Villain Retirement

"What… where's the Delivery Man?"

"In a better place, Sister. I thought you were no longer talking to me…

…and why are all of you gathered here?"

The light of the space station drowned Riley as he emerged from the portal, even more so than usual. The portals which were littered everywhere, now all gone as the last very slowly faded away behind him.

His clones were all still there, some just resting on the floor while the others were talking to the Hera variants. But most importantly, everyone was currently gathered in the auditorium; even Empress and Queen Vania were present. And to Riley's surprise…

…Pirate Queen Xra.

"Oh, you are back, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley could really only blink a couple of times before looking at the others, "Who found you?"

"No one did," Pirate Queen Xra crossed her arms and scoffed, "I was never lost in the first place, Riley Ross."

"Hm?" Riley tilted his head to the side as Xra started to approach him. And soon, he saw a familiar ring dangling around her wrist — the pocket universe welded by Ahor Zai herself, "Oh, were you inside the pocket universe all this time, Pirate Queen Xra?"

[It activated by itself when King used his machine to throw all of you in random dying universes.] Ahor Zai was the one to answer Riley's question as she emerged from the floor of the auditorium, [As for why it did that, Bard and I are still figuring it out as we speak. But Bard's hypothesis is that the Ring had a frequency close enough to be considered a dying universe, as it is a universe that has not been truly born yet. It—]

"It is a toy," Pirate Queen Xra shook her head before taking off the ring from her wrist and handing it to Riley, "The robot here said it is a real universe, but it's not."

"You have learned how it works, Pirate Queen Xra?" Riley squinted his eyes as he examined the Ring.

"Your clone that's inside taught me," Xra shrugged and sighed, "I felt like a god for a few months as everything I wanted, I could materialize — even my dear Akkamesh… but it's not real, he's not real. Everything in there just feels like… a simulation, a game. It's…

…too perfect."

"I have a clone in here?" Riley blinked again as he thoroughly examined the Ring even more.

[Quadley is in there, Boss,] Ahor Zai nodded, [He told me he wanted to serve as a custodian of the pocket universe, guide whoever owns it.]

"Hm… Are you sure you no longer want it, Pirate Queen Xra?"

"Yes."

"Then does anyone else want to have it?" Riley raised the Ring in the air as he looked at everyone. None of them, however, seemed interested as they all just looked away, "Very well."

Riley shrugged as he hid the Ring in one of his many pockets. He was going to leave, but before he could do so, Hannah suddenly blocked his path.

"Is it true?" Hannah's eyebrows were completely lowered as she looked Riley in the eyes.

"Which atrocity are you referring to, Sister?"

"Is it true that you've actually been destroying all the universes you and your clones have been on?"

"Oh, did—"

"It doesn't matter who told me. Is it true?"

"Sister—"

"I don't care about what—"

"Stop whining."

"...What?"

Not only Hannah, but everyone who knew Riley could not help but widen their eyes as they all heard Riley's somewhat… annoyed and almost tired tone — something they truly had not heard from him.

"Stop your incessant whining, Sister," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he placed his hand on Hannah's shoulder. Hannah wanted to pull away, but found she could not move for even a single millimeter,

"These worlds were going to die, the only difference is that I ended their suffering faster— is that not the same as what Mother did to the dying planets?"

"She… did that to find a way to save Theran!"

"And yet they all failed," Riley blinked as he looked at Diana, before glancing at Dee and Caitlain, "I am not going to fail in my goal, Sister."

"What… is happening with you?" Hannah's eyebrows started to raise as her lips trembled, "It's like… I truly don't know you anymore. I've said this many times before, but this time… it feels like you truly are a completely different person."

"I am merely embracing my more human side, Sister," Riley shrugged, "And my human side is getting annoyed with you. You tell me that I will always be your brother — that you will always be by my side no matter what, whether it is to destroy me, to save me, or to join me in whatever fate awaits me."

"That's…"

"And yet you were willing to sacrifice your life to a universe you owe nothing to — strangers that are supposed to be already dead, and will be dead in the first place if you did not intervene," Riley looked Hannah in the eyes, "Do you know that when I was trapped in Eternity, the only person who I truly never forgot was you, Sister?"

"...Eternity?" Hannah was slightly confused at Riley's words, and it wasn't only her. Only Hera and Ahor Zai reacted differently as they closed their eyes and breathed out — a gesture that did not escape Diana's gaze as she looked at the two inquisitively.

"The others ceased to exist immediately. Mother was gone… and even Aerith very slowly started to fade into nothing," Riley continued to stare at Hannah; his eyes, almost as if hiding an infinite void where light and even darkness did not exist,

"As Pirate Queen Xra once told me, you are the sun that shines upon me, Sister. I do not know why, but you are."

"..." Hannah did not look away from Riley's gaze; her face trying to feign anger and annoyance, but failing all the same as her eyes and lips began to tremble even more.

"Del also told me that life is precious because of the things around you. And when his words reached my ear, my brain really only thought of you, Sister," Riley's hand very gently touched Hannah's cheek,

"I am also upset with you, Sister. How can you decide to throw your life away for a single insignificant and dying universe…

…when you are worth more than Creation itself to me?"

"You—" Hannah was about to say something, but as soon as she realized that she could finally move her body again, she quickly slapped Riley's hand and just quickly walked away; not saying another word as she quickly rushed out of the auditorium. Nannah, who watched everything from the side, followed her out, but not before glancing at Riley with her eyes filled with a certain… longing.

"..."

"..."

"Well…" And as the silence awkwardly crept into the auditorium, Gracy took it upon herself to break it with a clap of her hands, "...That went well. Would have been very touching if it wasn't said by the literal entity that's destined to destroy all of us. If you think about it, it's… hella scary, no? No? Just me?"

And as Gracy started chuckling, everyone just started walking away and returning to what they were doing before they learned of the grim information. In truth, most of them thought it actually truly did not matter — Riley was right, the worlds were going to die in the first place.

Everyone left, all except for Diana.

"What do you mean you were stuck in eternity, Riley?"

The portals around the auditorium once again started emerging as the operation continued. Diana did not seem to care that the clones were starting to move around them, however, as her eyes only reflected Riley.

"I was stuck in Eternity, Mother," Riley shrugged and shook his head, "It is no big deal, it has already happened. Everything slowly but already came back to me a few weeks after, so it is like it did not happ—Mother?"

And before Riley could finish his words, Diana suddenly embraced him. Riley did not dodge whatsoever, and just allowed her to do so. Even allowing the warmth of both their bodies to intertwine.

"I'm… so sorry, Riley."

"Why are you apologizing, Mother?" Riley could really only blink a couple of times as he heard Diana's breaths slowly stuttering; turning into gasps as the warmth of her tears slowly wrapped his shoulder, "And why do you cry?"

"I'm just…" Diana whispered, "...I've been focusing on the wrong things. I've been so busy blaming myself, and blaming you for all the evil things you've done… that I haven't really even thought of how you are. Of what things you have been through then and now."

"I am… confused, Mother," Riley tilted his head, "You have already told me that there are no excuses for the things I have done. Whether it is because of trauma, or just something instilled in me, it does not matter. I am evil, Mother. Whether it is by choice or not, I enjoy it…

…your tears are wasted on me."

"I just want to ask how you are now, Riley."

"Alive, Mother."

"That's not what I—"

"I no longer wish to die," Riley said as he finally returned his mother's embrace, "If there is anything that I learned in my journey through eternity…

…it is that I enjoy living."

"Riley…?" Diana could really only bite her lips as she embraced her son even tighter, "Then…"

"That is why, even more so now, I must destroy it, Mother."

"...What?" Diana blinked as she felt Riley moving away from her.

"Life," Riley stretched his arm to the side as he started to walk backward, "I do not deserve to have it, and therefore I must destroy it. I realize that now, Mother. The only thing I deserve...

…is nothing."