Then come with me.

While I watched the drama, I picked up a lot from the context. On the European battlefront, adults raised children to be Reapers. They sent them to hell. That was just messed up. If they burdened the next generation with guilt and stress, wouldn't the kids break? 

The pressure to do better than the last generation was immense. They would live their lives in preparation for dying and for being sent to hell. The life of reapers seemed darker than I could have ever imagined. Also, if being Formless could break even families, it was worse than I had thought. 

Josephine's screaming continued. "They were our parents! I believed they loved us, but we were nothing more than tools! Earning achievements will not be enough! We can never return! Virtuous? His Majesty Clive was the one who decided to throw us here without any support! He just wanted to maintain his image!" 

The sisters became oblivious to Bella and me. I sensed my partner's presence by my side. 

"Virtuous, the title of Clive Zanardi, the Sovereign Revenant of the European battlefront. He is the absolute king who rules the continent from the shadows. I slipped up. They saw your special abilities. Decide now if you make them allies or kill them," Bella whispered to me. 

"Why the rush? I thought you wanted to use them. It seemed like someone betrayed these two for something they had no control over. We can capitalize on that, right?" I retorted. 

"I agree to some extent, but they have information that might put you in danger. We cannot take the risk. If they send a Specter after you, we are as good as dead." 

With a name like Virtuous, you would think the dude would be upright. I understood that you could not judge the entire situation based on a single instance. But it was despicable to drop these girls, like leftover crap, just because they were Formless. 

"Ah, fine. Follow my lead, honey. We are lacking in too many departments. Let's take them in for real. Charm them, scare them, I don't care what you do, but do not push them away. We need talented warriors. Raising a small, powerful team is necessary for our survival. So please, trust my judgment on this." 

Bella then came forward and pacified the crying sisters. At some point, the sisters had reversed roles, with Jasmine berating Josephine. They held hands and wept in silence. My partner cautiously approached. She seemed to have something up her sleeve. 

"Jo, Jas, I cannot understand how you both must feel. I am sorry for that. But you girls are now reapers. Do you both have plans on how to live moving forward? Without a sponsor or a handler, it would be most difficult. How about teaming up with us for real?" 

Neither of the sisters replied. They stared at Isabella in silence. I felt that her next words were going to try to win them over. The grooming done to them was evident in how they were proficient in combat far beyond their ages. They only looked 22-23 at most, and they could fight tens of undead without panicking. 

With the information we had about them, these women were fruit ripe for the taking. They had no allegiances because someone had disposed of them. If we could protect them, they would fight for us. Humans, while greedy, usually returned grace with loyalty. I felt these two were worth the effort, at the very least. 

"Let us start over. I am Isabella Taurus, a cop from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is John Smith. He is from Arizona. We banded together due to both being Formless. We are in the same situation as you are. We are not backed by any organization or country. Surviving and growing stronger is our only goal." 

What? I thought Isabella had a sponsor. This bitch. Well, with my situation even worse, who was I to complain? 

"Come with us. We will help, arm, and protect you. As fellow Formless, we will not look down on you or take your contributions for granted. Together, we will be able to grow stronger. Right, John?" she asked before she turned to me. 

My partner was a manipulative bitch. She played on their insecurities and faked common ground. These girls should have felt desperate after being betrayed. They were also looking for a new home. If I played my cards right, they could become powerful pawns for me. 

'Fine, let's do this. My gut feeling tells me these girls will not betray us. Let's give it some effort. I hope my acting skills are up to par,' I thought. 

"You are free to come and go as you please. But if you stand with us, then your enemies will also be mine. Unlike others, I have nothing against the Formless. What I said before was no joke. I will become the strongest Revenant. And I will be the one who closes Hellsgate. If you feel scared, then just hide. But if you wish to end this nightmare, then come with me." 

To someone who lived and died for Hellsgate, this had to be a really bad nightmare. I played on these emotions to get not only their confidence but also their hearts. 

The miserable and the forsaken often longed for one thing. A savior. I didn't want to be one. But if I could get strong fighters from the Formless, it might be worth it to act like one, at least for now. 

"Are your words real?" Jasmine challenged me. 

I walked towards them, then stopped at arm's length. I stretched out my left hand towards the sisters like I was asking to be their partner for a dance. 

"If you wish to know, then come with me. Being Formless is not a sin. If this entire world believes we have no right to exist, then all we have to do is rise to the summit and trample over it." I gave her the most genuine smile I could. 

While I was not handsome, I didn't think I was fugly. But on the inside, I felt like I had just died from cringe. With {Listen}, I picked up Bella being unable to stifle her giggles. 

'This bitch.' 

Jasmine placed her hand on my palm, her cheeks turning red. "Then please take care of me, John Smith. As long as you keep my sister safe, I will remain your ally." 

Josephine had a giant smile on her face as she hugged her sister. 

"Me too! Me too! Josephine Benelli requests to join under your flag, Your Majesty!" she yelled. 

"What?" I blurted out. 

Bella then placed her hands on her hips as she explained the matter to me. 

"Reapers consider the Revenants absolute kings on Earth and in Hellsgate. We refer to them as majesties. Didn't you say you were going to become one? Better practice now. Hehe." 

Ignoring the snarky bitch, with that our group now had four members. Our reinforcements were Jasmine Denel, an archer, and Josephine Benelli, a rapier-dagger user. With our intention to develop Jo and Jas, Bella and I had them rest while we guarded them. 

They had healing items saved, but using those would cause both to get drowsy, so they had not done so earlier. Both felt exhausted because they could not restore their stamina. 

Yet, because they had us now, they could rest without worry. After an hour, both woke up full of energy, with their injuries somewhat healed. 

We had them rest so that {Auto} and {Save} would be in their best state. When we shared {Rewind} with Jas and Jo, they felt elated. 

"Your {Fate} is amazing! Really cool, Your Majesty!" 

"Such flexibility; its applications are reassuring to have." 

Right, you could consider {Rewind} a second life. When they saw us sharing our secrets, they also began sharing theirs. 

The original story they told us, the one about getting mugged, was a lie. They did so because they didn't want to be easy marks. To the Descendants, coming to Hellsgate without even one soulgear was pathetic. 

They then first explained about Descendants, or the Reapers born from Reapers. These people had bodies several times stronger than normal humans. To these powerful combatants, a lone, untested Reaper was easy prey. 

Descendants were born and bred with the sole purpose of becoming stronger Reapers. Some were even stronger than Phantoms without awakened {Fates}. They trained as leaders and learned to form loyal groups. They even knew how to use coercion, intimidation, and bribery. 

To avoid being marked, Jo and Jas intentionally kept their backgrounds vague. The sisters were from families who only married Reapers. As 10th Gen Descendants, they had the bloodline of 10 generations' worth of Reapers. 

When I asked about their families, their expressions became troubled. Josephine said Jasmine's parents were reapers from the African battlefront. Supposedly, the Denels saved Josephine's parents before dying. 

In return, the Benellis took custody of Jasmine when they passed. She was only a toddler back then. They raised her and Josephine like real sisters. Everything was fine until the time for them to become Reapers arrived. 

Unfortunately, unlike common folk, the Europeans had a mystic. He could foretell the {Fates} of their Reapers. When word got out that Jas and Jo were both Formless, they lost all support. 

After being thrown out without gear or weapons, they had one month to live normally. Then, assisted suicides would send them to Hellsgate. They had no one to rely on. So, they did all they could to prepare what little they had before the Enlistment. 

Sad as it might have been, that was their lot in life. After the short rest was over, it was time to see if their bite was half as good as their bark.