Mac stared at the top of the bus; his mind wandering with a thousands thoughts that all traced back to what he saw that night. Just what the hell was that? How the hell did it even find Foster's? Why was it even watching Foster's in the first place? How—

"Mac!"

Mac's anxious pondering was interrupted by Lazlo, the dutiful student body president, worriedly peering over him.

"Are you feeling alright? You look scared..!"

Lazlo was holding a brown leather satchel, filled with many school items, including his computer decorated with multiple scratched stickers.

"I'm….fine," Mac lied through his teeth. "Just had a nightmare last night is all."

"Oh….well, I bet you're glad it was just a dream..!" Lazlo tried to assure him, which only made his fake smile even more forced.

"Ahaha…." Mac forced a laugh out, leading Lazlo to chuckle as well.

"Glad to hear you're doing better though! Bloo wouldn't mind if I sat with you, right?"

"I...don't know. You'd have to ask him about that." Mac replied, the first sincere thing he did or said in the entire conversation. Lazlo only nodded, and prompted to sit somewhere else instead.

Mac put his hood over his head and tapped his foot anxiously. This was the one day he was looking forward to school, and it wasn't even because of the school itself.

As soon as he saw the opportunity to talk to both Billy and Mandy (which happened to be around lunch time) he motioned for them to sit with him.

"I'm sure you both got my text about what happened last night."

"You mean the all caps text about windows with eyes? Yeah. We got that." Mandy snarking remarked. Mac quickly set his grey sketchbook on the lunch table and flipped towards its latest page. The page had a drawing of some...thing made up of hundreds and hundreds of eyes leering into a window.

"I drew last night, I couldn't sleep at all. This is what I wanted to talk to you two about." Mac held up the drawing to them both.

"...I don't know what you want us to do with this, Mac," Mandy sighed.

"Well, you've seen your fair share of weird things at Endsville...I kinda thought you might know what it is….or how to help..." Mac, a bit guilty, put the sketchbook down.

"Although I will say; those eyes look a bit like demon eyes." Mandy looked closer at the drawing. She'd seen those eyes whenever they encountered a demonic being. "So that's our lead for now."

"A demon?" Billy tilted his head. "...why would a demon be lurking outside of Foster's?"

"...yknow what…? That's a good question Billy." Mandy replied. Even she seemed a bit concerned. "Thanks for telling us about this Mac. We'll check it out."

Mac sighed in relief. "Thanks, you guys."

There was an awkward silence between the three as the quiet shuffles and muted conversations of the patio lunch area filled the void. Mac decided it was a perfect time to ask something else.

"...if you don't mind me asking, where'd you guys even go after the storm?"

Billy choked on the hot dog he was eating. Were they even supposed to tell him? Mandy decided it was better not to leave him in the dark about it.

"...Grim came back, and as it turns out…he's staying for a while."

Mac's eyes lit up. "Really?!"

"Yeah, I know. We were pretty surprised too." Mandy answered, a small smile visible on her face. Billy nodded excitedly.

"Uh-huh!! It was pretty cool! We were like- in the eye of the storm and stuff and he was there and it was super rad!!"

Mac chuckled at Billy's enthusiasm. "Man, Billy! You're making me wish I'd been there!"

Mandy raised her eyebrow curiously. "It was pretty terrifying though. I mean….we haven't seen Grim in years…. and suddenly he's back in our lives again….wouldn't you feel weird about that too?"

"Well….I can't say it wouldn't feel a bit strange…but I also can't help but wonder why he'd come back now…" Mac quizzically gazed at the two. Billy and Mandy looked at one another. Obviously they couldn't just tell him about the thing, but it'd also be rude to leave him in the dark…. Billy coughed as he cocked his head towards Mac, and Mandy groaned in annoyed compliance.

"Listen, can you keep a secret? Cause this is…very confidential."

Mac made a zip motion towards his lips.

"Good," Mandy replied. Her eyes shifted around, scoping out just how many people were around. The patio was mostly filled with people who didn't like all the noise in the lunchroom. Quite frankly, they wouldn't be bothered by a few whispers. She leaned in towards Mac's ear and whispered what exactly had happened.

To say Mac was shocked would be an understatement. He was about to exclaim, only to have his mouth covered by Mandy immediately.

"Listen. We only told you this because we trust you. Don't take that for granted." she gave him the stink eye as she let go of him. Mac gulped, then nodded, an awkward smile turning up.

"So…yeah. You're basically all caught up!" Billy chuckled.

"Y-yeah…" Mac toyed with his jacket's laces. "I just…wow."

"You alright, Mac?"

"Yeah, I'm fine- It's just…a lot to take in."

"Remember, you can't tell ANYONE about this. Keep this between us." Mandy warned him once more.

"Don't worry, I-"

Mac's affirmation was interrupted by the bell ringing, and the few students sitting in the patio area leaving. Mac sighed to himself and put his sketchbook back in his backpack.

I hope they know what they're doing…

As the school day at Mel Blanc High was at its end, Billy and Mandy once again planned to walk their usual route home. Just as they walked out of school however, someone (who was obviously running as quickly as they could) bumped into them, leading to all of them falling.

Mandy leered at the profusely apologizing culprit.

"Mac-"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT- I was just- I just wanted to talk to you guys about…the thing-"

"What's there to talk about?" Billy shrugged nonchalantly. Mac just stared at the two.

"...Billy. You two told me that Grim chose you both to become the next grim reapers, and that he's going to train you to reap souls, AND YOU'RE JUST BRUSHING IT OFF???" Mac exclaimed in disbelief. "I'm not trying to be intrusive, but this is just a lot to just leave off..!

Mandy got up and looked down at Mac. "I get that you're curious, but this is already a lot for us too." Billy sprang up as well. "Yeah, we're even in the dark about some of it." As they both helped Mac get back on his feet, he stumbled on his words just as much as he did on his feet.

"I…I just wanted to say that I…I want to support you guys. In any way I can. It's probably a huge weight on your shoulders…I just wanted to tell you guys that I want to help you guys too."

Even if the intrusion was a bit ill-conceived, Mac's declaration of support mellowed out the previous anger felt by Mandy. Billy's reaction was more…audible.

"AWWWW!!" Billy wiped a tear from his eye. Mac chuckled a bit, embarrassed slightly by the cooing.

"I assist sometimes at the library. If you want, I could try and find some books that could provide some kind of information on reapers and stuff…that's the least I could do, considering you guys trust me enough to tell me about it…"

Mandy's eyes widened. "You can do that..?"

"I'll try," Mac promised, giving them a thumbs up. Billy, staring at Mac's clearly different signal, fist-bumped his hand with the utmost enthusiasm, Billy grinned widely. "Thanks, dude!"

Mac overlooked the pain in his fist, happy that he could assist in any way he could. He owed them that much.

"Listen, I should probably get going, today's one of my volunteer days, so I'll see you guys tomorrow with anything I find." Mac waved goodbye to the two, who soon made their way through the route back to Endsville, anticipating just how their new lives would begin.

Grim had already made himself at home at Billy's house. Harold was more than happy to let him back in, but Gladys was understandably angered. She knew Grim was a bad influence, and now this whole "psychopomp in training" thing?! Billy didn't want to elaborate any further than that, especially considering his mother's disapproval of Grim that still lingered. As Billy and Mandy (her parents don't mind her visiting) both entered the household, Grim's attention immediately skewed from his current conversation to them.

"Good afternoon, you two! I was just telling Billy's parents about this whole thing, I figured they'd be curious." He motioned towards Harold and Gladys, the latter furiously grasping the table. Harold seemed a lot more calm about the whole thing.

"Mom…I get that you're probably mad about this, but-"

"OF COURSE I'M MAD, BILLY! I thought we put all this supernatural stuff behind us! I mean- you're on the football team, for Christ's sake! Why'd you agree to all this?!" Gladys' slammed the table in her desperate outburst. "WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU BECOME A REAPER?!"

"Mom," Billy groaned. "It wasn't really a choice in the first place! It just kinda happened…but I do really want to do this!"

"I knew that the job would be in capable hands with them. They balance one another out, which is why they were both chosen." Grim elaborated.

"YOU-" Gladys had to be physically restrained by Harold so she didn't rip the skeleton apart.

"Please just hear us out. We both agreed to becoming reapers. We just wanted you guys to know, ok? Besides, if we wanted out Grim could've easily reversed it, right?" Mandy interjected the argument.

"And on the football thing, we can adjust schedules! Anytime Billy's practicing we can just do reaper training later!" Grim added.

"...I'm cool with it!" Harold approved. He looked at Gladys, with a look that could calm even the most furious moods. Gladys heaved.

"...Fine. I'll allow you to become a reaper. Begrudgingly."

Billy jumped in place excitedly. "THANKS GUYS YOU'RE THE BEST!!!" He sped towards his parents and hugged them both warmly. Despite the dysfunction, Billy truly loved his parents.

Grim coughed tensely. "With that out of the way, I think it's time to start the first trial. I'll be waiting in the backyard."

"Alright. Let's get crackin'!" Billy cracked his knuckles for emphasis. Before he could join Grim and Mandy, his shoulder was softly grabbed by his mother.

"One more thing." She turned him around to face her and Harold.

"Promise us you won't get in over your head with all this…We only want what's best for you, y'know…" Gladys asked.

"We love you, son. We need you to promise us that you won't get hurt doing this." Harold added.

Billy thought for a moment, despite rarely ever doing so. This is a pretty big decision…but this is what I've wanted for a while. Ever since the day Grim left, in fact. I think…no, I know I'm ready for this.

"I'll do my best." Billy gave them one last hug, before letting go and leaving to the backyard.

Billy and Mandy sat down on the patchy, yellow-greenish lawn with their legs crossed, with Mandy carrying a notebook and Billy fiddling with his blue fidget cube.

Grim stood in front of them with his hands behind his back. In his arms he held a book with a sleek red finish.

"Let's begin with a basic introduction to Psychopomps," Grim began, opening the book to its first page.

"Psychopomps, according to the encyclopedia of Death Deities, are the beings whose primary responsibility is to help in the cycle of life and death by guiding souls to the afterlife. From the smallest insect to the mightiest creatures of the earth, and especially humans. There are several beings that fall under this group, but we are what are known as reapers.

We are the physical manifestations of death, and our job is to reap the souls of those who are ready to pass on. We do this using scythes, which you two will learn to summon right now."

Billy and Mandy stared at Grim with confused looks.

"…that's what the first trial is, of course."

"Ohhh… so how do we do that?" Billy asked. "You kinda always had it on you so I just assumed you had to carry it around all the time!"

"Well, yes. But now the process has changed over the years, and it's a lot better than just carrying it around all the time."

"It's a process?" Mandy asked.

"Listen, all you two need to do is to look inside yourselves."

Billy and Mandy awkwardly stared at Grim, who was still urging them.

"Really?" Mandy flatly groaned.

"I'm serious. Look inside yourself!" Grim urged once more, pointing at his own chest. "Like really take a look!"

Mandy sighed as she closed her eyes. Billy did the same, absentmindedly holding his breath while doing so.

"Clear your mind and visualize it. The scythe. The key to your newfound power…"

Their respective scythes were clear in their minds…the handle color, the shine of the blade, everything they could imagine.

"Now…grab it. Reach out, and firmly grasp it."

The two reached out in front of them, and suddenly could feel the handle in the grasp.

Their eyes fluttered open, but Billy jumped back in shock to find that their scythes had materialized, grasped in the respective owner's hands.

"Congrats, you did your first scythe summoning! Pat yourselves on the back for that one cause that one took me time to get used to, y'know."

Billy clutched his scythe in his hands. A look of pure euphoria washed over his face.

"WOOHOO!!! MANDY, THIS IS SO AWESOME!! WE CAN SUMMON THEM OUT OF THIN AIR..!!"

Mandy just appeared dumbfounded. "Grim, when did—"

"It was a recent development. Basically some reapers decided carrying around the scythe all the time was getting tiresome, so they created some kind of mind link type thing to summon scythes. It's all the rage down in the underworld." Grim explained.

"Hey, speaking of the underworld…" Mandy's mind went back to Mac and the presence outside Foster's. "A friend of ours saw something weird outside his friend's house. I figured you could provide some kind of explanation."

"What do you mean?" Grim asked.

"He saw..something outside. Something with all these eyes. I thought the eyes looked familiar, but the only way I could be sure was asking you."

Billy interjected with a concerned expression. "Mandy, are we gonna tell him about Mac..?" he whispered.

"Who's this friend you guys are talking about??" Grim asked.

"His name is Mac. He goes to school with us and he was the one who saw the thing outside..I think it's a demon."

Grim's expression soon turned…well, grim.

"…you haven't told this boy about this whole thing, right?"

Mandy and Billy froze in slight fear.

"Actually Grim…we.." Mandy began to explain themselves

"He's a good guy! Mandy and I trust him enough so..we told him!" Billy interrupted.

Grim nodded to himself,only slightly disappointed. "Well, if he's that trustworthy, I won't whine about it. But there is something else…you said he saw a demon, right?"

"Yeah…" Billy affirmed.

"Well…there have been sightings before, but according to some former colleagues, these sightings are becoming a lot more common, 'specially around the city…"

Both the teens' concerns were peaked. "What are you getting at?" Mandy crossed her arms.

"All I'm saying is something weird's going on in the underworld…I just don't know what. I haven't been down there in a while."

Billy and Mandy gave each other a worried glance.

Things are going to get weird…..really weird.

The River Styx bellowed and growled in the pits of the Underworld, filled with the screaming souls of the unresting dead. The sight would nauseate anyone mere mortal who gazed into its abyss.

Fortunately, the newly appointed ferryman was no mortal.

Or at least he didn't act like one. He wore a snazzy purple suit and a top hat to match, yellow glasses and a pink bow tie. He surely didn't look the part of a Charon, but somehow he was worthy enough to be appointed as one by the ruler of The Underworld.

He gleefully paddled back across the river to greet the new arrivals, even waving to the wailing spirits below him. Once he reached the other side, he greeted the newcomer.

"Why HELLO, weary traveler! I'm your Charon for today! What can I do for you?"

The being was cloaked in a hooded cape the color of the darkest midnight. "Please tell the ruler of this word that his right hand man has arrived.

"Ooh! Spooky..! I like that! You want to meet with Aku, then?"

"Indeed." The stranger picked a small bag of coins from his pocket.

"I see, I see…! Well come along, mysterious stranger! I'll take ya to the big guy downstairs!"

The "mysterious stranger" took his seat on the ferry (which was really just a normal boat for two), and settled in as his Charon rattled on about his mortal life.

"Y'know I used to be a warden when I was alive! What a time to be alive, too! It was sooo fun toying with the prisoners and my workers! I guess that's why I'm down here then, ahahaha! So what're you in for?"

The figure stayed silent.

"I see…a strong silent type then. I getcha! But oh, I could never stay silent for too long, my mind would race with all the bad things I did and yadda yadda all that jazz. I think you're my 6th customer today, in fact! My first was this salty old guy, real piece of work, that one! He kept mumbling to himself about his chair and some 'stupid dog', or something like that! Next was this much more lovely old man who's head was HUGE! He wasn't staying in H-E-double hockey sticks, just visiting someone there from the higher ups. He actually gave me a lollipop! He wasn't as talkative as the other one, yknow how annoying chatty people can get, right? It's so—"

The figure didn't bother to listen to the Charon's ironic rambling. His mind was more on his business with Aku. Surely his boss would be pleased with the good news he would bring. Alas, the ride to his domain was a long way. For now he had time to sit and think to himself.

Soon enough, the ferry reached its destination, the fiery gates of Aku's domain. The stranger thanked the Charon, who took off his hat in respect, and went his way.

The various stairs, while tedious, provided a marvelous backdrop of the circles of Hell. Each circle seemed more awful than the last. Several tortured souls wailed in sheer agony, and the sharp black rocks that surrounded certain areas were singed with the fire breathing out of every pore of the soil. Here is where the evilest come to rot.

However, there was a society within this wasteland. In fact, it was a widely urbanized cityscape in the inner circles of Hell, filled with sinners who liked to live large. If you could pay enough, you could live guilt free in Hell's finest cities filled with crime and sin.

The stranger was here for no such thing. He already has his fun on the surface world. His business was with Aku.

As he finally arrived at his infernal lord's chamber, he dropped his cloak to reveal himself to him. Aku peered through the large peephole of the doors.

"If it isn't my long-time partner in crime..! What's the news, big cat?" His booming voice and his way of speech contradicted with the rather strange nickname he gave his cohort.

Katz sighed. "Must you really call me that, sir?"

"Well, when you've known someone as long as I've known YOU, I assume we can skip the formalities!" Aku began to pour himself a glass of hell's finest alcohol, completing it with a garnish of nightshade leaves.

"Well, it appears that the time is right for you to take over this world once more."

Aku's spit-take was of epic proportions, leading Katz to take out an umbrella to shield himself from the onslaught.

"Do you think you can just say things like that and not have any proof to your words?! You better be correct this time around, Katz! Last time you were dead wrong." Aku's large head bent down to Katz's level, eyeing him with doubt.

"I assure you I am right on the mark, sir. The time for questioning it is no more. The world is ripe for the taking."

"And how do you know? What has gotten that idea into your mind?"

"Well, the city above has been dormant for long enough…the citizens have grown confident in their solace, and so their guards are down. There is no better time than now, sir. You must take this opportunity by the horns." Katz encouraged his infernal leader to action.

Aku rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Yes, yes...you make a good argument, Katz…but I believe I want to make a entrance, you see? Something with PIZAZZ! Do you think you can find me an event such as this?"

Katz groaned at his request. "If you so wish, Aku. It shall be so." He curtsied to Aku, who laughed maniacally at the prospect.

"Steady yourselves, citizens of CN City...soon you will know the face of true evil..."

A/N: MAN is this a bulky chapter! Sorry for the hiatus on the series, y'all!! I've got some big plans so stay tuned for that…myehehehe!!!

I hope y'all are enjoy the story so far, because I really REALLY love writing this. I'm so passionate about this story and I'm really excited to share it with y'all!!

Hope you'll enjoy this chapter, cause I do plan on the other chapters being just as meaty as this one!