Villain Retirement

"I… don't see them anymore, Megawoman."

"All of them are settling in. And please, Hannah—call me Aerith."

"They… are settling in already?"

Osk and the others have brought another batch of immigrants from Theran—and now, the total number of themarians on New Theran were around 10,000… and yet none of them could be seen around where Hannah and the others are already.

"There were that many and yet… fuck. Must be nice to fly around several Mach speeds in the air," Hannah looked around at the empty and endless sea of grass beneath her feet, "But if that was the case… shouldn't we have everyone we need by now?"

"No…" Aerith could not help but sigh as she looked at the sky; her eyes, reflecting Theran on them, "...The problem is not getting them here, it's getting them out there."

"Hm… Understandable, most old people are stubborn and think they know everything. But on that note… what the fuck is that?" Aerith then pointed at the other half of the sky, and there, a silver face completely obstructed the view of the cosmos.

"That's Tedi, sister."

"Riley!?" Hannah could not help but almost leap to the side as Riley suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"She is a former Elder of the Common Council," Riley, on the other hand, just approached her as if he didn't just spook her, "She was kicked out."

[I was not kicked out!]

"Wha…" Hannah covered her ears as Tedi's voice vibrated throughout New Theran.

"She's helping us with the logistics of everything, Hannah," Aerith really only sighed, "She and Elder Olseyir will help orient my people on how to interact with other species and tell them certain rules that need to be followed. This... will be the first time all of them are even leaving themarian territory, after all."

"No one oriented me," Hannah's eyebrows began to furrow, "It was also the first time for me and the othe—"

"Maybe because you did not come from a line of a million years of bigotry, dear." And before Hannah could finish her words, Diana and Bernard suddenly emerged from the ground; their clothes, filled with dirt.

"I do not know about that, mother," Riley shook his head, "She can still be a bigot since she has half your blood, and father is called Whiteking."

"The fuck!? I'm not racist!" Hannah's eyebrows furrowed even lower as she pointed at Riley, "You take that—"

"Riley, you're back." But alas, once again. Hannah's words were interrupted as Diana made her way to Riley, "We can start Alice's Immortalization."

"Diana, I've been meaning to ask…" Aerith joined in on the conversation, "But where are we going to hold the Immortalization? The planet is not complete yet."

"It is complete," Diana shook her head, "Any bigger and it will just suffer the same fate as the old one."

"...Was what you said true?" Aerith sucked in a breath as she once again looked at Theran, "Is… it really dying?"

"...Yes," Diana answered as she also looked up, "Tsula confirmed it."

"Tsula… the Terraformer?" Aerith gulped, "Is… that why you brought her here?"

"Amongst other things."

"...What else are you not telling me, Diana?"

"A lot," Diana only smiled before a thunder echoed through the sky, bringing along a ship with it—Diana's ship.

"Tsula, please."

And as soon as Diana whispered that, the endless sea of grass that everyone was standing on started to quake. And soon, the grass started fading away; the ground they left bare, becoming clear and crystal-like.

No, it wasn't just crystal-like—the ground itself did turn into crystals. A flat sea of crystal spanning for miles.

"W…wow," Hannah could not help but breathe in as her eyes started reflecting blue, "This… is where themarians are buried?"

"Riley!? Is that you!? What's happening!?" And while the grounds continue to shift, Paige could be seen running from the distance, with Hera lazily following behind her like she was tired of everything that was happening.

"I told you, Paige. This is not an attack, my body's not reacting," Hera grunted as she rolled her eyes.

"I believe this is where themarians are buried, Paige," Riley nonchalantly said as Paige casually clung to his arm.

"Are we finally going to let Ms. Phoenix rest?" Hera sighed. But after a few seconds, she started looking at everyone; her eyes, slightly furrowed, "None of us are dressed for that."

"No problem," Paige raised her hand. But before she could do anything, Riley grabbed her hand and shook his head.

Riley then tore off a part of his black suit, throwing it into the air as it started expanding there. The suit then separated into pieces; pieces that shot toward everyone that was there.

Tomoe, who was hiding from afar like some sort of stalker, stretched her arms to the side as the cloth wrapped around her—turning into a black kimono.

Hannah received a short black dress, Bernard a suit, Diana a long black dress, and Paige a short filly dress, her hair adorned with a black flower. Hera was perhaps the only one that flinched as the black… goo wrapped around her.

As for Aerith, she was given a luxurious gown that reached the crystal ground.

"..." Aerith could really only blink as she saw how extravagant her dress was compared to the others but did not really say anything as Diana started flying toward the ship.

The bottom of the ship opened up, with Diana entering and leaving a couple of minutes later… carrying Alice in her arms.

Although months had passed since her 2nd passing, Alice still looked completely unchanged—her face, completely at peace.

"Riley…" Diana then carefully, and very gently landed in front of Riley, "Bring her there."

"..." Riley looked in the direction where Diana was looking, only to see a pillar extruded from the crystal ground, right at the very center of the blue field.

"No." Riley shook his head, "I barely knew her, mother. And this is the custom of your people. And most importantly, you were her friend…

…I believe that out of all of us, you have the most right to be with her corpse last."

"..." Diana looked Riley in the eyes for a few seconds, before turning to Hera.

"Hey, I didn't even know her real name," Hera raised both hands.

"..." Diana then turned to look at the other member of the Hope Guild there, but Bernard just shook his head. And so, with a breath, Diana just took in a breath as she turned around and started walking away.

"Follow behind her," Aerith then quietly said as she gestured to the others, who just quietly followed behind without any question.

"..."

"..."

"A daughter, a mother… my dearest friend," Diana's eyes turned red as she continued making her way to the crystal. A beam then shot out from her eyes, melting the center of the crystal—even then, however, it did not drip or fall and just retained its shape.

"As I walk you to your final destination, know that I carry you as a part of myself," Diana whispered, "And as you rest to your Eternal Death, I bury a part of myself with you."

Diana then carefully placed Alice inside the crystal; her body, being wrapped ever so gently as the crystal accepted her.

"I lay you to rest now, may you roam freely in your eternal dreams, Alice…

…and if the time comes that you may walk again, may you wake up surrounded by happiness."

And with those words, the crystal holding Alice started to harden—her face, now forever holding the peace it holds.

"Farewell, my dearest friend…" Diana placed her hand and touched her forehead on the crystal, "...Our time together was but a blink, but you were one of the best parts of my eternity."

"..." Riley has just been staring at the smile on Alice's face ever since she was placed inside her crystal. But after a few more breaths, he turned around and started walking away.

"Riley?" Paige looked back and forth between Riley and the ceremony that was happening, before choosing to just chase Riley.

"Riley!" Paige walked beside Riley as she looked at his face, "Are you… alright? How do you feel?"

"Do I need to feel anything, Paige?" Riley did not stop walking.

"Are you sad?" Paige, however, grabbed his arm and stood in front of him.

"...Sad?" Riley turned to look at Diana and Alice's silhouette, "I do not know how to be, Paige."

"You don't…" Paige grabbed Riley's face as she turned it toward her, "...Or you are not allowing yourself to?"

"Yes."

"..." Paige did not really react to Riley's answer as she just looked him in the eyes. After a few seconds, however, tears began falling from her face as she wrapped her arms around him, "Then…

…I will cry for you, Riley."

"..." Riley could really only slightly move his head as he felt Paige's warmth.

"I can do that, you know…" Paige's whispers chuckled to his ears, "...You know the month we've been apart, I tried being strong, Riley. And every time I thought I couldn't go on anymore… I think of you."

Paige then pulled herself back as she once again looked Riley in the eyes,

"You are my other half, Riley… I know that now. And…" And then all of a sudden, Paige placed her lips upon Riley's.

"I love you, Riley Ross."

And as Paige leaned away, Riley could really only blink his eyes; Paige's tears, trailing down both his cheeks.

"I can't return what you are feeling, Paige."

"I know, and you don't have to…" Paige then wiped her tears on Riley's face, "I…

…I will love enough for the both of us."