The call rang out, seemingly from an incredibly far distance—but then, it grew louder and louder, until his eyelids fluttered and finally opened.
Immediately, they snapped shut again, unable to adjust to the intense brightness.
But it only took a few minutes before the light was fully regulated, and his eyes opened completely.
The scene was familiar, yet confusing.
For one, there were no longer two thrones—just a singular one at the center of the throne hall, which now seemed to have expanded in size by a factor of five.
Flickering golden-blue runes ran across the floor, and Ryuk looked down at himself.
He was seated on the ground, back against the wall, but what seized the majority of his attention was his soul form.
Previously, his legs and arms had turned pitch black, showing the absolute lack of life energy within them.
Now, not only had they returned to their natural white, they were even flickering with a purple aura that radiated an incredible amount of life force.
Strength bubbled within him in this renewed soul form.
He hovered up from his sitting position before his gaze settled on two individuals who stood at the back of the throne, eyes turned toward him.
"You defeated the 7th Calamity..." the words came, spoken in perfect unison by both of them.
Ryuk hummed softly, almost inaudibly, before he turned his hands over, watching the flickering purple and white runes dancing around him.
"I thought I was too far gone to be saved..." he muttered under his breath.
But they heard his words and responded.
"You did lose your life aura. Your heart, brain, and lungs—the body parts you had left—lost their remaining life energy after the battle with the 7th Calamity."
"You died... but collapsing upon your skeletal system, which still held its life energy."
"It fused with you and renewed your life force, reawakening your heart, lungs, and brain. Now, you have four body parts in you..." they explained.
Ryuk slowly nodded before his fist clenched tightly in his hand, and he raised his gaze, silently staring up at the golden ceiling above him.
"A second chance... but my goal remains the same..." he muttered before walking forward toward the throne, where the two Ryuks stood behind it.
Immediately as he sat, a golden-blue aura surged outward from the throne, passing through all of the runic lines on the ground and illuminating the entire Soul World with a bountiful radiance.
This time, the aura seemed to have true substance—one of harmony—unlike before when it had been divided between his two bloodlines.
It was as if both bloodlines had finally come together, unified under his rule—something proven by the fact that they both stood behind him, while only he sat on the throne.
"How many years do I have now?" he asked.
"Enough to not worry about it," the crimson-scaled Ryuk replied.
Ryuk nodded gently before his head tilted to the side upon the throne, his soul body remaining seated, but then, it was a halo as the consciousness was gone, returning to the physical.
A bedroom, to be exact, bathed entirely in pure white.
In the corners, green crystals glowed, filled with an intense life and healing aura that saturated the space with vitality.
At the center stood a bed, large enough for three and on it lay a young man with flowing white hair, his chest gently rising and falling.
He wasn't alone in this white room.
There was another presence.
A girl sat beside the bed on a chair, her arms intertwined with his, her head resting against his hands.
Her golden hair spread softly across his side.
She appeared to be in a deep slumber—just like him—but then...
The sound of a heartbeat thundered, loud and clear, awakening the golden-haired figure from her sleep.
She slowly lifted her head, eyes fluttering open as she looked at the young man's steadily rising chest, then at his face.
Shock flashed in her gaze as she saw his eyelids slowly flutter open.
A powerful shimmer of blue and crimson light burst across the room, momentarily blinding her.
But her eyes remained open, glassy, wide with disbelief.
As the light eventually faded, his gaze shifted... and settled on her.
A flicker of surprise crossed Ryuk's eyes as he took in the sight of the girl, her cheeks streaked with tears.
She suddenly leaned forward, arms wide, but Ryuk blinked—disappearing from the bed—and reappeared at the foot of it, leaving her to fall face-first onto the mattress.
She rose. her tears spilling as she turned to look at Ryuk, who now stood on his feet, facing her.
His expression held no warmth—just a deep, unsettling coldness.
"I don't know you anymore..." His voice was devoid of emotion.
Neither sorrow, nor joy. Not even anger.
And with that, he turned, his hand reaching for the doorknob.
A swift pull—and the door creaked open.
"Wait. Ryuk, I..." Her voice cracked behind him, but it faded into silence the moment Ryuk slammed the door shut.
A shimmering white mist curled from his lips as he exhaled and turned to look ahead.
But what he saw rooted him in place—his body unmoving.
Before him was another room, blinding white, laced with gold.
A medium-sized living room.
But what seized his attention was the sight of a golden-haired woman resting her head on a man's shoulder, flicking through a few playing cards in her hands.
What stunned Ryuk, however, wasn't her.
It was the man she leaned against.
That back—it reminded Ryuk of someone.
Someone he had never thought he would see again.
Both figures seemed to sense his presence, as they turned their heads to look at him.
And Ryuk stood frozen, disbelief clawing his existence.
"...Hey, Bloody Mutt."
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In and Out_SnowySmoos Fresh chapters posted on novel✶fire.net