The Prince Emerges (open)

Delvar had trained for this day for decades. He stood at the forbidden border of the Shadow Realm, ready to take the step across this one way portal back into the land of the Sun Lord. The Moon Spirit had been watched for the last three years, and Delvar had learned that once every twenty-eight days the Moon Spirit shirked it's responsibility of watching the dark side of the planet. It was one of these days that Delvar stood here, and took his first step to revenge.

It was a dark night in Chicago. It was time for a new moon so the only light was the street lamps. In a desolate alleyway, an old homeless man was about to go to sleep in this spot he had fought for. There was a crackling sound, the air in front of the man shimmered and released electricity in all directions. The man hid under his coat until the sound stopped. He looked out and now saw a man covered from top to bottom in a black coat carrying a large sword.

Delvar had survived the trip. He had passed through the portal and was still in one piece. That was the easy part though, he reminded himself. Delvar looked at his surroundings and found himself between two strange, stone structures. This isn't as he remembered the Dark-Siders' home. He saw the aging Light-Sider squirming to his side.

Walking to the old man, Delvar picked him up by the collar of the shirt he was wearing. "Where am I? What has happened to the Dark Side?" He demanded to know. The old man stumbled out something incomprehensible and threw his hands up in a shrug. Delvar growled, stabbed the homeless man through, and threw the man. The homeless man's body flew out into the street, smashing into a parked car. Delvar walked step by step out of the alley, stopping at the mouth. He would find the answers he was looking for.

Eventide, time of solitude and violence. Peace and noise pollution. What a time it was indeed.

Womb had decided his time in Chicago must end. After his loss at the hands of a fire user Womb had been keeping his head about the ground and away from the city guards. He had decided he must return to his base of operations in L.A and begin his project. He had himself enough fingers for his hand, now he must wield it like a skilled master would wield a sword, and strike down his enemies. As he pondered this a humanoid form flew past him, slamming into a nearby driving vehicle. Womb approached and knelt next to the lifeless body, his hollowed eyes investigating. "Well well, whom enacts such violence in my presence? To an innocent no less! One starving, one in need......" Womb turned from the corpse to see what looked like a man with an elongated bladed weapon on his person. How quaint.

Standing, Womb approached the assailant and began a row. "Why would you assault such a harmless being? Have you gone mad? This human did not harm you, so why must you impose yourself so?"

Delvar turned his sword to strike at the intruding Light-Sider, but found that this was like no Light-Sider he remembered seeing. Delvar lowered his sword from an attack position to a defensive posture. The skull really threw him off, but his manner promised him to be one of the great defenders from long ago. Maybe this was time to use words instead of swords.

"I'm sorry, sir. I have escaped from a hell no person should be forced to endure. Long ago, I was trapped in the Shadow Realm unrightfully by the Sun Lord. I was cursed by immortality that I could never escape the torment I didn't deserve. I escaped when I found the portal here to this realm was left unguarded by the Moon Spirit once every twenty eight days," Delvar explained himself, "I stepped through and I thought this man was accosting me. I thought he would warn his lord, the Sun Lord. I just escaped, I was defending myself." Delvar showed sincerity by lowering his weapon. "My name is Delvar, may I get your's?" He requested of the skeletal man.

A prison, another dimension perhaps? There are, after all varying plains that are playing out simultaneously. This man must be from such a place. Much like Miracle Boy. I must tell him that in this real, there are no gods.

Watching the man's disposition change after approaching him caused a surge of theatrics in The Womb. "Heed me inter-dimensional being! I am The Womb" He pointed bellowing. "You are not of your old plain! And your sun god does not reside here! In this realm, we become our own gods. You have committed an error here sir, but for now I shall allow it to pass, you were not to know of such things. Would you like to speak with me? I have a keen ear for the tale of a lost soul."

Delvar lowered his weapon further, leaving it at rest to his side. He looked at the being before him. Womb had told him he had escaped to the wrong dimension, and it took everything Delvar had not to blow it right there in telling the defender how much of an idiot he was. No, he couldn't do things the way his father had. The Shadow Lord had lost the first Shadow War because of his temper. He took a moment to think. "Well, there had been two factions on my home plain, the Light-Siders and the Dark-Siders. They were named so due to one lived in the light of the Sun Lord, the other in the darkness of the Shadow Lord. One grew weak and complacent, the other grew strong and hard," he told Womb. He continued, "I was a peasant of the Dark-Siders. I dutifully did what I could to grow food, but without sunlight it really didn't work. When the war was won by the Light-Siders, the Sun Lord banished every Dark-Sider to the Shadow Realm, regardless of involvement in the war. I've been training to be able to return home and be able to defend myself. I just want to make it home, that those who don't deserve this punishment may be allowed to leave the hell known as the Shadow Realm."

The Womb felt a brief spell of pity. "You will find no such activities here friend. I have walked this earth since before it's green grasses and trees. I, The Womb, did give birth to Life and Death and have witnessed their consequences. I can tell you that in this plain, your society does not exist. However, I will help you to return, if it is your wish."

Maybe Delvar had escaped to the wrong realm. Wouldn't that be the universal joke on him? Delvar had crossed a one way portal, away from his family and subjects. He was vying to return them to their realm, but now he never could. This place was different from how he remembered, but he had assumed the Sun Lord had begun to patrol his giant kingdom. This confused him, and now he would have to keep up with this peasant persona. Why had he chose a peasant? Delvar had to stop thinking this way or he would lose his short temper.

Looking at the phantasm of a man, Delvar asked suspiciously, "What service would you require for your most gracious offer? I have no form of payment to give you currently."

Womb raised a proverbial eyebrow. "I only ask you for your loyalty. Nothing more. It is all I ask of my disciples, that they give me their loyalty, and in return, they shall receive mine. It is the most honest and genuine, if not the most valuable offer in the world. I would be disappointed if you did not take it.

Delvar didn't know how to answer that. He had come to think of Light-Siders as ghastly, greedy, gluttons. This certainly was unexpected, but not altogether undoable. In fact, this would work nicely. "I will join with you. I only have two things I need. I need a place to store my supplies that I'm not currently using. I also need a place to stay when working with you and your team. Hopefully during your endeavors, we can find a way to reverse my mistake. What is your team's goal?" Delvar asked Womb.

"Come, I have a place you can house yourself, I shall elaborate on the way." Womb beckoned Delvar to follow him. "Twill be a long walk my friend. As the crow flies its about 2 days. Can you run? For a duration? I hope so for I will not slow down." With that Womb leapt off at a sprint down the street.

Delvar laughed. "Dark-Siders have lived in hell for near eternity. A two days run is hardly a feat to worry about," Delvar said as he took off after Womb. "So this dwelling you have, it must be something if you've been around as long as you say," Delvar said as he took pace with Womb. "So what are your long term and short term goals, sire?" Delvar inquired of the skeletal man.

Womb let rip a roar of laughter. In truth he had not been a part of this "Modern world" for very long himself, and knew only the "Do's and don'ts" that came with it. Womb began to explain the basic structure of the human world and then proceeded to tell him of The Legions goals and aspirations. All the while heading for the horizon.

Delvar followed the spectre, thinking about things while listening. He may have crossed into the wrong realm, but this world definitely had a Sun Lord. The more he listened to this man, the more it didn't matter whether or not this was his old home. This world was filled with Light-Siders. Delvar despised everyone of them. How would he destroy them and conquer this realm though? It was this man that gave him his answers. Delvar saw the very fine line that Womb was planning to skirt. The effort it would take to tip these plans to end in utter chaos instead of world peace that this man wanted would be infinitesimal.

Delvar would fight for this man. When Womb finally won though, it would be Delvar and his people that would enjoy the world, not this beings people.

(end)