november 25, 2019.  

"It's supposed to be my day off, Ya." Serena groaned as she groggily answered her mobile from Praya.

"I know," Praya acknowledged from the other end, "But I just wanted to let you know that the photos of the new model that you oh so graciously picked out on the spot for the MOLDIR products received great praise compare to the shareholder's daughter's photos."

"Good to know. She was a perfect fit, but is that it?"

"Your enthusiasm of this brings me great joy, Re."

Serena chuckled knowing that Praya wanted a little more attention for the work.

"Sorry, sorry, but I'm really glad to know that that woman worked out and not the one attached to the assistant or whatever he is."

"Yeah, about him, Mr. Chan was not thrilled nor was Ms. Dilmurat when they found out the news."

"So what? They gonna sue?"

"Nope. They can't. They signed a waiver and didn't read the fine print that if the current model didn't work out that the photographer has the right to choose another model as a replacement. Or the fact that the person that hired the photographer gets to choose which photos worked best for the products and so forth."

"So, basically it was a win-win situation as I got my new model and her pictures beat the original so-called model, right?"

"Yup."

Serena groaned.

"And you didn't think to let me know that?"

"You're supposed to know that."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll make sure to ask all questions before accepting any future work."

"Please, do."

"Why? You sound like I'm your only worker when there's three more."

"Well, Claudine is going to focus more on school and has limited her availability until graduation."

"Okay, there's still Charebelle and Lydia."

"I already told you that Lydia's still on maternity leave."

"Okay, but you still got Charebelle."

"Yes and she does an amazing job, but just like you she has preferences and certain clients asking for her and other conditions that you yourself set up when y'all were hired."

Serena sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Anyways, speaking of Charebelle, she mentioned a friend of a friend wanted to make a request for an engagement party. It's set some time in March. Do you think you'll be free?"

"If it's a friend of a friend of Charebelle, then shouldn't she be assigned the job?"

"She can't. She'll be on vacation for the month."

"Oh, right. I forgot. I got time so it should be fine."

"Okay, noted. Anyways, Joni loved the pictures."

"Who?"

"Oh, yeah. The C-E-O of GMNI Group."

"Ah, okay. That's good."

"Yeah, his brother, Anan, and sister, Jennie, also liked how they turned out. They actually want you to do another shoot for them."

"Don't they have their own people to do that though?"

"Yes, but they liked how you work."

"I guess. Shall see. Unless it's a method of theirs to recruit people."

"It's not."

"Okay, cool."

"Alright, I'll get back to you on that. By the way do you still need a date for your complex's Thanksgiving party that's coming up in a few days?"

Praya asked a moment later with a teasing tone.

"I'm totally free."

"No." Serena replied with no hesitation.

"And I know."

"Why not?"

"Because you will start revealing too much of my life when you get drunk."

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

"It is when they don't know my personal life that much."

"Oh, right. That's true. Fine. We can spend it together next year at my place with the others."

"Okay, that's fine. Now, can I go back to bed?"

"Yes, Ms. Grumpy Pants."

"Yeah, yeah, bye."

"Talk to you later."

Serena hung up and went back to sleep. That was short-lived when Nerok poofed into her room and landed on her.

"Sorry, NaNa!" Nerok apologized while hopping off of her.

"It's fine, Nerok."

A second later and Maofah poofed into the room and landed on Serena as well, but with no apologies.

"Can't say sorry, can you?" She asked the white feline as Maofah shrugged.

"It's not my thing."

Serena rolled her eyes, but sat up in bed to look at the both of them.

"So what's up?"

"Everything at the Grim Reaper Station is malfuctioning and they're fixing it." Nerok explained first as Maofah nodded.

"Yeah, the Cupid Station is acting wonky too and under maintainance until further notice."

"It was fine yesterday. What happened?"

"They don't know." Both felines replied.

"They're trying to figure it out, but everything keeps glitching and freezing. They can't determined anything."

Serena made a face.

"So much for the supernatural and technological magic."

"Mmhmm. Anyways, Kanshu wants you to take care of a few charges that got reassigned or names that's been bumped off a grim reaper's list."

Nerok informed as Maofah nodded too.

"Oh, yeah, Narak wants to do the same as the same thing happened to the other cupids, too. It's a whole mess."

"I don't doubt it."

Serena sighed while running a hand through her hair.

"Okay. The sooner the better. Who are they?"

Grim Reaper Serena materialize in front of her newly reassigned person while casually sitting atop the railing of the stairway of the man's home as she observed the older gentleman before speaking.

"You didn't summoned me, but here I am. So how may I assist you?"

The male sat still upon his couch before slowly turning his head to look behind him. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times to make sure he was actually seeing some weird person dressed up in a weird outfit in front of him. He just continued to look at Grim Reaper Serena with a blank expression as the bag of pork rinds he was holding tumbled to the floor.

"Weren't you some old geezer the first time you visited?"

"Probably."

"Then why are you a woman?"

"Because I can be."

"You're real?"

"No. I'm just a dream you're having."

She answered nonchalantly as Grim Reaper Serena stared at the man in boredom while waiting for him to confirm his acknowledgement of her, but nothing. She tilted her head as her eyes stared at him blankly.

"A dream? I know I would've remembered someone like you if I've dreamt of a pretty girl."

The male then pinched himself, but hissed when the pain was actually real.

"You lied to me." He accused as the reaper cast him an eerie smile.

"Did I though?"

The male's face shifted as he looked around him in almost a panicked-like state. She sighed before speaking again and repositioning herself on the railing to look at him better.

"You go by the username of HomeownerWong on the site called REAPER CORRESPONDENCE, correct?"

The male at first just stared at her like he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Lawrence Wong, correct?"

At first the male's face paled, but after he recovered a moment later he nodded before feeling something soft and slightly heavy moving about his lap. He looked down to spot a white cat with a golden halo above its head standing on its hind legs with its forelegs and paws resting on its hips like it was a human being.

"Say something, Stupid. We don't got all day."

The white cat spoke in annoyance as he found himself being flung across the room and crashing into the wall. The male did a double take of his own hand that had done the deed. Maofah raised a paw in the direction of the man as he spoke with his face still pressed to the floor.

"Let's personally kill him instead."

Maofah's paw dropped after making his announcement with Grim Reaper Serena shaking her head with a small yet cynical smile. Nerok zoomed around the older man with a curious yet dark gaze.

"You smell funny."

"I- what?"

Nerok ignored the male and continued to swirl around him while sniffing him and making a face.

"You smell funny and not right. Like pig fat or something. You should smell like motor oil, but you don't."

"Why would I smell like a car or a mechanic? That's why I pay someone to do that for me."

Maofah also joined Nerok while making a face upon catching the male's scent.

"You smell disgusting."

Before the older man could reply Grim Reaper Serena was already by his side with a scary expression.

"W-w-what do, do, you want?" The older man stuttered upon seeing how close she was and fear set in his eyes.

"What have you done to him?"

"I didn-"

"What. Have. You. Done. To. Him?" Grim Reaper Serena snarled each word in warning to the male before her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh-oh." Both cats chimed before sniggering. "You're gonna get it now."

"Get what?" The man asked. "I have no idea what's going on."

"Wrong answer, Victor Zheng."

She cast him a deadly smile before snapping her fingers.

"Ahhh!" Victor screamed in place as darkness invaded his mind and took control.

The older man found himself where he had last bullied, tortued, and murdered the actual client, Lawrence Wong, at Lawrence's own auto shop several months ago in the city of Eirene located in the Nazin Region. Instead of watching it as a mere spectator, Victor was in place of where Lawrence's body should've been and watching his own self causing the deed and re-living every moment.

"Please. Please. No. No. Don't." The Replay Victor pleaded over and over as everything replayed itself.

The Spectator Victor watched as himself doing all of the things to his own self like he had done to real Lawrence with a timing belt and several lug nuts by throwing the lug nuts and even beating The Replay Victor with the timing belt.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please. Stop. Please. I'm sorry." Replay Victor pleaded once again, but it fell on deaf ears.

All the while being repeatedly called inferior, slow, stupid, and being a for not knowing how to install the said two items by The Bully Victor over and over. Afterwards The Bully Victor later poured coolant and oil all over the defenseless body while throwing the empty bottles at The Replay Victor.

"Didn't you say you were gonna get revenge on me, you excuse of a mechanic?"

The Bully Victor kicked the body with a laugh.

"That's a good joke right there, bud, when you can't even stand up to me."

Another kick and another laugh.

"A website that grants wishes. That's a riot."

Another kick. Another laugh. Another groan. Another plead to stop.

"How are you gonna ask something to do it when they don't even exist? Hurry up and change out the tires for the red 2005 Honda Accord. The client will be here tomorrow afternoon to pick it up and I need it done by then or I have to give him a partial refund for the delay."

The bruised body eventually got up to finish the said job, but holding the lug wrench in his grasp he leapt towards the man to attack. The Bully Victor turned in time and caught a hold of The Replay Victor's arm and took the item away from him instead.

"What do you think you're doing, huh?"

Gripping the lug wrench firmly The Bully Victor instead attacked The Replay Victor. Replay Victor slumped down instantly with the one hit. With the last of his strength Replay Victor whispered the words instilling fear into Bully Victor's body despite what he had stated earlier.

"They will get you, Victor Zheng. Mark my words. The grim reapers will know the truth. They'll come find you and take care of you themselves. If not them, then I hope someone from the Red Dragons will take care of you. Li and his men will learn that you've been trading secrets to the Blue Tigers behind their backs for years now on how to obtain the Daian Region."

The scene changed and Victor instantly found himself back in Lawrence's apartment wearing the dead man's clothes to deceive the entity that Lawrence had mentioned before his death. At first Victor looked about him haphazardly believing that he was just in some sort of nightmare and it wasn't real. Spinning around he didn't see any cats or the woman in black and so let out a relieved breath. Just as he had turned around Grim Reaper Serena was in his face again with the same scary expression except this time she was wearing a black kimono with floral designs and her eyes were a deep red.

"Do you atone for your sins, Victor Zheng?" Grim Reaper Serena asked him in a firm tone.

"I have no sins and you're not real."

He went to brush his hand through the grim reaper, but it instead made contact with her cheek instead.

"Y-y-you're real?!"

"Yes and so is your punishment."

Grim Reaper Serena snapped her fingers again and flames surrounded the male. He let out screams of terror and pain, but she ignored him like he had ignored those of Lawrence's. Soon enough Victor's body went lifeless and his soul stepped out of its vessel. His soul whisked away and found itself in the middle of a row boat with a blank expression. Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld's river Styx, and Grim Reaper Serena were on either ends of the boat to condemned the man's soul.

"Would you like me to take over?" Charon asked Grim Reaper Serena and she shook her head.

"I'll personally take care of this one, Charon. Thank you."

"My pleasure, Reaper V."

The Ferryman of Styx dissipated away in black smokes while Grim Reaper Serena recited the following rite that she had learned from Enma Ai four years ago to row the listless male soul to eternal damnation.

"Oh pitiful shadow lost in the darkness, bringing torment and pain to others. Oh damned soul wallowing in your sins, how would you like to see what death is like?"

Meanwhile Lawrence's own soul watched from the shore of Hell alongside Duhe who held out her hand in waiting towards the soul. A very small image of an entwined asphodel and a camellia appeared on the left side of Lawrence's chest as a small sad smile graced his lips.

"Thank you, Reaper V. Thank you."

Once the boat was out of sight did his soul slowly turned into a black stone and was now held within Duhe's grasp a moment later.

"May your soul rest in peace and support the Bridge of Hopelessness."

That same day Cupid Serena poofed into another reassigned charge for the fifth time today.

"Congratulations! I'm he-ow!"

Cupid Serena's greeting was interrupted as she got a textbook thrown at the left front side of her head.

"Who are you," A young woman asked backing away in fear while clutching onto another textbook as Cupid Serena rubbed the sore spot with a narrowed look in the direction of her assigned person for the day, "And how did you get into my bedroom?"

"I'm a cupid of the CUPID CORRESPONDENCE and I was here to help you, username Milly2295, find your Fated One, but with that incident you pulled a while ago you can go ahead and find them yourself."

Serena poofed away in a cloud of pastel smoke.

"Wait! Please, wait! I'm sorry! Wait! I didn't mean it. Come back. Please." The young woman called out quickly.

"I didn't know you were actually for real, real. Oh please, come back."

The young woman ran towards the dissipating puffs of smoke upon