Hades looked to the distant mountain, which vaguely resembled a bear with wings. Was that always there? Absolutely, it was where he first awoke in this world after all.
"Pluto. You have given me my name and my life, as well as your life and your strength... You have my gratitude..." he looked at the mountain mournfully.
"Too bad you're dead, since I killed you." Then he did not concern himself with it any longer. This was a natural process. Beasts became stronger by killing and eating each other, that was nothing new, and this was no different.
He then stepped on the residual flames, feeling that its high heat had no effect on him. it appeared the fire gland had use in temperature regulation. He observed the fire as he began to stomp out the flames before it spread.
"Do you mind explaining what happened here?" While Hades was attempting to stomp out the remaining wisps of fire still lingering in the yard, Chen Yan walked out of the house. She was glaring angrily with her chest high and her head on her hips whilst looking down at him. He was aware that this was a form of assertion humans use to subdue others.
"I... set off a fire...?" He was unclear how to go about it. Hades sat down submissively as he was the one staying in her home, she was naturally the authority around here, as well as being infinitely more experienced to human society. With these reasons, he did not wish to earn her wrath, lest he be fooled like the ignorant animal he currently was. He was a country boy in the city, so there was no choice but to gain her favor.
"...yes... I can tell..." He watched her speak while she was looking at the patches of flame littering the yard, as well as the scorched hole in the fence, and the strange disappearance of the tree that was definitely here before.
"But... how...?" She said slowly, as if attempting to figure it out herself.
"...From my mouth...?"
"...Really...?"
"...Yes." He answered promptly.
"...are you saying you can breathe fire now?"
"...yes."
"Have you always been able to breathe fire?"
"...No."
"...when did you get this... ability?"
"I suppose it was when I was... struck by lightning...?" Maybe this was strange, he thought.
"Ooh...? Are you a superhero now?" Her eyes narrowed.
"...superhero?" He didn't know what that meant.
"It means an individual with special abilities that they received by a twist of luck."
"This was no luck. Some fool struck me with lightning on purpose."
"A fight...? Was Ling'er involved?" Mentioning her sister, her eyes narrowed dangerously, her glare sharper by the second.
"Y-Yes... She was not hurt though, I fought in her stead." He was highly aware that her mood wasn't good. What if he want fed? Then he would have to hunt his own food, which was apparently against one of the human's many laws, and would also waste time he could spend studying human society through the mysterious talking box small people in it.
"And...?" He felt that this was familiar. Did this happen before?
"And she is fine!"
"And...?"
"And she felt the lightning as well..." this was unavoidable as their souls were linked, so injuries and pain would be transferred through the link.
"What happened?"
"She's still fine! I had resistance to the lightning, so there was no damage!"
She then picked him up. He did not resist, he knew running would make it worse. She looked straight into his eyes, and her mind reading crystal eye made contact with his. He was aware of this ability, and knew that she was affirming his words.
"Weird. There's something strange in your soul." She tilted her head in confusion, and Hades was thankful she didn't press the previous matter.
"Is it something that was not there before?" He didn't know what went on inside a soul. He fought with toot and claw, and sometimes wings, and tail, and wind, but never with his mind. He had no such ability.
"I improved my technique, and am able to see deeper in your soul. It has probably always in there." He indeed felt she was stronger. She was already a third of they way through hollow core realm. Hasn't it only been a few days? Wasn't she growing too rapidly? Did he have something to do with it? Hades had no idea. In truth, he didn't really care. She was his ally. The stronger she was, the better it was for him.
"So what is it?"
"It appears to be dormant qi." She said, clearly confused.
"Qi? Dormant?" Was he supposed to know what that meant?
"It's a natural qi of the elements, derived from the worldly essence in nature. It only appears with luck, or by eating something with abundant natural energy." She explained.
"Ah! I know what it is!" Something flashed through his mind the instant she said 'eating'.
"What?" She was usually around when he ate, so she was confused.
"It must be Pluto's heart! I ate that, along with the rest of his corpse before I was sealed before!" It was absolutely due to the massive heart he ate. It was as big as he was in the past, and was full of the abundant power of an abyssal monarch that ruled the domain of fire.
It was definitely a good idea to eat it before he died! He had no regrets about the past. He had to thank Pluto, who had given him so much, namely his nutritious corpse. The name thing was definitely not as important.
"Pluto? Like the planet? Or the Roman god of the underworld? Now that I think about it, that name of yours, Hades, is the same as he Greek God of the Underworld!" She had no idea what he was talking about.
"Planet? Gods? Underworld? What's that?" He was confused too. What was she talking about all of a sudden? The beings who supposedly hold away over the universe that the humans believed in? He heard of no such things before. He got his name in the Abyss, there were no Gods there. But it could be no coincidence, right?
"Anyway!" Chen Yan clapped loudly. "Get to bed, I'm going to really put you to use tomorrow. It's the weekend after all!" She said with a grin.
"Eh? Use?" A chill ran up his back.