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Geoffrey looked between everyone again. “Why did you all go quiet?”

‘Because your friend Ozmere recognizes me,’ said Feromas. ‘Isn’t that right?’

‘You are Feromas...’

‘I am.’

‘And is this...?’

‘His name is Damian Rofal, now. But he is the same servant, yes.’

Ozmere floated back toward the door, and Moss stepped in front of him. ‘L-look,’ the reaper said, ‘I have nothing but the greatest respect for someone of your caliber. We have no quarrel with you.’

“That’s too bad,” said Damian.

‘No, please! St--!’

Damian raised a hand. There came a sudden flash and a great crunch as Ozmere and Moss were both obliterated.

Wide-eyed, Geoffrey could see the air visibly distorted in the spaces where their bodies used to be. A shockwave passed over Geoffrey as the air refilled the vacuum, and all that remained was a thin vapor. After a moment, that too disappeared.

It took Geoffrey a second to even begin understanding what had happened. “Grandpa, what the hell?!”

“I’m sorry, Geoffrey. I know they were your friends. I should have told you before not to bring any members of Abolish here.”

“Why did you kill them?!”

‘Because no one can know that Damian and I are still alive,’ said Feromas.

Geoffrey eyed the empty space again. “But! What did you even do to them?!”

“I reduced them to little more than dust particles,” said Damian. “Though, I suppose in the reaper’s case, there is genuinely no trace left, as there was no body mass in the first place.”

Geoffrey just stared at him.

“If you like, I don’t mind you going to Sescoria to play with the other members of Abolish,” the old man said, “but they can never know of what happened here. In fact, don’t even tell them that you have a grandfather.”