Episode 106: Oblivion
Written By Karl White
The power coursing through Kasson was immense. Though the title Behemoth conjured images of some hulking monstrosity, the name spoke less to his form than to what he’d become. He stood just shy of omnipotence, his abilities rivaling nearly every supreme force in existence. Yet even he remained bound by the immutable laws governing the Universe, unable to wield the full measure of his ascension until the final war. So he remained patient, only exploiting powers that wouldn’t betray the true extent of his transformation...as he had no desire to draw the attention of anything more formidable than himself, at least not yet.
Before becoming all-powerful, Kasson spent centuries placing pieces upon the board. Across generations he’d quietly positioned agents of the Dark whose roles in the coming war were still unfinished. Becoming the Behemoth changed his power, but it hadn’t changed his plans. There was no reason not to resume exactly where he’d left off.
Joseph living well past his years - © 2026 Headless Horseman Productions, LLC
One of those pieces was living well past his years at the Sea Breeze retirement home in Palm Beach, Florida. Joseph Frost resided there in quiet obscurity. Sustained by his bond to the Book of Amar since 1894, he was a year shy of his 150th birthday. The book however had long since been stolen by Broderick Zayne and Gerard Roux, during a showdown at the Grand Hotel Kronenhof in the Swiss Alps back in 1932.
Possessed by the Book of Amar in 1894 - © 2025 Headless Horseman Productions, LLC
His extended life was bound to the book, but he had no power to show for it. Instead he had relegated to Orem Black’s lackey, made to scour for clues to the Processions all those decades before. But with Orem banished to Oblivion by Veera Sarin and Aolani, Joseph was left with nothing. He’d spend his days regaling others at the retirement home with stories of Victorian England and impressing the lonely widows with parlor magic he’d kept sharp through the years.
But after a century and a half, life ceased to feel like a gift. And with no family or friends, generations came and went. The world transformed around him, long passing him by. Yet his greatest burden wasn’t loneliness, but uncertainty. Death ignored him for so long, he no longer knew whether his end was merely delayed or forgotten. Each morning he awoke wondering if this would finally be the day his long journey ended, only to find himself lingering.
But that changed when a voice in the dark called out...
KASSON: Joseph Frost...I’ve not forgotten you.
Looking up from his recliner, Joseph was hoping for Death. Instead, Kasson emerged from the shadows. He’d never seen the demon in the flesh, but had stared into those evil eyes during his time with the Oracle -- the soothsayer spirit used to help with clues to the Processions. Joseph never forgot the gaze staring back at him, the one that urged him to betray Orem.
KASSON: I need your help. We’re going to retrieve Orem Black.
The words chilled Joseph to his core. He’d been instrumental in Orem’s banishment, helping deceive and deliver the Dark Magician to agents of the Light.
KASSON: He’s trapped in a dimension made of endless negative energy collapsing in upon itself. You’ll help me negate those energies so we can bring him safely back to this realm.
But Joseph wanted no part of the rescue. Orem would crave vengeance, and Joseph’s betrayal could be among the first debts collected. But where could a frail old man possibly go? He hadn’t the strength to fight nor the hope of escaping what stood before him. Maybe this would be how he’d meet his end. With Kasson silently watching, Joseph mustered enough courage to speak the truth...
JOSEPH: I’ve no powers. I only remember bits of old spells. I’d be no help, I’m just a withered old man.
KASSON: Then...we shall change that.
An unseen power suddenly lifted Joseph’s time-worn body from his chair. He felt expansive waves of forceful vitality coursing through him. Painful at first, building and building into an infusion of strength...
Young again - © 2026 Headless Horseman Productions, LLC
When Kasson finished, Joseph felt different. Catching sight of his reflection in a mirror, he was in shock...He was young again. Then he noticed flowers resting on a nearby table suddenly wilt.
KASSON: You’re now a Harvester, a conduit able to pull and redirect any kind of living energy however you see fit...even inward.
Stealing energy from anything living - © 2026 Headless Horseman Productions, LLC
Joseph felt the essence of the flowers absorbing into his being, nourishing his newfound powers. Whatever Kasson had done took little effort, and that’s when Joseph realized the demon was something beyond what he knew of the supernatural.
After carefully explaining Joseph's role, Kasson simply snapped his fingers....and the pair stood upon a stretch of barren, rocky terrain deep within the far reaches of Siberia. A desolate place, far removed from civilization and suitable for the dangerous work ahead.
Kasson and Joseph in Siberia - © 2026 Headless Horseman Productions, LLC
There, beneath a moonless sky, Kasson began tearing open a breach to Oblivion.
Bridging dimensions was a perilous undertaking. The hostile energies of parallel realms had a tendency to bleed into one another, warping the world around them and attracting attention from forces better left undisturbed. Even a demon as powerful as Kasson had no desire to announce what he was attempting.
So as the wound between realities widened, Joseph used his newly acquired abilities to absorb the poisonous energies spilling forth from Oblivion. Feeding on collapsing darkness, preventing it from spilling into the world beyond.
Orem fighting against Oblivion - © 2026 Headless Horseman Productions, LLC
In Oblivion, Orem Black had desperately been trying to return to Earth since Veera and Aolani had cast him there in 1951. But his magic wasn’t powerful enough to make much headway in the 65 years since his banishment. Constantly fighting from being crushed to death by the ever crumbling and oppressive environment folding in upon itself. Every moment there was an endless struggle against annihilation. And it was that unending fight for survival that concentrated his dark powers, into a brutal force of anger and hate.
Then he felt it. A pressure...At first, Orem believed Oblivion was finally consuming him. The space around him squeezing violently, not wanting to let him go. An invisible force wrapped itself around his body, dragging him through the collapsing ether of reality. For a brief moment, Orem fought it, then he realized what was happening. Someone was reaching into Oblivion, pulling him home.
The extraction was brutal. Flesh and spirit alike felt stretched to their limits as the dimensions resisted one another. Oblivion clung to him like an anchor refusing to surrender what it claimed. Cracks of violet light split the darkness as Orem was violently ripped through the breach, dragged across realities and hurled back into the world of the living.
When he struck the frozen Siberian earth, he lay motionless for several moments, struggling for breath. Then Orem looked up. Standing before him was Kasson. Beside him, Joseph’s familiar face...one he’d not seen in ages.
OREM: Is this a dream? A delirium before death?
KASSON: No, Orem Black. You’re here, in the flesh.
OREM: I owe you my many thanks. But why have you saved me?
KASSON: Things are approaching an end. And your powers are needed for what comes next.
Staving off tears, Orem slowly climbed to his feet, scooping up a handful of earth. For a long moment he simply held it, feeling the cold, solid reality of a world he thought he’d never see again.
Back on earth - © 2026 Headless Horseman Productions, LLC
OREM: I’ll do whatever you ask, so long as when our work is finished, I’m permitted to seek revenge upon my enemies.
Joseph did all he could to hide an uneasy look, wondering when payback from Orem would be coming his way.
TO BE CONTINUED…