The sound of heavy biking rang out through the snow-white plains as two powerful white beams of light brightly illuminated the area.
On it were none other than two figures, their features hidden beneath helmets. Although concealed, the one sitting at the front had two clear braids flowing behind her.
In the distant sky, the sun was just beginning to rise, providing a grey illumination to the surrounding clouds and a faint warmth to the frost-covered world below.
The bike continued on its way, casually running forth at a speed of Mach 5, before it slowly came to a stop—skilfully swerving to the side, upheaving a mountain of snow before it halted completely.
"We're here!" Aster's excited voice rang out as she turned her gaze to Ryuk, only to catch the sight of him slipping down from behind her, before...
"BLEEEEERRGGGGGHHH!"
"Oh, come on. We didn't even go that fast, did we?" Aster asked while chuckling mockingly as she climbed down the bike, her hands scraping the side of it—and then, just like that, it disappeared into thin air.
She reached for her helmet, which also vanished, leaving her braids to bounce around behind her.
She walked to Ryuk's side, picking up the helmet he placed to the side and storing it away before walking off—but not before kicking the snow and splattering it all over Ryuk's rosy red face.
"Hey!"
Ryuk protested as he watched her race into the distance. He could only force down the feeling in his chest before he followed after—but it didn't take too long before he sighted something that made his eyes narrow.
Aster had already come to a stop before it, and Ryuk soon arrived by her side.
Just a meter away was a snow-white vortex that would have been impossible for anyone to notice unless they were extremely close, seemingly blending with space itself perfectly.
But within...Ryuk's eyes narrowed as the system notification flashed.
[Congratulations. A Realm Holding A Large Amount of Concentrated Aetheris Energy Has Been Discovered.]
At least, the system didn't issue a warning signal—which meant the chances of this being a trap were pretty low.
"Can you feel what I feel, Ryuk?" Aster asked, and Ryuk nodded his head.
"The high amount of Aetheris Energy oozing out?" he asked, and she nodded her head.
"Yes."
"Hey Aster? Have you gone in before?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"No, I just barely sensed something weird around here while passing by. I didn't even know it was a vortex," she explained, resulting in Ryuk's creasing eyebrows.
They had no idea what was before them, and who knew if it ended up being an interdimensional gate—but then, Ryuk's fear dispersed as he took a step forward, not before grabbing Aster's hand.
"Well, let's find out together, shall we?" he said, and Aster rolled her eyes.
"Good. At least you aren't flinging me inside this time..." she said, referring to when she had first met Ryuk and he had grabbed her hand and flung her into the Soul flora Sea to test things out.
"Oh, come on, Aster. You know I'm a changed, good soul now," Ryuk said as he arrived before the portal and casually stepped through it.
"Yes, I know you're not," she replied before she also stepped in.
And so, the two of them stepped into the vortex, whose speed of rotation slowed down for a few seconds before resuming once more.
Not a minute later, a dark crack silently appeared in the sky, and soon, a pitch-black leg stepped out, its gaze falling upon the vortex with furrowed eyes.
Then, eyes steeled, it also stepped through the portal, disappearing within.
---
When they stepped in, it was like they had entered a completely different world.
A world absolutely covered in an endless plane of green glass that extended as far as the eyes could see.
The green grass gently danced to the breeze, and then—Ryuk's eyes froze as he took a deep inhale of the breeze, and his eyes flashed when he opened them.
He turned to the side to find Aster's eyes also flashing in shock in the same manner as his.
"It's Pure Aetheris Energy!?"
"It's Pure Aetheris Energy!?" they both said at the same time, resulting in a chuckle as Ryuk's eyes flashed.
A world of endless green—where the air itself was pure, concentrated Aetheris Energy.
It was something he had never seen or heard of before.
"I'll go take a walk around, see if there's anyone else nearby..." Asteralaxia stated as she slowly made her way into the distance.
"Fine by me," Ryuk replied.
She could only wander around 300 meters or so from him, so he wasn't afraid of losing sight of her.
Instead, he extended his senses outwards, scanning for the faintest bits of life that might be lurking around—just in case.
But he found nothing.
As he withdrew his senses, he took a seat in the grass—whose height reached his chest as he sat.
But they weren't stinging or irritating—if anything, calm and soft on the skin.
A deep inhale of the Aetheris energy in the air, and Ryuk felt his heart calm down a great deal, his worries fading before he ordered in his heart:
'Activate System Interface.'
[Congratulations, Host, on successfully completing the below quests.]
[Main Quest: A total of three Pseudo-Eternal grade Knuls have descended unto the Netherian Army and possess the ability to wipe ten.]
[Instruction: Negate the domed front of the gathered Netherian army.]
[Status: Completed!]
[Rewards:]
+5 Level Up Cards!
+10 Ability Upgrade Cards!
+50,000 Purchase Points!]
[Secret Quest Completed!]
[Quest: Escape the Bombardment of the Fallen Powerhouses!]
[Status: Completed!]
[Rewards:]
+50,000 EXP!
+1 All Injuries Rejuvenation Card!
[System Interface]
[Name: Ryuk Knul]
[Race: Half Knull, Half Jade Dragon]
[Age: 17]
[Apex Energy Cultivation Stage: Initial Plane of the Stage of Cataclysm]
[Aetheris Energy Cultivation Stage: Mid-Stage]
[Level: 50]
[EXP: 64,000/100,000]
[Level Up Cards Possessed: 5]
[Does Host wish to use Level Up Cards?]
The system asked, and Ryuk's eyes flashed before he nodded.
"Yes."