Arc 1: Reaper training

  Eren awoke from a dreamless sleep; His vision was blurry at first but soon began to focus. A warm breeze blew across his face, ruffling his hair gently. Laying on a grassy hillside overlooking a vast valley below him, that went on for eternity, blending into the e su.

  No injuries remained on his body; all traces of the fight had been erased. In their pce, a calm feeling washed over him, rexing his muscles, and soothing his mind.

  'Am I dead?' Eren asked himself as he sat up slowly. Taking in the sery around him, this pce was ripped straight out of his dreams. It eaceful, serene, perfect. There was no pain or suffering, only tranquillity.

  "Eren!" A familiar voice called from the distaurning his head towards the source,

  "Kyo?" His eyes wide the sight before him.

  Kyo stood smiling widely at him. He looked just as Eren remembered, evidence of his demise absent from his body. His clothes were , without a siain of blood on them.

  Eren ran towards him, his heart rag with excitement.

  "Kyo!" He shouted excitedly. ing his arms around him tightly, squeezing him as hard as he could. The hug was returned in kind, both men ughing and smiling.

  "I'm so gd you're alright!" Eren excimed, releasing Kyo from his grasp. "Yeah, you too." Kyo replied, pg his hand on Eren's shoulder. "Where are we?" Eren asked, turning back towards the sery in front of them.

  "I'm not sure exactly, but it feels good to be here." Kyo admitted, looking at the sky above them. "Everything feels...Right, ya know?" Eren nodded in agreement.

  “Do you think this is the afterlife?" He asked, gng at Kyo from the er of his eye.

  "No idea." Kyed, "Wait. Haruto and Rika." He turned back towards the hills behind them. "There not here... are they safe?" Kyo asked worriedly. Eren smiled reassuringly, "I think so."

  "What makes you say that?" "Instinct. I feel it in my gut." Kyo nodded, still looking slightly worried.

  "e o's explore this pce." He began walking down the hillside towards the valley below.

  Whilst the pair walked, a looming shadoeared on the horizon, growing rger with each step they took. Expansive wings began to form, spanning far above them, casting an ominous shadow. It nded gracefully in front of them, still bathed in shadow.

  "Wele." The figure greeted them warmly, stepping forward into the light.

  A man with golden locks stood before them, clothed in a bck suit and a dark red tie with fiery red ats. His skin was fair and smooth, like marble stone. He had emerald eyes that shone brightly with power.

  "Hello..." Kyo greeted him warily, looking over the figure carefully. "Who are you?" The man smiled at Eren kindly. "I am Lucifer..." Lucifer paused, lifting his hands into the air dramatically. "Wele to the afterlife."

  "Wait, Lucifer as in the devil-"

  "Shush, that is just a human interpretation, a long story that is both awe-inspiring and-" Lucifer paused mid-sentence. His eyes fog ily on Eren's face, studying it carefully.

  "You." His voice seemed to echo, boung off the walls of Eren's mind. A feeling of déjà vu washed over him.

  "Let me look at you." Lucifer stepped forward, pg his hands on Eren's shoulder. He examined every inch of Eren's face, smooshing his cheeks together, squinting his eyes as if looking for something specific.

  "Have we meet before?" Eren asked quietly, unfortable with the sudden proximity between them.

  Lucifer was silent for a moment before replying, "Now ‘that is’ a long story." He released his cheeks, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

  "Now, e with me." Snapping back to his cheerful self. Suddenly, grabbing the pair, wings spread from his bad carried them into the sky. S through the endless e void.

  "What the hell!" Kyo yelled as they asded into the clouds, struggling against the grip on his arm. Eren held onto Lucifer's arm tightly, trying not to fall. The air whipped around them, sending their hair filing wildly behind them.

  "Hold on." Lucifer whispered as he swooped down, diving straight towards the ground below.

  "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The pair screamed as they plummeted towards the earth. A bck void opened beh them, swallowing them whole. The e sky vanishing from view, darkness eng them.

  The world shifted around them, twisting, and turning as they were transported through the darkness. Finally emerging into another world, this one however, was vastly different.

  The temperature is far colder than the grassy field, the atmosphere is gloomy. It is a decrepit ndscape with no colour; the sky is overcast, and there are no grass cs, only an ashen sandy ground that stretches on over unending dunes. A nd of death.

  Lucifer floated down, releasing his grip on the pair's arms. He nded gracefully onto the barreh below, followed by Kyo and Eren ndio him. Both fell forward onto their knees, gasping for air. Their lungs burned from the ck of oxygen. "What the hell was that!" Kyo yelled at Lucifer.

  "My, aren't you a feisty little mortal?" Lucifer remarked, leaning in closer to him, grinning mischievously.

  "What do you want from us?" Eren asked calmly. Lucifer stepped away from Kyo, fog his attention on Eren. "It’s what ‘we’ want from you, my dear Ere." He replied, smiling devilishly.

  "We?" Ereed, eyebrow raised in fusion.

  "e along now, we have such sights to show you." Lucifer waved them over, as he began walking across the barren ndscape with an almost schoolgirl like skip in his step.

  Kyo and Eren shared a look of uainty before following him.

  They travelled for a short while before ing across a long line of people, stretg as far as the eye could see. However, these humans were different from normal humans, they had pale skin and deep eyes. Some missing limbs, others pletely disfigured.

  They seemed to have e from all different walks of life. Men, women, children, even some form of monsters, such as goblins and elves. All of them wore matg expressions of sorrow and despair.

  "Are those... spirits?" Kyo asked quietly, looking over the crowd with apprehension. "Indeed," Lucifer replied, his tone almost proud.

  "These are the souls awaiting their turn to be processed." He answered, motioning for the pair to follow him. They walked alongside the sea of souls towards a colossal temple, looming ominously over the bleak ndscape. Its walls were built from bck marble stone, decorated with intricate designs and symbols. At the entraood several pilrs, bzers engulfed in white fmes.

  "This is Death's temple. Where the souls are processed a onwards to their life." Lucifer expined as they approached the rge stone doors.

  “So, who was right?” Eren inquired.

  “hat?” Lucifer answered back a little bit perplexed.

  “Which religion was right? Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism?”

  “None. Well. Bits and pieces spread across all religions. An expnation for aime. e we have much to see.” Lucifer really wasn’t ied in dumping the ins and outs of the afterlife to two new arrivals. A story for aime

  Two guards stood oher side of a rge temple door, full bck armour. Their helmets covered their entire faces, leaving only their eyes exposed.

  "Hello." Lucifer greeted with vigour, fshing them a dazzling smile. The guards turo him, staring at him bnkly for a moment before looking away, dismissing him entirely.

  "Oh, e now, don't be like that. I'm just here to deliver these two gentlemen to our Lord and Master." Lucifer waved his hand dramatically at Eren and Kyo, emphasizing their presence.

  The guard raised its hand, pointing at the door behind it. "Thanks." Lucifer grinned happily, before walking past the guards and pushing open the doors.

  The interior of the temple was equally as grandiose as the exterior. However, whilst the exterior was of dark and gothic desigerior was more in lih modern design. White marble floors, polished to perfe. Large ns supported the massive dome shaped ceiling. In the tre of the room, the lihat stretched outside began to split up into different pathways. With the smaller lines leading up a rge spiral, not visible from the outside

  Eren and Kyo had seen many wonders iime oh. However, nothing pared to this pce. Everythi a beyond prehension, radiating with power.

  "Eren..." An otherworldly voice resohroughout the room. The entire building seemed to tremble us weight.

  From a bck shadow, emerged a tall slender figure. Its body ed in a dark robe, obsg any form beh it. Only the endless abyss could be seen within the hood. The only physical features that were visible was tw white eyes, staring back at Eren.

  "Wele, Ere." It spoke again, the same eg voice that rang in Eren's mind.

  "Who... who are you?" Kyo asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

  "I am known by many names, Death, Lord of souls, King of shadows, Azazel."

  Eren and Kyo remained silent, uo find the words to speak. Their minds rag with a thousand questions.

  "I've...been watg you Eren, for some time now." The being spoke slowly, its words weighted with purpose. "Why me? Why did you seo my death? Why not anyone else?" Ereioned, finding his voice more.

  The figure seemed to sider Eren's question for a moment before answering, "Follow..." Suddenly, a shadow enveloped them, transp them from the temple to the outside.

  Reappearing atop a cliff, overlooking a bck o. The waves crashed below them violently, white foam pping against the dark rocks. Despite the eerie atmosphere the o brought, it was oddly soothing.

  "Your death, was a struct of fate." Death began, turning to look out at the horizon. "Fate!? What is that supposed to mean?" Eren interjected, angered by the cryptiswer.

  Death seemed to ponder before answering, "Aime." Death replied calmly. "For now, let me offer you a choice, Ere." Death’s voice became clearer, no longer reverberating within Eren's mind.

  "A choice? What kind?" Eren asked cautiously. A being of death; a choice is not to be taken lightly.

  "I would like to offer you the ce to be reborn, a sed ce at life." Death spoke with great purpose.

  Eren took a seat on the cliffs edge, mulling over his options. 'Rebirth?' He looked out over the vast o. A gentle breeze blowing through his hair.

  'Another ce at life...to be with my family again.' His heart ached at the thought of them. "What are my choices?" He asked quietly, turning his gaze back to Death.

  "You have two optioher tinue on to the afterlife a for eternity, or be reborn as a reaper, to serve under me. Serve as my will beyond this realm." Death expined, sitting dowo him.

  "What would I have to do?"

  "All worlds require a bance of life ah; your duty as a reaper would be to maintain that bance. Bringih to those who avoid the iable..." Eren grimaced at the thought of taking more lives.

  The sshing of those soldiers, flesh tearing through his bde still fresh in his mind. aken a life before; self-defe was, it still was at the back of his mind.

  "... And t life to those that most." Death added, a small ethereal bird nded on his finger, chirping happily. Eren stared at the little creature with curiosity. "Life is one bang act after another, for there is darkness within the light, and light within the darkness." Death released the bird from his finger, allowing it to fly away.

  "What about Kyo?" Eren asked, gng over at his friend who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, watg them silently.

  "Only one bee a reaper. Kyo’s death was an unfortunate sequence of those who upset the bance."

  Eren looked back over the o, watg the waves crash against the cliffs below.

  "And if I dee?" Death stood up from his seat, turning towards him. "Then you will join him iernal rest, amongst the souls." Death held out his hand towards Eren, being him to take it.

  Eren paused for a moment, pting his choices carefully. 'Another ce at life...'

  Eren looked down at beach below. His eye's softened, a little girl with raven hair skipped through the bck sand, happily humming to herself. The small child turned her head towards Eren, staring directly at him.

  A joyous smile with a couple of missih pstered across her face. Seeing her, it is a part of Eren that wishes to return to his family. To be reunited with his sister once more. To hold her in his arms again. To apologize for leaving her.

  "Fine, I'll be your reaper then." He agreed finally. Takihs hand, pulling himself up. "Very well, Ere. If you will-"

  "But... there are some ditions." Eren interrupted him.

  Death stared at him for a moment before nodding his head slightly.

  "One: If Kyo 't be brought back, then I want him sent to the highest level of paradise."

  Death nodded slowly, "Kyo had sacrificed his life for yours, for that act of valour and bravery he would have been granted your request regardless."

  A tear trickled down Kyo's face, touched by Eren's kindness.

  "And two: The same deal applies to my friends and family when they pass. Three: Their lives, untouched by the shadows I’m about to embrace, that’s my final dition."

  "Your terms are acceptable, Ere." Death agreed.

  "Lucifer..." Death's voice called out to him. The blonde reaper had spent the eime twirling his hair in self-amusement.

  "Show Kyo the way home." Lucifer stood up, striding over to them. "Of course, my lord. It would be my pleasure." Lucifer extended his hand's towards Kyo and Eren.

  Flying them back to the temple.

  Death remained by the cliff watg the waves ebb and flow against the rocks. Deep in thought.

  The flight was silent for the most part, Kyling to keep himself banced whilst holding onto Lucifer's hand. The winds threateo blow him away at any moment.

  But most of all, Eren could not stop thinking about the choice he made. 'Another ce at life...' He gnced over at Kyo, smiling weakly.

  "Thanks." He spoke softly, barely audible over the wind.

  Arriving at the temple, at the base of a huge swirling blue gate that stood before them. "This is as far you go Eren." Lucifer halted Eren with his hand.

  Kyo steeped towards Eren and held out his hand towards him. "Good luck, buddy." Eren shook it firmly, ing his free arm around him tightly.

  "Take care of yourself, ok?" Eren whispered into his ear.

  "Don't worry about me; you keep yourself safe alright? And if you see my parents and Haruto agaihem I love them." Kyo smiled warmly, letting go of Eren's hand.

  "We will meet again." Kyo reassured Eren, tears welling up in his eyes.

  The Blue gate glowed brighter, engulfing Kyo in a blinding light.

  "Goodbye, my friend." Eren whispered softly as the light vanished, leaving only Lucifer and him behind.

  Lucifer grabbed Eren's shoulder, not allowing him any time to process what had happened. "Your mine now." He grinned deviously, dragging him away from the gate.

  He now beloo the realm of death. A final act of humanity.