Now that introductions had been made, I couldn't seem to find any time to myself.

Anders bugged me to practice with the Scythe and train with Chase. Which I was doing, but not very well, admittedly. I was not cut out for combat and I ended up with more bruises than knowledge. Not to say Chase was a bad teacher; it just wasn't as easy as the movies made it look.

I found myself trying to be around Amelia as much as I could. She was gorgeous and her quirky, obnoxious laugh made me smile. She would keep her hair off to one side, tucked behind her ear, and I found that I had to stop myself from reaching out to brush it back behind when it fell...

Anyway, I spent a lot of time hanging out with the zombie Rabbi, who is a pretty cool guy. We talked about life and death and he'd say all kinds of inappropriate things. Talking with him was like what I imagine having a really old grandfather was like. Except, you know, zombie. Sometimes I caught myself thinking of Erin. Not in the same way I used to, where I would lose hours of the day, and hours of sleep. More in the way where I reflected on my own mistakes. I knew I couldn't blame myself for her choices and actions, but I also knew that I hadn't been the best boyfriend either. We had been living together for almost two years, and I hadn't really done anything with myself. I had no job and I just kinda bummed around stoned all the time. I wondered how long she had been cheating on me. How do you know when someone has fallen out of love with you?

I tried not to dwell on it, cause it made the scar on my stomach itch.

I had found a space to think, away from everyone else. I hid up in the Cathedral's belltower, away from all the noise and prying eyes. Here, I could look out at the city's traffic as it flew by, headphones on, lost in my music. The evening wind caressed my face like a lover’s hand and I shivered; it’s cold and familiar. Looking over the edge, I can't help but wonder what she's doing right now.

I felt something touch my shoulder and I almost jumped off the edge of the building. Again. I took off my headphones and looked behind me. It’s the nerdy guy with his University sweater and his perfectly crafted brown hair.

“You scared the shit out of me dude.” I said, giving him the dirtiest look I could muster, but he smiled anyway.

“Sorry bud! Just wanted to let you know we ordered in some pizza. With all the excitement going on lately, no one was really in the mood to cook. Why are ya hiding out up here?” He said happily. This guy always seemed overly cheerful.

“I came up here to be alone. It’s over crowded down there.” I told him.

“I figured. I come up here sometimes too. That’s why I thought to check.” He sat down next to me and hung his legs over the edge. "What's got ya down?"

I pulled my knees into my chest and stared out from under my hood. “Nothing.”

“I know that look. The distance in your eyes betrays the longing in your heart.” He said, the cheerful demeanor slipping away for a more solemn wisdom.

“Yep, you hit the nail on the head. That burger joint across the way is calling my name. I’m tempted just to hop down from here, I want it so bad.” I say, trying to kill the serious moment.

He laughed genuinely and smiled at me as if to say, “Good joke, but that’s not gonna fly.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

I sigh heavily and tell him about Erin and he listens to my whole story.

“That’s rough man. I’m sorry to hear all that happened to you.” He said sadly.

I pressed my forehead into my knees and tried to hold myself together. I stifled that crappy feeling you get when you know you’re gonna cry but don’t want to. I realized that I hadn’t really taken the time to cry, or feel my emotions. Something always came up. Something was always happening. I heard him stand and then he was kneeling next to me. When he wrapped his arms around me, I flinched, but he didn't back away.

No one had hugged me in a long time. I felt myself cry, and I knew I would have a hard time stopping.

“Hey man, just let it out.” It was the most comforting thing anyone had said to me in a long time. When I composed myself, he decided he could let go. He stepped back a bit and looked under my hood.

“If you ever need to talk…”

“Yea, thanks.” I told him.

“Gonna come down for pizza?” He asked.

“Probably.”

“Alright, I’ll see you down there.” And then he was gone. Erin had always had a hard time comforting me. I was never allowed to be weak. It's hard to be happy if you can’t ever let your guard down.

After a while I made my way back down the belltower and into the mess hall. Orion and his team were all sitting and chatting over a pile of pizza boxes. Ethan was covered in sauce and making noises like an animal eating from a trough. Tadashi was eating his with a fork and knife, leaving his crust off to the side in a neat pile. Amelia had been holding a slice while talking to Orion for so long that most of the toppings have slid off.

“Hey Dyson, come join us!” Ethan called out with his mouthful. Tadashi glared at him and handed him a stack of napkins. Ethan blushes and nodded his thanks as he took them. Orion pulled out a chair for me to sit beside him. I spun the chair around and sat on it backwards.

“So what’s it like wielding Death’s Scythe? Are you like an undead now or something?” Amelia asked, the last of her toppings falling off her slice.

“Or something.” I smirked. Clearly, my answer was unsatisfying. As I reached for a slice of pizza, she slapped my hand and I retracted it like a wounded animal.

“I died a couple times and Anders thought I was a good match for it. I dunno how it works. I’m still adjusting to this whole ‘Secret Underground Order of Magic and Crap’.”

“SUOMAC?” Orion laughed, creating an acronym for my bullshit, “Almost sounds better than The Order of Vigilance.”

“So how come you don’t look like the Rabbi?” Ethan asked. I cocked my eyebrow.

“I don’t stay dead long enough to rot. At least not yet. I’m not sure how this whole thing works, but I'm pretty sure I'm not all the way dead. Or at least the ghost girl that follows me around told me I'm not. She's nice. I wish you guys could meet her. But enough about me, what about you guys, what Artifacts do you have?”

“I have Gae Bolg, Cu Chulainn’s spear. It was said that he was the only one who knew how to wield it properly. It has a special function but I haven’t quite worked that part out yet.” Amelia summoned the spear to the table and the guys complained at her to put it away. She patted it affectionately before it poofed away. I found myself staring at her even as the other’s explained their weapons.

“I’ve got the Sword of Attila. Like the Hun guy. But it’s been owned by so many people, that it really doesn’t matter what I call it. The Sword of Ethan sounds much better. Maybe that’s what I’ll call it from now on.” Amelia rolled her eyes at her brother and he grinned.

"I ended up with Apollo's Golden Bow. But I've had other Artifacts before. All bows. Apparently some Chosen can bond with multiple Artifacts. When Anders first recruited me, I was first bonded to Sir Tristan’s bow, Fail-Not. One time, by total mistake I used Cupid’s bow. Boy was that an exciting day.” Orion told me.

“He made werewolf fall in love with a fire hydrant.” Ethan snorted.

“Not my best work admittedly.” Orion grimaced before laughing.

The rest soon joined in. I hated being the new guy. These guys had been through so much together already, and here I was, the noob, as Orion would say. I didn't even really know how to use Death's Scythe yet. Orion saw the wave of doubt pass over my face. He patted me on the back and grinned widely.

“It took all of us a while to adapt to this too. Don’t worry too much about it.” He said reassuringly.

“Damn, worrying is like, my superpower.” I told him.

"I thought dying was your superpower?" Amelia asked.

Everyone laughed and I found myself joining them. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.