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“Dammit, I’m... trying...”

‘Ah well. I understood you the second time, anyway.’

“Then answer my question, already!”

‘Hey, you didn’t pause that time. Good job.’

“I wish you had a body so I could strangle you...”

‘That’s an important question, though. Obviously, if I could keep more people alive, I would. I don’t know about everyone, but yes. The problem is, I can only maintain a stable connection with one soul at a time. If I tried to maintain it with a second person, then my energy would begin to dissipate, which would end up exhausting or destroying me. And if either of those two things happen to me, then the people I’m connected to would have their souls ripped from their still-living bodies, which would result in either brain death or a psychotic break. And a body with a broken consciousness can become rather monstrous, to say the least.’

He cocked his head back. “You mean, they’d... like... start killing random people?”

‘Among other gruesome things, yeah.’

“Wow... okay.” He folded his slender arms, and his face distorted a little. “But if that’s the case, then... why’d you pick me for this job?”

‘Well, I had to pick someone. I needed a servant, and there you were.’

“That’s it...? It was just coincidence that you picked me...?”

‘Mostly.’

Hector eyed the reaper. “And what does that mean? ‘Mostly’?”

‘I try not to petition murderers and the like for this job, so yes, there is some judgment involved, on my part. What’s more, I didn’t pick you. I asked you. You’re the one who agreed.’

“But... a second chance like this... who the hell would turn down your offer?”

‘Someone who just wants to die.’