There are five thousand and one Grim Reapers responsible for collecting and escorting souls between the two known realms of existence: life and the afterlife.
Griffin knew his curiosity set him apart from all the other Grim Reapers, but he never und...
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Kingdom of the Red Rose (Episode 51 of 62) Chapter Twenty: The Red Rose (Part 1 of 1)
Edward exited through the front entrance of the mansion and searched for a horse.
David arrived at the scene with a rifle in his hands and took aim at the General. "You aren't going anywhere, Edward."
Edward took one look at the rifle, "That isn't even loaded. How do you intend to stop me? Do you think you can take me one on one?"
"You're right, Edward. The rifle is empty, and no, I probably can't defeat you in hand-to-hand combat. But something tells me he can," David lowered his rifle and pointed to the shadow of a monster standing in the doorway.
Nathaniel stepped forward; rage portrayed on his face. The blood of all the soldiers he had killed mixed with the ashes had formed a thick black paste that covered his face and armour. The sword in his hand dripped with blood.
"A fair fight?" Edward asked as he took a fighting stance and held his sword up.
The Demon of Fear charged forward at Edward, and with each step his screaming grew louder. Edward smiled, lowered his sword, and reached into his jacket with his free hand.
"Nathaniel!" David shouted as he saw the handgun, but it was too late.
The bullet penetrated Nathaniel's chest and Edward was sure it was a kill, but the Demon of Fear never stopped moving forward. Edward's body recoiled as his mind registered the incoming danger too late. The Demon of Fear grabbed the sword with both hands and thrust it through Edward's upper chest, just below the neck. Edward fell backwards and the sword plunged into the ground. The General's body slipped down the blade and blood pooled around his body.
Nathaniel fell to his knees next to Edward's lifeless body. His hand over the bullet wound, blood dripping through his fingers. He looked at the sword standing tall, at the body and the pool of blood that expanded to his knees, mixing with his own. A smile formed on the assassin's face. Nathaniel never intended to live another day. He did not want to live in a world without Emma. He could not have asked for a better ending.
Emma's voice sounded in Nathaniel's head.
"A red rose," the Demon of Fear mumbled.
David was already next to Nathaniel. "What did you say?"
"A red rose," he repeated in a fading voice.
"You want a red rose?"
Nathaniel nodded. David ran to the closest rosebush, cut a beautiful, fully grown red rose and brought it back. Nathaniel took the red rose and placed it on Edward's chest. The assassin was slowly going blind as life escaped his body. The world darkened, but he could still see Edward's body and the red rose. The body did not look so horrific. The red rose had transformed the image before him. In those few moments, during his last breath, as his lungs drowned in blood and the metallic taste filled his mouth, Nathaniel finally understood Emma's theory, the red rose.
You should be like a red rose; transforming any image you are added to, into something better. To be like the red rose means you choose to make the world a better place. You can teach the person next to you how to be better by example. Like a rose fits into any image, you should fit with all types of people. This is the red rose theory. Make a conscious decision to be good, not out of fear, nor with the expectation of a reward, and the world will become a better place. Emma was Nathaniel's red rose. She had transformed him.
Griffin expected the memory to end at his death and wake up, but that is not what happened. Being a Grim Reaper, recovering lost memories meant he had access to a part of the memory he did not have as a mortal. As his soul released from his shell, Griffin saw a succubus standing over Edward's dead body, raging out of control. Griffin could not even begin to imagine why a succubus was so upset about General Edward's death, but the truth was about to be revealed. Like a person falling off a tall building, a violent and ghastly end is inevitable.
The story continues in: Kingdom of the Red Rose (Episode 52 of 62) Chapter Twenty-One: A Deal with the Devil (Part 1 of 2)
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