Visage, Act II (Closed)

[Damien Kross, Jester]

Napalm showers,
showed the cowards,
we weren't there to mess around.

Through heat exhaustion,
and mind distortion,
a military victory mounted on innocent ground.

Again, within the confines of my mind, the Court had shifted... From behind the mirror's surface, I watched it shift and metamorphose. It seemed that every time I looked back at it, something small was different... but these small differences had such a curious way of adding up...

There was one drastic change however... The four statues from the central chamber had appeared in the Mirror Chamber... Odd... Now, the faces of Ricardo, Linda, Auroth, and Kate were all within view, their massive stone frames standing tall and proud...

Ricardo, the smooth as velvet entrepreneur.

Linda, the tough as granite Bone Dragon.

Auroth, the fallen Emperor of the Night.

Kate, the seductive siren.

The four people who had shaped my life. Now, it seemed as if they watched over me in my prison- almost like the guards that knew it was false accusation but had to do their job.

The clacking of shoes brought me out of my thoughts... It was no guess who was entering the room... The bane of my sanity- The Jester. His suit was perfectly crisp as always- the alluring dark purple beneath the black still perfectly capturing my eye... Fuck him and his great taste in clothing.

Well well Damien, how are you doing today?

"Gee, life is fucking grand Jester. It's so wonderful being stuck in here while a madman controls me."

Hehe, yeah, we-

"But I take solace in the fact that you're growing weaker... and that you know it..."

What was that you cocky bitch?

"Oh come on, you know it as well as I do. I mean, think about it. I've been able to grab control more often now... I stopped you from raping Sam at the Court. I've stopped you from hurting other students. You have almost nothing left Jester... and you were telling ME about falling from grace..."

Enjoy your sharp tongue while you have it Damien.

"Still feeling in control? Even with all the evidence against you, you still think you have the upper hand? You're blind..."

As if you can do anything to stop me... Look around you Damien. Where are you and where am I? Answer: I am outside. You are stuck in there. End of fucking story. What are you gonna do anyways? It's not like you can get out of there.

"And you're positive of this...?"

He paused... Oooo, this one had him thinking... This one had him concerned.

"I mean, how sure are you that I can't get out? Cause you know that if I do, you're fucked, right?"

You're bluffing.

"Turn around, look behind you. Aren't you at all curious as to why these statues are here now? Doesn't that scream 'ominous sign' to you?"

He turned to look at the statue, his eyes choosing to rest on the one of Kate.

Oh, you mean these statues here? What are these useless hunks of stone going to do to help you? He pulled back his fist and slammed it into the statue of Kate, a large crack forming at her shin, tracing all the way up her legs, torso, and finally to her shoulder.

The sound of sliding rock shocked Jester more than any explosion.

As the statue fell apart, chucks of stone fell everywhere, and a grim realization hit him... But it was far too late for the overconfident doppelganger. Kate's hand smashed down, her fingertip hitting the surface of the mirror, forming a spiderweb shatter. I just knew that if I could see Jester's face under that mask, it would be a look of terror.

I erupted through the mirror, the glass spraying forth in my path. No time for jokes- no time for trash talk- there was only time for my foot slamming into his chest. As the blow connected, he flew backwards, crashing into the legs of Auroth, who's glare was down on him just as terrifyingly as when we stood before the true Auroth.

He tried to bring his senses back, but as soon as his head rose, my fist connected, shattering his mask in a spray of shards. Quite literally, I came face to face with myself, but didn't let the mimic's face trick me into hesitation. A flurry of punches came to all parts of his body, the final attack being a knee to the stomach and an uppercut to his face as he bent forward.

He struggled to get up, blood pouring from his nose and mouth. His hand slipped into his pocket, and in that instant, I knew exactly what he reached for. I didn't give him the chance.

Launching myself forward, I landed on him with my knee, the Jester giving a loud shout of pain. His hand lost grip on the deck of cards, the fifty-four little weapons falling to the ground. My hand found it's way to his throat, and with a cold glare, I spoke to him.

"See what this has gotten you Jester? Do you see?!" But... he laughed. The sonofabitch just laughed.

Aw, what now Damien? You put me back in the mirror? Boo hoo, I'll be back in no time.

"Not exactly."

With my grip on him, I threw him clear across the chamber, his body skidding to a stop before the mirror. He looked up, gazing at the mirror.

"The glass is broken. We have no prison to use anymore." I put my hand out to my side, the fifty-four cards flying up to my hand. I smiled as I played some tricks, manipulating them to fly around me in a ring. This was my mind... I could do anything I wanted here..."So Jester... any last words?"

He frowned, standing up. He wiped the dust from his suit, cracked his neck, and sighed.

Get it over with.

"Gladly."

With a whip of my arm, the fifty-four flew forward, a barrage of certain death. As they sliced through the air, they eventually came to slice through flesh, muscle, bone, and the mirror behind him. A moment of silence rang out... but then, in the same instant, the mirror and Jester alike fell to pieces upon the black and white tile.

For once, there was peace...

With my mind merely willing it, the Court returned to it's splendor. The bloody mess and rubble were gone. All traces of the mirror were eradicated. Most importantly, the statue of Kate stood whole again, the four silent sentinels returned to their original position.

With a wide smile, I sat in comfort, my hand holding a glass of RKO. Donned in a black suit and purple shirt, top hat upon my head, my throne adorned with the shattered fragments of Jester's mask, and with silver cane in my other hand... It all just seemed right again.

Life was almost normal again...

"I'll drink to that."