The Second Coming of the Messiah

Sirzechs, as he had learned the crimson haired man's REAL name was, seemed to be the one to finally shift the conversation to a more serious note.

"Let's cut to the chase… Why are you here?" Sirzechs eventually asked, not bothering to face The Devil wrapped protectively around Makoto when he posed his question. The two were sitting in silence, amicably, though it was finally broken by Sirzechs after Makoto made no indication of speaking.

"You asked me to be."

"That is not what I am talking about, and you know it." Sirzechs fired back, his voice gaining a slight edge to it.

A shrugged shoulder was all the response he got.

"Are you going to answer me?"

"I do not owe you an explanation. My reasons are my own." The look the Original Lucifer gave Sirzechs in that moment let him know that he should amend his line of questioning. He called this meeting thinking it might devolve into a one on one conflict. That line of thinking was obviously dashed. He could not force Death when he had such a being by his side, not alone. Hell, he couldn't even force Death if he WAS alone. Instead, he fell back to diplomacy.

"Please, tell me. I want to, NEED to know why Death of all beings is pretending to be a student in the academy I had built for my little sister years ago."

Makoto heard the pleading in his voice and decided to humor him. If he claimed to be Lucifer, then perhaps he could make a deal.

"You have me confused with someone else, but none the less, I have a proposition. An eye for an eye."

"You have questions of your own?" Sirzechs seemed confused. Death was a being even older than him, why would he need information? There was a reason the saying "Nothing escapes Death's Notice" came about, after all, so what could Sirzechs know that Death did not?

Makoto did not answer. He just continued to stare at Sirzechs until the man finally nodded his head, confusion still evident on his face. It seems that the Crimson Satan as he proclaimed himself was smart enough to not and try to start a conflict with him.

The deep depths of that tainted, corrosive energy he wielded was indeed vast, and Makoto felt the well of barely restrained strength the being held hidden deep in his core, but it was nothing like the sheer presence Nyx gave off.

Sirzechs eventually nodded his head in acceptance. "We have a Deal."

"How does one traverse to the End of the World?"

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Makoto sighed as he stared at his ceiling that night. He had a feeling Hypnos would not be allowing him entrance into his realms, not this night.

Thoughts of the End of the World tended to keep him up, he noticed. Nightmares of The Fall still plagued him, reoccurring at least once a week. Dreams in which he failed to Seal Erebus away from Nyx and prevent their unholy union from bringing the body of Nyx down on the heads of Mankind.

This was his second night without rest, as conversation with Azazel had kept him awake the night before.

His ears perked up after hearing a peculiar noise emanating from outside of his room, almost as if someone were… tapping on his living room window?

Gently rising from his bed, Makoto made his way to the source of the noise, and peaked through the thick black curtains he bought to prevent the prying eyes of flying bats from seeing into his home again. Devils thought they were slick, but they weren't.

His eyes widened a fraction of an inch as he came face to face with a floating, skull mask wearing girl with dark purple hair and golden eyes. The cloak she wore on her back fluttered in the wind and behind her were around thirty more cloaked figures, though they actually appeared to be skeletons and not humanoid like the purple haired one.

An attack already? By who?

So he opened the window and readied, pulling on the energy of Thanatos enough to heighten the strength of his body and enhance his reaction time. His shadow grew darker and the one eye hidden in the darkness of his living room became the silver eye of Death.

"Who are you and what do you want? I am trying to sleep."

The sound of cloth fluttering through the air filled the night followed by a squeal of terror. Makoto was pushed from his standing position when the skull masked girl rushed into him and the two collapsed into a heap. The figure sat on top of his stomach, and was a split second away from receiving several Mudo spells to the face, perhaps even a Hama for good measure, when he heard their words.

"Imsorryimsorryimsorry! Don't kill me Death-Sama!"

"What do you think you are doing?" Makoto questioned, the hand gripping around the nape of the figure's neck glowing a blackish purple. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the small scythe laying not too far from the bundle on his chest.

The Blade of Lucifer was too long to strike the figure at the angle he was resting at, and the barrel of the revolver wielded by the Reaper was too long as well. Should this figure make a move for their weapon, He would be forced to use magic, and nothing he could think of would spare his apartment from further damage.

He really needed to find a good, sturdy dagger.

"I asked you a question."

The quivering figure sniffled once more before answering, her voice as shaky as her body was. "I am Bennia, and I came to serve you, Death-Sama, to get away from Hades!"

Well, that answered his question about the existence of the other mythologies outside of the Abrahamic Faith.

"Why me?" Makoto questioned, deciding he was quickly getting tired of people calling him Death.

"Because who better for a Grim Reaper to serve than you, Death-Sama? Did you not call for your servants last night? I'm sorry if I am late, it was hard making my way out of the Underworld! I brought some of my shitty fathers underlings to serve you, don't be mad please!"

The girl was almost breaking down in tears again, causing Makoto to sigh. "Get off of me."

Bennia was quick to crawl off of his chest and sit herself on his couch, ignoring the glass and debris that littered its surface.

He looked at the window, then to Bennia, then back to the window. His jaw clenched and unclenched before his shoulders sagged. He was really, really starting to hate the supernatural beings that inhabited the world he found himself in. Why couldn't he have a peaceful existence while he waited for the End of the World?

Makoto stuck his head out of the window and stared at the congregation of what he assumed were also "Grim Reapers".

"Go. Away."

He pulled his head back into his apartment and pulled the almost ruined blinds over the opening before turning his attention back to the now smiling figure sitting on his couch.

"You too." Makoto stated with a frown, just wanting to lay back down and be done with the cascading snowball effect his life had gained. He sorely missed the simple days of Gekkoukan, and he was honestly beginning to think he would have preferred climbing Tartarus again than deal with this worlds beings. Alone. With nothing but a bent spoon as his weapon.

Bennia made no move to leave his apartment, and she showed him no signs of aggression. The fact that she, too, called him Death-Sama and claimed to have come all the way from the Underworld to serve him was the only thing that prevented him from using physical force to remove the girl from his abode.

He could not sense any intent to attack, or any real form of negative emotion coming from the girl besides resentment, and fear. The resentment was not aimed at him, nor was the fear any longer. It was also the fact that she claimed he called for her that let him know there was more going on with his persona abilities than he thought. A frown made its way to his face as he felt the connection he had with Thanatos tremble, as if in response to his train of thought.

It continued to grow in strength as the days passed, and he felt that before long, it would be impossible to separate his own energy from that cold darkness that suffused through him. Through that connection with Thanatos, so could he too feel a link between himself and Bennia, not to mention the skeletal figures that were floating around his apartment.

"Please let me stay! Hades is a big, mean skeleton and you seem so much nicer already!" The tremble in her voice was just too much. He couldn't say no to such a display. Instead, he said nothing at all.

He walked back to his room and shut the door. The clicking sound afterwards signified him locking the door, something that was meant to be purely psychological, and to leave a message. He knew that no flimsy lock would keep out the supernatural. His broken window attested to that.

Stay Out.

Bennia let out a victorious cheer and made her way around the apartment that her new Master lived in, curious as to what type of being Death was. She was left with nothing to go on, other than figure out he was researching the Pantheons due to the book left on the coffee table. It isn't even accurate, either… Bennia thought with a frown as she thumbed through the old lore.

The guest room was completely empty and so was the bathroom across from it.

She sighed under her breath as she sat down in the recliner, leaning back into the comfortable chair while crossing her arms over her chest.

"I guess I will figure out what my duties will be tomorrow. Master sure is smart, to not rush a decision like that." With a resolute nod, the young Grim Reaper closed her eyes and basked in the presence left behind by the being that called her from beyond the barrier that separated the Realm of the Dead from the Realm of the Living.

It felt like Home, and she couldn't get enough of it. She idly wondered if Death was fond of pranks before Hypnos beckoned her into his embrace.

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Azazel received a text message from Makoto a few moments before he went to bed, causing the man to raise his brow. He honestly didn't think he would be hearing from Death so soon, or at all for that matter. After he relinquished a heavily damaged, but still living Raynare, Azazel had made sure to give the being a way to contact him should he ever need more information.

What do I do with thirty one Grim Reapers?

Azazel was not sure. What DID one do with thirty one Grim Reapers?