"I don’t think that is true," Ryuk responded, leading to Odette grinning in interest.
"You think it isn’t stupid?" she asked, and he nodded, feeling the girl in his arms grip harder around his stomach as she buried her hand in his chest, seemingly in search of comfort.
He rubbed her hair chaotically, making her smile goofily.
"I think fearing death makes us commit a lot of mistakes, and takes us farther away from growth. Also, you were right," he said, turning to look at her.
"Huh?"
"Orrelith didn’t leave me behind. I had a choice to follow her and escape, something she calls a temporary retreat."
"I don’t necessarily find that to be wrong, but the truth is, if I had run away from the fight with you, I wouldn’t be half as strong as I am now, mentally and physically."
"I grew from that fight, and that only happened due to my lesser fear of death, you could say."
"Hmmm," She hmmed silently under her breath.
"And when you ask me to let this girl go because of her dangerous background... if I left her, she might just get captured again like before."
"She was lucky to have me save her previously, but who knows what will happen this time?"
"Whatever it is, it would leave me doubting my ability to protect or follow my goal to the end."
"I know self-doubt sounds like something tiny, but it is a crack in defense that may be exploited one day."
"After all, I’ve constantly exploited my own enemy’s self-doubt," he said, leaving Odette silent for a while.
It was hard to debate.
He had grown stronger from facing her.
She knew this when he had suddenly burst up in those bizarre white flames of his.
Those flames held great power, but she also knew they weren’t being used to their full potential, as if they had just been awakened in that fight.
It was a growth that truly may never have happened if he had not fought her.
And his concern for the girl wasn’t unreal.
Sure, she had her God Authority that reflexively protected her, but God Authority wasn’t invincible.
She could bypass it if she truly wanted, and most people should be able to do the same, even if they aren’t as strong as she was.
It must have been how the little girl got herself kidnapped in the first place.
Besides, if Ryuk dropped the girl and she somehow found her way back to her family... what if she led her family back to Ryuk, to deal with him for "betraying" her?
Wouldn’t that just lead to regrets about leaving her in the end, something that might have been avoided if he had simply subdued his fear of dying at her family’s hands.
His lesser fear of death potentially led to faster growth, while also lowering his chances of making mistakes.
Truly, it was risky, as he could die.
But if he didn’t, he grew faster than if he had never risked it.
Was not fearing death really as stupid as it seemed?
"You may be right," Odette said, agreeing with him in the end, and Ryuk smirked in victory.
"But also keep in mind, it all ends with death," she said.
"One unlucky event. One risk too big, and you will cease to exist."
"Then it wouldn’t matter what your beliefs are."
"You will be dead and soon forgotten by most. You risk death too much; then your end is certain," she said, each word like a divine decree that echoed straight into his soul.
"I know," he whispered faintly beneath his breath.
Less fear of death might sound cool, but he knew deep in his heart it was the same as gambling.
Except that he was gambling with his life, the riskiest thing one could gamble with, and he wasn’t just playing it once.
He was actively playing it almost all the time; in fact, he had been playing this game ever since he could remember.
His fight with a Grade E creature that Uncle Bob had warned him about was a gamble on his life, as that rat could have ended him.
His fight with Ignatius was a gamble, since he might have been killed by the Fallen Angels if he had lost.
His fight with Zar’kul, the 7th Calamity, was a gamble, as he would have been killed if he had lost, and had actually been killed theoretically since he fully exhausted his last bit of life aura in that fight.
And even right now, his goals... him wanting to get back his body parts? That was another big gamble of its own, since every encounter with any of the Calamities meant a high risk of death.
Somehow, all his life, he had been gambling.
Perhaps that was why going through risks that others would find stupid only seemed natural to him.
’Odette is right. Less fear of death is stupid in its way,’ he thought, when a giggle echoed through the room.
He turned to look at Odette, laughing.
"It’s good to see we both agreed in our own way, although I still don’t support you keeping that girl around," she added, and Ryuk shrugged helplessly.
"You ever ask her what her name is?" Odette asked, as Ryuk shook his head, turning to look at the girl.
It was almost like she could feel his gaze, as she also turned her eyes upwards.
"What’s your name?" Ryuk asked telepathically, and she remained quiet for a while before replying with a word.
"Iris," she responded telepathically, watching as Ryuk whispered.
"Iris. So simple, yet beautiful."
"Iris?" Odette asked, picking it up from Ryuk’s whisper.
"Yes," Ryuk said, watching as Odette’s eyebrows furrowed further.
"You might not know, but that word means the god of Rainbow in an ancient mythology. And the god of rainbow in that mythology is a messenger of the gods," she concluded, leading to Ryuk chuckling.
"Are you saying she’s like some sort of messenger sent to me by the gods?" he said, laughing goofily, and Odette rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. Just keep her away from me," she added, preparing to bring up her holograph and continue her browsing, only to feel the faint rustle of the air.
Turning to the side, she saw Ryuk less than a few inches from her with the girl in his arms.
"I couldn’t hear what you said. Can you come again?" he said, leaning Iris closer to her as Odette reflexively shifted away, only to be pressed against the corners of the sofa.
"You. Get away from me!" she screamed in exasperation as Ryuk grinned evilly.
"Now, I know your weakness."