Chapter 1: 1. When Death Calls My Name – Red Eyed Reaper Arc

1.  When Death Calls My Name - Red-Eyed Reaper Arc.

 

Serafim had no idea that his death was only the beginning of his troubles, and that the afterlife wasn't the paradise humans made it out to be.

Serafim continued his march through the Sixth Lower Caste Area. His eyes were anchored on a nearby leaflet nailed to the wall, stained and browned on a crumbling brick wall with a crude artist’s rendering of some strange multi-limbed creature with the words WANTED, emblazoned over it. The words “Dead or Alive” are beneath it with a price tag of ten thousand crowns.

Ten thousand huh, must be a pretty strong Klipah. Could it be a Bestia?

Serafim didn't have time to ponder this as his head whipped to the side, his hand clutched the handle of his scythe on instinct, hissing at the pain exploding at the side of his head.

"Get outta the way, ya good 'fer nothing little shit!" A well-dressed merchant yelled from the front of his carriage, shaking a semi-clenched fist that held a grey stone in hand.

Rule number one of the Black Priesthood, with few exceptions, an exorcist under no circumstances can lay hands on a soul. Elliott's words rang in his mind as his grip released on his scythe, moving out of the way as the sound of horse hooves marching out of the city limits filled his ears.

Serafim's eyes widened before he curled his upper lip upon seeing a cage filled with shriveled, gangly men, women and children carted off to god knows where.

His hand was grasping the scythe on his back yet again before yielding. It's just the way things are around here, I guess. Serafim sighed, pulling the hood of his black cloak closer to his face. Hmph, some afterlife this is, better get this job over with, already hate this town.

He sauntered into the run-down city, taking in the sight of the shoddy, low-roof houses decorated with old wooden trims hanging from the edges for dear life.

Some had dilapidated ornate exteriors and run-down decorated fronts that would pass for old gothic Victorian architecture in their heyday, now lay broken down and stacked haphazardly on top of each other or laid out in random patterns with no clearly defined streets.

His ears were bombarded with the everlasting sound of men, women, and children of different skin tones. Some street sellers in mud huts and shacks exchange ragged clothing and other assortments of goods like good luck bracelets.

The raucous from a nearby tiny, ramshackle tavern made Serafim wince at how loud they were, the pungent scent of sweat and alcohol was an assault on his nostrils.

Filtered pieces of multiple conversations seeped into his line of hearing. Men, women, and children alike spoke in whispers, making their way past him almost as if the world had gone by and he was merely a by-product of what had remained.

"A Klipah… it has to be."

"I thought the exorcists wiped them all out here, could it be a survivor?"

"Maybe it's a child?"

" My grandpa said he saw one last night!"

"You mean another one of his drunken rambles?'

"Rumor has it, the gangs use that as an excuse to hide their murders."

Serafim took in the little bits he could, a crowd of people slowly gathered a few meters away from him. He dashed in their direction, from the looks of things it wasn’t anything good.

Most of them had their hands covering their mouths, others were crying into their relative’s shoulders whilst others recoiled in utter disgust.

Serafim pushed most of them out of his way, hurrying at the deep-seated metallic stench of blood and decay.

It wasn't until he took in the pungent scent, vague yet thick with death that he began to step back almost on instinct, clamping his hand down on his face to keep himself from hurling.

A soul or at least what was left of it, skin and muscle torn off their bodies, revealing mangled bones and missing chunks of their sides. Eviscerated and bludgeoned beyond recognizable shapes, the disgusting stench of blood and decay permeated the surroundings. A horde of carrion birds flew overhead in circles at the sight of their next meal.

"That's the tenth one this week alone." One of the men shouted. "At this rate, we'll all be dead.

"There's no questioning it." Another man said. "The Klipah is hiding amongst us, if we don't do something, this town is finished! We'll all be dead in no time."

Serafim pulled his hood off his head, and strands of his hazel hair flew back with it as some of the onlookers gasped, and others began to pull their children closer to them.

"So that's him." A woman said with her mouth slightly open as she began to take a few steps back. "The Red Eyed Reaper."

"There's something about his spiritual presence… it’s creepy."

"What was the Earl thinking!? Sending another one of those thugs here!"

"What if he decides to get rid of us? It's not like they're one of us anyways!"

"You think we got a choice!? Only the Black Priests and their Ayin Hara can track down Klipah plus most of the town's bounty hunters at either dead or missing."

Looks like we got a bad wrap around here. Can't say I'm surprised really.

Serafim tugged the hem of his cloak closer to himself and quickened his pace knowing he had only one place in mind, the one who sent him. The Earl of Baciennes.

"You fool." Serafim noticed one of the men grabbed at the other's shirt, staring him down with widened eyes before he turned and began his walk to the Earl's mansion of black stone in the distance. "Why did you say that? What if he calls an army of those things to hunt us like the other one did? You idiot!"

Serafim sighed before clenching his jaw and letting out a low growl. What the hell have you been up to Elliott? Is this your idea of a joke?

After a long walk, he found himself escorted into the Earl's meeting room by his attendants each dressed in black servants attire, the two of them pulled open the door as Serafim took a step inside.

The waft of cold air licked at his face, sending strands of his hazel hair to strike at the sides of his face.

The room was dimly lit by a firework of beautiful, lush orange glow from the wrought iron chandeliers, giving it this atmosphere of old-world beauty.

The walls were a combination of black and ruby red, with multiple family portraits, tapestries, and strange artifacts hanging on the wall.

In the middle of the room, sitting on a comfortable-looking, the padded armchair was the Earl of Baciennes. A tall, handsome man with wavy, black hair that flowed down his shoulders and tied into a ponytail.

A few servants stood at attention, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads as they looked visibly uncomfortable.

"You must be the one I called for," he said in a silky, aristocratic tone that received a tight-lipped smile from Serafim. He looked up to Serafim, waving an open palm and offering him to take a seat across from him. "It an honor the royal family sent one of their finest, the infamous Red Eyed Reaper himself. Well then let's get to it shall we?"

It's always the spoiled nobles they send me to, it’s like the Old Order is trying to piss me off. Serafim pondered, keeping his best poker face he had perfected over the years of working with the nobles of the nation Veelon.

He took a seat on a chair similar to the Earl's, a silver glass chess board lay atop the small mahogany table with a white cloth draped over it, the emblem of the Earl's house, a raven with a begonia flower in its mouth

The Earl clapped his hands, snapping his attendants to attention in an instant before pointing out one of them who flinched and began shaking. "You over there, get our guest what he came here for, I hear the Black Priests aren't quite the patient ones."

The attendant nodded before rushing into another room and returning with a huge well made, the luxurious bag that clinked and chimed in his hands before he placed it down on the table.

The Earl, seated with his right ankle on top of his left knee, raised an open white gloved hand at the bag. "I believe this will be enough for your services yes?"

"I apologize my lord but I cannot accept your offer just yet," Serafim replied with calculated precision that made the Earl's eyes widen just for a moment, his face flushing red and almost got a smile out of Serafim.

"Is the price not to the Order's liking?" He asked, his cheek resting on his knuckle, his voice turned an octave lower, his gaze anchored in on Serafim. "If you planned on embarrassing me in my own house, I would have preferred you red-eyed heathens, inform the nobility upfront than make a fool out of me in my own home."

"No. Not quite once the Klipah's corpse is at your feet, a man in a black waistcoat and top hat will come for the earnings, hand them over to him." Serafim said, his response laced with cold, flat indifference. "I hear nobles who don't give the Order the required amount have hordes of Klipah ravage their towns. I'm sure your people are aware of what we exorcists are capable of hmm?"

"Will you manage to track it down?" The Earl asked, ignoring Serafim's threat completely making him raise a brow and study the Earl.

"Depends on how high of a rank it is." Serafim began, standing up, turning his back to the Earl and touching the black eyepatch over his right eye. "If it a Parvulus no sweat. Bestia or Canis will be a bit of a hassle but I'll find it. Now I have some questions for you, have you heard of the Beast of the Ill-Omen?"

"Ah, of course. The one the rumors speak of as a soul or Klipah who by its very spiritual presence attracts hordes of voracious demons?"

"Yes, it is the one that creates chaos in its wake. Do you believe it could be one I'm looking for?"

The cold, unnerving silence pervaded the room and that was the only answer Serafim knew he'd receive, soon he'd begin his hunt for the Beast.

The sound of a thud and seats being overturned came within Serafim's earshot.

"My lord! Are you alright!?" He could hear one of the servants cry out as the sound of shoes hitting the floor echoed like gunshots in silence, clashing against the labored breathing. "His spiritual presence felt like I was thrown into an abyss of darkness like I was facing those monsters."

Serafim noticed the pitch black night sky from the rooftop he was perched on, his quick, frantic breaths leaving puffs of most in their wake as he looked at the town.

Clusters of small light bathed the town in a dull, shimmery glow as the streets below were completely deserted with no soul as far as his eyes could see.

He hurtled down to the ground, leaving two foot-sized craters and a cloud of dust in his wake, as his eye began to tingle. Must be close, no doubt it’s a Bestia. Its spiritual presence is too held together to be a Parvulus.

Serafim clutched the handle of his scythe, unsheathed it, and swung it with unimaginable force, only stopping right on the side of the little girl's head.

The force of his swing created winds that swept her silvery blonde hair to the opposite side of her face with a loud whoosh, hiding her open mouth "You with the Klipah or something kid?"

"Whoa! Hold on let's not do that okay? I… I- I mean you no harm I swear! I was just following you, promise." With what little street light illuminated her face, he could tell the color completely drained from her fair-skinned face soon she began to stutter. "Name's Saewynn, nice to uhm.. meet you. I guess."

"You got flowers in your brain kid? I said beat it. The last thing I need is more corpses on my hands got that? Aren't you supposed to be with your parents or something?"

Serafim began to head back, the sounds of soft footsteps hitting the ground received a sigh from him.

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"You know, I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing." The little girl continued, flaps of her old tattered dark wool dress blew in the light breeze, the rough stitches, and patches as clear as daylight. Both her hands clutched the back of her head as she smiled. "You're not as scary or bloodthirsty as people make you out to be, you like a normal kid."

Serafim's mouth dropped ever so slightly before he regained his composure and gave Saewynn a quick side glance. "So you're not scared of us huh? Even after all the rumors of what my comrades did?"

"I have heard the stories of the exorcists and what they've…" Saewynn stopped, tilting her head to the side and glancing earthwards. She pulled her dress closer to her skin although Serafim wasn't sure if she was cold or worried but she looked him in the eye and gave him a smile that would make the grim reaper's heart skip a beat. "But you give off a different spiritual presence, even though you're kind of… how can I put this. Ordinary I guess "

"Hmph, ordinary." Serafim's gaze dipped to the ground, a smile began to form on his lips as he let out a chuckle.

His hands fell on the eyepatch that covered his right eye, the soft and fluffy sensation on his hand reminded him of memories when he wasn't determined to kill every Klipah he came across, when he… was around, like the warm campfires they'd make on a cold day, the warm flames and smile to match he felt when he was around him now Serafim had to be the one to snuff out that flame.

If I knew this was what this is what life had in store for me after I died, maybe I wouldn't have ended it all. Somehow got worse.

"Hmph, you've got a nice sense of humor there kid," Serafim said, his voice filled with nonchalant indifference, mind focused on only one thing. "Why are you so intrigued by exorcists, just so you know we're not hiring."

"I mean you're the Red-Eyed Reaper!! Wherever his scythe swings Klipah fall in masse, you're a legend!"

"One, that's the name you townsfolk gave me. Two, I'm no legend, people think I'm a murderer. Three, I'm just an exorcist, not the Red-Eyed Reaper." Serafim stated, wondering why he was even tolerating her questions.

"You're the one the Earl sent to kill the Klipah, right?" Saewynn asked, her eyes beamed as she balled both her tiny fists. "Why aren't you looking for it?"

"Ignorance is bliss kid, there are some things in this world we should just turn a cold shoulder to knowing," Serafim said, it was less of advice to her but sounded like he was talking from experience. "That's the Old Order's business, not yours."

He noticed her glance sideways and cover her face with the long bangs on the sides of her face. Serafim monitored her face, his hand was at the back of his neck.

"Hey, I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay," Saewynn said with a faint smile, through years of studying people immediately noticed it as fake. "I was traveling with my circus buddies when we got ambushed by bandits. They were Klipah, I couldn't even do anything when my friends gave their all to protect me. Before I could come to terms with what happened, I was covered in blood, folks thought I was the Klipah so they ran me outta town thinking I killed them. I guess they're right."

"That's not really your…" Serafim's hand touched his left eye, a prickling tingling sensation began to well up inside of it.

Aren't you supposed to be with your parents or something? His voice echoed in his mind, eyes widened after coming to terms with her situation. Most likely sold off to the circus as part of repaying debts or something, wouldn't be the first time the Mevouirelli family did that.

"The only reason we exorcists do what we do is because we get paid," Serafim said. "It's a job just like any other, we're no different from mercenaries or executioners, not heroes, kid."

"There's no difference in my eyes, especially in a place like this.”

The resounding gong reverberated around the surrounding area, directing Serafim’s gaze to the church in the distance, built with heavy black stone with its structure defying gravity, despite this parts of it looked worn out and crumbled. An orphan from the church… hmm.

“Ah! Damnit! Gotta go, Sister Aiza needs my help taking care of my siblings.” Saewynn said as she began to sprint in the other direction before slowing down and looking over her shoulder. “Hey. I didn’t get your name?’

Her question was left to the gusts of winds that erupted from where Serafim once stood, shooting a dust cloud mixed in with leaves, quick and died down in an instant.

 

**

 

Saewynn burst through the door, her dress and feet were caked in dust but she couldn’t care less. Her quick, shallow breaths filled the room as she tried to catch her breath, she’d grown accustomed to people looking down on her.

Clown. Circus freak. The mocking voices of the other kids she tried to befriend still echoed in her mind, no matter how hard she tried, those thoughts continued to rear their ugly heads. In the worst of scenarios, she’d often remember Sister Aiza’s words. If they cut your wings then run, if they cut your legs then crawl whatever the world does to you, it can’t cut your spirit just keep walking.

“You always knew what to say, at the end of the day, it felt like weightless lip service.” She said to herself as she recovered her breath, she barely even noticed the lamps were dimmer than usual. “Hey guys, I’m home! Don’t worry Sister Aiza I’ll get straight to….”

Saewynn’s hand reached up to cover her mouth the moment she noticed it, her eyes widening as her mind struggled to cope with what she was seeing. “Heh heh, this isn’t funny you guys… Sister Aiza? Father Ivan? Emelinne? Noam?”

Her calls hung in the air, thick and constricting like a serpent coiling around its prey, as she began to creep into the kitchen. The corpse of what was once the priestly father figure in what was left of her life was mauled and half-eaten into a splatter of strips of flesh and blood, with a little boy wrapped around his arms in an embrace in one last attempt to protect the child.

It was all in vain, her little brother’s glassy and unfocused eyes glazed heavenwards as if looking for paradise in his last moments but of course, Saewynn knew there was none.

The low creaking sound came from the adjoining kitchen, something moving in the darkness that she could barely make out from the slightly ajar door, a shade of orange light ending on the edge of the door as if afraid to trespass on whatever horror lay beyond that door.

Despite her mind and heart engaging in an intense shouting match on whether she should run or stay, Saewynn took in a deep breath and continued.

Even if I went outside, nobody would come to fight a demon. Where’s the Red-Eyed Reaper when you need him?

Saewynn clutched the silver doorknob, turning it and pushing the door open only to recoil and let out a whimper, she hadn’t even noticed streams of tears flowing down her cheeks and flooding her eyes.

The only thing left of her little sister Emilinne was her pinkie finger, a small bronze ring Saewynn got for her still attached. Saewynn focused her attention on the figure standing in the darkness, half of her face and her black nun’s habit illuminated by light, the other hidden in darkness.

“Si… Si... Sister?” Was all Saewynn could say as her mind struggled to grasp the carnage she’d witnessed, her hand dropping to her side pocket, the cold metallic touch of the blade filling her hand.

Saewynn caught sight of her bulging eyes, both palms clamped on her mouth as she shook her head in swift motions. The moment her hands fell off, Saewynn’s mouth dropped. She began to step back, and two hands emerged from her mouth, their joints bent in odd unnatural angles.

The sounds of bones crunching and snapping as Sister Aiza’s mouth was pulled beyond its limits, what little of a scream that tried to escape her mouth was nothing but a disturbing, wet gargling sound as the life drained from her.

Some strange grey-skinned creature hopped out of her mouth, landing on its hind legs and towering over her, making her tremble against its spiritual presence as the woman Saewynn looked up to the most, slumped to the ground, dead.

The creature examined her with its glaring red eyes, burning, scorching like they were from the embers of hellfire themselves, just waiting to engulf her in their flames. “Hmph, this flesh tastes atrocious.” It spoke in this bizarre combination of a guttural growl as a whip-like tongue covered in tiny spikes swiped at the blood on its canine-like mouth and vaguely human voice, if she had heard from a further distance she couldn’t have noticed the difference. “It reeks of low breed manna, absolutely abhorrent. If it weren’t for that wretched exorcist, I would’ve had a little bit more fun in this town but no worries I’ll devour you before I return to my master and reunite you with your family in the next life.”

Saewynn bared her teeth, knife in hand as she charged toward the Klipah, hoping by any chance her half-remembered knife juggling skills would be useful.

The Klipah sidestepped her oncoming attack before swiping her away with minimal effort, sending her tumbling into the wall like a bowling ball shot from a cannon. “To think a little girl could stand a chance against a Klipah where trained bounty hunters twice your size failed? Don’t make me laugh.”

Saewynn crawled towards her knife that was just a few feet ahead of her, it was like trying to run in a world with dream logic, pain branched across her back as a warm liquid dribbled down her forehead.

‘There’s no fighting it child, you serve no purpose but to be our prey.” It spoke as it strode towards her, enunciating its point by hammering its foot down on her ankle, the sound of bones shattering mixed in with her screams. “It's a simple idea but you souls think you know it all.”

The Klipah picked Saewynn up by her broken ankle and raised her over its mouth, multiple mouths lined the inside of its throat spiraling down like some surreal staircase to Hell.

A thundering explosion of stone and dust burst from overhead, Saewynn’s body flew backward by the sheer force of it as she tumbled to the ground. Through what little she could see was a black scythe embedded on the floor.

“Damn exorcists! Always getting in the way of my meals!”

“This girl had the spiritual presence of a creature from the Abyss,” Serafim said as he stood in front of her, scythe in hand as strands from his hazel-colored man bun whipped back and forth. “It’s no wonder my eye almost turned red, not from the spiritual presence of a Klipah but someone close to them.”

“It’s you, the Re…”

“Save your energy kid.” Serafim interrupted, now that the dust had cleared she got a better look at his scythe. It was less of a farm tool for reaping wheat but a large pile of iron fashioned into a curved blade that looked so sharp it could hurt her eyes to look at it. She wondered how anyone could fight with something that looked so impractical.

It just feels wrong to wield something like this in combat. She thought as she propped herself against the wall.

“You have the spiritual presence of one of those low-rate Parvulus level exorcists! I’ll kill you in no time!” The Klipah declared, dropping on all fours like some spider. “What can a Parvulus do to a Bestia?”

The Klipah lunged forward for an attack, his claws extended as they crashed onto the floor where Serafim stood, leaving clouds of dust and broken floorboards in its wake.

“Huh?” Saewynn heard Klipah mutter to himself just as Serafim instantly appeared behind him.

“Quite slow for a Bestia.” Serafim mocked as he swung his scythe, knicking the creature in its

neck, sending sputters of black blood spilling all over the place like a broken faucet.

“Ke…Kefitzat haderech? Impossible!” The Klipah yelled as it clutched its neck, leaving itself open for an attack as Serafim rushed forward and brought his scythe down in quick, circular arcs. More splutters of blood shot out as the creature leaped back.

Saewynn noticed the creature’s eyes widen as Serafim manifested behind him, she didn’t even notice its left leg was gone, where flesh once was nothing but a faint red and a low, sizzling sound was heard from the stump.

So the legends are true. Of men who could close the gap between distances in an instant, kefitzat haderech.

The Klipah stumbled backward and began pushing itself away from Serafim before getting back to its feet, Saewynn caught glimpse of it turning to look at her before firing out its tongue, and prickles of pain erupted from Saewynn’s leg as she was almost lifted off the ground.

Splatters of black blood stained her dress as she noticed the monster was missing a tongue and both its arms.

“It’s not possible! It’s not! It’s not! It’s not!” It continued its mad tirade. “How can a fake Klipah like you slay me? That’s not possible!”
“You wanna know how we exorcists can hunt and kill you?” Serafim said, the whites of his eye were engulfed in darkness as his usual brown iris turned red with multiple rings forming a pentagram inside a circle and a strange hieroglyphic-like symbol inside it. “By linking our very souls into contracts with your kind, we’ve gained the strength we need to hunt you down. Now if you want me to consider letting you live. You’ll tell me, where can I find the Beast of Ill-Omen and the Maleficent Earl?’

The Klipah’s eyes widened as it began to weep. “I’d rather die by the hand of an exorcist than invoke the wrath of that… thing. As for the Earl, I… I… wouldn’t even think of betraying him”

“Then you serve no purpose to me,” Serafim said as he brought the scythe down, bisecting the abomination right down the middle, watching as its body slowly disintegrated into white ash, he brought his palms together in a praying motion as he bowed his head. “May you find peace in your next life, pitiful Klipah.”

Saewynn’s head bobbled back and forth, the vision in her sides began to fill with black and soon she was left wondering why the world had been turned to the side as her mind drifted away.

 

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