Veterans of Eternity

Eriol couldn't help but wonder, “What if death disappeared for a day?”

As fast as the thought entered his mind, he laughed it off right away.

In eternity, there is death.

Even if his time is up, death would still be here. He’s thinking too highly of himself if he believes he alone is death. Although it’s hard not to with his job. All of his clients believe he is. They’re only processed by one Grim Reaper, after all. And everyone only dies once.

But even death has to retire someday. His time has come again. This time, he’ll certainly savour every moment of his journey to judgement.

“Well, well, looks who’s blooming with life!” His partner exclaimed. Nara has always been an eccentric individual, Eriol concludes. She was always too enthusiastic to collect a soul, and loathed the thought of taking a day off. A Grim Reaper is cloathed in head-to-toe black. Her presence outshines the dreariness of it all.

“And still, I can’t seem to outbloom you,” he jokes. It wasn’t very clear, with no smile and a monotone voice.

“Then you should work ten times harder,” she scolds, “A veteran should know that a person gets one wish before they’re processed for judgment. This is your moment.”

“Well, I don’t remember the last time I celebrated.” He tries to laugh, “What’s there to celebrate. We don’t have birthdays or death anniversaries. We don’t even have jubilee years, too.”

There were no true lamentations in his heart. Grim Reapers exist for one reason—to guide souls to Eden’s Holdings and grant one wish before they’re sent to judgment. It was Heaven’s final blessing on earth. All he ever had was his job; even his colleagues were part of that.

“Perhaps that’s why I’m so excited,” he thinks to himself, “Perhaps when I’m no longer a Reaper, I’ll finally be someone. Anyone. Myself. If Heaven is kind to humans, it must be kind to me, too.”

“Were you granted your clearance?” Nara cuts off his train of thought,

“I’m heading to the Chairman’s office. I’m guessing it’s for that.”

“I guess…This is goodbye, then?” One of her hands was extended for him to take. For once, her voice was filled with uncertainty.

So this is how Nara looks when she mourns, he reflects. Her curly auburn hair was styled neatly. It wasn’t a frenzy mess typical of those who just found out their friends have passed. Her posture was still straight. She didn’t crumble under the weight of emotions; most humans do. Emotions that were so strong, they physically curled in on themselves.

She’s always been eccentric, Eriol concludes. Regardless, he hopes she never loses the spark in her eyes.

“You know, even a newbie Reaper would know that goodbyes don’t last very long,” he assures her as he shakes her hand.

“I guess I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go.” She cheers.

Today was his last day on earth, and he couldn’t help but feel, he was so close to living.

***

As Chief Executive Officer of Eden’s Holdings, he knows his retirement will cause quite a fuss. As he entered the boardroom, all the board of directors were present. There were only four of them, but with how busy the human world is, it’s rare to see them settle in one room.

He supposed it’s only natural. After all, there are still some loose ends to be tied; His successor is one of them.

“Mr. Melrose, thank you for coming.” The chairman, Mr. Danyi Dulcamara, spoke. Eriol couldn’t put a finger on why he’s so nervous. Throughout his term, Danyi was a Reaper who carried himself with confidence bordering arrogance. Despite his short stature, he commanded the room. They would even joke that he should’ve been a Moonlight Beast instead, with his imperiousness.

So what brought this on?

Could it be they haven’t settled on who will succeed him? Surely, Nara is a good choice, or did she refuse?

“Thank you for your time as well,” he greets the room before eyeing each member of the board, “all of you.” He adds, “I know you’re all very busy.”

“And we know, you’ve been busy too. Being a Grim Reaper is certainly taxing.” It was Voronina of the Moon who spoke. She was a fairly tall woman with thick white hair. On her forehead, she carried the insignia of the House of the Moon. “Which is why we—”

“Stop!” Danyi cuts her off.

Eriol knows very little about her, but from how she carries herself alone, he knows no one talks over her often enough for her to tolerate it. He expects her to bite back but…There was no fight in her body. She looks at Danyi with solemnity instead and, soon, solidarity.

“I’m the one who should break the news to him,” Danyi says,

“Did something happen?”

“I regret to inform you that you are required to complete one more mission before you can be cleared for retirement.” He answers,

Is he afraid of upsetting him for pushing back his retirement? Eriol ponders, but he didn’t mind. Surely, it wouldn’t take a century or so to settle everything. He’s waited this long; he can wait a little longer.

“That’s not a problem at all.” He assures them, “Has the assignment been finalized?”

“Yes,” Danyi responds, before handing him a file. A large screen morphs from glitches in space as Eriol turns his whole attention to it.

“Who’s the client?” He inquires,

“Reira Evigheden,” Danyi answers, no longer facing him. His shoulders were still tense.

“Evig……Heden…” he mumbles, “Does she have any relations to my former clients? It sounds familiar.” He tries to break the ice in the room. It only makes Danyi tense further.

“Not exactly, but…I understand why.”

With that, he opens the file and scans through his client’s profile.

“The seceded Grim Reaper?” He nearly shouts, “Wha—”

“Eriol, you are to hunt her down and return her to Eden’s Holdings.” Danyi commands, his authority returning, “Her time in the sun is finished. And if you want yours to conclude, it must be done.”

Eriol’s quite certain that he passed by Reira a handful of times in the hallways when he was a rookie. The thing is, news of her defection broke out when he was a rookie, too. So, how long has it been since she’s been on the run? He’s the CEO now, and she still hasn’t been captured.

Why? No one knows where she is—that was problem number one. How was he supposed to know?

“Mr. Chairman, I don’t even know where to begin with this case.” He confesses, “Is there a new lead that I missed?” He tries to control his voice. He wants the calmness to simmer on the surface. “It was declared a cold case for a reason. Why is it being reopened?”

“Our hands our bound, Mr. Melrose.” He says,

“What do you mean?” He insists,

“For confidentiality reasons, I can’t reveal why this case has been reopened.” He says, “But I’m sorry to say that there has been no progress in this case. It will be opened the moment you take on the assignment.”

“Confidentiality? Did Heaven itself order me to find her?” He was trying hard not to scream, “This isn’t even my job. If ever, this should be assigned to the Moonlight Beasts.”

“Mr. Melrose, a man in your position is well-versed with the terms and conditions of a wish, the credit balance of souls,” Voronina interjects,

“You cannot make life, take life, or return a life.” Eriol murmurs,

“So you know well enough, the confidentiality that protects a client’s credit balance.” She adds. She said it so nonchalantly but…Eriol could no longer bring himself to move.

“A client wished that I bring back Evigheden?” His mouth was dry, and the words could barely form. Yet he had to say it. He had to hear the madness out loud, perhaps, the board of directors will hear it too. “Mr. Chairman?” He looks at him, pleading.

“I cannot confirm or deny that. All I can say is that you must complete this before retirement.”

“And if I refuse?”

“I’m afraid a Grim Reaper isn’t human.” Danyi says, “We cannot refuse. We can’t choose.”

***

The most telltale sign that this mission was impossible was that the company was handling its board and lounging. He never needed board and lodging for one soul. Oftentimes, it’s when he’s collecting dozens in the same place that he’s granted one. Eriol took it as a signifier that this assignment was never going to end, and he was being banished.

“Good morning!” The receptionist greeted him. He was a tall, lanky man with curly brown hair. Eriol assumes he’s in the early stages of life from his looks. He doesn’t look middle-aged yet? Most of his clients were much older than him, but he had processed a handful of children in his time.

Putting all those thoughts aside, all he can think about is how cheery this man greeted an agent of death. If ever he finds out about his nature, would he regret it?

“Oh, good morning.” He returns the greeting before coming close, “I have a reservation for Melrose—”

“Oh yes, was it you I spoke to on the phone? I must say, you’re a lot taller than I imagined.” He chuckles, “With such a short temper, I imagined you to be a shortie, yourself.”

“Ah, you must be talking about my senior.” He means Danyi. And Danyi is as short as he is fierce. The receptionist laughs, and soon Eriol couldn’t help but laugh too. “I’m sorry for all the trouble he caused you.” He says out of courtesy more than guilt.

“It’s nothing. He just didn’t want to cover the cost for your meals, but the thing is, it’s a package deal, so I refused to let him book a room if it wasn’t.” He shrugs,

“What? How come?”

“Well, I tend to take care of my guests to get good reviews. Since you’re staying here for some time, I’m bound to cook for you to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.” He reveals, “In which case, I might as well get paid.”

“This guy…” Eriol grunts, “He’s robbing me of praise and money in broad daylight.”

“Now follow me to the dining hall.” He claps, “You can leave your bags here, I’ll bring them to your room.” He assures him.

“Perhaps he’ll rob me in the literal sense, too?” He concedes in his mind, “Don’t you have a bellboy for that?” He says instead,

“I am the bellboy.”

“Then where’s the receptionist?”

“Right here!” He plays with the bell at the front desk.

“What are you—”

“Ruoxi. You can call me Ruoxi. Welcome to my inn!” He smiles. 

***

He spends the rest of his day cooped up in his room. He rereads Reira’s file over and over again. As far as he knows, this is the only clue he has. A Grim Reaper’s life is their job; when Reira threw away her Grim Reaper status, they had nothing on her. In other words, her file is useless.

“She served for a millennium before she defected.” Eriol couldn’t help but ponder. Time didn’t matter for Grim Reapers, they can be in the late eighteen hundreds for one job and in the early two thousands for the next. Time is space, and space is time. “She can be anywhere in history. Am I even in the right time?”

“Two thousand years.” He remembers Danyi’s final words before their parting, “The inn you’ll be staying at has been around for two thousand years in the human world. If you find yourself in the wrong time, you can always find yourself back there for a home.”

A moment of silence as he takes in the legacy of his small, woody, cozy surroundings before—

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” He screams, his hands pulling his hair as he’s tempted to throw the file out. “I wonder…Why did she defect?”

What could this world possibly offer for a Grim Reaper?

“Mr. Melrose, it’s time for breakfast! I made crab soup!” Ruoxi calls,

“Thank you, but no thank you!” He answers back,

“Is it because you’re still full from what you ate before coming here?”

Not really, Eriol thinks. It’s because the Grim Reapers don’t need to eat, but they can.

“Yes!” He answers instead,

“Well, guess what!” The door opens as they meet eye to eye. He sees a key, a spare key, in Ruoxi’s hand, and another wide smile is plastered on his face. “That was yesterday. Surely, you must be hungry.”

“What?” He stops to check the window from his bed and sees the sun rising, “It’s morning already.” He realizes, but instead he says, “I’m not.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll eat either way.”

“Hey, aren’t there laws forbidding this? Do you want me to spread gossip about your terrible service?” He challenges,

“You’ll change your mind once you drink my soup,” Ruoxi answers, his voice oozing with assurance.

Much to his dismay, he finds himself following the other man to the reception hall. After all, he needs to keep up appearances of being human, and humans sleep, eat, and rest. Just this once, can he disguise his unnatural needs as stubbornness?

The dining hall was composed of only one long table made of wood, and it held ten chairs in capacity.

“Just how many guests do you have?” It was supposed to be for his thoughts alone. He ended up saying it out loud.

“Most of my guests only board for a week at most, but I have two regulars currently lodging.” Ruoxi answers,

“Gee, are you even allowed to say that by the law? Isn’t privacy a thing here?”

“Oh, come on, I didn’t reveal anything, and based on your booking, you’ll run into them soon enough.” He pats his back,

“One of them left for work early, the other one—”

“Is he still here?” A woman’s voice reverberated from the hallways and pierced through the walls before the door slams open.

“Overslept,” Ruoxi concludes now that both their attention was on the second guest.

She wore a white lace dress with a high collar covered by pearl necklaces and a brooch. On her head was a large beige hat filled with flowers and feathers. She held a parasole that matched the fabric of her dress. The same goes for her gloves.

“Is Surim still here?” She asks,

“He left for work already.” Ruoxi answers, “around fifteen minutes ago.”

“Good! I can still catch him.” She was about to sprint in her three-inch heels before Ruoxi called out again,

“But I made crab soup. Are you going to miss out on your favorite for your job?” He taunts her joyfully. That mischievous smile was back on his face.

Her body tenses as she turns her head back at them. Silence becomes a fourth person in the room before she straightens up and relaxes.

Ruoxi takes it as an answer.

“Oh, and meet our new tenant, Mr. Eriol Melrose.” He claps his shoulders before leaving an assured path, “Mr. Melrose, this is one of my loyal customers, Ms. Evigheden. Reira Evigheden.”

His victory was laid out in front of him. It felt more like a mockery, since he couldn’t make the arrest. These were the matters of the Grim Reapers, after all. It has no place for humans, even if it’s just one.