One day a young man was attacked by death but was victorious in the battle that ensued.
Kneeling the reaper told him that if he so wished he could become the new reaper and in exchange would gain immortality.
The man accepted death's offer and the reaper faded away leaving behind the scythe.
he picked up the scythe, drunk on power, thinking himself the master of death.
he was nothing but a fool.
while the scythe prevented him from dying he was forced to continually harvest souls, or pain like no other would course through his body like wildfire.
Eventually driven mad by the pain and slaughter he tried to summon forth the reaper who had tricked him, to demand back his life, but his summons would would only bring forth more despair.
The spirit of the reaper came forth from the scythe and told him "fool it is the scythe who is the master of death not I and not you."
"when the scythe finds someone stronger than you it will force you to make the same deal you have made with me, you shall be trapped inside the scythe, along with me and all the past wielders of this accursed blade, and every moment shall bring agony beyond anything you have yet tasted, to you and all those within."
Though he tried for millennia he could not rid himself of the weapon, then one day he met a young woman who was far more skilled than he, and was quickly defeated.
Then in horror he felt himself speak in a voice that was not his own.
"you have bested me mortal, if you so wish take my scythe and my power and you will live for all time"
The woman however was gifted with knowledge of the divine arts and saw the lie, saw all the poor souls who were prisoners of the scythe as well, and sadness welled up inside her.
Though she knew it would cost her her life she used all the power that she had and purified the weapon, releasing the souls within and putting them to rest at last.
As for the last reaper, he was freed, and for the kindness she had shown him and the ones before him he buried her.
marking words of a language long forgotten into the blade, he at last went to the sleep which was so long overdue.
"the conquerer of death shall one day depart this world,
and walking hand in hand shall free all those who feared the life after sleep"
