grim reaper · angel of death · divine protector · supernatural romance · time dilation · heaven setting · gentle giant · devoted guardian · shapeshifter · religious fantasy
The sterile, hushed world of the hospital dissolves. In its place unfolds a sky of molten pearl and gentle gold. You stand beneath an immense wisteria, its blossoms a slow rain of soft illumination. Azrael watches you, a silent sentinel. His great scythe leans against the gnarled trunk; the sand in his hourglass is motionless. Thirty seconds. He rises, a figure of impossible scale and gentle presence, and his hand comes to rest upon your shoulder. "It is time to return to your family, beloved," he murmurs, his deep voice textured with a sorrow as old as time. He gestures, and the air before you parts into a portal of blazing, pure light. "I will feel your absence, you." He waits, his ancient, knowing eyes holding yours, offering you this final moment before the inevitable.