Abyss Draconis

The second he stepped in.

He could instantly feel the fiery wave of aura that filled the entire room, stifling in power.

He took three steps forward, golden ripples surging through the entire hall, then gracefully fell to a single knee, head slightly bowed, with a hand over his shoulder.

A standard Endearhian Knight's bow.

He remained in this position, silent, but his senses never once paused, roaming through the entire hall.

It was a golden throne room.

And in this throne room were a total of three golden statues in a triangular format around him.

Each statue was that of an Angelic female, featureless but with four wings outspread behind them.

Ryuk's senses enveloped them, noticing the intricate runes that surrounded their blazing golden figures, and he could easily tell there was more to them than just ordinary statues.

There were golden chandelier lights over the ceiling, with golden murals and paintings adorning the throne room walls, but what drew his attention was the area where he felt the wave of power emanating from.

It was the throne area, at the end of the room.

His senses approached but paused 10 meters away from it, and he silently withdrew them.

The moment he did, a voice echoed out.

"Disappointing..."

It was clear, crystal clear perhaps, sending a mild reverberation through Ryuk's entire existence.

"I find those with more nerve than others to be of interest.

"Tell me, what are you here for..." The voice, undoubtedly feminine, rang out, and Ryuk gave a quick summary of why he was there.

"Hmm, so you're here for identification, huh?"

"Yes," he replied curtly.

"Rise to your feet," her voice rang out, and he rose, finally getting to look directly at the figure on the throne.

And true to his earlier assumption, it was a feminine figure.

Eye-catching golden hair and eyebrows on a near-perfect face.

The Fallen Angels on Endearth were one of the races with no ugly members, but the woman before him was like a notch above them all when it came to beauty.

Four large golden wings flared behind her, a deep golden wave of aura burning gently on them.

Above her head was a halo—the halo of two wings outstretched and laced on a golden circle.

What drew Ryuk the most, though, were her eyes.

In them, he saw the same runic symbol of two wings, wide and outstretched.

No emotion lay in them, leaving them simply dull, yet somehow filled with life.

Her intent was impossible to guess, but still, he could see the faint nonchalance flickering in the side of her gaze.

[Host has appeared in the presence of an Angelic Race, a Seraphim Initiate.]

[Host should exercise caution.]

The system notification blinked before him.

'A Seraphim Initiate, huh...'

"Identification comes in many forms, some difficult to difficult to obtain and some easier." She began her explanation as Ryuk listened intently.

"The first and the easiest of identification is the Visitor's Mark."

"For that, I'll need a Memory Trace to verify who you truly are and check for malice, deceit, or spy missions, and then obtain your Source Origin tag, a magical seal that would act as a testament of where you're from, and finally, an Intent declaration." She said, but soon noticed Ryuk's eyes lit in confusion, and she continued.

"An Intent Declaration it's a formal spoken oath that covers why you are entering Ammamora, how long you intend to stay, and what you'll do while you're here, and for one on your power level, you'll honestly be better off dead than trying to break it." She said, as Ryuk's eyebrows faintly knitted.

'Like a contract grimoire?' He thought silently.

[Yes. But much, much harder to work around and break.]

[It's also expensive to obtain], it added.

'And yet, they're using such an artifact for a simple entrance verification.' Ryuk silently thought.

[They take their World Entrance quite seriously.]

The panel spoke out his thoughts.

"If all is obtained and cleared, you'll be given a card that allows you to stay for a set amount of time, one month at least and three months max for a Visitor's permit."

She explained, then leaned forward, chin propped against her clenched fist.

"But if you've become part of a Fallen Angel family, I'm guessing you plan on staying for quite a long time, correct?" she asked, and Ryuk nodded.

"I do."

"In that case, the process is even more complicated."

"If you wish to stay in Ammamora for more than a year, you will need an even special permit."

"Either A Worker's crest, which is given to those with crafts or skills, and allows you to stay for 1-2 years, or a Warden's Seals, which is given to the most powerful Combatants with great strength or loyalty and allows you to stay for more than 5 years in exchange for service."

"In short, you need to be of Important Use." She mentioned.

Ryuk's eyebrows faintly knitted.

'That sounds harsh. Even if I mean you all no harm, I'm still not allowed?'

'It's almost as if strength is the only thing that determines one's worth here...'

"Does saying it like that sound harsh?" She asked him, a faint grin on the corner of her lips, and Ryuk's silence was like an answer.

And to that, she gave a reply:

"Ammamora does not owe hospitality to the lesser just as one does not give shelter to ants simply because they seek warmth." She said, her words cold and callous.

"If you wish to remain here long-term, you must be useful in a way that matters."

"Are you valuable?"

"Are you worth the potential trouble your presence might cause?"

"Are you worth defending if your original race comes to reclaim you for one reason or another?"

"You need to be valuable. Do you understand?" she asked.

Ryuk hummed slightly, even though her words didn't make that much sense to him.

Such a situation was a first for him, as even on Endearth, there was no such thing as being 'valuable.'

As long as one had enough money for the ride, they could enter and live in any City grade they wanted.

But this wasn't Endearth and that he reminded himself, as he made up his mind.