The Grim Reaper, the Angel of Death, who do you usually picture? Some divine being in a dark robe with a scythe here to drag you off to the darkest pits. Or maybe a very handsome winged fellow cloaked in light taking you to your eternal resting place. Well you’re wrong it’s me, a slightly handsome, slightly tall, and overall slightly important being.

  As I walk down the dark alleyway, I check my list of names and locations. Nagi Sato was due to be stabbed at 9:45 P.M. he would not survive. My job is simple, as soon as he died, I would escort his soul to the other side where he would face judgement. At least that’s what normally happens.

  Being the punctual person that I am, I walked up just in time to see Sato being stabbed by his assailant. While the man ran away Sato stumbled backwards holding his wound and fell right into my waiting arms. That’s when things got weird.

  I heard a loud screeching as a pair of headlights sped towards us from nowhere. Suddenly a white box truck slammed into me and it felt as if my soul was sucked into the sky, bumped into an invisible wall, and came crashing back down into my body! “What the hell,” I mumbled standing up. Sato’s soul was nowhere to be found and all I saw was the back of the box truck as it drove into a swirling purple portal that appeared from nowhere, with the driver’s hand out the window giving me the middle finger!

  “Asshole!” I yelled immediately hearing what sounded like a female echo, “Yeah asshole!” Standing uncomfortably close behind me was an oddly dressed beautiful woman shaking her fist towards the truck. Upon closer inspection I noticed her eyes had an orange tint and her hair was bright grey, but not like an old person, she looked like someone cosplaying an anime character.

  “Hey are you okay? I saw what happened,” she asked poking me as if to check that I was real. “You saw what happened?” I replied a bit confused about what actually DID happen. “Yeah, Truck Kun hit you and the other guy and your soul left your body, but instead of going to another world it crashed right back here!” she told me all the while acting out every action in the most overly expressive way I’ve ever seen.

  “You,” I pointed at her, “Saw My soul?” I pointed at me and when she nodded I realized this was no ordinary girl. “It was hard to see at first, kind of cloudy and dark. But since you fell from the sky there’s a bright glow flowing off of it in bubbles!” her hyper positive energy was almost palpable.

  “You know normal people don’t see souls right?” I pointed out. “I’m sorry is that not how it works in this world?” she asked rubbing the back of her head shyly. “No that’s not how it – Wait did you say this world?!” I said in surprise. “World, universe, dimension it’s all semantics to me. The point is you just did a thing that’s weird no matter the location,” she said cocking her head to the side as if inspecting a strange animal, “Can you not die?”

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  “I am the master of death, the reaper of souls! Of course I can’t die,” I boasted proudly, “I can’t even feel pain.” Before I could even finish my sentence, she pinched me. “Ow, hey stop that!” I swatted her away. “I thought you couldn’t feel pain?” she smirked with a not so innocent look on her face. Dread flooded through me as I realized I indeed did feel a new sensation and it was most unpleasant. “Yup looks like he got you,” she nodded matter-of-factly.

  “Got me?” I asked, knowing I wasn’t going to like the answer.

  “Truck Kun has a unique power. When he hits people with his truck they are teleported to another world or universe,” the strange girl told me. “That would explain me being sucked up to the sky,” I said aloud. “But wait that’s not all,” she continued sounding like a salesman, “Once teleported, these people live lives and have power opposite to their own. In other words, the weak become abnormally strong and have access to untold magic, the poor become rich etcetera etcetera .”

  “Sounds like he’s doing the community a service,” I shrugged. “Well, he does usually seem to target the more unfortunate people,” she agreed, “But sometimes he hits people that are rich and powerful and then guess what happens?” Before I could respond she ran a finger across her throat as if slicing it with a knife.

  It didn’t take me long to put together what she was trying to say but that couldn’t be right could it. Why should I believe this tiny girl whose name I didn’t even know. As if on que she suddenly said, “By the way I’m Shittori Harmony, but you can just call me Harmony. My current job is to restore balance in the universes disrupted by that guy in the truck.”

  “My job is to bring death to mortals and drag their souls to the other side. I go by many names, the Grim Reaper, Kuro Shi, Yami.” I stated beginning my serious introduction to the clueless mortal before she rudely interrupted me, “You said Dimi? That’s so cuteeee!”

  “No, I said Yami,” I corrected her but she obviously wasn’t listening, “So Dimi besides the whole being immortal thing do you have any other powers?” “Impudent human I have the power to end all life instantly! Shall I give you a taste?” I challenged. “Yes,” she responded without hesitation and then pointed, “Kill those flowers over there.”

  I waved my hand towards the flowers expecting to see them wither away and yet nothing happened. This threw me for a complete loop as I waved my hands at them over and over in an increasingly frantic motion. “What the hellll!” I blurted out in confusion. ”Yup just as I figured you’re probably mortal now too,” she told me, “But I can’t be too sure since you only went through half of the process.”

  At that moment it started to dawn on me that this crazy little mortal girl might be right, but if that was true then... “Oh fuckkk!” A man screamed falling out of the air and smashing into the ground right next to us! “Yeep!” Harmony exclaimed jumping back, “Is he dead? What a gruesome way to go.” Walking over calmly to the mangled body I could sense his soul still in there although I couldn’t grasp it like usual. “No, he’s still alive. Until I get my power back no one can die,” I told her just as he let out a groan, “But it will still hurt like hell.”

  Turning around I started to walk away only to hear her complaints behind me. “We can’t just leave him like this right? Or is that how it’s done in this world?” “Like I said until my powers are back people won’t die, just suffer,” I waved her off already feeling tired from the day. “Okay I guess that means you have to join me in my mission to restore order then,” she replied skipping up to me, “Truck Kun must die.”