Mors, Amor, et Fatum

Chapter 7

They entered a hall covered in obsidian floors with obsidian columns. There was a semicircle of deities of the underworld or of death from every pantheon, looking at the pair almost like they were judging them. A black throne sat in the middle of the deities with an unamused man lounging in the chair. He had platinum blonde hair and wore a single black earring along with his black clothes, hidden under a black cloak.

"Kharon, what are you doing?"

"My duties as third in command, Azrael. Keeping everything in order. Is this her?"

"Yes."

"Finally, she took longer than usual."

"Hi, still here. Is someone going to explain what is going on?"

Azrael was about to open her mouth to explain when the large doors of the hall opened. A woman in white robes and moonlit hair rushed through the door.

 "Lemencia, tell me you have good news."

"I wish I came in with such news. But it appears that our situation has escalated."

Azrael sighed. "What is the new development?"

"Souls are being misplaced at a higher rate, some in between planes and others stuck on Earth. This is unsustainable. At this rate, there would be more distressed souls than living people."

"Kharon, can you alert the rest of our members of the development." Kharon reluctantly rose from the throne and went to inform the members.

"We have manipulated fate as much as we could while diverting some resources to the guidance of souls."

"Thank you, any word from the Blue Hummingbirds?"

"They are spread thin. They are trying to protect the living from the unrest, in addition to their roles of creating life."

"Hopefully, we get a new Death soon. Until then, we will try our best."

"Yes, the universe needs the other side of the scales. Balance will resolve itself soon." With that, she turned and left.

Azrael looked at Lex. "Well, shall I get started?"

Lex gestured for her to begin.

"The universe is balanced with three groups: The White Cardinals, The Blue Hummingbirds, and The Black Ravens. The White Cardinals are the stewards of fate and the happenings during life. The Blue Hummingbirds protect life itself, healing both the planet and those that live on it. They are capable of creation, but only in small amounts. We, The Black Ravens, are in charge of guiding souls into the afterlife and managing death. Usually, Death would manage death with a  select few of us and the others would guide souls. Unfortunately, a new Death has not risen in decades, throwing everything out of balance due to the deregulation of death, which is flooding the afterlife. Souls are all over the place, some on Earth, some in between planes, others we have admittedly lost track. Usually, misplaced souls are harmless, but if left for long enough can become vengeful spirits. Poltergeists if you will."

"I thought those were just in movies."

"They are supposed to be, but when things go out of whack, not so much in movies."

"How about the powers?"

"We have the ability to talk to and connect with the dead. We can also see someone's death aura, which is a hue that exists around those that have had a brush with death, about to die, or newly dead. Everyone else appears normal. We travel through planes, inconspicuously with our cloaks."

"That explains it, so not jet lag, good to know. Hence, why only I could see you. What if I didn't want this? I have a life."

"Ultimately, it is up to you. You will still have the powers, we can't take them from you, unfortunately."

Lex stared for a moment, shaking her head. She did not know what to make of this.

"I am not expecting you to come to a decision at this moment. Like I said this is not supposed to take long."

"Ok."

Azrael crossed the space and opened another portal and Lex stepped through, landing at the same place a few minutes later. When she got out of the portal, she took a breath and went to meet Dmitri backstage.