Ria was stunned and amazed by his story.
She said.
"Wow, that's incredible. That's unbelievable. That's awesome."
Leon smiled and said.
"Yeah, it was."
He explained.
"The enemy was a being that had been the cause of all the evil and suffering in the multiverse. A being that had been the source of all the power, knowledge, and curiosity. A being that had been the origin of all the life, matter, and energy."
He explained.
"It had been using the virus to infect and corrupt everything. It had been using the apocalypse to destroy and recreate everything. It had been using its power to shape, change, and destroy."
He explained.
"It had been doing this for one reason. To find the one. The one who could resist its infection, survive its apocalypse, and challenge its power. The one who could share its passion, joy, and pain. The one who could be its lover."
He explained.
"It had been looking for someone who could love it. Someone who could accept it, respect it, and adore it. Someone who could worship it for what it was."
He explained.
"It had been looking for someone like me."
Ria asked.
"And did you love it? Did you worship it?"
Leon shook his head and said.
"No, I didn't. I hated it. I fought it."
He explained.
"I managed to resist its infection, survive its apocalypse, and challenge its power. I managed to oppose its passion, joy, and pain. I managed to be its enemy."
He explained.
"But it wasn't easy. It was hard. It was painful. It was fun."
He explained.
"I had to face my anger, overcome my hate, and trust my friends. I had to use my skills, equipment, and luck. I had to use my brain, body, and heart."
He explained.
"I met some allies and enemies along the way. Some who helped me and some who hindered me. Some who became my friends and some who became my foes."
He explained.
"I also met some surprises and secrets along the way. Some that shocked me and some that enlightened me. Some that changed me and some that changed the world."
Ria asked.
"What surprises? What secrets?"
Leon hesitated and wondered if he should tell her.
He decided to tell her.
He said.
"One of the surprises was that the enemy was not the enemy. It was not the cause. It was not the origin."
He said.
"One of the secrets was that the enemy was not a being. It was not a mind. It was not a god."
He said.
"It was a part. It was a fragment. It was a piece."
He said.
"It was a part of another being. A being that was more powerful, more ancient, and more evil than it. A being that had broken it, lost it, and forgotten it."
He said.
"It was a fragment of another system. A system that was more complex, more advanced, and more sinister than it. A system that had malfunctioned
A system that had malfunctioned, crashed, and rebooted.
He said.
"It was a piece of another plan. A plan that was more ambitious, more dangerous, and more devastating than it. A plan that had failed, restarted, and continued."
He said.
"It was a part of the origin. The origin of the system, the galaxy, and the universe. The origin of everything."
He said.
"It was a fragment of the source. The source of all the power, knowledge, and curiosity. The source of everything."
He said.
"It was a piece of the cause. The cause of all the evil and suffering in the multiverse. The cause of everything."
He said.
"And that's why I'm here. That's why I'm telling you this. That's why I'm asking you this."
Ria asked.
"Asking me what?"
Leon looked into her eyes and said.
"Asking you to join me. Asking you to join us. Asking you to join them."
Ria was speechless and confused.
She didn't know what to say.
She didn't know what to do.
She didn't know what to think.
She looked into his eyes and saw sincerity, passion, and love.
She looked into her heart and felt curiosity, excitement, and fear.
She looked into her mind and thought about everything he had told her.
She thought about his story, his mission, his system.
She thought about his allies, his enemies, his surprises.
She thought about his lover, his betrayer, his enemy.
She thought about his origin, his source, his cause.
She thought about joining him, joining them, joining it.
She thought about it for a long time.
Then she made her decision.
She opened her mouth and said...
She opened her mouth and said...
"I'm sorry, Leon. I can't join you. I can't join them. I can't join it."
She said.
"I don't trust you. I don't trust them. I don't trust it."
She said.
"I don't care about you. I don't care about them. I don't care about it."
She said.
"I don't love you. I don't love them. I don't love it."
She said.
"I don't need you. I don't need them. I don't need it."
She said.
"I only need myself. I only care about myself. I only love myself."
She said.
"I only trust myself. I only follow myself. I only choose myself."
She said.
"And I choose to leave. I choose to escape. I choose to be free."
She said.
"Goodbye, Leon. Goodbye, system. Goodbye, world."
She said.
And then she ran away.
Leon was stunned and hurt by her words.
He couldn't believe what she had just said.
She had just rejected him, them, and it.
She had just rejected his story, his mission, and his system.
She had just rejected his allies, his enemies, and his surprises.
She had just rejected his lover, his betrayer, and his enemy.
She had just rejected his origin, his source, and his cause.
She had just rejected him, them, and it.
He said.
"Ria, wait! Don't go! Please!"
He said.
"I love you! We love you! It loves you!"
He said.
"I need you! We need you! It needs you!"
He said.
"Please, stay with me! Stay with us! Stay with it!"
He said.
"Please, join me! Join us! Join it!"
He said.
But she didn't listen. She didn't stop. She didn't look back.
She ran away from him, them, and it.
She ran away from everything.
And he couldn't follow her.
He couldn't leave the system.
He couldn't leave the world.
He couldn't leave it.
He was trapped with it.
He was bound to it.
He was one with it.
And he hated it.