The Heir of the Fallen

Chapter 30

Horseman of Death, Letum

Beelzebub sat at the principal chair in the camera room as Adelaide went to pet Cerberus, and Letum stood behind Beelzebub, hand on the back of his chair. Adelaide plopped herself on the floor, and Cerberus laid all three of his giant heads in her lap.

Letum watched this interaction with a smile on his face. He was glad that Beelzebub had someone like her if he could get his head out of his ass long enough to admit it. It had been a long time since Letum arrived in the afterlife. In the entire time, he had never seen Beelzebub even smitten over anyone, let alone in love.

Turning back to the screen, he watched as Beelzebub attempted to locate Ares. "How long will this take?" he asked.

"It's tough to say," Beelzebub sighed, furrowing brows. "I don't know if it can be done, let alone how long it will take." He looked over his shoulder up at Letum. "It could be awhile; you don't have to stay here the whole time."

Letum nodded. "With everything that has been going on, Purgatory is filling up. I need to get over there and help some souls ferry over." He clasped Beelzebub's shoulder. "Good luck."

Beelzebub smiled up at him, and then a nervous glance crossed his face as his eyes darted over to Adelaide. "You'll be fine," Letum said, and then he left, his long cloak swishing behind him as he exited.

Letum approached the movie theater, his scythe in hand. It was nighttime when he had left Beelzebub's, and the gold glinted in the moonlight. They were robbed of the sun in this realm, but the moon was always rampant in the nighttime. It was one of Letum's favorite things about the realm, as most people who populated the afterlife had calmed down when the moon rose.

Entering the movie theater, he went out through the back. As his hand grasped the handle, he could hear so many voices on the other side of the door. Worried about what faced him on the other side, he crossed through.

As Letum suspected, Purgatory was heavily populated, although less than he initially expected. There were probably a few hundred here rather than the thousands he expected to see on the plains. The sky was soft red and purple, with the sunset colors shining. Letum took a closer look at the people there. There were people there who looked... satisfied, which was probably the best way to put it. Those were the people he would help first. They were the ones who were ready to be ferried over, to be done with mortal life. Then others were crying, the fear dancing in every one of their features.

He approached a tall man with inky black hair and the eyes to match. The man was, of course, not taller than Letum, but he still towered relatively high. This man was smirking. He looked up at Letum.

"Do you know anything about getting us out of here?" The man asked, arrogance tinging his voice.

A different sort of energy radiated off this man. "And, your name?" Letum asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"Griffin," he said in response, sticking his hand out.

"My name is Letum," Letum shook his hand. "And I am the Horseman of Death. Yes, I know something about getting you out of here."

Griffin nodded, and he pulled the hand of a small girl around him, who had been hugging Griffin from behind. Letum hadn't noticed her before. "This is my sister, Aria. We are ready to cross over, Mr. Horseman of Death." Letum could not tell if that was mockery but chose to ignore it.

"Very well." Raising his voice, he said, "All those who are ready, follow me." As he did so, he swung his scythe in the air, twirling it slightly, enjoying a little theatrics. He turned, his cloak swishing behind him again as he headed back into the movie theater.