Abyss Draconis

Ryuk blinked a couple of times, feeling the whirring in his ears, and then—it flashed before him.

A set of panels, their controls seemingly linked directly to his mind.

There was a welcoming note, along with a quick manual for operating the device, and mentions of Neural Waves for communication.

The information was transmitted directly into his brain, but a few bubbly notification panels soon appeared, hovering playfully at the side.

One held information about the Ammamoran Service Center, the location where he was to appear.

The other displayed an app that showed a ride had already been booked for him and was counting down on its estimated arrival time.

There were many things to note, but Mrs. Lynia's voice pulled him out of it.

"Just go through the notes on your way. It's not much, but it should help familiarize you with the procedures."

"I created a joint account for the family, so there are some funds, just in case you see something that interests you or to book a taxi back home."

"Mrs. Lynia, I—"

"And yes. Don't spend too much time wallowing with strangers."

"I've heard some weird rumours are currently circulating the Ammamoran Service Arch Guards."

"Cases of some of them going missing or something..."

She paused, her voice lowering slightly.

"I know you're stronger than the average Archguard, but please be careful, okay?"

Ryuk could see the worry in her eyes, but he reassured her with a confident smile.

"I'll be fine."

CAWWWWWWWWWW—!

The sound of a bird cawing echoed as Ryuk noticed the Ammamoran panel flash at the edge of his vision, alerting him that his ride had arrived.

"Gotta go, Mrs. Lynia," he said with a small nod of gratitude.

"Thank you for helping with everything."

"Don't mention it," she replied, following him to the exit.

Outside, the golden Amun stood waiting, along with its driver, who gave Ryuk a silent nod.

Ryuk began to approach the mount—but to the driver's surprise, the flying beast lowered itself before Ryuk, inviting him to climb on without yet being signaled by him.

It was a little detail that he eventually shrugged off as maybe a beast's instinct.

He quickly climbed atop the beast and—

CAWWWWWW!

The bird let out a piercing call before flapping its wings and soaring into the sky.

Ryuk stared down as Mrs. Lynia waved up at him. He waved back, watching her continue waving until he was out of view.

[You seem pretty nervous around her.]

The system's notification flashed before his gaze as Ryuk exhaled.

"Yeah, I am."

[Why?]

'I'm just not used to being treated like that.'

'She loves me, I can feel that. Yet it feels so different from the bond I had with Morgaine.'

[It's called Motherly Love. Don't worry, you'll eventually get used to it.]

'Maybe.'

'Now… let's take a closer look at this Ammamoran tech thingy,' Ryuk thought, focusing on the implanted device over his eye.

It was unlike Endearth's communication devices, which were usually flat screens held in the hand and accessed with fingers.

This was more complex—directly placed over his eye and operated using neural waves and mind commands rather than fingers.

After a few minutes of experimenting, he finally got the hang of it.

It was relatively simple to control, and its features were very similar to Endearth's devices.

It had apps, like Phone Logs, which currently only had two contacts stored:

One labeled "Mom"… and another labeled "Greedy Old Bastard."

Clearly saved by Mrs. Lynia herself. A small chuckle tugged at his lips.

[Talk about partiality.] The system teased, and Ryuk smiled.

But then his brow furrowed slightly.

'She didn't save Morgaine's number? Could she have forgotten? Or… does Morgaine not have a number at all?' he wondered.

[What's the deal with her being a Chosen and staying at the Dominare Grounds anyway? Is it like a school? A training program?]

The system asked curiously, but Ryuk had no answer.

He didn't know what it meant to be a Chosen. Only that Morgaine was selected to be one, apparently due to her high bloodline concentration.

As for how that related to her title or what being a Family's Chosen really meant… he was clueless.

'I'll just ask Mrs. Lynia when I get back,' he decided, placing the thought at the back of his mind.

Now more familiar with the tech, he tried to skim through the Ammamoran service notes that had been sent to him.

But then, a voice cut through the air.

"So… I'm guessing this is your first time resuming for the service, sir?" asked the Amun driver.

A young man, seemingly in his late twenties, half-turned to glance at Ryuk.

"Yes. First day on the job," Ryuk replied.

The man laughed.

"Knew it."

Ryuk tilted his head slightly. "Do I reek of that 'newbie' smell or something?"

The driver grinned.

"No, no—not that. I know plenty of individuals much younger than you who are already in service. Especially among outsider races. It's more common than you think."

"Then how?"

"We have data, you see. Info on how many Ammamoran Service workers are present in each district."

That caught Ryuk's attention.

"You have data on that?"

"Yeah. Ammamoran workers get a 20% discount on their rides. Don't worry, we're reimbursed by the Flight Association."

"So if someone uses that discount," the driver explained, "they're most likely in the Service. And you, sir, are the first to use that code from your district."

Ryuk nodded in understanding. At first, he'd been worried that the identity of Service workers might be public, but this made sense.

"I understand now."

"Just a couple more minutes and we'll be there. You're early, sir. At least 20 minutes ahead, if things stay smooth."

"Good to know," Ryuk replied with a nod before turning his attention back to the notes, quickly skimming through them.

Silence reigned for the remainder of the journey until they finally arrived at their destination.

______

A/N:

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In and Out_SnowySmoos