Death and His Reaper

[2] The First Human Soul

- ii -

   It's gotten loud, populated and cruddy. The height from Death's shoulder no longer provide me a good bird's eye view. Sure he's always been twice the tall of a human. But there have been structures now built way more huge than those of my time. There were vehicles which speed were faster than any wild boar or white horses. I didn't sight any particular respect act routine, too. And there's no more war... How long have I been trapped in Dwarville for the human realm to change this much?

   As this was a world of my origin, I didn't back down when Death told me the same thing he said back in Dwarville--that I'd just learn of the ways of the place while in the process of retrieving souls. Well! I'm no longer the same eight-year-old kid he just suddenly made into a scythe while all clueless!

   "You're just some skeleton with glowing red orbs within your eye holes but, I'm really reading your stupid bones as one of getting impatient." I scoffed and finally hopped on his shoulder with the crystal ball on my lap. When I got myself a comfortable position, I tapped him. "Fine. Onto the first human soul!" As if he was some horse and I was the rider, I pointed ahead of us acting like the destination was already in sight. Gee, no violent reaction from him, as usual. How boring. He simply moved forward.

   It's not really that difficult to learn a world from the position of a death reaper. All things are easily crumbled from above. We have arrived in a night time with a mocking starry night sky. To learn the ways of this world in its current era starting from I can remember, a death reaper can use its scythe to tear off of the sky its history through the stars and their positions over the years. In this case, as I am the scythe, it was an easy task. Only I did not know I was capable of it in the beginning. If it was not for the guardians and upper entities from Dwarville, I doubt this skeleton would ever teach me anything.

   "So, where are we headed?"

   "To another soul."

   Another boring answer. I wonder what I can accomplish to make this Reaper learn some new lines.

   Transportation is not really an issue with Death. Just as I do not need to use my feet to walk on my own, he does not even need a ground to walk onto. The air itself blow on our way. It brings us to the soul on our list whenever we wished to. And so, I enjoyed a silent ride mesmerized by lights looking so scattered from above. Scattered and disorganized yet it still displayed a tranquilizing view. City lights, it is.

   "I see the war is long forgotten..." I silently muttered to myself.

   It did not take much moment until Death stopped. That was my cue to look for the soul destined to death on this hour. I browsed the area and found only one dying making locating easier. It is a quiet area. An apartment devoid of any light and radiant, looking so disconnected and far from its world we just passed by. Amused, I immediately leaped off of Death's shoulder and strolled to meet our first soul. There has been no accident in the place... Nor there has been a violent attacker...

   Using my ability to float and fly, though the human body's swinging back and forth as it was hung from a neatly tied knots on the ceiling, I managed to look at the vessel on face level. I stayed floating in front of the human body. It's getting past rigor mortis. With his breath cut off by knots twisted on his neck, the paling of his complexion is a lot more evident. He was turning blue and cold.

   "It is such a quiet departure from the living." I muttered softly in air. Holding the crystal ball in my other hand, as the vessel is busy exerting the life force and soul of its owner, I cupped the young dead's face forcing all the exerted life force into the crystal ball while keeping my eyes closed, letting the process be the focus of my concentration. We cannot afford to let all the particles scattered everywhere. That's the role I'm playing as the scythe; acting medium between the life force and the crystal ball.