Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso
OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls
A/N: Hey guys! I'm coming towards the end of this arc, not the story but this arc! I figured I should ask you guys this now till later (since my internet connection isn't working and I'm very limited on my time to answer you guys) so my question is: Who would you like to continue seeing and who would you like to see? Soon enough we'll be making a time skip to the modern time of the Kuroshitsuji series, so I was wondering who you would like to see from there? All the shinigamis will be there though, especially Alan, Eric, and Ronald. They'll definitely be added in there =D I'm asking about characters like Ciel, Sebastian, and etcetera. I can take them or leave them out, but it just depends on you guys if you want me to add more characters! Like do you want to see the Vincent again? Do you want me to come up with a story behind Ciel's parents and him? Things like that. (though I must say that I'm not into the second anime season with Alois and the rest of them. They're not my cup of tea, but once again if someone asks for them then I'll add them in!) I figured I will get this question out of the way, since I'm hoping it will be a few more chapters till I get to it! =D
And one more question: what OCs would you like to keep seeing? There will be some that will show up regardless, but here are a few I'm not sure about: Chaz Hoover, the Teutas family or just Patrick, Byrne, Merletta, Otis, Jasmine Farah, and any of the human dancers. I don't know if I'll need them in the story or not, but I probably don't need them to keep the story going. If you guys want to see their characters again just ask! I can add them in and develop their character or not if you didn't actually like the OC in the first place. I don't know… mostly I'm asking for Chaz. He may or may not graduate from the academy and I don't really need him later. If I add him in that means he graduated, but if I don't then that means he flunked out and just died for not completing the school. Also Otis. I don't have to add him again, but does anyone want something to evolve from William's past and with the demon Otis? Should I add Grell's past in there? (still not sure how I'd add his past… but does anyone care? ^^;) Just thought I would ask. Then everyone else, if I add them in the future then their characters will be developed more. So what do you guys think? I'll leave that up to what you guys want ^^ And as always, enjoy the next chapter!
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"Interesting, interesting!" Maurus got up, running at the Undertaker and almost punched him in the face. The Undertaker's scythe held him back as Maurus growled and tried to get to him. "Shouldn't you be worried –"
"No," he said simply, "because I know Sophia can take care of herself. Now onto you –"
"Geeze can the two of you just quit fighting all the time!" Fiona grumbled, shoving them away from each other as she stood between them with her hands crossed. "Do you really have to bicker right now? Gods! Do you want to get into trouble?" The two of them shrugged, watching as Fiona walked away from them slightly fuming mad. "I would rather be with Sophia right now. Are you two-year-olds or something? Be men and apologize! Do I have to do everything around here!" she yelled, her fists clenched by her side as she stared them down.
The two men looked at each other and back at Fiona. Then they began laughing, Fiona's eyebrow twitching slightly. "Wow I've missed this!" Maurus laughed, wrapping an arm around Undertaker's shoulder as he wiped away a tear.
"Can't two friends bicker every once in a while?" the Undertaker snickered, causing Fiona to roll her eyes.
"More like a cat and dog fight," she grumbled to herself. Then she cracked a smile, unable to keep her angry demeanor as the two of them continued to laugh. "Okay I get it! Geeze!" she grumbled.
She narrowed her eyes at Maurus, who flinched slightly. "What's with that look?"
"Could you kindly~ close up that portal before I throw it up your butt?" she sneered at him.
"Wow! Harsh much?" Maurus smirked, summoning the black haze and closing up the hole in the earth until it looked as if nothing happened. "This reminds me of the Dark Harvesters, remember?"
"Yeah you're right…" Fiona sighed as she reminisced a little, "but we don't have our Black Rose here… I miss her…" Then she looked over at the Undertaker, noticing as he frowned at her statement, "I mean… yeah that was fun! It's nice to meet up with old friends every once in a while," she chuckled sheepishly. "Well I'd better get back to my paperwork," she shrugged, beginning to walk away.
"And I have to go back to the morgue. I have freshnewbod~ies to dress up," the Undertaker giggled to himself and began walking away in the opposite direction towards the human realm.
"Hey wait a second!" Maurus yelled at them, "What is this? You're not going to help me get Sophia back?"
"Didn't you say this is a family~ matter?" the Undertaker smirked, continuing to walk away.
Maurus grumbled under his breath, knowing he had been beaten. "Fine…" he grumbled to himself, "I'll get her back myself."
"Good," Fiona said as she shooed away the spectators, "less paperwork for me!" She gave them a quick wave and walked back into one of the buildings.
The Undertaker stopped, turning around as he noticed Maurus scratch the back of his head as he grumbled something under his breath. "And once you find her and everything," he began, causing Maurus to look over at him, "tell her to come back home. She's aloud to stay with me from now on instead of in the shinigami realm, of course if that's what she wants."
Maurus nodded, beginning to walk away from the shinigami realm. "Fine… I'll tell her…"
"Are you jealous that I spend more time with her?" he asked, Maurus flinching slightly as he looked over at him.
"No! I mean… I'd rather not talk about it," he grumbled, beginning to split away from the Undertaker as they made their way into the human realm.
"You don't have to talk about it with me," he advised, "but do so with your daughter. She needs to know." Then the Undertaker vanished from Maurus' view as Maurus set off in the opposite direction and towards the rolling hills.
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Sophie ran as fast as she could, leaving her father behind as she ran into the light. The light singed her eyes and she fell to the ground, landing on a bed of soft grass. She groaned, her eyes slowly adjusting to the bright light around her. Once she stopped seeing random black dots in her vision she sat up and looked around. She gasped, seeing fields upon fields of prosperous grass and flowers. She slowly got up and had noticed that the soul that had led her here had disappeared. Then she noticed something, a woman wearing a white dress with brunette hair blowing in the light breeze. "M-mom?" she asked as she slowly walked over to the woman.
"Sophia," she said, a smile on her face, "you're finally here."
"Mommy!" she gasped, running as fast as she could and jumping into her arms.
Her mother caught her in an embrace, letting Sophie's head lie on her chest as she cooed a soft melody to her. "It's okay, I'm here…" she smiled, staying in the embrace for a while and refusing to let go of her head.
"Mommy," Sophie said, lifting her head up and gently pulling away from her mother, "W-where are we?"
"This is the afterlife," she beamed at her, "were pure souls go when they die."
Sophie got up, looking around again at the long stretch of fields with random pieces of forest and other landscapes. "Woh…" she gasped as she looked around. The place was bright with a lot of white, but not in a way that hurt her eyes like the shinigami realm did. It was a nice and calm feeling, a place where she would like to spend hours simply staring at the landscape.
"Come Sophia," she said, holding out her hand to her, "there are a few people I want you to meet."
Sophie smiled, grabbing hold of her mother's hand as she led her away from the field they were standing in and into another. Sophie quickly gasped when a few figures came into view, tears quickly forming in her eyes. "H-haden… T-t-homas?... Charlotte?" She frowned, walking over to them and hugging Haden tightly.
She had to crouch down to hug him, which felt awkward because she remembered him being taller than her, but it was understandable since she was younger when he died. "I knew you were destined for something great," Haden giggled, letting Sophie hug him tightly as tears fell down her eyes.
"Oh it's great to see you Haden," she smiled, giving his a kiss on the forehead and gave him a smile.
After she was done she gently set Haden back down on the ground, and then went over to Thomas and tightly hugged him as he let out a joyful chuckle. "You've gotten bigger," he smirked.
"And you smaller!" Sophie laughed, noticing he was only a few inches taller than she was. Then she let go of him, walking over to Charlotte with a sad look on her face. "Y-you died? When?..."
"Somewhat recently," she shrugged as she looked to the ground. "We were walking along the streets and a carriage ran me over. Karol and Marc were with me, but Marc grabbed hold of Karol as he tried to push me out of the way. Karol was able to live but… Marc died also," she frowned.
"Oh come here," Sophie said, grabbing hold of Charlotte and gripping her into a tight hug. She let Charlotte cry on her arm and she rubbed her back as she softly rocked her back and forth. "So where's Marc?"
"I don't know…" Charlotte frowned, "He didn't show up with me when I died… so his soul must have went to someone else."
"I understand," she smiled to her, letting go of her slightly, "but now you're here! I'm glad to see that you're okay." Then Charlotte let go of her, ushering her over to a slightly taller man. She quickly noticed that he looked almost like her, seeing short auburn hair and pure crystal blue eyes. "And who are you?" she asked with curiosity.
The man chuckled, taking Sophie's hand and giving it a quick peck. "The name is Marius, Marius Serbus. I am… your older brother."
Her eyes widened as her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes stared into his one-iris pure crystal blue eyes in shock. "B-brother?... Brother? When did I have a brother!"
"I was our mother and father's first child," he smiled, "but I died before I could be born. I have been growing up here all my existence, never seeing the world you have come from."
"Oh…" Sophie frowned, biting down on her bottom lip as she held back tears. "So there was someone before me… M-marius…" she cracked a smile, a tear falling down her face. "It's great to meet you!" she giggled, jumping into his arms.
He stumbled back slightly, shocked by her sudden enthusiasm. She buried her face into his shoulder and let tears fall down her face. "There there…" he patted her head, unsure of what he should do.
Their mother walked over to them and gently brushed Sophie's hair as she cried into her older brother's shoulder. "I told you she would like you," she smiled to him as Marius chuckled.
He kissed Sophie on the forehead, setting her down on the ground once she stopped crying. "Hey!" Haden said as he noticed that Sophie was done crying. "Can I show her around?"
"Of course," Ellen smiled to him, "just take Marius with you."
"Okay!" he said giving Ellen a salute, grabbing Sophie's hand as he pulled her along. She gasped slightly, not wanting to leave her brother standing there. "There is so much for you to see here!" he smiled, stopping slightly to let Marius catch up. "I know you'll be leaving soon, but you should still come and see!"
Sophie smiled to him, giving him a quick nod. "Alright," she smiled, setting her head on Marius' shoulder once he caught up, "Show me the way!" she said as she pointed to the fields. Haden smiled, pulling on her arm as she closed her eyes and let out a content sigh. Marius looked over at her with a smile on his face, brushing his hands through her soft and wavy auburn hair as they walked through the field of grass and flowers.
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Sophie gasped in awe as she looked at the top of the hill in wonder. There stood a black mystical horse slowly eating from the grass at the top of the hill. "That horse is a meanie," Haden grumbled, hiding being of Marius as he spoke, "he is always chewing on my clothes and butting Marius in the stomach."
"Oh he can't be mean," Sophie reassured them, beginning to walk up the hill.
"Sophia…" Marius frowned, letting Haden hid behind him as he took a few steps up the hill and stopped.
Sophie didn't bother to take their warnings and ventured up the hill, the horse not noticing her yet. "H-hello…" she said, causing the horse to look up from its food. It snorted at her, slowly finishing its grass before completely notice her. "Well fine," she sighed, scratching the back of her head, "I just wanted to say thank you for saving me so many times." She smiled over to the horse, noticing it stopped eating and was staring at her. She bowed her head slightly, keeping her eyes on the ground as she did.
She heard trot sounds coming towards her and waited patiently for the horse to make the first move. "Sophia…" she could hear her brother say a ways behind her with a worried tone in his voice.
She looked up and saw that the horse was a few inches from her face. His bright blue eyes stared into her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes, making a shiver go down her back. The horse neighed, gesturing to her hand. "You want me to pet you?" she asked it and he answered with another neigh. Sophie smiled, standing up straight and petting the horse's long and soft mane. "Awe hello to you too," she giggled, the horse licking her on the cheek as she scratched the top of his head. "Hey come on up Haden," Sophie reassured them, Haden looking from behind Marius' back and began to walk up the hill.
He paused, standing several feet from them. Marius trailed behind him, keeping a close distance on Haden. "U-u-uammmm…"
"It's okay," she smiled, keeping a hand on the horse's nose as she lightly pushed the head down. "It won't hurt you. Now give me your hand." Haden stood there, unsure about this, but decided to go towards them and reached his hand toward the horse. The horse neighed back, Sophie having to stroke its nose to calm him down. "Gently… gently…" she cooed to the horse, her words directed towards Haden. Haden looked at Sophie with in understanding, his hand slowly reaching back up for the horse. She whispered into the horse's ear and the horse lowered its head slowly. Haden gently petted the horse and smiled when the horse neighing happily in response. "There you go…" she smiled, looking over at Marius.
Marius looked at her with a smug look on his face, Sophie let go of the horse and the horse contently letting Haden pet him. "You're good," he smiled to her, walking up the hill to stand by her side.
"You just have to be nice," she smirked back, patting the horse on the side. "I've been meaning to ask you… what happened with you?"
He smiled, helping Haden onto the black horse as the horse gestured to Marius to put Haden onto his back. "Well…" Marius sighed, watching as Sophie sat down in the grass and he sat down next to her. "About four years before you were born I was in our mother's stomach. At that time, well according to father, her family didn't know who the father was. So what they did… well they killed me," he frowned, "and when father found out… well it's not like I was going to come back from the dead or anything. As mother told me, she ran away after that and tried to never come back… until you were born."
He looked over at Sophie, noticed she was frowning, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he pulled her over to his body. "I can't believe this," Sophie bit down on her bottom lip, leaning her head against his chest as she fought back sobs. "I know that mom's parents were bad… but I never knew they would do that." She looked up at him, letting a sigh escape her lips as she looked over at the view they had from the top of the hill. "So… how come you're…"
"Older?" he smirked, rubbing her shoulder as he sighed. "Well when I died I woke up here. I was only a little premature baby soul at the time, but someone took me into their home and raised me. I know that sounds weird, but a loving family here brought me into their home. They taught and raised me till father died and then I lived with him here. I still visit the couple who raised me and always do chores for them, but I've never been allowed to go to the world you grew up in." Then he kissed her on the top of the head, lightly rubbing her hair with his thumb. "You should have seen father's reaction to me. He was hysterical to see me and even more so when I showed him what I had been taught. I heard that you also have black wings as I do sometimes… well that comes from mother," he smirked to himself. "That's what father said and I had to confront mother about it when she died. Apparently the Ioreta family came from a fallen angel… few thousands year old angel. The angel died in the human realm, but he had one child and they passed on the name Ioreta. That's how she was able to tell that father was a God of Death… and be able to take in everything in he told her."
"So you must be twenty three now?" Sophie asked, a chuckle escaping his lips as he shook his head.
"Nope," he admitted. "I stopped growing when you died… so I'm twenty one." Then he shrugged, "but I guess I can be twenty three now… but my appearance will stay as twenty one now."
Sophie smiled, letting another sigh escape her lips as she cuddled into his chest. "I'm happy to know that I had – I mean have a brother," she giggled as she closed her eyes. "Can I just stay here forever?" she asked him.
Marius smiled to her, rubbing her head as he spoke, "I wish… but in order for father to be able to rest and stay here then you'll have to make the contract to be a God of Death. I'm sorry –"
"Hey that's alright!" Sophie responded, putting up her hands to him to stop him from apologizing. "I… well it's nice to know that I can see you guys again," she smiled to him, looking over at Haden as he rode around of the black horse. "So what is this Death you talk of?" she asked, Marius chuckling to himself.
"Well…" he quickly paused, noticing an eerie presence behind him.
"Well what young Serbus?" an intimidating man said from behind them.
The two siblings turned around, Sophie's eyes widening in awe as she looked up at the figure. "Nothing sir," Marius said as he bowed.
He chuckled, looking over at Sophie as Marius held onto her shoulder tightly. "I told you to call me Death," he said, sitting down next to Sophie as he looked at her with curiosity. "So you know my horse?"
"Y-yes…" Sophie said, trying to take in the man that stood before her. She noticed he had solid dark black hair and crystal emerald eyes. She gave him a smile, her own eyes peaking with curiosity. "Are you Death?" she asked.
Marius looked over at her shocked as the man chuckled. "Yes I am," he continued to chuckle lightly, "and how do you know that?"
"I just figured," she shrugged, "plus I have a feeling about you."
He smirked, rustling up her hair slightly. She flinched and tried to swat at his hands, his actions quickly reminding her of someone she knows. "So this must be young Sophia Serbus," he said holding out his right hand.
"Yep," she smiled, taking his hand and shaking it. "I knew there was an actual Death," she snickered to herself quietly, looking back at him with a smile on her face.
"Marius, tell her how you know me," he said to him, Marius scratching the back of his head as he chuckled nervously.
"Well…" he began meekly, "he is the being that took me into his house and he and his wife raised me. Usually unborn babies are sent back to the living world, but Death decided to keep me around. I don't know why but –"
"It was because I know you are a Serbus," the man named Death admitted, "and a soul like yourself cannot go into another unborn baby's body. It could lead to complications… plus it's unusual to find a baby at my doorstep," he smiled to them. Sophie couldn't help but keep smiling at him, feeling a warm and fatherly feeling coming from him.
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Maurus let out a huff as he appeared in a realm of vast fields and light. He grumbled, running a hand through his maroon hair before walking into the nearby woods. He let the soul he had in his hand go, watching as it wandered off over the hills and vanishing into the vast domain. He walked a ways and came upon a small house in the middle of the forest. He smiled, noticing a woman with brunette hair bringing materials into the house and coming right out. "Hello Ellen," he grumbled, grabbing something from her hands and eating it.
"What's with your attitude?" she stared at him, a frown on her face.
"Sorry," he sighed, throwing the remains of an apple core on the ground. "Just Sophia wasn't supposed to come here yet and… ugh things got out of hand!" he yelled, slamming a hand into the trunk of a tree in frustration.
Ellen narrowed her eyes, noticing the indent in the tree. "How about you calm down first before you go and find her?" she suggested, going back into the house and putting away the food she had in her hand. "I don't want a fight between the two of you… besides Marius and Haden is with her. She's in good hands."
Maurus stared at her with straight up uncertainty as a sigh escape his lips. "Okay Ellen…" he smiled to her, taking her hand and kissing it. "I'm sorry for being rude to you. I'm just a bit flustered… that's all," he sighed, rubbing her soft hand before looking at her bright blue eyes.
He noticed she was blushing slightly and smirked, letting her lead him away from the house and back into the fields. "Here I'll take you to them," she smiled, a giggle escaping her lips when he wrapped his hands around her waist and nuzzled his face into her neck playfully. "I'm glad we got that house in the woods we've always wanted," she sighed, holding onto his hands around her waist.
"Same here," he sighed, closing his eyes before opening them back up to speak. "Too bad it isn't in the world of the living."
"Well… it happened and that's all that matters," she smiled to him, noticing a black horse coming towards them. "Oh hello!" Ellen exclaimed in surprised as the horse stopped right in front of them and trotted to them so he could be petted by one of Maurus' hands.
"Okay, okay," he smirked, letting go of Ellen's waist to rub the horse's nose. The black horse neighed with satisfaction, letting out a snort as Haden waved to them. "Now is that Haden I see?" Maurus asked, watching as Ellen helped him down from the horse.
"What have you been up to?" Ellen asked as she made sure he was on the ground till she asked.
"Not much!" Haden smiled, taking a hand and nuzzling his face into the horse's nose, "Just getting to know him."
"Oh I see you are not enemies now?" Ellen smiled to him, looking over at Maurus as she said it.
"Yep!" Haden exclaimed, "Sophie helped me!"
"So where are my two children now?" Maurus asked, letting go of the horse's nose and patting it on the side.
"At the top of this hill," Haden pointed with a shrug, "talking to Death. Then Thomas and Charlotte joined us for a while… but then I think they left. So it's just the four of us now."
Maurus nodded, taking his wife's hand as they walked up the hill. "Well thank you," he said, noticing that the black horse was following them. "Especially you," he said directed towards the horse, "it has been a while since I rode on you… hasn't it?" The horse neighed and he chuckled.
Once they walked to the top of the hill Maurus' eyes widened. He saw Death talking with both of his children, the two of them listening intently. Sophie was asking questions on why he was there and etcetera as Marius quietly sat next to her. He had both hands wrapped around her waist as she leaned into his chest, sitting upon his lap with a content smile on her face. He couldn't help but let out a happy sigh, seeing that their children were able to get along so quickly. Marius was constantly worried that Sophie wouldn't like him, but it looked like he was worried over nothing. Death looked up after he was done speaking, noticing their presence. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Serbus. Maurus it took you a while to get here, did it not?"
"Sorry about that," he grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head, "I couldn't find a pure soul in a dying body. I had to travel a ways away till I could find one! It's hard to find one, you know."
"I understand," Death said back, looking over at Marius and Sophie. "I was wondering if your lovely family would like to join us for supper. Of course Haden is invited if he wants to come."
"No that's okay," Haden chuckled to himself, "I want to get going anyways. It was nice to see Sophie again."
"Same here," Sophie said, blowing him a kiss as he caught it in his hand.
Haden giggled as he gave them a wave, and brushed the horse's nose before he ran down the hill. Death got up from the ground and the other two followed, Sophie stretching slightly as she woke her body back up. "Well we mustn't keep them waiting," Death said, gesturing Marius and Sophie to follow him as their parents walked behind them. Marius led the black horse over the hill they were standing on and to the hilltop, letting go of Sophie's hand as he led the horse over to a nearby stable to graze over yonder. Sophie looked over at her parents, making sure they were following behind them, and then back at the destination they were coming towards. It was a large gray house, which could be mistaken for a mansion or something perhaps smaller. The architecture was superb, different centuries of art lining the outside of the house. It had a magnificent view, looking over several valleys and peering over most of the landscape. She noticed a figure standing at the door, a small tan woman with long silver hair and crystal blue eyes. Sophie blinked in confusion, her eyes reminding her of the same color of blue in her own eyes. "I brought guests," he said, walking up to the top of the steps, grabbing her hands gently, and kissing her on the lips.
"I can see that," she smirked back, waiting for Marius to come back before she invited them into the house. "Thank you Marius," she said to him, letting Death kiss her on the cheek as they stood at the top of the hill.
"You're welcome… Briana," he responded, the woman giggling at the sound of her name. Marius walked back to Sophie, wrapping a hand around her waist as they walked into the house. "This is where I grew up till our father started raising me," he admitted, wandering away from the group as they walked through a corridor. No one seemed to mind, letting the two siblings wander off on their own and explore the house.
"So you lived with Death huh?" Sophie answered, peeking into every open room of the hallway as they walked past.
"Y-yeah… this place is my second home," he said, a warm smile coming over his features as he said it. "They raised me like one of their own children, Death and Briana I mean. It was mostly Briana who was raising me though… she told me she lived for many years, but not as long as Death did. She even changed her name, she told me, but only Death and her child on earth knows her real name. So… yeah," he shrugged. "Death will leave when he's needed, but usually he's around taking care of us. He taught me a lot of what I know, how to fight and do chores around the house. I learned things from Briana and Inaya also."
"Inaya?" Sophie asked, pausing as she was peering into a room. "You mean there are more like you here?"
"Well…" he paused with a smile, "not necessarily. You see Inaya died in the world of the living and came here long before I died. She likes to coddle me like a little brother, but she is more related to Death then I am." Then Marius let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head, "She is rather troublesome really… actually she looks like you a bit."
"Really?" Sophie raised an eyebrow, following Marius through the hallways and up and down stairs.
"Yep," he admitted. He looked over a railing and noticed the four adults talking among themselves. There was another girl among them, a young maiden who looked to be the age of seventeen. She wore a white dress as Sophie did with a golden cord around her waist, but had only four pieces of black rope instead of the seven Sophie had around her own waist. She had long and wavy burgundy hair with bright sea green eyes. "Oh there she is," he said over the railing and catching her attention.
"There you are!" the girl said, running through the adults and startling Ellen slightly. Sophie blinked in confusion, noticing how quickly she appeared and ran at Marius. "You left without saying anything!" she pouted, punching him playfully in the shoulder. "I was getting bored around here… grrr…" she growled at him.
"Sorry Inaya," he said as he scratched the back of his head. "I had to meet someone."
"And is this the sister you were talking about?" she asked, pointing over to Sophie.
Sophie blinked in confusion, not liking the finger in her face. "Yes," he chuckled. "Inaya this is Sophia Serbus, my younger sister. She'll be taking my father's place in the world of the living."
"Hello," she said, shaking her hand.
"Hi-yah," she smiled back, her attention back on Marius. "So does this mean you can go to the world of the living now?"
"Hmmm?" he said, not quite getting the answer right away. "Y-yeah I think so… well that depends. Sophia is that okay if I come visit you every now and then?"
"I don't see why not," she shrugged, "just be prepared for it. It's not all good and free like here. Someone may try to take advantage of you and –"
"Yes I know that," he shrugged it off. "Everyone has told me about it. I just want to see for myself… so could you?"
"When?" Sophie asked with a smirk.
"I-I don't know…" He sighed, "Whenever Death will let me come. I'd be there on business, but he'll probably give me time to explore if I ask."
"Sure then," she smiled, "just make it a time when I'm not busy. I'd hate to let you go off by yourself."
He nodded in understanding, the three of them hearing someone calling them from the lower level. "Come down for supper," Briana called, Inaya perking right up and running down the stairs.
Sophie followed behind Marius, who led the way back down the stairs and to the dining room. Sophie looked around the room and noticed pictures of desert villages and of various skeleton pictures. She sat down next to Marius, who had set down next to Inaya, who sat next to Death, and who sat at the head of the table. His wife sat next to him and Sophie's parents next to her. "So Sophia," Death said once they began to pass around the food to eat. "What do you plan on doing? Your father told me about your nervousness about becoming a God of Death." He glanced over at Maurus before he looked back at Sophie, "so if you need any clarification on anything then just ask."
"Okay," Sophie answered, gathering a large helping of food before speaking. "So if I become a God of Death will that mean I'll be working for you?" she asked, drinking some of the wine they set out before proceeding to eat the food in front of her.
"You can say that," he said, beginning to eat some of the food laid out before him. "It depends on what your calling is. In your family's case it is to be a God of Death, or as you've heard, shinigamis and grim reapers. You see I was created around the time the world began, making the world that is called the living a place where things live and die. The intention before I was created was for the world to only be a place of the living, which is why angels and demons can live for eternity. Now that I am around, things die. Plants, animals, and humans especially, but even supernatural beings die now. When you're father died," he said giving a glance at her father and then back at her. "He was taught by a God of Death to take souls and spirits of the dying and already dead. In the world you live in now shinigamis only specialize with humans, but in reality it's supposed to be with all creation. Your family's soul is very interesting," he said as he took some food into his mouth before talking again.
"You can give and talk away the breath of life, which means you can decide if a being should live or die. You had been spending your existence in the underworld, in hell as it has been named now. Under description you would be a demon," he said simply as he at some more food, "but that is not the case. Your father became a God of Death instead of becoming a demon when he died as a human, so the statement that the underworld houses only demons cannot be true. Plus there are demons in the realm of the living, which I expect you have met plenty of already. That man whom you call Alexander Agon would be one of them. He may have a father of a shinigami, but since his mother is a demon then he is also a demon. He simply made a choice for the rest of his life to be a shinigami. The man you know as Shezmu is another God of Death. He is a real God of Death, though in what you call the ancient world he would be a demi-god or demon. He takes souls as shingamis do, evaluating them and etcetera. I think what happened was a change in who controlled who lived or died, who are these shinigami and grim reaper characters. They forced many Gods of Death to call themselves demons, but in reality they are not. A demon eats souls and Gods of Death take and evaluate the soul. Some Gods of Death actually end up eating the truly tainted souls, but that is different than the beings you can demons today. Only a few Gods of Death decided to join these shinigamis and their council, as your father had, but that did not make things easier for them. They are always contradicting things, trying to persecute more Gods of Death. The disaster about 900 years ago was what turned the control around. Many young Gods of Death like yourself were forced to go and fight for souls. It was more of a death sentence, killing almost every young God of Death in existence. That's how young Inaya died, isn't that right?"
Inaya looked up from her plate, not really paying attention till now. "Yes sir," she said, gulping down her food quickly before she continued. "It was… during the Black Death I am guessing. Ironic the name is really," she began, setting her napkin down to continue. "I was the age of a seventeen, but with Gods of Death it can take us centuries till we are old enough to make the transition from a child to an adult. I was sent from my home in England to the Mongol tribes in Asia. They were killing many humans and I was sent there to reap souls before demons could get to them. It was when I arrived that the Black Death began to spread across the world. Instead of staying where I was assigned, they sent me to collect the souls as they died and alert the departments of shinigamis as the Black Death passed through. It would have been all fine… but then I began to lose my powers," she sighed as she looked at her food in slight disgust. "I told them I needed to rest, but they not let me. The council of shinigamis made me keep reaping, even when I completely turned into a human. You see, my birth mother was a half human and half God of Death and my father was a God of Death. Unluckily for me, even with my genes I turned into a human as you did Sophia." She pointed a knife over to Sophie as she said it, almost cutting Marius' neck without even realizing it.
"Well anyways," she said as her attention returned to cutting up her food, "my soul was eaten by a demon in Bruges. I was actually close to home when it happened, but I didn't know it at the time. When my father found out I died… well he went after my soul and killed all the demons that had devoured me and using it. Once he collected my soul and pieced it back together, he let me go to this realm of the dead and stay there with Death. Everyone else I knew that had died didn't get their souls put back together, but my father took the time to fix mine so… I thank him for that." She let a sigh escape her lips as she set her silverware on the table and continued. "Sophia, I'll warn you that council is not very nice to our kind. I hope they know now that if they kill anymore of us then the world will be put into complete chaos, but we'll see about that," she grumbled to herself. "Just be careful. They feel more threatened about you being there then just you as a person. Marius has told us of the incidences you had made, saving a demon wolf pack and such. That's all good and great, but they don't seem to like stuff like that. Also," she said again, not done talking yet, "there will be demons and angels asking for your assistance. It is up to you to help them, but this is just a warning. If we had more Gods of Death then you wouldn't have to worry about it, but now that there are fewer there then they'll be coming to ask you for help. The only authority you have to answer to is the Almighty, who will immediately make you take or give the breath of life in an instant. You won't have a choice in that matter, but that is what will happen if you take the oath. You lose some of that freedom you have as a human." Then Inaya smiled to her as if to comfort her a little. "Don't be worried about it though. It is only a snippet of your freedom. If an angel doesn't come to you with the authority of the Almighty then you don't have to listen to a word he says!"
"That's right," Maurus said, "in our history we were only told by direct orders to do something, which was when our soul was in the underworld. It probably won't happen for… a while," he smiled to her.
"Yep!" Inaya smiled to her. "Don't not take the jobs! Some of them are beneficial and have to befall on you because you are a God of Death, but you still have a choice to say no. That's up to you."
Sophie nodded to her, giving her a slight smile. "Okay Inaya… thank you."
"No problem!" she giggled to herself, whispering something into Marius' ear before she went back to eating.
"Yes well…" Sophie thought before looking back to Death. "Still, do I have to take orders from you?"
"No," Death said as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. "You are free to make your own choices. You are in that world to take and give the breath of life, that is all. To be a shinigami is your choice, to become a demon is your choice, and to make the oath and follow in your father's footsteps is your choice also. If you want to help me then I won't mind, but I am the ultimate death and nothing can stop death, even Death Gods," he smirked, drinking down some wine and letting out a satisfied sigh. Sophie smiled to him, looking over at her father with curiosity. He was looking over at Sophie as if he was silently evaluating her. She looked back at her plate; eating some more food from her plate before she said asked anything else.
!#$%^&*()
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Sophie walked with her father back into the realm of the living, leaving everything she had seen behind. She smiled down at her hand; her finger brushing over the engraving on a silver pocket watch Death had given to her when they left his house. She attached the new item to the rope around her waist, tightening it to make sure it was secure. She was still dressed in a white robe and golden sandals, her human clothes not appearing since she had grown wings and flew out of the underworld. "Father," she began as she looked at her black cloak, "will my clothes come back or something?"
"If you want them to," he chuckled as they continued to walk. "The clothes you are wearing will always be your clothes, especially if you summon a lot of your power. Other than that your clothes are in the content of the shadows. You can just bring them back to your body if you want."
"No that's quite alright," she smiled to him, "I'm fine." Then she frowned, looking over at her father as they came across the white buildings of the shinigami realm. "Are you jealous that I have been calling the Undertaker my dad and father? Because if you are then I can stop. I don't want to be the reason the two of you stops talking to each other… because he has told me that you two have been good friends for years so..."
He blinked for a second before he chuckled. "Yes I was jealous, but now I'm over it," he smiled to her and brushed a comforting hand through her hair. "I will be honest and say that I am jealous of the attention you give him, but I don't hate anyone for that. I hate myself really… I couldn't be a better father to you."
She smiled, standing on her tiptoes and giving his a peck on the cheek. "You are a great father," she smirked, "and the best papa I have ever had. I couldn't have anyone else as caring as you are… okay?"
"Okay…"he smiled, kissing her on the top of the forehead. "Now let's go on with this, I need to get back soon," he said looking at his watch. Sophie giggled as she skipped next to him, contently following him to whatever destination he had in mind. Sophie looked up to the sky and noticed it was close to nighttime. She followed next to Maurus into the white building, taking several hidden corridors till they made it to a locked door. Taking out his collection of keys he opened the door and held it open for her.
Sophie looked down and noticed it led immediately to a winding staircase, leading down into the dark unknown. Her father grabbed a torch from the stone wall and lit it, closing the door behind her. Then he led her down, lighting up the stone staircase as they made their decent. "I didn't know there were secret corridors here," Sophie commented as they continued to walk.
"Yep," he answered as he kept looking for the end. "Not a lot of shinigamis do. I think only a few do... the council who made the buildings, Gods of Death, and probably a few executive shinigamis who have lived for a long time. Mostly everyone else doesn't... they are far too young – oh here it is!" he exclaimed, coming to a large stone door. He smirked to her, whipping out his keys again and opening the door. Once he opened the door her father set the torch down in a holder on the wall, walking in first to look into the space. It was rather small, only a storage facility from what Sophie could notice. "Here hold this," he said, handing her a jar as he counted it off in his head. "Let's see... I have the blood but... oh oil! Here you go," he said, handing her another jar before deciding to walk out of the room. "I think that'll be enough. Everything else we can do ourselves," he said as he locked the door behind him and led the way up the steps. "And I almost forgot," he said, stopping slightly on the stairs as he remembered. "You need to wear what you were wearing when you died. The white dress in no problem, but I think the Undertaker put something else on you..."
"Oh okay," she said as they made it up the steps and her father blew out the torch. "Then I'll have to go back to my dorm room."
"Okay," he said, setting the torch back where he found it and locked the door behind them. "I'll wait for you. Give me those vials," he said, grabbing the jars from her as they began to walk into the main part of the hallway. "Now don't get caught by anyone. No one should know you're alive still, so it's better to keep you hidden until we initiate you."
"Okay," she agreed, wrapping the black cloak tighter around her body as she kept the hood over her face. "I'll be back in a sec!" she called to him, running down the hallway as quickly as she could. He chuckled, walking out the door before anyone saw him. Sophie ran through the hallways as she tried to keep her face hidden. From the events that happened earlier that day, someone may recognize her and start asking questions. She really didn't want anything like that right now, so once she made it to the student dorms she hustled up the stairs and to her room. Trying to figure out how to get in, the black haze summoned her room key for her. "Oh thanks," she smirked, quickly opening the door and quietly closing it behind her. She looked into the room and smiled, suddenly wondering how Margaret was doing. It had been so long… was she studying or back to partying and getting drunk off her ass? Either way she had to hurry; Sophie didn't know when Margaret would come back.
She walked over to her footlocker and opened it, revealing only a few items in the trunk. One thing caught her eye was the black rose clip Karol had given to her. Sophie remembered that she was buried with it, which she was grateful to see since it brought back memories of the Juvéniles of Dance. Oh how she missed the dancing! She always felt better when she danced with them, even more so then when she baked sweets and would visit the orphanage. "Wow really?" Sophie heard from the hallway, recognizing Margret's voice.
'Crap,' she frowned to herself, quickly closing her footlocker and locking it. She rushed to the window, opening it up as she noticed a key fumble into the doorknob. She crawled out the window and closed the window behind her, just in time for Margret to walk into the room without her noticing. Sophie watched as she threw her stuff on her side of the room and walked over to Sophie's side. She ran a finger over her footlocker, a smile on her face till she walked back to her side and began taking out books. 'She's still studying,' Sophie smiled, noticing that she turned on a light on the desk and opened up the book in her hand.
"Hey are you coming down!" she heard from below, noticing that Maurus pointed to his watch to hurry her up.
She smirked, letting go of the windowsill and landing next to him. He flinched back, not expecting her to jump down from a thirteen story building. "So now what?" she asked with a shrug as she held the clip in between her teeth.
"Nothing much," he said, grabbing the clip from her mouth with a smirk on his face. "Come it's almost time," he said in a serious tone, turning around and walking into the forest. Sophie blinked in confusion, chasing after him as he disappeared from her sight.
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Maurus and Sophie stood in the middle of a circle her father had outlined in the middle of the dirt. They were in the middle of a field, the sun about to go down in a few moments. Maurus was murmuring to himself, eyeing Sophie as he poured the blood and oil into two separate bowls. "Sophia," he said, getting her attention, "this is a serious question... do you still want to become a God of Death?"
"Yes," she said without any hesitation in her voice. "I do."
He smiled and gave her a nod, taking the old Roman sword from his waist and handing it to Sophie. She took it willingly, tying the cord around the rope around her waist as she looked back to him. "Then take our family's sword out from the hilt and stab the blade into the ground in front of me." She nodded and did as he asked. Once she had done so Sophie noticed the black haze grow from the blade and began to engulf them, surrounding them in complete darkness. Right when the sun went down the haze consumed them completely, not leaving the circle he had made upon the ground. "Now kneel before me and we can begin." She nodded, kneeling down so her left knee was on the ground and her other knee was up to keep her stable. "Now repeat after me," he began, a black book appearing in his hand as he began. "Ego Sophia Ioreta Serbus Maurus."
"Ego Sophia Ioreta Serbus Maurus."
"Ut faciendam plegium anima cor meum."
"Ut faciendam plegium anima cor meum."
"Quod perpetuo faciendum oportebat iustissime condemnabunt animam et apud veritate viam videbitur expedire."
"Quod perpetuo faciendum oportebat iustissime condemn abunt animam et apud veritate viam videbitur expedire."
"Nolo vires abusus malum et terminis non necessaria."
"Nolo vires abusus malum etterminisnon necessaria."
"Ego faciam quod necessarium ad salvandum pura ex damnation."
"Ego faciam quod necessarium ad salvandum pura ex damnation."
"Etsi delere est modo mihi."
"Etsi delere est modo mihi."
"Ego Sophia Ioreta Serbus Maurus."
"Ego Sophia Ioreta Serbus Maurus."
"Huius pignus esse in aeternum Deus usque in diem Mortis meum locum habet aut aliud ego morior."
"Huius pignus esse in aeternum Deus usque in diemMortis meum locum habet aut aliud ego morior."
"Ego nunc imperio imperium est in ac tenebras anima mea tollere spiritus vitæ facere dare."
"Ego nunc imperio imperium est in ac tenebras anima mea tollere spiritus vitæ facere dare."
"Ex hoc saeculo usque ad diem pereo."
"Ex hoc saeculo usque ad diem pereo."
Then her father dabbed some oil onto his thumb, rubbing it across her forehead in the form of a cross. "Amen."
"Amen," Sophie responded, her head bowed to her father as he grabbed the blood and dabbed some on his thumb.
"You will now take on the responsibilities of your ancestors before you as a Serbus, servant of the darkness," he said as he formed a cross on her forehead, and then made two marks on each side of her cheek. Then he smiled, setting the bowls next to him and standing up. "Rise Serbus, servant of the darkness and God of Death." She stood up and looked to him, her eyes beaming with crystal blue, shinigami green, and bright yellow in her eyes. "Now address yourself," he said to her.
"I am Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, servant of the darkness and God of Death," she picked up the sword as she said so, the black haze vanishing from the circle and into the ground.
She took the shaft of the sword and put it into the hilt, letting it hang to the side as she looked over to her father. Her auburn hair blew freely in the breeze; the only thing tainted on her face was the blood marks he made upon her face. "Welcome Sophia," he smiled as he collected the bowls and let them vanish in between his fingertips. Then he walked over to her, clipping the black rose clip to the right side of her face. He smiled, which caused her to crack a smile to him. "Well that's it," he said as he brushed away the lines on the ground. "Your powers will slowly come back to you, but it won't be right away. For now the scent of Death you have on yourself will keep the demons away, so don't worry about being eaten anymore," he chuckled, lifting his head up and looking over at her. He couldn't help but be in awe, noticing how her body seemed to be glowing as she stood in the darkness of the trees, 'truly a pure soul,' he thought as he finished cleaning up. "Now the Undertaker told me to tell you to go back home to him… and I accept that he will be your father here in this world, alright?"
"Good," she smiled, grabbing him in a hug and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for everything," she whispered into his ear, letting go of him as he chuckled.
"You are welcome my pulchra puella." Then he gave her a wink, wandering away from her towards a light that suddenly appeared before him. "Keep yourself out of trouble, okay?"
"I'll do what I can," she waved to him, both of them chuckling as he departed. She let out a sigh, leaving the smile on her face as she left the shinigami realm.
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!#$%^&*()
Sophie let a tired sigh escape her lips, the whole day having overwhelmed her as much as when she regained her memories. Changing her mind from wanting to die to becoming a God of Death and living on for centuries to come was overwhelming, but she wanted to do it. Not only for her father, but for everyone else she holds dear. Now she can see both worlds, the world of the living and the world of the dead. She was rather hung up on seeing the people she had known dead, but she will get over it in due time. Besides Death comes to everyone and will soon eventually come for her soul also.
She opened the door and gently closed it behind her, hoping to not disturb the Undertaker if he was asleep. She set her stuff down and walked from the back door towards the main room in the front. She frowned as she noticed none of the rooms were lit, finally coming across a dim light in the corner of the main room. There was Undertaker sitting contently on top of a coffin, a small candle lit on top of a small cake. "I have been waiting~" he smiled to her, ushering her to sit down.
She nodded and complied, sitting across from him as the cake sat in between the coffin they were sitting on. "Y-you didn't have to do this," she chuckled nervously, "no one really celebrates my birthday."
"You never told me when your birthday was, little maiden," he smirked, then gesturing towards the cake. "Now make a wish and blow out the candle."
She scooted a little bit closer, closing her eyes as she thought of the perfect wish. "But I don't need anything you know," she smiled, "I have everything I need."
"Well… just blow out the candle then," he smiled back.
She opened up her eyes and giggled, thinking to herself for a moment before looking at the Undertaker. "I wish," she began, "that everyone I know has a good life and my older brother doesn't become corrupted when he comes to this realm." Then she smirked to him, "and I wish that the Undertaker would show me his eyes more often."
He chuckled, "You're only supposed to wish for one thing."
"Well I feel I need a bit more," she smirked and blew out the candle. Then the room went pitch black, only a thin light from the moon shining into the room.
Sophie watched as he took a knife from his sleeve and slowly cut the cake, cutting it into eight equal pieces. Then he set two slices down on a plate, adding two forks once he set the knife down. Then he took the candle from the top of the cake and set it back where he had it in the room, lighting it to illuminate the room. "Dig in," he smirked, sitting down next to her as he handed her a piece of cake.
She smiled to him, grabbing the cake from his hands and taking a piece. Her eyes widened slightly, "Wow this is good… you improved?"
"Are you shocked about that?" he chuckled, grabbing his own plate and taking a piece of the cake. Then he ran a nail through her hair, "You still have the rose clip?" he asked as he took another bite of cake.
"Yeah well… I never threw it away or anything because I figured it had value," she smiled. "Plus… papa wanted me to wear it once I was done with my pledge. Like a transition from death to life, or something like that. I don't know," she shrugged.
He smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "My, aren't you a sentimental creature," he chuckled as he nuzzled his face into the nick of her neck. "So you are a God of Death now?" he said quietly into her ear.
"Yeah," she shrugged, "I won't get my powers for a while longer, but papa told me that I'll be protected if I go out… so I guess I'll start going back to the academy."
"Hopefully you can get the rest of the notes then," he smirked, kissing her neck before lifting up his head to eat more cake. "You smell like Death," he said in a monotone voice, the piece of cake vanishing from his plate as he grabbed another slice.
"I know," she sighed with a smile on her face. "He's nice though and I met his wife! It was a lot of fun… and I met Haden, Thomas, and Charlotte… I didn't know she even died," she chuckled to herself before another sigh escaped her lips. "Then Marius… I didn't know I had an older brother."
"You do?" he asked, Sophie giving him a nod in return.
"He was an unborn baby… my mom's family killed him before he even had a chance to live," she frowned as she felt a tear go down her face. "I always wanted a sibling, but not like that… he told me he would be coming to this world though," she said in an attempt to cheer herself up. "I don't know when, but he says soon. Apparently he helps Death and will be doing some errands when he comes here. I don't know how that will all work, but I can't wait!"
"I see…" he smiled to her, eating the new piece of cake as he looked at her. Even though her auburn hair was messy it looked beautiful and wavy. The white robe she wore gave an interesting contrast to the red of her hair, followed by the crystal blue, shinigami green, and bright yellow eyes that lingered in her eyes. The black rose in her hair was what made him smile; reminding him of the day he had to bury her into the ground. How he loathed that day, wishing he never had to do it in the first place. He noticed her yawn as she finished the slice of cake on her plate, a compassionate smile coming to his face. "When are you going back to the academy?"
"Probably two days from now. Tomorrow is a free day off so no one will be there anyways. Might as well stay here till later, but I plan on staying here at the morgue if it's alright with you," she finished with a giggle as she set her plate down next to the cake.
Sophie let out another yawn, which was quickly stopped when the Undertaker leaned into her face and licked some frosting from her lips. "I think it's time for bed," he smirked as he stood up, collecting the plates and cake and walking into the kitchen. Sophie followed behind him, holding onto the utensils and blowing out the candle. Once he put everything away he turned around and picked her up with a devious smile on his face. Sophie yelped, not expecting the sudden movement. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest, his mouth breathing softly against her cheek. "You may be a God of Death and know about your past, but I you're still mine, right?" he asked her as it sent a chill down her spine.
"D-do I need to repeat myself?" she responded, getting a smirk from him as a response. "I'm yours, okay? Utterly yours… if you still want me," she smiled to him, snuggling her face into his chest as she clung to his clothes.
He held her bridal style as he walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway. "Of course I still want you," he said as he cooed into her ear. "Tu mihi, little maiden... tu mihi…" he continued to say, carrying her into the bedroom and lying her down on the bed. She giggled, refusing to let go of his coat as she tightly clung to him.
!#$%^&*()
A/N: So yeah that's it for now! Everything is going well and steady for Sophie again… I hope I haven't been jumping into some things too quickly. I just need to get the story going and stuff like that. If there is something you think I should have held up till later then go ahead and say so. I'll keep comments like that in mind when I continue writing this story. Sadly my situation right now isn't very good. My laptop works though! (for now .) I just gave it some time to start and its fine now. I really don't know what happened to it… so I saved my files before anything else may happen to it ^^
Now we had a power outage about two nights ago and the internet connection at my house isn't working anymore. So I've had to go and walk to places with free wifi and also use my school's connection to look at my emails and such. That's my I'm soooooo slow with my replies and I'm sorry for that. It's just something I can't really control! Plus I have one more day at school because of finals, so I'll be on the computer less often then thought. My dad says we're hoping to have things fixed in five days, but we'll see about that. It's not a guarantee. At least I'm still writing now! And I may spend time drawing some of the characters. I'm drawing Sophie and Undertaker, is there anyone else you would like to see? Just ask me and I'll do something! Perhaps you want to see them at a certain age in my story? I don't know, but comments are appreciated! It'll give me something to do over my break =D And thank you for reading another chapter! I'm glad that I have a lot of people reading this story. It keeps me going! X3
Marius – Latin – manly; dedicated to Mars
Briana – Irish/Gaelic/Celtic – high, noble, exalted
EgoSophiaIoretaSerbusMaurus, utfaciendamplegiumanimacor meum quod perpetuo faciendum oportebat iustissime condemnabunt animam et apud veritate viam videbitur expedire. Nolo vires abusus malum et terminis non necessaria. Ego faciam quod necessarium ad salvandum pura ex damnation, etsi delere est modo mihi. Ego Sophia Ioreta Serbus Maurus, huius pignus esse in aeternum Deus usque in diem Mortis meum locum habet aut aliud ego morior. Ego nunc imperio imperium est in ac tenebras anima mea tollere spiritus vitæ facere dare, ex hoc saeculo usque ad diem pereo. – Latin –I Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, make a pledge to the soul within my heart that I will forever do what is necessary to condemn a soul rightfully and truthfully in the way I see fit. I will not abuse my powers for evil and unnecessary terms. I will do what is necessary to save a pure soul from damnation, even if it means I must destroy myself. I Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, make this pledge to forever be a God of Death till the day I die or another takes my place. I now command dominion over the darkness in my soul to give or take away the breath of life, until the day I perish from this world.