As Ryuk walked down the halls, he could already feel the ringing bickering as he arrived at a balcony.
Looking down, he could see a large living room with a curvular-shaped sofa. On one of the sofas sat the Half-Fallen and her daughter, Morgaine sitting on the floor.
The Half-Fallen seemed to be helping her comb her hair, but appeared to be adding a touch of wickedness, resulting in occasional yelps from Morgaine, who tried to free herself from her control, only to end up failing spectacularly as she rigidly refused to move under the strange force that covered her.
"Finally done?" the Half-Fallen one said as she raised her head, sighting Ryuk, who nodded as he climbed down the stairs, moving toward the sofa.
"Thank you very much for the room. The mana reserve helped a—"
"Hey, Ryuk!"
"Come get me out of this witch’s claws!" Morgaine yelled for help before Ryuk could complete his words. The Half-Fallen one chuckled sarcastically.
"Nothing seems to hold you back," Ryuk replied innocently to Morgaine, who seemed to be simply sitting down obediently.
He wondered why she even needed help at all.
"Tch, I can’t even—" Morgaine was saying when suddenly she quieted down, her face contorted in surprise.
She opened her mouth to say something, only to fail, and tears almost burst out of her eyes.
’Now, I can’t talk too…’
"Forget about the cultivation room, Ryuk," the Half-Fallen one said.
"And also," she added, narrowing her eyes to look at Ryuk intently before surprise found its way onto her face.
"You already broke through to the Core stage of the Plane of Ascension from the Perfectionate stage of the Origin Plane?!" she asked.
Even Morgaine spun and furrowed her eyebrows at Ryuk before the same shock flashed in her eyes.
Ryuk had basically crossed over a cultivation stage, skipping days of relentless cultivation in a little less than five days.
"The mana reserves were more abundant than I thought," Ryuk said, scratching the back of his head.
"Such amazing talent. Good, good."
"Not like this untalented grumpy head!" the Half-Fallen one said, referencing Morgaine, who could only roll her eyes and ignore them both.
"Come sit," the Half-Fallen one invited him by her side.
Ryuk, after much internal debate, finally agreed.
"Anyway, the Ascension Academy gate will be opening to new students tomorrow. You’ll be returning back to the Arisen Hall with Morgaine, and you ten who passed will all be taken to the Academy directly," the Half-Fallen one stated to him as Ryuk nodded.
’It was just like Morgaine had previously said—that the gate to the Ascension Academy wouldn’t be open for a week from now.’
"I must also remind you, Ryuk—and listen well, grumpy head—you will be going to the Ascension Academy under the image of the Fallen Family."
"Whatever your actions are, always consider the face of the Fallen Family."
"Do not commit any crimes that will sully the family’s face."
"I’m afraid if you do, you will be facing the wrath of the Fallen elders, and I have no control over their ultimate decisions," the Half-Fallen one said with a smile while combing Morgaine’s hair.
But Ryuk could quietly sense the seriousness in her voice.
’I’ll be going under the Fallen Family? But I’m a human.’
’Won’t that make me look like I’m some sort of bootlicker to them?’ Ryuk thought, not finding that funny at all.
But then he shrugged.
’Who cares what others think? I’m there to grow stronger. Anyone can have their opinion if they want, so far they don’t affect me,’ Ryuk thought to himself.
"I understand," he replied, as the Half-Fallen one nodded.
"Also, just like how you ten going will be one of the ultimate geniuses of the Fallen Family, there will be other families too—each of them ten, and each of them possessing just the same power and potential as you ten."
"I heard there are even a few one-in-a-million geniuses from the other families that will be going to the Ascension Academy."
"Do not overlook anybody, or eye them as weak."
"Also, you ten will be moving to the Academy, and according to the terms of moving, it states that we, of the ten families, sign that each of our geniuses can die during the Academy training, with a compensation to the family in such a scenario."
"No amount of compensation is worth a life, so I’ll advise you to be careful."
"The ten families might all be pinned under one name, and make most think we’re all on the same page, but we’re not."
"There are alliances, but that doesn’t mean we’ll hesitate to go to war with each other. We’re not that close or familiar. If anything, there’s incredible rivalry to dominate."
"So don’t go getting too cozy with the other races. Especially the geniuses; they put their families first before any situation."
"So be careful and don’t fall into temptations."
"Especially you, Ryuk," the Half-Fallen one said as Ryuk turned her attention to her.
"You’re a human, Ryuk, under the Fallen Family banner.
"Your loyalty to the Fallen Family is the worst amongst all the ten leaving for the Ascension Academy making you the easiest to be deceived."
"From you, they can try getting information on the Fallen Family and try getting you to come to their side."
"Betrayal is paid back by one thing only in the Fallen Family, and that is death!"
"We, of the Fallen, are the most secretive of the families, and we would like to keep it that way."
"In fact, many people still don’t know how our side of the world is completely covered in twilight."
"It might seem like such minor information, but we keep it a secret."
"I expect you to do the same. Never reveal anything you see."
"Not the number of elders, not the Lost Families’ number and their names, not the number of geniuses that were eliminated, not our skills and abilities, not the meaning of our wings being gold and some being black."
"Reveal nothing related to us…if you still wish to be looked at as one of us."
"I hope you understand my deeper meaning, Ryuk."