I slept as if I had a powerful fever, my head filled with visions of the Crucible and the bloodshed that had put an end to it. At first, I saw it from my own point of view, watching Tomas cleave through Kanda and Matthias. Then I saw it from Kanda’s view. The tip of my spear was buried in Matthias’ chest, and behind the burly boy was a figure from my deepest nightmares. Clothed in dripping shadows, bright blue eyes shining from the depths of the hood, and a thin, almost skeletal hand bringing the scythe to bear, cutting out my life.

Most people wake with a start from such nightmares, or shout and scream in fear. Either I was too numb from the torrent of emotions I’d experienced, or I was too tired, but when I finally regained consciousness, my eyes just fluttered open without a sound. I went from the deepest of sleep to wide awake in a moment.

The room was dark, the only source of light being a small candle placed on the dresser in the corner. It cast flickering shadows on the white walls, but it didn’t feel eerie or frightening. If anything, the shadows felt comforting in this place. They had a sense of home, even belonging to them. They cloaked me in their embrace, lulling me into a state of complete relaxation.

The room was almost completely empty, save for the bed I lay on, and the dresser that held the candle. The floor was dark gray and looked soft. I sat up in the bed and put my feet to it. It felt like a cloud between my toes. I scanned my body carefully, looking for signs of bruises or injuries, but there were none. Apart from the groggy feeling from sleep, I was fine.

“You’re awake. Good.”

The hiss, coming from the darkest corner of the room, made me jump to my feet and whirl around, fists raised to fight. But I relaxed as the person moved forward into sight, and I recognized Master Tamotsu. Then I remembered seeing him fighting off the waves of Reapers, and I was instantly on edge again.

“How are you not dead?” I asked him. “There were so many chasing me.”

For a moment, a small part of me wished that he would say ‘What are you talking about? Did you have a bad dream, kiddo?’. But he merely offered me a cocky smirk and shrugged slightly.

“I am very adept at going unnoticed,” he commented. “I made them temporarily forget I was there and slipped away.”

“That sounds like a handy ability,” I said with a grimace. “Wish I could do that, but more permanently.”

“Ah, yes,” he said delicately. “I imagine your mood is considerably worse than mine.”

“What gave it away?” I snorted, flopping back down my bunk. “My bright and cheery greeting?”

A knock at the bedroom door interrupted our conversation. Looking over, I was torn between inviting the stranger in and telling them to fuck off, whoever they were. But Tamotsu took the matter out of my hands while I had this internal debate. He strode over and opened it without even looking at me. Master Mikel stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame and grimacing in pain.

The right side of his face was covered in dried blood, and he was holding his side, which made me suspect broken ribs. It was a familiar action I’d seen from a football player who’d been headbutted in the side by one of those hard helmets. All in all, he looked worse than I felt, but I couldn’t imagine why his human form would be so badly injured when all the fighting had taken place with him in Reaper Form.

“Good evening, Silas,” he said in a strained voice. “I am pleased to see you safe.”

I wasn’t having any of this. Standing back up, I glared at him, making it clear that I wasn’t about to engage in pointless banter or niceties. I clenched my fists at my sides, willing the anger down. I knew that injured or no, he could kick my ass with his hands tied behind his back, so it probably wasn’t best to shout at him.

“What the hell was that back there?” I demanded. “Why did everyone attack me like that? And why did Mr. Jensen order them to kill me? What haven’t you told me?”

Despite my best efforts, I ended up yelling the last question. My chest heaving and my brain clouded in rage, I actually wanted to hurt him, just for a moment. He winced as the last question was thrown at him as if my anger was causing him physical pain.

“Careful, Silas,” another, oddly familiar voice said. “Your emotions have an effect on these walls.”

Mikel shifted to the side, and another figure entered the room. I forgot to be angry at once with the wave of confusion that faced me. What stood in the doorway to the room was…. Me. Well, he looked just like me, with some slight difference, as if an artist had formed him and forgotten a few of my key features. His hair was light brown compared to my black, and his eyes were blue instead of brown. But I was sure that if we stood face to face, we’d be the same exact height.

“Good evening, Master Tomas,” Tamotsu said, offering the stranger a bow. “It is good to see you after all these years.”

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“Tomas?” I asked, my brain reeling. “Like my ancestor?”

“Yes, Silas,” Tomas said. “When I am within my home, I can take a physical form.”

“Why only here?” I asked. Typical that I’d get off-track so easily.

Tomas grinned at me. “Well, my physical body was destroyed years ago. The human part of me is gone, and I can only experience human life when one of my descendants lives.”

“Oh,” I said. “I guess that makes sense. Probably the only thing that does make sense this week.”

“Yes,” Silas agreed, his face falling somewhat. “About that. I feel as if I owe an explanation.”

“Save it,” I said shortly. “You’re the one they call Death. You sealed the Gray Clan away.”

For a moment, there was an expression of deep sorrow on his face, as if I’d dredged up thousands of years worth of bad memories. But he got his features under control again at once and nodded. I wish I could control my features as easily as that.

“Yes, that is me,” he admitted. “But there is much that the Reapers have forgotten, or else have lied about.”

“Like what?” I demanded, crossing my arms. “Are you saying that you’re not the hero of old who saved humanity from destruction?”

“I did save the humans from destruction,” Tomas said. “But I also saved the Gray Clan from annihilation as well. They were on the verge of wiping each other out.”

“But humanity was severely outnumbered, not to mentioned underpowered,” I said, remembering what Mikel had told me. “That’s what Master Mikel said, at least. They had almost wiped us out, and you stopped them.”

“No.” Tomas shook his head. “That is not the whole story.”

“So what is?”

“The humans were the first to strike,” he said sadly. “Jealous of the Gray Clan’s immortality, they wanted to wipe them out. The Gray Folk can still die by a Reaper’s weapon, and they are, or rather were, surprisingly weak. Their only strength comes from channeling, where we take on the form of a beast and gain temporary power.”

“I’ve seen a Gray Folk channel,” I commented. “But you know that, already. You were the one who finished it off.”

“True,” Tomas agreed. “But back then, they were much weaker, and I did not hunt them. I was the balance between the two races. But when the humans tried to wipe them out, the Gray Clan were forced to defend themselves. They killed many humans. Then, when the humans fled and called them monsters, they were enraged, and wanted revenge.”

“I tried to appeal to their reason. I promised to fix the rift, to seek those who had committed their sins, and right the scales. But they would not listen to me, and the worst war in both races’ histories began. Massive loss of life on either side. The balance was horribly broken. Finally, I did the only thing I could.”

“I used my remaining power, which was linked to my human half, to stop the fighting by force. I forced the Gray Clan into the Gray Plane and sealed it off. Death’s Castle, a building of my creation, was made so that the only hole could be watched constantly.”

“That’s it?” I asked, bewildered. “You just… deported an entire race to another plane?”

“It wasn’t easy,” Tomas admitted. “But I am half-human, half Granis.”

“Granis?” I asked. “What does that mean?”

“Granis is the true name for the Gray Clan,” He explained. “The word gray comes from human’s not willing to address them by their proper name.”

“Oh,” I said, confused. “So how did you do it?”

“Well, with my unique nature, I have a considerable amount of power at my disposal. Or rather, I did. But to use it comes with a heavy cost. I drew upon that power to seal the Granis away. It caused significant damage to my physical body. I was reduced to a waste of myself, an old man who could barely walk unassisted.”

“That sounds like a nightmare,” I said, feeling sympathetic. “I can’t imagine how annoying that would be.”

“Quite so,” Tomas said with a sad little smile. “But the world was safe, so I counted the price worthy. The humans thanked me for saving their life, and I spent the next few years here in my home.”

“So you died of old age?”

“No. I cannot age, no matter how many years pass. I was partially recovered and decided to go hunting for some exercise. Little did I know that some of the humans, my so-called friends, were plotting to get rid of me.”

“No,” I said, my throat tight. “They killed you? After all that you did to fix their mistakes?”

“Yes,” More of that ancient sorrow was on his face now, and he made no attempt to hide it. “It is my greatest regret, after the bloodshed between the humans and the Granis.”

That left me feeling even worse, I have to admit. Hearing such a dark version of the history I’d rather admired, I couldn’t help but think that humans were twisted, fucked up creatures. Any philosopher worth their salt would agree with me, no doubt, but to me, I’d always had a rather positive outlook on morality. Tomas and the others left me to rest, tired as I was, and I rolled over on the bed with my mind whirling.

I couldn’t get to sleep after what they’d told me. The horrible news, the knowledge of the truth, as well as the recurring images of the Crucible, flashed through my mind. I could barely sleep after a mild adrenaline rush, let alone these harrowing events. But at some point in the night, while I dozed in and out of that thin layer between sleeping and waking, someone else entered my room.

They were so quiet, I wasn’t even aware of their entry until they were on the edge of my bed. Before I could turn around to see who they were, they’d lain down beside me. I caught a familiar scent with my nose. It was Marisha. She didn’t speak, but I didn’t need her to. Somehow, I knew why she’d come. Out of everyone, she understood me enough to know that my mental state was fragile, on the verge of breaking. She had come, with her comforting and relaxing presence, to help me begin to heal. And finally, I managed to sleep.