1 Prologue

Death is something unexpected. You would never know when it would arrive. It could be sooner or later, depending on which circumstances one's self is into. Most people feared it, while others wished for it.

The Office of the Grim is an institution that has only one major task to do: collect the souls of the deceased. It is an organization run by the fallen angels or, specifically, the grim reaper is what you would like to call it. They are the ones responsible for balancing the world of the living, and the world of the dead.

This institution has different branches all around the globe. It can be somewhere in the west or someplace near you, you'd never know. It might be your own comfortable homes as well. The thing is, it is an infrastructure that can't be seen by the naked eye.

"Hal! Hal! Hal!" A young man wearing all black clothing---black robe, pants, boots, belt, everything black---was running around the hallways in search of his partner. "Where's Halden? Has anyone seen Halden???" He asked everyone in the office, who seemed to be wearing the same garments as him.

The man at the corner-most cubicle groaned. He raised his hand and the man who was running around awhile ago appeared and sat on the empty swivel chair beside him. He sighed out of annoyance.

"What do you want now, Angelo?" Halden asked. "Make it fast. I'm too busy, as you can see." He stated, typing something on his computer.

Angelo looked around, scanning the area if someone was listening. Once he's sure that the coast is clear, he crouches down, leaning forward so that he is far from ear sight. "I made a mistake. Again." He whispered.

"Why am I not even surprised anymore?" Halden deadpanned. "Which soul is it that you accidentally released this time?"

The lad didn't answer.

Halden stopped typing whatever it is that he was typing when he noticed the fidgeting behavior from the guy beside him. He's having a hunch of whose soul was released, but he's hoping it's not. He faced the lad. "Why aren't you answering my question?" He asked, starting to get worried. "Don't tell me it's…?"

Angelo hesitated for a moment but nodded his head nonetheless. Eyes shut close, preparing himself for some scolding. Which he did receive.

"ARE YOU CRAZY???" Halden spat.

"Shh, shh. Keep quiet." Angelo begged, not ready to get himself killed by a specific someone just because of his friend's loud gesture.

Halden, "How did you even reach that part of the spirit realm? YOU KNOW IT'S FORBIDDEN!"

"I happened to be on my way towards the exit when I suddenly got dragged in the darkest part." Angelo defended. "Out of curiosity…" He muttered under his breath.

"Dude! He's a hard one to catch!" Halden was frustrated with what he had heard. "What are you going to do now???"

Angelo, "I was hoping if you could help me like how you helped me with those other souls before?"

"For your information, those souls that you also accidentally released before were NOT even that close to this soul's level." Halden pointed out. "Do you have any idea for how many years I've been hunting him down???"

"That's why I came to ask for your help because you had the experience on how to deal with him since you were his grim reaper in the past." Angelo pleads. "Please help me with this one. I promise that I'd stay away from the spirit realm, for real, just how you want me to."

Halden sighed. "Does the boss know any of this?"

Angelo paused and just blankly stared at his friend. "I didn't tell."

Halden, "You're screwed once he finds out."

"I'm not ready to go to the other world yet!" Angelo cried.

Halden, "You should have thought of that before you decided to play in the spirit realm."

Angelo wailed. "I know that already!"

Halden sighed again. "Fine. I'll help you."

"YES!" Angelo beamed. "Thank you so much! I know I can count on you."

Halden, "In one condition."

Angelo felt shivers run down his spine. He gulped. "W-what?"

Halden smirked. "You'll be the one working with half of the workloads passed to me while I'm out hunting that lunatic. For the second time."

Angelo stood up from the chair and saluted. "Considered done." He took all of the papers that were stacked on top of Halden's table and dashed out of the office floor and went to his floor.

Halden sighed for the fourth time that day. "What a happy reunion it will be." He mumbled, pissed off. He opened his drawer and took his black hat and placed it on his head.

"Going somewhere?" A male coworker of his perked up from his cubicle.

"Yeah. Soul hunting duty." He answered.

"Oh, have fun." His coworker waved goodbye.

He bowed and went out of the room. He closed the door and exhaled a huge amount of air out of his lungs. "I don't think meeting him again would be fun."