Villain Retirement

"..."

"...What do we do now, Dee? It's getting kinda awkward."

Back in the other universe, Riley's arm was still wrapped around Aerith; embracing him almost as if he was never going to let her go. Suffice it to say, the confusion that Aerith was feeling also grew by the second.

And even as she analyzed the situation, her mind couldn't seem to wrap around what was happening. Her people just died out of nowhere, and when she thought that she was going to meet the man that was responsible for what happened, she found him headless on the floor near a themarian that has renounced her own race.

And now, a weird-looking humanoid that she hasn't seen before in her long life had his arms wrapped around her. Aerith could struggle and escape, but there truly was no need to as the white-skinned individual wasn't even holding her tight…

…and yet she found herself unable to escape his clutch.

"Aerith."

"...Who?" Aerith's entire body could really only shiver as the white-skinned humanoid softly rested his cheek on her back, "What… is going on here? Can someone just explain to me what is going on here!?"

Aerith then turned to look at Diana to ask her a lot of questions, but Aerith just forgoes the thought as she saw her looking even more confused than her. But finally, after a few more breaths, Aerith's confusion was very slowly replaced by a rage almost blinding that her skin was giving off fumes of energy.

Riley, however, did not let go even as his skin started to melt.

"Let go of me!" Aerith finally snapped out of her confusion as she pushed Riley away, "I do not know what is going on here, nor do I demand an explanation anymore. What I do know, however, is that all the people standing here are responsible for the deaths of a trillion people! I saw it… planets just crumbling into pieces as I was dragged away."

"Well… it was actually only him. We're here to stop him," Alice shrugged as she pointed at Riley, "Sorry, son."

"It is alright, Alice," a small smile crawled on Riley's face as his burnt and melted skin healed, "It is the tru—"

And before Riley could finish his words, his eyes and Aerith's met. Riley's head immediately tilted to the side as he looked at her from head to toe, before ultimately settling on her face… which was completely different from the Aerith he knew.

As a matter of fact, the Aerith of this world looked exactly like—

"Queen Adel."

"You… dare utter my mother's name?" Aerith's eyebrows lowered as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "Who are you?"

"I…" Riley looked away, before glancing at Diana and Alice, before turning to look at the Manus Dei which he completely destroyed,

"I am lost."

"...Riley?" Alice immediately noticed the shift in Riley's tone. His voice which seemed completely sure of itself was completely gone. And it was subtle, but all Alice could really see left in his eyes was an emptiness that almost seemed maddening.

Like he was just some lost child—which in a way, if she truly thinks about it, he truly is.

"Caitlain'Ur…" Aerith turned to look at Diana, very slowly floating to her side, "...I know that we have had our differences, but if it is true that you are here to stop whoever this person is, then that means our goals align."

"..." Diana did not really answer as she just looked at Aerith.

"The Redking is gone…" Aerith muttered as she looked at Bernard's headless corpse, "...And I know that you do not consider yourself a themarian anymore. But please, help me at least get revenge for your other people—for our people. Believe it or not, even after everything you have done with and for the Redking, you always had a place in us, Cait—Diana."

"..." Diana really only let out a small scoff as she heard Aerith's short speech. But after a few more condescending breaths, she shook her head and sighed before looking at Alice, "You're right, Queen Aerith, I am not a themarian. My place is here, with her…

…but I will help you get revenge."

"..." Aerith took in a deep breath as she looked Diana in the eyes; nodding her head before once again turning her attention toward the devil that killed her entire race; her eyes, very slowly glowing red in a calm rage, "And you, I will make sure that you—"

"You are not Aerith."

And before Aerith could finish her words, she was cut short by Riley as he started whispering to himself; his finger, pointed at Aerith as he started shaking his head,

"You… are not Aerith. You are not Aerith."

And soon, the entire room started to tremble as the strands of Riley's long white hair started to almost vibrate in the air.

"Poor soul," Aerith breathed out,

"I do now know what sort of creature you are, but I will make sure to end your suffering today!" And with those words, the glow in Aerith's eyes turned into a beam that shot straight toward Riley, who seemed to be ignoring everything around him.

But even then, the violent beam that was supposed to reach him without fail… failed. But not because he deliberately and knowingly blocked it, no—It was Alice.

Alice stood in front of him; her hand stretched forward as she blocked Aerith's energy beam.

"Alice…?" Diana could not help but breathe out heavily as soon as he saw Alice suddenly protecting Riley Ross, "What… are you doing?"

"I…" Alice let out an awkward chuckle as she looked at Diana; tears, flowing down her face, "I… don't know. But… I feel like I had to protect him this time. I guess… I guess this is what you'd call…

…a mother's instinct? He… hehe?"

"She's not your son, Alice!" Diana shouted in frustration, "He's from another universe!"

"...What?" The energy beam shooting out from Aerith's eyes instantly disappeared as she heard Diana's words, "What do you mean from another universe? What's really going on here?"

"Alice, stop being so childish!" Diana did not answer Aerith and just very slightly approached Alice, "Just once stop acting on impulse! That man isn't your son, it's a monster that needs to disappear from this world!"

"I…" Alice started looking back and forth between Riley and Diana, "...But he is? You… You've heard his story. The Alice of his world tried to kill him, his own mother—maybe, maybe he was sent here for a reason. Maybe…

…I'm meant to take care of him, you know?"

"So, even in this world, you're stupid."

"That's… not nice," Alice's awkward chuckle immediately faded away as one of her eyebrows raised as she looked at Diana, "Why would you say that? I thought you weren't going to call me stupid again."

"That… wasn't me," Diana blinked a couple of times as her eyes started to squint. Even Aerith, whose confusion had once again peaked, could not help but start to look around as she looked at where the voice came from.

And very soon, the very air itself started to crack open.

"...You?" And immediately, Diana was faced with someone she had never expected to ever meet in her life…

…herself.

"I'm sorry for the sudden intrusion…

…but I'm here to get my son back."