The Diamond Tattoo: Death wish

The Past will Protect Your Future

"What was that?" Chris thought to himself.
"I'm terribly sorry, my wife is a bit... Overzealous at times like these."
"Who are you?"
"I'm January. Ages ago, I was where you were. I sense how afraid you are, I understand."
"My friends, they're still there with that thing!"
"Lady Death, yes. Or as I knew her, her name was Jade."
"Jade? She killed my daughter!"
"I know, I know. Death took my friends as well."
"Well, how do I stop her?"
"You can't stop the cycle of nature."
"Can I stop my friends from dying?"
"Perhaps... I'm not entirely certain."
"I'm going to save my friends. Whether you think it's possible or not."
"Later. Currently they're wondering whether to act against Lady Death, but they haven't gotten the chance."
"What? Why?"
"Well you see, while 2 minutes may have come to pass for you, for them it hasn't been more than a few moments."Time is sped up here?"
"Currently, time is our perception. We're in your mind."
"Woah. Wait, how did you get in my mind?
"I've been here from the beginning, I've been keeping quiet."
"That's understandable."
"I knew you would understand. I linked my consciousness to my diamond, so my memories would pass down. The same thing that Air did. I knew him as Henry. I'm here to help you stop him."
"Little late for that Janice."
"Oh, you really get around."
"Yeah."
"Well, now what is there?"
"Well, now there's the Reaper, there's the Human Activists, there's my dead daughter, my new daughter, and everyone is very pissed at each other."
"Damn man, you got problems."
"I figured that out, how do I fix it?"
"All I have are my memories, I can't problem solve. You've got to do that."
"Well, I'll take whatever you've got."
"It might help. Knowing failure increases the possibility of success."
"Unless it's a game of chance."
"Well spoken. Ready?"
"I'm ready."
January winked and suddenly I was back, watching my wife Jade fix up something out of clay and a plant. I took her hands.
"Hon, I'm still working!"
"I know, that's the problem!"
She turned and kissed me. "Babe, after we finish this, I won't need to be working anymore. We'll be free."
"We'll have saved the world, we'll be heroes."
"Anything any of us could ask for."
"Yeah, 8 scientists and a stunning engineer. The possibilities are limitless."
"With the power of that hand, yeah."
"No, darling, not just this. Us. The power of us, okay? We can do impossible things, because we're who we are."
"Also because you have super powers."
"Yes, I have super powers."
She laughed and kissed me before I let her get back to work. I walked away and was met with a particularly terrifying sight.
"Henry."
"January. Did you do it yet?"
"No, Laurie says I need ample amounts of sleep, so I'm gonna go into the pod early. Apparently being tired is just an ample amount of life essence weighing you down."
"Huh. Well let's put that to good use."
"Of course." I tried to walk away but he put a clawed hand on me.
"You know, bringing people back from the dead, it seems like a good idea, but maybe it isn't."
"We're bringing back the human race. We've got a fighting chance here!"
"I know, but maybe-"
"Henry, that's enough."
I stormed out. I didn't need to talk to that.... Thing about the laws of nature.

I walked in. Everyone was there. Bart was wearing his gloves, Grayson was wearing his old ball cap, the last thing he hasn't destroyed. Henry and everyone else were still working on the new human being.
"Is it ready?"
"Is SHE ready."
"Yes, Jade, I know, is SHE ready?"
"Yes, she's all set up. All you gotta do is touch her."
"Ooh, yeah."
"Dan, stop."
He laughed at his own dirty joke and we all got ready. My hand filled up with green essence and I whispered the word just in case. I touched her forehead and poured power into her. She started moving, but I wasn't finished. I grabbed her head and held it in place until I thought I was done. I let go and the green light stopped. She analyzed herself, looking at her hands and feet, brushing through her hair. She smiled to me.
"It worked!"
Everyone cheered and clapped and patted me on the back. I heard a loud explosion, and everyone suddenly stopped. Black fog started looming in from the back of the room
"Consequences." Henry whispered through his sharpened smile.
"Henry, could you please clear out the fog."
Henry reluctantly did, and something wearing a black hood stood where the fog once was. I started walking towards it, but it suddenly charged, pulling out a scythe and nearly taking my head. Dan grabbed the girl and ran back into the hall, while everyone fought the thing. It wasn't affected by anything we did, and it killed off three of them. Henry grabbed Jade as she tried to run away, and held her in front of her.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"It needs to kill! And better you than me!"
I tried to get up and stop him but I was too late. Henry's hand went through her spine and her ribs, and pushed out her heart.
"JADE!" I shouted as I ran and caught her. Henry was attacked by the thing, and I caught her heart as it fell, but she was already gone. I didn't have enough life in me to revive her. She was dead. Henry was down, and it came to me next. I turned to it, and started radiating death essence.
"Do it. I don't care anymore."
It tilted it's head puzzled, and dropped it's scythe. The death essence grew out, it was everywhere now. It bounced wall to wall as I screamed at the monster.
"Do it! Kill me!"
I screamed at it and suddenly the death essence consumed me, and I became death. I felt my wife, and I looked for any way to restore her life. I embraced her death essence, and she became the Reaper. I let my own life fade, and felt my power pass down to the young woman I created. She would continue on, and complete my mission. She would save humanity, and I would guide her along her journey.