It was a darkness like nothing he had ever experienced. A darkness so cold, so alive it threatened to consume his very essence. None of it could compare to the fear that coursed through his veins. He didn't know why he felt that way but the fear gripped at him and paralyzed him.

He couldn't process his thoughts clearly except for one single thought that remained tattooed into his mind.

Survive

It weighed down his body making it hard for him to move but even then his survival instinct was on autopilot.

His eyes scanned the darkness looking for something -anything- until he saw the silhouette of what looked like a man.

Normally he would have been surprised, suspicious even, of such a person but something in him told him to pay attention to him.

Then the figure turned and he found himself looked at a dark hooded figure whose face he couldn't see. The figure stretched out its hands in a beckoning gesture and he heard a voice in his head.

Come and see...

There was something hypnotic about this voice as it drew him in.

Opening his eyes Raul found himself waking up on the same comfortable queen sized bed in the same simple and yet elegant bed that had been given to him the night before.

Part of him had hoped that when he woke up today he'd be back in his own little apartment living his regular boring life. He'd take that over whatever he'd need thrust into.

However, as his eyes scanned all around him, he knew that somehow this was his reality now. He could either keep living in denial or accept it.

Pushing himself up he got off the bed and began to walk towards the door. He had no idea where he would go or what he was to do but he knew that he would find no answers as long as he continued to live in the bubble of ignorance.

The first step would be to ask the Reapers what would be expected of him now. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the door handle determined to make do with this odd situation however he stopped, completely startled when his hand seemed to phase through the chocolate colored wood of the door.

He quickly retracted his arm and, staring at his palm like it was an alien appendage, he tried to calm himself down.

Surely there was some explanation about what happened just now, right?

He eyed the door nervously, wondering if that had been a random occurrence and as his eyes wandered around the room something caught his eye. Turning ever slowly, he did a full ninety degrees until he was able to see clearly what had caught his attention.

Right there on the bed he remained sleeping peacefully.

"Huh? What the fuck is going on?!" He asked no one in particular, his tone panicking as he looked at the body that layon the bed - his body.

"This isn't real... You're going to wake up from this... It's just a bad dream." He kept trying to reassure himself but the longer he stared down at his body the more panicky he became.

With shaking limbs he got up and walked to the door again. If anyone had answers on what was happening to him, it would most definitely be the Reapers.

Determined to get answers he walked to the door yet again. Like the first time around his body seemed to phase through the solid surface. He didn't pull back but simply allowed himself to pass through the solid surface.

He closed his eyes as he phased through the solid door and only opened them as he found himself outside of the room. Taking a deep breath, he began to walk towards the hall.

Raul wasn't even sure if it was where he would find them nor was he thinking of anything else. All he cared for was finding a degree of nomarlcy once again.

As he approached the great hall he could hear voices. It appeared hey we're still in there discussing something. He saw this as a perfect opportunity to ask them about his present dilemma.

He only stopped short of opening the door and announcing himself when something else caught his attention. A fragment of their conversation made its way to him and he found himself listening to it before he could stop himself. The crack in between the doors allowed him to see part of what was going on.

"We're wasting time. Let us do what we must and be done with it." Came a woman's voice. Raul remembered that Kali had called the other lady Reaper Hel. Kali had also made sure to introduce them all to him.

"Hel is right. If Aruman could come back from whatever he's doing we can correct Azrael's mistake and let everything take it's natural order." He heard Kali say.

"You assume that Azrael had a choice in the matter." Came an unfamiliar voice, the voice of a young male.

"Of course Azrael had a choice. It's not a coincidence he was the last to see him before. He planned this." Came another familiar voice. It was the voice of the man who had saved him and Kali from the fallen angel, Samael.  Kali had called him Samdi.

If he remembered correctly all the names he had been told of were all supposed to be death deities belonging to various religions.

That was still another concept he had to grasp but now was not the time to reconsider his beliefs.

"It matters not if Azrael planned this or not. What matters is that at the present time the mantle of death lies with a mortal. Heaven, Hell, they see this as an opportunity to start their stupid war. We cannot let that happen. We must reclaim the power and keep it out of their hands by whatever means necessary."came a newer voice.

It was at that moment Raul realized they were talking about him. A cold sinking feeling settled into the pit of his stomach the more he kept listening to them.

"You sure took your time joining us, Aruman." Kali said.

"Forgive me but I wasn't going to join your little parade. I hope you will atleast drop this stupid act and get on with important business. Like preventing the apocalypse for example."

He could not get himself to leave as he kept listening to their conversation, his face growing paler each second.

"That cannot be avoided anymore. The first seal was broken already."

"Really? So which of you was dumb enough to throw an innocent into hell, because it sure wasn't me."

"We only deliver souls into the afterlife, Aruman. Where they go from there we have nothing to do with it."

"Except we do. Because how does an innocent man get damned unless we deliver them straight to hell? I know that condition very well and let me tell you there's no way that seal would have broken if one of us hadn't fucked up."

"It could mean anything, Aruman. "An innocent man condemned" can mean many things that have nothing to do with a soul getting wrongly thrown to hell. But you're right, if that is the case the only ones with the power to deliver them to any particular doorstep is us. 

That is beside the point now. The first seal was broken and now we're one step closer to the apocalypse. The other seals can fall easily now that the first has fallen, which is why we cannot waste time now."

"Well good, we're on the same page."

"No! Do you realize what you are talking about? Taking this power from him will kill him!"

"Thanatos, you're too kind, but remember this he was already dead. We merely return things as to what they were."

"Are you listening to yourself, Kali? You made him believe you were his friend, he trusts you. Surely you realize how wrong this is? Besides, who are we to say that this is not how it's meant to be? If Death did not choose him then why has the power not torn him apart?"

"It is tearing him apart. It may not be instantly but it's happening slowly. I want to save him the pain..."

"You're a hypocrite. You all are. Besides, you think he'll sit around twiddling his thumbs as you kill him?"

"He won't know. I'll make sure that it's painless for him."

"All these centuries and you still know nothing of mortals. Death is never painless."

As the conversation went on, he felt horrified as he realized what it all meant. He understood immediately that he wasn't safe here. That his life was in danger and the only one he could really trust was himself.

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