"You’re really weak, Ryuk…"
The voice rang out through the meditation room, where Ryuk sat cross-legged.
Ice blew all around him, seeping into his skin, and slowly, colour returned to his pale face as blood began to circulate once more.
Beside him sat Isha, her curious eyes fixed on his face.
Her claws rested beneath her chin as if she were deep in thought.
"Oh, please," Ryuk muttered, trying to concentrate against the voice ringing directly in his head.
"And that human boy is strong," Isha continued. "That attack of his was powerful. I bet it could’ve killed you."
Ryuk’s lips curled into a grin, but he couldn’t keep it up. He burst into laughter.
"You think it wouldn’t have done the same to you?" he asked.
Isha shook her head. "It wouldn’t even touch me because I wouldn’t run toward it like a fool. That’s what killed the Colossal. It lacked a few brain cells—it should’ve run instead of charging forward. I would’ve waited for the attack to miss, and just as that boy fell, I’d have given him a quick ending…" She said this with pride, and Ryuk couldn’t deny that her words made some sense.
The Colossal had truly run straight at Arthur instead of avoiding the obvious threat. It was strong, but it lacked critical intelligence.
"Also, that man who came at the end—he was strong too. He’s the real threat," Isha added, her maw baring slightly in irritation.
"I hate it!" she suddenly growled, her eyes furrowing.
"Hate what?" Ryuk asked.
"The feeling of someone being stronger than me. I hate it!"
Ryuk’s amused smile faded as he looked at her.
Her claws had extended, scratching the ice beneath her, and an eerie crimson line began to appear in her white pupils—the same strange shift that had happened when she turned against him previously.
"It’s fine, Isha," Ryuk reassured. "They’re the instructors. They’re meant to train us. They won’t harm us."
But Isha wasn’t buying it. She stood, pacing in circles around the room, lost in thought.
"Even if they’re not our enemies, I still hate it. And are you sure the instructors really won’t harm us?"
"Of course, why don’t you think so?"
"I mean, you all just fought a Colossal, something that could slap any of you to death with a single attack, and the instructor never appeared once during the entire battle."
Ryuk frowned.
"If he really cared whether you lived or died, he would’ve been in the arena ensuring no one was killed. But he never showed up—not until after the Colossal was already dead. And I doubt he would’ve appeared even if one or two of you had died."
"You say they can’t kill us? That doesn’t sound real…" Isha’s words trailed off, but Ryuk found himself thinking about it.
Instructor Kain had left them alone to fight the Colossal and vanished. He never reappeared until the battle was over.
And the real question was—would he have stepped in if a student was crushed?
That seemed unlikely.
It was only through sheer luck that none of the students had died.
So there was a very real possibility that any of them could have perished during that battle.
Were they truly safe with the instructors?
Even if the instructors weren’t allowed to kill them directly, there were countless ways to ensure their deaths—like throwing them into a battle they weren’t meant to survive.
’Am I getting too comfortable with the academy?’ Ryuk thought to himself, his eyes flashing with an odd light.
He hadn’t noticed it before, but now, it was clear—he was letting his guard down.
Before, he would always be cautious, always doubt everything. But now, he was being lax. Even telling Isha not to worry, reassuring her that the instructors wouldn’t do anything to them without him thinking about it deeply himself.
"You see what I mean now?" Isha asked, stopping her pacing and locking eyes with him.
"It’s true," Ryuk admitted, his brows furrowing. "While the instructors can’t outright kill us, they can always throw us into a Colossal’s den and let nature take its course. We’re not truly safe."
Isha exhaled a puff of cold mist from her nose.
"Exactly," she muttered. "Don’t you hate that feeling, Ryuk? Not having control over your own life? I hate it. I hate it very much…"
She laid back down on the ice.
"But, Isha… why didn’t you partake in the test?" Ryuk suddenly asked, drawing her attention. "You don’t seem scared of the Colossal. In fact, I doubt you wouldn’t be able to defeat it."
At the start of class, Ryuk had asked Isha if she wanted to join in the fight, but she had refused.
He had assumed it was out of fear.
But now, after hearing how little she thought of the Colossal’s strength, he realized she hadn’t been afraid at all.
She must’ve had another reason for staying out of the fight.
"I’m not scared of that dumb idiot," Isha stated, rising and walking toward Ryuk before sitting down in front of him.
"He has strength, but no brains. He’s not a real threat."
"Then why?" Ryuk pressed.
"What I wanted to see was you, Ryuk."
Ryuk blinked. "Me?"
Isha nodded.
"Yes. I wanted to see your true strength."
"Your power. I strangely can’t gauge it."
She leaned slightly forward, her eyes narrowing.
"Just so you know," she continued, "I can sense the power of everyone I lay my eyes on."
"But when I look at you, can you guess what I see?"
Ryuk remained silent.
"An abyss," she finally said.
Ryuk raised a brow. "An abyss?"
"Yes, Ryuk. An abyss."
She tapped her claws against the ice, taking a few scoop and then ice began forming around her fingers as she soon formed an ice cup.
"Think of people’s power as a cup." Isha began pointing to the cup in her hand.
"The more filled their cup is, the more power they have. I have a cup too, and I can simply compare theirs to mine to see who is stronger."
"But you…"
She met his gaze.
"You’re different.