Chapter 16: Chapter 16

S Ø R E N

FINNIGAN MICHAEL MAGIK was very unapologetically surprised to see the Reapers with such neutral façades upon their return.

The wizard seemed to be on edge —quite anxious and more jittery than before. As though he had been fretting over the outcome. Savannah and Søren shared a subtle look. Their suspicions were proving to be right.

“Did you…succeed in your quest?” inquired Mr Magik.

“Not at all,” Søren quipped. “The timeline refused to be altered.”

“You…do not seem too upset about it,” Mr Magik observed.

“Nope,” said Savannah. “We’ve come to terms with it. We are going to deal with the consequences. Thank you for your help, though.”

The Reapers moved towards the door.

“Wait!” the wizard suddenly cried. He was met with expectant looks. “I…I don’t understand it —if you failed, should you not be enraged? Should you not be cursing me instead of thanking me?”

Søren scoffed. “…You are shameless, Mr Magik.”

The man blinked rapidly, appearing confused. “What?”

“You really did mean to manipulate our emotions, didn’t you?” Savannah elaborated. “We realised it, after our changes were denied. If you had known from the start that we couldn’t do anything, you wouldn’t have helped. Yet you were working with the possibility that nothing would change, and that it would anger us. Just what did you hope to accomplish with such a plan? Did you want us to reap you?”

The wizard stood there, dumbstruck for a moment. The wisps of mist flared ever so slightly, before their movement almost slowed to the point where they were barely flickering around him.

Finnigan smiled.

It began as a smirk, then it grew into a grin. Then a low chuckle escaped his lips. “…Oh, I underestimated you,” he realised. “I didn’t think you would figure it all out. Still. What’s so wrong with what I did? Either way, one party was going to win or lose. There was no win-win option. I simply used the possibility of your loss to my advantage.”

“You used us,” Søren reiterated.

“Yes, but your consequences have nothing to do with me,” Mr Magik truthfully mused. “Either way, whether you ended up reaping my soul as you did with the other mortal or not, that would not change.”

Savannah growled a bit, knowing that he was right.

“We’re leaving now,” Søren told Mr Magik, tugging his trainee along before she could actually fulfil the wizard’s wish. “And you are going to find another way to cleave your soul. Preferably not at the expense of someone else’s,” he emphasised. Then he paused, glaring at the immortal darkly. “Though maybe this is simply a curse which you deserve.”

Mr Magik raised his eyebrows slightly at that. Then he barked a laugh. “That was what that maiden told me as well when she left.”

Søren shook his head in pity as he nudged a stubborn Savannah out of the front door, realising that what had happened to Finnigan was precisely why mortals were not gifted with magic.

✠

The Reapers stepped into Søren’s apartment physically sound but mentally drained. Savannah selfishly sprawled onto the sofa, sighing deeply. Søren knew that she had wanted to stay longer to give Mr Magik a piece of her mind, but that would have been playing directly into his hand.

“You have got to learn to control your temper,” the Trainer advised.

“What’s the point in that?” she huffed, staring up at the ceiling. “If I’m going to be put to death, then it won’t matter.”

“As I keep saying, you don’t know that,” Søren clipped. “The Boss could have mercy, for whatever the reason.” Though even he doubted it.

“And what about Mr Magik? We can’t seriously just leave that psycho be, can we?” she asked. “We have to report him. He’s a danger to society.”

“We swore upon the River Styx not to alert any authorities,” he reminded her. “There is nothing that we can do.”

She grumbled bitterly.

“…Anyway. I should go and submit a report about the whole Aaron incident. It’s better to own up before we’re found out instead,” Søren then quipped, heading for the computer room.

He opened the door and received the fright of his life as he switched on the lights. A small gathering of people he had never seen before were before him. It consisted of Security officers; bodyguards; all with long gleaming scythes —and in the forefront, was a sharply dressed raven-haired man with a serious, deathly look chiselled into his stony features. A soft golden godly halo emitted from him, like a thin sheet of hazy shimmering light.

“Security breached,” Angelina decided it was the best time to announce the security status. Savannah ran in, coming to a standstill beside Søren.

“Did you kids find what you were looking for?” the presumed god in the expensive suit asked, his arms folded coldly.

The Reapers froze. The god glanced at Savannah —at the necklace around her neck, and down at her sword. Søren then narrowed his gaze at the deity’s chest. Something was faintly glowing underneath his shirt. The Trainer took a protective step in front of Savannah.

“Aaron,” the god said leisurely, and snapped his fingers. He turned slightly to the side, but his bronze eyes stayed glued to the Reapers.

Søren and his trainee tensed at the name, before the Trainer wondered for what exactly the god would be calling that soul.

The red misty form of Savannah’s ex-boyfriend materialised next to the deity; the soul’s eyes aglow and boring into the Reapers like a predator.

Savannah flinched and inhaled sharply, before clutching onto Søren. The Trainer glared at Aaron, and the soul regarded him wearily.

“That’s her,” Aaron lifted his finger towards the redheaded Reaper and said; his voice distorted and as ear-damaging as a screeching violin, causing everyone to wince. The god shifted his weight to his right and snapped his fingers again, prompting the soul to disappear again, leaving a vapour of red dust. “You, are coming with me.”

He was pointing at the trainee.

The Security officers made moves to take her forcefully but hesitated when Søren put his hand up, recognising his authority.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked the god. “And what warrant do you have to search my apartment?”

The Security officers all glanced backwards to their commanding officer, raising their eyebrows. The god flippantly waved his hand in a way of saying that it was fine before smiling at Søren maniacally.

“You know, Søren,” he started, forcefully fiddling with his shirt cuff links, “Considering how long you’ve worked for me, I would have thought you would address me with a little more respect.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets and glared at the Trainer, causing Søren to hesitate. Could it be…this male…was the Boss?

Søren dithered. It then hit him that Death himself had felt compelled to visit them personally —or rather, apprehend them.

“Shit,” he then blurted out, before Savannah elbowed him in outrage. “I mean —” he coughed as the Boss gave him a look, “…I’m sorry sir. I didn’t know that it was you. I didn’t mean to speak so disrespectfully to you.”

“Quite,” he spat, eyeing the Trainer spitefully. “It should pain me to say this, but unfortunately for a Trainer with your reputation, I’m going to have to bring you in with your trainee —for harbouring a criminal.”

Søren frowned, though it was not news to him. “I…I understand, sir.”

Savannah stepped out from behind him and put her arms out. “No. I’ve changed my mind. Don’t bring him into this,” she pleaded, “He tried to warn me and stop me but it’s my fault I disobeyed his orders. I didn’t listen. So, please —don’t punish him for my mistake.”

There was a beat of silence.

“…Mistake,” the Boss snorted, taking a step towards her. His eyes flashed a brighter bronze, the clocks within them more visible; and every vein in his neck straining. “You see, young Reaper, a mistake is when you forget to reap a soul on any given day. What you did? That was murder.”

Savannah shrunk back and hung her head, which made Søren frown.

How dare he lecture her. She had already learned the lesson —she did not need to hear it again. And if anyone was going to speak to her that way, it was going to be her Trainer.

He gently moved her aside and stared the Boss down.

“Look, I understand that what she did was unlawful, but she’s still kind of new to this. As her Trainer, I should take more responsibility. I didn’t warn her, and that’s as much of a fact as her not listening.” Søren then paused and glared at the glow coming from under the god’s clothes. “And…”

He glanced back at Savannah’s necklace, and she looked at him in confusion, before he turned back to the god of death. “…Are you aware that your chest

is glowing?”

The Boss glanced downwards, and almost seemed startled. He had not noticed all of this time. Then he looked at Savannah, who quickly clutched at her own chest. The god pressed his lips together thoughtfully; regained his composure and straightened his tie, before clearing his throat. “…Savannah. You need to come with me —immediately.”

The redhead glared at him, after having attained some sort of confidence.

“I don’t care who you think you are,” she started, taking several steps towards him and agitating the bodyguards, “and I don’t care what your rank is. What I want to know,” she hissed, and stabbed a finger in his chest, from where the glow was emitting, “is what the heck this is.”

“Hey, that’s enough of that,” the closest bodyguard then warned, stepping forward and raising his arm.

Savannah’s head jerked in his direction and she caught his fist easily, before twisting his large muscular arm away from her until he doubled up in pain and crumpled to the floor. Everyone immediately took a step backwards, but Søren was too surprised to move.

It was almost as though the girl had become a different person.

She then turned back to the Boss and tilted her head to the side, the burning rage in her golden eyes almost rivalling his.

The god did not turn a hair —though he did put on a look of disgust and lean slightly away —and stared back at her blankly. Savannah then dug into the front of her top and pulled out her necklace, holding it in front of his face. He still remained poker faced.

“…You have one too —don’t you?” she whispered.

He did not answer, but the way his gaze shifted in discomfort suggested that Savannah, was right.