Death once warned me that fast traveling is not something advisable to do once you have bad injuries or mortal wounds, as it demands a considerable amount of energy to make it through, because if not you can be stuck in the void between your starting point and your destiny point. Because of that, upon reaching said fortress of his I stumbled down and fell to my knees, everything around me spinning as if I were drunk.
For that moment, the pain in my chest came back, and the weakness I felt barely allowed me to hear Death telling me that those wounds were looking really bad, taking me inside a building there, making me lay down as he started taking my bandages. "I would've taken care of you right there if I knew this was made by a sycophant." he seemed worried.
"why?" head was starting to get dizzy
"You said it used the claws" I nodded. "They're usually venomous. Your other half was keeping the venom dormant, but teleporting demanded too much of you." He started to heal me, or something like that, but I didn't see it as he actually put me to sleep.
When I woke up, I could feel the soft foam underneath me. Looking around, it was a big, black couch that could easily fit five of me. Moving my injured arm was painful and I noticed it was wrapped up in bandages again, clean and not so bloody ones this time. I tried to sit, slowly as my head was still spinning, and I could take a proper look at the place.
It was quite big, but simple at the same time. In front of the couch I was sitting was a big table, pretty well organized, with rolled up parchments, three books piled up, one with a page marker, vials, some empty, some filled, and, opposed to me, this fancy chair. Behind it, close to the wall, there was a huge, seriously, huge collection of weapons, specially scythes, and armour, in another wall, but shelves of books.
I got up and walked towards it, curious, as I never thought of Death using any other weapon than his scythes or Harvester. Arm blades, maces, glaives, axes, gauntlets from all kinds, and different armour sets were perfectly displayed, each one in a hanging hook or shelf, with a green or purple area around them, what I discovered, in the worst way, to be a barrier that can seriously burn your hand if you dare get through it.
As I couldn't play with his arsenal, I went for the books. Big, heavy, hard cover transcripts of ancient knowledge of what Death was versed in: necromancy. Others, knowledge that were eons old and I thought maybe, amongst every piece of paper, he held information about whatever I wanted to know and I couldn't help but to find it awesome.
I laughed remembering when he said the place was dustier than the City of the Dead, because when I went for the books and parchments over the table, the was a perfect outline of them made out of dust. How long had that place been empty? I giggled. Walking around a bit more, I found my own sword there, alongside the backpack my brothers gave me that still had some things inside.
Giving the room another big look, I found a door in between two book shelves and, for my surprise, it led to his bedroom. "Thought they didn't need to sleep..." but his voice saying that wounds can be dangerous and mortal to them as well came to my mind. They probably need to get a recovering sleep too help their healing process.
After seeing all I needed to see, I put my sword in my back and left, just to find a large field covered in withe, fluffy, snow, three other constructions following the one I just exited and another one, bigger, in the centre, the trail to it covered in snow. "Well, rooms and probably a common area for them to reunite and discuss things..." I thought. I tried to reach the bigger one – I'm not crazy to go inside the other rooms uninvited –, but moving the metal leg through thick snow would proved to be a little bit difficult. It turned out to get heavier with all the snow around and the cold air was making my wound hurt more, and I tried to get there quickly.
When I got in, it was nice and warm, as if someone was hugging me, a and it made me feel good. I walked inside, just looking around and paying attention to everything, realizing it was basically a normal house and I laughed. I couldn't picture them living there as a happy family, just chilling in the living room or cooking. No, definitely not.
Even though they all had their own taste and particularities, that part of their home was pretty neutral, everything perfectly organized, and, even though Death said they didn't spend much time there, everything was spotless, as if someone was there every day to clean the place. Really good contrast to his room. He didn't really went the for a long, long time.
The floor was all opaque wood, the walls were made of stones, some bigger and some smaller, all piled up, the way they were placed, uneven, making it look more rustic and it just fitted perfectly. More shelves, books and chests around there as well. About five armchairs in black colour around a table in one side, and a big couch was on the other.
Well, I could see that they appreciate comfort.
The other side of that living room was actually a kitchen, pretty set up for the modern days, more than I would've imagined, not that I ever imagined them having a kitchen. I laughed about that thought. It seemed unused as it was apparently untouched and pretty organized.
After a thorough look in there, I just stayed there for the afternoon, getting a couple of books in there to read and taking care of my wound, as the day started to turn into night and get colder. It scared the hell out of me when the fireplace lit itself up by nightfall, and I was freaked out for some minutes, but then, I just imagined it was something made to be like that, as the torches around lit up as well, turning the place from freezing pile of rocks to a warm and cosy place to call home.
I thought about that for a while. That would turn out to be my home from now on, and honestly that was kinda weird to me. Even though I spent a lot of time with him, as I have no idea for how long that journey took us, it felt as if I were... I don't know, maybe jumping onto something that wasn't mine, sticking my nose where I didn't belong. Even being better than being on Earth, it was still an isolation. It was still better than nothing, I thought while bringing myself closer to the fireplace after getting me a blanket that was resting in one of the armchairs.
Strangely, after a whole day in there, just exploring the house, I wasn't hungry at all. Usually, I would be starving by night, but it seemed that I just had dinner and was completely satisfied. That kept me from looking for food in the kitchen cupboards. I didn't want any of them to come home and find me snooping around their stuff, so I just wrapped myself with the blanket and sat down beside the fire, eventually falling asleep.
After a while, I woke up, bothered because of the cold, and with pain through the extension of my wound, as if it was burning me. When I sat up, I found myself to be in the big couch, that turned out to be pretty comfortable, still wrapped up in the blanket I found sooner. I looked around, knowing someone was there. I could hear horse noises outside, but no one was at sight in that moment and so I just tried to stand up, my vision briefly fading and everything spinning around as if I had the worst hangover ever.
I sat down again, closing my eyes for a moment as I heard the doors opening and someone coming inside "You are awake" I recognized Death's voice as he closed the door.
"Yeah, I'm..." I blinked sometimes, leaning back "I... I don't feel so good"
He calmly walked towards me, gently putting his freezing cold hand on my face, making me curl up "You are still feverish"
"Why?"
"The venom" He gave me something to drink and I barely could hold it with my shaking hands. He helped me with the first sip, then letting me do it by myself while he took my bandages to take a look in the wound "What do you feel here?" he touched the laceration on my skin.
"As if it's burning"
"It is already healing, but you still have the venom inside you" he did his thing to help me as he always did, covering me again with the blanket "few more hours of sleep and you should feel better as the venom should wear off its effect"
"were you here all the day?"
"You needed to be taken care of. I wouldn't let you on your own while still having venom inside you. You may not be fully human, but it still is dangerous" He put some more wood in the fireplace to make sure it would stay lit and burning "You should sleep, as I said"
"I just woke up. If I force myself down to sleep I'll have nightmares. You remember that" I curled myself a little bit more, finish the liquid he gave me. It really seemed like tea, just normal tea "Talking about that... I was curious about something. How long did our journey last?"
He thought for a while "If you'd like to put it in human days, it would be longer than a year.. But time flows differently in the places we were in. The Makers Realm is a completely different world, time for them is irrelevant. The Kingdom of the Dead doesn't have time at all, so not even I am sure about how long we stayed there" he sat down in the armchair in front of me "Why?"
"it just occurred to me that, I lived way longer than expected. I thought Abaddon's curse would have disappeared once he was dead, but here I am"
"You just keep forgetting you're not fully human" he chuckled "having him... well, cursing you, as well as everything you have been through made your other side act for the first time."
"I dont get it" My head was still dizzy. Give me a break.
"Your demon blood, the half you that was always dormant once you were raised completely as a human. When it is, by any means, awaken, it starts acting on you. And it is not an ordinary demon blood. Even everyone hating it, you can't deny it is Lucifer's half on you, so it just makes everything... Enhanced, as to say"
I was completely focused on him explaining that. Even my head still spinning, that was something I needed to learn, to understand, and Death was the right person to ask, anyway "So it means I'm kinda immortal?"
"Not immortal. You wound, you scar, you still bleed" he pointed to the wound "Still susceptible to mortal injuries and risk of life, like him and any other creature in Creation. You're just more resistant, you can naturally do things you didn't know you could, you're way stronger for human standards, and it helps you with your health, which allows you to live through as long as nothing interrupts your life" he paused "Or did you really think that your skill with the sword and learning so quickly what Thane taught you was because you're a natural?"
"You just completely ruined my accomplishment" we laughed "But, hey, that means I wont need to eat or sleep regularly like you guys?" I was excited with that, but he giggled.
"No. Your body still need human like nourishment because it is human."
"Ah, not nice" I crossed my arms.
"it was your demon half that kept you from dying all the times you nearly stepped in the city of the dead as a soul"
"That's a cruel way to make a joke" I laughed "But you have your touch in it, give yourself some credit. You helped me. My other side alone couldn't have healed my broken bones after Samael" I shivered "Still don't like the guy"
"You are not alone"
I smirked, sighing right next "Death... you saw my brothers, didn't you?" he nodded "Are they Lucifer's sons as well?"
"I feel his power only in you"
"Is it dangerous for me the fact that I am his daughter?"
"Half of Creation hates him and are afraid of him because of his said powers. Knowing he has a daughter with part of it? Yes, people may come after you. Even him. But as I said, no one can find you here"
"Why said powers?" i was curious
"No one ever saw him, he always acted through someone else, but inflected his powers to help get what he wanted if needed" he saw me sighing "I told you not to worry. No one will find you"
"How can you be so certain? You said yourself no one knows his powers. What if it is not enough?"
I could see him sighing "I promise you" he said, seriously "Is that enough?"
"I... well..." I sighed "Yes, I think" I smiled "I think I can sleep calmly with that"
"So do that" he stood up, checking my temperature again "Sleep and if you feel hungry, just... feel like it's your home. It turned to be after all. I will come back to check on you"
I started to think about how it felt good that someone cared about me besides my brothers, because they were now so far from me. It was different at first, because I thought they were dead, and everything that followed the false Apocalypse was real, so he helped me to go through it. Now he was just helping because he wanted to. And I liked it, i wouldn't lie.
After he left, I started to feel sleepy and slowly laid down again, falling into a good and calm sleep, with a smile in my face.