While Ailsa was practically losing her mind at the prospect of finally grasping onto something that had alluded even the Cultus Faeries for so long, Ryu himself was in a state of absolute euphoria.
He remembered very clearly the last time he had felt so good. There was only one place of comparable comfort, a place he remembered oh so clearly thanks to his now complete Origin Flame…
His mother's womb.
Everything was so warm and inviting. There was no danger, and he was always perfectly protected. The qi that nourished him was always so rich and pure, devoid of any impurities. He could feel the soothing rhythm of his mother's heartbeat, he could hear the slow and methodical rush of her blood… And the perpetual darkness he was in didn't feel endless or abyssal, it was more like the gentle embrace of sleep and relaxation.