There were whispers that the reaper king Mortimer once lost his human form, his body, his shell. Among the reapers, rumors changed it to his soul being stolen.
This is what really happened,
Blake Alexander bowed to his audience from his stage so did his partner in his magic act Max Starfire. They dematerialized and rematerialized in their dressing room backstage.
"Max you never do things right in the act why do you try to pull a hat from a rabbit you know it never works!" Blake said, "I was covered in blood I had to change!"
"I am trying to get it to work!" Max said sadly thinking of the dead rabbit.
"trust a vampire you just wanted to see blood again!" Blake snapped,
"I did not, I'm not a mad ghoul like Renfield! I only drink human blood! Animal blood is as disturbing to me as it is to you!" Max retorted.
They did not speak for the rest of the night. Blake being brooding over the innocent lives lost. Max brooding over the accusation that he liked to kill rabbits.
The next day the local coroner was autopsying a murder victim when this happened.
A male orderly burst into the room.
"You! Oh what do you want?" the coroner said seeing him.
"We have a job for you! We have another freshy for you!" said the orderly dropping a folder "I'm busy now!" snapped the doctor.
"It's your only job here!" said the orderly curtly.
"Oh alright John Doe can wait if he must!" said the doctor,
"You won't stop until I do what you want." the doctor dropped his surgical knife and removed his bloody gloves and changed lab coats. As he was stained with blood on the sleeve.
He picked up the folder and began to read.
"Take me to them," he said as he read.
The orderly lead him to a room with a dead man in.
"Myocardial infarction!" said the orderly "Ok go do your work." the orderly led the doctor to a group of worried people.
"This is Dr. Death he wants to speak to you about the patient!" the orderly said and walked off.
"Dr. Death what an odd name!" the wife of the dead man said.
"That's not my name I'm actually called Dr. Blake Alexander but for some reason, they call me Dr. Death! I am a coroner!" said the Doctor.
"Coroner? What does this mean?" asked the wife.
"I'm afraid it is what you think it means!" said Blake reading her mind.
"He's dead!" the wife said bursting into tears on the doctor's shoulder.
"How?" asked the dead man's brother.
"he had a myocardial infarction!" said Blake as he tried to comfort the wife.
"A what?" the wife of the brother said.
"Myocardial infarction is doctor speak for a heart attack!" Blake said.
The wife sobbed more.
Max materialized nearby seeing Blake embracing the wife.
"I'll tell Angela I saw you in the arms of another woman!" Max laughed.
"Oh! Shut up you demented vampire this woman just lost her husband, I'm comforting her!" Blake snapped "What do you want?"
"I need to borrow you!" said Max.
"Borrow me?" Blake said, "How?"

Later, at a crime scene nearby.
"Blue Midnight what do you think killed her?" a masked man in a red magician's outfit asked another a masked man. His friend wore a blue magician's outfit he was squatting over the victim's wound sniffing.
"Are you an idiot! She was shot!" Blake who was the blue masked man said, his eyes darkening behind the mask, "can't you see the bullet hole. I don't have to be a coroner to tell you that!"
"Blake I'm not an idiot I can see the hole! I asked because you talk to the dead I thought you may have talked to her spirit," Max the man in red said.
"I may be a necromancer, but I can't talk to a spirit that is not there!" Blake said frowning.
"You mean a reaper took her for processing anyone we know?" Max asked in Blake's head.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, it was another necromancer, I smelt his magic on her," Blake said in Max's head.
"You don't mean it was him?" Max replied in Blake's head.
"Yes, the Necromancer! He does reaper duties too," Blake said telepathically to Max.
"Good we have a witness!" said Max thoughtlessly out loud.
"Oh good, who?" asked the police sergeant walking up to them.
Max panicked he was the last person he wanted to know the Necromancer was the witness! He was the man who raised his wife she'd kill him if he did anything to hurt her uncle the Necromancer!
"A reaper!" said Max.
"Mortimer?" asked the Sergeant.
"Hmm? What-?" muttered Blake forgetting who he was then in truth he was Mortimer king of the grim reapers.
"Blake are you alright?" asked the sergeant. "Hmm? Me? I'm fine, Uncle Simon," Blake said
"I thought we lost you for a minute!" Simon Xander-Drax his great-uncle said laughing.
"Me too for a second!" said Blake.
Simon looked worried.
Max was hoping he would forget the witness.
"If not friend Mortimer then who?" asked Simon.
"I'll organize an interview," Blake said.
"How do we get the help of Mortimer?" asked Simon who didn't know Blake's secret.
"I'll deal with it," Blake said.

"You want me to what?" the Necromancer said choking on a cup of coffee later.
"Go to the police station in reaper form and tell them what you saw in  Jenifer Jane Kyle's murder.  We want you to do an interview with the police about the shooting," Blake said to his son.
"I can't go there! They'll ask my name what do I say Mortimer's son or Blue Midnight's son! They will want to arrest me as a serial killer as Mortimer's son. Admitting I'm your son Midnight would make them suspect you are Mortimer and I am the Necromancer. They will arrest me?" said the Necromancer.
"Lie! give them a false name!" Max said, "It works me and Astra have done it before!"  "Come off it Max nobody will believe the Necromancer saying-" the necromancer said.


"Hello, I am Merlin Starfire the reaper who took Jenny Kyle for processing!" said the Necromancer in a black-cowled monks robe as a skeleton."Hello Merlin!" said Simon, "come with me we need to do the interview in the-" "I know! Lead the way," said the Necromancer.

"This way," said Simon leading him to an interview room in it sat Blue Midnight and the masked Max."Max, I have brought you a relative!" said Simon. Max looked nervous, not sure if their trick backfired."It's fine Max!" the Necromancer said in Max's head, causing Max to calm down.
"Good morning, Mr grim reaper," said Max aloud.
"His name is Starfire too, Merlin Starfire," said the amused Simon.
"I told you we should have used another name!" said the Necromancer in Blake's mind."You needed to distract Uncle Sie he's clever," said Blake in his son's head."You should start the interview, Uncle Sie,"  said Blake aloud."Ok, let's go! sit down Merlin," said Simon. The reaper sat down.
Simon pressed the button of his recording device.
"Sergeant Simon Xander-Drax, Blue Midnight and The Sun King. Interviewing grim reaper Merlin Starfire. A witness in the murder of Jenifer Jane Kyle," Simon said, "Merlin Starfire is your name!" "So I am told," said the reaper offhandedly.
"You are told?" said Simon suspiciously;
"I am who I am called I have to go soon! Hurry up!" said the reaper.
"Do you have an appointment with a dying person," said Simon.
"No my daughter has a parent-teacher meeting! Of course, I have to take a soul for processing," the reaper said.
"You have no appointments with souls," Blake said in his son's mind.
"I have, I'm taking my soul for processing I can't be here long they know me!" the reaper said in Blake's mind.
"Calm down boy, he's just nervous," said Blake aloud.
"It's a boy! How do you know Its a skeleton," asked Simon.
"The bone structure is male about 25 years old, or he is one of us aliens who doesn't age beyond 25! For god's sake, his name is Merlin it is a male name!" Blake said aloud.
"Calm down everyone this is ridiculous! The way you're acting you'd think you were conspiring!" said Simon.
That woke up the necromancer's defiant side."What have I to hide I am completely transparent!" said the reaper. Simon laughed, he got the joke he was a skeleton you can see through bone holes.
"We can do our interview now!" said the reaper; "Ok your name is Merlin Starfire," said Simon."Yes," said the reaper."Did you see the victim die?" asked Simon."Yes!" the Reaper said."Can you say anything other than yes?" Blake asked.
"Yes," said the reaper chuckling.
"Why were you there?" asked Simon.
"To take the victim for processing in the afterlife, I am a grim reaper it is my purpose!" the reaper said.
"What did you see, for Argent sake!" Simon said.
"What has the fate Argent got to do with this!" asked the reaper laughing thinking of his boss trying to murder a man, he couldn't do it. The Necromancer was his assassin. Argent made the Necromancer kill people on a list of those who deserved to die because they were so evil. Blake saw his son as a serial killer as did the law. The Necromancer was his assassin.

"I didn't want to bring God into it!" said Simon."Who did I see killing the victim," asked Lance, the Necromancer."Exactly," said Simon."The killer, of course!" said Lance."Yes, who was it?" asked Simon frustrated."The Necromancer!" said Lance."What!" cried Blake.
"I wouldn't put it past him, but this isn't his modus operandi," Simon said frowning. Lance laughed. "Your him," said Simon angrily. "Yes I am but you can't do anything to me, I know your victim's true killer!" Lance said."You knew who he was Blake," Simon said biting his lip.
"Yes, I was told but I didn't see him as Captain Kamikaze!" Blake said disappointingly.
"Hey, what do you think I am The Masked Chicken! I couldn't take the tension!" said Lance defiantly. Lance's lawyer looked angry with his client. He was the Masked Chicken, otherwise known as Captain Kamikaze. He was an idiot who thought he was a superhero. He always got in trouble and had to be saved by the real heroes of the town including Max and Blake.
"It was not the Masked Chicken he was with me!" shouted the lawyer.
"Settle down Gabriel nobody is accusing you of anything!" Simon said.
The lawyer was blatantly the Chicken.
"I am not the Masked Chicken! He's a friend!" said Gabriel fixing his glasses which were the wrong prescription. They magnified his eyes greatly.
"I see how lame that sounds now!" Lance who'd once used the same excuse said.
"I knew we should have used my Mum as our lawyer and not do Gabriel a favor!" snapped Blake.
"Can we please get back to the case!" screamed Simon.
Everyone else was startled.
"Who was the killer and don't say it was you!" Simon said.
"David Sebastian King," said Lance.
"How do you know his name," asked Simon.
"He was on fate's list of those to die he was to die for this crime!" said Lance.
"Oh! we'll arrest him," said Simon, "and you don't kill anyone!"
"Can't promise that, " said Lance.
"Go or I'll arrest you!" Simon shouted.
"Uncle-!" said Blake.
"All of you!" screamed Simon.
"But I am your Emperor!" Blake said.
"You are aiding and abetting a serial killer!" said Simon.
"Goodbye then!" said Blake, "If I am then I say come with me Necromancer and Sun King!" they dematerialized.


Elsewhere moments later! "Ok, who brought the Chicken!" Lance snapped seeing their lawyer was with them."Hey, I brought me!" said the offended Chicken, "let's go fight crime!" "Send me to hell please," begged Lance who hated the place. "We are now seen as criminal as he is! If we try to fight anything the police will arrest us!" Blake said, "Whatever and whoever we are!"
"They won't arrest us you are the emperor of the solar system," said the Chicken."I am nothing to do with the law's of man!" said Blake."How do we ditch the chicken, Dad," asked Lance."Dad? you are the son of Mortimer!" said the Chicken. Blake, Max, and Lance looked awkward."You have 2 dads?" asked the Chicken."Err! No, he's as old as my dad so I call him dad!" said Lance knowing it was a lame answer only an idiot would believe."I see!" said the Chicken believing him."All we can do is hide out until we can clear our names and I can't see that happening soon!" Blake said.
"Thanks to the zombie master we are now stuck in hiding we will need to somehow clear our names for knowing him!" Max said.
"You deserve it! You are a vampire!" said the Chicken.
"I'm a vampire! What does that matter?" Max said, "and you are an id-"
"Max no don't speak you'll only make matters worse!" Blake said putting his hand over Max's mouth stifling his words.
"Oh, how could you Max!" shouted the Chicken, "Stop looking surprised! I am a sorcerer too, I can read minds as well as you can!" "Forgot that!" Blake said."Are we going to continue to bicker or are we going to do something!" Lance said.
"Right boy we should get out of here we are too obvious shouting at each other someone must have heard us!" Blake said."We can hide out in Mort's office he is away on duty I believe!"
"Right Dad- err Midnight," said Lance awkwardly.
"You are the Limo driver Necromancer," Blake said."One, two, three!" said Lance on three the room disappeared and a Gothic office full of paperwork with a desk and a closet appeared around them. "Does Mortimer really write with a quill?" the Chicken asked, seeing a quill and ink on the desk.
"Yes," Blake said sadly.
"I was asking the Necromancer how would you know?" laughed the Chicken.
"He does!" Lance said.
"It looks a bore!" said Blake with the sound of one who knew only too well.
"No it looks fun!" said the Chicken, Blake moaned. A reaper walked in."Is that Mort?" the Chicken chirped seeing the reaper."No, he's Mort's assistant," Lance said.
"What is the mortal doing here?" asked Morton the reaper knowing full well who he was but he was out of place there. "What do you want Mort?" asked Lance. "A spirit needs judging they are waiting outside," said Morton.
"Max show the Masked Chicken the cupboard please," asked Blake."Let me show you this room!" Max said leading the Chicken to the cupboard."It looks very dingy!" said the Chicken entering it. Blake hid under the desk up stood Mortimer, "Show them in!" Mortimer croaked.
"Yes son," said Morton, the reaper soul of Blake's father as he left, taking in a soul Blake knew.
"He's been Judged already, why is he here?" croaked Mortimer.
"Hello cousin," the soul of Blake's arch enemy said.
"He's surely not here for good behavior!" hissed Mortimer.
"No, he killed two reapers and his cellmate! I didn't know it was even possible to do that, but he did!" said Morton."Merlin, the dark sorcerer can't help it, he is a bad seed," Mortimer said. "How is my daughter Astra?" Merlin asked Mortimer "Did you raise her Blake? She"was young when her mother and I were murdered," said Merlin,
"No, I did," Lance said.
"You! Why I thought you were a killer and you didn't have a paternal bone in your body!" said Merlin.
"Things change," said Lance.
"I take it you had children and you have not stopped killing," laughed Merlin.
"What do you take him for a saint?" said Mortimer.
"He could never be a saint his halo would fall off," said Merlin. walking around the table.
"True!" Mortimer said and laughed,
"It's dark in here I'm leaving," said The Chicken reacting quick Mortimer ran to the door holding it closed. The Chicken couldn't see him like that as Mortimer and his leader dead even he would guess the truth that Blake was Mortimer.
"Thank you for the body,'' Blake heard his voice say he looked to see his body dematerializing and Merlin was gone.
"Damn!" said Mortimer. casting a locking spell on the door and moving back into the center of the room.
"What do we know?" Lance asked."Hope he's arrested as me! He's hidden his location," said Mortimer "I have to make some calls," said Mortimer pulling a black Mobile phone out of his desk, "Hello, this is a tip watch Astra Starfire to find Blue Midnight," said Mortimer on the phone then he hung up."Hello, Astra, the police are watching you! Your dad stole my body! Let the police arrest him," Mortimer said in his second call.
"All we have to do now is wait!" Mortimer told Lance and Morton.

"Blake I caught you at last!" Simon said in the police station to the captured body of Blake with Merlin inside him. "How dare you arrest me, I am the emperor of-" boasted Merlin." Maybe, but that has no legal merit I can arrest any criminal!" said Simon."Blake is a criminal?" asked Merlin. and paused and said, "Look, I'm not Blake I just stole his body!" "Yeah right who are you the dark sorcerer Merlin?" asked Simon laughing."Yes!" said Merlin, who was having a fit."Pull the other rabbit!" said Simon.
"Mortimer is Blake's soul," said Merlin.
"Very unlikely you are here so is he," said Simon.
"I came to take friend Blake to an appointment he is late!" said Mortimer.
"He's Blake!" said Merlin pointing at Mortimer excitedly.
"Oh yes of course I am and you are a body snatcher then," Mortimer laughed.
"I am! I am Merlin!" said Merlin.
"You can't be he's dead!" said Simon, "If you need him you take him, I can't stop a reaper!" Simon said and that was how Blake got his body back. The mad sorcerer Merlin was furious in his cell in solitary confinement forever more. Blake and Max enchanted the recording so it only said what they wanted. Lance, otherwise known as the Enchanter whipped and rearranged the mind of Simon. So they were seen as innocent as the Masked Chicken who was so innocent, he got in tons of trouble but enough of him.
"Blake it's dark in here and I'm scared of the dark! Let us out of here! Max, stop looking at me like that! You'd think I was food!" the trapped Chicken cried.