17. RULER
It has been a few hours since Kinddara's death, and the amphitheater's podium seems to be the perfect place to make an announcement. In that time, Ryuzaki had taken her wings as his own.
While he tests his new appendages, Light stands at the edge of the podium with his fingers entwined together and his back straight. Next to his stands Nexys with a large pile of Death Notes. Below him stand those ready to reclaim their Death Notes. But Light isn't so willing to give back what is most precious to a god of death. He is no Kinddara, nor does he wish to be. But he is no pushover either. These people didn't serve a pushover. They served a mistress of the fighting pits, and while Light would certainly have shut down these pits if he had full control of the Shinigami world, a familiar warning plays in his head:
Kami is watching you.
Light's eyes close and then reopen. "My fellow Shinigami, I am not here to enslave you. I don't agree with Kinddara's methods of holding you against your will so that you may serve her under fear. But as your new King of Blood, I offer you a choice: accept me as your ruler and your Death Note will be returned to your hands. This I promise you. Reject this offer and die."
The words come out faster and more matter-of-factly than Ryuzaki had anticipated. He stares at his companion, his wings folding against his back. If this man is more of a monster than he is, then why would anyone serve him willingly?
Yet as his eyes scan the faces of those who stand below, a sense of fealty sweeps the arena. Many Shinigami bend the knee to their new master, while a handful of them hesitate.
"Those who are still standing, please step forward."
A few gods come forward as instructed and stand in a single-file line before Light as if they are military men in the army. Each range in appearance and height, but they all share one commonality—they don't trust Light enough to place their lives or services into his hands.
Threats of dying cannot tame all gods of death. Most do indeed fear its uncertainty, much like humans would, but a given few may have come to terms with it long before Light had been resurrected.
Light fixates on the Shinigami standing farthest to his right. "State your name."
"Gias," the Shinigami with a hunchback, one amber eye, and bandages across its body and face answers.
"Gias," Light muses. The name rolls off his tongue smoothly. "What purpose did you serve Kinddara?"
"I was one of her advisors," Gias says, his voice low and calm. "I would suggest to her the best fighters, the best kinds of fights, even who she should bet on." His amber eye shot to Ryuzaki. "I'm usually correct in my assumptions, but this is the first time my calculations were...misread."
"Did you think fondly of her?"
Gias nods. "Yes, we regarded each other as friends soon after my brother died. When I heard of her place as the overseer of the fighting pits, I came to her willingly."
Light's raises a brow. "You had a brother?"
"Yes, he died some time ago. Not in the strange way we do now, but from a different curse brought on by the Death Note. From what I had been told, he watched over a human from the other world. He grew attached to this human despite not having any formal contact. One day, the human was supposed to die, but my brother couldn't stand the thought so he impulsively wrote the killer's name into his Death Note and…" He dips his head. "I was grief-stricken after that. Kinddara was one of the few to show support. And the only one to give me purpose. It is she I have sworn my loyalty to, even in death. That is why I cannot serve a foreign ruler such as yourself."
Light listens to the story and contemplates where he's heard it before. He shakes off the thought and then nods. "I understand." With a slight gesture of his head, Nexys digs through the pile of Death Notes to find Gias'. He hands the notebook to Light and ignites a pot with blue flame.
Ryuzaki manages to control the wings enough to let them relax. He had listened to the story as well. The words from the voice in his hallucination somehow crawl back into him, as if finding some parallel. "Wait."
Light turns to him. "What is it?"
"Maybe you don't have to kill him."
"Isn't killing your new go-to?" Light quips. "I thought you'd enjoy seeing this, Ryuzaki." A wicked smile crosses over his face. "It might give you some idea of how to kill me in the future."
Ryuzaki doesn't find Light's comment amusing in the slightest. Something inside him, whether it's the vision he encountered during his fight, or his own morality growing in strength, is telling him this is not the way. "You don't want to be Kinddara, do you? Maybe if you put him away for a while and let him see what you do, he'll change his mind. Do this, and you're just going to be the same impulsive bastard you were in your past life."
The new king doesn't seem convinced. "I understand your concern, Ryuzaki. But I cannot accept anyone loyal to my enemies into the new world I intend on creating." His attention returns to the notebook and to Gias. "Gias, as a servant of Kinddara Guivelostain, I, Light Yagami, king of the fighting pits, sentence you to death." He hovers the notebook above the blue flame. "Do you have any parting words?"
"Just this, I pray the new world you create sees through your deception. No true god should ever feel the need to lie. I hope you realize this before your worshipers betray you," Gias says with such profoundness that the words hit Ryuzaki almost as vividly as the vision of fire.
Light's mouth flinches involuntarily, and the Death Note slips from his fingers. The pages fly open within the flames and shrivel away. Gias drops to his knees and his body catches fire. The bandages wrapped around his face dissolve into charred black just like the pages of his Death Note. His flesh melts into the dirt and sand, leaving only his amber eye left in the bloody puddle. It sinks, never resurfacing. During all of this, Gias doesn't scream in agony or even whimper. Ryuzaki surmises the Shinigami knew the moment he had heard of Kinddara's defeat and usurping that he'd follow closely behind his mistress.
As the remains of Gias sizzle and bubble on the ground, Light turns to the rest of those most loyal to Kinddara and says, "Are you all willing to suffer the same fate for your dead ruler as he had?"
A small amount show fealty to him while the rest remain standing, and Light continues his executions as planned.
...
After the trials, Ryuzaki follows his companion to a secluded spot somewhere on the outskirts of the amphitheater where nobody else would disrupt them, except perhaps Nexys.
"Nym has returned, my lord," he informs.
"Good," Light says. "Bring him to me."
The other Shinigami comes around a corner, and Light's eagerness dissolves instantly upon seeing Nym empty-handed.
"Where is it?" he asks before the Shinigami has a chance to speak.
"Gone."
"Gone where?"
Nym scratches his bones.
"Where?" Light presses.
"I'm not sure, sire."
Light's face contorts into a scowl. "I told you not to return to me until you had it in your hands or at least some inkling of where it might be. Perhaps I'll keep your Death Note hostage in the mean—" He's cut off by a hand on his shoulder. Ryuzaki gives him a look, and Light reiterates in a calmer tone, "Quid pro quo, Nym. I won't return you your Death Note until mine is in my hands. That was our deal."
"Y-yes," Nym's voice trembles. "But I know someone who would know where to look for it."
"Who?" He anticipates Kami's name.
"Amonia Justin Beyondormason."
"Sounds like quite a woman," Ryuzaki quips, pressing his finger to his lip in thought.
"Amonia is male," Nym corrects to Ryuzaki's surprise.
"Who is he?" Light asks.
"He's the Shinigami King's second in command, sire. He knows almost everything that the king knows."
Just when Light had come down from his high after defeating Kinddara, one of the most fearsome Shinigami in all of this world, he has yet another obstacle in his wake. It would seem Kami has no intension of allowing him a reprieve. "Where can we find him?"
"He sometimes ventures into the city to gamble and drink during evening hours," Nym explains. "Tonight, you might find him at one of the newer attractions—the club."
Light stifles a laugh. "Now the Shinigami world has clubs? How inviting. Don't you agree, Ryuzaki?"
The pale man shrugs. "Never been to one." His finger presses his lip harder. "Or have I?"
"Not to my knowledge. No." L rarely left the confines of his room, and when he did, it was almost always to pursue Light. Any delay by going to a club or the red-light district didn't fit together with the introverted detective. On the other hand, Light has wondered what L's reaction to the thumping music and scorching body heat would look like. Mortifying, he assumes. Ryuzaki is the closest he'll ever get to knowing. A cheeky smile crawls up Light's face. "But perhaps this can be your first experience, Ryuzaki."
"And why would I have any interest in a club?" Not that he knows exactly what a club entails. He had been born with the knowledge that Light is Kira and Light once worked with a man named L. That's as close to humanity he's reached. Anything else sounds foreign.
"Call it a gift for helping me defeat Kinddara. I wouldn't have been able to if not for your diversion. Clubs are places where people congregate and share banter. This could be a chance for you to learn more about your past self." He waves a hand. "If not, take it as a temporary leave from work. On me."
Ryuzaki cocks a brow and chews on his thumbnail until he tastes blood. "But what if I hate it?"
"Then we'll leave, and I still owe you my life."
After some thought, the pale man nods. "All right."
Light returns his attention onto Nym. "Thank you for the information. In the meantime, I'd like you send a message to someone."
"Yes, sire. Who?"
His smile dissolves. "The Shinigami King."