Chapter Thirteen:
Seraphine McBride
Nicodemus
I spent lunch in the library since my friends had classes during my time frame and I didn’t want to eat alone. Odysseus texted me here and there, but he was trying to concentrate on his classwork to distract himself, as I recommended, though that secured my loneliness even further. I was so bored that I hung upside down from one of the chairs and read the spines of the archaic textbooks over fifty times, bobbing my head to whatever my headphones decided was decent enough to play. The bell rang finally, and after thanking the disgruntled librarian for putting up with me, I pulled my schedule loose to search for my next class.
Room 215 was designated for class 3385, Basics of Soul Reaping, and it was a room that stood out amongst the rest of the building. The sweet smell of lilac radiated through the halls, seeping out of an aroma therapy crystal lamp that sat on the professor’s desk. The blinds were closed halfway, and a set of satin curtains was pinned over them to add a personal touch to the room, as well as a numerous supply of candles that flickered along the line of shelves.
I was the first to enter, which made the woman standing by the computer pause her work on the monitor. From behind, she had gorgeous snow white hair that hung against her back, with a navy blue dress wrapped around her figure. Her nails matched the dress, and when she turned to face me, her icy grey eyes contrasted her mocha skin so well that they glowed. “Good afternoon; can I have your name, please?” She sang in a soothing yet deep tone.
“Nicodemus Crawford, ma’am. Nice to meet you.” I said respectfully.
She cooed like a bird before standing straight to round the desk and take my shoulders gently. Her nails felt sharp against my sleeves, but not with harmful intentions. “My goodness, here you are in the flesh! You couldn’t resemble your father more if you tried!”
“I get that a lot,” I nervously laughed.
Her dark lips turned into an incredibly beautiful smile, and she tapped my nose with the tip of her nail, “You don’t know much of me, of course, but I'm Seraphine McBride; I was your father’s mentor before he became a God.”
“You were?!” I sang in pure delight.
Her eyes softened, and she moved to sit in an empty desk chair. She crossed her long legs and clasped her hands against her knee, “Yes I was, a very long time ago. I was the Grim Reaper before he was. I trained him for over a hundred years, and we’ve worked together for centuries more. I never thought I’d ever meet his child, let alone see how striking your resemblances are.”
“I’m honored to have met you, then. I’m sorry I didn’t know of your legacy prior; I still have a bit to learn about the Gods themselves since my parents kept my nose out of those books so I wouldn’t get myself in trouble, I suppose.” I begrudgingly hissed, cursing them silently.
Seraphine chuckled in delight, “Don’t apologize at all, it’s quite alright! You’ll come to know me better in no time. I’ve heard you’re quite the powerful Elemental?”
I blushed slightly, setting my bag down on the desk beside her, “I guess. Everyone keeps treating me like I'm so special, but I'm no better than anyone else.”
“Humble, too. I like you so far, Nicodemus,” she smiled wider, “Something to do with your Shadow Walkers I presume?”
“Yes; I, uh… I have four of them.” I attempted with a light shrug.
“Four…?” She breathed in awe, her eyes widening slightly, “That is quite impressive. You may be in the running to replace your father one day, my sweet.”
“Hopefully not soon,” I awkwardly replied, laughing too loudly for it to be believable.
Seraphine stood and touched my cheek lovingly, “Well, that’s nothing for you to worry about right now. I'm honored to have you in my class. Who would have thought I’d get to teach two generations of Crawford’s? If you ever need help with anything, or have questions others can’t quite answer, please feel free to reach out to me. I'm the only other God of Death still around, so if Atlas or I don’t know the answer, then no one does.”
“I honestly never knew that the Grim Reaper had been female at one point; that’s truly fascinating. So much mythology pins Grim as a male, and since I hadn’t learned of you, I assumed that would be the case. Then again, isn’t one of the myths surrounding Grim recount Grim as being the Queen of Hel, and that’s how she obtained Helhest?”
“Someone studies well! I am the truth behind that story. Most of the stories surrounding my time as Grim have been destroyed through countless wars and migrations, but that’s what you get when you’re four thousand years old. There’s a bit of them in Valyce’s library, though, if you’re ever interested. Helhest was my riding partner for many centuries, but unfortunately, we were separated during a violent battle against a fleet of demons. Neither Atlas nor I have ever been able to recover him. I just hope he’s alive and well somewhere…” She sighed sadly, lost in her own thoughts as she tapped her nails on her forearm.
“I didn’t mean to upset you…?” I moped worriedly.
She came back to my life at my comment. “Hmm? Oh, you didn’t my sweet, I'm just reminiscing is all. When you get to be my age, you easily forget things that happened three thousand years ago. I can barely remember a hundred years back anymore,” she teased to make me giggle. “May I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“Have you received a familiar yet?”
I blinked wildly, tilting my head at her, “A familiar?”
She gasped and cupped her mouth in surprise, “Don’t tell me Galaxy hasn’t given you a familiar yet?! What a slacker! Every Death Elemental is accompanied by a familiar; it’s the first thing you’re given when you reach twelfth year! We’ll have to take care of that after class so long as you don’t have anything important?”
“I actually have study hall with you, so I’ll be here anyway.”
“Perfect! Let’s plan to stop by the familiar atrium after class, then!”
╪
“So, why exactly do we need familiars again, if I may ask?” I prompted as Seraphine and I walked the hallway to the main elevator after her short introductory class. Her heels clicked methodically on the tile floor, and she moved with such grace that I felt like a worm beside her.
“Familiars are demons you can summon to act as an extra defense since we are the main element to take on dark forces. All Death Elementals have them, and they’re great fighting partners. It’ll help enhance your protection. Some Life Elementals who chose to fight demons will get one as well, but they mainly stick besides us Death Elementals.”
“Really? But, I have four Shadows? Isn’t that a bit overkill?”
Seraphine paused, “Well, do you fight demons?”
I shrugged, “I have before, yeah.”
“Then you need a familiar, sweet. The more help, the stronger you get. Shadow Walkers aren’t always best to fight supernatural forces as they only use Earth bound powers, so having someone on the ‘enemy team’ heightens your ability to succeed. Shadows are great companions, of course, and a blessing, but they cannot manipulate Gehenna bound beings like we can. Someone needs to be the police force of this universe, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t like killing demons without some help.” Seraphine explained as she hit the number for floor five.
Once we exited the elevator, she opened the black doors at the end of the hall and nodded for me to go inside. The room was full of sizeable and cozy cabins for the numerous species waiting inside, who were content enough beyond their means. They did in fact ooze demonic energy, but not the putrid kind I was expecting. They were all relatively calm in their tamed forms, and a few were even happy to have our company. I laughed at the way one pushed her nose through the grate to get some scratches.
“How do I know…?” I attempted unsurely.
“You’ll know, my sweet. I’ll wait out here for you. This is a personal and intimate exchange, so don’t rush anything.” Seraphine assured before shutting the doors gently.
(As much as I hate to admit, this will help you more than anything, and she is right to aid you in receiving a companion. Take the chance to really allow yourself to absorb their energies. You’ll know in your own special way, and if you don’t connect with one today, don’t get discouraged.) Claude instructed within my head.
“Well, trying won’t cause any harm.” I replied with a shrug. My Shadows silently allowed me some privacy, though their impatient energy still made the back of my neck itch.
I closed my eyes and laid my arms at my sides, palms facing outward, so I could slowly begin to process each of the radiating auras that filled the room. A pressure erupted from the far left, and a purple fog moved into my vision, much different from the hazy grey blobs surrounding me. When I opened my eyes I saw it belonged to a tiny fox that was settled into a cage by the back left wall. It had a broken leg that was sinched in a neon green cast, and unlike it’s excitable companions, it was cowering away from me in the corner.
Something about the anxiety spewing from it made my heart seize, and I couldn’t help but investigate. When I walked up to the cage it began to shake even harder, and let out little whimpers that broke my heart. His eyes squeezed shut when I pressed my fingertips to the grate, and his ears flattened against his back so he could cocoon himself. “Hey, little guy. There’s no need to be afraid, I promise I won’t hurt you.” I opened the door carefully and slowly slid my hand through the gap to brush my fingers along his ears.
The sensation made the fox’s shaking slowly subside, and he even nestled into my palm with a sound of delight. “There you go, little guy. See, I promise you’re alright. Let me help that leg out,” I ran my hand over the neon bandages, and almost instantaneously, healed the broken bone. It was something only Dad should be able to do as the Grim Reaper, but since I was ten I could also heal demons to his delight, yet displeasure. In this instance, I was more than grateful for my odd affliction.
The all black fox stiffly stood and peered down at its leg, it’s eyes widening when it realized it could stand once more. It looked up at me quizzically, unable to understand how I had done what I did, and tilted it’s head so that it’s oversized ears flopped lopsidedly. I giggled and rubbed the fur on his forehead lovingly, “Aren’t you such a pretty thing? Does that feel better?”
The fox blinked, then chirped excitedly and bolted across the cage to attack my face with kisses, which made me laugh louder as I tried to fend his adorable ambush off. His abrupt attack turned into grateful yips and nudges to my cheeks, which made my heart sing at the progress we had made in such little time. (His name is Akira, the Song Demon. He’s a bit low class, but he’s a shapeshifter, so that is a wonderful advantage. He has loads of potential, especially for a beginner. You two could really flourish.) Claude said from within my head.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“How do I, use, him?” I questioned.
{You two exchange energies with one another, and instead of a blood offering he takes one from the soul, hence the use of song. Singing is supposed to be one of the purest forms of soul energy, so after battles, he heals by sharing the energy of your soul. He can turn into any creature, but when not battling he stays a fox. He’s only had one or two partners in the past that didn’t last long, and has been at Valyce for many years. He tends to not like the other familiars much, so that’s probably how he hurt his leg, but he seems to like you quite a bit!} May giggled.
I stroked his snout methodically with a smile, “How do I contract with him?” Claude went to speak, but Akira nipped me; I winced hard and shook my hand wildly. “Oww! That hurt!” He whimpered and nuzzled the bite; I realized why he did it soon after. “Oh, I see. Should have known it would be a blood contract.”
Akira whined again before curling up under my chin, his tail whipping like a propeller. I had to laugh, and cuddle him sweetly with nothing but burning love radiating through my heart as I combed through his fur. “What do you think little buddy? Wanna come home with me?” I cooed to Akira, who yipped excitedly in return. Once I had confirmed I was ready to be his master, his once red eyes drained of color, and a rich pastel purple filled them after.
I was mesmerized by the cooling color, enough that I didn’t hear the door open behind us, or the heels that crossed the room. “The Song Demon, eh?” I turned to Seraphine as she crossed her arms with a side smirk, “No one ever picks him, mostly because he tends to not take well to strangers. What an odd choice, but a good one.”
“He’s awfully cute?” I tried hesitantly.
“So he is. He’ll be a bit to handle, but you have a soft nature that he’s obviously drawn to. I think you’ll make a good pair.”
“Thank you for taking me to meet him. I'm excited to see how we train together!”
“As am I. We should head back to class before the kids drive the substitute insane.”
I let Seraphine lead us back to the elevator, and while she punched her I.D number into the keypad, I smiled down at Akira’s big lilac eyes. “I’ll take care of you forever and ever, I promise.” I whispered, nuzzling my nose into his head while he did the same back to me.
╪
The training arena was truly a sight to behold. Each element had their own field, comparable to an American football stadium, where fortified walls of energy were up to keep the fights inside the arena. We each had our own locker inside the basement changing areas, and inside, I found black sweatpants, boots, and a white t-shirt with my last name pressed into the back. The other Death Elementals were kids from my class with Geneva mostly, who were busying themselves with changing and didn’t pay much attention to me. They did in fact have their familiars by their side; some were birds, other cats, and even a little piglet.
Akira hopped up on the bench beside me to tilt his head and watch as I laced my boots; I combed my hand over his ears lovingly with a smile. “What do you think, buddy? Up to some training today, or should we let that leg rest for another day?” He yapped wildly and danced in a circle, which made me giggle, “I suppose you’re ready to go. Well, better late than never, right?” I held my arm out, which he ran across to hang on my shoulder and cuddle into my neck. I continued stroking his ears as we walked up the steps to the main arena doors.
Blaine was waiting on the bleachers with his roster and clipboard, scrawling down a few notes and mumbling to himself. When he heard the doors open he glanced over to see me enter with Akira, which took him off guard slightly. “Where did you get a familiar so quickly?”
“Seraphine helped me out; she teaches my Basics of Soul Reaping class, and took me during our study hall so I could get acquainted with one as soon as possible.”
He ground his teeth ever so slightly, but hid his disdain with a smile, “Mind if I check out who you got? I was planning on taking you myself, but if she beat me to the punch, that just means we get more training time,” he stood and jogged over to crouch down and peer into Akira’s eyes, “The Song Demon, eh? That’s quite the pick.”
“How come Dad doesn’t have a familiar?” I asked as I followed him back to the bench.
Blaine raised an eyebrow, then burst into hysterical giggles, “Uh, Nick? He has three?”
“Three?! What three… You’ve got to be fucking kidding!” I scoffed, which made him explode into hysterics at the look on my face. “There’s no way three rat Pomeranians are the demon companions of the Grim Reaper?!”
Blaine laughed hardily for a minute before wiping his eyes on his sleeve and continuing, “They used to have other forms, but when he settled down, they chose to stay in the form of house pets. Why do you think they like you so much?”
“Cause they’re my family dogs?! I can’t believe those little monsters are demons?!”
“They’re quite high class, as well. Their technical class is the three horsemen; Bodhi is Pestilence, Amara is Famine, and Asher is War. Your father would of course represent Death, and the four create the famous four horsemen you see in mythology.”
“So, are they, like, real people?” I peeped in astonishment.
Blaine walked us towards the bleacher to grab his clipboard as he spoke, “Much like many familiars, they more so are archaic beings rather than people. Atlas had to battle and conquer each one to claim them, but they’ve always had an incredible bond. Two thousand years of battle tired those old pot roasts out, so they prefer to retire in luxury as your family pets. Interesting, isn’t it?”
“There’s so much about him I don’t know…” I breathed seriously, which made Blaine frown slightly. A moment passed before the doors opened again, and a familiar set of heels waltzed into the arena. Blaine looked up with a disgusted scoff, but I smiled, “You’re joining us?” I asked Seraphine, who pinched my cheek as she passed.
She eyed Blaine carefully, “I’d like to see our new class in action for myself, should Blaine allow that? I won’t interfere whatsoever; I’m purely here to observe…?”
“If you move from that bench I’ll drown you in lava.” Blaine coldly snapped, slamming his clipboard down. I stared at him in disbelief as he ghosted by her, taking hold of my arm protectively to spin me in the opposite direction, “Let’s get to work…” He mumbled under his breath, pulling me towards the opposite end of the arena.
I decided not to test his patience further for the day, and obediently took my spot in line as he sighed in annoyance and took a steady breath to calm himself. “Afternoon, everyone, and thank you for being punctual on your first day. I expect no less for the remainder of the school year, but I will forgive tardiness for viable reasons. Many of you have had me as your trainer before, though some are new, but I promise to treat you all fairly. We will have many guest instructors in to teach you things I cannot, such as actual soul reaping, and those trips will be considered field work. Atlas sees a lot of promise in this class, and he’s hoping to bring you all in once you graduate. It will take time to polish yourselves, so don’t get discouraged, but don’t dilly dally either; there are plenty of Death Elementals eager for your position.
To start, I briefly would like to introduce your main assistant instructors, Geneva and Magnus. They both manage the gates to Caelum and Gehenna, and have worked for Atlas for over a thousand years. They are the know-all in the Shadow Realm, and have been kind enough to set aside time to help you prosper. Please take advantage of their willingness, and be on your best behavior as well.” Blaine explained as Geneva and Magnus crossed the field.
The kids bubbled excitedly to one another for a moment, but Blaine quickly silenced the crowd. “Now, now, let’s stay focused. Today, I would like to interview you and your Shadow Walkers, so I can get a full understanding on who should be paired with whom. We’re going to focus on teaching you how to rely on your Death element over your Shadow Walkers for the time being. It's important to remember that the party tricks your Shadows allow you to make are not your true element, and you should graduate to relying on them less and less as we progress. After interviews, I’ll have you run a simple capture the flag course to get a gage on your skill level, and then we’ll wrap up. Any questions…? No…? Well, in that case, please conjure your Shadow Walkers and prepare to have your name called.”
I swallowed hesitantly, keeping my gaze straight to not feed into the dozens of eyes staring at me, and steadied my hands before closing my eyes. When they reopened, they bore the all black mark of a Death Elemental, and a burst of energy vibrated around me before my Shadows ghosted from the Earth. My classmates all cried out excitedly to finally have a chance to see them, and Geneva, who I had kept on the edge of her seat, was completely dumbfounded by the display.
Seraphine did not move a muscle, but her eyes did widen a tad, and she cupped her chin in her hand with a delighted grin. Something about the burning look in her eyes made it seem like she knew my Shadows somehow, and my Shadows themselves refused to look at her no matter what. Blaine himself was a bit taken back, but cackled and shook his head as if to say, ‘What else are you gonna throw at me, universe?’.
Alice came forward to run a hand through my hair, [You doing ok so far, honey bunny?]
“Under the eyes of every Death Elemental in our academy? Yeah, peachy,” I squeaked.
Jackson chuckled and nudged my arm,
“Crawford, you’re up!” Blaine called, which made me squeak but hesitantly cross the field. He, Geneva, and Magnus were seated in a set of three folding chairs, and Blaine nodded to the one opposite them for me to plop down in. Akira automatically scurried down into my lap to lay across my knees, which made Blaine chuckle. “He seems to be pretty attached already, eh?”
“I suppose so, but I'm glad he’s comfortable.”
“As am I. Well, let’s begin shall we? What are the names and elements of each of your Shadow Walkers? How old were you when you first conjured them? Any poor side effects? How much training have you received, and from whom? Do you have a familiar, and what is their name and class? How much training have you done together? What are your plans after graduation? Sorry, most of these are obvious, but I'm trying to be consistent as well as fill the others in who may not know as much.”
I combed through Akira’s fur calmly as I processed each question, “I have four Shadow Walkers: Claude, Alice, May, and Jackson. Claude is an Electric Elemental, Alice is Fire, May is Water, and Jackson is Earth. I was around a year old when we first made contact, which caused me to blind until recently. My father has taught me a great deal over the years, including how to help souls cross over, kill low to middle class demons, and astral project back and forth to the Shadow Realm. I’ve only reaped a soul three of four times, but have had success each time. I can do some weird things, too, like heal demon’s wounds. Akira is my familiar, and since we just met, no training so far. He’s a Song Demon and a shape shifter. I don’t honestly know where I want to be when I graduate, but I'm hoping to work with my father as a Reaper.”
“You can heal demons…?” Geneva croaked in almost horror.
I shrugged lightly, “Yeah, for a while now. I healed Akira’s leg earlier today, actually.”
“Understood. Mind going up to the course for your examination? My colleagues have yet to see your powers, so give it all you got kid. Start with trying to transition into your Elemental form.” Blaine said with slight worry in his voice.
“Well, if you say so. Don’t laugh if I trip or something.” Everyone moved a bit closer as I paused and held my arms out before me. Elementals always had at least two forms; our everyday use around the Humans form, our Elemental form, and if you were truly powerful, an ultimate form. Our Elemental forms gave us the ability to harness our powers fully, and match our bodies to the battle we most likely would be facing. For me, black pants, knee high boots, and a Reaper’s cloak encased my body, and my hair shimmered to a pure snow white.
My group of prospects blinked at the fact that my hair had changed color, and tilted their heads before whispering to one another. “Bori se sa mnom, prijatelji moji sjena!” I said clearly. My Shadows reappeared one by one, this time holding their weapons tightly: Claude with his axe, Alice her whip, May her knives, and Jackson his hammer. They were more than ready to prove our worth to Blaine, Geneva, and Magnus, and I was proud of their commitment.
Blaine gathered himself and blew his whistle, signaling the start of the course; I smirked and took off in an inhuman blur. My Shadows danced after me, waiting for commands as we hit our first obstacle. “May, Alice!” I barked, throwing my arm up to deflect three fire balls that I knew were coming based on the vibrations in the air. May conjured a wave of water that she threw up before us, shielding away the first wave, and Alice swallowed up the last before we ran towards the masses of fire figures. “Claude, Jackson!” I called. Claude whipped his axe out, electrical currents buzzing down the weapon and around his eyes as he skillfully sliced through each figure. Jackson stomped the ground once before hundreds of vines came up and created a shield, which I used to dodge a few attacks before finishing off my own and collecting my flag.
I set the fabric into Blaine’s outstretched hand, “How’d I do?” I huffed out of breath.
He stared down at the flag momentarily, then brought his eyes up, “I have yet to meet anyone that was so in sync with their Shadows at such a young age. It was mesmerizing to watch, really.” He said so seriously that it took me off guard.
Magnus was so quiet I forgot he was there until he hesitantly ruffled my hair, “You did amazing, buddy. You should be proud.” He said in a low, calm tone that was hiding whatever he was really feeling. He quietly called for the next student, though I noticed when he passed that his hands were trembling. He saw me catch this and stuffed them into his pockets with a frown.
Seraphine folded her hands in her lap, a smile I had never seen on a person before crawling up her face. Blaine saw the way I was staring at her and slid a protective arm around me, his breath quickening with worry.