"It’s like she’s suddenly grown by a couple more years, isn’t it?"
The system notification blinked silently before Ryuk, who sat quietly on the chair, tilting it in such a way that he could look at the ceiling above.
"Yes, it is," he muttered, reminiscing about his discussion with Isha.
And truly, to Ryuk, it was as if Isha had grown by a couple of years.
From the usually childish, carefree, and clingy girl, she had become more understanding of her own weaknesses, and even his.
All of this happened because of what she faced during her abduction.
It must have affected her more than he thought.
But even though those events had occurred quite some time ago, he never really had the chance to sit her down and ask what truly went on, or what she went through back then.
’Slowly losing myself, huh?’ he thought silently.
’I just need to take things slower. With time, I’ll eventually figure it all out.’ He concluded, rising from his reclining position to sit upright.
Isha had returned to the ship, refusing to stay here.
He could have forcefully kept her if he wanted, but he knew Elder Celine needed Isha around her to reach her destination, the Frost Wyvern Ancestral home.
That was also one of his goals.
To uncover Isha’s background.
In a way, his core mission had never changed at all.
His reasons for coming to the Upper Realm were still being achieved.
Antares had found his tribe, and soon enough, Isha and Elder Celine would find the Frost Wyvern Ancestral home.
Once that was done, another of his major goals in this place would be completed.
But after that came his true main goal.
To finally head to the Knulls’ home, to face all the Calamities, and to take back everything they had stolen from him.
He was consciously leaving that as the last task to complete, because he knew the difficulty it would bring.
And speaking of difficulty—
He rose to his feet and stepped forward, looking at the prisms scattered across the ground.
Ryuk bent down and picked one up, staring at it, though really, he was reflecting on what Isha had said.
Her words lingered in his mind, making him question his belief that preferring deep bonds with his beasts over simply having many was the right path.
Would that belief someday be like her jealousy, petty and insignificant?
He had always been staunch on what he believed in, never going against them, irrespective of the situation.
But one of Isha’s words stuck with him.
_______
"If we fight... and fail, then at least we knew we did our best."
"But I’ve also come to realize that, with just me and Void, you’re not even half close to trying your best at all, Ryuk."
_______
She couldn’t have been more right. Truly, he wasn’t doing his best when it came to fulfilling his contracted slots.
That was one area where he fell short.
If he lost to a stronger opponent, would he die satisfied that he had lost only after doing everything he possibly could to grow stronger?
Or would he regret not pushing further, not doing enough?
It struck deeply at him. As much as he wanted to deny it, he could imagine the scenario all too clearly.
Most likely, he would die with regret.
"Is it wrong to stand for a belief?" he muttered, not to anyone in particular, but then it blinked before him.
[It’s not wrong to stand for a belief, Ryuk... but only if the belief is not a hindrance to you.]
His brows creased in confusion.
’A hindrance to me?’
[Yes.]
[Take, for example, one of the greatest beliefs that has stuck with you until now: your belief that you can force Fate to give you its good side by working even harder.]
[This belief can be contrasted with the belief of Quinn from back then.]
[Quinn believed Fate had already been set in stone, and there wasn’t much that could be done to change it.]
[His fate was that he would never be able to face the Ten Ultima Geniuses, and what happened to him in the end?]
"He lost."
[Yes. He lost to the Ultima Geniuses. But you didn’t, even though at first, you both were roughly at the same level of power.]
[You know why?]
[It was because you grew stronger.]
[But before you even tried to grow stronger, there was belief.]
[You saw a hopeless situation, and while Quinn blamed it on Fate, you believed that if you worked harder and grew stronger as fast as possible, Fate would reward you with something better.]
[This type of belief is worth cultivating for it is a belief that strengthens you, pushing you to go the extra mile—something necessary for success in your endeavors.]
[But your belief in preferring loyalty over numbers, while true, is also a hindrance.]
[Sure, your beasts keep their loyalty. But at the same time, it makes you limited.]
[If you face a stronger opponent who manages to knock you down, just before you die, the thought will sneak into your head: if only I had fused with more beasts, perhaps I wouldn’t be in this situation.]
[So, it is a crippling belief.]
[The beasts keep their loyalty, yes, and you gain firmer bonds, which is very important for using bestial power, but it also leaves you with less than you are truly capable of.]
[So you have a good and a bad, and they cancel each other out, leaving you with what in the end?]
"Nothing,"
[So it’s not that having a belief is wrong. It is having one that hinders you that you must watch out for.]
[And besides... to me, you don’t truly understand this concept of loyalty in and of itself.]
"Huh?"
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A/N:
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In and Out_SnowySmoos