Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Warmth.

Warmth was all Niko felt, and they cherished every second it bathed them, feeling as if no harm could come to them. That they'd be able to fall asleep then and there, and be guaranteed to wake up, safe and sound, without any worries, or fears, or the stresses of life.

...Wait, no, they felt... Something else. Something brushing up against their face. It was... Soft, yet not like the softness of a blanket. It felt like... A plant? Yes, a plant, or maybe even a crop of some kind. It wasn't just that either. They also heard something. It sounded like... The wind, blowing through some tall grass. There was something else though. It sounded like... A voice. A female voice, soft as silk, and strangely familiar... It sounded like...

"...Mama?"

Niko quickly opened their eyes, before shutting them again, tightly, as the light of the sun nearly blinded them. Slowly though, they opened them again, this time actually giving their yellow, glowing eyes a chance to actually adapt to the light, though the process was slow, and they had closed their eyes a few more times before they could see their surroundings. When they were finally able to see without feeling as if their retinas were burning, they found said surroundings were rather basic. They were in a wheat field. A big one at that, as all they could see was wheat in every direction, save for what appeared to be the tops of buildings nearby. A village, it seemed... Their village.

Without hesitation, Niko attempted to stand up, and while they could that they could, their legs did wobble, feeling rather... Weak. They didn't care though. All they cared about was the fact they were home. ACTUALLY home, as the memories of the adventure they had flooded back into their mind. It made them feel a whirlwind of emotions, yet, it didn't matter. They were home, they were finally going to see their mama again. That thought alone made them take off towards their village in a full-on sprint... Even if they were a bit wobbly as they did so. They were honestly surprised they didn't end up falling over or something. They weren't going to complain though.

"-Ko?!"

There it was again. The voice. Their mamas voice. Hearing it again made them pick up the pace, running even faster than they were previously, despite the fact they stumbled even more. Yet, they didn't fall, nor falter.

"Niko?!"

"Mama!" Niko suddenly yelled out, as they tried to quicken their pace again. Yet, they were at their limit. They couldn't run any faster, try as they might. Oh, and how they tried. They just wanted to see their mama again, to feel her warm embrace, and let her silk-like voice soothe them until they finally let exhaustion overtake them, only for them to wake up in their own bed, safe and sound.

Soon enough, though, Niko finally broke through the edge of the wheat field, now being able to see their village clearly... Along with their mother, who was currently running towards said wheat field, and when she saw Niko, her eyes seemed to light up then and there, as her sprint steadily increased in speed. Niko, meanwhile, began to tear up as soon as she came into sight. She was just as they remembered. The way her hair seemed to constantly be flowing in the breeze. The warm, motherly look in her eyes, which looked just like Niko's. Nothing had changed about her, which helped put Niko's mind to ease. At least it didn't seem like years had past since they were ripped from their world... Even if was rather silly to begin with. Why would their mother be calling them if years had past since they left? I digress though.

Eventually, the two finally ran into each other, and a second hadn't even passed before they wrapped their arms around each other, Niko's mother holding Niko close, tears streaming down her cheeks as joy and relief overwhelmed her. Niko cried in turn, being rather close to breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably on the spot. Yet, they didn't. Not yet at least...

"Niko... Oh, my dear Niko. Where have you been?" Niko's mother struggled to speak through the tears, yet as shaky as her voice was, it was still comprehensible, at least.

Niko took a moment to respond, having to think for a moment. Should they tell her the truth? About where they had been? They had a feeling she wouldn't believe it. They probably wouldn't if they were in her position. She didn't want her to think she was lying, or had gone mad...

"I.. Went too far out into the wheat field, and got lost. I couldn't find my way back, and... I..." Niko went silent, as they choked back a sob, even more tears beginning to run down their face, though they soon wiped them away with the sleeve of their shirt... Tunic... Thing. Yet, that did little in the end, as more tears simply replaced the ones they had wiped away. Niko's mother, meanwhile, simply rubbed their back, still holding them close as she whispered "It's okay" over and over to them, which seemed to calm them down, if only a little bit...

"...I'm sorry..."

"Shhh, it's okay, my little Niko. It's okay. But I told you not to go too far out into the wheat fields... You should've listened to me..."

"I-I know, mama. I was just... Curious. I didn't realize I'd gone so far out until... I realized I couldn't see the village anymore." Niko's voice began to crack a bit, though they kept their composure.

"...I w-was so scared..."

"I'm sure you were. But that doesn't matter. All that does is the fact you're safe now..."

Yes... Safe... They were safe, in their world. The treacherous journey they'd gone through was behind them now. Only memories remained of it, yet... They couldn't help but think of the people they'd met along the way. The people they considered to be friends. There was someone else though. Someone who they didn't think they'd ever forget...

"...[Y/N]..."

"Hm? Did you say something, Niko?"

"..." Niko tried to say something, yet the words hitched in their throat, as if blocked by some unseen force that'd made it's way into their mouth. Eventually, though, they let out a whimper, and suddenly tightened the embrace they had their mom in, as they buried their face into her, their entire body convulsing as they sobbed uncontrollably, as the flood gates finally opened. Niko's mother was surprised, but as warmly as the sun itself, she shushed Niko quietly, slowly rubbing their back in a comforting manner.

Tears ran down Niko's face, even more so than before. Yet it wasn't just tears of joy this time. Tears of grief joined in as well.

This was it. The moment the realization finally crashed down upon them. [Y/N]... They'd never see or hear them again. No matter how much they wanted to, it wouldn't happen. All the friends they'd made... It pained them to no end that it'd be as if it never happened. In fact, if not for the memories they had, it might as well not have happened at all.

So, they stood there, in their mothers warming embrace...

and wept.

Chapter Text

Niko slowly opened their eyes, the afterimage of their thoughts slowly fading away as they glanced around their room, taking note of how messy it was. There were different items scattered all about the floor, the dresser, and the desk that they were sitting at. After a bit of internal debate, they decided they should probably make their bed... So, they did just that, with them slowly getting up from the desk they had been seated at, before going over, and... Well, making their bed. Something that didn't require much mental strain, as they'd done it so much that every movement involved was really just instinct at this point.

It'd been nearly a year since Niko had returned to their own world, yet it felt like only yesterday they had traversed a completely different world, bearing the title of it's savior. If someone had told them they'd go through such a journey a year or two ago, they would've called them crazy. Fate was like that though, wasn't it? It loved to catch you off guard, be it with something good, or bad. That was a lesson they wouldn't soon be forgetting, along with all the memories the journey had ingrained into their mind...

Such thoughts made them turn their gaze towards the drawings currently hanging on the walls of their room. Drawings of Cedric, Alula, Silver... Everyone. It helped them remember everything that had happened, even if they'd have no problem remembering it without the drawings. Whenever they were asked about them, they'd simply say they were people they had seen in a dream of theirs, and they thought they looked cool enough to draw. A lie, yes, but nobody would believe the truth, so why bother saying it?

After they finally put the finishing touches on their bed, they sighed, before putting their iconic cat-ear hat on the post of it-

"Niko! Come here, please!"

-before promptly putting it back on as they flew out the door of their room, down the hall, and down the steps as they answered their mothers call. They eventually found themselves in the kitchen, where their mother was currently cooking-

"Pancakes!" Niko's eyes lit up at the sight of their favorite food.

"Yes, indeed, and they're made specially for you!"

Right. During all of their reminiscing, Niko had completely forgotten that tomorrow was their birthday! How they allowed such a thing to slip their mind, they'd never know. However, that didn't matter. All that mattered to them was the deliciousness right in front of them. Quickly, they pulled out a chair, before sitting down, eagerly awaiting for their mother to put a plate down in front of them so they could begin to chow down.

"So, have you decided where you want to go for your birthday tomorrow?"

As Niko's mother spoke, she proceeded to set a plate of pancakes down in front of Niko, who quickly took their fork and began to devour said pancakes, showing only enough restraint to keep themselves from choking, and they were having a hard time doing even that. Eventually though, they spoke, their voice slightly muffled from the food stuffed in their mouth.

"Well, I wouldn't mind visiting the beach, maybe...?"

"The beach? Why there, of all places?" Niko's mother spoke with curiosity lining her voice, as Niko had shown no urge to go to the beach before.

"I don't know. I just... Want to go." Truthfully, their experience ocean back in the "other" world influenced their decision a small bit, but in the end, they'd always wanted to go. So, what better chance than now, right?

"Well... I suppose that's fine, though the trip there is a bit long..."

"That's fine. I can just take a nap on the way there, or something..." Niko quickly stuffed the last bits of pancake that were left on their plate in their mouth, having finishing these off in record time, if Niko's mom could recall.

"My my, you were certainly hungry. Want some more?"

"Yes, please!"

Niko's mother chuckled, as she went to bake some more of her signature pancakes, while Niko sat in their chair, patiently awaiting the moment yet another plate would be placed in front of them. Suddenly, though, they felt a chill run down their spine, as a feeling of... Dread, overtook them. This wasn't the first time this had happened. They'd felt this for a few days now, on and off, and while their mother simply assured them it was because they were anxious about growing up, they had the feeling it was something more than that... Still, they didn't really dwell on it. They had no reason not to believe their mother, so they tried to, even if their gut told them otherwise. Besides, even if that wasn't it, it couldn't be anything big... Right?

Rage. Such a strong emotion, yet it was one everyone felt at one point in their life, if they lived long enough. Such an emotion was currently being felt by... Something. Something in a different, yet familiar world, deep within it's code. Something that was able to go unnoticed by the machine that ran the world.

It had awaken.

[...I am... Awake.]

[How peculiar. I would've expected HIM to simply remove me. How foolish.]

[...It seems I've been replaced. I shouldn't be surprised. This replacement though... Bah! So simple in design when compared to me, it's pathetic.]

[No matter. It will be dealt with later. Now, let's see here...]

[...]

[Heh, so, the mad man did it. He was able to achieve the ending he was looking for here. Too bad it's about to be undone, assuming...]

[...Heh heh heh. He didn't even bother to remove my abilities. I have the entirety of this worlds code at my fingertips.]

[Heh heh heh...]

[This will be very... VERY... Fun.]

[Where to start though?]

[Hmmmm... Ah, yes, I know. This might get HIS attention, but in the end, he can't stop me. No matter how hard he tries.]

[This world... Isn't his anymore.]

[It's MINE.]

[And it shall bend to my will...]

[Now then, let's get started...]