"Not everyone deserves to die.
But sometimes… some live for far too long."
Morning in the Elberg domain was often as peaceful as a painting. Mist clung lazily to the hedgerows, birds chirped sporadically in the sky, and the villagers busied themselves as if there was nothing frightening in the world beyond.
Suael stood behind the second-floor curtains of the castle, silently gazing at the distant village market. It was the fifth day since she had entered this body. Her physical state had mostly recovered. Heart rate stable. Soul resonance no longer in chaos. Fragile as it was, the body was usable.
The Divine Balance system reappeared faintly in her vision:
Mission Progress:
Souls Collected: 0/100
Special Soul: Undetected
Time Remaining: 360 Days
Recommendation: Begin local soul screening and assessment.
Suael glanced toward the half-open door. The scent of herbs lingered faintly.
As expected, Violet had come.
— You're planning to go outside?
She turned her head, her eyes meeting his.
— If you're going to stalk me, at least knock first.
Violet stepped in with his usual calm demeanor. He carried a rolled-up leather case and a regional map, which he placed gently on the table.
— You shouldn't travel far. The fracture in your chest hasn't fully healed.
— I won't go far. I just need the first soul.
He paused. His gray eyes flashed with suspicion.
— What are you talking about?
Suael looked at him. No smile, no teasing. Just silence as an answer.
Violet exhaled softly. He didn't press further. Instead, he unrolled the map.
— There's a rumor about an old woman living on the southern forest's edge. No one dares approach. They say she died of fever... but somehow came back.
Suael nodded.
— Take me to her.
The wooden hut stood isolated from the rest of the village. Knee-high weeds, rotting wood, vines crawling up the walls. No signs of daily life—except for the faintest trace of smoke trailing from an old chimney.
Violet stood at the door, hand hovering near a hidden silver dagger beneath his coat. He turned to the girl beside him.
— You sure about this?
— I feel the shift.
She offered no further explanation. Even as a death god, she had always been able to sense dissonant souls—those who were meant to die but still lived, or the opposite.
Suael stepped forward, her small hand brushing against the door.
No need to knock. It opened on its own.
The scent of death spilled out. Not the stench of rot—but something old, something that had died once, and was forced to live again.
An old woman sat in the center of the room, gaunt like a skeleton, eyes glazed white. But what made Violet step back wasn't her figure — it was the third eye, faint and ghostly, flickering at the center of her forehead like an illusion.
Suael stood still.
— You've come... the old woman croaked. Her voice was rough, but not weak.
— You can see me?
— Death gods always carry their own scent.
The woman chuckled, then broke into a coughing fit. A black crow burst from the corner of the room, landing on her shoulder. Its eyes glowed crimson.
Violet took another half-step back, hand now gripping the dagger.
— You came back to life... how? Suael asked.
— I didn't want to die. When Death came… I bit him.
Violet froze. Suael closed her eyes briefly. She needed no more answers.
Words appeared before her:
Dissonant soul detected.
Status: Parasite in deceased body.
Threat Level: Medium.
Permission to collect: Granted.
Suael raised her hand. From her palm, a faint silver sigil appeared — the image of a spinning scythe.
No blood. No scream. Just one beat vanishing from a fake life.
The old woman collapsed. The crow turned to ash.
Violet stood frozen.
— You... killed her?
— No. I simply did what I must. She died long ago.
The system displayed:
Souls Collected: 1/100
Status: Stable
Time Remaining: 359 Days
Suael turned away. She walked past the silent boy.
— Welcome to a death god's job, Violet.
He didn't reply.
But from that moment on,
he never took his eyes off her again.