Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

.................

  Welcome.

This is a story, and I am merely its narrator.

This is not my story.

However, it is a very important one.

This is the story of a boy named Sunny Suzuki.

I shall do my best to convey it to you, for the short time that we may speak.

And so,

Let me begin my turn.

Act 1: The mark of a Killer

A boy is travelling in a car. Every bump shakes his whole frame. His head lands gently in a field of soft, dark hair. Not wanting to move, he continues pretending to sleep. The sun softly shines on his face. He feels at peace. At that point in time, all he wishes is to stay like this forever. He will never forget this moment.

No matter how much he wishes to, he will never forget this moment.

.......

..................

................................

A boy wakes up in a comfortable bed. One that once belonged to his sister. His lovely perfect sister.

The one he killed. The one everyone loved. The one He loved.  

He is alone.

Not that this is surprising or anything new. His mother, the one that apparently loves him, has left him alone .

Again.

He guesses that she's just busy.

Or maybe she doesn't want to see the face of the monster that killed her only daughter.

.......... 

This is boring.

He lazily opens his phone. It is a simple, black, scratched-up flip phone he bought with his own money from doing part time jobs here and there.

 He looks at his contact list.

CONTACTS

__________________

Mom
Basil
Kel
Hero
Nearby Hospital

__________________

Sunny feels... a sort of warmth in his chest looking at his friend's names in his phone. Only a month after that fateful day at the hospital, he already has repaired his friendships with his closest friends. The city wasn't as horrible as he'd thought. Hell, he even started catching up to school!

And yet...

Something is missing.

Or Someone.

He thinks back to that day, To the determination he felt in his soul to give his closest, oldest, only friends at least a fighting chance to attain peace.

"I have to tell you something."

After those words, there was no stopping his confession. The words, as if pulled and torn from his mouth, just flowed out uncontrollably.

Until his throat was raw.

Until he'd recited every gory detail.

Until he'd shown everyone what a monster he truly was.

.....

He thinks about the tears that fell thick and fast from his eye.

He thinks about Kel's empty and desolate expression. It looked unnatural on his face.

He thinks about Hero's swift walk past him as I'd he wasn't even there. He felt dejected, tossed aside.

He thinks about Basil's soft and truly happy smile. It made him feel like he'd done the right thing

He thinks about Aubrey's-

..........

He thinks about her beautiful face, contorted with rage and betrayal, running with tears like rivers. The sight would be burned into his mind forever.

......

He thinks of a familiar, comforting, face encouraging him through his tears, so close, yet so far, as if watching him through a curtained window.

After he was discharged from the hospital, against all odds, his friend's came to see him off. Kel, Basil and even Hero wrapped him in a comforting hug and told him that they forgave him, that they forgave............. them.

You don't deserve this.

More than a few tears were shed that day.... but something still felt missing. A pink haired delinquent was nowhere to be seen.

'Ahh.. there it was. This must be why I've been feeling so empty.'

Even now, Basil tells him that there's been complete radio silence from her. It's like she disappeared entirely.

...................

Sunny really missed Aubrey.

He missed the way the light would shine through her fluffy pink hair.

He missed the way she'd pretend to be tough and cold hearted, but deeply care for the people she called her friends.

He missed sitting with her on the swings, just listening to her rant about everything from her horrible family to fights with Kel or even just mundane things like comics or toys. He could just listen to her beautiful voice for hours rant about any topic.  

But now all that was gone, irretrievably in the past.

...................

He wanted her to come back so, so badly.

But she wouldn't.

Just like a murderer like you deserves.

*Ding!*

A cheerful ring on his phone broke him from his stupor.

You have [3] new messages from Basil!

Basil.

His best friend. The who'd.....  helped him during the incident.

 If he was being honest with himself, he didn't truly think Kel or Hero ever really forgave him. Like they were only with him because they felt a duty to Mari to do so.

Like they still despised him for what he did like Aubrey certainly did.

Like they should.

Their words felt empty and hollow.

But Basil.. he always seemed like his only real friend, someone who he'd abandoned and yet had still forgave him.

Sunny was very grateful to him for simply being there for him and understanding.

  [Basil] (6:27): Hey Sunny!, check out these cute flowers I planted in my garden recently.

 The image was that of a bed of white tulips.

  [Basil] (6:28): What do you think about these, Sunny? Kel helped me plant these. :)

  [Basil] (6:28): He's become a lot more responsible since you left, It's actually kind of disconcerting.

Kel... responsible...?

This didn't really mesh out in Sunny's brain at all.

Sure , he had a big imagination, but even he wouldn't think of something this outlandish.

Unsure of how to respond, he sent a thumbs up to Basil.

He checked what day it was.

Sunday

6:32 AM

Perfect. Now he could laze around all day like a cat.

'Just gotta get a blanket in front the TV and- '

Suddenly, like a railroad spike being stabbed into his skull, an overwhelming exhaustion, one that went down to his very soul, overtook him.

He closed his eyes almost involuntarily, and immediately sunk into a deep, dark sleep.

Welcome to Black Space, Dreamer.

Something is wrong 

Chapter Text

Imagine the mind as a house.

When one is born, the house is empty.

After a while the house starts to take form.

Plain, empty walls gain colour or wallpaper and the house fills with artifacts.

These may be anything from family photos to stuffed toys to tools. Anything important to the person.

In time, doors begin to appear.

Behind each door is a memory.

Some good, Some bad.

Most doors eventually fade out of existence.

Sometimes, a door affixes itself to the house, becoming a permanent part of it.

These doors are special, in that they cannot be forgotten or destroyed.

However, sometimes, when a person truly wishes to keep a memory encased- whether to protect it or to repress it -, something new is formed.

A Lock.

A Lock is the manifestation of the will to keep a door shut.

Completely impenetrable. Completely invulnerable.

That is, without A Key.

Every Lock is made with one and no Lock can be made without one.

The memories behind a Locked door are powerful and dangerous. Some contain happiness and peace while others contain regret, sadness and pain.

Most Keys are lost within the deepest depths of the mind, involuntarily, even for memories meant to be protected.

Once a Key is lost, the door is as good as gone, simply collecting ash for all eternity.

Sometimes, however, a Key is thrown away on purpose. The mind using all its influence to hide it within its most dark and terrifying reaches. Such keys are called Repressed Keys.

To find a normal Key is hard enough, but to find a Repressed Key is impossible at worst and horribly and agonizingly painful at best.

When a Key is found and a long-since Locked door is opened, all the emotions from its corresponding memory come flooding out, rippling through the house with intensity magnified a thousandfold due to its capture.

Happiness is not something you can find without great hardship, but if it is not worth fighting for, then what is?

Aubrey was about to lose her fucking mind.

She had been walking around this damn labyrinth for God knows how long. y'know what? Scratch that, even HE didn't know.

It wouldn't have been so bad if this place didn't look- and smell -just like her... House. If you could even call it that.

'More like my prison.' She thought bitterly. But she was the one who'd willingly jailed herself in it.

She pulled out the only hope she had of leaving this place from her pocket, a old-fashioned, faded pink Key.

She had it with her since she'd woken up. She couldn't explain it if she tried to but it filled her with a hope that thing would improve, that she could be happy. But it was faint.

She collapsed on the floor in exhaustion and hopelessness.

"WHY CAN'T A SINGLE DAMN DOOR IN THIS MAZE HAVE A LOCK!" She screamed. It felt good.

She began to sob as the hopelessness took over her. Every door she'd found had no Knob, no Lock, not even edges or borders to them, not even any colour, just there, impossible to open.

Stop. You are Aubrey, the Pink Demon. People are scared of you. You are strong. Hell, you even carry around a bat with nails in it. You are brave. You can get up.

.

.....but she wasn't any of those things. She hadn't even been strong enough to talk to anyone in a whole month, only coming out to buy food for her and Bun-Bun. She just lay in her room, rotting like the house around her, all because she couldn't handle the truth. She'd even started to resemble her mother nowadays....... ugh.

Coward.

Freak.

Worthless Whore.

.....................

What the heck was that?

She got up and started to follow the knocking sound.

On the way, she saw an old letter on the ground, never seen by the one it was written for.
.....
She tore it up without a second thought.

She arrived at a door. It was a faded pink like its Key. The paint was cracked in some places. However, it had an actual border to it, a doorknob and most importantly, a Lock.

'FINALLY!!!!' Yelled Aubrey in her head.

She put the Key In the Lock and turned. It stopped and got stuck in several places, as if it were rusted. Aubrey mentally remarked that this door must not have been used for a very long time to get like this.

She finally opened the door and it swing inwards.

A swift breeze of cold and crisp night air washed away the smell of cigarettes and rotten food in her nose.

She saw a little dark-haired girl crying by herself on the side of a road. It was night out and she was surrounded by four people trying to comfort her.

Aubrey was rooted to the floor. No matter how much she tried to move, she just couldn't. The wave of emotions and nostalgia went down to her very bones.

A raven-haired girl had her arms wrapped around her. "Everything's going to be okay, we'll find your shoe, and if we can't we'll just buy you a new pair, how does that sound?" She said comfortingly.

The little girl couldn't understand why a group of strangers were being nicer to her than her own parents ever would. If they remembered she existed that is. As far as she could remember, she'd always had to suffer alone. Could she finally have found people who would comfort her, treat her like a human and not a neglected pet?

Hearing Mari's voice again after so many years broke Aubrey from her trance. She backed away from the door only to trip on a discarded bottle, roll her ankle and fall over.

"AAAAUUGHHH, FUCK!"

The people within the door paid her no mind."Hey, my name's Mari, what's yours?"

"......Au-Aubrey" her voice was shaky.

"Aubrey? What a beautiful name. It's getting pretty dark out here, why don't you come inside and we'll clean you up, okay?" She said with a warm, loving smile.

"...okay."

As the group got up they faded away as if they were just after images, a trick of the senses.

"N-No don't go... please." Cried a pink haired girl hurriedly getting up.

A lone purple Key lay on the curb where Mari was sitting.

Aubrey remembered......... being comforted after a long day. She felt safe in Mari's arms.

She limped in through the door and clutched the Key. It still felt like her warmth. She clutched it to her chest and started to weep, all barriers she had were now gone.

__________________

She didn't know how long she'd been crying, and frankly she didn't care. All she knew is that when she stopped, she could hear a loud knocking once again.

She examined the Purple Key. It looked lovingly taken care of and kept safe. It seemed to glow, softly in her hands.

She got up and once again started walking towards the sound, now limping heavily.

She arrived at a Purple door. It too looked taken after and kept in perfect shape, just like its Key. It felt like a door to her Home.

She slid it into the Lock and turned. It was far easier to unlock the door this time and Aubrey was honestly surprised.

It swung inwards.

She saw an older girl cleaning a kitchen while a younger one tried to get her attention.

"Mari! Mari! Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Aubrey, you know you can ask me anything! All it costs is your love!" She responds affectionately.

The instant, caring response seems to melt the little girl's confidence into a liquid, puddling up in her shoes. She turns a bright red and stammers out "D-Do y-you know...." She does a dry swallow and steels herself. "doyouknowhowtoconfesstoyourcrush" She chokes out before positively glowing a deep red.

Mari's face instantly turns into that infuriating, omnipresent, teasing smirk. "Aaaaawwwwwwwwwww..... looks like someone has a little cruuuuush" She teases Aubrey in a singsong voice.

If possible, the girl somehow turns even redder. "I ASKED YOU TO HELP ME, NOT MAKE FUN OF ME!"

Mari pouts. "Awwww, you know I wouldn't make fun of you like that right?"

Aubrey frowns at her.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Anyways, if you have a crush on someone, just tell them! That's what I did with Hero and look at us now!"

"B-but what if he doesn't like me. What if I can't just tell him?"

"Well if you can't say it to his face, just write it down! And don't sell yourself short, Aubrey! Just look at you! So cute and so nice? No boy will be able to turn you down."

"You really think so?"

"Of course" She smiles warmly at the younger girl.

Aubrey smiles back.

A blond haired boy stands just outside the kitchen with a camera in his hands.

Basil.

The one who stabbed out Sunny's eye.

The one who'd hung Mari.

A Monster.

A Freak.

A Murderer.

Her oldest friend.

.................

But the Aubrey standing in the door didn't see any of that. She saw a young, innocent child excited to see his oldest friend.

He was wearing a flower crown. "Hey guys!" He said, grinning at them.

He examined the photograph. "Awwww.. it came out all blurry.." he said with a pout.

"Don't worry about it Basil, you'll get it next time." Said Mari, ever the optimist.

"Yeah.." The boy immediately perked up. "Hey Aubrey, Sunny and Kel are already in the treehouse, wanna join?"

"Of course!" She smiles. "You need someone responsible to watch over Kel, right." She adds teasingly.

Basil and Mari snicker, before Mari says "Hey! You shouldn't say that about Kel!"

"Okay, Okay"

"Alright, Aubrey, let's go!"

Once again, everyone in the door faded out into nonexistence.

Where Basil stood, A Green Key lies.

Aubrey remembered............ getting a weight off her chest. She felt like she could tell Mari anything.

Aubrey limps into the room and picks up the Green Key. It sends jolts of discomfort, hatred and bitter pain stabbing up her arm. It looks as if it was beaten with a bat and dragged through dirt.

She shudders, before jumping at a loud sound and subsequently clutching her ankle in pain.

She gets up and once again sets into the maze.

Aubrey found herself in front of a Green door. It was in a condition of disrepair, covered in scratches, chipped paint, dirt and..... nails.

She inserts the Key and tries to turn it. The main word here being 'tries'. As if the Very door is alive, It pushes back against her hands, as if trying to stop her from opening the door.

However, due to Aubrey's baseball-induced superior grip strength, she manages to turn the Key, albeit agonizingly slowly.

The door swings open with a squeak.

She sees a little girl introducing a blond-haired boy to the rest of her friends. Mari says gently "Hey, I'm Mari, what's your name?"

"I-its B-B-Basil..." Basil always did stutter around people he found intimidating, which just so happened to be anyone he didn't know personally.

"Don't worry Basil, any friend of Aubrey is-" The older girl was interrupted by what felt like a bomb going off behind her.

"HEY BASIL!, IM KEL AND THIS IS MY BEST BRO IN THE WHILE WORLD, SUNNY! DO YOU WANNA GO PLAY, WE HAVE, LIKE A REEEEALY COOL SPOT OUT BEHIND THE PARK FOR, LIKE PICNICS AND STUFF!" Oh. It was just Kel. Basil looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

He looked at Aubrey for emotional support. She gave him an encouraging smile and a small nod. "Y-yeah Kel I think I'd like that."

"COOOOOL, alright come with us, we'll show you the way." Before Aubrey could even think about how well this was going, the three boys were already off, with Kel bombarding Basil with questions, Basil timidly answering him and Sunny quietly listening and nodding.

*sigh*

"I should probably go with them to make sure Kel doesn't do anything stupid..." Mari said.

"Yeah alright, I'll come too, just in a minute!" Hero called out to the rapidly leaving girl, trailing after the boys.

Hero kneels down to talk to Aubrey. "That was a really nice thing you did there, Aubrey. I've seen Basil around here for years, but he never talked to anyone at all. I don't even think I've ever seen his parents." Hero seems lost in thought.

"Y'know you're a really nice person, Aubrey, just remember that." Hero says with his signature grin.

But she wasn't. She'd hurt people. People close to her. People she didn't know. She was so blinded by her rage that she didn't see that they were grieving just like her. She wanted to be that dark haired girl again, desperately, but she just........ couldn't. She'd made her bed and now she was trapped in it.

Hero and Aubrey disappeared, a lone Blue Key lying on the ground where Hero was kneeling.

Aubrey remembered......... The warmth in her chest she saw her closest friend happy. She hoped that this moment could last forever.

Aubrey didn't know what to make of this. Basil was a killer. A Psychopath. Undeserving of forgiveness. But he was her oldest friend, someone who'd always tried to be there for her, to look on the brighter side of things. She still felt the same warmth seeing him happier.

Aubrey picked up the Blue Key. It was covered in dust, but it was in far better shape than the Green Key. It looked as if it hadn't been used in a while. It felt cold to the touch, but radiated... a sense of comfort.

She got up and started towards the door, distantly wondering who- or what -was knocking on the doors in the first place.

She stood in front of a Blue door. Like its counterpart, it looked... abandoned. It was covered in a heavy layer of dust.

She slid the Key Into the Lock. It turned surprisingly easily.

The door swung inwards and Aubrey's senses were assaulted by the delicious smell of bacon, eggs and toast.

"Hey guys, Breakfast's ready!" Called out Hero from the kitchen.

"Awww, yeah!" Said Kel. They were eating their breakfast after a sleepover. Mari was practicing her piano. Soft notes played in the background.

Four children patiently sat around a dining table, waiting for the pure deliciousness to be heaped onto their plates. Hero came in and started serving them the food. "Sorry for the wait, guys." He said bashfully.

"It's alright, Hero!" Said a blonde boy, sitting at the back of the table.

On either side of Aubrey, Sunny and Kel were eating their food. Well, Sunny was eating, Kel was more... inhaling it.

"You should probably slow down, Kel. You don't want to burn yourself, do you?" Basil asked, a little terrified of the sheer speed at which he was eating.

"Buhh it's soon goooodhhh....." Kel responded, his mouth still full.

"Hey! Don't talk with your mouth full, It's rude." Reprimanded Hero.

"Sorry" Said Kel. Atleast that's what they think he said. His mouth was so full it came out sounding like "Somphghh..". Kel choked on his food.

Basil, Aubrey and Sunny all burst into a laughing fit and even Hero started to chuckle along with them. They all vanished, leaving only an Orange Key in Kel's seat.

Aubrey remembered......... The taste of a home-cooked meal. It tasted better when she was eating it with her friends.

Seeing this memory once again brought a- albeit melancholic -smile to Aubrey's face. She felt better. The pain in her ankle lessened.

She walked through the doorframe and picked up the Orange Key. Picking it up stung Aubrey's hand slightly, but it had a warmth to it that permeated through her flesh. It felt good.

She examined it closer. It looked scratched and dinged-up in some places, but overall, it looked... good enough.

She wanted to stay in the room for a little longer and inhale the delicious fragrance of Hero's cooking.

Alright, then.

She was standing in Front of an Orange door. It looked like it had been through a lot. Records of good and bad memories littered its surface.

She inserted the Key into the Lock and turned. It stopped and got stuck in several places, but it turned.

The door swung inwards.

The distinct smell of rain hit Aubrey over the head, along with its accompanying, calming sound.

She saw a girl and three boys standing out in the rain, each wearing raincoats.

"Basil, Basil! Take a picture of my new raincoat!" The girl calls out excitedly to her blond-haired friend.

"Oh! Okay! One sec..." He responds and pulls out a camera.

"Do you like it, Sunny? It's my favorite color... pink!" She shows off her raincoat.

"Ewww... pink is a gross color." Says a certain orange menace.

"No, it's not, Kel! You're a gross color!" The girl retorts, like any true twelve year-old would.

"That doesn't even make any sense." Kel responds, confused.

Aubrey pays him no mind. "Oh, SUNNY! That reminds me."

"Mari and I were talking about dying our hair together. Mari says she's going to dye her hair purple." She tells the raven-haired boy excitedly.

"P-P-Purple!?" Kel says, surprised.

"You wanna know what color I chose?" She teases Kel.

"Wait... Are you saying you wanna dye your hair... pink!?" He says, disgusted.

"Ewww... that's weird... Why would you ever do that?"

"I don't know... I just thought it would be cute!
MARI thinks so too!" She says, matter-of-factly.

"Hmph... I'll never understand you two and your crazy ideas."

"I think pink would look good on you, Aubrey." Basil says, encouragingly.

He leans over and asks Sunny something. He responds.

"Sunny says that he thinks that pink is a great color!" Says Basil.

The little girl's heart soars. "See, even Basil and Sunny agree... You're the one who's weird, Kel!"

Psh... Whatever...

With that all of them dissolve into the rain, as if washed from her eyes.

Aubrey remembered........ The feeling of water splashing on her boots. It felt more fun when she was surrounded by her best friends.

A Wooden Key lies alone on the road. Aubrey steps through the door, expecting to feel the cold, refreshing rain on her face. Instead.... nothing. She opens her eyes and sees that the rain appears to go right through her.......

'Huh.' She shrugs it off. She picks up the Wooden Key. The texture of the grain feels..... nice. It smells faintly of cinnamon.

Still a bit disappointed by the rain, Aubrey once again sets off into the maze.

She stands before a familiar door to a familiar house. One that felt like more of a home a to her than her own house. A Christmas wreath is hung on it, decorated festively.

She inserts the Key Into the Lock and turns. It opens easily with a click and the door swings inwards.

She sees a dark-haired girl and her friends sitting around a Christmas tree.

"Alright, Aubrey, your turn to open presents now." Hero says.

"Awwwwwww man..... I wanted to go next..." A boy dressed in a very loud Christmas sweater complains.

"Pffft... Wait your turn then, Kel." She says, angrily.

"Guys, guys, it's Christmas can you not argue today." Hero, ever the voice of reason, says.

Mari hands Aubrey a large present. "C'mon, open it!"

Aubrey unwraps the present. Inside is...... a Baseball bat!

"Whuh-Huh?"

"I remembered that Sunny told me you wanted to join the team, but couldn't because you didn't have a bat, so me and Hero got you one instead!" Mari's smile practically lights up the room.

Aubrey clutches the bat to her chest and smiles, her eyes misty.

Suddenly she tackles Mari in a hug.

"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU"

She lets go of Mari and sits back down.

"Alright, time for my gift!" Kel seemingly teleports in front of Aubrey. "Here!"

"Kel, if this is a prank I swear....." Aubrey grumbles.

"No, it's not, open it, I swear!"

She opens the present. Inside is a....... poster for the new for the new Spaceboy film!

"An actually good gift? From........ you ? Who are you and what have you done to Kel?" Aubrey asks, surprised.

"Oh, screw off, I remembered that you were excited to see it and saw a cool poster at Hobeez!" He responds, with a huff.

"Ah, well thanks..... I guess?"

Basil now moves in front of her. "Here's my gift for you, Aubrey."

He hands her a pot filled with beautiful pink flowers. Gladioluses, if she remembered correctly.

"These flowers represent strength of character. Someone who is honest, with strong moral values... Someone who stands by their convictions...
They remind me of you, because you're always true to yourself. I wanna be as brave as you one day!"

The girl tears up at his kind words. *sniff*"Thanks, Basil." She smiles at him.

The girl in the doorway also smiles. Just a little, barely noticeable, but still there.

Finally Sunny moves to give her his gift. He apprehensively holds out his present.

Aubrey takes it joyfully and opens it. Inside is a........ oh.

Inside is a purple stuffed toy that belonged to Sunny, one that Aubrey always said she wanted, her favorite.

"Sunny.... this is yours..."

"W-Well yeah, but you always said you liked it and wanted one like it, so... I thought I would just give him to you."

She cradles it in her arms like a baby. "Thank you so much, Sunny."

She wraps him in a warm, gentle hug. Sunny turns a bright, crimson red and timidly hugs her back.
.
.............


Aubrey feels at peace.

All of them flicker and vanish in front of Aubrey's tear filled eyes. Tears of nostalgia, tears of hatred and tears of love. These emotions battle for dominance within her head. But still...

Aubrey remembered......... The simple joy of a child opening gifts on Christmas. They felt more special because they were given to her by the people she cherished most.

Christmas. When they all saved up together for one single gift. Sunny's gift. The thing that caused him to kill his own sister. The Violin.

As if at that very thought, a gift leaning on the tree falls over and unwraps itself. Inside is........ a Violin. It is covered in dried blood and strands of long black hair are entangled in it. Something shiny is entangled in its strings.

Aubrey stares at it for what seems like an eternity. She moves forward, barely of any conscious thought. She removes a small Key from its strings. The word 'OMORI' is etched across the handle. Holding it doesn't seem to make her feel anyway in particular... it just...... dulls her current feelings.

This sound snaps Aubrey out of her daze. She realizes that the floor is rapidly caving in front where the Violin is.

The Violin falls into a black abyss.

The hole is getting larger. Aubrey's eyes go wide open and she runs for her life towards the door.

The Christmas tree, the presents, everything is rapidly swallowed. Aubrey isn't going to make it in time. She jumps, as the ground beneath her ceases to exist.

Aubrey falls on the floor of the maze with a dull thud. The door closes behind her with a click.

'Holy shit.' Aubrey checks herself for any injuries. She seems to be okay.

These knocks are different. She has to strain her ears to hear them. It sounds like the person knocking has lost all their energy.

She sets off once again, afraid of what was to come.

After walking for what feels like an eternity, Aubrey arrives in a small, square room. In the center is a piano. The word 'OMORI' is etched across the center.

Mari's piano.

There is a Lock clamped over its lid. Aubrey slowly, reverently walks up to it and inserts the Key and turns it.

It feels like she's turning through flesh, or..... something of that kind. The horrible, wet squelching sound as she turns the Key certainly doesn't help.

She opens it completely and the Lock falls off. She opens the piano's lid.

Inside, instead of the actual insides of a piano, she sees a scene, from the top-down, as if looking in through a skylight.

A dark-haired girl is sobbing violently over the side of a casket. "MARI..... WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME!?"

All Aubrey can hear next is unintelligible sobbing. A blonde haired boy attempts to comfort her, but tears run down his face too.

Kel, too is crying, the expression unnatural on his usually cheerful face.

Hero and Sunny just have an empty, soulless and emotionless look in their eyes, looking more like corpses than Mari. Mari has a peaceful expression on her face, as if she's sleeping after a long day.

They all fade away without a single word. The coffin is now filled with blood. Black hair spills from it over the edge like inky waterfalls. Something glitters in the center of the coffin.

Aubrey remembered...... Grief. The Sun shined brighter... when she was here.

Aubrey was watching this entire time with an expression similar to Sunny or Hero's. She feels sadness and anger, but mostly just tiredness at being sad and angry.

A lie. One that had haunted Aubrey for a long, long time.

She leans down, over the edge of the piano and grabs the Key.

As soon as she touches it, a horrible burning sensation rips through her hand, making her drop the Key and nearly fall in.

She looks at her hand. A large, painful looking burn in the shape of the Key is on it. It's still hurting horribly. She pulls off her jacket and wraps it around her hand and once again leans down to pick up the Key.

Aubrey picked up a Bloodstained Key. She can still feel the malevolent, burning heat through the jacket, just...... muffled.

This knocking seems.... more erratic, like a claustrophobic person trying to escape after being locked in a small room.

It fills Aubrey with a sense of foreboding dread. Having nothing else to do, Aubrey walks towards the knocking.

She stands before a Bloodstained door. It may have once been green, but it no longer looked anything like it. It looked as if someone had repeatedly tried to bash it in with a bat. There were long scratches on it, as if someone was dragged across it against their will.

She apprehensively puts the Key Into the Lock. Once again, as if the Very door is alive, the Lock moves on its own. This time, it turns quickly on its own, almost twisting Aubrey's wrist. The Key is ripped out of her hand as the door violently swings open with a slam.

She sees a girl and a boy sitting around a photo album. There are several houseplants behind them on a shelf. They look wilted.

"Basil, you can show me the album now." A dark-haired girl says. Her hair is messy and has lost its shine.

"O-okay Aubrey..." Basil apprehensively opens the Album.

Aubrey looks inside.

Every single photo, every memory, even Mari's face is scratched out with thick black Ink.

"Basil what is this" The girl aggressively turns the page. On the next page, all the photos have suffered a similar fate. This breaks something within the girl.

"Basil, what is this?" Her voice is quickly filling with tears and anger.

"Au-Aubrey, I didn-" He is cut off by a hate filled shriek, dripping with rage.

HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!? TO US? TO MARI? I THOUGHT YOU LOVED HER! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!......" She snatches the album out of Basil's hands and gets up.

"I don't want to see you ever again. Don't talk to me. Don't even look at me ever again." This is all she says before sprinting out of the house, with the album clutched close to her heart, trying desperately not to cry.

Basil disappears. Where he was sitting, a pool of unknown black liquid seeps through the floorboards. Something faintly glimmers inside.

Aubrey remembered............ Betrayal. She had no one she could trust. She felt so, so, alone.

Aubrey watches this with an expression akin to someone seeing a puppy get stomped into the ground. The taste of iron faintly fills her mouth. The burn on her hand was aching more than ever.

It wasn't even his fault. It was Sunny's. He did this, but it wasn't like she could blame him, either. Seeing.... Her after what he did must have been too much for him. It was what he deserved.

But did he?

Aubrey tortured Basil for four years. For something he didn't even do. He never once told the truth about Sunny. Could she blame him either?

Aubrey walked into the room. It felt like something was watching her through the walls.

Aubrey picked up the Dirty Key.... It was covered in grime, rust and dried alcohol. It smelled like.... like home.

Just holding it made her feel horrible, unclean. It made her want to rip off her skin.


*KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK*

There it was again, that frenzied knocking.

Aubrey wanted to stop, to give up. But, she couldn't. She didn't know why, but simply couldn't.

She walked out of the room, and back into the unknown.

__________________

She walked up to it, staring at it balefully, and inserted the Key. It did not turn. Aubrey had dealt with this before. She tried wiggling it, and it turned with a squeak.

The door slowly swung inwards, letting in the sound of shouting.

Aubrey saw a girl with blondish hair. She intended to dye it pink with the help of her friend, Kim, to uphold an old promise. Kim is... nice. A little rough around the edges, but when push comes to shove, she'll be there for Aubrey. More that she can say for some people.

She was slowly coming down from her room in the attic, when she heard a loud rattling yell.

"I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU OR YOUR BRAT OF A DAUGHTER EVER AGAIN, YOU DRUGGIE BITCH!"

A man storms out of Aubrey's parent's bedroom. His clothes are stained and old. He hasn't shaved in weeks. He looks so, so tired.

He leaves the house without another word and slams the door hard enough for dust to fall from the ceiling.

The girl is rooted to the spot.

'It was never this bad before.'

.......

'He's not coming back, is he?'

A woman staggers out of the room after him. "WAIT!"

She trips and falls. Her clothes are covered in god-knows-what. She looks more like an emaciated corpse than a living, breathing human. Still a far cry better than what she would eventually become.

Her unfocused, drunken gaze falls on Aubrey.

"You."

"WHY CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT!? AUBERGINE, YOU WORTHLESS WHORE, I HATE YOU!"

A glass bottle explodes in a starburst above Aubrey's head, barely missing her.

"NEVER SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME AGAIN!"

With this, the woman runs out of the house, presumably after the man.

Aubrey doesn't even know what she's done wrong. 'Why does this always happen to me?' She thinks. All she wants in this moment is to shrink in on herself and dissappear. She curls up on the floor.

The girl seems to melt into the shadows and disappear. Where she was, a lone Key remains.

Aubrey remembered....... Pain. She makes a promise to herself to never let herself feel this vulnerable ever again.

A Lock is formed.

.......

The pain in Aubrey's hand is impossible to ignore now. Her eyes sting as all those emotions come rushing back into her head. She can't stop now. She's gone too far, seen too much to stop now.

She walks in through the door and picks up a Light Blue Key. It makes her feel... comfortable.

The Key appears to be shoddily painted over.

'Keep running, far, far away from here' It whispers in her hand. Knocking can be heard. It is aggressive and persistent, like the beating of a war drum.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

She walks out of the rotting room, and walks onwards, towards her fate, as if pulled on strings.

__________________

She arrives in front of a door, as she always had. This one takes on the color of a light shade of Blue. It is reminiscent of the Orange door, in how battered and weathered it looked. 

It still felt comforting, however. Like Home. Wherever that was.

She opened it, with little resistance. The door swung inwards.

Inside was...... A girl.

Her hair still dark. 

She sat alone on the swings.

Her face was full of tears, yet hauntingly empty.

A girl with a blue hoodie and bright red glasses twiddles her thumbs behind her.

She seems to make up her mind on something.

She approaches Aubrey from behind and starts. 

"Hey, you... uh, doin okay?"

There is no response.

"It's just that I've seen you her a few times and.... you just sit here."

Kim puts her hand on Aubrey's shoulder. The girl flinches slightly at the physical contact.

 "D-Do you want to talk about it?"

Aubrey doesn't want to believe. She wants to say no, to run.

And yet... she nods her head shakily.

Kim sits down on the the swing next to her and Aubrey lets out everything she's been holding inside for so, so long. She doesn't know why. She still doesn't know why. But she knows that this saved her.

She smiles, and the pain in her palm lessens, if for only a moment.

They fade into rays of light in the air, and an Ornate Key Lies on the swing where Aubrey sat.

Aubrey remembered.... Respite. It really felt like she could find her peace that she so craved.

Aubrey walks inside and picks up the Ornate Key.  It feels cold and unwelcoming in her hand, yet at the same time familiar.

*KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK*

She gets up and follows aimlessly, like she always has.

Like she always will.

__________________

She Arrives at a set of Heavy double doors. They cast a menacing shadow over her. She inserts the Key into the lock and turns.

She feels a stabbing pain in her chest when she turns it, but it turns "easily".

The Doors open. Inside is.... a pink-haired girl.

She stands in the middle of a church. The church is covered in a heavy, red mist.

In front of her are two boys. One of them is yelling at her while the other just watches.

The girl is surrounded by whispering, from all around her.

She screams, But it is inaudible. The mist swirls and thickens, becoming as powerful as a torrential storm.

All Aubrey can see are brief flashes of light from attacks, the hot ashes in the air from bridges burnt enter her lungs and burn her. She almost falls over in pain, the wound on her hand dripping boiling blood onto the floorboards.

Suddenly, a girl bursts forth from the storm, running away as she always has. She rushes straight at Aubrey. Aubrey almost stumbles back, but as soon as the girl reaches the door, she dissolves into mist, a Black Key where she was, flying straight into Aubrey's hand. 

It is vein-chillingly cold, and sucks in all the blood from her wound within itself.

The Key seems to leech the warmth and color out of her very veins.

She feels guilt wrap its leaden hands around her heart.

She waits for the knocking, to leave, to keep moving, to keep running.

*KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK*

Her wish is fulfilled.

Aubrey notices that the carpets are now damp. She thinks nothing of it.

She stands in front of a Black door. It is covered in dark water and is ominously radiating a sense of fear. The cold grip on her heart gets tighter.

She didn't want to open it.

When has anything ever went the way she wants to... like, ever in her life. As she's being pulled forward by invisible strings, she walks forward and inserts the Key in the Lock and turns.

It does not turn.

She tries again. It seems as if it will never open. The door's heavy shadow wraps around her like an iron curtain. She feels as if she can't move at all.

No. I can't give up now. The same voice from the back of her head speaks, the headstrong little girl that never truly died.

She musters up her strength and turns once more. It opens with a click.

The door swings inwards.

She sees.............

She sees a familliar pink-haired delinquent girl standing a pier at the edge of a lake. Behind her, a blond boy tries to shrink within himself. The years have not been kind to him. But that's her fault isn't it?

Tears run down her face. She is screaming at two boys standing in front of her. One is tall with brown hair, and the other rather short with onyx-black hair. The years haven't been kind to him either.

"WHY? Why do you guys keep coming back? I just want you to leave me alone!"

"Sunny.... Why? Why did you show up now?" It seems like she's asking herself more than anyone.

"We just want you to stop messing with Basil! What's your deal with him all of a sudden?" Kel stops for a moment.

.......

"You used to be friends!.. We all used to be."

Aubrey gets up. "You think I'm the bully, but you're all messed up too...."

She steps forward.
A world seems to gain a blood red hue, washing over everything. "Where were you when Mari died?"

"WHERE WERE ANY OF YOU?" She bursts out screaming.

The pain in Aubrey's hand is getting unbearable.

The girl doubles back on Basil, forcing him to cower at the edge of the pier.

"and you..... You're the worst, Basil. How dare you still show your face to me after what you did!"

The girl turns around from him, as if casting him away.

Basil attemps to comfort her. "Aubrey.... I-" He is cut off.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She pushes him away from her..... and right into the lake.

Basil barely comes up to take a breath before sinking into the lake.

The pain in Aubrey's hand worsens.

"... shoot...." A massive understatement.

"What the heck, Aubrey, you've taken this way too far!" A livid Kel says.

"W-Wait, hold on! I didn't mean to-" Aubrey says, trying to avoid the consequences of her actions, like always.

"Sunny! Don't worry about Aubrey! I'll keep her busy... Just go help Basil!" Sunny jumps in after Basil.

.......wait.

Sunny can't swim, can he?

As if at that very thought, the scene changes. The sky is a bright, horrible red. The lake is filled with blood. Several long, black hands rise out of it.

On the shore are... two corpses.

One of them has blonde hair and the other's is black. They both look like all blood has been drained from their bodies. The is a large wound on the blonde boy's chest.

This is all your fault.

Across, is trying to get away from two people. Their faces are shrouded in shadow. One of them is a familliar young man that she hasn't seen in a while. She falls over.

The pain is too much for the Aubrey in the door. She doubles over, clutching her hand in absolute agony. She screams out in pain, but no one hears her cries.

"WHY DID PUSH BASIL IN TO THE LAKE"

HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!? TO US? TO MARI?

"I- it was an accident, I swear!"

I didn't want to push her... please forgive me...

"I DOESN'T MATTER, THEY'RE DEAD NOW! AND ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

WHY CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT!? AUBERGINE, YOU WORTHLESS WHORE, I HATE YOU!

"ALL YOU DO IS HURT EVERYONE AROUND YOU! AT LEAST SUNNY TRIED TO DO SOME GOOD IN THE WORLD!"

....she's become so uncontrollable after her father left.....

"YOU SHOULD JUST DIE, TOO!"

I should just die.

In the haze of pain, Aubrey distantly wonders if this is what Sunny and Basil felt like for four long years.

She'd left Sunny alone without anyone for so long- ....he'd always hated being alone -and she'd made Basil's life a living hell all because she couldn't get it through her thick fucking skull that people ather than her could be grieving, too.

It wasn't even their fault. She could have been just like them, but she got lucky. She was saved by the flip of a coin, a miracle. But the blood was still on her hands. 'Mari, what should I do...'

..........

Mari wouldn't want her to hold on her hatred and misery. No, she always just wanted everyone to be happy. Aubrey could no longer hate Basil and Sunny.

As suddenly as if if she was broken from a trance, the world rights itself. A handsome young man swims out of the lake with two bodies. They are breathing steadily. The pain in Aubrey's hand nearly dissappears.

As Sunny comes to, they all fade away. Where Sunny was lying, a shiny Key glimmers.

Aubrey remembered......... Fear. She never wanted any of this to happen.

Aubrey knows what's coming next. This just makes her more determined to keep going. If not for her, then for Mari.

She walks through the door and picks up the Hospital Key. It looks newly made. Holding has the opposite effect as the Pink Key. It fells unnatural, inhuman and cold in her hand.

*KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK*

'Right.... Can't stop now.'

She stands in front of a familliar door. It appears clinical and unfeeling. Its Lock gleams brightly. A florescent tubelight is above the door, illuminating everything in its harsh light.

Aubrey puts the Key Into the Lock and turns. It turns smoothly with a click.

The door swings inwards. She sees... a hospital ward. Inside, three people are standing around a patient. The monitor is beeping steadily.

Suddenly, the door to the ward opens. A boy stands in the doorway. His right eye is covered in bandages. His frail looking body is covered in slashes. "Sunny! You shouldn't be out." Hero says.

He speaks the first words they've heard from him in four years.

His voice is rough with lack of use and emotion, but it carries an impossible strength.

The scene shifts. Hero is gone. Kel stares blankly through Sunny. He looks like he's aged a thousand years. Sunny is on the floor, crying, his throat and eyes raw.

Aubrey is also crying, but her tears are tears of rage. Of betrayal. Of course, just when her life was going well, just when she thought she could redeem herself, this had to happen. There are no happy endings for Aubergine Smith.

She walks forward, towards Sunny. He fliches. Good.

"I hate you. I HATE ALL OF YOU!"

She runs out of the hospital, crying into the sleeves of her jacket.

The scene changes. A pink haired girl is sobbing in her room, alone. She curls up into a ball on her bed and only waits for the pain to stop.

The door slams shut on its own. The message is clear.

There are no more keys. No more memories to remember. There is no one left for her. All she's done over the last four years is run and run and now she's run too far.

Aubrey slams her fist against the door trying to get it to open, trying to tell the girl inside to stop running. 'This can't be how it ends. It just can't.'

However, it is a simple rule of the universe that she has come to accept, the same as the sun or gravity. Unchanging, Never faltering.

She starts to give up and start sobbing over the door. She gives in to the hopelessness that has been gnawing at her since the beginning.

Shecan'ttakeitanymore.Shecan'ttakeitanymore.Shecan'ttakeitanymore.Shecan'ttakeitanymore.Shecan'ttakeitanymor-

A sound breaks her from her spiral. It is a sound she's heard a thousand times. One she hasn't heard in a long time. Soft piano notes make their way to Aubrey's ears. They form a familiar, comforting song.

The hopelessness vanishes from her head. The burn on her hand fades away. 

Aubrey felt better.

Aubrey reaches out to the music and remembers how to HOPE.

Aubrey hopes for a brighter future. It returns the warmth to her body. The world seems to gain more color. Aubrey is now able to get up.

She follows the music, a determination building in her heart.

Aubrey notices that the trash on the floor is now gone. The walls too, look far cleaner. Aubrey smiles.

She arrives in a room different from all others. It is massive and circular. Along its walls, twelve doors reside at equal intervals. They are all open and emitting a bright, comforting white light. At the very back of the room, a piano stands. The word 'OMORI' is etched across the top. Its lid is open and from the inside, the same bright light radiates.

There is a large, circular hole in the domed roof, like a skylight. Rays of sunshine illuminate the center of the room.

A circular glade of flowers is visible in the center. White Egret Orchids.

A distant memory comes back to Aubrey. "In the language of flowers, these mean.. may my thoughts follow you into your dreams." She used to place these at Mari's grave in the desperate hope that she might hear her.

In the center of the glade, a singular unopened door casts a faint shadow. In front of it is.. a picnic cloth and basket. Sitting on the cloth is someone she hasn't seen in a long time. Someone she never thought she'd see again. She looks different. She is entirely monochrome, her black hair and eyes standing out on her paper white skin. But that smile, the genuine care and affection in her eyes, it can only be one person.

"Ma-Mari?"

"Hey Aubrey, it's been a while since we've seen each other, huh. I like what you've done with your hair!" The girl is tackled in a hug.

"I missed you so much, Mari...." Aubrey sobs into her shoulder.

"Shh... shhh.... it's alright, I missed you too. I'm so proud of you Aubrey. You've come so far." Aubrey hugs her tighter, shaking.

"If its not too much, can I ask you just one thing?" Says Mari.

"Of course! You can ask me anything!" Replies Aubrey.

"Will you forgive Basil and Sunny.. for me?" Mari asks, as is unsure.

Aubrey smiles up at her. "I already have."

"Wow, you really have grown up haven't you. I'm so, so proud of you Aubrey. ..... There's just one more door left to open now."

Aubrey looks up at the White door. It seems to radiate warm light. There is a simple design on the front. Simple...... but perfect. That's the only way she can describe it.

Mari places a White Key in her hands. "It took me a lot of work to find this, so make it count, alright!" She says in a very Mari-like fashion.

The moment the White Key touches her hand, a blissful warmth spreads across her whole body. It fits perfectly in her hand.

"Just remember, I'm cheering you on, alright?" Aubrey nods, she knows what she has to do.

She gets up and shares one last smile with Mari, before turning to the door. She inserts the Key Into its Lock. It turns effortlessly.

The door swings inward. She sees......

A dark-haired girl and a boy sitting together on the swings. The girl is crying into her hands.

"I don't get it! Why don't they ever stop fighting! Sometimes I hear them yelling at each other about me. Why, why, why can't they ever just stop....."

The black haired boy places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Aubrey. It's not your fault. If it ever gets too much for you, you can just stay over at Me and Mari's place, okay? How does that sound?" His voice is soft and quiet.

The girl raise her face to look at him. "Re-really?"

"Of course, you're welcome anytime!" He says, unaware of how much this means to the girl.

She wraps him in a hug. "Thank you so much, Sunny."

They fade away, but this time, where the younger Sunny sat, the Sunny she knew now sits instead. His neat black hair is longer, he's slightly taller and his face is more angular. Some might even call him cute. There is a fluffy white eyepatch over his right eye. He gestures at the swing next to him.

Aubrey realizes that he's calling her and awkwardly sits down next to him. "H-Hey Sunny.."

"Hey, Aubrey." His voice is deeper and scratchier.

Without wasting a second, he looks straight into her eyes and says "Do you forgive me?" Straight to the point. Sunny was always like that.

Aubrey musters up her courage and looks at him back. "Yes, yes I do. What happened wasn't your fault." She truly believes this. In front of her, she doesn't see a murderer or Psychopath, she sees the person that was always there for her, the one that did more good for others in three days than she did in four years. She sees a boy crying at the bottom of a flight of stairs, at the death of his only sister. She saw the person she fell in love with.

Sunny smiled at her, a rare, small smile that would never fail to melt her. She hadn't seen it in a long time, too.

He hugged her. The warmth of the hug spread to every part of her body, a thousand times stonger than that of the White Key. Aubrey didn't know what to say, so said the only thing that came to mind.

"I love you, Sunny. She could practically feel his smile grow wider.

"I love you too, Aubrey."

Aubrey remembered........... The feeling of Peace. She'd been relying on her anger for so long that she forgot what it felt like.

When Aubrey opened her eyes, she was in the Treehouse. All of the toys were moved to the side. Mr Plantegg stared at her from a shelf. The warmth she felt was now all around her, like sparkles in the air.

An empty photo album lay in the center of the room. Twelve photos surrounded it. This time, it was up to Aubrey to put them in the correct order. She knelt down and started to place them in.

A photo of a crying girl being comforted by her friends.

A photo of an raven-haired girl smiling warmly at a younger girl.

A photo of a girl introducing a blond boy to the rest of her friends.

A photo of five friends sitting around a dining table, laughing with each other.

A photo of a girl in a pink raincoat arguing with a boy in an orange raincoat.

A photo of a girl excitedly opening her Christmas presents.

A photo of a girl crying over a casket.

A photo of a girl screaming at a blond haired boy.

A photo of a girl crying on a dirty, wooden floor.

A photo of a girl crying on another girl's shoulder.

A photo of a girl swinging a nail bat. 

A photo of a girl pushing her oldest friend into a lake.

A photo of a girl running out of a hospital ward.

And finally, A photo of a pink-haired girl and a black-haired boy hugging each other on a swingset.

Aubrey smiled. Sure, some of these memories hurt, but that didn't mean that she could fill the album with more happy ones. Aubrey closed the album. It's cover was pink and read

She could hear someone coming up the ladder to the treehouse. A familliar dark-haired girl with a pink bow in her hair emerged. No words were spoken. She simply smiled at Aubrey with her soft, brown eyes. Aubrey smiled back. This time, she faded away. The world tuned a soft white.

......

....................

..............................

Aubrey woke up in her bed to a tapping sound in her window. Kim must've been trying to get her out again. Her once bright, pink hair was now dull and tangled and turning dark again at the roots.

Aubrey got out of her bed as always, but something was different. She had hope.

She knew what she had to do.

For Mari.

For Basil.

For herself.

For Sunny.

She would make things right again.

Chapter Text

'What, no EVERYTHING is wrong. This isn't Black Space.'

Instead of the crude, black picnic cloth He was expecting, he woke up in the entrance hall of what seemed like a grand hotel. Like Black Space, it was comprised of black with white lines snaking across it, forming its shape, making elaborate patterns on the walls. However, this place was far more complex than Black Space, with grand ceilings and chandeliers, and above him, it seemed to stretch on forever. It was beautiful in a way that nothing else could be, perfect, unimaginable, remote.

It felt both unfamiliar to him and as if he'd lived here his entire life. He had the oddest feeling that he was seeing it like this because... that's what he expected to see from Black Space, and so that's what his mind showed him here.

He walked forward towards the end of the hall. It narrowed down towards the end, and at the very back was a receptionist's desk. Behind was a giant wall of hooks. Hanging on each one was a Key. To its right was an elevator, seemingly to access the upper floors. On the desk was a bell and a well used fireman's axe. Dried blood stained the faded red metal.

Sitting in the desk was..... a large humanoid figure. It was wearing a long black cape that ended on the floor in sharp, triangular metal points. The cape seemed to be made out of liquid metal. It was wearing.. what looked like a robotic suit from one of those Sci-fi movies he enjoyed watching so much. However, it was jet black and glinted menacingly. It covered every inch of its skin, with intricate wires barely visible on the surface like veins. Its hands unnerved Sunny as they are just as sharp and metallic as the rest of its body, with sharp joints on its fingers that ended in long, shiny black metal claws. Its face was also made of the same, light draining metal, the hinge on its jaw was clamped shut. The face was in a menacing, jagged smile and its eyes were empty portals to death itself. The only 'human' part of it that he could see was the rough, brown hair that poured forth from the top of its head. Its hands were on the table and it was looking downwards as if turned off. It was not moving at all.

The oddest part of it were the eight, long robotic appendages, like the legs of a spider that protruded from its back. Sunny had long since gotten over his arachnophobia, but he had to admit, those things creeped him out. They too, ended in sharp, triangular points and could probably kill him with a single swipe. They were just... hanging in the air behind it.

Sunny was unsure what to do. He walked to the desk and examined the figure. It was cold to the touch and did not move. He did the only thing left to do and rung the bell. Suddenly, with a sound between a car starting and a computer booting up, the figure moved. An eerie red light flickered in Its eyes, giving it life. The barely visible wires across its body started to glow the same red. The figure straightened its back, interlaced his hands and stared at Sunny in a way reminiscent of his father. Its spider-like limbs rested downwards in a more comfortable position. Sunny was startled by the sudden movement but was cut off when the figure spoke to him in a voice completely unexpected to emanate from it.

"Ahh, I see you've arrived, Dreamer. You must be wondering why I've called you here." It- no, His voice was deep, rich and calming, flowing over him like molasses. It had a metallic quality to it like knives scraping over metal. He found himself entrance-

'Wait, what? Why HE'S called me to my own mind?'

"Who are you? What have you done to Black Space?" Sunny said, with a confidence he could only have here, after all, this was his mind, wasn't it?

"..............."

"Heheheh....AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" The figure burst out laughing, his laughter like notes being smashed on a harpsichord.

"Exactly the kind of bravado I expected from you, Dreamer!" he regained his composure.

"As for who I am, that doesn't matter does it?

...........

However if you must know, In these places, I am known as THE KEYMASTER, and you stand within my Hall of Doors." He spread his arms and limbs and looked up to gesture grandly.

Sunny looked around. As he said, there were doors on lining every surface, spreading infinitely upwards as each floor seemed to hold more doors than the last. Few doors seemed familiar. Most did not.

"The real question I must ask you, Dreamer, is who are you? Anyone who's anyone around here knows who you are, but we know so little. After all, a single human conquering and shaping and entire Layer to his mind's will is.... unusual, to say the least." Sunny didn't know what he was talking about. 'Around here? Spaces?' These words seemed familiar to him... but they didn't? If that made any sense.

"Oh, I see your little.... copy must've been keeping some secrets from you. Well, you see, in a nutshell, I come from another layer of reality. One below the one in which you reside. It was the primordial form of Hall you stand in now. It is rare for a human to enter a seperate Layer, but to completely convert it, to shape it like wet clay, it was unheard of. Your desire to repress, to hide what you did to your dear sister, it took a form. A lens to view your world through. 'Omori.' A Conqueror who ripped through the Space, destroying everything and remaking it your image. Headspace was born. After you defeated Omori and revealed the Truth, you reabsorbed him into your psyche, making him one with you once more. Because the Anchor, the very Foundation of Headspace was destroyed, it began to crumble. It returned to what once was." He monologued.

"What should have been." He added, dryly.

"However, the power, the energy from which it was formed still remains. The slate is wiped clean, but the chalk still remains. Do you understand?" Sunny nodded. Somehow, he was comprehending everything being shoved down his throat.

"Good. Now, usually this power would wash back into the ocean, becoming lost forever. But in this case, the lens to focus this power, to convert it back was absorbed into you. There is only one place this power can go to now."

"Me."

"Correct, in essence, you have become the perfect vessel for four years of accumulated energy from your endless dreaming. One you enter what remains of Headspace, it will start to rapidly collapse in on you, leaving only your own mind. The others say that I shouldn't do this. That I should let some doors stay.... closed. But I literally see right though you, Dreamer." He said, putting a long, metallic finger over Sunny's heart. "And I see that your mind's will is the strongest any human's could ever possibly get. You have overcome your darkness Dreamer, and here lies your reward." He finished, simply.

He might not know the specifics, but he understood that he needed to do this, to face his creation one last time. Power didn't sound too bad, either. He nodded.

The Keymaster smiled. Or at least, it seemed like he did. His face did not change or move whatsoever during this exchange, the latch on his jaw remaining shut.

"Very well then Dreamer, your choice is made." He snapped his fingers with a metallic click. A door behind Sunny swung open, making him jump.

Sunny started towards the door, but was stopped. "Oh, right, I almost forgot." He used one of his spidery appendages to take a single Key off the wall and tossed it to him. Sunny fumbled and caught the Red Key. It fit perfectly in his hand. The Keymaster suddenly grabbed his hand and leaned over the desk.

"Don't disappoint me...... Sunny."

Sunny nodded shakily at him and made towards the open door. Why did that shake him up so badly?

The sudden outburst reminded him of something.

The door closed behind him and disappeared, as if it were never there in the first place.

He found himself in a hallway. There was no definition on the walls. It wasn't black nor white, rather it looked like what color would be there for something that had none. Default. Empty. Less than White Space.

A light that seemed to eminate from very spot in the hallway bent towards him, filling him with a certain..... strength.

He felt a slight scratching underneath his skin. It made him feel an emotion he couldn't quite recognize.

Sunny walked to the end of the hallway. He suddenly found himself in a playground. It was empty except for one person. Mari looked at Sunny excitedly and waved at him. "Hey, Sunny, everyone's at a really cool picnic spot we found in the middle of the Forest. Wanna join?"

The scraping under his skin became more noticeable.

Sunny followed his instincts and said "Sure, I'd love to!"

"Look who's talkative today, huh?" Mari looked up. "Oh, looks like the moon's already setting, better get there quick!" Sunny looked up. The moon was not in fact, setting, the sky was just turning the same, blank color as the hallway. He looked around most of the things in the park were gone, he watched as a tetherball pole vanished from his sight.

"Yeah, you're right, we should probably leave...... Now."

"Alrighty then.." She grabbed his hand and led him to the forest.

After seemingly an infinite number of meaningless turns and shortcuts through thorn bushes, they arrived at a lake. The sky was once again a deep, rich purple.

All the residents of the playground were here, playing. Just as he expected.

Aubrey, Basil, Hero and Kel were huddled around the photo album. Aubrey was the first to notice him. "Hey, guys Mari and Sunny are back!" She tackled Sunny in a hug.

"Sunny, I missed you so much!" She refused to let him go.

'ugh, did I really make her this clingy..... I'm pathetic.'

You are pathetic. You've made her like this because you crave what you can't have. Do you ever think that she would ever love you back? That's why she hasn't spoken to you in a month. That's why the others all hate you too. Because you're unforgivable. Unlovable. A pathetic, worthless monster that-

'SHUT UP!'

Ever since he told the truth, these thoughts haven't left his head. Its like having a Mini-Omori in there whispering horrible things in his ear. He thinks about what the Keymaster told him about absorbing Omori back into himself. Does that mean that these thoughts will be a part of him forever? He is broken out of his thoughts by a loud young Orange Joe fanatic.

"HEY, Sunny come check out Basil's photo album with us, will you?" He boomed, energetic as ever.

Ooof... Basil's photo album... The last time he'd seen it, it was not a good experience. His hands stung at the mere memory.

Speaking of, the flower boy himself was sitting on the picnic blanket, smiling at Sunny. "H-Hey Sunny, been a while since we've seen you." His crown seemed.... different.

'Yes, yes it has been a while, how do you know, however?' He thought.

He nods and joins them around the photo album. Unlike when he'd seen this version of it last, it was full and was an almost exact copy of the album in his real life dresser.

Hero painted out the photo of them practicing for the recital, now washed in purple.

"Mari, your playing on the piano sounded so perfect!"

Typical Mari. Getting everyone's attention.

.....wait. He wouldn't think something like that, right?

"Aww, don't say that. I just tried my hardest..." She replied, blushing

As if I didn't. But she just wanted me to be as perfect as her. Like she could do no wrong. Hypocrite.

.......

N-No.. this wasn't him, it had to be Omori, right... Right?

"Sunny, why do you look worried, just calm down, okay." Mari said.

Just looking at her made the scratching feeling grow inside him.

"Yeah, okay" He tried to focus anywhere except her face. He noticed that everyone around the lake was now gone, vanished without a trace. The forest behind them was rapidly turning black and wilting.

"Ş̶̨̢̨̨̧̛͉̩̱̜̯̤̮̖͖̙͔̟͔̻͇̝͔̖̖̩̠͍̙̳̬̼̟̦̜͇̫̠͖͉̗̪̺̥̳̦̼̥̘̻̞̱͓̯̰̲͔̰͍̦͓̩̻̮̭̲̈́̆̓͋̔͂͆̈́̐̍͊͐͊̄̾͑̆̅̀͑̀̂̅̀̀́͐̈́̓̓̿͐̀̒͐̇̈́͌̚̚͘͜͝͝ơ̸̡̧̢̛̘͓͎̤̮͚͈̼̠̜̜̺͓͓̲͖͍̝͎̗̞̰̺͉͍̣̥̪̼̩̭͉̯̞̬̜̜̦̭͕̬̼̲̪͚̰̤̈́̉̂̈́͒́̎̑͐̇̔̀͊͋͑̔͊͑͋̌̆̃̓͐̍̓̈́͌̅̋̄́̏͊̓̇̌̇̓̿̂͌̊͒̊̿̓́̆̑̀̋͒̋́̑̓̏̕̕̚̕̕͜͜͝ͅͅͅm̵̢̢̢̧̨̢̡̧̡̹̻͖̳̤̜̭̫͖͍̰̯̙̤̙͖̝̫̦̣̮̥̤͉͓͓̙̹͙̫͇͈̖͙̤̮͕͉̙͓̲͚̗͉̣̖̪͇̬͉̪̭̪̺͖͓͚̬̹̣̝͌͊͌̈̈̑̄̓̂͌̉͗̓̊̚̚ͅͅẹ̵͎̾́̅͋͐̃̍̋͛̀͋͊̈́̔̎̃̎̐̅͂͊́̏̈́͛̅̃͋̿̅͛̀̀̊͆͂̐̀̈́͒̈́̀͋͂͗̀̓̈́̆͆̓̌̿̃̾̊͗͊̈́͑́̏͋̌̚̕͘̕̕͠͠͠͠͠ţ̷̨̡̨̡̨̯̬͙͓̣̞̠̖̺̰͈̣̳̖̦͔͖͉͍̤̞̰̰̙̭̖̗͖̥̹̙̺̙͇͎̣͍̞̲͔̦̙̯͍̰̤̪̦̩̹͈̝̞̳̰̹͎̗̪̻͈̫̬͓̬̣̜̞̻̓́͂̋͜͜h̴̨̨̗̟̣̼̦̫̤̭̹̥͍̦̯̫͍̮̘̫̙̯͇̹̗̘̜̰̖̖͓͇̝̹͛̋̍̆̃̾̅̓̔̕͜ͅͅḭ̶̢̡̧̧̛̖͈̰̣̝̦̦̫͓̖̣͔̮̳̰̣̻̬̺͙̮̩̩̮̬͕͓̺̱̝̲̟̜͔̻̘͙̱̟̰͍̖̫̜̱̣͕̞͖̻͓̫̠̣̩̣̥͎̙̰͚̱̫̰͆͑̆̀͛̏̋̑̍͋̃͐̓̋̒͋̈̓̾̈̌̐͋̋̀̆̉̏̿̎̈́̋͌̑̿̌͛̈̏̇̿̈́̀̔͜͜͜͜͝ͅͅņ̷̢̨̢̡̡̛̺̯̹̳̹͉̲̺͓̱͕̰̣̫̜̬̦̻̘̝̗͚͕͔̲̜̥̯̟̬̼̗̠̟̭͉̱̬̪͕͍͖̮̣̰̪͎̱̬̗̟̟̘̟̹͇̩͖̼̳͔̪̬̪̤̝͐̐̍̾̂͌̇̔͛̓̚͜͜͠ͅͅͅģ̸̡̨̤͓͇̬͖͖̟̳͍̤̺͚̗̠̤͉͈͎̫̱͔͉̳̐̓́͗̉̄͆̂͘͠ͅ ̸̢̡̧̛̛̳̼̪̟̝̰͙̩͙̪͈̘͉̣͔͎̦̲̪̟͉͓̻̝͔̰̖̻̮̳̰̳̤͓̥͋̿̈́̇̌̓́̊̈́̓͐̅͊̂̽̽͋̓̎̌́̒͊̽̔̅̊̈́̽͐̔̉͛́͒̔̓͆̉͊̊̒̃̔̓͋́̅̇̄͐̎̀̈̏͋͘̚̚̕̕̕̕͘͜͝͝͝͝͝ẅ̶̨̛̹͖̫͔̙̫͇̟̱̺̠̙͖̩̝̙̹̞͓͖̠̦̼͎͓̤̹̘̤̉̇̔̊̓͊̑̈́̑͋͛̽̒͊͂̐͛̄̾̿̐̆̑̏̀̈́͛̐̊͋͛̔̕̚̕̕̚͝͝͠ͅr̵̨̡̥͈̹̫̙͉̫̪̘̻͓͖̥͈̘̺͈̪̗̟̭̮͈̬͚̓͌̄͐̆̂̍͛͐̄̋͗̎̀̈̈́̈͆͌̊͆͛̒̂̂͛̐́̽́͑́̇͆͒́͋̓̾̀̅̾͛̎͂́̌̑͌́̕͘̚̕̚͜͝͠͠͝͝͝͠ͅͅǫ̴̧̧̢̨̡̢͙̩̩͇̩͉̗̗͎͔̯̜͈͚̥̦̠̩̦͙̠͙͖̝̳̙͓͕͙̜̯̤̝̟͍̙̱̙̟̖̰̘̮̣͓͕͎͖̦̳̠̲̝̹̱͎̬̬̬̀͊̓̒͜͜ͅn̷̡̛̛̹̺̰̳̖̰̯̬̪̘̤̟͎͖̦̼̞̲̦̼͇̒̎̔̂͂̓́͐̌͛͑͑͐̓͐̀̄̄̑̀̊̎͂͛̈͆͑̆͒̒̈́́̋̊̓̀́͋͗͋́͗̾͊͊͛͑͘͘͘̕͜͠͝͝g̵̨̢̨̛̛̹̼͓̫̑͐̑̽̄̇̇͊̀̽̍̏̓̏̿͑͌̏͌͊́̏̈̓͛̔̄͐̀͛̈͒̚̚͜͠͝͝,̶̡̢̧̨̡̨̢̭̭͙̬͈̝̘̝̰͕͈̻̻̱̮̟̭̫̬͔̭̰̬͔̪̣̘̼̟͖͚̲̭̤̣͙͙̯͕̞͍̮͗̀̄͑̈́̒͊̓͆́̅̿̉͂̇́͗̾͛̀̏̔̚͝͝ͅͅͅͅ ̸̧̡̧̡̛̼͔̹̩̼̱͉͖̙͈͓̣̬̠̘̤̦̖͖͕̳̦̯̼͎̘̱̣͎͇̲̥͎̟̖̣̫͔̱̼͙͚̼̬̫̎͊͋̐̒̒̓̆̐̄͋͝ͅͅͅͅͅͅS̷̡̛͖̭̬͉̜̳̞̲͈̣͚̿̀̓͊͊́͛̏̓̉̎̅̏͌̌̄͗͂̋̇̏͒̿̉̚ų̸̧̧̧͚̫͚̰̼͖͎͕͍̝͎̭̣̭̝͖͙̱̺͍̰͈̣̝̲̿̈́̉̃̎́̈͊͗͊͋̊̊̽̈́̎̂̊́͒̾̑̿̍̀͆̑́͜͝͝ͅn̷̨̡̧̛̛͓̼̱̘̱̝͚̞̞͖̺̗̭̙̫̗̺̙̯͉̫̦̻̣͎̱̻̝̥͈̦͍͚̠̤̰̜̂̓͛͋̒́̏͋͋̒̽̄̈́̑͆͂͌͛̆̈́̃̓͐͂͂͌̅͊̋̔̒̇͌͑̅̋̔̽̔̄͗̆̓̋̋̾̓̉̅͒͐̾̋̅̓̿͊̽̕͘̚̚̚͘͜͝͝͝͝͠n̷̢̧̢̡̡̨̜͙̭̤̥͉̞̜̭̬̗̟̞̬̫̤̯̥̰̣͇̠̭̼͓̫̻̟̥̜͚̩͚̳̺͉̈́̐̑͛̀̿͐̐͋̐̐͊̎̈́̇̑̽̆͐͗̆̎́̄̈́̂̈́̏̔̌͗̐̋͌͘̚̕̚͜͝͝͝ͅy̶̡̨̛̛̞͚͔̼̘̠͇͉͍̺̬̣̻̥͇̲̼̳̦̺̯̜͖̳̭̯̱̤͚͈̝̙̞̤̖̝̗̖̲̼͙̘̝̮̤̹̭̳̾̑́̓͒̊́̒̇͋̃͛̉͐͑̈́̈́̔̽͋̉͒̍̐̋̂̃̇̈́̽͂̍̽̄̓̂̐̎͊͒̕͘̚͘͝͠ͅ?̷̨̞̦̖̲̼͕̘̗̟̙̪̟̽̾̄̂̆̑̂̌̊̒̂̈́̌̉̒̈́́̈́̇́̂̄͊̾͐͒͋̃́͑͑̋̒͗̏̍̃̽͋̀̋̄̀͐̚̚͘̚͝͝͠͝͝͝͝"......Oh my god.

He looked back at his friends. Every single one of them, save Mari's face was gone. It was terrifying. Mari herself didn't look too good. Her facial features were rapidly moving back and forth as if glitching out. Her voice was heavily distorted. The sky was once again fading to that complete emptiness. He watched as the complex constellations he'd formed with his imagination flickered out and died.

He didn't know what to do, so once again, he followed his instincts. He turned around and began to walk straight into the lake.

"W̵̧̢̢̧̡̧̛̛͇͕͕͚̻͍̳͔͖̙̖̣͚͓̙̫͇̦͉̫̰͈̤̮͈̻̞̙͖͔͔̥͍͍͙̹̦̱̭̰̰͙̺̬͍̬͇̜̞͇͈̰͎̜͈͚͈̑̑͛͆̇̋̑͋͒͒͐́̿̅̾͐̓̈́͊̓̾̈́̃̾́̍͆͗̓̾̿̽̇͆̑̈́͌͌͗͊̍̊̂͊̐̎̇̑͐̂̃̂́̿̓̔̔́̊͊͘̕̚̚̕̚͘̚̕͜͝͝͝͝ͅͅͅḩ̵̧̢̨̨̢̨̨̨̨̡̢̧̡̢̛͙̬̘̝͍͕̩̹̹̥̦̳̝̻̖̣̣̫̪̻͍̞͙̦͈̞̥̞̭͇̫͕̠̺̬̟̥̟̝̹̦̼̺͓͖͇̙͎͈̰̙͔̤͉̰̻͍̗̠̹͉̻̫̙̘̭͓͈̬̗͍͓͉͙̻̳͓̬̺͎̦̟̣͖͎͇̳̈́̔͗̓͋͒̌͛̓͆̈́͆́̅͋̇̏͒́̄̈̈̎̋͑͌̒͗̎̈̅̓͋͗̒̓̽͗̾̄̍̋̏̽͒͑̈́͐̿̂͂̈̄̔͐͒̀̇́̈́̔̾̊̎̔̓̒͛̀̽̆̐͌̈́͒̋͒̈́̀̾͑̽̾̇̾͑͊̎͒́̕̕͘͜͜͜͝͝͝͠͝͝-̵͖̣͙͈̖̯͓͍̤͎̰̼̻̟̗͎̐͑͘͜͠w̶̨̛̛̠̟̫̦̬̱͉̗͇͇̬̟̟̲̝͓̱̮͉̼͇̞̐͋̽̂̆͂͐̑̀̾̏̒̉͋̑̔͑̆̈͊̓̾̈́̇̈͂͌̅̔̈́͂͋̀͐̾̐̐̋͐̎̊̊̊̽̒̔̓̈̐̄͂̎͆͊͆̈́̈́̅̈́̉̈́͐͑̀̉̈́̍͆̏̓̍́̌͋́͛̃͌̿͊̿̈́̍̈̚̚͘̚͝͝͝͠͠͝͠͠͝͝͠ͅḩ̶̡̡̳̙̭̱̲̖̱̣̦̜̣̝̰̣̥͈̟̰͓͇̣̻͕͌̀̃͜͜͜e̸̢̨̧̲̠̱̪̝̗͕̰͍͔̼̝̜̪̠̝̖͇̤̹͖̜̥͈͓̟͓͔͎͔̖̘̱̥̝̤̯̻̫̙͉̲̪̟̱͔̦̹̦͈̣̳̟̯͚̞͎̣̹͔̗̠̻̗̟̻̹̤̩̻̻̩̲̺̱̗̗͔͖͔͆̓͋͑̏̂͂͋̆̏̎̊͛̓̀͗̅͛͑͒͒͑͑̍͗͆̀̈́̈́̈͘͜͜͝ͅr̵̢̧̢̛͉̲̯̣̘̤̜̥͉̱͉̤̺̖̭̺̜̲̘͍̼̦̭̙͖͍̳̣̫̫̘̦̗͉͎̯̺̥̪̲͔̳͛̈̂̄̃͒͂̐́͛̑̽͗̋͛̆͑͐̓̉̑́͂̈́̃͗͒́̀̅̃̋̀̐̎͑͆̒̾͗̈́̃͑̈̎͌̑͑̃͋́̔͂̄́̄͐́͂͌̉͘̕͘͘̚͝͠͝͝͝ͅͅę̷̧̡̨̢̢̧̢̡̡̡̧̮͔̼̦̬̩̤͖͍̥̳̰̤̙̺̤͖͚̮̩͕͓̺̼̰͓̬͈̩̞̮̼̠̻̰͕̦̯̻̫͓͎̲͈̻̤̰̠͓̫͕͙̤̥̟̩̱̩͚̺̩̪̫̻̫̱̱͓̭̬̙̞̙̓͐́͌̓͛̒͐̓͂̂͒̎́̐̂͑̚͜͜͠͝͠ͅͅͅ ̸̨̡̧̨̢̡̡̢̛͕͉̮͖̮̲̩͔͕̞̗̙̱̱͎̥̟̟̘͖̺͕̞̲͕̮͈̙͕̲̙̬͚̖̺͓͖̰͕͔̰̬̙̹̩͕̣͚͔̮̞̱͍̩͍͍͇͙͓̩͍̘̼̩̹̜̙̖̊̔͐̑̉̄̈́̓̀̍̄̔̇̂̀͒̑͗́̏̀͒̍͛͛̀̐̎͋̌́͊̋̋̋̅̽̔͒͋͆̓̀͑̾͊̏̎͘̕͘͘͜͜͠͝͝ͅą̷̛̞̖̜̙̦̖̘̞͚͕͙͈̹̞̩̝̱͎͍͚̙̠̜͕̘̣̖̗̰͕̹̭̼̣͈̤̱̾̎̅͊̿̈́͂̂́̓̓͐͒̐͆̓̑͋̎̾̈́̈́͋̎͗͋̈́͋̐̆̐̌̇̔̀̀̊̔͋̿̉̃̌͂̐́̀̾̀̌̄̅̀̋̂͗̐̍̌͂͗̾̇̈́̓̽̃̇̔̂̈́̌̕̕̕̕͝͝͠͝͝͠r̴̡̧̡̧̡̧̢̨̜͔͔̤̤͖̟̥͔̱͔͇̭̩̭̜̭͇̹̣̜͓̘̻̞̳̠͉͖͚̻̝̺̳̯͕͍̦̒̓̀̑̈́͜͜͠ͅͅȩ̵̨̡̧̨̨̛͖̫̗̼̺̹͓̰̪̥̩͕͕̬͚͔̹͈̪̩̬͓̩̮̠̼̟̭̳͍͇̖͓̹̞̼̙̲̣̟͕͎̪̫̬̠̻͔̫̥̩͈̘̣̥̮̬̳̞̜̭̱͈̳̱͎͉̝̯̼̭͖̱̱̪̟̫̼̻̙̙͕͎̊̽̄́̿̈́̋̆̐̂̀̇̉͗͑͐̓͒̈́̈̏̉͊̀̐̈̏̀͗̎͌̾̅̿̎̈́̒͐̚͘̚͜͜ͅͅ ̷̧̨̡̢̛̛̛̩̦̣͍̰̟͙̮͉͈̲̟̝̠̤̠̬̦̪̜̗̙̦͙͖̥͗͒̆̾̈̾͊̍̐̽̀̑̓̓̈̾̿͒̇̐̎̌͒̈́͗̓̔͊̒͐̅̋͊͋́̓̀̒͒̍͐́̀͑̋̉̃̒͂̒̈́̂̋͂̈́̈̾̊͛͂̍̑̀̈́̍̎̋͐̏͛͊̉͘͘̕̚̕͝͠͠͝y̵̧̡̛̛̮̺͔̝̻̮͖̯̳̟͇̥̲̪͙͉̫̜̘̖̖͈̰͍̙̖͕͙̯̬̩̪̦̻̙͕͕̳̻̯̜̞̣͙̘̖̬͚͓̫̩̳͍̳͛̎̋́̃̒̑̅̂̒̽̅̑͐͗͐̀̽̔̇͗̓̓̇̽̀̐̅͆͑̑̓̿̌͊̑̀̀̿͆̀̈̿̽̀̄̎͛̇̃̑͐̌̈́̅͒͛̾͌́͂͒͒̔͋͗͑̔͑̓̓̄̏͋̓̐̌̋̃̓͐̋̍̐̌̍̕͘̚͘̚̚͘͘͘̚͜͜͝͝͝͝͠͝͝͠ͅͅơ̶̧͚̹͈̬̤͖̼̯̭̰͍͎̳̻̭͉̆̏̋̌͂̏̉̒̏̃̔̀̌̂̔̾͂̐̒͂̽̾̚͜͝͠u̶̡̧̠̣̪̭͇̮̗̬͖̳͖̺̝̯̖̞͉͖̱̗͇͎͎͂̏̓̍̈́̅̈́͊͊̽̾́̀̓̓̐́͛̉̈͋̉̉̐̎̔͑̂͊̍͂̿͑͛͌͛̈́̑̈́͊̈̽̔̀͌̃̅̂͒̈́̄͋̓̀̒͑̐͋͐̃̕̚̕͠͠͝͝ ̸̛̛̮͎̜̦̦̀̀̂̈́̓̋̾̋́̓͆̈́͂͒̿̓̆̒͌͛̋͑̒̂͒̈́̔̑̀͑̈́̒̎̉́̂̓̓͗̂̔͑̒̾̇͗̽̈̓͂̈́̌̅̉́̓̄̂̍͒̊̎͌́̈̇̚̕̕̕͝͝g̴̡̢̧̧̧̡̛̜͖͉̠͍̗̰̤͖̯̤̜̯͖̼͎͈̠̤̬̹̻̗͇̭̥̫͎̰̥̼͚͇͇̼̹̟͈͚͙̯̙̳̩̝͍̗̯͌̋̎̂̏̀͌̽͂̿̐̓̿̎̑̅̋͑̂́̂̓͆̀͂͗̊̄͌̈́̀̂̽͒́͘̕̕̚͜͝͝͠͝͝ơ̸̢̧̡̡̨̨̛͕̘̞̖̗̙̙̖̫̜̗̘͖̝̺̮̼̱̟̪̟̺͇͈͓̗̘̘̤̖͓͓͎̹̙̹̫̣͉͖̼̥͖̬͈͇͓̥͙͍̝̳͇̩͎̲̺̲͕̟͖̭͈̬̮̝͓̄͊̋̂́̇͋͊̾̎͒̂̉̓̆͐͗̃̂͌͒̅͛̌̓̋̈́͗̉̒̍̀̀̓̅̽̃̊̀̾̓͌̈́̅͒̆̉̈͆̑̈͆́̍̊̈́̍̆͆̅̑̂͆̈́̂̏̅̉͗͛̀̚͘̕͘͘͘̕̚͜͝͠͝͝͝͠͝͠ͅį̸̨̡̨̨̨̡̡͓͕̠͓̹̹̞̺͍̠͈͕̭̲̱̼̫̠̘͚͔͎͍̮̻͓͈̟͔̤̰̬̰̫͖̜̖͎̺̱͕̹̜̥̳͕̱͍͔̝͙̮̭̞͎̱͙͎̹͍͔̗͕̬̘̟̲̲̪̬̥̗̥͚͕̜̦̮̟̬͙̩͖̝̥̪͚̠̞̫̭̇̉͛̏̎͗̎̀̂͛̾̋͆̃̇͒̂̀̽͐͒͋͗̉͂̈́̐̽̀̽͗̃̓́̆͆̋͋̓̑̏̑̊̓͋͂͌̉̀̐̚̕̕̚̕͠͝ͅn̴̢̧̡̨̧̡̛̛̛̪͙̹̗̦̪͈̼̟̤͚̰͙̝̥̳̗͈͍̟̙̯̗̭͙͉̘͎͚͕̱̣̪̠͎̰̯̠̰̹̘̺̼̞͚̘̘̻̮̝̻͙̦̰̰͎͈̯͎͇̐́̍̃̔̍́̌̾̃̓̃̿͆͆̃̋̾͒̂̈́́̃̎̀͐̉̀͊̂̈́̋̌͑͗̍͐̓̈́̈́̊̉͌̏̿̿̇̈́͑̾̿̀́̎́̐̂͒͐̍̐̐̅̇̉́̔͗̓̔̄̅͆̐̑͂̂͌̾̓͊͋̚͘̕̕͜͝͝͠͠͝͠ͅͅg̴̡̡̢̧̧̨̮̩͖̲͖͕̗̯̭̝̬̱̻̹̩̣̯̺̖͚̼͔̥̰̯̤̤̮͕͈̠͕̤̠̜̥͖͔̼̟̳̙͇̠̫̩͓̼̙̮͉͎͇̓̆̀͑̽͐̕ͅ,̸̨̡̡̧̢̨̨̢̡̛̗̖͇̳̞̫͎͖͚̳̲̞̳̤̣̯̦̼̗̱̜̺̠͍̲̟͈͈̮͙̳̻̰̰̹͇̼̖̥̻̲̩̘̲͉̠͕̫̫͎͇̼̦̹̮̲̝̗̫̟̳̫͙̗̫̰͓̯̩͐̌͐͛̋̑̆͐̓͐̅́̀̄͐̔̏͗̚͜͜͝ͅ ̷̨̛̛͍̞͉̾̑͗͛̌̑̂̓̓̆͆̂̽͛̐̒̉̈̿͐̈́̍̀̇̍͊̒͋͋̇͊́͐̐͛̽̆̓̀͋̃̌͆́͒̃̀̍̅̇̓͂̾̄͆̃̽͂͘̚̚͘͝͠͝͠͝͠͝Ş̷̨̨̢͉͚̞̥̤̺̠̱̹̫̭̹͍͍͇͕͙͇͉̤̟̦̣̺͙͎̭̮͈̣̼̻̱̺̙͈͇͕̩̖͈͓͎̜̞͙̙̻̼̺͙͎̮͍̭̞̲̺̪̘͓̥̮̲̞̫͋̔͐̀́͒̓̈͛̀̓̑̐̍̈́̽̉̓̐̓̍̎̈́̽̀̒̐̐̽̑̒͆́̓͋̍̎̈̽̇̋̈́̿̊̌́́̃̎̈́͐́̈̒̐̿́̈́͋̂̓̿̉̆͛̐̊̈͐̈́̿͑̈́͑̓͑̀̕̚͘͘͘̚͜͜͝͝͠͠͠͠ͅͅų̴̤͓͙̪̳̪̤̖̣̠̞̳̱̪̹̭̻̲̜͎̜͒̈́̿͆̍̿̈́̅̌̏͑͋̋͆̈͐̀̉̉͛̽̅́͌͑̇̈́̿͑̚͜͝͝͝ͅn̶̢̧̺̳͖͍̗̠̯͔͖̳̜̦̞͇͍͍̮̱͍̹̦̪̝̠̮͓͕̝̱͈͇̼͔̫̣̳͈̮̥̺̜̝̫̞͇̦͎̥͈̼̼͇̻̥̖̪͎̺̲̯̝̖̺̦̮͔̍͐̉̿̅̈́̈́̂̽͛́͒̅̏̽͛͘͝ͅͅn̶̨̧̡̢̧̨̧͈͎͔̻̫͇̬̪͇̖̥̬̞̹̩̣̞͔͙͇͙̘͇̟̖̗̝̣̭̩̬̣̞͙̣̱̺̬͇͙͔̱͍͍̦̖̮̮̺̓̍̋͛̅̈́̈́͐̽͆̀̈́̚͝͠͠͝ͅͅy̶͖͕̝͌̋̀̄̀͊̿̌̀̀͝?̸̡̢̨̧̨̨̨̢͔̖͈͓̟͖̦̥̗̦̣̥̩͙̤̬̟̗̫̲̞̹͖̞̱̦̠͎͚̟̯͕̱͇̹͍̖̘̮̒͌̓̄͜͜͜͜ͅ"

P̵̧̢̢̧̧̧̧̛̛̪̘͓̺̼̼͔̠͖̼͖̙͉̥̰̗̮̳̥͖͉̞̲͇̺͙͉̤̗̠͎̺̙̠̲͔̤͖͎͈̣̪̺̻̼͍͉̜̱̳̖̘̘̥̳̜̭͕̙̗̘̖̬̺̺̮̪͔̃̌͗̅̑̎̉̇͑͐̂͒̃͐̀̋̆͌̎̄̂́̀̓̈́̍̔̓͊̈́̔̔̂̌̉̓̈̍̐̂͆́͐̋̒̏̈́̈͗̎́̋͛̍͋̓̾͒͑͋͛̋́͌̈́́̉̂͊̑̈̉̉́̑͋̀͆̄̈́͊̓͂̈́̿̀̾̓̈́̽͗̌̂̈̈́̐͘͘̕͘͜͝͝͝͝͠͝͝͝͝ͅͅͅͅl̵̢̡̨̧̡̗̭̹̥̭̦͚̭̝̖͚͖̤̟͉̮̹̫̗̦̝͉͕̦̖̘͚̠͉̳̤͔͍͈̳͍̭̤͕͖̺͒̽̀͊̈́̌͌̈́͗̒͆̅̑̿̌̿̔̐́͛̊́̏̋̀̈́͑̈́̅̕̚͜͝͠͝ͅͅẽ̴̡̢̢̡̨̡̧̡̢̨̛̛̛͓̫͙̖͓͇̰̭̱͈̥͍͍̭̫̰̱̲̣̲͖̞̺͇̻͍̤̬̲̤͔̱̠̳͍̱̫̭̼̱͙͔̹̲̯̟͇̲͙͙̗̱̮͍̹̭̫̼͚͚̤̖͍͈͍̰̦̖͍̠͕̝͖̲̫̫͇̩̫̼̰̟̥͔̦͎̤̲̝͇̝͆̂͂̇̓̆̽́̌̎̑̓͛͑͊͒̍̊̅͐́̉̾͑̈́̀̅̽̔͗͂̎́̇͗̽͌̔̊̋̌̓̉̀͊̆̑̊̍̄͗̿͒̀̂̂̌̂̆̋̿̀͆̎̃̍̇͌̒͂͐͑̎͒̎̍̀̆͊̊̀͐͘̕͘̚͘̚̚͜͠ͅͅă̵̡̢̧̢̲̰͓̗̳̝̟̠̗͚̖̜̦̤͇̠̭̟͎̜̰̟̠̟͚͓̰̼̺̻͖̗̲̲̬͎̗̜̘̰̭̮̱̰̺̺̺͈̭͎͇̰̥͎̞̝̫̜̘̳̻̮͕̟̺̪͙̹̩͇̞̬̥̺͓̑͊̓̏̓̾́̓̒̆͌̽͗̇̉̈́̌̿̀̈́̌͗̇̀͋͗̍̋̈́̔͑̀̿̑͐̓̏̉̓̆̑̐͘͜͝ͅͅş̶̢̢̢̡̨̨̡̧̛̛͚͈̣͕̖̜̜͓͔͇̫̪͙̫̠̟͕̬̜̲͖̦̜͖͉̦̦͚͔̟̖̼͙̖̤̠͍̳͖͙̯̣̥̮͇̮̫̣̠͚̱̮̣̜̯̗͎̬͔͖͎͔͔̦̝͉̖͕͕̯̲͚̘̦̭̥̹̼̜̬̟͈̦̱͕̠̱̖͉̣́̾̊̀̈́̋͐̇̃̂̾̋̑̃͌͊͂͒̾̾̀̐̄̔̀̄̃̑͗͋̉͐̀̊̌̾̊́̇̓̅̓̔̈́̏̿͒̌̽̾̌̌̏̑̏̓̀̂͆̅͐̾͋̒̊̆̄̅̃̀̋́̔͊̉̎̉̽̊̽̾͋̿̓̂͊͛̉̎̈́̋̇͘̚̚̕͘̕͜͜͜͝͠͝͠͝͠͠ͅͅȅ̸̳̝̘̪͙̝̼̫̜͕͍̣̮̺̭̞͓͉̻͈̭͓͒͗͜͜ͅ!̴̡̨̢̧̧̡̡̧̡̢̨̛̟̦̜̝̟͕̳̭̭̻̻͍̥͖͚̗̦̙̲̭̺͙̟̘̣̣͓̫̹̤̟̘̫͓̬̜͙̻̤̟͉̼̲̣̗̫͕̩̭̫̝͇̘͚̜͚͉̳̙̟̱̤͗̎͌̄̒͆̃̑͗͆̐̑̋͛̊͊̑̃̊͒͑̈́͐̍͆̌̃̀̅͌́̎̔́̔̎̍͛̈́̽͋̾͑̂̐̉̏̒̿͛̋̔͆̆̕̕͜͜͜͝͝͝͠ͅ ̴̢̧̧̨̡̛̛̛̰̺͓͙̹̫̠͓͓̙̪͚͈̞̦͖͇͙̤̰̟̖͓̩̝͓͕͚̤̣͔͈͙͇̱̥̠̹̳̜͍̘̝͔̺̭̹̟̼͉͈̰̣̺̮͈͙̰̘̼̱̗̣̳̯̠̖̜̥̣̦̜̳̭͕͖͙̰̘̰̩̟̺̘̹̹̠̖̗̳͚͈͎͈̲͍̥̱̣̦̪̣̠̖̗̺̫͉̞̓͂́̀̎̀̓̋͌̈́͐̊̐̾͐́̾̂̒̾̊͌͛͊̃̓̊͒̑̐́̎̑́̋̈͑̀̍̓̈́͂̈́͋̀̾́̈́͌̇̈́̏̀͑͑́̂̍͐̊̐̐̽͋͑͑̄͛̓͛̎́͛̒̑͑̆́̀͋̊̈̈́̓̀͘̚̚̚͘͜͜͠͝͝͝͝ͅͅḐ̸̢̨̢̛̛̛̛̛̛̛͕̱̝͎͖̙͚̯͓̱̼̟͖͈̲̗̠̪̝̲͓̜̣͔͍̟̪̬͚̮̲͕͚̳̊͛̔̀̿͛̄̉͌͐̋̅̾̾̐͊͌͐̌̅̾̾̓̈̓̎̓̉̀̀̒͋́̄̄̈̊̾͛͋̂̎̆͒̈̔̔̀͂̄́̈́̓̇̂̏̈́̀̑̂̃͑͛͌̿͒̐͛̉̇̓͑́̅̿̄̉̃͆̿͗̓̏͂̅̈̑̾͒͒̊̽̑̿̀͊̏̏̓̂̈͑͑̐̾͒̎̐̂̚̚͘̚͘͘͘͠͠͝͝͝͝͝͝ơ̶̡̡̢̨̧̡̢̧̧̧̢̡̡̧̨̨̧̛̛̞̪͖̩̭̠͎͇̜̠̗̤̪̤̙͈̺̥̹̞̘̻͇̺̭͉̱̞̺͍̦͔̰͈͈̥̰̠͚͕͖̗̰͖͔̤͕͍̟͎̘͖̬̞̤͈͚̞̪̘̙̼̦̗͈̠̯̜͎͍̟̪̱̤͖̘̹̳͇̝̰̫̦̘̳̗͍͓̥̺͉̮͔̪̱̯̗͇̩͍̖̪̟̫͙̹̰̦͖̇̈̾̓̔̀̀͂̑͗͒̎͊̈͛̆̉́͊͐̈̿̔̄̅͗̎̃̔͂̊͆̉͂́͛̈́̀̈́͆̀̇͑͐̔̆̐̀̄̄̀͆̐͌̓́͌̅͋̈͒͒̌̐́̈́̈́͋͌̔͆̅̑̾̀́̓̀͛̉̎͒͂̓̾̄̃̀͌͌̇̀͆̌́͘̚̕̚͘̚̚͘͘̕̚̚͜͜͜͜͝͝͝͝͝͠͝͝͝͠͝͝͠͝͝͝ͅͅͅͅņ̶̧̢̨̛̛̛̹͕͈̯͍̠̫̮͉̖͍̥̖̮͈̘̻̣̲̼̳͉͚̪͈̩̯͈̦̗̩̘̬̖̪͖̮̙͈̘͖͎̬͓̳͎̐̃͑͊̏̃̌̒̉̌͐̆͐̽̄͆̎̈́̈́̐́̀̇̈́̓̅̑́̄͒̄̊̔̀̒̄̀̍͑̓͐̄̏͊͊̄̎̑̾͑͆̉̂̑͆̉̓͑̌̈́̍̀͑̎̄͌̃̔̀͒̋̈̓̈́̍̀̌͋̿̀̍̌́̏̔̚̚͘̚͘̚̕͜͜͜͠͝͠͝͠ͅ'̷̨̨̢̧̢̢̧̨̡̻̮̳̭̮̼͕͎̩̞̯͓̤̳͕̝͚͓͉̟̼̖̹͙̟̠̜̥̳̭͚̼͔̻̙͍̫̖͔̭̮͙̤͖̲̖̟̥͔͇͙̲̪̦̯͚͔͕̱͎͍̦̘̯̳̟̱͚̬̭͍̲͔̭͉̱̺̼̜͎̞̠̬̱̱̥̭̦̺̠̗̻̼͔̻̙͇̝̱̥̫̩̘̹̲̟̲͚̙̊̑͗̊̇͒̏͐̅̃̅̄̃͑͒̈́̍̔͋̿̀̃̉͋̅̀̉͋̐̈́̔͛͜͜͝͠ͅͅͅt̴̛̞͊̓̇̒̽̏̈͂͒̓̈̿̒̊̓͗́͛̅͌̑̒̈͊̾̈̓͐́͘͠͠͝ ̶̧̨̢̨̧͖̩̙̬̘͍̯̥͇̮̠̪̬̹͍͖̟̺̩̞̮̗̬̣͖͎̩̟͖̺̬͚̯͍̻̯͕͎͔̬̹̱͔̤͚̭̤̱̖͈̪̞̺̭̙̬̼̪̟͈͖̹͕̫͖̬̟̰͍́̉̈́̋̿̾̉̏̈̋̉̒̃̒̊̉͗̐̐̐́̋͋́̐̚͘͜͜͜͜͠͝l̷̡̨̛̛̙̫̱͕̲̣̣̹̖͓̮̜̰̰͎̤̙̖̭̲̘͔̠̹̼͙̩̳̺͇̈́̇̃̒̍̌͒̈́̍͗̃̀̽̾͑̌̃͆͋͐͛̊̿̋͐̉͆̓͛̃̓̈́̃͗̽̀̋́̀͐͑̀̓̓̚͘̕͜͜͠͝e̶̢̢̨̨̧̧̧̧̧̡̛̳͓̺̱̙̼͖̣͖̝̯̜̯̳͚̞͍̪͉͖͖̲̰̞̺͙̫͎̯̝̹͚̻̪̺̞͍̹̘͍̭͕͎̤̠̙͖͔̻̝̭͈͚̞̥̩͈̲̣̳̜͉̣͇͖̳͖̮̻̯̮̹͎̳̭̦̜̟̹̬͉̪̱͑͆́̑̃͗̒̆̀̃̆̉̓͛̆̎̑͗̀̇͆̑̄̊͆̋͌͒͌̑̎͂̀̃̿̉͒͋͊̀̅̅̿͊̒̒̏̿̉̀͐͆̐̇͌̑͐̄̒͒̇̎͂̎́̌̉̃̒͆̎̓͆͒̋̏̏͑̐͌͗̆̎́̂͆͆̏͋̊͌͂̅̈́͐̊̄̀͒͆̊̑͆̕̕͘̕͘̚͘͜͜͜͝͝͝͠͝͝͝ͅͅâ̸̡̧̡͉̬̳̯͔̥̜̪̤͎̳̥͓̩̦͈̱̞̖͓͈̞̞̙̣̝̺̝̳͕̫͖̘͙̻̝̗̠͇̙͓͉̬͔͎̮̥̩̰̘͙̳̺̤̹͉̙͎͔̦̯̫͈̞͙̼̥̤̣̫͚̳̼̟̭͓̫̘̈́́̈́̅̀̅͆͆͛̓͂̏́̾̀͊̉̇̎̐̿̿̈̀͌́͌̍̏́̓́͐̂͒͒͒̐̋̾̈̓̈̈́̐̿͋͛͋̔͊͗̿̋̐͌̍̓̔̈̄̎̂̓͗̎̌̆́̂̅͊̅̒̂̑͒̈́́̋̆̌̌͌͐̉̒̒̽̀͊̈́͂̆̅̍͘͘͘̚͜͝͠͝͠͝͝͠v̶̡̤̱̮̪̟̔͑͆̂͊̐́͐̂̒͑̍̾̐̈́͋͐̀͂̏̿̎̄̾̎̿̀̾̌̓̑̎̐͂̃͑̿̿̈̂̋̐́͗̂̽͌́̈̇̏́̆̐͗̑̓̄́͌̓̕̕͘̕͘͜͝ę̴̡̨̢̧̡̢̧̡̨̡̨̨̢̧̛̛̥͚̱͓̦͎͓̟̹̯̣̝̙̘̥̖̯̣̣̗̙͇͔̘̱̖̺̜͍͍̗̤̱̜̻̦͕̥͓̟̱̪͉͔̩̙̲̳͇͔͔̻̟̜̗̖̫͎̜̮̫̘̜͚͎̖̠̲͔͕͈̗͓̖̟̣̙̩͚̣͎̮̭̤͈̳͑͛̒͌̏͒̇̂̈̊̔͑̒̌̊̿̃̅̄͋̎͊̉̇̒̀̀́̈́̐̆̑̿̓̒͊̓̋̑͌̑̑̆͂̽́͑̉̉̔͊͆̍̀͗̔̎̅̒̐͌̋̐̅̈̂͛͛̀̌͌͊̒̓̓͛̃̏́̇̀̍̌̕̕̕̚͘̚͜͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͠͠ͅͅ ̷̡̢̡̡̨̧̨̧̛̛͙̙̟̘͙͚̪̟̱̯̬̯͙̩̗̟̺̤̺̗̳͓͚͈͎̣̱̻͈͇̹̤̼̦͕̰̟̫̳͇͍͙̠͇̲̰̼̭̭̞̠̯̫̜͉͈̞̲̪͍͚̳̣̞̟̣̜̟̟͍̺͉̮̜̗̘̺̭̺͙͖͉͕̲̽̽̅̉̄̀͆͛̆̊̾̋̎͋̏͑̀̏̉͑́̈̅̈́̾͂̆͛̈́͊̀̽͌͂̽̌͒̉̋̊͒́̔̽̈́̿͐̈́̀̇̋̏̀̀͂̃̓̃̇̈́̃̽͊͛̊̈̏͑̾̚̚̚̚̕͘̚͠͠͝ͅm̷̨̧̨̨̢̨̛̛̛͔͖͈̻̬̺̼̗͍͉͉͓͓̫̠̟͚̲͙̰̟̦͓͈̖͙͕̮͓̞̩͇̣͈̩͎̘̹̩̗̱̻̬̭̬̯̻̲̹̻̖̻͕̜̖̮͙̫̪̗̪̥̫͈͇̠̞̙̰̘̜̪͖͎͕͕͙͇̬̻̤̼̟̥̠͍͉̺͍͇͚̳̣̰̼͈̞̣͈̥̙͍͕͎̣͖̪̥͉̗̜̝̙̜̹̥̀̿͛͆̂̓̆̇̑̓̄̿͗̾͒̾̐̃̅̏̎̀̐̈̈̓̓̋̂̏̀͒͛̿̿̎̎̾̑́͌̎̂̄̇́͐͆̎̋̂̈́͋̓̎͌̈́͊̌̃̈͊̍͑̋̈̄͛̋̃̎̃̅̈́̿̏͘̕͘͜͜͝͠͝͝͠͝ͅȩ̷̧̛̙̗̘̙̬̤̳͙̠̤̦̞̖̦͓̗͋̑͐̀̊͗̂̓͆̎̓̏̓͑̀̈́̃͂͋̈́́́́̃̊̀̅̍̓̀̑̐̈́̐̀̐̐̑͊̒̓̏̉́̂̇̒̇̍͛͒̌̎̂̒̍̎̏̒̓̏̎̊̂̆̃̽͐̅͗̽͊͊́̏͐͗͗͒̓̄͌͊̚͘̚̚͝͝͝͝͠ͅ ̵̡̢̡̛̞̮̼͎̬͕͍̩̻̥̳̺̣̝͈̱̣̤̲̦͖̮̘̮̰̼̠̻͓̯̳̦̹̝̣̪̮͖͈͎͍̟͍͖̭̘̻̘̤̖͚̩̩̿͗́̓͂̓̔̈͑̍́̀͐̈́̑̈́̿̑̈́̍́͛̀̽͆̊̒̈̕͘̕̕͜͜͝͝ͅͅͅͅa̴̧͖͋͋̆̓̌̇́̓̈͛͂̒̈͌̌͋͊̂̈́̌̎̑̓͑͑͠͝͝l̷̡̢̨̢̧̨̢̧̧̨̛̳͙̘͔̥̲͕͇̬̩̯͍̻̘̙̺͔̩̥̺̥͖̻̘͈̣͇͉̳̼̭̼̫̩̞͚̺̭̯̙̥̰͕̼͍̝͈͔̟͖͚̳̲̰͇̟̼̪̝͉͙̤̠̩̤̗̜̰̺̱̰͕̯̘̟̪͍͍̦͍̯̰̮̻̳̱̼̪̹̥̎̏̑̄͂̀̈́͐͗́ͅͅͅͅo̸̢̨̡͙͇̖̥̜͎̬̼͇͖̼̫͎̗͎͇̗̠̯̗̯̖͍̫̮͉̪̱̺̞͍̾ͅͅͅn̵̨̧̧̢̧̧̢̨̛̛̛̠̘̰̟̠͈̞͈͙̫̻̜̟̙̹͎͎͓̜̟̦̲̘̩̥̜̬̺̳̲͍͇̜̮̬͖͈͓̲̰̮̟͇̹͈̗͕̙̳̰̙̞̝̰̗̓́̂̈͒̆̀̊̀̃͐̋̔̈́̈́̓͒̓̽͊̉̆͋̂̈́̿̉̿́̾͐̔́̈́̏̍͐͒̆̿̑̉͆͛̅̃̐̉͂͒̆͌͌̒͑̏̔͛͋͐͂̍̎͛͐͒̿͊̇̀̃̃̽̊͆̊͋̉̽͘̚̕̚̚̚͜͜͜͜͝ͅę̴̨̧̧̨̡̨̨̨̨̱̤̙̦̥̞͕̺͖̘̝̣̳̤̰͍̹͕̺̫̭͕̗͎̩̳̜̬̻̮̹͍͕͈̣̮̯͉͕̫̝̠͔͙̣̘̣̝̳̙̜̺̗̰̼͙̞͍̝̮̟̝̜̫͈̻̝̭̪͕͉̫̺͇͙̺̱͔̺̜̻̤̪̪̞̞̥͕̼̗̠̝̹̰͚̝͑̓͒̿́̇͛̊̃̓̋̈́̂̀̓͊͗̈́͌̊̃̌͛̓̋̄̈́͂̈́͛̓͗̿̊̆͗̂̎͆̌̀̿̐͘͘̕̕͜͠ͅͅͅ!̷̡̧̡̧̨̟̲͖̯̳̞̦̻̺͖͙̦̫͍̗͎̰̫̰̠͇͈̮̯͕̝͓͖̙̲̳͇̱͚̘̲͇̃͒͒̍̊͗̈́́̆̀͌̀́͂̋̄̆̉̍̀̽̓͊́̀̃̾̑̉̈́̓͂̐̒̄͆̔̚̕͝͠ͅ"

Sunny turned back and looked at Mari. She looked genuinely scared. Everyone else was gone.

"Sorry sis, gotta go." He said, in his usual, stoic fashion. He didn't wait for an answer and simply left.

The moment his eyes went underwater, he suddenly found himself in another forest clearing, this time around a campfire. A tall, lanky figure sat on a tree stump not far from him.

Daddy Longlegs looked up at Sunny and said "Ahh, Dreamer.... I see the Keymaster decided to let you take this world for your own. I will not pretend to understand his actions."

He paused. "Firstly let me tell you that I'm proud of you, Dreamer. You have sacrificed so much for the Truth. Your friends, your only escape and even your eye.. All to put the ones you care about at peace.

.........

I must now tell you, the power you shall receive is not as perfect as it may seem. It has a seed in it, at deep heart's core, that shall grow within you, like a disease. I can see the determination in your eyes, however, Dreamer. When the time comes, will you be strong enough to overcome that which cannot be destroyed?"

"I-......."

"All I can do now is guide you to your destination. Go forth, Dreamer and put rest to this world."

"If I do that, won't you... die too?" Sunny asked. Unlike most residents of headspace, -especially Sweetheart-, Sunny actually rather liked Daddy Longlegs.

Daddy Longlegs chuckled, as if he'd said something humorous. "Not all within this world are merely figments of your imagination, Dreamer. I shall persist, as I always have. Carry on... and take care." He walked once more into the flames, as had so long ago, and in his place was a hole in the ground. It was filled with water.

'A Disease? In my mind?' Sunny internally sighed. 'I already have enough of those...' Sunny considered the hole for a second, before diving in.

He found himself in a lighthouse. It looked.. better than than last time. The family portrait was now mostly repaired, with Sunny's face being the only exception. There was a mirror in the corner. He looked into it. Since this was a dream, both his eyes were perfectly normal. Neither of them were surprised as his image distorted and twisted and warped into a horrifying monster, and the mirror cracked and fell apart. He noticed that, apart from the scratching feeling, he had been rather.... detached from everything. Just taking it in without a second thought. He was distracted by a pain shooting all across his body.

He winced and stumbled backwards. "Aaugh!"

He looked downwards at what was causing this pain.

H i s b o d y. L i k e a c o r p s e h e w a s r o t t i n g a l i v e.

This was what he deserved.

He looked at his hands. They were coming apart, rot and maggots ripping through his flesh. He could see his bones. His hands were red with both his and Mari's blood, the mark of a killer.

His head went light. The taste of iron filled his mouth. He did the only thing he could and threw up. Over and over again until his chest hurt and couldn't take it anymore. He keeled over and passed out.

__________________

Sunny woke up, after a long, long time. His clothes were clean, his body seemed fine, but his head felt as if someone had stuffed it full of cotton.

He felt like he was on a very, very comfortable bed. Unwillingly, he got up. His eyes were blurry, but he looked around. The entire floor seemed to made out of the soft, fluffy material. Disturbingly, all around him, sleeping like cats, were thousands of other Sunnys. Some looked young, Some had only one eye and some looked monochromatic. He couldn't see the walls or the ceiling, but they appeared to be white. In fact, the whole room gave him the horrible feeling of a rubber room in a mental asylum.

He saw something in the distance, but couldn't make out what it was.

Making sure to carefully not step on his (Clones? Copies?). He made his way to the object. It was a nightstand. On was a sketchbook and.....

Oh......

Oh no.

On it was the bane of his existence.. an Alarm clock.

Sunny shuddered at the horrifying sight. But then... It started to ring.

It kept on with its infernal racket, so loud that dust fell from the ceiling, wherever it was. The ground itself shook. The Sunnys around him started to get up.

As soon as they got up, they began to scream. Between the clock and the other Sunnys, the "real" Sunny clutched his hands to his ears, blood seeping through his fingers. He could barely make out what they were saying.

"Mari, can I take a break?"

"You should just die."

"Please help me."

"Please don't leave me."

"You're pathetic, no you're sick. Everyone you love will hate you as much as you hate yourself. "

The Alarm clock exploded, sending hot metal(?) across his skin. The noise did not stop.

Sunny became Stressed Out.

He stumbled from the pain in his head before finally falling backwards. Instead of landing on the soft, plush material he expected, he just.. kept falling. It was like going down the stairs at night, but there's one more step than you expected.

The painful noise seems to have converted itself to sights as all around him, color twirled and twisted and burnt itself into his eyes. The scratching under his skin became unbearable until....

It bursts forth. From his eyes, his ears, his skin, his frozen heart. Arcs of prismatic fire connected him with the swirling energy all around him.

He felt a psychotic energy burning through his very form. He couldn't see it, but his face twisted into a horrifying, manic grin. This power was addicting.. consuming.

The burns across his body faded. He felt stronger.

Sunny felt..... better?

After a while, the feeling, along with its accompanying sight faded. Sunny was now falling in pitch-black darkness.

Sunny slammed into something sharp and solid.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Sunny finally landed on some soft sand.

He was in a small, claustrophobic room. There were no exits. He was standing on a small, sandy shore. Behind him, water lapped over the edge lazily. There were intricate designs of someone drowning on the walls. He looked up to where he'd fallen from. He couldn't see a ceiling anywhere. He finally turned his attention to something he'd been ignoring all this time.

A large Branch Coral stood in front of him. It was far, far bigger than last time and its branches spread into the inky abyss above. 'Oh. That's what I must have crashed into.'

Sunny examined his clothes. They were scratched and torn up. Thankfully, the Red Key was still in his POCKET. Not a single blemish could be seen on his skin, though. He checked if there was anything else to do, before sighing and walking to the Coral.

As soon as he stepped in front of it, it began to speak. Like a massive tuning fork, it shook his frame with its voice.

"Dreamer. You are nearing the end of your road. The last of this world is collapsing. This very world was created to repress, to hide. More things than the truth lay in its foundations."

"......."

"Once more, I can offer you Power. So I ask of you once again, as I asked your twisted, hollow copy."

Take it.

Sunny didn't want to take it. His mind flashed back to Omori devouring his skull and the horrible feeling of drowning in his own mind.

Don't be a Coward. Take it.

This voice... It didn't sound like Omori. It sounded rougher, more agressive, but without the pure hatred towards him.

You deserve it. So do something for yourself for once in your miserable, pathetic life and Take. The. Sacrifice.

Sunny found himself agreeing with the voice. He did deserve this all he'd ever done was given and given, would it really hurt to take just this once?

"Yes." He said.

"Very well, Dreamer. Close your eyes." The Coral warbled.

He closed his eyes and felt the floor give out under him.

He was suddenly drowning in thick, warm blood. It seeped into every part of him. It made his hair become sticky and lay flat on his scalp. It was horribly, viscerally disgusting.

Sunny flailed and kicked his way to the surface. The overwhelming smell of iron and rotting corpses filled his every sense. He saw a small shore, off in the distance and desperately started to swim to it.

Some blood got into his mouth.

His movements became more violent.

Eventually, he landed on the shore. His clothes and hair were sticking to him. His mouth was filled with the taste of rot and copper. His nose, assaulted by the smell, started to pain. The feeling of the blood on his skin made him want to tear it off. He doubled over and retched, but nothing came out.

After his vision unblurred and the pain in his stomach subsided, he looked around. Around him, several pitch black limbs stuck out of the lake of blood. In front of him was a old, hunched over dead tree. It seemed to be made out of black hair and dried blood. A single apple hung from one of its branches. As he watched, the apple morphed into the head of someone familiar, staring at him. Just waiting for something to happen.

Omori.

"Stupid monochromatic asshole." He spoke out loud.

The Branch Coral's voice rumbled in his head.

Without another word, Sunny ripped Omori's head off the tree and sunk his teeth into it.

Surprisingly, it had the texture and consistency of... well, an apple. Its taste was Intoxicating. Sunny took another bite. And another. And another. Before he knew it, the apple was gone.

Sunny gained 170 HEART.

Sunny gained 120 JUICE.

Sunny gained 50 ATTACK.

Sunny gained 50 DEFENCE.

Sunny gained 50 SPEED.

Sunny gained 50 LUCK.

Sunny is falling.

........

'Oh... Sunny is falling....'

After an inordinate amount of time spent falling through pitch blackness, Sunny landed on a cold surface with a loud thud.

It did not look like anything had changed whatsoever. All he could see was still just endless darkness. His instincts told him to start walking. And so he walked.

And walked.

And walked.

Suddenly, he felt the urge to stop. Directly in front of him, a single eye opened. He knew why he'd stopped here.

Abbi stared at him. He could vaguely see her tentacles moving around behind her. He suddenly felt very awkward.

"H-Hey Abbi... I'm sorry for-" He was cut off by Abbi.

"There is no need for an apology, Dreamer." She spoke, far more clearly than he'd expected.

"How are you-" Once again, he was cut off.

"Speaking so clearly? After the truth was uncovered, I was... freed from my prison, my curse."

"I see you have decided to take the Branch Coral's Sacrifice. I hope it serves you well. I must speak to you, about what shall come next."

"I have seen everything, Dreamer, and I know by destroying Headspace, you're releasing something else. Your anger. The thing that killed your sister. Buried deep within for so long, it has grown twisted. No emotion is a bad emotion, Dreamer, but... do not let yourself be consumed by your rage. That is all I have to say."

Sunny realized that that's what the scratching feeling was, at the back of his head. His anger at Mari. His anger at Basil for hanging his sister. His anger at everyone for abandoning him. He was just a child. It was an accident. He didn't deserve this drawn out torture. All he wanted was to spend more time with Mari. All he wanted was be feel loved, to feel happy. To have someone proud of him for once.

The voice in Sunny's head got louder.

Abbi looked at him. "Can I ask one last thing from you?"

"Of course." He responded, guiltily.

"Be good.... for me, Dreamer" She closed her eye and became one with the darkness.

..................

His oldest friend was gone. The one he'd punished for just trying to help him. Her last wish for him to be good to others. His anger was washed over by cold shame. He felt like the lowest of the low. His pity party was interrupted by the distinct sound of stage lights turning on.

He looked around and saw a stage in the far distance. He decided to walk towards it.

He arrived Backstage. In the center was a familiar red and white picnic cloth. On it, his friends were having a picnic. This time, instead of his dream - manefestations of them, it was the real versions, as he remembered from a month ago. On the stage was a Black door, shrouded in Red light. It beckoned him to get closer, to open it. It filled him with a familiar, creeping dread.

He walked over to the picnic blanket and began talking to his friends.

First he went to Kel.

"Hey, Sunny. I know it's a bit scary, but I believe in you. You can do it, Sunny!"

He remembered.... The sheer positive energy of his most loyal friend.

Sunny felt braver.

He walked over to Hero.

"Sunny! Heh, look at you. You've already come so far! I believe in you Sunny. I always have."

He remembered..... The brotherly love he felt, still feels from Hero, even after what he'd done.

Sunny felt braver.

Sunny went to Basil's side.

"H-Hey Sunny! Don't be scared, alright! I believe in you!"

He remembered...... being comforted by his closest friend after a traumatic incident.

Sunny felt braver.

Sunny... Sunny sat down next to Aubrey.

"Hey! Don't wuss out on us now, alright! I... I believe in you too."

Sunny remembered...... a heartfelt speech in front of a tree stump.

Sunny felt braver.

Finally... Mari. She looked the same as she had when he'd imagined her playing the piano. Like Omori, she was in black and white.

She wrapped him in a comforting hug.

"I know you're angry, Sunny. And that's okay! But please.... don't hurt anyone like I hurt you..." She pulls away. A tear is visible on her face.

"Look at my little brother, all grown up, ready to take center stage. I'm proud of you.. and I believe in you, Sunny.

Sunny remembered..... being comforted after a nightmare.

Sunny felt ready to face himself.

He went up the stage and looked at the door. He put the Key in the Lock and turned. It opened without any hesitation. He looked back at his friends. They were all smiling encouragingly at him. He walked through the door.

He shouldn't have done that.

Immediately the scratching feeling grows to an unbearable height.

He tries to go back through the door, but it is already gone.

He stands on a familiar, frigid hill. Cold winds go through his already ripped clothes.

He sees a greyscale church at the very top. He knows he has no choice, so he starts walking up the hill.

On the way, he finds a cold steak.

His own mother couldn't be bothered to feed him.

He shakes his head and makes his way to the Church. He opens the door and enters.

In the benches, Scribbles pitter and patter, looking at him. At the back is… Mari.

More accurately, the version of Mari that he remembered from four years ago. She was in full color, her purple jacket standing out against the colorless Church.

Sunny knew what was coming, and tried to stop it, but was powerless to do so.

"Oh hey, Sunny, let's get out of here, alright? This place gives me the creeps…"

Her voice, the one she'd hurt him with so many times. No one would see that, however, all that they would see was his perfect sister, incapable of doing any harm.

He eventually stopped in a familiar living room. He didn't know how he'd gotten there. He fell onto the floor and started to sob. Just like that day, under the stairs he could no longer hold it in.

he'dkilledmariagainwhydidyoudothatallyoucandoishurtherthisisn'trealthisisntwhoiami'magoodpersoniswearican'thurtanyoneelseishouldjustdiethisisn'trealthisisn'trealthisisn'trealwakeupwakeupwakeuppleasewakeup

Fear, grief and pain rip through his mind, like blinding colours. 

He slams his fists into the wooden floor and a billion splinters enter his hands, making him shriek in agony.

He cries and cries and tries to call out for someone to help him, but it feels like a knife is cutting the inside of his throat. Blood fills his mouth and eyes, staining everything a horrid Red.

Suddenly, like a strike of lightning in the rain, as if a tuning fork is stabbed into the back of his neck, a Voice fills his mind, draining it of all emotion.

Stop.

This isn't you. You're better than this. All this is, is just a bad dream. You would never do that. Take a deep breath and Calm. Down.

The voice he couldn't recognize spoke to him from the back of his mind. He found his breaths coming easier.

Sunny CALMED DOWN. He recovered 125 HEART.

His face is uncannily empty of all emotion.

'Right. Just keep going. I'm almost at the end.'

He looked at the sliding door that led outside. An eerie red glow, beckoned him to come outside. He apprehensively stepped through.

The ever shifting walls of Red Space greeted him, along with an eerie drone. He looked in front of him. He saw the corpse of Omori. It was missing its head.

In its hand, a Red Knife was clutched tightly. Sunny went over and pulled it out of his grasp. It's black handle fit perfectly in his hand. Its blood red metal glinted hungrily. He felt tingles of power shoot up his hand.

All his life he'd been the "baby of the group". Weak. Reliant on others. Powerless. Finally, he was the powerful one. He would be in center stage.

He got up and slammed his foot down on Omori's back. It broke with a satisfying, wet snap.

He walked forwards. Around him, Red Hands made way. Some formed a staircase for him to climb.

Finally, he would be no one's shadow.

He went up the staircase, stopping at a throne. His throne. Sunny took a seat, looking at all of the Hands below him.

Finally, he would be above everything.

The Hands began to clap for him, and for him only. A thousand spotlights decended upon him. He welcomed them.

Sunny was aware his laughter sounded utterly insane. But he couldn't stop himself. The spotlights were blinding him. Black spots danced before his eyes. They came together and formed a vaguely humanoid shape.

Sunny reached out to the shape... and remembered how to use RED HANDS

The world faded away, leaving Nothing but Red in its wake.

.........

......................

....................................

Sunny fell off his bed. Instead of being greeted by the cold floor he'd expected, it was as if something was keeping him afloat. Even though he didn't want to, he opened his eyes. And then he saw them.

Red Hands. The mark of a Killer. Coming out of his back, holding him in the air. Coming out of his drawer, his dresser, every single dark corner of the room. Taunting him.

Sunny screamed out for help, but nobody came.

Chapter Text

This is the story of a boy named Basil. This not the story of a hero. This is not a happy story. But it is an important one. And so I plead that someone, somewhere out there hears it.

And so it is, with no beginning nor end.

A boy named Basil being dropped off at his Grandmother’s house, by parents who couldn’t care less about him. They stand as tall, faceless monoliths, spewing nonsensical apologies to the old woman. She looks calm on the surface, but as soon as they leave him behind, she wraps the boy in a hug, one he would never dream of receiving from his parents, and gently leads him into her warm, comforting house, muttering not-so nice things under her breath. Basil catches a few and snickers, just quiet enough to not be heard. Around him, flowers who have burst into bloom, plants which have grown and been nourished reside in pots. He is enamored.

“Do you like my garden?” She gestures around.

Basil walks from pot to pot, stopping at a vase full of Sunflowers.

“These are sunflowers. They're called that because they always face towards the sun. That's how I always try to be… someone who always sees the bright side of things.”

“Do you want to see the rest of my garden, Basil?”

The boy nods, and she smiles warmly at him.

This story is one of broken friendships.

A boy named Basil sits alone in a park. He sits under a large, yellow metal structure of a cat, hiding, from those who seek only to hurt him and cause him pain. His vision dances forth with tears. Ever since he moved here, he’d been trying to make friends… that endeavor has been… unsuccessful so far. Turns out having a flower pin in your hair and a flower garden in a small town is a sure-fire way to get bullied. A girl with dark hair, just as alone this world sits on the swings next to the structure.

Faceless, inhuman bullies look for a boy cowering, hiding, from them. This brings them great joy. They want nothing more than to break him, to kill him, to rid him of this world. Or so he thinks.

A certain weight, that the boy has carried for so long is brought to light.

He hears a soft ticking sound in the back of his head.

The girl doesn’t like seeing him be bullied like that. And so she gets up, and saves him from them. She leads him to a secluded spot in the middle of a clearing in a forest. A tall statue stands on the other side of a lake. She extends her hand for him.

“H-Hey, I’m Aubrey, Wh-What’s your name?”

He doesn’t want to tell her. She’ll just hurt him, like everyone else. But as if Fate itself commands him to, a small, pathetic whisper escapes his mouth, scratchy from hours upon hours of crying.

“Hey, Basil… Do- do you have any friends?”

Salt in his still open wound. He softly shakes his head.

“M-Me neither…. The kids around here are so mean!”

She places a hand on Basil’s shoulder. He flinches away, as if burnt by the touch.

“pl-please… don’t hurt me…”

Aubrey cringes at the sight.

“No... I’m not going to hurt you, Basil.”

“…”

Aubrey struggles to think of what to say next.

“D-Do you want to talk…about it?”

Basil looks at Aubrey. She doesn’t appear to be lying, or deceiving him.

Then again, he was always too trusting.

He decides to give it a shot.

He nods, shakily, and Aubrey sits down next to him. Maybe, just maybe he can find a little companionship in the cold, dark world.

The weight he carries seems just that much lighter.

It is a story of broken dreams.

A boy named Basil stands in the middle of a room. His eyes are dark and seem to be in a land elsewhere.

A girl named ▯▯▯▯ walks in, stage left and asks the boy what’s wrong.

She sees the massive bruises on his arms and legs and gasps. She drags him inside and starts covering up his injuries.

He has always looked up to ▯▯▯▯, but he couldn’t.  He couldn’t tell her.

He was so weak. The one moment the people he trusted weren’t watching over him, he was completely useless.

He felt so low.

‘Why……’

He was shaking. ▯▯▯▯ wrapped him in a soft, warm comforting hug.

He didn’t understand why.

Why would she care about him?

Why?

She broke away, smiling with a warmth only she could have.

He can almost feel the shadow of his grandmother settle upon her.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I’m here for you, Basil.”

He wraps her in a tight hug and begins to sob, letting all out.

She softly strokes his hair and tells him that everything is going to be okay.

Everything is going to be okay.

It is a story of broken bodies.

Basil was going to Sunny and ▯▯▯▯’s house before the recital, to wish them luck.

As he entered the door, he heard a lot of things.

The crash of a wooden Violin hitting the floor.

The screams of two siblings fighting.

A thud, and a snap.

And then, silence.

He turns a corner. A boy, his best friend, quietly sobbing over the corpse sleeping body of the person he considered his sister.

A Broken Violin lies on the floor. It can’t be his. He would never do that. It had to be Something behind him.

Loud, louder and yet louder does the ticking of the clock grow.

He walks forth.

‘Let’s take ▯▯▯▯ upstairs. She must just be sleeping, right?’

Sunny’s face, as if not at all his, takes on an empty, haunting look. It will not last.

A boy and his best friend carry a forever sleeping body up a flight of stairs.

They lay her on her bed. The weight of the situation sinks in, and it breaks Basil.

He sees his friend, his perfect friend, who could never do such a thing closing his eyes and whispering something into the sleeping no, corpse of his sister. He can’t let them take him away. He can’t.

Everything is going to be okay.

An idea. A rope. A tree. ▯▯▯▯’s favourite tree. A simple knot, one he’d thought about tying many times.

Everything is going to be okay.

A boy tells his best friend to bring ▯▯▯▯ to the backyard. They carry her down.

Everything is going to be okay.

A mistake. An accident. What was he supposed to do? What was he? He wasn’t a killer, or so he’d thought. How far would he go to save his friend?

Everything is going to be okay.

A murder. A suicide. A body, swaying in the wind. He looks back.

He shouldn’t have done that.

A single eye, shrouded in jet-black hair, staring at him. Something… behind him. Staring, watching.

Everything… is going to be… okay.

This is a story about broken people.

A boy named Basil stands in front of a mirror, his blue eyes almost red with fear. Something wraps itself around him, tighter and tighter.

He can’t breathe.

A scream, of a voice that would rather stay silent. His fear turns to panic. Something could have gotten him, taken him, killed him like it did his sister.

He has to save him.

He runs into the living room, where flowers wilt. Sunny is sobbing over the photo album. A marker lies open next to it.

He looks inside, and all of the memories, his friends, ▯▯▯▯, all gone. Crossed out as if unimportant, expendable.

And so, the ticking continues to grow.

He feels an uncharacteristic spike of rage. That is, until he sees it, writhing, twisting, as if made of hair and dried blood.

Something. It had to be the one that did this.

Sunny sees Basil, and runs, away, burning a bridge, and leaving him to pick through the ashes.

This is a story about broken promises.

A girl, with pink hair flowing freely in the wind attack someone whom she once considered a friend.

A boy named Basil returns home with empty hands, tears in his eyes, and bruises running across his body.

He runs into his room and sobs. He feels so weak.

Something wraps itself around him.

The weight on him is unbearable.

He feels so alone.

Tighter, yet tighter.

He picks up a pair of garden shears, like he has, so many times before.

The twin blades glint darkly in his hands. He considers pruning a weed, permanently.

A deafening ticking fills his mind.

No. He couldn’t do that to his grandmother. The one person who’d shown him unconditional love.

Something forces his hands inward.

I said no.

He closes his eyes and lashes out at Something, cutting into it.

He feels a horrible pain.

He opens his eyes and sees a deep, long cut spanning his wrist to his forearm.

‘no… please.’

Something laughs at him and wraps itself tighter around his tiny frame.

He can’t breathe.

And then it forces him to do it again.

And again.

And again.

This is not a happy story, but it is an important one.

A boy named Basil sits outside a hospital room, His face buried in his hands.

A doctor walks out.

She starts to tell him something, but he looks behind her, into the room.

A flatline.

He loses himself entirely. Several unknown hands drag him out of the room.

Tick.

Gone.

Tock.

The one person he cared for the most.

Tick.

Gone.

Tock.

He can’t take this anymore.

Tick.

Please, no more.

Tock.

He makes up his mind.

At our lowest moments, we are truly alone.

A boy named Basil stands in the middle of a room, shrouded in the melancholy light of the moon.

The weight of the world is a difficult one to carry. This much has always been true. No person, no matter how powerful will always fall to it. 

They will not matter. The clock will keep ticking, and someone else will just end up carrying it.

Four years.

Four years is a long, long time to carry such a weight.

One of murder, of hate, of friendship, of betrayal, of abandonment and loneliness. All for him, his closest friend. The one who he just wanted to save. The one who'd abandoned him, sunken wilfully and let him sink with him.

His legs start to break.

He is alone. His oldest friend despises him for a crime he didn’t commit. That's alright. He deserved it anyways.

The sound of the ticking overlaps and grows deafening. He feels dizzy. He can't breathe. He feels so, so weak. It’s all he's ever felt and all he ever will feel. He wants it to stop.

A patch of Sunflowers wilt and rot before his eyes.

The only person he could rely on, the one who'd seen him grow up, seen him become a monster and loved him regardless, was gone. He needs to get out.

A rot, cold as can be spreads through his veins, making him want to cut it out.

He begins to fall.

He looks at the twin blades in his hands, ones used to nurture life, in the hands of a rotting carcass. That's all he is. That's all he deserves to be. Rot and maggots, buried in the ground, so that life can grow above. So that he can be overwritten. He turns them over in his hands.

He is on the floor.

He knows what he has to do. The only thing he can do. The word 'Salvation' flits into his mind and burns itself there, being screamed again and again in a chorus of agony. 

A blade digs itself into his skin.

This is all his fault. It couldn't be Sunny's, right? He was perfect. Kind. It had to be something behind him. The clock keeps ticking.

A door opens.

He turns. Oh… it's him. Sunny. He's finally here to get his salvation too. He has a look of determination in his eyes. Something swirls and twists and writhes around them.

All for him.

‘How could he leave him alone like that!? Why does everyone hate him? Why can't he do anything right? Why can't he save anyone close to him?’

………………..

He has to save him.

Something appears behind him. Like a body swaying in the wind.

He will save him.

He lashes out with the gardening shears, reaching into him. Sunny reaches back.

‘Why!? All I'm trying to do is save you! I can't keep doing this. I just can't.’

His body is failing him. He can't keep doing this.

He is about to die. He can feel it. Something wraps tighter around him, sinking its teeth into his flesh.

He only has one shot. Even if he can't, he needs to free Sunny. He hears a horrible squelching sound as his shears find a new home in his right eye. Tears of blood flow out of it like sanguine rivers of agony. The sight makes him sick to the core. His body goes light and….

Basil PASSED OUT!

He barely hears screams and sirens, off in the distance. He slips away, far, far away.

__________________

A boy named Basil barely wakes up in a soft bed, surrounded by the people he loves. They look down on him with concern. 

Kel has an uncharacteristically crestfallen air to him.

Aubrey looks like she's trying to shrink into herself.

Hero has a look of pure parental worry and care.

He doesn't deserve this. Why aren't they at Sunny's ward?

Another door opens. This one is opened by the same person. One of his eyes is covered in a thick, fluffy eyepatch. His mouth opens, for the first time in a long, long time.

"I have to tell you something."

A voice, long forgotten soothes him. Long hidden words of the Truth about a broken body, hanging in the air, of a destroyed photo album, of destroyed lives wash over him.

It feels as if, bit by bit, a burden is lifting off of him.

It is over. There is nothing left to be said. Hero's face is shrouded in shadows. He says nothing and walks off, as if Sunny were merely a fixture on the wall. Kel is frozen to the spot, his mind unbelieving of what was just said. Aubrey is overcome with rage and betrayal, screaming something at them.

But none of that reaches Basil.

Aubrey runs away, her face stained with grief struck tears. Kel runs after Hero, or maybe just away from them. Only Sunny and Basil are left in the room now. No words need to be said. Basil saved Sunny, and now he's saved him back.

They share a smile. Something disappears from around them. It can't hurt them anymore. Their friends might hate them, but they're finally, finally free.

For the first time since he can remember, Basil feels HAPPY.

__________________

A boy named Basil sits alone at his house. He was discharged before Sunny for… obvious reasons. He has been doing.... better after the Truth was revealed. The plants around him flourish. 

But still, the sound of the ticking grows unbearable, inescapable.

He is once again alone. He tries to visit Sunny as much as he can, but Polly seems to think that seeing him after their fight might be "bad" for him.

Knocking can be heard on the door.

Is this it, is Sunny finally back? He opens the door. Standing in it are... Kel and Hero. 

‘I-’

Before he can get another thought, he is wrapped in a comforting hug. A comfort he's been craving for so long.

"I-We forgive you, Basil."

"It wasn't your fault that this happened."

"You were just twelve, for God's sakes!"

He doesn’t know which one of them says these words and he doesn’t care. All he feels is an all-consuming gratitude, spreading warmth to every part of his body.

"T-Thank you…"

It is all he can say before breaking down in their arms, letting out a flood of emotions, held back for longer than he can remember.

__________________

A boy named Basil has a good life. Kel now comes over almost daily to hang out and has been helping him branch out to others. He's even been getting better grades in school, and rumour is, he and a certain blue-haired girl have been dating, which Basil didn't waste a single opportunity to tease him about. Hero has kept in touch and even through college has somehow scheduled a visit to Sunny in the city. Sunny has been talking to him regularly and giving him a shoulder to cry on when he needs one. His garden overflows with beauty.

Basil feels like himself again.

And yet.... The sound of the ticking still continues, hammering into Basil's head.

 'Just keep trimming.'

He keeps trimming his plants, with a tool that he used to harm the person he swore to protect with. But now, it just seems right in his hands.

No more blood, No more hurting, No more killing.

He repeats that day after day. It gives him a comfort.

The ticking suddenly stops.

……………

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Basil nearly jumps into the ceiling. 

'Oh, right, wasn't Kel supposed to come by now?'

He opens the door with a smile.

"Hey Kel! I-"

His voice and smile died as he saw who it was.

His tormentor.

His oldest friend.

One of the people he'd hurt.

Basil feels AFRAID.

Aubrey. She was wearing her usual outfit, but she looked...noticeably worse.

Her skin was far paler than he'd last seen it and her eyes had dark, heavy bags. Her once bright pink hair was now a faded peach color and turning dark at the roots.

He clutched his shears tighter. "Au-Aubrey if you've come to hurt me then-"

He wasn't able to get another word out before she wrapped him in a crushing hug.

One reminiscent of one he'd received on this same doorframe, what felt like an eternity ago.

But this one is deeper. It says so many things. It’s an apology, a mark of forgiveness, a doorway into a better future.

Even though Aubrey was never the best with words, she somehow sums this all-consuming flurry of emotions up in four little words.

"I missed you too.”

Maybe some stories can have happy endings after all.

Chapter Text

Sunny screamed out for help, but nobody came.

Sunny shut his eyes.

'Stop. This isn't real. Calm down.'

Sunny CALMED DOWN. He was greeted by the cold floor.

"Uggghh" He groaned, groggily.

He opened his eyes again. The Hands were gone.

Thank God.

He went over to his nightstand and took a bottle of pills out of its drawer. He considered the small orange bottle for a moment, before swallowing one.

Dry.

Like a heathen.

He enjoyed the numb felling washing over him and checked the time on his phone.

'Shit. I overslept.'

He didn't really have anything to do that day, but he still trued to avoid oversleeping as much as possible. It reminded him of… those years he spent locked inside. No more than a living corpse.

He shook off those thoughts and went to change his clothes and looked inside his dresser. He'd been feeling... oddly energetic. Over the last month, he tried to dress less like a little English college student from the 19th century, so he chose a light gray shirt with a puffy black jacket and black denim jeans.

Ugh... now he just looked like a goth....

Eh, who cares. He was about to go change, when he noticed something.

'Was the room... always this small?'

He shrugged it off and went to go change. He looked at himself in the mirror.

Oh...

He looked......

Way better! His skin was now a healthy shade of pink. His once skeletal frame was now toned and lithe, making him disbelieve that it was really himself in the mirror.

He smiled.

'How even.....'

The most noticeable change was his height.

Apparently starving yourself for four years isn't the best way to gain height, and he wasn't gonna make up that distance in just a month.

But now... it looked like he'd grown about a foot. He would now tower over Basil.

A sudden realization hit him. The sacrifice. The memories of the dream hit him like a truck.

'Is this the power that they were talking about? Well, I'm not complaining...'

Other parts of the dream also stood out him. Like the mention of a seed..... or Mari. He couldn't believe, even in his dream that he'd done that to her. If it wasn't for the pill, he would probably have had a mental breakdown over that. He noticed something else.

'No way.'

Under his eyepatch, where a horrible, twisted scar was once visible, it now looked... faded. Like it had been there for years. He took it off.

Underneath it, his damaged eye resided. He wore the eyepatch because of the fact that the vision from his right eye was so horrible and blurry and disoriented him so much that he had to wear it.

But now... it was perfectly clear. The only sign anything had even happened was the scar across it and the fact that it was now a milky white.

He checked his depth perception... and it was perfect! Man, he was feeling energetic today! Maybe he should go for a walk or something.

He was interrupted by a message on his phone.

He checked it, in high spirits.

[Unknown number] 1:27: Hey, Sunny it's me, Aubrey.

Sunny eyes widened.

Aubrey.

What is love?

After all, it is what all humans desire, the sole purpose of their lives, whether they know it or not.

Happiness. It is generally accepted that, though the pain and trials of love, happiness is achieved.

Was this love, that feeling of having his mind go blank with shock and anticipation with even a small chance at happiness?

'Could this be it? Has she finally forgiven him?'

Nah, she'll probably just tell you how much she absolutely despises you.

A very familiar voice was speaking to him.

Omori.

And yet.... he still frantically saved her number.

[Sunny] 1:28: Hey, Aubrey, how have you been doing?

The meaning behind that was clear. 'How have you been doing since I revealed that I was the one that ruined your life.'

[Aubrey] 1:28: It's been... good. I got your number from Basil. I actually heard that the others were planning on visiting you tomorrow. I wondered if... y'know I could come with? I need to talk to you. In person.

'WHAT? They're coming to visit me? Did they tell Mom about this? They couldn't have, otherwise she would've told him. Right? RIGHT? Aubrey wants to talk to him? In person? What does that mean? What would she say?'

Red Hands burst from Sunny's back, by the dozens,  wrapping themselves around him, protecting him. He drops the phone. A Hand catches it in the air.

She's only coming to give you a painful death. Like you deserve. Like what you did to Mari.

Sunny collapses on the cold floor, closing his eyes and burying his head in his knees. The Hands form a cocoon around him. He is safe here. He doesn't want to leave, to open his eyes and face the consequences of his actions.

No. You are strong. You can do this.

Another voice spoke to him. It wasn't Omori.

He found himself steeling himself. He opened his eyes. Instinctively, he willed the Hands to open up and bring his phone to him. It was gripping the little metal rectangle so tight Sunny was afraid it would break. He pulled it out of his grip and started typing.

[Sunny] 1:32: Oh, you've been talking with Basil again? That nice to hear. Of course you can come! I wanted to speak to you too... I actually thought that you wouldn't want to see me after... what happened..

It took a minute before Aubrey responded.

[Aubrey] 1:33: Sunny, if you're worried about me hating you, then don't. It wasn't your fault, or Basil's. I forgive you, Sunny. Please, just remember that. I'll see you tomorrow then. Ttyl.

Sunny should have felt ecstatic. But he didn't. A sinking pit of dread formed in his stomach. He got up and looked in the mirror. In was... Omori. But it wasn't. He looked about his age now, and was wearing a black sweater vest over a grey shirt and a pair of white, striped trousers. He was noticeably shorter than him. He was wearing a black eyepatch over his right eye.

'Ugh... is this what I used to dress like?'

He began, unfortunately to speak.

"Look at what you've done to me. You've taken everything from me. Everything. My powers, my home, even my body. I hate you. Like everyone else in your miserable life. They're coming here only to bring you your rightful retribution. You should just just die before any of them have to put themselves through looking at you again."

As Omori continued droning on, Sunny got Angry. He'd heard this.... spiel before several times and he was getting tired of this. He had an idea.

"Okay buddy, I think that's enough." He said, cutting him off.

"What?"

He held his palm out to the mirror and and a Red Hand burst forth out of it, its fist clenched and went slamming into the mirror. The mirror was instantly destroyed and sent gleaming, sharp shards of glass all over the bathroom.

Sunny now turned his attention to the Hands. He liked to think of himself as a pretty analytical person. He wouldn't just scream and be scared of everything he saw. That wasn't who he was anymore.

He examined the semi - transluscent Red appendages coming out of his form. The only human, realistic part of them was the Hand itself.

One broke the mirror, so they weren't just hallucinations. He seemed to be able to control them with his mind. Omori said that he'd taken all his powers......

.....

'Wait. If he'd taken all his powers, that would mean that....'

He reached into his POCKET. Instead of the cloth insides he'd expected, it was as if he'd reached into a void. His hand brushed up against something smooth and cold, but when he tried to grab it, it was gone. His hand eventually found itself gripping the handle of a Red Knife. He pulled it out. Waves of power washed through him. It felt right in his hands, as if that's where it belonged. It looked exactly like he'd imagined it.

He had an idea. He slipped the eyepatch into his POCKET and walked into the kitchen, intent on testing exactly how far his powers went.

He pulled out an old can of Orange Joe out of his fridge and set it on the table.

'Not like I'm gonna be drinking this, anyway'

He looked at the knife in his hands and tried to remember what to do.

Sunny remembered how to use BREAD SLICE!

He slashed at the can. For a second, it just stood there, now with a slash mark on its front. Sunny felt stupid even believing that he cou-

Suddenly, with a soft whooshing sound, the can shrunk and widened, it's surface turning white and porous. A slice of bread fell over on the table.

'THAT ACTUALLY WORKED??'

He examined the bread. It looked normal. He took a bite from it. It tasted like..... an ordinary slice of white bread!

Sunny got another idea. He reached into the kitchen cabinets and pulled out.. a small bottle of strawberry jam!

He used the Red Knife to spread it on the bread. After another second, with another soft whooshing sound, a can was suddenly on the table. There was a large bite taken out of the aluminium. It started spilling sticky, orange liquid all over the table.

"Shit." He said out loud.

Sunny immediately grabbed the can and threw it in the trash. He had to wash his hands. By the time he was back, the orange liquid had spilled over the edge of the table and was now on the floor. Sunny groaned loudly, and got to cleaning, while grumbling under his breath.

............

After he was done, Sunny stared at his hands.

This....

This was incredible!

He had to test this out more. He laced up his shoes, grabbed the Knife and walked out the door, intending to find out what he was really capable of.

'Man, where is this energy coming from?'

Chapter Text

Nearby was a pretty good city, all things considered. Unlike most other big cities, like Nowhere, Nearby's crime rate was comparatively low. Though, walking by yourself at night was still something that wasn't recommended. 

Faraway might have been boring, but Sunny actually rather missed it. He missed how quiet it was there, how he could leave the door unlocked without fear of a break in. He missed the lack of huge, roving crowds, just looking to swallow him up. He missed the fact that he knew- and was rather good friends with -almost every single resident of Faraway.

He missed his friends...

He missed being able how nice- with the exception being the hooligans, even though they, too were rather harmless -everyone was there. The city was... jaded. Unforgiving. Loud and terrifying. At least to Sunny, anyway.

He walked outside his house. It was in a small, battered apartment complex. The neighbour were nice enough, but still rather suspicious at Sunny's kindness and odd appearance.

If only they knew what he was trying to repent for…

'Now is NOT the time for these thoughts, Omori.'

Omori merely blew a raspberry at him. What a child.

Sunny made his way around the city, going nowhere in particular. He didn't even know what his plan to figure out his powers was, exactly...

'Huh, probably should have thought of that before I left the house. Wait, did I bring the keys with me?'

He checked his POCKET. His hands gripped around a loop of cold, metal keys. 

'Phew... Keys, huh? What was that the Keymaster said about Omori becoming part of him completely? Is that why he looks different?' 

Off topic, Sunny, off topic. He wondered if this is what it felt like to be Kel. Just jumping from one thing to another.

He looked at where his feet had carried him.

Nearby Park

Huh. Nearby Park was bigger than the park back at Faraway, but Sunny thought that it lacked the same.... atmosphere.

It had a large playground for kids to play at but it often went empty.

Looking at the swings made him feel sad.

inside, was a lake that couples would usually go to for dates and stuff. It was a Sunday, so it should have been full, but oddly enough, it seemed devoid of all life. Something drew his attention.

On the lakeside was a dead dove. Its wing was bent in an odd way and red stained its soft white feathers. Sunny could relate to the dove. His whole life so far seemed like a fitting parallel to the dove. Something that could have been beautiful, but was killed and twisted and stained with blood.

He sat down next to the dove.

"Hey buddy, having a rough day?"

The dove does not respond.

*sigh* 

"Yeah, me too. Let me help with that."

He reached into the POCKET and after some fumbling, pulled out the bottle of Jam.

He took some on his knife and spread it over the corpse. It was now covered in more thick red liquid. It looked even more brutalized.

He waited for it to come back to life, but it didn't.

'Huh? Why isn't this working?'

He was interrupted by a scream from behind him. He looked back and saw a figure darting into the trees behind the lake. 

'Why?-'

'Oh.'

The Red Hands sprouting from his back were still there. He wondered why no one else commented on this oddity. Maybe they thought it was just a costume. Or maybe they'd just seen odder things on the subway.

Sunny closed his eyes and willed the Hands back within himself.

He had the oddest feeling, like something was scratching under his skin, waiting to burst out.

He looked at the Dead Dove and decided to just kick it into the lake. No witnesses, no crime.

He theorised that maybe since he hadn't killed the dove, it didn't come back to life. Yeah, that sounded logical enough. Well at least enough for this ridiculous scenario.

His mind got an idea... about someone else he'd... killed..

Sunny thought about the stranger's reaction to seeing him with his Red Hands out. The sun looked like it was about to set. In just a couple minutes, it would get dark. A very, very Mari-like idea came to him. He rubbed together his palms and cackled sinisterly, before having a coughing fit. He should probably drink more JUICE....

__________________

Sunny was standing in a dark alleyway. For normal people, this would have been dangerous. However Sunny wasn't normal. He was the danger. He once again cackled sinisterly, this time not coughing. He'd bought some Grape soda from a vending machine in the park.

He positioned himself to be facing the entrance of the alleyway and ruffled up his hair, so that only his black eye would be visible. He called upon his army of Red Hands. All of a sudden, they burst from his back, the dumpster in front of him, shady corners, all around him. 

'Perfect.'

...

.....

...........

Dammit, why was nobody coming around here?

Sunny's thoughts started to spiral off again.

He thought about his new school.

The children there would see him as an easy target. Not anymore.

He thought about his father.

Stupid deadbeat asshole. He always loved Mari more than me.

Sunny wasn't aware of it, but his very form was changing in the dim streetlight. His arms and legs elongating, the nails on both his and the Red Hands turning to horrible sharp claws, his face contorting into a horrifying grin, thick, black blood falling from his eyes to his now paper-white skin.

Sunny thought about his mother.

She was somehow even more of deadbeat than his father. A least he had the decency to never show his face to him again. Mommy loves you? What a fucking joke. 

He thought about..... Mari.

She who could do no wrong. The one who'd made him practice until his fingers bled. The one who'd insulted him again and again until finally he broke down. Until he gave her what she'd deserved.

The scratching under his skin grew.

Someone finally walked past the alleyway. They looked inside to find..... That.

Sunny lets loose a bloodcurdling shriek.

__________________

A man named James Smith was jogging in the city of Nearby. He had a loving wife, a good job and the cutest little daughter. He had thinning brown hair and had a harmless air about him.

He was sometimes forgetful and would somehow always seem to lose his keys. He liked to think of himself as decent person.

He didn't have many hobbies, but to cut down on his weight, he'd recently started jogging, and to his surprise and delight, he actually rather liked it. He was going along a narrow, out of the way and quiet road he'd found a couple weeks ago. He was going along... when something compelled him to look down an alleyway to his right. He would never know why, but he did.

And then he saw it.

Its horrible skin, drained of blood like a corpse, its one single horrible, jet black eye. Staring right through him, his every thought, his every deed. Its greasy black mop of hair, its terrifying grin, like it was cut into its face with a knife. The blood that it was crying, standing out against its skin. The hundreds upon hundreds of long, twisted red limbs coming out of its back, ending in sharp claws. He had never felt as scared in his entire life.

It let loose a horrifying, soul-rending screech that would burn itself into his skull permanently. He ran, ran for his life. He didn't care where he was running as long as it was away, away from that horrible creature. He would never be the same again. He didn't look back.

__________________

Sunny immediately returned to normal. The blood on his face seemed to instantly evaporate, his hands- all of them -went back to being regular hands and he shrunk down to a regular size. However, Sunny didn't notice any of that, as he was currently doubled over in a laughing fit.

"That was even better than I thought...."

A Red Hand pat him on the back. He got up and held his hand out for a high five. Several Hands gladly took his offer.

'Man, that guy ran like crazy! Am I really that scary?'

Sunny stopped suddenly. 

'Wait, what was I supposed to be doing?'

Oh. Right. He was supposed to be exploring his powers.

Huh, Omori had a lot of stuff that he could do. Where to start.

He pulled out the Red Knife and considered it.

There were a lot of things but... one stuck out to him. 

A quick exit. 

A way to wake up.

A way to escape.

Do it

He looked at the metal. It hungered for his blood.

Take the easy out.

Almost unwillingly, he pointed the knife at himself, right over his heart.

If you do this, all your pain will be over. If you do this, you'll finally wake up with Mari. If you do this, you won't have to face them tomorrow.

No.

The point dug deeper into him.

Do it. Rid the world of you. Finally get your salvation. Finally escape your catastrophies.

Sunny, Don't do it.

If the blade went any further, it would puncture his his skin.

wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeu -

He was broken out of his trance by a loud scream, not far from him. 

Someone! Help me!

Sunny had heard cries like this before. Usually, he would just run home with a leaden heart.

Like a coward.

His grip around the blade tightened. 

'Not this time.'

He was stong now. He could help, could save others. He had always wanted to be a superhero. He finally had his chance. He ran off after the screaming.

__________________

A woman was surrounded by four thugs. She was backing away, terrified. One of the thugs had a gun in his hand. 

"Another word from you and I shoot. Got it?" Without waiting for an answer he continues.

"Now, like I said, hand over all your valuables.... NOW!"

Seeing this scene fills Sunny's mouth with the taste of dirt and iron. 

He hated bullies.

His vision went red. He walked behind them, his Red Hands menacingly hanging in the air behind him.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you." Every inflection, every syllable of this sentence drips with pure hatred.

They look back and their eyes widen with fear.

"W-What are you?"

His face widens into that grin, that terrifying grin.

"I said, I. Wouldn't. Do. That. If. I. Was. You."

*Bang!*

A bullet grazes Sunny's shoulder.

The pain is agonizing.

"AAAAAUGGHHH"

He follows his instincts and stretches out his arms, with his palms flat to them, as if making them go away.

Sunny used SUFFOCATE.

From each palm, four jet black hands erupt and two wrap themselves around each thug's neck. Their shadows elongate and tentacle-like vines of darkness root them to the spot.The gun drops from the main thugs hand. 

The Thugs BLACKED OUT!

The Hands won't go away. Their faces start to turn a horrible shade of purple. He wants to stop now.

I said, STOP!

All of Sunny's powers dissipate into thin air. He feels so, so tired. The woman runs away from him, screaming.

He feels so, so, so tired.

He staggers off into the darkness.

__________________

He arrives at a burger chain. He isn't sure why he's here, but the comforting light beckons him in.

The people inside look at the young, bleeding boy staggering into the resteraunt, and briefly wondering what he's doing here, before remembering that they're eating in a DcMonald's and going back to their food.

The person at the counter looks at his shoulder, before deciding that it isn't worth their time and asks him if he was going to order anything.

Sunny pulls his wallet out of his POCKET and looks inside. 

'HELL YEAH! Just enough for a combo meal!'

"I'll uhhh get the uhh combo meal." He slurs out. He still feels really, really tired.

"Coming right up." The person at the counter doesn't even bat an eye.

He hobbles over to an empty seat. When he opens his eyes again, his order is already there.

'This must be what they mean by fast food.'

Sunny digs in.

Sunny felt better.

He feels like he's been recharged. The bullet wound on his shoulder is now gone completely.

He walks out of the restaurant... but now he's outside his house. 

He doesn't question it.

He goes in his house and opens it with his keys.

'Guess Mom isn't home yet.'

Having nothing better to do, Sunny checks his phone.

You have [1] new message from Hero.

[Hero] 7:26: Hey, Sunny Aubrey must've already told you, but we're coming to visit tomorrow! I'm really looking forward to it!

Huh, right. They're coming to visit me tomorrow. How will I hide the uh, obvious superpowers from them. Ehhh, a problem for future Sunny.

[Sunny] 9:46: Oh, yeah, I'm really looking forward to it too! See you tomorrow then!

Hmmmm.... what to do..  what to do.....

__________________

Sunny was currently juggling five grapefruits in his Red Hands. 

'Holy shit, new record!'

He was rudely interrupted by the door opening. Five grapefruits fell to the floor with sad thuds.

"S-SUNNY!??"

Oh. It was just Mom.

She was wearing a dress too "fancy" to be considered work clothes. She seemed a bit tipsy.

Odd. Mom never drinks...

"Sunny, sweetie, what are... those?" She was gripping the doorframe, a nervous smile on her face.

Sunny decided right then and there that he wouldn't tolerate his mom's bullshit and went for the short and simple approach.

"Superpowers."

"Wh-What? How?"

Sunny thought about it for a second.

"Dreams came into real life. Gave me superpowers."

"O-Oh... can you put those away? They're scaring Mommy.."

Sunny wills the Hands to disappear.

The scratching feeling returns.

"Alright, G-Goodnight honey! Mommy loves you!" She runs into her room, clearly trying to escape him. Without even asking if he'd eaten.

'Rude.'

Oh, yeah, he should probably go to sleep now.

He practically slams down into a very comfortable bed. Today was a very tiring day. He melts into the sheets. 

Tomorrow, you will meet your friends.

Sunny feels a sense of anticipation and dread and drifts off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

Aubrey was getting nervous.

She shouldn't have been getting nervous.

Why was she getting nervous?

She had freshly washed, dried and ironed all her clothes.

'Courtesy of Hero.'

She had thought about what she was going to say to him again and again in her mind, accounting for every scenario.

She'd dyed her hair again, now a fresh, hot pink.

'For no reason in particular, maybe she did it for herself! How bout you stop asking questions, huh?'

She'd even put on a perfume given to her by... Mari before the recital. 

The recital where she planned to confess to Sunny about -

'No! Bad Aubrey!'

'Again, for no particular reason…'

So why did she feel so nervous?

She had arrived in Nearby about a couple hours ago. The "Concrete Jungle" radiated a sense of unfamiliarity and hostility. The constant noise and greyness that everything seemed to be shrouded in was something she wasn't used to back in Faraway. The whole area felt like a hostile factory environment.

Kel had been there for a whole day. Something about... getting used to the place to surprise Sunny?

'Probably just an excuse for dicking around all day long.'

She and the others were supposed to come pick up Sunny after his mother left for... work or whatever. Hero says that she was being very ambiguous on where she was going, seemingly for days on end.

'Poor Sunny..'

Thinking of his soft, cute face contorted in sadness made her heart ache 

'No! Not this again! You're visiting as a friend. Nothing more. Who knows if he'll even want to see you after you blew it at the hospital.'

'Shut up, me.'

There is no response.

'Pfft, serves her right.'

Needing something to fidget with, Aubrey picks up the nearest tabloid and starts flipping through the pages.

They were sitting in the entrance hall of Sunny's small apartment complex.

His mother told them not to pick him up until she left.

'Wonder what that's about..'

Kel is telling Hero and Basil about something while making wild hand gestures.

'Probably some weird joke of his.'

She starts reading through the headlines.

How to lose all your skin in just three days!

*flip*

Why stressed and bitter is the new hot!

*flip*

$15,000 dollar cash prize for whoever captures "Nightmare cryptid" found spotted in the alleyways.

'Huh? 15 grand? Who would be dumb enough to spend that much on... a cryptid hunt?'

She opens to the article, intrigued.

Several reports of a Tall, humanoid cryptid spotted in the alleyways behind the Veil Industries testing facility compound have been sighted since yesterday night. Veil is offering a large cash prize to whoever captures it or brings back any part of it to the site for "research purposes." The legality of this is dubious, at best. Eyewitnesses are said to have proven the legitimacy of these claims but James Smith, a 45 year-old resident who was one of the supposed 'eyewitnesses' has said on multiple occasions to not look for it and that everyone who tries is already doomed. James was admitted to Nearby asylum yesterday after trying to stab out his eyes and ears with a red-hot poker. While being taken in, he repeatedly mentioned "wanting the screaming to stop." Nearby asylum reports that his mental state is rapidly improving and that he is expected to be fit for release in "One or two months". The creature, as described so far, is a 7-foot humanoid being that resembles a 'Goth teenage boy'. It has long, black hair, an inhuman grin on its face, paper white skin and a single, judgemental black eye that sees through your every move. Its most striking features are its long arms that end in claws and the dozens of long red appendeges that, too end in sharp claws. According to Jessica Roberts, another eyewitness, it's singular eye cried a thick, black tarry substance of sorts that resembled blood. She has gone on to say that it rescued her while she was being mugged in the very same alleyway. This story, along with its unique appearance, has made it an overnight sensation in the city. From sleepover stories to mentions of seeing something similar in there dreams, the speculation is endless. What or who is it? Is it a demon? Is it a vengeful spirit? Why did it save that woman? We have compiled all the data so far and come up with a sound guess. Here's why the 'Nightmare cryptid' is really Hatsune Miku's grandfather-

Aubrey stopped reading after that. 

'Meh, probably a publicity stunt. Though, it could be a nice way to see the whole city and hang out with Sunny though...'

Aubrey considered it.

'Not a bad idea, now that come to think of it..'

She got up and walked over to the where others were standing.

"Guys, I swear, I saw it! It was hunched over on the side of that lake in the park, spreading jam on a dead bird, probably to eat it or something. It looked just like they described it, with the red claws and everything."

'What? Kel saw the cryptid?'

"Kel, this stuff isn't real... You were probably just imagining things." Hero sounded exasperated.

He seemed to take personal offense to that. 

"Hmph... How dare you doubt me. Well, even if you guys aren't, I'm going to hunt it down."

Aubrey remembered her idea and cut in.

"We could go with Sunny, y'know. Even if we don't find anything,  it might be a good chance to bond and explore the city and stuff."

"That's not- huh? y-you agree with me!?"

A single manly tear flows down Kel's face.

"I mean.. that's not a bad idea. What Aubrey said." Hero says, relieved that she step in.

"WOOOOO!" 

The tear seems to have vanished into thin air.

"See, even Aubrey recognizes my genius.."

She smacks the giant in the back of the head. 

"Your idea was still stupid, dumbass. I just made it, y'know actually fit in with our plans? Besides, none of this is actually real. If we catch the cryptid, I'll give you 20 dollars. However, if we don't, you will have to kneel down in front of me and declare my superiority in front of everyone!"

"Oh, I'm so taking those odds. No cryptid is a match for the great Kelsey Rodriguez- OW!" This time, the person that had hit him wasn’t Aubrey, but Basil instead.

"Guuuys, we're visiting Sunny. Can you not fight for just now?" Basil said, exasperated amd standing with his arms crossed.

They are interrupted by Sunny's mother practically flying out the hallway.

She is dressed in a fashionable, black dress. She is wearing expensive makeup and radiates the smell of expensive perfume. This whole vibe of hers is broken by the nervous, almost scared look on her face.

She notices them. "Oh! Hey, I'm really thankful to you guys for taking care of Sunny for today! I- I just want to tell you that, I don't know if it was that I was just sleep deprived, but yesterday I swear I saw him- Never mind. Just take good care. The city can be dangerous at times.. Especially with this new cryptid hunt racket they've got going on..."

"Alright ma'am we'll be sure to stay out of trouble!" Hero lied through his teeth, stealing a glance at Kel, who looked like a raccoon who had a flashlight shined on him.

"Y-Yeah that's… That's it then! Toodle-loo!" She said nervously and hurried off.

They shared looks with each other. 

'What the hell was that about?'

They went into the complex, to apartment S-1316 and knocked.

'Alright Aubrey, you've done this a million times in you head. You can do this.'

What opened the door was beyond anything that she could've imagined.

It was Sunny but... 

He now towered over her. His arms were muscular and toned. He was no longer the pale skeleton she'd seen a month ago. He was wearing a black hoodie with a design on a cat on the front and comfortable, grey pants. The clothes were a little.... small on him, so they allowed Aubrey to the surprisingly fit shape he was in. The increase in height, better shape and... confidence(?) made his face look even cuter. His neat black hair was sticking up in curls at the back of his head. He was no longer wearing his eyepatch, his right eye had a large, faded scar across it, and the eye itself was a pale, almost opal like white. He had a faraway, serene expression on his face. 

In other words, He was hot.

Really hot.

To Aubrey at least.

Speaking of her, she was rapidly turning a darker shade of pink than her hair and staring at him for a bit too long.

"Oh, hey guys.." He said, a bit nervous. 

'His voice...' Now that it was no longer scratchy from unuse and heavy with emotions, it seemed a million times deeper and more calming. Aubrey imagines him lovingly complementing her in that voice as he held her and moved in for a-

'NO! BAD AUBREY! BAD!'

She continued to redden and let out smoke from her ears.

To put things into perspective, Kel tackled him in a hug and...

Oh.

Sunny was as tall as Kel now.

'WHUH-HUH!!?!?!?!!?!!?'

She didn't know how she didn't see this, but it was true. Maybe it was because Kel filled the room with his loud voice, colors and antics, while Sunny was.. more understated. Simple. Perfect. Annoyingly cute-

'No. Stop. I beg you.'

She planned on hugging him like she did with Basil, but that was out the window, hell, off the entire planet now. If she tried to hug him, She'd probably melt like taffy on a car's dashboard. (Don't ask.)

"DAAANNNG, Sunny, you been hitting the gym or something?" Kel asked.

Hero looked absolutely baffled. Basil too, was staring at Sunny, but more in pure confusion.

He replied, with far more confidence than she'd remembered him having "O-Oh, that. Ahh.. well I've just been taking better care of myself, like Aubrey said."

At the very mention of her, Aubrey turned into a low-power heater.

'Stop. You are not that little lovestruck girl anymore.'

'THEN WHY DO I FEEL LIKE IT?!?!?!!'

Basil spoke up. "Hey Sunny.... I see your... eye's been healing up well."

"Oh yeah, that? I'm actually able to see through it perfectly clearly now! So I don't need the eyepatch anymore."

Hero looked even more dumbfounded than before. 

His gaze slowly turned to Aubrey and became apprehensive.

"Oh..... hey Aubrey.." He sounded guilty. 

"…………"

'Say something, dammit! Get back your composure and tell him you forgive him!'

She tried doing exactly that.

She cleared her throat and started.

"H-Hey Sunny.... It's been... a while, huh?"

Basil's face morphed into a smirk.

'DAMN YOU! I'M GETTING YOU BACK FOR THAT!!'

"S-so I just wanted to.. tell you that..  I forgive you. It wasn't your fault and you were just twelve at the time so... I almost did what you did, back at the lake, but I was worse. So much worse. Both you and Basil could've-"

The next sound she made was a squeak of surprise as he wrapped her in a hug.

'His arms are so strong and muscular now...'

'STOOOOOOOOOOP!'

She melted into his embrace. It felt so warm. She hadn't felt this for so long. Too long. A flood of happy chemicals made their way to her brain, making her make an embarrassing hum of approval.

'He smells so nice....' 

"That wasn't your fault either, Aubrey. If you forgive me.. can you forgive yourself? For me?"

Even now, he only thinks of other people.

"A-alright.."

Sunny pulls away from the hug, unwittingly leaving Aubrey wanting more.

Even Kel is has caught on to Aubrey's very obvious emotions by now and is bearing a superior grin on his face.

She flicks him in the nose.

"Owww.."

"Hope you learned something."

Hero chuckles at the sight.

Kel gets his usual composure back and says "Sooo, Sunny. The Looosers want to go around the city with you and do nerd stuff like talk. However, I have offered them the far superior alternative of....."

He drums his fingers.

"Cryprid Hunting!"

Sunny raises his eyebrows.

"Cryptid hunting?"

"Yeah, look everyone in the city's doing it, and its the perfect opportunity to show us around!"

"Why would everyone be doing it?"

"Oh yeah, did I mention that there's a 15K CASH PRIZE!"

This gets his attention.

"Really?" He asks his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, look at this!" He pulls the tabloid Aubrey was reading seemingly out of thin air and hands it to Sunny.

As he reads, his face of amused curiosity turns to one of badly-hidden horror.

"The eyewitness... was admitted to hospital?"

"Yeah, but they say he'll be fine though! There's nothing to worry about."

"Not to mention that this was MY idea and Kel stole it as his." Aubrey cut in.

Sunny had a face of... relief? It was difficult to tell with his already hard to read face.

"That seems like.. a good idea."

"Coooooool, let's go!" Kel practically bounces up and down the walls.

Hero pauses for a second. 

"Hey Sunny, can I see your eye for a second."

Sunny flinches but says "Alright sure..."

Hero looks it over, muttering something she can't hear.

He pulls away with a look of confusion.

"This healed a lot faster than it should have.."

Sunny looked uncomfortable.

"What can I say... guess I'm just a fast healer?.."

To his relief, Basil cuts in.

"Pesonally I'm just glad that it didn't affect you too much..."

Hero seems to come to a conclusion. "Yeah.. me too.. Well then, let's go, Sunny!"

He looks relieved. 

"Alright c'mon, I'll show you guys everywhere I've been so far!"

__________________

They were standing outside a large shopping mall. The blinding lights and sounds of hustle and bustle were unfamiliar to Aubrey.

Surprisingly, Sunny looked like he'd lived here his entire life and just nodded at the others. 

"This is Nearby Mall. We should get a bite to eat before we go exploring around the city. There's a Gino's around here, we can get pizza!"

"Huh? I thought Gino's was a local restraunt or something.." Said Basil.

"Yeah, me too, but apparently they have a location here. And the food's pretty good, too."

"Uuugghh, the heat is killing me.. can we go in the nice, air conditioned mall instead of just standing in front of the doors please?" Aubrey groaned, only half serious.

A flash of guilt passed over Sunny's face and he said "Y-yeah.. we should probably go inside now."

He looked like a cute little scared bunny.

'whydidisaythatwhydidisaythatwhydidisaythat'

She was interrupted by a pleasant beep and a gust of cold wind air flowing over her.

'Ahhhhhhh'

Inside the mall, several groups moved here and there, talking cheerfully. Shops everywhere glowed with neon light, beckoning them in. An atmosphere of relaxed hurry permeated through the mall.

Aubrey was enchanted by it. For someone who was a shut in till the day before yesterday, she felt very energetic. Maybe it was because of Sunny, but she wanted to explore the entire place.

Her stomach grumbled.

'Right, first things first.'

Count on Kel to have his priorities straight.

"Yo, Sunny, where's the pizza? I'm hungry!"

"Alright, alright, let's go.."

After a number of turns, escalators and pathways that frankly convinced her that she was in an M.C. Escher painting, they arrived at a very familiar looking pizza shop. The world's Gino's littered at the top of the entrance.

They walked inside.

'Wow... it looks just like the one back in Faraway...'

Except for the fact that it was larger in size, you could have convinced the others that they had walked through a portal back to Faraway.

"Man, looks just like the one we all used to go to back before...." Hero left off.

She looked closer at her surroundings. The sprout mole game was replaced by a newer, Spaceboy game. There was even someone with a hair flip and sparkles standing next to the jukebox. 

At the counter was an odd-looking cashier with black glasses. He saw them enter and asked "Hey, kids! Waddaya want?"

"Ummm..  I'll.... we'll get a... whole pizza and.. do you guys have something called a Hero sandwich?" Sunny started.

"Ahhhhhh.... well yes, we do have have that but this is a pizza place so-"

"Good, we'll take that."

"Alright...." He looked oddly crestfallen.

"Cmon guys, let's get a seat." 

They moved over to a table she swore she had eaten at before and sat down.

"Sunny, I thought you came by to eat here often, why did you have to ask if they had the Hero sandwich?"

Kel put his hand hand on Hero's shoulder and said,

"It's 'cause you're literally the only person that eats these here, Sandwich Man."

"Yeah... I mean, it is a pizza place, after all." Sunny said, after a moment.

It hit right in the HEART!

Aubrey snickered. "So, Sunny, how's the big city been treating you?"

'Since when do you ask people stuff like that?'

"Oh... it's been...really good, actually!"

He seems to be telling the truth. Like his new change in appearance, the idea of Sunny fitting in in the desolate city is makes her question how much he's really changed.

It doesn't feel good.

"Oh... that's... nice.."

The tension in the air is so thick you can cut it with a Knife.

Suddenly, the glasses guy seems to materialise behind Kel and places down their order.

"Alright... one Whole pizza and one.... Hero... sandwich.. Is that it?"

Sunny nods in the affirmative.

A collective sigh of relief goes out.

They dig in and Kel starts to talk.

"So guys, what do you think the cryptid is?"

"Well, if the the "cryptid" was real, it might be a nature spirit or something. A lot of these cryptid stories come from old tales like those." Basil said.

"Pfft.. Nature? In the middle of the city? Yeah, right.."

"I mean, you did say that you saw in the middle of the park." Hero says, without looking up from his sandwich.

Sunny's face loses about a pint of blood. "Oh.... you saw it in the park? Wh-What was it doing?"

"It was spreading some blood-like jam on a dead bird, probably so it could eat it, or something like that."

"H-huh.."

"What do you think, Aubrey?"

"I think this whole thing is some marketing bullshit made up by some guys in suits to sell toasters or nuclear bombs or... whatever Veil sells."

"Then how was I able to see it, huh!?"

"It must have been a guy in a costume."

"The red hands moved on their own, that's not something a costume could do!"

"Must've been imagining it." Aubrey was enjoying watching Kel getting progressively more and more annoyed.

"YOU'RE JUS-"

"Guys, guys calm down, it's not that serious..." Hero tried to mediate.

"You're right, Brohemius, Aubrey's just the most annoying being alive."

"What did I say about calling me that? Also, you're still doing it."

"Right, who would want to take away your rightful title, right?" Sunny... teased?

When did he get like this? Well, she wasn't complaining if she got to hear his voice more... 

"Uggghhh... you guys suck.."

Basil put his hand on the orange giant's shoulder. "It's alright, Kel."

"See, I have actual friends who care about me..." Kel said loftily.

Sunny snickered. "What is it, Sunny, great betrayer of bros?"

"There's sauce on your chin." He deadpanned.

"Gah! Why don't you guys tell me this stuff?"

"It's because it's really funny to watch." Basil admitted.

"Et tu, Basillius?"

__________________

They had finished their lunch and were now taking a short look around the mall, when suddenly, in a burst of golden light, they saw something majestic, something breathtaking.

The word "HOBBEEZ" glowed a brilliant yellow, surrounded by designs of honeycomb and bees. The store was quite large, with massive glass display windows filled with anything they could ever want. They were speechless as they walked up to the glass doors, which automatically slid open. Their senses were assaulted by colors and familliar shapes. Music that she could recognize from back in Faraway played on the speakers.

"Woah... it's so much.... better than the one back home..." Kel nudges Sunny. "Man, I'm jealous of you, city boy!"

"Ahh, well these are the perks of not living in the middle of nowhere."

They moved in and started looking around. 

Basil and Kel were talking about a Spaceboy arc in front of a shelf full of comics.

Hero stands behind them, and Sunny is nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, yeah, the Pinkbeard arc. I don't know why so many people hate it, it's my favourite storyline in the whole series."

"C'mon, Kel, the arc destroys Spaceboy's whole backstory. They should have either kept Pinkbeard dead or ended the series there. Now it just feels soulless.."

"Pffft.. Puh-lease Basil, I bet you aren't even a real Spaceboy fan."

Glasses appear out of nowhere on Basil's face. He pushes then up with a gleam.

"You dare..... challenge.... ME!?"

Kel strikes a pose. His face is covered in darkness. Purple japanese letters float in the air around him, exuding an aura of menace. If Aubrey strains her ears, she can hear epic music playing.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! YOU FOOL! I SHALL DESTROY YOU, FOR I AM THE ONE TRUE SPACEBOY FAN!"

....Yeah no, she's not dealing with this.

She skulks off as Hero sighs and tries to mediate the two boys. 

'Man, this place is so much bigger than the one back home.'

She walks around in wonder, not even knowing what to do, until she sees it.

It is a massive, beautiful poster of "Super Sprout Mole Eater XVII: The revenge of the Bunnies". The Queen bunny is painted on the front, like a renaissance painting, surrounded by her people. It has to be the cutest thing she's ever seen.

'I must have it.'

She walks over to it, practically drooling. She whips out her wallet and checks the price tag. 

In an insant, her heart shatters into a million pieces, never to be seen again. She huffs in indignation, how dare they?.

"100 DOLLARS!?"

She checks it again and sees the cause of her pain, right on the back.

[Limited edition]

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

This is so unfair, how could the-

"Hey Aubrey, did- do you want that poster?.."

She hears a voice behind her.

"B-because I'll be completely fine paying for it..."

She turns around. Sunny stand there, nervously, cutely stroking the back of his hair.

"Oh... no, don't, I didn't even want it that much anyways.."

'Liar.'

"There's no need to feel bad about it... if you want it, then I'll get it for you!"

"R-Really?"

He smiles. "Of course!"

'Huh. Guess he changed less than I thought.'

She feels a warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest, spreading further through her and making her heart threaten to jump out.

"t-thank you.."

"Oh, it's no problem at all!"

The others have arrived. She doesn't know how she didn't hear them come, but somehow, they've appeared behind Sunny.

Even Hero has joined the Smirk-a-thon against Aubrey.

"C'mon guys, we should let Sunny and Aubrey have a bit more alone time together.."

She swore never to hurt Basil again, but she's coming reeeal close to breaking that promise..

Sunny blushes, hard.

"Guys.. let's just take the poster and go.. Don't we have a cryptid to catch or something..

Kel can't hold in the giggles anymore.

"BAHAHAHHA! YOU GUYS SHOULD SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACES..  AHAHAHAHAH!"

*Sigh...*

__________________

They were walking around the grey pavements of the city. Everything seemed a bit more colourful after the "incident" at Hobbeez, though.....

People were frantically running here and there with cameras and assorted weapons.

Kel stepped up like a military instructor and said, unusually seriously,

"Listen up. If we really are going to catch the cryptid, we need bait. Anyone got any ideas on what a cryptid might enjoy?"

"There's a hotdogs stand a couple blocks up, I doubt even a cryptid would refuse those." Sunny said, the edges of his mouth quirked up, just enough so nobody would notice.

Except Aubrey, that is. Why was she was watching his mouth, exactly?

'Shut up.'

Of course. Anyways, Kel seemed to think that this was a great idea and set off.

In the wrong direction.

After walking a while, they arrived at a hotdogs cart that was swarming with people. The owner was somewhere between jumping for joy and crying.

They made their way through the crowd.

"Hey, hotdog guy dude bro man, can I get a regular hotdog?"

He looked miserable.

"Al-Alright.."

Suddenly, in a flurry of motion so masterful and quick it wouldn't even register, a hotdog was made, fully ready, with a soft, fluffy bun and the best condiments she'd ever seen.

'Damn, Sunny really wasn't kidding, huh?'

They escaped the eye of the storm, just in time, as the crowd of people stormed the stand and the distinct sound of metal hitting the floor and the shopkeeper screaming were heard.

Sunny was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, guys, where's Sunny?" Aubrey asked, a little worried he'd been caught in the crossfire.

"Hey, guys!" Sunny seemingly materialized behind Aubrey, making her jump about 50 feet in the air.

In his hands were two hotdogs, these kitted out with the best the stand had to offer. It seemed to exude a golden light of brilliance.

Sunny held one out to her. "Want one?"

"T-Thank you..." Her face was completely red now.

"Awww man, I wanted one..." Kel groaned.

"Benefits of being his girlfriend, huh?" 

They both turned a bright red.

"!!!"

She punched him, a little too hard to playful.

"SH-SHUT UP!"

"Jeez, just trying to lighten the mood.."

The other two just watched on, snickering smugly.

"Le-Let's just go..." She stuttered out uncharacteristically.

"Yeah, the cryptid was in the alleyways outside the Veil facility, right? Let's search there first." Sunny quickly changes the topic.

"Oh, yeah! Where is it, anyways?"

"Right behind us."

They look behind them. A giant, brutalist building, reminiscent of a concrete fortress can be seen.

It's walls stand at about 20 feet and have giant' faded white block letters on it, displaying the word "VEIL". Above the letters, a logo of an eye surrounded by a circle with ten notches in it like a clock seems to watch them. It amplifies the aura of the city by a thousandfold.

'Leave. You don't belong here.'

It casts a giant, menacing shadow over all of them. the compound seems to stretch on forever. It radiates a cold feeling outwards. Or maybe it just radiates Gamma particles. Who knows.

People are practically running in and out of the shadowy alleyways that surround the building.

"Oh. Alright!"

She looks at Sunny. He looks supremely unbothered. Has he really changed that much? Is it even still him behind those eyes? She has to know. She has to tell him. For her own sake. 

'Right. For yourself. Keep saying that..'

Is it possible to beat the shit out of your own thoughts? Enquiring Aubreys wish to know! More at 5!

"H-........ I have an idea. How about we split up to cover more ground." She says, trying to keep a level voice.

"I thought we were supposed to spend time together and stuff...."

Aubrey shoots Basil a look, hoping he'll understand.

He does. A little too well. He rejoins Smirk-Fest 19XX and tells Kel,

"Kel, I think that Aubrey wants a little alone time with Sunny~"

He catches on after a second and says "Oooooooohhhhhh.......... Well, see you later then, guys."

Hero snickers, before being dragged away into a shady alleyway by the collar by both Kel and Basil.

'Assholes. The whole lot of them.'

Both of them were as red as tomatoes now. 

"S-So... we should probably go now..." Sunny says, emabarassed.

He suddenly remembers something.

"You wanna get out of the crowd?" 

She has to admit, the constant noise is kinda making her go crazy.

"Y-... *ahem* Yeah, sure!"

He grips onto her hand 'OH MY GOD!!!!' and starts leading her away, just like she'd always wanted.

Little does she know, someone else treads closely behind..

__________________

They're alone. in an alleyway. Together.

This is the perfect chance for Aubrey to.. sputter and say absolutely nothing.

"H- Hey S-Sunn......"

Sunny looks at her, concerned.

"Aubrey, are you okay?"

Suddenly, his eyes seem to glaze over, as if he slipped into a dream.

'Oh no, he's thinking about how weird I am and how I've been acting so dumb and how-'

Her trainwreck of thought is interrupted by Sunny suddenly seeming to break out of his trance, and having a look of incredulous realisation spread over his face as if he wanted to slap himself.

He starts timidly. "Aubrey... do you... like me?"

He says it as if it is unbelievable. He is rapidly turning a bright shade of red. Nothing on Aubrey, though.

She doesn't know how she does it but somehow, a single sound escaped her mouth.

"y-y..es....."

Both of them can't believe she just said that.

'He's changed so much. I have too... What I'd he doesn't like me?"

Her thoughts are quelled when he wraps her in a comforting hug, far different than the one they'd shared not too long ago. This one said. "It's still me. I still love you. I'll still care about you."

She melts into it, reveling in the warmth.

"I like you too." He says, with a quiet, hidden strength in his voice.

'He really hasn't changed all that much, has he?'

She smiles.

"We really... just stayed alone all those years when we could have..." She held him tighter, closer to her heart.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the two broke apart.

Icy blue eyes gazed into black and white. Perfectly mismatched.

She could be here forever. It was like the world outside them didn't exist.

Until suddenly, she found herself being roughly yanked back. Something cold and sharp was pressed against her neck. Her mind went blank fear and she felt as if moving even a little would instantly kill her.

She couldn't scream.

She couldn't breathe.

A rough voice spoke out from behind her.

"So you're the freak that beat up the others, huh? I'll have you know that the "person" you saved was a fucking traitor. We were doing all of you a favour by getting rid of her! A favour, you hear me!?"

Sunny was looking downwards. His face was shrouded in shadow.

"No answer? Well, killing your little girlfriend's sure to get you nice and ready to talk."

The knife dug into her throat.

Sunny looked up. His eyes were tinged a she'd of scarlet. On his face was an absolutely LIVID expression. She didn't think that the usually stoic by was even capable of this level of emotion.

Sunny used STARE!

The Thug felt uncomfortable.

The knife dropped out of his hand. He took a step back.

"Get- Get away from me!"

With inhuman speed, he lashes out at the thug. The second his fist connects with his face, a horrible THWACK is heard.

He files into a dumpster with such force that it dents the metal. She isn't sure if he's alive.

Sunny was victorious!

Sunny leveled up and learned STARE!

Sunny wrapped her in hug. "Aubrey, are you okay?"

She is shaking in his arms. "S-sunny... we should go..."

Her saved her.

"You're right. C'mon, let's go."

She clung closer to him. She didn't want to let go.

__________________

They walked out, Sunny practically carrying Aubrey. The others noticed them and rushed over. 

"Aubrey! Are you okay?" Her says, seeing the cut on her throat.

"Sunny, what happened?"

"We need to get her to somewhere calm. I'll explain."

They walked around and over to the park. They sat down Aubrey on a bench and Sunny told them everything.

Kel had an expression of pure hateful anger on his face, while Basil and Hero looked more surprised.

In this time, Aubrey had reflected on everything that had happened.

Sunny really was that strong now.

'Hot.'

"Wait, why are you thinking this now!?'

She calmed down and smiled a little.

"Oh my god...... are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine... " Sunny responded.

"Who was that guy?! We need to put him in jail now!" Kel said.

"About that.... I kind of.. punched him a bit... too hard..."

"Good riddance." Man, Kel really was mad.

Basil had remained silent throughout this conversation.

Her leaned down towards Aubrey. "Are you doing alright?... Do you want to go back home?"

No. She couldn't go back. Not now that she and Sunny were finally...

She shook her head and got up.

"I'm honestly fine, Basil."

He looked relieved. 

"Alright, I'll be there if you need anything, okay?"

"Yeah, of course."

Hero was a bit apprehensive and said, "We should probably go back to your house, Sunny"

He looked lost in thought once again. He snapped back and said, "How about we go to the Arcade?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to-"

"I'm game." Aubrey cut in.

"Wait, really? I thought you wouldn't-"

"I'm fine, guys. Why don't you believe me?"

"O-Okay, then.."

"WOOOOHOOOOO ARCADE, YEEEAAH BABY!" Ke seems to have gotten over his anger. Or maybe he was faking it. Who knows.

"Let's go then...." He seemed oddly on edge, tense, uncomfortable, as if he could burst into action any second.

As if there was something scratching under his skin.

She left the park, concerned for him.

__________________

They arrived in front of a dark blue building with giant, bright neon lighting. It was getting rather late, so the building stood out like a sore thumb against the evening sky. It was beautiful, in an odd way.

They walked inside to the sound of video game sound effects everywhere around them. Upbeat music played from the speakers.

The lights were far, far brighter in here. Aubrey was enamored by them. Arcade machines of every kind lined the floor.

Kel's jaw was hanging open. "Wooaaaahh.... Sunny, why didn't you bring us here before?"

"Well, I was doing whatever you guys-"

Sunny was interrupted by a gasp. "IS THAT A BASKETBALL MACHINE!? C'mon, Hero, let's go so I can completely trash you!"

Hero sighed and rubbed his forehead. Poor guy.

Sunny and Basil went over to a new video game cabinet and started playing, with Sunny always winning. Aubrey walked on ahead and saw Hero getting the trashing he'd been promised. She chuckled and moved on, looking for one machine in particular.

She turned a colorfully carpeted corner and...

There it was. Its screen beckoning her, its dancepad cheerfully glowing. It was empty.

'Perfect.'

She practically skipped over to the game and reached into her pockets and inserted a coin.

She scrolled all the way down and chose the hardest song she remembered.

She stretched, and started dancing.

It was was difficult to describe the state of mind Aubrey was in. She felt so free and mobile, a welcome escape from the earlier events of the day. She hit every move perfectly and didn't even think about it. 

When she was done, she heard clapping behind her. She looked behind and saw Sunny and Basil standing behind her, watching her. She got and idea.

"Sunny, wanna see if you can face off against the champ? Or maybe you're too scared..?"

This was the wrong thing to say. Sunny had always been a very competitive child. Being the second child at everything had really shaped that part of him. So she wasn't surprised when Sunny scoffed, walked overand slid a coin into the machine and cracked his knuckles. 

"Bring it on."

'Oh, that's how you wanna do this?'

She leaned over to the screen and chose another expert song, wanting to leave no prisoners.

"Hope you're ready to taste the floor."

Sunny just adopted a knowing smirk on his face.

As soon as the notes stared to come in, Aubrey know she'd made a mistake. He was moving perfectly, with that same smirk on his face. The tension in his shoulders was gone. He was completely in the moment and enjoying it.

Aubrey couldn't stop watching him. She started to make mistakes. In the end, it wasn't even close.

"How does the floor taste, Neeeeeeeerd?"

She was still kinda caught up by the sudden skill he seemed to posess at, well everything.

"Sh-Shut up.."

"Awwwwww, you two are so cute together.." Basil says teased.

Before either of them had a chance to beat the shit out of him, Kel and Hero appeared.

"Hey, is that a DDR machine? Cris loves these things! Can I have go?"

In the end, all of the gand ended up playing against each other. Kel was pretty fast, but sloppy. Hero was the exact opposite, being slow. Basil was somehow really good, but had absolutely no stamina whatsoever.

In the end, they were but broke teenagers and ran out of money. They decided to leave, Kel buying a stupid hat with his earnings from the basketball game.

As they laughed and joked around, Aubrey felt a sense of family, one she'd never felt after the incident. She wanted to take this moment and lock it in her heart forever.

Ehhhhhh.... maybe not.. 

She was HAPPY, and so were they, and that's all that mattered.

__________________

Sunny was having a great day. If you ignored the.... incident in the alleyways, elwhich he was trying his hardest to do, today was something he'd only been able to dream about for so long. He felt at the top of the world.

Omori had been strangely quiet, too, and whenever he did speak up, it wasn't the usual self hating ramble he'd grown so used to, he actually was.... helpful for once and informed him of Aubrey's (in retrospect) very obvious crush on him, he'd even gave him the tip about the Arcade.. 

.......

'Wonder what that's about.'

.........

Eh... Who cared. Not him, that's for sure.

They walked out of the Arcade, Sunny not even paying attention around him. He went to cross the street and then,

He heard screaming from behind him. He could make out what they were saying. 

He looked to his left and saw it. Blinding headlights, barreling towards him. He was rooted to the spot.

'I am about to die.' Those were his last thoughts before closing his eyes and awaiting the impact.

Suddenly, he felt a push on his back. And then, blinding pain.

This message is for those who wish for knowledge. The first key to Door 41 is "Inanis". Go into it knowing some doors should not be opened.

Chapter Text

Who is Aubergine Smith?

It was a question she’d asked herself more times than she could count. During the four years of loneliness, while she was standing over Mari’s grave, during the month she’d locked herself inside, every single second of her life. Like the persistent ticking of a clock, like the infinite beating of a heart, the question was eternal, part of her, whoever she was.

So who was she?

Was she the little girl that always hoped for a better, brighter future, the one who’d waited for her prince in shining armor to carry her away into a castle? was she the delinquent who could be expressed in a single act of violence, was she the little sister of Mari who would clean up and cry for hours at her grave and push away everyone for seemingly “abandoning her”? Or was she the person she’d tried to be when apologizing to Basil a month ago, the one she’d been pretending to be all day?

Who is Aubergine Smith?

Maybe she’ll never know. Maybe she isn’t meant to know. And she’s fine with that. Because now she had people she’d wanted back by her side, laughing joking around with each other. Maybe it would never be the same without her but that was alright. She was happy, and her friends were happy, and that’s all that mattered to her. She didn’t feel weak anymore. She wanted to take this moment and lock it away in heart’s core forever.

Her mind briefly flashed back to a recent dream she’d had, one that had caused her to leave her house in the first place.

‘Okay, umm... maybe not that one… but you know what I mean.’

She wouldn’t change a single thing about this day, even the… encounter in the alleyways. She felt like she was at the very top of the world. She reached over to Sunny, and… he was gone. He had walked ahead of the others, seemingly lost in thought. She looked ahead and…

She saw it before anyone. Hurtling towards Sunny at what seemed like the speed of light. The headlights blaring, burning through her skin. She tried screaming, but it was like he was rooted to the ground, unable to move. She saw the acceptance of death in his mismatched eyes.

‘No. I can’t lose him. Not again. Please. No more.’

A billion thoughts flashed through her mind, like blinding, irradiating colour, and suddenly, clarity.

At this moment, she knew exactly who she was.

What she had to do.

And so she jumped ahead and pushed her prince out of danger, fully ready to die.

____________________

All Sunny felt at this moment was pain. He could fell his bones ripping out of his skin, his arms bending the wrong way. He didn’t think that dying would be this painful.

Sunny will not succumb.

His bones agonizingly snapped into place, his skin burnt and closed over, his flesh repairing itself in what seemed like the most painful way possible. Even if he was still alive, he knew it was just barely. He was the most tired he’d ever felt. His eyes were blurry and his senses dulled, but he heard the others screaming.

“Sunny! Aubrey!”

‘Aubrey? What?’

He turns his head, slowly and painfully.

……..

She is in far worse shape than Sunny. Blood pools around her shattered form. Somehow, as if he can see straight through her, he knows, no matter how fast they rush her to the hospital, it won’t be enough. She is about to die.

‘She jumped in to save me. This is all my fault.’

Suddenly, Omori speaks up. The emotion in his voice is something you’re not used to hearing.

Sunny! The Life Jam! It’s the only way to save her! You can do this.

Adrenaline suddenly rushes through his veins, giving him a newfound insane strength.

He crawls towards Aubrey’s soon-to-be corpse.

He knows what he has to do.

He reaches into his POCKET, almost in a trance, and pulls out the Red Knife and a small, unmarked jar of thick, dark red jam.

As soon as the others see the blood Red glint of Knife, they start towards them.

“S-Sunny….. WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” He hears Basil screaming.

“NO!.... You can’t stop this. I’m sorry…”

Sunny feels waves of darkness roll off of his skin. The exhaustion confining him to the ground grows stronger. But can’t stop now. He can’t.

Sunny used VERTIGO.

As if their shadows elongated and pulled them down to the earth, all three of them fell over, with an expression of pure, instinctual fear over their faces. They rapidly crawled backwards away from Sunny, giving him enough space to reach Aubrey.

Seeing her like this is almost too much for him. He has to stop this. Only he can stop this.

 Both his hands grip onto the Red Knife, and raise it, right over her heart.

But he can’t. It’s too much. What if it doesn’t work? He can’t kill anyone else he loves, much less Aubrey.

‘Why am I so weak?’

Tears start to fall from his eyes, thick and fast. They seem to burn his very being, making him feel red and raw and exposed.

His hands are shaking now.

He sees Omori in the reflection in the Knife. He looks genuinely STRESSED OUT and desperate.

You have to do it Sunny. It’s the only way…

Sunny shakes his head and closes his eyes. His whole body is shaking now. The tears only grow more in number.

Do it. She deserves it for what she did to Basil anyway.

Another voice, very clearly not Omori, speaks out in your mind. It is rough and violent, making your blood boil. It appeals to him, making him agree with it. It feels like his mind is tearing itself in half, his rage and fear fighting for dominance.

The voice lets out a blood curdling scream, ridding him of all rational thought.

Against his will, he jerks his hands downward with a strangled scream.

Sunny STABBED Aubrey!

Aubrey lost 274 HEART!

And nothing happened. He dropped the Knife.

Sunny became SAD.

Her body now sported a giant, bleeding wound over the chest.

Sunny became DEPRESSED.

He could hear the others come to their senses and scream.

Sunny became MISERABLE.

How could he do that? No… That wasn’t him. It couldn’t be him. He was a good person. HE WAS A GOOD PERSON. HE DIDN’T DO THAT. HE COULDN’T, NOT AGAIN.

Sunny became EMPTY.

He tried to cry, but no tears fell. It was just him and his mistakes. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how far he ran, he would never, ever escape them. Because that’s what he truly was. A Murderer. A worthless Killer that hurt everyone around him.

And then suddenly, with a soft sigh, Aubrey’s body shrank into a piece of TOAST with a teal bow around the top of the slice.

Sunny was victorious!

Sunny LEVELED UP!

Kel screamed in fear.

Instant, soothing relief flooded Sunny’s mind. However, he realized that he was putting himself under too much strain and was blacking out. Confetti danced before his eyes, clouding his vision.

Omori was once again speaking.

You can do this, Sunny! Just spread the Life Jam over her and you’ll be done.

His left hand reached below him and pulled up the small jar and his right opened it. He picked up the Knife once again and dipped it into the viscous red liquid. He reached over with the last of his strength and spread it over the TOAST.

Finally, he dropped downwards, completely spent.

He could barely see the TOAST turning back into Aubrey, who felt her arms as if to check if she was really alive. She looked miraculously unharmed. Sunny smiled. She immediately turned to Sunny.

He could barely feel Aubrey and the others checking him, he could barely feel the Knife and Jam disappear from his hands. He let himself go, far, far away.

The world went black.

Welcome back to the Hall of Doors.

I’m proud of you, Dreamer.

He awoke once again in the now familiar Entrance hall. Unlike last time, the accents were now made of gold and the black walls and floors were shiny and rigid, as if made of black marble. Angelic music emanated from every single point around him, accompanied by a fleshy heartbeat that seemed to come from the walls. Seeing the Hall in its true form for the first time, Sunny was overwhelmed. It was… so beautiful.

After staring at his surrounding for a while, Sunny got up and wondered why he’d been called here again.

He walked past intricate designs on the walls, running his hand across them.

Finally, reached the Keymaster’s desk. He was lounging on his desk, flipping a coin. Every time he caught it, he tossed it in the air again without even looking at it. Two of his robotic spider-limbs were making coffee in a machine that seemed to have appeared form the last time he was here. Without even looking at him or stopping what he was doing, he spoke out in his rich, metallic baritone.

“Ah, Dreamer. Good. I see you’ve arrived.”

Sunny sat down in a folding chair in front of the desk.

He caught the coin and put it on the surface of the desk.

He looked at sunny with his robotic, glowing red eyes. They seemed… warmer than last time.

“I’m proud of you. You did what had to done. I’m glad to see I was right in letting you claim you powers.”

He felt warm at the praise. It wasn’t even like he knew him that well, but something about him, his voice, and his mannerisms made him feel the urge to call him Sir.

“Th-Thank you.”

He chuckled softly at that. “Now, you might be wondering why I’ve called you here, yes?”

 Sunny nodded.

“…………”

“Let me tell you a story. Like you I was once, too human. Or, part of a human, at least.”

Sunny was intrigued and settled himself in for a long story.

“You see, I was not like the you that sits before me, but the other you, Omori.

My Dreamer and lived in harmony for what felt like years.

…….

But like you, his will to escape was too strong. He abandoned me and I…. just ran away.

I escaped to these Spaces and lost my Humanity, my very Name for this power.

At the time, I thought it was the right choice….

But now, I am older and wiser.

And there isn’t a day I don’t regret it.”

Sunny was in awe at this story. Could Omori have simply left, instead of staying in his mind? He would have preferred it, but the thought made him feel strangely empty…

“Now what I’m saying is don’t give up on Omori. He may be…. Cynical. But he’s still a part of you. No one is beyond redemption.” He finished.

“Onto more…. Concerning matters… I believe there has been another, as of late?”

“Another what?”

“Another voice, Dreamer.”

He thought back to the Alleyways... and the Road…. and… the Church. That acidic Voice, corroding his will effortlessly.

“Yes.”

“That’s what I thought. I believe the Spider already warned you about it didn’t he? The Seed.”

The Spider…. Oh right, Daddy Longlegs. He nodded.

“Hardship lies in your future, Dreamer.” He sighed. “I’m afraid, no matter how much I want to, this fight is one I cannot, at least directly help you in…”

“Your friends. They shall guide you, help you overcome it. Hold them close to your heart, Dreamer. If you run, do not run alone.”

Sunny nodded, but the idea of more hardship was….. annoying to say the least. How much can one single person take before they crumble?

The Keymaster looked over at him one last time and, even though he still couldn’t see his face behind the metallic carapace, it felt like he was giving him a crooked smile.

He picked up the coin and tossed it to Sunny. “Take this, I won’t be using it anymore, anyways.”

The coin sent waves of energy up his arm.

Sunny remembered how to use FOLLOW-UPS!

“Like I said, I can’t help you directly, but I can still... tip the odds in your favor. ”

He reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out a White Key. He placed it in Sunny’s hand.

“I’ve dragged on for long enough. Someone’s waiting for you, back at your mind. Don’t want to keep him waiting.”

He snapped his fingers with a metallic noise that rang out and echoed through the Hall. The elevator on the right of the desk opened with a pleasant beep.

“Your floor is the button with two triangles. Happy travels!”

..........

Such confidence, but all for naught. Yes, surely just a child, no matter the age.

You shall see your foolishness in abandoning those whom you cared about soon enough.

Your pathetic metal crystallization to hide yourself away, your form, so that you no longer look like him...

Pathetic.

Sunny didn’t quite know what that meant, but he nodded and walked into the elevator. It was about the size of a banquet hall, with buttons encrusting every wall. He looked at them and realized what the Keymaster meant. Instead of numbers, there were symbols on each button. After searching for a while, he found a button with two small, black triangles on it. He pressed it and waited.

The elevator door opened, but he couldn’t see outside because it seemed too dark. He stepped outside, and three things happened. The darkness disappeared, the elevator door closed and the Angelic music ever-present suddenly cut off, leaving only the sound of the heartbeat.

Sunny Turned around in fear of the sudden changes and banged on the elevator door. Sunny remembered who he was and CALMED DOWN.

He took a look around where he was. It seemed like a…. hallway in an abandoned mental asylum. Great. Thanks Keymaster, this is exactly where he thought his mind should be.

‘Man, I thought I was getting better.’

He sighed and paid closer attention to his surroundings. White tiles covered every inch of his vision, however, they were grimy and cracked and were leaking a thick, black substance from between each tile. On each wall were several doors at about two-ish feet intervals. On the ceiling, dim, flickering florescent lights hung. The whole room made him feel… unclean. He was suddenly glad he was wearing shoes. He shuddered slightly. The Heartbeat noise and the Iron smell hanging in the air were enough to tell him what the black liquid was.

He carefully walked ahead, trying not to get any on his shoes. He arrived at a door of interest. It was White, like the Key he was given, and it seemed to be shrouded in a soft, red light. Apprehensively, he inserted the Key into the Lock. It turned smoothly with a soft click. The door swung inwards.

The familiar, emotion-leeching white greeted him. Now, a few things seemed different since the... last time he was here.

The Light bulb was still gone, thankfully, and now the laptop and the Sketchbook were back, along with his phone and the poster he’d bought for Aubrey, seemingly hanging in midair. Omori was pacing back and forth. He looked, unformed. More gaseous than solid. He was still in the 16-year old form Sunny had seen him in last. He didn’t seem to have noticed Sunny yet. Sunny felt the urge to sock him in the face, but remembered the Keymaster’s whole speech and stopped himself. He simply walked forward and cleared his throat, making Omori jump.

Sunny had a question on his mind, so he decided to cut the small talk and get straight to it.

“Why?”

“Why what?” He seemed a bit... scared of Sunny. He liked the shift in dynamic for once.

“Why help me? What are you getting at? What do you want?”

Omori flinched at the bluntness of his words.

“I… Ever since... the fight… I’ve been… feeling… emotion.” He said it as if it was something completely alien, unexpected for him, which he supposed it was.

“After the fight, I felt… aimless. My purpose was gone forever. And I blamed you. So I tormented you. Told you these thing so many times, I think that even I stared to believe them at some point.”

He collapsed on the ground. “After they came to visit you, after Aubrey… I just… couldn’t bring myself to feel that hate anymore. I just felt tired. Tired of hating you. Tired of being alone in here.  I’m just so, so tired.”

Sunny wasn’t sure if he was being truthful or not. He had an idea.

Sunny used OBSERVE.

‘What?’ Omori was being truthful. Why was he suddenly doing this now?

Words floated up from the recesses of Sunny’s mind.

 ‘Reabsorbed’

 ‘Become one’

‘Part of you’

He could still forgive him. No one was beyond redemption.

Sunny looked at the boy on the floor and did something he’d not so long ago, but under wildly different circumstances. He wrapped him in a hug, and Omori seem to come into focus, become more… real.

They smiled at each other.

“You don’t have to be alone anymore, alright?”

Sunny no longer REPRESSED Omori!

There was a tear in the smaller boy’s eye. “Th-Thank you, Sunny.”

He got up and regained his composure. “Right. Now that that’s settled, you have to tell ou-your friends about your powers.”

Sunny cringed. “Do I really have to?”

“You revived Aubrey in front of all of them, I don’t think you can worm your way out of this one.”

Sunny sighed. Omori put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, if anyone one could understand, it would be them.”

“They won’t.” A now familiar, rough voice spoke out.

Sunny instinctively pulled out the Red Knife.

”They’ll abandon you because that’s all that they’re good for. All they’ve ever done.”

They turned to the voice. It was him, but horrifically disfigured. The right eye was a horrible, gaping wound with viscous, jet black blood leaking from it. Its other ye was completely black. It’s clothes were ripped and torn, its hair wild. Its arms and legs were horrifically elongated and its claw like hands were stained red. Thousands of Jet black Hands shot from its back, an eye coming out of the palm of each one. In its hand was a Black Knife. It was jagged and twisted and barbed. It could not heal anyone, or bring anyone back, it was made for one purpose and one purpose only, to hurt and kill.

“Hello, Sunny. It’s been a while since we last met.” That… Thing told him, with sadistic humor in its voice.

It wasn’t him. It couldn’t be.

“Oh, but I am, you see. I spent years buried in the depths of your mind, rotting with the Truth. And now look at me.”

Still with that sarcastic humour in his voice.

It stepped forward.

“LOOK AT ME! THIS IS WHO YOU ARE!”

Sunny took a step back.

“I’M JUST AS MUCH A PART OF YOU AS HE IS, SO WHY DON'T YOU EMBRACE. ME. TOO.”

He It screamed, in a high pitched voice, spittle flying from its mouth.

Omori stepped in front of Sunny.

 “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this. You go.”

He looked rather unsure of himself.

“COWARD! FACE ME INSTEAD OF JUST HIDING AWAY LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO!”

Omori yanked the Red Knife out of Sunny’s grasp as the Thing started to run towards them.

“GO! Tell them!” Omori stabbed sunny in the gut, causing him to keel over and fall to his knees.

The last thing he heard was the clang of metal meeting and then, nothing.

……

………………….

………………………………

Sunny woke up, slowly opening his eyes, surround by four familiar faces watching him with concern.

“Hey, guys.”

That’s all he was able to say before Aubrey slapped him and promptly pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

Chapter Text

Pink hair filled his vision as Aubrey wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug. The faint smell of watermelon shampoo- and something else? Far fainter and more expensive-smelling-

‘Roses?’

“Hey, Aubrey, be careful. You might crush him to death...” He could hear Hero saying, equal parts concerned and amused.

Due to the fact that he still felt like he had been thoroughly run over by a steamroller, all he could do was helplessly groan in her admittedly strong arms.

“Ughhhh-… Aubrey, you’re... choking… me.” He somehow managed to choke out breathlessly.

She did not respond. In fact, her grip around him only grew tighter as her body appeared to be shaking. 

Even Sunny, socially inept as he was, knew he had to do something.

He awkwardly wrapped his arms around Aubrey as she broke into sobs.

“I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO DIE!”

She aimed a weak punch at him.

“NEVER…! Never again…please…never do that again…”

The others were just at a loss for words as he was.

“Aubrey… I-“

All of sudden, she moved away from him, seemingly regaining her composure.

But Sunny could see it. That fear in her eyes, from almost losing him.

It was still there, simply pushed back to the darkness between dreams and conscious thought.

Red outlines of shapes and people resolved themselves into a drab, lamely decorated apartment with white walls.

As the air flooded back into his lungs, Sunny started to take note of the situation and distantly wondered how long he’d been out.

If the looks on his friend’s faces were anything to go by, he had a lot of explaining to do.

He opened his mouth and started to say something, anything- but all that came out was a strangled choking noise.

Right.

Water.

Right.

That’s something that humans need.

He gestured weakly, and Kel shot off into the kitchen at inhuman speeds.

Needless to say, the silence while Kel was gone… It was uncomfortable, to say the least.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long before a bright orange blur shot into the room and gave him a glass of clear cold water.

He took a sip and-

Oh, yes.

He felt as if he’d never drank water before in his life.

The cold, sweet nectar slid down his gullet at record speeds and filled him with a sort of energy.

He suddenly felt as if he could run a mile, but a single wind would turn him to ash.

It was... an odd feeling.

But hey, he wasn't complaining about being able to move again.

“……………”

‘Awkward…’

The room was entirely silent.

Everyone had varying signs of discomfort shown on their faces.

Basil had his trademark appearance of worried anxiety and was catching glimpses at Sunny as if trying to find something within his expression.

Kel, bless his poor attention deficit soul, was getting more and more restless by the second.

Aubrey had a blush on her face, seemingly for her… previous actions… and was not looking him in the eyes.

Hero looked like he wanted to say something but had no idea what to do. Which was fair.

I mean, how many people ever have to deal with a situation as ridiculous as this?

Finally, Basil jumped a bit as Kel broke the silence first .

“So… Do you have superpowers or something?”

Sunny chuckled slightly as Basil gently smacked Kel in the back of the head.

“Don’t just ask something like that!”

“Don’t worry about it, Basil.” Sunny reassured, before turning to Kel, “And to answer your question, Kel… I’m not really sure either… It’s the only way I can describe it, though.”

Kel’s face shifted to one of incredulous delight.

“R-Really?!??”

“...Yeah…”

“I gotta be honest, Sunny, I really wasn’t expecting you to say yes. Uhhh… what do I say now...” He spoke with a guilty smile.

Sunny smiled.

‘Never change, Kel. Never change.’

Before getting another word in, Hero seemed to find the words he had been looking for.

“Now… Er, Sunny. While I’m not doubting you, there has to be some rational explanation to this… I mean- what happened with Aubrey was… It was odd to say the least– and the way your body snapped back into place gives me several… medical questions…”

He seemed to realize he was getting off topic and quickly shifted back.

“Now I’m not calling you a liar, and I have to admit that I can’t explain what happened outside the arcade, but… Well, powers seem… a bit far-fetched…”

Sunny felt annoyed. An unreasonable burning serpent of hatred suddenly sprung up within him, along with that scratching feeling returning.

“I’m telling you the truth. If you don’t want to believe me, then just say that.”

Making his intentions known, he sank back into his seat. He turned his attention back to his friends and realized that they were looking at him with an expression of dumbfounded horror– Except Kel, whose mouth was hanging open in awe.

He felt a bit uncomfortable.

“Uhhh… Do I have something on my face?” A Hand touched his face to check.

Even though he was unconsciously controlling it, it did not sprout from his shoulder. It twisted out from his back and over his head to examine his face.

As Basil screamed, Sunny suddenly realized what was wrong.

Oh.

It’s just the Red Hands.

Sunny suddenly had an idea, forming the most neutral deadpan expression he could, and turned to Hero to say three words that he was usually on the other side of.

“Told you so.”

Kel was the first to recover.

“WOAH! Sunny, how did you get powers!?”

He thought about it for a second.

In that exact same second, the uncontrollable rage roiling within him suddenly cut off, leaving only a sharp indifference in its wake.

Omori’s voice suddenly spoke up.

‘Hey. I dealt with our little… pest issue for now.’

‘…………….’

‘You’ll still have to face him later. But I suppose this isn’t the time to talk about that yet.’

“Sunny… Are you okay?” Aubrey spoke her first words in this conversation.

“Uh- Oh yeah, I’m fine!”

The body language of his Hands clearly stated that he was agitated, but Sunny CALMED DOWN.

His breaths came easier, and he felt stronger.

Sunny regained 125 HEART!

“I- I’m fine. To answer your question, Kel-“ He quickly changed the topic of conversation.

“Remember when I told you all about those years I spent inside?”

They nodded uncomfortably, but they were hooked.

“After I told the Truth, I didn’t need that dream world anymore. Well- All of the energy built up there over four years kind of- uhh, washed back into me?”

He could tell this created more questions than it answered. Their brows furrowed.

“So… you are the cryptid?” Kel asked.

“Yeah, pretty much. They got a couple of details wrong, though.”

…………..

A collective silence fell over the room. Sunny was being subjected to all sorts of stares, as if everyone was checking him for abnormalities.

Hero finally spoke up.

“Sunny…”

Sunny looked up at him in recognition of his words.

“Now, I’m not trying to doubt you, but… how do you know any of this? ”

Hero.

Henry.

Sunny knew that the older boy hadn't forgiven him completely yet. In fact, he had been rather open about it, yet he still wanted to be a good friend so that they could work towards that forgiveness.

Now he’d betrayed that trust, and for what reason?

…………

Sunny had to think carefully about his next words.

Omori spoke up.

‘Don’t let them know any more than they need to. It would be dangerous for them.’

…………..

“When I… got my powers, I was told how they came to be. At least an abridged version . Like I said, even I don’t know everything.”

That should be good enough for now.

He wasn’t going to tell them any more than they needed to know.

The lack of tone or emotion in his voice surprised even Sunny. The accusatory nature of those words struck Hero dumb, even though Sunny knew he had more questions.

………

The tension couldn’t have been cut with a knife, or Sunny would have tried.

………………

Kel knew he had to end the uncomfortable silence once again, so he cracked a light joke that he had actually been turning over in his mind for a while.

“…So, do you eat birds?”

The uproar at that question was immediate. The heavy atmosphere broke with an almost audible sigh.

“ HEY! WHO THE HELL ASKS SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! ” Aubrey hit him in the back of the head, a bit too hard to be playful.

An unheard sigh of relief rang out.

 “Ow… I was just asking...”

Sunny chuckled.

“The bird was already dead by the time I’d found it, so I tried reviving it…but err... that didn’t go as planned... Hehe.”

“In what world is buttering up a corpse going to revive it?” Aubrey asked.

“I mean- It worked for you, right?”

“It what?”

Hero finally got a chance to cut in.

“Yeah– I was planning to ask you about that, Sunny. I mean- Aubrey’s alive… but you did… stab… her…”

‘Always was a curious one, huh?’

Sunny grimaced. A leaden weight of guilt that he had been ignoring made itself known by sinking through the floor and leaving the taste of bile in his mouth.

“I-…” 

‘Apologize. You’ll feel better, trust me.’

“I- I’m sorry about that, Aubrey. I-…”

Sunny closed his eyes.

“I had to do it. To save you.” He looked up. “Y-You believe me, right?”

A whirlwind of emotion swept across Aubrey's face before settling on one that was warmer than he had anticipated from her.

“I- I do. I really do, Sunny. I just- I want to understand. Please?”

Sunny couldn’t resist her pleading bunny eyes.

He felt his cheeks heat up.

"Oh... I-I can only revive things I've killed. When I do, instead of dying, they turn into TOAST. Then I can bring them back by spreading Life Jam on them."

Aubrey’s brain processed it for a bit, before seemingly getting stuck.

“I- I was TOAST!?” She looked down at her hands as if questioning everything she knew. Which was fair enough. Learning that you, as a human, had been reduced to mere bread even for a short period…  It was existential crisis inducing.

‘Hmmmm…’

Sunny wondered if Aubrey would taste good.

‘Wait, where the hell did that thought come from!?’

Pfft…  Teenagers these days, I tell you…..

Sunny chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah… It’s something I made up in my Headspace to not have any of you… die… ”

The atmosphere plummeted deeper than the core of the Earth and emerged on the other side.

“Oh…” Basil seemed a bit uncomfortable with all this talk of death.

Kel noticed this and moved the conversation along. “Sooo…… Is that why your eye healed so quickly?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Why didn’t you tell any of us about this?” Hero suddenly cut in, seeming genuinely hurt.

Sunny needed to answer quickly.

"Uhhh... It's because... well, I'm still not sure what to make of this... and... I didn't want to drag you into this?"

While rather lame, Sunny’s response seemed to put Hero at ease.

“Man, I wish I had powers…” Kel grumbled under his breath, but as with everything he did, it had absolutely no sense of subtlety.

Sunny grimaced. They might have been ‘cool’, sure, but the way they were obtained, the memories they brought……

That feeling of being watched, judged, unsafe, empty in his own home, where she once resided….

His little trip down memory- Well, not lane, more like a shady alleyway must’ve shown in his face and body language.

“KEL!” Aubrey seemed to have regained her composure.

“WHAT DID I EVEN DO THIS TIME? I JUST SAID IT WOULD BE COOL TO HAVE POWERS!!!”

“Well… yeah… but don’t you see that Sunny’s uncomfortable!?”

“How do we know that that has anything to do with me!? It might be Hero’s constant probing! And since when do you care so much about Sunny’s feelings anyways!?”

In order to utterly destroy Aubrey’s argument, he would even throw his own brother under the bus…

Seriously, kids these days…

“Hey, don’t drag me into this! I was just… curious, that’s all!” Hero was visibly uncomfortable.

Nothing compared to Aubrey, who had smoke pouring out her ears and cheeks, a shade of red seemed to radiate a light of their own.

“Sh-Shut up!!!” Aubrey yelled at him, raising her bat as if to threaten him.

‘……Wait, her bat??’

Sure enough, Sunny was sure she hadn’t had it in her hands just a moment ago, and the others too, quickly reached that conclusion.

This was odd.

As far as he knew, he was the only one to be stuck in his own self-made hell during those four years. How was this even possible? Did she know something? Was she like him?

She gave him a sort of response as she made a squeak of surprise, dropped it in surprise, and like an image on the surface of a pond, it vanished, seemingly to her POCKET or wherever his knife goes when he isn’t paying any attention to it.

Using his inhuman sense of observation, which seemed to have become sharper with his newfound powers, he could tell she was just as surprised at this development as he was.

She immediately turned to Sunny.

“D-Did you do that!?”

Sunny immediately backed away in surprise.

“N-No I swear that wasn’t me.”

“Then how would you explain that? You’re the only one with freakin’ superpowers around here!”

‘False.’ Omori spoke up from within his head. ‘Follow my words exactly.’

Sunny nodded from within his head, the vision of Aubrey leaning over him with an accusatory expression painted over her face, still making him feel a bit scared.

‘ sigh……… This isn’t going to work at all…… Let me try something. Get a mirror from your mother’s room.’

‘What does that-‘

‘No time to explain.’

Of course. Why would anyone explain anything to him?

“Wait here. I can’t explain, but he can.”

Aubrey sat down on the sofa, the momentary confused rage melting into her shoes, replaced with confusion.

“Wh-Who?”

“……Remember when I told you guys about Omori?”

And with that, he spun on his heels, back to his room.

‘A bit unnecessary, don’t you think?’

‘………’

He went into his mother’s room and found a mirror in the dresser.

‘Whatever this is better work.’

‘You seem surlier than usual today.’

‘……………’

He picked up the mirror with the Hands and spun off back to the living room.

Everyone was now sitting on the table, and Sunny took a chair for himself and moved one to the side so he had space to hold up the mirror there.

Everyone was whispering among themselves and seemed to stop as he entered.

Aubrey was wearing an expression between concern and anger.

For some reason, his eyes were drawn to her face and her face only.

He looked at the mirror. Inside, the face of an uncomfortable Omori was visible.

He seemed very aware of the glares being thrown at him from around the table.

“You must be… Omori. A demon from Sunny’s nightmares.” Hero held his head in his hands and sighed.

“Hello. I am aware of what I have done in the past. Calling me a demon is entirely correct. However, at that time, I was simply doing what Sunny thought he wanted to do. Now, I have been called once again. To explain on behalf of Sunny. I hope I do an adequate job.”

“Get to it.” Sunny rang out.

“Right.” Omori took a deep breath.

“When Sunny killed Aubrey, the power that made her become toast made her… let’s call it a soul completely be reformed with that tiny shard of power within it. Otherwise, she would’ve just stayed a regular corpse. When it was in that fragile state, he revived her, and that let some of the unused power within m- … him to escape to her. You see, while he has all of that energy stashed away within him, it doesn’t exactly mean that he’s skilled enough to use it. A day ago, he could just turn inanimate objects into bread. Now we can kill and revive people. The more he hones his skills, the more he can do, and the greater percentage of the power becomes available to him. And you too now, apparently.”

The others just stared forward at Omori, which was fair. Even Sunny didn’t understand some of the things he was saying. However, somehow, he knew that this was the definite truth.

“Basically, when he… killed Aubrey, a part of Sunny’s power escaped and manifested within her.”

“I don’t believe you.” A simple statement rang out through the room.

Sunny turned his head to the speaker, expecting it to be Aubrey.

Instead, where he should have seen her, another person stood.

His eyes, filled with the cold fires of hatred that no one would ever have expected to come from him. 

“I don't believe you.” Flatly, he said it once again. Basil continued trying to break the mirror from the burning hate in his glare. For the first time in his life, he truly looked like his parents' child.

“Did I say something weird? Why would I ever believe anything that comes out of your mouth? You tortured Sunny for four. entire. years. Why would you decide to change just now? I simply can't believe it.” Once again, dryly, he repeated his statement.

The others simply chose to remain silent. They agreed with what Basil was saying. He had simply had the courage to say it first. For someone like him, this was quite odd. 

“...I have no urge to make you believe in my so-called ‘change of mind’, S- Basil. I have been called here to explain what happened, and I have done so.” He replied, with an air of forced calm. He couldn’t hide how hard he’d flinched at Basil’s words. “If you do not want to believe me, then…” He turned to Sunny.

“What?” He said, not expecting to have to speak at all in this conversation. If he was being honest, he still disliked speaking when he could remain silent but had been trying to work on that. After all, his mother had a particular dislike of his habit of remaining silent.

“Say “I, Sunny Suzuki, declare your words to be Truth.” Since you're the highest authority in this area, that should probably confirm that what I’ve been saying was true. ”

“I can just… do that?” 

“Just an extra perk of becoming more attuned to your powers.”

“Huh. Alright then, let me try this.” He cleared his throat. "I, SUNNY SUZUKI, declare your words to be Truth.”

Then, as if a shiver went up his spine and into the air, crackling with energy. The words were weighed and declared as Divine Truth. He could tell the others had felt it too.

“W-What was that?” Kel said, his discomfort at the electric sensation quite clearly showing on his face. Sunny honestly couldn’t blame him.

“...Was I the one that… did that?”

“Yes. Well-” Omori began, but seemed to decide it wasn't a good idea to say any more in front of the others. “Let’s leave it at a yes.”

Hero shifted slightly in his seat.

“.........” Basil had not changed his expression in the slightest, but Sunny could see the slight uncertainty in his eyes. It would be impossible to deny what he had said now after it had been confirmed. And by Sunny of all people!

He let out a sigh and sank down to his seat.

The tension seemed to ease, just the slightest.

............

“I’m… so sorry, guys. I- I should’ve told you about… all this, but I just-” Sunny suddenly burst out, hanging his head.

“It’s… well, not okay, but at least you told us now, right?” Kel said, in a voice far quieter than usual. He looked at Sunny and put his hand on his shoulder. “Sunny. I really want to be your friend. But… please. Please promise to tell us if anything happens to you.” His expression was pleading. Sunny felt horrible for even attempting to keep his powers a secret.

“Th-Thank you… And… I promise to tell you all if…” He cut himself off. “I really am… sorry.” 

Hero, who had remained silent the entire time, looked up at Sunny. At first, his gaze was scrutinizing, calculating, searching his face for any trace of a lie. And then, it softened. He let out a sigh. 

“I believe you. You aren’t lying.” Hero looked over at him seriously, and then a smile, faint and fragile, rose to his face. And then, it grew stern. “Please. Don’t hide anything like this from us again.”

“I agree with Hero. Please don't try to do everything on your own, alright?” Basil said, the fire in his voice gradually reducing to a pilot light, ready to flare up at any refusals. 

“Y-yeah. I promise I’ll tell you guys.” He felt his chest constricting at so blatantly hiding things from them, but he didn't want to worry them further. Didn't want to hurt them… further…

A sniffle. A hug. A single tear crashing over his eyelids. Before he knew it, he was sobbing into 4 pairs of arms as they held him tightly.

Caught up in the whirlwind of emotions, he let tears fall freely from his eyes, shining brightly with his true feelings.

The feeling of his friends’ arms wrapped around him, it was comforting. 

Secure.

Nostalgic.

It almost felt like the hugs they used to share when everything was still fine.

When the sun… still shined brightly…  When she was here.

After a moment, a minute, a year, an eternity, he pulled back from the hug. The others, too, had a damp redness to their eyes and were sniffling and wiping at their faces.

*click*

That was the sound of the door unlocking.

“Oh Sunny dear, I'm hoooomee!” She said, in her usual singing voice as she returned from her work. She was holding two heavy bags of what seemed like groceries.

*CRASH!*

The sudden noise had made him momentarily lose control over the Hands and just like that, the mirror fell, fell, fell. And then it broke open,spraying shards everywhere.

“AAAAAAHH! Sunny!” His mother jumped in a comical fashion. “Hah.. ah… you almost gave me a heart attack!” She then noticed the several demonic hands sprouting from his back. Surprisingly, she doesn’t seem to be mortally terrified of them. “Oh… I wasn’t… hallucinating yesterday.” She then noticed the four other dumbfounded people in her house. “Oh right! That’s why I bought all this!” She smiled and waved at everyone airily. She seemed to be drunk. “Hello everyone! You’ve all grown up so much since I've last seen you!”

No one seemed to know what to make of her. Hero finally put on a smile and answered her. “Hello Miss Suzuki! It’s nice to see you after so long too!”

She then finally put two and two between the Hands and the guests and made a stern expression. “S-Sunny! Put those away at once! It’s rude to have those… things out in front of guests!” For whatever reason, this concerned her more than the actual demonic arms sprouting from his back.

“Oh, Miss Suzuki, it’s fine, we have no problem with it-” Hero tried to mediate, his smile growing more saccharine by the second.

“Nonsense! Look, Basil looks so uncomfortable, but he’s too polite to say so! Sunny, you could learn a few things from him.” Basil did indeed look uncomfortable, but that was because he severely disliked how Sunny’s Mom was putting him on the spot and antagonizing him. His overprotective instincts seem to not have faded a lot over the last month. 

Another thing she was right about was that he was too polite to say that, and so he stewed in silence.

Aubrey however… shot Sunny an oddly calm look, and he faintly shook his head. She flinched but closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Sunny closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He reached his senses out, looking for the Hands. He did not see them but rather felt them, those appendages as arcs of energy extending from his body. Slowly, one by one, like a lotus closing its petals, they retracted into his body, giving him a restless energy flowing through his veins, making him feel like his blood had been carbonated.

He opened his eyes. 

………

Everyone was staring at him, jaws hanging open. 

“W-What… happened? Did I-” Sunny stammered under their stares.

“Sunny, you're glowing.” Basil said, awestruck.

Sunny looked down at his arms and saw that, yes, it was emitting a pale white glow like moonlight.

“Woah, cool! We can use him as a night-light now!” Kel said, to lighten the tension.

“Heh, Kel, then how would Sunny sleep, huh?” Basil jabbed back playfully.

Sunny raised an eyebrow. He certainly didn't remember them being so relaxed with each other. Then again, the last time he saw them in person was at the hospital, so things must have changed by then. As the atmosphere relaxed, the glow faded from around Sunny.

Hero and Sunny’s mother were making small talk with each other, and she was now sitting on the table with the rest of them, chatting away happily. Kel and Basil were talking among themselves about Sunny and Aubrey, occasionally giggling and sneaking glances at the two, who were sitting next to each other. Aubrey looked downwards awkwardly, and only snuck glances at Sunny when she thought he wasn’t watching.

All in all, it was a very peaceful scene, different from that of just a few minutes ago.

His mother, as if remembering something, suddenly called out to Sunny. “Sunny dear, could you take those bags inside?”

Sunny nodded and went over to the doorway, finding two heavy bags of groceries lying on the doorstep, seemingly forgotten. How his mother managed to carry them all the way to the door drunk is anyone’s guess.

He reached over to the bags, and surprisingly, he pulled both up without any issue. The apple’s blessing seems to be coming in handy a lot.

He carried them to the kitchen, and his mother followed behind him.

“Hey honey, how are you doing?” She asks him awkwardly. No matter what, she never gave up on trying to be his mother. As if he'd just return to her arms like a child after being neglected for four years and some change.

“...I'm fine. Confused, a little bit, but… at least the others are here to help me.” An unspoken message rings out. ‘The others are here for me, unlike you.’

She shrinks slightly. “Oh… that's nice… keep your friends close to you, alright?” She has a small, sad smile on her face. “You never know when you'll might get another chance to reconnect with them.”

“...Mom. Where were you?” Sunny was silent for a bit but decided to ask her what's been on his mind since she first walked in.

“Wh-What do ya mean, sweetie?” She asks him in an almost perfect imitation of sincere confusion. But he knows better. He can feel it, after all. She's hiding something.

“Nothing much, I was just asking where you had been. You're clearly tipsy, and I don't really know why you might be drinking so heavily at work and still have it in you to buy groceries.” His tone is perfectly even, not giving away a single hint of emotion.

………

The silence between them is… more than a bit tense.

“Never mind.” Sunny turns away and focuses on shoving away the groceries to their respective places. He was always uncharacteristically meticulous when it came to things like this.

“…Sunny…” She wrapped her arms around him in an awkward hug, bringing him close to her. It feels oddly warm and comforting. “Mommy loves you, alright? Never forget that.”

“......” Sunny chose to remain silent. He didn't know where this was coming from, but… he certainly wasn't expecting it. When was the last time she'd given him a hug?

“I… don't think that Mommy can cook for your friends tonight…” His mother spoke out softly. Of course, this made total sense. She couldn't be reasonably expected to cook in such a state. 

“It’s alright. We’ll just get something from outside. Get some rest.” Sunny spoke back in a carefully neutral voice.

“Th-Thank you… I think I’ll sleep.. Now.” She made to leave but turned around and said to him in a small voice, “Oyasumi, Sunny. Mo- I love you.” She then disappeared down the hallway to her room.

“Oyasumi… Mother.” Sunny said quietly, only after she had left.

“That's really nice, Sunny. If you cut ties with people you care about… you'll only end up hurting yourself.” Hero’s voice emanated from behind him.

“O-Oh! Hero! It's just… you…” Sunny said awkwardly as the man in question leaned against the doorframe.

Sunny hadn't examined him close, but he looked slightly different. The dark bags under his eyes had receded, his clothes were less plain, the way he held himself, it all gave an impression of newfound confidence. Good for him.

“Yes, it's me. Now, about the food, we sure as hell can't get anything from outside because everything's closed right now, and I need to clear my head, so why don't I whip something up?” Hero asked him, but Sunny was sure he'd end up making a 3-course meal even if he refused.

Sunny smiled slightly. “That sounds really nice. Thank you so much.” 

“It's alright. I gotta make sure you kids don't starve, right?” Hero joked and went around the kitchen, collecting ingredients for whatever he was making. Vegetables, meat, spices… It looked like they would be eating good tonight!

As Sunny made to leave, Hero called out behind him. “Oh, and Sunny? Thanks for telling us the truth.” He turned around to look Sunny in the eyes with his signature disappointed father stare. “And never do anything like that again.” 

“Do you really care that much?” Sunny was slightly taken aback.

“Eh, you've suffered enough. It doesn't matter what I think, but lessening suffering anywhere is pretty good to me.” Hero said, in one of his old man wisdom moments.

*ring…ring…ring*

“ God fuc- ” Hero took his phone out of his pocket just as he was about to start cooking, and his eyes went wide. “Gotta take this. I'll be right back. Sunny, could you dice the vegetables for me?” Without waiting for an answer, he ran out of the kitchen at a very un-Hero speed. 

“H-hey!…”

Alright… then?

After Hero shot off to take his call, Sunny was left to cut the vegetables left on the counter. Well, he was the guest at his house, so it was only fair. 

He looked at his hands. He reached into his POCKET to reveal a long, sharp triangular knife with a shiny red blade. In the reflection, he only saw himself, cliff-faced and tired.

He walked over to the counter, noting that all the blood on the knife had disappeared from… the last time he used it…

He looked over at the assortment of fresh vegetables before him. 

‘Well, at least he washed them first.’

He absentmindedly took a carrot and began to peel it with the knife.

The movements came naturally, and he let his mind wander. Today has been a very long day. He hadn't even had a moment to stop and think.

…done, next.

Let’s start from the beginning, then. In the morning, he had met up with his friends and made the stupid fucking decision of keeping his powers a secret from them. 

If he told them a half baked story from the start, he might've gotten away from it without them wanting to know more, as Aubrey and Basil clearly did.

If only… If only he wasn't useless.

…done, next, next, nex-

They must hate him. There’s no way they don’t. He’s done nothing but hurt them at every turn.

The very fact that they’re able to stomach being in a room with him was something he should be grateful for.

Not to mention the fact that he was acting like an absolute prick in front of them and Omori. Well, Omori deserved it. But… 

They must hate him. That is what he believes. Because he’s greedy enough to want them to hate him.

Because… something is wrong with him. Something in his heart, like a clawing vulture, feeding off the dead remains of the relationships, the emotions he himself destroyed. 

That is why they must hate him. So that he can't hurt them any further.

All the vegetables are peeled, now it’s time to dice them. 

He… didn't deserve this. He didn’t deserve them. He was a parasite, a monster. All The Thing had done was put a mirror up to his own face.

So then… why? Why were they trying so hard to get through to him? He didn’t want to undermine them, but he simply couldn’t accept it. He didn’t deserve it. He's a monster. And that’s why they hate him.

Hero, Kel, Basil, Aubrey… Aubrey… He couldn’t accept it. What was he even thinking!? He always did this, thought he was bigger than the consequences of his actions and that’s she hated him-

*squelch *

‘What?’ He looked at his hands.

‘ OH! That’s-’

Sunny was looking at his hand… which now had four fingers.

…he didn't feel any pain

His eyes went wide and pulled his hand back. At least most of the vegetables hadn't been splashed by the blood.

 He rushed over and took a wad of Tissues wrapped his hand in it. It was quickly soaking through. He took another wad of Tissues and wiped up the counter, moving the clean vegetables away from the puddle of deep red liquid. He picked up the severed finger and cringed. 

He went over to the fridge, and out of it, he pulled out a single tomato. The tissues were totally soaked and dripping on the floor now. He dove into it, eating it like an apple in large bites. 

An apple, huh?

With another horrible squelching noise, a bone started to grow from what used to be his left pointer finger. As he watched, flesh and ligaments connected and wrapped around the newly formed bone. In a few moments, the only trace of his finger being sliced off was the circle of blood near the base of it and its conspicuous redness compared to the rest of his hand. 

That and the severed finger he was holding, of course. He threw the tissues in the trash, along with all the ruined vegetables. Thankfully, most of them survived. 

He was then about to throw out the finger, but that would be a rather odd thing to find in someone's trash, they didn't live in Nowhere, after all.

He simply stared at what used to be part of him for an indeterminate amount of time, and marveled at the lack of pain he felt when he had cut it off. For whatever reason, this reawakened that endless pit of dread in his stomach.

“S-Sunny? What's that?” Aubrey had walked in as he was lost in thought. She had changed into a set of spare clothes, it seemed.

He didn't know why, but a sudden urge to tease the girl came over him. Hiding his smirk, he said, ”Severed finger.”

Aubrey looked like she was suppressing her horror. Sunny almost burst out, but contained himself and further said, “I cut it off while Hero made me cut vegetables for him. It's fine, I got better.” He wiggled his finger at her, no longer able to contain his smirk. 

He dropped the finger in the trash without a second thought. Realizing that Sunny was messing with her, Aubrey made an adorable angry expression and huffed, “You shouldn’t joke about stuff like that!” 

Sunny let out a little chuckle and said, “You look like a rebellious bunny, you know.”

Aubrey seemed to view this as a compliment. “Well, this bunny can still kick your ass, so don't do stuff like that, alright?” Sunny was trying hard to take her seriously, but she just looked so adorable puffing out her cheeks in annoyance like that, that he simply couldn't.

“Aright, then. I’ll restrain myself.” He once again threw on the self-assured smokescreen.

“Sunny…” Aubrey said, not looking him in the eyes. “I'm not going to beat around the bush. I know that you and… that other version of you or whatever didn't tell us the full truth.” 

Sunny flinched. ‘Was it really so obvious? ’

“But… I know that you wouldn't… hide something from us if you didn't have a good reason. So… I'll let you tell us when you want to, alright?” Sunny paused for a second before nodding.

“Also, another thing…” Oh. She was going to ask him about her powers. There was no way it could be anythin- “About… what happened in the alleyway, before that thug tried to attack me…” She blushed and looked away. Sunny simply looked at her with a blank expression, the blush slowly but surely appearing on his face as he realized what she meant.

“O- Oh… That.” Sunny tried to look as nonchalant as possible. How could he so easily be swept up like that? He even had an answer ready to the question he was expecting! Well, it looked like Aubrey had her priorities in check, however. “W- What about it?”

Of course he knew “what was about it.” Both of them had confessed and hugged like he had no other problems. Of course, now he knew that he could never get her involved with him. Even though it had only been for one day, she'd been attacked in an alleyway and then hit by a car. No, it was too dangerous and that's why-

Aubrey suddenly pulled his face to look directly at hers. Her blue contacts looked really pretty. He wondered how she would look now without them. 

“Sunny! I meant everything I said back then and still do. I'm not taking it back. If you… also meant what you said… then I think I'd… like to……” Aubrey looked down suddenly, her face completely red. “Damn it, why is this so embarrassing! Isn't this supposed to get easier now!?” 

Sunny is dumbfounded. ‘She really… no. No way in hell she actually-’ 

Continuing his streak of being wrong about what's about to happen next, she suddenly looked straight at him and said, “I really like you and I want to be together! As boyfriend and… girl… friend…” She seemed to realize what she'd just blurted out and made a little squeak. She seemed to be frozen in place. Meanwhile, a war raged in Sunny's head.

‘Should I really be so greedy as to-’ ‘

‘No, she herself asked for it and she wants it too, if anything, not saying yes after what i did in the alleyways would just hurt her more-’

‘But she would be happier without him! They would all-’

Suddenly, a voice louder than all others spoke out, ‘Just fuckin do it already’

Wait a minute. That sardonic tone, the lack of inflection in his words… that could only mean one thing.

‘Yeah, it's me. Thanks for dropping me on the floor. Just say you want that too already and stop being so loud in here.’ Omori said.

Well, alright then. 

“Au- Aubrey…” Goddamn voice crack. He cleared his throat this time. “Aubrey. I want that too. So if you're okay with having someone like me as your boyfriend then yes.. I… I want to be in a relationship with you too.” That's it, he said what he wanted and now it was up to her to decide what she wanted-

Aubrey stared into his eyes. And then, she spoke a single sentence that nicely wrapped all of Sunny’s thoughts up. “Heh… we really are giant dorks, aren't we?” Aubrey awkwardly moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. “I… obviously accept you for who you are, dumbass. Why else would I…” 

She was so beautiful… he realized that for the hundredth time that day. He would never stop realizing it, he thought. Because she really was… beautiful. She pulled his head closer to hers and closed her eyes. He followed suit and-

“Hey, Sunny! I'm done with the call now! Are you done chopping those vegetables-” God. Fucking. DAMN IIIIIITTTT!

As if they had a magical force put between them, they sprung apart.

“Oh! If you guys were doing anything I'll just go and-” Hero started frantically backpedaling.

“N- No! It's fine. I was going anyways, so…” Aubrey said, not being able to hide her disappointment.

She slunk off, grumbling under her breath.

Hero didn't know what to do, so his attention went to the fact that he was covered in blood. “Sunny! You have blood all over you…”

“Huh? Oh yeah, that. Don't worry, none of it fell on those vegetables.” Sunny said, breaking out of his trance.

………

“I'll go and… wash up now…” Sunny, too slunk out of the room. Hero looked like he was about to call him, but stopped midway.

He walked out of the kitchen, and down the hall to the bathroom. He then took a closer look at himself in the mirror. Omori was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he was still sulking.

He looked tired and his hair was messier than usual but overall, he looked good enough for someone who'd been run over not long ago.

He started to wash the blood off of his hands. Not metaphorically, of course. That blood would remain on him forever. 

……

This was another chance to think. He had spiraled last time, but before he faced all of them, he needed to have his thoughts in order.

What happened after that… Right. They went to search for the “cryptid” and then… they split up. After that, they were attacked in the alleyway and then… and then… 

Hmm… it feels like he's forgetting something here. It wasn't the encounter with Aubrey, that hasn't left his mind since they… talked in the kitchen…

So what was he missing? Oh right. Didn't that goon say something weird? Right. Before he caved in the bastard's skull, he said something about the woman he saved that day being a “traitor”.

A traitor to what? Did he unknowingly piss off a criminal organization? That would put a bit of a damper on his plans to date Aubrey.

Speaking of, the car that hit them had apparently just driven off immediately after. It supposedly had a fake license plate, too. The whole chain of events seems fishy and connected to itself in odd places.

.........

‘Wait, nobody told me that. How do I know… that… Well, best not look a gift horse in the mouth. And either way, If they did try something, he'd just kill them all. ’

… What?

Where did that thought come from? Recently, it felt like his mind and himself were separating further and further apart until both of them were unrecognizable.

Would he really kill someone to protect his friends? Of course he would! But… what he wanted to do and what he was capable of doing were far apart. Did he have it in him to take more lives, should have been the question he should've asked from the start.

But didn't he already… Ah. There it is. He'd hit the thing that had been bothering him from the start on the head.

He didn't know if the goon he'd hit was still alive.

As soon as he realized what had been bothering him, his head slumped down. His frame shook, once, twice. A slightly shaky breath. And then it all tumbled out.

Sunny threw his head back and laughed. With all of his chest, he laughed and laughed. 

‘Really!? That's what had been bothering him? That's good then, because he. didn't. give. a. shit.’

The laugh continued, dragging itself out of his darkest depths, blood pouring forth from his eyes, from the walls, the ceiling, every pore on his hands, staining the world red. And then all of a sudden, it stopped. Everything was the same as it ever was. He continued washing himself off and then, as he was done, he reached into his pocket on sheer instinct. His other pocket, not the magical one. 

Out of it came a receipt for that poster he got Aubrey and… the coin. Ah yes, the coin.

The one he had gotten from the Keymaster, that elusive being. He said something like it would help him on his journey forward. Looking closer at it, it looked like an incredibly old object like an heirloom, except it was covered in ashes and looked incredibly burnt. He could barely make out the designs on each side. On one side, the one he assumed was heads, was an old fashioned design of an eye with spokes of light surrounding it like the sun. Around the eye was a circle with ten notches in it. On the other side was an inscription of the Ouroboros, the symbol of infinity, curled around what seemed to be the Earth. There were words on this side, but they were so faded that he couldn't read them.

 He flipped it, on compulsion. Time turned to a thick syrup as it slowed down and landed in his hands. 

……

It landed on Heads. He felt a bit stronger than before. How exciting. It was probably far stronger of a buff than he could feel while sitting alone in a bathroom, though. He shrugged and put it in the POCKET. The other one, not the normal one.

He turned and made to leave the small room, a thin smile still on his face. He felt a lot better than before! Huh, maybe the buff took a while to kick in.

As he was about to open the door, it was opened from the outside, smacking him square in the face.

“ AAAAARGH!” He stumbled back a bit from the unexpected impact… and then he slipped on some water that had mysteriously appeared in the floor and fell over backwards on the cold tile.

“Oh my god! Sunny, are you okay?” Basil shot out from behind the door to check on him. He helped him to his feet.

“I'm fine. It's a much more pleasant experience than being hit by a car.” Sunny replied sarcastically. 

“Oh, yes I'm sure of that too…” Basil laughed awkwardly. He seemed like he wanted to tell Sunny something, but had been swept up by him taking a dive into the floor. 

As Sunny opened his mouth to clear the tension, Basil suddenly spoke up. “So… Sunny…” All of a sudden, he grabbed him by the front of his hoodie, and forced him to look him in the eyes. “Never ever lie to us about anything like this again. You helped me once and now you're just shutting yourself off? It's not fair, Sunny. I know you didn't tell us the whole truth. That's alright. I know you'll tell us eventually. And even if you don't, you'll have a good reason. But never. ever. shut yourself off from us ever again.”

As he let him go, the fire in his eyes seemed to die down. After he had said his word, the awkwardness seemed to set in again. 

Sunny chuckled slightly. “Alright, then. I've been hearing that a lot tonight, hehe. Now, i only have to get Kel to say it, and I'll have a full set.”

Basil laughed at that. Mood successfully cleared. “Hmm? Kel's actually a bit more subtle than you give him credit for.” 

“Oh, really?” Sunny asked, actually a bit surprised.

“He was actually the one that helped me after the confession. He's actually pretty smart. He just likes to be… liked, I guess. Everyone's got their own stuff going on. It's calming to just watch people going about their day.” Basil said, talking as if there had never been a gap in their friendship.

“Is that your new hobby?” Sunny said, attempting to reciprocate.

“That and my garden. It's actually gotten a lot bigger since you last saw it!” Basil said, now more relaxed and comfortable.

“That sounds really nice. I'll try visiting Faraway when we're all free.” Sunny said, and he meant it. He really did want to go back to Faraway and visit them and visit… her too…

“Alright then! I'm holding you to that, alright? Anyways, Kel got a terrible movie for us to watch. We were originally planning on watching it after we came back to your house, but… you know… stuff happened.” Sunny chuckled slightly to that. Basil made to leave for the living room. “Alright, don't make us wait, alright?” 

“Alright then. I'll just change my clothes and come.” Sunny went off into his hermit-room to change.

It hadn't changed, obviously, since last he'd seen it. It had his old computer in the corner, on his messy desk where his books were strewn. Right next to it was his dresser, which stored his innumerable emo-in-denial clothes. There were shelves on the walls, where innumerable old mementos and knicknacks were stowed. In the corner furthest from the door, his bed resided, under a large window. Right next to it was a nightstand that had that wretched alarm clock on it. With the moonlight gently shining in, it gave off a vibe of languid tranquility.

He flipped on the light, killing the mood and opened his dresser and pulled out what used to be a too-large black full sleeve shirt with a design of one of his favourite bands on it that fit just right now along with a pair of comfortable grey pants. As he changed, he noticed that all the scars he used to have across his body had disappeared, with the exception of the one on his right eye. He'd have to ask Omori or The Keymaster about the inner poetic meaning or whatever about that later.

………

‘Alright, time to face the world, you useless bastard.’

He walked down the hallway, past the door to the kitchen, out of which a delicious scent was now emanating, and into the living room, where Kel, Basil and Aubrey sat, Kel and Aubrey arguing over something and Basil enjoying the entertainment and half heartedly trying to stop them between laughs.

Both Kel and Basil too, had changed into more comfortable clothes. Looks like they planned on staying the night from the start.

Kel and Aubrey both stopped arguing when they saw Sunny walk in and immediately turned to him. 

Talking over each other, they dragged Sunny like a ragdoll to the couch and forced him into the seat, all while talking over each other. Sunny caught Basil's eye, but he gave him a smirk and shrugged as if to say “Not my problem anymore.”

They both seemed to realize not a single word of what they were saying was going through to him and both stopped at the same time.

………

Aubrey spoke first. “Sunny! This is extortion! Extortion, I tell ya!”

“W-What are you two arguing about?” Sunny tried to mediate between the two.

Kel was now grinning. “Aubrey made a stupid bet and lost and now she doesn't want to pay up. Isn't that right, Basil~”

“Don't say my name like that. Also yeah, pretty much. She owes him 20 bucks because she made a bet with him that they wouldn't catch the cryptid.”

Sunny sighed and rubbed his forehead. And then… Eureka! “20 dollars, you say?”

“Yeah, she’s just being a sore loser over 20 dollars.” Kel nagged at Aubrey which led her to flick him in the nose.

“It's not about the money, it's that there was no cryptid so I didn't lose!” Aubrey retorted.

“Aubrey, I've got this.” Sunny put his hand on her shoulder, an evil grin coming over his face. “Kel, do you remember that cookbook you bought with my money ? Can you recall how much it was and say, if you'd ever paid me back for it, perchance? ”

All the enthusiasm went out of Kel's face at once. “Damn it… Beaten so easily… I will have my revenge! Anyways, this means I don't owe you anything anymore, right?”

“Nah, there's like 200 dollars worth of stuff from back when we were 12. However, being the graceful person I am, I'll let that slide as long as you don't extort Aubrey for any more money.” Sunny said, in a monotone few could pick the hints of amusement from.

“ Fiiiinnneeee I guess… Anyways, before uhh, all that happened, I planned to have us watch this terrible Spaceboy X Sweetheart movie that came out a couple months ago.”

“No way… you don't mean… ‘Sweetheart × Spaceboy 7: The Revenge of the Revengers’? I heard that  it was so bad that the company was sued for causing mental distress to the people who saw it!” Sunny exclaimed. Apparently, it was such a disgrace to the Spaceboy series and such an obvious cash grab that it caused severe mental distress to anyone who watched it with an optimistic mindset.

“Yep! I thought making fun of it would be a nice way to spend time and bond and stuff. If you don't want to we can just-” Kel said, gauging Sunny's reaction to the idea. But as always, Sunny had a natural poker face and Kel, who was rusty in reading him, kept going back and forth.

“It's fine. Sometimes a movie's so bad that it becomes more fun to watch than an actually good one.” Sunny assured Kel, who let out a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, it'll be nice making fun of a stupid movie. It'd be a nice way to relax after today.” Basil said, suddenly behind them. That boy could rival even Sunny in his silent movement.

“I mean… it's not like we have anything better to do.” Aubrey said, before getting up on the couch and taking a seat right next to Sunny. She kept a carefully unbothered face, but given that it was bright red, she must've been gathering up the courage to do that for a while.

“...What're you two looking at?” Aubrey said to Basil and Kel, who just stared at her blankly.

“I wanted to sit on the couch.” Kel said, his expression now exasperated. “But I suppose if you two want to do some smooching, I suppose that's fine too.”

‘This little-’

“Alright guys, dinner's ready!” Ahh, saved by the Hero. Sunny made a  mental note to get Kel back for that later. Maybe he'd ask Basil if he had any crushes.

Ah, he could smell the sweet fragrance of revenge already! Oh wait, that was just Hero's cooking. Speaking of, he must also have gotten magical powers because damn! Given the amount of groceries in the house, even including the ones bought by his mother, making this amount of food should have been impossible. And yet, a beautiful spread, covering the entire table, of dishes of all kinds did in fact, exist in front of him. There were even some Vegan ones for Basil!

It was a well known fact that Hero was a stress-cooker. Given the amount of food he'd cooked to perfection in such a short time, the whole situation with them being in danger must've made him a lot more stressed than he thought. Although, he looked rather calm right now, so he must've calmed down while cooking.

“Hero… bro… You're the best big bro ever!” Kel said with stars in his eyes. He took his plate and began piling on a bit of everything, before unceremoniously diving into his chair and chowing down. This all happened so fast that the others had to blink to get his afterimage out of their eyes.

“Uhh… the rest of you can also start eating now…” Hero said, now a bit dizzy.

They all took whatever they found the best before Kel came back and took their respective seats. Hero, as the one with access to all the ingredients, had made himself a special divine Hero sandwich and was calmly chowing down on it. Basil, Kel, and Aubrey had started talking about something or another. This… Is this what it feels like to eat with your family? It had been so long that he'd forgotten. 

The food itself was of the quality he'd come to expect from Hero. Every bite made him question how the hell he made something that tasted this good.

It was… peaceful. Before he knew it, he too had become immersed in talking, even Hero occasionally cutting in. What once seemed like an infinite amount of food slowly dwindled down until they were absolutely stuffed. 

They washed up, Kel cracking jokes all the while, and settled into the living room. Since they had prepared for staying over since the start, they turned off the lights and got all comfy on the floor, with Aubrey staying on the couch. Kel joked that Sunny and Aubrey should just sleep in his room for some privacy, but Aubrey shut him up real quick.

They took their places, Aubrey now sitting right next to Sunny, slightly leaning into him, now under the guise of darkness. Sunny too, unconsciously moved closer to her.

Kel stuck the little tape into the VCR, and hit play, but it got stuck. Looks like even the TV was warning them about the movie. After he got Hero to fix it, they all got into their places and began to watch.

From the very first second of the film, Sunny could tell that the only way he would be able to get through this movie was to make fun of it. It seemed that the studio had known that this might be the last Spaceboy movie that they would be making as they definitely held back nothing with this one. The whole movie, from start to finish was a masterpiece in stupidity, with so many things to make fun of, that they had to pause every other minute.

“Oh c'mon! Sunny, did you see that! That's complete bull- uhh bogus…” Kel said during a particularly egregious moment, seemingly remembering that Hero was right next to him.

Aubrey and Sunny mostly whispered little jokes to each other and Basil, who was sitting right under them. Hero would visibly flinch every time Sweetheart entered a scene, with her signature ‘OHOHOHOHOHO~’ laugh. Seems like the poor guy hadn't gotten over his hate of her. Sunny smirked and remembered a certain scene in a wedding altar. 

And then the movie, as solid and bereft of any progression it was, ended abruptly and anticlimactically. He now understood why the movie was so hated. In the movie that was supposed to be about the relationship between Spaceboy and Sweetheart, all she did was torment him, almost as if removing all the character development she had been given in the previous films. Overall, he gave it a 2/10. The only redeeming quality was the ending credits song.

In fact, after they were done watching, he and Kel ceremoniously destroyed the cursed tape, promising to forget that this had ever happened. All in all, it was an excellent way to waste time and unwind. He gave the time he had spent with his friends a 10/10. It was the most fun he'd had in years.

After the movie, and checking that it was indeed 3 o'clock in the middle of the night, they decided that it was probably time to go to sleep. 

As Sunny wasn't completely shameless, he slept on the floor with the others, letting Aubrey take the couch, even though both of them could easily fit on it together, a fact that Kel wasted no time mentioning, once again earning him a flick on the nose. 

………

And so, he was laying on a makeshift bed on the floor, staring at the ceiling. It was blank, just like his mind. It seemed that his hermit-brain had been given too much social interaction at once and had turned itself off.

Well then, that was probably a good sign to end the day here. It hadn't been the best day, and yet it left him calm and satisfied. He wondered what the people back at Faraway were doing now. Hadn't Sunny said that he would visit whenever everyone was free? Hmmm… from now, the next time that Hero would visit would be… Thanksgiving? He'd have to ask him later.

…Something was tugging on his sleeve. He looked up to see two soft brown eyes looking at him. She must've removed her contacts. He was right. Even though her icy blue contacts made her look powerful and strong, her natural eyes were just… beautiful.

Looks like she'd also been lying awake. She gestured with her head for him to come up and tugged a little harder. He was sure Kel and Basil would tease them to death over this, but screw it. He slipped out of his spot without making a single sound and slid onto the couch right next to Aubrey.

“Are you also not getting any sleep?” Sunny whispered, now right next to her. 

“Yeah… This is a lot more embarrassing than I thought it would be…” Aubrey said, now staring at the ceiling. All of a sudden, she moved in close and wrapped her arms around him. He was stunned for a second. “Uh, I’m sorry if I’m moving too fast… If you feel uncomfortable, just tell me.” She said, burying her face to hide the bright blush on it. Sunny paused for a second, then reciprocated and wrapped his arms around her as well.

“It’s alright. This way, we’re even.” Sunny whispered back. He could feel her smile through the darkness. They moved even closer, and all of a sudden they could feel each other’s hearts with how fast they were beating. As they listened, the rhythmic thumping along with the sound of their breaths slowly lulled them to sleep. Once again, Sunny had a blissfully dreamless sleep.

………

Today, I visited my friends. Everything was okay.

Chapter Text

In a certain room in a certain city at a certain time, the owner of said room is lying flopped, catatonic on his bed. While this is usually not a very interesting activity, said person just so happens to be a human with the strength of an Eldritch god and is also the protagonist of this story.

The boy, whose name is Sunny, reaches over to his phone with the last of his energy. In it, he dials a very specific number of a girl who also has Eldritch powers. This girl also just so happens to be his girlfriend.

As soon as he’s done dialing her number, she immediately picks up, as if she was waiting for him on the other end. It had been just a few weeks since they started officially dating, and yet to Sunny, this time seemed to be more real than anything he’d had in that one month after the truth. She made him feel human. Even though he wasn’t quite one anymore.

As her voice came over the phone, he could feel the life flowing back into him, as they both enthusiastically greeted each other. 

“Sunny! I missed you so much!” Aubrey yelled jubilantly through the little flip phone.

“Auby!! I missed you too!” Sunny yelled back, floating into the ceiling from his happiness at hearing her voice. 

Mind you, they talked to each other yesterday, too. And the day before that and the day before that and so on. They had the same reaction every time, too.

Eh, good for them, honestly.

————————

Alright then, today was the day!

Today was when his Auby- I mean Aubrey would visit Sunny in the city! Alone. Together.

It was almost like- No, It was definitely a date.

He was trying his hardest not to turn into a molten pile of nervousness on the carpet. He had… yes, he had spent 3 hours picking what to wear. Like he was trying to become Basil or something.

Anyways, that doesn't matter. He was ready to meet her, any second now-

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

As Sunny extricated himself from the ceiling, his mother opened the door for Aubrey to come in.

Speaking of his mother, she had been… an actual mother lately. And in an oddly good mood, too. He had a few guesses as to why, but he chose to let it reveal itself in due time.

Alright, he'd practiced this countless times, greet her calmly, confidently, and don't lose your head-

Oh, wow.

As Aubrey stood in front of him, he found himself unable to say quite much of anything at all. It seems that she, too, had dressed up for this date.

She was dressed in her usual cropped top and jacket, carrying a new-looking bag in one arm, along with a pair of form fitting jeans completing her whole ‘badass’ aesthetic and also drawing the eyes of Sunny for longer than he'd like to admit.

Once he ripped himself from the temptations of the (pink) devil, he looked right at the floor, blushing furiously.

After what was actually about two seconds, he steeled himself and looked into her eyes. She had worn her contacts today. She also looked… healthier than last time. Maybe ‘fuller’ might've been the correct way to describe it. Her pink hair perfectly framed her beautiful face, her almond-shaped eyes, her pink lips, her red… cheeks?

Ah, it seems that he had been staring a bit… too hard at her. He resisted the urge to tear out his throat and instead greeted her.

“H-hey, Aubrey… You look really nice…” He said, feeling rather lame. Damn it. All that time spent practicing, gone to waste.

Aubrey grew redder at his compliment. “Thank you… You also look… really nice…” 

Eh? Did he? His hair was in the wilder look he preferred nowadays, and he was wearing his best shirt and jeans, which were both black, damn it, he's never going to beat the emo allegations like this.

And then he noticed something. She was wearing her usual teal headband, but something was different. Along with the teal, a pink ribbon now intertwined with it, giving it the appearance of a four-leafed clover. He knew that ribbon. It was the one he had given her back when she lost her bow. It looked… really nice on her.

He honestly thought that she'd thrown it away or lost it but… there it was.

————————

“That was so embarrassing! You didn't have to stare that hard, ya giant perv!” Aubrey’s voice came out through the phone, clearly just teasing him.

“ That hard ? So you did want me to stare at you? You giant perv. ” Two can play at that game, Aubrey. 

“Ah well, I guess you can't help it when your girlfriend is as cool and beautiful as me…” Aubrey said loftily, ignoring his previous statement.

“Now you sound like the reboot version of Sweetheart.” Sunny noted, determined to not lose this completely unimportant battle of wills. “You even have the hair and everything.”

“Alright, that's the worst insult you can give me, you know. Kim also called me ‘Little Miss Sweetheart’ for about a month after we dyed my hair.” Aubrey groaned.

“Oh really? I've gotta ask her for some dirt on you then.” Sunny teased once again.

“Sunny, do not open Pandora's box like it’s a toy box. She knows… horrible things…” Aubrey said, suddenly completely serious.

“Like what, you had a chuuni phase like Mikhael too?” Sunny said, still in the mood to tease her.

“.........”

“Anyways, what did we do after that, Sunny?”

“Hey, wait a minute, you're not-”

“What did we do after that, Sunny?”

————————

Every year, on a certain week of a certain month, a carnival that roves around the greater Somewhere metropolitan area like a roomba veers right and lands smack dab in the middle of Nearby.

This just happened to be that certain week.

No one knows when this carnival started or who started the tradition of moving every stand slightly every night. What they do know is that it's super fun. So they decide to just stick to that and leave the mystery alone.

Sunny and Aubrey were walking through Nearby Park (as couples do, holding hands and all that), towards said carnival.

They could hear the commotion coming from all the way from Sunny’s house and had decided to check it out on a whim.

It totally wasn't like that was Sunny's plan from the start or anything.

Alright then, they would have a lot of fun until the sun went down, they would go to the amazing restaurant Sunny had picked out and they would share a romantic moment during the sunset and they… would immediately get sucked into the sea of people.

Sunny tried his best to wade through the sweaty sea of people, but he wasn’t having much success. 

‘Ugh. Why are there so many people here?’ While Sunny wasn’t anywhere near as bad with social interactions as when he was a shut-in, it was still uncomfortable being in such a large sea of people.

To his relief, he could see a small hole peeking through the crowd as the number of people thinned out. Seems like many weren’t trying to reach the select few stalls at the top of the hill.

“Finally. Alright, Aubs, we’re almost there-'' Sunny turned to face Aubrey, only to realize that she wasn’t beside him anymore. When did she slip away from him? And more importantly, how did he not realize the sensation of her clinging to his arm.

Sunny glanced around the crowd. Thankfully, he was able to spot her quickly. This is partly due to his heightened observation skills, mainly due to her hot pink hair sticking out like a sore thumb in the crowd.

Sunny slowly made his way towards Aubrey. When he reached her, he saw that she was transfixed on a particular stall. 

Following her gaze, Sunny immediately found out what had her so enamored. It was a white, fluffy bunny plushie. One of those massive sized ones that you have to hug with your entire chest and arms. It seemed to be a prize for one of those games where you knock down pins with a ball.

“Pretty….” Aubrey dreamily murmured, her head in the clouds far above and her eyes shining with a slither of childish glee and wonder.

“You want it?” Sunny asked Aubrey, whose skeleton leapt five feet above her skin when she heard his voice. Seems like she was pretty focused on admiring the plushie. And as fellow plushie connoisseur, Sunny couldn’t even blame her a bit honestly.

“O-oh! S-Sunny! Don’t scare me like that!” Aubrey said with a startled face that merged seamlessly with the hair on her face.

“Sorry, sorry. I couldn’t resist,  how cute you looked.” Sunny teased his girlfriend, who bashfully averted her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand.

“Jerk.” Saying that in a meek voice was the best she could muster in this situation. Sunny couldn’t help but smile a little at her antics.

————————

“Oh, the massive bunny plush! That thing is so adorable!” Aubrey said dreamily, as if it wasn't three feet to her left.

“Oh yeah, the one I won for you at the carnival, right?” Sunny reminisced. Or at least tried. That specific memory seemed to be missing from his brain.

“That you won for me? Well, my Knight in tinfoil armor, I distinctly remember you not being able to get it and me swooping in to save the day.” Aubrey said, an aura of superiority in her voice.

“Really, I don't remember it happening like that at all.” Sunny said, genuinely confused.

“Really? Uhh well, it happened like this…?” Aubrey said, equally as confused.

————————

Sunny walked up to the stall, completely confident that he would knock them down in one shot. 

“Zhwenthy Dolhars, boi.” The vendor said in an obnoxious french accent.

He coughed up his twenty dollars and the vendor twirled his mustache and let out an obnoxiously French “Oh hon hon hon hon!~” laugh while twirling his handlebar mustache that made Sunny want to throw the ball at his face first.

He closed his eyes. Air resistance, wind, the tensile strength of the pins, and the superglue that was definitely there. Hmmmm…. NOW! He tossed the ball like a throwing knife at the speed of a bullet and it hit the pins, and it did… nothing?

The pins stayed there, resolutely standing between his Aubrey and the promised land of the bunny plush.

How. The. Hell??!?!?!?!!?

As Sunny stared at the pins, what he failed to realize was that they were stuck together with Veil brand “Super duper Super Superglue™” that had bonds so strong it would require the force of a star to break apart.

Aubrey stared at the pins as well. They should have fallen, but it seems that this required… some extra power. 

“Sunny, let me have a go. I think I know how to do this.” Aubrey said to Sunny, shaking him out of his thought spiral at losing a chance to look cool in front of her.

“Yes, yes, Beaushiful Madame please khome and thrai to knock down ze pins.” He had to be doing that on purpose, right?

Sunny gave her a look as if asking ‘You sure?’. She nodded at him.

You see, it was simple. There were no weak spots to hit. And so, the only way to beat it…

Aubrey tossed the ball in the air, materializing her bat just as it fell.

…was pure force.

Aubrey used HOMERUN!

What happened next was so violent that everyone who experienced it blanked it out of their memories in order to remain sane. Even so, the vendor, who was closest to the event, developed severe anxiety and hypertension for the rest of his life. Years later, he died of a heart attack after years of smoking cigarettes in order to appear more french.

After, all that remained of the stand was a single giant Bunny plush and the vendor, who was lying on the floor, catatonic.

“I think this means that I won.” Aubrey walked over to the plush. “I'll be taking this.”

————————

“Now that you mention, I do sort of vaguely recall it.” Sunny said, straining himself. “Every time I try to recall it in detail, Omori starts screaming at me to stop.”

“Only vaguely? That's a shame. I was so cool back then…” Aubrey said, teasing him once more.

“You're cool all the time, Aubrey. I don't need any proof of that.” Sometimes the best way to tease someone is a frontal attack.

He heard her go red behind the receiver and decided to move the conversation along as a mercy.

“Anyways, I remember what happened after this. We went around the stalls and then went to that place to eat, right?” Sunny said.

“Oh, you mean the where the owner-”

“Yep!”

————————

Sunny and Aubrey walked out of the carnival (as couples do, holding hands and all that), each clutching an ice cream in their hands. The plush had been somehow squished into Aubrey’ bag.

Sunny was taking Aubrey somewhere by the hand. They zipped past the carnival and stopped in front of a familliar, terrifying building. However, something was different this time. In the thick concrete walls of the Veil facility, there was now a massive hole that seemed to lead to the void. 

Sunny looked at Aubrey and said, “This is the place. It's a really good new restaurant, right through that hole.”

“Sunny, I don't think the walls are thick enough to have an entire restaurant-” Aubrey began, but Sunny explained further.

“It goes underground, don't worry.” He said, completely seriously.

“That just gives me more questions.” Aubrey deadpanned.

“Uhh, you remember the hotdog guy?”

“Yeah, the emotionally unstable one, right?”

“Yeah, that guy. So apparently, he ran out of supplies to make hotdogs, and the crowd formed a people-nami and slammed him and his cart into the wall and underground.”

“And he survived!?”

“Yeah, and he made a restaurant. C'mon, let's go before the swarm of people arrives.”

“Y'know what? Weirder things have happened.”

Sunny led Aubrey down the hole and through an underground passageway. The sound of people and the smell of food grew ever more powerful.

Finally, at the end of what seemed like a cave stood the front doors of a fancy-looking restaurant. It was decorated with tasteful, warm lighting.

Really not the kind of thing one expects to see in an underground cave. But it was a welcome sight.

There was a woman sitting bored at the reception desk, who looked genuinely surprised to see them.

“You're early.” she deadpanned.

“No, I just didn't want to be eaten alive.” Sunny deadpanned right back.

“...Fair enough. Reservation or Walk-in?”

“Reservation.”

‘Eaten alive? What!?’

That last sentence encapsulated Aubrey's thought process at that moment. As Sunny finished talking with the Reception lady, Aubrey continued to think such things. That is, until Sunny shook her out of her thoughts.

“Alright, our table’s ready. Shall we go, my lady?” He half-sarcastically asked her, holding out his hand for her to take. She decided to take it and use her other hand to pinch his cheek.

“What was that ‘eaten alive’ stuff about anyway?” Aubrey said as they walked in through the threshold, no longer able to contain her curiosity.

“It means that we came exactly one minute before the lunch rush.” As soon as the statement left his mouth, Aubrey could hear an ominous rumbling from the passage. What seemed like an actual wave of people came barreling down the cave at dangerous speeds, making the ground shake. “Ah, they're here.” And then he gently closed the door behind him.

The inside of the restaurant resembled that of any expensive place Aubrey had seen. (in movies and that one time that Basil’s grandma had taken them all out to eat, that is.) The conversation in the restaurant was lively, and there were a fair few people around.

As they entered, a waiter led them to their table. The waiter was odd in that he seemed to be completely invisible.

 Aubrey just stared at Sunny, and he explained, “The waiters are vengeful spirits that were released in an experiment by Veil that were trapped under the building until well-”

“Vengeful spirits? Why are they waiting on tables and not haunting people and stuff?” Aubrey cut in, just accepting it as fact at this point.

“Better pay, employee benefits, that kinda stuff.”

“...Fair enough, I guess.”

————————

“After that, I got a steak, and you got a… roasted eggplant, right?” Sunny reminisced, this time actually remembering the events fondly.

“Yeah, and then when you went to pay… that happened…” Aubrey said, fondly(?).

“I actually liked it. It made us feel special and stuff.” Sunny said, also in the same ambiguous tone.

“Well, we saved a fortune because of it, that's for sure.” Aubrey reasoned.

“But was it worth the awkwardness on the way out?” Sunny questioned.

“Hell yeah, it was. I think the bill would've actually killed you if you actually paid it.”

“Probably, but who knows.”

————————

Sunny had been bracing his poor wallet since the beginning of the meal when he saw what the prices for the food were. He had been preparing his heart via talking to Aubrey the entire time so that he didn't have to think about it.

However, that was no longer an option as a spectre brought out the bill and placed it on the table too cheerfully for this occasion. Sunny looked at the bill and-

Ah.

Half his internal organs were crushed upon the sight, but it wasn't anything he hadn't expected. He sighed and pulled out his wallet, but Aubrey looked at the bill and went pale.

“ H-Hoooly shit! You aren't actually gonna pay that much, are you?” She looked in his eyes, where she only found resigned emptiness.

“Uh- I'll help you pay for it! I have some money here that I borrowed from Basil, I can pay for half of the meal-” 

“Don’t. You have to consider how you'll be able to pay Basil back. If there's one thing he inherited from his parents, it's his debt shark tendencies.” Sunny said, at peace with the universe moments before his (monetary) annihilation.

“That's bullshit! I'll just get a job and-” They were interrupted by a solemn sobbing sound coming from behind their table.

To their surprise, they saw the Hotdog Guy Dude Bro Man, clutching his chef's hat to his chest, manly tears flowing down his face.

“Ah, this is what they must’ve meant by peak kino… Truly, a sight that could unite armies…” He whispered solemnly under his breath.

“Uhh… what are you talking about?” Aubrey said, unsure on whether or not to be angry.

“So… peak…” He shakily looked up at them, a serene smile on his face. “For you two, the meal is on the house. Hold each other close, for you hold the power to heal the heart of the world. Go, and live beautiful lives.”

“Uhh, thanks…” Sunny said, trying to hide his relief. Suddenly, the Hotdog Guy Dude Bro Man coughed up blood.

“Ah, mere mortals like me must not experience such power directly, lest I be destroyed.” And then, he promptly collapsed on the ground.

The reception lady ran in and started to check him. Thankfully, he had not died, but it seems he got an internal haemorrhage from radiation from the Veil facility and something called “peak overdose”. The restaurant was later moved to a safer location.

Speaking of moving to a safer location, the hordes outside didn't seem to take too kindly to Aubrey and Sunny getting a free meal, and they began to whisper.

‘Free meal?’

‘Peak Kino?’

‘What the hell does that even mean?’

“Uhh, Sunny? I think we should get out of here…” Aubrey said uneasily.

“I think that that's a great idea.” Sunny agreed with her completely.

————————

“Haha, that was really weird. I wonder what that guy was even on about.” Aubrey said through the receiver.

“It's probably just gibberish. Only someone who's been heavily irradiated would speak like that.” Sunny said.

“Yeah, that's true… and after we left there was the-” Warmth seeped through her tone. After all, this moment was the reason they were reminiscing in the first place.

————————

They had narrowly escaped the horde of people and were now walking back to Sunny's house.

The Sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful red and gold. They had decided to walk back to Sunny's house through Nearby Park (as couples do, holding hands and all that).

They stopped by the lake. They didn't know why, but at the exact same time, they both stood still at the edge of the lake. The lake reflected the world around them, painted in the light of the sunset, swilling and rippling as leaves gently floated down to its surface.

It was beautiful. All of it. The world swayed with the trees and rippled with the lake. Aubrey's hand tightened around Sunny’s.

She looked at him, directly in his eyes. “Thank you, Sunny.” 

He smiled nervously. “Uhh, I don't-” She gently placed her finger on his lips and leaned up, on her toes.

……

A single moment. 

Unfolding like the blooming of a flower. Those translucent, shimmering petals opening, shining, sparkling. Like a precious snowflake preserved in resin, that moment seemed to crystallize and preserve itself forever. One that shimmered like gold and opals. A door was formed. One that didn't need to be opened, merely seen through. 

Eternally in that singular, infinite perfect moment.

————————

“...That was fun. It's always nice talking to you, Sunny.” Aubrey said, now relaxed enough to handle the rest of the day.

“Me too. You guys should come over for my birthday so we can talk in person again. I do miss you so much, you know?~”

“Your birthday, huh? When were you coming to visit us in Faraway, again?” Aubrey asked.

“Thanksgiving. The 25th. I'll be there at Basil's house for a week.” Sunny said, more than a bit disappointed that the day was so far away.

“That's a bit…”

“Yeah… but you can come visit me anytime though. As long as nothing pops up, I'm pretty much always free…” 

“Alright then, expect me to show up at random times then.” He could practically see her mischievous smile.

“I'll gladly welcome it. It's really boring here.” 

“Well, I hope I'm interesting enough to-” There was a loud crashing sound on Aubrey’s end. “Ah shit, I have to go. This old hag's- Nevermind. See ya later, Sunny. I love you.”

That last sentence was spoken completely casually, and Sunny didn't notice it for a few seconds, and Aubrey probably didn't notice it at all. 

“I… love you too…” But the call was already over. Damn it. He'd so tease her about this later. He spread out on his bed, completely relaxed. Sunlight gently poured in through the window. 

Sunny felt himself driving off to sleep. Away, away…

…

………..

……………….

*knock knock knock*

Some soft knocks shook him out of his drowsiness.

“Mom?” Nobody else should be home, but she never knocks on his door.

The door swung open and it was indeed his mother. She looked awkward and apprehensive.

“H-Hey, Sunny…” 

‘Hmm?’

“What happened?”

“I…” She seemed to resolve herself in that instant. 

“I have to tell you something.”

Chapter Text

“I have to tell you something.”

Numb dread washes over him, his very soul. He hears her talk, but only catches a few words. He feels a horrible sensation bubbling in his stomach, like a vat of black tar.

It can't be.

It can't be.

It can't be.

And yet, his mother moves from the doorframe, clutching her hands to her chest, and there he is. Black hair shining, glasses gleaming, hiding his eyes beyond those frosty windows. He seems to have lost weight. He seems to have aged far too much these years. He seems to be a mirror, right at the doorframe, that reflects his own image back to him, but distorted. He seems to…

At that moment, the tar in his stomach stops boiling. He stops looking like anything but a person and drops to his knees. His shaky voice reaches out, “Su……’m……s…..rry…

….I……ted…..you….I……..ha…….myse…” The words mean the world, and yet to him, they mean nothing. He hears nothing. He sees nothing. He hears everything. He sees everything. Time becomes a flat surface, but he only looks towards the past, away from him .

Why… now?

He simply gets up, and without uttering so much as a word, walks out the door and then out of the house.

————————

Sunny was sitting on the bench in the park. In his hand was a can of grape soda. He had done just that, sat quietly, staring into the distance for about half an hour. 

‘Alright, what the hell was that?’ Eloquent as always, Omori spoke up, shaking him out of his reverie.

‘I believe… my father appeared in my house and prostrated himself… to… me?’ 

‘Yeah, I got that bit, I was talking about you walking off and wandering around the city for two hours and then sitting down on this bench.’

‘What the hell am I supposed to do? I mean, I knew my mother was probably dating someone, good for her, but him!? Didn't she hate him?’

‘It seems like you do too.’

‘The abandoning me part I get, but forcing mom to take care of a catatonic rock that also murdered her only daughter is…’

‘I'm assuming you didn't hear his apology? It was… just like your confession at the hospital. It was kind of funnily similar, actually, except for the fact that he's on the other side of the murdering.’

A ball flew past his face.

‘Only bits and pieces. It was like a fever dream. Didn't he look way too old to you?’

‘I… don't know. He looked about the same to me.’

A dog flew past his face. Not jumped, flew as if it had been thrown.

‘.......’

‘I think you should hear him out. What's the worst he could do, disappear agai-’

*CRASH*

The sound of Omori eating the floor reverberated out. 

‘God- fucking- bastard-’ Sunny heard Omori swearing as he thrashed around on the floor, accompanied by a noise of glass clicking.

‘It seems….’ And then he was knocked over again.

After once again getting back up and suppressing the clicking noise, he continued, ‘It… seems… that the… other resident of this place… dislikes that idea.’ 

Sunny felt a faint smile rise to his face at that. ‘Are you sure you didn't just trip like thirty times?’

‘Sunny, I'm going to come to life and strangle you. Just get back to your house already.’

‘Point noted.’

————————

Sunny had been standing in front of the door to his house, once again for half an hour. Getting in had been easier said than done. He tilted his head to the left, and then to the right. He was unfortunately still not overcome with a desire to knock on the door. He stared at it some more, and then something did happen.

The man behind the door opened it for him, and they silently stared at each other through the open doorframe. His eyes still seemed to be hidden behind those glasses of his. 

“......”

“......”

“......You've been standing out there for a while now. You should come inside.” His voice had grown husky due to years of minimal use. Just like…

“Why now?” A simple question, unable to be suppressed, flies forth into the air and crackles like boiling raindrops. 

The man in front of him is stunned for a second. He considers his words for a moment, and then another. He then sighs, his shoulder drooping, his head hanging. He… hears Sunny walk past him into the house, once again without another word. After all, nothing needs to be said. This isn't right. He needs to fix this. He needs to fix… a lot of things.

The man in the empty doorway chuckles to himself slightly, before steeling his resolve and walking into his only son's room.

Sunny was sitting there, on the bed, with his hands on his thighs, facing the door. He was looking down, his face shrouded by shadow. Even without seeing it, the man standing before him could feel that one piercing white eye staring at him. Why was he the nervous one here?

“I lost everything. Everything I clung to, I either cast away or destroyed. I was… empty. That's about it. Your mother is… too nice of a person. She has a tendency to pick up stray cats. I… don't deserve this second chance. You don't have to consider me your father, but I… can't hate you. It's another thing I clung to that I've lost. Funny how that works, isn't it?” 

Sunny looked up, genuinely surprised.

The man standing in his room continued, “You've grown up just fine without me. Even after all those years without… Mari, you made it through by yourself. I didn't. You… don't need me here. You probably don't want me here either. But you're strong. I'm not.”

“....T..t’s……ot…ru…”

The man standing in Sunny's room looked at him, surprised that he had said anything. Sunny cleared his throat.

“That's not true. I'm weak. I couldn't deal with what I'd done so I locked myself away from everything. I was only able to get out by relying on other people. That's what I am. Weak and reliant. But even I… want to protect the people I've hurt. If I could go back… I would take Mari's place in an instant.”

The man standing before him’s expression was utterly unreadable. And then he smiled, just barely. It wasn't a sad smile, nor was it happy. “Then… maybe you and I are more alike than I thought.” 

Sunny looked into the man's eyes. Behind those impenetrable glasses, Sunny thought that he caught just a single glimpse of his eyes.

“I'll excuse myself now.” He left, suddenly awkward now that the moment had ended. Sunny nodded just as awkwardly, but did a better job of hiding it.

He left, closing the door behind him, as just as the click of it shutting rang out, both men let out a deep sigh.

————————

Sunny didn't know when he fell asleep. He was floating in an infinite jet black sea. He waved into the abyss. The abyss did not wave back.

And then, he was violently pulled downwards. 

Welcome to White Space.

Try not to break it again.

Sunny fell onto the hard(?) white floor from a trapdoor in the ceiling(?). He was covered in black water from the ocean he was in earlier. He coughed violently and tried getting up, but slipped on the water. He could hear a certain somebody laughing in the background.

He finally got the water out of his lungs and stood up. The certain somebody from earlier, ie. Omori was smirking at him.

“Ugh… is that… how I'm gonna have to get in from now on?” Sunny asked, still groggy.

“Nah, it's to make sure you acclimated to the new and improved White Space. Speaking of, the old man fixed this place after my fight with the other guy. Looks nicer here now, right?” Omori said, after suppressing his giggles.

As Sunny looked around, he noticed that it seemed to be more… substantial than before. The ground seemed to be actually made up to something and instead of just a black rectangle on the ground, there was now an actual monochromatic picnic blanket where Omori was sitting. 

All the things that were there last time he was in White Space still remained, and were now joined by many other additions. The Bunny plush that Aubrey had won along with a black cat plushie of the same size, a massive pile of video games in the corner along with Kel's old console, and… the family portrait from the Lighthouse.

It seemed to be in much better condition than before, the only remaining damage to it being two giant holes over him and… his father's face. That was probably a reflection of something deep within his psyche, but he couldn't be bothered with it at the moment.

He finally turned his attention to something he had been pointedly ignoring from the beginning. It was a jet-black light bulb, attached to the same wire that the… other one once was. 

The difference this time was that while the other one just sat there and waited for something to happen, this one swung all over the place wildly, making loud clicking noises, as if there was something inside that wanted to escape. As soon as he set his eyes on it, it became still. 

Omori noticed him looking at it and said, “That's where he is. I put him there after the fight. He should have recovered from being trapped under Red Space by now.”

Sunny silently stared at it for another moment. “Can I go in there? To talk to him, I mean.”

Omori looked at him like he had said the sky was green for a second before saying, “Yeah, but I don't see why you would.”

“Same reason I'm talking to you.” At that, Omori shrugged.

Sunny approached the light bulb and then the oddest thing happened. The world itself turned upside down, and as if his eyes were a camera, it seemed to zoom towards the light bulb. The darkness in the lightbulb seemed to slowly overtake everything in his vision, and he barely heard Omori saying “Try not to die!” before he was sucked into the darkness.

When Sunny woke up, he was lying in a patch of grass. He opened his eyes and looked around. Ink seemed to hang in the air like fog and everything was black and white. Even so, he recognised where he was. This was the path to the old hangout spot. He got up and headed down the path.

As it opened up, the first thing Sunny noticed was the sky. It looked like a massive domed roof of glass. It was so large it took Sunny a few seconds to notice that it was… the lightbulb. 

The second thing he noticed was… well, the Thing himself, sitting at the edge of the lake. Like everything else, the lake was also in monochrome and looked like a massive inky soup.

The Thing himself looked far better than when Sunny had seen him last. His hair resembled a slightly messier version of Sunny’s hairstyle. Like Omori, he also seemed to be limited to black and white, though Sunny couldn't be sure if this wasn't an effect on the lightbulb. He was wearing a puffy black jacket and black jeans. He was wearing a black shirt, but since he was facing away from him, he couldn't tell what was not it. 

“Hey.” He said, without even looking at Sunny. His voice was less abrasive than before. “I would appreciate it if you could, uhh, forget the little incident I had after waking up.”

“The one where you threatened me at knifepoint?” 

The Thing finally faced him. His face was incredibly pale, and was like a mirror of his own, except it seemed to be a bit sharper. He was still missing his left eye, and his right had a faded-white iris and a jet black sclera. He looked annoyed. “I was trapped under three separate worlds for about 4 years. I was delirious, alright. Cut me a little slack.”

“Hey, no need to get all defensive.” Sunny said, now feeling more confident in having a conversation with him.

“I’m going to get out of here, you know.”

Alright, maybe not as confident anymore. But…

“I know.”

“Shouldn’t you be stopping me or something?” He asked.

“Omori kicked your ass last time, I’ll do it next time.” 

“You really are an idiot, aren’t you?” He said,  but with a hint of a smile on his face. “You can go try and play happy family with that guy, I don’t care. Just don’t blame me if I bust out and kill him.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Now, how do I get out  of here?” 

“Well, I can’t leave, but if I were to hazard a guess, it would be the lake.” He gestured at the inky black lake.

“I see. I’ll be seeing you then.”

“Don’t bother.”

But by the time he said those words, Sunny had already jumped into the lake. Viscous, oily ink filled his lungs, and he died.

……….

……………..

Light. That was the first thing Sunny registered. It streamed down from the window above his head, as it always did. Of course it would. The sun didn’t care about the whereabouts of his father, after all.

Well, no point in wasting time in bed. After all, today is a new day.

————————

A month had passed since then. It turns out that that man was just as rich as he’d remembered and had packed up him and his mother and shipped them off to the other side of town to a much nicer apartment. However, it seems that he was still too nervous to live with his mother and had apparently bought the apartment just for those two to stay in.

Sunny had to really try not to burst out laughing when he heard him explaining that to his mother.

His new room was about twice as big as his last, which would be good if he had anything to put in it, which he did not.

He had been telling Aubrey about this whole situation since the beginning, and she had been far… less tolerant about his parent’s than he was. Which he completely understood, given her past with absent father… and neglectful mothers too. Maybe there was a connection there, but Sunny couldn't be bothered to find it.

Today, his mother had sent him with that man to go get something for her. The reason he was there was because he had been “gently nudged” by his mother into talking with his father more than the occasional “Yeah” and “Alright”. 

…Well, if he was being honest, there was one thing he wanted to ask him. Just the one, though. 

He was walking behind that man. Far enough that the ordinary person wouldn’t know that they were involved in any way. 

That man was visibly nervous as always. He never remembered him being like that even once in his childhood. He briefly wondered what exactly happened to him over those four years. Then he wondered why exactly he would care about that and started thinking of something else. 

People briefly looked at the two as they passed. Even if he walked behind him, it was obvious the two were related. They both shared their family’s signature perfect paper white skin, shiny black hair and dead, empty eyes.

They were walking through an alleyway; a shortcut to their destination, he assumed. The sun was low in the sky, turning an ominous blood red. Sunny thought about the colour red, which then brought him to pink. He thought of  the colour pink, which brought him to Aubrey. He then thought about the last time he’d been in an alleyway with Aubrey.

Then, he thought about how obviously they were being followed.

…That wasn’t one of his thoughts. But suddenly, his senses opened up. One, two, three people were walking behind them, far enough that the average person wouldn’t be able to feel their presence.

They seemed to be armed with handguns. He couldn’t understand why whatever criminal organisation he pissed off was going to such lengths to kill him, but he did know that it was incredibly annoying.

Without making a single conspicuous movement, he quietly summoned the Red Knife and slipped it into his pocket. Then, he looked at that man. Their eyes met for just a single second, but a sort of understanding passed between them.

“Ah, I seem to have taken a wrong turn. Let’s turn back, Sunny.” His speech seemed no different than usual. 

“Sure.” Sunny’s voice was as devoid of emotion as ever. Sunny could hear the gunmen hiding in the shadow, concealing their presence nearly perfectly. These people seemed skilled, not at all like the goon he’d dealt with earlier. Was getting rid of him really that important?

Him and that man were walking closer to where they were hiding. Ten steps. Nine. Eight. Seven.

……

He felt their muscles tense. He jumped in front of that man. He didn’t know why. He heard several gunshots and then felt pain erupt from all over his body. Head, torso, legs. Bullets punctured his body. 

He crumpled to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The pain was horrible, but Sunny distantly thought that it was better than being run over. That man yelled in surprise, his eyes rapidly flipping back and forth from Sunny and the attackers. 

One of them, a man of about 30 with long, straight blond hair, looked at that man suspiciously. “Who are you? Do you know the kid?” He kept his gun aimed at him.

“N-no, I don’t.” Of course. Why did he expect anything? 

The Blond one didn’t look convinced, but another gunman, a bald one said, “Let’s just call in. We can deal with him later.” Oh thank god. It looked like they were following too far behind to hear him and that man speaking. At least now he can escape. 

The blonde one was still unconvinced, but he and Baldie walked off to go call whoever was behind this, leaving his father with the last one, an older-looking man. Sunny felt himself healing, but it was too slow.

Why wasn’t that man running? He-

Suddenly, with far more agility than he thought possible, that man launched himself at the old one, disarming him and smashing his head against the wall with a loud crack at the same time. The old man crumpled to the ground, dead on the spot, his head bent at an unnatural angle. He had almost shot that man before he got to him, though. Like he thought, these guys were good. The most surprising part of this did have to be that man’s sudden fighting prowess. 

That man already had the gun in his hands and was ready to fire before he bent down over Sunny and checked his pulse. When he confirmed that he was alive, he whispered, “Sunny, are  you conscious?” Sunny nodded, somehow. 

Then his eyes widened. “Be…hind…you..!” But it was too late. Blondie had already returned. 

“I fucking knew it!” He shot, but that man barely dodged. Baldie had also put up his gun. It was over. It was…

Ever since that first original burst of power, it felt like he’d hit a wall. He couldn’t master any new skills no matter how hard he tried, and It felt like he wasn’t progressing at all. When that bullet flew towards that man’s face, he remembered how he felt when he was falling through that dark space.

Electricity raced across his skin. Time slowed to a halt. The bullet wounds healed instantly, those lead pieces flying out of them as if he were the gun. Utter ecstasy flowed through his veins.

He shot to his feet, and caught the bullet heading towards that man with his bare hands. 

It had no effect. Sunny lost 0 HEART.

He looked back at that man, whose face was blank with shock. “Hey dad, it’s  alright. I’ve got this.” 

The Hitmen were shocked for a few seconds but regained their wits. Blondie yelled, “THE TASER! GET THE-”

“Oh, Shut up! ” Sunny said. Information was flowing through his head at a fast rate. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He pulled his Knife out.

Sunny used Hack Away!

Blondie lost 106 HEART.

A massive, deep slash appeared across his chest.

Blondie lost 201 HEART.

Another slash, against his right shoulder.

It hit right in the HEART! It was a moving attack! Blondie lost 798 HEART.

The last attack hit his neck, slashing it all the way down to his spine. He dropped to the ground as a well-sliced piece of, well, blond toast. Baldie watched on in abject horror. The gun dropped from his hands, forgotten. He was frozen on the spot.

The information continued to flood in. Mock, Shun, Trick, Cripple, Final Strike, and one more that he didn’t recognise. He had an idea. First however, 

Sunny used Cripple. Baldie lost 382 HEART.

A scream of pure agony erupted from Baldie as his knees bent the exact opposite way that they were supposed to bend, and he fell, screaming. Sunny ran his knife across his wrist. A crimson line appeared in its wake. Alright, let’s test this new ability. He flicked his wrist at Baldie. A single drop of blood shot out.

Sunny used Throwing Knife!

Sunny watched as that drop of blood elongated midair, twisting, expanding, hardening. A three foot long jet black blade, that Sunny thought resembled a piece of an intricate wrought iron gate flew through the air. It split Baldie’s lower jaw in half, piercing through his Medulla and coming out the other side.

It was a moving attack! Baldie lost 1370 HEART!

A piece of impaled toast was in his place. The blade disintegrated, the only trace of it being some black dust on the toast. After thoroughly stomping and destroying the two pieces of toast, he remembered that That man was lying on the ground in shock. Ah, shit. 

Sunny approached him, but realised that he had nothing to say. “Are… you alright?”

“S- Sunny, what.. was that?” He asked him, in a far more composed voice than he’d expected. 

“It uhh…” His eyes landed on the corpse of the Old guy, hence called Oldie. “What was with you? I didn’t think you were the type to be good at fighting.” 

“I was… trained as a child by my father. He was…” That man shook his head. “But what… was that? ”

Sunny was quiet for a heartbeat. “I… wanted to hide from what I’d done… in my own head. After… I told the  truth, I saw just how weak I really was. So I wanted to be stronger. This power I have is because of Mari.”

“.......” That man looked up at him for a few seconds. Then, he spoke. “I was right. You really are… so much stronger than me.”

Sunny looked at those glasses of his, and was able to see his eyes perfectly clearly  for the first time. They reflected not fear, but admiration and… pride?

He subconsciously reached out his hand. His father That man took it and rose to his feet. He suddenly looked serious. “But do explain it in greater detail at home.”

“Y- Yeah.” He had no idea what to say now.

“We seemed to be covered in blood. How do we explain this to Wanda?” Ah. That, he did know the answer to. 

“We don’t. Let’s get out of here before their cleanup crew arrives. They can deal with Oldie over there.” Sunny said.

“Alright. Let’s go back before someone sees us.” That man responded.

And like that, Sunny’s mother’s shopping trip was forgotten, but also a success.

————————

Welcome to White Space.

You’ve been here before.

Sunny heard laughing as he woke up on the cold floor of White Space. One voice he recognised instantly, but the other took him a while. 

‘What the hell is he doing here?’ He thought as he opened his eyes. There weren’t many notable changes to White Space. The only new things were a set of two pinwheels, one black and one white, along with two potted plants. One pot contained a white tulip and the other, a poppy. 

The symbolism was obvious, but let’s skip past that. On the picnic blanket, Omori was sitting, laughing his ass off at some joke, holding a drink that Sunny was 99% sure he was too young to drink. Sitting opposite him was a massive jet black shape that stood out wildly against the white  of the room. It was “The old man” as Omori called him, The mysterious Keymaster.

His voice was as smooth and metallic as ever. He seemed to be telling Omori a story while pouring that drink in through his glowing eye sockets. As he poured it in, the drink glowed an ominous red colour due to the light emanating from his eyes. 

Neither of them seemed to notice as he got up. He walked over to the fiercely shaking lightbulb. Once again, it stopped moving when he approached it. 

“I’m gonna uhh- I’ll just go now.” Neither of them paid him any heed. Sighing, Sunny entered the world of the lightbulb once again.

In the times Sunny had come here since that day, he had learned how to land on his feet. He made his way down the thorny path to the clearing. The world inside was as black as ever. The Thing was sitting once again by the lakeside. There was a lone red pinwheel on the other side of the lake, along with a red japanese camellia in a pot. The Thing’s shadow now had jet black arms reaching out of it, clawing at the ground. 

The Thing turned towards him. In his empty right socket, instead of a fake eye, was a white plastic table tennis ball. It swirled ominously and stopped the black blood from flowing out.

“Hey.” It seems that he was just as laconic as ever. Sunny approached him and sat down next to him with a deep sigh.

“Why did you help me?” He got straight to the point.

“I have no idea what you mean.” He pointedly looked away.

“The tip that they were following us. The sudden burst of information and power. I guess that just happened out of nowhere?”

“Yeah. Maybe it was you suddenly awakening or something.”

“Are you gonna do this the entire time?”

“Yeah.”

“Then we have nothing to talk about.” And then he jumped into the lake and drowned.

————————

March 1st. Her birthday.

Again, months had passed in an instant. His father had accepted the explanation behind his powers far easier than he thought.

In those few months, he had gotten far better at using his powers. Thankfully, nobody tried to kill them again and the police didn’t come after them. He had gotten quite used to that man’s presence but still hadn’t asked him the question he wanted to. On that day, he was extremely surprised when he was woken up at 5 am by that man.

He got dressed half asleep, before he was tossed into a bus by his mother. Halfway through the ride, the fog in his brain cleared and he realised where they were going. He almost got out of his seat, but that man grabbed his arm before he could.

“Finally woke up, did you? Neither of us are going anywhere.” That man said, his voice indecipherable.

He pulled his phone out of his POCKET and started frantically messaging Aubrey.

[Sunny] 7:37: Hey Aubs, Me and my family are coming over today to visit Mari. 

He typed it in what he thought was the most natural way possible. Of course, she saw through him immediately.

[Aubrey] 7:37: You didn’t know where you were going until like five minutes ago, right?

Damn. 

[Aubrey] 7:38: Well, I’ll be waiting for you. Kel’s out for some reason and Basil’s at his parent’s place.

That was never a good sign. This must be why he hadn’t messaged him at all for the past few days.

[Aubrey] 7:39: So we’ll be all alone. <3 ;)

Sunny choked on nothing for a few seconds, before looking over at that man.

[Sunny] 7:42: Fat chance. Like I said, mom and dad are coming too and we’re going back after visiting Mari.

The bus ran over a pothole. He noticed his mother sleeping in the aisle seat across from them. 

[Aubrey] 7:45: Aw well. I hope you can at least hang out with me for a while. I’ve got tons of gossip to share with you~

Sunny chuckled.

[Sunny] 7:47: Well, I look forward to it. See you there.

[Aubrey] 7:48: See ya <3

And then, Sunny fell asleep again.

…….

………

…………

All of a sudden, he was being shaken awake again. That man loomed over him. His eyes seemed to once again be shrouded by those glasses of his. Sunny felt uneasy.

“We’re here. Faraway, I mean. Come on. We need to go.” Need. What a strange, overused word. Most of the time, people only wanted things. But in this case… it was necessary. They needed to do this.

For whom, they themselves would decide. The town hadn’t changed at all in the time he’d been gone. The Sun beared down on him just as much as it did back home. Back… home…

As they made their way through the town, random people he’d helped back in those three days greeted him. Their faces betrayed nothing, even to his new powers. It seemed that no one  knew what he’d done. The others had kept it a secret.

The church was completely empty when they entered. He remembered the fight they’d had here with Aubrey. It seemed so far in the past now. It seemed like a film he’d watched when he was a child, with characters he didn’t know. His mother put her hand on his shoulders and gestured to the door to the graveyard. It seems he’d been reminiscing too long.

Well then. There’s no more stalling. He entered first. Aubrey was already there, kneeling over Mari’s grave. She seemed to be praying. As he entered, she got up. She looked at him, and smiled. A little sad, a little wistful.

“Hey, Sunny. You’re here.” She said, quietly. Her bright pink hair was still adorned by those twin ribbons.

“Yeah. I was kinda dragged here so…” He said, to lighten the mood. It did not work.

“Hey, don’t ruin the atmosphere, alright? Oh, hey Mrs. Suzuki.” Aubrey said, going along with his attempt, then spotting his mother behind him. The two exchanged greetings, and then his mother went to Mari’s grave. Sunny was about to follow behind her, but Aubrey stopped him with her arm.

“I… don’t know much about your mother. She was nice when we came over when we were children. But… every year, since her death, she comes here on her birthday. That’s why I can’t just say she’s a bad person.” Aubrey said, her voice just loud enough to be heard by the man standing at the back of the graveyard. “Hey Sunny. Go… Talk to Mari for me, alright?” 

“I will. She needs to hear… something.” He had made up his mind after hearing Aubrey. He would finally ask that man the question he’s had for so long. The only way he would be satisfied with the answer was if she was around to hear it.

After his mother got up, Aubrey met her eyes and the two came to an agreement. Without a word, the two walked out of the graveyard. That man seemed to be very surprised by this development, but Sunny fixed him to the spot with a stare.

“C’mon, Dad. Let’s go. Mari’s waiting.” Sunny said. He walked forward, towards that single grave where the sun shined eternally. With his new powers, he could feel a distinct energy coming from each grave. Regret, satisfaction, pride, the imprint  left behind by the souls of the departed, changed by the actions of the living, lingered all over the graveyard.

From Mari’s grave, he felt a certain warmth, like being comforted after a long day. He kneeled in front of her grave. Fresh flowers were placed around it. An empty picnic basket was placed next to it. 

Mari Suzuki

The sun shined brighter when she was here.

He heard That man getting on his knees next to him. Sunny closed his eyes. He reached his mind out to Mari. He could feel his consciousness spreading like roots, into that warmth that radiated from her. His thoughts, his memories, flowed into that warmth and joined it. When he opened his eyes, his eyes were shining with held back tears.

“Why… did you decide to forgive me?” That question came suddenly, without  warning, and yet, that man did not appear surprised at all. His face showed regret, and something else he couldn't quite recognise.

“...When your mother got pregnant with Mari, she was just 20 and I was just a year older. Despite our common family name, I came from a very old and rich family. The restrictions on daily life were unbearable. I was the youngest of three children, so the pressure on me wasn’t as bad on me as it was for my brother, the firstborn. But… when my parents found out about my relationship, it got horrible. I took your mother and moved to this small town to escape from them. They… didn’t like that.”

Sunny kept quiet, listening to his story. 

“They tried controlling me, and since I was just a child, I fell right into their trap. When Mari was old enough, their attention turned to her. How she was doing in school, her behaviour, everything. I drilled it into her, again and again, to be perfect. You were never born with this restriction.” He briefly looked at Sunny, before turning away. \

“When the time for the recital came, I was… horrible. I was the reason that Mari ended up inflicting the pain she felt from me onto you. You were just a twelve year old child. After… she died, I knew immediately what happened. But… I couldn't feel anything more than cold disappointment. I didn’t know who it was aimed at, so I aimed my hatred at you.” He sighed, softly.

Sunny shifted uncomfortably.

“I left, going back to my parents, like the pathetic creature I was. When I got back, I had learned that a week before the recital, my older brother had slit my parent’s throats in their sleep. I think… that was the first time I truly realised what I had lost. He was arrested, and I stayed with my sister for a while. She took control of the family estate. I got a job under her, I was good at it, I got rich, and I wandered like a living corpse.”

Sunny’s palms felt sweaty. 

“Then… I met your mother again. That’s it. That’s why I forgive you. Every misfortune was caused by me being a horrible father. It was never your fault to begin with.” He said, his voice far away. His expression betrayed nothing, but tears flowed down his face like rivers. “I… I’ve said all I could. Mari, I really am… sorry.” 

Mari’s father got up, and left Sunny in the graveyard, alone. He didn’t know what to think. He wondered what Mari would do. He wanted to talk to her, really talk to her again. If… He killed her, then… His knife appeared in his hand. Or maybe it was always there. He pulled an unmarked jar of blood red jam from his POCKET. Every move made his entire body shake. He was barely able to dip the knife  in the jar. He brought his hand to the earth, but it was too much. Sunny ran, as if he stayed, his flesh would crumble to ash and he would cry tears of blood.

That night, he had a dreamless, yet restless sleep.

————————

Months passed again. It was now July 20th. His birthday. 

Aubrey had said that her, Basil and Kel would be visiting today. He honestly didn’t get why they were going to such lengths for him. Well, he did the same for each of their birthdays (Except Hero, who was in his university during his birthday, much to his mother’s ire) , but that was different. 

Today, he would be turning 17. He didn’t feel any different particularly, but at least he looked far different from how he did when he was 16. Particularly the sudden increase in height and the white eye. From that day at Mari’s grave, there was an odd feeling in the house. It was just like when he was a child, but with a heavy weight over everything. He knew exactly why this was. 

However, his friends were coming over, so he had to have fun today. Or at least act like it. He had gotten up early that day (at least food his standards) and helped his mother in fussing over the house.

Mari’s father was silently sitting on a chair, his fingers steepled, seemingly deep in thought. He was probably just practising communicating with Sunny’s friends in his head. Sunny sighed.

*Ding Dong!*

As the Suzuki family’s skeletons dug themselves out of the ceiling, the rest of their bodies welcomed Sunny’s friends into their house. Come to think of it, none of them had been to his new house. Kel whistled appreciatively. His hair had grown out further and he was wearing more than just gym shorts and a tank top, which was a rare occurrence.

“Nice digs! Hey, Mrs. Suzuki!” Kel said enthusiastically. 

Sunny’s mother smiled and welcomed him and the others in. Aubrey looked around like she was in an alien spaceship, and Basil… Basil looked slightly suspicious. He was dressed in a white dress shirt and black pants. His blue eyes seemed slightly distant, and his posture was stiff. The remnants of his visit to his parents, he assumed.

Mari’s father was incredibly nervous and not saying anything, which gave him an intense aura of menace to anyone who didn’t know why he was quietly staring. Aubrey sat down without any hint that his presence was affecting her in any way. Kel’s smile turned slightly uncomfortable. Basil’s suspicion shot through the roof, but he still sat down.

………

Well, this was awkward. 

“Hey kids, want anything to drink?” Ah, saved by the mom. Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief. 

“D’you have any orange joe?” Kel said, to the surprise of absolutely no one.

“Of course, dear. We knew we were coming over after all.” His mother said, her patience blinding to Sunny. 

“A non-gross soda for me.” Aubrey said, never missing a chance to slam Orange Joe.

“...A glass of water’s fine.” Basil said, to absolutely no one’s surprise.

Sunny’s mother grabbed Mari’s father by the collar and dragged him to the kitchen with her. A second sigh rang out.

“Man, your mom is so cool.” Kel said, relaxing now that Mari’s father was gone. 

“He seems scary, but he’s just socially awkward and doesn’t know what to say.” Sunny said,responding to his unsaid statement.

“Oh, so kinda like you.” Basil said, a small smile on his face.

“You’re one to talk, you latent homosexual.” Sunny said, without missing a beat. Aubrey watched this exchange, incredibly amused. Sunny raised an eyebrow at Kel, who looked at Sunny with the signature expression he bore when he knew something he didn’t. 

“What?” Kel broke down in a fit of the giggles, while Basil smiled serenely.

“Basil’s going out with Kim now.” Aubrey said. Well, that was news to him. 

Sunny pinched Basil and said, “You couldn't have told me that? And you’re still a latent homosexual.” To which Kel burst out fully laughing. There was movement down the hallway. His mother came out with four glasses. One filled with Orange Joe, one with water and two with grape soda.

Mari’s father came out behind her holding an absolute unit of a cake, painstakingly frosted with designs he recognised from his own sketchbook. It was topped with a chocolate Mewo with a candle wick in her tail. Absolutely perfect. This must’ve been his father’s work. Speaking of, the serious looking man had a party cone on for absolutely no reason, Sunny had to prevent himself from bursting out in laughter.

The others looked on in awe, both at the cake and the fact that Mari’s father was carrying it effortlessly. They, as well as Sunny, wondered if he had hidden powers as well. He placed it on the table with a loud creak. 

Mari’s Father and Basil locked eyes for a second, and he handed him a party cone. Basil looked at Sunny, holding the party cone menacingly. 

“Get him!” Basil said, to which Aubrey and Kel held him in place as he writhed, and Basil placed the party cone on his head. Basil pulled a small instant camera out of his pocket and clicked a photo as he was held in his restraints. He looked like a sad, wet cat as Aubrey and Kel howled with laughter, and Mari’s father tried incredibly hard not to join them.

“Alright, time to cut the cake, honey.” His mother said. She had not laughed,  but hadn’t intervened either, and Sunny saw a familiar twinkle of humour in her eyes he used to see in Mari. That made Sunny feel a bit better. Just a bit.

Nobody handed Sunny a knife, so he pulled his own out of his POCKET. He blew out the Mewo-candle and cut the cake, not through Mewo, because that brought up some… unresolved issues. Inside, the cake was perfectly fluffy and equipped with the Good Frosting™️ . 

The wish he made was a simple one. ‘I want to have these friends forever.’ He would ask for no more, as he was at his happiest with just that.

His mother cut up the cake and provided everyone with a slice. It was vanilla, his favourite, and briefly sent the eater to heaven with each bite. Kel, Sunny and Basil, surprisingly wolfed it down and kept coming back for more.

They spoke for a while, his mother quietly fussing in the background the entire time. Then the time to give gifts arrived. Everyone except Mari’s father pulled out a gift they had locked and loaded. The first to give her gift was, of course, Aubrey. She had a dusting of red on her face as  she handed him a small package.

“...Here. I thought you’d like it.” Sunny opened the package and found that it was a framed picture of everyone from the first time they’d visited him in the city, with Hero. It was from their escapades in the mall. Aubrey was blushing and Kel and Basil were radiating an ominous aura. It was perfect.

“I love it.” He said, and a small, genuine smile appeared on his face. And then Kel appeared. He was holding a bag of things.

“Soooooo, I didn’t uhh- know what you would want, but I remembered you liked to draw so… Here ya go!” He held out his bag. It was filled with art supplies. Good art supplies. How did…

“How did you afford all this?” Sunny asked, genuinely perplexed.

“I took a page out of your book and did a bunch of jobs here and there! Having a bunch of money is actually really fun! I can just get stuff!” Kel said.

“I… don’t know what to say. Thank you. Up top?” He held out his hand in the air for a high five, to which Kel obliged. Next was… Basil.

He looked around for the plant. Nothing of the sort could be seen. Basil held out two wrapped objects. Sunny squinted in suspicion.

“Where’s the plant, Basil?” Aubrey snorted at that.

“Not every gift I give has to be a plant.” At this, Kel, Aubrey and Sunny fixed him with a stare. “Alright, most of them have been plants, but this one isn’t!” He said, a bit quickly, his anxiety showing through.

Sunny unwrapped the first present. It was a camera like Basil’s and a couple packs of film for it. “I wanted you to have one for yourself, so you could- Well, just open the next present.” Basil said.

He then opened the second present. It was a photo album. Its cover was white and read Sunny’s Memories. “I want you to fill this one with new memories. Anything you want.” 

Once again, Sunny didn’t know what to say. He held the album to his chest and nodded. Finally, there was his mother. Her gift wasn’t wrapped, rather, it was in a cardboard file box.

“I’ve had this with me for so long. I think… you need this more now.” She said as she handed it over. He opened the box. Inside were… Pictures. Tapes. Recordings. Every single one featured him and Mari in some way.

He took it, without saying a word. If he did, he was afraid all his thoughts would bleed from him and he wouldn't be able to think anymore.

……….

It was late at night. Sunny’s friends had all gone back. Aubrey wanted to stay for a sleepover, but that wasn’t possible for Kel or Basil. Sunny was a bit disappointed, but he wasn’t too devastated. He was staying up late watching the recordings of him and Mari from his mother’s gift. 

He remembered that time in the alleyway where he was suddenly able to feel the hitmen’s presence. He felt a similar sensation as he was now aware that Mari’s father was standing in the doorway. He reached up to his face, to find that they were wet with tears. He wiped them away.

“Hello. What are you doing here?” Sunny asked. The lingering effect of those videos left him feeling like he was afloat in lead. 

“I… never gave you my gift.” He pulled something small out of his pocket. It was a locket. He handed it to Sunny. In it, was a small photograph of him, Mari and his mother. “I never got rid of this after I left. I just… kept it with me all this time. It’s yours now. I… already found what I was looking for.”

Sunny stared at it for a good five minutes, and then looked at his father with tear-soaked eyes. 

“Thank you.”

————————

Welcome to White Space.

You’ve been here before.

With the usual message, he woke up on the picnic blanket next to Omori. He was playing video games on the old console. There was now a camera, an easel ,the photo gifted to him by Aubrey and the box of memories given to him by his mother near the blanket. His father’s locket was in his hands.

“Hey. I’m about to beat the level, don’t disturb me.” Omori said, not breaking his concentration for a second. Sunny sighed and put the locket around his neck. The lightbulb had stopped rattling before he even got up.

He briefly glanced at Omori. He seemed to have a faint smile on his face. Sunny jumped into the world of the lightbulb, wondering what he was smiling about. This time, the Thing was languidly swimming in the lake. The Empty Photo Album was now next to his picnic blanket.

His hair and coat seemed to have gotten longer somehow. The roots of his hair were paling. In his right eye socket was a magic 8-ball. 

“Hello, Sunny.” This was probably the longest greeting he’d gotten from him. He wondered what the occasion was. 

The Thing swam out of the water, miraculously dry. The instant his shadow formed, those hands erupted and once again began to claw at the ground. The 8-ball shifted in his socket, with the window now facing out. It read ‘Outcome bleak’.

“Sit down.” The Thing gestured at the picnic blanket. Sunny obediently sat down, wanting to see where this was going. 

“Hey, have you ever felt what it's like to not have a name?” He asked. Sunny shook his head. “Tell me, what do you call me in your head?”  

“I just call you The Thing since you don’t have any stats I can see your name with.” Sunny said.

“Fair enough. The truth is, I don’t have a name at all. I never needed one before, so when I fully manifested, it was blank. Empty.” The… Thing(?) said. “If I was to pick a name, it would be something random. Something to get attached to as I carry it.”

“...Good for you, I guess? What does this-” Sunny was interrupted as The Thing continued.

“I haven’t forgotten. I will leave this place and… fulfil my purpose. I won’t let you stop me.” He said, his eyes facing towards the floor.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about but I won’t-” Once again, he was interrupted. 

“You’re right. I’m just speaking nonsense.” The Thing then grabbed Sunny by the shirt and threw him into the lake. “Goodbye, Dreamer. I’m locking you out of this place. I’ll see you soon.”

Sunny barely registered that as he drowned and died.

It begins.

————————

………

We speak again.

This time for a farewell.

This is the last time we shall meet like this.

The story has just begun, and the one narrating it shall change, just like the winds that blow ahead.

As a gift, I shall give you a key. This is one of three that shall open a locked door in your future.

The First Key is my name, Inanis.

I wish you a safe journey and warn you that not all doors are meant to be opened.

Farewell and so long.

Chapter Text

Hello, my fatherless children!

Welcome to my section (The middle part, because of course it is) of this story.

I will be your guide on this 90-degree cliff face.

Please spread your arms and legs and scream shrilly as you are falling as it will cause me the maximum mirth.

The odd thing is, this is the largest act, and it only takes place over a week (Give or take a couple hundred million years in the Hall of Doors).

Ah well, enough yapping, let’s get this show off the road!

What were my lines again?

Ah, right.

This is the story of a child born with no name and the consequences of your actions.

It’s probably an important story. That’s up to you to decide, though.

Let us begin.

Act 2: The Crack in the Lightbulb

————————

November 18th, 199X. 

Seven days before disaster.

A child of 17 years was standing at a bus station, waiting for the bus to arrive. The bus rumbled into view and stopped, just a bit too far ahead of the station. The child sighed and boarded the bus. This person is not important to the story whatsoever, but the person that boards after them, sharing their age, just so happens to be the protagonist of this story.

His name was Sunny Suzuki, and he was slightly odd in the fact that he had completely bullshit powers that could allow him to go toe to toe with Goku. He dragged an unsightly suitcase into the bus with him, which drew the ire of several old people and one weirdo who was trying to have the biggest suitcase on the bus.

He was going to stay at his friend, Basil, the questionably gay one’s house for a week until thanksgiving. This would be the first time in about a year that all of his original friend group would be together, and thus he was unreasonably excited. He pushed his suitcase into god-knows-where and sat down, in a window seat, of course.

The bus set off, and the unexplained effect of it immediately knocking everyone to sleep took place. Some poor guy who hadn’t yet sat down collapsed on the spot, snoring. It’s a good thing this wasn’t Nowhere Travels since they hire the Chosen Ones able to resist this curse in order to take the bus fare from the passenger’s wallets while they’re asleep, along with their salary, of course.

Sunny was not one of these chosen ones and immediately conked out. Then something that hadn’t happened in years occurred. He had a dream. A proper dream.

————————

He was… somewhere. He didn’t know where, but it was definitely at a place and time. He couldn’t see, couldn’t feel, couldn’t hear, and couldn’t breathe. It was honestly pretty comfortable. However, as per usual, Life rushed in, stole everything he had, curb stomped him and shot him 27 times in the torso. That is to say, his senses were restored, and he didn’t like what they were telling him one bit.

He violently choked on something lodged in his windpipe. He could see, but the lack of oxygen made his vision swim with red dots. He jammed his arm down his throat and grabbed a piece of hair. 

…Ugh. Man, do I really have to narrate this bit? Of course I do. 

He pulled the hair, and it felt like the pain increased a thousandfold. Somehow, he kept pulling, as his windpipe was stretched to its absolute limit. When he removed all of it, he collapsed on the ground and gasped for air. After a while, he noticed the horrible taste in his mouth. He then got up and looked around. He was in a rundown house with trash everywhere.

He knew this place. It was… damn it! Trying to think of anything felt like trying to swim in solid lead. He then looked at what he had removed from his body. He shouldn’t have done that.

This is the second …Ugh. of the first chapter of this act. What the hell, man.

It was… a mass of hair and… unidentifiable gunk. In it were two notable things. A monochrome heart and a grimy, disgusting, Key. Keys. It always has to be Keys. The sight, along with the… aftertaste and the smell of the garbage was too much. He threw up in an open trash bin. It didn’t make much difference to the room. He closed his eyes and pulled out the Key because of course he did. 

There’s no reason not to pull out a key that looks like it’s been in a New York bar since 1776 out of the stuff that comes out of Satan's drainage system. It was just as disgusting as he thought. He got up, to his feet. There was a door on the far side of the room. There… was a blood spatter across the only clean-ish wall. Fear. He hurried over to the door and forced it open.

He ran through the doorframe before the presence he felt caught up to him. Suddenly, it was gone. He was suddenly waist-deep in a red substance that smelled of iron. He decided to ignore it and hoped it would leave. There was only one thing in that place. A window with no curtains. He saw the Moon shining brilliantly through it. He waded to it on instinct. It was so close. He… didn’t reach it.

He sank below the liquid and was about to drown. And then, he suddenly woke up, completely dry and clean. He felt a sharp pain on his chest. He went up to feel it, but he couldn’t move his arms. 

He then realised that he was in a straitjacket, and the room he was in was made of white rubber panels. He felt afraid, short of breath. How? How!?

Nonononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononopleasedontdothistomeplease

…A thick, black substance began pouring in from the cracks between the rubber squares. He struggled violently, but couldn’t escape the confines of the jacket. He panicked, and then felt something swinging towards his head.

……

It hit him, and he died instantly.

———————

Sunny woke up, not remembering anything about the dream, but feeling a pit of dread in his stomach. He looked around, and nobody else was awake. This was concerning. How had he, the definition of a heavy sleeper, been shook out of his sleep, and in a comfy bus seat, no less?

He decided to stop thinking for the time being, because this certainly couldn’t have any adverse effects in the future, and opened his phone.

Since this was 199X, there wasn't much to do on it, so he opened the group chat between all the members of his friend group. It had been very active for the past few weeks, since Hero and Sunny were both visiting at the same time, for the first time since the Nearby incident.

[Aubrey] 6:43: It's finally the day! Excited for the gang to finally get together again!

[Kel] 6:43: It'll also be nice to see big bro after like a billion years~

[Hero] 6:49: Yeah, I'm sorry for not visiting much the last few months, but college's been swamping me with work recently. I'm really looking forward to seeing you guys too. Not so sure about mom though… I don't think she'll let me go that easily…

[Sunny] 6:51: Well, I hope you don't die. I'm looking forward to seeing you.

[Basil] 6:54: Oh my god, Sunny, did something happen?

[Sunny] 6:54: What? No.

[Aubrey] 6:57: Basil's right. It's impossible for Sunny to be awake this early. Who are you and what did you do with my Sunny?

[Basil] 6:59: Your Sunny?

[Aubrey] 7:00: Hell yeah, my Sunny. 

[Sunny] 7:01: Man, I'm not dealing with this at seven in the morning.

[Kel] 7:02: OH MY GOD! SUNNY, THE REAL SUNNY! YOU'RE BACK!! WHAT HAPPENED-

Sunny shut his phone with a malevolent clack. How did they have so much energy so early? 

……

He learned that he couldn't quite nod off to sleep again. 

Huh.

What may he do now, I wonder? Such a predicament puts the following events to shame.

He decided to annoy the one person who couldn't escape him. 

‘Hey Omori, I was-’

His train of thought was interrupted by Omori yelling in a sleepy voice that it was seven in the morning, and for him to go take it up the ass. Well, he wasn't particularly into those sorts of things, but alright.

He looked around for stimulation. He spotted a newspaper lying around. If you think this seems like a plot device, you're probably right. 

He absent-mindedly flipped through the pages, heading straight for the puzzles and comics. The headlines briefly flashed through his mind as he flipped through, with one catching his attention for a few seconds.

Veil CEO and founder Zachary Vox calls off “Cryptid hunt”, stating that it was brought on without his knowledge and that it was a stupid idea in the first place.

The employees that organised the hunt had apparently done so without his approval and have been fired and sent to the dealt with.

Well, at least he isn't in much danger of being caught and experimented on anymore. The other dangers he was in remained completely ignored by him. Because of course they were.

Seems like there wasn't much of a plot device here after all. Ah well, time for the transition.

Sunny found the puzzles and began to solve them and blah blah blah as the bus moved steadily on towards Faraway.

————————

Before Sunny knew it, the bus grinded to a halt at a bus stop right outside the little town. There was an old-looking board that read “Welcome to Faraway! A door to a better life!” 

Sunny realised that he hadn't texted the others that he had arrived. He pulled out his phone, and started typing. He briefly looked at the state of the chat. It seems that Kel and Aubrey were arguing about something trivial, Hero was trying to mediate, and Basil was fanning the flames. Nothing's changed.

[Sunny] 10:24: Greetings earthlings, for I have arrived. Just getting off the bus now.

The typing all stopped.

……

[Basil] 10:27: On my way.

Well, that was foreboding and incredibly Basil-like.

Ah well, Sunny thought as he summoned his titan of a suitcase back into this world from the pocket dimension that was the bus's storage. He walked into the town and HOLY SHIT IS THAT KENDRICK LAMAR-

Oh wait. It's just Basil. Let's just ignore the fact that Kendrick would be about 12 at that time. Basil had, for some inexplicable reason, decided to wear a rose flower crown, complete with thorns. His curly blonde hair had grown slightly longer, and his blue eyes were as piercing as always. He also seemed to be a bit taller.

He seemed to still be in his office worker phase, and now had an emerald green tie on, along with what seemed like the exact same clothes he'd worn to his birthday. Just looking at him from afar made you feel like you were losing money. 

Mr Capitalism waved at Sunny and hit a :D. It was very effective. Sunny noticed that he had black gloves on. Good god.  Then he looked at Sunny's suitcase, and his expression shifted.

“You know that you're only going to be here for seven days, right?” He asked, gingerly.

“Yeah.” Complete and utter rejection.

“Well, alright then. C'mon, the others are waiting!” Basil said, immediately regaining his energy. The gap between his appearance and his general energy almost made Sunny break into a fit of giggles.

Sunny effortlessly dragged the suitcase behind him. As they moved through town, a cycle of people greeting him cheerfully, and then noticing the small sovereign nation he was dragging behind him took place.

He finally made his way to Basil’s house, without seeing any of the gang on the way, which made him feel slightly miffed, but he carried on. 

Now came the task of trying to fit the suitcase through the door. Hmmm… Oh right!

“Basil, I think we can fit this in through the kitchen window.” Sunny said, completely poker faced.

Basil blinked. Once, then twice. “What do you even have in there?” He couldn't stop the question from escaping. 

“Stuff.” Complete and utter rejection, part two. 

Basil once again blinked slowly, and then sighed. “Yeah, sure. You haven't changed a bit, have you?”

“Nope!” And then he tossed the suitcase through the window. It flew through the air, not hitting anything, and performed a perfect triple pirouette upon landing. 10 out of 10.

“...I can't even be mad at that, that was super smooth. Come on in!” Basil said. Sunny walked into the house (not through the window) and noticed that the plants seemed to have taken over. Everything was in full bloom, which was odd, since it was November. 

The room looked so beautiful that he didn't realise that there was someone lying on the couch for a few seconds. To the surprise of absolutely no one, it was Kim. She was completely passed out and snoring. Sunny looked at Basil suspiciously.

“You know that you're not old enough to do that kind of stuff yet, right?” He said, not a trace of sarcasm in his voice. 

Basil looked supremely unamused. “I am aware of that fact, Sunny.” 

…He was making this too easy for Sunny.

“Oh right, I forgot that you liked men.” He said, off-handedly. It was so casual that Basil didn't notice what he'd said for a few moments.

“...Wait a minute-” His two brain cells rubbed together and…

“Alright, let me unpack my stuff!” And Sunny immediately pulled them apart. Basil decided to let that slide for now.

Sunny entered what was formerly Basil's grandmother's room. It looked about the same, but it was empty of life. It was perfectly clean, but seemed to be missing something. 

That's when it hit Sunny. It was the only room in the house with no plants. 

…Well, that's about the quadrillionth foreboding thing to happen to him. Let's just ignore it, shall we?

Hmm…. Thing… It feels like I'm missing something obvious. Eh, who cares.

He somehow unpacked his suitcase and fit everything he brought along with him perfectly in the room, as if he'd been living there all along.

Basil didn't look surprised in the slightest. Though there was a tinge of sadness in those eyes. 

……

Sunny got up suddenly and gave his friend a hug. Basil was a bit too surprised. 

“Uhh… Sunny, what are you?...” He said, as he became increasingly aware of his latent homosexuality. But he must resist. For the tomboy girlfriend.

“You looked like you needed a hug. So I gave you one.” Sunny said, in an incredibly Sunny-like way.

Sunny pulled away, and at least one of Basil’s brain cells despaired. 

Sunny then pulled out a tiny side bag from the closet. It contained the camera Basil had gifted him and… a potted white tulip?

The bag had been kept inside of the suitcase the entire time, so even I, the omniscient narrator, don't know how he managed that.

Moving on, Sunny placed the tulip on the nightstand. After doing this, he once again reached into his bag and pulled out another potted plant. A White Egret Orchid. 

I love those things. They’re like a convenient little door into what you’re not supposed to see. 

He placed it next to the white tulip. 

‘Tomorrow.’ He would need to gather his courage first. 

Then, Sunny pulled out something else from the bag. Something that definitely should not fit in there. A gift wrapped baseball bat, with optional spikes. 

To Aubrey, from Sunny. 

Thank you for shining a light on my life.

It's so sweet I could almost yarf. Anyways, after thoroughly caressing the package, he took it with him and got up. 

Basil had been watching this the entire time, and had only questioned the physics of this until the second plant.

“Huh, you've taken real nice care of those.” Basil said, further inspecting the two flowers. They did indeed blend in with the rest of the greenery in his house, which was an achievement in and of itself.

“So, what now? Kel and Aubrey aren't coming until later, right?” Sunny asked, a little proud of Basil’s approval of his flowers.

“Hmmm…. We could spend some time at the hangout spot.” Basil suggested.

Sunny considered it, considered it some more, and… “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

Basil smiled. “Alright, let's head over now. We've cleaned it up a lot since you were last here.” 

“I look forward to seeing it.” Sunny said, already walking towards the door.

Sunny and Basil left the room, and made their way down the hall. The wild shrubbery made this difficult, and Basil tended to hiss at Sunny whenever he stepped on a plant.

In the living room, there was a severe lack of Kim on the couch. It seems that she had left while Basil and Sunny were talking. I hope this has no implications.

They walked out, enjoying the fresh smell of the 17 bags of fertiliser in Basil's yard. 

As they made their way down the road, he saw Kim’s mother walking towards her house. She was carrying a bag full of garden shears of different shapes and sizes. They were falling out of her bag one by one, like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs.

She waved at them, “Hey, Sunny! It's nice to see you after all this while. You sure have grown into a handsome young man.” 

Sunny nodded awkwardly as he figured out the best way to tell her about the trail of shears. 

Basil spoke up. “Ma'am, the shears are falling out of your bag.” 

She gasped audibly and stared at the line of shears. She looked at Sunny with a pained smile. “Could you be a dear and help me pick them up?”

Sunny nodded. “Sure.”

Basil let out a sigh that lasted for at least a minute.

After god knows how long, Sunny had collected all the shears, holding them very far from his eyes (just to be safe) and gave them back to Kim’s mom.

Sunny waved vaguely as he and Basil finally continued down the street.

“You're a bit of an urban legend around here, you know?” Basil spoke up.

“I am?” Sunny said, bemused.

“Yeah, you ran around town for three days, doing everyone's chores. Of course this town loves you.”

Aww, it's so sweet I could- Never mind, actually, I'll let him have this one.

They continued down the street, people stopping to greet them, especially Sunny. He recognised the kids that he'd tutored, to some success. 

He felt a sort of warm feeling in chest, and an ache in his arm from carrying around that wrapped bat for so long.

The park was finally in sight, just a few more steps and…..!

And then, he was hit by an orange gorilla.

Chapter Text

 Hmm… Something feels wrong. It's as if three months have passed since we last met. 

That must be impossible, since it's only been about one second since I saw you last. 

Ah well, no point in thinking too hard. Where was I?

Ah yes.

___________

Sunny lost his footing and skid across the pavement as something hit him with the force of a truck from an isekai manga.

Sunny will not succumb.

Sunny gets up off the pavement, somehow, the bat is undamaged. He sighs in relief. He the looks up and sees KELSEY FUCKING RODRIGUEZ standing in front of him, fists on hips, with the most oblivious grin to ever exist. 

The strain of not succumbing faded, and Sunny felt really thirsty all of a sudden. I wonder what that’s about. As the old saying goes, let’s not worry about that.

Sunny rose to his feet, albeit shakily. He hit Kel with a STARE for a solid two minutes and then picked up the bat and inspected it. Thankfully, there wasn’t even a scratch on it, and since the spikes hadn’t been put into the bat yet, his internals were alright. Mostly. Sunny shuddered at the possibility of Kel gaining powers for a moment.

Rushing towards him was a short blond vaguely european twink dressed in what was a single blazer away from office attire. The only strange thing about his outfit was the crown made of thorny roses nestled in his hair, but everyone is used to it by this point. In a small town like Faraway, that’s actually pretty impressive.

Anyways, The twink, who is named Basil, fretted over Sunny, apparently forgetting that he was nearly Invinci-.... Actually, I won’t risk a title card. He was almost indestructible , in that one nuke wouldn’t kill him, but two probably would.

The aforementioned nuke stood there, completely unfazed. He pointed at Basil and said, “Your next line is, ‘Kel, are you insane!?’, and the answer to that is probably!” He then pulled out a can of Orange Joe from his jacket (also Orange Joe merchandise), cracked it open and began drinking it.

Basil said, “Kel, are you insane!?”, and then realised that he had fallen for it. “Damn it.”

Sunny chuckled at that, or at least he attempted to, as his throat was as dry as the Sahara at the moment. He didn’t notice that all the exhaustion was now gone from his body either. Before saying anything, he bought a grape soda from the vending machine and gulped down the sweet, diabetes-inducing liquid.

Sunny recovered 360 JUICE.

Sunny then considered whether or not it was worth chewing out Kel. He considered this for a few moments, with an expression of pure focus on his face.

“Uhh, Sunny? Are you okay?” Basil asked, as ‘straight’ as ever. Sunny raised a finger to silence him, still deep in thought.

He had come to a decision. He gently rested his hand on Kel’s shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. He wasn’t as bombastic, so it was hard to notice, but really was Kel’s height. “Hey, Kel.”

Sunny used Vertigo!

As Kel doubled over coughing, Sunny felt an intense feeling of inner peace wash over him. Yes… how wonderful it is to be a true hater. “Get dunked on, Elemayo.” As it was a different, older time, no one commented on him saying lmao like that.

It won’t be until he’s in his thirties when he wakes up in the middle of night, remembering this moment and staring into the ceiling. Well, if he lives until thirty. Wink, wink. Or maybe not, I really don’t know.

Kel immediately bounced back up. “Well, we're even now. Nice bat. Is that short demon corrupting you?”

“Nah, it's a gift for Aubrey.” Sunny said, less emo than usual. It's so sweet that I could yarf. Alright, I'll stop with that joke now.

“Aww, no gifts for the rest of us? Aren't you loaded?” Kel then paused for a moment, and looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped. 

“Basil's even richer than me. Go ask him" Sunny said. 

Kel sighed. “Damn it, I was completely right in my prediction of what you were going to say! Can't believe I missed my chance…” Kel looked genuinely disappointed that he didn't get to “pull a Joseph”, per se.

“If you're here, I assume Aubrey's here too?” Basil asked.

“Her and the Hooligang are at the hangout spot watching Mikha- I mean The Maverick practicing his special moves or whatever.” Kel said, disinterested.

Sunny, the one who actually practiced his special moves, snickered. Well, at least he could back it up. 

Basil suddenly looked less sure about going to the hangout spot. And a little bit excited. Wait… did he like being bullied by Kim? Well, some men die of thirst and some drown.

Shuddering and trying not to think about it, Sunny nodded. “Yeah, I don't wanna carry this thing around for that much longer.” Sunny gestured to the bat he was carrying. 

Kel shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Or maybe I can carry it.” Wow, he really didn’t want to see the Hooligans, huh?

“Nah.” Sunny said, already beginning to drag Kel towards the playground by the collar of his jacket. 

“Awwww, man…” Kel said, with the wavy letters from the original game. You know what I’m talking about, right? Kel yanked himself out of Sunny’s grip and began walking into the park, albeit slowly, like a child on the way to a dentist.

The playground itself was far more lively than he saw it last. The town as well, seems to have developed far more now that the road construction had magically ended. I wonder what factor may have been boosting this small town's economy so much? 

Well, look forward to the answer in about 17 chapters! 

I'm not even joking about that, by the way. That bit is something I explicitly know. 

Anyways, the eastern parts of Faraway, which could only be accessed earlier using a mysterious item called “Pizza delivery portal”, are now connected to the main town again. It turns out that there’s quite a few shops there as well, making the town as a whole more desirable to live in.

As this happened just after Sunny moved out, he wondered if he had brought bad fortune upon the town while he was there and if the curse lifted when he left. Well, it’s good that he doesn’t believe in that stuff.

Anyways, Sunny and half of the gang walked through the park. “This place looks way nicer than I last saw it.” 

“Yeah, the whole town seems to have gotten better after you left.” Basil pauses, realising what he said. Sunny STARED at Basil skeptically. “N-not like that! I meant that all the road construction is finally over and the plaza’s been updated and stuff.”

Sunny didn’t look too convinced, but Kel didn’t seem to care. “I wonder why all this stuff is happening all at once. Maybe the Darkness Heir leaving really did lift the “Curse of Faraway Town.”

Sunny wrinkled his nose in disgust. “That sounds like something The Maverick would say.”

“But I said it sarcastically, so I’m alright.” Kel waved it off, truly impervious to Sunny’s… Un-sunnyness. Shadiness?

“My parents have been taking more of an interest in me lately, but I don't think it’s them. They would just ship me to a richer place than improve the town.” Said Basil, grand ruiner of moods.

They walked in silence for about 3 seconds before Kel’s brain refreshed from the lack of stimulation. “So, what’ve you been doing in the big city?”

“Well, mostly just studying for tests and stuff. I wish that I could use OBSERVE without Omori guilt-tripping me for the rest of the week.” Sunny said, internally glaring at the short monochrome boy inside his head. He pouted and blew a raspberry. Just to remind you, he’s had the emotional intelligence of a 16-year old since Sunny got his powers. “Huh, they even cleaned up the entrance to the lake.” 

All the thorn bushes and other miscellaneous blocks in the road were gone and a rough path had indeed been created, but people still seemed to avoid it, most likely because of its reputation as a hangout spot for the Hooligans.

They walked into the clearing, definitely preferring that to the previous stumbling and stabbing themselves on thorns. Inside, It was…

Way better!

The statue of the Gate had been cleaned up and the cracks in it had been repaired, the clearing itself had been cleaned up, now no longer in a state of overgrowth. The pinwheels in the corner were still there, most likely replaced by Aubrey. The lake now looked as clean as he remembered it as a child.

Aubrey, Charlene, Kim, and Vance were sitting on the blue picnic cloth beside the lake, talking to each other or watching Angel and Mikhael- Sorry, The Maverick practicing their special attacks or whatever.

Kel burst into the clearing ahead of Sunny and Basil. He glided in, and then fell on his face, causing Sunny to realise that he was wearing Heelies. How incredibly Kel-like. 

The greatest reaction this had from the Hooligans was from Kim, who pointed and laughed at him. Looks like they had gotten used to his shenanigans during the past year. They only really seemed to react when Sunny and Basil walked into the peaceful lakeside spot. 

Kim’s eyes lit up for a second, before blushing and doing her best to act nonchalant. “H-Hey, Nerds.” 

Basil smiled blankly and waved. Sunny thought he resembled a bunny. “Hello, Kim.” Kim continued to do her best to appear nonchalant.

Aubrey too, must have been informed of Sunny’s arrival, as she was sitting in a regal position looking towards the soft sunlight, her bright pink hair casting lines of shadow. She was wearing the four-leaf clover style with the pink and blue ribbons as per usual, and for once, she was wearing full jeans, which is only fair given that it’s November. 

This entire horny rant of a 17 year old summarised? She looked hot. 

Her air of divine beauty was immediately ruined as she stopped to admire the bat in Sunny’s hand. “Hey, Sunbun. Nice to see you.” She pointed at the bat. “What’s with that? I can’t have you cramping my style, you know. Unless they were matching.” 

Kel sputtered. “ Cough- I’m sorry, SUNBUN!? ” As per usual, nobody paid him any mind. 

“Oh, It’s a gift for you. Your old one’s coming apart, right?” Sunny calmly breezed past the nickname. “Isn’t that right, Auby? ”

“ AUBY!?!?!?!?? No, we are NOT going to be ignoring this.” Kel gestured at Basil, who had already calmly sat down next to Kim. He may be the only sane member of the friend group, if I’m being honest.

This time, the nickname hit right in the HEART.  “O-Oh, thanks…” She blushed. Man, who is writing this cheesy ass script? Ah well, as long as I get paid. Oh, wait.

Sunny walks up to Aubrey and hands her the bat. She looks it over, admiring the general quality of the build. “This is really nice. Where did you get this?”

It was Sunny’s turn to appear nonchalant, successfully(?). “My Dad’s stupid rich and knows a lot about this stuff, so I got you the best money could buy.”

Aubrey, the girl who had been raised in an incredibly poor household, was not sure how to respond to such a… generous gift. “Oh, I couldn’t-”

Sunny was not having the humble bullshit. “No. Bad Aubrey. Keep it. It’s a gift. A gift .” He crossed his arms like a disappointed father. Knowing Aubrey’s daddy issues, she probably liked that.

“Th- Thanks…” She tucked her hair behind her ear, just like Sunny knew she did when she was flustered.

“......BAD???!?!? AUBREY?!?!?!?!? WHAT!? Aw hell no, I’m leaving before this kills me. Bye guys, I’ll see you whenever the radiation levels are safe.” Kel, finally having enough, shakes his head and leaves. 

Mikh- The Maverick, too, seems to have had enough. “Fie! Foul Darkness Heir! How dare you reprimand our Lady of Roses and put her under your spell!” He strikes a pose. “I, The Maverick, shall not let this go unpunished! Angel, Vance, Kim, Charlene! Surround him!” 

Sunny was sure that Kim and Vance would just pelt him with stale candy, but they actually got up. 

“Y’know, Knife guy, I’ve been itching for a rematch ever since you pepper sprayed us!” Kim said, getting in a fighting stance. 

Hmm?

“Yeah. I wasn’t able to see right for weeks. I accidentally ate a piece of Banana flavoured taffy. You’ve got to pay for that.” Said the hulking Vance.

Hmm?

“I’ve improved my skills since our last fight, strange Knife.. Man?” Said Angel, realising how much Sunny had grown since their last fight. He shot a glance at The Maverick, who nodded. He clenched his jaw and got in a fighting stance. Admittedly, it was far better than last time.

Huh!?

Charlene continued to sit calmly, just staring at the rest of them. “I thought we stopped beating people up.”

“This is different!” He struck another pose. “This is justice!” And another. “This… is… The… Maverick!!” Said The Maverick, striking a different pose with each word. 

“Us too.” Vance chimed in.

Sunny looked to Aubrey and Basil for help. “Aubrey?”

“Nah, this is entertaining. Stomp these nerds!” Said Aubrey, unhelpfully.

“You’ve got it, Sunny!” Said Basil, equally as unhelpful.

Sigh……

Sunny cracked his knuckles. What a pain in the ass. 

And then they all attacked at once.

What will Sunny do?

Chapter Text

What will Sunny do?

That thought flashed through Sunny’s mind as he felt the familiar sensation of his senses expanding as everything seemed to slow down. He was currently being attacked by Angel, Vance, Kim and… The Maverick… at once as Basil and Aubrey watched unhelpfully from the sidelines. 

He briefly considered what had led him to this moment. Was it fighting them all separately, pepper spraying them, and then entering their houses with no prior declaration? Nah, that couldn’t have been it. Sunny then briefly considered whether he should actually fight them.

Then he remembered that his girlfriend was watching, and decided not only to fight, but also style on them without them realising it. Sunny cracked his knuckles and prepared to humiliate… The Maverick… . And also the rest of them, but mostly The Maverick.

Ah, here we go. A fighting scene. Looks like I’ll have to actually try with the narration now.

Sunny mentally ranked the attacking Hooligans by the threat he sensed emanating from each of them.  The list went from The Maverick, Kim, Vance, and surprisingly, the most “dangerous” one was Angel. 

Sunny realised that the small demon was already swinging a kick directly at his face. It was moving at him fast, even by Sunny’s standards, so he quickly dodged backwards. 

Unfortunately, that had just brought him closer to Kim, who was rushing at him headfirst. He deflected the headbutt, but it packed a surprising amount of force. 

Kim used Headbutt! Sunny lost 45 HEART.

Next was Vance. For such a big guy, he sure could move sneakily. He had somehow gotten behind Sunny as he clutched his wrist and was swinging a dangerously large bag of stale candy at him. 

I mean, Banana Taffy is horrendous, but that’s a bit overkill, isn’t it? 

Sunny ducked under the large swing, once again aimed at his face, mind you, and slid close to Vance. He tripped Vance, causing the momentum of the candy bag to make him skid across the ground. 

Vance lost 145 HEART!

One down.

Aubrey and Basil cheered from the sidelines, completely content in watching him struggle to beat these nerds without killing them. Charlene was taking the smart option and simply not interacting with the fight. Kim looked surprised for a second at Vance eating dirt before remembering that he had once fallen off a four storey building without taking any damage. 

Sunny used this chance to dart past her, drawing on his supernatural speed for a second. He nearly teleported to Angel, “softly” punching him in the stomach, and darting away again toward a safe spot. 

“Let’s go, Sunny! Beat their asses!” Aubrey cheered, calmly looking at him. He shot a deadpan (non magical) stare at her, while Angel coughed and heaved for breath. 

Sunny used Calm Down! Sunny regained 45 HEART!

Was he forgetting something? 

No, this might be the only chance he gets to take them out in one swoop.

Alright, time to end this. 

Sunny used Vertig-

For some reason, Sunny felt a chill up his spine at that very moment, and fumbled while using Vertigo. 

“I, The Maverick, shall take you down!” He heard from his right, and reflexively looked in his direction. For just a second, their eyes met.

The Maverick used Glare! All of Sunny’s stats were reduced! Sunny cannot feel AFRAID!

Ah, The Maverick. Sunny thought that he emitted the least amount of danger because he was incompetent. Who knew he was using a support skill! Damn you, The Maverick!

This gave Angel enough time to make his way to him again, and aim a kick on his side. Sunny twisted his body, but it still connected, briefly knocking the air out of him.

Angel used ☆Dark~Angel~Kick☆! It hit right in the HEART! Sunny lost 200 HEART!

“Take this, you piece of shit!” Angel yelled as his foot slammed into Sunny. Looks like he picked up a few bad words from Aubrey and Kim.

 Vance, who Sunny had successfully taken down, had thrown the bag of candy to Kim. Being as small as she was, she caught it with a grunt, and nearly lost her footing.

“That could've killed me!” Kim yelled, shaking her fist at Vance.

“Give him one big swing from it! Avenge me!” Vance yelled back, considerably less loudly.

Sunny jumped away from Kim and Angel clutching his side. That… hurt a surprising amount. Let’s see… First, let’s get rid of The Maverick. 

Sunny summoned his power for a second and bolted at The Maverick before he could react and lashed out, slapping his wig off his head, making it fly in an arc… that ended right in the lake. Aubrey and Basil cheered especially loudly at that.

“Nice shot, Sunny!” Said Basil, far too enthusiastically.

“Woo! Nice one, Sunbun!” Aubrey cheered, again too enthusiastically. 

Even Charlene, who had remained silent this entire time, spoke up. “N-Nice one..."

Vance gave Sunny a thumbs up from the ground and Kim grinned and stopped to laugh at him. The only one who seemed to feel any concern for The Maverick was Angel, who paused and let out a cry of “Master!”

Sunny looked at the defeated (The) Maverick, who had reverted to Mikhael now his wig was off. “Man… They all… really…” ‘Hate you…’ Sunny chose not to utter that last bit out loud to save some part of his pride.

“Grrh… Foul evil being! I, The Maverick, will not forget this!” He said, covering his hair with his arms and jumping into the lake to retrieve his precious wig. 

Another one down.

Angel became Angry!

“Kim! Let’s take him down! One last attack! Throw the bag at me!” Angel yelled, absolutely fuming. Sunny found this slightly amusing.

Kim looked confused for a second, and then shrugged. “Here ya go!” Putting all of her 107 pounds into the throw, She threw the massive bag of stale candy right at Angel. This confused Sunny greatly. So much so, that he dropped his guard for a second. 

‘Am I going to watch a kid die?’ Sunny thought for a second. ‘Oh, wait.’ He bolted towards Angel, prepared to push him out of the way of the candy Meteorite. However, in his rage, and given that Sunny was holding back his speed to not run him over, he managed to kick the candy meteor towards him. 

It was now moving far faster than before, and he was heading towards a head-on collision. He couldn’t avoid it now. He couldn’t reveal his powers, either. Could he? 

No, he didn’t trust Angel or Mikhael not to spill the secret.

It was almost at his face. He had to think of something quick before everyone watched his face crumpling and reinflating. 

Hmmmm… That could certainly work. 

Sunny held his hand up, as if he was going to catch the bag, but just before it impacted and shattered his wrist, the veins at the very surface of his skin exploded and immediately healed. Only three droplets of blood escaped, but that was more than enough. The droplets expanded in midair, elongated and…

Sunny used Throwing Knife!

The three droplets turned into a medium sized jet black knife in midair, sliced the candy bag in half, and then disintegrated before coming out the other side. A perfect manoeuvre, even by my standards. If only he could use his powers with this finesse the whole time.

Stale candy bombarded Angel and Kim, taking them down.

Finally, all of them were down. Sunny gained no XP, however. Sad.

Aubrey and Basil cheered unhelpfully. Sunny lifted his skinny(?) fists like antennas to heaven in celebration. 

He heard a splash from the lake. Mikhael, now once again The Maverick after having retrieved his wig, slowly walked out of the lake. He walked over to Sunny in a way he may have thought was menacing. He stopped in front of him and surprisingly, he bowed to him and held out his hand in a handshake.  

“As much as it pains me to say so, I must admit my loss. You may continue with your courting of our bos-” He was cut off as Aubrey threw a handful of dirt at him. 

“As if I ever needed your permission, jackass!” She said, finally getting up. She was now carrying the new bat Sunny had got her as if she had been using it for years. She went over to him and nudged him. “Nice. You won, and ‘ totally fairly’ too.”

Sunny flashed back to something odd that happened in the middle of the fight. “Hey, that weird Glare thing you were doing actually caught me off guard. I might have won way earlier if you didn’t do that.”

“Ah, so you wish to know my secrets, fellow warrior? First, thy shall have to complete three quests to prove your worth-” The Maverick began.

Sunny suddenly remembered a sticky note he had seen in The Maverick’s room. “Oh, nevermind. I think I’ve figured it out.”

“Hey, wait! I was just kidding!” Said Mikhael. Definitely Mikhael.

Sunny’s SKILL Stare has evolved to Glare!

• Glare: Costs 75 JUICE.

Greatly reduce an enemy’s stats and make them Afraid .

Basil followed suit and went over to Kim to make sure she wasn’t too hurt. Simp. Kim attempted to help Vance up and eventually gave up, letting him lie in the dirt for a while. 

Meanwhile, Charlene contentedly watched from the picnic blanket.

The Maverick checked up on Angel, but Angel seemed to be more worried about him. “Master! I am sorry for losing this battle, against an opponent of that calibre, no less!” He bowed down extremely low in apology. 

“Hey!” Sunny said, not expecting to catch a stray. 

“It is alright, my pupil. The opponent was far more fearsome than we could have predicted. Failure only builds strength.” The Maverick said, seeming genuinely sincere. It was odd to see him this… responsible? 

Though he had gotten used to Kel being responsible, so anything was possible.

Wow, the fight’s already over. I guess I can be lazy in my narration again.

“So… Now what?” Said Sunny, very fairly. He did just go over to Aubrey to hand her the gift and really had no plans after that. Aubrey considered the question for a second. And another.  And- Wow, how come they didn’t plan the first day of Sunny’s visit?

Is this a hole in the plot or just them being stupid? Well, I’ll choose the latter.

Basil was now comfortable that Kim was okay and that he had embarrassed her enough, evident due to her somewhat uncharacteristic blush. Well, he’d already seen it earlier today, so maybe it was becoming characteristic.

He heard Sunny’s question, and formulated an answer faster than Aubrey. “They’ve improved the Hobeez we have around here. Let’s go check it out together, I’ll get Kel too.”

Sunny found this a fair suggestion, but Aubrey felt absolutely flabbergasted as to how Basil was being a better girlfriend than her. Well, she shouldn't be surprised, given she’s seen Kim and Basil's relationship develop and seen who fulfills what role in that relationship.

“Well, I believe we shall take our leave as well. I bid thee adieu, fellow warrior. Said Mikhael, who was waiting for a correct time to leave, which was fair, as he was dripping wet from head to toe in mid-November. “Come, my pupil. I believe my parents and wretched siblings are not home!” He said, before running off in an undignified manner.

“Hah! Loser.” Said Kim, having completely recovered from Basil’s attack of embarrassment. “I guess I’ll head out too. That bit- Mom’s making us come over to her place so that she can introduce us to her girlfriend or something. See you.”

Vance grumbled a bit at being forced to get up from his comfortable spot on the ground, but he got up. “See ya.” He said gruffly, following his sister out of the hangout spot.

“Huh. So uhh… Let’s go?", said Aubrey, after realising that the hangout spot was now almost empty. 

“Yeah, let’s go get Kel first.” Basil said, earning a groan of disapproval from Aubrey. “Charlene, are you also leaving?”

“No, I think I’ll stay here a bit longer.” Charlene said, as soft-spoken as ever. 

“Alright, that’s about it. Let’s go.” Said Aubrey, holding her new bat over her shoulder, most likely just to seem cool in front of Sunny. It was working, but that’s his fault. Together, they headed out of the Hangout spot, and realised just how much time they’d spent messing around. It was already late afternoon.

“Huh. Better hurry up then.” Said Sunny, and the others nodded in approval and set off to Kel (and Henry [is it Hero?])’s house. 

The town itself seemed to be far more lively than it was in the morning, with unknown faces walking the streets. 

For some reason, the town felt just as sleepy and safe as ever, even with the extra people he saw here and there. More decoration? Was that rude to think?

They made it to the Rodriguez family's house, and Hector greeted Sunny on the front porch by jumping on him.

Basil knocked on the front door of the house, finding that it was unlocked.

The inside of that house was far, far more alive than the rest of the town. Kel's mother was playing with Sally in the living room. It now seemed that she could walk.

“Oh hello, Sunny! It’s been so long since I last saw you! You really have… grown a lot!” said Mrs. Rodriguez said, as if it was unsure if this was a good or bad thing. “You and Kelsey, I swear to God, It’s like they put you in stretchers whenever I'm not looking at you! Do you know, all the clothes we bought in just last year don’t fit him anymore. It’s madness!” She said all this while absentmindedly playing with Sally and making sure she didn’t fall on her face. What a pro. 

“Oh, we’re just here looking for Kel.” said Basil, expertly diverting the rant that would surely have lasted for hours unchecked. 

“Oh, He’s in his room. Tell him to wash the dishes when you see him.” And then she turned her attention back to Sally, who was staring at Sunny. Children do see more than adults, but this one didn’t seem to be scared of Sunny like others. She must’ve gotten Kel’s genes. 

Sunny bent down to pinch Sally’s cheeks and give her a piece of candy from his POCKET before heading up to Kel’s room with Aubrey and Basil. 

When they were in front of it, Aubrey kicked open the door to the room and said. “Hey, Loser! We’re going to Hobbeez. You coming with?” 

The room itself was far tidier than before, and seemed to have been kept in this state by kel himself. Kel seemed to be meditating on his bed while listening to his mixtape. Upon hearing Aubrey’s words, he instantly turned off his boombox and got up. 

“Yeah, sure. If you two aren’t going to be gross and PDA the whole time.” Kel said.

“Haven’t you hung around Kim and Basil for the past year?” said Sunny, asking what he thought was a pretty fair question.

“You see, It’s less gross since they’re all romantic and do this stuff in a moonlit meadow or something, far away from me. Your next line is ‘We do not do that kind of stuff in public!’ and the answer to that is yes, you do!” Said Kel, squeezing out the last bit extremely fast.

“We do not do that kind of stuff in public! Damn you!” Aubrey kicked Kel in the shins, but it was meaningless. 

“Anyways, yeah, I’m coming with. They’ve got so much cool stuff there now. I’d really have to be stupid to miss it.” He continued, earning a scoff from Aubrey. 

“Oh… Alright? Let’s go then!” Said poor Basil, who had been trying to stay out of Kel and Aubrey’s argument and had still been lambasted.

“Onwards!” Kel ran across his room, jumped out of his window and did a flip midair, and landed softly on his feet. All while over 6 feet tall. “You guys sure are slow.” He yelled from the front porch.

Sunny sighed. Yeah, he really had missed this. 

November 18th, 199X. 2:30 PM

Chapter Text

November 18th, 199X. 2:32 PM

After stopping to comprehend Kel’s ridiculous shenanigans, the rest of the Gang™ descended to the Rodriguez family’s front porch normally, as they weren’t spider monkeys. 

By the time they got down, Kel was playing with Hector. He had glued a fake beard to his face and was hunching over. He slowly turned to the rest of them and said, in a terrible old man voice, “Oh, I was… wondering when you all would get down here. It’s been… so long that I-” 

Aubrey interrupted him by slapping the beard off his face. “Get up, you giant dork.” Kel immediately dropped the bit. The beard seemed to have disappeared after Aubrey slapped it off. He got up with his fists on his hips, and a giant grin on his face as if nothing had happened. This caused Aubrey to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

I wonder what actually goes on behind those eyes. Does he just make these up on the spot?

Sunny, the person who’s POV this chapter is supposed to be from, finally says something. “Basil, I think we should just go. They’ll catch up.” Hearing this, Aubrey dropped the issue and said, “Yeah, let’s go.” 

Kel hit a five second victory dance, knowing that he had won, and then decided to join them. Classic Kel.

They set off down the road to Faraway plaza West, formerly Faraway Plaza. The connection of the two sides of the town had stripped the two separate plaza of the title of the one and only, as well as the capital P in plaza.

The kid that Sunny had tutored with his math homework was heading back home, incredibly early for some reason. He spotted Sunny and waved at him.

Hmmm... This has nothing to do with this story, it just made me think about how satisfying it would be to punt an annoying toddler at a restaurant into the register. 

Wait, where was I? Oh right.

Sunny and the Gang™  walked down the oddly quiet path to their destination. They didn't really question why the streets were empty in particular, but noticed it in the back of their minds. 

As they passed by the park, Kel bought another can of Orange Joe from the vending machine, and slipped it inside his jacket instead of drinking it right away. 

It also seemed like they had restocked the vending machine with non-expired Orange Joe.

They made their way to the Plaza, which had certainly been significantly improved since he last saw it. 

While Othermart didn't look significantly different, the other shops seemed to have gotten better from all the revenue from the new customers.

All the trash around Fix-it was gone, and the long-suffering sign had finally been replaced. The Hobbeez now resembled the one he had back in Nearby.

Gino's.

The Orange Juice guy was still enthusiastically waxing poetic about the benefits of orange juice, though to a larger audience now.

Gino's.

“Huh. This place never looked that nice when I was here.” Sunny said, looking around. He tapped Kel on the shoulder. “Maybe I did put a curse on this town after all.”

Basil chuckled a bit and then looked guilty. Kel chuckled and did not look guilty.

Aubrey just calmly continued walking towards Hobbeez, forcing the rest of them to follow her into the store. 

The store itself was… Bigger? Huh? How was that even possible? 

Oh wait… Did they somehow bend the Hobbeez around the pharmacy? 

Looking at the shape of the store, that seemed likely. Good Lord.

Anyways, The group of friends entered the store, which was far more lively than he had seen it last.

“Oh right, I forgot that the new issue of Spaceboy came out today. Sorry Sunny, be right back.” Kel made a beeline for the comics. Even more surprisingly, Basil followed right behind him. Rude.

Sunny looked at Aubrey for an explanation. “They have some stupid bet involving Spaceboy.” Sunny nodded. Both Kel and Basil were rather fierce when it came to a bet.

 “Anyways…” Aubrey gestured around. “Nice, right? All the nerds from the far side of town come here too, since they don't have a shop for nerds.” She said, pissing off a few nerds around them, before they realised that she was right and went back to whatever they were doing.

All of a sudden, a kid with a ridiculous pompadour haircut appeared before him. Sunny thought for a second that it could have been Angel, but he was older.

He pointed at Sunny and declared loudly. “Are you the Pet Rock champion of Faraway?” Sunny thought for a second and remembered that he did indeed gain such a title back in those three days.

“I have defeated all the reigning champions of this town. The only thing left is to defeat you! I challenge you to a clash!” said The boy with a strange haircut.

Aubrey looked supremely unamused. “Sunny, you aren't going to- Yeah, that's about what I expected.” She said, watching Sunny already pulling out his pet rock. She muttered something about men and walked off towards the other two dumbasses.

They clashed. The boy’s pet rock, Unbreakable Diamond Jash, had about… 25 hearts. Sunny cracked his knuckles. Nothing he couldn't handle. 

After a long one sided fight, Sunny emerged victorious, without losing even a single heart.

The boy was utterly defeated. Sunny found his gloominess to be cramping on his style, so he gave the boy the hat he had won from the Othermart fish lady to the boy.

“Take it, I don't need it now.” Sunny said, handing it to him.

“But… I lost…. Why would you…” The boy said.

“You are worthy of the title. Also, I live in Nearby now.”

The boy tearfully took the cap, bowed to him, and ran off to wherever.

Hmm. Being nice was hard work. Where's Aubrey again? He looked around the store, scanning for her incredibly obvious pink hair and-.

Oh wow. Sitting alone in a display, was a single copy of an incredibly popular game that was always sold out in the Hobbeez back in Nearby.

It was Super Spaceboy: The Pillar of Life for the Sega Dreamcast. It was about Captain Spaceboy getting thrown back in time and having to ascend up the layers of the Pillar of Life to return to his correct place in time.

It was apparently a love letter to the fans of the series, with each layer being a different era of Spaceboy. People loved the game, and loved to spoil the game, but Sunny had miraculously avoided spoilers.

Sheesh. $49.99. Ah well, it was the last one, so better take it before someone else does. He took it and went over to the register. Pedro looked over the game. 

“Oh, these are selling out like hotcakes. I decided to play it myself and I can see why people love it this much. I've got to say, the reveal about the Layer was crazy who would've thought-”

“LALALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!” Sunny said, putting his fingers in his ears and using a sneaky Red Hand to slide a 50 dollar bill on the counter from his wallet.

“Oh right, spoilers. Anyways, enjoy.” He took the note and handed him back a single penny, and the game. 

“Thank you.” Sunny slipped the game into his POCKET and somehow immediately dropped the penny. He bent over to pick it up.

‘The reveal about the Layers.’ Damn it, now he'd be thinking about it until he finished the game!

…Wait, that reminded him of something.

Well, in those months he had spent honing his abilities and getting good at school, he had also learnt a lot about how the universe worked.

More accurately, he had badgered The Keymaster into giving him an explanation about how exactly it all worked.

Oh God, a universe system this late into the story?

From what The Keymaster had told him, there were only about six “main layers” to the universe. These were the same plane, but with different frequencies. 

If he remembered correctly, the order of layers from top to bottom was, 

• Reality (The part that he lived in.)

• The Reverse (A mirrored world where shared fears, Mind Parasites he called them, such as Arachnophobia lived.)

• The Hall of Doors (The place that contained all living minds and some other common concepts.)

• The Hall of the Fallen (An incredibly large expansion of the Hall of Doors where the doors of all deceased beings were stored.)

• Chaos (A sort of churning foam of creation with no fixed frequency, as well as the only layer to have its own consciousness.)

• Hell (The Keymaster didn't give much away about this layer other than the fact that horrible things lived there.)

Every living being too, had a “frequency” to their soul. This was usually at least mildly attuned to the layer they were created in. 

A creature becomes weaker the further it strays from its home layer. That's why jumping clearly separate layers takes a lot of energy, and as you go higher and higher up, it takes more and more energy.

Something like the Greater Hall of Doors, which contains three layers is easy to hop between as it is bound to the frequency of one being, The Keymaster.

The creatures born on each layer had some differences about how they were attuned. Because of how high the frequency of reality is, even creatures born there have a hard time staying there.

This is circumvented by occupying a physical body that is completely attuned to Reality. A soul occupies it and resets the frequency of the vessel to a unique one.

This is also why creatures from other layers can't appear in reality without a contract or summon granting it a physical body.

As a creature gets more and more attuned to its layer, it grows more powerful. A being completely attuned to its layer is so powerful, it can be referred to as a God.

This is more rare as you reach higher frequencies, but is more common (though still unimaginably rare) in lower energy areas, such as Hell.

Though there are certain exceptions, such as The Keymaster, and the original form of Omori. The entire layer of Chaos too, is such an entity.

The attunement of a being is determined by its predetermined power, as well as the stability of its soul. As an empty being with one purpose and near endless power, Omori was born as one of these beings.

Hmm…. Was he forgetting anything? Oh right, there was something about Time, but Sunny was waking up by then. It's probably nothing that important. 

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” 

Oh, what now ? Sunny turned to the source of the noise. It turned out that Kel had won the bet and was now gloating about his victory. Aubrey was giving him a disapproving stare.

Basil has a shadow over his face. He was counting his losses in… Hundred dollar bills!? What exactly was this bet anyways?

Kel pulled out the can of Orange Joe he'd bought earlier and cracked it open. He drank the entire can in one go and crushed it with his hands into a near perfect ball.

He then hit a victory dance for the second time that day. Sunny cracked up a bit at the whole situation. 

Aubrey went to his side upon seeing him. “So… I think you can guess who won the bet.”

All of a second, Kel froze, an expression of pure seriousness washing over his face. He gingerly checked the time and winced.

“Ah nuts. It's getting late. I said I would help Mom with dinner.” He snatched the money from Basil's hands and stuffed it in his wallet. “You guys are coming with me. I need someone to blame.” Said Kel, stating rather than asking them. 

Dinner? Was it really that late? Sunny checked the time on his phone. 

November 18th, 199X. 6:36 PM

Huh. Well, that was a day successfully wasted then. “Uhh… let's go then. I was getting hungry anyways.” Which was true, but it was the kind of hunger you only feel when you think about it.

“Yeah… let's go…” Said Basil, still moping about the giant hole he'd burnt in his admittedly giant pocket.

“Yeah, I haven't eaten all day!” Said Aubrey, deciding to share this fact with the rest of them for absolutely no reason. 

They walked out of the Hobbeez, having either lost something or gained nothing. What fun.

The sun was setting, causing ripples of colour across the sky. Sunny wanted to take a picture, but remembered that he'd left his camera at Basil's house and not in his magical infinite POCKET. How smart of him.

Kel was already speeding away. Sunny looked at him outrunning a car and said, “I think we should go now.” 

“Yeah.” Said Aubrey, walking at a calm pace. How cool and nonchalant.

Hmmm… Sunny wondered what Mrs. Rodriguez was cooking. Well, he'd eat whatever she made anyway.

And so, the Sun set on Sunny's first day back at Faraway.

Six Days before Disaster.

Chapter Text

In the light of the setting Sun, Sunny and his friends (except for Kel, who had already sped off), were strolling down the street towards the Rodriguez household.

Sunny felt rather tired from dealing with the Hooligans earlier in the day and also not eating anything at all the whole day. Having a nice home-cooked meal by Mrs. Rodriguez sounded pretty nice right now.

Aubrey must also have been feeling this pull, as she darted off right after Kel did. Well, at least Sunny got to see her… run(?) away. Sunny decided to pick up the pace as well, leaving the poor flower boy in the dust.

By the time he got to the house, Aubrey and Kel were already helping Mrs. Rodriguez… not set up the dining table. Due to Henry’s (Hero’s?) impending visit tomorrow, Kel and Aubrey were stuck cleaning the house. Sally was nowhere to be seen. Maybe Mrs. Rodriguez was making her clean the upstairs bedroom.

Perhaps because of this, the house itself was spotless and Mrs. Rodriguez herself was going around checking for any missed spots and calling her cleaning robots (ie. Kel and Aubrey) to annihilate it. Kel looked like he was trying to hide his exhaustion at his mother’s fretting. Aubrey was practically drooling at the mouth at the delicious smell wafting through the air.

Sunny would be lying if the aroma didn’t make his stomach grumble too, despite not really even needing to eat at all. 

“Hey! Come and help us!” Aubrey said, spotting him at the door. ‘If you set up the table while she’s not looking, maybe she’ll let us eat.”

Sunny nodded and took a deep breath, reducing his presence to zero. He sneaked into the kitchen and began to set the table, using 100% of his powers to cloak his presence. 

He moved as quickly and silently as he could. Within a minute, he had almost finished setting the table. Mrs. Rodriguez was so absorbed in her fretting that she hadn’t noticed this at all.

*SLAM*

Basil slammed open the door, sweaty and tired. “ Huh - Hey… guys…” Slowpoke. 

Mrs. Rodriguez stopped, understandably and began to fret over the soft flower boy instead. Within a minute or so, Basil was sitting comfortably on the couch, with a cup of tea in his hands. What a professional. She decided to give her work-slaves a break too, with Kel and Aubrey sitting next to Basil. 

This gave Sunny enough time to finish setting up the table. He sneaked out of the house somehow, and came back through the front door as if he had been outside this whole time.

“Hey, guys.” Sunny said as he calmly walked into the house. Kel and Aubrey played along, simply saying “Hey” or “‘Sup, Sunny!”. 

However, Basil, the stupid bunny boy he is, Squinted in confusion and said, “Didn’t you get here before me?”, which led to Aubrey elbowing him in the ribs. “Hey, what? I didn’t-” Which led to Kel elbowing him in the ribs. All in all, it was a bad day to be Basil’s ribcage.

Mrs. Rodriguez invited him inside. “Poor boy, out in the cold for so long. I’m about to serve dinner now.” she said, sweetly. “KEL! SET THE-” She said, less sweetly, before realising that the table was already set. She stared at it for a few seconds, and then decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth. “I’ll serve dinner now. All of you, come and eat.” She said, once again sweet.

The others, too afraid of her and more importantly, too hungry to say otherwise, shuffled into the dining room and took a seat on the table. Mrs. Rodriguez went upstairs to get Mr. Rodriguez and Sally.

I shall henceforth refer to them as Kel’s mom and Kel’s dad. Sally stumbled into the dining room, with Kel’s dad holding her hand so that she didn’t fall down. How adorable.

Kel’s dad plopped her in her high chair, which Sunny now noticed was right next to him, with Aubrey on his other side. Kel’s dad sat down on the other side of Sally. He seemed to be focusing on Sally as he didn’t want to set off Kel’s mom right before Henry’s arrival, especially since he hadn’t visited for almost 6 months.

Kel’s mother brought dinner into the dining room and set it on the table. It was some sort of delicious-smelling chicken and veggies in a slow cook pot. No wonder she wasn’t in any hurry to serve dinner. Also, wasn’t this a bit too high-effort for the day before Henry arrived?

Sunny decided to consider this after he had stuffed himself. Aubrey looked adorable, waiting for an appropriate time to dig in. While she was no stranger to mooching off of Kel’s family for home cooked meals, she still wasn’t used to the smell and sight of an actual home cooked meal, after living in that hovel for so long. (Though she still does, if only to make sure that the corpse in the living room doesn’t die even more.)

As the only god or devil known in that house was Kel’s mom herself, there was no prayer said before dinner, except for a proud “Dig in, kids!” From Kel’s mom. Aubrey, Sunny and Kel all reached for it at once, with Aubrey winning and piling her plate with a whole lot of food.

Wait a minute. Did Aubrey have the same ability to not eat for a long time without getting hungry since she had a piece of his powers? Evidently not. Sunny took a bit of food on his plate as well, though it was… a Basil - sized piece. Kel’s mother squinted at him,

Speaking of Basil, despite being a disney princess, he did not feel any remorse for the poor chicken and took a Basil-sized portion to munch down on. His way of eating was now unnatural and refined, nothing like the Basil he’s known as a child. Sunny decided to ask him about what was really happening with his parents later, and not let him avoid the topic as per usual.

Whenever Sally wasn’t eating, she turned around to stare at Sunny. She seemed to find him immensely interesting. Maybe she just wanted another piece of candy. He pet her head.

The food itself was amazing, with the chicken practically melting as Sunny ate it. Once again, he wondered why she would put so much effort in such a supposedly random day. 

Sunny regained all HEART and JUICE!

Sunny felt warm and content eating the meal. If love was something tangible, Sunny could feel it in the meal. 

Kel’s dad struck up some idle conversation with Sunny about city life between feeding Sally. Sunny decided to turn off his goth filter™ and responded calmly. Aubrey, Kel, and Basil joined the conversation too, though it turned into Aubrey lamenting about how lucky he was to be able to go abroad so often and that she would easily exchange his abusive parents for hers.

What riveting conversation. Though as is the fate of all good things, it ended.

Sunny and Kel were tasked with cleaning up the dinner table, a welcome break for Aubrey, who seemed incredibly refreshed after that meal.

Kel yawned as he put away the plates, leading Sunny to check the time. It was somehow 10 o'clock. 

Basil, the little drone bee he was, seemed to have noticed this. “I'll be heading back now., Sunny, are you coming with me?”

Sunny glanced at Aubrey. She shrugged, and then nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He said.

Aubrey got up too. “Well, I'll be heading back to my personal hell too, I guess. Kel, don't be as annoying tomorrow.”

Kel simply chose to blow a raspberry at Aubrey, which led his mother tapping him on the head. Emotionally mature 17 year old, here.

“Yeah, see ya.” Said Kel, heading to his room upstairs. Maybe Henry's impending visit was giving him more stress than he let on. 

Sunny, Basil, and Aubrey headed off into the darkness. A twilight barely illuminated their walk home. Looks like the street lights were under repair.

They walked in silence, but not an uncomfortable silence.

Sunny and Aubrey stopped at the intersection between Basil and Aubrey's house. Sunny gestured for the flower boy himself to fuck off. 

Sunny and Aubrey looked into each other's eyes. Aubrey's grip on his hand grew tighter.

“......It's nice to be back in Faraway.” Sunny said, trying not to sound lame. “I get to see you in person now.”

“Yeah, but something’s missing, right?” Said Aubrey. Her face was unreadable. Sunny racked his brains for anything he might have done wrong.

Aubrey stopped him from looking lame by planting her lips firmly on his.

“Yep. You're still a major dork. See you later, Sunbun.” Aubrey said, letting go of his hand and walking off towards her house. 

Sunny was left frozen. He came back to his senses only after she had already gone back to her house. 

“See…. you….” He said, to nobody. A passing cat meowed at him in what was unmistakably a laugh. 

Sunny sighed and went into Basil’s house. Without Polly, the place sure felt empty, especially at night. 

Basil was already in his room, changing into a more comfortable outfit to sleep in. Sunny decided to do the same. He went into his room and closed the door.

Just as he was changing, Basil decided to open the door.

“Hey, Sunny. I just wanted to say-” Which was cut off by him realising what he was seeing and immediately shutting the door.

Maybe he was straighter than I gave him credit for.

“Good night, Basil.” Sunny said, frantically pulling his pajamas on. Sunny heard Basil leaving and breathed a sigh of relief. Sunny turned off the lights in his room and lay down on the bed.

Tomorrow, Henry would be coming to Faraway. Sunny had his own plans for tomorrow, involving… Mari….

He tried not to think about it, and closed his eyes.

He wasn't able to fall asleep. For some reason, he kept tossing and turning until he finally woke up in the middle of Night. 

Usually, he would just fall asleep right away. He had a lot of experience sleeping, after all.

He decided to get some fresh air.

He went out to Basil's front porch, and sat down in a lawn chair laying in the middle of the garden.

It was eerily dark. Sunny didn't know whether or not that night was a new moon or not, but he couldn't see the moon anywhere.

Only the dim, dead light of the stars in the sky illuminated his field of vision. 

Sunny stared up into the dark expanse. Unlike the city, he could see the Milky Way in the night sky. Sunny thought about a lot of things all at once, which led to him not being able to think much at all.

Aubrey. 

His family. 

His life. 

Mari. 

Mari… Sunny would’ve loved to blame his father for what happened 5 years ago, but it was nobody’s fault but his own. Oh, if only. If only that violin didn’t exist. If only Mari was an only child. If only their grandfather wasn’t such a piece of shit.

Sunny remembered something that his father had told him a few weeks ago. Apparently, he wasn’t meant to have been named Sunny at all. Because of how little his grandfather trusted his father, he wanted to name both Mari and Sunny.

However, his father decided to revolt against him by naming him Sunny, a violently American name. Though, he chickened out and never told him that he hadn’t named Sunny according to his wishes. 

What was the name that was picked out for him anyways? Well, it began with an S, anyways.

Hmm? What was that? It was hard to tell in the darkness of the night, but he thought he saw something moving around Aubrey’s house. It resembled a person, though Aubrey wasn’t the type to stay up this late. 

Well, whatever it was, it didn't set off any alarms, so it must’ve been harmless. 

Hmm. Something cold fell on Sunny’s cheek. And then began to fall all over him. Look at that. It looks like it’s beginning to snow.

Sunny decided to take this as a sign that it was time for him to go to sleep for real this time. He got up off the lawn chair and went into the shelter of the house. He stumbled through the near-perfect darkness to his bed, and collapsed on it. 

Tomorrow is a new day. And he closed his eyes.

November 19th, 19XX. 3:33 AM.

…

……

…………

‘Sunny…… what do you have… to lose?’

………From this point onwards, I will do my best to convey this story.

I have nothing else to say except…. Good luck.

Chapter Text

19th November 199X, 8:32 AM

Six days before the disaster.

‘...Sunny…… what do you have… to lose?’

…….

Sunny had a dreamless yet unsettling sleep. The entire night, it felt like a slimy snake was wrapping itself around his spine, twisting every time he moved. He woke up far earlier than he would have liked, feeling panicked and sweaty.

Sunny took a moment to catch his breath. He hadn’t woken up like this in… over a year?

The morning Sun streamed in through the window above his bed, lighting up the room, yet it seemed more muted compared to yesterday. Sunny chalked it up to it being winter.

Sunny got up out of bed or rather stumbled out. He grabbed his outfit for the day, a pair of ripped jeans, a black shirt with a rock band logo on it, and a puffy black jacket. How exquisitely emo.

He also went to grab his toothbrush but remembered that he had kept it in Basil's bathroom the previous day. 

He walked out of his room to find that Basil was already awake and cooking something in the kitchen, by the delicious scent in the air. 

Sunny went into the bathroom to get ready for the day. He didn't really need sleep as much as the regular person, but he needed to be jump-started after only five hours.

He turned on the hot water and let the handle rest on the extreme hot end as he began brushing his teeth. 

He looked at himself in the mirror. He looked normal, if a bit paler than usual, which wasn't very saturated to begin with. 

….. What the fuck?

Sunny spat out the toothpaste, washed his mouth and toothbrush before doing a double take.

A few of his hairs right at his hairline seemed to be turning white at the roots. Was this some sort of defect to his regeneration? Was it a side effect of his powers or just a regular genetic malfunction?

Sunny decided to give it a rest for now and ask Henry about it later. He stripped off all his clothes and stepped in the shower.

Right.

Henry. Hero. He would be coming to town that day. Incidentally, Sunny was planning an… experiment with Mari on the same day.

Sunny turned on the shower. It spewed boiling hot water at him, powerful enough to give a lesser man burns. It was just right.

He wondered how Henry would take to the idea of Sunny attempting what he was with Mari. Probably not nicely.

Done scrubbing himself, Sunny stepped out of the shower and towelled himself off. Sunny looked in the mirror. 

…Omori was gone.

That wasn't anything new, Omori sometimes spent days chilling in Whitespace, but Sunny consciously noticed it this time.

Another of Sunny's hairs turned white at the root.

Sunny put on his clothes, turned off the hot water and stepped into the kitchen, where Basil was eating some hash browns and sausages. He had left him a plate too.

Basil waved at Sunny as he walked in, his mouth full. Sunny waved back and sat down on the dining table opposite Basil. The roses in his crown were yellow today.

The pair ate in silence.

They got up in unison, as Sunny was a faster eater, and washed off their plates. There was an odd feeling hanging in the air. Not tension, just… an innate wrongness.

They walked out, and Sunny immediately noticed that Aubrey's bike was gone from the side of her house. She must be at the Rodriguez household.

“Hero arrived at six in the morning, apparently.” Basil said as they walked down the road. The fresh air seemed to have dissipated that strange vibe.

“I bet that gave Mrs. Rodriguez a scare.” Sunny said. 

They turned the corner, they were almost at Kel and Hero’s house. Sunny stopped in his tracks. 

Aubrey's bike wasn't parked at the house. 

Maybe she was just at the park or with the Hooligans or something. Though it was weird that she wouldn't be at the house to greet Hero.

Sunny checked his phone. While Kel had been posting about how his mother was going insane, Aubrey hadn't sent a single message since yesterday.

‘...Sunny.’

Sunny decided not to say anything for the time being. Basil had already stepped into the house.

Henry- No, Hero was sitting on the couch talking to Basil and playing with Sally. He seemed to have changed up his style.

He grew his hair out to be longer and was wearing round glasses with thin black frames. It made him look like a detective, Sunny thought. All he needed was a trenchcoat. 

Hero saw Sunny walk in and smiled at him. The changes to his style seemed to only make him more attractive. Darn.

“Hey, Sunny! It's nice to see you.” Hero said. “Where's Aubrey?”

…

“Didn't Aubrey come to visit you earlier today?” said Basil, genuinely confused.

Kel frowned. “Nah, I thought she was coming with you guys.” 

“Her bike isn't at her house, so she must be with the Hooligans or something.” Sunny said.

Kel playfully elbowed Hero. “Maybe she's out getting something for you.” 

Hero chuckled. “Well, she can take care of herself, anyways.” Yeah. Hero's right. “Hey, let's do something together. It's been so long!” 

Sally simply sat next to Hero, eating an apple slice.

“Sure. I'm down if you guys are.” Kel said, with his signature grin on his face.

Basil and Sunny nodded. Hero was right. He was right. Right?

They left the house and reached the park rather silently. Aubrey and Kel's bickering was an integral part of the gang’s chemistry, after all. 

The Hooligans were sitting on the picnic table in the park, goofing around. Kim and Vance were eating taffy out of a bag of assorted flavours of taffy. As they got closer to them, Kim got up to drag Basil to her lap. 

None of them were sure of what to make of that, but they decided to ignore it for the time being.

As if nothing had happened, Kim asked “Yo, nerds. Where's Aubrey?”

……

“Dunno. She's probably out on the other side of town.” Kel said, shrugging. “She'll probably be back soon enough.”

Kim decided to take that at face value. “I see that the doctor guy is back. ‘Sup, doctor guy.” Kim waved at him.

“Hello, Kim. My name is Henry.” Hero said, with the patience of a saint. 

Basil got up off of Kim's lap. “Well, we should get going now.”

“Sure. I'll see you later.” Kim said, and got back to eating her taffy.

Hero was right. Kel was right. But… Sunny felt weird. He felt tense. He felt… wrong.

But Hero was right. Kel was right. Worrying contributes nothing. Let's not ruin Hero's first day back. 

They headed to Gino's to get him his ceremonial Hero sandwich. Gino's hadn't changed at all, unlike the other shops in Faraway Plaza East.

Sunny guessed it was serving both sides of the town either way. The manager groaned when he saw Hero.

When they reached the counter, he put his hand up. “Let me guess, is it a Hero sandwich?”

Hero tried his hardest not to smile. “Yes, I'll have one Hero sandw-”

The manager slammed his fist on the counter. “I knew it! It's always the damn sandwich. Every year, you come here and get that sandwich. I can't take it off the menu since people buy it, but you… You vex me.” He said, or rather ranted.

“I’ll still have a Hero sandwich.” Said Hero, his expression not changing in the slightest.

“Coming right up.” The manager said, admitting his defeat.

“I’ll take a large pepperoni pizza, too.” Said Kel. 

They sat down at a table and Kel, Hero and Basil began to make conversation. Sunny was still out of it, but he tried to join in too.

Their order arrived eventually, and Basil and Sunny took a single slice while Kel took the other six.

Hero was a more subtle glutton, opting to eat an entire massive Hero sandwich by himself.

Sunny kept checking his phone to see if Aubrey had texted anything in the group chat or to him. 

Still nothing.

After they finished eating, They took Hero to Hobbeez to get his own gift since Kel once again had no idea what to get him. Sunny was sort of zoned out, but he attempted to suggest something for Hero. 

Kel made a joke about buying a trench coat for him so that he could complete his look, and Sunny found that a bit amusing. Other than that he felt oddly disconnected from the rest of them.

By the time the Sun was setting, all of them were rather worried about Aubrey.

Basil suggested that they go down to Aubrey's house to check if she’d returned there yet. She may not have left in the first place, and her bike may have merely been taken somewhere else.

Sunny’s attention span came back into being as they went down to Aubrey’s house in light of the setting Sun. However, it was just as they had seen it last.

“I mean, her bike’s gone. Do you really think she’s in there?” Kel asked, quite fairly.

“Doesn’t hurt to check.” Said Basil. He picked up a pebble and threw it at the window to Aubrey’s room. 

……

No response. Basil threw another rock. Once again, not even a single noise.

Sunny used Observe!

There was a singular weak life force in the attic, obviously Bun-Bun. Given that he was alive after Aubrey had been gone the whole day, she must have left him with some food, cementing the fact that she’d left on purpose.

Sunny clenched his jaw and another one of his hairs turned white at the root.

“......Maybe she’ll be back by night.” said Hero, trying to be the voice of reason. “If she isn’t back, we can just call the police.”

This doesn’t assure any of them, but they accepted it for the time being anyways. Aubrey was the type to do her own thing in the first place, though she would’ve told them first. 

The Sun was below the horizon now. 

Basil decided to break the silence. “We should… get going now.” 

Hero nodded. “Let’s rest up for the night. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” 

Kel shrugged and said, “Man. This is really awkward. Well, see ya…” And then he ran off towards his house at full speed.

Hero sighed and walked off after him. Basil and Sunny stood in silence for a good few moments and then came to a mutual understanding and began walking to his house.

……

Oh, right.

Sunny excused himself when he and Basil were almost back to his house. Basil shrugged, but let him go.

Sunny walked the opposite way, towards the church. He was going into this with the expectation of failure, but he wouldn’t be able to live with himself  if he didn’t. Moreover, if he did fail, that would distract him from his worry about Aubrey.

He entered the church as the Moon was rising in the sky. Oddly enough, there was nobody. Well, it was pretty late, but the doors were unlocked. Maybe for the graveyard guy? 

Either way, he entered the graveyard. The flowers at Mari’s grave were wilting. Sunny took a deep breath. The graveyard itself was empty, which made all the doors being unlocked even more odd. 

Sunny walked up to A specific grave. A semi-solid strand of Moonlight seemed to shine open Mari’s grave. Unlike before,  he felt no shame looking at her grave right then. He was saving his shame for what he would do next. 

Sunny used Red Hands! 

Not bothering with a shovel, he stretches the hand part of his Red Hands until they’re each about as wide as a shovel and begins to unceremoniously exhume his sister.

It doesn’t take long until the coffin is visible, the hardwood beginning to decompose around the edges. Sunny takes a deep breath, a tingling of fear spreading across his body. He decides to open the coffin before it debilitates him. 

As expected from a five-year old corpse, Mari’s body is decomposing. Sunny’s mind refuses to process what he’s looking at for a good few seconds, before he doubles over and vomits up the single slice of pizza he had into a bush, away from Mari’s gravestone.

He tentatively looks at what remains of his sister again, but is understandably horrified by the sight of bugs eating her eyes. Clearly, he couldn’t just spread some life jam on that… thing to revive her.

Time for plan B, then. He knew that he said that he’d feel ashamed while he was doing this, but what he was about to do was so far beyond shameful, he looped around back to not feeling anything.

Sunny used Bread Slice?

As he swung his knife to turn the corpse of his sister into a piece of bread, something inconceivable happened. The blade shattered on the soft, rotting flesh of the corpse as it struck it. This made sense with respect to the origin of Sunny’s powers, but it surprised him nonetheless.

The pieces of the Red knife flew back together and repaired themselves immediately. Sunny stared at the corpse for a moment. He had come into this expecting none of his powers to work on Mari. 

And still…. another of Sunny's hairs turned white at the root.

Sunny sighed, and used his Red Hands to close the casket and begin to pull all the dirt back in its place. 

Once again, this didn’t take long, but it was incredibly obvious that someone had dug up Mari’s grave. Sunny thought for a second, then got an idea. 

Sunny pulled out the unused, supposedly limitless jar of Life Jam from his POCKET, opened the lid, and unceremoniously dumped it over Mari’s grave. The jar seemed to be truly bottomless, which made sense because Omori was the one that put all of the Life jam across headspace in the first place. 

Sunny wondered for a second if he could summon other food endlessly from his POCKET, thereby solving world hunger, then realised that it wasn’t the time to think about this. He then never thought about it again.

He began walking away from the grave, but the rapidly growing grass wrapped around his shoes. He tore himself away from Mari one last time, but chose to look back at her grave.

It seems his Life Jam was working too well. Somehow, her grave had turned into a bed of Moonflowers and White Egret orchids. Knowing full well that the Moonflowers would make the graveyard guy trip balls once they started releasing pollen, he ran off. 

Despite it being fully night, the doors were still unlocked. Since Sunny didn’t have the keys, he just shut them tight.

He walked back to Basil’s house. Unlike last night, the moon seemed to be almost full, which caused Sunny to wonder what the actual fuck happened yesterday with Aubrey…

Oh. It seems failing to revive his sister hadn’t cleared his heart of worries about her.

He walked into the house, where Basil was cooking dinner. He greeted Sunny as he walked in. Sunny simply said that he wasn’t hungry and to save some for him to eat tomorrow. Basil looked disappointed, but let him have his space.

The feelings of guilt at digging up Mari and the fear of losing Aubrey were all hitting him at once. He needed to talk to Omori. He walked into the bathroom and stared into the mirror. 

“Hey, Omori.” He said. Sunny’s eyes looked darker in the mirror.

…….

Silence. Even when he was doing something, Omori would at least give Sunny an annoyed response in his head.

‘Sunny… tell me…’

Sunny sat down on the cold tiled floor, his expression not changing a bit as tears fell from his eyes. Why?

Wrong. Everything was utterly and irrevocably wrong .

Sunny took another deep breath and wiped his face. Aubrey would be back tomorrow with a gift for Henry. 

He told himself these statements in his head repeatedly as he walked into his room. He watered the Tulip and Orchid on his nightstand to momentarily distract himself. 

After that, he sat on the bed, looking at his hands for quite some time, until he decided to go to sleep. 

He lay on the bed, staring into the darkness. Tomorrow was a new day. And then he closed his eyes.

————————

20th November 199X, 8:02 AM.

Five days before the disaster.