Chapter 97 - Time Marches On

Morrigan's ankle flared with pain as she sprinted at full tilt. She cursed herself for walking so far away when Pepper had asked her to leave. And why did Alice wait until the last damn minute to explain her convoluted plan? Morrigan figured Alice had timed it that way on purpose, just to screw with her as much as possible.

Hearing the car approaching from behind, she turned and waved her arms, trying to signal the driver to slow down. He just blew past her, going way over the speed limit. “Fuck!” Morrigan screamed, then focused on the movement of her legs, trying to meld with the shadows of the building she ran alongside. Shadow stepping was her only shot at getting there in time.

Her ankle felt tortured for how much she was abusing the injured limb, but her adrenaline dulled it enough to keep going. She forced herself to press on and finally managed to slip into the shadows. The world dissolved into a wobble of sound as it seemed to fold in on itself, and she suddenly felt like she was trying to run through water. She couldn't see anything—not really. Everything was reduced to vague silhouettes and walls of light coming at her at high speeds.

She forced her legs to keep moving. At least now that she was semi-material, she didn’t feel as much pain, but there was still the naturally oppressive force of shadow stepping she had to fight through. The car’s music reached her ears as a muffled drone, but it was getting louder, meaning she was catching up. As slow as her body may have felt, she was actually moving inhumanly fast.

Suddenly, she saw two beams of light cutting forward through the darkness. They were the car's headlights, and they moved alongside her like ghostly apparitions, their pale glow flickering ominously through the shadow realm. She dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding a collision with a streetlamp’s light, and something scraped her elbow—the side of a building she had misjudged in the dark.

How would she know when to step back into the material world? If she remembered correctly, the intersection was well lit. So, when a wall of light appeared that she couldn’t dodge to the left or right of, she’d dive directly into the center, hoping and praying she’d see Pepper when the world came back into focus—or at least have time to wave the car down.

I’m almost there… I have to be close!

She knew the intersection would come up any second. She had never performed a shadow step at such speed before, and when she stepped out, there was a good possibility of flinging herself into a parked car or light post and knocking herself out. But she had no time for caution—not with Pepper’s life on the line.

Suddenly, a wall of bright light loomed ahead. Morrigan gritted her teeth and launched herself toward it, hoping it would bring her back to the real world in time to intervene in this crucial moment that would decide Pepper’s fate.

She felt her body snap back to a fully material form, her senses flooding with the overwhelming sights and sounds of the city. The car’s music was deafening now, and with a quick glance over her shoulder, the car’s headlights blinded her as her feet skidded on the asphalt while she tried to slow her momentum. Her injured ankle flared with pain at the sudden stress, and her leg gave out. She turned mid-fall, trying to roll with the impact, but her body hit the ground hard, sending shockwaves of pain through her side. Morrigan gasped, her breath knocked out of her, but she couldn’t afford to stay down. The roar of the engine thundered behind her, the blaring music growing louder by the second. Desperately, she scrambled to her feet, her ankle screaming in protest.

Morrigan’s eyes darted around the intersection. There, bathed in the glow of the streetlights, she spotted them. Pepper stood with her back turned to the oncoming car, her trembling hand clutching Juniper’s as the hollow gazed at her with haunting eyes.

“Pepper!” Morrigan screamed, her voice barely rising above the roar of the car. “LOOK OUT!” She forced herself to move, but she was too far away to do anything.

The headlights of the speeding car swerved violently as the driver finally spotted Pepper, but it was too late. Morrigan’s heart pounded in her chest, her entire body tensed, knowing she had failed—knowing there was nothing she could do.

At the last second, Juniper moved.

She grabbed Pepper’s arm and yanked her backward, pulling her out of the path of the car. The vehicle screamed past them, tires screeching as it narrowly missed and began to spin out of control. The driver counter-steered into what resembled a controlled drift and managed to stop just before colliding with a parked car.

The last drumbeats rang out from the Metallica song as the haunting guitar and bass chords faded.

“Fucking idiots!” the driver screamed out of his window before slamming on the gas and peeling off, leaving the intersection in a cloud of smoke and burnt rubber. Morrigan barely registered his words, her focus entirely on Pepper and Juniper.

Pepper stood frozen, wide-eyed, as she stared at Juniper in shock. Morrigan stumbled over, ignoring the pain in her body. "Pepper..." Morrigan's voice was hoarse. “Are you okay?”

Pepper blinked, as if snapping out of a daze, and nodded slowly. "I... I think so," she whispered, her gaze flickering between her sister and Morrigan. “Juniper saved me.”

“Yeah, I saw,” Morrigan said, looking at Juniper. She seemed more human than any hollow Morrigan had seen before. She had no idea a spirit’s hollowing could reverse. Maybe it had something to do with their regrets, and Pepper coming back helped. Perhaps because she saved her sister’s life, Juniper was coming back to herself, her face and eyes reflecting a growing consciousness.

“Pepper,” Juniper said softly, her voice still hoarse but more human than before. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Pepper shook her head. “No, it’s okay… and… I think it’s time we leave together.”

Leave together? Morrigan thought.

“No way. Screw that!” Morrigan snapped. “You’re not dying, Pepper!”

“But I thought I had to. Besides, I won’t leave Juniper alone like this.”

“F-fate might have changed!” Morrigan blurted out. “I don’t really get it, but… if I were an observer trying to stop things, and it was mostly Juniper who saved you… so I…” Morrigan sighed, stumbling over her words, knowing she was making little sense. “Come on, let’s just go back to the shelter.”

“No,” Pepper said. “I’m ready. I’m ready to die. I can go be with my family now.”

"Damn it, Pepper!" Morrigan yelled, her voice echoing through the quiet street. "You don't have to die! You have your whole life ahead of you!"

Pepper looked conflicted, glancing between Morrigan and Juniper. "But I thought this was the only way. Juniper needs me."

Juniper shook her head gently, her form becoming more human by the moment. "No, Pepper," she said softly. "You need to keep living."

Pepper's eyes widened. "But I left you alone. I ran away when you needed me."

Juniper gave a sad smile. "I was lost in my own pain. It wasn’t your fault. Seeing you now, willing to sacrifice yourself for me, made me realize how much I don’t want that for you."

Morrigan stepped closer, relief flooding her. "See? She doesn’t want you to throw your life away."

Pepper's eyes filled with tears. "Juniper..."

Her sister reached out, gently touching Pepper's cheek. "You have so much to live for. Don't waste it because of me." She then turned her ghostly face toward Morrigan. “You can send me on?”

“But Juniper!” Pepper whined.

“No…” Juniper said. “Stay. Live. I want you to live and be happy.”

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“But I miss you so much!”

“I miss you too… but we’ll see each other again.”

Pepper glanced at Morrigan with tears in her eyes.

“She’s right,” Morrigan said. “Everyone dies eventually, but if you’re alive, you should live.” She reached to the side and summoned her scythe.

Morrigan took a deep breath, her scythe glowing softly in her hands. She looked at Pepper, then at Juniper, who gave a subtle nod.

"Pepper," Morrigan said gently, "the best way you can honor your sister is by living your life to the fullest. Juniper can find peace knowing that you're embracing life."

Pepper wiped her tears, her eyes searching Morrigan's face. "But... I don't want to be without her."

Juniper stepped closer, her form becoming even more solid. "You'll never be without me," she whispered. "I'll always be with you—in your heart, in your memories. But you need to live, Pepper. For both of us."

Pepper looked between them, her resolve wavering. "Will you... really be happier if I keep living?”

Juniper smiled softly. "Yes. Seeing you live your life will make me happier than anything else. I stayed because I was worried about you. But now I see that you're strong enough to go on." A moment of silence hung in the air as Pepper considered her words.

Finally, Pepper took a deep, steadying breath. "Okay. I'll try."

Juniper reached out and gently touched Pepper's cheek. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself."

Pepper’s voice cracked, her eyes glistening with fresh tears. "I promise."

With that, Juniper turned toward Morrigan. Her silent stare signaling that it was time.

“Sure you’re ready?" Morrigan asked

She nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

With a graceful motion, Morrigan swung her scythe. A gentle light enveloped Juniper, her form shimmering as she began to ascend. "Goodbye, Pepper. We'll see each other again someday."

"Goodbye, Juniper," Pepper whispered, watching as her sister's spirit faded into the night sky.

Pepper sobbed, collapsing to her knees as her sister’s presence faded completely. Morrigan hurried to her side, kneeling down beside her and wrapping an arm around her trembling shoulders.

“She’s gone,” Pepper whispered through her tears. “She’s really gone this time.”

A cold wind blew as Morrigan hugged Pepper reassuringly. Then, there was the soft pat of feet touching the ground. Morrigan looked up to see Alice stepping out of the shadows and coming towards them. “I hate to interrupt.”

“Damn it, what do you want now?” Morrigan hissed at her.

“Just to do my job. You know, if a name is on my list, I have to reap it. As your senior, what kind of example would I be setting otherwise?”

“Are you serious!?” Morrigan yelled. “After all of that, you’re going to kill Pepper anyway? And let me guess, I failed your test too? You going to send me to limbo now?” Morrigan growled as she stood back up, poising her scythe for battle. “Well screw that! I’m not just going to let you have your way without a fight!”

Alice only chuckled. “Oh please… You’re at least a hundred years from being a match for me. Besides, I’m only doing my job.” She then pressed her lips together and whistled twice. Nyx once again swooped down from the sky as if she were born from the darkness itself and landed on Alice’s outstretched forearm. “Nyx, please inform me of the next name on my list.”

The voidling perched gracefully on Alice’s forearm, its red eyes gleaming in the dim light. Morrigan’s heart pounded in her chest, dread pooling in her stomach as she awaited the verdict.

Nyx tilted her head and spoke in her rasping, clipped tone. “CAW! No names! CAW! No names, Mistress! CAW!”

Alice raised an eyebrow, her smile faltering for a moment before it returned with a hint of amusement. “No names? Are you sure, Nyx?”

Nyx cawed again, her head tilting in Alice’s direction. “CAW! No names Mistress! CAW!”

Morrigan’s eyes widened in confusion. “Wait… what?”

Alice’s tone remained mockingly playful as she questioned her voidling further. “Nyx, when is Pepper Hawthorne supposed to die?”

Nyx flapped her wings with a sharp rustle, her eerie voice cutting through the night. “CAW! CAW! Cannot say! Pepper Hawthorne—CAW!—not on the list! CAW!”

Morrigan’s grip on her scythe loosened in shock. "What… does that mean?"

Alice shrugged. “It means my experiment had some interesting results. Oh, and your friend isn’t dying any time soon.” She reached up and scratched Nyx’s feathered breast with one finger as the voiding’s head pivoted around, switching its gaze from its Mistress and back to Morrigan and Pepper. “Good girl, Nyx. You can go now.”

Nyx let out one last caw before taking off into the sky.

“So what does this mean for me?” Morrigan asked. “Did I change fate? I yelled at the last second and Juniper pulled her out of the way.”

“Hmmm, no. And I guess that means you pass.” Alice’s scarred lips curled into a smile. “Congratulations.”

Morrigan clenched her fist. She wasn’t sure how to feel. Technically, whatever the hell Alice did saved Pepper’s life, but at the same time she couldn’t quite bring herself to accept the other reaper’s false praise.

“Make sure you stay out of trouble, though,” Alice said as she began to turn away. “Consider yourself on probation. I’ll still be watch—ing…” Alice’s eyes narrowed as there was another shift in the shadows. This time, it was Death who stepped out, standing tall and imposing over Alice who was even shorter than Morrigan herself. “Heh. Well, hello there, Master.”

“Alice. Please confirm. Your test is over, correct?”

“Yes, Master. Your new apprentice passed.”

“I see…” There was a pause, but then Death’s hand suddenly moved faster than the eye could follow, striking Alice hard across the face. The impact echoed through the empty street, silencing everything. Morrigan froze, her breath catching in her throat as Alice stumbled back, her hand flying to her cheek in shock.

Alice’s red eyes flared with anger and indignation, but she quickly masked it. “You dare—”

“I dare?” Death interrupted, his voice cutting like a blade. "You overstepped your bounds. You endangered lives to feed your own twisted sense of amusement. You manipulated fate, toyed with Morrigan, and used others as pawns in your games. That is not how a reaper ought to behave.”

Alice straightened, though her smirk was gone. “Master. I was simply teaching Morrigan a lesson.”

“You weren’t teaching her,” Death hissed. “You were testing her humanity, and that is not your place.”

Morrigan watched in stunned silence, her heart still pounding. The raw anger in Death’s voice was unlike anything she had heard from him before. His calm, collected demeanor had cracked, revealing just how furious he truly was with Alice.

Alice straightened her posture and locked eyes with Death. “I call you Master only out of tradition, as you were once my teacher. But you’re too old and foolish to see how I’ve surpassed you.”

Death chuckled coldly, the red within his empty eye sockets glowing slightly. “Is that what you believe?”

“I’m an arbiter now!” she hissed. “That makes me your superior.” Death only chuckled, as if her words were so amusing they did not warrant a proper response. Alice's eyes flared with defiance. "I surpassed you long ago! You’re clinging to outdated ideals, while I’ve embraced what it means to be a reaper in a world that is constantly shifting."

"No, Alice. What you seek is power. Yet, you disguise that one true desire even from yourself—hiding it behind false pretenses. But, power without purpose leads only to corruption, and that is exactly what I see before me.”

“You call me corrupt!?” she spat at him. “I am not corrupt! It is this world that’s corrupt! I'm the only one who's interested in changing it!”

“400 years and you think you’re wise enough to know what the world is and how it should change? No, Alice. You are foolish. And if you keep toying with fate, it will backfire on you. This, I promise. Now leave, before I must show you how little your position as arbiter protects you from me.” His eyes glowed violently red as he stared her down and a dark aura rose from his shoulders, as if the light were being drawn out of the air around him. Morrigan stepped back nervously, and she remembered she had seen this from him one other time, when she was in the car with him, and he'd become truly angry with her.

Even Alice seemed to not want to challenge him when he was like this, so she gritted her teeth and turned away. However, she stopped half in the shadows, the street lamp partially lighting the back of her cloak. “No, Master. You are the one who underestimates me. Arbiter is only a small step to what I will become. This world is evil, and so long as my bones still move, they will march towards a brighter path.” With that, she stepped through the shadows and disappeared.

All was quiet but for the low hum of the city. Pepper glanced around nervously, clutching her hands at her chest as Death remained still, staring into the darkness. Finally, Morrigan cautiously ventured, “Sooo… she really has a way with words. Doesn’t she?”

Death’s jaw cracked in amusement, the red in his skull and the dark aura dispersing completely. “Oh yes, she always has.”

Morrigan couldn’t help but smile.

“Now then,” Death continued. “I will accompany you to reap the last name on your list tonight. I think it would be the perfect chance for me to get to speak with Pepper.”

“M-me?” Pepper stammered nervously.

Morrigan’s brow furrowed. “Pepper? Why?”

Death somehow expressed a calm smile in the unmoving curves of his skull. “It is rare to meet a human so young with such keen perception of the supernatural. I wonder if I might be able to glean the reason for this. All the same, she is quite interesting. Why shouldn’t I take a chance to get to know my apprentice’s new friend?”

“Death!?”

“Morrigan, you ought to refer to me as Master, you know.”

“Eh, don’t hold your breath… I mean... Uh—no.”

Death chuckled. “Well, enough delay! Let us continue. You still have a soul to reap and I imagine it would be best you return Pepper to the shelter before morning.” With that, Death turned and lead the way.

Morrigan rolled her eyes and followed, glancing back when Pepper didn’t follow right away.

“Um. C-coming!” Pepper quickly said and walked with quick steps to catch up with the two reapers and followed them into the night.