My Soul card is a Reaper

Deep in the midnight on their wedding night, a naked Azzy lay beside Leiza, the warmth of her body against his bringing him a sense of peace and a bit of arousal. He'd never thought he'd find this kind of comfort—this kind of love—after everything he had been through. The night was calm, and the soft rise and fall of their breathing was the only sound filling the room.

But then, just as he began to drift into sleep, the familiar, unsettling sensation took hold of him. A coldness crept down his spine as his mind plunged into darkness.

It was the nightmare again that troubled him for years but kept evolving every time. It happens.

In the dream, he was standing in a grand hall, its stone walls adorned with tapestries and banners.

His father sat on the throne, his eyes distant and cold, surveying the room with an air of authority.

Azzy felt a presence beside him, and when he turned, there was his sister, smiling softly at him. On the other side, there was an unfamiliar young man, but strikingly similar to himself, then, there was Leiza in her wedding gown, her eyes filled with happiness. It used to be Claire but now, she was replaced with Leiza.

Azzy's heart pounded in his chest. His family, his friends, and others—some familiar, others not—stood around him. Among them were elves, their pointed ears and ethereal beauty a stark contrast to the other figures. Strange, unfamiliar faces also loomed in the crowd, their eyes filled with reverence and anticipation.

Suddenly, an explosion shattered the silence, and Azzy's body stiffened in response. He watched, helpless, as fire and smoke billowed from the ground, consuming everything in its path. The scene shifted, and the sky was suddenly filled with modern aircraft, their engines roaring as they rained bombs and missiles upon the world below. Destruction and chaos filled every corner of his vision.

The dream didn't end there.

Azzy could hear the ground trembling beneath him as vampires, fierce and relentless, tore through a village, their sharp fangs glistening in the flames.

Giants stomped across the land, their massive forms breaking the earth beneath them.

Then came the dinosaurs—giant, hulking creatures that roared with primal fury, their massive bodies tearing through the landscape, leaving destruction in their wake.

Azzy's chest tightened, his breathing ragged as the nightmare reached its peak. Just as it felt like the world was falling apart around him, he was jolted awake.

"Hah!"

He gasped for air, his heart racing, the images of the dream still vivid in his mind. Sweat clung to his skin, and his body shook as though he had just experienced the horrors firsthand.

Leiza stirred beside him, her eyes fluttering open in the dim light of the room. Her hand instinctively reached out to him, concern etched on her face.

"Honey?" she whispered softly, her voice tinged with worry. "What happened? Are you okay?"

He blinked rapidly, trying to shake the remnants of the nightmare from his mind. His eyes met hers, and he gave a weak smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He shook his head slowly as if to dispel the lingering effects of the dream.

"It's just a nightmare," he murmured, his voice hoarse. "Nothing to worry about."

Leiza sat up slightly, her hand resting on his chest. "Are you sure? Your heartbeat is going crazy," she asked, her eyes searching his face for any sign of distress.

Azzy leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. The warmth of her touch was grounding, a reminder that he wasn't alone. "I'm sure. It's nothing I can't handle."

But even as he spoke the words, the weight of the dream lingered in his chest, a foreboding sense of something that was yet to come.

Leiza didn't press him further. Instead, she lay back down beside him, her body curled against him. "Get some rest," she whispered, her voice a soothing lullaby in the darkness. "Just don't forget that I'm always here by your side, no matter what."

Azzy nodded, though his mind was still racing with the fragments of the nightmare. One of the scenes in the nightmare was a scene from his precognition, the very thing that forced him to evacuate the Blood Clan from his clan and the reason why he wanted to form a country together with other hidden clans. He already had trouble ahead because of Claire's situation and now, he has to worry about the dream, too? Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

In the end, letting out a sigh, Azzy went back to sleep, cuddling his wife.

*

Six months passed away in the blink of an eye.

Azzy and Leiza didn't leave the world and returned to his world as he originally planned. The reason was that Leiza's uncle became sick. Or should one say, his sickness came to light.

He had stage 4 Liver cancer for a while and it was incurable by even the healing skill card possessed by Azzy.

Leiza, who was pregnant, with her fluctuation of hormones, broke down upon learning it. She felt like she should have known. She was so busy spending time with her husband as a newlywed and a pregnant woman that she ignored her uncle all these months. If only she could have paid attention to why he was always leaving out regularly, she could have done something. Or atleast, her husband could have done it.

Since it is already late, Leiza decided to live in the mansion, until her uncle's death. Azzy agreed with her, too.

In the meantime, he tried to explore more about improving his master over death energy, rather than looking for a breakthrough.

In the present day, Azzy's eyes fluttered open as the early morning light filtered through the curtains. He felt a cold shiver crawl up his spine, as though the very air around him had shifted. Then, as though pulled from the depths of his consciousness, a voice echoed in his mind.

"You don't have time, Azrael."

Azzy's heart skipped a beat. The voice was unmistakable.

He bolted upright in bed, the sheets tangled around his legs. Leiza stirred beside him but remained asleep, her soft breathing the only sound filling the room. He glanced over at her, trying to ignore the weight that pressed down on his chest.

And then he heard it again—clearer this time.

"Azrael, you must come now."

With a surge of determination, Azzy swung his legs off the bed and stood, his feet hitting the cold floor. He didn't need to turn around to know that Leiza was still asleep. He quietly padded out of their room and down the hallway, his mind racing.

The hallway of the mansion was dark and quiet, and Azzy's footsteps were muffled by the plush carpets beneath him. He didn't stop until he reached the study room, where the shadows seemed deeper than usual. There, standing by the window, was Uriel.

As before, Uriel's expression was unreadable. His poker face reflected nothing but cold, detached professionalism, his golden eyes piercing in the dim light. Azzy's pulse quickened, a part of him wishing that he could turn away and pretend none of this was happening.

But he couldn't.

"Uriel," Azzy said, his voice steady, though a knot formed in his stomach. "I think we still had a few weeks left, according to the time you given me?"

Uriel turned to face him, his expression never shifting. "Unfortunately, Claire has started the process of accumulation earlier than I anticipated," he said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion. "If you want to save her, you need to act now."

Azzy felt his throat tighten. "But Leiza..." He swallowed hard, his mind torn between the woman he loved and the woman whose fate now hung in the balance. "My son is about to be born in a week, Uriel. I can't just leave now. I won't."

Uriel didn't flinch at Azzy's words. He was a figure of unwavering calm, unmoved by anything. "I fear you don't have the luxury of time," he replied, his tone unyielding. "If you come with me now, I will take you directly to her. If you choose not to, then I'm afraid the decision is out of your hands. I'll be leaving."

The finality in Uriel's voice made Azzy's heart race. His fists clenched at his sides, a surge of conflicting emotions flooding him. Leiza, his unborn son, Claire—he couldn't abandon any of them. But Uriel was right. If he didn't act now, it might be too late for Claire. Claire has no one else on her side while Leiza had people to help her, even if he disappears.

Azzy's gaze softened as he looked back toward the bedroom, where Leiza lay, unaware of the choices now before him. His throat tightened once more.

"Give me some time," Steeling his heart, Azzy said, his voice low but firm. "I need to say goodbye to her. Please, just a moment."

Uriel's gaze locked onto him, and for a brief moment, Azzy swore he saw a flicker of something—something almost like understanding. Uriel nodded once, the smallest gesture of concession.

"Very well," he said, his voice as calm and emotionless as ever. "But make it quick. Time is not on your side."

Azzy quietly opened the door to their bedroom once again, stepping softly into the room. The moonlight from the window cast a soft glow over Leiza's peaceful form. She was lying on her side, her hand resting gently over her swollen belly.