The dragon's harem

Chapter 1631: Death

Standing there, Death stared at Arad and Gojo in the eye. A lone maid, standing in the middle of a large shop, surrounded by rare gems of all colors.

Behind her, the rest of the building’s insides resembled those of a home instead of a shop. It was as if someone repurposed a home into a shop in a hurry.

“Good day, welcome, and I usually add farewell.” She took a step, and the world around her shifted. Becoming darker, colder, and more devoid of life and colors.

“I’m Death, the Literal Death.”

There was no mistaking it. The maid standing in front of them was Death herself, the thing awaiting all living beings, the one reality no one can change.

It was strange, Arad had heard of staring death right in the eyes, but he had never expected to get the chance to look at Death herself in the eyes.

Everyone who had ever died, and would die in the future, all of their souls were harvested by her. He could remember everyone that he killed and imagine this maid standing there at their heads, dragging their souls away as they glared at Arad with anger and rage.

Even earlier. When Arad killed the bear, she was there, standing at the bear’s head as it died. But many people die each second all across the universe. Can she be at many places at once, or is her power a passive thing? What would happen if Death died or disappeared? Would everyone suddenly become immortal?

Why is she here? What does she want? And what did she do to Yog? All of those questions flew right through Arad and Gojo’s minds as they stared at her. But they could speak; no one could. Even with her harmless look, the sheer power and darkness lurking behind her eyes made the two of them fully aware that she isn’t a problem; she is the mother of all problems.

But after a while, the two calmed down a bit. Humans were terribly capable of getting used to strange things, even at the cost of their sanity. Just looking at her for a few minutes made the two of them relax a bit.

Earlier, both would’ve said that engaging with death is a suicidal insanity. Arad, for one, could imagine himself saying hello, her taking offense to that, and at will killing him and all of his wives with a mere thought.

Arad was the one to speak, and it took a great deal of effort from him to even force his lungs to exhale. Just standing in front of death was oppressive enough; being a human only made it worse.

“Why… are you a maid?”

That was the first question he managed to utter. He didn’t know whether asking about anything deeper was safe or not. Since he was facing death, fighting and winning were impossible. He can’t escape death, no one can, so they already lost the moment they were born in this universe where she existed.

Gojo was surprised by Arad’s question. He wanted to ask what she was doing here, or what happened to Yog. But he, too, felt that asking about anything besides that would only bring trouble. Let alone criticizing Death’s outfit, Gojo wouldn’t even fault her if she walked around half-naked and wearing strips of seaweed and flowers or a clown outfit.

She is Death! Who’s going to argue with her? Not him. And he sure doesn’t want his brother starting an argument with someone like her.

“I’m not a maid. My other half, the Mother of all life, is a maid, so I wear clothes like this because she likes it. I even take her form.” Death replied with a passive face. “My true form is so horrid and ugly that it made Nyar puke.”

Out of everything in the universe, Death was the one thing that stand out. It went against everything that life upheld. The mortals, gods, and even the undeads, all of them are alive in their own way, and even if they aren’t, they were alive at some point. Death is the one thing they all fear, the dark reality at the end of their existence, and so its mere form was so abhorrent to them that it worked on a near opposite to Nymphs.

She shifted a bit, and a table appeared between her and the two brothers.

“It’s like how some people are wired to be afraid of spiders or heights. All life is wired to be afraid and find me utterly repulsive.” Her purple eyes turned pure black. “I’m the ugliest thing in the world, and nothing can even compare. Even Nyar couldn’t look at me.”

She walked around the table and pulled their chairs out. “Please take a seat. Our conversation will be long, and you two don’t need to be so afraid. If I wanted you dead, you would be dead. Life fears death, but it actually doesn’t.”

She then went back to where she was before and sat in her own chair. “All lives die on their time, not a second before or after.”

Gojo was the first one to sit, and Arad followed after him, barely squeezing into his chair.

Death waved her hand and poured them drinks. Gojo got tea, and Arad got black coffee. How did she know what each of them preferred, neither Arad nor Gojo needed to ask. Death is the one who gives the gods a detailed report about everyone’s deeds in life. She probably knows about everyone a bit too much.

So on top of being able to reap any life she wants, she also knows everything that everyone did in their lives. This maid might be just as much trouble like Yog, if not worse.

Why do the upper gods have to be this stupidly powerful? Arad knew the answer already, because a true god is supposed to be perfect in all ways, omnipotent and omniscient, able to do all and everything. The stronger a god becomes, the closer to that idea they become.

Arad took a deep breath and looked at her. “So, why are we speaking now?”

Death stared at them.

“You should be asking why I am even here. And the answer to that is to make sure Entropy isn’t playing anything funny.” She looked toward the window with a passive face, but Arad could glance a faint twitch in her eyes. Gojo noticed that as well, so he figured that death isn’t as emotionless as they might’ve thought.

Gojo stared at Death for a few seconds and than poked Arad under the table. He didn’t need to say anything for Arad to understand what he wanted to say.

^Be careful. The mother of all life is the one who took his jewels away, she and Death might act the same.^

Gojo was right; they had no reason to trust Death over anyone else. For all they know, she could be just as dangerous to them as Entropy is, especially after she somehow kicked Yog out.

But then, he was about to send Mira to the mother of all life to give birth at Kali’s advice, so Death and her can’t be all that bad.

Arad looked around the shop. It looked like the interior of a house with a fireplace, a large living room, and even a small kitchen to the side. But the walls were lined with shelves filled with raw, uncut gems of all types.

“I see. Thank you for that. But, what else could Entropy do besides sealing us here?” Arad leaned forward, and Gojo sighed.

“He’s right. We’re already locked here and can barely do anything. Isn’t that as effective as killing us?” He looked at Death with his glowing blue eyes, trying to peer into her face and notice any change in her expression that might hint at what she really wants.

Sadly, Death’s face was as solid as stone.

“Entropy could wipe your memories, bind your souls to inanimate objects, or even rewire your minds to never be able to think again. You aren’t her first victims, and won’t be the last.” Death waved her hand over the table, and the shadow of her palm rose into a solid tower.

“Entropy is a primordial concept, one of the universe’s many pillars. She cannot die unless the universe perishes. This is her life, I can take it if I want. But that would halt the universe’s advancement, so no one can grow in any way, shape, or form.”

Coming from the mouth of Death itself, it was clear that taking Entropy out was impossible. Not because she can’t be killed, but because her death would break the universe’s balance.

“We also can’t change her mind. She works like the fates, detached from good and evil, she only cares about doing her job, and it is to ensure the universe keeps evolving and never devolves.”

“You two were getting in her way. I don’t know what her exact thoughts are, but I’m certain you two got in the way of the universe’s evolution.”

Death lowered her hand, and the tower of shadows disappeared. “Now, she wants you two to stop messing this up. I’m here to teach her that to take steps forward, one sometimes must take a step backward.”