"Thanks for the papers, sir! This might help us get familiarized with this place!" Exclaimed Hero as he looked through the papers.

"Sure thing kid, we're stuck here together, and you and your friends seem to live in quite the peaceful place." Responded Roland.

"Hero! Are you done yet!" Asked Kel. "I want to enter one of the rooms! It sounds so cool!"

"One second!" He responded back. "Anyways, you sure they won't do us any harm, right?"

"Went into two of them and we only saw a different world, don't think there's going to be anything done to you and your group of friends." Assured Roland.

"Well if you want, I can enter with these kids too." Said a voice that came from afar. It was Argalia. "I'm curious, what would happen if I entered with these kids into a room? What sort of scene would it create?"

Hero frowned, he had a bad feeling about this individual.

Roland sighed. "I can't leave you alone, can I?" He growled.

"My, what's with this aggressiveness, Roland?" He asked.

The Black Silence stood silent. "Right... you're from before you came to the Library the second time." He reminded himself.

"Oh? Are you telling me you're from the near future?" Asked Argalia. "If that's the case... it seems I will be needing further preparation."

The Blue Reverberation smiled, however, deep inside he felt a bit frustrated, as it seemed that his plan to overtake the Library would fail.

"Uhm, I think I'll be leaving now." Excused Hero. "Thanks for the papers again, sir."

"Call me Roland, sir makes me feel older than I am." He mentioned.

"In that case, please, don't call me a kid, I'm an adult." Chuckled Hero.

The Blue Reverberation stood next to Roland quietly. He slowly started walking towards Hero.

"Seriously?" Sighed Roland.

Seeing as he couldn't leave his brother in law alone, the man in black started following the both of them as well.

In the end, Hero saw as the two Color Fixers were following him.

"This is... not gonna end well." He whispered.

He finally arrived at the place he told the others to meet up.

"About time." Commented Aubrey. "What are those other two doing behind you?"

"Roland decided to come to make sure... Mr. Argalia was it? Anyways, he wanted to come to make sure Mr. Argalia wouldn't do anything as he was following me." He explained.

Aubrey glared at the two unwelcome guests. She then sighed. "Let's just get this done with, I can't believe you've convinced me into doing this, Hero."

"Come on Aubrey, it's a nice way to catch up, don't you think? We can watch versions of ourselves in other worlds, perhaps we could revisit some nice memories, right guys?" He asked the others.

"You got it bro!" Cheerfully responded Kel.

As for Sunny and Basil. They were sweating bullets, could they end up having their secret revealed?

"But with the inclusion of that... weird man, it's definitely not safe. I don't think I can go through with the promise, sorry." Argued Aubrey as she pointed her bat at Argalia.

Roland felt his mouth twitch, he was unsure whether the girl was gutsy or simply had no idea who she pointed her weapon at.

Hero on the other hand looked pale and nervous, as Aubrey might have made a powerful enemy.

"Ah ah, that's a way to call me! Don't worry, I'm just as curious as all of you are!" Argalia chuckled.

Roland felt like he was only feigning ignorance just to not blow his cover.

He then saw the Limbus Company group without the Red Gaze appear again.

"Damn it Don Quixote! Can't you go one moment without running ahead?!" Yelled Ishmael.

"B-but look! It's the Blue Reverberation! Can't thou see?! We're in a hotel where thy greatest Color Fixers to ever exist have met!" Spoke Don Quixote.

"Woah! That's a cool clock!" Admired Kel.

"(How many people have told me that now?)" Wondered Dante.

"Two individuals." Replied Meursault.

"Ooooi, mind helping me out a bit? I want you to enter with these kids as well, I don't think leaving them with the Blue Reverberation might be a good idea." Asked Roland.

"We are not taking any order from anyone else aside from our mana-" Attempted to say Outis.

"Of course! Tis quest the Black Silence has requested upon us shall be completed!" Accepted Don Quixote.

"...I also agree." Responded Yi Sang. To which many looked at him as if he had said something ridiculous.

"Tsk, I'd like to get a drink or something to eat first, a good movie comes well with a cracked cold one with the boys." Replied Heathcliff.

"Yup, food goes well with entertainment, I'd like to get some chicken before we enter." Agreed Rodion.

"A few blankets and a comfy chair work well too!" Added Hong Lu.

"Using this moment to explore the inner workings of the rooms should suffice." Explained Faust. "This way, Faust will be able to come to an answer."

Sinclair then added. "We can't disobey the order of a Color Fixer... right?"

"I have nourriture." Declared Meursault, who had a few drinks and snacks in hand.

"What the-? Where did you get them chap?" Asked Heathcliff.

"The Bar outside the Hotel." He coldly answered. "Only that establishment exists outside."

"No way! They have Orange Joe!" Excitedly said Kel as he saw the man holding a can of said drink. "I thought they were discontinued!"

"Then, we are set now, right?" Inquired Sinclair.

"I can't believe we are going to enter another one of these..." Sighed Ishmael.

"Then, let's see what scene this room will show us, shall we?" Calmly asked Argalia as he was the first one to enter.

He was then followed by Roland and the Faraway gang, then the sinners.

The door then shut suddenly, scaring Basil.

Sunny looked around, the white room looked similarly to Headspace.

He wondered if there was some sort of connection there.

And the scene then changed colors, into a black space.

"We were neither gifted nor troubled kids, we were merely youth who knew normalcy."

"Do you remember the day of christmas?"

"Back then..."

"You worked together to give me a present."

"Or maybe..."

"It was the curse that I continued to deny."

"Well, that's certainly a start to a scene." Commented Gregor.

"This... is this perhaps talking about us?" Nervously said Basil.

"Seems like it..." Mentioned Hero.

"I knew we shouldn't have entered here... now we're going to see... those memories..." Aubrey said, saddened.

They would be seeing her again, those memories were bittersweet, yet they could never be able to see them in the same way...

At least for now.

"W-wait, is it insinuating that Sunny didn't like the gift?" Asked Kel.

Sunny shook his head, trying to deny what he believed to be the truth to him.

The entire place was completely destroyed, ice could be seen on the building as spears of ice pierced through the cars while people ran away. A blizzard obscured the view.

Screams of pain, horrified faces, yells of fear resonated in the cold field. The sound of ice breaking as it melted, allowed the buildings to fall.

In front of me, stood one of the sinners.

He was covered in ice, frostbite had already consumed his body, yet he stood there, he had no expression on his face.

Yet his eyes were those of desperation

"Turn... back."

Said Sunny.

"Sunny!" Screamed those who knew him.

"Oh... so is he a sinner in that world?" Asked Gregor.

"Why are you so calm about this?! Can't you see our friend is about to die?!" Bursted out Aubrey.

"Oi, watch your mouth, kid." Yelled Heathcliff. "You acted like you didn't care about the lad a few minutes ago, yet now you care about him?!"

Aubrey bit her lip. "That doesn't matter, it's about the fact that we are seeing someone die in front of us!"

"Well get used to it brat! We will be fighting this sort of enemy all the time!" Yelled Outis. "We're able to revive thanks to our manager."

Dante waved his hand.

"Woooah that's cool! ...Pun not intended." Said Kel. "...And also not Sunny dying being cool! I meant the part of being able to revive!" He clarified.

Basil held Sunny's arm with strength. He didn't want to see Sunny leave him like this.

And now that he found out he was moving out in three days, it made him even more scared.

Why would he leave him?

Thankfully, this place would allow him to spend more time with his best friend.

Though even so, the ticking time bomb of the day he would leave him would always be in his mind.

He didn't want to see his best friend go away.

"¡Interesante! Thou child looks extremely similar to Yi Sang!" Pointed out Don Quixote

"Ah... yeah, Sunny grown up does look like him." Agreed Hero.

I heard Sunny, the only sinner who was still alive at this moment. He said this with the very same tone he always used, yet I expected that he had used more effort to even utter those words.

The others were dead on the floor, bodies with parts of them missing, holes on their bodies, and a blue tint to them. They were like ice sculptures.

These fatal injuries were left by the abnormality.

Yet we were in the middle of a Nest.

Why was... an abnormality out here?

The abnormality pierced Sunny's eye with an ice spear while I was thinking.

I no longer had anyone who could answer my question.

Hero grimaced as he saw Sunny's dead body on the floor. Though he tried to calm himself as he saw Sunny behind hugged by a panicked Basil.

"H-hey! Basil!" He realized that the boy was no in a great state of mind. "Take deep breaths, Basil, come one... you can do it."

Aubrey simply gripped her bat with more strength while Kel didn't know what to do.

Sinclair looked at Basil, it felt as if the boy had gone through the same thing as him when the scene first mentioned K Corp. In a way, he felt empathy for the boy.

"What a gruesome scene." Commented Argalia. "Are there perhaps no Fixers deployed?"

"From the looks of it, they are still at K Corp. it might be possible this takes place right after the previous viewing... though in a different world." Concluded Roland.

"Though... what is that abnormality?" Asked Ishamael.

However, she first looked at the others. "You guys DID read the notes given to us by the Black Silence, right? About abnormalities and all that?"

"Affirmative." Answered Meursault. A few nods followed, some of the other sinners did not.

The scene changed back to the inside of Mephistopheles.

"Where will we be going now?" Wondered Hong Lu.

"That might not be the correct question to ask. This mission is centered around an individual." Explained Faust.

"An individual?" Asked Ishmael.

"We have a client." Responded Faust.

"Then, you're telling me we are now taking requests like a Fixer Office?" Inquired Ishmael.

"Oooohh? Hath our carriage begun to be frequented by requests now? ¡Que bien! It may take a bit until we are renowned!" Said a happy Don Quixote.

"Settle down. I'll explain." Declared Vergilius. "As you may know, Golden Boughs are a recent discovery."

"Thankfully, J Corp. and D Corp. had no interest in them when we visited their respective districts."

"That's why they were filled with Backstreet hooligans and ambitious Syndicates."

"Well, I guess we now know our route." Mentioned Gregor.

"J Corp... We're going to the gambling district then?" Said Rodion.

"So, we have visited at the very least three districts in that world?" Uttered Ishmael.

"But then, there are Wings that have realized their value, such is the case of K Corp. whose turf we are currently in."

Gregor raised an eyebrow. "Uh? But didn't we already collect the Golden Bough in K Corp's Nest?"

"There are no rules as to how many Golden Boughs can be found in a district." Explained Vergilius.

"Great... So we are going to stay longer in K Corp..." Nervously said Sinclair.

"Come on Sinclair, don't worry about it, we're going to be in a safe environment with the corporation." Assured Rodion.

"Didn't we just see an abnormality completely demolish us before?" Pointed out Ishmael.

"The distribution of Lobotomy Corporation facilities is spread unevenly through the City. Think of it as literal tree branches."

"Like the one connected to our estate's basement..." Mentioned Sinclair.

"Oh, you're a rich boy, ay?" Mentioned Heathcliff.

"Ah, are you perhaps also part of the higher side of society like me?" Asked Hong Lu.

"N-no, not really..." Responded Sinclair. "My parents... they owned a prosthetic company before." He said as he looked away in shame.

"Prosthetics are cool though! Imagine having a metallic arm! It would be so cool, like a robot arm!" Mentioned Kel. "Please! Tell me, if you were to ask for one, would you have gotten it for free?!"

"Kel... I don't think Sinclair has good memories about it..." Warned Hero.

Sinclair trembled in fear at the memories.

"Oh..." Kel said with a bit of guilt. "Sorry..."

"There's also the fact that there is no true definition of who owns a bough." Continued Vergilius.

"Which explains why everyone has been using the primitive rule of finders keepers."

"Like stumbling into a hidden treasure, right?" Added Rodion.

"Then... does that mean we accepted this request in exchange for ownership of the Golden Bough?" Asked Gregor.

"Specifically, they were the ones to make the offer."

"With a Golden Bough in line, we mus-"

"No, we get it, we have no other choice." Interrupted Ishmael.

"With that out of the way..." Vergilius sighed. "With the many times I've told you, you must behave in front of the client."

They then made a full stop. Some of them got flung onto the front while others tried to grab onto something.

"Verg, the road is blocked. Should I go around?" Asked Charon.

Vergilius sighed in annoyance.

"It's blocked?" Questioned Ishmael. "That's strange... We're in the middle of K Corp's nest, it can't be possible for a scene to-"

Before she could finish, a sharp spear of ice hit the front of Mephistopheles.

"Mephi got hurt..." Whispered Charon.

"Did... did we just get attacked?" Said a confused Rodion.

"A sharp spear made out of ice." Analyzed Meursault. "Traces of intestines covered in blood can be found."

"Doesn't look like your average skirmish." Commented Vergilius. "Get out there and deal with it, it's something you can probably handle. Come back once you're finished."

"Are we getting near the first scene we saw?" Asked Kel.

"Seems like it, the story telling might be in media res if that's the case." Commended Roland.

"Still with those literary terms Roland?" Inquired Argalia. "Even in the future, you don't seem to have changed much."

"What can I say? I like literature. I was planning to write a book one day." Said a wary Roland. "Though, my time isn't really that far away from when I killed you."

"...That won't happen this time." Said Argalia with venom.

"So is Sunny going to fight? What's his weapon?" Questioned Kel.

"A knife." Answered Yi Sang with reassurance.

If this kid was going to replace him, chances were, they were more similar than they would expect.

Sunny nodded, he did always make Omori wield a knife in Headspace.

"And, in the case we can't?" Asked Rodion.

"You'll get revived until you can." Answered Vergilius.

"(That's a way to tell them to die a thousand deaths...)"

"Ah... well then... of the bus." She said as she tried to imitate Vergilius.

The Red Gaze however, was displeased. "..."

"What? Made you not waste time telling us." Jokingly said Rodion.

"What will we see? I hope it's like those snowy lands where I used to visit!" Wished Hong Lu.

They all got out of the bus.

"Just as you saw through the bus. We are currently in the middle of a Nest." Explained Faust. "Trouble is uncommon in this side of the district."

"Then that means this is a special occasion?" Inquired Hong Lu.

Most sinners were on guard as they looked around to see any possible foe.

We then saw a person running away from one side to another.

The civilian then bumped into Heathcliff.

Before the hot head could say anything, the individual then notified. "P-please! Don't go that way!"

"Fret not! We've come to thy scene to save people like thou!" Assured Don Quixote.

"No we didn't, we didn't come here to save people." Clarified Ishmael.

"Oi, step aside will you? Else do you want me to clobber your face in?"

"Th-there's something a-ahead! Something that shouldn't b-be real!" Said the scared civilian. "I-I didn't know what was going on! I felt a-a bit colder and t-then people started screaming and last I s-saw was people frozen!"

"Did this entity appear not human?" Asked Meursault calmly.

"N-no! I-it did look human! But it was s-so so pale!" The individual responded. "But they were monstrous! I-I don't know if they were some sort of distortion!"

"If it looked like a distortion..." Ishmael widened her eyes as she realized.

We also thought the same, as we expected it to be exactly what we suspected. We went quickly to the scene.

"W-what is that thing doing?!" Yelled Sinclair.

They saw a female looking entity covered in ice, she had white robes while her face was covered by long white hair.

"Well, the distortion thing we were talking about, yeah? Like that chicken man from before." Responded Heathcliff.

Sunny took a deep breath the moment he got a closer look of the abnormality.

Sunny looked with wide eyes at the entity.

Why...

Why did she look like Mari's dead body?

He looked at Basil, who looked just as stunned as him. Their eyes turned red.

Kel, Aubrey and Hero were in the same boat, however, they all had different faces.

Aubrey had anger in her eyes, she did not want to be reminded of that event ever again, and she didn't want to see the dead body of her friend either.

Hero had tears going down his eyes. He could only mutter. "T-this... this is too cruel." It was as if life had sent him a cruel joke.

As for Kel, he looked away, he attempted to not have a frown on his face, yet he couldn't because he was trembling too much.

As for him, he was trying to take deep breaths.

"I can feel it."

Sunny quickly turned around, only to see Yi Sang grabbing his shoulder.

"That broken spirit, you also have it, don't you?" He inquired.

Sunny didn't say a word.

"You're suppressing it, just like me." He declared.

Sunny felt even more nervous.

He was getting stressed out.

"You are suppressing yourself for comfort." He continued. "You are but a remnant of what you used to be, and you relied on another version of you to continue on."

Sunny still remained silent.

Why... Why did this man look like him? Why did he know all of this?

"Did you wish to become the ideal version of yourself as well?" Asked Yi Sang.

Yet he gained no response in return.

In the end, Yi Sang remained by the side of the boy.

Slowly, it seemed as Sunny was separating from his group of friends while meeting a reflection of himself.

"(No... this one isn't a distortion, but an abnormality. I know it...somehow.)"

"As Dante mentioned, it is more than likely an abnormality. Our manager is able to, let's say, sense it." Explained Faust.

"(But then... Why?)"

"(Why is there an abnormality in the streets of K Corp's Nest?)"

"Faust does not recall any information regarding this oddity." She replied. "Most Lobotomy Corp. facilities were shut down after the fall of said corporation."

Like that place Yuri told us about, but I then ignored any mention of her, she brought too many sad memories.

"Though, even when an Abnormality breaks out, there should have been a report given to us regarding this incident." Continued Faust. "It is unlikely that LCC was unable to notify us in time."

"LCC?" Asked Sinclair.

"The Clearance Department of Limbus Company." Responded Faust. "It is divided into LCCA and LCCB, they are the after and before parties respectively."

"The LCCB specifically is the department assigned to scouting the location before we come in to go take the Golden Bough."

"Is K Corp sending troops to take out this abnormality?" Inquired Sinclair.

"Rather than suppressing it, they are getting suppressed themselves with the ice." Commented Ishmael.

"Reminds me of that time we got wiped in D Corp's District." Recalled Gregor.

"We first had to take care of that chicken guy, and now this? Seriously... why is K Corp so..." Ranted Rodion.

But then, as we were talking...

"Oh bloody hell!" Screamed Heathcliff as an ice spike narrowly grazed him. "What are we doing just standing here?! We should take out that Abnormality before it does with us!"

Outis sighed. "You are incredibly mistaken. Has that yellow haired crazed maniac finally burrowed her ideas into your brain?"

"Ouh? Pray tell who this crazed maniac thou means?" Inquired Don Quixote.

"It's you." Thought a few sinners..

"Vergilius specified that we only need to come back once the commotion has been handled. Not the fact that we needed to deal with it ourselves." Informed Outis.

"Goodness sake, what sort of loophole are you trying to exploit?" Asked Heathcliff. "Seriously, didn't you see the fact my head almost got pierced through, you numbskull?! If we leave it there, who knows what it will do to us!"

"What other option do we have?! Are we going to just pop a cold one while we watch this chaos unfold?! Uh?!" Continued Heathcliff.

"We have no reason to waste time by entering unrelated battles." Informed Outis. "Let me put it in a way your thick skull can comprehend... The more you die, the less useful you are in battle. Experiencing death and coming back will only make you fear it even more."

The rest were silent for a moment.

"We become numb to death the more we experience it, it should be the other way around. Don't you think it's better to enter the fray?" Challenged Sunny.

"And then become reliant on that power? I think not. We will become reckless as we mindlessly enter fights." Refuted Outis. "Furthermore, are you ignoring the pain our executive manager may go through? It is bound to happen, that we have to revive after each death, but we are simply hurting him with useless fights!"

"Do you truly believe he'll revive you next time if he decided that you were mere cannon fodder?" She continued.

They both glared at each other.

"The second time this kid talks, and he's already butting heads with Outis." Mentioned Rodion.

"Both sides do have their own points, though I'd say that I'd rather not die many times." Added Gregor.

"That's sort of a smart way of thinking though, albeit it might be easier said than done inside your work of field." Commented Hero.

"Matter of fact, why did Sunny even talk?" Asked Aubrey. "I don't mean it like he shouldn't have, but he's always been the quiet type, so being defiant is odd to me."

"Like the previous viewings, every one of the people who ended up appearing had their personalities changed quite a bit, though there were still a few traits of them still present." Explained Roland.

"S-Sunny doesn't talk much... b-but he does get easily frustrated." Explained Basil. He knew that, he was supposed to know that, after all, he was his best friend.

"Uhm... people are dying as we speak though?" Pointed out Sinclair.

"Life matters not so long as it is suppressed." Refuted Outis.

"Machiavellianism" Uttered Sunny, at the same time, Meursault replied the same exact thing.

Outis then spat. "And I wasn't expecting for a kid with no experience who continued to whine and call their parents to even suggest self sacrifice out of their own volition."

"Oi, Outis, don't you think that's going a bit too far?" Said Rodion.

"If you become sentimental in battle, do you believe you'll be able to survive? I've shared plenty of people in the past who have done the very same thing, and in the end, they all met the same demise." Outis argued.

"That same sentiment might be the reason why your morale is so high though." Pointed out Hero.

"Why do you say that?" Inquired Outis.

"Uhm... think of it this way, with your emotions, you get to truly go all out as you try to protect what you love." Argued Hero.

"Then tell me, would your own corporation be more important? Or would it be love? Are you willing to desert just because there is something you find more important exists? There is no point in continuing if you can't even put your mind into the objective! That sentimentality can be weaponized against you." She asserted.

Hero stayed quiet, as he had no comeback from that.

"Has death become trivial to you?" Glared Outis.

Sinclair didn't talk back, be it because he was intimidated or because he had no response. Sunny on the other hand decided to not speak, even when he looked like he wanted to.

"If we were to make a move at the moment, her argument is well founded." Added Meursault.

We're not Fixers, nor are we heroes.

And turning back the clock will always be painful for me no matter what. I just can't get used to it no matter how hard I try.

Even so...

"(We must suppress it. I can't explain the reason behind it. But I believe we should.)"

Outis looked shocked at the order.

"Good to see we're on the same page, I would have smashed that clock had you told me the same bullshit." Smiled Heathcliff.

"If that is your order, then I shall follow it." Said Meursault.

Gregor sighed. "Very well then, I believe you made the right decision, I guess."

Sinclair then shily said. "Uhm... thank you for making that decision."

"You worry so much for so little, clock. You have no essence of an artist." Said Ryoshu.

Outis then seemed to have accepted the decision. "These are orders from you, Executive Manager, I shall follow them."

"Grit your teeth, we are guaranteed to die at least once." Mentioned Sunny.

They all walked towards the abnormality, ready to battle.

Faust on the other hand, stood next to me as she gave me a peculiar look.

"(What may it be? Did you perhaps think my decision was nonoptimal?)"

"No, I simply express interest in when you will finally recover your memories." She claimed.

The ominous comment made by Faust left me with further questions. However, I wanted to deal with the mysteries that were right in front of me before.

"(Are you truly happy with the way things have gone? Of how the other sinners and I treat you? Especially when you're talented."

"Faust does not mind, furthermore, the term talented may not describe Faust." She responded. "Many may hold talent, Faust does not want to be included in the many."

"I am instead a genius." She proclaimed.

"And do keep in mind."

"Do not use those terms in front of Sunny."

Sunny, who had been walking along the other sinners, suddenly stopped. He looked at Faust and I for a moment.

Yet his eyes...

Was it just me?

Or were they red for a moment?

Wait, didn't he mention something about geniuses before?

As if Sunny had read my thoughts, he responded. "Manager, do you remember what I told you when we first me?"

"Have you ever seen a dying genius in front of you?"

Shivers ran down the few who weren't as battle hardened.

"Was... was Sunny talking about Mari?" Whispered Kel as he asked Hero.

"I'm not sure, but Mari was indeed talented when it came to playing the piano." He responded.

"Red eyes... that would be the second person we know who can do that." Remarked Ishmael.

"Probably has nothing to do with Vergilius." Added Heathcliff. "He's probably not experienced like most of us in battle, nor is he an incredibly intelligent person, but he seems like the most average member of the sinners."

"And I think that's enough to deal with the job." Concluded Heathcliff.

Basil looked at Sunny, who was still frozen.

"Have you ever seen a dying genius in front of you?"

Was he talking about Mari?

Basil also tensed up.

"These kids don't seem as mentally well as you though, Roland." Joked Argalia.

"We're not from a crazy world like yours, we are mere teenagers who are coping with the loss of someone dear." Growled Aubrey.

She had long accepted the fact that Mari would never come back, but she still missed her. She didn't blame Mari for leaving them, instead, blamed everyone else who had left her out of their own volition.

"Ah, in that case, that might explain why Faust didn't want anyone to mention those words in front of Sunny!" Concluded Hong Lu.

"I don't think so." Refuted Sinclair. "Faust doesn't seem the kind of person to really care about that?" He said as he tried to make it sound as delicate as possible.

"A dead genius... Mmm... that might give me an idea for my next work." Smiled gleefully Ryoshu.

"Geniuses are so delicate, don't you think?" Continued Sunny.

"The moment they make a mistake, they are no longer seen as such."

"And yet, those who lack talent, they are casted away so easily without a second thought."

"..." Yi Sang thought a bit about that message, just what did this kid go through?

He looked at Sunny, who he had been hugging unconsciously.

Sunny then looked at him.

They then looked back at the scene again.

Perhaps... he wanted the boy to prove a point.

Perhaps you didn't need to be at your best to spread your wings.

Perhaps there was no need to have perfect wings.

He then left with said message.

In a way, I wondered if I truly had become close with them.

Just like with Sunny, we had no idea of the background of most sinners, the only ones we knew of were those of Gregor, Rodion and Sinclair.

The named individuals recoiled in surprise.

It seemed their past would be the first ones to be exposed during the journey.

"What are these flying machines? They have been pestering me for so long. I might S.T.A if they want to continue being a nuisance." Declared Ryoshu.

"Those are drones." Said Sunny.

"Ah, K Corp might have sent them to help us in this fight." Assumed Ishmael.

"It seems not, they are not equipped for suppression, furthermore, they appear to have a camera attached to them." Said Faust.

"Well... I guess some people do want to see this mess, especially in a well off Nest." Concluded Ishmael.

"Oooooh! Will we end up within the so-called news?!" Excitedly said Don Quixote.

"H-hey, there's something wrong with them..." Called Sinclair. "Why are they only filming the dead bodies?!"

"Well, it's that kind of shock that always makes an impact in the news." Commented Gregor.

"They'll probably be talking about how terrible this situation is." Added Rodion. She then looked at the boy. "Wait Sinclair!"

But it was too late, an ice stake had been shot towards him.

"(Sinclair!)"

Meanwhile, the others were too busy taking care of the abnormality.

Ryoshu then expressed. "I don't like an emotionless audience." She then slashed at the drone.

"There are a lot of them." Mentioned Meursault. "They are also preventing us from entering the Abnormality's enclosure."

The drones then started warning us about the danger, as well as telling us that we should leave.

Sunny meanwhile was the first to ignore them as he pushed forward.

In the end, we had to fight against the drones.

"That kid really doesn't care, does he?" Stated Ishmael.

"I like the kid, he ignores whatever nonsense people tell him." Remarked Heathcliff.

"W-well, Sunny was always the kind of person to not really speak and have actions express themselves." Explained Basil.

"You good bud? You've been shivering this whole time." Asked Gregor.

"U-uhm, yes? I think?" Tried to answer Basil.

Though the anxiety continued to increase inside them as each second passed.

The scene changed

They were now in front of K Corp's building.

"Ah, it seems like it has been skipped again." Pointed out Gregor.

"I want to see us fight triumphantly!" Declared Don Quixote.

"Hey don't you think we've skipped quite a bit?" Asked Roland.

"It is possible that there was nothing relevant, Roland." Answered Argalia.

Roland was still very wary about Argalia, it seemed as both of them had reduced their talking as to keep an eye on each other.

We all walked into the building, only to be met with a peaceful lobby.

"Seems like we are renowned enough to visit places people usually take as residence." Commented Hong Lu.

"Just a warning, if this reward ends up being a load of baloney, I'm out." Warned Heathcliff.

"Oh! You're finally here!" Said an excited female voice.

One which Basil recognized.

"P-Polly?" He uttered.

"You know her Basil?" Asked Kel.

"Y-Yeah, she's the caretaker of my grandmother." He answered.

"If that's the case, then she must be replacing someone from that world as well." Concluded Roland.

"She's..." Muttered Outis.

"It's good to meet you again! Sorry for deceiving you before!" She apologized.

A familiar face had come to greet us again when we never expected it.

"Yeah, I'm out." Declared Heathcliff.

"(Give her a chance, let's at least hear what she has to say.)"

"Oi, Back off mate! Don't you know the damn fear I get thinking about those damn chickens?!" Screamed Heathcliff.

"Really Heathcliff? Chicken?" Deadpanned Rodion.

"Why's my future self scared of chicken?!" Yelled a confused Heathcliff.

"I-it's probably just an Abnormality or Distortion we've met." Assumed Sinclair.

"Then it better have been some scary ass monster, else I'm going to go ape shit!" Screeched Heathcliff.

"(It appears we've met her before though.)" Mentioned Dante.

"And also scammed us from the looks of it." Added Gregor.

"P-Polly isn't the kind of person to do that!" Defended Basil. "I-it must have been s-some sort of misunderstanding."

Rodion then whispered to Sinclair. "Are you sure you're not related to that kid?"

"W-why do you say that?!" He stuttered.

"The last test was meant to measure your capabilities, sorry about that." She apologized with a smile. "You passed without problems! I congratulate you! Honest!"

"Who are you to put tests and shit you bit-" Roared Heathcliff as he was then cut off.

"She didn't put you into this. That was me." Revealed a voice. "Thank you for having to put up with my silly suggestions Polly."

He then looked at the group. "You must be Limbus Company, I assume?"

"..." The Faraway Gang remained silent as they saw the person who entered the scene.

"Basil?" Was what Kel said.

"M-me?" Stuttered the boy.

Yi Sang looked at the boy in the scene. "That attitude..." He muttered as he saw the version in the scene.

"Well look at you! Working for a well renowned corporation." Celebrated Rodion.

"Quite the accomplishment, I assume?" Said Hong Lu as he clapped for the boy.

"Of course it is!" Replied Rodion.

"So then... we have Sunny, Basil, and Basil's caretaker, Polly appearing in this version?" Recalled Aubrey.

Kel was the first to recover from the group. "Hey! Do you think we'll also appear?" He said as he looked at the others. "Guys?"

"Maybe..." Muttered Hero. "God... this is so jarring." He said as he put a hand on his forehead as he tried to process what was happening. It did take a bit for him to realize, but it finally clicked inside his head that they were seeing a different version of them, in a hotel, that was not even from their world.

"It's a pleasure meeting you! I am Basil. I heard a lot about you through Polly. It made me a fan of yours."

"A fan?! Tis reality?! Hath thou proclaimed to be a fan of us?!" Excitedly said Don Quixote.

"It's just flattery, Don..." Explained Rodion.

"As I mentioned, the test was my idea. I wanted to see what sort of blooming talent each one of you had." He said as he smiled. "Please understand that your company is still sort of unknown due to its recency. I will give my own recommendation to your company after we finish without a contract."

"It was also to make sure there was enough proof so that my suggestion to allow you to work with us would pass, as my word alone wouldn't be enough to convince the higher ups." He added.

"Hey, Basil! You seem much more confident in that world!" Expressed Kel.

"I-it seems so, y-yeah." He replied.

"It's probably normal, he's far older in that world than here." Grumbled Aubrey. "You don't always stay the same way after years..."

"You seem quite responsible, I'm glad you've grown up well, Basil." Complimented Hero with a soft smile.

"The kid seems reliable, I'll give him that." Added Ishmael. "Unlike a CERTAIN someone!" She said while thinking about Vergilius during the past viewing of the world.

A few of the sinners felt attacked, even when it wasn't towards them.

Basil was overwhelmed with the small compliments.

"So you're requesting our help?" Asked Ishmael.

"Of course! It's because..." Basil then trailed off.

"..."

"How about I show you my workplace while I explain? There's quite a bit to talk about, and I want you to not get bored standing here." He inquired.

"Are you sure, Basil?" Asked Polly.

"Why not? They've proven their worth, I should show some hospitality to the guests as well!" He reasoned.

"He's incredibly nice for someone we just met." Commented Gregor.

"Why do you say that? He acts like people normally did around me?" Said Hong Lu.

"Rich boy, in the Backstreets, this sort of treatment is either too good to be true, or non-existent." Responded Heathcliff. "I don't know what sort of comfy life you've been living up till this point, but you have to forget it."

"You reckon he is planning something?" Asked Sinclair.

"Basil isn't the type of person to do that!" Defended Kel.

"He is giving me the same feeling as Argalia though." Muttered Roland.

"What was that?" Said Argalia.

"Nothing, nothing."

"Oh! Before I forget! You must be Dante, right?" Called Basil. "I would like to talk to you for a moment."

Basil pulled away as Faust tried to inform him that I couldn't talk directly to him.

"(I mean, sure, but I'm not sure you can understand me...)"

"Oh, don't worry, I do." Revealed Basil. "You could say I have experience trying to talk to people like that, most have their own ticks and gestures to express a message."

"(W-wait, really)?"

"I mean... how else would I have responded to your question." He pointed out.

"(Wait, are you also able to understand me?)" Dante asked.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying." Apologized Basil. "But, I think I know w-what other me means."

"I guess talking to Sunny gave you that skill!" Joked Kel.

"More like talking to his plants!" Remarked Aubrey.

"M-maybe..."

"This kid continues to impress us." Remarked Rodion.

"Impressive indeed, to be able to hear our manager, they must feel very special." Added Outis.

"Anyways..." He then took a deep breath. "I know someone in your group."

"In fact, he was my best friend."

"(Oh? Who may that be?)"

"Sunny." He answered. "But... even though I know he recognized me... he didn't make any move to greet me..."

"(Perhaps he was embarrassed as well? Or maybe you weren't as close as you thought.)"

"No, I know Sunny, even if he's shy and has a hard time expressing himself... He'd always make some sort of gesture." He explained.

"Do you think... he hates me?" He asked. "O-or maybe... he just doesn't want to see me anymore?"

"(Basil?)"

"What if he just no longer wants to be my friend? What if he DID want to leave me?" Basil started to sweat.

"(H-hey! Calm down!)"

"Jeez kid, you're clingy in that world, don't you think?" Commented Heathcliff.

Basil clenched his fists as he also started sweating bullets.

"Oh, no shot." Said Heathcliff with a deadpan look. "He's seriously tha-" He was cut off by another person.

"You're a freak Basil." Declared Aubrey.

"A-Aubrey! You can't just say that to our friend!" Said Kel.

"Friends? Since when were we friends?!" Yelled Aubrey. "All of you decided to leave me after Mari's death!"

"So don't you dare call me your friend." She menacingly declared. "And Basil is just as weird as ever!"

"He was the one who scribbled on the pictures! And look at him now! He's nervous! He probably is thinking the same as the one on the scene!" She accused.

"Aubrey! Enough!" Yelled Hero. "I know this is all hard for you! But it's also hard for every one of us!"

"That calm demeanor the kid showed was completely gone the moment he started talking about Sunny." Pointed out Gregor. "There has to be some sort of unhealthy trauma from that."

"M-maybe Basil was close to this Mari all of you have been talking about? And from there he wanted to protect his best friend who looked like her?" Suggested Sinclair.

"No, Basil was always closer to Sunny than with Mari." Revealed Hero. "I think he's just scared that Sunny might do something rash after the death of Mari..."

"What do you think the other version of Sunny in the scene will react?" Wondered Hong Lu.

"He had a look that was inexplicable." Stated Meursault.

"This is really interesting." Commented Argalia.

"Of course you would find this interesting." Muttered Roland.

"(Should we stop the kids from fighting?)" Inquired Dante.

"Don't, I find this entertaining." Ryoshu said.

Meanwhile Yi Sang had a hand on Sunny's shoulder, comforting him.

Sunny had all sound drowned out as he took deep breaths.

"Ah... sorry, I might have gone too far again..." Apologized Basil. "I was really close to Sunny back then you see... and we all sort of parted ways so suddenly after... an incident."

"So meeting him here was really, really surprising for me."

"..."

"I want to reveal to you why I actually made you come, or rather, one of the reasons."

"(What?)"

"I knew that Sunny was part of your group, and I know what the Golden Boughs can do."

"(You do?)"

"Yeah, but the reason why I made this deal was... because I want to relieve Sunny from his past traumas."

"I want him to finally move on from the death of his sister..."

"And the only way to do it, is for him to finally accept the truth."

Sunny's and Basil's blood ran cold.

They would reveal that dark secret after so many years.

Their eyes turned red, extremely anxious as to how the others would react.

"Sunny... are you still unable to move on from her death?" Softly asked Hero. "I can understand you... she was your sister... but, if you need help talking about it... you can tell us, please?"

No... they wouldn't understand, they didn't know the truth. He needed to hide away the truth.

"What a nice friend." Smiled Sinclair.

"Oh! a noble reason indeed! Tis a win-win situation for everyone." Commended Don Quixote

"Aaaah, seems like this one is going to be smooth sailing." Said Rodion as she laid back on the floor.

"Ah, there are also a few side quests so to speak, you see, we're also under attack by a Syndicate."

"You just had to jinx it, didn't you." Said an annoyed Ishmael.

"Whoops." Smirked Rodion.

"Anyways, let's get moving, shall we?"

"(S-sure!)"

We then made our way into the laboratory. We walked through the aisle as we looked through the transparent walls made of glass.

"We're at the laboratory's aisle! Usually visitors aren't allowed from this point onward, but I believe Basil would allow you to go deeper, right?" She informed as she looked at Basil.

"Yes, please, give them a further tour if you'd like." He affirmed.

"Woooaaah... I once hoped to work at a company like this!" Admitted Sinclair.

"You could have applied to one due to your background, why didn't you though?" Asked Rodion.

"You're kidding, right Rodion? Ony a very few are even hired in this place. Only the elite of them all can make it in." Remarked Ishmael. "Someone like Faust."

"(I do wonder as well, why did you enter this company, Faust? With your abilities, there must have been some decent options.)"

"Because I am Faust." She responded nonchalantly.

"(...)"

In the end, I decided not to push the topic.

"(What about all of you?)"

"Had no other option."

"I was forced to."

"I thought it would help me do what I wanted."

"Just because."

"Tis will be the foundation for my career as a Fixer!"

"..." Sunny remained silent.

"Look at all that glowing green stuff!" Pointed out Kel. "Science can be so cool looking sometimes!"

He then turned to Hero. "Hero! Do you do something similar at med school?"

He chuckled. "No, unfortunately I don't, I mostly sit down and study for my next exam."

Kel looked disappointed. "Aaaww, that's boring."

"Still not wanting to answer, ay?" Taunted Heathcliff as he looked at Faust.

"We all have our own reasons Heathcliff, might I remind yours?" She retorted.

Ishmael wasn't exaggerating about the needed qualifications.

The room was completely silent, with the exception of a glass or two as they were moved. This sort of lack of sound could only be achieved with maximum concentration.

"Dante, Dante, Dante! Look! That fridge is completely filled to the brim with snacks! We could take one or maybe more and no one would notice." Talked Rodion.

That silence was broken the moment we entered.

"Sure, go ahead. You can take as many as you want! I'll ask someone to also make backs with them when you leave." He welcomed.

"This feels nice! Ishy, think we could quit and join this place?" Suggested Rodion.

"Rodya, don't say that outloud..." Said an annoyed Ishmael.

"The contract tells..." Started saying Faust.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding, Faust." She smirked.

"Well, let's talk about the request..." Proceed Basil.

"Basil, you actually brough outsiders inside? Thought you'd chicken out." Said a new voice.

"Wait... Angel?" Said Aubrey.

"You know him, Aubrey?" Asked Hero.

"Yeah, he's part of my friend group." Explained Aubrey.

"Oh! So he's one of the Hooligans?" Interjected Kel.

"The Hooligans... what type of name is that?" Muttered Gregor.

"Must be a fun bunch!" Complimented Hong Lu.

"Though, seeing him be so friendly to Basil is new to me." Mentioned Kel.

"What do you mean by that, Kel?" Questioned Hero.

"Well, that's because Aubrey and her group always bullied Basil!" Explained Kel.

"Aubrey!" Yelled Hero.

"Don't yell at me! He deserves it for the photo album!" She reminded.

"No, that's not it!" Pointed out Hero. "I know you're mad at him for what happened, but you shouldn't bring people unrelated to the problem."

"If that's how you want to play, then you or at the very least just your brother should have been there to ask him as well!" Refuted Aubrey.

"Ah! I should tell you who this is!" Mentioned Basil. "His name is Angel, he's the manager of the department right next to mine."

"He usually hurls taunts at me from time to time, and he comes here just to do that every day." Teased Basil.

"Fufufufu, how funny, you decided to omit the part where I also come here to check how you spend all the money on useless stuff." Angel remarked.

"You won't be saying that when I end up snatching the department of the year trophy again from your hands." Basil shot back. "How many times have we won now, Polly?"

She giggled. "We've won each single one, Basil."

Angel grunted. "Just you wait, I'll make sure I win this time!"

"Mmm, is this a rivalry? This one seems healthy at least." Commented Gregor.

"Two rivals who push each other to their highest point is essential for our departments, even if Angel doesn't want to admit it, it has been helpful to keep both of our departments stand out." Explained Basil. "Oh, just so you know, I'll be sending your department a few presents as thanks." He taunted.

"I was already on it, do you have anything you'd want to add Angel." Said Polly as she joined in.

"... Send a few noodles with extra sauce." Muttered Angel.

"Wow, I've never seen Basil handle a conversation this well in a while." Said an amused Hero.

"Seeing Angel get completely dunked on is a view I don't mind, honestly." Admitted Aubrey.

"Well, don't you guys remember back then? Basil was more outgoing back then! Remember when he'd smirk each time he took a photo of us while surprising us?" Reminisced Kel

"Yeah, you're right, it seems like that version of Basil was able to move on after years." Smiled Hero with a bit of sadness, as he wished back to that time.

"I can think about a certain duo that comes to mind regarding rivalries..." Said Sinclair as he looked at Heathcliff and Ishmael bickering like they always did.

"I've seen books about this sort of scenario! They usually end up together!" Added Hong Lu.

A bat and a shield were thrown at him. Which did no damage.

"... Thanks for that cursed image..." Cringed Aubrey as she thought about Angel and Basil together.

Basil then cleared his throat. "Well, back to the main topic."

"I know exactly about the Golden Boughs, and what they can do."

"How did you discover the existence of Golden Boughs?" Asked Outis.

Basil took a deep breath. "Let's just say, I've been stalking you with a drone ever since you arrived at the Nest." He revealed.

"You... were stalking us?" Said Heathcliff with a tone of weariness.

"(That... might explain how you were able to learn my patterns without directly meeting me.)"

"Our drones are used to surveil the entire perimeter in case any innocent civilian ends up injured." Explained Basil. "We care a lot about our civilians."

He then sighed. "Unfortunately, we were unable to do anything when N Corp. Inquisition was at that place."

Sinclair frowned at the mention of his hometown.

At the sametime, Sinclair had figured out what was going to happen before, yet he still wanted to deny it. "So we did end up going there..."

"Sorry kid, I guess you were right in the end." Apologized Rodion.

"No... I needed to face my fears sooner or later." Said Sinclair.

Basil looked at Sinclair with a new light.

If only he could do the same.

No, he wasn't the one who needed it.

He then looked at Sunny.

It was his best friend. Sunny needed to finally face it, so that he could realize that he had no fault on it.

He was too kind, there was no way he could have done such an atrocity.

"That's a bit different from the K Corp we know." Added Roland.

"Why do you say that, Roland?" Asked Argalia with a sinister smile.

"K Corp, as you know, does have the ampules to heal whichever injury, however, they do not do this sort of surveillance." Explained Roland.

"Then, that means that Basil ordered this sort of procedure?" Suggested Hero.

"Most likely." Concluded Roland.

"You're really kind Basil!" Complimented Kel. "You might end up becoming more of a doctor than my brother!"

"Eh eh..." Laughed awkwardly Basil.

"In that case, have you also researched Abnormalities?" Questioned Faust.

"Most certainly. They are fascinating to say the least." Expressed Basil.

"Fascinating? More like nightmare fuel..." Muttered Heathcliff.

"Be glad that I didn't ask Polly to throw a rock at one of the chickens." Joked Basil.

"It is truly sharp of you to gain intel through us, I assume you've been following us through each single Abnormality we've encountered?" Asked Faust.

"Mmm, yes, indeed." Affirmed Basil. "We've gotten a decent list of them, you've also revealed to us the difference between an Abnormality and a Distortion, something our team was unable to distinguish."

"The mind shatters into an unstable synthesis of emotions." He quoted. "That was an interesting way to explain the distortion. And the fact that the owner was able to revert back, truly fascinating."

"Mmm... I think I remember reverting back." Spoke Roland. "It was during that time when I was close to killing Angela."

"My, if you were also thinking about killing her, why didn't you join me?" Asked Argalia.

"Don't mess with me, you know exactly I wouldn't you psycho." Spat Roland.

"Basil, you're starting to sidetrack again." Pointed out Polly.

"Right, sorry..." He cleared his throat. "Given the fact that I knew what you sought, I decided to call for your help to aid us in fending off terrorists that keep attacking K Corp." He explained.

"Do you have any idea where these terrorists might be?" Inquired Outis.

"We know nothing about the terrorists, they have recently been attacking." Responded Basil. "In the end, they seized control of the previous lab from Lob Corp."

"And so, you ended up transferring to this one." Concluded Outis.

"...How was the damage?" Asked Sunny.

Basil smiled for a moment as he looked at Sunny. However, he then looked at vacant seats, at which point, his smile was gone.

"Those seats were previously used by colleagues of mine." He revealed. "They died during the attack."

Snacks and flowers were placed over them, the desks were filled with flowerpots and stickers, and a single candle that was isolated from the plants.

"We have the remains of a few of them, we tried to recover as much as we could." He explained. "Some of the remains that are still stored here, are those of people who had no one else to return to."

Sunny gripped his sword as he listened to Basil.

"We always leave behind so much, even when people don't know it." Continued Basil.

Sunny gritted his teeth.

"You're quite respectful of the dead." Commented Outis.

Basil didn't say anything.

He didn't want to, not when he'd spurt out his visits to Mari's grave.

He still felt guilty, he wanted to repent for what he did.

Yet flowers alone wouldn't cut it.

"Isn't it common courtesy to do so?" Asked Aubrey.

"Not here at least, most I do is share a cigarette with someone who's dying." Remarked Gregor.

"Any cigarette you need for that, I will share." Said Ryoshu.

"Oh uh, thanks I guess, I will keep that in mind..." Accepted Gregor with surprise.

"Though, it does seem like it's a jab at Sunny?" Pointed out Ishmael.

"A friendly tease perhaps?" Suggested Hong Lu.

"That's not ho- You know what, sure." Accepted Heathcliff.

"Ah! I think I am starting to get how commoners act with one another!" Cheered Hong Lu.

"Basil..." Said Gregor with empathy.

"Ah! Sorry for bringing down the mood! I might have missed them quite a bit you see!" He apologized.

"Oh, no, don't be." Insisted Gregor.

"And what of that seat?" Asked Outis as she pointed at an empty seat with nothing on it.

"That one is reserved for a new employee." He explained as he side eyed Sunny.

Sunny simply took a deep breath as he closed his eyes.

In the end, he ignored his former best friend.

"Oh! In that case, are there any application guidelines I could check?" Inquired Ishmael.

"Basil... you're getting side tracked again..." Mentioned Polly.

"Oh my, I keep doing it." He laughed nervously. "A-anyways, I think it would be better for Polly to explain it, that way, there won't be any more going off topic."

Polly cleared her throat. "Well, let's start with the obvious, let us make a contract which benefits both parties!"

"The conditions are simple, if you help us retake the hijacked laboratory, the Golden Bough will be transferred to your ownership." She explained. "Does that sound fair?"

"You do seem to end up getting distracted in that version Basil." Pointed out Hero.

"You're just as bad as Kel at that point." Remarked Aubrey.

"Yeah! ... Wait! Hey!" Yelled Kel in indignation.

"Retake the lab, and get the Golden Bough, that's not much is it?" Questioned Rodion.

"The legal side of the document will be the main problem." Declared Faust. "Though from the looks of it, it has been covered."

"I honestly don't understand anything that version of you said." Said Heathcliff with sincerity. "So I'm not listening to all that."

"Only part I caught from the talk was over a Contract Office." Mentioned Ishmael. "Though, which one will it be? I assume the Oufi Association will intervene as this is a contract made from a corporation."

"Oi, stop your yapping, your other self is explaining it." Spoke Heathcliff.

Ishmael closed her eyes and took a deep breath, infuriated by her fellow sinner.

"I'll be honest, I usually have Polly take care of the complicated contract stuff." Admitted Basil. "I don't understand half of the stuff she says when she gets formal."

"Oh? You too? We do the same." Agreed Gregor.

"I've known Polly for quite a long time, ever since I was a teenager." He told. "Though I was a bit distant to her, you see."

"Thankfully,I realized that I had someone that I could count on this whole time, you sometimes don't know what you have until it's too late."

At this point, Sunny simply decided to be inside his own world, ignoring anything that was going on in the real world.

"...I think this kid likes to pull a lot of jabs." Commented Rodion.

Heathcliff was about to open his mouth.

"Don't, I know exactly what you're going to say." Warned Ishmael.

"H-hey, are we sure that Basil wants to reunite with that version of Sunny? It sounds more like he is resentful..." Questioned Sinclair.

"Nonsense! Friendships such as tis are thy greatest!" Assured Don Quixote. "Mine friends always told me about my shortcomings!"

"That's... a sad friendship." Muttered Aubrey.

Basil looked uncomfortable each time his other self seemed to speak very clearly to him about the past.

Though, perhaps he could understand it.

After all, Sunny left him, he didn't notify him that he was leaving in three days.

"Ah, well this at least means that we won't have to fight with the personnel of this Wing." Mentioned Hong Lu.

The morale immediately took a hit after being reminded of that unwinnable fight.

"From the looks on your face, you're probably sick of them..." Basil mentioned. "So then, how about I show you my personal laboratory?" He suggested. "Follow me to the elevator, we will be going to another floor."

"You really seem to trust these individuals." Remarked Polly. "Are you perhaps trying to show off a bit?"

"You could say so..." He admitted. "Though, it's mostly because I want us to do something while we establish the written contract."

We took the elevator to another floor.

We were met with a giant room, it felt like a factory, yet it was technologically advanced.

"This is where regenerative ampules are made." Presented Basil. "We market them under the name of HP bullets, but there is much more that meets the eye."

"It took us a bit to finally get a mass producible version, and that was obtainable just recently."

"So... you're that mug that was supplying those guards? Mate, do you have any idea how much that made us suffer in ba-" Tried to speak Heathcliff.

"We barely came out of that unscathed..." Cut Ishmael.

"Sorry about that, but it was standard protocol to take care of the problem." He apologized.

"Now that I think about it, who was the one to stop you at the K Corp. checkpoint?" Asked Roland.

"We don't know, we're still not out there getting the first Golden Bough." Responded Gregor.

"Ah, seems like I've forgotten about the timeline." Spoke Roland. "But it's certainly not that kid who became the Black Swan, he definately replaced someone else."

"Given the location of the place, it is highly possible to have been the Fixer known as Siegfried." Theorized Faust.

Don Quixote squealed at the mention of the name.

"So, Basil, are you continuing research on improving the cure all ampules?" Asked Gregor.

"Oh, not at all, the HP Bullets have been commercialized and have done wonders to others." He responded. "Currently, I am taking care of a personal project of mine."

"I am taking care of plants, as a few of them have healing capabilities while others have toxins in them that can be used to strengthen the immune system of a person."

"Taking... care of plants?" Muttered Ishmael.

"Plants are often looked over when trying to find a cure, however, after many years of research, we have been able to extract many of the elements of the different plants." He continued explaining. "Plants are far easier to take care of, so we are currently looking to use them as a replacement for livestock."

"You're really trying not to hurt any animal, Basil." Mentioned Hero. "Though, are you sure you're okay with what you're doing with the plants?"

"W-well, I do take care of plants! And I never tried anything to hurt them..." Said Basil. "But if it helps others heal... then it's a price I am willing to pay."

"It seems like Basil has a liking for plants just like Gregor!" Remarked Hong Lu.

Gregor then hid his... let's say cigarette.

"Yes, that same love you give to something ends up transforming into passion, and with that passion, you can create beautiful things." Said Basil.

"Seems like the snobs know each other well uh?" Commented Heathcliff.

"(Please don't beat up the client, Heathcliff.)"

"Eh, probably won't. He seems like a nice lad." Responded Heathcliff.

"Oh! Seems like it's time for the plants to get their dose of NPK." Declared Basil.

"NPK?" Asked Hong Lu.

"Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium." Which was surprisingly explained by Ryoshu.

We then see plants having leaves and flowers cut from them, however, they are delicately done while being transferred and given the nutrients.

"Plants are good companions, no?" Spoke Basil. "They are good listeners, yet they never speak up."

Sunny looked around.

"This..." He started speaking. "Is what you've been doing these past years?"

"You've decided to make that hobby into a career uh?"

"Good for you." He said this part with resentment. "It seems some people are just that lucky..."

"Awkwaaaard..." Said Kel.

"There's certainly some bad blood between Sunny and Basil of that world." Commented Hero. "But why?"

"From the looks of it, Sunny is jealous that Basil was able to find a stable job or something." Remarked Aubrey.

"No, I don't think so?" Questioned Hero. "It feels a bit more... personal?"

"D-does... Sunny hate me?" Asked Basil.

"Who knows, kid, but the way I see it, you either don't realize it, or just don't care." Responded Heathcliff.

"That version of the kid seems to want to help Sunny, but at the same time, he continues to make remarks that annoys or angers him." Pointed out Ishmael. "As if... taunting him to make a move."

"Uhm... sorry to interrupt." Spoke Polly. "But Basil has worked from the ground up to obtain his position."

"Don't worry, Polly." Reassured Basil. "It's not surprising, especially for someone who glares more than he speaks."

"You still don't get what I'm trying to do, right?" He asked.

"..." Sunny continued to glare. "...No, I do."

"Basil, something has happened to the lab." Informed Polly. The beeping sound on her walkie talkie went off. "We should head back to safety."

"We can continue pushing forward, they're skilled after all." He reassured. "I am sure they can handle whatever is up ahead."

When continued on, only to find a completely destroyed laboratory. Sirens blared as the announcer continued to repeat the same words.

Two figures stood in front of the assault.

Yet despite this, we did not give them much attention.

"Anyone needs an ampule! Please evacuate the laboratory!" Informed Polly.

"You're quite calm, though you'd be one of the first to panic." Remarked Gregor.

"Once you live through an attack, the next one starts to slowly unfaze you." Responded Basil. "We all evacuated panicking like mice."

"Are they the terrorists that are also taking over the department you asked us to clear?" Inquired Outis.

"Affirmative, in fact..." He looked at the two terrorists. "It's the same two people."

"You sure it's them? It's only the two of them and... they don't seem combat ready." Questioned Sinclair.

"Ah, thanks for pointing out the obvious." Snorted Heathcliff.

"That's because they aren't the ones who enter combat." Told Polly.

"There's something fishy about this." Commented Heathcliff. "And it's not Ishmael's sailor background."

Ishmael swung her mace at Heathcliff's back, but he dodged just in time.

"Don't worry, I made sure to bring back up just in case." Spoke Basil.

Guard from K Corp. arrived to support us. Yet despite them being allies, they still brought a few traumas to the sinners.

"Three employees on the left, and one on the right. The guards seem to be heading this way at a moderate speed." Informed one of the terrorists. "I'll make sure I hit the three of them at once before they know it."

"Ah! To see this destruction be bestowed upon these disgusting copy and pastes!" Spoke the other terrorist. "I shall leave my mark in this world with this atrocity!"

"Wait... aren't those friends of yours, Aubrey?" Asked Kel.

"Seems like it." She sighed. "Guess Kim and Mikhael ended up replacing terrorists."

"No fair! They get to appear and none of us have done so yet!" Complained Kel.

"Even if you end up turning out to be one of the terrorists?" Hero questioned.

"That's better than nothing!" Remarked Kel.

"I spent most of my time working on these with the others, don't go around chanting as if you're the one who plotted this." Warned Kim.

"Oh! But can't you see? This is the only time where we can make ourselves known to K Corp! When will we have another chance to do this?" Argued The Maverick.

"Don't say it outloud, else she's going to crush your skull herself." She warned again. "But no, we will totally come again next time!" She assured.

"We should stop them before they wreak more havoc." Pointed out Basil. "A few of our drones should be here by now.

Just when I said that, a few of the drones had arrived.

"Ah! Here they are, the regenerative ampule administration drones."

"Must be really convenient to be able to regenerate with just a shot." Commented Ishmael.

"Yes, so long as their brains continue to function, the ampules will continue to take effect." He explained. "They only have to resist the pain."

"It is to be expected." Mentioned Meursault.

"They will end up not caring about death." Mentioned Sunny as he glanced at Outis.

"Mmm? What's this? New opponents standing in our way?" Spoke The Maverick.

"Doesn't matter, focus on the mission." Pointed out Kim.

"But don't you think it would be strange to not know the name of the people we are going to kill?" He questioned. He then started walking towards them. "You there! Allow us to introduce one another."

Kim facepalmed.

"You want us to introduce ourselves to terrorists?" Questioned Ishmael.

"Where not any terrorist organization." Glared Kim.

"If it makes it more dramatic, then yes, we are!" Declared The Maverick.

"Shut it. We're the Hooligans." Presented Kim.

"Hooligans? You don't look young to me though." Commented Hong Lu.

Rodion then looked at Hong Lu. "Dear. Please, never, EVER, tell a girl what you just said.

"Ah! Noted! So commoners don't like to be told the truth either then?" Questioned Hong Lu.

Rodion sighed. Why did she even try?

"So we went from a gang to a terrorist group?" Asked Aubrey.

"And you also seem to be going against Basil in that world too." Mentioned Kel.

"With the way he's been acting there, not surprised." Mocked Aubrey.

"Please..." Begged Hero for them to stop.

"..." Kim stayed silent.

"Screw your introduction, I am taking you down first."

"Wha- Hey! Kim!" Yelled The Maverick. "Oh! It doesn't matter! Know this! You are going up against The Maverick!"

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Mentioned Basil. "Stay a bit closer to the sinners, Dante! If you're too far away from the battlefield, the drones will shoot a decay ampule at you that will melt you away.

"W-what? Why didn't you say something like that before we came here?" Asked Gregor.

"I forgot." Said Basil as he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

"Then why didn't you make them fight instead!?" Questioned Gregor.

"Let's say, they are really costly to replace." Explained Basil.

"I do not see the problem with the ampules, deserters are far more detrimental for morale than a weak leader." Mentioned Outis.

"Is the cause more important than your life though?" Asked Sunny. "How far would you go for a cause if it meant you would die?"

"It matters not, soldiers are drafted because they know that they are fighting in this battle would allow them to protect those they hold so dearly." Refuted Outis.

Gregor looked away." I don't know about that..."

"Then tell me, what if you were forced to do something you didn't want to do?" Inquired Sunny.

"The leader is the one who makes the orders, if I am to die in battle so be it, but I will at least know that I didn't die like a coward!" Yelled Outis.

She then grabbed Sunny by the collar. "If you ever dare to desert, I will personally hunt you down until the end of times and make you an example. You got it?!"

Sunny started glaring at Outis, not agreeing with the sentiment.

"And what if the manager pardons me? Would you still do that." Sunny asked. "Better yet, let me ask you this question."

"What is more important? Your life? Or the future you may never see?"

"You can't know what it feels like having your purpose snuffed because people looked at someone else's talent."

"Uhm... I-it seems like the kid seems to not be friendly with Outis." Pointed out Sinclair.

"Uh, I knew that Ishmael and Heathcliff had some sort of skirmish between them, but it was always bickering." Mentioned Gregor. "This on the other hand, seems much more personal."

"What do you think, Outis?" Asked Hong Lu.

"I will not speak out, this is a different world, my other version will handle it herself." She answered.

"I've never seen Sunny this confrontational... he's changed a bit in that world." Commented Hero.

"Can you blame him? It's been, like how many years there compared to in our case? Not everyone stays the same." Aubrey said.

"But... it feels like he sees himself as inferior..." Spoke Kel. "Inferior... to Mari..." He realized.

The Faraway gang remained silent for a moment.

Did Sunny feel like a shadow to Mari before?

Yi Sang remained silent the whole time.

There were quite a few differences between him and the version of this kid in that world.

His relationship with Dongrang was complicated for him, and in this case, the relation between Sunny and Basil was far more complicated than his.

Yi Sang didn't hate him, not when he hadn't seen him in a while.

He was uncertain of his own future, and he didn't want to look back in time to see what could have been in the moment.

He just wanted it all to end.

The scene changed.

"Everyone! I've brought reinforcements!" Declared Angel as he entered the broken laboratory.

"And who may these people be?" Asked Rodion.

"They are Fixers from Rosespanner Workshop, a group that has been working with Angel's department for quite a bit." Explained Basil.

"Oh, seems like you were actually paying attention before." Said Angel.

"Pleasure meeting you. I am Vance, the representative of Rosespanner Workshop!" Declared Vance.

"And that's another one of The Hooligans..." Muttered Kel. "In the end everyone is going to appear before we do Hero..." He cried.

"Be patient, this seems to still have a bit to go through." Assured Hero.

"Hey, but Vance is Kim's brother, would that mean that they're not related in that world?" Aubrey asked.

"Mmm, might be possible." Concluded Gregor. "...Unless he is a mole." He accused.

"Uh? You actually think he's going to turn on us?" Questione Rodion.

"If their blood ties are strong, possibly." Said Gregor.

"Let's head back." Said Kim.

"Ah, very well then, I hope all of you remember the name of The Maverick!" He yelled as he ran away.

"Ah, look at them running in fear!" Taunted Vance.

Basil started walking.

"Oi, where are you going Basil?" Asked Gregor.

"Ah! Just going to search for a photo I have!" He explained. "You see, it's quite important to me."

"I always have one with me, but there's one that I usually leave near my desk." He explained.

"Two copies? Must be really important." Assumed Sinclair.

"Well, not exactly in that sense." Tried to say Basil. "But so long as they are still undamaged, I will be happy, the trophies don't really matter, not when photos have more memories attached to them."

"If that's how you thought! Then why did you scribble all over them!" Yelled Aubrey.

Basil remained silent.

"Speak up dammit!" She continued to yell.

"Aubrey!" Tried to call Hero.

"You noisy bunch, you better shut up, else I might T.Y.A." Threatened Ryoshu.

"Ah, but we can't in this place." Pointed out Hong Lu.

"Tsk."

"Then, let's go and complete this deal, shall we?" Said Basil as he came back with what he needed.

"Are you also coming?" Asked Gregor.

"Yeah! Don't you think it is a bit ridiculous for the one who asked for the help not to be there?" Spoke Basil. "There's also a few things I left there, you see."

"Classified document I assume?" Asked Faust.

"They are part of it." He answered.

"I do warn, Basil has probably never thrown a punch at anyone." Remarked Angel "Fufufu, it's something I have over him!"

"Are you sure you want to come as well, Angel?" Asked Polly. "You don't need to do it."

"Nonsense! It's a way to show that I have the more reliable Fixers than Basil."

"Then I assume you will be handling their payment as well, right?"

"Well, duh."

"Anyways, let's get moving now!"

The scene changed.

We were now inside of the old Lobotomy Corp. facility. No one made a noise as we made ourselves known in the room.

"Just so you know, no Abnormalities will be present in this facility, thankfully." Informed Basil.

"(I guess the sinners will be grateful for that.)"

"We weren't as lucky when we found this place though." He commented. "It's certainly an interesting topic to research however."

"I do wonder though, what sort of distortion I would become, the same goes for Sunny." He wondered.

"(You seem to like flowers, perhaps something related to them?)"

"Most likely, but as for Sunny..." He trailed off.

We suddenly heard a commotion.

"Oh, seems like there are enemies up ahead."

"Actually, that's a fun thing to think about! Hero! What do you think I would become?" Kel asked.

"Probably an Orange Joe monster." He chuckled.

"Then you'd become like a guardian angel or something! Some entity that heals others!" Kel Suggested.

"And as for Aubrey... maybe something related to baseball bats?" He said unsure.

"Of course you'd say something nonsensical, you don't truly know me." She spat. "You know nothing about what I like or what I do in the present."

"Mineself shall become a shining knight in white armor!" Declared Don Quixote.

"Say, Roland, you're from the future, right?" Asked Argalia. "Could you tell me what I become?"

"Why should I tell you that?" Replied Roland.

"Aaaah, so I DO distort!" He concluded.

"Ooooi you hear me?" Said one of the machines.

"Ah, seems like we missed what happened." Groaned Heathcliff.

"Negative, based on the scene, it is likely to have skipped a fight." Replied Meursault.

"Perfect, seems like it is working!" Said the machine.

"I, The Maverick, have a message to share with all of you!" It said. "So come! Come as close as you can to hear my splendid voice!"

We all got closer.

"I! I am marvelous! Have you ever seen someone as unique as I?" Asked the machine.

"What sort of nonsensical message is this?" Said a confused Gregor. He said as he got a bit closer to it.

"(Wait! Gregor!)"

The machine started to expand to an unnatural level, as if it was about to explode.

And so, it did.

Thankfully, it seemed as Heathcliff had made Gregor duck down to avoid the explosion.

"Ah, seems like these messages are some sort of trap." Concluded Basil. "Quite intelligent, though it will only work once."

"Let's ignore them, shall we?" Requested Basil.

"Is there any relation between the terrorists and this corporation?" Asked Hong Lu.

"What sort of question is that? We shouldn't care about what sort of drama K Corp. and this group have." Refuted Outis.

"Well, I would say that The Maverick was previously part of the corporation you see." Explained Basil.

"What?" Uttered Ishmael.

"See, he was someone who was previously a senior of ours, he'd always talk about being unique and making himself known."

"Yet, after I joined alongside Angel, he ended up quitting."

"It seems as, after I took the best department of the year trophy, he decided to leave."

"So Mikhael is doing this out of revenge?" Asked Aubrey.

"Perhaps, however, he is not the mastermind behind the attack." Explained Outis. "He's a simple soldier who betrayed his previous allegiance."

"If that's the case... then... are Angel and Vance..." Muttered Aubrey.

"Ah! It seems we're in the last corridor!" Announced Basil. "I'll give you the Golden Bough after I do what I must."

"(...)"

"You sure you wanna end it like this?" Asked Rodion. "The facility is still overrun by the terrorists' machine."

"The contract said to reclaim the laboratory, no? You've reclaimed the last few corridors." He explained. "I never said we needed to do the entire place."

"(Let's just keep going.)"

As we moved onward, we realized that there were no longer any machines blocking. Instead, there were a few individuals in front of us.

"Be prepared, Executive Manager! Enemies up front!" Warned Outis.

"(I can see that, but they don't seem armed?)"

"You're too weak to fend for yourself, manager!"

"(Ah, I guess? Thanks for caring for me?)"

"It seems the tale of The Maverick will end here!" Moaned The Maverick. "Alas you finally arrived at the last corridor!"

"Ah... it's the same person that talked on the machines!" Pointed out Sinclair.

"They were pre recorded you see, yet it seems like you have not been fooled by my previous plan." He talked.

"So, where are your accomplices, Mikhael?" Asked Basil.

"The Maverick does not snitch!" He declared. "But I can tell you that they are no longer in this facility!"

"You... basically just snitched." Pointed out Gregor.

"I am here! To stall you! To make a heroic last stand! So that my fellow compatriots may mourn for my sacrifice!"

"Oi, this lad is starting grind my gears with his yapping." Growled Heathcliff. "What sort of loose screw do you have to think that way?"

"Start telling us what you know, else we'll start clubbering you until you admit it!" Threatened Heathcliff.

"Ah! Then try to do so!" He challenged.

"This whole situation can be prevented if you simply tell us what you know, Mikhael..." Requested Basil.

"It is not Mikhael! I am The Maverick! And this! Shall be my last stunt!" He declared.

"W-wait! What are you doing!" Called out Polly.

"Mikhael..." Muttered Angel.

Suddenly a loud explosion occurred. The deafening noise and the debris scattered around could only be seen.

"Aaah, what a way to end one's life." Admitted Argalia.

"You idiot..." Whispered Aubrey. She didn't know how to feel, she was sad to see a friend die, yet, at the same time, it wasn't the same friend she knew, it was, after all, a version from another world.

"Ah... it seems the young lad died." Declared Heathcliff.

"You don't say." Muttered Ishmael.

"I hope everyone there is alright..." Said Hero.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine, they're the main cast after all!" Reassured Kel.

"(That hurt...)"

"Basil! Are you alright?!" Asked Polly.

"Yeah...I'm okay... But... Sunny." He said as he recovered.

We saw as Sunny had been flung and splattered on a wall like a piece of art.

"Nice." Groaned Ryoshu.

"If it weren't for him... I'm sure I would be done for." Grunted Basil.

"Oi... Manager... You better revive the young lad over there..." Whispered Heathcliff as he pleaded with me to turn back the clock for those who had died horrifyingly.

I then painfully revived everyone who had been caught by the explosion.

"Ah... so that's why you haven't been using the ampules I've brough..." Whispered Angel.

"Mmm, indeed, Dante here has the power to turn back time to revive his team." Explained Basil. "It's quite convenient, and part of the reason why I requested their help."

"Then... I brought these ampules for nothing... uh?" Angel said. "I get it... you always are ahead of me when it comes to our rivalry..."

He then dropped them all to the ground.

"Angel..." Tried to say Vance.

"Save it..." Said Angel. "We were never beating them..."

"Then, let's move one, shall we?" Requested Basil. "Oh! Angel, you've got a broken shoulder there, are you sure you don't want to use an ampule?"

"No... I'm... completely defeated." He whispered.

"... Suit yourself... I guess."

"Damn it... so they were both in on it." Whispered Aubrey.

She had her doubts, but she now knew that they were part of the terrorist group as double agents.

Did that mean that she was also part of that? After all, they were The Hooligans.

She didn't know if the others caught on or not, but she said nothing.

In the end, she would be the bad guy as always, just like how people would tell her.

"There, there, don't worry Basil, it's normal to be like this after seeing that." Said Hero as he patted Basil's back.

Basil was vomiting inside one of the food bags as he couldn't take Sunny's horrifying death.

"Thanks for the water... I would have vomited if it weren't for it." Thanked Kel after Meursault gave him a bottle of water.

"At this point, I don't think there is denying it." Declared Outis. "There is a traitor in our ranks."

"They have had intel regarding this facility, which I assume has been hidden to the public eye and they knew that we were coming."

"Furthermore, it seems like the machines they've used were so hellbent on killing us in cold blood."

"I agree, it is most plausible." Said Meursault. "We need to dispose of them before we proceed."

"It is unlikely to be any of us, as we are simple outsiders." Continued Outis. "Chances are, it is a member of K Corp or someone related to them."

"Then, shouldn't we leave then?" Asked Rodion.

"Negative. We cannot return to Vergilius without a Golden Bough." Responded Meursault.

"I know who it is." Spoke Sunny.

"Oh? Then please do tell us." Said Outis as she raised an eyebrow.

"Angel and Rosespanner Workshop." He accused.

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Inquired Vance.

"Out of the entire group, you alongside Angel have kept your distance from The Maverick and the voice boxes inside the machines." He explained. "Furthermore, you've come here under the pretense of continuing the rivalry."

"You probably didn't come to do that, in fact, there was no need for your group of Fixers to interfere with this entire problem." He then said. "Yet you did. And let's talk about the fact that you've been unscathed during the conflict while we've been doing the heavy lifting."

"I'll be damned, this is the first time I've seen him talk so much." Whistled Heathcliff.

"Not the time." Said Gregor.

"So, in the end, they were all traitors?" Asked Sinclair.

"Yup, seems like it. It appears that the girl's group was always in on this." Responded Gregor.

"N-nice thinking, S-Sunny!" Complimented Basil.

However, he saw that Sunny was sleeping while Yi Sang supported him.

"Well, the cat is out of the bag then." Declared Vance.

"Not even going to deny it?" Questioned Heathcliff.

"Why should I? This was already doomed the moment we found out you could revive." He pointed out.

"Even so, I am willing to stand up and continue with my work."

"S-sir! What do we do now?!" A lacky screamed.

"Run if you don't want to deal with this unwinnable battle, I won't blame you." He said.

"I would have liked to talk to my sister one more time, but it seems it won't be possible." He muttered.

"I will be enjoying this." Said Ryoshu with joy.

"Then come, let's get this done with." He said.

Angel however, stood there, being grabbed by Meursault as he was now about to see his friend get killed.

"A-are you sure you'll be okay seeing your friend die, Aubrey?" Asked Basil.

"Don't talk to me." She said coldly.

"This fight seems to have also been cut." Mentioned Hong Lu.

"What tragedy!" Cried Don Quixote.

"Mmm, I think I am starting to get bored of this." Commented Argalia. "What do you think, Roland?"

"I'm too busy keeping an eye on you." He mentioned.

"Ah ah, I guess you have nothing to be bored of." He laughed.

With Vance now out of the picture, Angel was now alone, he was now about to be interrogated.

"Now, why did you end up joining the terrorists, Angel?" Asked Basil.

"Even in this moment, you don't even seem surprised." He commented.

"What can I say? I've been through a lot."

"This plan that I had followed, it was pointless the moment your group of Fixers arrived."

"I know you've been sending messages to Mikhael."

"What?! How do you know that?!"

"I've known for a while that you've been close to him, after the incident, I knew I recognized him amongst the multitude of terrorists." He explained. "I decided to look through your messages... and what a surprise, you were there, sending him messages."

"You can do that?!"

"Well, with my clearance level, yes I can."

"Then... why didn't you report me?"

"Why should I? It was the perfect excuse for me to make one of my plans finally start."

"So... you've been toying with us this whole time?"

"If you want to see it that way, so be it."

"...Fufufu. I was never going to surpass you..." He laughed. "Well..."

He then smiled.

"It was nice meeting you."

A line formed on the wall.

"Uhm, Angel? You alright?" Asked Gregor.

The man dropped to the ground, cut in half. Basil was now covered in blood.

"Ahaha, this got interesting." Laughed Ryoshu. "Step aside."

She then broke down the wall.

We saw a few individuals make their escape.

"Fixers who assassinate in the shadows, clean cuts that put most artists to shame, what else to expect from the P.O.T.L of Shi Association." Remarked Ryoshu.

"Tsk, they are gone." Said Ryoshu with frustration.

"A shame, Angel was bright when it came to his work." Lamented Basil.

"Let's move on, shall we?" He then said.

Sunny glared at him. "You seem quite fine after seeing so many people die."

"I could tell you the same, no?"

"..."

"It's quite different from the first time we saw a dead body, don't you think?"

"That sensation has dulled, for I have a worse picture than that." Responded Sunny

"They're talking about her, aren't they?" Asked Kel.

"Yeah... It's... still an unfortunate memory." Hero replied.

"Those two... so they decided to move on without us..." Sneered Aubrey.

"But what is this about something worse?" Asked Kel.

"Well, chances are, it's something we've seen in our time in this company." Assumed Rodion.

"I am not looking forward to it..." Whispered Sinclair.

"The Golden Bough should be up ahead." Revealed Basil.

"So you didn't actually have the Golden Bough?" Asked Ishmael.

"Technically, we did, it simply got hijacked by the terrorists who took over the laboratory." He explained.

"(I can feel it closeby.)"

"Then we are nearing its location." Spoke Faust.

"Let me take a bit of time to search for a few more photos." Requested Basil.

"Don't forget any classified documents." Reminded Polly.

Sunny took an ampule that Angel had dropped before.

"Oh, could you bring those to me? I would be quite thankful." Spoke Basil.

"You're just the same..." He muttered. "You're just like this ampule."

"You put on the mask of someone helpful, someone who can heal the pain... yet deep inside, you are just as hurtful as this unrefined ampule."

"Is that how you see me, Sunny?"

"..."

"You recognized me the very moment I made myself present at the entrance. Yet you seem to not have changed at all."

"You know nothing."

"Sunny... I know you've been suicidal this whole time."

"W-what?" Muttered Hero as he looked at the sleeping Sunny. He didn't want to wake him up just to ask him.

"Him too?" Whispered Aubrey as she glanced at the boy.

"N-no... this... this can't be! Right?!" Gasped Kel as he wished to believe otherwise.

"Shiiit... this got heavy." Whispered Gregor.

"Tuff luck." Commented Heathcliff.

"Be a bit more considerate." Spoke Ishmael.

"This is... familiar." Muttered Yi Sang.

Basil glanced at Sunny. He trembled, slowly moving his hand towards Sunny's.

He didn't want him to leave him. But him leaving the town was better than never seeing him ever again.

"Sunny... please, I know how you're feeling, we've been there, we've been together before, we should know how it felt. So please, let me help you heal..."

"... No, you truly know nothing."

"I do know you! You're Sunny! My best friend! You didn't like to play the violin! You couldn't stand being just Mari's little brother! You tried to prove yourself!" He screamed. "And... in the end... you ended up doing something you never meant to... Not just that... you also left me..."

"..." Sunny looked with apathy. He then started walking past him as he let the ampule he held drop to the ground. Then he said. "You don't know me as Sunny, who is talentless. You only know me as Sunny, your best friend."

He then continued. "You wanted me to join this corporation, right? That won't be happening. Not after you decided to unleash that abnormality that looked like Mari."

Basil remained silent as he trembled. Was he just a bad friend?

Sunny had told him in that world that he knew nothing about him.

But he did! He truly did... right?

He saw him in his worst moment! So why?! Why was he so mean to him?! Why did he want to throw him away?! Abandon him?!

"Kid?! Are you okay?!"

He realized that there were a few people around him, trying to make him snap out of it.

He saw Rodion looking at him with worry, Hero was trying to maintain his composure as he continued to chant a few instructions to help him calm down.

Kel looked indecisive as to what to do to help.

And Aubrey simply looked at him, not with hate, nor with indifferent... but concern.

If Sunny wasn't going to be his best friend... then who was it going to be?

No one, no one would be his best friend.

Though... what if... what if he could at least have friends?

Yet Sunny stopped on his tracks the moment he saw the other side of the door.

"It's been awhile, don't you think?" Said the individual.

"Where did you go? You've abandoned me like everyone else."

Sunny's mouth trembled.

"It seems that someone else wanted to join this reunion." Whispered Basil. "Could you give me back the photo?"

"And let you completely turn it to black? I think not." She spat.

"That's..." Whispered Kel.

"It is..." Answered Hero.

"It's me..." Said Aubrey.

In the end, she was the mastermind behind the terrorist group.

It should have been obvious, especially when they were still called the Hooligans.

The rest of the cast remained silent, the current scene was playing out, and they didn't want to break the tension.

"Everyone! Back off! We cannot jeopardy the safety of the Golden Bough!" Warned Outis

"I agree." Replied Meursault.

"Allow Faust to think of a solution." Added Faust.

"Tsk, why do we keep meeting problems with no straight solution." Said a frustrated Heathcliff.

The person continued to walk, the only one who hadn't backed out yet was Sunny.

Yet, even when the leader of The Hooligans seemed to want to kill Basil...

She went to Sunny.

She stabbed Sunny on the chest.

"That black hair that always flutters in the wind like night... it still suits your emotionless nature." She said.

"..."

Sunny dropped to the ground.

"Each one of them chose you over me... Why couldn't anyone notice that I too hurt?"

"(Sunny!)"

"And this photo... you may have it back."

"I'm done with the past, I only wish to bury all these memories with lilies of the valley."

She let go of the photo, which slowly descended to the ground.

The Golden Bough continued to glow, even after being showered with crimson tones.

And on the floor, laid a photo of a girl playing the piano.

The scene then finished.

"Wait... that's it?" Commented Ishmael.

"What sort of cliffhanger was that?!" Screamed Heathcliff.

Knocks on the door could be heard, to which then opened.

It was Kleine. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to notify you that certain viewings will be divided."

"Oh? Are you one of the owners of this hotel?" Asked Argalia.

"The owner himself, yes!" He exclaimed. "Haine is a mere no one who listens to me!"

"Then... we can just go watch something else before we come back, sounds like a nice idea, right?" Suggested Roland.

Basil sighed in relief, as perhaps, if he tried to convince the others that this was too long, then maybe, they would completely forget about it.

"That won't do, you see, once you enter inside a room, you are forced to reunite again and watch the next parts!"

And there went the idea.

Sunny had finally woken up. Yi Sang helped him up.

"You know? That kid never said a word during that viewing." Pointed out Gregor.

"He's always shy, so don't mind him." Answered Hero. "It's the way he is."

"Oh, what a bother, I guess I will have to come back to this boring viewing." Responded Argalia.

"Ahah! Don't worry, you'll find some interesting facts about this group soon!"

Sunny and Basil started to get nervous.

"Well that's all I have to say! I'll let you leave now!"

Everyone inside the room slowly left.

Except the Faraway Gang.

"So... I ended up stabbing Sunny, uh?" Nervously said Aubrey.

"Not you, Aubrey, the other version of you." Corrected Hero.

"Is there a difference?" She asked.

"Of course, you're not her, and she's not you." Explained Kel.

She sighed. "Maybe... maybe you're right for once Kel."

"Hey! What does that mean?!"

_-_

Kleine walked down to the entrance, only to see that new guests had arrived.

Haine seemed to be doing a good job, so he decided to leve him do what he wanted.

Kleine glanced at the few who had already booked their rooms. Cinder's group, Roman, Neo, Adam and Sienna seem to have arrived at this place.

He wondered how the last two would react to the fact there was little to no faunus in the multiverse.

However, as Kleine looked at the new guests, he saw that there was another group of people he usually didn't encounter.

"So tell me, have you ever heard of something called the Bite of 87?" Asked Haine.

"No? What does that even mean?" Responded William Afton.

"Dad, I'm bored, can I just go first? I've got my own key already." Complained Michael Afton.

William sighed. "Henry, could you please look after my son?"

"Sure thing! Here, come Charlie, let's look for your room as well!"

"Okay dad!"

It seemed they were from before any of those tragedies happened.

Oh, he was going to enjoy this a lot.

(A/N)

And that's a chapter done.

As you can see FNAF is now here lmao.

Quite the interesting bunch, right?

So, I know this chapter was quite slow, but that's more of the nature of Canto IV than me if I'm honest. Part 3 is probably the shortest part actually, and where most of the stuff starts to go away from canon.

Another note, this one from after Canto VI's Second Part was released, this chapter was supposed to be released after Canto VI was completely released, but after the second part, I realized that it's much more similar to what I have than I thought, so decided to just post this and just say, any similarities between that canto and this reaction, are all coincidences.

Well, since I've mentioned that it will be Sunny, then another character and then back to Sunny. I will see what I will do for the next chapters. I might end up pulling a few of my fanfics if I truly have nothing.

But given the fact that the Limbus gang is no longer available + Roland and Argalia, chances are, it's going to be nothing related to PM. As you can see, absolutely no combat, chances are, I am just going to reserve that for when it's main characters, such as Dongrang and Dongbaek.

And that should be it, I'll see y'all next update

DxD (Issei, Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko)

RWBY (RWBY, JNPR, Ozpin, Qrow)

Library of Ruina (The Library, Ensemble)

Limbus Company (Limbus Corporation Main Cast)

Omori (Sunny, Basil, Kel, Aubrey, Hero)

FNAF (Afton Family (Except mother), Henry and Charlie Emily)