"Riley…?"
The only one that really reacted amongst the lot was the youngest of them, Silvie. She wanted to go along with Hannah and Hannah when they detected Riley in a small dessert store somewhere on the outskirts of New York—but Hannah did not let her, as she said it would be best if it was just her.
Of course, she was slightly disappointed. But even more, she found it completely awkward that she was lumped with… the old people. Granted, she had been busy helping Katherine with taking care of Katarina—but she was young, she should be with the…
…was she still young?
And while Silvie was suddenly having a mid-life crisis in her mid-twenties, one of the adults finally recovered from their bewilderment.
"...Riley?" Diana was the 3rd person to speak Riley's name as she looked his son straight in the eyes, "How… long have you been here?"
"Oh, I followed all of you here, Mother," Riley casually answered as he started walking around the penthouse, before settling in front of Hannah's fridge and getting a glass of milk for himself. And without even minding all the eyes following him, he sat at the bar and just started drinking without care,
"Perhaps if you spent time actually nourishing and nurturing our relationship, I would not have turned out to be like this."
"...It's a clone," Silvie finally snapped out of her daydreaming as she heard Riley's words.
"Ah, Silvie. Even though we've grown apart, you still know me best," Riley let out a small sigh; just focusing on his drink as he lowered his head, almost as if pretending that he was drinking alcohol,
"Still very promising, unlike your… mold."
"..." Aerith's eyes slightly twitched. She wanted to say something, but Aerith-1 stepped forward before any words escaped her lips.
"A… clone?" Aerith-1's eyebrows lowered, "Wait, is it possible that the one we were about to take home earlier was also a clone?"
"Oh, that one was the real Riley," Riley started waving his glass of milk as he faced the others, "But let's get back to the real elephant in the room, and I'm not talking about fat Bernard."
"..." Bard could not help but blink from the sudden attack. He was just minding his own business and trying his best to monitor the entire Chihiro situation… so why was he suddenly being called out like this?
"Anyway, Aerith…" Riley pointed his glass at Aerith as he stood away from the bar, "...I want you to know that even though you did what you did…
…I forgive you."
"You… forgive me?" Aerith's already squinted eyes became even smaller as her eyebrows lowered, "Forgive me…? You killed my people, Riley. And you've killed hundreds of billions of people, innocent lives that had nothing to do with you."
"To be fair, Aerith—most of my victims had nothing to do with me," Riley chuckled, "And also, yes. I forgive you."
"How… how dare you?" Aerith's lips started to tremble as she stepped forward, causing Aerith-1 to step to the side as she felt Aerith's rising energy levels…an energy level unprecedented in her universe,
"How. Fucking. Dare. You."
"Language, your daughter is watching," Riley winked at Silvie, "And I said I forgive you, I said nothing about you forgiving me—the two are sort of very different from each other."
"You—"
"Tut. tut," Riley raised a finger when he saw Aerith's hands turning into fists, "I just want to say that no matter what you do. Even though you—what was it? You crushed my head again and again, destroyed my spine, and then threw me to another world? Yes. Even though you did all of that, even though you promised that you won't actually abandon me or leave me, and you did—I forgive you."
"..." Aerith's fists started to tremble as she was truly deliberating on whether or not to fight Riley Ross here—but she knew best what would happen if she did. And so, after a few more seconds, the only thing she could really do was let out a sigh as her hands softened,
"We've already caused enough trouble here. Just tell Riley to stop playing around and resolve this situation."
"Now that… is not really a request I can do, sadly," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he walked to the sink and started washing the glass, "I'm afraid you oldies just have to wait until they're done."
"But you're connected to Riley."
"Hm," Riley shrugged as he started wiping his hands on the dry cloth, "You don't have to worry, though. He'll be here any minute. You guys should relax, not like the world's going to end."
"..."
That is exactly what everyone was worried about, especially Bard. A picture of Riley's true strength was already completely painted in his mind—that was the very reason he directly contacted the universe Riley was discovered, because that was the only thing he could really think of to get rid of him.
A creature a Primordial is wary of should not exist among mortals, but he is here. And they have no way to permanently kill him. In truth, Bard was also thinking of throwing Riley into some sort of void, a universe already destroyed where nothing could truly exist.
But he was sure Riley will, and he will find a way to get back. After all, a universe already destroyed means it had… rips and cracks where Riley could go through, cracks that would connect him directly to beings that exist outside the Universe, the transcended gods… and the Primordials.
And if those beings learned that Bard sent him there, the corresponding punishment might be the destruction of his own universe.
Truly, just what sort of monster snuck into his universe?
"..." Bernard, who had been quiet from the start, quickly realized the thoughts his variant was having and could not help but just sigh. If people are pointing fingers at who to blame, shouldn't most be actually pointing at him?
Diana was an exemption, of course—as she knew from the start. But Bernard was the one who tolerated and even sanctioned Riley's actions when he was just starting as Darkday.
"Okay, maybe that's too much relaxing," Riley let out a small chuckle as he broke the eerie silence suddenly surrounding the entire penthouse,
"Now, I know what you're all thinking—Riley Ross is a timebomb, Riley Ross might act out and just destroy everything, yada yada. And your worries are valid, they are more than valid. But…"
Riley started walking around with his finger raised, "That is what makes all of this fun, no? Chaos…
…chaos is fun."
"You truly are a madman," Aerith-1 crossed her arms and started shaking her head, "Your parents should have killed you while you were but an infant, a tiny sprout that could be plucked just like that," Aerith-1 said as she snapped her fingers.
"You really do look and act like Queen Adel, you know that? Are you sure you're not Queen Adel?"
"I'm not!"
"She's not," Aerith breathed out.
"Huh, weird. But yes, I am the maddest man you will ever meet in your life. It may not seem like it because I am filled with all sorts of charm and alluring composure, but I am… Mega sick in the head," Riley literally drilled his finger through his temple as he started laughing,
ραndαsnοvεl.cοm "But anyway, enough talk—Boss is here."
And with those words, the familiar bell of the elevator rang in the air as its doors opened. Everyone once again turned their heads to look, only to see Riley casually stepping inside the penthouse with a blank expression on his face.
"How sure are we that this is the real one?" Aerith-1 squinted her eyes as she watched Riley ignore all of them and just made his way toward his clone, "...Right, now I know how you people know."
"What's up, Boss?" Riley's clone bowed his head, "I'd offer you a glass of milk but… I just finished the last drop, sorry."
"It is fine," Riley gestured to the clone to lift his head. He then finally glanced at Aerith-1 and the others, before just ignoring them again and sitting at the bar; focusing all of his attention on his clone,
"But who are you?"
"Hm?" The clone tilted his head to the side as a small smile crawled on his face, "What do you mean, Boss?"
"Who are you, clone?" Riley just repeated his question, causing the others to be confused as they all looked at each other.
"It's… It's me…?" Riley's clone gestured to himself, also seemingly confused as he looked at the others. But after a few seconds of quiet pondering, his eyes suddenly widened, "Ah! Maybe you don't recognize me because of this."
And then, with a small giggle escaping his lips, Riley's clone grabbed something from his pocket and wore it on his face—a pair of glasses.
"It's me, Boss," the clone once again gestured to himself, "Professor Riley."
"Professor… Riley?" Aerith's voice started to slightly rise as she flinched, "Wait… wait… Isn't that the one teaching the children on Theran?"
"Ah!" Professor Riley quickly pointed at Aerith, "See!? Aerith recognized me—I knew it, she cares for us, Boss."
"..." Riley only glanced at Aerith, not saying a word to her before sighing and shaking his head, "I do not think that is the case, Professor."
"Well, it might be," Professor Riley nonchalantly shrugged, "At least she's not that much of a disappointment like Queen Adel is making her out to be."
"Queen… Adel?" Aerith's breathing started to turn heavy. She was already suspecting something, but Professor Riley's words were turning them into reality.
"Ah, yes!" Professor Riley smiled, "I persuaded her and some thousands of Themarians to flee Theran."
"What…?"
"And right now, I guess they're overthrowing our universe? You oldies aren't there, after all."
"Wait…
…What?"
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