Belle Adams Butler - Chapter 402

Belle took the stuffed rabbit back in her hand, where Barron had been stuck for weeks. Like Greed she also shook the rabbit’s body but nothing happened. She received no response from him. She was sure she had stopped the reaper on time before his scythe could come in contact with Mr. Fluffs body. If Belle had her heart right now, it could be heard beating loud out of worry. She pressed the rabbit’s hand but there was nothing as if it was nothing but a piece of a stuffed doll.

“Barron?” Belle called his name.

After knocking the mighouls unconscious, Lucas and Rower arrived at the room where Belle and Greed. Lucas looked at Belle who held the rabbit in her hands, “He’s not responding anymore,” she said to him.

Lucas moved closer, taking hold of the rabbit, Rower turned around to notice the death reaper who stood there like a statue, “I didn’t know Beezlebee was helping Winston.”

“He was there the night I fell down from the position of the Grims. I think he knew what was going to happen with the soul,” answered Lucas, referring to the night when the soul he was going to reap had turned back the clock as if he had picked the wrong soul. He continued to check the stuffed rabbit but he couldn’t find a single trace of the fourth Grim reaper, “He’s not here,” said Lucas and Belle shook her head in shock.

“Where did he go?” questioned Belle.

Lucas looked down at the rabbit and then looked up at Belle, “He’s not here. Rower,” he called the other original Grim’s name, “Do you sense him?”

Belle’s eyes fell on Rower, who shook his head too, “How can he go missing just like that.”

“It must be Beezlebee,” replied Rower. The second Grim didn’t know what happened, the reaper looked like someone had frozen him, “He has the ability to suck souls.”

“Does this mean Barron is still here?” asked Belle it was because she knew creatures of death couldn’t die that easily. In fact, they couldn’t die but only pushed to oblivion. She knew there were some discrepancies there but Barron was not a lowly creature of death but instead a Grim reaper.

Lucas who was quietly listening and looking at Beezlebee, said, “There is a possibility that he turned Barron’s soul to a normal creature of death. One with no powers. To a normal creature of the death,” hearing this Belle’s mind clouded with worry, “We don’t know where he is right now,” Belle was about to smile in hope when Lucas continued, “But we don’t know if he was eaten.”

“W-what do you mean eaten?” asked Belle, her eyes shifting to look at the death reaper whom she stopped from attacking Barron.

Lucas and Rower shared a look with each other. Being one of the first Grim reapers who came into existence, Lucas knew about the other reapers who were not part of the Grims but still possessed the abilities that were higher than the normal reapers, “Eating similar to how the lower creatures try to fuse with each other-”

“His scythe didn’t touch Barron’s body,” Belle interrupted. She had been quick and she was sure about it.

“It might be the scythe’s force,” said Rower who walked close to the reaper’s body and looked at the reaper’s scythe. Opening his palm, Rower moved it back and forth and said, “It is possible.”

Belle didn’t like this. Did this mean Barron had perished?

“Is it possible to retrieve him?” asked Belle. When none of them answered, Belle took their silence to be a yes. Barron, thought Belle to herself. How could this happen? She was right there, watching him and she had spoken to him. Everyone gave the mortal sometime with Lucas who stood next to her while Greed and Rower went to look for the soul of the girl. When minutes passed, Lucas said,

“Come Belle. We need to find the soul to fix things.”

Belle didn’t know if she was ready for it. Maybe it was because she was still a mortal and not a creature of the death, that she was feeling the grief right now, unlike the other Grims who had gone back to search for the girl’s soul.

“Give it to me,” said Lucas, offering his hand, “I will keep him safe until we figure out about Barron.” Lucas could sense Belle’s mood that was nothing less to the time when she had lost her parents during the tragic night. She was feeling similar grief and Lucas who shared the bond with her, he could feel it.

Belle nodded her head and then passed the rabbit to him. She saw Lucas disappear the rabbit in his robes before giving his hand again for her to take, “Stay close by.”

She wished to beat the death reaper now but she didn’t know if he could bring back Barron. She felt the pain at the possible loss, Lucas heard the crackling sound come from beneath the floor. He noticed something wet near the reaper. Ice started to form at the bottom of the ground where Beezelbee stood until the head as if he had stayed in snow for far too long. With a heavy heart, Belle went along with Lucas, searching for the soul.

“Did any of you sense the mighouls when we entered the house?” asked Greed who went through the shelves, “They appeared out of nowhere. Like their presence was concealed.”

Belle who heard this, answered, “I was trying a location spell. I thought it would lead to the girl’s soul,” but instead, it had led to the whole can of mighouls with their scythes and the death reaper. She now wished that she hadn’t done it, “Will it be too late to use the timekeeper?” she asked to no one in particular.

“Don’t worry, Miss Adams. I am sure nothing has happened to the fourth Grim,” assured Rower, “Grims have special insurance to their lives, nothing major ever happens to them unless a Hawvert themself decide to do something. As we have three Hawverts, it has to be decided and confirmed by everyone.”

It was then Belle remembered something! The bond! She and Barron shared the bond!

“How does the master and slave bond work?” asked Belle to Lucas.

“You channel your soul and channel it towards the other person. Think about him,” said Lucas. She had been thinking about Barron but she felt nothing so far.

Belle tried to think hard of him but she couldn’t feel his presence in here. She shook her head at this. She promised herself to look for Barron once they were done with this mess. Who knew, who else would be coming to Winston’s house to kill or take someone. She could only hope for the best and not to think the worst right now.

She tapped the forbidden magic again, trying to bring out the light that would show her where the soul was. The first time it was the mighouls who had appeared after hiding themselves in the house, hoping this time it wouldn’t be more mighouls, she followed the ball of light for the second time now.

The ball of light brought her back to the hall, stopping in front of a statue that looked like it was carved from wood. Her eyebrows furrowed and she stepped closer. Without touching it, she pulled out the scythe that had appeared because of her death reaper form and she cracked the wood to two halves. The wood fell down on the ground and for a moment, nothing happened.

“Belle?” Lucas called out her name in worry as she wasn’t near him and he heard a sound come from the hall. The other two Grims who followed Lucas, noticed smoke coming from the wood, the smoke continued moving up, and finally saw a person who laid on the ground.

It was a girl.

They had found the person!

Belle quickly sat down next to the soul who appeared to look of her own age. Her soul looked much more rotten than the souls that were found to be floating in the river of the dead.

“She looks dry,” commented Belle.

“That’s what happens when the soul doesn’t get into the river or ends up in the land of the dead without passing through the gates,” answered Rower.

Apprehensively, Belle raised her hand and placed it on the girl, “She’s cold. Do you think she will get her conscious back if we put her in the river now?” Everyone turned to look at Rower who nodded his head.

“That usually what happens,” Rower answered.

“Time to apparate again then,” stated Greed.

Rower was the one who picked up the soul of the girl and Lucas held Belle as she didn’t possess the ability to apparate. When the three Grims tried to disappear from Winston’s house to get to the bank of the river, nothing happened.

“Is it just me or the apparition is not working?” asked Rower, who tried to apparate but he couldn’t travel to the other side of the dead land.

Lucas who noticed this, said, “They must have closed the links of the apparition too.” First, it was the passage being blocked between the living and the dead. And now the ability of apparation had been blocked, “I guess we are really turning to the fallen Grims now. We should go by walk,” he said, ready to start when he felt someone’s presence in the house.

Even Rower and Greed who had started to walk out of the room felt the presence and they stopped.

“He’s here,” Lucas said and Belle looked at the door, wondering who Lucas was speaking about.