Chapter 1

"I don't know why I do it but I just do. The passion for my work has always been there. Nothing tragic in my life has happened for me to go into this career and I have no beliefs that make me do what I do. I just love my job. People may call me a sadistic, heartless bitch but that's exactly what I am; A cold blooded killer, an assassin.

"I believe that everyone in this world deserves to die, some more than others. I'm the one that chooses to carry out specific executions to those few who I feel do not deserve to live anymore. Call me wrong if you want, this is just my opinion."

This night wasn't like any other. Rain fired upon the ground like bullets from a machine gun. Lightning, the only light in the sky, flashed amongst the heavy clouds soon followed by an erupt roar of thunder shaking the night. A dark figure emerged from the shadows of an alleyway. With a pounding heart, the figure glanced left and right to the gloomy puddle-filled street ahead. Before carrying on their way, the figure glanced back towards the alley way, their eyes fixated on the slit throat of a man whose own eyes were wide with fear yet still as ice. Rain pelted upon the corpse as it merged with the blood splatter around the dumpster he was leaning against, washing away the traces. The figure looked down to their right hand where a uniquely decorated sword was dripping with blood. A smile hit the face of the figure as they drew the sword beneath their long black coat before their footsteps immersed into puddles as they wandered down the street.

The rain was getting heavier as it crashed upon the hood-covered figure. As the figure walked, a poster caught their eye. They paused for a moment as their eyes traced the image plastered amongst carefully placed fonts. Thin glove-covered fingers pointed to the bold words; WANTED, GRIM REAPER, $1,000,000 REWARD. A slight chuckle emerged from beneath the hood. A bounty was on their head and there was no way that anyone would be able to claim it as long as this 'grim reaper' was alive. A sudden instinct of theirs drew to their sudden attention as the figure looked down the street.

"Good evening." A voice greeted.

The figure drew their sword effortlessly from beneath their coat and pointed it at the throat of the speaker. Their eyes were now resting upon a strange man with long, sandy blond hair. His eyes were covered with dark tinted glasses and upon his head was a top hat that appeared to be at least three inches tall. These accessories of his went along with the dark coat and white gloves he wore. The figure looked to this stranger's right. Beside him was a girl who, the figure assumed was a school girl by the school uniform she was wearing, personalised with a purple hoody that matched her eyes of the same colour. Her mousey black hair was drenched from the rain. Even though the man standing beside her had a sword drawn to his throat, she looked happy as ever as she sucked upon a Popsicle in the wet weather.

"There is no need to be threatened," the man informed. "We have come merely to talk."

The girl looked towards the man, taking the Popsicle from out of her mouth casually. "But Charden, his sword is at your throat. Shouldn't we do something?"

"Kyoko, you can't be too rash," the man known as Charden replied. "I know we won't be hurt."

The figure lowered their sword to their side and looked back at the figures standing in the heavy rain. Their face was cloaked in darkness, as always, which concealed their identity.

"You are this grim reaper figure, are you not?" Charden asked pointing towards the poster the figure was fixated upon.

The figure gave a nod.

"We are here recruiting members for our group the Apostles of the stars. Lead by Creed Diskenth, our goal is to gather members worthy enough to be recruited," Charden explained. "My name is Charden."

"And I'm Kyoko!" The chipper girl butted in.

"I don't do team work," a feminine voice emerged from the figure. "I work alone."

Kyoko was taken by surprise. "You're female?" She studied the figure curiously from head to toe. "You don't look it."

"Behave Kyoko," Charden scowled. "We Apostles harbour unique Tao abilities gifted us by this." He took a small corked bottle from out of his pocket. The figure examined it from a distance and saw it was covered in labels with letter characters from an unknown origin.

"We drank it and it made us so much stronger!" Kyoko informed.

"I don't need power," the figure explained bluntly. "I already have plenty."

"Are you not the grim reaper? The one taking lives of countless people single handed? Imagine what you do if you has the power of Tao." Charden took a step forward and placed the bottle on the ground between them and the figure. "Just consider our offer. You'll make a strong addition to the team, if all goes well."

The figure watched as Charden turned away to walk off. Kyoko, with her Popsicle now in her mouth, followed closely behind. Lightning erupted once again, dancing across the night sky as the figure away their sword and took a step forward, picking up the bottle. They gazed at the small bottle left in the rain. It was no bigger than their hand and appeared to be ancient. Slipping it casually into their pocket, the figure headed towards their destination.

The door slammed as the figure walked into a small apartment and removed their coat and sword, placing them by the entrance. Footsteps padded on cold tiles as they wandered into the bathroom and placed themselves in front of a small sink. The figure looked up and stared back into the face of a young woman on the wall. The figure reached back at their hair, the woman following along as she pulled out the bun in her hair. Her brown wavy hair fell effortlessly down her back reaching to her waist. She gave a sigh as she began to remove the many layers of clothing. Her bulk body became more feminine as each item was removed until she was standing in her black lingerie. The now gloveless hands of the grim reaper ran through her hair as her dark eyes burned into the mirror before her. On appearance she wasn't what anyone would expect the lethal grim reaper to look like but this was her true self. Delta Ellatrix; known as the grim reaper.

Delta lay casually upon the couch in the small living room with her legs dangling off the arm rest. The rain continued to pour, knocking frantically on the window. She gave a small sigh and got up, heading back towards the coat and sword she dropped by the entrance. Drawing her sword, Delta examined her uniquely crafted weapon as she wandered to her small kitchen where she removed the thick blood covering an edge of her sword. After putting it away in her room, she returned to the kitchen and stared aimlessly into the fridge, gazing at the bottles lined along the sides. Empty. With a heavy sigh, she opened a cupboard door and removed a glass. She placed it upon the bench and traced her fingers around the rim, thinking of the strange man with the weird girl from earlier.

"That drink has to be false," she found herself thinking as she walked back towards her coat, pulling out the small label-covered bottle from the pocket of her coat. "It has to be a trick!"

Now leaning over the sink, Delta uncorked the bottle and started pouring the red contents down the sink. As three quarters went down the sink, she hesitated and gazed at what was left in the bottle. "Should I?" She pondered.

Delta shrugged and took a sip of the liquid. It was tasteless but gave an invigorating feeling. She looked back at the bottle and shrugged. "Nothing huh, I knew it didn't do a thi-"

Before she could finish the sentence, her body hit the floor with a thump while the bottle smashed into pieces.