Alastor was right, Abel did indeed have a mess on his hands. The broadcasted event spread far and wide in a short couple of hours, and not far behind were problems.

The first of which was Abel’s newfound fame. As soon as he left the arena with Lillia, he instantly started getting surrounded by hordes of people, who shoved cameras in both of their faces.

“Is this the girlfriend you were talking about?” a reporter asked.

Abel ignored the question, not wanting to entertain them, and began walking through the dense crowd, making his way to Lillia’s dorm room.

Once inside, Abel immediately noticed all of the stuffed animals that decorated the room, as well as a framed picture of them together in the Realm of the Dead.

“What are we going to do?” Lillia asked, breaking Abel’s focus on the picture.

Abel kept his cool demeanor. “My plan was to leave you here so you stay safe, and I deal with the aftermath.”

Lillia could feel a knot form in her stomach once more, her hands trembling at the same time as she thought about what unfolded in the arena. Her curiosity was killing her, thinking about how she could ask about his terrifying form without coming off as nosy. Then she remembered his words and just asked, “What was that form of yours? It was really scary,” Lillia asked, her voice reflecting her nervousness.

Abel was thrown off by the mental shift but didn’t show it. “That’s the way I looked when I first died,” he answered honestly.

Lillia was taken aback by Abel’s words. She tried to decipher the meaning but ran into multiple dead ends, and in the end, she decided to ask, “What do you mean when you first died?”

Abel sat Lillia down on the bed and proceeded to explain. “Back when Alastor and I were still young, there was an accident. Alastor was training with his powers while I was practicing to fight against powered individuals. During our usual practice, Alastor unlocked one of his most powerful abilities, the flame of destruction.” Abel wiped his forehead then continued. “Back in our day, the concept of death didn’t exist until we created it. Alastor killed me with the flame, and somehow I came back with my new powers. Shortly after that, people started aging and dying.”

She listened to the words Abel spoke but couldn’t fully grasp their meaning. Eventually, she began putting the pieces together. “Wait, so you are the embodiment of death?”

Lillia began violently trembling at the thought of who she was in a relationship with; however, Abel’s gentle hand brought her back to her usual self. “I know that is a lot to take in, but I want to be honest with you. I love you after all, Lillia.”

Her heart began to race, her cheeks began heating up with excitement due to Abel’s words. Lillia laid her head on Abel’s chest, hiding her embarrassment, and said, “I love you too. That’s why we’ll get through this, together.”

Abel took a seat next to Lillia. “I always wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how. I’m glad I was able to tell you.”

Her eyes widened. “What will the others think? I don’t know if they would be able to handle the truth.”

Abel gently turned her face towards his and gently said, “I’m sorry, Lillia, but the others can’t know. This is something that I would like to keep between us. I hope you can understand.”

“I’m sorry for jumping to that conclusion. I forget you would only tell me these things.” Lillia lowered her head in shame.

Abel laid his head on top of hers. “Don’t stress about it, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Hey, Abel, how do you feel knowing people die because of you? Does it bother you?” Lillia kept her head down, not wanting Abel to see her face.

“At first I agonized over it, but I learned to accept it. Knowing you have limited time makes life more beautiful and fun than if you lived forever.” Although Lillia couldn’t see his face, she knew he was being sincere.

“So what’s our next move?” Although Lillia had more questions, she knew if they continued, they would never get anywhere.

“We answer their questions.”

They rose up from the bed and opened the wooden door. They were greeted by dozens of reporters asking questions and flashing their cameras, blinding Lillia at the same time.

Although Abel spoke calmly, everyone felt his words in their bones. “Quiet down, please. I will answer all your questions, but I need only one person talking at a time.”

Everyone quieted down, and a female reporter wearing a blue dress and black heels asked, “Who are you? How were you able to defeat Gord so easily?”

Abel let out a convincing laugh and responded, “I’ve known Gord for a long time, through his daughter. I asked him yesterday if he could let me have a flashy win so I could impress my girlfriend.”

The reporters began whispering among themselves before another reporter asked a question, “What was that form you took?”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“It was basic illusion magic. I wanted to go for a dramatic finish,” replied Abel. His tone, matched with his charisma, persuaded most of the reporters into believing he was telling the truth.

“Illusion magic? Do you really want us to believe that?” another reporter asked.

“What else would it be? I can’t transform, I’m human after all,” Abel responded. News of him being human shocked everyone, including Lillia.

Everyone’s surprise was justified; humans were exceedingly rare due to their short lifespan and untrusting nature. Even Lillia, who was a hybrid herself, had a hard time believing it.

Abel cut through the murmurs with his words, “Any more questions? We’re extremely busy right now.”

“Is that your girlfriend?” one of the female reporters asked.

“Yes, she is.” Abel unexpectedly spun Lillia and kissed her.

While Abel was kissing Lillia, the second problem arose during the interview. Tons of people were watching the live broadcast, but one person in particular recognized Abel and felt horror at the sight of him.

“It’s him!” An orc with white hair quickly got out of his chair and stared at Abel’s face through the screen.

The chair falling over created a loud thud as it hit the floor, causing a young girl with yellow hair to run into the room. “Grandpa, what happened?”

“It’s him. That dragon and him are the ones who killed my family during the great culling.”

The young girl turned to the screen and recognized the place where the interview was being held. “Isn’t father there?”

The old man gulped and responded, “Call Gord, tell him to come back here. We have a serious problem.” The orc could feel his heart rate rise as he remembered the events during the culling—the helpless child that watched entire races disappear at the hands of two men.

The interview concluded, leaving all of the reporters convinced that Abel pulled off the biggest stunt in the school’s history.

Lillia let out a sigh of relief once the reporters left. “That was exhausting.”

She stretched as Abel leaned against the door. “I don’t think it’s over. There might still be some people that doubt the story I gave.”

“Maybe, but for now, let’s go inside and rest.” The interview took longer than expected; the sun was setting with a crimson glow enveloping the sky.

Although they have only been living together for a couple of days, Abel felt comfortable and happy.

“What do you want to eat?” Lillia asked, her smile bringing warmth to Abel’s heart.

“Whatever you make, I’ll be happy with it.” Abel’s words made her heart flutter.

Lillia began filleting a fish while talking to Abel. “I never would have guessed you were human.”

Abel was helping cut the vegetables when he replied, “Yeah, no one ever does. Strangers always assume I’m a type of elf.” Abel’s eyes widened. “What race are you? I just realized I don’t know.”

“My mother was a giant and my dad was a human, so I’m a hybrid,” Lillia said with a smile.

“You don’t seem that tall. Is your mother perhaps shorter than the common giant?” Abel asked curiously.

“Yeah, she was nine feet tall compared to the others in her tribe, who were thirty feet tall. She ended up meeting my father while out hunting since she was cast out for being too short. Luckily, they fell in love, and they have been inseparable ever since.”

“That must have been tough. I’m happy to hear they found each other and are still together.”

“What were your parents like?” Lillia asked while cooking the seasoned fish.

Abel thought about it before answering. “I honestly don’t know. They never loved or cared about me enough to tell me anything, and I spent all of my time with Alastor on top of that.”

“Oh.”

Abel could tell Lillia regretted asking. “Don’t worry about it. It was a lot more common back then. Plus it never bothered me.”

“Okay.” Lillia tried changing the subject. “So you and Alastor grew up in the same village, right? What was everyone’s reaction to a dragon living among them?”

Abel started roasting the vegetables. “Technically, dragons didn’t exist before Alastor, so their reaction was just like any other. But his appearance is what the people disliked.”

“Alastor was the first dragon?” Lillia thought about it. A realization hit her not long after. “Considering that you’re death itself, and Alastor is the primordial dragon, wouldn’t that make you guys the strongest people on the planet?”

“You would think that, but time has not been kind. Also, you’d have to take into account the times we gave up our power. Honestly, the only reason we beat the Princes of Hell was due to experience.”

Lillia was shocked that even time could affect people as strong as Abel and Alastor. “How strong were you guys when you were in your prime?”

Abel seasoned the vegetables while he answered. “The concept that you have of strength is linear, but there are different types. In the strength you’re talking about, we were able to do whatever we wanted without a worry. But these days, there are people ‘stronger’ than us.”

Although Lillia didn’t fully understand Abel, she still moved forward with other questions. “How do you feel about killing? I know you’re the reason people die, but you killing with your own hands, shouldn't that feel different, right?”

Abel began to roast the vegetables. “To me, death isn’t the end. Hell, Heaven, and the Necropolis (The realm of the dead) are where all types of souls live, making their own purpose, living out their dreams, or suffering in damnation. Wherever they end up is their decision. In Hell, sinners burn and suffer. In Heaven, the pure live out their dreams, and in the Necropolis, people live the way they would here in the mortal plane. To put it bluntly, it doesn’t bother me. I’m putting them in their destined place.”

“That sounds…” Lillia didn’t know how to finish her sentence.

“But on the other side, I also give life. I take the energy of those who died and create life with it. Every single person I have killed has been turned into countless other people who lived their full lives. Death may be an end, but it is also a beginning to something beautiful. Life.”

“So you can just create life out of nowhere?” Lillia asked, anxious but curious.

Abel took the vegetables off the heat, plated them, and answered. “There are limits to my power now that I’m weakened, but in the distant past, that used to be the case. You can say I’m a shell of my former self.”

Lillia took the fish off the stove, plated it, and asked. “You said there are people stronger than you. Who are they?”

Abel sat down, took a bite of his delicious meal, and responded. “The four captains, the Heavenly Ruler of Angel’s Province, and some others.”

Lillia gave Abel a puzzled look. “The four captains are stronger than you? Didn’t you beat Gord easily?”

Abel wiped off his lips and responded. “The captains you see now are weakened due to the magic seal placed on them by the Heavenly Ruler.”

Lillia took a bite of her food. “Their real power is sealed? Lilith never told me that.”

“There is a possibility that she doesn’t know, but I could tell just by glancing at him. Even unsealed, Alastor wouldn’t have a problem. But seeing as I gave up more power than him, I would definitely have a hard time beating them.”

The two kept talking throughout their meal. After they finished, they went to the couch where they fell asleep, Lillia sleeping on Abel’s lap.

A knock at the door woke Abel up. He gently moved Lillia and opened the door. A tall woman wearing tan pants and a white shirt grabbed Abel by the neck. “You!”

The loudness in the woman’s voice woke Lillia up. “Mom!” she said after noticing who the woman was.