Villain Retirement

Chapter 1196: Riley And Hannah

There were no final words shared between them, only the stillness of their hands that refused to let go even after the end.

Riley did not break his promise with Hannah.

He held her hand until her skin faded into dust. Until her bones turned to memory. Until there was nothing left of Hannah except what remained inside his mind.

He didn't let go of her.

He watched her slowly grow old. He watched her grow weak. He watched her die. And he watched her wither in his arms.

And he… he remained.

His arms were wrapped around nothing, but still, he refused to let go and just allowed himself to drift away.

Planets collapsed around him. Stars were extinguished and given birth again.

Still, he remained like that. Alone. Because this was his punishment.

And very soon, came the pulse.

The pulse that signaled the end of the universe.

And for the first time in a billion years, he spoke.

"Oh…" Riley slowly uncurled himself, staring at his palms that no longer held anything at all. He then looked around, and he felt the universe around him collapse. It felt like nothing, but he knew that the universe was about to end.

"Are you… there, Paige?" He whispered to himself. Paige told him that she would meet him in the twilight, and so he waited for her.

…But she didn't come.

The universe ended. And soon, in an instant and an eternity at the same time, another universe was born.

And he floated there all alone in the middle of nothing.

But somewhere, out there, he could feel a presence. The presence.

He stared at the darkness, but only for a moment before he started floating far away from it.

It was Paige, being born at the same time as the universe, and giving birth to it at the same time.

He could feel her moving closer and closer to him, flying through the expanse of nothingness. But Riley… Riley stretched his arms—not to receive her, but to create a wall that would sever him from the universe she was going to create.

A permanent wall that would never allow them to meet. A permanent wall that would sever him from the rest of existence.

A wall that would ensure that he would never interact with her world.

A wall that would ensure… he was alone for another eternity.

He was in the abyss.

And he would never look into the light.

Once again, he curled himself and wrapped his arms around a memory.

And he stayed like that, for years… and years… and years.

He was awake, but he never spoke, he never moved.

And the only sign he was still alive was his heart that beat once every thousand years.

And oh, did his heart beat. For more than a million times.

Until finally, another pulse.

The last star of Paige's universe was, slowly but inevitably, extinguished—and the wall he made was extinguished along with it.

"Oh?" Riley felt a surge flow through him. A… big bang that started from his chest and rang throughout the nothingness, and soon, this nothingness was no more.

And what replaced it was darkness.

The darkness of Riley's ever-expanding universe.

And very slowly, he once again uncurled himself—opening up his arms as a light escaped from his breath.

One single light, the very first star of his universe. Light and orange…

…the very same color that Hannah's flames held.

Riley's clear eyes reflected the star, and a small smile crept on his face.

And then very slowly, he turned around and flew away, and never looked back.

He let the universe form by itself, and he didn't interfere at all.

The first life was born, and Riley only watched.

Even as the first star he created was devoured by a black hole, he did nothing.

Civilizations rose, and life began to wage war against each other—but he said nothing.

He never spoke, never interfered.

He folded time itself and watched the crease fade away as it slowly unraveled itself.

Riley was the beginning, and he was the end—but he didn't have to be in the between.

He didn't have to be a part of the story at all.

This was his punishment: to spend multiple eternities alone.

And so, once again… Riley curled himself and closed his eyes.

Leaving a universe unknowingly grateful for the absence of Riley Ross.

And so, once again… years passed.

All he did was wait—wait for the pulse that would signal his end. Finally.

He waited, and waited for an eternity.

Until… something hit him.

He gasped, and a smile crept onto his face as he finally faced the end of his existence.

After several eternities, he was finally going to die.

But it wasn't a pulse that hit him, but a quiet thud.

"Huh?" He opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times before turning around—only to see nothing but a mass of rock in front of him.

"Oh…" Riley touched the surface of the asteroid, shaking his head in disappointment as he was still alive.

My punishment continues.

He lightly pushed the large rock away, and right when he was about to turn around, he saw something he recognized.

Something that has long been resting deep in the abyss that was his memory.

It was Hannah's writing.

Her… letter.

Dedicated to him now, billions of years from then.

Riley hesitated to read the letters at first, even looking away… but then, the memory of Hannah touching his cheek and turning it to her surfaced from his mind.

And there, he finally saw the words written on the stone.

…And the first word removed any doubt that it was the same rock that Hannah wrote on, because the first words that were written on it were—

'Fuck you, Riley.'

"Ha…" A small breath escaped his lips when he read that. He floated closer to the letter embedded in the stone, and he traced his fingers across the letters written on it.

'If you thought this was going to be a heartfelt letter, then you're wrong. And if you're reading this, then that means I've been long dead. But if I'm not, don't read it.'

"Hmm…" Riley softly chuckled.

'Good? Okay. I won't make this letter long. If you are reading this, and you are done wallowing and feeling alone, then you shouldn't be reading this at all, Riley. Come find me.'

"Huh…?"

'You are an irredeemable idiot, and so am I. Come find me, and this time… I promise you, now that there aren't any extras and bullshit making our lives harder, I will change you. I'll take it as a challenge, so find me again. I don't know how it'll work, but I know that my love for you transcends an eternity of eternities.

Your most beautiful wife, Hannah.

P.S

If you are still wallowing, fuck you. Come find me all the same.'

Riley stared at the letter set in stone for a moment longer and then sighed before pushing the asteroid away. He watched it go farther and farther away from him, until it was only a single dot… until it was nothing at all.

And then, without saying another word, he closed his eyes and curled himself into a ball again.

He had already watched Hannah die once; he didn't want to experience that again.

His story, and her story were over.

Finally and truly, Riley Ross was retiring.

"..."

"..."

Or maybe… not?

"...I suppose you truly do know me, Hannah."

A whisper escaped Riley's lips as he opened his eyes again, and from between his palms was a star slowly forming. His eyes reflected this sun, and very soon, planets began to form and orbit around it.

"You're right."

He whispered as he stared at the planet that resembled a marble, and a smile slowly crept onto his face,

"I am… irredeemable."

***

"M-mommy. Who… who ish that?"

"Hannah, say hello."

"Who…?"

"He… is going to stay with us from now on."

"Why?"

"Because he's… your brother."

"My brother…?"

"Yes. Come meet him."

"What's… his name?"

"Well, Hannah. His name is… Riley."

"Riley... Ross?"

"T-that's right, Hannah. His name is..."

***

And so… ends the villain's retirement.

This is The End…

…But Riley Ross will return. Always.