Mr. Jensen, still wearing his boring teacher’s outfit, looked up at me in some shock, then directed a questioning look at Marisha.

“Him?” He asked incredulously. “He’s the new Reaper?”

“You’re this Grand Reaper I’ve heard about?” I asked, in the same tone. “But you’re so… boring.”

Marisha flashed me a warning look. “Yes, your Excellency. Silas awakened three days ago.”

“Excellency?” I was flabbergasted. “This must be a trick. There’s no way you’re the Grand Reaper.”

Mr. Jensen stood up quicker than I could blink, and his appearance changed in a flash. Gone were the beige pants and plaid long-sleeve shirt. In its place was a long white robe with a black leather chest plate and pauldrons. He was holding a long, broad sword in his hand, and he pointed it at me now.

“You are a mere apprentice!” He thundered. “You will show me respect!”

Out of instinct, I shifted as well. I didn’t raise my weapon, as pointing with a scythe would have been weird, but I did point with my free hand. “You’ve been an asshole to me all of my high school life! I don’t owe you shit!”

Marisha stepped between the two of us, facing Mr. Jensen. “Your excellency, please forgive Silas. He is still distressed at this change in his life. He’s not thinking straight.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh trust me, Marisha. I’m thinking plenty straight. He’s an asshole!”

Marisha turned to face me. “Shut up, Silas. You only know Mr. Jensen, the overworked teacher. You don’t know Grand Reaper Rictus.”

That was enough to give me pause. “Rictus?”

Mr. Jensen shifted back and sat down in his chair again. “Rictus is my Reaper name. You knew me as Robert Jensen. But here, I am Rictus Veridian.”

“That’s actually a cool name,” I said begrudgingly. “Better than Mr. Jensen, anyway.”

Mr. Jensen let out a short laugh. “All Reaper names are reflections of the Reapers themselves. Rictus is a little fancy for my tastes, but I’ve come to accept it.”

Marisha smiled, but, missing the joke, I shifted back and tilted my head. “What does Rictus mean?”

“Lawkeeper.” Mr. Jensen said. “In my early days, I was a stickler for following the rules. Even today, the reputation sticks.”

“You always were a hardass,” I said, sitting down. “Who knew that boring old Mr. Jensen would actually be the leader of a spirit-hunting organization.”

Marisha rolled her eyes as she too sat down. “Well, no point in introductions, as you can see. But it is traditional for the Grand Blade to meet each new Reaper.”

“Have you named his ancestor?” Mr. Jensen asked her. She shook her head.

“We know that he wears a simple robe with a wolf’s crest, and he used a scythe. The lore keepers are scouring the tomes for an answer, but for now, we have no clue.”

Mr. Jensen rubbed his chin. “Hmm. The wolf’s crest sounds vaguely familiar. I think my ancestor mentioned it to me at one point.”

“You can talk to your ancestor?” I blurted out. “How do you do that?”

“Not everybody can,” Mr. Jensen explained. “You have to be an empath for starters, and then you have to work at it.”

“What’s an-” I began, but Marisha made a small gesture to stop me.

“You’ll learn later,” she said. “We’ve taken up enough time from His Excellency. We should be on our way.”

Mr. Jensen nodded his agreement, then slid an envelope across his desk to me. “Here is your welcome package.”

I took the envelope and peered inside it. There were a few pieces of paper, a card-like object made of wood, and another object that looked like a credit card of some kind. I pulled the wooden card out, and saw that it was attached to a thin silver chain, clearly designed to go around my neck.

“That is your emblem,” Marisha said, even as she grabbed my arm and started to drag me away. “Wood is for Apprentices. At Journeyman, it turns to leather. Adept is Silver, Master is Gold, and Grandmaster is platinum.”

I slung the silver chain over my head and let it slide under my shirt. The metal was cool against my chest. The emblem had a feeling of uniform to it, and for the first time, I felt like I was finally apart of something.

“What now?” I asked Marisha. “More basic training?”

“No,” Marisha said. “You can do whatever you want for a while.”

“So I can go home?” 

“If you want to,” she tilted her head. “But first, I need to explain an important rule. The only rule, really.”

“Let me guess,” I interrupted. “Kill any Gray Clan people I see?”

“Yes and no,” She said. “The actual rule is that if you find one about to prey on a human’s soul, stop them.”

“But I don’t know how to fight,” I pointed out. “Apart from those basic skills, I don’t know how to use my own weapon.”

“In most cases, you don’t need your weapon,” she explained. “Those basic skills, with enough experience, are enough. But if you encounter trouble that you cannot handle, call for reinforcements.”

“How do I do that?”

She stopped in front of me and pulled the wooden emblem out of my shirt with a tug. “Place your thumb on the Reaper insignia, and cover your hand in aura. That will send a distress signal to every nearby Reaper, and they will come to your aid.”

“That’s cool,” I admitted. “Nice to know that you’re not just throwing me in the deep end.”

She laughed. “Of course not. Also, the second card that Mr. Jensen handed you is your personal account card. It is already loaded with your pay for this month.”

“But,” I said, feeling as if a lead weight had slipped into my gut. “That’s gotta be….”

“About thirty-three thousand, all told.” She said with a wink. “Try not to get into too much trouble with it.”

I rolled my eyes at her as she paced away. I found myself standing alone in the lobby, with people weaving around me and the secretary smiling at me expectantly. Sensing she might be the right person to guide me out, I walked over.

“I got a dumb question,” I started. “How do I, uh, get out of this building without going to the Gray Plane?”

She smiled warmly at me. “It’s not a dumb question, Apprentice Silas. All you have to do is exit through the doors there.”

I turned to see a few people exiting the door as we spoke. Those dressed in Reaper clothing shifted back to normal outfits just before passing through the doors. “Should I stay in my normal form when I leave?”

“That is up to you,” The secretary said. “But when you are in your Reaper form, you will be invisible to normal humans. That can cause some problems.”

“I bet,” I said with a dry laugh. “Someone could hit me with a car.”

She chuckled at that, leaving me to think that she knew how I’d died. But she didn’t say anything else on the topic, merely waving happily at me as I left the building. Several nearby Reapers nodded at me again as we passed each other. Either they already knew that I’d become a Reaper, or this was a normal method of greeting. Still, it was pleasant.

The air outside was warmer than I’d remembered. Summer break was in full swing now, so the temperatures were soaring. I’d spent so long in the air-conditioned space that the heat immediately felt uncomfortable on my skin. But it was nothing to the person standing just across the street when.”

“Ooh look! A fresh Reaper!” A high-pitched voice said, drawing the eye of every nearby Reaper, and myself. “Should we see if he knows what he’s doing?”