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“I wonder how long it would’ve taken...”

The reaper fell quiet after that. It wasn’t until after Hector had nearly finished cleaning that the conversation resumed.

‘I’m Garovel, by the way. Garovel is my name, that is.’

Hector took a seat on the edge of the bathtub and looked at the floating skeleton again. “Okay,” was all he said.

Garovel tilted his head. ‘Not much for conversation, eh? You talked more when you were dead.’

“...Sorry. I don’t... I mean... yeah.”

‘Well, don’t worry about it. There’s no need to rush things.’ Garovel drifted nearer the mirror, and Hector realized suddenly that the reaper had no reflection. ‘You don’t seem to be the very curious type, so I guess I’ll just explain. Stop me if you have a question.’

Hector waited.

‘You and I are now connected,’ Garovel said. ‘I am what sustains your life, now. Biologically, your body is alive again, but I am the only thing that keeps you attached to your body. Your soul, your consciousness, your sense of self, whatever you want to call the thing, I’m the one who maintains its connection with this world, now.’ The reaper paused a moment, considerate perhaps. ‘I suppose that might sound like a bad thing. Having your soul controlled by someone else, that is, but there are actually some pretty fantastic advantages to this whole scenario. The first is, of course, the ability to restore your body, but I already talked about that. And I believe you’ve already glimpsed the second major advantage. That is, the ability to continue moving, even after your body is technically dead.’

He blinked.