Returning PV Kaegen Deathmote Finished

She strained to listen to him as black specks edged in on her vision, clouding her mind and eyes as the world spun like a top. She almost laughed at his 'mental knife' comment, a reminder that Kaegen wasn't your average teenager. He always took things literally, taking their true meanings and using those instead of what she intend to say.

These thoughts rushed through her mind, slightly blurred at the edges as they passed through her head. She would have laughed, really, at the thought of someone being so liberty, but she could hardly catch her breath as it was.

But his comment, his comment about doing something dumb would get him killed, got through to her crystal clear, even as she slumped back to a seated position and panted like a dog for oxygen.

As she got her bearings, taking quick, deep breathes, nearly hyperventilating, she pieced together her thoughts. "Kaegen, look. You can think, but I don't even want you to consider battling Death. Death is not someone you can kill and call a day. She's unkillable, unreachable unless you are about to die. She's not physical, not tangible." She took a breath, taking a moment to try and put what she wanted to convey in words her could understand.

"And she's so, so incredibly tempting, Kae. If you even manage to get that close to her, it is near impossible to resist her without someone pulling you out of her grasp. She would have taken me if the doctors hadn't healed my body," she said, looking up at him, fear and worry clouding her eyes.

"But if you want to consider... killing Death, or just seeing her, so your goal isn't impossible... just know you have a guide if you want one."

She had changed so greatly during her illness, with so much time to think without speaking or having to do anything else. A year ago, she would have scoffed at his questions, called them ridiculous, childish. But after so much time spent in her own mind... she had thought about and realized a lot of things. Reyna had thought a lot about Death, a lot about life. The questions didn't seem so ridiculous, and it was an interesting prospect, killing Death.

She leaned back into the ground, groaning slightly as she closed her eyes. This was not how she planned her first day going, but at least someone to talk to was better than no one.

Scarf was tired, that much was pretty clear. She quickly sat back down after only a little bit of physical exertion. She was weak. The sickness had robbed her of the strength she had once employed to yank him down from a tree. But there was a moral dilemma to be had. She was nice enough, he had nothing against Scarf. She was neutral in his mind, and have given him the seed from which his plan had grown. But she was going to die. He could feel it.

As soon as a death witch happened to stroll by, Scarf was going to get eaten, or ruined. Tortured or killed or whatever happened when you lost the game. When you failed the challenges set out by the professors. He could stay, and protect the girl. Save her from the inevitable snuffing out of the tiny torch that still burned, defying death. But he had work to do, so much work. He couldn't slow down, he refused to.

Scarf said that death was unkillable, not tangible. But he knew better. Death had left behind something perceivable, hand't it? The mental weight. If Death could affect a wizard, then a wizard could affect Death. That mental knife, he needed to find it.

But that wasn't all. There was one more thing he needed. He needed to be able to resist her. To remember what he was there to do and kill Death. He knew how something could be alluring, could be irresistible. And most of all, he knew that he was not strong enough. When he went a day or more without food, he found it almost impossible to not go into the great hall in search of food. If he couldn't resist that, what chance did he have against death?

Scarf went on to offer her services as a guide, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. She was done, gone. He had found a creature barely strong enough to cry for help in a world that ate even the strong. He felt that he would miss her, somehow.

"It was nice to know you... Thank you for the advice, Scarf.

It was going to be the last time he would see her. A final farewell before the wolves descended. Some might have called the boy harsh, harsh for knowing what was going to happen and choosing to leave anyway. But he didn't see another option. The dilemma had taken him less than a second to resolve. The weak died, the strong lived. He couldn't do anything about that, he never could. He could never hold back the world. He could only run, and hide.

And so he turned, and started to walk away, before turning, and giving the only advice he knew to give.

"If you can't hide, then run. And if you can't do that, then try to take one down with you."

And then he continued walking in the direction of the castle. He felt a strange bit of sadness, but he knew it would go away. It might take a few hours, but it would fade. It always did.

Left thread, unless stopped

It was nice knowing you? As in past tense? she wondered, a sudden panic shooting through her body. She couldn't die. Wouldn't. She was far too young to leave this world without making a mark.

Hell, she didn't even know who was still at school, who was new. She had so much to learn, yet...

Despite all of Kaegen's mixed ideas and habit of taking things literally or in the wrong way, he always seemed to carry a certain wisdom about him. Like he was older than he really was. And the fact that he saw her dead, saw her taken by Death terrified her.

She sat there for a while after that, still not quite ready to head inside and face the questions and looks, not willing to push herself up and walk. She needed some time to think about and dismantle his words, pick them apart and figure them out. But one thing was for certain - she wouldn't let herself die.

She'd get into a workout program or train on her own, so that she could regain her former strength, maybe even gain more. She smiled slightly, thinking to herself how shocked Kaegan could be when he saw her back on her feet.

But for now, it was a struggle for her to get to her feet.

But, no matter the difficulty, the struggling, and cursing, she did it in the end before setting off to the castle.

I think it's time for me to find out what's been happening.

Reyna has left the thread.