Episode 77: SECOND CHANCES?

Red was walking towards a large dark home, whistling as a mortal man enter the house, passing through his body. The man had a knife, and was wearing a brown hoodie, a black face mask covering his face. The killer locks the door back behind him, then carefully goes upstairs, and no matter how careful his steps were, the floor would always creak whenever he takes a step.

Red coldly followed the man with bored eyes. Holding the scythe with his left hand.

He, however, looked quite surprised when he that the one to be killed was a child, and a mother.

Although he did have seen similar cases like these, Red can't help but feel different when a child was around. Whatever the man's intention was, Red prayed that at least the child be spared the most gruesome death of all.

He tightly held his scythe, feeling quite nervous about the man.

When the man was close enough, he too, felt quite hesitant on which or how to kill the two. Should he go kill the child first? Since it will surely make noise? Or the woman? Since she was stronger.

In the end, the tall man moved to the mother's side and readied himself from the act. With one swift movement, he was able to stab the woman, who yelled at first.

Before the man covered her mouth and continued to have his knife enter her abdomen a dozen times.

The kid now awake, was to scared to even make a noise, he jumps up from the bed and quickly ran away. Red felt saddened when the kid was grabbed from the collar.

The reaper's anger affected the surrounding, that the lights flickered on and off. Red was about to stab the man with his own knife, when white butterflies spoke to him with full warning.

"A reaper must not prevent death, or suffer consequences"

It reapeted three times until Red calms down.

The kid cried as he was afraid of the dark.

Red grew soft, perhaps because of spending too much time with the humans.

He turned around, and realized that it's not enough for him, he doesn't want to hear the poor child scream. He teleported to the outside of the house, and waited till the man left.

He felt so guilty, although he knew that the kid's fate had to be this way.

He frowned at the man, now have his hood on a bag. But his hands still stink of blood. Red, still angry, managed to control a bike parked near the house to go after the man. Who walks back, and fell, scared of what he had witness. Was it a ghost?

Red laughs, then as the murderer runs, he controls the bicycle to follow him. The man screams. Then apologized loudly on the streets, until he went to an area where people are many, the bike eventually disappears before anyone noticed.

He still kept screaming, and people thought he was crazy.

Red, satisfied with what he had done, proceeded to go to the victim's house and collected their souls. Pity was present on his face as the kid had his big green eyes open, as he died.

Red remembered Gabby, and a chill crawled down his spine. After he leaves the house, his anger was uncontrollable, and tracked the murderer within his abilities.

He can't kill the murderer, but he could make him crazy.

The man lives on a small house, his cash now sitting on the table. He seemed pretty happy, and jokingly said to his dog that he hopes the ghost did not follow him even here. Red laughed at the man and turned off the lights.

The black labrador barked behind the man. It seems that it can sense that Red was near.

Trembling, the man sticks out his phone to check his surroundings, hugging his dog tight and hoping to get out to call for help.

A man's silloutte appeared. And a creepy grin was seen. His eyes were demon-like, and his laugh so sinister.

It moved the chairs to trap him in the kitchen, and the man begged so much.

RED: I know what you did.

THE MAN: Please, spare me. I...I'll do anything! Please give me a second chance!

RED: I am not that merciful, so no. And...how long have you been doing this? I think from looks alone, you seem to be doing this for years, am I right?

THE MAN: I...I will stop now! Promise!

RED: Are you sure?

The man kneeled and cried.

THE MAN: Y-yes! I am sure!

Red had the bulb fall near his head, and the man cried and peed his pants. He heard the Reaper's step was nearer.

RED: Tomorrow, surrender yourself to the police, and confess your sins, if not...well, I'll kill you myself.

Of course Red can't do that. He really can't. But he was hoping he could persuade the man.

The man, knowing that he'll have to spend all his life in prison, cried.

Bowed for his forgiveness. But Red did not listen. He took the dog and walked away.

Leaving the man in the darkness.

Red carried the poor young dog, maybe not a year old yet, to hopefully make Gabby his new owner. Leaving it there might starve it, and the now psychotic man might even consider killing it.

Even if he didn't kill the man, he felt dizzy and even fell to the ground. Fates knew what he did. And he was suffering from it. Killing the man will also be his second death, but even interfering with a person, even if evil, will also give him some consequences, considering he abused his power, though he did it for justice.

He knew he'd face some pain, but not this much. He wondered what he had done till he got home. Gabby was so delighted to see the dog, and Red was still holding his abdomen. It's as if someone stabbed him.

When they watched tv that night, it appeared that the man Red punished killed himself on his own house. Stabbing himself and drowned on his own blood. Leaving the pile of cash on the table.

More than that, however, a confession letter was placed on the table, saying how a weird man made him do this to himself after committing murder.

Red felt the pain intensify. He had indirectly caused the man to kill himself. Although that will not kill Red, it reminded him not to do it again, no matter how cruel the person may be.

Gabby noticed him, Humility too. And he knew well what his friend had done.

Humility told Gabby to go to her room for now to groom the puppy, and Gabby politely agrees, knowing that Humility might tell Red something.

It won't take an expert to tell that Humility was mad.

HUMILITY: Why did you do that?! We talked about that before! That...that happened before and I warned you, right?

It was revealed that the first time Red mowed a soul, he also caused indirectly, the death of the two killers. Experiencing both their pains which had almost made the young reaper give up.

HUMILITY: Don't you remember?

Red was surprised that he didn't remember at that point. Maybe he was consumed by so much anger that he couldn't resist himself from breaching some laws.

With the pain he was feeling, Red collapses to the floor without a word. Humilty was so worried because his flare is rapidly decreasing, just like the victim's blood.

Hunility had lots of flare reserve that he, without hesitation gave him some un order to restore his health. Humility then asked him to rest.

Red looks at his friend sadly, and with guilt. He wanted to explain why he did it, but Humility cut him short.

HUMILITY: You are too kind for your own good. Learn to value and love yourself more than those around you sometimes.

A tear falls from his red eye and his good friend wipes it for him like a big brother.

HUMILITY: You are a good man. I hope the angels hear your wishes.

RED: Sometimes...I don't feel like I want to do this job anymore.

HUMILITY: Don't say that.

RED: Sometimes I feel responsible for their deaths.

HUMILITY: We are just doing our jobs. Aren't you happy that those poor victims will one day ascend heaven?

RED: I am..

HUMILITY: This death, isn't their last, Red. Death isn't a punishment if you are a good person. Their second death, once they are judged by GOD, will only mean that those who did bad will finally be put to justice. Justice always prevails, Red. Maybe not in this world, but up above, it does.

More tears ran from his face and he was sobbing like a child.

The pain was also one of the reason.

HUMILITY: Tomorrow, the pain will be gone. Don't do anything stupid. Even Gabby isn't that oblivious, have you seen her worried eyes? Do you want to worry her again?

RED: I guess not.

HUMILITY: Then don't be an idiot. Sometimes, some people may seem to not deserve second chances, but we need not to interfere, we don't have the power to choose who gets to live, and who gets to die. We are just those who accompany souls, alright?

The red reaper nodded and pats his friend's shoulder.

Humility did not left Red that night, worried truly about his friend.

...

The snow on their window falls after witnessing the talk of the reapers, knowing Humility is always around, makes Jinko's plan quite hard to do.

Especially since the reaper doesn't show much interest to the snow siren, herself. Knowing such things however, Jinko, still ordering the snow around, told her to meet him in the forest to discuss his plan B.

JINKO: Well definitely use this to our advantage if my first plan fails.

The snow morphs into the snow siren and she was growing impatient.

TANKEN: But carry out your first plan first, I want to have him as soon as possible.

JINKO: Of course, sweetie. When would you like to start?

TANKEN: Tomorrow.