The Grim Reaper was a being that appeared before every creature that was about to move on to the [River of the Afterlife], but that was not his only duty. Another duty that the Grim Reaper carried out was the storage of souls that would eventually move on to the [River of the Afterlife]. In Jason’s case, as someone who was about to become an undead Vympir, he was already destined to lose his soul for eternity! That meant that although he wouldn’t be going straight into the [River of the Afterlife], the Grim Reaper still had every right to come and collect his soul for safekeeping, so that the moment Jason died, the Grim Reaper would take possession of him once and for all! As the Grim Reaper approached, Jason could barely see its skeletal face through the hood covering its head, but the Grim Reaper eventually raised its head, and even from this distance, Jason could see the vindictive expression on that bony face! The Grim Reaper had told Jason that he would eventually come to collect what was rightfully his, and now he was here!
’You can run from death, you can hide from death, you can denounce death, but eventually all things fall into the arms of death. I am the inevitable. I am the unavoidable. Your soul holds no higher destiny than to fall into my domain.’
The Grim Reaper’s scratchy voice boomed over the world like a sonar, and Jason felt the first strings of fear beginning to take root in his heart just from that mantra alone! Jason could already feel his soul being sucked out by the Grim Reaper, and Jason knew that if he didn’t do something soon, then he was fucked! The Grim Reaper wasn’t going to have any mercy on Jason at all, and Jason was certain that he would be getting tortured by this bastard far more than necessary!
But all of a sudden, Jason heard another voice echo through his mind, and Jason turned around to see Esdath standing behind him!
’What in the world have you gotten yourself into this time!? You can’t even let me rest for a second!’
Esdath screamed in fear as he noticed the darkness traveling across the land and heading straight for them! Unlike the rest of Jason’s subordinates, who needed to talk to Jason through a mental connection formed through Jason’s mana, Esdath was different because his connection was formed by the [Death’s Mirage] that was connected directly to the [River of the Afterlife]! This meant that Esdath’s connection was still strong enough for Jason to speak to him! The sheer terror Jason could see on Esdath’s face at that moment was so fucking hilarious that he couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement! Jason didn’t know why, but Esdath’s presence gave him a sudden boost in his confidence, and Jason felt the anxiousness from earlier vanish into thin air. Jason’s eyes narrowed as he felt his heart rate calming down slightly, and Jason’s mind started to race as he began to think of many possible ways to get out of this!
Behind him, Esdath continued to speak!
’Jason! Jason, what the fuck is going on here!? Wait, I recognize this! Don’t tell me you got bitten by a fucking Vympir! I only went to sleep for a fucking second, and the next thing I wake up to is this!? How do you manage to get into these problems every fucking time!’
’Hmm.’
Jason’s response was just a shrug of his shoulders and a nonchalant hum! What the hell did Esdath want Jason to say? It wasn’t like he knew that fucking bitch he saved was going to try and kill him in this way! But Jason had learned a valuable lesson from this encounter, and he swore that if he survived this, then he would definitely pay that bitch back! Jason’s mind was still racing as he tried to figure out what he needed to do next, and in the background, Jason could still hear Esdath complaining about how they were all going to die. But Jason shut Esdath up with a quick question!
’Hey, what’s going to happen to me when this darkness consumes everything?’
Jason’s eyes were still fixed on the approaching Grim Reaper as he asked this question. The Grim Reaper was gliding forward with the darkness, but thankfully, Stella’s mana was keeping the darkness at bay, and that was giving Jason just enough time to think and strategize! Esdath seemed to get serious once Jason asked this question, and he answered quickly.
’From the research we did in my sect, we believe the darkness is a hypnotic form of magic that takes over the mind of anyone infected by a Vympir. The Vympir you were bitten by released a toxin into your body, and that toxin will change your body while also manipulating your mind to become completely loyal to your Progenitor. There are three stages to the transformation, and once you cross into the second stage, you will become a Changeling that cannot be killed by normal means. We found that the only way to help someone who had been bitten is by stabbing them in the heart before they enter the second stage. Jason, if you allow yourself to become a Changeling, you will become nothing more than a servant whose only desire is to serve their master!’
Esdath’s explanation was ominous enough to make Jason’s blood run cold! So even though Jason’s soul was about to be taken by the Grim Reaper, he was also about to lose his mind and body as well! That was absolutely fucked up! Jason’s mind was still racing as he tried to figure out what he would do to fix this! A plan was starting to form in Jason’s head, but Jason didn’t know if it was even possible. But right now, Jason was desperate! Jason didn’t want to transform into a Changeling, but at the same time, Jason needed to make sure that the Grim Reaper couldn’t have his soul! The Grim Reaper’s dark abyssal eyes were now staring straight at Jason as he approached, and Jason stared right back with narrowed eyes!
’If this doesn’t work, then I would only be making things worse. I could send myself straight to the Afterlife without any chance at all of reviving.’
Jason let out a harsh breath as the plan in his head slowly began to take shape, and Jason decided that he would just do it! This was already a dire situation anyway, so if Jason perished here, then that would mean that this was as far as his fate would take him! Jason spoke up to the side.
’System, are you there?’
[Yes, the system is here. The system has been trying to establish a reconnection between the user and his subordinates, but due to the fluctuation in the user’s mana, a reconnection is proving difficult.]
Jason felt relief pass through him as he realised that the system was also here! Even though Jason was no longer connected to his subordinates, that was only due to the way his mana was acting up right now! Jason’s mana acted as the direct link between him and his subordinates, but now that the mana was being siphoned out by a mysterious force, the connection was very weak! But that didn’t matter to Jason! Jason quickly spoke.
’I need you to confirm something for me...’
Jason quickly laid out his plan to his system and explained what he hoped would happen as a result of what he wanted to do! Esdath had also been listening to Jason’s plan as he explained, and Jason barely got to finish the plan before Esdath roared in anger!
’HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND!?’