Chapter 33

“What do you mean we’re in danger? Is this because of your mission?” I asked Axel, trying to make sense of the situation.

“It’s not just me with a mission. There are 20 Life Hunters here that’s is with me,” Axel revealed, causing me to gasp in shock.

Seriously? My relaxing vacation is turning into a nightmare

“. All these accidents lately—it’s like something is deliberately trying to be in my way” I said, trying to piece together the strange pattern.

“I don’t know the specifics,” Axel admitted, “but with 20 lives at stake, something is bound to happen. It’s not just an ordinary situation. And you and that guy for sure will be included in the mess”

“Is there any way we can prevent this?” I asked, my heart racing.

“You could, you’re a Love Hunter” Axel said. “But your mission would be suspended.”

“I know, but now that you’re here, it seems like that's not my biggest concern, it’s different situation now, it’s in our agreement ” Axel said.

“What’s the cause of death?” I inquired, hoping to understand better.

“Explosions,” he replied grimly.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said, feeling a wave of dread wash over me. “No, I’m not,” Axel said, his voice steady despite the seriousness of the situation.

I held my head in my hands, overwhelmed. “I just wanted some peace. Why am I getting dragged into all this trouble?”

“That’s why you shouldn’t have come here with him,” Axel said.

“Do you really think that’s the issue now?” I asked, struggling to understand his perspective.

Twenty people are going to die here due to an explosion—something that’s one of my worst fears,

“Can I interfere?” I asked Axel, my mind racing with possible actions.

“Sure, I already said you can change it” he replied.

“Did you receive it in an black envelope?” I questioned, seeking more details.

“No, just a list,” he said.

So, there's a chance it’s not set in stone.

“So, it will happen during this week’s vacation?” I confirmed.

“Yeah, most likely. If we get the black envelope, that's when it’s inevitable, I will stop you there” he explained.

“I know,” I replied,.

Suddenly, I felt a wave of dizziness hit me. I grabbed onto the steel railing of the yacht for support.

“Are you okay?” Axel asked, concern is in his voice.

“I’m fine,” I said, though my voice is not matching me. “What are we going to do now?”

“We need to gather as much information as we can,” Axel said. “We have to identify who the targets are and figure out how to prevent the explosion.”

I nodded, my mind still spinning. “We need to be discreet. If whoever planned this finds out we’re onto them, it could escalate things.”

“Agreed,” Axel said.

A Few Moments Later

We were now at the buffet. I got my first meal, leaving Zayne and Axel in line. As I looked around for a seat, I noticed two Life Hunters at a table on the left side near the window. There was an empty table beside them, which I decided to take. Upon sitting, I realized the two Life Hunters were looking at me. I greeted them with a nod, and they nodded back. From my vantage point, I could see at least six Life Hunters in the room.

“Is everything fine, Ms. Lanaya?” Zayne asked as he arrived at my table, setting down two plates full of food.

“Yeah, everything is fine,” I replied. The table was circular, and he seated himself to my left, next to the Life Hunters, who adjusted their seats as Zayne sat down. Perhaps it was because of his Life Aura.

“You got so much on your plate,” I remarked, noticing the abundance of food he had gathered.

Before Zayne could answer, Axel arrived, dropping his plate onto the table. “I never thought a doctor would be a glutton,” he said, seating himself across from Zayne.

“Glutton? Such words... This is for Ms. Lanaya. These are some of the dishes she likes,” Zayne responded, clearly agitated.

They were going to start arguing again. I could bet on it.

“I never thought La-La brought a butler here,” Axel said mockingly.

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I just picked up my fork and started eating. I wasn’t going to stop them; it would only ruin my appetite.

Now Axel and I were in my room. We had let Zayne leave to avoid any more tension. “You got the list?” I asked Axel. He handed me a piece of paper, which I unfolded to see a list of 20 names along with their causes of death. One name stood out to me.

“Aiden Clark,” I read aloud. The cause of death was listed as suicide.

“What’s wrong with his name?” Axel asked, sitting down next to me on the sofa.

“He’s the only one with a different cause of death. Didn’t you notice this?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Like I would care. I only pay attention to Vivian Mitchell, the soul assigned to me,” he replied nonchalantly. I looked at him in disbelief.

He doesn’t care. Wow.

“Axel, this is important. If Aiden’s death is different, it might mean something,” I insisted.

“Look, La-La, I’m just doing my job. You know how it is. Focus on the task at hand and get it done,” he said, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"Suicide, Isn't that something? Why would he be the only one with a different cause of death?" I mused aloud.

"Maybe someone else on the list is his family or something, or maybe he just jumped from the cruise," Axel suggested.

"No, that's not it. There's no other Clarke on the list. Emma Thompson, Kara Henderson, Olivia Carter, Noah Foster, Ava Morgan, Aiden Clarke, Vivian Mitchell, Elijah Reed, Sophia Collins, James Parker, Isabella Rogers, Mason Rogers, Mia Turner, Red Brooks, Amelia Hughes, Ethan Russell, Charlotte Sullivan... no family connection," I pointed out.

"We should take a look at this guy," I said firmly.

"Yeah, we can try," Axel agreed. "However, I only know the face of Vivian Mitchell, so unless we can identify all 5,000 people here, it'll be easy"

"You're being sarcastic now, huh?" I asked, placing the paper on the coffee table.

"This is a hassle," I sighed.

"Can you let them die?" Axel asked me bluntly.

"Do I want to?" I shot back.

It's impossible for us to locate Aiden Clark among all these people, including the crew. This will be hard.

"Can you do something about it?" I asked Axel, hoping for a solution.

"It's not within our capabilities to know a person's face just by their name," he said. "Obviously."

"Unless there's a Talent hunter here, it will be easy," I muttered with frustration.

"Unless we can get one of the Life Hunters assigned to Aiden to cooperate, everything will be easier," I pondered. "Axel, can you try talking to other Reapers, see if you can find out who they're assigned to?"

Axel thought for a moment, then leaned back on the sofa. "With the Reapers' attitudes, I can only talk to a few," he admitted.

"Is Lucas here?" I asked.

"Why are you looking for that guy?" he questioned, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Well, he's a bit friendlier than you. I guess we can get his help," I said.

"You mean I'm not friendly?" Axel asked in offense.

"Are you?" I shot back.

Axel might not be on good terms with other Reapers, but he used to be friendly with me. Sometimes, though, I've noticed he's downright rude to others in a literal way.

"He's not here," Axel said. "I can ask others, but I'm not sure how many will cooperate."

"It's okay, at least we try," I said with a sigh. "We have to try."s

The next day, there was a knock on my door. When I opened it, Axel stood there with a Life Hunter—a girl with braided black hair and freckles. She looked frightened. I glanced at Axel, who merely shrugged and walked past me to sit on the sofa.

"You can come in," I said to the girl. She nodded and entered.

"You can sit on the sofa," I added. She sat down, still looking uneasy.

"What did you do? She looks scared," I asked Axel telepathically.

"I did nothing," he replied.

"Really?" I pressed.

"Yes," he insisted.

"Hi, I'm La-La from Love Hunter 32-BB Class," I said, introducing myself and extending my hand.

"Mia, Life Hunter 33-C," she replied, shaking my hand. She is new.

"Did Axel do something to you?" I asked her.

Her eyes widened in shock, but she quickly shook her head. "No, no. Mr. Axel asked me nicely to come here."

"See, I told you. You really view me badly, La-La," Axel said to me.

Then why is she so frightened? I wondered.

"Before I ask, is everything alright?" I asked Mia.

"Yeah, it's just that Mr. Axel said if I didn't tell the truth, I would be punished," she explained.

So he did indeed do something, I thought.

I glared at Axel. "I just—" he began to explain, but someone else entered the room. It was Zayne.

"Oh- You have some guests," he said, looking curious.

Mia Point of View

Mr. Axel suddenly knocked on my door earlier and asked if I was the one who handed over Aiden Clark's name. I nodded, since I’m the one assigned to his soul. He then asked if I could come with him, which shocked me. I wasn’t sure what to think, but I decided to follow him. He had asked nicely, but on the way, he said something that frightened me. “If you won’t tell the truth, you will be punished.” The way he said it felt so pressured and serious.

Now I’m here in the room of one of Mr. Axel’s friends—another MT. A human also entered, and his Life Aura is enormous, which really surprised me. I’m still trying to process everything.

“You’ve got the wrong room,” Mr. Axel said to the newcomer, his dark aura swelling in a way that sent shivers down my spine. It was a intimidating presence—one I recognized as being used to intimidate others.

“I’m here for Ms. Lanaya,” the man replied calmly.

Mr. Axel’s aura grew even more intense, a clear sign of his displeasure. His hostility towards this man was evident. It wasn’t just the aura; it was something deeper.

“Is there a problem, Zayne?” Ms. La-La asked the man.

“No, not a problem. I was just worried because you hadn’t come out of your room,” the guy said, his tone with concern.

“Oh, it’s just Axel. I’m helping him with his job,” Ms. La-La explained.

“Can I join too? Maybe I can help,” the guy offered. This guy he doesn’t know what we are.

“No, I don’t need help from a guy like you,” Mr. Axel snapped.

Ms. La-La gave Mr. Axel a light slap on the shoulder, clearly displeased with his attitude. “Yeah, you can join,” she said,.

The guy nodded and took a seat and he seems excited, ready to assist, while Mr. Axel’s irritation was obvious but he stop for the moment.

The room felt cramped now, with Zayne and Mr. Axel seated next to Ms. La-La and me who is in front of them. It was uncomfortable, and I could sense the tension between Mr. Axel.

Ms. La-La leaned forward, her focus entirely on me. “Now, let’s get started. Can you provide a description of Aiden Clark’s face?” she asked.

I took a deep breath and began to describe Aiden Clark as best as I could. Mr. Axel is literally glaring at mee. He also mention I shouldn’t ask anything more about this.

He is scary~

Third Person Point of View

“Aiden Clark has short, dark hair and green eyes. He’s about average height, maybe a bit taller than average,” Mia said. La-La took notes. “Is that all?” La-La asked.

“Yes, that’s all,” Mia answered.

“This is a big help,” La-La said. “Thank you, Mia.” Mia nodded.

“By the way, can you locate him?” La-La asked Mia. But Mia looked at Zayne, hinting that she couldn’t say anything since there is human in the room.

“No, she can’t. He’s not in form yet,” Axel said. In other words, Aiden Clark wasn’t dead yet and wasn’t in the soul registry to be able to be located.

La-La nodded thoughtfully, jotting down the information. “Thank you for the description, Mia. It’s a big help.”

Mia gave a small, relieved smile, clearly appreciative of the acknowledgment.