The servant exploded into a mess of viscera and gore, bloody red strings covering the walls, floor and ceiling of the dim room.

"I am bored."

The mass of gore responded to his words, time itself rewinding in front of the master of the manor, who himself sat slouched upon his armchair, resting his chin upon a pale gangly hand. His eyes watched the proceedings with utter apathy, just barely open.

The blood, skin, and tendons imploded upon themselves until they snapped into the shape of an aged butler, who looked none the worse for wear. Not a drop of blood remained upon the furniture.

"Perhaps it is time to craft a new story, master?"

The spotless butler offered his advice with a slight bow of his waist, his monocled eyes open even less than that of his master.

"Nothing comes free, Monocle."

"With the creation of the new, comes the destruction of the old."

"I'm not sure I can find amusement in stories anymore, Mono. No story can run contrary to the laws of the universe. Everything has a price, and every debt must be paid. The scales will always equalise..."

"And honestly... wheres the fun in that?"

The master stared deeply into the eyes of the still motionless butler. A hail mary question, one he knew Monocle had no place answering. His small speech had roused him from his chair, which he promptly slouched back into once realising the butler wasn't even going to attempt the question.

"I guess... I've known the answer for a while. One might say I knew from the beginning even."

"The harder you search for something, the more it will elude you. The more you are defined by something, the more it corrupts you."

"I spent my entire life seeking order. classifying and cataloguing. Making sure that one plus one always equalled two. And now I sit, a lonely old man, within the universe I only dreamed of when I was little, a perfect dimension of rules, guidelines, and normalcy."

"And as I sit here, I find myself wishing for nothing more than a drop of chaos to tinge my universe. I wish for once the scales were tipped over, for the rules to be forsaken. Just for once I wish to be surprised... But alas, it is not in my heart to do so."

The master slouched even further into the padded chair, almost melding into it's form.

"You really wish for such a development, master?"

The butler maintained his stony disposition, only a brief question escaping his lips.

"I do."

The master slowly met the gaze of his servant. The sword still protruding from his heart.

"Then by your will, this servant shall abide."

A gurgle of blood escaped the masters mouth, a barrage of unknowable emotions flickering across his face.

"A servant slaying his master, unheard of, correct? Chaotic even?"

"I know you better than anyone, master. You would suppress your own thirst just to benefit the lives of the insignificant mortals you reign over. Worry no longer. I will take the choice out of your hands. I will stain my own hands with their blood so that you will not have to. Relax and drift into slumber, watch over in glee as you witness the great chaos I will spread upon this universe."

"Farewell master."

******

A great many civilisations exist. A great many stars, and around them an even greater number of planets. The times varied, but as these mortal being slept upon that night, a scant few in every worthy civilisation unknowingly dreamt the same dream.

They walked the dim halls of a defunct mansion, knowing which turn to take almost instinctually, and each found themselves opening a door to a grand room.

They took their seat upon a stained armchair, and spoke a small conversation with an impeccably dressed butler.

A thousand languages, and the butler spoke all of them.

"A great upheaval in your lives will soon take place. 30 days from this dream you will be collected."

The monocled butler maintained the same disposition in the eyes of all that seen him.

"Why am I to be collected?"

Each of the guests had asked, like clockwork.

"I have gathered you because you represent the pinnacle that your species has to offer. Some of you are strong beyond your peers, some heroic, shining beacons among your people. Some of you are frighteningly intelligent. And some of you are evil the likes of which would make others pale."

"But worry not. I do not judge a sinner worse than a saint, nor a saint greater than a sinner. I care not what atrocities you have committed, nor the amount you have saved. I do not care whether you advanced your society by years, or whether you hid your talents from the world."

"The time has come for you all to move on to the greater things you all knew you were destined for. No longer will your talents waste away within your meagre worlds. Rejoice!"

"No doubt the more sceptical of you are chuckling quietly to yourself even now, ready to dismiss this dream out of hand. Whether you believe me or not, I care little. That being said, when you awake, you will find a number of coins on your person. Perhaps you will have one, perhaps you will have ten. I have judged everything about you to determine how many you receive, and the quality of said coins. And yes, I mean everything."

"These coins are the only preparation I will allow you before this journey. Each will allow you to take another with you on this adventure, and the grade of the coin will determine the quality of the boon I will afford these guests, so choose your companions wisely."

"I await your arrivals greatly. But for now, prepare."

And with that, they all awoke. Some sceptical, some waking rigidly, some darting out of their sleep anxiously, but all of them, every single one, found themselves a few coins heavier.