John tightened his grip on the metal bar, evidently bracing himself to take another fierce swing at the reaper as it glided toward him with a somewhat alarming grace and fluidity.
However, the reality he was currently facing was far removed from what he had expected.
His body was enveloped in a suffocating wave of fear. He wished he could muster the courage to take aim at the dark figure before him instead of succumbing to panic that was beginning to settle in his heart.
As he contemplated his options, his instincts screamed for him to flee the approaching threat.
But just as he summoned the energy to escape the narrow alleyway, the reaper's hidden eyes glimmered with an ominous green light from beneath its voluminous hood.
In an instant, John's body froze, severing the connection between his mind and his bodily movements.
If he had been frightened before, he was now utterly paralyzed with terror.
It wasn't just the reaper's presence that unsettled him, though; it was the stark nature of the power it wielded.
Being immobilized, he became acutely aware that the reaper had stripped him of his ability to move freely.
It felt as though he was desperately searching for the fundamental knowledge of how to walk, speak, or even lift his arms.
The realization was utterly terrifying for him.
In fact, the reaper had deployed a skill that was capable of nullifying the brain's control over voluntary actions.
If a victim could muster enough willpower to reconnect their mind and body, they could certainly break free from the reaper's unsettling grip.
But in John's case, time was slipping away, and he couldn't summon the necessary resolve fast enough to free himself.
As the reaper approached, its presence loomed larger and larger with each step, until it stood face-to-face with John.
'Oh, my God…!' He screamed internally, taking in the reaper's features up close.
Oddly enough, he didn't feel a trace of its presence. It was as if the entity didn't truly exist.
Trying to ignore his paralyzing fear, John attempted to will his arm to swing the metal bar again.
But then, something unexpected happened before his fearful eyes: the reaper slowly extended one of its skeletal arms toward John's chest, and then it gently placed its bony palm on his rapidly racing heartbeat.
'What in the absolute hell…?'
Though still unable to speak, thoughts flitted through John's mind, some were mostly incoherent.
In that moment, as the reaper's ghastly hand touched him, John's mind seemed to go blank.
'It isn't trying to kill me.'
'How absurd.'
Despite the creeping uncertainty of the entire situation, an unexpected sense of safety washed over John, but his curiosity about the entity's intentions only deepened.
'What do you want…?!'
As if responding to his unspoken question, the reaper withdrew its hand from his chest and delicately touched John's forehead with one of its bony index fingers.
'No! What are you doing…?! Stop…!!! Ah...!!!!'
A piercing scream echoed inside John's mind as the reaper's blunt finger began to etch a series of intricate incision marks into his forehead, forming a complex runic chart.
The rune shimmered for a brief moment before disappearing into his skin, leaving his forehead damp and unblemished, as it was previously.
Withdrawing its skeletal hand into the shadows of its robe, the reaper's voice resonated in the air:
"Finally, He lives again."
John wanted to feel fear. He longed for terror to overwhelm him. But despite the chaos that unravelled itself around him, only confusion reigned over him.
The bafflement, and the befuddlement John felt as to the meaning of whatever the reaper could have possibly meant by " He lives again" was too saturating.
He was utterly lost that his confusion completely drowned and overshadowed every other emotion.
'Oh, god. I'm ready to wake up now. Please let me just wake up and let all this be one hell of a twisted dream.'
**
Just moments after the reaper exited John's body, a rush of awareness surged back into his consciousness.
It was a sweet sensation he had desperately craved during the past few harrowing minutes.
He felt his fingers twitching, moving with exhilarating ease.
His felt as his mind reclaimed control over his body, asserting its authority over his actions and movements.
With one decisive heave, John broke free from his stasis.
This wasn't a spontaneous act of will; rather, the distance the reaper had created between itself and John's body had diminished its hold on him.
John's body dropped to the ground on all fours, inhaling deeply, each breath he took felt so heavy to contain.
Yet, as he barely tried to regain his bearings a singularity suddenly manifested just inches away from him.
"What the—" He started...
At least he tried to start...
But how ever it may had been, the grim moment was cut short as the singularity unleashed an irresistible suction force that tugged at his body.
Reacting instinctively and faster than usual, John reached for a nearby lamppost, gripping it with unwavering determination, intent on offsetting the singularity's gravitational pull.
The force felt overwhelming, like a thousand vacuum cleaners converging on him.
It was not pleasant. It was tiring to keep resisting the pull, and it was beyond scary.
And as time ticked by, he could sense his hold on the lamppost beginning to wane; the singularity's relentless energy was evidently proving too powerful to resist.
But despite the mounting pressure, John was resolute, he just wouldn't surrender that easily.
Yet as minutes dragged on, he not only felt his grip faltering but also the strain in his shoulder joints threatening to give way.
The stark reality of his situation hit him hard: if he continued resisting, he would face a brutal detachment of his arms. And on the flip side, surrendering meant being pulled into an uncharted void, a place likely devoid of any support for human life.
Both scenarios were grim. However, the thought of living on with his arms intact emerged as the most logical and ideal choice.
With that resolve made within his heart, John released his grip on the lamppost, letting his body plunge willingly into the singularity.
'I'm gonna regret this.'