatosso seemed to bury the fact that she had still earned this opportunity on nothing more than her God-given skills and the hard work she had been pushing herself through for the past year. She had done everything right, but all anybody wanted to talk about was her wife, just because she was doing the same thing but winning matches. But heaven forbid she makes one questionable decision and all of a sudden she's just as bad as Selena or Gavin or Syren if you believed the narrative that she hadn't truly changed at all.

"You look like you're questioning your choices."

Amelia snapped out of her thoughts and turned to face the person in the driver's seat of this white SUV. The way he looked at her as though he saw himself as a caring father figure who was going to do right by her… Caleb White made Amelia sick to her stomach on so many levels. But, here she was.

After she and Gavin had failed to keep Selena and Syren from adding themselves to their title match in Nashville, Amelia had slipped through the crowd and left out an emergency exit she'd been given clearance to use, an intentional move to avoid a confrontation with Luz who was no doubt going to question some of her tactics in that tag match… tactics she knew would have worked if Gavin had just listened to the former three-time Tag Team Champion. In doing so, she had met up with the leader of The Empire to complete her part of their deal:

If Caleb pulled Paul from being a spy within their found family, as well as let Luz be, she would finally cave and join his cult.

Given the relatively short time frame between the Nashville and Los Angeles Breakdowns, Caleb had held off on what he claimed was the "proper next step" and instead tried to indoctrinate her while driving her across the country for the moment where she would stand up to Selena and make it clear she was not going to let the woman she once held respect for walk all over her any longer. Amelia heard everything he had to say, but given her long history of people trying to manipulate her, it wasn't hard to pick up on the subtle clues in his rhetoric that made it painfully obvious his grand religious spiel over "saving humanity" or "cleansing God's finest creation of sin" was a giant self-serving spectacle meant to convince others that they could be "saved" if they followed him when the only person Caleb White cared about at the end of the day was Caleb White.

Now, though? Instead of catching a flight to Melbourne, Australia to try and finally prove she was worthy of calling herself World Champion, Amelia had been brought on a detour all the way to the British countryside, letting Caleb drive her to what she presumed was The Empire's secret base, the one that the NCA had been struggling to find ever since Caleb had escaped from prison the night she and Luz had tied the knot.

And she would be right in the heart of The Empire any minute now.

"I'm just thinking about what awaits me in Australia," Amelia ended up replying to Caleb, which wasn't exactly a lie.

"Ah, yes, your rightful coronation as the World Champion that horrid company desperately needs right now," Caleb smiled, and Amelia hated how soft and caring he tried to make it look. "I will never understand how any of those people could see themselves with as much worth as they do."

"I happen to be one of 'those' people," Amelia fired at him. "And like it or not, this isn't going to change that."

She heard Caleb mumble something under his breath that sounded a lot like "we'll see about that," but she turned her focus back to the road to memorize any important details that could be helpful about where she was going. Just because she had professional beef with Syren and Selena didn't mean she was going to let Caleb get away with his disgusting pseudo-religious garbage towards them just because they, like her, were married to another woman.

Like it or not, Caleb was going to have to accept that… just as she was going to have to accept that he probably wouldn't in order to make this work.

'I've come this far…' she mentally repeated to herself once more.

As she made note of just how deep in the middle of nowhere their destination seemed to be, which certainly helped explain why the NCA struggled so much to find this place, Amelia couldn't help but notice the prevalent silence in the vehicle. She was perfectly fine with that in regards to Caleb, as she preferred not to talk with him any more than she had to, but the silence of someone else had been especially noticeable.

'You're awfully quiet all of a sudden,' she tried to mentally prod. 'No quip about how I lost yet again and the deck is stacked even more against me now?'

'…you cheated…' was the first thing she heard from Other Amelia after the inner critic had been silent for so long.

Needless to say, Amelia was a little taken aback that this was the direction the internal conversation was going to be heading in.

'I did what I had to do to help Gavin and I win that match,' she tried to explain to herself.

'And here I thought listening to Frank and Caleb might finally get you back on the right track,' Other Amelia scoffed. 'Instead, you've somehow become even more pathetic.'

'And everything mom and dad did that destroyed the legacy they were so proud to shove down everyone's throats wasn't?' Amelia fired back. 'And don't give me that crap about how they were just trying to help me realize what, according to them, I was supposed to be all along. As long as I can finally prove, once and for all, that I'm good enough to not just be a champion, but THE champion, then the ends justify the means.'

For a moment, silence reigned once more as Other Amelia seemed to contemplate those words.

'I guess Caleb really does destroy everything he touches, because it's all about him at the end of the day,' the inner critic finally mused. 'He destroyed the Blythe legacy when it no longer suited his goals, and I hope he destroys you in the process. Maybe then, you'll finally understand-'

"We're here," Caleb suddenly said, bringing an abrupt end to Amelia's mental argument with herself, but not before giving her something to mull over considering what she was about to get herself involved in.

As she focused, she realized that Caleb was driving on a downward slope, which didn't make sense considering the forest they'd been traversing had been devoid of any notable hills. It was then that she realized he'd driven into a cave somewhere in these woods… which contained a hidden ramp leading to an underground area that, with the push of a button on Caleb's key fob, rose back up into place once they had cleared it, creating the illusion that he had just driven straight into a dead end and his car had seemingly vanished into thin air.

"So that's why no one could find you guys…" she found herself muttering out loud.

"Oh yes, we had to get quite creative with covering our tracks once the NCA became insistent on wrongfully imprisoning me again," Caleb arrogantly explained. "Thankfully, Vladimir is a technological genius with all that FBI experience, and your parents were more than happy to fund his work. A shame that they had to lose their way…"

Amelia rolled her eyes as Caleb drove for a little longer until he parked the SUV in what looked like an underground parking garage, the car blending in among a seemingly endless sea of identical white SUVs. As Amelia got out and slowly followed behind him, she did catch sight of a few vehicles that weren't plain white SUVs or vans randomly scattered about, immediately assuming those were the personal vehicles of the elites as they seemed to be the only ones who didn't have to be reduced to faceless goons.

"It will be nice to have a Blythe among us once more, especially one who should have always been on our side from the very beginning," Caleb continued. Amelia opened her mouth to correct him on her last name, but he was quick to cut her off with even more talk. "Your father and I were friends for a very long time… I would even dare to call myself a mentor of sorts to him in his earliest wrestling years. He spoke so highly of your potential… a shame that your mother never seemed to believe that was enough. Perhaps she was a bad influence on him…"

"Don't pretend you knew him better than I do," Amelia bit back. "Whatever praise he had for me was solely about the family name above all else. I was just a tool for both him and mom in that regard, and if he was a friend of yours for so long than maybe he was never meant to be a good man."

"As amusing as your insistence that I am such a terrible person has been, Amelia, I'm afraid you're going to have to cease with that nonsense," Caleb stated, sounding far less annoyed with her defiance than his words would suggest. "You're one of us now, and while I may find your efforts amusing, some of your new friends may not, and I would hate for anything bad to happen to you prior to your initiation."

Amelia raised an eyebrow at that. "This is the first time you've mentioned an initiation…"

Caleb chose not to respond any further, which irritated Amelia but didn't surprise her. Given how cryptic the man loved being, the reveal of some secret initiation process that he wasn't going to elaborate any further on right now sounded about right.

It also worked in his favor that just as Amelia was going to attempt to pry for more details, they had finished walking up a stone staircase that led into somewhere that looked oddly familiar to her. She racked her brain, but nothing was clicking. At least, until her eyes caught sight of a painting on the wall just beside another staircase. That wasn't the direction they were heading, but Amelia found herself stopping to examine this painting in greater detail. It felt impossible to ignore when the woman it portrayed looked so much like her, the only difference being the way her hair was styled and the fact that she was wearing an elegant gown that was befitting of a royal princess.

She had seen this painting before, and she knew of only one place it could possibly exist.

"Wait a minute…" she realized. "Are we… at Castle Blythe?"

"Very astute observation," Caleb chuckled as Amelia turned to him, jogging to catch up once she realized he was continuing towards a giant set of golden doors with The Empire's insignia etched into them. "It was a gift from your father once it became clear we were going to need a new base of operations. The NCA raided our old chapel after I was arrested, and this place is so far out of the way… of course, the modifications were necessary to ensure our safety."

Amelia felt her blood boiling even as Caleb pushed the doors open and led her beyond them. She knew that her family lineage on her father's side could be traced all the way back to ancient nobles who were part of the royal court when England was still a full-fledged monarchy, but the old castle in her family's name never held a use for anybody as her father was too focused on forging the Blythe name as a wrestling legacy and her mother's tastes were more in line with the manor she'd been raised in. To know that it was basically being used as either part of, or a cover for, The Empire's base of operations just infuriated her that much more over the thought of how much her parents had sunk into this cult before trying to turn on Caleb for their own interests.

That said, her blood suddenly ran ice cold once she saw what laid beyond those golden doors.

She found herself and Caleb standing on a stage clearly set up to look like a massive pulpit, overlooking a massive gathering room where she saw nothing but a sea of white cloaks and plague doctor masks. Apparently even here, Caleb prefers his followers in full attire when he stood before them. Flanking her and their leader on either side were the remaining elites who hadn't been part of the splinter cell and been taken down… Adrian Verner, her family's (former?) lawyer, was giving her a particularly smug grin that had her wanting to walk over and deck him. But her eyes quickly focused on the burly man she remembered crossing paths with in Germany last year, who seemed to be heating up a small iron over a hot bed of coals.

Amelia was certainly the hard gulp she made would've been audible if this were a cartoon.

"My faithful followers of the Lord's divine will!" Caleb proudly called out to get the attention of his proverbial flock. Seeing how easily he was able to command their attention with grand gestures and a loud, confident voice made Amelia's skin crawl. "Today, we welcome a new soul through the gates of salvation… a soul that brings us one step closer to fulfilling our goal and proving to the world that when we wage our holy war, we are the ones with God's blessing to cleanse the Earth and inherit a world free of sinners!"

The roar of approval from all these faceless followers was deafening, almost reminding Amelia of a wrestling crowd… a crowd that seemed willing to accept her, even though she knew what she was doing was wrong.

"Amelia… Nevado," Caleb said as he turned to her, motioning for her to step up. The reluctance to use her proper legal name was not lost on her and caused some in the crowd to murmur. "It is time to initiate you into our sacred ranks. Please place your left wrist on the altar."

Amelia opened her mouth to question why, but stopped when she heard Other Amelia's snide tone from deep in her mind. 'You best do as he says. You don't want to give away the game and disappoint Luz anymore than you already have, now do you?'

She growled under her breath as she stepped forward, rolling up her sleeve and laying her hand on the altar so her wrist was facing up. Caleb reached over and grabbed her arm while Adrian smugly walked over to press her hand down. She was about to try and question what exactly was going on, but the words died in her throat when she saw the burly man approach with the iron, and finally getting a good look at it, she realized exactly what this 'initiation ritual' was.

They were going to literally brand her with The Empire's symbol.

"A little insurance policy we came up with after those two NCA agents infiltrated our ranks years ago," Caleb filled in the blanks, and Amelia remembered the night her father had threatened to gun down Ivy only to be stopped and arrested by Darius and Evie after they revealed they'd been undercover within the cult for some time back then.

"If you're going to be one of us, then you're going to prove it," Adrian taunted her, and as her eyes looked down, she saw the symbol branded into his own wrist beneath the cuff of his suitcoat, just as it was branded into the wrist of the man who was to brand her. As far as she could see, everyone had this symbol branded upon them…

All except for Caleb himself.

Amelia realized exactly the pickle she found herself in: if she was going to pull this off, she had to be willing to have The Empire scarred into her flesh as a reminder of this dangerous path she'd chosen.

'I've come this far…' she reiterated to herself, steeling her nerves as she looked the burly man dead in the eyes. "Do it."

At her request, the man nodded before pressing the hot brand directly into her wrist. Amelia was no stranger to pain, both in and out of the ring, but this? This was the kind of pain that about had her body ready to just shut down on her altogether, but she grit her teeth and persevered. It only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity before that iron was pulled away.

When she dared to look down, she saw The Empire's symbol burnt into her flesh, clear as day.

"That will heal by the time you set foot in the ring in Australia," Caleb grinned as he and Adrian let go of her before her branded arm was raised for all to see. "Welcome our newest redeemed soul!"

Amelia didn't hear the roar of who she could now call her fellow cultists… all she could think was that she had to make this work now. Otherwise, her hubris would not only cost her the most important match of her life, but also her very life as she knew it.

[Syren]

Not 100% sure how I managed to do this, considering the pain I've been in, but I made it. And it begins a new chapter that I've been discussing for a few weeks now, which I'm quite excited for.

Enjoy.



The Syren Song: Verse 428
"You were going to tell me"

[SnowQueenSCW]

The Royal Letter

The camera opens to reveal a woman in a black pant suit sitting in a blood-red throne chair. The suit she wears is a stark contrast to her pale skin and platinum-blonde hair and sapphire-blue eyes. She sits with one legged crossed over the other, her posture poised and regal. Around her is nothing but walls of gray. She sits there for a several seconds, fingers laced together and placed under her chin.

Two-hundred and eighty days... Selena Frost’s voice is low, authoritative and somewhat terrifying in its coldness. Two-hundred and eighty days...

Slowly, her eyes move up to gaze at her audience. That’s how long it’s been since the last time I fought for the SCW world championship. That’s how long it’s been since Selena Frost competed for, what is supposed to be, the ‘greatest prize in this industry’, the ‘crown-jewel of sports-entertainment’, the ‘holy grail of wrestling’! The thing that defines who is the greatest in our sport!

She shakes her head. Two-hundred and eighty days... Slowly uncrossing her leg and sitting up straighter, Selena’s glare remains cold. There isn’t a single person that’s been on my level that’s had to wait that long. Hell, there isn’t a soul in this upcoming main event that had to wait that long for their ‘next shot’! Gavin? He’s got the belt. Amelia? 224 days? Syren? 61 days.

And it’s not just how long it’s been. It’s what’s happened in that time... Sapphire eyes narrow. Two-hundred and eighty days... and not one wrestler in SCW has taken me down! Two-hundred and eighty days and not one wrestler has pinned me, made me submit, truly BEATEN me! I’ve toppled every singles match, every handicap match, that’s come my way! I’ve gone UNDEFEATED to lengths that make Glory Braddock’s run look like a damn joke! I had Cid Turner running scared for months, REFUSING to face me because he knew he couldn’t handle me one-on-one! I toppled the supposed ‘undefeated’ Glimmer Sisters and embarrassed their first title reign. They don’t want any part of me now. They’re happy to run around in the tag-division with the B-class challengers... Selena grins knowingly.

There is no doubt! The records don’t lie! While Gavin was in mid-card, crying his eyes out over some fake contract he had, I was toppling every opponent I faced one-on-one! While Syren was losing to the likes of the EFN, I was beating them in damn handicap matches! While Syren was losing in the Trios Tournament and to Gavin Taylor twice – I was beating every single person that ran their mouth against me! And while Amelia Nevado was losing practically EVERY match she was put in, while she was failing to be a singles champion longer than a couple of minutes, I was dragging a deadbeat, ungrateful Executioner and making him a tag-team world champion. That’s what I did!

She shakes her head. Two-hundred and eighty days... in that time, Amelia Nevado has been nothing but a lucky loser. Gavin has been a lucky loser. And Syren... has been protected failure! Me? I’m made the initials of S.C.W still mean something! I’ve lived by the notion of Supreme Championship Wrestling! I’ve made every ‘reason’, every ‘excuse’ that someone got a world title shot or a number one contender match for the world title into the joke it is! Because despite all I’ve done! The undefeated streaks, the victories, the unbeaten time – the DOMINANCE! Despite all of that...

The only way I’m getting this title shot is because of Deanna....

She glares into the camera. Explain that to me, SCW. Gavin? Syren? Amelia? Explain it to me. Explain how I could go over NINE MONTHS undefeated and still not be considered as a contender for the world title, but Shaun Cruze comes out of retirement and gets a chance immediately. Explain to me how I can be unpinned and told I hadn’t ‘earned it’ yet, but Syren wins a couple of singles matches and gets Kimberly Williams – who was already failing in the Adrenaline division. Explain to me how Amelia can lose match after match but SHE gets the chance over someone that wins? Explain it to me how we could go this long with me winning – no ‘Secret Service’, no ‘handouts’ from the boss, no help from anyone! – and STILL not get my chance at the world title. Explain how that is possible! Explain how that can even happen in a place that, supposedly, prides itself on cultivating ‘the best’?

EXPLAIN IT! Selena’s roar echoes in the ‘chamber’ of the room for a second, followed by silence as she sits back in her seat. You can’t. None of you can. Not without embarrassing yourselves further.

But oh, let’s go and use the same line. ‘Selena stole her shot!’, ‘Selena shouldn’t be in this match’, ‘Selena doesn’t deserve this’, and Syren’s classic ‘Selena’s finally shown her true colors’. The Snow Queen shakes her head, amused. Syren, how can you have been her for almost two decades and not see how dumb you look when you say that! Since I got here, you’ve been riding that line about me being ‘secretly evil’, ‘secretly selfish’, ‘secretly out for only me’.

Oh yeah, we all know the ‘blueprint’ of a Syren promo against Selena Frost cause everyone she’s associated with uses it. Trust me, Syren, I’ve heard it before. You throw some Disney shade, some lines about me being two-faced and you’re all honest – I’ve heard it! I heard it from you! I’ve heard it from Ravyn! I’ve heard it from Christy Matthews – and where are most of them, huh? I’ve beaten Ravyn so many times, even SHE’S lost count! I ran Christy Matthews out of the business because she couldn’t stay at my level. And I’ve beaten you over and over again! So, while you want to look down on me and give me the same lines that were old over a decade ago, you want to throw shade that I don’t deserve it... let’s talk about you. Selena tilts her head.

Let’s talk about how you got the World Championship this time around. Yeah, that was a big moment for you, wasn’t it? First time in what? Seven years? That about right? And let’s be clear, that’s not because you were held back by management like I’ve been, Syren, oh no! Because you got opportunities!

You had an opportunity to be number one contender back in 2021, right? Against Cid Turner at RTG? What happened? You lost clean. Then what happened? Oh that’s right! Management gave you a title shot a month or two later anyway, right? And what happened? You lost. I remember cause I was the official that counted the pin as you lost to Cid again! Now, let’s fast forward a little bit – past you losing an iron-person match against Gavin Taylor... I’m sure we’re all seeing a pattern here, people- Selena grins knowingly. Fast forward to the crux of the matter – your loss to Xander Valentine. Yes, the man I pinned, knocked out, blacked out, beaten, and yes, brought to tag-team glory, and you fail to beat him. And I’m not talking about that time you failed to take the world title again – I’m talking about the one where your ego promised more than it could deliver – classic Syren – and you got locked out of the world title division until you won ten matches in a row.

How did that go, Syren? Selena tilts her head the other way. How did you overcome that hurdle? How’d you manage to beat 10 wrestlers in a row?

Oh, that’s right! You didn’t! You didn’t beat ten wrestlers in a row! What happened was that CHBK ‘counted’ your eliminations in the Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royale as ‘wins’ despite you getting eliminated and LOSING that match! Then, when you were supposed to get your tenth win at that year’s RTG, you ‘got an injury’, yeah because THAT’S not been done by Syren before to buy time. And instead of forfeiting the match, CHBK stepped in again and ‘froze’ your ‘streak’. And as soon as you came back, he handed you a one-on-one with some jobber and BOOM! Streak’s over! Syren can challenge again!

The Snow Queen scoffs. You want to know why I find that so fucking pathetic, Syren? Because while you had to be ‘helped’ and ‘handed’ that out for your ten-win-streak, I ACTUALLY DID IT!Yeah, check, Syren! The last few years here have been filled with winning streaks of mine! And at least TWO were ten or more matches! You stand there and say you ‘earned that title shot’? If it weren’t for CHBK and Lexy, you’d STILL not be able to challenge for the world title! But you want to bash me for family helping me against a corrupt system? Against a man that’s held me back while he protected you?

That’s all he’s done is protect you, Syren! Why you think he gave you Kimberly Williams and not me for that number one contender spot? Because last time we fought? I beat you. Triple threat match with Glory Braddock? I beat you. Last year’s Taking Hold of the Flame, who eliminated you? Me! I’ve outclassed and outlasted you and the only reason you’ve got ANYTHING on me is because CHBK has been holding your hand and protecting you while he’s been abusing his power and holding me back!

Her jaw clenches. But you want to wave your hands, give us a little nostalgia act of everyone being ‘Totally Jealous’ because gods forbid you tell it like it is, right, Syren?

Zoe... you couldn’t even beat Gavin Taylor. You couldn’t even hold the title past ONE title defence. You couldn’t even be ‘the best’ for a pay-per-view! That’s how it is. That’s how it has ALWAYS been. You’re a manufactured, protected, phony that couldn’t hold it against me in the last ten years. You couldn’t do it when I was winning tournaments. You couldn’t do it when I was on the rise. You couldn’t do it when I became the most dominant world champion in history. And you can’t do it now. You’re just the little girl with her friends crying to CHBK to ‘protect them’ from big, bad Selena. Cept he can’t this time. He can’t save you from me. His hands are tied...

Selena grins wickedly. And not just his... but Frank’s too. Cause we look at the other side of the coin and we’ve got two favourites of Frank’s coming into the fold. And I’ll start with the easiest one, because that’s just a joke in and of itself. Gavin Taylor!

Yes, the SCW world champion. Not sure if he sleeps with the title but he’s holding onto that thing so tightly it would make Infamous-era Syren be ‘totally jealous’. Selena’s grin is more amused.

Let me try and process this, Gavin, cause I want to ask you something. I mean REALLY ask you something. Put away your little ‘impression’ of ‘Presidential Cheeto’ for a second here. Put away your little ‘act’ for a second and answer me something honestly. Do you really think you belong here? I mean, honestly, Gavin. I GET that you feel good because you’ve beaten Syren so many times. I get that you’ve beaten Amelia before, I understand that....

But how many times have you beaten me? How many times have you beaten someone on MY level? Syren isn’t. Amelia isn’t. So how many people have you beaten at my level? When you’re wearing that title – I’m guessing – 24/7 is it because you’re so happy to have it? Because you can’t believe it? Or is it because you know, deep in your heart, that it’s all a lie? That you’re the real ‘fake news’ here in SCW? Because let’s face it, Gavin, you were nothing more than a... Selena shrugs her shoulders. Than a guy that couldn’t get over or win on his own, so he brought in other titles and fake championships to seem important. You were a guy that was the ‘joke’ of SCW. The ‘warmup’ guy. The ‘All-Star’? Yeah right. There was nothing ‘All-Star’ about you, Gavin. You had some talent, I’ll give you that, but how many times did you get a world title opportunity? Not many, right? And this was when SCW MEANT what it stands for. When the best were the ones that thrived and if you couldn’t keep up, you went to the mid-card or lower...

Selena shakes her head. This is your first defence, Gavin, with that title. And all you can do is use alliteration nicknames and impressions that were outdated years ago. But now you think because what? You’ve got a secret service that you’re invincible? Why don’t you ask Syren how ‘invincible’ she was with Infamous when I stood in her way. Why don’t you go see Asher Hayes and ask him how ‘The Brand’ were invincible when they took me on. Why don’t you ask Amelia how ‘invincible’ she was with her wife in her corner when she fought me.

Selena shakes her head. That’s what I don’t understand about you, Gavin. So many associates. So many people helping you. And no one’s told you – no one’s taught you the truth. Nobody has popped your bubble about your own limitations. The fact you’ve been here for so many years and have, literally, accomplished nothing. You’ve been here for so many years and done nothing to leave a mark in this place. And not one of your little party has told you why.

But I will, Gavin. I’ll tell you the truth you can’t accept. You’re not the best, Gavin. You’re just the product – the proof – of SCW failing. You’re the proof that this place is failing what it is meant to stand for. Because if you can be world champion by using your little squad... what does that say about ‘Supreme Championship Wrestling’? If you are looked on as ‘the best’, what does that say about SCW as a whole? When an undefeated woman like me is denied but you, a joking imitation that needed fake belts and now ‘fake news’ to get attention, is the definition of wrestling?

And the thing is, Gavin, you know what I am saying is true. That’s why you refused to acknowledge my claim to the world title. That’s why Frank double-crossed me. Why he tried to take my title-shot away from me a few weeks ago. Because you both know... that you don’t have a chance against me, Gavin. All-Star talent, beater of Syren... still isn’t enough, Gavin. Still isn’t enough to stop me. You could stop Syren. You could stop Amelia. But not me. Because I’m the real standard of SCW. I’m the real thing when it comes to Supreme Championship Wrestling. Because I don’t need a hoarde. I don’t need a stable. I don’t need associates. All I have ever needed... is myself.

Selena shakes her head knowingly. You’re a passing fad, Gavin. You’re a flavour of humor and disgrace rolled into one, just like Syren is a passing fad of nostaliga. Not dominance, not top-tier talent. You’re simple. You’re an attraction. And just like with Syren – you’re a one hit-wonder for this year...

She shrugs her shoulders. And that goes for Frank’s ‘backup plan’, Amelia... she seems to almost hesitate for a moment before speaking.

I tried, Amelia. I really did. I don’t care what happens to Syren or Gavin in this match. Quite frankly, they’re part of how this company is failing. Where nobodies, rookies and losers are given the chance at the world title but I have to ‘earn it’. Where I have to wait months, being unstoppable, but you... you just have to win one match.

No, Amelia, I gave you your chance to talk on Breakdown! I let you run your mouth. And instead of being grateful to me, you complained! You whined! You brought up my relationship with Deanna... The Snow Queen’s jaw clenches.

Who the hell do you think you are, Nevado? You think that because we were friends that you have the right to talk to me that way? You think that because you won a match that you have the right to look down on me and disrespect me that way? You want the Snow Queen instead of the friend? Here she is! her expression grows cold, as does her tone.

There is a reason I saved you for last, Nevado, and it’s not because we’re friends or that I’m going to try and ‘reach out’ to you and hope you understand. I’m not and I don’t care if you do. Because you’re worse than Gavin and even Syren. You’re worse than them, Nevado.

Because all that’s happened? Cid Turner’s showing up to wrestle only on a handful of shows while the rest of us busted our asses? Syren’s little stint as world champion? Gavin’s embarrassing the world title run now?

It’s all your fault.

Selena is silent for a moment, eyes narrowing at the camera. I told you that you weren’t ready. I told you that you didn’t have what it took to be world champion. I told you that you needed to do what was right for SCW. And you didn’t listen to me. You shoved me to the sidelines and gave CHBK the ability to hold me back from the world title. Cause if you could do it, so could he. You didn’t need me anymore, right? You could do it on your own, right?

What happened, Nevado? she slowly shakes her head. You had the chance to make SCW right. To undo the BS CHBK has done and you couldn’t do it. Just like I knew you couldn’t. You couldn’t beat Cid Turner one-on-one and because you held me back, I was continuously held back by management! Cid Turner ran through unopposed, protected by CHBK until his ‘bigger favourite’ in Syren was well enough to take the title. And then Gavin...

You? You just kept losing. You can cry about ‘pushing superstars to their limits’, but guess what, Nevado. That’s not ‘winning’. That’s not ‘earning it’. That’s not proving yourself! You’re just proving that you’re not good enough to be world champion. Just like I told you before...

How many matches you won since Apocalypse? How many titles you won? How many big names have you beaten? And how many have beaten you? See, Nevado... we are in an SCW where someone can come out of retirement and be handed EVERYTHING, including the world title, and that is seen as ‘okay’. We are in an SCW where someone can do nothing and still be placed in a number one contender match or a world title and that’s ‘okay’. We are in an SCW where someone can lose most of her matches and be placed with other similar losers for ‘a world title shot’ and that’s ‘okay’. And we are in an SCW where the best wrestler can be held back, lied to, betrayed, abused, denied what she rightfully deserves and that is ‘okay’.

The Snow Queen shakes her head. And it’s all because you failed to do the right thing. So what I want to know, Nevado, is how can you be okay with this? How can you be okay with this version of SCW? How can YOU be okay with pushing past your more successful wife? How can YOU be okay with Luz being held back and denied for your own sake? How can YOU be okay with being here after winning just one match?

A long inhale and exhale comes from the platinum-blonde You’re not cut out for this. You don’t have the tools, the skills or the drive to carry this business. That’s why your Frank’s ‘backup plan’. That’s why you’re the ‘lesser’ of Light in the Darkness. And deep down, you know I’m right. You know who the rightful champion should be and it isn’t you.

It isn’t Syren.
It isn’t Gavin.

It’s me. It’s always been me. It was me over nine months ago and it’s me now.

Another deep breath comes from the Snow Queen. Two-hundred and eighty days... Two-hundred and eighty days of ‘earning it’, of fighting the system, of risking EVERYTHING for this. The three of you? You risked nothing. CHBK will still be there to protect you, Syren. Frank will be there to protect you, Gavin, and you, Nevado.

But me? I don’t have a boss protecting me. I don’t have a stable protecting me. I have risked EVERYTHING to be here and I will risk EVERYTHING to win it! Because this SCW is NOT ‘okay’! This SCW is NOT acceptable! This is NOT Supreme Championship Wrestling! This is not ‘Make SCW Great Again’! No! This is make SCW SUPREME again! This is about doing what should have been done nearly a year ago! And I will risk and take everything to make that happen!

And that makes me far more dangerous than any of you three can imagine!

Leaning forward, Selena’s cold glare stabs through her audience. Two-hundred and eighty days... it ends tonight!

And day one of the REAL SCW World champion begins! Day One of the REAL SCW begins!

And I don’t give a fuck if you believe it or not!

The camera slowly fades on the cold stare of Selena before fading to black.

[Corner G]

SCW World Champion Gavin Taylor presents... The Hero's Welcome

^^ Click the link above ^^

[Wisteria Waltz]

We open up in what looks like a locker room, though it's one that doesn't appear to have been used for quite some time. Given the wear and tear we can see along the walls and the rust on the lockers, we can perhaps assume whatever gym this locker room might belong to has been out of service for a very long time, though it's admittedly a little hard to see when the lighting is not only so dim, but also occasionally flickering in the areas that are more illuminated. It's here that we find Amelia Nevado, which feels like a stark contrast compared to the elaborate and elegant room she occupied back during Retribution. She's dressed to compete, with her singlet and boots on and her wrists taped, though she seems to be fixated on her left wrist in particular, as if the tape is hiding something we're not supposed to see. Whatever it may be, she looks to be deep in thought, unfazed by the poor conditions around her or the flicker of the lights that could give anybody else a headache. In an odd sort of way, it almost feels... fitting.

“Go ahead... tell me I don't belong here.”

She slowly lifts her head at this point, a fire in her eyes despite the lack of emotion she's presenting otherwise. It strikes a rather frightening balance between focus and fury, especially as she folds her hands tightly in her lap, looking both like a proper young lady but also like someone who knows her hands could soon cause great harm to other human beings.

“You don't need to sugarcoat it... I've heard those words far too often in my life for them to affect me anymore. Selena can throw it in my face because she's so desperate to prove that she, and she alone, is the only one around here who deserves to call herself your SCW World Champion. Gavin can butter me up to try and hide the fact that he's putting me down to satisfy his own ego. Syren can try to pull this two-faced act of telling me otherwise while taking issue with the fact that I 'sold my soul' to be here. Maybe those words haunted me once upon a time... but that time has passed.

I've told you all a lot about my parents, and those who know the Blythe name know how highly they thought of themselves. To them, our family name only meant greatness, and I was born into this world for the sole purpose of being the single greatest pure wrestler alive as decreed by God himself... at least, that's what I was told. And yet, no matter how much I busted my butt, so matter how how I climbed, it was never enough. Success that any of you three would have been proud to flaunt in front of the entire world just meant that things were 'too easy' for me, so the goalposts were moved. Whenever I was closing in on championship gold to cement their claims, mom and dad claimed I should have been aiming for more prestigious gold. I started my career off undefeated for a full calendar year against the very best that all of Europe had to offer... but I was told I shouldn't have even let any of those opponents get a single shred of offense in.

It's funny, looking back on all of it... my parents thought that if they broke and reforged me over and over again, eventually I would truly become the perfect wrestler. A machine the likes of which Gavin, Syren, even Selena could never hope to hold a candle to. That's why they kept dangling their love like a carrot over my head and telling me I just needed to reach a little higher. I say it's funny because it feels like that's exactly how things have been going for me here in SCW, except replace my parents with CHBK and the likes of all of you. As Selena has been more than happy to point out, my singles record is far from desirable and I've had more setbacks than I would've liked... but we've all been there. You can't tell me that Selena Frost or Syren have always been these perfect, unstoppable wrestlers from the day they first set foot in the ring. They've lost, they've picked themselves back up, they worked out the kinks in their game and came back stronger than ever.

So why is it that I can find myself in that same position and be brushed aside when everyone has always been more than happy to give the two of them the benefit of the doubt? Why is it that Syren, Selena, even Gavin can just get shot after shot, even when they've had their setbacks and failures, but it took me over three years to even be given a proper opportunity to earn something on my own once again?”

Amelia voice raises and strains as it becomes painfully clear how much this fact has bothered her, especially considering how hard she's worked in those three years only to be brushed aside and overlooked no matter how hard she pushes herself, no matter how much she fought to try and carry the weight of the world on her back when no one asked her to. We hear her knuckles crack in her lap as her glare becomes more furious.

“That's why I compared CHBK to my abusive parents, because it didn't matter how hard I pushed myself, how much I scratched and clawed and fought tooth and nail to prove anything, I was passed over time and time again by people who had failed where I was succeeding and were still being rewarded for their persistence. Whenever we talk about my persistence, it's always thrown back in my face that I lost this match or that match and don't deserve it. Gavin Taylor can lose the majority of his matches, at least one or two of them to me, and be rewarded with a World Title shot just because he got one win over Syren with help. Syren can be locked out of the World Title picture until she clears a certain goal because of her own Hubris, but she still found herself with opportunities at just about every other title even when she was struggling to find her confidence once again. Even Selena can be shown she's not the all-conquering world beater she thinks she is, but she's allowed to brush it off and keep herself attached to the World Title picture even at the expense of the people who were closest to her because she's Selena Frost, and we're just supposed to accept that?

It took an offer from Frank Delatosso to finally be given the opportunity I have earned several times over by now... and I claimed it with nothing more than my own two hands. Ask Kemal, ask Shaun, ask Glory... I beat them with nothing more than my bare hands. No help, no stolen contracts, no insisting that a rematch had to cut in on what someone else had rightfully earned instead of taking that shot at a different time.

But I don't deserve to be here, right?

That's what you really want to say to me, right Syren? You're trying to hide it beneath this helping hand that you've never offered to me before, not even when Ravyn was trying to undermine your desire to earn your way square by playing her head games with me. I bet the two of you have had a real good laugh watching things between Luz and I reach the same point they did between the two of you once upon a time, just as she predicted. Amelia gets to be lost in Luz's shadow just like Ravyn was lost in yours, right? Well, last I checked Syren, Ravyn eventually found her own way to the World Title, proved she was every bit your equal in the ring... so why can't I do the same?

Oh, right, it's because you think I made the same mistake you did once upon a time... and yet, I clearly recall how well that worked out for you.

I'm not going to sit here and shove Infamous back in your face, Syren, but considering how many times you rode the power CHBK had even back then to the very top, I hardly believe you're in any position to tell me I made the wrong decision listening to someone who's actually opening the path that others believe I don't belong on. You've always made such a big deal out of wanting to be seen as one of the very best wrestlers to ever walk this Earth, Syren, but that doesn't entitle you to play hypocrite when, even now, you take advantage of your status as a legend and a Hall of Famer to demand more, and more, and more. At what point is it enough, Syren? At what point do you finally stand aside, accept that you've held the top prize here more times than anybody else probably ever will, and happily support those who want to follow in your footsteps? For how much you try to tell the world that you've changed, that you've turned over a new leaf, you're still showing an awful lot of greed by insisting your time isn't over yet when people like me have been working so much harder than you but are held back because your name, your status, automatically gives you priority and entitlement over anybody else. Syren, aiming for your ninth World Championship... what about me, still carrying the future you abandoned while trying to get my first?”

Amelia lets her words linger for a moment, the shadows left by the dim and broken lighting making her look far more dangerous than she's perhaps ever looked before. Where once we could have expected a young woman who was broken and questioning herself, now sits a warrior who knows she's going to have to fight harder than she's ever fought in her life and is more than ready to give even more than that.

“Gavin Taylor... I want to make this clear right here and now: I am not in this match to help you. Up to this point, we have been allies of convenience, fighting to try and preserve the one-on-one match we were originally supposed to have here in Melbourne. We could have succeeded in this task if you had just listened to me, someone who can call herself a World Tag Team Champion and one-half of what everyone still says is the greatest tag team in SCW today, despite the rifts. But no... you had to march to the beat of your own drum, hope someone else would be able to bail you out when you got yourself in a jam, and come Hubris, we're now in a situation where you can have that to your heart's content.

I hope you don't think that's going to stop me.

The painful reality, Gavin, is that you have what I want. We could argue semantics for an eternity about how you earned it, but the fact of the matter is, you are the SCW World Champion. You have the title that is the key to finally ending this game I've been forced to play for my entire life, and now that I'm so close, I can't afford to let you keep living this delusion any longer. I don't care if you want to bury me beneath your entourage like you did to Syren, because I will find a way out. I don't care if you think I can do all your dirty work for you, because the second you are within arm's reach of me, I will not think twice about choking you out and raising that title high above my own head. Even if this had just been between you and me, this scenario wouldn't have changed... all it's done is give you more ways to try and slip away with something I don't believe you deserve more than I do. But it's not going to work, Gavin... not when I'm so close, not when I've become the version of me that I should have been all along, the version that can and will overcome your tricks to reach the top of the mountain, no matter what it takes.”

Again, the warning lingers for a moment as Amelia lowers her head, likely thinking about the only other person she hasn't addressed yet. Slowly, she stands, the flickering light above her finally shorting out to leave us in even more darkness than we were already experiencing. If anything, we can almost feel the temperature in this old locker room having dropped several degrees, a chill running up our spines as Amelia lifts her gaze to us once more.

“Selena Frost... once upon a time, I did believe. Even when I shouldn't have, I chose to believe, I chose to put my faith in you. When you and Deanna turned Luz and I back in our very first World Tag Title opportunity, I trusted in you to tell us when you believed we were ready, as a thank you for trusting in us to put everything going on at the time regarding ownership of SCW on the backburner and just competing. When Luz and I invited you to our wedding, even when we knew what people might think given your attitude and where things stood between you and Deanna at the time, it was because we believed you deserved to have one moment that wasn't about you for a change to reflect on where you were going and whether or not it was worth it. Even when we stood across the ring from one another in the finals of the Trios Tournament two years ago, I made it clear to you that I still believed...

As it stands, I've got enough self-respect to admit that I may have been believing in a fraud this whole time.

You took issue with the fact that my team only won Trios over yours because Blake Mason got involved... and because I was not proud of that, I chose to wait until I could prove that whatever I chose to use my contract on was something I had well and truly earned. When I finally cashed it in, confident that I could defeat Cid Turner and become World Champion, you interjected and destroyed that confidence, not because of anything to do with Trios, but because you had to be the one to dethrone Cid, you had to be the one I faced with the title on the line. You told me I should've waited until you got the title back... at a time where my Trios contract was going to expire if I waited any longer, because I know you wouldn't have settled for challenging him in the main event of a Breakdown for that title, you would've demanded it be on pay-per-view.

You, Selena Frost, have proven yourself to be the kind of self-centered egotistical bitch that gives my mom a run for her money, building me up just to tear me down. Let me ask you an honest question: say I did let my Trios contract lapse and gave you your World Title match with Cid. Would you have made it up to me by giving me a shot at it, or spat in my face because I made the mistake of trusting you and letting that contract go to waste? Or, here's a better question... you say I don't belong here, that I'm not ready. Were you truly ready when you first found yourself in the main event picture?

Was Syren?

Was Gavin?

You can shove my failures down my throat all you like Selena, but you are not responsible for the woman Amelia Nevado is today. I got to where I am in spite of you and everyone else. You didn't hold my hand and guide me to greatness, Syren didn't encourage me to become the best version of myself, Gavin sure as hell didn't put me on a pedestal and tell the world that I deserve far more than I've gotten. I took it upon myself to fill the void that all of you left behind, carrying this company on my back by putting on the best damn wrestling matches anybody has ever seen. Even Syren would be lying to herself and the world if she claimed she didn't have to dig down deep and remember who the hell she used to be just to survive our match back at Under Attack!

You, Selena... you've become no different than Gavin, than the person you claim Syren still is, than every single person you once took issue with because you proudly proclaimed they didn't make it to the top the right way like you always did and you would push yourself harder to fix that and give SCW a World Champion it could be proud of! You've become the very thing you once told me you hated more than anything else Selena... a hypocrite.

Just like Syren, who had to try and shove me out of the picture because her rematch was more important.

Just like Gavin, who had to rely on others to get him that very title.

I'm not here because someone interfered on my behalf and handed this to me, I'm not here because of a rematch that's far more important than the efforts of someone who fought to get here, and I'm certainly not in this match because I had to steal from someone else's hard work to validate my claims of being ignored and overlooked. I am the only person in this match who truly earned the right to be here, on nothing more than my own talents.

I'm also the only person in this match who hasn't been a World Champion before... and that, alone, is proof that I want this more than any of you could ever comprehend.

I'm not the same Amelia Nevado who let Syren get one over on her at a pivotal moment in my career, or let Selena walk all over me because whatever friendship and respect we once had never mattered to her in the first place, or put up with Gavin's nonsense just because I had to carry him across the finish line and make him feel like he mattered. You aren't going to find any nerves or crisis of faith of self-doubt when that bell rings on Sunday night. Not when I know, and have proven in the past, that I can defeat each and every one of you, and I've only gotten better since then. Hide behind whatever excuses you want to protect your fragile egos, because I'm coming to the Marvel Stadium as the wrestler I should've always been since day one... the woman who was put on this Earth for the sole purpose of proving, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I am the best wrestler alive today, period.

By the end of Sunday night, when Hubris goes off the air, Melbourne, Australia will bear witness to my ascension, and when all is said and done, these are the only words that will echo in every waking thought the three of you have for weeks and months to come.

Here is your winner... and new SCW World Champion... Amelia. Nevado.”

Amelia stands there for a moment, as if she's daring anybody to challenge that claim and make a liar out of her. There is no doubt, no nerves, no fear... just a woman who knows she belongs at the top and is finally going to seize her moment no matter what it takes. We briefly see her look down at her taped wrist once again, as if something beneath it might bring all the doubts back to the surface, but she audibly exhales through her nose, nostrils flaring, before nodding to herself, as if to confirm that this is the path she needs to take. With that, she turns and takes her leave, and we're left alone in the ruins of what was once a locker room, perhaps a visual indication of how far Amelia's willing to fall into darkness so long as she can become the light she was always destined to guide herself out on her own terms.