Chapter 677: Separation, Dear Friend-I

Elise turned her back to see him and her smile softened. "I don't feel that sleepy. Come here, sit with me," Elise waved her hand as she made her way to the surface of the bed, taking sit while Ian followed her lead and sat beside her.

"What's wrong?" Ian asked her, walking toward her place and gently sat next to her. 

"I feel surreal," came Elise's words. "It feels strange that everything has ended and Apollyon is now dead. Did you see… Dalton?" Remembering Dalton who she learned disappeared after the incident, she wondered where the man had went to as Hell was not only a dangerous place but also a place contained with a lot of dangerous creatures and beasts. 

"It's okay, I don't think that one will be having a trouble," Ian answered with his smile widening as if he was expecting this. "Anything else you are worried about?" He asked as his hands moved over her shoulders, slowly massaging her body in an extremely gentle movement. 

"Yes," Elise quickly said as she turned her head to look at Ian. "Where is Hallow?" 

Ian who heard this didn't forget Hallow's existence. But a frown had tied on his forehead as he heard her questioning the chick's presence. There are things he could not hide and he had to say to her. "Hallow is… he is returning to his original place."

"Original place?" Elise didn't understood what he meant. Thus her eyebrows furrowed as well. 

"He is back in abyss and is returning to to have is soul taken so he could be reincarnated. In short, he has finished his work in the mortal world and had to depart from the living," Ian explained while Elise who had just heard this felt her heart stopping and her eyes widening.

Away from Hell, Hallow, in the form of a chick tottered across the floor, making his way to the abyss's entrance. He looked at how the sea was quiet from the entrance when he heard a huff from near him that immediately put his mood to annoyance. "A grim reaper, the being who takes lives! Look what have you become, a chick, a yellow, small being that has orange legs and beak!"

"I'm adorable," muttered Hallow aloud.

"Adorable?" The man asked him in disbelief and bent down to stare wide at him where his green eyes shone, "You look extremely disgusting. Hallow Enerthim."

"Oh shut up!" Hallow huffed finally feeling dead tired to entertain this one grim reaper's words. "Don't you know that I came back as a hero today? Enough of your chattery mouth you fucking—" Hallow hadn't completed his words when he heard a sound of a cough from beside him. Looking at the other grim reaper whose face was covered by the black cloak, letting only his long bright silver hair to flow down across his chest. 

The first grim reaper who had mocked him grinned seeing this. "Still scared of Vehement?" 

"Not scared but respect," Hallow stressed his words while glaring at the grim reaper. "Can you go away somewhere far from me, Siliance?"

Vehement chuckled hearing this, "He may not look like that, but he is worried about you, Hallow."

"What the fuck?" Hallow spat, confused while Siliance's eyes almost fell from his socket when he heard what his friend had said. 

"That's a blasphemy!" Siliance quickly interrupted. "I have no business with this chick, no pity, and no concern!"

"Oh," Vehement shook his head, "Then I suppose, the person who had came early to the gate, walking back and forth to find a small chick coming, and the one who had went to the mortal world himself in order to find him isn't you, is it?' 

Siliance's mouth gaped as it close and opened multiple times, looking shocked. "H… How do you know that…?!"

Hallow was also taken aback to find out Siliance's worry and care toward him. All he knew that there was only one grim reaper he could trust after his believe senior who had left the grim reaper's world which was Vehement. Unlike the rest of the grim reapers, Vehement was a quiet and gentle grim reaper who never once concerned himself in the hierarchy of the grims. Never once he expected Siliance, who all this time Hallow had known to be the most competitive grim to worry or his safety. 

"But I thought… you were the one who had made that false accusation about me letting a soul stay alive…" Hallow said. This words of course enraged Siliance at once.

"In Hell's name, I would never do such a dirty trick! I am no stupid demons who use their feet as their brain!" Siliance defended himself. "The culprit hasn't been found but it would be find out soon who had made the shameless accusation. And…" all of a sudden, Siliance became quiet. His expression turned solemn as he faced Hallow. "Are you prepared for your time to leave?"

Hallow looked at Siliance and Vehement before remembering the time he shared in the White Mansion. He want to call the time he spent there as unlucky. At the beginning he was a simple grim reaper who only wanted to feed on the dead soul to fill his hungry stomach while trying to avoid the death angels that had been chasing his tail unstoppably. He thought hiding in the house was his solace only to learn that he was greatly mistaken when Ian had tied him on the tree. His unluckiness had lead him to meet Elise, who in turn, helped him to face forward the future.

"I honestly don't," Hallow replied, his eyes sunken. "During the time I was in mortal world, I met many people and I learned the different purpose of life. There are humans whose heart started as pure but turned darker as misfortunes came to them. But I had seen one brilliant soul, so unmoving to the dirty side of the world. That soul remain on its brightest glimmer despite all the hurdles the world had thrown to her. When I see that, I think I despise myself a little for not trying my best in the mortal world when I was still living. I wondered why had I chosen to take my life…"

No one in the grims remembered how they died. All they knew was that they had taken their own life and the punishment for their action was now, where they had to see human's deaths to learn the preciousness of lives and souls until the day comes when they could leave the grims, meaning their souls would be disappearing as well.

Vehement seemed to be wanting to say something as he came near Hallow. The grim reaper took his body in gentleness toward his hand and although Hallow still couldn't see Vehement's eyes to this day since the time they had met, he knew the grim was a great person deep down who felt ashamed of his own face for some personal reason.

"I think what Siliance wanted to ask you was if you are prepared to leave, if you still have some unfinished business in the mortal world. Grims are not like death angels. We have a heart in us, that want to learn others. This curiosity as well as a deep yearning from our own soul, caused us to feel a deep linger in humans' world when we spent a little too much time there. I see that a part of you had changed. I believed there are also the person who had made this to happen and I wish to know if you have bid goodbye to that person," Vehement kindly advised him but at this, Hallow went very silent. 

Hallow's head sunken down when he said. "I think I was scared, Vee. I know I should say goodbye to her, but I can only see her finally achieving her happiness from afar. She's a lonely person. If I leave, bidding her goodbye, I don't think I would want to see her pained expression. We were such a very good friend. As her friend, I would want her smile rather than to cry… she had shed too much tears for herself."

Siliance huffed, "But you have to know that having a person disappear suddenly from your side, especially a friend is more difficult than anything. Unexpected separation where you cannot see the other person is difficult and you only made it difficult for her while running away simply because you fear you would hurt her. A coward you are!"

"Siliance!" Vehement warned the grim's words that paid no attention to Hallow's current condition. 

Siliance bit his lower lips, "I had only uttered nothing but the truth!" 

Vehement shook his head and sighed, then he stared at Hallow to say, "Listen. It is difficult to be separated and I know. It feels extremely empty without you and I too, feel sad we won't be able to meet again, Hallow. But for that sake, I wish you will bid that person a goodbye, not only for her sake's but yours as well. Don't leave this world with regret," advised the elder grim.