Storyteller With a Headache: January 2010

Dear Diary:

First I feel I must apologize for my long absence. I realize it has been over six years since I wrote an entry, but I truly thought I had transcended my earlier weaknesses and thus no longer had the need of you.

No, now I realize that the more powerful one becomes, the greater the need to remain human. So I return to you a changed man, more focused, less impulsive, and terrified that I may be becoming the villain.

Perhaps I should start at the beginning.

Six years ago I played a concert. It was my big comeback show, my return to the world stage. Unfortunately fate had other plans for me. My show was attacked by things that, at the time, were impossible to comprehend.

This attack wounded me and I was rushed off in an ambulance. I was attacked again, and this time I saw my attacker.

Though I had caught a glimpse of her before my show started, at the time I had thought nothing of it. But now, this close, she could only be described as divine. Though she wanted to kill me, nevertheless I found my heart was drawn to her.

I was beginning to fall in love. Something I never thought would happen to me again.

She told me that she had sent her pets to attack my show in order to draw me away from all those people. While she toyed with my life however, someone intervened.

His name was Gunner, and he saved my life from the woman, whom I learned was named Thom, and that she was his sister. Oh and Gunner also said he was my brother. I, naturally, told him he was crazy.

At least until I received my visitation moments later.

Let me explain. A visitation is the term used for the visit paid to you should you happen to be the son or daughter of a God.

Yes, you read that right.

Mine came in the form of a talking squirrel. Yes you read that right too.

I was informed that I was the son of the all powerful God Odin, as was Gunner, and his sister, with which they shared the same mother, was the daughter of the God Loki. Though this sounded entirely impossible, who was I to argue with a squirrel?

In truth I felt the words echo in my soul and I knew they were right. This was the reason I was who I was, why things that seemed impossible to most, came easily to me. In one moment of truth, my life suddenly made sense in a way I could not deny.

Thom was trying to kill me to prevent me from receiving my visitation, and she would try to kill the others as well. Thus Gunner and I raced off to save them.

By the end, we had managed to save all those Thom had marked for death. A pair of young girls named Sunny and Roxie. Though at the time I really didn’t understand what was going on, nor was I sure I cared to, I still fought with all I had, which turned out to be quite a bit.

Thom came to visit me that next night. I learned that though she seemed to be on the other side, we were growing closer. She challenged me to save another of us, a booze-addled cop named Curtis from her in time, to which I replied the loser would buy drinks. While saving Curtis from Thom’s pets, two enormous wolves, I was wounded pretty badly. But I got my drink. Unfortunately, Thom killed Curtis’ wife and child in retaliation.

Curtis, obviously, never let this go, and to this day still pursues vengeance.

Over the next few weeks, Gunner informed us that the Gods were involved in an enormous war with entities called the titans, with the fate of the world on the line. I was strangely at ease with this information. Again these were words that rang true in my soul.

We did what we could as a group, but while I was alone in my hotel, Thom continued to visit. Not to fight, just to do things that regular people do, watch TV, have drinks. Eventually one thing led to another and she wound up staying the night. Though this happened several more times, every time I kept expecting to not wake up, that she would kill me at some point during one of her visits, though obviously that never happened.

I knew I was playing a dangerous game; after all, Thom had killed Curtis’ family, and had told me she was trying to sever the ties of fate that held the world together. Still, I didn’t really care; I had learned that business was business, and that what I did in my own time was my concern, no one else’s. I knew that when it came down to it, Curtis would try for revenge, and I had no intention of getting in his way, even though I would be secretly rooting for the woman I was falling for more and more.

As she told me of her plan, I always hoped she would change her mind eventually, or that I could change it. Alas it seemed Thom was stuck in her ways, and I was beginning to think that maybe she couldn’t change even if she wanted to.

Thom needed three relics to complete her little plan, and while we raced to acquire them before her, Gunner and I grew pretty close. He was the brother I never had. Though he knew of my liaisons with his sister, I believe he trusted me to do what was best for the band, and in that I would not fail him.

While acquiring the second relic, it came to a head between several giants, us, and Thom. Gunner was critically wounded saving Sunny, with whom he had begun to form a relationship. Thom, in a rage over her brother’s imminent death, transferred his fate to her through powerful magic, thus taking his wounds, though she was strong enough to live through them. Then she cast her fate severing spell.

She lacked the third relic so the spell was incomplete, and went out of control. Though we managed to save ourselves, Thom was believed to be dead. With the threat apparently over, the band went their separate ways, to accomplish our personal missions.

Gunner and Sunny went off together, to train I think, while Roxie seemed to drop off the face of the world. Curtis went to hunt titan spawn, and I helped him occasionally. I primarily focused on finding the third and final relic.

Though I had performed a few shows while journeying with Gunner and the others, it was becoming too difficult to focus on my career and my calling, so I performed one more show after which I announced my retirement from music.

It was then that my father himself saw fit to visit me.

To say I was nervous would barely cover it. Odin is a man whose very presence reduces people to a quivering mess. It was all I could do not to fall to my knees. Unfortunately Odin told me little I didn’t already know. He helped me briefly in learning more about the power within me however, and I grew in strength exponentially.

Though he seemed civil enough, I had learned enough to know to keep my father at arm’s length, lest my fate become entangled with his. It was obvious that Odin saw me as little more than a tool to be used for his ends. He was just here making sure it was sharp. Though I can only guess as to what his end game may be, I knew I wanted nothing to do with it. I fight for my reasons, and no others.

For six years I traveled the world, learning all I could, becoming ever stronger, becoming more and more ready for the confrontation I knew was to come. I was no fool, I knew Thom had survived, and would be back someday to claim that last relic. She couldn’t go against her fate.

I had tried so hard to convince her to stop, and I failed. Now I need to do what I must to save this world from her, which I believe means killing her. Killing the woman I love.

Just as I thought I was finally ready, that I could be sure of myself to do what was right, Gunner called me, after six years of silence.

He said there was someone I should meet.

That someone was a young child, six years old, that he and Sunny had spent this whole time raising. Except the boy looked nothing like them.

He looked just like me. And I knew exactly who his mother was. And everything I thought I knew was suddenly turned upside down.

I had a son. I had a son with the woman I loved, and only now did Gunner see fit to tell me. He had the nerve to claim the boy was his; the nerve to goad me on and dare me to try and take him. To say I was betrayed was the understatement of the century. Why didn’t he tell me? Why could we have not raised the child together? We were family after all, so why was I kept in the dark all these years, while he and Sunny played house somewhere?

No, I realized with a soul crushing defeat, we were never family. While I was willing to do anything for this band, including killing the woman I love, Gunner was keeping secrets and letting the danger this world faced grow ever larger.

Surely he must have known where Thom was all this time, and she must have been injured from the spell. He could have told us and we could have finished this before any more people died. I could have moved on, knowing that the world was safe, and though my love was dead, we had a child through which the best of her could live on.

But no, Gunner would not put the band before himself.

As I left in a rage, I knew that if this world stood any chance, it would be under my leadership, not his.

Gunner had found the third relic in South America, but before we went, I would ensure the band would be ready to do what was necessary. If that meant Gunner had to go, even if it meant killing him, then so be it. After all, we were far from family.

Though Thom visited me in my hotel that night, just like old times, the visit was brief. I can’t allow myself to get close to her again, not while she still poses such a threat.

We ventured to South America, and though Gunner and I almost came to blows several times, we made it in one piece. Gunner brings out the worst in me now, when we are together all I care about is hurting him as much as possible. Nothing else matters, well, nothing else except for my son.

Who is a hell of a guitar player by the way.

I charged Gunner with doing what he had done best these six years, keeping my son to himself, while we made our way to where the relic was being kept. As we were about to enter however, Gunner phoned Sunny. My son was gone. I sent Sunny back to find him, she was the best hunter of us all, and I was the only one who could use magic to open the way to the relic. We knew Thom was here already, so we couldn’t afford any delays. I warned Sunny that if Gunner couldn’t keep my son safe, he would become useless, and I would kill him.

I meant it. I still do.

Curtis, Roxie and I entered and found ourselves in a large desert. After a while of traveling, we found a large oasis. With my son playing in it. Things were starting to fall into place, but I still needed a few more answers.

I sent Curtis and Roxie up ahead; I wanted them gone when Thom showed up.

I didn’t have to wait long. I knew this was it, I knew today would be the day. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

I went to war with the woman I love.

Though I unleashed every single speck of power I had, I was unable to kill her, she was still so strong. I did, however, manage to wound her significantly enough that she was forced to abandon her mission here. A small victory but not the complete one I was hoping for. I had one chance however.

I made Thom promise to return my son to Gunner; knowing full well Sunny was there as well. I prayed that Gunner would prove me wrong, that he wasn’t just focused on himself, that he would put the band and the world first and bring his sister to her end, because in her wounded state, Thom would not be able to beat them both.

I was never so unhappy to be right.

Now as I sit here writing this, Gunner has taken my son and left the group. I allowed this because during our battle, Thom told me that my son is the last component to cast her spell. When she cast the spell six years ago, she severed his fate while he was still in the womb. Thus he had been born without any ties to fate at all, making him the perfect catalyst. More and more it looks like fate itself is conspiring to bring about its own end.

For now though, I thought it best to keep the relic and my son separate. However now I know with certainty that Thom must be killed, because the only other way to stop all of this is for my son to die.

But I find myself questioning my cause. Can a world that demands the blood of the woman I love and my son really be worth saving? Though she is a monster, she is also a scared girl, and I find myself growing sympathetic with her cause more and more.

But that is not the path I chose. That would make me just like Gunner and there is nothing I want less.

My therapist, Dr. McGregor told me a long time ago that when I am conflicted, I should write my thoughts in this journal and the answer would become apparent. He was right.

So consider this my declaration of war. In order to save this world I will do anything. If that means killing woman I love, so be it. If that means killing my son, so be it. Perhaps this is why he was kept from me in the first place. Perhaps both Gunner and Thom knew it would come to this. If you did, then congratulations, for you’ve turned me into a monster. A monster who will commit any evil to save this world, if that is what it takes.

And should it come to that, should I be forced to become a force of evil, and take the lives of both the woman I love as well as my own son, then all that will be left is for such a monster to be destroyed for the world to be truly saved.

Thus the reason why I have gone out of my way to make Gunner hate me, for I pray that by hating me enough, it will surpass his personal weakness and he will be able to kill me. Gunner is my ace in the hole, should the absolute worst come to pass. His is the blade I want to destroy my evil.

My name is Sebastian Jericho, and I hope you’re prepared for what is to come.

I hope I am prepared.

Storyteller With a Headache

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Sebastian Jericho (Scion Version)

Stupid Rich, Stupid Famous VI