Elias opened his eyes slowly.
He was lying on a soft bed on the floor.
The room smelled like old wood and fresh tea.
The walls were made of paper and wood. It looked exactly like the pictures of old Japanese houses he had seen in history class.
He sat up and looked at his hands.
They were clean. He wasn't covered in blood or monster slime anymore. Someone had washed him and dressed him in a simple, comfortable cotton robe.
He touched his side where the monster had bitten him. The skin was perfectly smooth.
The paper door slid open with a soft sound.
The beautiful woman from the alley stepped inside. She was still wearing her traditional shrine maiden outfit—a white top and a bright red skirt.
She held a wooden tray with a steaming bowl of soup.
Elias wanted to speak, but he didn't know any Japanese. He opened his mouth, trying to think of how to say hello.
"Good morning,"
The woman said. Her voice was warm and gentle.
Elias blinked in surprise.
"You speak English?"
The woman smiled and set the tray down next to his bed.
"Yes, a little bit. My name is Shuri. Shuri Himejima. You are safe here."
"I'm Elias,"
He said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Thank you for helping me. And... Thank you for cleaning me up. I was a mess."
"You went through something terrible,"
Shuri said softly. She looked at him with a deep, knowing sadness in her eyes.
"Eat the soup. It will help you get your strength back."
Elias nodded and picked up the bowl. The soup was warm, salty, and delicious. It made his stomach feel much better.
"Is your little girl okay?"
Elias asked.
Shuri's smile grew brighter.
"Akeno is fine. She is playing in the garden. She was very worried about you."
"Tell her I say thanks,"
Elias said.
Shuri bowed her head slightly.
"Get some rest, Elias. We can talk more later."
She stood up and quietly left the room, closing the paper door behind her.
Elias sat alone in the quiet room. He put the empty bowl down and let out a long sigh.
He had to face the facts. He had been hit by a truck.
He had woken up in another country. He had been eaten by a giant monster, and he had survived.
"I got isekaied,"
Elias whispered to himself.
His friends back in Ohio loved anime and manga. They always talked about stories where a normal guy gets hit by a truck and wakes up in a magical world.
Elias never really cared about those shows. He preferred playing video games. Because he didn't watch anime, he had absolutely no idea what kind of world he was in.
Were there more monsters? Were there magic swords? He didn't know.
But he knew one thing for sure: he was immortal.
He touched his forehead. He remembered the cold, peaceful feeling of Dee's lips pressing against his skin.
He had thought she was just being a dramatic goth. But the warm light that healed his body was real.
"Who are you really, Dee?"
Elias asked the empty room.
"How did you do that?"
Suddenly, the room grew cold. It wasn't a scary, freezing cold. It was a comforting, familiar cool breeze, like sitting in the shade on a hot summer day.
The shadows in the corner of the room started to move. They stretched and gathered together.
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
She wore a black tank top, dark jeans, and her silver ankh necklace rested against her pale skin.
She had a black top hat resting on her messy black hair.
"Hey, Eli,"
A cheerful voice said.
Elias gasped.
"Dee?!"
He jumped out of bed and ran to her. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. She felt cold, just like always, but to Elias, it was the best feeling in the world.
"Dee, I was so scared,"
He mumbled into her shoulder.
"I got hit by a truck, and then a monster ate me, and—"
"I know, I know,"
Dee said softly. She rubbed his back, holding him just as tightly.
"I'm so sorry, Eli. Someone messed up the rules and pulled you away from home. I was so angry."
Elias pulled back and looked at her face.
"How are you here? Are you dead too?"
Dee laughed. It was a sweet, ringing sound.
"Oh, Eli. I'm always here. I'm everywhere. But... this isn't exactly all of me right now."
Elias frowned, confused.
"What do you mean?"
Dee held his hands. Her dark eyes looked deep into his.
"I have a confession to make. I'm not just a normal goth girl from Ohio. I'm Death. The actual, literal Death."
Elias stared at her. His brain tried to understand the words.
"Death? Like... the Grim Reaper?"
"Sort of,"
She smiled, tapping the silver ankh on her chest.
"I'm the one who meets everyone at the end. I gave you that mark on your forehead so you wouldn't have to meet me that way for a very, very long time. I wanted you to live."
Elias looked at his hands, then back at her. The crazy thing was, he believed her. After everything that had happened today, his girlfriend being the concept of Death made perfect sense.
"So, why did you say this isn't all of you?"
He asked.
Dee sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. She pulled him down to sit next to her.
"This is just an Avatar. A tiny, tiny piece of myself,"
Dee explained.
"This universe you are in right now is very fragile for me. It has its own rules and its own magic. If I brought my real, true body into this world, the pressure would be too much."
"What would happen?"
Dee looked at him seriously.
"Everything would end. The sky, the earth, the stars. Every single person and monster in this universe would die instantly. Well, except you."
Elias's eyes went wide.
"Everyone? Even Shuri and her little girl?"
"Yes,"
Dee nodded. Her face softened, and she gave him a small, warm smile.
"And I know how much you hate it when innocent people get hurt. You would be so mad at me if I accidentally destroyed a whole universe just to come get you. Especially after that nice lady made you soup."
Elias let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He leaned his head against her shoulder.
"Yeah. I would be pretty upset. Thank you for not blowing up the world, Dee."
"You're welcome, Eli,"
She chuckled, kissing the top of his head.
"Don't worry. I'm working on a way to bring you home safely. But until then, my mark will keep you safe. You can't die here."
"I'll be careful anyway,"
Elias promised. He looked around the quiet, traditional Japanese room.
"I guess I just have to figure out how to live in this world for a little while."
Dee looked up at the paper ceiling. Her smile faded a little bit.
"I have to go soon, Eli,"
She said softly.
Elias held her hand tighter.
"Already? But you just got here."
"I know,"
Dee sighed, brushing a piece of hair out of his eyes.
"But this world has its own gods and goddesses. They are very sensitive to things that don't belong here. If I stay too long, even just as a tiny Avatar, they will notice me."
She looked at him with serious eyes.
"If they find me, they will find you. I don't want to draw unwanted attention to you. You need to stay hidden until I can get you home."
Elias nodded. He understood.
"Okay. Tell me about this place, then. What kind of world is this?"
"It is a world built on magic and secrets,"
Dee explained. Her voice was calm and simple.
"There are normal humans, but hiding among them are three main groups: Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils. The monster that ate you was a Stray Devil—a devil that went crazy and turned into a monster. This town is ruled by young Devils."
Elias swallowed hard.
"Devils and Angels? And I have to live here? I don't know how to fight."
Dee gave him a bright, proud smile.
"You don't need to worry, Eli. You aren't as helpless as you think. In fact, you were special even before you met me."
Elias blinked.
"What do you mean? I was just a normal guy who played video games."
"No, you weren't,"
Dee laughed softly.
"Back in our universe, you had a sleeping metahuman gene. A superpower. But you never got hurt badly enough to wake it up. Getting hit by that truck, and then getting eaten by that monster... it woke your power up."
Elias looked at his hands.
"I have a superpower? What is it?"
"It is called Adaptivity,"
Dee said.
"It means your body learns from pain. Whatever hurts you, but doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."
She pointed to his side, where the monster had bitten him.
"That Stray Devil's stomach acid burned you, and its teeth tore you apart. Because my mark kept you alive, your body had time to adapt. Now, your skin is much tougher. Acid like that won't burn you again, and teeth like that won't cut you again. Your muscles grew stronger to let you tear your way out."
Elias's jaw dropped.
"So... I'm like a video game character leveling up?"
"Even better,"
Dee winked.
"You are like that giant, angry lizard from those internet horror stories you read. The SCP thing. Your body will always change and grow to survive any threat. My immortality keeps you from dying, and your Adaptivity turns every attack into an upgrade."
Elias felt a spark of hope in his chest. He wasn't just a weak human hiding in a world of monsters. He was a survivor.
Dee stood up and pulled her black top hat down a little. The shadows in the room started to swirl around her legs.
"I have to go now, Eli. The gods are starting to look this way."
Elias stood up and hugged her one last time.
"Thank you, Dee. For everything."
"Just stay safe,"
She whispered in his ear.
"Be brave. Get stronger. I will be watching, and I will find a way to bring you back to me."
"I will,"
Elias promised.
Dee smiled, her dark eyes full of love. She stepped backward into the shadows. The cold breeze faded, and the room was warm and quiet again.
Elias stood alone in the Japanese room. He touched his chest. He could feel a new, powerful energy thumping inside him, right next to his heartbeat.
He didn't know much about this world of Devils and Angels. But if they tried to eat him again, they were going to have a very bad time.