My Soul card was a Reaper: The Founder's Tale

Rael and Eon sat cross-legged on their bed, their palms pressed together, a faint glow surrounding them. Their breathing synchronized, the rhythm steady and calm. As their focus deepened, the world around them blurred, and they found themselves standing in their shared mindscape—a cliff resting on a vast, endless barren land.

Before them loomed the Reaper, his massive scythe planted in the ground, the white sands of the hourglass in his hand slowly moving like a passage of time. His voice echoed, emotionless and unyielding.

"What do you seek, children?"

Rael took a step forward, glancing at Eon before speaking. "You know what I seek, mister Deity. What happened earlier? Back in the desert… I remember us staying there for hours and then fighting that centipede king, and suddenly, we were at our home in our beds, wearing pajamas as if we didn't move at all. That's just not it. Eon doesn't recall any of it. And time… it didn't move. It wasn't a nightmare. I'm sure of it. So, what in Zeus' name was that?"

The Reaper tilted his head, the motion slow and deliberate, as if contemplating how much to reveal. Finally, he sighed. "Alright."

"A side effect of timeline erasure," the Reaper said, his tone tinged with a mixture of annoyance and reluctance. "What you remember happened for real. Both of you fought the Rank-6 beast, Xyliroth, and bled. But you couldn't escape it with your lives, and I'm not powerful enough to take you to safety. So, I had to erase its existence using the white sands of time. However, that action itself goes against the divine will. So, when I intervened, I erased that timeline from existence.

Rael's fists clenched. "So, it's gone? Just like that? You can just erase timelines like nothing?" He was grateful that he was alive and the Reaper stepped in time but something about that, he didn't like it.

The Reaper's glowing eyes narrowed, reading his thoughts. "You are fortunate it is gone. Do you think I step in lightly? My power comes with grave consequences. Such recklessness," it growled, his voice sharp enough to make Eon flinch. "Had you died there, even I could not have brought you back. Don't put yourselves in danger like that again."

Eon, swallowing hard, bowed slightly. "We understand. We'll be more cautious next time."

The Reaper let out another low sigh, its form growing faint. "Next time? Foolish mortals. There shouldn't be a next time. Learn, grow, and stay alive. Now leave."

Before they could respond, the mindscape shattered like glass, pulling them back to reality.

Rael blinked, shaking his head as he adjusted to the dim light of their room. "That… was intense."

Eon leaned back, running a hand through her hair. "It was the first time we had a bit of conversation with Chronos and it only ended up with us being scolded."

"But you know, it is cool that we can fuse together to summon him," Rael said, a faint grin creeping onto his face.

Eon raised an eyebrow. "You're already thinking about summoning him again, aren't you?"

"Not unless we need to," Rael said, but the glint in his eyes betrayed his curiosity. "Still, we have to figure out how to control this fusion properly. If he comes on his own, it will be against divine will. But, if we summon him with our efforts, then it will be our technique. We just need more practice. Moreover, there is also something I would like to try."

Eon sighed. "Even if we wanted to train, Dad would never allow it. You know how he is. Others would just scream in his ears how we are up to no good. No one here trusts us."

Rael crossed his arms, smirking. "Who said anything about training in this place? We have Grandpa on our side, don't we? He would let us train and keep it away from Dad's ears if we requested it. Let's go for a two-week vacation."

Eon's eyes lit up at the mention of their grandfather. "You think he'd help? He's pretty strict."

Rael shrugged. "Strict, sure. But did he ever say no to you? He likes you the most."

Eon bit her lip, considering. "Alright. Grandpa's house it is."

As they planned, they requested their father to go on a vacation. Considering they were in a resting period, Duke Aurelius allowed them to go to the countryside, the Garcia Manor, where Earl Zadrius lives with his wife—stepmother to Aurelius.

Because Zadrius only had one son, he absolutely adores the kids, and readily accepted Eon's request.

Two weeks passed away in the blink of an eye;

On a sprawling grassland, Zadrius was in spectator mode, watching a specter standing over there in front of a massive boulder, with the Death scythe in one hand and the hourglass in the other.

Crossing his arms, Zadrius muttered under his breath, "Now, as I have told you, kids, countless times, any technique in the world is all about having a tight grip on your soul energy. The rest is merely a transformation of your will. Now, control it to your best and make sure not to escape the weapon."

The specter raised the scythe, black energy swirling around the blade. Time seemed to slow, the world holding its breath. With a single swing, an arc of death energy escaped the blade and struck the object. The boulder cracked, then split cleanly into two halves.

"Yes!" Earl Zadrius Garcia clenched his fist, his lips turning into a satisfactory smile. "Good job, my dear zygotes." His body then slowly faded away, disappearing into the air.

As the dust settled, a blinding flash engulfed both of them, and the specter dissolved. Rael and Eon reappeared in their human forms, swiftly collapsing to the ground, their bodies trembling from exhaustion.

Rael groaned, clutching his side. "Dad used to brag about how his physique could go head-to-head with a 6-star warrior, but this fusion technique? It's like it eats my stamina until I was left with nothing."

Eon, sprawled on the grass beside him, chuckled weakly. "Maybe that's the point. Every technique has its limits. This one just happens to be... everything."

Rael rolled his eyes, wiping sweat from his brow. "Yeah, yeah. Philosophical as always." He sat up, wincing. "Still, we're getting better. Splitting that rock with the Slice of Death? That's progress."

Eon smiled faintly, staring at the cracked boulder. "It is. But we've got a long way to go before we can use this without passing out. And too bad we don't have any more time for practice as we have to leave first thing in the morning."

Rael smirked, glancing at her. "But, this technique still gave us a good thing that we have something else to fight in the tournament."

Eon groaned, shielding her eyes from the sun. "It's just you, bro. Not me. I can't summon the death scythe."

"Hmpf." Rael snorted, reaching out to her cheeks and pinching them playfully. "Stop complaining. Your inborn ability itself would win you everything. Anyway, as Chronos informed us a few days ago, you would be able to do it too when the time is right."

"Ouch…"