**Chapter 1: The Girl with Thanatos**
The water was freezing.
It clung to him like chains of ice, pulling him deeper into the dark.
He didn't resist.
No panic. No scream. Just silence.
His body sank—but his thoughts rose, floating like fading bubbles through the blackness.
Memories surfaced.
The first time he saw her.
The warmth of her touch.
Her smile.
Her voice, echoing softly in his mind—
*"You thought I had (?)... but it was you."*
***
**A Few Months Earlier**
The rooftop was quiet.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of gold, orange, and blood-red.
At the edge of a high bridge stood a beautiful girl, her long black hair swaying in the wind, her skin pale as moonlight .
The wind played with her hair. Her school uniform fluttered. Her arms were slightly spread, as if she was reaching out to the sky one last time.
Then—
"Don't!!"
A boy burst onto the rooftop, breathless. His chest burned from running.
The girl turned. Slowly. Her eyes widened—not in fear, just mild surprise.
He rushed to her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her away from the edge.
She didn't resist.
Instead, she fell into his arms… and began to cry.
---
They sat together as the sky darkened into soft pink.
"Why?" he asked quietly. "Why were you trying to jump?"
She stared at her hands.
"I have Thanatos Illness," she said.
"It makes me want to die."
"Thanatos?" he echoed.
"It's the death instinct," she replied. "The opposite of Eros."
"I know Eros," the boy said softly. "The will to live."
She nodded.
"People driven by Eros chase dreams, fall in love, and fight to survive. But those with Thanatos…" She paused. "We just want everything to stop."
He looked at her closely.
She seemed normal. Kind. Quiet. Even… beautiful.
But over time, he saw the truth.
She was fading.
Her smiles didn't reach her eyes. Her laughter never lasted. Her gaze always felt far away.
she said expressionlessly, "I'm Shaila."
The boy smiled faintly. "I'm Nafees. I'd like to know you."
Shaila nodded.
***
One day, she whispered something strange.
"I can see him."
"Who?" Nafees asked.
She looked over her shoulder.
"The Grim Reaper," she said. "He's always there. Watching."
He didn't laugh.
He didn't call her crazy.
He believed her.
Because in her eyes… he saw truth.
"He talks to me," she said. "He asks if I'm ready."
"Ready for what?"
"To leave."
***
Nafees did everything he could to save her from the darkness.
He brought her flowers. Told dumb jokes. Took her to quiet places where the world seemed softer.
Sometimes, she smiled.
But not for long.
Soon, she stopped speaking.
She stopped replying to his messages.
Then… she disappeared.
No goodbye.
Just silence.
***
Nafees changed too.
He stopped smiling.
He stopped feeling.
And slowly, something hollow grew inside him.
He didn't hate the Grim Reaper anymore.
He envied him.
Because the Reaper was the one she listened to.
The one she followed.
While Nafees… was the one left behind.
***
Then one day, a message appeared.
**[ Let's die together. Meet me at the usual place. ]**
Nafees stared at the screen.
And smiled.
A wide, broken smile that reached his ears.
Then… laughter.
Uncontrollable.
Loud.
"Ahahahaha… hahaha…"
He laughed until his chest hurt.
His mother was gone—murdered.His father had vanished after that.
He was alone. Always had been.
People avoided him like a curse. No one would notice if he disappeared.
So, he got ready.
Dressed nicely.
Looked in the mirror.
"Will she like this?" he whispered.
And then, he went to the place where they first met.
Here is a refined and immersive version of your scene, written in a professional web novel tone:
***
*The bridge.*
She was already there, standing at the edge—still, silent, as if she had been waiting forever.
When she saw him, her lips curved into a soft, genuine smile.
A real smile. One filled with peace... and something final.
"Let's die together, my soulmate," she said, her voice calm like the night air.
Then, in a whisper that carried like a ghost through the wind, she added—
**"Bastard child of fate."**
---