Between Life and Death

Hide and Seek

● LIFE●

Sun filtered through the windows on a particularly sunny morning, the shimmering shafts of light reflecting off the marble floors to cast a warm glow all over the room. Everything about the room was white: the floors, the wall, and the tall pillars that supported the equally white ceiling. The only bits of color came from the gold accents around the floor-to-ceiling windows and delicate golden swirls etched into the marble flooring.

A large, long table stretched from one end of the grand hall to the other, crowded with humans wearing brilliant suits of whites and golds. They were chattering amongst themselves, asking about his wife and family or her husband and son. The peaceful image of the quiet morning was shattered by a loud boom as the heavy bronze doors opened to reveal the Queen of Life in all of her golden glory.

"I've decided that I'm going to pay our neighbor, Death, a visit!" Life declared to her court almost immediately after setting foot in the room.

Many cries of disagreement rang out amongst the people, having heard tales of Death's reputation, but one advisor was brave enough to voice his opinion. "No, Your Majesty, please do not! Death is one to fear - if he even glimpses you, he will try to kill you!" the advisor exclaimed.

Life swung her gaze to the human who voiced his opinion only to look at a small, mousy man with a receding hairline and skin with an unhealthy gray pallor. His sickly looks made Life want to gag, but she willed herself to smile as she told herself that he was going to die soon anyway. "I am Life - how could he kill me?" Life reassured both the dying advisor and the rest of the court.

"Well, Death comes and reaps many of our weak and old in the winter, and they were alive," the advisor argued, making Life clench her jaw in annoyance. Keep talking like that and I'll ask Death personally to take you away in the winter, she thought to herself.

"I understand your concern, and while your point is valid, I have magic in my veins. Everyone in this kingdom is alive, but I am Life," Life explained the way a mother might to a young child who doesn't know better.

The advisor's only response was a sigh - he knew it was pointless to argue with Life. She was very stubborn and usually got her way. The others echoed sighs of their own.When Life heard the sighs, she grinned, knowing they were sighs of submission.

"I will leave tomorrow at noon. It is when I am most powerful, after all, so if he does try to kill me, I'll have the upper hand," Life said, and some more sighs echoed across the court. "Meeting adjourned!" she declared as she stood up from her spot at the head of the table. With a dramatic swish of her ivory gown, she left the council hall.

"She will not come back from that meeting," a lone voice said, and the rest of the court agreed, a loud hum of disappointment and worry for their Queen blanketing the room.

●✦●

The next morning, Life teleported to the edge of the border dividing her land and Death's, waiting for his cold presence. Within a few minutes, he appeared, shadows swirling around him like that of a cape. Life smiled at Death as he growled, his dark presence creeping closer as he approached her. She tried looking for his eyes, but only saw a dark shadow where his face should be, hidden by the cowl of his cloak. A sliver of dark brown hair could be seen peeking out from under the hood, so she chose to look at that.

"What do you want?" Death snapped, not bothering to be polite.

Life only smiled brighter and laughed, seeming to irk him more as he bristled at the joyous sound. "I have a quick question. May I ask it?"

Death grumbled something unintelligible before turning his back, undoubtedly scowling under the shadow that covered his face. Irritation pulsed off of him in waves, giving Life a sick feeling to her stomach. "You already asked one. My time here is done." He began rallying his power when a tether of light wrapped itself around his wrist. Death slowly turned back around to face her, giving her his signature 'Death Glare', which she could surprisingly see. A shiver ran down her spine and her hair stood on end as the thought to herself, Will today be my last? Death took a step towards her, standing frighteningly close. He could kill me right now if he wanted to. "What. Do. You. Want," he snarled through gritted teeth, and when Life averted her gaze to the ground, she could see Death's clenched fists trembling. Had she made a mistake in provoking the King of Death?

Life steeled her resolve and narrowed her eyes slightly, praying that she wouldn't die for her disrespect. "I already told you: I want to ask a question."

Death tugged on the tether around his wrist, testing its strength, before redirecting his attention to her. Life tensed under the scrutinizing gaze of shadow, the level of attention he was giving her very unsettling. "We are beings of equal power - why should I submit to you?" His deep voice rumbled - it was the voice that shook mountains. She should be scared. Correction: she was scared.

Desperate to hide her fear, she scowled, hoping it was enough to convince the god of death that she didn't fear him. "It is because we are of equal power that you should be able to fulfill my simple request. So stop wasting both of our time and answer it." Surprisingly enough, her voice came out strong and confident. She even found the nerve to smirk a little, to show Death that she wasn't scared.

As the noon sun grew brighter, Life could see a ghost of a smile formed on Death's face, a chilling smile that belonged on a supervillain. "I can't answer a question if you haven't asked any," he drawled, voice switching from the earlier rumble to a velvety smooth diction.

Something like a grunt escaped from Life's mouth and she sighed at the Death's snide remark. What upset her more was that he brought up a good point. Clever... very clever, Death, she thought to herself. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother visiting you," she retorted, desperate to say anything and keep the conversation going. She hadn't even asked her question yet, so if he left before it was asked, then all that time would have been wasted.

The smile on Death's face became more like a smirk and Life's breath hitched. No need to be scared, right? We're beings of equal status and power. We are equal... Her train of thought was interrupted by a familiar, deep voice. "Just ask the question. Your presence here is making my people uneasy." Blinking rapidly, Life looked up to see Death's rugged features, the shadows chased away by the sun. "Make it quick, Life, you and I both know it's noon and I'd rather spend my weakest time of day at home, resting," he said as he squinted at the sun.

Gaining a little bit of courage at Death's admission of weakness, Life straightened her back and asked, "Why is it that people worship me, but fear you?"

A full-blown smile formed on Death's face. It spread slowly across his pale skin, as a weary father might to a son, but it was void to any warmth or love. The courage Life had fled at the sight of the terrifying smile as her blood froze in her veins. A sudden chill overcame her even though it was high noon, and she felt as though she were stuck in a darkness that never left.

Death chuckled at the fear that shone in Life's eyes, eyeing her like a predator might its next meal. "The answer to that is simple. It is because you are a beautiful lie, and I am an ugly truth."

Before Life could say anything, Death shattered the tether on his wrist effortlessly and whisked away, leaving Life as she was in her shocked, frozen state.

Alrighty, so this symbol (●✦●) will represent a time jump in the same perspective.

A changed perspective will be symbolized with either this (●LIFE●) or this (●DEATH●).

Thank you for reading and if you enjoyed, please vote!