Reaper-Prologue

Prologue


The History of the Grim Reaper isn't as dark as you may think. Movies, television, books, and other forms of media have made him out to be evil. Some even go as far as to describe him as the devil's dark knight of Hell with the infamous black cloak, scythe, and the face of a dead man's skull. This couldn't be any farther from the truth. This is the true story of the Grim Reaper.
On a dark and stormy night, a young man was walking his girlfriend home. As they walked down a street in the middle of town, a mysterious man came up to them. He pushed the two into an alley. Cold and frightened, the young man's girlfriend let out a loud, terrified scream. The mysterious man immediately silenced her with his hand. He grabbed the girl and held on tightly. She fought and struggled, but eventually her body fell limp. Then, finally, the man spoke in a deep and evil tone.
"Hello, my boy. I'm sure this is coming as a bit of a surprise to you, and for that I apologize." He said this as casually as his dark voice would allow. "Where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself! I am Sakku, the Lord of the Underworld. I have come for you, my boy."
The young man took several steps back. His face showed his fear and anger. His mind spun with mixed emotions. He started to run as far away as he could, but Sakku appeared in front of him.
"You're wasting your time, boy. The more you run, the worse your situation will become. I just have one simple request. I want you to become my harvester of souls, my reaper. I will promise the safety of your remaining loved ones in return." A hideous smile spread across his face.
"I refuse," the young man yelled.
"Oh? Well, that's just too bad. I must warn you, however, that you have no choice in this matter. I will make you my little reaper, whether you volunteer or not!" As he started to walk away, he turned back to the boy and said, "Oh, and you might want to check on your mommy. She's home all alone you know." His laughter howled throughout the oddly silent night as he walked away.
The young man raced toward his home as quickly as his weak legs would take him. When he arrived, he flung open the door and saw his mother lying on the floor, dead. He quickly walked toward the nearest phone and called the authorities. After what seemed like several hours of waiting, they could not determine the cause of death and deemed it a natural cause. The young man simply walked away from his home as the ambulance took his mother's dead body away. He walked and walked for miles, until he came upon a silhouette in the distance. Then, it suddenly disappeared and reappeared next to him.
"Well, well, it seems you are not feeling well. What can I do for you," Sakku asked.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Well, it's quite simple really. You will become my reaper. You will come out to the Human world and scout out those poor saps who are about to die. You will collect their souls and bring them back to the Underworld for judgment. I would do it myself, as I normally do, but it has become quite a hassle lately trying to juggle being the Lord of that place down there and collecting these souls."
"What about my mother and girlfriend? Can you bring them back?"
Sakku looked at the boy, and stared into his eyes. He could see the resolve the young man had and was suddenly moved. "I am sorry for taking them, but taking life is what I do. I do not have the power to give life to anything. That is a job for another person." With that, he pointed to the sky to help drive his remark.
After several minutes of silence, the young man nodded his head and agreed to Sakku's deal. If anyone had been passing through that area, they would have seen the two disappear in a flurry of flames. The young man disappeared from the Human world from that day forward. He became the first Grim Reaper and carried on the tasks that Sakku gave him. After a few years, he was allowed to return to the Human world. He found a new love and was married. They had one son, and his fate was to become the same as his father, who died shortly after his son was born. This began the tradition of the Reaper. For over a hundred years, Sakku returned to the Human world and retrieved these young boys. All of this is going to soon change, however, as our story begins with the next Reaper, Kaoru Kamida.