Prologue

Ever heard of the grim reaper? Well, what kind of question is that; of course you have. Bet you've got the image of a dark cloaked figure wielding a farmer's scythe. Some kind of evil, scary, and twisted villain just waiting to carve you up into bits. Probably had a nightmare or two where he came to you saying, "this is the end." But you should know he's a half decent guy. Of course I know how that sounds, and just because he's decent doesn't mean he isn't a pain in the ass… But that doesn't really matter.

You should know he's on your side. You as in you the human, the person who somehow uncovered this text. Oh, and all your friends too. Actually he holds humanity in whole at high regards. Why? Well I used to ask the same question myself, and it took me a very long time to find the answer. Why am I saying all of this?

Because you need to know.

So let's talk about Death. Let me tell you the truth about the grim reaper.

Death is ancient. He's been around since the creation of this wonderfully, disgusting world. And he saw it all. Blood, murder, deceit; all of the flaws of humanity, he watched it all. He watched Cane slaughter Able. He was there when the mass of humanity was purged during the great flood. He told me that he stood in the shadows, watching as Caesar was butchered by his "friends." He bore witness to the fall of countless rulers and civilizations; but there's more. Much more. He watched young men kill one another in far away lands. Observed husbands killing wives, and wives killing husbands. He sat and watched as children were gassed to death by toxic chemicals. And silently, and with much care: he guided them. He brought them to their eternal rest. And he protected them. Can you imagine that? The big scary reaper, protecting the souls of little children. Now of course you may be wondering, what did he protect them from? Well, from Lucifer of course. Sorry, what is it he calls himself now? Satan? Death hates Satan. With a burning passion.

There was once a time when Death was the sole inhabitant of hell, spending his time tending to souls. Filtering betweens those to send to purgatory and those to hand off to angels so that they could be raised to heaven. Of course things changed. You see when Lucifer fell, God banished him to hell. Death had no reason to protest or go against the Lord's will. And so a new group of tenants arrived in hell. Lucifer and his fallen angels, demons came. Demons infested hell. Death was not pleased. Those demons began to prey on the souls of the deceased, turning them from God's will. Infecting them with malevolence, perverting them into monsters and hideous creatures.

Death cared little about the battle between good and evil. What he cared for were the souls that deserved better than being pawns to Satan and his wicked followers. Death wouldn't stand for it. He went amongst the souls of slain warriors and soldiers. Hand picked souls to aid him. What began as one turned to thirty. Death had raised twenty nine souls to the mantle of reaper, twenty nine warrior humans who agreed to help him fight Satan's minions. And they dispersed, and they guided souls, and they battled demons. Whenever and wherever they could, they fought Satan. And for a time, Satan held his pieces still on the board.

How long did that respite last? Long enough for me to be born before it all went down. That's right yours truly, the author of this aged text. Now when I say born you and I probably have two different ideas in our minds. I was born from flames, from within one of the deepest crevices of hellfire I rose. With no particular name, until the humans from the east caught a glimpse of me. They named me the Immortal Phoenix. I didn't mind it, so it kind of stuck.

I had always respected Death, truly I did. And we crossed paths a few times, but they were always awkward meetings. Not by my accord however, Death just isn't the best at communication. That or he isn't good at communicating with females. Take your pick.

Did you know Satan planned to invade the earth? It was around the 660's on the human calendar. You know how that guy works with numbers. He had amassed an army of demons and twisted souls unlike anything you had ever seen. They would have wiped out all of humanity and the earth would have been torn apart by the fighting between demons and angels. But they never made it out of hell, because Death stopped them. While Satan was raising his army, Death was raising one of his own. What's more, he brought a small group of "chosen" humans into hell. He gave them power, ancient power. It changed these humans, until they were a perfect mix of light and dark. Marked by gold in their hair and their eyes, they flourished into a rather impressive force. But it didn't end there. Death raised more souls to the status of Reaper, until his force swelled to over three hundred. Men and women donning dark cloaks and weapons, covering their faces with masks that reflected their inner powers. And they were strong, these second generation Reapers.

When Satan's host of demons moved towards the gates between worlds, Death was there to stop them. Standing with his undead guard, and the golden eyed humans at their backs. A force of nearly twenty thousand, facing Satan and his hordes of millions. Vastly outnumbered, as you might have gathered. I was there, well not there in the battle. But I watched, from atop mount Tarbis. The battle took place on Tarbis valley, before the largest gate between worlds. I was almost certain that humanity would end in a few hours from that moment. But Death proved me the fool, most importantly he made an ass out of Satan.

They fought in a way I had never seen before. Conserving their inner powers, relying on skill of blade and cohesion. And my was it a fight. Death stood at the front the entire time, brandishing a dark blade in place of his scythe. Satan was furious. He sent his generals, princes, and kings one by one. Death faced them all, one after the other. After a while Satan's officers disregarded demon combat and fought Death together. But their power was outmatched by Death's skill and speed. I remember when Death faced Astaroth and Charon. Charon was the ferryman who resided over the river styx, Astaroth was one of Satan's most skilled crowned princes. Their bout lasted a little over a few minutes. I remember the demons forming a giant circle away from the three combatants. Slinking and waiting. Death's guardsmen pacing back and forth, prepared to rush to their leader's aid. The army of men's voices raising into taunts to Satan, their cheering for Death shaking the ground. And before Death dispatched his two foes, Satan called retreat. He was not willing to lose any more of his knights to the God of Death.

And so humanity lived on. But it came with a price, countless chosen humans and guardsmen fell during the combat. Along with the survivors, Death erected a chain of keeps and palaces around Tarbis valley and the surrounding provinces. A shield against Satan should he again attempt to enter the gates between worlds.

After the Defense of Tarbis Gate I went to Death. I was interested in the exotic fighting style he and his men used. I showed up to his palace, and stood before his skeletal throne. I asked him where he learned to fight like that, it was meant as a joke. I had figured he created the style of combat on his own, due to his mastery of it. He replied, "the humans taught me." I had laughed, but he wasn't joking. I told him that couldn't be possible.

So he showed me.

And suddenly, I understood why he respected humans so much…