Ever was sitting on one of the benches in the gym, dumbbell in hand. He had watched how others did it and did his best to replicate: hunched over, clutching the weight in his hand close to the ground, tricep against the side of his thigh. It felt weird at first, but after doing a few repetitions with a lighter weight, he’d moved to a heavier one.

  You did well this week.

  Ever didn’t respond to Death. It wasn’t like him to give compliments.

  You stayed true to your word, reaping two souls. Not only that, you found them yourself.

  “8… 9… 10…” Ever grunted. He let go of the dumbbell and it plonked to the ground. Cold fire seared through his bicep, a good sort of pain.

  *Clementine found me herself.*

  Still, you did well to listen to her and help her find peace.

  *Thanks, Mentor.*

  Ever took a swill of water and caught his breath. Some muscle heads looked him up and down before setting themselves on the inclined bench a few feet away, grunting as they did some shoulder presses. He took his time and picked up the dumbbell again, this time with the other hand.

  *Shall we go through the lessons from these reapings?*

  You know what? Let’s talk about that lass you work with.

  Ever paused in surprise. *Taylor?*

  That’s the one.

  *Why do you want to talk about her?*

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  He was quiet for a moment. Ever thought that he could hear him tapping his bony finger on his desk.

  I think we can learn more talking about her.

  *Why?*

  I was hoping you could tell me.

  Ever diligently finished off his reps on his other arm. The bite of pain from the lactic acid hurt - but he wanted more. He couldn’t explain why, just that he did.

  *Did you hear what she said at the end of our last chat?*

  I did.

  *She basically called me Death.*

  You’re not there yet, but I get it.

  *So she finally knows who I am.*

  Well… you didn’t exactly tell her.

  *I tried to.*

  But you didn’t.

  *I couldn’t.*

  Why?

  *She… she wouldn’t believe me. You heard what she thinks about ghosts. Why would she believe that I’m your apprentice?*

  Ever heard the sumptuous chair in his office creak as Death sat in it.

  See that’s why I told you that other time to show her that postcard you wrote on behalf of that soul. Do you remember how she was after she saw that?

  *She seemed…* Ever peeled back the layers of his memory to that day. *She was a bit scared but also curious.*

  Death nodded. Human belief is limited to what they can perceive and understand. What we do makes sense to us, but it might be hard for someone like Taylor to accept. Could you imagine if you told her that her other colleague was the first being ever to exist?

  Ever couldn’t help but laugh out loud, earning a few bemused looks from the muscle-bound dudes. *She might actually go crazy.*

  As much as you might want her to believe in your main job, her human mind might not be capable of that. Is that something that you can accept?

  Ever became somber. After a while, he rolled the dumbbell back to his left arm, starting a fresh set of curls.