Chapter 54
Riley: But I refuse!
"The world is fair; there are gains and losses... After experiencing so much suffering, it gives you a chance to start your life over."
After learning about Riley's past life, even the extraordinary Ancient One couldn't help but soften her gaze when looking at Riley.
To this day, the Ancient One is the only one in the universe who knows exactly how much suffering and torment Riley Parker went through to become the mature and reliable person he is today.
This is precisely why, upon learning that Riley, despite lacking supernatural powers and feeling the world's deep malice towards him, remained true to himself and made the right choice, the Ancient One, who had discovered Riley's "anomaly" existence early on, felt profound respect for this noble soul and tacitly approved of Riley Parker's existence.
Unfortunately, after Riley gained Spider-Man's superpowers, he began to interfere in the fates of other people...
Even if the Ancient One could understand Riley's choice, knowing that Riley couldn't just watch the people around him die and would always try his best to save them.
However, in order to ensure the stability and peace of the world, and like the future Doctor Strange, as an absolute rationalist, the Ancient One believed that, if necessary, a small group could be sacrificed to protect the vast majority of people. This forced the Ancient One to harden her heart and continue to persuade Riley.
Even when Riley remained silent with his head down, seemingly unwilling to give up, he offered a heavyweight bargaining chip that he believed Riley could never refuse.
"If you're worried that if you do nothing, you'll die when that Titan arrives on Earth, collects the Infinity Stones, and snaps his fingers, I can help you go home and return to your original world."
"..."
After the Ancient One finished speaking, Riley's body visibly trembled.
Go home, back to the world we originally belonged to...
These words were undoubtedly very tempting to Riley.
Even after more than a decade in the Marvel Universe, Riley would still think of his uncles, whom he could never see again, when he lay alone in bed at night.
Having spent so much time together in his previous life, those uncles had become Riley's most important family members.
Therefore, Riley could fully imagine the guilt and pain they must feel when they learned of Riley's sacrifice, and discovered that not only had they failed to save their comrade, but years later, they would also have to watch helplessly as their comrade's orphan perished, ending up with an entire family of loyal martyrs.
Now, the opportunity offered by the Ancient One is enough for Riley to make up for this regret. It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted.
"As expected of the Supreme Mage, he can even accomplish something like this..."
Therefore, after a long silence, when Riley raised her head again, her eyes, still bearing traces of tears, had become clear and firm after making her decision and choice.
"But I refuse!"
That's right, that's Riley's choice.
Even someone as powerful as the Ancient One, even when faced with the temptation to return home...
Riley decided to stay in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Riley believed that, regardless of whether he returned or not, his uncles, who had led by example and raised him to be a hero, would surely be able to recover after a brief period of pain and self-blame.
But if he chooses to go back, with Riley Parker's disappearance, the Parker family who have lived with Riley day and night, and his close friends, will all suffer the same great pain as his uncles.
Moreover, although the Ancient One showed Riley various hopeless futures.
But Riley had already keenly sensed the commonalities among these futures from the very beginning…
That is, Riley was always absent from their lives.
If Riley were still alive, it would be like this accident that angered Hulk...
Even though Peter sometimes gets into trouble due to his lack of experience, he is always able to correct his mistakes in time with Riley's companionship and help.
It is even more impossible for them to make the same mistake again and again, leading to that despairing and disastrous end!
Clearly, compared to giving up and ceasing to change the fate of others...
Riley had already made changes, but he chose to give up halfway and become a deserter who only cared about himself. That is the real reason that caused this dark future!
"...You are indeed very smart and strong. But is this really a good thing? Is it really fair to you?"
Upon hearing Riley reject her proposal, the Ancient One showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, her eyes lit up, clearly approving of Riley's choice.
Just as Riley suspected, the Ancient One deliberately concealed the fact that Riley's existence was just how important he was to Peter and the others.
If Riley can't handle the psychological pressure, she may choose to return to her original world.
Then the Ancient One would use the power of the Time Stone to reboot the entire world, returning it to the state before Riley Parker's birth, in order to completely erase all the impact Riley had on this world.
In contrast, Riley saw through the "trap" set by the Ancient One and was willing to continue living in this world. He could rely on his status as an "outsider" to act as a "variable" and balance the changes of good and evil in this world.
Even so, considering Riley's past experiences, the Ancient One still felt a pang of pity and continued to remind Riley.
"If things continue like this, the responsibility on your shoulders will become increasingly heavy. And your existence as an 'outsider' will be completely exposed and noticed by the world. In order to erase your existence and maintain the balance of fate, even greater suffering will be inflicted upon you, leading you step by step down the old path of self-sacrifice."
"Hahaha, so what? I've already died once. For me, every extra second I live now is a huge bonus!"
Unfortunately, after the Ancient One showed Riley her past life experiences, Riley, who had gradually forgotten her past due to her decades-long life in the Marvel Universe, was able to rediscover her true self and her mind became indestructible.
Therefore, when faced with the Ancient One's complex gaze, Riley laughed openly.
The laughter was filled with satisfaction, contentment, and pride...
But they had no fear of death.
"If my sacrifice can enable Peter and the others to enjoy a better life..."
"Then I will stand at the pinnacle of love and laugh at death's incompetence!"
Yes, that's the real Riley.
If Riley were to face setbacks and hardships, would she truly choose to escape, or succumb to suffering and choose an easier path...?
So, back then, after experiencing countless hardships and paying a price unimaginable to ordinary people...
Having gained the trust of the drug lord, Riley had successfully secured his position as the second-in-command within the drug cartel. To that remote little country, he was like a local tyrant, able to get whatever he wanted…
Riley had long anticipated that if he did this, he would not only lose everything he had, but also face certain death due to the exposure of his identity…
How could he not hesitate at all, resolutely give his uncles the signal to close the net, and calmly face death with a smile on his face?