"After I'm done teaching you my magic, if you still want nothing to do with me, then I'll understand and leave you alone. I'd also promise never to bring any of my supernatural nonsense into our relationship. And if I did… Well, you could just kill me. I think that alone shows how committed I am to this," she said with a smile.
"Rebound relationship? Why?" Alex asked, his tone edged with doubt, clearly not trusting her.
"That's a secret I would only tell my boyfriend—someone I'm fully committed to," Aline answered. "I took a huge risk even coming up to you, knowing what kind of power you hold. But a relationship isn't built on lies. I want this to work."
Her smile faded as she spoke, replaced by a serious look as she stared him directly in the eyes.
"We can start as friends. If it works, then it works," Alex said lightly.
Aline cheered at once, her excitement overflowing as she suddenly jumped into Alex's hand. He was caught off guard by the gesture, staring at her in surprise.
"Oh, I should tell you—I have a criminal record. I used to be a villain," she admitted openly. "But that life is behind me now. Don't worry, I'm not a wanted person anymore. I learned my lesson, and I'm a free woman."
Alex's eyes twitched at her words. That had to be a red flag… right? Or maybe it didn't count as one since she was honest about it upfront. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he didn't care as he was more interested in her magic. He was more willing to use magic not connected to his powers, then using his own powers for his goals.
"How did you even know about me?" Alex asked softly, his frown deepening. Something about her stuck in his mind—especially her unusual hair. He was certain he had seen it not too long ago, but he couldn't quite recall where.
"Everyone in the underworld knows about the Grim Reaper; the information wasn't hard to get. So, here is my number. You can reach out whenever you're ready to train. I'll give you all the space you need," she said before casually slipping Alex's phone out of his pocket and tapping her number in.
"That was an invasion of privacy," Alex said softly, snapping back to reality as the weight of her earlier words hit him. The Grim Reaper… Was he really that bad at hiding who he was? And if she knew, then who else might already know about him?
"Maybe you're right… Well, this is my first ever relationship, and my first honest friend. So it's going to take me some time to get used to this. Well… I guess this is goodbye," she said awkwardly.
Alex nodded, just as awkward, the air between them heavy with hesitation. Still, he could tell she wasn't lying.
"Do we kiss?" she asked suddenly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"That's for if we were dating. We're just friends, and even then it's limited." Alex replied plainly.
She nodded quickly at his words, scratching the back of her head with the same awkwardness that lingered in the air.
"So… what do we do?" she asked.
It was moments like this that Alex hated—times when the simplest questions made him forget how to act normal.
"I think we just go our own separate ways," Alex said with a sigh.
She nodded at his words, then began walking backward, waving at him awkwardly. It was clear she was still adjusting, still figuring out how to live this new life free from crime.
"Well, I'll be going. My home is… oh, it's that way," she admitted in embarrassment, realizing that the direction Alex had been running earlier was the same direction as her apartment building.
Alex simply watched her run off, clearly eager to escape the awkwardness before she embarrassed herself further. He decided not to linger either, turning to continue on his way.
"She's a weird girl… but at least she was honest," Alex said softly, glancing at the phone in his hand before saving her number. Oddly enough, he found himself more open to the idea of learning magic than relying on his own powers. Magic was, after all, the reason he had been born… so maybe it could also become the reason he lost those powers one day. That thought alone was enough to make him look forward to the possibility.
'Now my schedule is full. Art school, work, my part-time job, Tharos's race… and now magic training,' Alex thought as he resumed his run.
It was during that run his eyes caught sight of a woman standing in the darkness, watching him intently. What unsettled him most was how, for a fleeting moment, it looked as if she wasn't merely standing in the shadows—she was the darkness itself. But as he drew closer, the illusion faded, and he saw only a normal woman as he passed by.
"So, that's my grandson Death was talking nonstop about…" she said softly, her eyes fixed on Alex as her form began to fade back into the shadows. Displeasure lingered on her face. Death had told their other siblings, even their father, about the fact that she had a son—yet not her. She had to hear the news by chance, and if not for that, she might never have known at all.
"The future endpoint of all beings, a growing paradox…" she murmured, a faint smile slowly spreading across her face as her interest deepened. Unlike her ungrateful children—especially that selfless son of hers Dream, this grandson of hers was different.
And she wouldn't be much of a grandmother if she didn't say hello to her grandson, would she? More than that, she would take an active role in her grandson's life.
But just as she was about to take a step forward, she froze when Death suddenly appeared in her path. Death's face carried a happy smile, her expression filled with warmth at the sight before her.
"Mother, I'm so happy to see you," Death said, her voice soft yet steady, almost carrying the tone of a daughter greeting a parent after years apart.
Her mother's eyes narrowed, the warmth in Death's words doing little to soften her mood. "If you truly wanted to see me, you would have come to visit long ago. Only Destiny ever bothers to remember he has a mother." She gave a sharp snort, her words dismissive as she shifted her body, trying to step around Death. But Death quickly moved again, refusing to let her pass.
"Mother, don't say that," Death replied, her smile dimming though it never left her face. "You know how my work is—I barely have any free time." A faint sigh left her lips, a weight hidden in her tone. "But still, I'm happy to see you out of your domain. You rarely leave that place, and sometimes it feels like you don't love us at all."
"Of course, I love you," she said sharply, her tone both firm and impatient. "But what kind of mother has to remind her children to check up on her?" She tried again to step around Death, only for Death to shift smoothly into her path once more, blocking her way.
"It's not that simple, Mother," Death said quietly, her smile fading. "It's hard to tell if you even want visitors. The last time one of us tried—when my little sister came to see you—you grew so angry with her. Do you remember? She became such a mess afterward, so shaken that her wedding fell apart completely."
Sadness tugged at Death's face as she spoke, the memory heavy on her voice. Her words made her mother pause, even if only for a moment, and finally turn her gaze toward her daughter.
"I saw your son. What a wonderful son you've neglected—that's no way to raise a child," she said coldly, dismissing the previous subject entirely.
Death let out a quiet sigh. Her mother was ignoring her words again, brushing aside the pain she had just voiced. It wasn't surprising—her mother had always played favorites. She remembered all too well when her little sister was preparing to marry. Excited, nervous, she had gone to share the news with their mother. Instead of joy, she had been met with anger—scolded for daring to bother her. That single act had broken something fragile inside her sister. All her life, she had longed for their mother' s attention, just a sliver of love or to even act like her mother cared. And in realizing that her mother never had and never will care about her, she had shattered completely, falling from the embodiment of Delight into the being now known as Delirium.
"Yeah," Death admitted softly, her voice heavy, "I failed my son. But the first step is admitting I made a mistake, and working toward fixing it. Looking inward and accepting that I'm the reason it all happened—that's step number one."
"That's sweet, honey, but I couldn't help but notice how you've been oddly absent from his life. Don't worry—Mommy will help you," she said with a soft, almost sickly-sweet smile.
"Thank you, but it's alright," Death replied calmly. "My son is special. Before I go near him, I want to make sure I'm the best version of myself, the kind of person who deserves to be around him. A good mother should put herself in order before putting her child's interests above all else."
Her words, spoken with quiet conviction, made her mother's smile falter. Slowly, her eyes narrowed, sharp and cold, at the meaning in her daughter's words.
"Oh, sweetie, I can't help but feel there's something you're trying to tell me. Was I… was I a bad mother?" she asked softly, her voice laced with feigned vulnerability.
"…Yes. Yes, you were." Death drew in a deep breath before speaking, her tone steady but heavy, the words leaving her lips like a weight she had carried for too long.
Her mother froze in shock, her expression shattering at the blunt admission. "You ungrateful—" she began, but then stopped herself, forcing the anger down. "No. I will not even get angry with you. I'm just… disappointed." Her voice trembled as she placed a hand over her chest, showing just how hurt she was. "To think this is the way you speak to the very person who brought you into this world…"
"There it is again—emotional manipulation. You can never use logic, never use reason; everything has to bend your way. And when it doesn't, you fall right back into this." Death's voice sharpened, anger spilling through her calm façade. "This is why we grew up in such a broken home. This is why Delight became what she is."
Her tone didn't falter. If anything, it grew heavier with each word.
"For all your power and all your knowledge, the mortals on this tiny dot of a planet are light-years better than you. Some are selfish like you, yes—but even they can grow. They can confront their flaws. They can change. You, instead, hide in your realm where everything bends to your will, where nothing ever dares to push back against you."
Death stood her ground, every word falling hard, while her mother just stood there.
"You left the moment you realized things here couldn't go your way. You can't stand the fact that, even though we were your children, we had free wills of our own, and your tricks didn't always work on us. That's why you disliked Delight—she was the complete opposite of you, while you put on the mask to try and mimic a hint her. And yet all she ever wanted was your attention. You… you're the worst thing to have ever happened to us," Death said softly.
"Stay away from my son. Because of you, we grew up carrying our own problems, each of us broken in different ways. My son doesn't need a second burden placed on his shoulders. Run back to your realm, cling to that feeling of control you love so much… Even Lucifer can grow and change."
With those words, Death vanished, her presence fading away completely, leaving her mother standing there, unable to believe what had just happened.
"This must be Time's doing—poisoning my children against me," she said softly, her voice low with suspicion.
She paused mid-thought as her gaze shifted, noticing faint traces of Time lingering on Earth, the remnants of his presence in his avatar state. Her eyes narrowed, suspicion deepening. For a fleeting moment, the idea of him being with another woman crossed her mind. The notion lingered, bitter thoughts that made her feel weird inside—yet she quickly shook her head. That could never be… it wasn't possible.
Even so, she couldn't dismiss it completely. Just to be certain, she decided to check.