The second he was sighted by them, they all immediately paused—the entire group, previously preparing to move forward, halting to a stop.
Their gazes sharpened at him before subtly drifting back to the Half-Fallen One.
"You brought back an aboriginal of the world?" a Fallen, the tallest among them and seemingly the leader, asked the Half-Fallen One, who responded,
"He’s part of my family."
"That, I will not dispute," the man acknowledged and continued,
"But the orders we received are for only Fallen Angels to be allowed into the Identification Prism and go through the process of rejoining the Ammamora."
"He may be part of your family, but he isn’t a Fallen Angel and therefore doesn’t fulfill the requirements to enter the Identification Prism," the man said calmly, as silence settled for a while.
The Half-Fallen One’s brows tightened before she asked,
"So what has to be done for him to be recognized?"
The man turned his head slightly to look at Ryuk.
"Since he can’t simply be returned to the world, what I can do is take him to my leader, Her Radiant One."
"There are many other races on Ammamora who aren’t necessarily Fallen Angels, and some even live among Fallen Angel families."
"But the process of identification is different, and that power isn’t vested in me."
"He will have to meet the one who has that power." He explained, and the Half-Fallen One nodded in agreement
"That’s fine. We’ll all go meet your leader, acquire for him his identification, and then resume ours..." she said, but the man vehemently shook his head.
"I’m afraid that can’t be possible. Only he has an issue, and only he will be allowed in her presence." His voice left no room for negotiation.
"We can’t leave a family member separated in an unfamiliar world, and going to meet an unknown person," Old Jack began to say, but he paused when he felt the hands that gently landed on his shoulders.
Turning, he saw Ryuk standing behind him, his hands resting gently.
"If not being a Fallen Angel requires a different identification, it makes sense."
"I’ll go with them, get the identification I need, and then rejoin," he said, his voice ringing out to the group.
Old Jack’s eyebrows drew together as his lips moved to say something, but stopped when he looked into Ryuk’s eyes, watching the faint knowing light that crossed them.
And that signal was all Old Jack needed.
"Fine," he said, as the golden-haired man turned to a part of the group and nodded his head.
"Very well then. I will personally accompany you all to the Identification Prism, while my trusted colleagues will lead him to meet Her Radiance."
"Now, if you don’t mind..." he said, stepping forward to resume walking with about half of the Fallen group.
"Are you sure about this?" Morgaine whispered the question in the group’s mind, her eyes drawn together in worry.
Ryuk gave a reassuring smile.
"I’ll be fine, Morgaine. Trust me," he replied, offering a firm nod to the Half-Fallen One.
She exhaled slowly before giving her nod and followed after the Fallen groups.
The rest of the group followed her, and ten seconds later, only Ryuk and about four more Fallen remained.
Ryuk turned to face the Fallens surrounding him.
Their previously tightened expressions had eased somewhat, but what lay on their faces wasn’t a smile—rather, a mixture of disdain in some and indifference in others.
They quickly re-formed their positions—two standing before Ryuk, two behind—before one called out,
"Come with us."
Ryuk made no objection and simply followed after them.
_________________
SCREEEEECCCHHHHH
A powerful bird screech echoed through the golden streets as two gigantic wings spread wide.
It plummeted toward the ground—
VROOOOOOOM
Air rippled violently as it hovered in the air, just before it could slam into the golden marble-like floor, softly lowering instead.
Seated on its back were five figures, and the most eye-catching among them was the white-haired presence—none other than Ryuk, who stepped down from the golden bird.
His gaze briefly met the golden orbs of light that were the creature’s eyes, and his voice echoed into its mind.
’Thank you for the flight...’ he said telepathically, watching a faint flicker of surprise cross the creature’s gaze before it responded.
’It’s the reason for my existence. And seeing as you are new here...’
"I will give you a piece of advice—do not look directly into the eyes of an angel if you ever come across one..." the golden bird replied, its voice echoing telepathically in Ryuk’s mind.
It then let out another loud screech before soaring back into the air.
[Your Beast Sovereign Ability finally coming in handy, huh?]
The system notification flashed, referencing Ryuk’s ability to easily communicate with the Golden Bird and understand it telepathically.
All of that was thanks to his Beast Sovereign Skill.
But his focus returned as he turned behind him and saw the towering structure before him.
A palace, though unlike the ones on Endeah, which were typically vast in width. This one was tall, incredibly so.
Its edges could be easily seen, but the top?
It stretched endlessly upward, completely painted in gold, as though the building itself was forged from pure gold—a color Ryuk had noticed to be the most dominant in this new world.
"Resume walking..." one of the Fallen ordered, snapping him out of his thoughts as they continued forward.
Soon, they stood before towering golden doors, twenty meters high.
It was the entrance to the golden palace. But all came to a stop.
Standing beside the doors were six Fallen, each having morphed into their chaotic, grinning devil forms.
Their presence was sinister, and they stood before the golden gates, blocking the path.
"Explain your purpose."
Their voices were like grinding nails—ear-shattering to listen to—although that wasn’t where Ryuk’s attention lay.
What had caught his focus was the fact that:
’Eternity. Each of them is at the Eternity stage. The peak of cultivation on Endearth... yet they’ve been reduced to guards?’ he silently thought, feeling a faint thump within his chest.
He remained quiet, letting the Fallens around him explain themselves.
The moment the Fallens stated their reason for being there, the guards stood motionless, contemplating for a while before responding.
"Your purpose has been understood."
"All four of you can turn back now, and leave just the aboriginal..." one of the Fallen guards stated.
Ryuk noted how the four Fallens around him faintly bowed their heads before wordlessly turning away like machines, disappearing without a word.
"You," the Fallen guard said, pointing at Ryuk, who turned his gaze toward him.
"Come with me," He ordered.
Ryuk stepped forward silently, walking up the ascending golden stairs to arrive before the Fallen guard, who turned and began walking toward the golden gates.
But just as he was about to pass the other Fallens, a voice echoed in his mind:
’A single disturbance, and you will suffer a fate worse than death!’
The threat rang clear in his head, but he made no reply.
He didn’t turn his head toward the one who had spoken either—he simply walked past them and disappeared through the now-open golden gates, which slammed shut with a loud, resounding thump.
_____
A long, empty golden corridor.
That was what greeted Ryuk the moment he stepped through the golden doors.
It stretched endlessly into the distance—golden walls, golden flooring—but silently, he continued walking, following the Fallen guard without a word.
Only the
STEP
STEP
STEP
of their feet echoed in the still air, until a voice broke the silence.
"Behind the door is Her Radiance..." the Fallen said, as Ryuk looked ahead and spotted another enormous golden door, about fifty meters away.
"Do not remain on your feet in the presence of the Radiant One."
"Do not utter a word in her presence."
"Do not lay your eyes upon her radiant figure for more than three seconds."
"...Unless you receive her explicit permission."
"Failure to follow any of these rules may provoke her—and the result of that is death...Or worse."
"If you truly have a family waiting for you, I believe you should understand this well."
His tone was sharp, threateningly even, but he didn’t turn back as he spoke, showing an absolute disregard for how Ryuk may have felt by his words.
Ryuk’s brows subtly furrowed at the tone, noticing it carried more condensation than concern, but he kept silent and offered no response.
They walked on toward the gate.
Then, ten meters away, the Fallen guard came to a stop, stepping aside and finally turning to look at Ryuk.
"Her Radiance is just behind the door." he said, making it clear he would not be stepping in.
Ryuk said nothing, continuing silently toward the golden gates.
His hand reached forward, laying on the gigantic golden gates, before he exerted strength in his hands and then,
GRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMM
A loud, heavy sound thrummed as the gigantic golden gates were opened, and Ryuk stepped in, the door shutting closed behind him.