Through the seams and stitches the souls slither through (Rozmer)

The worst had come to pass. The verdict was made and there was absolutely nothing the Archon could do about it. Imperium had fallen into the hands of the "Woman in white", even more to his shame, they had not truly fallen into her hands. No. To her hands they were gifted, and now it was a cross of burden and regret that he (and he alone) need carry. But the dirt beneath his feet still warm, and the sun lingering upon the horizon. Zell had no concept of time any longer. He had been imprisoned for far too long, deep underground. His face was patchy and unshaven, his hair was shaggy and oiled. His face was battered with cuts and bruises, the bag under his eyes bruised his sockets to the degree that they looked as hollowed as a skull. To be direct... he was more like a battered animal than a man. He was hardly recognizable. Even inside him there was a darkness growing, a darkness that was imposing, but not particularly evil.

Hands puppeted him, the sword was his strings that made him dance across the planes of this existence. It was now by these hands that the Archon was called to do that which he created the blade to prevent him from doing. It was by these hands he was ordered to await the ushering of a rebirthing era, an era of self-proclaimed Gods and transuniversal dominance. The era of ignorance and self-righteousness and the era of darkness, the resurrection of the flawed. But first was the horrific command the twitch of the hand that sent him against the very reason of existence. He had one command, and it was all quite simple.

...Destroy this universe.

Not a chance. The Archon thought to himself as he smirked and looked upon the sky once more. He looked down at the carcass of the goat he found beneath him. He smiled as the strings of meat and flesh were strewn upon the ground. Torn flesh, mangled bodies, it looked like a murder scene, and theoretically it was. A murder of goats. Zell looked upon his feet, seeing the black boots standing upon dried and crusted blood in the form of what one could only assume was a sick form of ritualistic circle of a horrifically satanic nature. The circle had arrows protruding in each direction, cardinal and sub-cardinal alike. A symbol of chaos as unearthed graves rest in a systematic fashion around him, leaving only a three foot gap where one could approach him.  At the ends, before the arrow there was a circle, and inside each circle was an underdeveloped fetus was rested in each. It was to his relief at the very least that these were not ones he himself needed to harvest. Abortion clinics really should amp up their regulation.

From the safety of his circle, he pulled back the cloak of death, and revealed the two gauntlets that began to glow an eerie green. Ender, the fragments of the Abyssal soul. The very fabric of reality stiffened, hardening in preparatory defense. In an instant, Archon energy began to flow from the gauntlets, and carve a strange circle into the ground about five feet away. The circle had it's own intricate structure a three foot by three foot circle, crevices and creased all throughout it in a seemingly plain and dull design, but in the center was a perfectly hollowed out "bowl" of sorts. The energy would then take the form of a liquid and settle in the center of the circle, inside the "bowl". The Archon then withdrew a vial of purple dust and without so much as a thought, the energy picked it up and carried the vial to the next circle. the energy swirled as a wind while holding the vial over the bowel, and as it swirled, the crystal encasing disintegrated, the purple powder dropped. Shimmering as it descended, it would touch the green liquid energy and turn a dark, ink-like purple blue.

"Rozmer." He whispered the name, the intended target he wished to summon. The second the name was whispered, the liquid became violent. Firing out like a geyser the ink would fire up and as the liquid rained down it left purple-blue globs of ink. These globs then animated and arched back up into the air, connecting themselves to the top of the geyser, now giving it a willow-tree like look, though it was connected to the ground.  Granted as his target was a "Void" he wouldn't be FORCED to come, rather he'd more likely experience a tugging sensation that would drag him to this point if he felt so inclined to follow. Granted, Zell would see no reason as to why Rozmer would neglect a formal invitation, especially with the fabric of reality tensing as it had moments ago. The Inky geyser soon had several rows and layers tied into the ground, the ground itself being drained of color, going form a healthy brown to a cracked and dying grey. The ink solidifies into a dark pillar, blood red glowing fruits being born as it searched and leached power from the surrounding area. This summoning was difficult, brutal, but ultimately it was the quickest way to show that it was quite literally a terrible situation that required the utmost haste.

Rozmer wouldn't take long, as Zell turned his back to Guinenhenzla, the tree of chaos. As he did this he looked to the sun. He had been kept underground, a hostage to the woman in white. Kept on an isolated farm, inside a coffin that was buried under ground, lined with runic markings that would be the bane of any omniversal's sensory. He had vanished from the scope of Rozmer long ago most likely, but the Archon had been surprised by Rozmer before. But still, Zell looked to the sun and found himself fearing the foreshadowing that it brought. His reality, where he was from, the real Zell... he looked to the sun the night before his realm was destroyed as well. He found himself wondering the same thing he wondered that night as the sun loomed there, sitting upon the horizon.

Was this the sunset, or was it a sunrise?

Chicago. Night. The bleak city buzzed beneath Rozmer perched atop its tallest structure. A cherry lollipop flitted nervously from one corner of his mouth to the other. The man was nervous as he stared at the ants racing back and forth on the crowded streets so far below him. Some thing was wrong, Omniversally wrong, he could sense it. As the wind picked up around him it seemed to whisper of an impending cataclysm. This world was in danger, he knew it, but the pions below continued on their routes, in the schedules of their lives. But here he was burdened with infinite purpose, grinding his nails though his soft pants and into the flesh of his thighs the tension was so palpable. Then he felt it, a tug on his being, like he was a attached to some invisible rope that was yanking him somewhere else. Rozmer knew of only one being with enough raw power to call on him in this way. Archon.

In an instant Rozmer was gone, his form following the invisible tether to the point which it was beckoning him. Upon his instantaneous arrival his jaw dropped and his arms fell to his sides. He was floating now, hovering above a dark tree of black blood. Guinenhenzla, the tree of chaos, a beacon to a world's end its homogenization into the Void. The very sort of thing that Rozmer had dedicated his entire existence to. Surrounding him was another ominous and disturbing sign of the end. The circle of chaos, its arrows pointed out in every direction. And even more macabre were the fetuses placed purposefully at the tip of each arrow.

The sucker in Rozmer's mouth shattered as his jaw clenched and his fists balled. Blood. He was out for blood. Spinning about he would find his friend, straggled and beaten, standing at the edge of the circle. His eyes were fixated on the setting sun while his body slumped. "ZELL!" Rozmer's voice cracked across the landscape. He NEVER used the Archon's real name, it was a sign of respect and all at once he was standing before his Omniversal counterpart. "Are you out of your mind! You know what this could do!" A heavy fist came flying in at Zell's face, tears trickling from the raging Rozmer's eyes. "Have you completely lost it?! THe Archons's have not sanctioned this I know it, so explain yourself before I'm forced to stop you." There were no words for the fury and confusion rushing through Rozmer's veins. This was the Archon, his friend, his omniversal partner in crime against the chaos and madness that existed in the Omniverse. What could possibly have driven him to the destruction of this world?

"Well actually that's why I called you here... I don't have a choice in the matter. SO rather than just lay down and die I set up this little elaborate plan." Zell said as he waved his hand, akin to how one might have seen when a Jedi used the force. In an instant a bone spear erupted from the ground just before Rozmer. The tear-drop shaped spear tip then splintered and cracked open, revealing it to actually be a skeletal hand. Within the palm of this skeletal construct was a rather shocking sight. It was a strange, abnormal looking thing, appearing to be crystal or a gem of some form. Though in all honesty it didn't take a rocket scientist to notice that the slight moving blackness that surrounded the crystal construct that the energy was pulsing rhythmically. The crystallized heart was presented to Rozmer as Zell stood there in his circle, surrounded by the coffins.

"nuh-uh-uh!" came, a rather sing-song typed of tone that came to match. Phasing in from what appeared to be a mist, was the woman in white and in her hand was the blade known as Imperium. Zell smirked and turned to look at the ghostly woman. "What is it with you and conspiring with your friends to kill me? Will there be no end to it? No matter, Be a dear and be rid of him." She rambled on with a wave of the sword as she made her command. Normally, Archon would have had no option in the matter and he would have lashed out at Rozmer with everything he had. Of course that bastard being what he was wasn't bound to go easily...if at all. But to great surprise he simply chuckled and turned around to face her.

"Sorry dear, but I'm afraid I'm no longer inclined to obey your command." He let out a sigh with a feigned apologetic look. "You see, you must understand that I am bound to the rules of this reality, just as everyone else is, just as Rozmer here is. As such, when I killed my father in this reality I took on his curse, his curse having a very similar handicap as my Imperium. The Lych's curse disembodies out heart in a solid and indestructible crystal form. However, whomever holds this heart, is able to command out every action. Now that I have two people with opposing powers of command, I'm perfectly entitled to be more "selective" about the orders I follow." He seemed rather satisfied with himself, using the rules of reality in his favor. It was cunning and almost like that of a lawyer, finding loopholes. Of course Rozmer could testify to his heartlessness, but now wasn't the time for jokes.

"Awe... well I suppose that this just means I'll have to get creative, won't I?" She smiled before fading away, the white mist she had become rushing at them, wrapping around them. It's time to undo the curse you've done. To return to power the verse, the reaping one. The mist whispered to both Rozmer and Zell. Unfortunately, neither of them would know directly who she was talking to, and so both would likely become paranoid. Within an instant they were alone. The Tree of Chaos was gone and they were alone.

"Well...The Lych awaits your order." Zell groaned as he turned and gave a half-hearted bow to Rozmer, fearing his friend would take the time to abuse this new-found power.

Bone spears, crystal hearts and white sword wielding women oh my! Not quite as catchy as lions tiger and bears but it was the only thing that could go through Rozmer's head. Well that and to snag that heart before whatever this Imperium wielding bitch was. With as much speed as he could muster Rozmer swiped the crystalline heart and phased it into his own body, roughly in the stomach region where it wouldn't cause any organ damage. And not a moment too soon either as the women in white commanded that the Archon eliminate his friend.

"I don't think so bitch." He'd command back, the crystalline structure now lodged in his own torso called out to Zell, allowing him to make the decision of which command to obey (as he then explained). But whoever this was did not seem to like having her undeniable control denied and rushed at the two of them as a white mist. Then her words, like poisonous fumes slithered into Rozmer's ears and nested in his mind. The Reaper Verse. That single phrase exploded in Rozmer's mind as Zell bowed before Rozmer. Any other time this would be his opportunity to poke fun at his friend, maybe even abuse this new control over him. But this was different. He could barely even hear the words from Zell's mouth as his mind took him back home, back to Shelby, the selfish Reapers and their foolish ways. So much pain and suffering from one world, so much death.

"Stand up straight Rozmer barked. There was a harshness in his voice that rarely came out. A fear and serious chill that he almost never let surface in his demeanor. He had only one thought, one question for The Archon and one he would demand be answered, fairly, honestly, without lawyer's tact or flowery bullshit. "What did you do?"

"I've done quite a bit, and to be honest with you I'm not entirely sure what you're asking about." Zell said, as Rozmer had the heart of the Lych, he was unable to deny Rozmer a response. The unfortunate truth was that Zell had no idea what Rozmer was asking. Was he asking about what he did that ended up giving this woman Imperium? Was he talking about what he did in order to summon the tree of chaos. Zell was indeed paranoid that Rozmer was in fact talking about the whispers that Shara had given to them. In truth he was so ambiguously lost to the whisper however he had no way of knowing for certain that she was even talking to him. After all a certain SOMEONE did let an entire verse of reapers collapse so things weren't looking the greatest there either. "As far as that whisper of her's I'm unsure as to what she's talking about. After all I'm quite certain the Reaping verse wasn't my curse upon it. No offense intended. Fact being fact though I have no idea at all what Shara was talking about." Zell said with a sigh and looking out to the sky.

     Zell suddenly paled as he found himself looking around, lost and confused as he let out a sigh. It was painful to be so oblivious at times. He cocked his head to the side when he looked over to Rozmer and blinked as if he were on to an idea. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head. Reluctantly he would speak and offer up a tid-bit of information. "I do, however, know where she went. It is a place that I have left you...blinded to, unfortunately. To me I see it for what it is, but you...you just see it as another verse, another realm, just perhaps identical to another. So many realms are like that though...it's so easy to not see the truth as it is. Even for the two of us." He seemed to be losing his mind in thought as he waved his hand and a skeletal cane appeared in his hand. The cane was a symbolic piece, a piece that could talk and offer insight. The skeletal cane, Nuk-Nuk.

   "Well hello Mastah! What can Nuk-Nuk do for ya, oh great Deathlord of arthritic aches and pains?" Nuk-Nuk asked. Generally that title employed fear to the Mayans and the Incans...but to Rozmer it was likely just good for a laugh. It's like being the evil sith lord of the Barbie fan club, almost as if he weren't even trying to keep a good image any more.

   "I need a portal to follow Shara." Zell commanded. The cane's skull tilted back and an eye socked furrowed, allowing facial expression to show.

   "Shara? Who be Shara?" The cane asked. Zell just rolled his eyes and clarified that it was the woman in white. Nuk-Nuk let out a gasp before nodding it's head and bowing. "Ooooh. Yes Mastah! A portal for the Deathlord! Vica-Voodo-Chu-Chu!" The cane said. Zell gave it a strange look as if asking the cane if that were really an incantation. Apparently it was. Zell knew he would probably be asked as to why they needed to take their omniversal selves through a portal to be where Shara was. He would preemptively answer this.

  "Imperium controls an Archon. She has two versions of it, one for the realm we're going to and one for our realm here. When we reach there, that Archon will be forced to obey her, whereas I will not. But you too must pass, as without the heart being in the same reality of the Lych will do nothing more than make you horrifically allergic to sunlight....and unless you want to be a walking skeleton and give our enemy TWO Archon's I suggest this particular form comes with." He said before stepping through the portal to a realm unknown.