Vex stirred slightly, not wanting to open his eyes. But the more he lay there, the more apparent that he wasn't cold anymore. He felt... warm? Kind of? Had he died? Is this was what being dead felt like? Vex reluctantly opened his eyes and looked around in shock. He wasn't in his cave, there was no sign of snow, and the air had a strange eerieness to it. The man could feel his heart racing as he tried to think about what force could have possibly done this. Then, he noticed something not far away- a ghostly figure, giving off a strange green glow. The formling froze in terror as the apparition quietly floated closer. It was a man, who looked to be in his 50s, but maybe a little more or less. His hair was black, slicked back and tied up in a low ponytail. The man seemed relatively proper looking, despite having the look of someone who hadn't slept in weeks.
"W- what is this?! Who are you?" Vex growled.

The figure narrowed his eyes and threw the cowering formling some sort of pink, gourd-like fruit. Vex lunged forward and grabbed it, ravenously tearing it open and wolfing it down. His hunger left him with no hesitation.

The ghost smirked. "You know, it's a shame. A great general like you- thrown away- resorting to savagery to stay alive. You and I aren't so different you know. I too was wronged by a Garmadon."

"A what?"

"A Garmadon. That pesky little green ninja that you wish so desperately to pay for what he did to you. His name was Lloyd, was it not? He is the son of Garmadon; someone I seek revenge on. Like you, I was thrown out of a luxurious life in a palace- masquerading as an adviser to my pawn."

Vex finished the fruit and glared at the ghost. "So you're suggesting that you and I have a relatively common goal? Revenge? Well, I also suppose that you mean for us to work together to achieve it? That sounds great and all, but I don't even know your name, so how can I trust you?..."

The apparition swirled around the formling with a twisted smile. "Oh, of course! Where are my manners? I am Clouse. And you are Vex the formless; former general and royal advisor to the one formerly known as the Ice Emperor."

Vex questioned how he knew so much about him, even though he knew nothing of him. Clouse lit his ghostly hand with a purple energy and said that he had his ways. The sorcerer told him that he could help him get revenge, stating that he already had a plan, but it stood a much higher chance of working if he wasn't alone. Clearly, Clouse wanted to bring Vex in on the plot, but he wasn't entirely sure about trusting a vengeful spirit he'd just met. Still though, agreeing would mean no longer being alone, and possibly more food, so reluctantly, he took the offer. He followed the ghost as they went through the new landscape. It seemed to be some time of swap, with dead trees and a foggy green aura. It kept becoming increasingly obvious that they weren't even in the Never Realm anymore... Soon though, they approached a mountainside with huge stone doors and several ancient symbols around it. Clouse raised his hand and uttered a creepy sounding spell under his breath. As he did, the doorway parted, leaving the entrance open. Vex marveled at the sight, completely baffled at what lied on the other side. A portal. A massive, red and orange, swirling portal. The ghost casually floated through, hesitantly, Vex followed. On the other side, he was greeted by something that sent a shiver down his spine. A rocky, almost hellish landscape; and in the middle of a lava moat sat a massive spiral castle. It looked like several twisted stalagmites jutting out of the ground, mutated into a strange form of hollowed out rock housing. There were windows, but none of them had glass or frames. Vex was frozen. He'd been led straight into the underworld.

OH GOD! MAYBE HE WAS DEAD!? WAS CLOUSE ACTUALLY THE GRIM REAPER COMING FOR HIS SOUL?!!!! REALLY LEADING HIM TO HIS ETERNAL DAMNATION FOR HIS CRIMES!?

No.

Probably.

Maybe...

It's a possibility?....

No.

Clouse glanced back at the man. "Welcome to the cursed place Garmadon banished me to. My home. Though I suppose since the merge dropped this area here and granted us that doorway, it's no longer a prison, but more of my base of operations."

Vex stared in confusion. "Merge? Is that the force that brought me here?"

"Yes. Most likely. Though, it's been two days since it occurred, so I am to assume you were unconscious for quite some time after you were dropped out there. It's part of the Cursed Realm. Which is why I was easily able to enter it. I used to inhabit it. But you..."

Clouse looked the formling up and down. His clothes were filthy and worn, his body covered in wounds and patches of frostbite. His brown hair matted, facial hair unkept, and face gaunt. He stood like his entire body was still aching. Witch it was. Ah- so that explains why he was dropped in that specific area. He was dying. The formling was on his last few minutes of life when the merge happened, so it dumped him where it thought would be most reasonable. In his case, his soul was about to enter the Cursed Realm anyway, so that's where he ended up. Unbelievably, in doing so, it put him in a place warm enough where he could recover from his frozen fate. He didn't die- even though he was supposed to. The Merge somehow interfered.

Hm. So it worked both ways..

Interesting...