No one's POV:
-

Reaper pushed Geno away with blue magic, right after sliding to the right and evading the ???'s attack. Then he raised his right arm in the air and cyan chains popped off the floor, penetrating the big body of the enemy. He clenched his fist and next thing Geno knew, ??? scattered in many slimy pieces. It had exploded from the chains!

The pieces didn't stay down however, as they quickly rose up and transformed to essences that looked unhinged and melted. Most of them went to attack Reaper, the rest went for Geno. It didn't take long for the half-siren to figure out that these essences weren't transparent and could be hit.

Though without his magic working in the afterlife, he had to resort in melee combat. Even so, it wasn't much of a problem to him. These essences(?) were quite fast but clumsy and predictable to their movements, plus after failing to land a hit on Geno, they were slow to prepare for their next attack.

Like that, it was easy for the small skeleton to both fight and observe Reaper. When fighting off the Portuguese, he could remember he was... decently skillful. But here in the afterlife it felt as if the necromancer was really unfolding a lot more potential.

He was even faster, delivering his attacks harder and evading even more sharply, dissapearing beneath the floor and reappearing where the enemy wasn't expecting him. With his weapons he seemed to be a lot more creative on how he was using them.

He wouldn't just slay with his scythe and throw chains around to penetrate or wrap around the enemies. Sometimes he would throw his scythe, which he could control to change directions and hit enemies that weren't even close to each other.

When he wasn't holding it in his hands and it was going around hitting essences, he was holding sickles and with those hitting the enemies closer to him. Geno had even seen him, just once though, summoning a spear and with that successfully hitting the head of an essence.

It felt almost like a brutal dance and he seemed to be thrown in some kind of ecstasis the more he slayed these strange essences. Despite all violence, in his movements Reaper never seemed to lose his grace. How could he make such a brutal fight seem also so... flawless and graceful?

"Darn..." Geno had think at some point.

When Reaper had gotten rid of the last of his opponents, he turned against the ones that were bothering Geno. When finally the only 2 standing were him and his siren, the latter watched as Reaper walked a little further away with lowered head, breathing heavily. Geno looked at him concerned. He walked slowly towards him.

"... Are you go-?"

"A moment..." Reaper suddenly told him as he streched his right arm out, his hand signing Geno to stop. The smaller stood still and waited. Many silent seconds later Reaper finally raised head, inhaled and exhaled deeply and looked at Geno. Coldly and emotionlessly.

"Uuuh..." Geno did awkwardly.

"... You fight well." The necromancer said, causing the other to flinch. "I watched." Geno stood silent, trying to comprehend the praise. But it wasn't so much that as much as the fact the other was... actually watching him. Strangely, for a moment Geno almost felt... a pinch of satisfaction, but then he looked away grumpy and dissapointed.

"... I didn't do anythin' of use. I couldn't kill 'em, just survive."

"... To fight well doesn't mean to also kill well. After all your magic doesn't work in here. But you defended yourself efficiently. That's important." Finally Reaper's pupil appeared inside his left eyesocket, nailing it at Geno. "... You... are of importance."

Right here and then, the smaller skeleton felt his face heating up, his hood covering half his face. He looked away, trying to find what to say. Nothing came. And so, he recalled the first reason him and Reaper came in the monster afterlife. The embarassment left him as he looked around at all the essences, now grayish splotches on the floor.

That mission was for nothing. Something, someone, was pretending to be his dad and lured him and Reaper in a trap. Almost. Somehow the necromancer had seen through the facade and prevented him from possibly getting hurt by that... whatever it was. And he had let it approach him! Geno felt sick to his nonexistent stomach, then he sighed sad.

"... How did you know that wasn't my dad?" He asked.

"... My insight has been tested and trained to catch even the slightest glimpses of lying and trickery. It is also about a matter of compatibility. Monsters that have any family relationship have a similar aura. I didn't sense the family bond between you and your father, your aura didn't feel like his. It was disturbed by other unknown auras."

"So... While that essence looked like my dad, there were other... essences hiding?"

"Tightly squeezed and crowded in one essence." Reaper huffed. "... Like I said, I've never encountered somethin' like... what we faced. I don't know what really happened to your father, or who used his appearance to lure you in a false sense of familiarity..." He looked around and his eyesockets daggered. "... And I ain't staying around any longer to inspect. We're leavin'."

"... Sure. I don't wanna be here anymore..." Geno agreed quietly. Reaper crammed hands in his pockets, searching for something. Whatever that was... he seemed unable to find it. He raised head and looked around carefully.

"The hourglass..." He said quietly. Geno looked around too.

"The hourglass? What's it needed for again?"

"To keep track of how much time we spend in here. And to leave properly." Reaper replied as he scanned the area some more. "There." He started walking to the direction he said that.

Geno followed, just walking slower. He watched as Reaper went over a big splotch on the floor, kneeled and picked up the hourglass, covered in grey. He cleaned it with his palm and his face scrunched up in slight disgust.

What were these essences made of? They weren't solid, they were supposed to be transparent! He flicked his hand so he could remove the smudge off it, then brought the hourglass on the level of his eyesockets to inspect if it was cracked or anything.

He wouldn't prevent to do that, as then he heard a loud snarl and Geno yelling. Reaper turned around sharply and saw 2 essences having thrown the smaller on the floor. He wasted no time summoning 2 sickles and throwing them with deadly accuracy on their heads, causing them to explode and become splotches once more.

He teleported near Geno and kneeled, starting to inspect him. He had a small crack on his chin and grey stains on his cloak.

"... Guess... these 2 weren't done yet." Geno said slowly, rubbing his chin.

"... Can you stand up?" Reaper asked.

"I'm... okay." The smaller replied. He accepted the necromancer's support to stand up. He momentarily felt dizzy, but managed to stand up on his own. The 2 small skeletons looked at each other silently for a few seconds, then Reaper raised the hourglass to look at it.

Only for something like a grayish blob knock it off his hand. Him and Geno looked around as suddenly the splotches started rising up again and returning to their previous state. The siren threw hands in the air.

"Oh come on!"

"Θα αστειεύεσαι..." Reaper growled and facepalmed, quickly summoning his scythe. "We complain later. Now we fight." He said sternly. The essences were slightly faster than before, this time ripping parts of their bodies and throwing them at the 2 small skeletons.

Also when exploding, they were doing so in many more parts. Even so, Reaper with Geno fought valiantly, side by side, together and not separately. Kind of like with the Portuguese. At first their sync was a little rusty, each nearly messing up to hit not the enemies but each other.

Like when Geno almost ran at a tight chain thrown by Reaper who had caught an essence and if he was colliding with it, not only he would fall on the floor, with the speed he was running at it, he would have caused Reaper to stumble. Luckily he had prevented to roll beneath the chain.

"SORRYYY!" He had yelped.

Or like when Reaper had thrown his scythe and controlled it to go in different directions. He had almost hit Geno, who prevented to bend and not get hit.

"My bad!" Reaper had said.

But that had given Geno and interesting idea, which then became starter for their sync to become stronger. After a while of fighting and evading, he turned to look at Reaper.

"REAPER!"

Was that the first time he was calling him by name?

He didn't sit to think at the moment of that, as he waited for Reaper to look his direction. His mouth moved but no sound came out. In the chaos of the fight, the necromancer understood the message. After he knocked off a few more essences, he held the scythe by the edge of its handle, spinned around himself 4 times and then threw his weapon to Geno's direction.

Who didn't dodge it, no, he grabbed it and swung it at the 2 essences that were coming at him. Perfect timing, he cut them in 2 pieces which then exploded. As he was still in the movement, Geno spinned around 2 times and threw the scythe back at Reaper, who had jumped over an essence and flipped backwards.

The essence got hit by the scythe and just the moment Reaper landed on his feet and called it back, it hit 2 more essences that were between him and the weapon. He held the scythe in his hands and did a thumbs up to Geno. Soon enough, they weren't dancing each on their own rhythm. They were a duet.

A long later, all essences were once more splotches on the floor. The 2 skeletons approached each other, both with the same kind of glow in their pupils, from the excitement and thrill of the battle. A few seconds of staring later, they smiled at each other.

Then Geno started laughing quietly. Reaper's smile turned to a grin before he started laughing too. They had gone crazy and needed to take off their bodies that intensity they were feeling. Quite many seconds later Reaper stopped laughing first and little by little went serious.

He watched Geno still laughing, with less intensity, slowly coming back to his senses too and while wiping his face off the smudge that had sticked on him. When the smaller opened eyesocket and looked at Reaper, he hesitated to keep laughing. He looked at him with a questioning look.

Concern grew inside him as Reaper walked even closer and stood in front of him. And before the siren could react, Reaper raised hand, towards his face. All Geno did was to flinch feeling the other's glove-wore hand coming in contact with his cheek and brushing away the grayish smudge that had stained him.

And as Reaper started flicking away the smudge off his hand, Geno had stayed like a statue watching him, face and ribcage warm. Ugh, not again. He looked away covering his face, only to take his hands off realising they were filled with the smudge the essences were made of. Ew. He started flicking his hands too to remove it.

Only to suddenly start feeling his face burning once more, this time extremely painfully.

"Geno!" Reaper turned to approach Geno who had fallen on the floor, spasming and flailing. Kneeling near him once more, he tried to keep him motionless and look at his face.

"I-IT- ƁUUURŊ§!" Geno screamed.

Whatever smudge had stayed on his face seemed to... burn him. Reaper hurried to wipe it off the smaller's face. He observed his gloves. They had smudge on them. He took them off Geno's hands, but didn't prevent to do any more as once more, you guessed right, the splotches started reforming and coming back to their previous state.

"Alright, I'VE HAD IT WITH YA!" Reaper growled. He looked once at Geno. He couldn't fight.

It was up to him to defend him, then quickly find his hourglass and get out of here. The essences were approaching nonstop, laughing mockingly and constantly. At this point Reaper wasn't fighting, he was swinging as if cutting wheat, angry and impatient, always keeping an eyesocket to make sure no essence was way too close to Geno.

"BEHIND YOU!"

He heard the siren warning him. Growling, Reaper turned around to slice the essence that was about to get him.

Only for his arms to freeze and for the weapon in his hands to start shaking.

One second of hesitation was enough to ruin everything.

"M-Mo-?"

One second of deceit was all it took for things to go south.

He didn't even see the essence that attacked him from his left, punched him hard and threw him many feet away. Reaper rolled a few times and fell prone on the floor groaning, scythe dissapearing from his hands. He slowly managed to take position of falling on one knee.

He looked to where he could remember Geno laying. Both his eyesockets went empty. 2 essences were holding the smaller by the arms. Geno's head was hanging forward, seemingly uncoscious. Forgetting he had been hit, Reaper stood up and summoned once more his scythe.

"Take one more step and he's done for." The essences warned as they laughed lowly. Reaper stopped dead on his tracks and looked at Geno with clenched teeth.

"Well well well. Look who's in a desperate position!"

"The mighty necromancer being the one weak to do anything and save his little friend."

"2 birds with one stone."

"The little runt that refused death, at last in the hands of our mighty Captain."

"And soon enough, the little Renrink too."

The essences were commenting.

"What's this all about?!" Reaper asked as calmly as possible, his voice slightly shaking.

"You 2 have the kind of power our brilliant Lady needs to accomplish her goals."

"Your deadly nature."

"The unstable raw power that hides inside him." One of the essences that was standing behind Geno grabbed him by the top of his skull, forcing the small skeleton to face forward and start struggling to not scream in pain.

"Release him, ŋœw!" Reaper snarled as he clenched the scythe in his hands.

"Oh ho ho! The necromancer dares to command us around!"

"As if he thinks he has a saying on what we can do!"

"He doesn't seem to realise that he can't get to do as he pleases with us anymore!"

"We are different!"

"We are stronger than the typical pathetic essence."

"All thanks to our mighty Lady!"

"All hail the ruler of the Night Ship!"

The essences started howling in excitement.

"No more running you little pathetic runt."

"You've survived for way too long."

"With the last bit of your soul, our Lady will be definitely unstoppable!"

"No the f*ck she won't!" Reaper growled as he dared to take 2 more steps forward. In response Geno started screaming louder, as the essence that had touched him on the head did it again, clenching even harder than before.

"Know your place, necromancer."

"You are not the superior being anymore."

"Our Lady is!"

"Her who gave us so mercifully power to fight off your filthy kind!"

"So I'm the filthy being? Ain't that makin' your Lady also filthy? 'Cause I've heard of her, you hate on the necromancers all while you're literally serving one." Reaper asked raising brow.

"SHUT UP!"

The essences shouted annoyed.

"She's the only one worthy of serving!"

"She's the only one who cares for the essences!"

"The rest of you necromancers are souless brutes with sadistic tendencies!"

"Ever since your filthy kind stopped being of pure deadly nature, in the afterlife were ending up little unhinged, pitiful excuses of necromancers!"

"Taking out their anger and frustration on us the essences!"

"Hurting us!"

"Shredding us!"

"EATING US!"

"ALL BECAUSE YOU COULD!"

From spitting words of anger, the essences started smiling widely and laughing.

"The reign of the necromancers is over."

"No more hurting us!"

"No more being mistreated!"

"You do know that for the only reason some of ya are mistreated and being eaten is because you're angry and causing havoc around the afterlife, right?" Reaper commented, causing the essences to shoot nasty glares at him.

"Don't you f*cking dare..."

"So that's what's happening. Your complain is that you're angry the Wraiths are punishing you for being lil' angry troublemakers around here. And that Lady of yours takes advantage of your anger and frustration, of your fear being eaten, promisin' ya ways of fighting back. Do I understand correctly?" Reaper asked sarcastically. That caused one of the essences to walk in front of Geno and while staring at the deadly skeleton, grab his face. Muffled screams of pain were heard from Geno as his legs kicked and flailed.

"Say one more f*cking word and his suffering will keep going." It commented and a few seconds later it let go of the small skeleton's face, who started gasping loudly in pain and coughing.

"... Keep him out of this if you're mad at me." Reaper said, the anger building up inside him but still controlled.

"Nope! He's still useful!"

"Him and his power."

"What's left of his soul will strengthen our Lady and give her bigger potential of empowering us!"

"And you can do no sh*t about it!"

"Give up Reaper Charon Renrink, or he dies slowly and painfully, before we go for you!"

The essences laughed loudly.

"Harm him any further, kill him and I'll make you beg you could actually stop existing." Reaper growled.

"Oh no, we're so scared!"

"And what makes you think we'll stop from killing that little sickly bastard right here and now?" The essences asked mockingly.

"Easy. You kill him now, you lose the leverage you have over me and the chance to take me too, 'cause then I will fight without the worry of havin' to think of another's safety." Reaper said. That suddenly caused the essences to be quiet. The necromancer grinned. "Didn't think of that, ei?"

"Shut up you-!"

Suddenly all essences smiled.

"Well then! You gave us an idea for an interesting game!"

"If what you're implying is that there's the possibility you make it back to the living, no matter how superior we are of the situation, why not make a struggle out of it?"

"And how exactly are you planning to do that?" Reaper asked. In that moment one of the essences was seen walking forward and towards Reaper. 5 steps away from him it took out of its chest Reaper's hourglass. It kneeled and let the object roll towards the necromancer's feet. Reaper faintly looked down to it as it touched his foot, then back at the essences.

"The game is simple. If you pick up the hourglass and choose to leave, you make it out alive and we take the little bastard with us."

"If you however let go of your scythe and come forward without the slightest of struggle, we let him leave and take you with us."

"Choose, Renrink."

In pain, Geno was listening to what was going on. The fear and agony clenched his ribcage. So these essences were send by the woman that had taken almost all of his soul. The memories came back to haunt Geno. The screams, the flames, the pain...

Despite those feelings, Geno felt he knew he wasn't going to be the one making it out of the afterlife. It was his fault. He had insisted to go here, Reaper had chose to follow and help him, they got trapped and now they were in this threatening situation. All because of him.

What would the decision be?

He refused at first to raise head and look forward. Even if there was the slightest of chance to live, he felt he couldn't ask for pity. He didn't deserve pity, nor the chance to leave. Eventually he dared to look forward. He watched as Reaper had kneeled to pick up the hourglass and let his head again hang forward.

"Congratulations Geno..." He thought. At this point he couldn't blame Reaper for choosing his own well-being. He couldn't blame him or be bitter that just because he was a pirate it was reasonable he cared more to save himself. Pirate or not, he was doing what any reasonable being would do. He wasn't the one who had messed things up, Geno did, by insisting to come in the monster afterlife. "... You messed this up... like all else. Like alwa-."

The sound of metal clanging on the floor echoed through the afterlife.

Geno slowly raised head to look forward with eyesocket opened wide. Reaper was still holding the hourglass but not his scythe anymore.

"... Release him."

Geno watched as Reaper took a few steps towards the essences, staring at them calmly and indifferently. The essences laughed lowly.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing Renrink?"

"... Releαse hιm." Reaper said again, his voice subtly cracking.

"Then come closer~" The essences called him. A few seconds later, the necromancer started walking slowly towards the essences. Towards Geno. Who kept watching in utter shock. Midway however, Reaper stopped and lowered head.

"... Are you deaf or what? I said rəłəæsə hιm."

The essences laughed again.

"You think we're that stupid? You're holding the hourglass. The moment we let go of the runt you'll both take advantage and leave."

There, Reaper smiled.

"And you really are thinking that I'm this stupid to believe you'll let one of us leave and that the moment I approach close enough you'll take me too."

"Are you implying that we're łγιŋg Renrink?"

"I ain't implying. I know it."

"You have no proof."

"Choose already clearly what you want to do!"

"We don't care if you save yourself or throw away your life for the little basta-."

The essence that was about to finish that sentence was suddenly attacked by a cyan chain thrown by Reaper. The essences got agitated and glared at Reaper, who was smiling madly at the essence he had grabbed.

"Cæłł Gəŋœ ɓæsτærð œŋə mœrə fυcƙιŋg τιmə, I ðærə γœυ."

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"No resisting!"

"No fighting!"

"You dare cheat you filthy-!"

"Nah." Reaper interrupted. "I ain't cheating. Nor am I going to attack. But I will ensure that this game is played fair and square." He looked at the essence he had chained. "Όρκος Αληθείας..." He whispered.

"What are you doing?!" The essences asked angrily. Reaper chuckled.

"If there's one thing us necromancers pursue and value, that is Veracity. But I'm certain you know that already, y'know serving a necromancer and all that. A good chunk of our magical abilities consists of bein' able force one speak the truth, or, make 'em feel immeasurable pain for lyin'. Even better, the liar can die instantly, or be wiped off existence." His grin became wider. "This chain with which my 'truthful' fella is tied, will instantly wipe him off existence if he answers me with a lie right here and now to this question." He looked at the chained up essence. "On behalf of your crewmembers, do you promise to let go of Geno and let him return to the living if I come willingly?" He asked 'inoccently'. The essence scoffed annoyed.

"We already told you, you filthy necromancer, we will let go of him if you just stop being such a-!"

It exploded in many pieces. Except those pieces dusted too and dissapeared. The other essences looked at where their crewmember was standing a while ago. Now they were uneasy. Now they were terrified.

"Tch tch tch..." Reaper did shaking head left and right. "Maybe I'm nothin' but a filthy necromancer. At least I ain't the filthy liar in here."

"THAT'S CHEATING!"

"No it ain't. 'Cause you promised to let go of Geno if I come. But you don't. So..." Reaper summoned another chain and grinned sweetly. "... who wants to lie in my face next?"

The essences looked at each other concerned and frustrated. In that moment Geno started hoping. If Reaper kept doing that he would eliminate all essences and they would be saved!

"WHY?!"

"WHY DO YOU BOTHER SO MUCH?!"

"WHY ARE YOU TRYING SO HARD TO SAVE THIS LITTLE SH*T?!"

"WHAT IS HE TO YOU?!"

There Reaper's grin dropped. So did his head as he thought.

"There is no way you actually do all this just for him!" The essences said bitterly pointing at Geno.

"How do you even tolerate all that struggle for-... that thing?!"

"If I was toleratin', I'd have left by now. No, I ain't tolerating Geno. I care."

Care?!

Geno looked at Reaper in complete disbelief. Who kept staring at the essences calmly.

They, the essences, started laughing then.

"Estàs enamorat d'ell?!"

They seemed to ask as they were pointing mocking fingers towards Reaper. Geno didn't understand what they said and the wind wasn't working in the afterlife to translate for him. He waited to hear what Reaper would say, who smiled gently.

"So what?" He asked.

"And you make all this mess just because of this reason?!" The essences mocked again.

"The only mess that will be caused here will be your little disgusting pieces flying all over the place and then dissapearing completely if you don't stop being dishonest about releasing Geno." Reaper kept going calmly. Slowly the essences stopped smiling and returned on being anxious and frustrated. It was clear that if they spoke while tied with a chain that could detect their lying they would lose the game.

"I'll handle this."

Oh boy, that voice...

It had probably been a good amount of time since the last time Geno had seen him, yet he recognised by that voice the goat man who was seen walk-passing the essences and stopping 4 steps away from Reaper. The necromancer's eyesockets perked up.

"... You look like an... Infernal?" He asked lowly. Salazier closed eyes, inhaled and exhaled calmly, fixed the turtleneck of the shirt he was wearing and looked down to Reaper.

"Sad will be the day my son and daughter see not only what I've become, but all the things I've done in all my years of serving the Lady. Chain me up. I will speak on behalf of the crew I serve." He said and kneeled. Reaper looked at him still surprised, but approached closer and tied the chain around the goat monster's neck. He stepped back and clenched the chain in his hands.

"On behalf of your crewmembers... do you promise to let go of Geno and let him return to the living if I come willingly?" Reaper asked calmly.

"The boy will be free to go if you don't resist and become part of the Lady's crew."

Geno's eyesocket widened up in terror. The chain didn't wipe out Salazier. He... had spoken truthfully. Which was something the rest of the essences understood as well, as they groaned annoyed. Reaper closed eyesockets and huffed quietly. He was about to untie the chain from around Salazier's neck. But then he stopped.

"Do you have somethin' to do with the absence of the Wraiths?" He asked with daggered eyesockets.

"All Wraiths are trapped and under the control of the Lady herself. She slayed them one by one, even went as far as to locate the essences of the fathers of the necromancers, the first pure and completely deadly beings of darkness, birthed straight up from the monster afterlife. All of them are hers to draw power from. There is one more Wraith roaming free around here. You and your brother, Grim Thanatos Renrink are the last alive necromancers. And soon enough, only him if he doesn't spend too much time around the afterlife." Salazier told Reaper coldly. That clearly seemed to agitate the necromancer, Geno saw it. Yet he calmly untied the goat man. As he stood up, Reaper nodded at him. The other returned the nod.

"Let's proceed then." He said coldly. Salazier straightened his back more and placed hands behind his back.

"Release the boy."

The hands of the essences let go of Geno, who almost fell prone completely. He slowly managed to sit on his fours and raise head. He watched Salazier approaching, kneeling near him and helping him stand up. Holding him stably, they walked back to Reaper.

"You lucky piece of sh*t..." One of the essences growled. Geno didn't turn around.

"Your destiny calls you to complete it. Make sure you don't waste the chance given to you and keep living. Even after that, you will still be called and you will still be needed. Called by Fate and Destiny again. You'll understand for what, eventually. I need you alive because I'm selfish. Because you living has a bigger worth to me than if you die and you benefit the Lady." Salazier said lowly.

Geno felt his bottom jaw shaking. Yes he didn't know what the goat monster truly meant, but he sounded ominous. The 2 stopped in front of Reaper. Salazier let go of Geno gently, making sure he could stand on his feet. Then he turned around, walked a few steps away and dissapeared.

Geno looked at Reaper. His eyesockets were empty and he still seemed agitated. Was he really going to the essences? On the back of his skull Geno believed, he hoped that they could still make it out. Together...

He watched as the necromancer held the hourglass with both hands and approached it close to Geno. The smaller held the hourglass and looked at Reaper, almost expecting to see any sign that he would surprise everybody and trick them. Yet the deadly skeleton gave the hourglass to Geno and took his hands back.

"Clench it with both hands and think of my office. Where we did the ritual."

No...

"... Reaper?" Geno asked very lowly, shocked and terrified. The other seemed to understand all of his thoughts. He shook head left and right.

"The goat spoke the truth. I can't back away now and not hold the part of my bargain. I'll die either way, so... You're free to go..." He lowered head for a few seconds before he placed his hands above Geno's and push them gently and close to his ribcage. Geno looked down to his hands holding the hourglass and Reaper's, then back at the necromancer. Who smiled gently and bitterly. "... Just one favor... Tell Andrés I'm sorry..."

And with those last words, Reaper walk-passed Geno, walking closer to the essences waiting for him. The smaller skeleton turned around, shocked, bewildered, terrified. He could only step backwards, still watching as Reaper stopped 2 steps away from the essences and sat on his knees. He looked up to them, silently waiting. The essences started slowly smiling, then grinning widely, then laughing loudly.

"It's going to be fun making your last seconds before killing you as painful as possible!"

"... So be it. Heh." Reaper replied with a hint of cheerfulness.

The essences, still laughing, started melting and merging together, until a huge mass of grey, about 20 times taller than Reaper appeared, full of eyes and mouths. Except then that mass developed feet and a head. That head then opened a mouth, which roared at Reaper.

The first hit send the necromancer flying many steps away.

(i am sorry bambini, but i had to.
if you know you know.)

DROWN IN YOUR SORROW AND FEAAARS

The giant mass started singing.

Geno, who was still frozen in one place just watched as Reaper rolled and ended up prone. He watched as he tried to raise head and lift the upper part of his body, only for the huge mass of essences run at him and stomp him down with one foot.

CHOKE ON YOUR BLOOD AND YOUR TEAAARS

The necromancer let out a gasp alongside cyan blood. The creature then bit down on him, held him between its teeth, raised head, then sharply lowered it again. On that movement it let go of Reaper, so he hit the floor even faster and harder. Geno saw clearly he was covered by complete darkness for a moment before he went back to his first colors.

BLEED 'TIL YOU'VE RUN OUT OF YEAAARS

"What do I do?" Geno asked himself quietly and terrified, clenching the hourglass in his hands but not thinking about returning to where he started, as he watched Reaper being dragged and tossed around and stomped non-stop.

WEEE MUUUST DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIIIVE

"What do I do?!"

GIVE UP YOUR HONOR AND FAIIITH

"WHAT CAN I DO?!"

LIVE UP YOUR LIFE AS A WRAAAITH

Why did Geno feel he had to do something other than escaping?

DIE IN THE BLOOD WHERE YOU BAAATHE

Why?

"No..."

WEEE MUST DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIIIVE

"No!" Geno did frustrated and clenching his teeth.

Reaper wasn't moving, laying on his back between the front legs of the creature, which then raised the right leg, ready for the final blow.

We are the same, you and I, I

The creature said in a different voice, a female gentle voice.

Geno's feet moved on their own as he let go of the hourglass. What had gotten into him, why was he running towards the creature, why-...

Why was he running for Reaper?

The fear inside him became frustration, which then became an uncontrollable anger that burned his ribcage as he started breathing heavily. When Geno raised head, the cloud covering his melted eyesocket had dissapeared and the pupil inside his good one was a thin glowing line in the color of blood.

"NOO Ø Ø Œ Œ!"

5740 words. LET'S F*CKING GO, OUR BABY BOY STANDS UP FOR REAPER!

the amount of times i have wanted to make geno simply cry already when in a difficult situation😤🤌🏽

but if that happens now, the moment when i actually want him to do so will not feel as impactful. geno crying will be when and if he breaks emotionally.

and now, we wait to see what is gonna happen, on the next chapterrr.

bye :3