Chapter Text
It started, as many stories do, on a dark night. Cherry trees swayed in the silent breeze as a cloaked figure made his way through the temples and shops that made up the city of Hanamura. The Reaper came to a stop in a back-alleyway, waiting in the shadows. Behind him waited an old white cat, nervously twitching its tail back and forth. “Patience, Soldier” Reaper said, picking up the cat and scratching its ears with a clawed glove. The cat scurried out of the man’s arms scratching the leather trench coat in a scramble to get down. “I’m sure we will get what we want soon enough.” Reaper seemed unphased by the cat’s actions, still talking to it in a harsh whisper. The cat, Soldier, hissed discontentedly at this.
Suddenly a lilac woman dropped down from the roof above them. The Widowmaker’s french accent was evident in her words, “I have what you sent for, now where is my payment?” Reaper laughed, a low, grating, sound, “All in due time, first you finish your end of the bargain then you get payed.” She seemed to ponder this for a second before muttering “This better be worth it” and relinquishing a small orange piece of metal. The Reaper pulled out a matching piece, silver and round with a triangular piece inside. He brought the two pieces together and they formed a symbol, almost like a letter of some sort. Suddenly the amulet began sparking and it flew out of the Reaper’s hands gliding off through the streets.
Reaper wordlessly vanished, moving through the air like a spirit and appearing again, in the field where the curious amulet had stopped. Widowmaker followed after him, using her grappling hook to swing from building to building. She dropped down beside him just as the amulet disappeared and a tremor went through the earth. Dirt was flung around the air, winds rushing around in a vortex around the amulet. Out of the ground emerged a temple in the shape of a gorilla’s head. It’s eyes shown with a bright light and it’s maw seemed burned with a fiery glow. The mouth was propped open, as if beckoning them inside.
“So this is it?” Widowmaker said, staring up at the apparition. “It seems so,” Reaper replied dryly “Go inside, all the treasure is for you… If you get me one certain lamp.” Soldier let out a high pitched sound and climbed up to sit on Reaper’s shoulder, staring distrustfully at the temple. Widowmaker made no heed of the cat, but simply climbed to the edge of the gorilla’s mouth. As she gazed down the bottomless abyss solidified into stairs, marking a shimmering path.
Before she could proceed inside the gorilla roared, releasing a large gust of air that knocked her down. The head came alive, recoiling backwards and opening it’s mouth to speak, “WHO DISTURBS MY SLUMBER” It called out, the entirety glowing red. Small shocks of lighting surrounded it as it stared them down. “Widowmaker reporting” The lilac woman replied, her heart beating as steadily as always, even while facing the beast. “Could I please have access to the temple?” She asked, taking a cautious step forwards. “NO, ONLY ONE MAN MAY ENTER THE TEMPLE, ONE WHOSE WEALTH LIES FAR WITHIN, A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH”
However, the Widowmaker did not heed his warning, she took a step onto the staircase hoping that the show was only empty threats. Alas the mouth clamped down on her as the winds started up again. She shrieked and shot at the walls but to no avail. When the storm quieted down the temple had disappeared, and with it Amélie Lacroix. Soldier picked up the pieces of amulet in its mouth and spit them out at Reaper feet, as though saying ‘well that worked well’ Reaper replied to the old cat’s complaints by picking up the pieces from his feet. “If there is only one man out there that can enter the temple then rest assured, we will find him”