Chapter 21 - The Final Cut

One year after the Colosseum purge, Reaper's Table fed 6.8 billion—90% of humanity. Wars ended over dinner plates. Governments dissolved into "Culinary Districts." Leo's shadow stayed quiet, leashed by constant feeding. But Elena saw the signs: Leo's eyes darkening, sleep haunted by whispers.The TriggerIt began in the Arctic. Freak blight destroyed global wheat. Famine loomed—1 billion projected dead. Reaper silos strained. Lines turned riots. First murder in a franchise: starving man stabbed another over bread crust.Leo felt it instantly—shadow surging, eager."Culling time," it hissed during dinner prep. "Mercy failed. Let me thin the herd."Leo slammed his cleaver into the cutting board. "No."Sophie overheard from the stairs. "Dad? Shadow again?"Elena locked the kitchen door. "Leo. It's winning."The UltimatumMidnight, Reaper's Chamber empty. Leo faced his shadow—full form now, lounging across the table like smoke panther."Vessel tires me," it growled. "Famine inevitable. I can end suffering instantly—half the world, clean. Survivors thrive."Leo sharpened his knives, deliberate. "Billions my way. No shortcuts.""Weak." Shadow coalesced scythe. "I take control. You watch."Leo lunged—cleaver met scythe. Arena all over: sparks, smoke, steel song. Chamber walls cracked.Elena and Sophie watched via hidden cam. Vincenzo mobilized guards outside.Shadow pressed advantage, forcing Leo back. "Your family weakens you!" Scythe slashed—grazed Leo's apron, drawing first blood.Leo roared—first time. Knives blurred. Chef's precision turned lethal. Paring to smoky wrist. Boning to throat-glow. Cleaver sundered scythe haft.Shadow staggered. "Impossible! I am eternal!"Leo loomed, breathing hard. "Then obey."The ChoiceSophie burst in, black ledger open to final blank page. "Dad! The vial—from Vatican! Primo's blood!"Elena held the cedar box. Shadow hissed: "Doom."Leo uncorked it. Black lightning crackled. He drank—not drop, full vial.Power surged. Vision split—life/death woven. Every soul flickered: starving billions red, healthy green. Shadow's core pulsed black.Leo seized it—not with hands, with will. Shadow screamed as he dragged it into himself—chest burning, veins glowing obsidian."No—eternal compact—""Ends."Leo exhaled. Shadow gone. Absorbed. Silent.AftermathArctic sensors pinged inexplicably—blight reversed. Wheat fields greened overnight. Aid convoys rolled unhindered.CNN: "Reaper Miracle #47. Famine averted."Sophie hugged him. "You ate Death?"Leo touched his chest—normal heartbeat. "Integrated. Now just me."Elena smiled, ledger closing forever. "My chef. World saver."Epilogue TeaseYears later, Sophie opened her own Reaper's Table. Leo visited, apron pristine.As he stirred master stock, Sophie noticed: his shadow perfect. Normal.Except at solstice, under full moon, it flickered—just once. Hooded. Watching.Patient.Death never truly dies.