Sorry for the blatant lack of updates and thanks for all the kind words, folks. :)
Now I'm a little paranoid about getting worse. Take this chapter for example. Apologies; I made up a few worlds.
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Light Yagami was curious.
The moment L had spoken, the horror, disgust, and, dare he admit it, fear, were replaced with an insatiable urge to know more, and to understand this new situation.
L answered this, and carried on talking.
"Apparently this is why the Shinigami are so bored. They sit still for too long and then cannot find the motivation to untangle themselves from the ground. It really is quite a terrible existence."
Light did not speak, and L continued.
"I have no doubt that by now, you have realised that you are both dead and in the realm of the Shinigami. I expect that sooner rather than later, you are going to come to the realisation that I am not supposed to be here. I was not intended to take this path and become a Death God."
Light smirked at himself for not thinking of this any earlier. He had been so distracted by... everything.
"Thus you will be wanting to know why I am here."
The lack of response that followed evidently signified agreement.
"There are dimensions of the afterlife; Heaven, Hell, the colour world and the elemental world. The Shinigami Realm runs parallel to these dimensions, and Earth is in the middle. Since you killed me, I have visited each of these worlds several times. I have discovered that every time somebody enters one, they are given a time limit before they become an inhabitant of that world; before they cannot leave. Most people who can choose to become an inhabitant of Heaven, since it is, as expected, the ultimate paradise of anyone who enters. Unfortunately, many people who die are not permitted to choose the path they take. Several people, for example, are commonly regarded as evil, and are trapped in Hell, suffering their death over and over again for eternity."
Light wondered what this would be like, and realised he was becoming jealous of L for having visited and figured out all these worlds.
"At the moment though, Yagami-kun, I believe you are being dealt a worse hand than Hell."
The breeze picked up once more, chilling Light to the bone. The clothes he was wearing didn't seem to make much of a difference, and he felt the air drift through the fabric as if it wasn't there at all. He still couldn't look at L properly.
"The Shinigami Realm was made to contain the power that Death Gods possess. It was created to be just as overwhelming and terrifying as the ability to kill that it exists because of. Every part of the world is terrible and frightening; once inside, most people are trapped, because it feeds from the worst memories and parts of ourselves being brought to the front of the mind, and the lack of hope that subsequently follows. Many are tricked into coming here, and never return. You, Yagami-kun, are trapped here, rather than Hell."
'Don't think that anyone who uses the Death Note can go to Heaven or Hell...'
The memory of when he first met Ryuk came to Light; how he didn't care. How he had dismissed this piece of information as if it was a joke.
"By using the Death Note, you have more or less sealed your own fate of becoming one of the Shinigami. The process has already begun. Look at your feet."
Light looked down from where he had been standing on the spot and saw that the flats and sides of his feet were becoming cracked and wrinkled. He lifted one foot to survey this more, and found that painful roots of black, like threads, tied him to the ground. Pacing a little, he pulled himself free, wondering how L could have seen this without facing him.
"You cannot touch anything in this world, Yagami-kun," L continued, "without becoming attached to it. You have a duty here to kill, so as to guarantee the continuation of your own existence. But I'm sure you'll have little problem with that."
At this accusatory statement, L turned to face Light. His eyes were darker than Light remembered, and his face was sunken, dark eyes standing out from ghostly pale skin. He was grimacing, and simply turning his head appeared to be causing him pain.
"I have been here for two weeks, waiting for you to arrive. As you can see, it's had something of a profound effect on my physical state."
Light finally spoke.