Chapter 451: This is Me

"...What's up?"

"I remember you hitting my clone in the face, mother."

"...I guess? I... wasn't in the right state of mind."

"..."

"What do you want, mother?"

"To get to know you."

"What can you tell me about the entity resting in the void?"

"I... don't really know anything about it, besides seeing it before... before I hurt you, and then after when I died. But everything is hazy, like a dream. I can't really tell you mu—"

"Hm. Then interest for you stops here, mother. If that's all, then I will take my leave."

"Wait!"

And just like that, the grains of sand that had finally known peace were once again thrown into chaos as the entire beach practically started to change form. Almost like tendrils, the sands began to crawl on top of each other before— only stopping as it completely encompassed Alice and Riley.

"..." Riley didn't really think much about it as he just turned to look at what Alice created. And although it was quite hard to tell because there was only a single color surrounding him, it was clear to Riley that Alice made some sort of large room with several pieces of furniture in it.

"This... this is the previous base of the Hope Guild," the tone of Alice slowly turned from being anxious to a calmer tone as she started walking around the lobby-like hall made of sand she created.

And if one were to be outside and looking from afar, one would now see a tower suddenly standing tall on the beaches of Atlantic City.

"And why are you showing me this, mother?" Riley said as he continued to scan the interior— there was also a bar, with intricate carvings on each stool. Perhaps even more so than Alice's control of her powers, Riley was more impressed with her ability to recreate every detail.

It would seem that before she started to lose her mind, her memory was quite... good— an understatement, for sure.

"Because I want to introduce myself to you, Riley," Alice then waved her hand, causing the sand infrastructure around them to once again change— this time, into a tinier, but still spacious room.

"This is where I grew up."

"..." Riley scanned the room— and suffice it to say, it was quite... colorful. Of course, everything was still made of sand, but her entire room probably had more personality than Riley himself. There were all sorts of stuffed toys, as well as a bunch of machines that seemed like old arcades.

"I was 7 years old when I fully mastered my abilities," Alice then picked up one of the teddy bears, "I used it to steal most of the things you're seeing here. I... wasn't really a good kid."

"I am aware, mother."

"My mother— your grandmother, Charlotte... she wasn't really around much as you could expect."

"I know, she told me when I was in prison."

"...You were in prison?" Alice blinked a couple of times, before letting out a sigh, "I suppose we're more alike than I initially thought."

"No, Diana and Bernard have always been there for me."

"...Right," a subtle wry smile crawled on Alice's face as she heard her son's words. But after a few more breaths, she recovered and once again started walking around the room— and with each step, the sands once again moved; this time, the sky made an appearance as several buildings now stood around them,

"I don't know what sort of stories they made about me— but I was 13 years old when I was first thrown into a juvenile prison for minors," Alice then pointed toward the group of people made of sand in front of them— with a young version of her being circled by what looked like other heroes,

"That's the moment I got caught, or rather... I allowed myself to get caught. I was... seeking for attention. I thought it was the only way your grandmother would notice me," Alice then let out a small sigh, before the surrounding turned into the interior of a prison,

"Fast forward to a couple of years, I was sent to the Supermax... and not even once did your grandmother visit me."

"...I am also aware of her being absent in your life, mother. She was also completely absent in mine."

"...Even now?"

"I believe there is just no point of her entering my life, mother— I feel the same way with you,"

"..." Alice did not really say anything and just once again waved her hand, turning the scenery back to the first structure she made, "Years passed, and I was set free in the condition that I work for the Hope Guild... and that's when I decided to have you, Riley. When I started making more friends, I realized that I wanted to give someone the thing I have always wanted— the love of a mother. It's just... to think I would end up—"

"You made a mistake, mother."

"No!" Alice quickly shook her head as she pointed at Riley, "I have many mistakes in my life, and having you is definitely not one of them. You could have been the devil and I would still accept you, Riley."

"..."

"This is me, Riley. I'm very far from perfect and so close to also being a villain— but no matter how my life turned out to be, I know it will always lead to you," Alice almost swallowed her breaths as she looked Riley in the eyes,

"You may not believe it, but I love you. I do— and I would do anything to have the chance to actually take care of you and watch you grow, anything. But I know that I can't anymore because that train has passed... so with whatever time I have left in this world, I want to spend it with you, Riley. I don't have long, I can't say for sure when I'm just going to lose my mind again...

...but I want to spend my last moments with you because you're my son, and I love you very deeply."

"Hm...

...you don't even know who I am, mother," Riley shook his head as he took a step forward— and as soon as he did so, the hundreds of billions of grains of sand started to separate from each other; forming into a scenery that oddly resembled a carnival.

And soon, walls started to form around Alice and Riley— taking them into an alleyway between the tents. And there, an obviously younger Riley and an old man could be seen.

"My adoptive parents decided to take me and Hannah to have... fun in a carnival somewhere in the country," Riley whispered as he started circling the statue of his younger self,

"I was only turning 12 at this time— and I believe this is the very first time I killed someone," he then pointed at the sculpture of the old man, which started moving and clasping his chest,

"Unlike you, mother, my memory tends to always be hazy. I do not remember much about this moment, but I remember how it feels...

...It was the happiest I have ever been in my short life."

"..." Alice could really only take in a deep breath as she stared at her son's sand image— a smile, slowly forming on its face as it watched the old man slowly take its last breath.

"!!!" Alice then slightly flinched as Riley suddenly clapped his hands— and as he did so, several silhouettes started forming from the sand... grotesque, abysmal, and outright diabolical.

Darkrday was everywhere— either pulling out limbs or decorating the body parts of the people into some sort of altar.

"This is me, mother," Riley repeated his mother's words back to her, "I do not know what you are feeling right now, looking at the monster you brought forth to the world. But know that aside from giving birth to me, my actions are mine and mine alone, mother."

"..."

"Go spend your remaining time with other people," Riley then let out a small sigh, causing all the sand to finally return back to the ground,

"Perhaps rather than trying to connect with me, someone you have never really met— go reconcile with your mother. Because you and I, mother? We're just strangers to each other."

"..."

"Now if that is all you wanted from me, I will take my leave," Riley's feet then soon started to leave the sand, "I have extraterrestrial lives to end."

"..."

And with Alice not saying anything anymore, Riley continued to ascend into the air.

"..."

But not even meters into the air, Riley felt the urge to glance down as Alice seemed to actually not be pursuing him as he expected. And there...

...he saw Alice lying face flat on the sand, unmoving.