3. Some Things Have to Change #2
Elite Death Elementals began to fill the arena around me, perfuming the air with their excited, yet petrified, energy. Their Shadows buzzed around them, providing gentle reassurance and words of encouragement that I knew I would soon need to relay as well.
My own Shadows popped up behind me, doing the same for me as the others, though the sight of all seven made gasps echo through the crowd. Excited chatter echoed after, making me chuckle softly. “Sometimes it’s fun to be the cool kid for once,” I whispered to my Shadows.
“Nah, you’re still a nerd,” Jackson laughed as he hugged my neck.
I rolled my eyes before pushing him off me so I could center myself.
“Good morning, everyone!” I called over the loud talking.
The moment I spoke the field grew dead quiet.
Not a single sound beyond breathing and the occasional shuffle of someone’s foot on the sand echoed, and that overwhelming silence made me shiver a little under the weight of it.
“H-How are we this morning?” I stammered out.
May punched my back to knock the stuttering out of me.
“Good…!” echoed from all angles, soft responses, but still respectful.
I summoned my fakest but brightest smile that I could.
“I’m glad to hear it. We have a big day ahead of us, so I say we start with attendance…
” I ran through each name on my clipboard steadily, and each Elite let me know they were present in monotone drawls.
I recognized a few names as classmates from my time at Valyce, like Calvin and Alexandra, and was happy I’d have some familiar faces.
Elektra, Xenobia’s friend, was also in this bunch, though she was near statuesque in the corner.
I was surprised she didn’t have more confidence since she was top of her class, but I never did myself, so I couldn’t blame her.
“Alright, now that that’s taken care of, I think I’d like to do a little exercise today.
I plan to assign you as either a Reaper or a Hunter tomorrow, but for now, let’s try an icebreaker.
” I cracked my knuckles and summoned a large portal, that shimmered and crackled as it waited for us to file in. “Come along, everyone!”
“This is so cool…!” Mariah whispered to Calvin, who rolled his eyes at her.
I hadn’t told my father any of my plans for my Elites, so he was curious to see where this was going and followed the line of students with a side smile.
My Elementals were surprised when we stepped into a large field, encircled by trees so thick that they made a wall-like barrier around the meadow.
I threw my arms open and inhaled sharply. “Welcome, to one of my personal paradises. This is a Realm I created during my time on Earth, where I could come and top up on Elemental energy when necessary.”
“You created this Realm?” Marquis questioned.
“One of my many talents,” I teased him before moving to stand in the middle of the field.
“Now, everyone, please summon your scythes,” I instructed, curious to see how this would go.
One by one, metallic scythes began to pop up in the hands of each Elemental.
Some were silver, gold, white, black: others red, blue, a combination of materials and hues.
Some had flames that glowed along the back of the blade, some plumed black smoke.
Many had skeletons or eyes that would open wide and match the color of their demon familiars.
I nodded in approval before bringing my index fingers together.
“We’re going to do something a bit fun to loosen everyone up. ”
“Fun?” Delilah prompted.
I chuckled at her tone. “I want to see how good you all are at reaping souls. So, for your first task…” I quickly and abruptly pulled my fingers apart, and once I did, a vibration of energy rocked the field.
From the rolling fog emerged plumes of souls, who materialized as their former selves to roam the vast meadow around us.
Everyone gasped in absolute awe at the sight of all these spirits, spinning in circles to take in the vast quantity of them around us.
“I want you to collect as many souls as you can in the next hour. This isn’t as simple as scooping them up: souls can be quite tricky.
You need to convince each one you gather that you are the right person for them to go with.
I know not everyone is able to be a Reaper but try your best to connect with the dead around you.
Whoever gets the most will be team captains for our next assignment! ”
“This should be good…” Endymion hummed to Dad.
“On your mark, get set… go!” I cried before throwing my hand to the sky.
A countdown written in black smoke began to count backwards from one hour, which sent the Elites around me into a frenzy.
I laughed at their rushed anticipation and bounced in and out of their paths so I could tail them and see their different strategies.
Many souls took the opportunity to play tag with the Reapers chasing them and bounded across the grass to taunt their captors. I kept summoning more souls when the numbers grew low, and with each batch, more and more games like this kept the kids on their toes.
Calvin splatted in the dirt when the spirits of twin boys tripped him mid-run; instead of growing frustrated, he let out a huge laugh and sprung up to chase after them again, a great sign and notable mark for me to keep in mind.
Elektra moved through the field at her own steady pace but was taking the time to connect with each soul she crossed.
She would take their hands and whisper sweet nothings to them, share soft laughs, and coax them gently into her scythe with a loving energy perfuming the air around her.
Her approach was slow, but soft, and another notable gesture.
Felix seemed to be inhaling the souls. He was moving so rapidly, so precisely, that I could barely catch sight of his strategy at first, but I soon realized he was only attracting spirits of children.
He was luring them in with an ongoing game of hide and seek, and when he found one of them, the kids he chased would let him reap them with groans of defeat.
The adults that watched him do this were eager to go with him as well, as this compassionate side of him was of course desirable, so he was doing a phenomenal job thus far.
He would certainly get a captain spot with the rate he was going.
I danced in between souls that permeated the air around us, enjoying the intense beat of their energy tangling with my own. They're delighted laughs and small chatter buzzed in my ears, but this sound was not the threatening and heartbreaking throbbing I experienced while in Gehenna.
As I weaved through the crowd, I noticed a familiar face sitting on one of the few rocks in the field.
He was a young man, barely over nineteen, and had been the car crash victim I reaped when I first got to South Carolina and met Xenobia.
He looked incredibly forlorn; his face drooped in sadness as he played with the string of his ripped jeans.
None of the kids were rushing to talk to him, so I took it upon myself to whisk across the field and perch on the rock beside his.
“Long time no see, friend,” I offered in a soft tone.
He blinked heavily at me. “Oh, you.”
“You look a little out of place. Is the afterlife treating you this poorly?” I prompted, laying a hand on his so he would feel comforted.
He heaved a low sigh. “I miss my girlfriend. I miss my life, my family. I wish I could see them again, to know they were alright without me. I feel so guilty about the way things went. I should have never gone to that dumb party...” His face sunk into his hands, and he let out a weak sob.
“Now, you’re using me as a plaything for more Reapers... ?”
“Hey, now, that’s not true at all.” I smoothed locks of his hair behind his ear carefully, and he allowed me to do so with little apprehension.
“I used souls I have personally reaped, as it makes it easier to summon you all, but you’re helping me more than anyone else.
I need to see these kids in action, sure, but you don’t have to participate.
This is just a fun way for you to take a break from Caelum and get some fresh air. ”