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Death was everywhere.
As an entity, he (or she or they or it, as pronouns generally didn't matter when you were an Endless Omnipotent Being) wasn't just one - he was encompassing, existing in every way where life was. Death, really, was just another way to describe potential. The inevitable. He came into being with life, and he brought life away when its time was up. This was simply his job.
The wolf apparated outside the burning, fire-stricken village, a cold wind following him. He let out a soft sigh, nostrils flaring as he took in the scents of charred wood and blood. As much as he prided himself in his job.. there were bitter moments each time. And here was one of them.
Confidently, the wolf strode forward. Couldn't show his bitterness, not here, not now. They defied his system, the Messengers did. Trying to snatch away each life from him. Little did they know just what happened to those lives, that they were reshaped and formed into the very matrix of the universe, sent out again and reabsorbed like oil droplets dissipating at first, and then later condensing into one in water. Because time was eternal and very subjective. Lives were so very different, each one, and he would take them all in the end. So he let them be.
There were others, though. Wolf flattened his ears. The mere thought of those twisted beings - the so-called immortal alchemists - made him want to bare his fangs and tear those pompous idiots to shreds. How they disrespected him in those early days! They spread rumours. Told others that they laughed in the face of Death, that they spat in his name.
So Wolf disrespected them back. These men were marked. They'd beg for Death's release, for anything that wasn't the torture of life - and he'd never give it to them. Death let out a huff of satisfaction. Yes, they deserved it. Perhaps they'd get their release.. someday.
But that day was not today.
Today.. Death stood in front of what he knew to be the little place the ninjas called their school. The training hall, where they would read and memorize prophecy and history. And then they'd go out and train, endlessly, their sole purpose to survive.
"Tch.. look what good this has done you." He murmured softly, placing a paw on the frame of the hall.
Time to look for these lost souls, then.
After some time, he'd found what he was searching for.
There were several Ninjas who'd died in the village that day, but he was looking for four of the students who'd been killed in the Demon King's attack. Should have been five - but one of the clever ones, a determined 20-something-year-old, had managed to escape. This should be the last of them, Death Wolf thought - he had rounded them up carefully, and when he'd found all of them, he'd started leading them to the meeting spot he'd planned for.
"Are.. are you a demon?" One of the ninjas had asked him.
"No, mi amigo.." Death's smile grew sad. "..If you see me, well.. you don't need to worry about demons anymore."
The eyes of the second ninja, a young woman, widened in disbelief.
"Then.. we are..."
"Afraid so." Death turned back to them. "But.. I know this can be quite a change for you. It usually is. How about we go to the Autumn Hills? It's much nicer there, and I can explain to you everything."
Things had gone better at the Hills. The ninjas had been certainly awed by the place - Wolf would have chosen the Bamboo Creek, but he knew that once they got the hang of being spirits, they could explore however they wanted. From location to location, between universes and multiverses, if they so chose. So the Autumn Hills was just a start - to show them how wonderful the world could be outside their little village.
Parting a couple of bushes, Death motioned for the ninjas to pass through and enter the location he'd chosen: a peaceful little hollow walled in by trees, with a campfire and a view of the night sky.
As they all settled down, sitting upon logs arranged around the roaring fire, Death found things to be quiet. Too quiet, as a matter of fact, as he stared into the waving flames, catching glimpses of the others. One of the ninjas was looking up, enamoured, at the sky, with her little brother. Another was staring into the fire with Death, eyes echoing the trauma of what they'd seen mere hours ago. The last one was examining the red leaves off of one of the trees.
He sighed. Knew this was coming. Taking souls, innocent ones at that, was always a bitter deed.
"I suppose I ought to explain who I am and what we're doing here." Death looked from one face to another.
"Listen to me," he said, not unkindly. "I'm Death. And I mean that in the most real sense." He laughed softly. "Not rhetorically, or metaphorically, or theoretically, or poetically. I'm Death. Straight up. And I'm here to bring you all to the afterlife."
Silence still. Wolf's gentle tone had made them relax, which was good - but they were still quiet. And that was okay. They'd just been killed, and by fire, too - a violent death. They'd been taken from the village they so desired to defend and life in. And, worst of all, their fears were confirmed. These ninjas needed the time to think, and to talk with others, and most importantly, to recover.
"It may sound like a lot, but trust me.. it's really not as bad as it seems."
"Will we.. go to the Underworld?" One of the ninjas asked, a quaver in their voice. Wolf shook his head, smiling.
Then he stood, towering above them all, and held his arms out to either side of him.
"The whole world is yours, mi amigo." He said, voice soft, yet carrying like the rumble of thunder. "You can go there if you want. Or you could stay here. Head to the Bamboo Creek, or the Cloud Ruins perhaps, or time-travel to see everything as it was before - or how it will be in a thousand years." He looked down at the ninjas again. "You are spirits now. Your being dwells in the very gaps between the fabric of time and space, reality and nothingness, life and death. Nothing can hold you back now."
"You mean.." The female ninja stood up again. The look in her eyes was fierce. "We could defeat the Demon King?"
"If you are strong enough, you can do whatever you please." Wolf responded casually. Anything was possible, after all. Half the fun was letting these spirits discover their own power - learn how to materialize, or possess, or to coexist within another being. Life was beautiful.. but so was the continuation of it into another dimension entirely.
"Heh.. hey, you hear that?" She elbowed her comrade half-enthusiastically. "We still got a chance!"
That seemed to get the others' spirits up. Soon Wolf was just sitting there, watching the ninjas' good-natured banter, their reassurances to one another. It felt good to put souls at ease - just as good as the feeling of vengeance on a twisted soul that wronged him and others.
"So.. do we just.. go now?" A younger ninja tilted his head and asked Death. Damn hell.. he was the youngest, probably not any more than sixteen. The youngest of the whole bunch. Fire rose in Death's throat at the thought of an innocent life, just starting, taken so soon.
"I'll have to take you to the realm, first. Make note of your souls in the Grimoire of the Dead - and then you are free."
Yes, he'd have to take them away soon.
That could wait, though. Just a few more moments. He would take the ninjas when they'd decided that they were ready to go - Wolf wanted them to have a bit of control in what happened to them. After their lives were taken by force, by that vile thing that called itself the king of demons.. it was the least they deserved.
So, he waited. Death was timeless, after all - and they had all the time in the world.