The Unknown Afterlife

The Reaper

The Unknown Afterlife
By NerdyBionicGeek

A/N: This contains spoilers and references to my main book Donovan Castle Chronicles: Vol 1
This also contains violence and morbidity.
My drawings attributed to this are in the next chapter.

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Claire and Kenzi sit upon an outdoor, circular bench as colorful dead leaves brush against their feet.

Relaxed and warmed by the flickering fire, they attach marshmallows to forks to roast. The flames lick and wrap around the mallows, causing their surface to blister and become a golden brown.

Smoke arises from the decorative fire pit outside the castle.

Claire leans forward, staring into the dancing flames. The light flickers from the burning flames. It reflects in her purple eyes, casting up creepy shadows upon her delicate features. Just like that of a flashlight held by children beneath the chins to spooks their peers as they tell spooky tales.

Kenzi notices Claire deep in thought as smoke rises into the air and embers float. "What's on your mind?"

Claire glances up a brief moment before staring back at the fire kissing the marshmallows on her fire poker. "I was just wondering."

"About?" Kenzi asks as she removes a marshmallow using two graham crackers.

"Death. I've been having premonitions about death lately."

This gives Kenzi pause. "Whose?"

Claire simply shrugs. "I don't know. All I see is Reap in his hooded cloak staring ominously over a body facing down. I can't see his face."

Kenzi nods and swallows hard as she licks a finger covered in sticky sugar. "I see."

Claire removes her marshmallows before they blacken too much and fall off into the fiery pit of doom. She sits back, pulling off the external layer of the large marshmallow.

After they cool a bit, Claire pops them in her mouth. She places the remaining center back to the fire as she asks. "What is Reap's story anyway?"

Kenzi smirks, happy for the change of topic from the dead man. If she thinks too hard, she'll worry that it's Lucas or her sister's husband or someone else at the castle.

"If I tell you, you have to keep it a secret. Some things aren't meant to be known by mortals," she sternly warns.

"I promise," Claire says honestly as she clasps the rod in one hand and her snack in the other.

Kenzi gives an acknowledging nod. "Good. Well, for Reap, it all began with the start of the multiverse. He has one job, one job alone. That is to reap the souls of the dead. He uses his sharp, glinting scythe to tear the souls from the recently departed.

"Afterwards, he transports them to the Netherworld. In the Netherworld, people, beings, and animals alike are then directed to their rightful place whether that be Heaven, Hell, limbo, or elsewhere. The Netherworld is essentially like a train station, a stopping point before your final destination.

"He reaps anyone and everyone, regardless of belief, status, religion, morals, acts, sins, and preferences. It doesn't matter to Reap. It's just another satisfying death. When your time's up, it's up. There's nothing he or you can do about it. If you see him before your death, you can plead all you want, you're still going to die and he's still going to take your soul.

"However, Reap teleports across time and space, hopping between multiverses and dimensions to wherever and wherever he is needed.

"His favorite times over the centuries has been mass casualties such as plagues and mass murderers.