Seeing the moon, Riley danced along a trailway home.
The clock had struck midnight over six hours ago. In the meantime, he'd been training extremely hard, not spending time sleeping. With his intense exercise, he'd bulked up some. Although, not too much that it was super apparent.
And, of course, it's for two reasons! Basically, the first reason is that I've trained with super low reps. Of course, every body is different and reacts differently, so some people might respond well to low reps. But it seems I fit into the average—low reps, extremely high overload means I'm building strength, not muscle.
Continuing to dance, his headphones played a Halloween music playlist. Step after step, he tapped the ground with his walking as bright orange leaves had fallen from the trees onto the sidewalk.
The second reason is that, obviously—it's only been a few days. Even if I'm training a lot with regeneration, just two days of training isn't enough to build a lot of muscle!
In a delightful mood, as Halloween was his favorite holiday, Riley saw the lovely orange lights of a Halloween-fest, an overwhelmingly pleasurable event.
Upon reaching his house, Riley opened the door and walked in nonchalantly, hands in his pockets before entering the bathroom to take a shower.
Feeling the warm water over his body, Riley let out a silly "Aahhh" in relief. It was silly, and he knew it—but it was still fun. He ran the soap along his body, and upon looking down, noticed that he was starting to develop abs.
Of course, having done resistant training with his core, it meant that they would still show at a higher body fat. However, with him also doing HIIT, training constantly, and drinking a lot of water, he was burning a lot of calories—which he wasn't eating enough to get him to his maintenance or a surplus—putting him in a deficit.
This, unlike how it would for everyone else, didn't impact his muscular development. His regeneration didn't rely on biology, thus the supernatural aspects of it gave him muscles without the need for a proper muscle-building diet.
Still, being in a deficit and doing weight-training with his abs, meant that his abs were essentially two steps ahead. If "Abs are made in the kitchen" was true, then it was being attacked twice, leading to them being visible particularly early.
Getting out of the shower, he put on some underwear and pants before stepping out—seeing Nina, dressed as a witch.
The long black gown added size, her sleeves draping down to her thighs. And, along the legs, the costume had come with fishnets, which Riley stared at for a few seconds, taking a step back in fear.
"Uh, quit staring, dork," she chided, forcing his eyes upwards. Upwards, indeed, towards the best part—the witch hat. A black hat, which showed off that she was a witch.
He covered his mouth, turning away and silently walking off. "Huh!? What does that mean?!"
"...Whatever, yo."
Feigning nonchalantness he did not possess, he walked to his room and got changed into his Superman outfit. Upon leaving, he stepped out, showing it off to Nina and—
"Dude, that thing's way too big for you," she commented. Indeed, she was right. Riley looked at the package the costume came in, and low and behold—
"Shit, it was a Men's Large rather than a Medium."
"...Or, you could just go as yourself?"
"...Sure."
Riley took the outfit off, to which Nina backed up, staring unintentionally. "What're you doing?" She asked, her voice remaining as calm as she could keep it, before Riley stripped to just his pants, only being shirtless.
"Sorry, my bad," he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort. To which, her gaze went downwards, seeing his abs.
Although she wasn't particularly into abs, it was less about that one muscle, and more about the overarching frame. Even just slightly, she subconsciously noticed his frame—well-built abs, broader shoulders and a larger chest.
But, even still, it caused her to look with slight interest, before he turned around and walked back to his room. With that, his back was in full view, decently big and defined due to the heavy work he'd done for it—wow.
Her mouth watered, and he went back to change his costume.
—
Dropping Joey off, Riley stared at the Elementary School.
"Wow… you remember back when we went here? Maan, you had the dumbest costumes," Riley teased, looking at the selection of Halloween costumes this year. Though he wasn't exactly caught up on all of the new generation's current icons, he was able to recognize a few, though the rest were incomprehensible.
"I did not have the dumbest costumes. You did."
"That's what someone with dumb costumes would say."
Driving off, Riley went to school with her.
Getting out of the car, Riley put on the white unicorn motorcycle helmet, and had his clothes fully washed of blood, putting on a new white sheet around his neck for a cape.
Of course, since it was a school, the staff didn't want anyone to cover their faces, so he made sure to lift up his visor. But this had the problem of looking weird, so he put on a balaclava. And, with his actually almond brown eyes, he seemed to be decently attractive.
But I'm still short. Yeesh, it's rough.
But, it was Halloween. Thus, he abandoned his self-esteem issues for a moment and decided to just have fun. Walking into school, he saw a lot of people not wearing costumes. Although, there were also plenty of people who were wearing costumes, so he was greatly happy about that.
…I love these people.
A warmth in his heart, Riley remained still. Neither nodding his head nor digging his thumb into his index finger. He was unmoving, and quietly took in the scenery.
Lots of people, some dressed in costumes, some not. Regardless, it was a great place. A lovely place. An event where those who enjoyed the holiday gathered, and those who did not enjoy it accepted them.
Really, I love them all. I love them all so much it hurts. I… I really, I really really want to help everyone. These people, all of them…
They're so unique. You can tell their interests or personalities based on their costumes, or lack-thereof. They're special, they have their own lives, their own people who value them all so greatly. That's why, to those who don't…
Yes, to those who don't have people who value them, I'll be there. I'll be the one who values them greatly.
Every single life—regardless of how small or large, how evil or kind, mattered.
As he looked among the crowd, he found that he wasn't alone. Seeing a fluffy white unicorn helmet, Riley went over to them. It was a small glance, but they picked up on him, looking at him with a "Woah! You also went as Red Mist?"
"...Red Mist? Oh, right. Uh, yeah, you could say that. I'm still a bit iffy on the name, but whatever."
"Pftt, haha! Cool, so, who're you?" The other "Red Mist" asked, and Riley took off his helmet, pulling down the balaclava.
"Uh, I'm Riley. Who're you?"
"...Oh. Okay, whatever."
The other Red Mist turned his gaze upon seeing Riley reveal himself, turning back to his friends and carrying on the conversation like nothing happened. Riley stood there, petrified for a moment before looking down.
He put the balaclava back on, alongside the helmet, before walking back to see Nina having a small chat with her friends, as he'd just run off without her.
I see… Well, whatever. I don't blame them, after all.
Riley Woods was still a murderer in everyone's eyes. Thus, it made sense for him to be ignored and detested—he didn't hate that.
He continued through the school day. Ultimately, it was disgustingly normal. Well, no. There were some small events throughout the day. Occasional Halloween games in class, as long as they were academic, and the like.
…Man, Highschool isn't as fun as Elementary school was when it came to Halloween. Guess that's growing up.
Reminding himself of the idea of the future, Riley felt a pain in his chest.
I still don't know what I'll do with my future. I won't work with blood money, or drug money, or anything like that. I suppose I could be a police officer, perhaps?
I don't know. Ergh, the future is painful. The future is really painful.
How painful it was, to envision a future you didn't want to be in.
But I can't kill myself. Then, what else can I do? Shit…
I've spent so long thinking that I was eventually going to commit suicide, that my future didn't exist. And now, I actually have to deal with that future. I have to either go to college, or go to the military, or work blue collar or whatever.
…None of those particularly appeal to me.
I don't know. I really don't know. I guess I really wouldn't mind being a police officer.
Nina, she said she wants to be a veterinarian, right? Maybe I could join her in that? No… I've got no interest in any of that.
I guess… I'll see. I know I want to help people. But I'm not smart enough to be a doctor. I don't know. I don't know yet.
But, for now, there was a certainty.
I need to get a job. I'll spend my first paycheck paying Nina off for her help. But, it's Halloween—no point in worrying about a job right now.
…
The schoolday went decently. Of course, he was still detested, and excluded. Yet, he still found it fun. The aura of Halloween was present, and he delighted himself in it.
Once school ended, he walked out with Nina, who was on her phone.
"...Hey, Nina?" He asked, looking at her with his visor on, obscuring his face.
"Yeah?"
"Your sister, Layce, is she still working at that diner?"
"Yeah, why?"
"...C-can I… um, can you pull some strings, and help me get a job? I swear I won't kill anyone, or be a bad worker—I'll work really, really hard. I can even work the nightshift due to properties you're not aware of."
"...Yeah, you really do need a job. Sure, I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks. And uh, what're you on your phone for? Or am I being too nosy?"
"Hm? I'm looking up Halloween Festivals near us. Turns out, there's one at six. That's… three hours from now. Wanna go?"
"Duh."
…
Overwhelmed, it was a sea of orange. Pumpkins, jack'o lanterns, costumes—Halloween galore.
"Oh my gosh."
A childish smile on his face, Riley pranced around, going to all the booths. The children got their candy, Riley got to see the Halloween spirit—yes, it was extremely fun.
And, accompanying him, there was a lovely lady dressed as a witch.
"Riley, I wanna dunk some caramel apples," she suggested, and Riley quickly listened, happily going with her to the stand.
"Ooh, ooh, I actually used the water from one of these things to avoid getting hit by a sniper rifle!" Riley confessed, thinking back to his fight against Frank Russo.
"Huh? Y'know… I actually don't know if you're joking."
"Tee-hee, I'm not. Seriously, that dude was a blast to go against; I had to cut a helicopter in half to save a bunch of children—it was great!"
"...I'm actually very concerned; you are not the Riley I remember."
Of course, since a young age, Riley had magically transformed from a very loud kid to an extremely silent one. Though, perhaps that was the magic of Halloween, bringing out that inner child of his, who was wonderfully in love with the season and the people who celebrated it.
"I guess so, I guess so. I bet I can get more apples than you can!"
"You're on!"
The two waited in line for a bit. Nina took off her witch hat, giving it to Riley. "Hm?" He briefly vocalized, as she took a hair-band and tied her hair back.
Dude, I'm boutta go crazy. Man, she's just… yeesh.
She put her hat back on and the two were up next. With the competition starting, Riley dunked his head inside, using [Drowning] to manipulate the water to literally bring the apple to his mouth. As expected,
"Too easy!"
Having finished, Riley had gotten way more apples than she did. To which she grabbed his shoulders and shook him around.
"CHEATER! YOU FILTHY CHEATER, I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!!!"
A sadistic grin curving across his cheeks, Riley crossed his arms and turned his head off. "Hohoho, I have no clue what you're talking about. Maybe just, y'know, get better?"
"I'll win next time, I promise!"
"Sure you will."
Looking back at her, and behind her, Riley saw it. The boy who had slapped him in the hallway was attending the Halloween festival, accompanied by a very pretty girl. He couldn't hear what they were saying, due to the many people, but the boy walked off towards the restroom, leaving the girl alone.
"Anyways, let's move on to other stuff. Actually, we should watch a movie, shouldn't we?" Riley asked, and Nina shook her head.
"We also have to take Joey trick or treating, remember? Unless you want to just, not do that."
"Ah, crud… that's right. Wait, do we have school tomorrow?"
"What do you think?"
Riley began to sweat under his helmet. Having not slept in a few days, his sense of the week had become distorted and blended together, so he legitimately did not know the answer.
"...Um… you don't know why, but that's actually a difficult question. Do we?" Riley earnestly asked, to which Nina laughed at him for his apparent idiocy.
"No, we don't have school tomorrow."
"Oh! Alright, then we can just watch the movie at night. Best time for scary movies anyways."
"Pssh, you're a total scaredy-cat, so you might give up before we even manage to do that."
"Errgh."
Indeed, Riley was a big jumper when it came to horror movies.
Though, maybe I've seen so many corpses that it's less frightening?
Shrugging his shoulders, Riley glanced back at the boy's girlfriend, seeing her approached by two men. Of course, he still couldn't hear their words, but she was visibly uncomfortable as they continued to push her, getting closer and forcing her to back up.
"...'Scuse me a sec, Nina."
Riley walked over, poking the men on the back with his finger. They turned around, looking down at the helmet-covered youth.
"Hey, sorry to bother, but I think she has a girlfriend. —Er, boyfriend. Sorry, slip of the tongue, whoops."
It was genuine. He was simply that anxious—such that he misspoke.
"Huh? I don't care. What he doesn't know can't hurt him," one of the men said, and Riley felt his heart hurt.
…I want to kill these men.
Having a strong, strong distaste for cheating, Riley turned around, using [Hanging] and wrapping it around their necks. Of course, he didn't actually kill them, though paralyzing them wouldn't be as bad. No, it'd probably be worse.
He simply walked away, letting [Hanging] do all the work, dragging them away like dogs.
As he walked through, a group of college girls surrounded him. Not wasting any time, he literally broke off into a sprint, as he couldn't envision anything good from sticking around them.
Reaching Nina and holding onto her arm for support, he softly said, "A group of girls looked at me… I was so scared."
"...Actually, I'm not upset at that for some reason," Nina replied, holding her chin with her fingers. She herself didn't understand why. It inspired a sort of good feeling inside her, but she was unable to put her finger on it.
Riley continued to hold her arm, when he heard a voice.
"Enjoying yourself, Riley Woods?"
Immediately letting go, Riley groaned and crossed his arms.
"Hold on, Nina. I'll BRB, some nasty stuff's 'boutta go down. Stay safe."
Wrapping [Hanging] around her neck, it was worn like a necklace as he walked off into an alleyway, leaning against the wall.
"What do you want, you douchebag?" Riley said with absolute irritation. It made sense, given their horrible relationship, for him to call the being beyond the third dimension a douchebag.
"You're having fun, that's no good. Trick or Treat, and Happy Halloween. Do your part as a servant and amuse me, you failure."
Riley used his sixth sense, sensing the presence of three servants rapidly approaching. A heavy sigh escaped his throat, and Riley walked back over to Nina.
"Hey. I've gotta deal with some stuff," he said with an unamused expression. Far-removed from the happiness he'd shown her earlier, she (as an empath) was able to pick up the extremely hard-to-notice detail that he was ticked off.
It also helped that he was literally balling up his fists in rage.
"Oh, alright. Um—"
"So, Nina, just stay safe. I'd recommend leaving. But if you want to watch me fight for the first time, go right ahead. Oh, and when I kill these guys, I'll explain why later—so don't get too shocked when it gets bloody."
Cracking his knuckles, Riley looked up to see the three servants looming overhead, standing atop a building.
Nina took his advice, and shuffled through the crowd to escape. Riley wrapped [Hanging] around his torso and used it to levitate in the air.
Flying up, he became the center of attention, as the heavy breeze blew his cape. Crossing his arms, he looked at the servants dead-on.
"Keh, heheh… not as frightening when you see him in person," one of the servants said.
"I understand," Riley responded. "But, I'll give you the chance to turn back now. Unless you agree to spare civilians and refuse to hurt these people, I won't give you a second chance."
"As if! We're Ghira's loyal subjects, we won't betray him by following your whims, brat." Then, they drew their weapons—a hatchet, a chainsaw, and a sword far too big to be called one.
"Understood. Then, announce yourselves before everyone here! They came here for a show, let's give them one. —My name is Aubrey Palmer, the Failed Star and the Enemy of the World!"
Outstretching his arm, Riley's index finger pointed at the men as he gave a fake name. Hearing this, the crowds below erupted into excitement, seeing a real-life superhero before their very eyes.
His declaration was absolute.
"Kyagh! How cinematic! Then, I am the Grand Butcher, Jack Hayfield!" The man with the sword announced. Then, when the other man spoke,
"I am the—"
The next instant, a bullet was fired. Shot through the head, the speaker's head was blown apart. The decisive shot was delivered by none other than Riley Woods, who took advantage of their distraction and instantly ended one of their lives, removing them from the battlefield.
His finger had been outstretched, providing no time to react when the gun was formed and fired. Of course, this was utterly unsightly in Ghira's eyes, and thus he revived the speaker from the dead.
—With that, the three-on-one battle against Riley Woods commenced.