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Chapter 2 part 4 "The Job of Death" |
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Usually, I dont have to do much anymore, as I've trained you lower tiers to act as Reapers and collectors. As your names suggest, you will work in pairs. Reapers use their scythes, each of which have a portion of the essence of my One Scythe, to detach the soul from the body and Collectors place the soul in the bag. It works well for most low profile souls, and as the teams also have former humans, it can be a source of entertainment from time to time.
(An excerpt from "The Reaper's Manual" by Azrael Grim X)
I awaken, the empty feeling in my chest still aching. Her scent, her presence permeates this room. As I get to my feet, the cloak flows around my shoulders, my scythe awaits my hand, and I let my skeletal form take shape as I... "Clock in" as the mortals put it. Rarely does this occur, but the Reapers, my personal army of Angels and Souls that move mortals onto the afterlife, have found an anomaly. A soul refuses to have its mortal coil die, and has obliterated several. Shoving my pain aside, I release the previous mental blocks I set up to protect them from my pain.
Anxious voices fill my head as it seems every reaper is talking at once....
"I am calling a meeting of the Council of thirteen." I send to all, letting their relief at my presence wash over me. While I burn at the pain, and wish Ari could've seen this... felt this... they are my people. My coworkers and the only family I have left. Myself and my twelve best are materialized somewhere just outside of any reality, and are seated in a circle with me at the head.
As the Personification of Death, They are all under me, lower tiers and former mortals that wished for one thing or another, to my left are the Reapers, to my right the Collectors. The first to my left is Geronimo, a tall reaper who uses a Knife as his Scythe. His Partner, a willowy female Collector known as Nyx stands to my right. Next is Joan D'arc, her tool a sword, and her Collector Nicholas Flamel. After them are the twins, Romulus and Remus. Following the Romans are Thanatos, a one time fallen, and Hades. Blade, a gun his Scythe, and Blaze sit across from one another impatiently. Finally, the last two Karen and Rizak decide to take their seats.
"We will begin by reciting the oath."
As one voice, they say "I have given up my former life to serve the finality of all. With Death, and my brothers and sisters, we serve to move those on to their punishment, Reward, or rebirth. As everything must begin, so must it end. We are that which resides there, to ferry the soul on to its next place."
Designed by Met, it had a ring that I wasnt willing to hear, and I almost flinched when they told of ends.
"The tenents. 1."
"If you are given a Soul to Reap, you Must reap it."
"2."
"You are not to make Judgements on the soul's final destination."
"3."
"You must obey Azrael in all things."
"4."
"Make no Deals with Mortals."
"5."
"Never forget, you have given up your right to Heaven or Hell, you are a Reaper and will remain so until the final Days and beyond."
They said them like militants... I wondered if it was me affecting them this way, or the anomaly.
"Sit, sit." I said. "Now, what is going on that has the young ones in such an uproar that it interfered with my rest?"
They glanced at eachother, sensing something different about me perhaps.
Joan cleared her throat. Blaze scuffeled a toe on the floor and the others did various things.
"Well?"
"Um... We arent sure." Karen, the youngest of them said. "Reapers and collectors have gone missing... Souls have stagnated, and a few days ago, all hell broke loose on earth, only to have calmed down to an unsteady peace."
"Armageddon has yet to fully occur Karen." I say, and she blushed and sat. "This news disturbs me. I left for a few centuries and things have gone to pot? And no one has information on these... Death Devourings?"
They tell me exactly what I already knew. Something, or someone, had been eating souls. No one had seen it, but corpses had been found souless, and essences had returned to the armory. A beast of us and not, mortal and spirit, and it viewed us as snacks. Still, they looked hesitant to speak.
"Call in all the Junior teams." I said after a few minutes. "And Senior teams go out in teams of four. If they see it, they are to escape back to Purgatory immediately."
They nodded and remained seated. I sat there, trying not to rage at them, but tired of being conscious to feel pain, I sat quietly, knowing that the question that I dreaded would be spoken soon.
"And I will join each of you every so often on rounds." I said at last. They could question me in private adn compare notes later... While it was stupid, I found it easier to talk privately than in a group. "Anything else?" they said nothing. "Then meeting adjourned." I said, and teleported myself back to my room, once again, drowning my pain and sorrow with sleep.
 Azzy Rael · Thu Sep 24, 2009 @ 02:49am · 0 Comments |
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