Chapter Five: Be A Reaper

Lighter than light, darker than dark—that's how the Reapers' Realm is. There is no sun, yet there is always a light, a light bright enough to serve as food for darkness.

It has been decades since Live Reapers were created. By whom? They were created by the Grim Reapers.

"So, that kid recommended someone?" a high-ranking Grand Reaper asked.

He had long legs, red eyes, and a muscular build accentuated by the long-sleeved shirt he wore. His black thurso form was imposing, and his gray hair made him even more attractive. His flesh was fresher than fresh, making him look like a teenager.

"Who was it?" he muttered, standing from his chair before sitting back at his desk like a child craving attention. "That kid might be the real deal—enough for my student to act arrogant."

The Reaper before him gazed at GR Gelo, smirking as he pulled out a piece of paper containing Cierra's information.

"GR Gelo, if you act rudely at the Miracle Table, I'll take care of your student myself," Dovin said, rolling his eyes. He despised disrespectful higher-ups.

Gelo glanced at Dovin, tilting his head before spitting on the table.

"Try me," he challenged, releasing a heavy aura. "This table is a little special—it likes being disrespected," he added, lying across it. "I could even have sex here. Wanna try with me?" he jested.

Dovin glared at Gelo, feeling utterly ridiculous.

"No thanks. I have no intention of doing anything with someone as rude as you," he said before turning to leave.

Gelo grinned. "So am I? Who would want someone ruder than me?" he murmured. Looking up at the ceiling, he sighed.

"Damn, Chiong! An apprentice should act like one. How can you let your master clean up your mess?"

Pushing himself up, he flicked his fingers, and a black light enveloped him. Suddenly, he was in a place he didn't recognize.

"Cierra, huh?" he mumbled, stepping into the sunlight as he entered the mansion quietly. Since he was no longer human, no one could see him.

"Damn, so many spirits here. Should I take their souls?"

His hands rested in his pockets.

"Never mind, I don't like disgusting food," he scoffed, pretending to gag as he ignored the spirits.

For Reapers, spirits or souls were just food. If they consumed too much, it could affect their own souls. But if they neglected soul collection, hunger could drive them to take the soul of a living human.

It was dangerous. But what was even more dangerous was taking a spirit that did not suit their appetite or was not listed in their notebook. Doing so could cause their existence to crumble. That was why the Live Reapers Association was created.

They had to maintain the world's balance, for the spirits of the dead had begun stealing the lives of the living, disrupting the natural order.

Live Reapers operated under a system, using a book of quests to exterminate souls. However, some Live Reapers had the ability to exterminate both souls of the dead and souls of the living. These individuals were kind souls who had been tainted but still desired to be good. They were called Queens, regardless of their gender. If a Queen was raised by a Live Reaper or a Grim Reaper, they could be granted anything they desired.

That was why Grand Reaper Gelo had moved his feet—to see if Cierra was the one he could raise as a great Queen of Reapers.

"Chiong, if your guest is wrong, you could be in trouble, you know," Gelo muttered.

"You can't meddle in the lives of the dead. Do you really want to abandon your master that badly?" he continued as he walked through the corridors.

"Damn, how far is this future Queen's room?" he grumbled.

If only he could teleport anywhere—that would be convenient. But, unfortunately, he could only teleport to places he was familiar with.

"That Cierra better not be a dragon," he smirked.

Looking into the distance, he spotted a door. Feeling a presence from within, he smiled.

"Woah, this is the Queen's presence," he whispered, stepping toward the door.

"This isn't a mistake—it's the presence of someone who can take both souls of life and death," he murmured, touching the door as his eyes glimmered with excitement.

"Behind this door lies my future Queen."

For the Grim Reapers, having a Queen was like a miracle from heaven. A Queen of Reapers could have hundreds of believers, each possessing the same abilities as their Queen.

That was the case if the Queen was a soul. But this was the first time a living Queen had been found.

For Grim Reapers and Live Reapers alike, having a Queen was like being forced to eat food they disliked—only to find it tasted unbelievably delicious. They could overeat or abstain, but as long as they believed in their Queen, nothing would happen to them. However, their Queen had to be the kindest of the kind.

Gelo was about to enter the room when he recalled what his apprentice had told him:

If he truly wanted Chiong to grow, he must not meddle. Guiding someone's growth and interfering with it were two different things.

Gelo sighed.

"Shit. What should I do? I want to see the Queen now, but I might affect the process," he muttered, shaking his head before addressing Cierra.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Do you want to be a Grim Reaper? If you do, all your sins will be erased. What do you think? Good deal, right?"

Cierra shifted her body but didn't react. She was already starving and cold. It had been weeks since the people outside had locked her up, refusing to let her work. At this point, she couldn't tell whether the voice she was hearing was good or bad.

The existence of Grim Reapers wasn't something people knew about, and none of the books she had read mentioned anything like them.

"Who are you?" she asked. "Can you give me food, a jacket, or a blanket?"

Geno was stunned. He didn't know how to respond. A soul like him couldn't provide food or blankets to a living person.

"No... I-I can't do that," he admitted.

"I'm just a Grand Reaper. I can't interfere with the living," he whispered.

Cierra's body trembled. She leaned against the door and sat down.

"Then, can you get me out of here?" she asked, swallowing hard. "Take me anywhere. I don't care where. I'll do anything you want, just get me out of here and feed me."

Geno's eyes widened as he bit his lip.

"I can only help you leave your body," he said. "But it's impossible for me to get you food. At least your soul would be safe."

Cierra chuckled dryly.

"A scammer... So this is what a scammer is, just like in the books," she muttered.

"Excuse me?" Geno was taken aback. "I'm not a scammer. If you used your brain, you'd ask your accomplice to save you."

Cierra smirked. "Then I'm asking you. Can you do it?"

Geno didn't know how to respond. A single word from him asking someone to save a living being could destroy his very soul. It was an unbreakable rule—no dead being could interfere with the lives of the living, or they would be erased from existence.

As much as he wanted to help the Queen he believed in, he didn't want to be banished for breaking that rule. Besides, even if he asked his Live Reapers to help Cierra, he wasn't sure they would.

"I'm sorry, I can't," he finally said.

"But I'll try," he added after a pause. "Since you're my Queen."

With those words, he vanished, leaving Cierra behind.

With a flick of his fingers, darkness enveloped his body, and he reappeared in his office. To his surprise, a young version of Chiong Mhen was seated in the visitor's chair.

"You..." Geno's eyes widened. "When did you become a Grim Reaper?"

"The moment I died," Chiong Mhen answered nonchalantly.

It was a ridiculous response, but it made sense.

Everyone in the Reapers' Realm knew that to be promoted from a Live Reaper to a Grim Reaper, one had to die as a human. That was also why Grim Reapers respected Live Reapers—they were like kindergarteners who had advanced straight to high school due to their exceptional abilities.

A Grim Reaper who had once been a Live Reaper retained the appearance they had at the time of their promotion. In Chiong Mhen's case, he had become a Live Reaper as a child because his master had been none other than his own father.

"I thought you'd get promoted at sixty," Geno said, walking to his desk and taking a seat.

"I was hoping you could help the Queen," he added.

Chiong Mhen chuckled. "That's impossible. But I've already predicted her future." He sat up straight. "Until the fourth person appears, we can't call her our Queen, my dear father."

Geno stiffened. Chiong Mhen's predictions had always been accurate since the day he became a Live Reaper. Now that he was a Grim Reaper, his foresight was undoubtedly even sharper.

"Stop calling me father," Geno muttered. "Besides, isn't it time for you to choose a new name? You can't use the name you had as a living being. It will affect your soul."

Leaning back in his chair, Geno let out a sigh.

"What a pitiful Queen... So, when will she get out of that hell?"

"Twelve more years," Chiong Mhen answered with a wicked smile.

"And then, everything will get interesting."