The Devil's Favourite Obsession

The young man’s body went rigid. His back arched off the ground, his mouth stretching open in a soundless howl, his fingers splayed against the cobblestones like claws. Then everything gave way. His body fell flat, limp, and the tension drained from him. His arms slipped away from his head and settled against the wet ground with the finality of something that would not be moving again.

The alley fell silent.

For a moment, even the air seemed to hold its breath.

The four hooded men stared at the body. The one who had delivered the final kick stepped back slowly, his shoe dragging across the cobblestones and leaving behind a dark smear. The one with the cigarette rose from his crouch and flicked the butt into a puddle, where it hissed before going dark.

”Why is he not moving?”

The tallest one spoke first, though his voice had lost the careless amusement it had carried moments ago.

He looked at the others. They looked at him. Then all of them looked back at the body.

No one moved closer. No one checked his pulse. No one touched him.

They stood there, uncertain now, as if the game had ended too soon and none of them knew what came next.

Cixi watched them, and something inside her twisted, because she had seen this before—not the death, but the hesitation after cruelty, the moment when the people who inflicted pain realised they had crossed a line they never intended to see through it.

Then something shifted in the air, and Cixi knew the Reaper had appeared.

And the realisation came late that she hadn’t given any comfort to the person who lost his life. For once, she had nothing to offer a way. It had happened too fast, and she had been lost in her own past for a moment too long that she couldn’t find her way back on time.

The reaper stood beside the body, its scythe gleaming faintly in the dim light. A pulse of bright energy tore free from the young man’s body and moved toward the blade, settling into it like something that had always belonged there.

Cixi watched it happen, and her chest tightened as always when she witnessed a soul leaving the body.

To her surprise, the reaper did not leave. Unlike other times when they leave immediately after collecting the souls, it remained stationary.

The Reaper’s gaze shifted—not to the body, but to the four men.

Cixi followed that gaze, her thoughts racing.

Someone else was going to die? Is this why the reaper is here?

Who? Among those four men?

The four men began to move then, as if understanding something, they finally reacted. Panic broke through their cruelty, and without a word to each other, they turned and ran, disappearing into the darkness of the street.

Only when they were gone did the reaper turn toward her.

And Cixi stepped forward. ”Reaper,” she said, the word uncertain on her tongue. She didn’t know what else to call it. ”Are you... the ex-empress?”

For a moment, there was no response. Then the reaper gave a small nod.

Relief rushed through her so quickly it almost made her dizzy. ”I was looking for you.”

”Then that is why you are here,” the reaper replied in calm and distant voice. ”Instead of Demond City.”

Cixi frowned as confusion settled in. ”You mean... if I want to meet you, I just have to think about you? And my soul will come to wherever you are?”

”When it is necessary, you are sent.”

”Sent?” Cixi repeated. ”By whom?”

The reaper did not answer and remained silent.

Cixi narrowed her eyes. ”Are you going to answer me, or is silence part of your authority?”

”Why were you looking for me, Cixi?”

The question came back to her like a wall.

Cixi stood there for a second, trying to gather her thoughts, but the more she tried, the more everything felt tangled inside her head. ”I... I am confused about the curse.” The words came out slower than she wanted. Not weak. Just... held back.

The silence that followed didn’t help at all. If anything, it made it worse. It felt like she was speaking into something that already knew the answer and was just waiting to see how long she would struggle before asking properly.

Cixi pressed her lips together for a moment before continuing. ”When you said that... about the kiss...” she hesitated again, already annoyed at herself for even asking this, ”what exactly did you mean?” Even saying it out loud felt ridiculous. ”When you said Cassian must not kiss anyone...” she went on, her voice tightening slightly, ”does that include everything?”

A small nod followed.

Cixi stared at it, waiting for elaboration that never came. ”So, does kissing mean kissing every part of your body, including?”

”Yes.” The answer came without hesitation, and that steadiness unsettled her more than refusal would have.

Cixi let out a short breath, though it did nothing to ease the pressure building inside her. ”You are making this impossible,” she said, and this time there was no attempt to soften it. ”Do you understand that? Do you realise how stupid that sounds?” she went on, a small frown forming as her irritation pushed through. ”I am standing here trying to understand what kind of kiss counts and what doesn’t... like this is some kind of rulebook. You gave me a condition,” she went on, taking a small step forward without thinking, ”but you didn’t explain everything.” Her brows pulled together. ”Do you know who Cassian is?”

Silence followed once again.

”He doesn’t follow rules,” she continued, her voice dropping slightly but not losing its edge. ”And creates rules out of the rules and makes sure everyone follows it, and I feel like a puppet in his hand.” Her jaw tightened. ”You expect me to make him fall in love with me.. How? He always outsmarts me!” She gave a short breath that almost turned into a laugh.

”I am trapped by you and him!”

The reaper finally spoke. ”That depends on you.”

Cixi blinked once, then narrowed her eyes slightly. ”That is not an answer.”

”It is the only way you will get what you want. Cixi, you are complaining to me as if you don’t like him being near you!”

Cixi looked away for a second, dragging a hand lightly over her face as if that might help her think better, but it didn’t. Nothing about this made sense.

”Next time,” she said, looking straight at the reaper now, ”if you are going to ruin someone’s life, at least explain it properly.”

Again she met with the silence.