I used to think that when a background character like me died, my body would simply vanish into nothing—dispersing into thin air, becoming one with the ether.
But in reality, it was nothing like what I imagined.
Life after death gave me chills.
I had become a spirit.
My new form glowed with a faint, bluish hue—dim and somber.
As I looked at my spectral body, an ominous feeling settled over me.
I remembered hearing from other background characters that once we die… we never get a chance to reincarnate. Ever.
At first, I thought "never get a chance to reincarnate" meant complete annihilation—body and soul, gone forever.
But after dying, I realized how wrong I had been.
Everything I thought I knew had been a lie.
So… what did they really mean by "never get a chance to reincarnate"?
Dark mist surrounded me from all directions.
Everything nearby was swallowed by the blackness.
In the distance, I saw two glowing red lights, slowly drawing closer.
As they advanced, the air grew colder and colder.
The closer they came, the more bone-chilling it became.
My teeth began to chatter—clack, clack—from the cold.
If I had known death would be this freezing, I would've put on a fur coat before I died.
Achoo... brrr... cold...
And then, I realized what those two red lights were—they were eyes.
The figure began to emerge from the darkness.
The man approaching had skin so dark it melted into the shadows.
His upper body was bare, revealing a strong chest and sculpted abs.
He wore a mask adorned with a single small wing on the left side.
In his left hand, he held an hourglass. In his right—he gripped a scythe.
Behind him, spirits followed—no, not walked, they floated.
And one of them looked familiar.
As I squinted, I realized it was… Tiphys.
I never imagined I'd see him again.
The dark man approached Jason's body and swept his scythe through it, reaping the soul from within.
And that's when I finally knew who he was.
He is the one who appears when someone's life ends.
The one no one ever wishes to meet—unless absolutely necessary.
You already know who I'm talking about, don't you?
Yes… none other than Death himself—Thanatos.
Once he was finished reaping Jason's soul, it was my turn.
Thanatos walked toward me with a look of boredom on his face.
He swung his scythe toward me casually—but it didn't hit.
He stared at me, like he was picking a fight.
His expression seemed to say, "Why the hell did you dodge, idiot?"
But… I didn't dodge.
He tried again. Swung the scythe at me a second time.
Same result.
It didn't touch me.
No matter how many times Thanatos tried, he couldn't reap my soul.
He was starting to get irritated.
He raised his hourglass and held it toward me, muttering under his breath, "You're… not due yet?"
He wasn't the only one surprised.
I was shocked too—I still wasn't destined to die?
Thanatos sighed loudly, clearly exasperated.
He stood there for a moment, waiting for my time to come.
But...
Half an hour passed—I was still here.
An hour passed—I was still here.
Two hours passed—I was still here.
He had waited a long, long time.
And I still wasn't dead.
Thanatos began tapping his foot and lightly thumping the butt of his scythe on the ground. A clear sign that he was running out of patience.
"Why aren't you dead already?!" he growled.
Was that a question for me?
How the hell should I know?