Several hours later, Hao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief while watching Viltgar walk into the desert and disappear over the dunes.
*Sigh*
"That was a lot harder than I expected," he grumbled.
"Tell me about it, I thought he would never leave!" Ryuk's voice came from somewhere within the stone formation, making Hao Xuan frown.
"When the hell did you get here?"
"A short time after you ventured past the veil. I could feel the connection weaken."
"Oh...right. I forgot you could do that. Did you come here to eat?"
Ryuk's barely detectable body phased through the matter as he approached Hao Xuan and sat in front of him, "I already did while you were busy talking. So many words..."
Hao Xuan could only shake his head in response.
"Yeah, it wasn't easy to convince him not to drag me along on his witch hunt. He thinks I'm on some path and sooner or later we will meet no matter what. I'm sure he will find me again in the city. But at least it was quite informative."