Flowers of Death

Shiragiku, Higanbana, & Ajisai

Tsubaki's mind peacefully left, but that wasn't the case for his physical body.  On the last day, his body lost its vision and its hearing.  The magic that was in his body started to devour the flesh at a rapid pace now that Tsubaki's mind was taken away by Higanbana and Ajisai.

Ishida-sensei watched as his body essentially consumed itself until there was nothing left but a single red gem— his soul.  He took the gem and consumed it.  As he did so, gray wings sprouted from his back.

He was Shiragiku.

Tsubaki was one of the hundreds of patients Shiragiku saw who had this "expiration date."  This was because he was in charge of taking care of them— to ease them into their deaths.  Those with this condition are not granted a chance for reincarnation.

Why?  Because they're forbidden existences. 

Higanbana and Ajisai were in a sense, Shiragiku's subordinates.  With him, they guide these mortals to the gates of the abyss. 

"They've been increasing recently," Higanbana commented as he entered the room.  "What shall we do about that?"

"We will need to report that to the divine, of course," Shiragiku answered.  "The mortals need to understand their place in the world, and there's no need to increase the numbers of these existences.  They are born only to suffer."

Shiragiku pitied these creatures.  They had human bodies and the magic of a supernatural being.  As they were humans, they could not use the magic, which would build up inside of them and destroy them from the inside.  The symptoms of this self-cannibalism or mutilation does not occur until the last day of their life, but nonetheless, their life is limited by the magic build up. 

These "halflings" as Higanbana calls them, only live for thirty three years.  A third of a human's regular lifespan.

Shiragiku was the grim reaper for these humans.  As they cannot return to the cycle of reincarnation, he is to devour their souls and their stored magic after providing them a peaceful death.  Without him, they would feel the pain of being eaten away.  The pain, combined with the fear and anxiety, would cause them to go insane.  They then become willing to do anything to survive or to get out of their suffering.

It only leads to unnecessary destruction.

Shiragiku was created by the Goddess Lilith to take care of these unwanted mortals.  For them, he is the only salvation they will ever receive.  Their existence is not welcome, not by the deities, the immortal, or the mortal.  Even if they were born between a human and a supernatural being, their parents are not allowed to love the child.  If they try to help it survive past its expiration date, they would be given divine punishment.

"Humans and supernatural beings are not meant to create offspring together."

It wasn't fear that brought this law to life.  It was merely a fact that a human cannot withstand magic unless they are blessed by the gods.  They were just pitiful things that didn't need to exist.

They had no meaning in the world, outside of suffering.  As they were simply forced to accept the consequence of their parents, Lilith decided to provide these mortals  with some mercy.

That was a peaceful death, guided by the flowers.  They may not understand why they have a predetermined death date, but they would be informed when they were to die. They would be given hope for a better life, even if they will not receive it.

That is why Shiragiku was created—to provide their minds with a sense of peace.

"May you rest for eternity within the abyss," Shiragiku provided one last prayer for Tsubaki.  His body reverted to its human form, and he moved on to help his other patients.