Grief is one of the most difficult aspects of life imaginable. It's something we all will face at least once in our lives. That was a fact. Needless to say, the fragile existence we all share comes with much more then the sorrows of death. But today in particular would be filled to the brim with sadness of all that knew and had loved Ana. Only those exposed to the supernatural world knew the truth. Ana wasn't gone. Not forever. She was reborn. Her soul lived on, in the body of someone new.

This information was a comfort to me. But I couldn't extend this information to anyone else in my family. I wouldn't make the mistake of involving anyone else in the world of reapers. Ana could have truly been gone, if it wasn't for Jacob's eternal marking. I owed him. Even though it wasn't like this was done on purpose. You don't get to choose who you give your marking to. It's all fate. Which sounds romantic. Of course, I could be biased on the whole thing. Since Edward had placed his marking on me.

It's been three days now. The funeral would be taking place this evening. Ana's remains have already been transported back to Plum, to be buried next to our father's grave. It was what she had wanted. Ironically, today Ana would be returning to our plane of existence, in her new vessel. She would return to the world of the living, just in time to watch her old body get buried. We had already made arrangements for all of us to fly to Plum this evening for her funeral.

But right now, all I could think about was Ana's arrival. She should be coming in soon. Me, Edward and Jacob had collected in the patron hall. Waiting patiently for any sign of her coming. It felt like an eternity. As uncomfortable as it was in this dreadful place, I couldn't deny the fact that I was excited. We all stood, facing the floor to ceiling mirror that the grim had exited from in the past.

"Are you sure she is coming?" Jacob said with an impatient frown in Edward's direction.

"I'm just passing along the message from the grim. He instructed for us to be here by noon." Edward said with a dark look at him. "If you have complaints, feel free to voice them to the grim. I'm sure he would love to hear it."

"Oh, shut it. You would be just as anxious as me if you were in my shoes." Jacob muttered with a hint of annoyance leaking through his tone.

I barely listened as the two of them bickered and picked fun at each other. It was nice to see the two of them getting along. Since Jacob had given Ana his marking, he has changed. I'm not sure if I would say he is a better person than he was. He was still quite infuriating to talk with. But when it came to his feelings, he was a bit more open and honest. I was happy for him. I just hoped that Ana would be able to accept all this.

"Bella, are you alright my sweet?" Edward said moving to wrap an arm around my waist. He pulled me close to him, his hand moved down to lightly stroke over the slight bulge of my stomach.

I smiled, leaning my head on his shoulder. "I'm alright, just lost in thought."

Jacob paused, his eyes flickering towards my stomach, then to me. "And the baby, I hear it's a boy. I meant to say congrats."

"Thanks Jake,"

"Have you thought of any names yet?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "A few, but I have some time until I need to start narrowing it down?"

Suddenly the mirror began to glow, which abruptly ended our conversation. We all went quiet as a figure began moving in the mirror. Flashes of grey dust started to fall through the glass, landing on the ground in front of our feet.

A hooded figure appeared, two more followed behind. I was surprised by the number of individuals appearing. I had thought it would just be Ana. The first hooded figure stood in front of the other two, slowly moving a skeletal arm out towards the three of us.

Edward and Jacob were already on their knees bowing. In a panic, I went to crouch down as well, but the hooded figure reached out, touching my shoulder. I froze in place.

"No need to bow." The voice sounded deep and menacing. But at the brief contact it made me with, there was a feeling that began deeply inside of me. This felt familiar somehow. I assumed that this must be the grim.

The hand on my shoulder began to form rapidly, building veins, muscle and eventually skin. The hooded figure now took the shape of a man. I now was greeted by a man with ebony locks and strange violet eyes. His skin was so pale, he almost appeared sickly. But there was no doubt in my mind, this was the grim. In this form, he took the name Mozi.

Mozi offered me a wide smile, his strange eyes looking me over with an expression I couldn't read. "Isabella, it's nice to see you again. I hope your pregnancy is going well."

I nodded. "Yes, everything is going well, I was told, it's going to be a boy."

Mozi raised a brow, an amused look on his face. "Is that right? I'm not so sure of that." He then turned to Edward and Jacob. "You two may rise." All affection had left his tone now. A scary look came to his face.

The two that had followed closely behind him, now moved their hoods up, revealing their faces. I stared at the new people. I was unsure which one was Ana. They both didn't look familiar at all.

"I see a lot has transpired over these last few days. Two new reapers have been created. This is a rare occurrence. Usually, I can except one reaper every year or so." Mozi said folding his arms across his chest. "Are you all attempting to put a heavier load of work on my shoulders?"

"Not at all your grace." Edward replied, bowing his head once again. "I can assure you, the death of these two individuals has nothing to do with our company."

"I can't say the reason for one of these two. But I know, my sister's death is because of Aro. He and his company have been trying to cause trouble for us. They thought Ana's death would cause me enough pain to leave me with a scar of misery." I spoke up.

Edward took my hand, giving it a little squeeze, he shook his head at me. Warning me not to say anything else. It was a completely wordless exchange, but I understood. I was speaking out of turn. I wasn't high ranking in this supernatural world. I shouldn't even be here. I was to let Edward speak and only him. I resigned myself to remain quiet from this point on.

"If that's true, I can assure you, Aro will be punished. I won't tolerate any further distress coming to you. Especially as you carry this special child." Mozi said with a frown.

"Please, with your permission, allow me to handle the situation with Aro." Edward responded. "I'd like to end the conflict with him, before things get more violent."

"To be honest I'm not sure you can resolve this peacefully Edward. I've been watching this situation for a while. I'm afraid this is going to take more than just words. This will take action, I think death is the only option left for Aro." Mozi said with a slight frown coming to his face.

"If you know that, why haven't you taken him out yourself? Why are you letting him get away with hurting all these people?" Jacob spoke up with a hint of arrogance.

Mozi narrowed his eyes at Jacob, and for just a moment, Jacob fell to his knees in a fit of agony. He clutched at his head, withering in pain on the ground.

"Please stop," I said quickly moving to Jacob in panic. I've never seen him in such pain and with such fear in his eyes.

Jacob went silent the moment Mozi looked away from him. He let out a labored breath as he sat himself upright from the ground. I could still see the terror on his face as he struggled to catch his breath.

"If you ever question me again, I'll remove every last inch of your existence off the face of the earth. Body, soul and mind. Don't test my patience boy."

The threat was clear. Now I understood why everyone was so afraid of the grim. He was strong. Merciless. And unwavering. Even though it was a frightening display, I could only respect his decision. With that kind of disrespectful statement from Jacob, he could have just killed Jacob right as he said that. But instead, he allowed this to be his warning. So, perhaps he did have a soft side as well.

There was now a tense silence growing in the room. The two new reapers stood back, watching everything that happened with open curiosity. But I noticed one of them keep looking my way. Her eyes were the same as Mozi's. An unnatural purple color. Quite beautiful. She watched me closely; I saw just the faintest smile on her lips. I knew in my heart that was Ana. I recognized that smile. Even though this person, really looked nothing like her… I knew it was her.

Edward cleared his throat for a moment. "What are your orders?" He looked at Mozi with a serious expression now.

"Aro is going to come for Isabella. He has grown tired of his useless thugs failing at their missions. When he does, I want you to let him."

I felt my eyes widen and my heart fall to the pit of my stomach. Did Mozi actually hate me? Did he want to get rid of me? Why else would he allow Aro to kidnap me? This would put my baby at dire risk.

"There is no way I can agree to that." Edward muttered quietly, his hands balling into fists at his sides now. I moved from Jacob, who recovered and is now standing. I went to Edward's side and clung to him tightly. Scared of what this might mean.

"I can assure you; she will not be harmed. I can give you my word on that. Aro will take her to the offshore location in Rozelle. From there, I will take care of the rest." Mozi commanded with a hard look in Edward's direction.

Edward gritted his teeth, while his shoulders trembled. I could feel the anger boiling within him. His emotions were harsh, like waves crashing against a beach. I was sure he still wouldn't want to agree to something like this. He has always been very protective of me, especially now that I was pregnant. In fact, I've barely been five solid minutes away from him since I found out I was pregnant. He was always around, or someone was there guarding me.

"It's not happening." Edward shot back with hostility.

Surprisingly, this didn't seem to upset Mozi. Instead, he gave Edward a nod of approval. "She won't be alone. She will be accompanied by a very strong reaper."

"Who?"

Mozi gestured to one of the two new reapers that had followed him out of the mirror. This woman wasn't Ana. But looked similar. She had extremely dark hair, just like Mozi, but instead of the violet eyes, hers were a vibrant mixture of red and blue. The most bizarre color of eyes that I've ever seen. It was clear that she was different, even when compared to other reapers.

"My wife will be kidnapped along with Isabella. Disguised as a new reaper. Aro won't have any idea how much trouble he will be in."

His wife? This woman was married to the grim. She was the first reaper he ever created. To chase away his loneliness, he made himself a life partner. And together, they had children. This started the first generation of blood blues. Reapers that had been born, not created by magic.

Edward and Jacob exchanged looks of astonishment as they bowed their heads to the woman.

"It's an extreme honor." Edward replied quickly.

"The honor is all mine." She responded in a light, beautiful voice. She graced us all with a heartbreakingly gorgeous smile. It felt like the heavens were singing. Like the earth had stopped turning for a moment. She was goddess-like.

Warmth came to my chest as she made eye contact with me. Her smile widened as she watched me.

"You can refer to me as Matrika when in this form." The woman spoke with delight. "Hopefully this will give you some comfort in our plans. You don't have to worry about Isabella's safety. Not while I'm at her side. We will put an end to all of this."

I did feel better. Instantly. I didn't know why, but I felt incredibly comfortable with this woman. There was just something about her. I trusted her. I could put my life in her hands and feel confident that she was telling the truth.

Edward seemed to accept this as well, although still begrudgingly. "I suppose there really wouldn't be anything to worry about. We will go along with this plan. When will Aro attack?"

"Sixty-five days, so prepare yourselves." Mozi said with a stern nod.

That's a little over two months. I would be 25 weeks along by then in my pregnancy. Sometime in April, I would be allowing myself to be kidnapped by the enemy. This all sounded so crazy to me. But I had faith in these decisions. If this would end the conflict with Aro, I would be willing to do just about anything.

"Wait, so if Matrika isn't actually the second newly made reaper, where are they? There is only one new reaper here. Isn't that, right?" Jacob said cautiously.

"I'll reveal the other reaper in a couple more days, he is a special case. His vessel will be a bit different, so it's taking me a little more time to prepare. For now, just focus on this one. I'll reach out to you when the other reaper is ready." Mozi said flatly, before gesturing to the reaper; thought to be Ana.

With this, she took a few steps towards us, removing her robes entirely. She wore the usual reaper uniform. Form-sitting top and bottom, black in color. Possibly made with some kind of spandex material. Her raven black hair reached just to the top of her shoulders. Eyes of violet. She looked to be the same age as Ana.

"B-Bella," Her voice sounded different, higher pitched and airy.

My heart squeezed in my chest. Without another thought I moved away from Edward and walked over to her. "Is it really you Ana?" I whispered quietly, as tears came to my eyes.

She nodded, her lip quivering.

I wrapped my arms around her instantly, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank goodness. I thought I had really lost you."

Her arms came around me at the same time, with a strength that I hadn't expected. She buried her head in my shoulder, a smile coming to her face for the first time.

"This is completely insane. But… I feel so much better. It's like getting a second chance to live my life. Although it sounds like it's going to be really different than it was before."

"I promise, things will be okay. I'll make sure you still get to do the things you've always wanted to do. This is a new start for the both of us." I said as we pulled apart from our hug.

Mozi and Matrika watched us, with soft smiles on their faces. The way they looked at me, it felt so… nostalgic. I couldn't for the life of me understand why that was.

"From today onward, this vessel will continue into existence with a new identity. Her new name is Zara, be sure to only address her by this name from now on, when in the presence of other reapers." Mozi said with a wide smile. "We decided on the name, to pay homage to the last daughter that Matrika had birthed."

"Wow, what an honor." I muttered, keeping Ana close to my side.

I remember Edward mentioning a little bit around the grim and his descendants. It was all pretty interesting. To my understanding, the grim and his wife had twenty full-blooded children that went out into the world and continued breeding new reapers. Eventually, one of their branches was tragically ended, when one of the blue bloods turned into a devourer. They slaughtered their entire bloodline.

"Are you aware of the story, of our children?" Mozi continued with a raised brow. Matrika moved to clung to his side, watching me with a kind look on her face.

"I've heard a little bit of it." I nodded.

"Would you like to hear a little more?" Matrika asked.

"Yes, I'd love to hear more." This was exciting. I'm sure this wouldn't be common knowledge. Even within the reaper communities. The lore of these beings was incredible and if this was my fate, it would be nice to know a bit more about everything. When my eternal marking finally finished, my body would be transformed into the body of a reaper.

"With our union, Matrika gave birth to ten boys and ten girls. The births were several hundred years apart. We feared having a large amount of powerful reapers in existence at once may cause some power struggles between the siblings. So, we spread the births out as far as possible." Mozi said with a gentle chuckle.

"Our children took roles as soul collectors once they grew to the age of adulthood. And eventually began to form small groups of subordinates to help them as the population began to steadily grow with humans. Some reapers were born, somewhere created. This created a mixture of strong reapers and weak loyal followers." Matrika added.

"Matrika had just given birth to our last daughter, Zara, when we learned the news that one of our sons had become a devourer and was going on a rampage, killing off his bloodline." Mozi said, the smile falling from his face.

"What caused this to happen? Why did he become a devourer?" I asked hesitantly.

"Someone had poisoned his mind with lies. A vile creature had promised my son more power, if he just was to consume a single soul of a human. So of course, with the chance of becoming more powerful, he consumed a soul and became the world's first devourer."

That was awful. I immediately felt bad for the man that had been fooled. But it raised further questions. Who was the creature that tricked him? A human? Another reaper? It wasn't clear.

"Our son lost complete control over himself and began to consume the souls of everything and everyone around him. His family, friends and those that worked for him. Even his children, grandchildren, everyone that was directly tied to him." Matrika said with a sad look on her face.

"To end his bloodshed and protect his life, we took our son out of this plane of existence and transported him to a safe place called 'the void'. He will remain there until we can find a way to revert these changes within him and turn him back to normal." Mozi explained with a hopeful nod.

"What about the rest of your children? I've never... had the pleasure of meeting any of them, or any of their descendants either." Edward asked.

"Well, eight of them are all spread out around the world. Ruling over their own reaping companies. Like we said, our son is still in the void." Mozi paused, searching Edward's face for a moment, then he glanced towards me. "My youngest daughter, Zara, has been out of communication for a very long time."

"Why is that?" Jacob asked as he slowly inched his way closer to me and Ana. His eyes explored her for a while.

"Well, since there wouldn't be any further children born after her, and we saw how much pain and agony our son had been put through because of his nature, we decided to offer our last child a chance at a normal, safe, human life. We waited for the perfect human family to come into existence and sent her down as an infant to that family." Matrika responded, lowering her head. "It wasn't easy, being forced to watch from the sidelines as my own daughter grew and called someone else mother. It's been tortuous."

"So, your youngest daughter is human?" I said raising a brow.

"Not quite. She appears human now. However, all her abilities are sealed inside of her. Once unsealed, she we regain all her power and most likely, her appearance will change drastically once she is awakened." Mozi said with a serious look. "But to awaken her… is very dangerous. It must be done by me. It's a delicate process. So, before she meets the end of her natural life, she must return to me to be unsealed. If she dies… before I unseal her… it could be the very end of her existence, permanently."

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