"Don’t tell me you are sad that I’m going..." Lamair drawled, making Trevor’s eyes twitch.

"No one will miss you, motherfucker!" Trevor shot back.

"I will miss my Dad!" Ivy said from the side, making Trevor choke on his words, while the rest burst into laughter.

"You two shouldn’t fight in front of the kids. You can do better than this," Ethan said with a tired sigh as he entered the hall they were in.

"You are one to talk..." Trevor muttered loud enough for him to hear.

"This idiot..." Ethan gnashed his teeth in frustration. The others all let out sighs as the three entered a battle of insults and frustration. This was so them. They could never have a chill conversation. It would always end with insults or a duel in CTD: Call to Doom.

After a few minutes of bantering, Ethan pulled the giant man into a tight hug. Well, it was more like he was hugging his waist, earning him suspicious glances from the rest.

"Cough!" Ethan coughed with an embarrassed expression while avoiding eye contact with everyone. As for Trevor, he was doubled over, fighting for his life while laughing with tears flowing down his face.

"So... Trevor shut the fuck up!" Ethan exclaimed in anger.

"This is so hilarious! Regnare, did you get a shot?" Trevor said as he turned to Regnare. Regnare hurriedly hid his phone while giving a thumbs up to his uncle, making Ethan’s eyes widen in horror.

"Don’t you dare..." Ethan threatened with a piercing gaze at his son.

"It’s almost uploaded..." Regnare said with a shrug.

"Someone will remain single his whole life..." Ethan said with a dark smile.

"Wait! I’m kidding!"

"You better be!"

"This isn’t fair..."

"Tell me what is fair between Trevor and his skin color!"

"Hey!" Trevor exclaimed with a betrayed expression. The others were prepared for another round, this time with Regnare involved, when Zark suddenly spoke.

"It is time..."

Lamair looked at him and nodded.

What he had prepared for a long time was finally near. It was his trial to become the Ancestor of Death, not just by title. For that, he must be acknowledged by Thanatos. After his first meeting with Thanatos, he discovered that Thanatos wasn’t a god in the normal sense. He was an entity... a being of Death. He could even be said to be the next in line to the Primordial Death because of his position. He could never be defeated.

But Lamair had awakened Thanatos as his true name. This came with challenges, and the main one was to be acknowledged by the one whose name he had gotten. There was another theory that Zark told him. True names meant the true identities of a person. Getting the name of an already existing entity as your true name meant only one thing.

You and that entity... are one being.

If that was really true, then it meant that Lamair was Thanatos and Thanatos was Lamair. But that could only be proven after his trial in the Underworld, which was actually Thanatos himself.

Thanatos was the Underworld!

This had pushed the danger of his trial to extreme levels. He had even planned to stop, but Zark had assured him that he would be okay. No matter how harsh or difficult the trial would be, Thanatos would never kill him. And even if he tried, he wouldn’t mind intervening.

So that was that. The entire Kael’Dri family was here to bid farewell to Lamair. Lamair looked at all of them with a smile as he recalled moments they’d shared from childhood till now. He kissed his wives, Lusamine and Cassandra, hugged his children, Werock and Ivy, and turned to one of his oldest companions, his spirit beast, now turned spirit guardian, Qirantha.

"I know you want to go with me, but this is my trial. I must do this myself," Lamair said to the young lady with short purple hair and red eyes.

"But I am part of you," Qirantha argued, and she was right.

"You are, but you are also a separate entity from me. And I know someone wouldn’t allow me to send you..." Lamair said with a sideways gaze at a tall, white-skinned young man with long white hair and red eyes. The young man was Apole, the Death Skull, Trevor’s spirit guardian. Apole totally ignored Lamair’s gaze, but his clenched hands were a declaration that Lamair was right.

"Master..."

"Qirantha. You have a life to live. If I were still weak, you wouldn’t have been like this. But I am not. Not anymore. I became stronger for both of us, and this large family we have here. So you must enjoy it to the fullest."

"Are you cutting ties with me?"

"No! You are and will always be my best friend. And as your best friend, I’m telling you to enjoy life. I will support you. But for this, I must do alone, and you know it."

"I... I understand."

Lamair smiled as he picked up Qirantha and hugged her. He was way bigger and taller than her, so hugging her would make it look comical. Qirantha cried into his shoulders while Lamair patted her. He then turned to Apole and spoke.

"I am the only one who can make her cry. If you make her cry... Trevor will answer to it."

"How did I get dragged into this?"

Lamair bid them farewell for one last time and turned towards the portal. A set of dark purple armor with glowing designs materialized on his body. On his back, two axes linked by a thick chain appeared.

Lamair nodded to Ethan and stepped through the portal. The rest watched with anxiousness as Lamair’s back slowly disappeared from their view inside the portal. The portal shimmered for one last time, as if announcing to them that Lamair was gone, and closed, disappearing.

Lamair’s trial had officially started.

...

Lamair found himself in a desolate place devoid of life. He looked around with a confused expression, when he heard a voice, that made his eyes widen in shock.

"Welcome, my other self."