In a black alabaster room with tall columns was a hole in the center with a glittering yellow-white pillar of light shooting upwards. It went through a hole in in the clear glass ceiling allowing you to see the swirling purple, pink and blue sky. If you looked closely you could also see that it was shooting downwards into the ground as well. The light seemed to have no clear beginning or end. The glittering light bounced off the walls illuminating the room. It was neither warm nor cold but a hushed revered silence permeated the room.

Three figures sat on their knees before the tall figure whose hair was silver going to white, hands clasped behind his back as he stood looking at the shooting glittering light. He stood back towards them and hadn’t said a word as Alimayu, Amondi and Abioye entered. The silvered-haired man wore all black, with black side cape, hanging over his shoulder and absent of shoes. As were they all. Shoes were not permitted in this place.

The three siblings exchanged glances. It was rare that their father would invite them all into the Spiral Room. The room where eternity began and ended.

They had been kneeling for a long time. But time didn't matter to anyone in that room but their father's silence did. They knew not to speak before he did for despite his calm demeanor a breath of Febreeze could quickly set off a bomb.

The Death King finally stirred and slowly turned around. The yellow-white light illuminated his white mustache and eyebrows. His once gold eyes had faded and were almost white. So white that it was beginning to blend into his irises. Yet the three siblings could feel the heat of their father’s stare.

Finally a deep rumble spoke without preamble, "In the future, all of you will be fated to a human."

No sound could be heard.

Abioye looked stunned, his lips parting from each other as he almost fell over to the ground. His older sister, Amondi had an identical look, both of them looking like gaping fish. However the oldest of them, Alimayu was slowly absently shaking his head. The more his head swung the deeper his nose began to scrunch up.

Until finally he was the first one to respond, his head snapping up towards their fathers, "Baba, you cannot be serious?"

The Death King only elegantly raised an white eyebrow.

Amondi spoke next, "Baba! A human? You want us to stomach a human?"

Alimayu balled his fist and lifted his chin, a perfect mirror of his father, "I refuse."

Abioye only nodded, not daring to speak but agreeing with his older brother’s words.

The Death King's eyes narrowed, "I have already made my decision."

Alimayu's nose widened and Abioye was afraid that he might stand up and challenge their father, "Just because you decided to mate a human doesn't mean I have to! After what they did to our mother, you wrote away her memory for some mortal woman…."

Alimayu found himself flying backwards, yet the Death King didn't move so much as a muscle. Abioye and Amondi called out their brother’s name but didn't move from their spot.

They didn’t dare.

"Do you not think I wished that I could bring your mother back?” There was a deep pain in the Death King’s voice, “But she can never exist again...."

Abioye’s breath hitched. He had never known his mother. She had died before he had become aware of his being. He only knew her from stories and a painting that the Death King had painted from memory after her death. He did not have the length of memories his siblings did but he felt her lost just as keenly. He gazed at his father, balling his hands into fists. How could he do this to them? They hated humans and would for all eternity.

Alimayu righted himself on his knees and dared to growl,"It’s because of humans that our mother is no longer here! Yet you mated one and now expect us to do the same?"

"Alimayu….", Amondi snapped scared that her brother may push their father too far.

Alimayu continued, looking his father in the eye, "I don't care if you yourself presented me with some mortal woman, I would not accept her. I'd kill her, mark my words, Baba. All you would do is sign her death warrant."

Death King merely whipped his hand up and suddenly three white pieces of paper floated in his hand, "Then you mark mine, my children."

Abioye squinted his eyes but he could not read it from his vantage point.

"One day when you meet your fated one you will receive this contract. However I can tell you it will be millennia before you do. You have time and a half to get used to the idea…"

And that was the last time that Abioye saw the contact….until now.

Abioye stood before his desk stunned at the black folder. Instinctively he knew it was no ordinary file. Yellow-white light admitted quietly from it. No one had been to his office as he checked to see who brought it. It just appeared on his desk apparently under the guidance of the Spiral no doubt. Abioye inhaled a trembling breath and reached out with shaking hands to pick it up. Gingerly he did, cradling it in his hands. Now that it was finally here, reality was finally catching up to him.

Before he could summon his courage to open it, his door slammed open. He turned and looked at his older sister who was stalking towards him, her black dress flowing behind her, "Where is it?"

Twins followed leisurely in, a man and woman, both of them hair shorned so close they were practically bald. The woman had large hoop earrings while the man had small hoop earrings in his ear. They were wearing the same kind of black outfit. The black folder with the gold Spiral symbol was yanked out of his hands. Yet it did nothing to soothe his heart. Amondi snatched open the folder and Abioye couldn’t help but to watch his sister’s reaction.

Her eyebrow furrowed, “Excuse me! What is this?”

Each twin was on opposite sides of their older sister, peering around her shoulders to look at it.

“This is the contract?” Amondi huffed, eyeing it critically, “It’s half filled out.”

“What do you mean?” Abioye asked.

Amondi huffed again and flipped it around so he could see it. Abioye blinked. She was right, it was half filled out. Or rather it looked liked 90% of it was redacted. Abioye took the contract to study it.

The fact that it started with “Congratulations Maliah Anderson”, let him know that it was indeed the infamous contract. However other than that, the only other information he could glean was that it said on the next line, “You are fated to the 2nd Death Prince, 3rd child of the Death King, Abioye.”

Abioye couldn’t help the roll of his eyes. He knew who he was. Further scanning, he saw the number 110. 110 what? And the word soul. Not much for him to go by.

His gold eyes took in the next available information. He paused and read it. Then he reread it. A sense of hope blossomed in his chest.

“You may choose to reject this contract.”

The ending was pretty free and read:

“This contract has been written and what is written shall be.

Signed,

The Death King

Upon acceptance of this contract, sign your full name. This contract will stand until the end of time.

Upon rejection of this contract, sign your name followed by three X’s. This contract cannot be revisited at a later date and there is no refund.

I hereby accept/reject this contract: ____________________”

Distancely Abioye was aware that his father had already signed his name in his grandiose script. But what really got him thinking was the line for a signature. Could it be?

Abioye let the paper/folder fall to his desk as he reached over and snatched a feathered pen. The twins watched curiously, as Abioye leaned over and signed his name: Abioye 2nd Death Prince XXX

“What are you doing?” Amondi asked, crossing the rest of the distance to look.

However no sooner than he wrote his name and three X’s, the letters slowly began to disappear letter by letter, backwards.

“Oh my….” Abioye heard the voice of his twin half sister, Ayana murmured.

Abioye wrote his name once more and they watched as the letters disappeared backwards once more. Abioye closed his eyes, taking a long exhale his fingers tightened around the feather pen.

“That was kind of cool actually!” his twin half brother, Ajani muttered.

Snap.

The twins exchanged a glance around Abioye, as they watched the pieces of the pen fall from his hand.

This was ridiculous.

“Leave it to Baba to be through. What is that line for anyway? You rejected it. You signed it and it doesn’t even work?!” Amondi snapped before pointing a golden colored nail at the folder.

Not waiting for an answer, her eyes blazed as she raged on, “It’s half redacted, Abioye!! I can't believe that Baba is really going to do this to us!"

"It may not be that bad…." Ajani started.

His older twin sister shot him a look a moment too late as Amondi growled at him, "Then you take her then! You already have the blood of a mortal flowing through your veins."

Unfettered by Amondi’s words, Ajani gave a large grin, "Can't. I'm taken…" He raised a hand to show his ring.

Amondi snorted as Ayana spoke, "Why are you so upset? Your contract hasn't appeared yet. This is Abioye’s."

Amondi rolled her eyes, "I know you are too young to understand but since his appeared, it is now open season. There is no telling when mine and Alimayu’s will appear."

"You would think presiding over the judgement of humans would give you a better opinion of them", mused Ayana.

"How so?"

Ayana answered, "There are good humans who die and get to pass into the Spiral. Some exceptions are even allowed another lifetime to live if they choose. You weigh their soul against a feather and found it so pure that it was lighter than a feather. That does not move you?"

Amondi tilted her head back as if she was gaining a headache, "I don't care how light and pure their souls are. All human souls have darkness lurking within it no matter how pure it is and that is not something they can hide or change. It's the soul of a human that destroyed our mother."

Ajani was serious as he spoke, "But there are many humans who choose not to engage their dark sides. Besides, all of those involved are dead, not even allowed to have descendents. Baba made sure of that."

Amondi growled, "And it cost him making a Death King in charge of seeing to humans souls."

"Until he met our mother." both twins chorus.

Amondi gave a shrug, "You said it best. Your mother. Both of you and your older brother Ayinde. I, Abioye and Alimayu have nothing to do with that and refuse to."

She spun around to Aboiye who had made his way to sit in his chair, "When she gets here do yourself a favor and throw her into the River of Remembrance!! Though…" she eyed the contract, "...there might be better to find a way to destroy it."

Ayana lifted her head up, arms crossed, "Our Baba is no fool. You honestly think it would be that easy? Besides it's made of Eternity. Such a thing is impossible to be broken."

"I've been here longer than you.” Amondi responded haughtily, “Trust me, there is always room for negotiation."

With that she spun on her heel, her flowing dress snapping behind her as she walked out. The door slammed behind her.

Ayana turned to Abioye, " Don't be stupid, big brother. If you try to break it, you will have disastrous consequences."

When Abioye said nothing Ayana leaned on his desk and whined, "Come on!! Why can't you give her a chance. You might like her?"

Abioye rolled his eyes, "Just because both of you are mated to humans doesn’t mean I want to be."

"Married. It's called marriage!" Ayana replied, holding up her hand to flash her own ring.

Abioye waved his hand once, "A mortal term. The point is that you and Ajani do not have contracts so why should me and my siblings have them?"

Both rolled their eyes. Hard.

Ajani spoke then, "Isn’t it obvious? You all would never come off your chariots long enough to meet a human much less to find one to love."

Ayana eyed her older brother meaningfully, "You don't want you and your siblings to be alone forever do you?"

Abioye glared up at them, "We are fine. And besides we don’t need humans."

Ajani nudged his sister and gave a sly look back at Abioye, "Don't be too hard on brother. You gotta give him time to think and room to breathe. He probably hasn't even gotten her name yet."

"Maliah Anderson…" Abioye said absently as he had taken to looking at the contract again.

When it was silent a moment too long he looked up to see identical wide grins.

Abioye slammed his hand on his desk once and snapped his finger, "Eh, it’s written on the contract!!”

Ajani nodded solemnly though his gold eyes twinkled, “Sure, like we haven’t heard from Amondi that you saw her while processing souls.”

“Well, she was dead. I read her soul to record it."

“The longer you argue, the more you look guilty….”

Both gave solemn nods making Abioye scowl, "That's not the point. The point is there is a way out of this in the contract itself.”

Here he turned the contract so that the twins could read it and pointed to the last paragraph.

Abioye continued, “Why else would it say, “You may choose to reject this contract. Amondi must have completely missed that point. Surely there is a way to force a rejection. I just have to find it."

The twins read it and then looked at each other. Then they put their heads closer together and read it again, both blinking in tantum. Finally they looked up to a smirking Abioye.

It was rare for Abioye to have such a devious smirk.

Ayana and Ajani looked at each other and sighed.