"N-Noah!!"
John's shout ripped through the battlefield, thick with desperation and disbelief as he watched his friend vanish into the piercing beam of light. The air felt heavy, like the moment before a storm, and everything around him seemed to slow.
Noah's silhouette was etched in the light for a heartbeat longer before it evaporated.
But grief wasn't a luxury John could afford right now.
Noah sacrificed himself… for me.
Jaw clenched, John forced his body to respond, every fiber of him charged with renewed determination.
His foot dug into the ground, muscles taut with intent as he twisted his hips, pouring everything into a final, desperate attack.
Swoosh
His fist cut through the air, each movement precise, practiced—the kind of power he had only ever dreamed of before.
I have to make this count!
This time, his punch landed squarely against the monster's armor.
Boom.
The impact reverberated, the sound dull and ominous, echoing through the silence. For a split second, he watched as the creature's massive form wavered, forced to shift under the weight of his attack.
The creature stumbled, its body buckling sideways in an unnatural, twisted position.
This is it. My chance.
John surged forward, seizing the opening.
His focus sharpened, his senses heightened, and his gaze flicked briefly to where Noah had once stood and where his body now rested.
In that fleeting moment, a solemn vow took root in his mind.
I'll avenge you.
He braced himself, his resolve hardening.
I swear it.
____________________
An endless expanse of darkness surrounded him.
Noah drifted, weightless and silent, his body floating as if suspended in an abyss between life and death.
Everything felt distant, his senses muted as he floated further into the darkness.
No sounds, no light—just an emptiness that stretched on infinitely.
Then, a rhythmic sound echoed through the stillness, growing steadily louder, each beat deliberate and ominous.
Tock.
Tock.
Tock.
The sound reverberated, almost like the ticking of a clock, though slower, more profound, as if marking the heartbeat of the universe itself.
"So, we finally meet."
The voice broke through the silence, deep and echoing, carrying a weight that felt ancient and eternal.
Startled, Noah twisted in the void, his pulse racing as he searched for the speaker. Not far away, he saw him—a figure standing as though the void was solid ground beneath his feet.
The figure was draped in an intricate robe of shadows, woven from a fabric that seemed alive with stars. Tiny constellations flickered across its surface, each one containing galaxies in miniature, casting faint glimmers of light in the darkness.
Beneath a hooded veil of shadows, Noah could just make out a face—a sharp jawline, a subtle, eerie smile, and eyes that burned with a light as cold and distant as the stars.
What… who…?
Noah's thoughts scrambled as he struggled to make sense of what he was seeing.
How did he even get this close without me noticing? I didn't feel a thing!
The figure's voice, rich and resonant, seemed to echo directly into Noah's mind, bypassing his ears entirely.
Noah's mouth felt dry, his voice a mere whisper as he forced himself to respond.
"Who are you?"
The figure chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that reverberated through the empty space like distant thunder.
"Ah, that's a difficult question to answer. I go by many names—each culture, each age calls me something different."
He took a step forward, his movement slow, deliberate. Each step seemed to ripple through the void, bending the darkness around him like water disturbed by a pebble.
"I've been called Yama, Thanatos, Enma Ou… some know me as Giltinè, others as Death. In Judaism, I've even been divided across names—Gabriel, Kapziel, Mashbir, Mashhit, Hemah…" He trailed off, his smile widening beneath the shadows of his hood.
"But if I had to simplify it," he said, his voice dropping to a low, nearly playful murmur,
"I'd say that I am you."
Noah's eyes widened as the realization hit.
"Y-You're… Thanatos?"
The figure inclined his head slightly, a regal yet understated gesture.
"Indeed, I am Thanatos—Death in its rawest form. But I am also a part of you, in ways you can't yet understand. I am a mirror of your fate, of the path you've walked, the lives you've ended, the sacrifices you've made."
He paused, a faint amusement coloring his tone.
"I am a reflection of all who dare to defy me."
The shadows around Thanatos seemed to ripple, dissolving momentarily as if in response to his words.
The starlit fabric peeled away, slipping off like fog until finally, standing before Noah, was a man who looked strikingly familiar.
Broad shoulders, a powerful frame, and a gaze that spoke of battles fought and won. His face bore a long, jagged scar, running from his brow down to his left cheek, a reminder of battles past, marking a face that was otherwise perfectly symmetrical.
T-That's… me. That's what I looked like before the regression.
Thanatos caught the look of shock in Noah's eyes, his smirk widening.
"Yes, it's you, or rather, an aspect of you. We are the same, after all."
He took a step closer, his presence filling the space with an intense gravity.
"And now, we can finally talk. There is much to discuss, and time is limited."
"Limited?"
Noah asked, still processing the surreal vision before him.
Thanatos nodded, his tone matter-of-fact.
"Indeed. You wish to return, don't you?"
Noah swallowed hard, questions racing through his mind like a torrent. He steadied himself, his gaze meeting Thanatos's with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
"How… how can we be the same person yet exist in different realities?" he finally asked.
Thanatos tilted his head, his expression thoughtful, almost as if the question amused him.
"Perhaps I didn't explain it well," he said, his voice calm, patient. "You who defied death, who chose to tread the path it set before you—you've earned the right to inherit a fragment of my power. We are not separate in the truest sense; a part of me exists within you, just as a piece of you resides within me."
Noah struggled to absorb the enormity of what he was hearing, his mind reeling.
"So… we're linked?"
His voice was barely more than a whisper.
Thanatos nodded, his gaze unwavering.
"Yes. And when you return, your powers will awaken fully. What you do with them is of no concern to me, but know this: sometimes you make my task… challenging. Collecting souls is not a matter of choice; it is a duty. And yet, each time you challenge me, you complicate that duty."
Noah blinked, a hint of embarrassment creeping into his voice.
"Ah-ah-ah… I… I never thought of it that way."
Thanatos chuckled softly, the sound resonating through the darkness.
"I imagine not. This is, after all, your first true death. The other times, you simply went back, slipping through time's grasp. But now… you stand here, truly in the place beyond life."
As the weight of his words settled on Noah, he couldn't help but glance around, taking in the dark, ethereal surroundings. This wasn't just any void; it felt alive, throbbing with an energy he couldn't name.
"Is this… the afterlife?" he murmured, almost to himself.
Thanatos shook his head.
"No, not quite. This is a realm of my making—a place crafted for us alone, a space where our meeting could occur without interference. Were you to glimpse the true end, the afterlife in its purest form, you would never return."
A spark of curiosity flickered in Noah's eyes, and he opened his mouth to ask more, but Thanatos raised a hand, silencing him.
"Enough questions, Noah," he said, his tone firm, final. "I've shared all I can. My time of plausibility here is finite, and so is yours. It's time for you to return."
Before Noah could protest, Thanatos flicked his wrist, and a wave of darkness surged forward, swallowing Noah whole.
The last thing he saw was the gleam of those starlit eyes, watching him with an inscrutable expression, as if weighing him, judging him.
Interesting… most interesting.
Thanatos mused, his gaze lingering on the spot where Noah had vanished.