The Daughter of Death- *RAYOR*

Chapter 24: Change

He had taken off his hood, and his eyes were blazing in his dark face. "You will not harm my daughter, or my son," he said, and though he spoke quietly, it seemed to resonate around us.

Maria's eyes widened as she registered this. She stepped back. "I- I-"

He strode forwards. The ring clanged to the ground. Meanwhile, Aster ran up to me, hugging me. "I forced him to come," he whispered to me. "He had to."

"Thank you," I whispered back. We turned to Maria again.

"You lied to her!" she shouted, pointing at me. "You lied to her about the angel!"

I looked at Death. The fire in his eyes had dimmed.

"Did you?"

He hesitated. "She was dangerous, Blake. I thought-"

"You thought you could trick the Fates?" I glared at him. "It wasn't her time."

His eyes lowered. He had dark eyes and eyelashes, the nicest I'd seen, before Maria. "I'm sorry," he said stiffly.

This was a huge blow to me. For the past few months, I'd been changing, adapting to my predicament. Had Death, too, been changing, only out of his own free will?

I hugged him before he could say anything else, closing my eyes. When I broke away, he looked confused and secretly pleased.

"It wasn't her time," said Maria again. "You lied."

"It was yours," I said. "That, at least, hasn't changed. You thought you could stop me from loving Death through his faults. But you're wrong. You've grown stupid in the years that I haven't seen you. I've changed. But unlike you, I've changed for the better."

"You wouldn't do anything," she said. "Not against your mother."

"I won't be the one doing it," I said.

"I'll take it away," she hissed. "Everything you love and value, I'll take it away."

And Death raised his scythe. Just before it fell, Maria ripped mine out of my hands and tossed it to the side, and then her spirit issued out of her body, hazy and indistinct, blurry and vaporous. Death rose up with her to the Underworld. To the Judges of the Underworld.

Home.

I smiled, turning around- until my heart stopped.

The blade hadn't touched the ground. And Maria hadn't been lying.

Everything you love and value, I'll take it away.

"WILLOW!" I screamed.

But he was gone.