Alias is a boy with pale skin, white hair, and whited out eyes. He wasn't blind but he didn't have 20/20 vision either. He has an incurable disease that was slowly killing him. One day when he was especially in pain he felt something. He didn't know what it was despite his incredible intelligence. He looked away from the window to the head of his bed. He saw a hooded figure carrying a large scythe in one hand and an hourglass in the other. Alias had no fear. Alias spoke,

"So you are real, huh." Death asked,

"You know of me?"

"I know enough." The reaper stayed silent. Alias pulled something from under his bed and asked,

"Care to play?" The reaper seemed intrigued. The thing that Alias pulled from his bed was a chessboard. Grim grabbed a nearby chair and sat down. Alias put the board on a table. Alias spoke in a calming voice.

"Let's make a deal." Death seemed even more intrigued and listened further.

"If I win I get to live for a week longer. After that week we play again. If I lose I die. How about it? Seems like a fun way to pass the time for both of us." The reaper took a moment to respond.

"Its a deal." The two shook hands and played the game with Alias as white and Death as black. After what had seemed like a few hours later Alias won. The Grim Reaper got up from his seat and left with a nod. The next week Alias asked Grim a question.

"Can I call you Thanatos?"

"Long ago humans called me by that name."

"Alright then shall we begin?" The two sat and played. Some time passed and in the middle of the game, Alias had yet another proposal.

"How about, when either of us wins a game then we ask the other a question and the other has to answer truthfully."

"It seems I will only get to ask a single question..."

"That is of course when you win." Immediately after Alias said that Death was in checkmate.

"I see no point in wasting time. What happens when people die?" Death was silent for a moment. Then he looked at Alias. Alias stared into the hood of Death. He saw an unending void. This reminded him of a saying. Stare into the void long enough and the void stares back at you. Thanatos finally replied.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"I take your soul and give it to life for her to do as she pleases."

"...I see. Well... see you next time.

"Indeed."

Death then left without a trace. Every week Death would play chess with Alias. Every time he would lose. Always so close to a victory yet so far. Weeks went by then months in the blink of an eye. Suddenly Thanatos noticed subtle details changing over time. Things got worse. When the time came again Thanatos came to a sight that saddened him. Alias was lying on his bed looking outside of a boarded-up window at a crumbled building that looters were scavenging. Alias was frowning. He was saddened by whatever he was looking at. Alias spoke.

"That building was once an orphanage. I miss the old days when I could play with the others. You're the only one I ever see anymore." Thanatos sat still a moment and watched as Alias set up the board. Like always Alias won.

The week after that Thanatos came to find Alias sitting next to the boarded-up door with tears on his face. The door had scratch Mark's on it and Alias' hands were covered in his own blood. The next few weeks Alias had to use notations to tell Thanatos were to move his pieces. Regardless he still won every time. Every week the world seemed to get a bit worse. Alias seemed to sadden more and more. Which in turn saddened Thanatos. However, when the two were playing a chess game Alias had a gentle smile as if this was the only thing that mattered left in this world. 

Alias never drank or ate. The only things he did were sleep, wait, and observe from his window. He always seemed sad whenever he wasn't playing Thanatos in a match. The hospital he had resided in had been abandoned. Some days death came at night and they played. Death would swap out his hourglass for a candlestick to light up the room. The candlestick seemed to always be so short as if it would go out at any time, but it never did.

Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years. Years turned into decades. Alias had lost count long ago. After he beat Thanatos again he asked him how long he had been playing this game.

"47 years." The week after that he asked yet another question.

"Are there any Humans left?" Thanatos shook his head dismissively. 

"Huh... I'm the last one." Alias smiled a sad smile and waved goodbye to the reaper. The reaper waved in kind and promptly left. He enjoyed the games just as much as Alias did. However, they would soon stop.

One day at the end of one of their games something different happened. Alias was one move away from winning. However, instead of putting Thanatos in checkmate, Alias tipped his king over. There was a sinking feeling in Death's chest. Thanatos picked up the king and placed it back facing skyward. Alias once again felled his own king. Thanatos felt a chill run down his spine. Alias spoke.

"I forfeit." Death was full of dread. He stood still a moment. He then asked his question.

"...Why?" Thanatos took his eyes off of the board and looked at Alias. He had tired eyes and a gentle smile. He always did.

"I grow tired, friend. I would like to rest... eternally." Thanatos lowered his head. A silence filled the room for an untold amount of time. The silence was not just throughout the room, but the whole world. There was nothing left. No people. No animals. No plants. Nothing but the room that held Alias as its eternal prisoner. 

Finally, the Grim Reaper responded.

"Let's make a deal."