Chapter 20

La-la Point of View

The silence fell between us, heavy with the tragic stories Hannah had told. I didn't know what to say to her or how to comfort him. The only thing that came to my mind was, "Are you okay?"

Her eyes widened as she looked at me, as if I had said something wrong. Of course she wasn't okay; she was dead because of it.

Suddenly, a familiar voice broke the silence. "Ms. Lanaya," it called, making me turn around. I saw Zayne standing there, and he smiled when he saw my face.

What is he doing here? This is not his work place-.

"Dr. Zayne," I reacted, trying to compose myself.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Lanaya. Good to see you here," he said with a warm smile. I immediately stood up, trying to match his formality.

"Good afternoon," I replied, my voice a bit shaky. Just why are you here/?? I glanced at Hannah, who was staring at Zayne. Her eyes were wide with admiration—this girl really does have a thing for handsome faces, doesn't she?

"Oh, you have someone with you," Zayne said as he noticed Hannah.

"You- you can see me?" Hannah asked, her voice trembling with a mix of surprise and hope.

"Yes, I can," Zayne answered calmly.

Hannah looked at me, her eyes wide with confusion. "Is he a reaper?" she asked.

"Huh? Uh, no, no he is not," I stammered, trying to reassure her.

"Then how can he see me?" she pressed, her voice filled with uncertainty.

I glanced at Zayne, searching for an explanation. He also just looked at me in the eys "Well, he just can," I finally answered.

"He just can? You mean he is a human?" she asked, her confusion deepening.

Well, he is, and he's a doctor," I answered.

"Yes, she is right, Ms.," Zayne began, before Hannah interjected.

"Hannah," she said, introducing herself.

"Ms. Hannah, I am human, and I just have the ability to see souls," Zayne explained to her gently. Hannah seems to be overwhelmed by Zayne presence.

"By the way, what are you doing here?" I asked him, hoping to change the topic. I hadn't planned on meeting him anytime soon since Axel said he would find a solution to remove Zayne's memories.

"Oh, I am just visiting a patient who was transferred here," he replied. "And it's nice since I got to meet Ms. Lanaya here," he added with a smile. Nice? What does he mean by that? And bruh don’t smiled it’s dangerous more on to Hannah-

"Yeah," I said, a bit awkwardly. Suddenly, we heard footsteps approaching us.

"What's going on here?" a familiar voice asked. Of course, it was Axel. We turned to see him standing there, holding a two cup of coffee.

Axel's expression was a mix of curiosity and concern as he looked at the three of us. "Dr. Zayne, I didn't expect to see you here," he said, his tone polite but guarded.

Zayne nodded. "I was just visiting a patient. It's good to see you, Mr. Axel."

Axel's eyes flicked to me and then to Hannah, who was watching the exchange with interest. "Is everything alright?" he asked, directing his question at me.

I nodded quickly. "Yes, everything's fine. We were just talking."

Axel took a sip of his coffee, his gaze still on Zayne. "Good. I was just making sure." Then he gave me a cup of coffee

"What about me?" Hannah asked Axel, looking hopeful.

"You can't drink this," Axel said gently to Hannah.

"Coffee in the middle of the hot sun? I guess that's not appropriate," Zayne commented, trying to lighten the mood.

Axel looked at him in disbelief. Bruh- started a fuel

I quickly intervened to defuse the tension. "Thank you, Axel," I said, taking a sip of the coffee. "It's good to see you, Dr. Zayne. I'm sure your patient appreciates your visit."

Zayne nodded, glancing at his watch. "Yes, I should get back. It was nice meeting you, Hannah, see you later Ms. Lanaya" he said, giving her a warm smile before turning to leave.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“I really don’t like that guy,” Axel muttered under his breath. Obviously-

“For what reason do you hate him? He is a nice guy you know- and I don’t remember he done something bad to you” I asked, genuinely curious.

“I just...” he trailed off, unable to articulate his feelings.

I sighed. “Suit yourself, but just a reminder: don’t go picking fights with a human. He’s been a big help to us before, and he’s also become my boss, you know. At least be kind. He is also blessed”

“You’re taking his side?” Axel asked, his tone a mix of surprise and hurt.

“Why would I? You said you would remove his memories. You better get it done fast, -it might get awkward for me to keep meeting him” I replied, taking a seat.

“I will. It’s not easy, just so you know,” Axel said, frustration evident in his voice. “However, why do you sound sad that I would remove his memories?”

My eyes widened. Did I really sound sad? “Do I?” I asked, more to myself than to him.

Axel looked at me, his expression softening slightly. “Yeah, you do. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

I shook my head, trying to gather my thoughts. “It’s just... complicated. He’s been kind to me at least, and it feels wrong to mess with his memories.” Also my paycheck my money the day I work will not come to me-

Axel sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I get it. But it’s for the best. We can’t risk him knowing too much.”

“I know, that’s why I also agree” I whispered, looking down at my coffee.

Axel sighed. “Well, Ms. Hannah, are you ready for the afterlife?” he asked her gently.

“Do you have any regrets?” he continued, his tone softer.

Hannah fell silent for a moment, reflecting deeply. I was about to interject, “Axel, you know well—” but Hannah interrupted with a smile.

“No, I don’t have any,” she answered, looking at me with a radiant smile, as if sunshine was streaming through her. Her eyes were teary, but she said, “I’m fine, Ms. Lanaya.”

In that moment, time seemed to stop for me. I smiled back at her, feeling a mix of emotions. I didn’t think she was truly fine, but her strength and resolve were clear.

“Okay, if you say so,” I said to her, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Then, therefore, Ms. Hannah Hanz—19 years old, died February 3, 2024, cause of death: murder—I, your Reaper and Life Hunter assigned to you, will take your soul,” Axel said solemnly, extending his hand to Hannah.

Hannah looked at his hand, hesitating. She then turned to me, her eyes pleading. “I have one request, Ms. La-la,” she said, her voice trembling.

I was taken aback for a moment. “What is it?” I asked gently.

“Be my cupid in my next life. I want someone who would love me,” she said, her voice filled with a mix of hope and sadness.

I couldn’t find the words to answer her. Deep down, I knew that soon enough, I too would perish. But I didn’t want to dampen her hope. “Ms. Hannah, let’s go,” Axel said softly, his hand still extended.

Hannah looked at me one last time, her eyes filled with unspoken words. “I’ll do my best,” I whispered, trying to offer her some comfort.

With a small, brave smile, Hannah took Axel’s hand. As she did, a bright light enveloped her, and she slowly disappeared into its warmth.

I watched, my heart heavy, as Hannah’s form faded away. The room seemed emptier without her presence, and a profound silence settled in.

Axel turned to me, his expression a mixture of sadness and resolve. “We did our part,” he said quietly.

“Yes,” I replied, my voice barely audible. “We did.”

"It's tiring," I sighed, sinking into the chair, Axel seated beside me.

"Yeah, I know. We might end up heading to the afterlife together after this," Axel replied with a wry smile.

"Maybe. You're almost finished with your job, and I just need to get my ring and match a one couple" I agreed, trying to lighten the mood.

"We might really end up as soulmates. Maybe that dream of ours will come true," Axel joked, nudging me lightly. I couldn't help but playfully slap his shoulder.

"You really can't let go of that dream, can you?" I asked him, shaking my head with a smile.

"Well, we are lovers in it," Axel said, causing me to flinch slightly at his directness.

"That's just an illusion, like Aaron said," I reminded him gently.

"Yeah, I know. But what if there's a chance it's not? What if we really were lovers before?" Axel asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

If that were true, it would mean all those sins in your dreams might be real. Everything could go from bad to worse, pondering the implications.

"Imagine the kiss—" Axel began, but before he could finish, I playfully grabbed his hair and pulled it.

"La-la!!" he exclaimed, surprised by my action. "You're taking it too far, you ass," he said, feigning offense.

"You know I'm just joking- a joke a jest-" he quickly added, trying to defuse the tension.

"Your joke is going too far," I retorted, releasing his hair with a smirk.

"That hurts!!" Axel protested, his tone turning slightly annoyed. "Want more?" I teased, but Axel looked at me with mock disgust.

"Okay, okay," he conceded, holding up his hands in surrender. "I get it, no more hair-pulling."

We both chuckled, the tension easing between us. Despite our serious conversation moments ago, we could still find humor in our banter.

Then my phone chimed with a notification from our headquarters. Axel glanced at his own phone simultaneously. I quickly tapped on the notification to read it.

The message on the screen indicated urgent news from headquarters. "Looks like something important," I muttered, scanning the message quickly.

It seems like you're describing a situation involving a mysterious and potentially dangerous creature. Here's a more coherent version of your message:

----------------------------------------

Warning Warning!

A wild entity has emerged from one of the MT (Mythical Creature) zones, and its classification is currently unknown. Special forces are mobilizing to capture the creature. We urge everyone not to panic, as the situation is under control. However, we have received reports of missing creatures. If you notice any missing MT entity, please report it immediately.

Please remain cautious and vigilant. According to witnesses, the creature appears humanoid in form. More updates will follow as the situation develops. Regards from the Higher Ups.

I was shocked. If it was from Higher Up, then the situation was worse than they claimed. They were lying between their words—just before the gold string incident, and now this wild creature. These things happened rarely, but not simultaneously. They had to be kidding. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Calm down, would you? They said it's not a big issue. It might not be as bad as it sounds," Axel said, trying to comfort me.

"It's a big issue, and it came directly from Higher Up," I insisted.

"But they're saying everything is under control. Why are you worrying so much? And also I’m here with nothing will go wrong" Axel retorted, trying to reassure me.

"I have my power just for your information," I replied firmly. I had the ability to move things and also the ability to communicate with animals even though I lose my ring I still had it. And also include that hypnotizing people.

"Oh, I forgot about that," he said dismissively.

I immediately kicked him in frustration. "Ouch! Why do you keep hitting me? What did I do wrong to you?" Axel exclaimed, rubbing his leg.

"A lot, a lot," I muttered under my breath.