Magdalena and The Reaper

Not far from the village protected by Belchior, a traveler wandered lost in the middle of the forest.

His hair was white, with some traces of black at the roots, and his face was covered by a whitish mask, probably made of plaster, with black lines forming a "VVV" shape around the mouth.

His attire was black from head to toe—a pair of boots full of buckles, black leather gloves, and black pants made of a slightly soft fabric.

His long-sleeved shirt was dark gray, but it remained hidden beneath a black cloak that covered him like an overcoat, with a hood featuring slightly pointed ears.

After accepting his defeat to the environment, he leaned against a tree.

"Hey, Magdalena," he said while looking at his shadow. "Can you still track that demon?"

The cloak began to dissolve, transforming into a black liquid without weight or density, leaving no traces behind—only a shadow that had materialized.

The liquid seeped into the masked man's shadow as Magdalena started to emerge through it.

"No, his trail disappears from here."

Magdalena had the appearance of a young woman, slightly below average height but with well-defined curves.

Her eyes were a deep scarlet red, intense like blood, with several circular lines around her pupils. Her hair was as white as his, tied into twintail braids.

Her dress was in a gothic lolita style, predominantly black, with long sleeves adorned with frilly cuffs, a fitted bodice laced at the front with satin ribbon, and a voluminous layered skirt.

The high collar was decorated with delicate white lace, complemented by a large white bow at the neckline, adding a touch of cuteness to her look.

In contrast to her cute appearance, Magdalena’s words were harsh and filled with contempt.

"I told you, a worm like that will run away desperately the moment it senses my presence."

"Really, it was a terrible idea on my part. I should have listened to your warnings."

"Yes, you should have. I don’t understand why you were so eager to go chasing after such a weak demon.
A beautiful girl like me wasn’t made to waste time with these worms, especially if it means wandering aimlessly through the forest."

"Magdalena, you don’t understand. These 'worms' are a crucial step in my growth."

"Growth? What the hell are you talking about?"

"My growth... as the true protagonist!"

"Huh?"

"To become a true hero in a fantasy world, I need to go through several stages of power scaling.
Today, I’ll defeat a weak and insignificant demon. Tomorrow, a slightly stronger one, and so on, until one day, I can take down the dreaded 'Demon King.’"

"That’s so stupid. Nothing you just said makes any sense to me.
Don’t call this world ‘fantasy.’ Everything that exists here is as real as you are. Besides, there is no ‘Demon King’ to be defeated."

"Even so, if I want to fight powerful demons on equal ground, I need to defeat the small ones first.
You know, gain combat experience… I’ve never been in a real battle!
And if one of the final bosses suddenly appears in front of me, what do I do? I’ll get blown to pieces!"

"Don’t worry…" Magdalena brought her face close to Reaper’s mask, holding the side of his face with her right hand.
"Even if they blow you into several pieces, I’ll make sure to collect every single one of them.
As long as your soul is with me, we’ll be happy together forever."

"I-I'm way too young to die! That’s out of the question!"

"Hmph!" Magdalena dramatically turned her face away.
"Sometimes it feels like you're trying to avoid me."

"No, that's not it. I just don’t feel like dying so soon…"

Reaper and Magdalena had formed a kind of death pact.
In exchange for the power of one of Mors’ fragments, Reaper had granted his soul to Magdalena so she could carry it even after his death.

Each of the four sisters had their own way of forming contracts with humans.
Only when they agreed to become a human’s partner would the pact become true.

"But maybe it would be interesting for you to train a little," Magdalena commented.
"Your skills still don’t match my level."

"I’m sorry, I’m still a weakling, but if necessary, I’m willing to sacrifice my own body to get a power boost and claim victory!"

"Sacrifice… for a power boost?"

"What are you thinking?" he asked, slightly concerned.

"If that’s the case…"

"Oh no."

"Then what was the sacrifice you made to obtain me?!"

The girl pointed her index finger right in the masked man’s face.

"I am an invaluable power boost, but I don’t recall you making any sacrifice to get me!"

"What about my soul?!" Reaper replied hysterically. "Is it so worthless that it doesn’t count as a sacrifice?"

"You’re still alive, so it can’t count as a sacrifice. And you willingly gave it to me yourself."

"... You're right." He finally agreed, unable to hide his frustration at losing the argument.

"Exactly!" Magdalena said cheerfully. "That’s why we’re deciding your sacrifice right now!"

The young man stood up and pointed his index finger at the girl in response, striking an imposing pose.

"Objection! I won’t be able to fight demons properly if I’m missing something!"

Magdalena fired back without hesitation: "Objection denied! You and I function as one—my power is your power! That means you could defeat demons even with one arm tied behind your back!"

"No, but wait…"

The boy tried searching for new arguments, but it was already too late.

"Case closed." Magdalena crossed her arms with the confidence of victory. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll choose your sacrifice, and I choose...
... Your heart. Your love. Come on, give it to me right now."

"Here we go again…" Reaper placed one hand on his head. "Mag, I already told you, that’s not how humans work."

"Then start working that way!"

"We seriously need to revise your understanding of love.
Love isn’t that simple, I can’t just… You know."

"Does that mean we’re not Romeo and Giulietta?"

"Don’t say that. I am your Romeo, and you are my Giulietta— this is something that will never change.
I may not return your feelings with the same intensity, but it’s only a matter of time."

The young man sat back down. Even with the mask on his face, his desolate expression was clear.

"Maybe I’m just not used to it yet. You’re beautiful, strong, intelligent, full of personality, and yet, you still chose to be in love with a loser like me.
I feel like even though I have the girl I’ve always dreamed of, I’m not worthy of her.
Is this what they call impostor syndrome?"

Noticing the disappointment her beloved felt toward himself, Magdalena approached him from behind, knelt down, and gently rested her body against his, pressing her left cheek against his right.

"You were the one who sought me out. Now, it’s your duty to take responsibility for making me fall in love."

"Well, I didn’t know things would turn out this way, but you’re right—it’s a responsibility I can’t run from.
‘Mors gave humans fragments of her own soul in the form of four dragons and four artifacts’…
Who would have thought that each one of them is a girl with her own personality?
I’d like to find the other three artifacts…"

Reaper’s thoughts drifted far away, unaware of the danger he had just put himself in.

What was once a warm embrace from Magdalena quickly turned into a chokehold.

"Why are you thinking about my sisters?!"

"Cough! … Cough! … S-Stop that!" Reaper pleaded for his life, tapping frantically on Magdalena’s arms.

"You womanizer!!!"

"N-No, it’s not like that! G-Guhhh!" Magdalena loosened her grip just enough for him to speak. "My friends are the ones searching for them, you know that!"

"Oh, right." Magdalena released him as if nothing had happened.

"Cough! Cough! Was that really necessary?"

"Next time, choose your words more carefully."

"Fine. Anyway, do you think they have any chance of finding them?"

"Honestly, the chances are low. And even if they do find them, I doubt they’ll agree to the idea of reuniting with us."

"Why?"

"For the same reason I wasn’t too keen on it myself. We’re far from being a close family—I never got along with any of them, especially Sayoko. I hate her."

"Isn’t Sayoko the one who went missing?"

"Yes, we haven’t heard anything about her in a while. There was a huge battle between humans and demons, and in the middle of it, Sayoko disappeared."

"Doesn’t that mean…" Reaper hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"… That she’s dead?"

"No. If that were the case, her fragment would have returned to Mors.
But even she doesn’t seem to know where Sayoko ended up."

"How is that possible? Shouldn’t Mors know everything that happens in this world?"

"Isn’t it ironic hearing that from you? It seems like external factors can interfere.
Either way, she’s not coming down from her palace to search—she appears to be conserving her energy."

Reaper was intrigued by the comment. "Conserving her energy for what?"

"According to her, this world is about to enter a critical state…" Magdalena replied, a serious expression on her face.

"A critical state, huh?" The young man stood up once again. "Looks like things are about to get interesting."

"You sound excited."

"I changed my mind! I don’t want to gain experience little by little anymore.
I want to become someone imposing, someone who makes a grand entrance!"

"Ohhhh…" Magdalena stood up, just as excited. "Yes! That approach is worthy of someone like me!" she declared, placing a hand on her puffed-out chest.

"But I still have no idea how," Reaper admitted, suddenly discouraged.

"Don't worry, I have a few ideas."

"Alright, at your service, my Giulietta."

"Oh, how wonderful it is to have you by my side, my Romeo."

And so, the eccentric duo of Magdalena and Reaper continued discussing ideas for their grand entrance as they wandered aimlessly through the forest.