Villain Retirement

"This place reminds me of the world I created when I went insane."

"When are you not insane, Dad? And how is this?"

"It looks the same as the last 5 outfits you have tried, Karina."

"What? It's like totally different! Death?"

"I'm… afraid I share your father's sentiment. We truly do need to get going, your friend is probably feeling a little nervous now."

"You're the one who told us to blend in!"

If Karina was not told that everything around her was just an illusion, then she would have truly thought that everything around her was real—no. It did not really matter to her, as everything did seem real.

Karina was well aware of Paige's abilities, and she knew that she should really only be able to interact with people she feels the closest to; so why could she touch and feel everything here? Death, she could understand since she was all-powerful, but even Enel could touch everything.

And surely, it is not her fault that all the outfits being sold in the shop they were in were… nice.

The world that Paige created could really only be described in two words — High Fantasy. The cosmic bridge that they took dropped them right in the middle of a busy city, where everyone almost immediately looked at them for looking differently in terms of the way they dressed, and thus why they were here in this cozy little shop made of wood and stones stacked together.

Riley, Death, and Enel were already done picking their clothes — just a simple hemp shirt and pants for Riley and Enel, exactly the same, and then a simple dress for Death.

"Perhaps I should have chosen another one of your children to accompany us," Death let out a small but very deep sigh as Karina once again entered the dressing room, "But then again, I could only be comfortable with Karina."

"Because she and you are similar, Death?" Riley commented.

"In a way," Death only chuckled, "And I am sure you have noticed by now, right?"

"Noticed what, Death?" Riley tilted his head to the side.

"If you have not noticed, then that is the end of that," Death shook her head, "But I am curious. I know that it is just your personality, but throughout this entire thing, you have been incredibly amicable, not to mention nonchalant. Do you not have any doubts and questions?"

"What is there to doubt when I do not even know the situation we are in, Death?" Riley shrugged before focusing on Enel, who was looking at his boots and trying to find something that was close to what Riley had, "The one who claimed to be my daughter from the future was supposed to be with a different version of Paige Pearson from the New Creation, Jennifer, and now the original version of Paige Pearson, the one I know of, actually still exists and has created a world of her own in the Outerverse — I have absolutely no idea what is going on now."

"The truth is we have accepted our fate, Riley Ross," Death then approached Enel, trying to help him find different boots since they truly did not have the same as Riley's Enel's size, "We have accepted that our time was up and that Paige Pearson will eventually replace us once we saw how seamlessly she created her own world."

"This world?"

"No," Death took in a small but very deep breath, "When we sent you to the Domain of the Gods and we took her here with us to the Outerverse, we asked her to replicate your universe — and she did so in less than a blink of an eye, every inch of it; functioning as intended. From the tiniest organism on a planet, she had probably never set foot on, and…

…she even replicated us."

"Us?"

"Death, and the other Primordials," Death closed her eyes, "For the sole reason that she knows that Creation only exists because of us, and so she could not imagine replicating your universe without replicating our existence first — and this was done by Paige Pearson, not Other Paige, who you know is the real entity. Perhaps that was the very first time where my brothers and sisters felt…

…threatened."

"Hm…"

"Of course, we truly were not as we are not capable of it — but that was when we accepted that a New Creation was inevitable…" Death finally pulled Enel away, who was already getting mad at the clerk for not having the same boots as Riley in his size,

"...but we have never truly accepted her Executioner."

"I suppose that is me?" Riley let out a small hum.

"Yes, that is what we decided to call you, Riley Ross," Death nodded as she handed Enel to Riley,

"Creation's Executioner, The End of Everything — how does it feel? From being just a villain in an otherwise normal planet on a forgettable part of the universe, to the one who will end all of existence as we know it?"

"So and so, Death," Riley just shrugged, "I am supposed to be retired."

"Ah!" Enel quickly pointed at Riley, "You are!"

"Yes, Enel," Riley nodded, "But I suppose too much has happened for me to consider myself as retired — but I am still a villain, and I am still retired, that fact will never change."

"I'm done, how about this!?"

"That was the first outfit you tried, Karina. It—"

"It's good." And before Riley could say something else, Death took it upon herself to end Karina's endeavor, "I think that's the best you've chosen."

"Hm, but I think—"

"Please, do not think." Death quickly approached Karina and pulled her out of the store, with Riley and Enel just following behind them. As for the store clerk, he just waved his hands and bowed as the clothes they traded in were of higher quality, and he did not want Riley and the others to change their minds,

"We still need to meet your friend, she should be staying in the nearby inn."

"Remind me again why we are even doing all of this?" Karina let out a small sigh as she looked at all the people they were passing by, "I am also a little hesitant because everyone seems like they are alive, but they are not real, right? We should just fly around and—"

"They are real, Karina," Death shook her head, "These people are not just Paige's creations, they have lives of their own, and the weirdest part of it is that I know them — I could feel them. Paige created them in a way that I and the other Primordials could interact with them… most probably because she felt for us back then."

"...Felt for you?"

"Pity," Death looked at Karina, "When she realized she truly was meant to replace us and create another Universe, she proposed that maybe it did not need to happen — maybe we could co-

exist somehow. And perhaps during the 600 years Elementia and I were gone with your father, something happened between her and the others which prompted her to create this world…

…this place means something for her and the other primordials, we can't just carelessly break it."

"Ugh, why does this have to be so complicated!?" Karina let out a loud groan, causing the people walking around to look at her like she was crazy, "Ugh, they are as condescending as normal people too. But seriously, I'm still not over the fact that I have a sister from the future lying around somewhere back there, and now I'm out here going on a little teeny tiny adventure outside the universe with Death…

…do you not see the ridiculousness in that?"

"You are Riley Ross's child, Karina — your existence would have never been normal," Death let out a small chuckle as she heard Karina's frustrations.

"Remind me again what our goal is here?" Karina rolled her eyes.

"I do not know yet," Death shook her head.

"Great, we're going on a wild hunt, then — and where is this friend of ours supposed to be?"

"In there," Death then pointed at an inn, almost near the gates of the city where people of different races come and go. If Karina was not used to seeing all sorts of people already. she would probably be in awe of all the different humanoids she was seeing. But alas, she had already seen cephalopods and literal wisps as intelligent and sentient people. And so, Karina did not really bother much with the people around them and just headed first to the inn; her eyes, quickly trying to search for their supposed friend.

And there, she caught a glimpse of a tall, exaggeratingly beautiful tan-skinned woman — Hera.

"He—" Karina was about to call for her, but noticed something — this Hera was a little younger than she remembered. And as her mind was busy trying to think of who this was, the woman looked in her direction, or more specifically, to Riley who entered the inn after her.

"Ah!" The woman quickly stood up from her table and pointed at Riley, "Dad!"

"Dad…? Wait, is that—"

"Talia?"

Talia, the strongest variant of Hera, and Riley's adopted daughter with her. Talia was practically just a little child the last time Riley saw her, and now she was taller than Karina and had spent as much time being alive as her for centuries, but probably only grew older the past 16 years.

"I knew this had something to do with you!" Talia quickly rushed toward Riley and hugged her, almost as if the two of them were actually close to each other, causing Karina to slightly raise an eyebrow.

Was… Riley secretly taking care of Talia in the shadows?

"Anyway, wait here — I met someone that's eager to meet you for some reason, he…she… I'm not exactly sure what he-she is, but the important thing is she even knows Death, so he-she must be important."

"He…she?" Death's eyes widened as soon as she watched as Talia walk toward the bar, and there, her eyes widened even further as she saw Talia approach an individual with long golden hair,

"Riley Ross…

…we should go, now."

"Huh? We just got here," Karina furrowed her eyebrows.

"That one with the golden hair," Death took in a small gulp,

"...It's the Eternal Child."

"Wait…

…the one you specifically mentioned we shouldn't meet?"