Chapter 01: Retirement
"Sinner Wu Cai, you have committed various crimes when you were alive. Committing arson, fraud and murder that disrupted the lives of humans. Now that you are dead, a severe punishment will atone to you. You will serve the underworld for a hundred of years to lift up your sins and will lose the chance to reincarnate as a human again."
A man wearing a pure black long robe and a wide hat that almost covers his face, only revealing the perfect angle of his jaw. He is standing straight and solemn with a mysterious and sharp temperament around him. On his hand is a long sword with golden runes surrounding the handle, creating a majestic aura. Just like how the sword reveals its sharpness and ruthlessness at this moment, the man is clearly the same with the sword making the two look as one.
In front of him is a middle-aged man looking extremely sorry. Its face is pale, hair unkept and has a long beard. He has a sinister face and clearly looks very evil. However, when he heard the words uttered by the man, his face turned even paler and his knees trembled as he kneels on the ground.
"N-No! I-I regret what I've done! I don't want to go to hell! I don't want to suffer!" The middle-aged man looked very terrified but the man didn't change his expression.
Before Wu Cai could plead, the man finally moved. Holding his sword, he pointed the tip on Wu Cai and coldly whispered mysterious words. In the next second, a magic circle appeared under the middle-aged man. That golden magic circle lit up and a black chain began entangling Wu Cai.
Feeling the burning sensation like a fire from the chain that's wrapping him, Wu Cai begins screaming in extreme agony and pain.
"N-No! N-No— Aaahhhh!!!" Wu Cai screamed from the top of his lungs as he felt his body getting burned. The mysterious man still had a cold expression as he watched the man gradually disappear in front of him. The magic circle also fades and silence engulfed the whole place.
Seeing that his work is done, the man with the black long robe and wide hat turns his back and starts walking away. The long sword in his hand disappeared and a long sheath appeared on his back. He walks without a sound and disappears with the wind, leaving the dirty place with a cold body on the floor.
Looking closer, that cold body clearly belongs to the middle-aged man who is now a corpse.
***
"Is that Senior?"
"Yes."
"Wow! He looks very mysterious!"
"That's true. I truly admired him! I've been hearing a lot of his deeds ever since I became a grim reaper."
"Isn't it? Senior served the underworld for thousands of years and didn't stop for a moment. Because of his great work and merits, he also had been rewarded with a lot of authority and powers to become stronger. Although that only even made him stronger, I think even without it, he would still be unfathomable."
"I want to talk to him!"
"Don't bother. Aside from his strength, Senior is known for being unapproachable to anyone. He doesn't care about anything aside from his work. He didn't even give himself a name so he's still known as the No. 444."
"Doesn't he feel bored? I've also been a grim reaper for 20 years and I've been enjoying exploring the human world very much. If not, claiming souls and fighting with devils all the time is extremely boring."
"Probably not? I haven't even heard of him taking a break."
The Senior that they've been talking about didn't care about the constant whispers around him. He walks steadily with a calm and stoic expression. Nothing seems to bother him until he disappears from everyone's sight.
Unbeknownst to the crowd, this will be the last time for a long time they'll be seeing this legendary Senior.
*****
"Senior Reaper No. 444, you have served for a thousand years and accumulated enough merits to gain one wish to fulfill." A solemn voice sounded in the judgment room of the underworld.
The whole place was dark and full of majesty. The Judgement Hall, the place wherein all living things will be judged after finishing their purpose in this world. Some are deceased people who will be judged based on their lives and merits. They will either be punished or can be reincarnated after crossing the Naihe Bridge and drinking the Meng Po soup. On the other hand, for those who served the underworld, this judgment hall can either be a place to make them suffer after a mistake... or a place wherein a new door will open to change your life for a lifetime.
And he, a senior who served for thousands of years, had accumulated more than enough merits after doing his job— a grim reaper. His mission was to receive souls after their death and lead them to the Judgement Hall wherein they will be judged. Then after the soul was sentenced, they will lead them to wherever they have to go— hell or reincarnate.
On this day, the Judge suddenly calls for him and decides to make a judge after his long hard work. He didn't know what got them why they decided to judge him, they don't know their criteria. They only knew that they have to do their work properly even if it's a repeated job for so many centuries and wait for the judge to see if it's enough to fulfill a wish for them.
They, the Grim Reapers, were born naturally to do this job. He can't remember his childhood and only vaguely remember how he started doing this job. After all, thousands of years have passed, even for his outstanding memory, you will most likely forget it. Now, it was his time to be a judge.
And hearing the Judge solemnly acknowledge his efforts and decide to repay him, he didn't know what to feel— no, what can a reaper like him feel? They are surrounded with death every time and after watching different deaths and griefs, emotions had already left their body, especially for him who lived for so long.
Now that his purpose to live was about to end, his mind went blank for a moment. What will he do after this?
"Senior Reaper No. 444 what is your wish?"
He came back to his senses when he heard those questions. What wish does he want? Power? Fame? Or anything, he can't think of it. He has no desires nor anything that can make him fluctuate so what will be his wish?
His eyes lowered and light flickered through it.
After a few seconds, his indifferent eyes stare straight at the large throne— only the throne because he cannot see who's sitting as it was engulfed with darkness— in front of him. Then, he opens his mouth and speaks using his somewhat nonchalant voice.
"I want to become a human."
Silence engulfed the hall but it was only for a second and the Judge talked again.
"Then, I'll grant your wish."
Afterwards, he suddenly felt a mysterious power surrounding him. And before he lost his consciousness, he heard the Judge continue his words.
"A new fate will start again. Until next time, Qin An..."
****