Ozmanthus Arelius

Ozmanthus Tiberian Mereithan Arelius
General information
Path	Path of the Hollow King
Rank	Judge 008 - The Reaper
Icons	Broom & Death
Faction	Abidan | Twin Star Sect | Grand Patriarch of House Arelius
First Appearance	Soulsmith
Family
Home	Rosegold Continent

Ozmanthus Tiberian Mereithan Arelius is the Grand Patriarch of House Arelius. He is the Eighth Judge of the Abidan's Court of Seven, the first and current holder of the Mantle of Ozriel, the Reaper.

Grand Patriarch

Ozmanthus is the ancient Founder of House Arelius. He lived about 4500 years ago — but this is a guesstimate. It is certain that he lived before the Dreadgod problem. See Date of Birth:

Date of Birth

Unknown, but long before the rise of Dreadgods. The big problem in his time were the Dreadbeasts:

He never lost his admiration for those who kept the world clean, and one of the most hideous plagues in the world was the population of dreadbeasts that roamed the countryside, feeding and spewing out more of their kind. With his weapons, he would clean the countryside (-Reaper, ch 2).

The development of hunger madra and Dreadgods came after Ozmanthus Arelius ascended (but hunger aura was around in his time):

“Anything from the Arelius founder should predate the introduction of hunger madra to this labyrinth. Did he anticipate this, or was he protecting against other threats? A puzzle for you!” (Reaper, ch 11, Eithan)

Date of Ascension

Unknown, but clues:

Questioner: Do we have a rough time scale of when Ozriel became part of the Abidan?

Will Wight: I'm still trying to decide whether or not the time scale is important enough to have Suriel explore it in the books. But it was several thousand years ago.(Abidan Archives e287)

Also, the author has hinted Ozmanthus ascended from Cradle roughly four or five thousand years ago, on his Archives. The series of books show that before he joined the Abidan, he wandered a while, studied other worlds and cultures, was a monk, etc. Then he worked with third division (Spider) support groups, but the Vroshir killed his entire team, so to combat them, he made his killer reaping scythe. Thus, it was many years —- could be two or three thousand years — after he ascended, that he created this scythe and began working directly with the seven Abidan Judges.

A few thousand standard years ago, the Abidan could only care for two hundred and fifty Iterations. That was as far as they could stretch their forces, because they had to protect each world from the chaos-tainted fragments that hunted the edges of the Way. When Ozriel appeared, someone who could dispose of a corrupted world without breaking it into toxic pieces, the Abidan went through a period of explosive growth. (Blackflame, ch 21)

His Lineage & Holdings

Ozmanthus founded House Arelius and advanced to become Monarch of the Rosegold continent. Today, his family line is well-respected, with — until recently — vast holdings on the Rosegold continent. His descendants have traveled to set up Arelius family branches all over the world, on every continent, including Ashwind, and the Blackflame Empire. They are known by their yellow-blond hair, blue eyes, and keen sense of awareness via their detection madra (Bloodline Abilities).

“House Arelius used to rule over most of the Rosegold continent, before the tragic death of the Monarch Tiberian Arelius only eight years ago. But his descendants are still a force to be reckoned with, leaving branches on every continent!” (Uncrowned, ch 16)

His Descendants

Current members of the family are Eithan Arelius, Cassias Arelius, Gaian Arelius, Cladia Arelius / Sage of a Thousand Eyes, and the recently assassinated Monarch, Tiberian Arelius. Etc, etc. See House Arelius for more names and details.

Genius

An absolute virtuoso child prodigy with keen insight into the sacred arts. He amplified his natural aptitude with research, study, exploration and experimentation. Arguably the best soulsmith in the history of Cradle. (see Soulsmithing).

“Ozmanthus Arelius, the original Patriarch of our clan, was known as the greatest Soulsmith of his day,” Eithan explained. “Perhaps in history.” (Reaper, ch 9)

• The bio section below details more of his accomplishments and achievements

His Bloodline Legacy

Ozmanthus developed a bloodline inheritance for his descendants.

He focused on another of his talents: his sight. When he advanced to Monarch, he developed the bloodline ability to see. Ozmanthus was so relieved that he wept. This was the ability that he wanted to define his legacy. And he would leave his descendants with the ability to see as he did, to one day catch up to him. (Reaper ch 2)

Eithan spoke through another yawn. “My father used to say the First Patriarch could watch over his descendants from another continent. Maybe even from. . .beyond the grave.” Eithan waggled his eyebrows up and down. (Blackflame ch 7)

Personality

• Born without life’s luxuries. Loved his mother. No mention of his father.
• Adopted the name Arelius after the wondrous mythical land he sought
• Felt protective towards his family, and eventually his own children
• Strove to leave his descendants with his legacy “senses” / the Arelius Sight. See Bloodline Abilities
• Curious, bold, daring
• Sad to leave his friends behind as he advanced quickly in childhood
• It seems he wasn’t the nicest person on Cradle, as an adult, and when he was Monarch of Rosegold continent. In book 10, when the team is in the Labyrinth meeting ghost-memories of Oz, Yerin says she likes Eithan more than his arrogant ancestor, Ozmanthus
• Apparently, Ozmanthus was a bulwark of determination, skill, and strength, but some tragedy left him feeling like a failure, and remorseful.

Appearance

Little is known. Long yellow-blond hair. Blue eyes.

Biography

We first glimpse a tantalizing hint of Oz in book 1, Unsouled, when Suriel comes to Cradle:

The mountain under which he had been born in a dark chamber of stone. The ruins of the library where he had once developed his own Path. The pillars where he debated the ten greatest scholars of the day, leading three to commit suicide soon after. The City of Anvils, sealed now, where he’d forged his first weapon. The labyrinth where he died and returned to life. The country home, buried beneath a meadow now, where his fury had first touched the Way. (Unsouled, chapter 6)

His childhood

Ozmanthus was born on the Rosegold continent on Cradle. He was named after a flower. His father isn’t mentioned, but his mother didn’t have extra money to spend on elixirs for his advancement so it was fortunate that he didn’t need them. At a young age he found out about a secret wondrous land called Arelius, about which he dreamed and researched, even as he trained. He was an incredibly gifted child. At Copper he possessed a level of insight and understanding far beyond his peers. He designed his own Iron Body and Path. Presumably around seven years old, as a Jade, he discovered that most of his friends of the same age group were Coppers. This did not disturb him, however, because he figured they’d catch up, and he just wanted to find Arelius.

Young Adulthood

As a very young Underlord, Ozmanthus manifested the Broom Icon and created a powerful weapon — a broom — to sweep away all the Dreadbeasts that plagued the world. He was able to create the weapon because during roughly the same time period, Ozmanthus discovered a Labyrinth:

"He found an ancient labyrinth, built by the original Court of Seven before their ascension. He researched their understanding, growing in knowledge and power." (-Reaper, ch 2)

He designed his Path around weapon creation, and became a talented forger. His Soulsmithing laboratory was located in the Labyrinth. Some time after this, he thought, 'why be inefficient'? and modified his Path to one of absolute destruction. He went on to become one of the greatest soulsmiths of his day. In the labyrinth he forged some of the deadliest weapons ever seen on Cradle. He died and came back to life. As a consequence, he manifested the Death Icon.

At some point in time, he gave himself a last name, Arelius, after the wondrous land he wanted to find.

Monarchy

Oz advanced to become Monarch of the Rosegold continent. Upon his advancement to Monarch, he developed the infamous Arelius bloodline legacy, the ability to see /sense everything within range of the spirit.

Penance

Something tragic happened, at some unknown time in his adulthood. He felt remorse and created prototype weapons of pure and absolute destruction. Penance, an arrowhead. Eventually, the final construct is offered as top prize at the 18th Uncrowned King Tournament. Penance:

Eithan, on his knees, stared at the arrowhead with an intensity Lindon had never seen. His smile was long gone. The messenger smiled at their reaction. “Long ago, the founder of House Arelius created this weapon which he called Penance. It is a penance for its target and, unbeknownst to most, its creation was an act of penance by its creator. (-Uncrowned, chapter 20)

Ascension

Ozmanthus voluntarily ascended, feeling disappointed with sacred artists and wanting to see more than this little pond. However, he left behind a measure of his power in a beacon. His hope was that one of his descendants would find this beacon and follow in his footsteps.

As Ozriel

Upon his successful induction into the Abidan, Ozmanthus passed his compatibility tests with flying colors and it became clear that he could inherit the Mantle of any Judge except one, Suriel the Phoenix. He joined the third division and was named the successor to Telariel in record time. He and his fellow spiders encountered a Vroshir ambush and Ozmanthus was the sole survivor. This bothered him, he could have saved them if he had a weapon powerful enough. So, he made one, he combined many Judge-Tier weapons along with one of his own creations and created the Scythe. He became the avatar of true Destruction. The Court of Seven were in awe. They decided to name him Ozriel The Reaper: Eighth Judge of the Abidan Court.

Ozriel’s job became the reaping of worlds. His Scythe could cull a world so efficiently that there were no Chaos fragments left to threaten other iterations. Once a world became corrupted and the adept population evacuated, Ozriel would destroy the iteration. This allowed the Abidan to expand to thousands of worlds. But with every iteration he destroyed, with every life he ended, the weight on Ozriel’s soul grew bigger and bigger until eventually, it became too much. He begged the court to allow him to raise up his own Division. Reapers that could intervene in Fate and remove corruption at the root before the world was lost. But the Court apposed this, especially Makiel, thus forcing Ozriel to continue reaping.

Eventually the weight on Ozriel was too much to bear and he deserted the Abidan. He knew he couldn’t hide forever, but he needed a break; He needed time on his own. He looked into fate and discovered the planets that would be corrupted next. On these planets he left people and items of cultural significance. Enough to restart the cultures of this planet on a pioneer world. It was in one of these worlds where he was confronted. The Mad King had just so happened to choose this world to test his new creation. The origin shroud; a veil so powerful that even Ozriel didn’t recognize him at first.

Reaper Descriptions

Ozriel stood in his polished black armor, the Mantle of Ozriel streaming behind him like a boiling cape of shadow, and the white hair running down his back. His face cold and distant and grim.

In person, he had more of a sense of humor than any other Abidan, but he always wore an expression like a man bracing himself for terrible news.

Powers and Techniques

Employed pure destruction. As Ozmanthus, he was hard to beat. As Ozriel, he is pretty much top of the trees, a nonpareil.
Ozriel was accomplished and skilled enough to fulfill the duties of any Judge but Suriel. He has no ability as a Phoenix. He has made it a point to befriend both the previous retired Phoenix of the Abidan and this current one, holding their talents in high esteem.

His coming brought about an era of explosive growth for the Abidan. His predictive abilities rivaled that of Makiel, The Judge of Fate. His skills far exceed that of the Spider such that when he went into hiding Telariel could not find him despite his best attempts and full exertion. He was irreplaceable and the cornerstone around which the Abidan inadvertently found themselves growing. Ozriel is well-known as the most powerful Judge since the first generation of the Abidan Court, and possibly of all time.

Personal Records

Personal Record 0013 - Early life of Ozmanthus

Ozmanthus, a boy named after a flower, was said to be seeking Arelia from the time he was a child. From his earliest years, he ran through the tunnels of the mountain in which he was born, looking for secrets in those dark caves. Even at the initial stages of advancement, later known as Copper, he had discernment and understanding far beyond his peers. He astonished his tutors with questions about the nature and origin of vital aura, questions they were nowhere near advanced enough to answer. His control of madra made him a prodigy in his own right, so there was no lack of teachers competing to take him as a student. This was a relief to his mother, who had no money to subsidize the advancement of a powerful sacred artist.

At Copper, Ozmanthus was celebrated for his skill. He was popular not just among his tutors, but among those his age. At Iron, Ozmanthus became famous in his generation. He designed and perfected his own Iron body, and was once again said to be seeking Arelia. Everyone expected great things. It was at Jade that Ozmanthus began to notice a problem. The others his age were still Copper. That wasn't entirely true; some of those from wealthy families, or from organizations that focused exclusively on the sacred arts, had been sponsored directly to Lowgold. But the ones he'd grown up with, those who had only recently been his friends, were two entire stages down from him. He could no longer play games with them, as he would win. He couldn't study with them, as he had already outstripped many of their teachers in theory. And they began to avoid him.

For Ozmanthus, it was only a minor grief. His Path lay ahead of him, full of possibility, and everyone told him what wonders he would accomplish. With his spiritual perception now open, there was a whole new world bared to his mind. He had decided the details of his Path by Lowgold, refining it during endless hours in the library. He chose techniques of pure destruction. Why settle for inefficiency? That led to another troubling trend for Ozmanthus. The sacred arts in Cradle tend to focus on combat applications because of the never- ending competition for resources, but soon, there was no one under the Lord realm who could compete against him. He was not shunned for this. Far from it; his master and those from his homeland were ecstatic at this young genius.

But he was always alone. When he went into the wilderness seeking spirits or natural treasures, it was easier to go himself. Someone else would just slow him down. While Ozmanthus was not entirely content with his solitude, he knew it was only temporary. He couldn't be the greatest genius in the world. Somewhere, he would find someone who would keep up with him. Until then, he would slow down. He gave up his spear for a broom, but he didn't mind that. He liked being the only sacred artist in the world to fight with a broom. It had style. After reaching Underlord, he grew in knowledge, and insight, and power. He studied the nature of soulfire and proved its connection to deeper truths by manifesting an Icon of his choice in front of a panel of renowned scholars. The Broom Icon.

Rather than impressed, the scholars were crushed. Ozmanthus had made their entire lives into a joke, publicly humiliating them. No less than three of them killed themselves within a week. In addition to advancement, Ozmanthus also turned his genius to other aspects of the sacred arts. He became known as a reliable refiner and one of the greatest Soulsmiths of his generation. He was more satisfied with this avenue of progress, and he began investigating the great Soulsmiths of the past. This was the path for him, he decided. He would become known as a creator, a researcher. One who built.

His Path was most suited for creating weapons, which did not bother him. He never lost his admiration for those who kept the world clean, and one of the most hideous plagues in the world was the population of dreadbeasts that roamed the countryside, feeding and spewing out more of their kind. With his weapons, he would clean the countryside. He found an ancient labyrinth, built by the original Court of Seven before their ascension. He researched their understanding, growing in knowledge and power. And he built weapons. To better understand his creations, he sought knowledge of death. He even created a device that would kill and revive him.

He did not realize what a catalyst that would be. As the creator of the world's deadliest weapons, when he killed and revived himself, he instantly manifested the Death Icon. Not what he had sought to achieve. Ozmanthus found it now even easier to create deadly weapons. Too easy. He could create reality-warping weapons on the level of the Abidan before even ascending from the Iteration. And with his every accomplishment, he grew more alone. No one could match his accomplishments, no one could face him in battle, and no one could understand his insights into the world beyond.

This greatly disturbed Ozmanthus. He abandoned his weapons. He focused on another of his talents: his sight. When he advanced to Monarch, he developed the bloodline ability to see. Ozmanthus was so relieved that he wept. This was the ability that he wanted to define his legacy. And he would leave his descendants with the ability to see as he did, to one day catch up to him. He named his House after the city he had always sought. The Arelius family should always seek greater insight. And when he finally ascended, he left a beacon behind, a measure of his power like a black hole sealed in a transparent barrier that resembled glass. When someone appeared from his family with enough talent to join him, they would ascend with the marble, and he would know. He expected to wait a generation, perhaps two or three. But he was certain that very soon, House Arelius would be a dynasty that spread to the heavens themselves.

Personal Record 1126 - Ozriel

THE ABIDAN DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH OZMANTHUS ARELIUS. Even his initial compatibility tests came back with unprecedented results. He had maximum potential in six of the seven Divisions. It quickly became clear that he could inherit the Mantle of any Judge. Except one: Suriel. He had no compatibility with the Phoenix at all, as though his very existence was in opposition to the concept of restoration.

Naturally, Ozmanthus was not satisfied with these results. He dedicated himself to fixing, building, creating, healing, and restoring. He couldn't join the Phoenix Division, but he worked with them as closely as possible. He thought that surely his skill in crafting and engineering would be his pathway forward, but when that never worked, he branched out. He learned the arts of many worlds, took on ancient riddles, repaired governments and relationships. He lived for a time as a pacifist monk wandering the streets of Sanctum, though he quickly grew bored with that.

No matter what he did, the nature of his origin didn't change. Not that anyone else from the Abidan minded. Warriors and killers could both be put to work in the service of order, and if Ozmanthus didn't want to bring death, there was always his other great talent of detection. The Spider of the Abidan works to find instances of chaos and disruption among the Iterations, and to bind the Abidan together with communication. Ozmanthus joined his Third Division and was declared the successor to Telariel in record time. In this capacity, he continued to have a special fascination with the Phoenix Division, as they were those who could do what he could not. He struck up a friendship with a woman expected to succeed the Mantle of Suriel. She advised him not to ignore his talents. A true Phoenix would contribute to the greater cause of restoration however they could. He kept that in mind when he and his fellow Spiders encountered a Vroshir trap.

It was an ambush intended to wipe them out. The enemy had taken over an entire Iteration, then cut it off from the Way when the Abidan arrived to investigate. Upon entry into the world, his entire team was eradicated. Except him. He escaped, but the disparity bothered him. With a weapon on the level of a Judge, he would have been able to defend his team, but such weapons were highly restricted and forbidden to create.

Ozmanthus began to gather materials. He stole, unearthed, or recovered weapons of absolute destructive authority. Obsolete Judge weapons, like the prototype Razor of Suriel, and the Shears of a previous Makiel that had once snipped threads from Fate. Weapons that had been used against Judges, like the Bane of the Titan—made by the Vroshir to kill the second-generation Gadrael. Even the greatest weapons used by the Vroshir: Sha'irik, the absolute curse, and Auctarius, the Blade that Sundered Heaven. Finally, he added his own original creation. An improved version of Penance, his old creation, the arrowhead of absolute death. He bound these together in the depths of the Void, so far from the Way that even Fiends could not last long, in a zone of pure nonexistence and annihilation. He forged them in the energy of a stolen Worldseed, with enough power that it could have birthed an entire Iteration.

By doing so, he indeed created a peerless weapon: a Scythe that would let him fight like a Judge. But he did not expect the recognition of the Way. He became the avatar of true Destruction, the opposite of lost Creation. And when he was taken into custody by the Court of Seven for his creation of the Scythe, the Court was in awe. Unwittingly, Ozmanthus had achieved a goal that the Court of Seven had pursued since antiquity. He had manifested another absolute aspect of reality. He had become the Judge of Destruction. With the exception of Makiel, who urged that Ozmanthus be executed, the other Judges agreed that Ozmanthus should be given the mantle of the Reaper and raised up as their peer. He was even granted a new name: Ozriel.

Personal Record 3349 - Work and Regret

When Ozriel reaped a world, perfectly eliminating it from existence, the Abidan could colonize nine others. His work was vital to Abidan expansion, and there were even those who believed him to be the most valuable of the Judges. When an Iteration dies normally, it corrodes, breaking into corrupted fragments that tend to corrupt others and accelerate their own death. With Ozriel, that no longer happened. He was the machete the Court of Seven used to beat back the wilderness of chaos, rapidly expanding their holdings.

More Iterations became habitable than ever before. It was an unprecedented golden age for the influence of the Way, and even Makiel admitted the utility of Ozriel's Scythe. It was only the man behind the mantle that Makiel didn't trust. Ozriel's own objections started to grow louder. If he weren't bound by the Eledari Pact, he could have gone in and saved that world. They had known for centuries that this Iteration was going to be corrupted, and he could have cut the cause off at the root. That would itself be a deviation from Fate, Makiel argued. In the grand scheme of things, that would lead to an increase in chaos. But manageable, Ozriel said. They could keep the deviations under control, which would rarely—if ever-rise to the point of having to destroy an entire world.

Unfortunately, while both models had their advantages, neither could be proven conclusively. By the very nature of the problem, there was no looking into the future to see how it would play out. So the two beings most skilled in reading Fate continued to argue. Meanwhile, Ozriel discovered the restricted records of the Court of Seven regarding the Executor program. This should be his solution, he thought. Raise up people from the Iterations, not sworn to the Way, who could interfere without compromising their oaths.

But from the records, he could see that it had failed. Again and again. Those who fought corruption inevitably became corrupted themselves. So Ozriel decided to do some investigation of his own. He traveled to Haven, the prison-world of the Abidan, where he used his authority as a Judge to gain access to the Mad King, Daruman. Once the greatest of the Abidan Executors. He asked the Mad King what he thought. Why was the Executor program flawed? It wasn't the program, Daruman insisted. It was the Abidan. Being sworn to order made the Abidan too inflexible, too bound to their own thoughts. Creativity and flexibility were beyond them, and the second that anyone started pushing at the boundaries of their rules, the offending party would be condemned.

Ozriel promised change. He wanted to revive the Executor program, but this time, they would be an official division of the Abidan beneath him. They would be unbound to the Eledari Pact, able to intervene in worlds, and personally selected and supervised by him. They would save worlds by eliminating apocalypses at the root. He would call them Reapers. And if he could get enough support from the Court of Seven to create his own official Division, he would even recruit Daruman. Ozriel was uniquely able to handle Class One Fiends. Daruman and Oth❜kimeth laughed together.

Mighty as Ozriel may be, as keen as his eyes were, he would never succeed. The Court of Seven could not be convinced, and they would be against him for this. If Ozriel was really dedicated to his ideals, as he claimed to be, he should join the Vroshir. They, at least, saved human lives. Ozriel brought his proposal before the Court, and as expected, there was heavy resistance. Only the new, young Suriel would have allowed it—a woman he had known for centuries by this point, as she worked her way up the ranks. And even she had misgivings. Ozriel pled his case but was dismissed. He accepted that. He had looked into the future and seen that this would not be an easy task. He would try again, and again. As long as it took.

Personal Record 5716 - Decision

OZRIEL REACHED OUT TO A SHARD OF HIS POWER, CREATED LONG AGO: A BEACON LEFT BEHIND IN CRADLE. IT CONTAINED A DARE, A CHALLENGE, AN INVITATION FOR anyone talented enough to join him. He changed the message. He shared the situation of the heavens with them and expanded their viewpoint beyond the world. He included his weariness and his vision for the future. No longer did Ozriel want descendants who would prove worthy of him. Now, he just wanted help. Someone who could share his burden. He layered more memories beneath his message. Personal records, to one day be accessed by his heir.

Even so, as the years stretched on, none of his descendants used the black marble. The Court of Seven, again and again, denied his request to recruit. He had started off pleading, then reasoning, and now his meetings with Makiel had become openly hostile. When their conflict destabilized the surrounding Iterations, forcing the intervention of Suriel, she had made them swear to stay separated. Ozriel felt somewhat guilty for that. The longer the situation went on, the more worlds the Reaper was forced to take, and the greater his burden grew. Even so, he continued doing his duty.

Until one day, he realized he couldn't take it anymore. If the Court wouldn't act, he would do it himself. They had gotten along without him before, and they could do it again. He looked ahead into Fate and prepared. Ozriel spread false trails throughout existence, so that even the Hound couldn't track him. He even left messages for Suriel, presuming that she would be the one to hunt him. High-ranking Abidan could see through any disguise, so he would be found eventually, but he needed to make this chance last as long as possible. The corruption of chaos would devour certain worlds while he was gone, so he set up shelters in the most vulnerable to preserve as much as he could. He would leave the Abidan, temporarily sealing off his powers, and raise up a team of ascendants loyal to him. Then, when he was taken back by the Court, his team could save worlds.

It was while he was inside Iteration 216: Limit, arranging another of his shelters, that he discovered something odd. A subtle touch of chaos in the future that only he—or a Makiel sitting where he was-could have discovered. His Presence dismissed it as a distant echo of the Void, but Ozriel took greater notice. If a Vroshir wanted to sneak into Abidan territory, Limit would be the perfect first step. So Ozriel hid himself in Limit, lying in wait for his prey. As he waited, he considered which world he should eventually hide in. He planned, he thought, he consulted his Presence. He ran simulations and predictions.

Ultimately, there was only one thing he was certain about: he was never going back to Cradle. Not only would the other Judges check Cradle quickly, but there were too many bad memories. While it would always be his homeworld, a not-inconsiderable part of him hated Cradle. He hated it for not being better. While he crouched in Limit, calculating his hiding-place, his prediction paid off. A being of great power and destruction entered the world, so subtly that they had evaded the web of the Spider. An old enemy, well-hidden.

Ozriel waited in his shelter beneath the waves of Limit, Scythe in hand. He felt the Vroshir arrive, and was surprised not to recognize them. Judges recognized people by the origin of their existence, by the very essence that defined them, which was impossible to fake. The world quaked beneath him, so this intruder's power was incredible. How could this person be unknown? How could they have slipped past the Abidan web of detection? Ozriel intended to find out. He felt the moment when the Vroshir intruder detected him, sensing an Abidan in the world. The intruder instantly sealed off the world and pounced, a cat on a mouse, eager to find prey.

Ozriel smiled. When the Mad King appeared before him, Ozriel splattered Daruman's mortal body all over the opposite wall with one swing of his Scythe. That had been nice and therapeutic, and a memory Ozriel would treasure, but he was still shocked. He hadn't seen Daruman face-to-face in centuries, ever since the Mad King had broken out of the depths of Haven. It had to be him. He was wearing one-of-a-kind armor, and he hadn't changed his appearance at all. But Ozriel still didn't recognize him. His senses insisted that this couldn't be Daruman. It simply wasn't him.

The conclusion was as intriguing to Ozriel as it was impossible. He had found a way to disguise his own existence, even from Judges. Ozriel stepped through space and into the upper atmosphere, where Daruman had created a new body for himself. The Judge leaned his Scythe against his armored shoulder. "That's a fine mask you have there. Where did you get it?” Oth'kimeth, the Fiend sealed inside Daruman, snarled defiance. The red suns that were the Mad King's eyes blazed, and he stabbed out with a bone sword. Even as a mortal, Daruman had been powerful enough to challenge world-eaters. A blow from him should have blighted the planet.

But he was holding back. When his sword met the Scythe, space cracked and reality warped, but it didn't break. The Vroshir didn't want to attract attention, which suited Ozriel just fine. He didn't want the attention of the other Judges any more than the Mad King did. The quiet battle between the two still obliterated stars and left holes in space. With each exchange, Ozriel became more confident. This was certainly the Mad King. There was an extremely short list of individuals who could trade blows with Ozriel's Scythe. And if this was the Mad King, then he had created something that hid him from the Way. A veil on his existence itself.

Finally, as they drifted back down to the central planet of Limit, Daruman himself spoke. His voice was hollow, echoing with the emptiness of the Void. "You hide as I do, Ozriel. Let us go our separate ways. Inquire no further into my purpose, and I will likewise respect yours.” Ozriel gave him a mocking smile. “I can let you run...but I can't let you keep that.” He swung his scythe through the veil that he'd finally isolated. A black cloth, like a delicate weave of smoke wrapped around Daruman's soul. The Scythe tore it to pieces, and it faded into visibility, drifting down toward the planet as scraps of cloth. They warped and twisted the world as they fell, each scrap more powerful and significant than this entire Iteration. If he left them alone, they would ascend to a higher world just by virtue of their existence. He wouldn't leave them alone, of course. The Mad King took advantage of the strike on the shroud to flee, and Ozriel knew the man well enough to know that this defeat would burn his pride. Well, good. He deserved it.

Just in case, he looked into Fate to make sure that this wouldn't prompt the Mad King to ruin his plans. He was certain that it wouldn't. The Vroshir wouldn't discover Ozriel's absence before decades had passed, and the other Judges should keep them locked down. Ozriel wasn't leaving existence undefended, after all. Makiel and Razael were both able to match Ozriel in battle, at least when it came to open combat. Only if the Mad King managed to find or create a truly devastating weapon could he be a threat while Ozriel was gone, and that possibility was vanishingly remote. It was only slightly more likely than Makiel disbanding the entire Court of Seven and joining the Vroshir. So Ozriel put that prospect out of his mind and gathered up the pieces of the fallen veil.

This Origin Shroud would change everything. With that bound to him, he could hide under the noses of the other Judges themselves. He would need to repair it, so it was a good thing he was the greatest craftsman Cradle had ever produced. But now, his criteria for a hiding place had changed. He had presumed that he would be discovered in only a few years, but if not...if he could go without discovery indefinitely... Then this was a chance to start over. To make a new home.