Chapter 455: Chapter 455: Foolish Mortals

Heavy.

Riley has carried things with more weight in his life— with the Guardian Force probably one of the heaviest. He could carry a tank using just a single finger because of the strength he gained from Aerith…

…but now that he was carrying Alice up the stairs, it almost seemed as if the weight was enough to pull him down to the core of the Earth; each of his steps, a story of its own.

He had thought Alice meant nothing to him; he was vocal about it, and words of indifference escaped his mouth several times. He couldn't care less about Alice Lane, and yet now, staring at Alice's face, it seemed as if it was all a lie.

Telling her that he loved her was a lie— that much Riley knows to be the truth. But did he really not care for her? Why does it seem like he does?

He had only known his mother for a full day, and the time they had spent together could even be counted on a single hand; ephemeral, even. And yet why?