Chapter Text
15-year-old Daniel Breaker was lying flat on his face, on the hardwood floors of his aunt's house.
He had just returned from his mother's funeral.
He should have been sobbing, or at least upset. Some sign of sadness would've been painted across his features, but it was not so.
Now before you decide that he was a psychopath, let me fill you in.
The 15-year-old was not dejected nor overwhelmingly sorrowful as one usually is after the death of a loved one, because he was plotting. Ever since his mother was diagnosed with the fatal disease, he had started coming up with a plan.
Now to anyone with common sense, this plan would sound stupid. As it should've.
But Daniel here was not the kind of person to think rationally about anything. He was reckless, to say the least. The fact that he once ran across train tracks because he felt like he'd be able to make it through without being hit by a train just proves that 'reckless' would be an understatement. The train nearly hit him.
What was his plan?
Well, to understand that, you'd have to know the legend.
What legend?
The one everyone in town knew. The legend of the Grim Tower.
As the legend goes, if someone has lost a person or animal close to them and want them back, they must take an object of utmost value to them, and take it to the Tower.
Where is the Tower?
In the North.
How far North?
Nobody knows. It's a legend. It doesn't have to be specific. (Really, what were you expecting? It's a legend after all.)
Depending on which version of the legend you heard, different creatures resided in the Tower.
Some said it was Hades, the Greek god of the underworld himself.
Some said it was Satan, the devil who led innocent souls astray.
Some said it was a drunk hobo from the streets who partied too hard and was now living in the tower because he was broke.
But the most popular version of the legend stated that at the very top of the tower, you would find the Grim Reaper. The collector of dead souls and the one who punished those who had taken to a life of crime and misery.
This was the version that Daniel had heard and believed with all his heart.
He had planned to find the tower, and demand his mother's soul back from the Grim Reaper.
How hard could it be? The Grim Reaper was just an immortal being who was extremely powerful. But Daniel was Daniel, and Daniel being Daniel meant he was stubborn and determined. His aunt Jen often told him he was stubborn enough to move mountains if he felt they were too far left.
Daniel finally stood up and brushed himself off.
His aunt stared woefully at him, wondering if there was anything she could do to help the boy think like a normal person.
Sadly, Daniel was determined to get his mother back, and all his aunt's pleas fell on deaf ears.
"Danny, dear." His aunt called. He barely acknowledged her with a wave of his hand. She sighed and continued."I think you should get some rest. It's nearly 10:30."
"10:30 is nothing, Aunt Jen!" Daniel announced proudly. "Why, I once fell asleep at 3 in the morning!"
"Yes, yes dear. You've only mentioned that about a hundred times now." Jen interrupted.
Daniel looked at her, offended. "I do hate it when you interrupt me, Aunt. Now, if you don't mind, I shall go back to my scheming."
Rubbing her temples, Jen sighed. Her neat bun was starting to come undone, and she needed to get upstairs to freshen up in case anyone dropped in to offer their condolences. She definitely needed a break, her eyes red from crying, and dark circles present under her eyes. She was in no mental state to deal with her deceased sister's crazy son. Especially not after attending the aforementioned dead sister's funeral. She wondered how her late sister dealt with a boy like him.
She decided to give Daniel some time to himself.
As she headed up the stairs, she didn't seem to notice Daniel frantically hunting for something special.
As the legend had stated, the person would need to take something special to them. Daniel knew exactly what he would take.
There was a strange little snow globe in the corner of Daniel's room in his old house.
It was given to his mother by his father, who had left not long after he found out that she was pregnant with Daniel.
The snow globe seemed very strange. It was heavier than the average snow globe and less circular.
In fact, you could almost say it was a snow cube. The figures inside this cube weren't as cute as usual, either: Two sword-wielding knights, sparring with each other. When you shook it, one of the knights would fall over, while glitter rained over them both.
Daniel related to it very much.
He didn't quite understand the rest of the people his age. He was obsessed with all things legends and myths and wasn't really interested in anything else. Thus communication about anything else was rather difficult.
And anyway, why would anyone want to hang out with a nerd obsessed with fantasy? Er- I mean, mythology and legend.
He hated when people mixed the two.
Plus, the snow cube was the only thing he had from his father. Despite him being a scumbag, it was nice to know that he was out there somewhere, and cared enough to give him a parting gift.
Shoving a few boxes out of the way, Daniel found his precious snow cube lying on the ground.
Grabbing it, he shoved it into his small carry bag. Hopefully, the Reaper would like it as much as he did.
Glancing at the clock, Daniel brushed his curly brown hair away from his face. "I'll set off first thing tomorrow." He decided. "That way, I'll get more time to prepare." Throwing a quick look at the mirror, he gave a satisfied grin seeing his hair was somewhat under control. He looked presentable, which was a pretty big achievement.
Completely ignoring the knocks at the door, Daniel skipped up to his room, as his aunt rushed to answer the door.
Daniel pushed open the hardwood door of his room, as the light from the hallway flooded it, revealing a well-furnished room.
Whenever Daniel and his mother would visit the house, Daniel would make it a point to add a new item to the room, leading to it becoming quite cosy. At least, that's what Daniel said. Aunt Jen thought it looked untidy.
But again, once Daniel had decided where he stood on a particular issue, it was near impossible to change it.
Shutting the door behind him, Daniel flicked the light switch and allowed the room to be visible.
The blue walls of the room were covered in posters and portraits of the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian gods and monsters.
The floor was covered with a fluffy green carpet, while multiple figurines lay scattered on top of it.
The small bed in the corner of the room was neatly made, and the nightstand had a few empty boxes, once full of biscuits placed on it, with many other belongings of his "cluttering" up the nightstand. He rolled his eyes lightly as he thought of aunt Jen's lectures on keeping his room "tidy".
A hasty rough sketch of a map had been crudely shoved into one of the drawers.
In other words, the room was exactly how Daniel had left it.
In a mess.
He was well aware aunt Jen wanted to get the room cleaned and he appreciated her not invading his privacy and nor destroying the overall comfortable atmosphere of his room.
Making sure to not step on any figurines, Daniel made his way over to the nightstand, his feet sinking into the fluffy mat, and pulled out the map that he had been expecting.
"Perhaps," he mused. "I could check the library for a better map of the Northern area. James may be a good artist, but unfortunately, he certainly isn't taking me nor this sketch seriously."
Daniel stuffed the bag with the snow cube in it in his pocket and made his way to the front door to prepare for his journey to the Grim Reaper's home.
"Danny!" Aunt Jen called. Daniel paused, his hand brushing against the doorknob. "Come greet the guests!"
Daniel sighed disdainfully. As stubborn as he was, enraging his aunt with guests around...well, that wasn't a smart thing to do. And Daniel prided himself on making the smartest decisions. At least, the smartest decisions in his eyes. Other people's... not so much.
He slowly approached the room his aunt and the guests were seated in.
His aunt waved him over to the table. Daniel walked over slowly, recognizing the couple sitting in front of his aunt.
"Ah, there you are Danny! Say hello to Mr and Mrs White! I'm sure you know them already." Aunt Jen smiled.
"Yes, of course." Daniel plastered a smile on his face. "It's a pleasure to see you again." Mr White used to work with his mother in a bookstore at one point. Whenever his mother would take him to work with her, Mr White would allow Daniel to read all the Mythology books in the store.
"We're very sorry for your loss." Mrs White spoke, in her smooth voice.
"Don't be." Daniel found himself saying.
The couple looked at him, shock visible in their eyes.
Jen cleared her throat loudly.
"You don't need to be sorry," Daniel repeated. "I'm going to get her back."
"The grief has driven him quite mad," Jen whispered to the couple, who nodded their heads somberly.
"I've been planning for days now," Daniel announced, the excitement of explaining his plan to someone new, filling his mind. "I'm going to find the Grim Tower, and demand my mother's soul back from the Grim Reaper!"
"Absolutely insane," Jen whispered.
Mrs White let out a soft snicker. "Aren't you a little too old to still be believing in those old legends?"
"It's just the first stage of dealing with loss," Mr White told her.
Daniel looked around the room, rather upset that nobody was believing him.
"I'm going to the library," he mumbled under his breath and walked out of the room.
He could still hear them talking about him after he left.
Ignoring it, Daniel took out his library card and walked out of the door into the crisp, cool night wind.
The Library wasn't too far from the house, luckily.
The majestic building stood tall at 16 feet. The insides were warm and cosy, each of the rooms lit up by a powerful flame burning in the fireplace.
The building was quite old but was well-loved for everything it had been through. Even after countless years, it remained a source of knowledge and heritage.
It had been very well-preserved by the town council, which was something everyone appreciated. Especially Daniel.
On bad days, Daniel would often go to the Library just to read their multiple books about legends and mythology; and sometimes just to talk to the librarian.
The Library had a whole section dedicated to maps. Daniel knew this because he had wandered into it by accident while looking for more books to read. He nearly knocked over an entire shelf of old maps and got severely chewed out by the librarian.
Pushing open the old door, Daniel waved to Mrs Williams. The old librarian gave him her signature smile and went back to reading her newspaper.
Daniel rushed to the Maps section, making sure he didn't knock any shelves over. His chocolate brown irises quickly scanned a line of framed maps, looking for one of the Northern Region.
After finally finding it, he pulled out his cell phone and took a picture of it.
Making sure the picture was clear, and that he could read it, Daniel walked back to the main door, waving goodbye to Mrs Williams.
"Leaving already, Mr Breaker?" she asked. "And without any books? What a miracle!" The dark-skinned lady gave Daniel a smile, which he gladly returned.
"I got what I needed, Mrs Willy." He waved the phone at her.
"Finally putting that plan into action, are we? Good, I still have all the things you prepared right here." She pointed to a knapsack under the desk.
Daniel smiled wider. Mrs Williams had been a great help to his scheme. She was the one who told him about the legend. She was the only one who believed in him and his plan. Plus, she had agreed to store everything he prepared, since Aunt Jen would hate to have so much clutter in the house, and get suspicious if she saw him carrying a knapsack out of the house.
Suddenly remembering the snow cube, Daniel pulled it out of his pocket and placed it on the desk. Mrs Williams slid the snow cube into the front pocket of the bag, still smiling at him.
"I'm quite excited," Daniel told her. "I can't wait to meet him. The Grim Reaper, I mean."
Mrs Williams chuckled. "Tell the little sweetheart I said hi."
"Sweetheart? Have you met him?"
Mrs Williams gave Daniel a mysterious smile. "I can't tell you that, Danny. Ask the Reaper when you meet them."
Just as Daniel was about to ask her more questions, she cleared her throat.
"Well, goodbye then, Mr Breaker. I hope to see you again soon."
Saying so, she ushered him out of the library and waved goodbye.
Mystified, Daniel trudged back to his aunt's house.
He let his excitement wash over him, as he shoved open the door to his room.
He could still hear the adults talking downstairs, but he was too tired to care.
It had been a long day, and the following day promised to be even longer. Not bothering to clean up or take a shower, he flung himself onto the bed and fell into a deep slumber.
Little did Daniel know, that would be the last time he would get to sleep for a long time...