"So, you're sure I need to die?"
Elias cast a disbelieving glance at the hooded man before returning his attention to an old, golden coin that laid in the palm of his hands.
Although rust had nearly overcome its otherwise ivory coat, there was a small part of the coin's head that looked brand new. Elias rubbed his thumb over that spot, which was etched with a dragon's head. In a few seconds the coin became hot to the touch, as if he was activating some secret power within the coin.
Shaking his head, Elias rolled the coin between his fingers as he muttered, "How is this thing gonna kill me anyway?"
The coin, which was all that he had left of his father, slid between his fingers with an impossible grace. It was almost as if the coin had been made specifically for him.
'Doesn't matter,' Elias thought before closing his fist.
He had come here for a single reason, and it had nothing to do with his coin.
No.
Instead, he was desperately searching for anything that could wake his comatose sister. For the last five years he had devoted his life to uncovering every possible medication, experiment, and everything in between, all in an attempt to save his sister.
Since their parents were already dead, he was her only hope.
And since every single idea he tried had failed, there was no choice left but to turn to the supernatural world. Even if his life ended in a gruesome fate, it would be better than dying alone after failing the only person he had left to protect.
Therefore, Elias had figured out how to track down beings like the man in front of him. Reapers, beings who were messengers of death itself.
They were the only things in existence that could help him enter the world of the supernatural.
Clutching the coin even tighter, Elias waited his death with an undying eagerness.
"Well? How am I dying?" Elias prodded, as the hooded man still made no attempt to answer his question.
He simply sat there, completely still, like a statue.
Unmoving, his every feature hid behind the dark Abyss beneath his hood.
"Hellooo," Elias said, waving his hand in front of the hooded man's face.
"It isn't the coin that'll kill ya, boy." The hooded man whispered, barely speaking his words and yet Elias heard him clearly.
Elias looked down in confusion as he whispered, "It's not?" Then he laughed, flipped it in the air, and said, "that's good. I think Farah would like this coin quite a lot."
"Maybe," the hooded man whispered. Then, the coin stopped in mid-air before floating toward the hooded man. "But still, you shouldn't be so quick to play with fate."
"I'll do what I have to." Elias' voice was firm and final as he reached his hand out for the coin, which instantly returned to him. Sliding the coin into his pocket, Elias looked into the darkness of the man's hood before asking, "So tell me, what should I do after I kill myself?"
A small light shone from the man's hood, which almost looked like a reaper's version of smiling.
"I'm the one who's gonna kill ya," the hooded man whispered, and a knife suddenly appeared where the coin had just been. "Once you enter the Mirror World, there's gonna be 3 Saints fightin a nest of vamps. One of those idiots is gonna die protecting you."
The man's cloak suddenly disappeared, revealing an old man with no eyes. Even though the man couldn't possibly see, Elias felt the man's gaze piercing his very soul.
His voice low, the man warned, "If ya want ya sis to wake up, keep the rest alive."
Without warning, the knife zipped through the air and sliced Elias' neck wide open.
Blood gushed from the wound like a faucet, instantly giving the table a new coat of paint. Elias reached for his throat, his body instinctively trying to survive.
But even if he wanted to, there was nothing in the normal world that could save him now. Not even the finest doctors could heal a wound inflicted by that knife. Just as promised, he was going to die.
Smiling, Elias looked at the man one last time before thinking, 'that guy looks kinda familiar, doesn't he?'
Then he closed his eyes and passed on to the Mirror World.