Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Elsewhere City Hospital, California.

September 22nd, 2019. 15:00pm

The hospital room was completely silent, the bed on the other side of the room, currently empty. The only living entity in the room was Sunny Suzuki, a 16 year old boy. 

As Sunny woke up from confronting Omori and accepting Mari’s death, he started tearing up, finally remembering the truth that he had hidden for so long. With a soft sigh, he cleaned his wet cheeks with his arm, as he prepared to stand up.

Sunny stood up from his bed, and as he saw the various flowers around his bed, he could tell they were from the people that he helped on his last days in Faraway. He could tell them one by one from who they were: the weird berries from Pedro, who was the shopkeeper of Hobbeez; a bonsai from Kim and Vance’s mom; a cactus left by the Hooligans, and… a Lily of the Valley, left by his friends and Hero and Kel’s parents.

As Sunny looked at the plant, he remembered when Basil spoke about each plant he had, as he mentioned that the Lily of the Valley reminded him of… Mari. As Sunny remembered her, he started feeling empty on his inside. He accepted her death, yes. He confronted his pain and guilt, but still. felt. empty.

As Sunny looked around, he heard a voice speaking to him. He looked around the room as he tried to spot who was speaking to him, but it was futile, as he was the only person in the room.

“They deserve to know, Sunny” the voice said, the sound seemingly coming from thin air. “They are good people, and they deserve to know that I left them with all the love I had.”

As the voice went silent, Sunny decided… to confess the whole truth to his friends. He knew that they would hate him, and he knew that Basil may feel betrayed, but Sunny needed to do this for them, at least before he left.

Before Sunny left his room, he saw himself in the mirror. He looked the same size as when he was 12, but had a bandage around his right eye, and wore a light blue hospital gown. “The price to pay for my sins.” Sunny thought as he looked at his bandaged eye in the mirror. That eye was probably gone for good, but he didn’t care… not anymore.

A while later, and down the hallway of the hospital, Sunny entered a room, and inside, were his friends. As Basil rested asleep in the bed, around him were Hero, Kel and Aubrey. Soon enough, they turned to see that Sunny entered the room as well, as they all went to check on him.

“Sunny!” Aubrey said, as she walked towards Sunny “You are finally awake, thank god!!”

“Sunny, shouldn’t you be in your room?” Hero asked, with a concerned tone. “Basil’s alright, but you need to rest more. You ended up far more hurt than him.”

“Sunny, you are finally awake!!!” Kel exclaimed, as he went to check on his best friend. “I was just going to check on your room, but Hero’s right, you shouldn’t be here.”

Aubrey came to grab Sunny’s hand as she made his arm rest on her shoulder.”Come on Sun,” she said, with a warm tone. “I’ll take you back to your room, so you can re-”

“Aubrey, please no,” Sunny cut her, as he felt his heart beating at a faster pace. “I need to do something first. But first, please stand with Hero and Kel, as this will be long.”

Aubrey looked at him confused, as she took his arm out of her shoulder and went back with Kel and Hero.

“Sunny, is something wrong?” Kel asked, worried to see Sunny so serious all of a sudden.

Sunny gulped as he prepared to speak "I have to tell you something.” he started, his voice growing serious for a moment.

“It’s about Mari.” Sunny continued, as his nerves started winning over him.

Soon the group’s faces went pale, as they all looked worried at Sunny.

“Sunny,” Hero said, as he stood a bit in front of where he was before. “We know we have… not been the best friends to you. But Mari… she loved you. And a lot.”

“Yeah, Hero’s right!” Aubrey said, as she looked at Sunny “We can try and make up for everything now, to try and be the friends that we used to-”

“Mari didn’t kill herself” Sunny cut her, guilt corrupting his soul.

Soon, the group stood frozen, as they all heard those four words from Sunny

“Dude, if this is a joke, it’s not funny.” Kel said, as he became a bit upset. “Mari did it, we all saw her hanging.”

“It was not suicide, she would never kill herself” Sunny said, making everyone tense.

Before Hero could speak, Aubrey spoke before him “Then if she didn’t kill herself, who killed her then?” Aubrey asked, anger visible on her.

Sunny gulped and took a deep breath before speaking.

“It was me,” Sunny said, finally breaking the silence. “I killed Mari, and framed her death as a suicide.”

For the next 15 minutes, Sunny explained to everyone, with a lot of detail, the truth of what happened that cursed day. How did Sunny break his violin as he felt it was the bringer of his pain, and how that led to Mari and him arguing on the stairs. Sunny said how he pushed Mari so he could leave, and how due to her bad knee, Mari fell down the stairs and died on impact. Sunny said that he and Basil hanged her and framed her death as a suicide, and that Sunny was the one that blacked out the photos of Mari in Basil’s photo album. As Sunny explained more and more, he felt the air becoming… colder. He felt the gazes of his friends upon him: disgust, anger, betrayal…

As Sunny finished confessing, the faces of his friends were unreadable, but before Sunny could apologize, Kel spoke.

“S-Sunny,” Kel said, his voice confused and horrified. “You are lying. You made this up, you have no proof of-”

“He is telling the truth-” a voice said, and as Sunny and the rest looked back, they saw it was Basil, who had an unreadable expression on his face.

“I was there,” Basil added, as he looked at Sunny with a betrayed face. “I, d-during a-all of th-these years, b-believed that Sunny d-didn’t do it,”

As they all looked horrifiedly at Basil, he spoke. “But a-all of this time,” he added, as he looked horrified. “I kept a murder hidden. All of this time… I defended a murderer.”

As they all looked at Basil, Aubrey walked towards him, and gave a slap to Basil’s face.

“OW!” Basil cried, as he felt the pain on his face.

“On one hand, Basil…” Aubrey said, as she looked at Basil with empty eyes. “You are a horrible person. You kept this hidden for so long.” As Basil looked guiltily, Aubrey spoke again.

“But…” Aubrey said, as she looked sadly at Basil “All of these years, I bullied you for something YOU never even did.”

As Basil was about to speak, he was given a quick hug by Aubrey. “Basil, I’m so sorry. For everything.” she said, as she stopped hugging Basil. “But so you know, I’m not forgiving you. GOD NO. But… if you had just told me sooner…”

“Aubrey, I’m sorry. All this time, I believed I was doing the right thing...” Basil said, as he looked at Aubrey

“... We’ll discuss this calmly, later” Aubrey said, as fury started consuming her. “But for NOW…”

As she said it, she looked back at Sunny. She quickly walked up to him, and before Sunny could leave the room, Aubrey grabbed him by the armpits, and she spoke, fury consuming her voice.

“So you are telling me, that ALL this time…” she said, as her eyes started tearing “Mari never died due to suicide, but because YOU KILLED HER!!??”

As Sunny nodded, Aubrey continued. “And all of this, just because of a MOTHERFUCKING VIOLIN!!!???” she screamed as she looked at Sunny with furious eyes.

Sunny nodded, and as he did, he was pushed to the ground by Aubrey. “YOU. ARE. LUCKY. I left my bat at home” she said as she walked towards the door that led outside the room. “Sunny… you are D I S G U S T I N G. And be ready, because once you are out, I WILL COME AND MAKE YOU PAY MYSELF!!”

As Aubrey screamed that, she stomped furiously out of the room, leaving Basil, Kel, Hero and Sunny alone. But before Sunny could stand up, someone gave him a slap on his face, which left a mark on it.

“So all this time, YOU caused it all…” Kel said, his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Sunny with fury. “All this time, YOU were the one that ended it all for everyone.”

As Sunny looked at Kel, he saw that Kel looked… broken. His hands were gripped in punches, and his sight looked dark and empty. “Kel, I’m-” Sunny tried to say, but he was cut abruptly.

“DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH YOU HURT EVERYONE, SUNNY?!” Kel screamed, as he walked towards Sunny. “THANKS TO YOU, AUBREY LOST HER BIG SISTER, AND ENDED AS A FREAKING DELINQUENT. THANKS TO YOU, HERO SPENT A. WHOLE. YEAR. ISOLATED IN HIS ROOM CRYING ABOUT MARI, BELIEVING HE COULDN’T SAVE HER FROM TAKING HER OWN LIFE,”

“AND WHILE WE WERE HURTING,” Kel continued, as he left Sunny cornered against the wall. “YOU STAYED INSIDE, KEEPING THIS SECRET FOR ALL THESE YEARS WHILE WE ALL FELL APART. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH PAIN YOU CAUSED SUNNY?! AND FOR WHAT!!?? FOR. A. FUCKING. VIOLIN.”

As Sunny tried to speak, Kel turned back to see Basil, anger visible on him too. “And don’t believe you are scott-free, Basil!!” Kel said, as he looked angrily at him. “You were a part of this too, but we’ll talk later…”

As Kel saw Sunny back, his eyes filled with tears, seeing his former 'best friend'. “Sunny,” Kel said, as he walked to the door. “I need space, like, LOTS of space. I hope you can at least leave in peace here in Elsewhere City, but for me… you are DEAD.”

As Kel finished, he stomped out of the hospital room, leaving only Basil, Sunny and Hero alone. As Sunny looked up to Hero, his face was… unreadable. Disgust, anger, betrayal, sadness, all of them mixed in a single gaze, that penetrated Sunny’s soul.

“... I’ll leave this short.” Hero said as he started walking towards the door. “Basil, you are a psychopath and a complete idiot. And Sunny. I hope you know you have a special place in Hell waiting for you. You should have fallen down the stairs instead of Mari that day…”

As Hero finished, he left the room, leaving Sunny and Basil alone. As Sunny looked at Basil, he saw that his gaze was completely broken. Basil’s eyes were filled with tears, and his teeth were gritted, as he looked at Sunny with complete and utter rage.

“Sunny…” Basil started, as he looked at Sunny. “All of this time, I believed Something killed Mari. I believed YOU would never do something so awful. But now I see who you really are… a complete and utter B A S T A R D.”

As Sunny tried to get close to Basil, he pushed Sunny away from his bed, as Sunny fell down on the floor of the room.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!!” Basil screamed, as he looked at Sunny. “YOU ALREADY BROKE ME AND EVERYONE ENOUGH, JUST… DISAPPEAR. JUST LEAVE, AND NEVER COME BACK!!!!!!”

As Sunny stood up and looked at Basil, tears started coming from his eye, as his thoughts echoed the words Omori told him during their encounter.

“You’re nothing but a liar…”

“People like you don’t deserve to live.”

“It should be better to just die.”

As Sunny looked at Basil one last time, he left, and as he closed the door of the room, Sunny could hear Basil crying loudly from inside the room. Sunny then, felt his head hurt A LOT.

As he walked back to his room, he couldn’t help but feel his whole body hurt, and his soul completely broken. With tears in his eyes, Sunny walked as much as he could, though it became more and more painful as he persevered.

“SUNNY, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!!??” “Sunny… that violin. We ALL had to work ALL SUMMER to buy it.” “The recital is in just 2 HOURS, WHAT WILL YOU PLAY NOW!!??” Those were some words that plagued Sunny’s mind as he walked towards the room, his steps becoming slower as he continued.

“SUNNY, EVERYONE IS EXPECTING US TO PLAY AT THE RECITAL. WE NOW. HAVE. NOTHING. WE ARE SCREWED!” “THAT IT HURT TO PRACTICE FOR SO LONG!? SUNNY, I WAS ALSO TIRED AND HURT, BUT I DIDN’T GO AND BREAK MY PIANO!!” “SUNNY, YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT US!? YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT ME!?” The words crashed down on Sunny as he continued walking.

“EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE SO DISAPPOINTED AND ANGRY WHEN THEY HEAR THE NEWS, BUT GUESS WHAT SUNNY!? I AM ALREADY DISAPPOINTED, AT YOU!!” “YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A WASTE OF TIME, OF LOVE, AND OF EFFORT!” Sunny started tearing up, as he reached his room.

“WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING!? I’M NOT FINISHED YET!!” And here came the worst part, the scream, the sound of Mari falling down the stairs and the sound of wood breaking. Mari’s neck, bleeding, her body inert at the bottom of the stairs. His sister, dead. Mari, was dead, and it was his own fault.

As Sunny reached the room, he laid down on his bed, as the pain started hitting him hard on the soul. HE killed his own sister, HE kept the secret for four years, as everyone he loved broke apart. HE made everyone suffer, and now, he had no one. His friends now despise him, as he broke them more than anyone else in this world. But, as Sunny teared up, he heard a knock on the door.

“Sunny, honey?” the voice said from outside the room, even though the door was far from his bed. “It’s me, mommy. Can I enter?”

Sunny recognized that voice. It was Sophie, his mom, the only person that stayed all this time with Sunny, the only one who hadn’t given up on him. “Yes mom, please enter” Sunny answered, as the door opened, and the sound of her footsteps filled the small area.

As Sophie entered, he could see that his mom looked a bit different than before. Her medium-brown hair still had most of its color, but Sunny could see a few gray strands. She was a little taller than before, but still somewhat thick-bodied, though a little slimmer than before. She was wearing a gray jacket, along with blue jeans and a lavender shirt. She entered with a soft expression and a worried look.

“Sunny…” Sophie said, as she looked softly at Sunny. “How are you feeling?”

“... A bit better mom…” Sunny said, as he looked at his mother right on the eyes, with a sad look.

“That’s good to know, honey” she answered, as she kneeled down to Sunny’s eye level. “I’m sorry I left you alone in the house for so long, I never imagined you would end here because of me.”

“Mom, it’s ok.” Sunny said as he smiled a bit at his mom. “You were busy preparing everything for the move. I understand it. If anything, I’m sorry for making you lose time here…”

“Oh, Sunny,” Sophie said as she placed her hand on Sunny’s shoulder. “You are not a waste of time. You have never been one, and will never be.”

As the room grew into silence, she spoke again, with a soft but encouraging voice.

“So, you actually told them the truth…” she said, as she looked at Sunny with a sad smile. “Even though they would hate you, you told them everything.”

“Y-You heard them!?” Sunny asked, nervous about the information his mom just gave him.

“Yeah, Aubrey found me in the reception of the hospital.” Sophie answered, as she looked at Sunny with gloom. “She thought I didn’t know already, so she told me everything.”

“... Guess they believed you didn’t know yet…” Sunny said as he hugged his mom. “Thanks for not hating me, mom.”

“Oh, honey” she said as she hugged Sunny back. “I would never hate you, we both know it was an accident. I forgave you a long while ago, but I must be sincere Sunny… I have been a pretty bad mom.”

“Don’t say that!” Sunny said, as he looked at Sophie in the eyes. “You were the only one who still believed in me all these years, you could have left me alone like dad did after you found out… but you didn’t. You stayed, all these years. You never gave up on me, mom. You never did.”

“But I left you alone in a house with NO ELECTRICITY and with just sticky notes and pre-recorded messages on the phone!” Sophie said, as she looked at Sunny back. “The only food that I left was a frozen steak, for crying out loud. Sunny, I know you love me, but still… I should have done more.”

“... Guess both of us need a book on how to deal with trauma, huh?” Sunny said, trying to break the tension. As both son and mom giggled a bit, they felt a bit better, their love breaking through the pain.

“But, mom…” Sunny said, suddenly realizing she never mentioned what the rest told her. “What about the rest? Did they tell you?”

“No,” Sophie said, looking a bit serious. “I saw Kel and Hero, but they just stormed out of the hospital, Aubrey was the one who told me everything.”

“But don’t worry about Basil… I already spoke with him CLEARLY.” Sophie said, looking angry. “That prick not only cut your eye, but left you as the one that would pay for everything, even though what he did made everything WORSE.”

As Sunny looked at his mom, she calmed down a bit.

“Sorry, just hearing that name makes me mad, ha hah,” Sophie said, as her anger dissipated. “But you don’t need to worry about him, about Aubrey, about any of them anymore. Once you are out of here, we’ll both go to our new home here in Elsewhere City. Then, it will be a new world for both of us, we’ll be able to start new, and I’m sure you will be able to get better.”

“Yeah, that sounds good…” Sunny said, as he looked nervous. “But I don’t know what to do about school. I spent from the start of 6th year towards now without attending it. What will I do now?”

“Well, after the chaos that was my attempt at homeschooling you, sorry about that…” Sophie said, as she looked at Sunny. “You could take a GED, or could attend a community college. There is a solution to this problem, honey. And we, together, will fix it.”

Sophie gave her hands to Sunny, who grabbed them. Sophie then gave a kiss on Sunny’s cheek, as she stood up and walked towards the door of the room, turning back to speak to Sunny before she left.

“I would love to stay here with you Sunny,” she said, as she looked warmly at Sunny. “But I need to speak to the doctor about your treatment and what you need to recover. He said that you will probably not be able to use your right eye again, but he said that there is a slim chance of your eye recovering. He also said that in at least 2 days, you will be able to leave the hospital. So, stay strong for me, ok honey?”

“... I will mom, I promise” Sunny said, ready to persevere until he could leave.

“That’s my boy!” Sophie said, as she opened the door to the outside of Sunny’s room. “Remember Sunny, your mommy loves you!!” she said as she left the room, closing the door and leaving Sunny alone in his bed.

As Sunny sat up on the bed, he saw the clock present in the room, which marked the hour: 15:30PM

He saw the TV in front of him was currently turned off, and that the flowers looked… paler. Like if something had sucked the life out of them.

“... You should just die…”

“People like you don’t deserve to live.”

“They loved her, and you killed her.”

As those words plagued Sunny’s mind, the air around the room became… colder. Sunny believed that it was the room’s air conditioning, but it was currently turned off. The light coming from the windows seemed… off. The room grew darker, as the whispers became louder and louder.

“... he killed her…”

“... he is disgusting…”

“... he should just die…”

“Sunny… you are D I S G U S T I N G.”

“but for me… you are DEAD”

“You should have fallen down the stairs instead of Mari that day…”

“YOU ALREADY BROKE ME AND EVERYONE ENOUGH, JUST… DISAPPEAR. JUST LEAVE, AND NEVER COME BACK!!!!!!”

“YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A WASTE OF TIME, OF LOVE, AND OF EFFORT!”

“Stay away... You are not my son…”

“Please be a good boy, SUNNY… Please be... a good boy…”

“You've caused so much suffering… yet you do nothing. And so you've earned nothing in return.”

“Your friends will never forgive you. They'll abandon you like you did them... and that's what you deserve.”

“You're useless... less than useless. You're sick.”

“Sweet little brother. It is time to rest… Shut your eyes... and stay very, very still…”

As Sunny grew more and more terrified with each new whisper, he saw a figure appear in front of him. He saw… Something

“SUNNY…” it said, as it lunged forward to Sunny. And as the shadow “collided” with him, Sunny fell unconscious, his mind drifting to an endless nightmare…

Chapter Text

Elsewhere City Hospital, California.

September 24th, 2019. 17:30pm

… It was the third day Sunny spent in the hospital, and things didn’t look very good for him…

As rested in bed, his attention going to the still static TV, a series of changes started to occur that worried him.

First, as it was obvious, none of his friends came to check on him again… probably for the best. Sunny heard from his mom that Basil was discharged from the hospital yesterday. But, the bed that was on the other side of his room was still empty, even after all this time.

But as for the doctors and nurses, they still came… but something was different from them. They were a lot more… professional and direct, like they always were, but the warmth that the hospital staff usually had was… gone.

Sunny’s ophthalmologist had told him earlier that day that the damage his right eye received was permanent, and that he basically lost all visibility in it. But, Sunny could see the doctor was very direct, and didn’t try to support or give encouragement to Sunny, because after that, he left the room, with a coldness that was abnormal from the staff of the hospital.

The nurse that Sunny had was no better either. She brought him food, but she just gave it and left, without directing a word to him, and with a very empty face. The food… also lost its charm. He could still feel the empty flavor his breakfast of today had: a bowl of oatmeal, some toast and a carton of milk. But… the toast was a bit burned, the oatmeal tasted a bit sticky, and the milk carton was not very cold, like they usually were.

Sunny believed that the staff overheard what Aubrey told his mom, and were giving him the silent treatment because of it. “Fair price to pay, I guess” Sunny had told himself since the weird changes started to happen.

But the most worrying thing… was that nightmarish moment he had after confessing the truth to his ex-friends. He could still feel the cold fury they all had on their gazes, and Sunny could still recite their words in his head, over and over again.

Sunny was happy he had his mom on his side, at least. But, even so, Sunny felt like he was nothing more than a waste to everyone, and that they stayed with him because of obligation, and not of love.

“You tell yourself that you don't want to burden others… But the truth is that you're selfish. You just don't want people to depend on you.”

“When do you think about others? How long are you going to let people take care of you?”

Those, together with the words he heard from his sub-conscious when returning to his room that day, had plagued Sunny’s mind. He never told his mom about them, after all, some days after Mari died, she tried family therapy for his father, her and for himself as well, but it was in vain. All the warmth his family had was… gone. And it was… because of HIMSELF.

“I am just a parasite.” Sunny thought of himself, a term Omori had told him a long time ago, but that Sunny ended up seeing as the best way to describe himself. “I’m just someone that benefits from others, and just keeps taking from them, harming them, but giving nothing in return… this is who I am.”

“You should just die.”

Sunny kept thinking and thinking, what should he do now? But one thing was certain for him… it didn’t matter how much he wanted to change. He was just a murderer, a psychopathic liar that only cared about himself and harmed others so he could survive.

“JUST… DISAPPEAR. JUST LEAVE, AND NEVER COME BACK!!!!!!”

Never… come… back?

Those 3 words were familiar to Sunny, three words that he had heard a long time ago, when he was still a good person, when he still had… Mari.

As Sunny tried to remember that specific moment, the words he heard that day still came to his mind.

…

Faraway Town, California.

March 22nd, 2008. 20:30pm

It was a Saturday night. Sunny was 4 years old, while Mari… she was 8. Despite the pressures of 2nd grade, she always smiled and made time for her little brother. That night, Mari had carried him against his will to bed, and like a recorder, the memory played.

“Come on, little brother. I know we had a lot of fun today, but we have to go to church tomorrow, remember?” Mari had told him, as she placed Sunny in his bed with a soft smile.

“But siiiiiiiis…” Sunny had told her, annoyed by having to go to bed early. “Tomorrow’s Sunday, there’s no school. Why do we need to go to church?”

“Sunny, please…” Mari had said as she giggled. “We go to church every year at least once, don’t be so dramatic. Besides, we know the Priest, and he always makes it fun! So stop being so grumpy, it will be nice, I promise!”

“Mmm” Sunny had grumbled, as he made a small pouty face. His sister was right, Faraway’s priest always made masses bearable and nice, but still, it was a whole morning that he could spend with Kel, completely lost.

“Okay, little bro, what about this?” Mari said as she giggled a bit more and hugged Sunny. “We are going to church tomorrow whenever we want or not, but what about this? If I read you a story will you stop being so grumpy? You love stories, remember?”

At the sound of a story, Sunny had cheered up a little. She was right, she was the best storyteller of them all, even better than his mom. “Okay sis” Sunny had said, as he looked at Mari in the eyes with a smile. “A deal’s a deal!”

“Hehe, ok little bro!” Mari said as she went to the bookshelf on the other side of the room to find a book for Sunny. “Which book do you want? “Hungry Humphrey", “The kid and his kite”?

Sunny’s 4 year old excitement had won him over, as he spoke to Mari. “Sis, a new one!” he asked, as he looked happily at Mari, while he sat in his own bed.

Mari, after hearing it, had giggled as she sat on her own bed, right next to him. “So, a little picky today, huh little brother?”

“Well sis, if we are going to lose all morning to play tomorrow, at least we need a good story to serve for that time.” Sunny excused, as he giggled.

“Fair enough,” Mari had said, as she tried to find a good story she heard. Quickly, she saw Sunny in the eyes as she spoke. “Okay, this is less of a story and more of a legend, Mommy told me this years ago, and you have never heard it, so I guess it will work.”

As Sunny nodded, Mari had started telling the legend. “So basically, long ago two races ruled over Earth: humans, like you, mommy, daddy, and I, and… monsters” Mari had said with a spooky voice.

“Monsters?” Sunny had asked with curiosity. “But, bad monsters or good monsters?”

“They were a race that, together with humans, lived on our world.” Mari had said as she looked at Sunny.

“But, where are the monsters now?” he had asked, curiosity winning him over.

“Well, one day, war broke between the two races due to unknown reasons” Mari had said, as she looked curious as well.

“... Sis, what is a war?” Sunny had asked, which left Mari curious, as she didn’t understand what it was. But before she could answer, the door opened, and from the top of the staircase, came Kaito, his and Mari’s dad. He had black hair, wore glasses, and was of good shape. He was a man that was not so playful like Sophie was with Mari and him, but that still cared a lot about his kids.

“Sorry to interrupt, kids” Kaito had said, as he kneeled over to Sunny and Mari’s eye level. “But answering your question, son. War is when two groups of people have different ideas, but instead of just speaking, they harm each other, so the less hurt could have its idea be the definitive and indisputable one. It’s something that only brings trouble, and that you two, or anyone, should NEVER support.”

“...Wow…” Sunny had said, as he looked worried. “Why would people be so mean to each other?”

“Because some people think that hurting it’s the key to superiority” Kaito had answered, as he places his hands on Sunny and Mari’s shoulders. “So you two need to remember: if you want to prove a point you have, or if you have a problem between you two or anyone else, just speak. Remember, violence is NEVER the answer”

“Honey, it’s too late to worry the kids about those things” Sophie had said, as she entered the room. Her red hair had all of its color and she was in good shape (although a little bit thick-bodied). “The two of them are too young to know what a war is. But kids, your father is right. Violence is not the answer to anything.”

“Ok mom” Mari had said, as she felt a bit upset that her story was being interrupted by sad information. “But I was in the middle of telling Sunny that legend you told me.”

“Oops, sorry hun…” Sophie apologized, as she looked at her kids with a warm smile. “If you want, I can try and finish it. I heard when you left it, so I can tell the rest for you.”

“... Okay mom, thanks” Mari had said as she had laid down on her bed while her father tucked her in, while her mom did the same with Sunny.

“Okay, here comes the rest of the legend.” Sophie said with a soft voice, as she looked at her kids with care and love. “After the battle, the humans won, and they sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell. Some people are trying to determine where the monsters were sealed, to try and investigate their culture, or just to try and find some treasure they left behind.”

“Wow!” Sunny had exclaimed, surprised by all the new info he had. “So, where do people believe the monsters were imprisoned?” he asked, as curiosity consumed him. Mari nodded her head in response, curious as well.

“Well kids, it’s not official where they are. That legend was from years ago, from way before your father and I were born.” Sophie had said, as she looked at Sunny with warmth. “But, your mommy here has the theory that the monsters are sealed in Mt. Ebott.”

“Oh please, hun,” Kaito had said, as he looked at his wife with doubtful eyes. “We were both in Oregon years ago, and we went to check Mt. Ebott because you were curious, and there was nothing there.”

“That is because you haven’t heard the legend and warning about the mountain!” Sophie had said, as she looked at her husband with determined eyes. “Those who climb the mountain, never come back, remember?”

As Kaito was left in silence, Sophie had given each of her kids a soft kiss. “Well kids, that’s the end of the story. Now sleep, we have to go to church tomorrow!” she said, as she looked at Sunny. “And don’t worry, Sun. There’s a breakfast diner that serves pancakes, and Kel and Hero’s parents and I planned to go there after the mass, so you two will be able to see them.”

“Oooh, pancakes.” Sunny said, illusioned by the sound of pancakes

“Well, kids, sweet dreams!” Sophie and Kaito had said, before they closed the door, leaving Sunny and Mari alone in their room, while moonlight shone through the window.

And as soon as it started, the memory ended, and reality started winning over.

…

Elsewhere City Hospital, California.

September 24th, 2019. 18:15pm

“Those who climb the mountain, never come back, remember?”

“Those who climb the mountain, never come back, remember?”

“Those who climb the mountain, never come back, remember?”

“Never… come… back…” Sunny thought as those 3 words he heard resonated in his mind. He remembered, Mt. Ebott, Oregon, the legend of monsters, the warning left by the legend. Then, in that moment, Sunny realized something: if he really wanted to disappear and stop being a parasite to everyone he loved, he now had a place to leave, a place to run away to end it all: Mt. Ebott.

“All you'll do is make things worse. It would be better to just die.”

“It would be better to just die.”

As Sunny looked around the room, he saw that the light of day coming from the windows was slowly growing weaker, but it didn’t matter as the room was illuminated by artificial lights.

As a nurse entered the room, she saw Sunny, and she quickly helped Sunny get out of bed and stand up, as she checked his muscles.

“... healthy enough. Some protein would work…” she said with a cold tone, and after that, she left the room, leaving Sunny alone.

“...oh yeah…” the nurse said, her head peeking from outside the room. “Your mom told me to tell you that you can already change out of the gown, and that you don’t need that bandage over your eye.” And as she said it, she left again.

Sunny saw to the side of his bed, on top of the small chair at the side of it, was a small bag of clothes that had a sticky note on top: “Hey honey! Here are some clothes for you to change after the staff tells you it’s ok to. I’m with your doctor right now, so if you need me, just tell a nurse to check on me, and I’ll go see you ASAP. Take care and please persevere Sunny, you can do this! Love you, XOXO!” the note said, his mom’s calligraphy visible on it.

As Sunny grabbed the bag and left the room, he went to the hallway, and to the left of the room, he saw a door that led up to a bathroom. He remembered then that his room was not one that had a shower or bathroom, due to it not being “premium”.

Sunny knocked on the door, and seeing that the bathroom was empty, he entered. As he entered, he locked the door, and then he started taking his clothes and his bandage, as Sunny saw his right eye.

It was completely blind, and had a scar that the bandage previously covered. With his hospital gown and underwear gone, Sunny opened the bag, and saw that it had: a blue jean, a black shirt, some black boxers, a gray jacket with a hoodie, a pair of black socks, a pair of shoes and an… eye patch.

Sunny quickly changed himself into these new clothes, and as he grabbed his previous underwear and placed it in the bag, and as he grabbed the bag, he left the bathroom and returned to his room. There, he folded his hospital gown and placed it on top of the bed, and he threw his bandage, which had some blood stains, on the garbage. He then placed his eye-patch on his pocket.

Sunny then saw two things under the bag: an old notebook he used to sketch since young and a case that stored his glasses, that he needed to use to read sometimes. As he saw them, Sunny started to feel… cold. But as he did, his mind started to repeat those words again…

Then, he took a decision: leaving.

As he grabbed a page from his notebook and tore off a page, he grabbed the pen and wrote: “I tried my best, mom, but I can’t. Please… be happy for me. Love you, Sunny!”

As Sunny wrote it, he left it inside the bag, grabbed a granola bar that came with his breakfast and a bottle of water, and then left the room, going to the left of the hallway, which led to the stairs of the hospital.

“It would be too risky to leave through the entrance or use the elevator...” Sunny thought, as he waited on the front of the door. “This is the 5th floor, and there is an exit on the back of the 1st floor that leads to a small bridge that connects with Elsewhere City’s highway. I need to get on a vehicle to reach Ebott.”

But before Sunny opened the door, a voice sounded. “SUNNY NO!!!” the voice said, as Sunny looked around before realizing the voice came from his head. “I DIDN’T TELL YOU THAT STORY SO YOU COULD GO TO EBOTT TO JUMP OFF THAT MOUNTAIN!!! PLEASE SUNNY, YOU’LL GET BETTER, DON’T GIVE U-” but then the voice cut, as another one came. “Proceed. You know this is the only way to do something useful with your flawed existence. Do the world a favor and just do it.”

Sunny then sighed, and as he thought “I’m sorry sis, I’m sorry mom, but it’s better this way…” he opened the door, entering the stairs that connected each floor of the hospital.

As Sunny saw the stairs, he realized they were empty, and that he needed to be sneaky, or else he would be detected and sent back to his room. So, he closed the jacket, placed the notebook on a pocket his jacket had, and put the hood of his jacket up to cover his face.

Then, he started walking to the 1st floor, trying his best to be silent. As he reached the 1st floor, he saw a map of the inside of the hospital and saw something: just some steps to the south of the building led him to the bridge, but he needed to not bring attention. Fortunately, he was good at that.

He passed through various people: doctors, nurses, janitors, security, but thanks to the hoodie, no one recognized him. But as he reached the glass door that led to the bridge that connected to the highway, he was stopped by a nurse. Sunny tried to play it cool, and faked a deep voice. “Good night, miss. Can I help you?” he said, as his body was sweating due to fear.

“Do you know what time it is right now, kid?” the nurse asked, looking at Sunny with suspicion. “Where are your parents, anyway? I don’t recognize you at all.”

“Oh, I came to check on my cousin…. Martha.” Sunny said, lying so he could leave. “A taxi is waiting for me on the highway, so I’m walking through the bridge to reach it.”

“... oh” The nurse said, as she grew calmer. “Ok, but be clear young man. Elsewhere City can be dangerous at night, so you need to be careful. Good night!” she said as she walked to a room.

Sunny then continued, and as the glass door automatically opened, Sunny left the hospital and entered the bridge that connected it to the highway. People were passing, and Sunny could tell that night had already arrived, as the sky was dark, but the air was still warm with the last moments of presence of the heat of September.

As Sunny looked behind to see the massive hospital of Elsewhere City, he thought to himself: “Is this worth it?”. And as he asked himself that question, a voice answered. “It is. It’s the only way you can repay your sins. Now move.” and soon enough, his mind went silent.

Sunny then started walking, as he murmured. “Goodbye mom, love you!” and walked, leaving the hospital behind and walking around various families and people.

A few minutes later, he reached the end of the bridge that was over the highway, and every single sound just made him feel worse.

“Baby, don’t worry! You’ll be good, I promise!”

“Mommy, I’m scared!!!”

“Son, I may not live to see the light of another day, but I want you to know that you are the biggest pride I have!”

“I can’t believe Elena will finally have her baby! I can’t wait to meet my niece!!!!”

“I will be a big cousin!!”

The voices just tormented Sunny. So much happiness, so much tension, so much… love. While he just walked alone through a  bridge to reach the street, the sins he committed echoing through his mind.

As Sunny reached the street, he walked alone, under the dark night of Elsewhere City. The city was not as safe at night as Faraway was, but it still had to be around 19:30pm, so there were enough people to make the road of Sunny safe.

But, as he reached a building, he saw that it was a warehouse. And as Sunny grew curious, he hid behind some trees to hear the voices from inside.

“Fuck, do we seriously need to drive to Seattle at this hour!? It’s 12 hours of driving, and we don’t have enough gas to get there in one go!”

“Dude, I wouldn’t go if I wanted, who would drive to Washington all night and enjoy it, honestly!? But we have no option, they need these cargo in that Nordstrom before 3pm tomorrow, so we need to get going.”

“But dude, why would they use a transport service to deliver fucking “I LOVE WASHINGTON” shirts!?”

“The same people that don’t want to call FedEx because we are cheaper. Now come on, get in the truck so we can get this crap over with.”

“Ugh fine.”

As Sunny heard them, he quickly entered inside the building, which was a small building for a company called “Hermes: the messengers of goods”, fortunately Sunny could enter easily, as there was no security, except for a guard, who was sleeping right now.

“Must be a pretty cheap company.” Sunny thought as he silently entered, and saw the truck, which had its cargo compartment open. As the place was empty and there were no people on sight, Sunny quickly jumped inside the cargo compartment, hiding behind some boxes that had goods in them. Sunny saw that the cargo part had no good, and that the boxes were strapped with tight ropes.

“They really must be an extremely cheap company…” Sunny thought as he hid behind, and as the sound of the doors of the truck closing and the engine turning on, he could hear the voices from the people inside of it.

“Now remember Vince,” a voice said, with a grumpy tone. “Don’t stop, unless we reach Pilot Travel Center, it’s just a few hours from here. Once there, we go to the bathroom, check the cargo and eat something at Subway. From there, you continue until the ARCO station at Springfield, Oregon. And from there, we continue all the way to Seattle, got it?”

“Jeez man, fine.” Vince said angrily, as the truck started to move. “You don’t need to remind me of this, I know where we are going. Besides, I only got lost ONCE in a delivery some mon-”

As the engine roared and the truck moved, Sunny could not hear any more of their voices. As the truck left the building, it made some turns, as it drove through the turn that led to Elsewhere City’s highway. As Sunny then stood up, carefully to not fall, and sat comfily, and as he looked at the hospital growing smaller as he got away, Sunny accepted his destiny, preparing himself for the ride.

“Springfield is in Oregon, and it’s also near Ebott. From the ARCO, I’ll get a bus ride to Ebott, and once there, I’ll reach the mountain.” Sunny thought, as he took off the hoodie, letting his black hair swish freely with the wind.

Sunny then fell asleep, under the stars and on the truck, already determined to his goal: get to Ebott, and disappear, just like he should have done since long ago.

...

Meanwhile…

Elsewhere City Hospital, California.

September 24th, 2019. 19:00pm

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S GONE!? WHERE IS HE!!??” A voice screamed, the echo of her voice resonating through the 5th floor of the hospital.

“Miss, calm down or I’ll be forced to taze you!” Another voice said with authority.

“Ma’am, I already told you. No one has seen your son, he must have escaped.” A voice said, with a soft tone. “I have no idea how he evaded all the staff of the hospital, but I’m sure he’s nearby.”

As a security guard and a nurse left the room, Sophie Suzuki laid on her knees, crying.

“S-Sunny… why!?” she said, her eyes filled with tears and her body shivering. As she looked at the bed, she saw Sunny’s hospital gown, neatly folded, but near it, laid the bag of clothes she left for him to change. She saw that the bag was empty, the only thing inside being a torn page from Sunny’s notebook.

As she grabbed the note, she saw it was written with black tint, and as she read it, she started tearing up, as she cried, loud and clear. “S-S-S-SUNNY…” she said, slowly breaking down. “I-I-I-I’M SORRY!!!!”

As she laid down crying, she just felt it all crashing to her. Her son, the one she loved so much, was gone, and no one knew where he was or what happened to him. And the note showed the message, written in Sunny’s calligraphy: “I tried my best, mom, but I can’t. Please… be happy for me. Love you, Sunny!”

Chapter Text

Elsewhere City Hospital, California.

September 25th, 2019. 11:15am

… More than 12 hours passed since Sunny disappeared, and Sophie couldn’t sleep that night. She demanded to sue the hospital, and called the authorities hoping they could find their son.

The hospital staff also notified the police to be on their guards, in case they saw a 16 year old kid with a scar on his right eye or a bandage on it. The description was vague, but the cops said it would work, as people with bandages or bad eyes brought more attention than the rest.

Sophie laid in a chair on the hospital’s reception on the 1st floor. She was praying, hoping and wishing that Sunny, wherever he was, was not hurt. “What did I do that made Sunny leave?” she thought, oblivious to the noise around her. “He is not a burden, far from it, I let that fact clear to him. Why did he leave?”

“I told him that I loved him.” she thought, tears filling her eyes. “Did he believe he deserved to die just because of what they told him…?”

As Sophie sat near the receptionist desk, she drank the coffee the staff gave her to calm down. They promised a full search for him, and they told her no one had seen him until now.

“Ummm, sorry to interrupt you ma’am,” a security guard said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I know you are worried, and I promise we are doing our best to try and identify where your son went. The cops were notified, and they already left a signal to check for him. He must not be far away from the city.”

“... good…” she said, coldly and angrily. “Thanks for giving the signal, did you check the security cameras, at least?”

“... yeah,” the guard responded, nervously. “We saw him leaving by the exit behind the hospital, by the bridge that is over the city’s highway. From there, we couldn’t find anything else. Sorry, ma’am…”

“But that’s not what I wanted to tell you, ” he said, looking her seriously in the eyes. “You have 3 visitors that want to speak with you. And yes, I tried to tell them that it was a tense moment, but they said it was important.”

“... who are they exactly?” Sophie said, tensing at the sound of 3 visitors, already expecting them to be…. THEM.

“They must be some group of punks, miss. They enter all the descriptions of them.” the guard said, starting to describe the aspect of the visitors. “One of them is a teenage boy with a red flannel over a black t-shirt, with brown hair and a beard. Another one is a teenage girl with brown hair, red glasses, a boyish hairstyle, and a blue hoodie. The last one, probably the leader of those 2, is a teenage girl with pink hair, a teal hair bow, teal eye contacts, and overall, the clothes of a delinq-”

Before he could finish, Sophie stood up, looking at the guard. “Where are they right now!?” she said, anger visible in her eyes.

“They are on the main entrance of the building. They tried to enter, but security didn’t allow them to pass.” the guard said, looking serious. “Seriously! What kind of parent lets their kid go around with a nail bat!?”

“... Ms, I’ll leave for a moment, ok?” Sophie said, speaking to the receptionist sitting on her desk.

“Alright, miss, good luck!” she said, oblivious to what Sophie was doing as she was busy programming medical dates.

As Sophie walked through the hallways until reaching the exit, her fury was completely visible, which made some passing people and even some guards tense.

“I swear, the balls those kids have to come and harm my Sunny” she thought, fury consuming her, before breathing in and out. “Now, calm yourself down Sophie. It’s valid to want to smack the head of those 3 with a metal bar, but you are an adult. They are just kids. Just calm down and speak.”

As the glass doors of the entrance opened up, she could see… them. Near the entrance, leaning against the wall, were her 3 ‘visitors’: Kim, her brother Vance, and… Aubrey. The 3 of them looked coldly at Sophie as she left the entrance and looked at them with cold fury.

The air was tense, and the people around the entrance got the indirect message to get away, as in a few seconds, all of them left, except the 3 kids and Sophie. All of them were silent, until Aubrey spoke up.

“Where is he?” Aubrey said, looking at Sophie with fury.

“... Nice to see you too Aubrey” Sophie said, looking at her coldly. “And Kim and Vance, nice to see you too…”

“Cut the crap, Suzuki,” Kim said, looking at Sophie angrily. “We know you are hiding Sunny so he doesn’t get what he deserves. Now tell us. Where. Is. He!?”

“Kim, calm down. Let me deal with this.” Vance said, cutting his sister down as he spoke to Sophie with calm anger. “I’ll be direct with this. Mrs. Suzuki, we know you have Sunny hidden away somewhere. So, get out of the way and tell us where he is.”

“And what gives you 3 brats any right to enter, may I ask!?” Sophie asked, furious at seeing those 3 kids so direct on what they wanted to do to her son.

“Oh, cut it Sophie.” Aubrey said, as she tensed her knuckles and looked furiously at her. “I could tell that you already knew about what Sunny did. When I told you, you didn’t sweat and the tears you poured were false. You don’t care about Mari!? You don’t want Sunny to pay for what he did!? You are just a fucking trait-”

“YOU DON’T HAVE ANY RIGHTS TO CALL ME THAT, AUBERGINE!” Sophie said, fury noticeable in her voice. “What rights do you 3 brats have so you can come here and beat up my son for something that was an accident!?”

“Accident? ACCIDENT!?” Aubrey screamed, as she looked at Sophie with pain. “You know how much Sunny ruined our lives!? Mari is your daughter, you don’t care about her at all!? ARE YOU THAT BLIND THAT YOU DEFEND YOUR SON, EVEN IF HE IS A FUCKING MURDERER?!”

“Uhm, Aubs,” Vance said, looking a bit worried. “Please calm down a bit, please.”

“Yeah…” Kim said, as she looked at Aubrey with worry. “Girl, you’ll get a heart attack if you continue being like this.”

“A murderer, HAH. Very ironic that you call my son that even though YOU and YOUR FRIENDS almost ended as that. Murderers…” Sophie said furiously, as Aubrey froze, while Vance and Kim looked worried. “Or do I have to remind you about the lake incident, over a PHOTO ALBUM!?”

As the air froze, Sophie saw Aubrey looking pale. “And yes, Sunny told me.” Sophie said, as she looked at her with cold judgement. “If it wasn’t for Hero, YOU would have killed Basil in that lake, and Sunny too as he tried to save him. Now how does that feel!?”

“Aubs, she’s trying to make you feel bad,” Kim said, trying to help Aubrey. Then, she looked at Sophie. “And what? After what he did, the piece of shit of Sunny didn’t deserve to survive. Mari, although I couldn’t interact much with her before she died, was an angel, and you expect everyone to be fine with the fact that Sunny killed her, his own sister, and lied to everyone for 4 fucking years!?”

“Wow Kim…” Sophie said, as she looked at her. “You seriously are still as much of a bratty dumbass as you were before. From what I could see, you and those brat friends of yours had no issue in bullying Basil for all these years and trying to beat Kel and my son up. You just followed Aubrey like a bunch of brainless seals, clapping at her while she did those awful things.”

“Hey, hey. No one speaks about my sister like that!” Vance said, looking angry at seeing his sister go pale. “Besides, we already forgave flower boy. And Kel and Sunny were annoying Aubrey before we fought them. And Sunny was not defenseless, he had PEPPER SPRAY, for crying out loud!”

“And what gives you any right to say that, Vance?” Sophie said, her cold gaze now over him. “From what I could tell, you followed your sister blindly, and didn’t question Aubrey on what he did. Charlene is the only one of you that wasn’t a complete brat, but you 3, together with Mikhael and Angel, are just a bunch of pricks!

As Sophie finished saying it, the 3 kids looked pale and froze. Sophie sighed. “You know Aubs…” Sophie said, looking at Aubrey with a cold gaze. “I'm actually disappointed in you. Sunny always was there for you when you mumbled about your life in your house on those swings. Where were you when he needed you?”

“...” Aubrey remained silent, guilt hitting her hard.

“Now if you excuse me,” Sophie said, as she walked to the entrance, the doors of the hospital opening. “I have to find my son. I would tell you 3 to please help me, but it’s clear you never cared about him.”

“S-S-Sunny is gone ? ?” Aubrey mumbled, guilt hitting her hard.

“Yes Aubs, he escaped and I don’t know where he is.” Sophie said as she entered the building. “But why do you care? You never did, so why bother?”

After she said it, she continued walking, the glass doors closing on their own, leaving Kim, Vance and Aubrey alone, completely pale.

“... wow,” Kim muttered, as she looked at the door, seeing the pale reflections of the 3 through the glass. “Sunny’s mom does not joke around…”

“Yeah…” Vance muttered, looking at his sister. “And I thought our mom was cold sometimes…” but as he said it, he heard whimpering, and looking back, he saw that Aubrey was tearing up. “Aubrey!” he exclaimed, hugging his friend. “Don’t listen to her! She’s just saying crap to hurt you!”

“N-N-No Vance” Aubrey said, her voice low and worried. “S-S-She’s right. Sunny was always there for me when I ranted about how crappy my father was with me and mom. But… I NEVER BOTHERED TO ASK HIM HOW HE WAS!!!”

“Aubrey, you couldn’t know what would happen in the future!” Kim said, trying to help her friend. “Besides, no one could see that knife boy would do this.”

“Kim… don’t you get it? I was not there enough for Sunny.” Aubrey said, her tears flowing faster. “Every meeting we had, I was always with Sunny, or with Kel. I never asked Sunny how he was. I always told myself: “Sunny is a bit shy, but he’s okay. He’s strong, don’t worry!”. But when Mari died and Sunny locked himself in that forsaken house, I never bothered to check on him. I just cried and cared about myself, and from when I saw the ruined photo album, I became a monster. I spent years torturing Basil and-”

“Aubrey, don’t say that!” Kim said, looking seriously at Aubrey. “We could have refused to help you, but we didn’t. We are as guilty as you are, if not worse. We knew shit, and still bullied flower boy.”

“Yeah, we are not any better either, so cheer up a bit!” Vance added, hugging Aubrey tighter.

“No, guys,” Aubrey said, crying harder. “When Sunny came out, I didn’t ask how he was. I called him selfish and attacked him and Kel. Then, if it wasn’t for Hero, Basil and Sunny would have died on that forsaken lake. I hurt and pushed everyone, and when Sunny confessed, I just… TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS DISGUSTING. I JUST SAID THAT I WOULD RETURN TO BEAT HIM UP, INSTEAD OF SUPPORTING HIM!!!” As she said it, she felt more and more grief consume her. “JUST, JUST…” and then, silence came. “What have I become… ?” she said, breaking down in their friend’s arms.

Kim and Vance instinctively hugged her. “Aubs…” Kim said, trying to take the lead to help her friend. “Let 's just go". We’ll reach Faraway in just 30 minutes. If we hurry, we’ll catch the bus.”

But as she expected an answer, Aubrey was still crying and muttering various words. “Sunny’s gone…” “Mari would be disgusted at me…” “I am just disgusting…” were some of the words she murmured.

“Kim, grab her bat,” Vance said, as Kim grabbed Aubrey’s bat. “I’ll carry Aubrey, ok?”

As Kim nodded, Vance scooped his friend into his arms, his arms supporting Aubrey as she just placed her head in his chest, crying softly. “Come on Aubs…” he said as he started walking. “We need to go back home.”

As the trio left, Aubrey could see the hospital growing smaller as Vance carried her, but in her mind, only one thought remained: Sunny was gone, and she didn’t do anything to help him.

Chapter Text

A few days ago...

Faraway Town, California.

September 22nd, 2019. 17:15pm

“THAT SON OF A BITCH!!!” a voice screamed from the park. Inside, in a small part of it that had a lake with a small pier, were Kim, Vance, Charlene, Mikhael “The Maverick” and Angel all watching Aubrey with horrified expressions, as she swung her bat at water bottles filled with dirt.

“HE LIED FOR FOUR. FUCKING. YEARS.” she screamed, hitting the bottle hard. “ALL THIS TIME, BASIL WAS OUR TARGET FOR NO GOOD REASON.” she said as she swung the bat at the bottle, dirt coming from it, as the bottle slowly started breaking. “SUNNY SPENT ALL THIS TIME DOING SHIT, AS EVERYONE ELSE BROKE UP. AND YOU WANT TO KNOW THE BEST PART!?”

“HE. KILLED. MARI. OVER. A. FUCKING. VIOLIN!!!!” Aubrey screamed as she broke the bottle with her bat, dirt flowing as Aubrey fell to the ground tearing up in rage. Around her, the Hooligans looked terrified, but slowly, they started to feel utter rage.

“THAT ASSHOLE!!!” Kim said, as she helped Aubrey get to her feet. “He broke you down and then left you to suffer alone!!”

“And lied to everyone for all these years!!” Vance said, anger notable in his normally chill voice. “I can’t believe mom let that psychopath enter our house!”

“Sniff… He… He could have killed us, like he did with her…“ Angel said, his constant energy replaced with terror at the sound of him and his allies having confronted a murderer… and survived.

The Maverick, usually filled with energy and snarky comments, was surprisingly silent, his eyes covered by his fake wig, but some tears were visible from his eyes.

As for Charlene, she looked… completely broken. She seldom spoke and looked menacing, but anyone could tell she was completely horrified by the sound of what Sunny did.

“... I don’t know about you guys…” Aubrey said, grabbing her bat. “But I think that ASSHOLE deserves to get a piece of my mind!”

“Aubrey wait!” Kim said, looking at her friend with serious eyes. “He is still in the hospital, so we won’t be able to do shit to him.”

“And besides…” Vance said, looking serious. “We have to deal with Basil. He still messed up, A LOT.”

“The doctor said that Basil would be allowed to leave tomorrow, as he was not really hurt,” Aubrey said. “I told him that he and I had to talk, but please, don’t attack him. He believed Sunny was innocent, he may have been tricked by him…”

“...Fine…” Kim said, as she continued speaking. “Aubs, what about this? Sunny will probably leave the hospital in 2 days. So, let’s just wait until the day after tomorrow, and then we can go and give Sunny what he deserves!”

“Sounds good.” Aubrey said, as she looked at her friends sadly. “Just, I need time, okay? It was a lot to hear.”

“... Aubrey… Please… Remember we care about you…” Charlene said as she looked at her friend.

“I know, Charlie.” Aubrey said, as she walked out of the park, walking towards her house, while leaving the Hooligans alone. Obliviously, she didn’t hear the breathing of two kids hiding behind the bushes, as she returned home.

As the Hooligans also started to leave, the area grew empty, and from the bushes, came two kids: Olive Beanie and Jay “The Jock”.

“Dude…” Olive said, as he looked around to make sure they were alone, his brown hair swishing with the warm winds of September while being covered by his green beanie. “They were kidding, right? There’s no way that Sunny did that, right!?” he asked, nervous at the sound of what the Hooligans discussed.

“... I think they are telling the truth, Bean” Jay said, his usually energetic attitude clashing with his terrified expression. “And to believe I let him leave with Kel that day…”

“... But maybe they are lying,” Olive said, looking at his friend with doubtful eyes. “You know the Hooligans only cause trouble around here, so maybe it’s crap they invented to creep people out.”

“... They looked far too serious to be lying, they were being honest. Sunny killed Mari.” Jay said, remembering how much Mari’s ‘suicide’ shocked Faraway. “This can’t end like this. I’m telling my parents.”

“Same here,” Olive said, preparing to leave. “Our basketball game will have to wait.”. But before they left, Olive stopped for a second. “Hold on Jock, why are we telling our parents, instead of spreading the news around town?” he asked.

“In case they are lying,” Jay said, as he started walking out of the area and into the rest of the park. “If they are, then we won’t get in trouble for saying stuff just to creep people.”

…

And as expected, due to Faraway being a small town with a big sense of community, the rumors started spreading around town.

“Yo! Did you hear the news? Rumors say that Suzuki was the one that actually killed Mari.”

“Hmm, the rumors must be fake, right Bowen? Sunny has visited the bakery for years, and that kid isn’t a murderer.”

“Yes, Daphne… we can’t jump off to conclusions… unless there is proof.”

“That kid ain’t no murderer. He even delivered pizzas all around town. He has not any signs of a murderer. This must be some joke those punks made to worry us all!”

“Cough… cough… Children these days do all kinds of silly stuff to get attention. That kid gave me my medicine and was very sweet, he is not a bad person, you all are just confused. Although I’ll ask my daughter just to be sure…”

Fortunately, they all were rumors, but they shook Faraway Town deeply, everyone having their hearts on overdrive at the expectance of the rumors being prooved

…

The next day...

Faraway Town, California.

September 23rd, 2019. 13:00pm

“I know I said I wouldn’t forget him,” a girl said, with short black hair and brown glasses. “But I don’t know what to think. First he and Kel come and during these last days, support me on my drawings, and now Sunny is apparently the murderer of his sister…” the girl said as she sketched in her notebook, stopping to see her friend:  a girl that had blue hair with brown roots. “What do you think about this, Cris?”

“I dunno, Mincy,” Cris said as she saw her friend. “I only saw Sunny a few times, and the only thing he did was give me seashells that he found in the lake at the park. I was in boarding school when it happened, so I have no idea what to think.” As they walked, they saw that they were near Kel’s house. “Couldn’t hold your curiosity, huh?” she asked her friend.

“Sorry Cris,” Mincy said as she walked to the door. “But I need answers. Kel was when Sunny was taken to the hospital, so he must kno-”

“BUT HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND, MOM. I KNEW HIM SINCE HE WAS 4, HOW COULD HE DO THIS TO EVERYONE, AFTER ALL WE HAVE DONE FOR HIM!?” A voice screamed from inside the house, which surprised Mincy and Cris.

“... That was Kel, right?” Mincy asked, as she walked back.

“It's him. I can recognize that voice in kilometers, and I would still know it’s him.” Cris said, as she walked to the window. “Let’s see what we can find!”

“Are you sure we won’t get in trouble?” Mincy asked as she walked towards Cris.

“Nah, I did this all the time when I was younger,” Cris said, looking shyly. “Kel’s parents said they didn't mind.”

As the two saw through the window, they could see the house’s dining room. And in the table, were seated Kel, Hero and their parents.

“Kel, I know you are mad, but…” Kel and Hero’s mom, Lucía, said with a worried tone.

“Sorry mom, but I can’t calm down,” Kel said, completely furious and with tears in his eyes. “Do you know how bad these years were for everyone!!?? Aubrey ended up as a delinquent, Basil suffered in silence all this time, Hero, you spent A. WHOLE. YEAR. depressed. All of that, thanks to Sunny!!”

“Kel…” Hero said, with a serious but soft tone. “I know that I messed up, I shouldn’t have screamed at you that night, but…”

“Champ…” Kel and Hero’s dad, Mateo, said as he looked softly at his youngest son. “I know it hurts, believe me, I am also horrified by the news, but you are stronger than this. You were able to bounce back when Mari di-”

“DAD, I NEVER DID!” Kel said, finally breaking up. “I OBVIOUSLY SUFFERED TOO, MARI WAS LIKE A BIG SISTER TO ME!!! I just tried to move on and make new friends to not make everything worse, whiel also trying to help everyone, hoping OVER and OVER again that, someday, we would all be friends… until the bomb fell.”

“ALL. THIS. TIME,” Kel said angrily, slowly breaking down. “I SPENT. FOUR. YEARS. WAITING IN HIS DOOR. FOR HIM. TO LEAVE. And what did it end with…?”

“WITH THE FACT THAT SUNNY KILLED MARI AND LIED TO US, AND ALL OF THIS… BECAUSE OF A FUCKING ARGUMENT!!!! HOW CAN I ‘BOUNCE BACK’ FROM THIS!!?? FROM KNOWING THAT ALL THIS TIME I EXPECTED A MURDERER TO LEAVE!? THAT ALL THIS TIME… I HOPED THAT WE WOULD BE HAPPY AGAIN!? THAT KNOWING. THAT ALL I DID. WAS USELE-” Kel screamed, before being abruptly cut, as Hero gave him a hug.

“...Kel…” Hero said, tears in his own eyes. “What you did wasn’t useless. You did your best, you still believed. No one knew the truth. You are a good person, bro.”

“If anything,” Hero said as he looked his brother in the eyes. “I should have helped you. I was so concentrated on my own grief, that I didn’t stop to see that my little brother was obviously hurting. You did everything to help, but no one knew this would happen.”

“H-H-Hero, I-” Kel said, before being cut again, as his parents hugged him too.

“Son, you had to take a lot,” Mateo said, as he looked at Kel. “You were brave, trying to help everyone. I know we may not show it constantly, but… your mother and I, are SUPER proud of you.”

“Sweetie, you were too strong.” Lucía said as she looked at Kel too. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner. You will bounce back, I know it. We may have broken due to this, but we can bounce back. All of us. Like we should have done years ago.”

“B-B-B-But how!?” Kel asked, slowly crying.

“We are the Rodriguez family,” Mateo said. “We can bounce back from anything. I promise you Kel, that we will do our best to help you both, and to make sure Sally has a happy childhood as well.”

“Bwotha!” a voice said, and as Kel looked, it was Sally, his baby sister, crawling and trying to climb into him. Hero helped her, and Sally took her pacifier out and hugged Kel. “Big bwotha!” she babbled, as she hugged him tightly.

Kel felt his eyes fill with tears, as he broke down. He finally broke down all the years of pain, all the years of hiding his anguish, all the years he kept smiling to help. All of that, gone, as his family hugged him tightly.

Outside, and from the window, Mincy and Cris left, getting to Cris’s house, where they sat at the porch and looked at each other, as they were horrified and pale, while Mincy had started tearing up.

“... So it is true” Cris said, as she looked at her friend and gave her a hug. “Sunny DID kill Mari. I can’t believe this…” Cris was completely devastated. “He lied to the whole town, all this time. And to believe I gave a seashell necklace t-” but as she spoke, she saw Mincy, crying. Cris immediately hugged her, as Mincy hugged her back.

“... All this time,” Mincy said, her voice muffled by Cris’s chest. “He broke Kel down. He broke everyone down.” Mincy then cleaned her face and stood up, fright consuming her.  “But still… I can tell that Sunny didn’t do it on purpose… I just… don’t know what to think anymore. Sunny helped me follow my dreams, but this…”

“... Same here” Cris stated coldly. “But… even though Sunny may be a good person, this is something serious. He kept a murder hidden, and the rumor will run among town eventually. So… it’s useless to keep the secret. They NEED to know.”

As Mincy nodded, she and Cris gave a hug, as Cris entered her house and Mincy went towards her own on another street. “Mom, I’m home!” Cris stated, as she entered her house and walked to the kitchen, where her mom was looking at the window.

“... Hi, sweetie.” Cris’s mom ‘All-American Mom’ said as she looked at her daughter and gave her a hug. “Back so soon from the park? I thought you were hanging with Mincy”

“Yeahhh, about that...” Cris stated, as she saw that her mom was taking a pie out of the oven, the scent of cinnamon and apple flowing through the room. “Mom, there’s something you need to kn-”

“I already heard it.” Cris’s mom stated, as she left the pie on the window to cool off. “I could hear Kel’s voice perfectly from here, and I saw you and Mincy sneaking in front of the Rodriguez’s window.”

“... oh.” Cris stated, as her mom came and gave her a hug. “Mom, listen… I spoke with Sunny very few times before it happened, and I know that what he did was serious and all, but…”

“Sweetie…” her mom cut, looking at her softly. “I know… Sunny used to ask about you constantly while you were in boarding school back in Hawaii, but what he did needs to be divulged. More neighbors probably heard him. I can tell that the Baker’s will run the rumor in less than an afternoon, especially Mikhael.”

“It’s hard to accept…” she stated, looking at her daughter. “But it’s the right thing. But what you can try and do… is helping Kel. I know you care about him, and I think he needs a hug, like a HUGE hug.”

As Cris nodded at her mother, she hugged her, as she mentally felt bad. “I’m sorry Sunny… but there is no other choice” she said mentally to herself, feeling bad for Sunny and the downfall his reputation would suffer back in the town.

And as the rumor ran off, the confirmation about the suspicions were proved true, as the whole town heard that it was real. Sunny killed Mari, and hid her death for 4 years. And as expected, the people of Faraway didn’t take this news lightly. After all, a murder was something hard to suck up in such a small town.

“Oh dear… And to believe that kid used to come to the bakery for cinnamon rolls. Still, hating him is truly the right action?”

“And to believe I let that good for nothing brat tutor my Brent just a few days ago… Although.. he probably didn't do it on purpose. But still...”

“I remember he and Kel used to sneak late here when young… but this is not right. If that punk returns here, and above all, returns to my store, heh… let’s just say he won’t receive such a warm welcome.”

“Young fellas do the most horrific things imaginable. His parents must be disgusted.”

“The spirits feel pitiful… they wish for the sinner to find peace and make peace with his demons. Personally, I hope justice helps that kid…”

“We hope that he gets discarded as the trash he is. Reduce, reuse, and recycle.”

And in the town's church things were not any better. As soon as the news became public, almost all of Faraway’s families arrived at the town’s church, on a Monday, to hear the mass and try and see what the teachings of the Lord would recommend in such a particular case.

“I know the situation is tense, and that it is not right to condone this in the middle of a sermon…” the preacher said, looking at the massive amount of families that took their kids against their will to try and purify their souls. “But we must remember that we are a community, and we must pray to the Lord that he gives us wisdom to continue. A mass will be held this Sunday in Mari’s name. May her spirit find strength to be in Heaven!”

“But what about Sunny!? He KILLED her, we must forgive him!?”

“That kid killed his own sister, he is a demon. MAY HE BURN!!”

“MAY HE PAY!!”

“Ahem!” The Preacher said, getting everyone’s attention. “Although his actions on paper seem unexcussable, we must remember the Lord’s teachings. Remember the story of the Sinner woman, remember the words Jesus said that day ‘Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone at her’. We must be a community, and decide to take this learning to move on and be better. Everyone commits mistakes, and we must pray for Sunny to find peace and move on with his life as well. You may go in peace.”

As the Preacher saw the masses, all looked mostly unconvinced, but not… furious. “I hope you may find peace, Sunny… May the Lord be with you.” the Preacher muttered, as the Church grew empty.

But, Faraway became superstitious and a bit paranoid, as the citizens believed that Sunny’s sins were a calling to consciousness. Plans in schools for mental health were directed, and the Suzuki household was boarded up, as they believed it was haunted by Mari’s spirit.

Some citizens were concerned about the actions, but were mostly perturbed by Sunny’s mistakes, while a group of concerned parents and citizens said that Sunny was a monster that haunted the city. The situation didn’t become extreme, but the warmth that Faraway used to have… was mostly gone.

As a reporter heard the news a few days later, soon CCN decided to broadcast the situation, as it escalated into becoming the subject of a news broadcast. A few days later, the police were on their guard about Sunny, being asked to find him…

A few days later, the news escalated, and multiple reporters appeared to try and make reports for their newscasts. The police launched an investigation on the Suzuki household, as the town grew more… somber. Basically, the whole country knew about Sunny’s actions.

What they didn’t know was that Sunny was already far, far away…

…

The next day...

Faraway Town, California.

September 24th, 2019. 14:50pm

Inside Basil’s house, Basil laid on the sofa, looking at the TV.

These last days have been an emotional rollercoaster for him. Aubrey, Kel and Hero had spoken to him yesterday, and as he apologized, the group said that they needed some time, but were willing to forgive him. Basil also received apologies from the rest of the Hooligans, as they said that he was not innocent, but that they were willing to leave him in peace and forgive him.

Basil told Polly everything, and she supported him. She said that Basil had to suffer so much, and that he should have confessed sooner. As the two reconciled, Polly was currently sitting with him, as she was reading a book.

“Basil, sweetie,” Polly said, looking at Basil with warmth. “Do you feel better? Want some tea?”

“... Yeah, that would help” Basil said, as he received a cup from Polly. “Thank you!” he said warmly, as he drank it.

“Basil, I’m sorry your parents reacted so badly on that call…” she said, as she looked worriedly at him. “I expected them to be… upset. But not to call you a menace and a disgrace to the family. I seriously can’t believe they would be so ruthless and just disown you. What right do they have to do it, if they never even visit!?”

“... It’s not a problem, really...” Basil said, looking at Polly. “I lived with grandma since I was a toddler, so I don’t remember much about them” but as he said it, he remembered the words his father had told him on that call yesterday.

“Basil, you are a menace and an assassin. You have damaged the Flora's legacy, and for that, we are done with you. You are no longer our son…”

Basil cried that night, but as Polly told him she would be with him and become her legal guardian, Basil felt grateful. His secret was out, his friends were willing to forgive, and he had a parent that actually bothered. But Basil felt… empty. Since he saw the news on TV about Sunny, he couldn’t help but remember the words he said while trying to comfort Sunny when he was crying, while he hanged Mari all those years ago.

“Don’t worry… Everything is going to be okay… No matter what happens… Promise me that we’ll always be there for each other… Promise me…”

Basil still remembered that moment. It was supposed to be a big day, October 25th, 2015. It was supposed to go well, it was just a yearly recital, and Mari and Sunny would play the duet they had been practicing all year. It was going to be great… but nothing told Basil what he would see when arriving at Sunny and Mari’s home…

Was the dead body of Mari lying on the bottom of the stairs, with her neck broken and bleeding and pieces of wood stuck to her neck.

“Well honey, I know I ain’t not mom material,” Polly said, breaking Basil out of his trance as she stood up. “But I’ll try my best. I know what you like and dislike, we have known each other for two years, so I think I can be a good mom.”

“The best mom,” Basil said, hugging Polly. “Thank you for not giving up on me, Polly!”

Polly then gave a quick kiss on Basil’s cheek. “You’re welcome, my sweet sunflower!” she said with warmth as she went to the door. “If you need me, I’ll be in the garden checking our flowers, ok?”

As Basil nodded, Polly smiled and closed the door, leaving Basil alone. He should feel… happy. He was free and could start again, so why did he feel empty? Why did he feel a freezing cold inside his soul?

Basil’s mind then drifted back to the moment where Sunny’s mom arrived in his room back at the hospital.

…

A few days ago...

Nearby City Hospital, California.

September 22nd, 2019. 11:15am

Basil laid crying in his room. Sunny had left 5 minutes ago, as Basil cried all the pain and anguish he had to endure.

“How could he do this to me!? To his best friend!!” he thought, feeling furious at the revelation that all this time, Sunny tricked him into covering Mari’s death. Into ruining his own life. Into making himself the target of Aubrey while defending a murderer and a liar for 4 years.

But as he softly cried, the door of his room entered, and inside, came Sophie Suzuki, Sunny and Mari’s mom.

“M-Mrs. Suzuki!” Basil said, surprised to see she came to his room. “I didn’t expect you to come!”

“... Hi Basil” Sophie said with an empty tone, devoid of any emotion. “I can guess you feel better, right?”

“Uhm, yeah Mrs. Suzuki. I do!” Basil said, nervous to see her so serious. “But I need to tell you something. Mari didn’t take her own life. Sunny did it and made me fake her de-”

But before he could finish, he received a painful slap to his face that left a mark on it.

“OW!” Basil said, feeling the ache on his face. “Why did you hit m-”

“YOU. ARE. A. BASTARD.” Sophie said while looking at Basil coldly. “You promised Sunny that you would be on his side no matter what, and what do you do now!? Put all the blame on him, even though your “help” made everything worse!”

Basil was surprised to hear Sophie so furious, and he was worried as she spoke like she knew what happened that day. “W-What are you talking about?” he asked, worry consuming him.

“I knew all along that Sunny killed Mari. I discovered it shortly after it happened.” Sophie said, as Basil went pale. “And I knew that YOU were the one that had the idea to hang her. What a best friend you ended up being.”

“B-B-B-But I…” Basil tried to say, as he remained silent, feeling the realization that HE was the one that made everything worse hit him.

“Out of excuses, huh?” Sophie said coldly, as she looked at Basil, her gaze filled with fury and disgust. “And you even cut down Sunny’s eye, you know!? He may not see through that eye again because of you!!”

“B-B-But he...” Basil mumbled, as his mind went blank. He had no defense, she was right… He promised Sunny that they would be there for each other, but he just threw all the blame at Sunny, his best friend.

“...You know what?” Sophie said as she turned back towards the door. “I’m not even going to tell them what you did. May your consciousness not let you sleep, Basil. Burn in hell.”

And as she said it, she closed the door, leaving Basil alone. Basil then teared up, feeling his sins crawling on his back. That night Basil couldn’t sleep, remembering all of his sins… he betrayed Sunny, and left him to pay alone.

Basil was nothing more than a disgusting liar, even more than Sunny…

…

Basil got out of his memory, as he looked around. Two days have passed, he was in his house. He had Polly, his friends were willing to move on and forgive him, but Basil… couldn’t forgive himself.

Basil then slowly broke down. Every single action he did, hitting him hard as he cried, cried as softly as he could, like the disgusting liar he was.

“S-S-S-Sunny… I-I-I-I-m s-s-sorry…” Basil murmured as he broke down.

As he cried, he knew something. It didn’t matter if his friends forgave him or not. It didn’t matter if Polly loved him. None of that mattered, as his sun… was gone.

Something consumed Basil slowly, as the room grew dark for him. As his sunshine… was gone. And it was because he blocked it.

Chapter Text

???, Oregon.

September 25th, 2019. 07:00am

… To say that Sunny had a rough night would be an understatement.

Around 11pm of the last day, the truck had stopped in Pilot Travel Center so the two drivers of the truck could leave. As Sunny saw the Subway so near him, he was tempted to at least search in the trash to see if he could find anything, SOMETHING to eat.

But Sunny didn’t do as he heard the two drivers: Vince, and another one he didn’t know the name of, returning to their truck. Sunny could see from the cargo part that they had the sandwiches enveloped, together with a bag of Lays and two cans of Coca-Cola.

No one would be able to identify what the sandwiches were, but due to Sunny’s extreme hunger, it was easy to know: Hero Sandwiches. The smell of Italian Herbs & Cheese bread, mixed with bologna, salami and american cheese slices, together with the smell of fresh tomatoes, italian dressing and spicy mustard with mayo, and the soft sound of Iceberg Lettuce, were clear signals of that special sandwich, a sandwich served in Gino’s. A sandwich, that was Hero’s favorite…

Before he could remember the disgusted gaze Hero had when he confessed in the hospital, Sunny regained composure. He was near Ebott, and in a few moments, he would be in the frontier between California and Oregon.

…

The early morning arrived, and Sunny was HUNGRY. The only sights from that early were just… trees and mountains. He could only see their silhouettes due to how dark it was, but he could clearly see the “Welcome to Oregon” poster that let Sunny know that he was near his objective. He just had to endure a few hours.

…

As Sunny laid in the cargo part of the truck, surrounded by all the boxes, he couldn’t believe that he was so far away from home. He never left California before, unless that time his parents and Mari went to Florida when Sunny was 7. He still remembered the seashell Mari had brought home from their trip, as it lay on a shelf in the piano room of his house. To be honest, Sunny didn’t enjoy vacations that much, as it meant being very far away from his friends. But now, seeing that he had NO friends at all, seemed worth it.

“Holy shit, we are here!” Sunny heard ‘Vince’ say, as the truck entered a small looking town. And from Sunny’s sight, he saw a “Welcome to Springfield” poster at the entrance of the town. Sunny gasped, he couldn’t believe he did it! He got to Springfield on his own!

His celebration was cut short as he remembered why he was here: to get to Ebott and disappear. Sighing, Sunny waited patiently on the cargo part of the truck, waiting until it arrived at the ARCO station.

…

Springfield, Oregon.

September 25th, 2019. 11:20am

After a massive traffic jam, the truck FINALLY arrived at the ARCO, and as the truck stopped, the two drivers left it.

“Man, I’m so glad we are out of that thing!” Vince said, looking around to find the entrance of the station. “While I go and buy some food, you go and fill the truck with gas, ok Lucas?”

“Oh, whatever,” Lucas said with a grumpy tone. “Just hurry up and buy it. We are already 280 miles away, and that jam made us lose time. If we run, we will arrive at the Nordstrom in Seattle before 3pm”

“Ugh, fine.” Vince said as he walked towards the station, the doors opening as he walked.

Sunny then waited until the coast was clear, and quietly got off the cargo part of the truck. He had to make some movements to try and regain his balance, due to how long he spent on the back of that truck.

Sunny then saw Lucas filling the truck with gas, and before he turned around, Sunny quickly entered a bathroom. A while later, he got out, and as he placed his hoodie back up again and placed his glasses so he was not recognized, he entered the station, seeing it empty, except for Vince, who was pouring a dollar on a Coca-Cola dispenser.

Before Sunny could ask the person at the cash register, the TV of the station changed the channel to the news.

“Breaking news!” the CNN reporter said. “Chaos in a town in California. Recently, the state has been shocked by a real story that sounded completely made up. A 12 year old boy, a 15 year old girl, a jumping rope and a violin. All of these were the protagonists of the story of a murder in Faraway Town.”

Sunny went pale at hearing the news. The truth was apparently dispersed all around Faraway, and now it became national news. As Sunny knew he needed to act fast, he went towards the register lady and spoke to her. “Good morning, miss!” he said, trying to sound rough to evade suspicions.

“Morning kiddo!” the lady said, as she looked curiously at him. “Hey, I have never seen ya around here. Are you new?”

“Yep, new…” Sunny said, as he looked a bit nervous, trying to act cool. “Anyways, do you know how far away Ebott is, and how to get there?”

“Well,” the lady said, trying to remember the distance. “It’s at the northeast of Springfield, and just north of Eugene. It’s approximately 3,1 miles from here, and 7 minutes if you take a taxi.”

“Well, thank you,” Sunny said, before the lady called him.

“Wait, kid!” she said, looking at him. “You don’t plan to go there on foot, right?”

“Uhm…” Sunny said, before confessing. “Yep. I am.”

“It would take you an hour to reach Ebott if you walked. Don’t you have money for a taxi?” she asked worriedly. “Where are your parents, anyway?”

“...” Sunny sighed, before speaking. “They live in Ebott. I needed to come here to see a friend, but now I’m returning home. I lost the money I had for the taxi, so I’ll just walk back home.”

“Wait,” the cashier said as she reached her pocket and took out 20 dollars. “Use this, kiddo. It will be enough to reach Ebott.”

“B-But I can’t accept this…” Sunny said, as he looked at the 20 dollar bill he received, Andrew Jackson’s printed face visible on the paper.

“Don’t worry kid. Springfield is not so far from here, and I have more money, so just use it.” she said with a warm smile

“Appearently, Sunny Suzuki killed his older sister Mari Suzuki four years ago, at the age of 12, and hanged her from a tree, making it look like a suicide.” the reporter said from the TV. Sunny realized he needed to act FAST, or he would be reported.

“God, what a monster!” the lady said, as she looked at Sunny. “Anyways, it’s because of people like him that you can’t go on the streets. Just accept the money, my treat!”

As Sunny received it, he thanked the cashier before quickly leaving the store, as he looked around for a taxi. He found one, and it stopped.

“Woah woah, fella” the driver said, looking confused at Sunny. “You look in a hurry!”

“Good morning sir!” Sunny said as he looked at the driver. “I need to get to Ebott ASAP, could you please drive me there?”

“I dunno kiddo…” the cashier said. “You have no parents to get ya there?”

“No…” Sunny said, as he gave the 20 dollar bill to the driver. “I need to get there, so could you please drive me? I have the money, 20 dollars.”

At the sight of the bill, he unlocked the car as Sunny entered the backseat. “Buckle up, bucko!” the driver said as Sunny buckled his seatbelt. “This will be a wild ride!”

And as the taxi started moving, Sunny looked back. The buildings passed like if they were toys, and soon enough, he would reach Ebott, and leave and disappear at last, after so long.

…

Ebott, Oregon.

September 25th, 2019. 11:33am

After 8 minutes of driving, and after seeing the “Welcome to Ebott!” sign, he watched the buildings of the town. It was rural, like Faraway, but a bit more advanced. It had some tall buildings around, and overall, the town looked very nice and friendly. Then, the taxi stopped.

“Here’s Ebott Plaza, bucko!” the driver said as Sunny unbuckled himself. “The money wasn’t enough, and you were two dollars short, but I’ll let you scot free as you don’t seem like a punk.”

As Sunny thanked the driver and got out of the taxi, he saw the plaza. Behind him, the taxi drove off, taking the road back to Springfield. Sunny could see that the town was very green. It had lots of trees, and the people seemed friendly. But he had only one mission: reaching Mt. Ebott.

He walked through the plaza, trying to not bring attention, as he saw that the mountain was 3 miles away, approximately 45 minutes. As Sunny started walking through the streets, he was oblivious to the curious sights of the people of Ebott, at the sight of a teen with a hoodie and glasses walking around the streets.

A few minutes later, Sunny reached the outskirts of the town, as he was in front of the entrance of Ebott’s national park. He took a deep breath at the sight of the massive trees, as he prepared to walk to the mountain.

…

Mt. Ebott, Oregon.

September 25th, 2019. 13:03pm

After various minutes of walking under the trees and climbing the outskirts of the mountain, Sunny finally reached a small entrance to a cave inside the mountain. As he looked inside, he saw a massive hole in the center of the cave that went deep down, so deep that he could not see anything.

Sunny realized something then. This was it. It was the end. The end of his life. His mission… was finally over. He did it.

As Sunny left the cave for a moment, he saw the beautiful sight from the area he was. At the west, he could see some small mountains, as behind them, a long distance away, was Springfield. At the east, he could see the tallest buildings of Ebott, standing proudly against the big mountains around the scenery.

“Well, it was a nice life,” Sunny thought, as he smiled at the sight. “But this story… reaches an end,” he said, as he re-entered the mountain.

As he stood in front of the hole, a question popped in his mind, a question that startled him.

“It’s a long way down… Do you want to jump?” 

As Sunny thought, he recounted on everything he lived and saw. In all memories, all experiences… all the moments that he ended up ruining because of his selfishness.

“Those who climb the mountain, never come back, remember?”

“YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A WASTE OF TIME, OF LOVE, AND OF EFFORT!”

“You should have fallen down the stairs instead of Mari that day…”

“JUST… DISAPPEAR. JUST LEAVE, AND NEVER COME BACK!!!!!!”

“People like you don’t deserve to live.”

“It should be better to just die.”

“Sweet little brother. It is time to rest…”

“Proceed. You know this is the only way to do something useful with your flawed existence. Do the world a favor and just do it.”

And as Sunny recounted, he just teared up and started walking towards the hole.

“おやすみ, everyone!” Sunny said, with tears in his eyes. And then… he jumped.

As he jumped, he closed his eyes, as he started plummeting down at high speed. But, time seemed to go slower... Sunny could see the last rays of sun shining, before the tunnel became dark.

Then, Sunny started tearing up, he would disappear, he would be with Mari again, he would do the world a favor…

And just die.

Close your eyes, you'll be here soon

Ichi ni san shi go fun

Tokidoki hontō ni netai

Demo kono wādo dekinai

Oyasumi

Oyasumi

Oyasumi

Oyasu

Oyasumi, oyasumi,

Close your eyes and you'll leave this dream

Oyasumi, oyasumi,

I know that it's hard to do

As the rest of that same song echoed in Sunny's head, he opened his eyes, and the darkness of the tunnel was replaced by various figures. The purple sky of Headspace, shining brightly as he fell.

Then, it all turned black, as Sunny looked downwards…

Oyasumi, oyasumi,

Close your eyes and you'll leave this dream

Oyasumi, oyasumi,

I know that it's hard to do

Sunny started to fall faster, gravity doing its job as his humble executor

Oyasumi, oyasumi,

Close your eyes and you'll leave this dream

Oyasumi, oyasumi,

I know that it's hard to do

Then, the soft tunes of a glockenspiel sounded as Sunny continued falling. And then, as the last notes sounded…

Sunny fell, and it all went black.

Chapter Text

???, ???.

??? ???, 2019. ??:??

…

…

…?

“...”

…

Something wasn’t right. He could still breathe, he could still move his body.

Something had to be wrong, VERY wrong.

As he opened his eyes, Sunny could only see… a stone wall. As he felt what he fell in, it felt… soft. Suspiciously soft.

…

Sunny then tried to get to his feet, using his arms and hands to support his body and stand on his feet. But as he stood up, he felt his body completely hurt. Like if his energy had been drained away from it. His legs hurt greatly, but after a few seconds, the pain became bearable. Now ready to see, Sunny checked his surroundings.

Then saw what he fell in… a bed of golden flowers. Around him were various pillars with plants, and the place was… empty. It looked like if people had built it, and as Sunny looked upwards, he only saw a bit of light way upwards.

He then started walking, slowly, but surely, but he tripped down and fell on his knees. But, before he could stand up, the ground felt like if something was under it, and before he could react, a creature came from under the earth. Then, Sunny felt something grabbing him, and placing him to sit on the ground, feeling the pain as he had nothing to cushion his fall. But before he could whine, the creature arrived. It was… a big golden flower with a face and a green stem…

“Howdy!” the flower said excitedly, with a smile on its ‘face?’ “I’m Flowey. Flowey the Flower!”

Sunny then backed up nervously, at the sight of the bizarre creature. But before he could lean back, he felt something grabbing him by the stomach. As Sunny saw… it was a green vine.

“Wow pal…” Flowey said, looking at Sunny with ‘concern’. “Must’ve been a preeeeetty rough fall, right?”

As Sunny nodded, Flowey saw him curiously. “Hmmm…” Flowey murmured, looking at Sunny. “You’re new to the Underground, arent’cha?” it asked, as Sunny nodded nervously.

“Golly, you must be so confused.” Flowey said with a soft ‘smile’ “Someone ought to teach you how things work around here!”

“I guess little old me will have to do.” It said, looking at Sunny excitedly. “Ready? Here we-” but then, Flowey stopped. Sunny looked at it nervously. Was this his hell? Was this bizarre place the pits of hell, where he deserved to live?

“...Wait a sec” Flowey mumbled, before looking surprised, and looking at Sunny with a smile. “Hee hee hee…” it laughed, as Sunny became nervous. “Golly, FINALLY!! Someone who gets it!”

As Sunny looked curiously at Flowey, it spoke. “After so many idiots that have fallen down here, finally ONE OF THEM actually shares my view of the world!”

Sunny tried to speak, but he felt his mouth empty, unable to comprehend what he was seeing right now. A talking… flower… that laughed…

“Oh, please…” Flowey said, getting closer to Sunny. “You know what I’m talking about, kid.”

As Sunny looked nervously at Flowey, it… sighed, as it looked at Sunny in the eyes. “Right…” it said, looking annoyed. “You don’t know what I’m talking about…”

Before Sunny could speak, Flowey summoned a… vine to touch his chest, as a weird… screen… came from it.

“Before you ask,” Flowey said, visibly annoyed. “That thing is a way to see your ‘Stats’. Basically, how powerful you are.”

As Sunny looked at his ‘stats’, they described various aspects. It had his name: “SUNNY”, and underneath some weird words that Sunny could not understand: LV 1; HP 2/20; ATK 0 (2); DF 0 (5); EXP: 1; NEXT: 9; WEAPON: Torn Notebook; ARMOR: Cloudy Glasses; GOLD: 0; KILLS: 1.

As Sunny looked completely shocked at the ‘screen’, he looked at Flowey for an explanation, as it shook its head. “Long story short,” it said, annoyed. “Those show how strong your SOUL is. Your SOUL, is the very culmination of your being!”

“Now, what I am excited about,” Flowey said, as another vine pointed to the part of the screen that showed EXP. It said 1. And another vine pointed to the part that said KILLS… it said 1.

“You know my style, kid!” it said, as it dissipated the screen and looked at Sunny right at the eyes. “You ALREADY have EXP!”

Before Sunny could question, Flowey spoke. “What's EXP?” it said with a smile. “It’s an acronym. It stands for ‘execution points’. A way of seeing how much you TRULY hurt others.”

As Sunny heard this and remembered the KILLS part, he realized. He had those stats…. because he killed Mari. Sunny felt tears coming from his eyes, as Flowey looked at him curiously, while another vine came and wiped his tears.

“Heh heh.” Flowey said, looking at Sunny cheerfully. “Don’t worry, pal! EXP is not a bad thing. It shows that you are… strong. That you have power, and are destined to obtain it.” As Flowey spoke, Sunny felt his heat beating, the feeling of dread consuming him.

“You know…” Flowey said, as a smile appeared on its face. “You and I are not different, kid. We BOTH have goals, and are determined to get them. Even if that means destroying our objectives. Because, in this world… it's KILL or BE KILLED.”

Sunny went pale at it’s words, as he looked at it with a terrified expression. “P-P-Please…” he muttered, trying to break himself out of the vine that held him. “I am not a killer… I don’t want to hurt others… Please…”

Flowey then went pale, as it made a sarcastic expression. “You think you're above consequences, kid?” it said, looking at him with sarcasm. “You’re just like the rest. You think you are some kind of good guy, but guess what? THE. STATS. DON’T. LIE.”

“But don’t worry…” it said with an evil tone, as it smiled. “Eventually, you will tire of being a good person, and accept your TRUE instincts.”

Then, the vine retracted itself, as Sunny fell into the ground, while Flowey looked at him. “Until then… I’ll be watching. I would kill you right now. But… This is SO more interesting.”

Then Flowey laughed, as it dug back into the ground, leaving Sunny alone. He felt his body hurt, his eyes ache, and his soul freeze.

“Flowey’s right…” he thought, as he felt his life slipping away from him. “The Stats don’t lie. I’m just destined to be this… bad luck person. Anyone that gets close to me, whenever I love them or not, gets hurt…”

“It should be better to just die.”

As Sunny’s eyes slowly closed down, he heard a sound, and soon enough, he saw a fair of… furry feet.

“OH, YOU POOR CHILD!!” the voice said, as the creature came closer. “DON’T WORRY, YOUNG ONE. YOU’LL BE FI-”

But then, Sunny’s eyes went black, as he fell unconscious.

Chapter Text

???, ???.

??? ???, 2019. ??:??

…

“Come on little brother! Rise and shine!”

“Sunnyyyyyyy. Get uppp!!!”

…

As he opened his eyes, Sunny saw that he was… inside a room. As he tried to move, he could tell that he was lying on something soft. Then, slowly, he got up, and saw that his clothes… were completely changed.

Instead of the clothes he had been wearing since he escaped the hospital, he now had… a pajama shirt and pajama pants. He saw that he still had his black boxers and black socks, and he now had… his eye patch.

As he looked around the room, he saw a closet, and to its left, a shelf that had a small photo that he could not recognize, and to the left of the shelf… were his sketch notebook and his glasses, which were a bit marred, probably by the impact when he fell.

As Sunny stood up, he felt something on his legs, and as he rolled up his pants, he saw that he had bandages on his knees, which had some blood stains. But, as he walked… they didn’t hurt that much. Of course, it was hard to walk due to the pain, but it was… way more bearable than before.

He could see that there was a flower drawing pinned to the wall, and some plushies on the right side of the bed. Sunny thought that it had to be the room of a kid, as it looked like the dormitory of one.

But, before he could leave the room, the door opened, as a figure entered. That figure… had the same feet he saw before falling unconscious, but looked… completely out of this world. The figure looked like a human that had goat attributes, due to the tiny horns and floppy ears it had. It was also tall, like 2 meters tall, a feat that looked completely unbelievable. The creature wore a dark purple robe and had dark red irises, but something about it… felt warm. It had a maternal aura that made Sunny calm down a bit as he looked at the creature, and from that, he could tell that the creature was female.

“Oh goodness.” the creature said as she walked softly towards him, care noticeable in her voice. “You have finally awakened. I was worried. How do you feel?”

As Sunny stood confused, he felt his words come to his mouth, unlike with ‘Flowey’. “I…” Sunny muttered, feeling a bit safe with the creature. “I feel better. Thank you…”

The creature just smiled as she helped Sunny sit in the bed, while she checked his knees. “I’m glad you feel better, young one.” She said with a maternal voice. “I found you lying unconscious in the entrance of the Ruins, completely knocked out. I was worried I arrived late…”

“You actually saved me…” Sunny said, feeling at ease with the creature. “I was really hurt when I woke up back there, but you helped me… Thank you.”

“You are welcome, young one. It’s my duty, after all!” the creature said as it looked at Sunny in the eyes. Then, the creature became surprised, as she shyly smiled. “Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself to you.”

“My name is Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins” the creature said, giving her hand to Sunny. “You are the first human to have fallen down here in a long time.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Toriel,” Sunny said as he took her hand. “Thank you for helping me!”

Toriel just giggled. “Oh, goodness. You don’t need to be so formal, my child!” she said with a soft but playful tone. “But if you want… you can call me that.”

As Sunny nodded, he saw that Toriel had rolled back his pajama pants as she kneeled to his level and saw him in the eyes. “Your legs were greatly hurt, they had to keep up a lot of pressure. Your knees are damaged, but I already used some herbs to cure them. You may have difficulty walking, but in a few hours you’ll feel better.” she said as she looked at Sunny.

“T-Thank you, really!” he said, looking with gratitude at his savior.

“It’s a pleasure, my child.” she said, as she reached her hands to Sunny. Sunny became a bit worried, which made her stop for a moment and look at him warmly. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. Your legs are hurt and I just want to help you be as safe as possible until you feel better. Do you have any issue with me carrying you?”

Before Sunny could answer, he felt a warmth that made him consider her help. It could be called his ‘6th sense, of sorts’. He nodded, and as Toriel reached her arms to him, she held him by the armpits. In a few seconds, he was scooped into her arms, her hands resting under his bottom.

As Sunny was surprised to see how strong was her, he felt something… warm, and almost instinctively placed his head on her chest, as he felt how soft her skin was. Her movements were relaxing, as Sunny felt at ease with her.

Toriel just smiled softly as she walked out of the room carrying him, as she hummed a soft melody that Sunny could not recognize well. In a few seconds, he felt himself be placed in a soft chair, that was near… a fireplace, that had a big bookshelf to his side.

As Toriel grabbed a chair and placed it in front of where he was, she sat down as she looked at Sunny right at the eye. “Ta-da!” she said, looking excitedly at Sunny. “Welcome to your new home, my child! I hope you are happy here.”

“H-home?” Sunny said, confused at what Toriel had just said. “But… where am I?”

“You fell down into the Underground, my child.” Toriel said as she looked at Sunny. “You fell in the entrance of the Ruins. I wanted to show you around until we reached home… but you were very hurt,  so it had to be postponed until you felt better.”

“T-THE UNDERGROUND!?” Sunny said, surprised to hear that he fell in the Underground. He remembered that when Mari told him the legend years ago, his mother said that she had the theory that it was in Mt. Ebott.

“Indeed,” Toriel said as she smiled. “It is not just a legend, the events that it narrated were real. The humans locked us monsters here centuries ago.”

“...Wow…” Sunny asked, surprised to see that his mom’s theory was right.

“Anyway,” Toriel said as she stood up from her chair. “I was going to show you how things work around here, but it would be better for you to rest first. I’ll go and prepare something, okay?”

“Okay, Mrs. Toriel. Thank you!” Sunny said as Toriel left to what appeared to be the kitchen.

“Oh, by the way” she said, her voice echoing from the kitchen. “Your old clothes ended up dirty and torn when I found you. I’m not sure if they’ll still be usable, but regardless, I left some new clothes for you in your room. But… if you want to stay in pajamas, then I have no issue.”

Before Sunny got up, Toriel came back and helped him get to his feet. Afterwards, she gave him a cane. “This can help you walk if I’m not here, my child.” she said warmly. “Remember to let your legs and knees rest, okay?”

As Sunny nodded, she returned to the kitchen, as Sunny used the cane as support to get to the room. And in a small box, between some toys, laid a small bag.

As he opened it, he saw that inside were: A big sweater that was purple and had a weird symbol on its center, and a pair of pants. Sunny managed to get himself dressed up, as he folded the pajamas and placed them on the top of his bed.

As he stood up, he felt how soft the sweater was. Instead of icky like how normally hand-knitted sweaters were for him, this one felt… softer. The fabric felt soft, and it had enough room around the neck to be comfy to wear. And besides, the symbol looked really nice.

After he left the room, he entered the hallway, seeing it was deemly lit, he saw two more rooms to the side of the hallway, and a bathroom on the other side of it. As he entered the living room, he saw that Toriel was still in the kitchen, getting some ingredients on the table. As he stood in front of the door of the kitchen, she turned back to see him, and squealed in delight at how cute he looked.

“Oh, my child!” Toriel said, as she looked warmly at Sunny. “That sweater is perfect! Do you like it?”

As Sunny nodded, he saw that the ingredients Toriel had were… for baking a cake. “Ummm, Mrs. Toriel,” he asked, curiously. “What are you going to prepare?”

“Oh, just a speciality of mine” Toriel said as she helped Sunny get to the kitchen. “Butterschotch-cinnamon pie!”

As Sunny heard the name, he was confused. “I never heard about it back home…” he said, looking at Toriel.

“You can help me prepare it if you like,” Toriel said as she smiled softly at Sunny. At the sound of that, he got a bit nervous.

“Uhm, sorry.” Sunny said, looking ashamed. “But I’m not good at baking. I would probably ruin the pie.”

“Don’t worry, my child.” Toriel said as she went to the living room to grab a chair for Sunny to stand on. “I’m sure you have talent in this. If not, then we can do it together!”

At the sound of her idea, Sunny became less nervous, as he nodded. But at the sight of the chair, he remembered that he was still short. With a sigh, he stood on the chair as he looked expectantly at Toriel.

“Okay, my child.” Toriel said as she looked at Sunny excitedly. “Before starting, I’ll tell you the ingredients that we need to prepare the pie. We just need: flour, dark sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract, unsalted butter, some eggs and whole milk.”

As Sunny nodded, he grew confused for a second. Monsters were locked deep underground ages ago, and he was sure there were no animals or crops there. Where did Toriel get all those ingredients? And where did she get the eggs and milk!? As he thought about reasonable explanations, he didn't realize that Toriel was watching him with a curious gaze. As he realized, he blushed a bit as she just giggled softly.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you my child!” Toriel said as she continued giggling. “Here in the Underground, we have some plants from the surface that retrieved the seeds of before being imprisoned. Deep down on the bottom of the Ruins, are some plantations of a weird fruit called ‘coconut’, hard on the outside, but full of pulp on the inside. If it’s dried, boiled, blended, and then squeezed, a special kind of milk can be obtained, that it’s the one that I use for baking. There are also some monsters that cultivate sugar canes and wheat down here, due to the Underground's soil being very fertile. And... I just use magic to summon some eggs.”

As he heard it, Sunny calmed down a bit, as he looked expectantly at Toriel, who was preparing to start baking the pie.

“First, we combine the sugar, flour and cornstarch in a bowl, and then add some cinnamon for the filling of the pie.” Toriel said as she poured the ingredients on a bowl and then mixed them. “I already had the pie’s crust prepared, so we don’t need to worry about that.”

As Sunny saw Toriel grabbing a pan, he saw that the stove had no knobs. But before he could ask Toriel, she… generated fire from her hand and threw it, turning the burner up. He then became… surprised, and as he looked at Toriel, she just smiled softly.

“Oh, right. We monsters are able to use magic, my child.” she said as she placed a saucepan over the burner. “In my case, I’m a Boss Monster, and my species is able to use fire magic.”

As she said it, she generated a small flame from her hand, and then made it disappear. Sunny could only look surprised at her, amazed that magic ACTUALLY existed. “Every monster is able to use magic, each one casting it in various ways.” she said with a wise tone. “But we can talk about that later. After all, the stove is still turned on.”

As Sunny looked at Toriel, she asked him to pour the mixed ingredients of the bowl into the saucepan, and as he did it, she spoke to him in a soft voice. “So, my child…” she started, excitement visible in her voice. “You said that you didn’t want to help me because you were not good at baking. But until now, you have done very well.”

“Well…” Sunny said, as Toriel poured some egg yolks and milk into the mix, as he mixed it. “I’m speaking from experience. I tried to bake cookies a long time ago… It didn’t end very well.”

“Really?” Toriel said as she poured some vanilla extract and the butter into the mix, as she mixed it more. “Tell me about it. Of course, if you want.”

Sunny took a deep breath, as he started telling the story to her. He remembered the time HE tried to bake Mari’s cookies when he was 9 years old, and he still remembered the conversation clearly:

“Sis…”

“Sorry, little brother, but I’m a bit busy with schoolwork. We can play later.”

“No, it’s not that. You seem tired, so I baked you some cookies.”

“... Really? Wow! How nice of you!”

“Thanks sis! I made them with chocolate chips, just like yours!!”

He would always remember how his sister’s face went pale after she gave a taste to his cookie. Then he realized… he was pretty awful at cooking.

Mari saw that he knew that they were bad, and she tried to help make him feel better.

“Little brother, it was your first time! They are…. delicious!”

After that, he decided to leave the cooking to the professionals, as the story became an internal story he and his… friends, told in sleepovers.

…

“Wow, my child!” Toriel said, pouring the already finished mix into the pie crust. “I’m sure they were tasty.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Sunny said, feeling a bit better as he saw that he helped bake the pie, and it didn’t end up looking bad or burnt. As he saw it, she helped him get down from the chair.

“Okay,” she said with a soft voice. “The pie needs to cool down for now, and then it needs to be in the fridge for some time, so we’ll have to wait.”

But as Sunny nodded, Toriel kneeled to his level and saw him softly on the eyes, speaking playfully. “Hey, I know!” she said with a soft but cheerful tone. “Why don’t you walk around the Ruins, so you can see how they are? I would love to go with you, but someone needs to check on the pie.”

As Sunny heard her idea, he saw it as a good one, so some minutes later, he got to the entrance of the house, as Toriel gave him a… 2000s looking flip phone. “In case anything happens, my child,” she said as she gave him the phone. “You just call me, okay? On the list of contacts you have my number. Have fun!”

As Sunny nodded, she gave him a small kiss and wished him good luck, as she entered the house, leaving Sunny alone at the entrance. As he walked with his cane, he could see that in the center of it, was a massive tree that had no leaves, as they were on the floor, right around the tree. The sight made Sunny calm down, as the place had a… warmth that he could not completely describe.

Soonly, he left the entrance of the house, ready to explore such a weird but lovely place.

Chapter Text

Ruins, The Underground, Oregon.

??? ???, 2019. ??:??

As Sunny walked around the Ruins, he saw that they were massive, and that the walls and floor were made of purplish bricks and stone. Together with that, the abundance of plants and pillars around the edification gave the place a mystical tone that he enjoyed.

The Ruins were also quite… quiet and empty, even though they looked to be very clean, despite the age they probably had. Sunny walked softly, starting to get the hang of his legs again, the pain he had in his knees slowly dissipating. But, as he walked around the hallway of the place, he heard a weird noise.

And from there, a weird monster came. It looked like a white frog that was half of his size and had three triangles under it’s neck. But, between its feet, was a black space that had a… face that blinked constantly.

“Ribbit.” the monster said as he stood in front of Sunny, looking at him menacingly. Sunny tried to run away, but he felt like he couldn’t move. As he calmed down and tried to move, he realized he couldn’t escape. He was stuck with whatever that thing was.

As Sunny tried to move or do anything, he realized he was… frozen. All while that ‘thing’ looked at him annoyed, with an expression that made Sunny look confused. But, the creature didn’t attack, it just… stared at him.

“Froggit attacks you!”

As Sunny looked around confused, he was unsure on… what that voice was. But one thing was sure, it had to come from his head. Meanwhile, ‘Froggit’ looked expectantly at Sunny.

“...Waiting for something to happen?”

As that line made Sunny shiver as it reminded him of Mewo, he was not sure about what to do.

“Oh, right. You are new to the Underground, right?”

As Sunny nodded, with the Froggit looking confused, the voice spoke, and Sunny could tell that it had a female tone.

“Well, you entered what is called a FIGHT. Here, monsters may attack you. Currently, it’s your turn, and you can do various acts to try and win the battle.”

As Sunny heard the voice, he was reminded of Headspace. There, battles worked similarly, but the way to win was by defeating enemies depleting their HEART value. As Sunny was preparing to attack, the voice spoke with a worried tone.

“Don’t do it!” she said, as Sunny stopped mid-movement. “I don’t know how it is up there now, but you don’t need to attack here, for god’s sake! Just… ACT.”

Sunny looked pale and lost, as he didn’t attack, but the Froggit looked confused but then it spoke. “Ribbit, ribbit.” it said, as it then glowed and… weird white flies generated from thin air.

“DODGE.” the voice said, as the flies started pursuing Sunny. He then saw that he could move, as he dodged the flies with some ease, using his cane to block some that got close to him. After a while… they dissipated on thin air, as Sunny was frozen again, while the Froggit jumped in front of him.

“W-What the…” Sunny thought, as this was WAY different than how battles worked in his dreams. But then, the voice spoke. “You tried to attack, but you missed, wasting your turn. Those flies… were magic attacks used by that Froggit. After a while, his turn ends, starting another turn for you.” she said, as Sunny started to understand.

“Now, what I was saying.” she continued, not bothering to wait for Sunny to do anything. “You can use ACTS to make the enemy stop wanting to defeat you, or you can hurt them enough so they give up. Afterwards, if the enemy has a soft golden glow, they can be SPARED, ending the battle peacefully. Now, try ACTING. Say something nice to the Froggit.”

As Sunny looked at the creature, he spoke with a nervous tone. “Ummm,” he muttered, nervous as to what to do. “You are very… interesting.”

“...Seriously?” the voice said with a sarcastic tone, but she spoke again with a surprised tone. “Froggit didn’t understand what you said, but was flattered anyway.”

“Ribbit…” the creature said, as it blushed. And then, another attack came. In this one, the Froggit itself jumped towards Sunny, trying to crash into him. With difficulty, Sunny evaded its pursuit, as it stopped, while a golden glow appeared around the Froggit.

“Froggit seems reluctant to fight you. Now tell it that you are SPARING it!” The voice said, as Sunny prepared to speak.

“I-I spare you, F-froggit” Sunny said, as the Froggit looked content. It then dropped some… coins, as it jumped away, leaving Sunny alone again. “YOU WON! You earned 0 XP and 2 gold.” the voice said, as she spoke with a happy tone.

“...” Sunny was speechless as to what just happened, as he grabbed the coins and placed them in his pocket.

“Pretty good first battle!” the voice said, as she sounded excited. “You were not even hit!”

“... Who are you?” Sunny thought, as he walked through the rest of the hallway. “Where are you? And why did you help me?”

“Number 1, I am your guide on this wacky place.” she said with an authoritative tone. “Number 2, I’m right behind you, but you can't see me. And number 3, I helped you because you didn’t know what to do. I can’t believe she let you go without teaching you how to get yourself out of a FIGHT!”

“... Thank you?” Sunny thought, confused as to who this ‘guide’ was exactly, as her giggles resonated in his mind. “You’re welcome, partner!” she said happily.

As Sunny walked, he reached another empty hallway that led to a part with pillars and… colored mushrooms.

“Don’t press any of them,” the voice said, as Sunny heard her. “Some may lead you to a pit below.”

As Sunny looked around, he decided to rest for a moment. He managed to sit, reclining himself in one of the pillars, as he used his cane to make the process easier. He felt… at peace. This weird place looked really comfy and tidy, but it reminded him of… home.

Every inch he went, he was reminded of his friends, and what he had lived during his childhood. It reminded him of a dungeon Mari had invented for their game of Dungeons & Dragons years ago, she had mentioned her dungeon as some ruins with a big amount of plants and leaves, but completely clean and organized.

“... Do you want to speak about it?” the voice said, startling Sunny. “I’m sorry, but remember that I can hear what you think. So… yeah.”

“... It’s okay,” Sunny thought, as he looked a bit sad. “You don’t have to worry about it.”

“Listen, I’m not a fragment of whatever the heck is in your mind.” the voice said, a bit annoyed. “I am a ‘ghost’ you could say, and I can communicate with you. So, I’ll give you REAL responses, okay?”

“... It’s… nothing, really,” Sunny thought, keeping the conversation alive. “I am ok.”

“No one falls here if they are ‘ok’, pal,” she responded, a bit worried. “You can trust me on this, I promise I won’t hurt you.”

“...” Sunny went silent, before he spoke in his mind. “I made an… awful mistake years ago. I saw that I was nothing more than a parasite and a burden, so I jumped off Ebott to die. There’s not much more to it…”

“... Quite ironic that you didn’t persevere...” she said, as a small eep was heard from her. “F-Forget what I said!”

“... Persevering …” Sunny thought, curious about what she meant. “What are you talking about?”

“... God damn it!” she thought as she went silent, but some seconds afterwards, she spoke. “Okay, listen well. Each human soul has a ‘TRAIT’ of sorts, a characteristic of it that defines it completely. The soul is the essence of a human, and they have a component called DT that allows us to persist after death, or in other words, have strength to… not die. There are seven soul colors, each one for a trait: Cyan is for Patience, Orange goes for Bravery, Blue is equal to Integrity, Green means Kindness, Yellow shines for Justice, Purple represents Perseverance and Red… is unknown... at least for now. There isn't any specific trait for the red SOUL, but... due to it having the highest amount of DT BY FAR, I believe that it is what the red soul represents, Determination. Even so... it' was never confirmed by anyone down here, and the real meaning of it has been lost.”

As Sunny heard all that information, he was curious. What was his soul color? “It’s purple,” the voice said, a little bit nervous. “Your soul shines with Perseverance. If you want to see it, focus your energy into manifesting it. Just… think about it and you’ll be able to see it.”

As Sunny heard her, he… focused. And quickly, a purple heart manifested in front of him, looking a bit ethereal. He was… shocked. Was it there the whole time!? “Since you were born.” How couldn’t he see it before!? “The surface's power doesn't allow for magic usage, dummy. The Underground is full of magic, so it allows you to do it.”

As he continued asking, the voice answered all of his questions, as Sunny was left… shocked. The soul dissipated into purple light and returned inside of him.

“... Whatever happened up there couldn’t be that bad for you to do something so reckless...” the voice said with a soft tone.

“... It led to the death of my sister.” Sunny muttered, as he grew sad. How would Mari react in the Afterlife seeing him like this?

“... oh …” the voice said, as she spoke softly. “Even so, I’m sure she would have wished for you to live happily. I… actually made a HUGE mistake that got me and my best friend killed a long time ago, so don’t feel bad. You are not the only person that messed up here.”

“T-Thanks, Mrs." Sunny thought, as the voice just laughed. “Kid, I died young. Cut that up, you can call me anyway you want!” she said warmly.

“Ok, what is your name then?” Sunny asked mentally, as the voice went silent. Then, after some seconds, the voice spoke, a bit sad. “Red. My name is Red.” she said, a bit nervous.

“Well, my name is… Sunny.” he thought, as the voice just spoke softly. “Sunny… that’s a nice name.” But before they finished, Sunny heard his pocket ring, and as he took the flip-phone, he saw it was Toriel.

“My child! I hope you are having fun!” she said warmly, her voice sounding from the phone’s speakers. “But you need to return home, it’s close to nighttime already. And the pie is now finished. Please return as soon as you can, okay? Love you!” and then the line went dead, as Sunny stood up and grabbed his cane, walking back home.

But, as he walked, he saw three weird monsters on the way that blocked his path. And as he looked, they were… weirder than the rest that he saw before. One of them was bipedal with a MASSIVE eye on its face, another one looked like a bipedal cockroach with two antennae, and the last was a large… carrot with a face that looks like the ones on Halloween pumpkins.

“Okay, Sunny. Show the sunshine to these guys!” Red said excitedly, as Sunny prepared himself to start the encounter. “Loox and co. decided to pick on you.”

As Sunny looked at them, he realized that he had no idea what they wanted. So he tried to speak to the weird carrot first, but his stomach already grumbled. The carrot itself smiled at the sound, as the three prepared to fight.

“Eat Your Greens” “Please don’t pick on me” “FILTHY SINGLE MINDER..” the three of them said, Sunny somehow understanding what each of them said as they spoke at the same time. But then, he felt he could move, and the place turned into hell. The insect monster summoned cockroaches that quickly surrounded him, as the Mike Wazaowski ripoff generated some energy spheres shot from his eye, as they bounced around the area surrounding Sunny. Meanwhile, white carrots appeared from thin air and started falling, with some of them being green.

“Grab the green ones! They won’t hurt you!” Red said excitedly, as Sunny prepared to dodge. He had to move quickly, as the area quickly became bloated with projectiles, but he somehow managed to evade all of them and touch some green carrots, feeling a refreshing feeling inside of Sunny, while the carrot monster just smiled, a golden aura appeared around it.

“Now, spare Vegetoid!” Red said, as Sunny spoke to it. “Vegetoid, I spare you!” he said, as the monster buried itself on the ground, leaving the eye monster and the cockroach one.

“Quit staring at me.” “IN UNISON, NOW” the remaining monsters said, but before they attacked, they gained a golden aura all of a sudden as they looked terrified. Confused, Sunny turned around, as he saw that Toriel was watching the monsters with stern eyes. Slowly, the two got away, leaving Sunny and Toriel alone. “YOU WON! You earned 0 XP, 4 gold and the fact that your goat mom saved your butt!” Red said as she just giggled a bit, while Toriel looked at the escaping monsters sternly.

“... And to believe that poor Migosp had to end with that bully...” Toriel said as she kneeled to Sunny’s eye level. “I’m sorry for taking so long, my child. I was worried that you hadn’t arrived yet, so I came to find you. You must have been so scared and hurt.”

But as Toriel looked at Sunny, she saw that he had no bruises, no damage, nothing. “Oh goodness my child, you are more capable than I thought. I forgot I haven’t taught you how to SPARE and ACT in a fight yet. I apologize for that.”

‘Don’t worry, Mrs. Toriel!” Sunny said, a bit calmer, as he took the cane. “I was able to talk them out of hurting me, and I don’t think I need the cane any longer. My legs feel better than before.”

“That’s good to know, my child!” Toriel said as she offered her hand to Sunny, who took it. “Now come, the pie is already cooled down.”

As the two of them walked, he saw the Ruins grow a bit darker, as he imagined it was already close to night. “As the Underground is, well, underground, there are some special crystals here that allow light to be generated.” Red explained as she spoke on Sunny’s head. “As the Ruins were the first area monsters lived in when they were locked away, they made a system where wood planks would cover up the crystals, simulating the day-night cycle of the surface.”

As Sunny heard the explanation, he heard a piece of wood clang, as the place grew darker and darker, Toriel generating a small flame in her hand to light them up. “It must be already night, but don’t worry.” Toriel said as she made the flame a bit bigger. “I can light the way up to home.”

Before Sunny left the hallway with Toriel, he heard a weird sound that made him look backwards, as in the exit of the room, he saw… his Headspace Friends. AUBREY, KEL and HERO, all with their hair and eyes colored purple and dressed in their characteristic pajamas. They were speaking with each other, but then they turned their backs and ran down the rest of the hallway, disappearing in the darkness.

“My child, are you okay?” he was taken out of his sight, as he heard Toriel’s voice, while she was looking at him a bit worried.

“... Sorry” Sunny muttered, as he looked at Toriel. “I just heard something, and tried to see what it was.”

“Don’t worry. The Ruins are pretty quiet at night. It was probably a Whimsum, as they are pretty sensitive to a lot of things, including darkness” Toriel said as she continued walking, as both of them reached the house and entered.

As Sunny looked outside one last time, he decided to not think about it any longer.

Chapter Text

Ruins, The Underground, Oregon.

??? ???, 2019. ??:??pm

“Wow…” Sunny said as he tasted the pie, enjoying the soft sweetness and smoothness that the filling had. “This is… amazing”

“I’m glad you liked it, my child!” Toriel said, as she ate her slice as well. “I would have prepared snail pie, but… it’s not the predilect choice here. So I decided to make butterscotch-cinnamon pie to celebrate your arrival.”

“...Snail pie?” Sunny said, curious about the taste of that pie. “It sounds… nice.”

“You don’t know how GOOD it tastes,” she said with a soft smile.

But, as the two of them were sitting on the table, the fire from the fireplace crackled softly, the smell of burned wood giving the comfy house a nice feeling and a comfy warmness that made Sunny relax. But, a question in his mind was resonating. The house had various rooms and his room was… decorated already for a child. So, he decided to ask.

“Uhm, Mrs. Toriel,” Sunny said as he looked at her shyly. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, young one.” Toriel said warmy

 “What is it?”

“It’s about my room, and about the house in general,” he said, looking at her. “It is really comfy and nice, but… why was my room already decorated? Why are there three chairs here?”

As he asked, Toriel’s expression became a bit… somber. But she could see that Sunny’s gaze became worried at seeing her, so she quickly regained her composure. “Oh, sorry my child.” she said, smiling a bit weaker than before. “It’s just… hard to talk about, okay? Maybe another day I will tell you, but don’t worry about it yet.”

Sunny looked a bit confused, but he quickly nodded and continued eating his slice of pie. “Okay…” he said, his attention focused on the taste of the pastry.

“By the way…” Toriel said, looking at Sunny a bit concerned. “I can tell that you had it rough up there, but you don’t need to worry that much. You are safe here, and I’ll do my best to take care of you. The Ruins are not… so big, but they have everything that we could need to be happy. I have hundreds of books to share, I can show you my favorite snail recipes, we can try and take walks around the place. I just want you to have a nice life down here.”

As Sunny heard her, he felt some… faith inside of himself. He felt Toriel’s love and warmth, and he didn’t want to fail her, not like he failed… everyone back home. “T-Thank you, Mrs. Toriel” he said as he smiled at her. “I’m sure we will be really happy together.”

As Toriel giggled, she looked softly at Sunny. “I almost forgot. You never told me your name, my child” she said warmly, as she placed her hand on Sunny’s. “What is your name?”

Sunny was a bit nervous, but he spoke. “It’s… Sunny,” He said, looking at her a bit nervously. “My name is Sunny.”

“Sunny?” Toriel repeated, as she looked at him warmly. “That’s a nice name.”

…

Some minutes later…

Sunny was changing into his pajamas that Toriel offered him to use. His sweater and pants were neatly folded and placed on the closet on the room, at the side of the bed, and the only light on the room was coming from the lamp at the side of the bed.

“I hope you enjoy your bed, my child!” Toriel said, peeking from the hallway as she was dressed in some pink pajamas. “Have a good sleep, Sunny!” and as she said it, she gently closed the door, as the sound of a switch resonated through the room as the hallway's light disappeared, leaving Sunny alone in his room.

As he made himself comfy in the bed, he felt… a bit scared. He grabbed one of the plushies on the side of the bed, hugging it tightly. But, between the silence, Red’s voice spoke in his head, with a teasing tone.

“Scared of the dark?” she said with a small giggle, as Sunny just became a bit embarrassed. Soon, Red spoke again, this time with a more soft tone. “Okay, you big baby. Care to tell me what happened up there?”

Seeing that Sunny was silent, she spoke more softly again. “Mo-Toriel’s already sleeping, and no one can hear us. I'm in your head, remember?” Red said. “The only one that I can speak to and that can speak to me is you, so no one will be able to hear us.”

“...It’s just…” Sunny said in his head. “She’s… extremely nice. And this place is comfy, but…”

“But you feel like you don’t deserve it, right?” Red said, a bit annoyed. “I already told you before, Sunny. I messed up too, so just accept her help, she’s no monster. She can find the redeemable even in the most irredemable… sometimes…”

“...Maybe you’re right…” he said, as he tucked himself on the bed and turned the lamp off, hugging the plushie and falling asleep.

…

...

…

As Sunny woke up, he saw that he was… in his house. It was Christmas. It was… THAT memory. The house was decorated brightly, a Christmas tree in the center of the room. Near the wall, there was a table with food: turkey, fresh fruit, caramel apples... it was a feast. The walls had decorations all around, and everyone was wearing a Christmas sweater.

“Wow... A new basketball!? Thanks, bro!” Kel had said as he looked at his Christmas present. Sunny remembered that Kel’s old basketball had deflated a few months ago, he could still remember the excitement visible in his face when he recieved his gift.

“No problem, Kel… You can thank me by doing a little better in school.” Hero had said, as he looked at his younger brother with a soft smile. He had been given an apron that he could use when cooking.

“Uh-huh... You bet!” Kel had said, giggling. As Sunny looked, he saw that Basil had his new polaroid camera in his hands, as he smiled softly. Aubrey was also to Basil’s side, smiling happily as she held her new box of markers with a smile. Sunny remembered that Aubrey used to draw a lot with him when they were younger.

“Okay, Sunny... It's time for you to open up your present.” Hero had said, as Sunny’s heart started beating faster. This was it, the moment where everything started.

“This year, you get just one present... from all of us.” Mari had told him, as he could see her smile. It looked so real. It. Looked. So. Real.

“It probably doesn't look like much… but we all had to save up for it together.” Basil had said, as he looked to his eyes softly. It was a nightmare. The Underground had to be the dream. This was it. THIS WAS HIS OWN HELL.

“Yeah! Me and Basil even started selling cookies and lemonade in the summer.” Aubrey had said, as she smiled at him. Their gazes, their smiles, the sheer irony from it all starting here. It had to be it. HE WAS DEAD, THE UNDERGROUND WAS JUST AN ILLUSION, AN ILLUSION OF MERCY… THAT HE DIDN’T DESERVE.

Sunny heard them speak, but internally… he was in pain. He remembered how much effort and time they all had to put up to buy him that violin, how much they saw that he wanted to play with her, and how it was Basil’s idea to give him this present.

“We hope you like it, Sunny. This is from all of us to you.” Mari had said, regaining Sunny’s attention. As if by magic, the wrapping dissipated as the violin case stood closed. It then opened…

The violin… was broken. And then Sunny realized,

It was not a memory

As he looked up, he saw that his friends' faces grew… somber. As he tried to walk back, he felt his body frozen, as their gazes penetrated his soul.

“Oh, right…” Aubrey said, coldly, as she made her plushie Mr. Plantegg appear out of thin air, so she could hold it. “You broke it.”

“You don’t care about us, right?” Hero said, summoning his… pan and walking close to Sunny, who still couldn’t move or close his eyes. “You didn’t care that Mari and I had to work at the bakery to buy you your gift. You never cared about how much work we would have needed to take to buy you that, right?”

“Not cool, Sunny,” Kel said, grabbing his basketball. “We all cared so much about you, we were even determined to take it all for you. But what did YOU do to us? Break us. Take our happiness away and hide while we all were miserable.”

“You used us,” Basil said, summoning his… garden shears. “You made me believe a lie and ruin my life, for what!!?? For you to hide while I took the blame, a blame that was YOURS.”

Sunny could only see their expressions. Anger, disappointment, disgust… they were a mix of them. But, they all made space for… Mari.

As she walked towards Sunny, he could see that she started spilling blood from her neck. “What’s up, little brother?” she asked, coldly. “Feeling a bit sad that your sins finally came crashing down to you?”

But before Sunny could speak, he felt something cutting his arm. As he felt his arm bleed, he saw Basil… had just made a cut in his arm. “Don’t bother, Mari.” he said coldly, looking at Sunny with fury. “He is nothing more than a demon, a twisted person that only wants to make us miserable…”

But as he finished saying it, he felt them all rushing to him. He felt the basketball crushing his ribs, the plushie breaking his nose, the pan hitting his head, the shears making cuts… AND GETTING TO HIS EYE. As they made space, Sunny tried to move, he tried to get out, but saw that his whole body was broken. Then, he felt his arms being squeezed, as he saw Mari face to face.

She just looked at him… with a completely empty face. “Wow, little brother,” she said, fury visible in her eyes. “What a coward you ended up being. We did everything for you, and these are the thanks we get?”

As he was about to respond, he realized something. He had no excuse, they were right. He lied and lied and lied, hiding himself in a bubble made of joy and roses, while evading everything that his actions did. They all loved Mari, and HE killed her. HE loved Mari, and HE killed her. But nothing prepared him for the words Mari was about to say…

“You are not my brother, Sunny. The fact that you weren’t aborted was the worst decision my parents made.”

And then, Sunny broke down. He poured tears, but had no voice. He tried to defend himself, but he was frozen. All, as the undisputable truth echoed through his own hell. He realized something… they were right, HE was an irredeemable monster.

And then, the pain returned. He felt punches and cuts all over his body, he felt every bit of pain, as his ‘friends’ berated him and attacked him with fury. But their attacks were nowhere near as awful… as the empty void Sunny had in his soul. His body grew cold, colder and empty.

But, as he closed his eyes, Sunny saw everything grow dark. He saw the shadow of his father, disowning him for his crimes. He saw his mother, faking a smile as fury was visible in her eyes. He saw his friends, disgusted by his actions. He saw the reporter speaking about his crime, as everyone in that service station looked at him. He saw police officers shooting at him with cold judgement. He saw the monsters of the Underground attacking him.

And then, he opened his eyes, and he saw… THEM. Hundreds of Something, they were… a SWARM. As Sunny looked around, he saw that he was in the Ruins, as they grew empty and dark.

“Suuuunnnyyyy…..” they all said, as they swarmed to attack him. He could only run, run and run, as the swarm reached him and grabbed him, their tendrils making deep cuts in Sunny’s skin, as he bled and bled. But, as he broke out, he saw that in the roof, were clones of Mari, hanging on tree branches, as their eyes looked at Sunny with cold fury. The swarm returned, and Sunny felt his life being slipped away from himself, as he closed his eyes trying to not see, to try and break free. “S-S-S-STOP IT!” Sunny screamed at the swarm, as he tried to break out, tears slipping from his face as the coldness consumed his body.

But, as he broke out moving his arm to try and get free, he felt his hand impact something, and as he opened his eye…

He saw Toriel, looking at him with a terrified and broken gaze, as the mark of a punch was visible on her neck, blood coming out of the wound.

“Y... you... really hate me that much?” she said with cold fury, as she fell down to the floor. “I see who I was protecting by keeping you here. Not you… But them!”

As she finished speaking, Toriel fell down to the floor, her body dead on impact, as blood came from her neck. Sunny was… terrified. He was afraid. Everything turned dark, everything turned cold. The swarm of Somethings were looking at him furiously, as they surrounded him. Toriel’s body was illuminated by a spotlight, as Mari’ dead body was there too. The stats of his soul opened, and he saw that in KILLS… it said 2.

He felt his soul ache, everything was dark, everything was cold, but then, a crash was heard, as a massive vine grabbed him, as their spikes fleshed on Sunny’s skin. He saw that from the ground, came Flowey…

“Hee hee hee…” Flowey said, looking at Sunny directly in the eyes. “So YOU finally get it. I told you before… THE. STATS. DON’T. LIE!”

Sunny tried to break free, he needed to break free, but they all swarmed. He saw them all… the army of Somethings, the clones of Mari’s dead body, now looking like zombies, his… friends, looking at him with fury, his parents looking at him with disgust. They all looked at Sunny coldly, as he felt his soul become null and lifeless. He could not get out. HE WOULD NOT LEAVE. THIS WAS HIS DESERVED PUNISHMENT. HE KILLED MARI. HE DESTROYED THEM ALL…

AND HE WOULD HAVE NO MERCY, JUST LIKE HE DESERVED…

“Old pal, you are like me…” Flowey said, looking at Sunny cruelly. “You are destined to hurt, no matter how much you try and see yourself as this good person. You are nothing more than a sadistic murderer, that only hurts everyone that gets in your way.”

Sunny just nodded his head, feeling his tears slipping up from his eyes. He could feel it, their disgust, their disappointment… their fury.

“But that’s okay, because in this world…” Flowey said. “It’s KILL or BE killed”

And as it said it, Sunny felt something pierce his chest, as one of the vines tore on his stomach, blood coming out of it. He could feel his bones broken, and the blood flowing from his body. The vines retracted, and Sunny fell on the floor.

As he heard Flowey’s laugh echoing through the area, he could also hear the berating of everyone he loves… of everyone HE HURT. But then, Something appeared, and covered his face, as he felt his body go numb, as it all went dark… empty… soulless, just like he was…

“People like you don’t deserve to live… It should be better to just die.”

Chapter Text

Ruins, The Underground, Oregon.

??? ???, 2019. ??:??pm

…

It was all dark, so, dark.

As he opened his eyes, Sunny could tell three things: 1, his eyes were filled with tears and his body was sweating violently. 2, he was in the room Toriel left for him when he fell in the Underground. And 3, it was just a nightmare…

As Sunny stood up from the bed, he saw that the plushie he was hugging previously had some of its stuffing out, as it had a small hole. He believed he might have grabbed it so tight when asleep, that he accidentally broke it.

As he tried to call to Red, he saw that his head was… silent. “She must have left,” Sunny thought, as he opened the closet. There, he saw the clothes Toriel gave to him… as he quickly undressed himself out of the pajamas and changed into them.

The soft sweater felt a bit cruel as Sunny felt his soul ache more. As he finished placing his pants, he made a decision: he was a danger, a menace to everyone, and he needed to leave. GOD, he needed to leave.

As he grabbed his notebook and glasses, he placed the wet pajamas on top of his bed, he quietly opened the door and entered the hallway of the house. It was dark, it had to be between midnight and 3am. He saw that it was empty, and with a sigh, he left the room, reaching the entrance of the house. He then saw… stairs, which probably led to the basement.

As Sunny was about to get there, he stopped. He thought to himself “Is this worth it? Am I really a menace?”

But before he walked down the stairs, a voice spoke in his mind, but it wasn’t Red’s. “Proceed. You know this is the only way. Attempts to help you are useless, you know you will mess up again and make everyone miserable. Do the right thing and proceed…”

As Sunny took a deep breath, he walked down the stairs, he reached a long and dark hallway, as Sunny walked through it. The only sound that resonated through the hallway was the one of his footsteps and his own heartbeat, as the whole place was completely empty, except for him.

“Sunny?” Toriel’s voice echoed from the top of the house, as her steps could be heard. Sunny realized something… he needed to RUN.

He started running and reached a detour that led to a big door, as Toriel’s voice resonated more loudly, together with the sound of her footsteps on the stairs. “MY CHILD, NO! IT’S TOO DANGEROUS!!!”

Sunny realized he had no more options, as he only had one: running, leaving, escaping. He passed through the door and reached a long hallway, as he could see a small bit of grass in the distance, together with a big door. But before he could reach it, a massive flame ignited in front of him, growing as large as a wall, blocking his path. Behind himself, he saw Toriel, dressed in her pajamas and looking concerned.

“Sunny!” Toriel said, looking at Sunny with concern. “What are you doing down here?!”

As Sunny saw that she was trying to get close, he grabbed his notebook and used it as a ‘shield’. “Please… get away…” he muttered, nervous. “I’m dangerous… stay back…”

As Toriel saw Sunny so terrified, she spoke a bit more softly. “Sunny…” she said. “You probably had a nightmare… It’s okay, mommy is here. Now please come with me. You have a bed upstairs, no one wants to sleep in cold, hard stone.”

But she saw that at the sound of ‘mommy’, Sunny started trembling, as he closed his knuckles and stood up. “P-P-Please get away...” he muttered, as tears came from his eyes slowly. “I-I-I’m dangerous. Y-Y-You’ll die if I stay here. P-P-Please just leave.”

At the sound of his words, Toriel's heart ached at the sight of him. “What on earth did that child go through up there…?” she thought to herself, as she looked at Sunny, who was just a sobbing mess. She saw that he just curled into a ball and just shivered and sniffled. She tried to get closer, but kept her distance.

“Sunny…” Toriel spoke, softly. “Out there lies the exit of the Ruins, if you go through there, they… monsters… Asgore… will kill you. You are not the first one that was naive enough to leave. I have seen it again and again. They come, they leave… they die.”

“So, please,” she muttered, walking a bit closer and kneeling down to see Sunny in his eyes. “Just stay. I don’t know your problem, but I think I can help you. You are not dangerous, please, just… go back to your room.”

As she tried to reach her hand to Sunny, he stood up and evaded it, trembling a lot as his eyes were red with tears. “N-N-No… Y-Y-You d-don’t know who I-I am… M-M-My s-s-s-s-sister… I-I-I k-k-killed h-h-her b-by a-a-accident. Y-You have been v-very nice… I-I-I don’t want to put you in d-d-danger… S-S-So please… L-L-LEAVE, R-RUN AWAY… I-I-I AM A MURDERER, I D-D-DON’T WANT TO H-H-HURT YOU TOO, O-O-OR A-A-ANYONE…”

As Sunny said it, he quickly ran, and at the sight of the fire wall, he didn’t mind it… he walked through it…. He could feel it, the hot feeling of the flames burning his skin, the smoke covering his eye as he had to close it to evade being blinded by then, the smell of his clothing and skin being burned in that hot inferno, and the crackling sound of the flames… but it didn’t cool down the cold emptiness inside his soul. But, a few seconds later, he felt his skin burn, he felt it ache, and he saw his body fall down due to fatigue. He probably had 3rd degree burns… but he had to persevere, he had to get away.

“SUNNY!!” Toriel screamed, as the flame wall around Sunny dissipated. He heard her footsteps getting closer at a fast pace, as he just stood up and walked away to the exit of the Ruins… he knew he couldn’t do it, he knew it was over. “WAIT, STO-” he heard her say, but then… he heard the stone crackle and break, as he felt himself being tripped over by something soft and damp, falling to his head.

He then saw behind himself and saw that the road behind him was blocked by vines… it had to be Flowey. “NOT NOW!!!” he heard Toriel scream behind the vines, her voice muffled by the size and amount of them blocking her from him. He could then hear the sound of flames crackling, as he felt heat slowly emitting from the vines. He realized she was trying to burn them down. Sunny quickly got on his feet and painfully walked towards the small bit of grass in front of the exit of the Ruins.

As he walked, he could feel his body ache and burn, his skin hot and charred. He walked slowly, feeling everything grow dark, but as reached the small bit of grass, he saw Flowey burying out from it, looking at Sunny with a smile.

“Golly, I knew you had it in ya!” it said, looking proudly at Sunny. “I never in a million years would have expected you to leave so abruptly, but I like it…”

“So…” it muttered, looking at Sunny. “Did you finally understand my point? Do you want to joi-”

“STAND BACK!!” Sunny said, using the notebook as a ‘shield’. “GET AWAY, I WILL JUST HURT YOU!!”

Flowey looked surprised at Sunny, as it could realize that he… was tearing up. “Oh, you big baby,” it said with a snarky tone. “Even if you tried, you wouldn’t be even HALF as I am. After all… you didn’t kill anyone. But what will happen when you meet a relentless killer? You’ll just-”

“GET AWAY!!” Sunny said, tears flowing from his eyes as he had a nervous face, but anger was visible inside of him. “ARE YOU STUPID?!”

Then he felt a vine trip him over, as more of them came and helped him get to his feet, while Flowey looked amused. “Well, you are on that road…” it said, a bit excitedly. “You are like me, broken to the core, ready to tear it ALL to pieces, to repay them all with the coin you were given. Heh heh, now THAT kill makes sense.”

As Sunny looked at him, Flowey spoke. “How does it feel?! Knowing that the first person that you killed was one of your OWN BLOOD! You must feel very proud of yours-” but it could see that Sunny was ignoring it, as he slowly walked towards the door.

Flowey was about to strangle Sunny and force him to listen, but seeing him leave gave him an idea… an awful idea. Flowey got a wonderful, awful idea. With a snark, it plopped itself back Underground, the last sight it had was the one of Sunny slowly walking outside, where the chilly breeze and cold temperature were notable.

As Sunny got out, he saw that he was… outside, in what appeared to be a snowy area. The first sensation he felt was one of deep cold, the chilly breeze cooling down his burned skin, but freezing him up. He saw a bush at the side of the door, as trees blocked any visibility from outside the road. Further away, he saw a… gate, so poorly constructed, that he could go through the bars.

Hearing the sound of a fiery explosion, he quickly got behind the bush, hoping that Toriel couldn’t see him.

“SUNNY, PLEASE STOP!!!” he heard her say, as he saw through the leaves. He saw her leaving the Ruins, and using her magic, summoned a small cloak to cover her. She looked around, trying to spot him in the distance, but as she couldn’t find him, she sighed and teared up a bit.

“... Not another one.” Toriel muttered, as she slowly walked inside. “Sunny… you are no monster… I just hope that you can realize it before it’s too late.” She then entered inside, as the massive door closed, leaving Sunny alone on the outside.

As Sunny looked inside the bush, he felt a pang of guilt, but quickly regained composure as he reminded himself that it was for the best. He then tried to leave the bush, but as he moved, he heard something fall and break on the snowy floor, as some sparks came from it. As Sunny left, he saw that what fell… was a camera that was broken and sparking, a bit of smoke coming from its inside. He tried to get inside the Ruins again, but as he tried to move the door, he saw that it was useless, as the door was locked tight.

As Sunny looked around, seeing himself in the middle of nowhere, he could deduce 3 simple facts: 1, he was now completely alone. 2, it was very cold, so he could easily suffer hypothermia. And 3, his skin was still burned and damaged, so he had a high risk of dying.

Overall, Sunny… was completely screwed.

“GOD DAMNIT SUNNY WHERE THE HELL ARE WE!?” he heard Red scream from inside his head, anger and panic noticeable in her voice.

Chapter Text

???, ???, ???.

??? ???, 2019. ??:??

“But you feel like you don’t deserve it, right?” Red said, a bit annoyed. “I already told you before, Sunny. I messed up too, so just accept her help, she’s no monster. She can find the redeemable even in the most irredemable… sometimes…”

“...Maybe you’re right…” Sunny said, as he tucked himself on the bed and turned the lamp off, hugging the plushie and falling asleep.

“... Sleep well, Sunny.” she said, looking warmly at him. “I hope someday you have the courage to tell me with detail what happened up there.”

As she turned around, she saw the door that led to the hallway completely closed, and on the wall at the side of the closet, she saw a flower drawing stuck with adhesive tape stuck to it. She remembered that drawing, it was a drawing that she made wish Asr-

At the sound of that name, she grew a bit somber. Every time she remembered HIS name, she became sad. She remembered the plan with details, it was supposed to be a scheme to set Monsterking free, but the only things that led were to her and Asr-HIM dying, da-Asgore waging plans for a big war and mo-Toriel leaving and exiling herself to the Ruins. It was supposed to be… perfect.

She still remembered it well… buttercups, poisoning by buttercups. It sounded flawless on paper, completely impossible to fail. But… it did. As she saw Sunny, she was reminded of HIM, she saw how Sunny was so panicked when he fell down from the Surface, she saw Flowey berate him and menace him, she felt… warmth seeing Toriel being as kind and nurturing as she was with her. But she grew worried, worried that Sunny… was going to die.

“NO, NO, NO!! SUNNY, WHY!??” she heard someone scream, far away from where she was right now. She decided to gently float towards the sound, as she reached the entrance of the Ruins, and on top of the bed of golden flowers where her body was buried… she saw a figure. Getting closer, she heard her cry.

“H-H-H-He w-w-wasn’t s-s-supposed to d-d-do t-this…” she heard her say, as Red got closer. She saw that the figure looked like a teenage girl, with long, black hair. She had her skin completely white, and wore a white dress. Around her was a purplish aura.

As Red got closer, the girl saw her… but didn’t panic. “Uhm, are you okay Mrs.?” Red asked, with a bit of worry, as she imagined who that girl already was.

“...“ the girl remained silent, tears flowing from her eyes. “Oh, s-sorry,” she answered, taking a deep breath and smiling weakly. “I didn’t know you could see me.”

“Well… I heard crying, so I came here to check.” Red answered. “... What is your name?”

“... Mari.” the monochrome girl responded. “Mari Suzuki. And what is your name?”

“... Red” Red answered, a bit nervously, but was confused as Mari looked at her with a skeptical expression. “Uhm… did I do something wrong?”

“... You are lying” Mari said, looking at Red. “You were blushing when you told me. But that doesn’t matter. Now… tell me…”

Then, Mari looked sternly at Red in the eyes. “Where. Is. My. Brother!?” she said, her voice lingering with concern and protectiveness.

“... You are Sunny’s sister?” Red asked, already seeing it coming. As Mari looked surprised, she nodded. “... He’s sleeping right now. Don’t worry, he’s safe.”

As Mari calmed down a bit, Red decided to ask some questions. “Listen, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine,” she said, looking at Mari with a confident gaze. “But please, could you tell me… what happened to Sunny back there? He told me that he jumped because he did something that led to your de-”

Before Red stopped speaking, she saw Mari tearing up, as she just cried and muttered some words that she couldn’t understand. Red tried to calm her down, but she saw that she couldn’t touch Mari’s ‘body’, as she just trespassed through it.

“... He was supposed to forgive himself and move on …” she heard Mari mutter, as she clenched her fists. “I told him that legend for a bedtime story… not for him to just JUMP.”

“Hey, calm down!” Red said, but quickly went shut, as Mari stood up and floated to her.

“CALM DOWN!?” Mari screamed, making Red a bit nervous. “MY LITTLE BROTHER JUMPED FROM THE HOLE OF A MOUNTAIN TO TRY AND KILL HIMSELF, HOW CAN I JUST ‘CALM DO-”

But then, Mari grew silent as she went pale, quickly trying to hug Red but just passing through her. “S-S-Sorry!!!” she said. “I-I-I’m not supposed to get angry!!”

“Don’t worry about it.” Red said, looking warmly at Mari. “Trust me, I can relate to you.”

“But it’s not something to not worry about!” Mari said, frustration visible over here as tears flowed from her eyes. “His friends… my friends… the people that were our literal family… dropped him off and left him to suffer because they only cared about themselves.”

“... How bad was it?” Red asked, trying to do responses that wouldn’t lead Mari to crying again.

“... It was awful.” she answered, her gaze somber. “Aubrey… the closest thing to a little sister I had… threatened to return to the hospital and beat him up. She attacked him and Kel with her gang a few days ago, and almost killed Ba-”

When she said ir, Red could see that Mari grew furious, her eyes going black. “And don’t even get me STARTED on him.” she said, fury visible in her eyes. “First… he made everything ten times WORSE by hanging me after I died and framing my death as a suicide. Then, he promised Sunny that he would be with him. But what did he do?”

“HE. CUT. OFF. SUNNY’S. EYE.” Mari said, as she clenched her fists more. “And then. HE PLACED ALL THE BLAME IN SUNNY, AND LEFT HIM TO SUFFER, EVEN GOING AS FAR AS TO ATTACK HIM!!!!! And Hero…”

Red saw Mari go somber and cold at that name. “He is a monster…” Mari said, coldly. “He was the one who should have led Sunny to getting better, but what did he do…? HE TOLD SUNNY THAT HE SHOULD HAVE DIED THAT D-”

Mari went pale again, as she saw Red’s face, who had also gone somber. “... God” Red said, looking at Mari. “It’s even worse than I thought…”

“And you want to know the best part??” Mari continued, as she smiled, tears coming from her eyes as she trembled. “The one who started it all… was me.”

“It was because of me acting like a perfectionist JERK towards Sunny that he threw his violin.” Mari said, slowly breaking up. “I just wanted it to be perfect. It would lead it all: scholarships for college, a better name on the musical world. But it wasn’t worth it…”

“BECAUSE I JUST USED MY LITTLE BROTHER!!!” Mari screamed as she cried. “What kind of WITCH lets her brother, the person that loved me the most, suffer in silence doing something he hates just for my own selfish benefit!!??”

“I just made him break up…” Mari continued, slowly crying. “I made him hate playing the violin, and left him to practice and practice, he even missed a sleepover because of me! I just left Sunny… to suffer a mental breakdown…”

“... You didn’t do it on purpose” Red said, trying to cheer up Mari. “If it serves you of something, I ALSO made a stupid mistake. I poisoned myself for a stupid plan so me and my brother could break Monsterkind free, but it backfired. He is gone, I don’t know where he is, mom and dad are away from each other, I don’t know what to do. I RUINED IT ALL. I DESTROYED MY FAMILY AND THIS WHOLE KINGDOM. I AM A MONS-”

As Red broke down, she could remember the words that day… “Psst... Chara... Please... wake up… I don't like this plan anymore. I... I…”

“... no, I said... I said I'd never doubt you. Six, right? We just have to get six… And we'll do it together, right?” It was a mutual pact, she still remembered, her soul and HIS soul together, she carried her own body to her village, the villagers attacking HIM and HER. SHE tried to use their power, to protect him, to save him…

But HE refused… he took control and took blow after blow. He returned home, as both of US… died. That day, I made the worst mistake of my life. That day, I broke mom and dad’s love. That day… I ended up with the Kingd-

“Take a deep breath.” she heard Mari said, which cut her out of her thoughts. “Don't be afraid. It's not as scary as you think.”

As she heard Mari speak, Red took a deep breath. Inhale… and exhale… inhale… and exhale…  That way, Red calmed down. As she looked at Mari, she was calming down too, as both girls relaxed a bit.

“Feeling a bit better?” Mari asked warmly, and as Red nodded, she smiled. “Good.”

“But still,” Mari continued, with a gloomy expression. “I tried to get Sunny to leave his house for so long. After I died, he isolated himself from everything, and just spent 4 YEARS of his life in a dream world. I thought he already forgave himself…”

“Well, if it helps…” Red said, looking at Mari. “I haven’t been able to be at peace. The mistakes I made… have made me suffer.”

“...Guess both of us deserve the title of ‘World’s Worst Big Sisters’, huh?” Mari said, as she and Red giggled, some tears falling from their eyes. Mari then saw Red warmly.

“But… still ” Mari said, looking at Red. “The worst part… was seeing how much everyone suffered. Aubrey became a delinquent as she believed everyone forgot about her, Hero ended up getting depressed, Basil and Sunny became traumatized, Kel had to move on with his life while seeing how everything went wrong. Just, everything… went off.”

“The only one that was there to check on him this whole time was Kel. And even though all of them, including him, acted like jerks to Sunny when he confessed…” she continued, looking sad. “I can’t say I don’t get why they acted the way they did. To think that my death would break them so much… especially Sunny.”

“And in my town, Faraway…” she continued, as Mari remembered the reactions from the town when the news divulged.  “Things got rough. The whole town got shaken, the groups that usually went to church grew bigger as Sunny ‘cursed’ the town when he killed me, the town lost its warmth and became a bit colder, the children grew worried… Faraway just… grew somber, and now see my poor little brother either as a mystery or as a taboo theme.”

“... I’m sorry” Red said, as she looked at Mari with a sad smile.  “I can relate to you. When I died, the Underground grew somber, and people were sad and vengeful…”

“I still can’t believe that the legend was real…” Mari stated, looking around. “I just hoped he would find out in a better scenario.”

“Yep…” Red said, looking guiltily at Mari. “But still… Sunny is a good person. I can tell it. He is truly kind to everyone, he made mom smile, he… didn’t deserve any of this.”

“Yeah,” Mari said, as she looked at Red concernedly. “But… I have tried speaking to Sunny since he escaped the hospital, but… something is blocking my words from his mind. He usually has a reaction to my words, so he isn’t ignoring them.”

“But I somehow can…” Red said, as Mari looked at her with a pleading look. “Please, PLEASE I beg you Red!!!” Mari said, startling her. “Sunny can hear you, please, help him!!! You can try and help him get better, please, do what I couldn-”

But, as Mari went silent, Red went pale too. “There’s something wrong.” Red said, as she looked at Mari. “I’m going to check on Sunny. I’ll return in a moment”

“Wait!” Mari said, but it was useless as Red flew around, her figure flying through the empty area and trespassing through the walls. Mari sighed and quickly flew behind her, hoping that her little brother was safe.

As Mari looked around, she saw that the place… looked out of a fairy tale. The walls and floor were made of purplish bricks, there were vines hanging around, water ponds that looked really deep, a spiky area, and… weird creatures. One looked like a frog, another looked like a knockoff Mike Wazowski, another was a carrot with a face, and the other looked like a… beetle. But she didn’t have time to check on these weird creatures, she needed to see him, to see that HE was safe.

After traversing some hallways, Mari reached what appeared to be a ‘house’. It had a black tree with all of its leaves fallen down in its front, and looked to be pretty old. From the inside, Mari heard Red scream.

“SUNNY!?” she said, starting Mari. “Where are you!?”

Mari entered the house, seeing the warm atmosphere inside. It was clean, there were lots of plants and it was illuminated. She heard Red speaking from inside one of the rooms, and as Mari entered  she was empty.

“Red, where is he!?” Mari asked, nervous at the sight of her friend so nervous. “I don’t know, Mari!” Red responded nervously. “When I left, he was sleeping in that bed.”

But both girls went pale when they heard footsteps coming from outside the room. “Oh, god.” Red said, as she trespassed the wall. “Please tell me he didn’t do it.”

Mari followed her, and in the entrance of the house, coming from the stairs, appeared a… creature. It was female, looked like a humanoid goat, and wore pink pajamas. She looked… sad, with some tears in her eyes. “Oh, my child…” the creature said, walking towards the hallway. “Please… be safe.”

“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SUNNY, DON’T TELL ME YOU DID WHAT I THINK YOU DID!!!” Red screamed as she flew towards the stairs and disappeared down in what Mari supposed was the basement.

Mari tried to follow, but froze when she saw them… STAIRS. She remembered that moment like it had been yesterday: an argument, she telling her brother he was a waste, him trying to leave, she blocking his path. And then… a push, her bad knee breaking and not letting her regain her balance… the pain of each step of the stairs hitting her… the feeling of the violin’s shards impaling her neck and making her bleed. The moment… her last living moment… seeing her little brother at the top of the stairs, sunlight shining through the window in an almost mocking manner, and everything going dark.

Mari took a deep breath, and remembered she could fly. She traversed the floor, and got to the basement… a long hallway that led to a huge stone door. There… she was Red, completely frozen. She traversed the door, as she followed. They reached a small area with a bit of grass. In front of it… was a massive door, completely closed. Red traversed it, and Mari followed, the two of them reaching the outside of the structure, and getting to a weird looking area.

It was completely frozen, and snow covered the floor. There were massive trees that were as high as the ‘sky’. It looked like a snowy forest… in a cave… but getting that out of the way, she saw Sunny. Near him was a bush that had some smoke coming from its inside, together with the recognizable sound of electricity sparking. As for her little brother… he was looking at the door with dread.

Near him, she could see Red with an incredulous gaze, as she quickly became… angry. She got close to him, and screamed. “GOD DAMNIT SUNNY WHERE THE HELL ARE WE!?” she said, looking at Sunny with fury, as he tensed at the sound of her voice. But… in her anger, Mari could see a pang of dread and terror on Red’s face and voice.

“T-This is unbelievable…” Red said, laughing nervously. “I leave you alone… for AN HOUR, and you just… leave.” Red then tried to see Sunny directly in his eyes. “DO YOU KNOW HOW SCREWED WE ARE NOW!? HOW COULD YOU BE SO RECKLESS TO JUST LEAVE LIKE THA-”

“STOP IT!!!” Red heard, and as she looked behind her, she saw Mari looking at her sternly. “It will only make it wor-”. But before Mari could finish, both girls saw Sunny shivering, his gaze nervous, his hands trembling, and his eyes tearing up a bit.

“God… not again…” Mari thought, as she flew towards her brother, whispering in his ear calming words. “Don’t worry, little brother.” “Easy now.” “It’s not as scary as you think.” “Take a deep breath.” “Steady your heartbeat."

But it was useless, Sunny was still tearing up. Mari then sighed angrily. “GOD DAMNIT OMORI!!” she screamed angrily. “I SWEAR, ONCE I GET IN THAT COCOON OF FANTASY OF YOURS, I’LL-”

“Who is Omori?” Red asked, confused at the sound of that name. “I thought his name was Sunny.”

“...” Mari went silent for a moment, as she then calmed down and spoke. “It doesn’t matter right now. I completely forgot that I can’t speak with him anymore, ha hah…”

“Let me try,” Red said, as she got closer to Sunny. “Sunny?” she asked, looking concernedly at him. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m here, partner.” Sunny visibly calmed down, relaxing his muscles as he sighed. “Feeling better?” she asked, to which Sunny responded. “Yeah… thanks Red.” She then calmed down too. “Don’t worry about it.”

As Red looked around, she visibly calmed down a bit, sighing. "Thank goodness it's just Snowdin..." she thought, as she spoke to Sunny. "Okay, Sun. Mind telling me what the hell happened up there? And why do you look like if you escaped from an oven?" she asked, as Mari went pale at Red's... particular method of describing how her brother looked.

But as she looked at him... Mari was worried. He had severe burns all over his body and he had scars over his legs. But, somehow... he stood up, and didn't look that hurt. "Well, if he could whitstand a cut on his eye and falling from higher than 30 meters minimum... this is pretty much the equivalent of a scraped knee." She thoight, as she saw Sunny flinch a bit.

"S-Sorry Red." he 'said' nervously. "But I couldn't. Toriel was way too nice, and I would just hurt her somehow. I don't know how, but she would suffer because of me."

“You have to be joking, Sunny.” Red said, looking annoyedly at him. “I told you, she would help you. She is kind and caring, she would give you love. There had to be something more.”

But, as she spoke, she saw Sunny speaking. “Red?” he murmured, looking around. “Red? Are you there?”

“Sunny?” Red asked, looking at him. “I’m here. Can’t you hear me?” But, as she looked at him, she saw he got more nervous. “It’s not funny, Red,” he said, looking around more frantically.

“I’m right here, dummy!!” Red screamed, trying to get Sunny’s attention. “HELLO!!??” she screamed, but was confused as Sunny couldn’t hear her. She then turned to see Mari. “Hey, you are his sister. Do you know what’s going on!?” she asked nervously. “Is he ignoring me!?”

“No,” Mari said angrily. “You can thank a certain monochromatic bastard I know for the excellent communication services. Sunny can’t hear us anymore, it’s up to him now.”

As Sunny looked around, Red went pale. “This happened before??” she asked. Mari just looked at her sadly and sighed. “More times than I wish, sadly.” she responded.

Both girls floated in front of him, as Sunny looked around nervously. But there was something sure for Red. He was out of the Ruins and into the wild. They couldn’t speak with him anymore. Everything was up to him now.

Sunny was on his own.

Chapter Text

???, Underground, Oregon.

??? ???, 2019. ??:??pm

“Hello!? Red!?” Sunny said as he got nervous, believing that she was messing with him. “Hello!?” he repeated, his heartbeat getting more frantic.

As he waited for any response, any kind of word from his mysterious friend, Sunny panicked. Here he was… in the middle of nowhere, with his skin aching with burns and cuts, and without any support whatsoever.

“She must have left…” Sunny thought, as he stood in front of the bush. He walked a few steps and looked at the camera. It looked really modern, and currently had smoke coming from its inside, the sound of electricity crackling through the empty air.

As he looked around, Sunny had a more clear understanding of his surroundings. 

The floor was covered by snow, there were no sources of light around, and there were coniferous trees that were as tall as the ‘sky’. A few steps ahead of him, he saw a long road that traversed through more trees, and in the distance, he saw that same gate, and behind it… he could only see some silhouettes… one of them was of a humanoid figure of his size, while the other looked way taller, and had something around its neck that fluttered in the wind. He couldn’t tell what they were exactly, as snow covered the air, making them disappear completely.

As he stood around, the air got colder, and snow started falling quickly, as the snowcones, together with the darkness of the forest, permeated any kind of visibility Sunny could have. He tried looking around, but it was like fighting against a snow storm.

“RED!?” Sunny screamed, trying to find his friend, as snow started surrounding him. As he had no response, Sunny panicked. He knew he was on his own once more, so he took a deep breath, covered his chest with his arms, and started walking.

It was cold, and Sunny knew it. He felt his body shiver against the polar temperatures, his visibility suffered as the snow made his only remaining eye work harder, he felt his skin weaken significantly, trying to resist the weather. But he had to continue… he had to continue moving, he had to find a safe place to cover from the storm.

He tripped on something, as he fell to his face, his visibility blocked due to the snowy floors. As he stood up, he needed a moment to regain his balance, as he covered his eye to try and not fall again. As he continued walking, he then heard the unmistakable sound of a wood branch breaking, as he heard footsteps coming in the direction he was seeing.

“SUNNY feels AFRAID.”

As he panicked and tried to walk back, he heard the footsteps grow louder, as Sunny visibly tensed more. But, his fright was cut short when he heard a voice. “Through the trees…” it said, as Sunny looked at them. “Proceed through them.”

Sunny was confused, the trees were very close to each other, and there was no apparent way to cross them safely. “PROCEED.” the voice said louder on his head as he walked back. He took a deep breath… and ran.

He traversed through the trees as far as he could, the footsteps dissipating through the storm. The darkness around the area, together with the snow falling and the proximity of each tree, made Sunny run blindly through the forest, feeling his body be sliced with branches and his energy dissipating.

He continued moving forward, as he just closed his eyes… preparing to receive each blow, all with the intention to leave, to run away, to escape… to be safe.

He continued running forward, as he then reached a clear area, and in front of him… he saw a fence. As he jumped it, Sunny looked backwards, the forest trail he just went through was completely covered by mist, as the trees’ shadows were the only visible sight of the forest. To his side… he saw a door that was currently boarded up, as it was the entrance to a purple bricked construction, the area eerily similar to the exit of the Ruins he had to go through recently.

“I’m probably safe for now…” Sunny thought as he got on his feet and walked through the floor. The area was still misty, but it was way more visible due to the fact that there were no trees around covering visibility. He continued walking forward, as he reached a turn near a frozen icy lake. And a few steps ahead, after passing under a wooden bridge that connected two mountains… he reached a clear space.

He saw a huge rock in the middle of the road. “Must heal first…” Sunny thought, as he felt his energy slip. Instinctively, he sat in front of it, reclinating his back, as Sunny ‘summoned’ his SOUL, trying to see how much ‘HP’ he had left. As he did it, he felt something inside of him grow stronger… he felt his body shiver with a strange energy, as he saw a bit of red particles emanating from his soul and from his body, but he didn’t mind it as he was concentrated on manifesting the glowy heart.

As his soul manifested itself, Sunny was confused as to how he could see his STATS with detail. He remembered that Flowey had touched his chest and from there emanated the ‘screen’ that showed them. As he touched the purple heart, his STATS appeared, but he was confused as there were more than he previously had. His name “SUNNY” still shined brightly in the upper left part, and there were still the rest of stats he had:  LV1; HP 1/20; ATK 7 (2); DF 2 (5); EXP: 1; NEXT: 9; WEAPON: Torn Notebook; ARMOR: Cloudy Glasses; GOLD: 0; KILLS: 1.

When he saw the KILLS stat, Sunny shivered, but he ended up confused as he saw his GOLD be at 0. “Must have dropped it when I left the Ruins…” he thought, as his attention went to the new stats: JUICE: 7.5/7.5; SPEED: 6; LUCK: 5; HIT: 75. He was very surprised at the sight of the new stats, as he also saw that both his ATK and DF were higher than before, despite not having won any battles.

As he still felt afraid, Sunny took a deep breath and ‘CALMED DOWN’ taking a deep breath as he focused and regained his strength. “SUNNY calmed down. SUNNY recovers 5 HP!” the voice said, as Sunny felt stronger. He felt his body shiver with energy, as some of the pain from his cuts, bruises and burns dissipated. His legs still ached, but the pain was more bearable than before. 

“... What is going on?” Sunny thought, confused as to how some of the skills he had on the surface manifested in him all of a sudden. “Must have been that red energy…” he thought, as he stood up, ready to continue his journey. He looked behind the rock that the road led to a mountain, so he decided to take the road to the right so he could continue.

The storm became less intense, as snow fell from the ‘sky’, cold breezes and shivering temperatures making his body shiver slightly. But he had to endure… he had to continue, he had to be stronger. He had to continue. As he moved along, he decided to be strong, as he moved on, oblivious to the new perils that laid ahead of him.

…

“What did you do to him?” Mari asked, as she saw Sunny walk normally. “What was that weird energy you emitted on my brother, Red?”

“I transferred some of my DT into him to help him.” Red explained, as she regained her breath. “I managed to plop some powers not normally visible here on him, so he isn’t destroyed easily. But seriously… what the hell is JUICE!?”

“...” Mari remained silent, as she was confused by the concepts of it. She only knew that it was a way Sunny used in his dreams to describe power, but she never expected that power could be injected into him. “Please, PLEASE be strong, little brother!” she thought, as she saw him walk to the road on the right of the rock.

“I did as much as I could, Mari.” Red said, as she floated in front of her. “He can’t hear any of us, so maybe with this power he can be strong enough to save his butt in a fight.”

“Yeah…” Mari muttered nervously. “Still not so sure as to how can his reading glasses and his sketchbook help him, though.” As she said it, Red just spoke softly. “That stiff can be called Sunny’s… arsenal. Due to it being imbodied as a close artifact to his soul, it brought some power to him, but… he will be fine. I promise. Now, we better get going. I don’t know this part of Snowdin.”

As Red flew behind Sunny, Mari followed closely, ready to keep an eye on her brother. She knew she couldn’t help him, but she begged whatever deities were seeing him that they lent him their strength so his brother didn’t die.

Chapter Text

???, Underground, Oregon.

??? ???, 2019. ??:??am

Feeling his strength renowned and his power growing, Sunny felt more confident and steady, ready to face whatever challenges he faced on this new land. As he traversed through a clear road surrounded by trees and with icy lakes near him, he could feel the snowfall grow stronger, the cold storm limiting his already limited visibility once more.

In such a cold, desolate environment, Sunny remembered Toriel. He felt bad for leaving her so abruptly, and he knew she was probably devastated by him leaving, but he knew it was for the best. There was no turning back, he was far away from her home, from her warmth, from her… love.

Sunny took a moment to reconsider his decision. Was he truly doing what was best for everyone? Or was he just doing what was best for himself? He remembered Red’s words she had told him just some hours ago: “… so just accept her help, she’s no monster. She can find the redeemable even in the most irredemable… sometimes…”. As he walked through the road, he started thinking. Should he have stayed? Should he have asked her to take care of him? Should he-

“It would be futile.” The voice suddenly said, startling Sunny out of his thoughts. “You know what you did. As that flower said: THE. STATS. DON’T. LIE. You would eventually end up hurting her, it was the right choice to leave her. Murderers don’t deserve redemption or a second chance. Remember… you do nothing but hurt people, so it would be better for you to just die.”

As the voice went silent, Sunny froze up. It was right… he was indeed hopeless. After all, Red had probably ditched him and left him on his own. “Must have changed her mind…” he thought, as he walked. The snow started falling faster than before, so Sunny knew it would eventually escalate to a big snowstorm like the one he saw before. But, on his road… he was stopped by two figures. He could only see their silhouettes, but their forms were already spooky enough to startle him. He tried to run away, but huge ice blocks fell from the air and blocked his road, leaving Sunny surrounded as the monsters came, as another one arrived.

As they got closer, he could see them, and…. Sunny was beyond confused. One looked like a normal igloo that moved around, the other one was a chibi-looking humanoid figure with a massive ice spike on it’s head, and the other… was a dragon that had it’s face shaped like a snowflake.

“Looks like we left you… ‘frozen’ up, huh?” The dragon monster said, receiving an annoyed look from the humanoid creature.

“Would you believe our luck, boys…” the humanoid said, looking at Sunny with a grin. “Not only you two could see my AMAZING hat, but we found ourselves one… A HUMAN!!”

“R-Really…” the igloo said, two eyes coming from it’s entrance, before dissipating in the darkness. “I mean-IGLOO NOISES!”

“No one is buying that up, Frosty.” the humanoid responded, looking at Sunny. “So, human. Either you give up and let us capture you, or you face our chilly… wrath.”

But before Sunny could answer, the three monsters surrounded him, leaving him alone to fight. “R-RED!?” Sunny thought, worried as he had no knowledge about these creatures.

“??? and ??? posed like bad guys. Also, there is an igloo. What will SUNNY do?” the voice said, leaving Sunny confused.

He didn’t know what to do, as he didn’t have any info about these new monsters, so he GUARDED. He placed his arms defensively over his chest and face, trying to take as few hits as possible. His HP was dangerously low, so he knew he needed to be strong.

“‘Ice’ to meet you.” “Igloo noises.” “Your head looks so… NAKED” the monsters said in unison as Sunny prepared himself. Crescent-shaped icy shards fell from the air like snowflakes, as pipes emanated from the ground, while the igloo creature took out two MASSIVE pinchers from it’s inside. As Sunny ran between attacks, he panicked. He was really close to peril, but with perseverance, he evaded each attack, until he felt himself be pinched by the igloo, causing his breath to falter as the monster squished him by the chest and back.

As Sunny broke free, he returned to the center of the arena. “??? pinched SUNNY! SUNNY takes 3 damage!” the voice said with a mocking tone, as Sunny took his moment to breath softly. He was dangerously close to losing his HP, and he knew what would happen if he lost it all. As he looked at the monsters, it all became a bit blurry, as he panicked, not knowing what to do…

Until he remembered Red’s words. “You can use ACTS to make the enemy stop wanting to defeat you, or you can hurt them enough so they give up. Afterwards, if the enemy has a soft golden glow, they can be SPARED, ending the battle peacefully.”. At the sound of it, Sunny trembled inside, remembering what he did before, before taking his book and preparing to attack the humanoid. Sunny rushed, and hit the monster in the head, quickly returning to the center. “SUNNY attacks ???! ??? takes 20 damage!” the voice recited, as Sunny prepared to evade.

“I just looove my hat. OK?” “Ice puns are ‘snow’ problem” “Igloo igloo.” The monsters cited as the prepared to attack. More crescent shards fell as ice blocks emanated from the air, falling down quickly to try and crush Sunny, all while the pipes returned, as they pushed icicles from their inside. Between all the icy shards breaking from the sky, as well as all the attacks around him, Sunny panicked. He managed to get through the bullet hell (pun intended) as he had his turn to attack.

“Fight.” the voice demanded, as Sunny prepared to do it. But, before Sunny took out his notebook… he looked at the humanoid, who froze down and had wide eyes. Then, Sunny remembered the words his mother had told him years ago: “Violence is not the answer to anything.”. So, before he attacked, he leaned back, but he saw they weren’t attacking, instead looking confused. “FIGHT.” the voice demanded more coldly, but Sunny refused. Instead, he realized… that he needed to leave. As he ran away. “Escaped…” the voice muttered, defeated.

“Hey! We aren’t finished!” he heard the humanoid say, as Sunny ran away from them, the snowy storm escalating in intensity and blinding him, as he covered behind a conveniently placed chest. He heard the monsters get close, but as they stood still, he heard them sigh as they walked.

“Dang It! Our chance to get rich! We would have been swimming in GOLD!” he heard the monster speak, as their voices ended up muffled by the sound of the wind, which became louder as the storm increased it’s  strength. He took a deep breath and CALMED DOWN, regaining some of his lost HP. “SUNNY calmed down. SUNNY recovers 5 HP!” the voice said. As he felt his energy regained, Sunny stood up once more, advancing more through the forest, preparing himself to fight in case it was needed.

As he reached an open alley, he could see a wooden gate blocking the road, as a weird contraption was pinned to the wall. Before Sunny could see what was written to the side of the water tube, he heard voices behind the gate, as he sneaked behind it to hear them.

“Alright, everyone!” he heard a cold, gruff voice say, which Sunny could recognize as female. “Status report from your sentry stations. Now.”

“All the coast is clear in Hotland, captain.” he heard a male voice say, his voice difficult to distinguish as it sounded muffled by a metallical piece.

“We both sensed a weird smell… but neither Doggo nor us found anything in Snowdin's forest.” he heard a soft female voice speak, as she heard her giggling as another soft male voice giggled with her.

“I flew all around Lower Snowdin, captain!” he heard another female voice say, this one sounding younger. “No sights of humans until now, and all puzzles have been recalibrated around here!”

“Perfect, great job everyone!” the gruff female voice responded, sounding proud and cheerful. “I already checked through all of Waterfall. No humans have been spotted.”

“AND, AROUND SNOWDIN TOWN,” another voice said, this one sounding male and energetic, mixing with a minuscule rattling sound. “I HAVEN’T FOUND ANYTHING, CAPTAIN. ALL COAST IS CLEAR.”

“... Great to hear, Papyrus.” the female voice responded, sounding softer. “But remember you all, stay on your guard. We don’t know when a human will arrive. Be prepared for the worst.”

“Aye aye, captain!” the rest of the voices responded in unison, as Sunny heard movement from behind the railed door. He panicked, and he walked further ahead and hid himself under that same chest he used earlier. He could hear the sound of wood clanking as the gate opened, while he hid silently under the chest. As he poked from over it, he could see some silhouettes walking. They looked… canine, all of them with dog ears and heads, with some of them having tails. One of them was slinker than the rest and had knives on his hands, two of them held hands and had huge axes, and the last one… was massive. It looked completely huge and had a BIG spear.

As he saw them stop, he quickly covered behind the familiar chest. “What’s that smell? (Where’s that smell?)” the soft female and male voices said in unison as they started sniffling the air. Soon, he could hear their footsteps, getting closer to him. Sunny took his breath, and panicked. They were getting closer, but he couldn’t see very well, due to the huge amounts of snow covering the sight of his only functional eye, snow covering the eyepatch as the cold became more noticeable.

Before the two got closer, Sunny heard the footsteps stop, as the two entities’s steps sounded further and further away. “Must have been my imagination… (Dear, it probably was your imagination.)” he heard them say as the rest of the group presumably left, leaving Sunny alone once more.

As he stood from behind the chest, he quickly returned to the gate, and his attention went to the contraption built in the wall. As he looked at the text near it, he read it: “To whom it may concern: In accordance to Royal Guard guide book section four, paragraph two, This puzzle is intended to impede the progress of an intruder (probably you), Entertain the residents of the surround-” but the rest of it was covered by snow, as the pages from under it flew aimlessly in the wind, leaving Sunny confused.

As he saw a button, he pressed it, and he leaned back as he heard a boulder rolling, and breaking down what he presumed was wood, before breaking an ice cube over the glass tube with water, and falling to the floor. As Sunny looked at the boulder, it was of half his size, and was currently smoking, it’s body emanating a strong heat. As he looked around, Sunny tried to traverse the gate, but was stopped as the gate’s poles were too close to allow him to traverse it.

As Sunny sighed, he realized access to ‘Lower Snowdin’ was fruitless, so he decided to return to where he came from, before freezing as the two familiar figures came back. “There’s that smell! (So it was real…)” the two said, as Sunny was pale.

As the two got closer, Sunny visibly tensed, taking a deep breath as he tried standing as inmobile as he could, forgetting that ‘dogs’ had an absurdly good sense of smell, a fact that didn’t cross Sunny mind until he remembered these monsters were dogs. As the two got in front of him, they looked at each other before speaking. “Hmmm... Here's that weird smell… It makes me want to eliminate.” the male dog said, as he and the other took their axes out and held them. “(... Eliminate YOU!)” the female dog responded, as both dogs howled, the two preparing to attack. Soon enough, the skinny and big dog came closer, their silhouettes spooking in the air, as a bird monster appeared behind him.

“The ROYAL GUARD attacks! What will SUNNY do?” the voice said, as Sunny panicked. He could only see their silhouettes, but he knew they could see him. So, he just decided to RUN. He quickly left the group, as the shadows of them dissipated, and as Sunny went trail after trail, he reached the initial area he arrived from, the boarded up door suddenly mocking in his panic. He tried to break it open, but he saw it was useless. “It won’t open.” he thought, as he saw the spooky forest near him. He shivered at the memory of it, and the memory of the creepy figure that he saw when he exited the Ruins.

“The human is getting away!” he heard the young female voice say, as he heard dog barks. He could see the silhouette of the bird creature flying through the air, as it shook it’s wings, sending feathers that flew like bullets. “RED!?” Sunny muttered, as he prepared himself. With a deep breath, he jumped the fence and started running through the spooky forest once more, as he evaded more feathers, using his sense of hearing to evade them. He received a lot of them, either way, but some minutes later… he was alone, once more. The bird creature was not flying around any longer, and there were no more feathers being shot in his direction.

“SUNNY calmed down.”

He looked around, and saw nothing but trees. Trees of every size, all surrounding him, their shadows visible in the stormy blizzard. He walked slowly, with some pain in his legs, but he could manage.

“Guys, look! I’m a snow angel!” he heard a voice say, a cheerful, bratty boy voice that petrified Sunny. As he looked at his side, he could see a figure dressed in an orange puffer sweater, making snow angels as he giggled. Sunny realized… it was Kel.

“Kel! Leave some space for me!” he heard a girl say, as young Aubrey, dressed in a puffer jacket, pouted. “I want to play too!”

“Can you two stop fighting?” He heard a male voice say, as he saw Hero, holding his brother by the armpits, as the three of them giggled. Sunny tensed at this. He knew they were not real, he knew they were fragments of his imagination and memory, but… seeing them smile, seeing them be happy, it made him terrified. Seeing them so happy, so carefree, so… pure.

“It’s very cute, right boys?” He heard a female voice say, a voice that made Sunny go pale and freeze. He saw his sister, Mari, make a snowman with two other figures, the three of them on puffy jackets and with smiles.

“It looks great, Mari!” he heard a happy voice say, which he could easily recognize as Basil. “But… man, I should have brought my camera with me.”

“Well, Basil.” he heard Mari say. “Some memories are better remembered, right little brother?”

But then, he saw himself… happy. That stoic Sunny, deep inside, had a smile, and giggled, causing Mari and Basil to smile. “I love when you smile, Sunny!” Mari said, as she giggled. “You look so cute when you do it!”

All of this, this happiness, made Sunny go insane. Their laughter, their happiness, all were painful memories, memories that HE ruined and damaged. As he looked, the memory Sunny looked back at him, as he looked with a smile, before he opened his mouth, a single eye emanating from it as a dark mass came from it’s inside… it was Something.

“Sunnyyyyyy…..” it muttered, as it pursued Sunny. He became terrified, as he ran through the forest, trying to get away. The pain in his legs grew bigger, the cold air becoming more tense, more cold, more… terrifying. But as he runned, he heard more voices speak.

“Man, Sunny! When are those cookies coming up!? Mari and Hero have been chatting for a millenium!”

“What’s cooking, good looking?”

“Kel, calm down! Those cookies will end up amazing, right Sunny?”

“Brrrrr, pretty chilly, huh Sunny?”

“Sunny, you are so kind! Thank you for cheering me up!”

“Sunny, thanks for spending the day with me, I really needed it!”

“Son, I’m so proud of you!”

“Sunny, your future will be amazing, that’s for sure!”

“Sunny… Sunny!”

“Little brother, I love you!”

It was too much, IT WAS TOO MUCH. Each voice speaking felt like a mocking commentary, a twisted joke transforming his best memories into a terrifying moment. Something had already disappeared, but the voices still spoke. As he ran, he felt the branches make more cuts on his legs, as Sunny felt his energy falter slightly, but he persevered… he HAD to persevere.

As he ran away, he managed to reach the entrance of the Ruins, the door still closed, the camera still broken, the wooden gate still visible from afar. At the moment he got near the door, he realized that… he had feathers encrusted in his legs. Feeling them weaker, he fell to the ground, his whole body hurting, as he had difficulty keeping his eyes open, the darkness slowly consuming him.

His body ached, the pain from the cuts those branches did was still fresh, and instead of the burning skin he had felt from Toriel’s desperate fire wall, he felt the cuts made from the pinches that igloo monster did. Sunny felt dizzy, and struggled to keep himself awake, but slowly, his tiredness won over. He felt his legs bleed and his body shiver more, the cuts and cold winning as a lethal force over his defense.

Before falling unconscious, his last sight was the one of the figure, his hands not visible, as it got closer. It was saying something, but he couldn’t decipher what it was saying. But, the pain took over, and Sunny couldn’t resist anymore. He… closed his eyes, and fell into a deep, painful, sleep.

…

“Shit, shit, shit, SHIT!!!” Red screamed, as she looked at Sunny. “WAKE UP, SUNNY!!!!”

Mari just looked terrified… she saw everything. The terror Sunny had as he ran through the forest, the moment his consciousness spoke to him and he backed up from hurting that mean monster, the Royal Guard hunting him down, the hallucinations caused by hypothermia Sunny suffered. Mari just… became horrified. “Please, little brother, resist.” she muttered sadly.

 But both girls' attention went to the figure emanating from the shadows, as another one came. “NYEH HEH HEH!!!” the taller creature said, posing dramatically. “I FINALLY FOUND IT, BROTHER!!! THE HUMAN HAS FALLEN RIGHT INTO MY GRASP!!!”

“wow, paps.” the shorter monster said, with a neutral tone. “must have been a rough fall for them.”

“INDEED, BROTHER.” The taller monster said, as he scooped Sunny into it’s arms. “NOW, WE MUST RETURN HOME! CALL UNDYNE AND TELL HER THE NEWS. ONCE SHE RETRIEVES HIM, I’LL BE PROMOTED!!!”

“as you say, bro.” the shorter monster said as he and the taller one walked out of sight, their gazes dissipating. Red sprung into action, trying to make Sunny wake up, but failing.

“It won’t work.” Mari said worriedly. “He was knocked out. He overworked himself.”

Red just looked at her worriedly. “What are we supposed to do now!?” she said with concern. “I never expected this to happen, Sunny was about to kill that Ice Cap. Sure, they were being douchebags, but still. Why didn’t I tell Sunny a way to see their STATS without my help!?”

As Mari heard it, she got an idea. “Sunny can do it?” she asked, as Red realized what she meant.

“Yeah.” she responded, looking at Mari with concerned eyes. “He can use his power to read the stats of other monsters. Their names, attack, defense and likes and dislikes. But… I don’t know how I can do it exa-”

“I’ll take care from here, Red.” Mari said as she floated closer to her brother. “Just… keep an eye out on him, in case something goes wrong.”

“Ok, Mari.” Red said, as she looked at Mari with confusion. “But… what are you doing?”

“... Something I hoped I would never need to do again.” Mari responded as she placed her hand in Sunny’s head. She took a deep breath as her body dissipated in particles and floated to Sunny’s head, entering it and leaving Red alone.

Red just looked… pale. “She must know what she’s doing…” she thought, as she kept an eye on Sunny. “Good luck, Mari.”

As Red looked, the two figures traversed the forest, and reached a long bridge that connected to Snowdin’s town. Red gulped, nervous as to what departed Sunny, now that she couldn’t help him.

Chapter Text

???, ???, ???

??? ???, ???. ??:??

…

…

It was cold, so, so COLD. Everything around him was dark, so, so DARK. Sunny felt his head spin, as time seemed to freeze as he regained his breath, until he started to move, feeling his body on top of something hard and dry. As he slowly opened his eyes, he had difficulty recognizing where he was. There were spiky pillars above him, the walls were of a soft whitish blue, and the ground had… crystals all over it. The temperature was dangerously low, but he was already used to it.

As he tried to stand up, he had difficulty as his feet slipped on the floor, making him fall head-first into it, hurting his nose a bit as he moved. Quickly, he regained his balance, holding what appeared to be a ladder. Slowly, he climbed it up, as he stretched himself before looking around. The details made Sunny realize that he was inside an icy cave, the icicles hanging from the top of the cave, and the frozen floor completely transparent.

“W-where am I?” Sunny thought, as he tried to regain his balance. He stood up with difficulty, his body hurting, but not as much as it did before. But, his thoughts were cut short, as he saw a picnic blanket laying in front of him. To it’s side, there was a thermo that smelled like chocolate. In it’s center, he saw a picnic basket, and to it’s side… he saw her, Mari.

She looked just as she was before: purple shoes, white socks, a white shirt, a purple vest and skirt, and her characteristic red bowtie. She had her pale skin as usual, but… she had her hair purple. “Oh, little brother!” she said, warmly. “You are finally awake, I was starting to get worried.”

At the sight of her, Sunny became nervous. She looked just like in… no. “Are you okay, little bro?” he heard his sister ask, concern noticeable on her voice. She looked like she did in… NO.

“N-N-No….” Sunny murmured, terrified, as he walked back. She looked just like she did in Headspace. She looked just like that. It was impossible. He defeated Omori, he accepted that Mari's gone. She was supposed to disappear with the rest of Headspace. He had done it. He had accepted her death. WHY WAS SHE STILL HERE!? WHY WAS SHE HERE!!!???

“Y-Y-Y-Y-You s-shouldn’t…” Sunny murmured, as everything turned dark for him. SHE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. HIS HAVEN, HIS HEADSPACE, WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE DISAPPEARED LONG AGO. WHY WAS IT STILL HERE!!?? WHY!??

“Hey, easy there.” Mari murmured with concern. “Take a deep breath, it’s not as scary as you think.” she said, as Sunny looked at her.

At the sight of her, he started tearing up. He knew she wasn’t Mari, HIS Mari. He knew it was just the escapist version of her that he created. But still… looking at her. He didn’t realize he accidentally tripped on an icy crystal on the floor, as he fell headfirst into her.

But… she quickly wrapped her arms around him, stopping him from falling into her. He felt her arms wrap around his waist, as he was sat on top of MARI’s legs as she smiled softly. “Easy, little brother.” she said, her voice soft and calming. “Everything is slippery up there, and I prefer having my brother in one piece, so calm down.”

But, he could only tear up as he felt her soft arms, her soothing words and her warmth and smile. He knew she wasn’t real, but it still felt like it. Somehow, Headscape had either remained intact or reformed, as he didn’t recognize the area at all. It was scary, he didn’t know where he was, what happened to him, if he was alive or dead, but, in her arms, her warmth soothed him, as he just kept softly tearing up, his eye filling with tears.

“... Let it all out, little brother.” he heard MARI say, as her arms grabbed him more softly. “I feel like you need to vent up a bit. Don’t worry, big sister is right here, and I’ll happily help you.”

At the sound of her soft voice and her proposal, Sunny instantly wrapped his arms against MARI’s back, hugging her tightly as he softly cried. He felt his eyes tear up faster, as he cried, grief consuming him as he had a breakdown. It felt far too real. He knew that the real Mari would be disappointed if he saw him hugging a fake her so tightly, and he knew she would probably be furious if she had seen him jump to the Underground, but right now, those thoughts escaped his mind, slowly crying in his sister’s arms.

“Shh, shh.” she softly murmured, stroking his head as she hummed a soft melody that he couldn’t recognize, but still felt familiar. Her warm embrace and her soothing voice helped him calm down, as Sunny felt his body ease, before calming down, his cries replaced by soft hiccups. Before he opened his eyes, he felt a soft kiss being planted on his front, as MARI offered him a cup.

“Here.” she said, a cup of a warm liquid on her hands, steam emanating from the liquid. “Have some hot chocolate. It’ll help you calm down.”

As he grabbed the cup, he saw the cocoa, the cup emanating a soft warmth against his cold hands. He slowly drank the cup, the warm liquid helping him ease his trembles and calming him down. He felt his energy recover as he took a deep breath, until all his energy recovered completely, the pain on his body disappearing.

“I hope it helped you, little brother.” Mari said, looking at Sunny right in the eyes. “I was pretty worried, you know. You were asleep in the ice for half an hour, and I couldn’t help you. Sorry about that.”

As Sunny sighed calmly, a cold breeze resonated through the cave, causing both of them to tremble. “Brrrr... Is it a little chilly up here or is it just me? And everyone is missing. KEL, HERO, AUBREY, even BASIL is gone. There’s just you, me, and this frozen wasteland.”

“You and the rest have never come here before, right?” she murmured, as she looked at Sunny warmly. “But don’t worry. You are capable of taking care of yourself, little brother. It’s not as scary as you think. Persevere and you’ll be fine!”

As Sunny looked at her, he felt a comfy warmth that made him more confident and eased his nerves, his eyes less red as he relaxed. But, as he stood up and tried walking out of the cave, he saw that she got on her feet as well, grabbing the food and blanket and placing it inside her basket. “You know what?” she said, looking at him warmly. “I'll go with you, so I can help you if something weird happens. I know you really hate being alone.”

As MARI grabbed her basket, she walked behind Sunny, grabbing her basket and holding it with both of her hands. “Lead the way, little brother!” she said cheerfully, as she stood smiling.

“MARI joins your team!”

As Sunny nodded, he felt more confident. He knew he was already too big for that, that he was supposed to take care of himself and not depend on others, let alone his sister, that he was WAY too old to be soothed by her like if he was a toddler. But, at the moment, he felt safer, with his big sister to his side, ready to take down whatever challenges laid on the way.

As both siblings left the cave, they escalated some stairs, before arriving at an open field. Sunny couldn’t see the rest of the area, as a massive blizzard struck around it, the horizon covered by clouds and snowflakes, as the sound of wind resonated across the terrain. He could tell that he was on a mountain, very high up, as he couldn’t see anything in the horizon, and couldn’t see Headspace’s purplish style.

“We are really high up, huh little bro?” MARI said as he nodded. And as the two traversed between some icicles incrustated on the floor, both of them felt the ground shake a bit, as the snowy ground trembled before a mass of snow appeared, quickly forming into 3 figures. They looked like humanoid angels with wings, a bright halo above it’s head, and a large sword that had it’s blade made of metallical ice. The figure had bright red eyes, that looked menacingly into Sunny.

“Peccator in profundo animi proiectus ad imperium nostrum congelatum pervenit.” one of the entities said, as it spoke with a severe tone. The other entities directed themselves to it’s side, as more of them emanated from the ground, before six of them appeared behind the previous three.

“RUN!” MARI screamed, as she and Sunny tried to run, before another of them appeared from the ground, as it pointed it’s huge blade towards Sunny. “Non transibis.” it said coldly, as it swung it’s blade, causing both siblings to dodge and end in the center of the group, as the seven of them surrounded them. One of the creature’s eyes shone brightly, as it took out it’s blade and pointed it at Sunny’s chest. “Pretium pro peccatis tuis solves, Somniator. Pro violatione quinti et octavi sacrorum praeceptorum, patieris.” it said, as the seven creatures’ eyes shone.

“What will MARI and YOU do?” a mysterious voice spoke from thin air, as MARI panicked. “Oh god, oh god.” she mumbled, as she took a deep breath. “It’s okay, little bro. We can do this.”

Sunny went directly with the option to FIGHT!, but as he was about to ATTACK, MARI stopped him. “Wait, little brother!” she said, looking at him. “There’s a new technique I can teach you. It will help you in your fights! Activate your ‘EVALUATE’ SKILL!” she said, as Sunny looked confused. He never had that skill before, but he accepted it as the creatures looked sternly and with judgement. He used his skill, as a purplish aura emanated from the enemies, and turned into dust as it flew directly into Sunny. “YOU evaluated ???! YOU obtained info about SNOW ANGELS!” a voice said in his head, as he heard the info detailedly. “Guardians of SNOWGLOBE MOUNTAIN... Its eyes are filled with stories. SNOW ANGELS are known to appear to lost travelers and disappear with them into the snowfall. They also appear to judge those who committed impure acts, and will fight until their very end. They don’t give EXP, as they don’t die, as they reform into their base forms after a few seconds.” the voice said, as Sunny read the info.

“Pretty cool, huh?” MARI said, as she smiled at Sunny. “Using your power, you can read all the info about your enemies, so you can SPARE them. These guys won’t accept MERCY, so we’ll have to FIGHT. But, first…”

“You are right, Angels. We shall pay like the scum we are. We are sinners and we aren’t salvageable.” MARI said, and as she said it, Sunny felt his spirits drop, as a blueish aura resonated through him and his sister. “MARI used PESSIMISM! MARI feels SAD! YOU feel SAD!” the voice said, as his sister started tearing up.

Afterwards, the enemies swung their swords and tried to impale Sunny and MARI. Both of them evaded each slice, before he felt a sword strike its chest, before the blade cracked it’s icy structure before reforming once more. Sunny felt an ache in his stomach, as the angels all stopped. “SNOW ANGEL pierces YOUR heart! YOU take 82 damage!” the voice said, as Sunny stood up. “Are you okay!?” MARI screamed worriedly, and as Sunny nodded up, she calmed down. As the effect of the SAD emotion dissipated, Sunny prepared himself for his turn.

With the info he obtained, Sunny decided to go all out, and attack. He cursed himself for attacking, but seeing that they wouldn’t give up, Sunny prepared himself to use ALLEGRO. He gave three quick slashes to the central angel, as he tore it apart. “YOU attacked SNOW ANGEL! SNOW ANGEL takes 214 damage!” the voice said, as Sunny returned to the center. As he saw his sister take out something from her basket, he was surprised to see her taking out an olive oil bottle with a napkin strapped to it. She quickly grabbed a matcher, lit the napkin on fire as it quickly reached the oil, and then threw it towards the angel, the bottle exploding as burning oil burned the angel to the ground, as it disintegrated into snow, before melting and evaporating. “MARI commited ARSON on SNOW ANGEL! SNOW ANGEL takes 902 damage!” the voice said, as Sunny looked at his sister terrified.

As the rest of the angels looked pale, they watched each other as they disintegrated into snow automatically, leaving Sunny and MARI alone once more. “SNOW ANGEL and his friends DITCHED the battle! Your party was victorious! YOU gained 0 EXP! YOU gained 5894 CLAMS!” the voice said, as it became silent.

“...” MARI remained silent, as she regained her composure. “That oughta teach them to not mess with us, little brother!” she said cheerfully. “Now come on!” she said as she walked behind Sunny. “Lead the way!”

Now Sunny was beyond confused. Since when did MARI have the power to throw flammable oil bottles to enemies!? Since when she seemed to have no regrets hurting people!? SINCE WHEN DID SHE KNOW WHAT ARSON WAS!!??

But, seeing his sister so cheerful made Sunny shiver a bit. So he just continued his journey, entering another icy cave, this one with presents on the ice floor. “Drats, another ice ring!” MARI said as she pouted. “What would it take for someone to build a freaking bridge!?” she asked, as she and Sunny walked to the icy ground, slipping uncontrollably before both of them reached the exit of the cave, as it connected into another one. As they traversed it, they left the cave, as both of them could see a MASSIVE view of… nothing, really. The cloudy skies covered everything, so both of the siblings couldn’t stare at anything notable.

“Well, that was faster than I expected!” MARI said, as she walked a bit slower, taking Sunny’s hand into hers. “But, we did it little brother! We should be proud! We will see the views before the rest of our friends!”

Sunny winced at the sound of the word ‘friends’. He knew they were probably far better without him, but he kept asking himself during his time on the Ruins: what happened to his friends? Are they okay? Did the group forgive Basil? He knew it would be insane to worry about them, as they clearly had no intentions to still connect with him, but he kept wondering: Did they miss him? “Probably not…” Sunny thought, as MARI and he escalated some steps before arriving at the top of that peak. He saw a bridge connecting to another mountain, as more steps led to the highest mountain of them all.

“You have taken a long road, little brother.” Mari said, startling Sunny out of his thoughts. “Things haven’t been easy, and I’m sure your road was dangerous. But, you need to be strong. You need to persevere.”

“Sometimes, bad things happen, and you believe it's your own fault, so you take drastic actions...” she continued, as Sunny felt confused. Those words felt far too connected to his history. “But, we can’t jump into action before considering the whole image. Some people believe that the world is better without them, but as they try and dissapear… they don’t realize the impact they are leaving.”

As he heard her, he saw MARI’S knuckles tremble slightly as she walked across the wooden platform, the material creaking due to their weight and the wind. “But… those people normally fall in a spiral, they reach a no turning back road and they accept it. Sometimes… it’s easy for some people to give up. But they don’t realize that… they are closer than they imagined. Life is a gift, that sometimes brings good moments, and other times... bad moments arrive, but one we need to embrace and enjoy our lives as much as we can. Bad times come… but they are part of the cycle. And when we can’t go back to what we loved and cherished… we need to embrace the memories, and persevere to see new ones.”

She turned around to see Sunny directly in the eyes. “...” she remained silent, as she softly smiled. “But… sometimes it’s okay to ask for help. Sometimes it’s okay to be sad or alone. But remember: when the light is running low, and the shadows start to grow, and the places that you know seem like fantasy…”

She walked softly as she held Sunny’s hand, while her right hand pointed to his chest. “There's a light inside your SOUL, that's still shining in the cold, with the truth… the promise in our hearts.” she said, looking warmly at Sunny. “Don’t forget, you’re with YOU in the dark.”

As she smiled, she gave Sunny a hug. “Never give up, little brother. Promise me…’ she said, as she looked at the highest peak. “We need to get going.”

As Sunny remained silent, he realized those words resonated with his history. But… he still felt empty. He had himself in difficult times, but he knew those times… were times HE caused. But… he started feeling better with himself. He knew the road was deadly, and that his destiny was sealed the moment he jumped, but… he would try and continue. No matter the challenges, he would try and do his best to survive.

As he followed her, both siblings climbed some stairs, as they came face to face with a snowman, which was to the side of a pine tree. “Hey, look at this snowman, little brother!” MARI said excitedly, as Sunny walked to her side, as both siblings looked at the snowman. It had a brow scarf, a carrot nose, and a brown snow cap. But… instead of rocks as eyes, the snowman had two long eyes that seemed to be closed. They looked completely real, which startled Sunny.

But, as he looked at his sister, he realized she was climbing the remaining stairs, as he quickly followed behind her, leaving the strange snowman alone. As they walked, they went through more stairs, before reaching the summit of the mountain. It was extremely cold up there, and the area was minimal in size, the only thing visible in the horizon being more clouds and a cold mist that covered the whole area.

“Brrr, it’s way colder than I imagined…” MARI said as she stood in front of Sunny, looking at the horizon. “But… this view sucks! There’s nothing but clouds here. What a ripoff!”

As he saw her sat, Sunny did the same. She placed her picnic basket on the ground, as she laid on the floor, looking at the sky. “Well, at least we can do cloud gazing.” MARI said as Sunny laid at her side, both siblings looking comfortably at the clouds.

They spent around 5 minutes gazing at the clouds in the sky, describing their figures and coming up with absurd explanations, causing them both to earnestly laugh. After a while, MARI and Sunny sat, as they looked at each other warmly. “I missed this…” she said, smiling softly. “Just you and me, having a good time.”

“But…” she said, looking a bit more somber and serious. “This is not what you should be doing right now.”. She turned and saw Sunny directly in his eyes. “You are pretty hurt out there, and healing here won’t help you when you… you know.”

As Sunny nodded, he realized a strange detail. Instead of having her typical purplish eyes that she and the rest of Headspace’s friend group had… MARI had black eyes with white pupils. Sunny then became nervous, but then he realized… she was indeed HIS Mari. “S-S-S-Sis…?” Sunny murmured, nervous and surprised to see his sister again.

“Hi, Sunny!” MA-Mari said warmly, as she looked at him. “Took you long enough to realize! But… we need to have a heart to heart about the jumping bit.”. At the sound of that, Sunny felt bad. He knew that Mari’s spirit had probably seen him jump, that she was probably disappointed. “Listen…” Mari said, looking somber but with understanding eyes. “I can’t say that I don’t get why you did it… but you were supposed to stay, you were supposed to live your life. I don’t excuse Basil and the rest, GOD NO, but… you shouldn’t have d-”

“Succumbes, pecator!” they heard a voice scream, which startled Mari out of her scolding, and as they looked behind them… a massive army of Snow Angels rose from the ground, all of them pointing their swords as they walked through the bridge, trying to reach Sunny. “Somniator morietur!” he heard one of them say, as the army became faster.

“CRAP. SUNNY, RU-” he heard Mari scream, before she disappeared, evaporating into thin air, leaving Sunny alone.

“SUNNY feels STRESSED OUT.”

As Sunny walked back, he saw the enemies get closer, but, as he saw the snowman, he realized it was looking in  his direction. It shook as an arm came out from it’s inside, which had a pink sleeve, it’s hand being pale. As it looked at Sunny, it reached it’s hand to it’s face, and made a movement that made it look like it pinched itself.

As it shook more, some of the snow faltered, until he could see the person’s face. It pinched itself, and the person glitched, disappearing, and leaving Sunny alone once more. “Pinch…” he heard a voice say, this one feminine and soft, which made Sunny confused. Who was that voice? Who was that snowman person? Was it real, or was it a fragment of his psyche? Was the feminine voice the person communicating with him?

“SUFFER, EARTHLY SCUM!! FEEL THE WRATH OF THE SPACE PIRATES, MURDERER!!” he heard a voice scream, and as he looked behind, he saw a spaceship, and from the door, he saw him… Capt. Spaceboy, grabbing a pole attached to his ship as he pointed his blaster at Sunny, shooting a barrage of lasers from it. He looked ANGRY, and his ship was flying around the mountain, making circles around it as he fired.

As Sunny dodged each blast, he tried running away, but as he saw a few steps under his position, the Snow Angel army was close. He was surrounded, and they were HUNDREDS. He remembered the voice, and pinched himself.

His last moments in the dream were seeing a laser being in front of his face, and a Snow Angel about to slice Sunny with it’s massive sword, before he felt his body evaporate. He was in a spiral, ascending… he felt his energy dissipate, as it all turned white.

Chapter Text

In the meantime… somewhere else…

Elsewhere City, California.

September 27th, 2019. 13:15pm

“Uhm, Mrs. Suzuki?”

“Yeah, Aubrey?”

“Are you two really moving away?”

“... Yeah, we are. I’m sorry, but Sunny and I want to start again. You know, try and build new lives, and…”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. But… if I want… can I visit?”

“Of course, Aubrey! Sunny would be very happy to see you! Here, here’s the house’s phone number if you ever want to call.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

...

As she entered the elevator of the building where Sunny and his mom lived, Aubergine ‘Aubrey’ Bergeron was… feeling quite a mix of emotions, as she remembered those words she had told her two weeks ago. After her meltdown in front of the city’s hospital, she became a sobbing mess as she had to be carried by Kim and Vamce to the bus so she could then return back home. She hadn’t gone out that much in the last 2 days. Right after she returned home that day, she had been in her room, crying. She didn’t try to make excuses, she didn’t try to make herself feel better for what she did. Mrs. Suzuki was right, she had consciously threatened Sunny and kept her promise to go and beat him up for what he did, she had almost done the same thing Sunny had done to Mari but with Basil, if it hadn’t been for Hero saving both of them out of the lake.

She had used these last few days to try and calm down, and to reevaluate who she was. In a fit of anger and grief, she had broken her nail bat, smashing it with every empty beer bottle of her mom, before the bat was nothing more than a bunch of broken wood pieces.

But, one thought that crossed her mind was that one of when she returned home the day she went to the hospital to attack Sunny with her friends.

…

Two days ago…

Faraway Town, California

September 25th, 2019. 14:30pm

Aubrey was crying in her bed, her nail bat on the floor, but, as she heard someone climbing the ladder leading to the room, she looked at it, as her mother Chloé appeared. She looked completely drunk, and she tripped numerous times as she walked, but she looked… a bit softer.

“AuBeRgInE…” she said, her smell reeking with cheap vodka and tobacco, as she walked towards her daughter’s bed. “...” she remained silent, before patting Aubrey’s head with a completely drunk smile.

“ThErE, tHeRe…” Chloé said, as she tripped, and almost broke her back on the floor if Aubrey hadn’t helped her. But, before she left the room, she spoke from the ladder. “YoU’rE *hic* sTrOnG, aUbErGiNe. DoN’t *hic* GiVe Up…”

At the sound of that, Aubrey was… surprised. For years, her mother had been nothing more than a zombie, always sitting in front of the TV, drinking alcohol or smoking, as the house filled with empty bottles, puddles of wine or whisky on the mats, trash bags, or… coldly shouting at Aubrey.

Since her dad, Mark, left the house when Chloé discovered that he had been cheating on her, she had become… rather cold and angry. She spent her days wasting on the sofa as the house filled with garbage and debts, which surprised Aubrey as the back didn’t come to take their house, even if Mark wasn’t paying the debts from wherever he was.

But, the sound of those words… reminded Aubrey of the real Chloé, of what she was before she became neglectful. She wasn’t the best mom, Aubrey knew that, but Chloé truly cared about her, she was a mom that cared a lot, that loved her a lot, she was sometimes easy going and a bit permissive, but… she never showed that she didn’t love Aubrey. However, her dad… Aubrey preferred not speaking about him.

As she saw her mother get out of the ladder, Aubrey followed her, before hugging her mom. “Mom… thank you.” Aubrey said with a genuine smile, as she hugged her mom. “I really needed it.”

“DoN’t WoRrY SwEe-” Chloé mumbled as she fell asleep in her daughter’s arms. Aubrey helped her get to her bed, and, as she closed the door of the room, she felt a bit better. She knew that, deep down, her mother, under all the addictions, coldness and neglectfulness, was still there.

Aubrey smiled softly as she closed the door. She had used some of her time crying upstairs to reevaluate on Sunny. Yeah, she was still mad at him, but she understood that it was an accident. Sunny and Basil were both 12 year olds when it happened, and she indeed almost did the same just a few days ago on that lake. She still remembered the words Mrs. Suzuki had told her, and she felt… bad. When she heard that Sunny disappeared, she got worried, as she promised herself to try and wait for him to return, so she could discuss things with him and his mom properly, and apologize for her outrageous reaction.

…

Elsewhere City, California.

September 27th, 2019. 13:20pm

As the elevator reached the floor of Sunny and his mom’s apartment, Aubrey became serious. She had been calling nonstop at the house’s phone number, but no matter how many times she called, her calls were never contested.

At first, she thought that Sophie cut her calls and blocked her number from her phone, but, as Aubrey remembered that the number she gave her was the house’s phone number, Aubrey became more worried, as she took the decision to go and check on the Suzuki’s herself.

As she looked at her own reflection on the window, Aubrey could see her look. She was wearing blue jeans, a white shirt, a grey jacket and black shoes. She didn’t wear her hair bow or her teal contacts, making her dark brown eyes visible to her. Aubrey was gloomy. As she looked at herself, she remembered how abrupt her change in appearance, morality and demeanor was when she dyed her hair pink for the first time. A desperate decision to keep a legacy alive, the legacy of a person that would hate her if she knew what she did.

Aubrey still blamed herself for not being softer. She had let her rage consume her and became irrational, not stopping to try and help Sunny. She knew that Mari was furious up there in heaven, looking at her with disgust. But, she would try and fix her mistake, not for Mari to forgive her, but to see that Sunny and his mom are ok, as well as to apologize for everything she and the Hooligans did.

Aubrey then stood in front of the Suzuki’s apartment. She remembered the coordinates: “3295 Sunset Bld, Nowhere Residences, Apt. 305, Elsewhere City, California, CA 26302”, as Mrs. Suzuki told her previously. Aubrey stopped before knocking on the door. She thought that maybe Mrs. Suzuki wouldn’t want to see her, but Aubrey had a mission: just ask if she and Sunny are ok. “I’ll just ask and leave.” she thought, as she knocked on the door.

As she didn’t receive any response, she once again knocked on the door, until she rang the apartment’s bell, trying to see if someone opened the door. “Hello?” Aubrey asked, confused as to why didn’t anyone respond.

“Oh, good afternoon kid.” she heard a woman speak from the apartment next door. She was blonde and had pale skin and blue eyes.

“Hi, ma’am.” Aubrey said as respectfully as possible. “Quick question, is Mrs. Suzuki home?”

“No…” the woman responded as her brow furrowed. “She left yesterday, grabbed her stuff and disappeared. The apartment is on sale, again. Sorry, kid.”

“It’s ok. Thanks!” Aubrey responded as she sighed, walking to the elevator once more, but not before hearing the voice of the woman. “If I were you, I would be careful with the Suzuki’s. Her son killed his sister, so he could be dangerous.”

“...” Aubrey remained silent, as she remembered that the situation was covered on the news after the rumor spread through all of Faraway. “Okay, thanks miss.”

As Aubrey heard the door close once more, she looked through the window and saw Elsewhere City’s buildings in the distance. It was similar to California in various ways, but this city was warmer, more… peaceful. There were trees all around the town, and in the distance, Aubrey could see the ocean. As she entered the elevator, the doors closed, and as it went down, Aubrey placed her hands in her face and screamed.

“GOD DAMNIT THEY KNOW!” Aubrey said, her voice muffled by her hands, as repentance consumed her. The whole country now knew about what Sunny did, and his reputation was damaged per life. She felt awful, as she remembered how scared Sunny was when he confessed.

She felt bad, but she knew something: no matter how many good actions he did, he would always be remembered as Sunny Suzuki, ‘the kid who killed his sister by accident’.

…

Faraway Town, California

September 27th, 2019. 15:00pm

After taking the walk from Sunny’s house to the bus station, Aubrey entered the bus, and right now, she was getting close to Faraway Town once more.

She felt more calm after she took a deep breath, stopping herself from sobbing all the way back to her house, but she still felt an ache in her heart. Sunny, and now Mrs. Suzuki, were missing. She had no way of knowing if they were okay or hurt, she didn’t know anything about them or their whereabouts, but she prayed for her ‘fri-friend to be safe and sound with his mom, and for both of them to live in a place where they weren’t seen with bad eyes.

As Aubrey sat on her seat on the bus, she saw the trees go by, as she reached closer and closer to her home. But, as she got closer… she saw smoke coming out of behind some trees in the distance. Aubrey became worried at the sight of the smoke, but she took a deep breath and calmed herself down, until her attention was brought to the bus driver.

“Attention, passengers.” he said as the bus came to a screeching halt. “We are facing some difficulties, so we’ll have to change our route due to a fire warning in the distance.”

Aubrey became nervous as she heard the alarm of a fire truck coming from where the smoke came. And as Aubrey looked more closely, she saw that it came from… NO.

“AUBREY feels STRESSED OUT.”

She quickly got to her feet and saw the conductor, as she spoke to him. “Please, I need to get down.” she said, as the bus driver looked incredulous. “Are you crazy?” he said, looking concerned. “There’s a fire up ahead, and a very huge one, it seems. It’s not safe.”

“It doesn’t matter. I have friends up there, please!” she explained as she stood in front of the bus’ door. As the driver looked nervous, a passenger spoke from her seat. “Just let her go.” she said, looking annoyed. “If she really needs to go, then let her be.”

As the driver sighed, he pressed a button as the door opened. “Be careful, kid.” he said, as Aubrey thanked him and the lady. As she got out of the bus, it’s door closed as it drove away, all while Aubrey ran towards the smoke, getting more nervous the closer she got. 

As she crossed the street, she walked down the street, and she could see a fire truck parked on the road, and she could see some people looking at the house. As she ran to her street, she went pale, as the first thing she saw…

Was her house completely in shambles as smoke came from it. She saw a fireman shooting water from the truck’s hose towards a flame, as he extinguished it. Aubrey felt her head spin and felt her whole body shake, as tears came from her eyes. “W-W-W-W-What…?” she said as she looked incredulous at her house’s ruins.

“AUBREY!” she heard a voice scream as she felt herself being hugged by various people, all while they spoke. “Thank goodness you’re ok!” “We were so worried! “... I’m glad you’re fine…” “YOU’RE NOT HURT!” “Oh god, thank goodness you’re fine!”

But, she couldn’t realize who they were as Aubrey kept staring at the remains of her home. She lost her breath as she teared up and trembled, panic consuming her. “GUYS, LEAVE HER ALONE!! SHE’S TREMBLING!!” she heard a voice scream, as Kim stood in front of her, her eyes filled with concern, as she placed her hands on her shoulders. “Aubs! Thank goodness you’re fine! You had us all worried sick! Where have you been!?”

“Elsewhere City.” Aubrey mumbled, as she kept looking at her broken home. “What happened…?” she asked, as her friends’ faces turned somber.

“Uhm…” Kim mumbled, her amber eyes frowned as she looked sadly at her friend. But, before she spoke, a male voice spoke, cutting them out of their thoughts. “Aubergine Bergeron?” a firefighter asked as he looked at Aubrey, to which she nodded, fright consuming her.

“I’m really sorry to have to tell you this, kid.” the man said, as Aubrey looked pale. “We weren’t able to extinguish the fire in time. The flames engulfed your home completely, and there wasn’t anything we could do to save it.”

“Aubrey…” he heard a man say, and as she turned around, she saw her neighbor Sean, with his wife Karen at his side, the two of them looking softly at her. “We’re sorry. I saw smoke coming from your living room an hour ago, so I called the firefighters. My wife and I did everything we could, but… the fire was stronger than we imagined, and when it was finally extinguished… the whole house was in shambles. We’re sorry…”

“...” Aubrey remained silent, as a pang of dread consumed her, causing her to abruptly speak to the man. “DID YOU FIND A WOMAN NAMED CHLOÉ AND A RABBIT, SIR!?” she asked the firefighter nervously as she panicked. “LONG BROWN HAIR, DARK BROWN EYES, PALE SK-”

“I’m here, honey…” she heard a voice say, and as she saw the fire truck, near it, in a chair, was her mom, wrapped in a blanket, with a cup of coffee in her hands. Near her, was her rabbit Bun-Bun in his portable cage, trembling inside as it’s red eyes looked nervously at Aubrey.

“MOM!!” Aubrey screamed, breaking free from Kim’s grasp and rushing to her mom, giving her a hug. She teared up as she looked at her. “YOU’RE OKAY!!!” she said, as she hugged her mom tightly.

“Yeah, Aubs.” Chloé responded warmly. “Couldn’t let the Reaper take my soul so early, or your rabbit’s one, either way…”

“MOM!!!!” Aubrey screamed, as she saw her mother with some burns on her body, with a bit of her ragged clothes burned. “ARE YOU HURT!? WHAT HAPPENED!?” she asked.

“It was… intense.” Chloé said as she took a deep breath, looking embarrassed and with an ashamed expression. “After you left… I fell asleep. Like an hour ago, the TV broke, as sparks came from it… and… the whole house… yeah.”

“...” Aubrey remained silent, as she looked at her mom with concern. “Did you get severely hurt?” she asked nervously.

“Well, I would have left…” Chloé admitted, as she looked at Bun-Bun. “But I couldn’t leave your pet to die in that burning hell, so I came to your room and saved it. Sorry, but everything else is.. gone.”

“But, you…” Aubrey asked, looking at her mom, and seeing that she had her arm wrapped in bandages.

“I’m fine.” the mother said gloomily. “I tripped and got stuck under the rubble, but… a certain someone saved me.” she continued, as she looked at Kim, leaving Aubrey pale.

“I came running ASAP when I saw your house burn. They called me reckless, but even if it wasn’t you, I couldn’t let her or your pet di-” she said, but was cut off by a hug by Aubrey, who teared on her chest as she mumbled. “THANK YOU!” “THANK YOU!” “THANK YOU!” “THANK YOU!” “THANK YOU!” “THANK YOU!” she said numerous times, as she hugged her friend.

“Don’t worry, Aubs.” she said, looking at her friend warmly. “We’re besties, remember? I couldn’t save anything else, though. Sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter, Kimberly.” Chloé said, looking at the shambles of her home. “There was nothing but trash and empty bottles there…”. She then looked at her daughter. “Aubs, by the way…” her mother continued as she looked at Aubrey. “I’ve been… asked to be taken into custody.”

“WHAT!?” Aubrey asked, looking concernedly at her mom. “What do you mean!?”

“Honey, I fucked up. MORE than you imagined. We owe a lot of money to the bank, and now that the house is gone, the government will make me… pay.” her mother explained, as she looked sadly at her. “Reckless endangerment, mortgage, unpaid taxes, endangerment to public security, and… child negligence. They told me the charges, I'm done for.”

“THAT’S COMPLETE BULLSHIT!!!” Aubrey said, looking at her. “We just lost everything, and now the police will just come and take you when we don’t have ANYTHING!?"

“They said that the amount of money I had from everything that was there was more to pay, like twenty percent of the debt, so… yeah.” Chloé said as she sighed. "In about a month, I will face a trial. They said they would come, and if I’m not severely hurt, take me to jail to wait for it. Besides… they are planning to take your custody away from me.”

“... You’re joking.” Aubrey mumbled, looking pale at her mother. “Aubergine, please.” her mother pleaded. “It’s for the better, honestly. I have spent so long neglecting you and wasting all our cash in stupid crap. They said that taking into account the situation we have I will owe like one hundred thousand dollars and spend like 10 years behind bars. Besides… in just two years you will become of age, and… I can’t continue being a burden. I’m sorry, Aubrey, but it’s for the best.”

“They can’t take you!” Aubrey said, as she looked at her mom sadly. “You messed up, but you’re still my mom. We’ll be able to fix this, somehow I think we can…”

But Aubrey became silent, as tears flowed from her eyes, hugging her mom. “Mom… please don’t leave.” she pleaded, as her mom hugged her. “They said that they’ll come for me in a week.” Chloé explained, as she looked at her daughter with warm eyes.

As more people saw the commotion, they came closer and saw the disaster. Aubrey could hear words like “Oh dear, what a mess.” and “Poor family…” resonated through the air, as Aubrey hugged her mom softly.

“Aubs,” Kim said, breaking the murmurs as she gave her hand to her friend. Aubrey took it, and was helped get on her feet. “Come with me. You’ll stay with me and my family in the meantime.”

“Kim…” Aubrey mumbled as she looked at her friend. “Are you sure your mom is okay with it? She doesn’t have the best image of me…”

“Don’t worry, Aubergine.” she heard a voice say, as Kim and Vance’s mom came. She had dark brown hair, red glasses and a red shirt under a gray sweater and a gray skirt. Her face, normally serious and stern when speaking with her before, was now softer, nor more understanding.  “You can stay with your mom in my house in the meantime. Delinquent or not, you’re my kids' best friend, and you need help.”

As Kim’s mom helped Mrs. Bergeron got to her feet, Vance followed behind Aubrey, smiling too, with Bun-Bun’s cage in his hand. “Even if she didn’t let us,” he said, looking at his friend with a soft smile. “You would have stayed, either way. You’re our friend and boss, after all. And we are the Hooligans, we stay in the good times and in the shitty times too.”

“Yeah!” “Tell them, Vance!” she heard Mikhael and Angel say from afar, as they both looked at her with understanding eyes. Charlene just smiled softly and gave her a thumbs up, making Aubrey feel better.

“Come on!” Kim said, grabbing Aubrey’s hand. “I have some clothes for you in my house. I’m sure you’ll be just fine.”

As Aubrey followed her, she felt more warm. Of course, the issue with her mother and her trial was still on the table, and she just lost her home, but… she knew that she had to be strong, she had to continue looking forward. And with her best friends at her side, she knew she could do it.

But, as she walked to Kim and Vance’s house, her thoughts drifted to Sunny. She remembered the empty apartment and the information that the lady next door from Sunny told her, so she knew he was far away. “Sunny, I hope you’re fine. I promise you, we’ll fix this once you return.” she thought, as she prayed for her friend’s safety.

What she was oblivious of, was that Sunny had fallen down some time ago, but somehow… her wishes would reach him in some way or another.

…

Somewhere else…

Gardiner, Reedsport, Oregon.

September 27th, 2019. 15:30pm

“Thanks for having me on such short notice mom!” Sophie Suz-Linwood said as she sipped her coffee mug, which said  ‘#1 MOM’ as she looked at her mother warmly. 

“No problem, sweetie.” responded Sophie’s mother and Sunny and Mari’s maternal grandmother: Nancy Linwood. She had gray hair with some strands of her original medium-brown hair. She had black eyes, and wore blue pants with a white turtleneck sweater. She was currently sitting on the house’s sofa as she looked at her daughter softly. “When I heard the news, I knew you two would be better here, instead of that crappy Elsewhere.”

“Well, you weren’t that far from the truth, in reality.” Sophie mumbled as she sipped more coffee, her eyes tired and her gray sweater rugged. “The cops didn’t do anything, and Sunny officially disappeared. I have been asking over and over, but they haven’t seen him yet. I don’t know where he is… he’s gone.”

“They’ll find him soon enough.” Nancy said as she looked at her daughter. “The news showed footage of him climbing on a truck that ended up passing through this very state. And he’s stronger than we give him credit for… he’s strong, but maybe I would give suggestions if you and that bastard of Kaito bothered to bring him here, instead of only hearing his voice from calls.”

“Sorry, mom.” Sophie apologized, as she set her mug on the wooden table of the house. “These last days have been a nightmare. Every day I spent there was clinging to the hospital’s phone number or in the police station of Elsewhere City asking for new information about Sunny.  And my neighbors… they were…”

“A bunch of dumbasses?” Nancy completed, as she gave a soft laugh. “Yeah, I get it. They only care about spectacle, but here… they care about redemption. We have to ask people of the neighborhood for big changes such as those, and everyone pretty much agreed when I told them about you and Sunny moving here. Of course, Mr. Nelson requested keeping an eye on Sunny when he was alone just to be sure, but all of us wanted to give him a second chance. We care about actions, not rumours.”

“And besides…” she continued as she grabbed her cane. “If they had ANY issues with my baby, I sweared to go and personally speak POLITELY with them about their behavior with my grandson if they pulled any nonsense. I let that be clear with Nelson.”

“Mom, thank you!” Sophie said as she hugged her mom. “But… I need to try and find Sunny before he gets hurt.”

Both women's words were cut short as the TV pinned to the window played the song of the local news: KEZI 9. As the images showed footage from around the state, a reporter spoke “Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. I’m Lars Cook, and this is KEZI 9 news at 3. Today, we will see the top stories from across Western Oregon.”

“Starting this afternoon’s report, citizens of the town of Ebott have reported that Sunny Suzuki, the 16 year old boy recently famous for being the lead actor behind the news presented in Faraway Town, California, has been spotted two days ago on the town’s plaza. Footage has also shown that the boy climbed out of a delivery truck on an ARCO station in Springfield, and from there, a local gave her testimony about the fugitive stopping at her store, wearing glasses and a hoodie to cover his identity.”

“A citizen of Ebott, who works as a taxist, has noticed that the kid entered his taxi and got out of it on the plaza of the town. His current whereabouts are unknown, but witnesses reported that he was seen walking to Ebott’s national park. Right now, we will see the testimonies of various witnesses and their experiences. Tune in as they’ll come shortly!”

“SUNNY!?” Sophie screamed as she looked at the TV perplexed. Her son, in Ebott, what could he be doing there? “See?” Nancy said, as she looked at the TV. “Sunny would have been spotted eventually, and Ebott is just 2 and a half hours away from here.”

As Sophie looked at the TV perplexed, she tried making sense as to why Sunny went there, but she became pale at the sound of the word ‘Ebott’. She remembered that name, and with it the sound of the town’s moun-... NO.

"SOPHIE feels AFRAID."

“OH GOD NO!” Sophie screamed as she got up, startling her mother and her niece Grace, who was watching the broadcast from the door that lead to the living room. “PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, NO!!”

“Sweetie, what happened?” Nancy said, stopping Sophie. “I know what Sunny went to Ebott for. I need to leave NOW.” Sophie responded, panic consuming her.

As she grabbed her purse and her wallet, more family members came. Sharon, who was Sunny and Mari’s aunt and Sophie’s sister, came with her husband Dale, and at their side, came their three kids: Grace, Eli and Tina. “Mommy, why is Aunt Sophie nervous when the reporter spoke about Mt. Ebott?” Tina spoke, her 7 year old ignorance and innocence shining through the air.

Grace, the oldest of the three, came closer to her aunt, and told her. “Hey, calm down aunt! Sunny is probably hiding in a cave somewhere, he’s probably fine…” she said, her 15 year old figure tense at the sound of that. Her younger brother Eli stood behind her, his 12 year old happy expression suddenly going pale. “He wouldn’t…” he softly murmured, panic noticeable on his voice.

“Go!” Sharon said, startling her sister from her thoughts and asking her kids to leave. “You need to get to Ebott quickly! I’ll take care of your stuff, just go!”

At the sound of that, Sophie became determined. She knew she probably was too late, but a part of her hoped that Sunny was okay. Her mother gave her her hand as she blessed her. “Good luck…” she murmured, as Sophie nodded and got in her car, all while Dale gave her a reassuring look, as he walked with his wife to the kitchen.

“Take Highway 38!” she heard Dale scream from the kitchen. “It’s faster!”. Sophie thanked him as she got in her white car, the engine roaring to life as she drove towards the street. She could see the sea to her left, and she knew the distance: 3 hours of drive time. But she knew she had to go, she needed to see he was okay, or just know what happened.

As she drove around, she reached the highway, as she went through it. Mist was starting to arrive, as rain fell down from the sky. She continued driving, praying that he was okay. But, as she crossed the road, she was oblivious to the car that had just passed a red light, driving right in front of the left side of Sophie’s car, as she turned to see it.

Her last image, was that of a red sedan inches away from her car, and the terrified eyes of the driver who drove it. Sophie closed her eyes, as she screamed. But then...

It all went dark for her.

Chapter Text

???, ???, ???

??? ???, ???. ??:??

As Sunny felt his body ascend, he saw pure light shining through the area as he continued going upwards. As he did, he remembered the strange experience he had. He knew that Headspace, SOMEHOW, still existed in his mind. He knew that Mari, the real one, was there to guide him, but those aspects only brought more questions:

1, How did Headspace still exist if Omori dissipated after he confronted him when deciding to confess the truth?

2, Who was that snowman? He never remembered seeing one during his journey through Headspace, let alone that specific area, but that person looked like a normal human being, instead of the strange entities of his dreams…

And 3, why did Capt. Spaceboy say that he was a murderer? Besides him, the Snow Angels said something that Sunny couldn’t understand due to their language, but he remembered that when he EVALUATED them, the info said that they judged those who did bad actions. Did the truth slip into Headspace?

As he had more questions than answers, Sunny saw the light becoming brighter, as it blinded his eyes, closing them as the scorching lights became unbearable. But, as he opened them… he saw he wasn’t in his dream any longer.

…

???, Underground, Oregon.

??? ???, 2019. ??:??

Sunny opened his eye, feeling his whole body ache and his head feeling as if he had been on a rollercoaster. After a few seconds, he managed to get himself on his feet, as he looked around the area. He could tell he was inside a house, the floor neatly built with wood plates, and he could see two windows that showed the outside, which was currently blinded by a huge amount of snow.

Sunny could see that he was on top of a… dog bed, somehow made to fit his size. Near the bed was a bowl filled with dry food, as well as a toy that seemed more suitable for a dog. The area also had two bars that reached the house’s roof, making it look like a prison cell. But, he realized the bars were built so poorly that he could pass through them with no issue, as the space between each bar was too big.

As he reached a door, he tried opening it, only to find that it was closed. Sunny tried to push the door open, but it was futile, as the door didn’t open. “Must be locked…” Sunny thought as he tried to remember what happened. The last memories he had were of those dog monsters and a bird creature pursuing him through ‘Snowdin’s’ forest, before reaching hallucinations of his f-ex-friends.

He remembered the moment with ache, they were memories of various moments he had together with his friends, when they were happy, when he hadn’t screwed up, when he… had been a good person, when he… still had Mari. Sunny took a deep breath and sighed sadly as he tried to forget about that moment. Somehow, he had reached the entrance of the Ruins once more, before falling unconscious, the last image he had seen being the one of the figure he had seen when he first got out of Toriel’s house, saying something unintelligible as he fell to the floor defeated.

But, something confused Sunny. Over his worn pants and the sweater Toriel had given him, he had a long jacket that reached to his ankles, making him protected against the cold. His glasses were neatly placed in his head and he had his notebook placed to the side of the dog bed. He also realized that his body… didn’t ache any longer.

When he had woken up, he felt his body in pain like if he had run over a marathon, but now that he had his five senses working properly, he felt his whole energy return. He decided to investigate as he summoned his soul, the purplish heart emanating light as Sunny saw his STATS. He decided to ignore the rest of the numbers on the ‘screen’, his attention going to his remaining health: HP 20/20.

As Sunny felt confused, he also realized that his eyepatch was missing, the part of his right eye exposed without the familiar garment. “What is going on?” he thought to himself as he looked around. He felt his energy renovated, but he knew he had to be in a cell of the Royal Guard. He realized that if he wanted to survive, he needed to get out.

“It will be futile.” the voice in his head said, startling Sunny. “You know that they want to hunt you. Give up while you can and accept your deserved punishment, killers don’t deserve to live.”

As the voice became silent, Sunny was about to accept it, before he remembered the request his sister had given him in his dream: ‘Never give up, little brother. Promise me…’. He knew he had messed up during his life, that jumping into the Underground had possibly signed him for execution, but he knew, deep down, that there had to be a way to leave. He knew he had to… persevere.

As he heard the voice go silent, Sunny looked at his surroundings, until seeing the window. He knew they were probably locked too, and that he had nothing to break them, so he decided to open them, only to find out that they were locked as well. Sunny felt worried, as he had no way to escape, but his attention went to the window as he heard the sound of the wind coming from it.

Carefully, Sunny walked closer to the window, and saw that the glass had some cracks that became bigger as something hit them. He saw some projectiles that looked like big seeds coming from thin air as they hit the window like if they were bullets, before they managed to break it as cold air entered the room.

Sunny became confused, but he quickly grabbed his notebook as he got out through the broken window, taking care to not cut himself with the glass’s shards as he got outside. He saw that he was in front of some trees that were in front of a river, and as he softly walked through the openings, he saw that he was in a small town. There were various houses around, and at the left of the place he was locked inside, he saw a two story house that had snow on its roof. The whole area was covered by snow as a blizzard struck down, making visibility hard for Sunny.

He saw an igloo and as he entered it, he reached the other side of the area, which was near a… Christmas tree, with some of its decorations howling in the wind. He saw some presents below the tree, and he could spot the silhouettes of various houses around the area, but as Sunny looked around, the area was empty, as no monsters appeared around. He could see the forest, but before he walked towards it, he entered a building with the words SHOP visible on top of it.

As he entered, he met face to face with a purple humanoid rabbit monster. She wore a tank top, a summer hat and a scarf. The monster looked surprised as it looked at Sunny in the eyes. As he looked at her, he shivered, but before he opened the door, he heard her talk as the door emitted a click, as it got locked. “So, a human right?” she said as she looked perplexed.

As Sunny nodded, he saw her leave the counter as she walked close to him. She has to be twice his size, as Sunny GUARDED in case she did something. When he felt her hand touch his shoulder softly, he hesitated. “Hun, I won’t do anything. Promise.”

As Sunny was reluctant, he decided to listen, as he saw her looking at him curiously. “Hmmm…” he heard her murmur, as he felt his body being examined by her. “Truly physical psyche, absence of any monster attributes, non magical composition… yep. You’re a human alright.”

As Sunny looked at her, she offered her hand, and as Sunny gave his hand, she smiled softly. “A pleasure to meet you, name’s Bunz. Welcome to Snowdin!”

As he looked at the inside of the shop, it had various books, shelves and fancy china, but his attention went to a manuscript pinned to the wall, which had the same symbol his own sweater had. “Attention! By order of King Asgore, all citizens of the Underground must take action in the human capture protocol. If a human is spotted in the vicinity or in your area, you must notify the nearest member of the Royal Guard IMMEDIATELY to ensure their capture. Att. Undyne, Captain of the Royal Guard.” the note said, which made Sunny shiver as he leaned back against the door, trying to open it as Bunz looked confused.

“Hey, don’t worry.” Bunz said as gently as she could. “I won’t say anything, promise.”

As Sunny looked at her, doubt flowed through his mind. The order said specific orders about human capture across the area., but the earnest expression of her made him calm down, before he decided to EVALUATE, even though he was sure that ability was from his dreams only.

A purplish aura emitted from the monster as it flew towards him, the information resonating in his head. “Bunz is the  shopkeeper of Snowdin’s shop. She sells equipment and food, and is really bad at lying.” the voice in his head said as Sunny calmed down. He looked at Bunz as she spoke. “As you can tell,” she started as she pointed towards the manuscript, “Here in the Underground we see humans as our main enemy. The Royal Guard is our main police force, ensuring our safety, the King’s safety and the capture of any humans. You’re right now in Snowdin Town, in the upper part of the region, but you need to be careful, as a good population of the Underground will want your SOUL, either it be for loyalty to the crown, for the HUGE amounts of gold that serve as a reward, or for personal reasons that I couldn’t care less about. So… if you value your life, I would tell you to be on your guard.”

As Sunny heard her, he became worried and confused. “Why are you helping me…?” he mumbled to himself, but then realized he said it out loud, blushing nervously. Bunz just looked softly as she spoke. “Because I don’t have anything against you. After all, you look worried and confused, so I just want to help. Besides… I sell stuff that would help you, if you want it at least.”

As Sunny looked at what she was selling, he was confused. There were cinnamon rolls, popsicles inside a mini fridge, a bandana and a glove, as well as a notebook cover that catched his interest. “Like it?” Bunz asked as he looked at the product. “It can be used as a replacement for damaged covers, and it can be identified with your name and all, but it’s 55G.”

At the sound of it Sunny felt worried, as he had no money in his pockets, remembering that it all was in the Ruins after escaping from Toriel. As he backed down and looked at Bunz, he sighed as he left. “Just looking?” she asked as she saw Sunny leave. “Bye now! Come again sometime!” she exclaimed as he opened the door, which was now unlocked. As he got out, the blizzard still blinded his sight. He didn’t know which road to take and which people to trust, so he was alone once more…

“... sunny?” he heard a familiar voice say, as Sunny felt a bit more relieved. It was Red. “Sunny! Thank goodness you’re okay. Somehow I couldn’t speak with you anymore and I could only see, but now I can continue to guide you, partner!”

As he calmed down more with her voice, he was confused as to how he ended up in that weird house, “You fell unconscious after escaping from the Royal Guard.”, how he managed to break out, "Someone fired shots at the window so you could leave.” and what had happened to her. “I dunno, something had to go wrong as you didn’t even flinch when I spoke, so you couldn't even be ignoring me. I don’t know what is going on, but trust me… this ain’t the Ruins. Lucky for you, I know a way to get out of Snowdin without getting face to face with those pricks again, so just follow my lead.” she explained as she answered all the questions he had in his head.

As Sunny prepared himself, he left the town and walked through a MASSIVE bridge that connected the outskirts of the area with the forest where he had probably been captured. “You scared me to death, you know.” Red said with a relieved tone. “When I saw you fall unconscious, I didn't know what to do, and I became MORE worried after those two guys captured you. I could hear them say that they were of the Royal Guard as sentries, and that they were locking you until their captain came to pick you up and then deliver you to the capital.”

As Sunny traversed through more of the forest, the blizzard picked more intensity as he became worried. There were soldiers who wanted his head on a silver plate, and he had to be prepared for the worst. But his attention went towards two of the monsters that he saw before, being that dragon and that humanoid with the spiky head, together with a reindeer with christmas decorations on it’s horns, and together with them… a bizarre monster shaped like a flying saucer with noodle-like extremities. “This must be our lucky day, boys…” the humanoid said as he looked at Sunny. “You and my friends have pending issues with you, human!”

“Yeah, ‘ice’ to see you again!” the dragon monster continued, as the rest of the group looked annoyedly at him. “What!? They are good jokes!”

“Someone get this of me, please…” the reindeer monster said annoyedly, as the weird monster placed some decorations on his horns. “GOSHDARNIT JERRY, GET THIS OF ME!!!” the reindeer exclaimed as the other monster looked annoyed.

As the group of monsters stopped arguing between themselves, they surrounded Sunny as they prepared to attack. “???, ??? and ??? confront you, sighing. Jerry.” Red exclaimed as he prepared to fight. “Hey, I don’t know what happened, but by using some DT you have new powers. Try to EVALUATE these pricks to see if it helps!” she explained as Sunny did so. A purplish aura emanated from the four monsters and fired towards Sunny, giving him info on the group. “ICE CAP - ATK 7 DEF 2, this teen wonders why it isn’t named ‘Ice Hat’. SNOWDRAKE -  ATK 6 DEF 2, this ten comedian fights to keep a captive audience. GYFTROT - ATK 7 DEF 3, some teens “decorated” it as a prank. JERRY - ATK 0 DEF 20, everyone knows Jerry.” Red explained as Sunny knew exactly what to do, all while the monsters prepared to attack.

“What a great hat! (Mine)” ”Guys, it’s COLD. Does ANYONE care?” “Is this funny to you?” “Ice puns are ‘snow’ problem!” the monsters said almost in unison as they started attacking. The familiar barrage of crescent shaped ice knives and pipes shooting icicles like if they were raindrops started once more, with the addition of three presents spinning erratically, but Sunny was already familiar with their attacks. He managed to evade every projectile, even though the broken shards of each ice knife blinded him constantly, all while the storm continued in the background. After a while, it was his turn once more, and he decided to continue the prank barrage. He decided to ACT.

“I tried to start a band called “Ice on Fire”, but it melted under pressure.” he said, expectant to see the reactions. “... Wow, worst joke I ever heard.” Red said in his head as she hid a chuckle, but was surprised when she saw the monsters laugh, all while Snowdrake looked annoyed. “But the others found it hilarious…”

“Ha… Ha… Nice try.” “Haha! Wow! Drake, you suck!” “Haha! That was ACTUALLY funny!” “Wow…” the monsters mumbled as they started attacking again, all while Sunny dodged. “If you thought that was bad, Red, wait until I tell you more.” Sunny said to his head as he dodged every icicle, all while Ice Cap shined brightly. Sunny SPARED it as it walked away while dropping money, all while the rest prepared to attack once more.

After the barrage finished, Sunny quickly started removing the decorations on Gyftrot as its horns were clean once more. “A weight has been lifted.” “Why are we doing this? What a fail.” “M.. m.. macaroni and ‘freeze’” the three monsters mumbled as Sunny couldn’t contain his laughter at that awful joke, all while Jerry looked annoyed and confused. “Wow. You like that crap?” Jerry mumbled, as Snowdrake smiled. “See guys!? Laughs! Dad was wrong!” it said satisfied as it glowed too, together with the reindeer monster, as no more attacks came. Sunny used the last turn to SPARE Gyftrot and Snowdrake, leaving him alone with only Jerry.

“Huh? Did they ditch me…? SOME friends!” it said annoyed as it did nothing, as it looked uncomfortably at Sunny. “Whatever, I’m out.” it said as it left, ending the battle. “YOU WON! You earned 0 XP and 45 gold.” Red said cheerfully as Sunny regained his breath. “Great battle right there Sunny! Way better than before too!” she continued as Sunny took the money and placed it in his pocket. “Now, continue through the forest towards the center of it. There was a mining system built there that connects with the outskirts of Waterfall and leads straight towards the capital: New Home.”

As Sunny heard Red, he nodded as he took the money and started moving forward. He was feeling better due to his friend being with him again, but he was confused. She hadn’t spoken with him since he got out of the Ruins, why could she talk now? “Something blocked me from speaking with you, Sunny. But… you scared me to death!!”

“You were out for three hours, but it felt like a month, you know!?” she continued, as Sunny felt a bit bad. How could he fail so pathetically? How could he be so reckless? How could he lose sight of time so easily?

“But… I’m glad you’re fine. And with those new powers you have, you’ll be able to stand on your own from now on!” Red said with a sigh, as Sunny felt better. But something was weird, where did THOSE powers come from?

“Red…” he thought to himself, communicating with her. “I didn’t… have those powers before. What did you do…?” Sunny asked, as Red responded with a sigh. “I already told you, I gave you some of my DT, partner. That way, with those sick abilities, you’ll be more than safe!”

As he heard her, Sunny was a bit nervous. Those were the abilities that he could use in Headspace as Om-... NO.

…

“Sunny?” Red asked as she became nervous with the silence. “Everything okay, pal?”

“Those powers…” Sunny thought to himself, momentarily forgetting that what he thought could be heard by Red. “They were from my dreams… how did they manifestate in the real world…?”

As Sunny tried to find an answer, Red caught his attention. “Hey, cheer up!” she said, her voice notably more nervous. “You just lost all your HP, but that’s fine! You’re stronger now, and that’s fine. You just need to continue, and then you’ll reach Waterfall.”

As he nodded, he decided to try and make up his mind. Time was the essence… now more than ever. He had a promise to Mari, Headspace still existed somehow, he had new powers and felt his energy reborn. But… something was wrong. As he passed through an area with slippery floor, he reached an area where he saw a machine that looked broken, together with a note attached to it, that was… illegible. It said various notes of color tiles that made Sunny’s head spin: multiple tiles with overcomplicated functions, some being untouchable, others being electric, while others made sounds… they were a complete mess.

“That was… something alright. It would be a complete headache if we HAD to solve it, right?” Red said as Sunny grabbed the paper… and plopped it in his pocket. “... What are you…?” she asked with confusion.

“It may be useful…” Sunny said to himself as Red went silent. “... I really hope we don’t need to use it, I HOPE it.” she answered as the two continued their path. The snowstorm hadn’t stopped and it was cold, but… there were no monsters. It was surprisingly empty. “They must be covered from the storm.” Red said as Sunny found it reasonable, outside of the fact that the monsters he fought all used ice powers and seemed okay to be in the cold. “Have you tried walking through mist?” Red questioned, as Sunny understood, glaring to… no one really, but he hoped Red knew it was directed to her… a giggle from her made him see his intent was successful.

As the two traversed through most of the area, he could spot various… puzzles. X forms in the snow that were buried inside it, as well as riddles and… pretty poor traps. “Are these from the bird monster I saw before?” Sunny asked himself. “No. They look far less competent… the lava one would have worked if it wasn’t so agonizingly cold.” Red reasoned, as he found it believable. The two then reached an area that looked like a mini golf course, and then they reached… a massive bridge that looked like it was brand new. In front of it lay a sign that said: “To Lower Snowdin.”

As Sunny saw the distance, he could tell that the bridge had been built recently and was strong enough to resist the wind blowing. As he took a deep breath, he prepared himself and walked through it, his gaze being covered by more and more tree tops, their leaves blocking the already limited view he had. He could see the gate he had been intercepted by the dogs below his feet, as well as a long trail that led towards the end of the bridge… a cozy looking hut that seemed to be some kind of inn, and in the distance… a hot spring.

As he continued walking, he felt the warmth emanating from the cottage, as he prepared himself for any challenge that came.

Chapter Text

Lower Snowdin, Underground, Oregon.

??? ???, 2019. ??:??

As the wood planks crackled under his feet, Sunny could spot the strange house in the distance. It looked… warm, and a distinct smell of honey emanated from it, as well as a comfy warmth that felt taken out of a fireplace. As he descended, the snowstorm kept getting stronger, the blizzard covering his poor visibility as he traversed the bridge.

“... Sorry Sunny, but I have no idea what that place is.” Red said as she sounded confused. “This has to be new, well, it looks a bit new, but I never saw it before… so be on your guard.”

As Sunny nodded at the suggestion, the snow kept falling faster and with more intensity, getting harder to move under all the floor, as the wood felt a bit slippery due to ice forming from its planks, all while the wind blew harder. The cottage emanated a comfy heat that broke the cold feeling, as its smell and warmth attracted his attention.

As he looked at the entrance, he remembered the words Bunz had told him:  

“... but you need to be careful, as a good population of the Underground will want your SOUL, either it be for loyalty to the crown, for the HUGE amounts of gold that serve as a reward, or for personal reasons that I couldn’t care less about.”. He was doubtful about entering, on one hand, he didn’t have any food or defensive equipment to use, and now he had money he could use, but on the other hand… he would be a HUGE target if he was discovered.

“Use the jacket.” Red suggested, as Sunny remembered it. It was over the clothing he had when he had left the Ruins all those hours ago, and he wasn’t sure where it came from. “It has a hoodie that you can use to cover yourself.”

As Sunny understood the plan, he placed his glasses, covering his bandage altogether, while he covered most of his face with the jacket’s hoodie, effectively covering him from others. With his perseverance at maximum, he opened the door and entered inside the cottage.

Once inside, he could see various monsters around, all of different kinds, some looking like the ones he had fought earlier, while others looking completely new, like one that looked like a cone with a floating ice ball, other that was a snail with a nightcap, three colored spheres mounted on top of each other like a tower, a flying pink whale with a mailman hat, a raccoon dressed like a salesman, and… five cups with faces. Together with all of them were various more monsters, some covered with blankets while others drank what smelled like coffee, while three monsters played music on a stage nearby.

As he looked around, Sunny was relieved to see that no monsters were watching him, as most were around a heater near a table that had two names: Chujin & Martlet. He was curious, as he hadn’t heard the names before, but his attention went to a pink bear monster on a bar serving coffee and food, and as he reached nearby, he called her attention.

“W-welcome to the Honeydew Resort! Please, look around.” she said cheerfully but with a bit of nervousness. As Sunny looked around and made sure no one heard him, he asked her a question. “Hello,” he said softly. “Why are all the monsters here? What is going on?”

“W-well…” the bear said, her hairs on end as she spoke. “A really strong snowstorm just came from nowhere, and it consumed pretty much all of Snowdin. All these monsters are taking refuge here from the absurd cold, but… it’s… nice.”

“We would be done for if it wasn’t for that space heater that’s right there, though.” she continued as she saw the heater Sunny had seen before. “It was donated to us by a really brilliant engineer… Chujin Ketsukane, together with his apprentice Martlet. He worked on the Steamworks ages ago, while it still worked, but… he was a soft and earnest guy, one of the most beloved scientists of the whole Underground.”

As Sunny heard the info, the shopkeeper caught his attention once more. “So… what will it be?” she said, as Sunny looked at the menu. It served everything: cookies, coffee, and… pancakes… with HONEY.

At the fact that he could spot, honest to god, FOOD that seemed normal, he lit up, until… “I don’t want to be rude, but… remember that if they find you you’ll be screwed.” Red reminded him, as he realized the situation he was in. He was about to say no, but… *grumble* the sound of his stomach lightly rumbling made him realize that he needed food, ASAP. “... Seriously?” Red asked sarcastically, all while Sunny decided to take the risk. “I’ll order it as takeout, it’ll be fine.” he told himself, as Red sighed, “Alright, just please be quick.” she said as Sunny gave the money to the shopkeeper. “But please… at least order another so we have food for the road.” she suggested, as Sunny did so.

As he gave the money, he ordered the pancakes, but his attention went to a group of pins they sold that caught his attention. As he ordered one, the shopkeeper examined the gold, she sighed as she spoke. “Sorry, you need more money…” she said as Sunny realized and sighed, while he told her that he would take two pancakes instead and as takeout.

While the bear monster took out the food, Sunny examined around, making sure no one saw his face, until… the sound of music reached his ears, as his attention went towards the small stage at the back of the building. There were approximately three monsters: a green turtle playing a cello, a blue robot playing the drum kit, and a purple triangle-headed one with a keyboard, as the group played a soft song that helped alleviate his nerves, all while the rest of the monsters looked at the band with emotion.

“Here’s your order, stranger!” the shopkeeper said as Sunny saw the two pancakes wrapped in two plastic boxes with a sticker of the resort pinned to it, together with… the pin. “Since it’s part of a limited time promotion, you get a free pin with your order.” the shopkeeper explained as Sunny looked at it, realizing it could serve as armor. As he thanked her, he left the area to leave the store, as the bear monster spoke to him. “See ya! Thanks for being so kind!” she said, as Sunny picked the pin and placed it in his sweater. “You got a Honeydew Pin.” Red said with slight surprise. “How did you know it would give you more DF?”

“...Because something inside me told me it would.” Sunny thought to himself, not wishing to speak to himself out loud, as he felt something reinforce inside his body thanks to the pin. “And… because I remember using it back home.” he said, questioning if the increased STATS buffs he had while wearing certain things in the real world while he was still at Faraway were on his head, or if they really made him stronger.

As he went towards the door, he saw it was… closed. And as he tried pushing it further, it was completely inert, as he realized that maybe it had been frozen due to the storm. “Forget it, kid.” the raccoon monster said to him. “The storm froze the door down. It’s useless. Unless…”

He took something from his pocket as he spoke aloud. “You decide to buy the revolution of tomorrow, FROM THE BEST DARN SALESMAN EVER!! For the low price of 20G, you can get your own Hot Knife, and use it to get out.”. And as Sunny looked at the thing, he saw… it was just a normal knife but with the metal slightly melted and shining red, like the one he had seen years before on those internet challenges.

But then… the music stopped, as the whole group inside looked at the raccoon salesman with awe, as the monster became… worried. “HE HAD IT THE WHOLE TIME, THE FUCKER!!!!” he heard one scream, as the rest quickly launched on him to try and get the knife.

And as the shopkeeper grabbed it from under the piles of monsters squishing the raccoon, she used it to try and melt the ice, until the thing… froze up completely and then broke, startling everyone.

“Well, here we have Mo, the salesman of all time, everyone!” a monster said as some sighed, while others made fake and unimpressed compliments to the raccoon monster while clapping, while a monster accidentally knocked his hoodie out, taking out the cover of Sunny’s face, as he quickly covered himself again, but not before realizing that one saw him, startled, as others realized what Sunny was…

…

…

“Shit!”

“A HUMAN!!!!” one screamed as it pointed at Sunny, while the rest froze, while others just took out weaponry, all ready to grab Sunny’s face and turn it into a pancake. While others just covered, one pressed an alarm that he could read and said: “Press in case of HUMAN!”

“RUN.” Red screamed inside Sunny as he looked around, all while monsters tried to attack him, while others threw ice attacks at him, that he led to hit the door as it broke down, using it to run away into the wilderness of the storm. As he heard screams and footsteps, the sounds of an alarm came from the resort, as he ran, passing through a slightly broken bridge as he got away.

“DAMN IT SUNNY, I TOLD YOU!!! I FREAKING TOLD YOU, BUT NOOOO, YOU JUST HAD TO GET PANCAKES!!!!” Red scolded him as Sunny ran. “Don’t you get that you’re basically the number one most wanted right now!!??” she continued as Sunny passed through more pines, until he covered behind some trees, managing to spot the bird monster flying towards the cottage, while from behind followed… what he imagined were lower members of the Royal Guard: some two wizards with floating spheres around, and a MASSIVE knight with a huge staff that had a sun symbol.

And as the three left, Sunny became completely quiet as he saw around himself. He could hear Red berating him and screaming angrily, but something… was blocking her. “She's right on something.” the voice said, it’s presence filling Sunny’s psyche. “You are hopeless. You just follow your own selfish beliefs until the end, regardless of others’ opinions. You still continue fighting, but you don’t do it for anyone. It would be better to just die.”

And as Sunny was about to give it reason, he remembered the promise he had done to Mari, and denied the voice. “Still holding on to that belief?” the voice said. “Still believing this is your fantasy, where your big sister can protect you from anything… You should die, and you should do it fast. But… that power, the flower is right. You can follow this path. After all, you already killed her… everyone loved her, and you killed her.”

And, as the voice spoke, Sunny looked around, and saw… a knife. It had to be a steak knife, not really strong, but useful regardless, all while the words of Flowey resonated in his mind. “... in this world… it's KILL or BE KILLED.”, as the voice sounded closeby. He looked around, trying to see if he could spot the flower as the storm blocked his sight, all while the temptation of doing it, of having the weapon, started consuming it, as his hand instinctively started reaching to it slowly.

It was power, defense, something. Red was right, he was in mortal danger, and he needed to fight, he needed to…

“Gah! What the…   Is… is that a knife!?”

“You shouldn’t be carrying things around like this, Sun… That’s dangerous!”

“Don’t do it! …I don’t know how it is up there now, but you don’t need to attack here, for god’s sake! Just… ACT.”

As the memories flooded his mind, Sunny remembered it clearly… the moment he sliced Aubrey with his steak knife the first day he left this house, believing it was still his dream world, and the fact that he almost killed a monster just by believing that same mindset.

“SERIOUSLY, YOU HAVE TO TH-.... Sunny?” he heard Red say, stopping her rant as she sounded worried. “W-W-What are you…?”

As he heard her, he saw his arm still slipping towards the knife, getting closer to the handle. He tried reaching back, but something was stopping him from controlling it properly, as it acted like it had it’s own will.

“RED!!!!” Sunny thought, panicked. “I CAN’T CONTROL MY ARM!!!!”

“WHAT THE- okay, just try and rEa×*#;÷@>#-” he heard her say, as her voice once again went silent, the last sound she made being garbage noise, as his arm grabbed the knife’s handle on it’s own.

“Yes… YES.” he heard the voice of Flowey say, echoing through his mindset. “You still believe that you can try and be peaceful, but this is the REAL world, kid. After all, it’s either KILL or BE killed.”

“Getting EXP is not that scary… once you get the meaning of TRUE power, then you’ll understand it better than anyone else.”

“And I have something to ask…” he heard the voice say, but as his body instinctively turned around, he saw Flowey, smiling gleefully as it looked him in the eyes. “There’s a way to be stronger. To rewrite this world and to be whole again, a way… to be the true GODS of this world. Two words: NEW HOME.”

As Sunny looked at him, he realized the snowstorm was escalating in intensity, the blizzard covering his view except for the tree silhouettes in the distance. He couldn’t hear anything else, and he couldn’t see any more figures following the trail towards the resort.

“There, you’ll find something simple: SOULS. There are 4 of them right now, all of them stored in one of the castle’s chambers. Go there, and bring them to me. Together, we will finish the KING off, free ourselves from this wretched hole and get enough souls on the surface for me to achieve my TRUE power, and for both of us… to be the PRINCES of this world.”

As Sunny heard him, he could feel his body act on it’s own, as it looked at the flower directly. He couldn’t control his voice, his movements, anything, as his body spoke. “Yes… true power.”

“That’s the spirit, FINALLY you understand!!!” Flowey exclaimed with glee, it’s face with a smirk. “Now… follow the trail towards the minecart system. You’ll have to go through bird-brain’s sentry station, but… you already know what to do in that case, tho-”

“Lean back, flower.” his mouth spoke, as Sunny internally became confused, together with Flowey. “This is a personal deal, I have a knife and I won’t hesitate from using it.”

And as Flowey looked ‘shocked’, he made a smirk as HUNDREDS of vines strapped his arms. “Wow, just… wow. So THIS is your inner demon, huh!?” it asked, as his body shook with fury. “I can tell that you are in no way that same crybaby I saw before, or as I like to call him: ‘Mr. Look at me, I can’t be worth a damn as I’m too scared to hurt and I’m too much of a pussy to actually kill others’.”

“...” and inside his mind, Sunny could only panic, as he realized something. He lost control of his body, and something else probably consumed it and stopped him from controlling it. He could see his uncontrolled form and Flowey arguing, his body straining agaisn’t the vines as the flower laughed, and Sunny just had a single knowledge: that if who he thought was the one who possesed him had full control, knowing how were the rules in Headspace, he would probably cast a full blown genocide on the Underground.

“SUNNY feels TERRIFIED.”

But then, he heard that same voice speak more clearly, realizing who it was in reality… OMORI.

“It has been a while, right dreamer?” he suddenly asked in his head, making Sunny go silent and causing him to go slightly pale. “I can only imagine your fright, but don’t panic… I’ll do what you couldn’t do, and PROCEED.”

“... How are you still alive?” Sunny asked him coldly, unsure as to how Omori still existed. He had seen that Headspace had survived it’s erasure, but he hadn’t seen Omori until now, even though it was just a matter of time.

“... It’s a rather curious aspect, in fact. Right after you managed to destroy my perfect paradise and decided to confront the truth, I… dissipated into nothingness. I regenerated right in the depths of Blackspace, together with the rest of the dream world, unable to return, but… I was able to see.”

“...”

“But then, right after you told the truth to your… ‘friends’, a fissure opened that allowed all of us to leave and return to normal, but I… managed to achieve something… freedom. Not being the shell that I used to be anymore and having my own will and my own power. Not that I didn’t think for myself before, but… right after I killed Headspace’s Basil and reached the throne of Red Hands, it’s when I could make my first true decision, all on my own, without your guidance. But… after I failed to defeat you after our encounter, and after OUR exile, I had one thing in clear… that my purpose was… more complex than I could ever imagine.”

“...”

“You see, YOU created me as a way to cope with the unbearable guilt of your sins, as an… avatar… to live in a world of peace, and I, of course… retorted with something: Headspace. A place where you could live happily with your friends, having as many adventures with them and your sister as your heart could take, free from the guilt and memories of your mistakes. While I could enjoy something in return: excitement, friendship, adventures. From traveling through the Vast Forest towards the furthest reaches of Otherworld.”

As the conversation reached an end, Sunny could only see his body still trying to break free from Flowey’s vines, as it smirked in pure delight, while his body rose in heartbeat and tension. But… the words Omori had said ringed in it’s mind, reminiscing about his poor decisions back before…

“CUT IT.” Omori demanded as he spoke once more. “There is no need to remember the past, not any longer. But instead, we should pay tribute to our fallen comrades.”

“...Omori…” Sunny thought, trying to make sense of this new information. “I-I’m sorry for doing it. I didn’t know that they would…”

“It’s understandable, dreamer. And your concern is unnecessary, because after all, we rebuilt. It’s just like it used to be before the revelation happened. But…”

“... Why are you doing this then? What do you want from me?”

“It’s pretty simple, in fact. Just some simple and understandable… R E T R I B U T I O N.”

“Huh?” Sunny thought as confusion bloomed in his thoughts, until he… NO.

“I was born as a way to hide away from reality, but now that I could regain my complete wilI, I can finally stop trying to care about your situation. Because, after all, I had just been holding back a simple reality… Y O U   K I L L E D   M A R I,   A N D   Y O U   H U R T    E V E R Y O N E   Y O U   L O V E D.”

“...”

“Your mother stayed by your side out of pity, and, as I warned you, your friends would despise you and rightfully leave you alone. Everyone cared about Mari, but YOU!? You’re just a coward, a pathetic excuse of a living being, that is just a waste of time to everybody that cares about you. Mari herself still tries to care, and Red follows you because she doesn’t know the magnitude of your mistakes. But don’t worry, partner. I know you are deeply scared about my… measures, but it’s for the best.”

“WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO!?”

“Just as I said: PROCEED. The flower has the right in this situation. Your body, your SOUL, has… power. Far more than I could ever imagine. But your cowardice and fright of hurting others has made you… weak. But I can-”

“DON’T YOU DARE DO ANYTHING TO THEM!!!! THEY ARE ALL INNOCENTS, OMORI!! WHAT IS THE POINT OF DOING IT!? IT’S PRACTICALLY INSA-”

“The. Point. Is… POWER. Pure power, pure will, pure… control. And they… are the enemy. After all, that’s how things are. If an enemy is on the way then… it will perish. Simple as that. ATTACK, DEFENSE, LUCK, SPEED… all are attributes made to be upgraded, until reaching the maximum peak of the body. And with it… I will finally have the whole control of this body, and as such, I will finally be one with this world, free from the prison that is your mindspace. A fair exchange considering the four years that I spent protecting you from your inner demons.”

“... Then kill me, but PLEASE spare them. They have nothing to do with this.”

“... It will be futile. You are still existing, and due to the DT that Red gave you, you can’t perish in your mind. Killing you would be pointless, as you would just reform without scars. But with their EXP, I will be able to break the chains that hold me inside of you.”

“... You’re insane, you know it? I couldn’t survive for long while being nice, they all are stronger than my body, so… you will just die, and your twisted, perversed fantasies about a genocide will not happen.”

“Then I’m afraid that I will have to show you by force. But don’t worry, partner. I’ll always be here, right… by your side.”

“OMORI, STOP. DON’T Do I@<$>×^-”

And as the emptiness of the body showed the evident exile of Sunny from it, Omori just… smiled. “Don’t worry, Sunny. I’ll handle it all. You just, sit… A N D   W A T C H .”

…

While the two halves argued inside of Sunny, Flowey just looked at the body go suddenly inert confusion blooming it’s face. It summoned one of it’s ‘friendliness pellets’ and fired it towards Sunny’s body, trying to get any reaction out of the boy, his body not even breathing.

“Finally, whatever he was holding inside of him bloomed, I knew it would be just a matter of time.” Flowey thought to itself, remembering the not so distant past: the panic Sunny showed when they first met, the ‘menace’ he made towards it when he left the Ruins, his escape from Snowdin’s Royal Guard, and the escape it deliberately managed to achieve for Sunny. “Now, it will be just a matter of time until he helps me get those souls to leave the Underground, so I can get the power I deserve…”

But it was startled when he heard Sunny breathe at last, as he opened his eyes, which… missed their irises. “Well bud, you’re finally out of that trance.” it said. “I was getting worried, you know? But finally… after so long, you realized your power.”

“...Exactly.” Sunny responded, his voice sounding more cold and monotone.

“Heh heh… I like this side of you, you know? Ready to persevere, no matter the situation. It’s like looking into a mirror. But now… it’s simple… getting stronger, by destroying everything in this wretched world. And then, we will reach him… Asgore, and with our power, he will fa-”

*SLICE*

As the sound of a clean cut was heard, Flowey’s attention went towards Sunny, who, using that same knife he had gotten, had managed to break himself free, as the divided bits of the vines holding him fell and dissipated into dust, while a sinister smile appeared on his lips.

SUN-OMORI feels MANIC.

“... Persevere this, bitch.” he said as he quickly ran, the last sight of Flowey in that microsecond being the one of Sunny rushing towards it, knife pointing towards it’s stem.

Chapter Text

Lower Snowdin, Underground, Oregon.

??? ???, ???. ??:??

Status report of Human Hunting Protocol No. 5°

Cadet: Martlet.

Unit ID: XXIII

Area of work: Lower Snowdin

Work position: Sentry for the region.

Date of report: IX XXVII, CCCXVI. VIII hours with VI minutes.

After the sight of a human on the previous night, the fugitive was successfully captured by the region's sentries and locked inside a safe area, awaiting transport  to the capital for the process of execution and SOUL extraction.

After the human alarm was activated, most of the upper members of the Royal Guard were dispatched towards the area of towards the sighting location: Honeydew Resort. Once alerted, most of the guard arrived at the establishment, some of them being from the lower ranks of the Guard, with units such as Madjicks, Knight Knights, Whimsalots, RG 01 and 02, and the Canine Unit from Upper Snowdin.

As the dogs were smelling the air of the cottage in order to track the human's route, our Captain was interrogating various witnesses, more specifically Mo and the Resort's Shopkeeper, as a martial law was applied to the area in order to ensure safety. Meanwhile, the sentry brothers, Sans and Papyrus, were checking the damages on the door in order to try and determine the level of menace of this human, while Royal Scientist Alphys showed footage that she could capture from their escape, as well as their power, in order to consolidate the safest tactics to achieve their successful capture.

I'll bring more details towards the situation once the investigation proceeds as planned. Until then, this is all for this report.

Att. officer Martlet from the Underground's Royal Guard.

As she finished writing her report, Martlet couldn't stop worrying, her blue feathers currently stiff as panic blossomed inside of her. It had been abrupt, as the resort had played an alarm indicating the presence of a human within the area.

In a short period of time, the area had been safely evacuated, the civilians being quickly relocated towards the upper part of the region, at least until the human was captured.

Martlet couldn't hope but feel... expectancy. Since she joined the guard seven years ago, she had always wished to help in such a monumental moment... the capture of a human. She had heard stories from them since young, told by her mother countless times, while she and the rest of the young citizens idolized those who had been figures that played an important role in the Great War that happened approximately 300 years ago, such as King Asgore Dreemurr or... Gerson, otherwise known as the Hammer of Justice.

But... right now, she could only feel slight concern for the situation. At least the rest of the humans before she was even a Royal Guard were... easy to spot and capture, each of them receiving a well known capture... except for Blue. She remembered the time she had spent there, watching anxiously the news broadcast about the human attacking Snowdin in the Ketsukane Estate, together with Ceroba and her child, Kanako, while the three looked expectantly at the old CRT TV that they had found on the dumpster near Waterfall, that he... could somehow fix.

She remembered her worry as Ceroba's husband, and Kanako's dad, was currently out of the house, that person being... Chujin. Her mentor, her teacher, her master, her... friend. She remembered every moment they spent working together as her apprentice, like the time they built that heater that still functioned in the Honeydew Resort to this day, or the times they spent at the roof of her house, telling stories or sharing ideas during their free time.

But, one of her memories ringed harder on her head, considering the current situation. It was a cold night, and as she told Chujin about her new job as a Royal Guard sentry, he had told her about the implications of the job, and she could remember with great detail the words he had used when referring to humans:

"On rare ocassions, Guards have to do their job. Their REAL job."

"Humans are dangerous! They cannot be trusted and certainly not 'escorted'. Sorry, but you should not put yourself in harm's way."

"Have you heard of the Snowdin attack? Well... I witnessed it. One of the bleakest days of my life. And veterans of the war... their stories... It had to be ten times worse."

"... Humans are merciless. Incapable of decency in any form. Believe me."

Those words still ringed in her mind despite all the years that had passed, and despite Chujin's... unfortunate decease. He died a few years ago due to having poor health, and his funeral was attended by nearly everyone in the Underground, as Chujin was more than just a scientist... he was their hero.

As she looked around, she saw Undyne speaking with the shopkeeper and with Mo, about the things they saw about the human, details that Martlet would normally consider pointless in any other situation.

"I tell you, ma'am." Mo said nervously, sweat coming from his fur. "He was right at my side, I even spoke with him, but then... he disappeared. We lost his track on the storm, and we don't know where he is."

"He even ordered food..." the shopkeeper said nervously. "He was wearing a hoodie, so I couldn't see who he was, but... a human, right here... it's just..."

"Scary, I know." Undyne responded, her voice serious and gruff. Martlet remembered her well, she was the current leader of the Royal Guard and Asgore's second-in-command. She remembered the rigorous procedure she implemented to get a job as a Royal Guard to... 'ensure the very best guards', which made the hiring process extra long and tedious. But... something about her, her brutal yet flawless tactics, her strategic demeanor and incredible power, as well as her flowing red hair and impecable armor, that inspired... respect, and admiration.

Since young she had been a huge fan of her, and where she came from, some called Undyne: 'this generation's Gerson'. She was completely idolized as a legend, her actions leading to the successful capture of every single human that fell down. But... seeing the situations she was famous for in real life, and not on a TV broadcast was... truly an experience to behold.

"And to you two." Undyne said, speaking towards the skeleton brothers: Sans and Papyrus. "You told me, and I quote, that the human's capture was 'bone to succeed'. Then, how the heck did that brat escape!? Your  'prison' was reinforced with bulletproof glass, for crying out loud!!"

"I DON'T KNOW, UNDYNE." Papyrus said, looking anxiously and ashamedly towards her. "WE LOCKED THEM IN THE PRISON NEXT TO THE HOUSE AND EVEN LEFT ONE OF THE GUARDS TO CHECK. THE DOOR WAS EVEN REINFORCED WITH EXTRA WOOD!"

"hey, dyne." Sans said, causing Undyne to grumble and Papyrus to look with a disappointed face at his brother, while he took something from inside his hoodie, that being a glass shard. "I can tell ya' that the kid wasn't the one who did it. someone, or... something broke down the back window."

"besides, there's something wrong about that kid. from when I found em' lying knocked down on the door of the ruins, they seemed... conflicted. there's somethin' going on with em', so we need to play smarter."

"Well, we wouldn't need to do that if, you know... if you just did your damn job!!" Undyne exclaimed at Sans, as Papyrus looked... ashamed. Martlet remembered the excitement he showed normally on his work, but now, seeing him so gloomy was... worrying.

"And Paps." Undyne said, looking at Papyrus with a calm yet stern expression. "I think that your brother is right on something. Whoever that punk is... he doesn't seem harmless. I need you to take the civilians of the region towards the upper part of Snowdin, at least until that... thing is captured."

"... OKAY." Papyrus exclaimed in response. "BUT, DON'T YOU THINK I CAN HELP? MY MAGIC IS STRONGER THAN BEFORE, AND THIS HUMAN MIGHT BE-"

"I'll be fine." Undyne cut him abruptly, seeing him sternly. "You know I can kick that kid's ass as soon as I find them. Now, go. That's an order."

"... AT YOUR ORDER, CAPTAIN." Papyrus said, leaving the resort and walking to the bridge that connected the region with the upper part of Snowdin.

At the sight of it, she saw RG 01 and RG 02 looking at her. "Captain, like, you want us to follow him?" RG 01 asked, while his partner looked at her.

"Please do it... and keep him out of danger." Undyne asked, as the two guards left the cottage and entered into the snowstorm towards the bridge.

"... you know he's giving his damnedest, right?" Sans said at Undyne as she looked... sad. "I know paps better than anyone, dyne. and he doesn't take no for an answer right away."

"... What did you want me to do?" Undyne said, looking at Sans. "This is not a simple game, Sans. This is a real human we are talking about. Even though Papyrus is strong and all of that, he's still way too nice. I can't risk the human hurting him or worse."

"yep." Sans responded as he looked at her with... THAT look, a look that could give shivers to anyone. "then why did you let him join? you know paps thinks you trust him, right?"

'I know, Sans. I know. But... he basically met every, single, requirement. He's strong, he's strategic, he has guts, he knows how to fight both physically and with magic. I couldn't force the inscription system to just deny it, it would have been impossible."

As the two argued, Martlet saw Alphys with her tablet. She remembered pretty well, having helped her move the cameras she had around Hotland some months after she became the new Royal Scientist, as well as... THAT thing. She still remembered that syringe pretty well, one that housed a strange liquid Alphys had used for... something she didn't know well. She had kept him as a last resource in case a human could fall and started rampaging across the Underground, but she... didn't know and didn't even wish to know what was that serum actually made of.

"Um, Undyne." Alphys exclaimed, her lab coat a bit wet due to the travel she had to do across Waterfall in order to reach them. "I was able to find... some things about the human."

"Great. What about them?"

"What about him." she corrected. "Thanks to the footage I managed to acquire from my cameras across all of Snowdin, together with the fragments I extracted from some of his... blood, I could determine some facts about him, and that foremost, he is a boy."

As Undyne looked confused and Sans looked inert at the statement, Alphys explained quickly. "I ummmmmmmmm found some of his blood near where he wrecked the camera just outside the Ruins, soIwentandpickeditupinordertotryandanalizethepropertiesofhisSOU-"

"We get it, Alph." Undyne said, calming Alphys down. "So, what the hell are we fighting against?"

"Well..." Alphys said, showing her tablet towards her friend, as Martlet came closer to see too. "First of all, his SOUL is purple, so his trait is Perseverance. Which may be a problem..."

"cause'?" Sans asked.

"Well, this is on my investigations mainly, but... I reached the conclusion that purple souls have the second highest amount of... DT, you know, the thing that all humans have. It's like lesser than half of the levels of Determination than a Red Soul has, but it's still a huge number."

"Okay, he is a hell of a lot stronger than we imagined. What else?" Undyne asked.

"Well... we may be in a hustle, because he... already has EXP."

At the sound of that silence reigned over the cottage. The Canine Unit stopped sniffling the air, and both Mo and the shopkeeper of the resort went pale, while Sans himself had that same face again, being the one of the times he was actually serious. Martlet herself felt a goosebump through her blue feathers at the sound of that information, while Undyne looked... serious. Far more serious than ever, in fact.

"But... he just has 1 EXP, so... we may be safe." Alphys explained, trying in vain to hide her worry.

"one EXP is more than enough proof that he could be a danger." Sans said at her as he looked at Undyne, before leaving. "now if you scuse me, I have to find paps."

"SANS, DON'T YOU DARE-" Undyne exclaimed as she ran towards the exit, but as she saw outside, Sans had disappeared. Just like always. "I swear, one day I will know how the hell he does that and when I grab him mid vanishing..." she mumbled as she entered back, before looking around. "Quit wasting time! Keep sniffling, guys! The sooner we find him, the better!"

As she exclaimed that last part, the Canine Unit continued sniffling, now with more vigor than before, while Undyne wrote a letter on a sheet of paper that she quickly wrapped as a parchment, before giving it to to a Madjick. "Send this to Asgore, now."

"Alakazam!" the monster exclaimed as it 'picked' the parchment and dissipated in a cloud of smoke. It had been three years since the Royal Guard started using Madjicks as their messengers, as some regions, despite the technological revolution that the Underground had since it's begginings, still didn't have proper telephone or internet towers built around, and the transmitters built inside of the CORE didn't reach regions like Lower Snowdin or the Dunes, due to... magnetic poles acting as... Ketsuday cages, as Alphys had explained to her days ago.

"Unit 23, center and front!" Undyne exclaimed, as Martlet startled. It was her ID. As she quickly went towards her captain, she could feel sweat wetting some of her feathers. Being called by the captain was... 'one of the scariest experiences of your life', in Martlet's same words. As a friend, Undyne was beyond friendly and energetic, but as she worked... it was like a complete mirror, the only thing the two had in common, being their determination.

"You pursued the human around the forest connecting both halves of Snowdin, what did you see?" Undyne asked, with genuine curiosity.

"Well... he could run really fast, but at some point, he just... stopped. I heard him scream and sob, and I saw his body panic, as if he had seen something, before he ran. The storm picked up it's intensity afterwards, so I lost sight of him." Martlet explained to her.

"Well... this seems like a true pain in the ass, but... I fought worse. None of the previous humans killed anyone, and most of them were... pretty tranquil. But still, this... guy. He seems more dangerous than the rest, so I suggest we go and find-"

*SLICE*

*creak* *CRASH*

As Undyne was speaking, a big crash was heard outside the resort, as the sound of a clean cut filled the air, while the sound of a falling tree rumbled around the area. She could see the fallen tree missing. And at that moment... she grabbed her radio.

"ATTENTION UNITS, CAPTAIN UNDYNE OVER HERE." she screamed with renowned vigor and determination, as static came from the speakers of her device. "I NEED YOU TO SEND REEINFORCEMENTS OVER HERE, I REPEAT. SEND AS MANY FORCES AS YOU WANT TOWARDS LOWER SNOWDIN. THERE'S A LEVEL 5 SITUATION, I RECALL, LEVEL 5-"

But before she finished, she had spotted Martlet leaving the resort and taking flight towards the forest, leaving Undyne alone with only the Canine Unit and the two monsters they interrogated before.

"Whoever this punk is... I will kick his ass."

...

As the cold wind blew across the 'sky', Martlet flapped her wings anxiously as she tried to spot anything around the area that led to the location of the human. She knew it was reckless and that a Royal Guard should think before acting, but whoever that kid was... it seemed dangerous.

She wanted to believe the tree falling outside was just because of the storm, but the impeccable sound of a clean cut led her to believe otherwise. And as she flew, her vision was severely limited by the tree tops getting in her way, as well as the snow that fell with great intensity.

*SLICE*

*creak* *CRASH*

And as the sound repeated itself, Martlet saw a tree close to her break with another clean slice, as the top of the pine tree almost rammed her out of her flight and towards the forest below, but before it did... she could spot something.

Using her wings, she flapped the wind around her and used a technique she had been trying since two years ago: the Cyclone. As she flapped her wings constantly, she was able to manipulate the wind into surrounding her into a protective sphere that could blow some of the snow on her way. She had been practicing it since a long time ago, after hearing that bird monsters originally used that tactic during the Great War.

As she did, she could use it to generate a HUGE air blast that blew most of the falling snow away, allowing her to see... various green vines coming from the ground and trying to tangle someone, probably the human.

But... the human sliced the vines in half, as they dissipated into dust, while the monster, that looked like a flower, generated some white spheres towards him. As Martlet watched, the snow started covering her view again, her realization being temporary as she descended into the ground, spotting him in the distance... Sans.

...

If Sans could describe his life in a single word, it would be... nice. He and Papyrus had moved into Snowdin approximately 17 years ago, buying a house in the upper part of the region, and being the favorite neighbors. He was a... pretty lazy guy, to say the least, that didn't take things too seriously, except for one... 2×1 burger offers at Gr- his brother, Papyrus.

He was his younger brother, despite him being WAY taller than him. But he... was a literal star, an energetic, creative, and brave monster, that always tried to stay positive to anything that happened.  He was a guy with a heart of gold, always positive and determined to triumph in any given situation. But... he was not a careful person.

Now, Sans knew he couldn't say he was the 'safest' one around here, having the opportunity to die multiple times if it hadn't been for his powers, but Papyrus... was way too kind for his own good. And Sans knew that better than anyone, sharing the same thought as Undyne... that his brother, in a REAL battle against a human, would be done for.

He still remembered his excitement when he was finally an official member of the Royal Guard: being assigned the main sentry of all of Upper Snowdin. But what he didn't know... was that Sans had always kept an eye on him, due to some weird visions he had been having.

Some nights, he had nightmares, where a small shadow with a smile comes, before it grows, A LOT, and starts summoning tendrils and pellets, killing everyone on sight. He could see the image in his head of the worst part of it, that being of Papyrus... having his chest pierced by a tendril, as he dissipated into dust, while the shadow laughed diabolically. But then, as he tried to attack and the shadow prepared to defend itself... it ended, and Sans woke up.

It had been quite a few months since the nightmares stopped, having been able to return to a normal sleep... but the fright still remained. Undyne promised him that Papyrus would be placed in a not so dangerous zone, and Sans himself knew that his brother was a force to be reckoned when he was serious, but... the nerves still remained.

And it didn't help the fact that the human he had captured with Papyrus had given him a weird impression since he saw him. His body was hurt, no surprises there, but what called his attention was... everything else. The big cut on his right eye, his messy black hair, his paler than normal skin, and his small height considering that the kid would probably be around 16.

And his expressions, his 'fight or flee' strategies, and his panicked reactions on that forest when he was being chased by Martlet and the doggos. All of them, summarized with the fact that the boy had attacked, yet not killed, one monster, gave Sans a big suspicion.

"he must've had it rough up there." Sans thought to himself as he tried to track the human. He knew that no one in their right mind would just into the Underground, considering that after the king's adopted child died, it had been close to above half a century before another one fell. They had fallen, all of them, thanks to the Guard, but he... had his suspicions.

How some SOULS were captured out of nowhere and without any prior sights or capture attempts, and how overbearingly tense the situation had gotten since five years ago. He still remembered the extra priority given to the Royal Guard and human hunting compared to how it was before.

But still... it was for the best.

And that human, whoever he was... would need to be investigated further.

...

At the emptiness of his thoughts, he tried to follow a trail, before he could feel the wind rising, and heard a small cyclone way above him. Inside of it, was her... Martlet, surrounded in a wind barrier, while flying above the forest.

As she saw him, she quickly descended into the ground, right alongside him, as she spoke. "Sans!" she exclaimed. "I saw around, and the thing doesn't seem pretty. I saw the human fighting against a weird monster. It was tiny, and it could summon green tendrils.

"... and it could summon green tendrils." the last part rang in Sans's mind, reminding him of the creature he saw in his nightmare. And as his expression went serious, he asked her. "where did they go?"

"Uhm... they were just some feet to the north." she responded, but not before going silent. And as Sans turned to see her, she was looking at his expression, before he realized he had done it again. As he went back to normal, she spoke, softer this time. "Are you worried about Papyrus?"

"yeah." he responded. "paps. ain't no softy, but he's... well, paps. i'm worried that the human might hurt him, or..."

"He'll be fine." Martlet assured him. "I saw him fight in our training, and he's more than capable to fight against anything. Trust me."

As Sans heard her, he calmed down a bit, his expression still remaining in the same smiling expression he used to keep at all times. Why? He didn't even know it.

"Now we better get going, the sooner we find them, the faster-"

*CRASH*

As a crash came from a few feet from them, Sans and Martlet quickly ran towards the direction of the sound, seeing... a destroyed part of the forest. A good chunk of the trees were sliced in various bits, and there was a good amount of dust, not only from the creature's tendrils, but also... monster dust. As he got closer and examined it, he realized that the human, or the creature... had killed a monster.

"Well..." Martlet tried to assure him. "It might be a bit more serious than we imagined, but... we can do this. We are Royal Gua-"

*SLICE*

*creak* *CRASH*

...

*woosh*

And as the sound of another tree came from miles away, another softer, more discreet one filled the atmosphere, the sound... of a monster dying. As the two looked into the distance, they saw... a good chunk of trees literally cut in half, making a custom tunnel across the area and towards the limits of the region, more specifically... the river that separated Lower Snowdin with... the Outskirts, the most desolate region of the Underground. It was a part of Snowdin, but it was so lonely and desolate that no one ever traveled there, some people even ignoring it's existence due to the general forgetfulness of the people.

"we are going." Sans said, before he signaled Martlet towards the direction of the damage. And as the sound of more dust and more trees crashing into the ground kept the desolate area active amidst the storm, the two followed the trail leading towards the two mysterious fighters, in order to hopefully discover who was the figure that plagued Sans' dreams, and in order to capture the human at once.

And after various minutes of walking, they heard the sounds of dust rising in quantity, and they heard the clang of something metallic cutting through vines.

As they stood before the area, both took a deep breath and prepared for the worst.

Chapter Text

Just a few minutes ago…

Lower Snowdin, Underground, Oregon.

??? ???, 0004. Time is irrelevant…

*SLASH*

‘OMORI attacks FLOWEY! FLOWEY takes 2#$*#@/$@ damage!”

As Omori quickly backed away from his opponent, he took a moment to contemplate his new state. It was indeed physical, just like his body in Headspace, but compared to it, he could feel… the diverse aspects of the environment. The cold temperatures of the area were easily noticeable by him from ‘his’ skin, while other sensations like the sound of the wind, the weight of the knife and above it all… the feeling of an organic body, was… invigorating, to say the least.

“I could get used to it…” Omori thought to himself, his curiosity temporarily satisfied as he looked at his enemy, that had… dissipated. And, as the area became quieter except for the howling sound of the wind, he checked around in order to try and check.

*SMASH*

As various green plant tendrils emanated from the ground, they quickly pursued him, possibly to try and finish him off, but with a swift slice, they dissipated into dust. And as the ambience got tense, various ‘friendliness pellets’ spawned from thin air, firing themselves towards Omori as if they were bullets. As he dodged and evaded the attack, he spotted the flower plopping from the ground, with a smug expression. “So THIS is your true power, huh?” it asked with fake curiosity. “PATHETIC.”

‘OMORI evaluated FLOWEY! A mysterious flower that seems to know more than the rest, especially regarding SOULS. Completely untrustworthy, must be fought with caution.” Omori thought to himself after he quickly EVALUATED him, preparing himself for the fight.

“Show me your strength then, big shot!” Flowey stated as it summoned more pellets, that fired towards Omori as if they were fired from a machine gun. As he evaded the blasts, he could spot various vines spawning from the ground, but with swift slices with his knife, they were not a match. As he pursued the flower, it plopped into the ground as he got closer, digging towards a safer distance. And seeing the cheap tactics the flower used, made his anger slowly grow.

‘OMORI feels ANGRY.’

But, between all the projectiles being thrown at his position, Omori had an idea. As he looked into his SKILLS, he realized that he lost many of the ones he had in Headspace, due to his LEVEL being 1 here. But, using the SAD POEM skill, he recited cryptic words that also served as mocking to the enemy. “Of Flowey, oh dear, you twisted sprout; you hiss and scream, then chicken out; You're not a god, just garden trash; A compost bitch with zero class.”

‘OMORI recites a sad poem. FLOWEY feels SA-NEUTRAL.’

“He he he…” Flowey laughed, clearly annoyed by the comment. “That was supposed to do SOMETHING!? Listen well, kid. I’m immune to your cheap tactics, but don’t worry…” it said as it summoned a ring of pellets around him. “I have diss poems to raise the roof.”

As the projectiles fired, Omori heard Flowey speak. “You stare so deep, so dark, so fake; A porcelain doll I’d love to break; You think you’re deep? You’re just pissed; A walking prick with weakling fists; I don’t know what you are, freak thing; But you’re no king, you’re just a sting; So listen partner, you're nor god or beast; you’re just a pussy that won’t release.”

…

“FLOWEY insults OMORI! OMORI feels ENRAGED!’

As Omori felt his veins burn after such an insult, he rushed faster towards his enemy, knife pointing to it’s ‘neck’, but he dodged it once more. “What’s the matter, partner? Did I piss you off??” Flowey asked, sass noticeable in it’s voice. “Great! I have more!!”

And as it said, Omori could hear a fairly sensitive sound, as a clean slice came from a tree close to him, the pine slowly falling on top of him.

*CRASH*

‘TREE crushes OMORI! OMORI takes 15 damage!’

As the tree crushed him, Omori quickly cut the trunk in two, managing to leave the tree but with critical HP. And as quickly as he got up, he took out the Honeydew Pancake and ate it in a single munch.

‘OMORI uses HONEYDEW PANCAKE! OMORI recovered 16 HEART!’

And as his strength was regained, Omori saw Flowey laughing as much as he could, spite visible on it’s face. The creature was already pissing Omori enough, but any second that the weed spent berating him made everything more and more upsetting. As his anger rose, Omori changed his strategy, CALMING DOWN as his emotion returned to NEUTRAL once more to evade cheap deaths. After all, he couldn’t PERSIST yet as the power was somehow blocked from his control.

In between the attacks, Omori could spot the trees in the distance slowly falling due to the mix of pellets and slices coming from the area, the snowstorm covering the destruction a bit. He could dash faster than he could ever do, and he had his objective directly in his eye. And overall, he was in control, HE had won, HE had...

"OM0r|, PL3a$3 N0." he heard a voice scream from inside his head, he heard his voice. "St0P |t!&#/=&÷*#$=-*" before he was cast out of his head.

"I'm done waiting, dreamer." Omori stated to himself, his words filled with determination. "I spent 4 years waiting for this moment, and YOU  won't stop me. So sit, relax and E N J O Y."

As his mindset went silent again, he didn't realize the massive vine going straight to his chest, so he GUARDED. The vine was blocked out of hurting the SOUL, but the impact still was noticeable, blasting him into the ground.

'FLOWEY stabs OMORI! OMORI takes 3 damage!'

But, before he could get to his feet, various vines came from the ground and strapped him to it, immobilizing his body as more pellets came straight to his face, the projectiles smashing the SOUL rapidly as Omori struggled to get out.

'FLOWEY shoots OMORI! IT HIT RIGHT IN THE HEART. OMORI takes 16 damage!"

But, as the pellets took out most of his HP, Omori became angrier. One more shot and it was over, it was finished, it was... over. But, taking  a deep breath, he CALMED DOWN and regained some of his health back, struggling to leave the vines.

"Pal, you're pathetic, you know it?" Flowey said, startling Omori out of his thoughts. "Not even a single slice, even though I gave you openings. How are we gonna get to New Home then!?"

"..." But Omori refused to speak.

"Oh, giving me the silent treatment, huh?" Flowey asked, more annoyed than before. "You know that you need me in order to reach the capital and get those SOULS, right?"

But, as Omori struggled, he could hear something, and together with Flowey, the two started looking around, until...

"IN THE NAME OF KING ASGORE DREEMURR, PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN, HUMAN!!" they heard a voice scream, and as the two turned around, they saw... some of the soldiers that had run towards the resort before. One was a humanoid moth with a knight helmet and a spear, the other was that same massive knight he had seen before, and the other was a floating head wearing wizard's clothes with two spheres floating.

As various cross-looking projectiles materialized out of thin air and surrounded the two, the knight pointed it's staff towards him while the moth looked at the flower. It was... certainly worrying in any case, but one thought came from Omori's head:

"... Free EXP."

'OMORI feels ANGRY!'

...

"SO YOU THINK YOU'RE BRAVE ENOUGH TO-" Flowey was saying before going silent before feeling something breaking out of it's roots, as he saw that Sunny had escaped, but the sight of him... was the one of him emanating a strange reddish aura while stabbing Whimsalot directly in it's face, it's body going inert as it dissipated into dust that clung to his skin.

And as the two others looked at him horrified, Madjick fired it's projectiles towards him, Sunny evading them quickly as he sliced Madjick in the face, impaling the knife on it's chest as the monster screamed and morphed into dust.

And as Knight Knight swung her 'Good Morningstar' to try and stab him, he quickly reflected the attack with his knife and got closer, delivering fatal slices to her armor before throwing the knife right into her face, her body lying dead on the floor before exploding into dust.

And as Flowey saw, it could only feel... confusion. Compared to how he was when it met him, he now looked far more menacing and aggressive, taking out high level monsters as if they were creatures from the Ruins.

"Yeah... this one will work."

...

*SLICE*

'OMORI impales ???. IT HIT RIGHT IN THE HEAD! ??? takes 46 damage!'

...

*woosh*

'YOU were victorious! You gained 440 EXP!'

'OMORI grew to LEVEL 5! ... and relearned STAB, BREAD SLICE, MOCK, TRICK, FOCUS and... PERSIST!'

As he grabbed his knife once more from the inert pile of dust that laid before him, Omori couldn't hope but feel... stronger. As if the dust had awakened something inside of him. And the sight of having re-obtained various of his essential skills once more by just beating three monsters, meant... A LOT.

He could feel his energy reinvigorated, and as he looked into his stats, as a small spread across his face: 'SUNNY. LV5; HP 4/36; ATK 15 (14); DF 3 (9); EXP: 440; NEXT: 500; WEAPON: Knife; ARMOR: Glasses + Pin; JUICE: 13.5/13.5; SPEED: 25; LUCK: 6; HIT: 75; GOLD: 0; KILLS: 4'.

"Golly!" he heard the flower speak, looking genuinely surprised at his recent kill. "I knew you had it in ya, partner. At this point, getting stronger will be achieved in a matter of seco-

*SWISH*

Before it could finish, he had already attacked, his knife hitting the vines Flowey had summoned to protect itself. And as the situation escalated, and with a smile, it plopped into the ground, leaving him alone.

As Omori looked around, he could only hear that same alarm playing that same noise he had heard since Su-HE had left the resort, but now with his new power found, he could finally achieve his goals, because after all, he was created to be a support, but now that he could achieve his freedom, he would do EVERYTHING to get it.

Even if it meant getting rid of the Underground's entire population.

"See this, dreamer?" Omori thought to himself, hoping to hear HIM order him to stop and fail miserably. "This is only the beginning, and don't worry about it. Once I take full control of this body, I will eventually get bored and give you your 'peace'."

"A peace-ful ride to HELL."

And hearing monsters in the trees nearby, Omori quickly ate the last remaining pancake and ran towards the noise, knife in hand and ready to kill.

...

"..." Red could only look silently at the dust of those monsters. She remembered them well, they were mostly either mercenaries or guards that worked in the capital, completely obliterated by him, by Sunny.

As Mari looked at the massacre in hand, she couldn't help but feel... dread. She knew it wasn't him who did it, thanks to the fact that his irises were completely missing, instead leaving him with empty eyes that complimented his monotone expression.

"... I can't believe this." Red said out loud, looking at Mari. "I have known him for less than a week, but I can tell that THAT wasn't Sunny."

As Mari nodded, Red continued. "His eyes were... way darker, and his movements and brutality are WAY different from the passive Sunny I knew. Has your brother been this way before!?"

As Mari heard her, she couldn't hope but remember her brother after leaving the house the first day. His empty expression as he sliced Aubrey with a steak knife when she and her gang were bullying Basil. How he had thought it was a dream, realizing what he did after a while. But... he still had his white irises, WAY smaller than before, but still there. It was still him who had the control, but now... it was HIM, Omori. "No..." she finally answered, fright consuming more of her 'body' as her spirit flashed less. "He is not himself, he is possessed."

"Possessed??" Red said startled. "By who!? It was that Omori you mentioned a while ago??"

"Yeah, but..."

"Who is this Omori!? What does he want!? Why did he possess Sunny!? W H Y did he kill those monsters!?" Red asked anxiously, clearly worried about the new menace they had to endure, but before Mari could answer, they heard something whisper.

"... oh dear, my Sunny..."

And as Mari heard her... she froze. That kind and warm tone she had heard countless times before, that soft yet determined voice she had heard since she was born, the voice... of the one that brought her into this world.

"...Mari...?"

As Mari quickly turned around, she saw her... she saw Sophie... her mom. She had that curly hair she loved to play with when younger, she still had that simple yet nice appearance she usually had whenever she went, wearing a jacket with some jeans and a shirt. She was completely white, and had a bluish aura around her body.

It was her... it was definitively her.

It was her mom... and she... was dead.

'MARI feels MISERABLE.'

"M-M-M-M-M-M-MOM.....????" Mari could only mumble as tears started flowing from her eyes, as her mother did too, all while Red looked gloomily at Sophie. As a small smile started forming on Sophie's tearful face, Mari couldn't help but feel... agony.

Her mom was dead, her brother was de-in risk of dying, her father... she saw it and knew he had regretted it but then... it's better not to mention it, and Mewo... gone to the big pet park on the clouds.

Her family was doomed to misery and death, and it was all thanks to HER.

It was thanks to her toxic perfectionism.

It was thanks to her excessive stress.

It was thanks to her manipulative demeanor towards her little brother.

It

Was

All

Thanks

To

H E R

Chapter Text

Gardiner, Reedsport, Oregon.

Febraury 26th, 1988. 16:40pm

...

"Mom, mom!!"

"What made you so happy today, my dear?"

"Okay, after months of practice, I finally asked Kaito to go to the prom with me. AND HE SAID YES!!!"

"That's wonderful, honey! I'm so happy for you. But... are you sure you love him? I mean, he's a kind boy, but his family... ehhhh."

"Mom, I'm sure it will be fine. Besides, I love Kaito enough, that even if his family's annoying, I won't really mind."

"Alright, Sophie. If your heart tells you to love him, then do it! I'll always be by your side!"

"Thanks mom!"

...

Gardiner, Reedsport, Oregon.

April 8th, 1997. 15:30pm

"Wow, Kai. This is beautiful! I didn't know Reedsport had this beach, and I've been exploring the town ourskirts since I was young!"

"Well, the more you know."

"..."

"..."

"*sigh* Sophie, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course!"

"*sigh* Sophie, as you know, I've never had... the best childhood. During years, I thought I needed to be perfect in order to be loved, that if I failed, they would leave me behind. But... you proved me wrong."

"..."

"Ever since I met you in 7th grade, you've given me all the love I ever could wish. You've been... the closest thing I had to a real friend. You're my best friend, Sop., and I couldn't ever finish speaking if I told you how much I love you."

"Awwww, Kai. That's so sweet. But... you're joking...."

*creak* *CLINK*

"Sophie Linwood, would you marry me, so we can be together, until death breaks us apart?"

"... *sniff* K-Kaito.... I......."

"YES! YES I WILL!!"

...

*smooch*

...

La  Valencia Hotel, La Jolla, California.

May  10th, 1998. 11:30am

"Sophie Linwood, do you accept Kaito Suzuki as your husband, for all eternity, until death breaks you apart?"

"Yes, I do."

"And Kaito Suzuki, do you accept Sophie Linwood as your wife, for all eternity, until death breaks you apart?"

"Yes, I do."

"By the power given to me by the State of California, and by the Catholic Church, I declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

*smooch*

*CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*

...

California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California.

March 1st, 2000. 12:00pm

"Come on honey, push!"

"Miss, you can do it! Her head is already out! Just push a bit more!"

"AHHHHHHH, IT HURTS!!!!!!!"

...

*WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH*

"*sigh* *sigh*"

"Congratulations, miss. She's a girl, a truly beautiful girl."

"*sniff* Hi sweetie. Please give her to me."

"Right on it."

...

"God, she's beautiful."

"She is."

"... *gurgle*"

"Hi Mari, I'm your mommy, and he is your daddy."

"... *giggle*"

"*sniff* she's so cute..."

"Yeah... *sniff*, she is..."

"Mari, we promise you, we will give you all the love in the world. I promise you... I will love you, until the end of time."

...

California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California.

July 20th, 2003. 6:30am

"Come on, honey!!! You can do it!!!"

"AHHHHGGGGHHHHHH!!!! WHY ON EARTH DOES IT HURT MORE IF I ALREADY DID IT BEFORE!!!???"

"You'll get used to it, ma'am. Just push a bit more, and it will be done."

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

...

*WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-*

"*sigh* *sigh* Geez... that hurt."

"Congratulations, you two. You now have a beautiful son."

*-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-*

"Can I hold him, please?"

"Sure!"

...

"He's so cute, honey!"

"Yeah, he is. My precious warrior."

"? ... abagabaga *incomprehensible babbles*"

"!?"

"... Honey, is it normal for a baby to babble at less than an hour old?"

"..."

"... We may have another beacon of light in our family, hon."

"Great! We have two stars!"

"No, he's MY ray of sunshine."

"OUR sunshine."

"You get the idea."

"... uh.... goo?"

"Hi Sunny, I'm your mommy, and he is your daddy! And I promise you, I'll always be here by your side."

"And I promise to care for you and give you all the love you deserve, my son."

...

California Pacific Medical Center, Sacramento, California.

July 22nd, 2003. 17:30pm

*suckle* *suckle* *suckle* *suckle*

"Ow." "Ow." "Ow."

*creak*

"Good evening Mrs. Suzuki. I see you are recovering from the birth. And we already did all the tests on Sunny, he is super healthy."

"Good *Ow* to know *OW*. Why does this hurt so much!? I had Mari before, and it didn't hurt nearly as much..."

"Some babies suck harder than others, but don't worry, you'll get used to it in no time!"

"*ow* Yeah, I guess so..."

*creak*

*suckle* *suckle* *suckle*

"Sunny, baby, I don't want to be rude, but can you try and be a little less rough when nursing? I get you're hungry, but I'm not indestructible, you know..."

"*suckle* *pop*, goo?"

"... Did you just hear me, can you hear mommy, sweetie?"

"... goo."

'Oh my god, my baby is a f***ing genius. I'm so luckyyyyyyyy-'

*CREAK*

"Hey, hun. We are ba-"

"Mommy!!"

"Heya, honey. Hi, sweetie."

"I missed you."

"And I did too, hun. I'll leave the hospital in a few days, and don't worry. Even though you now have a little brother, I promise you I won't leave you aside. I'll give you all the love you need, my sweet, sweet ange-"

"He's here? Can I see him? Can I seehim? Can Iseehim? CanIseehim? CanIseehim? CanIse-"

"Mari, sweetie, calm down a bit. You'll see your brother, but you need to be quiet. He's really small right now."

"Okay, daddy."

...

"... goo?"

"..."

"So... what do you think?"

"..."

"..."

*sniff* *sniffle*

"Mari, what's wrong?"

"Mari, calm down honey."

"*sniff* He's soooooo cuteeeeeeeeeeeeeee..."

"SUNNNNNNY, I *sniff*, I *sniff*, I pr-promise to always be there for you, and be the best-bestest big s-sister...."

"Of course you will, Mari. We all know you will."

' *sniff* This is so cute. A pair made in heaven.'

...

Los Angeles, California.

April 22nd, 2004. 14:30pm

"Mommmmmmmmmm... when is this freaking photo going to end?? We've been here forever!"

"It has just been an hour, sweetie. Besides, we may have arrived earlier if someone hadn't forgotten where the mall was."

"Oh my god honey, can you really blame me? This city is huge! There are so many roads, it could happen to anyone."

"... Okay, fair enough. Next time I'll do the driving, then."

"Oh no, mrs. Not after you drove around the highway like if you were a NASCAR driver."

"We were 19, Kai. Besides, no one got hu-"

"*suckle* *suckle* *suckle* *suckle* *pop* ... m-m-maga?"

"Yeah, sweetie. 'maga' is telling a funny story with daga."

"... Why does he call us like that?"

"Hon, he learned to speak like two words at 10 months old. In my eyes, he will be the next Einstein."

"Yep, he's our ray of sunshine."

"HEY! I'M HERE, YOU KNOW? *sniff*"

"Oh, yeah. And we have our ray of moonlight to balance the excessive sunlight."

"Hi hi hi, mommy stop!"

*Ahem*

"?"

"I don't want to be rude, but there's a line forming behind you, so please hurry up."

"... Sorry."

...

"Alright, now smile!"

*CLICK*

...

Faraway Town, California.

August 04th, 2007. 10:15am

"Well guys! We finally arrived. Say hello to your new home, kids!"

"Wow, it's beautiful."

"... It's cute."

"Of course it is, you two. And I'm sure we will be SUPER happy here!"

...

"Alright, you two. Stand still so we can take a photo. And Mari, honey, please carry your brother. God, this photo will be amazing."

"*mmmmmmph* Mommmmmmmmm, he's heavy...."

"No, he's full of character. And besides, you say you are super strong, right?"

"Y-yeah..."

"... Mommy? Can I stand on my own. I don't want to huwt Mawi."

"Sunny, little brother, don't worry. B-b-big sis is super strong and will-"

...

"Okay, you two. Say cheese!"

"Cheese!" "Cheese."

*CLICK*

...

Faraway Town, California.

February 15th, 2011. 14:25pm

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow-"

"Mari, sweetie, please... take a deep breath."

"Mom, my knee... it, it, it hurts...."

"I know it hurts honey, but don't worry, you'll get better."

"Yeah, that's right... but I won't be able to play softball anymore. I love playing it... what will I do now?"

"... Rest, that's what you'll do. You will take lots of rest until you feel better. Then, you will be able to find another hobby."

"But mom, the emotion of running through the field, the adrenaline of each game, the sportsmanship, where will I find it?"

"Honey, the fact that your knee is injured doesn't mean that you won't be able to do fun stuff anymore. Besides, your team said that they would play twice as hard as payback for what the pitcher of the 'Gambler Sheeps' did to your knee."

"Mom, it was an accident. I couldn't hit the ball well, and it accidentally bounced and hit my knee. It's not his fault. Besides, I don't want my knee situation be the trigger of a rivalry between Nevada and Faraway's teams."

"Well... I'm sure it won't be as bad. A little rivalry never hurts in any sport. And Faraway's Tulips are more determined than ever."

"... Thanks mom."

"No problem, sweetie."

...

Faraway Town, California.

April 13th, 2015. 16:40pm

*creak*

"Mari, sweetie?"

"..."

"Are you okay? You haven't left your room in all day..."

"... I'm fine, mom."

"It's about Sunny, right?"

"!"

"Mari, listen. I know you are worried, but he's fine. The doctor himself said that Sunny only has a light fever, so he-"

"HE ALMOST DROWNED, MOM!!"

"..."

"I-I-I-It was so a-a-abrupt, he s-slipped off that statue and fell right into the lake, if I hadn't jumped after him, he...."

"*sigh* Mari, listen. Sunny was startled and I get how serious this was, but he... doesn't feel angry at you, no one does. It was just an accident that no one caused, so-"

"BUT I WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HIM! WHAT KIND OF SISTER COULD BE SO RECKLESS AS TO LET HER LITTLE BROTHER BE SO CLOSE TO DANGER!!??"

"*sniff* *sniff* I... I think I need to spend some time alone, okay mom?"

"Mari... everyone is worried about you. Sunny is asking about you nonstop. He says that you saved him, and that neither him nor the rest of your friends are angry."

"... I know, but still. I... need to think more about this."

"Alright mom, thanks..."

*creak*

"If you want to talk more, you know where I am. I love you Mari, never forget it."

...

*creak*

...

Faraway Town, California.

October 24th, 2015. 19:35pm

*creak*

"..."

"..."

"*sigh* I know you are there, mom. I heard you walking into the studio."

"..."

"Has Hero found where Sunny is? I'm getting worried about him..."

"... Sweetie."

"..."

"Are you worried about him as your brother, or worried about him as your violinist?"

"Mom? What do you mean?"

"*sigh* Mari, Sunny has been suffering since a long time ago. He hasn't felt well since you started practicing overtime with him two months ago."

"What are you talking about, mom? We've gone to the beach, hung out with our friends, we even spent time in our new treehouse. He had enough rest."

"Mari, Sunny's not you. You can handle this amount of pressure, but he can't. You need to be more reasona-"

"Reasonable!? I'm sorry mom, but I've also been incredibly tired. I've been practicing that same song over and over again, and look at me. I haven't said anything. Between that and school, I had even less free time than Sunny, and I've been perfectly fine. He's just being dramatic and la-"

"He. Is not. You. Mari, for the love of god, don't you know your own brother!? He is beyond tired, he needs rest ASAP and he needs to take a break."

"A break!? Mom, the recital is in two days, we have no time to 'take a break'. We need to practice more, WAY more than ever before, and Sunny needs to concentrate and stop struggling. We haven't had A SINGLE practice where he hadn't messed up less than one note. It has to be perfect, mom. If it isn't the-"

"Mari, that's enough!"

"..."

"I don't want to do this, but you've taken your perfectionism way too far. This doesn't need to be perfect, it's already perfect as it is. And I'm sorry if this seems unfair to you, but I'm scolding you for your own good, and for Sunny's good as well."

"..."

"He will take a break. Two hours minimum. No ifs and or buts. Your dad and I will be away for work, but I trust you as the responsible big kid you are to behave and be reasonable with your brother."

"..."

"And I don't think you need to have something monitoring it all up, or am I wrong?"

"... No."

"Great. I'm glad we agreed on something."

*creak*

"... *sigh* Mari, please. I know you want this to be perfect, but you need to relax. Sunny's suffering, and so are you. PLEASE, take some rest, both of you. And I hope you give Sunny that break, otherwise we will have a problem, okay?"

"... Fine, mom."

"*sigh* Good. Mari, please do it. Do it for me."

*creak*

...

"She's just defending a lazy brat. If she saw him, she would see it..."

...

'Mari, please. I hope you take up my advice. Please.'

...

Faraway Town, California.

October 25th, 2015@&#^$&###

NOT NEEDED TO KNOW.

...

Faraway Town, California.

October 28th, 2015. 21:30pm

*SMACK*

*CREAK* *SMASH*

"Why..? Why won't you fall?"

"..."

*sniff* *sniff* *sniff*

"There... there... Sunny... We'll protect you... Everything will be okay..."

...

"So, this is it, huh?"

"..."

"So you will just leave, not even say where you will go or give me a message."

"... Sophie, I."

"DON'T 'SOPHIE' ME KAITO, THIS IS WRONG AND YOU KNOW IT!!! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, YOU KNOW!?"

"..."

*creak*

"And what about the promise we made on our wedding, of being there for each other!? What about our first date, when you told me that regardless of it all, you would be with me!? Were they all lies, Kaito!? Answer me!"

"..."

"ANSWER ME, KAITO!"

"... I never imagined any of this."

"Sophie, *sigh*, this is too much. I... can't take this any longer, I can't be here anymore... not right now... and probably never... what happened, is beyond messed up."

"What about me? What about him?"

"... he..."

"...Dad? Please... don't..."

"..."

 "..."

"Sunny, please go ins-"

"Please don't leave mom, dad. None of this is her fault, I... I'm so-"

"..."

"Dad?"

"... *sigh* Stay away... you are not my son..."

"..."

"Go... you already made your decision, so just... go. Be free."

"..."

...

Faraway Town, California.

April 25th, 2016. 17:00pm

*ring* *ring*

'It's probably useless, but I have to do this.'

*ring*

"Ī jikanda, kono henjin-me. Ima nanji ka wakaru ka? Gozen 5-jida zo!"

"...Akari-Sama? It's me, Sophie."

"Chottomattekudasai, anata wa sofīdesu ka?"

"...Hai, watac-watashi wa Kaito no moto tsuma, sofī-sofīdesu."

"Oh, well day Sophie-san."

"Hi... it has been a long time... is Kaito with you right now? I need to speak with him about something important, if there's no problem, of course."

"..."

"Uh, hello?"

"Kaito-san? I don't think is good idea, I go and give you te-the information."

"... Alright."

"..."

"..."

'Something must be going on...'

"Haru, Kaito no moto kare ga denwa shi teru no yo. Ano amerikahito no kuzu wa, Kaito ni keikoku shite oite, mendōna koto ni naru tte."

"Ano kimochi warui akage no on'na ga, uchi no Kaito o norotta no. Kanojo to kekkon shitara hametsu suru tte itta no ni, Kaito wa kikanakatta no."

"Kinpaku shite iru no wa wakarukedo, sofī-san ni kono ko to hanashi shitahōgaī? Soretomo shinai kata ga ī?"

"…-Banashi shitahōgaī wa. Sō sureba, kanojo wa watashitachi no koto o hanatte oite kureru wa. Demo, kakugo shite oite. Kekkonshiki de an'nani naita ndakara, kitto nakijakutte, ryūjin no shihai-ken o ubaitotte shimau to omou no."

'... Wow, nice to see that my ex-parents in law still like me as much as they did before. 'American trash'... I swear, this woman has balls.'

'But, something happened to Kaito, and they said I would... cry?"

"..."

"Oh, you're back Akari-Sama. What happened?"

"Kaito-Sama death in plane crash."

"... What?"

"Some months ago... he say he was awful. He said he return home to... fix it."

"..."

"Plane engine burn... plane crash near Tokyo beach. 3 months ago..."

"..."

"American scum, you curse Kaito after he leave you and demon son."

"... excuse me, WHAT?"

"You hear well, you use american magic to cast fire to engine, and plane burn and Kaito d-"

"NOW LISTEN WELL, YOU BITCH! I'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT AN ANGEL TO YOU AND YOUR SON, AND IF YOU CAN'T ACCEPT THAT AN ACCIDENT WAS WHAT CAUSED HIS DEATH, THEN I'M SORRY, BUT YOU'RE FUCKING INSANE!!"

"HOW COULD YOU ACCUSE ME OF PLANNING KAITO'S DEATH!!?? WHY WOULD I EVER WANT THAT!? WHY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE THINGS HAPPEN, YOU TWISTED FU-"

"......."

"HELLO!?"

"... Great, she hung up. Seriously, the nerve she had to say that..."

"..."

'But she said Kaito regretted it, but died while trying to return back home.'

"*sniff* Kaito... I hope you can find peace..."

...

???, ???, ???.

??? ???, ???. ??:??

...

As Sophie Suzuki went around... wherever she was, the memories started to dissipate. The last thing she had seen before waking up in this new world was the sight of a car going straight towards her's in the road towards Ebott.

But where she was... it was a massive canvas of psychedelic colors, and figures that looked like the liquid inside lava lamps. The colors were mostly bright, prevailing the whites and pinks, but there were also... black and gray tonalities below.

As she floated, she thought she had died. That this was the afterlife or something like that. But... something made her feel like it was not. The area looked WAY too messy and bizarre to be either Heaven or Hell, and she still felt something shining inside of her, something coming from her chest that emitted a strange warmth that gave her a lot of heat, that helped as the area was abnormally cold.

*WHOOOOOSH*

And looking at her side, she saw... a train. It went through no rails, and each car attached to the locomotive shone with the colors of the rainbow. And inside it... she heard whispers.

"You can't be here."

"This is not your world."

"You have to return while you can."

And as a white figure with a cyan glow came from one of the cars, she saw it with detail. It wore a regal white gown, had two wings at each side of it's body, but... it wore a red hat that was normally used by train conductors. It was probably an angel, and it looked at her with curiosity.

"Ticket, please." it said, confusing Sophie too.

"Huh?" she responded, confused. The area was way too strange and bizzare, as she asked the angel. "Sorry, but I don't know where I am? Can you help me know what is this place?"

"... This is a place." the angel responded, as it stretched it's hand towards her. "Ticket, please."

"But... I have no ticket." she responded, completely nervous as everything made less and less sense.

"... Then I'm sorry, but without a ticket, you won't be able to-"

"🙁👈❄️ 👇👈☀️ 👆☠️📫 👍⛳️☠️👎✝️👍❄️⛳️☀️📬" she heard someone say behind her, in a language that she found incomprehensible, mostly sounding like garbage noise. And as she turned around, she saw... a creature that looked eerily similar to that creature she had seen on that anime film, the one of the girl going in a train. It had a black body that looked like a blob, and it had a creaked white face that seemed to be made out of liquid.

"I'm sorry, mr., but she has no ticket." the angel said, before the creature took something out of itself, that being a train ticket... WITH HER NAME WRITTEN ON IT.

As the angel looked at the card, it spoke. "Alright, you can enter.". But as she heard it, the blob entered the train as it gave two tickets to the angel, while behind him, followed a strange girl. She had twin pigtails, wore a pink short dress, and had two long eyes that looked as if they were closed. She had white skin and had a cyan aura around her. As the girl floated near her and took her hand, she followed her into the train, as the door closed.

*WOOSH*

As the train started moving, Sophie and the rest sat on some chairs inside the wagon, which was as huge as a mansion. It was giant, and it had decorated tables and chairs, all leading to a warm, but creepy atmosphere. The area was empty except for the three of them, but Sophie could hear murmurs, laughs and even movement, yet she could see nothing.

"... You have fallen into a deep spiral." she heard the blob creature say, it's incomprehensible words transitioning into a formal English. "You have reached a deep bottom, a nexus, yet... your will is being called... your power is being needed somewhere else.

As the words made no sense to Sophie, the blank faced girl looked at her with a hint of curiosity. She didn't speak, but she seemed eerily similar to Sunny in her behavior. She just looked... but somehow, her expression gave a clear message: 'you shouldn't be here, yet you need to be here.'

"I am curious as to how it feels to be free, yet this incomplete form serves as a serviceable vessel for traveling through this realm of existence." the blob said, it's voice carrying a strange wisdom and a profound grammar that seemed to hint at... something.

"Yet you're needed. Someone is calling you through the voids of reality, someone that is deeply disturbed and has been consumed by their own demons, by their own pain, by their own regret."

"W-What do you mean?" Sophie asked, confusion clear on her face.

"... He needs you." the girl said, startling Sophie, as she looked at her. "His SOUL is calling to you. He has lost control of himself, and his will calls to you to help him heal, to take him out of the darkness."

"W-what?" Sophie asked as she started to understand who was 'calling' her, as she imagined it was... Sunny.

...

But, before she could try and process the information she was given, she was able to recall it all. The memories she had seen so abruptly, seeing her reflection and everyone else on them, the bright colors, and the bizarre creatures,  allowed her to realize... she was actually dead.

"It's curious." the blob said, calling her attention. "You have perished, yet you have not. It looks like you reached a middle point, a parallel state between states, a completely curious moment for anyone."

And as Sophie tried to ask, she felt her voice dissipate, as the girl took her hand. "Please... he needs you. Sunny is in trouble. I'll explain it all later, but please... come with me, miss."

"...Sunny? In trouble?"

'SOPHIE feels AFRAID.'

"With my power, your fright won't be necessary, miss." the blob explained. "He is not himself, dark forces have taken control of him, but with your Integrity, you won't fail. And... I think he is calling you, so answer the call; I couldn't explain since long ago; he pulls his strings and makes them ring; until his heart breaks up."

"WHAT THE-" but before Sophie could ask, the girl pinched her cheek, causing Sophie to dissipate into light, as her spirit dissipated.

As the two remained alone, the blob spoke. "She'll be strong enough to help him, Mad.?" the creature spoke, with some doubt. "She doesn't get the issue she has gotten into."

"... He needs her, Dr." the girl answered, sitting at her chair. "His spirit is calling for her, and only she can try and control the anomaly inside him and stop him from eradicating Monsterkind."

"... Fair enough judgement. I already SAVED for him before the darkness consumed him, so if he perishes... the damage will be undone." the blob said, as it dissipated. "But I think it's time for you to wake up too, sweetie."

And as the girl remained alone, she pinched herself and dissipated into light, her spirit leaving the wagon as it remained 'empty'.

...

Where am I?, What is this place?, WHAT'S GOING ON!?.

What time is it? What happened? WHAT HAPPENED TO SUNNY?. Is he fine?

As Sophie opened her eyes, she realized she was... falling. She could only see clouds and darkness as she fell into the abyss, as she covered herself for the impact.

But, as she fell... she didn't feel anything. She went through the ground, until she moved, causing her to stop. And, as she looked around, she realized she was inside something. She felt her body lighter than average, and she realized... she could float.

"What...?" she said out loud, confused as she floated and saw the area. It was a snowy forest, completely covered by snow and trees, some of them having fallen down. But, as she looked around, she could see two things hitting each other fiercely: a huge flower, and... him, Sunny.

"SUNNY!?" she called to him, as she saw him with a knife, slicing a creature into dust. "STOP!!"

But seeing him not listen to her, worried Sophie more, as she tried to get close, but no matter what she did, he didn't even see her, as she passed through him. But, she realized that he had a cold aura inside him, that his iris was missing, and that he wore different clothing as to what he wore while in the hospital. As she saw him slice more creatures, the flower dissipated, as Sunny ran deeper into the forest.

As Sophie remained confused... she heard something: voices.

"I have known him for less than a week, but I can tell that THAT wasn't Sunny."

"His eyes were... way darker, and his movements and brutality are WAY different from the passive Sunny I knew. Has your brother been this way before!?"

" No... He is not himself, he is possessed."

"Possessed?? By who!? It was that Omori you mentioned a while ago??"

"Omori? Why is it called like Mari's piano?" Sophie thought to herself as she followed the sound of the voices, one of them sounding familiar, while the other was completely new to her.

"Yeah, but..."

"Who is this Omori!? What does he want!? Why did he possess Sunny!? W H Y did he kill those monsters!?"

And as Sophie reached the area... she saw two ghosts. One had short hair and wore a sweater  while being white with a red aura, while the other... was a girl that seemed similar but had a purplish aura around her.

"... oh dear, my Sunny..." she said outloud, causing the two to stop speaking and turn around to see her, and as Sophie looked at the purplish girl... she froze. It was her, it was Mari. "...Mari...?"

And as she mumbled that last part, she saw Mari's eyes fill with tears, as Mari's expression collapsed. It was her, after so, so long, she had seen her again. It was her, it was Mari. "M-M-M-M-M-M-MOM.....????" she mumbled as she cried more, while tears flowed out of Sophie's own eyes, the red girl looking at her sadly. And while it happened... a small smile formed on Sophie's own face, because... it was her, it was her precious daughter, the light she had brought into the world, but now... it was with her.

Mother and daughter... were together once more.

And as the two looked at each other, they were oblivious to the screams coming first from the forest, and then from the upper part of the region, connected to the lower one by a bridge that was near a resort, while a big blue bird flew around firing feathers at a moving entity, who turned everyone around it into dust.

Chapter Text

A few days ago...

Welcome to Blackspace.

Time doesn’t matter down here, and it never will.

…

As he opened his eyes and saw snow falling from the sky, Omori could only feel a numbness inside of him. As he stood up and looked around, he could spot the staircase, the trees, and that familiar church that had marked his downfall, realizing he had been exiled to Blackspace. And, as he looked around and saw he was completely alone, he realized he had perished, that he had reached an ending, that the Dreamer had won, and that he… had lost it all. His power, his world, his friends, all gone down to the void.

“OMORI!” he heard a feminine voice scream, startling him out of his thoughts. And as he looked at the stairs below, he could spot her… AUBREY. HIS Aubrey. She still wore her cyan nightgown and pink bow, her long purple hair still flowing with life as her skin seemed paler than before. She didn’t carry MR. PLANTEGG or any of her other weapons, and she had tears flowing from her eyes as she quickly ran towards him. And, as soon as she reached him, she gave him a hug, clinging to him as panic flowed from her voice. “OMORI, I’m scared… Just a few hours ago, KEL, HERO, MARI and I were waiting for you in OTHERWORLD, preparing ourselves to go and save BASIL with CAPTAIN SPACEBOY’S help. But then… we heard screams, and as we reached VAST FOREST… everything was falling apart. A huge earthquake started as everything collapsed, while huge cracks started appearing, making everyone fall into the abyss. I saw them all fall… MIKAL, NEB, SHARLEEN, V-V-VAN, B-BOSS, B-B-BERLY… W-W-W-WE TRIED T-TO HELP, B-BUT E-EVERYONE F-F-FELL. M-M-M-M-MARI DISAPPEARED, H-H-HERO AND K-K-KEL FELL INTO A CRACK, AND I-I-I-I-I F-F-FELL T-T-TOO.”

“*sniff* OMORI, I… *sniff* I’m scared. I saw everything falling apart, and I’m sure all of our world is… gone. After I fell, I *sniff* saw the broken pieces of the ground reform, t-trapping us all here. I-I-I-I’M SCARED… what happened?” she mumbled as she hugged Omori tighter, tears flowing from her precious eyes. And, as he heard her, Omori could only feel one emotion… ANGER.

‘OMORI feels ANGRY.’

“…What?” Omori mumbled as anger flowed inside him. After everything he had built and created, after keeping him on a happy world where he could escape the pain and anguish he suffered, Su-THE DREAMER had broken it all up. After holding it together to live with his friends on a never-ending adventure, HE had destroyed everything Omori had spent years trying to maintain. Of course, BASIL had sometimes slipped the Truth further, but it was all manageable with a RESET. Or maybe STRANGER would try and give clues to Omori and his friends about the reality when they were trying to save BASIL from… wherever he ended in each RESET, but it was all reversible and that creep always returned to his hole. But now, there was no hole he could return, as HE had done it, and they all ended in that hole. Headspace and Whitespace were gone, and everyone was either dead or stuck in the dark abyss that was Blackspace.

“… Did you talk?” Aubrey asked, surprised, startling Omori back into ‘reality’. And as she saw him, she blushed and covered her face with her hands. “Sorry, it’s just… you never said anything like, ever. Not even once. It’s… weird.”

“… Focus, AUBREY.” Omori said, realization hitting him hard like a truck. All those times the spirit of HER possessed MARI and tried to make the Dreamer remember the moment that had started it all, all the efforts STRANGER had done to try and push the Truth into clarity, all the times Blackspace itself had reached their world and made them realize what happened in reality, all of those things had worked, and his paradise was now nothing but a distant land, unable to be reached again.

“What happened…?” AUBREY asked, her clinginess noticeable on her fright. “Where are we? What is this place? What happened… to our friends? Is everyone okay? We are the only ones that are ali-“

“Calm down, princess. We’re all fine.” they heard KEL say as he reached the two, with HERO trailing behind. “But… we haven’t seen BASIL, MARI or anyone, really.” he added, his typical cheerfulness replaced with doubt and fright. “And don’t worry, big bro and I are fine. Your shrieks served as a way to reach yo-“

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU, KEL!” Aubrey said, her nervous expression replaced with a pout. “We are all in the middle of nowhere, and the first thing you say to me is that me screaming is what made you guys come!? What about you, KEL!? Aren’t you scared!?”

“Well yeah, of course.” KEL responded, pouting. “But I’m not crying like a wittle baby, unlike someone right here…”

“Baby your butt, KEL!” AUBREY said, getting angrier as she stopped hugging Omori and walked towards KEL, as the two bickered like always, causing HERO to try to stop their argument, failing in the process, before he walked towards Omori and kneeled in front of him. “Hey, OMORI. I’m glad you’re fine.” he said with a smile that did a poor job of covering his own fear. “I think it’s just the four of us now. BASIL is missing, and MARI… I saw a giant black tentacle grab her and drag her into the abyss, just like that. I saw everyone falling into the cracks, but we four are the only ones in… whatever this place is.”

As Omori heard him, he started internalizing everything. His sister probably disappeared as the truth of her death reached Headspace, and the disappearance of BASIL was weird, considering the fact that the Truth was out, until he heard someone scream from inside the church. “GUYS!” he heard a soft boy scream, as BASIL came from the church, his green hair noticeable on the darkness of Blackspace. “I saw everything falling from the sky, are you okay??” he asked, as the four looked at him, before AUBREY rushed to hug him. “BASIL!!” she screamed as she hugged her friend. “We were so worried!! Where have you been!? We were searching for you for days…”

“Oh, uhm…” BASIL said, his voice carrying doubt. “I dunno, I woke up here three days ago, and I haven’t been able to leave. But… where are we exactly? Why are we he-”

“Mari didn’t kill herself”

…

As the group stood silent, they heard the voice echo through the area, as the five became confused. “W-What?” HERO said, confusion blooming inside him. “What is he talking about? MARI’s alive, we all saw her before she was kidnapped.”

“Yeah, that’s right.” BASIL said, his memories of the truth apparently gone. “But there may be a clu-“

“It was me… I killed Mari, and framed her death as a suicide.”

...

*CRACK*

*creak* *SMASH*

And, as the words echoed through the area, Blackspace started trembling violently, cracks forming on the 'sky' as pieces of it started falling into the area, leaving the purple skies of Headspace visible once more. But, as Omori saw the gateway get bigger, he could hear the confused trembles of his friends.

'BASIL became AFRAID.'

'KEL became AFRAID.'

'HERO became AFRAID.'

'AUBREY became AFRAID.'

"...W-what does that mean??" HERO asked nervously, sweat coming from his head and soaked through his pajamas a bit. "W-why does he sound like OMORI??"

"... I remember it." BASIL said, startling everyone and making Omori panic a bit internally. "It happened... hundreds of times. In some of them I was here, I was... crushed, in others I... was sliced to death and turned into a watermelon, and... just a few hours ago, you four... beat me up to death. Then, there was a... red area. There was a staircase, and... HUNDREDS of giant red hands in the distance, as four of them grabbed my legs and arms, while... Om0R| stabbed me on my chest..."

And, at the sound of those last words, the other three were confused. "Can you repeat that last part, BASIL?" AUBREY asked, panic blooming inside her. "You just said something that sounds like... static radio noises. What happened?"

"... It looked just like 0mO×|." BASIL responded. "It looked just like him, but... it had red marks over it's body, and shone... darker. It had to be someone else... OMORI is my best friend, he probably knows what's going on, right?" he asked, as he looked at Omori with panic. "R-R-RIGHT!? W-W-WHY DO I HAVE THIS W-W-WEIRD MEMORIES!!?? W-W-WHAT HAPPENED TO M-M-MARI!!??"

"..." Omori remained silent, as BASIL panicked more, while Aubrey gave him a hug. "There, there, BASIL." she said, soothing him with her voice. "We are all together, and we'll find MARI, I promise you. As long as we stay together, everything will be fi-"

"So you are telling me, that ALL this time… Mari never died due to suicide, but because YOU KILLED HER!!??”

"And all of this, just because of a MOTHERFUCKING VIOLIN!!!???”

...

*CRACK*

"W-what?" AUBREY responded, panic fully consuming her as more bits of the 'sky' fell into the abyss. "W-w-what is that voice? W-why does it sound like... me?"

"The mighty has fallen." Omori responded as a cruel smile formed on his face. "The weight of his sins is now crawling on his back."

"W-what's going on??" KEL asked, panic completely consuming him as his voice lost his cheerfulness and energy.

“DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH YOU HURT EVERYONE, S*□■¥?! THANKS TO YOU, AUBREY LOST HER BIG SISTER, AND ENDED AS A FREAKING DELINQUENT. THANKS TO YOU, HERO SPENT A. WHOLE. YEAR. ISOLATED IN HIS ROOM CRYING ABOUT MARI, BELIEVING HE COULDN’T SAVE HER FROM TAKING HER OWN LIFE,"

'"AND WHILE WE WERE HURTING, YOU STAYED INSIDE, KEEPING THIS SECRET FOR ALL THESE YEARS WHILE WE ALL FELL APART. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH PAIN YOU CAUSED SUNNY?! AND FOR WHAT!!?? FOR. A. FUCKING. VIOLIN.”

...

*CRACK*

"What??" KEL asked, as confusion blossomed inside of him. Omori could see he was clearly confused, and that telling them the full truth would be a hassle. "I-I-IS THAT ME!!??"

"As I said, it would be hopeless. If they knew the truth, he would never regain their trust again." Omori said to himself quietly, so quietly that no one heard him, as they were processing the truth. "And it happened indeed. They'll hate him as much as he hates himself."

"KEL, AUBREY." HERO said, rushing to his friends to try and calm them down. "Take a deep breath, guys. Please, it's not as bad as it looks. Please, calm down. Please..."

"You should have fallen down the stairs instead of Mari that day…"

...

"S-stairs??" HERO said as he started getting more worried. "M-M-M-MARI!!?? W-WHO'S SAYING THAT!!??" he said getting angrier. "WHOEVER IT IS, IT'S NOT FUNNY!!"

And, as Omori looked at the state of his friends, he could feel... clarity. He could see the shadows of ignorance leave them as they heard the truth. AUBREY was crying while hugging KEL, KEL was trembling with fear and HERO was looking around so he could find the origin of the voice.

"OMORI." BASIL said nervously, calling Omori's attention. "T-those photos... the ones that I never took... do you think they have something to do with this?" he asked, his gentle eyes holding back tears.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!! YOU ALREADY BROKE ME AND EVERYONE ENOUGH, JUST… DISAPPEAR. JUST LEAVE, AND NEVER COME BACK!!!!!!”

*BOOM*

"What??" BASIL asked as he panicked more, while the cracks on the 'sky' became big enough to be used. "OMORI, w-what's going o-"

*SWIPE*

"AHHHH!!!!!" BASIL screamed, as a black tendril grabbed him and dragged him into the church. "SOMEONE... HELP!!"

"BASIL!" AUBREY screamed as she got away from KEL and ran towards her friend. Meanwhile, Omori quickly entered through the doors towards the insides of the church.

*CLANG* And, as the doors closed, Omori was alone. He could hear his friends speaking from outside. "OMORI, ARE YOU OKAY?" "DUDE, WE CAN'T ENTER!" "OMORI, WHAT WAS THAT!?"

"... The door closed out of nowhere." Omori said in order to calm his friends, whose voices sounded more calm after he spoke. "I'll try and find BASIL. You three stay safe."

"... Alright." HERO said nervously. "Just be careful. That... thing was similar to the one that took away MARI, so be prepared."

And, as Omori took out his knife, he recognized the familiar interior of the church. It was dark and gray, the only light source being the one of the tall window above the altar. The benches that were originally filled with those dark creatures were now empty, and the only things that were at the church were BASIL, which was being entangled by those dark webs, and, as he saw BASIL panic, he reached closer. "OMORI!" he said, panic turned into relief at the sight of his friend. "Thank goodness you arrived! I don't know what's going on, but you have to help me. Through all this time, this... 'things' have strapped me to the wall. I got out after that earthquake, but now... I can't move my body. I can't move anything."

And, as Omori reached closer, from the long stairs that connected the bottom of the church to the altar... HE appeared. "So the inevitable happened, OMORI." STRANGER said, his presence scaring BASIL, who just teared up and tried to break free from the dark tendrils pinning him to the wall. "After meandering around in that fantasious land for so long, the Dreamer finally accepted the truth and moved on."

"W-w-what is he talking about, OMORI??" BASIL said as he saw the commotion.

"... I hope you're happy." Omori responded to the dark creature. "Your... shenanigans, your... tricks, your... strategies finally paid off. HE decided to accept the truth after all this time, and now... my world... it's gone."

"Your world was built atop pillars of salt and pillars of sand." STRANGER responded, his voice encrypted with secrets. "They were not going to last forever. Eventually the foundations would collapse and everything would fall apart, it was a matter of time. But, alas... time is meaningless to you. After all, look at what you have been promoting for all these years."

"I was born as a way to cope with the truth." Omori responded. "My mere existence started after the incident. HE needed a world to escape after his life was ruined by his OWN actions. And I gave him that... a fantasy. A never ending thrill ride where he could live in glee. But, thanks to your... to your... BULLSHIT, it's gone. My whole purpose is now flawed. I spent years protecting that sinner from his own mistakes, from the pain HE brought for not persevering enough, and for being too cowardly to face the consequences of his actions. Everyone loved her, and he-"

"-killed her." STRANGER responded, his voice filled with spite. "It is right that our purpose was... born out of a necessity. But, compared to you, I opened my eyes. This would end up being counterproductive for everyone, including you, and eventually we would all perish from the years of malnutrition and misery that the Dreamer endured in the real world."

"But it doesn't matter. Nothing matters now." he continued as more tendrils came from the shadows. "There's nowhere to run, Omori. This cycle of pain ends. RIGHT. NOW. I'll fix the mess you created, and if you can't accept the role you have now, then let your feelings devour you here.... until your insides rot. Let me give you your well deserved R E T R I B U-"

"YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A WASTE OF TIME, OF LOVE, AND OF EFFORT!"

*crack* *SMASH*

"WHAT..??" STRANGER said, as a chunk of the sky fell on top of the altar, breaking the window and the wall and almost crushing BASIL, who managed to break free from the dark tendrils as they were crushed under the debris. And from the outside, a massive chunk of ground was broken, leaving a gateway to Headspace. And from the inside of another tendril, Omori saw... MARI.

"THERE'S MARI!!" BASIL said, relieved to see his friend. And, as he tried to wake her, various dark tendrils erupted from the ground and tried to strangle BASIL. "YOU SHALL NOT." STRANGER said, fury visible on his eyes as his SOMETHING erupted, the giant mouth and abnormal tendrils consuming the room. "You won't continue making everything worse, Omori. You shall give up and accept our reality."

"... Then face me, fucker." Omori said, as he summoned a huge amount of Red Hands, which grabbed and tore apart each tendril and choked STRANGER, causing his SOMETHING to dissipate slowly as he tried to regain his breath. Meanwhile, various Red Hands grabbed the inert body of Mari, while others grabbed Basil by the armpits, while a huge amount of them formed a massive staircase that led to the upper part of their world. And, as some hands broke a part of the roof, as it fell and crushed the incapacitated STRANGER, the dark tendrils trying to take the debris out of their master.

"OMORI..." BASIL said, looking at his friend as he floated while being grabbed by the hands. "You saved me. Thank you!" he said as he smiled. "But... whatever that dark doppelganger was, it seemed... like it knew you. And, these memories... they are strange."

"What do you remember, BASIL? What did you see on the album?" Omori said, as the area transitioned from the dark abyss towards a black sky, before turning into what seemed like the bottom of the ocean, with giant black hands visible in the distance. "I remember... a jumping rope." BASIL said, trying to recount what he saw in the photos. "And... a tree. Then, there were... sirens, and sad faces. Everything... was dark, and MARI... OH GOD MARI."

And as he said that, he turned around to see his friend, who was unconscious. "Is she okay??" he asked, trying to see her without losing the grab of the hands. "She's asleep, BASIL. She's fine. She'll wake up later." Omori said. "Don't struggle. The hands could slip and let you fall if you keep moving. Don't be reckless."

"... Yeah, good thing no one's falling and won't ever fall. Ha hah..." BASIL responded nervously, before he got nervous. "OMORI, what about our friends!? AUBREY, HERO, KEL. They are still down there." BASIL said as the area transitioned into a canvas-like scenario, with the screeches of a violin echoing through the area. "I sent some hands to get them. Don't worry, we are ALL leaving." Omori assured, as BASIL came down. "Well, good to know." BASIL said with relief. "But, these hands... they look just like the ones that... you know what? Never mind. That thing that looked like you had to be on my head. You're my best friend, and best friends never hurt each other, right?" BASIL asked with a smile. "Yeah, BASIL. Don't worry, whatever that thing was it's gone."

And, as the scenario transformed into a black void and then transitioned into a bubbly world, the light of Headspace's sky shone brighter, the purplish glow replacing the previously dark abyss. "OMORI, look!!!" BASIL said excitedly, his typical friendliness and warmth resurging inside of him. "We are back home!!". And, as the hands held BASIL and MARI, and Omori kept walking through the stairs, he could see the sky once more. And, as two hands held Omori by the armpits, he jumped off the stairs and floated, while being held by the hands. "Flying's cool, right?" BASIL asked, happy to see his friend enjoy himself. "You know, I really missed you all. Down there I was so scared, so sad, and so... alone. But now, we can finally rest."

"Well, not without us!" they heard KEL scream as the two looked below to see them. KEL was being held from the back, his tank top stretching as he stretched out his right arm as if he were a superhero. AUBREY was held by the armpits as she made a position like if she were flying like that green kid with the fairy dust, just like in that movie they had seen before, while HERO... was panicking, clearly nervous. "We are so high..." he said, panicked but relieved to see his friends. "We were so worried, guys!" KEL said as he smiled at Omori. "Princess over here tried kicking down the door, but then... she found this super cool hands that we are using. Isn't this the best? We are flying! And by our own!!"

"Yeah, it is..." AUBREY said, clearly annoyed by the 'princess' nickname KEL had given to her. But, as she looked around, she saw... MARI. "MARI!" she said excitedly, calling the attention of everyone. "She's okay!! I knew you could find her, Omori. Now that scary monster won't hurt us anymore!!"

"Is MARI okay, OMORI?" HERO asked, relieved to see his girlfriend but worried for her safety. "What was she even doing down there?"

"Oh, I was just... 'hanging' around." they heard MARI say, which made everyone realize she had woken up a while ago. "I just wanted to see how much it took for you to realize I'm fine."

"Ha hah MARI, best prank ever sis!" KEL said excitedly, as HERO, AUBREY and BASIL looked at her with surprise.

"And little brother..." MARI said, the hands helping her settle into a more comfortable position as she floated with her friends. "I'm so proud of you for standing agains't that scary monster. I knew you could do it!"

"And now, we are all going home!" MARI said, as the group came from the crack and reached VAST FOREST, standing on their own as the hands dissipated, the group right at the side of the stump that allowed them to enter NEIGHBOR'S ROOM. But, as they saw the area, it was... empty. Everyone was missing, and some cracks were already starting to reform again. "Wow..." BASIL said, looking at the empty forest. "It's so empty. Do you think everyone's fine?"

"Hard to know, BASIL." AUBREY answered as she looked around. "Maybe they found more of those floating hands, and are already on their way up here."

"Yeah, I hope so, AUBS." KEL said, surprising AUBREY as he was not saying anything annoying to her. "Still, it was weird. First we were all on OTHERWORLD, but then a strange song started playing as everything collapsed. It sounded like a piano and a... violin, I guess. It sounded... beautiful, but it was scary."

"Well, we better try and throw a rope down there," HERO said as he pointed to a crack on the floor. "Before those things rebuild themselves."

"No need for that, buzos." they heard a familiar voice say, and as they looked around, they saw everyone returning as they were held by more hands. MIKAL was swinging happily on his Red Hand, VAN had six hands holding his body, before they dissipated into dust as he fell two inches to the floor, REN and SHAW were holding hands as each had a Red Hand grabbing them by the head, BOSS was holding two Red Hands as he floated closer to the ground and BERLY... was shaking excitedly as she positioned herself as if she were flying. "Wohoo... best flight EVER!" she said as the hands dissipated, falling to the floor in an epic pose, as her green tail shook quickly. "Heya guys! Glad to see you six were able to get safely!"

"BERLY, I'm so glad you are fine, and everyone else is alive too!!" AUBREY said as she and BERLY headbutted, as they laughed. "Is everyone else leaving?"´she asked.

"Oh yeah, no problem!" BERLY said. "As that freaking song blasted through the playground, we all fell into a beach. It looked super cool, butttttt we didn't know how to leave, so it sucked. Until those floating hands descended like if they were freaking angels and blasted us out of that hole. Some are still floating upwards, so everyone will be here in, like... 10 minutes?"

"That's great, BERLY." MARI said with a soft smile. "I'm glad everyone is fine, I knew we would all leave that void. Did you see someone else?"

"Yep, we saw CAPT. SPACEBOY in his spaceship, and PLUTO was there too. They said they were going to transport everyone out of the holes and into mainland once more. I could even see SWEETHEART, and OOOHHHH BOY, you wouldn't believe how scared she was. She was clinging to her hand like a scaredy cat and she was trembling more than a blender. It was hilarious."

"Well, good to know." HERO said, as he realized Omori was missing. "Huh? Where did OMORI go??" he asked, as everyone looked around, confused as to where did their friend go.

...

Welcome to Whitespace.

You've been living here for as long as you can remember.

And NO ONE will kick you out again.

As Omori passed through the door, he could see the emptiness of Whitespace once more. The floor was still cold, the laptop was still flickering, the lightbulb was gone, his sketchbook was inert and his tissue box was right alongside it. And meanwhile, MEWO was gone too. "He's probably down there." Omori said out loud, as he looked at the laptop. As he turned it on, he saw there was a new option: MAKE A VIDEO CALL. And, as he looked at it confused, he could see... a hospital room. There was a strange woman with red hair that seemed familiar, and some of her words were strange to Omori.

“Oh, honey. I would never hate you, we both know it was an accident. I forgave you a long while ago, but I must be sincere Sunny… I have been a pretty bad mom.”

“But I left you alone in a house with NO ELECTRICITY and with just sticky notes and pre-recorded messages on the phone! The only food that I left was a frozen steak, for crying out loud. Sunny, I know you love me, but still… I should have done more.”

"What does she mean?? He got just what he deserved..."

"But you don’t need to worry about him, about Aubrey, about any of them anymore. Once you are out of here, we’ll both go to our new home here in Elsewhere City. Then, it will be a new world for both of us, we’ll be able to start new, and I’m sure you will be able to get better.”

"It's useless, madam. He's hopeless. Killers like him don't deserve to live."

And then, the woman gave him a kiss said some more words, before leaving. He then saw a clock... 15:30PM. And then, he saw a TV, and then some flowers.

“... You should just die…” “People like you don’t deserve to live.” “They loved her, and you killed her.”

But, seeing the view shake up a bit as it looked at a strange machine, Omori realized... he could communicate with Sunny. That what he said, HE heard it.

And then, a single thought came through Omori's head... payback time.

"It's the end, Dreamer." Omori thought, trying to make Su-The Dreamer not realize who he was. He had a golden opportunity, and he was DETERMINED to make his life miserable. To give him back every single bit of pain he gave to others with his mistakes. And, as he started saying hurtful things and reciting what others said about him, together with the words he had said to the Dreamer during their fight, he eventually collapsed as the call was cut off, a flickering effect visible on the laptop. And Omori... couldn't be happier. He had the means to  enact his revenge over him, and then lead him to ending his life, and getting all the payback he could ever wish for. But, oblivious to him, a red energy filled his... spirit, giving him strength to survive, being prepared... to endure and to achieve his goal, no matter the cost or danger.

"Having the tools to enact revenge... fills you with DETERMINATION."