Chapter Text
"I DID THIS...
for...
She looked at her surroundings, covered in growths callously made in her image
for...
She looked in front of her; at the monster she created.
She could deny it no longer
me..."
As quickly as One whispered that final word, an indescribably powerful red aura surrounded her, lifting her into the air. She then felt an agonizing pressure all over her skin, which almost immediately began cracking under the pressure. Simultaneously, she felt as if her insides were being sucked into a vortex, further straining her body.
One had just reached the realization she should have had so long ago; That she was responsible for pushing everyone away.
That, while others had indeed wronged her in the past, that did not do anything to justify the damage she has done to so many others.
That she couldn't fix this.
"Pencil was right... Black hole was right...Even Fanny... Everyone hates me."
"Everyone...Three...?"
Three said nothing.
"Do you hate me?"
Three said nothing.
"Because...I...I-"
Before she could finish speaking, Three raised her hand, applying an exponentially higher amount of pressure than what she had be doing previously. One felt an unbearable, inescapable pain throughout her entire body as it began to crumble under such extreme force. She let out ear-piercing scream as she finally started to fully fall apart and everything became blindingly bright.
Because I hate myself too.
And that was that.
Until it wasn't.
One opened her eyes, gasping for air, clutching her chest with one of her limbs.
Immediately, all her senses were overwhelmed.
She could tell that she had awoken in what appeared to be a small field of grass surrounded by a dark wooded fence. However, everything looked and felt so...
Cluttered. That's the best way she could describe it at the moment. The grass was rougher than any that she had ever lay on. The fences had so many lines and patterns that it made her dizzy.
Everything was so dark, while at the same time being so bright. Everything had so many tiny details. It was almost completely incomprehensible! Her instincts told her that she needed to hide, fast.
One began to stumble forward, still not adjusted to her surroundings. She could hear all kinds of noises. A few were somewhat familiar while others were completely foreign. This was all too much for her.
”What is going on…?” She thought out loud.
What is happening? What is this place? Was this her punishment for being such a selfish, wretched-
*SLAM*
"OW!" One exclaimed after hitting something, falling backwards in a daze.
After a moment, she regained her footing, looking up to realize that she had stumbled into a glass door, about four or five times her height. Pressing her face into the glass allowed her to see that past it, there seemed to be a... living room? It was at this moment that One realized that she had landed in the backyard of someone's... or something's house. Looking to her right, she realized that there was a small gap between the door and the wall. It seems that this house's occupant did not close it fully. It also seemed that the gap was just big enough for her to fit through. In a fickle attempt to recompose herself, One took a deep breath and walked to the opening. Slowly, she began to squeeze herself between the gap. Despite it being clear by this point that she had not even small remnants of her power left, her body still had the elasticity that all Algebraliens naturally have. This allowed her to slowly but surely get past the gap and enter inside the house.
One immediately noted that it was much colder inside compared to the backyard, and that the overall atmosphere was less overwhelming, although it still felt extremely unnatural. Walking slowly through the living room, she began to take note of the surroundings. All the furniture in her vicinity towered over her. It was clear that whatever lived here was giant, at least relative to her.
On top of one of the massive drawers, there was frame with a picture. Squinting her eyes, she was just able to make out what seemed like... creatures? She was struggling to describe it further because, like everything else here, they were so detailed! Even after a minute of staring at the picture, the only thing she could confidently deduce is that these creatures had eyes, a head, a pair of arms and legs, and seemed to cover their bodies in clothing of varying appearance.
One continued dwelling deeper into the structure, cautiously looking out for any signs of something else being out there, until she found herself in front of an enormous staircase in the front of the house. a single step was nearly half her heigh, which meant she would have to jump all the way up the stairs. She contemplated if she even wanted to undertake the task. She barely had any motivation to do anything at all right now. What was the point?
This mindset changed very quickly when she heard the faint sound of footsteps coming from the door behind her. She froze for a moment, her brain briefly short-circuiting, until for the second time today, her instincts of self-preservation overrode all other thoughts in her mind. One hopped up the stairs as fast as she could, completely exhausting herself as she reached the top, only barely being able to drag herself out of the sight of the door right before it opened.
One held her breath, hearing someone enter the house. She flinched when it began to speak.
"Aw crap... I forgot to close it..." the thing said, with an annoyed tone. She heard as it walked towards the backyard door, making her let out a sigh of relief. This would buy her more time.
One quickly scanned her the new area she just entered, noticing an open door at the end of a hallway to her left. Maybe she could hide in there? She sprinted down the hallway, not taking care to quiet herself.
Her heart dropped as she heard a booming "WHO'S THERE?!" coming from the lower floor. Her dread grew exponentially as she heard heavy stomps coming up the stairs.
It knew she was here.
One dashed into the room without thinking. Unfortunately for her, the room was extremely dark as the lights were off and the blinds were covered, making traversing through it basically impossible.
She frantically staggered through the darkness, tripping and bumping on things she couldn't see. Her search for a hiding spot became even more desperate as she heard the footsteps getting closer and closer.
"Come on...!" One whispered to herself. She had to find a place to hide fast or she would be-
Suddenly, she was blinded by lights of the rooms being turned on.
She was too late.
Accepting whatever fate was awaiting her now, she slowly turned around to see the creature behind her, dwarfing her in size. It seemed to of the same species as those that she saw in the frame downstairs, although it didn't recall any of them looking exactly like this one. The creature was wearing grey pants and a buttoned green shirt, with it also wearing a pair of glasses. One of its hands on the light switch while the other was holding a hammer, prepared for a strike. It was making eye contact with her, wearing an expression that shifted to confusion to shock and bewilderment. The hand carrying the hammer fell, letting go of the weapon, which promptly smashed into the floor with a loud bang, making One jump.
Then it spoke once more.
"...One?"
A wave of dread entered her body, as well as an even larger wave of confusion.
How did this thing know her name?