3 The In-Between

Suddenly, a shroud of darkness enveloped everything around me, plunging me into an abyss of uncertainty. My breath quickened, my heart raced, and I struggled to comprehend my surroundings.

I gasped and looked around. The figure claiming to be "Death" vanished without a trace, leaving me alone in this disorienting expanse of darkness.

A shiver ran down my spine, and I strained to see through the obsidian void. Strangely, despite the pitch-black environment, I could discern my own body – a faint, ethereal light seemed to emanate from within me, casting a glow that illuminated my form.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing in this chamber of darkness. "What's going on...?"

There was no reply. I could only hear the echo of my voice from a distance..

"Should I just… stay here?" I asked myself. "Wait for that Death person to arrive?"

I shook my head. "No, I will no longer be a damsel in distress who needs a man to save her. I will find him myself."

'Easier said than done.' I gave my surroundings one last look before I finally decided.

Taking a deep breath, I set out into the darkness. I strode forward with one purpose in mind. As I was walking, I noticed that every step I took created a splashing sound. I stopped and looked down to inspect the ground, finding it wasn't wet.

I shrugged off the weirdness of the situation and continued on my path.

It felt like I had been walking for an eternity, traversing the dark void as my thoughts were consumed by a single goal – finding Death. The oppressive silence pressed down on me, with only the sound of my footsteps accompanying me.

After what seemed like a considerable distance, a faint glimmer of light shone in the distance.

I was filled with a sense of relief and started to run toward it. As I drew closer, I realized that the source of the light was none other than Death himself, who was radiating a brilliance that contrasted greatly with the darkness surrounding us.

"Where am I?" I asked him after I reached where he was standing

He turned around upon hearing my voice and offered a coy smile. "Welcome to the In-Between."

"What?"

"This is the space between Life and The Other Side."

"Wait, so you're saying… I'm dead?"

"That is correct."

"How am I dead if I didn't even set the forest ablaze?" I pointed out. "You stopped me before I could even–"

"I reaped your soul out of your body." He said. "So that you would have a painless death."

"What do you mean–" Before I could finish my sentence, he raised his right arm, revealing the insides of his black cloak.

I quirked an eyebrow; what was I supposed to see? Death might've noticed my confusion, so he cleared his throat and spoke. "Look carefully." So I did.

It was blurry at first, but after a few seconds, I saw an image within the depths of his cloak. It was a scene from the forest – me lying on the bed of leaves, a lighter nearby with its nonexistent flames.

Realization struck me like a bolt of lightning. "I truly am dead." I gasped and turned to look at Death, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Wait, you are Death!"

"Took you long enough." He sighed, lowering his arm. "Look."

He pointed at my hand, which he almost crushed with his heeled boots. I peeked down at it and saw that my wound healed completely. My eyes widened, and I couldn't restrain a gasp.

"Surprise?" He chuckled. "Aren't you also wondering why you can breathe properly even if I nearly choked you to death a while ago?"

Trying to ignore how Death made a pun out of his existence, I grabbed my neck and caressed where the supposed red marks and cut should be.

"It doesn't hurt," I said, bewildered. I gulped because I felt nothing weird at all. I expected to feel at least a small amount of pain, but there was none completely. "I feel perfectly fine as if the attack didn't even happen."

"I cannot mortally wound you," He said.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"

He turned around to face me. As soon as he revealed his face, I couldn't help but feel awe at his majestic, inhuman features. In the middle of this dark place between Life and The Other Side, his pale, glowing skin served as our faint light source.

Crimson irises like fresh blood, glowering at me, looking at me as if he was merely looking at a child.

"I am what you humans consider 'unreal.'" He said. "Something mythical, like—"

"A unicorn?" I finished his sentence for him.

"I'd rather not be associated with such a creature, but if it makes explaining easier, suit yourself." He shrugged. "But allow me to use the word magic. It can be seen or felt or affect any of your five senses. However, it cannot be explained--"

"On the contrary..." I interrupted. "Most things can be explained by science, and there is no such thing as magic because it's most likely a cheap trick—"

Now, Death interrupted. "Even if I can't hurt you, I can still kill you, and you'll be left here as a wandering soul with no one to help you go to the other side."

He sighed. "Goodness, humans were better to talk to when they were stupid. Now, they keep on mentioning science and facts. It doesn't make my job easier."

Shaking his head, he continued. "In other words, I can hurt you and make it seem real to you, but reality will intervene, and you will realize that everything was just an illusion I created. 

"No one will notice you bleeding but yourself, but once your senses calm down, you'll understand that you never bled in the first place."

"But even if it is an illusion and others will not notice because I can feel it, it might as well be a reality to me," I whispered to myself, finally grasping what was happening to me.

Death looked at me with a blank expression on his face. I couldn't quite put my finger on what might be going through his mind at the moment based on how intensely he was looking at me. It was getting more eerie than embarrassing by the minute.

But thankfully, he turned away and sighed. I was about to ask him what the problem was when he spoke.

"I am Death."

I raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it too late for introductions--"

"Everything in this world has an ending, so every human needs their death. Every day, millions of people die. So we, the Deaths, monitor that all those souls can go wherever they're supposed to go."

"Wait a minute." I interrupted, "You said 'we.' So that means you're not the only Death in the world?"