The Reaper's New Beginning

2. The Reaper's New Beginning (2)

Why... why is everything so dark?

Darkness enveloped Asher completely, almost as if trying to welcoming him into its cold grasp. Despite being unconscious, he could still feel the coldness his body felt within the blackness of his consciousness and from the outside world. Asher didn't dare to open his eyes, knowing that if he did, a lifetime of endless work and dissatisfaction would be waiting for him.

Despite his desperate pleas of staying in complete darkness forever, Asher's body had already begun waking up and had started to become more susceptible to its surroundings. However, there was something deeply unsettling about his surroundings.

There was no feeling of dreadfulness, only peace, and calm. Instead of his old and sturdy bed, he was met with something more... different, to say the least. Asher knew that winter was slowly approaching and this meant that the temperature was slowly but surely decreasing. However, it shouldn't be this cold. Not only that, but his body was being carried away by some unknown force. At this very moment, he widened his eyes in shock and horror as he swam up as quickly as he could. Finally, he resurfaced from what could only be described as a huge bathtub made out of the darkest stone imaginable. 

Asher then closed his eyes as a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him. He didn't bother thinking about his current surroundings, especially since he had almost lost his life back there. Asher chuckled darkly before opening his mouth to speak in a small whisper, "To think that I would rather live in this nightmare than to die peacefully."

There was something off about Asher's voice. His voice used to be raspy and was unpleasant to listen to since he barely even used it. Now, his voice was much smoother, not to mention less deep. It sounded almost as if he were a child.

A sudden realization dawned upon Asher as he opened his eyes and observed intently his surroundings. His current expression gave off the idea that he was calm under his current situation, but his eyes gave way to the fact that he was scared shitless. He clearly remembers sleeping in his bed last night. Why did he suddenly appear here? Plus, he woke up in an unfamiliar room that was way above his pay grade. 

Suddenly, the door of the bathroom opened. Soft footsteps echoed throughout the silent bathroom as Asher raised his gaze, his eyes meeting a pair of iridescent iris eyes. The owner of the beautiful pair of eyes was a tall and tanned woman that seemed to be wearing what Asher could only guess as a maid's uniform. Her sleek, black hair that was kept up in a tall ponytail swayed frantically from side to side as she rushed towards her young master's side. Her beautiful iris eyes sparkled under the bathroom's dim lights and were only filled with concern for the young boy.

"Young Master! You will most certainly catch a cold if you stay there for too long!"

Then, she dipped her hand into the water, her gaze hardening after feeling the water's temperature. Without any hesitation whatsoever, she took Asher into her strong arms and made him stand while she quickly dried him off. While the maid was noticeably skinny, he could still feel a thin layer of muscle. Not expecting the maid to forcefully pull him out of the water, Asher blushed in embarrassment and tried covering himself up with his small hands.

Wait, small? Asher looked at himself in a cloudy mirror and yelped in surprise. The sickly pale 26-year old man was now replaced by a young child that had just barely begun puberty. His dark hair reached his collarbone and his once dull, brown eyes were now a strikingly cold dark blue. His skin was now a much healthier color, almost creamy like.