Honestly guys we are at 30k plus words. please do me a favor and let me know what you guys think am i doing anything wrong? Let me know i would love to hear some feedback.
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Lady Death stood with Erik on a quiet overlook where the horizon glowed faint orange. Far below them, the city of Seattle began to stir. Lights flicked on one by one. Cars hummed through early morning streets. Boats drifted across the harbor. Humans lived and breathed and rushed through their lives without realizing two cosmic beings were watching them from the sky.
Erik stood beside her, hands in the pockets of the black jacket she insisted he wear. He looked almost human from a distance. Only the faint waves in his eyes betrayed the truth.
He took a slow breath. The sound pulsed like a soft note under his ribs.
"So this is it," he murmured. "Humanity. Up close."
Lady Death smiled gently. "You have seen stars born, Erik. This will not frighten you."
"I am not frightened," he said calmly. "Just… careful."
Death watched him for a moment. His posture was relaxed, far more than the first days after his freedom. The tension that once clung to him like a second skin was gone. Only a steady curiosity remained.
"You do not have to be perfect," she reminded him.
He gave a small laugh. "I am hardly close to that. I just do not want to accidentally make someone explode."
"That is why I am here. If anything happens, I will stabilize it."
Erik nodded. She was constant now. A part of his life. He no longer had to wonder if she would vanish. She stayed. They lived together. They traveled together. They shared quiet moments without him fearing the silence afterward.
Caution remained, but fear did not.
"All right," he said quietly. "Let us go meet your humans."
They descended gently, more drifting than falling, until their feet touched the edge of a pier. Early morning mist curled through the air. A few fishermen cast lines into the water. Joggers passed by with earbuds in. The world carried on as if two ancient beings had not just walked into it.
Erik took it all in.
Voices in dozens of tones. The steady rhythm of footsteps. The quiet roar of the ocean. A dog barking somewhere. A bus rumbling over the bridge. He felt every vibration, every stray resonance, every flicker of sound that made up human life.
"Alive," he whispered. "Everything is alive here."
Death nodded. "Earth is loud. Humans feel deeply and constantly. This city carries their emotions."
Erik stepped forward. His waves rippled slightly across the planks of the pier but Death touched his wrist, grounding him.
"Do not worry. You are doing well," she said.
He breathed out. "I did not realize how many sounds humans create. I always imagined them quieter."
"They are rarely quiet," she said fondly. "You will get used to it."
A jogger ran past them without noticing anything strange. Erik watched him go.
"I expected staring," he admitted.
"You look perfectly ordinary right now. Humans see what they expect to see."
Erik hummed softly. The sound was gentle and low. A child nearby paused, turned toward the faint vibration, and smiled without knowing why before continuing after their parents.
Erik blinked. "Did I just… calm someone?"
Death gave him a playful look. "Sound influences emotion. You always forget how natural it is for you."
"I did not mean to influence anything."
"But you did not harm anyone either. That is what matters." She touched his shoulder lightly. "You are blending well."
He felt heat rise in his chest, a subtle emotion he had only recently begun to understand. Pride. Acceptance. Confidence.
"This is strange," he said softly. "Being part of a world instead of watching one from far away."
"Strange is good. Strange means you are growing."
They walked down the waterfront together. People passed by them without fear or suspicion. Erik kept his hands close to his sides, not wanting to accidentally warp the air around him. Every now and then he glanced at Lady Death, and each time she returned the look with calm certainty.
He did not have to ask if she would stay. He already knew.
After a few minutes he said, "I think I like it here."
"Because it is peaceful?"
"No," Erik answered. "Because it is full of life that does not know me yet. I want to see more of that. I want to learn how to be… part of something."
Death smiled softly. "Then this is the right place to start."
They continued walking as the city woke fully. Cars honked. Music played from shop windows. People spilled onto sidewalks in waves of chatter. Erik watched it all, cautious but steady.
Not terrified. Not overwhelmed. Just a being learning the shape of a new world.
"Lady Death," he said thoughtfully, "maybe today we can explore a little."
"I was hoping you would say that."
He felt a small, genuine smile form. "Lead the way."
Together they stepped deeper into the heart of the city.
After a short while they found a small park nestled between tall glass buildings. The morning sun had risen enough to warm the sidewalks, and the sounds of the city were a steady hum around them. Erik found himself relaxing little by little, adjusting to the unpredictable rhythm of human life.
A playground sat just ahead, already lively with children who ran, shouted, and laughed in chaotic harmony. Erik slowed his steps, watching them with a mixture of surprise and fascination.
"So much energy" he murmured.
"Children feel the world differently," Death said gently. "They respond to emotion first, logic second. They see things adults forget how to see."
Erik was about to reply when a small voice called out.
"Hey! Mister!"
Both he and Death turned.
A girl no older than six stood a few feet away, gripping a bright blue balloon by its string. Her hair was messy, her shoes mismatched, and she stared at Erik as if she had discovered something magical.
Death raised an eyebrow. "She sees you."
Erik blinked. "People have been walking past me all morning."
"Adults ignore what does not fit their expectations. Children do not care about expectations."
The child stepped closer with wide, curious eyes. "Your eyes are shiny. Like the ocean when it makes little waves."
Erik stiffened but forced himself to stay calm. "My eyes… do that sometimes."
"They are pretty," she said simply.
Death fought back a small smile at his visible confusion. Compliments were still new to him.
"Thank you," Erik managed quietly.
The girl nodded proudly as if she had done something important. But she did not leave. Instead, she tilted her head, studying him more closely. The air around them shifted with a faint, instinctive vibration. Erik felt it, the way he always did when someone was emotionally open.
Without meaning to, he released a soft hum. Very low. Very gentle. A soothing frequency that matched the child's innocent curiosity.
The girl's eyes widened and she clutched her balloon tighter, but not in fear.
"That sound," she whispered. "It feels warm."
Death glanced at Erik with interest. "You are resonating again."
"I did not mean to," he whispered back.
"It is natural. Your presence adapts to emotion."
The little girl leaned in just a bit. "Can you do it again? The warm sound?"
Erik hesitated.
He looked at Death.
She nodded softly.
So he hummed again, a quiet note that vibrated through the air like a tiny, comforting breeze.
The balloon string shifted gently in the wind the sound created. The girl smiled, the kind of smile that reached all the way to her eyes.
"It is like a hug," she said.
Erik froze.
A hug. He had never been described like that before.
Death placed a gentle hand on his back. "You see? You are not frightening. You are comforting."
The girl let the balloon float upward slightly before catching it again. "Mom says people have pretty hearts that shine. Yours shines the loudest."
Erik stared, unsure how to respond.
Death stepped in gracefully. "He is still learning how to talk to people. You have helped him today."
The girl nodded proudly, then suddenly gasped. "Wait here!"
Before either of them could reply, she dashed toward her mother, rummaged through a small backpack, and returned holding out a tiny, wrapped candy.
"For you," she said, placing it firmly in Erik's hand.
He stared at it as though handling a star.
Death chuckled softly. "It is a gift. You should accept it."
He bowed very slightly, more instinct than thought. "Thank you. I will treasure it."
The girl beamed, then ran back to her mother, waving at them both before disappearing into the playground crowd.
Erik watched her go, then looked down at the tiny candy in his palm.
Death spoke gently. "Erik. How do you feel?"
He closed his fingers around the candy, slow and careful.
"I… think I understand why you brought me here. Humans feel. They react. They give freely." He paused, then added quietly, "And they see things I do not expect."
Death smiled warmly. "That is what makes them beautiful."
Erik looked at her with a quiet, growing confidence.
"I want to meet more of them."
"You will," she said. "One moment at a time."
He slipped the candy into his pocket and stepped forward, ready to see what came next.
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Time for Erik to gain a little confidence with himself. It will take a bit but it is happening.
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