Chapter 403 - The Soul- Part 3

When Lucas mentioned 'He', Belle didn't know who he was reffering about. There were a number of possibilities of who it could be. She heard sound of the footsteps approaching the room. Belle couldn't stop but look in anticipation of who it was. Like the rest, she had taken hold of the scythe, bringing it in the front and ready to defend herself if she could. Lucas pushed her behind him and this only made her more worried. 

"Seems like our luck ran out," commented Rower who was still holding the girl's soul in his arms. 

The sounds of the footsteps got louder and Belle finally saw the person. In reaper form, the person's footsteps felt heavier as he stepped inside the room for the others back away. 

"Well well well, I thought I smelled something familiar but didn't expect to see three Grims in here," the person then shifted his sight to look at Belle, "And the newly created reaper."

Belle and the others finally realised the little mistake they had made. While Lucas, Greed and Belle had changed their scent by bonding, Rower had the strongest scent as it had not changed. Whoever this person was, he had come following Rower's scent. 

"Gorron," Lucas greeted the Hawvert, who turned to Lucas.

"Cross. It is good to see you here. Finally here to make amends?" asked the Hawvert, "I would like to see that proud self of yours to bend down, pressing your boney head on the dusty ground for forgiveness." 

The Hawvert had not pulled out his scythe, while the others except Rower because of his full hands. Belle had heard about Crane and she had almost met him once here in the land of the dead. She had heard about Winston enough, which was whom they were dealing with right now but she had never never heard much about this Hawvert. Considering the Hawverts were in the highest position, Belle tried to be prepared for the worst. 

"I didn't know you were looking forward to it," replied Lucas, not moving from where he stood. 

"You know there was one more person before you. He was proud too," said Gorron, "Not bothering to attend meetings. Not showing his face, just because he was Crane's favourite. He thought he could get away with what he did but he ended up in oblivion. It is a pity that you will be following the same footsteps."

While Gorron the third Hawvert was speaking about it, most of the non-existent eyes that belonged to the reapers in the room turned to look at Lucas who stood quietly. The person Gorron was speaking about was none other than Lucas' former self, Guilt, the twelfth Grim. Did the Hawvert just say that Crane had a favourite among the four original Grims whom he had created. 

"How does it feel to be the favourite one?" Greed who stood next to Lucas asked and on the other side stood Belle. 

"I don't care," came the dull reply of Lucas. 

Belle couldn't help but wondered how Lucas was Crane's favourite. It was because the last thing she knew, Crane had sent Guilt to oblivion. Somewhere she also had her doubt that the Hawvert just knew who the thirteenth Grim reaper was. 

Else which Hawvert would come down from the dead to the living, following Lucas and sending her other self to the land of the dead? Was he bored of sitting in the tower for years that he had come after just one reaper, that being Lucas. 

Gorron didn't bother to turn himself to his mortal form because he considered it to be beneath him. 

"Whose soul do you have there?" Gorron asked to Rower, "I didn't know you fell down from the position of the Grims too." 

"I didn't. I was bored and decided to tag along," came the solemn answer from Rower. 

"Huh," Gorron responded back, "You should know that once you associate yourself with the fallen Grims, you are nothing but standing equal to their position. Crane and Winston will be extremely pleased to find you back in the high tower. I don't suppose you all will be joining me quietly."

"No."

"I don't feel like it."

"No," came the mixed responses and Belle stood quietly and at the Grim reapers frankness. Belle liked the frankness the people of the dead shared with each other. 

Gorron who looked at the new reaper, asked, "What about you? The bone stealer." 

Unlike Lucas and the others, Belle didn't belong to the dead and she wasn't familiar with Gorron, "I think I will pass," answered Belle without a fear in her voice. If everyone were being frank, she didn't see why she shouldn't follow their footsteps. 

The bones on Gorron's face turned to a grim and displeased look. "That's alright," and then he pulled out his scythe which was larger compared to any scythe she had seen until now, "It's been a while since I have sparred. I am sure neither Winston nor Crane would mind if I damaged some of their precious things. Not that it would matter as all of you are going to oblivion," said Gorron.

Belle didn't get even a second more because Gorron just turned his scythe, and the force was strong enough to send everyone throwing their bodies in different directions. Soon a fight broke out with the three Grims, keeping Gorron busy. Belle went and took hold of the girl's soul, sneaking it away to another room. 

Belle heard the sound of crashes taking place one after another on the other side of the room. Dust was filling up in the house. Placing the soul on the ground, she placed her hand on the girl's chest. Belle pulled out the book of Vervus which Lucas had given to her. She tried to back read the pages as she had read something about soul revival before. If they were going to bring Ophelia back, that would mean they would need a spell for it. But there was no Barron, remembered Belle. The fourth Grim had gone missing and there was no trace of him. 

On the other side of the house, the Grim reapers fought Gorron, who was much more powerful than the Grims. It didn't take him much time to throw Greed and have his body to turn weak. Gorron's scythe had the ability to suck a person's soul and energy, making it easier to weaken them. 

Gorron looked at his scythe, "I forgot you have the ability to suck people's ability," he said to Greed while throwing Lucas and Rower back on the ground without letting their scythe crack his own scythe. 

"Winston thought it would be good to have a Grim reaper who could possess such a thing. Just as standby," replied Greed, who raised his hand up to see three of his fingers that had gone missing from his right hand. 

Lucas took a moment to look at Greed whose bones were missing from his hand. He frowned in thought. When Greed stood up, Lucas said, 

"Go to her!" and Greed turned to look at Lucas. If Greed continued to fight, every bone of his would continue to disappear and turn to dust until there wouldn't be anything left of him. A reaper's soul was nothing but the body they carried, the skeleton bones underneath the robes. 

"Scared already?" asked Gorron, a mocking chuckle was heard from him, "I thought you were better than that. It is good to know that there are cowards. We don't need them," provoked the Hawvert.

Greed didn't listen to Lucas and went ahead to clash his scythe against Gorron which resulted in his left-hand arm turning into dust. Lucas gritted his teeth over this. Before Greed could go for another hit, Lucas put his scythe in between to push Greed away, glaring at the sixth Grim. If he continued to fight with Gorron, Lucas didn't know if they would be able to fix it with the way how the situation had turned haywire. 

Greed was the next to grit his teeth. He could feel Lucas' anger and he finally let go, to search where Belle had disappeared in the house. 

"Do you think you both can handle me?" asked Gorron, "All you had to do was come with me to the high tower. Surrendering is not bad."

Rower who stood there casually dusted the sleeves of his robes and said, "I haven't done anything. I don't know why I am being accused and asked to return to the tower." 

"You have raised your scythe against a Hawvert," stated Gorron.

"We were only sparring. Isn't that what you told, we were going to do?" asked Lucas. His reaper form changed to the mortal one and there was a faint smile on his lips, "Don't blame it on us. If Crane asks, we will tell you were the one who got us to do it."

Gorron stared at both of the Grims, "You think people are going to listen to fallen Grims instead of the Hawvert who came to retrieve them? You must be dreaming too much after going to the land of the living."

Lucas and Rower both raised their scythes, the metals clashing against Gorron, sparks getting created. Lucas could feel his soul that tingled, where Gorron was waiting for his scythe to pick up his soul, weakening it through the clashes of their scythes. He could make use of his own scythe but that would only end up with his reaping a Hawvert. 

"What is the punishment for reaping a Hawvert?" asked Lucas amidst the fight with Gorron. 

Gorron gave out a look as if Lucas asked a stupid question, "There is no law for it. You ask, as if you can reap a Hawvert." At his words, Lucas changed his form, taking the appearance of Guilt, "T-that is not possible. You are not supposed to be here," came out the shocked words of Gorron.