Villain Retirement

"Mom… please, he said…"

"It's done. He made his ch…"

Lately, Riley has been surrounded by weird events and feelings—but perhaps drifting in and out of consciousness takes the top of the list just for the sole fact that he wasn't actually losing consciousness—he was drifting in and out of death.

Although he wasn't that aware of what was happening around him, he could still hear people's voices. He could hear his sister earlier, but as he once again woke up, most of the voices that were there before were now completely absent.

All he could hear was Diana and Aerith, who was for sure taking turns in making sure he remained dead. There was also this familiar sound of a rhythmic flutter that Riley could not discern yet.

"Are… you sure this would work?" Riley could hear Aerith's breath; her warmth, literally inside his chest.

"Yes. But we have to be quiet," Diana was also near. She seemed to want to lighten Aerith's hands, but Aerith seemed to refuse as she didn't want to put Diana in a position where she has to kill her son over and over again,

"If the norinlads, or Elder Olseyir, finds out that we're putting him there, they will surely retaliate."

"...on. is that in anoth…"

"Yes. 4 years ago… test…"

Riley could feel his life drifting away again as Aerith squashed his heart and snapped his spine. Their voices, replaced by the sound of Nothing's never-ending laughter.

Nothing was not even saying anything to him, he just continued to laugh at him as this was the first time they'd been meeting multiple times in a short span of time.

"...What about your daughter?"

"She'll be fine, she's strong."

And once again, Riley could hear the whispers of Daina and Aerith's voices as his heart and internal organs were once again completely restored.

"I am truly sorry, Diana. I can't even imagine what you are going through right now."

"You've experienced worse—something you shouldn't have had to experience in the first place if we only did this sooner."

Riley waited for someone else to speak, but it was still only the two of them. Since their voices just quickly echo, their words seem to be trapped in a small space—they were inside.

Inside… a ship. Riley was finally able to recognize the fluttering noise constistently whirring in the air–they were moving in hyperspeed. Riley just returned to Earth, but now it would seem they were taking him far away.

"...What about the other people there? Since you said it's been tested numerous times already, there are people there. Riley will kill all of them."

"It doesn't matter. The reason they are there in the first place is because they are there to die, and no normal place can keep them."

"...Riley will find a way to escape, Diana. He always has a way."

"Oh, he will. But by the time he does, we will already have another one ready for him—a more…

…permanent solution."

"What if… ead?"

"T… fect."

And then, once again, Diana and Aerith's voice very slowly faded away, replaced by Nothing. This time, however, no fits of laughter welcomed Riley—but only a smirk and a stare that seemed to judge his entire life.

"It finally happened, Riley Ross," Nothing then stepped out of the darkness, revealing a smile that was wide enough to stick out from its face,

"You always wondered what would happen if you get continuously killed without pause by the themarians, and now you are. Did you expect it to be Mother and Aerith, though?"

And even as Nothing started to circle around him, Riley didn't really say anything and just stood there in the darkness; his eyes, reflecting nothing at all.

"So, where do you think they are taking you, Riley Ross?" Nothing then suddenly hopped in front of Riley, leaning its head as close as it could possibly can to his face as he whispered,

"Where do you think the themarians are taking you?"

"I have an idea," and finally, Riley answered back; not leaning away even with Nothing's weird breaths whispering loudly right in front of his face.

"They're sending you to another universe, Riley Ross," Nothing then let out a soft cackle as its silhouette started disappearing and appearing everywhere in the darkness,

"Spoilers alert!"

"..."

"Sorry," Nothing then once again popped up out of nowhere right in front of Riley as it continued to laugh, "I couldn't just hold the suspense, it was… killing me."

"But you do not die because you do not literally exist, Nothing."

"Semantics," Nothing rolled its eyes as it looked at Riley, "And so, how does it feel to be betrayed by the people closest to you? Do you finally feel like you're in pain, that your heart is being crushed by the weight of their betrayal? You were pouring your heart out to them, only to find that it was an illusion—and worse, the real ones were getting ready to crush it. your heart, I mean."

"I do not feel betrayed, Nothing," Riley shook his head, "Because they did not betray me at all. What is happening now is justice, vengeance, and retribution. What is happening now is something that I have always deserved to happen to me."

"You really are no fun at all. Are you, Riley Ross?"

"You would know that, Nothing. You know me more than I know myself."

"...Hm," Nothing shrugged, "This is going to be fun, Riley. Another universe, are you not excited!?"

"No," Riley also shrugged his shoulders, "I am curious, though. Since it is another universe, will I still be able to meet you whenever I die?"

"Of course," Nothing's silhouette started to fade away, "I exist outside and before all the universes, Riley Ross. I exist everywhere, but at the same time, I do not exist at all."

"...Are you even real?"

"Oh please, Riley Ross…" And even as Nothing faded away, the smile on its face did not,

"...You're mentally ill, not crazy."

And very soon, the darkness and nothingness that surrounded Riley disappeared—replaced by a bright open field as he opened his eyes.

"..."

Riley already forgot the name, but Tedi and her people were working on a prison to hold rogue norinlads and some other heinous Outlaws that could no longer be controlled by any means.

He didn't even need to think to know that this place was it. Still, he expected it to be darker; as it is supposed to be a prison, after all. But this place—this place just literally looks like the fields of Iceland, a green immaculate paradise.

He already told Tedi and the others that the god of evaniels did not like opening portals to other dimensions and universes, but here they are—just casually sending people to places far away.

"Weird," Riley could really only sigh as he thought of that. People always wanted to hear the word of a god. But when he spoke, they completely ignored his words because it was not convenient for them.

Riley started looking around, but aside from the empty nature he finds himself in, there was nothing there. No other prisoner, not even a single sign of life.

He then started checking his hands and clothes, only to realize his clothes were filled with blood; his skin, already caking from the dried blood that wrapped it.

"White," Riley then snapped his fingers, and as he did so, the dirt around him completely disappeared. His clothes, instantly replaced by a clean pair of white shirt and pants; his hair too, was now completely white.

"I suppose Hera was right," he whispered to himself as he looked at his reflection in the large mirror that suddenly appeared in front of him, "I really am somewhat warping reality, at least for me. It would seem I need to give more credit to Paige for…"

And before he could finish talking to himself, Riley once again started looking around. He had already imagined an entire world before—how exactly would he know if this was real?

And then, without any warning or indication, Riley started hitting himself on the head repeatedly. Closing his eyes and opening them to check if he was indeed where he was.

A second.

A minute.

An entire hour. Riley hit himself on the head for an hour before he decided that this place was real—he was once again in a prison.

"..."

"..."

"...Pft," Riley chuckled as he started walking around the caged paradise he finds himself in. And no matter how many times he tried to find signs of life, there were none. And so, he just decided to fly to the clouds to get a better view.

"!!!"

But not even a dozen meters into the air, however, Riley felt his vision shift as he was violently pushed back onto the ground; his face, now planted along with the blades of grass.

"This… is interesting," Riley's words muffled from the ground before he turned around to look at the sky, "That feeling…

…it was telekinesis.