Whispers turned into shouts, an ominous rumbling like the promise of an infernal storm. Two forces were set to embark on a collision course. Two monstrous forces, each one bearing their own unique gifts. Drake Nygma and Chulunn Bold. The Great Khan Versus The Sphinx. The might of Egypt set against the might of Mongolia.
One man a master of the night, the other an ancient esoteric entity whose power has a link to the ways of old, a tempest given physical form.
It was almost poetic, the way the stage had been set. It had been over a century since a fight laden with promise had been placed before The Sphinx. Battle is his lifeblood, war his favoured past time.
Egypt 1492.
Obsession. Wealth. Ownership. Hoarding. Gold. Coin. Jewels. A collector of artefacts from across endless time. This was what The Sphinx considered of the utmost importance. His desire for jewels, rare artefacts had only intensified in these last few years.
Rubies and Sapphires, precious gems lay out in the open, an awe inspiring display of wealth. Opposite these rare gems were trinkets, jewellery, ornate weaponry, gold laid in the handles, an offering meant to garner protection.
“I shall not part with any of it, not a single coin. Nor a single gem, or jewellery or weapon. All of this is mine, call it a tribute in exchange for your lives. Taking up arms against me would be foolish, a truly bad idea.”
Thunderous laughter shook the very ground, causing dust to fly up into the air. A fog-like haze lay in the eyes of The Sphinx, an onset of madness it could be said was starting to present itself.
Flashes of light burst in through the partially open window, the sounds of birdsong yet filled the air.
Dollia’s pale eyes, containing so much light lifted ever so slightly as she met the eyes of The Sphinx.
Dollia Trypp: “To whom are you talking? I am the only other person here” Dollia whispered, her eyes softening, a clarity of knowledge holding true in her eyes.
In this moment Dollia knew that the presence of such wealth, the coins, the jewellery warped The Sphinxes mind. The gems did seem to awaken a darkly possessive nature.
A moment of chilling darkness lay astride The Sphinxes face, his features twisted into a mask of madness. Strangely his eyes glowed an eerie color.
“Sometimes I hear far too much, see far too much, a mind can only take so much before it breaks. All you see here is mine, I am the darkness on the edge of town. Who was I talking to?. Whenever I look at anyone, sometimes I catch glimpses of shadows lingering just out of reach, as if they too hold another in their mind.”
Dollia offered a small grin, a warm empathic gesture. “It is not impossible that these shadows are connected to past lives of those who bear them. Your mind is divided, the presence of these treasures are awakening something of your true self. This is both good and bad. Good in that you are learning more about your past, bad in that you are becoming much more unpredictable.”
Her breaths came out on a quiet gasp as she looked deep into his startlingly wild looking eyes, a considerate expression crossing the softly sharp bones of her face.
A flash of curiosity flickered along his features, intrigued by the mysteries of his past.
Present Day.
“I’ve never fought a Khan before, much less a Great Khan. The idea of no holds barred warfare is appealing. Perhaps in fighting Chulunn I’ll find a foe who can go toe to toe with me. Or perhaps this is simply the next step along the path that I walk.” The Sphinx spoke contemplatively, his tone denoting no small amount of intrigue.
Dollia Trypp: “It is highly possible that in combat you’ll uncover more of who you are. That you’ll understand more about your unique facility for battle. As always your mind is divided, one half of you craves violence, the other half is quieter, studious and peaceful. Until both halves are united neither you nor Drake will know any semblance of peace.”
“Perhaps peace is an unattainable goal. It is possible that all I can hope for is the thrill of battle. A war in perpetuity, a war that never stops. I would not know what to do with anything that sings of peace. War suits me. War is what I know, I was raised in the bloody service of battle. I cannot turn from this path now.”
Dollia’s lips pursed, a sorrowful look alighting itself astride her features. Sighing softly, Dollia spoke in a silky soft voice.
Dollia Trypp: “The bloody service of battle? Is that a metaphor for some event that lays deep in your past? You speak in riddles, in mysterious phrases. I can see that you’ve remembered something, what is it?”
“Cast your eyes once more into the past Dollia” The Sphinx rumbled.
Egypt 1592.
A black throne now lay in the throne room, blood covering the floor. Artefacts of former rulers lay in plain sight. Six bodies of thieves lay motionless on the throne room floor. Their lives long since snuffed out.
Dollia Trypp: “What happened here? Six bodies….. All of whom are now dead. Why? Help me to understand what transpired here.” Dollia’s voice came out shaky when faced with the aftermath of The Sphinxes' brutality.
“These thieves thought they could get away with stealing from me…. To take that which is mine. A foolish mistake that they paid for with their lives. Pay close attention Empath, this is how I shall deal with any who attempt to rob me.”
Dollia gulped, her eyes widening a mix of fear and sorrow as she looked deep into the eyes of The Sphinx. A tear dripped down her cheek, her vulnerable heart aching, the inherent cruelty of The Sphinx, at odds with her gentle nature.
Dollia Trypp: “Is violence really the only way?” Dollia murmured, giving The Sphinx a question to consider.
Present Day.
Dollia shivered slightly, the memory of the sorrow she had felt when listening to The Sphinx speak as if violence were the only answer, truly scared her. Deep down she knew that his darkness might be stronger than Drake’s light.
“Home. I am home” Drake whispered as The Sphinx had ceded control for the moment. Dollia’s raw elemental sadness had been strong enough to pull Drake out of hiding for the moment at least.
Her eyes widened, a half moon smile teasing her lips, her joy obvious as she saw the discernible difference in the man before her.
Dollia Trypp: “Yes you are home. Both physically and mentally it would seem. Just in time too, The Sphinx of late has been darker, harsher, less willing to engage in my way of doing things. His mind and by extension yours is in a combative state.”
Drake could feel his heart pounding, a burst of wild untamed emotion pulsated through his system, rage, confusion, hatred, darkness, hope, loss. All these things were rising and stretching out deep inside his mind, his darkness not quite asleep nor fully awake in the present day.
“What did you see? What did you feel?” Drake murmured.
Dollia Trypp: “I saw a black throne, bodies laid across a temple floor. Gems, weaponry, artefacts. Each time a memory presents itself I see more of the ancient entity that lives inside your body. He is wise and brutal, a complex being. Blood covered that temple floor, a grim message to those who would dare to steal from him”
Several minutes passed, soft slow breaths the only sound that filled the air that lay between Dollia and Drake. As their eyes met, unspoken questions lay in those self same eyes, neither one knowing what lay ahead in their respective futures.
Egypt 1692.
The Sphinx sat astride the black throne, the darkness that was his aura had only strengthened the past 100 years. His form was sheathed in a cream coloured robe, symbols of a question mark and an ankh adorned the robe. The quiet was soon broken by the appearance of Dollia Trypp.
Dollia Trypp: “Darkness becomes you. Beneath that calm and composed facade you present, there is so much anger, so much hatred. An internal fire that serves as a distinct counterpart to the icy persona you like to present day to day. I wonder what triggered such a fiery temper, what inspired a hatred as strong as the one that you possess.”
“Fire brings freedom, freedom from the vapid modern world, a world writ large with weakness. Change does not come easily, nor does it come overnight. When the dust settles only the strongest, most resilient will be left standing. I’ll light the funeral pyres, watch as the bodies of the unworthy burn.”
Dollia took several steps backward, her face pale, a mask of terror, confronted by the horrifying speech erupting from between the lips of The Sphinx.
“The truth is always terrifying. It’s a hard lesson to learn but a necessary one little empath. You live long enough and this becomes extremely clear.”
Dollia Trypp: “You speak without emotion, do you even have a heart? Do you even feel anything? Everything about you screams rational, brutal, dangerous. You have no emotional bonds, no gentle emotion. How is it possible that you are so empty of positive feeling?” Dollia spoke on a shaky whisper, a tear rolling down her cheek.
“My function is two fold: One I keep Drake in line, his emotional state makes him weak. His feelings leave him open to manipulation. Two: I exist as an executioner and as a jury, sentencing mortals and overseeing the punishment to follow. I will trust no one else in matters of punishment, your mortal courts, judges, jails are far too lenient in the execution of their duties.”
Dollia Trypp: “Do you have a heart? Please tell me you do….”
“I cannot tell you that, for that would be a lie. I won’t lie to you, I won’t sugarcoat things, won’t pretend to be anything less than what I am.”
Present day.
Dollia began pacing back and forth, her soft footsteps echoing along the ground, her soft eyes filled with an innate curiosity, her empathic nature winning out over her fear of the darkness that was The Sphinx.
Dollia Trypp: “Honesty contained within the darkness, blunt and straightforward. You continue to grow ever more fascinating by the day. The Sphinx was born to the darkness, a world barren of light.”
“I’ve seen the horrors that result from lies being told. That grandest of deceptions. Mortals will go to any length to deceive both themselves and others. The end goal? To convince the waking world they are good, pure, innocent. This is one of the older lies present in the modern world.”
Dollia Trypp: “How interesting you hold yourselves apart from mortals and yet you understand them like rare few ever do. What must it be like to wield such long held knowledge inside a mind like yours, constrained by the human form of Drake Nygma and yet…. At the same time…. Free to lay waste to humanity.”
Egypt 1792.
The Sphinx knew he could be patient, in the same way that a Cobra could be patient.
His patience had been hard won, earned through effort. Despite the darkness that was a part of his heritage, he was not a mindless fighter. Quite the reverse, he thought far too much, his plans had been years in the making.
A single tripwire lay in his brain, a single point that connected him to humanity. Dollia Trypp.
His little sister, his empath. She was the one who tempered his darker impulses.
Flickering bursts of gentle energy rolled out in pulsating waves, a counterbalance to the inherent darkness of The Sphinx.
Dollia Trypp: “You walk a fine line between the light and the dark. Two sides separated by a breath, you are so walking that razor’s edge, you have done this for so long that you can no longer feel that you are bleeding.”
“Endless swathes of humanity are content to operate with blinders on, I’m not. I see the truth. That the only way to solve this world’s woes is mass extermination. Equal and fair. To flame bodies shall be gifted.”
Present day.
Narrowed tightened facial features came into sight, a look of intense concentration lingering in the eyes of one Drake Nygma.
“Chulunn Bold, I’ve never submitted to anyone, that will not change this day. I will not bend nor break, ready both your body and mind, for you will be tested like never before. Hell is empty and all the devils are here. I won’t assume that I know your backstory, much less what you are. I’ll get those answers in the heat of our impending battle.”
Dollia Trypp: “Mr Bold, preliminary reports indicate that you have a steel core, that you are a versatile foe, you have a dark aura, something monstrous and horrifying you have become. I am keen to see you up close, to observe how your darkness shall manifest itself.”
“I’ll make ready the torches, bring the fire to bear, cleanse the inherent horror of what you have become. This is the mercy I offer you. You would be wise to accept this offer, meet your gods as a man, rather than as a monster. The choice is yours, a painless exit or a painful one.”
Dollia Trypp: “Let us away…. There is much preparation to be done for this fight against a new darkness on the horizon.”
With that whisper both Dollia and Drake were no longer in view, moving to start preparing that which they would need for this dark showdown.