Son of Lazarus

Chapter 29: The Reaper's Abode

June 15th, 2041

12:20p.m.

2 months, 2 days, 5 hours, 5 minutes, and 20 seconds to War.

   Silence ruled the air here. Nothing disturbed it except the ticking of the clocks that lined the walls. The floor was covered in a soft white fog that swirled and twisted with every movement. The walls were bare and black, though the clocks that lined them added a splash of color. At one end of the place was a desk full of papers filed neatly into their proper places. At the other end opposite the desk was a door made of bronze steel and decorated with a raven holding the scale of balance in one claw. Its wings were stretched wide in a display of pride and the one eye that was visible seemed to glow with a red ruby. Sitting against the wall in front of a bookshelf that seemed almost practically empty except for a few books was an onyx carved pedestal. There was a design etched in white marble along the sides of a scythe and dead center of the pedestal where a book would rest was a skull.

   There were three clocks not with the rest of the bunch on the walls. These ones were set aside above the desk and each one had their own unique coloration to set them aside from the other clocks. The smallest clock dead center of the wall directly above the desk was a beautiful holographic dark blue and the hands of the clock were glowing a gentle white. Each time the hands pulsed with this light it let off a small chime that sounded like a bell ringing. The chiming noise brought a young woman from one of the rooms. She wore a pair of glasses whose lens were glowing with the soft blue light of a holographic screen. Her hair was a pale ginger and the bridge of her nose was dotted with small freckles the same color, if not a shade darker than, her hair. Her skin was tanned softly as though she'd spent time outside. She wore a pencil skirt of gray color that almost clashed with the fog that floated around her feet. Her blouse was tucked into her skirt and was of a white material with black buttons running from the top of her chest down to where it tucked into her skirt.

   Around her neck was a pendant made from the same white marble on the onyx pedestal. Behind the glasses, her eyes were a soft golden brown with a burst of blue in the center. She watched as the clock continued to glow. Upon the fifth glow of the clock's hands, she scurried out of the main area and into one of the other doors. These doors were huge and the color of death itself with a scythe etched into the stone with ruby and marble accents. "Grim?" She called to the figure sitting on the bed that was opposite her. Tentatively, she stepped inside the room and adjusted her glasses. "I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but-"
   "Then why did you?" Grim's voice was rough and as quiet as the shadows themselves. It was like he was whispering death itself and it made her shiver.
   "The clock..." she began, her voice catching in her throat. She saw a skeletal hand move to put something down on the nightstand by his bed; possibly his Book of Names.

   "What about it?" He asked simply, turning his head to look at her. His eyes sent a shiver down her spine. One was blue and the other was a blood red that seemed to glow in the dim lighting. "Don't tell me you came in here to warn me that someone's soul needs judging. You know how I feel about that, Nova." Nova swallowed and began to play with her hair.
   "It's not that, sir," Grim rose to his feet and crossed the floor to where he hung his robe. When she looked up, she took in all of him. Half of his body was completely human and the other half skeletal. She could see the jawbone and cheekbone of his face. From here she could just barely see his shoulder and collarbone. Grim grabbed his robe and flung it around his shoulders, hiding his exposed shoulder and arm. He turned towards her, adjusting the robe as he moved. Half his chest was gone, exposing ribs and a beating heart.
   "Then what is it? And it better be important."

   Nova swallowed what fear she had of him and lifted her head high. "It's glowing," she said simply. That caught his attention and made him pause in tightening up his robe.
   "What?" He asked, his hands dropping to his sides. Nova nodded and stepped to the side to allow him to pass by her.
   "The hands on the clock are glowing white. I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, though. Wasn't your son born human?"
   "If he had been, I would have been able to watch him grow up," Grim said coldly, allowing her to follow him as he stepped into the main portion of his place. "I felt it myself, Nova. My son was born more Reaper than human. Which clock is glowing?" He looked around for a time before his eyes caught the white glow of the clock above his desk. Those three clocks were meant to represent him and his family. His own clock was black with white numbers and red hands. Around it there was a smoky glow to signify his immortal status.

   The clock beside it was a representation of his wife, the colors being white with blue numbers and hands blue. The hands had stopped moving, displaying that her time had come to an end but it also bore the shadow fog around it, letting him know that she was still very much alive but not in the mortal plane. The clock in between his clock and that of his wife was the same black as his with blue numbers and red hands. The outer rim of the clock itself made it seem like it had been dipped in blood. Grim stared at it for a few moments, about ready to turn to Nova and display his displeasure at being disturbed when he was trying to work when the subtle soft glow of the crimson hands of his son's clock caught his attention. The glow drew his head away from Nova, much to her relief. His eyes didn't leave the hands as they began to pulse. Something must have been amiss if his son's clock was beginning to glow.
   "Nova," he called, his eyes never moving from the clocks. "Where's my son?"

   "Uh," Nova's movements were noisy and Grim could hear the sound of a book getting pulled off a shelf. The pages turned and the shifting stopped. Silence controlled the air for a time before she spoke up finally. "He's on Westin Street. Outside of the hospital." Grim remained silent for a time longer, his arms moving slowly until one was crossed over his chest and the thumb and forefinger of the other was gripping his chin in a thoughtful manner.
   "Anything else?" Another page turn.
   "Cause of death: broken neck followed by decapitation." A smile crossed the Reaper's face and turned the air around them as cold as the touch of death itself.
   "I think it's time I woke him up then," Grim turned to face Nova, both of his eyes giving off a soft glow. "Don't you think so?" Nova couldn't help but smile.
   "Yessir,"