Ren had just finished buttoning his collar, so he picked up a neck tie and began knotting it out of habit, his voice trailing off.
"I am Ren Vaelthorn like you said of course. But I was Ren Manhattan in my previous life, cool coincidence I retained my first name, isn't it? I think it is…."
In a few steps, he was done knotting the tie and then he slid it down his head and over his neck, fastening it at the center, where it sat right.
"But I know that's not what you're curious about. Allow me scratch your itch… Tell me, do you believe in an all-powerful being that created everything in existence? I know your existence is akin to that of a god. But do you believe in GOD?"
Oooh, so cool… letting him know I have someone bigger than him backing me. Whether that's true or not, it doesn't matter. It serves its purpose, adds to the mystery about my identity, keeps him hooked long enough before he can try anything unpleasant on me. I would have never thought ever that a day would come where I played mind games on gods. Haha.
"No!" The answer was quick, straight to the point, definite.
Ren was about to speak, but then came the rest of the answer;
"I don't believe in God's existence… I know of His existence."
Ren's smile widened.
Perfect.
"Perfect... Well, I'll have you know I don't come from this world. I'm actually His son. One of His sons."
Ren had just finished proudly proclaiming when suddenly;
BANG!!!
The door brushed passed his face, the wind that accompanied it sweeping his hair wildly and then another loud bang echoed as the door got implanted in the wall.
Ren's face froze. He swallowed hard. His shirt, tie and hair still flapping around from the wind.
What the hell!!!!
His instincts screamed at him to move, do something, run. His heart pounded hard in his chest, the world suddenly going extra silent. All he could hear was his heart beat.
DUM! DUM! DUM! DUM! DUM!
From the corner of his eye, he could see a fist coming for his face at an insane speed. Adrenaline pumped through his body, the world moved in slow motion. He was so aware that he could clearly see the tiny hairs on the fist's clenched fingers but he couldn't avoid what was coming.
It reminded him of the way the headlamps of the truck that knocked him glared at him as if announcing death.
He raised his arms to block but it was too late.
His face collapsed under the weight of the fist, blood sprayed out of his ears, neck twisted abnormally and then as if the world remembered it operated under the laws of physics, his whole body flew embedding itself inside the wall next to the door that arrived there before he did.
***
In the penthouse, the Soul Devourer burst into laughter like he had just seen the most comical thing. When he was done, his face returned to its expressionless state. He rose from his chair and placed the blue flame in his mouth and swallowed, its light disappearing the lower it fell down his throat until it was gone.
He closed his eyes, breathing calmly.
"The Grim Reaper was also His son, His angel of death but I killed him. He didn't do anything to me back then. What makes you think he'll move the universe for you if I touched you?"
His lips curled into a smirk, revealing his pointed canine. He could see what Ren was trying to do—trying to deter him but he wasn't afraid. Rather he was only growing more curious about Ren's abilities as a Son. What unsettled him was the thought that his current interest could also be part of Ren's manipulation.
"But you're interesting to say the least… Playing mind games with me, boy?" his cool voice trailed off in the darkness
***
One moment Ren was standing in his body, the next he was a formless shape of consciousness that stretched beyond his body yet still anchored to his body by something red.
He could see them, the ones that attacked him. Two men that wore black vests and camo-green pants, one with an irritated look, the other with an angry face.
"MICHAEL! YOU DIMWIT!!!! You killed him…We were supposed to bring him in alive. Now we're going to be the ones executed instead of him," the angry one was on the verge of yelling.
Michael stood there, irritated at the mess he had just caused. Ren was implanted in the wall, face completely deformed.
"SHUT UP!" he stated bluntly. He hadn't expected Prince Ren to be this weak.
The file stated Ren was stubborn person, that he would definitely retaliate against authority so he attacked without question. Sure he had used enough force to knock him down but to kill him this way? No one could have a guessed a prince could be this weak.
But then he saw it, Ren's chest was still rising and falling steadily. He was breathing! But how?!
His eyes brightened. He was lucky. Quickly pulling a healing pill from his pocket, he walked to Ren and tried to feed it to him.
But then came the dilemma. How were they going to get it through that crooked neck?
Ren could have watched them struggle and laugh all day but there were more pressing matters breathing down his neck. The red substance that anchored his consciousness to the body flared like a flame, spreading through his whole body releasing a dense red sweet-smelling fog that rose into the air and extending far and wide—a signal he couldn't control.
This is bad! Is this how mortal reapers find each other….
Immediately, he dispersed his consciousness further up into space so he could have a bird's eye view of the situation and sure enough he was right.
He could see about a hundred red dots all moving towards his own thicker red dot like moths attracted to light.
Mortal reapers can devour each other's souls. I cannot lose my life just as soon as I got it.
The way his consciousness was now, he knew he was grounded by that red substance. He wasn't free to explore the universe like before. No more heaven, nor hell, nor new body. Once the mortal reapers found him this way, he would definitely be erased from existence.
I need to find a way of eliminating the red smoke signal thing. Screw you Grim Reaper…screw you tenfold. Couldn't you just let me have this ability in peace?!
What the hell?! One of them is already so close, and he is closing in fast.
His identity was about to be discovered by one of them. The mortal reaper was already in the building.
Ren thought hard, he thought fast.
This red signal went out when my body died. Perhaps it goes off once I completely recover. But on the off chance he still manages to find me, I don't want to be hunted by someone unknown. I need to level the playing field a bit. You can't fight what you don't know.
On command, he projected his consciousness downwards with an unrealistic speed, quickly zooming in on the nearest red dot and then he saw him—an old man with a scruffy beard, and a beaming smile that suggested he had won a lottery.
As he walked through the hallways towards him, several passersby greeted him cheerfully. He seemed highly respected and loved by the residents in the hotel. Ren would have never suspected him to be out for his blood if he didn't see the red aura radiating from him.
There's no mistaking it. He's a mortal reaper.
Retracting his consciousness into his body, Ren's eyes opened. He could feel his jaw dangling, and his view disoriented.
Peeling himself out of the wall piece by piece, he landed on the ground.
The eyes of the military men widened. Ren looked like an undead king ready to feast on his next brain.
"H-how can a person even still be alive with his neck that twisted?" They were bewildered.
A series of loud bone cracks echoed through the room and Ren relocated his bones one by one starting with his neck.
"Urgh…." One of them stepped back, cringing at the sight, "That looks awfully painful!"
"Mmhmm," The other nodded stepping back also.
They hadn't realized how close they were to hugging each other.
CRACK!
The last neck vertebrae fell in place. Ren readjusted his jaw, but his face was still crunched inwards. However, now he could scream!
"Ahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!" He let out a mighty scream, a compensation for all the times he should have screamed each time his bones cracked!
Was it overly dramatic? Maybe, but the men understood his pain. Tears were already streaming down Ren's eyes with stinging sensations.
When Ren finished screaming, the men realized they were already hugging so they awkwardly released each other, clearing their throats.
"Let's never do that again."
"Affirmative."
"Let's never talk about it."
"Affirmative."
They were grown men, seasoned military officials, they had tortured countless people in all the worst possible ways, but this scene had managed to shake their cores.
The bone cracks however didn't stop, right before their eyes they saw Ren's face restructure, the red fracture marks on his neck disappearing and all his injuries clearing up. He was back to normal.
Ren could feel it, that red energy that announced his presence, had burnt inside of him rejuvenating his body and disappeared when he was done healing.
But it was already too late. Outside the door, the old man looked shocked at the damage inside.
"My heavens, is everyone okay?" he asked with deceiving concern but Ren already knew his identity. Ren could see the look in his eyes. The kind that said "Hey, I have decided to poke my nose in your business, and I'm not leaving till I'm satisfied."
I have been discovered. But what do I do now? These men mentioned I was supposed to be executed. And their eyes, they have questions they want answered no matter what. That old man wants to devour me. I'm cornered…. Just how do I get out of this?