"You survived, Ryuk!"
"You really survived!" Quinn burst into tears as he jumped into Ryuk’s embrace as if he was a kid.
It was as if he was the one who had won, and not Ryuk.
Quinn’s world had come crashing down throughout the finals.
As much as he wanted to believe that he himself was simply not made to be a genius, he had always hoped in his heart for someone to one day come and prove him wrong.
And in the end, a person had done it.
A person who had never once looked down upon him, and who had treated him as if he was an existence equal to him, unlike all of the people he had met in his life.
One who had believed in his potential.
And in the end, that person had defeated the most powerful geniuses of the Fallen clan, even when all hope seemed to be against him.
Quinn finally found hope.
He found hope in Ryuk’s victory, and his own self-hampering belief and resignation to fate were finally shattered apart.
The emotions were incredibly intense, causing him to burst out in tears.
"You..."
"You’re breaking my spine, Quinn. I’m just one foot away from falling to the ground!"
Ruk whispered as Quinn finally remembered Ryuk had just had the fight of his life. He jumped off him, helping him up with his shoulder.
Before more words could be spoken, the various elders appeared in the sky, along with the Half-Fallen one as they gently landed before the top ten ultimate geniuses who had emerged.
All of the geniuses bowed on one knee before the Half-Fallen one, but before their knees could touch down, an invisible force straightened them back up as they all looked at the Half-Fallen one who gazed deeply into the eyes of each of them before she smiled.
"Every one of you has worked very hard to claim a spot. All that you have wished for in life, for wanting to join the Ascension Academy..."
"The Fallen Clan will make sure to see you through your journeys, right from this point in life."
"And for all of those who are still standing in this arena. While it is unfortunate that you haven’t been able to gain a spot, your efforts and training wouldn’t be for naught, nor would your time of five months here be wasted."
"You all will be handsomely rewarded," the Half-Fallen one said, as the geniuses all bowed once more in appreciation.
Finally, the Fallen one’s eyes turned to Ryuk himself.
"You have completed your mission here, Ryuk. You’ll be returning with me... now," the Half-Fallen one said, and Ryuk could only give a nod to Quinn, who nodded back with an understanding smile, before he moved to her side.
In an instant, a bubble of golden energy encapsulated Ryuk’s figure, and he found himself being weaved up into the sky of the arena before slowly disappearing.
The last gazes he saw were that of Quinn waving fervently waving at him while tears spilled down his right eye.
"This won’t be our last meeting, Ryuk!"
"I promise..." Quinn’s voice could barely be heard as Ryuk disappeared farther and farther.
By the time he completely disappeared from the colosseum’s air space gaze, Ryuk’s strength finally left his body, and he became unconscious, slumping into the bubble.
The last thing he remembered was summoning Isha back to his pet world before the entire world completely darkened...
---
[You’re finally awake, Host!]
The golden notification panel was what Ryuk first sighted as he slowly raised himself up to his butt.
He looked around the room, a small groan coming from his lips.
It was like a second heartbeat had been placed in his head, bubbling up and down.
But it was no heartbeat, only a colossal headache that threatened to rip apart his brain, although it quickly faded away.
"You’re finally awake..." The voice resounded as Ryuk raised his gaze, finding a figure rocking a fluffy-looking seat with a device in her hands.
She had a cute smile, dressed in small clothes that revealed some part of her abdomen and baggy blue jeans.
Ryuk’s eyes couldn’t help but widen brilliantly as he blinked twice, just to confirm things.
"Morgaine?!" he asked in shock, unconsciously backing off a bit as he looked around the room and found that they were the only ones in it.
"Someone seems so surprised to see me," Morgaine said as Ryuk hummed for a while before he turned to the side.
The room was a small bedroom, and at the side, one could see a window wall where the entire outside world could be seen.
Right now, Ryuk could see various buildings that spread into the distance as far as the eyes could see, the twilight in the sky illuminating their figures and basking them in an ethereal glow.
"Where am I?" Ryuk asked seriously this time as he got off the bedsheet, but the instant his legs touched the ground, he jerked back as he felt it, intensely cold.
The motion didn’t escape Morgaine, whose eyebrows furrowed at it, but she still proceeded to respond.
"After the match, you were brought back to the Half-Fallen One’s castle.
"I’m her daughter, so you can as well say my mom brought you back home.
"You’re in my house now, and my mom is currently attending a meeting."
"She wouldn’t be back home in at least two days from now," Morgaine explained as Ryuk nodded, but there was still something tugging at his mind.
"How long have I been asleep?" he asked, and Morgaine counted her figure.
"Well, I arrived back home two days ago, and it has been five days seven days since the final.
"So that is up to an entire week that you have been unconscious."
"A week of unconsciousness," Ryuk mused before completing the thought.
’It seems like the battle really took its toll on me. But I’m still alive,’ Ryuk stated to himself, unconsciously heaving a sigh of relief.
It really was good to breathe the air again.