The Coldness
It was just as Ryuk remembered it, as he felt that coldness radiating through his body from the figure in his embrace.
’You’ve gotten warmer...’ Isha’s voice rang out directly in Ryuk’s mind. He smiled as he responded.
’And you’re just as cold as I remember you were.’
’How’s it been in here, Isha? How have they treated you?’ Ryuk asked telepathically, and Isha responded.
’Good. She had been honest and had followed through with her words... ’she replied as Ryuk’s eyes slowly opened up, and both finally separated from their embrace.
Isha hung onto his arm by his side as Ryuk turned to look at Queen Snowardo and Elder Celine.
"Seems like I owe both of you a thank you for following through with your words," he said, as Queen Snowardo smiled while Elder Celine simply scoffed.
"I have to give it to you, though, kid. Just when I thought you were gone, you came back after a whole year, and just had to announce your return with quite the loud bang," Elder Celine said as Ryuk turned his gaze to the footage playing.
His eyebrows furrowed before he clasped his forehead.
"I can assure you that was never meant to be recorded. It was a slip-up."
"And I was never gone. Just on a Ruin Mission," he replied as Elder Celine’s eyebrows furrowed suspiciously at him.
"I’m just glad to see you’re alive."
"Isha had gotten colder and colder the longer it took you to arrive. We all thought you had given up the ghost, especially after meeting with Peak Starweave Asterlaxia. She told us you might not be returning anytime soon," Queen Snowardo said, and Ryuk nodded his head.
"It’s okay. I’m back now. And thank you for the good treatment of Isha."
"It had been on my mind for as long as I had been in the Ruin—especially knowing I could have just summoned her back to my side, but didn’t, due to the promise I gave. But it seems that decision was for the best," he said, as Elder Celine raised her hands before shrugging him off.
"You’ve said that twice now, and Isha isn’t just a trainee anymore. She’s family to the Nagas now."
"We would naturally take care of one of our own."
"The words we held in exchange for training her... she will lead us to the real world of us Frost Wyverns," Elder Celine said, stepping forward towards Ryuk.
"And if I remember correctly, she would only get back her memory when she reaches the Eternity Stage," he replied, and she nodded her head.
"Yes, she’s just a little step away from reaching the Eternity Stage, and she already has some of the memories unfurled."
"We have a map... albeit incomplete," she said, and before Ryuk, an icy runic image appeared in the shape of a map. His eyes narrowed.
There were a lot of little star bodies present in the map, and he studied the runic lines carefully.
There were also many unknown names labeled across it.
"With just a bit more time, we should be able to complete the map," Elder Celine said, as the map faded from the throne room.
"If she reaches the Eternity Stage, she would awaken her full memory and get all the missing map pieces, right?" Ryuk asked Elder Celine, who furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding why he asked the obvious truth, but nodded her head.
"Well then. I would be back with her once she reaches the Eternity Stage."
"I think that’ll take less time for her to reach the Eternity Stage if she’s with us, don’t you think?" Elder Celine said, but Ryuk calmly shook his head.
"No. I don’t know how long it will take, but it’ll be faster with me. Trust me," he said, but Elder Celine shook her head.
"I doubt that, and for good reasons too."
"Well then, we both can agree she will reach the Eternity Stage one day or another. So why not ask her then, whose side she wants to stay on while she achieves that milestone?" Ryuk asked, tauntingly, as Elder Celine furrowed her eyebrows before she grinned confidently.
"I have no—"
"Okay, can we all take a step back and try to just make this a good reuniting moment instead of a battle over who holds possession of her?" Queen Snowardo said, silencing them both before the issue escalated.
Ryuk and Elder Celine furrowed their eyebrows, staring at each other suspiciously.
"TAP!"
The sound of clapping resounded as Ryuk watched the empty throne room begin to change.
A glass table formed of ice appeared on the ground, along with icy seats, as they all took a seat.
The golden gates opened up, and coming in were none other than some of the Nagas, who served cold ice drinks.
But throughout the entire serving, Ryuk and Elder Celine didn’t stop looking at each other suspiciously, creating quite the awkward scene between them.
After the maids served the drinks and left, leaving just them in the room once more, Queen Snowardo spoke out:
"Hey, Isha. Can you help me call Seraphis? I think she should be in her meditation room..." Queen Snowardo said, as Isha furrowed her cold gaze, but eventually rose up and blinked out of the room. The gates to the throne room closed behind her.
Immediately after she was gone, the chaos unfurled.
"It took you an entire YEAR on a Ruin Training!? Yeah, that sounds quite suspicious."
"Don’t you think so, Snow?" Elder Celine said, turning to Queen Snowardo, who could only roll her eyes as Ryuk’s hand stretched downward, picking up his coffee—but not without replying.
"Well, I can guess this mundane part of your world probably has never heard of a time dilation before, hmm..." Ryuk said as he calmly took a sip of his coffee.
"Tsk... I don’t trust you at all," Elder Celine said as Ryuk shrugged helplessly.
"Neither do I. My choice of leaving Isha here wasn’t a heartfelt one, remember? I was forced!" Ryuk said back.
"And if I remember correctly, you were considering getting me killed, too, just to have Isha.
"What? You expect me to suddenly trust you now because a year passed on Endearth?"