The weight on Gray's chest was heavier than usual tonight, an pressure that he'd grown accustomed to over the years. His room was dark, save for the dim glow of a single streetlight slightly visible through the cracked blinds.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt anything. It was as if his life had been drained of color, leaving him in a world of gray. He was just existing, going through the motions of working, sleeping, and repeating the cycle with no end in sight.
But tonight felt different. There was something about the stillness, something unnatural.
He lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling, when a sudden heaviness overtook him. His eyelids fluttered, and before he knew it, he was drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep.
....
Gray wasn't sure when he woke up. Or if he'd even woken up at all.
He found himself in a vast, featureless white space. There were no walls, no floor, no sky just an endless expanse of white. He looked down at his hands, but instead of seeing flesh, he saw... nothing. Or rather, he saw himself, a faintly glowing black orb of energy.
"What the hell…" his voice was heard, though he had no mouth to speak with.
He turned or rather, shifted trying to make sense of his surroundings. In the distance, he noticed a line of other glowing orbs, all different shades of darkness. They stood there...silently, waiting.
"What is this place?"
No answer came. The silence stretched on, so thick it was almost suffocating.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. From the white expanse, a presence made itself known. At first, it was just a flicker at the edge of his awareness, but then it became clearer a shadowy figure standing infront of him. It was humanoid in shape but unnaturally tall, and in its hand, it held a massive scythe.
The figure's eyes glowed, locking onto Gray.
"You are... lost," the voice was like a whisper and a roar all at once, carrying an unearthly weight. "Caught between worlds. Between life... and well...death."
Gray's pulse quickened or at least, it would have if he still had a heart to race.
"Where am I?" Gray asked, his voice trembling, though he tried to keep it steady.
The figure remained silent for a moment, its gaze never leaving him. Then, slowly, it raised its scythe and pointed at the line of glowing orbs beside him.
"You have been given a choice," the figure said. "The Cycle of Reincarnation, or something… far more dangerous."
"Reincarnation?" Gray said, uncertainty creeping into his voice. "What are you talking about? Why am I here?"
The figure let out a low, hollow chuckle. "This place... this void... is where all souls come when they are dead. Some pass on to the cycleand their memories are erased,so they can start on in their life...if there is. But for you, there is another path."
The figure stepped forward, the weight of its presence pressing down on Gray's very being. It reached out a long, clawed hand and gestured toward the line of glowing orbs.
"You may choose to enter the Cycle of Reincarnation and forget all you've ever known. Or... you can devour another soul and grow into a Reaper. A hunter of souls. A servant of the One Above."
Gray felt a surge of panic rise within him, though it quickly became twisted by something else,a flicker of curiosity.
"A Reaper?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Yes." The figure's eyes burned brighter. "Should you choose this path, you will forsake your humanity. You will no longer be a mere mortal. You will become something greater, something eternal. You will take on the Mark, and with it, power beyond your imagination. But beware... the cost is high. Once you take a soul, there is no turning back."
Gray's thoughts raced.Devour another soul? Could he do that? Could he live with that? He had spent years feeling like nothing mattered,like he didn't matter. But here was a chance to change that. A chance to be something else. Something important.
He hesitated.
"If I… if I take a soul… what happens to them?" Gray asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
The figure tilted its head slightly, as if amused by the question. "They will cease to exist. Their entire being will be consumed by you, absorbed into your very being. It is a brutal act, but such is the nature of power."
Gray started recalling the memories of his past...or...what was left on them and made a decision...
He walked or rather he floated towards another pure white flowing orb..
As he arrived before the glowing orb, he felt an unfamiliar sensation stirring within him,a heaviness that was ripping apart his very soul.The pull toward the soul was undeniable, but something stopped him from moving forward.
Then he heard it...a soft, trembling voice.
"Please… wait."
The voice was weak, barely more than a whisper, but it was enough to stop Gray in his tracks.
"Who… who are you?" Gray asked, startled. He hadn't expected the soul to speak.
The orb, its light pulsing faintly. "I don't… remember anymore. I was… someone...once.."
Gray felt a sinking feeling in his chest, or what would have been his chest if he still had a body. The soul's voice it was filled with a kind of lostness that reminded him of his own.
"What happened to you?" Gray's voice cracked, and he wasn't sure if he was asking for the soul's sake or his own.
"I died," the soul whispered, as though the memory itself was too painful to hold onto. "I don't remember how… or why. I just know that… I'm here now. In this place. Waiting."
A long pause followed, the air thick with unspoken sorrow.
"Are you going to take me?" the soul finally asked, its voice trembling like the last leaf clinging to a dying tree.
He swallowed hard. "I… I think I have to."
The soul flickered, its glow dimming. "Why? What will happen to me if you do?"
He looked away, though there was nothing else to focus on in the infinite white expanse. "If I take you… you'll be gone. Erased. No reincarnation. No second chance."
The soul shuddered, the light around it growing fainter. "So… this is it. I'll just… disappear?"
Gray nodded, though the gesture felt empty. "Yeah. I guess that's what happens."
The soul was quiet for a moment, its light dimming further. When it spoke again, there was a softness in its voice, but also a deep sadness. "I always thought death would be the end, but I didn't think… I didn't think it would be like this. I thought maybe… there'd be something after. A chance to… rest. To find peace."
Gray's throat tightened. "I know. I didn't think it would be like this either."
The soul flickered weakly. "I… I don't want to be forgotten. I don't want to just… fade away"
Gray's breath caught. He didn't want to do this. Not like this. But what choice did he have? "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I don't want to take you… but I can't stay like this either. I can't go back to the way things were. I've been… lost for so long."
The soul's light seemed very faint, as if on the verge of extinguishing completely. "I was lost too," it whispered, its voice barely holding on. "I didn't matter in life. And now… even in death, I'm nothing. Just… nothing."
He felt a wave of emotion crash over him
regret, sorrow, guilt. He wasn't just taking a soul. He was erasing a life.
"But," the soul continued. "if it helps you… if my end gives you the strength to move forward… then maybe I can still matter. Maybe I can still mean something."
Gray form trembled. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to take your only chance."
The soul dimmed, its voice a fragile whisper. "There's no chance for me. Not anymore. I'm already fading. At least… if you take me, I won't be forgotten. I'll be a part of something. A part of you."
Gray's eyes burned, though he had no tears to shed. He felt the weight of the soul's words, the crushing realization that he was about to take everything from it, even though he had nothing left to give in return.
"I'm sorry", he choked out again, his voice barely holding together.
"Don't be," the soul whispered, its light flickering one last time. "Just… remember me. That's all I ask. Don't let me disappear completely."
"Let my end...give you purpose".
He felt his heart break..or what was left of it. With trembling hesitation, he reached out, his being merging with the soul.
For a fleeting moment, he felt the soul's final emotions wash over him...fear, sadness, but also a strange, heartbreaking acceptance. And then, as quickly as it had come, the soul's light vanished, snuffed out like a candle in the wind.
Gray stood alone in the void...after merging with the soul he obtained a humanoid form aswell...just like before he died,a very tall and lean-yet-muscular young man..with black baggy pants and a white t-shirt,strangely the pockets were filled with a pack of his favourite cigarettes...his more distinguishing Traits are his long black hair and his pitch black eyes with white iris...but the eyes weren't like that before he died...this was a new Trait he had obtained after devouring the soul...
"Just… remember me."
The soul's final words ringed in his mind, and Gray knew, deep down, that no matter what path he walked now, he would never forget the one life he had erased to claim his own.
But what was strange is that...there was no mark on his body...