Once an Angel

      It was Sunday afternoon— a gloomy one, to be precise. As an old woman cries in the corner as she begs to witness her husband dying. "Clear!" the doctor said as he tried to revive the patient. "Clear!" he tried again. But just a few seconds later, the man's heart finally skipped its last beat and lost his breath. "Time of death.. 4:44 in the afternoon," the doctor claimed. The old woman screamed at the top of her lungs, grieving in her loss. The whole medical staff present in that room stood silent as a sign of respect for the loss. However, just in the distance of that certain room, there is someone who grins in celebration.

      It was wearing a black cloak that covered its face and feet. There was nothing but darkness, an irony to its joyful grin. It looked at the soul next to it and gave the gesture for him to follow. The soul, however, did not follow and stood there only, looking far at his body and, of course, at his beloved lover, the old lady. "Death cannot wait, you know." It spoke. "I just can't understand; it was too early for us to be separated." The man thought as tears came down, running to his cheeks. "It's unfair. We still have a long way to go. There are still things that..." the man was interrupted by the image of the creepy grin presented to him. "There is no such thing as an eternal elation, dear. Everything must come to an end. And your time has come." The spoken words sent shivers down the man's spine, as if the unknown entity was making fun of his misery.

     The poor soul followed the black-cloaked being; they traveled far and wide but did arrive at their destination. It was nothing but a dark place. A little light was present, however, leading to a portal. "Before I enter, may I ask a question?" The man asked. "Why did you choose me?" He also added. The unknown entity leaned in and whispered to his ears, "For I am the Grim Reaper, and I despise undeserving people being happy and living their life while I cannot." The Grim Reaper then pushed the man. While falling into the pits of the darkness, the man screamed how cruel the being was and deserved nothing.

      But the Grim Reaper was not always this heartless. He was also once a human. A human who knows how to feel; a human who fell in love and wanted nothing in return but to be with his lover.

      As the entity was leaving for its next victim, it stopped for a second and looked first in the sky. A constellation of stars was forming, and it started to create a familiar picture. A tear then escaped in its eye and uttered, "My dear, Aki. Even as a star, you still looked as beautiful as the day I remembered how you looked." The Grim Reaper then starts remembering everything again. A memory of how everything started.

      There was a time, in a faraway and isolated place, when a war began. The General can't do anything as they're nearly losing the battle. He was so desperate to win that he made a contract with an ancient Devil. A contract where they will borrow power enough to make the enemy vanish from existence and soar to victory. The Devil then gave him two of its creations, but by the time the battle was finished, they should have been returned. One was a devil who had the power to heal anyone, even if they're in a fatal condition, and the other was a devil whose touch could make anyone lose their life. The battle that feels like an eternity becomes just like days, then hours, then it ends. The General's men won the battle, and it is time for him to return what he has borrowed. But before that, he decided first to throw a banquet in celebration of their triumph. As everyone was celebrating, the other devil decided to leave the party, afraid of accidentally touching someone and causing them to die. A soldier named Aki, however, decided to follow the devil because he was curious. As they locked eyes, the two first gave each other some confused looks, but after having small conversations, they unexpectedly got along.

      Aki instantly fell in love with the being. It may seem a devil, but to him, it was an angel brought from the heavens. He then proceeded to ask if it could stay, but it replied that their creator wouldn't allow it. Unsatisfied with the devil's answer, Aki begged and wished so hard to let the entity become a human for him to stay, to the point that he accidentally manifested the ancient Devil in front of them. Annoyed as it is, the soldier's wish was granted for him to stop being a nuisance. Aki then named the devil, Angel. As to him, its beauty was the closest to heaven someone could be.

      Angel was confused about how the human was not even afraid of being near to him, let alone wanting him to stay, but because of that, an unfamiliar emotion was building up inside of him. And as the time goes by, the devil eventually understands the feelings that the soldier was portraying to him. He then realized that he was in love, an indication that he is now a human living with someone who treats him as dearly as his life.

      The two lived in peace and harmony until an unfortunate incident happened. A plague spread in their town and infected a thousand people, including Aki. Angel was devastated and did not have an idea of what to do. He cried and asked anyone for help, but none was willing to help them, even the same people that Aki saved during the war. A few hours later, as no aid was given to them, Aki eventually passed away in Angel's arms. Angel cried so loud that even the other entities in the other world could hear him. He then became furious, and enraged as he was, he decided to slaughter all the people he could lay his eyes upon.

      The place that was once introduced to him by love was now in total ruin and chaos. He slaughtered many people, and as a punishment, his mortality was taken back, and his powers were present again. But the punishment that was given, he considered it as a 'gift'. As he lays Aki's body to the casket, he promises to seek revenge on anyone who dares to be happy, as he mourns at his lover's body forever and will be punished by the touch of death.

      Today, the Grim Reaper is said to only act as an escort when someone passes. Its responsibility is to guide a dead soul to their destination safely. However, a forgotten memory was buried deep down as the years passed by. There's a secret to its origin: how the death entity itself chooses the person it's willing to guide to the other world. And until this day, as the Grim Reaper cries to the sky, still mourning his lover, a list of joyful people are destined to die as a punishment from the past. A punishment that came from a vengeful promise.

Love, a twisted emotion of them all.

-- the end