The morning of 5 AM, Tokyo, Japan.
A plane landed in Haneda Airport. Selene walked out after all the procedures were done, her small suitcase trailing behind her.
To her own surprise, she'd had a good sleep,even though she thought she wouldn't. Since waking, her thoughts had circled endlessly around her encounter with Morvathos, but there were no signs of him anywhere.
She lingered a few moments before disembarking, scanning the rows of faces and shadows for him.
Nothing. She even wondered, half-seriously, if yesterday had just been a dream, but when she checked her talisman count, the count was down by two.
That settled it. It happened. Too tired to brood further, she shook her head, hailed a cab, and headed for the hotel she had booked the night prior.
Inside the cab, still in disguise in hat, mask, glasses she gave the address. The driver weaved through Tokyo's early-morning streets, neon still glowing faintly against the rising sun.
At last, they pulled up before a towering luxury hotel in the heart of the city. Five stars, polished marble exterior, glass doors that gleamed like water.
Selene checked in, accepted her keycard, and headed up. When she opened the door to her suite, she stepped inside, shut the door behind her, and froze.
A voice drifted from inside the room.
"You look beat."
Selene stopped dead. Her senses flared instinctively,yet when she turned, her breath eased. Morbatos.
"Where were you all this time?"
She said sharply, peeling off her glasses, mask, and hat to reveal her face.
Morvathos was sitting in a chair by the window, staring at the Tokyo skyline with a nostalgic half-smile. He didn't even look back when he answered.
"I was with you the whole time. When I heard the address, I decided to just fly here and wait. After all, it's bad for a man and woman to linger too close together, don't you think?"
Selene stared at him, incredulous. What was he even talking about? A man and a woman? She couldn't even see him most of the time, let alone anyone else. No one could. Her impression of him as a lunatic solidified another notch.
This man in front of her spouted nonsense she couldn't begin to untangle. Shaking her head, she slipped off her coat and dialed the hotel staff, ordering snacks. She was feeling the need to chew something to distract her mind.
"I'd like green tea and momos,"
Morvathos added casually from his chair.
Selene turned her head slowly, blinking at him as though he were some alien creature. Momos. With green tea. Who in their right mind ate that combination?
She couldn't understand him at all. But she said nothing, the line connected and a lady answered. Selene told her order. Green tea and chicken momos for Morvathos and normal tea and cookies for herself.
But the hesitant voice of the staff came through.
"Yes, madam… momo? May I confirm you mean… dumplings?"
"No, it's chicken momos. Sorry for the inconvenience. I hope you don't mind."
Selene said as she felt second hand embarrassment for some reason. The staff quickly took the order and said the order will be there in half an hour.
When she was finished, she crossed the room and sat in the chair opposite his, facing him directly.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
Morvathos asked as he shifted in his seat like he owned the place.
Selene narrowed her eyes at him, tilting her head slightly.
"Aren't you the one who requested this meeting?"
"I did,"
He admitted, flashing that easy smile of his.
"But there are some things you want to know, right?"
"I don't think I do."
"Oh, you do,"
Morvathos leaned forward, voice soft but certain.
"You definitely do."
"And what would that be?"
Morvathos leaned back slightly.
"I don't know… maybe about myself, my power, Hell, or what's going on, on earth and why it is going on."
He offered her the choice, but Selene didn't take it. She studied him with sharp suspicion. Morvathos paused, then sighed.
"Alright… let's drop that. Drop that, I thought I could lighten the mood a bit, but looks like you're too serious for that. Anyways… since you don't have anything to ask, I'll just ask all the questions and you answer. Do we have a deal?"
Morvathos leaned forward, elbows on the table, eyes locking with hers.
"No,"
Selene replied plainly.
"I want to ask questions too,"
She added quickly.
"Didn't you just say you had nothing to know?"
He asked, eyebrow raised.
"I did… but that doesn't mean I have nothing to ask. You're practically taking advantage of me. I need to get something out of this."
Morvathos blinked, then nodded repeatedly.
"Good, good. That's the mindset of a businesswoman—I like it. Alright, let's begin."
"But before that,"
He continued, a slight seriousness threading his voice,
"Since we have a deal and our time is precious, we need to ensure that both parties are telling the truth."
He clenched his right fist and pressed it to his heart. Selene's gaze drifted to the back of his palm, where she noticed a tattoo glowing faintly, the glow was almost imperceptibly. Morvathos closed his eyes and began to chant in a low, melodic cadence.
"I, Morvathos Renavyr Oathgrave, request the Divine Laws to witness the exchange of truth between I, Morvathos Renavyr Oathgrave, and Selene Ardyn Valecrest.
"Should either of us lie, the Divine Laws may punish the liar as they see fit."
Immediately, an oppressive weight pressed against Selene's very soul. Her chest tightened; a tremor ran through her heart. She looked at Morvathos with wide, unblinking eyes.
He opened his eyes casually and said, almost like a businessman closing a deal,
"Alright. Now that we have a practically omniscient truth detector in place, we cannot lie. This ensures trust. If by any chance we meet again, we can rely on one another because if you ask, I would have to reveal even the biggest secret to you without question. I will go first. Why are you here?"
Selene struggled to process everything. She had never felt anything remotely like this. She had never heard chants answered by the Heavens themselves,or, at least, filtered through her perception in such a way. She heard him say Divine Laws but she took it as a new term to address heaven.
If not, she didn't think her mind can keep up with the amount of absurd information she was exposed to.
Reality itself seemed to shiver around her.
*Snap~*
Then, a sharp snap rang out, and her thoughts scattered, clearing instantly.
Morvathos had used the snap to channel his will, turning the snap sound into a frequency that calmed both mind and soul. He had applied his knowledge of the Soul Laws to accomplish this. Seconds later, her tumultuous thoughts eased.
Her heart still raced, but her mind was clear. She drew a deep breath and looked him in the eyes before speaking.
"Before I explain why I'm here, let me introduce myself again. I'm Selene Ardyn Valecrest, eldest daughter of the Veilquist family. The Valecrest family is one of the top exorcist families in Greenland.
As for why I'm here… it's to investigate the sudden surge of demonic activity in Japan. Experts have noticed anomalies and predict something significant is happening,something that could change the entire country. I've gathered that other Grandmasters and Master exorcists are also here… though none have yet uncovered the cause."
Selene paused, swallowing hard. She had felt the temptation to lie, to test the boundaries of the oppressive truth she now faced.
But the moment the thought crossed her mind, her instincts screamed. The consequences of dishonesty would be unimaginable. Her back dampened with sweat as she spilled the truth.
Morvathos nodded slowly, his expression unreadable.
"Now it's my turn. Who are you, really?"
Selene asked, her voice barely steady.
He tilted his head, opening his eyes slowly.
"Haven't I told you before? I am the God of Death—the King of Hell."
Selene froze. A flicker of confusion crossed her features, as if asking why she even needed to question what seemed so obvious. But then… a quiet, undeniable certainty settled into her soul.
The word "truth" whispered within her, solidifying like a pillar within her consciousness. It was no fleeting thought or instinct, as if it carried a will of its own, tethered solely to his declaration.
She stared at the man before her, now aware beyond comprehension that the seemingly eccentric, unpredictable figure before her was, in fact, the God of Death. The realization pressed on her mind and soul like a weight she had never known existed.
And she could do nothing but acknowledge it.