--1st Anniversary Special (day 4/7, page 2/4)--
To Emiliana’s eyes, the reaper was a glowing blue wisp, a kind of floating ball of cerulean flame. With eyes. And a mouth.
She didn’t like it at all.
But apparently, they were supposed to become friends now.
Chergoa hovered around the room. ‘You really like the color yellow, don’t you?
It was true. Emiliana’s room was distinctly brighter than anywhere else in the house for that reason. She especially liked sunflowers. The one standing in a vase at the foot of her bed was easily the most precious ornament in her room. She used to have a second one, as her lord father had given her two for her seventh birthday, but Marcos ruined that like he did everything else.
She wasn’t interested in telling any of that to Chergoa, however. “Why did Mama and Papa choose you?” she asked instead.
‘A good first question. They chose me because I am an old friend of your father’s reaper, Axiolis.’
“Is that all?”
‘Understand that they did not pick me lightly. They are entrusting their beloved daughter to me, and that is no small thing. Despite my friendship with Axiolis, your parents still corresponded with me for over a year before they became convinced that I would be a suitable partner for you. Us reapers are already rather difficult to come by, but when family is concerned, it is best to be extra picky. Wouldn’t you agree?’
“I guess so...”
From there, Chergoa explained at length about how the regeneration would work, how the enhanced strength would work, and how their souls were now bound together. Emiliana, more or less, knew all of this already, but she just listened quietly until the reaper was done talking.
“Mama said you wouldn’t make me join the Vanguard.”
‘That’s right. Your father asked me to let you live whatever life you wanted for yourself.’
“And you agreed to that?”
‘I did.’
Emiliana breathed. “Thank you...”
‘I will still be making you train, however. That is not up for debate.’
Emiliana wasn’t exactly thrilled, but she supposed she couldn’t complain.
A dark serial novel. Set in a modern fantasy world called Eleg. Mature language. Updates every night at midnight PST by ~400 words.
‘That’s right. Your father asked me to let you live whatever life you wanted for yourself.’
ReplyDeleteDoes this include joining Abolish? :P
You know, i don't think anyone has ever asked why people see reapers differently. Is it that you see what you expect to see or do the reapers influence how there servants see them? If it is just what you expect to see and you don't like it, cant you change how your reaper looks by deciding to see something different?
ReplyDeleteChapter 5
ReplyDelete‘Ah, right. My appearance.’ It gave a skeletal shrug. ‘Whatever you’re seeing, right
now, it’s not really what I look like. In truth, I don’t actually look like anything.’
“...What?”
‘Your brain forms an image of what I should look like and projects it onto my presence. Appearance
is something for your physical reality, where I do not exist.’
Ever realised how broken this is? What if your image of them is tiny? You'd have a hard time fighting them. Or if they were enormous or had an odd shape, you may be able to spot them miles away while they're inside a bunker. They could be pillars of light with faces to you, and then HEY, THEYRE SECRET BUNKER HIDDEN IN THAT FOREST IS RIGHT THERE! (Even if it was hidden with soul imbued walls)
ReplyDeleteMight be worth mentioning more about their appearance since she's new to this. Excellent opportunity to explain. (Could also be an opportunity to make the reaper mention some highly important detail that all new servants should know, that Hector was never told, for laughs. Something like you'll have explosive diarrhea every few months or so, then have it occur to Hector next time we see him :P)
I asked about that already, actually, since Karkash sees reapers as orcas instead of man-sized shapes like most other servants. The answer was that your perception CAN make them easier or harder to see from afar, but it won't make them easier or harder to attack. Like, if you see reapers as enormous, then you need to aim for the center of the shape, or else you won't hurt them. I assume tiny reapers would similarly be easier to hit than their "size" would seem to indicate.
ReplyDeleteWhat if their perception of the reapers is some kind of pillar that reaches past the stratosphere, with a shiny ball at their core?
ReplyDelete:P
Quickly! Start telling kids that that's what reapers look like! (Cause I assume they see what they expect them to look like. Hector sees the standard grim reaper, Karkash sees orcas, which I expect has something to do with his culture.)
I wonder if what they see can change.... Unlikely since seeing what they first expected probably cements it in their mind, but that's not to say it CAN'T change.... Although if they could do that, then they could probably increase they're powers due to the similar mindset.
Dun dun dunnn....
ReplyDeleteChergoa seems ok to get along with...
ReplyDeleteJust wondering, is there a set year 0 in this world? If so, what year does this story currently take place? Sorry if this is explained in later chapters, I am still catching up.
ReplyDeleteA hard, numerical timeline hasn't been established for the story as of yet. I've debating on whether or not I want to do that. I probably will eventually. As the plot continues to progress and complexify, a clearer timeline seems like it'll be needed in order to help folks make sense of everything.
ReplyDeleteOK, thanks for answering!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I am loving the story so far. Your writing is amazing and the sheer volume of it is impressive as well