Kiss of Death: An Ereri Fan Fiction

Kiss of Death

Everyone knew Levi, although not everyone knew him by name. Levi had been a grim reaper for centuries and more, tasked with collecting the souls of the departed and guiding them to their final destination, heaven. People often call him Death, the mysterious figure dressed in all black who definitely did not have the reputation of being the warmest guy around when a cloud of dread trailed him wherever he went or by the fact that with mere visits, he tore apart families, friends, and lovers; he ripped away the potential of brilliant minds, and he indiscriminately plucked good and bad people alike from the world of the living. But beings like him had to comply with a particular set of rules to keep the balance of the universe in check; in short, his job was his job, and he only did what was necessary.

Levi couldn't remember when he started being the Grim Reaper. He couldn't even remember being human, if he was even one from the beginning. All his life, if you can even call it that, he had been reaping the souls of dying humans with the kiss of Death. Weird, right? Contrary to popular belief, he did not carry a scythe. Instead, he would lean down and kiss his victims, ending their lives and taking their souls with him. It was an unconventional method, but it worked for reasons unknown.

He was a solitary figure, always wandering the Earth, carrying out his duty with precision and detachment. He had seen countless lives come and go, watched as empires rose and fell, spectated wars, famines, and natural disasters, and witnessed the full spectrum of human experience. Their emotions were too intense, yet simultaneously superficial and transient compared to his own. For a species that prided itself on being capable of rational thought, humans weren't very sensible. He had seen humans rage and fight each other daily, prioritizing their pride and avarice over love and kindness. A lot of people died because of the lack of compassion. Humans take from others—prized possessions and lives, men violate women, leaders send innocents to their graves for wars they created themselves, and so much more. He's seen all seven deadly sins of humankind on an hourly basis. There was a lot of wrong in the world, all because of man. This was why he despised humans. They were selfish and wicked.

He finds them the most aggravating when humans react to him when he appears before them on their deathbeds. Some people curse him for coming to take their souls, begging for another chance in life when they don't deserve a minute more. They spat and cursed at his arrival, at the same time willing him to give them more time and return another day when they were ready. Humans were never prepared for him. But they were always greedy, wanting more despite what they'd already been given. While they were living, they sought more money and power, and upon the arrival of Death, they wished for more time. Nothing was ever enough for these humans.

One such human was a corrupt businessman Levi took a few years ago. He was pretty young, impeccably dressed in a crisp black suit, and perfectly healthy before his death. The man had already been well off, yet was driven by a ceaseless desire for more, just like most humans. The man had been undeniably intelligent and skilled in the field of engineering, but he wasn't the most moral of people, killing off his competition to stay on top. He conned his colleagues and rivals alike out of money for his benefit. While this gave him the wealth he so desperately craved to do whatever he pleased in life, it also earned him a fair share of enemies that led to his demise. When he stood in front of the man, sprawled out on the floor with a bullet between his eyes, the man begged and pleaded for more time, claiming that he hadn't had enough, when just the other day, Levi had taken a stillborn baby. Levi felt no pity for someone so filled with greed. He didn't have much emotions towards humans to begin with.

Over time, Levi grew tired of the constant cries for more time. It was exhausting to deal with the ungrateful ones who always wanted to live more. He would've led those annoying pricks to hell if he could choose where to send them. But God or whoever he worked for wanted him to send those humans to heaven regardless of the circumstances. Quite unfair. But it was not Levi's place to question their fate. If God says they deserve paradise, then who was he to judge?