Page 4 of Reaper's Ruin
And those that did were either punished... or erased. Extinguishment—complete erasure from existence—was their ultimate threat for Reapers who broke the gravest Reaper laws. The thought almost made me smile. As if oblivion was something that scared me.
I shoved the doors open and walked in without hesitation, the dark, cavernous chamber surrounding me as I approached the five Veil Lords perched on their obsidian thrones. They watched me from behind their hooded black cloaks, only their swirling, color-shifting eyes visible beneath their hoods. At their feet, shadow beasts circled restlessly—the souls of fearsome creatures stolen from the other realm, now twisted into something unrecognizable. They watched me approach their masters with wary eyes, sharp teeth warning me of intent with their snarls. Beside each Veil Lord stood one Sentry, the tall, winged female warriors menacing in their shadowy forms with eyes glowing like embers that could ignite into infernos with a single breath.
What the Veil Lords feared enough to need such protection, I didn’t know. But it intrigued me. The mere mention of the Veil Lords names was enough to send most Reapers scattering into the Shadowveil. None would ever think to rise against them.
I continued through the expansive room, passing the massive orb pulsing with light that hovered in the center. I’d never understood its purpose, only that the Veil Lords guarded it like their most precious possession.
“Death.” Lord Azrith’s voice echoed through the chamber, deep and resonant. “Approach.”
Even the Veil Lords had started referring to me as Death centuries ago. I hadn’t heard my born name in so long, I was surprised I even remembered it. I walked forward, my boots silent on the polished obsidian floor. I stopped at the customary distance,not bothering with the bow most Reapers offered. I’d long since abandoned such pretenses.
“You summoned me,” I said flatly.
Lord Vexus leaned forward, his eyes swirling with blues and greens. “We have a... situation that requires your unique talents. A soul that needs reaping.”
“Why do you need me? You have a hundred reapers who could accomplish that.”
“This one is different,” Lady Maerys said, her voice like ice skating across my skin. The only female among the Veil Lords, she was perhaps the most calculating of them all. “An anomaly has appeared in Faelora.”
“A soul unlike any we’ve seen,” Lord Kairos drawled out. “It appeared suddenly in Faelora two days ago. We’ve sent three reapers to collect it.”
“And? What’s the problem?”
“They all failed,” Lord Noctis said, speaking for the first time. His voice was barely above a whisper, yet it carried through the chamber like a cold wind. “Each time a reaper approaches, the soul... vanishes. Disappears completely from our sight, only to reappear in another location.”
Suddenly, my interest piqued.
“Impossible,” I said, curiosity breaking through my usual indifference. “No soul can escape a reaper’s grasp.”
The Veil Lords exchanged glances.
“Apparently this one can,” Lady Maerys said coldly. “And it represents a tear in the natural order. A soul that cannot be reaped disrupts the balance between life and death. As Reapers, we have one job. To prevent souls that won’t move on from lingering in the fae realm. This one is proving... difficult.”
Lord Azrith leaned forward. “You will find this soul. You will pull it into the Shadowveil. You will reap it. You will not fail us.”
It wasn’t a request. It never was. But for once, I found myself interested in the task. A fae soul that could evade reapers? A true hunt, and one I would relish.
“I’ll find it, and it won’t escape me,” I answered.
“See that it doesn’t,” Lord Vexus said. “Dismissed.”
I turned to leave, already plotting my approach, when Lord Azrith spoke again.
“Do not disappoint us. Even Death can die a second time.”
I paused but didn’t turn back.
The threat hung in the air between us. I allowed myself a small smile, knowing they couldn’t see my face. Their threats meant nothing. What could they take from me that I hadn’t already lost?
The corridors of the Umbral Keep buzzed with whispers as I walked back through, all wondering why I’d been summoned before the elusive Veil Lords. Reapers huddled in alcoves, their black cloaks making them seem like extensions of the shadows themselves. They fell silent as I passed, conversations of their speculations dying mid-sentence.
Eight centuries of solitude and not once had I craved their companionship.
They had all been fae in their former lives.
My enemies.
Even here, in this cold and endless purgatory, I would rather rot in silence for eternity than trade words with the kind who’d destroyed everything I once loved.
