CHAPTER 181: CHAPTER 181: STAYING

What... Am I, Really?

A most pleasant way to confirm my assumption.

Riley placed his hand on the wall beside him, or rather, the side of the tile next to him. From how the wall that sandwiched him towered over him almost twice his height, he was now as small as a mite.

And everything looked completely different.

He only turned smaller, but it was as if he was in an entirely new world, and he could even see each dust particle dancing above him. He couldn’t, however, see anything else.

Everything just felt massive, as if he truly was inside a canyon. Of course, that wasn’t exactly a problem for him.

He tilted his head to the side, and his microscopic feet slowly lifted themselves from the ground.

"Oh?" He gazed down, only to realize he still had his shoes and clothes on despite turning himself smaller without actually meaning to. Riley was already aware that Nat’s abilities also allowed her to change the size of another object, but to think he could actually do it almost instinctively.

The same thing happened with Replica Ricky’s duplication powers. The second reason why Riley decided to keep him inside a cage was so that he could ask him questions about his abilities—but so far, he hadn’t had the chance to do that at all, because he was learning all the tricks and loops by himself.

But of course, forget about learning how to use the abilities he had copied instinctively. Riley was focusing on another thing.

It wasn’t the fact that he had confirmed he could actually copy abilities, nor the fact that he needed to die at the hands of the owners of the said abilities to copy them.

No.

He was focusing solely on the fact that he was, most possibly, immortal.

What am I?

Riley turned to look at the hazy horizon in front of him. The pool beyond, seemingly an ocean without end.

God, if you exist, why have you chosen me to have this ability? And why, at the same time, have you made me awaken something sinister? The fact that you have made me immortal means that you have sent me here for a purpose.

He looked at his hands and then stretched them to the side as he closed his eyes and breathed. It was hard to breathe, almost impossible. Still, he did so as he took everything around him in.

What purpose? To make everyone else’s lives harder? To... make them disappear? Did you bring me here because there are too many people?

Riley sent out a telekinetic wave to sense everything around him.

But that can not be right—the way I am now, minuscule, proves that our number does not matter at all within the vast expanse of the universe. We are not even a tiny portion of it, not even a dot—so, why am I here?

Riley chose to hold his breath.

Perhaps I could just disappear like this? Turn even smaller. To the point that nothing else would affect me, and I could affect nothing else. This could be my end; insignificant, small, an existence that does not matter.

He tilted his head back, a smile creeping onto his face.

But not now. I will not disappear when things have gotten quite interesting. Huh...

Riley opened his eyes, and his eyebrows began to tremble.

I truly am irredeemable. I can not help myself.

And with that thought, his vision shifted, and everything around him returned to normal. Or rather, it was he to turned back to his normal size without any issue at all.

"Hmm. I need to find Ms. Nat," he casually whispered to himself, shrugging as he looked around the resort. The students were all gone, leaving only a scene of chaos and carnage, with the fake Darkday’s blood and brain matter sliding onto the drainage of the pool.

He was about to fly away back to Hannah and the others, but stopped himself.

"Oh?" He blinked, tilting his head as he focused his attention on the drainage. There were many ways for someone like Nat to escape, and maybe she didn’t even escape and was still around the pool area—but from how distressed she was before she last disappeared, it made sense for her to escape.

And one of the safest ways for her to escape was somewhere no one would be able to truly detect her.

"I suppose I could practice your abilities while trying to find you, Ms. Nat," Riley whispered to himself. He was about to turn smaller again, but he suddenly heard a voice come from behind him.

"Dude."

He looked back, only to see Whiteking walking toward him, with five people floating behind him—their limbs, torso, and mouth, all bound and gagged by several white rings.

"I saw the video," he said, and from the way his father was moving his head under the helmet, Riley was sure that he was scanning him for any damage. "You’re not hurt, that’s good."

"Perhaps only mentally, Whiteking," Riley whispered while clasping his head. "I was defeated without having the chance to fight back."

"Don’t feel too bad," Whiteking shook his head. He snapped his fingers, and the five people floating behind him were wrapped in some sort of light before completely disappearing.

"I recognized the woman you fought," he said. "I ran into her a couple of times during... my early days. Her name is Anastasia Boyka, a former KGB and probably their most elite agent."

"Anastasia?" Riley’s eyebrows lowered. That was completely different from the name he had guessed.

"Yes," Whiteking stepped closer to him. "Long story short, my dudes? That woman is someone even the Hope Guild would have trouble subduing."

And now I have her abilities, just like that.

"I suppose that makes sense," Riley placed his hand on his chin. "She also faced Sister and the others, and had no signs of being hurt or wounded at all. What is the situation with the infiltrators, Whiteking?"

"Aside from Anastasia, the rest of the people we’ve caught were students of the Academy," Whiteking replied, sighing as he pointed his thumb behind him. "The people you saw earlier? Two were seniors, while the rest were in their first and second years."

"Then they have planned this a very long time ago, I suppose?" Riley blinked. "Are they part of the Dark Millennium, Whiteking?"

"Probably not," Whiteking shook his head. "All of them were Russians. I am sure you’re aware of who they’re targeting by now from all the context clues?"

"Megagirl," Riley nodded. "She is from Russia, and Ms. Anastasia was the one who was tasked with following her."

"Very good," Whiteking nodded. "Now, we have to talk about something else—you will now be under investigation again, Riley."

"Hm?" Riley tilted his head to the side.

"The video of you making someone’s head explode had scattered around the Academy." Whiteking groaned, crossing his arms as he looked to the side. "You’ll be questioned, but most of it will just be for formalities and paperwork. Just tell them the truth, and that you had no choice but to do what you had to do. After that, it’s done."

"Okay, Whiteking." Riley nodded.

"And son..."

"Hm?"

"Good work."

"Thank you, Father," Riley whispered. "I wish I could say the same to you, but this is the second time another group has been able to infiltrate the Academy. You and your colleagues are not really doing a good job."

"Well..." Whiteking sighed. "I haven’t been here for long."

***

At the same time, several blocks outside the campus, Anastasia was now sitting at a cafe like nothing had happened. Well, at least it looked like that from the perspective of the other patrons of the cafe.

But if one were to look closer, she was actually rubbing the fake Darkday’s dried blood between her fingers. Her lips and her entire face twitched, and her table slightly shook along with her legs.

Her tremors stopped, however, as another woman suddenly joined her. The woman wore a pair of sunglasses and a stylish cap, carrying several shopping bags from branded shops.

The woman had a casual smile on her face, but the tone of her voice was anything but.

"Mission failed?" she whispered.

"Yes," and Anastasia nodded, glancing at her before sliding something toward her across the table—a phone, and a small box.

"And these are...?" The woman raised an eyebrow before picking up the phone, quickly checking its contents. She saw photos of Silvie at first, and then a video at the end—the very same video circulating within the Academy.

The moment Riley killed the fake Darkday.

"Was that—"

"Yuri," Anastasia continued the woman’s words. "I don’t know what the organization will be able to do with the footage, but do something."

"Hmm..." The woman closed his eyes and sighed, quickly dropping the phone into one of her shopping bags. She then turned her attention to the small box, "And this is—"

"Yuri."

The woman quickly let go of the box as soon as she heard Anastasia’s words. She looked at the box, and then at Anastasia.

"Bring him home," Anastasia said as she stood up.

"...And what about you?"

"That boy who killed Yuri is supposed to be dead..."

"What?"

"I killed him, scrambled his brains from the inside. Tell that to the organization once you give them the footage."

"Are you—wait. What’re you saying?"

"I’m staying here..." Anastasia whispered,

"...I’m staying to kill the boogeyman."