Death's Door 36 Volume 3: Chapter 2- Stranger In The Tavern

After he entered the Holy city, Nur Finnerman went to a tavern. Without Sariu's mana being supplied to his body, he had a real urge to consume food. But there he had an encounter of strange kind. All of the people in the tavern seemed to have frozen in time; even one tray that was knocked over was still floating in the air with all the spilled food, suspended in motion. Only a shadowy figure was moving, greeting Nur with a wave of a hand.

"I am glad we can finally meet, Nur Finnerman." A shadowy figure wearing a mask inside the room of a building said with a pleased tone.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Nur asked, nervous of who this person enveloped by darkness could be.

"I suppose your master never mentioned me that would explain your reaction. But nevertheless we were bound to meet sooner or later, I am just glad it is sooner rather than later though." The dark figure turned its head towards Nur who saw the skull staring right back at him.

"Are you an angel of death? A s.h.i.+nigami?" Nur asked. This kind of outfit, the skull face, but no wings, but he could be hiding them, he most likely was the same type of angel his master Desolai is.

"Funny that you would mistake me for a s.h.i.+nigami."

"You are not? You certainly look like one."

"Don't make a mistake. It is the s.h.i.+nigami who look like me not the other way around." The tone was rather icy for a second before mellowing over slightly.

"I came here to have a rather curious talk with you, Nur Finnerman. After all, are you not curious just how I know who you are and managed to track down the very place you entered?" the place was a room where the tavern within the city was located. The room was large and still filled with people, but all of them were frozen in place, almost like suspended in time.

"Are you Chronos in disguise? Is that why the people are still? Because you stopped the time?"

"Chronos? Me? Ha ha ha… Now that is a laughable statement. They are still not because they are stopped in time. It is because you are not there to experience the time with them."

"What?"

"The moment you entered this room you left their plane of existence and entered my personal dimension that exists anywhere that I physically manifest."

"Wait a minute!" Nur pa.s.sed his hand through the person in the tavern, his hand didn't even make a contact, and it just pa.s.sed through the skull like his hand was made of intangible air. "This is just like Desolai's!"

"No surprise there."

"You have the same power as s.h.i.+nigami, yet you are not one, who are you?"

"Obviously the one who created the s.h.i.+nigami in the first place?" the dark figure answered with a sarcastic remark. "My name is Olim. I am the Primordial deity of Death."

"Olim…" Nur's mind flashed back to what Chronos said to Desolai. She did mention Olim in the context, something about Desolai choosing Olim over her, but Nur wasn't too sure.

"I am the deity that created the s.h.i.+nigami and is the one they answer to. As such, you, the servant of a s.h.i.+nigami, are indirectly are my servant as well, which is why I thought to pay you a visit."

"Are you here to kill me?" Nur instinctively asked.

"Kill you? Why does everyone a.s.sume I want to do that? If I wanted anyone dead I wouldn't even bother with conversation, would I?"

"So you are G.o.d of Death, but you don't want me dead, so why are you here?"

"Well, for starters, to say... Thank You." Olim said with a slight bow.

"What?!"

"For creating my grandson, you have my most sincere thanks."

"Wait! Hold on a second! Your grandson? What are you talking about? Can G.o.d of death even have grandchildren let alone children?" Nur was not utterly confused.

"It is true, as a G.o.d of death I am incapable of having an heir by natural means. Which is why I created the s.h.i.+nigami in the first place. The angels that are in my service were given bodies by me. When the angel becomes a s.h.i.+nigami, I transform them from their non-physical by this reality's standards forms into ones that have tangible shape. Of course their physical forms are made different from how the other G.o.ds give angels physical form. The other G.o.ds just bend the energy of angel to their will and change energy to matter. What I do is slightly different. The physical bodies of angels are made with my energy manifesting and fusing with the angel, therefore creating the Angel of Death, the s.h.i.+nigami." He paused. "Because they are created in such a way, I consider s.h.i.+nigami my children, in a sense a family of sorts, but they seem to view me more of a boss than a parent…"

'I see' Nur thought in his mind. Olim, the G.o.d of Death seems to be a very lonely person. Why else would he create angels of Death for sole reason of having a family?

"I never thought it was possible, it goes against every law set by fate, yet you managed to create a child with one of my s.h.i.+nigami, Desolai."

"It wasn't intentional." Nur admitted.

"Yet, create a child you did. When I met him, I couldn't believe my eyes. When I introduced myself as the creator of s.h.i.+nigami, that child… He called me grandpa! What a delight! I never thought I would see the day I would be a grandfather!"

"I see, so you met Kunjarik. By the way, do you mind taking me to them, to Kunjarik and Desolai, I mean?" Nur asked.

"I am afraid I cannot help you with your request."

"Why not? You seem to have seen them just recently, there shouldn't be a problem with just taking me to where they are, right?"

"Youngling, it is not a matter of where they are, but a matter of when."

"When?"

"Precisely. Kunjarik and Desolai that you know are more than nine hundred years ahead of now."

"What did you say? That cannot be! You are here and you saw them! So this cannot possibly be…"

"The only reason I know is because as a Deity of Death I am present everywhere, in all time, simultaneously. I am omnipresent. After all, there is death in the past, in the present, and the future. And where there is death, I am there."

Nur put his hand in his head, unable to shake off the gravity of the situation.

"I suppose you have not noticed, but I would have to burst your bubble. Chronos sent you into the past in order to avoid detection by me in the present. Of course she is unaware that I am present in the past as well…."

"If I am in the past, can you not just take me to the present?"

"No can do. I am a G.o.d of death, not time. Only G.o.ds that can control time can send you to your timeline, and unfortunately I am not one of them."

"So there is nothing I can do."

"I wouldn't say that." Olim withdrew something from his finger, it was a black ring. He placed the ring on his palm. "By kidnapping the servant of my servant, Chronos breached the protocol established by the nonintervention agreement between me and the G.o.ds. The agreement states that neither side will bother the other, lest face the proportional consequences. I am here to make sure that the consequences for her transgression are served." He took Nur's hand and placed the ring in his palm.

"This ring has three powers. Each can be used only once, so be careful how you use it. First power-it will allow you to kill anyone you touch, regardless of who it is, including yourself. Second power-it will warn the beings that wish to harm you that you are a servant under my wing. This power shall be active constantly against those who possess power of deity or higher. Third and final power- the true s.h.i.+eld of death. It shall protect you once against any foe, causing decay to the touched area, but keep in mind it shall work only once. Each ability will only work if you will the ring to. It will not activate if you do not wish it so."

"Why? Why are you giving me such an awesome treasure?" Nur asked, baffled by Olim's generosity.

"I have a few reasons. One would be that I am not pleased with Chronos toying with my servant, but I would like to avoid a scandal if possible, so this would be a perfect way to solve things without permanently damaging anything. Secondly, it is a way for me to look out for my subordinate, who is also my son-in law…" Nur looked at him with cringed expression. "So as you can see, I am quiet reluctant to part with a servant who has single handedly managed to give me a new member to my family. You can call it an act of gratefulness, if you will."

"And the final reason would be your nature. Desolai told me what kind of being you are. Honestly I didn't believe her until I saw you. Interference…You don't see a being without a fate every day you know? But that might be why you were able to create my grandson in the first place, is that not so?"

This deity of death, he was as convoluted as a wise man or a madman.

"So, I am naturally curious how you shall handle this mess that Chronos has thrown you into. Of course you have the option to walk off the stage as well."

"What do you mean?"

"I am well aware that every time you have died you have been sent back in time to relieve the time before deaths. And I am aware how much mental and emotional toll it has taken upon you. So, I can offer you a permanent solution- a permanent end."

"Meaning?"

"If you chose so, you can die now. That would be the last death. No more comebacks. I can give you the true end if you so desire." He stretched his hand out.

Nur thought of what he should do. It would be too easy to agree, but he knew if he did that he would be giving up on his own resolve, and that was not something he was willing to do.

"I am sorry. I must refuse that."

"Splendid!" Olim pulled his hand back. "Desolai is right, you really are a curious fellow." He turned around. "I suppose I should be going now…"

"Uhm, if you don't mind, Mister Olim…"

"You can call me Father Olim, if you want."

"Father Olim?"

"Kunjarik calls me Grandpa Olim, so I thought you could call me something similar, but it's your choice."

"I think its tad bit early for me to call you father, maybe Master Olim is good for now?"

"Whatever suits your taste, son in-law." Olim chuckled.

"Been meaning to ask, is that really your face?" Nur asked about the scary skull.

"This?" Olim pointed at the skull. "No! It is just a mask, nothing more…" he pulled off the mask and pulled off the hood off himself. Turns out the thing under the mask were far scarier than the mask itself. There was no face underneath it, just darkness swirling with shadows shaped vaguely like a head. Nur could feel it looking at him but could not tell which part was looking. There were no eyes visible.

"I see. That is some scary face."

"I can change it to look like something else, if you would prefer." His face now became human-like. His face was now of an old man with white beard. "Is this more preferable?"

"Looks less scary to me."

"Then I shall use this face from now on." Olim smiled.

"One more thing, Master Olim."

"Yes?"

"Could you please tell Desolai and Kunjarik that I am fine and that I will come back as soon as I beat the h.e.l.l out of Chronos?"

Olim smiled mischievously. "I will make sure to tell them."

"Thank you" said Nur. Olim now kept walking away, and within a moment, the people started moving again.

Nur almost ended up b.u.mping against lady carrying drinks.

Stumbling a little, he looked at the black stoned ring in his hand.

The ring of Olim, the proof that the encounter was real was in his palm. Now he knew that his master's master was watching him. Nur wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or scared that the G.o.d of Death is apparently watching over him now.