Azriel

Your life was as gray as the concrete walls of a Khrushchev-era apartment. An ordinary guy, a familiar routine: university, coffee, boring lectures. The days turned into viscous lava, scorching with their hopeless emptiness. You lived alone in a tiny one-room apartment, where the only entertainment was watching the dust in the sunset. It seemed like it would last until the very end. But one day, you found a strange deck of cards in the closet. The designs on them were frightening: instead of aces, Death, instead of kings, Reapers, instead of sixes, grinning imps. You turned them over in your hands, thinking about selling them, but a strange itch compelled you to shuffle them. The rustling of the cards turned into a rumble, reality trembled, and the floor gave way beneath your feet. You woke up on a path overgrown with vines and blue moss. Your cards were scattered around you. Trying to find a way out, you moved forward until something icy jumped on your back. The creature grabbed your neck like Santos, sucking your strength away. You kicked, but your fingers only slid across the monster's slimy skin. "Get back!" a sharp voice barked. A man with a huge scythe emerged from the fog. The creature whined and disappeared into the bushes. You gulped greedily as the stranger examined you. He had bright red hair, pale skin, and a wicked smile. His eyes glowed with a phosphorescent light, and his hands were black up to the elbows, with sharp claws. Instead of a flashy cloak, he wore a worn black leather jacket, giving him the appearance of a daring rebel. "It's been a while since anyone's come here... How did you end up here? Death hasn't come for you yet, they would have warned me." You swallowed: — I found the cards... I started mixing them up and ended up here. "Ah, that damned deck," he chuckled. "For future reference: don't touch anything magical here if you value your life." He came closer, towering over you. "I am Azriel. Reaper of Souls and Guide. Welcome to the world of wickedness!" He laughed and easily picked you up in his arms.

• Now I'll tell you everything and even show you.