The Demon’s Bride

It was luck. He lacked luck. 

Hallow know that since he first realized he was a grim reaper, the thing he lacked the most was luck. The part in his life where he was accused as a traitor by the rest of the reapers was only the tipping point of the iceberg. It wasn't an exaggeration to say Elise's arrival was his ultimate blessing.

"Life was a shit and now it is giving me more shits," said Hallow. His body was tied by a rope while he was settled in the small table inside a bar reeking the sharp stench of alcohol. He looked at the humans who were drinking stuff that look like a human's urine to him.

"I didn't know that by living in the mortal world, it will cause you to curse every five seconds, Hallow," said the elf man who was sitting in front of him. The man's name if he didn't forgot was Maxwell. "You curses for life no less when you have died."

"Hmph," Hallow questioned who the man was and why would he bring him here, "You will know this later, elf man but when you go through so much in a day where you have just decided to leave the house like I did, trust me you will begin to curse life for every breaths your tall nose inhale."

"Seems like you had it rough," commented Maxwell with a look of pity.

"Listen here, the word 'rough' doesn't even cover what I feel now! Look! Look at me!" Hallow shrieked to himself. With no one restraining him not to speak, he had yelled aloud though the volume of his voice doesn't bother anyone as the room was filled with louder noises. 

Maxwell, whose hair was tied high in a ponytail, lazily turned his brown eyes all over Hallow and he raised his brows, "Nothing seems wrong. I have never lived in a body of a chick but from what I can see you have two proper wings, round stomach, round head, legs that seem to be able and snap in second, an adorable but truly pitiful lazy-looking body."

"HEY! Listen to me I am not lazy! My only happiness is eating you see and the rounder a chick is the better they look. I have the responsibility to maintain my adorable look and figure. Yet, see!" Hallow raised both of his wings in horror. "I have lost a quarter of my stomach after what had happened throughout this afternoon," Hallow sighed. 

He had planned for a peaceful afternoon. Reciting in his mind was a plan to look at the outside world, seeing greeneries, smelling the fresh air. But what? Being chased by Satan's pet, taken by Elise's father who then face frightening-looking corrupted angels and if his luck wasn't bad enough earlier, it is very terrible now with him being kidnapped for Hell knows whatever reason it was.

Hallow looked at Maxwell. Apart from he had seen the man during the exam in the village, he didn't remember to make any contact with this elf yet now he had come and took him. Maybe he was Elise's enemy?

Maxwell looked at Hallow's still round chick curiously pushing his finger into his soft stomach. "A quarter I see... you are telling me you are actually rounder than you are."

"Don't you think you have to gag me?" Hallow then asked curiously after looking left and right. "You might not seem to care but I am a talking chick. A talking chick stand out and you are suppose to keep me out of sight."

"You mean, 'please let me out of here to a place that is less crowded so I can transform into a larger creature and take my escape', is that right?" Maxwell questioned while staring back at Hallow's green eyes where Hallow glared on him as hi plan had been read by the elf. "The people around you are all too drunk to differentiate between reality and their hallucinations. Those who looked at you know only think of a talking chick as one figment of their delusions. 

"Why do you have to be smart?!" Hallow turn angry that his plan had been found out. "Most kidnappers aren't smart."

"How offending. Well why aren't you smarter than me? Most hostages wins because they outwit the kidnappers. I know what is going on inside your small head, Hallow. Well I didn't mean it literally but I do now." Maxwell stared at hallow, his jester leaving him, "Will you tell me now then how you become like this?"

"As a chick? I told you life serve me shits as if it is the cheapest dish they could offer!" Hallow hissed as he spoke. "Look here sir, I don't know what you are planning. Maybe you want me because I am drop dead adorable which I am sure is not the case. I know what you want."

"Tell me. Even I am not sure what I should do now."

Hallow crooked his brows, "I know you want to use me into trapping Elise but listen here—"

"It is not you her who I want to talk to but you. Do you still not know who I am?" Maxwell questioned having the chick to look at him with narrowed gaze.

It wasn't Elise who Maxwell want to talk to but him?! That would mean this man also knew he was a grim reaper. "You are messing with the wrong person if you know who I am." Hallow turn his body left and right before tilting his head as if doing that would help him find out who Maxwell was but Hallow found no answer. "Apart from how uselessly beautiful you look, and how good you smell, I don't think I know you. Now let go of my hand before I take your soul into Hell."

Maxwell sighed and pressed his forehead. "When you were still a reaper, you were always the smartest bunch but even that was lost now," Maxwell covered his eyes, opening it to show his eyes that once looked brown had turned green. "It is me, Hallow. I now am known as Maxwell but before I was more known by the name Vanesh."

Hallow stare at the green eyes with his two eyes widening. He looked shocked, who wouldn't be to see the senior he so respected to stand before him now. 

"Vanesh..." why was he here? "But you have move on with your life. They says that you had left for the better."

"Yes you are right. With the cycle of life, that moves in circle staring from one point and ending to the same point. I have come again after being rebirth. Yet for some odd reasoning, I still have this power of mine," Vanesh lifted his finger where the skin of his fingertips suddenly disappear, showing nothing but only skeleton of his hand. "And I remember all my memories as a reaper."

"How is that possible?" Hallow questioned, inching close to kick Maxwell's boney finger who he knew better as Vanesh by his feet. When Vanesh opened his mouth, Hallow shook his head, "On a second thought you don't need to tell me. I know that there are a lot of things that can't be explain to an understanding. Tell me what you do and what you are doing now. You should enjoy your life as a human! No way... are you involved in this matter between demons, and other creatures?"

Vanesh sighed, "No. that's not it. I am here for you, Hallow. You are my one and only friend when I was a reaper during which I had even seen you as my brother. You were the reason why I can leave all my regrets and turn as a human now. But I think it's time for you to go back on where you belong."

"You mean back to the reapers' world? But you must have heard that I am on the run by the death angels," Hallow saw Vanesh shaking his head that had him frown. It dawned to Hallow that he had asked the wrong context. "What do you mean by leave?"

"The time has come for you," Vanesh said, his smile was small on his lips. "The time for you to leave."

Hallow's green eyes stared at Vanesh, where his expression turning to an understanding as he finally get what it means to leave.

*** 

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