3 A COINCIDENCE? 

Present time....

Ugh!

Azalel massaged his temple with rage burning inside his chest. Where is he? He hissed frustratedly. That day, he was assigned to accompany Reuben and teach him to pick up a soul from an old lady who is in a dire state because of her illness. She will soon leave this world...

And whenever she was gone, they had to be ready on the spot to pick up her soul...

Ugh!

Where is he?

Azalel walked fast while he used his telepathy to track down and communicate with his lost partner. Unfortunately, because he was too focused on his mind, he didn't see another girl who walked fast in his direction. Both of them are in a hurry. Both of them didn't see one another and colliding is inevitable.

DUAGGGHH!!!!

"OUCHHH!!!"

"AWWW!!"

Both of them groaned in pain afterward.

"SORRY!!! I'M SO SORRY..."

The girl who bumped into him was the first to rise, cleaned herself from the dust, and offered her hand to help the man who still sat down on the ground. He is still utterly shocked.

"I was in a hurry so I didn't pay attention before. Eh, are you okay?"

Azalel's eyes fluttered several times. He is still dumbstruck by what had happened.

No…

It wasn't her who made him stunned in silence. Neither is her sincere apology.

"You?? You can see me??" He asked her in disbelief and rose from the ground easily.

She frowned at him as if he had just spilled the stupidest question in the world.

"Yes, of course, I can. Is there something wrong with it?

"Anyway… Are you ok?"

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see you before…"

The girl kept apologizing to him and bowed repeatedly in guilt.

Azalel didn't say anything or give her a formal response but he just cleaned his cloak thoroughly. Seeing the person who bumped with her was fine, she then asked another question. But it sounds more like permission to leave as soon as possible.

"You look fine, so I can leave now, right? See you…"

Then, she rushed out, turned left, and disappeared without leaving any trace.

Azalel remained silent on his spot while his eyes keep looking in the direction where the girl was gone. Meanwhile, Reuben came toward him and suddenly stopped his steps. He looked in the same direction where Azalel is looking right now. He seemed so confused.

"Aza?"

Silence.

"Aza? Are you okay?"

"Reuben…"

Azalel pinched both of his cheeks immediately.

"Ouch... Ouch! Ouch... Aza!! What are you doing??" He hissed in pain and cupped his face with his hands.

"I can touch you…"

"Of course, you can!! We are the same kind!!"

"Wait…. Don't say that you have some gender issues!!" Reuben responded hysterically.

Azalel didn't reply or answer him back but in the next second, spontaneously, he decided to do something.

It was midday. The traffic is at its peak. It was a rush hour. All vehicles run on the road at high speed. Then Azalel, walking to the road calmly and stopped suddenly, right in the middle of the road. Exactly…

In the middle of the road.

Reuben eyes widened in shock and he gasped in disbelief when he saw the ridiculous action of his partner. Right here, right now...

"AZA!!!!"

"DON'T!!"

But Azalel remained calm and stayed silently in his position.

Without any warning, a big truck showed up and rushed in with flashing speed towards him directly. Azalel froze on his spot. Not moving at all. Just stared at the truck in front of him with his lazy eyes as usual. His facial is expressionless.

Reuben shut his eyes spontaneously with his hands. Preparing himself for the worst.

In less than a second, the truck will hit him immediately!!

Azalel closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and started to count down. Three…. two… one…

"NGGGGGGGGGGGG...…."

BLESHHHHHHHHHH…..

The truck passed through his spiritual body.

No colliding.

No crash.

No accident.

Everything was... just fine and so normal.

"Holy God, Azalel!!! You scared me to death!! What is wrong with you, huh??!!" Reuben asked him frantically. He even didn't try to hide the worry in his voice while he screened out his partner thoroughly from head to toe. Thinking that something has gone so wrong inside his brain.

"A mortal bumped me this morning…"

"WHAT??? IMPOSSIBLE!!!" Reuben shrieked in disbelief. He thought he had misheard the news.

"But it was... TRUE!!"

"WHEN WAS IT??"

"Before you showed up, Reuben..."

............…

ILIYA POV

I'm panting. I turned my head around several times. It's gone…

They're not there anymore.

I'm safe. Finally…

I took a deep breath, relaxed before moving all the muscles in my leg.

Shit! I cursed myself. I forgot to bring my earphones today and all those calamities were flooding over me. I can see things. Unnatural creatures. I'm able to hear others' thoughts. I can see glimpses of people's past. These abilities are driving me crazy and I have no idea how to control it. I can't think properly. I often avoid crowds because I'm able to hear their thoughts. They are buzzing like bees. I'm too damn scared to touch anyone because I could peek into their past and feel their pain. It would torture me to death. In the end, I withdraw from other people. How long has it been? Ah, I barely recall. As far as I could remember ever since these abilities have awoken, my life is no longer the same. But the hardest part of me was…

When I can't share it with anyone. This is like carrying the whole world onto your shoulder by yourself. It's unbearable. I don't even know how long this will go on. Until when could I stay sane to hold onto this kind of life?

Why? Why is all this happening to me?

… .. … … .. ...

AZALEL POV

It was the first day for Reuben to do his assignment. Picking up a human soul and I was quite satisfied with the result. He was doing it on a clean sheet. Very much better than me indeed. He was able to talk and persuade her to leave all her worries about her pets and belongings on earth when it was time for her to go. This is something that I would never be good at. I was way too ignorant and rushed in to complete my mission before I get another (immediate) task from Barachiel.

Patience…

It's something I always lack. Perhaps, this is something that I should learn from my current partner. I sighed exhaustedly. Furthermore, after that accidental collision with that weird girl, I found myself dumbstruck. A hint. A flash of faint memory rang a bell inside my head. Her face…

Somewhat looks familiar to me. Even though I never met her before.

...............

REUBEN POV

I was assigned to do a new task today. Picking up a human soul of a grandma who was terminally ill. It was my very first day doing it so I'm quite nervous. Even when Azalel stood up next to me, his existence doesn't help me at all. He only gave me some advice.

"Once their souls separate from their bodies, you should open the heaven's portal at once and let their soul fly away instantly… Easy, right?"

"Is it that simple??!!" I asked back in disbelief. It is NOT that simple. As far as I could remember from our supervisor Barachiel, all souls that we pick, should willingly leave their bodies and all their emotions, including their lingering feelings behind.

"Well… Some of them are quite simple, Reuben. Just as I told you before. But some of them are quite fused and troublesome. In most cases, I use the most effective tricks to accomplish my missions…"

I chuckled at my partner's words. He's indeed one of a kind among us. He's much older than me but somehow, his acts are more childish compared to the others.

Like today, I was completely stunned by what that moron has done today. Attempting to crash himself with those vehicles. Has he gone insane???

Tsk… tsk… tsk…

Then, he told me another shocking news. Another piece of information that he bumped into a mortal (which is completely impossible). We are spiritual creatures and we never interfere with human life at all. I shook my head several times after he completed his whole story.

"No, Aza. That is completely impossible!! You are my mentor and you are not supposed to make up stories like this…"

He sighed and bowed his head frustratedly. I tapped his back to encourage him. To be honest, he looked quite different today. He used to be more ignorant, calm, and carefree. But this time, he looked like a blank paper. Confused.

"Never mind…" He spoke to me naturally after a while.

"Let's go. We have lots of things to do…"

…. , … . … . . … .. … . … . … . ..

From billions of humans who live on earth…

Fate and destiny go hand-in-hand to unite us...

Deep inside my memory…

Again…

It was you that never fades away….

The smile which made me forget how to breathe…

..........