For a long time, Ryan didn't say a word.

He placed his mask on the side of the table, close to the chessboard, and kept staring at his steaming coffee cup. Couriers can get lost in the bitter darkness of this soft, delightful drink.

As long as it eases tensions.

"Your cup isn't poisoned," Livia said, clearing her throat. She wears a black turtleneck sweater, elegant and casual. "If I wanted you to die, you'd be dead a long time ago."

"Poison won't work anyway." Ryan shrugged, then grabbed the cookies and dipped them in his coffee. "But there are two killers outside the door, and people call this place the 'Land of the Dead Motel'. Now that I think about it, it sounds a bit like a horror theme park......"

"It's for my safety." Livia placed her hand on the coffee cup to better feel the warmth on her fingers. "As far as I know, it seems that my former self has suddenly disappeared."

"Not me," Ryan protested.

"How can I be sure?" She asked, frowning. "I know you lied to me who I was. You tell her that you can travel back in time, that you can actually go back in time. ”

"It's metaphorically true," Ryan said expressionlessly before eating the cookies. It's sweet, but not that good.

"It's another way of saying you're lying," Livia replied calmly. "If I could, I would have taken C with me

YPTO came to the party, but he had a hockey-related accident. I guess you did it?"

"I warned him!" Ryan protested. "I warned Luigi that if he continues to spoil my game, things won't go well between us!"

The Messenger targets those who tell the truth in every cycle, even those where he has not joined Augustus. Ryan sees this as pre-emptive self-defense.

"This confirms my fears," Livia said, frowning, looking him in the eye. "You don't want your secret to leak out, and you'll cover it up with violence if you need to."

"That's your own idea, two Miss Bauer."

She flinched. "I ...... I don't understand what you're talking about. ”

"yes, well," Ryan said, and he really wanted to leave the table anyway, at his own peril. "Can you tell me what exactly you want?" Otherwise, I'll close the door. ”

"If you want to leave this room now, I have no choice but to arrest you," Livia said, her eyes full of iron. "Your power is too great to ignore, and I'm not sure you won't pose a threat to my family in the future."

The courier glared at her, but she insisted.

"Ryan, the only reason I haven't told my father about my suspicions is that I seemed to admire you before," she warned him. "When Vulcan tried to find you, I even called her away. Don't waste this opportunity. ”

Ryan had been wondering what to do with it. She doesn't remember loops, but seems to be able to pass information from one to the other, which makes her very dangerous.

Can he neutralize her advantage by canceling her power? He always managed to get Seck to turn his back on her employer, but that seemed out of reach and difficult to do. If Augustus's daughter could really interact with another universe beyond his reach, then even death would not solve the problem permanently. She'll go back and hunt him down as soon as she goes on her next run, and that's not without taking into account any contingency she's prepared.

It's not the worst-case scenario, but it's close.

"Then I'll ask again," Ryan said. He didn't want to sound frustrated, but the whole situation made him incredibly uneasy. "What do you want?"

Livia took a breath and gathered her thoughts. I want to know the truth. ”

"The truth?" Ryan repeated the word, and the weight of countless years fell on his shoulders. "The truth broke my heart and I think I gave up. Some people don't believe me. Some people do it and then go crazy. Some even tried to destroy me because they didn't want to forget. and some ......"

The Courier's thoughts turned to Jasmine.

"There were people who really believed in me and tried to help me. Yet, I kept dying and they forgot. Over and over again, over and over again. Ryan sighed heavily. Those were the worst because I never got used to it. ”

There was a hint of sympathy in Livia's gaze, but she regained her cold demeanor. "I think I get it," she said. "I can't say I fully understand what you've been through, but I think I understand what you mean."

"No, you can't. And be grateful for it. Ryan grabbed his coffee cup. You haven't told your father yet, have you told anyone else?"

"Why?" Her tone shifted to defensive. "Do you want me to shut up?"

"Nope." Ryan couldn't say what he wanted to say. "But more than half of your 'Olympians' are murderous bastards. I don't want any of them to know my true power. ”

"If you're not going to fight them, then you have nothing to fear."

"Oh, really?" Ryan said expressionlessly. "Your father personally tracked down everyone he considered a threat to him. What would Lightning Ass do if he knew I could planeswalk?"

"I ......" his argument seems to hit the nail on the head. I can convince him not to. ”

"I don't believe you," Ryan replied coldly. "Let's not talk about Bliss."

"It's not about our conversation," Livia argued, her body tense. "Don't try to change the subject."

"It has a lot to do with it," Ryan insisted as he sipped his coffee. "Bliss will make incapable people infertile. I used to think that thanks to a genome-enhanced metabolism, they wouldn't have that nasty side effect, but that's not the case anymore. Nasinia can create life as she wishes, so it's impossible for her not to know, and she's too kind not to have corrected the problem. Therefore, it is not a bug; This is a feature. ”

Livia's fingers trembled around the cup, and her features wrinkled.

"Why does a cartel make most clients infertile?" I didn't understand until I saw your father and his men. People like Mars look down on ordinary people, like cows. Ryan snorted. Your father wants to kill

o

mies。 Bliss is not a product, but a weapon. ”

"You think I want this?!"

The sudden outburst caused Ryan to back down in his chair, anger breaking through Livia's mask.

"Do you think I haven't tried to change?!" Now it was her turn to roar at him, and pent-up anger welled up on the water. "Do you think I haven't tried to shut down that death lab a thousand times?" Do you think I want people to associate my family's name with drugs that kill thousands of people every year? Do you think I want to do that?"

Ryan didn't say a word, and watched in surprise as Livia put her hand on her face.

She... She seemed to hold back her tears.

"My father won't budge," she said, her voice weak. "He listened to me for almost everything, but Bliss was his favorite project. His legacy. Narssinia, that girl can make the world a better place. She's a miracle. But the father, the father did not want to save anyone. He would rather be the king of the cemetery. ”

Livia is no longer as noble and confident as Augustus's daughter. The mask falls off, and all Ryan sees is a young woman with too much stress and unnecessary expectations on her shoulders.

In this moment, she seemed so vulnerable, Ryan's anger vanished. "Livia, you don't have to do it if you don't want to," he said, taking her hand. Her fingers were cold to the touch. "Even if they're your family. You have the right to leave. ”

"I have to," she replied, pushing his hand away and wiping away tears. "Otherwise, there will be worse people taking over the organization."

Livia took a few seconds to regain her composure in Rya

Inhale and exhale under the gaze.

"I just want to protect my family, Ryan," she said. "Whatever they are, they're my family. My father, my father is like that, but at the end of the day he's my father. Do you understand?"

These words made Ryan flinch as they took him back to the darkest days of his childhood.

"I don't want them to die," Livia said with a sigh. "That's all I want. I want to protect them. From Dy

amis, from Meta. From you if necessary. ”

"You can't save them from the consequences of their actions." The threat of carnival has loomed over the empire of Augustus.

"I know, but I'm still going to try to protect them. What if......" She struggled to find the right words, her brows narrowed with pent-up frustration. "I just wanted to know that you weren't going to threaten them. You're not here to kill us. If you can guarantee it, then I'll keep it a secret for you and let you go yourself. Here it is. ”

Ryan opened his mouth, closed it again, and finally decided to comfort her. "I don't want to kill you and your family, Livia"

Since the courier thinks so, isn't this exactly what he has always wanted? Can anyone remember him? His first reaction was suspicious, but she had done nothing but help in the previous cycle. Daddy Lightning is a big jerk, but his daughter looks ...... Great, couldn't find a better word?

"The problem is, I ......," Ryan said, struggling to find the right wording. I've always hoped that something like this would happen. Someone like you will show up and remember me. But now that it's finally happening, I don't know what to do with it. It's ......"

"New? She sighed and suggested.

"Yes," he said, nodding. "And not in a funny way. I'm used to controlling everything in one cycle, and now, you're threatening to take all my progress. ”

"I understand," Livia replied with a forced smile. "I feel the same way about you. I've never met anyone immune to my powers. It's kind of scary and unsettling. I don't know what to expect. ”

They are both afraid of each other.

The hedgehog's dilemma is here again!

Finally, after a long period of thought, Ryan made a decision. It was a very risky move, but he put the chips on the table a long time ago. He might as well look at the river.

"Well, if you want to know the whole truth about my powers, then I'll tell you." He would be as honest with Lunn and Jasmine as he would with her. "But trust goes both ways."

She pondered his suggestion for a moment, her face thoughtful. "What do you want in return?"

"I want to know the truth too."

"How do I know you won't take any information I offer and then use it against me on your next attempt?"

"How can I guarantee that you won't send your genome army to hunt me down?" Ryan shrugged. "The thing is, if neither of us is willing to take the risk, then there is only one ending between us. and ......"

He looked at the woman, and she reminded him of another person.

"I don't want to go there."

Augustus's daughter said nothing, sipping her coffee as she pondered the matter. In the end, she made a decision.

"Very well," said Livia, placing the cup on the table. "I accept your terms."

"So the first question." Ryan asked, glancing at the wall. "Why this motel?"

This made her giggle and ease the tension in the room. "That's the first thing you want to know?"

"It's comfortable, but I don't like the paint on the walls. You should try purple, it goes well with everything. ”

"Felix and I used it as our 'hiding place,' in a sense," Livia admitted, glancing at the board. "This is a private sanctuary that we use when we want to be away from our families. This is very discreet, and only a few who know will keep their mouths shut. Now that you've joined Miriore, I guess that would be a good neutral position. ”

Ryan scoffed. "Then I'll scold this kitten for being tasteless."

"How's he doing?" She asked, in a soft tone, as if afraid to answer. "Felix?"

"Shouldn't you know by your strength?" Ryan asked, then answered truthfully. "He's fine, if disappointed. Miglio isn't as good as people say he is, but he'll recover. I don't think he's coming back, though. ”

"No, he won't." Livia sighed in agreement. "His parents believed he would 'wake up' and go back to the sheepfold, but I knew better. He was always too stubborn and not good for himself. ”

After a brief silence, Ryan decides to speak to the elephant in the room. "How do you remember?"

"You come first, Ryan." She asked, looking him in the eye. "You speak first."

"Do you want to hear the short or the long?"

"A little longer," she said firmly.

Ryan strongly considered lying to her, but ultimately decided not to. Curiously, the messenger fulfilled his promise, even though he was the only one who remembered it.

So he told her word for word.

Livia listened to his explanation, dazed, until he finished his story. He was willing to give anything to understand her thoughts, but her poker face was almost as good as Ryan's own.

"I see," she said only one sentence after he finished the story.

"If you want to kill me, now is the time," Ryan replied. "Or at least, you can try."

"I ......"

Livia paused, the courier convinced that she was also considering lying to him.

"You're right, Ryan. I have two powers. More than one. ”

But in the end, she was a respectable woman.

"You drank two bottles of elixir," Ryan said. "Just like your father."

"I was the first to do that," she admitted. "I drank a dose of the blue elixir, and it allowed me to see parallel timelines. With this ability, I realized that my father and I could use both powers in different realities and without side effects. ”

"Genetic quirks?" Ryan asked, and the princess nodded in agreement. "What about your uncle and aunt?"

"They didn't inherit the necessary genes. In real life, they drink the second cup of elixir and go crazy. Even for me, the third dose of the elixir would turn me into a monster. ”

Livia cleared her throat and straightened her hair, like a teacher preparing for a lecture. "Either way, my ability allows me to see and hear through alternating senses. Quantities are limited. ”

"How?" Ryan asked, stealing a second cookie.

"Six," said the princess, her eyes narrowed. "If you want to use an analogy, I can watch six plasma screens at the same time. I can switch channels, but I can't turn them off. My power is always active. ”

"You realize that I can go back in time by talking to my other self?"

"Yes and no," Livia admitted. "The problem is, I can't directly perceive the other Livia. I use a hub. It's hard for me to describe it, but I often see myself in two places. The one I'm in now, there's also a blue place where I can select channels. I have six screens, but I'm looking at them in one room. ”

Ryan understood right away. "Can you interact with that 'blue room'?"

"Yes, I can record voices and notes, like a dossier," she smiled and nodded, glad he understood her. "I really noticed notes that I didn't remember writing. I thought my alter ego could also enter this place and record information...... Until I met you. ”

"You made me notes," Ryan guessed. "Write a dated note about how you met a dashing rascal whose abilities are undetectable"

"I wouldn't say you're personable." The princess teased him. Now that both of them have opened their hearts, the tension between them has slowly eased. "But yes. If it was another one I recorded, then she wouldn't have noticed you. The way we meet is also different, and I have a gut feeling that you already know me. ”

"But how did you know I was doing time travel?"

"I don't know anything about video games," Augustus' daughter admits with a shy smile. So I looked up the meaning of your name. I quickly connected the dots and then understood. ”

Ryan winked at Levia, trying to see if she meant it. "You see, you're not even a gamer? I can't put into words how disappointed I am. ”

"I'm surprised you would take such a risk and take such a name," she said. "Unless another bottle is thrown into the sea?"

Maybe. Ryan ignored the question and focused on her power mechanics.

"The elements make me think that all true genomes draw their power from higher dimensions, which reflects the nature of their color." The more Ryan thought about the theory, the more he believed it. "The energy dimension of red. For Violet, it's the crossroads of all planes......"

"Give Blue a world of ideas and information?" Livia guessed his theory.

"I feel like you're just like me," Ryan explained. "A part of you, perhaps a spiritual being, exists in that blue world. It allows you to record information outside of time and space and observe through alternate realities. ”

"But not my consciousness," Livia realized. "That's why when you rewrite our universe, my memory can't be continued. I wonder why I didn't notice the passage of time in these parallel worlds. If you don't influence them, some people should stick to it for years. ”

"Because I don't think you're really seeing parallel universes, or at least not as you understand them," Ryan replied. "I think it's your power that creates and sustains them."

Livia thought for a moment before grasping his theory. "Do you think they're not actually universes that exist physically, but elaborate simulations?"

"As soon as you stop watching, the possibilities collapse. It is only when you use power that they begin to exist. ”

"Well, I've never seen anything like it," the princess admitted. "But that explains why you didn't appear in any of the movies. You are the one in control. The one who decides whether the current reality and all its possible branches exist or not. Your strength is greater than mine. ”

"The two of them?" Ryan teased her.

"We can check it out," she said with a smirk of smirk. He stirred up the competitive instinct within her. "I mean, if you will."

Ryan accepted the challenge and raised his hand, fingers moving in his direction. "Come on, princess."

He felt something behind his ass

Time flashed forward like lightning, and by the time Ryan regained consciousness, the white pawns and black knights on the chessboard had moved. However, Livia seemed very confused.

"That's all you know, Violet?" Ryan laughed at her.

"It's weird," Livia admitted, frowning. "Can you try your time-stopping system on me, Ryan?" I want to check it out. ”

He did, and she froze like anything else. Unlike her father, she couldn't move during the time she stopped.

"I think I feel you activated it," Livia said when time returned, then noticing a cookie in her hand. "But obviously, I'm not immune."

"Well, your dad is," Ryan shrugged. "You're enough."

"Oh, really?" Livia blinked several times in succession. "That'...... That would explain something. ”

The messenger raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Sometimes, Dad seems to stutter or stops halfway before repeating. My uncle thought it was age chasing him, but no one dared to face my father. He's sensitive to getting older, and I guess he doesn't want us to worry. ”

"From his point of view, this must be annoying," Ryan said with a smirk as he imagined the scene.

"I think he's going to be torn between hiring you because of your power or killing you because you're a nuisance." Livia giggled, then gave her cookies back to the others. Ryan guessed she was careful about her weight. "At least let him know about you."

Ryan assures himself that in the future he will play a time prank on Lightning Ass. "Let me guess, you erased time and skipped it?"

"What does that mean?" Livia asked, Ryan's glaring glare making her uncomfortable. "Why do you look at me like I'm pitiful?"

It is painful to be a cultured person and only to be surrounded by ignorance. Someday he will do education for this woman.

"My enhanced timing tells me that time has moved forward a few seconds, and I'm pretty sure we've all played a game of chess," he said, glancing at the board. "You're creating a temporal anomaly to make time flow forward because I've never experienced a power outage like this before, and I think it's only going to affect a small part of the area."

"Good guess," she admitted. "Yes, I created a local time anomaly where time behaved strangely. If I hadn't used my powers, things would have gone the way they should, but everyone but me was in a trance according to the script. In this abnormal state, I am the only one who can adjust my movements and exert force on objects, making me invulnerable; When time returns to normal, only I remember my actions. ”

Livia crossed her arms. Or at least...... That's how it works for other people. ”

"But not me," Ryan said with a smug grin. "My time is stronger than yours!"

"I can see the results of your actions, but I can't interact with them," she admits with a frown, her pride hurt. "I let go of a white soldier, and the black knight went on his own. It's as if you are a ghost capable of influencing the physical world, but without retribution. Maybe it's because you live in part in this purple world. ”

If their powers interacted so strangely, Ryan wouldn't dare invite acid rain. "And what am I in that temporal anomaly, invisible?" Impeccable?" Livia nodded and answered his question, and the messenger remembered the island of Ischia. "I think you may have saved my life like that."

Livia must have tried to "skip" time in an attempt to survive Bahamut's explosion, but her energy may have run out before she could find shelter. While Ryan was already in the depths, their strange electrical interference caused the device to leave. Or at least, that's his best guess. He needed more trial and error to figure out how their powers really interfered with each other.

The princess's expression changed from curious to sour, her eyes fixed on her coffee. "Ryan, why did you join Augustus in the past and now work for our enemies?" What tricks are you playing?"

"It's a long story, but I agree to destroy the Bliss plant on behalf of another organization," Ryan said. "Otherwise they will take things into their own hands and kill a lot of people."

She scoffed. "I see."

"I don't think you're against it." Ryan frowned, his instincts working. "Last time, when you were inspecting the fortifications, you insisted that I go to Ischia. Even if I have no reason to go there. You want me to sabotage that drug farm. ”

"I must have suspected something was wrong with you," Livia replied, looking away. "Who told you to do that?" Kinetics?"

“No.”

She looked him in the eye. "Who's that?"

Ryan hesitated. He remembered the last time she had interacted with the Shroud, and he felt that her dissatisfaction with the Carnival was a personal vendetta. If she knew, Augustus would have tracked down the Shroud, and the Courier didn't want his translucent ally dead. "I can't tell you."

He immediately felt the atmosphere in the room tense again. "I see." Livia said coldly. "So, how did I die last time?"

"Do you really want to know?" Ryan asked her, and she nodded sharply. "The superpowered killed you with an orbital laser"

Mademoiselle Duchess digested his answer, blinked, and frowned. "You're lying."

"I wish I was," Ryan replied, the memory of that disaster turning his mood bad. "I'm trying to prevent that from happening."

"No way, I should have expected that." Livia protested.

"You always see yourself dying in another reality."

"That only says two things," she said, crossing her hands. "Either the Superpowers have a way to counter my powers, or they decide to attack me first in every alternate universe I've observed. Otherwise, my alter ego would have survived. ”

Psychrons do have access to Mekron's bunker and the technology inside, but Ryan thinks the second option is more likely. Knowing the big fat Adam, he must have decided to strike first, targeting any prophet who could warn him of his plans to destroy New Rome.

Unfortunately, this made Livia ask more questions, not less. "How did they get the orbital laser in the first place?"

Ryan weighed the pros and cons of telling her about the Maykelen Armory, and later realized that the stakes were too great. Augustus destroyed it with an act of vengeful anger in the previous cycle, but in this cycle? At the height of his power? This god worshipper may decide to take the bunker for himself. "I can't tell you."

"Can't you tell me?" Livia glared at the courier. "You'd rather let Ogre Adam get a weapon of mass destruction than tell me?"

"Listen, it's not that I don't trust you," Ryan protested, "but you'll have to tell your father how to handle this, and—"

"My father wasn't perfect, but he wouldn't eat his children for dinner."

"That's the standard you set for human dignity?" Ryan replied sharply. "Did you know that he murdered Nacinia's biological parents and used her as a hostage against Leo Hargraves?"

"Her parents are predators, and they deserve it," Livia argued, gritting her teeth in anger. "Be careful what you say. Hargraves killed my mother. ”

Oh? This explains something. Ryan notices the lace news and decides to confront Mr. Perspective about it.

"I'm just saying you should look into it because the sources seem pretty credible." Despite all the mistakes Ryan had made, in the final laps, he had come to trust the Shroud. The desire of the vigilantes to do good is sincere, albeit somewhat extreme. "He said her mother wanted to help the world, and she had the power to do so."

"Who told you?" Livia asked, her brow tightening. "Won't you tell me either?" I'm sure it's the same organization that asks you to destroy the island of Ischia. ”

Ryan crossed his arms and stood in place. "I can't tell you."

"Why? She raised her hands in confusion. "Why Ryan? You said you don't want to hurt my family, but you're willing to work with someone who hurt me. So why should I trust you?"

"Because I can make everything better."

"What if you're wrong?" Livia shook her head. "If you blow up Ischia, then Sinia is still in it, and it's still sticking to the island?" What if the Superpowers Gang kills you forever? You say trust, but you're only halfway there!"

"So, what if I ask how invulnerable the Lightning ass is?" Ryan replied, the voices between them getting louder and louder. "Can you tell me?"

"If you're not going to go to him, why do you want to know this?" She replied angrily. "I'm not going to sit idly by and watch a psychotic plot murder me, who knows how many more, Ryan! If you're hell-bent on keeping me in the dark, why should I trust you to help me?"

"Because I don't want anyone to die!" Ryan raised a finger to the princess and snarled as he couldn't do anything. "You have!"

This time, his words silenced her.

"Do you know how I feel?" Ryan asked, the frustration that had been suppressed for decades finally surfaced. "Ability to help everybody, knowing that every time I save money, things stick to it?" If I left someone alone when I could have protected him, it would have been my fault? Do you know how easy it is to say, 'them, I don't care' and then never look back?"

After that outburst, the two fell into an awkward and tense silence. They are at an impasse.

"I think it's time for you to go," Livia said, stretching out her arms as if to protect herself. "It's late, people ask questions."

Yes, they did it. Right now.

Without saying a word, the messenger grabbed his mask and walked towards the door.

Ryan.

He froze, his hand on the doorknob.

"I don't care about the rest of the organization, but if my father, my uncle, and my aunt die because of your conspiracy, I'll ruin you," Livia warned him. "The same goes for Felix, Fortuna, and Nassinia."

"Well, I have my own list," Ryan replied in an equally cold tone. “Le

Sabi

o, the orphan she cared for, my current team, Mathias Ma

tel, Jamie, Ki-ju

g, La

ka, Na

ci

IA, JA Jet I

e and my cat. If you target any of them, I swear you will never see me coming. ”

Livia sighed. "It's not over yet. I'll call you again. ”

"Absolutely." The Time Traveler replied, opening the door and stepping out. "Say whatever you want."

As the clock struck midnight, Ryan sailed the Plymouth Fury to the harbor.

"Alright, we're here." The time traveler turned to his companion and said. "Are you sure you don't want to go with me?" I know you hate Dy

amis, but they promised me an apartment with an unbeatable view of the city. ”

Don't answer. Lane hadn't said a word since they left the motel. Maybe it's because she's run out of medicine, and she feels tired from the outside world.

Or she thought Sykes and the Seven Killers would crawl out of the woods to attack them. But so far, Livia hasn't sent anyone.

"I know you think you need to overdose on antidepressants to work, shorty, but please follow the treatment," Ryan pleaded. "It's for your good."

"Rihanna." Ryan looked him in the eye and made no secret of his concern. "Why are you telling her so much?" You can't take it back now. ”

Why?

Ryan could say he had no choice. With Livia's power, it's better to tell the truth and try to build a good relationship than to kill someone. He could say he wanted to change the status quo, even if it meant taking risks.

But that's a lie.

The problem is that his reasons go far beyond that.

An invincible psychopath trying to push his daughter into a situation where she is uncomfortable, turning her into a target because they can't hurt him directly?

How could Len ask him why?

"Because I've seen it before," Ryan said, looking at the Mediterranean. "The first time it didn't end well."