The coldness of a winter death lifeless, stripping away the old, damaged, diseased yet deep within the seed is new life, awaiting the warmth of spring.
Neo finally was able to leave the house, the wet and cold had kept him indoors and now he could get out and practise his flute.
“Mum, I’m heading out, be back in time for dinner!”
A reply echoed from the living room “Ok take care it’s still a bit icy out”.
Neo closed the front door, bag in hand, it had been his normal routine for years going out seeking inspiration and to practice his flute, it had been a cold winter and Neo hadn't been for a while and was excited to head out.
Heading through their iron gate he followed the concrete path up toward agrove of trees that separated the farmland and the resident areas.
Neo soon found the path that he needed to take and followed it through the farmland as it steadily sloped up.
As the gradient increased a burning started in his legs eventually the land gave way to a graceful green hill that had a crag cut into it, the crag overlooked the trees and fields of Swansea.
Sitting down on the crag edge like he’d done many times before, Neo grabbed his flute out of his bag and began practising.
Neo went through his entire routine before stopping to a round of applause, a little surprised Neo wobbled on the edge of the crag putting out a hand to steady himself.
“Very impressive, the flute is quite the underrated instrument if I do say so myself.”
Neo looked towards where the voice originated from finding a tall dark hooded man standing a little way back in a black leather coat.
“Thank you, I enjoy playing”
Neo continued watching the scenery it wasn’t until the mysterious man sat down next to him that Neo’s stomach started doing flips fearing that the stranger could push him off the crag if he wanted.
“A very talented person!”
“Do I know you?” Neo asked wondering who this random person was.
“No, but I do know you Neo, very interesting hobbies; gamer, master martial artist, flautist and bookworm.”
Neo’s brains went into overdrive as thoughts of this man, knowing him, how, why, when, where, who is he!
“Knowledgeable, tactical, strategic-minded, creative, courageous and calm. A good human and a perfect pick if I do say so myself.
You’re a jack of all trades but mastered a few of them like your martial arts, you also have a more strategic mind with those video games you play."
Neo had quite enough he had no idea who this creep was “Who are you?”
This cut the mystery man off from his rant of Neo’s perfections but Neo noticed that he hadn’t said anything about his looks, which were average as far as Neo was concerned which didn’t bother him but his overweightness did.
He found it annoying even if he was strong and fit underneath it he just couldn’t get rid of it.
“Ow sorry I seemed to have gone off on my own tangent, I am very close to everyone as I am Death!”
Neo burst out with a short laugh as the words registered “Death, I do have to say never imagined you to come to speak with me for nothing.”
Neo thought about the crazy man beside him 'let's go along with the disillusion or he might get violent and push him off.
“Ow, I’m not disillusioned; you’re the disillusioned one here, look down!”
Looking down Neo’s mind span with vertigo he was sitting in mid-air! “ahah… what the hell! How can I be sitting in mid-air!”
Neo saw through the trees below the freshly moved earth of the fallen crag, covered with dirt he recognised his black hoody.
Looking down at himself his clothes hadn’t suddenly fallen off him, ‘well that's weird everything still here, Ok?’
Neo looked back down to study the clothes abit more closely, finding that there was a body still occupying them his stomach fell to his feet he noticed some brown-blond hair peeking through the hoodie.
A shiver went down his back, as his hand subconsciously moved to his own brown-blond hair.
Looking back at Death wide-eyed he considered the possibility of being drugged and that these were just hallucinations.
“They’re not hallucinations, this is real life, you are dead and I am Death, a pleasure to meet you! But alas I have an offer for you this world has gone beyond my understanding.
I left for a few thousand years and I come back and you humans have invented new types of death social media, soap operas and video games where alot of people die and yet no… no damn souls it is infuriating and confuses me let alone the billions of people I need to keep track of and with trillions more in other planets I can’t keep up for the first time in a 14 odd billion years of living it takes the internet for me to decide I need help.”
Neo listened trying to keep a cool appearance as if it was all normal.
“This is why I have selected you to become Earths Death you will be in charge of collecting the souls of the dead and the grim reapers will be under your authority.”
“grim reapers?” Neo was suddenly interested as he was talking fantasy a subject he was always interested in.
Then Neo realised that he hadn’t spoken out loud about being drugged or when he thought about the disillusioned part 'so Death can read minds.'
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“Of course I can as will you in time. Now grim reapers collect souls for me when I’m not around and in return, I pay them with power and life, they would be your responsibility to pay, look after and earn their trust after they are transferred to you, if you accept of course.”
Neo was very interested in the offer he’d have power, minions and a new world to explore much like the video games he likes, 'but what’s the catch?'
“There is always a catch Neo firstly you won’t have the power you will have to earn it! You won’t be able to see your loved ones again as they can’t see you like any normal human can, they will see the truth and they may not be able to handle it. So I’d suggest falling in love with someone of the supernatural world as they are more used to seeing dramatic transformations.”
Neo looked out over the view while he digested the information he like the idea of the supernatural/magical world, the powers he didn’t mind earning as nothing is given free in life as he learnt from his martial arts, he’d worked for 10 years he was so pleased to get his Black belt after years of practise and it only helped him understand that he knew nothing and strived to be better.
“What will happen if I decline?”
“I will take your soul and try to find another.”
“What will happen if I agree?
“You will be given a grace period of a month before, I start your training so you will have time to acclimatise as there is more than the human world to care for on Earth.
You will feel and look like your old self and people will interact with you as if you were a normal human being.
You might want to leave Swansea as you might be recognised; I would suggest that you go to Swansea shopping centre where there is a gateway into the supernatural world.
I will however give you a birth certificate but the rest you will have to sort yourself out if you wish too.”
“I would say that you have an enticing offer but there is only one option really! It’ll be a yes, however I would like to see how I died?”
Neo had to be sure that Death had no part in his death as he had been to this crag many times and nothing has ever happened.
Death looked a little concerned “I have blocked the memory since it isn’t pleasant to feel death and could affect you!”
Neo countered with “If you want me to be Death then shouldn’t I understand and experience death?”
Death was silent for a few moments before relenting with a smile “Only as you have accepted being Earth’s Death”
Death held out his pale hand, Neo grabbed the offered hand firmly shaking, Death smiled and the illusion around him flash for a second an Neo saw Death’s skull, shadows, rot, and blood a truly frightening sight.
Neo fell back unconscious as a scene unfolded in front of him, he was in the middle of one of his pieces of music when he heard a cracking and the rocks he was sitting on slid, he fell with the rocks tumbling around him the sound of cracking wood and sharp pain of rocks hitting him as he tumbles.
The fall was short he landed face first he heard the breaking of his bones, registered the pain, throughout his body, his sight faded he couldn’t breathe properly blood had started filling his lungs before long Neo couldn’t breathe at all the world faded away entirely.
Light rushed towards him, bolting up from his lying position, dragging in sweet sweet air in great heaves, sweat pouring from him, he emptied his stomach and rubbed his body as a cold feeling that seemed to pierce his bones.
After a few minutes of being sick, he calmed his breathing and had rubbed the cold from his bones as he slowly came to terms with his horrific death.
“Your right that was unpleasant, so how do you make me Death.”
“I already have made you Death you won’t feel any different than before if you speak into the air calling “Soul Shop” You will find an extensive list of things to use your souls on much like those games of yours.”
“What? Why do I need a soul shop?” As he spoke the words a scroll appeared in front of him with a list of categories with weapons, abilities, items, armour, death abilities, grim reaper’s ……….
It was quite an expansive list in the top right there were souls with a big fat zero next to it.
“Well the same reason why you would in a game to make you stronger, to stop you dying.
Sometimes there will be beings that you may need to kill that will be many times stronger then yourself.
You will learn more when it comes to doing your training.”
“Cool”
Neo delved into the lists weapons had more categories within knives, sword, guns, bows, flutes …... The items were the same with metals&minerals listed a long with consumables, electronics, and cutlery…….
The abilities had all sorts of fantasy abilities; Death’s abilities were very interesting with the true form being present at one million souls whatever that meant.
grim reaper’s had similar abilities to Death’s but were greyed out guessing that it was the way they were granted power and enhancements with strength 1 and such alike and body modifications Neo thought that the last one might be in the wrong category but hey it wasn’t that important.
But otherwise, it was very much like a game as the scroll appeared in mid-air with what looked like a search bar, a list of skills, abilities, items and a currency that needs to be gained to spend on those skills, abilities and items.
“So what name do you want?” Death asked very happy with himself.
“I like Neo, I guess I can't keep my old surname so how about Marwolaeth so, Neo Marwolaeth” Neo chuckled to himself for his cleverness
Death seemed to like the name “Very appropriate I think.”
A cloud of shadows formed and a pink piece of paper appeared with the details of his new life filled in.
“Cool thank you, so what now?”
“Well I am going to give you a 100 souls for you to spend too start you off I would definitely get true sight enhancement which allows you to see the supernatural world and get a weapon as any weapon that you get will collect the soul from those you kill or if you touch a paranormal with it will absorb them.
As for getting any of death's abilities they are expensive so I can’t see you getting them anytime soon.
And then get a fairly normal ability to use when you don’t want to kill or whatever you like it’s your life.”
Neo nodded his understanding “So, how do I get souls?”
Death looked at him a smile creeping on to his face and in a cold voice “However you like you can kill them through disease, murder them yourself, accidents, wars, old age, natural disasters of your making, it is up to you.”
Neo gulped and inwardly ‘Well maybe I did make a bad decision here I am no murderer, looks like I am going to be a slow grower, I wonder if the local graveyard has been cleared recently.’
Death stepped away “Right then I think I will leave it to you until the grace period is up, I’ll be obversing you till then.
I’ll guide you if i can but if you die again I will not save you, so get that immortality enhancement as soon as you can it’ll help.”
Neo grabbed Deaths warm hand and a Grey mist formed and travelled down Death’s arm meeting Neo’s own hand and entered him a feeling washed over him just like he’d drunk several beers as the world spun.
Neo heard a whisper from Death “You get used to that feeling, have fun try to enjoy life.”
As Neo’s world steadied he realised he was alone on the cliff.
Looking down he saw the rock pile and his body, he gulped and walked away tears falling down his checks he was going to miss his mum, sister and he hoped they’d be ok without him promising himself that he would find away to watch over them from afar.
He started walking back down the same road he’d travel down many times before except it looked much bleaker the colour had drained and as he got to the crossroads the road right was toward home, mum, sis, car, comfort and support.
He took a deep breath thinking over Death’s words at first he didn’t believe what Death was saying but once he got memories of dying he didn’t doubt it, Neo thought he’d better hold to Death’s instructions.
With no expectations he turned left and headed to Swansea to find the gateway into the supernatural world.