Cross

Cross (Charles Hill) is a damned soul in the Underworld of Pleroma from the Vaudeverse Saga, uniquely holding vivid memories of his past life. He is a highly sought-after target called “The Man Who Remembers,” whose dangerous quest to unlock the Torana triggers significant cosmic change in the afterlife.

The Curator’s Manifest of Cross (Charles Hill)

Cross (born Charles Hill) is the central protagonist and a unique damned soul in the Underworld known as “The Man Who Remembers” due to his retained mortal memories. Plagued by insatiable hunger and hunted by factions seeking his knowledge of the living, he serves as the reluctant bearer of the Astrolabe and protector of the child goddess Cottontail in a quest to unlock the Torana.

Michael Martin’s Tonal Transmission

Meet the man with a bullet wound near his temple and a middle finger permanently aimed at destiny.

Meet Cross.

If you were expecting a typical fantasy hero—you know, the broad-shouldered paladin with sparkling teeth and a destiny written in the stars—you’ve taken a wrong turn at the #AlgorithmApproved Trope Landfill.

Cross is a middle-aged everyman, a former enslaved African from the American Old West, who woke up dead in a place that makes the Mojave look like a water park.

Cross isn’t just “in” the Underworld; he is haunting his own afterlife. He carries a sinewy, wiry strength and a world-weary cynicism that he uses like a shield. While every other soul in this sulfur-soaked shitshow gets the “mercy” of a factory reset via the River Lethe, I decided to be a bit mean when I wrote Burn In Hades.

I made him The Man Who Remembers.

Imagine being trapped in a realm where the sky is a constant firestorm of tangerine and indigo, and you’re the only one who remembers the smell of rain, the specific sound of the gunshots that ended you, or the face of the woman you couldn’t save. That’s Cross. His memories are his greatest burden, but they’re also his only goddamn superpower. They keep him from becoming just another mindless cog in the Master’s machine (No, not that kind of Master that you’re thinking of. I’m talking the Master of the Underworld. But we’ll address him directly below).

Cross is a “shoot first, ask questions eventually, and talk a lot of trash in between” kind of guy. He navigates this mashup of Mayan, Greek, and African myths with a macuahuitl (an obsidian-bladed club) and an artifact called The Peacemaker.

He doesn’t want to be a messiah. He isn’t looking to lead a revolution. He just wants a selfish slice of peace. He’s trekking toward Paradise specifically to drink the waters of the River Lethe and finally, finally, forget everything.

Cross is a survivor. He spent a century in a cycle of psychological trauma under a demoness named Diamond Tooth, a relationship so toxic it makes your average disaster-date look like a Hallmark card. But he didn’t crush into dust. He forged that refusal to shatter into something fierce.

To the Master of the Underworld, Cross is a “savory snack” because his soul is marinated in such “delicious” suffering. To the rest of the spirits, he’s a coveted target because his memories are the rarest currency in the abyss.

Historical Mechanics & Structural Pillars

• The Man Who Remembers: Unlike most souls who lose their memories upon entering the Underworld, Cross retained his because someone actively intervened to prevent him from drinking from the River Lethe. This unique status makes his head a coveted trophy for entities like the squals, who wish to siphon his memories to glimpse the “beyond”.
• Mortal Origins: In his mortal life, he was Charles Hill. As a nine-year-old slave in the American South, he witnessed his mother’s execution before being taken in by the rancher Mr. Carson. He was eventually murdered at age 38 with the very Peacemaker pistol he now wields in the afterlife.
• Beast Tamer: Cross possesses a unique, innate ability to pacify and bond with monsters through physical touch. He used this to tame Gimlet (a cornurus) and even successfully calmed the primordial serpent Níðhöggr, channeling Magna Mater’s energy to establish a connection.
• Servitude and Torment: Cross has existed in the Underworld for over 500 years. His first century was spent as a vassal to President Layil, governing the vestibule to Hell. Later, he endured a century of captivity as a “Servus Inhibitus” to the demon Diamond Tooth in Queen Ereshkigal’s palace, a trauma that defined their toxic, centuries-long dynamic.
• Divine Chattel Arsenal: He utilizes a variety of powerful artifacts, including the Macuahuitl (obsidian blade), the Spider Button (which weaves clothes), and the Peacemaker (a revolver capable of Annihilation, erasing souls from existence entirely).

Michael Martin’s Network of Collision