"The kid knows him. Still… such an absurd story just… it doesn't sit right with me," one of the officers said with a hint of irritation, looking at Riley and the boy.
"Well, even still. We don't have much to go off of. Their stories line up decently well, there's no reason to believe he's manipulated or otherwise forcing the kid's hand, and there's not enough evidence to convict him of anything."
"Even so, shouldn't we keep an eye on him?"
"Maybe. But from what I can tell, it's inconclusive. An anomaly with no conceivable action to be taken."
…
Coming home, Riley was bugged with questions by Joey almost immediately after entering. Being hugged by a child for the second time that day, Riley looked down.
"Wiley, why did the police take you? Awe you a cwiminal?"
"No, I'm—ah… you brat," Riley laughed. "Well, I suppose technically I'm a criminal. After all, I've gone over the speed limit before. A-anyways, they took me because I intervened."
"Awe you in twouble?"
"Nope. Buuut, I am tired. Just let me rest; I answered a loooot of questions."
His little brother released his embrace, taking a step back as Riley entered his room. He plopped down onto bed, hugging his pillow.
Somehow, I managed to not go to jail… nice.
I suppose I could give my thanks to Ghira—wait, no. The only reason my story sounded super suspicious to begin with was because he intervened!
Scowling, Riley took out his phone and checked his camera roll. Viewing the picture he took with the boy he saved, Riley exhaled with a soft smile.
"Meh, whatever," he weakly said.
I don't want to deal with any of that ever again. I was so scared I would get arrested… Though, I still lost. If I was able to protect his parents…
He had failed.
He had failed, he had once more shown his incompetence and weakness. The weaknesses engraved into Riley Wood's very identity and body had shown through despite his efforts.
I won't let that happen. Not ever again.
Remembering his promise, Riley got to his feet. He would not let anyone hurt the boy any more.
A boy had his parents taken from him. Looking at the picture and envisioning Joey in his position, or even himself, having his parents taken from him—Riley frowned.
"I need to get stronger," Riley declared.
Then, a voice appeared.
"New rule. To all my servants, I would like to inform you of recent events."
The Forgotten King's voice echoing in Riley's mind, he clenched his fists.
"The Nighttripper, Scott Tobey, has faced off against Riley Woods, my newest servant. In the battle, the two amused me greatly. Under the assumption that Riley Woods will follow through on his promise to kill all of you, I have introduced a new concept to you all."
A new concept? What?
"All of you know about healing through the consumption of blood. However, in order to set the stage for even grander spectacles, I've decided upon a method of growing in strength. Taking the lives of nonservants makes both your bodies and your abilities stronger. Happy hunting."
The actions he did not want to take would be rewarded.
As the other servants carried on with their lives, they would undoubtedly grow stronger, while Riley was unable to do so.
Digging his nail into the skin of his index finger, Riley swallowed his spit and looked down, heaving a sigh.
What do I do, then? They'll get stronger, and I won't be able to defeat them. I need to get stronger, but how?
Looking at his frail and skinny body, Riley's stomach growled with hunger.
I'm weak. Then, I need to work out and get stronger. Actually, wouldn't martial arts be useful as well?
Instead of relying merely on his ability, learning how to fight would be critical.
Alright. I'll do that. I'll train hard, learn martial arts, and—
Three knocks at the door. Riley left his room and softly walked over, peering through the peephole. In his vision, he saw a familiar face—a girl with messy, tied back hair.
Opening the door, he found Nina.
"What're you doing here?" Riley asked, and the girl eyed him suspiciously.
"What's this all about?! You're acting strange, and now I hear you've gone off to the police station in handcuffs!? Seriously, what're you getting into—you're definitely not the Riley Woods I remember!!"
"...Ah."
Weakly replying, Riley thought it over.
Well, that's not really true, is it? I haven't changed at all… more like my situation has.
"I don't see it. Anyways, uh, you just gonna stand there?" Riley asked her, and Nina barged in.
"Tch, I was just waiting for you to stop blocking the exit. Anyways… y-you alright, man?"
Going from annoyed to concerned at the drop of a hat, Nina heard the pitter-patter of small feet, Joey rushing over to her.
"Nina!" He called out, pointing up at her. Nina crouched down, allowing him to rush over as she wrapped her arms around him.
"You got it," she said, glancing at Riley's room. "Uh, can we talk?" She asked Riley, who bit his lip.
"Sure."
Letting go and waving off the little boy, the two went to Riley's room, with Nina sitting down on his bed and crossing her arms.
"So, uh… what's been up with you?" She asked, and Riley locked his door behind him, pressing his nail into his finger.
"...I mean, I just wanted to go eat out. I walked around town, saw a bad scene, and tried to stop it."
"—That's not it. Honestly, it's strange, but that's not what I'm concerned about."
"Huh?"
"Riley, have you… er… have you ever wanted to, y'know… k-kill…"
Weakly getting her words out of her lips, Nina squirmed slightly, trying to figure out the proper phrasing.
"Are you… tch."
Then, clearing her throat, she took a small inhale and looked him head on.
"Riley, are you… hk, are you suicidal?"
Finally forcing the words out of her mouth, Nina asked so.
—
His mind went blurry as if a fog had overcome him. If he had done this or that, if he had hid it better, if he hadn't said this thing or that thing—he was entangled in a mess.
"W-woah," he vocalized, glancing away and gently lacing his fingers around his forearm. "That's, uh…"
Biting his lips, Riley let out an uncomfortable laugh.
"That's, uhh…" he repeated. His forehead and scalp became itchy with sweat, as he swallowed his spit. "Well… no."
"Then, why did you give it back to me? You've been acting strange lately, you ran away from me, you've started ditching school, and just a few days ago, you tried to give our friendship necklace back to me. What was that all about?"
"I just—er… I mean, y'know… c'mon! Listen, it's fine, alright? I swear. I absolutely swear, I'm fine."
Wearing a soft smile, Riley looked at Nina.
She quietly sighed, continuing to look at him with suspicion.
"Alright, just making sure… and if you're struggling, you can tell me. You know that, right? I'll listen, always."
"Pfft, of course, of course," Riley affirmed, nodding his head as he dug his nails deeper. "Anyways, let's go get pizza. I'm hungry."
Quickly standing up, Riley's smile remained twisted across his cheeks—not reaching his eyes—as he went to the kitchen to grab food.
…
Illuminating the dark house, a TV playing static buzzed unceasingly.
"...Can you turn it down?" A male voice asked, his boots thudding with each step.
"Fiiine," a woman brattily responded, walking over to the TV and kicking it. Shattering to pieces, it went silent as sparks flew through the air.
"Kara you idiot, now the house is dark. I can't see shit."
Flipping the lightswitch only to find it broken, the man clicked his tongue. The woman—Kara gave a soft laugh.
"Whatever. Let's just leave this dump. I want to see him."
Leaving the old man's house, the woman went out into the broad daylight. The pale skin of her hands covered in red smears, she looked up at the sky.
"I can't wait. I want to see him, I want to see him. Heyhey, do you think Ghira's right about his ability? Claaaark? Well? Ya think?"
Twirling around, the woman clothed in a ripped black dress danced, humming to herself as a tall man with short, curly black hair left the house.
"I can't imagine Ghira would lie—he's the one who gave that Woods guy his ability in the first place."
"His name is Riley! Respect his name!"
"...Seriously? You haven't even met the guy. I don't care what his name is—I'll kill him anyways."
"NO!" The woman shouted, pouting. She walked over to Clark and shoved him backwards with her strong arms, sending her older brother against the brick wall. "YOU WON'T KILL HIM! NO, NO NO NO! HE'S MINE!!"
Tears in her eyes, the woman growled at the man, who sighed and shook his head in disappointment.
"Fine, whatever, he's all yours."
"YAYYY! How beautiful, how marvelous and splendid and visceral and drowning and lovely and amazing and romantic it'll be~~!!"
"...Half of those weren't even synonyms."
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP! QUIT MAKING ME FEEL LIKE SHIT OVER EVERY LITTLE THING!! I HATE YOU!"
Grabbing her hair, the woman tugged on it and growled, turning her back on Clark as she walked away. The action causing Clark to feel a twinge of guilt for making his younger sister so upset, he shook his head.
Even if he understood that she was acting this way explicitly to make him give her attention, and that her true self was actually much more subdued, he still found a hint of desire to give her what she wanted so she'd stop being so annoying.
"I want see Riley, I want to see Riley, I wanttoseehimIwanttoseehimIneedtoseehimIneedtoseehimIneeeeeeeddd—"
"Fine, fine. Oh my goodness, we're going to find him. Right, Ghira?"
"Indeed. Keep moving—you're on the right track."
A twisted smile curving across her cheeks, Kara held up a knife, licking the blood off of it. The light removed from her eyes, the excited actor reaffirmed her true craving.
"—I. Want. To. See. Him."
…
"Well," Riley began, "thanks for stopping by." Giving a gentle wave as Nina left his apartment, he patted Joey's head.
"No problemo!" She excitedly called out, looking back and waving in return. "Just remember, if you need anything, I'm here for you."
Her hand closing, Nina turned around and continued to walk away. Her light footsteps audible to her, the girl looked down at the ground as she walked.
I guess he's just not comfortable telling it to me, then…? Well, maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions… but I mean, it just seems so… abnormal. He really, really loved the necklace, and that's part of the reason I put it on every day. For him to just try to give it away means something is off, right?
Continuing her stride, Nina clutched at her necklace.
—No, whatever. If there's even a chance he's planning to do it, then… then I need to be with him. A friend. People need a friend, someone who's with them when things are hard. If he has that, then maybe, even just for a second, it can make him reconsider.
…
Someone who looks out for those she cares for, perhaps even to a fault. A girl who was liked by everyone because she was a kind person who made people feel loved and cared for.
That kind of person was someone who Riley looked up to and admired. Not envious of her for her talents, it was admiration and a desire to take on those traits himself.
That's why I need to help those I can.
Going to his room and picking out all-black clothes, Riley put on his "hero costume."
It'd be bad if I cut somebody and I stained my clothes, so black sounds like the best option, no?
But, needing a way to cover his face, Riley grabbed a pair of sunglasses and a surgical mask, wearing them and going to the bathroom to check out his appearance.
All in all, his face was mostly obscured. He took them off and left the bathroom, seeing Joey.
"Hey, I'm going out for a while. You have the leftover pizza, right?" Riley asked, and Joey nodded his head.
"But I've missed you!" Joey exclaimed, shuffling with his hands and looking down. "I've been alone the past few days…"
"...Ah. Well, hm… I'll be back soon, alright? I'll pick you up a gift on the way back, m'kay?"
"Weally?!" Joey asked, and Riley nodded his head, giving him a thumbs up.
"Alright, I'm out. Who knows, you might hear of something interesting."
Leaving his apartment, Riley put on his disguise and summoned [Hanging]. Grabbing onto the noose, he took off into the air, floating around the city whilst patrolling crime.
—
This is… a lot more boring than I expected.
Sitting on the rooftop of a skyscraper, Riley crossed his legs and rested his cheek on his palm.
He'd been flying around for about 30 minutes, saw absolutely zero observable crime, and had gotten bored.
Unlike the bigger cities like New York or Chicago, Riley's city was not all that dangerous. Or, even though it wasn't entirely sunshine and rainbows, it was difficult to expressly intervene in.
Without super hearing, he couldn't hear gunshots from across the city. A lot of drug deals were quick and without much suspicion, meaning Riley's glances while moving at a solid 60 miles an hour weren't exactly keen enough to pick up on them.
Looking up at the sky, leaning back against the solid metal of the building's top, Riley cloudgazed.
That one looks like an elephant. This is actually really boring, and I left my phone because I think they can track it; having my secret identity be revealed day-one would suck. Besides, the service would suck up here anyways.
Of course, Riley hadn't gone unnoticed. A man flying around the city definitely made some people curious, but he was too shy to respond to them, so he simply carried on.
"Ughh."
I want to help people. I want to save lives. But it's pretty difficult to find any gang activity or whatever.
Who needs help? What kind of people need help?
Getting up, Riley walked over to the ledge, looking down at the city. He saw a bridge, and his mind remembered seeing them.
Summoning [Hanging], Riley flew down under the bridge, seeing the homeless.
"Heya… yo," Riley weakly muttered, raising his hand and waving it gently. Walking over, he sat down next to them, as they stared.
"Who are you? What do you want?" One of them asked, and Riley shrugged his shoulders.
"I dunno. I just… I dunno."
"You got money?"
"...No, I'm pretty broke, actually."
"Then piss off."
"...Right, sorry."
Getting up, Riley walked away and raised his arm. The noose wrapping around his palm, Riley took off into the air. Deciding to do another patrol around the city, Riley once more found nothing.
—
The sun had set. With the bright lights of the city, Riley looked down at the spectacle with a soft smile.
…Knowing me, there probably was something I missed.
Yet, in these hours he spent watching for crime, he had found nothing.
Though, I guess that's a good thing, isn't it? A safe city.
Yeah, that's better than a dangerous one. I guess I should head home—I have school tomorrow anyways.
Yawning, Riley looked up at the full moon. Giving a soft smile, he stared at it. It was a beautiful image—a single ball of light surrounded by darkness.
"Haha."
Laughing softly, Riley gently smiled. "I guess the city doesn't need me after all. Superheroes… pfft, I'd bet they're not even necessary."
Turning his head towards the ground, Riley once more stood on a large building. The plummet, should he drop, would likely be lethal.
His gaze looking down at the people below, he gave a thumbs up.
"The city's been safe all day, as far as I can tell. Good job, everyone."
Grabbing onto the rope, Riley floated downwards. As he glanced around the street, he heard a scream, followed by weeping. Glancing around, he followed the sound to find it coming from an apartment complex near his own.
Determining where the crying was coming from, he reached an open window on the apartments and climbed through.
It was a child's bedroom. Decorated with a few stuffed animals, the walls were scuffed with a few holes.
Well, that's not a bad thing. What's bad, though…
Continuing to hear crying, what came next was a loud yell, from both a man and a woman. Opening the door, Riley felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, running rampant with anxiety at what he could find.
Glass shattered, and the woman shrieked, causing him to rush out, only to find a kitchen and living room with open holes in the wall, a broken glass shards sprawled across the floor whilst a boy sat in the corner.
The child, sniffling, had his face illuminated by the screen of an Ipad, headphones on as he occasionally shot glances at the situation.
"It's your job to raise him, y'know," he growled, raising his clenched fist. "Your job is to raise him, yet he's still like this? What's your fucking problem?"
Riley waited. His presence in the dark hallway going unnoticed for now, Riley swallowed his spit, seeing this situation for the first time in his life.
Of course, on TV, it was sensationalized. The man comes home, expecting dinner and when he doesn't get it, he hurts those around him.
However, even if Riley had very clearly seen it before in movies and shows, this was the very first time he'd seen it in person. His family being overwhelmingly good, with very few fights, Riley's body felt inherently uncomfortable even just hearing it.
What do I do? Well, stop him, duh! But uh… Shit, what is this? Am I… afraid?
He was not fighting a servant of Ghira. His life was absolutely not on the line. He wasn't facing a cannibalistic serial killer, or a vampire determined to hurt the innocent.
Physically, he was safe. Yet, when he stepped outside the boundaries of a supernatural conflict, he was paralyzed with fear.
"All I expect is for him to get good grades, and to have some respect. All I expect is for some decency, in my own fucking house. I tell him to go to his room so we can talk, you tell him he doesn't need to. Why would you say that? Why—just tell me why."
The woman, backing up as he moved closer, stammered. "I-I—I don't know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I swear, I swear I'm sorry—"
Then, stepping on the glass, the blade dug into her foot. She grunted and fell to the floor, and the man groaned, balling up his fists as he looked away.
"Fuck. That's your own fault. —I've never laid a hand on you or him a day in my life, and you still manage to hurt yourself. You're useless at everything, aren't you?"
In pain, the woman hugged her knee to her chest, looking at the wound. The man shook his head and clenched his fist, punching the kitchen cabinet. The banging ran through the air, causing the child to jump.
"Fuck. I'm done with this," the man growled, walking over to the boy in the corner. "You, you better try harder, or else—"
"—Hey."
Pushing past the fear, Riley walked over to the man. The child looked up, seeing a man wearing all black emerge from darkness.
I won't let you hurt children, or anyone who can't protect themselves.
Riley, his heart surging with violent cravings, balled up his fist.
The urge embedded into his flesh could finally be fulfilled. Desiring to hurt others, Riley wound his fist back. Twisting his hips and pressing off the ground, Riley slammed his fist into the man's ribs from the side, unleashing a disgusting crunch into the air.
His body sent sideways, he crashed into the wall.
Immediately, the knees gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. Riley heard the child and the woman shriek, yet he looked down on the man. His obscured eyes not revealing their unsated bloodlust, Riley remained still, hearing coughs of blood and wheezing.
Having given in to his rage and murderous intent which had been accumulating, Riley took a step back, looking at the child who got up, backing up against the corner of the room, sniffling and crying.
"A-ah, w-wait, waitwait, I'm trying to, uh, save…"
Looking down at his apparel, Riley found himself appearing more as a serial killer than a hero. Caped in darkness, hiding his face, and ruthlessly delivering a strike which crushed bone and caused blood to expel from his mouth, Riley Woods was far from a savior.
The sensation he felt upon delivering that punch was not that of striking a hard object, but rather of treating solid mass as though cardboard, akin to punching slime with frail popsicle sticks inside.
The man held his stomach, pitifully vomiting up blood.
Did I puncture his lungs?
Looking down with terror at his own strength, Riley looked at the child. "U-uhh, c-calm down, please calm down, just—hk. Call the, uh, police…"
Going to the woman, he crouched down beside her as she tried to crawl away.
"U-um, call the police. He might die if he doesn't get help—he's coughing up blood, and um… er… s-sorry."
Climbing to his feet, looking at the boy, he found his wide eyes staring helplessly at the soon-to-be corpse.
Don't look. Please, don't look.
Wishing to have something to wrap the boy up and keep him warm, Riley found nothing that would allow him to do so.
"...I…"
Looking down, he regretted.
Feeling a painful tug in his heart, Riley's lips pursed. A failure in everything he did. Someone who, even when he did try to do the right thing, ultimately made everything worse.
I knew I could never be like you, Nina.
If he was more like her, then surely he would have been able to help. Yet, even given powers that could be used to protect others, he had surely failed and revealed exactly why he was so pathetic.
"...I'm sorry."
The problems in his life were not because of anything external—it was all internal.
Even before he had been cursed, even before any of this all started, he had lived a life of idiocy.
"So…"
Muttering softly, one word had escaped his throat.
Weakness.
Incompetence.
Riley had surely amassed those in full.
"So please…"
Staring helplessly at the ground, too afraid to deal with the situation, he had continued.
Riley Woods was, at his core, an incompetent person.
If I had jumped, wouldn't those parents have lived?
His failure to protect the parents of the boy he had saved. His uselessness in protecting a city not rampant with crime. His actions only scared and hurt a child who he wished to protect.
"So… so please, forgive me," he asked the injured woman.
Riley Woods, at his very core, not muddied by external, and based solely on who he was as a human being, if he could even be called one—
—I'm a failure.