Ancient is the Love of Life

Chapter 2 ~ A Three - Way Contradiction

"DEATH!" I bellow, scattering low-ranking Reapers in my wake upon my furious arrival into Headquarters.

"Yes, Master?" Death queries as he materializes before me, a tinge of satisfaction coloring his tone.

"What the hell is this?" I demand, waving my talons in his hooded face. I await his answer with gritted teeth, which reminds me that I still have the bloody fangs too!

"Ah. Seems you are a Wendigo Demon. Huh... I would have pegged you for a Serpent affiliation given your Parseltongue gift." Death muses as he inspects the claws. "Ironic given how pure you still are..."

"And what exactly does being a... Wendigo Demon even mean!" I ask in a deceptively calm voice, a tight smile plastered on my lips. You better not give me some cryptic bullshit either! I add mentally.

Death, seeming to sense he is starting to approach thin ice makes the right call. "Well Master, you have unlocked the Demon characteristics that were gifted to you along with those of a Reaper and Angel. Basically, you have the powers of all three Immortal races and certain physical attributes and affiliations of each are connected to your being now."

"And why am I just now experiencing, much less, knowing about this?" I growl and Death actually shifts his weight back a bit at my dark tone. I probably look rabid with my bared fangs and the new tainted magic thrumming under my skin.

"You've already had experience wielding the powers of a Reaper, being the Master of Death and all. When you met the rogue Reaper, Undertaker, you unlocked what little power you were not aware of. That is why you did not notice your Reaper attributes as much because you have become used to them over the years before coming to this world." Death explains patiently and seems to relax slightly as I dial down my aggression. He continues before I can ask any more questions. 

"What you are going through now is the unlocking of your Demonic powers and the physical representations of your Demon species. Like with the Reaper, this has now been unearthed by being in the presence of a Demon. And also similar to how you learned to control and identify your Reaper abilities, you will have to do the same with your Demonic powers until they become just as familiar. And the same goes for Angels when you eventually encounter one."

I blink and inhale deeply through my nose, bringing up my hands to massage my temples as I process this new and frankly confusing information. "Why do I even have the powers of each Immortal? Why not just the Reaper, that is the most logical choice."

"The Fates seemed to think it would be necessary to bestow the other traits and magic upon you. I did not have the jurisdiction to question since I was allowing you to enter a new dimension. And as I am sure you now know, the rules of this dimension are a bit different from the one you came from."

I groan softly and bury my face in my hands. The adrenaline from the mission is slowly starting to drain away and I suddenly feel exhausted. I can also sense the Demon magic slowly settling back within my Magical Core, slumbering till I have need of it. A few minutes later the claws and fangs disappear as well.

"By the way, Master. The claws and teeth are only just a fraction of your actual Demon form. You'll have to figure out how to access it and shift if need be into the full embodiment of the Wendigo Demon." Death pipes up casually.

The only thing I can think of to utter is, "What is my life?"

"A three-way contradiction!" Death shoots back cheerfully.

I feel the overwhelming urge to cry...

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

A few days after my unexpected revelation I follow Death and William T. Spears to the room holding the yet-to-be-chosen Death Scythes. Dozens of weapons and tools line rows of wide shelves, sharp edges gleaming in the light. I glance at Death questioningly as we stroll down the aisles at a languid pace.