The feeling was different from a normal teleportation.
The closest Ryuk could compare it to was when he had moved from Endearth to Ammamora, where he found himself flashing toward a golden planet in a golden void.
But this time, there was no golden planet; instead, a void of red, with dots of black hanging in the far distance like stars.
He felt himself being pulled forward through this crimson expanse by the hands gripping tightly onto his wrist.
Time passed — how much, he couldn’t comprehend, but it eventually stopped, the movement, the rushing, all of it ceased, and then,
BAAAANG!
Pain shot through Ryuk’s head as it slammed into something solid.
A moment later, control and perception returned to him, and he burst up from the ground where his head had smashed.
"Arrrgh!"
The groan forced itself from his lips as his hands reached up, rubbing the sore spot.
He had landed vertically, headfirst into the dirt, buried in a crater beneath him.
"Amateur."
The mocking comment rang out from the side, and Ryuk turned to see Odette standing nearby, arms folded, looking down at him with that familiar ’fucking newbie’ expression.
"You...How are you...You cheater!" Ryuk called out at the injustice.
Somehow, he had landed headfirst while she stood calmly, having touched down perfectly on her feet.
It was clear she’d cheated somehow; she was the one dragging him forward through the space after all.
"I didn’t cheat." Odette defended.
"It was the void we traveled through that cheated us both, taking us backward instead of forward."
"I wasn’t an amateur, though, so I didn’t fall for its tricks," she added, placing sharp emphasis on the word "amateur."
Ryuk’s teeth ground together.
’I’m not an amateur,’ he defiantly thought, pushing himself to his feet, and then paused, surprised.
"We’re back on Nihility," he said in relief.
The familiar crimson moon still floated above, and the ground beneath him exuded that same peculiar dark mist.
Returning brought more relief to Ryuk than he expected.
"Wait. What did you just call this planet?" Odette asked.
Ryuk turned to find her staring at him in disbelief.
"I said, we’re back on Nihility?" he repeated.
She studied his face for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"That’s... that’s a really good one!" she said, grabbing Ryuk’s shoulder hard enough to nearly crack it under the weight of her hand.
But as she looked back at Ryuk, who beheld a deadpan expression, her laughter abruptly stopped.
"Wait... what!?" she asked, as Ryuk pried her hand off and rubbed his sore shoulder.
"Somebody once told me that Nihility used to be twice the size of a massive planet — home to an ancient evil race known as the Nihils."
"But a thousand years ago, they fought another evil race and lost. The Nihils were wiped out, and the war tore about seventy percent of Nihility’s surface away, leaving this broken star as the last remnant of its existence."
"So yes — this is Nihility. Or should I say, your world?" he finished, watching her turn in a full circle, slowly taking it all in.
"It... it used to be so grand," she whispered — and then—
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPLLLEEE
An overwhelming wave of murderous intent burst from her figure as the air violently whipped around them.
"What the hell!?" Ryuk gasped as the pressure slammed into his face, strong enough to start dragging him back.
"It used to have seven crimson moons and four lunar stars... revolving in a pentagram order," Odette said quietly.
Yet her voice, despite the distance, carried through the thick intent to Ryuk’s ears.
"The sky was another world entirely. Floating islands filled it — architectural marvels never seen within a million-kilometer radius."
"There was the Nihil Castle... its spires piercing through the clouds... radiating energy that rippled through the entire world."
"How?" she whispered, stepping forward. "
How... did it become so desolate and... broken?"
With each step, the world around her changed.
The cracked floor was replaced with glowing red gems beneath her feet.
From the clouds, light spilled down — crimson and white blending into a breathtaking hue.
A peaceful breeze danced around her, gently fluttering her hair and gown.
In the distance stood a colossal castle, dark and gleaming, with jagged edges piercing into space itself.
Its surface shimmered with glowing runic symbols, pulsing faintly with red and dark crimson energy.
Above her, lofty clouds rolled, and on top of them sat floating islands so massive they could rival entire planetary cities.
Around her, beasts galloped past, behind them, carriages carrying groups of smiling, waving people.
Children ran ahead, dragging their laughing mothers along.
Joyful shouts rang from groups of men running shoulder to shoulder, playful and loud.
The scene stirred the emotion of nostalgia, resulting in a single tear sliding from her right eye and down her cheek.
The droplet crystallized as it fell — and when it hit the ground:
CRAAACCKKK
The sound of shattering glass echoed out.
The world around her, so perfect, cracked apart like a broken mirror, dissolving into wind and ash.
In its place, a world returned, scarred by craters formed from blade marks; an abyss with endless depth, with destruction evident in every direction.
Dark mist oozed from the ground, and a putrid, stagnant air filled the skies. Above it all loomed the single crimson moon, which only further added to the haunting aura.
"It... It used to be home," she murmured.
Her fingers clenched into a tight fist, dark blood dripping from her palm and staining the ground.
But all of a sudden it changed.
The remnants of tears on her face faded away into dark mist, and the emotion of nostalgia ripped away from her heart.
In its place, a pain twisted into cold fury, turning her eyes lifeless and darker.
She turned, her gaze locking onto Ryuk, who stood silently in the distance.
His eyes avoided hers when she looked into them, but only for a moment before meeting hers again.
And then he whispered:
"I..."
"You can never understand."