It took her a few minutes but Summer managed to explain to the young man before her, Death she reminded herself, all she knows about Salem, the Queen of Grimm and how dangerous she was. Death had staid silent for the entire time, his neon green eyes watching like a Hawk as she spoke and once she finished, he closed his eyes with a sigh.

For a moment, nothing could be heard but then Summer paled when the young man (at least in appearance) in front of her roared his anger

"HOW DARE SHE ?!"

Summer backed away from him, her whole body shivering in fright at the Being before her. He looked even more terrifying now !

"I will show her why it is NOT a good idea to defy me !" Harry snarled in anger, his neon green eyes shining like a fire as his aura surrounded his body.

"W-What will you do Lord Death ?" Summer asked him curiously but almost respectfully, not wanting to suffer his wrath.

He turned to face her and she flinched when those angry neon green eyes landed on her.

"I will show her what happen to those who defy DEATH !" Harry answered before disappearing in thin air, leaving behind Summer who blinked a few times before shouting

"You could have taken me with you !"

She could swear she heard someone laughing at her words.

00/(Elsewhere)/00

The Land of Darkness…

The Domain of the God of Darkness…

Nothing more than a barren wasteland, with rocky terrain and enormous purple crystals sprouting from the ground. The sky was dark red in color and dark Creatures, Grimm, spawn in large numbers from pools of a viscous, tar-like substance.

There, in the middle of those lands, stood a tall castle-like building, situated on a mount. Like the area around it, the castle shares its color scheme of shades of violets, purples, reddish sky and black for shadows.

The entire building was dimly lit... and seemed to be built out of rock and purple crystal and decorated by smaller crystals and candles.

But it wasn't the castle that interest us…

It was who was standing on what looked like a landing deck.

It was a deadly pale woman with jet black sclerae in her eyes and glowing crimson irises. She had a larger bun with six offshoots wrapped together that also suspends several obsidian-colored ornaments. She also had grown dark purple veins that line her face and arms, and had a black diamond-shaped marking in the center of her forehead.

She was wearing a very long, short-sleeved black robe that obscures her feet and partially drags across the ground. Its most distinctive feature was a curved high collar with dark red trim bordering the outer edge of a narrow window exposing her bust in a vertical ellipsis (which looked similar to an eye).

All of this was completed with a long shawl emblazoned with three interconnected, maroon-colored vertical elliptic sigils (again looked like eyes) above a series of maroon-colored diamond emblems.

Who was this woman ?

She was none other than Salem, the Queen of Grimm.

A long time ago, she was a normal woman but then she got cursed by the Two Brothers with Immortality for defying them. Then she fell into a Grimm Pool… which gave her this appearance.

Right now, she was looking at her surroundings with a passive expression on her pale face. However, it quickly turned to a frown when she felt something appearing behind her.

Turning her head, she come face to face with a really tall and well-built black haired man with neon green eyes. He was wearing an armor the like she never saw, giving him a really intimidating appearance but then she felt it.

Power

A power so strong that she couldn't help but gasp in shock.

It reminded her of the very Beings that cursed !

However, Salem didn't know why but a pang of fear slowly spread through her body as she looked at the newcomer. She cannot feel fear ! It was impossible ! She was the Queen of Grim !

"Are you Salem ?" the newcomer asked her with coldness as his eyes brightened even more, giving her the impression of living green fires.

Harry, as he stood before her, had to admit that she was really attractive… in a dark way. But still really good looking regardless.

Salem, once again, felt fear inside her but she quickly regained herself to answer him as calmly as she could

"I am ! And to whom am I speaking ?"

"I am Oblivion… I am the End… I am the Darkness..." the newcomer began to say before smirking coldly at the last words

"I am DEATH !"

Salem's eyes widened at those words but then she shook her head to retort firmly

"Death you may be but I'm cursed to never die..."

However, it was easy to detect the sadness in her tone… at least for someone who CAN detect it.

"All things die…even curses rot away with time…" Harry said simply as he looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Not mine..." Salem whispered softy before quickly sending him an energy bean

Harry watched him come with boredom as it disappeared before even touching him. The 'Queen' of Grimm looked shocked by this as she looked at him with wide eyes. Harry, then, turned his eyes to look at her with a bit of interest : it had been some times since she faced someone magical. He had seen souls of magical people but the last one was millennium ago !

"Is that all ?" he asked her with a raise-brow and a tone of boredom.

Salem's eyes shined with rage as she snarled at him. Harry, him,, grinned toothily as he stared at the lunging woman.

00/(Time Skip)/00

"Do you have enough ?" Harry asked her calmly but with a small grin on his face.

Salem laid on the ground, panting in exhaustion : around her the entire area had been destroyed… her castle was no more and her robes had been destroyed as well… only her modesty was still covered. The pale woman was staring at him with fear, unable to say a word.

She had attacked him with everything she had from thunderbolts to the strongest Grimm ever created (Wyvern and Leviathan particularly) but it was futile. Her magic never reached him and the Grimm fled at the mere sight of him ! The worse part ?

Not once did he tried to defend himself !

He had only stood there the entire time !

"Your magic rots away before touching me, your Creatures flee in terror at the sight of me and yet you still stand… There is not power of your knowledge that will stop me from claiming your soul !" Harry explained in a dark serious tone that sent shivers down her spine.

"But yet still I stand before you !" Salem retorted shakily while looking at him defiantly.

"Yes… but only because I allow it !" his word caused her to frown at him in confusion… which he saw.

"I can easily get rid of this weak imitation of immortality from you… from your very bones before turning you to dust ! You remain here because I allow it !"

Salem staid silent as her eyes still watched him. Then she flinched when his neon green eyes glared at her, as if looking at her very soul.

"Your very existence is a breach in the delicate Balance between Life and Death ! All people are born, live, and then die… It's the Cycle of Life that has been going on since the beginning of time and will continue until the end !"

His glare grew and Salem's fear grew as well

"But you… You somehow cheated Death ! Cheated me ! But no more..."

Then he raised a hand and the pale woman watched as a purple ball of energy formed in his palm.

"I promise you it won't be painful..." Harry said to her as the ball grew a bit more.

He was about to unleash his attack when…

"WAIT !" Salem cried out and the young man paused in his tracks.

"What ?" he asked her with a frown, the ball still in the palm ready to be unleashed.

"I didn't wanted to become an Immortal… As I said earlier, I was cursed !" Salem responded to him.

"By who ?" Harry asked her with some curiosity.

"By the Gods who created Remnant…" was her answer.

Harry paused again as his mind processed those words : there was only two Gods in Remnant and he hadn't seen them in a long time. .. Not that he cared anyway as he had never been particularly close to them.

"Why were you cursed ?" he asked her curiously while the ball in his hand disappeared.

Blinking in surprise for a second, Salem then looked relieved about the fact he was willing to hear her out and jumped on the occasion

She told him how she pleaded the God of Light to resurrect the man she loved (a man named Ozma) but was denied. She then went to get help from the God of Darkness while hiding the fact she went to see his brother first. Apparently, he had decided to help her and bring her lover back to life.

Sadly, the God of Light appeared and killed Ozma again (for keeping Balance from what she told him). The God of Darkness revived the man again… only to destroy him once his brother explained to him that Salem came to him first.

Enraged, she tried to attack the God of Light but was taken to his domain where she was cursed with immortality ! She explained to him that she tried many times to end her life but each attempts ended up as failure.

She then told him of how she tried to turn Humanity against the Gods… only for the Gods to wiped out everyone in their path. The Gods, disappointed by Humanity, abandoned the planet to its face while destroying the moon, leaving it shattered.

As the last human on Remnant, Salem tried to end her life by jumping in a Grim Pool, hoping that it would take her immortality and destroy her… but it didn't.

Centuries later, Mankind was back again and she found her reincarnated Husband and so started a new life together. Realizing they were the only Humans left to wield magic, they set about using their powers to act as Gods on Remnant and soon Humanity was under their control. Their great Kingdom prospered, and the two eventually started a family, having daughters.

However, things turned bad when Ozma revealed a terrible secret : his deal with the God of Light, the Relics and what would happen if they were brought together. Still furious at the Gods for cursing her, Salem thought that they were wasting their time in trying to redeem Humanity and instead, wanted to replace them with their magical line.

Ozma tried to escape with their daughters but were caught by Salem before a great battle took place between the two. Unfortunately, in the fight, they accidentally killed their beloved daughters. In rage, she killed Ozma but with him also cursed with Immortality, it was the beginning of a long feud between them.

When she finished talking, a long moment of silence followed as the young man's mind was processing what he just learned. Salem, her, also choose to stay silent, wondering what will happen to her now.

The young man before her was really powerful… maybe even more that the ones who cursed them ! Internally, she hoped that he would not kill her as she still hadn't had her revenge on those who wronged her.

"I see… You said those relics can summon them back ? What are they and how many are there ?" Harry asked her to break the silence in a calm tone.

Salem blinked at the voice but then regained her composure to answer him as truthfully as possible. After all, it wouldn't be good for to lie to Death.

"The Relics are four powerful, magical objects… All created by the God of Light… Each relics represent a gifts to Humanity : Knowledge, Creation, Destruction and Choice…"

Harry nodded at her in understanding before asking calmly but his eyes showed his anger

"Those relics… where are they ?"

Salem flinched at the tone but managed to keep her cool as she opened her mouth to answer

"I have already one of them in my possession but I'm still looking for the others…"

"Show me..." Harry ordered her sternly and she swiftly returned inside her castle.

When she came back, she was holding a bronze crown with turquoise jewels. Harry could clearly feel the power from it and narrowed his eyes. Salem, hesitantly handed him the artifact and he took it as carefully as possible.

"Which one is it ?" the young man asked her with a frown as he briefly glanced her way.

"This is the Relic of Choice…" Salem answered him calmly but inside she was nervous.

"Hmmm I see…" Harry mumbled to himself before looking back at the crown, deep in though.

The pale woman was patiently waiting for him to give her back the Artifact and after a moment, she was starting to think that he would be keeping it to himself. However, much to her ravishment, he gave it back to her with a stern expression on his face.

A short silence followed the action before Salem broke it by asking a question

"What now ?"

A part of her was still afraid that he would kill her regardless of what she revealed to him but the other part was hoping he would help her in her quest for vengeance. Harry turned his head to look down at her with a calm expression, his neon green eyes shining when he noticed the slight fear in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't destroy you… Your gain of Immortality isn't your doing..."

Those words caused Salem to sigh with relief, somewhat happy that he wouldn't destroy right there and then before she got the chance to have her revenge.

"What will you do then ?" she asked him curiously but still with deference.

Harry smiled softly at her before his expression turned somber

"Making sure those gods pay for their actions : they tampered with death, given something that wasn't theirs to give and because of this, they doomed themselves !"

Harry's voice didn't rise but at each pronounced words, his aura grew to the point that Salem soon found herself on her knees, weighed by the magnitude of his anger. The pale woman had never been so scared of someone until now.

But then she saw it : an opportunity. An opportunity to get revenge on the Gods for cursing her and on the man who betrayed her.

"My Lord..." she began to say which caused the young man to look back at her with a curious raise-brow.

"Allow me to pledge my loyalty to you as your faithful servant !"

Harry was taken aback by those words but then frowned

"Why ?" He knew that she wanted to use him for her own gain, like the Wizards and Witches of his home-world tried to do with him with Moldyshort and his clowns.

However, he will humor her and hear her out. Who know maybe she might amuse him ?

"My Lord … ever since I was cursed, I have lost hope of having the chance to see my beloved daughters again … but now… maybe it can actually happen ..."

Harry was completely taken aback : he had expected her to say she needed his help to take down the Gods but no… It was something different. The young man looked at her with an emotionless face, pondering what he should do.

While she did committed terrible things, it was mostly done because she loved a man… maybe a bit too much. Harry couldn't blame her for that and he couldn't help but admiring her. It took a lot of guts to stand up to Gods, beings far more powerful than her.

Harry was angry at those Two for playing with things they shouldn't ! When he heard about them destroying Mankind for defying them, he almost lost it.

Why ?

Because it explained what happened millenniums ago when he received in his domain more souls than usual… and just on ONE day ! All those people, elders, young, kids, toddlers… they didn't deserve this. Sure it was foolish (but courageous) of them to defy Gods but they didn't deserve to be slaughtered like cattle.

He swore on his very being that they would pay dearly for what they did.

Yeah, his 'saving-people' complex had not entirely disappeared…

Looking back at Salem, who was now on one knee, he released a deep breath before speaking again

"Very well… I accept your pledge… but if you try to outsmart me, I will send you to Oblivion, am I clear ?"

At the last part, he unleashed a bit of his aura and Salem quickly nodded in understanding.

"Yes Lord Death..."

'Lord Death' ?!

UGH !

LAME !

Harry internally grimaced at the title. He heard this one a lot of time and he hated it. That's why he adopted another name… It was one of the many things he remembered from the time he went to a Muggle School. Knowing that the true owner of the name doesn't exist, he thought it was appropriate to take it.

"My name is Thanatos..."

Salem nodded her head at the young man before her

"Yes Lord Thanatos..." she couldn't help but internally repeating the name.

The sound of it was strange… but really nice. For some reason, she liked it.

"I must go back to my domain now… Call my name if you have a clue on the Relics… or those Gods...but before I go..." Harry or Thanatos said to her before waving a hand.

Salem watched with shock as everything around returned back to its previous state as if nothing had happened. Then she watched as he disappeared in thin air, leaving behind a shocked Salem who soon smiled darkly.

Look like things are turning really good for her !

00/(Elsewhere)/00

Summer was pacing in the Great Hall, her face red in frustration. It had been a moment since the embodiment of Death left and she was still fuming of the fact he hadn't taken her with him. Oh she wanted nothing more than to be there to see him destroy Salem !

"EEEEEEPPPPPP !" Only to yelp when the object of her frustration appeared right in front of her, startling her in the process.

"My Hall must be to your liking to still be there..." Harry commented with a hint of amusement in his eyes… along with a shit grin on his face.

Summer pouted childishly at him for those words before her expression turned serious again

"Did you destroy Salem ?"

"No… She is still 'alive'..." Harry responded in a calm tone.

"WHAT ?! WHY ?!" The young woman cried out in disbelief and slight anger.

"WATCH YOUR TONE MORTAL !" Harry roared at her in a deep tone as he unleashed his aura.

Summer, realizing what she did, quickly went back on her knees to apologize again and again. The sight caused him to calm down almost instantly.

"You are forgiven… And to answer your question… Maybe it is better if I show you..." he said calmly before looking at her dead in the eyes

Almost instantly, Summer could see what had happened with Salem… and what was said. A few moments later, when Harry stopped the connexion, the young woman was in shock.

"I… I..." she wanted to say something but the words were unable to come out.

She couldn't believe that because Humanity defied them, the Gods wiped them out without a care in the world.

"I know..." Harry whispered comfortingly to the young woman.

"Will you really fight them ?" she asked him softly but it was still loud enough to hear.

"Yes… As I said before, they must pay for their actions… The controls of the dead is MY domain !" Harry retorted coldly, sending shivers of fear down the spine of the woman beside him.

"You know… I should probably thank you..."

"Huh ? Why ?" Summer asked him with slight surprise at the unexpected words.

"If you hadn't mentioned Salem, I wouldn't have discovered the crimes of the Gods…And for that, you deserve a reward… "

Summer couldn't help but feeling a bit happy and somewhat excited by what Lord Deat- No, Lord THANATOS will offer her. After all, you don't often receive gifts from DEATH itself !

"Before you start having idea : No I won't allow you to return to the Mortal Plane..."

Summer groaned in annoyance and frustration at those words which caused him to grin slightly in amusement.

"At least no yet..."

She instantly perked up at this.

"When the time will come, I will call for you… and you will be able to see your daughters once again..."

"Thank you my Lord !" Summer cried out in happiness

"You have to understand that it might not be before a few years… It will take time for Salem to find the Relics… maybe decades !"

Summer's shoulders slumped at those words.

"That's the most I can offer..." Harry whispered softly with compassion.

"I see… Can I humbly you though to keep an eye on my daughters ?" she asked him with cute puppy eyes.

"You know you have the Scroll I gave you right ?" Harry asked her with a blank expression on his face.

"Oh right..." Summer sheepishly chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head with embarrassment.

"Now that is it settled… Elysium is still waiting for you !" Harry said to her in a serious tone.

"I suppose it does..." the young woman grumbled back before walking toward the White Door.

The young woman sighed with relief when she entered Elysium before going to seat on his throne. Once he was comfortable, his eyes stared into nothingness as an expression of anger grew on his face, as pictures of the Twin Gods passed through his mind.

"You believe Life and Death is a game…" his cold voice echoed throughout the Hall, even reaching out the outside of his palace.

"And perhaps you are right… but if you think you can play better than me… Think again !"

(To be continued…)