Grim Reaper

"Could you tell me more?"

Shaya floated in midair with his hands behind his back, following the mark he had placed on the Nightmare as he asked Cassifa.

"The specifics about that thing."

"Nothing much to say. It's just an ordinary Nightmare. They usually operate in dreams, feeding on human vitality.

"Though they operate in dreams, the master of dreams is the Sleep God, not Nightmares. Their control over dreams is limited. They're just low-level fodder.

"They aren't allowed to appear in the mortal world and are classified as something similar to demons, but they're nowhere near demons in terms of rank."

"So demons exist in this world, Hell exists too, and even gods exist?" Shaya keenly caught the implication.

"I'm not too sure, but according to my memories, they do exist," Cassifa said. "I was classified as a type of demon myself, though it seems I can't come up here easily."

Shaya fell into thought. "The manifestation of Fate Power would make your existence plausible. So was I classified as a Hell demon under this world's worldview, or was an entire demonic mythology created in order to justify your existence?"

"I don't know that. You should know better than I do."

"If it's the latter, I wouldn't be surprised at all," Shaya said.

He raised his head and looked toward the distant sky. Dawn was breaking, and faint sunlight filtered through the clouds and mist over the city. Its streets still slept listlessly beneath the thin fog and dew.

The streetlamps vaguely outlined the scenery within the mist as the city, stretching awake, gradually shed its watercolor-like appearance.

"The appearance of this evil spirit seems unrelated to Heilang. It hasn't caused him any trouble, nor has it brought him any help," Shaya said.

"You mean this Nightmare appeared because of your Fate?"

"It was probably meant to divert my attention."

Shaya turned and looked into the distance. Beyond the dense rows of houses, an enormous estate stood out sharply, containing hills, streams, and even a forest.

At the center of the vast grounds stood an incomparably magnificent palace. That was likely Britannia's imperial palace.

He said nothing more, merely turning and flying onward in pursuit of the mark.

"Get ready, Cassifa. The castle may be receiving guests."

"Before that, can you come back tonight? The firewood you gave me is almost burned up."

"Don't worry. I'll definitely make it back before I die," Shaya said.

Soon, he flew out of the city and landed in the woods outside the Imperial Capital. This was where the mark had last appeared.

The trees were not particularly dense, but there were many shrubs, making it difficult to spot anyone at first glance. Shaya scanned the area, sensing for traces of magic.

Before long, movement in the shrubs ahead caught his attention. As the bushes rustled, the badly wounded Marquis Os burst out.

Shaya saw him, and naturally, he saw Shaya as well. His expression froze at first, only to turn horrified and despairing the next moment.

He tried to turn and flee in another direction, but then a pitch-black iron chain shot out from behind him. Like a living thing, it swiftly coiled around him, binding him tightly from the bottom up, including his mouth.

Then, a mass of black mist slowly appeared beside Os and eventually formed into a human figure.

The man wore a black hooded robe that concealed his entire body. A savage-looking bone mask covered his face, while black vapor swirled around him. He was steeped in deathly gloom, like an underworld envoy who reaped souls.

He looked at the Nightmare on the ground, then at Shaya standing some distance away, and spoke.

"Thank you. These Nightmares are extremely troublesome to catch. I've been chasing this one the whole way."

His voice was unexpectedly young, sounding like that of a man in his twenties.

"No need to thank me. I was chasing him too," Shaya said.

The man raised his head in surprise and carefully examined Shaya. "So you were the one who injured him, right?"

Shaya nodded, then asked, "Will I get into any trouble for hurting him?"

"Not at all. I should be thanking you. You saved me a great deal of unnecessary time," the man said.

He pulled back his hood and lifted the bone mask onto the top of his head, revealing a refined face with black hair and black eyes. He was not East Asian, however. His nose bridge was high, long, and curved, with a downward-pointing tip. He looked somewhat Mediterranean and very young.

"You're a Sorcerer, aren't you?"

"More or less," Shaya said.

The man examined Shaya again with curiosity. "This is the first time I've seen a Sorcerer in the human world. I thought people like you no longer existed in this world."

"Your appearance surprises me as well," Shaya said. "Can you tell me what you are?"

"A Grim Reaper," the man said. "You can call me Sebas."

"A Grim Reaper?" Shaya raised an eyebrow, looking even more surprised.

He looked Sebas up and down as well, then teased, "Then where's your scythe?"

"That's something only official Grim Reapers have," Sebas said. "I'm merely an apprentice Grim Reaper."

"An apprentice Grim Reaper?" Shaya grew even more curious. "Are there many Grim Reapers?"

"There used to be only one."

Sebas answered honestly. Perhaps because Shaya had helped him, he answered with great patience.

"But the human population has been growing day by day, and so has the number of the dead.

"One Grim Reaper was far from enough, so He established a selection system, recruiting gifted souls and teaching them, granting them the title of 'Grim Reaper' to share part of His responsibilities."

So they were something like underworld officers.

Shaya stroked his chin. "So for you, 'Grim Reaper' is more like a position. You aren't truly gods, correct?"

Sebas nodded. The Nightmare beside him was still struggling, so he stepped on it. With the clatter of chains, he tightened its restraints further.

He continued, "More precisely, we should be considered demigods. There has always been only one Grim Reaper who can truly be called a god."

Shaya nodded and looked at the Nightmare beneath Sebas's foot. "Besides guiding the dead, are you also responsible for managing the demons of Hell?"

Sebas glanced at the thing beneath his foot as well. "Strictly speaking, Nightmares fall under the Sleep God's authority. But the Sleep God does not interfere in mortal affairs, and this Nightmare has possessed a human body. In essence, it has also interfered with 'death,' so it falls under our jurisdiction."

The Sleep God? The Grim Reaper?

Shaya silently turned over those two divine names. In his memories, only one pantheon had both of those gods.

"Is the name of your original Grim Reaper Thanatos?" Shaya asked.

Upon hearing that name, Sebas froze for a moment, then his brows gradually furrowed.