"Is everyone here now?" Asked Hero.

"At least for us, yeah." Answered Aubrey as she looked at the other three members of the Faraway gang.

"Argalia is also here." Declared Roland as he glanced at his brother in law. He currently held a notebook that Angela had given him.

"No need to glare at me, Roland." Said Argalia with a smile.

"What about your group, Dante?" Asked Hero again.

Dante said nothing, he then looked at Faust.

"Each single sinner is present." She answered.

"Can we already enter? The food is going to get cold." Requested Rodion with a bucket of fried chicken in hand.

"Sure, let's not waste more time." Agreed Roland.

"What do you think we'll see from the kids?" Asked Sinclair.

"From the looks of it, their past." Responded Gregor.

Sunny and Basil were trembling, the truth was closer each single second.

As Sunny tried to take deep breaths, he closed his eyes.

When he opened them up again, he saw Yi Sang standing by his side.

The door behind them closed as the room started changing colors.

Only for the scene to start completely covered in black.

"I thought of my childhood, those happy memories turned sour the longer I remained alive."

"Yes, I left everything behind, just so I could live in normalcy."

"I was neither a genius nor a talented individual. I was just a passionate artist."

"So... he did leave us?" Whispered Aubrey.

"No, I don't think that's the right word." Spoke Hero. "He simply moved on..."

"... But then... Why did Basil talk about trying to make him accept the truth?" Asked Kel.

"I'm... not sure." Muttered Hero. "Does Basil still believe he hasn't moved on? Or is Sunny in denial?"

Hero brainstormed about the different possibilities. He thought about repressed traumas, denial, fake memories, everything, there were just too many possibilities.

"Another artist?" Said an intrigued Ryoshu.

"I... don't really wanna know." Said Sinclair.

"Sunny! Did you stay up all day trying to practice the violin?" Asked a young Basil. "You should sleep more, it's very unhealthy!"

"Oh, it seems like we're actually looking at the memories of the kid." Commented Gregor.

"And it looks like it's actually past memories." Spoke Hero. "Then... we'll have to..."

"Yeah." Sigh Aubrey, she didn't like it, she didn't want to see it again.

Yet this room was forcing them to do so.

"Come on guys! I-I know that it's going to appear... but can we at least relish the happy memories that it's going to show us?" Tried to cheer Kel.

Basil looked in horror. Sinclair patted his back, trying to calm him.

"Seriously... I think these kids need some help." Whispered Gregor.

"I feel bad for the poor little thing." Responded Rodion.

"Come on Basil! He's just really looking forward to the recital!" Cheered a young Aubrey.

Hero chuckled. "I forgot how different you were before, Aubrey." He said with a melancholic tone.

"D-don't remind me! Argh this is so embarrassing!" Yelled Aubrey as she cringed at her innocent self.

Kel was simply laughing at the situation.

"But still! U-uhm, Sunny! What about we go play now!" Suggested Basil. "A small break won't hurt, right?"

Sunny nodded, as he softly let the violin on the table.

"To this day, I wonder."

"Am I cursed? Or is fate telling me I cannot succeed?"

"You're not cursed Sunny." Reassured Hero as he looked at the boy with kindness. "You don't deserve what happened that day."

Sunny remained quiet.

The scene changed.

"(-unny! Sunny! Are you there?!)"

"..." Sunny gasped as he opened his eyes once again.

"Ah... you revived me..." He sighed.

"(...?)"

The Golden Bough had blinded everyone after it had pierced through Sunny's chest.

And at that moment, Aubrey had left according to Basil.

The photograph of the girl playing on the piano was nowhere to be seen.

Basil stood there, waiting for us to recover. Though in his eyes, there was a tint of fear.

Aubrey flinched, being reminded of the moment her other version stabbed Sunny's chest and killed him.

Her other version was much more resentful, did she hate Sunny?

"Aubrey... she planned to stab me." Declared Basil.

"It seems like her and her group of bullies still remained in contact, it was to be expected." He said calmly. "But she probably didn't know that Sunny was going to be here."

"Did you bring Sunny to take the bullet?" Asked Hong Lu.

"N-no! I would never do that!" He denied. "I... I would never allow anyone to hurt my best friend for such a reason!"

"It matters not, I am undamaged by the attack." Spoke Sunny.

"(Are you sure, Sunny?)"

Each time I attempted to ask him, I was met with a short answer, it was as if he didn't think he mattered much for people to concern over him.

"... You're curious, aren't you?" He questioned.

This time, it seemed as if he didn't want to dodge the question.

"In the past, I was friends with Basil and Aubrey, who stabbed me just moments ago... There was also Kel, Hero... and my sister, Mari." He started revealing. "We were part of District 9."

Roland and Argalia recoiled upon the mention of that district.

But then, their minds went wild.

That photo... the photograph of a girl playing the piano... could she be?

No... it was impossible, at the very least, in their world.

Argalia looked at Yi Sang, thinking there was still a possible connection between him and the Pianist.

"But we all went our own ways one day... All after an event that happened." He continued. "Each one of them seemed to have gone to pursue their own paths." He said as he gazed at Basil. "And you may know where one of them ended up at."

He was right, that group from before, back when we went for the very first Golden Bough.

Hero, who we met alongside Hong Lu's brother and Gregor's mother.

Gregor recoiled and looked at the ground. "So I never was able to get away from her grasp." He gave a soft laugh of resignation, he then softly put a hand over his forehead.

Rodion looked concerned. "Are you alright, Gregor?"

"Yeah... just... I guess I will have to face her sooner than I thought."

"(And what about you Hong Lu?)" Asked Dante.

"Ah ah! It's a surprise to hear my brother being mentioned!" Childishly responded Hong Lu.

Though Dante was unsure if it was a facade or he simply didn't care.

"Finally! One of us got mentioned!" Cheered Kel.

"But... Sunny's face looks grim..." Pointed out Hero. "Am I a bad person in that world?"

"You're in a group with my mother, it's likely that is the case." Answered Gregor.

Hero frowned upon hearing that answer.

"It was simply that, former friends who slowly grew apart. That's it." He concluded.

"H-hey! Isn't your story missing a bit?" Asked Rodion. "You grew apart and now she just wants to kill you? Is that really it? Not just that, didn't that Hero guy also attack you back then?"

Hero sighed. "It seems... we never reunited like friends..."

"And even more, I seem to have attacked him as well."

What would Mari think of him right now?

"That's not you, you've mentioned that before, so don't beat yourself because of this." Told Aubrey.

"Let's not make that happen in our world, s-shall we?" Tried to cheer Kel.

"No, Kel. We're not going to reconnect, not with you, not with Basil, not with Sunny." Stood Aubrey. "If all of you want to do that, then doing it before would have been the right time to do so."

"Aubrey..." Softly said Hero.

"Maybe they were never friends..." Suggested Sinclair.

"N-no! We were!" Yelled Kel in desperation.

"Yes, exactly. We WERE friends." Remarked Aubrey.

"Why... Why are you trying to distance yourself from us?!" Screamed Kel

"Sheeesh, that comment really detonated a bomb there." Commented Gregor.

"S-sorry..." Apologized Sinclair.

"Not your fault, Sinclair." Assured Rodion.

"Why?! Are you really fucking asking why?! You really are just as dumb as you were before, Kel! Can't you see the fact that Basil destroyed our memories, and YOU decided to move on with other friends?!" She roared. "Sunny was the ONLY person who had every single reason not to reconnect! He just saw his sister die for gods sake!"

"Yet all of you decided to abandon me! I wanted all of us to stay strong together! To cheer and help one another! Yet all of you decided to not even try!" She concluded. "You and Basil are the worst ones, because Hero at the very least couldn't be there for us!"

"You think I just moved on like nothing?!" Refuted Kel. "I can't stay in the past! I don't smile just because I am happy all the time! I can't show that I am sad because no one would check on me either!"

Hero clenched his fists, it was true, Kel was not as happy as he seemed, he was able to see that very well after he let himself get carried away.

"Both of you... please... stop..." Whispered Basil.

"I want to move on! I really do! I can't mop over Mari! I have all of you that I still have! I tried to make Sunny come out of his house each day! What did YOU do for him?!" He asked. "Sunny has hurt more than all of us combined, yet why was I the only one to try and reach out to him for FOUR years!?"

"If you were truly trying, then maybe you should have just, I don't know, actually asked him at least to reach out?!"

Both Aubrey and Kel were breathing heavily after their shouting match.

Aubrey did not say another word, she knew full well she didn't reach out to Sunny after that.

Basil trembled as Kel was correct, even if it wasn't directed at him, he also didn't try to contact Sunny after he locked himself into his house.

Yi Sang had been covering Sunny's ears while the argument went on.

"(C-can we please continue with the scene?)"

"I don't think I want to eat anything." Declared Rodion as she put the chicken wing back into the bucket.

Hero looked at the situation with trembling lips. "Both of you... can't you see Sunny and Basil aren't looking well with your argument?"

"I can understand how both of you feel, and I am no one to ask you to change your opinions and thoughts."

"But please, I just want to request that both of you don't say anything you'll regret saying." He warned.

"(A-are you really sure you're okay, Sunny?)"

"I've always been okay."

In my mind, I couldn't leave the thought that there was something wrong with that statement.

"(Then... from your memories, could you tell me what was the happiest and the most painful?)"

Sunny sighed. "You have taken an interest in me out of nowhere... Fine, I will as truthful as I can..."

"The happiest memory that I have... is actually the day I met you, Dante."

"(...?!)"

"Wait, that's really sweet of the kid." Commented Rodion.

"Ah, seems like he at least knows how to respect our executive manager." Sighed Outis.

"(I uh... don't know how to feel about that sentiment.)"

"Well, I do think the kid is being honest." Expressed Gregor.

Hero smiled. At the very least, it seemed as if he was currently with people Sunny did enjoy staying with.

Even though he wanted the group to be back together, he knew that perhaps meeting new people could help Sunny cope with the death of his sister.

After studying, he realized that this was the very same mechanism his brother used.

"When I thought my life ended... you returned me back to life."

"At that moment, I finally felt like I could stop living in fear."

"And now, at this moment, you are talking to me, of how I feel... I feel like I could smile again."

"But... as for my worst memory..."

"It's the day I met you, Basil."

Basil recoiled, his heart felt like it had been stabbed.

It felt like his world had completely banished.

"Oooof, tough luck..." Cringed Gregor.

"That wasn't nice!" Commented Kel.

Aubrey remained silent, after having that argument with Kel, she couldn't stop thinking about those words Kel said.

In a way, he did have some right in his arguments.

She then looked at Basil.

The boy was silently crying.

And then to Sunny.

Who still had a face with no expressions.

they were two sides of a spectrum, contradicting what she previously knew them as, best friends.

"You talk about trying to save me, trying to make me accept the truth."

"But Basil, you continue to deny your disgusting nature."

"You only care for your own satisfaction."

"You're a hypocrite for even accusing me of being suicidal."

"And I truly do not care whatever you do with your life, or if you even throw it away."

Basil remained silent as Sunny looked at his former best friend with utter hatred.

Just what happened for Sunny to have such hatred for him?

"N-no...." Hero sighed at the insinuations. "Basil can't be suicidal too..."

"That can't be! Sunny can't hate Basil!" Objected Kel. "He put himself in front of Basil and saved him from the explosion."

"The lad is right, why the hell are all these kids so confusing with their feelings?" Complained Heathcliff.

"Feelings can be hard to express, perhaps these two are unable to truly express themselves the way they want." Commented Faust.

"Is that enough to satiate your curiosity, manager?" Asked Sunny.

"(...)"

"If you excuse me, I will be going ahead."

As we walked, I could see it.

The wound that I had healed was nowhere to be seen, and yet...

There was a hole on his chest, a wound that was recent, yet it did not close.

As if... a wound had reopened.

"A recent wound?" Asked Sinclair.

"I think it's metaphorical." Suggested Ishmael.

"The boy mends an old wound, only for another to appear." Ominously said Yi Sang.

"Each single scene I've been able to view, it seems only tragedy exists." Mentioned Roland.

"Oh, perhaps because you're a walking disaster." Joked Argalia.

Roland groaned in response.

"Basil! I have received a call that the laboratory has been raided!" Notified Polly.

"So this whole thing was a distraction." Concluded Outis. "Urk, this could have been prevented with more precautions!"

"It's weird though, this is the first time we've entered a Lob Corp. branch were there have been no abnormalities." Pointed out Sinclair.

"Indeed, the ones we did see were simple eggs." Added Hong Lu.

"The Hooligans must have some sort of way to deal with these abnos." Spoke Heathcliff.

"Perhaps, though, we will have to see it with our own eyes to confirm it." Added Faust. "It is, at the very least clear, they are prepared."

"Tsk, you better watch your back, Basil, bud." Warned Gregor. "Stuff like this doesn't sound good."

"It'll work out, this doesn't seem to be the last of it." Answered Basil.

The scene changed.

We were now back at K Corp.

We ran as fast as we could in the lobby as we saw panicking employees running away.

"Mr. Basil! Please wait!" Pleaded a researcher.

"Please make it quick, I am looking to assist those still trapped in the laboratory." Asked Basil. "Could you wait for a moment, Dante?"

"(S-sure? It's a bit awkward just standing here though.)"

While waiting, Don Quixote decided to take one of the books on the shelf.

"Oh! Thou hath picture books!" Said the fixer fangirl with excitement.

Sunny decided to look over the shoulder of Don Quixote.

"That's a cute image." Giggled Rodion as she saw the both of them look like small kids.

Hero had a small wave of nostalgia, as it reminded him of how Sunny would always read books with Basil.

Basil smiled, he also remembered those times.

"Changed a blonde for another blonde." Chuckled Kel.

"Once upon a time, when everyone had their heads and eyes up, looking at the stars, there was a person looking down at the pond."

"No shot we're actually going to view a fairytale." Groaned Heathcliff.

"I like fairytales!" Objected Kel.

"I second thy opinion!" Agreed Don Quixote "Great tales of heroes arise from within thy fairy tales of old!"

"Do you think this has importance to the story?" Asked Sinclair.

"If it's shown, most likely." Assumed Roland.

"In their eyes were crystal tears."

"They created ripples in the pond."

"They gave them rocks, and they appeared again."

"The waves appeared, yet never returned."

"They attempted to find meaning through the imminent death of the ripples."

"Strong, or weak, they disappeared no matter what."

"Yet they never gave up, they tried to keep them alive as long as possible."

"However, one of their familiar became sick, their life soon to end."

"They grieved, they cried, their tears creating ripples in the pond."

"And then..."

"The droplet bounced back, with invigorating energy."

"Drying their eyes, they saw the flowing water expressing itself to him."

"Dear person, who did everything to save me, don't be sad."

"I thank you for spending time with this ripple who was nearing death, who you rejuvenated with each rock and tear."

"Did you know that ponds can grant wishes?"

"The tears that you drop will return back to clear your pain."

"Afterwards, the tears that the person had let out over the years went to every person after three days."

"Everyone who touched the stream of tears was healed."

"The person's ill familiar recovered and rejuvenated as well."

"Since then, each single citizen of the city has shed their tears near a mass of water, and expressed their woes."

"That's a really nice tale!" Commented Kel. "I like it!"

"Mmm, it's symbolism of not letting everything bottle up." Concluded Roland.

"..." Most sinners stayed quiet.

"A-anyways, isn't this a bit different to the story that our world's K Corp. has?" Asked Ishmael.

"Seems like it. I remember reading a fairytale about stars instead." Reminded Roland.

"That explains it. I've read about Nest K usually gathering together around a pond to share their problems and express their sadness together once each certain day of the month."

"... Please, tell me at least one of you has read the guide about K Corp, its nest and the backstreets... Anyone?" Pleaded Ishmael.

Sunny raised his hand.

"Thank you." She sighed in relief.

He actually didn't.

"Then why did he even raise his hand?!" Yelled a frustrated Ishmael.

Heathcliff was laughing his ass off besides her.

"You know, it does sound much more wholesome than expected." Admitted Sinclair.

Rodion nodded. "I guess there are some nice stories from time to time in the City."

"Mmm, they certainly exist." Agreed Roland as he remembered Angela releasing everyone in the books.

"Now that I think about it, doesn't it sound similar to what the regenerative ampule does?" Asked Sinclair. "A stream that heals all wounds..."

"So... you're telling me it originally was made from tears of sad people?" Asked Gregor.

"Well... the watery stuff is there... but I'm not sure about the pebbles and such." Shrugged Rodion.

"(Any idea, Faust?)"

"It is a metaphor, we will know of its origins through facts." She concluded.

"Perhaps someone more artistic may be more apt." She said as she glanced at Sunny. "He has quite the imagination."

"..." Sunny hummed. "I believe I know it."

"The pebbles represent the pain and sorrows this individual has suffered."

"Yet they do not shed a tear until the very end, when they can no longer hold it in."

Faust nodded in confirmation regarding this explanation.

"Then what about its origin?" Asked Hong Lu

"The situation seems grave, we need to move quickly." Interrupted Basil. "They've been able to move deeper in where experiments are actually conducted.

"This sounds impossible, this structure is indeed undamaged, how could the enemy have infiltrated without arousing suspicion?" Inquired Outis.

"I'll explain while we get there." Spoke Basil.

"Iie, give a reason why we must follow." Objected Ryoshu.

"Indeed. The contract has been fulfilled." Pointed out Meursault.

"The Golden Bough is yet to be in our grasp." Explained Sunny.

Basil nodded. "Aubrey took it."

"Give me a reason why I shouldn't DYS right now." Threatened Ryoshu.

"Ugh... well, no problem, I guess we can extend the contract a bit..." Reluctantly said Rodion.

Hong Lu nodded. "But make sure to add more snacks! I want to know what other stuff commoners eat!"

"Oi! Move up dammit!" Yelled Heathcliff who was already inside the elevator.

"Tch, L.B" Muttered Ryoshu as she sheathed her sword.

We quickly made our way upstairs.

"S-scary..." Shivered Basil as he was about to see his other self almost become a piece of artwork.

"That's a straight way to say no." Thought Sunny as he saw Ryoshu's intimidating look.

"So... about what you said about this being easy, Rodya." Muttered Gregor.

"Oh! I know, I jinxed it." Admitted Rodion.

What was previously a peaceful laboratory, was now a discord of panicking people as they made their way to the exit.

"Mr. Basil! Please help us! Please!" Begged a researcher that was clinging to a terrorist.

"Would you mind letting the hostage go? If it's information that you want, allow me to switch places with him" Suggested Basil.

"Uhm... that's a bit too self sacrificial, don't you think Basil?" Nervously laughed Kel.

"It's... a nice thing to do... but you shouldn't throw away your life." Mentioned Hero.

"Wait... that's Charlie." Pointed out Aubrey. She gripped her bat with strength.

It seemed as if each single hooligan would die in this place.

"Information.. We need none..." Said Charlene.

"Sheesh, here I thought I'd find only weaklings, this lass might actually be a challenge." Smiled Heathcliff.

"No... will not... fight." She shily declared.

K Corp. guards arrived as they surrounded her.

"What out! She might end up defeating us all if we go in!" Warned one of the guards.

Aubrey sighed. "It seems like people still see her as someone quite intimidating."

"Is she a gentle giant?" Inquired Rodion. She got a nod in response.

"Hijack... the drones..." She said.

The drones proceeded to aim at the guard instead.

"Oh my, it seems like the drones backfired." Said Basil calmly.

"Oi bugger, you're fucking, right?" He said exasperated, only to see a club get swung towards him." Bloody hell, you weren't!"

"The decay ampules inside the drones seem to be used just to force our allies to fight against you." Informed Basil.

"They wish to live more than to follow their cause." Pointed out Sunny.

Outis looked at him. She was about to say something, yet in the end, she didn't.

"Miss Charlie! Please allow us to support you!" A few terrorists appeared wearing E.G.O. equipment.

"... Thank you."

Gregor put a hand over his face. "One and another problem keeps piling up..."

"Here I thought we would be the only ones with them." Commented Heathcliff.

"Seems like in the future, E.G.O. becomes more prominent." Pointed out Roland.

"I'm excited about what sort of chaos will appear in the future." Said Argalia with excitement.

"Course you would you psycho..." Groaned Roland.

Hero looked at Aubrey again. "I hope you're okay while seeing this."

"I am." She declared. "I know full well these aren't the friends that I know from back in our world, though, I wish they were here with us."

"Perhaps they will appear." He smiled softly.

Argalia then thought a bit about it. Who else could appear. "Do any by any chance have thoughts on who could also arrive?" He asked the others.

Sinclair remained silent, as he thought about the worst outcome. That being Kromer.

Rodion shrugged, thinking of no one in particular that could possibly appear.

As for Yi Sang...

He knew full well who could appear, especially after seeing this version this kid who looked like him was going through.

Dongrang was the main possible person to appear.

Roland thought about his friend, Olivier, and other relevant fixers such as the Purple Tear.

"Ah bollocks, seems like the scene continued while we were thinking." Groaned Heathcliff.

"Oh wow, you can think?" Said Ishmael with a dramatic look of surprise.

"...Go suck a knob."

"Not in front of children, Heathcliff." Warned Rodion.

"What are you? My mum?" He asked.

"Oh... that's... very gruesome." Said Polly as she looked away while gagging.

"Quite the artistic individual now, are you? Kim?" Basil asked, seemingly unaffected by the corpses around her.

"Agh... I think I'm going to be sick." Aubrey cringed as she looked away.

Basil looked like he was going to vomit again.

And Kel covered his eyes while Hero closed his own.

"Too digital." Criticized Ryoshu.

"Funny you say that, especially when your employees mutilate themselves to use the ampules." Shot back Kim.

"We are looking for your boss! Where is she?!" Interrogated Outis.

"And I want to ask, how are you still alive?" Responded Kim.

"We're just built different." Mocked Heathcliff.

"That's not it, it seems our plan didn't go well." Concluded Kim. "My brother had to die because of you." She growled.

"Oh? You mean the representative of the Rosespanner Workshop?" Questioned Hong Lu.

"Yes, him." She looked saddened. "If this is the last thing I can do, then I will fight until I kill at least one of you."

She then brought out her own extracted E.G.O.

And yet, Sunny walked past her like nothing.

"Oi! The hell are you doing?!" Questioned Heathcliff.

"To meet an old friend." Sunny responded.

"M-miss, do we-" Tried to ask one of the terrorists.

"No, let him pass, Aubrey told us explicitly to allow this individual to pass." She ordered.

"As for all of you..." She then looked at the other sinners. "Be prepared, this is the last thing I will do, I'll make sure none of you get past here."

"Uh? The hell is this?" Said a confused Heathcliff.

"I'm just as lost as you now." Commented Gregor as he scratched his hair.

"W-why would Sunny move onward?" Asked Sinclair.

"Is he switching sides?" Inquired Hong Lu.

"Tis a betrayal I never saw coming!" Said Don Quixote in dismay.

"Not possible." Responded Meursault

Dante looked at Faust. "(Do you have any idea?)"

"I do." She answered. "When Sunny was stabbed by Aubrey, she whispered something to him while everyone was in a state of shock." She theorized.

"Then from there, she told him to meet up with her, possibly to talk." Deducted Ishmael.

The scene changed.

"Ah, done with the lass." Said an exhausted Heathcliff.

The corpse of Kim could be seen dead on the floor.

"Man, just how long have we been fighting?" Asked Gregor.

"Quantity over quality is not something I like." Commented Ryoshu as she cut down the mess that was formerly known as a person.

"(Uhm, Basil. About you wanting to recruit Sunny.)"

"Oh! It seems like that won't be happening any time soon, not when he is declining the offer." He said without care.

"Really? You're not going to force him into joining?" Asked Sinclair.

"No at all, I have something prepared just in case." He informed.

"(Now that I think about it, was I the only one forced to enter the company? I know I've asked before, but it seems like all of you entered out of your own volition.)"

"Ah, yes, we all did, although some of us either could have declined or couldn't" Expressed Gregor.

"But at the end of the day, we did so because..." Trailed off Ishmael.

"The dream..." Muttered Sinclair.

"What I thought would be impossible..." Whispered Outis.

"What they promised..." Spoke Faust.

"That what I sought..." Uttered Heathcliff.

"..." Don Quixote remained silent.

"They really did a background check on us uh?" Joked Gregor.

"Indeed. We all looked to fulfill it in exchange." Confirmed Meursault.

"Mmm, even so, it seems like one of us has already achieved it." Spoke Faust.

"Uh?" Was the collective noise the sinners made.

They previously remained silent as they were unsure if they would break the terms of their contract.

But to think someone had already achieved it? It seemed unlikely.

"Uh? No way!" Said Heathcliff in surprise.

"The one who went ahead, had achieved it the moment he met Dante." Revealed Faust.

"What? What was his dream?!" Asked Ishmael shocked.

"That would be breaking the terms." Mentioned Faust. "Let us proceed, we have made Sunny wait long enough.

"Acting like that after almost saying it yourself." Grunted Ryoshu.

"If that's the case... would that mean that Yi Sang already obtained his dream the moment he met Dante?" Suggested Sinclair.

"That is not true." Responded Yi Sang. "I have not obtained what I dream for."

"So, in that case, this Sunny kid already got what he wanted just from Dante?" Heathcliff repeated. "What sort of bullshit is this?!"

"(Perhaps... it's the dream to live?)"

"Uh? Why do you say that?" Asked Ishmael.

"(He said his happiest moment was when he met me, and then he said that me asking for his well being also made him happy... He either wishes to have someone care for him, or simply not die.)"

"... I think so too." Agreed Outis.

"Now's not the time to bootlick the manager!" Yelled Heathcliff.

"No, I genuinely believe so." She retorted. "The boy has been arguing with me regarding the ideology that I follow, alongside the fact that he questions the thought of throwing away one's life for a cause."

The sinners remained silent.

"So, his dream was to live forever?" Suggested Hong Lu.

"Perhaps not forever, but probably along those lines." Added Rodion.

"He hath found his unreachable dream first! Such splendid fortune!" Commented Don Quixote.

Even after such discussion, many of the sinners felt unconvinced by such a dream.

After all, they believed it had to be something more intricate.

Something that the company had in store for them after working for so long.

"It's... really dark in here." Said Sinclair. "What's that?"

"The thing in the middle has been stopped due to the commotion." Explained Basil.

"But, what exactly is it?" Asked Rodion.

"A contraption meant to recollect the tears." He responded. "It's a shame though, I've talked about expanding this room, as any excess of tears are then given to plants, just not to be wasted."

"You... how are you still standing..." Weakly muttered Aubrey.

We all turned to the direction of the voice, only to see Aubrey in the ground while Sunny used his E.G.O. to pin her onto the floor.

Said E.G.O. was a musical note in the form of a scythe, however, it was also an automatic bolt action rifle.

Aubrey had a rundown coat and umbrellas over her, it seems as the E.G.O. was not strong enough to defeat Sunny.

Furthermore, a few feathers and cotton could be seen coming out of the raincoat.

"Ouch..." Cringed Kel as he saw Aubrey in such a state.

"The kid doesn't seem so merciful even with old friends." Commented Gregor.

Aubrey looked nervously at Sunny, she then widened her eyes the moment she saw that Sunny didn't react at all. "What the..."

"Hey, is it just me, or does that weapon look like a musical note?" Asked Hero.

"No, it does look like one." Agreed Sinclair.

"Then his E.G.O. must be related to music." Concluded Ishmael.

"He did play the violin before." Responded Kel with a smile.

"Although... Where is your violin now, Sunny?"

Sunny widened his eyes, he didn't know what to answer.

"Perhaps locked away, never to be seen."

Sunny looked at the person who responded, it was Yi Sang.

"We hide memories we wish not to remember." He said as he closed his eyes.

Why was he helping him out?

"Oh... that makes sense." Said Kel with a bit of nervousness.

"Mmm, it does remind me of The Silent Orchestra's weapon when I fought against Angela." Reminisced Roland.

"Is it perhaps a scythe? I might be interested in using that E.G.O. if that's the case." Smiled Argalia.

"You're not getting any." Said Roland warily.

Basil looked at the raincoat Aubrey had, it reminded him of that time when Sunny used to check photos of Aubrey.

That crush was probably long gone by this point.

"Give up Aubrey, you can't defeat me." Spoke Sunny.

"No! ...I... I won't give up! Not... not after what you said..." She said with hatred.

"Then... let me force you to do so." He said as he burrowed his weapon even further into Aubrey's back. "Allegro Agitato can still sink deeper into you, until you're unable to move."

"Damn it..." She said exasperated. "Why! Why did you have to appear now out of nowhere! You bastard... how could you!" She breathed with difficulty.

"Your E.G.O. is a mere efflorescence, you have yet to truly realize what you truly feel." He explained.

"Seek what you truly want, only then can you finally see what you truly desire." He advised.

"Sunny... I think that's enough." Worded Basil as he looked at Aubrey with pity.

"..." Sunny did not respond.

"Sunny. Please!" Basil was starting to get agitated.

"In the end, you feign to care." He muttered as he took out his E.G.O. out of Aubrey, the girl gasped in pain, only to slowly get up with difficulty.

"You must feel proud, to have stopped me from killing her, right?" Asked Sunny.

"Then get ready for the consequences."

"W-what?"

Sunny's head was blown off by a bat.

"Christ almighty! That scared the shit out of me!" Jolted Heathcliff as he grabbed onto Ishmael.

"Get off me, NOW!" She roared as she slammed him onto the ground.

"Ah! You bitch!" He said in agony.

"I... I killed him." Aubrey muttered in disbelief.

"H-hey! Calm down now, he can be revived, don't you remember?" Assured Kel.

"That's not the point! ... I've killed Sunny in cold blood... even though I know he could come back... I still did it." Trembled Aubrey.

"You stabbed him before though." Pointed out Hong Lu.

"Now's not the time." Whispered Gregor.

Sunny looked at her, not saying a word.

"Come on now, Aubrey, it's still alright! Y-you're not her!" Argued Basil.

The girl miserably looked at Basil. "Why... why don't you even hate me?"

Basil looked at her. "...Even though you've made me feel like I didn't want to continue on... you're still Aubrey, you're still the girl who introduced me to everyone I hold so dearly... I... I can't leave you... not when you gave me something so important."

Aubrey looked stunned, tears started to go down her face as she then hugged Basil. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry! I- I can't believe I was an asshole to you!"

Hero let out a tear, he saw that the two of them finally reconnected. He held Kel down as he tried to make him not ruin the moment.

As Sunny looked, all he could do was wonder, would they also forgive him?

No... they surely wouldn't.

After all, he did actually do something so despicable.

He didn't deserve forgiveness. He didn't deserve to be there with them.

And Basil didn't deserve to get into trouble because of him.

"I'm fine... I am completely fine... especially after you told me that, Sunny..." Muttered Aubrey. "Now that I'm done with him, you're next, Basil." She said as she pointed her bat at him.

Basil glanced at the bat which had started to gain a complex web pattern instead of barbed wire. "Is that your own E.G.O. equipment?" He asked.

"Efflorescent according to Sunny." Specified Aubrey. "After what he told me... I can't wait to finally kill you with my own hands."

"Mmm... I assume he told you that one revealing secret, very well then, I should use this." He said as he pressed a button.

The room lit up, the thing in the middle started recollecting the tears, and a lot of screens could be seen transmitting the same recording.

Basil then grabbed a microphone he had. "Citizens of K Nest, it is that time of the month, to mourn for those who are unable to be here with us, please, let our cries be heard, reminisce about the past, find your saddest memory, and unleash it to the world!"

"Isn't that..." Said a scared Sinclair.

"Recording of the abnormality." Concluded Meursault.

"So this is what they were for..." Looked a shocked Ishmael.

"What are you doing?!" Screamed Aubrey.

"Can't you see it? This is the despair people of the Nest know nothing of, this way... they will know what it feels to be miserable!" He laughed. "The nest will prosper! We continue to remind ourselves of our past mistakes!"

"I can't believe it, the one guy I started to like, and he turns out to be a nutjob..." Whispered Heathcliff in frustration.

"So... this is how this district works?" Murmured Gregor.

"N-no..." Said Aubrey in denial. "You... why... how could you..."

Photographs of Mari's dead body could be seen mixed with the recording of the abnormality.

"B-Basil?" Muttered Kel, unable to properly react at the disturbing scene he was watching

Aubrey held her hands over her mouth, shocked over what she was seeing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorr-" Continued Basil as he curled up, not expecting his other self to be this deranged.

Hero looked dead as he saw Mari's corpse being used for something like this.

Sunny started to panic as he saw the body of Mari, of which he had hung with the help of Basil. His fears engulfed him further, as he saw photos of Mari's body at the stairs, he looked around, hoping that no one would notice.

Thankfully, the truth would be hidden for a little bit longer.

Everyone was panicking upon seeing such a deranged scene.

Roland looked in silence at what was unfolding.

"This... this is actually interesting." Commented Argalia. "He was, indeed, deranged. In the end, it seemed as if that smile the boy wore was indeed the same one I used."

"It makes me wonder, can anyone actually distort this place?"

"But either way, it seems like she wasn't The Pianist."

"Disrespecting the dead..." Murmured Gregor.

"What was that?" Asked Outis.

"This is... a disrespect for the dead." Spoke Gregor.

"It is." Bluntly said Meursault.

"I feel bad for the chiquita..." Said Rodion.

"S-she's the same girl that we saw in that photo... right?"

"It truly is..." Uttered Ishmael.

"This is..." Tried to speak Heathcliff.

"A FUBAR." Finished Outis.

"..." Ryoshu glared at Outis, as if she had stolen something from her.

"No, Sinclair! It's always been the other way around... I am the one who grips...!"

Sinclair started screaming in panic, the mere sound of her voice was enough to make him go crazy.

"He truly was watching us from the beginning..." Muttered Yi Sang.

"I-I don't think I want to be here anymore..." Nervously said Sinclair.

"Please remember, this entire stunt is meant to produce enough tears to make more ampules." Justified Basil.

"So... this is how you were always able to get the employee of the year award?" Asked Gregor.

"Well... it's a reasonable explanation... but... there's no such thing as a fair award." He revealed.

"See... Do you ever wonder how I was able to access Angel's computer? Do you know why I had a higher clearance than him despite us being colleagues?"

"I never needed justification to hire you in the first place, you see, there is a reputation I need to uphold... as the owner of K Corp."

"He's the WHAT?!" Screamed Heathcliff at the top of his lungs.

"This is some of the biggest plot twists I've seen in any literary work!" Said Hong Lu while his eyes sparkled.

"But it feels so out of nowhere!" Yelled Ishmael.

"You know, I'm glad I did say I would stop eating before... Now I can eat this when it gets so good!" Rodion said as she took a bite out of a half eaten chicken wing.

"Mineself is confused by the plots and twists of thy tale!" Said Don Quixote as she tried to make her tiny brain process what she had seen.

Yi Sang looked at the Faraway gang, only to see them be unresponsive, it seemed like the memories of the girl's death were still too much for them...

No... perhaps it was the way it was shown there that was too much for them.

"Then... that means you gave direct access to N Corp. to do that to Sinclair's..." Whispered Rodion in shock.

"That was their separate deal." Spoke Meursault.

"Ah... I still remember when I still used my camera back then... don't you two remember?" Reminded Basil as he looked at Aubrey, who had a look of disbelief, and Sunny who had just been revived by Dante.

"I worked for a bit with it, experimenting using myself as a subject, now it can emit holograms of memories of the past." He explained.

"See... Aubrey, you've made me suffer in the past." He got closer to her. "You've insulted me for what I've done to the photo album, and I assume Sunny told you another fact about it..."

"I was this close to finally losing it, my grandmother was this close to dying too... but with the help of the Singularity... I was able to move on... and now... I want Sunny to finally move on as well... and I wanted the same for you..."

"But you continue to deny the past, you believe that you can still move on by ignoring it... I was like that before, I refused to believe what truly happened, but in the end, I glanced back... and finally accepted it."

"Can't you see, Aubrey? My way is the correct one, look at yourself... so miserable... and I am here... standing victoriously, with my plan still in motion... how the tables have turned from when we were teenagers..."

"Yet, I miss the old Aubrey... but she's long gone... what's left of her... is a vile woman who continued to harass me, even when I finally moved on..."

"You're the one who pushed everyone away, Aubrey, you only have yourself to blame."

"You don't deserve to be helped, Hero and Kel are now better off wherever they are, they are happy, they have moved on... and I helped them."

Sunny remained silent as Basil continued to talk about Aubrey.

In the end, Basil didn't know what Hero and Kel were actually doing.

"...Ahahah..." Aubrey started laughing in pure regret as she cried. Basil's words made her finally lose it.

Hero and Kel hugged her and tried to calm her down.

"Aubrey! Please! Calm down! None of those words are meant for you!"

"Y-yeah! Aubrey! Come on! You can still change! It's not too late!"

Basil stood up, and walked towards Aubrey.

"P-please... don't blame yourself... I've already told you before."

"I... I can't! Those words your other self said! The way he said them! They'll haunt me! I can't help but feel like I'm the worst being in this entire world!"

"I... I'm scared Basil! I'm scared as to what I'll become in the future." She grabbed him by the shoulders as she trembled in fear.

Many of the sinners tried to look away, yet they couldn't. They simply couldn't ignore how a young girl was slowly going down a downward spiral to self loathing.

The only person who was truly enjoying this was Argalia.

Roland glared at him, he made sure he didn't say anything that could cause further problems.

Sunny looked at the group comforting one another, in a way, he felt like an outcast, yet at the same time, he didn't.

Yi Sang had been by his side this whole time.

He still wondered why.

Why would he stay by the side of a murderer?

The answer was obvious, the man didn't know.

Yet... why didn't he tell him?

...It was because it felt nice, nice to have someone besides him to check on him.

And... he found someone who was a stranger, yet felt like someone so close at the same time.

Someone who didn't care who he was.

Someone who might not know him as Mari's little brother.

Or Sunny, the best friend.

But just Sunny.

As for Yi Sang, he simply thought this was ideal.

He felt there was something about this boy, something very special, and he wanted to be proven right.

He wanted him to prove that even as a talentless person, one could have such beautiful wings.

That even a broken genius, could spread beautiful wings.

He already talked about it before, even if one was no longer a genius, their wings would still mend, even if they weren't perfect, they were still better than broken.

Perhaps... he was a perfectionist... No, he was simply wishing to be a better person.

And maybe... the past mistakes he made shouldn't weigh him down to the ground.

And maybe... the future sun was farther away than he thought.

Maybe... he should spread his wings in the present, so that they could grow stronger.

Maybe then... he'd become his ideal version.

The scene changed to a flashback.

"... I... made changes to the composition..." Softly spoke a young Sunny. "Mari said... she had difficulty playing it..."

"I want us... to play it in the recital. I call it... Meltdown"

"So that's why you've been in your room for so long!" Spoke a young Aubrey as she had sparkled on her eyes.

*Click*

"Basil! Now is not the time to take pictures!" Yelled Aubrey.

"Sorry! But I just thought this was a nice moment to take a photo!" He responded.

"Sunny! Tell him to get rid of that photo! My hair was messy in that!" Pleaded Aubrey.

"Too late! I will be showing this to the others!"

Children laughing innocently.

Running around like there was no care in the world.

Smiles of happiness.

Eyes glowing brighter than the future.

Pure joy... of making a past memory.

I reminisced about those times...

And wished life to be that easy.

Hero sniffled a bit, seeing that treasured past once again.

Aubrey looked up, she didn't know if that ever happened or not.

She wondered, was she truly pushing everyone away?

If not... then why were some memories so fuzzy?

"Quiet."

"You will live. As if nothing ever happened."

"Omori..." Though Sunny.

It had to be him.

There was no denying it...

Yet...

Why was he so aggressive?

"That sounds like the kid himself." Pointed out Gregor.

"Is he perhaps trying to make himself snap out of another memory?" Asked Rodion.

"Does he... remember past memories each time he gets revived?" Insinuated Sinclair.

"I don't think so, it can't be only him that has that happening to him." Refuted Ishmael.

"..." Faust looked at the screen with intrigue.

"You... why did you use your camera for this..." Trembled Aubrey. "This gift we gave you... it wasn't meant for this..."

"Stand back, this is no longer related to you." Coldly said Basil. "And I know what you mean, Hero and Kel would have despised me for what I have done."

"Ah, but they aren't here, nor will they find out about this, they are living their best life inside another nest probably."

"Even now, you decide to be a thorn by my side."

"I have no words to waste on you, I must continue with my plan."

Basil then turned to Sunny, who after being revived looked at Basil in shock.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"..." Sunny refrained from answering.

"I am indeed disgusting aren't I?" Basil asked.

"You're nice, Sunny, you would never do something like this."

"So look at the past, and blame me for what happened."

"I was the one who gave you such a horrible idea."

"I made you hide the truth."

"I destroyed our friend group all because of my stupidity."

Sunny looked away.

"Idiot... why did you have to go this far..."

"We were mere children, we were neither selfish nor aware."

"We were kids who knew nothing better."

"What does he mean by everything that he's said?" Spoke Hero after a while, he was the first one to recover from the previous revelation.

Sunny squirmed as he tried to hide behind Yi Sang.

He didn't want to face Hero at this point.

The truth could just be shown this very moment, and he would try to hide away.

He didn't want them to know about what truly happened.

The way they reacted after seeing Mari's body again had confirmed the worst.

And now he was fearful of what would happen if the truth did come out.

Basil grasped his shoulders as he pleaded for his other version to stop talking.

Kel glanced at Basil with concern. He didn't know what was going on, but it felt like this wasn't exclusive to this version of Basil.

It was more than likely that some few traits from that world were an equivalent to theirs.

And if that were the case, then he could see where this was going.

He needed to make sure Basil didn't blame himself for his other self.

Aubrey simply remained still as her eyes were red from crying, at this point she didn't care about her previous argument with Kel, there was just too much going one that she just wanted this to end.

Yet Aubrey still decided to talk.

"You... Why are you still here? I've told you... you know nothing..."

"Mmm? Who are you talking to?" Inquired Basil, yet he was ignored.

"Yes... even when she died... I tried to reunite everyone... yet it seemed as if everyone reunited without me..."

"U-uhm... Miss Aubrey? You're changing." Pointed out Sinclair

Aubrey now had feathers and wool covering her body, they looked like comfy clothing someone would have during christmas. She had a mask that made her look like she had a bird crown.

"She's... is she distorting?" Asked Ishmael.

"Seems like it." Agreed Gregor.

"I'm turning into a monster?" Asked Aubrey.

"Maybe, maybe not, if you're strong enough, you might fight it and end up getting an E.G.O." Explained Roland.

Hero hoped she did, however, she was unsure if the sinners would allow her to do that.

"That wish of mine... no... that dream of mine to finally talk together... to finally be there together..."

"Even if it turns out to be a nightmare... even if it's a lie... it's better than this."

"I wish my lucid dream would continue forever... because at the very least... I could bring her back to life..."

"And if I ever wake up... I wish for it to be a false awakening."

"No... even in a dream... I wouldn't want everything to be perfect..."

"Just a small problem here and there to make it realistic..."

"Are you sure we should let her stay this way?" Asked Rodion. "Her mind might be breaking because of the usage of E.G.O."

"Don't think so... though I'm not sure if we can attack her without damaging the Golden Bough." Mentioned Ishmael.

"We cannot attack her at all, in a way, a distorting person cannot be interfered, only the individual can." Explained Faust.

"At most, we can only use an adequate method to help the victim slowly make their way out of it."

"A dream catcher could protect most if not all... but even so, it would one day break...

"That dream of yours... it seems nice... but I can't accept it... not when I want to reach mine first..."

"I want to meet her again... I want to meet them again... I want to no longer be the Aubrey of today... but the Aubrey everyone liked..."

"And to do that... I can't let you control me... I need to do it myself..."

"... Aubrey..." Whispered Sunny.

"I will let my mind dream of that reality." She declared.

"Hero's cooking, the taste, his gentle smile."

"Kel's annoying voice, his pranks, his joyful smile."

"Mari's kindness, the songs she played, her soothing smile."

"Basil's photos, his surprises, his innocent smile."

"And Sunny's passion, his talent, his loving smile."

"I will recreate those memories by myself, because I will finally realized that I pushed them away."

"Be prepared, for the dream catcher will engulf the nightmare."

She now had a dreamcatcher as an amulet, her hands and hair turned back to the black it used to be, she wore black, the white wool turned into black fur, while the feathers turned into leather.

"To think you'd gain an E.G.O..." Murmured Sunny. "Let us finish this conflict, once and for all."

"Fascinating." Commented Faust.

"Ahhh.... Seems like we are going to have to fight with the kid." Groaned Gregor.

"Mm... no... not this one...aaaand... there it is." Said Roland as he flicked through a few pages in a notebook." Yeah, it does look like this one." He said as he showed what he was looking at.

"Are those notes relating to abnormalities?" Asked Sinclair.

"Yeah, Angela gave it to me in case we needed any more information regarding the abnormalities." Answered Roland.

"Could you tell us which one the first one we saw? The ice woman from before." Requested Outis.

"Ah... let me check... It's called... Snow Woman." He said. "It's an aberration of Ice Queen from what it's written here."

"It's story actually derives from a what if scenario of its original counterpart, it talks more about the feelings of this abnormality, and how it sought warmth from someone else. From there, a tragedy befalls as she is left behind like nothing."

"Then what about this new one?" Inquired Ishmael.

"This one has no entries, it's a new discovery, it seems like the girl manifested her own E.G.O. which if I had to assume, had the same desires as Void Dream." Explained Roland. "Well, we can assume it's an aberration if distortions and abnormalities were to fall in the same category."

"So Aubrey got her E.G.O. because she realized she wanted to go back to simpler times?" Asked Hero.

"Part of it seems to be that." Pointed out Roland. "Though, it's more than likely that the similarities are because of similar themes of dreaming for a better reality."

"Either way, she declined the voice's empty promises, that basically makes it so that she can't distort... I think." He concluded.

"So the lass didn't consent, therefore, she did not distort?" Asked Heathcliff.

"Pretty much."

"This battle might be harder though." Mentioned Faust.

"Why do you say that?" Asked Rodion with curiosity.

Faust looked at Yi Sang. "Our main contributor to our means to strengthen ourselves is not in that world."

"Ah, are you talking about the identities?" Asked Roland. "The powers similar to the pages we in the Library use?"

"Yes, just like in the notes I sent to your group, without them, it seems we are fighting in our base forms." Responded Faust.

"I am sure that boy has something." Mentioned Yi Sang.

"Pray tell?" Inquired Outis.

"Simply look."

"Sunny, catch." Called Basil as he threw something towards Sunny.

"I always wondered how you'd look if things had gone differently." Started talking Basil. "Through a bit of help, I finally was able to make this."

Sunny's entire body suddenly blinked in colors. His black coat and suit were changed to an outfit that many of the sinners recognized.

"Wait... isn't that the same outfit a-" Tried to speak Sinclair.

"Shi Association." Continued Ishmael.

"Think of it as a gift, I think you will like that increase in power." Spoke Basil.

"It was not needed." Replied Sunny. He then started walking towards Aubrey and put himself in a fighting stance.

The other sinners followed suit, as they were now about to start fighting.

(Now playing: Polyphia - Ego Death)

https://youtu.be/1JNmz17gnMw

Heathcliff groaned, at this point, he simply shouldn't care about all the crazy stuff this boy had done in that reality.

Yi Sang hummed for a moment. "It appears as reality has chosen the boy as the replacement of my mirror self."

"Though... perhaps..." He was then reminded of Dongrang.

He then frowned.

Why was it that Sunny and Basil seemed like a mix between him and Dongrang?

Basil created the mirror technology in that world, yet he seemed to be acting similarly to Dongrang.

Meanwhile Sunny acted like him, but it seemed he felt inferior to others.

Yi Sang closed his eyes.

He remembered those times when the other members of the nine would tease Dongrang for having such shallow views regarding being recognized for his efforts.

He knew that something had gone wrong the moment Dongrang seemed defeated when they started hiding from the corporation.

"Tis a time to finally see us fight! Let us enjoy thy honorable battle!" Excitedly proclaimed Don Quixote.

"A bit of nepotism there, don't you think." Joked Gregor.

"Woah! That's a cool outfit you have! That eyepatch you also wear looks great on you!" Complimented Kel as he looked at Sunny's new outfit.

"Though, I do wonder, did we get this far simply with our so-called base forms?" Questioned Rodion.

"It seems like it, though, I assume we have more strength in that version compared to our own version." Responded Ishmael.

"Basil seems quite talented in that world, don't you guys think?" Asked Hero.

"Yeah, he's the owner of a corporation and seems to have created the thing that the white haired girl was talking about." Added Aubrey.

"Faust."

"Sorry. That Faust was talking about."

Aubrey started by summoning imaginary friends, the two of them looked like morphed versions of Hero and Kel.

The two of them had a pan and a basketball.

Heathcliff decided to go first as he rushed.

"Hey! Don't just rush in like an idiot!" Yelled Ishmael as she followed suit.

Heathcliff moved forward as he swung his bat against one of the imaginary friends, however, it did nothing as it passed through it.

The imaginary Kel then threw its basketball against Heathcliff's head. It broke his nose as his head lunged back.

Ishmael who followed behind him then stumbled back as Heathcliff's body then landed on her.

In the meantime, Ryoshu tried stabbing at Kel again, as expected, there was no impact, as the sword phased through.

"A shame." Said Ryoshu as she would be unable to make art.

Outis, seeing this, decided to move forward towards Aubrey. Given the fact that one of the ghosts was unable to be attack, it meant that they needed to focus on the one who was controlling them.

Hero put himself in the way as he clashed his frying pan against Outis' sword.

Meursault rushed behind Outis as he punched the frying pan away.

This allowed Outis to scurry away as she continued to rush towards Aubrey.

But just as she got close to her, Aubrey headbutt her, staggering her instantly.

She then followed up by swinging her bat, hitting the sinner twice, only to then kick her.

Don Quixote lunged forward as she jumped onto Aubrey, however, she blocked the attack by hitting Don with a giant plushie.

Don bounced off as she was sent back flying.

Meursault went in and punched the plushy with all of his strength, but the attacks were absorbed by the soft material.

Ishmael, who had finally gotten up, slid between the legs of Meursault and Aubrey, getting behind the girl.

She was about to swing her mace, but her attack was blocked by both the imaginary versions of Kel and Hero.

Aubrey then swung her bat again, this time hitting Ishmael in the head while Meursault stepped back to dodge it.

Don Quixote rushed in again just as Ishmael was hit by the bat.

She used her lance and pierce through the plushy, unfortunately, it was unable to hit Aubrey, as she then let go of it.

She then held her bat with both hands and swung with strength.

But not to Don Quixote.

The moment she swung it, the entire place turned into a colorful paradise made out of purple and pink.

"That's beautiful." Commented Hong Lu.

"We're getting our ass beaten here, and that's all you've got to say?" Questioned Heathcliff.

"It's a battle against an E.G.O. awakened user, of course we're getting beaten." Said Ishmael.

"Has anyone seen Sunny act yet?" Asked Sinclair.

"Better question, what about everyone else?" Added Gregor.

"We seem to be standing back, protecting Dante." Explained Faust.

"Are you happy now, Kel? We've appeared in the scene now." Asked Hero.

"I mean.. yeah... but why are we minions to Aubrey?!" He said with indignity. "She gets her friends and her own E.G.O!

"Well, this story seems to center around... the three who are more vocal about their problems..." Said Hero as he whispered the last part.

"A beautiful landscape, I must compliment." Commented Sunny.

"Ah... this is my ideal world... can't you allow me to keep it secure?" Asked Aubrey.

"This is your paradise... however, you need to open the door."

"Why do you say that? Can't I live in this false reality I've made for myself?"

"The more you stay here, the more you forget about how each one of us truly was." Sunny then closed his eyes. "You end up creating false copies of those you used to love."

He then raised his sword.

"And by doing so, you tell yourself pretty lies."

He then rushed in quickly.

The attack was parried by a new summoned imaginary friend, this time, it was Mari.

"Cruel of you, don't you think?"

"More cruel you are, for hiding the truth."

"I've done it once, I've done it twice, I will do it thrice."

"I will watch a talented individual die in front of me once again." He declared.

Sunny looked at the landscape, it was the same color as the one he created in Headspace, furthermore there were a few elements that seemed to have been shared, such as the weapons each one of them used.

The truth was getting closer each time, sooner or later they would find out.

And he was scared, he would feel that hug of comfort pull away once again.

But... what did he mean he's done it twice?"

Sunny and Aubrey continued to clash.

The other sinners were busy taking care of the imaginary friends, a version of Sunny and Basil also appeared.

Each single sinner was combating one of them.

Everyone except Outis, who had stayed by Sunny's side this whole time.

"Give support to others." Commanded Sunny.

"Negative, your friend is the main target, giving support to the others will be more detrimental." She argued back.

"...You always were the opposite of me." Sighed Sunny.

They rushed in together, dodging the swings of Aubrey's bat, which had grown bigger as the battle went on.

She summoned imaginary friends, not like her friends, but of things she previously owned or loved.

Sunny and Outis continued to dodge as they slowly made their way towards her.

The boy used his sword to parry the giant bat, to which at that point had been taken out of Aubrey's hands.

The bat landed near as it dropped with a loud thud.

They both then activated their E.G.O.s

"The odyssey had a purpose..."

"To define is to limit."

Outis raised her sword and thrusted it into Aubrey's chest.

Meanwhile Sunny used Allegro Agitato and plunged it into Aubrey's back.

*Click*

A gunshot could be heard as Outis' weapon shot point black.

And as for Sunny's weapon, it shot a stave with musical notes on it.

The Faraway gang cringed as they saw both of them shoot Aubrey twice.

"I... I deserved it in that world." Softly said Aubrey as she cried.

The three friends slowly hugged her.

In a way, she felt relieved. Relieved to see that other version of her finally be put down for good.

Aubrey gasped. "...This... is it then..."

Outis took out her weapon, however, Sunny still had it stabbed into her back.

"I...wished for a dream that would never come... to appear."

"I missed you... Sunny... I did..."

"You... you changed like I did..."

"It seems... I will... be... sleeping... in my... mother's... house..."

"To never open... the door... again..."

She stopped breathing, at which point, Sunny took his weapon out of her.

*Click*

Basil used his camera to take a photo. That image was then added to the many that were used to gain more tears.

"..." Sunny closed his eyes.

The scene changed.

"Thank you, for staying by my side." Said a young Aubrey. Sunny and Aubrey were swinging on the swings. "I don't know what I would do without all of you..."

*Click*

"Sunny! Aubrey! We're here!" Said a young Basil as he waved while holding a camera.

"It's cute seeing both of you alone at the swings!" Giggled Mari. "Let's go to our spot now!"

"Come on! I already want us to eat at a picnic!" Cheerfully said Kel.

"I made some sandwiches, I hope all of you like them!" Softly smiled Hero.

Everything then became dark.

"Let go of those memories."

"Sleep, and only dream."

"Only this way, will you finally forget."

"You are talentless."

A funeral could now be seen, with Mari inside the coffin.

Everyone was crying, yet Basil held Sunny's hand.

"We've promised." Spoke Basil. "We would stay together, no matter what happened."

"Sunny... please, don't leave me."

"Everything will be alright, I promise."

"..."

To see Mari's dead body was to be expected, yet they still couldn't get over it. Especially after the last time they saw it.

Those words that Basil said in this moment still resounded inside of Sunny head.

In the end, they didn't stay together.

Ultimately, promises were meant to be broken.

The sinners were quiet, unsure as to what to say, as this was a bit too personal to those affected.

As for Roland, he could only sympathize with the poor kids.

Argalia on the other hand continued to have a smile as he watched the scene.

"What are you thinking now?" Inquired Basil.

Sunny realized that he had been reminiscing about the past.

"..." Sunny took a deep breath. "Nothing... nothing in particular."

"The scent of the flowers was too strong at the funeral."

"And now, they were nowhere to be seen."

"..."

"It's ironic."

"I am somehow alive, yet those with brighter futures are not."

Hero frowned and looked at Sunny, that sort of inferiority complex wasn't healthy at all.

Yi Sang continued to comfort Sunny, Hero simply smiled as he saw someone willing to help him.

The scene changed.

"This should be the last request within the contract." Announced Basil.

"Did the Golden Bough always have this power?" Asked Ishmael. "Could it always warp the real world?"

"That is not relevant." Responded Faust. "All of you and Faust are about to witness an event that will happen for the first time."

"Past memories are likely to appear in the future." She added.

"If you say so... yet... looking at this..." Ishmael Muttered. "Those who we have killed are rising up again."

"Z-zombies too?!" Exclaimed Kel.

"Will... will the Hooligans and I appear as zombies?" Asked Aubrey.

"Wouldn't be surprised if that were the case." Answered Gregor.

"It appears they are in pain." Commented Faust.

"They weren't as lucky as us..." Mumbled Sinclair.

"Bringing people from the dead? That sounds implausible, even compared to the cure it all ampules." Spoke Gregor.

"There's the possibility of a revival singularity having existed in the past." Argued Outis. "Yet, at the time I was at war, there was no mention of it."

"Then... it means the Head condemns it as a taboo." Concluded Sunny.

"It is different to Dante's powers, as Dante can only be used for specific people." Mentioned Faust.

"However, these count as neither." Refuted Meursault. "They are different in mind and body."

"Then, that means this is partial restoration, rather than a complete one." Assumed Gregor.

"..."

"Well, enough talking, how about we make our way inside the Golden Bough?" Asked Basil.

However, before he went inside, he looked at Polly.

"If I don't make it out alive, proceed with the plan." He ordered.

Polly bit her lip, yet she nodded as she left the place.

"Would this mean... we're entering Sunny's ego?" Questioned Sinclair.

"... Let's move." Said Sunny, ignoring the question.

"So, does this mean we'll be looking at each other's memories each time we try to get a Golden Bough?" Asked Hong Lu.

"Correct, Dante is able to resonate with the Golden Boughs, and by extension, each one is related to one of us." Explained Faust.

"..." Sunny trembled, as it seemed like it was getting closer each time. His eyes had gone red as he started to breathe rapidly.

Basil was no better, however, in his case, he was trying his best to stay calm so that no one else would notice.

Thankfully, the rest were too focused on the screen due to what was about to happen.

"This brings back memories, doesn't it? Sunny?" Said Basil as they continued to walk in the familiar place. "Is this the power of the Golden Bough? Or are you also the reason why this is happening?"

Basil greeted us as we saw that we were inside of a house.

"Quite the cozy place, what place was this?" Asked Rodion softly.

"The place where memories were buried, my house, we lived in the Nest I." Explained Sunny.

"(Is that a christmas tree?)"

"Seems like it, that must mean it's christmas." Concluded Rodion.

Sinclair flinched a bit.

Sunny then picked up a few papers.

"A composition of mine, and what seems to be a script." Spoke Sunny.

"It is reasonable to think those named in the script must act like the characters." Remarked Meursault.

"If so, you've done it, Basil." He glanced at Basil. "You've made me relive the past."

"Then, we'll have to read the script as we go through your memories." Said Basil. "If Aubrey were here... I'm not sure how she would react."

"Why are you so adamant in showing me the past?" Questioned Sunny.

"Because I am your best friend." He answered bluntly. "What else did you think the reason would be?"

"For someone who claims to know me, you should know." He glared.

"...I want to reconnect with you, Sunny." He expressed. "Why are you making it so hard?"

"In the end you truly don't know me..."

"..."

"Get this over with, please follow your roles." Demanded Sunny.

"... I truly do know..." Whispered Basil.

The Faraway gang simply remained silent, just seeing the inside of Sunny's house was enough to give them a wave of nostalgia.

It was even more intense due to the fact that it was the day they exchanged presents during christmas.

"So what now, are we just gonna be theater kids?" Insinuated Heathcliff.

"To continue on, we must act." Answered Meursault.

"Mmm, but from the looks of it, there are only six of them, and the two kids are probably acting as themselves." Expressed Rodion. "It must mean that four of us will become the remaining ones."

"Are we seriously going to have to act like them?" Groaned Ishmael.

"Eh, if that's the case, I hope you're one of them." Smirked Heathcliff.

"Do pray tell! Whomst of us hath previously acted?" Inquired Don Quixote.

Many of those present remained silent.

"I have!" Smiled Hong Lu as he raised his hand.

"So we've been dragged here just to act like clowns?" Asked Heathcliff.

"It seems to be the case." Responded Faust. "Please, make sure to deliver your roles."

"What if we don't?" Challenged Ryoshu.

"The Golden Bough won't allow us to proceed, we must make sure to renact the original script as close as possible."

"Alright, alright, in that case..." Murmured Heathcliff.

Heathcliff started reading the script.

"Woaaah... A new basketball! Thanks brother!" Started acting Healthcliff.

"..."

"..."

"What sort of dumbass would be excited about a new ball?" Murmured Heathcliff.

"Pffft... Ahahahah!" Started laughing Aubrey.

"Come on! Why did you have to call me a dumbass!" Said an insulted Kel.

"I said what I said ,lad. Hell are you going to do with just a basketball?" Defended Heathcliff. "Could have asked for something more special!"

"Heathcliff, remember that they were kids from a Nest, chances are, they already had quite a bit." Tried to calm Sinclair.

"No, no... even then, I also gave Kel a basketball." Laughed Hero awkwardly.

"... All of you are jerks." Spoke Kel as he puffed his cheeks.

"Even then, Heathcliff, your acting was awful." Jabbed Ishmael.

"Oh shut it. I bet you wouldn't have been any better!" Shot back Heathcliff.

"Ah, no problem, Kel." Continued Hong Lu. "You could thank me by doing better at school."

"Hey..." Whispered Heathcliff. "That's the name of the kid I'm playing, right?"

Hong Lu simply nodded.

"Uhm... Yeah! You bet!" Heathcliff said, completely embarrassed about his awful acting.

Hong Lu then looked at Sunny.

"Alright, Sunny, how about you open your present?"

Outis read her lines. "Uhhh... This year... you get one present... from all of us."

"It may not look like much, but we have all saved enough money to give you this present." Continued Basil.

"You know, now that I think about it..." Started talking Roland. "Isn't that place sort of similar to what we are doing right now?"

The others started thinking a bit about it.

"Mmm, you might actually have reason for once, Roland." Teased Argalia.

"As expected from a noble Color Fixer!" Praised Don.

"You reckon we could find a Golden Bough here?" Joked Gregor.

"There have been no signs of one being present, furthermore, Dante hasn't felt any in the vicinity." Asked Faust.

"It was meant to be a joke..." Commented Gregor.

"Well, the Golden Boughs seem to look into the past, but in the case of these rooms, they seem to be showing us different worlds..." Spoke Sinclair.

"Like the mirrors..." Muttered Yi Sang.

"Did you say anything Yi Sang?" Asked Rodion.

"No." He shook his head.

"(Perhaps we could ask the owner if there's any connection?)"

"I will do it if you ask me to." Offered Outis.

"If you seek, manager." Said Meursault.

"I still remember that time, I wish you could play the violin for us after, Sunny." Whispered Kel.

"Even then... I'm sure it comes with many bad memories." Added Aubrey.

"Though... if we are able to finally move on... then maybe." Hoped Hero.

"..." Basil glanced at Sunny, who was just as nervous as he was.

"Yes! ... Even Basil and I started a lemonade stand to collect enough money." Continued Ishmael.

"As you can see, my acting is better than yours." Pointed our Ishmael.

Heathcliff simply mumbled swears.

"Lemonade stands are illegal without permits." Commented Meursault.

"Uhm... we... didn't know that?" Said a confused Basil.

"Mari and I took a job at a bakery, I suppose you remember?" Mentioned Hong Lu.

"I had to deliver newspaper to... wait... I had to deliver newspaper every morning for three months." Spoke Heathcliff as he corrected himself from a mistake. "A-and you know how much I hate mornings!"

"Blimey... this kid's gotta wake up just like I did in the morning..." Whispered Heathcliff.

Enemies had started appearing.

"While they continue with their roles, I suggest we take care of those who come from the other side." Suggested Faust.

"They came to destroy the stage." Commented Meursault.

"Nice going Heathcliff." Said Ishmael as she rolled her eyes.

"We know this might be a lot of pressure for you, but it's been awhile since you quit the violin." Continued Hong Lu with professionalism. "Mari would tell us about how you'd sit the room as you saw her play."

"Ah! ...And at that time I caught you playing that old mini violin." Realized Heathcliff as it was now his turn.

"And... this was Basil's idea, but we all decided together to get you a good one." Revealed Ishmael.

"We hope you, uh, like it Sunny." Concluded Outis. "This is a gift from all of us."

Sunny slowly walked towards the present. He opened it slowly, but paused for a moment.

"So, this idea of yours, to give me a violin..."

Basil looked at him.

"It turned out to be the beginning of this curse." Declared Sunny.

"D-did you not like the gift? Sunny?" Asked Kel.

Sunny decided to ignore the question.

"Hey... it's okay if you say you didn't like it now, we appreciate the fact you didn't speak up before... but that's in the past." Softly said Hero. "We're not mad if you didn't like it in the end."

Basil looked at Sunny with a bit of guilt.

None of this would have happened had he not gifted him the violin.

Sunny took out the violin from its box.

It was just as he remembered it to be.

"..."

"The day I was given this violin, I would never forget it."

"Even if I didn't express it, I appreciated it."

"I held it with care, I made sure not to break it."

"But I was given the chance to trade it."

"..."

"T-ta daaaa." Said Heathcliff as he tried to suppress his discontent with the acting.

"It's your very own violin!" Ishmael said.

"We hope you like it... Sunny." Smiled Basil. "Come on, try it."

Sunny looked at the script, it seemed he was forced to play.

Basil then took out his camera.

*Click*

"What can I say? It's nice to be able to relive this moment." He commented.

Sunny started playing the violin.

"..."

"I remembered that anxiety when I first tried playing it."

"At that time, I was not scared of failure."

"I was, instead, excited about the possibilities."

"Yet... now, I realized."

"That I never had talent nor the passion to play it."

"And I continued... because there were expectations of a blooming genius."

"Even so, this imperfect melody would be carried by me."

"S-Sunny..." Whispered Hero.

"This melody..." Mumbled Sinclair. "I... like it."

"Ah, not bad." Smirked Ryoshu.

"If he's talentless then the hell am I?!" Expressed Heathcliff.

"..." Yi Sang remained silent as he continued to see through the messages of the boy.

Wings of wax, that was what Sunny had.

And he, on the other hand, had broken wings.

Yet... both of them wanted to fly.

The scene changed.

"Are you sure you don't want to be in the photo, Sunny?" Asked Ishmael.

Sunny simply nodded.

"He is shy." Explained Outis. "We've all been like that one time."

"It is okay, Sunny." She reassured. "You will one day get used to it."

"This cake looks amazing, Hero! You outdid yourself this time." Complimented Ishmael.

"Thanks Hero, I do love strawberries." Thanked Basil.

"Basil, what wish are you going to make?" Inquired Ishmael.

Heathcliff on the other hand, grumbled. "What is this... some sort of self pampering." He said as he glared at Basil.

His opinion on the boy had drastically changed from their first encounter.

Ishmael upon hearing him, jabbed him in the stomach.

"Ooof..." Recoiled Heathcliff. "You... can't... ask... that.... you bastard..." He said as he kneeled. "Else... it won't come true."

"That's how it works? In that case, I wish for Kel to get a straight A in this exam." She smirked.

"Honestly? I do think both of them do act like you two now." Giggled Hero.

"Why do you say that, bro?" Inquired Kel.

"Well, she punched you the moment you tried to prank her." He started laughing a bit.

"Yeah... I was able to capture it..." Commented Basil.

"I guess it did select the right actors for the roles." Commented Gregor.

"I'm just glad we don't have to act." Said Rodion as she laid back.

"But... we're fighting the undead." Pointed out Sinclair.

"... Maybe I DO want to act." She switched.

"Life in the Nest is quite peaceful, don't you think? Roland?" Asked Argalia.

"..." He glared. He knew he was trying to taunt him about his inability to get Angelia and himself into one.

"Oi! You can't do that!" Yelled Heathcliff, surprisingly having recovered quickly from the jab.

"A wish? ...Mmm... I have quite a few things that I would like to wish right now." Hummed Basil.

"Yeah... it seems... my wish hasn't changed." He spoke.

"It will still be secret, I still want it to come true." He whispered.

"I honestly would have liked to hear it..." Muttered Ishmael.

"We should start singing, the candles are about to completely melt." Mentioned Hong Lu.

"... Yes..." Cringed Heathcliff.

"Would you like to do the honors, Mari?" Asked Hong Lu.

"... Sure thing." Accepted Outis. She then cleared her through. "And one, two, three..."

Rodion giggled. "I'm sorry, it's funny seeing all of you sing happy birthday with those looks in your faces."

Heathcliff looked dead inside as he was making a fool of himself.

"... I wasn't that bad back then... right?" Nervously said Kel as he looked at the poor man.

"Oh no." Said Aubrey, which made him regain hope. "You were far worse." She smirked.

"Y-you haven't changed much, Kel." Commented Basil.

"If it's for the mission... I must do it." Sighed Outis.

"Ah! I remember when people around me would sing happy birthday to me!" Smiled Hong Lu.

Don Quixote nodded. "Tis was a time of the year mine friends would celebrate with me!"

"My parents would also sing me happy birthday..." Added Sinclair with a sad smile.

"... I don't want to talk about it." Murmured Gregor.

"I guess some people have better birthdays than others..." Concluded Ishmael.

"Okay! Just blow out the candles already!" Yelled Heathcliff incredibly embarrassed.

"Make sure to make the wish..." Said an exhausted Ishmael.

Just when Basil blew the candles, Sunny then took the photo.

"..."

"At that moment, Basil had made a wish."

"And so did I."

"I wished for us to be happy, no matter what would happen."

"Yet things didn't turn out as I wanted."

"...Perhaps... I cursed us all."

The scene then changed again.

"Hey Sunny. Might I ask you a question? I'm passionate about cooking and Mari says I am quite good, yet my parents want me to become a doctor..."

"Do you believe I should be a chef?"

Sunny remained silent for a moment.

"No, especially when there are people such as The Eight Chefs going around."

"Ah... that may be true... but we're still young, aren't we? We can still dream." Hong Lu then looked at the trees. "Mama would want to talk to me about that."

"Did you still want to become a chef?" Asked Aubrey.

"No... that dream was gone... especially after... well... you know." He smiled weakly.

"... I get it, you want to stop others from doing the same." Aubrey said as she closed her eyes.

"Mmm, a mention of the Eight Chefs, though, I do wonder, how much time has passed since I... died?" Said Argalia as he tried to put it in a way.

"Not sure about the Limbus Company employees, all I know is that the boy might be quite young." Expressed Roland.

"It probably has been... a few months I think? Since the Library was no longer in the City, claims of people coming back were widespread in the following weeks." Explained Gregor.

"You think we will meet with any of them?" Asked Hong Lu.

"Chances are, probably, they took quite a few people after all." Answered Gregor.

"I see you're awake now, I apologize for waking you up." Spoke Outis, she then squinted her eyes as she read the next lines. "...You looked... so peaceful when sleeping, it reminded me of when you were a baby."

Basil then continued. "I took a photo of everyone. If you want, I can show you."

Sunny didn't have time to decline as Basil had already shown him the photo.

"It's a beautiful shot, isn't it? Though Hector had to ruin it." He smirked. "I'll just cover it up later."

"..."

"To dream big."

"It was ambitious."

"I too, dreamed big once..."

"However, I found myself in a difficult situation."

"No one would look at me, no one would care about me."

"I was a man with no talent, and therefore, had no use."

"Not after the new wound I had received."

"...And then, a genius extended a hand."

"It seems he is talking about you Faust." Said Gregor as he glanced at the white haired sinner.

"You also did the same for me." Added Yi Sang.

The scene changed once again.

"Bloody hell why am I the only one without an umbrella!?" Said a furious Heathcliff. "Just how dumb was this kid?!"

At this point Heathcliff glanced at Kel, who was comically crying as people continued to point out stuff he did as a child.

He then cleared his throat. "Ahem. Sunny! Basil! It took you long to finally arrive!"

Basil laughed awkwardly. "Sorry about that... We got carried away playing this new game."

"Well, if you're so sorry, then come and take a picture of me in this raincoat." Declared Ishmael.

"Alright, just give me one second." He said.

*Click*

"Do you like it, Sunny? It's my favorite color." Asked Ishmael.

"Pink is gross..." Muttered Heathcliff.

"It is not! You're a gross color, Kel!" Yelled Ishmael.

"..."

"..."

"Uh... Sunny, what color was this Kel lad?" Whispered Heathcliff.

"... A darker shade than most of us." He answered.

"Good golly."

"Please continue with the play! I don't know if we can continue holding them if you still mess up!" Yelled Sinclair as he blocked one of the revived terrorists.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Defended Aubrey.

Kel was simply laughing victoriously.

It didn't help that Healtcliff just so happened to also be a darker tone of color too.

"So, do you hate me because of my color?" Joked Heathcliff.

"That's gotta be one of the worst questions someone has ever asked me." Said an uneasy Ishmael.

"You know I'm kidding." Chuckled Heathcliff as he decided to drop the joke.

"That doesn't make sense!" Heathcliff tried to yell convincingly.

"Oh, that reminds me! Sunny! Mari and I are going to dye our hair together." Declared Ishmael.

"She says she'll dye her hair purple while I'll dye it pink."

"That's weird... why would you do that?" Asked Heathcliff.

"Well, I don't know, I just thought it would look cute, Mari thinks it would look cute as well." Answered Ishmael.

Aubrey looked down.

It seems like she was the only one who could fulfill her part of the plan.

"So that's why your hair was pink." Whispered Hero. "I completely forgot about it." He then put a hand on his forehead.

There were quite a few bits that they had forgotten, time passed, and the memories they had would slowly deteriorate, the small details would banish, but the happy memories would try to live on.

"You decided to go from red hair to pink hair uh?" Joked Heathcliff.

"That's not even me, that's the girl's decision." Objected Ishmael.

"Why do you say that Heathcliff? Have you perhaps thought of her having pink hair?" Teased Rodion.

"Hell no!"

"I'll never understand your loony ideas..." Murmured Heathcliff.

"I think pink would certainly fit you." Added Basil. "What do you think, Sunny?

"... It would." He agreed.

"See? Even Sunny agrees!" Smiled Basil.

"As you can see, Sunny and Basil agree with me." Pointed out Ishmael. "You're the weird one, Kel!"

"Oh, whatever." Heathcliff said as he rolled his eyes.

"Well, that settles it, I will one way dye my hair pink!" Declared Ishmael. "But... not anytime soon, my father is a bit strict..."

"..." Aubrey wondered how her father was doing without her.

She wanted to finally leave that hellish household.

Kel was about to say something, however, Hero stopped him from doing so.

"Here, do you want to see the photo?" Asked Basil. "You would always ask me to show you the pictures I took of Aubrey."

"You did have a crush on her before, right?" Said Basil with a sad smile. "Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone."

"H-he what?" Said Aubrey, stunned at the revelation. She looked at Sunny, only to see him covering his face in embarrassment.

"... He probably... doesn't love me anymore." Sighed Aubrey.

She wondered if something could have bloomed from it.

If she had maybe tried more to reconnect to him...

Perhaps things could have gone so differently.

...She really didn't try at all.

Kel was right, she didn't try to make Sunny come out of his house.

Sunny read through the script, he saw that he had to see it.

He took it, a picture of young Aubrey was what he had in hand.

"... You had the photos for years now... right?" Asked Sunny.

"Yes." Smile Basil.

"..." Sunny then looked at the script.

Thankfully, he didn't need to do anything else.

"..."

"The rain that fell, it's the same one from when I was alone on the streets."

"You lent out a hand..."

"You gave me an offer I couldn't decline..."

"... Faust... I'm glad you made me join..."

"And you, manager... I'm glad I met you..."

"It seemed life was starting to clear like the rain of that day."

"But... you had to return."

"He... seems really grateful to be in the company." Commented Rodion.

"Probably the most grateful out of us... well, maybe not." Said Gregor as he looked at Don Quixote and Hong Lu.

"What about you, Yi Sang?" Asked Sinclair.

"... I joined because I had nothing else." He said. "But... I may not be happy with my situation..."

"Ah... I see." Expressed Sinclair.

"..." Basil seemed saddened by those words. Sunny truly hated him in taht world...

And what about in their world?

... He did.

Why else wouldn't he hate him?

He didn't tell him he was going to leave in three days.

He didn't try to even reach out to him, even when they said they'd be there for one another.

He broke their promise.

Basil gripped his shoulders, as Something was starting to engulf him.

The scene changed.

"I've cut the watermelon!" Cheerfully said Hong Lu. "Now then, take a slice!"

"Jeez, why do we have to fight while those six can just eat a watermelon?" Groaned Gregor.

"S.I.U." Said Ryoshu as she cut another revived terrorist.

"(...Actually, now that I think about it, how did I eat?)"

"I don't need another question that needs answering." Calmly said Faust.

"Thank you Hero." Said Outis as she took a slice, she then looked at the script and cringed. "Uh... ahm... L-look at you... ah..."

"Oi quit muttering and actually say it dammit!" Yelled Heathcliff, as more enemies slowly entered.

"Look at you! All big and strong! You're such a man now!" Screamed Outis.

"Pft." Giggled Rodion. "Interesting taste in men, Outis." Teased Rodion

Hero felt his cheeks go red. "I forgot about this..."

"Ahah! That was a nice joke from Mari!" Teased Kel.

"You're honestly anything but strong, Hero." Admitted Aubrey.

"Ah, not now Mari." Laughed Hong Lu.

"Nothing beats a big juicy slice of watermelon on a hot steamy summer." Expressed Heathcliff as he started eating the watermelon. "Golly, this is actually nuts."

Ishmael slowly ate hers, in a way, hearing the sound of the waves as she ate did remind her of...

*Click*

"Hey! Don't take photo of me while eating!" Said Ishmael while embarrassed.

"Ahah, sorry about that Aubrey, I just thought you looked cute while eating!" Basil Expressed. "I'll show it to you later."

"... Fine." Accepted Ishmael.

"... Just give me the photo..." Sighed Sunny.

"Here you go." Basil said as he gave it to him.

"It seems like you are starting to synchronize with the people you're playing as." Pointed out Faust. "It will be a matter of time until they start influencing your decisions." She stated.

"Just how long will this take?" Asked Sinclair.

"A few more memories, until the truth would be revealed." Whispered Basil to himself.

Sunny was currently grasping Yi Sang's coat, as the moment would come any moment now.

"..."

"When was the last time I had a nice meal?"

"Right... it was with you guys..."

"I don't want to go back..."

"I don't want to have to eat garbage from a trash can."

"I don't want to lose this moment."

"Please... I want to live in the present."

"He... really does love us..." Expressed Sinclair.

"Was he... homeless?" Asked Hero, the words that came out of his mouth made it sound that way, and he hoped that it was the case.

"Having to eat out of the trash can... how did he go from living inside a nice nest to probably living in the backstreets?" Wondered Heathcliff.

"Sometimes life doesn't go as we planned, and at that point, we have to accept that we couldn't do anything about it." Spoke Gregor.

"You end up losing what little you had." Added Rodion.

"..." Sinclair saw the fall from grace, just like him.

He thought about it, what he did after... She killed his parents.

What purpose did he have?

If it weren't for Limbus Company's offer, all of them didn't know what they would have done.

Yi Sang sighed, the past hurt him, and the future was unknown to him. He agreed with that sentiment.

He, who had broken wings, could only live day by day like a hollow shell of his former self...

Yet... the boy had one difference to him.

Unlike him, he was grateful for what he had.

This boy, he knew what he had to do at that moment, and he accepted it.

Just like everyone else accepted him for his talentless self.

Could he... do the same?

Could he forge new bonds with them?

Yi Sang's mouth wavered.

The scene changed yet again.

"Ah! I got what I needed!" Exclaimed Hong Lu, he then dropped two cards on the table.

"That's... not how you play the game." Muttered Heatcliff. "Bollocks, my hand is terrible."

"You can't say that Kel, you need to keep a poker face." Mentioned Outis. "Like Meursault."

"..." Meursault said as he continued to punch an undead K Corp employee.

"Bloody Mary! When did you get behind me!" Said a startled Heathcliff.

"Just got here, silly." Outis smiled. "I brought cookies for everyone."

"Hey, uhm... Dante? I don't know how I feel about Outis' smile." Said Sinclair as he continued to block the attack of an undead terrorist.

"(No, no, I understand you.)"

"Uh, at least she was the one to cook, had it been someone like Don or Ryoshu, I'm sure they would have died from eating them." Jabbed Gregor.

"STHU." Replied Ryoshu.

"What's so scary about my smile?" Wondered Outis as she attempted to smile.

"Looks scary as hell." Bluntly replied Heathcliff.

"That stuck up personality of hers has completely faded." Commented Ryoshu.

"Is this what people call a change of heart?" Asked Hong Lu.

"I wonder what would have felt like if each page changed my personality..." Roland thought.

"Though... maybe that's a thought better not answered..."

*Click*

"Basil... are you taking a photo?" Inquired Outis.

"She... has completely synchronized with her." Murmured Sunny.

"Crikey, never seen her act so caring before aside from for the manager." Mentioned Heathcliff.

"Ah, yes I am." Basil said as he chuckled.

"Hey, don't take a photo when I'm struggling." Glared Heathcliff.

"Don't be dramatic, it's just a card game." Spoke Outis.

"The phrase "it's just a game" is such a weak mindset!" Shot back Heathcliff.

*Click*

"Another photo?!" Shouted Heathcliff. "Mate is there something you're telling me here!?"

"Don't worry about it." He calmly said. "You'll see soon enough."

"You know, seeing Heathcliff act like the boy bu also swear a lot is sort of...how do I say this... bratty?" Said Sinclair.

"Oi, betcha feel smart for saying that uh?" Threatened Heathcliff.

"You were an annoying brat back then." Admitted Aubrey.

"I was not! You were annoying." Argued back Kel.

Hero sighed. They were both a bit bratty, but they mostly just bickered against one another.

"Uh... so anyways, what were those photos for again, Basil?" Asked Hero.

"I had the winning cards." He answered.

"Oh... Oh! So that photo wasn't meant for Kel?"

"Nope."

"..."

"That day is coming closer."

"And that other day does as well."

"From what I have accepted will resurface once again."

"And I will fight against it."

"Because I am not the boy I used to..."

"My ego has been consumed by my true self."

Sunny was breathing heavily.

It was time, the truth would finally come out.

Basil then realized.

Just when he was talking casually with Hero, he suddenly started to breath heavily.

"Basil?! Are you okay?!" Said a worried Hero. "Hey! Calm down! It's alright! Just take deep breaths!" he instructed.

"Take deeeep breaths." He said slowly this time. "Breath in, and breath out. Breath in, and breath out."

"There, there."He then slowly hugged Basil as he finally started calming down.

He knew that wasn't the right action to take, but he seriously thought the boy needed a hug.

The scene changed.

Sunny stood at the top of the stairs. The rest of the sinners were at the bottom as they fended off against the incoming enemies.

"This is it, we have finally made it." Basil proclaimed.

"Basil... do you truly think I will finally be free just from doing this?" Spoke Sunny with venom.

"Of course... this... this is what made both of us lose decades of our friendship... I've done this because I want to regain what we previously had, Sunny." He explained.

"I'm jealous of you, Basil." Admitted Sunny.

"What do you mean?"

"You're talented in the end, unlike me."

"That's not true! Yo-"

"Tell me one thing I am good at."

"Well..."

"Tell me what you know about me."

"You're my best frie-"

"No. Tell me. Something. Only you know."

"It would be this very moment."

"... Is that it?"

"..."

"Not even what I like? What my interests are?"

"..."

"Basil, at this point, you're only seeing me as your previous best friend, you have completely forgotten who I truly am."

"I-"

"No, speak no more, I don't want to hear it."

Sunny then said. "I am jealous of you, you know?"

"You've reconciled with Hero and Kel."

"You didn't have to fight with one of them."

"You're the owner of a corporation."

"You have made your hobby into your career."

"You discovered the singularity of the Wing."

"I'm sorry, he what?" Muttered Rodion.

"Alright, is there anything else this kid discovered or made?! Because he's literally the owner of everything at this point!" Yelled Heathcliff.

"These kids... they are just something else, man." Groaned Gregor.

"I do hope that Basil's success transfers to our world." Hoped Hero, he tried to keep a positive mentality, this entire moment was too

"That tale in the book, that person that cried, that was you, wasn't it?"

"And that ill familiar, that was your grandmother, right?"

"Every trouble you've had, it has resolved itself, what great fucking luck!"

"Me on the other hand, I have suffered misfortune after misfortune."

"It was only recently when I started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel."

"But you just had to appear again and destroy my hopes."

"I can't anymore... I can't act like I am calm."

"I've reached a point where I can't handle it."

"These memories, the ones that I've already accepted a long time ago."

"You decided to just show me those happy times, you want me to wish to go back to those times."

"But I don't want to, I've found more people who I can be at ease with."

"I want to move on, I want to make the best of my current life."

"Is it odd to ask for a normal life?!"

"That's all that I want!"

"I care not for the ideal world all of you want!"

"The life that I currently have is enough!"

Sunny gasped for air as he knelt down to the ground as he cried. His violin went down the stairs, breaking more each time it hit the ground.

None of us had seen him act like this.

The Faraway gang could only watch in silence.

Aubrey sobbed as tears started running down her eyes.

Kel no longer has his smile on his face, instead, he had a defeated look, at this point, there was no reason to continue with this facade of being a happy person.

Hero looked away, this was another version of Sunny, and he couldn't do anything to comfort him. At this point, he started to dislike that version of Basil.

Pushing happy memories all the time was not healthy, the temporary happiness would fade, and only sadness would continue to linger.

Basil murmured to himself, he didn't feel like he deserved to be called a best friend anymore.

He hurt Sunny even when he attempted to help.

As for Sunny, he stood strong.

He didn't have the same sentiments as his other self, they were in reality not similar in that part.

At most, that other version of him simply was able to get over the death of his sister.

Meanwhile, he still was unable to do that.

Basil put his hand on the wall near him.

"This quest of mine to reconnect with you..."

"It all started at my lowest point, you know?"

"You were right, I was thinking about putting an end to my life."

"Especially after my grandmother was about to die."

"It didn't help that you left me either..."

"But... that pond I found, it rejuvenated my hope."

"It revived me in a way."

"And now, I want you to feel the very same way, I want you to be happy knowing that everything is in the past now."

"Just a small push Sunny, you will finally be free from it."

"After all, you said it yourself."

"Repeating death will slowly make the impact lessen."

Sunny looked up, he saw Outis standing in front of him. She had eyes of anger, disbelief, and disappointment.

"You... Why would you throw away your violin?!" Yelled Outis.

"Do you know how much all of us worked to raise money to buy it?!"

"Did you really not want to do the recital?!"

"Why!? We've worked ages for it!"

"I can't believe you'd thrown everything away just because you were incompetent to play the violin!"

"You're not talented, and you're not hard working either! How do you think I was able to play the piano well?!"

"I worked hard! I put my soul into playing it! But you didn't!"

"You're ungrateful! I can't believe you ar-"

Sunny pushed Outis down the stairs.

"It's different this time..." Whispered Sunny.

"I did it the first time by accident after we started fighting..."

"This time... I just couldn't stand her voice."

"It's annoying, I'd rather look at a dying genius."

"..." Hero looked at the scene.

He slowly looked at Sunny.

Sunny was crying, for the first time, he was actually talking at a decent volume.

He was repeating the words "I am sorry."

"Four years..." Whispered Aubrey. "You made us worry for you for four years..."

"And it turns out... you did it?"

"Aubrey... please, wait a moment." Whispered Hero.

Kel simply looked like he was about to cry.

At this point, he didn't know what was right and what was wrong, there was simply too much going on.

He wanted his friend to come back. But he was the reason why they all disbanded.

He just couldn't put on a smile anymore, this was too much for him.

Hero had a shaky breath. He... needed to calm down.

Sunny said it himself in that world, it was an accident.

And Mari... she wouldn't want him to scream or insult Sunny.

He needed to suppress himself.

He needed not to escalate things.

He needed to make sure a repeat of what happened with Kel wouldn't happen again.

He grabbed Aubrey's arm, making sure she wouldn't do anything rash.

Aubrey gritted her teeth, tears starting to flow as she softly dropped to the ground.

"I... I can't..." She said in defeat.

She was unsure if she could ever look at those past memories the same ever again.

Just thinking of them, and having Sunny, who had killed Mari, didn't suit well with her.

It was an accident, yes, but why was she hanged?

Why did he have to make it look like a suicide?

Why couldn't he have called for help?

He could have trusted his friends, they were there for him.

Just why?!

Kel simply downcasted and remained silent.

There was no longer any point.

He tried for so long to try and reach out to Sunny, and it ended up being for nothing.

He didn't blame him, it wasn't on purpose.

He just... didn't know if the group would want to be together anymore.

He wanted them together... but was it worth it?

Would such awkwardness, perhaps hatred and even wish to never see one another again be worth it?

He thought not.

There was no point anymore.

It's useless.

Basil trembled, part of the truth had finally been revealed, it was now his turn to be exposed.

And he was scared.

Because he had recently just made amends with Aubrey.

He didn't want to lose what he had recently gained.

And Yi Sang, who had been hugging Sunny.

Simply embraced him even further.

That blame, that guilt, it was as if he was looking past the mirror.

This kid, he truly was different to him.

One that was not perfect.

But rather further broken than him.

To compare their wings, he could easily see that his pair were less damaged that the kid's.

And yet, the kid found happiness, even if it was temporary, unlike him in the company.

"..." Outis looked at the kid.

"You're... not thinking about doing anything to him... right?" Asked Rodion.

"No, that was a mere skirmish between that version of me and the kid." Answered Outis.

"Furthermore, it is a simple following of the script."

"(Outis!)"

"Don't worry manager, you can just revive her later." Spoke Sunny.

"Basil, can we please skip going up the stairs?" Asked Sunny.

"..." Basil looked at him with a bit of shock. "... We will be skipping a bit of the script..."

Sunny sighed. "Then let's make this quick..."

We saw as both of them took Outis back up the stairs to her room, which was the room Sunny also slept in.

"Basil? Y-you too?" Whispered Kel.

"... I-I'm... sorry." Softly said Basil.

It was done, the two murderers had been outed.

"..." Aubrey looked at both of them. She simply felt the rush of emotions had already overtaken her.

She thought a bit about it.

If she had been in that world, she would have definitely distorted.

It was for the best that she didn't do anything as she didn't know what she would have done to the two of them.

Hero took a deep breath, he was trying the best he could to stay calm.

Those tips made by Mari were doing wonders.

After this viewing was done, he wanted to talk to both of them.

He wanted to talk to them calmly, they were too young back then, they weren't thinking straight.

He was brainstorming many justifications for their actions, he wanted, no, he knew that they didn't mean this to happen.

"I wonder, we only acted this way back then because we lived in a Nest, we knew nothing about the horrors of the backstreets." Commented Sunny.

"We were forced to shut our mouths of what happened, and that drove us to being suicidal." Added Basil.

"... Hey, Basil."

"Yes?"

"Had I called for help... do you think she would have survived?"

"... I don't know."

They then took her body back down.

"Basil, give me the rope." Demanded Sunny.

"You're going a bit fast with this, don't you think?" Asked Basil

"U-uhm, is it really okay to hang Outis?!" Said a terrified Sinclair.

"It's what I did with my sister." Admitted Sunny.

And so, Outis' body was hung on a tree.

"This is..." Whispered Gregor.

"Fascinating." Sinisterly said Ryoshu.

"Unethical." Responded Meursault

"Disturbing." Said Rodion.

Heathcliff, Ishmael and Hong Lu simply looked at the tree.

"Damnit... the synchronization is making me feel really sad." Grumbled Heathcliff.

"I...I can't hold it back." Said Ishmael started crying.

Hong Lu stared aimlessly. A tear ran down his face, as he continued to look at Outis' body.

All he could do was mutter a saying he had learned from his family.

"Tù sǐ hú bēi."

No... it wasn't right...

Hong Lu felt like this person he was playing...

Was far more intimate to the girl.

Sunny continued to stare.

"In the end, I did commit murder."

"It was an accident." Reassured Basil.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"What?"

Sunny started moving towards Outis' body. He then let loose of the noose.

"Dante, could you please revive her quickly." He requested.

"(S-sure!)"

"Basil, I will show you something that no one knows, not even you."

"I will show you the deepest secrets within my memories."

"Of who I synthesized into my true self."

"The one who protected me from the truth for so many years."

Just then, cracks in reality started appearing.

"Until we meet again, in Headspace."

The room then returned to white.

"Argh! Seriously?! Are we going to be looking at another part again?!" Said a frustrated Heathcliff.

"From the looks of it, it seems the next one will be the last one."

"I hope so, I am starting to get overwhelmed with the amount of surprises that the world has." Complained Gregor.

He then looked at Yi Sang.

"It won't be as bad with you, right?"

Yi Sang closed his eyes. "There will be old faces we will meet, that's all I will say."

"I do hope we finish this, my intrigue for these viewings has been dwindling down the longer I watch this one." Commented Argalia.

"Is it because neither of us seem to be related to it?" Asked Roland.

"Only thing that was mentioned is that one district, aside from that, it seems as there has been nothing about us."

Aubrey swiftly stood up and left the room.

"Aubrey! Wait!" Hero said as he got up. He then looked at both Basil and Sunny.

His mouth trembled, yet he said. "Don't worry, I won't do anything against you, I promise... just please, let me get everyone prepared so we can talk about this calmly."

He then slowly attempted to put his hand on the shoulder of both of them. "I don't blame you for what happened, it was a mistake, you've held this trauma for four years, you've suffered enough for a mistake..."

"So please... don't leave us... I want us to make sure we make no further mistakes..."

Hero started crying, he then slowly left the room, looking back at the two of them, making sure they caught the message.

Kel got up, and ignored both of them.

He wasn't like his brother, he wasn't good enough with words, he wasn't good with helping.

He was simply not good with emotions.

Perhaps he needed to stop smiling, he should try to show other faces aside from his happy go lucky smile.

And once he finally got used to it, he'd come back and truly reconnect with everyone.

Basil slowly started walking.

The truth was out... yet it felt unsatisfactory.

He decided to wait, Hero said it, they needed a moment to get everyone to calm down, he trusted in the oldest of the group, because he knew that he'd rally the group to be calm and talk it out.

And as for Sunny, he was simply gripping Yi Sang's jacket.

He was still there alongside him.

Just what was it this man wanted, he was still hugging him even after the truth was revealed.

In the end, Sunny ended up following the Limbus Company cast.

And Vergilius simply saw the kid once the entire cast got back to report, and allowed him to follow the group.

_-_

"Welcome to Weldline Hotel! How may I help you fill your heart?" Spoke Kleine as he watched the few individuals that came into the place.

"Ah! Do you speak Italian?" Asked a nun.

"Oh! See, here, the language barrier does not exist!" He responded. "In truth, I have been expecting all of you to come."

"Why do you say that?" Said another girl with a wary look in her eyes.

"It is not meant to be a threat, I just want to say that a few of you may know people that are currently residing in this place." He explained. "Such names are Issei and Rias."

"Oh? My sister is here?" Asked Sirzechs.

Another girl squealed upon hearing Issei's name, Kleine recognized her as Irina.

"Sirzechs, you sure do worry about your sister." Chuckled Azazel. "You really are a-"

"Is it wrong to worry about my sister?" Interrupted Sirzechs.

Kleine cleared his throat. "Please, write down your names in these books, I hope you like your stay."

(A/N)

I am tired, so I am going to start reviewing and rewriting this after I recover from this fatigue.

I am 100% sure I've written the word Heathmael somewhere by accident due to the fact both of them have been talking the most out of the group alongside Gregor.

Chances are there will still be a few errors and mistakes, but that's expected from a 17k chapter lmao.

And that's part 2 of this single reaction.

There will be part 3 and that should be it for this 3 part viewing, there will certainly be more multiple part viewings in the future, I have a few planned depending on how the future Cantos go.

Next part of this reaction will be where most of the original content of the world will appear.

You may have realized that there are some "plot holes." At least the ones I assume I have intentionally left.

Anyways, I've added Ego Death by Polyphia as Aubrey's Theme.

The abnormalities/E.G.Os used are basically one based after the Yuki Onna, and another based on a dreamcatcher.

There are actually references to a certain song, specifically the origin of the name of Sunny's Zayin E.G.O.

The quote Sunny says is from Dorian Gray. It was easy to pick it from there, as it was basically a book that was originally going to be included in the actual game of Omori. Furthermore, a few references to the book have been scattered through this part and the next one.

Next up, I think it's going to be Issei again, for the Fnaf cast, I am going to wait a bit until I get to them. I do have something planned for them for a Canto, and I am going to assume you already know who the protagonist will be.

No new cast from a different series, I am currently debating as to whether actually adding the next cast or not, since it's both from something a bit controversial and also limits a lot of possibilities relating to PM, since it's one of the more PM crossover heavy related fanfic ideas I have.

I will also be looking into other series, not to add them into the reacting cast, but rather, for ideas of reactions.

And that should be it, I'll see y'all next update.

DxD (Issei, Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, Asia, Sirzechs, Azazel, Irina, Xenovia, Michael)

RWBY(RWBY, JNPR, Ozpin, Branwens, Cinder's group, Adam, Sienna, Roman, Neo, Blake's parents, Winter, Ironwood, Sun, Neptune)

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)