Villain Retirement

"Huh…?"

Everyone's world just stopped there and then, especially Karina. She had no idea what just happened, and how it happened. She refuses to look down, utterly terrified that what she was thinking might be true. She could hear something dripping, and she felt something warm splash onto her.

She should have moved away, and yet she couldn't even do anything as Ahor Zai suddenly materialized some sort of knife and then just casually stabbed Enel right through the neck. The only thing she could really do was look at the other's expression, and the first one she looked at was her mother, only to see her as shocked as her.

Karina then looked toward Esme, and as soon as she saw her not even looking at Enel and just staring at Ahor Zai with her eyebrows slightly lowered, Karina finally had the courage to look down…

…only to see Riley's hand grabbing the sharp blade.

Karina was about to let out a sigh of relief… but realized that Riley actually pulled it out of Enel's small neck.

It happened, it really happened and she did nothing.

"No… no," Karina's breath started to turn erratic as she quickly rushed to the sofa and gently placed Enel there, looking and tapping at the large gash on the side of his neck — it wasn't bleeding at all, not even a single drop of blood was trailing out of it,

"Enel…? Enel? Wake up, baby… please wake up. Please, wake—"

"Move to the side!" Katherine quickly rushed toward Enel, practically leaping in front of him as she started healing the wound, "Riley! Remove your powers, I can't heal him if keep the wound clogged!"

"He will die if I do, Katherine," Riley did not even glance at anyone as he just stared Ahor Zai in the eyes while still holding the knife.

"Father!" Renna also rushed toward Enel, placing her hand on the sofa and creating some sort of bubble to completely enclose Enel in it, "Do… do something!"

"You!" Lucy screamed. He did not rush toward Enel, but rather toward Ahor Zai; a black sphere the size of an apple that seemed to swallow everything around it, vibrating on his palm and making its way straight toward Ahor Zai's head.

Arthas also rushed toward Ahor Zai without any hesitation even though Ahor Zai looked like his mother. He summoned some sort of red blade of energy in his hands and waved it straight at Ahor Zai's legs.

Ahor Zai, however, just casually stood there. The knife she was holding, disappeared from Riley's grip before swallowing her entire arm and then crawling throughout her entire body, creating an armor almost instantly — and whatever Lucy and Arthas's attacks were, they were completely ineffective against her.

[Your children are as dangerous as you are, Riley Ross.]

Ahor Zai—no. Machina then raised both her hands in the air, and as soon as she dropped them, both Lucy and Arthas suddenly found themselves trapped in some sort of cage. It wasn't only them, Karina and Renna, who were completely at a loss as to what to do with Enel, were also trapped in the metal cage.

Karina quickly tried erasing the cage, only for another one to replace it instantly and keep her trapped in it.

[We should have never tried to trap you in the Domain of the Gods,] the armor covering Machina dissipated away as she looked Riley in the eyes,

[But we did that because it was impossible to get rid of you — but the same could not be said to your children, they need to—]

And before Machina could finish her words, a hand suddenly went through her chest. Machina just at the hand for a few seconds, before glancing at the person who attacked her, Esme.

[I apologize for what I have done, Undead Princess,] Machina sighed, [But your anger is misplaced — you should have never tangled yourself with Riley Ross. My brothers and sisters may have given up on this universe, but I have not — I will save it, and I will not let another take its place if it is not needed.]

"Why?" Esme's extremely stoic voice returned as she looked Machina in the eyes, "Why?"

[You do not need to grieve alone, Undead Princess,] Machina shook her head as she turned to look at Lucy and the others,

[All of Riley Ross's children will die before this day is done. It—]

Esme stabbed Machina in the chest again, trying to rip her in half… but her hand just went through Machina like she was made of water.

[This body is not physical at all, Esme — and my entire existence has never been physical at all. Primordials can never be destroyed, we are what makes this universe. Why do you think Riley Ross can't die?]

"..." Esme looked Machina in the eyes again, but after a few seconds, she just looked away and started approaching Enel; just falling beside him and caressing his peaceful face, "Riley…

…save our child, please."

"I am," Riley whispered. And as soon as he said that, everyone watched as his body was suddenly surrounded and wrapped with blood; his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth, oozing out an endless amount of blood,

"I am trying to find Randall."

[There is no use in trying to find the Healer, Riley Ross,] Machina shook her head, [You can stop time for an eternity and you will never find him — for I killed him. Your children will—]

"Stupid."

And before Machina could finish her words, she was interrupted by Karina, who was suddenly laughing inside her cage as she looked back and forth between Enel and Machina.

"One of us is Nothing," Karina then said as she shook her head, "I was told by someone from the future that one of us is Nothing. You kill us, and you risk destroying everything yourself."

[Hm? Do you mean Aerith'Ross?] Machina smiled, [Do you truly believe the words of someone who hides in the shadows?]

"Even if it wasn't true, how stupid are you to kill my brother?" Karina laughed, "My dad's trying to be better, he is better — why would you just suddenly do this and waste all of that? You trapped my dad in the Domain in the Gods to gain time to come up with a plan to get rid of him…

…why would you just suddenly antagonize him out of nowhere when he was doing nothing? Nothing!"

[Because I—] Machina could not finish her words as she suddenly froze there and then; her eyes, wandering around as she thought of a reason why she did this, and the only answer she could really come up with was,

[...I do not know why. Why did I do this?]

Everyone then watched as Machina's body started convulsing; fading away in a static as she started moving erratically.

[Something is wrong,] Machina's head started shaking before she turned to look at Riley, [Something is wrong, RIley Ross. Why would I kill your children?]

"..." Riley just stared at Machina as she dropped to the floor.

[Death!] Machina then screamed, [I summon you, Sister!]

And without even a second after saying that, a woman appeared on the sofa; Enel, already lying on her lap. Her figure and the way she looked, was different from everyone who was looking at her. But if her image had one thing in common with what everyone was seeing of her…

…it was that she was looking incredibly angry.

"We keep on interfering, and all we do is hasten our own end," Death whispered as she started caressing Enel's hair.

[This is not my intention, I do not know why I did this!] Machina continued to glitch, [I am—]

And before Machina could continue what she was saying, a small zap just whispered out from her ears and she just dropped without any rhyme or reason. The cages she trapped Riley's children in, also instantly disappearing out of existence.

"I will undo what has been done," Death looked at Machina for a few seconds before just looking at Riley, "But a price must be paid."

"Take my life if that is the price that has to be paid, Death," Riley muttered as he approached his son and Death; the blood oozing out from him, almost creating a pool beneath his feet.

"You know that I do not hold your life and death, Riley Ross," Death let out a small sigh before trailing her finger across Enel's wound, healing it instantly, "What I ask is for your time — something happened when Elementia and I were gone. My brothers and sisters, they are not the same. Something about them is different, it feels like... they are not them."

"...The Big Eyes are saying this is so random."

"Enel!?" Karina gasped as Enel woke up; his hand, holding Death's finger.

"You are quite a unique one, aren't you?" A very gentle smile crawled on Death's finger as she glanced at Enel, "You see something that even Navi can not see. But that is not something for us to explore. Riley Ross…

…I am asking for your help. I need you to come with me, to our plane outside Creation."