Villain Retirement

"Akkamesh, my sun?"

It was supposed to be a day of celebration, the happiest moment of her life. But in just a single blink of an eye, the darkness that was supposed to be the one that was momentary became prevalent.

"...Akkamesh?"

Xra tried to call out, but in front of her was nothing but darkness. She felt her feet damp, with each of her steps creating a ripple that she also could not see. She couldn't even see her own hands, she didn't even know whether her eyes were even open at all.

There was no sun, not even a glimmer of light. Like a cave without a mouth.

"Akkamesh?"

Xra once again whispered to herself; her words, just echoing back to her. She continued to walk, stretching her hands in front of her in hopes that Akkamesh would reach out to her… but there was nothing.

There was nothing there… but she didn't feel like she was alone.

"Akkamesh, where are you!?"

Xra tried to scream, only for her voice to just once again return to her; almost as if she was screaming at her own ears.

"Akkamesh, I'm scared."

And she didn't know how long she had spent in the darkness, but after a while; or perhaps after a long time, she started to give up. Her legs gave out as she cradled herself, crying and calling for her love.

The darkness was crippling. And very soon, it almost felt as if she didn't exist at all. Maybe the reason she couldn't even see her own hands and feet is because she wasn't even there? Maybe the darkness has already consumed her?

"Akkamesh, please… save me," she whispered to herself. And once again, the words just echoed out to her,

"Is this Kur? Am I… am I in the underworld? But why… I… I was supposed to be with the love of my life, my sun. Why? Akkamesh… where are you?"

Xra started murmuring, her voice becoming smaller and smaller, and the darkness becoming bigger and bigger. She was slowly starting to lose herself, or perhaps she already was from the start.

She whispered and she called, and very soon… her voice became as quiet as the hour before dawn.

"..."

"..."

But the words echoing through her ears were still loud.

And as soon as she realized this, Xra's breaths suddenly became heavier—and even that, was being screamed at her ears. And so, very slowly and carefully, Xra turned his head to the side…

…only to see someone that looked exactly like her; staring directly at her with her eyes as wide as they could be, her lips endlessly murmuring something.

"What!?"

'What!?'

And as Xra took a step back, the woman did too… almost like a reflection. Her reflection's movements were weird, however. The movement of her mouth did not really match the words coming out of it—it was trying to mimic her, but failing.

Or perhaps she had been in the darkness for so long and no longer knew how she was moving? Maybe this is her now? A woman seemingly devoid of anything remotely close to human?

…

Or perhaps it was just mocking her.

"...Who are you?" Xra whispered, expecting her words to just bounce back to her—but no. Instead of carrying her tired and exhausted voice, her reflection just smiled.

'You. I am… you?'

The reflection seemed confused at its own words; its head tilted to the side as if wondering if its own words were true or not. But after a few moments of looking Xra directly in the eyes, the reflection started to smile.

'I am you,' it then repeated; this time with certainty.

"No… it… it can't be," Xra, however, shook her head… and the reflection did the same. But instead of the horrified expression she thought she would have, her reflection was laughing as it repeated her words.

'Oh, but I am. I am what comes after death.'

"...Death," Xra breathed out as soon as she heard her reflection's words.

She thought the confirmation would bring demise, but instead, it brought her relief. The underworld, Kur, deals punishment to those who have sinned during their life—if so, then is this her punishment?

Showing her her vanity? Her hubris? She had always treated people coldly, and now her reflection is as cold as the darkness she finds herself in. Or perhaps it was just showing her how other people saw her?

'Pft.'

Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by a quiet, and almost sinister chuckle.

'You are a being without death,' the reflection then spoke as it finally moved on its own; walking toward Xra before circling around her,

'You will live again, and I will be with you.'

"You… are going to resurrect me?"

'No,' the reflection once again laughed, 'You know the answer to that, for I am you.'

"I… can't die," Xra then blinked a couple of times as her hands were finally visible to her; this time, however, her hands were pale…seemingly devoid of blood, "I… am the same as Akkamesh? I am a god?"

'...No,' Xra's reflection rolled her eyes before wrapping her arm around Xra's shoulders, 'You're not a god, none of you are. My last avatar was extinguished because he thought he was, so please. Don't. A handful of you is just born with gifts.''

"Your last avatar—You're not me!" Xra quickly slapped her reflection away as soon as she heard those words, "What are you!?"

'If I say I am Death, then would you believe me?' Xra's reflection once again laughed as she took several steps back.

"No," Xra's voice was resolute, "Death holds no malice—and malice is all that I could feel from you."

'...Huh.'

And with a single hum, any image of Xra from the reflection completely disappeared. It still looked identical to her, but she was no longer seeing herself from it.

'I preferred it more when your kind was less intelligent.'

"Who are you!?"

'That's all the time we have,' Xra's reflection started to be swallowed by the darkness; its silhouette, slowly disappearing, 'In this world, that is.'

"...What?"

'You and I… our fun has just begun.'

"Wait, you—"

"And that's when I woke up again, with a hunger for death that I have not experienced before."

"...Interesting. That does sound like Overvoid Riley at the end, Pirate Queen Xra."

In the expanse of space, Riley was now floating in place; with his hand on his chin, "But you just added more questions than you answered. Are you saying that I am like this because Overvoid Riley lives in me?"

"...Perhaps. You said you were a baby when you died and resurrected. It makes sense you do not remember anything."

"I do not think so, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley then let out a soft sigh as he shook his head, "Because I have seen Overvoid Riley before on Earth when my deceased biological mother and I reunited."

"...What?"

"..." Riley then looked at Xra with a slightly condescending look, before once again sighing and shaking his head, "I actually think I know more than you, Pirate Queen Xra. You have only died once…

…I have died more than a hundred times. And each time, I meet with Overvoid Riley and the others."

"...Others?" Xra raised an eyebrow.

"The more I die, the more Overvoid Rileys appear. They are annoying."

"...Annoying?" Xra could not really believe what she was hearing right now. That sinister being that was literally on the other side of life itself… was annoying?

"Then why don't you tell me what you know about the place!?" Xra then raised her voice as she floated close to Riley again.

"Because I do not know anything about the place, Pirate Queen Xra. They do not tell me anything," Riley shrugged, "The other Overvoid Rileys are scared of me. And the first Overvoid Riley has become crazy, just repeating his words over and over again."

"They… are scared of you?"

"Because each time I die and go to the Overvoid, I try to kill them."

"You try to kill them?" Pirate Queen Xra found herself repeating her words like a parrot,

"W—Are you… Is this some kind of joke? Are my crew pranking me right now?" Xra then started looking around for any signs of her crew. But alas, she needed to increase her eyesight in order to see her ship; and even then, it was still where it was before she and Riley started fighting.

"No… are they?" Riley blinked a couple of times, before he too, started looking around.

"No—you… How?" Xra then looked Riley in the eyes, "How does that even make sense? When you die you're not really there, just your presence."

"You've only died once, Pirate Queen Xra. You dare presume you know more than me about the matter?"

"...Are you imitating the way I speak?"

"Yes."

"..." Xra once again just stared at Riley… before suddenly bursting out in a fit of laughter.

"...As I thought, ancient people are insane," Riley sighed and nodded to himself.

"I just find it funny," Xra then placed her hand on Riley's shoulder, "This thing that latched on to us, whatever it is, it seems to want to create beings of pure evil through us. Beings that would destroy and kill everything…

…but they created you instead."

"I do not get it, Pirate Queen Xra. If that is indeed what it is trying to achieve, then were they not successful in both you and me? I have slaughtered and tortured billions. The people that have died by your hands numbered in trillions."

"I no longer follow its whims, Riley Ross," Xra smirked, "I have been free from its influence for a very long time, but you… you…"

Xra once again started laughing as she pushed Riley away and started pointing at him from head to toe,

"You… You may have been influenced at the start but you… you are a class act. An experiment gone wrong. You…

…you're a multiversal freak."