Chapter 1080: Chapter 1080: Reunion Onions
"Aerith'Ross has a different mother?"
Once again, just one of the few times Riley had truly expressed his shock. Unlike with Hannah, he had already and actively killed Aerith's variants before because they were completely different from her,
"But Aerith is Aerith," Riley looked Aerith in the eyes, "There is no one else like you, and I could not imagine myself having sexual intercourse with another Aerith other than you."
"That..." Aerith could really only close her eyes as she heard Riley's words, "...Of course, everything might just be a lie, but it doesn't change the fact that Aerith' Ross is really out there and she exists. And if she truly did come from the future and she's your child with Queen Aerith, then... it means that at the very least, the Old World will survive."
"Not necessarily now." And as the two were having their conversation, Diana, who was previously talking to Diana 2 and Bernard 2, approached them while shaking her head, "That was the case before Riley returned from the Outerverse."
"What do you—" Aerith did not really need an answer as she quickly looked at Aerith 2, who just had her arms crossed; standing on the side far away from everyone as she looked incredibly aloof, "How... didn't I think of that?"
"You are not much of a thinker, Your Highness," Diana shook her head before just focusing back on Riley; a smile slightly crawled on her face, but it quickly faded away as she just sighed and looked at him in the eyes, "I'd like to call you a consistent troublemaker. But this time, it really isn't your fault, is it?"
"I still am at fault for at least 20% of everything that has happened to all of you while I was gone, Mother," Riley shook his head, "The things that have happened in the Domain of the Gods that led to this was my fault - and from what I am hearing, my daughter is doing something bad."
"Not necessarily. You still don't know what your daughter did, right?"
"Lucifer told me some things."
"Please... don't listen to him," Diana quickly pinched the bridge of her nose and let out short but very loud breath as soon as she heard Lucifer's name, "He's... a little weird, more than you. Your daughter didn't really kill anyone from the New World - she only attacked the gods."
"Hm," Riley slightly smiled and nodded.
"Don't... be proud of that," Diana seemed like she wanted to strangle Riley there and then; the patience that she once had for him hundreds of years ago, no longer there.
"She grew up the way she wanted to grow up, Mother. All of them did," Riley shook his head, "If you wanted to have had an influence on that, then you should have been present in their lives - Arthas and Karina grew up without me, and I accepted that."
"That..."
Aerith could really only glance at Diana, slightly wincing as she tried her best to look away and not say anything.
"No one... is talking about who is raising who," Diana slightly clicked her tongue while also shaking her head, "Swee-Riley, she also attacked Arthas."
"Hm," Riley let out a small breath as he looked at Aerith.
"He's fine," Aerith sighed, "He's with Silvie, Esme... and uh, Enel's mother, training with them."
"Training with the two Esmes?" Riley tilted his head to the side, "What does he hope to learn from them? The two are not really experts in combat."
"I don't know, after Renna attacked her, he suddenly wanted to-"
"The two of you are always getting sidetracked," Diana got in between the two before they could completely change the topic altogether, "No wonder you ended up having a child together, your lower bodies lost track of where they should be."
"T"
"The information we wanted to lay out to you, Riley, is that Rennalyn is only attacking those of the Old World," Diana let out a loud sigh as she subtly glanced at Alice's crystal coffin, "Your daughter is smart, perhaps even smarter than me. She found out about the fact that... their world is created by Paige, and I think she delved deep into research and discovered some things that... caused her mind to go completely hysterical."
"None of us could get through to her, not even her own mother," Aerith also let out a loud sigh as she looked at Riley, "You might have a better chance to talk some sense into her."
"If she did not listen to her mother, why would she listen to me?"
"Riley... your children look up to you," Aerith slightly scoffed, "For them, the things you did in the past don't exist, you're a hero for them. We are still trying to locate where Renna could be... but I think that would be incredibly hard."
"How so?"
"Rennalyn could jump through universes at will," Diana was the one to answer the question as she tapped something on her wrist, causing a hologram to project right in front of her and Riley, "The energy signature she produced when she left was the same exact energy as the multiversal portals."
"Hm," Riley looked at the hologram, only to see Rennalyn being surrounded by Aerith, Diana, Esme, and Silvie surrounding her before she summoned a portal and escaped. And once again, Riley smiled and nodded.
"It would seem there are a lot of things I need to do," Riley placed his hand on his chin.
"You should prioritize finding my granddaughter," Diana then said as she walked away, "I'll stay here to assist with your plan to import Paige's creations to our world, I heard it from... my younger self."
"I'll help you find her," Aerith stayed and stood closer to Riley, "It's... also my fault. She heard me when I told Arthas-I shouldn't have said it like that. And we need to find her,
Riley... before they do."
"And who is 'they', Aerith?"
"Us."
And almost as if in cue to Riley's question, he heard a voice answering him from behind. He glanced back, only to see somewhat familiar faces walking toward them.
"Miss Marleen, Miss Grea," Riley fully turned around as he bowed his head to the two gods he had met back in the Domain of the Gods, "The Margrea Oath - of course, it was from the two
of you."
Grea, the God of Grass. And Marleen, the God of Memories.
"Is there something I need to know regarding my daughter?" Riley's tone turned a little cold as he looked at the two in the eyes.
"Woah, don't be hostile," Marleen smiled as she raised both her palms in surrender, "Just to clear out the air, I am on your side - but a lot of gods aren't."
"They want to kill your daughter, Riley Ross," Grea crossed all of her arms, "We spoke to them, but they are all in favor of hunting down your daughter and killing her for breaking the
Margrea Oath."
"And you, are you in favor of doing so?"
"No. You know me, Riley Ross," Grea shook her head, "And I know you - and the last thing I
want to happen...
...is make you angry."