A crisp summer’s wind glides in through the partially open window. Warmth filled out the room, lending itself to a comfortable aesthetic. Laying flat on an oak table was the newly acquired Youngblood Championship. A smirk tipped at the lips of The Sphinx. His aim had been accomplished, capturing gold.
Minutes passed as The Sphinx gazed upon the championship belt now bearing his name. It was a good start, winning the Youngblood championship. His pursuit of gold had only just begun.
Light airy footsteps echoed along the ground, announcing the arrival of Dollia Trypp. Her innocent and expressive features lighting up as her own gaze fell to the championship that was presently residing on the table.
Dollia Trypp: “ You achieved your goal, you did exactly as you said. You completed the goal that you set your mind to. I knew you would.”
The Sphinx “There was no doubt that I would accomplish my aim. None. I acted in such a way as to toy with Eun, to let her think she had a chance. To give her hope, before I would rip it away from her.”
Dollia Trypp: “That’s an unconventional way of saying you are a villain. But then again you have a flair for the dramatic. One might be given to think that you are a showman, an entity who takes delight in the performance itself leading up to the act that suits your aims. Cunning and crafty as always, keeping everyone on their toes''.
A smirk twisted upon the lips of The Sphinx, an ethereal glow holding court in the depth of his eyes, which were a brilliant white, like that of a star filled night.
The Sphinx: “Drake Nygma died in Egypt, under the statue of the ancient deity The Sphinx. He returned to life bearing my name to continue my lifelong duty. He went completely insane, and disappeared. This is what happened next.”
Dollia Trypp:” Your lifelong duty? You mean punishment. Don’t you?” a tremor presented itself in her voice, an echo of fear when faced with the unflinching truth, that darkest of truths which spoke to the black and white world view that was a huge part of what drove The Sphinx forth in this modern day.
The Sphinx:: “In truth I was born to play the role of executioner, this is fated by gods of another lifetime. You would not be incorrect if you were to think of me as an Avatar, with Drake playing the role of my host. A therapist would describe us a system, the official diagnosis would be Dissociative Identity Disorder. In our case you have two alters, the human personality…. And then you have me, does that make sense?” came The Sphinx's rumbling voice, a question lurking inside that rumbling tone.
Dollia blew out a simple breath, a small smile teasing her thin lips, a thoughtful expression filling out her features.
Dollia Trypp: “So If I’m understanding this correctly, Drake is the core/original personality and you are…. A supernatural/non-human alter, would that be an accurate summary of both you and Drake?” Dollia whispered, her mind seeking clarity on who she was engaging with. In her mind it made sense that the two personalities were different, one was given to feeling, while the other was not at least on any known surface level.
Booming, bright and genuine laughter poured out from beneath the Sphinx’s lips. For just a moment it seemed that the original personality of Drake Nygma did bleed through into his unemotional demeanour.
The Sphinx: “That is the most accurate summary we’ve heard spoken by a human tongue. It’s good that you see us. That you are willing to put in the work to understand who we are, what we are, the way in which we work. You are a rarity walking the earth. That much is true. Even without your inherent kindness, you are a trusted ally. Remember that.”
Dollia Trypp: “Your words are flattering, of a complementary nature. As sweet as you’ve been, you both have a match to ready yourselves for. A match with a foe who by all appearances is one of the rare few to match your strength, to match your cunning. This won’t be an easy match, not at all.”
A moment, well two actually passed in companionable silence. A silence that was comfortable as if both The Sphinx and Dollia were bridging the gap between his system and her knowledge about the condition which was a part of who he was, of who they were.
The Sphinx: “Good. I would not want it to be easy. We want to fight, to conquer, to prove ourselves. The more we fight, the more we battle, the more we open the eyes of mortals to who we are, to what we do, to the capabilities granted to us long ago. Man or monster, it matters not they all shall fall just the same.”
The Sphinx reached out and pushed the Youngblood Championship towards Dollia Trypp. His eyes were narrowed, intense, focused, a supernatural intensity lay in the depths of his eyes, a look that promised unerring readiness for the fight that was to come. The fight against The Great Khan, Chulunn Bold. A figure who was aligned under the banner of Chaotic Neutral. Thus it became apparent that it would be a clash of ideologies. Chaotic Neutral versus Neutral Evil.
Dollia Trypp: “Which side does Mr Bold fall on? Man or Monster? Reports would suggest he is more monster than man. But who among the waking world knows what is truth and what is falsehood. Deception is practised regularly among humanity after all.”
The Sphinx would nod, his vast intelligence lending itself to a hard won knowledge of humanity. His chest rose and fell in a precursor to speech.
The Sphinx: “Nothing is ever so simple as one side or the other. You live long enough and you learn that. Mr Bold is likely a mix of both man and monster. We look forward to seeing what he’ll do when the bell rings.”
Electricity crackled through the air, a faint blue pulse, an echo of a reverberating tone of voice that Dollia had never heard from The Sphinx before this day.
The Sphinx Voiceover: “I'm well acquainted with villains that live in my head. Goddamn right, you should be scared of us. I paced around for hours on empty. The house was awake, with shadows and monsters.They sent me away to find them a fortune. A chest filled with diamonds and gold. I'm meaner than my demons. I'm bigger than my body. I'm colder than this home. I'm bigger than these bones. Who is in control?. I will rule from the Big Bang until the end of the world. None shall escape our view, none shall escape our wrath, so speaks The Sphinx.”
Fade to black…