Chapter 1089: Chapter 1089: Meaning of The Trial

Chapter 1089: Chapter 1089: Meaning of The Trial



"Ah, Dad. It's you! It's you!"

It was completely different from what Riley was expecting. He truly thought that the only way to advance through the trials was to kill anyone and everyone, no matter who it was.

But now, when she chose not to kill Katherine and the baby, time just suddenly jumped forward. And now, he was watching a movie in the cinema with a brown-haired version of Karina.

She looked younger, perhaps just reaching her teenage years - but aside from her hair, there was no difference at all; even from the way she was laughing and pointing at the projection... which showed Riley.

When Karina started covering him with a cap and a scarf, Riley initially thought that they were hiding from the authorities, but not at all. Because right now, he was watching himself on the screen.

Just what was Paige trying to tell him by doing this, exactly?

"Ah, it's Mom!"

"Mom...?" Riley turned his focus back to the screen, only to see someone who looked incredibly similar to Hera-no. She truly looked like Hera, but there was just something off about her that made Riley sure that it wasn't actually her at all.

"Hera is your mother?" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked back and forth between Karina, and Hera on the screen.

"Dad, stop being weird..." Karina let out a small giggle, lightly hitting Riley on the shoulder before resting her head on it, "...let's just watch."

Riley was truly at a loss as to what was happening and how this was even a trial, it was much simpler when he just had to kill everyone.

And so, with not really knowing what to do, he just watched the movie with his... daughter. It wasn't really that interesting, but his acting was pretty nice.

"Wow..." Karina stretched her limbs as soon as the movie was over, "...I liked that more than the last one. I can't wait for the IMF adaptation."

"...There is an Italian Mafia Reborn adaptation?" Riley blinked.

"Dad... you're scheduled to shoot it soon. Don't tell me you forgot?" Karina groaned and rolled her eyes as she stood up; grabbing Riley's arm and also dragging him up, "I swear, sometimes I think you're just living so many lives at once that you just can't focus on one. Like just experiencing things on autopilot."

"I suppose..." Riley blinked a couple of times as he just allowed himself to be dragged by Karina, "...I am living different lives and experiencing them."

Is that what Paige was actually trying to achieve here? For him to experience a life he knows he would never live, but could have?

If so, then it would somewhat make sense - since it was the very same thing he and Paige had done for Alice, letting her experience the life she had missed and will miss.

Was Paige... actually doing the same for him?

But... why?

"Uh... Dad, I think we need to go leave in the back." Before Riley could actually think about things, however, Karina suddenly dragged him back into the cinema. He wondered at first why she was doing so, but then noticed everyone looking at him now that the lights were on; each one of them had their eyes as wide as they could be.

"I... am afraid that is not true at all," Riley looked around the lavish and extremely luxurious reception, and yet aside from the fake Hera who was shedding tears as she watched them dance, Rhys could not recognize anyone else-no. It wasn't that he didn't recognize everyone

else...

...it's just that none of them actually had a face.

"Sure, you weren't there every time..." Karina leaned her head away as she looked at Riley, "...But you were always present when it mattered. I love you, Dad... really."

"I'm-"

"Why...? Why... are we like this?" And once again, the scenery in front of Riley just suddenly shifted, but Karina was still embracing her - this time, however, tears endlessly fell from her eyes. Riley found himself once again scanning the area, only to see a fresh gravestone beside them. Hera was also there beside them, the warmth of her hand on Karina's back.

Riley was about to ask who it was, but then he noticed another gravestone with a similar last name on it. And from there, Riley realized who the fresh gravestone belonged to - it was Karina's child, dying of old age judging from the year written.

"Why... why couldn't we be just normal people?" Karina whimpered, "Why are we-"

"No! No... no! My baby... my baby girl..."

Riley felt a tug across his entire body as the scenery around him once again changed. This time, he was in some sort of metal room, with the window outside showing a view of several

colorful moons.

This time, however, he did not really have the leisure to scan the surrounding area as he was just completely focused on what was right in front of him - Hera, bursting into tears as she seemed to cradle Karina's lifeless body.

There was a bottle of pills lying beside them, completely empty.

"Riley... Riley!" Hera tried to call for Riley, but she truly actually wasn't - she just wanted to scream. The only thing that Riley could really do was very slowly approach the two of them, not knowing what to truly feel about this, "No... no..."

And then, all of a sudden, all the lights disappeared and all he could really see was the figure of Hera and Karina; completely frozen in sadness and misery.

"Hm," Riley started looking around the darkness, but there truly wasn't there but just them,

"What is it, Paige?"

Riley then whispered to himself as he continued to look around even though there was clearly nothing else there, "What do you want to tell me by showing me this fate? Are you trying to tell me that no matter what path I would have taken...

...it will always just lead to tragedy for the people I care for? Is it-"

And before he could finish his words, light once again began to turn on shining upon a new scenery, a completely different one. Riley was expecting the scene with him and Tomoe, but it would seem that it completely skipped past that and went straight to Hannah. This time, however, the two of them were not overlooking the horizon, but each other.

"You..." Riley quickly exclaimed as he saw Hannah wearing a simple wedding gown,

"...look beautiful, Sister."