OH SHIT OH FUCK OH SHIT OH FUCK I didn't mean to do that!

I can hear Death's footsteps as he charges at me like a lion on the hunt. I drop to the ground as silently as possible but with the haste of a hare and stay dead still as I await Death's scythe to chop me in half.

I wait...

and wait...

and wait...

and nothing.

Raising my head and mimicking the action of looking around I wonder why Death didn't strike me.

Did he leave?

I doubt that.

No, it's more likely he's being cautious. I've dodged his strike more than once now and he likely knows I intend to fight back.

Let me think, in this pitch-black place I turned on the lights for just a moment. It definitely would've looked like a trap. Even though I was just testing my new ability without thinking about the consequences.

None the less, my test was successful. I am able to turn the glow on and off at will and I would wager I can change how bright it is too. I'm not willing to test that now though.

The next thing I want to try is increasing my speed. In the living realm speed and strength are determined by the muscles, fitness, energy and fatigue of the body. Here, however, I have no body to speak of, so muscles, energy and fitness can't contribute to my performance. I have experienced fatigue but that went away. Clearly something else determines performance of the soul and my best guess is that something is my mind.

As I ran and swam for dear life, I had the same pace as I would have with my body, and I fatigued as I would've expected to in the living realm. So, my theory is that my mind is subconsciously limiting my soul's capability based on what it's used to.

To defeat Death, I'll need to break that limitation, and to do that I need more time to get used to not having a body.

*****

The kid's not making any moves.

Was I overthinking it?

It's possible.

I lack the combat experience to know these things. For other Grim Reaper's combat is a general necessity.

When dealing with individuals or species that are rich with mana on different worlds, it's not uncommon for them to fight back or run from Death.

But this is Eardh.

My domain.

A mana-sucking wasteland so harsh that just sustaining consciousness takes all a soul's focus, lest, the string of mana be severed.

In all the countless ticks I have spent here I have never come across a soul that could sustain itself in this realm for more than 10 ticks.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I reach for my watch and check the count. It's been 52 ticks since the boy arrived. As a general rule, Reaper's are given 100 ticks to reap a soul. But that is more a solace for other Reaper's. I have never needed more than 10 ticks to reap a soul and I have never struggled to collect one by force. That is because the souls from Earth are so weak due to the environment that they can hardly sustain themselves here let alone fight back. But this kid is different.

Suddenly I notice soft pitter patters as if a small mammal is making a run for it. A long, toothful smile stretches across my skull. I may be inexperienced, but I am overjoyed to get to enjoy such fun.

I give chase.

The hunt begins.

Expecting to catch up to my prey quickly I prepare my scythe to attack. But to my surprise I nigh gained ground on the boy but actually lost ground. The soft thumps of the boy's footsteps grew even softer. I tried to pick up the pace, but the kid was getting faster.

I can't keep up.

I slow down to a stop. How am I supposed to catch this kid if he keeps getting better at harnessing his soul? The answer is simple. For the first time since I became the Grim Reaper of Eardh, I will have to get stronger... I've been bested by a kid!

THAT'S SO FUCKING INFURIATING!

*****

I'm getting away. I don't need landmarks or a frame of reference to know I've gotten faster. Death's inability to catch me tells me as much. I could hear him chase after me but now I hear no pursuit.

I was right about my mind being the limiter. My imagination is almost the limit in this form. This does seem to be my maximum speed however. When I try to go faster a pain begins inside me. It stops when I stop trying. I think this is the limits of my soul right now.

Now that I have left Death in my dust I have some time to try some things. I slow to a stop and take a seat. Presuming a meditative position I try to 'connect' with my soul.

One of the key aspects of being an athlete is understanding my body. In the same sense I want to understand my soul. What can my soul do? What are it's limits? What connects my body and my soul? It's going to take some experimenting to figure these things out.

As I meditate with my eyes closed and my back straight, I mimic the motion of breathing. Even though I can't actually breathe here, I still try. Just the motion of 'breathing' is calming.

As I try to 'feel' my soul though meditation, I breathe to keep myself steady. Firstly, what can my soul do? My soul is free. Without the limitations of muscle and flesh I can move freely. I can run as fast as I want. I can likely punch as hard as I want. And perhaps I can change the shape of my soul as much as I want. For example, can I grow my arm back.

Delving into my imagination I picture my body, missing my left arm. In a gradual motion I imagine my arm regrowing. First the upper arm, then the elbow, the lower arm and finally my hand.

Opening my eyes I check to see if it worked. And to little surprise.

It did.

I have my arm back.

I turn on a very low dim light around my arm and move it around to confirm that everything is as it should be. Immediately afterwards I turn the light back off.

Returning to my meditative position I also place both hands together in my lap.

So, I can change the shape of my soul. Quite easily I might add. And I can control the glow of my soul at will. But what are the limits of my soul? Earlier I noticed that when I try to run faster than a certain speed a searing pain begins inside of me.

In no particular isolated spot either.

Just, all around.

I assume that this means I'm reaching my limit. But how much further can I push before it's unbearable. I'm used to putting in 110% in my training. And earlier I was able to push through the fatigue before eventually it just went away. Using my earlier experience, I assume that the soul, like the body has limits. And by overloading those limits the soul can grow just like the body does.

Standing up I brace myself for a few more tests. The first will be strength. Forming a fist with my right hand I lean over and prepare to punch the ground with all my might. I imagine the ground crumbling before my blow and with one swift strike...

I break my hand.

Well, it would be broken if I had a body. The pain swells up inside me like bomb about to explode. I bite my lips and curl into a ball, cradling my ethereal broken hand.

It took all my will power not to scream out in agony. Ghostly tears trickling from my eyes. However, I've learnt a few things from this experience. Firstly, I need to train up my strength, and second, I can feel pain in this body. It didn't hurt when Death took my arm, but I guess it's different if I'm hurt by other means.

That scythe must be special.