Mystery Village

Santiago's already optimistic face looked even brighter when the door opened. It felt like the second portal to a mystical shield had opened its door to modern civilization. Smiling dreamily, he could imagine the land turning to a mall – the first ever mall in the city of Ipzagel. His smile suddenly faded when Maria made a 90-degree bow and stayed like that for more than 10 seconds. It seemed as if there was someone in front of her as she waited to be greeted back, but Santiago could see no one. All he could do was scratch his head.

~~~

It's been seven years since someone had touched the gold lever handle of the Victorian door, so the Grim Reapers' mouths were gaping. As Jeon pushed the handle down, the clicking sound made their eyes widen. They took a deep breath then looked at each other as if to expect a monster waiting behind the door. Jeon stepped back as he slowly opened the door, but his brave face unexpectedly vanished at the sight of Maria when their eyes locked. Suddenly, he felt a big thump on his chest. It must be his heart, he thought, if he had one; he was completely flustered at her beautiful angelic face, until she bowed her head. Jeon was taken aback by the polite gesture and couldn't speak for several seconds; he felt frozen.

"For goodness' sake, don't let her stay like that, Jeon!" Jinny roared.

Yoon chuckled then uttered in a low tone, "I've always wondered what our golden kid's weakness is. He's always so brave and strong, but now the deities have conspired to give him a chance to feel like a normal boy…weak. Is this a sign of puberty?"

Jeon turned to Yoon. "I heard that!" He cried out.

"Since when did he start to learn how to yell like that?" Jimmy commented, looking at the other's baffled face.

"I can't believe he heard me." Yoon said, amazed, then they all laughed.

Jeon finally responded to Maria. "Uhm. Hi." He bowed in response to Maria's gesture. "Uhm…please. Please come in." Jeon's face looked embarrassed.

Maria finally straightened from her 90-degree bow, then gracefully stepped inside. Her normal expressionless face was suddenly full of expression; the twinkle in her eyes as she scanned the house made the Grim Reapers proud of their place. Jeon led her to where Jinny was seating; he stood beside her like a bodyguard while Jinny took his previous place and everyone else went back to their respective spots.

"Please sit down." TaeTae said in a friendly tone. "You look surprise that the house looks entirely different from outside."

Maria nodded as she sat. She continued surveying the house while the seven Grim Reapers observed her. After a satisfying look at the Victorian-style mansion, she looked at each of them, then let out a shy smile. Jeon almost fainted when she quickly looked up to him; he put his right hand to his chest as if to protect his heart.

"What brings you here?" Joony asked in a casual, amicable tone.

She took out Santiago's tape recorder from her jacket's left pocket, then placed it on the table. Jimmy, who was sitting at the center of the long sofa, took the recorder and handed it over to Joony. However, upon getting the recorder, he dropped it. Embarrassed, he instantly picked it up.

"Wow, even with a human's presence, you want to live up to your 'destroyer' reputation." Yoon commented.

Jeon walked to Joony and held out his hand. "Please give it to me. I can't let you wreck such a precious looking thing." Joony handed it over without protest and Jeon examined the unfamiliar thing quickly. He pushed the 'play' button, then placed it on the table upon hearing a man's voice.

Everyone listened attentively to Santiago's voice. "Hi everyone! Kamusta, Bonjour, Hola, Anyeong haseyo, Konnichiwa, Ni hao! I just wanted to greet you in seven different languages before I start. My name is Samuel Santiago, department head and senior manager of Embarcadero Architectural Firm. I learned that only a person with a pure heart can enter your dwelling place, so I asked for Maria's help." The Grim Reapers looked at Maria and muttered her name, then focused back at the recorded voice. "As you can see, she's such a quiet girl, so I have opted for this mode of communication to make sure that you will understand my intention. Luke Cloudstander is our prospective client and will probably be the biggest client we're ever going to have. He's the richest man in the province with various types of businesses like construction, tourism, aviation, and many more. He is the CEO of the first hotel, first coffee shop, first self-service laundromat, and first salon. It would be a great honor to partner with him on his newest endeavor, which is to build the first mall in our province. That being said, I will cut to the chase. We will only earn this wonderful opportunity of handling such big project if we convince you, the owners, to sell Mystery Village for any amount you wish. The mall will benefit the economy considering the local and foreign investors that are already currently waiting for Luke's affirmation. It will also be very advantageous for many people who are unemployed because it will open a lot of job opportunities. You can press 'stop' now and your response to the offer can be recorded by pressing the 'record' button. I am looking forwarded to a positive and swift response from you! Thank you. "

The seven Grim Reapers looked at each other inquisitively then turned to Maria. "So, this is what you're here for, Maria, that's your name, right?" Jimmy said in a friendly voice.

Maria nodded.

"Can you give us a moment to talk in private? We're just going to huddle in the living room, then we'll be back." Joony said and everyone nodded to agree with him.

As expected, Maria just simply nodded, and they all vanished out of thin air. Maria didn't seem puzzled that all of them could just magically disappear like that. After a few minutes, they reappeared with a bit of white smoke leaving traces of their ability to transport.

They all sat in the same spot as before. Joony, who was seated across her, crossed his arms. "Maria, we have decided to take the offer on one condition." He paused as Maria gave a nod. "It may not seem like it, but we're all Grim Reapers who have been locked up in here for seven years because of a lost soul who wouldn't cross over. He won't cross over because he wants to protect his mom. Apparently, he knows about Grim Reapers because he won't say our names thrice. The only way for us to control him and take him to the other side is by saying our names. All seven of us. Three times. But as long as his mom is still alive, he will never leave this place, so you have to talk to his mom so she could convince him to cross over. Once he crosses over, our mission here on earth will be complete, and we will be reincarnated. That is our reward for bringing his long-lost soul to where it should be. Help us with that missing soul, and we will give the title and deed of Mystery Village to his mom, then Luke can buy it from her."

Maria simply nodded and Jeon handed her the tape recorder. "We're not humans. Our voice can't be recorded." Again, Maria nodded.