Ian stood frozen in front of the bathroom door.
Reflected in his pupils was the woman who had stepped out from behind his father.
She seemed to have noticed him.
"How very unusual..." the woman murmured softly, her gaze fixed on Ian as though she intended to see through every secret he had. Just as Clark was about to turn around for another look,
in an instant,
the entire world seemed to lose its color, fading into nothing but black and white. Clark remained locked in the middle of turning his head, completely frozen like a statue.
Even the air itself seemed to stop moving.
Ian could hear the violent pounding of his own heartbeat, startlingly loud in the motionless world.
"What did you do?!"
He was genuinely shocked. His invincible father, Superman, had been affected without even having the chance to resist. The power possessed by this strange woman was far beyond anything Ian had imagined.
Faced with the boy's stunned question,
"I'm only waiting." The woman tilted her head slightly. A chain hung around her neck as well, though whatever pendant she wore was hidden beneath her black uniform.
"Waiting for what?"
Ian was quite sure she was not waiting for takeout. He had not built any business empire in America yet, and something a woman this powerful wanted could not possibly be simple.
Gulp.
Ian swallowed hard.
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his father's petrified profile. Even when facing mystical powers, Clark should never have been this helpless.
At the very least, the woman in front of him was some kind of top-tier mage.
She did not look old. She carried the steady composure of an older woman, yet at the same time she also had a vitality that felt almost girlish.
Those completely contradictory qualities somehow blended together in perfect harmony.
Honestly,
Ian found her terrifying.
She looked exactly like the kind of ancient monster that only pretended to be young.
"What am I waiting for?"
The woman did not answer directly. She walked slowly toward the bay window at the end of the corridor. In this black-and-white world, her long pale legs looked even whiter than before.
"Allow me to apologize to you, special child."
She opened the window, looked out at the night view, then raised a hand and caught a withered leaf suspended motionless in midair.
"You are about to lose your father, and I will be taking him away. Please do not worry. I promise I will take very good care of him."
When she turned back toward Ian, her lips curved into a gentle smile.
Ian's thoughts spun wildly, and his breathing became louder and louder.
"You're Death..."
A flood of information surged through his mind, making his heart tremble. The fear inside him was not really caused by the woman in front of him.
It came from what he had just guessed.
"You actually know about Death?" The woman was visibly surprised. Her tone carried real astonishment. She looked Ian over more carefully, then stepped over the windowsill and sat on the edge of the frame.
"No, I'm not Lady Death. How could I possibly be as beautiful, gentle, kind, and approachable as she is?"
The woman turned the withered leaf between her fingers, her voice full of admiration.
Perhaps there was even a hint of longing in it.
Before Ian could ask another question, the woman seemed to know exactly what he wanted to ask.
"My name is Tessa. I'm like them."
As she spoke, the woman who called herself Tessa raised one of her long, pale fingers and pointed toward the dark night sky.
Something seemed to be hidden there.
After hesitating for a moment, Ian walked over to Tessa's side.
The instant he saw what she had indicated, his pupils contracted violently once again.
There,
the streets were crowded with endless black figures.
Every single one of them stood straight in black suits within the faded world.
At the very front stood an old woman holding a black umbrella whose ribs were made of bone. Beside her, a little boy in suspenders cradled a chick, and deep fire burned within the chick's empty eye sockets.
There were solemn-faced men wearing bowler hats as well.
Men, women, old people, children.
They were everywhere.
Not just on the street, but also standing atop rooftops and on the roofs of cars, all dressed in the same black suits, all keeping the same straight-backed posture.
Without exception, every one of them was staring toward Ian.
All of them wore blank expressions. Only after Tessa raised a hand and waved at them with a smile did they react at all.
Their movements looked mechanical.
The eerie crowd in black suits bowed toward the window in perfect unison.
Neatly.
Exactly together.
As though they had rehearsed it a thousand times.
In the black-and-white world, with all of their skin pale as snow, the scene looked even more disturbing.
"They're paying their respects to you... lucky one who has been granted such an honor."
Tessa glanced at the back of Ian's hand.
She seemed able to see the mark there.
And perhaps even some of the secrets behind it.
"Could you maybe explain what exactly is going on here?"
Ian stared at the countless black-clad figures outside, his scalp tingling. He did his best to keep his emotions steady.
"To be honest, all of you have excellent looks. Any interest in starting a company with me? You could let those interesting souls appear before their families and reveal some mysterious past. Everyone in attendance would be left utterly shocked and questioning life itself... I'm sure we'd be a huge success."
Forced humor.
Perhaps it was Ian's final shred of defiance.
Unfortunately, his attempt to hide his emotions clearly failed to fool Tessa.
"I think you already understand."
Tessa gently rubbed the withered leaf in her hand until it gradually vanished.
"You simply don't want to admit it yet."
"Dear little one... don't be afraid, and don't be sad."
Tessa reached out as though she wanted to stroke Ian's hair.
Her voice was extraordinarily gentle.
But Ian dodged her pale hand.
"No. That's impossible. There has to be some mistake. You don't understand..."
He still wanted to say something in protest.
However,
the woman's slender finger pressed lightly against his lips.
"This is something we could never mistake."
Tessa spoke softly.
Those black eyes of hers met Ian's directly, and he felt a dizzying depth inside them.
"I am a reaper. They are as well. Whenever all of us appear, there is only ever one reason."
Tessa's voice was light and gentle, yet it shattered the very last illusion Ian had been clinging to.
"Your father, Clark Kent, possesses a greatness worthy of respect. So we came. At the very least, all of those nearby came, gathered together with love and reverence."
"Today, a god falls."
"The wounding of a saint. The death of a hero... demands enough witnesses."
Her words struck like thunder in an open field, exploding in Ian's ears and destroying the final scrap of hope within him.
They felt like a mountain.
The unbearable weight of it left the boy struggling even to breathe.
(End of Chapter)
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