The Deathless Novels & Stories

And in this lifetime, we'd never see each other again. Once my phone went dead, the only thing left for them was my maggot-ridden body and the farewell gift I had so carefully prepared.

Now she was a pile of mangled flesh lying in the morgue. I turned and went back inside, locked the door, and slid down against it until I was sitting on the floor. My phone vibrated. "Backup slots are full. In the next cycle, death cannot be transferred." The next day, the sun came up, and the world went on as usual. Except for Unit 703. There was still no movement. I washed my face and looked at myself in the mirror. The scratch at the corner of my eye was still there. It was thin, narrow, and capped with a faint scab.

"To Death, Fumigation of Manna. Hear me, O Death, whose unconfined empire extends to mortal tribes of all kinds. On the depends the portion of our time, whose absence prolongs life, whose presence ends it. Thy perpetual sleep bursts the vivid folds by which the soul, drawing the body, holds: common to all, of all sexes and ages, for nothing escapes thy utterly destructive fury. Not youth itself can thy clemency win, vigorous and strong, by thee prematurely slain. In thee is known the end of nature's works, in thee all judgment alone is acquitted. No suppliant checks thy dreadful rage, no vow revokes thy soul's purpose. O blessed power, consider my burning prayer, and human life to grow old i

I am dead…. ****

I asked. I could sense I was about to lose the goodwill I had managed to gather through our bitch sesh. “There is no outside. Everything is everywhere.” Well, that was clear as mud. “And you can’t die? So how were you raised from the dead?” “We can’t die, which is why we created this place, cut off from everything. It is the closest to death we could achieve.” I looked around. “This is a death simulator?” “This is death. It is the absence of everything but ourselves. Nothing in here exists out there. This is what death means.” The Golden God sounded very sure of himself. I wasn’t completely convinced.

I am Seranda Mathews the unwanted born of a lineage of slaves and sacrifice. Cursed with the spirit of Zeranda, keeper of the soul of death. A plague waiting to be eradicated. A celebration at my death, festivity at the sight of my blood. I look up and wipe away my tears, I stare from the open bars of my dungeon where sunlight penetrates to lighten up the cramped space I have called home for the last 18 years. Today is that day, the long-awaited day of my death.

Venessa’s eyes rolled back as her body went limp, collapsing to the floor. Blowing a pink bubble of gum, Delilah tilted her head with mock pity. “Sorry, darling. I’ll be taking back my place tonight.” She pouted, then smirked. “This is where your hell begins.” Behind her, Death stepped into the house like a shadow. He slung Venessa’s unconscious body over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing. A golden entry pass slipped from her hand and clattered to the ground. Delilah picked it up, brushing imaginary dust off it before trailing after Death with a smirk.

Nyra and Selene turned to leave, shoulders touching in unity, but a soft rustle made them pause. Ember opened her silver-eyed gaze ;, she smiled sleepily, then closed her lids. Ashen shifted, her obsidian eyes fluttered open, just a slit. Nyra froze, her breath caught. Ashen sat up, small hand reaching toward the window’s last golden glow. She whispered, voice faint but chilling : “Mother…” Selene spun, Nyra’s heart thundered. Ashen’s lips curved in that same terrible smile. Her single heartbeat echoed… “I am Death.”

“What kind of world is this, to be chained to the deathless lands, beyond which you would crumble to dust? You hurt Kolya beyond words. I do not care how curious you were to see the forests of jade or to learn Kashchei’s secrets. It was a horrible thing you did, abandoning the man who loved you for a koldun known for his cruelty.” Lana poured herself a cup of tea and took a sip. “Chained to the deathless lands? Hardly. This realm is endless in its own ways. You will soon understand why I chose to live here with my lord. The deathless kingdom is the realm of true life, where each of our pot

Death is not always an end. Sometimes— --- It is a threshold. --- A space between what was… --- And what might still be. --- A moment where everything slows— --- And the world decides… --- If you stay. --- Or go. --- Elena didn’t feel the fall at first. --- Only the shift. --- The ground beneath her dissolving— --- Not cracking this time. --- Not breaking. --- Vanishing. --- Like it had never existed at all. --- Her body dropped—