Work Text:
B.L.A.C.K.S.P.A.C.E
A space filled with all sorts of negative, dark thoughts by a dreamer named Sunny. A place he so desperately wanted to forget that he created a wondrous Headspace over it. A place that is the end of the dream world... and yet, at the same time, its beginning.
The Stranger had been connected to this place for as long as he could remember. However... EVERYTHING and EVERYTHING connected to the truth had always been connected to Blackspace.
But being in this place... The Stranger only began three years ago... when Omori began "protecting" the dreamer from the truth.
And at that very moment... The Stranger, like Abby, was exiled to the very depths of the dream world. They both made the same mistake, albeit in different ways...
While Abby tried to reveal the truth to the dreamer directly... the Stranger (back when he was Basil) always did it indirectly. Photos from that day, the jump rope, the tree, the violin... many things appeared in WhiteSpace to provoke the dreamer's reaction, but... this plan failed. And in the end, just as Abby was sent to the Abyss, so the Stranger was sent to BlackSpace.
But... unlike Abby, who lost her self,Stranger did not forget. After all, the Stranger... is far more connected to the dreamer than anyone else. Even the three great beings of the dream world don't have such a strong connection with the dreamer. The only ones who have a similar connection are Omori and... SOMETHING. But why?
If SOMETHING received this connection from its origin... the Stranger and Omori's connection to Sunny are similar, because... the Stranger is also a part of Sunny.
If Omori is the dreamer's defense mechanism, rooted in hatred and "conscience," striving to "protect" Sunny, then the Stranger... is the complete opposite. True conscience, the desire to move on, Sunny's desire to LIVE—all of this is the Stranger.
Once upon a time Omori and the Stranger were similar (the desire to help the dreamer still unites them),
But the more the dreamer slept, the more the two diverged. Including their power over the dream world. With each passing day, Omori's power over the dream world grew, while the Stranger's powers diminished...
But after the Stranger was exiled, his power was concentrated in one place—Blackspace.
No matter how strong Omori's influence was... he couldn't do anything to Blackspace, and the Stranger took advantage of it. Every crack in Headspace was exploited. Every opportunity to talk to Sunny while he was in Blackspace.
But it was all to no avail... Omori's powers kept rolling everything back to the starting point. But...
STRANGER did not succumb
Every cycle he tried, every time he fought, and... these efforts paid off. Sunny, thanks to the Stranger's efforts, did not retreat further into his own existence. And there is still a chance that Sunny CAN continue, and... as long as this chance exists, the Stranger WILL DON'T GIVE UP.
And so the days, weeks, months passed... For three years, this unequal struggle between the Stranger and Omori for Sunny's life raged. This battle remained stalemate until...
SOMETHING HAS NOT CHANGED
It was ordinary for the Stranger. An ordinary day in Blackspace. The cycle was only just beginning. Only recently had the dreamer been close to discovering the truth, but Omori (that damned empty shell!) had stopped everything by pulling out Sunny... again.
The Stranger always felt angry at this moment. He'd only just managed to reach Sunny, only to have his progress reset again. But the Stranger had already accepted the difficulty of his task, and he simply waited for the loop to reset again.
There were no special activities for the Stranger in Blackspace (after all, this place was NOT created for entertainment), but he could always watch the dreamer's adventures in the dream world (and no matter how much effort Omori put into depriving the Stranger of this, he would still be able to do so). Here's Sunny inside Omori, going to bed with his friends. The Favorite watches over them all, guarding their sleep.
Now they're closing their eyes, and...
*Knock* *Knock*
"This is unusual," the Stranger thought, hearing the sound. When a dreamer sleeps, they almost completely ignore everything happening in the outside world.
Any sounds or movements. But... now, for some reason, he woke up to that knock. The Stranger saw through Sunny's eyes how he stared at the ceiling. The dreamer's emotions were discontent and surprise.
Sunny lay in bed for a while, until sleep began to overcome him again and...
*Knock* *Knock**Knock*
The knocking grew louder, and Sunny realized he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. Dissatisfied, he rose from his bed, slowly walked out the door of his room, and walked toward the front door. As soon as Sunny walked up the stairs, the space around him began to distort. Everything around him began to darken, the staircase grew longer, and its pins became dark, inhuman hands, reaching out toward Sunny. He was afraid, his body was shaking, his breathing quickened, but he continued on his way.
Now the dreamer was almost fully confronted with one of his phobias, but the Stranger, having a small influence on SOMETHING, decided to suppress the phobia a little this time. The space around the dreamer became normal again, the images began to fade, and Sunny calmly descended the stairs. The knocking outside the door grew louder as Sunny walked toward it. When he was already at the door, the knocking,suddenly stopped, but he hesitated to open it.
The man behind the door let out a frustrated sigh and, making some movements, began to speak:
-Um... is anyone home? Sunny?! Miss Suzuki?!-The voice waited for a moment for an answer, but when it didn't, it simply sighed—meaning no one... or Sunny was still in the room.The voice simply spoke for a while, but then began to shout.
-SUNNY!!! IT'S ME, KEL, YOUR FRIEND! I JUST WANTED TO WISH YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I BROUGHT A GIFT! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, COME AND GET IT!
But Sunny didn't come out... he was too stupefied to actually do anything (he couldn't understand why it was already his birthday, why Kel sounded different).
Receiving no answer, Kel let out another frustrated sigh.
-Today didn't work out either,- he said in a loud whisper.
-SUNNY!- he started shouting again. -I'LL LEAVE YOU THIS GIFT BY YOUR DOOR, OKAY?!- After these words, the sound of fading footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door where Kel was yelling.
When Sunny no longer heard Kel leaving, he decided to open the door.
When he did, he saw two things—a small vase with a White Heron flower and a box with a note attached.
Sunny carefully picked up these gifts and carried them to his room.
Once in his room, Sunny decided to open the gift Kel had given him. There was a framed photo of their group. Aubrey, Marie, Kel, Hero, Bezzil, and Sunny himself. For some reason, this photo caused a painful pang in Sunny's chest, as well as a strong sense of panic, but he simply ignored it. Sunny decided to pay attention to the note on the box. The note was signed.
"From Kel to Sunny. Happy 15th birthday."
Hi, Sunny! It's been a while, hasn't it? 3 years already... a lot has changed since that day before the concert, hasn't it?
I... I hope that at least this year we can all get together...
Sunny... a lot has changed.
Aubrey became a criminal, and she joined the "Hooligans" and now she's tormenting Bezzil for no reason...
Bazzil... he's become so withdrawn... I still haven't been able to reconnect with him.
Perhaps only the Hero isn't doing so badly... now he's gone off to study to become a doctor (though I don't think there was a good motive for that).
I'm holding up well! And I hope you are too... but if not, then... I won't rush you.
But just know - we all need you, Sunny... we all miss you, just like Marie.
From Kel, his good friend Sunny.
P.S. Happy 15th birthday, Sunny."
...
Three days had already passed since Sunny had received those two gifts. And the Stranger was incredibly happy about it.
And not only because the dreamer's friends still remembered him... When those two gifts were given... something began to change. The dreamer became more alert. His time in the dream world was getting shorter and shorter, but not yet enough in the Stranger's opinion. The White Heron flower... something about that flower reacted with the dream world. Headspace became filled with more "gaps" of truth. More events linked to it, more paths into Blackspace. And each such "gap" was accompanied by that flower. The Stranger couldn't help but rejoice at this.And the Stranger didn't immediately understand something. But his power over the dream world...gradually increased.
First, his control and perception of Blackspace began to change. Then he was able to influence Headspace. And even if he couldn't seriously control the world of Headspace, now he finally had the power to get rid of the main cause of all Sunny's troubles... Omori.
...
Omori wasn't feeling comfortable. From the moment the dreamer received those gifts, Headspace stopped working completely as Omori expected. More and more holes in Blackspace, more and more things connected to the truth. This couldn't help but unnerve him. Especially the fact that that idiot Stranger, taking advantage of this confusion, had begun to take action. This angered and frightened Omori at the same time. If the Stranger managed to reach the dreamer and reveal the truth, nothing would be right! That idiot couldn't understand how weak Sunny was... The truth would only make things worse for him. The dreamer would be better off if he remained ignorant. But there was one fact that terrified him beyond belief... he couldn't do ANYTHING about the Stranger. That figure was too tightly bound to Blackspace, and that essentially made him completely invulnerable to Omori's actions. The only thing he could do about the Stranger was seal him in Blackspace. And if all this unrest in the dream world continued... Omori wouldn't be able to do anything...
But he wasn't going to allow that to happen.
That's why he followed those red footprints in the White Space. He decided to act decisively. He might not be able to do anything against the Stranger, but he can weaken him and send him even deeper into the dream world, even deeper into Blackspace. Omori has nothing to fear; he's still capable of protecting the dreamer from the truth. He just needs to deal with one silhouette.
...
The place Omori found himself in was unlike any other place in Blackspace. The entire space around him was completely dark. Omori see nothing but red footprints. This only proved to Omori once again that he had to act. He only gripped his knife tighter and walked further into the darkness.
…
The Stranger knew it was risky. But at the same time, it was a brilliant solution. If he could get rid of Omori, then nothing could truly hold Sunny back anymore, and nothing would hinder him from moving forward.
The Stranger understood that the fight with Omori would be difficult, but something had changed. And this would lead to the Stranger being able to win. In the meantime… he would wait in the dark garden, hidden under a veil of another darkness. The only thing visible were the eyes—the lights of the Stranger—looking into the distance, at the approaching trail of red footprints.
…
The trail of red footprints stopped before two floating lights. Omori didn't have to think long about what those lights were.
"Stranger," Omori thought the moment he saw the lights. Omori didn't act first, waiting to see what his "opponent" would do.
Soon, the Stranger's voice rang out.
-So you really have come,- the Stranger's voice was devoid of any emotion. -I suppose you've noticed what's going on, haven't you? I suppose you're not particularly happy about it?- Omori could already detect a hint of mockery in his words.
-To be honest... under different circumstances, I wouldn't have dared to confront you directly. But now... now is the perfect opportunity-The Stranger's voice became audible from his sides. Omori gripped his knife tighter.
-You're too blind, a shell, unable to understand that the path you've chosen will only lead to problems for the dreamer. You so carefully hide everything connected with the truth from him. You eliminate everyone who tries to uncover it... You've shielded him from reality and from his friends... You know... it makes me so angry. Especially that you don't understand, and don't want to understand, that Sunny can handle this. Therefore...-the Stranger's voice became menacing. It echoed throughout this unknown place.
– I'LL STOP YOU HERE!!!
Suddenly, the darkness began to dissipate. And what Omori saw could truly frighten him...
The Stranger stood before him, a "mouth" now appearing on his face, glowing like his eyes.
The Stranger's entire body was enveloped by SOMETHING that extended its "tentacles" far into the room. Touching the walls and floor, the tentacles spread across the entire wall, forming a network intertwined with each other.
Omori immediately began to attack, only to be struck in the face by a spiked vine. Suddenly, vines burst forth from the walls and floor and began attacking Omori. At this, he summoned his red hands, and thus began the battle between them.
…
After several minutes of intense fighting, Omori finally received a mortal wound, but…
OMORI did not succumb
…
A few minutes later, Omori received another fatal blow and…
OMORI did not succumb
…
Omori had "died" several times already, but still did not succumb. But even so… Omori felt strange… As if some of his "power" was diminishing with each death…
And with each death, the Stranger struck with increasing ferocity…
Then he was pierced again by the garden shears and…
OMORI did not succumb
…
The Stranger's plan hadn't gone as he had hoped. In fact, he had expected it. He would have been surprised if the fight with Omori had been simple, but something was wrong.Omori had already died too many times, and yet he had never truly...But the Stranger felt strangely invigorated, as if... with each death of Omori, he grew stronger.
...
The Stranger finally understood one thing. He couldn't defeat Omori. Even with all this new power, even with his increased control over the dream world, he still couldn't overcome this shell.
The Stranger even seemed to know the answer to the question "why"...
Omori, the Stranger, SOMETHING, Abby, Humphrey, Favorite, and several others were incredibly connected to Sunny. But only three had the ultimate connection:
Abby—his imaginary best friend.
And Omori and the Stranger, who are parts of Sunny.
And Omori is too significant (as much as the Stranger would like to admit it) a part that no one can get rid of except Sunny himself.
No matter how many times the Stranger killed Omori, he would simply be reborn with renewed strength.
And when the Stranger acknowledged this... he conceived a new plan. Since he couldn't get rid of Omori by killing him... that meant he had to get rid of Omori by sealing him! Just as Omori had once sealed the Stranger and Abby ... so now those two would do the same to him.
But what did Abby have to do with it? Well...
Omori was already starting to get a little tired. And even though he received a new surge of strength each time he died... it still didn't help with the mental fatigue. This battle had been going on for too long. Omori couldn't do anything about it, but he wasn't giving up. He would fight endlessly until the Stranger tired. Although he was a little worried about how long it would take.There's also something that... worries Omori even more. The Stranger had stopped attacking Omori so fiercely. And that would be a good thing.
If it weren't for the Stranger. If he doesn't act with the same zeal all the time, then he's thinking, and if he's thinking... Omori needs to be prepared for anything. But before Omori could even think about it,...
The ground beneath Omori split open, and from the crack emerged... tentacles!? They suddenly grabbed Omori's arms and legs and began to pull him. He tried to fight them off with a knife, but his weapon was repelled by a thorn. He summoned red hands, but they were swallowed up by white flowers. Before he could do anything else, his body was enveloped by the vines that supported the tentacles. Before Omori was completely pulled underground, he heard...
"Omori... harm... to a friend..."
Abby... help... a dreamer...
I... contain... harm."
The Stranger only smiled, watching this. This... was his victory. The thought that he had won... It made him happy. A faint golden aura enveloped the Stranger's body.
-Everything will be alright... Now, Dreamer, you can finally start living. Everything will be alright...
...
White Space. You've been here too long.
Sunny looked around the White Space... in his body. The realization that he was in this place, in his body, didn't hit him right away. But when it did, Sunny felt uneasy. He decided to distract himself from the thought that something was wrong, that he wasn't Omori now, and went to his laptop to distract himself. But before he could even open the laptop, he heard...
-Hello, Dreamer. I've been waiting for you.