3 Chapter Two // The First Human Soul

- ii -

It's gotten loud, populated and cruddy. The height from Death's shoulder no longer provide me a good bird's eye view. Sure he's always been twice the tall of a human. But there have been structures now built way more huge than those of my time. There were vehicles which speed were faster than any wild boar or white horses. I didn't sight any particular respect act routine, too. And there's no more war... How long have I been trapped in Dwarville for the human realm to change this much?

As this was a world of my origin, I didn't back down when Death told me the same thing he said back in Dwarville--that I'd just learn of the ways of the place while in the process of retrieving souls. Well! I'm no longer the same eight-year-old kid he just suddenly made into a scythe while all clueless!

"You're just some skeleton with glowing red orbs within your eye holes but, I'm really reading your stupid bones as one of getting impatient." I scoffed and finally hopped on his shoulder with the crystal ball on my lap. When I got myself a comfortable position, I tapped him. "Fine. Onto the first human soul!" As if he was some horse and I was the rider, I pointed ahead of us acting like the destination was already in sight. Gee, no violent reaction from him, as usual. How boring. He simply moved forward.

It's not really that difficult to learn a world from the position of a death reaper. All things are easily crumbled from above. We have arrived in a night time with a mocking starry night sky. To learn the ways of this world in its current era starting from I can remember, a death reaper can use its scythe to tear off of the sky its history through the stars and their positions over the years. In this case, as I am the scythe, it was an easy task. Only I did not know I was capable of it in the beginning. If it was not for the guardians and upper entities from Dwarville, I doubt this skeleton would ever teach me anything.

"So, where are we headed?"

"To another soul."

Another boring answer. I wonder what I can accomplish to make this Reaper learn some new lines.

Transportation is not really an issue with Death. Just as I do not need to use my feet to walk on my own, he does not even need a ground to walk onto. The air itself blow on our way. It brings us to the soul on our list whenever we wished to. And so, I enjoyed a silent ride mesmerized by lights looking so scattered from above. Scattered and disorganized yet it still displayed a tranquilizing view. City lights, it is.

"I see the war is long forgotten..." I silently muttered to myself.

It did not take much moment until Death stopped. That was my cue to look for the soul destined to death on this hour. I browsed the area and found only one dying making locating easier. It is a quiet area. An apartment devoid of any light and radiant, looking so disconnected and far from its world we just passed by. Amused, I immediately leaped off of Death's shoulder and strolled to meet our first soul. There has been no accident in the place... Nor there has been a violent attacker...

Using my ability to float and fly, though the human body's swinging back and forth as it was hung from a neatly tied knots on the ceiling, I managed to look at the vessel on face level. I stayed floating in front of the human body. It's getting past rigor mortis. With his breath cut off by knots twisted on his neck, the paling of his complexion is a lot more evident. He was turning blue and cold.

"It is such a quiet departure from the living." I muttered softly in air. Holding the crystal ball in my other hand, as the vessel is busy exerting the life force and soul of its owner, I cupped the young dead's face forcing all the exerted life force into the crystal ball while keeping my eyes closed, letting the process be the focus of my concentration. We cannot afford to let all the particles scattered everywhere. That's the role I'm playing as the scythe; acting medium between the life force and the crystal ball.

It usually take up to seven minutes to transfer all the soul particles and life force onto the crystal. It might sound like a quick operation. But for this kind of case, it rarely finish placidly. I heard then Death's movements from behind. Though softly, I knew he has finally removed his cloak. And then, I sensed the gloomy and heavy presence of another entity. The Gormandizers, those lost who ought of devouring the soul we're currently trying to retrieve. I do not really know the smell of a soul. I'm one who usually just sees the memories and lives they led, just so I know what kind of restraining crystal ball I'm putting them into. But for Gormandizers, it is said to be discharging such powerful and sweet fragrance making their stomachs growl and rapaciously hunt for it.

In my first retrievals as Death's scythe hundred of years ago, hearing the fight, the growling and the clash of their powers and weapons, I was baffled and trembling. Instead of concentrating on a process I barely knew at that time, I opened my eyes just to assure myself of safety by acquiring a vivid view of my surrounding. That was the first time I saw Death with his cloak off. And given that it was during a battle against another evil in the form of Gormandizers--two at that--he was most fearsome. I died for so long yet I have never taken a glimpse of heaven and hell, not even certain if any of them exist. But at that moment, I felt like hell was practically opening its gates to me. Knowing the situation and witnessing the battle that surrounds me was not in any way of help. The Gormandizers alone with their monstrous vessels in dark green, often wet of strange black oil matched with all the saliva on their huge mouth filled of sharp, long teeth that depicts the strong desire to savour the flavor of the soul was bending my knee into a soft, vulnerable jelly.

But Death was a lot more fearsome. That I feel like no words would ever be apt for a description upon him. He pierces the dead with chill into their spines and fear into their minds when cloaked. If they had seen him without it, if they had seen him transform into a beast, growling grown fangs and creating multiple magical circles mid-air while attacking the cornered Gormandizers despite their numbers, they would have feared dying more than they did when they were alive.

He was winning the battle. No, he has already won the battle. I did not need to be an experienced to know he could have simply performed the easiest and dullest power manifestation he had within those void eye holes or from his fiery, pitch-black, rough palm. But he did not. He enjoyed battering them, attacking them, piercing them with bare nails of his. Every stroke and swing of his hand, I knew that if he, either in the form of that beast or the usual skeleton, had the ability to form expressions, I would have seen him smirking, grinning as he enjoy the delight he gets out of a fight he most likely perceive as mere hunting. I did not know how long was I frozen, then. But when I finally mustered up the courage to fold myself in the corner beside the dead as I softly covered my mouth, suppressing a scream that does not even have the courage to be heard, anyways. Both the Gormandizers and Death immediately shifted their attention to me, acting like they had sense that soft and slow movement I had made. To make matters worse, a few of the Gormandizers, recognizing me as the companion of their perpetrator, had seen hope to survive from Death by charging to me in swift air. On the other hand, Death's magical circles disappeared around him. His attention was suddenly fixated on me, his hands immediately turned into the defensive posture. He's been attacked by Gormandizers in front of him. It seemed like, me opening my eyes was a distraction to him. It took him seconds before he recreated the magical circles and in a snap, when he flicked small balls looking like water drops towards my attackers, the Gormandizers that hoped to devour me whole and flesh were simply dissolved into thin air. He then rushed to me despite the battle in from of him. For some reason, it felt like his grin was no longer there on his visage. I felt even more like that when he has finally turned into the skeleton that he usually was that moment he first arrived before me. Quickly but softly, he raised his hand to cover my eyes. I closed my eyes before he even grazed it. I felt how his fingers barely touched my forehead down to my eyes. As if he was too careful not to lay any of it on my skin to begin with.

"This is a sight you need not to catch. Keep your eyes shut, kid. Perform the transference silent and quick."

It was as dull, as low and as stolid as usual. But there was something in me that knew he did not like it when I got to view the sight of battle. That when his grin was wiped off of his face, it turned into an upset one. I did not know why. Nor did I have the courage to ask about it. Not after witnessing all that. It had been the first and last time I saw him with his cloak off.

"Are you through?"

I was brought back to reality when I heard Death's voice behind me. The sound of battle has already faded. It's back to placid night in the apartment. And I was almost finish transferring the life force and soul particles into the crystal ball.

"Are you?" I returned the question.

"Yes."

I then exposed my vision to clear my view. There appeared in front of me again the cold and pale continuance of the dead. Caught off guard, I was suddenly set to screaming when his eyes opened and the last soul particle which contains his consciousness moved out of the body through the face.

"Aaaahhh!"

"Aaaahhh!"

Apparently, it was not his body that literally opened its eyes. It was just him as a soul. We were both sent landing on the floor out of surprise. Meanwhile, Death did not even bat an eye. He remained standing, frozen and stoic. Geez.

I was the first one to recover and even leered at the guy for surprising me that way. Crossing my arms, I floated in air and positioned myself like as if I was sitting comfortably and perky on an invisible couch leveled to Death's shoulder, while the crystal ball is drifting just a meter away from my face.

"Your turn, Mister." I told Death despite knowing he was aware of it.

The soul must have reacted to me first but after making a statement that made him notice Death, he turned his entire attention to him. "You... You are the grim reaper..." Fear drawn on his face, he uttered the most obvious. "Your cloak... and your scythe..." He looked at me which in his vision is a scythe.

"Miguel De Jesus. By hanging yourself, you have chosen death. I will bring you to afterlife."

I rolled my eyes after hearing the same, almost recorded line of Death. On the other hand, the soul reacted the way most dwarves from Dwarville did. I do think dwarves and humans had so much sexual intercourse in the past that a lot of the traits of both were merged and dawned upon their newer generation. They're both weenies.

He cried. And both Death and I stood there as he grieved over his own death. Indeed, the first one who'd cry for one is only himself. He kept muttering which I did not bother paying attention to. As soon as he subconsciously surrendered himself to Death, I knelt before him and touched his forehead--the last particle of his soul. And with his willingness, he was sucked into the crystal I was holding onto. I could not help but soundly smirk after the little crystallized after-particle bits of his soul burst into nothingness as the crystal glowed so brightly in white. I looked up and waited until few drops of the fading bits touched my palm as if it was snow.

"Hundred of years passed and still, no one knows the weight of life. Is it one of the things that never change, Death?"

I heard nothing from my companion as usual. I let out one exhausted sigh. My gaze shifted on the crystal I was holding and whispered my thought in it, "This human too chose to take his own life. Why are you glowing so white and bright?"

"It is the color of his soul. You should know more than anyone else, Scythe, that the crystal does not measure one's sin."

I rolled my eyes. How the hell can he still not recognize rhetorical questions. I turned to him and gave another. "Do you think mine would have glowed this bright?"

---