Life lessons

In a bedroom with dim lights, scented candles and a king-sized white bed, lay a man with a hole in his chest. His red essence poured out of him ceaselessly slipping through the gaps of his fingers. His eyes were wide open and his mouth agape as he stared dumbfounded at the person with the blood-soaked dagger in front of him.

They say that you are most likely to be murdered by someone close to you than by a stranger. In Lucas's case that analysis fit the mould. The person who had stabbed him, the person who had betrayed him was none other than his wife.

After years of meticulous planning, the Empire he had built was finally ripe for the harvest. Lucas was a prodigious Alchemist, he had invented many potions that shocked the world earning him much fame and fortune.

His wife had been learning the ways of Alchemy from him for years. He loved her with all his heart so he had no problem sharing all his secrets with her. They were married after all that's what married couples do.

Little did he know, behind the soft and innocent girl he knew was a viscous anaconda slowly constricting information out of him, until he was no longer necessary.

Then on their anniversary, the night they had promised to passionately share with each other in bed. She pulled out a dagger from under the mattress and stabbed it into his heart. She knew Lucas was no ordinary being, that it would take more than an ordinary dagger to kill to him.

Thus the dagger she used was no ordinary dagger, it was a spiritual tool called the cursed dagger. When she stabbed the dagger into him, it released a virulent poison into his heart stripping him of his strength rendering him a subject to the caducity of humanity.

She repetitively stabbed him in the heart, she wanted to make sure there was nothing that could save him. His wife never loved him from the moment she set her eyes on him; all she wanted was what he had built with his own two hands.

Ever since she was young her two older sisters had been courted by dashing princes and nobles but not her. She wasn't beautiful enough; she was an average looking girl not suitable for arm candy. She resented her sisters for always bragging how their boyfriends bought them expensive gifts when she had to work for everything she earnt. So when powerful Lucas showed interest in her, she grabbed it with both hands and set her plan in motion.

Naturally, because of Lucas's wealth and fame beauties from around the world tried to seduce him. The same girls that wanted nothing to do with him when he was still a fish in a shark tank. However, Lucas wasn't looking for just any girl, he was looking for a wife. He cared about looks but it wasn't the defining factor in the choice he made. This lead him to his wife, she seemed genuinely in love with him.

She wanted to be seen with him in public and wanted to know everything about him even the boring stuff like alchemy formations to the way he ran his business. His wife often praised the way he thought making him feel like he was special. She pushed him further to greater heights that he couldn't have done alone. What man would not love such a woman? However, this was all a ruse to one day enact her plan of subterfuge.

Those close to him had warned him about his wife and told him that there was something off about her; however he didn't care, even if it was true, he believed that if he kept supplying her with love, she would eventually love him back.

Fundamentally, Lucas was different from his peers. The way he saw the world was different, the way he interacted was different and the way he showed love was different.

In the dog eat dog world, he responded to acts of betrayal with acts of love. His mother gave him the name Lucas which meant, bringer of light. She wished him to be the kind-hearted man he grew up to be. Unfortunately, his compassion was his undoing.

Lying in bed, he could feel he was not long for this world. Lucas had healed many people in his life as a quack doctor and as an alchemist so he knew the signs of death all too well.

With every stab the poison continued to spread increasing the pain 10 fold, despite this, Lucas couldn't decide which knife hurt more. The repetitive knives in the front, or the knife in his back…

On his deathbed, he began to lament the way he lived his life: the underserved trust he placed in everyone he met. If he had killed those who crossed him let alone the ones who crossed him three times in a row. Would his wife of found him an easy target or would she quiver for her life should he find out?

He knew the answer to that, and as he drew his final breath he made a vow, 'Mother I tried it your way, but if I get another chance at life, I'm going to look at life with more discerning eyes!"

Once he had died, his wife covered herself in his blood and screamed, "Somebody help!"

Immediately the guards stationed outside the door barged in only to see the bloody mess. They looked at the wife who was covered in blood with tears rolling down her face. She looked emotionally distraught, of course, this was all an act. Inside she had never been happier, everything he owned was hers.

Once she regained her composure, she explained to the guards that some mysterious force entered their room and stabbed him to death. Of course, they didn't believe her but Lucas's will stipulated that in the event of his death, she was the sole owner of his business.

Not to mention, only his wife knew the crucial information needed to run the company. Thus within this situation who was a better fit to rule than her? Hence the guards didn't argue, lest they get fired and immediately went to clean up the mess.

Lucas saw this whole scene unfold, he became a spectre after he died. He tried to interact with the world of the living but there was an unreachable gap between the two of them.

After much effort and frustration, he gave up and just floated around. That was when a light brown wooden door appeared in front of him. Lucas could see the white light beaming under it and surmised this was the door to the afterlife. He didn't resist and with a heavy heart, he floated to the door.

That's when the light turned from white to black and then the door opened slowly. Standing under the bridge of the door was a young man clad in black clothes with a scythe in his hand. As Lucas approached the door the Shinigami gave him a cold disdainful glance.

Handog Lucas pursed his lips, as he thought the reason for the condescension was because of the way he died. Little did he know, that was just this reaper's personality. He looked down on all of humanity so whether you died a king or pauper, he would look at you the same way.

Then Lucas walked into the door and it disappeared