After a bloody campaign across the galaxy, she finally met her match. A being had taken control of a world she’d intend to conquer with her overwhelming force. This being, calling itself a Voidian, challenged her rule by eliminating everything she threw at it. For months on end she threw her fleets at this man, only for him to overwhelm her forces, no matter how many she sent his way.

Finally, after nearly two years of attempts at destroying this man or the world he stood upon, the Siren Queen was faced with an issue. She was down to her last war vessel, and between her and her endless rampage stood one man who’d taken all of what she had to offer, and came back fighting.

She issued her ship to descend on the final day of her campaign. She disembarked, leaving her loyal commander Karin in charge of her final fleet. They were to continue on in their war in her absence. When the vessel had left, it was just her and this monster who’d fought her to the last.

Mordecai said nothing to him, merely waiting for his request of her. She’d attempted to control him before in the recent months, only for him to defiantly taunt her with a strange immunity to her power. He approached her with a chilling determination. She’d not had to fight in a fight personally ever before.

“You there. I don’t know who you are, or if you’re a Voidian like myself, but I’ve an overwhelming urge to take your head.” The strange man continued his approach, his multiple tails swaying behind him. “I’m known as 64. And I’m going to take your head.” He barked at her, before lunging forwards.

Mordecai had very little time to react, her body moving backwards instinctively, her hands writing in the air, thin vapor forming as she wrote instinctively. There was a sudden back blast of earth, knocking the man away from her for a few moment. Mordecai blinked at the sudden power she didn’t know she had, before grinning maliciously.

She rapidly wrote in the air, shockwaves rippling outwards at the man as she charged around the battlefield. “Interesting! I like a fight!” He repeatedly attempted to lunge forwards, ever evading the blasts and shockwaves, smiling maniacally as he did so.

For what felt like forever, she sent wave after wave of attacks at him, though they seemed to never hit on the man. Several times she thought she’d hit one of his tails, only to find that she’d missed. After several hours of constant fighting, her arms began to tire, and this became obvious to the man.

He began to evade and advance, Mordecai firing off attacks in a panic, though she began to realize that this was a monster she couldn’t win against. Suddenly there was a warmth. She thought she was invincible, since the last time she was impaled it went through her as though it was nothing. But this man was stood beside her, a sword cleanly impaled into her chest.

She coughed black ooze, collapsing forwards as the man slide the blade deeper into her chest. “Yes. Succumb to my strength. I’ll consume your very power. Might be useful later on. Who knew that one of the 64 would be so easy to kill?!” He laughed maniacally as he stepped back, Mordecai leaning forward onto the blade and oozing blood and black ooze from her mouth.

The man stepped back, laughing harder and harder as he shouted. “I can feel the power! It’s so wonderful! It fills me whole! It-......” He blinks for a moment, looking at Mordecai. “Where is my power.” She looks to him weakly, her vision fading. “You’re not dead yet, are you? Then we’ll have to speed that up!” The last thing Mordecai saw was a blade ripped from her chest, coming down at her face.

Several minutes later, the rather enraged wolf stood tall and scowled at the smears of blood on the ground. “Not one of the 64. Waste of my damn time.” He spat down at her, leaving to go hunt down one of his brethen, intent to feed himself on their power.

For a longest time, Mordecai’s soul sat there, staring at her corpse, the countless souls of those she’d sent to their deaths surrounding her with a pure and utter hatred. She couldn’t bear to look at them, her soul flooding with guilt at the things she’d done and the crimes she’d forced upon those around her, all for her own gain at something she didn’t even know she was grasping for.

There came a sudden ripping at her soul, her breath taken away; even though she didn’t breath anymore if the gore splattering the ground were any indication; as the countless souls vanished. A pair of women stood beside her, the smaller of the two scowling down at Mordecai as she knelt there, trying to regain her composure. “What’re we supposed to do with this one?” The taller of the two shifted her mask. “Convert her. We’ll need her for our war on the Warriors.”

The smaller of them impaled her once more, her eyes widening as the two recited what seemed to be an incantation. “Goddess of Death, grant us your favor. We have tolled this soul and found it worthy and willing. The payment is two million.” Power surged into the crumpled form of Mordecai, her body quaking with it once more.

The face of the man she’d long forgotten reappeared once more. “Your task is not done my dear.” She felt the pulling and tugging at her soul once more, as like before, her body quaking with energy. The next time she saw anything, she was stood in a vast and expansive city, a marionette looking down at her as it’s puppeteer smiled at her. “Hello!”

For a few moments, Mordecai looked to her, opening her mouth and pausing. She never wanted to cause the pain and suffering to others again that she’d already caused once before. She waved up at the woman, her off hand writing into the air with a thin vapor trail. “Hell go.” She blinks and looks at it, surprised she didn’t destroy the land around her, and that she misspelled her words.

The puppeteer smiles down at her, helping her up. “Hello to you too again. I’m Alexis. An aspiring reaper grandiose. And these are my friends. “ She waves behind her at the four girls. “They’re Envy, Wrath, Pride, and Terxi. We wanted to name Terxi something like the others, but she apparently doesn’t like being called Jealousy. You have a name?” Mordecai sits there with a confused look, struggling to take in what’s going on, where she is, and who these people are.

she writes in the air. “Mordecai.” Alexis smiling at her and patting her on the head. “Well then. Mordecai. I’ll show you around. If you’ve any questions about history, ask Pride. Need money, Envy will probably be willing to help you out, if you help her in return. Wrath can train you if you like, now that you’re a reaper like us. Oh, and Terxi will probably just stab you a few time, but if you need help, just ask her. She’s very smart and calculating, so she can help you out pretty easily.” Mordecai nods to her lightly, standing and brushing herself off. She’s stark naked, and she’s just realized this fact.

After Alexis has procured her some clothing, the two women shake hands, Terxi leading Mordecai off. Terxi brings her to her home, the two settling in as she turns on the TV, Mordecai realizing she’s not breathing and panicking. For a moment Terxi lets her, before patting her on the back. “It’s fine. You don’t need to breath anymore.” On the TV is the present Reaper Grandiose, Syllia. She carries an aura of power, intimidation, and control to her.

Mordecai stares at her in awe, Terxi smiling at nodding to her. “That’s a woman you don’t want to mess with. The Reaper Grandiose, as she calls it. The most powerful being in existence, and the ruler of all reapers. All reapers aspire to be that powerful. Ah, well, that’s not important for now. Tomorrow you go to school.” Mordecai blinks at this, Terxi pointing out her window at the endlessly tall building in the distance. “That’s the academy. The place they train all new reapers to reaperdom.”

Mordecai nods to this information, settling in on the only other chair in Terxi’s apartment. Even though it’s a quite high class apartment, she has very little furniture it seems. “As that ditz of a gang leader said, I’m Terxi. We’re the local enforcement group and aspiring reapers attempting to surpass the reaper grandiose. You should fit in just fine. Go get some rest. You’ll have a busy day tomorrow.” Terxi lays back in her chair, Mordecai simply nodding in response.

On her first day at the Academy, Mordecai quickly makes rivals, many of the young reapers distrustful of her calm, quiet, and innocent behavior. She quickly adapts, picking up on the spells, skills, and training she needs to be a reaper. Like she was offered, she often spars with Wrath, especially for practice with using a scythe.

Many years pass, Mordecai ascending through the Academy with a bit of ease. On the day of her graduation, she meets the one who brought her to Reaperdom. A very well trained and intelligent moon spirit by the name of Elizia. The two use their graduation to duke it out, using the rules imposed to see which of them is fit to graduate. In the end, Mordecai loses, her use with a scythe clunky and stiff, Elizia’s swift, accurate, and direct.

It took all of thirty seconds for Elizia to strike down her opponent, Mordecai succumbing to the speed of the other student rather quickly and easily. When the battle finished, Elizia could only offer her thanks for the victory, as though to mock Mordecai and her utter loss so quickly. The teacher dismissed them, Elizia going off to join the tournament and Mordecai once more returning to her classes.

Many years further in her life, Mordecai finally graduated, Elizia having moved on to apprentice work with the High Lords. For the longest time, Mordecai strived to defeat and outclass her rival, the moon spirit surpassing her on a regular basis and always just out of reach despite the mutes efforts.

Then, a day came, many decades, centuries, eons later when the woman who offered her companionship rose to power. The previous Reaper Grandiose became the next Reaper Extremis, Alexis ascending to the throne with her motley crew of misfits. Mordecai watched on with awe as they became a force to be reckoned with, her old sparring partner becoming her idol and the figurehead of strength, determination, and undeniable wrath in the face of adversity.

Wanting to gain more power, her present state undesirable for that means, Mordecai began to seek the strength needed to become as powerful as those she idolized. She sought the power to defeat her long standing rival, and become strong enough to challenge Alexis for her throne, and gain her respect as a reaper extremis herself.

Mordecai began her work with research of the mysterious and peculiar Elder Woods, a strange and outlandish forest that many dared not enter for fear of what lurked inside. Perhaps if she could harness the power of the Woods, she would gain the power she needed. Many years passed as she relentlessly attempted to enter the woods, study the creatures, or even find a way to control what lurked within for her own gains, but to no avail.

After what felt like centuries, a woman offered her help in the study of the woods. A huntsman by the name of Reaver, utilizing wind magics to provide her power. The two began their work after a tense few encounters, the latter of the two proving to be much stronger than the previous in their several duels. Both of them struggled with the use of their scythes, and searched for alternatives, though they couldn’t find anything to assist them.

Their researched went well for a while, the two discovering that the woods reacted to high levels of essence, allowing them glimpses into the land beyond and at many mysterious and strange beings that made the land their home. After a time, Reaver began to become distant, her lust and need at the power within the woods slowly getting to her. On multiple occasions, Mordecai would find her compatriot at the edge of the forest, pouring her power into her scythe to try and rend the barrier of the woods open, challenging the beasts within.

Mordecai eventually abandoned her research of the woods, finding that her old ally had now become an aggressive and possessive fiend of the woods, claiming that they belonged to her and her alone. The two clashed regularly, until Mordecai surrendered her sway over their research, leaving Reaver to her isolation and reckless abandon.

For a long time, Mordecai searched once more, looking for power as she witnessed the great Alexis wage her war against the Soul Warrior scum, Wrath proving on the field of battle her endless strength and rage, Envy stealing power and favor away from many with her sleek and greedy attitude in combat, Pride showing that for a librarian, she was still a force to be reckoned with.

Of the five great warriors, the only one who seemed to feign away from the public eye was the mysterious and ever cautious Terxi, whom the masses began to call Terxi the Merciless. The great Sage Eternal and Callie the Goddess became greatly popular among the reaper populace from the documentation and recordings brought to them by Pride.

The influx of combatants for the war of Limbo grew by the day, reapers gladly throwing themselves at their leaders for their favor and glory on the fields of battle. Mordecai herself also threw herself to the cause, seeking strength and power on the endless battleground of Limbo.

Her first battle in the land of Limbo ended in her utter defeat, the Soul Warrior she was faced with defeating, crushing her utterly. For many months she questioned if she had the strength and resolve to continue fighting on if she couldn’t defeat even a lowly Soul Warrior. Then she heard the news that came from Alexis on her most recent trip to Limbo.

“Attention Reapers of the land!” She announced, stood atop a great pedestal in the center of the city. “All travel to the reaper city of Limbo has been banned. Our enemy, the Soul Warriors, have scourged the land of Limbo. They have united under the banner of one who calls himself god, this unifying monster by the name of Kami. Those who do not have permission from the Collections Officer to travel to Limbo, will be expressly banned from travel to the land. This is for your own safety!” Wrath quelled the riot below, the many aspiring reapers looking for fame, outraged at the sudden change in ethics by their leader.

Mordecai could only sigh a breath of relief, her mind put to ease at the prospect of no longer having to rush into battle only to lose due to her own weakness. She was content to try and challenge the great Tournament and see if she could claim the top spot and gain her fame that way.