Four Death
FOUR
D EATH
Death knew it was unfair for him to find such entertainment in Aris’s frustration.
His brother was just too easily riled, and the best part was that, in this new form of his, Aris had a vein on his forehead that pulsed whenever he was particularly aggravated.
Death had taken a liking to testing it, calculating all the ways in which he might make it most apparent.
Unfortunately, he could not be there for a front-row seat to watch Signa and Aris being forced to work together.
As it was, Death roamed the streets of a small village in a different part of the world, far away from Wisteria.
It was a quiet town for the most part, with the majority of its townsfolk currently winding down in their homes.
A century or so ago, Death had to come here to ferry souls away after a disease had torn its way through most of the country, but things had been uneventful since.
It was a quaint place. The kind where one would walk the streets and see only friendly and familiar faces.
There was not a single pretentious gentleman’s club nor an overpriced dress shop in sight.
Most who made their homes here tended to farmland of some kind, and Death took his time admiring barns full of animals that huddled close together, preserving their warmth.
A hound of black and white barked at him as he passed by, herding Death away from its flock.
Had his search not led him to this particular town, Death might never have taken the time for a visit; he and Signa had become something of homebodies, though that wasn’t to say he didn’t enjoy his travels.
Especially during this time of the year, when there was a warmth to the world despite the air’s bitter chill.
He’d always enjoyed the holidays and the cheer it so often brought out in people, and wished only that they could be so kind and festive all year-round.
It was, however, his busiest season—more people died around Christmas than at any other time of the year.
Not to mention there were always spirits who mourned their disconnect from the land of the living and lashed out during the holidays.
The spirits back at Wisteria would not behave quite so erratically.
At least, they certainly seemed harmless enough, and even if things did go awry, Signa should be able to handle the situation.
He’d check in with her every now and again, and would step in if anything became truly dangerous, but otherwise Death had a separate mission to complete…
The snow did not yield beneath his black boots as he journeyed through near-empty streets, nor did he feel the dampness of the flurries around his figure.
Oil lamps illuminated frosted windows, most of which were filled with small families huddled around a dining table or warming themselves near the hearth.
The majority had already put up their Christmas trees—though they wouldn’t be fully decorated for several days more, strewn with chestnuts and ornaments and lit in a haze of candlelight.
He smiled to himself as he passed by the windows, the families inside making him miss his own.
As much as he enjoyed teasing Aris, what he truly wanted was to spend the holiday with his brother for the first time in centuries.
Too many years they had gone about their existence alone, either resenting or being resented by the other.
And yet Aris’s return was the very reason that Death wandered these snowy streets so far from home.
He didn’t know exactly where he’d find what he was seeking.
He only knew that it was here, hiding on these very streets.
Soon, Death would be home with the others, sipping hot chocolate and participating in the ridiculous games Blythe would surely force them into. But for now, he had a soul to find.