My Soul card is a Reaper-Chapter 962: The Dream of the Reaper

The afternoon sun drifted lazily over Aquiloria, its warmth spilling through the windows of the Death Clan leader's residence.

The halls were quiet, with no servant or guard making any noise or engaged in conversation, atleast on the floor, as they knew it was their monarch's afternoon napping time. Because Azzy was a demigod, even a whisper in the palace wouldn't go unnoticed by him. And out of respect and fear for this strongest mortal, they maintained silence while Leiza was busy with reading books to her unborn son in her own room.

But sleep didn't bring peace.

His fingers twitched.

Sweat gathered along his forehead.

His chest rose and fell in uneven rhythm, as if his body was responding to a battle only he could see.

Inside the dream, the world was nothing like the calm day outside.

He stood in the middle of a massive coliseum with hundreds of eyes watching from every seat.

Lesser gods stood near the lower decks.

Major gods stood above them, glowing with faint halos.

Each one murmured with excitement as if watching a show they had waited lifetimes for.

Their cheers echoed like thunder as two figures clashed in the center arena.

Azzy, though in this dream he wasn't Azzy. He wore the mantle of the Reaper. His eyes were pitch black, hollow, and endless. The scythe in his hand pulsed with a cold, eerie glow, humming with the hunger as he faced a god he recognized instantly: Eros, the former God of Love, before cupid.

The one he was facing was also not the harmless, storybook Eros of love and hearts, but a battle-hardened Olympian with a sharp jawline, golden armor cracked in several places, and a sword that shimmered like sunlight over clear water.

Eros moved first.

He lunged, slicing the air with his sword with blinding speed. Azzy parried easily with the scythe. Sparks scattered across the coliseum floor as the blades clashed. The gods erupted in cheers, urging both of them on.

Eros growled and pressed forward, every strike faster than the last, yet Azzy didn't step back once. His movements were smooth and deadly precise, as if he were in complete control of the battle. Every block made the ground tremble.

Eros tried to push harder.

He tried to break through.

But Azzy's reaper form grew more terrifying with each passing moment. His scythe grew heavier, sharper, hungrier.

Finally, in a clash so violent the ground cracked beneath them, Azzy's scythe smashed into Eros' sword, shattering it into dozens of glittering fragments that scattered like broken stars.

The crowd roared.

Eros stumbled back, staring at the broken hilt in disbelief. He tossed it aside and raised his fists instead. His aura surged, tightening his muscles as he lunged at Azzy with raw strength. "Oraaa..."

But Azzy was no longer holding back. His scythe carved the air with a terrifying whistle as he counterattacked. Eros dodged, ducked, and tried to counter with a fist to Azzy's ribs, but the Reaper didn't flinch. He simply stepped into the blow and grabbed Eros by the wrist, twisting it brutally.

The god cried out as Azzy spun him around and slammed him into the ground, stone shattering under impact.

The coliseum erupted in cheers, half awe, half fear.

*

A while later;

The silence was so heavy that it pressed down on every god and mortal who dared to watch.

The Reaper stood on the ground, his dark robes unmoving despite the winds that circled the arena. Before him, Eros was seen kneeling. His face was pale, and his eyes were more or less dead, as if he accepted the outcome. The ethereal golden fluid, ichor (god's blood) was flowing out of the cuts from his body, from top to bottom, and his hands were on his knees, unable to raise them.

Above them, Zeus, the King of Gods, sat on his golden throne. "Azrael!" He bellowed, his hand gripping the armrest of his throne as if he were going to break out of anger. "You cannot kill the god of love! His death will ripple across the universe. Your mistake will curse every mortal."

The Reaper didn't flinch. His scythe, black as the void, gleamed as he raised it high. For a moment, it looked as though even the gods held their breath.

"I warned you!" Zeus roared, desperation seeping into his command. "Spare him, and I will promise your world safety for eternity instead."

The Reaper moved.

In one fluid motion, the blade fell. Eros's head rolled to the ground, his golden ichor staining the pristine marble beneath him. Gasps erupted around the coliseum. The gods froze. Zeus rose from the throne with a clear, visible shock on his face.

Then, the Reaper changed.

The black robes fell away, dissolving into ash. In their place stood a man, a mortal man. He was tall, towering even in the presence of gods, his dark eyes locked onto Zeus. His wheat-toned skin shone under the divine light, and his hair was as dark as a moonless night.

"You talk about consequences, Zeus," the young man said, his voice calm yet sharp enough to cut through the steel. "As if they matter to you. As if they matter to me."

Divine energy erupted from Zeus, but he clenched his fists and tried to keep it contained and not explode out of rage. "Azrael, you have damned yourself and every mortal out there. Love is not a force so easily replaced. Without love, compassion, kindness, and affection would fade. Mortals would become cold and detached. Families, friendships, and romantic bonds would disintegrate. Hate would increase, and the balance would be broken."

Azrael smirked, tilting his head slightly. "You can always find a replacement, can't you? Or is that just something you gods like to say when you destroy worlds?"

"You…" Zeus clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white. In the end, he sat down and said, "Fine. I will honor the agreement. Planet Gaia will remain untouched for the next thousand heavenly years. But when the time comes, I'll make sure your little planet will never bear life again. As for you, the killer of love, even if love returns to this universe, your bloodline will forever be cursed."

"Haha."

Azrael let out a sharp laugh, and his smirk deepened. "Good. And when that time comes, I'll be ready for you. As for my bloodline, I'll view it as a small sacrifice to protect my world."

*

Azzy jerked awake with a sharp inhale, his eyes snapping open as if the dream had yanked him violently back into his body. For a moment, he didn't move, just lay there staring at the ceiling, trying to steady the rising storm inside his chest.

His fingers twitched.

His breathing was uneven.

The dream still clung to him like thick shadows refusing to fade.

"What was that…" he muttered under his breath, voice still hoarse. "A battle with Eros? Killing a god?"

He pushed himself upright, rubbing his forehead with a scowl. The dream hadn't been hazy or symbolic. It had been crystal clear, vivid enough that he could feel the weight of the scythe in his hands, smell the dust of the arena, hear the crack of Eros' bones.

"Is this… the founder's memory?" he whispered, frowning deeper. "But why now? Why all of a sudden?"

Azzy rarely dreamed, but when he did, it was never ordinary. The last time he had a dream he could remember was when he had witnessed the death of one of his time variants through the Hourglass. Before that, he had seen glimpses of enemy timelines. And before that… his dreams had guided him through life-and-death decisions.

For ordinary people, dreams were meaningless, fleeting fantasies that vanished with the morning sunlight.

For him, a dream was a signal from the timeline.

Azzy scrubbed a hand over his face and stood up. His body felt strangely heavy, as if the residue of battle was hitting him.

He walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and stepped under the cold stream.

As the droplets slid down his arms and chest, Azzy whispered to himself. "I wonder what kind of warning this is."

He leaned one hand against the wall, feeling the water run down his back.

"Is this a warning of a threat from Olympians? Or is it… wait… eleven thousand heavenly years… means 11 Epochs… but this is only in second millennium of the epoch… I don't think Gaia's destruction is upon us. Then, it should be something…

As the water continued to pour over him, his mind raced faster than the droplets falling.

Why Eros?

Why that battle?

Why now, when the tournament was about to start… when his son was about to be born...

Azzy closed his eyes, letting the cold water wash over his face as he tried to pull his thoughts into order.

"If a threat is coming," he murmured, "there will be more signs. let's wait for another dream..."

Right then, an energy envelope appeared before him and opened, flowing into his mind.

He saw a video message from Estella Moon. In his mind, she said, "Azrael, grave news. We sensed the breakthrough to the demigod realm. A new demigod has arisen."

"What?" Azzy blinked.