V
"Please... remember..."
"Oak tree... remember..."
"Our symbol... garden... remember it..."
"Please... remember... him..."
Nadia jolted awake as she pants desperately for air, cold sweats rolled down her forehead like bullets as tears streamed down her eyes.
She gripped the blanket tightly as she confusedly yet annoyingly stared at the ceiling. She slowly sat up as she hang her head low, covering her face with both of her palms. She stayed like that for seconds, as the annoyance and frustration burn more bigger within her.
With furious, she suddenly grabbed the clock at her bedside table and angrily thrown it. The clock smashed in pieces as it hit the wall in such force, pieces and other mechanisms all flown and scattered at every corners of her room.
She pant in ragged breaths as she glares at the Brocken clock, she can feel her nerves starting to tick of in rage. 
"For bloody fuck's sake..." She whispered. 
The same nightmare. Again and again. But this time it was closer—no longer misty or distant. It crawled under her skin, pulled at her chest like it wanted her to follow.
Ever since that damned reaper appeared, her dreams no longer felt like dreams. They felt like memories clawing their way back, determined to drag her under.
Everything's all messed up now, her intervening on fate causing the unprecedented death of her grandma, the inheritance fued that got her entangled unknowingly, and the damned reaper who declared that he'll watch her--even branding her as an anomaly.
Everything's giving her a massive headache, it's not like she cared about the other things aside from her grandma's. But getting pulled in mess that she didn't even signed in, urge her to curse the world and everything.
And here she was—already pissed first thing in the morning. Nadia let out a sharp sigh, the kind that burned at the edges of her throat, before dragging herself out of bed and stalking to the bathroom.
She went through her routine with mechanical motions—washing her face, brushing her teeth, pulling on the most comfortable clothes she could find. Even the towel she used to dry her hair suffered from her irritation, twisted and wrung too tightly between her hands.
Finally, she reached for the doorknob and twisted it open, her movements brisk, like the world itself had already annoyed her by existing.
Nadia froze mid-step, her hand half-raised as if reaching for something. She clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes with irritation rather than fear.
“I should have you arrested for trespassing.” she said flatly, not even bothering to look over her shoulder.
A low, dark chuckle broke the silence, vibrating through the air like it belonged to the shadows themselves.
“And what would you tell them?” he drawled, his tone laced with mocking and sarcasm. 
“That a reaper broke in and made himself comfortable on your couch?”
Nadia shut her eyes and curled her fist tight against her side. “Calm down, Nadia...” she told herself. “He’s not worth it.”
She opened the fridge, the cool air spilling over her like a distraction, and pulled out the milk. Every movement was careful, controlled—the scrape of the chair against the floor, the clink of the spoon against the mug, the steady spreading of chocolate and strawberry across soft bread.
Her silence wasn’t defeat—it was defiance. He could sit there all he wanted; she refused to give him the satisfaction of fear.
The taste of strawberries and chocolate still lingered on her tongue when a shadow slid into her periphery. Before she could react, the Reaper’s hand clamped around hers, lifting her bread. His mouth closed over the same spot she had bitten, his teeth sinking in without hesitation.
The comfort evaporated. The sweetness turned sour in her throat as her gaze snapped to him, fury and disbelief twisting her features.
His eyes locked with hers as he stared at her with menace and playfulness, as if triggering her on something. She irritatedly watched him as he slowly munch the food, yet his stares still remained with hers. As he swallowed it, he subtly licked his lip and brushed the side of his mouth with his thumb.
"Delicious..."
Her jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. She wanted to smash the mug across his face, but she forced herself still. If she gave him the satisfaction of a reaction, she’d lose.
She raised her brow when he suddenly pulled a stool near her and sat down before turning back on her.
"Make on for me too." He demanded, as he seated like a king with his elbow resting at the table and his leg crossed.
She scoffed followed by a low yet sarcastic laugh as she stared at him unironically.
"No one told me death could be this shameless. Shouldn’t you be busy reaping instead of mooching around?"
"And no one told me an anomaly could be this inhospitable—though, to be fair, you’re the only one your kind has to offer." He retorted back.
She only rolled her eyes and turned her gaze away from him as she made another bread and was about to eat it when suddenly, it got stolen from her hand. Right in front of her. And when she turned back to the reaper, her anger rose when she saw how comfortably he's eating the very bread that he just stole from her hand.
The sheer audacity of this asshole.
She muttered a whispered curse at him before she shifted back on the food and made another one. She's too damn aware that quarrelling with the asshole would only lead to unending competition, so she'd rather suck it up instead of bantering with him. That'll even be more annoying.
She clenched her teeth as she buttered another slice, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. But her hand trembled slightly in irritation—damn him, he always managed to crawl under her skin.
Their--her whole day went on quite chaotic and messy as she spend some of her time in a prideful and sarcastic banter with the reaper. Every movements and actions that she made were all judge and bluntly analyzed by him, followed by his mocking and annoying side comments that really brewed her blood hot.
There is even some moments where she ask him if he's even busy, or that if he have some soul to reap. All that pretenses of curiosity really hides the urge and hope that she can drive him out and away from her and her house as soon as possible.
"Don't you even have any soul to reap? If you do then go and leave now, stop bugging me." Nadia said as she flipped the page of her textbook that she's studying.
The reaper is laying down on her couch as if he's on his own home. "I believe that it isn't my responsibility to tell you so."
"And I also believe that it isn't my responsibility to feed and let you in my house, yet here we are." 
The pen made a scratching sound on the paper as she wrote down some key points on her booklet. Thankfully, she's already been used in a world full of disturbance. So studying while quarrelling with the reaper is not that hard, after all, multitasking is one of her skills.
The reaper sneered and turned, facing the couch's backrest, while his back face Nadia. She only rolled her eyes and silently sighed deeply as she continued on what she's doing.
She called excuse for two days on her classes to rest and gather herself in the excuse of her grandma's funeral and her being unwell. She's thankful that her advisor permitted her to do so, but now she regretted staying at home.
If only she had known that staying at home would just worsen her irritation and migraine in the unfortunate form of the reaper, then she would have been willingly attended her classes like the normal days.
She truly had the worst luck of all.
But maybe it is at least a little better than holing herself down on sadness and grief. She needed a distraction or else she'll fall back on the pathetic state of her back in the last few days when her grandma passed and buried.
At least arguing with a reaper kept her upright—mourning would only drag her back down.
The silence shrouded the whole house, only the sound of the ticking wall clock and AC can be heard. It made Nadia confuse.
She turned to the reaper but instead it was only his back that greeted her. She slightly lifted her body to take a peek of why did the annoying reaper suddenly became silent. And what she saw answered everything.
The reaper, peacefully sleeping as he made his own arm his pillow. His breaths were deep and steady.
She was quite shock on seeing him like that. Does the reapers also feel tired? But then seeing him like this, it makes him a little... human.
For a fleeting second, she almost forgot he was the very same creature who threatened to kill her. Sleeping like this, he looked… ordinary. Almost human. And that unsettled her more than his menace ever did.
He may look docile now, but that was the trick, wasn’t it? Death wore whatever mask it pleased. And the worst mask of all was one that almost made her forget to be afraid. That death wasn't she thought that it was.
She shook her head off, pushing out the measly thoughts away as she shifted her attention back at her study.
'Don't be a fool Nadia, don't let any unnecessary variables distract you in your wits and focus.' she harshly stated on herself, repriminding her own.
But even as she buried herself in her notes, she still felt the rhythm of his steady breaths behind her, threading through her thoughts like an uninvited whisper.
This is bad. The reaper was starting to stir something buried deep within her, the same gnawing ache that loss and fate had carved into her. And she didn’t like it—not one bit.
But what can she do anyways? Because she know too well that even if how much she run and escape at any possible means, this reaper and her fate will still chase and find her. There's no escaping for her anymore.
But one thing is still vague and confusing for her. What is she?
Her grandmother once told her to open her eyes. But what good were eyes if she couldn’t even understand what they showed her? What is she… really?
She's born in this world, grew up mimicking the normal ones, ignoring the lines of what calls her. But in the end what is it really for? What is she born for? What is her purpose?
Everyone else seemed born with a script, a role written neatly into life’s stage. But her? Her lines were smudged, rewritten, erased before she could even read them. What is she?
All that are vague and unanswered, everything is blurry and unreachable beyond her reach. Why is it so hard for her to figure everything?
Why does it have to her?... did she perhaps committed such heavy sin on her past life to the point of her carrying it on her present life?
Nadia snapped back at her senses when she felt a stinging pain on her palm as well as a sticky wet thing oozing from it. She shifted her gaze on her palm and that's when she realized that all this time she's been clenching her fist hard and tight, causing for her nails to dig in her palm, resulting for a deep wound and blood. 
She mentally cussed as she slowly opened her fist, she winced when the wound ache so she hurriedly stood up and went to the kitchen to was her wound down before she applied medicine on it.
As she came back on the living room with her hand clothed in gauze, her eyes wandered by the wall clock. She was a bit dumbfounded when she saw that it was already pass 5:30 pm.
Damn, all this time, she's been stuck with her train of thoughts for how many hours. Just how deep is she on her thoughts actually?
She shook her head frustratedly and sighed, but her attention was quickly stolen when she heard a low grunt. She turned at the reaper and saw him slowly waking up as he roamed his eyes around so drowsily, it seems like he realized something making him jolt up and sat down so alertly.
"Rise and shine, asshole." Nadia sarcastically greeted.
The reaper turned to her frowning, confused, and utterly lost. She raised a brow at him, yet deep down she's just as equally confused as him. Why the hell is he looking at her like that? Did the sleep made him lose some screws?
"What happened?" His voice sharp and quite dark.
"Why the hell are you asking me? You're the one who suddenly woke up from sleep and looking like the enemy--" She was cut off when the reaper suddenly stood up and strided towards her as he grabbed both of her shoulder.
"I slept?" He asked confusedly.
Nadia rolled her eyes at him as she sassily answered. "Isn't it obvious?"
He let go of her as he raked his fingers on his hair, brushing it with frustration and a hint of anger. Nadia couldn't even understand on why the hell is this man acting like it was a big deal. He just slept, so what's with it?
But whatever it is, it's starting to annoy her. Sure it's his own problem, HIS OWN PROBLEM. but why the hell is he dragging her whole zone in his. As he spiraled on his thoughts, lights flickered abnormally, radio suddenly turned on and spoke in static, while cold air suddenly enveloped the whole house.
Goddamn it, not again, even his tantrums cause blackouts…
"What the hell is wrong with you anyway--HEY!"
the reaper suddenly turned away when she asked, causing Nadia to frown. 
"Hey! I'm still talking!" She called but he still ignored her.
"Hey--"
And just like that, the reaper disappeared in thin air. The shadows stretched unnaturally across the floor, crawling upward like a living thing. In the blink of an eye, he was gone—dissolved into the dark as though he had never been there at all. And just like that, the silence swallowed her whole. He didn't even bother letting her finish her words or at least answer at least one of her questions. He just suddenly disappeared, leaving her confuse and hanging.
What an absolute asshole. Not only his irritating and annoying, he's also rude. Are all reapers like this? Or maybe it's just him.
But either way he's still a rude asshole at every edges of him. It's annoying.
Well, guess she can finally have her peace again. Now that the very hindrance of her peace is now gone, she can finally rest her mentality without bothering of coming up with another bite remark to shield herself from that reaper.
She went back on the spot where she was sitting since earlier, she slumped down as she laid her head by the couch seat and sighed deeply.
Now that the reaper had finally left, she just noticed of how silent her home can be. It's deafening and eerie, it is as if she's all alone in the middle of nowhere. The only noise that accompany her is the sound of the ticking clock. 
Even the darkness didn't help, it is already dark outside as it is already evening. The darkness inside of her home, the deafening silence, and the loneliness of being alone.
Now that she noticed it, she really didn't mind it back then. But now that everything changes, her perspective are also changing alongside.
But it's strange. Why didn't she noticed such when the reaper was here earlier? Why does she only noticed it now? 
Did that reaper perhaps distract her away from her cruel reality? If so… she hated him even more for it.
She grunted and buried her face in her hands. “Everything’s so fucking annoying.” 
The words echoed in her head, circling, clawing, refusing to stop. Annoying. 
Everything was just annoying. Yeah, it’s absolutely annoying. Really. Really. Annoying.