Villain Retirement

"M… Mama?"

"Mama… sad?"

Alice's fingers were now wrapped around Riley's neck; still, judging by the smile still clinging on his face, he wasn't in pain. Instead, the smile on his face grew wider and wider. His slightly chubby cheeks, almost pushing his ears up due to his unnaturally wide mouth.

Riley… wasn't in pain. Even Empress and Bulwark, who were now the only ones outside the room, could see that. Riley was happy– ecstatic even. The mother that has neglected him for an entire year was now finally in front of him; there was nothing but smiles on Riley's face.

"Why… sad mama?" Riley then muttered; his words slightly stuttered as he seemed to be thinking of words to use. As a new toddler, however, Riley's attention span seemed to be quite limited as he was quickly distracted by the floating tears that were flowing from Alice's eyes.

His little arms were trying to reach them, but none of the tears seemed to be moving toward him. Soon, however, he managed to catch one.

"Ehe," Riley then chuckled as he secured the tear with both of his hands, bringing it closer to him as he looked at his mother, "Mama, mama… look!"

Riley then opened both his hands as the shine in his eyes started to glitter; his smile, however, slightly disappeared as the floating tear that he supposedly caught was no longer to be seen. Instead, there was only a moist streak flowing down his palm.

"Oh?" Riley's mouth turned into an 'O' as he looked back and forth between his hands and Alice, "Where? Mama?"

"It's… gone, Riley."

And then, Alice finally broke her silence as her fingers that remained stagnant started to move.

"Gone?" Riley blinked a couple of times; he then chuckled as he finally heard her mother's voice after a very long time, "What is gone, ma–"

And before Riley could finish his words, his soft neck started to very slowly cave in.

"O… ouchie, mama?" Riley then breathed out. His breaths, however, soon became gasps.

"It… it's alright, Riley." And almost as if she was the one being choked, the words that came out of Alice's mouth were cracked; her gasps, also whispering in the air.

"Mama… will be with you," Alice's eyebrows once again began to tremble as the tears flowing from her eyes finally stopped, "Mama will finally be with you."

"Alice!" Empress's thunderous voice then reverberated in the air; the ceiling of Riley's room, cracking as Empress once again slammed her fists on the invisible barrier that Alice erected around the room. Empress was the one who told them not to do anything drastic… but this was no longer the time to be calm.

And so, she suddenly dashed to the side; her fist, already loaded and ready to smash the wall beside the door.

"Empress, are you–" And before Bulwark could even finish his warnings, Empress's fist was already on its way towards the wall. Thunder once again erupted throughout the entire base, with the wall turning into powder from the sheer force of Empress's exploding fists.

"Alice, sto–" And once again, their words were disrupted; their path, also interrupted. Empress was about to burst inside even with the cloud of dust drowning them… but found that like the doorway, an invisible barrier was also blocking their path to the room.

"Don't do this, Alice!"

And instantly, Empress did the thing they should never do as heroes– she panicked.

"Please! Alice, don't do this!" Empress bellowed as her legs fell and gave up; her fists, however, were still smashing the invisible barrier, "Alice! Why!? Why are you doing this!?"

"Because he…" Alice was about to answer Empress's words, but as soon as her eyes met with Riley's, her voice once again cracked. She stared at Riley's confused and trembling eyes for a full second, before shaking her head in tightening the grip on his neck, causing Riley to gag.

"He is…" And once again, Alice's voice cracked. This time… because of seeing Riley still smiling; his head, trying its best to tilt to the side and rest his cheek on Alice's hand.

"No!" Alice then let go of Riley; this time, however, nothing was there to catch him but the cold, hard, and dusty floor.

"Fuck!" Empress's strikes grew stronger as she saw Riley fall headfirst to the floor,

"Fuck! Not again! No… No!" Empress screamed as the tears that her eyes were still reserving burst through like rain, "I will fucking kill you, Alice! I will fucking kill you if you Riley dies!"

Alice seemed to not be hearing Empress's words. Alice's hands, grasping her own hair to the point of almost pulling them out; and soon, like Empress, her legs also gave in, causing her to drop beside Riley who seemed to no longer be moving.

"My… my baby," Alice then worded out as her eyes looked everywhere but to Riley, "No… no… he… he is supposed to be my baby. I can't do this… Please… not him…"

"Alice! Please! Riley… Riley is not moving!" Empress was about to slam her hand on the invisible barrier again, but before she could do so, a golden light blocked her fist.

"Stop, Adaeze," Bulwark, who had been keeping quiet for a while now, shook his head. A tear, trailing on his face, "We… made a mistake."

Bulwark then turned his golden eyes towards Riley, whose little body no longer held any signs of breathing, "We…

…failed."

"No!" Adaeze once again let out a shrieking bellow; her fists, however, no longer held any strength– every bit of it now in her despair. They made a mistake? No– that was wrong.

She made a mistake. She was the first one to see Alice entering the room. She should have intervened while Alice was still outside the room– the signs were there.

She should have known. And yet her ridiculous optimism and familiarity with being a mother stopped her from doing what she should have– she could have prevented this from happening.

Instead, she just watched like it was some sort of drama of redemption. This was her fault…

…and hers alone.

"..." And with Bulwark's silence and Empress's wails echoing through her ears, Alice's trembling hands that covered her head slowly dropped to the ground; and soon, these hands crawled their way towards Riley.

"S… sleep now," Alice then said as she gently lifted Riley.

Empress, who saw this, instantly stopped screaming. Her eyes, suddenly empty as they followed Riley's arms… which were now lifelessly hanging on his sides; his face that was once filled with smiles, no longer existing.

"Mama…" Alice then whispered as she embraced Riley's body, "Mama… is here. You… you don't have to be alone."

Alice then gently cradled Riley's body as she started humming a lullaby that she always sang to Riley; and soon, a red line could be seen forming across her neck,

"Mama… will follow you soo–"

"Mama?"

And before Alice could finish her lullaby, a small and tiny voice whispered in her ears.

"Mama… why sad?"

"H… huh?" Alice's head then began to tremble; struggling to turn towards the direction of the voice.

Riley… was smiling at her.