cHApTEr 7. AnTiTHE(fT)is (3 of 3)

With each passing day, time mattered less and less. Instead of the sun rising beyond the horizon, there was only a dull radiance behind a cloth of clouds. Rain poured from the sky, proclaiming its dominion over the weather, yet the forecast predicted that tomorrow would be a clear, sunny day. That remained to be seen.

Mioray tilted his face up to the rain, standing on the roof of the storage facility. He could feel the cold raindrops hitting his skin, but as usual, he had to force himself to truly process the sensation. It was there, yet distant – like everything had been for the past month. All his emotions, whether anger, sadness, or joy, felt like a desperate imitation of the past, a hollow echo of when he was still alive.

In the days following the fight with the Soul Collective, Mioray continued training under Matt to gain better control of his ability and grow accustomed to guiding souls to the afterlife. He learned how to open a portal to the realm between realms, and once he did, he had to admit it wasn’t as difficult as he had imagined. He was soon ready to search for souls in need of help on his own, hiding his face beneath a mask and cap.

Erinel sensed no presence of additional Soul Collectives, so the days were relatively calm. There was no news of the Dismantler resurfacing or Impact Corpse rampaging again. Some reports mentioned strange destruction in an obscure abandoned house, but it didn’t gain much traction and was quickly forgotten.

Out of all of his peers, Mioray interacted with Matt the most, sometimes to the point where he felt like the boy’s babysitter. Farah and Mia, despite living in the storage facility, maintained their old lives and relationships because no one knew they were dead. Kevin, Terry, and Matt, however, did not have that luxury.

Matt had choked to death in front of his parents. They had tried to dislodge the obstruction in his airway, but they didn’t know how to do it correctly and couldn’t save their boy. They had to bury their son. Only after that did Erinel retrieve him and take him into her care.

Naturally, the boy couldn’t return home, no matter how much he wanted to. There was no way to explain how he had survived, and even if his parents accepted it at face value – who wouldn’t believe in a miracle if it meant their child was alive? – sooner or later, his condition would raise questions. He was ten, which meant his body was supposed to develop and grow. People would notice that he wasn’t changing, that time had seemingly frozen for him. He would be taken to a hospital, where doctors would inevitably find an anomaly within him. From there, he might become a subject of research, maybe even experimentation, or worse, he could be taken by the very people who had created the resurrection serum.

Staying dead and hiding in the storage facility was a far better alternative. Depressing, but safer. Not an hour passed without Matt reminiscing about his past or talking about his parents, how smart, loving, and funny they were. It was sweet, but tragic. They had tried to save their son and failed. Now, there was no way for them to reunite.

Why and how had Erinel chosen Matt? That question had no satisfying answer. As she had explained, and as others confirmed, there was no particular reason behind it. From what Mioray understood, regular people became aware of greanrips and started seeing them approximately three weeks before their death. Greanrips, in turn, could sense death around those who were destined to die within a few hours. When someone was that close to death, Erinel knew it, and that’s when she recruited them. To Matt, she had given a soft drink mixed with the serum in the school cafeteria. She met Kevin at a pharmacy, Farah at a gas station. Terry and Mia had unknowingly consumed it through an energy drink tasting at a store. And Mioray… for him, she had appeared as a bartender, mixing his cocktail.

Across the street, a lone woman was running in a sports outfit. It was Mia, on her morning run. She exercised in any weather, rain included. Ten kilometers was her bare minimum. Mioray had once joined her, but he had to drop out early to conserve his energy for training and his new job as a soul guide. They had learned that intense physical activity, beyond what was normal in their life, also drained their soul energy. Since Mioray had never been into sports while alive, prolonged running depleted his soul energy. At the moment, it wasn’t clear whether soul stamina could be improved. This discovery about the link between soul energy and physical exertion was new to all of them.

And as for the serum itself, Mioray was sure there were more mysteries to uncover. He had learned that it was developed by the Order of Mercy, an organization that excelled in medical advancements. According to Erinel, when the greanrips discovered their experiments with reviving the dead, they raided the Order’s facility, destroying all the serum they could find while keeping some samples for themselves. Erinel and the other greanrips had divided the remaining serum among them, using it to recruit those on the brink of death to guide souls to the afterlife.

Mioray suspected that Impact Corpse might have been one of these resurrected individuals, but Erinel denied it. None of her kind knew of him, and she was the only one operating in Reques City.

“Admiring our beautiful Mia, I see?”

Terry climbed onto the roof and joined Mioray. “Given up on Erinel already?”

“What?” Mioray groaned. It was always the same with Terry. “Nothing like that. I’m just thinking.

“Ah, so you’re still holding out hope for our gorgeous violet? Have you agreed on your date?”

Mioray ignored him. Trying to explain himself would only encourage Terry further. Besides, the so-called date – going to the movies with Erinel – wasn’t happening. She had clearly forgotten about it, and Mioray had no intention of reminding her.

“If something makes you happy, just do it,” Terry mused, watching as Mia disappeared around the corner. “Death isn’t a reason to stop doing what you love.”

“Isn’t it, though?” Mioray looked at him. “You can’t race anymore. Matt can’t see his parents.”

“I’ll figure something out for myself,” Terry shot back. “As for little Matt… yeah, that’s complicated. Which is why we have to be there for him. You’re already like a big brother to him. We can’t replace his parents, but we can fill the void in his heart. Just knowing that someone else understands what you’re going through, it helps putting your soul to rest.”

“I don’t think that saying applies to us,” Mioray pointed out.

Terry patted him on the shoulder.

“It doesn’t, does it?” he said with a wink before heading back inside.

The so-called heist, however ridiculous it sounded, was supposed to happen today. As much as Mioray tried to learn more about Erinel’s reasoning for wanting to steal the Cursed Blade, he didn’t get much. All he knew was that Erinel wanted to verify the rumors about the blade’s ability to possess its holder. In all honesty, that seemed like a perfectly valid reason for her. She was different from humans, having lived for many years, so she must have witnessed her share of unexplainable things. Regular human logic didn’t necessarily apply to her.

The plan was clear and didn’t seem too complex on paper, but Mioray was still unsure about the whole idea. It didn’t help that he had quite a big role to play in it. Although, to be fair, all of those participating were crucial to the success. Didn’t make it any less crazy, though. Mioray was skeptical about whether they could pull it off, and he already regretted agreeing to participate in the heist. The plan was devised by Kevin, but that was only a small comfort. Sure, despite being unlikable, the man seemed smart, but was that enough to justify following him into crime, which would undoubtedly turn into another city scandal?

No. Absolutely not.

And yet later that day, in the evening, he found himself standing with Erinel, Kevin, and Mia on the stairs of the museum.

The charity event hosted by Lady Anneta’s Foundation, featuring the showcasing of the Cursed Blade, was a closed one, meaning no one could attend without an invitation. At the entrance, security was stationed to verify that guests had their invitations. The four of them did. Kevin still had enough connections to obtain four invitations for them under fake names.

Kevin insisted on getting one for Erinel, too, because they couldn’t risk someone spotting her. With so many people gathered in one place, it wasn’t a stretch to expect that someone might die in the foreseeable future.

Not the security guys, though, because Erinel passed them without showing an invitation, and they never asked her for one. Kevin went next, followed by Mia. There was nothing suspicious about them, and the invitations were genuine, albeit intended for different names. Security let them through. Mioray was last. He anxiously awaited his turn, hoping everything would go smoothly. It did, because why wouldn’t it? Soon enough, he passed through the door and entered a grand hall preserved in time.

At the end of the hall, a bifurcated staircase was draped in a red carpet that wound its way over the steps. High above, a grandiose chandelier illuminated the hall, its golden plating branching out in all directions. The room was filled with the buzz of conversation and the sound of live piano music played by a woman in the corner. Everyone wore fancy clothes, the kind Mioray rarely saw.

Once he spotted the others, he quickly joined them. Kevin wore his usual metallic-blue suit with a dark green tie, easily fitting the dress code of the event. This time, Mioray matched the occasion as well. He wore a gray suit, which he wasn’t particularly fond of, as he preferred casual clothes to formal attire.

Mia stood tall in a suit dress of mid-calf length with a double-breasted front. Two columns of buttons flowed down, interrupted only by belted sashes cinched at the waist. Her arms, revealed up to her forearms, held a checkered purse and an umbrella.

Erinel, on the other hand, opted for a crimson velvet dress. The off-the-shoulder neckline showcased her collarbones, and a pearl necklace adorned her neck. She couldn’t have looked more human and celestial at the same time. Perhaps only the strange ring with the shining jewel disrupted the overall image of elegance. Yes, she might be a greanrip, a different kind of being from a human, but Mioray couldn’t stop admiring her.

He had thought about her so many times after their first meeting at the bar, not knowing whether she was real or if he was going crazy. Now, he had his answer, but he hadn’t spent enough time getting to know her, always busy with training or his new job. Mioray wanted to shorten that thousand-year gap between them. Greanrip or not, Erinel had her own personality, her own thoughts and views; he hoped they aligned with this human version of her. Unlike humans, she had the ability to choose her appearance, which meant she had chosen it according to her liking.

If only this whole plan about stealing the Cursed Blade was a fluke! This charity event would have been a lovely occasion to spend the evening with Erinel. Music, elegantly dressed people, cultural heritage all around – the atmosphere was ideal for two people to bond.

“Avoid being spotted by security cameras,” Kevin said, his head slightly lowered. With a barely noticeable movement of his finger, he pointed at the spots where cameras hung. “I don’t believe anyone would connect our presence here to the theft of the Cursed Blade, but I don’t want to take chances. Mia, it’s your turn now.”

The woman put her index finger up and nodded before quickly vanishing into the crowd, leaving Mioray wondering how she was able to stay so calm in the face of what lay ahead. She was supposed to infiltrate the security room, knock out anyone inside, and turn off the cameras. The security wasn’t supposed to be tight – this wasn’t a bank – but still, the Cursed Blade of Avalon was a relic of high value.

Mioray had asked why Erinel didn’t use her sleeping gas for that purpose. Kevin explained that it could unnecessarily tie them to Mioray’s escape from the hospital, where Erinel had already used it. On the other hand, if a real human would’ve incapacitated security, it wouldn’t raise that many questions compared to the gas.

“We still have some time,” Kevin said once Mia disappeared. “The room with the blade is up the stairs. I’ll go ahead.”

The man obviously didn’t like to waste time. He stated the fact and left. Mioray looked at Erinel. So, they were alone now? Not alone alone, since people were all around them, but none of those people mattered to him. As far as he was concerned, they didn’t exist in this moment. The whole world had shrunk to just the two of them.

“You look great,” Mioray finally said the words he had wanted to say from the moment he saw Erinel in the red dress. The chatter around them hummed like white noise, masking his voice just enough that no one would bat an eye. Anyone listening would simply assume he was speaking to one of the other guests.

“Do I?” She spun slowly in place, watching the hem of her dress flutter, brushing against Mioray and a random passerby, twinkling under the chandelier as she moved. “Thanks. You also look different. Although, for some reason, I prefer seeing you in everyday clothes. You don’t seem like yourself in a suit. Is it not to your taste?”

“You could say that,” Mioray chuckled. So, she liked the way he usually dressed, did she? “I just find it boring because wearing a suit suppresses your style. But such is the social construct. For events like this, it’s mandatory to dress formally.”

“Farah said this dress looked like it was made for me,” Erinel narrowed her eyes. “Do you think it suppresses me too?”

“I mean, it’s not a suit, is it?” Mioray could feel a blush creeping onto his cheeks. Why, exactly, did being a corpse not remove this function from his body? “You look stunning. I’d say the dress isn’t suppressing you, it highlights you. Shame that others can’t see you because they’d be left breathless. Really, if you feel comfortable, that should be enough. Wear what you want. For us humans, clothing is a way to express ourselves.”

“Yes, I know that,” Erinel met his gaze. “What humans wore in the past and what they wear now differs significantly. Perhaps it reflects mankind’s development and changing values. I like how I look, but I wouldn’t want to dress like this every day. Why is that?”

Who would have thought that behind those hazel eyes, so full of wisdom, there could also be curiosity and incomprehension? Erinel wasn’t embarrassed by her lack of understanding. She was willing to learn, even from those with far less experience than her.

“Well, some attire is reserved for special occasions, like this charity event,” Mioray tried to explain. “Wearing them only for events makes them a rare sight, which makes them more valuable. It puts the wearer in a new light. We’re not defined by just one trait, there are plenty of them. Expressing them through style is one way of showing who we are. When we want to be part of something grand, we dress in a way that reveals our hidden beauty – our soul, you could say – and brings it to the forefront.”

Erinel took a step forward, moving closer to Mioray. With her open-toe heels, she stood at the same height as him. Their noses almost touched.

“Do you believe I have a soul, too?” she asked quietly.

Mioray was taken aback. He unconsciously took a step back, only to bump into a man behind him.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly, then turned back to Erinel. She ignored his flustered reaction, waiting patiently for his response.

“I mean, we all do… right?” Mioray asked, once he made sure that the man he bumped into moved away.

“Humans do, yes. But what about me? A greanrip?”

“Does it matter if you’re human or greanrip?” Mioray wasn’t sure what she wanted from him. He had only learned about greanrips a few days ago. She obviously knew far more about her kind than he did. Was she implying that greanrips didn’t have souls?

Their conversation was cut short by a girl appearing between them. She wore a black suit and white gloves, holding a tray full of glasses filled with sparkling wine.

“Would you like to refresh yourself with some beverages?” she asked politely. Her wavy, straw-colored hair fell to one side. She looked about the same age as Mioray, probably working a part-time job as a server for tonight’s event. It seemed like everyone had a job these days except him. He had been too occupied with his studies, and even that had gone sideways after he died.

“No, thanks,” he declined.

“And what about you?” She turned to Erinel.

“I’ll take one, thank you,” Erinel replied without hesitation, taking a glass from the tray.

“You’re welcome,” the girl said with a smile. Then she looked at Mioray again. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

She wasn’t far from the truth. Mioray wasn’t like Erinel. He couldn’t ignore the fact that this girl could see her. And that meant only one thing. In the near future, she was going to die.

She was young, probably still figuring out her life just like he had been, but she wouldn’t get the chance to reach her goals. None of it would matter. This evening wouldn’t matter. Maybe she thought she’d landed a nice job that would pay off, but there wouldn’t be anything to pay for.

And yet, how differently they handled it, him and Erinel. She chose not to care. Casually, as if nothing had happened, she told Mioray that they should proceed to the hall where the Cursed Blade was showcased. She took a few steps forward, expecting him to follow.

But he didn’t. He hated the idea that someone was about to die, even if it was a stranger he just met. He died a month ago, and by some miracle, he had been given a second chance. This girl wouldn’t have that luxury.

She was going to die. And after that, he would be the one to guide her soul to the afterlife. Could he really do that? Knowing she was doomed and doing nothing to stop it? Was there nothing he could do to snatch her from the hands of death?

“What’s your name?” he asked, ignoring Erinel’s expectant gaze.

“Mine? It’s Claire. Why?”

“The opening speech is starting, Mioray. Let’s go,” Erinel said, her stare turning cold.

Mioray felt trapped. Everything inside him screamed that he had to stay and find a way to save Claire. He had been helpless and useless when Impact Corpse attacked and killed his friends. What was the point of gaining special abilities, not so different from those of a superhero, if he couldn’t use them to help others?

Was it really okay to just accept that those who saw Erinel were destined to die?

That couldn’t be it. There had to be another way. What if it was just a premonition? Seeing a greanrip meant they were marked by death, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be unmarked. Maybe no one had ever tried to change fate before.

But thinking that way didn’t change anything. Mioray had no idea when, where, or how Claire was going to die. If he tried to warn her, she’d think he was a weirdo. There was nothing he could do right now. He didn’t even know where to start.

As if that wasn’t enough of a shocker, Mioray suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him. He turned his head and regretted it instantly. The voice belonged to the person he least expected, and least wanted, to see here.

Reyna Kayree. The woman he knew nothing about, yet for some reason, she had taken an interest in him. So much so that she had come down to the hospital in the middle of the night, interrupting the detectives’ questioning him after he woke up in the morgue.

What was she doing here?!