That was the first thought that occurred to Ryuk as he looked around the area before him while slowly rising to his feet.
The world before him was like an endless white expanse of glass, extending as far as the eyes could see into the far distance.
Looking at his feet, he could see he was in his human body, although butt naked, and below his feet were continuously rippling waves, almost as if he was standing above water.
The voice suddenly called out, and all of Ryuk’s motion instantly came to an absolute freeze.
His eyes bulged to their absolute limit as he stood there, the simple call resonating thousands of times through his body and sending acute shock ripples through him.
Slowly turning his head behind him, Ryuk found a lone figure standing just a few meters away, his body held upright by the dark, familiar staff that Ryuk had known.
"Uncle... Uncle... Bob?"
Ryuk’s body was so much in disbelief as he unconsciously sprinted forward towards Uncle Bob, flinging himself into that warm embrace once more.
Tears unconsciously streamed down his face.
It was true—the warmth that enveloped him.
It was undoubtedly Uncle Bob himself. But somehow, he couldn’t help but feel more intense sadness.
"Good thing I created this holographic projection to at least be solid. To give you one last hug..." Uncle Bob whispered as Ryuk stood in his embrace for as long as he could before slowly backing up.
"Uncle Bob? I... How?"
"Wait, one last hug? What do you mean?"
A flurry of questions came from Ryuk, finding himself failing spectacularly to form his words, as he watched Uncle Bob stand upright, his face cloaking a melancholy which soon changed to become serious once more.
"I have lied to you, Ryuk. Everything you have known about yourself is nothing but a lie. The entire existence you have lived up until now is itself nothing but a lie. Even right now, my existence is nothing but a lie."
"This world you see—this me? It’s nothing but a projected past holographic form that I created to be activated on the day your Nanobody undergoes its first evolution..."
"A holograph?" Ryuk mused, feeling slight apprehension.
Could everything around him truly be a false reality?
"I am not very well aware of how much you know, but now you should at least be able to tell your body is anything but normal, or human."
"In fact, this body of yours, I have built it for you because the ones you had were taken from you long, long ago," Uncle Bob said, as the holographic space before him changed, and suddenly, an image appeared in front of both Ryuk and Uncle Bob.
The image was that of an object wrapped in a piece of crimson cloth. Slowly, the cloth unfurled, and unconsciously Ryuk took two steps backward, his heart pumping in fear.
The object was the most chilling and unsettling thing he had ever seen—a simple heart, conjoined with some tiny pieces of veins, and a long line of something that looked like lungs, attached to a piece of bubbling white tiny brain!
It was immediately clear to Ryuk that this was no doubt a baby, and the crimson cloth was definitely white, but having been soaked in so much blood, it had gradually turned the cloth into a crimson colour.
"This is how you were passed into my arms, Ryuk. You had nothing but a brain, a lung, and a heart," Uncle Bob said as Ryuk unconsciously collapsed on both knees, the sound of heavy breaths rippling through the entire space.
Was it fear, was it disgust? Or anger? That made his heart almost spiral out of his control?
"You would have died if you were left in this state forever, Ryuk. Your chances of lasting in this state for more than a few years were nil. For that reason, I decided to build you a new body. The only thought that I felt could replace your body was the technology I found on the aboriginal planet."
"A few pieces of my own body parts and functions combined with nanotechnology, and your special nanobody came into existence..."
"You might hate me for the lie that I have given you all your life, but I am very well aware that one day you will come to realize it was a choice made from absolutely no option," Uncle Bob said, melancholy.
"If that was who I truly was when I was passed to you, then I forgive you for all of the lies, Uncle Bob," his voice rang through the space as Uncle Bob turned to look at him before a small smile appeared on his face.
"I sometimes forget I was the one who raised you, and in that aboriginal planet too. There’s mercy in your eyes, something missing from where we came from," Uncle Bob said, and Ryuk’s ears perked up.
"Where we came from? What is that? Could it not be Grade E? Could it not be Endearth? More importantly, how did I get into that state as a baby? Was that how I was naturally born?"
A flurry of questions immediately came out of Ryuk’s mouth, derailing his bearing as Uncle Bob shook his head.
"Everything, Ryuk—you will find your answers soon enough."
"I am afraid if I give you anything more than that, then they will track you down, and all of the efforts would have been for naught."
"Instead, let us focus on why you’re here."
"I wish to explain to you the complexity of your nanobody."
"It will accompany you very much in your journey, and I think I need you to understand a thing or two important things about it," Uncle Bob said seriously, and immediately, Ryuk watched as the holographic space changed, replaced by Ryuk’s own body, which began dismantling and then overlapping again and again.
"Your nanobody, Ryuk..."