"Why are you here, Quinn?"
"Huh?"
"Why are you in the Fallen Genius Arisen? You don’t seem to be here for the same reason I am..." Ryuk repeated seriously as Quinn sat upright in the steam while Ryuk playfully submerged within it.
"Well, I am here just like the rest, to be given a chance to join the Ascension Academy," he replied, as Ryuk clicked his tongue.
"Then why do you care about some Ultimate Top 10 Geniuses? In fact, the existence of the Ultimate Top 10 Geniuses actually disproves the rest of you geniuses..." Ryuk stated with a bit of a snort.
"Why do you say that?"
"Just look at the situation, Quinn. There are 60 of us, and only 10 people will be allowed into the Academy. In this place, there are ten most powerful geniuses that you all believe will take the ten spots.
"Then let me ask, if there are already ten Ultimate Geniuses that you all acknowledge and agree will win the top ten spots and enter the Academy, why are the remaining 50 of you still fighting at all?"
"What!?"
"I mean, there’s no chance of you winning against the Top 10 Ultimate Geniuses, right?"
"Then why are you still coming for training every day? You should sit in your dorm room, wait for the top ten to win, and then pack your bags and go home!" Ryuk stated, his words as cold and callous as ever, his expression deadpan—the exact look to knock some sense into someone.
"If you know, Quinn, that you’ll never win the spot, then why are you fighting? Why are you even here? You should sign out.
"The existence of ten geniuses, to me, is something stupid, and I feel the remaining 50 of the geniuses are even stupider. If you already acknowledge ten people who you have no doubt will win, then what does that make you? A side character?"
"You’re here to be the main character, right? How was the ticket of a side character thrown into your hands? When did you lose sight of the main character goal, Quinn?"
"Were you not here to be in the top ten!? When did you grow satisfied with being ranked 59!? When did you become scared of offending some people who all started in the same position as you?"
The questions came like a flood, drowning Quinn in cold water.
"Let me tell you a secret, Quinn..." Ryuk suddenly said as he rose from the water and walked towards Quinn.
"I am here to fight for one of the top ten spots! I don’t care who the current top ten are. I don’t care who is guaranteed to win.
"I’m here to secure a spot, not to be a fanboy.
"So, I’m not scared of the top ten finding me out. In fact, I want them to find me out."
"I want my reputation to grow!"
"I want my growth to send chills into their hearts."
"I want them to fear that I will come to take away what you all assigned to be theirs—in cold blood."
"I have a reason for being here, Quinn. To me, all this running around and training after calls is not just a schedule—it’s a plan to win the top ten. So why shouldn’t I go all out and grow?
"Do you understand me now?" Ryuk’s words ended as he left Quinn’s front and walked off.
"Everyone here treats you like trash, don’t they, Quinn?" Ryuk suddenly said as Quinn turned to look at him. Ryuk turned his side to him, his expression unreadable.
"All the geniuses here look down on you. They feel like you’re unworthy or undeserving of even a speech from them.
"You’re scared of leaving the door room open because you were once bullied at night, right?" Ryuk said with a grin that shook Quinn’s heart.
"Just how did you know?"
"Everyone will treat trash like trash, Quinn. Everyone but me!
"I treat you like an equal because you really are an equal. You’re trash, and I came from the trashiest place too."
"We’re like brothers, Quinn."
"But you know, eventually, we’ll part. Not because I hate you, but because I will stop being trash, and you will keep being trash, because you have no reason to fight."
"You have potential, Quinn. When I look into your eyes, I sense something about you."
"The golden light in your eyes... there’s something in it. Like a power, hidden away, unexplored, something I can’t find amongst the rest of the Fallen.
"Somehow, I feel like all you need is a reason to let that power out, but you have become fine with being trash..."
"Aren’t you scared, Quinn? Anything you’re scared off?" Ryuk suddenly asked as Quinn shook his head.
"Don’t think so? What about you?"
"To lose the one who cared for you because you were too weak to hold them in your grasp."
"I am scared of that. In fact, it’s my only fear..." Ryuk mused loudly, as his hands squeezed tightly into his palms, before his eyes turned bitingly cold, and he relaxed them.
"Win or Lose, Quinn. You don’t actually care, do you?" Ryuk asked, his voice echoing through the grotto where he soon disappeared from Quinn’s gaze.
"Do I care?"
The question silently echoed after Ryuk’s disappearance as Quinn looked silently at the rejuvenating pool beneath him.
On it was his own reflection staring back at him, repeating Ryuk’s words.
’All my life, I have been satisfied with being the side character. I don’t know when I accepted to be that, but somehow, I’m absolutely fine with it.’
"Fine with not being in the spotlight."
’But there is a loneliness here...’ Quinn mused as his hands reached for his heart.
’Somehow it feels so lonely here. Somehow, this part of me hate being ignored, being bullied, being mocked...’
’Somehow I hate it all so much. I feel disgust at myself at night. But it’s only for the night, I’ll be fine once it’s the day...’
’I’ll put on my smiling face, and everything will be fine.’
’Through it all though, Ryuk. I’m tired of it. This clownliness, I’m tired of it all..."
"But that’s the only way to survive isn’t it?"
"I am simply not destined for the spotlight. I’m simply not, and neither are you Ryuk."
"The top ten are, and the rest are not..."
"You’ll come to understand one day, Ryuk..."
Quinn muttered downcastly as he looked at his reflection.
’I’m sure you’ll come to understand..."