(Might not actually.) Useful Notes
In this universe. Undead aren't your typical walking corpse or something like that. They are another civilization in the universe that are the descendants of
star people. ( Forget what star people is? What a shame. They are Sora, Suisei and Moona original race. That's it!)
Undead origin planet is a very hard place to live in. The sun that circling around it is either getting two close or too far away in each season,
creating a hell of forever bright baking day and dark frozen night that last approximately six month each.
Under so much pressure, life cannot evolved in such a harsh environment. At least on the planet's surface.
But if you digging deep enough. There are still some safe haven with tolerable temperatures for living being to thrives, inside the caves and water systems
that chaining an interesting underground. ecosystem that consists of fungus, reptiles, Arthropod, worms, fishes and amphibians.
Without much light except from some occasionally moving magma and shining mushroom. Most of creatures that dwell inside this sunless land are always
blind and have to rely on other sense in order to obtaining foods, smelling, hearing or something like that.
However, the fact that they are still have eyes at all is a proves that this planet is not forever being baked under the sun.
It's probably used to be an habitable planet in the past, at least enough for creatures to dwelling on the planet surface without being roast alive.
But why and how the change occurred is yet to be known.
Maybe with the help from paleontologist and scientists, we will finding the cause of this doom fated planet in one day.
The fact that undead people still having eyes that still fully functioning tell us that they are not this planet original inhabitants.
And their history record fully supports this theory. They said that undead are spacefaring immigrants from another planet that moving under this planet
surface in order to hide, though they aren't specific at whom or what they are hiding from.
Unlike other civilizations, undead have solid evidence that they are direct descendants of star people, though we may never have a DNA test.
Lot of star people traits are being found in undead families, at least for the highborn one.
Their examples are :
1. Ageless: Undead are the first few civilizations that manage to stop their growths at will. It is true that after some time has passed,
many civilizations like Elf and Atlantean are managed to stop growing up more that the age they preferred.
But the fact that undead success in it first meaning that they must have better technology than other civilizations in their times.
And who can be the better candidate than the star people, who before going extinct are well known for their immortality?
2. Energy consuming: In other lifeforms, consuming energy always mean consuming something else ( preferably other organisms.) in order to get the
valuable nutrients and keep the body functioning. However in undead 'highborn' society. There are no need for that.
The original undead sustain themselves by absorbing energy directly from the reactor core in their spaceship.
And that's helping them to cutting down the forests of fungus, chasing the reptilian hunters or the pest bugs away while modifying the caves and waterways
inside this planet into the underground cities and tunnel that spreading like an ant nest across the globe at the same time. Since they doesn't need time to
rest or eat. Working 24 hours is not that hard for original undead.
3. Art of necromancy : This part is quite bizarre. There are no implications that star people, despite their advance technology, could controlling souls and
reanimated corpses.
So, it is either that undead has evolved this technology during their long voyage. Or the art of necromancy is a taboo knowledge in star people society and,
out of desperation to survivals, some of them decide to steal it as they run into nowhere of the expanding space, changing their existence by doing so and
evolved into something else instead.
Anyways, undead are very good at controlling soul and other living beings' body. Maybe out of necessary since there are not many of original undead left
during their settlement on this planet.
Forcing them to used other beings as a labors. ( Just a wild theory. But maybe they have lose a lot of star people power after the millions years of living in
poor condition. Might be able to explained why most undead aren't that strong when comparing side by side with the original star people.)
We can easily picturing them using power to control massive underground reptiles to start digging the burrows or using fish corpse to finds the direction
of running water.
Controlling their souls are probably easier than training them, that's for sure.
Brief History :
Early Years
Undead history, like many other before and after them, is far from peaceful. Each family has building their capital and settled in the difference region of the
planet. ( Those with the highest status live in the middle ground that is neither too shallow nor too deep for them to growing crops and cattle.
While the lesser families has to moving in the deep, colder place or nearing the surface where temperatures are too hot for normal creatures to live.
Living like that, of course, making a conflicts between clans and families. That may be the reason while lot of undead has going for the new ways for laboring.
Creating a less developed version of themselves and let those poor bastards working as a slaves.
That's the reason while there're a lot of 'undead' we can see today.
These are not the original undead and almost being undead in name only. They have to consume other beings to get the energy like any other creatures and,
ultimately, can dies like any other too.
This might be under the calculation of the original undead. Since nobody is stupid enough to make a labor of something that is as strong or as capable as
you. It's probably not long before those slaves will start wondering while their roles should not be swapped.
By creating the labor that need to be fed, Undead civilizations has falls into the traps that every society must faces.
They need good land for farming their food in order to keep these labor going.
So, the nice land with good temperatures for growing food ( Mostly local edible fungus and fishes, though some reptiles and amphibians are welcomes.
Original undead has long been in no need of eating, and that reduced the DNA or creatures they have kept on their ship with only a comfort pets and
ornamental plants.) are not a preference but necessary.
The conflicts start as many undead clan keep pumping their armies and warring with each other for the most suitable lands, filling this time frame with the
bloodshed historical events.
At last, the war end with no winner, except from the 'lesser' undead laborers. The undead highborn has underestimated their own servants until it is too late.
The peasant revolts break out across the underground empires, event if the clan leader are hundred of thousands time stronger than their servants it doesn't
matter.
Especially when millions of them are out for blood.
After a centuries of civil wars. There are only Uruhu family, the last highborn undead, left. They were being used as a puppet ruler in order to restoring peace.
Kept inside the ancient pyramid and being dragged out just for performing yearly rituals or something like that.
Leaving the ruling duties for the emerging clans like Kureiji or Melatika. So, the undead society goes on. Almost being invisible and becoming only a legends
or tall tales in the vast universe as everybody outside their planet are still evolving and fighting nonstop.
( Don't forget that undead are spacefaring society, they are still traveling around and have a bit of contact with other civilizations.
So, they are more like a mysterious race that people keep arguing existing or not instead of actually unheard of like some other hidden civilizations.)
Galactic Empire War
After a million years of stillness, changes has occurred to the undead planet in the form of newly made spaceship that parking on their planet surface during
the dark frozen winter.
Houshou Marine, the captain of sailor people ( the civilizations originated from archipelago filled planet. They using boat and ship to travel around the island
and, after conflicts with Atlantean immigrants. They finally learning the space travel technology and decided to live among the star as pirates and merchants.)
arrived the planet of undead after hearing some rumors.
Wanting for them to join the Galactic empire and facing war against the council. ( Group of entities that can controlled space, time, chaos, nature and
civilizations. They want to wipe everyone out of existence for some reason.)
After the the meeting with rulers clan aren't so successful. Marine decided to (illegally) visit the last undead queen Uruhu Rushia in her pyramid.
There are no records of what their conversation goes by. But the result is quite clear. Marine seizing the capital with her army while Rushia killing almost
every undead ruling classes (except for some that switch sides in time, like Kureiji family).
Taking over the planet under their absolute control before Rushia will order undead armies to marching with sailor people out of this planet. To join the
fighting they never heard of.
It's nothing short of miracle that undead citizens actually listening to her, maybe they are bored after millions years of Isolation.
That, or the new undead ruler class are very suck at ruling.
Anyways, things seem goes well for the undead. They finally managed to make an allies with other civilizations, showing that they are not the monster that
should be feared but a being with heart too.
The rainbows and flowers last only until the war ends. After Houshou Marine has died fighting against council. Uruhu Rushia suddenly decided to murdering
every surviving sailor people for some unknown reason ( Rumors said that she is trying to revive her friend, but something must gone really wrong.)
with the help of Usada Pekora.
Shirogane Noel, the knight of gravity people and Shiranui Flare, the Elf's princess. Declaring a war against Pekora and Rushia, which last for almost century.
And ending by driven Rushia and PeKora away after almost wiping out undead and snow dweller civilizations, forcing them to hiding and waiting for the purge
to over.
We never heard from Uruhu Rushia since then, though there are some loosely evidence that she appears on the Planet XXX, which is a medium size planet
that being a war zone between surviving undead people and their neighbor planets.
But there's also rumors about Phoenix and zombies( Undead has lose art of necromancy during their war against galactic empire.
So, there is unlikely for them to having a zombie at that time and place. About Phoenix? There are no sightings of this legendary firebird for millions of years.
So, why would it decided to suddenly appeared on that unimportant planet is beyond everyone guess, maybe both are just a tall tale after all.) too and if
those statements are true. It might meant that the last queen of the undead is still at large somewhere in the universe.
But she is not connected with the story of our planet anymore, so we will just leaves the girl be.
Conclusion
After the long struggling against so many opponents. Undead planet finally find peace at last. Since the sun has moving its direction, cooling the planet
surface enough for those underground civilizations to popping out and living on the surface like other beings, though they are not forgotten their roots of
underground dwelling and many of them are still preferred to living under the planet surface like what they have been for millions of years.
But at least most of them are already building the tower and city on the planet's surface, inviting other civilizations to contact them again after a long pause
of war and isolation.
Of course, there are still a conflict of interest between undead and other civilizations, but at least it is not a full scale war like a few thousand years ago.
Maybe one day too, everybody will greeting these interesting people with open arms like what they did during the early days of Galactic Empire Era.
One can surely be hopeful.
The following event happening during one night on undead's planet.
It's about one reaper in training and the decision that might change the undead history forever.
Undead's Home Planet
Mori Calliope
Calli biting her scythe handle as she is striking fast, knocking three zombies down as she is quickly moving to the running away walking corpse in lab gown.
But that MF just closing the elevator at her face instead of facing death like a man.
" Darn it!" Mori cries in frustration, punching the door and wish she could using that teleported movement her teacher could uses with an ease right now.
What does it called again? Shadow travel?
As she is yanking the door open with her scythe, Calli's minds reaching back to the day when they were training…
…
Mori Calliope is facing the ancient brick wall, it is not that tall, only around 2.5 meters. Even she could jumping passed that easily.
But Death sensei, her teacher, which is actually a skeleton man in black robe, has another plan for today training session.
" Today, I shall teach you an art of shadow travel. Our main ability to hunt those that still cling to life and refuse to die."
Death said, knocking the black scythe in his hand as he is walking in full circle around her.
" Everything cast a shadow when the sun is over their heads, leaving the shadow. A trace of their mass and life behinds.
Making it easier for us to captured them."
" But not us, not reaper." Calliope said, looking at her and sensei shadowless bodies even now that they are standing under the sunlight.
" Due to our cells reaction with light. Reaper couldn't cast a shadow or reflection in the mirror. Only thing that can see us is the living creature's eyes.
So, in a sense. We are different from them all." Death spinning the scythe before resting it with his foot. Continuing to talk while still playing with his weapon
nonstops.
" But it is helping us, actually. Reaper are the creature of darkness. They can move everywhere that dark enough, especially between a shadow."
Death sensei suddenly disappeared and then pop out at the wall's shadow. Far away from their location for almost 300 meters away.
" Can you doing that?" The skeleton asked after teleporting back to his student, looking at her with his burning eye socket.
" Will try." Calliope swallowing her nervousness, looking at the walls and trying to think of how to passing it without moving her legs.
" Using your minds, not body. Today practice will be very easy. Just passing through the wall shadow and appears at the other side. I will wait for you there."
Death sensei said, disappeared within a second after finishing his speeches.
" Come on. It wasn't that hard!" Calliope biting her lips and looking at the stone walls. It suddenly looks hard, black and filled with lichen. Not appealing at all.
Before she could change her minds, Calliope running straight toward the wall in full speed, yelling randomly sound as she finally feels…
The sensory of darkness that start covering her body.
Calliope letting herself sinks deep inside it, trying to shake the feeling that her whole identity has been consumed by the darkness-
Reaper yanking herself back from the dark. She couldn't do it, can't let the darkness consumed her whole. But she has lost her serenity and running straight
into the walls. Her face kissing the black stone with the speed of 125 kilometer/hour. Creating a human-sized hole as her body is piercing through it and
rolling on the grassy plain at the other side of the wall.
Someone stepping near her head, making Calli looks up and seeing her teacher standing next to her with a disdain expression on his face.
" I said moving through the wall's shadow. Not bursting through it!" Death scorned.
" Welp, at least I have moving passed it!" Calliope gets up and shook her head, getting the gravel off her pink hair.
" You're right!" Skeleton Reaper sighed, helping his student get up on her feet.
" Now do it again."
" Seriously?" Calliope raised her eyebrows.
" I am dead serious right now!" Death insisted.
" Welp, sh*t!" Calli sighed. " Indeed." Sensei nodded.
At the end of that day. Calliope has left around 30 holes on that walls and yet to successfully using shadow travels ability.
…
Back to the current situation
Zarab punching the elevator button impatiently. He knows that reaper will come eventually, but not knowing that they will come this fast.
After all, those goddamn reaper can never let somebody come up with the way to destroy their freaking balanced of life and death or whatever.
That's the reason why he is half ready for the run since the day he has achieve the key of ancient undead magic.
The art of reviving the death even if it is just a dim witted zombie.
He even had injected himself with the green liquid, following the recipe that has been found from the ancient Uruhu pyramid under the metropolitan area and
it has slowing down his age miraculously, in exchange for making his face look green and flailed, but perhaps there are still room for improvement
somewhere.
If only he will have a bit more time…
The elevator light flickering for a seconds, making him looks up at the same time as the ceiling is exploded and Mori Calliope is literally falling right into his
face.
Both reaper and scientist crashing on the floor as they are twitching together in the cramp space.
"" Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!"" Both unfortunate person scrambling to get up as the elevator finally open its door, ready to eject the passengers out.
Zarab rolling on the ground as Calli is trying to get up and raised her scythe, but its long blade has been stuck with the ceiling instead.
" Come on!" Calliope shook her head as she is dropping everything and running towards the crawling scientist.
But Zarab quickly sweeping kick and knock Calli down before she could grabbing his leg.
Scientist jumps up and ready to run away, but Calli tackle him down by hugging both of his legs before she will quickly get over him.
She yanks the man up by his coat and punching his face, stunning the man long enough for her to slamming him down and stomping on his chest,
pinned her enemy on the ground at last.
" Wasn't reaper best known for their professionalism and cleanliness? What in the madness of this!" Zarab yelling at the rookie reaper who fighting like a
drunkard in the bar after midnight.
" Shut up! I am just trying to use 'shadow travels' you know?" Calliope flustered, kicking hard enough to dislocated Zarab's shoulder before she will fumbling
for the small notebook inside her chest pocket.
" Zarab Gee…Geeno." " Geenovabe." " Oh, you are right!"
" It's my f**king name!" " Sorry, mister." Both have an absurd conversation for a moment before Calli will finally continue her reaper duty again.
" You are breaking the law between life and death, trying to bring back an undead art of reviving. Something that deserves to die along with the undead royal
family thousands of years ago.
Has been creating a bunch of zombies too. If I see it correctly." Calliope read the book out loud.
" Oh, this saying that you cheat death too. The car accident that supposed to killed you three years ago turn out to be a proof that your undead chemical is
working after all, but the party is over, bois!
In the name of reaper under the Death sensei rules. I shall taking your life with me as a duty of the balance bringer between two realms.
Now, where is my scythe?" Calliope looks around and seeing that her weapon is still stuck on the elevator ceiling, not too far away.
" Wait a sec. We will continue real quick!" Calli stomping on Zarab's leg and breaking his bone to ensure that he will not running again.
She then pulling her scythe out after a long struggling and falling on the floor from using too much strength.
" I am back! Don't worry, sir. You will die soon. Any complain for our service shall be directed to the receptionist. So, please be patient-"
Calliope stopped her blabbering as soon as she saw the newcomer who is standing next to dying scientist. She is the white hair woman in grey and white
gothic dress. Her red eyes seemed to glows as well as the purple crystal around her chest as the stranger is looking at Calliope with empty smiles on her lips.
" Uhm… Ms. Who the heck are you?" Calliope voices faded as the woman suddenly raised her long staff that having a crystal or ice at the end of it,
before she will stabbing Zarab's chest, turning him into an ice statue that broke in millions pieces a few seconds after that.
" Oh, so you are a reaper too? But I am the one who took this quest first! You can see the seal over here. In my hunting license…
Oh sh*t! Death sensei must've killed me after this!
Failing on my first quest alone. But I almost success! If it's not you-" Calliope moaned.
" So, you are Death last disciple? No wonder why I have seen you instead of him when following the scent of Stygian scythe.
Consider yourself a lucky, he never let anyone borrowing his weapon for quite some time.
But his standard seems to be quite lower lately, no wonders why he took an amateur like you to learning his art of reaping." The red eyed girl cleaning her
fingernails as she is speaking.
" Who the f**k are you anyways?" Calliope demanded, her blood starting to boils after being shamed for quite a lot of time.
The girl giggles. " I have many names by so many people that called me. But you might be knowing me as Artia, the frozen mage from another dimension."
" You are that Artia!? The mad reaper that hunting only those who shall not death yet and other reaper!" Calliope gasped.
" There's a rumor about everything. Some are true. Some are false.
How can they called me mad? I am as normal as any reaper around the universe. Those who saying those crap never understand the real madness.
It's mean that your behavior will be unable to predict by the other like this!"
Artia suddenly teleports in front of Calliope's body and kicking her chest, sends Calliope bursting through the building's crystal windows and falling toward the
running traffic underneath them.
Calli hitting one running Scarab ( vehicles from undead planet which is very similar to the car in human world, just making in bug shaped and has six wheel
instead of four.) bouncing on the concrete road for a few times before she will manage to get up again.
" So, this is all Death sensei could've done? Finding some reaper who is unable even to using 'shadow travel'. Are you kidding me?"
Artia who suddenly popped next to struggling Calli asked, ignores the vehicles that storming madly around them during her rants.
" You kills those millions of innocent people! And Death sensei thought you has been gone forever or return to the cycle of life and death long ago.
The only regret he have is that he hasn't killed you by his hands!" Calliope trying to recalled of what the woman next to her has done.
Death sensei never go into the deep details. But it has something to do with collecting the souls for her own purposes. Killing the whole planet of living beings
that is not supposed to die yet. Breaking Reaper laws and something like that.
Sometime, Calliope wonders if the person in front of her is actually the best student Death sensei ever created. Like how he said wistfully while being drunk.
Or he is just trying to cope with the fact that one of his students has turn into the worst reaper of all time of recorded history.
" Stop barking! Why don't you just calling for your teacher help? Like a crybaby you always are!" Artia throwing random insults, clearly wanting Calli to run
blindly at her.
Mori grabbing her scythe from the street and running zigzag towards Artia, swinging it from the lower angle in case that she will jumping to dodged her
attacking.
Artia stabbing her staff on the street and stopping Calliope scythe with an ease. She then chopping the joints in Calli's arm to make her letting go of the
scythe and start punching her face nonstop.
Calliope trying to block the attacks with both arms but not so successfully, before she realized what is happening. Artia already kicking her kneecap and
followed by the spinning kicks, sends Calliope flying toward the running vehicle and bouncing off it again. Damaged the Scarab enough to make the driver
stopped as Calliope is stumbling to get up and looking for her enemy.
Reaper picked up her scythe and searching for Artia. And seeing her grinning from the distance off 150 meters away next to the tube worm station
(undead vehicles. Similar to our underground railway, except that it has no rails and driving with the spike under its body.)
Looks like that the mad reaper seems to wanting to playing with her for a while. Judging by the fact that she is not suddenly disappeared out of Calli's sight
as soon as possible.
Calliope bite her lips. Will she risked following her? Or should she goes back to Death sensei home or reaper guild to warning them about the returning of
mad reaper. But by that time she might already disappear or something…
" Screw it!" Calli snarled as she is jumping, closing hundred of meters gap within a seconds by her reaper power, but Artia is already running away when she
finally reaches her.
Calliope didn't stop or hesitates, she quickly followed Artia deeper into the into the tube worm station, running on the walls and ceiling in 360 degrees angle
while ignores the planet's gravity as she slamming herself into the running Artia, knocking both of them on the floor while the citizen inside the area staring
at them in disbelief.
Calliope grabbing her scythe and trying to swings it, but Artia is already reaching for her magic staff and shooting the ice bullet at point blank range,
sends Calli flying over ten meters towards the crowds and knocking all of them like a bowling strike.
Artia getting up and run again, pushing unlucky citizens away as she is passing them with her super speed. But Calliope also quickly followed,
running horizontally on the walls to avoid being trapped by the crowds and then striking at Artia again as they are reaching the escalator area.
Both women crashing into the ceiling hard enough to shatters part of it before they will finally falls down on the railing, using only their feet to control their
balances.
Calliope swinging her scythe very high, aiming to cut Artia's head off, but the mad reaper lowering herself and swinging her staff, creating a long icy blade
that looks like naginata at the end of it before she will swings it low, aiming to cut Calliope's legs in one strike.
Calli jumps up to dodged the attack so, both blades missing their target as Calliope and Artia is spinning passed each other in less than a second.
But Artia is striking again, throwing her staff at Calliope's face and creating a force that knocking both of them down even after Calliope has use her scythe
to blocking the attack, finally falling to the next floor at last.
" Woohoo! That's the real deal. I think I understand why Death choosing you as his last discipline." Artia laughing as she is jumping up again,
while Calliope quickly crawling toward her scythe.
" Why are you here? I am sure you aren't just come to play with me in the tube worm station!" Calliope demanded,
raising he scythe and ready for the next round.
" Easy there, cowboy. There is no need for me to kill you or for you to kill me. And reaper weapons couldn't kill another reaper after all."
Artia chuckled.
" For a mad reaper who ignored the rules. You sure are quite knowledgeable!" Even Calliope feel amused at this points.
" I am not an ignorant! I know every rules and chose what I wouldn't followed. It is different from not willing to learn anything and knows what is
unreasonable and refused to follows."
" Without rule, then what are we? An unstoppable killing machine?" Calli asked.
" A free person. Like what we all are before the system will forcing its way in our life, taking away the purpose of us."
" You sound like someone who knowing your past before becoming a reaper!" Calli chucked, and frowned when Artia is looking at her with a straight face. "
Wait, you did?"
" They tried, and succeeded for a while in making me forget who I am before imprisoning me with this pointless job! They can called me the reaper all they
want! But deep down. I knowing that I am Artia the ice mage of red planet (Mars). Not whoever they are forcing me to be!"
Artia voices crack a little as she is yelling into Calliope's face.
" And you! Whoever you are, thought you have no purpose in life and zero memories until Death sensei take care of you and teaching what to do, right?
Being a reaper, eh? Working until your back is breaking and forgot why you are here in the first place.
Of the billions of life all over the universe. Do you think all of them will become a reaper? No! Only a chosen one like us will become one, whether it is a
reward or punishment."
" I cannot remembered my past. And there's no way I can fixed it. What's done is done. Not me, nor you, to be the one who tried to fixing it." Calliope said,
lowering her scythe a little as she is finally relaxed and talked with Artia like a civilized person they were.
Artia is going to replied something when the words " STOPS!" suddenly being shouts toward them, making both reaper looks around and seeing the group of
police officers that surrounded them and rising their electric gun.
" Officer…" " Show me where your hands are and dropping weapon, or I will shoot!" The man yelled, the gun in his hand is a bit shaking.
So,Calli decided to just following his order instead of risked being shot at by group of panicked men.
Artia couldn't control her laughter as she is seeing Calliope being pushed down and handcuffed.
" See? You are being bound by the rules and order until you aren't realized the absurdity of it. Who are they to judge us? Somebody as powerless as them?"
" Officer, Look out!" Calliope shouts a warning as Artia is rising her magic staff, the policeman quickly raising their electric gun too.
But eight icy spears are already piercing their heart before the gun triggers will being pulled.
" Nooo!" Calliope shouts after seeing a group of policemen dying in front of her eyes. Their soul being sucked inside Artia staff before she will turning her
attention back to Calliope.
" Now-" Artia doesn't have a chance to said anything because Calliope is running at her with full speed, breaking handcuffs with her super strength and
kicking the scythe back into her grips.
She crashing into Artia without thinking, bursting through the thick walls and rolling on the tube area during their struggles.
" Fool!" Artia spat. " Fo you thinking that blindly rage will solves anything? It will just making everything even more complicated, that's it!"
" It is not their time to go! You murdering them!"Calliope accused.
" Who decided that? The book of fate? It's pure horsesh*t! Everyone can die every time. There's no real ' time to go' you guys are worshiping!"
Artia shouts in frustration, referring to a small book reaper keep in order to know who they shall take life next.
" And unlike you, Mori Calliope. I know the reason while I am here. To saving my world from the ultimate destruction. And in doing that.
I need a lot of soul, which cannot accomplished if you idiot reapers keep getting in my ways!" Artia snarled.
" What the hell are you saying?" Calli questioned.
" My planet, Mori. Orbiting in the Milky Ways Galaxy. So far away from here. We used to be a very happy civilizations there.
There are sea, forest and mountain for everyone to enjoy. And daily sunlight too. Not months of brightness, months of darkness like this damn planet.
Can't you understand? It's heaven compared to this." Artia waving her arms madly at the darkness around them.
"… Until the day that asteroid come, big enough to destroyed our atmosphere. I am trying my best to protect it, everyone is.
But we aren't advanced enough and the meteor destroyed our planet, burying us kilometers deep inside the red sand, leaving no trace on the red planet
surface."
" And then I am here, forget everything my people has been trying to achieve and spending my time collecting souls for-what-ever-reason.
If I haven't had a chance to go back to that planet by chances and taking this 'memory crystal' I might be the blind fool for the rest of my life, like you guys!"
" But what's the point? Judging by your story. You guys already died out long ago! What are you gonna do?" Calliope asked.
" Have you ever seen the blue planet ( Earth)? It is the planet next to my red planet in that Milky Way galaxy."
" Wha-"
" I travel to it after my failed attempt to find any survivors on my red planet. And you know what? It is thriving with life.
I check the ground and elemental inside their body and there's no mistake. They are coming from bacteria inside my red planet.
During my lifetime, the blue planet is just a normal empty, lifeless planet. If somebody said that life will happens there. I will probably laughed my ass off.
But it is actually happening. The meteor that destroyed my planet, sending life towards the blue planet."
"What in the name of madness is this? It is not fair, not at all. And I will not tolerate any longer. There's no justice in this world until somebody created it.
And I will become that person, learning from the technology of undead, I could make the new soul for my people to thrive again on that red planet."
" You are collecting souls. To reviving your planet? Are you mad!" Calliope yelled.
" Not a chance! There used to be successful reviving ritual before. I just need to do it in the bigger scale. Which is why… a little sacrifices is necessary."
Artia looking around herself as if to says that all of this has to dies in order to make her dream come true.
" You lunatic!" Calliope jumps at Artia again, but mad reaper just kicking her chest without looking, knocking Calli down with a single movement.
" There's no ways you can win, Calliope. I have been preparing for this longer than you might ever imagine!" Artia kicking the staff back in her hands and
walking toward Calliope, ready to finished her off.
Calliope closing her eyes, waiting for an inevitable end. The enemy is too strong. And there is no way she could running away from Artia in time, hell.
She couldn't even teleport like a proper reaper yet! What the wheel of fate wanting Calliope to become in one day?
A genius reaper that could do anything at once? Nah!
And then, it is finally clicked.
Calliope opening her eyes as Artia is walking towards her, the staff with icy blade in hands.
The horn crying an alarm while the light spreading from the tunnel, telling her that the tube worm finally arrived, but there's no way Calli could reaching it in
time unless, of course, she could travel in the shadow realm.
Calliope watching with interest as the light shone, releasing the black shadow from every object in the area scepter from her and Artia.
How can that even work? Just by touching the light and everything also casting their own darkness. Why can't reaper make one too?
Calli looking at her own shadowless hand as the tube worm running quicker, almost 30 meters away from her and Artia at this point.
If she hasn't done something, the tube will crushing her with it steel head in less than a 10 seconds.
Artia seems to not being bothered by the fact. She just rising her blade above Calliope's head and creating a long icy spear,
aiming to pierced through Calli's eyes socket.
Calliope looking at the long passages of darkness that being created by the shadow, and decided in a whim that she doesn't want to die without knowing how
to perform a shadow travel.
Calli jumping towards the high speed tube worm, but she isn't actually going at it, her body blends with the shadow as she is moving towards another realm,
the place with eternity darkness. Where it is so silence that it make her ears hurt-
And then she is coming back to the real world again. Right now, Calliope is standing horizontally outside the tube worm wall,
looking at the passenger inside through the transparent crystal and wondering what the hell is just happening.
Is she just using the shadow travel movement? Is it always that easy? Can she doing it again?
Her train of thought suddenly being interrupted as something is slamming at her from behind, hard enough to cracked the tube worm walls and making the
passenger inside looking out in disbelief as Calliope's face is being smashed into the long vehicle.
" Remember, you smartass! Every reaper can used shadow travel.
So, you are not getting away that easily!"
Artia punching Calliope's face as she is speaking, before choking the reaper with both hands and trying to snapped her neck.
When the loud siren suddenly interrupted her voice, making Artia shook her head in frustration and waited for the sound to over before continuing with her
monologue.
" You see-" " Tells me you aren't familiar with this planet traffic without telling me you are not familiar with this planet!"
Calliope suddenly interrupted Artia speeches, making her frowned and looking at the rookie reaper who, using her shadow travel ability to teleport away.
" What?" Artia looks up and seeing another tube worm running toward her in full speed of 600 kilometers per hour.
It is running passed the other tube in the opposite direction and leaving only a 30 centimeters gap, which is not nearly enough for Artia to hiding inside and
she hasn't done so.
Artia being crashed with the tube worm in full speed, disappearing from the passenger sight and leaving only a bouncing staff that finally falls down between
two tube worm which running passed each other with their full speed.
…
Calliope who is standing at the other side of the vehicle laughing at her enemy's fate.
" When the siren rang. It's mean that two tube worm will meet each other, fool!" Reaper spat at the darkness behind her before she will jumping inside the
shadow and teleport to the other place.
As she is moving into the darkness. Calli trying to collect her thought and remember her task.
She has to warned her Death sensei about the mad reaper returning first, that's for sure.
There is no way Artia would being killed by a mere crashing like that. They have to prepared to fighting her again, and Calliope suspect that it will happen
sooner than how she will like.