After talking to Lucas, Mayor Walker’s son, Alex returned to the Impala and took the passenger seat. Dean was already behind the wheel.

Alex suggested that they first drop Enid back at Nevermore so they would have time to talk calmly later.

Hearing this, Dean nodded, but his gaze once again involuntarily fell on the Ring of Death on Alex’s finger. Dozens of questions swirled in his head, but he understood perfectly well that now was not the time to ask them.

When they pulled up to Nevermore again, Alex promised Enid that he would stop by later, after he dealt with his business, before she got out of the car.

Enid nodded with a sad smile. She understood perfectly well that Mayor Walker’s death meant even more work for Alex. Alex gently patted her on the head in farewell and gave her an encouraging smile. It helped Enid steady herself a little after such a hard day.

When she left, Dean started the engine again and pulled away, heading somewhere they could talk without being interrupted.

As the Impala drove away from Nevermore, Alex tensely thought about what excuse he could come up with to convince Dean where the Ring of Death on his finger had come from.

He knew one thing for sure: he couldn’t tell the truth. He couldn’t talk about the ring being given to him by order of True Death herself. And he definitely couldn’t mention that after he put it on, he was attacked and given a very “warm” welcome in Lady Death’s personal domain.

In the end, Alex came to a simple and well-tested conclusion — it was better to spout nonsense again, but with the most convincing expression possible. A few vague phrases about balance, the order of things, and the universe’s prohibitions — and people usually believed it.

While he was working out his story, Dean turned onto the shoulder and parked the Impala near the forest, in a place where no one would overhear them.

Turning off the engine, Dean threw Alex a brief look and got out of the car, making it clear that the conversation would be better continued in the fresh air.

Alex let out a heavy sigh and followed him. Stepping out of the Impala, he lit a cigarette and leaned against the hood.

“So, care to share where you got the Ring of Death?” Dean asked, looking at Alex. “Or should I remind you what happened to the previous Death?”

“That’s pretty hard to explain without sounding like a lunatic who escaped from an asylum,” Alex replied, exhaling cigarette smoke.

“We’ve been living in that asylum our whole lives,” Dean shot back calmly. “I was blessed by God’s own sister. And I wore that ring for a while. Just one day — and it wasn’t the most pleasant experience. But I know enough to understand the weight it carries. So start talking.”

“Alright…” Alex exhaled and flicked away the ash. “After everything that happened yesterday, I decided to stop by the hospital to check on Mayor Walker.”

“And why?” Dean raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me this was your doing and he died because of you.”

“Let me finish first,” Alex said, shaking ash off his cigarette. “After the fire at the Gates family house, I realized that the criminal hiding in the shadows would want to cover all their tracks and, most likely, finish off the mayor. I went into the ward… and there was a reaper. He said he brought me the ring and a message.”

“And why would he do that?” Dean frowned. “And what kind of message?”

“He said that once I put the ring on, I’d understand everything. But here’s the catch…” Alex tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Let me guess,” Dean snorted. “You didn’t understand a damn thing.”

“More or less. Mostly nonsense about balance and the natural order of things. That everyone has to die when they’re supposed to. Not earlier, not later,” Alex said thoughtfully.

“And now you’re the big boss?” Dean squinted. “Or something like that?”

“You could say that. Basically, the same thing is happening to me as happened to you. You got Amara’s blessing, and I got Death’s. I think our chances of keeping the world from falling apart just went up a bit,” Alex said, stroking his chin.

“Well, that’s nice to hear,” Dean smirked. “Any bonuses? Teleportation, a scythe, a grim cloak? Or is all you got the phrase ‘now you’re Death’ and a ton of responsibilities?”

Alex almost smacked himself on the forehead. He hadn’t actually checked what exactly came with the ring. His thoughts were too tangled — all he could think about was the new mountain of work he never asked for, and the fact that he couldn’t take the ring off.

Pushing off the hood, Alex took a step to the side and acted on instinct. In the next moment, a long black scythe appeared in his hand, its massive blade adorned with carved skulls. Examining the weapon, Alex thought it looked suspiciously similar to the scythe of Death from one universe where Death had been a Nephilim.

Dean looked at the scythe with interest, then automatically recalled the Mark of Cain blade — which, compared to this, looked almost like a toy.

“So this is how you compensate for your size?” Dean asked dryly.

“Go to hell, man,” Alex snorted, flipping him off. “Jealousy doesn’t suit you.”

Dean flipped him off in return.

And before another verbal sparring match could start, Alex decided to test his new weapon.

He figured that if he now had Death’s scythe, then maybe he could slightly forgive Lady Death for dumping a whole mountain of work on him without asking. Just a little.

Alex deftly spun the scythe in his hands. The blade whistled through the air as he literally began juggling the weapon, passing it from hand to hand and spinning it at incredible speed.

Then came a sharp swing.

The tree was cut with frightening ease. The trunk slowly slid to the side before crashing to the ground with a dull thud.

Dean whistled, genuinely impressed.

Looking at the fallen tree, Alex decided to test a few more “bonuses,” fully relying on the power of the Ring of Death.

He kept spinning the scythe — and in the next instant, he simply vanished.

Alex reappeared in midair above the ground. Falling, he spun, slicing a second tree in half with a single motion, then landed softly, as if he had merely taken a step.

He paused for another second, then gripped the scythe with both hands.

The weapon shuddered — and instantly split into two shorter scythes.

“Whoa…” Alex whistled softly, not hiding his own surprise.

There was no longer any doubt: in his hands was the very weapon once wielded by Death the Nephilim. Dean, seeing the two scythes, merely clicked his tongue in irritation.

Alex decided not to stop. He kicked a log into the air, jumped after it — and in a fraction of a second turned it into neat pieces, as if chopping vegetables on a cutting board. Landing, Alex didn’t even turn around. The sliced log collapsed behind him in a tidy pile.

“Damn, man!” Dean breathed, staring at him. “Were you trained by kung fu monks or something? What the hell was that just now?!”

“I don’t really know myself,” Alex shrugged. “It’s all kind of… instinctive. I helped you get used to your power, and when I got mine — it just came naturally. Though I’m still limited in how I can use it. Fighting with a scythe, though — that’s a whole different story.”

Both scythes vanished as if they had never existed.

“Yeah, instinctive…” Dean snorted. “Like I believe that. And those aerial pirouettes? Teleportation?”

“Well, we watched anime together,” Alex replied lazily, rolling his eyes. “I figured I could try a couple of tricks. And as you can see, it worked. Pretty easily, actually. No one was stopping you from trying either, by the way.”

“Yeah. The anime main character,” Dean muttered. “Alright, screw you. What’s next? Can you use your new power to find our villain?”

“I can,” Alex replied calmly. “But I won’t. Order, balance, and all that crap. I told you — everyone has to die when they’re supposed to. Not earlier, not later. No exceptions.”

“Fine, whatever you say, half-Death,” Dean rolled his eyes.

“Oh, right, before I forget,” Alex added, pulling out a cigarette. “We’ll have to dig up Mayor Walker tonight. I put him into a state of clinical death before our villain, Laurel Gates, could finish him off completely.”

Dean froze. His face was full of questions—enough to fill an entire interrogation. Noticing this, Alex sat back on the hood of the Impala and began calmly explaining the plan.

He told him that if they had just saved the mayor and let him “not die,” Laurel could have completed her plan, and they wouldn’t even have realized what exactly she was doing. They still didn’t know why she was collecting parts of her victims’ bodies, why she stole the book, or what she intended to do with Amara’s shard of power.

“Most likely, she’s preparing a ritual,” Alex said thoughtfully. “But if we interfere too early, she could completely lose control. And then everything would just get worse. We need her to step out of the shadows on her own.”

Dean listened carefully and finally nodded.

“Alright, got it. So we wait for Laurel Gates to slip up. But that doesn’t stop us from figuring out which identity she’s hiding under and, at the same time, looking for the monster she’s keeping on a leash.”

“Exactly,” Alex nodded. “Now, maybe you’ll drop me back in Nevermore?”

“Nope,” Dean smirked, climbing into the driver’s seat and starting the engine. “Use your new Death tricks and get back to your two girlfriends yourself.”

Without waiting for Alex’s answer, Dean slammed the gas. The tires screeched, and music immediately blared from the Impala’s speakers. The car shot forward and disappeared around the corner.

Alex remained standing by the roadside, silently watching Dean drive off.

He gritted his teeth—and in the next moment, teleported straight into the Impala.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” Dean shouted, yanking the wheel so hard the car nearly skidded off the road.

But Alex had already vanished. The last thing Dean heard was a furious, colorful string of cursing. A second later, Alex appeared at the gates of Nevermore. He walked calmly into the grounds, closing his eyes to sense Wednesday’s presence. It registered instantly—a buzzing hive.

Lighting a cigarette, Alex entered the academy grounds and almost immediately realized that Larrisa Weems had canceled classes for the entire day due to Mayor Walker’s death. Students passed by without paying him any attention—as if Alex had already become part of Nevermore, possibly because of how often he appeared there.

He headed toward the far end of the academy. From a distance, he could hear the steady hum of bees. As he approached, he saw Eugene in a protective suit, carefully collecting honey from the hives.

“Yo, Chum. How’s your leg?” Alex called, raising a hand in greeting.

“Much better now, thanks for asking,” Eugene smiled. “My moms said I should thank you and your partner for the help. But I didn’t know how.”

“Chum, let’s do it the old-fashioned way,” Alex smirked and patted him on the shoulder. “A couple of jars of honey and we’re square. By the way, have you seen Wednesday? She left after Mayor Walker’s funeral, and I lost track of her.”

“She’s in the barn with her uncle,” Eugene replied with a tight smile. “You better be prepared… her uncle… well, he’s a bit strange.”

Alex smiled faintly, gave a thumbs-up, and made it clear he could handle it. After saying goodbye to Eugene, he headed toward the barn. If his memory served him right, Uncle Fester had recognized the monster. And that meant there was no longer any point in hiding the truth—the creature they were hunting was a Hyde.

Reaching the barn doors, Alex pushed them slightly and stepped inside. And in the very next second, someone attacked him. Alex reacted instantly. A sweep of the leg—and the attacker went down. In the next split second, Alex pinned him face-first to the wooden floor, pulled a knife from behind his back, and drove the blade into the boards right next to his opponent’s head.

Everything happened so fast that Wednesday didn’t even have time to blink.

“Let him go. That’s my uncle,” she said tiredly.

Alex froze. He looked up at Wednesday, who was calmly watching him, then lowered his gaze—and saw a bald, almost corpse-white head and a satisfied grin.

Alex put the knife away and released Fester. He immediately jumped to his feet and dusted himself off, as if this sort of thing happened to him regularly. Wednesday rubbed the bridge of her nose. She hadn’t managed to stop her uncle—and now she was dealing with the consequences.

Alex calmly sheathed the knife and finally took a proper look at Fester: pale skin, wild eyes, a heavy black cloak, and a completely shaved head.

“Whew, no one’s ever taken me down that fast,” Fester said cheerfully. “That’s a first. Even the orderlies in those psychiatric hospitals where I vacationed weren’t that quick. Who are you, kid?”

“My name’s Alexander. I—” Alex began, tilting his head slightly.

“He’s my fiancé. My parents approve,” Wednesday interrupted calmly.

Fester blinked.

“What?! Really?!” His grin widened even more. “Though… when you look closely, it makes perfect sense. You’ve got the same look your mother has when she looks at your father—like she can’t decide whether to strangle Gomez or hug him.”

Alex glanced at Wednesday and raised an eyebrow slightly at her words. They had agreed that he would pretend to be her fiancé only for her parents’ visit—just for parents’ day, nothing more. However, Wednesday’s cold, steady gaze made it clear: she had said exactly what she wanted to say, and she had no intention of taking it back. Meanwhile, Uncle Fester strolled leisurely around Alex, nodding approvingly and occasionally making his strange remarks.

“Wednesday, your uncle approves of your fiancé. He’s good,” Fester declared with a wide grin.

“I don’t need approval. I’ll decide for myself,” Wednesday replied evenly.

“Yes, yes, whatever you say,” Uncle Fester drawled with a smile, continuing to study her.

“Uh… maybe I should come back later? I actually came to check on you. You left as soon as they started burying Mayor Walker,” Alex said, pulling a cigarette from his pocket.

“I always leave when they start burying the body. And my uncle recognized the monster,” Wednesday replied, lighting Alex’s cigarette.

“And what kind of monster is it? We thought we’d already figured everything out,” Alex raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise, and exhaled a stream of smoke.

“The monster you’re hunting is a Hyde,” Uncle Fester said, nodding.

“What? That’s impossible. Hydes were supposed to be wiped out. Every last one,” Alex said, skillfully feigning confusion.

“How do you know that?” Wednesday looked at him closely, lifting an eyebrow slightly.

“Remember when you came to me to change my bandages? I told you about the order that Dean and I belong to. One of the order’s members studied Hydes. When it became clear they couldn’t be controlled, the order was given: identify every Hyde and destroy them. No exceptions,” Alex said, exhaling smoke once more.

Wednesday frowned slightly, clearly doubting his words. Noticing her look, Alex gestured for her to come closer. When she did, he took out his phone and stepped behind her, carefully sliding his hands under her arms so she could see everything on the screen herself. Wednesday barely reacted to such closeness anymore—she seemed used to his gestures—and lightly leaned her back against his chest.

Alex opened a file from the Men of Letters archives on his phone. Wednesday read the document carefully—it was a letter with a direct order to begin a массов hunt for Hydes, with clear instructions to find and kill every single one without exception.

Uncle Fester watched the scene with a broad grin, hardly believing his eyes: Wednesday was allowing someone to stand so close to her without the slightest resistance, letting him into her personal space. And the sight gave him genuine pleasure.

Alex, however, didn’t show the rest of the documents—the ones that pointed to the possibility of surviving Hydes who simply didn’t know about their true nature. The same applied to Sheriff Donovan’s wife: during a seizure, she had transformed into a Hyde, after which she was taken to the Oldest House for experiments, where she later died when the building was attacked by the Hiss.

“Oh my, you’ve already come this far. How sweet,” Uncle Fester drawled cheerfully.

“Uncle Fester, not now. Tell me about the book you mentioned,” Wednesday said, still remaining in Alex’s unspoken embrace.

“Ah yes… Your fiancé’s appearance completely threw me off. You’ve read Faulkner’s journal, haven’t you? Even before Nevermore was founded, there was a scholar named Nathaniel Faulkner. He traveled the world and studied communities of Outcasts,” Uncle Fester began.

“Faulkner?.. That sounds familiar. I think I’ve heard that name before,” Alex said, tilting his head slightly.

“How do you know about that book? I haven’t seen it in the library, and Nevermore is famous for its extensive collection,” Wednesday said, frowning.

“Do you think your parents only now can’t tear themselves away from each other? It’s about the same with you and your fiancé,” Uncle Fester remarked with a smirk.

“Get to the point,” Wednesday said coldly.

“Oy vey… Once I paid a visit to your father. And let’s just say, I interrupted them doing something that definitely wasn’t a pillow fight,” Uncle Fester added, chuckling quietly.

Hearing this, Alex’s eye twitched almost imperceptibly, and he barely managed to keep himself from laughing out loud. Wednesday fixed Uncle Fester with an icy stare and then, without ceremony, pinched Alex’s arm, making it perfectly clear that this was not the time for amusement.

Alex immediately fell tactfully silent—he had no desire to once again recall Gomez and Morticia and their rather explicit displays of affection. He had already had the pleasure of witnessing that during their visit to Nevermore on Parents’ Day, and, frankly, that spectacle was enough to last him for many years.

“Uncle Fester, I told you: get to the point. The journal. Where is it?” Wednesday’s voice grew even colder.

“Yes, yes, sorry,” Fester replied hastily. “The journal is kept in the Belladonna Library. Your father sent me there and told me to wait. There I found a small safe. I was hoping there would be money inside… or at least some jewelry. But there was only the journal,” he added with a sincerely disappointed look.

“We’ll go to the library this evening. Until then, don’t stick your head out. Don’t let yourself be found. And if they do find you—I’ll disown you and collect the bounty on your head,” Wednesday said calmly, staring her uncle straight in the eyes.

“And how much do they pay for my dear niece’s uncle’s head?” Alex asked with genuine interest.

“Ha-ha-ha!” Fester laughed. “I like your fiancé more and more, Wednesday. He’ll fit right into our family without any trouble.”

Wednesday did not bother to answer either Alex or Uncle Fester. She simply grabbed Alex by the hand and dragged him along, under Fester’s cheerful and clearly satisfied gaze. As Wednesday confidently pulled him forward, Alex managed to wave goodbye to Eugene.

Before leaving, Wednesday stopped, turned to Eugene, and reminded him to keep his mouth shut and to keep an eye on Uncle Fester—preferably not letting him eat the bees. Eugene immediately made a “zip it” gesture, and at the mention of bees, he instantly bolted into the barn. Wednesday considered that a sufficient precaution and dragged Alex along once more.

When she held his hand, her fingers involuntarily brushed against the Ring of Death on his index finger. Wednesday immediately felt how cold it was—not just cold, but frighteningly alien.

That sensation only strengthened her certainty that the ring was far from ordinary, especially when she recalled Dean’s reaction upon seeing it on Alex’s finger. Wanting answers, Wednesday headed straight for the dormitory, to a place where no one would be able to eavesdrop.

As she led Alex across the grounds of Nevermore, he calmly took out his phone and texted Dean that they had been wrong about the monster. The reply came almost instantly—just a single question mark.

Alex immediately forwarded him the information about the creature known as a Hyde. He understood that hiding it any longer was pointless, and sent everything at once. After receiving the next batch of information, Dean didn’t reply again, and Alex slipped his phone back into his pocket.

When they reached the dormitory, Wednesday practically shoved Alex into the room, which visibly surprised Enid, who was still trying to recover from the funeral. Once again finding himself in Wednesday and Enid’s room, Alex calmly sat down on a chair and began to spin slowly.

“Wednesday, where did you disappear to?” Enid asked, looking at her while she carefully put her umbrella away in the closet.

“I always leave when they start lowering the coffin,” Wednesday replied evenly, without going into the details of what had happened after the funeral.

“Oh right, I almost forgot,” Alex said casually, continuing to spin on the chair while looking at Wednesday. “I won’t be able to go to the library with you this evening. I’ve got other things to take care of.”

“Why?” Wednesday narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Well… I’ll need to dig up Mayor Walker,” Alex replied calmly, still spinning.

The phone Enid was holding slipped from her hands and hit the floor with a dull thud. Wednesday slowly turned her narrowed gaze on Alex. He, however, continued to spin silently in the chair, as if nothing had happened.

Wednesday’s eye twitched. She stepped closer and abruptly stopped the chair, forcing Alex to look at her. Her cold stare made it perfectly clear: either he explained everything right now, or things would only get worse. Even Enid was looking at him in a way that left no doubt—both of them were expecting answers.

“Alright, alright, no need to look at me like that,” Alex said placatingly. “Mayor Walker isn’t exactly dead… I mean, he kind of died, but not really. Although he actually did die. It’s just a lot more complicated, and I can’t tell you everything—what, how, or why,” he added in a calm tone, thoughtfully turning the Ring of Death on his index finger.

Wednesday squinted and looked again at the ring on Alex’s finger, which he was slowly rotating, as if weighing every word he was about to say. Alex didn’t really want to hide anything from Wednesday and Enid, but one final step remained—the one after which there would be no turning back. He needed to make sure they were truly ready to go all the way with him.

Without hesitating, Wednesday suddenly grabbed Alex by the collar and quickly kissed him on the lips—according to their old agreement. In her view, it was a perfectly fair payment for an answer: she gives what he wants, and he answers her question.

Seeing this, Enid’s mind short-circuited, and the phone in her hands fell to the floor with a dull thud—again, just after she had picked it up.

“Wednesday, what are you doing?!” Enid exclaimed, staring at Alex.

“Old deal. Now answer,” Wednesday said calmly, completely ignoring Enid’s outburst.

“For some answers, the price is much higher. So I’ll only tell you what I can,” Alex began in a steady tone, continuing to slowly turn the ring on his finger. “We already know that all of this was orchestrated by Laurel Gates. Who helped her stage her own death—that’s still speculation, and I can’t talk about it. But her goal is clear: she wants to destroy all the Outcasts. She has something that absolutely must not fall into the hands of ordinary people. What exactly it is, I can’t say. How it ended up with Laurel Gates—I can’t say either. Mayor Walker is alive because Laurel hasn’t finished what she started. I had to improvise. I did it so she wouldn’t flip the entire board and make the situation even worse. And, as I’ve already said, essentially Laurel Gates carries around a portable atomic bomb. That’s why Dean and I act extremely cautiously, so as not to provoke her.”

“Too little information for so many words,” Wednesday noted, frowning.

“So, Mayor Walker is alive? And he had to ‘die’ so things wouldn’t get worse?” Enid asked cautiously, taking Alex’s hand.

“Exactly, my little pink fluffball,” Alex said softly, stroking Enid’s hair. “But I can give you a hint. What Laurel Gates has, you’ve already seen. And very recently.”

At these words, Wednesday frowned even more. She folded her arms across her chest and began pacing slowly around the room, muttering possible scenarios aloud. Fragments of conversations, hints, and phrases from Alex that she had previously ignored surfaced in her memory.

All this time, Enid held Alex’s hand and watched him with pouted lips. Alex responded with a light smile and poked her nose with his finger. He fully understood the reason for her displeasure: Wednesday had kissed him right in front of her. Chuckling, Alex gently squeezed Enid’s cheeks, trying to lighten the mood.

After a few moments, she stopped being angry, but in retaliation, she grabbed his cheeks and pulled them in opposite directions. Even though she had accepted the fact that Alex liked Wednesday, it didn’t mean she enjoyed watching their kisses. Unlike Wednesday, Enid always kissed Alex only when no one was around.

Meanwhile, Wednesday stopped in the middle of the room. Finally, a clear chain of thought formed in her mind. All the clues clicked into place.

“Darkness…” she whispered, looking at Alex.

“Exactly,” he nodded with a light, almost playful smile. “Laurel Gates has Darkness. And she knows how to use it. I left you enough clues. If you had pieced it together a little earlier, you would have figured it out then. The answer was always right there.”

“So, she wants to destroy Nevermore using this power? That’s incredibly dangerous,” Enid said, eyes wide. “You showed what happened in Bright Falls. The same thing could happen here.”

“Well… you could say that,” Alex replied with a tight smile.

“This is terrible. We need to warn everyone. Tell everyone!” Enid began to breathe heavily, and her voice already carried hints of rising panic.

“For now—calm down,” Alex said gently but firmly. “We don’t know what identity Laurel Gates is hiding under right now. As I said, she got a lot of help covering her tracks. Even Mayor Walker found out the truth by accident—and even then, it was too late. Who she is now is unknown to us. So first, we need to find her ‘pocket pet’—the monster. First, catch it. Then we deal with Laurel herself. There’s a lot of work ahead, so for now, it’s better to act like we know nothing and that all the traces are gone. Understand?”

Enid nodded thoughtfully at Alex’s words and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She still found it hard to believe that a normal end-of-school-year could turn into such a nightmare.

Wednesday also nodded silently. She clearly understood that until the true culprit was identified, it was better to keep everything secret—especially since that culprit could be anyone. However, what occupied her mind even more was the organization capable of cleaning up traces so thoroughly that not a hint of Laurel Gates’ involvement remained. It was far too professional, too clean, to be the work of just one person.

Alex spent several more hours with Wednesday and Enid—mostly with Enid, since Wednesday had once again immersed herself in her novel. The typewriter clicked steadily as she organized her thoughts and clues. During this time, Alex managed to fully calm Enid, who had been on the verge of another panic attack, by promising to make something sweet. That was enough to noticeably improve her mood.

From time to time, Wednesday lifted her eyes from the typewriter, and they invariably landed on the ring on Alex’s finger. No matter how badly she wanted to find out what the ring was and what truth he was still hiding, Wednesday had already realized one thing: the price for such answers was far higher than a simple kiss.

When it was time to leave, Alex lightly kissed Enid on the cheek, and the girl visibly brightened. When he stepped up to Wednesday, he was about to do the same, but she suddenly turned her head—and he kissed her on the lips instead. Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise, but Wednesday only met his gaze for a brief moment before returning to her typewriter, as if that kiss had been something completely natural and inevitable.

After saying goodbye to both girls, Alex calmly left the dormitory. Stepping beyond the grounds of Nevermore, he looked around, took a step—and in the next moment found himself in a hotel room.

Dean, who was sitting at the table with a mug of coffee, jolted at Alex’s sudden appearance and nearly spilled the hot drink on himself. Alex snorted, looking at Dean’s irritated expression.

“I’m saying this right now: don’t you dare show up like that again. No teleporting behind me, in the car, or in any other unexpected places. It took me forever to break Castiel of that habit, and I’m not doing it again,” Dean said irritably.

“Alright, alright, don’t get mad. Still, it’s a useful ability. Now I can buy fresh groceries and actually cook properly. Huge plus,” Alex shrugged with a grin.

“I’d like to say that’s not an argument, but your cooking really is amazing. I wouldn’t mind having that kind of teleport either,” Dean admitted with a nod.

“Couldn’t you do something like that? You were a Knight of Hell for a while. There had to be some perks,” Alex raised an eyebrow.

“Hell if I know. I never really checked. Either I was drinking with Crowley or killing demons he sicced on me, calling them supporters of that bitch Abaddon,” Dean shook his head.

“What if Amara gave you that perk? You’re basically still carrying the power of Darkness inside you—with no side effects. Maybe you can teleport too,” Alex asked thoughtfully.

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to find out. What if it throws me to the other side of the planet with no way back? Screw that. I prefer the classics—car, road, and music,” Dean smirked.

“Typical Dean Winchester. And just so you know, even if I’m technically the Big Boss of the Reapers now, I’m still the same hunter. With all that talk about balance, order, and other crap,” Alex chuckled.

“Yeah, I got it the first time. The old Death looked impressive, but he talked like a complete idiot. You’ve always acted like you’ve got a couple of loose screws even without the ring. So nothing’s changed. Death who can’t kill—hilarious,” Dean laughed.

“Hey, I can still hit you with a stick. Want me to smack your knee with an iron baton?” Alex offered with a wide grin.

“I think I’ll pass. Better go grab some beer. The fridge is empty. And get snacks… and pie,” Dean grinned.

“Should I just pop over to the other side of the Earth while I’m at it?” Alex asked sarcastically.

“Exactly! You can do that now. How about some real Mexican food?” Dean smiled slyly.

Alex stared at him blankly while Dean kept grinning. Eventually, Alex realized it wouldn’t be difficult at all. He vanished—and reappeared a couple of minutes later with a tray full of tacos and a pack of beer.

Dean immediately perked up, grabbing a taco and a bottle, while Alex just shook his head and joined in. Either way, all they had left to do was wait for sunset—so they could dig up Mayor Walker and quietly return him home without anyone noticing.

To be continued…

(Well, now Alex can show off a couple of his powers, citing Death’s power and all that. I’d say this made Alex’s job a little easier when asked in the future why he’s so strong. And now Alex can say it’s all Death’s power, hehehe. I’m thinking about how to increase Sam’s strength, but I can’t find a suitable option or possibility. Right now, Sam is the weakest of them all, even Samantha is already stronger than Sam. Well, I couldn’t refuse some advice and a little help. Thanks in advance. Hehehe.)

Early access to chapters on my patreon: p*treon.com/GreedHunter

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep