"WAHHH!"
Hearing Barron scream, the three of them turned to look at what happened to him. Barron was not on the ground anymore but swimming in the river of the dead.
"Fuck!" Lucas cursed and Belle turned her head to look at him because she had never heard him curse. Every time someone cursed, it would end up with their head being hit by Lucas so that it would not be used, "The damn rabbit can never sit still."
"It is not too late to leave him to be gobbled by another creature. It would probably keep everyone safe once we sacrifice him," Greed said to them who was tired of Barron causing trouble for them. But as if one problem was not enough, a dark creature whisked its shadow like a tentacle to pull Greed's leg and dragged him into the water.
"Stay here!" Lucas advised Belle so that he wouldn't have to pull three people out of the water. Just when he had warned them about the creatures that lurked in here. The rabbit had to take a dip in the water!
Belle did as she was told and took a few steps away from the water because whatever was in the river, it had pulled them deep down. She wasn't able to see Barron or Greed anymore.
Within a second, Lucas dived into the water and Belle couldn't stop but watch from where she stood. Just because she was asked to stay here didn't mean she couldn't use her magic. Tapping back into the forbidden magic, Belle waved her hand to see the water move.
"Light!" she said and a golden glow appeared from the bottom of the river, throwing light in the dark murky water. She tried to clear it so that one could be able to see things that were inside the river much clearly.
Belle noticed how the mermaids were back. This time it was not just one but a school of them and Greed used his scythe to beat them up while she was not able to see where Lucas and Barron was. It took a while for Greed to finally free himself. His hand tried to reach the land while one of the mermaids caught hold of his leg.
"Where are you going?" came the sweetest voice Belle had ever heard. The voice was enchanting to listen to and it could put one in a daze. But then Greed was no mortal but a Grim Reaper.
"Get the fuck off of me!" he gritted his teeth, kicking behind to get rid of the mermaid who was holding him tightly, not letting him get back on the land.
"Do you need help?" Belle asked him.
"No, thanks," came the prideful voice of Greed who sent a glare to Belle. Belle decided to wait, watching him struggle for the next two minutes when he finally said, "Do something!"
Belle was more than happy to help, and she waved her hand for the mermaid to stop moving as if she had been frozen and Greed got out of the water, "Ah, I have my robes all wet now," he grumbled.
"Come back!" cried the mermaid to Greed. When it noticed Belle who was standing next to him, it opened its mouth wide, showing its sharp zigzag mouth and cried out even more loudly. With Greed alright, Belle looked around for Lucas to finally see the rabbit being thrown up first who dragged a soul along with him out of the river and then came Lucas who were safe now.
"Barron, are you alright?! Who did you pull out of the water?!" Belle asked, going to them. She picked up the rabbit and squeezed the water out of his cotton body.
"It is Ophelia!" said Barron. He jumped back on the ground, staring at the soul that was unconscious, "I think she is sleeping."
"She looks long gone dead," muttered Greed.
Belle knew that this girl's soul which laid on the ground was important to Barron but what was he doing picking the soul out of the river, "Do you want to pass her soul through the gates? Is it possible?" she turned to Lucas who was wringing the ends of his robes and Belle went to help him.
When Belle looked at Lucas, he shook his head.
"I have decided to take her with me, back to the living," said Barron to look at the girl and move his bunny hands through her body, "We have a spare rabbit in the mansion. She can live there. I mean look at the crowd in there. So dirty," said the rabbit who was covered in far worse dirt she had ever seen Mr. Fluffs in, "Once Lucas brings the book of the dead, we can put her in there."
"Don't you think it is better if you send her through the gates instead?" asked Belle, because a wandering soul always ended up being sad and corrupted in its own way.
Barron looked sad by this suggestion, "She will be much happier with me." This made Belle question if Barron loved Ophelia and it was more than the care he had shown earlier.
Lucas didn't question or comment on it. Because first, her soul would have to wake from the floating trance state. When he noticed a light appear, he turned his head to look at the boat that was rowing closer to the bank of the river.
"So many Grims," came Rower's voice that was a whisper, "I wasn't expecting. Who is reaping whom here?" asked the Grim Reaper, holding the long staff in his hand.
"We need a ride," said Lucas, and Rower stared at Lucas. His face moving slowly to look at the people before his eyes fell on the soul that was picked by Barron.
"It is going to cost," Rower said by looking at them, tilting his head to only be thrown with a bag of coins by Lucas. Rower then brought the boat closer to the land to finally stop it, "Hop in," he said.
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