Ryuk voiced his thoughts directly.
He had initially believed only six months had passed, and that when he returned, he would resume his life as a student.
But now, he was learning that two years had already gone by.
Everyone from his class ought to be third years by now, and that was also the final year of the Ascension Academy.
Time had moved too fast for him to return to being a student.
So what else was there to do?
MadWhite turned his gaze to the young man before sighing.
He understood his predicament. He understood it very well.
Ryuk had been sent away to protect his own life, but time had passed faster in the outside world than he had expected. And now, that sense of purpose was missing.
It was like a person who had been in a coma throughout their younger years, only to open their eyes and be told that time had passed.
The loss of a sense of purpose.
The question was simple.
Being the one who had sent him there in the first place, MadWhite felt a pang of guilt.
He also had no idea Ryuk would take so long.
He had waited for close to six months in that wasteland, expecting him to return, but duty had eventually prompted him to leave.
And after a year had passed, he had almost forgotten there was even a person called Ryuk anymore.
And now, here was Ryuk—the boy who ought to have been lost to ruin.
"Maybe return home. Meet your family. Two years have passed. I'm pretty sure..." MadWhite was saying but stopped when Ryuk gently shook his head.
"I don't have one," he said plainly.
"Anyone you want to meet from the past, then? Anyone waiting for you to come back?" he asked as Ryuk's brows furrowed.
"It's been two years, though..." Ryuk murmured, brows still furrowed.
The person in his mind was none other than Morgaine Dominare.
But two years had passed. He wasn't really sure if she would even remember him.
He had promised to return, and he truly had returned—but so much time had passed.
"Don't think about it too much. Go see them," MadWhite said.
"If worst comes to worst, then come back. I'll get you a job!" He added, grinning sadistically as Ryuk rolled his eyes.
"What about you, MadWhite? What are you going to do now?" Ryuk asked him.
A light coalesced around MadWhite's hand, and his gun appeared.
But this time, it was cleansed of blood and dirt.
Ryuk could clearly see the impeccable design of runic lines of the pistol, but then he noticed the cracks spreading along its surface.
"I want to have a couple of words with some bastards. My gun is breaking down, though, so I'll need to get a new one. And maybe prepare myself for the Knull attacks coming soon."
"We're in the middle of a war now, Ryuk. A war that could very well wipe out humanity."
"Take it as pride if you want, but I'm afraid... I'm pretty much the only soldier humanity has left," MadWhite said, as his gun slowly disappeared from his grasp.
His hand clenched into a fist before relaxing.
"So, really... I've got a lot of killings to do," MadWhite said with a groan before he suddenly stopped and asked Ryuk,
MadWhite looked at him intently as Ryuk shrugged.
"As long as I'm not the one who kills them, then I don't really mind much. You can kill as many people as you want—I don't care," Ryuk replied without a single sign of concern.
And truly, so much death happened every day for him to give a shit.
It was like how Uncle Bob used to say:
"A taken soul is a burden only to the one who takes it."
So long as he wasn't the one taking lives, Ryuk really didn't mind much at all.
If MadWhite killed billions, then it was a billion burdens on his own neck.
It had nothing to do with Ryuk.
As for Ryuk, he didn't want any burdens on his neck. So he was staying clear of killing people if he could.
"Seems like I don't have to be too worried about you..." MadWhite said.
"Power has a dark side, you know."
"Right now, you're strong enough to kill millions and bring ruin upon an entire city, wiping them all out—and you could even get away with it if you're smart enough."
"The freedom to take life without any repercussions… it's dangerous if you give too much power to a weak-minded person. They'll just cause further chaos."
"But what about you?" Ryuk countered.
"You seem like you don't have many reservations about taking lives. You should be more worried about losing yourself to it."
"In fact, when I saw you that time, I think you had already lost it..." Ryuk stated, still remembering the vivid image of MadWhite when he first saw him.
The way MadWhite had killed that red-armored Titan had been horrifying to Ryuk.
Ryuk himself had killed many mutated beasts, but never had he seen such horror in the face of an entity.
A horror that chilled Ryuk's heart itself.
And when he had seen MadWhite, holding those guns of his, it was as if one was standing before death.
It was spine-chilling.
And for a second, MadWhite seemed like an irredeemable devil.
"Hahaha!" A boisterous laugh left MadWhite's lips as he clapped Ryuk on the shoulder.
"All those I have killed were in the name of humanity. And all that is killed in the name of humanity is a necessary righteousness."
"I'm far from being lost..." MadWhite said before stepping away.
"I have your number on my Apex Watch, so I should be able to contact you if I want. And don't hesitate to call me if you get into a shitty situation."
"Not many will want to cross MadWhite, after all. Hehe," MadWhite added, waving him off.
"I'll be hanging around this place for now."
"See you around..." Ryuk said before he jumped over the railings.
Immediately, he soared downward, only to fade away into thin air.
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In and Out_SnowySmoos