The man who used to be Death used to be ruthless. He didn’t care if he killed a good man or a bad man, all he cared about was to kill. He was hated so much for doing his job – people cursed him, angels tended to avoid him and demons were starting to get tired of him. Nevertheless, he was loved by only one being, and that is Life.

Life was a woman with a kind heart. She gave and gave, to the point that nothing much was left for herself. She was the only one who took the time to see beneath Death’s violence – just to find a man longing for love himself.

And so she guided him. She taught him how to feel happiness, empathy, how to make his purpose a little bit less miserable. She showed him what it felt like to love.

Death found himself getting attached to her.

But a tragedy such as war began, and the two found it so hard to see each other. Death had been constantly summoned in the battlefields of humans much more ruthless than he was, and Life had been numerously stressed out over the countless lives that she had lost.

That was when Death reached a child.

She was petite. She held a blank face as she took in the bloody remains of her parents before her, tears were non-existent and her hands were trembling beside her. Her heart was thumping in her chest, her fists were clenched, and even the angel behind her didn’t know what to do. Death looked behind the small child to stare at the angel’s face, and all he could do was sigh in such sadness.

Poor Jihyo, she had to see this girl grow only to end up in such a broken state.

The young child surprisingly looked up to stare into Death’s eyes. He panicked, knowing that humans aren’t supposed to see him in this form. He gulped, taking in the fact that the shocked angel behind her wouldn’t be much of help.

“What’s your name, little one?” He mutters, making his weapons disappear into smoke. The girl stares at him, furrows her eyebrows, and carefully sat on the dirty ground.

“Tzuyu.” It was short and precise, something out of the mouth of a cultured child. Death nodded carefully, finding it hard to kill a child that could see him. He gave her a wary smile, careful not to scare her. “Why did you kill them?” Her voice came out as little, almost cracking as she asked Death that very question. He looked away, kneeling in front of the kid to try to start explaining who he was.

“It’s my job, Tzuyu.” Her name sounds foreign on his tongue – probably because it was the first time he had ever said it. “It was your parents’ time… I can’t escape from my profession.” He gives her a sad smile – something that he has never done before.

“Have you come to take me too?” She asks bitterly, remembering the scythe he held a few moments ago. “You took my parents’ lives… and if what you said is true, you took all the lives around me. How can you exist knowing you do something so terrible?” She stands and takes little steps to approach Death. Her fists were clenched even tighter than before and her eyes were struggling to keep her tears in check. She hits Death’s chest once, breaking down in front of him.

Jihyo approached Tzuyu, not knowing what to do. She enveloped the small girl in a hug, much like what an angel should do, but Tzuyu didn’t even budge. She continued to bang her tiny fists against Death’s chest, her cries sounding louder and louder w