Chapter 1095: Chapter 1095: Much To Tell You
"Are... are you real?"
The quiver in Renna"s voice almost echoed throughout the entire black field - and although it was hard to see due to everything being so monochromatic and black, if one were truly focused on the fields of black cotton, one would see them rippling with each of Renna"s gasping breath.
"Are you... real?" Renna repeated her words; refusing to sit up at all as she was afraid that she would never once again experience resting on the ground while his father gently brushed and caressed her hair, "Are you real?"
Riley refused to answer, however, as he just continued to gently brush Renna"s hair. Renna also remained quiet and just closed her eyes for a few moments. But several minutes later,
Renna opened her eyes and once again asked,
"Are you real?"
"Maybe." And this time, Riley answered without any hesitation; he was not, however, looking at Renna but instead the wide empty fields of black, "It does not really matter at all. For me, you are my daughter - and nothing is going to change that."
"F... Father!" Renna could no longer hold back her tears as she finally sat up; not wasting any time at all to wrap her arms around his father"s neck,
"F... forgive me, Father! Renna gritted her teeth and tried her best not to sniffle, but she could do nothing at all but to just let all of her emotions out as she cried on Riley"s shoulder, "I... I got angry and I lost my way. I discovered... I discovered some things and... and they are not good things, Father. I do not-I am not proud of what I have done but... but I had no choice..."
Renna"s words started to stutter by the end. Riley did not really say anything again as he once again started brushing Renna"s hair and patting her back-no. He wasn"t only patting or brushing her; this entire time, he was actually washing his hair using his abilities as he knew Renna always wanted to look clean and proper.
"I"m... I"m supposed to be better," Renna continued to speak; her words starting to m.u.f.fle as she buried her face deep into Riley"s chest, "I am supposed to be better than Lucifer, and yet... and yet I"m the one who made a mess. But... But I know I was doing something right, it"s just that... I am supposed to be a hero, Father...
...I am supposed to be a hero, and yet the things I"ve done couldn"t even be farther to being a hero. I... I hurt all those people, Father. I did horrible things to them. But... but it had to be done."
"Hm," Riley only nodded.
"I... I wanted to be a hero like you, Father," Renna, however, vehemently shook her head, "You don"t... you do not understand how much I want to be like you to be the Paragon of the people. You worked so hard to bring about the age of heroes and yet... and yet I destroyed all of that. I... I ruined your reputation by hurting and killing those people from the moon, Father. But it... it had to be done."
"I do not want any of you to be like me, Rennalyn," Riley shook his head, "You are perfect as you are, Rennalyn - do not spend your entire life trying to hate and hurt yourself for who you are."
"But-"
"Accept it," Riley breathed out, "Just accept what you are and never delude yourself that you are anything different. If you are evil, then so be it. Be evil, and do not pretend to be anything else."
"Am I..." Renna sniffled as she leaned away from Riley, "...Am I evil?"
"Do you think you are?"
"..." Renna stared at Riley"s eyes for a few seconds before a small hint of a smile crawled on her face, "...You are very bad at this parenting thing, Father."
"At least I know that I am a bad parent, Rennalyn."
"Pft..." Renna softly giggled before covering her mouth with her hands, "For... forgive me for laughing at you, Fa-my... arm is back?"
Rennalyn blinked a couple of times as she quickly stood up and started looking at her arms, "H... how?"
"I found it from your future cousin, Rennalyn."
"...Aerith"Ross!" Renna let out a loud gasp as she looked at Riley, "She... she tried to kill me."
"I am aware of that, Renna," Riley nodded as he also stood up, "We met her while trying to search for you, and she revealed some things."
"She needs to be stopped, Father!" Renna rushed to her father"s side and grabbed his arm, "We need to-"
"Relax."
"O...okay. Okay," Renna quickly took in a deep breath as she let go of Riley"s arm, "I apologize, Father. It would seem that I find myself fumbling lately."
"Let us discuss some things first, Rennalyn - why you did the things you did, for one."
"That..." Renna looked away and took a step back. Unfortunately, she really had no other place to go, "...I"m... I think something is wrong with me, Father. I"ve always been telling Lucifer that he is the one who has mental problems, but I"ve... I have only been projecting my insecurities."
Renna then confessed; the only hesitation left in her was reflected in her stuttering words.
"It started 5 years ago... when I... when I saw someone just disappear right in front of me. Lucy was also there, but he did not seem to care at all. You know, typical Lucifer, Father," Renna cleared her throat and wiped whatever tears were left on her face; the tone of her voice, slowly turning more and more monotonous like how it usually was,
"But the people who were with the man who disappeared cared - they cared so much that their friend, family... loved one just disappeared right in front of them, and they were just talking to each other moments ago. They were sad, Father. They were very sad and confused but no one really tried to help them."
"Hm."
"And then I tried searching news for what happened, only to find more incidents similar to it - people disappearing in broad daylight, none of them ever solved," Renna started shaking her head, "Then I delved deeper into our history, and I found some inconsistencies, and things just happening with no rhyme or reason at all history follows a pattern, Father. No matter how random it may seem, it follows a pattern. But at some point in history, that pattern was cut. And I learned... I learned that our world might be some sort of simulation and
"It is really quite impressive that you have discovered that much with no prior clue of what the world truly is, Rennalyn," Riley did not let Renna finish her words as he shook his head, "Then let me free that curiosity of yours and tell you the truth."
Riley did not really spend that much time telling everything to Renna - she told her everything, but a very short version of it since he knew that Renna would just fill out the rest as she was, perhaps, even smarter than Diana. As to whether she was smarter than Bernard,
well, maybe not.
"That... all of that was happening?" Renna"s eyes widened as she looked to the side, "Of course... Of course. Two worlds colliding, and ours is starting to fade since we are the ones created by your friend - but since your friend is already technically dead, then...
...how will we get rid of our world so that the two no longer collide? Do we try to reach this
Other Paige person?"
"Perhaps," Riley shrugged.
"...Are we sure she is on top of that Black Tower you mentioned?" Renna placed her hand on
her chin.
"And what do you think of the fact that you and Lucifer can not be converted, Rennalyn?" Riley tilted his head to the side as Rennalyn completely ignored the fact that Hera couldn"t
convert them.
"There is nothing to think of," Renna shook her head, "I am sure that you will find a way, Father — you and Miss Pepondosovich always do."
"Hm," Riley nodded as he turned around, "Shall we go, then?"
"N...no," Renna shook her and refused to follow, "I"m... I can not possibly return there and face the others, Father. What I have done is unforgivable - I do not deserve the company of friends and family."
"I have done worse things, Rennalyn," Riley shook his head and reached out his hand toward his daughter, "I have killed infants right in their mother"s arms, and I laughed while doing it - I know I do not deserve the company of friends and family, and yet I still show myself." "That—well, you..." Renna could not really say anything else as she just grabbed her father"s hand, "...Let"s go home, then."
"Hm," Riley nodded several times as he flew away with Renna, "Your brother also says that he is missing you and has lots of things to talk to you about, Rennalyn." "...On second thought, maybe I should just stay here?" Renna"s eyes widened, "He is definitely going to remind me of what I have done every day or whenever he is losing an
argument, which is every day."
"As I said, Rennalyn...
...we just have to live with it."
***
"Mother."
"Who...?"
Somewhere in the dead universes, there lies actually a civilization hidden from the rest of the multiverse a race so resourceful that they have managed to just roam free everywhere even
during the descent of the G.o.ds.
The Biolans The race filled with Riley"s clones.
And right now, Aerith" Ross was currently in front of their Matriarch.
"You are my mother, Olseyir... ...and I have much to tell you."