Interfering with the natural laws of the world was always bound to be a mistake.

Attempting to gather souls even when they were simply wandering in the plane of the earth as ghosts for one's own power was plain evil to some and greedy, malicious that put unresting souls to even more grief—

And yet, if there was anything that concerned it to a Grim Reaper.. then it was simply because they had a schedule they had to keep and gathering souls were their duties and responsibilities.

The cycle needed to run smoothly and without any interruption.

Similar to a clock, there was a necessity to keep moving and each second was precious even in the span of forever. There was a schedule, an ongoing momentum that always happened unbeknownst to the majority of the human's pithy existence.

Thus, those who were given the task to undertake the duties of a Grim Reaper were expected to work without ceasing.

There was the responsibility of keeping the balance between life and death, and even if they were the ones who took away souls, it was a necessity to bring new life.

Emotions like rage, anger, disillusionment at a Necromancer's moralities of choosing to grasp the remnants of a soul's life held nothing to them.. Grim Reapers did not blink, they did not question their orders and kept everything running smoothly.

And so she arrived.

Donning a dark cloak akin to death, with hair paler than bones and lips just a touch cold to freezing—the woman arrived at the ledge of the hospital's building and gave the gentleman in front of her a plain and fake smile.

The Necromancer's Circle of Death was thick and clouded the entire city within its wraps and aura of undeath and decay. Already, many souls and dark spirits were already caught and confined in the circular runes hallow green glowing in the ground.

And soon they would be freed and taken to the afterlife.

But for now, it was time for a reprimand.

Even if it would fall to deaf ears.historical

"It seems like you've made quite a decision to.." Thana stared at Li Yang and the 'panda' hovering close to him and she raised a hand to her face. The scythe in her hand thud quietly in the cement of the hospital. "What have I gotten myself into this time?"

Li Yang immediately raised his sword at the woman in front of him. His gaze narrowed at her but he understood that she wasn't like any of the spirits that came and became attached to the magical death circle he created.

"Are you from the land of the dead?" he asked. "I'm here to visit the Afterlife Train and that is why I summoned you here."

Thana stared at him and resisted the urge to laugh aloud.

A pecking order was obvious in a situation like this one. She was not a monster that could be slain by such a simple blade, no matter how much it was crafted for monsters.

She was above him.

But that didn't make their situation any less different.

There were Humans, Grim Reapers.. and there were Gods.

Naturally, the ones at the top of the food chain did not bother to think about how the others were affected by their decision. A lion did not ask a lamb if they were being interrupted from their path and mission in life.

Thus it was obvious to Thana that she stepped into a position where the Gods were involved and she wasn't liking it one bit at all.

Especially that floating furry creature right near Li Yang—it was easy to get a read on a person's identity—because it didn't register at all to the Grim Reaper's natural database for all living beings within its immediate jurisdiction.

The Grim Reaper's eyes flickered a pale yellow glow as she pointed her scythe at him.

"I am here to do one thing alone—and that is to free all of these souls that you have conveniently gathered for me," Thana said.

Li Yang stared back plainly at her. "Then I must have done you quite a favor so it seems that it would be good for you to return it."

Thana gave him a flat look. "I am not one of the Fae or Demon that are honor-bound by such things as this one. Step away from that death circle, Necromancer or you will find yourself meeting the end of my blade—"

A wave of energy flew at her, dispelled from the blade.

The Grim Reaper quickly blocked and knocked it away from her. Her weapon took the brunt of her attacks.

If the man was going to do this then—

A sudden heavy aura quickly began to press down on the Grim Reaper and it was as if she was suddenly given the brunt order of carrying the weight of a thousand souls. Thana raised her head, stared at the man and wondered if it was his own doing.

It exuded a power that didn't quite fit with what came in her mind as a Necromancer.

Was it from the Ones involved with this mortal? Thana glanced at the man and frowned deeply as she quickly realized what seemed to have been the problem. It wasn't fair to call Li Yang a mortal anymore.

Or, even if he was.. the man was already taking steps to change his path.

This was the beginning to the road of immortality.

Something that a lot of mortals, kings and even heroes had dreamed and desired of. Whether it was the philosopher's stone, elixir of life or the fountain of youth—it was sought after and longed for.

The man already had a good grasp of how to maneuver the world's energy to his own bidding and despite it being obvious that he was new to this. Li Yang's stance didn't quite seem right to the Grim Reaper...

"You have talent for this, mortal. I'll give you that."

Thana broke free from the world's influence and shrugged the energy off as her body dematerialized and became dissoluted from its effects.

"But beings like me are not bound to this world and neither are we bound to the rules that govern you—"

"Do you have anything that you want?" Li Yang asked.

The Grim Reaper looked at him blankly and possibly confused.

Nobody in their right minds would have asked someone like Thana a question like that. Whenever she came—and that was when their alternatives, 'angels', were busy—people, mostly humans, came screaming and trying to get away from her.

There were a lot of regrets and burdens in their short and uneventful lives.

They were supposed to have more time.

They should have done this and that.

They did not want to die.

They wanted to live.

It was always about them, them, them—always focused on what their pathetic lives were about to lose.

Nobody asked a Grim Reaper a question concerning them, and even if they had, it was merely to inquire of the possibilities of becoming one themselves or vanquishing someone like her.

—-—-

Author's Note: So in this case, Courting Death.. or Courting a Grim Reaper? Did anyone expect that? Yes, it was a terrible joke. Don't end my life because of it xD Alright, next chapter coming up. Thanks for reading. Just another side character appearing, but I'm unsure of reception.