Hazel rubbed his temples as the onslaught of his headache persisted. The Death of his sister still weighed on him heavily. It'd been only days since she passed due to Ozpin's incompetence.

The green-eyed man held a very deep hate for the Headmaster of Beacon. Hazel's hand fell from his face and gripped the stick of his aircraft harshly.

He's been working for his queen for a few months now and had to visit Black's far more times than he wanted.

Hazel slumped back in the seat and leveled a simmering gaze of irritation outside the glass shielding him from the gales.

He set the autopilot to a designated place near Vale. Where Hazel would have to transfer back to manual flight, Black's house was cleverly hidden deep within the sprawling forests of Vale.

Marcus Black's abode was just unassuming enough that any Huntsmen may look it over... Then again. It was far enough out that there was a low risk of it being seen at all, unless you knew where to look.

The shitty home being a couple hundred or more miles away from the nearest village. Hazel didn't remember nor care about the exact distance.

The less people that twisted bastard was around the better. In his opinion.

Hazel set the craft down in front of a drab two story house. He powered down the aircraft and sighed through his nose, in tandem with the engines as they spooled down.

The building he was gazing upon had boarded up windows on the first floor, no paint covered the house, only dry rotted logs.

Outside on the deck was a gray-haired bearded man. He held a flintlock revolver in one hand and a bottle of whisky in the other.

His eyes held nothing within them. But his face had a dangerous smirk on it.

Hazel held Marcus's glare as he stepped out of his two person aircraft.

"Ahh~ if it isn't the cunts messenger." Marcus sang out.

Hazel walked within the bare minimum, only so he could be heard, keeping a safe distance. He wouldn't be giving Black a chance to steal his semblance too.

"Black" Hazel spoke.

"That's my name" Marcus chuckled. Leveling his revolver in a careless arc across Hazel's chest as he leaned forward in a sarcastic bow.

"She has a job for you" Hazel cut to the point of his visit, barely keeping the disdain to normal rumble.

Marcus sat up from the rickety chair he was sitting in and polished off his bottle of whiskey.

Marcus turned and bashed his handguns grip into the door to his home. "Boy! Get out here!"

He then smashed the bottle via hurtling it at a nearby tree.

"Oh? She does?" He asked, a face of crazed calculative thought marking his interest.

Hazel nodded and crossed his arms.

"Salem, would like you to hunt down and either kill or incapacitate a Huntress-"

Marcus started laughing.

"If it's another one of those silver eyed bitches, I wager it'll be some damn good fun!"

Hazel's lip twitched in irritation.

"No" Hazel said.

Marcus's face twisted into displeasure.

"But. It is a Huntress with a teleporting semblance. And exceptional skill. As she defeated Tyrain." Hazel continues, trying to keep the deadly assassin's attention, Marcus was known for his small attention span.

Marcus slumped back into his chair; the old wood creaked.

Just as he did, the door to his home swung open. And out stepped a kid, with his dad's gray hair and eyes.

In his hand was another bottle of alcohol and his father's dagger.

Marcus roughly took both while Mercury's dull unmoving expression stayed the same.

"Well big fucka, I'm listening" Marcus snorted, he cracked open the bottle, cutting off the cap with his dagger.

Hazel nodded.

"The woman you're after has black hair, purple eyes and a Semblance that has a very telling activation. Her eyes glow purple upon the preparation of its use."

Hazel moved his hands to his hips.

"Salem's reward is the same as the last missions you've been sent on."

"You will also be sent all relevant information to assist in your hunt."

Marcus crossed his arms and started tapping a gnarly finger on the sharp edge of the cut booze bottle.

"The Cunt needs to send me more than jus booze an' food" Marcus wagered.

Hazel grit his teeth. "What more do you want?"

Marcus leaned forward and grinned, pointing the tip of the bottle at the green-eyed man.

"Well, is this hunta' hot or what?" Marcus took a pause to chug some booze.

"I'm lookin to make anotha' this one's good for nothin" he gestured to Mercury, slapping him in the stomach roughly with the back of his hand.

The kid didn't react. Other than lifelessly staring into Hazel's eyes. Mercury grabbed his father's hat from a nail above the seat and held it.

Hazel discreetly gave the child an apologetic look. But continued the conversation.

"I wouldn't know if she's to your tastes Black."

Marcus threw his arms out. "Then what good are ya for?"

Hazel closed his eyes, his mind warring with itself.

Then he made his decision. He sent out a small mental apology to the woman who'll face much torment.

"I believe Salem doesn't care what happens to the Huntress. Just that she doesn't continue to be a problem"

Marcus jumped up and slipped his handgun into its rightful holster on his hip. He then snatched his cowboy hat ought've Mercury's awaiting grasp.

"Hahaha! Tell me, how'd my buddy Callows bite it!?" He asked in far too much glee.

Hazel took Black's sudden change in demeanor as an agreement to remove his Queen's issue.

"He was run through by a dead man's sword, after the Huntress surprised him by teleporting in. I know not of the full events of his death" Hazel explained, quickly and gruffly.

Marcus seemed like someone just killed his buzz.

"Well, I'll send that freaky fuck my regards by butchering this bitch in his name" Marcus seemed to seethe.

Hazel brows furrowed just the tiniest of margins.

"You do that."

Hazel started making his way back to his ship, making sure to keep a careful eye on Black. And his Aura fully ready to take a blow.

Hazel held some hope in his angry heart that this Huntress offs Black for the whole world. One less unhinged individual the better in his opinion.

Hazel climbed back into his aircraft, the last thing he heard was Black hollering at his son to get shit ready.

Hazel gave one sneer back to the rundown house before taking off and departing.

Hazel had a small pit grow in his gut. But he shunted it aside like all the others.

-Some Months Later-

Death stood idly next to a tree, letting the shade protect her pale skin, whilst she watched Ruby and her Uncle train.

Death begrudgingly had to respect the newly alcoholic man's sheer skill, and his elusive style, he hides crushing and precise blows behind an aura of lax and unskilled swings and guards.

All deception. And a sharp mind for picking apart someone's defense.

Qrow was definitely a deadly individual.

Ruby was also dutifully picking up on that style also. Death's seen the red hooded girl throw her own scythe wide, just to bring it back smashing into Qrows guard when he took the bait in an attempt to capitalize on her faux blunder.

But the spar ended swiftly when Qrow swept sand up into his nieces' eyes blinding her, he followed up his dirty trick by punching her square in the face.

Ruby's soul shield flickered and Qrow stepped back and crossed his arms.

"Rubes, your opponent will use every single trick feasible to win" Ruby was rubbing the sand from her eyes.

"I know Uncle Qrow! But you don't need to do it to me!" She complained.

Death turned her focus away from the duo as Ruby's Uncle started a small lecture.

Instead, the Grim Reaper sneakily summoned her book of souls and started browsing between random people.

As she was reading, the door on the deck behind the Xiao-Long Rose home opened and out walked the owner of said house.

Taiyang took his time meandering his way over to Death as she peaked over the top of her tome.

Death simply watched as Taiyang shuffled his boots awkwardly, soon he reached within speaking distance.

"Hey Grim. I had a question I wanted to run by ya" he spoke with a grin, crossing his arms.

Death closed her book of souls with a snap and stuffed it under her arm.

"Yeah?" She replied.

"I know you're pretty resistant to Joining a primary combat school, but the Headmaster of Beacon gave me a call, and he had a proposition for you to join Beacon academy if you so wish."

Taiyang looked out to the two training individuals.

"Qrow had a hand in that, think of it as us repaying you for being around as a shoulder to lean on..."

Death kept her purple gaze on the fidgeting man.

Death crossed her arms and bit the inside of her cheek while Taiyang rambled for a little while longer.

"I'll only attend this academy if Ruby attends in the same starting year." The Grim Reaper stated.

Taiyang winced.

"I- yeah." His mind seemed to war within itself for a passing second.

"Okay, I'll ask Ozpin if Ruby can attend with you... But no promises. She's way too young to attend, even when you get older it'll be iffy"

Death smiled slowly. "Well, that's my condition. I have no idea why the headmaster of that school would want me that badly..."

Death thought it was somewhat suspicious the man in her book would so desperately want her to send him to judgment.

Ozma did sound so awfully similar to Ozpin... and more than a couple influential mortals in Remnants history... a coincidence...?

Death wagered not...

Taiyang gave Death an awkward smile before turning to watch Qrow train with Ruby, ending their brief conversation.

The Grim Reaper took a small breath in through her nose, exhaling through her mouth.

Death went to open her book again when she heard the crack of twigs under boots. Death stole a glance at Taiyang, the man watching his daughter and former teammate train. He was completely oblivious to the unfamiliar sound, no animals roamed this close to the house.

Death scanned the forest to her right, finding nothing. Next, she reached out with her power and found two souls directly behind her some twenty feet.

Death shrugged.

"Imma go for a walk.. Kay?" She told the blonde man. He just nodded.

With that she left his side and walked off into the side road that led to a larger settlement.

Death was mildly relieved when her stalkers chose to follow her.

The Grim Reaper continued on that trail for three miles, the two tails eventually split to either side of her.

She stopped dead and just stared straight forward.

The two crept closer under the thicket.

Then a gray-haired child, no older than her new mortal body stumbled out of a bush to her right.

Death turned and raised a brow.

"H-help. I'm lost and injured!" The boy's face was bruised, and he did have a cut on his side. To clean to have been done by the Taint.

Death ground her teeth together, itching to summon Harvest and put an end to this child's farce.

Death reigned in her temper, she didn't have the heart to end such a young life, and he wasn't destined to die by her hand.

Death heard the crunching of dirt, she spun around, Harvest in hand within a split second.

An older man with a nasty smile on his face grabbed her face and she felt something get snatched from her soul.

Suddenly her eyes lost their glow, next a blade pierced her chest.

Death grunted; in one swift movement the man pulled his oversized kitchen knife from her chest cavity. Only to pierce her again.

Death braced her hands against the blade, only to be savagely stabbed in the back, the longer blade slicing off her pinky, ring and middle fingers after it cleared her torso.

Both blades left her body at the same time.

The kid kicked the back of her knees. Death dropped with a gurgled wheeze.

"Ha! This is a fucken kid, eh boy?" The older man laughed, smashing the barrel of his gun into the top of Death's skull.

"Yeah, kinda weird father" the kid replied in deadpan, a shell-shocked tremor hiding within the undertone of his voice.

The old man chuckled.

"Her semblance was sure something else. I actually had some issues taking it! Compared to yours!" The man took the gun away from Death's head as she further slumped forward. Her immortal mind overwhelmed with the sensation of three stab wounds-and missing fingers...

Death listlessly grabbed at her chest. Internally acknowledging her lapse of judgment, in her unrealistic reaction to a lying child.

She tried to call on her power, but it wouldn't come. Her eyes flickered, Harvest misting in purple power within the blood-soaked dirt on her right.

"Well, son. You can have a go at her while she's still warm. I don't care much for children'" Marcus Black chuckled in unhinged mirth.

His son gave him a look of pure disgust. But his father was far too busy laughing.

Suddenly his laughing cut short, both weapons clattered to the ground. Marcus clutched at his chest.

His kid took a small step back, eyes wide.

Death sat up and gave a blank look as her powers slowly tore apart the man's soul.

Blood dribbled from the corner of Death's mouth.

She grabbed Harvest and stood to her feet, stumbling marginally. As her body grew and flesh burnt.

Mercury looked at her in pure fear as her hands became nothing more than skeletal.

Marcus started rolling on the ground foaming at the mouth.

Death arose, Hair and skin replaced by a skull, it's sockets alight.

"Such arrogance." The jaw unhinged once as a dreadfully raspy voice declared.

The plain outfit burnt off the body, in its place robes arose from a complex arcane circle at the thing's feet. The cloth was covered in pitch black smoke.

Finally, the thing became taller than his father ever was.

Mercury felt tiny, insignificant in its presence.

The glowing sockets gave his fathers convulsing body barely a glance before it swung the demonic looking scythe directly through his head. Splitting it in two like one would slice an apple.

Mercury backpedaled, tripping over sand in his panic and falling on his back. Dropping his blood-soaked short sword.

Purple power leaked from his father's body and quickly absorbed back into the monstrosities Bones, soaking in like a fine wine.

The tall skeletal monster quickly morphed back into the form of a small girl. The Scythe left his father's remains and stayed in the grip of a now healthier young... more alive hands.

Mercury eyes never left the glowing ones of it.

"You're not human!" The kid barked out in terror.

In a burst of courage, he grabbed his weapon up in a scoop and charged.

The thing whipped out a book from thin air, dodging his sloppy swing.

"Mercury Black. You have a long life, desist attacking me and I won't send you to judgement."

Mercury cared little for whatever mind games it was trying to play on him and swung again.

"Mortal, if you wish to die- I suggest not trying that again" it stated.

Mercury shouted and lashed out with a kick.

Death swung her book down into his kneecap, a sickening crack followed as his leg bent the complete opposite direction. His Aura shattered instantly.

Mercury collapsed with a cry of pain.

Death stepped back. "Do not make me forfeit your life"!

A bird cawed. No, a Crow.

Next a familiar man stepped out from behind a tree.

"Grim! What happened!?" Qrow asked, his eyes scanning the situation in a trained fashion before they landed at the corpse a few feet away, then to a spiteful Mercury, Qrow looked more than a little unsettled.

Then finally his gaze landed on a blood-soaked Grim Reaper.

Qrow relaxed his grip on his scythe.

"If it isn't Marcus Black... he had a kid?"

Death piercing gaze met Qrow. "You know whom these Mortals are?"

Qrow blinked. "Mortals? Yes, I do."

Death realized her fuckup and immediately appeared behind Qrow, as there was no way he didn't witness the mess Death just created.

The huntsman turned with a grunt and just barely blocked her fist with his blade. Harbingers surface dented like a car door hit by a hammer.

"Woah!" Qrow ducked under a deft swipe of Death's Scythe. Thankfully only the blunt end would've hit him.

"I'm not gonna tell anyone!" Death's next swing stopped in an instant.

"Explain" Death stated.

"Uhm. Cause I'm Ruby's favorite Uncle? Oh and perhaps I'm not a fucken idiot. I also know you're not evil-" Qrow hastily stated.

Qrow took a small step back. "I don't care what you are. You wouldn't bake cookies, with my niece if you were."

Mercury whimpered on the ground.

Death kept an eye on Qrow, as her hand glowed and Mercury's consciousness left him.

Death then sighed, fixing her posture to something normal. She started her explanation...

"Hello, I'm a Grim Reaper. I have been assigned to watch over this world's life and death cycle."

Qrow rubbed his chin, impressed at how fast she stood down and stopped trying to smoke him. He cleverly hid his shaking hand via fixing his smoothed back hair.

"So, if you're here to do that, or whatever. You wouldn't be living in Tai's house, somethings wrong, yeah?" Qrow guessed out immediately.

Death made Harvest return to inside her soul.

"That really isn't any of your business.." Death brushed off.

"Huh. Yeah, it kind of is" Qrow stated.

Death's glowing gaze met Qrows. The man was sweating in fear. Death could see it.

His backbone was commendable, especially after seeing her for what she truly was.

"I'll reward you for your bravery or stupidity" Death spoke.

"I care for your niece and by a promise I made to her mother, I shall always stay near her side. Whilst completing my main mission"

Qrow stuffed his hands into his pockets, after giving his sword a glance over and stabbing it into the dirt when it refused to change into carry mode.

"This mission, what might that be?" He dared.

"A couple of mortals gained immortality, and I plan to cull them from this plane, see they're way past they're expiration dates. That's a big no-no" Death explained with a bit of sarcasm.

She then cut off Qrows next question.

"And the original Reaper of this world is decidedly not doing his job, I have to find him and take him back to our boss for his punishment"

Qrow held up a hand. "Alright I've heard of Grim Reapers before, most people associate y'all with the grim.."

"The names are similar" Death spoke lowly.

Qrows face broke out in a grin. "How much did I drink?" Death shrugged.

Death held out her hand to search his body for ailments. Finding him clear of any alcohol or cognitive impairments.

"You're sober for once." Death said.

—- two hours of Explaining later —-

Qrow sat on a log, Death across from him. Her legs crossed.

"So you're telling me, you're not a Maiden?" Qrow asked.

Death shook her head for the fifth time. "No, I'm not a magical enhanced woman. As I've stated before I'm a Grim Reaper.."

Death rubbed the bark of the rotten log she sat on with a hand.

"Back on topic, you're telling me that the assassin was sent by someone known as Salem?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. You did Ozpin and I a massive favor by putting him in the dirt." Qrow smirked.

Death removed her hand from the log bringing some dead bark up to her eye.

"So, tell me about this Ozpin guy.." Death asked.

It's only natural to get to know whom she's going to send to judgment. She was like a doctor. And his appointment was far overdue.

"Why?" Qrow asked.

"Because, him and this Salem need to go. As I've stated before.. they've broken the cycle, stood outside its lawful grasp for far too long."

Qrow grunted and crossed his arms. "So you want me to tell you where to find Qz? So you can kill him!?"

Death ground her teeth. "I'm not killing him, just sending him to rest. His soul is literally decaying. Sure. New souls can be made.. but having constantly circulating souls saves on a world's lifespan!" She nearly ranted.

Qrow opened his mouth. But Death interrupted him.

"Here, let me put this in a way you can understand. Your world has a very very small lifespan right now." She raised her fingers to show him how small the gap is physically.

"This planet will be no more within a short couple thousand millennium. It will run out of energy and it will die."

Death huffed as Qrow sat back.

Death saw the information finally setting in.

"If I don't do this, I will condemn another world to a grisly fate, Remnant should last for millions upon millions of years, billions even.."

Death remembers every single world she'd watch die from the same things.

Qrow rested his chin on his fists as they balled together.

"That can't be what'll happen. Oz has the relic of Creation, the Lamp of Knowledge, Crown of Choice.. and the Sword of Destruction."

Death pinched her nose.

"No magical relic is powerful enough to save a world when it's actively destroying itself. Nothing but a Grim Reaper can solve these issues now."

"And i'll start by putting these immortals back into the cycle so the energy they've been stealing can be repurposed into new souls," Death explained gently.

Qrow sat back again.

"So Oz has to die?" He asked in a defeated tone.

"In a manner of speaking, yes he will… nothing lasts forever. The only constant is the Cycle. Reapers and The Overseer."

Qrow perked up at the last name.

"Your boss?" Death nodded.

"If he's more powerful than you.. Can't he come snap his fingers and fix everything?" Qrow was grasping at straws and he knew it.

Death chuckled mirthlessly. "Yeah, he'll show up and snap his fingers and all of us will be no more.."

"Dammit, of course" Qrow grunted, some deep-seated cynicism coating his words.

Death gave him some time to process the information.

…..

….

….

"Okay.. I won't interfere. Promise me you'll make it painless. That's the least he deserves. He's a good man."

Death gave Qrow a sorrowful smile.

"I'm not supposed to do this… but I'll give him some more time perhaps, if it'll make it easier."

Death leaned forward and stood. Walking up to Qrow. She set a hand on his shoulder. "Your a good soul, may you live a fruitful life"

With that Death set back to the Xiao-Long residence, before that her watch chimed.. She knelt and grabbed Mercury under the shoulders.

She ripped open a portal, reappearing in front of a clinic, in the deserts of Vacuo.

Death set the child down on the front steps, she then scaled a window, quickly entering. She grabbed the soul of a recently departed elderly gentleman, quickly she gave it a farewell rub and sent it off to judgment.

Death was unsure of how she should continue. Perhaps there's more to these Mortals' immortality?

Death peaked from the window.

There was a very very odd disconnect from this planet's magical energy and its inhabitants.

One that seems like it was hastily cut, like one would cut a ribbon.

And then there's the odd magical residue, it was deitial in nature. It coated the lands like a light fog.

It doesn't make sense.

The large gap of souls in her book also made no sense, it's like all life was forcibly ended some time ago.. only one remained throughout as a constant.

Then mortals started appearing again. With another soul from the same time as this Salem.

Death frowned deeply, squeezing the window seal.

Something terrible happened on this planet.. She can't even feel the other Reapers' energy at all.

Perhaps she should visit a relic? They stood the test of time. Perhaps she could gather more information by infusing one with her energy?

Death shook her head, she needed to be close to one to even sense it. Wherever they resided must be outside the current reality she roams..

She can barely feel strong whispers of mana signatures.

Then there's the Taint.. They're corrupt energy was another blanket over everything else. Muddling everything into one very difficult puzzle.

The corrupt mana covers everything, even masking it at times. It gave Death a headache trying to wade through it just to get a sliver of information. It made everything feel wrong.

There wasn't any other way she could explain the feeling.

She also feels as if the other Reaper may have perished, it's no easy feat to kill a Reaper..

No, Death shook her head. He must be banished.

Or locked away under something else's power.

..

..