Eternity

I can still see it when I really picture it. It’s there, right beyond my grasp. Reaching, I can almost grab it, feel the heft of it in my hands again. But they’d never let me touch it, not now.

Swaying as I stand, this prison keeps me just on the edge of life. I swing my hands and go through the training motions I was taught eons ago. The scrape of my feet against the flooring was the only sound beside my own breathing. Eyes closed, I imagined the whistle of the scythe blade as it sliced through the air. The ground shook and I fell to my knees again.

“Are you ready for your task, Reaper?” Her voice called out to me.

I smirked, “I’ll be ready as soon as you return what’s mine.”

The sound of a door closing rang through the room. Today, the room was the grey of clouds before the rain breaks. It was the kind of grey that made mortals fear that I was going to visit, ushering a disaster. But my role was to sow the seeds of eternity. That’s what every Reaper was tasked with as we took over from the Reaper before. I still remembered the day of my choosing.

Your calling, your destiny, Reaper, is to uphold the eternity of this world. You will not falter. With this weapon, you will collect the price to be paid for our eternity. You will sow the seeds for the next generation. Time had whispered to me.

Admittedly, I’d scoffed a bit at them. After all, what was Time to a Reaper? What could eternity mean to me?

But they’d handed me the scythe. The part of me that still remembered my mortal days remembered the feel of it. The slight swish of the blade as I’d trim the grass to prepare for the sowing. It was a tool, not a weapon. This was made to ready the way for new things to grow. For new things to grow.

They’d trained me on how to shift this tool of growth into a weapon of reaping. Many of my early days focused on how to collect the cost of Time’s eternity. They’d explained that things had to die so that there would be more room for something else to bloom.

But nothing ever seemed to bloom in the space left after my reaping. The spaces always felt empty, bereft of the seeds of growth. After an eon, I began to question. Life and Time, they took notice. I began to feel the pin pricks of a war brewing. War is exhausting. It’s nothing more than mortals sending those they deem as lesser to fight for little more than greed or hate. The reapings during war only seemed to add to the stagnation of the world. They took away the hints of the next generation that Time had mentioned all those years ago.

But creation began to take sides. They’d sense me coming and would hide away. Time began to move faster. The world seemed to shift towards destruction even quicker. But Life held on. They’d always questioned the need for a Reaper. This was their eternity and I was only helping it to end. Time insisted that I was a necessity.

But one day, walking the paths of a battlefield, there was a flash. A quick flicker of light, and I found myself here. Nothingness.

I think they’d thought to surprise me, but, in truth, I could have avoided their trap. See, I’d fallen out of favor with both Time and Life. The tasks they’d chosen to give me didn’t seem to be ushering in that next generation that Time whispered to me a lifetime ago. All I’d seen was the death and destruction caused by their meddling. The world felt stagnant, not growing. So I’d stopped reaping in the ways they wanted. Started to till the ground for new ideas, giving people more opportunities to discover a new way of imaging and living. I let them have hope that things could change.

But the price of eternity, the price that Life and Time needed? That price was the world’s imagination. As the “rulers” of this world, they’d determined the way that it should persist. And I wasn’t staying in line with that. In a flash, I appeared here after mourning the victims of another pointless fight. My scythe gone and the world around me shifting through the colors of the sky fading towards darkness.

I remembered a girl. She’d shone so brightly, growing up believing that the world could be made different. That if people could remember the ways that the trees grew roots but strove towards the sky, they’d know the best way forward was to be grounded but growing. Hers was the first soul I refused to reap. I gave her opportunity. I let her breathe. I remembered the way that her hair grew like a crown around her head, tight curls defying gravity. Dark brown eyes framed with glasses and a smile that made you believe that what she talked about could be true. I never looked back after the moment I refused to reap. It would have given Time and Life a way to get back to her, to slow her down. And I wanted her to shine.

I wonder how she is.

A beam of light shone down on me.

“Reaper, is this the day you return to your task?” Life called down, already smirking. Life and I had never gotten along. She saw the world as never ending, as if growth could happen without times of rest, of renewal. Her price for eternity was paid by all the sleepless nights people spent, worried about their futures. She fed on that. Because those without rest had a hard time imagining anything new. The potential to dream was the most soul draining reaping required of me.

I just looked up at her. The room shifted to a deep blue, the color of the sky opposite the sun as it sets below the horizon. Another eon passed by, maybe? I sat down hard, wanting to make my intentions clear.

“And if I were to take up that scythe again, what would you have me do, Life?” I called up to her, voice scratchy after so long since my last visit from one of them. Or was that just a few moments ago?

“Your task is to reap. I’ve had to go and get my own snacks for the last millennia. I’m tired of the work. Care to join us outside limbo?” She chuckled quietly.

Come find me, a voice whispered. It was almost like it snuck by Life as she held open the door.

“Come back tomorrow, Life. You’ve used up my patience for the day,” I whispered. The door slammed shut. As it sealed I heard her bark of laughter.

That was the girl’s voice. But how was that possible? I remember the way her dark skin glowed when the rising sun shone through the hospital window. She was smiling even as I felt her dying. But I couldn’t. I.. I didn’t reap her for Time that day. I lied, and not long after, I found myself here. How could the girl’s voice have followed me? Maybe an eon hadn’t passed after all.

I stood again, starting to go through the stretching routine. Closing my eyes, I just focused on breathing. This time, the scythe almost felt like it was really there, wooden handle sturdy against my hands as I swept the blade across the ground. A slight scraping as the motion carried it through the grass I imagined in front of me. A memory of a life I must have lived, preparing the fields for the next season of growing. My arms grew heavy as I continued the exercise, but that wasn’t normal. I opened my eyes. There, in my hands. The scythe I’d grown to love was in my hands. But... that wasn’t possible. Life and Time would never allow me the instrument of my power, not here.

Come find me, a hint of a whisper seemed to run down the staff.

I smiled and, in a flash of darkness, vanished as thunder rolled through the limbo where I’d been trapped.

Your destiny, Reaper, is to uphold the eternity of this world. Time had whispered to me. But the world was made to change, to grow. This eternity didn’t allow for anything new, just war and greed, from what I had seen. Perhaps it was time for something new.

The field near where she lived now was a little barren. It wasn’t war torn like I’d been expecting, I’d never been to a place that wasn’t. There were small trees doing their best to grow, but they looked like they needed more water to make it.

“So you are real. Here I thought I’d imagined you as a girl,” she called from somewhere behind me.

“How did you call me here?” I asked over my shoulder.

“The world’s been missing you, Reaper. A lot of souls should have been called home by now. I remembered you, so I suppose it pulled you from whatever business you were taking care of,” it almost sounded like she was smiling. But surely she was upset? How long had I been gone? She sounded older than the last time I’d seen her.

“I’m sure the world has been fine without me. It wasn’t too happy when I walked these paths,” I whispered.

“You’re deflecting, Reaper. Where have you been?” She asked.

“I was... trapped. What do you need?”

“We need the world to have room to grow, which means some things need to be laid to rest. From what I’ve learned, you’re the one to call for that. Everything has its season, right?”

“I am the Reaper chosen for that, yes. But, when you were a girl, didn’t you dream for this world to become something more?” I shuddered, surely Life and Time could hear us at this point. Did I imagine the roll of thunder in the distance?

“And every world that’s born new needs the space to imagine what it could be. There’s little space to grow here, Reaper. I think you know that,” she replied.

I turned to look at her. She was taller, almost of a height with my current form. Her hair was up in afro puffs, keeping it out of her face. Her glasses were chipped on the left lens and a ghost of a smile played across her face. She looked tired, like she was feeling the stagnation of the world in her body. But that shine was still there. That belief she’d held as a child was still present. I smiled.

“I could change it all. And I think you know that, but are you willing to take that chance?” I asked her, giving her time to answer.

She beamed, “And what does that mean for us? What does that mean for you?”

I looked at the ground, a sad smile of my own growing, “It would be yours to bear.”

I wanted that to sink in. To give this eternity a chance, a new Reaper would have to be chosen. It needed to be someone who wasn’t beholden to Life or to Time in the way that I was. They could choose at any moment to lock me up again, just because I dared to dream.

She looked down for a moment, body going still. I heard the whisper of her breath and watched her realize what I meant. Her hand touched her chest where her heart was beating. “My name is Stella. Would you bear that burden with me?”

I took a step back. I’d never considered that.

“No one should have to walk the world alone as you have done, Reaper,” Stella whispered to me, taking a step forward, her hand outstretched.

“I’m not sure that Life and Time would allow that. But I’m willing to imagine something new. I will walk with you for as long as you need, until you find another,” I took her hand and passed my power to her, keeping the smallest amount that would allow me a longer life. I knelt, offering her the scythe. It changed to fit her better as she held it. The blade shone again, the staff turning a darker brown. She swept it along the ground and the grass turned a vibrant green. The path it cut across the barren lands blossomed. She grinned and laughed, taking a step forward and swinging the scythe across the ground again. When it almost collided with one of the few trees, it passed through and the tree grew in its wake.

Smile falling, I rose and heard the roll of thunder again. They were coming. “Stella, stand behind me.”

Turning to face the lightning splitting across the sky, I prepared for Life and Time.

“So, you’ve passed on your duty,” Time spat at me. They’d chosen a shorter form today.

“I hope this new Reaper knows what she’s been tasked with. We’ve been ages without a gopher to run errands for us,” Life sneered at me, towering over Time.

“She is not beholden to you, not to either of you. Her task is new. She’ll allow the world to grow instead of being stuck in the eternity that you two have commanded,” I told them. “Your eternity has passed, there will be no more collection of the prices that you have set. The seeds of the next generation will finally grow.”

Time gasped, Life simply stared.

“But... that’s not possible,” Time whispered to themself. They waved a hand at me and the small part of the Reaper still in me tried to take a step towards them.

I smiled slightly, straightened and looked at them, “I have no power for you to draw me back to you, Time. I’ve passed it on. You know that. It’s time that you passed on as well.”

“We cannot, we are eternal,” Life stated. But the smile was gone from her face. If I thought she could feel shock, I think that’s what she’d be in.

“You’ll no longer hold the world in stagnation. It deserves the chance to grow, to dream. Stella won’t be collecting the dreams and time that you both demanded of me. That is no longer the destiny or call of the Reaper. We’ll define it anew,” I replied. Spinning on my heel, I faced Stella. Her eyes were wide as she looked over my shoulder. “Let’s see how you handle that scythe, Stella. These two won’t be bothering us for a while. We’ll need to be ready when they’ve recovered.”

We traveled for years, Stella learned quickly. She helped breathe new life into the people and the world. In my time away, war had torn more paths of destruction through the communities. We worked together to help those in pain pass on and help those who remained repair and rebuild. Eons passed and with Stella as the Reaper, there were less wars. The world was still recovering, but it felt new. The people were rooted but striving towards something bigger than themselves. Her eyes never lost the wonder of our work, and I could feel the days approaching where she wouldn’t truly need me anymore. She had come across another person, who dreamed in similar ways. They were alone in the world, one of the many who’d lost people to the wars that Time and Life had caused in their greed.

“Stella...”

“I know, Reaper,” she whispered, a tear falling down her face. “Everything has it’s time, and yours will be here soon. I will miss you.”

“I remember you telling me eons ago, no one should walk this world alone. Have you spoken to them about joining you, yet?” Tears flowed freely for me. I didn’t know what would come next, it was the one secret of Life that was kept from me. Death was unknown to all.

“I thought you’d noticed. I’ll speak to them tomorrow, let’s take one more walk.” She took my hand and we walked to the edge of the town we were helping. The sky was clear and the land no longer felt barren. “Thank you for taking the chance on me, Reaper.”

“I’m glad it worked out. You’ve created a world that’s worthy of an eternity, Stella. I’ll be happy for the rest after this. I’ve lost count of the eons that I’ve walked this world. Never have I felt so hopeful about it,” I whispered, crying again. I let them fall. When they hit the ground, flowers bloomed. “I’ll be here until you’ve spoken with them. I don’t want you to spend even part of eternity alone. I did for too long and look at the destruction it caused.”

“You never had the option. If you’d been given the chance to dream, I imagine that the world would have been much different much sooner. The life that Time wanted for you wasn’t a life at all,” she replied.

“You know, when Life and Time chose me, they told me of my destiny. I didn’t think anything of it until I really looked at the destruction they were causing. But all those years in the void made me question it. You calling me out of it helped me imagine something new. You were the right choice for the new Reaper. Hopefully, I can see your continued work after I’ve passed. Watch out for Time and Life when I’m gone, it’s a surprise that they’ve left us alone this long,” I said.

Twigs cracked behind us, “I got a note to come to the edge of town. Are the two of you okay?”

“Now, Reaper, how could you have known?” Stella pushed me, laughing.

I looked behind us, it was the person that Stella meant to talk with tomorrow. “I know you don’t believe me, but it wasn’t me. Who sent you the note?”

“It was unsigned, but there was an hourglass marked into the bottom corner,” they replied.

“What is your name?” Stella asked as we both straightened up.

“Miku,” they replied.

I looked at Stella and she nodded to me, “Well, Miku. I think that you and Stella have something to talk about. Why don’t you walk back towards town and I’ll meet you later.”

Stella patted my shoulder and walked towards Miku. Calling over her shoulder as they walked away, “I expect a proper goodbye, Reaper. I’ll see you for dinner.”

I nodded to myself. As they passed outside of my range of sight, I felt a presence behind me. “Well, it’s been ages. How have you been?”

Time was sunken, eyes gaunt, “You ruined the world we created, Reaper. I’ll never understand why we were drawn to pick you.”

“You look terrible, Time. If you accepted change, knew that you couldn’t control every moment, maybe you’d be in a better state,” I replied. “Did Life not come to bring me to task?”

“She couldn’t be bothered. You’re about to pass out of her domain completely. She never liked you.”

“I appreciated the lessons you taught me over the ages. I’ll have this night and then I will pass out of your domain as well, Time. Thank you for the scythe all those eons ago,” I said, smiling.

“Let me come with you, Reaper.”

I froze for a moment, then nodded, “Have you also passed on your power?”

“The world will hold time for itself, I think. When a new Time is needed, someone will rise to fill the role, not unlike Stella,” they replied.

“Care to join us for dinner? Stella is a decent cook,” I offered my arm to Time. They already looked healthier, eyes a little less gaunt. Accepting my arm, we walked back towards town.

Our time in the world was ending. A last dinner with friends and then a new eternity would truly rise.