"If your participation in the Third Knull War is finalized, then tell me, Ryuk. Until then, what do you plan to do?" the Half-Fallen asked curiously, as Ryuk stared at Void for some time, his eyes flashing with new ideas, but he pushed them down as he cleared his head and responded.
"I've previously come to spend some company with Morgaine. The earlier preparations for the Second War had caused limited contact, and I thought after its end, I could make it up by coming to the Castle..." Ryuk said, drawing Morgaine's gaze from her dish as a pink blush appeared on her cheeks, and the Half-Fallen nudged her shoulder with her elbow.
"But she seems really busy with her training right now."
"Yes, but I..." Morgaine replied before Ryuk cut her off.
"Which is very necessary and a good thing!" he said. "Endearth doesn't smell peace now, Morgaine. It reeks of danger from every corner."
"You take your training seriously, you grow stronger, and that improves not only the future of the Fallens who you'll be ruling soon, but you yourself too."
"Tch," Morgaine clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction but had no choice but to swallow down another huge morsel in her cheeks, stuffing them up until they formed balloons.
"And to be fair, I also need to take my training seriously too. I have a lot of things to improve on before the next Knull War begins."
"I'm even thinking of visiting the Shadow Walkers," he announced, as the Half-Fallen One's eyebrows curved together, her face turning to look at Void before it faintly settled.
"Not sure if they'll welcome you much warmly. The Void Walkers don't relate to the other races and suck at communication skills," the Half-Fallen One said. "Unless, of course, you're one with the Half-Fallen One's daughter's heart..." she teased in the end, resulting in another loud call from Morgaine and the Half-Fallen One's teasing giggle.
"Here..." she suddenly called to Ryuk, a dark card that radiated bits of shadow sparking her gasp as it flew toward Ryuk, who grabbed it with his hands, staring at the bizarre shadow-like rune symbol drawn on the card.
"That is just like the AUTHORITY Card you gave to me when we first met. Except belonging to the Shadow Walkers instead..."
"So with this, I get to have a free wish of mine answered by the Shadow Walkers?" Ryuk asked, as the Half-Fallen One paused in thought but then shook her head.
"Not exactly. But you'll be allowed to meet one of their high-ranking Shadows and be given an audience."
"Although, there is no guarantee that they'll accept any request of yours, unlike our Authority Card."
"Still a good thing regardless. Like this, I won't be wandering aimlessly if I ever pay a visit at least..." he said to himself, as he turned to the Half-Fallen One and uttered, "Thank you."To which she casually waved off.
Silence followed after lengthily, as they all quietly ate their dinner, and in a little more than 30 minutes, they were all done. But then, as they rose to leave, the Half-Fallen One gestured to Ryuk.
"If you don't mind, Morgaine. Can I have your sweetheart for the night..." the Half-Fallen One suddenly said then.
SPRUUUUUUTTTTTTT
The wine came gushing out of Morgaine's nose, pouring toward Ryuk, about to wet him up, only to pause in the air before behind and land to the ground.
'A Telekinetic Barrier?' the Half-Fallen One thought in surprise.
COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!
Morgaine coughed out her lungs from the sudden release in her throat. The words had choked her so much she had spat out the wine from shock.
"MOM! HAVE YOU LOST IT!!!?" Morgaine screamed loudly as the Half-Fallen One laughed wickedly.
"You dumb girl. I'm just saying I want a private discussion with him? Tch, such dark mind at such young age too..." she muttered with an eye roll as Morgaine scoffed.
It seems like she had fallen for her tricks once more.
"And you do know the Elders won't allow you to not to train for whatever reasons you may have! Go to sleep!" she said to her before a golden vortex appeared to the side, and she slowly walked in with Ryuk behind her.
Ryuk's eyebrows furrowed at the suddenness, but he only shrugged it off, giving Morgaine one last wave. But then he noticed her eyes were lost, staring at the gate as if trying to jog up the memories of what they were.
But then, a pull took at Ryuk as he got closer to the gate, dragging him inside it before he could ask her what was wrong.
The world spun for a couple of moments, the same feeling of being thrown into space, except this time in a roundabout manner, and soon—
STEP
STEP
Ryuk felt the world harden beneath his feet, the sound of his own feet touching the ground grounding him, and he looked around—but his eyes flashed in shock when he looked at what was before him.
It was an endless expanse of a Golden World, that seemed to continue into the distance for all of eternity.
But around him were a total of five Altars rising from the ground in a pentagon shape, and on top of these five altars were beings with massive golden wings.
They were Fallens, yet bore distinct resemblances from other Fallens due to their four wings instead of the usual two. And instead of golden or silvery wings, they all had pitch-black wings that radiated an incredible amount of dark shadow-like energy.
One of them sitting on the altar was a person Ryuk recognized, as the name unconsciously appeared in his head.
"Sier Kieran!?"
Yes. It was Sier Kieran. The man who had been tasked with bringing the Ultima Ten Geniuses to the Ascension Academy from the Fallen Training Grounds. The One who had faced the Bat Horde on their way.
Ryuk refocused his gaze above him and found the Half-Fallen before on a throne that floated in the sky, radiating an incredible amount of dense energy that formed some sort of golden barrier covering the entire Golden Expanse.
"If you don't mind me asking? Why are we here, with these Fallens?" Ryuk asked, but then the notification flashed before his gaze:
[WARNING! WARNING!]
[5 BEINGS AT THE PSEUDO-ETERNAL STAGE HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED ALONG WITH A BEING AT THE ETERNAL STAGE!]
[MALICIOUS INTENT DETECTED!]
'WHAT!?'