Silence filled the air, the only sound being that of the falling snow and the cold wind meandering through the trees.
Among the branches of one tree sat a lone figure, gazing at the ever-changing numbers in the sky.
These were the numbers that filled Ryuk’s gaze as he stared up from the branch of the tree.
He had successfully broken through to the Initial Stage of the Dominion Plane and had also completed his quest here.
Now, there was nothing left for him to do other than wait.
"Just two minutes more..." he mused to himself as the countdown continued.
’I don’t know if I’ll be sent back to the real world or transferred somewhere else.’ Ryuk thought under his breath as he stretched out his hand, a vial appearing in his palm.
"Going back is less likely. I have the vial to return in my hands." he mused, staring at it.
Even though he could return to the place that held the teleporter—the same place he had entered from—and leave this realm, somehow, Ryuk was reluctant to go.
’When I first arrived here, I had the strength level of the Plane of Dominion. Yet now, I’ve reached the strength level of the Plane of Cataclysm. That’s almost an entire major jump in power in just a little over six months...’ Ryuk thought as he looked at the vial.
’If I had stayed in the academy, would I really have progressed this far? Living life slowly and comfortably—would I have grown this quickly?’
"Now, I feel closer than ever to my goals..." he murmured.
"And now, there’s this number counting down, second by second. Higher chances are that this isn’t the only trial. There will likely be another test the moment this countdown ends."
"That test may be harder… or simpler. I’m not sure. But what I am sure of is that if I pull through it like I pulled through this one, my growth will skyrocket even more."
"If I return now, back to Endearth, my progress will slow down considerably. I don’t want that..."
Ryuk mused under his breath, looking longingly at the vial in his hands.
It would be a lie to say he didn’t want to go back.
He had been here for about half a year now. Of course, he missed Endearth. There was almost no one he knew or was familiar with here. The loneliness was creeping in. The feeling of being truly alone in this vast jungle.
Even though fear had long been eliminated—after all, he was the strongest here—there was still something missing.
’I miss you all… Old Jack, Morgaine, Mad White’ Ryuk thought to himself as the countdown flashed red.
Only 49 seconds left.
With a simple wave, Ryuk stored the vial back into his spatial ring. Rising calmly to his feet, he looked at the countdown.
He had made his decision.
He would face whatever was coming head-on—and reign over it in the end.
When he finally returned, there would be no regrets left in him.
A deep exhale left Ryuk’s lips as the countdown neared its end.
The instant the countdown reached zero, the sky fractured, splitting apart from a single point at its center.
The cracks spread like lightning before the pieces faded into thin air, revealing a swirling vortex in the sky, radiating an intense aura of darkness.
Ryuk didn’t even need to think—he could feel a powerful force wrapping around him, lifting him from the tree.
But he didn’t resist.
He allowed himself to be pulled in, moving toward the portal. The more he let go, the stronger the dragging force became, pulling him deeper and faster.
Within moments, he disappeared into the portal—
—and the cracks in the sky began mending themselves, the blue hue returning as though nothing had happened.
The beasts, once disturbed by the disturbance, resumed their daily lives, easily forgetting the event that had just transpired.
{YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE FIRST TRIAL: BEASTLY PLANE DOMINION!}
A deep, ancient voice echoed through the milky white void Ryuk found himself in moments later.
And then, the voice rang out again—
[WELL DONE! YOU HAVE BECOME ELIGIBLE TO MOVE ON TO THE 2ND PHASE OF THE TEST!]
’Just like I guessed...’ Ryuk thought to himself as the white expanse around him suddenly vanished, replaced by pitch-black darkness.
Then, the voice spoke once more—
{PHASE 2 WILL NOW BEGIN! TRIAL ONE – FORSAKEN CHAIN}
It was all Ryuk could see.
A loud gasp tore through the void as a pair of crimson-blue eyes snapped open, scanning the darkness.
But all he could see was nothing.
Immediately, Ryuk tried to connect to something—someone—only to be met with silence.
"ISHA!" Ryuk called out loudly in his mind, eventually forcing the words out into the darkness.
But no response came.
And what was even more horrifying—
"Hey, system... You there?" he asked.
A chilling emptiness crept in as Ryuk stretched out his hands, trying to release ice—to summon even a flicker of light—
This feeling... he thought, staring at his hands, but seeing only blackness.
"It’s like I’ve been reduced to a mortal state..."
Right now, he felt weak.
Just like when he had first started hunting Grade F beasts.
But if that was shocking, what he couldn’t wrap his mind around was—
"This sensation... The feeling of... falling?"
He realized, as he instinctively looked down—
He was still falling.
It was as if he had been cast into an endless abyss.
Only the weightlessness of descent—
And the eternal void waiting below.
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In and Out_SnowySmoos