A wistful hum came from Ian's lips upon hearing what Hallow had reported to him, "Offer to turn a grim reaper into a human," he sang, "Now, that is something only either a mad man would tenders or he had been possessed by a Demon because even a demon won't make such a careless and baseless swindling offer."

"It's not a lie!" said the grim reaper, Willow who was only a head. Elise didn't want to see straight to Willow's eyes for a long time as she fear in her dream tonight a headless skull will appear while talking. "I saw it by my own eyes!" The grim reaper insisted.

"You saw grim reaper turning into humans?" Elise asked and the man shook his head with a great difficulty as Hallow's large bear paw covered the crown of his head.

"I have not seen it yet and I will be the first one. But I have seen. I have seen how a dead human was brought back to live. It's a miracle!"

"You are being fooled," Ian answered, this was what Carmen and Blythe had said which was later proved by Angelica that it was a lie. "I have met two people like you in the same condition and suffer death because of it."

If Willow posses eyebrows, it would have upheave away from his eyelid. "Are you trying to tell me that they are lying and instead is trying to trap me? No one can kill grim reapers unless they are an Angel, Demon, and reaper."

"No, they died because I killed them," Ian deadpanned, causing the bodyless grim reaper's jaw to fall. "Explain to me how you see the person that came back to life."

Willow was unwilling to answer but then he saw no out of this. He negotiate, "If I tell you, will you promise to release me?"

Elise turned her eyes to Ian, seeing his smile widening and she doubted it was a good kind of smile. "Of course. I will release you from what is binding you," he said, giving his word with a very respectful expression.

Willow stared at Ian for a couple of second. He doesn't trust the man but he doesn't have much choice, "I saw it in a cave. The ritual was a success and it was a dead woman who came back to life. I was sure that the ritual was unadulterated and sterling. I was the one who took the woman's life and in the next seven hours she came back alive, moving without a single seam on her skin."

Elise frowned deeper on the grim reaper's disclosure. The success ritual...thought Elise, it was the same as what Barner had spoken of. And she wasn't wrong, the humanity's greatest fear had truly take place— the dead coming back to life!

"It's the resurrection experiment," Elise said, meeting Ian's eyes, "They have succeeded in it. The loop forest was created to garner humans' soul for the sacrifice," she said, finally finding the pieces fitting to the puzzle.

"Finally we found out what all of them are planning," Ian said upon hearing Elise. His mind went to a brief mull to the news. He didn't believe a human could resurrect the dead. Although he wasn't too keen on the idea of bringing who had died again to the world only to suffer, Ian had once tried to call back his mother from the dead only to fail. The previous Diablo, Caleb had also failed despite all experimentation and rituals he did. 

It made him wonder how did they succeed on doing the ritual and what the shortcoming was.

"At this point, we lack information to know what we need to do to stop their resurrection plan. I will notify the church members about this," Ian said, there were up to an extent that humans better know and not know. But seeing the resurrection plan would be a large scale, he would need the humans to be aware of what they are against of as well.

"That would be a great idea," agreed Elise when someone broke into their conversation,

"I am not needed here any longer, am I? Then tell this bear to move his paw away from my head!" Willow demanded and he caught sight of Ian's wide smile, feeling himself relieved. At least that was what it seemed to Willow until Ian made his way toward the grim reaper flashing a smile.

"Of course, I always stay true to the promise I make, so much that it almost has some people wondering if actually I am an Angel. Because my appearance resemble one you see," he bragged, and Elise wanted to laugh even though it wasn't the right occasion to. Willow was confused when Ian took a hold of his head.

Fear begin to crawl on his white smooth cheekbones when it finally dawned to him how death was inching closer with the numbered minutes he was left to spend. "W-What a-are you doing?" The reaper tried to make a smile despite stuttering out of fear, "A mere vampire won't be able to kill a grim reaper."

"Do I look like one to your eyes?" Ian smiled, his grip on the crown of Willow's head tightened, creating a crack on the surface, frightening the life out of the grim reaper, "You should get a new eyes and brain if you can." Willow didn't have another word he could offer as after the next pressure his finger made the bone crack, leaving only to shard and pieces of chalk-like substances. 

It didn't take another minute for the remaining pieces of the bones to disappear in a thin air and from the last pieces of bones a black wisp float from Ian's palm before vanishing out of thin air.

"That is how most grim reapers die if death angels kills them," said Hallow, coming nearer. "His soul is not here anymore, nor will it be in Hell or Heaven, but he deserve it," the bear said.

Elise looked at him with a nod, it was sad but then she had grown over mulling over each death that she would come across in the path she had taken. "How did you change to bear? I thought Ian had turn you into a dog," Elise said, seeing Hallow replying with a shrug of his shoulders as he couldn't understand why either. 

Ian was the one to reply while clapping his hands together to dust away what had settled on his hand, "It's a little reward. If the grim reaper decided to be loyal to you, he will gain power that could help him to either become stronger or regain his human body."

Hallow's eyes brightened with sparkles over the promise, "Really?"

"There is price of course," Ian smiled, lowering Hallow's happiness but despite all the grim reaper look forward to the future. Taking Elise's hand, Ian then said, "We should go back now. Fortunately there are church members here and I can discuss this matter to them before it's all too late." Elise made her way to Ian who had got on the horse. With one pull, Ian helped her to sit in front of him and the stallion gallop back to the open ground.

By the time they arrive, Ian made his way to the church member, separating from Elise as he know it was better for her not to be involved with the matter of the church members for now. Tired from sitting on the horse which was harder than it looked, Elise make her way to take a seat on the empty chair, a servant who had come in stead of Maroon who was busy in Hell then covered her by an umbrella to cover Elise from the snow. 

Hunting game in Winger was different than it is in Summer. A campfire was made near the chairs as the snow had stopped falling from the sky, Elise turn down the servant's offer when he asked her if she would like an umbrella.

In time, when Elise placed the pistol on the round table beside her chair, she heard a sound full chuckle from the left side of her table. The woman had their hands against their mouth laughing as they whispered something that appeared to be very entertaining. Elise also noticed how there had been some men and women who looked at her with a gouging look.

"Lady Elise," the demure voice belonged to Lady Ellen. "Greeting milady. I think you must be bored alone."

Elise exchange her gaze to the woman. Lady Ellen's sweet word only sound poisonous to her ears as there was a hidden contempt under the woman's words. "Greeting Lady Ellen," and her blue eyes shifted to the other two women beside Lady Ellen, "You seem to be merry. I am glad to see that you are not heartbroken."

Elise had been a quiet person, taking matters to her mind and heart and didn't speak more than necessary to not hurt anyone's heart. But she had also been told by her father that when a person attack her she needed to shield herself and if shielding didn't work it was time to attack fire with fire.

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A/N: Don't forget to vote~~