'Time here flows differently. It has no set pattern—sometimes it rushes by, other times it crawls even slower than snails.'
Skyler scowled at the voice echoing in his subconscious as he slowly stepped down from the wooden boat with Riruru's help.
They had successfully returned to the very spot where he had first boarded the vessel.
Naturally, all thanks to his beloved Riruru.
'And you're telling me this now?'
He bristled with irritation at the voice in his subconscious, his body stiff from pain. Yet, when he glanced at Riruru, a genuine smile flickered across his face—so contradictory.
The voice in his subconscious sighed.
Had he been like this before? Perhaps.
'No, we told you. That's why we missed the right moment to tell you to find her. We had hoped you would reach her before she even entered Hell, but for you, time passed in the blink of an eye—while for her, the years she spent in this place were the longest. Maybe some things are just inevitable.'
Skyler's heart grew heavy as he glanced back at the woman still lying in the boat.
He leaned down to pick her up, but Riruru stepped between them, her eyes sharp as she shot a glare at the transparent figure.
"Geez, can't you transform into something smaller? Stop causing us so much trouble."
She folded her hands over her chest, and Skyler's blinked. How very cute, he thought to himself. He was hopelessly smitten.
But honestly, he didn't mind carrying Miss Ghost. It was fine—she didn't weigh a thing, and besides, having a pretty, glowing ghost in his arms wasn't exactly a burden. But to his surprise, the transparent figure opened her eyes and stared at him and Riruru.
"Smaller…?"
She looked confused at first, but then a flicker of realization crossed her face.
"Oh... I can inhabit objects—solid objects. I don't exactly have a physical form, after all. You can touch me only because my soul is in a tangible state right now. I will sleep."
Skyler raised an eyebrow. She really was a ghost, wasn't she? He rummaged through his storage ring, looking for anything solid—only to find treasures, clothes, and food.
"That's the most you have spoken so far. I thought you had lost your intelligence. But it's good you haven't. It's fortunate, really."
Ultimately, he pulled out a small gem—crimson, just like her beautiful eyes.
"Will this work?"
She tilted her head and lifted her hands toward him, silently urging him to pick her up. Skyler quickly leaned in to hold her, his hands resting gently on her back. So soft.
A wave of warmth emanated from him.
She should have recoiled from it, having spent years engulfed in it and hating heat.
Yet the soft warmth from the stranger felt different—comforting rather than painful.
"Who are you? Do you know me? Do you know who I am? I don't know who I am."
Her low voice was barely a whisper as she pressed her face against his shoulder with a blank look before her form scattered into tiny particles, swiftly entering the gem he held.
Skyler caressed the crimson gem in his hand, his voice soft and reassuring.
"I know who you are. Just rest. I'll help you recover from what you have been through."
Riruru's gaze lingered on the gem.
"She feels familiar… like a part of me that's been separated. But I don't like that you're giving her more attention than me!"
She raised her hands, clearly sulking.
"Pick me up too."
Skyler couldn't help but laugh.
"Why are you acting so cute?"
He wrapped his free hand around her legs and, with a swift motion, scooped her up, grimacing as pain flared. She wasn't heavy, but he needed to tend to his injuries soon—he had already lost too much blood, which wasn't good for him. Still, he grinned as he met the satisfied eyes looking at him.
"Happy? Let's go back now. My dear."
Riruru nodded, finally in a good mood, and wrapped her arms around his neck, casting a victorious glance at the gem in his hand. She shifted slightly, curling her legs around his waist and burying her face in his neck.
She could have shifted into her snake form, but she chose to stay in her human form. It felt perfectly fine, especially knowing there was now another who looked at Skyler just like she did, as if Skyler belonged to her.
Skyler didn't notice. He didn't feel it.
But she sensed everything—the thoughts and emotions that stirred in the red-haired woman each time she looked at him, even if only when they were very extreme.
To Skyler, her gaze seemed empty.
But to Riruru, it told a different story: relief, possessiveness… and the faintest touch of madness. She was somewhat dangerous.
Riruru mused. Well, she was dangerous too when it came to Skyler. What was the point of judging another part of herself? It wasn't hard for her to accept that the voice calling to her was, in fact, a fragment of her soul.
After all, they shared the same origin.
It was just... annoying—seeing someone else look at Skyler that way. She was fairly certain she would have torn that person to pieces if they hadn't been a part of herself.
Skyler felt a sudden shudder run down his spine and frowned as he looked back. Had the demons and dark creatures—who had been unable to catch them since Riruru sent them flying—somehow caught up?
Yet, he didn't see any demons stepping onto the shoreline. They were all quite far away, still stranded on their small boats—thanks to the scare Riruru had given them. She had been a badass, using her Evol to topple any vessel that came too close.
"Strange. Then what was that feeling?"
Confused, he made his way toward the Gate of Hell from which he had arrived.
The familiar smoke blurred his vision. He wondered how much time had passed in Eldoria. He just hoped he hadn't been gone for years—an understandable worry, given the voice in his subconscious had warned him that time in Hell flowed differently.
"Shhh, I wanted to make it to the Gala."