Hi! My name is Milaina Tanda. I'm seventeen and am currently driving home from school. As I am driving home, I hum a tune, thinking about what I should do when I get home.
I stop at a red light and patiently wait for it to turn green. Once it does, I go to turn onto the road that leads to my neighborhood, when another car runs the red light and slams into me.
I hit my head on something and black out.
When I wake up, I find myself laying on the ground outside of my car, feeling ok. I look around and see a bunch of people surrounding me, worried and panicked looks on their faces.
I hear one of them talk, "She's not waking up!" I tilt my head in confusion, "What do you mean, I'm wide awake...?"
I then sit up, the people around me not reacting to my movement at all, "The heck..." I then look at where I was laying down and see... Myself?
It takes me a second to realize something, "Am I dead?!" The me I'm looking at has some cuts along their face, and a lot of blood running down her head.
I feel panicked, "Oh my god, I'm dead! I actually died! Holy crap! I'm dead! I'm freaking dead!" I grab my knees and hug them close to me, "Mom's gonna be heartbroken over this, Dad too... Sally, Tom, the rest of my friends... Why?!"
I almost begin crying, when I hear a weird warping sound come from behind me. I look and see a dark oval with fog pouring out of it.
Suddenly, a boot exits the shape, followed by a leg. After the being fully exits the portal, I get a good look at them.
They look like an eighteen-year-old girl with pitch black hair and eyes, which have large bags under them, and skin that looks as white as bone, with a black tank top that has a few words and a picture written on it, the words saying, 'I'll see you soon.' with a scythe swinging under them, her pants being black torn up jeans, and a pair of gothic boots covering her feet.
She sees me and makes her way to me. She reaches me and sighs, "What a state you're in. Alright, come with me, I'll explain what's happening on the way."
Seeing as I don't think I have a choice; I stand up and follow the mysterious girl to the object she came out of.
We reach the object, with the girl allowing me to enter first. I step into the object, which now that I think about it looks like a portal of sorts.
I then find myself in a very dark place, filled with a shin high fog and graves, a few mausoleums scattered about.
Soon the girl from before steps out from the portal behind me, the portal closing soon after, "W-where are we?"
The woman starts walking, "Welcome, to the realm of death and darkness. Follow me."
I decide to listen and follow closely behind her, spotting a few things, like skeletons dressed in pitch black armor and small clouds of fog vaguely resembling a human-ish shape.
I follow the girl to a decrepit looking castle, skulls and other grotesque decorations covering it, with ghostly blue flames lighting up specific areas.
We stop in front of the castle, the girl looking up at one of the towers, "Hey! Lower the gate! Official Emissary business!"
I then hear a voice that sound like sandpaper, "Oh shit! It's her! Just one second Emissary Grim!" After a moment, the gates open, allowing us entrance to the castle.
We enter the castle, and I look around, seeing a few more skeletons moving about, all dressed in medieval servant attire, with a few grim flairs.
I continue following the girl and eventually reach a room enclosed by twin doors, a mural carved into them depicting a man surrounded by skeletons and zombies, the monsters seemingly filled with reverence for the man in the center.
We stop at the door, two skeletons in full plate armor made of a pitch-black material standing guard, "Alright. We're here. Just don't be an asshole and you'll be fine."
I nod slowly, which seems to be enough for her, as she pushes open the doors, revealing a magnificent throne room, a man in dark purple robes with a golden crown on his head, looking at us with a casual smile on his face.
We enter, with me looking around in wonder. We stop a few meters from the throne, the girl who brought me here kneeling. I decide to do the same, unsure of my situation with only a few ideas floating around in my head.
The man speaks, "You don't need to kneel. Especially you, considering why you're here." I look to my side and see the girl stand up, with me following shortly after.
The man stands up from his throne and walks towards us, "Let us begin our discussion somewhere more... Casual. Follow me."
We then follow the man out of the throne room and to a black stone arch, a portal contained within the stone bricks.
The man steps into the portal, with the girl letting me go first. I step into the portal, soon finding myself at a black sand beach, the moon lighting up the area and the ocean being a dark blue.
After I finish looking around, I see the man from earlier in a much more casual outfit, consisting of a black tropical shirt, the buttons undone showing the man's chest and stomach, a pair of black swim shorts, and a pair of black and white sandals. On his hands are a pair of black gloves.
I hear a pair of footsteps behind me and turn to see the girl from before behind me. We walk over to the man, "Now that we are in a less formal environment, let's talk."
The man continues, "My name is Azmaveth, and I'm the God of Death and Darkness. Behind you is my Emissary of Death, Grim."
I look at him with shock, "Y-you're a God?!" Azmaveth nods, "Now, onto more pressing matters, concerning your... Untimely demise..."
I bring my hand up to my hair and begin twirling it, a sign of my nervousness, "Um, ok... What about it?"
Azmaveth looks at the girl next to me, who sighs, "You weren't supposed to die today. I made a mistake and accidentally killed you. I'm very sorry."
I look at her, "I... wasn't supposed to die?" The girl nods, "Is there any way to reverse this?" Azmaveth shakes his head, before speaking, "I could hand you off to my colleague for reincarnation, but you wouldn't be going back to your old life. I'm sorry, but it's the rules. I can't change 'em, even if I tried."
I stop messing with my hair and look at the sand beneath me, "I see..." Azmaveth looks at Grim and juts his head to the side, as if telling her to do something.
Grim then walks off and soon comes back with a beach chair, which she puts behind me. I take that as an invitation to sit, and do just that, the weight of the situation finally hitting me in full force.
I begin crying, Azmaveth looking at me like he doesn't know what to do. Azmaveth and Grim both leave me to my emotions while they do something else.
I lament over my own death, sobbing in solitude.
---With Azmaveth and Grim---
"Shit, I expected an emotional reaction, but not that extreme. Zira never told me about this part of dealing with dead souls!" Azmaveth says.
Grim yawns, "Couldn't you use your {Origin Fragment} to send her back?" Azmaveth shakes his head, "No, only Zira can use an {Origin Fragment} to send people back to their original worlds... Wait, that's it!"
Grim look at Azmaveth strangely, "What have you come up with now?" Azmaveth smiles, "I can just get Zira's help with this! She can reincarnate Milaina with her memories in a new world. We deal with the problem without using any items or breaking any rules, and Milaina gets to live again! I'm a genius!"
Grim plants her palm against her forehead, "You do realize that you would owe Zira a favor afterwards, right?"
Azmaveth, pauses at that detail, "Shit... Wait! No, I already have a favor owed from her. I won't be in debt!"
Grim seems to realize she forgot that detail, "Oh yeah, she does owe you a favor. What did you do for her to get her to owe you again?"
Azmaveth smiles, "I lent her some {Celestial Death Knights} for a project. Now that I think about it, I never got those guys back... Oh well! They're not that hard to create anyways. I'll go call Zira, and we can get started, you go make sure Milaina is ok."
Grim nods, before yawning and going back to where Milaina is.
Azmaveth then conjures a skull in a burst of pitch-black smoke and speaks into it, "Hey, Zira. I'm calling to let you know I would like to cash in on that favor you owe me."
The skull then lets out a feminine groan, "Vethy? Why're you callinnng me?" Azmaveth makes a strange face, "Zira, are you drunk?"
The skull then emits a subtle sound akin to a glass bottle being slid against something, "Um... Maaaaybe? Danka came over with drinks, so we drank a bit, and you know how he is about alcohol once he starts... He brought my favorite too..."
Azmaveth sighs, "Zira, are you able to do anything?" Silence, "Zira?"
The skull then emits a loud sound, "Huh?! Oh, yeah, I can still use my magic... I just might make a few mistakes. Why are you asking?"
Azmaveth sighs, wondering if he should wait until Zira is sober, "I need you to reincarnate someone for me. Grim accidentally killed the wrong person, and now we have to make her alive again. I would ask Lyra, but we both know how that would end."
The skull lets out a hiccup, "Sure, I can get on that for you. Just give me a few minutes..." Azmaveth then thanks Zira and crushes the skull, the call between the two Divine's ending.
Azmaveth sighs while looking out at the ocean, 'I have a bad feeling about this...'
---With Milaina---
I stare out at the ocean, having calmed down and accepted my situation, 'I'm dead. Sure, I'll miss my parents, my friends, but... It's not like I can do anything about it now. It's all out of my hands.'
I then hear a pair of footsteps. I look over and see Grim walking over to me. She stops a few feet away from me with another beach chair in her hands, opening it up and putting it down next to me.
She then sits down on the chair, silent as a dead mouse. After a moment, she speaks, "Ya know, I was once in a situation similar to yours. I had gotten myself trapped in a... Let's just say a bad place and couldn't escape."
I look at her as she continues her story, "In the place I was trapped, death would have been a mercy." Grim lets out a shuddery breath, "But sadly, mercy is not a thing in that place."
Grim then smiles a little, "But then, Azmaveth rescued me, showed me a new life, well, I say life but I'm not really alive, now, am I? I guess un-life would be more accurate."
Grim stays quiet for a moment, before speaking again, "I once had mortal friends. I was the one who guided each one through death. It's funny, they get to die, but I don't, not that I mind. After a few cycles, I lost track of their souls, so I can't find them even if I wanted to."
Grim sniffles, before she looks around, "Don't tell Azmaveth, but I'm gonna give you a little something once your strong enough to use it, ok? Just don't die before you can get it, I would really like to not see your name on my list for a while."
I nod, before seeing Azmaveth walk over to us with a complicated look on his face. Grim notices and asks him, "Boss, what's wrong?"
Azmaveth sighs, "Its nothing Grim, just have a bad feeling about something."
After a few minutes, Azmaveth receives a leather-bound book in a burst of fire, which he avoids until the fire fully dissipates. He then grabs the book and hands it to me, "From what my colleague has told me, opening this book will send you to your next life, in a new body and world. She never told me the specifics, but I can't argue with the results, so, take it. When you're ready, just open it to the first page."
I take the book, and look at Grim and Azmaveth one last time, Grim making a 'Call Me' gesture with her hand, which I don' think Azmaveth saw.
I smile, tears threatening to form again, "Thank you, for this second chance. Thank your colleague for me, Azmaveth."
After getting a nod from Azmaveth, I open the book, a blinding light obscuring my vision, followed my complete darkness.
---Third Person---The Beach---
Azmaveth and his Emissary Grim stand still as they watch Milaina move on to her next life, Azmaveth still feeling like somethings off.
Suddenly, a circle of fire rapidly forms in front of the two beings of death, with Zira quickly appearing from it, looking distressed.
She calmly walks over to Azmaveth, casting Grim a worried look as she does, "Azmaveth, please tell me she didn't use the book yet."
Azmaveth blinks at Zira, "She just did. Why did something go wrong?" Zira's eye then begins twitching, "Fuck."
One simple word, but because it came from Zira's mouth, the two deathful beings immediately knew something was wrong.
Zira quickly calms down, "I believe I may have messed up royally this time." Azmaveth asks her how. Zira grabs her head, as if she has a headache, "I accidentally put something other than human for poor Milaina's race..."
Grim steps up, "What did you put?" Zira sighs, "I think I put..."
---To Be Continued---