Abyss Draconis

I remember my words back then. I believed it went something like:

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"You don't actually want the Kind, who is nothing but a human, to be uncontrollable, do you? Or you don't even want a king at all."

"After all, the Fallens only have a Queen and not a King, right?"

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"I guess that must have been hurtful..." Ryuk muttered silently as the Half-Fallen one shook her head.

"No. What must have been more hurtful was turning on you the way I did. I could see you had your trust placed in me back then. Back at that dinner."

"I could see you look at me as more than just the Half-Fallen One."

"And then, I did that. Essentially stabbed you in the back, ripping apart the look from your eyes."

"I settled for Jack's ploy and floated along with it, even calling for a death bounty on your head."

"All you did was react to a betrayal, and under such severe emotions, we all can act unpredictably, but that moment of weakness doesn't define anyone."

"So I... no, We are the ones that are sorry for how we treated you in the past."

"Turning you into a character piece without ever trusting your will."

"Even though every one of my words back then, I never meant to say as I was under the possession of this dickhead!" she said, turning to look at Old Jack with a fiery intensity as the man lowered his head to the table, avoiding her gaze.

"Still, I want to say I'm very sorry, Ryuk Knull," she said, as his breath hitched before he eventually exhaled.

"I understand..." he replied almost silently.

The words that night had stung Ryuk. They had left him shattered, feeling betrayed.

He could never believe the Half-Fallen one could have uttered those words and made those decisions.

It was very unexpected, too impromptu.

But now, to hear that she never meant those words, and it was all due to Old Jack's ploy—

It left him not knowing what to feel.

He wanted to say he had forgiven her, but how could he forgive when the pain of those words still scarred his heart?

It would just be a lie, and in the end, what he could only agree to was that he at last understood the reason for her actions.

"It's fine. I also never expected to be forgiven so quickly. And I'd rather be hit with the truth than comforted with a lie..." she suddenly said, as Ryuk turned his gaze up.

"I forgot you can read minds..." he replied as she grinned.

"I've met you quite a few times now, but the only time I ever read your mind was twice."

"You were always more than conscious about what you think about in my presence, and most of the times, your mind is usually sealed shut."

"I guess that is understandable now, since all you were trying to do was simply protect your identity..." she said, as Ryuk paused, turning to look at her in shock.

She continued eating, but she paused when she felt his gaze as she asked.

"What?"

"My... identity?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Yes, you being a Knull and all..." she replied, as Ryuk's brows lifted in sharp surprise.

"I guess you've always been trying to hide that."

"I never knew you knew that. When...did you know that?" he asked, and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Kieran suspected it after you left. But then, I thought over my actions and discovered that they were my deepest, darkest thoughts, which were never meant to surface."

"Something must have surfaced them, magnified them to very high levels, resulting in me lashing out."

"Once I figured that out, I knew only one person had that mind ability. And I discovered the dickhead was responsible for it all."

"But to be honest, I've always suspected there was something different about you. You're definitely no ordinary human, that I know for sure."

"But I knew secrets could only be held secret for so long anyway, so I never bothered much to think about it..." She said, but Ryuk still didn't feel his heart settle.

"And now that you know I'm a Knull?"

"You... I don't know? Don't find that detestable?" he asked, as she shook her head.

"Only an idiot would still think you're one of those monsters after seeing all you have done."

"Your actions since the Knull war began already revealed whose side you're on."

"Knull or not, actions matter. And you've made yours pretty clear."

"So you might be a Knull, physiologically or something along that line."

"But you're not a monster, and you are on Endearth's side. That's clear enough, and all we need..." she explained as Ryuk's hand holding the cutlery shook a bit unconsciously let go of it, his hand clenching into a fist.

"I was always afraid of what you would say."

"I was always afraid of you asking—of her asking what I truly am—and what her reaction would be if she discovered I'm one of those detestable beings."

"It... it was why I never came back..." Ryuk muttered as silence descended into the room, the dining room coming to a stop.

"It was why I always ran from it all, and never showed up," he said, as his aura began unconsciously spilling out once more.

But before it got out of control, he was grabbed tightly by Old Jack, and his fist slowly unclenched, his aura dispersing.

"And you were right to think that, Ryuk."

"Common sense is not common, and those higher-ups are more stupid than pigs."

"If they had learned you were a Knull, irrespective of your actions, they would have torn it apart and pinned it to your face, labeling you a monster."

"So you were not wrong to be afraid. You were not wrong for running away..." He said, affirmed.

"Just know we're not one of those dumb idiots. We won't see you as a monster, just because you happened to have the blood of one flowing through your veins."

"Your actions speak louder than that, and we believe in that only..." he said, his words clear, filled with not the slightest sense of doubt.

And when his gaze turned to look around the room, he could sense the feeling was mutual.

"Thank you..." he whispered silently, as Old Jack tapped him on the back twice before he took his entire meal in a single gulp and rose to his feet.

"I just remembered, Ryuk, I had something important to say to Asteralynia," he said, as Ryuk watched him signal a finger to the Half-Fallen one whose eyes glinted as she too rose up.

"That reminds me, too. Hope you don't mind the abrupt leaving, Ryuk," she said as Ryuk shook his head.

"It's fine, really," he said, watching the pair disappear down the hall, soon fading off from view.

And that was when he returned to his eating, but then the realization hit him when he unconsciously turned to the other table where Morgaine sat, and their eyes crossed as they hurriedly looked away.

'Tch, that bastard set me up!'

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A/N:

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