The Reaper's Curse

Echoes of a World Unseen

Love is to humans how gods appear to Man. Faces bathed in light, yet drenched in the darkest of shadows. 

☾✧

A drop of blood drips from her cheek, and she runs a finger across it before returning her gaze to the king cowering in the corner of the room. "Let's not make this any harder for the both of us, shall we?" 

"P-please..."

The reaper picks up the dagger that he had thrown, licking her blood from the blade. "Don't you think it would be beautiful if I took your life with the dagger you tried to take mine with?" She runs her thumb across the intricately carved patterns and the embroidered phoenix on the hilt.

"What do you want from me?!"

The reaper cocks her head, a smile stretched across her cheeks. "Isn't it quite obvious?" She closes in on the young king, the dagger held loosely at her hip. "I'm here to take your life."

She raises her arm and plunges the dagger down. 

A scream escapes the king's mouth. A heartbeat before the blade pierces into his throat, it dissipates into mist in her hand. The reaper laughs. "It's unfortunate that I can't harm you with mortal weapons."

The king's pants darken. "Guards!" he yells, his voice breaking. 

"No one can hear you, Your Majesty. No one can see me either."

"W-why are you doing this to me?" 

"Why?" She barks out a laugh. "There's no reason. It was just unfortunate that you happened to catch my attention at the wrong time."

The king presses his back into the wall, as if he could will himself to fuse into it. "I have a kingdom to rule! Erimere will crumble to dust without me!"

"Everyone has a reason to live. Do you think I care that you're the king? Do you think it makes a difference to me?" 

Despair seeps into the king's eyes, and the reaper takes it in. Ah, what a truly magnificent sight, the moment they realise, "I'm really going to die."

A scythe appears in the reaper's hands and she raises it over her shoulder, the blade glinting under the faint moonlight. "Say hello to Deanna for me, won't you?" 

With a grin on her face, she lets the scythe fall.

"I'll give you anything!"

The tip of the blade stops less than an inch away from the king's throat.

For a heartbeat, death is completely still. 

The reaper raises her brows. "Anything?"

Crawling to his knees to grovel at her feet, the king nods, a hopeful smile plastered on his face. "Yes, yes! Anything! Anything you want! Title? Land? Gold? Say it, and it's all yours."

The scythe clatters to the ground. 

The reaper lowers herself so that she's at eye level with the king. She catches his chin with her fingers, and whispers, "The most precious thing to you. I want it in return for your life."

The king opens his mouth, hesitation suddenly flashing across his eyes. But it's too late.

"Your unborn son and daughter. I want them."

A shuddering breath escapes the king's lips. The hope in his eyes winks out like a flame. "No...no...no, no, no, no! Not them, not my children! Anything but my children! Please, My Lady, please, I can't give you my children!" 

"You can't? Or you won't?" 

"I can't give you my heirs," he yells, grabbing onto her leg, his rough fingers digging into her skin. "But I will give you anything else you wish for! Anything!"