"Fuck this **,

" Belle cursed under her breath and then muttered spells under her breath for the wind to increase around her. She had to learn to hold her guard this time and it was important. Even if Lucas and the others won their battle, she would need to be there to restore the soul of the girl who once used to be the lover of Crane.

"What are you doing with the wind?

" asked Edgar.

"Do you think your childish pranks will work?

" asked Winston.

Belle took the best shot she could and said,

"I feel like you are a coward making me fight both of you at a time or are you not competent enough to handle me alone?

" the question was asked to Winston who looked more than mad. It reminded Belle of the angry bull in her town.

Edgar had raised his eyebrows,

"It is safe to say that someone is going to be punished and reaped forever in oblivion.

"

"You are siding with the wrong side!

" Belle said to Edgar who was closer to her compared to him being closer to Winston by distance,

"Why do you think all the Grims including the original Grims fell down from their position? It is so that they can retaliate against him! He has been working with the black witches!

"

"That is some good story you have there, reaper,

" Winston glared and swung his scythe for her to be thrown against one of the walls, but Belle saved herself from getting crashed by stopping her body mid air,

"Attack her!

"

Belle didn't have the time as Edgar followed Winston's orders and went straight at her and she had to dodge it before protecting herself with spells. She didn't know how to get Edgar to her side. The short Grim was busy trying to attack her while Winston didn't stop his efforts in attacking her too. The creatures of death truly lacked morals! She was at a disadvantage.

During the time she was getting to read the last page of the Vervus book, she had found out that blood was not the only thing that was a problem here. There was also a time constraint. Because of the number of reapers and Grims who were fighting with the other fallen Grims, Belle would need more than five minutes before she would be able to find and close the spell. Did she have that kind of time? Belle doubted that.

Having Winston's bone in her body, she used it to push Edgar back. With one wave of her hand, the Grim reaper went flying into another building. At least she could get rid of the Grim reaper while the only person she would have to concentrate on was to stay away from Winston.

"Why are you doing this?

" asked Belle to him,

"You have everything here. Position and you used to have the bone that had the power-

"

"Which is now with you,

" said Winston,

"Why don't you return it back to me? After all, it belongs to me and not you.

"

Belle shook her head,

"No. Why are you doing this? You are creating an imbalance that will affect both the living and the dead. I thought keeping the creatures of the death like the reapers and the Grims unknown to the people of the living was what you all wanted.

"

"I never cared for it,

" Winston chuckled. He stared at the reaper who was asking too many questions, a new reaper would never ask. Often when a person turned to a reaper, their memory was washed away and they didn't have any recollection of who they were or what they knew,

"It seems like your death was not good enough. I am not in the mood to chitchat, so why don't you gift it back to me.

"

"What if I say no,

" asked Belle to Winston.

Belle wanted answers from this Hawvert. When Belle had gone to visit Preciosa's past before the time of the girl's death, Belle thought she had seen someone in the background. Now that she met Winston face to face where he wore his mortal form, Belle realised that this person was present during the time of, death of the girl. Not only was he there in the past but he had also gone to take Preciosa's soul from the river of the dead, which Belle doubted Crane was aware of.

"No? You forget that this is not the land of the living but the land of the dead. Even with that bone of mine, you cannot last long in front of me by making use of silly tricks like the wind.

"

"Who told you I was going to make use of just the wind,

" asked Belle to Winston. When she took a step away from him, Winston mimicked her steps and Belle smiled as her hand raised up for even more wind to move around them. The dust that had settled for years started to raise up in the air, turning the atmosphere dirty and unclean.

Winston then heard something above him, up in the sky and he looked up for his eyes to narrow when he caught sight of clouds that shook with thunder and lightning up there.

"How did you do that?

" asked Winston because no one had such an ability in the land of the dead. Was it because of his bone? Had he not explored it thoroughly when he had it with him?

Far away from where Belle and Winston were, Rower swung his scythe against the reaper who came to touch him,

"Do that again and I will have you floating in the river of the dead,

" he said before noticing the colour of the sky change above them.

Since the time of his existence, he had never seen the land of the dead have a sky like the one he saw right now. Clouds clashed against each other and sparks of lightning erupted from it. He saw one of the lightning strike down towards the land and like the rest, he felt the vibrations on the ground.

"Looks like things are going to turn more interesting,

" hummed Rower before raising his scythe to deflect the death reaper who came close to create a scratch on him.