"Should I be worried that you don’t have water to swim in, being an Octopus?" Ryuk asked, as he sat on his seat — or more like fell into it.
"An Octopus!?" The voice rang out in his mind once more, as loud as a banshee scream and as grating as ever.
It made him as amused as it did annoyed: the thought of having to be stuck with such an annoying voice until eternity.
"I guess that’s a no then?" He replied, only to be repaid with a loud scoff ringing in his head.
A tentacle wrapped forth from the Zaffre Kraken, which it used to pop off the cap of the healing tube it had in its hands.
Without wasting any more time, it instantly poured the entire content into a slit that opened beneath its four eyes, throwing the tube to the side afterward.
It remained where it was, until—
RIPPLEEEEE
A powerful ripple of energy surged from its slimy body, its form glitching in and out.
Immediately, new changes followed.
Its three eyes, which had previously been dripping blood and were blinded.
An injury that Ryuk inflicted during their exchange in its Organo Domain suddenly began to heal.
The blood splattering all over instantly coagulated and returned to its source, entering the eyes.
FLIIICCCKKERR
A bright flicker of light burst forth through the lab as one eye fully opened, sending out an arch of purple and blue.
A moment later—
FLICCCKEERRRR
FLICCCCKEERRR
Another powerful flicker of light shone, quickly followed by another, and soon enough all four eyes were wide open.
"Finally," the words echoed in its mind, as Ctulhi unwrapped his tentacles away from itself.
Immediately, its short wrinkled tentacles began elongating, and soon enough, all six of them reached a length of two meters.
At once, they were placed on the ground, holding firm, and with one swift movement, they pulled themselves up and came to stand on all six.
Runic lines began to brighten over its tentacles, its aura rapidly rising through the roof, as the entire laboratory began to quiver.
"I’ve finally healed!" it thought to itself, a line parting below its face where a row of sharp teeth came shining through.
With new surging power, it turned its attention to where Ryuk sat.
"Hey, you know, you really shouldn’t have passed me that..." It cackled but suddenly stopped, looking at Ryuk, who currently sat in the chair.
Something was wrong.
With one careful step after another, it moved closer to Ryuk, elongating itself to rise higher over him — and that was when it properly saw it.
"He’s... dead?"
Ctulhi said to itself in disbelief, momentarily shaken.
Right now, both of the young man’s hands had silently fallen to the side, swaying a couple of inches in the wind, but obviously not from a conscious effort.
His head hung to the side, his eyes shut, his face pale... like that of one who had lost too much blood.
The thought of it made Ctulhi realize.
"He truly used a lot of his blood essence to try and forcefully contract me. Seems like he couldn’t handle that and collapsed," it said silently to itself.
Right now, even though Ryuk looked dead, his life aura was still faintly there; a silent flicker of life lingering around him.
"Perhaps..." Ctulhi muttered, raising three of its tentacles into the air.
Immediately, the tentacles began shifting from their previous slimy shape into cold metallic blades that elongated, glowing with a dangerous silvery light.
Three of its tentacles had transformed into piercing swords, and it placed them strategically around Ryuk.
One directly above his head, poised to strike from above.
Another aimed at his chest, right at his heartbeat—the last by the sides of his ribs.
"This is just karma," it completed, the silvery light gleaming across the blades.
It had been forcefully contracted by Ryuk, against its will.
Now, the very one who had bound him had fallen unconscious.
The dynamic had changed, and it now held the upper hand.
"My heavy injuries from the Antoskin Organization’s Experiments have all healed up, and I’ve returned to my full strength."
"Even better, I can feel it. All around this place is water... most likely we’re underwater, my realm!"
"If I kill him, I can escape the tiny hold the contract has on me and continue with my adventure."
"This...this is my only chance to be truly free."
It convinced itself, yet even as it wanted nothing more than to drive the blades down and end his life... nothing happened.
The tentacles dangled in the air, refusing to move an inch.
"What... what’s happening!?"
It said to itself in disbelief, the blades clanking in the air, unmoving.
"I can’t kill him!?"
"Why!?" It screamed in shock.
But then,
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP
The tearing sound rang out as the tentacles slashed downwards, missing Ryuk by a hair’s breadth and driving into the ground, tearing it open.
Water instantly began gushing into the lab.
"I’m not being held back by any force. Then... why!?" It wondered, turning back to look at the unconscious Ryuk, and it froze in surprise.
For some reason, his expression, especially in this unconscious state.
It was so...vulnerable.
So innocent that for a moment, Ctulhi lost her breath.
In that lapse of concentration, the blades her tentacles had formed shifted back into flesh.
She came to realization a moment later, her teeth grinding angrily as her tentacular blades once more began to move.
And then—
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP
Space all around where Ryuk sat was sliced into nothing, marks layering across the floor, until the ground gave way completely, sinking beneath.
Yet even as he disappeared into the sea below, there was not the slightest mark of a blade on him, nor the faintest wound.
"Why!?"
Ctulhi screamed in anger, one of her tentacles reaching forward, wrapping around Ryuk and dragging him out of the water, holding him high in the air.
But then,
SCRRRCHHHH
The sound of a glass door being opened rang out, and she instantly froze.
She turned her head, and there, right behind her, with an open glass door, she found someone.
A little girl.