11 Eldir, Death and Dream

Once Victor turned around and laid eyes on Dream of The Endless, he instantly prepared himself for his end. Not his death because he truly believed that, as an outsider, he was not blessed with an afterlife in DC.

He didn't fight it because there was no fighting against this level of power. Even if he had Mahoraga with him, he would have only become a bothersome eyesore rather than a trump card. 

Victor sighed as he looked at the ground, dejected that this was how he would go out. Not in a blaze of glory against Darkseid or the gods. 

"I think I had a good run in this world. If this is the end, then get it over with."

Yami whined sadly as he sat beside Victor, knowing neither could do anything besides resign themselves for the end. He rested his head on Victor's shoulder for support because he also didn't want to die.

As they both resolved themselves to die, Dream felt both amused and annoyed.

"I gave you my word I would not harm you, and I am oath-bound to follow it. Now, rise to your feet before I consider swapping your minds."

Yami and Victor both looked up at Dream before slowly getting up. When they were up, they both backed up a little before Victor spoke. Yami even hid behind him while looking around his leg at Dream.

"To be frank, I thought it was impossible for me to come to the Dreaming since I am not from this reality. How did you bring me here anyway, and why?"

Dream slowly nodded as if that action was unfamiliar.

"You would be correct, outsider, if I hadn't actively used my power to draw you here. As for the reason, it is better she tells you herself."

Dream stepped aside and from the darkness of the Dark Forest, Death Of The Endless herself emerged. She was dressed in a black tank top and black pants. When he saw her, he respected her power, but why did she look so small? 

As if hearing his thought, her face turned even more bitter. 

"I heard that, and I am not small; you're just freakishly tall. Victor, was it? I have a bone to pick with you. Actually, not you, YOU!"

She pointed at Yami behind him, causing the dog to whine and hide behind his master. Victor cleared his voice as he settled down his nerves. 

"Hey, he didn't do anything." 

Death gave him a deadpan look as she glared at the poor dog. 

"You and that dog have destroyed exactly 11,568 souls. Do you understand that? Do you?" 

Victor and Yami looked at each other before nodding. Death cut them off before Victor could speak. 

"Don't you dare say, 'That was not us,' I know it was you two. You two are not the first soul destroyers I have seen, and it is not like I can stop you, but it is irritating every time one shows up. Why do I have to deal with two of you simultaneously?" 

Victor instantly took notice. 

"There is another guy like me?" 

Death, still irritated, nodded. 

"Yeah. Unlike you, who was sent to Earth 16, he was sent to Prime Earth; I think his name is Justinian. Unlike you, though, he can't dream at all, no matter what Dream does. Thankfully, you two cannot simultaneously be in the same universe because of your patrons. Last time we dealt with that, several multiverses had to be resent because of the damage." 

Suddenly, Victor felt someone lean on him, and when he turned to his right, Eldir, The Gambling God, was standing there. He is still in his bright green suit, emerald cane, and emerald teeth. 

However, his suit looked more crystalline, and his eyes were a pair of spinning emeralds. 

Seeing that Victor only thought one thing. 

'He does like emeralds.' 

Eldir patted Victor on the back. 

"I do; thanks for noticing. Anywho, that other boy, what was his name, Justinian? Now that chap is something; already, he is starting to make something off himself." 

Death grumbled. 

"Something of an asshole. I hate Soul Destroyers; they make my job and the other Death Gods' jobs annoying. We have to make up for the missing souls somehow, and when souls are destroyed in mass, it takes more effort on our part.

If anything, that guy is worse than you, Victor. He is an absolute menace; he keeps getting stronger."

Dream squinted his eyes as Eldir entered the Dreaming with ease. However, he stopped himself because entities outside the DC Multiverse operated on different rules, giving them an edge regarding disputes. 

Although rare, throughout the ages, the Endless had spoken to these entities who sometimes sent their servants for whatever reasons they had not found out yet. Eldir patted Victor on the shoulder, standing a head taller than he was. 

"Why do you think I took the mantle of Gambling God? It's way more fun, even when I lose. Victor, I see you got quite a lot of money from those criminals. Doesn't gambling sound fun now?"

Eldir twirled his emerald cane as Victor sighed. 

"It kinda does." 

Eldir patted him on the shoulder. 

"Great, have fun with that. Now then, why did you bring my boy here? If it is not to kill him, what are you going to do?" 

Death sighed. 

"By the Ancient Rules, we can't harm him unless he tries to hurt us, so I wanted to bring him here to ask him to stop destroying souls on mass. I dislike it greatly, but if I had to intervene every time a soul destroyer showed up, I would never get any work done. He is the biggest soul breaker I can talk to right now." 

He is doing it on mass, which can have issues with the afterlife and reincarnation. It can have dire consequences if he breaks a million, a billion, or a trillion souls. I would have liked to talk to that other fellow, but unlike Victor here, he has powers that make contacting him difficult." 

Eldir grinned widely as he turned to Victor. 

"I got an idea; how about a deal? Victor, do you need to be breaking souls? This is your life, so don't think you have to stop because these washed-up emotions say so." 

Instantly Dream and Death took offence since gods like Eldir were always rude. Considering them nothing more than trapped cogs in a wheel, unlike the truly free like them. 

Victor shook his head. 

"I don't have to do it; I just choose to do so. . I can slow down on my soul-breaking and only break the truly evil, like Joker." 

Eldir then turned to Death and Dream of the Endless. 

"You hear that, you oldies. He can consider listening to what you are saying. But you know how people are, right? He won't do it for free, so what will you give in exchange?" 

Dream and Death hadn't expected to be extorted like that, so they turned to each other. Victor grinned as he looked at Dream. 

"How about a territory in the Dreaming where I can enter at my discretion? Dreams become real here right? SO-" 

He turned next to him and focused, and as he wanted, the All Black Sword appeared next to him. Instantly, its dark aura began to spread around before Dream waved his hand and got rid of it. 

He squinted his eyes as he considered erasing Victor for a second, but he would end up like Morpheus. When he looked down at Death and then at Eldir, who grinned even wider, he made up his mind. 

"That is fine. You can have this forest, it is the same size as the Black Forest in Germany. I created a place to speak to you for my sister, but he showed up." 

Eldir spun his cane in his right hand as if he was just here for the ride. Victor was going to ask something, but Dream cut him off. 

"Dreams do come true here, but I took away your ability to bring the deadliest of artifacts or beings from the corners of your mind to life. I don't want you to conjure up a nightmare from outside this reality." 

Victor and Eldir fist-bumped as if they were known reincarnators; he would have tried to conjure up Mistress Death. Death Of The Endless rolled her eyes. 

"Why are all you outsiders so fixated on her? She isn't that good-looking." 

Eldir glanced at her chest before sighing and shaking his head. 

"Jealousy won't make them grow, darling." 

Death clenched her fists as she was about to rush Eldir to strangle him, but she calmed herself. 

"Fine, what do you want? Make it reasonable because-" 

Victor had already made up his mind. 

"Can you create a sword of Nth metal saturated in the Death Force? I don't want to tap into it; I want the blade to possess some of that energy." 

Death wanted to pull her hair out at every reincarnation she had ever met and had made crazy requests. 

"You do know what that stuff will do to you, right? The Death force is called that because it is completely against life. You will be reduced to a lich or undead that only seeks to consume all life. Even without tapping into it, you-" 

She paused when she looked at Yami. 

"Scratch that, it will work." 

She snapped her fingers, and instantly, she created what Victor wanted. The blade in question was a large hunk of Nth metal that was as black as the All Black. It radiated a terrible necrotic aura and caused the air to feel stagnant. 

From the look of the blade, it was a black chipped thing resembling a copy of Maliketh's blade. Death knew what he wanted to do with it, so she didn't try to make it original. 

When the blade came to being, Yami ran over to it before grabbing the handle with his mouth. He would do this the old-fashioned way to absorb it, but Eldir stepped in. 

"I will help you there." 

He pointed his cane, tipped with a dice carved from a brightly glowing emerald. A beam of emerald light enveloped both Yami and the sword of Nth metal, causing Victor to squint his eyes at the light show. 

He worried what would happen to him for a moment, but when the light went away, Yami was standing perfectly fine. The dog looked around for the sword, then sniffed himself a little, looking for it. 

Eldir smirked at the sight. 

"There we are. With that out of the way, will you slow your Soul-Destroying actions?" 

Victor nodded. 

"Sure, me killing them is already good enough. I will be more careful in who I choose for that fate since I agree that not everyone should be destroyed forever like that." 

Eldir clapped his hands before he turned around, ready to leave. 

"My work is done then. Oh, and by the way, Death girl." 

Death instantly wondered what he was going to say. 

"Yeah?" 

With a smirk, he gave one last jab. 

"Don't give up hope." 

She knew what he was talking about and was instantly pissed off, but by then, Eldir had left. When he was gone, she turned to Victor and Yami, who were still trying to feel different. 

"Trust me, you will feel that when you wake up. Goodbye, and thanks for listening to my problem." 

Victor and Yami waved her goodbye.

"Not a problem." 

She vanished from sight, leaving a field of white and black flowers. When she was gone, it just left Dream. 

"I will take my leave them. Remember, keep your habit of destroying souls down."

He turned into a murder of Ravens before flying out of the forest. As he did, he left some words. 

"Whenever you wish to enter the Black Forest, just speak the word, Black Forest with intent. To leave, say End Dream."

Victor sighed in relife when he was gone, as Eldir had moved for him in the end. Now, he had to go to the casino to pay him back. Hopefully, he didn't get the Toji curse, too. 

"End Dream." 

When he woke up on his couch, he and Yami were instantly subjected to terrible agony as Eldir fused the Black Blade with Yami's core. Instantly the power of the blade began to make itself known.