Gee reclined in his favourite chair, staring at the ceiling, as if it could give him some kind of revelation. Making sure that the afterlife was running smoothly was usually manageable, but there were often times when the job felt impossible. This was one of those times.
Life and Death giving him an infant sibling had come out of nowhere, and Gee was now looking over his shoulder as often as he could with the news that the Ocean was on the move with one of his schemes. There was still the wayward elder Adam Darktide to retrieve from another realm's Limbo, and constant messages were coming in from headquarters that the spirits in the Afterlife were afraid of Coby Wall for reasons Gee hadn't had time to look into. Lukas had mentioned something about broken, half formed reapers in Jubilant Accosts for him to look into and something about a new Dream Guardian. As if Gee didn't have enough on his plate already.
He was already investigating into Celeste Goldman's background to find her another placement in the afterlife, as well as into the claims of former queen Juniper Goss about her father potentially being a danger to Ewan Goldman and the living realm.
Gee had gone through the records of the dead to when Casper Goss had been young, looking for any sign of when he might have interacted with Coby Wall or when the two may have met. Strangely, he couldn't find a record of them meeting, which was odd, considering that Coby had once been his personal assassin. Juniper was right to be suspicious, though with afterlife residents now panicked about Coby Wall, this didn't feel like the right time to report this to the late queen.
Deity babies. Dead kings hiding their deeds from the Grim Reaper. An assassin Gee couldn't legally kill until he was officially a threat to the gods and the Grim Reaper. Dealing with whatever was happening in Jubilant Accosts. It was all too much to handle at once.
Any other Grim Reaper might crumble under this pressure, but Gee was determined to persevere. His father expected a lot from him, and it had taken Death centuries to finally entrust Gee with his job. If he failed at these challenges, Izanami would replace him, of that he was certain. How embarrassing would it be to be Death’s son and fired as his replacement?
Maybe he could send a skilled reaper in his place to Jubilant Accosts to look into the disaster there. There were a handful of reapers he could trust with the task, and even more options if he could convince a retired reaper to pick up a scythe again. Some of them might even be enticed to travel to modern day Pleasantview to see what had changed since their retirement, while tracking down whatever they could about the Pleasantview rules of succession and Coby Wall.
Gee groaned at the thought of having to recruit reapers for these jobs. The afterlife was often monotonous after centuries of residing in it, so one would assume that souls would be leaping at the chance to leave it, but there was danger in being a reaper, and the job was rather thankless. Dead reapers died forever if killed, and it wasn't fun guiding young or innocent souls away from their families to the endless realm of Death. Investigating possibly dangerous situations was often a hard sell.
"Gee? Your father's here. He's brought Lunen over."
Gee perked up, hearing his wife's voice. Leah was never afraid to speak her mind to Izanami when her husband couldn't. She was a remarkable woman, and celebrated in Strangetown as a saint, for marrying Gee during his younger, more wild years and saving the country from his antics while he was on the reaper team there. Not many people knew about the origin of the Feast of St. Leah, though Gee had no doubt that his father or Lukas would tell anyone, in great detail who asked.
"Coming!"
"Father. Lukas. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Gee asked, his eyes focusing on the infant in Lukas' arms. "I thought you two were going to be keeping to yourselves at home for a while. Is everything okay? Is Lunen okay?"
"Lunen's doing great," Lukas assured him. "A little too great, in fact. She's casting spells without even learning them first. I'm not sure how we're going to deal with that until she's mature enough to understand how to use magic responsibly, but I guess we'll figure that out as we go."
"We have to return to Jubilant Accosts," Izanami said bluntly. There was no time to waste exchanging pleasantries with his son. "The Ocean is calling for us. There's something happening at a scale we cannot ignore. He hasn't demanded our return yet, but we don't want to risk angering him by delaying."
"And you need me to babysit?" Gee guessed. He looked affectionately at his little sister, though he worried about how he could manage her doing strange magic without the ability to control it.
"The Ocean likely wants his experiment to come with us," Lukas replied. "I have a feeling that we'll need to be her constant companion for at least a little while. I don't know if the Grim Reaper can overpower Life magic if she uses it on you or what defense an ordinary babysitter might have against the powers of Death."
"Yeah, let's not find out about that," Gee said carefully. "Though I would like to see her as often as I can. It's not every day that I get another sibling, especially one so powerful."
"You can see her if you want," Lukas offered, turning Lunen to see her big brother. "We do have to leave, but I've been tasked with more investigations to follow up on that you need to assist with."
Gee looked towards his office, where a large pile of work was waiting for him already.
"Really? More? What now?"
"Fairies," Lukas stated, looking as thrilled as Gee at the thought of more work. "Apparently, this Coby Wall has hinted that the fairy population is in danger or behind some of the assassin's attacks or something. No one was exactly clear, just that fairies were mentioned as something the assassin referenced. Their population might be in danger, and we're tasked with looking into it."
"Fairies? Those actually exist? I thought they were just stories. Even when I was young, they were just stories the kids used to make up."
Lukas shrugged.
"We should assume the stories were true to start, and find evidence to either prove or disprove that theory. The only lead we have is word of a frightened child, which isn't a great start. If they're real, the fairies might be holding a grudge against Pleasantview because they burned the fairies' forest or something. Your father read about it in your own files. The assassin comes from Pleasantview, so that might be plausible. Double check your records and see if there's something buried in there from the previous Grim Reapers."
Gee stifled a sigh and focused his attention on his little sister instead.
"I'll inform the Pleasantview reapers," Gee said, making faces at Lunen. "This isn't as urgent as the cases I'm already working on, but I'll make sure that the reapers investigate. We can talk about what they find when you're back from Jubilant Accosts. You should bring Lunen. Hopefully, this isn't anything exciting. I'd love to finish the work I already have."
"You and me both," Lukas agreed. "Though, I was actually thinking about taking some parental leave. Lunen needs watching full time and your father can't handle her using the powers of Life. This has all been so unexpected, but Lunen is here, and she needs both of her parents."
Gee tried not to show how distressing this news was, but probably failed.
"Parental leave? I mean, that makes sense, but you just got back from months away in Jubilant Accosts. Who were you thinking of leaving in charge? Fiona? Evalla?"
"I haven't decided yet, but Evalla makes the most sense. She did my job for nearly a century before I reincarnated, so she knows the ropes. Izanami won't tell me why, but I know she's tapped into my power recently, so I know that she's capable."
"So, you're leaving me and Evalla with this assignment then?"
"Lukas will supervise when needed," Izanami assured his son. "Lunen won't require their full attention all day, and you know how they get when they're not involved with their work. They will be helping when Lunen allows."
"So I let my champions die out once," Lukas snapped quickly. "That happened once, and I got them back eventually."
"At the cost of two lives, and disrupting two royal lines of succession," Gee pointed out with a teasing grin. "But other than that, yeah, I guess you're a model employee."
"That's it, Lunen. Let's go somewhere where Mommy's past is a mystery," Lukas decided, throwing Gee a quick smile. "The Ocean is waiting for us, I'm sure. We'd better not be late."
"Good luck," Gee said. "With the Ocean, you may need it."
To Gee's surprise, Izanami wrapped his arms around Gee and hugged him. Clearly he was still recovering from the whirlwind of Lunen's birth and feeling emotional, because Gee couldn't remember the last time his father had hugged him. With this emotional of a response, Gee felt brave enough to ask his father a professional follow up question.
"Are fairies even real, Father?" Gee asked, looking at Lukas for backup. "I've never reaped one before or seen one in the afterlife. Are they like demons and stick to their own version of the Void?"
Lukas elbowed their husband in support of their stepson, and to make their own part in this task easier.
"Yeah, Death. Have you ever reaped one? Where am I supposed to find these creatures since you're so insistent on me working on this. If they lived in some forest that burned, where are the dead fairies? Are the old stories true or is this just a distraction of some kind?"
Izanami looked uncomfortable at the question. Lukas could see in his eyes that he was struggling to come up with an answer, which didn't happen often.
"You've never reaped one? Ever?" Lukas was astounded at this revelation. "Are they immortal? Do they exist?"
"There were many creatures when existence began, several of which are gone now and others that were sealed away like Xexys," Izanami said at last. "I think I remember a fairy or two. They were dreadful things, vicious and violent when they were wronged. They were much like the sirens, except they weren't bound to the sea. Have I seen a fairy in the course of your lifetime? No. The only being who would have accurate information about them would be the Ocean, and I don't recommend trying to get information from him at the moment. He's clearly still involved with his own plans, plans that we need to play our parts in before he reconsiders giving us custody of Lunen."
"Right. We'll talk later, Gee. Besides, there's an ancient reincarnated reaper in Jubilant Accosts with a crush on Izanami who I can ask about fairies. I'll let you know what they say."
Gee waved as his family teleported out of sight. Just as one threat ended, it felt like five more began. It was days like these that Gee understood why so many Grim Reapers burned out of the job.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
As soon as Izanami was free of the Ocean's presence, he retreated to the relative safety of the adjoining room. The angels still stood guard in the hallway, and had already demonstrated their lack of loyalty to the realm of Death. Izanami would be safer away from their eyes.
Anakin and Evalla followed him, still trying to understand what they'd just witnessed. It was shameful to Izanami to show weakness to anyone other than Lukas. Death had to be feared, not pitied, but the tears were still streaming from his eyes despite his efforts to stop them. There was an all consuming pain shooting through his body, forcing him to grab the nearest chair for support. Just when he could feel some of the pain subside, another jolt of pain tore through him.
No, he couldn't let the pain distract him from the situation at hand. He and Lukas were having a child. An impossible child who was going to be comfortable in both of their realms. A child who would bring Jubilant Accosts to its knees, whatever that meant. The Ocean clearly had plans for this child, but despite that obvious fact, Izanami felt an excitement rise within him. He and Lukas had tried everything they could to conceive a child, and now, they were just being handed one like it was nothing. It was a miracle, and frightening all at once.
Another sharp pain in Izanami's abdomen made the deity shout out, his fingers digging so hard into the chair that it nearly snapped.
"That looks like a contraction to me," Evalla noted nervously. "I think the Ocean may have hurried up the labour process. It's been a long time since I've had my kids, but judging by the way you're about to destroy that chair, it looks like the contractions aren't that far apart."
"We need to find a doctor!" Izanami ordered. He pointed to Evalla. "You! You need to call-" Izanami's words were cut off by another contraction tearing through him. He panted through the pain despite not needing to breathe. He had seen Lukas do the same when the twins were born and he was desperate for any relief he could get.
"Izanami? Your hair is white. Does that mean something? Is it a good thing?"
Anakin's words only increased Izanami's panic.
"It's a bad thing," he groaned, holding his stomach. "My hair is always black and white simu-simultaneously. I-I'm out of bal-ance. My body-" Izanami was cut off by the scream he was desperately trying to suppress. It was loud enough to make both observers flinch.
"We need to get you help," Anakin decided. Izanami could barely stand, let alone make decisions for himself. "Evalla, keep an eye on the angels and see if there's some other purpose they've been assigned. Izanami is probably safest far away from them. I'm going to take Izanami to my home until we decide what to do next. I don't know any doctors who have been trained to help Death himself." Izanami screamed again, finally breaking the part of the chair he'd been holding onto. "Yeah, we need to get him out of here as soon as possible."
Reese Evans was spending a quiet afternoon meditating when all hell broke loose. He didn't often have time to himself between helping stand in for Lukas or dealing with all of his family members and their drama. As soon as he heard his husband's voice calling from the street, he knew that his alone time had come to an end.
"Reese! It's Izanami! I need your help! It's an emergency!"
When Reese made it down the stairs, Izanami was sobbing in the living room. His form was unstable and the clothes he was projecting for his afterlife body kept shifting and changing. His hair had gone from black to white and back again. It was currently stuck as black with long white streaks running through it. Anakin had taken this change to mean that his form was stabilizing a little, but he honestly didn't know if he was right.
"Do you know what we should do?" Anakin asked his husband nervously. "I can't call a doctor because we've tried that when he first got sick. No one understands what his anatomy looks like, aside from maybe Lukas. They did say that they investigated everything they could about his biology when they started trying for the twins."
"I can't call Lukas and tell them to rush over here," Reese exclaimed. "They're sealed away in Jubilant Accosts. I'm not authorized to break the seal, we need someone higher up."
"We need Gee then," Anakin decided. "The Grim Reaper is the only one who can open that seal aside from Izanami, and Izanami's not going to be up to that any time soon."
"Get Lukas here now!" Izanami shouted between groans of pain. "I don't care if Jubilant Accosts is currently under siege by fucking demons, they need to be here!"
"Oh, this is going to be bad," Reese groaned. His husband tried to use reassuring words to speak to Izanami, just as he had for Reese when their kids were born. Anakin couldn't judge if they were working, but it at least gave him something to do.
"I'll call Gee," Reese promised, closing the door behind him to make his call without Izanami's screaming in the background. "I don't think he's going to believe me."
"Dad? Dad, oh my god! What happened?"
Gee teleported to his father immediately after hearing from Reese. It was baffling to imagine his father pregnant, but it was also a relief that the sickness that had plagued Death was something curable. It was a miracle! His father and Lukas had longed for more children, and their wish had been granted, even if it was only to suit the Ocean's plans.
"What do you think happened?!" Izanami shouted, grabbing whatever was closest to him at the time and crushing it in his hand. "I'm apparently h-having an ugh!"
"How is this even possible?" Gee wondered. "None of this makes any sense. You don't even need to eat and yet you're-"
"GET ME LUKAS NOW!"
Gee obeyed his father's wishes, disappearing from sight before his father screamed again.
"Lukas, can you hear me?"
Izanami squeezed his eyes shut and tried to reach out telepathically to his spouse. If the seal between the realms was broken, maybe he could make contact.
"Lukas, I need you here with me. Come home. I can't do this without you."
Alon Walton was a demon with conflicting emotions. He, along with many other demons, was summoned to the expansive temple of the Ocean to meet with a representative of Life. Alon had been dead for centuries and didn't see the point in rejoining the living realm by escaping through the Void. His partner and children were here in the afterlife, and they were all Alon needed.
He was still curious about what the servants of Life wanted, which was his main reason for accepting the invitation. The afterlife was often dull for long periods of time, and this was interesting.
Purple eyed demons were somewhat rare compared to the usual red or yellow eyed demons, as they descended from some kind of angelic ancestry. There used to be many ranks of angels, all with different abilities, so each demon spawned from an angel, might have not have the same ability as another demon. Some purple eyed demons were exceptionally talented, and some of them were nearly as powerless as a human.
Alon had experienced death for the first time at the hands of red eyed demons helping reaper trained mortals. His powers weren't aggressively strong for situations like battles. No, his strength was better suited for stealth and deception. Alon could possess mortals or weak demons, controlling every part of them. He could also hypnotize or overwhelm any creature he wanted, but again, that was better done from the safety of the shadows and not in direct combat.
"Hi, my name is Zephyr," a friendly voice announced. Her dark purple eyes sparkled with excitement. "I'd like to welcome everyone to this meeting and thank you all for coming. I'm hosting this gathering on behalf of Lukas, deity of the realm of Life. They have some concerns that they hope you can help with."
"I'm Reyes, I'm co-hosting the meeting on behalf of those who practice dream magic, something Lukas feels is relevant with the dream plague that is ravaging the living world."
"Yes, former King Reyes is here to talk about dreams, but our meeting is primarily about angels and demons," Fiona pointed out, looking irritated that she had to share the spotlight with a mortal. Lukas' orders were clear on the matter, even if she didn't agree with them. "Let's go inside and get started. The living realm needs our help."
Gee sat in his office, listening to the concerns of the afterlife. Just like a monarch, Gee held office hours for the dead to notify him of their problems and ideas. It was something his father had scoffed at, but it was producing results. Most of the meetings he took were easy and uncomplicated. And then there was the matter of Celeste Goldman.
The former queen consort/death cult co-leader was part of the restricted program in the afterlife where dangerous souls were entrusted to family members or volunteers to rehabilitate until they could rejoin the afterlife society in peace. Celeste's father and stepmother had volunteered to care for Celeste, but it had been years and she only seemed to be getting worse.
"Celeste seems to be getting worse. I...I don't think we can be her guardians anymore," Ewan reported. "I love her more than anything, but she's so toxic now. More than toxic, hateful. She is actively cruel to her stepmother, she hates her own mother to the point that I wouldn't trust her alone with Cherry even if both of them were dead. She kept Cherry as a zombie for over fifty years and taunted her daily! This isn't how any decent human being acts, and I don't know how to get through to her. She's highly inappropriate with me just to get a reaction and with Ewan?"
"She gloats about killing him when they were children," Gee said with a heavy sigh. "I've had many conversations with her about her afterlife journey, and they've all concluded the same way. She's malicious and cruel just to hurt other people. I ended her life for attempting to kill me and she spent our last meeting swearing to try it again. She's a challenging case. I completely understand if you're unable to be her guardian any longer. I can reassign her care to someone else."
"I feel like I've failed her, but also, I died when she was eight. If I could have been there for her, I absolutely would have. I love all of my children. I don't understand how she could have been the queen consort of Crystal Cove, and helped lead two covens and still be this hateful and angry. I've never seen anything like it, and I fought in all of my father's wars."
"Has she ever asked about Travis Goldman? I'm told that a sign of rehabilitation is when a soul will ask about their loved ones or their victims. I'm not sure which option Celeste sees her son as."
Ewan shook his head sadly.
"She refuses to talk about him. The only thing she'll say is that he deserves to raised by the brother she killed. That weakness deserves weakness."
"I'll see where I can transfer her," Gee promised. "There has to be somewhere she can be contained until she's rehabilitated. I heard that Lukas has been using Limbo for unruly spirits, maybe that is the best path forward."
"Can I, uh, ask about Travis' other parent?" Ewan asked nervously. "Does she ever ask about her son or Celeste?"
"Charlotte Maricourt? At her last appointment, she was making excellent progress. She's staying with her parents, though who knows if the Maricourts are actually helping her or just helping her pass my tests. They're an interesting, and frustrating family. As far as I know, she doesn't talk about Celeste or Travis, but she doesn't really talk about any of her children, really."
"That's encouraging," Ewan replied. "I get the sense that Celeste blames her for their cult failing, so keep that in her file for if she ever does graduate. I have a feeling that their reunion might not be civil. I feel so badly for their son. When he does die, I hope that those two have themselves sorted out."
"Ewan and Anna take excellent care of him," Gee assured Ewan. "He's extremely loved."
"I'm glad to hear that. I hope more than anything that Ewan will visit us again once Celeste finds a new guardian. I miss him."
"What is this place?" Alon asked, looking around him in awe. "I don't think that I've ever seen this place before and I've been in the afterlife for centuries."
"It's the temple of the Ocean. Very few people will see this place and for good reason." Destiny Reeves answered, appearing out of nowhere, and immediately taking charge of the room. "It's one of the places the Ocean dwells. He's away on business at the moment, and this was the only place the angels would agree to convene."
"What kind of business?" Alon asked timidly. It was horrifying to think that the greatest deity, the one that even Death feared, could appear at any moment and wonder what everyone was doing in his temple.
"He didn't say," Fiona replied. "Just that he would be gone for awhile to oversee the culmination of a project of his. I didn't dare ask what that meant."
"He's tormenting Life and Death," another voice replied. Alon turned to see a being with purple eyes, and black feathered wings. He was like nothing Alon had ever seen. The markings on his face looked ancient, and the demon could feel the power behind those purple eyes deep in his nonexistent bones. It was unnerving to watch him look over the crowd with clear disdain. This had to be one of the angels they were meeting.
"He's watching over Life and Death, you mean," Zephyr Toyonaga corrected him. The angel bristled at being corrected. "Lukas is my grandparent and they're working very hard far away from home. We can help them, just as I'm sure that the Ocean is too."
"The Ocean doesn't help people," the angel hissed, temporarily distracted from the drink in his hand. "He never has. He has a plan for Life and Death, just as he has a plan for Xexys. He's the one who sealed Xexys away in the first place, and he has a plan for him now too. He wouldn't leave that choice up to Lukas or Izanami. Personally, I think he's gone to watch all the chaos of the demon and his plague for his own enjoyment. He does love a show."
"Life and Death are doing what they can," Zephyr insisted. "Their work will make a difference. All the mortals are working to defeat Xexys without the help of the Ocean, and they'll succeed."
The angel gave the demon a weary look.
"I know only one thing about his plans, and that is that it cannot be changed. Something is in motion that will unbalance the order of the universe. Just as the moon has power over the ocean, the ocean seeks power over the moon."
"That...that is not helpful," Zephyr replied. "No wonder no one talks to you angels anymore."
Alon had to agree with Zephyr. Creatures who spoke in riddles weren't exactly helpful in a time when the world needed answers.
"If everyone could assemble in the main stage, I'd like to begin."
Alon and Zephyr followed the sound of Fiona's voice, noting the large crowd of purple eyed creatures gathering. They appeared to be mostly demons, though neither of them really knew what they would be if they weren't demons. Really old demon-angel hybrids? Who knew?
"Thank you all for coming," Fiona said. "Lukas needs our help to make the living world safe for your descendants, or if you're a powerful enough demon, safe enough for you to return to some day. There is a very dangerous plague that is locking the living into an endless dream. Their bodies die without intervention and the soul is trapped in Xexys' web of dreams. We need to find a way to wake up those who have been caught by the plague and a way to do something about Xexys himself. Does anyone have any ideas about how to do that? Does anyone know something about Xexys that maybe Lukas might not know?"
"I was once a doctor," a purple eyed woman in a green sweater volunteered. "I served in the Demon Wars and saw just about every kind of demon there is, aside from the Great Demons or blood demons. Xexys doesn't look like a proper demon. He has no horns or a dark form, so we can't treat him like a proper demon. What kind of demon uses a warped version of dream magic, anyway? Every other demon uses demonic magic."
"Because he's not a regular demon." A woman just as unnerving as the angel in the hall appeared, along with another purple eyed man. There was no denying that these two newcomers were also angels. "Demons are angels who have fallen from the path and embraced a destiny they have made for themselves. They mutated into a lesser form with lesser magic. Xexys was never an angel or a Great Demon or even an angel-demon hybrid. He is and has always been, Xexys, Demon of Nightmares."
"What does that mean?" Zephyr asked. "Is he his own class of demon?"
"Why do you think he was sealed away from the rest of us?" the woman replied. "He's his own species. A mistake made by the Ocean that he was too curious about to kill. It's not surprising that this plague is happening. Xexys was always scheming something and he could never get along with the other demons. He thought he was superior to them, despite him lacking their strength."
"And they thought a team of reapers and a Timelady could contain him," the other angel laughed. "What's a reaper going to do to an immortal?"
"You know why they sent reapers," the woman replied. "He needs living victims to start with and the realm of Death silences the dream he weaves. Life and Death seal the door to that realm and Life and Death are his undoing."
"We can't send Death to Jubilant Accosts," Zephyr said quickly, before anyone else suggested the idea. "Lukas forbids it for reasons they don't need to explain. We could send the Grim Reaper instead. What does he need to do?"
"There's no substitute for Death," the male angel explained. "The magic is old and specific. It must be Life and Death."
"What about a magic user that was trained in dream magic?" Reyes asked. "There's a teenage girl in Jubilant Accosts that my daughter speaks very highly of. Maybe Luna and I could go in Izanami's place."
Both angels stared coldly at Reyes, while the angel drinking in the hall laughed.
"There is no substitution," he said sternly. "Life and Death, not dream magic sorcerers. Izanami was never a coward; why can't he go to fight the dream demon?"
"Because he's sick," Fiona snapped angrily. "As if you guys didn't know about the crisis Death is in! You must know how to fix him. He needs help. No one knows why he's been so sickly."
"Because the Ocean is tormenting him. I've already made that clear. If you won't use Death, I've heard that a blood demon hybrid exists in Jubilant Accosts. A demon able to use Life's most basic magic, and the undead able to reach the magic of the dead in return. It's not a replacement. It won't stop Xexys, but it might slow his plague. Life and Death."
"Stop saying that!" Fiona commanded. "I'm not returning to Lukas with some whispered ideas and the words 'Life and Death' repeated until they've lost all meaning."
"You wanted our help. We convened here for you. You cannot destroy Xexys without the Ocean's consent, and even then, you need Death to stand beside Life. That blood demon and the undead could slow things down, but they can't defeat Xexys on their own. No one can."
"The Dream Guardian needs to be replaced and no matter how clever Life thinks they are, there are conditions to be met, rules to be followed. Dream demon hybrids cannot escape the realm unchecked either. The ability to wield Dream magic is a rare gift that must remain rare. One who wields that magic might be able to lower Xexys' defenses. They can turn his magic against him, even though they can't defeat him."
"Everything was placed in that realm for a reason. The Jacobeans have inadvertently warped their society to favour the Demon of Nightmares. They spurn what was given to protect them. The Ocean does not distribute power to just one person, one group of people. Power is shared."
After their ominous statements, all three angels disappeared from sight, drawing disappointed groans from the audience of demon hybrids.
"That was them helping us?" Alon complained. "Why even bother?"
"It was a little helpful," Zephyr replied. "We know now that Death has to be involved."
"If the Ocean lets Life and Death intervene, that is," Alon pointed out. "And who wants to tell Lukas that their sick husband, who all of us are forbidden to speak to, needs to enter a battlefield in another realm?"
No one in the room looked excited by the idea, especially Fiona, who the task would likely fall to.
"But the people in the realm can stall for time for Izanami to heal," she said. "Those Pleasantview teens might be able to disrupt the plague and weaken Xexys. Maybe they'll lead us to the new Dream Guardian. This is still positive news, even if the work seems daunting. I'll be sure to let Life know about this information."
"So what do we do? Why are we even here?" the woman who had formerly been a doctor asked.
Zephyr immediately regretted not handing out name tags at the door.
"Keep your eyes and ears open for gossip about the situation," she replied. "Reach out to any contacts you may have who might know something about Jubilant Accosts that the angels haven't shared with us. If you can travel to the living realm through the Void, investigate for yourself, ask questions. If you can use dream magic or possession, find answers and report them back to either myself or Fiona."
Destiny made sure to separate herself from the group as soon as the three angels vanished. There was always a fourth angel lurking along with his people, even if he didn't make himself known.
"Keith Tangiela, I'd like to speak with you," she declared loudly. His true name wasn't known to many people, but his daughter knew it. They had had centuries of family issues, disagreements, and drama, but despite it all, there was still a father-daughter bond between them. Keith had always been forthcoming with any information he could provide about her research topics, but this involved the happiness of her favourite deity. This was personal.
A blonde man with black wings and strange face markings appeared before her, looking sheepish.
"Destiny! Daughter! I was hoping that you'd attend this meeting. You're no doubt assisting your stepchild in their quest to correct Yacothia, so it makes sense that you'd be here."
"I'm also the descendant of an angel," Destiny replied. "That should entitle me to some answers to my questions. Your colleagues weren't exactly clear on certain subjects."
"We angels aren't known for our clarity. We have lived long enough to see our species fall, along with every empire on the planet. What we know, isn't always easily understood by mortals."
"I don't need a history lesson, just answers that will help my family. Will Izanami be able to make the journey to Jubilant Accosts? He gets weaker with every passing day. He can't fight Xexys in this condition. Do you know how to help him?"
Keith shook his head.
"That's above even my level. I wish that I knew, but the Ocean doesn't like to share his schemes. I don't think that it's a plan to destroy him, like how the last demonic sovereigns drowned. This is a project that amuses him as much as Xexys does."
"Tell me about the Dream Guardian then. How can Lukas replace him? What was he? Where did he come from?"
"Many beings were sealed away," Keith answered. "Mortals, vampires, werewolves, reapers, and a breed of demon unique to that realm. The Dream Guardian was something else unique to Yacothia. Much like King Reyes' daughter, Luna, he acted as a steward of the dream realm. A demigod for those who practiced dream magic. His death at the hands of one of his own subjects was obscene. Heresy."
"But how do we replace him?" Destiny insisted. "Luna is fairly young compared to an angel. How long did the dream realm sit undefended until she was born? How much longer will we have to wait before someone is born with enough dream magic to ascend to the Dream Guardian's role?"
"That debt will be paid in blood," Keith replied cryptically. "What blood, I cannot say. There are several bloodlines that would satisfy the debt. Perhaps the Ocean will choose one or perhaps it will reveal itself." He paused for a moment to reflect on how much he was allowed to explain. "There is a secret my colleagues wish to keep from you, but if anyone can understand the need for discretion, it's you. It's a shame that you favour your mother's genetics. You would have been an excellent angel hybrid."
Destiny rolled her eyes at the reminder of her genetic inheritance. Her mother had also hoped that Destiny would be an angel hybrid with angelic power, but that wasn't her fate.
"That's never held me back before," she declared. "Tell me what I need to know. I can handle anything even the deities throw at me."
Keith looked torn, but nodded his agreement.
"There was one of my people sealed away in Yacothia," he said quietly. "An angel of enormous power. We don't know what became of her, but she hasn't responded to any of our messages in centuries."
"An angel in Yacothia? Why was she there? Why haven't we heard about her? She was sealed with the reapers and Dream Guardian but there's nothing written about her?"
"She was meant to oversee the experiment of Jubilant Accosts," Keith explained. "Back when there were thousands of angels, it was common for some of them to be assigned to oversee the mortals. Secretly, of course. The reaper and Dream Guardian had to assume that they were in command in order to judge whether interference was needed."
"So there was a spy in Jubilant Accosts. Life and Death didn't know about this?"
Keith shook his head slowly, trying to find the right words.
"Death didn't, but the first Life deity was connected to us in the beginning. He knew. He'd always known."
"So when did this angel lose contact? I need specifics if I'm going to research this," Destiny asked.
"I don't know. No one knows. The destruction of my people had many consequences. My three coworkers were sealed away, unconscious until the second Life deity's second incarnation failed. I lost my memories during a fight with a fallen demon, and had no clue that I was an angel until the others awakened. None of us were able to keep in contact with the angel in Yacothia over the centuries, so we don't know when she disappeared. The only clue we have is a painting of the so-called "Maiden of Jacob". This maiden looks just like the angel we lost, and is described in texts as being otherworldly and powerful. This has to be her."
Destiny filed all of this information away for research later. She and Alex Alocasia-Lane were going to have another award winning paper after researching something this old.
"Is there any lore regarding what became of this maiden? Any friends or associates she might have had?"
"She died. Tragically, if later writings are to be believed. There is no record of her death, just mentions over the centuries of the tragic fate of Jacob's Maiden."
"Any hint of it being related to Xexys?" Destiny asked. Her mind was already fast at work formulating theories. "Is this related to the murder of the Dream Guardian and the other safeguards?"
"I don't know. That will be for you to determine. Please don't mention this to anyone other than your research partner and Life. It's somewhat of a sensitive subject."
Destiny fought against the urge to roll her eyes at this. A lost secret operative that no one knew what happened to? This information could be dangerous in the wrong hands.
"I'll keep it a secret," she promised. "I need more information on the Dream Guardian though. What did the angel mean that his replacement needs to come from a bloodline? Why is a blood demon hybrid able to help curb the plague? I don't understand what any of that has to do with the Demon of Nightmares."
"Yacothia was created under a blood moon. Whatever lurks in the shadows of that land was put there for a reason. It is self sustaining-or it was until it was breached by intruders from this realm. If you find this missing maiden, I believe that will be the key to understanding what's happened to Jubilant Accosts."
"That didn't answer any of my questions." Destiny had played this game before with her father and usually ended up more frustrated than when she'd started. "If you want me to research this for you, then I'm going to need more to go on than your vague descriptions."
Keith looked over his shoulder nervously, just in case his coworkers had discretely returned. If he wasn't allowed to speak of the Maiden of Jacob, then he was absolutely barred from continuing this conversation.
"The Dream Guardian will make themselves known once they awaken, whether they do that themselves or the Ocean does it for them when the time comes. Obviously, it will be someone with the ability to use dream magic, like the demonic spawn of Xexys, or...something else. Some say that the Dream Guardian was made by the Ocean in the image of an angel and there is conveniently an angel missing in that realm. Daughter, I cannot say any more. You will have to do your best with what I have given you."
Without another word, Keith vanished from sight, leaving his daughter with questions she didn't know how to answer.
Lukas tore across the realms as fast as they could, shifting forms if they thought it could gain them even a second more of time at Izanami's side. They were so busy trying to get to their husband that they never noticed how easy the transitions had been or that one of them successfully transitioned with black hair. Only one thing mattered, and that was Izanami.
"Where is he? Gee? What are you doing just standing there?"
Gee stood still, unsure as to what he was supposed to be doing in this situation. He'd tried to comfort his father, but all Izanami would do was beg him to find Lukas. Gee had opened the seal between the realms and called for Lukas, and the only thanks he'd recieved in return was his father screaming at him. What exactly was he supposed to do to help Death give birth? It was an impossible situation, but at least Lukas was finally here to help.
"I've been doing what I can," Gee replied defensively. "I have a lot of kids and none of their births looked anything like this. This is a problem more suited to your skills. You're the only one he wants near him anyway."
"Lukas? Is that you? Are you really here?"
Izanami sounded tired and weak from the labour process, immediately sending Lukas into a panic.
"What happened? How did you find out you were pregnant? When did the contractions start?"
Lukas flew to their husband's side, cradling him in their arms. They had been apart for far too long. Lukas couldn't articulate how it felt to feel Izanami pressed against them again, even under these stressful circumstances.
"The Ocean d-did this," Izanami replied wearily. "He-he said...he said he wanted this. He w-w-wanted to...it's a girl. We're having a daughter and-" Izanami's sentence ended with another scream from the pain.
"I know," Lukas said soothingly. "He told me. He said that she's ours to keep, can you believe that? There has to be some kind of scheme involved here, but she's ours. After all those centuries of hoping, she's ours!"
"I'll celebrate later," Izanami grunted. He relaxed in his spouse's arms before another contraction struck. "I don't know how to do this. It's nothing like the twins and something is going to go wrong. She's going to be trapped and we'll lose her before we can even hold her and-"
Lukas grabbed Izanami's hand as the next contraction hit, letting him squeeze it as hard as he needed. It seemed to finally bring Izanami some much needed relief.
"Hey, it's my job to nuture and protect lives. Nothing bad is going to happen, I promise. I've given birth to the twins and delivered more babies than you could even imagine. I've even delivered one recently from a dying man, so trust me, I know what I'm doing. Just focus on me, and I'll take care of the rest."
"What can I do to help?" Gee waited nervously for a response, hoping Lukas wouldn't yell at him like his father had. "I don't know anything about this, but I need to do something."
"Get the basics of what she'll need. This is the afterlife, but she's half Life. She will probably need to eat and sleep and be kept warm like any other living baby. She's half Death, so she should be fine existing here, but we're going to need some supplies. A newborn won't know how to focus her energies to adapt to the afterlife, no matter how powerful she is. Get me what we need for a living baby, and your father and I will handle the rest."
"Is he gone?" Izanami groaned, squeezing Lukas' hand once more.
"Yes, the errands should keep him busy for a while. No one is going to see you but me," Lukas promised. "I know that you want to remain mysterious and powerful, even to Gee, so it's just the two of us. This is hardly how I thought my day would go, but this is a wonderful surprise. I'm seeing you in person, and we're having a baby! I couldn't ask for anything more."
"I always thought...you'd be the one having the babies. The Ocean has a twisted sense of humour. I'm glad you're here, dearest. I didn't want to take you away from your mission, but I need you here."
"Don't be ridiculous," Lukas replied. "Things are wrapping up over there, and the Ocean practically begged me to leave. He has his new Dream Guardian and the teens have a cure for the plague. No one needs me over there, and I wouldn't go back for anything. Not when I'm needed here. Not when I haven't met our daughter."
"Do you really think that everything's going to be okay with the baby? You're not just lying to make me feel better before something goes wrong?"
Lukas kissed the hand intertwined with theirs.
"Trust me, it will be fine. There's absolutely no one better at delivering babies than the deity of Life. I won't let anything bad happen."
Lukas was true to their word. It still took three more hours of labour before the two deities were holding an infant in their arms, and nothing had gone wrong. Izanami was recovering quickly and their miraculous child was resting in the cradle Gee had provided. The rest of the family was dying of curiosity, but the proud parents wanted some time alone with the newest family member. Before they introduced her to the world, they wanted to make sure that it was safe to do so.
"So, Lunen, huh? I like it," Lukas said. They stared into their daughter's blue eyes and smiled. "Hi Lunen. You don't know how long we've been waiting to meet you."
Lunen yawned in Izanami's arms, clearly not interested in her parent's words.
"She listens about as well as Abercius does," Izanami laughed. Lunen was warm and soft nestled against his suit. If he could stay in this moment forever, he would gladly never leave.
"She's a Lane alright. There won't be any stopping her when she gets older. Your hair might just stay silver for the rest of her life."
Izanami looked from Lunen to inspect his spouse.
"You had black hair earlier when you came in," he pointed out. "It's brown again, but I'm sure that you can change that now that Lunen's here. I don't feel sick anymore, and the Ocean practically sent you here, so the limitations he placed on you must be over. It must have had something to do with the pregnancy."
A slow grin stretched across Lukas' face as they thought over Izanami's words.
"It worked!" Lukas gasped, interrupting the nap Lunen was trying to start. "I can change again! Thank god! We have a beautiful little girl, and I can be myself again. This might just be the best day of my life. Look, Lunen! Mommy has black hair, just like you!"
"You're sticking with Mommy?" Izanami asked. "You're usually in your male form these days."
Lukas shrugged.
"I was mostly in my female form when the twins were young and when we adopted Abercius. I don't want them to call me one thing and Lunen another. They're all equally important to me and if it's weird, I'll drop her off at school or with her friends in my female form. It doesn't really matter. She can call me whatever she wants."
"Can you sense her potential?" Izanami asked worriedly. "I can sense that she's already more powerful than most mortal witches, but I feel like there's something else coming from her. Something strong."
Lukas nodded solemnly.
"Yeah, she's like us. She's both of us all in one adorable little package. The Ocean has great plans for her apparently, but we can guide her. I can't imagine what her teething is going to look like, but we'll deal with that when it happens. She's perfect just the way she is."
"Can you believe it? We have a baby, Lukas. I'm holding a miracle in my arms. I know the twins are ours, just like Abercius, but she's us. I've never heard of any deity as powerful as Life or Death, but somehow she is. It's unheard of. The universe is binary; it's always given power to at least two people. What does it mean that Lunen is like us, but alone?"
"The Dream Guardian in Jubilant Accosts is alone," Lukas replied. "Maybe Lunen has the ability to share power with her. The Ocean was pretty insistent that she would do something in that realm. Maybe she won't find her person in the next fifty years or maybe she'll cross paths with them tomorrow. It will all work out like it's supposed to."
Izanami shook his head gently so the movement didn't wake Lunen.
"I'm not sure that she has a person," he stated. "She's the combination of the two of us, so maybe she's her own balance. Two deities in the form of one. I don't know. There's so much of this that I don't understand. This is unprecedented."
Lukas hugged their husband tighter, jostling Lunen awake yet again. The infant looked sleepily at her parent, but didn't cry.
"I don't understand it either, but I'm grateful that I get to figure this all out with you and our family."
Time in the afterlife followed the regular rhythms of the living world. The sun rose and set, hours passed, seconds ticked by. It could be tampered with by the guardians of the afterlife, but there was rarely a reason for a reaper to do so. Souls needed stability and the familiar day/night cycle gave them that.
So when a woman knocked on the door of Lukas Lane's father, she knew that there was an excellent chance that he might be asleep, and angry to be disturbed. Unfortunately, she didn't have any other choice in the matter. While Lukas was away in a distant realm, their realm still needed protecting.
"Master Lane? Can I speak with you? I'm afraid that I have something quite urgent that I must discuss with you. It's about Lukas."
"Coming!"
Luke Lane rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and stumbled through the kitchen to answer the door. Ordinarily, he would ignore a reaper's intrusion in the middle of the night, but she'd mentioned Lukas, and he couldn't go back to bed if his child was in danger. His husband grumbled sleepily as Luke left, content to remain in their warm bed.
"Master Lane, it's an honour to meet you," the woman said, bowing deeply.
"You can just call me Luke. I don't have any rank here in death. I haven't been a master of anything for centuries."
The woman crinkled her nose in repulsion at the idea of addressing the deity of Life's father by his first name. It wasn't proper. It bordered on heresy.
"Mister Lane, my name is Fiona. I've been sent here by the Grim Reaper, who was ordered to send me by your child. I need your help."
"Why did Lukas need to go through the Grim Reaper?" Luke asked, still unsure why this woman was in his kitchen. "Why would they send a reaper anyway? You guys work for Izanami, don't you?"
Fiona looked uncomfortable with the question. There was something that she was keeping from Luke, and she had no idea if she was allowed to divulge that information, even to Life's father.
"I'm not a reaper," she said carefully. "I don't know if I can say anything more, but I work for your child and the realm of Life. Lukas needs something from the angels, and the Grim Reaper believes that you might be able to help me more with this than he can. This really is an urgent matter, I promise you. Lukas would not have triggered this line of defense if things weren't urgent."
"That sounds like a problem for Destiny." Alex appeared in the hallway, looking pensive. As soon as the woman had identified herself as something other than a reaper, Alex had leapt out of bed to investigate. He was a scholar of theology and the workings of the universe, just the same as Lukas' stepmother, Destiny. "Her father is one of the four angels remaining in our realm, and she's written papers on them that even I have trouble understanding. We need her help."
"Fine," Luke sighed, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his contact list. "But if she's angry about being called this late, I'm blaming you."
"Trust me," Alex replied. "She'd be more angry if we didn't call."
"Destiny? Hi, it's Luke. Yes, I know what hour it is, but this-no, no one has seen Linus, thank god. I'm calling about Lukas. There's a woman who says she works for them and is asking about angels, so I thought...She hung up. I guess that's a no."
In an instant, a blonde woman with purple eyes appeared in the kitchen, startling everyone assembled.
"Lukas needs help about angels and one of their creations is here? I need to know everything."
"Creations?" Luke repeated. "What's that supposed to mean? One of their kids?"
"I think it might be best if we sat down and talked about this," Fiona suggested. "I might not be allowed to disclose information about Life's secret projects, but it sounds like you may already know what I can't say."
Destiny beamed.
"Oh, we've had some talks," she said. "I helped them with their masters degree, which meant them disclosing some of their past actions. I'm fascinated to see one of you in person. What was your name?"
"Fiona," the woman supplied and Destiny nodded as if that made sense to her.
"Let's sit down and see what we can do."
"So Lukas needs the angels gathered? Did they say why?" Destiny stared at Fiona, debating whether she needed to get some paper or a tape recorder in case she needed to write an academic paper on whatever crisis Lukas was facing. She decided against it, since this could veer into territory Lukas had forbidden her to publish about. She would still try to commit as much of this meeting to memory as she could just in case.
"Because they were the only beings as old as Izanami, and Lukas is facing a crisis that is rooted in the distant past. The angels were there when Jubilant Accosts was sealed away from our realm. They remember when Xexys was free and possibly some of his weaknesses. They might be able to clarify some things."
"I wonder if the legends about Xexys are true," Alex murmured. "The few texts remaining about Xexys mention an angelic maiden from Yacothia. There isn't a lot written about her, but the word angel does come up when she's mentioned."
"Are you suggesting that there's another angel that's survived the mass transition of angels into demons? A fifth angel that my father might remember working with?"
Alex shook his head, dashing Destiny's excitement.
"No, Lukas would have mentioned another surviving angel if there was one. Instead they asked about the angels we already know about."
"Good point."
Luke stared at his husband and the woman who he considered to be a close friend, looking confused as to what was going on.
"Can't we read the old texts here? We can just summon a book or ask the afterlife directory about Xexys, right?"
The two academics stared at Luke like he had made an offensive remark. For all he knew, maybe he had.
"Honey, we exist in a realm of energy, populated by dead spirits. No one gets to bring books with them when they die, and reapers can't bring physical items here with them unless they recreate the object itself into energy, which none of them are happy to do on top of all of their other duties. We study what information souls bring with them and the stories and theories they have. If we know anything about Xexys here, it's what we read about him during our lives or what we can learn from interviewing others. That's why we try to publish as much as we can here, so the directory of knowledge is as accurate as possible. Jubilant Accosts has been cut off from our realm for millennia, so we don't have much information about it," Alex explained. "The angels were created when Izanami was created a very long time ago. They may be the only ones who remember Xexys before he was sealed away."
"Lukas was very clear that they don't want Izanami involved because of his prolonged illness," Fiona stated, just in case anyone suggested they involve Izanami in any way.
None of the dead souls disagreed, knowing full well how Lukas would react if their family put even the slightest bit of stress on their husband.
"So who are you exactly?" Luke asked, still staring with confusion at the strange woman Destiny had been thrilled to see. "You're not a reaper, but you're not allowed to say what you are?"
"Luke, you know how secretive Lukas can be, right?" Destiny began. "They aren't exactly honest about half of their actions, and the other half, they tend to bury."
"That's one way of putting it," Luke agreed. "That kid is impossible to get a straight, honest answer out of at the best of times. I've learned more about them in the past thirty years, now that they're settled down and happy than I have in a millennia."
"Lukas controls the realm of Life, but for the first couple of hundred years of their life, Lukas pretended to be a reaper," Destiny explained, while Fiona nodded beside her. "They didn't want anyone to know who their parents were or what their role was. They hung around with Death and used magic, so people just assumed they were a reaper and Lukas never corrected them. They hid amongst the reapers, despite not being assigned a team or orders to complete, which gave them more flexibility to do their job. Lukas needs to blend in with the living to be able to influence them and protect the natural course of Life. It wasn't until Izanami retired and fled the realm before the Demon Wars that Lukas' true nature was revealed. A god among reapers stood out, especially now that a mere reaper was leading them now as the Grim Reaper. But Lukas had a backup plan."
"When don't they?" Luke groaned. "They get all this sneaking around from their father."
"Life can create life," Destiny continued. "If Lukas could no longer blend in, then they created new life in the image of a reaper. Life imitating Death, just as Lukas had done for centuries. These creations were made without a soul, loyal only to Lukas and able to fulfill their demands in an instant. They're not true people, but they look the part. No offense, Fiona. Lukas has made a handful of these false reapers and hidden them in reaper teams over the centuries, in case they needed them. To keep track of them, Lukas assigns them names alphabetically, so Fiona would be their sixth creation. I've met Elliot before, I didn't know there was anyone created after him. Fiona must be a recent creation."
Luke stared at his friend and then at the woman his child had made to spy on their husband's realm.
"That sounds like them," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "Every time I think I know everything about that kid, I learn something new and usually morally ambiguous. So there's six false reapers hiding under the Grim Reaper's nose and they need my help to talk to angels about the ancient past? Is that everything? Is there anything else they're hiding?"
"The Grim Reaper knows about us, and demanded that we submit to his leadership instead of Lukas', if we were going to act as reapers," Fiona clarified. "When Lukas burned the offices and a large part of the afterlife with our help, The Grim Reaper insisted upon it. The only scenario that Lukas is allowed to command us is the one we find ourselves in now. Lukas is unable to continue their duties in this realm, and now their living champions guard the living world, and their false reaper creations act in their stead. Lukas wants the angels and their information, so we will procure them for our creator. Any of their spawn would be helpful as well, if you have any siblings we can interview. We were told to be quite thorough in our search."
Destiny nodded eagerly.
"I would love to be a part of this," she exclaimed. "I do have siblings, and there are plenty of purple eyed demons or demon-angel hybrids who might be old enough to remember something relevant to this crisis. Every purple eyed demon comes from an angelic line somewhere, even if the angel they descend from is gone. This would be an excellent research group that I'm sure that Alex would love to help me with. We'll get Lukas everything they need, I'm sure of it."
"Why was Lukas positioning spies in Izanami's realm in the first place?" Luke asked, looking very much like he knew the reason already. Given his child's temper and flair for the dramatic, Luke had his suspicions about why these hidden decoys existed in the first place.
Destiny shot him a knowing look, confirming his suspicions.
"Lukas asked me not to discuss it with anyone," she said gently. "I can tell you that it was around the time they ended their relationship with Izanami, if that clarifies anything."
"Hello? Are you still asleep? I'm sorry for calling so early, but I have something important to discuss."
Everyone's attention turned to the front door, where apparently enough time had passed for the sun to rise.
"You can come in," Luke called wearily. "Are you working for my child too?"
"Mister Lane, my name is Juniper Alioto, but you may know me as Queen Juniper I Goss of Pleasantview. I apologize for intruding, but I need to report something to the representative of LIfe or to the Grim Reaper, and the directory sent me to your home." She curtsied just in case it was needed. Did you curtsy to a representative of a god or just to the god themselves? No one had been able to answer that question.
"I'm acting in Life's place," Fiona replied. Everyone else stared at the new arrival, curious about what she had to report. "Why were you looking for the offices of Life or Death? Surely, as a soul, you can only have information about the realm of Death?"
"It concerns the mission Life is undertaking," Juniper answered. "My brother is a reaper, and he's told me some concerning things about the man responsible for the disease spreading from Yacothia. There may be something about this situation that I might know that may assist Life."
"We're looking at angels and creatures from the dawn of creation, under the orders of Lukas," Fiona stated. "We don't need any intel on a living soul. I'm sure that Lukas has already investigated this man thoroughly."
"Respectfully, no they haven't. There is something wrong with the laws of succession in Pleasantview. There is an order of assassins who date back to when the Demon of Nightmares roamed freely. The demon knows this order and appears to have had a connection with them. Coby Wall, who is conspiring with the demon, is the head of this order, and answers to the monarch of Pleasantview only."
"That is interesting," Destiny noted, trying to remember every detail for further research.
"My niece sits on the throne of Pleasantview, but the assassin does not answer to her. Instead, he answers to my reaper brother, who cannot command him because of the vows he made as a reaper. If the laws of succession can be changed, my niece could command him to end this assault on our realm. It would solve so much of the crisis that Life is facing." She paused for a moment, thinking about how to phrase her fear properly. "It...it may be nothing, but I have seen my father recently. He never comes to visit me because of the wards placed by the reapers on my behalf, but I know that he was there. He saw me speaking with my brother. To be honest, I fear that he might be following my brother for some nefarious purpose. I cannot fathom how he would accomplish it, but I don't think it is a coincidence that his former assassin is conspiring with the Demon of Nightmares or that my niece cannot control Coby. I suspect that my father changed the laws of succession during his lifetime with this scheme in mind. Following my brother might be part of this plan. It may be how he plans on communicating his desires to Coby or ensuring that his original plan is followed precisely."
Fiona looked apprehensive at this information.
"If you're right, this goes above what I can manage. We will need the Grim Reaper to handle this."
Gee arrived to the afterlife quickly after receiving a message from Lukas' stand-in. He knew how deceptive his step-parent and friend could be, and trusted their created spy even less. Still, once Juniper made her argument, Gee did respect Fiona for including him in this. Lukas might have told Gee about this scenario five years from now, long after it had been resolved.
"So you believe that your father, his former assassin, and the Demon of Nightmares colluded during his lifetime, and now this plan is playing out? I mean, it's possible, but that's a pretty big assumption to make. Why is this something you think that I can act on? Living men are free to plot wars, unfortunately. If this plan happened nearly a century ago, that's still happening in the realm of Life."
"Life needs to know this information," Juniper insisted. "It violates the natural order of things, which is your responsibility to maintain as well. If the laws of succession have been changed, old, dark magic was involved. My father didn't want heirs to replace him. I suspect that he may have had more devious plans in mind when conspiring with the Demon. I think that he's going to try to hurt my brother in some way, or use him to escape confinement here, especially if my brother is the one who the assassin answers to. I know how he thinks, and this is exactly the kind of scheme he'd make. He wants to use his children to advance himself and if he can somehow return to the throne using Ewan, I need to stop him. My brother, and all of the world might be in danger, especially if everyone is focused on the Demon of Nightmares and this plague."
Gee's first instinct was to deny the possibility of this proposed plot, but the more he thought about it, the more he could see the logic in it. His father had never told him that being the Grim Reaper involved dealing with so many mortal schemes against the natural order. It had been nearly twenty years since that cult in Strangetown tried to overthrow him, he supposed he was probably due for another threat like that. Mortals and their superiority complexes.
"I don't want to believe that this is related, but I have no choice but to investigate," Gee decided. "Ewan is a close friend and if anyone is placing him in danger, I'll put an end to it. He's already suffered more than enough from his father's actions. If we can prove that Coby is going against the natural order and coordinating with the dead, maybe I can terminate his existence before his natural death date and end this insanity. No dead mortal is allowed to return to the living realm without my permission, or influence the natural course of history. I'm unable to investigate this though, as I must perform my duties even more now that Lukas is gone, and my father is ill. Juniper, you are not eligible to become a reaper or participate in that program because you were once a ruling monarch, but I would appreciate your help with this. I am granting you permission to work with Fiona to solve this with access to any resource you need. You are granted temporary access to all afterlife records or reaper case files you may need. If, and only if Ewan is in danger, you may request a temporary body to follow him on his assignments, as you clearly know the mind of your father and his assassin better than anyone. This is an emergency option only, so don't get your hopes up. If it were anyone other than Ewan, we wouldn't even be discussing this, but you're right that there are far too many red flags concerning Pleasantview and your family. I would be negligent in my duties if I didn't look into this."
"Thank you, my lord," Juniper said, curtsying once more to express her gratitude. "I hope I am wrong about this, though I suspect that I'm not. I will do my best to serve you and your absent counterpart."
"How is Izanami?" Luke asked before Gee could teleport away. "We haven't had any updates about him since Lukas left. Is there any improvement?"
"No, and whatever you do, don't let Lukas know that," Gee begged. "I don't need them burning down the afterlife again because they think I'm failing my father. We're trying everything we can think of, but nothing seems to help. My siblings are quite worried and I have no idea how to console them. If any of you have any ideas on how to help, I'd gladly listen to them."
"We'll do more research," Alex promised. "There has to be something we can do to help; we just haven't found the right source yet."
As soon as Gee disappeared from sight, Juniper pulled her new co-worker aside. There were scholars in the room who might be able to help her with this task, but they were already on a mission from Lukas, and she couldn't take them away from their work. It was best if she kept this between Fiona and herself, lest they be tempted to help her.
"I'm going to need access to the oldest library the reapers have," Juniper whispered. "And if we can track down any deceased Pleasantview monarchs or known assassins, that would be great. My brother says that they won't talk about the assassins to reapers, but I know that they'll answer my questions. With some help from you, I think I can get them talking. I spent my whole life dealing with this nightmare and I'm not going to enjoy eternity until the world my descendants live in is safe from the schemes of old Pleasantview."
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
The air around the Grim Reaper suddenly crackled with dormant power. That was always the first sign. Like a tornado, there were always warnings of the coming danger if you knew what to look for. Lukas may be his father's partner, but there were times over the centuries where the deity of Life had been lethally dangerous and Gee could never forget that. While the Demon Sovereign remained convinced that Life could not take a life or end an existence of a living thing, Gee knew better from experience. There were only a handful of souls over the millennia that had been lost from his records and somehow Lukas had always been the last person to see them before they vanished. Death was always reliable and certain. It followed the rules and no one was exempt from its reach no matter how rich they were or how they begged. Death was predictable; Life was dangerous.
"Lukas, you should have told me you were coming over," Gee called out cautiously. The energy coming from his doorway wasn't threatening, but he could sense Life’s anxiety all the same. This wasn't just a friendly visit; this was a work matter.
"I have Davis' sweater from when he came to visit last week and Leah made-"
"Yeah, yeah, ask your father to help with that, he's retired," Lukas interrupted quickly. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
Gee sighed, and as a game to save his sanity, he tried to guess the topic at hand.
His father? No, Lukas usually showed up already drunk and with their annoying best friend when they wanted to complain about Death. Something at work? That was harder to guess. Lukas had been better than usual at work the past few decades. They hadn't completely burned down their shared official office space since marrying Death. His reaper teams hadn't reported Life's occasional interference with the living kingdoms so it had to be….
"Demons," the two said together. Gee groaned, crossing his arms irritably.
"You do know that the demons aren't constantly after you, right? We've been down this road before."
"Come tell me that when you've had to reincarnate twice because of demons," Lukas replied defensively, toying with an artifact on Gee's shelf. "They want my power, they'll never stop."
"And has anyone tried since you came back this time? Since you married Dad? How about since you revived your line of champions and have living agents out in the world to report back to you? Or since taking control of your full powers and nearly burning down half of the afterlife because you and Dad were fighting?"
"They could always try again," Lukas muttered but their stepson was tired of having this conversation over and over again.
"And the last demon who tried to take your powers? Are they still around, setting a good example of how to seize powers they can't control?"
"You know they're dead, but that doesn't mean-"
"The last great demonic commander in the Demon Wars isn't dead, he's nothing," Gee snapped. "He doesn't exist, he was wiped clean out of existence into some hellish alternate universe, if he survived at all. And before that? He was driven mad by just touching your lowest abilities. The last person to try to seize your powers, you obliterated yourself with ease. No one is trying to steal your powers, Lukas. Even if they were, you'd just reincarnate again. Stop worrying about demons."
Lukas paused, toying over their next words and whether it was worth it to share their information with their stepson.
"I can feel it," they said quietly. "Something powerful is growing and I can feel it. It's getting stronger in the old magic and the angels-"
"What about the angels?" Gee demanded. "There's like four of them left and they haven't said anything relevant since the formation of Pleasantview. They're relics, remnants of a broken system. Ignore them."
"They're tied to me, I can't ignore them," Lukas pouted. "They said-"
"Did you watch the workplace training video I sent you?"
"Angels and Demons Are Not Your Enemy or Demons: They're Just Like You? I don’t need workplace training, I can remember how things used to be and who i have control over just fine."
"I'm older than you and I don't remember the old days," Gee remarked dryly. Well, at least Lukas had read the titles of the training. He had made the training for his reaper students, but it never hurt to remind the chaotic deity of how the universe was supposed to function.
"You're only seventy something years older than me," Lukas protested. "That's nothing. Besides, I had a much closer view of things than you did. I know what I know and I know that the demons are planning something. Look at the whiteboard."
Gee frowned.
"What whiteboard?"
"You know, the whiteboard," Lukas replied, gesturing vaguely with their hands. When Gee continued to stare blankly at them, Lukas tried to hide their chuckle. "Your dad never told you? I thought for sure that it'd be covered by your extensive training program."
"Clearly not."
"Let's go to your office upstairs, your father wouldn't want me to discuss this openly."
Gee followed Lukas upstairs to his private office, curiosity getting the better of him despite his hesitation. While it was true that he was older than the deity, Lukas did know a lot more crucial information than he did. Gee had been estranged from his father for centuries and had developed a terrible reputation among his fellow reapers by acting out. There were things Gee's father knew that were older than the universe itself and he absolutely would not divulge them to his son if asked. Lukas' paranoia might be the only way he'd ever learn his father's secrets.
Lukas locked the office door behind them and took a seat on Gee's desk.
"Okay, how much do you know about deals?" they asked curiously.
Gee shrugged.
"Demon deals? The basics I guess. It's an energy transfer of some kind that demons rely on."
Lukas shook their head quickly.
"Nope. Not what I mean. Where do you get your list of reaper candidates from? When someone dies who is eligible to take your training? How do you find out?"
"A list appears on my desk," Gee replied. "Or sometimes I get a message on my phone. Dad never said where they come from. He said it wasn't any of my business."
Truthfully Gee had always wondered how he received the names of who was to die and when. It was a question that many reaper candidates asked him and Gee had always repeated his father's words to them in reply. It wasn't anyone's business and that was the best he could say.
"It's not. Not really. People think that your father makes the list and he doesn't correct them. He used to receive it just as you do now, though he knew who was sending it. Back in the beginning, way back before even you were born, there was the Universe, your father and my…predecessor. Way back before even demons or teams of reapers existed. Just those three and thousands of angels to govern the living and the dead."
Gee knew the gist of the distant past, or he thought he did. His father governed the dead, working opposite to Life, just as Gee was doing now in his place. The first Life deity had fallen away from his purpose, taking scores of angels with him to pursue power. Life became the devil, the very first demonic sovereign and his followers became demons, sent into exile in the Void the Universe had created to house them. Lukas had come into existence later to take the devil’s place as Life, but their powers spawned from the empty space the devil left behind. Because of this connection, Lukas remained tied to the demons on some level. Demons began as corrupted servants of Life, despite the many differences between them now. He supposed that was why Lukas felt entitled to the handful of remaining angelic beings as well. Lukas was the closest thing they had to the original deity they had served.
"So the Universe makes the list and decides who lives and dies? What does that have to do with deals or a whiteboard?" Gee sighed.
"Demons aren't the only creatures that can make deals," Lukas said cryptically. "Your father can too. Apparently he used to play cruel games of chance with the loved ones of someone destined to die. Let them extend their loved one's life slightly longer if they won. It's twisted. It's certainly something he'd yell at me for doing these days anyway. He was a different man back then."
"And?"
"And if he altered someone's lifetime, then the change had to be recorded somewhere. Back when it was just Life, Death and the Universe governing existence, any message that needed to reach the other deities was written down. The first messages were on a scroll, then a chalkboard and now a whiteboard in modern times. We don't use it often anymore, since your father and I live together and the new Demon Sovereign tends to just ignore us, but it's still there."
"So why has no one told me about this?" Gee asked skeptically. "Shouldn't I have access to something that important? I'm doing Dad's job after all."
Lukas shrugged.
"I guess he didn't think it was important for you to know," they answered. "Your father can be a little…unaware that he's being close minded at times."
"You think?"
With a snap of their fingers, a plain looking whiteboard appeared beside Lukas. Gee tried to hide his interest, but he was obsessed from the moment he'd discovered that his father had hidden this object from him. What was on it? What secrets did it hold? Was this something he could use in the future?
To the naked eye, the board didn't hold anything supernatural or strange. Sticky notes were added, written in various samples of handwriting. He could see one note from Lukas that listed the school numbers for their children in case of an emergency. One note was a surprisingly spicy reminder from his father that Lukas' father would be looking after the kids for date night. Next to that was a list of seven unfamiliar names, some crossed out and two with stars beside them. It was a rare glimpse behind the wall of secrecy that his parents erected around their private life. If he didn't remember every detail now, Gee was certain that he'd never see this board or its secrets again.
"The Kenukin matter had been resolved," Gee read aloud, startled to see the name of his hated half-brother written in faded ink before him. "What does that mean?"
"Hmm. A bit of business from a few centuries ago, just ignore it," Lukas said quickly. "The important part is in the corner on the right hand side."
Gee tried to limit himself to just that area, but his eyes kept straying.
Natural disaster scheduled for March. Twikkii Island royal family murdered on/near boat. Special meeting of Pleasantview reaper team scheduled. Arkhelios team sent to training so mistakes aren't repeated. Queen Claudia's heir-
"Bottom corner," Lukas called, obviously watching where their stepson was reading. "Most of that is all old anyway. If you snoop too hard, you may run into your dad's and my whiteboard sexting, so snoop at your own risk."
Gee shuddered at the thought of whatever it was that his father thought was sexting. It had been a marvel just to see his idea of being romantic at his and Lukas' wedding. Gee didn't think he could endure finding out what Death thought was sexy.
List of Untouchable Souls was an interesting title, but no list followed. Finally Gee's eyes rested on what he assumed Lukas wanted him to see.
In the corner was a sticky note in unfamiliar handwriting addressed to Lukas. It was short, simple, and punctuated with a smiley face doodle.
"Dear Lukas, please update my nephew's file for your records. Theodosius Ulysses Bellamy's true name has become Theodosius Ulysses G Bellamy. I know how dedicated you are to following up on my personal causes and wanted to save you the time. This one's one of my personal favourites. Kisses, Saren B Diablo. That's the demon sovereign's name? And she ends a threatening note with 'kisses'? Bizarre."
"How did you not know her name? Did your father really teach you nothing about your job?" Lukas asked, looking at their stepson like he was an idiot. When Gee responded with a glare, the deity moved on. "Either way, that bitch knows that I'm watching her little science project and something has changed. True names don't change over night and sometimes not even within a human lifespan. I feel something demonic and old awakening and I know this is related to it. The kid's studying blood magic and is descended from a Great Demon, this just screams Saren."
"Why did a G get added?" Gee wondered, scanning the note for clues. "Is he a Maricourt? They're certainly crazy about that letter."
"I don't know, Gee. I was hoping that you could tell me about it."
"Well, don't look at me, ask my dad why my name's Gee," the grim reaper scoffed. "I don't even think I've met this boy, so start your search elsewhere. I can guarantee you that I'm not involved."
Lukas carefully studied their stepson for a lengthy moment. They knew what Gee's name truly was of course, but they were far more interested in his reaction to the question. Gee never used his proper name because it was terrible. Lukas had no idea of why their husband had chosen it in the first place, aside from his proven track record of bizarre choices.
"It doesn't hurt to ask," Lukas replied with a well practiced casual shrug. "Of course I know what your dad named you, I just wondered if you had a little side project of your own. Maybe a cult of witches determined to worship the Grim Reaper to replace the one that tried to kill you. G could have been a tribute."
"Not that I'm aware of," Gee said flatly, suddenly wishing desperately for this conversation to end. "I can look into this Theodosia kid if it makes you feel better. Saren is probably just trying to seem important again. The kid is probably just an annoying brat that her new wife wants to make feel special."
"Theodosius," Lukas corrected. "The kid has been on her radar before the marriage. Hell, maybe she only married the aunt to get close to the kid, you never know with demons. The kid is strong and if he's truly already capable of magic that can change his name, then he's probably what I've been sensing. Old blood and old magic don't just appear out of nowhere. If he's somehow attached himself to the Maricourts' power, he could be very dangerous."
"And? Are you planning on killing this boy or something? Is that somewhere on this whiteboard? It's unnatural for Life to take a life, even if I suspect that it's possible."
Lukas rolled their eyes.
"No, Gee. Do you know how much trouble I'd be in if I did that? Then I'd end up with an angry, powerful demon in the afterlife, making my own existence hell. It's better to play the long game and see what I can influence as long as he still draws breath."
"And what exactly are you planning? Following the kid around yourself?"
Gee remembered all too well his stepparent's flair for the dramatic and talent for stalking. Lukas showed up nearly everywhere in history, hidden behind a tree or quietly reading a newspaper next to a busy scene. They knew things about just about everyone alive or dead and when they weren't stealing priceless jewelry from the various monarchs of the living world, Lukas could usually be found lurking in the shadows. They had a talent for "research", one that only Death could ever see through, though Lukas' main disguise usually featured red hair and glasses.
"What do you think? A war breaking out or family drama or both? Usually it's both."
Leah stood in the hallway, eavesdropping on her husband's meeting. She was Gee's only wife but there were four husbands in their polycule. Ben had been Gee's first spouse back when Ben was alive, but Death forced them to break up after Ben's death. Now that Gee could stand up to his father, Ben had gradually been reintroduced into family life. As he and Leah were Gee's only dead spouses, they were usually the ones who heard all of the gossip.
"It sounds like Lukas is up to their usual tricks," Ben replied. "I'm voting for terrible disguise that ends up with them stealing anything shiny nearby. You never saw them before the Demon Wars. They were unhinged."
Leah had been born in the Demon Wars long ago, but she could guess how Lukas had been. They had five kids with a reaper woman to spite Death's rejection of their advances, and then had a messy affair with the afterlife office's secretary when Leah first encountered them. Her own husband had been just as bad until she came into his life. Death and his reapers all needed a stern person to guide them away from destroying themselves. She had no idea what Lukas needed to stay out of trouble, aside from Death's gentle nudging. They were a complicated family.
Gee frowned as Lukas disappeared into thin air, taking the mystic whiteboard with them. Gee had wanted to scour the object to look for clues about his father, but as usual, he and Lukas were determined to keep their secrets. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to warn his father about whatever Lukas was planning or just wait for the inevitable disaster to begin. No doubt Lukas would begin stalking this child, possibly involving an angel if they could. Who could say if this plan wasn't playing into the Demon Sovereign's own plans for this child? There certainly wasn't much love lost between the two of them.
He would put a warning out to his reapers to watch for Lukas' plan; that might help the matter. This poor demon kid had no idea of what was coming his way.
