Chapter 7: Chapter. 7: New Beginning

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                    .   The underworld…                                                                                     

    .                                .                                           .

                                   .                                         .                .

 A chaotic place...                                        .                    .             .

                            . .             .        .

                                    .             .     .

                            .  .             .                                 .

             A place only accessible to those who crossed their realms...           .              .

                               .         .         .             .

                                        .     .             .

                     .     My home…

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                                                       . 

                                            .        .         .

                           A seemingly lawless place…                                      .                   

                                                .     

No⁠— It was truly a lawless place. 

Screams echoed in the air, despair filled the atmosphere, and the rotten smell of iron reached my nose. My eyes shot open seeing the crimson ceiling of my room. The lavish carpet or the golden ornaments that accentuated the obsidian walls didn’t matter to me, my nose was ticklish from the ash in the air. 

The window blew cold air against my skin, accompanied with ashes and the distant fire in the crimson sky. Sirens roared, feelings raged, and ended just as fast. 

Another one? It was the second one this week. Why? I grumbled. I just wanted a good sleep. Not something else. They just couldn’t calm down for a week, it was always just new things messing up the damned food-chain. 

I stomped the floor, the velvet socks contrasting with the black carpet with a dull hit. “But… It’s okay this way…” I looked at the crimson sky, whatever was beyond that fabric. It was better if it was untouched.

There wasn’t a problem with things crossing this way. The problem was when things crossed the other way. While dad had never properly told me the why, I sort of understood. So many things dying from the wrong thing crossing… Perhaps all of these deaths were just better.

Besides, they were avoidable. Who told them to try to kill us, or rather denizens. Actually it was rather peaceful, so long as something new didn’t wander in and tried to do things. Which happened more often than I liked to admit. I sighed combing the soft carpet with my feet. Kneading it through my warm socks felt nice. 

Just feel it a bit more… I smiled. Ah, it’s nice. My mind felt slightly refreshed, the raging inferno of the outside slightly settling to somewhat normal peacefulness. Though paranoia permeated the air. Why did it have to happen so close by? Normally it was just wariness, but now it had changed to—

Is he going to stab me? What about him⁠— What if he eats me⁠— no?! He’ll eat me too! 

Seriously. I scoffed. So long as they minded their own business there was going to be no death. Though it was still surprising to me. I mean, it was death! Not death with a soul, but just end! But… Grim Reapers called it the same⁠ — Inconsequential. 

I humphed. I didn’t like the word they used, but perhaps I didn’t get it just yet. My training was to start in a few years, and for now my job was to… I paused looking around the room, the realization settling in. Was to study. I groaned and walked towards my closet at the end of the room. The doors opened without a sound⁠— if only things could be so quiet. 

Let’s see⁠— Black, black with frills, black, black, black… Right. I was the daughter of the Nekros family, a family known for its long line of Grim Reapers. Of course, I’d wear black! I mean, I kinda wanted some white, but it was alright. It was easily stained anyway. 

I sighed and looked at the window. Ash still rained down like snow⁠— well, I didn’t know what snow was. But I had seen some pictures! Aah, I wanted to see it one day! No⁠— I had to focus now. 

I hurriedly put on my clothes and got ready for studies. Or well, whatever it was called. I⁠— like many others had to get to know about the other realms, and no easier way than to teach a bunch of fledglings at once! Though, I was the only Grim Reaper, or future one anyway… A small sigh escaped my lips. 

But it was all okay. Being a Grim Reaper, if I could make other beings happy during their final moments. Perhaps not those here, but definitely the ones from other realms! I puffed my chest up and closed my closet, tidying my hair with a cute black hairband with bones on it. I smiled. 

◇ ◇ ◇

Denizens of the Realms 101. I sighed looking at the door. Studies were… awful. I hated them. Just one last one. It was once a week anyway! Taking a quick breath I opened the door. 

I was greeted by the same usual lecture hall ⁠— essentially a big auditorium filled to the brim with chairs and desks arranged in a linear, but descending manner for easy view. Some of the students' eyes landed on me. The⁠— hellspawns, creatures, or kids or whatever they were called, had less than friendly gazes.

All of them from different races for the most part, perhaps some humans, some ghosts, some fiendish fiends among others. I took a quick breath and started walking down the stairs. Quickly spotting a lonely soul I made my way over and took a seat next to them. 

It was a boy with blue skin and little horns, his golden eyes with black sclera looked at me in bewilderment. 

“I am Kaiti Necros,” I greeted cheerfully with a smile. He paused for a second. Not again⁠—

“I am… Aerp…” He meekly greeted me. Phew. His emotions were… Normal, albeit anxious. It was a start! 

“Oh, that’s an interesting name! Where is it from! Mine is supposed to be a twisted version from a common name in a human realm!” My voice came out enthusiastic, but it was the first time I had heard such a name. 

“Ah…” He fidgeted. “Well… my family is of… humble origins. I was born in the leeran wheat fields.” Oh! A farmer! 

“That’s so cool!” I hadn’t done manual work, or much of it. He seemed surprised by my reaction but I simply continued. “Thanks to you there are plenty of things to eat, moreover you people have to deal with those who wander down here too! It’s a tough job!” I praised. 

“Yeah…” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “... Thanks…” His eyes wandered looking where to look, when suddenly the entrance to the hall opened with a squeak. He was suddenly happy. “Nice to meet you Kaiti, but I have to go!” He got up and left in a hurry, throwing his things into a crudely made backpack. 

I paused as he walked past me. Eh? I followed the direction where he went, where two people waited. His friends? One of them was a demon of similar build, his skin ashen instead, and his eyes red like blood. And the other was like a golem made out of different minerals. I couldn’t read his expression, but he looked at me and nodded. 

He was indifferent. I nodded back. The ashen one however, looked at me and sneered before continuing to laugh with his group. What had I done? 

The door at the bottom of the hall opened, and the lecturer walked in. A monster covered in a robe walked in, his head nothing more than a mass of wriggling purple tentacles and eyes. He carried a golden cane with three tentacles wrapped around it, tapping it against the ground while moving. 

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He stood before the desk at the center of the hall and then sat down on the chair, or well⁠— his body slowly relaxed on top of it as it became closer to a blob of tentacles. Soon his speech began.

“Today we will be covering, è̴̤̣̹̩̤̀͂͂͒̕͘h̴͖̙͇̜͈͊̃̈́̂͌͒͘͝ĕ̶̢̟m̴̛̥̓̑͊” He cleared his throat, a void of indescribable corruption filled his voice. “Denizens of the realms and their social norms.” He was in a good mood! 

I smiled and began paying attention. 

◇ ◇ ◇

“And now. f̴̖͙̜̹̭̩̀͒̊ô̸͖̫̺͜͝r̵̜̽̊̇͐ ̴̰̔͑̌͐̒͛̕͝o̸̢̦͙̯̳̻͖̘̅͐͂̈́̔̚ű̸̖͓̌͂̈͛̉͆͛r̸̡̩̼͍̜̤̀̓͂̃̕ͅ ̶͈͐̈̊̋͌̆ė̵͎̻⁠—” He cleared his throat again, the void screeched making a few of the students recoil. “For our exercise of common logic we shall form groups.” He clapped his tentacles, they made a wet sound. 

“E̷̪̦̜̜̺̖̓͐̽͋́̀h̷̤̉͆e̴̛̛̛̝͚͂̓͒̏̍m̷͕͉̠̤̞̍͛̋̃̀̀” He coughed and tapped the cane to the ground. 

And soon, the activity of his lecture started. The beings in the classroom quickly began to converge into groups. I had to find someone too! 

I quickly made my way to a group with a golem, a succubus and a ghost. 

“Eh, no. Not you.” The succubus instantly declined before I could say anything. She ushered me away. 

I made my way to a different group, three different species and⁠—

“No.” 

Perhaps another one⁠—

“Can’t, we are full.” 

◇ ◇ ◇

“Hey, Aerp could I join your group?” I asked the boy that I met when entering the class. He looked at me in surprise, so did the golem and finally the ashen one. 

Aerp opened his mouth⁠—

“No.” The other demon responded, his scarlet eyes bore into me. “We don’t want your… kind. Here.” He spoke in hostility. 

I paused. “My… kind?” 

“Yes, your kind.” He spat. “The Royals! Whether it is you; the Reapers, the Attendants, or the Bearers. It hardly matters, you are all so special⁠.”

“Special? Special how?” And why was he getting mad at me? 

He humphed. “You people always look down on us.” 

“Look down? Ha?” He wasn’t making sense. 

“Doing it again?” He frowned. “You⁠— this entire time have been going up to people and being friendly with them. What do you want to accomplish?”

Eh? “I just want to make people happy, that’s it.” I dismissed with slight annoyance. 

“Oh, really? Bet you simply praised Aerp for the sake of ridicule!” 

“I didn’t!” I instantly protested. 

“I can see it.” He hissed. “You, or whatever other of the three exalted. All of you look down on us!” 

“But I don’t, I just want to make friends!” My voice came out shrill. Why? 

“Liar! Go away, stop bothering us!” He angrily stepped in front of me. 

I looked at the golem and he looked away. And Aerp? His mouth opened and his hand extended but in the end, nothing was done⁠—

◇ ◇ ◇

I landed on my bed, looking at the scarlet ceiling. 

Why? Why were things like this… I just… I just wanted to make friends… But every time I tried, every single time… It was always the fact that I was the daughter of the Nekros family…

The fact that I was a Grim Reaper… Everyone hated me for it… I just wanted happiness… I just wanted… friends…

I curled into a ball trembling and hugged my knees. I just… wanted… people to be happy with.

I began sobbing, and eventually cried like never before.              

◇ ◇ ◇              

I didn’t want to be alone…                                      .                    .             .

                            . .             .        .

                                    .          What had I done for this⁠—              

“AH!” I jolted awake. 

Why? Why did that memory come haunt me?! Why now?! I touched my face feeling my wet cheeks. I wasn’t in the Underworld anymore… I touched my chest in an attempt to calm my trembling heart. I wasn’t in the Underworld… I relaxed my shoulders. Not in the Underworld…

A small sigh escaped my lips. “Fuck…” I muttered, hugging my knees. Slight tears still escaped me. “I just… wanted friends…” 

Why did that memory have to come back? It⁠— it was okay. This was the human world, people were kinder. Mr. Sullivan was an example. I smiled slightly as I attempted to wipe some tears from my eyes. 

Bad start, bad start… I had to get a job and make lots of friends. It was a new beginning. A new world. And maybe even try to find other ways to happiness while I was at it.