Chapter 4: Criminal's Background
931 Words
Tassa suddenly stepped out of the room and asked Ayamani if Nia'le was alright.
Ayamani ignored the question.
Instead, he looked at her with concern.
"Are you alright?"
Tassa glared at him and immediately headed downstairs to check on Nia'le.
Ayamani grabbed her wrist to stop her.
"Aren't you doing too much for a stranger?"
Tassa stopped walking.
"You don't even know that guy, Tassa," Ayamani continued. "I was gone for only a minute, and you've already put yourself in danger. Why would you do that?"
Tassa clenched her fists.
"Because you weren't there when I needed you most."
Ayamani sighed.
"I'm a Grim Reaper, not your fairy godmother. You can't just expect me to appear and make a gown for your ball."
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"But I'm here because I care about you. How many times have I saved you from death, Tassa? I'm begging you. Stop putting yourself in danger. Is that really so hard?"
Tassa looked at him silently.
Then she walked closer.
Ayamani braced himself, thinking she was about to slap him.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Ayamani froze.
"A Grim Reaper isn't supposed to care," Tassa murmured.
---
A few moments later, Nia'le walked upstairs.
He stopped when he saw Tassa standing in the hallway with her arms wrapped around empty air.
To him, it looked like she was hugging nothing.
"Tassa?"
She immediately let go and turned toward him.
"What happened to us last night?" Nia'le asked.
Tassa's expression became serious.
"You died."
Nia'le stared at her.
"What?"
"You died."
"How is that even possible?"
---
The two of them sat on the couch in the living room.
The date on Nia'le's phone read December 14, 9:30 a.m.
Tassa explained everything that had happened on September 10 while Ayamani stood nearby listening.
"Last night, a Grim Reaper appeared and tried to take your soul," she said. "I managed to take it back before he could leave. That's why you woke up in the Infinite Night."
"The Infinite Night?"
"It's a place where light doesn't exist. Before a soul enters the spirit world, it first passes through the Infinite Night."
She paused.
"It has no beginning and no end. Walking there feels like walking forever. It's a dimension between life and death."
Nia'le frowned.
"Then how were you able to see me?"
Tassa lowered her gaze.
"Because my eyes belong there."
Nia'le remained silent.
"I'm blind in this world," she continued. "But my sight exists in another dimension. I can see ghosts, demons, spirits, and other creatures that humans can't see."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"The Infinite Night is all I've ever seen."
Nia'le's expression softened.
"Even when I close my eyes, it's there," Tassa whispered. "Even when I'm awake, I still see it. I can never escape it."
She clenched her hands.
"He won't let me die, but he won't let me leave either."
Nia'le leaned forward.
"He?"
Tassa immediately crossed her arms.
"I'm not telling you."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't trust you."
Nia'le groaned.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then he changed the subject.
"So... did we travel into the future?"
"Not exactly. We skipped forward."
"And today is really December 14?"
"Yes."
"But everything happened in just a few seconds."
"Only for you."
"It's Nia'le, not 'you.'"
"For me, it took about a minute to fight that Reaper."
Nia'le blinked.
"Don't tell me one minute equals three months."
"Time moves differently for Grim Reapers."
She pointed upward as if drawing invisible calculations.
"One minute for them equals about an hour here. One hour there equals about a month here."
***Court****
Meanwhile, the police were still investigating the disappearance of Nia'le and his hostage, Tassa. Both had been missing for nearly three months.
Ixartxist sat quietly as he read through Nia'le's case file.
"Nia'le Tobletone. Age: 19. Date of Birth: March 27, 1996.
Crime: Murder.
Accused of killing forty-eight people, including his parents.
Sentence: Twenty-five years in prison."
Ixartxist crumpled the paper in his hand.
"A death sentence would have been more appropriate."
The judge frowned.
"We aren't even certain he committed those murders."
Ixartxist looked up.
"Explain."
"The victims found at the scene were all unidentified. The only confirmed survivors were Nia'le and his sister."
"Then how can you claim he killed them?"
The judge hesitated.
"Because the Chief said so."
Ixartxist's eyes narrowed.
"And who exactly is this Chief?"
The judge remained silent and turned away.
Suddenly, Ixartxist grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
The room grew cold.
"Tell me something, Judge."
His voice was calm, but there was something terrifying hidden beneath it.
"Are you accusing him because he is guilty?"
The judge said nothing.
"Or are you accusing him because someone told you to?"
A long silence followed.
Ixartxist leaned closer.
"Your answer doesn't matter."
His gaze hardened.
"People like you worship power, money, and titles. You call yourselves servants of justice, yet you condemn people without certainty."
The judge's face paled.
"I question your judgment."
His voice became colder.
"And I condemn your hypocrisy."
Suddenly, every monitor connected to the security cameras flickered.
The judge looked up in alarm.
A second later—
BOOM!
One of the screens exploded.
Then another.
Then another.
Panic spread throughout the building.
The security room erupted in a chain of explosions.
Glass shattered.
Metal twisted.
Flames burst through the walls.
The people inside didn't even have time to escape.
Within moments, the entire room was destroyed.
Ixartxist simply watched.
Expressionless.
As if the lives lost meant nothing to him.
- Writer
