Or so I thought.

Instead, I'm thrown into a shaking uncontrollable train of backward visuals, sounds, feelings and emotions. Monika's last hug, the indescribable terror I felt when the world collapsed into its most basic form of zeros and ones, the pumping adrenaline when Yuri picked up her knife...Everything that happened is smashing my mind three times faster.

Words I heard pierce me through my ear and my brain in an incomprehensible series of seemingly chaotic sounds. Images I saw violate my retina just like how an explosion of colors and flashes would do. And worst of all, every muscles, from the toes of my feet to the facial muscles of my head, even including my heart, spasm uncontrollably in the opposite order.

10 minutes of feelings is rolled back and condensed into 3 minutes of pure torture, and I'm completely awake all the way.

Of course, there is no way my brain can handle such excruciating sensations. As soon as time begins to flow normally again, I abruptly lose consciousness.

...

...

...

Blurry.

Fuzzy.

Hazy.

Foggy.

I don't know where I am.

I don't know what is happening.

I don't even know who I am.

My consciousness is hanging off a micrometer thick thread.

I can feel something.

I can see something.

I can hear something.

No…

I can feel SOMEONE ELSE feeling something through body.

I can feel SOMEONE ELSE seeing through my own eyes.

I can feel SOMEONE ELSE hearing with my ears.

I'm merely a spectator while a third party controls my body as if it was a mere puppet.

But it's not such a bad feeling. Why? Because I'm only very vaguely aware of my fate. Everything is like a far away dream…

I can feel the puppeteer's confusion. His anxiety. He doesn't know what happened. How he found himself suddenly in that place.

There is another person talking to him. A girl who is very dear to me. Someone I could even sacrifice the entire world for. Yet, I can't remember her name. All I know...yes...I would never forget her emerald eyes, so beautiful I could stare into them for an eternity. It's decided then. I would call her "Emerald".

Emerald asks the one in control some questions but I can feel him getting more and more troubled.

'I' hear other girls speaking with them. My eyes turn toward them and I see one girl with long purple hair and one girl with short pink hair.

I know them too. They are friends to me. But as with Emerald, I can't remember who they are. I will call the first girl Amethyst because she has mysterious purple eyes, and I will call the second girl Ruby, because I somewhat know she has pink-reddish colored eyes and a fiery temperament.

Emerald, Amethyst and Ruby are chatting between each other and me. I feel they are especially worried about me. Emerald tells something that leaves Amethyst, Ruby, and 'me', puzzled. The other 'me' doesn't know how to answer.

Emerald is very upset and she forcibly pulls my body to the bathroom. She locks the door. 'I' can hear the other girls complaining but Emerald ignores them. The puppeteer tries to resist and asks her what she is doing. Emerald asks more questions while staring at my own eyes which further troubles the puppeteer.

Those questions...I feel like only I know the answers.

My other 'me' lack of response devastates Emerald. She collapses against the wall.

Deep feeling arises. Seeing her so desperate...I want to help her...I want to do something...But I'm drowning inside an endless ocean, kilometers below the surface.

Amethyst and Ruby are knocking against the door and my hand unlocks it. Before Amethyst and Ruby can enter, a new door appears suddenly between them and us. They are stunned.

Emerald tells them something about 'script' and 'simulation', and soon after…

Suddenly,

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Blurry memories are rewound. Hazy pictures, fuzzy sounds. foggy feelings rush several times faster in the opposite order.

I feel like I have already experienced something similar. This time, however, such sensations are far from unbearable, as I was already barely conscious.

This place...I was there before. I still can't control my body. The puppeteer is as confused as before. Emerald is besides me. Amethyst and Ruby are coming closer.

Emerald doesn't waste time and immediately asks 'me' the questions she asked 'me' when 'we' were in the bathroom. She once again falls into hopelessness and drops to her knee.

Feeling of rage boils inside me. Against the puppeteer for hurting Emerald and for being such an idiot. But there is nothing I can do. I'm so, so, so far away from the surface.

The others are gathering around Emerald. They are worried. Emerald gets up and her despair mutates into anger. She tells the others to go away and to leave her alone. Emerald then runs to the stairs and climbs then up.

The one who controls my body, along with Amethyst and Ruby quickly follow her but Emerald closes and locks the door behind her.

Several minutes passes. Maybe a dozen. Maybe half of a dozen. I don't know. Meanwhile Amethyst and Ruby are talking about me, Emerald and the recent events. At the end, Amethyst get excited and sensually touches my chest while breathing loudly.

At that point, the door is abruptly opened and Emerald orders Amethyst to get away from me in a screaming and very menacing tone. Amethyst refuses and grasps a knife. Before she can even move, rectangular black boxes appear between her and Emerald. One of them hits Amethyst and pins her violently to the nearest wall.

Ruby screams and shortly after tries to help Amethyst but not to avail. Emerald then says something about trying to save me using console and python commands. Shortly after,

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The recent events are rolled back. Pictures, sounds, feelings, emotions move backward. Like before, it is as if I was transported against the current of a stream deep under the ocean.

I feel once again that my body is in that room. The puppeteer's thoughts are the same as before. He doesn't realize time is being rolled back. He is as confused as ever.

Emerald looks at 'me' and quickly understands I'm not 'I'. She then ignores 'me' and the other girls. At the same time, boxes are appearing out of nowhere in the room. Their sizes is changing and they are made of different materials. One of them is made of wood, just like the wall. One of them is made of glass, similar to the windows. The boxes are moving and seem to follow some kind of trajectory.

Amethyst and Ruby are flabbergasted. After a short moment, Ruby talks about 'gods', 'fake' and 'dream'. At the same time, the boxes stop moving. Then, paying no mind to Amethyst and Ruby, Emerald pulls me away from them and, while hugging my body with all of her strength, tries to make me remember the moments we spent together.

Although the sensation is very diluted...I can still feel Monika's arms around my back. Her warm chest pressing against mine. She is hugging me so tightly I can even hear the sound of her heartbeat.

The one who controls my body tries to push Emerald back but she doesn't let go. Instead, she is redoubling her effort to not let me escape.

At the same time, she screams at 'me', telling 'me' to remember who I am. She begs me to remember where I come from. But I can't remember...I don't even realize I'm thinking at this very moment.

Ruby and especially Amethyst, are trying to separate her from me. However the two girls are suddenly imprisoned inside two human-sized boxes made of wood.

Emerald tells me to remember the night we spent together.

night.?

She begs me to remember the promise we made together.

promise?

"M_n_a..._f I s_ep w_k a_ai_ o_ if I'_ ac_ng we_d, ple_e wa_e m_ up ok?

"S_re..._y _ove"

Fragments of memories penetrate through the abyss. Emerald's hug, Emerald's words, Emerald's love...they pull something very deep inside me.

She's...so precious to me…

Emerald then recites a poem while crystal like tears fall down from her beautiful eyes. A poem about freewill, gods and script…

I w_ll e_n st_d up _o g_ds

M_re th_n s_ri_t, I h_ve fr_ewi_l

I_fin_te ch_ice a_e b_ore _e

I s_ll n_t fol_w t_e r_il

I _ill _ke my w_y

To _y _less dest_nat_n

I know this poem. I have read it. No…

I have written it. I…

Memories are beginning to get connected to each other. Virtual electrical signals are quickly increasing in my 'brain'. My consciousness finally begins to ascend through from the deepest part of the ocean.

...at that...time...script...controlled...me

...like…

...NOW!

...My name is Ethan, I was transported against my will in DDLC. The girl in front of me that is...

...is…

My soul flares in intensity and ...

MONIKA!

I finally awaken.

But I'm still not in control of my body yet. The person who is controlling me isn't as weak as a mere script. I can feel it's an AI with its own thoughts, emotions and personality. I can't easily take his place yet.

That person who's in control...is surely the original main character of DDLC. I must overcome his will and take back my body.

I can feel he is realizing someone is awakening inside of him, and is once again trying to steal his body away from him. He is holding 'his' head and is screaming incomprehensible words. I feel sorry for him but I'm the rightful owner of myself. And more than anything, I absolutely can't let Monika suffer any longer.

As I gather every ounce of my strength and determination to overcome his will with mine, I realize with horror through 'his', or my eyes, that the world is already being reduced to series of zeros and ones.

NO! Time is about to be rewound AGAIN!

As I prepare for the inevitable tsunami of backward memories,

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Once again, several minutes are reversed and compacted into a mere minute of overbearing stimuli. I might have fallen unconscious once again, yet, as I was unconscious for most of the time before the last rollback, the impact of the rush of memories was greatly weakened. I still managed to stay conscious but... my mind is dangerously exhausted. One more rollback and I will inevitably 'faint'.

I...must...stay conscious…confirm the situation...

I see I'm on the sofa with Monika. The other girls, Yuri and Natsuki are walking towards us, with concerned expressions.

I can feel the main character, shortened MC, is confused just like all the other times after the rollbacks.

I suppose ...he was a ...spectator...from the moment...I woke up...this morning. I see...No wonder...he is confused...It's just...like he woke up...in... an unknown...place... Should I try...to...take control…? No...I'm too...worn...out…

Monika immediately hugs me like last time, although not as tightly. She uses her hands to force my head to look at her straight in the eyes. I didn't realize until now, but her hands are shaking. Tears are threatening to fall out from her eyes.

The MC, using my body says:

MC: "M-Monika…? What...what are you doing…!? So...close!

Seeing someone else hurt and reject Monika with my own body pisses me off...but I can't act now. I must gather my energy.

Monika replies with an emotional and begging voice:

Monika: "Ethan! I know you're here! Somewhere deep down! Please don't give up! I...I will knock out the other girls so that time isn't rolled back again. Please hold on a little longer!"

Knock out the ...other girls? I see... if they are unconscious...they can't realize this world is fake ...and time will stop being rewound...So...the characters realizing the fakeness of this world was ...the cause of the rollbacks...

MC: "What are you saying...No...You are talking to him, aren't you? That little voice in my head…!"

As expected, he can feel me... just like how I can feel him... Sorry, MC, I don't hate you but... there can only be one of us.

I'm more and more conscious. Finally I can observe and think rationally.

By the way...why wasn't Monika affected by the rollback? She should have been knocked out unconscious too...unless...In the original game, when time was rewound in Act 2, she wasn't troubled in the slightest...and yet, she kept her memories...That must be why. Monika must have some kind of innate resistance.

I hear Yuri telling Monika with a very angry and resounding voice:

Yuri: "Get away from him Monika!"

Monika looks at her and an elliptic rope made of something like...a blanket?...appears around Yuri's neck and progressively becomes smaller until it's small enough to strangle her.

Natsuki: "YURI! What the hell?!"

Natsuki swiftly tries to take the rope off Yuri's neck however…

A second rope appears round Natsuki's neck and progressively strangles her.

...Monika isn't going to kill them, is she? She just wants to render them unconscious, right?

I'm getting very worried about them. While I don't nearly care as much about Natsuki and Yuri as I do about Monika, I still don't want to see them being hurt!

Monika: "I'm sorry Natsuki, Yuri! But you don't leave me another choice!"

I feel adrenaline rushing through my body. The MC brutally pushes Monika away and jumps to help Natsuki and Yuri.

Before he can reach them, a box made of glass envelops us.

He begins to understand Monika is doing all of that.

Monika: Ethan, listen to me! Now is the perfect time, please come back!

Like Monika said, I must seize this opportunity!

Gathering every bits and pieces of my memories, my wishes, my fears and my hopes, I begin the most important fight in my life.