[𝐁𝐋] 𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞

Wrapped in warmth, Azrail felt at peace.

Silence hummed inside of his ears as his eyes were shut tight—darkness overrunning his vision, but he didn't mind. Tranquility was all he felt at the moment as the warmth proceeded to expand all over his body like the sea. To him, it felt like he was being hugged affectionately by a mother; clutching him tightly and securely, never wishing to let go.

Though Azrail felt slightly appalled by his unfamiliar surroundings, he assumed that as long as he felt this affection and tenderness, all would be well. Just as the warmth clutched onto him tightly, never wishing to let go—Azrail also clung strongly to the pleasant and fuzzy feeling, eyes peacefully closed as a light smile graced his pink lips.

To say that he felt belonging and love was correct. Azrail thought: Is this what being hugged by a mother feels like? To be cherished and cared for so much that life and death know no bounds? He craved for this feeling to never end.

However, nothing can last forever. Just when he was feeling an attachment to this warmth, it was promptly deprived from him, tugging him away as the recognizable coldness bitted his lifeless heart; gnawing away from the scant pleasure he had left.

This unexpected transition made Azrail miserable, not wanting to let go as he hopelessly pursued to grab back the fading affection—but it was too late. Now left in the cold with nothing but smothering obscurity and deranged silence, Azrail floated there; alone.

For the first time—in a long time—Azrail felt like crying. He didn't know why, but once the warmth he felt hugging him so closely let him go unwillingly, he felt as if a massive portion of his heart was taken away along with it. Now he felt alone and cold, uncertain where he was and afraid of what was to come next.

Why allow for him to feel such embracing gentleness, then strip him of it? Azrail was certain that the Gods were now just having their fun with him, fooling with his emotions and tormenting what was left of his departing soul. Yet he could do nothing but just stay where he was and silently weep.

Nothing was fair in life or death; this was something Azrail understood at that moment. Gods just wished to toy around with the living and the dead just for their enjoyment, and when they got fatigued with this game, they would retire and appreciate the rest of eternity in another utopia far from their obligations leaving behind new and terrified humans to become the next inconsiderate Gods.

At this point, it was like the creator of all just wished to scorn both life and death, declaring that no matter how righteous and just you endeavor to grow into, it would always amount to nothing but self-loathing and resentment.

All of this was just one enormous joke.

This thought tickled his stomach. Now he was to become a leading part of the performance, huh? All of his life lead to this moment; a moment of which would be occupied with another eternity of torment. But couldn't he just retire like the other God of Death? At first, it appeared transparent, but the more time Azrail drifted there, mulling about this, he began to think that it wasn't so. Perhaps he was to do something grand in order to eventually depart permanently and stop the self-persecution of garnering souls.

Though capturing the souls of the dead was something to have an immense esteem for, it was still something saddening to think about. Death was no straightforward task; not for the dead or reaper. Both must have suffered for the reaper to ultimately become unaffected by the self-torture they go through for generations.

As Azrail was once again caught inside of his thoughts, Azrail thought he heard the groaning of a rusty door opening before him as he felt his body being absorbed inside. When he finally felt that he was inside of a different surrounding, the door once again creaked closed, locking itself. Bringing his hands in front of him, Azrail swung his arms around, trying to feel his new environment, only for him to giggle in reply as he felt his hand brush against a feathery object.