Chapter Text
Aurums POV
It was not difficult for Aurum to establish a safe place in this multiverse, a place in which he could freely pass through without drawing attention. He had quite the lofty sum of gold currency to utilise, and even without the use of emotional manipulation inherent to being a guardian, he was able to negotiate with ease.
He had, after all, nothing to lose, when his home multiverse had already fallen into oblivion. Money was pointless in his immortality - he had no need to eat, to drink, to sleep ; engaging with those things simply helped him remain sane.
Summoned by a call from the MafiaFell world was not something he had expected, but it was not unwelcome. The predicament was explained quite clearly- a strange little skeleton (whose CHECK read as Ashe) had been burdened by a restriction collar too complicated for even the residents of this timeline to properly disassemble.
The dream-type emerged from a swirling portal of glimmering gold. His clothes were formal, aesthetic leaning towards blacks adorned with gold. The crown that sat atop his head was damaged, although beautiful even within its state.
Attached to his back were large wings, folded carefully to reduce the amount of space he occupied. Each feather had a beautiful golden hue and a scattered star-like pattern, casting an ethereal golden glow. There were charms, too, adornments of sun symbology in gold, a motif that was present in many aspects of his outfit.
While one eye was vibrant gold, like the sun, the other held a deep scratch that rendered its eyelight unable to ignite. That was, to say, Aurum was half blind as a result of being struck many years in the past.
“It would seem my presence was requested,” Aurum hummed out as he emerged. His tone was always warm, but never quite cheerful. There was a melancholy that never left his eyes, his soul, always bleeding through with every interaction.
Aurum's expression never seemed to shift away from a carefully masked neutral, making him impossible to read, his actions calculated and precise. It was how he had kept hidden for almost five years, the amount of time in which he had been navigating this multiverse.
“Good to have ya,” Sin hummed from his position. He was in a spacious bathroom, sat on a little stool by the tub. A cart that was usually used for food now sat with all sorts of tools, everything from screwdrivers to magi scramblers.
Inside the tub was a fully-clothed skeleton, as well as water and ice. It had been the only way to lower Ashe's temperature, but even with it, Sin had to move fast to remove the collar.
The tiled floor was wet with small puddles, causing Aurum's boots to make a slight squeal with every step. Certainly not a typical area to meet up, but the angel knew that it was necessary in such a situation.
“This collar ‘as been a real doozy,” Sin sighed, wiping sweat off his brow. He'd only been working on it for twenty minutes, but it seemed like it was just impossible to remove. “Wait, where's yer brother? Still with Berry?”
Aurum nodded. “Berry is still adjusting to his… current form. Looking after little Umbra has seemed to raise his spirits,” he confessed. He then took one look at the metal tools that were being used upon the collar, eyes narrowing. “You're going to activate the inbuilt killswitch if you keep hacking at that with your tools,” he warned.
Sin moved his hands back from Ashe's collar immediately at Aurum's words, alarm evident in his eyes. “Ya sure Don?”
Aurum grunted at the name. This timeline may have considered him their Don, but he didn't really consider himself that. He was just a guest in this multiverse, one that had long overstayed welcome. No amount of convincing had worked to deter the residents here from calling him Don.
“Absolutely certain,” Aurum confirmed. He had seen these types of devices before, knew how they worked.
Aurum moved to crouch by the tub, his various trinkets and jewels bumped into one another, creating soft tinking sounds that followed his every movement. Hardly stealthy, but that had been an intentional choice.
“Wait, how do yer even know ‘bout the collar? Yer seen one before?” Sin asked. He had known nearly nothing about Aurum's home multiverse, and Aurum could feel the curiosity blooming in the other.
“My multiverse used them, and similar iterations, quite often,” he let out in a quieter voice, tone bordering melancholy. “These are the very ones I warned you about.”
“I can tell yer fer sure if it didn't come from ‘round‘ere,” he responded.
“No, the craftsmanship is rather clear. Your rat of a guardian seems to have personally modified it from an old ownership collar,” he huffed. “To think he saw the state of my multiverse and thought it was a good idea to make one of these accursed things… such a fool.”
“Damn, didn't know th’ rotten apple saw yer ‘verse,” he huffed, watching as Aurum begun to examine the device.
“This requires a magic signature to both place and remove,” he began. “I would hazard a guess Dream himself set it up.”
Aurum pressed his hands onto the device. It unclicked instantly, remnants of gold magic seeping into the air.
“It seems my magic is similar enough, even with multiversal differences,” he said, picking up the deactivated device and crushing it within his hands. Satisfied the device was now in ruins, he turned back to Ashe. “I'll need to take the extra magic they're holding onto from both Dream and the collar. It will help them adjust to more normal levels.”
“Gotcha,” Sin responded, still watching.
Aurum's wings seemed to almost glimmer in the light, the absorption of additional magic growing a handful of new feathers. They seemed darker than the others, though, closer to copper.
“...Taking in his magic has tainted my wings,” he let out. He cringed at the thought of this multiverse's Dream having anything to do with him. His golden claws reached out and tore each new feather, crushing them in his grip as they crumpled to dust.
The few ashen feathers - a result of Ashe's magic - were left untouched. He had nothing against Ashe. The color would return to normal with time.
“I suppose I should confirm there are no lasting effects by accessing their code...."
Aurum wasn't just a guardian of positivity. He was also a destroyer, which allowed him to access codes and all the secrets they held. He was glad the Dream of this multiverse wasn't given a dual role, considering how poorly they did with just one.
Aurum raised his hands, several floating screens forming. Each he could interpret with ease, but to others, they looked like a confusing mess of numbers and words.
“What are yer doin?”
“Accessing code,” the angel said simply. “How curious. It would seem this multiverse is attempting to bypass the current Dream by giving Ashe the role of positivity guardian. It has already deemed Dream himself incapable of his duties and found the next suitable alternative - even going as far as to completely stabilise Ashe's code.”
“Wouldnt tha’ be a good thing? Replacin’ th’ rotten apple?” Sin pressed, taking a long swig of alcohol.
“In theory, yes. But in practice…” He closed the screens. “The role cannot fully transfer until Dream is dead.”
Aurum's head suddenly perked up as though suddenly realising something, expression distant.”It seems The Protector has accepted my invitation. Do treat the little Creator well - this multiverse and its observers are quite fond of him.”
And just like that, the golden skeleton was gone, only the scent of fresh cinnamon left in his wake.
It was moments later that Rifle arrived with Red.