God of Destruction: Living Among Mortals

Nova was on a bed in the infirmary, the doctors telling him that he would be paralyzed for a day, and then bloom again. Elesch looked disappointed, but Nova reassured her that she and Adam could have their date instead.

"Take the card from my pocket, and you both go on a date, since you clearly are dying to be together. So go and have fun." Nova said, looking mischievously at Elesch and Adam.

"Brother!" Elesch shouted, embarrassed, as Adam whistled, looking up at the ceiling, flustered.

"What, did I say something wrong? I thought you wanted to be together, so be together." Nova said, taken aback.

Elesch grabbed the card from Nova's pocket, interlocked with Adam's hand, and left in a hurry. Marcus laughed with Nova.

"It takes courage to stand up to James, even if you are paralyzed for a day," Marcus muttered, voice low and delighted. "I mean, do you want me to give you a herb to release you from the paralysis?"

Nova thought about it, but decided against it: "Nah, I think I'll sit this one out. I'll consider everything that has happened. It will be a good learning moment for me to shut my mouth and relax."

"Sure, you can do that too," Marcus said as his secretary came behind him. "Unfortunately, I will have to go for now. I have an important meeting scheduled. But I will see you again after it."

"Ok, that works," Nova said, as he nodded.

He lay on the bed, closing his eyes, as he left the mortal realm to go to Inner Heaven, to Freya.

---

Elesch and Adam's hands were still interlocked as they hurried outside the guild and into a nearby shop. They looked like cute couples, both flustered, as they felt the warmth of the other person.

"My brother is going to be the death of me, I'll tell you," Elesch muttered to Adam, softly smiling at the edges.

"Well, he does have good intentions for you, unlike my two siblings and parents," Adam frowned slightly, having a sad smile, which made Elesch reconsider her words.

To shift from the gloomy, deafening silence, Elesch suddenly spoke up, tugging Adam along as she exited the shop: "Let's go to the mall. I think it's about ten minutes from here."

Both of them were too busy to notice that their hands were still interlocked, and if either of them became conscious of this fact, they would become very nervous around the other, so this was a good thing, since it could make the other person more comfortable around them.

They walked fast until they reached the giant mall. They entered, passing through a variety of high-end shops, clothes, accessories, shoes, whatever you could think of, the mall had it. They saw a weapons shop, and Adam wanted to venture into it, so they went inside, seeing the variety of weapons being displayed.

Adam saw a particular weapon that he became fascinated with. He gently caressed the weapon, which was a rapier, a gentle, moonlight black, with a purple hue and highlights around the sides and center, mixing in the black to create an elegant yet effective masterpiece of a weapon.

But since his ability didn't require the use of a weapon, he left the weapon alone. Elesch, however, also became fascinated, so she decided to use the card to buy it, since it would complement her void manipulation ability.

The machine displayed the price of the rapier as: $4,040,000. Elesch was taken aback as the clerk smiled at her gently. It was an old lady who worked at the shop, so seeing how Elesch reacted to the atrocious price of a rapier being so high, put a smile on the old lady's face.

"This rapier is made from Lunaris ore." The old lady started to speak as the weapon ignited with sparkling light in Elesch's hands. "The ore is found in a cave inside Beastria, in which only a few evolved Adventurers have ever survived. It's a very rare ore, and it's also an ore that chooses its wielder."

The weapon grew brighter and brighter, as Elesch's aura mixed with the weapon's radiant beauty. The room ignited with black and purple hues that transformed into something mystical, outside the realm of the mortals, and into the dazzling moonlight of the Abyssal Realm, also known as the Void.

Elesch tapped the card subconsciously, the payment going through in an instant. Then, she shook her head, coming back to reality. Adam grabbed the card as they thanked the old lady and explored more shops. As soon as Elesch stepped out of the shop, the rapier turned mini, enough for her to put it into her pocket. She put the rapier in her pocket, then they moved on to some other shops, clothing, and shoes alike.

After an hour of spending money nonstop on games, furniture, clothes, shoes, and technology, they went to a five-star restaurant, because why not? They basically had infinite money in their hands, so they had every right to go and spend another thousand or two thousand on food and absolutely stuff their stomachs with world-class cuisine.

They went inside the restaurant, getting a table, and just as Elesch was about to sit, Adam pulled her chair back, and like a gentleman, made her sit comfortably first, before sitting himself.

Elesch glanced at the leather-bound menu, the golden letters shimmering under the chandelier's soft glow. "This place looks… way too fancy for us," she whispered, biting her lip.

Adam chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "I don't know. You look like you belong in a place like this. Me? Not so much."

"Don't be ridiculous," Elesch said, her cheeks warming. "If anything, you look more at ease here than I do."

They placed their orders, Adam chose the seared steak with black truffle glaze, while Elesch opted for a pan-seared salmon with citrus butter. They added sides of garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables, plus a bottle of sparkling cider that Elesch insisted on since neither of them wanted, or ever eligible, technically, for alcohol.

As the waiter left, Elesch leaned forward slightly, her voice a tease: "Alright, so favorite food. Go."

"That's easy, spicy curry. The hotter, the better." Adam's grin widened. "Though my siblings never understood how I could eat something that made me sweat buckets."

Elesch tilted her head. "Spicy food, huh? I'd probably be crying after the first bite."

"You don't like spice?"

She shook her head, amused. "Nope. Sweet things are my weakness. Cakes, pastries, chocolate, you name it."

"That tracks," Adam said. "You've got a kind of smile that says you'd rob a bakery if you could."

"Elesch laughed, covering her face for a second before peeking at him. "I would not!"

"Maybe not rob, but you'd definitely sweet-talk your way into a free cupcake."

They laughed, which eventually faded into silence, ignoring all the distant voices from the other diners.

"Okay, my turn," Adam said. "Favorite color?"

"Black and purple," Elesch answered instantly. "I have always liked it since it reminded me of the void that covers everything, dissolving it into nothingness."

Adam nodded, a soft smile appearing on his lips. "Figures. Mine's probably silver. Always thought it was clean, sharp, and honest-looking. Like a blade."

The food arrived soon after, and as they dug in, their conversation flowed as easily as the sparkling cider. They compared favorite books, games they'd wasted too much time on, in which Elesch had to somewhat lie, since she was the Queen of the Void, not a regular mortal like him.

Elesch, unsurprisingly, defended cats with passionate energy. "They're independent, elegant, and mysterious. Like me."

Adam smirked, stabbing a roasted carrot. "And dogs are loyal, energetic, and dependable. Like me. Clearly, I win."

"Clearly, you don't," she shot back, though her grin betrayed her amusement.

The night stretched on with laughter, teasing, and little moments, like when Adam gently wiped a bit of sauce from the corner of her mouth without thinking, only for them both to freeze and blush.

By the time dessert arrived, lavish slices of chocolate mousse cake and tiramisu, they were leaning closer than before, the nervous energy between them melting into something warmer.

Elesch set her fork down, her tone softer now: "You know, I never thought I'd feel this comfortable with anyone outside of Nova."

Adam glanced at her, his expression gentler than usual. "Same here. You make it easy. Like I don't have to pretend to be stronger than I am."

Elesch's smile was genuine. "Then don't pretend. I like you just as you are."

For a moment, neither spoke. The weight of her words lingered in the air, sweet and heavy like the dessert between them.

Adam cleared his throat lightly, his tone playfully teasing her: "Careful, Elesch. Say things like that, and I might actually believe you like me."

"Who says I don't?" she shot back, smirking mischievously, though her heart was racing.