Mysterious Past, Godfall Day

Ian stood frozen in front of the restroom door.

The woman who had emerged from behind his father was reflected in his pupils.

The woman seemed to have noticed him.

"How extraordinary..." The woman stared at Ian as if she could see through every last detail about him, murmuring softly. Just as Clark was about to turn back for another look—

In an instant.

The entire world seemed to lose its color, fading into monochrome. Clark remained in the act of turning his head, completely frozen like a solidified statue.

Even the air seemed to stop moving.

Ian could hear his own pounding heartbeat, exceptionally conspicuous within the frozen time and space.

"What did you do?!" He was truly horrified. His invincible father, Superman, had been affected without even the chance to resist. The strange woman before him possessed power far beyond anything he had imagined.

Faced with the boy's shocked question.

"I was merely waiting." The woman tilted her head. There was a pendant chain around her neck as well, though whatever hung from it was concealed beneath her black uniform.

"Waiting for what?" Ian was certain she was not waiting for PinHaoFan. He had not yet built his own business empire in America, and whatever such a powerful woman intended to do could not possibly be simple.

"Gulp~"

Ian's adam's apple bobbed.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his father's petrified profile—after all, even when faced with supernatural forces, his Superman father should never have been this powerless.

At the very least, the woman before him was a powerhouse at the level of a "God of Magic." She did not look particularly old, possessing both the steadiness of an older sister and the vitality of a young girl.

Those deeply contradictory qualities blended together with remarkable harmony.

To be honest.

Ian found it terrifying.

She was obviously some ancient monster who had lived for ages.

"What am I waiting for?"

The woman did not answer directly. She slowly walked toward the bay window at the end of the corridor. Her long, pale legs looked even more deathly white in this monochrome world.

"Please allow me to apologize to you, extraordinary child." The woman opened the window and gazed out at the nightscape, raising a hand to catch a withered leaf that had likewise been frozen in midair.

"You will lose your father, and I will take him away. Rest assured, I promise to take good care of him." When the woman turned to look at Ian, a gentle curve appeared on her lips.

Ian's thoughts churned, and his breathing grew increasingly audible.

"You're Death..." Information surged through his mind, making his heart tremble. This fear did not come from the woman before him.

It came from what he had guessed.

"You even know Death?" The woman was visibly taken aback, her tone astonished. She carefully examined Ian again, then climbed through the window and sat on the sill.

"No, I am not Lady Death. How could I possibly be as beautiful, gentle, kind, and approachable as she is?" The woman turned the dead leaf in her hand, her voice filled with admiration.

Perhaps there was even a trace of longing in it.

Before Ian could ask another question, the woman seemed to already know what he wanted to ask.

"My name is Tessa. I am like them." As she spoke, the woman calling herself Tessa raised a slender, delicate hand and pointed with her pale fingers toward the pitch-black night sky.

There seemed to be something hidden there. When Ian hesitated for a moment and then walked over to Tessa's side, his pupils contracted violently once more.

There—

The streets were packed with black silhouettes.

All of them stood upright in matching black suits within the faded world.

At the front, an old woman held a black umbrella whose ribs were stark white bones. A little boy in suspenders held a chick, and deep flames glimmered in the chick's eye sockets.

There were also solemn-faced men wearing top hats.

Men and women, young and old, were all present. Not only were they on the streets, but people dressed in those black suits also stood tall atop the roofs of buildings and the roofs of cars.

Without exception, they were all staring in Ian's direction. Every face was expressionless. Only after Tessa smiled, raised her hand, and waved at them did they react.

They looked extremely mechanical.

The eerie group in suits bowed in unison toward the window.

Perfectly aligned.

Their movements were identical, synchronized as though rehearsed hundreds or thousands of times. Every one of them had skin as white as snow, making the sight even more bizarre in the black-and-white world.

"They are paying tribute to you... fortunate one blessed with such an honor." Tessa glanced at the back of Ian's hand, as though she could see the mark there.

She had also discovered certain information and secrets.

"Uh, could you explain what exactly is going on?" Ian stared at the dense crowd of Men in Black outside, doing his best to keep himself calm.

"Honestly, you all have pretty good looks. Interested in partnering with me to start a company? We could let those interesting souls reveal a mysterious past when they gather with their families, leaving every guest utterly shocked and questioning their lives... I'm sure we'd be hugely popular."

Forced humor.

Perhaps it was Ian's last act of defiance.

But his attempt to conceal his emotions clearly failed to fool Tessa.

"I think you've already figured it out." Tessa gently rubbed the dead leaf in her hand, and it gradually vanished. "You simply aren't willing to admit it yet."

"Dear little one... don't be afraid, and don't be sad." Tessa wanted to raise her hand and stroke Ian. "Everything has its end. It is not punishment, but the beginning of something new."

Her voice was exceptionally gentle.

Yet Ian dodged her pale hand.

"Impossible. How could this be possible? There must be some mistake somewhere... You don't understand at all..." Ian still tried desperately to argue.

However.

The woman's slender finger had already pressed against his lips.

"We would never be wrong about something like this." Tessa spoke softly, her black eyes meeting Ian's. Ian felt an unfathomable depth that made the world spin around him.

"I am a Reaper, and so are they. There is only one reason for all of us to appear." Tessa's voice was light and gentle, yet it shattered Ian's last illusion.

"Your father, Clark Kent, possesses a greatness worthy of respect. That is why we came. At least, all the companions nearby came, gathering together with love and reverence."

"Today is Godfall Day."

"The sorrow of a saint, the death of a hero... requires sufficient witnesses." Tessa's words exploded beside Ian's ears like thunder on level ground, thoroughly crushing the last trace of hope in his heart.

They were like a boulder weighing ten thousand pounds.

The unbearable weight made it difficult for the boy to even breathe.