Chapter 838: Another Encounter with the M

[...We found someone!]

"Oh, who is it?"

[The clone has yet to exit the portal, but he activated the transmitter.]

"Hm, let us go down to see who it might be."

"We'll talk about this more later, Riley! Let's go!"

"Hm..." Riley really only nodded his head, before Hera suddenly grabbed his hand as they rushed to the elevator. Riley has noticed this even before, but Hera seemed to have a tendency to hold his arm or tugging his clothes — even before.

"Have you noticed, Miss Hera?"

"Noticed what?" Hera looked around.

"We always seem to find ourselves in an elevator?" Riley asked out of nowhere.

"Ack, please don't remind me of that," Hera's entire body chilled and trembled as soon as she was reminded of the time Riley told her that he was Darkday, "Seems like a lifetime ago."

"It was," Riley nodded.

"Oh, man. Why couldn't you just have been a normal dude? Well, you were never normal. But normal in terms of not being a genocidal maniac that turns out to be some sort of god," Hera groaned and sighed, "You honestly could have been an actor, you know. Your roles will be limited because you're an insanely handsome albino, but you would be famous — the staff was even asking about where I picked you up."

"Perhaps in the next creation, we will find ourselves co-stars, Miss Hera."

"Pft, yeah right," Hera laughed, "But... that would have been nice."

[I wonder if I could become an actor too,] Ahor Zai's eyes twinkled as she joined in on the conversation, [I would like to star in a live-action adaptation of Italian Mafia Reborn.]

"We can certainly make that happen once everything returns to normal," Hera could really only sigh, "Hear that, Riley? Postpone destroying all of creation until we finish Italian Mafia Reborn."

"I will think about it, Miss Hera, Ahor Zai."

"Anyway, how long is this elevator ri—" And before Hera could finish her words, they arrived at the council room floor and were welcomed by an onslaught of Heras smiling and waving at them. There were also clones resting there and talking with the Hera variants... some being suspiciously close.

[Follow me,] Ahor Zai raised her hand and started floating to the center of the football-sized auditorium, [Ah, there it is!]

Ahor Zai then pointed at a portal that was being surrounded by several clones and curious Hera variants.

[Everyone, move! Move away!] Ahor Zai did not really need to ask anyone to move, as the floor itself started shifting and sliding away everyone that was blocking their path.

"They are still inside?" Hera squinted her eyes as she looked at the portal, "But we've already spent like a suspiciously long time in the elevator."

[Hmm,] several incandescent symbols started to crawl on Ahor Zai's eyes as she stared at the portal, [Boss' clone is still pressing the transmitter. Could it be they are experiencing some sort of trouble?]

And as soon as Ahor Zai said that, Riley gestured to one of his clones to enter the portal. And it did... and after several minutes, Ahor Zai once again received a notice.

"Hm," Riley really only let out a sigh and shook his head, "I suppose I will enter myself. Please take care of things here, Miss Hera."

"...Sure," Hera only shrugged, watching Riley casually enter the portal before taking a step back. Before she could do anything else, however, she noticed the little Talia standing beside her.

"..."

"..."

"...I thought you already left?" Hera slightly nudged Talia.

"I asked Riley's clone to take me back here," Talia shrugged her shoulders as she subtly stood even closer to Hera, "I spent an hour there and it turns out I don't know anything about society at all. And that stupid clone also brought me to an orphanage like I can't take care of myself."

"No, he brought you to an orphanage so that you could spend your time growing up with people that look your age," Hera sighed, "I am sure someone will adopt you, being as cute as we are."

"Meh, don't need it," Talia waved her hand, "Besides, they are already having a hard time as it is to find a universe that does not have our variant on it — some of the others are even changing their faces so that they could just live in a universe with a Hera on it already."

"Yeah, still don't understand how the multiverse works."

"If I am going to be adopted by someone, then it might as well be you," Talia then casually said as she very lightly grabbed Hera's shirt, "You're the first person that scolded me, and the only person that could actually handle me, so..."

"...What?"

"And besides, we practically look the same. You can just tell people I'm your biological daughter," Talia looked away while saying that.

"Talia, I'm in show business. Do you know what people would say if they found out I have a daughter? They would definitely make articles about me saying how I'm a single mother or something."

"You're not single, though?" Talia looked up at Hera, clearly confused, "What about Riley Ross?"

"Wh—What the hell?" Hera raised an eyebrow, "Where did you even get that idea?"

"It's not just me, though," Talia then turned to look at the variants who were listening in on them, "The others thought so too."

"Please stop spreading false rumours," Hera sighed and shook his head.

"We're not, though," Talia looked Hera in the eyes, "You don't feel it...?"

"W—Feel what?" Hera wanted to walk away from the conversation, but Talia was holding her shirt tight, "Stop it."

"We feel it," Talia batted her eyes several times, "If you were not the first of us to have met him, then we would've been imprinted on him instead of you."

"...Imprint? What is this, a werewolf story?"

"Of course, you don't feel it." This time, it was Talia's turn to sigh, "Your body has probably adjusted to him already. Perhaps it's not time yet for you to realize it yet...

...You and Riley Ross belong together."

"And you know who else belongs with Riley? Every other woman he knows, he's for the streets," Hera rolled her eyes as she just focused on the portal that Riley entered to, "Anyway...

...what's taking so long?"

***

A few minutes earlier, Riley emerged from the portal, and what welcomed him there... was a face.

A face from afar, probably farther than the moon's distance from Earth, a thousand times over; Riley was getting better at gauging far and impossible distances. The face was incredibly far away, and yet it still filled Riley's entire vision. The face reminded Riley of a mixture of Ahor Zai's previous humanoid form, as well as the norinlads.

It wasn't just a face, however, because as Riley turned to look down, the rest of its body was there. Gray, almost silver — its face almost mechanical but human at the same time.

Riley did not immediately address the giant, however, as he just turned to look behind him, only to see the dark and endless horizon cracking.

"This is not a dying universe," Riley whispered to himself as he continued to look around.

[Correct. This is a universe that was not really given the chance to form.]

The giant from afar, however, answered Riley even though his question was not directed to it. And so, Riley returned his gaze toward the silver giant; letting out a sigh as he did so.

"Machina," Riley nodded, "I believe you were there during the Tournament?"

[Yes, me and the others. Except for Navi,] Machina nodded, causing the cracks that filled the darkness to slightly shiver, [I do have to apologize that I was not able to greet you. We were only supposed to be there to test our... bodies.]

"It is fine," Riley raised his palm and shook his head, "I was told you were afraid of me by Navi, I understand that you tried to avoid me."

[I am not afraid of you, Riley Ross,] Machina very slowly approached Riley — no, it wasn't slow at all. Its size just made it seem like it, [Even now, I could crush you if I wanted to and trap you forever in a domain where your existence has no meaning. You may be one of us, but not yet, not fully.]

"...I suppose Chihiro is in this universe?" Riley did not really care for Machina's words as he once again started to look around.

[She is. But why are you going to the trouble of finding the lost, Riley Ross?] Machina's eyes were centered only toward Riley, [Why waste precious time for things that will not be here in time? I want to understand the thoughts of you, someone who has lived with them...

...What does it mean to be one of them?]

"Why do you not find out for yourself, Machina?" Riley returned Machina's gaze, "You have already broken your rule not to interact with us."

[We will,] Machina answered, [But I want to know your thoughts. Why do you waste time on things that will be gone? Why search for the lost?]

"Story, Machina," a small smile crawled on Riley's face, "Each individual thing has a story, some more interesting than others. The Lost you speak of, I still wish to know the conclusion of their story."

[What is there to know about their conclusion other than death?]

"Whether they die by me or something else," Riley then also very slowly floated close to Machina, "Are you also not curious, Machina? Curious...

...of whether or not your conclusion will be written by me?"