Seeing him close again and knowing that he was their legacy gave me the chance to do what I couldn't do for Saint and Squawkey-san. Sin was a bad man for taking lives out of satisfaction and I could never understand his abrupt need to keep me by his side. His actions cannot be pardoned but he was now one with the other two whom I considered worth protecting.

"Shinigami back away. I will not let you lay a finger on him," the man warned.

As my eyes unconsciously swept at the details of his blue wings, I realized something very important.

"You are the one who helped Saint," I spoke out.

The man turned his head to acknowledge me.

"That is me," was his simple yet gentle response.

"You are a servant of Him. Why do you interfere? Were you not mandated to cleanse the world of its impurities?" Peach-san questioned in a berating manner.

Peach-san was the reincarnation of Saint's complete naivety, stubbornness, and volition. He managed to possess Sin's robust stature and his endless supply of bloodlust. He was gifted with Skwak's destructive aura while at the same time being cursed with his helplessness to the reason which called for coaxing.

"He does not need coddling nephew. I do not see why you see him help—"

"He is my sweet and delicate peach," I cut him off. People cannot perceive it but I did.

Fragility was not only defined by the inability to protect itself and strength cannot be known by the ability to destroy others in a glimpse.

The Reaper was delicate for he could shatter himself; he was weak for he could not stop himself from doing so.

You can avoid the cliff but would rather jump right into it. You look for the one responsible for holding the knife against your neck without knowing that it was your hand all along.

"You are your biggest enemy," I told the voice in my head.

"Does he remind you of yourself?" He asked me.

"Yes...and up until now I am still bleeding."

...

"Will you still jump into that cliff?"

I held my breath for a while and swayed my head into a no.

"I much rather watch the sunset for now."

"My duties and responsibilities as an Angel are not for you to dictate."

Peach-san glared at him with disgust. "Verräter (Traitor), I shall burn him with you then."

The Angel's form stiffened and Peach-san was dispersed into darkness. He materialized in front of the angel who received his strike on time. His expression and trembling arms showed that Peach-san was a formidable enemy and was too much for him.

Peach-san landed strikes as if it would be his last one but the winged-man was able to endure every powerful hit which could have ended his life in a flash.

"Lucian return to camp and leave the Reaper's territory. I know you want him to come with you but those three people you are seeing in him no longer have their own free will. They are gone. The Reaper is no friend," the angel explained to me as he held the other man back.

Every word he told me was denied with one pang to my chest. My feet didn't move an inch. My mind has never thought that giving up on Peach-san was a possible option.

They may no longer respond to me if I called their name. Saint may not even remember the promise he made me as I carried him on my back. Can Skwak even remember the fruit he ate when we first met? And Sin...He was never my friend. I could not think of anything that would—

Peach-san scooched to his knees to trip the angel but the latter leaped and dove to land a strong punch brimming with bright light. His fist met with the floor which threw up rocks after a crater was punched into the ground.

Peach-san appeared above him and he stretched his limbs towards me and the angel. Dark energy burst out from his palms and I heard the Angel shout my name in utter distress for my well-being. At the moment of tension, at the brink of death's doorstep, and the withdrawal from reality, the memory of a nostalgic toy flashed before my eyes. Words which I could not remember hearing started to come out of my mouth and suddenly I became even more determined on bringing Peach-san with us.

An illuminated symbol appeared in front of me and deflected the dark energy readying to pierce through my heart.

The angel was back on his feet with his armor damaged from the collision.

"In days of yore, a God had created His most magnificent servant. He was neither good nor evil. He was neither light nor dark. He was neither a demon nor an angel. His real name was a curse to whoever would mention it."

The reaper dodged the spear whirling towards him and caught it before hurling the weapon back to the angel who received it with struggle. He was pushed back from the strength of the throw and dust rose from the friction of his feet.

Peach-san lifted his hand and found that the weapon burnt his palm and fingers. Smoke escaped from the bright red abrasion and he pulled the hood off his head.

"Stay away from him!" the angel sneered.

"There is no need to protect this boy. He is not your charge, to begin with," the reaper pointed out.

The angel did not respond to the reaper's words and instead, walked in front of me with his sword pointed at him.

Peach-san reduced into a silhouette and circled the forest like a blade of wind cutting the trees in half.  The angel matched his form and white and black flashes bounced around the forest with accompanying clangs of metal.

Their detailed figures appeared above me with fists tinted of their elemental powers which sent their bodies in opposite directions.

Peach-san landed on his feet while the angel received the more lethal blow. I knelt beside the unconscious winged-man being aware that I was now his target.

"Lu-Lucian p-please, you must not die here..." the angel wheezed out.

"With his scythe, he took the lives of those opposing," I murmured.

"He won't...he won't remember you anymore. He's no longer your childhood friend..."

I heard the slow steps of my escort to death but I sat with folded knees.

"Nephew please listen to him. You cannot reach through him anymore. Your friends are already gone."

"They had tried to persuade the magnificent to join their side but ended up being ruthlessly slaughtered for their betrayal," I stubbornly continued.

The sharp end of his scythe was dragged across the floor, creating a grating sound.

"In time they befriended the magnificent who despite his callousness, desire for companionship. The magnificent was joyous of his new friends, however, as if in wolves in sheep's clothing, they bought a cursed item from a wandering peddler that is said to seal the most powerful."

His feet were right there beside me and my eyes slowly traced the long length of his strong legs and up to his chiseled chest.

"No longer was he the most magnificent. No longer was he the most devoted. He became cunning, deceitful, and the master of trickery. He acted out on his own will, no longer acknowledging the presence of his creator. He became sinful, he became a thief, yet in my eyes..."

My gaze reached his face devoid of any emotion.

"He never lost his magnificence, it was the world he was living in that lost it. "

As his scythe was swung to take my head, I was hauled underground by tree roots. I heard the reaper click his tongue. He peeked inside and shoved his arm into the hole and I watched as his palm sparked with fire.

"I will burn my sins. I will burn them all."

I lifted my arm, reached for his hand, and grabbed it tightly. The scalding heat from the spark of fire was burning my skin yet I did not let go of his hand. I gripped it tighter and he clenched my hand so hard as if he was attempting to break it.

"Let go of him, Lucian. Just let go!"

"I held this hand so many times before... so why would I let go just because it is causing me pain?"

If in the middle of watching the sunset, I see your hand reaching from the bottom of the cliff, I would jump but I will not let myself die. I will pull you with me and I will bring you back to that cliff so that we can watch the sunset together.

You may not be Saint but I will cut the shackles to your freedom.

You may not be Squawkey but I will not let others shame you.

You may not be Sin but I will not let you live in loneliness.

The skin on my arm cracked with glowing fire flowing underneath. Just as I thought that I dug my own grave in a literal sense, the reaper was tackled away by a cussing maniac named Slade. The masked Angel peeked inside the hole and yanked me out before I was snatched by Caleb who fussed with panic. Sevor aided his twin yet they were still outdone by him.

"Lucian, why do you keep disappearing on me?!" Caleb scolded.

The fire burning my skin stretched even farther and the angel intervened.

"Hey!" Caleb snarled when he grabbed my arm.

"I'm trying to help him. I want him to live just as much as you do and maybe even more so. Get in my way of saving him and I will kill you without any regrets," he sharply threatened.

The angel hovered his free hand and skimmed it on my affected arm. Blue light put the fire out and I was able to breathe relief.

Once my arm was settled, I placed my attention on the twins who were getting beaten up by Peaches.

"He's so strong..." Sevor commented while trying to stand up from a kneeling position.

"What are you saying, he's not even—" Slade's comment was cut off once he was elbowed in the gut.

The twins were given no chance but to kneel in defeat. Caleb and the angel prepared themselves to shield me from the danger that the reaper will bring but I squeezed out from their protection and gazed at the reaper.

"I will let you cut me, slice me, hit me, and burn me. If cutting me will satisfy your loneliness then slice me into the thinnest ribbons. If hitting me will give you pride then batter me with all your might. If burning me will ease your loneliness then turn me into fine ashes. You have entrusted me your name and so I will carry it to my grave."

The reaper was taken aback by that knowledge.

"I have not entrusted anyone with my name. Do not lie to me."

"I would never lie."

The voices in my head coughed along with the angel behind me as if they knew something that they disagreed with but decided not to talk.

"My name is a curse. Do you wish for a cursed life ancient?" He questioned as he sauntered coolly.

"I'm already marked with a curse," I challenged him and pointed at my crown. "I don't mind getting another one."

He scowled at my words and raised his scythe. Just as the other two were about to come to my rescue I ordered the trees to grab the four of them so that I can handle the reaper on my own.

I lifted my hand towards the reaper and he flinched as if I was going to attack him.

"You killed a God yet here I am, still mocking you. What is holding you back?" I asked him and took a step forward.

"Cut me."

"Strangle me."

"Burn me."

With each sentence I brought myself closer to him, waiting for something, anything that would elicit a response favorable to our side but not expecting everything to go well.

I may lose my head for this. Maybe I should have asked Vincenzo to teach me how to grow another head.

The reaper's face twitched and he was not enjoying my interrogation of why I was still alive in his presence.

"Reaper..." I murmured. I was standing right in front of him. "Why am I still breathing?"

Like he was being coerced to put his hands around my neck, I was lifted from the ground with tightness curling around my breathing.

"Now you've done it!"

The voice didn't sound so proud of my accomplishments.

"You're just like the rest of them. Traitors! Liars! Not again. Never again will I be tricked! My God is the only one I need!"

My left hand held his wrist and my right hand reached forward to touch his pretty vibrant hair.

My lips curled and his red eyes watched me play with his hair as he slowly took my life.

He blinked groggily and settled me on the ground as if he was losing his consciousnesses and luckily, he was.

My left hand uncurled and showed my thorny palms coated with harmless purple venom. He was a powerful creature and I didn't know how long the effect will last but...I need to talk to him without having his scythe scalding hot and ready to slice my butt off my back.

"You bring death and I am not afraid to accept it, however; I still have a mission to fulfill. I would appreciate it if you...don't kill me for now. You are more than welcome to join us."

I caught his paralyzed body and set him on the ground very gently before brushing the strands of hair away from his face.

"My name is Lucian and as I said, I know your name but I will not say it until you allow me to," I told him. I grew a peach in my palms and lifted it to his face.

"This is Peach. This is you." I placed the peach beside his head and patted the fruit.

"This is my peace offering. From now on, I'll call you Peaches."

"Idiot!" Slade called out.

"Lucian!" Caleb and Sevor called out.

The three men were ready to tackle the reaper down but were amazed that I already taken cared of it.

"Let us go," I told them.

"Woah Woah woah, with him still alive? Let's kill him already!" Caleb exclaimed.

"Not in your paws you're not! I'm killing him!" Slade snapped.

"No one is killing him. We're bringing him with us," I deadpanned causing them to snap their faces at me with jaws dropped to the ground.

"WHAT?!" They growled.

"Have you lost your nuts Lucian?" Caleb asked and placed his palm over my forehead to see if I had a fever.

"He lost it a long time ago. I think it's the undercooked potatoes," Slade huffed.

"Stop, it must be the water. The kids peed in the well," Sevor sighed.

"WHAT?!" Slade snapped.

Caleb whistled and looked away.

"Well not just the kids," Sevor sighed.

While they bickered I bent on my waist to pick up Peaches' scythe. It really looked like pre-Squawkey.

Our heads snapped to the tree where the angel landed on and Slade decided to make a ridiculous comment.

"I didn't know there was a new breed of chickens. Ever tasted that one Sev?"

"That's an angel, Slade. He's not food."

"Don't get yourself killed Lucian," the winged-man thoughtfully advised before soaring away.

The reaper's scythe mutated into an elastic band which wrapped around my ring finger. There was a red-eye on top of the stygian ring which moved and blinked at my stare.

"Chou Kawaii...(So cute)."

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A/N: Being sick is a blessing in disguise. I got a long needed break. Haha.