Chapter 4 - The Flame Tiger, Pyro Tigris

I stared at the shocked Tengu in front of me with eyes of rage as the Master Tengu starts to loosen its grip on me. I blinked, and everything I saw had turned into a fiery shade of orange in my eyes.

Without any warning, my body had started to grow, my weight shifted upwards and I fell onto all fours. The Master Tengu let go of his grip of me entirely as a tail grew out of me.

My face twisted and grew as my nose had turned into a snout and the muscles in my limbs multiplied. My ears had migrated up to the top of my head as orange and black fur sprouted out of my body, giving me a very tiger-like appearance.

I glanced into a nearby puddle of water and realised that I had indeed transformed into a tiger! But unlike a normal tiger, I also had eyes with a sclera of orange and a black long streak as my iris. My upper back heated up as I had realised that fire had started to spew out of my back and near the top of my head, down to parts of my lower back.

My tail grew heavy as I felt a metallic cold surrounding it. I drew it forward to look and saw that a huge black metallic blade had appeared onto my tail, making it a killer weapon against my enemies.

The Master Tengu had returned back to his underling to witness my mysterious transformation. I let out what had supposed to be a smile with a tiger’s mouth. Now both my targets were at one place, this is going to be a breeze…

With my liquid-steel muscles, I leapt across onto the Tengus in a flash, puncturing their hideous faces with my claws. The Master Tengu had tried to retaliate by striking me with his claws, but its now bloodied eyes gave it a poor judgement, making its attack slow enough for me to block it and further injure it with my bladed tail, but instead chopped the arm off entirely.

I smiled once more as the Tengus withdrew away from me, with the Master Tengu bleeding profusely. I dragged my blade on the concrete ground as sparks flew out, sharpening the blade while blood dripped down from it.

Instead of having an expression of fear, the Master Tengu smiled villainously, whereas the Tengu was shivering and knelt down to its superior. The Master Tengu let out a laugh, and commented, “Do you really think that you have defeated me?! Ha! There is a reason why powerful spirit beings like me have an underling following its master!”

Keeping its wild eyes on me, the Master Tengu reached out and ripped the Tengu’s head off and devoured it, and followed up with a bloody meal with the rest of the Tengu’s body, leaving just its black hat, which the Master Tengu then tossed it away.

Slowly, the Master Tengu had started to regenerate, its arm grew back, and its body further grew, its arms that of a wrestler and its royal robes ripped apart into a battle outfit. Wings outstretched, the Master Tengu flew up to the top of a single tree amongst many others in the nearby park, and disappeared with a blur and a wicked smile.

Chasing after it, I entered the park, with the atmosphere completely different and the battlefield darker. The flames on my back blazed, giving me the light that I had needed to see as I searched around for my opponent. Suddenly, my right shoulder was slashed, but no one was in sight. A howling laugh echoed through the park after a confused look appeared on my face.

This continued for sometime until I let out a heavy sigh, with flames spewing out from my nostrils. This gave me an idea that would turn the tables around. After another unforeseen attack, I let in a huge breath and breathed out through my mouth, and as expected, a huge breath of fire shot out of my mouth, acting like a flamethrower.

The trees surrounding me were sent ablaze, and after I had burnt the trees immediately around me, the Master Tengu appeared a few meters in front of me, injured and burnt.

With both of us heavily panting, the fight was finally even and fair. My body was covered with slashes and my opponent’s was burnt, we charged towards each other in one final attempt, as another attack from either of us would be impossible in our current state.

Everything that had happened afterwards was a quick blur, we were a frenzy of claws and blood, until I had finally stabbed the final blow, with my tail into the Master Tengu’s heart.

After which, the Master Tengu begged for mercy, as it started to disintegrate into dust and blow away. Simultaneously, the park had recovered it its original state, without a single tree burnt.

As I strolled out of the park and to the now-awakening Imp, I thought in my mind as I had transformed back, The only thing that I could name this being was, Pyro Tigris…

Chapter 3 - A Whole New World, of Danger

Although I was given time by Imp to stay in the Living World for awhile longer, in my mind was a huge blank. What should I do first, visit my family? My friends? Hmm, I should just enjoy the Living World with all of its beauty and Nature, after all I might never see them again.

As Imp and I slowly strolled down the path, I looked around my surroundings from a perceptive of one who had seen it for the first time. I was surprised as a small Sun Bird landed on a branch of a tree. The bird settled peacefully on its branch as I crept towards it with awe, this was the first time I had seen a wild bird full of life up close before.

The Sun Bird had beautiful and streaking yellow feathers with magnificent brown wings and patches of grey over its slender body. And in its eye was an image full of life and inspiration, something that many alive would not be able to notice.

I glanced back to Imp to show him the Sun Bird, but he was busy staring at a small contraption, with tiny yellow lights on a gridded screen. My first guess was that Imp was searching for another dying soul to replace me, but I couldn’t be too sure.

I turned my attention back to the Sun Bird, but instead it had flew away! Immediately, a strong shockwave blasted through my body, instantly piercing primal fear into my heart. Imp looked up, obviously he had felt it as well. But I looked at the surrounding people, no one had seemed to notice it.

At a corner of my eye, I saw a tiny corpse of the small Sun Bird, collapsed on the road, wings spread out, as if it was in mid-flight. Imp came towards me, with the same shocked expression that I was wearing, urging me to leave the Living World with him immediately.

Soon, another shockwave blasted, this time stronger, as if the source of the shockwaves was closer.

What is happening? It must be serious, even Imp is serious now! I have to-

My thoughts had been interrupted by a huge blur of brown and red leaping over Imp and I, causing the winged imp to faint instantly. The blur was followed by a larger second, but it was red and white.

The blurs landed on the pavement, causing the concrete to crumble out of pure force. When I caught the appearances of the unknown beings, I saw two winged creatures. Each had long beak-like noses and terrible menacing eyes. The larger was wearing red elegant robes and had snow white hair. The other wore a cloak of dead leaves and had a peculiar tiny black hat.

The larger creature took out a feathered fan and waved it towards itself, and pointed a clawed finger towards me. “Tengu, capture that soul now. I’m sure that the Creators would value such an unharmed soul…”

The Tengu laughed and let out a mischievous screech, and disappeared. In that same moment, the Tengu appeared behind me, and whispered to me, “Peek-a-boo.”

I recoiled back in fear and surprise, stumbling back a few steps, but instead got caught by the other creature’s arms.

“Master Tengu, now that we have the soul, what do we do with this insignificant red waste?”

The Master Tengu flicked its wrist, indicating the Tengu to dispose of Imp. “Such waste would not be needed by the Creators, dispose of it.”

The Tengu lifted the unconscious Imp with the ease of two fingers, casually shaking him to see if he was still unconscious.

Although I don’t know Imp at all, I can’t stand by while someone kills my companion! There has to be some way I can help!

Suddenly, a bright orange aura came out of me, shocking both Tengus. I let out a demand with a deep, almighty voice, “LET MY FRIEND GO NOW!!!”

Chapter 2 - New Introductions

I stared at the jumpy creature, panicking around and ignoring me, just as the crowd was, only that the creature noticed my presence, which had seemed to have disturbed it. Soon, the driving of a vehicle filled the atmosphere.

An imp-like creature? A soul? What was this about? Why couldn’t anyone human respond to me?

These questions revolved around my head as the vehicle came and the crowd made way. My answer to the questions came as policemen came, also ignoring me, and carefully laid a huge cloth over me.

At this, I recoiled back in surprise. But what really surprised me was that the cloth literally went through me. It was then had I realised that I was a ghost!

Calming down, the creature looked up at me in deep thought as I started to get up.

The creature said nervously, “H-hello! I am y-your em, your ga-guardian angel! Ya that’s it. Do not worry, I’m here to help you, p-please lie back down…”

I thought that the creature was insane, first acting strangely and then claiming to be my guardian angel with that devil-like appearance. I squatted down to its level, “Look, I don’t know what you are, or why you’re so panicky, just answer me.”

The creature stammered at my answer, before giving a final sigh, sat down and decided to calmly answer to me. “Firstly, my name is Imp. I am a servant, or rather, employee of the Grim Reaper. You’ve probably heard of him, after looking at the media culture of your world on my collection missions…”

I was quite taken-back by his answer, the Grim Reaper? He’s just a myth, a legend, there’s no way he could really be real. And what does Imp mean by ‘collection missions’?

“I know what you’re thinking, many centuries ago, the Grim Reaper had created a organisation with the request of an unknown group of spirits in the Other World. The request was to do something about the morale of the dead souls in the Other World, as the years gone by, the souls were getting more and more moody and rowdy. They found out that the cause of this is that many souls could not bear to leave the Living World.

“That’s where the Grim Reaper’s organisation, ‘Grim’s Dreams’ comes in, our top imp scientists and researchers had discovered a way to pinpoint the locations of living souls that were about the die, as well as a way to knock out and to maintain a soul to be unconscious while we bring it to the Other World. Then we are able to put the soul in a Soul Simulator, where the soul would wake up, and the soul would be able to ‘live’ again in a way by having the Soul Simulator simulate the soul’s living daily life based on his or her memory. After the soul ‘dies’ he or she should be able to accept the fact that he or she have had a fulfilling life. The thing about you was that I was not able to inject the Soul Tranquiliser into you in time, and you regained conscious…”

I stood up, with my mind trying to absorb the huge change of events that had just took place in a few minutes. A lone tear rolled down my cheek.

I’m really dead. But I died so young. I didn’t get to do the things in life I’d always wanted to do. What will happen to my family? I have to stay.

I wiped my face and looked back down, but before my mouth opened to say anything, Imp had already knew exactly what I had wanted, to stay in the Living World.

At first, Imp had seemed reluctant to allow, but after reminding him that it was him who had ruined my ‘life’, he gave my request further thought. With a sigh, Imp said his answer, a yes.

A radiant beam instantaneously ran across my face, from ear to ear. “My name is Ray, nice to meet you Imp!” I cried out to the surprised creature.

Chapter 1 - I'm dead?!

I was just alive just now…

I was alive, I was going to school…

I was going to secondary school for the first time, anxious to meet new people. I got off the MRT, I saw my close friend, Nicholas, across the road. Out of pure glee and joy, I dashed across the road, to meet him.

But in the midst of that moment of folly, a sharp and piercing horn blasted through my ears, forcing my head to spin to its direction in pure instinct, and speeding towards me was a bulk of white, vaguely resembling a truck.

In a sudden split second, my world went black…

I felt cold… I felt lost… My mind was a buzz of activity, but seemed to slowly fade away…

What had happened to me? Did that truck crash into me? What is going to happen to me now?

Questions buzzed in my mind, for a period of time that seemed to last an eternity. Suddenly, all was silent…

………

Did I hear a voice? Where did it come from?

A small croaky voice danced into my mind, “After I knock the soul out, what do I do next? Oh ya, I inject the… OH NO! WHERE IS IT?!” At the sound of the shout, I flung my eyes open. Everything seemed normal enough, but why was I on the ground? Why was there a crowd staring at me? Nicholas was part of the crowd, staring at me with dumbstruck eyes with tears welled in them.

“Nicholas, what’s wrong, I’m okay now, you don’t need to worry anymore…”

In the middle of my speech, I realised that no one seemed to have heard me at all, and at the corner of my eye, I saw a monstrosity that was almost beyond description!

Next to me was a small imp-like creature with a stout bloated build and a noticeable overbite, and with skin of ruby red and blazing eyes. Crimson hair covered his scalp as well as parts of its back. On its back were also two tiny wings that seemed too weak to fly its owner.

The creature was staring at me with its fiery eyes, but with an expression that seemed to be on that of a nervous wreck about to be beaten up. What seemed even more strange was the fact that it was wearing a shirt that was tainted with what seemed like sweat and had the colour of a faded blue. At a corner, the shirt had the words “Grim’s Dreams” embroidered on it, which was the only part of the shirt that had seemed decent.

“Oh no! The soul has woken up! My boss’s gonna kill me!!” screeched the being, with the same croaky, crude voice that had woken me up.