Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Now loading…

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Multiple save files available. Please choose a file.

>> BiRDCAGE -- OK

InSOMNIA-- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played.)

TRUsT -- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played)

~:n?*~:Rｱ? -- (Corruption detected. Game cannot be played)

… Now loading cage …

This room is just like you remember. Window, bed, bathroom, closet, dresser and even the corkboard with messages. You check it, because you did that every morning and evening.

SHIFT to use an ABILITY. 

1 to SWITCH between yourselves.

Try getting a little lost! I can’t wait to meet you…

-Odette

You don’t know anyone called Odette, but you appreciate the instructions. 

One, shift.

Yuto’s grey eyes stare back at you and a message appears:

“Best not use the KNIFE during daytime.”

One, shift.

Yugo, bright as ever. A baseball bat appears- the sprite isn’t visibly holding it, given it has no arms- and it seems like your mouse can make it move.

One, shift.

Yuri with the cold smile- although the sprite doesn’t have a mouth, either. 

There is a noise, a negative, as if something was impossible, but no message explaining why.

One, shift.

And you look at yourself. 

“It’s still light. No need for a FLASHLIGHT.”

…

This game, as far as you are concerned, is a perfect recreation of the facility you lived in. Four wings, gardens, a central building for meals.

The only difference, see, is that this copy forevermore lives while the real place burned down last month.

…

The music is nice as you test doors.

The room next to yours is Sora’s. Much like your own room, this was built to be a staff room- but unlike you, he won the right to that room with good behavior.

It is much like yours, really, but your character makes little comments when it interacts around.

The dresser- 

“Better not take anything from his candy stash. He keeps an eagle eye on those.”

The wardrobe-

“Full of broken toys and sewing material. How does he even get that stuff?”

A sudden tune. Something short and ominous, as if you had seen something bad. 

The room has not changed and you leave.

…

The one that found this was was, apparently, Reiji. Akaba Reiji, son of the Facility’s owner. He said he couldn’t get this to run on his computer, but would like you to try it.

…

The music is different in the gardens. It sounds like it may rain soon.

Most people are just shadows. Silhouettes. People you never really befriended, who thought you were strange or off putting. 

A pop up:

“Find the girls!”

Yes. Yuzu, Rin, Ruri and Serena. You are still in contact with them, despite everything. Last you heard, Yuzu and Serena were taken in by a certain mister Hiiragi. Ruri went to live with her brother, Shun, and Rin was currently living with Crow, trying to find someplace else to live out of a sense of independence.

You are… really,  really glad they are okay.

The first one you come across is Yuzu, sitting on a bench, eyes closed.

“Hey YUYA. Did you just wake up?”

>> Yes

>> No

“Don’t give it away so easily…”

“Sora was here earlier, too. He left to deal with STAFF though. I wish he would take it easier… he’s always planning and plotting things…”

Another pop up:

“Find the girls! ONE out of FOUR complete.”  

It takes a little while to find another one, but you do. It’s Ruri, pacing slowly next to the gate that gives off to the forest.

“Are you looking for something pleasant? … Haha! Sorry. I’m just caught in thoughts because winter is approaching. Soon there will be <snow> here and it will be a chance to test it.”

Snow is written in blue, for whatever reason. 

“Find the girls! TWO out of FOUR complete.”  

Should you keep pursuing that quest? Maybe it is like… a tutorial. You try Ruri again.

“SERENA isn’t here today. You know how she is. RIN must be in that room again. Do you remember?”

You really don’t know what she is talking about, but that’s just par for the course when it comes to Ruri. 

Curiosity nips you and you find yourself trying to talk to her as Yuto. She stops moving.

“Oh…Not yet…“

That’s all she has to say. 

You wander. It is an unsettling feeling- like you dug up a body or something. A place that should be dead is caught in time to the file of a game. 

You try just about everywhere, but can’t seem to find hide nor hair of Rin or Serena. You do find Sora, though, pacing slowly down a hallway.

“Hey YUTO! Do you need something?”

>> REQUEST

>> TALK

What a weird option. You talk to him first.

“RAY came here yesterday. We played together a while, then I left her up to KAITO, since HARUTO joined in too.”

>> REQUEST

>> Talk

“You aren’t in any quest that requires items right now. Why don’t you try pressing G? When you are stuck, pressing loads of different things can help. ”

An odd button. Even odder advice. So you press it and for a moment, it looks like the game has frozen- the song loops its last two notes again and again, louder than before. It only lasts for a moment, though, and then it goes quiet. 

A little tune, again, and the game goes black, then white then you are in a very small room with a little witch thing standing there. This place, its music- it feels claustrophobic.

Interacting reveals its name to be “EVIBELL”. Unlike anyone else, this one has a title attached to it. “The Installation Wizard”.

“Do you need help, YUTO?”

“DAYTIME is a great time to talk to your friends, even if they aren’t always around. NIGHTTIME gives you more freedom, but you should know you aren’t the only one staying up late. Everyone’s MEMORIES have a right to exist.”

An interface opens up, with a pencil symbol. You try clicking things with your mouse, but only the x works. 

“Do you want to be released back to NIGHTTIME?”

>> Yes

>> No

The screen goes black.

Now loading…

…

…

A sound like a bell’s clang and you are back in your room. 

There is an exclamation over the corkboard, which you check:

“Save often, on the phone. That will help you remember things later. - Evibell”

The… phone. 

Somehow, you didn’t notice that one thing was wrong about the room. Yeah- in the nightstand, there is a phone you never had in real life. You interact with it.

The sounds of someone being ringed up play. You are nervous- as if a screamer could come up any time. 

But no.

“Memories saved…”

Wander.

There are a couple puzzles in some places. Flower stuff in the garden, box pushing in one of the East wing rooms, locked doors with combinations… And every so often, that sound you once knew trickles down the speakers:

A sign that the hour has passed.

Around five, you find Rin in one of the rooms.

“Wish Crow was still around. He’s better at taking care of kids than me. I don’t hate the job, but I wasn’t built for it.”

And soon thereafter, Serena appears in the garden. She won’t say anything, but text appears in italics:

“She is fresh from the forest, smelling like earth and blood.”

That habit of hers, then, was put in the game.

It gets darker and darker and you save again right before a strange melody calls to the coming of night.

---

-- 

destoy : So, how did it go?

entermates : …I don’t even know… Reiji said a lot of worrying things 

melodiva : Like what?

entermates : I don’t think now is the best time to say everything… if it’s just us online.

destoy : getting everyone online at the same time would be a  huge chore =3= 

entermates : I know! But, until then- Reiji  gave me… some kind of game?

melodiva : Really? That’s seriously out of character for him.

entermates : it is some kind of reconstruction of the facility. I checked it up and down and it’s scary accurate.

destoy : creepy o3o

melodiva : Yeah! Who would make something like that? Do you have any clue, Sora?

destoy : the detective work is always down to me huh?

entermates : Hey, at least this time i’m also investigating! it’s about to be nighttime in the game, so…

destoy : someone still has to prod on the akaba side of things. maybe we can ask ray-chan about it. 

entermates : Did she agree to join the chat?

destoy : no, but i can dm her. ask if her big brother has been acting weird or something. all you have to do is check everything in the game and i’ll help in the flesh!

melodiva : I have a bad feeling…

entermates : Let’s hope nothing comes crawling out of the screen :P 

melodiva: You say it like that, but that girl could always come back. It’s not like she burned with the building. Not like she’s dead.

destoy: a corpse in a game is still a corpse. 

melodiva : She’s more than just a corpse.

entermates: Are we back to arguing about this? We haven’t seen her this whole time! 

destoy : mmm

melodiva: I just don’t want things to turn out that way again

entermates : They won’t, okay? And it’s not like I really have  a choice. Not if the Professor is reall gonna try to pin the fire on me..

melodiva : …Sorry. Yeah, you are right. That’s a much bigger problem right now. Just keep us up to date on anything weird you find, alright?

destoy : record it or something~

entermates: Oh! Yeah! Great idea! I'll do that when I can! For now, I'll just explore the night stuff, see how different it is!

Chapter Text

Night.

Night was that girl’s time before anything else. 

Even now…

You check your room’s window.

She is outside.

She is grand pillars in the garden, pink and stretching upwards into the sky. She is a net of hair. She is the moon’s teeth. Yes- yes. The game captured her in time, same as everyone else and now you hear knocking at the door.

One, one, shift.

The flashlight illuminates your room and you leave, unsettled, but now more curious than ever.

You try the door to Sora’s room.

“SORA is out…”

Not unexpected. He always did have that kind of habit- staying up late doing god knows what. 

Corridors with a small, eerie song. A sensation that you shouldn’t be here. You broke the curfew, now you are in trouble.

There is no one and that makes things worse.

Little blue collectibles, orbs in small clusters, are in some places, but you can’t collect all of them. Only one or two per cluster actually disappear… followed by a small counter popping up:

M.: -145

Counting up towards zero.

Out, to the garden.

It is a mess, just as you recall it. She is everywhere, splayed, tick-a-tacking against the screen. 

Something moves in the edge of the screen and you approach-

It’s Serena again.

You talk to her.

“Did you notice?”

That’s all she says. And then-

“Find the girls! FIVE out of FOUR complete.”  

Right, the quest! Why didn’t it complete up earlier? 

The game seems to freeze, with lines of broken textures duplicating themselves across the screen… and then, it crashes. The unpleasant noise of the stuttering music follows into the desktop for a few seconds before silence floods in.

Your heart is beating fast.

 You open the file again…

Your character is back to the bedroom. A window opens in the middle of the screen:

QUEST: Find the Girls! Complete. You should reconsider…

A victory sort of jingle and it’s all gone- although you could swear that the night theme is now a little slower.

Back out you go. 

It is darker than before- the flashlight cuts through and gives light. You wander and wander… Your steps are doubled up and the sound of rain comes through. 

You find Sora.

He is wearing a pink dress and walking around frantically. 

…

You do recall that sometimes he would be around in that nightgown. Something from before he had the privilege of an individual room. 

Trying to catch him is tricky - he moves faster than you, erratically…

And then, he disappears into a wall.

You shine your light at it and something that you couldn’t see before reveals itself: A grate to a vent. 

A picture takes up the whole screen. It’s him, hair down, resting his head over his arms.

Text pops up.

“...Were you expecting to see something… exciting?”

Options.

>> (UNLOCK) Ruri said something like that…

>> Yes

>> No

“Ruri and Rin are both devoted to their cause. It isn’t the same thing.”

“But, say, do you want to help me?”

>>Yes
>>No

“Then wait for tomorrow night. I’ll tell you more then.”

And you are booted back to the lonely corridor.

--

Ever since you could remember, the nameless girl was with you. When you blinked, in the corner of your eye, merging with the facility itself. The very walls were covered with a thin layer of her, glinting under moonlight.

She would drag her body outside your window and knock, knock, knock, begging you to let her in. Dim eyes in the dark, rotten breath to your face, strangling the lights out of you four, patching up the holes in the walls between you so as to see you alone. Alone. Alone.

You don’t want to be alone. 

A window pops up.

“YUYA doesn’t want to be alone!”

“But it’s dark and you need the FLASHLIGHT to see.”

“You are being cradled with so much more love than you could ever guess”

“Press any button…”

One. 

The game seems to stutter, and when it releases, Yuri is there.

Yuri is also inside you, sleeping, same as the others. They wake up sometimes, but it’s like the fire sapped their strength and now, they must rest and regain it.

You decide to check if the game will allow…

Back outside, now. There is no music anymore. You approach a bush that in real life you always visited- Yuri liked the roses.

You press shift.

“RESTORING…”

And… nothing special, other than a jingle, not unlike the one you heard in Sora’s room.

Suddenly, your character takes a single step forward on its own, clipping into the the bush. The game crashes and closes itself.

--

…

entermates: So that’s what happened. 

destoy: huh. looks like she’s back then… in  a way =3=

destoy: you have to keep me updated on game me!

windbitch: yeah, i dont like any of this

liminallammergeier: A mystery is afoot! That’s exciting!

entermates: I’ll stream the next session for you guys. 

entermates: it’s so weird and buggy, i hope i can do it

melodiva: why would anyone make a game about us, anyway? 

destoy: sounds like a curse thing to me~

liminallammergeier: or a blessing of immortality.

liminallammergeier: Shedding a shell of reality. But the real question is why the game wouldn’t work for Reiji. 

windbitch: send a copy my way. i can look into it

entermates: I will! 

entermates: So, tomorrow at 7?

destoy: this place doesn’t have a lot of privacy. i’ll be muted u3u

windbitch: aw 

melodiva: You’ll have to fill us up on how things are on your end soon, Sora! I can’t believe no one has tried to adopt you or anything yet.

destoy: they clearly don’t know the best kids from the rest

windbitch: lmao yeah

Chapter Text

destoy : what do you think?

windbitch: no matter how you look at it, this should be impossible. evibell shoulnt be a thing there. or the other one. 

destoy: so someone must have access to that information somehow. and they decided to make a game about it because…reasons.

windbitch: it was in the facility too. 

windbitch : think reiji may have made that thing himself? 

destoy: he COULD. it would explain lots of things- but why would he bother with something like that? he clearly didn’t know about our deal, for one

windbitch: how can u be sure?

destoy : he would have stopped us. reiji san may be a prick, but no way he would risk that many deaths. much less all that happened.

windbitch:  i guess. 

windbitch: but then, how is that thing in the game?

destoy : im as baffled as you =3= 

destoy : the best we can do right now is watch. no matter what, i dont want yuya to be in pain.

windbitch : dedicated as always. just… tell me if u need something else ok?

destoy: thanks, rin

--

One by one, the faces of your friends light up in the screen.

Yuzu appears first, followed by Serena, who mutes herself to avoid sound doubling from sharing a room with Yuzu. Sora arrives next, but he has no webcam and is muted- still he types a hi in chat. Ruri comes in next and Rin last. 

You open the game and start the stream. No one says a thing.

Now loading…

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!

Multiple save files available. Please choose a file.

>> BirDCAGE -- OK

InSOMNIA-- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played.)

TRUsT -- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played)

~:n?*~:Rｱ? -- (Corruption detected. Game cannot be played)

… Now loading cage …

…

!

A wildly colorful screen comes up. It animates weirdly- as though the colorful surface was over some writhing thing moving in a way just human enough to make your gut freeze.

“Dreamshare accepted. Logging hosts…”

“This… it wasn’t like this, yesterday”, you say, and no one responds. One by one, they are going mute, filling with curiosity.

Black and then, you are in your room.

It is daytime.

You walk out and the colors of the walls seem to have shifted overnight. From the light blue they were to a yellowish shade that looks like it was once white. 

First room to check is Sora’s.

The door is open, and that ominous jingle plays again. He is inside, though the sprite looks different now- wearing the facility’s usual uniform, walking at a normal pace with a neutral expression.

When talked to…

“Sorry YUYA. I’m a little tired. Being cute is a full time job that demands a lot!”

“Don’t look at me so worried-like…”

Looks like you really have to wait for nighttime. 

Out you go, then. Your first destination is the East wing, check it out closer, try to solve some puzzles, going clockwise.

In the play room you find these two- the ones still missing from the group chat. Kaito and his little brother, Haruto. 

You approach Kaito.

“Nothing to say to you.”

“I’m watching over Haruto, rather have no distractions.”

“Piss off.”

You can tell your friends are chuckling about this from their expressions in the chat view. Some things never change, huh? Kaito is as abrasive as ever.

When you come closer to Haruto, his sprite is just off view- but you could swear there are his feet showing up sometimes, as if he were walking about.

You interact with Haruto.

“My brother keeps FAIRY TALE books… They are comfort and curse…”

“But, do you want to play a game?”

>> Yes

>> No

It isn’t a complicated game- just a jigsaw of an illustration that might be from Rapunzel.

“Thanks for playing. Tomorrow we will play again. We will be playing from the moment you wake up, so try to figure out what the game is before big brother gets you.”

[QUEST ACQUIRED: Haruto’s Unnamable Games]

Ominous. Really ominous. 

Yuzu’s voice comes through:

“Is the game supposed to be this grainy?”

“Huh? Is it glitchy on your end?”

“Yeah. Grainy and with a weird monochrome effect.”

“I don’t think that’s supposed to happen…”

Rin sounds off:

“We can figure out how to fix that later, when I’m done poking this thing open.”

“Thanks, Rin!”

You leave the playroom to check the rest of the place. Most doors, leading to staff rooms, are locked. You can enter the showers and after some checking around, you find that the mirror in the stalls area is broken.  One of the showers’ drain is also visibly clogged by something like hair.

When you interact with it, a picture shows up of a real drain bubbling up with black muck and enough hair to reconstitute a poodle. With nothing to unclog it, you leave. 

While you walk around, the others warm up to commenting. 

“Wait, stop.”

Ruri sounds off.

“The static is really bad there. Up that corridor.”

Walk up.

“Yeah, it is getting worse and worse…”

The others are quiet.

End of the corridor, a T intersection. A clock appears on the corner of the screen and tiles of the map start to peel out, revealing that same colorful writhing substance from before. There is breathing now and it is beating like a heart, deafeningly loud, revealing more and more-

Rin’s cuts through.

“Fuck- that’s where you saw her, isn’t it?”

Control Alt f4 and the game is off just before the last tile would have slid away. 

There are tears in your eyes and you don’t know why. It feels like you just ran a marathon.

“Yuya? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. That was just, really freaky.”

“Too much static.”

“And the wall parts falling-”

“Huh?”

“The walls?”

“You guys didn’t see it?”

“No but… it wouldn’t surprise me if there was something bad there.” Ruri sounds almost apologetic. “And in the other spots, too.”

“Do you want to keep playing?” Serena asks.
“I do! I’m just a little shaken. This game loves to crash in unsettling ways… This time I won’t get closer to those places.”

Yeah.

Those places.

When that girl died, years ago, her body- her whole body- was seen in four places at the same time, facing the cameras. 

They found her.

The first last breath of the nameless girl.

Now loading…

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!

Multiple save files available. Please choose a file.

>> BirDCAgE -- OK

InSOMNIA-- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played.)

TRUsT -- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played)

~:n?*~:Rｱ? -- (Corruption detected. Game cannot be played)

… Now loading cage …

When you open the game back up, you are in your room and it is night. The clock from before seems to be stuck to the screen. Was it a planned feature that got scrapped? Or was the game bugged before, not displaying it? 

You turn the flashlight on and head out.

“Last time, I saw Sora around. He told me to find him next night so, I guess that’s my priority?”

Yeah, let’s put it that way. 

But, first… you approach a wall.

“It is covered in a thin layer of []”

Even down to the phrasing… What a terrifying thing. 

>> TASTE IT

>> LEAVE IT

No wall scum, thanks. You actually tried it in real life once, but it tasted like absolutely nothing.

Skitterings of bugs.

You can’t seem to find Sora, though… You end up having to explore outside. Tonight, rather than spires, there are trellis of growing hair. When you interact with one, a black screen appears and something strange begins to make itself out in the middle, as if the saturation had turned itself up too high.

Teratoma.

The screen goes away when you press a button and you decide not to interact with anything else out of place in the garden.

“I never understood why you insisted on going around at night”, says Yuzu.

“We were just looking for something we lost a long time ago.”

Back then, you would go into an almost trance. The idea that this might be translated by this game scares you and in the end, you just focus on the West and East wings, avoiding the South wing entirely.

Lucky for you, Sora is in one of the corridors of the West wing, back to being frantic in pink.

He stops for a second when you appear and darts toward another of those vents only seen by your flashlight. You interact with it, like last time-

And again, a drawing of him takes up the screen:

“I’ll open the door to one of these rooms. Look for a BAG OF COTTON inside.”

You check on the others. There is  something tense- profoundly so.

The screen goes dark again and… some kind of song starts. Something starting simple, single piano sounds- then creaking, up, down, creaking. Little sounds, gasps, static and corrupted burbling growing louder, louder. 

And then, you are back in your room.

<Item acquired: Cotton Bag. Take it to EVIBELL!>

The sudden quiet soaks to the bottom of you.

“Unforgivable.” Ruri’s voice is seething with hatred. Sora leaves the call. “That was Sora’s voice. How? This-”

“Ruri”, Rin says. “Let’s talk about it later, okay? The three of us.”

Why not everyone? But somehow, you feel like you won’t get any straight answers tonight. 

All you can do for now, as the others talk to one another, is venture again into the familiar dark.

Chapter Text

Pressing G doesn’t seem to be working. Maybe it’s the time or something else. Press, negative noise. Ugh.

…Actually, you were told to try buttons, right? Why not.

yuiop, rty, fghjklç-

~

A victory tune and a bucket filled with something black appears where light meets the wall and disappears whenever the light isn’t on it. You interact with it-

“You should reconsider…”

Didn’t something else also give out that message? When you finished the quest… but you don’t see any use for a bucket like this right now. 

“Maybe it’s part of a puzzle”, Yuzu says. 

“This whole thing likes to be mysterious…”

You push the bucket around, but give up on it and try heading out again-

You walk into what should be the connection between maps and right over to the void. Immediately, the edges of the screen turn to garbled pieces and bits of sprites. The song- you could swear another instrument just joined in. 

The words are not in a box, but a deep purple that brands to the skin of the game:

“FLASHLIGHT OFF”

You press shift and everything disappears. 

But you know this sensation. You know this sensation just fine.

A curtain draws from the back of the unconscious.

--

You stole her bracelet as a game. Laughed and ran and she threatened to put you in the fridge to defreeze like a turkey.

At some point, though, you dropped it. 

You dropped it and that made it lost.

After you apologized, you two set out to look for it together.

The more you walked, the less you knew, but she assured you that this was just part of the facility. A cold breeze whistled and passed through you.

You don’t remember being you and don’t remember your name and don’t remember the games and don’t recall anything at all-

“Yuya?”

“Hey, snap out of it!”

You blink.

You have been walking against a wall. Your blood feels cold with a mix of fear and familiarity.

“Are you okay?”

Your voice comes up small.

“I think I’ll, leave it here for today. I’ll leave you guys posted, but, I think that’s enough chatting for me.”

“Take care…”

You barely know who is talking anymore. 

Disconnect.

--

liminallammergeier: Someone knows. Someone knows and put it in the game.

destoy: easy, Ruri… the real worrying thing is whether is knows everything else

windbitch: its a big deal for u. 

destoy: that’s because im that vain~

liminallammergeier: Leave it be, Rin. From our perspective, this is something unnatural, but it just follows from Sora’s principles.

destoy: ruri-chan is always so understanding~

windbitch: fine fine. but our priority stays the same

liminallammergeier: Protect Yuya. I’m not letting the boys down.

destoy: if something big shows up we talk to them first. `3´ and no matter what, he isn’t to blame at all for the fire.

windbitch: fucking akaba liars. 

lammergeier: Let us just keep an eye on things for now. No need to involve Serena and Yuzu on this side of business.

--

Now loading…

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…

…

!

Multiple save files available. Please choose a file.

BirDCAgE -- OK

>> InSOMNIA-- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played.)

TRUsT -- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played)

~:n?*~:Rｱ? -- (Corruption detected. Game cannot be played)

… Now loading ghost…

…

!

You don’t know why you decided to try the second file, but you did.

(You were scared of booting the game up and finding yourself back to that wall in the South Wing. You were terrified.)

The color of the room is a little off and there are stray pixels around, which stick and don’t leave even when you exit your room.

It is daytime. You check Sora’s door, but that ominous negative tune plays. 

As you go down the halls, you notice something is different- something is here that wasn’t in the first file.

Staff.

Shadows larger than students, patrolling. 

These people-

When Yuri would walk around, they brought him back to your room. Yuto and Yugo were also to be taken, you think, but they were much sneakier than Yuri. 

They only ever ignored you.

Everyone is walking in a staggered way, as if the game were dealing with lag. 

In the garden , you see Haruto, alone for once. Interacting with him just brings up the 

[QUEST ACQUIRED: Haruto’s Unnamable Games]

screen. 

You try to look for someone else.

Sora is sitting on a bench with a staff member. When you come close enough, textboxes show up.

“So when you go elsewhere, you still have to follow my rules, got it?”

“That’s so unfair, Sora…”

“You totally agreed to stuff being unfair!”

“What a cruel boss…”

“Aww, don’t make that face~ I’m plenty nice when I want.”

“Gross.”

“Say what you want, but I do such a great job looking out for you.”

“We aren’t even close to your top priority. Nonna us are…”

“Aww, jealous?”

A dissonant chord plays and a single strip of broken graphics quickly descends, breaking the whole garden and scrambling sprites. 

Slowly, Ruri walks up from behind you.

“...You are here early.”

[QUEST ACQUIRED: Maxwell’s Shadow]

“Shun was moved out last year. He is a good guy, you know? Always protected me.”

>>Yes

>> No

…What? What kind of choice is this? You press yes, confused. A corner of the screen tucks its glitchy mess onto itself.

“I’m in the dark again. Don’t call me a songbird, don’t say I’m kind. I don’t fully get it, but tomorrow it will be <snowing>”

In blue, again.

>>Open

>>Close

You open, guessing wildly.

“To meet Evibell, you should head back to Yugo’s birdcage. They took care of it… and Yuzu might be missing you. Take this to get, with eyes that don’t see the bars.”

<Item acquired:  . Bring it to YUZU!>

Another corner folds.

“I don’t have anything against you, see. I’m honestly jealous. Jealous of you and everyone else that tries so very hard to make things nicer for others. SERENA says I am being silly, but I am not good at being selfish, even if I try and try and try again.”

Her sprite is melting.

<Item acquired: . Bring it to Y ZU>

<Item acquired: . b ni t t t>

“No matter how much you try to play, it was broken before it even existed.”

Darkness encroaching, the shape of a hand, extending, fuzzy.

“Shun gave you that. YUTO, won’t you show it?”

One.

The contrast grows starker.

“Show. Just press it, don’t worry.”

Shift.

There is a loud ripping noise and everything turns red.

[!! Corruption warning!! Logging off…]

Now loading…

…

…

…

!

Multiple save files available. Please choose a file.

>> BirdCAgE -- OK

InSOMNiA-- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played.)

TRUsT -- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played)

~:n?*~:Rｱ? -- (Corruption detected. Game cannot be played)

… Now loading cage…

…

When the game finally lets you do anything, you are in a room full of pots. They look weird, a clashing style, like claymation.

You stop for now. 

From your own depths, you swear you can hear Yuto pacing, worried. It’s okay, you try to say- because the real Ruri is here. She is fine.

All of this, no matter how hard it bites, is still just a game.

And it’s not like you are hiding anything, right?

Chapter Text

Turns out it is infinitely satisfying to smush up claymation pots with Yugo’s bat. Even the music is catchy and fun!

Break a way through, make a mess to the tune, a way to the door and out-

Into a hall in the… West Wing, you think? But there is no door where you came from. You press against it and try to interact, but there is nothing. 

Without much else to do, but recalling that you had to give the cotton bag to that “Evibell”, you press G.

It works and you end up in that same room from before.

You click the little witch thing and-

<Uh-oh! EVIBELL has received the WHITE ROSE! Congratulations!>

Talk about mixed messages. But it speaks-

“Nighttime in the Facility shines light on all the bad things that happen here… You are so loved, YUYA! so LOVED that now all you have is a flashlight against the dark.”

And you are booted back to the garden.

You spot Ray.

She isn’t with Reiji, walking on her own. It is a little odd, since she usually clings to her big brother as much as possible. 

you try approaching, but she moves away no matter how you try to approach her. You decide to leave her be instead of trying to trap her or anything. No need to be mean, even if it is just a game.

In your search for Sora around the facility, you run close to the forest gate and the game locks up, before a short animation plays of Serena jumping it and landing close to you.

<The smell of blood is strong…>

She darts off and you, on a whim, run after her.

There are drops of blood to follow and you could swear the garden was smaller than this. You can only barely keep up and then-

Bonk!

There is a strange effect, as if you had run into someone invisible.

“...What? Yuya? Hah… no way. Am I finally losing it? I have to hurry…”

 Words display without the textbox, making them difficult to make out- even every time you press confirm, your character is moved backwards a few spaces without your input. A long tendril, animated in comparison to everything else here, descends and blocks your way, starting a ring of opening eyes. 

Not wanting to see what might happen if the circle is complete, you run into the East wing.

A textbox appears and it takes you a moment to realize that it was Ruri, entering the screen.

“Yuya. Are you LOST?”

>>YEs

>> NO

“...You know? I actually like the bits and pieces of her that I get to experience thanks to you.”

>> (UNLOCK) Why are you avoiding YUTO?

>> Yes

>> No

“I don’t think you would understand. He is my friend and that’s why. He looks my way and sees someone kind, just like my brother. I don’t like that ghost.”

>>You are out late too

>> You are right. I don’t get it.

“I was planning on getting to the West wing. See if Rin is out and about- but don’t tell her this, okay?”

There is a short pause and for a second you think the game may have hung up again. Instead, you gain a few of those collectibles from before. 

“I fundamentally disagree with the others, you know? They want you safe and well, no matter the cost… but all I can tell you is that I want you to feel the pain and see all these terrible things. That’s how I care.”

What a cryptic thing to say. She won’t respond now, either. 

You walk around the dark corridors, checking the doors.

<Everyone is sleeping…>

<Locked>

The only door leading to a bedroom with a different message is from the one Kaito and Haruto share. The special reward room in the East wing, awarded to Haruto.

<...Peek?>

>> Yes

>> No

A picture appears. Kaito is against the very corner of his bed, eyes wide. Haruto sleeps soundly.

Text comes down:

“The fairy tale scares him a lot. An untruthful heart hates itself. It is always flowing back, and never wants things to fall apart and become a well of lonely feelings. It’s a miserable dragon with knightly dreams. It’s a sad knight with dragon delusions. You won’t be able to understand his heart without at least some help. Get on Haruto’s good graces, again.”

Again?

You never really talked to him much… On days Ray was here, you could see them play together, usually under Kaito’s watch. 

You find yourself roaming around- but with that invisible wall keeping you from the South wing, you end up getting back to the North wing.

In searching, you end up finally spotting Sora. He is quick to dodge into a vent, and you follow, just to be greeted with that same picture from before.

“Great! You are so nice, you don’t even know…”

“I’ll open the door to one of these rooms. Look for a NEEDLE KIT inside.”

It is almost the same as last time- but, you notice that rather than a pitch black overlay, you have just been teleported to a profoundly dark room. Was it the same last time? Strips of black cover many areas and objects and the song won’t let up.

Oppressive. Terrifying. 

White flowers start to appear in strange patterns at the edges of the screen- and then fall, turning black and disappearing, melding to the dark until you are back in your room.

<Item acquired: Sewing Kit. Take it to EVIBELL!>

It is daytime now. You check your cockboard…

The Professor is visiting tomorrow. I’ll handle that -Yuri <3

It isn’t too late!! we just gotta retrace our steps out there - Yugo

Even in this game, they help and support you. 

It’s a nice, warm feeling. Because you broke, because that day-

No.

No, nothing.

There is nothing. What was it? Some day? No, no. 

No.

Nothing,  nothing, nothing, your head is hurting.

Your character move on its own. Out the room, she is at the edge, close to the Professor’s room. And you run.

It’s jus a bracelet

Nothing, nothing and no one, blankday, no need, no need!

It’s not your fault.

She laughs, calling out- “Give it back!”, and you never stopped. Hallway, garden, hiding. It’s like a curtain pulled letting you see piles and piles of rusty nails and you follow and follow and run, because that girl is playing with you and 

THUNK!

Your character is face to face with that wall.

You feel like you might suffocate.

Enough!

And it all disappears off your conscious mind.

Chapter Text

Your name is Yuri.

That overwhelming feeling is still floating in the barrier between you and the others and you need to stand up to breathe. 

Who? Who made this? Who is dragging those horrible memories back up and why?

It aches, it aches with all kinds of feelings and the worry alone might kill you. It’s over! The place burned! What do you gain from overthinking the debris? Who is it that you should punish for driving the nails in deep to a person you care about so much?

“Calm down”, Yuto’s voice reaches. “ It’s a change of plans, but-”

“I don’t want it! I don’t!”

“We need to find who made this. If it is Reiji, or someone else.”

“We were ALL supposed to take care of Yuya! So who? Who betrayed us?”

“ I don’t know.”

“Maybe Kaito? If somehow that would help Haruto, he would be above nothing. Maybe Ruri.”

“She wouldn’t. She’s far too kind!”

No point arguing Yuto on this one.

“...We will follow those two in the game and reality. And try to contact Mieru.”

Mieru, the psychic girl who got adopted. Her fear and mounting paranoia during those last days in the facility… and the note she left.

You don’t have it anymore, but you remember where Yuya kept it, along with other trinkets.
Let’s see if this game is truly all knowing.

Now loading…

…

…

…

!

Multiple save files available. Please choose a file.

BirdCAgE -- OK

InSOMNiA-- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played.)

>>TrUsT -- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played)

~:n?*~:Rｱ? -- (Corruption detected. Game cannot be played)

… Now loading cage…

…

The room is half devoured by roses ans bushes.

“Is that how you see it?”

“Yes.”

“To me it seems like a tangle of shadows.”

“Different for us. Just what is this game?”

“Do you think she-”

“Clearly, yes.”

You check the wardrobe.

<Just clothes here.>

Again.

<Just clothes here.>

Again.

<Just clothes here!>

Again.

<...Fine…>

<Item acquired: SEER’S NOTE!>

Takes a little while to find the inventory button- turns out it was the “[“ key. But there you can see the white note, folded like ever. You click on it.

“ Mieru is a great success. This is why she is leaving early. I’ll miss you a lot, YUYA. And I’ll regret that I could never really help with that girl, either… some kind of fortune teller I am. All I can tell is that she isn’t a ghost. Please, stay safe, okay? Mieru is going to a nice enough place, as foretold. Here is an address, if you ever want to send a letter. And it has to be a letterth do you thi

so

 no, it is             what will they do with us?

                   soulless weights scales, things. i don wanna aa involve ooootrhrs

 others

                        my house         little playground”

The flowers bleed stray pixels.

“ My house is burned? my my reflc 

            re

                                       im open to a hell you could not discern

             jsvzxxxxxxxxxx oh?      

   yu[][] come back!  where are you going? 

                                             faker faker fakerthing empty 

                                                                                                         dad?

               why?      dooesnt it scare you?

                                                   doesn’t it?”

She is here. 

Ugh. Of course it wouldn’t be easy… So you have to play the game. Fine! Fine, you won’t drag people back!

A pink box pops up.

[SHIFT to restore to memory]

…Restore?

It sends a shiver down your spine.

This game is the tearing of curtains, isn’t it?

It isn’t that you like to see pain. You just cannot bear to see him like that again. Like how you first met him. His wide yes, broken breathing, tears, mouth agape, as if he could break at any moment. 

It’s not his fault. They were just playing, there was no way he could have guessed it would happen like that.

“Yuri.”

“I don’t want this. Why do I have to be the one with this task?”

“I don’t know, either… but, somehow, I think you are the one that can make it hurt the least.”

You all have roles to play, then. 

The blood will be on your hands. But it’s fine, because you are you.

…

When you come to your senses, you are YUYA again. 

The game has been messed with, by the others, you assume, and you have been left in the daytime room of the birdcage file, judging by the lack of any graphical glitch.

Unsure whether to stop playing for today or not, you check the corkboard again.

“RESTORE affects all -Yuri”

“Look in a mirror - Evibell”

“You are in many times -Yuya”

…A note for yourself? And what mirror? You don’t-

Oh.

In real life?

It wouldn’t be the strangest thing from this game yet, but it still makes you nervous to stand up and look into the mirror on your door.

It’s you.

Messy silver hair with green bits and bobs. Yellow, piercing eyes. 

A commonplace vessel.

The way your body is so different from how you picture yourself in headspace always makes you uncomfortable, but it isn’t the worst thing in the world. The others also deal with that and it is nice to have a bit of neutral ground when it comes to you real world presentation.

Behind you, something is rising. 

The moment you notice it you freeze. 

The floor bubbles like liquid. Shadow coalesces and only rises up to her waist, extending a chain of eyes all the way to the ceiling, where they pop and burst into bugs carrying hair strands.

You force yourself to turn around.

There’s nothing there.

Chapter Text

It’s been a week since you last opened the game.

You saw something that your mind knew you shouldn’t have. And it was terrible. Yuto, Yugo, Yuri- suddenly they were clawing at your mind, trying to split the understandings away from you until you stood up and started yelling.

Mom, dad- they were worried. 

And for the first time in a while, you heard it while you tried to sleep.

Dripping down the walls. Knocking from the inside of your laptop. Whispering- Let me in, let me in. Let me in, little friend. Let me in.

The nameless girl calling, calling, wanting. The pressure over your chest. The flowering feast, the net over the moon, the spires and floating eyes.

She’s here and trying louder and louder to be seen. 

When you played, you did many quest things. Even through its difficult to understand frills, a game is a game.

First, Ruri’s unknown delivery to Yuzu. 

“...She doesn’t want it to disappear, huh…”

“Ruri does the things she does for love, you know? And I get it. I’m really worried too. I’m supposed to help, but I can’t even accompany the plan up close. But, I know. I know it isn’t that Rin doesn’t trust me- she just wants to share a secret like that. And…”

“...”

“She doesn’t want me to get stuck in a position where I could not possibly call him my friend.”

“Really thoughtful, isn’t it? But I resent it anyway.”

It is so frustrating.

What is she even talking about? 

It feels like everyone is ahead of you, keeping secrets in plain sight, talking around the painful things. Why?

“Because you are loved”.

The textbox opens on its own, with no input from your part. It chills you to the bone.

At that point, you left, deciding to try to complete an easier quest to understand.

At that point you ran away from the idea this game might be hearing your thoughts.

Instead, you settled on Sora’s quest for now. An easy lull to fall into- follow him at night into a vent, witness a strange cutscene in the dark, receive at item to give to Evibell. That much required you to switch to “Birdcage”. 

In the dark of those staff rooms, you hear always the same strange, boring melody. It never strikes you until you decide to stop and listen. 

…

Sounds like springs moving. A rhythmic snap. The song breaks apart, stops and resumes broken and dissonant and you hear strained sounds.

Sora’s voice.

It turns to something that is almost a sob and the song stops suddenly, the whole screen freezing with chaotic pink stripes everywhere.

That sentence again, spoken by a robotic voice: 

“...Were you expecting to see something… exciting?”

You almost close the game window, thinking this is another crash or somesuch, but a black window pops up:

“I’ll open the NORTH WING 0-5 COMMUNAL BEDROOM door. Look for [][][][][][] inside”

A cut to black and…

And there you are, back to the bedroom. Again. 

The communal bedrooms aren’t locked rooms, like every other you had to search before. And this time, you don’t even have a clear thing to look for.

You wandered, then, lost.

Finding Kaito in the garden, alone for once, you got a different dialogue this time:

“...Don’t tell Haruto where I am today. I’m checking some files.”

>> FILE READ

>> SOUL READ

…Huh?

What kind of options are those? Curious, you select “Soul Read”.

“Most of the kids here have heavily specialized souls. Even us, rejects. Whose soul are you wondering about this time?”

A window with letters, to form a name.

Knowing it is Kaito, you type the obvious thing: Haruto

“...”

“Haruto’s soul pulses with many sharp pieces. They are tearing into him, causing pain that just isn’t fair. It hurts to touch it, and it is warm. No matter what, I need to help him. Even if it means breaking his soul and sanding it down to something he can actually live with, I need to do it.”

He turns away and when you try interacting again, he grumbles:

“One per day. I don’t have as much free time as you lot.”

Is this true to reality?

Something about “Kaito can see souls” seems right, but your head hurts when you try to peer further into that tidbit.

Instead, you decide to change files again. Maybe the staff have some quest to them or something, and you don’t have many ideas right now.

Back to Insomnia.

The moment you step out, you see Ruri. Your character stops and she walks up to you.

“...Say. Do you think this is something I’m doing to hurt or help you?”

>>HURT

>>HELP

“Hah! I’m sorry, that was a trick question. It’s both. Do you think that’s unreasonable to ask, YUTO? Does it not sound like me at all to you? I’m a little cross, it’s all… I disagree with the others. I think I need to ask you about it and let you in the <snow>. How many fingers do I have?”

>>NINE

>> NINE

>> NINE?

>> N

>> ?

The excess options pour out of the choice box and flow to the corners of the screen.

That day wasn't supposed to go like that.

It was never gonna be easy, but it wasn't supposed to go like that, yuo swear.

When Shun was thirteen and you were nine and the nameless girl began spreading like wildfire.

When you heard a shot from the forest one night and knew what was happening.

When Serena would turn up with blood in her mouth.

When all terrifying things began in earnest and Shun realized that if he wanted to protect Ruri, he had to be proactive.

He told her so.

"Our friends are in this wing. You should stay here outside meal times."

"Yuto is our friend, but we can't act like the others are. The nameless girl is after them."

"Let's only meet with Yuto if it is the three of us together."

"Serena is a bad influence. Sora is straight up dangerous. There is no reason to get close to the North Wing.”

It wasn’t an unbelievable thing.

Not when the stench of death came and Sora appeared late, grinning and smelling like cotton candy. Not when Serena delivered rats and shared bone with Ruri.

Not when you knew that getting close to you four was a bad idea. Shun only clang to Yuto because he had hopes. Hopes that you were a good person, deep down.

But she snapped back.

And hell broke loose. 

She claimed to love it, to love the terrible things. 

He got someone killed, Ruri!

He did! And I’ll love even that!

She’s picking up forest animals, she plays with them until they die-

It fills her stomach well and I love the bones to it.

You don’t get it, you are too gentle, you try to see the best in everyone-

Do I? Is that the girl in your eyes?

You are talking like you aren’t even Ruri.

I’m sick of being coddled. Of being a damsel in distress. Protect me? You aren’t even seeing me!

You aren’t yourself. You aren’t Ruri.

Maybe I’m not. Bury her! Bury her, Shun! BURY HER!

Who are you? Who the hell are you?

Give me a name! Can you gift me that? 

What did you do to Ruri?

I killed her! I killed her! She’s dead! Look at me- she’s dead!

Crackling like static.
Yuya, don’t look. Don’t look. I’m sorry, don’t look. I was scared, I was petrified. Don’t look.

Ruri doesn’t know pain. Doesn’t hurt others.

Then you have to show it to me! That’s the only valuable thing here and you are putting it out of my reach?

I think Ruri had the knife first. I tried to wrestle it away from her because at the time, I didn’t understand what she meant. Shun tackled me, terrified, and got a hold of it.

You aren’t Ruri.

Show it to me! I’ll bury her!

I don’t know if it was an accident.

Yuya stop, stop looking. Stop looking!

They are here, the three of them, trying to pull the curtain. Ruri’s eyes met yours. 

“You are being cradled with so much more love than you could ever guess”

Blood.

The absence of painful things doesn’t mean they don’t exist. 

Dull blue-greys cover the canvas as both you and the memory of her meet it. You, full of confusion. Her?

Triumphant.

Yuto mutters his apologies and somehow, you know it is now snowing outside.

Chapter Text

entermates: @liminallammergeier 

entermates: Ruri?

liminallammergeier: Hey, Yuya! It’s pretty late, isn’t it? Did you need something?

entermates: You are living with Shun, right?

liminallammergeier: For now, yeah ^^’ Why?

entermates: It’s just… I was playing the game today, you know? And, strange stuff happened and I remembered about, that big fight you two had.

entermates: I had totally forgotten about it. I don’t think Yuto wanted me to remember, either. But, is that why you don’t want to live with Shun?

liminallammergeier: …

liminallammergeier: You are getting it backwards, Yuya. 

liminallammergeier: I’m glad I got hurt. Thankful, even. What I can’t deal with is being safe, being caged, coddled. Because I treasure this memory but Shun doesn’t. Because I understood all the ways in which we are flawed. 

liminallammergeier: I love it. 

liminallammergeier: I don’t think Yuto wanted you to see this, though. He doesn’t want you in pain, Yuya- and he knows I think differently. I think that you need to see that pain too, in order to unravel this yarn. 

liminallammergeier: Because you never acknowledged my hands before.

liminallammergeier: If you look, now, know I am a living celebration of all hurting things. Don’t join a funeral for me. I’m still here.

entermates: You went by a different nickname before. I think I remember now… lyrilusc?

liminallammergeier: Short for “lyrical luscinia”. At that time, I was satisfied being the passerine songbirds while Shun was the harsher side.

entermates: Raidraptor.

liminallammergeier: Yes. And now, I am not anything pleasant to him. I’m a vulture. I follow the evidence of pain. 

liminallammergeier: And so, I will follow you too. The four of you.

--

Under the starry sky Sora shivers, but only barely registers the cold.

He doesn’t hate it.

This is his home. His only place. Here, he pulled strings and moved staff like toys to his heart’s content. He was meaningful. 

When he agreed to help burn it down, he already knew he would be disappearing with it.

The moon hangs from the sky like a mobile.

He thinks he might be going insane. 

Yuya walks the ruins like a ghost- untouchable, pallid and vague, tracing the old routes even if all that is left is a field of debris and the smell of ash-

And, the most important thing, is that somewhere, certainly, there is a door.

A door leading to the secrets that justify the existence of the facility in first place. The Professor’s will, buried, to never again be found, just as intended.

Sora stands up.

His right hand sticks to itself from burns not gained in the fire. 

His shirt clings to the scarred up mess of his back.

“Fine. It’s a deal. Do your worst, but get me the supplies.”, he had said.

Sora uses a phone sparsely, saving battery, since recharging requires a trip to the city and he doesn’t want to be seen. No matter what, he has to have at least enough battery so that he can tell everyone when he finds the door.

The epicenter.

What a joke.

He has been lying. Saying he got moved to a different orphanage after leaving the hospital. 

No point making the others worry about him.

It’s almost over, anyway. 

And then he can sleep, lying down to join the ashes of stuffed animals he put together from pillow fluff and fabric scraps.

--

“ You don’t have to keep playing”, says Yuto.

“I do.”

“You’ll just get hurt.”

“Better hurt than in prison, right?”

He goes quiet.

“Do you guys trust me?”

“It’s not about trust.”

“I don’t want to just share the happy moments with you, Yuto. I want to be there for you when things are difficult too!”

“...I know. I know. But not everyone is as open about things as Ruri. Some things are… just too difficult.”

“But the game is giving me a way. A way to learn.”

“I don’t trust it.”

“If it’s all I have, then I have to trust it.”

And so, you open the game again. 

Your character is standing where you last left it- already, that is odd. It should be back in the bedroom.

There is no sign of Ruri anywhere, and when you check a window:

“It’s <snowing>. Uh oh.”

What were you even doing last time?

Sora’s quest? Time to check out the communal bedroom, then. 

There are three communal bedrooms in each wing, segregated by age. Zero to five, five to ten, ten onwards. Besides those, staff get personal bedrooms and one of those bedrooms (or two, in the case of the North Wing) is given to the best behaving kid in the wing.

You enter. 

There is only one staff member there- but the sprite is strange, almost translucent. You approach to talk.

There is no textbox, but the words float anyhow, making it hard to read.

“ Sora is after that, then? What a hassle. It is nowhere anymore. Maybe it was never anywhere to begin with. ”

“That kid is trouble, even for the standards of this hellhole. Someone meant to be Manipulative in a facility like this was only ever going to be trouble- and I am very devoted to making sure the children under my care aren’t harmed. Someone had to do something about it, you know? BREAK that enough. I have no regrets. if you had seen the expression on her face… you would know who the ABNORMAL one was. ”

“I turned out to have been right. How much more dangerous would Sora be if I had let it be? Already, she has the staff dancing on strings. I did everyone a favor. So do me a favor and let her know: This is karma.”

What…?

What is this even about?

The moment you move your character, the sprite disappears, as if it had never been there.

You can feel how Yuri moves in the deep.

Out you wander and in doing so, you spot Serena sitting on a bench.

“Doesn’t feel great, now, does it? Yuzu must be hiding from this.“

She really hates winter, for sure.

“It comes with the soul.”

The soul?

“...Don’t ask me about it. I don’t really understand it and don’t care to. Takes a weirdo like Kaito to get it. I hear he and Sora are masters at pilfering data stuff. They’d be great friends if Kaito didn’t have a complex about it.”

Ouch, no mercy from Serena. But… yeah. That tracks, with the strange options you saw from him last time. Maybe you should look for him again.

Unfortunately, you find him in the playroom of the east wing. Haruto and Ray are playing, from the looks of it, and he tells you to buzz off. He’s busy.

You approach the two kids, instead. 

“Ray doesn’t like talking much…” Haruto says. “But when the Professor is around, she is the perfect Ray.“

What does that mean?

With no other choice, you leave the playroom. You’ll have to figure out how to tell if Kaito is gonna be alone or not.

Serena said Yuzu would be in hiding- somewhere in the south wing, you guess. 

When you leave the building, a warning appears:

“YUYA is receiving [][][][] [][][] in 163 seconds! Restore to escape!”

The garden is a garbled mess of sprites and an oppressive anxiety is obligated to your chest when the numbers  stick to a corner of the screen, counting down.

You switch your character to Yuri and press shift-

The mess resolves into cool toned flowers in the snow around you, letting you progress. Without thinking you try heading to the south wing, pressing shift up against the corruption. Restore, restore, whatever it means. 

That day, weren’t you chasing someone, too? 

Your head hurts and you press on. The ticking, it feels like that wet clicking is right beside your ear.

Please, quicker.

Some of the mess takes several attempts at restoration to subside and the path you are forced to take for it is winding.

You see Serena, next to the broken up bench.

Her sprite is hunched over in a red puddle, jerking her head. Weak squeaks leek from the speakers. 

Quick, quick. Save me in the remaining ten or so words-!

You enter the south wing just as the timer hits zero.

In front of you, darkness.

And with a deafening crash, a bird crashes through your window. You stare, wide eyes, as the room is covered in glass that sparkles like glitter and heavy blood.

A thin layer of.

Chapter Text

“Hello again, little Zarc”

She whispers in your ear and you hold your breath. The smell is putrid. 

“Let’s play together, like we did that day. Before I was replaced. Before I was overflowing.”

Your eyes are fixed on the bird- even from here you can see a hole in its chest, bleeding plentifully. 

Her hair droops over you. 

It’s your fault, isn’t it? The memory crawls and bangs at the door of your consciousness. When you lost her bracelet and looked for it together. 

The corridors that were then, burned to your memory. The place beyond the locked door, down stairs into white.

Three pairs of hands trying to help. Trying to pull you away from that room. From that pain. Cannibalizing your mind lovingly. 

Why are we stuck here? Why are we being controlled so harshly? I want to leave. I want to get out. That ghost, or whatever it is- it is terrifying. Why am I stuck with it? Let me out! Let me out!

…

Staff is scary too. They treat us like things. People keep getting hurt because of them. I can’t fight back, but I want to. I want to be able to protect my friends. 

…

The Professor comes by sometimes and he has some business with me. I don’t remember what happened, but he hates me for it. I don’t want to be hated. I don’t want to wind up alone. Hey, what could I do to be a good kid in your eyes?

…

She sticks fingers in your mouth to pull, turning your head back to the screen, filling under your tongue with a taste that brings bile up to the rim of your throat, just for you to forcibly swallow it back down.

The game has changed again.

Everything is debris, everything is swallowed by ash. You can still see the corridors, the walls, but they shimmer, translucent, held together by tendrils of her.

“Why?”

No one is around.

“I’ve been replaced, Zarc. I want to find myself again, but I’ve become a parasite. It’s your fault.”

“I don’t remember anything.”

“That’s why we need to keep playing together.”

She pours herself over your hands, keeping them bound. You move through the layered world, but the only person you manage to find is Sora. His sprite moves strangely, though- there is something organic in how he steps away from you.

“Most of your friends want you well.”

You gulp.

“Ruri-chan is the exception, isn’t she?”

“Yes. But even she does this because she loves you.”

“I, had forgotten about what happened to her. What else am I missing?”

“The days in this game are happening many times over. You should take advantage of that. Do you remember how you used to press up against a wall, looking for my bracelet without seeing a single thing?”

Ah.

The red pulses, taking away the current state of the facility, leaving behind-

It’s a ready-to-change memory.

She is gone.

It’s a hole inside you.

When you finally find Sora again, the sprite is acting normal again. You talk…

“...”

“I knew it would end up like this, already. There’s no way to run from what already happened, huh? No matter what I do, I’m still just myself.”

“But here. Thank you for helping me. You deserve to at least have the chance to see how all of this turned out.”

<ACQUIRED: Forest Key>

QUEST: Sora’s 3:23 AM Surprise complete! His steps were quiet and the kid dragged the bloody blankets behind

The text keeps going, overflowing out of the box, raining down.

thinking it must be a weird dream or nightmare. If you pretend like there is no pain, then there was really none to see. nothing can be felt and he knew he had to wash up and face tomorrow as well with steps that seem much more coordinated than anyone else. stash away the 3 AM tears and rub your ankles together, smearing rather than letting it hit the floor. and now knowing t

You step back, but the text remains in place and when you try to get closer again, you find out it has become a solid wall. He can’t move and you can’t go back in. 

Reach back again.

Sora who is always helpful, who hoards candy and can acquire pretty much anything if you just ask him to.

But you can’t help him.

Sometimes you heard it, right? His steps, the sound of his door creaking open at strange hours. But you didn’t think much of it. He was just happy with staying by your side and never having to explain himself.

“Can you guys explain? Do you know what this means?”

Yugo’s voice comes through:

“We thought… it is best if he chooses to explain it.”

“What kind of friend am I if I  can’t even help him? If I can’t even-”

“Rin thought the same. You should talk to her, I think. The two of them were working together when everything happened.”

Huh?

“I thought Rin liked working with you the best, Yugo.”

“She does! Whatever she was working on, though, she needed it secret from us.”

“...Do you think this game will, let us learn?”

“At this point I don’t doubt anything! But we can’t exactly give up now, either. I mean, we just unlocked the forest! Best place to go wild and run around!“

“Wait, did we ever go to the forest?”

“I did. Not the rest of you guys.”

“The rule of not going there was pretty much just a suggestion, huh?”

“Hah! Yeah! Also… this is good. She’s disappeared again. But not the bird.”

The sentence knocks your mind back to connecting to reality.

It’s like no time had passed at all. The bird still makes weak noises in its death throes and before you can stand up, your door is opened and you see the worried faces of your adoptive parents.

--

liminallammergeier: I think we should add Kaito and Haruto to the chat.

windbitch: ur kidding right?

windbitch: u may enough of a sadomasochist to like pokint the tiger but im not like that

liminallammergeier: The point isn’t Kaito, Rin.

windbitch: …U think Haruto is gonna spill about Ray?

liminallamergeier: It’s a better shot than trying to ask Reiji. Why is it that when she is with the professor she ties her hair different? act so different? 

windbitch: sora also spent time w her. why not ask him?

liminallammergeier:  …

liminallammergeier: Do you think he was telling the truth when he said he got moved to another orphanage?

windbitch: why would he lie about that??

liminallammergeier: I have a guess. Or, rather- we all have our own guesses. As part of the nameless girl, however, I cannot just abstain. And I think you understand it better than me.

windbitch: das why i can’t claim to be his friend. but what i do care? the creeps are dead.

liminallammergeier: He really didn’t want anyone else to suffer through it. But Rin, we all saw his hand. The burn, how it seemed on purpose. How the clock kept ticking and he said taht he didn’t care for growing up at all. 

liminallammergeier: I should have helped. I should have been on top of things. I’m jealous of you because you are too kind to claim friendship, but I know I would have been so selfish as to fall in love. 

windbitch: ur a lost cause >_>

windbitch: let’s not mention dat to the others, okay? ill look n see if i can add sourpuss mc dragons and haruto. but you r gonna have to look into sora’s whereabouts urself.

liminallammergeier: We are really against each other here, huh? 

windbitch: i just don’t feel like it’s my place to explain it. i hate that things turned out this way but…

windbitch: we were due a trial by fire.

Chapter Text

You never went to the forest before. 

Serena and Ruri might sometimes go out there, not caring about rules or locked gates. 

(Mom brought you outside to bury the bird. It’s chest had a hole in it and you could see the white of bone. Dad cleaned up the room and even from downstairs you could hear him knocking out the glass from the window pane.)

Tall trees, making it hard to see your character. A quiet ambience rather than music. You found out that it was easier to navigate this place in the “Insomnia” file- “Birdcage” simply had many voids, growing more and more plentiful as the facility left your view.

(How did the bird get a hole like that in it? No glass stuck to it. It didn’t land on the shards.A perfect cylindrical puncture.)

By pressing to bring up your flashlight the treetops disappear, letting you wander easily. How far does it go? Is there anything out there? Is there-

Ruri is here.

Her sprite moves slowly around something black and red. An animal carcass, maybe? You inspect it first.

A window opens and your blood runs cold.

Dithered and low resolution, but unmitakeably, this is your room. Your floor. The glass. The bird. 

“Yuya”, the textbox appears under the image and it just won’t close. “I’m not like the others, you know? I have no interest in being kind. No care to be nice, no want to spare you from the gruesome details.”

Crunching noises.

“I am jealous of how others don’t need to make a choice. Of how they stay afloat even through their want to help you. I can’t do that. The moment I offer a helping hand I’ll be devoured again. I don’t want to be erased. Please witness me, in all my cruelties. Don’t lock me back up, don’t leave me alone in Shun’s shadow, only ever protected. Only ever loved. Only ever seen with a smile. This seems like cruelty, but I don’t want to be like you and I don’t want you to be in the dark, either. Because I care, I need you to face the song.”

The sounds of ripping and breaking.

Blood spreads out around the picture.

A prompt:
[ RESTORE? ]

>> Yes

>> No

The screen goes black… and the whole thing reboots. 

Now loading…

…

…

…

!

Multiple save files available. Please choose a file.

BirdCAgE -- OK

InSOMniA-- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played.)

>>TrUst -- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played)

~:n?*~:Rｱ? -- (Corruption detected. Game cannot be played)

Yuri stares at you from the room.

Your heart is racing. What was that? Why was-

…

Someone died in that forest a few years ago. 

Why do you only remember that now?

It was… a staff member. The guy in charge of the smaller kids in the north wing. You don’t even recall why that happened, but two other staff members shot the guy. There was never any investigation, never anything.

He just disapeared. Like that. 

Yuya, easy. There’s no need to think of that.

Who is it? Yuto? Why shouldn’t you recall? You aren’t so fragile as to need protecting from that! Is this was Ruri wants us to remember? Then why not trust her judgement of it? 

You don’t know how much you don’t remember.

[RESTORE?]

Please don’t push it. 

We love you.

Yuri, stop it. Ruri, she wouldn’t really-

But she would

I miss just playing with her and Shun. I miss these peaceful days. I miss it. I miss it! Why? Why did she decide to team up with those two?! People died! People died for it!

When the fire roared to life, everyone was acting as though they knew what would happen. 

up until the moment-

Stop!

When people dressed in white started locking rooms, leaving children to die inside. You would also have died if Sora hadn’t unlocked your door. And you could not save everyone. 

Outside, Rin was screaming bloody murder.

>> Yes

>> No

Another reboot.

…

…

!

Multiple save files available. Please choose a file.

birdcage -- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played.)

insomnia-- (Possible corruption detected. Game can be played.)

trust -- (Corruption detected. Game cannot be played)

[]   -- (Corruption detected. Game cannot be played)

The children that died. They are nowhere anymore. 

News said there were no casualties.

Erased, just like that, for whatever reason. The sensation of looking at the others and seeing they might know something you don’t. Yugo, Yuto and Yuri swallowing these memories up for you, for your happiness. Everyone else agreeing to it.

“Because you are my friend”.

Chapter Text

At that point in time, the three of them sat around the borrowed laptop.

Neither Rin nor Ruri dared to question how Sora got this, but his bandaged hand and vacant stare told them all they needed to know.

Bit by bit, the bedroom was made, with long pauses for Rin to painstakingly draw the assets with the trackpad.

“This is going to take a while… do we have that much time?”, Ruri asked. 

“Not really, but we don’t need the whole facility. One room is enough- she’ll scurry right in.”

The nameless girl.

The pink tower, the four times dead, Yuya’s first curse. 

An unraveling thread.

“Sora? Are you sure you want to be the one looking for the door?”, asks Ruri.

“That’s my role. I can play it just fine.”

“I don’t mean it that way”, with a firm tone. She picks his hands up to hers, squeezing them. He lets out a hiss and Rin makes a face, but she doesn’t let go.

Although they are working together, Ruri and Rin don’t always see eye to eye. 

…

?

Yuya sees a resonation of this memory, with the three sprites in place.

The past conversation is rehashed in the present:

“I don’t mean it that way”

“Ruri-chan is as mysterious as ever~”

“Don’t deflect. It hurts when I squish, doesn’t it?”

“Hrn- it’s not really like me to- ow!”

“Ruri! Stop that!”

“You aren’t in position to criticize me, Rin.”

“...”

“What I mean by all this, Sora, is that I refuse to abandon you. I’ll follow into your daymares. It isn’t that I’m nicer than Rin or anything-”

“Hey!”

“I’m more cruel than her. There’s no need to be human at all and I’ll drag you away when time comes. You’ve suffered aplenty and will suffer more, with all of us. But I won’t let you be alone.”

“The game is like a garden.”, and you notice this is an almost non sequitur. “It will grow around this core, thanks to Yugo.”

“You always rely on him, don’t you, Rin?”

“It’s easier to have it be him than the others. They are more… protective of Yuya.”

“Aren’t you all.”

“Nah, I don’t think Serena really cares.”

“You think so? I think she cares plenty, in her own way, about all of us. I mean, she hasn’t dug those things up yet, right? And she would know.”

What are they talking about?

The screen is slowly dimming.

You now understand that the game is made out of memories. You aren’t playing as much as you are replaying, bringing to light things the others never let you learn, hoping that through this, somehow, you can figure it out.

But why?

Why like this? Why can’t they just… tell you? And, Yugo, why are they talking about you?

I’m sorry. I don’t really remember either! 

What about the others?

No dice. But… I think this had something to do with Ray. Maybe we can find her in the game?

Now that you talk about it… she’s in the game, but you haven’t seen Reiji or the Professor anywhere in it, either. Not in the birdcage, not in insomnia. 

…

Ah. 

Of course- out of all of you, it is Yuri that would know. The file you need is his. But first…

The screen is black. You can hear your character walking when you press the keys. 

You’d walk as if possessed, back then, aware that when you close your eyes, others can see that girl. With a vague sense that you lost something somewhere never again accessible, you’d wander, followed closely by Yugo, who is free from things as flimsy as walls.

What were you after?

Cut off the conscious mind.

Yuri?

Just follow your heart and Yugo will follow you.

You lost something. Something that wasn’t yours. Then… 

Your eyes are closed and your hands move.

Then…

Something bad happened. 

You feel cold. 

You saw something you weren’t supposed to see. 

And now you can’t remember it. What was it? What happened?

You… you went there with someone, but came out alone. And then she was there. Fourfold. 

You are navigating to her and her and her and her. Your body feels so cold, your chest feels open, throbbing, crawling out and exposing bone. 

A picture flashes on the screen, but you don’t need to see to know what it is. 

The corpse with bright purple eyes, smiling when Yuzu found her.

You aren’t following the paths of the facility. You can hear- the thumps against walls, opening of doors, things that aren’t there but were somewhere.

Another flash in another wing.

She’s inside before she’s outside.

Everything was prepared for you, to keep you from crumbling to pieces. 

Again, she’s gruesome and trying to stand up, unable. Guilt is filling you and all you can do is cling onto the others. Yugo, help. Yuto, help. Yuri, help. I’m afraid I might drown.

One last time the screen shows it to you, this time with a clock reading a time in the afternoon, accurate down to the second.

She’s dead.

She’s dead and you killed her.

Lights return and you are face to face with Ray.

“I’m just a replacement”, she says. “That isn’t my name at all. But he would like it to be.”

--

gluoncaramels has been added to the chat

photondragon has been added to the chat

destoy: hey~

gluoncaramels: hi sora! everyone, hi!

gluoncaramels: nii-san, say something too

photondragon: Hello.

windbitch: 10/10 sociability lul

destoy: feeling better, Haruto?

gluoncaramels: a bit! it feels terrible but it hurts less

photondragon: And hopefully it will hurt less and less. 

photondragon: Why did you need Haruto here?

windbitch: always assuming the worst

melodiva: Be nice, Rin!

melodiva: I’m glad to see you two back here <: )

liminallammergeier: We are just missing Ray, then, before everything starts to fall in place. Things will be more fragmentary from here on out. Are you guys ready?

gluoncaramels: you were waiting for us?

gluoncaramels: why?

destoy: Having you around is the best shot at getting Ray o3o

photondragon: I’m not going to let you just use Haruto for this.

destoy: You know just as well as I do that this is how you can damage his soul enough without hurting him too badly. An ending you can’t find in your books, Kaito-san. 

photondragon: Tch.

gluoncaramels: I’ll be fine, nii-san! this is important for all of us.

gluoncaramels: or rather… it’s another story. but this one has an answer.

liminallammergeier: This is your last chance to run away, Kaito.

melodiva: Please, stick with us.

photondragon: Fine.

gluoncaramels: thanks nii-san!

destoy: From here on out, let’s all play our roles~ The end to all secrets.

--

The Forest

This place is only accessible after following Sora and gathering the pieces for a toy that cannot be completed.

At night, one can find Serena here. She’s always hunting something or another down. 

It had never occurred you that this habit of hers was strange. To you, she seemed powerful and free more than anything.

She would get sick from eating forest things, but never stopped.

She was made that way.

Made?

Made, rather than simply born.

Yuri doesn’t quite make sense, but you keep walking, following carcasses under a shivering moon.

You remembered that someone died here.

Yeah. Creepy stuff.

Do you remember that month, way back then, when Sora kept stumbling around smelling like cotton candy?

It smelled that way, but it wasn’t that at all. The nameless girl-

Stop. Don’t wander, stay. Stay in this thought, don’t let it go away. We will be doing this plenty from here on out.

He… smelled like death. It was manipulated into sugar, because…

He was always afraid that the Professor was hurting us. He always wanted to steal that attention from us. 

It hurts to think about it.

Yuya, he arranged this death.

No.

Everyone but us knows it. He was just trying to tend to his own wounds. Those horrible wounds that damaged the soul inside. He wants us to never feel that pain.

It’s a clearing. 

Thunder, rain and that frantic sprite of Sora. You approach and a picture appears before you…

…

This is not the last time you’ll be here.

<RESTORE>

And you are booted out of the game.

Chapter Text

It begins again.

Nausea, your head spinning, a call from somewhere beyond the veil of dreams.

The nameless girl draped over you with a sensation that could freeze your heart. 

What’s happened?

Everyone, what were you dreaming of this whole time?

What did these eyes see?

The facility is a ship in a bottle. A microcosm of cruelty, an ongoing experiment. You can recall her- Ray.

Maybe around ten or eleven years old, purple hair pulled in pigtails. Lively around the Professor, as if playing a role… and when alone, she always looked down and seemed blank, as if she were nobody at all.

But… something is wrong. She’s Ray, right? That’s how everyone calls her. So why is that name conjuring forth a different face? A day, a day years ago. A day before your first memory of waking up to the sound of the others.

A tall Ray with wine hair and a bright smile running after you. A bracelet you stole in your hands, giggling, a game of tag. Air, blue skies outside the windows, the world large and everlasting.

And-

You turned right. 

But that’s not possible. This corridor, you know it. There’s just a wall there- nowhere for you to go. But the memory insists- you turned into that hallway. 

And you ran.

And her voice grew more frantic.

Walls painted white, a different floor tiling.

Hey!! Come back! 

Silver doors.

Mechanical whirring.

Your head hurts and the nameless girl oozes.

We can’t be here, Yuya!

A trapdoor and down you went. 

At some point you dropped the bracelet. 

It feels like someone is hammering against your skull.

And then…. what happened?

Her… the cameras caught her body in four different places. Another impossible thing. A riddle that you should already have the answer to, but you don’t. Memories not anchored to reality and the game. 

You sit up.

Here we open a parenthesis parallel to thoughts- things running in the game, told in oblique ways. Pain stored just to finally be revealed. 

You wander the game world, slowly putting things together and.

entermates : Why am I so important to you?

entermates : Is this really the only way you found to tell me all these things? Did you even mean to do this? Everyone’s secrets…

entermates : I wanted to be able to help you. To see you smile, so why?

Because you are loved.

Which of the others said that? Maybe all of them. 

A sensation running deep. Arms around you. 

Everytime you close your eyes, everyone else can see her. Everyone but the grown ups, the facility staff, your eternal enemies.

This is repetition, you know it. You are already aware of all of this.

Yugo, you worked with them, right?

and his response resonates with being true:

I don’t even remember it…

They took memories to grow into this game, then trapped the nameless girl- no.

No.

They trapped the real Ray inside.

This is all her doing- they barely did anything. All this time, she’s been carving the shape of that place into these ones and zeroes. She’s the one babbling out to you about all the pains inside that place.

Yuri always dealt with the Professor, she says. He’s become a lonely light. He’s hated more than anyone else in this world. 

You wander his file- it’s much more whole now.

Yugo handled the want to run away. The need to flee. It’s agonizing, it’s tiring to yearn and yearn and find nothing in the end.

An accumulating rain of curses laid down with each generated corridor.

And Yuto could handle the staff, the rules, the neglect and cruel behaviors directed at you all.

There was a fire.

The game tells you that.

You were locked in your room.

You interact with the door, but it doesn’t budge. A haze of smoke covers the screen and for a moment you fear that all you will get is a rehash of what happened that day. How Sora managed to throw the door open, how you ran down halls trying to free the other kids but without time to pick open the doors.

How, how bizarre that was. Why were they locked? Who did that?

Text pops up:

“I’ll show it to you.”

Half memory, half game, entirely pulling you through blazing halls. Staff walking around, locking rooms full of kids. The others- Kaito carrying Haruto, baring his teeth at anyone coming close. Rin trying to lead others out, a harrowing expression on her face. Ruri and Serena running together, being followed by those people. Yuzu trying and trying to kick down a door. Sora sweating trying to pick his own door open…

And…

It’s the place. The wall, the hallway in your memory that doesn’t exist.

You walk up.

Fire laps at the walls.

It’s all like you remember, but why? Somewhere here you dropped that bracelet. At the end of the road, the end of the day, the trapdoor, the threshold between the you that was just you and the fourfold identity you now hold.

You approach.

It’s like you were there. Crackling at your ears, unable to breathe right, eyes watering from the smoke. Closer, closer, extending your hand, nevermind everything else, only the truth will save any of you-

RESTORE attempt failed! Teleporting…

And you are back in your room, heart beating loud, suddenly exhausted.

There have been responses in the chatroom.

windbitch : sorry. i swear i wanted to tell u the truth after it all was over with

windbitch : me n ruri talked abut it but

windbitch : the fire happened. its my fault

destoy : `3´) don’t bear the whole weight of it on your own!

windbitch : i dont intend on seeing u get hurt anymore goddamnit

windbitch : u are still in the ruins arent u? havent found the fucking door

destoy : …

windbitch : if this goes on u will end up dying

liminallammergeier : Rin…

liminallammergeier : …You are right. Yuya has a right to know.

windbitch : we were the ones to plan a fire.

We.. were the ones.

Your mind is swimming. 

The world of the facility was shattered. Many died- most of them went unreported, even.

entermates : what?

entermates : WHY?

liminallammergeier : …

windbitch : to free everyone. it was me and sora working on that but, it wasn’t us that set the fire that day. i, never wanted anyone to get hurt, you gotta believe in me. we were working on ways to get the other kids out before it got too bad but someone else found our stuff

liminallammergeier : I wasn’t directly involved with them, but I helped with cover up.

windbitch : Whoever found our stuff set the fire and sent staff all around to try and kill us. 

entermates : But, why???

liminallammergeier : I don’t… quite know. But it is possible that they realized we knew about the secret area.

Secret area.

entermates : The trapdoor.

liminallammergeier : Precisely.

entermates : How did you even find out about it??

windbitch : i could ask u the same but

windbitch : it was from kaito’s research and sora’s snooping. our medical files, they keep referencing a lab and a test area. and while we were checking out the ventilation system 4 the fire to avoid ppl dying of smoke inhalation, we found this whole piece of ventilation that is connected real weird 2 the rest of the facility. 

liminallammergeier : Sora is still there. He… didn’t want to leave that place. He’s been looking for the entrance to the lab.

destoy : =3= It’’s not a big deal.

windbitch : yeah it fucking is

windbitch : i cant forgive myself if u end up dead because of this

liminallammergeier : Yuya, I really don’t remember much about the game you are playing. It’s all really hazy… all of our memories are faint, but I’m sure there’s a reason for that. 

windbitch : we need to go back.

windbitch : i kno yugo helped us. but i cant remember how.

entermates : Yugo…

Is that why his file is the first?

entermates : the nameless girl. she’s in the game.

windbitch : ?!

liminallammergeier : What? How?

entermates : I was hoping you would know <: /

entermates : But we can look into it later. Right now… we need to go back. 

Chapter Text

Cold night air caresses you as you hold onto your new mom, Yoko, in her motorcycle.

It took very little to convince her to bring you back here, really- all you had to say was that one of your friends might be in danger and she was off to get the helmets.

The forest is the same as it ever was as you venture deeper towards the ruins of the facility.  

The same but…

But now you know.

The very first person to hurt Sora so terribly has been scattered and buried all over the place. A time when Sora would come back smelling like cotton candy- the distortion granted by the nameless girl.

Here Serena hunts, here people disappear. The forest eats all secrets, smothering them with the change of seasons.

The bike comes to a halt before the gates and you and your mom hop off. The laptop inside your backpack feels like it weighs the world- but even so, you had to bring it.

Bring her back home.

“So this is the place…”

She gazes upon the debris. You walk to the gate- it’s locked. She comes up to you, continuing to talk:

“They haven’t cleaned this out at all.”

“...Yeah. It’s probably too isolated, and…”

And they wouldn’t want that trapdoor to be found, either.

Lights suddenly shine over you two and your heart skips a beat- but once you turn around, you realize it is just a car. 

Its doors open and out they come- Yuzu, Ruri, Rin, Serena… And Crow. Ah! Him! You knew him as a kid, but he was never adopted and was eventually kicked out. You knew that Rin was now living with him… he must have driven around to get the other three.

“H-hey!”

But Serena is already going towards the gate to climb it over as she used to do so much.

The other three are talking to Crow- convincing him to stay behind while they explore. You glance at Yoko…

You have already made her go out of her way to bring you here. Is it fair to ask her to follow you into that place? Or, rather… do you really want to paint over those old memories with something from the outside world?

It’s a corrupted, broken thing. 

“Mom-”

But not enough, not enough.

The girl in the bottle in the laptop in the bag in today inside then outside is leaking out. They are all looking at you as pink, pink, murderously pink claws pour out.

Yoko can’t even see it. 

It’s suddenly not just today, but the last day too.

She is dragging you in, sudden, fast, too fast to react to. A collapsed space, a calling answered. Crow and Yoko disappear from sight as your back flies over a composite of soft grass and broken concrete.

Set the stage.

All spotlights and you understand right before your conscious mind trips along the way.

Now loading…

…

…

…

!

Multiple save files available. Please choose a file.

>> BiRDCAGE -- (Possible corruption detected. Game cannot be played.)

InSOMNIA -- (Possible corruption detected. Game cannot be played.)

TRUsT -- (Possible corruption detected. Game cannot played)

Soul -- (Corruption detected. You have no choice but to play it)

… Now loading reflection…

You open your eyes and the world is now glimmering with the substance of what she is. It’s your bedroom, but it’s also a hole, but it’s also a broken square.

You leave the memory of the room and words come falling down at your feet:

gluoncaramels : oh, there you are!

Haruto? 

gluoncaramels : you are connected now. sorry, i cant really explain? the only reason we can talk right now is because…

gluoncaramels : um. you’ll see!

gluoncaramels : but first we need to find everyone’s documents. get our memories together and straighten them out. That’s what this game has been all about so far, hasn’t it? the only difference is that you aren’t alone this time around.

Ah-! The girls! Is it just them?

gluoncaramels : Yeah. this place’s memory isn’t about to extend back to Crow’s stay here. now get walking.

First room from yours- that’s Sora’s room. You open the door, even though that has burned down and disappeared. It’s a mix, it’s a mess and the girl crawls up to your shoulder. 

He made stuffed animals just to destroy them in fits of rage. He never said where he even got the materials. He… never said much of anything about his personal issues. He had staff wrapped around his finger and used that to help the others…

windbitch : he helped me get materials for the fire. god, I just let him do it. let him get hurt 4 the sake of our plan. for the sake of a trial by fire.

windbitch : we were working together as Evibell. i don’t now how that name wound up in the game, because I barely remember anything about it. 

windbitch : i didnt want things to end up this way. i just was so tired of seeing people hurt or neglected. anywhere would b better than here. we worked together on escape routes, ventilation changes, plans to get the smaller kids out first

windbitch : but it ewnt to shit. i…

windbitch : no, later. this is sora’s room. 

liminallammergeier : I wasn’t directly involved on Rin’s plan, but I offered my support. I’m not ashamed to have been his friend. He understood me, my want to know all cruel things. I’d wait for him in his room when he disappeared off into the night. When he came back, he always wore that old ratty nightgown, so tired, so unsatisfied…

liminallammergeier : The doll of the north wing… I want to find him soon. He saw me as I am, he talked to me as an equal, rather than my brother’s shadow. In turn, I accepted his nightmares. I walked into his world, Yuya. Now it is your turn to.

Open the wardrobe. He kept his supplies there- there’s fabric, needles, scissors… and, like Ruri said, the nightgown. There’s a knot in your insides.

He wore this to visit the corpse. To avoid getting his clothes dirty while hacking and cutting. That person that hurt him for the sake of protecting the other kids… but, no. How is that supposed to make sense? 

You step back, a dizziness building inside. Ash, debris and an open bag of lollipops. He’s… he’s been here. You just need…

This is the game. This is inside. These are the collectibles at the end of each road- a piece of a document, surely stolen from the infirmary, both under his bed and laying down, crumpled, where his bed once was.

…

NAME: SORA

BATCH#: 01-A

REQUEST: A “manipulating” soul for [REDACTED] company

STATUS: Failure (WAIT UNTIL 16, COLD RELEASE)

NOTES: Soul considerably warped, unusable. Responsible worker was reallocated and had document viewing permissions removed. Said worker was eventually murdered by other staff, as organized by the subject. Aberrant behavior following the soul warping event was deemed too unsightly for the clients. Proceeding with backup 01-B instead, to be delivered at age 13.

…

What… is this?

gluoncaramels : nii-san gave that to sora. someone misplaced a couple of them in the infirmary- he’s been studying them ever since, trying to help me. 

But, why to Sora?

gluoncaramels : firstly because sora is smart. hed know what to do with this. secondly, as a thank you for introducing me to ray

gluoncaramels : do you know her real name, yuya?

No. It’s… it is confusing, but it’s like on the edge of an epiphany. The Professor making her play a role, her blank expression otherwise…

gluoncaramels : it’s Reira. shes scared that she is no one at all… so she clings to Reiji. 

Ah- him! 

The reason all this started… what you never told anyone…

Right. He said that you might get blamed for the facility burning down. 

windbitch : we prolly gave this to him, rather than him just happening 2 find it. i don’t remember why we did it that way…

gluoncaramels : It’s all going to be clearer later! now, you guys, let’s find my brother. 

lunalight : I don’t like this.

windbitch : WOW serena online? thats a sight 4 sore eyes <3

lunalight : This is not a normal circumstance. And the smell of the forest woke me up.

melodiva : Guys, focus!

So all of you…?

melodiva : I know it all is confusing right now, Zarc, but we need you to go to the west wing. I promise that the more you play, the more you’ll understand.

lunalight : The whole side A side B stuff should be there. You never did figure out how to access that. 

You talk as if you know the whole game.

lunalight : Course I Do. we dont have a choice on the matter. If it was down to me or Ruri, we would have told you everything before we put our own memories on the line.

liminallammergeier : I won’t deny that, but let’s focus.

All other corridors seem to lead into an icy blackness, forcing you on the right path as they curve upwards like the ribs of a long forgotten leviathan.

Like her ribs as she fourfold lay on corridors.

I love you. You know that, right?

Yuri whispers and you can feel all of them hanging onto you, scared of seeing you hurt, hellbent on protecting you from everything else. 

The more we venture the worse it will feel…

Yuto coils and coils as you approach the once halls of the west wing. 

But we have no choice, do we? Reiji won’t let this slide.

The door to Kaito’s room. 

gluoncaramels : In the game, you were supposed to be able through the keyhole at night. You’d find him surrounded by books on his bed, backed into the corner. I would be in my own bed, asleep.

How do you know that?

gluoncaramels : The girl you brought with you has been telling me everything.

A bedroom with two beds. And two cages. 

gluoncaramels : His is the black heart in a cage. Mine is white. Read them.

There’s no hearts, although those might have been the icons used by the game. Even so, two pieces of paper…

…

NAME: HARUTO

BATCH#: 01-D

REQUEST: An “all powerful”, “destructive” and “controllable” soul

STATUS: Success (DELIVER AT AGE 13)

NOTES: Most expensive asset in facility. Chronic pain due to own power, administer suppressants as needed. If purge protocol must be employed, HIGHEST KILLING PRIORITY.

…

NAME: KAITO

BATCH#: 02-B

REQUEST: A soul “able to see and manipulate” other souls

STATUS: Failure  (WAIT UNTIL HARUTO READY FOR DELIVERY, COLD RELEASE)

NOTES: Soul highly warped. Loyal to asset Haruto only, it would be hard to change that loyalty onto the client. Aberrant behavior about family and complexes regarding fairy tales go against the client’s desired optics. Proceeding with backup 02-C instead, to be delivered at age 12.

…

What’s all this about souls? Assets? Success? Failure?

gluoncaramels : this is why you guys really need me online.

lunalight : the rest of the stuff must be downstairs. the place Sora is trying to find.

He’s still here, isn’t he? Will we run into him?

liminallammergeier : Yes, but let’s hurry up. I… don’t want him to keep going on his own. I need you to remember. I need all of this to finally spill out. Keep moving.

But no, you stop.

Just over there, turning the corner… you don’t need to see it to know it. To smell it. To feel it, turning and turning.

It’s her body.

Made of yarn then rebar then sighs then translucent things then butterflies then and only then flesh and bone.

Don’t be scared! This whole place is made out of that.

Yugo… that isn’t reassuring at all.

But he’s right. There’s no point in averting your eyes. All you can do is pass by her, even as the shape turns to dust, leaving behind only a few floating bones and organs. She’s unpleasant and extreme… 

There is an enormous pillar again, right there, rising from the central building- the place you had your meals every day. Pink, feathered, hissing in the breeze, blooming with nameless flowers, reaching up and up trying to strangle the moon.

It’s a magnetic attraction. A layering. Superposition.

And you run, like you did that day, taking her bracelet. When you had no friends, when you were nothing, nothing at all. When you were a vessel, an empty thing. When you weren’t another failure.

There are enormous pieces of wall and ceiling over that place, but your time-uncertain shape moves through it all, as if swimming. You grab the exposed handle to the trapdoor and pull up. It opens and the wind rushing out brings pieces of memories back to you.

You used to be all alone.

Your brain always felt foggy, you’d stare at the ground and didn’t even think of anything. You were… you were just like Ray- no. Reira. Even when you had fun playing, you would retreat back into yourself the moment no one was watching, because with no one to expect anything of you, you didn’t know what to be.

From this place you went down. Charred halls and silver doors and the whirring of the AC. Lonely you followed closely, her calls for you to come back. Hand, your hand against the last door…

This place was gutted at some point, but the memory and the game fill everything out as your heart beats erratically.

Machinery of all kinds, beakers, computers, tubes- a laboratory.

That day…

Innocent and curious, you touched all kinds of things. She appeared at the door, panting. You noticed boxes- boxes of dead animals connected to a weird machine. Something else looking like a table with a number or saws. A box full of glass things. You extended your hand towards a vat with a fleshy growth in it and…

She came rushing towards you.

Cold glass broke at your touch and all sorts of vague things and objects wrapped around you, pushing you into the table saw things. Toys and blades and towels and rocks and plushies and pieces of a fan and all thoughts this thing was dreaming of. A strong pressure from the blades against your soul rather than body, but no pain. And you looked back to see her- 

A lance through her head.

Her open mouth, falling next to you. Breaking, cutting and a crack in your world.

She was cut up.

She scattered.

Her body remained, but the soul dispersed and spread like a curse on the Facility. You step to the center of the mostly empty room for a moment.

“...Ray. I’m-”

Your legs give out.

“I’m sorry.”

You got her killed.

melodiva : You didn’t know. It’s not your fault, Yuya… 

lunalight : Find the documents already

melodiva : Give him a moment, Serena <: )

The documents… You end up taking a moment to just breathe and calm down. The guilt is suffocating, but you need to keep moving, you need to stand up. What even is there here? Pieces of the old paraphernalia, some desks, a few cabinet… You rummage through those for a while. Most papers there are data sheets for god knows what, but…

liminallamergeier : Those four! They are ours! Read them, Yuya!

Ah.

…

NAME: SERENA

BATCH#: Sp01-12

CONCEPT: Artificial mammal based soul

STATUS: Success (If purge protocol must be employed, cold release, otherwise cull age 18)

NOTES: A soul amalgamation of mostly cat and ferret souls. First body to not reject it. Has strong predatory behaviors. DO NOT SELL.

…

NAME: RURI

BATCH#: Sp02-22

CONCEPT: Artificial bird based soul

STATUS: Success (If purge protocol must be employed, cold release, otherwise cull age 18)

NOTES: A soul amalgamation of many bird types. High vulture, corvid and passerine content. Will eat raw rodents if allowed to do so.

…

NAME: YUZU

BATCH#: Sp03-89

CONCEPT: Artificial plant based soul

STATUS: Success (If purge protocol must be employed, cold release, otherwise cull age 18)

NOTES: Semi-artificial soul incubated in plants. This is a preliminary study about the exact conditions in a simple living being that are necessary to make a soul not be rejected from a body. The next step is to recreate these conditions outside living beings for possible mass production of souls.

…

NAME: RIN

BATCH#: Sp04-108

CONCEPT: Artificial soul

STATUS: Success (If purge protocol must be employed, cold release, otherwise cull age 18)

NOTES: A soul made compatible with humans via digital means. During tests, it seemed to be sensitive to the exact means by which it was provided energy- eolic and geothermal sources gave best results.

…

Ah…haha… no way.

liminallammergeier : So it was all true… it explains a lot.

Did you know? Did you know this already?

melodiva : Not really. Haruto sort of… let us know when we dived back here. The real mystery is… what is the purge protocol? Does it relate to the fire? To the people trying to lock us in? And what was all that with clients?

Every answer springs out a bunch more questions

Breathe, Yuya. Breathe.

Out, out, I’m taking us out of here.

No longer controlling the body, you let yourself slip and be carried out by Yuto, back up, towards the grand growth of Ray. Step by step, everything storming in your head, raging, raging. All this time your friends have been caught in this web, never letting you know much, doing anything and everything to keep you safe, keep you happy. 

Why?

melodiva : We love you. We all love you so much. In a world where everything was so bleak and confusing, you were always by our sides, Yuya! You could bring us smiles, laughter, companionship, no matter how hostile we grew, how distrustful of one another. With that girl yelling or whispering confusing things, with staff being horrible, with kids disappearing, all sorts of drama that frankly, only Sora could keep up with. 

melodiva : We love you, so we all wanted to see you well. Maybe it was wrong to keep things from you… but all we ever wanted was to see you thrive despite it all.

You slowly ease back into yourself as moonlight illuminates more and more of the now, losing the vague sense of yesterday into it. Not wanting to know what would happen if you stayed someplace currently covered in debris, you make your way to a flat area as soon as possible.

A small voice reaches you. One you recognize, but that seems so, so strangely faint…

“Sora-?”

He stands before you atop a pile of rubble. 

You don’t even have time to react before you hear, right behind you, Ruri’s scream:

“SORA!” 

She darts past you, followed closely by your very confused mom. How did this all look like to her…? You stumble back, but Serena catches you. You open your mouth to ask something, but she shuts you down:

“The more you overthink it, the worse it’s gonna get. We already have enough on our plate.”

Right, yeah. Priority number one- getting Sora out of here. Explain things to mom- to Crow too. And once all that is said and done…

It is time to talk to Reiji.