"The Fallen Army would be there, Ryuk..."
This was Morgaine's reply, as Ryuk stood in shock for a while before he smiled.
She understood him.
She really did understand perfectly, and that was more than enough of an answer.
"Thank you, Morgaine. I won't make any promises since I suck at fulfilling them, but I will repay this, one day," he said, as Morgaine giggled.
"On a more serious note, you don't have to stress the Half-Fallen One," he said, as Morgaine shrugged before her eyes flashed with interest, and she asked,
"So you struck a deal with the Ten Families' leaders, and it included them showing up, right?" Morgaine said, as Ryuk nodded.
"Then what if they failed to come? What was the other end of the deal?" Morgaine asked curiously, as Ryuk furrowed his eyebrows, remembering the words he had given the Ten Family Leaders if they didn't heed humanity's call.
A dangerous light flashed in his eyes, and for a tenth of a second, Morgaine seemed to see the world ending into nothing.
All she saw was a world of darkness, where Ryuk remained in the same position, but behind him, piercing huge eyes lurking form the shadows that screamed of murder and madness flashed.
The sensation was as gone as it came, and Ryuk simply rose back up.
"I'll be a human, the race they left to die alone. That was the other end of the deal," he replied with a playful smirk, which Morgaine knew better than to ignore.
"I've left the Academy," she suddenly said, causing Ryuk to pause.
"You did?"
"Yes."
"But why? You just had less than a few months to finish. Why leave now?"
"No, no. I got the certificates," she said, as Ryuk made to sit by her side. She reached for her device, surfing through it, and showed it to him.
It truly was a congratulatory certificate for her having finished and graduated from the Ascension Academy, something that left Ryuk speechless.
"Was I gone for a year and not three weeks?" he wondered, his perplexed expression bringing a giggle to Morgaine.
"You forgot my mother is the Half-Fallen One?" she asked, as Ryuk's eyes flashed in realization.
"Oh, ooooh. She pulled some strings for you, huh?" he said, as Morgaine giggled.
"No, she didn't. I graduated fair and square."
"Yeah, right," Ryuk said with an eye roll.
"I didn't have much else to do in the Academy anyway. The first two years are for the training. The third year is the Academy trying to place you in a category where you can work or be useful for them. It's trying to give you a future with them."
"My mother thinks I don't need that, and the Ascension Academy agreed."
"I'm the Fallen Princess, it would be wild if they wanted me to be one of their workers, even if the pay is beyond my imagination, and truth be told, that was their wish."
"But with Mother interjecting, they'd rather give me up and hand the certificate than face her wrath. So I got the certificate," she said, and Ryuk understood now, but that also led to another realization.
"So, you're heading back to the Castle?" Ryuk asked her, and Morgaine nodded, rubbing her arms.
"I wanted you to come back too, you know. It... It was once home, you know. Even if you only stayed for a short time," Morgaine said, stuttering as she did, and Ryuk's eyebrows furrowed.
Perhaps it was because of him that she wanted to even listen to her mother in the first place.
And truth be told, Morgaine had her plans.
She only agreed to go back to the Castle because there really wasn't much to do in the Academy in the first place. She had some aim in her life, which was entering Interdimensional gates and completing quests until she eventually faces an enemy that will take away her misery of a life, but that was because of his absence.
Now that he was back here and wouldn't be in the Academy anymore, she didn't see much sense in fighting alone anymore.
That was why she'd eventually agreed when her mother started pressuring her about her duty as the Fallen Princess back home.
Ryuk had once been in the castle. It had once been their home, and she didn't remember him repulsing it.
He would have been fine, and she would take on any burden her mother was willing to throw on her, so long as he got to be by her side.
But now, that doesn't seem to be happening soon.
Plans changed, and they've changed massively.
She was distracted out of her thoughts when she felt the cold graze on her cheek that brought her face to this.
"I'll find time to come. It might not be now, or tomorrow. But I'll show up, and hang in for some time, or maybe even forever. I swear it," he said, bringing some bit of serenity to her aching heart.
The moonlight coming from the filtering roof woke them up from their pause, as Ryuk looked at the full moon in the dark night sky.
"Seems like it's late," Morgaine mused to herself, as Ryuk nodded, but his face changed when he felt the world blitzed by, and when it stopped, she was already before a golden door.
Morgaine stepped into it, revealing her bedroom.
"Then you're staying in for the night," she said with a sinister smirk, as she headed to the bed, and Ryuk shrugged helplessly.
The Knull's gate hadn't opened yet, so he might as well still keep things cool, although he would like to instantly resume his cultivation immediately, as there was still so much to learn.
But he was also aware that it wasn't just about him anymore now.
She also needed his attention and presence, and if it's just for a night, then he was cool with it.
"Fine by me," Ryuk said as he hopped into the bed, but then—
THUUUUUUUUUUUMMMP
A heavy thudding sound surprised them, as Morgaine, who had sneakily moved closer and closer to him, suddenly felt her face slamming into a hard-scaled surface, as the temperature in the room seemed to drop by hundreds of times.
"You!" Morgaine said, as she wiped her nose and while looking up.
Isha smirked sinisterly at her as Morgaine's expression dropped massively.
"You! Tch, you dickheaded bastards!"
"Heheheheh."
"Gaggggggle."