Riley Ross-Chapter 69: Nice

"You’re... going to kill him?"

Why is she asking me that? Was she not the one who told me to kill her family? She went so far as to hide in the bushes, even deleted the footage of me torturing Stephanie, just to make me trust her. So why? Why is she asking if she already knows what my answer will be—

"Yes."

Riley still held Tomoe’s younger stepbrother in his invisible grip, the boy now slightly raised off the ground, his legs kicking helplessly in the air.

"It... it hurts! P–Papa!" The boy gasped, clawing at his throat in a futile attempt to remove the unseen pressure around his neck. Panic overtook everything else—his pain, his confusion, his desperation—all of it condensed into a single, wordless plea for help.

But no help would come.

The boy’s fear, however, only reflected how much Riley wanted—needed to kill him there and then.

"Rob, you’ll be fine. Just keep quiet, okay?" Tomoe carefully approached Riley by the door, the robotic tone in her voice once again fading away, "Riley, he doesn’t deserve to suffer. I will make sure that he won’t say anything."

Tomoe stared at Riley, and it was obvious that her emotions were already showing, and that she was trying her best to stay composed. But after a few seconds, a sigh of relief escaped her lips as Rob’s feet finally touched the floor.

"It would seem you really do like him, Tomoe," Riley once again sighed as he gently placed his hand on the shoulder of the scared boy, "Then I suppose we should not let him suffer."

"Yes...." Tomoe let out a sigh of relief as she heard his words, "Then—"

"I will end his suffering now, Tomoe."

"What do you—"

Before she could finish her words, Riley turned and twisted Rob’s head with an almost casual flick of his arms. There was no resistance, no struggle—it was like turning a loose doorknob... or twisting a ball that wasn’t really attached to anything.

Tomoe was already aware that Riley’s physically gifted and stronger than most people his age—he didn’t have super strength, no. But for him to be able to twist someone’s head like that, as if it were nothing?

That was...

Impressive.

Impressive—that was the only thought that danced inside Tomoe’s mind as she watched Rob’s body fall limp. His arms dangled at his sides, his legs folded awkwardly beneath him.

If it wasn’t for Riley catching him, then he would have dropped and bounced from the hard floor. Riley then gently lifted and carried Rob in his arms—once again, a very weird sight.

The two boys were nearly the same size, nearly the same age—yet only one of them truly looked like a child now.

Was a child.

"You..." Tomoe’s shock slowly started to fade away, and the fact that her step-brother was killed right in front of her without even any hint of mercy was finally dawning on her.

Her stepbrother... was dead.

They weren’t particularly close, not even. In fact, the times they talked could probably even be counted on two hands. But all of those moments were her light in the dark.

Of course, that was really only her exaggerating it; they truly barely know each other. The last time she had ever seen Rob was a year ago... but still, in a way, he was what ’normal’ felt like for her.

And now, just like that, with a snap, literally—he was dead. It happened so fast that it barely even feels real for her.

"Tomoe."

"Huh?" She blinked a couple of times as she heard Riley calling for her. She turned around, only to see Riley standing next to the crystal cage where her mother and stepfather were imprisoned—and they were devastated.

Erik was pounding on the crystal wall with both fists—even the one that was crushed by Riley earlier. It left streaks of blood that smeared across the surface. He didn’t seem to care. His face twisted with fury, wild and unhinged. Her mother, in contrast, looked hollow, sitting on the floor, mouth slightly open, eyes void of focus as tears spilled silently down her cheeks.

And while the two adults were expressing the entire spectrum of emotions, Riley was just casually staring at her, as if nothing else was happening, and that the thing in his arms wasn’t the corpse of a child even younger than him.

It was hard to comprehend. Too much. Too absurd. Even for someone like her—someone who had shut herself off from the world, who believed her emotions had long since been stripped away.

It turns out, she was really only pretending, and the real deal was now right in front of her... and she let him enter her life—no. She forced him.

She read online that people her age were prone to impulsive decisions. She used to scoff at that. She thought she was mature. She thought she was different.

But slowly, her trembling lips began to still. Her eyes, once only faking emptiness, were now... in a snap, truly vacant. She walked toward Riley like someone retreating from the light for the very last time.

The only thing that reflected in her eyes right now was Riley. His silhouette was so bright, and yet there was truly only darkness there.

"What is it?" she asked, voice dulled and robotic, more than ever before.

"Please open the cage, Tomoe." Riley gently nudged the boy’s limp body in his arms. "I want to place him inside."

Tomoe didn’t respond at first, but after staring at the floor for a few seconds, she nodded and waved her hand. The crystal wall parted smoothly, rippling like water to make room for Riley to enter.

Erik lunged toward him in a blind rage—but he didn’t get far. An invisible force struck him, sending him crashing to the side of the cage. His nose flattened, shattered, blood trailing down his face. He tried to scream, but a silent grip closed around his throat again.

Tomoe’s mother didn’t move at all. She just watched in silence as Riley gently laid Rob’s body beside her.

"I am truly sorry if you were also close with him, Tomoe’s mother," Riley sighed as he stood up, "I was only supposed to kill you and your boyfriend, but I suppose Father’s lessons are applicable anywhere—things rarely go according to plan."

Riley looked down at her before turning to Tomoe.

"Are you not planning on locking me here with them, Tomoe?" Riley tilted his head, but Tomoe only shook her head in response.

"Okay," Riley shrugged as he stepped out of the cage, and Tomoe immediately closed it. "I am going to take my leave now. I will return here in a few hours once I find a suitable location to place them, Tomoe. Please do make sure they are comfortable, I do not want them complaining that we are not good to them."

Once again, Tomoe did not answer immediately. And when she did so, her tone was cold and minute. freewebnσvel.cѳm

"Yes," she muttered.

"Okay." Riley then casually walked away, opening the door as if he had just dropped by for a normal visit with a friend.

"See you later, Tomoe." He said as he closed the door, leaving Tomoe there alone, not even caring at all about what she might be thinking or feeling.

Fortunately for Riley, Hannah didn’t even ask him why he took so long, and they just flew off as she said she was already tired. She didn’t even wait for Riley to come down the jet when they arrived home and immediately rushed to her room to sleep.

As for Riley, well, his day was only beginning.

Back in his room, he began searching through Bernard’s archived properties—places he either still owned or had abandoned. There were over a hundred options, each one tucked away and off the grid. And after about an hour, he settled on an old warehouse a dozen miles from Tomoe’s house.

I suppose this would do, then.

Riley was now once again standing at the edge of his window, feeling the light breeze on his face.

It would take me a few hours to get back to Tomoe’s house if I flew low. Should I... risk flying up there?

He then looked up at the dark sky, staring at the moon that could barely be seen from all the smoke and smog of New York.

Megawoman has been retired for ten years now. I... will not accidentally fly into her? What if she were relaxing in the sky, and I met her? Then... I should at least hide my face.

Riley turned away from the window and left his room, going to the elevator and all the way down to the basement of the building.

Well, beneath the basement of the building, a few stories below the underground public parking.

That was where Bernard’s ’things’ were stored.

And as soon as the elevator opened, Riley was greeted by the great outdoors—it was bright, almost as if the night above didn’t exist at all.

The doors opened, revealing what looked like the great outdoors: bright lights mimicking the sun, trees swaying gently, and even a small waterfall flowing peacefully in the distance. Of course, none of it was real. This was Bernard’s artificial sanctuary.

And as soon as Riley stepped outside the elevator, he was greeted by a man in armor, somewhat similar to Bernard’s Whiteking outfit.

"Good evening, Riley. What are you doing here at this time?"

Riley looked at the man for a few seconds before shaking his head and smiling,

"I am not here, Mr. AI."

No. There wasn’t any man at all inside the armor; it was an AI developed by Bernard to watch and keep his workshop safe.

"Oh..." The AI glanced at Riley, before taking a step back and motioning for Riley to go ahead and explore, "...Of course, Riley. I will erase all memory of you being here. Will Hannah be joining you again?"

"No," Riley shook his head.

"That’s surprising—Hannah is usually the one dragging you down here."

"Please do not tell her that I was here, Mr. AI."

"As far as I’m concerned," the AI replied with a slight bow, "you were never here."

"Thank you," Riley nodded.

"Is there anything you needed?"

"Yes, Mr. AI...

...I need something to cover my face."

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