"It is the manifestation of your willpower," the blue-scaled Ryuk answered Ryuk’s question, and Ryuk couldn’t help but raise his hands to feel the tattoo on his eyes.
"The cultivation of Aetheris must be treated just like the cultivation of Apex Energy."
"But I suppose you don’t have any manual to cultivate it, as that world of yours will have no idea it even exists."
"I’m afraid you will have no choice but to find a way to increase it yourself, or the basic level will be all you ever manage to reach, for as long as you stay in that low-level world."
"All I can say is that your Aetheris is the manifest energy of your willpower. Train your willpower, and your Aetheris increases."
"Right now, you’re at the most basic level of it, so be aware of your abilities."
"Atheris gives the illusion of ultimate power, but it’s an illusion."
"Just because you can bend reality to your won’t necessarily make you invincible. True power can still rip through your will and defeat you."
"You’re not invincible… far from it," the blue-scaled Ryuk said.
But both of them suddenly jerked their heads toward the place where the dark-scaled Ryuk rested, finding him having slipped out from the cracks in the wall, currently crouched on the ground, his left crimson eye flaring with a runic circle.
"One last time, Dragon. And I swear by the abyss, I will rip your hearts out of you!"
The voice was so chilling that all of Ryuk’s hair rose from his skin, an intense feeling of rage overwhelming his entire existence.
The ground beneath the red-scaled Ryuk cracked into pieces as the entire hall began to shake, as if a titan was awakening.
"And I swear by your abyss, I will wipe you out of existence, along with any vestige of life that might be present in you, in the most dominating way your kind has ever come across," the blue-scaled Ryuka said, his eyes as indifferent as ever, yet with a seriousness that shook Ryuk’s heart.
The pressure between both Ryukas increased monumentally, rising every second, and Ryuk knew hell would await if this continued any longer.
He warmed his throat causing a low in the pressure hanging in the air.
"I do not want conflict between you both."
"If this is my inner world, your fight will do nothing but bring an end to it. It will only do more damage than good."
"Still, I will not agree to be referred to as the weakest one any longer."
"I might be the weakest, but I have a name. And it’s Ryuk. Refer to me by my bestowed name. That only makes sense."
"Even if you defeat me now, I’m sure you can’t kill me. And one day, when you finally stop calling me the weakest one, it won’t be because you wish to. It will be because you will no longer exist, as I will bring an end to you for that."
"I can do that, even if not now. I can, and I will if you keep referring to me as what is not mine."
"You don’t want to undergo that risk, do you?" Ryuk asked, his voice carrying the vestige of surrender, yet with undeniable confidence and will in his ability to eliminate the dark Ryuk, who had a vein burst out on his head like anger itself.
But just when everything would fall into chaos, he soon rose to his feet, his aura disappearing as his crimson eyes returned to their normal dull color.
Standing so close to the blue-scaled Ryuk, Ryuk could feel himself unknowingly heave a sigh of relief at the red-scaled Ryuka’s calm.
It seemed the blue-scaled Ryuk also sensed it, and the words echoed in Ryuk’s mind.
’He might be a bit weaker than me and slightly subservient to my will.’
’But there’s a transformation of his that is very difficult to deal with.’
’In fact, if I faced that form of his, I could get killed by him, even though it would be a mutual death between both of us.’
’And you will take the most damage by losing your bloodline.’
’The only reason he doesn’t unleash that transformation is because of the expensive cost that follows.’
’But if pushed too far, there’s no saying what he would do.’
’Don’t underestimate the Knull, young one. He is strong. Horrifically strong!
The blue-scaled Ryuk’s thoughts echoed in his mind as the dark-scaled Ryuk grinned heavily.
"Your actions now are like the tantrum of a spoiled kid."
"Once you awaken me, you will realize how foolish you are, WEAKEST ONE!" the dark-scaled Ryuk called, in mockery, before he appeared on his throne, sitting and seemingly falling into slumber.
’He’s stubborn. That’s for sure…’ Ryuk thought in his head, but then he noticed his body slowly dispersing into tiny bits of light as he furrowed his eyebrows.
"I have opened a door of limitless power for you, young one."
"Hopefully, when next we meet, the you that you are now will be nothing but a shadow of your true self..."
Those were the last words Ryuk heard before he was sent away from the hall. When he opened his eyes…
He opened them to a pair of blue eyes, holding bizarre, flaked runic lines staring down at him.
The familiar voice rang out in Ryuk’s head as the world slowly cleared up and his senses returned, feeling the soft scales of the familiar creature.
"Yes, Isha. I am," Ryuk replied, sitting up on his butt.
But then his eyes flashed as he rose to his feet, the home and tent that housed him suddenly dispersing to ashes as Ryuk felt the world clear up.
It was currently twilight, reminding him of the eclipsed cascade.
He stared at the two moons in the sky, both of which were full.
"Why do I feel like so much time has passed?" Ryuk mused to himself, looking at his hands, which were as smooth as ice and whiter than frost.
Unconsciously, he called in his mind:
"Activate System Interface..."