Chapter 8

Keith's pen froze mid-sentence as every divine sense he possessed suddenly screamed danger.

The lecture hall around him continued normally—students taking notes, someone coughing in the back row, the steady tick of the wall clock—but underneath it all, Keith felt something massive shifting in the spiritual realm.

"Professor Keith?" A student in the front row looked concerned.

"Are you alright?"

Keith realized he'd been staring at nothing for several seconds. With an effort, he pulled his attention back to the classroom.

"Fine, just lost my train of thought. Let's call it here for today. Read chapters twelve through fourteen for next class."

The moment the last student left, Keith closed his eyes and extended his supernatural senses fully.

There, across the city, something was happening to Luna. Her spiritual energy was blazing like a newborn star, calling to every spirit within miles.

His phone buzzed with a text from Akira: "Something's wrong with Rei. She just called crying, asking if she could come over. She sounded terrified."

Keith's blood chilled. Rei's powers were awakening, and she was completely unprepared for it.

"I'm on my way," he typed back, already grabbing his coat.

The Sakura Animal Shelter sat in chaos when Keith arrived. To mortal eyes, it looked normal, but Keith could see dozens of translucent spirits surrounding the building, all drawn by Luna's unconscious call. Inside, he could sense Luna's terror making her powers fluctuate wildly.

But she wasn't alone.

Keith's divine vision pierced through the walls and found two figures watching from the shadows: Ethan Cross, the blonde boy from his class, and something else—an ancient entity that made Keith's divine nature recoil with disgust.

The thing was whispering to Ethan, urging him forward toward the terrified girl.

"Now," the entity hissed. "While she's vulnerable. Offer to help her. Make her depend on you."

Keith had seen enough.

Rei was inside the shelter, pressed against a wall as confused spirits reached toward her with translucent hands. Cats and dogs were going wild, sensing the supernatural activity. The poor girl was sobbing, trying to push away beings only she could see.

"Please, leave me alone," she whispered. "I don't understand what's happening."

That's when Ethan made his move, slipping through the back door with inhuman stealth. "Rei?" he called out, his voice perfectly calibrated to sound concerned and caring.

"I heard you crying. Let me help you."

"No," Keith growled, and the temperature around the building dropped twenty degrees.

He had spent decades hiding his true nature, playing the role of a gentle professor and loving father. But watching some cosmic parasite trying to manipulate a vulnerable girl—his girl, the child he'd helped raise—shattered his carefully maintained restraint.

Keith's human facade began to crack.

His white hair grew longer, flowing like liquid starlight down his shoulders. His red eyes blazed with inner fire as power older than civilizations coursed through his mortal form.

The very air around him shimmered with divine authority as he stepped through the shelter's wall like it was made of mist.

"Get away from her," Keith commanded, and his voice carried the weight of absolute judgment.

Ethan spun around, his face going pale as he stared at Keith's transformed appearance. "Who—what are you?"

"I am Death," Keith replied simply, and every spirit in the building immediately knelt in reverence. "I am the shepherd of souls, the final judge, the god who rules the realm these spirits call home."

The entity inhabiting Ethan's ring began screaming—a sound of pure terror that only supernatural beings could hear.

"The God of Death? Here? Claiming some mortal girl?"

Keith's power expanded outward like a tidal wave, washing over the city and beyond. Every deity, every cosmic entity, every supernatural being capable of sensing divine energy suddenly knew exactly where he was and exactly what message he was sending.

She is mine. She is under my protection. Touch her and face my wrath.

Rei, who had been cowering against the wall, suddenly felt a warm presence wrap around her like a protective embrace.

The chaotic spirits stopped reaching for her and instead bowed respectfully before fading back to their proper realm. The animals in the shelter calmed instantly, sensing the presence of someone who commanded respect from all living things.

"Uncle Keith?" Luna whispered, recognizing him despite his transformed appearance.

"It's alright, little star," Keith said gently, his voice returning to the warm tone she knew. "You're safe now."

Across the city, various supernatural entities who had been stirring with interest suddenly decided they had better things to do. A few brave ones probed deeper, trying to understand why the God of Death would claim a seemingly ordinary human girl. But the moment they sensed that Rei's awakening power connected her to the spirit realm, Hades' domain, they hastily retreated.

No one was stupid enough to challenge Death in his own territory.

The entity in Ethan's ring was practically gibbering with terror.

"We didn't know! How could we have known? The girl showed no signs of divine heritage!"

"Because she doesn't need divine heritage," Keith replied, his transformed appearance making him look like an ancient king. "She has something better. She has my protection."

Ethan stumbled backward, the entity's fear infecting his own confidence. "This isn't over," he tried to say, but his voice cracked.

Keith smiled, and it was not a pleasant expression.

"Oh, but it is. You see, I'm not just any god. I'm the god who decides when things end. And if you come near my family again, any of my family I will personally escort your soul to a very interesting corner of my realm."

The ring on Ethan's finger went completely silent. The entity had fled back to whatever cosmic hole it had crawled from, abandoning its chosen puppet rather than face Hades' direct attention.

Ethan ran.

Keith's hair slowly returned to its normal length, his eyes dimming to their usual red glow. When he turned to Rei, he was once again the gentle professor she'd known since childhood, though now she could see the immense power lurking beneath his kind exterior.

"Rei," he said softly, kneeling beside her. "Your powers are awakening. It's going to be scary for a while, but I promise you won't face it alone."

"You're really..." she whispered.

"The God of Death, yes. But more importantly, I'm someone who loves you like a daughter."

Keith helped her to her feet. "Come on. Let's go home. Akira is making your favorite dinner, and Sephy is worried sick."

As they walked toward his car, Luna asked quietly, "Will those spirits keep bothering me?"

Keith smiled. "Not anymore. Word travels fast in the supernatural community. By now, every spirit, demon, and cosmic entity knows that Miss Rei is under the protection of Death himself. They'll give you the respect you deserve."

"And that boy? Ethan?"

Keith's expression darkened slightly. "He won't be a problem anymore. Some battles end the moment your opponent realizes exactly who they're fighting."

Rei nodded, feeling safer than she had in months. As they drove home, she couldn't help but ask, "Does this mean I can call you Uncle Hades now?"

Keith laughed with a warm, genuine sound.

"Keith is fine, little star. I may be the God of Death, but I'm still the man who taught you how to ride a bike and helped you with your math homework."

And across the city, supernatural beings settled back into their hidden lairs, content to leave the awakening girl alone. After all, there were easier targets than someone claimed by Death himself.