Gundam MS: Episode 2

The Power

There were several things that made this figure look dangerous. One was his long robe that completely hid his body. Another was that he was carrying a deadly looking scythe in a business-like way. A third was that he appeared to be a 7-foot-tall skeleton.

There were also things that suggested this particular figure was more than just a vertically gifted gardener with odd fashion sense, a mask, and very old-fashioned ideas about how to trim a hedge. One was that he didn't appear to cast a shadow, despite it being about three O'clock. Another was that he seemed to be floating a couple inches above the ground. The third was that, although Relena would have sworn that under that robe the man was a skeleton, she couldn't see a single thing other than the robe. And two red embers where, on a normal person, eyes generally were.

In short, she stared at Death. And Death stared back. And then he spoke.

OH, SORRY ABOUT THAT.

Relena could have sworn that his mouth never moved. Of course, she also couldn't even see his mouth. On the other hand, she could.

ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU SEEM RATHER STUNNED.

For some reason, Relena couldn't quite wrap her mind around the fact that Death had, apparently, just bumped into her on the street, and was being quite polite about it.

IT'S THE SCYTHE, ISN'T IT? PEOPLE ALWAYS STARE AT THE SCYTHE.

It was at this point that Relena needed to say something, anything, to try and keep in the conversation. So, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"You shouldn't exist! You're not real!" She then realized how it might not be a good idea to be yelling at someone with a very sharp weapon (technically, a scythe was used for harvesting grain, but it could probably do people just as well), and tried to shut up. Rather unsuccessfully.

The apparition sighed, something fairly difficult for a giant skeleton to do.

WELL, OBVIOUSLY I DO EXIST. IF I DIDN'T, HOW COULD I BE TALKING TO YOU?

"So… I'm going to die?"

YES.

"Then what kills me?"

I CAN'T TELL YOU.

"Why not?"

BECAUSE IT IS NOT DECIDED YET. THE FUTURE HAS YET TO BE WRITTEN.

"But you just said I was going to die!"

YOU WILL. EVERYONE DIES. WHY SHOULD YOU BE DIFFERENT?

Relena paused to digest this. Apparently Death could be bloody literal-minded.

"If I'm not going to die now, then why are you here?"

IT'S, UH, A LITTLE EMBARASSING.

Relena had to pause for a moment. For some reason she couldn't imagine that Death had just stuttered. Or that Death was embarrassed. They weren't things that fit with her version of Death.

"Go on."

Death seemed to shuffle in that little way people do when confessing that yes, they were the ones who had spilled the coffee on the $100,000 supercomputer.

WELL, I, AH… UM… I NEED SOMETHING FROM YOU.

Relena glared. "What do you need?"

WELL, UM… JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING… NOT MUCH AT ALL, REALLY…

"Spit it out. And it had better not have anything to do with a soul."

I NEED YOUR HELP.

"You need my help? YOU?"

DO YOU HAVE TO RUB IT IN? I GO AROUND, DOING MY BEST, AND SOMETIMES I NEED A LITTLE HELP! I CAN'T DO EVERYTHING MYSELF YOU KNOW!

Relena just stared. "You're Death."

YES. WHY IS IT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND?

"Well, it's partly because you, um, aren't supposed to be real."

IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE? THERE IS A GRAIN OF TRUTH IN ALL LEGENDS. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE QUANTITY.

It said a lot for the effect of Death that Relena believed he really was Death. Which was fortunate, because he was. He gave off an intangible aura of, well, Death. Even taking into account his rather incongruous behavior, any casual observer would be sure that this was Death.

Relena gradually came to terms with the situation. Now that she was thinking rationally (or as rationally as anyone can when they've just been accosted by Death himself), and every rational bone in her body was screaming that there could be something very nice for her in this. Like immortality, for starters.

"Alright then. You're Death. So what do you need my help for?"

YOU ARE AWARE OF THE HUMAN STORIES OF THE LORD OF HELL? LUCIFER, SATAN, THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS? ONE OF GOD'S FALLEN ANGELS?

"I've heard of him," replied Relena, warily. "Are you saying you want me to fight him?"

NO. THERE IS NO BEING SUCH AS HIM. HE IS BUT A FIGMENT OF HUMAN CREATIVITY.

Relena became even more confused. "So… what does he have to do with anything?"

IN ALL LEGENDS, THERE IS A GRAIN OF TRUTH.

IT BEGAN ONLY A COUPLE MILLION YEARS AFTER THE CREATING OF THE UNIVERSE. BEFORE SENTIENT LIFE AS YOU THINK OF IT WAS BORN. IT WAS FOUGHT BE BEINGS SUCH AS YOU CANNONT CONCIEVE: NOT EXACTLY GODS, BUT NOT EXACTLY MORTALS EITHER. IT WAS A WAR THAT NEARLY DESTROYED ALL OF TIME AND SPACE. IT WAS SO DESTRUCTIVE THAT IT HAS LEFT SUBCONCIOUS MEMORIES IN THE COLLECTIVE MIND OF THE UNIVERSE since FOREVER. IN SHORT, "IT SUCKED."

THE CAUSE OF THIS WAR IS UNIMPORTANT. IT WOULD BE HARD FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND IT ANYWAY. BEINGS FOUGHT, NOT EXACTLY ON SIDES, BUT… WELL, HUMAN LANGUAGE FAILS AT THIS POINT. LET'S JUST SAY IT MADE SENSE TO THEM. THE MOST POWERFUL OF THESE BEINGS WAS KNOWN AS THE "GOD OF DEATH" AND "THE GREAT DESTROYER." WELL, SORT OF. THE TRANSLATION'S NOT EXACTLY PERFECT, BUT YOU GET THE IDEA. AT THE END OF THE WAR, HE AND SEVERAL, UM… THINK OF THEM AS "MINIONS," BUT THAT'S NOT EXACTLY RIGHT… ANYWAY, HE AND SEVERAL MINIONS WERE SEALED AWAY, BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO POWERFUL TO BE DESTROYED. HIS SEAL WAS GIVEN TO ME TO SAFEGUARD, AFTER WHICH, THE REMAINING BEINGS, AH, DEPARTED. SORT OF. THE POINT IS, THIS DEMON has been kept in my care since then.

Relena just stared. Somehow, she already knew what was going to happen now. "Lemme guess: he's escaped, and you want to give me magical powers to destroy him with."

HOW IN THE MULTIVERSE DID YOU FIGURE THAT OUT?

Relena just sighed. "Lucky guess. Good god, this is formulaic. Well, except for the Death part."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'M WELL AWARE THAT I RIPPED OF MY DEATH FROM TERRY PRATCHETT. DON'T THINK OF IT AS PLAGARISM; THINK OF IT AS HOMAGE.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

"Oh, come on! You're not serious? Ancient war, evil spirit trapped, now he's escaped, and I am gifted with powers to stop him. Ah well. Anyway, I just have one question. Why me?"

YOU MEAN INSTEAD OF SOMEONE WITH SKILL, TRAINING, ACTUAL ABILITIES, OR, IN SHORT, ANY CHANCE OF SUCCESS?

"Well, that's putting it a little unkindly, but yes, that's the general gist of it."

AH, said Death, with the tone of one who has prepared for this question, researched for many weeks, and found an absolutely perfect answer. BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN.

"Chosen by what?"

ER, said Death, with the tone of one who has prepared for a question, researched for many weeks, and found an absolutely perfect answer, which has just been proved to be full of holes and the dumbest thing the teacher had ever heard. BY, UH, THE… PROPHESY?

Relena just glared for a few seconds. Death started to look hopeful.

"What prophesy?"

Death started to look despondent again. UM, THE PROPHESY OF… ER… Death looked vainly around the street. THE PROPHESY OF… SIDEWALK… ER, YES, THE PROPHESY OF SEIDEWULK.

Relena continued to glare.

LOOK, IT'S JUST THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE, ALL RIGHT? GREAT, ANCIENT EVILS ARE SEALED AWAY, NOT DESTROYED. SCHOOLGIRLS HAVE TO BE THE ONES TO KILL THEM WHEN THEY ESCAPE. IT'S JUST THE WAY THE UNIVERSE WORKS.

Relena considered. First, she thought about how much fun it would be to kill an ancient evil being of immense power. Then she thought about how she might be the one who was killed. Those two points battled around inside her head for a while.

WELL, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IT, I SUPPOSE I COULD ALWAYS GET SOMEONE ELSE-

Check and mate.

"I'll do it!"