May your fate end the darkness.
It was a phrase often said only by Reapers. To humans it may sound like a bunch of edgy words strung together but to us it ant a deep ssage. Our "fates" were not rely our futures but were also our weapons, regrets, dreams and hopes.
It was a both our greeting and our farewell. A constant reminder of why we fight. And why we try to move forward. It was all to end the darkness plaguing humanity. As such, it was an unspoken rule that no other words may be given the sa weight.
Throughout my ti, there was no variation of this statent, regardless of where the Reaper ca from. It was as symbolic as it was universal. So, what the hell was I hearing?
'May your fate end the darkness and reclaim the glory of what was once lost.'
Reclaim the glory of what was once lost? The fuck did that an? Ending the darkness of Hellsgate was already hard enough. And now there was yet another tall other? Reapers were basically garbage n for the world tree. There was no glory to speak off.
Was this 2nd half of the statent strictly with regards to Successors like ? My mind was already working in overdrive all over a single greeting. It seed that coming to this place was the right decision.
"It is my honor to et you, Successor. I am Zanele Soldat. A concubine of his majesty the Immortal. And the current matriarch for the Soldat clan."
The woman in front of was fairly simple, she had plain robes yet had an air of dignity. Apart from a pair of earrings, there was a single elaborate necklace on her neck that covered her chest. Her hair was wrapped up in a shawl of so sort.
Despite her rather simple getup, I knew the person before was in fact on the level of a queen. I didn't know why, but I knew. This woman was dangerous. It didn't even make any sense. She was only a Phantom, yet sothing made wary of her.
Before I could even put my finger on it, she began to explain as she chuckled.
"Please be at ease. I apologize if my beads make you uncomfortable. This is a known as an Ikele, a tradition among African countries. This is our version of the wedding ring you westerners have. As I am a woman who belongs to a Revenant, such things are a given."
'Holy fucking crap! What I am feeling ring now is Hannibal's ward for his won? Hardly anyone will approach Zanele with lustful thoughts with such a thing on her neck. I don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed.'
"I can remove them if you find them too overbearing…"
"No, there is no need," I replied curtly.
Who the fuck would know what could happen if she did take it off? Seeing that I ask her to keep it on. Zanele nodded while touching her beads affectionately. The woman then brought her hands together before doing a small bow.
"Before anything else, I want to thank you for helping ease the suffering of Africa. Successor. May the gods bless you for this good deed."
While it was true that I killed the demons, my decisions caused the death of an entire city. Exa shared that there were at much as 200,000 in Kismayo. And they all died. Such a number looked small population wise, but that was more people than I knew in my life.
"Pleased to et you lady Zanele, I go by Limitless. I have no excuses. While my party did eliminate the demons, we weren't able to save anyone except a single person. For that I apologize. I know such words are useless, but I give you, my condolences."
"News of what happened to Kismayo are known to . And while it is a tragedy, if you had not stopped the Hellsborn, more of my people would have died to them. But worry not. Most, if not all of the people there were given Reaper blood over three years ago."
What? They gave Reaper blood to humans by the thousands? Without an enlistnt? Wasn't that illegal? My questions probably showed up on my face as Zanele explained imdiately without asking.
"Successor, giving them blood does not make them Reapers. It only grants them the chance to resolve their regrets. Realistically speaking even with over 200,000 hardly 20,00 of them would ascend. Not many have desires so powerful they can cheat death."
That was one way of looking at it. I an even if you did give a human Reaper blood, so long as he or she didn't wish to co back, they would stay dead. So, to her point, it hardly mattered to the majority, only to those that had the will to rise from the dead.
"Most western religions see death as sothing to be feared or dreaded. Africa is different, we share the East's belief in returning to our fathers. Thus, to us, death is not the end but rely the continuation of one's journey."
I see. She was right. Christianity and most Abrahamic religions did not believe in reincarnation. But other religions specifically Buddhism and Hinduism did. The so-called cycle of Samsara or Karmic cycle. It seems African's religions believe them as well.
"Do not worry Successor. I truly am nothing but grateful. Africa is strong and resilient. If there is one thing our people know to do, it is to endure and survive. Such is our role then, as it is now and so shall it be in the future."
"I see. Then I will say thank you for your kindness instead, lady Zanele."
Zanele made a beautiful smile as she bowed once more. Her words were soft yet contained what appeared to be genuine gratitude.
"No, Successor, it is I who must thank you. While many humans co here to aid us in different issues, Reapers do not. Afraid of the power we wield in my long years there has been only a few like you," the beautiful lady praised.
"I am not that great. Amari did a solid by saving my girls. Since then, I consider Amari my ally. So long as he does not betray , I will forever be indebted to him. He asked to help him save his brother and Kismayo, so here I am."
It was only for a mont, but I saw a look of confusion co from Zanele. She tried to hide it, but I saw her Hollywood smile break for a single second. Imdiately regaining her composure, she continued to speak as if nothing happened.
"Is that so? Then Amari must have been blessed by the gods. It is said that good deeds are never wasted. My son did well in aiding your won. As his mother, I am most pleased. Amari has always been unable to resist helping another."
If you consider the shit the bastard did during the Enlistnt, her assessnt was mistaken. But it was a common motherly trait to only see the best of your child. And as I would gain nothing by shaming her son in front of her, I remained silent and just nodded.
"Mother. I have returned."
"Mother-in-law I have returned as well."
The man in question stepped forward along with his British spouse. Amari took a knee and bowed before his mom. Mia likewise imitated his gesture. Zanele nodded approvingly while checking his body for injuries, similarly she checked Mia.
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