Hereditary Obsession

"Alright! First order of business—where do we start looking, Mi Corazon?" Zhuxen beamed, eyes twinkling like a lovestruck fool.

Thanatos froze. His fingers twitched. His soul—which had seen eons of human suffering—almost left his body out of sheer secondhand embarrassment.

"Mi... what?" he asked slowly, as if he hadn't heard right.

"Mi Corazon, my love," Zhuxen repeated sweetly, stepping forward like a heroine in a romance drama, her hands reaching for his.

Thanatos yanked his hands away so fast that he might've broken the sound barrier. "Can you not?" He exhaled, rubbing his temples. "And just so we're clear, there's no we in this matter. Just me. Me, myself, and—"

Before he could make a dramatic exit, he felt a tug at his cloak.

He turned back.

Zhuxen was holding onto the fabric with a suspiciously wide grin—the kind of grin that sent shivers down Thanatos's spine, not because it was charming, but because it felt like a prelude to chaos.

Thanatos blinked. Wait a minute.

How was she touching him? No human should be able to touch him.

"Is this something a supposed-dead person could do? I need to write that down," Thanatos thought, aggressively pulled back his cloak.

Zhuxen gasped theatrically as a book and a pen suddenly materialized from a swirl of black smoke in his hands and write his new discovery.

She gawked at them in awe. "Oh my god, that's so hot!" she squealed, clutching her chest.

Thanatos grinned despite himself. Damn right, it is.

Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, the book and pen vanished into thin air. So did his remaining patience. He groaned and pulled his hoodie up.

"Look, woman. I have important Grim Reaper business to attend to. You just… continue whatever nonsense you were doing. I'll be back once I—"

"AHHHH!!" Zhuxen screamed, hopping in place like a crazed fangirl.

Thanatos flinched. "What—what now?!"

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" Zhuxen shrieked, turning to Lian, her poor, exhausted maid who had been standing silently in the background, looking like she was about to pass out from secondhand embarrassment.

Lian sighed, closing her eyes. "My lady, please... for the love of the gods... shut up."

Thanatos, for once, agreed.

Zhuxen bounced on her heels like she didn't hear anything, clutching her hands together. "Did you hear that, Lian?! He will be back for me!"

Lian, who had long since lost the will to question reality, massaged her temples. "My lady, even if I couldn't see your imaginary friend, I think he's... Let's say... Aggressively annoyed. I believe it's time for you to sleep."

Zhuxen twirled, cutting her off. "Oh, don't be silly. He said he'll come back to me once he'll find his scythe, but of course, he won't be needing to do that..." She turned back to Thanatos. "Because I'm coming with him."

Lian sighed in exhaustion, she felt like she had exhaled all the air in her lungs. It had been a long, strange day filled with more absurdity than she could handle.

And to make matters worse, she is still talking to the open air and refuse to sleep.

"My lady," Lian tried again, her voice firm. "You cannot go anywhere. You have responsibilities. The son of Baron Eustace de Vesci is visiting tomorrow."

Zhuxen hummed thoughtfully, tilting her head. "Hmm… did you say the son of Baron Eustace de Vesci?"

Lian sighed in relief. Finally, something that would distract her lady from whatever madness had possessed her. "Yes. William de Vesci, my lady. Surely you remember him?"

Zhuxen did. William de Vesci was the hottest man in town. Objectively speaking, he was perfect—charming, wealthy, and with the kind of face that made young maidens swoon. Even she had to admit that.

But does she love him?

Meh.

"Stay there, I'm still thinking," she muttered, waving a distracted hand in Lian's direction.

Lian blinked. "My lady?"

Zhuxen ignored her, her focus entirely on Thanatos, who had just made the unfortunate decision to attempt an escape.

The moment he moved, she grabbed onto his cloak once again, yanking him back like an owner catching their runaway dog.

Thanatos let out a strangled sound, whipping around in shock. "What—How—Let go!"

Zhuxen tightened her grip, glaring up at him. "You were about to leave without telling me where we're going first."

"We are not going anywhere because you are staying here!"

Lian, who still saw absolutely nothing, nearly screamed. "My lady, please! You're hurting my pride as your lady-in-waiting. Please tell me why are you doing this?" Lian covered her mouth dramatically.

Zhuxen shot her an exasperated look. "Oh, please, Lian. I already told you about Thanatos, the love of my life, way too many time. And now that he's here, you can't see him?" Zhuxen also covered her mouth dramatically. "I'm so disappointed with you."

Lian clutched her forehead this time. "I'm so di—My lady, I beg you to stop this madness and go to bed!"

Thanatos, meanwhile, was too busy trying—and failing—to shake off the woman who somehow managed to negate his ability to disappear.

He looked down at where her fingers clung to his cloak.

This… this shouldn't be possible. No human could negate such abilities. She's not even dead!

Which… okay, fine. Zhuxen was technically dead. But still! Even spirits couldn't yank him around like this!

"Let. Go." He gritted out.

Zhuxen didn't budge. "Not until you admit we're in this together."

"We are not in this together!"

"We are in this together!"

Lian, watching her lady argue with literal thin air, took a deep breath. Then another.

Then she turned and walked straight into the wall.

Zhuxen paused mid-battle, frowning. "Lian?"

Lian stayed where she was, forehead pressed against the cold surface, muttering under her breath, "Please let me sleep. Please let me sleep. Please let me sleep."

Zhuxen turned back to Thanatos. "Look, if you really want to leave, I have a simple solution."

Thanatos glared. "What?"

"Take me with you."

Thanatos groaned, dragging both hands down his face. "I'd rather get demoted!"

Lian, at her limit, let out a strangled cry. "My lady! The baron's son! Tomorrow!"

Zhuxen blinked, looking at her like she had just remembered William de Vesci existed.

Right! Her parents absolutely adored William de Vesci. In fact, her father, Lord Ling, had explicitly stated that if she couldn't pick a suitor herself, they would graciously do it for her—and surprise, surprise, their golden boy William was the top pick.

Now, under normal circumstances, that wouldn't be a problem. William was rich, handsome, and didn't have a single criminal record—what more could a girl's parents ask for?

But now? Now that Thanatos was here?

Oh, absolutely not.

She had orchestrated far too many near-death experiences just to catch a glimpse of this man. She had risked her life... and, okay, maybe technically lost it, just to meet him. And now that she could physically hold him?

There was no way in hell she was marrying some pretty nobleman when Death himself was standing right in front of her.

All those stupid near-fatal plans? Worth it.

All those concerned looks from her family? Worth it.

All those times Lian had screamed, "MY LADY, YOU CANNOT DRINK POISON JUST TO SEE IF DEATH WILL SHOW UP!"

Absolutely. Worth. It.

Absolute cinema!

Zhuxen turned back to Thanatos.

Then back to Lian.

Then back to Thanatos.

And then, with a smirk, she yanked his cloak and forced him down to her level.

"I have a business proposal for you," Zhuxen grinned, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Not interested," Thanatos deadpanned, stood straight, crossing his arms.

Zhuxen is still clinging to her. Even tighter now.

"Oh? So you'd be totally fine with me clinging onto you for the rest of my life? That's so romantic," she tilted her head, eyes twinkling mischievously.

"You're technically dead," Thanatos groaned, already regretting his existence.

"Oh, my love. I'm. Still. Not," she chuckled, dramatically placing a hand on her chest. "And for as long as I live, I'm gonna hold you."

Thanatos blinked. Then, with the grace of a man who had absolutely had enough, he let out the slowest, longest sigh known to the afterlife. "Why me?"

"Why not?" Zhuxen leaned in closer, batting her lashes. "This is fate. Destiny. The stars aligning—"

"Poor life choices," he corrected.

"Semantics," she waved him off.

Thanatos cocked a brow, taking a step back only to realize she followed. He took another. Still followed. He stopped. She grinned.

"I don't know what's going on," Zhuxen muttered. "But I can see that you can't disappear when I hold you."

Thanatos's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And I'm so concerned that you find this amusing."

Zhuxen giggled, practically vibrating with excitement. "Oh, it's just that Grandmother was so right."

Thanatos frowned. "Grandmother? What grandmother?"

"You might remember her," Zhuxen said, pressing her lips together as if suppressing a laugh. "Lady Charlotte Victoria Zhong."

The world stopped. Birds fell out of the sky. Somewhere in the distance, a ghost screamed.

Thanatos froze. His pupils shrank. His soul left his body.

"C-CHARLOTTE VICTORIA ZHONG?!" he stammered, his entire immortal existence flashing before his eyes.

Zhuxen beamed. "Ah, so you do remember!"

"REMEMBER?!" Thanatos clutched his head. "YOU MEAN YOU'RE THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF THAT CRAZY WOMAN WHO LOCKED ME UP FOR 20 YEARS?!"

"Twenty-two," she corrected. "You always forget the two extra years in the basement."

Thanatos made a sound. It was somewhere between a groan, a scream, and the distant cries of a man who had just realized his suffering was hereditary.