"Wait… what?"
There have been many times Aerith found herself suddenly being surrounded by silence, most of the time by force as the weight of her responsibility to the world echoes through her ears. This time, however, it was almost as if she could hear the entire universe itself…but remained incredibly deaf to it as the only sound she could really hear was Guilt.
Guilt, cracking and snapping inside her mind; shattering everything else inside her.
"Bernard!"
Diana, however, carried the grief and guilt differently—Diana never truly grieved for her people. She wailed and cried, for sure. But that was regret.
Regret that she could not save her people, even though she tried her best for more than a thousand years. And so, right now, with a small glimpse of a candle being lit up in her hands, she wanted to rush and see if what the clone said was true.
"Bard!" Diana once again screamed as she grabbed Bard by the shoulder, "We need access back to our universe, now!"
"But…" Bard did not really know what to do as he glanced at Riley. The very reason he brought all of them here was to take Riley away peacefully, but with them gone…
"Bernard," and while Bard was hesitating to take action, Bernard also placed his hand on his shoulder, "I have already promised you that no harm will come to your universe—and I fully intend to fulfill that promise. Diana also won't be of help to you like this, her mind's… clouded."
"..." Bard looked to the side, calculating and deliberating scenarios in his head. And after a few seconds of doing so, he just nodded and started heading to the elevator.
Bernard and Diana quickly followed him. Aerith also rushed inside the elevator, but she was quickly pushed out by Diana.
"What…?" Aerith squinted her eyes; her hands turning into fists as she looked Diana in the eyes, "I am coming with you."
"No, you're not," Diana quickly shook her head, "You need to stay here for Riley, you're one of the only people in the entire world—the entire multiverse he listens to."
"I… don't think that's the case anymore," Aerith glanced at Riley before letting out a deep sigh. Her frustration did not last long, however, as she nodded her head and quickly decided to stay, "Fine… but do not blame me for what happens next."
"You have every right to do anything and everything you want with my son. He deserves to be punished," Diana said without any hesitation as she looked at Riley, "But… please, just don't fight any—"
"Wait!" And as the elevator was closing, Aerith-2 suddenly appeared beside Aerith and blocked the doors from closing,
"Let me come with you, please."
"..." Diana only looked Aerith-2 in the eyes as the doors slid open again.
"There is no reason for me to stay in this universe, and there is also no reason for me to stay in mine…" Aerith-2's voice sounded meek and devoid of any confidence, "...The themarians of your people also seemed to have suffered devastatingly from Riley Ross, and I am to mourn and weep my people, I wish to do it with them…
…They who understand our pain, my pain."
Diana did not say anything, just nodding her head and gesturing to Aerith-2 to step inside the elevator.
"With me there, Riley Ross would also not easily do as he likes. As I promise you, my goal in life is to make your son's life unbearable. You will not regret this decision, Cait—Diana Rurs."
"...Ross." And with a sigh escaping Diana's lips, the elevators finally closed; leaving Silvie and Aerith alone with Riley and his clone.
"..."
"..."
"Wait…" And surprisingly, or perhaps not, it was Professor Riley who broke the sudden silence in the penthouse,
"Did those uberly powerful beings just take the elevator? Couldn't they have just jumped or flown from the roof? Or… was that all just for dramatic effect or something?"
"It was for dramatic effect," Riley nodded, "Is it true that Queen Adel and some other themarians are alive, Professor?"
"Oh, it is," Professor Riley let out a small giggle as several bottles of wine started floating around him. The loud popping sound of the corks drummed in the air as the contents of the bottle all spilled out—but creating absolutely no mess as the wine all just floated in the air.
And then, waving his fingers like a maestro's baton, Professor Riley started shaping the liquids into the familiar silhouettes of a human—two. One obviously him, and the other Queen Adel.
"You see, I did what you asked, Boss," Professor Riley nodded to himself, "I remained there to watch as Queen Adel's hope wither away along with Theran. But I did something else—something that you might like more…
…I convinced her to leave Theran."
"..." Aerith took a gulp that could be heard by everyone in the penthouse, "Mother… is truly alive?"
"And a thousand more. You better keep up, Aerith, I already mentioned that earlier," Professor Riley slightly scoffed as he squinted his eyes at Aerith, "Anyway, I did a little convincing, and ta dah! I persuaded the Queen to stay alive. And of course, in turn, the people loyal to her followed her… which isn't actually a lot."
"How… were you able to convince my Mother when I could not?" Aerith was still not allowing herself to believe.
"Because I'm a stranger," Professor Riley shrugged, "You know how people tend to listen to strangers? Or how people listen to their therapists, even though their friend has already been telling the same thing to them for years? It's like that."
"But you are not a stranger—you're the one who annihilated her entire species."
"And I offered them salvation, quite fun," Professor Riley clapped his hands, "I hope you don't mind, Boss. I figured you'd like this kind of development."
"It is welcomed," Riley nodded, "Good job, Professor Riley."
"Right, I thought so," Professor Riley nodded once again, "Also, I am sort of your enemy now, I hope that's alright?"
"..." Riley just blinked a couple of times as he looked at his clone.
"I know! Just… please don't kill me?" Professor Riley winced and closed one of his eyes, "I know we're not connected the same anymore, but you can still do that since you literally created me, but please don't?"
"..."
"You can kill me, but not in a way that you would just… unmake me? You know what I mean? Because that is not totally not cool."
"I am getting it now, Professor Riley," Riley nodded.
"Great, yes…" Professor Riley pointed at Riley, "...And that is all I am actually here for—a declaration of war against you, Boss. I know you are already having fun with all this multiverse thingy, so let's just spice it up with another Theran war plus me."
"Hm."
"Right. Off I go. I am also going to use the elevator for dramatic effect," Professor Riley bowed to Silvie and Aerith as he walked away, "So, you know… if anyone wants to stop me, there's suspense."
"..."
"..."
And so, Aerith, Silvie, and Riley just watched Professor Riley disappear into the elevator.
"Does that lessen your hatred for me, Aerith?" And finally, for the first time since Aerith and Riley met again, he directly spoke to her without looking away, "Your mother is still alive, and so are a thousand of your people."
"..." Aerith did not really answer and just glared at Riley.
"Hm," Riley looked away as he sighed, "I suppose no–"
"Of course not!" Aerith waved her hand, causing a blast of wind to violent rage inside the penthouse. If it wasn't for Riley protecting the windows, they would have already shattered completely,
"You think… you think that because my mother is alive, that actually changes things between us?"
"I suppose."
"No, Riley… It just doesn't work like that," Aerith's eyes turned red, "No, no… I'm wrong. Things should have actually changed between us from the start. Things should have been different from the start…
…I should have killed you the very first time we met."
"Then I would have grown stronger faster, Aerith."
"I would have found a way to dispose of you," Aerith gritted her teeth, "A more violent and effective way. Do you know the only reason why I didn't just continue killing you over and over again and instead just threw you to another dimension?"
"Because you will get tired."
"No. Because in some fucked up way, I didn't think you deserved to be treated like that," Aerith almost growled as she stepped closer to Riley. Silvie, who was watching the situation unfold, did not know whether to step between the two as her eyes just nervously trailed back and forth between them,
"But you did, and you do deserve to suffer eternally. I betrayed you? No, I only did what I should have done a long time ago—put you down."
"..."
"Do you think the two of us are actually close?" Aerith started chuckling; a hint of tears, starting to shape in her eyes, "Do you think that just because we spent years fighting each other, that we spent years alone in the cosmos traveling together that you and I have something?"
"I did."
"Then you really are sick in the head, Riley!" Aerith quickly wiped the tears that were trailing down her cheek,
"You are a delusional monster that only cares about hurting people. I, never in a million years, would even consider being with someone like you. Hell, the only reason I was even with you and by your side was to guard people from you. You are not my lover, and I sure as am will never develop feelings for you other than utter disgust and hatred!"
"..."
"What!? Say something!"
"I'm…" Riley's lips did not fully open; his eyes, not looking at Aerith at all.
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