Chapter 729: ..Alabama

"Did... you come here to see me?"

"Hm?"

And all of a sudden, the air of confusion in the air was drowned by Chihiro's quiet, and almost quivering voice; filled with an expectation that was almost... heartbreaking. In truth, she didn't really want to ask—but she needed to know.

She didn't want an answer, but she needed to know. Shirtless Hannah felt the same—after all, Riley was probably the first to ever make her feel something other than pain. Even now, as betrayal looms over her, she doesn't quite feel hurt. Instead, she just felt... disappointed.

Disappointed that Riley wasn't actually for her. Disappointed that in the other world, they were actually siblings. Disappointed that he might have travelled all this way for someone else.

"Did... did you come here because you missed me and wanted to see me?" Chihiro repeated her words. And with a deep breath, she removed her mask and looked Riley dead in the eyes.

"No."

And without even any hesitation, Riley shook his head, "I went here because Shirtless Hannah left the portal open."

"...Portal?" Both Chihiro and Gracy looked at Shirtless Hannah. Shirtless Hannah, however, only covered her breasts as she glared at Riley.

"Stop calling me that!" Shirtless Hannah breathed out in frustration, "And wait... you were from the universe with the two Bernards and two Dianas?"

"Yes. I was the one who killed the Bernard of that world," Riley nodded, "The Bernard that was alive is my adoptive father, while the more beautiful Diana is my adoptive mother."

"You... killed a Bernard?"

"...What the fuck is going on?" Gracy could not help but just look back and forth between the two, "Why is everyone doing a multiverse concept now!? Even the new sprinter movie that just came out involved the multiverse! It... it's really real!?"

"So... it's just a coincidence that you're here?" Gracy was completely ignored as Chihiro stepped closer to Riley, once again looking him straight in the eyes, "But... but you were in my memory. You... you were supposed to help me find the villain from another wo—"

It said that when you realized something that was right there in front of you all along, it will almost feel like there's a switch that was turned on that made everything heavier. Chihiro didn't really believe that... until now.

"...No," Chihiro started to back away; her eyes still looking at Riley. This time, however, the look of endearment and expectation was completely gone—replaced with nothing but a depressing sadness,

"You... are you the Villain from another world?"

"..." Riley tilted his head to the side as he returned Chihiro's gaze. And once again, without any hesitation, he nodded his head, "Perhaps—I am a villain. But it could also be my sister."

"Don't fucking drag me into this weird-ass conversation," Hannah rolled her eyes, before letting out a long and deep sigh as she looked at Chihiro, "...Long time no see. I... miss you."

"...Uh."

"I know," Hannah lightly chuckled, "You're not her. I just wanted to get it off my chest. Riley, let's go."

"Okay," Riley nodded as he started just casually waving goodbye to everyone else.

"Wait, no. What the fuck!?" Shirtless Hannah, however, quickly blocked their path as she stood in front of the elevator, "I can't just let you leave! Not now that I know you're jumping to different—"

"Let them leave."

And before Hannah could finish her words, the elevator doors opened—revealing her father, as well as a thinner version of her father.

"Hello again," Diana was also there—the wound on her stomach, seemingly gone, "You really didn't poison me, I appreciate that."

And it wasn't only them—the elevator was filled with people that looked like each other.

"...Mom?" Gracy forgot to stop breathing as she saw Aerith. She was about to approach, but noticed that there was another somewhat youthful-looking Aerith, "...Two moms?"

"My name is Silvie, Ms. Gracy," Silvie awkwardly chuckled as she made sure to step away from Aerith. With her now in her early 20s, the difference between her and Aerith was getting harder and harder to see.

"You... know who I am?"

"I've... met you a couple of times throughout our short search," Silvie smiled as she looked Gracy in the eyes, "You were a guy in some of them... and you were also a man in my universe."

"I... was a man? That... that explains why I'm like this," Gracy clasped her head.

"Wait, Dad!? Is it really alright to be revealing this stuff to everyone!?"

"It's fine. I was the one who found and approached them. My variant and I have already discussed things," Bernard said.

"We're all variants," Bernard said.

"Debatable."

"Wait, you know I was a man in other worlds as well!?" Gracy looked at Shirtless Hannah with wide eyes, "What is going on here!? I'm—"

And before Gracy could finish her words, Aerith suddenly appeared behind her; pressing something on her neck that caused her to faint there and then. Aerith caught her, however, and very softly placed her on the sofa.

"We won't be here for long," Aerith breathed out as she looked at Shirtless Hannah, "We're just here to get—"

"We're just here to apprehend the person that massacred my entire species," Aerith-01 interrupted Aerith as she too, appeared near the now unconscious Gracy, "...She really looks like my aunt. I take it that the Aerith of this world is dead?"

"I killed her," Bernard sighed before his expression turned sour, "...And I also had to kill Caitlain'Ur."

"Dad!" Shirtless Hannah raised her voice as she glared at her father, "They don't need to know that!"

"But they do. They have to know our experience since they have already started travelling the multiverse."

"No, they don't! What happened to not letting any universe have the burden of—"

"It's too late," Bernard shook his head, "They have already travelled to hundreds of other universes. And if they have, that would mean the others have too. Even we don't know the true extent of this—there could be a dozen versions of me out there already doing the same."

"That's not the point, we've always known that!" Shirtless Hannah reasoned, "We... if we just let them be, all the things we've done would have been for nothing. You said we were doing this because we were the only ones that can save the others! Do you know how many times I have had to watch myself die—do you know how many times I have killed versions of myself to save their universe!?"

"Sounds fucking egotistic to me," Hannah crossed her arms as she scoffed, "You're playing god."

"We're saving trillions of people!"

"You're snuffing out lives that haven't done anything yet."

"That is what it means to prevent people from dying! You think we didn't fucking think of another alternative!?" Shirtless Hannah started waving her hands as she stomped her way to Hannah,

"My own mother tortured and experimented on me!"

"..." Diana, who was already keeping quiet on the side could not help but squint her eyes as she heard Shirtless Hannah's words.

"She kept me locked in a cage and injected something into me! And when we gained the technology to travel multiverses, you know what I saw? That most of the variants of my mother loved her daughter, but some of those variants will still end up destroying their universes so I had to kill them. I looked into their eyes and pretended to be their daughter... that was the first time I ever really felt love from her, and you know what I did? I stabbed her."

"Look, lady..." Hannah groaned and rolled her eyes, "Stop whining, I'm not your fucking therapist, okay? I'm just here to get my brother back."

"None of you are leaving!" Shirtless Hannah once again raised her voice as she screamed right on Hannah's face.

"Actually, we are."

"N—"

"Hannah! Enough!" Bernard grabbed Shirtless Hannah's arm before pulling her away, "They will leave, and everyone will forget this ever happened. They have also assured me that they won't be travelling to another universe again once they get Riley Ross back."

"Shit... fuck!" Shirtless Hannah then pointed at Riley, "You... you fucking played me!"

"I apologize, Hannah," Riley sighed, "But I wanted to be with my sister."

"So, you... all this time..." Hannah gritted her teeth as her voice finally weakened, "You... you only saw me as your sister?"

"Not at all, Hannah," Riley shook his head, "If we were alone tonight and you tried to seduce me, I would have probably had se—"

"No!" Hannah crouched to the floor and covered her ears, "Please don't say what you're about to say next!"

"You don't... have any romantic feelings for him?" Shirtless Hannah's eyes slightly widened as she looked at Hannah, "That's... impossible. I'm—"

"Please stop talking!" Hannah winced as she glanced at Riley for a few seconds, before her entire body shivered as her pores opened, "No. Nope, no! He's my brother for fuck's sake! And Riley, stop saying stuff like that!"

"But it is true," Riley blinked.

"Falalala, I'm not hearing anything!" Hannah started singing, "Don't let me regret trying to find you. Let's just go home, please. This is not how I expected this reunion to unfold."

"Time is of the essence here."

And while the mood was getting more and more unstable and chaotic, the Bernard of this universe clapped his hand, "You people should leave now. If you still want to discuss something, we do it on your universe—there are too many variables here to consider and—"

"No."

And this time, Chihiro was the one to raise her voice as she once again wore her mask. Her eyes that were now the only things exposed on her face, moist and reddening,

"I can't let you leave."

"..." Bernard looked at Chihiro with his eyebrows furrowed. This is the reason why he was trying to rush Riley's departure—to prevent the Avatar of Machina from taking action.

Because if they fight...

...the only thing that will lose will be his universe.

With what he had heard from the other Bernard, Riley Ross is the most dangerous being in the multiverse.

"...Shit."