Between Life and Death

A Death Wish

●DEATH●

Death went berserk. "I will kill you Karma!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, shaking the whole chamber.

Karma seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, and fear - genuine fear - crept into his eyes. Death tried summoning his scythe, only to be slapped in the face by the fact that he was still neutralized. Karma seemed to realize the same thing, for he smirked and said, "Is that so? Kill me how? With what powers?"

While glaring at Karma, Death saw Destiny talking to Karma in frantic tones and Life passed out on the ground next to him, her right hand still in his left. Fortunately, her breathing was even, and she seemed at rest rather than dead. Had it not been for the tense atmosphere of the chamber, Death might have been able to convince himself that he was back home, with Life asleep on a couch in the common room.

The argument between Destiny and Karma intensified, and Karma raised a hand to slap Destiny when he collapsed onto one knee, panting heavily. Destiny gasped and held out a hand to help Karma, but he swatted it away. After he was steady on his feet, he glared at Death and his court. "Which one of you rats neutralized me?"

So he's been neutralized. Well done, Mercy! Death thought, and when he looked at Mercy, she made eye contact with him and smiled with fatigue. Death gave her a thumbs up before she closed her eyes again, tears staining her cheeks.

Meanwhile, Destiny had run over to Death's cage, but when she tried to walk through the bars, she couldn't. Death swore, as did Destiny. She was solidifying by the minute, and it wouldn't be long until she was fully alive. Grabbing the bars of Death's cage, Destiny asked, "What do you want me to do? How can I help?"

"You see the ring on Karma's left hand?" When Destiny nodded, Death continued. "That was the ring Karma used to neutralize me. Break it to give me my powers back. I'll handle it from there."

Destiny nodded again as she started running towards Karma again when Death called out, "Destiny, wait! There's one more thing I should mention."

Looking over her shoulder, she asked, "What?"

"As soon as you break the ring, you will go back to wherever you were to begin with. In other words, you will die again."

"I figured, but I don't mind it that much - I don't want to be resurrected if it means all of you have to suffer," she said with a small smile. "Well, I'll go take care of that ring."

Death nodded and said, "Good luck. And Destiny, I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry for everything."

Destiny smiled again as she pounced on top of Karma. He flailed his free arm around, trying to hit Destiny, but she was much swifter than him and quickly overpowered him. "Stay down," she growled, something Death had never heard her do.

A faint ring of ocean blue surrounded Destiny, and she reached over to Karma's ring, then snapped it with ease. "Potens," she said confidently, and it was then that Death felt his power surge within him, the hole in his soul filled once more. He hooted in pure happiness and pumped a fist in the air. The air around him hummed with energy and his aura glowed black. Death summoned his scythe, and sliced through the bars of his cage like scissors through paper. He looked at Karma just in time to see Destiny fading away. Her laugh, which sounded like wind chimes on a bright summer day, rang around the chamber.

"Always do what's right," were her final words before she went to her resting place, vanishing in a cloud of blue sparks with a pop.

Karma was too busy watching Death to watch his loved one fade from existence forever, his eyes wide with fear. "Now now, Death, I'm sure we can work this out like civilized people. You're my buddy, my pal. Remember the fun times we had?" Karma said nervously, all arrogance from earlier dissipated.