Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In a city cast with rainy clouds, there stood a tower. But not just any tower, a signal tower. The Signal Tower.

It stood in the dead center of the city, transmitting its deadly signal to all around the globe, distorting everything where it passed, but in this city where it spawned, its signal was much stronger.

So much so that it changed the very terrain that surrounded it, making its buildings bend and sag down like dying plants and creating fissures along the ground on various streets. Distorting its colors with its pale blueish-purple light, making the city lose the vivid colors it once had.

This is The Pale City.

But the truly terrifying thing about its presence is not the effect it has on structures.

No.

It's truly horrifying power was that to turn people into nightmarish monstrosities.

The Transmission changed everything about a person. It's appearance. Personality. Morals. Everything that made you a human being.

But not every transformation was the same. Some people ended worse than others.

First, we have The Viewers.

People that got affected by The Transmission when it started transmitting on the television.

Those people get so immersed in what they are watching that they ignore and forget everything around them. Their faces melt and become totally distorted.

Interrupting their viewing triggers their fight instinct, and they get immensely violent at whatever interrupted their viewing.

Next we have those that get affected by The Transmission in a different, darker way. And they are much worse than The Viewers.

They are The Nightmares.

People that got their very darkest thoughts and desires morphed by The Tower. Bringing their worst to actions and appearance.

No one knew how these people turned into Nightmares.

They could have been far from a TV when it all started. Or they became so integrated with their way of life that it ended up affecting their transformation. Or even could have been chosen by a higher being to be different.

Whatever the reason was that affected them this way made life much worse for the people that were not affected by The Transmission.

The Nightmares usually end up turning into a much darker version of their past profession, and are usually identified by it.

Like The Teacher, who rules her school with a mighty bite. Or The Doctor, who spend his time experimenting with his patients.

And at the center of all these monsters stood the ruler of The Tower. The one who controlled all its powers.

The Thin Man.

The Thin Man was the Boogeyman of The Pale City. He was the most feared and powerful of all The Nightmares in The Pale City. Wherever he goes, space and time becomes distorted by his own will. He can appear and disappear whenever he wants. Should you be in his view, he can pull your body with a wave of his hand, leaving behind only the glitching remains of your soul.

As for those who are not affected by The Transmission? Who are they?

The Children

The only ones not fully affected by The Tower's dark powers. Simply because they were not old enough to be influenced by it.

They are the ones that have to survive in this hellish world. Escaping the clutches of The Nightmares and scraping for food and shelter anywhere they can find.

But even they were not fully unaffected by The Tower. Some kids had unfortunately ended up influenced by it in a way that none of them ever understood. They obtained Mutations.

These kids are The Numbers.

The Numbers had mutations that ranged from simple strength enhancement to full control over elements.

But sadly, these kids almost never get to fully develop those powers. Most of them seem to disappear somewhere, never to be found again.

Those that don't disappear hide themselves so that they never get taken away like the others.

One of these kids was a young boy by the name of Mono.

Mono is a kind-hearted boy through and through, which is a rare case in a world as harsh as this. He is always trying to help his colleagues at the orphanage, even if that almost always gets him to be beaten up by them for "meddling where he shouldn't".

Mono thinks that the world and everyone in it hates him. That's why he's always hiding himself in his paper bag. This way he can sometimes forget how the world wants him to fail.

Mono could never remember how he ended up in the orphanage. But he will never forget what happened that day, when everything went up in flames. The doors, boarded up so no one could flee. The lights, turned off so no one could see what was there. And the sprinklers, showering them with its cold water.

He will never forget how his colleagues got abducted by the dark figure that appeared during the chaos. He will never forget the fear he felt for his life that day. And the disgusting sound the figure made when something crushed its throat right before it could find him.

After that, he tried to escape as far as he could from the city. Eventually getting to the forest on the other side of the Pale Sea.

He never understood how he got there. He only remembers running through the city roofs, and then stumbling on a ledge and falling towards the ground.

Next thing he knows, he is waking up in a forest with only a TV close by.

Confused, he explores the forest only to find it riddled with traps. Fearing what would use so many traps for so little prey, he climbed the trees in the forest, so he could see anything that came after him.

That night after his arrival at the forest, Mono finally meets the one, or better said Thing, that riddled the forest with traps. It was one of the monsters that infested his world now.

A Nightmare.

He was a large monster with his head covered by a burlap sack which tied around his neck. It had only one hole, which he apparently used to see where he was going. He sported a green overcoat with brown trousers and black boots. He also had brown gloves and carried around a flashlight in one hand and a shotgun in the other. But what really made Mono glue all the clues for this monster identity was a hunter's cap the thing used over his sack.

The Hunter.

And he was hunting for something. Something that was clearly giving him a run for his prey. The sounds of shots have been going for a while now. Mono wonders what could give a Nightmare so much trouble.

And then, while Mono was distracted by the beautiful sight of the moon, he hears what appears to be someone struggling with something. And when he turns back, he sees them.

"A girl?" Mono thinks to himself while staring at the girl that appeared from a hole in the ground.

And then, while Mono is staring at her, he notices she's also staring back at him, like she's surprised to see another kid in a place like this.

At that moment, it was almost like the whole world stopped just for this encounter. It seemed to them as if hours passed while they stared at each other, when in reality it wasn't even a few seconds.

But then, the world comes crashing down on them again in the form of The Hunter, who shines his flashlight in the girl's face. Briefly blinding her for enough time for him to drop a cage over her and capture his prey.

Mono, surprised by the transpired events, rushes behind the trunk of the tree where he was hiding, just before the Hunter's light shines it's beacon where he was standing sometime ago.

The Hunter briefly wonders what was it that distracted its prey for such a long time that it didn't even notice he was coming.

He scans the tops of the trees for any sudden movement, trying to find anything, but gives up after not seeing anything.

Grunting, he stomps away in the direction of his cabin, never noticing the boy who was watching him from the top.

"She…she got caught because of me…" thinks Mono, blaming himself for the girl's fate. "I need to help her!" thinks Mono while getting down from the tree.

He couldn't have known that this meeting would change his, and hers destiny, forever.

Chapter Text

Through the forest, Mono went. Dodging roots and disabling traps. He tried his best to keep up with The Hunter, but this plan was doomed to fall apart at some point.

Not only because of the difference in heights, but also because The Hunter would sometimes stop and look around him as if he sensed something.

More than one time, Mono almost got caught. He could feel his increased heart beat every time the beam of the flashlight shined close to his hiding spots.

And in between one of those instances, Mono lost sight of the monster.

"Gosh dang it!" Said Mono starting to get anxious about never seeing them again. "Okay, okay…if I was a big monstrosity in the middle of a forest, where would I go with my catch?" He started pondering. "Probably some kind of hut or shack. The question is, how do I find it?"

Luckily for Mono, he wouldn't have to wander aimless through the forest for so long. After looking around for a bit on the last place he saw the monster, he found what could only be the thing's footsteps. Looking from where he had come, he could see the footsteps have been going for a while now.

"He must have stepped in a puddle somewhere" Mono concluded, "Anyway, let's keep going then. I hope I find her in time." He said before continuing his journey.

After some hours of dodging more roots and traps, Mono found the end of The Hunter's footsteps. They ended in a small shed in the woods.

"I hope he's not home." Said Mono, scared for what he would find at this place.

A Nightmare's Dwell.

A Nightmare's Dwell was the worst place you could be in this world. It's where The Nightmares most spend their times in, doing whatever their dark profession demanded.

The Dwell's could never be identified by looks alone. They didn't look any different from other same buildings you could find. No. Only by seeing what's inside, one could see the true terrors of its masters.

Mono approached the shed carefully, to not make any loud sound, and tried to find a way in.

He found what he needed by the left side of the door. An open window, with just the right amount of boxes to climb to it.

"Well then, here we go." Mono thought to himself as to not make any sounds.

Climbing the boxes and grabbing the sill of the window, Mono pulls himself up, and looked inside to see where he was.

Mono stared at what could only be a normal kitchen. Or at least it would be if not for the disgusting smell of rotten food in a pan, spilled cans all over the floor and numerous bottles of a drink he could not recognize.

Mono tried his best to stifle the smell with his paper bag on, but was not very successful. Accepting he could not do anything about it, he dropped himself from the window as slowly and silently as he could.

When he landed on the ground he made a very low *thud*, but after not hearing anything scuffling about in the house, he started his quest to find the girl.

"Where could she be?" Mono thought to himself while traversing the disgusting kitchen.

When he got to the next room, Mono almost had a heart attack when he saw three figures, sitting at a dinner table.

"Eep-" Mono stumbled backwards and fell on his butt, letting out a small sound but quickly stifling it with a hand over his mouth. Or at least where his mouth would be under his paper bag.

Frozen under the shadow of the figures, Mono could only stare at them frightened for a few seconds, before noticing something strange about them.

They didn't move. Even after his blunder, they only stayed there, with their faces turned to their plates.

Finally, getting enough courage to move, Mono got up and cautiously approached the table.

They still didn't move.

Finding it strange, Mono decided to continue on his search. Only, before he could, he experienced some morbid curiosity at why these people were there, frozen in their places.

Gathering his courage, Mono climbed one of the unused chairs, and got up the table, so he could see whatever happened to these people.

Mono would wish he hadn't listened to his curiosity, because when he got up what he saw was a vision only a mad man could have envisioned. No, not a mad man.

A monster.

"Oh god…" Said Mono while quickly looking away from the sight. "How could someone do something like this?" He thought while slowly looking back at the grotesque vision.

What Mono found were three people. Or they used to be at some point. A man, a woman and a young boy. The man was missing one arm, his head was mounted on an iron rod, he was missing his lower jaw and his eyes were bulging out of its sockets.

The woman looked relatively whole. With the exception that her whole face was missing and in its place was two patches of stretched skin, trying to hold its stuffings from getting out.

The young boy didn't have modifications. But his stuffings became too much for the body to hold and started dripping from one of his eyes.

Mono looked at all of this with a sense of dread. He was scared. Scared for what more he would find in this place. Scared for what that monster would do to him if he got caught.

Suddenly, while Mono was staring at this horrible sight, he started getting light-headed. His breathing became erratic and heavy. He was not feeling only his fear anymore. But the fear these people felt when they got caught by The Hunter.

"What is happening to me?" Thought Mono while grabbing his head and shutting his eyes. Had he opened them, he would notice the dark grainy particles that were flowing from behind the mounted humans and flowing into him. He was starting to get dizzy, and suddenly, he started seeing strange visions.

A man was running into the woods. His breathing was erratic, as if he was running from someone. Or something. Behind him, long flashes of light could be seen flowing from the gaps between the trees. The light was not stationary, as it could be seen it was moving towards the man.

And it was getting closer.

In a desperate moment of trying to get assurance that he was safe, the man looked back at the direction of the light. That was his last mistake. Suddenly, the man tripped on something and fell into a hole in the ground. The last thing he saw was the sharp points of various sticks buried into the ground.

Suddenly coming back to reality left Mono in a dizzy state. He started breathing rapidly and moving backwards before stumbling himself and falling at the edge of the table, almost falling down towards the ground.

"Haaa…haaa…" Mono was trying to get his breathing back by lying low on the table. After a few seconds, trying to get his state back to normal, Mono could finally get his thoughts straight again.

"Why…what…what is going on with me? Why did I see the way that man died? This never happened to me before. It-it was so scary." Mono wanted to cry. He wanted to curl himself up, so he could feel safe. But he couldn't. Not while he was still inside this place. Not while there was still someone he needed to help.

"That's right! The girl! I need to find her. Who knows what would happen if that monster finally got to her." Mono said, starting to get up from the table, a cleaning his eyes that were starting to get moist. "I hope he didn't do anything to her yet."

Mono got down from the table and rapidly but quietly proceeded to the next room of the house. He was still upset from what he saw and was even more anxious to find the girl now.

Into the next part of the house, he found a flight of stairs that went to the basement and a door he wouldn't be able to open, since the knob was too high for him to grab.

"Now what? How can I find her?" Mono thought anxiously before starting to hear something. It was a very low tune that seemed to be coming from the basement. The song had a sad tone to it, but somewhat comforting as well.

"What a strange tune. What could be making it?" Thought Mono while slowly getting closer to the top of the stairs. He started descending them and finally got to the bottom of it, all the while listening to the tune trying to figure out where it was coming from.

When he got to the bottom, he could see two doors. One was open and the other closed. The sound was coming from the closed door.

As Mono slowly got close to the door, he could see that the bottom of it was old and full of cracks. He decided to look through one of them.

Looking through them, what he could see was a small room with only one window. The moonlight was shining through the window right into the center of the room. And in the center of the room, surrounded by the shine of the moonlight, he saw her.

The girl.

She was just there. Sitting on the ground. Turning the crank of a big music box that was producing the song he was hearing all this time.

Mono stared at the girl behind the door. Entranced by the way the moonlight shined on her dark hair and the way it made her figure glow in a way he didn't understand.

She looked well. Or at least as well as one could be, stuck in a place like this. "At least she doesn't look hurt" Mono thought to himself, noticing she didn't appear to be in pain.

After staring at her for a few more seconds, Mono shook his head to get his thoughts under control. "Right. I need to get her out of there. We are still in a monster's dwell". After getting his bearings, Mono tried to call the girl over.

"Hey" Mono tried once, but it was too low to be heard over the sound of the music box.

"Heey" Mono shouted just a little louder than the sound of the box. This time the girl seemed to have heard something and stopped cranking the music box.

She looked around the room to see if she could find where the different sound she heard had come from. And suddenly she heard it again.

"Hey" Mono tried again. The girl got a little startled and finally looked at where the sound had come from. The door.

"Hey. I'm here to help you. I'm the one you saw in the forest some time ago. Are you okay?" Mono asked as quietly as he could so that she could still hear him.

The girl seemed to ponder his words for a while, before giving a short nod to indicate she was okay.

"That's good." Said Mono, feeling relieved, "I'm going to find a way to get you out of there okay?" He said to her and waited her response.

The girl pondered over his words for a few seconds again before giving another short nod.

"Alright. I'll be right back." Said Mono before turning around and looking for something that could open the door.

Finding nothing he could use in this room, he tried going over to the one with the open door.

After crossing the open door, Mono looked around for something to help him and found a hammer left on the ground. Going over to it, he tried lifting it, only for the hammer to break in half after he lifted it.

"Dang it! What now?" Mono thought grumpily while looking around the room for another thing that could help him.

He soon spotted another tool he could use. An axe. It was embedded in one of the furniture in the room. Going over to it, Mono jumped and grabbed the handle of the axe. For a few seconds, the axe continued stuck in the furniture, before slowly giving away to gravity and falling to the ground. Mono let go of the axe and landed before it came down. Moving a few steps back, so the tool wouldn't hit his head on the way down.

After the axe landed on the ground, Mono went to it, lifted it up, and dragged it towards the closed door.

When he got close, he tried looking through the cracks to see how she was. She was still there, in the middle of the room, being illuminated by the moonlight.

Starting to get entranced again, Mono quickly shook his head before calling her once more.

"Hey, I'm back, I found something to open the door. It's an axe. I'm going to break the lower part of it, so you can pass, okay?" Mono said and waited for her answer. He saw that she was shaking her head and then pointing up, as if to point at something upstairs.

"Are you afraid the monster will hear?" Mono asked her and saw that she was nodding.

"Don't worry. I didn't see anyone while I was getting over here. I think he is out. Now, stand back a little, okay? I'm going to break this door open for you." Mono said while getting back and starting to lift the axe above his shoulder and bringing it down.

He didn't see how the girl was still shaking her head to the idea of breaking up the door and how she got scared after the first hit of the axe hit the door. She scampered to hide under the little table in the room, fearing that the monster was going to hear the noises and come see what had happened.

Mono struck the door two more times, before finally getting an opening big enough for him to pass.

Letting go of the axe, Mono walked over to the hole and saw that the girl was now hidden under the table of the room.

Slowly getting into the room, he walked towards her as carefully as he could, so he could show her he was not a threat.

He slowly got to the center of the room, lowered himself on one knee and lifted one of his hand towards her.

"Hey" Mono calmly called her over, "It's okay, see?" He said, while looking up to point out how the house was still in complete silence.

"You can come out." Mono said, lifting his hand a little more towards her. "We're going to get out of here."

After he said that, he patiently waited for her to make a move. After a few seconds, the girl finally started to get out from under the table.

She slowly went towards to the boy that had his hand stretched towards her in an offering of peace. As she got closer, Mono could see details from her that he couldn't see from behind the door.

She used a gray button-up cardigan that went to her knees, and Mono thinks he saw a piece of what looked to be white shorts and a black shirt under it. She has a black bob-cut hair that completely covers the top half of her face. Making it so that he couldn't see her eyes, but he could see she had a small nose and mouth.

When she was only a few steps away from him, he saw she was lifting her hand towards his, and suddenly his heart started beating faster.

Her hand was getting closer and closer, and the closer she got, the more he could feel his heartbeats spiking up.

When her hand was a few centimeters away from his, Mono suddenly closed his eyes and lightly turned his head away from her. For some reason, fearing what she would do to him once she got closer.

After a few seconds of not feeling anything, suddenly, he felt something firm and soft grab at his hand.

Surprised, he opened his eyes and looked back at her.

He saw that she was staring at their joined hands, almost as if to try to figure out something he could only wonder.

Mono looked at their joined hands and became hyper aware of the feeling of her hand in his. "She got really nice hands," He thought while blushing under his paper bag. Not thinking about what he was doing, Mono lightly squeezed her hand more and noticed how she gave a light jump at it. He quickly got back to only holding it and looked back at her.

He thought he could see what was a very small dust of pink on her cheeks. "I must be seeing things" Mono thought, "I need to stop being a creep and apologize to her. Gosh, what was I thinking! Way to go, Mono."

"Sorry about that. It's just you have really nice hands"

A pause.

If Mono was lightly blushing before, now his face was full on fire. He stood there frozen with her hand on his, not knowing what to do, his thoughts a mile per minute.

"WHY DID I SAY THAT OH MY GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME NOW SHE WILL TOTALLY THINK I'M A CREEP PLEASE SOMEONE JUST END MY SUFF-" Mono's thoughts were in total disarray. But just before he could flee and find someplace to bury himself, he heard a small sound that caught his attention.

"I-it's okay. I just wasn't expecting i-it at all. Don't worry." The girl said, giving Mono a small reprieve from his spiraling thoughts. Mono didn't notice the line of flush that crossed over her cheeks and nose because he was more entranced by another thing.

"Wow…she has a really cute voice" Mono thought before trying to get his thoughts back from wherever they were going and finally getting out a proper apology with no surprises.

"O-okay. Thanks. Sorry again about that. I-i don't know what came over me." Mono said, finally getting his bearings together.

"As I said, don't worry about it." The girl responded back. She was already back to her normal self. Although, if one looked closer, they would see that her cheeks were still lightly dusted by pink.

"R-right, *ahem*, so you can talk." Said Mono after trying to mask his blushing self. Totally forgetting, he used a paper bag over his head.

"Yes I can." The girl responded, "I just don't like to talk too much, since noises usually attract unwanted attention."

"I understand." Said Mono. And he did understand. In a world where everything was out to get you, and you didn't have one to rely on, it was difficult to find reason to talk. Hence, he too almost always spent most of his time on silence. With only his thoughts for company. And sadly, most of them weren't nice.

"Well then," the girl said, "we need to get out of here. That monster could come back anytime now. And I for sure don't want to turn into one of his freaky dolls."

"You're right." Mono said, "Let's go, then." He made to turn back and guide her out of that room while still holding hands. Only to stop and remember something he forgot to do.

Mono turned back to her, and while still holding hands, he said: "My name is Mono. May I please know your name?" He asked.

The girl stared at him, almost as if she could see the boy under the bag, and after a few seconds she finally said:

"Six. My name is Six. And thanks for the compliment, Mono. You have very nice hands, too."

And then the world paused. Once again.

Chapter Text

Mono was bewildered. He just stood there, his whole body turning red, trying to figure out if he had heard that right.

"D-did…did she really just said what I think she did?" Mono thought to himself. He couldn't believe Six had just complimented him back like that without even being fazed. That completely caught him off-guard.

"H-hmm w-what, what d-did you say?" Said Mono suddenly losing the ability to speak coherent sentences.

Six looked at him with a straight face and answered: "I said that you also have nice hands."

"R-right. T-that was what I thought I heard." Mono said while slightly looking away from her. "T-thanks for the c-compliment. I appreciate it." He said, getting slightly giddy. Mono had never been complimented before. All his previous interactions with other kids has always been more…disheartening.

He tried slightly squeezing her hand again and looking at her reaction. When she didn't give any, that he could see at least, he felt slightly ashamed and started to get his thoughts together.

"What am I doing?" Mono thought, "I need to focus on getting us out of here, not on how nice her hand fits on mine, or how her hair shines so beautifully under the moonlight, or- ARGH! I'M DOING IT AGAIN!" Mono shook his head to put his stray thoughts aside. For now at least.

"A-alright. Now that we are free of that door, we just need to leave without being seen by that monster." Mono said before briefly looking around the room.

The room looked pretty bare, with only some old pieces of furniture here and there, old carpets lying around and some wooden decorations. Besides the music box, he didn't see anything else worth of noticing, so he looked back at Six.

"Are you ready to leave? Do you need to get anything around here before going?" Mono asked.

"No." Six stared at him. "I don't need anything else." She said and squeezed Mono's hand back.

That caught Mono off-guard. Again.

"O-o-okay t-then. L-let's go." Mono stuttered and turned back, starting to guide her out of the room. He didn't notice he was still holding her hand. He was trying not to think too much about what just happened. Trying…and failing.

"OH GOD. WHAT DID SHE MEAN BY THAT!? WHY DID SHE SQUEEZE MY HAND BACK?! AND WHY AM I FEELING SO WARM?!?" Mono's thoughts were a mile per minute as he tried to keep a steady pace. If he was red before, now he was steaming.

As Six was being dragged along by Mono, she noticed how his hands were warmer than before, and that a little steam trail was flowing up from the top of his paper bag. She tilted her head a little to the side, as if pondering what that was about.

As they both climbed the stairs back up, Mono finally accomplished in getting his bearings back to the matter at hand. And speaking of hands, as they reached the top of the stairs, he finally noticed he was still holding hers. He quickly released her hand from his after noticing his blunder.

"S-sorry about that. Didn't notice I was dragging you." Mono whispered, since now they were back at the center of the house, and looked away from her while lifting a hand behind his head in a nervous act of shame.

Noticing that she didn't respond after a few seconds, Mono looked back at Six and saw that she was staring at her hand.

As if she sensed he was looking at her, Six quickly looked back at him and shook her head, as if to say it was okay.

Seeing her response, Mono nodded and started to ponder about something he noticed. "She seemed…lonely." He thought to himself after he saw the way she was looking at her hand. He also thought he saw something flickering above her head. Or, more specifically, on both sides of it.

"Those kinda looked like…no. It can't be. I must be seeing things." He thought, choosing to ignore what he saw. After all, for all he knows, he just might be going crazy after meeting her. That could explain all those thoughts and feelings he gets around her. "Let's just focus on getting out of here".

Mono looked around from the top of the stairs and tried to hear if there were any big noises inside the house. After not hearing anything, he looked back at Six and thought of a place they could stay on. "I think that place might work for temporary shelter, I didn't get a very good look at it, but it should be enough. That is, IF she wants to come with me." He got a little sad, thinking that they would go their separate ways now.

"I think I know a place where we could hide for a while. It's a little deeper in the woods from the way I came to get here." Mono said while pointing to the kitchen. "We should be able to hide there. Far enough from the monster that lives here. I also saw some bushes with berries. It looked like it had enough for the both of us." He finished telling her his plan and looked at her reaction. Though he saw something slightly flicker behind her at the mention of food, Six didn't show any disapproval. But she still didn't answer him.

After a little more than a minute of silence, still waiting for her response, Mono started to get a little anxious. He was losing hope that she would actually come with him. "Do…do you want to go with me? Six?" He asked, looking bashful even with his paper bag on.

At that question, Six finally reacted and quickly nodded, showing approval.

That quickly made Mono beam up with happiness again. Six was glad she had her hair to cover her eyes. His current brilliance was enough to light the whole house.

"R-rig-! Oh, huh, I mean, right. Let's get going then." Mono almost shouted before quickly lowering his voice to a whisper. He turned back and started walking towards the kitchen with a light jump to his step, before stopping after not hearing any steps following him.

He looked to see what was wrong, and saw that Six was fidgeting with her hands, as if she wanted to ask for something but didn't know how. He could also see those flickering things again, on the same spots he saw before. Two on her head, and one behind her.

Wondering about what was wrong, Mono decided to think about those things later and walked back close to her. "Six? What's wrong?" He asked, getting a little worried.

Six continued fidgeting with her hands for a little longer before slowly stopping. And then, after a couple seconds, she slowly lifted one of her hands towards him. She almost brought it back to herself a couple of times, before finally making a decision and fully extending her hand towards him and looking away.

Mono stood there. Bewildered.

"Is she… does she want to hold hands?" Mono thought to himself, not fully believing it. He never met anyone that wanted to hold hands with him before. Willingly at least. It made him feel all kinds of warm inside his chest.

But not one to make assumptions, Mono thought it was better to ask her if that was really what she wanted. She didn't look like the type to make mean jokes, or any kind of joke for that matter, but he has been fooled by others before.

Those always made him feel empty inside.

"You…want…to hold hands?" Mono slowly asked her, looking for any sight of unwillingness.

He didn't see any.

All that he saw was a sharp flicker behind her, a spot of pink on her cheeks and the curt nod she gave him.

Mono still couldn't believe it.

"With me?" Mono asked with disbelief.

He saw that the flickering behind her got a little faster and the pink spots on her cheeks darkened slightly. She also seemed to be slightly shaking.

Mono felt himself blushing from the tip of his toes to the very top of his head.

Six slightly looked back at him to see that he was doing that thing with his head again. The steaming. Only this time it was slightly larger, and she swore she could see a blush appearing on his paper bag where his cheeks and nose should be. She also thought she was getting crazy.

Slowly, Mono finally accepted that Six wasn't joking with him and started lifting his hand towards her.

The world almost seemed to slow down as their hands neared each other.

Only for the moment to be broken apart by a loud noise coming from the closed door opposite to the kitchen.

Chapter Text

The sound of a door being open was heard by the both of them, followed by heavy steps and a very harsh wheezing.

"Huuuuu. Haaaaa. Huuuuu. Haaaaa." They could hear from behind the closed door. It was the only thing separating them from the monster behind it.

They both stood there. Frozen in fear. Looking at the door.

Mono's thoughts were racing. Trying to think of any options they could take before that thing opened the door and found them just standing there.

"What do we do?! Do we go back downstairs and try to hide?! But there's no way he won't find us there! Do we try to make a run for the kitchen window?! What if he hears our steps and comes after us faster?!" Mono would have kept contradicting himself, if not for Six grabbing his arm and bringing his thoughts to a stop.

Mono looked at Six, and saw that she had a fierce expression on her face, having already recovered from her state of fear from before and getting into action. Slowly, she started bringing Mono backwards towards the kitchen, while still staring at the closed door. Watching for any signs of it opening.

After a few steps of being dragged, Mono finally understood what her plans were and started slowly moving with her. Instead of watching the door, however, he was looking at the way they were going. The window looked so close, and yet, so far at the same time.

They were almost in the dining room with the creepy stuffed family when Mono suddenly heard the sound of a knob turning. *Clank…clank…* He turned his head around as they both stopped and looked at the door. As they watched it, both saw the knob turning a few times, and every time it made a sound, they could feel their hearts trying to leap from their chests.

Mono looked at Six again to see her reaction, and saw that she was still staring at the door with a fierce expression. He could also feel her grip on his arm getting tighter as the knob kept being turned and going slack over and over again. Six looked as if she was ready to run straight to the window at any sight of the door opening. Getting the cue, Mono also got himself in a position to run, should it be needed.

They both waited with bated breath, as the sound kept going for a few more seconds, and then…stopped.

"Hhhhnngg!" They heard what seemed a grunt of frustration from the monster, before hearing it walk away from the door, and then getting startled after hearing a dull *THUD* of something hitting the floor.

Six's grip was starting to hurt Mono's arm as they heard the monster climbing up what seemed to be stairs, and then, the sounds of steps on the roof above their heads.

Noticing that the monster was above them, Six slackened her grip on Mono's arm, turned, and started walking towards the window again. Albeit a bit faster this time.

Mono tried to keep pace with her as he briefly turned his head around to look at the door a couple of times, fearing that the monster would suddenly open it.

As they passed by the dining room, they both ignored the creepy stuffed people sitting at the table. They just went straight to the kitchen and started looking for a way to reach the window.

As Mono and Six looked around, he noticed a counter with three drawers that could be opened up and form a makeshift stair, so they could get up the kitchen counter.

Mono tapped Six's hand to get her attention and when she looked at him, she saw him pointing at the drawers and slowly lift his hand towards the top of the kitchen counter.

Understanding his plan, Six released his arm and, together, they went towards the drawers to pull them open.

Mono started opening the first drawer as Six started climbing it and moving to the next one. When Mono finished pulling it just enough for Six to pull the next one, he climbed up his and hers pulled drawer, and went to pull the last one, so they could get to the counter. Their moves coordinated as if they could read each other's mind.

After Six climbed the last drawer and got on the counter, she turned to help Mono get up the last step of the climb. Even if he didn't need it, he was grateful all the same for her help. When they were finally both at the counter and were starting to move towards the window, they heard the sound of a key being turned and a door being open.

They both froze and looked at the thing staring at them from over the end of the hallway.

After getting frustrated for leaving the key to the door on the attic, The Hunter had quickly gone up to grab it before getting back and opening the door. When he opened it, he noticed two little preys standing on his kitchen counter. And one of them was the one it had caught earlier in the day. It had escaped.

And The Hunter was not happy about it.

"HUUUAAAAA" The thing roared and aimed its weapon at them.

Noticing the danger, Six pushed herself and Mono out of the sight's way before hearing a loud *BANG* and feeling something breezing past over the place they just were and hitting the wall. Making bits of it fly all over the place.

After just barely escaping death, they quickly scampered to get up, and started running towards the window.

"HUUUUUUU" The Hunter bellowed after noticing it had missed. He quickly reloaded his weapon, noticing its prey were quickly getting close to the window. Setting his weapon sight towards the window, he calmly waited for his prey to align with it before shooting. He knew where they were going. And they were not going to escape.

As Six and Mono were almost at the window, Six suddenly had the sense that going forward was a bad idea. She suddenly stopped and pushed herself and Mono backwards as a loud *BANG* was heard and the sill of the window was destroyed, leaving a large hole on it.

"HAAA?" The Hunter grunted, confused. He was sure that shot was going to kill them, or at least, incapacitate them. He stood there. Shocked. Trying to understand what happened.

That moment of hesitation gave Mono and Six the opportunity they needed. Six quickly got herself and Mono up, so they could get away. They quickly scampered towards the hole the monster had just made and swiftly jumped and landed on the boxes under the window.

Noticing his prey had escaped, The Hunter startled himself back to awareness, gave an annoyed grunt and scampered to the door to get out and after them.

Outside, Mono and Six had just finished climbing down from the boxes. They could hear the monster getting closer to the door, so it could give chase to them. Six was about to run towards the woods to escape, but suddenly, she felt someone pulling her to the other side.

It was Mono, of course.

Mono saw that running that way into the woods would yield them nothing but getting caught, or worse, killed. That way, was the way he had come from, after all. He knew that the path was filled with traps and obstacles. And since the monster was going to be chasing them, having to maneuver traps while dodging shots was a bad idea.

Mono, then, decided to try something to outmaneuver the monster. It was a very risky idea, that had very low chances of working, but if it did, it would give them all the time they needed to get where he wanted to go.

Mono pulled Six towards himself, and started quickly guiding them towards the back of the boxes, he hoped he was right about what he would find, because the monster was sure almost at the door right now. He could hear the steps.

Getting close enough, Mono saw that, luckily, the boxes did have a hollow inside. He quickly pushed Six and himself inside it, and waited with bated breath, as he watched, from a little crack in the box, the monster quickly leaving its house.

As The Hunter quickly left his house, he stopped by the front porch and scanned the woods in front of it with his flashlight. His breath a little ragged from quickly walking towards there.

After not seeing any little silhouettes close or in the distance, he pointed his flashlight towards the ground, to look for tracks he could follow.

He ignored his own footprints and looked at the small ones close to it. He noticed they ended on his porch, so he pointed his flashlight at it and moved it towards the open window, examining it.

As Mono saw the light getting close to their location, he pushed himself over Six, so he could cover her with his coat and appear inconspicuous among the cracks in the box. The color of his coat being bleak enough to blend well within them.

Mono remained still as the light passed through their location and pointed at the window. It looked as if the monster was looking for clues of where they could have gone. Looking back at Six to see how she was, he suddenly noticed how close they were now, and that made him freeze up even more.

Mono could feel the warmth of her body, it felt like all the times he was hugged, which were pretty rare occasions on his part. He felt the smell of her hair, and it smelled like the wild breath of the forest. He wanted to blame that on the location they found themselves in, but he was pretty sure it was her natural smell. And he could almost see her eyes under her fringe, they seemed to be dark reddish. And he was sure they seemed to be slightly glowing.

Mono started to get that very warm feeling he got when Six offered her hand to him. It made his stomach dance on his belly and he didn't know what to do about it since he couldn't move. The monster was still close by, looking for signs of them.

"Oh god. This isn't the time to be feeling weird just because Six is so close! But why can't I shake these feelings away?! It's like she's stuck inside my head right now. What's going on?!" Mono didn't know what was happening to himself. He had never felt this way towards anyone before. And since there was danger nearby, he couldn't just move away to think straight about what his feelings could mean.

While Mono was having a breakdown, Six didn't look to be faring any better. She was trying to keep herself small by hugging her legs, so she could be better covered by Mono. But this close to him, she could also feel his warmth, and though she didn't have any notion of what is a 'hug', she was starting to like being this close to him. She didn't know what his smell seemed like, it was something she never smelled before, but she very much wanted to know.

And looking at his paper bag this close to his face, Six could see tiny dark gray points behind the holes on it. And they seemed to be slightly glowing. Six didn't believe they were his eyes at first, but when they slightly moved, she got her confirmation. She had never seen eyes of that color before, so she got very curious about and kept staring at it, before noticing those glowing orbs of his were staring straight at her.

Getting self-conscious about his stare, she started feeling warm again, specially on her cheeks and nose. She liked that feeling. Though she didn't know why, she only felt it when Mono was close.

They both kept staring at the other. Almost forgetting about the monster searching for them just outside their hideaway, when suddenly, they heard the monster grunting.

"HRAAAA!" The Hunter was angry. He kept searching around the house for any tracks of his prey, but couldn't find any. It was almost as if they simply disappeared. He looked around for a few more minutes, before finally deciding to leave them be for now. He still had some 'work' to do in the house, after all. And there's no way they would be able to leave the forest without passing by him first. No. He would wait, set traps and keep an eye for any movement from then on. He would have his prize back. And when he did, he would have a special 'something' for each of them.

After what looked like an eternity for the both of them, Mono and Six finally saw the monster returning to his house. Seeing the door closing gave them immense relief at knowing the plan worked.

"Thank god. *Sigh,* Can't believe that worked." Mono thought while slumping forwards, so he could rest his nerves a little, before quickly hearing someone releasing a barely audible 'ah' under him and bolting up as if shocked by something.

Mono, realizing what he was about to do, felt very ashamed for getting distracted like that. He was about to apologize to Six when he noticed she had a finger over her mouth and was almost shushing him, so he wouldn't make any sound.

"Right. There's still a monster close by. How could I forget that." Thought Mono, before getting embarrassed, and realizing he did know why he could forget.

They both waited for any signs of the monster leaving the house and kept a keen ear for any sounds in the house.

After a few minutes of hearing heavy steps fumbling around the house, they finally heard the steps going away from their location towards the other side house. Mono thought this was a good opportunity as any.

"Hey" Mono whispered, "Let's go. I think it will be awhile before he gets back. It's our chance." He pointed towards the crack they had gotten in through. He straightened his back up, feeling it strain a little for being a while hunched over, and offered his hand to Six, so she could get up.

Six looked at his hand first, then towards his face, then back at his hand before finally taking it and getting up.

Mono was about to let go of Six's hand after helping her get up, but he felt that she slightly increased her grip when he tried to.

Looking back at her, Mono saw no different expression on Six's face besides her neutral one, so he tried to release his grip once again, but quickly gave up after she increased her grip even more. She could be very strong when she wanted to, it seemed. Nodding his head to her, so she could see he understood what she wanted, Six decreased her grip on his hand and got back to just holding it normally.

Getting embarrassed since they were holding hands again, Mono decided to ignore his straying thoughts and feelings, so they could finally move away from the monster's house.

They left the box as quietly as possible, walked down from the porch, and started walking towards the woods with Mono guiding.

As they walked away from the shed, hand in hand, Mono could finally calm his racing heart down. He started guiding them towards the place he had seen before, that could be used as a hideaway. So, through the forest they went, sometimes they had to jump an obstacle or, most of the time, dodge a trap left there by the monster.

Then, after walking for some time, so long in fact that the trees started getting sparse from each other, they finally reached it.

A tree. But not just any normal and somber one. A very big and tall one.

Its size seemed like it would take two adults to hug around it, or at least, someone with very long arms. And its height dwarfed any other tree in its vicinity.

Mono had seen this tree, when he was walking through the forest, through the gaps in the trees when the forest had one. It looked almost like a beacon for him to follow. But at the time he was worried about finding Six, so he didn't have time to stick around.

Approaching the tree, both went awestruck by the sheer size of it. They have never seen anything quite like it.

Mono approached the tree to see if there were any way to climb it while pulling Six along. When they got close, they could see the tree looked very old. Ancient almost. It also seemed to exhume some kind of magical aura, like everything would be fine, which, in the current world circumstances, seemed almost impossible. But it was there anyway, as if to dwarf everything, not only by size, but also, expectations.

They both looked around the tree for some way to climb up, but before they could find it, Six saw a hole at the base of its roots. She stopped herself, which in consequence, made Mono stop too. She pointed at the hole, and Mono saw what she was pointing at.

"You want to investigate?" Mono said, receiving a nod from Six afterwards. "Okay then. Let's have a look."

They started to approach the hole carefully, in case there were any dangerous animals inside. As they got close to it, Mono took a look inside to see if he could find anything inside. Not seeing anything though, he looked at Six for a moment and saw that she was also staring back. She gave him a nod in confirmation, and they both entered The Hollow Den.

Chapter Text

As Mono and Six ventured inside the small cave under the three, both looked around and became surprised by the sheer darkness it was inside.

The place was filled with a dark mist, so thick, that they couldn't even see themselves. Mono was glad they were still holding hands, otherwise, he would have lost Six for sure.

They stopped after a few steps and did a brief scan of the interior of the cave.

The only thing they could see was the entrance behind them, but there was something wrong. The light that came from outside wasn't able to reach inside the cave as if something was preventing it from reaching inside.

Looking at the entrance, Mono noticed how strange that was. He started to have doubts if this could be a good place for them to rest. This place didn't give him a good feeling, it was completely different from how it appeared outside.

"This place is weird," Mono said, "I thought this could be a good place for us to stay when I first saw it, but it's so dark in here. And it's giving me the creeps."

Mono couldn't see her, but he felt Six's hand moving a little and then stopping.

"Y-yeah. I'm not getting a good feeling about it, either." Six said. She had briefly forgotten Mono couldn't see her, since she wasn't used to talking. She got a little embarrassed by her blunder and hoped he hadn't noticed it.

But Mono had noticed it. And he thought that was cute for some reason.

"S-so, want to look for another place to rest? I know we have walked for a while now. But I think we should find another place for us to stay." Mono suggested. He was a little embarrassed by his straying thoughts.

"Dang it Mono! Now isn't the time for you to get distracted by how cute you think Six is-, I-I mean, we need to find a place to rest through the night. Preferably somewhere that Hunter doesn't find us. You can think about her later-, I MEAN, NOT think about her later… Gosh, I'm a mess."

Mono didn't know why his thoughts kept messing with him like that. He found it best to just be quiet and wait for Six's answer. Lest he embarrassed himself somehow.

Then, just as Six was about to answer, something shifted around them.

Mono was the first to feel that something was wrong. Followed by Six, closing her mouth due to the chills running down her spine.

Mono tried to look around to see from where that strange feeling he was getting was coming from. But all he saw was the dark mist surrounding them. However, something was different about it. The mist was moving.

Mono could feel the mist shifting around them. It was a familiar feeling he had felt once before, but couldn't remember where it was right now. And that made him anxious since it didn't feel like it was a good memory. He decided to move closer to Six in case something happened.

And just as Mono moved, he felt the mist getting more agitated. It had started moving faster now, and it was going towards their only exit.

Looking at the entrance, Mono could see the mist forming shadowy tendrils as it tried to cover the way out.

Mono finally noticed something about this mist, or rather, 'thing'.

This 'thing' could feel them. It was reacting to their movements and responding accordingly.

Whatever this 'thing' was, it was alive. And it wanted to trap them inside this place.

Mono started to panic. They needed to get out of there. And they needed to do it NOW.

"S-six," Mono whispered after slowly moving his head towards her, "w-we need to leave this p-place. I t-think the mist is t-trying to trap us in here."

Mono was scared. He hoped Six could hear the urgency in his voice.

Six had noticed it. And she couldn't agree more. She did not respond to Mono but gave a firm squeeze on his hand as a sign of acknowledgment. She didn't want to disturb the mist even more.

Getting her response, Mono slowly started to walk towards the entrance while pulling Six along. He was starting to get desperate. The bad feeling was getting worse.

However, as they moved, Mono could feel the mist getting more and more agitated. It was moving even faster now. The entrance was half-covered now, and it was closing faster the more they went towards it.

The mist had noticed they were trying to leave. And it didn't seem happy about it.

As they got near the entrance, Mono tried to keep himself calm to not make any sudden movement. The entrance was almost fully closed now, but they were going to make it. He could almost feel the breeze from outside now.

"We are going to make it! Just a few more steps!" Mono thought to himself, keeping his hope up. But just as they were almost at the entrance, "H-huh? Why is everything spinning?" he got dizzy and fell on his knees.

The feeling Mono was getting ever since entering the cave was impossible to ignore now. It had been getting worse the longer they stayed inside the cave and now, his thoughts were getting invaded by something that wasn't his.

"This…this is!" At that moment, Mono finally remembered where he felt this before.

It was in The Hunter's kitchen when he experienced that 'vision' of the stuffed man.

"NO!Nonononono" Mono let go of Six's hand to hold his head, "N-not n-now…w-we are so c-close…" but he couldn't move anymore. The feeling that was invading his thoughts left him unable to move.

And then, Mono could finally hear 'it', or rather, 'them'.

The Darkness

The Darkness was a strange being in this world. From afar, it looked just like a dark mist, which was pretty common in the current times.

But up close, you could see how it wasn't so simple. The center of the mist was darker, and dark tendrils could be seen floating around. It moved very slowly, only speeding up when it felt something to consume.

The Darkness survived by absorbing the life of its preys, it trapped them inside its mist and followed them around until they were but a husk of their former selves.

It wasn't known how The Darkness appeared, the only thing that was known about it, was that everything that was caught by it never escaped until it was dead.

And at this moment, the ones caught by it were Mono and Six.

"Ȇ̶̢͎͖̖͔͋̽̔̂̾͛͆͠͝a̵̡͔̠̦̻͔̖̩̮̪̬͂̒̎̐͌́̄͑̋̋Ţ̸͇̩̱̎̍̈́͜!̸̡̧̠͔͔̜͕̭̤̪̾͆ͅ" At first, the voice sounded like gibberish, "w̸̴̷E̸̴̷ m̷U̸sT eAt!" but then, it eventually got clear enough for Mono to understand it.

"TO BECOME WHOLE!"
"To become whole."
"We NeEd To EaT!"

It wasn't just one voice, it was many voices. Indistinguishable from one another.

They were all trying to speak at the same time. The voices alternate between higher and lower pitches, but the worst was when they spoke something together, it sounded like a broken TV.

The noise made Mono's body go cold with terror.

At that moment, he felt they wouldn't be able to escape no matter what they did.

Mono started crying.

He felt hopeless. But not just that. He also felt pain. So much pain.

"What is this?" He pondered, "What is this pain and despair I feel in my chest?"

Mono put a hand on his chest. His eyes started glowing again. He was starting to see things, just like how it happened at The Hunter's Cabin. He lifted his head and then.

Screams. All around him.
The despair.
The pain.
The Darkness.
It was... too... much...

Six was startled. They were almost at the exit when she felt Mono suddenly falling. "Mono? Mono!" She called, "What's wrong?!". She couldn't understand. He seemed fine just a few seconds ago. She tried to call him a few more times, but he wasn't responding.

Six started panicking. The entrance was right there but Mono was unresponsive. She looked at him then back at the entrance and made a decision.

Six grabbed Mono's hand again and started dragging him towards the entrance. She had to use all her strength since he was heavier than her. But little by little, she was getting there.

"Almost...there..." Six thought, her breathing getting ragged due to the effort she was doing "Come...on...just...a...bit...more..."

However, just as Six was about to cross the entrance, one of the dark tendrils curled themselves around her, and yanked her from Mono.

"UWAAAAAA!" Six shouted. She was being dragged away from Mono. And the farther she went, the more The Darkness tried to cover her with its appendages.

Mono was lost. The pain was making him forget who he was. All around him was just darkness. Endless darkness. "Why do I bother living?" Mono thought, "No one cares about me anyway. I am so useless. Why should I keep going?

"H..p!"

But before he could continue his depressive thoughts, Mono heard a voice in the middle of the darkness.

"M..no! Pl..a..e he.. me!"

"This voice... I recognize it." Mono started remembering.

"Noooo! Le..ve me a..one!"

It was a voice that made his heart feel warm inside. It came from someone he wanted to know better.

"MONO WAKE UP ALREADY!!!"

Mono finally startled himself back to awareness. "Six!" He looked at her and noticed her situation.

The Darkness was rolling itself around Six's form. Mono almost couldn't see her anymore.

"NO!" Mono got up and ran towards Six's disappearing form. The Darkness was starting to lift her. He got close and grabbed her feet. He tried pulling her towards him, but The Darkness grip was relentless.

Six's form was almost gone now. She could feel her life being drained from her. Soon, she was... going... to... disappear...

Mono tried with all his strength to save her but it wasn't enough. Just as he was about to lose hope he heard something.

"I...don't...want...to...die... Mono heard a familiar feminine voice, I...still...haven't...got...to...know...him...better...

And that, made Mono snap.

His eyes started glowing fiercely. An aura of interference started being emitted. Mono was angry.

The Darkness shook and stopped moving.

"RELEASE. HER." Mono ordered.

The Darkness was scared now. It thought these were just two little preys it could consume. But one of them was giving a very fearsome aura now. Even so, It didn't want to just give up on Its food. It started trying to drag the prey it had captured again. But just before It could move much.

"I SAID TO RELEASE HER! NOW!!!" Mono shouted, releasing a fearsome wave of power around him.

The Darkness shook harder now and quickly released the prey it had caught. It didn't want to anger the fearsome one anymore.

Seeing Six falling gave Mono a scare. He quickly moved and caught her before she could hit the ground. He looked at her and saw that, other than looking pale, she seemed fine.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Mono turned himself towards The Darkness again.

"Leave." Mono ordered.

The Darkness didn't need to be told twice. It started draining itself out of the hole and vanishing through the forest.

Mono observed The Darkness leaving for a while, and when it vanished amidst the trees, he finally relaxed and fell backward to the ground.

He sat on the ground with Six in his arms and wondered how he had done that. His eyes starting to go back to normal.

He wanted to figure out what had happened, but he was too tired to think right now.

Mono dragged himself towards one of the walls of the cave and rested his back on it, never letting go of Six while he did it.

He looked at Six's face and saw that she was still pale. He lifted her face close to the nook of his neck and rested her head there.

"Six..." Mono muttered starting to doze off, "I want to know more about you too..."

And so they slept.

Chapter Text

The Hunter was angry. It had lost its prey. Turns out that when he went to fetch the things he needed for his next 'work', another prey had come to his den in search of the one he captured before, and helped his next work of 'art' to escape.

The blue prey was going to be his final addition to his table. His 'family'. A whole 'family' just for him. It didn't remember why it wanted that, only that's what it wanted. If it had any consciousness of its actions, it could have remembered a time long since gone. A time when it dreamed of having more people it could share its moments with.

But alas, after The Transmission, that desire took a much darker turn. That being seen by the three pieces of 'art' it had hunted over the years. He didn't count the one in the attic, for that one was a failure.

But now with its last prey having escaped from it and it being unwilling to search for another one he had sought out to do what it did best.

So out of the back of its den, the nightmare went. To the shed in the back where it stored all the tools, it would need for its journey. No one could escape from it. After all...

The hunt is only beginning

Mono woke confused, wondering where he was. His consciousness still not back from the land of dreams. It had been a while since he had a good night of sleep. That was something really hard to achieve with the current state of the world.

"Hmmm, where... am I?" He thought while he slowly got his bearings and looked around. He noticed he was in a small round cave, with its walls full of roots of all sizes coming in and out of it. It gave the place a somewhat cozy feeling.

Seeing the roots stirred his memories from the night before. "That's right. We are under the big tree. We came here after escaping from that nightmare's den" He remembered, "We tried exploring the hole under it to see if it was safe to stay and then we found... that thing". Mono shuddered as he thought of the black fog they encountered the night before. The thing that tried to consume them just to satisfy some dark or twisted desire it probably didn't even understand. "It blocked us from leaving and then I did... something... to it ".

Mono looked at his hands and saw nothing unusual with them. They were just his normal hands if only with some scars here and there. From memories, he didn't want to remember.

Feeling doubtful, he concentrated a little more on them and, closing his eyes, he tried to remember what he felt at that moment the night before. "I was... disappearing... my whole being slipping away and then... then I heard-"

His musings were interrupted when he heard a sound. A sound that was really close to him. Mono quickly opened his eyes and turned his head to the left, not noticing the sparks that were fading away from his hands now that he wasn't concentrating on them. And what he saw made him stop breathing.

He saw that Six was sleeping next to him. Very closely. So close in fact that her head was leaning on his shoulder... and she looked really peaceful while doing so. How the hell he didn't realize her weight on his shoulder before he didn't know, but now after realizing that the sound he heard came from the girl next to him and that the sound was probably she just taking a deep breath while sleeping, Mono relaxed again after seeing they were out of danger... for 3 seconds before fully realizing his situation and going stiff red.

"W-w-w-why is she so close?!" Mono screamed on his head, "Oh god. This feels really nice- I mean! I like hiw cute she is while sleeping- NONONONO! BAD MONO! STOP BEING WEIRD! STOP THINKING ABOUT HOW NICE HER HEAD FEELS ON YOUR SHOULDER OR HOW YOUJUSTWANTTOHOLDHERANDKEEPHERSAFECAUSESHEISVERYPRECIOUS-"

"Hrm" Six stirred in her sleep, which made Mono halt his derailing thoughts. He looked at her again and watched as her eyes fluttered behind her bangs before slowly opening and looking around. Turns out Six also hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while, which made her all the more confused when she woke up in an unfamiliar place with her head leaning on something very comfortable.

Mono watched as her expression changed from hazy to confusion and finally the realization of where she was. She noticed that the comfortable thing she was leaning on was her newfound companion. So, without moving away from him, she leaned her back just enough to look at his bag, staring straight at his eyes. And as she looked at him, she remembered something she saw once in The Nest. A memory of what she recalled was a morning routine some kids did with each other.

She had never understood why they would do it. It was something she had found futile. It was something that for kids like them had no meaning. After all, how could someone think that waking up in a prison as something good?

But now... now as Six remembered those interactions, she thinks she finally understands them. It wasn't the place from which they woke up, it was with whom. Turns out that to make a day 'good', you just had to have the right person beside you.

So as Six stared at Mono's bag for quite a while now, and seeing that he was getting a little uncomfortable by it, she nodded at herself for a little bit before saying what was on her mind.

"Good morning... Mono". She said with a little smile. The words, though a little hesitant for she had never said them to anyone, had the confusing effect of making him freeze up again. So she continued looking at him, wondering if she had said something wrong. And when Mono started trembling a little, she started to think she did something wrong. Her face fell a little in sadness, she was about to say she was sorry when Mono suddenly started speaking again.

"Do you... do you want to be my friend?!" Though the last part of what he said came out loud enough to echo in the cave, she did hear quite clearly what Mono said. And it wasn't what she was expecting him to say. So she stared at him, confused at the sudden question in response to her greeting.

Mono was having a minor panic attack.

How could he be so stupid! All that she said was a normal morning greeting and all his thought processes went haywire.

Of course, Mono being who he was never received that sympathy before. Not even from those he helped. Always being cast aside for being too weird. After all, who would want to be friends with the creepy boy with a bag on his head?

So, when Six greeted him the same way normal kids treated each other, of course, he had to go and blow all his chances of having a friend to the dirt by weirdly asking her to be his friend after a morning greeting.

Mono closed his eyes in shame. Letting the silence fill the cave while he bemoaned himself for his stupid mistake. Thinking she would never want with someone so strange as him. He should just leave her alone now. Before she realized how lonely and miserable he was-

"Yes." Six says, interrupting his depressing thoughts. His head quickly turned around to look at her again. He hadn't noticed that as his thoughts got worse, he started closing in on himself, his body curling up on itself. And looking at that was all Six needed to quickly get all the determination she needed to answer his question.

Seeing his reaction to her response made her feel even better for answering positively. She watched as Mono's eyes lit up with what she could only describe as pure hope.

Six had seen all kinds of kids from where she came from. That accursed brat's den had tons of them before she escaped and had interacted with some. And through those interactions, she could say she was pretty good at reading someone.

But even she had never seen such a pure reaction to an answer to a simple question. It was something that she didn't think existed in this world. Someone that could remain pure in this tainted world.

"R-really?" Mono asked, his voice full of hope "You really can be my friend?"

Six tilted her head to the side confused. The way he asked that question was wrong. So she decided to correct him.

"Mono, It's not if I 'can' be your friend. I 'want' to be your friend." Six said full of certainty about what she wanted.

Her response caused once again something she had not expected. Mono started crying, and she didn't know why.

"Why are you crying? Did I make you sad? Did I say something wrong?" She asked, concern in her tone.

Mono shook his head and put his hand under his bag to wipe his tears.

"N-no *sniff* it's not that. I'm r-really happy right now." Mono said, trying his best to stop crying.

Six watched her companion with surprise. "You can cry for being happy?" She thought to herself. She always assumed that people only cried when they were sad.

"But why cry about it?" She asked, "Isn't making friends something that is normal for everyone?"

Mono's face fell a little again. "Its... It's because...you are my first one. My first...friend." The last word made a little smile appear on his face again.

That still didn't answer her question of why he would be so happy about that. "You never met any kids before me?" She asked trying to guess.

"No I- I did know... other kids." He said looking down in shame, remembering the kids he had known. The bad memories they brought. "It's just... no one ever... wanted that. Wanted to be my friend." He said ashamed of himself.

"Why not?" Six asked, surprised at the revelation.

Mono looked down at his hands. Concentrating on his many scars. "No one wants to be a friend of the weird kid with a bag on his head." He said sadly.

"What do you want bag face?" A kid asked, annoyed at the weird coming to interrupt their game.

"Can I... can I play with you guys?" Mono asked, after gathering his courage.

" 'You'? Want to play with 'us'?" The other kid said with an annoyed tone. He stared at Mono before looking at his companions. One of them sneered at him and pointed with his head at Mono. He nodded in understanding.

"Okay," The kid said with a sneer "You can play with us."

Mono's eyes lighted up. "Really?" He asked feeling hopeful.

"Yes. Of course. We are playing 'Kick It' now." The kid said. His voice is full of malice.

"Okay! And how do we play it?" Mono asked, thinking he could finally make some friends.

"It's easy bag boy." The kid said, "We choose something to be 'it', and then we start kicking it. Hehehe." The kid and his companions started snickering, staring at Mono menacingly.

Mono finally realized something was wrong when they stared at him like that. He tried taking a step back to run, but the other kids expected him to do that.

"YOU ARE 'IT' BAG BOY! GET HIM!!" The kid shouted, starting to run at him.

Mono turned back and tried to run away. And though he did evade them for a long time, one of the kid's companions trapped him by kicking him on his legs. Which made him fall to the ground.

"You can run bag boy, but now it's time to get what you deserve." The kid said a little out of breath.

The last thing Mono remembers is curling in on himself and protecting his head with his arms. After that, all that he felt was... Pain.

Mono didn't try to make any more friends after that.

That is until he met Six of course. She made him feel like he could trust her.

Six noticed the way Mono looked at his hands after his last words. She also noticed the many scars dotted on his skin. And knowing how to world was to people who were 'different', she didn't take too long to understand what had caused them.

And she was furious.

How could someone do that to someone like him?! It didn't make sense! He didn't deserve to be treated like that.

"Mono, who... did that to you?" She asked, a heavy tone in her voice. Already thinking of what she would do when she got her hands on them.

Mono looked at her and saw how she stared at his hands. Feeling ashamed he tried to lie. "W-what, this? Its nothing! I-I just fell that's all." He said.

Six stared at him, furrowing her eyebrows. "You don't need to lie Mono. Just tell me who did that to you. And where they are if possible." She said, her voice gaining a dangerous tone at the end.

Mono looked at her surprised, before looking down again after remembering what happened to his 'bullies'. "It...doesn't matter. Not anymore at least."

"What do you mean?" She asked, feeling irked he wasn't telling her about them.

"They... got taken." Mono said remembering the events in the city, "by The Thin Man. I... was the only one that escaped alive from there..."

Six tilted her head in confusion "Who's that?" She asked.

He looked at her in surprise. He hadn't met anyone who didn't know the boogeyman of Pale city before.

"He's... the most powerful entity in The Pale City. The one who controls the broadcast. And the boogeyman for most of the children that live there since for some reason, he keeps kidnapping children for...something."

Six pondered at that for a moment, before focusing her attention on him again.

"So," Six said "They are dead? The one that did this to you?" She asked pointing at his scars.

He looked at his hands as well and nodded solemnly.

"I see." She nodded back. Though Mono did not see the smirk in satisfaction she did after. "Now then, what's the plan now?" She asked, her face returning to the usual stoic one.

He turned to look at her again and noticed that throughout the whole conversation Six still didn't stop leaning on him. Looking very comfortable while doing so.

He panicked a little. "H-how about we get up then! See what this place has in store? We didn't have the opportunity yesterday since... you know." He stammered.

She nodded at him and righted herself up so he could lift himself. And so he did.

Mono got up and turned to help her. Not that she needed it, but she accepted nonetheless.

As they got up they dusted themselves up and stretched a little to get the stiffness out of their bodies.

Sleeping on the ground wasn't comfortable after all.

And so, they set out to explore their little hideaway.

As they did so, Mono noticed that there was something on a part of the wall. So he called for Six to investigate.

As they got closer, they noticed that the marks on the wall were drawing. Probably from other kids that passed through there before.

And as they examined it, they became shocked at what they saw.

The first drawing depicted a Raincoat Girl in a balloon, crashing at what seemed to be a house on a very tall cliff. She passed through very parts of the house, avoiding its nightmares to the best of her abilities before meeting her demise at the hands of a Nightmare in the form of a child, where they both fell to their deaths.

But what took their attention wasn't the Raincoat Girl. It was a drawing of a kid the girl met while in the house. A kid that was very similar to the one beside him.

"Six look," He said while pointing at the drawing "This kid looks like you. Strange huh?" He looked at her and became confused at her reaction.

Six had become pale. As if she had just seen a ghost. Or the drawing of one.

"Six what's wrong?" He asked, feeling concerned for his companion.

"Mono..." He heard her whisper "That IS me."

"What?!" He looked at her as if she said something insane. "What do you mean?!"

"That girl" She pointed her finger at the Raincoat Girl "I know her..." She said with sadness in her voice. "Look here" She points at a drawing of the Raincoat Girl facing the kid he saw before. "This is when I met her. I had just escaped from my cage." She caressed the drawing as if it was precious. "We helped each other after that. We almost escaped. But then..." She stopped talking as she remembered what happened to her friend.

Mono watched as Six closed herself after mentioning her friend. He saw as her eyes watered a little and how she forced herself not to cry. He realized what happened to the girl now.

And Mono, being the kind boy he was, did the only thing he could do to make her feel better.

Six was sad. She had almost forgotten what happened to her friend. She fought with herself to not show weakness. This world didn't have for it. She was almost controlling her emotions when Mono did something she did not expect.

Mono put his arms around her and hugged her.

"I'm sorry Six," Mono told her "I'm sorry you lost your friend." He hugged her tighter.

And suddenly, all her emotions came back tenfold.

"*hic* Ugh *sniff* It's n-not fair. W-why did- *hic* why did she have to die!! *sob* Why couldn't I save her!!" She screamed as she hugged him back. Mono's response was to only hold her tighter.

They spent a few more minutes like that as she got her emotions in order again. Although she still had the tear marks to prove the moment they just had.

"Thank you, Mono..." She said softly "You give really great hugs..." She smiled at him.

"I-it's nothing." He looked to the side, embarrassed. And, seeing her smile, Mono's thoughts went haywire again as he couldn't hold his mouth shut. "F-for you, a-anytime." He said before quickly closing his mouth. "Not again! Why is it that every time she does something cute my brain just crashes! And why do I keep finding her cute!"

"Hmm," Six pondered, feeling playful "Sure. I will take you on that offer then." Before looking at the drawings again.

Besides her, Mono just crashed again. His body went full red and though, none of them noticed yet, some wisps started flowing out of his head.

Mono quickly shook himself to get his bearing back before once again examining the next drawings.

The Hunter walked through the woods after his prey. It hadn't found a trace of them yet but could feel they were close.

He passed through a shallow river and checked to see if they had left any muddy steps.

Nothing.

He went around his traps trying to see if any one of them went off.

No luck.

The Nightmare was getting annoyed now. They couldn't have gone far from the forest.

Suddenly, it saw something out of the corner of its eyes. A black smudge moved around the trees.

The Hunter stared as a black fog moved around him.

It was almost as if... It was stalking him.

The Hunter pointed his shotgun at it, to try and intimidate it.

But the fog just continued to stalk him. Circling him as if he was food. As if he was 'prey'.

That angered him.

Aiming his gun at it, The Hunter pulled the trigger and saw how his aim came true. The shot hit its mark.

He watched as the fog wavered a bit before dissipating.

Feeling proud of himself, The Hunter turned around to resume his search for his prey.

He didn't notice as the fog came back with vengeance. How the fog became thicker and started flowing after him.

Yes. He didn't notice...before it was too late.

The Darkness attacked. It surrounded itself over the puny nightmare who thought it could hurt it.

The Hunter didn't understand. It was sure it had killed this thing. He could feel himself disappearing the more the fog engulfed him.

"No!" He thought "I can't die like this! I still need to make a family!" He trashed around. Trying to grasp at the fog to lift it off of him.

But it was futile.

Minutes after, the only thing left was The Hunters shotgun. The only reminder that he one day existed.

The Darkness was pleased with itself. It had finally got enough energy to 'change'.

And that's what it did.

Its form became more compressed. More solid. It compressed itself till its form resembled a sphere.

The sphere rotated itself in place before changing again.

It began to grow five points. And these points started to become round. Its form becoming more and more 'human-like'.

They...are...ours...

Chapter Text

Mono and Six went back to examining the drawings on the cave.

The second drawing was familiar to both of them.

It depicted the kid from the first drawing, now known to be Six, looking up at another kid sitting on the branch of a tree. A very familiar kid with a bag on his head.

"Look!" Mono exclaimed with glee "That's us! When we first saw each other!" He expressed his joy at the depicted moment. Totally forgetting what happened next.

"Yes," Six said with a small smile on her face. That moment was still vivid in her memories. The way he looked so lonely while perched on that tree. How they were mesmerized by each other before The Hunter captured her.

"Oh..." Said Mono, finally remembering what happened after. "That's when you got caught... because of me..." Mono lowered his head in sadness. "I'm sorry..."

Mono felt ashamed of himself. If only he was quicker in noticing the monster coming after her, he could have warned her of the danger. But before he continued to demean himself, he felt a hand on his back that caught his attention.

"Hey" Six called him to make him stop blaming himself "It's okay." She smiled at him "I also shouldn't have gotten distracted when fleeing from him. And besides," She gave him a little punch on the arm "You came to help me. That's what matters. Thanks for that."

Mono looked at her again and felt his cheeks blush. "It's- it's nothing." He said while brushing the arm where she hit and looking back to the drawing.

Six kept looking at him for a few more seconds. "No." She thought to herself while remembering the moment he offered his hand for them to leave her prison. "It wasn't nothing." She forced herself to calm her beating heart.

"This is strange," Mono said, getting her attention back "How did someone already draw us here if this happened only yesterday? There wasn't anyone else in this forest apart from us and that hunter." He lifted his hand to his chin in thought. "And look," He pointed to the rest of the drawings "It keeps going..."

Six had the same doubts as him. She had also noticed what he spoke of. And she had a bad feeling about this. "Should we... stop looking at them?" She asked, concerned about what they would see.

Mono thought for a little more before finally deciding what to do. He nodded to himself and looked at her. "Let's keep looking. Maybe we can find a clue of where to go next." He got closer to the wall to get a better look at the illustrations.

Six reluctantly followed him. She had a feeling she wouldn't like what she would see in them.

The next drawing depicted the boy running towards a house in the woods. Clearly what they knew as The Hunter's den. The boy passed through the rooms with the taxidermied people and stopped in a hallway. The stairs leading down had music notes flowing from them.

The boy went downstairs following the sound he could hear and found a door that had a kid behind it playing a music box.

"That's when I found you again. I just had to follow the music." Mono said.

"It was the only thing in that room that interested me. It helped me forget my situation." Six commented.

The next drawing showed the boy with an axe in his hands, hitting the bottom of the door to break it.

"Did you have to use an axe?" Six looked at him slightly annoyed "Why didn't you try to open the door first?" She looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "You could have attracted that monster's attention." She did not want to admit he had scared her. A little bit.

Mono looked ashamed at that. "I'm... sorry?" He said unsure of himself. "At that point, it was the best idea I got."

Six narrowed her eyes at him for a little bit before resuming her calm facade. "It's okay." She looked forward again. "At least you have me now to think of better ideas." She said feeling proud of herself.

"O-ohh" Mono whispered. His face burning again. "Does that mean she's gonna be with me all the time?!" He thought to himself before shaking his head and looking forward too.

The next scene was one they both remembered with happiness. It was the boy offering his hand to the kid that had hidden under the table.

But what the next picture depicted made them both stare in confusion at the wall.

The boy fell to the ground as the other kid pushed him away to run towards the door.

They both looked at each other in confusion, thinking the same thing.

"It's different!" They said at the same time.

"But why is it different?" Mono scratched his head in thought.

"I don't know. Let's keep looking and find out." Six answered.

The next scene showed the boy going after the girl and how they started helping each other so they could escape the hunter's den. And how they left the back of the house towards a shed, where they tried to sneak past The Hunter but failed to do so. How they ran through the forest, dodging The Hunter's shots. And how they jumped into a small shed on the edge of the beach, where they used the same weapon The Hunter used to kill him.

"Wow..." Mono whispered, perplexed at what he was seeing. "So... we killed him? Or were supposed to? This is so confusing." He said while scratching his head.

"Maybe..." Six said while pondering "Maybe this is what was supposed to happen to us? How our meeting was supposed to go?" She said while trying to guess.

"But then... what changed?" Mono looked at her "From what it looks here," Mono pointed at the drawing of the kid running away from the boy with a bag on his head "You didn't trust me when I saved you here." He looked at her again "So what changed?" He looked at her, hopeful for an answer.

Six looked at him then turned towards the drawing he pointed. Her head playing the exact moment he saved her. How he slowly approached to not scare her. How he kneeled in front of her and offered his hand as he looked away. As if afraid of her reaction.

She remembered looking at him. How she thought he was crazy for trying to save her. Kindness in this world usually meant you died sooner. So she went towards him, thinking of teaching him about how this world responds to kindness. But when she was about to dismiss him and run towards the door, she felt something stirring inside her.

And before she could think of it, her hand went towards his and grasped it. The moment she did, the feeling from before transformed into a warmth that spread throughout her whole body. Making her feel safe.

She stared at their joined hands in confusion, not understanding why she did that. And when he gave her hand a little squeeze it was as if her whole heart melted away.

So she looked at Mono again after recalling their moment. "It just... felt... right... to do it." She looked at his hand and went to grab it. She looked at his face and saw as his whole body went red as she grabbed it. "It felt right to trust you." She said while smiling at him and giving his hand a little squeeze.

Mono felt as if he was melting away. His heart felt as if it would leap out of his chest. And his eyes watered as he looked at her. At his friend.

But feeling as if that wasn't the best moment to cry again he held the tears in and put a hand under his bag to wipe his eyes. Unknowingly lifting the bag a bit and showing his mouth.

"I-I see!" He exclaimed with happiness "Thank you for telling me that." He smiled back at her and squeezed her hand back.

This time it was Six's turn to melt away. "Oh no... he's cute," She thought with her face burning "That smile is gonna be the end of me." She turned her head away from him.

They both stood there for a little while, enjoying the moment, before looking back to the wall. Hands still joined. Neither of them wanted to let the other go.

"A-hem" Mono faked clearing his throat to hide his blush "So this wall is showing us what? A possible future? What was 'supposed' to happen?" He changed the subject.

"Probably yes." Six answered him, her cheeks still red.

"Hmm. But that didn't happen..." Mono pondered "So what now?" He asked her.

"Let's keep looking to see what happens next or what was supposed to anyway." Six answered and pulled him towards the next drawing.

The next image showed the boy and the girl floating away using a door as a raft, their direction, a land full of deformed buildings. A big tower behind them emits a deadly signal. And above all that, looking down on everything it could see, was an eye.

Mono knew what this place was, after all, he had come from there.

"Oh no..." Mono took a step back from the wall. His eyes were wide with fear.

"What is it?" Six asked him, seeing how fearful he looked.

"We- we went there..." He pointed to the drawing with the tower. "The Pale City" He spoke with a haunting tone.

"Oh," Six looked at him, then at the image, and stared back at him in confusion. "That's... bad?" She asked in doubt.

Mono raised his free hand to his face in frustration. "It's not just bad, it's insane." He lowered his hand and looked at her "Remember when I told you about The Thin Man?" She nodded "Well he also has another name... The Broadcaster."

Six continued to stare at him, waiting for him to continue explaining.

"He transmits a signal throughout the whole city. That signal is received by the TVs, and whoever starts watching it loses themselves forever. Their faces melt away or sink inside themselves. You become a slave to their allure. But the most strange thing is that, after some time has passed, the only thing left of you is your clothes. The bodies just... vanish." Mono tried to express how much he feared the place.

"My last... hideaway... was there." He said while mentioning the orphanage. It never felt like a 'home' to him. Just someplace he used to hide from the monsters roaming the streets. The kids there... never made him feel different about it either. "I was there when HE appeared. One moment everything was fine, and another..." He stopped talking as the memory filled him with dread.

Six noticed how his mood worsened. She gave his hand another squeeze to bring him back from the bad place he was.

And seeing as he looked at her after, it had worked.

Mono squeezed her hand back and sighed in relief. He was really glad she was here with him.

"Anyway" He got back to his explanation "That's when I escaped. The last thing I remember is falling from the roofs. After that... I woke up here. In the forest."

"I see." Six said. She was happy she got a piece of his past. Even if it was a sad one.

"So yeah," Mono said looking back to the wall "Going to the city is a really bad choice."

Six also looked back "Maybe... maybe they didn't have a choice? Maybe after killing that monster they just took the easier straightforward path." She tried to guess.

Mono sighed. "Maybe so. But even then, a pretty bad choice on their part."

"You talk as if they aren't us." She said, amused.

"Because they aren't?" Mono tilted his head "Or are? Were? This is so confusing." He lifted his free hand to massage his head.

Six snickered at him. "Let's keep looking then." She said as she turned to the wall.

"L- let's..." Mono stuttered. Feeling his cheeks warming again at her laugh.

The next art showed how both of them traversed through an old building. It showed how they helped each other in traversing the building. One part however caught both their attention.

It showed the boy with his hand stuck in a TV with the girl pulling him away from it. All around the TV were eyes drawn above it.

The image sent a chill down their spines.

"What... what are you doing with the TV?" Six asked carefully.

"I-I don't know! Really! I never did that before!" Mono quickly answered her. The image scared him. The way the eyes looked at his form in anticipation was menacing to say the least. Like they were anxiously waiting for something.

Mono could feel himself start shaking. He couldn't control himself. But before he could start a panic attack he felt Six pulling him away from the wall.

"Mono, look at me." Six ordered him. When he looked, she could see how scared his eyes were. He was confused and didn't know what to do. She didn't want him to feel scared so she tried to calm him the same way someone had done to her before. "It's okay Mono. Everything is going to be okay." She said while caressing his hand.

Slowly, Mono could feel himself calming down. Her presence helped soothe his nerves. When he was finally feeling okay again, he took a deep breath and spoke.

"S-sorry about that. I-I get really anxious sometimes. Thanks for the help." He smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

Seeing he was fine now, she gave a squeeze back and a little smile.

With a silent understanding of trying to forget the last image, they both went to the next painting and were relieved to find it only showed them exiting the building through a window. They hoped their counterparts wouldn't have any more encounters with televisions.

The next one showed them going through the streets in the direction of a big structure in the shape of a squared 'c'. The building had a clock inside an eye right in the middle, above its front doors. One of the windows had a rope of some kind dangling from it.

"Do you know what that place is?" Six asked. She thought he would know since he 'lived' in the city before.

Mono squinted his eyes at the depicted structure. That eye-shaped clock looked very familiar. But he still couldn't remember what the place was. So he shook his head at her.

"Seems familiar to me... but I can't remember it right now. I need more clues." He replied, his free hand scratching his chin.

The next drawing showed them walking through a corridor full of lockers. Then, at the end of it, there was an open door with a silhouette inside. A very frightening one. It was the shadow of a woman. A woman with a very long neck. The neck was elongated and crooked to the right. Her face depicted a downward smile.

Mono and Six felt a chill down their spine as they looked at her. Her smile was anything but gentle. It promised pain for whatever was in her path.

They both looked at each other, understanding passing through their eyes. Turns out The Thin Man wasn't the only monster in the city after all.

The kids looked at the next picture to see what happened next.

They were walking through a corridor with lockers again. But this time there were some additions to the scene. They were hiding behind, above, and inside the lockers.

It looked like kids. Or they were supposed to be. Except their head was very disproportionate to their body and their heads looked cracked. One of them even had a full broken one. It was obvious they weren't what they were supposed to be.

Mono and Six quickly went to the next drawing, feeling nervous about what would happen next.

What they saw next made them both pale in fright. They saw how those 'kids' dropped a locker on Mono and captured Six, dragging her away from the scene.

They stared at the wall in shock. Both thinking the worst.

Feeling desperate, Six quickly pulled Mono to the next scene.

It showed Mono getting out from under the heavy locker and going after the 'kids' that dragged Six away.

Looking at that, both sighed in relief. Turns out the locker opened when it fell. It just didn't appear in the drawing.

Six immediately relaxed after seeing Mono was okay. That gave her quite a scare.

But this time it was Mono's turn to drag Six to the next scene. He was still worried about the fate of her counterpart.

He watched as his counterpart tried to reach Six's captors and failed to do so, as the 'kids' dragged her upstairs through a hole in the ceiling.

Mono paled at that. He felt worried about his friend's fate. But, knowing himself, he knew that his counterpart wouldn't let them take her and get away with it. And he knew exactly what he would feel in that situation.

He was pissed.

No.

Mono was furious.

Whatever these... these 'bullies' were, he was going to make them pay for hurting his friend.

Mono dragged Six along to the next image, this time it showed short moments of his journey throughout the school.

It showed his other self beating some of the bullies with a hammer, sneaking around the monster with the long neck, solving a puzzle in a room and it looked like he used one of the bully's heads as a disguise to sneak past a hallway full of them.

Mono and Six admired how his other self did all of that alone. Some of the drawings made them both wince in fear at how close his counterpart was to death. They sighed in relief when the next painting showed his other self finding the other Six.

The scene showed her counterpart being hanged from the ceiling by two bullies. The other Mono picked up a hammer and broke both their heads and released the other Six.

Mono relaxed when he saw his counterpart helping Six up. He was glad nothing had happened to his friend.

Six noticed how Mono relaxed after her counterpart was safe. She felt warm knowing he cared so much about her. Even if that wasn't herself.

"I think that took some years of my life" Mono commented, rubbing his face with his free hand.

"At least everything turned out okay." Six looked at him amused, but her expression fell when she saw there were still a lot more to uncover if the number of other drawings was an indication of it.

"Yes. I'm really glad it did." Mono said while looking at her.

Six blushed a little under her bangs. She could see the care he had for her in his eyes. Feeling flustered, she ended up pulling him a little more strongly than she intended for the next illustration.

It showed their counterparts walking across the building till they entered a room where the monster with a long neck was playing piano. Their other selves were sneaking above across a platform towards a vent.

The next art showed how the monster noticed them and stretched its neck to chase them across the vent. It gave them mild panic attacks seeing how determined the monster was to kill them.

The last picture showed the other Six waiting across a pit between vents, catching the other Mono as he jumped over it and pulling both out of the building and falling towards a trash bin. The monster's head looked confused at losing its prey.

Seeing how the next picture showed both of them walking along the streets and no signs of the neck monster anymore, both of them relaxed again.

"That was stressful" Mono leaned on Six for support.

She nodded back in response as she leaned on him as well. "Did you figure out what that place was?" She asked him remembering how he said the place was familiar.

Mono thought of the hallways, the lockers, the classrooms, how the monster looked, and how the bullies acted. He remembered someone commenting to him about that place. A mystery how he didn't remember it before. "It's The School." He answered her.

"A school? What is that?" Six asked curiously.

"If rumors are to be believed, it is a place where kids go to learn from adults." Mono shivered at that notion. What could they learn from monsters?

Six frowned at that. "It's probably a lie then." She nodded to herself. No adult could teach anything other than 'run in fear when you see one'.

They both stayed like that for a while. Leaning on each other. Feeling comfortable.

"Do you want to keep looking?" Mono asked. He had his eyes closed as he enjoyed how close they were.

"Just a few more minutes" She answered feeling content. His presence was really soothing to her.

"Okay..." He agreed. Leaning his head on hers.

And they stayed that way for a few more minutes...

Chapter Text

As Mono and Six came back from their little moment, both heard a sound that startled them.

*Groooowl*

It was Six's stomach. She put a hand on her belly to try and soothe the pain. She didn't like being hungry. It made her sad.

Mono saw how her mood dropped after her stomach growled. Thinking of how he could improve her mood, he decided to try and do a little joke.

"Wow, you heard that?" Mono faked being scared "There must be a very ferocious beast close to us."

Understanding that Mono was making fun of her, Six became annoyed at his comparison. She lifted their joined hands and turned them so his hand was facing her.

And then, in a quick motion, so he couldn't react she pinched his hand with her free one.

"OW!" Mono exclaimed, taking back his hand from hers in reaction "Why did you do that for?!" He turned towards her and asked while rubbing his hurt hand.

Six crossed her arms and turned away from him.

He became confused, hadn't she heard him?

"Six?" She continued looking away. Mono tried to circle her to speak again "Six? I asked why did you pinch me?" But she kept turning herself so she was looking away from him.

Mono stopped. "Is it- Is she ignoring me?" He thought "Was it because of what I said? Does she hate me now?" He wrongly assumed.

Because of his past situation with his bullies, Mono always thought the worst of himself. Their words were a poison that littered his thoughts at the worst moments.

"D-Did I do something wrong?" He asked her anxiously, his tone making her flinch but she was still angry with him to care "Was it s-something that I said? Was it because I called you a ferocious bea-"

"I AM NOT A FEROCIOUS BEAST!" Six yelled, briskly turning around and facing him.

Her shout made Mono jump in surprise. She always talked in low tones after all.

Letting his heart slow down after his shock, Mono could finally see her face again now that she was facing him.

Her face set in a glare as she looked at him in anger. Her bangs were parted in a way that fully revealed her left eye. And if Mono wasn't seeing things, it looked as if the iris was glowing in the low light of the cave. A warm red like the setting sun.

He also noticed a little detail that was different from her usual appearance.

Her mouth, still in a frown, had a fang poking out from the right side.

That look, combined with her current expression, made everything in her look exactly like the definition of a 'ferocious beast'. A very cute one in his opinion.

That thought was enough to make the dam in Mono's mind burst.

"Pffft-" He snickered before quickly putting a hand over his mouth to cover it. But with his body shaking in barely concealed laughter had already given him away.

Six bristled up in anger. "Did you just-"

"Pffft HAHAHAHA" Mono burst out in laughter.

Six watched her companion in hardly contained anger. If he didn't stop laughing in 3 seconds, she WILL show him pain.

"I-I(hehe) I am-m(haha) I'm s-sorry S-six(hehehe)" Mono had never laughed that hard before. A laugh that brought tears to his face and made his stomach ache in pain. He only stopped after seeing how pissed Six was and sensing that if he didn't stop soon, something bad would happen to him.

Taking a deep breath to compose himself and letting out a final chuckle, Mono tried to apologize again.

"I'm sorry Six," He said while wiping his eyes under the paper bag "It's just... It's really hard to believe that when you look like that." He pointed at her.

Confusion slipped up through her annoyance.

"What are you talking about?" She asked in an angry tone.

Mono became confused at her reaction. "She hasn't noticed?" He didn't understand how she couldn't feel that sharp fang pointing out of her mouth.

"Umm..." Mono brought his pointing hand to himself while rubbing his fingers in a nervous tick. "Well... you see... you- you have..." For some reason, Mono was apprehensive about pointing out her features.

His roundabout way of answering only made her angrier by the second.

"Spit it out already!!" Six exclaimed.

Getting startled by her tone, Mono decided to just come out with it.

"Y-you have a... l-little s-something coming out from h-here." He said while pointing at his mouth.

Six became more confused at his action. Trying to understand why he was pointing at his covered face. "What?" She asked.

Mono, remembering his face was covered, corrected his mistake. "Y-your mouth." He tried again while still pointing at his face.

Six looked at him for only one second before quickly realizing what he was talking about. She hastily lifted one of her hands to cover her mouth and turned away from him again.

"Oh no! I forgot about that!" She panicked.

Mono didn't understand why she turned away from him again. Was she mad? Did he say the wrong thing again?

"Six?" He tried talking to her "Are you okay?"

She ignored him. Again.

He became worried. It didn't look like she was mad this time. For some reason, he felt as if she was just closing in on herself, and when she suddenly started trembling, the feeling got worse.

"Six, please talk to me." Mono tried to get close to her. "Listen, it's okay I don't-"

"DON'T COME CLOSE!" Six yelled' startling Mono away.

He stopped just a few steps away in shock.

"I-I can't believe I forgot about this- this curse!" Six yelled in her mind "Now he's going to think I'm a monster... just like the others." She remembered the time in The Nest when everyone treated her differently when they discovered what she looked like when she was hungry.

The looks of fear they gave her in apprehension. The bad names they called her and the toys they threw at her to make her go away.

She didn't want that from Mono. She didn't want to turn around and see the look of fear on his face or hear him calling her bad names.

Mono stared at her friend as she continued to close herself to the world. It only got worse by the sound of her stomach rumbling again as she lowered herself to the ground to try and stifle the sound coming from it.

He knew what this was. What she was going through. The belief that everyone around you hated you. He knew because that's what he felt every day in his life.

He knew what that felt like. He also knew that Six didn't deserve any of it.

So while he still felt shocked at her outburst, he decided to get close to her. He was filled with determination to not let her fall into the same drowning thoughts that plagued him every day.

Feeling him getting closer, Six quickly stood up and tried to get away from him. "I SAID GO AWAY!" She yelled again.

Mono still kept his course toward her. Not even flinching when she shouted at him again.

Six panicked. While trying to get away from him she ended up against the wall. Feeling desperate, she turned towards him with an arm covering her face and the other stretched in his direction to keep him away.

"STOP!" She yelled. This time, he listened.

"L-look, j-just let m-me get something to e-eat outside alright?" She tried to reason with him, still thinking he wanted to hurt her for looking like a freak. "And then I-I will go back to normal! And we can still be friends!"

"Six-" Mono tried talking to her only to be interrupted again.

"You don't even need to come with me! I can get us both something to eat and come back real quick!" She was speaking words faster than she could breathe. Desperation flowing through every word.

"Six!-" Mono tried again only for the same thing to happen.

"You can just ignore me when I'm hungry! No need to look at my ugly mug to lose appetite right?! And then-"

"SIX!" Mono interrupted her this time. The last comment made him very angry about how she demeaned herself.

Not knowing how hypocritical he was being.

Six flinched at his tone. Thinking he was mad at her. "I-I'm s-s-sorry Mono. I-I will just g-go away and l-leave you alone." She tried to turn towards the cave entrance to leave.

But before she could, Mono grabbed her head to make her look at him.

In shock at his action, Six stared at Mono's eyes through the paper bag. She could see how serious his expression appeared. Staring at him this close again, made her face heat up in embarrassment and some other sweet feeling she couldn't understand.

"Six," He spoke with confidence in his voice "You are cute."

...

...

...her mind crashed.

"W-w-w-what?!" She exclaimed.

If her face was hot before, now she could feel it burning. She attempted to free herself from his grasp but found she couldn't. Not until Mono had said everything he had to say to her.

"I don't know what might be going on through that mind of yours, but I know very well what is like to think the whole world hates you. And I don't need to have known you for long to know that, whatever they said to you? Is wrong." Mono said without stuttering a word. "And what I can say with confidence is that you, right now, are the cutest girl I ever met." Even though he hadn't met that many girls in his life, he could say for certain those words. He could feel it in himself.

Six just stared at him in surprise at those words. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. No one had ever said those kinds of words to her before. She stood there in his grasp. Speechless.

After Mono said his piece, he finally realized their current position. And now was his turn to heat up in shame. He looked at her shocked expression. Her face was colored with a pretty hue of red. Her visible eye was, somehow, glowing even more now. Her mouth opened in a silent exclamation which showed that she had a pair of fangs in her mouth.

The look only made her look even more beautiful to him. Which made his mind crash this time.

They stayed like that in awkward silence for a few more seconds. A pair of kids, scarred by the world around them and the people in it. Neither of them knew what they were feeling. The warmth spread throughout their bodies as they stayed close to each other.

But what they both were certain of is that neither of them wanted it to go away.

...

...

"I got it..." Six whispered, lowering her head so that she could hide her face. Which made it impossible for Mono to understand her.

"What?" He asked in a low tone, hearing her whisper something but not understand it.

Feeling herself about to burst into flames, Six couldn't handle what she was feeling anymore. "I SAID I GET IT! NOW PLEASE LEAVE ME BE!" She exclaimed in shame, closing her eyes and pushing him away.

Six turned around again to hide her face in her palms. This time for a very different reason.

Mono did the same. Not believing he said all of those things to her. Or how he had the courage to do it. It was as if he was someone else when he was with her. She made him feel... he didn't know. But if he had to put a word to it, he would say 'awesome'.

Might not be the best word to describe it, but that's how he felt.

Feeling a bit calmer now, he tried to speak with her again.

"I-I *ahem* I meant what I said..." Clearing his throat after his first words sounded a bit off, he turned his head to look behind him and see how she was.

And while she still had her hands on her face, she still answered him with a "Hm" and nodded.

Mono nodded to himself. "O-okay..."

*Grooooowrl* Six's stomach made itself known again. Breaking their moment. Mono could swear it almost sounded angry somehow.

Shaking his head from his straying thoughts, Mono brought them back to their current situation.

"A-alright. We need to find food for you so we can go back to examining the murals. I have a feeling they are really important." He said while looking at her back. "Wanna go for a quick trip outside to look for it?"

Six nodded. Still not showing her face.

Mono stood there waiting for her to begin moving or say something for them to go. After a few more seconds of awkward silence, she finally reacted after noticing he was waiting for her.

She stretched her right hand toward him with her head still not looking at him in embarrassment.

Mono looked at his cute companion and thought of how adorable she was being. Her shy attitude made him more lightheaded by the second. As if his head were in clouds.

Shaking his head again to clear his thoughts, Mono straightened himself and reached out for her hand. He shouldn't keep her waiting.

As they connected their hands, both could feel the same warm feeling coursing through their bodies. It made both of them feel as if everything would be okay as long as they had each other.

It also made Six finally leave her self-made 'shell' and finally look at him again. And though Mono could see she was still red in the face, he also noticed she had a peaceful smile on her face. Not fearful of showing herself to him anymore.

Mono didn't know how she did it, but he could swear, every time he looked at her she looked cuter.

Turning himself away from her so he could maintain coherent thoughts, Mono walked towards the entrance of the cave so they could finally leave and look for food. Six looked at her friend with a smile as she followed.

As they both exited the cave, Mono looked around to see if the coast was clear. Trying to see past the trees for any sign of danger.

Seeing none, he decided to continue their path toward finding their breakfast.

And as they walked away from it, neither of them noticed how the cave they had just left, began to fizzle in and out of reality. Like a channel losing a signal. And after they were so far away from it they couldn't see it anymore, it disappeared leaving only a normal tree behind.

And between the winds blowing through the trees and the rustle of leaves, one could almost hear a Monotone voice speaking its thoughts.

"Looks like everything's going well..."

It said to no one in particular.

"I won't fail this time..."

The voice said with conviction as it went back from where it came.

On the other side of the forest. In a place where one could find some items that belonged to an adult strewn about. An orb floated just above the ground.

This orb was of such an intense shade of darkness that it appeared as if a void opened in space. Stuck in place as if nothing could disturb it.

But suddenly, as if the orb felt something, it finally began to move. It started to stretch itself into five different points, turning into a star. As it finished its first transformation, it began to change again, taking the form of what appeared to be a 'human'. But only the shape of one.

It created two legs, two arms, and a round head. However, it stopped at just those five features. Not even giving itself fingers, eyes, or a mouth.

The 'stick' figure looked at itself in confusion. It didn't understand why Its shape stopped at such a 'blank' state. Hadn't absorbed an adult? Was the power absorbed not enough?

It kept asking itself questions when it felt that tug from before. The pull that awakened it. It knew what it was. It was waiting for it. For their "prey".

The Shadow was waiting for them. For they were theirs for the taking.

"Fooooooooound~ yoooou~" The Shadow cackled to itself in glee, before turning towards a seemingly random direction.

And began walking...

Chapter Text

Mono and Six walked in silence. Both knew that making noise was the quickest way to attract any of the many dangers that existed in this world.

Being silent and sneaking around was the only way to keep out of sight of adults. It was a skill both of them had learned very early in their lives.

But the reason they were being quiet now was a very different one...

"I grabbed her head! How could I have been so rude?! And I just straight yelled at her face about her being cute! She must think I'm crazy now... Oh god, why did I do that?!" Mono was stuck in a demeaning spiraling loop of shame. The only other thing in his head was finding food for his friend and how nicely their hands felt together.

As for Six...

"He said I look cute... Even while hungry... He didn't think I was a monster... He called me cute... His hands feel nice... I wonder how he is under his bag... He called me cute..." She was also stuck in her little world. That being, disbelief at how Mono treated her after seeing her current appearance and her curiosity about her friend.

They kept to their thoughts as they explored the vast forest in search of food. Hand in hand they went as, eventually, both came out of their little worlds to focus on the task at hand.

Mono usually guided them through the obstacles, climbing rocks, jumping obstacles, and most importantly, disarming traps. He had a knack for it he said. Almost as if he could 'sense' where they were.

When the obstacle was too big for them to pass, they usually circled it or used teamwork to overcome it.

And in his opinion? Those were the best ones.

When they found a rock that was too big to climb alone, Six asked him to boost her up. And without much thinking, he got in position with his hands linked.

Seeing him ready, Six walked a few steps back and started running at him, and when she got close enough, she jumped. As she landed on Mono's hand, she felt gravity pulling her down for just a moment before she was quickly launched up. Stretching her arms up, she grabbed the edge of the rock and got herself above it.

After getting up, Six turned around to look down at her friend. She laid herself down on the edge and stretched her arm toward him.

Seeing her in position, Mono took a few steps back and ran toward her. Getting close, he pushed himself up using the rock as support and grabbed her hand. Six pulled him to her as Mono pushed himself up.

When they were finally up, both looked at each other and nodded in acknowledgment. With their obstacle conquered, Six grabbed Mono's hand and led them this time.

This was why those obstacles were his favorites. Because of how easily they solved them together. It made his heart soar at how well they understood each other without speaking. Not to mention he adored seeing her leading them around for a change.

Six and Mono worked as a well-oiled machine. As if they had done so all their lives. They did not need words to understand each other.

Neither of them knew how they understood what the other wanted. But they also didn't question it, a silent agreement between both of them.

As they continued their search, Six decided to satisfy some of her curiosities. "Hey Mono, what was that thing you did with the shadow before?" She asked, turning her head to look at him as they walked.

Mono became stunned for a second before realizing what she was asking about. She wanted to know about his powers. He became panicked, though it didn't show because of his bag and how he kept walking forward.

But Six had noticed his mood dropped after she asked him. She stopped walking to look at him better, making him stop as well. He was looking down at his feet. Mind deep in thought. She wondered what could be going on for him to be so scared of a simple question.

Mono didn't know what to do. He could tell the truth and risk her being afraid of him, or lie to her and make her sad because she definitely would know he lied. Not seeing a way out of it he tried to stall. "Wha- what are you talking about?! What powers?! I didn't do anything! Hehehehe." He successfully failed in distracting her.

"I didn't say anything about powers though?" She lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Dang it!" He mentally cursed. He tried to think of a way to change the subject. He didn't her to fear him for something he didn't have control of yet. He looked around in search of anything he could use.

And it seems that luck was on his side this time.

Looking around he found a bush with a variety of berries they could eat from. He knew they were edible because he saw a picture in a book once and some boys talking about it.

"Lo- look! Berries that we can eat!" He tried to get her attention by pointing at the bush.

Six looked at what he was pointing to and felt a pang in her stomach that reminded her of why they were outside. She didn't want to end the subject there but her hunger took priority. With a 'hmpf' she turned to look back at him. "Fine. But this is not over. I still want to know about your powers." She said with a certain tone. She would get her answers.

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Mono speed-walked toward the bush while dragging his companion. Annoying her in the process.

When they got close to their food, Mono released his so they could both eat without bothering the other. This was a good idea because as soon as he let go of her hand, Six decided to fill her mouth with as many berries as possible. Her hands blurred as the sweet fruits disappeared in a flash.

Mono watched his companion eat with what he could only describe as amusement. He thought it was funny since she also ate like a 'very cute beast' as well. The thought brought a smile to his face as he slowly ate his part. He was thankful the bag covered his face. He didn't want to upset her again.

As he ate, Mono's thoughts went back to her question. He didn't know how to explain his powers. He never understood them himself. He knew he was different from other children. The fog kids only he could see, the TVs getting static every time he was close, how space seemed to bend when he was angry. He had noticed all of that.

But he never had any control of it. And the one time he did tell someone...

It didn't end well.

But Mono couldn't keep this a secret forever. He knew she would ask him about this again. Maybe even once she finished eating. "What do I do?..." He wondered anxiously as he watched Six eat more slowly now.

But both were interrupted as they heard a sudden noise in the forest.

*SNAP* "IIIGIIiii..."

Both stopped and quickly hid in the bush they were just eating from. An automatic reaction to avoid any monsters they could encounter out and about.

They waited with shallow breaths for any more sounds in the forest. Be it the sound of steps coming in their direction or any other unusual sound apart from the ones in the forest.

But as the forest continued with its usual silence, both slowly left their hiding spot. Six looked at Mono and saw him looking back. Both had a good guess at what the sound was.

"Are you thinking the same as me?" Six asked her companion.

Mono nodded in agreement. "The first sound was probably a trap going off and the second..."

"Something dying..." She finished his phrase.

Both stared at each other trying to guess what the other was thinking about. They stood like that as an idea passed between both of them.

"Do you want to..." Mono asked.

"Find what that was?" And Six finished.

They both looked into each other eyes in wonder... before both started chuckling.

"Hehehe... that was fun." Mono said between giggles.

Six nodded in confirmation, lost in her laughter as well.

After a few more seconds, both sighed in happiness before turning toward each other and-

"We should get going."
"We should get going."

-speaking at the same time.

They looked at each other in shock before shaking their heads. Mono decided to take the front once more.

"Let's go then?" He asked as he offered his hand.

Six nodded at him while taking it.

Walking toward the source of the noise, both kept their guards up as they watched their surroundings while keeping a low profile. Mono watched their left and front, while Six watched their right and back.

They avoided any branch or dry leaf they found on the ground to not make any noise.

As they got close, Six could smell something that stimulated her senses. She felt her nose perk up and her fangs ache in need. It got worse the closer they got to it.

Six knew what the smell was. And she couldn't stop herself in time before they got closer.

As they reached the source, both saw a clear patch on a bed of leaves. Disturbed by the triggered bear trap.

Crunched between its teeth, was a small brown rabbit. It seemed as if it tried to jump out of the trap when it activated. But that only resulted in killing itself quicker as they saw the trap had crushed its neck.

Mono pitied the small creature. Though he was glad it wasn't a kid they found.

Six could barely hold herself back. She could feel her hunger returning with vengeance at the smell of blood. She tried to hold it in but her stomach betrayed her again.

*GROWWWLL*

The sound surprised Mono who looked around trying to find where it had come from before he stopped in realization. He looked at Six and saw she was holding her stomach with a face in a grimace of concentration.

"S-Six? Are you okay?" He asked apprehensively.

Six shook her head, making Mono release her hand to see what was wrong.

"What's wrong?" He became worried. But she shook her head again, her complexion worsening by the second.

"Six tell me what's wrong, please..." He tried again with a worried but calm tone.

"I-I can't..." She whispered.

"Why not?" He continued talking with her with the same tone since it seemed it was working.

"You- you will ha- hate m-me..." She said with tears in her eyes.

Mono was surprised at her assumption. He tried to understand why she would think that way.

He looked at her. How her hunger came back when they got closer to their current location and looked at the trap with the dead rabbit on it. He kept looking between both as comprehension began to fill his head.

"Oh Six..." Mono understood now. He could feel what bothered her so much. But she didn't have to worry for too long. He would fix that.

When Six felt Mono walking away from her, she thought she had finally done it. Made him hate her. But when she heard a strange noise, she finally got the courage to look at him.

Mono had gotten closer to the trap. He picked up a stick along the way so he could hit the ground around to see if there were more traps. When nothing happened, he inserted the stick between the teeth to pry it open.

Utilizing all the strength he could manage, he felt the trap prying open little by little. Seeing it was working he tried even harder to get the bunny out of it. With a little more effort, he finally did it and the corpse fell out under the gap made by him.

Seeing he had done it, he released the stick on his hands and the trap closed with a *snap*, breaking the tool he used to open it in half.

Gasping at the effort performed, he leaned on his knees to calm his breath. He looked at Six and noted she was watching with surprise on her face.

Six looked at him in wonder, what was he doing? Why didn't he run away?

With a final sigh after catching his breath, Mono stood up straight and walked toward the corpse. As he got closer he could smell the strong scent of blood coming from it.

It wasn't the first time Mono had come close to a corpse. Fresh or not. It was something that every kid experienced very early in their lives. Death was always close to all of them.

The smell didn't bother him anymore. Not after seeing so many bodies everywhere.

Mono didn't flinch when he got close to the dead animal, nor when he leaned down to grab its feet and drag it away from the trap. He struggled due to the difference in weight between them but persevered through it.

Six watched in shock as he dragged the animal in her direction. Her traitorous stomach flipped itself in glee as she smelt the scent of blood getting closer.

Mono walked in front of her and dropped the corpse at her feet. He stopped a little to catch his breath again and turned around, walking a few feet away, and sat on the ground with his back toward her.

"It... It's okay Six..." He spoke with a comforting tone "I won't judge you because of what you eat. It's... a little weird yeah," He crossed his arms and looked at her "But it's not the weirdest thing I have seen." He said with a smile.

To say Six was confused was an understatement. She didn't know what she was feeling right now.

Elated he wasn't running away from her. Curious about what he had seen that could be so weird. Scared that he could just be lying to her, though she somehow knew that wasn't the case.

But what she felt, most of all was that incredible fuzzy feeling that he made her feel. Like a fire burning inside that spread throughout her body. The warmth enveloped her and made her feel safe.

She didn't know what that was. But what she knew, is that she didn't dislike the feeling. On the contrary, it was becoming her favorite feeling in the whole world.

Mono turned his head away from her again. "You can go ahead and do what you need to do. I won't watch it because I know it will make you uncomfortable. Once you're done just warn and we will go back."

Six nodded before remembering he couldn't see her right now. "Ok..." She whispered before getting closer to the animal. No. Her meal.

Her stomach rolled itself in bliss as it would finally get what it wanted.

Finally, in front of her prey, Six decided to let her normally controlled instincts take the wheel of her consciousness. With a guttural growl, she tore away at her food to get the delicious meat under its fur and skin.

Mono distracted himself by guarding the place they were in. He could hear some chewing sounds coming from behind him. He could also hear the growls she gave as she ate.

Though curiosity was nagging at him to look, he forced himself not to since he had said he wouldn't.

After quite a bit of time had passed, Mono could hear the sounds getting slower and few in between. After they stopped, he heard Six moving a few feet away what he thought were leaves rustling against each other.

When that stopped, he felt her walking toward him. "I'm ready." She said to his back.

Nodding in response, Mono got up and looked at her.

Though her clothes had some spots of blood now, what really got his attention was her face. He noted she didn't have her 'cute beast' traits anymore. Her eyes weren't glowing and her bangs were covering them again.

What he missed though were her fangs. Her mouth was back to her normal poker face now. He quite liked them on her. They made her look cuter.

But there was something else in their place.

It looked like she tried cleaning herself with the leaves close by. That must be what he heard when his back was turned. But since she couldn't see herself she didn't do a very good job at it.

Her mouth still had some smears of blood on them.

Mono chuckled to himself at her appearance, which made Six tilt her head in confusion.

"What is it? Why are you laughing?" She asked him.

"You-(hehe) you got something on your mouth." He giggled at her.

Feeling her face heat up in shame, Six strongly rubbed her face with her sleeve.

Seeing her trying to clean herself up but only making it worse, Mono decided to help her.

"Wait wait," He asked her to stop "You are going to hurt yourself this way. Let me help you." And got closer to her.

Six stared at him as he got closer. His eyes fully focused on her mouth, making her feel even more conscious of herself.

Mono stood in front of her and lifted his sleeves to her face. He gently scrubbed her cheeks, wiping the blood out with one sleeve as he held her face with the other hand.

Six felt herself heat up even more now. Her face felt like it was on fire. She felt herself getting dizzy at the gentle way he was treating her.

After a few more minutes, Mono finished cleaning her face and gently turned it around to see if he missed a spot. Not seeing anything anymore, he patted himself on the back for a job well done... before finally realizing the position they were in.

Mono saw how close he was to her face now. He must have leaned down when he was cleaning without noticing. He could feel her breath blowing on his bag. Their proximity made his face burn up in embarrassment. His body locked up and he couldn't move.

They stared at each other for what felt like hours. But only a few seconds had passed. They started gravitating towards each other, but neither seemed to realize it.

Stuck in their own little world, they approached each other for an embrace and then-

"Well well well, what have we here? A couple of tasty treats for me..."

Chapter Text

Mono and Six froze when they heard the voice. Their bodies shivered at the presence that had made themselves known. Their instincts screamed at them to run and hide, but their bodies weren't listening.

"What's this? After that little show of courage and strength from before, you guys are cowering in fear now?"

They both heard muted steps coming closer to them. As if what was approaching barely had any weight to it.

"How about you guys stop being rude and look at me huh?"

The voice ordered. But they still didn't move. Not when fear was stiffening their bodies.

"I SAID LOOK AT ME" It howled with its demonic voice.

Getting shocked at its anger, Mono and Six slowly looked at their fearsome foe.

What they saw was a shadow in the shape of a person. It had no features except for holes in its face that mimicked eyes and a mouth.

"Good good. Now that I finally got your attention. You. With the bag on the head." It said while pointing its arm at Mono. "You are the one that hurt me before." It said as it got close to him.

Mono became confused about what it said. He didn't remember ever fighting, even less, hurting a 'shadow demon'.

The shadow leaned its face closer to Mono. It was only a bit taller than both of them. But its presence felt like it was one of an adult. Or something worse than that.

As its face got closer to him, Mono didn't feel a breath or a smell coming from it. Whatever this thing was, it didn't have a normal body. It looked like a clump of misty darkness molded together. That gave him a clue of what the thing could be, but that thought was interrupted by its next words.

"I like you." It said with a creepy smile.

That made them both freeze again. This time in confusion.

"W-what?" Mono didn't know how he found the strength to speak. He just automatically responded to a befuddling question. He must have heard that wrong.

"What, are you deaf? I said I like you." It spoke again with annoyance in its voice.

"So I didn't hear wrong?!" He yelled at his mind. "What the heck is this thing talking about?!"

Mono tried to keep himself calm. He didn't have time for this. He had to think of something to get them both out of there.

"Th-thanks? I guess..." He responded to the shadow. Whispering the last part.

The creature smiled at him menacingly. "You're welcome"

Mono felt hopeful about the situation. It didn't attack them yet so they might have a chance in negotiating with it.

Six looked at Mono in disbelief. "Why was he speaking with this thing?! Why weren't they running?! And did it just say it liked him?! What the hell?! She couldn't believe Mono was calmly speaking with the being in front of them.

"S-so, since you l-like me," He tried to negotiate with it "can- can you let us go? We have an l-long way back and, should p-probably get going." He spoke while moving him and Six a few steps back.

The Shadow just stared at them with its creepy smile and then-

"Ehe hehehe... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

It started laughing. A burst of maniac laughter hurt their ears and made them freeze in place again.

"Ohohoho... My my, bag boy. Aren't you the funniest little thing?" The Shadow faked wiping a tear off its eyeless face while looking at him in amusement.

Mono naively thought that might be a good thing. If it was happy it might not want to hurt them-

"Of course you can't go~"

Though its next words quickly dashed that hope away.

"You really thought I was going to let both of you away after what happened in that cave?" It said while tilting its head "You are so innocent." It shook its head in amusement.

Mentioning the cave was the final clue Mono needed to figure out what this thing was. "You-! You are that dark mist from the cave!" He exclaimed in fear.

Six looked at him in shock before staring at the shadow in front of her. "This is that thing?! How the hell did it become like this?! She trembled when she remembered that this thing had almost killed her.

The Shadow looked elated at him guessing right. "Aaaww so you do remember me! How touching." It faked being emotional. They could feel the mockery rolling from its form.

Mono was becoming desperate. If this shadow was really that thing he didn't how he was going to deal with it. He didn't even remember how he dealt with it before!

His thoughts a mile per minute, he tried speaking to it as he brought Six and himself farther from it. "D-didn't you just say you l-like me? If y-you like me, just let us go please..."

The Shadow observed their movement with interest. Clearly entertained by how the boy was trying to get away from it. "Silly boy, of course, I like you." It said with its face warping in a mad smile. "That's why you're going to be the last one I kill!" The Shadow launched itself at them.

Seeing its actions, Mono quickly turned around and started to run while dragging Six by the hand. "RUN!!!"

They ran toward the cave with the drawings on its walls. Trying desperately not to look behind and see the thing that was behind them. They could hear it coming after them.

Their only advantage was that the shadow had almost the same height as them and although they weren't stronger, they were definitely faster.

Six looked behind them and noted they were getting farther and farther away from it. "We need to hide! We can't keep running forever!" She shouted at him, feeling herself getting tired from running so fast.

"I know!" He shouted back while guiding them, avoiding obstacles so they didn't lose speed. "I think we are getting close to the cave!" He warned her.

"You sure we can hide there?! What if it finds us?!" She asked in desperation.

"It's the only place I can think of!" He responded in resignation.

Mono noticed they were getting closer to the cave now. They only had to take a turn on those bushes over there and-

He stopped in surprise, making Six almost bump into him in surprise.

"Why did you stop?!" She shouted at him in shock, looking behind and feeling relief when she didn't see the shadow behind them. But she was sure it was close.

"It's not here..." She heard him whispering.

"What?!" She couldn't believe what he was saying.

"It's not here! The cave! It was supposed to be under that tree!" He pointed at the largest tree they could see "But it's not there! What the heck are we going to do now?!"

Six looked at the tree he pointed at. "You sure that's the right tree?" She asked in confusion.

"Yes! I'm sure!" Mono looked at her with the most urgent look he could manage. "What do we do now?!" He asked her again.

She looked at him unsure of what to do. She also didn't know what they could do now. Looking at the tree again and seeing nothing, she looked back at where they came from and could hear the shadow's steps getting close to them.

As if it had never lost them in the first place and wasn't in a hurry to get them.

"We need to keep running." She looked at him in resignation.

Mono stared at her for a second before turning around and leading them further into the forest.

They kept running for what felt like hours. The layout of the forest shifting ever so slightly. The trees were getting darker and the dirt was getting wetter.

Both began slowing down when they felt they couldn't run anymore. Their exhaustion was finally catching up with them.

"We- *huff* can't stop *huff huff*" Six said out of breath.

"I- *huff huff* know. *huff* But we also *huff* can't run anymore..." Mono was also too tired to speak.

They tried looking around for a place to hide and rest, but the trees were too far apart from each other and there were no holes or caves in sight.

They couldn't hear the muted steps of the shadow coming after them, but they were sure it was still on their tail.

"It makes no sense..." Mono thought "Caves don't just disappear like that. Now we are stuck outside with that thing chasing us."

Even while exhausted, he tried to keep his hopes up in finding a place for them to rest soon. He looked at Six to see how she was faring and saw she was just as tired as him.

He looked forward and prepared himself to start walking again. They couldn't stay for too long or the shadow would catch up to them.

"I wish a place we could hide just appeared in front of us... His thoughts expressed the bitterness he felt at their last hideout just disappearing like that.

But what happened next stunned both of them in surprise.

As they looked forward at the scenery in the forest, a tree on the horizon started to waver and flicker. Like a glitch on a screen.

Mono and Six were paralyzed in fear at what happened in front of them. He grabbed her hand and prepared himself to start running again. But as they kept watching, the glitching reformed itself into a form that was familiar to both of them.

They stared in awe as the cave they used to hide from The Hunter started to take shape, the soundless change leaving them both breathless. The glitching slowed down when the entrance to the cave opened, the tree opening itself to them.

From where they stood, both could barely see the drawings that dotted the walls of the cave. It proved that this was the cave they thought had disappeared.

"How- How is that possible...?" Six whispered to herself. She looked at the cave in trepidation, not knowing if she wanted to go inside now that it had appeared from nowhere.

Mono looked at her in thought. He had a hunch at how it had appeared again but he didn't want to draw any conclusions yet. They had more pressings matters if the muted steps he was starting to hear were any indication.

"We need to move." He began to walk toward the cave, bringing her along by the hand.

"W-wait!" Six pulled him back, making them stop. "Didn't you see how it appeared outta nowhere?! Why should we hide there now?! It might be dangerous!" She tried to reason with him. She hadn't liked the place anyway. The way the drawings portrayed themselves as a vision of the future. She had a bad feeling about what they would find.

Mono shook his head at her. "Listen" He gestured for her to pay attention to the sounds of the forest.

She did as he said and concentrated on it. When she did, she heard a slow rhythmic sound coming closer to them. The sound of steps.

Six paled when she realized what the sound was. She looked at him in desperation at the situation. They were literally stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Mono saw when she realized their situation "We don't have a choice Six" He said to her in defeat, starting to speed-walk toward the cave again. "Besides, if the cave could hurt us it would have done so already."

Six lowered her head in defeat and walked with him to the cave.

Getting close, they slowed down to see if there were any dangers near the entrance or inside. Seeing nothing, they quickly entered and faced a new problem.

The cave was very visible to the outside world. Anyone that came close would be able to see it. And since there was only one entrance they wouldn't be able to run away if the shadow found them.

"We need to cover the entrance somehow." Six commented, "Do you have any ideas?" She looked at Mono. She was getting restless the more the steps came closer.

Mono was becoming desperate too. He had an idea but he had no way of knowing if it would work. "I'm gonna try something." He got closer to her in case anything went wrong.

Six looked at him in confusion. Why did he come closer to her? She stared at him in worry about what may come next.

Mono remembered how the cave appeared to them when wished it to. He only hoped it was still listening. "I wish this cave was hidden from the world outside!" He wished in his head.

Nothing happened for a few seconds...

And then...

The cave started to move.

The Shadow was excited. It had found them at last. He could feel them as they ran through the forest.

It was amused when the boy tried to reason with it. Very cute. It would savor his pain after it killed the girl that was with him.

It didn't need to run after them. They couldn't escape from it. It always knew where they were. It could feel them. Their life forces.

The boy felt like a powerful beacon. His life is so powerful and intimidating that gave even it fear. It could still feel the pain the boy had inflicted it. But that fear gave way to the excitement it felt at the thought of consuming him. How powerful it could get.

The girl was a mystery. It couldn't feel her like it could feel the boy. Her's was more akin to an absence of life. It knew she was alive, but it couldn't feel her life force. Like a void in space. But knowing that was also how it made it possible for it to feel her.

Such delicacies made The Shadow tremble in excitement. How powerful it would become when it absorbed them. Its 'face' contorting in a maniac smile.

It concentrated on them again to see how close they were. They had stopped now. Probably so they could recover their strength.

The Shadow kept its slow pace toward them. It felt when they started running again before quickly stopping. It squinted its eyes at such an amusing action.

So they were trying to hide. How cute~

Too bad it already knew where they were. Speeding up its pace so it could trap them inside their little 'hiding place', The Shadow became delighted with the thought of seeing the despair on their faces.

But it stopped halfway there when it felt something that made it tremble.

Or when it didn't feel it would be more accurate.

The two had vanished from its perception.

It couldn't feel the power from the boy nor the void from the girl. They disappeared.

The Shadow quickly ran towards the place it had last felt them, arriving in seconds. Clearly showing how it had been playing with its food all along.

But when it got there, all it could see were trees and wet dirt. No signs of a bag boy or gloomy girl. Just the forest.

It looked around in confusion. It didn't understand how they just vanished like that.

It looked around everywhere. Under rocks, above trees, between roots. Nothing showed up. It quickly began to get angry.

It started to punch trees in outrage. Hoping the noise would make them shake in fear and try to escape from it. But nothing moved in the forest.

It was alone.

Again.

"GRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH" It howled in anger for having lost its prey. They would pay for making a fool of it.

It would make sure of it.

Mono and Six stared in awe as the walls of the cave stirred and moved to close the entrance. The edges twisted toward the center until it closed itself, darkness quickly descending on both of them now that there wasn't a light source anymore.

Both stayed close to each other as they felt the cave stir a little more before finally stopping.

They stayed there paralyzed in fear as they tried to comprehend what just happened. Although Mono knew but didn't believe it would work.

When nothing happened after a few more seconds, they slowly began to relax into each other. The tension from before made them both become exhausted now that they could finally stop worrying.

They sat on the ground leaning on each other for support. They couldn't see each other but they didn't need to. Their presence was enough for both of them.

But as the silence stretched on, both began to feel the weight of the darkness on their heads. So Six decided to break it. She had questions that needed answers after all.

"Mono" She spoke in his direction "What did you do?" She asked with a serious tone. She might not know what he did, but she knew it was him that did it. Strange things seemed to happen around him after all.

"I-I-I don't know! Really!" He tried to argue, but it seemed as if Six was having none of it.

"I know you did something Mono." She crossed her arms in frustration "You said you were going to try something and look what happened." She said with a no-nonsense tone.

"I-I yeah I did! But I didn't think it would work!" He stammered.

"Then tell me what you did already!" She was becoming quite annoyed at him for not answering her question.

She heard him whisper something very quietly as if he was afraid of her reaction to his answer. That only annoyed her more though.

"Spit it out already!" She yelled at him.

"I WISHED FOR IT!" He yelled back in surprise. She had caught him off guard when she shouted at him. The answer made his cheeks blush in shame.

Six thought he was making fun of her. "A wish?" Seriously? If Mono could see her expression right now he would have buried his head in embarrassment.

"Y-yeah. I wished for it. The entrance appeared when I wished for a place to hide and it closed when I wished for us to hide from outside." He explained even with his cheeks burning. He knew he sounded silly, but that's what happened.

"You're joking right?" She asked him incredulously. She had no reason to doubt him but it sounded too dumb to be true.

"I-I'm not! That's what happened!" He was getting miffed since she didn't believe him.

"It just sounds so stupid." She spoke her real thoughts before quickly realizing what she said and covering her mouth.

Mono felt like he had been punched in the gut. She called him stupid. Feeling his emotions rising, he turned his back to her so he couldn't see her. Though he felt even more stupid when he remembered they were in total darkness.

"You try it then! See how stupid I am!" He yelled at her in resentment.

Six felt bad when she realized she called him stupid. But that feeling quickly went back to irritation when he shouted at her in a challenge. "Fine!" She exclaimed while getting up.

Mono turned his head in her direction when he heard her speaking, still pissed at her for making fun of him.

When she got up, Six looked around and felt even more annoyed at the darkness that surrounded them. She knew exactly what she wanted. "I want this cave to be lighted up!" She shouted toward the darkness.

Mono was surprised when she shouted above him. He didn't hear her getting up and when he heard her wish, he stiffened in anticipation of what might happen.

They stood there for a few seconds with nothing happening. Six became more and more sure that she was right and was going to gloat to him about it.

But the cave began to move again.

Six lowered herself again in surprise. She scurried toward Mono and grabbed his arm while she heard the cave shifting around them.

Mono leaned on her in reaction to the sounds. He kept himself alert in case anything tried to hurt them, even if he didn't know what he could do against a living cave.

After a few more seconds of suspense, both finally saw what was happening around them.

Above them, at a very slow pace, a light began to fill with light, illuminating their surroundings. It was only one source at first, but then it began to multiply. More and more orbs of light began to appear above them till the whole cave was as lit as it could be.

Mono and Six stared in awe at the magical scene around them. They couldn't believe that the cave did answer their wishes. It flabbergasted them. They didn't know what to feel.

Amid the silence that followed the end of the cave's transformation, Six realized that Mono was right about the cave. Turning toward him, "I'm sorry Mono" she said with her cheeks red "I should have believed in you."

Mono looked toward her with a hesitant smile, "It's okay, I almost didn't believe in myself either. I mean, it IS a magic cave after all hehehe." He spoke while rubbing his head.

They watched each other in amusement and anxiety at that information. How the hell were they supposed to process that?

"Should we... try something else?" Six asked in wonder.

"Like what?" Mono tilted his head in confusion.

"I don't know... I never found a 'magic' cave before." She said with emphasis. She still had some suspicions about how 'magic' this place was.

"Hmmm..." He pondered with a hand on his chin.

Mono looked around them, trying to think of something. He released her hand to look around the cave in curiosity.

Six observed him thinking with her hands behind her back and a fond smile on her face. She liked seeing him think. It was really cute how he mumbled and scratched his head in speculation. It distracted her from the fear they felt before.

"How about... we try something simple first?" He said after organizing his thoughts.

"What do you have in mind?" She asked while looking around. She didn't want him to see her face right now.

He started to pace around while he explained his reasoning, not realizing he looked even cuter now in Six's eyes. "Well if the cave really responds to us in some way we need to have more information about it." He stopped to look at her, "We should try and ask for more information."

Six quickly looked at him at that, "You want to ask... it? You talk as if the cave is a living being..." She looked at him in distress.

His body language of shuffling around nervously was all the answer she needed.

"You... really think that? That the cave is alive?" She said while looking around them in caution.

Mono found it hard to concentrate when she looked so cute like that. Her fierce expression makes his heart skip a beat every time he looks at it. He shakes his head to put his thoughts in order.

"Only one way to find out..." He got closer to her and intertwined their hands.

They stood side by side as they stared at each other. Mono looked at her, waiting for confirmation to go ahead with his plan.

She stared at his unusual eyes in thought. She already knew what her answer would be, she just wanted to look at him closely for a few more seconds. Even if the bag annoyed her a little. She would get around that sometime later. For now, she blinked at him and nodded her head.

Getting the go-ahead, Mono looked forward and spoke his wish out loud. "I wish to know more about this cave." He said with a careful tone.

The cave stood still for a few seconds before it started moving.

The drawings on the cave disappeared and in the place of the numerous depictions of their 'future adventure,' a single panel with drawings appeared on the wall ahead of them.

Above it, a single sentence in a language they didn't know how to read but somehow knew what was written. As if the words were whispered in their heads. They stared at the words in anticipation of what they might discover.

"The Hollow Den"

Chapter Text

Six tilted her head in confusion. "The... Hollow Den?" She muttered, not knowing how she had understood what those symbols meant. She didn't even know how to read!

She looked at Mono to see his reaction and saw that he was clenching his coat at the chest as if to soothe some kind of pain. "Are you okay?" She turned toward him and squeezed his hand.

Mono didn't know what was happening to him. The moment he saw the words on the wall a feeling overtook him. He felt... empty. Like a hole just opened in his chest. He clenched his chest to soothe the pain he felt, but it didn't work.

But before his thoughts became even more unstable he heard a voice that brought him back to reality. He shook his head and looked at his companion.

Seeing her concerned expression, Mono felt the feeling of emptiness fade away from his chest. "I-I am. Don't worry. Just became dizzy all of sudden." He lied to her. Which he quickly realized was a mistake since she would know he had done it. Confirmed by the way she scowled at him in suspicion.

"Don't lie to me Mono. We both know that doesn't work for us." She gripped his hand harder in irritation. She didn't like when he wasn't honest with her.

"It-! It's not a lie! Really! I will be fine! Don't worry about it." He looked away from her in guilt. He didn't want to talk about what he felt when even he didn't understand it.

Six had noticed his intentions, and even if that annoyed her even more, she decided not to interrogate him about it. At least for now. "Fine. But this is not over yet. We will discuss this later." She turned toward the wall after saying her piece, lessening her grip on his hand.

Mono could only nod in acceptance as he also turned to the wall and looked at the first image under the name.

It depicted the cave they were in with an arrow pointing to a drawing of two kids. One with a bag on his head and wearing a long coat, the other with hair covering their face and wearing a cardigan. They stood side by side while holding hands.

The image left them both confused. What could it mean?

"Hmmm," Mono pondered "Cave... to... us? Cave to us. I think it means the cave belongs to us." He said, turning his head in her direction.

Six looked between him and the image, trying to understand his logic. And the more she looked, the more she thought he might be right. "It... makes sense I guess? Would explain why it answered to us." She said while nodding at him.

"Okay. Then the second one..." He looked at the image below the first one. It showed them again but this time there were trees around them. They were entering the cave on one side and leaving on the other. But the other side had buildings instead of trees.

Mono's eyes went wide when he understood it. "Oh wow... I think we can use the cave to move quickly to other places!"

Six tilted her head at him. "What do you mean?"

"Look here!" He pointed at the left half of the picture "On this side, we are in the forest. But on this side," He pointed at the right side with them leaving the cave "We are in a city!"

Six thought about what he said and went wide-eyed at the notion. "Is it really possible?" She spoke with surprise in her voice.

"Only one way to find out! Let's try it!" He unclasped his hand from hers and went toward the center of the cave. "Please take us to the first place we found you!" He spoke out loud and waited for something to happen.

In the silence that followed his wish, Six went toward him while looking around in anticipation. When she got closer, the cave started to move to fulfill his wish.

The walls whirled in a circle, causing the lights above them to shake. They stood near each other as they waited for the cave to stop shifting.

When the moving finally stopped, the entrance opened up again for them to leave.

Mono and Six looked at each other in surprise. They didn't even feel the ground moving. Did it really work?

Six went ahead to look outside without warning, surprising Mono with her bravery. He went after her so she wouldn't leave alone. When they got to the entrance, they put their heads outside to look around.

They were shocked to discover it had, indeed, worked. They were now back at the large tree where they first found the den.

"Wow... it worked..." Mono mumbled in awe.

"How is this possible?" He heard Six say in confusion.

He looked at her "Your guess is as good as mine. Might be magic though." He shrugged.

"And you know everything about that right? Magic boy?" She said with a smug smile on her face, trying to mess with him.

Mono's face paled at her jab. "I-I- don't know... I don't know where it comes from. I'm sorry!" He lowered himself to the ground as if to defend himself from an attack.

"Mono!" Six gasped and quickly got to his side. "Mono! Mono! It's okay! I was just joking! You don't need to talk about your powers." She put a hand on his back in a comforting gesture.

Mono looked at her from the edge of his vision. "I'm sorry..." He looked down in defeat, "It's just... this power... it was what made me different. It's what made the others hate me. Fear me. I just don't want you looking at me like that. Like a monster."

Six looked at him with a not-amused expression. "You are kidding right?"

He looked at her in surprise. His face became red in irritation and embarrassment. "W-What!? I'm serious! I could seriously hurt you!"

"Did you?" She asked. Still not amused.

"Did I what?!" He was becoming quite annoyed at her. Didn't she understand what he could do to her if he lost control?

"Did you hurt me?" She crossed her arms.

"No! I didn't, but that's not the point I-"

"Then I have no reason to fear you, do I? Also, I clearly remember you saving me with them. With no hurting involved. So what's your excuse now?" She said while looking down at him.

"Like. I. Said. I could have hurt you! If I had lost control-"

"But you didn't! And you saved me! And I clearly remember someone telling me I wasn't a monster when they saw me at my worst! So stop calling yourself that! You are not a monster! You are the cute and brave boy that I-" She froze in place. "Oh no... That was not meant to come out!" Her mouth was still open when her face became red in embarrassment.

But the effect on Mono was instantaneous. He immediately got up in shock when he heard her last words. He was really glad she was cheering him up but his thoughts were blown away after she complimented him. His body was fully warm now as he looked at her with hope on his face.

"You... really think that?" He asked her, trying not to think about how warm he felt, "That I won't hurt you, that I... am not a monster?" He rubbed his hands in a nervous motion.

Six got her thoughts back in place to answer, "Yes. You are not a monster Mono. If anything you are a hero for saving me. So, thank you for that. I mean it." She spoke to him with a smile.

He looked at her and nodded. She couldn't see it but he had a big smile on his face. "But someway she knows I am smiling? Man, we really need to figure out how this works." He felt really happy. He couldn't remember when felt so happy before.

That warm feeling was back tenfold now. He almost felt as if he would burn. And before he could think, he had Six in a bear-crushing hug.

Six didn't even see him getting close. One moment she was alone and the next she was being crushed by the boy.

She felt her whole face light up in red. Her thoughts became confused at what she was feeling and what she wanted.

She wanted to push him away in shame. She wasn't used to being hugged and the embarrassment she felt made her want to send him flying away with a throw.

But his hug felt so good. It made her feel as if everything was going to be fine. Like they were going to be okay. She could feel herself melting in his arms. "I need to get out of here..." Spoke her self-preserving pride, "After a few more seconds..." It lost to her enjoyment.

And as she lifted her arms to hug him back, Mono took a step back and released her. She stood there in confusion with her arms halfway up as she looked at him. She felt sad that the hug had ended so soon. With her arms halfway up, she brought them to herself in hug. She wanted to keep his warmth a bit more with her. Her pride kept her from asking him to come back.

Mono felt very happy right now. He felt as if he could even defeat that shadow from before. Of course, he wasn't going to try but he felt like it! Hugging Six felt so... magic. Like the two of them were meant to be that close. He couldn't understand what she was thinking right now but it didn't feel bad.

Feeling playful, he tried messing with her now that they were in a good mood. "So~ I am a cute and brave boy right~? Tell me more about that." He said with a smug smile on his face.

Six scoffed and turned away from him. Her face burning red again at him mentioning her slip-up. "You are obnoxious. Let's go." She ordered and started walking toward the cave. Leaving him behind.

"Hey! Wait up hahahaha." He quickly went after her while laughing.

Chapter Text

Mono and Six entered the cave still feeling cheerful from their conversation. Even if Six was a little annoyed at his teasing.

"Should we try going somewhere else?" Mono asked when they got to the center of the den.

"Hmmm." She put a hand on her chin in thought. She tried to remember the places she knew, but her mind kept going back to one place in particular. A house on top of a precarious cliff. She sighed in defeat. "I do have a place in mind but... shouldn't we try to go to the city first? Since it's closer?"

"NO. Definitely not." Was his immediate answer. "I told you, that place is the worst place we could go. I don't want to take any chances of being found by him." His body shivered at the mention of the broadcaster. "We are never going there and that is final!" He proclaimed. Not knowing how much he was tempting fate at the moment.

"Alright, alright I get it. We won't go to the big bad city." She shook her head in understanding. She didn't know she even tried. "That only leaves one place for us to try then." She hung her head in defeat and went to the center of the den.

Mono followed after her. He didn't like the way she was feeling right now. The place she was talking about must be really bad if doesn't want to go back there. Though, why would she try then? The thought confused him as they neared the middle of the den.

Six stopped at the center and lifted her head to say her wish. "Please take us to The Nest."

They stood there as they waited for the den to do its thing. And after a few seconds, the walls started to rotate as they did when they moved the first time.

They waited with bated breath as the walls moved around them before they suddenly stopped and began to circle backward and stop.

Mono and Six watched in confusion as they saw that scene outside was still of the forest they were in before. The one by the big tree.

"It... didn't work?" Mono mumbled. "How strange. Did you think of the place you wanted to go?" He asked her in confusion.

"I- I did. Let me try again. I want to go to The Nest!" She wished only for the same thing to happen again. "I don't understand... why is it not working?" She became sad, thoughts of a girl in a yellow raincoat plaguing her thoughts. The one she never had the chance of becoming friends with.

Mono felt her distress. He got closer to her and hugged her. "It's okay Six. You are going to be okay." He might not know what made her sad but he knew she needed him.

The hug did alleviate her pain, even if it didn't make it all go away. It never would. She still blamed herself for not being able to save that girl. She would carry that guilt with her and remember it. So that she never loses anyone else again. Wiping the tears she felt on her face, she let herself be hugged by Mono for a few more seconds before stepping away from him. "Thank you, Mono. I'm okay now." She said with a small smile on her face.

"Anytime." He responded with a smile of his own. The one that shined so bright that warmed her to her toes. She still didn't know how she could see it under the bag and why it affected her like that. She turned her head away from him so she could hide her blush.

"So," He spoke to get her attention back "Ready to know why it didn't work?"

She turned her head toward him and tilted it in confusion. "And how are going to learn that?" She asked.

"Like this!" He said and turned around "Please tell us why the 'moving' didn't work!" And asked the den.

"Of course," She shook her head in amusement "Why didn't I think of that." She smiled at him.

He turned around and gave her 'the smile' again. If he didn't stop doing that she was, for sure, going to burst into flames. Why did he have to be so cute?

She struggled with her thoughts as they wasted for the cave to do its magic. And a few moments later, the wall with the 'rules' changed a little.

The part that depicted the 'moving' had a few more drawings added to it. It had two parts. The top showed Mono and Six with a little bubble floating above their heads. Inside the bubble were the drawing of the big tree they were in and a checkmark on the side.

The bottom showed them again but this time they each had a bubble of their own. The one on Mono showed the big tree again. But the one on Six showed a house on top of a big cliff. Both had a cross mark on the side.

Looking at that, Six finally understood why it didn't work. "It didn't work because you never had been to The Nest before. Only me. We can only 'move' to places we both have been to before." She concluded while nodding her head.

Mono nodded along with her. "It makes sense. Since the den is probably connecting to us both it needs a full picture of a place to go. Not half of it." He turned toward her "Nice work Six, you're really smart." He 'smiled' at her again.

Her face went red again. "Stop doing that..." She mumbled.

"Doing what?" He looked at her in confusion.

"That thing you are doing with your mouth. Stop that." She said, her blush intensifying.

"My... mouth? Do you mean smiling? Wait! You can see my face?! How?!" He turned away from her in her shock, hiding his face with his hands.

"Not your face... only your smile. And your eyes. They are pretty." She spoke before she could think of it. Her face warming even more now.

Mono decided to ignore the compliment for now in favor of worrying about her seeing his face. "What do you mean you can see me smiling?"

She shrugged in response. "I don't know, I can just see it when you do it. Stop that. You're too bright." Her mouth worked faster than her mind again. "I need to stop doing that." She scolded herself.

Mono blinked once. Twice. And his face warmed up in embarrassment. He tried to fight his blush but the knowledge that she saw him smiling was making it hard to do it.

And the worst wasn't that she was asking for him to stop because she hated his smile. It was because she liked it too much. He could feel it now. And that only made his blush worse and brought a goofy smile to his face.

He quickly turned away from her so she couldn't see his expression. "O-okay. I-I won't s-smile anymore." He fought to control his laughter as he lied.

Six became pale when he spoke before quickly noticing that he was lying. He was teasing her. The thought angered her to no end. She wouldn't let this one slide.

Getting close to him, she kicked toward his feet and let him fall to the ground.

"WHOA- *thud* ouch..." He didn't even notice her coming closer to him. So lost in his mirth.

"Stop teasing me." She spoke firmly.

"Okay, okay... I'm sorry." He said while lifting himself off the ground.

"Hmpf." She turned to look at the wall. They still had one last 'rule' to inspect. So when Mono stood at her side after getting up, they began to do just that.

The last drawing was big. At least, larger than the other two combined. It was a map. The map had many places on it. Some were known to them. Like The Pale City or The Wilderness. But the map also had new places they never saw before. But what really grabbed their attention wasn't the new locations they haven't seen yet. It was the things that inhabited it.

Every location had a face drawn above the name. But they weren't human faces. No, they were Nightmares. They knew because above The Wilderness stood the face of their last encounter with one. His name read The Hunter.

Every major place had a Nightmare that occupied it. Like the area, a predator marked for itself. The Wilderness belonged to The Hunter, but what was strange was the fact that his picture had a cross on it. Mono and Six tried to guess what could that mean.

"I think... it might mean he's... dead. I can't think of any other possibility." Six explained her thoughts to Mono.

"Dead? Could be... But then that means... someone or something killed him. I'm not sure that's a good thing." He paled at the thought of something strong enough to kill a Nightmare. He hoped they never had to face any time soon.

Not knowing they had already faced it and survived.

"So what do you think this map means?" He asked his friend.

"I have a theory. But I don't think you are going to like it." She said with a troubled look on her face.

"Oh... well... let's hear it anyway." He said in a worried tone.

"Well. We have a map here, with all these locations and these Nightmares. This is most likely a list of some kind. And since The Hunter is already dead and his name is crossed off the list well..." She paused as she gathered the courage to say her next words. He really wasn't going to like it. "I think... I think it means we are going to have to kill all these other ones as well."

As she finished her explanation, she waited for his reaction. She knew it was going to be bad. But how bad?

"Wha- What?... No... It can't be... K-kill? Those things? How? How can we hope to defeat those things when we can't even defend ourselves?! All we can do is hide and hope they never find us! How the hell are WE supposed to kill all those Nightmares on our own?!" His voice which started as a whisper escalated into shouting as his panic raised. Mono crouched to the ground with his hands on his head.

"Well, it could have been worse." Six thought to herself as she went to soothe her companion. "Mono, MONO! It's okay! We can figure something out! Calm down! Here, breathe with me." She helped Mono control his breathing so he could calm down.

With slow and steady breaths, Mono came back from his panicked state to a more normal one. But he could feel it still, ready to come up again. The situation wasn't good. For both of them.

"Th- thanks... I-I'm o-o-okay now..." He wasn't. But Six wasn't going to point it out. She just calmed him up after all.

"Don't worry we can figure something out. Together. Maybe we don't even have to go after those monsters. We can stay here, in the den. I don't know about you but I'm really tired of running for my life." She smiled at the idea. Just her and Mono living one day after the other.

Mono looked at her with hope in his eyes. "R-really? We could do that?"

"Of course. Why should we listen to a stupid wall anyway? It doesn't even talk." Her smile grew from her little joke. She wanted to see him smiling again.

Mono laughed at her joke. "I guess you're right. Maybe we could-" Mono was interrupted by the rumbling of the cave. They quickly stood up in shock.

They held each other as the walls around them warped themselves. But this time it wasn't a slow and calm transformation. The walls shifted faster than they could see. The lights above them began to turn from a warm yellow to an angry red.

They watched as the walls began to form patterns. Shapes that couldn't have been clearer in their meaning.

Crosses.

All around them.

The walls displayed numerous crosses, both big and small. And the red lights gave them and menacing hue that sent shivers down their spine.

The den wasn't happy with their decision. That much was clear.

When the den stopped shaking, they slowly began to relax. The den didn't hurt them but the unexpected movement still scared them stiff. With their thoughts finally becoming coherent again, they quickly realized what the den was trying to tell them.

"No? What do you mean no?!" Six didn't like it one bit. That the cave could understand them and how it disapproved of their idea of hiding themselves in there.

Mono didn't know what to say. He could feel his panic raising again, only stopped by his shock. The den really wanted them to fight the Nightmares. He tried to focus on anything other than their impending quest. So he just focused on his companion as she lashed out at the cave.

Which apparently, was intelligent enough to understand more than simple wishes. As if things couldn't get complicated enough.

Looks like Mono still hasn't learned to stop tempting fate.

When Six asked the den why they couldn't just stay hidden for the rest of their lives the walls started moving again.

A clear circle opened in the middle of the crosses and began to form the shapes of two kids. Mono and Six. But their visage sent shivers down their spine.

Their heads. They were crossed out. Many times over. As if someone angrily scratched them.

Mono and Six froze when they were faced with their apparent demise. It couldn't be more clear. If they tried to hide, they would die.

Mono was the first to fall. His legs gave out under him and he fell on his rear. The despair he felt couldn't be put into words. How could they argue with a cave that somehow knew their future and had already shown part of it to them?

Six refused to let herself fall. She didn't want to believe that a cave could tell them what they could and couldn't do. But it wasn't just her life that was on the line this time. Mono could be in danger as well. And she wouldn't let anything happen to him. Ever.

They battled with their feelings as they tried to understand what they should do next.

Six was angry. But with a reluctant but firm expression, she decided to speak again. "Tell us why we can't stay here forever. Why do we have to fight those Nightmares?! What will happens to us if we don't do what you are telling us to do?!" She shouted at the wall.

Mono looked up when she started speaking. He waited with bated breath for the walls to start moving. They needed to know why.

Why their destiny was already set and how it would end.

And The Den answered their feelings as the walls began to shift and the lights went back to their warm yellow.

The crosses gave way to forms that were familiar to both of them.

Of two kids getting out of a dumpster and walking through the streets of a city.

Six glared at the images in front of them. She wished she could burn the thing just by staring. But she settled for just crossing her arms instead.

Mono stared at the drawings in front of him in defeat. Looks like they didn't have a choice. He picked himself up to stay at Six's side.

He looked at her scowling and his mood brightened up a little. She looked really cute with a frown on her face. "Hey" He called to grab her attention.

When she looked at him, he could her expression relaxing a little. He lifted his hand toward her and said "We do this together, okay?" With a smile on his face.

Six found it really hard to keep being angry when he looked at her like that. And though she was still annoyed, she gave him her hand with a small blush on her face. "Okay..."

His smile only brightened when their fingers interlocked. With a warm feeling in his chest, he finally felt brave enough to face what destiny had in plan for them.

"Let's see what the future looks like..."

I didn't think I would have to interfere so soon.

No matter.

They are on the right path.

For now at least...

The menacing voice spoke from the abyss it watched from.

And who it was talking to?

Only IT knew.

Chapter Text

The drawing in front of them showed two kids walking through the streets. It also had the addition of various lines drawn all across the picture, falling from above. A clear indication of rain.

"Well, at least now we know how the weather will be," Mono said with a grin on his face "Always good to know when to get our raincoats ready". He was trying to lift their moods.

Six rolled her eyes at the bad joke, the mention of raincoats made her chest ache in pain.

"Oh shut up." She said while grinning. She wanted to distract herself from the pain. What better way than to entertain herself with her amusing companion?

Mono had felt the shift in her emotions for a moment before they went back to normal. He didn't want to comment on it in case it worsened her mood. So he just stared at her fake annoyed face for a few seconds.

They looked at each other and giggled a little before looking back at the wall. The next image showed them crossing a very narrow bridge made of planks above a huge chasm that seemed to cross the whole city, pictured by the corridor of buildings on the two sides of it.

The kid with a bag on his head was guiding his friend by the hand, they were drawn in the middle of the bridge.

Mono and Six looked anxious at the thought of crossing that vast chasm with only that thin bridge. It didn't look safe at all. Even more with the rain making the planks wet.

Mono also noted something more on the image. The way Six portrayed herself. "Wait" He went closer to the image to examine it. After looking for a few seconds he finally understood what he was looking at.

Six became confused when her friend almost touched the wall with his head as he examined it. The sight almost made her laugh.

She guessed the bag must really dampen his vision. Though why he didn't take the thing off she didn't know. She should ask when she gets the chance.

But her thoughts were interrupted when she paled at his next words.

"Six," Mono turned toward her "Do you have a fear of heights?" He asked innocently.

"N-NO! Of course not!" She answered almost too quickly. A deep shade of red spread on her face.

But she forgot that lying doesn't work with them.

"*gasp* You have!" Mono exclaimed. "That's so cute!" The thought of him helping her with her fears brought warmth to his heart.

"SHUT UP! I SAID I DON'T!" She looked away from him in shame. She didn't want him to learn that now. What would he think of her? "Stupid wall! And stupid Mono for being so smart!" Not noticing how her thoughts contradicted themselves, she spent a few seconds sulking before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey" Mono didn't her to feel bad about her fears. He also had a lot of fears himself. So when she looked at him he did his best at cheering her up. "It's okay Six. I have a lot of fears myself. And when the time comes when we have to cross a bridge or walk somewhere really tall," He interlocked his fingers with hers "I will be there to hold your hand. Always." He said with his 'smile'.

Six looked away for a different reason now. But she quickly looked back cause she didn't want him to think she was ignoring him. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes, her bangs parting a little to show him a hint of red peeking through them.

"You- you promise?" She asked with her face burning up in embarrassment. She squeezed his hand in anticipation.

Mono just kept smiling at her in fondness. "Always." He squeezed back.

Six nodded at his answer. She couldn't look him in the face right now. Her chest felt full and heated. She really wanted to know what this feeling was.

Shaking her head, she decided to ignore it for now and go back to inspecting the drawings. "L- Let's get back shall we?" She turned toward the wall again. Her hand never left his.

Mono turned with her in silent agreement. He never would mind spending more time holding her hand so he didn't comment on it.

The next drawing showed both of them walking in the streets again, using what they could find to pass over obstacles until they reached an alley.

This image of the alley had something very different in it. Something they didn't see in the other drawings. It wasn't the numerous amount of boxes in it or the piles of trash behind it.

This image had color. Singular.

A single speck of color among the brown and white canvas.

There was something yellow on the ground.

The sight made Mono uneasy. What could that mean? What made that thing different? He looked at his companion to see her reaction and became shocked at what he saw.

Six was pale. Very pale. Like she looked at something that frightened her. Something worse than heights. Her mouth was open in disbelief. "It... can't be..." He heard her whisper. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

Six got closer to the wall slowly, not noticing when her hand left Mono's and placed it on the wall. She observed as the next drawings showed her 'other self' picking the yellow thing up and inspecting it. "It is..."

She cupped her mouth in grief as her other hand caressed the drawing in tenderness.

Mono went closer to her to see what was wrong. He could feel her distress. He slowly lifted his hand and placed it on her back "What's wrong? What did you see?"

She didn't look as if she heard him at first. But before he could think of asking again, she lifted her hand from the wall and pointed at the yellow speck he had seen before.

The 'other Six' was inspecting the yellow thing that was on the ground. When she lifted it from the ground he could finally see what it was.

A yellow raincoat.

Mono looked confused at first. He didn't why the raincoat was so important to her besides the obvious use. But looking at her, he slowly began to understand why it brought such grief.

It wasn't about the item. But 'who' it reminded her of.

Looking at her so lost in her sorrow, Mono decided he couldn't leave her like this. Getting closer to her, he wrapped his arms around her in a comfortable hug.

And when he held her, that finally was enough to make her break.

Six wasn't known for showing emotions. Those that knew her before she met Mono would say she has a stone-cold expression. She was used to not showing emotions. Not showing weaknesses.

Turns out that didn't work when Mono was around. Because when he held her as she was trying to control her emotions was all that her body needed to give up and let go.

She started crying her heart out. Her arms closed around Mono as she held onto him for dear life. "I- *sniff* I tried to save h- her! I- I- am *sniff* sorry! She saved me and-! *sniff* I couldn't even-! *sniff* I didn't even learn her name! *sniff* It was my fault! I'm sorry!" She wept her sorrows away.

Mono just held her closer and tighter as she rambled about someone he didn't know. His eyes were tearing a little with her suffering but he had to hold on. She needed him now and crying with her didn't like the best idea.

"Shhhh it's okay Six," He started petting her hair. It was something he saw one of the girls doing before. They were soothing a hurt kitten but he supposed it worked the same for kids. "It wasn't your fault..."

"It was! I know it was!" She lifted her head to look him in the eyes "I was there Mono! I tried helping her, but I only made it worse! It was my fault that- *hic* my fault she fell..." Her exclamation ended in a whisper, her head lowering to his chest again.

"See? You said it yourself. You tried to save her Six. What happened after was an accident. You didn't know what was going to happen so it wasn't your fault." He could see his words were starting to affect her. She was shaking less now. "I know that you would have helped her more if you could but-"

"And how do you know that?!" She pushed him away "We met yesterday Mono! How can you know me so well already to make claims like that?!" She was getting agitated again.

Mono looked confused at her. "What does she mean? I've known her my whole life-". He paused and went wide-eyed when he suddenly realized that she was right.

They only knew themselves for a day!

But for some reason, it felt as if they had known themselves for a lot more than that.

That thought brought him a lot of anxiety. He didn't know where that feeling of knowing her for so long came from but it was strange. Really strange.

He would have been stuck with those thoughts more if he hadn't heard a voice that brought him back to the situation at hand.

"See?! Even you find it strange! We have only known each other for a whole day Mono! You don't know me! You can't know more about me! Or else!" She paused as a scary thought went through her head "I will hurt you too..." She whispered before going silent.

And that was what scared her the most.

"I can't... I can't hurt you too... I won't be able to bear it if I hurt you Mono..." She wiped her eyes as she looked at him.

Her expression was enough to break his heart. She was so full of guilt that he didn't know how he would be able to help her. With his previous thoughts long forgotten, he tried to think of anything that would make her believe his words.

He lifted his hand to rub his temples to soothe the headache that was forming but his fingers only ended up crumpling the bag on his head.

"Right. The bag is still on my head... Wait... That's it!" He thought and got closer to Six before he could think better of his idea.

Six was staring at the ground now. Her mind was in a spiral of guilt and sadness. But they were interrupted when a voice called to her. "Six. Six! Look at me please!" It said. She didn't want to look at him right now. She was afraid of what she would see.

But it seems he wasn't giving her a choice.

Mono put both of his hands on her face and gently lifted it. She tried being stubborn and closed her eyes so she didn't see him. "Look at me please..." He pleaded.

But his tone was enough for her to change her mind.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at his face.

...

...

...wait.

Six went wide-eyed in shock.

"His face... I can see his face!" She shouted in her mind since her mouth wasn't working right now.

Mono had lifted his bag just enough so she could see him. Truly see him. His bag was angled on his hairline in a way that stuck it in his head. If her mind was working right now she would say he looked ridiculous like that.

But since it wasn't, all she could think of right now is "H- how... how u- unfair!"

Six had thought of asking him about his bag before. She had speculated the reason why he used it. Of why he wanted to hide it so much.

Thoughts of if he was ugly (she wouldn't care) or if he maybe had a third eye (it could be a charming point) or even if he had something missing like his nose or ear(she had seen worse).

But nothing could have prepared her for what she was seeing.

He was... he was...

She didn't have a word for what he was.

What she had was how she felt.

When he smiled she could feel her body warming from head to toe. But now?

Now she was burning.

His face made her whole body lit up in a blaze.

He had a round face with a smooth complexion. He wasn't missing anything like in one of her speculations and he definitely wasn't ugly. His face would almost be normal if it wasn't for his eyes.

They were different when out of the bag.

When he used the bag his eyes looked like the static one would see on the TV.

But now?

His eyes were completely black but she could see he was looking at her because of his grey irises surrounded by a grey circle.

For anyone, those would be disturbing to look at.

But for her, that only complimented his looks more.

"Six are you listening to me?" His voice brought her back from her contemplation.

She realized he must have been speaking for a while now and that she had completely ignored him because she was gawking at him.

Not trusting herself to speak, she quickly shook her head.

"I said that even if I had only known you for a day, I know how much you care about your friends. I know if I'm ever in danger you will do anything you can to help. You are NOT a bad person Six. What happened was an accident and I'm sorry that happened to you but I don't want you to keep blaming yourself for something you didn't have control over." He paused his monologue to breathe, giving Six a moment to process his words.

Mono was feeling very uncomfortable at the moment, he doesn't remember the last time he ever showed his face to someone. The reactions to the revelation were always... not so kind.

Some would be scared and run away. Others would look with disgust and call him a monster. But most would just stop speaking with him altogether, from fear of suffering the same fate by being associated with him.

He hadn't seen that reaction from Six yet. She was only showing a surprising look for now. But the more she stared at him, the more embarrassed he became.

"So... hmmm, what I'm t- trying to say is..." He paused to scratch his cheek. He didn't notice how the action only made her squeal even more internally. "I t- think you are a great person Six. I trust you with my life and... I hope one day you can trust me with yours." He finished his words by giving her a small smile.

And that was the last nail in Six's coffin.

She crouched to the ground with her hands on her face. She couldn't look at him right now. She felt as if she was melting.

"He is!- He is too much! I can't! My heart!" Six felt as if her heart was being pierced by a hot knife.

"Six? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Mono didn't understand why she suddenly crouched. Worried, he lowered himself in front of her. "Are you okay?" He asked with a hand on her shoulder.

Six risked a glance at his face but quickly went back to hiding. "...n't" She mumbled.

"What?" Mono didn't understand what she said.

"I can't..." She repeated a little louder.

"Can't what?" He tilted his head in confusion.

"I can't look at you right now..." She whispered. She still had her face hidden so she didn't see when his face morphed into one of sadness.

"O- oh... I- I see..." He lowered his head, crestfallen. "I- I am... I'm sorry. I shouldn't-" He put a hand over his face, trying to hide it "I shouldn't have taken the bag off. I'm sorry for scaring you." He went to put the bag on his head again.

"WAIT!" But was interrupted when Six grabbed his arm. "I- I..." She was still having problems looking at him. So she just looked to the side as she spoke. "It- It's not that... You didn't scare me... You couldn't even if you tried." Turns out that not looking at him straight on worked well for her.

"But..." Mono looked doubtful at her. He knew she wasn't lying and that relieved him. But still didn't answer why she couldn't look at him. "Why? What's wrong?"

She glanced at him and looked away embarrassed. "It's just..." She didn't want to say it. The embarrassment was killing her.

"What is it?" He was becoming anxious now. What was it that she didn't want to say?

"I..." Six was becoming annoyed with herself as well. "You-! You are too bright! There! I said it!" She shouted at him with her eyes closed and turned away.

"...what?" Mono's mind stopped working.

"You are too bright! I don't know the word you use when a boy is too beautiful okay?! And-! AND-! That was so unfair! How could you just show me your face like that when I was grieving!? I wasn't ready!" She turned toward him and shouted at his face. But when she realized how close she was she quickly turned around again with her ears burning.

"O- oh..." Mono was in shock. He didn't know how to react to that. "It's handsome." So he just said the first thing that came to mind.

"What?" Six turned her head toward him.

"When a boy is beautiful you can call them handsome." He answered her question.

Six slowly nodded her head and looked away again. "...you are too handsome." Yep. Her face was still very much red.

"I... ummm..." Mono scratched the back of his neck. "Thanks?" He looked fondly at her, with a blush from ear to ear.

Six glanced at his actions and quickly looked away again. "It's so unfair. How can he be that cute?" She thought.

"I- I think you are very beautiful as well... and cute..." Mono looked away in shame.

And there goes Six again. Hiding her face with her hands.

Mono looked at her in affection with a smile on his face. "She's so cute when she is like that"

They became silent for a while after that. Both trying to get their bearings together.

When Six raised herself again, she looked more composed than before. "We should go back to the walls. There's still a lot to see." She peeked at him.

"Oh... okay." Mono began to turn around when her voice called him again.

"Wait." Six stopped him "You should... probably wear that again." She pointed at his bag.

Mono became confused "Why?" He asked.

Six looked away in shame before answering him "You... you are going to distract me...like that..." She scratched her arm in embarrassment.

"Oh! Okay!" Mono quickly turned away and brought the bag down to hide his embarrassment as well. "My face hurts... how can she says these things so confidently?" Mono rubbed his face under the bag to alleviate the burning he felt.

He didn't notice that, behind him, Six was doing the same thing as well.

After their faces were very much rubbed back to normal, they finally went back to inspecting the images.

The 'other Six' had decided to wear the yellow raincoat. For some reason, Mono thought it fitted her really well. He almost couldn't see her without it now. "Strange..." He decided to ignore that for now.

"I..." He heard Six talking "I want to go there." She pointed at the alley where the 'other Six' found the raincoat. "I want to get her raincoat back. To remember her..." She said with pain in her voice.

Mono put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture "We will. Don't worry. I will help you get it even if 'him' comes after us." He spoke with false confidence. He would help her get the raincoat back but he really hoped The Thin Man wouldn't find them.

Six held Mono's hand in hers in appreciation "Thanks Mono. It means a lot to me." She smiled at him with a red blush on her cheeks.

"A- anytime..." He looked away, embarrassed.

They went back to looking at the drawings and saw 'them' walking into a fabric store. They crossed the building and left into another alley that ended in front of a white building with a big red cross on it. One of the windows was open and had light coming from inside. 'They' walked towards it and went inside.

"Oh no..." Mono and Six said at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise and giggled.

"That place is definitely-" Mono started "a monster's den." And Six finished what he was going to say.

They stared at each other for a few seconds and giggled again.

They looked back at the wall again in silent agreement and saw 'them' walking in a corridor that ended with a big door.

The 'other Mono' pushed the door open and almost fell into the endless abyss that was behind it.

At the other side of the door was an immense hole with various beds suspended above it. The depth of the chasm couldn't be seen nor from where the beds were hanged from.

The 'other Mono' was caught by the 'other Six' before he fell to his demise.

Six looked at her Mono and lightly punched him in the arm.

"Hey!" He was surprised by the action "What was that for?" He asked while rubbing the place she punched.

"You have to be more careful! You could have died!" She said while crossing her arms.

"But that isn't even me!" He said exasperated.

"It doesn't matter!" She said with a no-nonsense tone. "Be. More. Careful!" She glared at him.

"But you will be there to save me. So even if-" He stopped when her glare intensified. "Alright alright!" He surrendered "I will be more careful."

She smiled at him "Good!" And held his hand again.

Mono shook his head in amusement. "So bossy..." The thought brought a smile to his face as he looked back at the wall.

'They' crossed the abyss using the beds and traversed some vents which ended in the roof of a broken elevator.

Quickly leaving through another vent since the elevator was about to fall, they ended up in a large dark room. On the ground, there was a flashlight that the 'other Mono' picked up and used to explore 'their' surroundings.

When Mono and Six looked at the next drawing they were both unnerved. It was a scene that they had seen before with only a few differences.

The 'other Mono' with his hand on a TV with the 'other Six' trying to pull him away from it. Above the TV there were numerous drawn eyes again but their quantity had increased. And somehow, it looked as if the eyes were trying to make an uncanny silhouette. It looked like a person.

A very big one.

Mono and Six looked at the wall with apprehension. The image didn't look good. Not at all.

"Remember me to keep you away from the TVs." Six said.

"I..." Mono tried to think of a reason to argue but couldn't think of anything. So he just nodded his head in defeat and spoke "Okay..."

Six nodded in appreciation. She was glad he was listening to her.

They looked at the wall and saw that after the 'other Six' had separated the 'other Mono' from the TV they could finally see what the room they were in looked like.

It was a room with two levels. The lower level had various chairs with scary mannequins on them and a door to the right which had a curved stair beside it.

The second floor had two doors and an elevator that needed to be powered up by two power cells.

*groan* Our heroes complained. "Nothing is ever easy for us is it?" Mono spoke in defeat.

"I suppose it would be too hard for the Nightmares to make it easy for us." She responded with a sad smile.

With the door on the upper right being locked and the one on the upper left being unpowered, the 'other Mono' went toward the door on the lower right.

Inside, 'they' used an elevator to go down and ended up in a corridor that had an incinerator and a door. 'They' passed the corridor and entered the door.

The next room had lots of images on the wall, an x-ray machine, and another door. 'They' explored the room and found an image of a teddy bear with a key inside of it. Trying to find the teddy bear, 'they' ended up crossing the door into the next room and found the toys 'they' were looking for.

There were two teddy bears. The 'other Six' grabbed one while the 'other Mono' grabbed the other. And while the 'other Six' simply turned around to walk out of the room toward the incinerator, the 'other Mono' had brought the plush he grabbed closer to his ear.

It seems he had heard something from inside.

Quickly following after the 'other Six' 'they' both threw 'their' plushies inside the incinerator and turned it on.

After the flames went down and the machine cooled, the 'other Mono' climbed inside and retrieved the key from the remains of the plushies.

'They' used the elevator to go back up and climbed to the second floor to unlock the door on the upper right.

Going inside, 'they' quickly discovered that the next part could only be done by one of 'them'. Since the room only had one opening to the next area and it was too high for both of 'them' to climb.

So the 'other Six' gave the 'other Mono' a leg up so he could climb it.

"Why do you have to go?" Six frowned at him.

Mono blinked. He looked at the wall and looked at her in confusion. "I... don't know?" He scratched his head. He had an idea of why, but there was no way he was telling her it must be because the 'other Him' wanted the 'other Her' to be safe. "*sigh* This is so confusing..."

Six squinted her eyes at him as she felt he wasn't being fully truthful. But she decided to drop the topic for now. After all, she had a pretty good assumption of why the 'other Him' went alone. It was probably to keep the 'other Her' safe. "*sigh* It really is."

The 'other Mono' used the flashlight to explore the next room. Searching for the power cell they needed to open the upper left door.

But while he was exploring, something fell from above and landed next to 'him'.

It was a hand. And it was alive.

Mono and Six nervously observed as the next drawings showed the 'other Mono' running away from the thing. He climbed and passed under several shelves to avoid being grabbed by the hand.

Six squeezed Mono's hand harder every time the hand jumped over the 'other Him'. It made his heart melt seeing her so worried about him.

The 'other Mono' finally found a way to rid himself of his pursuer by finding a hammer and smashing the hand to death.

After seeing the 'other Mono' was okay Six finally eased the tension on her shoulders.

After defeating his foe, the 'other Mono' explored some more and finally found the power cell 'they' needed to open the next area. He brought it back to the central room and used it on the upper left door.

Going inside, he had to go alone again as the next opening was also too high for 'them' to reach.

Six glared daggers at her Mono. As if doing so would bring some sense into his head.

Mono pretended not to notice. Annoying her even more. But she decided to let it go since there was nothing she could do for the 'other Mono'.

She observed as the room 'he' entered had a strange mannequin blocking the way. There was a lever that the 'other Mono' used to turn off the lights and whenever the lights went off, the color palette of the drawings changed to their opposites.

But that wasn't what grabbed their attention.

The thing that sent shivers down their spine was that when the lights were off, the mannequin began to move.

And the only way to make them stop again is by shining light at them. And that's what the 'other Mono' did by using his flashlight.

He used it to maneuver around the frozen mannequin and go to the next area.

But just when Mono and Six thought things couldn't get any worse, they were scared stiff when the 'other Mono' entered a room full of the chilling monstrosities.

Six hugged her Mono's arm in fear of what could happen to the 'other Him'.

They observed as the drawings showed the 'other Mono' maneuvered around several mannequins and almost got caught by a few, making Six squeeze her Mono harder.

When the 'other Mono' finally left the room and got into a corridor, everything seemed quiet for a few moments. But when he turned left into another corridor full of doors, several arms broke out from the doors to grab at the 'other Mono'.

It was a Nightmarish vision.

"I can't look anymore." Six hid her face in Mono's arm. "Tell me when he is safe."

Mono smiled at his cute companion and continued observing 'his' fate.

'He' avoided the arms as best as he could, going left and right when he found an opening. But when he got to the next bend in the corridor something terrible happened.

The doors. They were destroyed.

"Oh no..." Mono whispered making Six flinch in worry. She risked a glance at the wall and what she saw was enough to give her bad dreams for the rest of her life.

The 'other Mono' ran away as fast as he could while dodging the endless dolls coming after him. When he reached the end of the corridor, he climbed a cabinet and entered a vent just before a mannequin grabbed him.

Seeing that the 'other Mono' escaped succeeded in escaping, Mono and Six felt themselves relax against each other.

"This is so stressful..." Six commented.

"Yes." Mono nodded "But for some reason, I think they aren't even half of the way out yet."

Six looked surprised at his impression. "What do you mean?"

"We only have seen the mannequins and the hands for now right?" She nodded in confirmation "Well... Who made them?"

Six went wide-eyed at his question. She quickly realized what he was talking about.

Mono looked at her and saw she understood what he was implying. "We still haven't seen the Nightmare yet..."

Chapter Text

Six was frightened by what he said. All those nightmares and they haven't even seen the true owner of the den.

The knowledge that there was something that could create those things sent shivers down her spine.

If the creations were this dreadful, how bad was the creator going to be?

"*sigh* Sometimes, I hate how smart you are Mono." She looked annoyed at him.

Mono scratched his head in guilt. "I'm sorry..." He looked crestfallen.

Now it was her turn to feel bad. She didn't want him to blame himself. "No... I'm sorry." She looked apologetic "It's just... seeing the 'other you' risk himself so much is really putting me on edge."

"Oh..." It made sense. If it was the 'other Six' risking her life then he would be the same. So he understood her concern. "It's okay. I forgive you." He smiled at her.

Which quickly made her turn her face away from him with her cheeks burning. The memory of his face was still very fresh in her mind. She decided to just look at the wall and ignore him until she controlled her emotions again.

Mono looked amused by her reaction and faced to stare at the drawings again.

The 'other Mono' traveled through the vent and exited into a shower room. He had to open a door and shut down the lights to attract the mannequin that was sitting in the chair he had to use to go over the window on the door.

Entering the next area, he was greeted again by more mannequins standing in darkness. They gained life the moment the 'other Mono' approached them and he had to use the flashlight again to keep them at bay.

Using the same method he had been using, he maneuvered around them and quickly reached the door at the end of the room.

He went over it and the moment he crossed, the dolls tried using their hands to reach him but were frozen in place by the light in the next room.

Mono and Six felt they could relax for now as they saw the 'other Mono' had finally found the second power cell 'they' needed to power the elevator.

Grabbing it and going over to the closed gate, he passed the power cell to the 'other Six' on the other side so she could open the gate for him.

When 'they' were finally together again, 'they' grabbed both power cells and used them to power the elevator so 'they' could finally leave that part of the den.

When she saw 'them' entering the elevator and going down, Six released Mono's arm and looked at him while holding his hand. "They are going to find the Nightmare now, aren't they?" She asked with apprehension in her voice.

Mono sighed and nodded. "I think so, yes."

They went back to watching their counterparts when 'they' left the elevator.

'They' were in a room full of tools and shelves. The door 'they' were going to use to leave was barricaded with planks.

When 'they' approached it a pair of hands appeared to block their way. The 'other Mono' quickly went to grab the long pipe on the ground while the 'other Six' tried to remove the planks.

He managed to defeat a hand while she removed two planks from the door but then another hand appeared to make his job of defending her more difficult.

"Why am I just stuck there trying to remove some planks?! I should have helped you fight those things! We could have opened the door together after!" She complained about her counterparts.

"That's... a pretty good plan actually..." Mono grabbed his chin in thought. "Why wouldn't his 'other self' suggest that? Or the 'other Six'? Did they not speak with each other?"

They both tried to guess why their counterparts didn't think of a better plan but then they decided there was nothing they could do. They weren't 'them' after all.

The 'other Mono' swiftly defeated the last hands and went to help the 'other Six' who was having trouble with the last plank.

'They' succeeded in removing the last plank and went inside the next room.

It was an unnerving room. It had many masks made of a material they couldn't identify. They looked grotesque in appearance and their 'other selves' apparently agreed with them since 'they' just ignored the room entirely.

The next area had many shelves with bandages and mannequin parts on them. Mono and Six thought their counterparts were just going to ignore the room as well and go past it when they saw 'them' hiding.

And the motive was clear when they saw the next image.

It was a grotesque creature. It was big, as most Nightmares are. But this one was also very fat. It used a white coat and black pants. And the face appeared to be dropping because of the amount of fat it had on it.

This was already enough to make them fear the thing. But its appearance wasn't what was most uncanny about it.

It was the fact that this Nightmare moved on the ceiling.

The monster used the holes in the ceiling to move around the building. Making its already uncanny image even scarier.

Six had a hand over her mouth to stifle her breathing. As if the creature could hear her from the wall. The creator really was worse than the creation.

Mono and Six observed as their counterparts sneaked past the Nightmare as the creature worked above 'them'.

The monster had a room full of beds with mannequins on them. It looked like it was here that he built the dolls they saw before.

The 'other Mono' used the mattresses on the ground to sneak around without making any noise. He needed to get a toy on the other side of the room and use it to open the door.

But when the door opened it alerted the monster who quickly began chasing after them.

Their 'other selves' quickly hid while the monster tried searching for them.

When it didn't find anything it decided to go away and 'they' could finally leave their hiding spot.

Their counterparts used a cabinet to go up into to ceiling to reach the next area. 'They' sneaked around and stopped whenever 'they' felt the NIghtmare crawling under 'them'.

When 'they' found an opening to drop down, 'they' quickly did so and found themselves in a room with a locked door.

Going to the left, 'they' found themselves in a room with a lot of dead bodies. They were placed in these beds that went inside the wall like a drawer.

The 'other Mono' used these beds to make a way for him to reach the key in a high cabinet.

"Nice work." Six smiled while she complimented him.

"Thanks?" He didn't know if he should take credit for what his counterpart did.

Going back with the key and unlocking the door, 'they' entered a room with only a vent for 'them' to use.

Climbing the cabinets and entering the duct, they walked across it until 'they' found themselves in a corridor with an unpowered gate again.

Going left, there was a room with various sharp tools and a strange table with wheels on them. There was a doll on it and the Nightmare was apparently doing something with it.

The power cell was too close to the monster for 'them' to reach it unnoticed.

'They' had to distract it.

Sneaking around while the monster worked, 'they' reached a hole on the far left where the 'other Six' gave the 'other Mono' a leg up so he could cross it.

This room had a patient hooked into a machine of some kind. There was a lever that probably turned the machine off. There was also a hole in the ceiling that he could use to go back to the previous room.

The 'other Mono' turned the machine off and quickly climbed over to the previous room. Whatever that machine did, turning it off had attracted the attention of the Nightmare.

Dropping back in the room with the power cell, 'they' quickly helped each other while the monster was away.

'They' grabbed the power cell and brought it toward the door. When 'they' used it to open the door, the noise attracted the attention of the Nightmare.

'They' ran as the monster did everything it could to catch them. It toppled shelves and crushed beds in hope of smashing them flat.

Mono and Six held their breaths as they watched their counterparts almost being caught by the monster.

'They' ran until they reached a room with a large incinerator. The 'other Six' was already there holding the door of the machine open for the 'other Mono' to climb inside.

Mono gasped in horror when he realized what 'their' plan was.

The 'other Mono' swiftly entered the machine and went under the opening. The Nightmare chased him inside the machine but couldn't fit his hands under the opening.

While his counterpart tried to escape with the small vent he found in the space below, the monster tried to crush him with the platform above.

But before the Nightmare could break it, the 'other Mono succeeded in escaping the machine.

And after he went out, the 'other Six' quickly closed the door of the incinerator.

Mono and Six gasped as the 'other Mono' turned the machine on and burned the creature to death.

The 'other Six' crouched close to the vent in the machine to warm herself up.

"That's..." Mono didn't know what to say. He didn't know what was most shocking. The fact that they just killed another Nightmare or that the 'other Six' was using its cinders to warm up.

"We killed another one..." That fact was what stuck most with her. She looked at the image of her 'other self' in wonder. She hoped she could be as cool as her one day.

They stared as their counterparts used the elevator to go up and then leave through the window into the streets again. The images faded away after that.

Mono and Six stared at the brown wall. Each with their thoughts.

"Six... I think we-" He was about to share his opinion with her but he was interrupted.

"Should go on a Nightmare hunting quest? I think the same." She said with a confident smile.

"...What?" He thought he must have heard it wrong.

"C'mon, I know you are thinking the same as me." She had a dark smile on her face. "It's about time someone showed those things who's boss."

"I- What? NO! I don't think like that at all!" He looked offended at her assumption. "Six, I don't want to fight those things at all. In fact, it's very much the opposite."

"What do you mean?" Her smile fell and she released him.

"I want to stay as far away as possible from those things!" He shouted "You saw what those things can do! Do you think I want to be turned into a living doll that only moves in the dark? The answer is: very much no. Thank you!"

His tone was beginning to annoy her. "What do you mean to turn into a doll? You saw the same thing as me! We killed that thing! We even killed The Hunter!"

"But it wasn't us that killed them, was it?" She became shocked "It was 'them' Six. 'They' killed those things. Not us." He said while pointing at the wall.

"What do you mean 'they'? They are us!" She was getting angry at his reasoning.

"But they aren't! Or did you forget that 'our' Hunter has already been killed?" He said as a matter of fact.

"i- we- okay, maybe it IS a little different but we CAN become like them! If they can kill those things so can we!" She tried to argue with him.

"They got lucky Six! That's all that it was!" He was becoming exasperated. Why didn't she see how bad that idea was!?

"You can't know that! We can try and-!" "I WON'T LET YOU BE IN DANGER SIX!!" Mono shouted over her, letting his powers overtake him for a moment. His voice made the whole cave tremble.

When the dizziness of using his powers ended he finally realized what he had done. He put a hand over his mouth in shock but the damage was already done.

He looked at her and saw that she had taken a few steps away from him. A scared expression on her face.

He tried to get closer to her to apologize "Six I-" But when he took a step toward her, she took a step back.

"Ah-" Mono realized "I finally did it. Made her hate me..." He slowly lowered his hand back to his side. He didn't even realize he had raised it.

He felt his heart breaking when he turned away from her. "I'm sorry..." He went to the opposite side of the cave to leave her alone.

Six felt a pain in her chest with every step he took away from her. But she didn't want to speak with him right now. "I'm going to prove him wrong! I'm going to see the rest of our story and rub it in his face our tale of awesomeness!" She looked away from him and stared at the wall.

"I want to see the rest of our story." She spoke in a tone that she was sure Mono wouldn't hear from where he was.

She waited and waited for the walls to change. And when she was getting annoyed that it was taking too long, the walls finally began to transform.

She waited with bated breath and anticipation. She wanted to see how her 'other self' killed more monsters.

But when the walls finally stopped changing the drawing that appeared only left her flabbergasted.

The wall only had a huge drawing of a lock in it.

Sigh...

I thought they were making good progress.

Guess that was too much to be true.

This is going to take more time than I thought...

The voice spoke in a disappointed tone.

Chapter Text

Mono didn't think he ever felt as bad as he was feeling right now.

He was sitting on the other side of the cave with his head hidden in his arms. He wanted to disappear.

He couldn't believe what he just did. He managed to scare the only kid that spent more than a day with him without thinking he was a freak.

"Great job idiot". He berated himself "You will be lucky if she ever wants to go anywhere near you again".

He didn't know what Six was doing right now but he didn't dare look up. He was too ashamed.

"How am I gonna fix this? How can I make her trust me again? Do I just go and apologize? But what if she doesn't want to talk with me?" He didn't know what to do. His thoughts were spiraling with self-reprimand and what he could do to make up with her.

But his thoughts were interrupted when the cave began to shake and twist, making him stumble to the ground.

He lifted himself and looked around in confusion as the cave moved. "We are 'moving'? But why?" He tried to understand why the cave started moving by itself when he noted something.

There was someone near the entrance of the cave. And since there were only two people in here now then there was only one person that could be standing there.

Six.

"What is she doing?" He thought as he moved closer to her.

She was waiting with her arms crossed in front of the 'door'. Her head perked up when she heard something coming near her. She turned her head in his direction, frowned, and looked at the 'door' again.

"Six, where are you going?" He asked, worried.

But she kept looking at the 'door'. Ignoring him.

Mono felt a pang in his heart. He was used to being ignored. It was something he was familiarized with. But he didn't know how much it would hurt to be ignored by her.

"Are you going to get food? Are you hungry again?" He tried again only for the same thing to happen. As if he didn't even exist.

The walls slowly stopped moving and the 'door' opened up. And before he could ask anything more, Six started walking, Without even looking at him once.

Mono stood there in shock. The pain in his chest was getting worse. "Six wait!" He ran after her.

"Six where are you going? You can't just leave alone like this. It's dangerous!" He said while following her.

Six just kept walking forward, giving no clue of having heard him.

Mono could feel his heart breaking with every second that passed. She wasn't going to speak to him. No matter what he said.

"L- look, Six, I'm sorry! I-! I didn't mean to-! I didn't want to scare you like that! I promise I won't do it again but please! Please talk to me!" He tried blocking her away and asking forgiveness. He stood in front of her with open arms, waiting for her reaction.

And while she did stop when he stood in front of her, her reaction was much the same as before. Silence. She stared at him, her expression impassive.

Mono waited with bated breath. The silence stretched for what felt like hours. They stared at each other without saying anything for so long that any sound he heard from the forest made him flinch.

And when someone finally moved, it wasn't to break the silence between them. Six just walked around him and kept walking.

Mono stood there in shock again as he heard her walking away. He could feel his eyes burning with tears. And he didn't think he was going to be strong enough to hold them back.

"I can't just leave her alone like this..." He thought "Even if she doesn't want me around I can still help her when she needs it." He tried to think of a reason to keep going "I won't leave her alone... I-... I will protect her." He turned to follow after her. But, deep down, he knew that what he was thinking was just an excuse.

He just didn't want to leave her side.

So he followed after her, a few steps back. He knew she was aware of his presence. She had looked back to see if he was following but didn't do more than that.

They walked for a long time after that. Long enough for the already damp soil to turn muddier and the trees to look different.

Every step they took now left a trail of footsteps behind them and the mud was wet enough to stick to their feet.

There were puddles all around them now. Some were big while others were small. The grass that grew around them had a dirtier shade of green than before.

And when they arrived in a spot where there was more water than ground that had trees with exposed roots growing from it, Mono finally knew where they were.

If the scenery hadn't already been enough for him to guess, the smell certainly was.

They were in The Swamp.

He knew because he had seen this location before. On the map, The Hollow Den showed them.

Mono finally realized where they were going. But he didn't want to believe. Six couldn't be doing what he was thinking of.

"Six!" He shouted to get her attention, stopping her at the edge of the murky water "Where are going? Where are you taking us?" He asked with a no-nonsense tone in his voice.

Six stood still for a few seconds before turning around and looking at him with a smug face.

"Well..." She finally spoke to him, but her next words made him wish she hadn't "I don't know where YOU are going. But if you ask where I am going to, well..."

"I am hunting Nightmares."

The Shadow was furious.

It had been searching for its prize for hours now but didn't find anything.

It had found a trail hours ago but that had ended in a tree. It had searched above and below the thing but hadn't found anything.

They had seemingly disappeared. And that pissed it off.

It knew that bag boy had powers but they weren't strong enough to make them disappear like that. At least not yet.

So it began searching for them in a circle around the tree that they disappeared into.

It found some small animals that it used to sate its hunger for a while but no signs of the two kids it wanted.

Seeing that its hunt wasn't going well, it stopped at a random place in the forest and tried to feel them again. It entered a kind of meditative state while it searched.

It could feel all the life around it. Like lights in the darkness. Every living being had one. Trees, animals, kids, Nightmares, etc. Each one was unique in itself, no two lights were the same.

It also knew that those things had another name it was commonly known for.

Souls.

And the souls it was looking for were very distinct. Like a beacon in a storm. It could feel them from miles away, and it was going to find them.

But something or someone was hiding them from it.

So it had no choice but to wait.

And it was rewarded for doing so.

Because when it felt that blinding soul leaving the tree they disappeared into, it opened a chilling smile on its featureless face.

It had walked a long way from that location now but no matter. Now that it knew where they were. It wasn't going to let them escape again.

Not even to the being the two kids were walking towards.

Chapter Text

Mono thought he must be hearing things. Six didn't say what he thought she said. "You... are going to... what?" He froze in shock.

Six gave him a smug smile "Hunt Nightmares." She repeated.

Mono paled at her response. He hoped he had heard wrong the first time but turns out he didn't. "You- You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking..." He was getting anxious.

"No. I'm not." She answered with a straight face.

Mono blanked for a second before he felt something bubbling up in his gut. "Are you- Are you crazy!?" His voice started rising "You are going to get yourself killed! What made you think you can just go and kill a Nightmare by yourself?!"

Six looked quite pissed at being shouted at, "I did! You saw the same things as me! 'We' killed two of them already! I'm sure we can kill more!" She shouted back at him.

"I already told you!" He got closer to her "WE.ARE.NOT.THEM! We haven't killed anything Six!" He spoke to her face.

"But we can be!" She spoke back "We can be like the two of them! Go on a quest to kill Nightmares!" She started pacing "I am sick and tired of running Mono! Tired of hiding! I want to make them pay! Pay for doing this to the world!" She shouted with venom in her voice as she stepped closer to him, her face inches away from his.

"You don't even know if that is what they were doing!" He tried to reason with her "To me, it didn't look like 'we' were in a quest to hunt monsters, it looked like 'we' were just trying to survive! If 'we' were hunting Nightmares as you said, why didn't 'we' kill The Teacher?" He asked her while straightening himself and crossing his arms.

Six straightened herself as well and turned her head to the side in confusion. She had to admit he had a point. But she refused to agree with him. "Maybe we just left to get her later! You know, leaving the hard ones last!" She tried to guess.

Mono hardened his stare at her "Harder than a Hunter with a gun? Harder than a crazy Doctor that crawled on the ceiling?" He poked holes in her reasoning.

"I-! You-!" She stuttered "Shut up!" She blushed in anger "At least I'm not trying to hide forever! You saw what the Den showed! It wants us to kill those things! It's the only way of knowing our destiny!"

"I'm trying to hide to keep us safe! And how can you know what a 'wall' is trying to say- Wait." He stopped, distracted by her last comment "What do you mean by 'knowing our destiny'?" He asked, confused by her last comment.

"The walls stopped showing 'our' future after we..." She left the rest unsaid. But Mono knew exactly what she was talking about. He lowered his head in shame. "Anyway," She shook her head "The Den didn't show what happened after 'we' left The Hospital. It just kept showing this big drawing of a lock. And when I asked what we had to do to see the rest it just showed the map again." She explained.

Now that made Mono get angry again "And you thought it was a great idea to just leave and go 'hunting' alone?" His voice oozed sarcasm as he emphasized the hunting part.

Six looked at him with a sneer "Oh but I am not alone, am I?" She looked at him meaningfully.

Mono quickly realized what she meant as his eyebrows raised in shock "You-! You tricked me!" He pointed at her, the pain in his voice was obvious.

Six had at the very least turned her head away in shame when she heard the pain in his voice. "It was the only way!" She turned toward him again "If I told you from the beginning what I wanted to do you would have stopped me!"

"OF COURSE I-" His voice shook the area around them, he was getting unstable again. And though Six didn't look scared this time, she had definitely flinched.

He took a moment to control his temper and began speaking again "Of course, I would have stopped you! This is a stupid plan! How the heck are we supposed to kill those monsters with only the two of us?! We are just kids!" He gesticulated with his arms to keep himself steady.

"I- I-... We-" Six had to admit, she had not planned this through at all. She had only thought of bringing him along at the time, but now that they were here and she was being questioned about what to do she couldn't come up with anything. "We... will figure something out..." She said while looking away from him.

Mono was getting tired of being shocked. "You have nothing..." He whispered "YOU-! ARGH!" His voice trembled again and he decided to move away from her. Even if he was very angry at her right now he didn't want to hurt her.

Mono walked away from her and began pacing to vent his frustration. "How could she have been so dumb?! Why doesn't she listen to me?! Why the heck is she so fixated on this 'quest' to kill monsters?! She didn't even have a plan?! She tricked me?! Why did she do that?!" His thoughts spiraled in his head in a turmoil of anger.

As Six observed her companion pace around in anger, she began to feel guilty about tricking him. Yes, she was angry at him for scaring her but she didn't think her actions would affect him like this.

It didn't look like he was calming down any time soon. If anything, it looked like it was getting worse.

Six watched as her companion began to emit sparks now. The air around him started to vibrate with power, the scenery behind him getting distorted in her vision.

She took a few steps back in worry he might explode but had to stop when she reached the edge of the murky water. Any further, and she might fall into the swamp.

Looking at her distressed companion, she hoped he calmed down soon. She was starting to get scared.

Mono stopped as his thoughts came around a full circle again. He was pissed. He felt full. Stuffed. He looked at himself and how his powers were activated. But this time, his anger clouded his fears.

He stared at a tree in front of him. He needed to do something to release all the pent-up energy he had. Letting his powers guide him, he lifted his arms toward the tree in front of him and began to twist.

He felt his energy leaving him as it traveled through his arms and flowed toward the tree. The ground began to shake as the tree began to slowly twist and disappear toward a black hole in its center.

Six stared in shock as the tree broke with thunderous sounds and its roots were uprooted. The awe and fear she felt as Mono used his powers left her speechless.

When the tree finally disappeared into the void, the black hole slowly disappeared, leaving only a crater where the tree once was.

"*huff*...*huff*..." Mono was breathless from the effort. It was the second time he had used his powers willingly and the toll on his body left him breathless. Though this time, he managed not to pass out.

He lowered himself with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. His bag was feeling stuffy for some reason so he lifted it to his forehead to breathe better.

When he felt he had finally calmed down enough, he turned to look at Six again. She had a surprised expression on her face.

He noticed he was still angry with her. He gave her a look of disappointment and looked away, walking to sit at a tree on the side. Not noticing his companion blushing in shame.

Six stared at her friend with guilt. He was very distressed and she didn't feel good about being the cause of it.

She watched as he walked and sat at a tree nearby. He then proceeded to cross his arms on his knees and hide his face in them.

Six stood there for a few minutes without knowing what to do. She shifted her weight a few times and finally started walking toward him.

She took a seat at his side and stared at his lowered form. "He's still angry..." She noticed.

She looked at her hands as she rubbed them, trying to think of something to say. Her mouth opened a few times but closed quickly after as if she thought better.

They spent a few more minutes in silence when she finally got tired of feeling bad and decided on what she wanted to do. "I'm sorry." She apologized.

Mono twitched but gave no other sign of moving.

Six decided to keep speaking "I'm sorry I tricked you Mono. It wasn't nice to do that." She tried placing a hand on his.

He flinched but made no otter movement. His anger shifted into another feeling.

She waited for any signs he had understood her, and after a few more seconds he finally answered. "Are you... Aren't you scared?..." He said, voice barely a whisper.

She looked at him in confusion "Of what? She asked.

This time, Mono took more time to answer. As if he didn't want to ask her. "...of me?" He responded.

"Oh..." Six realized what he was worried about. "Well... I would be lying if I wasn't..." She paused when she saw him trying to move away from her "In the beginning!" She held him and quickly finished her response.

Mono paused and grew curious at her statement. He lifted his head a little to look at her. "...what do you mean?" He questioned.

Six looked at his cute expression and looked away as she blushed "Well..." She scratched her head "I was scared when I saw it the first time and when you shouted at me..." She looked at him as he dropped his head in guilt. "But..." He looked at her again "The first time I saw you use them... It was when you saved me from that black fog..." She reminded him "So while yes, I was a little troubled at first, it was really easy to accept it as... just something that you had. But you did scare me when you used them on me. So I'm still pissed about that." She looked at him with a scowl.

Mono stared at his friend with unbelief. How could she be so... so accepting? She didn't have to stay with him after he frightened her. But here she was just explaining to him how she was okay with him being able to make a tree disappear in seconds.

He didn't know what to feel. Relief, distress, confusion. So he just focused on something he should have done before "I'm sorry for scaring you... I- I didn't mean to..." He stopped talking as his feelings clogged his throat. He was tearing up.

Six became distressed when she saw him crying. She got closer and pulled him into her arms. "It's okay..." She comforted him, closing her arms around him as if to protect him from the world.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes. Just enough for Mono to control his feelings again. And when he was ready, he finally made a decision.

"Okay..." She heard him speak as he left her arms and sat at her side again "I will go with you." He spoke as he looked hesitant at her and cleaned his face with his hands.

She looked at him confused for a few seconds. Her mind was still in their hug, their embrace brought her a comfort she hadn't felt in years.

But when she finally realized what he was saying her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You mean..."

"I am going to help you with our quest." He spoke as he lowered his bag down.

Chapter Text

"Well," Mono said as he got up and wiped his clothes "We are going to need a plan if we want to keep going." He looked at her with a tired expression "We can't just walk to it and hope it just dies." He joked with her.

Six looked annoyed at him "Shut up..." She looked to the side in shame "That wasn't what I was going to do..." She lifted herself as well.

"Sure you weren't." He made fun of her "So what was it you were thinking?" He asked.

Six looked at him with a conflicted expression "I... was going to plan as I went..." She answered with a red face.

Mono stared at her in disbelief and sighed "Of course you were..." He wondered if he should drag her back to the Den and forget everything about this 'quest'.

Six crossed her arms and huffed at him, "Well what do you have in mind then? Mr. Smarty Bag." She scowled at him.

Mono looked at her with a smile. She was so cute when she was angry. "First," He began to explain "We need to know what kind of Nightmare we are dealing with." He began to pace in front of her "From what we have seen, all of those monsters have a fixation of some kind."

"What is 'fixation'?" She asked him while tilting her head in confusion.

Mono stopped and looked at her, trying to think of a way to explain while rubbing his chin "It's... kinda like when you only do one thing a lot. And you like doing it too much, I think? Something like that." He tried to explain as best as he could. It's been a while since he had read the dictionary.

After he explained it to her, suddenly the actions of the NIghtmares made a lot more sense. They were monsters stuck in a prison made by their fixations. She nodded at him in understanding.

"Anyway," He went back to pacing "What do we know about this Nightmare we are going towards?" He asked her this time "You saw the map right? What did it say?"

Six held her chin as she remembered what she saw on the map "I was going towards the closest Nightmare to The Hunter. His territory was called The Wilderness and next to it was The Swamp." She pointed at the murky water close to them "Which is where we are at the edge of now."

Mono nodded in comprehension at what she pointed out "And what else? What about the owner of this place?" He asked her.

"Well, that's the thing." She rubbed the back of her head, upset. "It only had its name on it, with a black silhouette under it." She huffed in frustration.

He blanked a little at the information before facepalming. "That's it? That's all the map said?" He muttered in frustration.

"...yes." She responded in a small voice. Six knew what was coming next.

Mono sighed and lowered his head in defeat. He could feel a headache coming. They had no plan, no weapon, and no information on what they would face in there. Just a name.

"Six." He spoke to her with his hands on his face in frustration "Remind me again why you thought it was a good idea to come here?" His voice sounded muffled by the bag and his hands. But she could feel the disappointment in her.

Six turned her head away in embarrassment "I never said it was a good idea..." She whispered to herself.

But Mono heard her and sighed even more now. He waited for a few seconds to regain his composure before speaking to her again. "So," He turned to her again "What's the name of this thing? What are we going to face?" He asked her with trepidation.

Six looked at him and explained "Her silhouette didn't show much but I think it's a woman because of the long hair. And she was wearing a big pointy hat." She noticed he perked up when she mentioned the hat. She was going to question him about it sometime later. "And her name is..."

"The Witch"

Deep in the infested grounds of The Swamp, past the strange symbols hung from the crooked trees and the strange animals that lurked in the murky water, chilling laughter could be heard coming from a hut.

"Kye he he he he he!"

This hut was made with the same dark oak trees that grew around it in a circle. As if the trees were a cage for whatever lived in the building.

The roof was made of straws and the hut was suspended above the water by strong logs that extended from it into a pier. The only way in and out of it. The pier had a rotted boat tied to it with a brown rope. It didn't make sense how the thing was still floating.

Inside the hut, there was a big cauldron in the middle of the room. The fire under it was lit and the contents inside of it suggested that something was being cooked.

"Keep stirring that pot Spoon! Only stop when I order you to! Ke ke ke!" The monster that lived inside spoke with a scratching voice to the cooking utensil that was moving by itself on the cauldron.

The object moved faster in fear of angering its master.

"Good boy! Kye ke!" The Nightmare laughed in satisfaction.

The Witch was standing close to a table that had various cooking utensils doing different tasks. There were a couple of knives chopping vegetables and another spoon mixing spices. All moving by themselves.

*CHOP* The sound echoed in the room. It was accompanied by the rattling of metal and wood all around The Witch. "QUIET ALL OF YOU!! OR YOU ARE GOING TO BE NEXT!! The Witch shouted to the other beings in the hut.

What The Witch was preparing was an animal. A small deer. It was chopping its meat to cook it in the cauldron.

But every sound of the knife going down on the meat was accompanied by the rattling of wood and metal. "Do you want to be my next meal, Spoon?" The Witch spoke to the object stirring the cauldron. It shook in fear before quickly going back to its task in silence.

"What about you guys?" It said to the utensils on the table with a wicked smile, getting the same reaction. "Good good! Kye ke ke!" It laughed menacingly "Good tools stay alive longer~ Ke ke ke!"

The tools kept moving in despair. They didn't want to end like the 'deer' on the chopping block.

"And what about you my dear?" The Witch spoke with malice to something above her "Still going to give me the silent treatment?" It sneered.

Hanging from the ceiling of the hut was various cages made of metal. They had different sizes to fit anything The Witch might capture.

They were mostly empty now, except for one.

The one The Witch was talking to.

"Still nothing huh?"The Witch frowned in displeasure. It liked when its prey cried and begged for their lives. But this one was proving to be a lot more tougher than it thought. "No matter! Ke ke ke..." The Witch laughed menacingly "As soon as I am done with this I will decide what you will be, ke ke ke!"

It grabbed one of the knives on the table and raised it to show it to the being in the cage. The knife trembled in fear in the hand of its master. "A TOOL!" And then it grabbed the dead animal on the chopping block "OR A MEAL! KYA KA KA KA KA KA!" The Nightmare laughed with malice, making the 'beings' in the hut tremble in fear.

The Witch went back to cooking after being ignored by the being in the cage again. Leaving it to despair alone.

Inside the cage was a small person hunched on itself, with its head hidden on its arms. A kid.

Like most kids, they were barefoot.

They were wearing black shorts with a black and blue cardigan.

They didn't know how they got here. They only remembered waking up on a beach and being trapped by this monster. But they didn't despair as most kids did. They were used to dealing with those things.

They only needed to wait for a good opportunity to escape.

'She' lifted her head, showing her braided hair that was hidden before.

She wasn't going to die. Not today. Her eyes shined with determination.

Chapter Text

"The Witch..." Mono repeated, "This doesn't sound good at all..."

Six noticed the worried look on his face "You know what that is?" She asked.

He nodded "Yes, I do." He began pacing again "And it's bad Six. Really bad." He stopped and looked at her, fear on his face. "I told you Six. We shouldn't be going against these things, they are dangerous."

Six sighed. "I know..." She agreed with him this time, "But I told you, the wall won't show us our future if we don't kill The Nightmares." She looked at him with a serious expression.

"But what if you are wrong?" He got closer to her, "What if that's not what it wants us to do?" He asked her with the same seriousness.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow at his questions, "What do you mean?"

"What if it's not about The Nightmares... but instead it's about us?" He pointed at himself and her.

Six was getting even more confused now "I'm still not getting it." She crossed her arms.

"Look," Mono began to pace in front of her "The wall stopped showing our future after our... discussion." He didn't want to say fight "So maybe, it's not that we need to kill monsters to reveal the next part," He stopped in front of her again and looked at her face "Maybe..." He paused, he felt something on his chest. That same pain he felt when he saw the name of the den. He ignored it for now, "Maybe we... just aren't ready for what it wants to show us next." He looked at her with grief.

Six looked at him with uncertainty. She didn't want to believe his words. But the way he said it... it made a lot more sense than her 'hunt' for monsters. She wasn't finding a way to refute his words.

She looked down in defeat. How was she supposed to be like her 'cool other self' now? If the cave doesn't want us to kill those monsters then why did it show me the map?

Mono saw the effect his words had on her. She was troubled but he could see she still wanted to go after those things.

Sighing in defeat, Mono put a hand on her shoulder and began speaking "Look Six," He looked into her eyes "We can still go after The Witch." She looked hopeful at that "Just promise one thing." He waited for her response.

"What?" She asked.

"If things get too dangerous, we run and never try anything like this ever again." He put both of his hands on her shoulders now "Can you promise me that?"

Six noticed how serious he was being. Even if he was afraid, he was trying to do what she wanted. She couldn't help but feel bad again for lying to him before. "I promise." It was the least she could do.

Mono nodded at her before releasing her and then looked around in search of something. "Now, the second thing we need to do is to find a way to get to The Nightmare." He began to walk in a random direction "Help me find something to use as a boat and then I can explain to you what a witch is on the way."

Six stared at his back as he walked away from her. "He still wants to help me even after I lied to him..." Guilt haunted her thoughts as she followed Mono to the forest.

They walked like that for most of the day in search of a 'boat'. Mono tried using sticks to build a raft but they didn't find anything they could use as a rope. Six tried using a big log they found at the base of a tree, but when she climbed it the log started rolling and she almost fell to the ground. Luckily for her, Mono was there to catch her.

"Are you okay?" He asked the girl in his arms, concern showing through his eyes.

Six froze in his arms. She stared at him with her face blazing. "Y- yes. I'm f- fine." She forced herself to respond after seeing his worried expression.

"That's good." Mono sighed in relief "You could have hurt yourself really bad you know?" He scolded her.

"Y- yes... I- I'm sorry..." She meekly responded "C- can you put me down n- now? P-please?" She pleaded.

Mono felt his whole world shaking when he stared at her face. Her head was lowered a little bit and he could see her eyes looking up at him. Her nose and cheeks were dotted with pink making it a truly beautiful sight. "She is so cute..." He felt his cheeks burn in realization. He had heard what she asked but he was finding it hard to do it. He didn't want to put her down.

"M- Mono?" She called him when he didn't respond. He was staring straight at her face without blinking. It was making her nervous.

Mono didn't know what was happening. He felt there was something he should be doing now. Something that should be done when there was a girl in your arms. He felt like he should be a mess right now but something kept nagging at him to do... he didn't know what.

He tried really hard to remember what it was but came up with nothing. So he decided to just let his body do what it wanted.

Mono brought her face closer to his. He saw her eyes widen before he closed his. Their faces got closer and closer and then... *touch*.

Their foreheads touched.

Six didn't know what to feel. She paled when he suddenly got closer and closer while closing his eyes. Her words got stuck in her throat and she closed her eyes in fear of what could happen.

But when she felt his head touching her's she felt... so warm.

As if there was a blanket on her whole body. She relaxed in his arms as she felt his presence. And before she knew what she was doing she wrapped her arms around his head and hugged him. Rubbing her head on his.

They spent that tender moment with each other without no one to bother them. Neither of them knew what they were doing but they didn't care.

At least not until they got a hold of themselves a moment later and they slowly opened their eyes.

They looked at each other in shock for a few seconds before quickly looking away in shame. "C- c- can you put me down now please?!" Six pleaded again with urgency.

Mono quickly realized he was still holding her. "O- of c- course! H- here!" He slowly put her down.

When Six got down she quickly looked away from him in embarrassment. She definitely couldn't look at him right now.

The two red kids stayed there for a long time trying to understand what happened. With Mono scratching his head and Six her arm.

"What was that! What was I thinking?!"Mono berated himself but his thoughts rapidly became different when he remembered the moment "That was... That was so-!" He tried to hide his face with his hands but ended up just crumpling the paper bag on his face. But he didn't care about that right now.

No. Right now he only cared about denying how good it felt holding Six in his arms.

And Six wasn't much better than him. She also was hiding her face with her hands but wasn't denying how good it felt being carried by him. Instead, she was fighting the urge to ask him to carry her again.

The kids were stuck there with their thoughts for a few minutes before Mono eventually brought his mind back to the task at hand. "W- we should keep looking. We s- still need to find a boat." He stuttered while looking at her from the corner of his eyes. His cheeks were still very red.

"Y- yeah! Right! We should!" Six nervously responded before speed-walking ahead "Let's go!" She couldn't look at him right now. She felt that if she did she definitely was going to ask something embarrassing.

Mono quickly followed after her in surprise. She was practically running away from him. "Nice job idiot. Now she is uncomfortable". He scolded himself. Not knowing how wrong he was.

Mono and Six quickly went back to searching for the boat with renewed vigor. Wanting to distract themselves from what happened.

They scoured every part of the forest around the edge of The Swamp until they finally found what they were looking for.

"Look" Mono pointed at something stuck in the mud "It's a drawer." He circled the object, looking for any signs of damage. When he didn't find anything he spoke "Looks big enough for both of us and doesn't look too damaged."

Six examined the object in question and noted the same things as him "We should give it a try and see if it floats." She looked at him with determination.

Mono nodded and tried pulling the drawer out of the mud. "Hnnnnnnnngggg" He used all of his strength but the object barely moved. "Quick... help me..." He spoke while struggling.

Six quickly went to help her companion and together they finally pulled the thing out of the mud.

Looking at the drawer, they saw that it was indeed in good condition. Now they only needed to test it.

They both lifted the object and carried it toward the edge of The Swamp. Getting closer to the water, they slowly lowered it to the ground to not damage it.

"So how are we doing this?" Six asked.

Mono looked at the drawer for a moment before looking around. He saw what he wanted a few steps away from him and quickly went to grab it.

Six watched her friend walking to some bushes and coming back with a very big stick with a leaf on its end. She looked at him confused.

"It's a paddle." He explained.

She nodded in realization.

"So here's what we are going to do." He got closer to the drawer "We push this thing into the water then we see if it floats. If it does, then you get inside while I hold the drawer so it doesn't float away." He paused to see if she had anything to say against it. When nothing came, he continued "If the thing still keeps floating with you inside, then I will jump in and see if it still stays the same. If nothing wrong happens we push it away from the ground and start paddling." He took a moment to regain his breath. That was a mouthful.

Six nodded at him and waited in position.

Mono got in position at her side and they both pushed.

The drawer slowly inched into the water and began floating. They looked inside to see if there were any damage but the thing was still intact.

Mono looked at Six and nodded.

She nodded back at him and slowly went inside their 'boat'. When the drawer still kept floating with the weight added to it, Six nodded at Mono that it was safe.

"This is it..." Mono thought as he got inside the 'boat' "No turning back now." He pushed the boat away from the ground and the drawer floated away along the murky waters. Leaving a trace where the object passed.

Their journey has just started...

Chapter Text

Mono and Six drifted through the muddy waters of The Swamp.

The place was strangely silent as Mono slowly rowed the boat forward. There wasn't a current so he just followed the most obvious path he could see.

He looked around anxiously for any sign of danger but everything was quiet for now. Almost too quiet.

"Mono" So quiet that he was surprised when Six called him, he twitched a little making the boat stumble in the water.

"Geez Six..." Mono sighed in relief "Don't do that. I almost fell into the water." He exaggerated.

"Sorry," She said with a small smile on her face. "I just wanted to hear more about the witches that you know." Six was sitting on the other side of the boat, hugging her knees. "You said you would explain more when we found a boat."

"Ah. That's true." He realized, "Let's see what I can remember..." He slowly moved the boat forward as he recalled the books he had read before.

"From what I know, witches are evil adults that use some kind of powers to do bad things." He frowned at the images in his head.

"...what kind of things?" Six asked with apprehension.

"There were a lot of different witches." He began to explain as he made the boat drift a little to the side to avoid a log floating on the water "There were ones that used poison to make people sleep forever. Ones that turned you into animals or objects. There was even one that turned herself into an enormous lizard with wings. That one was very scary." He shivered when the image popped into his head. "I think it was called a 'dragon'." He recalled.

"A dragon..." Six repeated. For some reason, she thought the name sounded cool. She wanted to see the image of it now. "So what kind of witch you think she might be?" She asked him.

"I honestly don't know..." He responded anxiously "She could be of any kind or worse..." He said ominously.

She lifted her eyebrows in concern "How much worse?" She almost dreaded the answer.

Mono didn't say anything for a few seconds before finally looking at her in the eyes with a scared expression "She could be all of them..." He said with dread.

Six widened her eyes in shock. Suddenly, this quest didn't sound like a very good idea after all but she shook her head at the thought. She wanted to be just like her 'cool other self'. She wasn't a coward. She could protect herself.

"But what about Mono?" Her mind contradicted her will "Can you protect him as well? He only came because of you after all..." And she couldn't deny it. Because it was true.

"What if something happened to him?" She looked at the boy in front of her. He was guiding the boat while avoiding any obstacles they found.

"I can protect him as well..." She thought to herself. But even in her mind, she sounded doubtful.

The truth was that she didn't know what could happen. If something did happen to him... Six perished the thought before it could form.

"We are going to be fine. I will make sure of it." She promised herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar sound to both of them.

*Grooooowl*

They both flinched before quickly realizing what the sound was.

Mono looked at her and confirmed his suspicions. Her hunger was back. Her fangs were poking out and her hair was parted, showing her glowing red eyes.

"Oh no..." Six grumbled, "Not now." It was a very bad moment to be hungry since there wasn't anything to eat around them now. She tried to hug herself tighter to distract herself from her stomach.

"Hey," Mono called her. He had stopped rowing to get closer to her. Kneeling in front of her, he put a hand on hers to get her attention. "It's okay Six. We can search for food after we get to... well, wherever we are going to." He said with a small smile.

Six looked at him for a few seconds and saw that again, he didn't show any fear while looking at her like this. It comforted her so much that it made her feel all kinds of warm again. "I'm definitely not letting anything happen to you..." She promised herself again with more confidence as she grabbed his hands and brought them to her face.

She didn't know what she was doing right now but she knew that she wanted it.

Mono gasped in surprise when Six brought his hand to her face. He froze in place as she rubbed her cheeks on it while looking fondly at him.

He felt himself burning as he stared at her actions in embarrassment. He felt his whole body warming up as the feeling of her soft cheek registered in his brain.

"This girl is going to kill me!" He exclaimed in his head as he felt his heart going crazy in his chest.

The moment lasted for what felt like hours for both of them before they were interrupted by a strange sound.

*splash*

They quickly separated in shock. The sound sent shivers down their spine. The moment was forgotten as their instincts to survive took over.

Getting up with haste, they looked around in attention for any signs of danger.

Mono was the first to notice something different "There..." He whispered. He didn't want to attract whatever was that made that sound.

Looking at where he was pointing, Six noticed two gaps in the stale water. Something had jumped out and gone back under.

They quickly realized The Swamp wasn't as uninhabited as they thought. The silence had clearly given them the wrong idea.

Waiting for something to happen, they tried searching the water for any movement that gave away what could be under it.

The silence that followed almost deafened them. Everything seemed normal now. No signs of anything moving around. Not even a ripple.

Mono looked at Six and saw that she was as anxious as he was. Fear nagging in their minds of what could be under them.

Deciding that they had stayed in one place for long enough, Mono nodded at Six and motioned towards the paddle. He was going to move them and was asking her to get ready.

She nodded back at him and stayed in attention. She was ready. Nothing could escape her with the way she was now. If there was anything good about the hunger it was how much it heightened her senses.

She wouldn't let anything hurt them.

Mono slowly walked away from her and lowered himself to grab the stick. The drawer rocked back and forth creating ripples in the water as he moved. But still no sign of movement.

He grabbed the paddle and calmly lowered it to the water and waited for something to happen.

After a few seconds of silence, he looked toward Six again and saw her nodding back. She was ready.

Nodding in response, he began to move the boat forward with slow movements. All the while both were looking around for anything that might jump at them.

After a few minutes of nothing happening, Mono began to relax "I think-" But this was a mistake.

*splash!*

Because the moment he spoke out loud a creature jumped out of the water towards him.

A row of sharp teeth appeared in front of him. Mono felt as if the world was moving very slowly as the creature's mouth neared his face.

He didn't even have time to think of moving out of the way as he only closed his eyes and waited for his end...

*POW* Kraaaaa! *SPLASH!*

But it never came.

Slowly opening his eyes he looked at himself and saw that he was still whole. He sighed in relief but became confused at how he was still alive.

The answer was right in front of him.

Looking at his companion, he saw that Six had a fist stretched out toward the water. As if she had just punched something.

He looked at her face and saw that she had a very angry expression while looking at the water. He glanced at the focus of her fury and saw that the water was still rippling from the object that had just fallen in.

Mono had a shocked expression when he looked back at his friend. "You saved me..." He spoke with wonder in his voice.

Six looked at him and her expression calmed a little. She saw that he had a star-struck expression on his face. She swore she could almost see stars in his eyes.

Feeling her cheeks warm in embarrassment, she looked away while lowering her fist down. "It- It's nothing..." She said while rubbing her arm.

"Nothing!? That was amazing! I didn't even see it! You just saved my life by punching that-! What even was that thing anyway?!" Mono exclaimed in surprise. He didn't if he should feel amazed at his friend or scared that he almost died.

Six frowned at the mention of the thing that attacked them. "It... It looked like some kind of fish but..." Her frown worsened.

"But what?" He asked anxiously.

"Its eyes..." She pointed at her own "They were white." She explained.

"White eyes..." Mono repeated, "I don't know of any fish with white eyes..." He spoke while trying to remember the animal books he had read before.

"They looked almost like..." She tried to remember the word, snapping her finger when she finally recalled it "Like glass!"

Mono looked confused at her description. He still didn't know of any fish like that. Especially if they had so many sharp teeth. He would definitely remember information like that.

"I think we should-" *SPLASH* "Look out!" Six pushed Mono down with her as the fish crunched its jaw above them.

Quickly scampering back up again and looking around, they saw that the fish was stalking their boat now. Waiting for another opportunity to grab them.

Looking determined, Six grabbed the paddle and shoved it at Mono with a little more strength than she intended, making him stumble backward a little bit.

She looked ashamed at the action "Sorry but you need to keep rowing! I'm gonna keep that thing from getting us!" She exclaimed at him and stood guard against the monster.

Mono didn't protest and quickly got in position, moving the boat with all the strength he could manage.

The drawer moved faster now along the murky waters of The Swamp. Our heroes had just met the other residents of it besides The Witch.

Creatures that had been transformed by her and lost themselves for spending too much time as an animal.

They had entered the territory of The Jaws.

Chapter Text

"Duck!" Six yelled at Mono. He wondered why she was speaking about a different animal when they were being attacked by fish but his thoughts were quickly interrupted when he was yanked forward by Six.

He heard the distinctive sound of jaws closing above his head before disappearing again under the water.

"Ohhhh..." He realized "She meant that kind of duck..." Mono became red with shame at his blunder.

"Mono! Focus!" Six yelled before ducking and punching a fish that jumped at them again.

"I'm sorry!" He scampered to get back to rowing the boat. Grabbing the oar again he used all his strength to move the drawer forward.

They were surrounded.

It was only one fish at the beginning but the commotion attracted a whole school of them.

Mono had already counted five of them now. He wondered how many more would it take for them to be overwhelmed. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Making him move the boat as fast as he could.

He kept his mind focused by watching Six fight the awful things.

Mono thought it was amazing the way she avoided the monsters at the last second. Almost as if she could feel where the things would jump from. Then, when she had skillfully averted being bitten, she quickly turned and launched a powerful kick that sent the creature back where it came from.

It was mesmerizing.

His trance was interrupted again when his world tilted sideways. Six had, once again, saved his life.

"I said focus!" Six was getting quite annoyed at him. He could see it on her face. She quickly went back to her position to avoid being caught by surprise.

She was definitely going to pull his ear when they made it out alive of this. If they made it out alive at all. Since he was too busy getting distracted by the girl in front of him.

Mono shook his head and concentrated on the task at hand. Not dying. He could daydream about the beautiful girl in front of him later. The thought brought a blush to his cheeks. "I mean! I will think about her later! Wait... That's the same thing!" He shook his head to focus. He was getting distracted again.

When he looked forward again he saw one of the fishes jump at him. He promptly reacted by ducking under it and moving his hand on instinct. He pushed the monster away while accidentally activating his powers. His hand sparked with power and shocked the fish back into the water.

The fish fell under and came back floating after a few seconds. It didn't move anymore.

Everything stopped for a moment as the kids and the monsters stared at it. The fish twitched for a few seconds before it stopped moving altogether.

The glassy white eyes of The Jaw began dissipating in a mist and turning black. It flowed upwards in a stream as it disappeared above the trees.

Among the silence of The Swamp, Mono and Six could almost hear a faint whisper being uttered.

Thank you...

The silence stretched for an uncomfortable minute after that. No one moved for what felt like an eternity.

*RUMBLE*

But it was suddenly broken by The Jaws trashing around them in outrage. They did not take kindly for having killed one of them.

"Mono! What did you do?!" Six desperately asked him as she tried to keep her balance in the shaking boat.

"I- I don't know! It was an accident!" Mono responded much the same way she had. He was doing his best to keep the drawer afloat but it was getting hard to maintain stability with the water so agitated.

The Jaws circled the boat with increased velocity now. The loss of its kin fueled their rage against the ones in the boat.

They began to jump at them more frequently and faster. It was getting hard to avoid them now.

Mono tried moving the boat forward but it was almost impossible with the rate of attacks increased. He saw that Six was also getting tired of fighting those things. He could see they were beginning to scratch her and leaving little red marks on her skin.

The sight of her getting hurt fueled his desperation to get out of the swamp faster. He didn't want to die. But even more, he didn't want HER to die.

Watching their surroundings with increased caution, Mono noticed something strange about the monsters.

Throughout the entire fight, Mono counted five monsters around them. He had killed one before, so there should be only four fish now.

The problem was, there were only three.

When he noticed one of the things was missing, Mono felt a shiver go down his spine as he felt danger approaching. He desperately looked around to find the missing fish but didn't see anything. Only the three that were trying to get Six.

"Six! There is something wrong!" He warned his friend "One of the fishes! It's-!" He saw that Six had turned her head toward him to listen but his words were interrupted.

He saw something jumping from the front of the boat toward her. And she couldn't see it. Because she was looking at him.

The Jaw had waited for this opportunity. It knew if they kept attacking, the ones in the boat would make a mistake sooner or later. And that time was now.

Mono watched in slow motion as the monster approached his friend's face. He tried to reach her to put her out of harm's way but he knew he wouldn't be able to get to her on time.

He watched as Six realized something was wrong and she turned back to see what was wrong.

Six saw the jaws of death approaching her face and used everything she still had to try to move out of its way.

She moved her head away as fast as she could but she knew wouldn't be able to fully avoid it. Deciding that a few scratches were better than her life, she turned her back to it and waited for impact. She trusted Mono would know what to do after.

Mono saw as the jaws of the monster scratched Six's back and sent her in his direction with the force of the impact. His eyes widened in shock at the movement but he quickly focused back on the moment. He knew what he had to do. He readily opened his arms to catch her. He might not have gotten to her on time, but he wouldn't fail her now.

The Jaw was angered its attack had failed. It managed to hurt one of the beings in the boat but not kill it. It stared in rage as the other one grabbed its companion and stopped them from falling out of the boat. The last thing it saw was the other one holding its companion before it plunged back into the water.

Mono desperately checked to see if Six was okay. Her face was pale and her breathing was erratic. But other than that she seemed fine.

But Mono wasn't dumb. What he saw was only a front. He saw how much damage that thing did to her back.

"Six! Six! Please talk to me!" He called to her with distress.

Her eyes fluttered for a few seconds before focusing on him. She saw Mono looking at her with an anxious look in his eyes. With her mind hazy, all she could think of was how she wanted to see his face. She weakly stretched a hand toward his face "Y-you... l-look much better... w-without the b-bag..." She spoke with a small smile on her face before passing out.

Mono blanked for a second before a frantic look appeared on his face "Six? Six! Wake up! Please!" He tried shaking her to wake her up but the movement only made something wet stick to his hands.

He lifted his hand to look at it and what he saw made his face pale in fright.

Red. It was so red.

He knew that she had been hurt by that monster but he had not seen how much. The red pooled under him. Turning the boat to its color.

Mono started shaking. He could feel his heart beating in his chest and another thing that begged to be free.

The Jaws trembled under the water as they felt something bad was about to happen. Their instincts yelled at them to move away but their bodies didn't obey.

The air around the boat trembled as Mono's emotions grew. His mind repeated a single phrase over and over.

Make them pay!!!

Sparks began to leave his body in arcs around the boat. It reached the trees close to it and burned some of them, while others were strangely cut in the middle by some unseen force.

Mono held Six close to him as he discharged everything that he had around him. He didn't care what the consequences would be. He only wanted to make them pay.

The arcs reached under the water and began to kill The Jaws one by one. One was scorched black by an arc of lightning. Another had its body twisted in opposing directions. The third one had its body bisected in the middle.

All three of them had their eyes dissipating into the mist like before. All of them thanked their savior for freeing them from their prison.

But the last one wasn't so lucky. It was the one that had hurt Six the most. And that was unforgivable.

The last Jaw had its body collapse into a small black hole. It disappeared into it pulling the water around with it.

No mist appeared from this one. It disappeared together with its body.

The waters raged around the boat with the displacement. Miraculously sending the boat forward deeper into The Swamp.

But Mono didn't care.

He held onto Six with the last of his strength before passing out.

The Shadow lifted its head in a random direction in The Wilderness. A grin stretched across its face as it felt an explosion of energy coming from far away.

It knew where they were now.

The Shadow lifted itself from the ground and began floating toward the territory of another Nightmare.

"And now, ke ke, just a little bit of despair..." The Witch spoke while turning a can over her cauldron.

She was about to add the last ingredient of her recipe when her hut suddenly started shaking, making her spill a lot more of the item than she intended.

The grains fell into the cauldron and began bubbling. The green concoction quickly turned purple and sizzled, before suddenly going black.

The Witch held herself up by holding onto the table. When the shaking finally stopped, she looked around to see if anything was broken before quickly turning to the cauldron.

When she saw that her concoction had turned black she was furious. She got closer to the pot to smell it and see if there was anything she could do to save it.

Giving a whiff, she hastily turned her head away due to the disgusting smell wafting from it.

"Nooooooooo!!" She wailed in fury. "Whoever did that! I will make sure that they will pay!" She promised herself. "First that little pest escaped and now this!" She kept grumbling and trashing around in search of the ingredients to start her recipe anew.

The tools around the house trembled as they feared for their lives. The Witch was angry, and they would be the ones to pay the price.

Not too far from there, someone observed a strange object floating into the shore of the trees surrounding the hut of the witch.

They watched from above as it stopped and noticed that it looked like a drawer.

They wouldn't give it much thought if it was just that but there was something inside of it.

Getting curious, they decided to see what it was that the normally still waters of The Swamp brought ashore.

They climbed down from the tree and approached the drawer while crouched.

Taking a peek inside, they were surprised to see two kids hugging each other while unconscious.

They stared at them and noticed that one of them was harmed. And there was a lot of blood on the bottom of the drawer.

Deciding they couldn't let these kids like this, it began to drag them to a hole it had found in one of the trees while exploring.

They would take care of them both for now...

Hopefully, they could also help her later. Thought the creature with a fluffy tail.

Chapter Text

Mono opened his and saw only darkness.

He looked around anxiously for any sign of color but saw only black.

He tried turning around but noticed he was floating in space. There was no ground under him.

He wiggled around trying to guess up and down but no matter how much he moved nothing changed.

Because there was nothing.

"I-... Where am I...?" He pondered "What is this place? I-... I was supposed to be doing something..." He had a feeling that something was missing.

"There is... Where are they?" He remembered he was with someone but didn't know who it was.

He closed his eyes to remember the person he was missing.

Slowly, images of a person began to appear in his mind. Eye-covering bangs, red eyes like a setting sun, sharp fangs as they hunger, a cardigan to keep them warm, and the sound of bare feet running along with him.

Yes. There was someone like that. Someone that made him feel warm. Someone, he should be protecting. Someone that... that was hurt because of him!

"Six!" He shouted her name as he remembered it.

*RUMBLE*

But suddenly, the darkness around him began to stir.

Mono quickly looked around but still didn't see anything. But he could feel it. The abyss was moving.

He waited for something to happen and noticed the faint whisper of a sound.

He concentrated on it and the sound grew louder. It was people talking. But at first, he couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Ẃ̵̦̋͌̒h̴͍̼̔̆̽̽a̶͓̐̂t̸͓̀̓ ̸͕̯͖̽͜d̶͖̔̿̑͝i̵̛̪̤̮̎̇̎d̵̛̺̰͙͌̃̿̚ ̷̰͚̳̂͗͐͘ẏ̸͙͈̙̭͔̈́o̷̧̜̜͙̐̔͛̈̚ṵ̷̰̪̂ ̵͓̹̤̭̹͘d̵̓ͅo̸̡̨̢̰̘͌͐̆̎?̵̧͚̳̭̻̀!̷̠̬̳̻̉̾" The first one sounded furious. It shouted every word with such anger that he felt intimidated by it even if he couldn't understand it.

"W̴̻͎͈̗̮̓̔ḥ̵͙̝̟͋̑͂͝ȁ̷͙̻͚̰̥͛̌t̵̛̩̼̱̋̾̚ ̷̢̠͖̇̑͛̆̚͜w̷̡̻͛͗͑̇͜e̵͇̘̔ ̴͖͚̑̇̂͆̓s̷̖͈̭̈h̶̼͌̌͜ơ̶̤̆͐u̷͈͚͖͛̓͛́l̷͖͛̿͌̐d̴̢̹̠̭͕̓ ̷̬̹̖̏̋̊͂͝h̶̙̠͌̏̈́́͠ă̸̜v̴̱͆̕ë̵̱͇̻́ ̵͚̥̪̤͎̇̾d̶̺͂̔͂ͅö̵̢̬̼̫͇́́n̶̈́͆̂̕͝ͅe̴̡̗̽ ̷͕̑͑̕ḩ̴̙͂͗̚ứ̶͚̈́̋ñ̶̼͒͐d̷͚͓̤̜̎͐̚͠ř̸̺̦͙͗͑͋e̶̛͕͉̫̜̋̈́̇̚d̵̦̦̄s̷͙̎͊̌͗̇ ̷͓̐̇̈́̅̈́o̶̬̱͖̿̓́̎͠f̶̧̛̤ ̷̛̦̪̅͗̚͠ý̵̪̗̻̿̄̽̉e̴̹͒̆̕͝a̴̗̙͆͂̆͑̚r̷̢̲̳̀s̴̟͗ ̶͓̯̓̀́̓̆a̷͕͒͋ǵ̴̨̧̟͙̹̄̄͝o̸̘͈͊̆.̸͙̖̼̥͉̂̒̏̕" The second voice sounded a lot calmer. Almost as if it didn't feel anything. A monotonous voice. "Ẃ̶̘̫̚ẻ̶͉̠̏ ̸̦́̿r̵̰͛e̴̙̯̒a̸̬͘l̴̻̈́́ì̴̭z̴̞̽̓e̵̩̗̓d̶̥̬̒̒ ̶̰͝a̶̬͒ ̵̙̋̒l̴̢̗̈́õ̴̧n̵̳̰̒g̵̫̥̍ ̷̰̠͘t̶̛͈̮̓i̴̦̓m̵̼̮͐e̶̺̘͗ ̴͙̂͋ä̷̙̬̆g̸̟͛o̸̘͕̔́ ̶͍͆t̵̨͙̅h̶̙̳̍a̶̯̔͊t̷̘͓̀ ̵̬̓ï̵͚̪̈ṯ̸̇ ̸̗̒̕w̵̝̽ȧ̷̠s̵̬̾̾ņ̶͙̚'̸̙̦͛̈́ṭ̶͈̽ ̵̮͌h̵̫̜͆̔e̴̔͗ͅṙ̷̡̙s̵̖͇̀ ̶̘̙͆̍ö̶̢̨́̽ŗ̶̩͋͛ ̸̯̱̒o̸̰̒u̷̠̔r̵͍̼̀͒ ̵̃͛͜f̶̗̹̓a̵̛͓u̷̞͑̀ļ̵̄̃ẗ̸͚́.̶̺̂ ̵̱̬̔Y̴͓͍̍̂o̴̺̙͝u̵͙̘͐̃ ̸͕̹͒͊k̶̛̘n̴̕͜o̸̤̓w̵͓̋ ̶̝̈t̴͉͓͘h̸͇̓ị̸͊ṣ̵̅ͅ ̵͓̮́ã̶͚ṣ̷̼̉ ̴̞̤̀w̵̝͝ě̸͙͉l̶͈̮̈͝l̸̦̍͑ ̷̢̠͐͝ả̶̤͇ṥ̴̥̖ ̸̨̔I̷̳͔͛̕ ̷͈̞̊d̵͉̄̀ơ̵̹͑.̶̡͗͠"

Mono furrowed his eyebrows. He wanted to understand what they were saying. It sounded like it was important. Almost familiar in a way.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the voices. He focused on wanting to understand them. He felt like he could do it. His instincts told him so.

"̷I̶ ̸d̶o̶n̷'̶t̶ ̶c̶a̸r̶e̷!̸ ̸S̸h̶e̵ ̴s̷h̶o̴u̶l̶d̸ ̶p̵a̶y̸ ̸f̴o̵r̵ ̸w̵h̸a̷t̴ ̵s̶h̵e̸ ̷h̶a̸s̸ ̷d̶o̴n̵e̶ ̸t̶o̴ ̴u̵s̶!̷"̶ Mono slowly turned the dial on his head. The static on the voices started to dissipate as he tuned into it.

"I knew you would say something like that..." He did it! He could understand them now. There was still some interference but he couldn't tune in more. The monotone voice sounded tired now. "That's why I am leaving you here..." They said with finality.

The other gasped furiously "What?! You can't do this to us!! We want our revenge!!" They shouted.

"No. From this moment on, it's only yours." The monotone voice said before Mono heard him walking. "I'm sorry it had to be this way... For a moment, they sounded almost sorrowful.

N̷̛͂̀͐̌̐O̷̍͌͌̌Ŏ̶̗̊̚ͅO̸̱͕͝Ŏ̶̡͜ͅƠ̵͉̾́̄̽̐͝O̶̾̓̓ The angry one shouted before it was stopped by the sound of a door closing.

The silence that came was almost deafening for Mono as he opened his eyes. He waited with bated breath for something more to happen but nothing did.

After a few minutes of trying to understand what he had heard, he came up with nothing. He didn't know any of those voices or why they sounded familiar. But he decided to remember what they said when he... woke up?

That's right! He needed to wake up!

He remembered now that he passed out after fighting those monsters in the swamp and then... Six! She was hurt! He needed to help her!

He struggled around trying to find to wake up but nothing seemed to work.

"C'mon" He closed his eyes in concentration "I need... to... wake up!" He spoke to himself.

"Well now, what are you doing here?" Spoke a thundering voice in the abyss "You aren't supposed to be here. At least not right now." It spoke in a monotonous tone.

Mono quickly realized with a chill on his back that this voice belonged to the same person that spoke a few minutes ago. "Who are you?! W- What do you want?!" He spoke with a trembling voice.

But the voice ignored his questions. "Let me send you back to where you belong." The abyss began to twist around him. Looks like whoever this was, they were waking him up.

"Wait!" Mono tried to hold himself in place a little longer but it felt like trying to hold water. He was slipping away. "At least tell me who you are!" He felt like he needed to know this!

But the voice still ignored him "Try not to use all of your powers at once like that again okay? I can't keep interfering like this. It uses too much energy..."

"Waaaaa-"

"-aaaait!" Mono woke up with a start in a cave.

He anxiously looked around trying to guess where he was. He tried to remember what he had dreamed about but found that his memories were cloudy.

He only remembered the last words the voice said to him. The reminder to not use all his powers at once.

As if he could control what they did. He sighed while shaking his head.

"Kyuu?(Are you okay?)" He heard someone ask.

"Kinda." He responded without thinking. "I feel...sluggish but fine otherwise..." He explained before freezing in shock.

He quickly realized three things.

First, it wasn't Six that asked him that question. It was a different voice.

Second, there was something else mixed with the question. A sound that he had definitely heard with it.

And third, he could see that Six was laying down next to him. Still unconscious.

Mono paled when he realized that there was someone or something else in the cave with them.

"Kyu ku? Ke kwa ku...(Are you sure? You don't look okay...)" Mono heard them asking. It sounded like a girl.

But why was her voice so strange?

Gathering his courage, he slowly turned his head toward the source.

What he saw was a small creature with his size. It looked like it had his height and had brown fur all over its back with its front being white. It had large brown eyes and a face that ended in a small muzzle.

He would have guessed it was a rat if not for the very bushy tail on its back.

The creature turned its head in confusion as he stared at it with wide eyes.

"Kyu ke ku?(Is there something on my face?)" The squirrel asked him.

"Wahhhhh!" Mono gasped and tumbled backward in surprise.

"Kyu ku ku...(I should have expected that *sigh*...)" The squirrel sighed as she went over to help the boy get up again.

This was going to be a long conversation...

Chapter Text

"That's it. I have finally gone crazy. Congrats Mono." He thought to himself while sprawled on the ground. "There's no way I just heard that squirrel talking." He said out loud without realizing it.

"Ke, kyu ky ku?(Wait, you can understand me?)" Her head popped up in his field of vision, startling him.

"Whoa!" Mono exclaimed while rolling and quickly getting up "What are you-!" But that was a bad idea "Ugh-!" Because his vision suddenly blurred and he started to lean forward.

"Kyu ku!(Careful!)" The squirrel exclaimed while halting his fall. "Kyu ku. Kyu ke ky ku.(You're still very weak. Move slowly.)" She spoke while lowering him back beside Six.

"Yep. Definitely crazy." He thought while closing his eyes to make them stop spinning.

"Kyu, kyu ke ke kuku ka, kyu kye ky kuka. Kyu... keke ku ke?(Look, I know it's a lot for you now, but I need to know. Can you... understand me?)" The squirrel asked in a hushed tone, making his head hurt.

He thought about lying to her for a moment but just ended up nodding in confirmation. He noticed how her eyes shined with glee at the information.

"Kyuuuuu! Ke ky ku ke ke! Kek ka ky kyu ke...(Thank god! I am so lucky! You wouldn't believe the things I have been through. I woke up at a beach near here and...)" She rambled at a fast pace.

Mono was having problems understanding what she was saying with his aching head. The animal sounds and the translation mixed themselves up as she talked. Making it difficult to keep up.

He tried to comprehend how he was able to understand her as she rambled. He had never understood animals before. What had changed?

"The dream..." He remembered how he used his powers to understand what those two people were saying in the dream "I can... tune... into what she is saying... He widened his eyes at the realization "I need to test this..."

He ignored the pain in his head for now and concentrated on the squirrel in front of him.

"Kyu ku, ky kwa ku ke...(And then, I got trapped in this cage...)" He focused on what she was saying and turned the tuning dial on his mind to the left, the translation fading the more he turned.

"Kyu, ke ku ke..." He could only hear the animal sounds now. He stared at the 'normal' squirrel now with wonder in his eyes.

Fascinated by what his powers could do, he turned the dial to the right this time, making the animal noises fade and leaving only the translation for him to hear.

"After I escaped the hut I climbed a tree and waited to see if she would chase me-..." He could only hear her voice now.

"This is so cool..." Mono tried changing back and forth a few times to see if this was really happening. It was the first time he was amazed at his powers.

"Are you listening to me?" The squirrel had noticed the boy in front of her was spacing out.

Mono focused back on what she was saying when he was called out. He decided to leave the dial on the translating option for now. He looked at her and noticed she looked a little annoyed he wasn't paying attention to her. "Y-yes!" He lied with embarrassment.

"Then what did I just say?" She lifted an eyebrow in a questioning manner with her hands on her hips.

"Ummmm..." Mono blanked. He looked away in shame while scratching his head. Which he noticed wasn't hurting anymore for some reason.

"I thought so..." She sighed with irritation "Well, how I got here doesn't matter much anyway. What matters is how you two can help me with my... situation." She spoke while looking at herself.

"Wait." Mono stopped her "What do you mean help you?" He spoke with suspicion "Why should we help you?" He crossed his arms.

The squirrel lifted her eyebrow again and crossed her arms as well "You think you two got here all alone? It wasn't easy treating that girl's wounds I will tell you that much."

Mono suddenly blanked when he remembered what happened to Six. "That's right! Six! She was hurt badly! He quickly got up again and went to check on his friend. He blamed himself for forgetting her state but understood why he had done so.

After all, it wasn't every day that you talked to a squirrel.

He staggered over to her and stopped himself from falling on her. He was still very weak after all.

Six was lying on the ground with her back up. He noticed the wound was tended to with some bandages made of some clothes. She was lying her head sideways on her cardigan.

She looked peaceful while sleeping all things considered.

"You... did this?" He spoke to the squirrel while brushing Six's bangs away to see her face. He moved his hands slowly to not wake her up. For a moment, it almost seemed as if she smiled contently at the action.

"Yes. I used some of my old clothes. Can't use them anyway. Not when I'm like this." She pointed at herself to explain.

Mono nodded in appreciation. He looked away from Six while still brushing her hair with his hand. "Thank you, hmm..." He stared at the squirrel with confusion for a moment "Do you... have a name?"

She looked surprised for a few seconds at the question before scratching her head with her paw. "Right. Forgot to introduce myself..." She looked conflicted for a moment before nodding to herself and speaking "You can call me... Rain." She gave him a 'smile' while introducing herself.

While he noticed that the smile seemed strained, he decided to ignore it for now.

He nodded at her. "Thanks, Rain. For helping us out and taking care of Six. The name is Mono by the way." He introduced himself and his companion to her.

Rain looked shocked for a moment after that. "One and Six..." She whispered, "That means you two are...!" She stopped herself from saying anything more.

"Hm? What is it?" Mono asked while tilting his head. hadn't been able to hear what she had said from where he was.

Rain just answered by shaking her head, "It's... It's nothing. Don't worry about it." She dismissed his question.

"Okay?" Mono tilted his head in confusion at her. He felt that she might be hiding something from him but who was he to judge? They just met after all. "So, what is it that you want us to help you with?" He asked her while going back to look at Six. His hand never left her hair as he brushed it with a small smile. She looked so cute while sleeping.

"Well, as you might have noticed I'm not exactly a 'normal' squirrel. Not on the inside at least." She spoke with irony.

"What do you mean?" He looked back at her with intrigue.

"I was transformed. By The Witch." She spoke angrily "I managed to escape her cage but she hit me with something when I escaped from the hut." She closed her eyes as she remembered the moment she felt almost free before the darkness surrounded her. "When I woke up... I was already like this..." She gestured at her body.

Mono widened his eyes at the information "That means you were!"

"A kid yes. Just like you two..." She lowered her head in sadness before shaking her head and looking at him with determination "That's why I want your help. I want my body back."

Mono stared at her for a moment. So she was a kid as well. But how are they supposed to help her? "What is it exactly that you want us to do?" He asked.

The determination in her eyes burned more as she spoke the next words. "I want your help to kill The Witch."

Chapter Text

Mono gave Rain a not-amused look. It was the second time someone said they wanted to kill a Nightmare today. The other one was laying down in front of him with a massive wound on her back.

"What?" Rain had noticed the look he was giving her. As if he had heard someone say the same thing as her before. For some reason, it made her feel as if she was stupid.

Mono sighed in defeat and just went back to watching Six, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." But in his mind, he was cursing his luck. What are the odds of him finding two kids that instead of running from the monsters, wanted to fight those things instead? And on the same day at that.

"I blame my luck..." He thought bitterly. He calmed himself by brushing Six's face with his hand. The action soothed his heart, bringing a smile to his face.

"So, um..." Rain spoke awkwardly. She noticed Mono gave a lot of attention to his companion. She felt like she was intruding on something but she still wanted to know if they were going to help her "Are you... can you guys help me?" She decided to ask this time, instead of just telling them to help.

Mono thought for a moment before answering "Let's wait for Six to wake up and then we can decide. Though, well, I can already guess what her answer will be." He spoke with a tired tone.

His eyes were getting heavy now. "I think I need to rest a little..." He looked at Rain "Is it safe to sleep here?" He asked with a worried tone.

"It is. Don't worry. The Witch rarely leaves her hut. Only when she needs a new ingredient..." She shuddered when the memory of those 'ingredients' came to her mind.

"Okay then..." Mono said while laying beside Six. He grabbed her hand and let himself fall asleep, knowing that she was safe for now.

When Mono woke up again with a start. Someone was shouting.

"MONO! QUICK! HELP ME!" He heard Rain's voice.

With his mind still muddled from sleep, Mono looked around frantically to see what was going on.

The first thing he noted was that Six wasn't laying down on the ground anymore. Turns out she had woken up when he was sleeping.

He searched for her by turning his head and quickly found where she went. Though the situation wasn't quite what he was expecting.

Normally when kids woke up, they quickly assessed their situation and if there was any danger around. It was a reflex they all learned very soon in their lives. So that if there was danger around, they could quickly hide from it.

So, if everything was 'normal', the kids were the ones supposed to be in danger.

But what he saw was the other way around.

"STOP GAWKING AND HELP ME!" Rain yelled at him again.

What Mono saw was definitely not normal.

Rain was backing up toward the entrance of the cave she had brought them in. She looked at something with a scared expression. Eyes never blinking for a second, she looked as if she was about to run away any second now.

That something, or more specifically, someone, was advancing toward her with slow steps while hunched forward. They had their hands in a claw shape and if Mono was hearing right, were growling at Rain

*GRROOOOWLLLL*

Mono heard the distinctive sound of Six's stomach. Confirming what he knew by just looking.

Six was the one advancing on Rain. And she was still very hungry.

Mono would have found it funny if he didn't know how serious the situation was. As much as Rain looked like an animal right now, there was still a kid in there. He hastily went to help her.

"SIX!" He called his friend "SIX! WAKE UP!" He got closer to her and touched her shoulder.

Six jumped in surprise at someone grabbing her and quickly slapped the hand away. She looked at who had dared to touch her and suddenly froze at who it was.

Mono was nursing his hurting hand with a grimace. It wasn't a slap that strong but he knew it was going to bruise. She had good reflexes. He would remember to not surprise her again.

He looked at Six and noticed that she was looking at him with a scared expression. Or more specifically, his hand. She stared at it as if she had done something very wrong. Something that made her afraid of the consequences.

"Six..." He lifted both of his hands to appease her, "It's okay see?" He flexed his fingers to show her they were all good. It hurt a little but he didn't care right now. "I'm fine." He reassured her with a smile.

Her eyes slowly began to regain their clarity. "Mo...no?" She looked at him with a surprised expression.

"Yeah, that's me." He 'smiled' at her, making Six quickly blush in response.

"I-... We...? What happened?" She looked at him for answers. Trying to ignore his shining smile.

"We-" He tried to explain but was interrupted.

"I WILL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED! THIS CRAZY GIRL! WAKES UP WITH A JUMP! AND TRIED TO EAT ME!" He heard Rain shouting.

What made him confused though was when Six suddenly stood in front of him facing Rain. She had her hands in claws again but this time didn't seem to be growling. "Mono!" She whispered "I will distract this thing! Try to find something to kill it!" She readied herself for battle.

Mono quickly realized what was about to happen again "WAIT!" He maneuvered around Six and stood in front of them. "STOP IT YOU TWO! YOU ARE NOT ENEMIES!" He explained while switching from looking at Six and Rain.

Six looked at him as if he was crazy "What do you mean it's not an enemy? It's a giant rat! We can kill it and then I can eat it!" She spoke with determination.

"GIANT RAT!? WHY YOU LITTLE-!" Rain was the one that looked as if she was about to jump now.

No! Both of you! Stay!" Mono ordered both of them. As if they were some kind of animal. Well, one technically was and the other acted like one sometimes.

Six and Rain looked angrily at Mono now. They didn't look one bit amused by his comment. Mono widened his eyes in surprise "Oh no... did I say that loud?"

"Yes!" "Yes, you did!" They answered him while crossing their arms.

"Dang it! My sleep-deprived mind!" He felt that if he didn't say something very soon, HE was the one that was going to be in danger.

"L- look!" He tried to distract them from his blunder "It's okay Six!" He said while looking at her "Rain isn't an enemy! She is a kid! Like us!" He spoke but only received a deadpan stare back. She looked at him as if he was crazy. Or dumb. Maybe both.

"No really! It's true! The Witch turned her into a squirrel when she escaped!" Mentioning The Witch seemed to do the trick since her eyes widened in surprise at the information.

Six looked at him and this... 'Rain' skeptically for a moment before looking back at him "And you know this how...?" She waited for his answer.

"Rain told me herself!" He spoke while puffing his chest. Which quickly deflated after seeing the expression on her face. Now she definitely was looking at him as if he was dumb.

"Let's just kill the rat so we can eat Mono. You will find another pet somewhere." She spoke while shaking her head.

"I WILL YOU SHOW WHO IS A RAT YOU FERAL MANIAC!' Rain got offended went tried to go after her. But she was stopped by Mono halfway there.

"Rain stop!" Mono used all his strength to hold her back "You are not helping! And Six! Stop calling Rain a rat! She doesn't like it!" Mono was getting annoyed at those two now. This was exhausting.

"What? Why? If this isn't a rat then what is it?" Six lifted an eyebrow inquiringly.

"A squirrel!" "I'm a squirrel!" They both exclaimed.

"Rat, squirrel, what's the difference?" Six still had a noncaring expression on her face.

"Look, the difference doesn't matter." "HEY" Mono looked at her with an annoyed face. If she wasn't going to help at least stay quiet it said. She turned her head away in anger and went back to the entrance of the cave. Just in case.

"The point is" He looked at Six again "She can help us get to The Witch." That got her attention "She said that she escaped from her and was hit by something that turned her into an animal after she left." He paused to catch his breath "She knows how to get inside her den."

Six still didn't look convinced "You have been repeating that but I still don't understand it." She spoke while crossing her arms again.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow. Confused.

"That she 'told' you all of this." She spoke with annoyance "It's an animal Mono. How can it tell you anything?" She asked skeptically.

Mono finally realized after she said it. Six didn't understand anything that Rain said, because she couldn't.

"My powers..." He remembered "She can't understand what Rain says because all she hears are animal noises!" He had to explain to his friend what he had discovered.

"It's because of my powers." He explained and her eyes widened at the mention "When I woke up here I found out that I can... tune... into some kind of translation. Understand what animals are saying." He gestured his hand as if he was turning something.

"What do you mean... tune?" Six asked with intrigue.

"I can..." He rubbed his fingers while trying to find a way to explain "Change... the way I hear things. So I choose something that lets me understand what she was saying." He concluded.

Six slowly nodded at the information. She knew he wasn't lying, but still, a talking animal. That's a shock for every kid out there. And if what was said was right, it was also a kid? As if their quest wasn't confusing enough already.

"Fine..." Six shook her head in defeat "No eating the ra-, I mean, squirrel." She changed what she was going to say after she saw the squirrel glaring at her.

"Her name is Rain" Mono repeated himself. He was glad they weren't trying to fight each other anymore.

"Right. Rain..." Six said while looking skeptically at the squirrel in question. "So Rain," She smirked at her "Any chance you got any acorns around? I'm hungry." She joked with her.

"I WILL SHOW YOU THE ACORNS YOU-!" Mono quickly turned the dial in his head back to the normal option. He felt like he wasn't going to like what Rain was going to say.

"I spoke too soon didn't I?" He thought "I'm too tired for this..." Mono just decided to ignore them for now. He will try again after they stop bickering.

Chapter Text

"So Rain," Mono called her after they had stopped bickering with one another "What can you tell us about The Witch?" They sat in a circle with Six beside him and Rain in front of them.

Rain looked at him when he asked and tried to remember the things she saw in the hut "Well, from what I have seen while I was stuck in her cage, she keeps most of her time making something in a big cauldron..." She spoke while Mono translated it for Six to understand.

"What's a cauldron?" Six suddenly asked, interrupting them.

Rain looked annoyed for being interrupted but tried to explain what the object was "It's like a... big pot..." She tried to show the shape with her paws "You put different food stuff in there and cook it, and it becomes another food. Something like that." She finished her explanation by staring at Six to see if she had understood after Mono translated it for her.

*GROOWLL*

Six's stomach answered her question. The mention of food reminded her that she was still hungry. She put a hand over her stomach to soothe it, but she felt another hand on her shoulder drawing her attention.

Mono was looking at her with a reassuring smile. "We will find you something to eat soon okay?" The action both calmed and made her heart race. She blushed as she looked away from him "...okay." She whispered.

Rain stared at the interaction with amusement in her eyes. The urge to mess with them almost overwhelmed her, but she had to focus on the mission at hand. "As I was saying, The Witch also has a lot of these... floating tools." She motioned toward the air "They hover around her to answer her commands. The strange thing is that she keeps threatening them for some reason."

Mono and Six looked at each other for a moment as they registered that information. So far, that witch didn't sound like anything they knew about.

"But," Rain spoke while looking at herself "I do have... a feeling... of why she does that..." She spoke with grief. Mono and Six waited for her to answer. "I think she can... transform, other people into objects... and animals." She motioned at herself as Mono repeated what she said to Six.

The two kids widened their eyes in realization. "You mean..." Mono spoke, "That the tools she uses, are all... kids?" He said with fear on his face.

Rain only nodded in response.

Mono looked terrified of the information. "So that means she-!" He felt like he was going to be sick. He lifted his hand to his mouth to stop the bile rising in his throat.

"She turns kids into animals and cooks them using kids as tools..." Six spoke in a furious tone.

Mono couldn't hold it anymore. He lifted himself and quickly went toward a corner of the cave. He raised his bag to his nose and puked on the ground.

He knew those things were monsters. The Nightmares. The Hunter, The Teacher, The Doctor, and... him. Mono knew how bad they could be. He shouldn't have been surprised at The Witch's actions.

But the thought of those kids being... eaten... the image made his body shake in anger and disgust. Once again, he was reminded of how bad his world was.

He was cleaning his mouth with his sleeves when he felt a hand on his back. He fixed the bag on his head and looked back to see Six looking at him with a concerned expression.

"You okay?" She looked at him with a small frown. She didn't like seeing him like this.

Mono slowly began to relax in her presence. He stared at her face with fondness. Her red eye peaking from behind her bangs and the small fang on the corner of her mouth. His body warmed with her concern.

He turned toward her and grabbed her outstretched hand and squeezed it as he 'smiled' at her. "Better now." He said with a blush.

Six felt her whole body explode in red as she looked away from him in embarrassment. "...that's good." She whispered.

Rain looked at the interaction with a deadpan expression. While she was amused by their actions she felt like she was intruding on something she wasn't supposed to be seeing. It irked her a little. "You guys okay over there?"

Mono and Six jumped when they remembered they weren't alone. They looked back at the squirrel waiting for them with embarrassed expressions. They felt like they were just caught doing something wrong. "Y- yeah, we're fine," Mono responded while going back to the center of the cave, still holding Six's hand.

Only when they sat in front of Rain again did Mono release it. Six stared at her hand for a moment before shaking her hand and staring ahead with a serious expression. But she still had a small blush on her cheeks.

Rain stared at the two in front of her with a deadpan expression "These two..." She shook her head in amusement. She had just met them but she could read them like a book. She did find it strange how Mono used a bag on his head but it wasn't the strangest thing she had seen. And while her first interaction with Six was... terrifying, she could see how much the girl cared for her friend.

"Ahem" She cleared her throat to get their attention and when they both looked at her again she began explaining how she escaped "After I was captured I had to watch a lot of the horrible things that she did." She lowered her head somberly at the memories "I kept a neutral expression and ignored her every time she talked to me so that..."

"Wait!" Both of the kids in front of her interrupted her at the same time. She looked at them with a surprised expression. They had a shocked looks on their faces.

"Did you just say that-" "The Witch can talk?" Mono started and Six completed it. Neither of them realized what they just did.

Rain looked at them for a moment and nodded.

They looked at each other with fear in their eyes. Both of them realized the same thing. A Nightmare that could talk could mean only one thing.

The Witch was intelligent. And she was aware of what she was doing.

The thought of a smart monster only worsened their fears of facing it.

"I told you this was a bad idea Six..." Mono put the palm of his hands in his eyes in frustration.

And for the first time, since their quest had begun, Six agreed with him. But she didn't want to give up now.

"We just have to be smarter than it." She said while looking at him.

Mono stared at her through the gaps in his fingers and sighed while lowering his hands "I hope you are right Six. I hope you are right..." He said with a frown.

Six looked at Rain and motioned for her to continue. She knew Mono would translate it for her. She hoped it distracted him for a while.

"As I was saying, I ignored The Witch until she got fed up with me. She left me alone while she focused on doing whatever it was she was doing on that pot. Using that time, I inspected the cage she trapped me in and noticed that one part was very rusty. I waited until The Witch made a lot of noise and tried punching the rusted part. To my delight, a small hole opened where I had punched." She paused to let Mono catch up with her and catch their breaths.

"After that, I used my shirt to keep punching that part and making the hole bigger. After I made it big enough that I could pass through it, I waited for The Witch to get distracted and escaped toward a window on the back of the hut." She paused once more as the memory of what happened next saddened her.

"But when I was about to jump out I felt something hit me and everything went black. The last thing I remember was flying toward the water." She spoke with a sad tone "After I woke up, I noticed that I was here in the trees that surround her den. I quickly got up and tried to escape farther away but I noticed something was different."

She looked at herself "My body... had turned into this..." She shut her eyes in grief "I wanted so much to run away but I couldn't. Not even if I wanted to."

"Why?" Mono asked.

Rain looked at him "There's a barrier around these dark oaks. You can't pass it from anywhere. I tried..." She explained with a somber tone before it changed to a sharper one "But I don't want to escape anymore!" She spoke with a fierce tone "I want my body back! And I want to make her pay for what did to those kids!" She explained with a determined expression.

Six felt her chest lit up in determination as well. "Don't worry Rain. We will help you get your body back!" She exclaimed with a fierce expression. "Right Mono?" She looked at her companion but he didn't share her enthusiasm.

Mono didn't feel good about this. A smart Nightmare with the power to turn people into objects and animals. A closed den with a barrier around it. Why didn't The Witch bother with coming after Rain? How did he and Six get inside the barrier? Something smelled bad. And it wasn't The Swamp.

Six noticed the frown Mono had on his face "What's wrong?" She asked her friend.

"I don't know..." He crossed his arms "Something doesn't seem right..." He gave her a worried expression.

Six sighed at him "You worry too much Mono," She grabbed his hand again and squeezed it "Everything's going to be fine. Don't worry. I will protect you from the big bad witch." She smiled at him while joking.

Mono looked at her with a concerned expression "It's not for me that I'm worried..." He stared straight into her eyes.

Six blushed hard at his words and looked away "I- I will be fine..." She looked at him from the corner of her eye "Y- you will be there to protect me too..." She whispered low enough for only him to hear.

Mono blushed with a shocked expression before it changed to a fond one "Yeah" He 'smiled' at her "I sure will."

Six looked away from him while feeling her whole body burning. "He is so unfair..."

Mono stared fondly at his friend for a few more seconds before sighing and looking at Rain "What's the plan?"

Rain had stared at their interactions with a deadpan expression this whole time. For some reason, it felt like they had forgotten about her. It annoyed her how they could escape into their little world at any moment. She focused back after Mono called her. Shaking her head, she gave him a fierce expression while she explained what they could do.

"Well, we have our plan then!" Six exclaimed after everything was sorted out "When do we want to do this?"

Rain got up and turned toward the entrance of the cave "Now." She marched out of the cave.

Mono and Six stared at each other. She didn't need him to translate what she had said.

"You got my back?" She asked him with a smile.

"And you have mine." He completed while squeezing her hand.

They walked hand in hand out of the cave to face their first foe in their quest. They knew it wasn't going to be easy, but they were glad they wouldn't have to do it alone.

"Let's go you two," Rain said while pushing the drawer back into the water "The Witch hunt has just started..." She said while glaring at the center of the lake, where The Swamp Hut stood.

Chapter Text

The drawer was slowly pushed into the waters of The Swamp again. Six and Mono were already inside, waiting for Rain to finish pushing the boat and getting inside.

After jumping inside, Mono passed the paddle to Rain so she could row the drawer toward the hut. They had to balance their weight well, otherwise, the boat might topple over. So Mono and Six were on one side and Rain was on the opposite with the paddle.

All of them stared as the hut got closer and closer, making their anxieties grow. It was the first time any of them ever fought against a Nightmare. It went against everything they knew about the world.

Run and hide. That was the only thing they had ever known. But here they were. Two kids, on a mysterious quest, to reveal their destinies. And an animal that wanted its body back.

Rain maneuvered the boat around the hut so that the window behind it was visible. It was from there that they would get in. "Remember you two. She can't know we are there. We have to find a way to kill her without being seen." She reminded them of the plan.

Mono nodded and passed what she said to Six, who did the same in agreement. He was still feeling something wrong with all of this. But now wasn't the time to get cold feet. He would just do his best to keep them alive.

They approached the deck of the house and positioned themselves under it. They were getting ready to climb one of the logs that held the planks together when Mono noticed something they were missing. "We forgot to find a rope!" He whisper-shouted.

Rain and Six looked at each other confused for a moment before Six looked at him "A rope... for what?" She asked.

"To tie our boat here? So it doesn't drift off?" He looked at them as if to ask how they were planning to get out of there later.

"Mono..." Six shook her head in amusement "We will figure something out later. Don't worry." She thought about how only he would worry about something like this before fighting a monster.

Mono looked embarrassed for a moment "Oh... okay." He replied in a quiet tone.

Six smiled fondly at him before turning back and going after Rain. She had already climbed the log and was waiting for them above. She thought about how her new body had some benefits to it as well.

Six searched for someplace to grab to start her climb, and when she found one, she showed it to Mono so he could use it as well.

They climbed and were helped by Rain when they were almost at the top. She helped them get up and they stared at the drawer as it floated away with the water. No way to go back now. They turned back and looked at the hut in front of them. The place sends shivers down their spine.

The rotten wood wafted a pungent smell. The roof was covered with moss so dense that it seemed as if it was spilling over to one side. The floor had small holes all over it, some even looked big enough to fall through. But the most frightening thing was the atmosphere of the place.

All of them could feel it now. The wrongness. As if something bad was about to happen. It emanated from the hut as if it was natural. It made them tremble in fear.

Rain was the first to shake herself out of it. She looked at the other two with determination "Let's go." She whispered. She wasn't going to back off now. She went ahead to position herself under the window.

Six was the second one to pull herself together. She followed Rain after she saw her going ahead. She didn't know what she said but she could guess the meaning.

Mono stood there. Staring blankly at the hut. Something was calling him. He could hear it. He could see it. The kids. Their spirits wailed from inside the house. They begged him to run. Begged him to save them. They were suffering. They wanted it to end. They wanted him to join them. So many voices... Somanyvoices.

"Mono!" He heard someone whispering his name. He jumped in fright and looked at who had called him. Six was looking at him with a concerned face. "Are you okay?" She noticed how pale he was.

Mono stared blankly at her for a moment before looking at the hut again. There was nothing there. They were gone. He shook himself and looked at Six "I- I- I'm okay..." He tried to smile at her but she could see how forced it was.

She stared hard at him. She knew he was lying. "Do you... do you want to stay here?" She didn't want to ask him that. But he didn't look okay enough to go on.

"What? Why?!" He looked offended at her question. As if he was going to let her go alone.

"You don't... look... too good..." She tried to calmly explain it to him. His skin looked almost transparent now. And his eyes looked sunken. He was the perfect image of a 'tired person'. How hadn't she noticed that before?

He crossed his arms in defiance and huffed at her "And you have a massive wound on your back. What's your point?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

She had to admit he got her there. Even now the wound ached in her back. Not enough to make her stop in pain but just enough to make climbing uncomfortable. Nothing she could do about it. She just gritted her teeth and moved on with it. But she was worried about how Mono looked. "Are you sure? Don't you want to stay and rest?"

Mono felt touched she was worried about him but he wasn't giving up on this. He wasn't letting her go by herself. "I'm fine. Don't worry. Let's just go and kill this thing." He walked around her and went to stand beside Rain, who stared at their interaction in silence. Waiting for their decision.

"Everything okay?" She asked him when arrived. Mono just nodded at her in response. She looked at him for a moment before shrugging and preparing herself to climb "I will go first to see how it is inside. Once the coast is clear, I will give you two a signal so that you can boost each other up, and then I will catch you, got it?" She explained after Six came to stand beside Mono. She was looking at him as he repeated what Rain said and after they were done, they both nodded in confirmation.

Rain nodded at them and began to climb the rotten wood of the hut. She peeked inside once she reached the sill of the window and was very encouraged by what she saw. Climbing up, she signaled to the two outside that it was okay to get in and waited to help them.

Mono decided to help Six first since she was hurt. She huffed in indignation but decided to go anyway. He gave her a leg up and Rain caught her with an outstretched paw. They both helped Mono up afterward and now they all stood looking at something that surprised them.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Nothing moved. Not any of the tools that Rain had told them about nor the figure laying on the straw bed on the corner.

The Witch was sleeping. And how lucky was that?

Mono and Six examined the den of the sleeping Nightmare. They saw the ominous cauldron standing in the center of the room. It looked empty from where they could see.

There was a cabinet beside The Witch's bed, full of different glasses and colorful liquids inside.

To their left was a table that had numerous marks carved on the wood. They could they a lot of work was done there. And above it, were the tools Rain had told them about. They were all strapped into a piece of plank, bound by some material they couldn't identify. All of them, motionless.

If Rain hadn't explained to them that The Witch confined them like this so they wouldn't escape, they would have guessed that those were normal tools.

On the right and above them were several cages hanging from the roof. Mono and Six could see that in front of them was a rusty cage that had a hole in it. This must be from where Rain escaped.

After that, they finally decided to acknowledge the creature in the room. They looked at The WItch and saw that she used a very tattered purple robe. Her hair was frazzled and messy. Her hat was hung on the edge of the bed. But they couldn't see her face cause she had her back to them. Not that they wanted to...

They looked around and planned what they could do to kill this thing in one blow.

Rain was the first to get their attention and motioned toward a series of objects in the room. Getting the idea of what she wanted, they both nodded in confirmation before climbing down from the window.

Time to put their plan into action.

Outside, The Shadow observed their prey from the other side of the lake. They had just entered the house of their main course.

And the best thing is, that the appetizers just multiplied.

Their face twisted in a smile as they walked into the water and disappeared under it.

Chapter Text

The plan was simple. They would climb the cabinet close to The Witch's bed and then drop a knife or something heavy from above on her head.

A good enough blow, and she was dead. They had all agreed to that plan, now all that was left was to execute it.

After they dropped down from the window, they went toward the table to find a knife or something similar they could use.

As they passed near the cauldron, they could feel the heat from the fireplace under it. It seems it hasn't been long since the Nightmare finished cooking.

As they got closer to the table, they looked at the sleeping form on the bed to see if the coast was still clear. No movement.

They nodded at each other and began the process of climbing one of the legs of the table. Rain was the one that boosted them up this time, climbing in silence afterward.

Standing on the table, they stared at the tools strapped into the wall with caution. Rain had said that all of the tools in this hut moved by themselves at the command of The Witch. They knew what this meant. All of them were alive. Kids turned into tools the same way Rain was turned into an animal.

And what a cruel fate this was. You were lucky if you only died to a Nightmare. But the worst ones, the ones that had sick and twisted obsessions, would do things like this. Turn you into something else. And you would feel it all.

Your body in a shape that wasn't yours. A will, making you move in ways that you didn't want to. At that point, was it truly you that habited your body? Or was it something else?

And that's how they ended, spiraling into madness. Not knowing who or what you were. Forgetting themselves for all eternity while obeying a voice that wasn't theirs.

Truly, a cruel end.

Mono stared at the ones in front of him with pity. He could feel them. The souls of the kids. Trapped in a shape foreign to them. They were silent for now, but for how long would that be?

He stared at his companions and signed that everything was okay. He motioned to the tools and then made a sign as if he was sleeping. Six and Rain nodded in understanding.

When they were at the cave planning, they needed to find out a way to see which objects in the houses had been turned by The Witch. And after a few minutes of exchanging ideas, Six enlightened Mono about something he could do.

"You mentioned how you can 'choose' what you hear right? Can you choose what you see as well?" She inquired. The answer had befuddled him. Turns out she was right. He could choose what he sees.

He tried it on Rain and saw the rough shape of her soul. A girl with braided hair. That was all he could see. He had told them it worked and they smiled at him in excitement.

Mono stared at Six in awe for a few minutes after that. He didn't even feel reluctant to use his powers after her suggestion. He couldn't even feel the fear he always felt when using his powers anymore.

She was changing him. And he couldn't say that he didn't like it. He had 'smiled' at her then, making her blush in response. She was so cute.

But now was not the time to think about that. He shook his head to focus back on the present.

Six had approached one of the knives on the wall. She gave it a few hesitant pats to see if they were really asleep. Looking at Mono every time to confirm it.

Being this close to them now she could feel it as well. The 'life' of these tools. She couldn't see the same way Mono could, but her Hungry state enhanced her senses, making her able to 'feel' life around her.

To her, Rain felt like a normal animal. She couldn't tell the difference between a human life and an animal one. They felt almost the same to her... with one exception.

Mono felt... different.

The first time she felt him was in the forest when they were looking for food. She hadn't expressed her surprise then because she was... busy... freaking out...

But after that, she had a lot of time to examine him up close. The way he felt, if she had to describe it, was 'old and new'.

He felt like a normal kid, but also, like something that lived for a very long time. It confused her for hours about what that could mean. But after that, she decided to attribute that to something that was just part of him. He, himself, didn't seem to be aware of it so she would just ignore it. For now.

Mono nodded at her in confirmation and she proceeded to unclasp the heavy knife from the wall. Rain helped her with carrying it. They carefully moved it toward the edge of the table and looked for a way to lower it to the ground without making noise.

Mono looked around and found something they could use. On the lower shelf of the cabinet beside the bed was a black wire roll. They could use it to lower the knife to the ground and also use it to raise it to the top of the cabinet.

He called Rain and Six with his hand to show them what he had found and pointed to the wire sitting on the lower shelf. They widened their eyes in realization and nodded at him in understanding.

But before he could climb down from the table, Six approached him after she and Rain lowered the knife down on the table. She put a hand on his shoulder and motioned toward the monster sleeping on the bed while giving him a concerned look.

He smiled fondly at her and signaled with his hand that it was going to be okay. He was going to be careful.

She stared at him for a few seconds before hesitantly releasing him from her grasp. She lifted her index and middle finger and pointed them to her eyes and then pointed to The Witch. She was going to keep watch.

Mono nodded at her and began to climb down the table. He crouched the moment his feet felt the floor under him and began to make his way toward the cabinet.

He decided to go around the cauldron from the opposite side of the bed. If the Nightmare woke up for some reason, he could hide behind the pot for cover.

He peeked at the bed for a moment and saw that the monster didn't move an inch. She was still sleeping.

He left his cover from behind the cauldron and silently crouched toward the cabinet, quickly climbing the lower shelf so that he wouldn't stay in sight more than he had to.

He looked a the table where Six and Rain were and gave them a thumbs up. They sighed in relief and waited for him to come back.

Mono moved toward the wire roll and began to search the loose portion of it. When he found it, he began to separate a part of it and roll it into his arm.

After he had a decent size of it rolled up, he noticed a problem he hadn't thought of. How was he going to cut it?

"I forgot to grab a knife or something from the table!". He berated himself. He quickly looked around for something sharp but couldn't find anything.

He almost gave up and was about to go back to the table to ask for something sharp to be dropped for him when he suddenly stopped and looked at his hands. "Wait... Can I...?" An idea formed in his head.

He grabbed the wire with two hands and stared at the space between them. "I want this to separate in two... I want this to separate in two..." He concentrated on his powers, trying to make them move. But nothing happened.

He stared at the object in his hand for a full minute until he started to get annoyed at nothing happening.

From the table, Six and Rain stared confusedly at Mono. They could see he was hunched over the wire, unmoving. What was he doing?

Mono could feel his eyes begging for him to blink. His irritation grew into anger as he glared at the wire and began to try pulling the thing apart "I just want to CUT this dang thing! Why is it-?!" His thoughts were interrupted when the wire suddenly snapped in his hands, making him stagger for a moment.

He stared blankly at both ends of the wire in confusion. Did he do it with his powers or with his strength? He honestly didn't know. He decided it wasn't important right now.

He finished wrapping the roll in a knot and clasped it on the side of his coat. He loved how useful his coat was.

He climbed down from the shelf and made his way back to the table, glancing at the bed every few seconds to see if the coast was clear.

Getting closer to the leg they used to climb the table, he unclasped the wire from his coat and motioned it toward the two above him.

They nodded at him and signaled for him to throw it. He nodded in confirmation and pulled his arm back and launched the wire at them.

Six caught it and gave him a thumbs up. He answered with one of his own and waited for them to lower the knife to the ground.

Rain and Six worked quickly to tie the handle of the knife and carried it to the edge of the table. They looked at Mono to see if he was ready and he nodded at them.

Six and Rain slowly pushed the knife from the edge of the table and it slowly began to tilt over. Before it fell, they quickly grabbed the wire and slowly lowered the knife to the ground.

Mono stared at the object as it slowly descended toward him. He kept staring back at The Witch to see if would wake up but she still showed no signs of moving.

Mono looked back at the knife and saw that the edge was already within his reach. He positioned himself to tilt the knife in a way that would lower it to the ground without making a noise.

After the object was sitting quietly on the ground, he gave the wire two short pulls to signal the two above that the knife was already on the ground.

They looked over the edge of the table and nodded at him before they moved to climb down from the table.

While they did that, Mono rolled the wire on the knife so it wouldn't drag on the ground and snatch into something.

After the girls approached him, they nodded at each other for a job well done and stared at the figure on the bed with determination.

They raised the knife from the ground and walked the same path Mono used to grab the wire in case the Nightmare woke up.

They reached the cabinet and lowered the knife to the ground.

Rain signaled to get their attention and they looked at her. She went to grab the end of the wire and pointed at herself and then to the top of the cabinet. She would go first she was saying.

After that, she pointed to them both, then to the wire, and then to the top of the cabinet again. She wanted them to climb after her using the wire so that they could all pull the knife up. They nodded at her in agreement.

Seeing that they were okay with her plan, Rain began to silently climb the cabinet with quick movements.

Getting to the top, she looked at the two on the ground and gave them an okay sign.

Mono and Six looked at each other for a moment before he motioned for her to go first. She nodded at him and moved toward the wire.

She climbed with ease and went to help Rain with holding the wire so Mono could climb.

Seeing that Six was ready as well, he positioned himself to start his climb when something moved from the corner of his eye.

He quickly turned his head around in alarm. He frantically looked around for any signs of danger. But there was nothing, only the knife still asleep on the ground. Everything was quiet. No signs of moving.

But Mono could feel it, something was wrong. It had been ever since they arrived at The Swamp Hut. But he didn't know what it was. And that was what scared him. He felt his heartbeat spiking up as he looked around in fear. But a tug on the wire in his hand called for his attention.

He looked up and saw that Six was checking up on him. He was taking too long to go up. Her expression asked if he was okay. He looked around once more and still saw nothing. Shaking his head, he nodded at her and began to climb the wire the same way she did.

After he got to the top, he noticed how the two of them were staring at him in concern. They were asking if he was fine.

He looked back down to the ground for a moment before answering. Still quiet. "Must have been my imagination..." He thought hopefully. He looked back at them and nodded.

They stared skeptically at him for a moment before shrugging. They could ask him about it later.

Mono, Six, and Rain positioned themselves to get the knife up. They slowly pulled the wire so that the thing wouldn't shake and hit the cabinet.

They gave one last hard pull when they saw the handle of the knife and the object was placed on the top of the cabinet with them.

After they caught their breath from the effort, Mono went to untie the wire from the knife and clasp it back onto his coat.

He looked at Six and Rain to see if they were ready for what they were about to do. And while they were as nervous as him, he saw that they weren't willing to give up now. They were ready.

Mono nodded at them and placed himself to look over the edge of the cabinet at the bed. And there she was, The Witch. Just a few meters away from them, still sleeping. He still couldn't see her face but she was still unmoving.

This was it. Time to kill a Nightmare. Mono tried to feel glad they were going to kill one of those things but the wrongness was still there. The feeling was creeping up on him now. He wanted so much to run and hide but he couldn't let the other two alone. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he did.

He looked at them and signaled that he was ready.

Six and Rain acknowledged him and raised the knife. Determination burning in both of their eyes. Finally. They would finally kill one of those things. They neared the edge of the cabinet and positioned themselves with Mono's directions.

They had one shot at this. They didn't want to think about what would happen if something went wrong.

Mono motioned for them to stop and gave them a thumbs up. They were ready. Six and Rain prepared themselves to launch the knife over the edge but something moved in Mono's vision.

He looked down in shock as The Witch turned over in her sleep and showed her face up to him. What he saw made his body pale in shock. He quickly turned around to the other two to warn them but it was already too late.

He watched in slow motion as the knife left their hands and plunged toward the monster below.

Chapter Text

The knife stayed in the air for a moment before it began to fall toward its target. The tip of the knife slowly pointed down to the ground, making the attack fatal for whoever was under it.

Mono watched in fright as the knife pierced the thing laying down in the bed. It twitched for a moment before it quickly went limp. The hit was critical, and the creature died.

He took a step back from the edge and ended up falling on his back. "Mono? What happened? Did we get her?" He heard Six asking in a low tone. She approached him and kneeled at his side.

She looked at his face and saw the scared expression in his eyes. "Mono?" She tried to get his attention but he was staring at the edge of the cabinet in horror. "...n't her..." She heard him whispering.

"What?" She tilted her head in his direction. He looked at her with widened eyes "It wasn't her! The thing on the bed! It's not The Witch!" He repeated with a desperate tone.

Six felt her whole body grow cold at his insinuation. Behind her, Rain had pretty much the same reaction. "No... it can't be..."

Six hastily got up and went toward the edge of the cabinet, with Rain quickly following after her. They reached it and looked down at the bed and hoped that Mono was wrong. That he was just seeing things.

But he wasn't.

They stared at the thing on the bed with disbelief. It had the shape of The Witch. The clothes and the hair looked exactly like her. But the face was what frightened them.

It had no features.

No eyes, no nose, ears, or even a mouth. Just a blank piece of skin. With a knife stabbed at it now.

It wasn't The Witch. It was a fake.

"It can't be..." Six whispered while taking a step back in fear. "If it wasn't her then what-" But she couldn't finish what she was going to say.

"Ke ke ke ke ke..." Someone began to laugh inside the hut. It sounded distant but close at the same time.

They quickly went into a state of alert. They huddled together in a circle while looking in every direction inside the monster's den.

"Kya ha ha ha ha ha!" The laughter grew louder. The objects inside the hut began to shake. The group looked at the tools on the wall and noticed they were trembling now, some were even squirming in their bindings to escape with no results. They were scared, the kids realized.

The Witch was coming.

Suddenly, the fireplace under the cauldron lit up by itself. The flames were a sickly green that made the ambiance even more dreadful.

The group stared at the flames in shock as they slowly realized the situation they were in.

"It's a trap..." Mono whispered. He finally realized why he had been feeling so bad this entire time. He looked at the other two with a frightened expression "It's a trap!" He shouted at them, making their eyes widen in surprise. "We need to-!" But he was interrupted by the cabinet shaking under them.

They held onto each other as the things on the shelves began to fall to the ground. The potions. They followed one after the other as the colors mixed on the ground with every splash. And after the last bottle fell, everything went quiet for a moment.

The group looked around for any signs of the monster but nothing moved except for them. This was the best chance they got. "We need to leave! Now!" Mono shouted at them.

They nodded at him and couldn't agree more.

*SLOSH* "Oh! Leaving so soon? But it's still so early kye ke ke ke!" Said an old and coarse voice.

They froze in place and searched for the source of it but didn't see anything. The Witch knew where they were. She was watching them.

*SLOSH* Came the sound of something wet moving. It was close. Almost too close.

*SLOSH SLOSH* And it was getting faster.

*SIZZLE* Came a different sound now. Of something wet touching scalding iron.

They didn't have to look now to know where this one came from. There was only one thing in this room hot enough to make that sound.

They looked toward the cauldron and what they saw made them sick.

There was a green glob climbing the cauldron and getting inside of it. It looked like it had come from under them. Parts of it were burning and wafting black smoke that smelt like rotten eggs. It infested the whole hut and made the eyes of the group sting in pain.

"Where did that thing come from?" Six held her aching nose in despair. Her heightened senses making the smell hurt a lot more than it should.

Mono stared at the green blob with wide eyes and the trail it left behind. He followed it to where it came from and saw numerous pieces of glass under them. "The potions..." He mumbled as he realized that the potions dropping together had formed the thing inside the cauldron.

The slime inside the pot began to simmer and boil. Numerous bubbles were floating from it now.

Mono almost went back to his companions when he saw something that made him look back at the cauldron in reflex. "Is that a... no... it can't be! How is this possible!" He turned to the other two and quickly unclasped the wire on his coat. "We need to run! Now!" He pushed them to the edge of the cabinet. Not explaining anything to them or giving them time to process what was happening.

"Mono! What is it?! What did you see?!" Six stopped them and asked desperately. Mono ignored her and passed the wire to Rain so she could hold it for them to climb down. He threw the wire over the edge and almost began his descent but Six stopped him.

"What did you see Mono?!" She shouted at him.

Mono looked at her with wide eyes and a pale face "A hand..." He responded.

Six looked confused for a moment before her eyes widened in shock. "What..." She whispered.

Mono kept his frightened expression locked on her as he repeated himself. "There's a hand reaching out from the cauldron!" He shouted at them.

Six and Rain stared at him in shock for a moment before slowly turning their heads toward the cauldron. What they saw, would forever be ingrained into their minds.

A hand was reaching out from the green slime boiling in the cauldron. It grabbed the edge of the pot and moved as if it was pulling something out of it. Slowly, another thing began to appear from the green blob. It bubbled to the surface and stared straight in their direction.

An eye.

"Kya ka ka ka! After all," Another arm appeared and hastened the process of pulling itself out together with another eye staring at them. A part of the slime shifted and transformed into the rough shape of a mouth. Giving them a creepy smile. "It's almost time for dinner! Kya ha ha ha ha ha!"

A shape began to rise from the cauldron. The tools on the wall moved even more frantically now.

"WE NEED TO RUN! NOW!" Mono shouted at them and quickly descended from the cabinet using the rope, surprising Rain who almost released the wire in her hand. She grabbed it again in reflex and shouted at Six to hurry up and climb down as well.

And even if Six couldn't understand what she said, the situation was enough to speak for itself. She went toward the edge to follow after her friend.

"Well this won't do! Ke ke ke! Can't let my guests leave without showing them my hospitality!" The green glob raised one of its arms toward the figures on the top of the cabinet.

Mono was halfway down when he stopped and looked at The Witch. She had one of her arms raised and pointed at the two girls above him. He stared in horror as a green smoke began to gather itself in the Nightmare's hand before turning into a ball.

"Now ke ke ke, let's see what we are going to have for dinner ke ke ke!" She released the spell from her hand.

It slowly floated for a second before it quickly sped up toward the two above him. Mono stared with horror as the thing flew at the one most close to the edge. The one that was going to descend after him.

"SIX! NOOOO!" Mono felt his powers raising in response to his emotions. He reached toward her and willed them to do something, anything to save the girl in his vision. They reached toward her in slow motion but they fizzled out before they could touch her. He was still too weak from the explosion he caused before. He widened his eyes in shock and paled as the green orb approached his friend.

Six stared as the orb went in her direction. She released the wire she was holding and tried to jump away from the path of the spell coming toward her. But it was with increased fright that she realized the thing just turned midair to follow her. There was no escape from it. She was going to get hit.

She looked down at the figure hanging down on the side of the cabinet and stretched her hand toward him. "Mo...no..." He saw her mouthing the words before the spell engulfed her.

"SIIIIIIIIX!" He raised his hand toward her in vain before he had to quickly grab onto the wire again. The explosion above him had shaken the entire cabinet he hung from. The wire on his hand gave up a little as he fell toward the ground and stopped. It was with dreadful realization that he remembered the other person above him had also been hit by the explosion. "Rain!" He shouted her name before the wire gave away and he fell to the ground.

Mono stared at the top of the cabinet as gravity pulled him down, the green flames above him making his heart twist in pain. "Six..." Was the last thing he thought as he saw something jump after him before he was engulfed by darkness.

Chapter Text

The dark silhouette righted itself in the air after it was hit by The Witch's spell. It looked down toward the ground and noticed the boy that was falling.

Moving more out of instinct than conscience, it used its 'arms' to grab the edge of the cabinet and pushed itself toward the boy with great strength, leaving claw marks behind on the wood.

Using the side of the cabinet as support, it ran downwards at a fast pace and reached the boy before he could hit the ground. Jumping toward him, it opened its mouth and grabbed him by the neck of his coat.

Before it could hit the ground, they turned in the air and maneuvered the unconscious boy so he would rest at their back. Letting gravity do the rest, it safely landed with a slight huff and glared at the enemy in front of them.

"Well well, aren't you a strange little thing? Ke ke ke..." The Witch cackled at the two on the ground. Her body was almost finished reforming, the only thing left to complete it was her feet and her face. "You don't look like anything I've ever seen ki ki ki..." The Nightmare commented as she lifted one of her legs out of the slime and slowly lowered herself to the ground.

The creature on the ground, with the boy on their back, growled at the monster. It knew the foe before it was dangerous and wanted to escape, but it didn't dare to move. It didn't know what its foe would do if it did.

After The Witch finally exited the cauldron, she examined the creature on the ground with great interest while her face reformed. It stood on four in a cautious stance against her. It had black lustrous fur all over its body that ended in a fluffy tail. It had a small muzzle with whiskers on it, sharp slanted red eyes with elliptical pupils, and two pointy ears that ended on three tufts of fur.

"The face of a cat... and the body of a wolf..." The Witch commented to herself. It was something she had never seen before. An animal with two different characteristics. "How... delightful! Kye he he he!" Her eyes glinted with glee in her freshly formed face at the animal on the ground, making them even more cautious against her, with all of its fur bristling up in warning.

The Witch's face was dreadful. Misshaped eyes with sickly green pupils, a long nose full of warts, and a crooked mouth in an awful smile that showed her missing teeth.

"I can't wait to feel your taste in my mouth he he he!" The monster drooled at the creature in the ground, a disgusting green goo falling to the ground as she slowly stepped toward it.

The animal slowly backed away in alert while growling at the monster to not get any closer. It knew it couldn't threaten her with her form but its instincts still urged her to do it.

"So very curious indeed!" The Witch commented "Those that turn usually end up unconscious because of the transformation kye ke ke..." The monster mentally ordered one of the tools in the wall to come to her, a meat hammer. "But you..." She pointed the hammer at the animal on the ground "You took to the transformation as if it was natural! Kye he he!" She wacked the hammer against her other hand as she pondered with a crazy look "Hey, won't you tell your secret to this granny? Hmmm?" The Witch got even closer to the two.

The creature kept backing up until it hit something with its tail. It looked back and its eyes widened with what it saw.

A wall. They were cornered. They had nowhere to go now. Not with the threat in front of them blocking the way.

"If you won't tell me... The Witch cackled with wicked glee as she raised her hammer "I will find it out myself after I open you up! Kya ha ha ha ha!" She prepared to hit the two at the same time before she felt something sharp hit her face "Keogh!" The Witch recoiled in pain.

"Kyu! ke!(Six! RUN!)" Rain shouted before hiding again. She had thrown a piece of glass from the bottles scattered on the ground. Luckily for her, she managed to avoid the blast of the spell by jumping off the cabinet and landing on the fake witch on the bed. After seeing The real Witch cornering an animal with Mono on its back, she quickly realized who it was. She climbed down from the bed and quickly grabbed a piece of glass before throwing it randomly at The Witch's face. She managed to hit her forehead by chance before she warned Six and went to hide.

Six didn't think before jumping away from the monster and going around her to hide under the bed. She quickly noticed there was someone there with her. Rain had also decided to hide under there as she cautiously watched the Nightmare above them.

"You little-!" The Witch rubbed her forehead in pain and recoiled when she felt something wet. She brought her hand in front of her face and saw that it was smeared with blood. Her blood. She clenched her fist in fury before looking at the spot where the cat wolf was. But there wasn't anyone there anymore.

She quickly searched around and became even more annoyed when she didn't see anything. "You can't hide from me! I know you are still here! Kye ke ke!" The monster went toward the table and kicked it away. Too angry to even look down under there. The tools above trembled even more in their straps, making a rattling sound that gritted The Witch's ears.

"The next one that makes a noise will be the breakfast!" She shouted at them before going back to her search. The tools forced themselves to stay still in fear of the monster's wrath.

Six and Rain stared from under the bed at the actions of The Witch. They needed a plan. And they needed it now. The Nightmare was going toward the cabinet now. No doubt she was going to trash the thing as well and when she did, there was only one more place for her to look.

The reason she hadn't looked under the bed first was very fortunate for them. Six looked at Rain for help on what they should do, who quickly noticed her plea and looked around the hut for something they could do while The Witch was distracted.

Her eyes suddenly focused on the wall with tools and they widened in realization. She knew what they could do. She just hoped it would work.

"I know you three are still here! Kye ke ke! I knew you were coming even before that little rat escaped!" The monster destroyed the lower shelves of the cabinet and found nothing there. She grunted in annoyance before looking up.

Six and Rain froze in shock at her words.

"I know everything in The Swamp! Do you think you can just stroll in here with a predictable little plan to try to kill me and I wouldn't even try and fight back?! Kya ka ka ka!" She destroyed the upper shelves and snarled when she didn't find anything there. Getting fed up, she grabbed the sides of the cabinet and threw the whole thing to the ground in anger.

"We don't have time anymore! This plan will have to do. I hope this works!" Rain thought with desperation. She looked at Six and spoke "Kyu! Kyu ke ki ku! Ke ke ki kwo ka! (Six! I have a plan! I need you to distract The Witch for a while!)"

Six didn't have time to wonder how she was understanding Rain as she looked at her with suspicion. Noticing the look on the cat wolf's face, Rain grunted in frustration. "Look! We don't have time for this! Do you want to save Mono or not?!" She hoped that mentioning the boy would make her more accepting of her plan.

Six stopped and looked back at the boy on her back. She couldn't see his face but she knew how weak he was. It seems she didn't have a choice...

"Nryaa! (I do!)" She growled at Rain in confirmation. Her eyes blazing with determination.

Rain grinned at Six in satisfaction "Good! Here's what I'm going to do..."

Chapter Text

The Witch glared at the remains of her cabinet with anger. Still no signs of the three little meals. Which meant there was only one more place to look.

She turned with a smirk on her face and stared at the bed. "I can feel everything that enters The Swamp, ke ke ke..." The monster began speaking to herself "I knew you two were here the moment you crossed from The Wilderness," She began to stalk toward the bed "My neighbor is not that smart you see? Ke ke, you are not the first to escape from him, kye ke ke."

She whacked her hammer on her hand as she approached the bed "Those poor things, so scared when they arrive. But I always help them don't I? Ke ke ke!" She smirked at the tools on the wall, making them tremble in fear. "Tell you what hehehe, if one of you betrays the other, I will spare the betrayer. Witch's honor." The monster used her hammer to sign a cross on her heart.

But her expression betrayed her true feelings. A wicked smile of anticipation. She had done this before, and from the looks of it, it had worked.

The Nightmare stopped at the edge of the bed and stared at the fake on the bed. "One of my greatest work yet! Ku ku ku! And it also served its purpose, now it's time to get rid of it!" The Witch lifted her weapon and smashed the fake on the bed. The blow crushed something on the chest and the fake began to melt, dripping from the bed to the ground.

The monster wanted to scare the ones under the bed. Make them more fearful so they would betray one another. She couldn't wait to see the fear in their expressions!

The Witch looked at what remained of the fake with a dark smile. There were two objects. The knife that they used to kill her, which she grabbed and stored in her sleeve. And the other was a small wooden spoon, which was broken in the middle now.

A simple recipe that only needed a small soul as a price. "That little rat, I knew when she escaped that she might try something..." She grabbed the spoon and stared at it with disregard "My suspicions were confirmed when I felt the three of you coming here, together."

It had been enough time now. Since they weren't coming to her, she was going to them. She threw the spoon away and put a hand on the bed while she lowered herself to look under it.

The spoon she threw traveled through the air and hit the ground. The soul inside floated upwards in a white mist, trying to escape. But before it could, The Swamp grabbed it and sucked it inside its waters, giving birth to a new Jaw. The fish tried to understand what happened to it before their eyes quickly misted over and became white. The fish behaved normally after that and began to patrol the waters.

You can't escape from The Swamp alone. Not even after you die. The only way to escape was by being killed by something else. Something that didn't belong to The Witch.

"So I decided to play a little game. Ke ke ke..." The Nightmare grabbed the bottom of the bed and looked under it "And as always ke ke ke! I was the win-! AAAAARGHHH!" The monster yelled in pain when she felt something scratching her face.

"Grraaaaa! (Shut up!)" Six had thrown herself at the monster and began to scratch at her without stopping. She used her new claws to grab her face and hold herself there as she relentlessly attacked the monster.

"AHHHHH! YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!" The Witch dropped the hammer in pain as she grabbed the animal on her face to try prying her off. But Six was stronger than she thought and it hurt every time she pulled her from her face.

Using Six as a distraction, Rain quickly ran toward the wall with the tools in it. She began to speak with every utensil there and when she finished, she released them from their straps, which made them all fall to the ground.

In their struggle against each other, Six and the monster ended up banging against the bed and breaking it, which made Six twitch for a moment, but it was enough for The Witch finally pull her out of her face and throw her against the wall.

Six quickly turned in the air and landed on the wall. She used it as a support and safely landed on the ground again. She looked at the bed anxiously before looking back at the monster and growling at her.

"I'm going to make a rug out of you!" The Witch grabbed her hat from the ground. It had fallen after they broke the bed. She wore it on her head and glared at the cat wolf in front of her. She prepared another spell behind her back as she noticed something was missing.

She widened her eyes in realization before a maniac grin appeared on her face. "Now where is that other little friend of yours hmm? Ke ke ke, the one with a bag on his head?" The monster didn't have anyone on its back now and it trembled when her companion was mentioned. The Nightmare's smile widened. "I wonder if-! ARGH!" She was interrupted when something hit her again.

She looked to the ground and became confused by what she saw. It was a small spoon, similar to the one she had broken before. The Witch became confused and angered at the same time "What is the meaning of-! OUCH!" Another hit. It was on her shoulder this time, but much more painful. She looked at the wound and saw a knife this time. The knife vibrated on the injury as if it was trying to lodge itself deeper into the monster.

"You little-! Who let you out?!" The Witch grabbed the knife and pulled it out from her shoulder. She glared at the utensil and looked toward the wall to see something that made her stop in shock.

The tools were all released from their prison as they floated around Rain by themselves. All of them pointed at The Witch in anger. They wanted revenge.

Rain hadn't done much. All she did was talk to them about how they could defeat the monster if they worked together, and they all agreed. So she released them and here they were.

Time for this monster to get what she deserves!

"ATTACK!" Rain shouted while pointing at the NIghtmare. A fierce battle cry sent the tools into a frenzy, making them all quickly fly toward The Witch.

"If you don't stop-! AHHHHHHHH!" The Witch wailed as dozens of tools attacked her from every side. They scratched, slashed, and whacked every inch of the monster they could find without stopping. They didn't need to catch their breath after all.

Sneaking around the monster, Rain went toward her animal friend with a smug smile on her face "So? What do you think? Pretty good plan right?" She put her paws on her hip.

"Hmm." Six gave her a disinterested grunt. She was more worried about the boy she left under the bed. She could see that he was okay from here but the monster was still too close to him. She needed to grab him and get out of there.

"You are hard to please, you know that?" Rain sighed.

Six ignored her and began to speak "Listen, we don't know for how long those things can hold The Witch. We need to grab Mono and-" A shockwave interrupted what she was going to say, throwing her and Rain toward the wall and hitting it.

The Witch had enough of these games. She changed the spell she was going to use on the cat wolf and blasted it around her. She didn't care if any of these tools broke anymore. She could always fish for more obedient ones.

The shockwave launched every object away from the monster. Breaking almost every utensil she had and uncovering Mono from where he was hidden.

Six looked up from where she was on the ground and saw that The Witch was badly wounded. She was kneeling on the ground while looking at her body. Her hands trembled in anger as she looked at the wounds they managed to inflict on her.

She lifted her hands to her face and scratched it as she looked at the two animals with madness in her eyes "I WiLL MaKe YoU SuFfEr!!" She spoke with mismatched tones that sent a shiver down Six's spine.

Six looked at where Mono was and struggled to get up so she could protect him.

The Witch watched what she was trying to do and looked at the remains of the bed, finding the missing kid from before. She cackled as she felt along her sleeve for the knife she had stored before. "LeT's StArT bY KiLlInG sOmEtHiNg YoU cArE fOr!!" She raised the weapon between her fingers and halted it there long enough for Six to realize what the monster was going to do.

Widening her eyes in shock, Six quickly tried to move toward Mono but her body wasn't answering her.

The Witch cackled maniacally as she threw the knife at the defenseless boy on the ground. It flew toward him so fast, that even if Six got up now, she wouldn't be able to stop it.

"NOOOOOO" She cried as she watched the end of her friend approaching.

...

...

But it never came.

"What is this little thing? Can I join in?" It smiled at everyone in the room.

Chapter Text

Everyone in the room stared at the intruder with surprise on their faces. A shadow shaped like a person was holding the knife The Witch had thrown with one hand. The figure stood in front of the unconscious Mono as if to protect him.

"So, is this a two-man party or can anyone join in?" The Shadow joked as it twirled the knife in its hand. They looked at the monster for a second before staring at Six and raised their eyebrow in amusement "Well you certainly look different. Is it a new haircut?" They lowered the knife to the ground and used it as a cane as they bent forward "It certainly compliments your eyes but I think the boy might not like-"

"WhO aRe YoU?" The Witch growled at the intruder, but her tone seemed cautious now "How did you get in here?" She asked, with her voice returning to a more subdued tone.

The Shadow looked at the monster with amusement, but if one could read their expression, one would see they were annoyed at being interrupted. "What do you mean how I got here? I obviously walked." They mocked the Nightmare as if she was dumb for even asking.

"That's impossible! I am the master of The Swamp! Nothing can get in without me being aware of it! I will ask one last time, tell me how you got in here or I will turn you into a slug!" The Witch shouted at the intruder.

The Nightmare was on edge right now. Somehow, this thing had managed to get to her house without her even noticing it. They were dangerous.

"Look granny, it doesn't matter how I got here." The Shadow ignored the monster's orders as they turned away from her, leaving the knife stabbed on the ground "What DOES matter, is how you tried to steal my prey away from me..." They lifted Mono of the ground and cradled him in their arms, looking at him hungry eyes. The action made Six struggle, even more, to get up and go to him "And that is unacceptable." The Shadow lifted their eyes from the boy to glare at The Witch with a battle-hungry smile.

Their expression made The Witch tremble for a moment before she stopped herself from showing any weakness. She glared back at the dark silhouette with increased annoyance. First were those three rats and now another Nightmare invaded her territory without her even noticing. Her fury was reaching new levels that even she didn't know was possible.

"If you won't tell me on your own..." The Witch's hands glowed with her arcane powers. Lighting the room with a toxic green color "I WiiL mAkE YoU tAlK bY FoRcE!!!" She shouted with a mismatched tone as she stretched her arms toward The Shadow and released a stream of green flames. She didn't care anymore. She was going to burn every one of them to ashes.

Six struggled with all of her strength to get up and go to Mono. But it was as if her body wasn't listening to her anymore. Every second that passed seemed as if she got weaker and weaker. "What is happening to me... I need to... Mono...!" Her body slowly lowered to the ground again as the answer to her question made itself known.

*GROWL*

The noise of her stomach was everything Six needed to understand what was happening to her. It has been too long since she had eaten anything. Her vision began to darken as she stared at Mono being engulfed in the flames "No! Not now, please! I need to-!" A tear fell from one of her eyes as they closed, her body shutting down against her wish.

But the growling of her stomach never stopped. Her hunger needed to be sated. Her body began to twitch and move as something began to take over.

The Witch ceased her flames to see the charred bodies of her victims. Or at least, that was what she thought was going to happen.

She stared in surprise at a dark dome on the ground before it dispersed and showed the two figures inside, unharmed. Only the ground around the two was scorched black by the flames. "Hmmm. Spicy and sour. I liked it. Do you have more?" The Shadow mocked their adversary. They rubbed their nonexistent stomach to emphasize their act. Mono was now floating behind them, being held by tendrils of darkness.

The Witch widened her eyes in surprise. "What... What did you do?!" The monster inquired with a cautious tone. One of her strongest spells, being brushed off like it was nothing, was enough to make the Nightmare rethink her plans.

The Shadow scoffed and ignored her as they stared back at Mono with anticipation in their eyes. "Was that all? I got to admit, I'm disappointed." They taunted their opponent with amusement in their expression.

Something in The Witch snapped as she glared at the shadow with extreme fury. She used all her remaining strength to launch her strongest spell. She concentrated on her magic and focused in front of her, and when she felt her target, she began to pull them toward her.

The dark mist in the room began to flow toward The Witch and disappeared inside of her. The Shadow's expression finally changed into alarm as their 'body' was being sucked inside The Witch. "You! What are you doing?!" They shouted at the monster as their essence disappeared inside of her.

The Witch ignored their words and only accelerated the process of absorption. The Shadow tried to hold itself in place but it was too late. They dropped Mono to the ground as they floated toward The Witch without being able to stop. "YOU ARE GOING TO REGRET THIIIIISSS!!! The Shadow screamed as they disappeared inside the Nightmare.

The room was silent as The Witch opened her eyes in pleasure at the immense power she felt in her veins. She looked at her arms and saw how they pulsed with a green glow. She clenched her fists at the sensation of pure power coursing through her. "Ku ku ku! KYA HA HA HA HA HA!" She cackled maniacally as green bursts of power streaked across the room. "Haaa. I feel so refreshed. Who would have imagined that such a great meal would appear for me out of nowhere? Truly, The Tower must have blessed me." The monster talked to herself in her delirious glee.

She suddenly looked at the ground toward Mono and raised an eyebrow. She could feel something from the boy now, a source of power as great, if not, greater than the one she had just consumed. Not one to waste food, she grinned maliciously as she raised her arms again and pulled the boy toward her.

But nothing happened.

The Witch froze for a moment before looking at her arms and repeating the action one more time. Still, nothing happened.

"What... what is happening?" She stared at her palms in confusion for a moment before turning her hands around. She paled in shock when she saw that black lines were raising from her arms. "What... is this...?" She lifted her sleeves to look at her arms and noticed that they were already filled with the same lines. And they were spreading. "What's happening to me?" The Witch asked in alarm.

She tried to use her powers to stop whatever was happening but the action only made it worse. "AHHHHHH!!" She shouted as an immense pain afflicted her body. She stopped trying to use her powers and the pain ceased. But the damage was already done.

The black lines reached the point of her fingers and began to drip a black ooze onto the ground. When the drop touched the ground, it evaporated into a black mist that began to surround The Witch.

"No. No! NO!" The Witch felt her glee turn into horror as she felt her powers escaping from her and turning into something else. Feeling something wet on her face again, she rubbed her hand under her eyes and was appalled when she stared at her hands. The black slime. It was dripping from her eyes now. But it wasn't just from there. Her nose, ears, and even her mouth felt wrong.

The monster suddenly began to feel sick and lurched into the ground as she felt something coming up her throat. She opened her mouth and let it all out onto the ground. More black goo.

"I told you, you would regret it hehehe...AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Spoke a voice inside her head. The Witch realized too late what she had done wrong. Her last spell was supposed to be used on something alive. It turned their essence into her essence.

But whatever this thing was. It wasn't alive. It was something else entirely. That's why it wasn't turned into her essence, instead, it used the fact it was already inside of her and did the same to her. A poetic end to someone that did the same thing to many others countless times.

"NOOOO! AHHHHHH!" The Witch held herself in an attempt to keep her essence where it belonged. But it was too late. Her whole body began to be covered by a storm of darkness and began to melt away. Her screams of pain could be heard from miles away as her body disappeared into the darkness. Becoming one with it.

And this was how The Witch was erased from this world. Being consumed as she did to many others.

As she died, a shockwave spread across the whole swamp. It passed through every soul that the Nightmare had transformed and froze them for a moment before they stopped and melted away into a white mist. The mist floated upwards and began to dissipate into the air.

If one was around to hear, they would listen to the numerous thank you's being spoken by the freed souls. The tools in the hut weren't any different. They thanked their saviors as they floated away in happiness. They could finally reunite with the ones they lost.

The dark storm in the hut slowly coalesced into a single point before it began to form into a human shape again. The Shadow sighed in pleasure as it felt the new strength coursing through its body.

"Haaaa. What a nice granny. They always know how to sate someone. Hehehe..." The Shadow laughed at their dark joke in happiness. "Now then, I believe I left some space for dessert!" They looked at Mono with expectation before quickly remembering something "Oh that's right! I decided to eat him last! Now, where is the little kitty?" They looked away from Mono to search for his companion.

They looked at where they saw her last and were surprised when they didn't see anything there. The spot was empty. "Hmm. Where could the little cat be now?" The Shadow raised an eyebrow as they looked around in amusement. If she wanted to play a game why not entertain her?

"Here kitty kitty! Pst pst!" They jokingly called for her while searching for her.

*GROOOOOOOOOOOOWLLLLLLLL*

The Shadow heard from behind them. They turned and stared at two red eyes looking back at them. They couldn't see their body but they noticed they were crouched close to the ground. In a position to attack.

"There you are! Come here kitty! Pst pst!" The Shadow mocked the girl in the dark. But the eyes stayed glued to them. Watching. Waiting.

They found it a little strange that she wasn't saying anything but they didn't care a lot. "Well since you aren't coming to me..." The Shadow took a step forward and stopped while widening their eyes.

A blur had just rushed past them. The eyes weren't in front anymore. "W...hat...?" The Shadow slowly turned their head back in shock as stared at the dark figure behind them.

The Lykoi stood menacingly in an aggressive posture toward them. But something else caught The Shadow's attention. She had something in her mouth. An arm. Dripping with black slime. They looked at where the appendage was supposed to be with shock in their eyes. There was nothing there anymore.

With crushing sounds, Six chewed the arm in her mouth before consuming it with a loud 'gulp'. The noise was finally enough to wake The Shadow from their shock. They quickly turned toward the beast and stared into her eyes. Looking now, they finally noticed something they hadn't before. She wasn't looking at them as an opponent. She was looking at them as if they were prey.

The Shadow quickly became angry at the realization. "You little! You think you can hunt me! I am the one who-!" The blur flashed past them again, quickly shutting The Shadow up. This time it was another arm.

They stared at the spot she just disappeared from with wide eyes. They could feel her hungry eyes glued to their back. This was bad. They couldn't see her moving. And for some reason, their arms were not growing back.

"If you don't stop now I will-!" The Shadow tried turning around to look at her but the blur rushed past them again and they fell to the ground. One of their legs this time.

*GROOOOOOOWLLLLLLLL*

But the beast was still hungry. It stalked around the prey on the ground cautiously. It might be moving by instinct but it wasn't dumb. Her prey was tricky, but she wouldn't give it a chance to fight back.

The Shadow was confused. It didn't know what was happening. Their body wasn't functioning as they should. Seeing as they had no other choice, they decided to just let the beast finish their job. She would have the same end as The Witch. They raised their head toward her and grinned "You are going to regret this... These were their last words as Six jumped at them and began to consume their body.

But what The Shadow forgot to notice, was that Six wasn't absorbing them. She was eating them.

When they arrived at their stomach, they quickly realized their mistake as they stared at something that wasn't possible. They couldn't take over her body because there was already something there.

"This can't be..." They muttered as they stared at their imminent death.

They struggled to escape as the thing began to consume them, but there was nothing they could do. Their essence was disappearing inside of her.

In their last moments, The Shadow made one last effort to save themselves. They diffused their powers throughout Six's whole body. Making them part of her. The Shadow didn't know what would happen to them, but at least they would live.

Outside, Six staggered as she felt something strange in her body. Still moving by instinct, she looked at a spot inside the room and began to move toward it.

As she moved, darkness began to float around her and cover her body. From inside the dark mist, the sound of flesh and bones being reformed was heard, and when it dissipated, Six was back to her human form but she didn't notice.

She kept walking to that spot in the room. To Mono.

When she arrived at his side, her blank eyes stared at him for a moment before she lowered herself and curled herself on his side. In the place she stood before, a shadow looked at them with her face. It stared at them as Six hugged Mono closer to her and he did the same in his sleep. Smiling to herself, the shadow disappeared back inside Six, leaving the room in a quiet state.

Inside the house, a silhouette formed itself from nothing as it stared at the two on the ground. The form was tall and transparent, it looked like a very thin man.

"Now she is finally in balance with him. They can now grow together." Spoke the old voice. They stared at the two kids with determination before they were distracted by a sound inside the room.

Slowly turning back, they stared at a squirrel looking at them with dread in their eyes. The animal was frozen in shock at what it was seeing.

"Ah yes. Can't forget about you now, can I?" The form lifted one of its hands toward the animal and pointed a finger to the ground. The squirrel fell asleep immediately after that. Making a pulling motion with his hand now, the animal floated to their hand where they cradled the squirrel with care.

"Poor girl. It's so twisted of The Witch to only release the ones that were already dead. She was truly a Nightmare." The man caressed the animal with pity "Don't worry little Rain. I will help you..." He covered the animal with his other hand and closed his eyes for a moment.

When he opened his eyes and looked at his hand again, he was satisfied to see a little girl with braided hair sleeping calmly in his palm. She was wearing a brown cardigan with black shorts now. "There we go. I even made some clothes for you." The man patted her head with one of his fingers, which made her stir in her sleep. "Just five more minutes..." She mumbled.

The man shook his head in amusement before his expression took a more serious tone "As much as I would prefer to leave you here with them, your 'luck' will be much more useful somewhere else. 'He' is going to need it." The man commented before opening a portal under his hand a passing the girl to the other side. He lowered the girl onto a bed with a boy already in it. A boy with bangs covering his eyes wearing a blue cardigan and black shorts.

The man stared at the two kids for a moment as they curled onto each other. He stared with amusement in his eyes as he closed the portal. Their journey would not be watched by him. But he was sure they would be fine. After all, "Seven" and "Nine" were lucky numbers.

The man put his hands behind his back as he stared at the two on the ground for a moment before he looked up toward the horizon. The trees blocked his vision but it didn't matter to him. He stared at a city with pale buildings and a massive tower in the middle. The dark clouds above it reflected the state of the man's heart. Somber and dark.

"With this... the first step in their journey is done. Have a good rest kids. You are going to need it... The man spoke as his figure disappeared, leaving the two kids alone inside the hut.

They slept contently with the other in their arms. A smile on their face as they rested in a dreamless sleep.

"[Act 1 - Making a new friend?] Completed."

Chapter Text

Mono woke up confused. He didn't know where he was. He stared at a ceiling made of straw he didn't recognize in wonder. "Where... am I?" He slowly sat up while blinking his eyes.

Looking around, he noticed the place was a mess. All of the furniture in the room was destroyed. He widened his eyes in surprise at the mess around him "W- what happened here?!" He tried getting up but before he could he was pulled back to the ground "WHOA!" He exclaimed as he fell.

He closed his eyes and waited for the pain of hitting the ground. But it never came. He fell into something soft, something that was pushing their arms around him and bringing him closer. "Hmmm..." The thing sighed with a pleased tone.

Mono quickly froze at the sound. Someone was embracing him. And it was someone that he knew since the voice was familiar to him. Carefully, he opened his eyes and stared at the person that was keeping him captive.

He stared at the face of a cute girl with bangs covering her eyes and a small smile as she peacefully slept in his arms. Somehow, as he fell, the girl managed to weasel into his arms and hold onto him without waking up.

Mono would have thought about how impossible that sounded... if his mind hadn't stopped working.

He felt his whole body burning in embarrassment as his mind tried to understand his situation "I! What!? Who-?!" His thoughts stopped again as memories began to come back to him.

The Hunter's Cabin, running through a forest while holding hands, The Hollow Den, hunting Nightmares, The Swamp, and... The Witch!

"Six...!" He whispered the name as if it was precious. The girl in his arms stirred a little in her sleep after her name was said but she relaxed again after he stopped talking in surprise.

He stared at the girl with a blush on his face "That's right... We came here to kill The Witch..." His eyes became clouded as he unconsciously moved his hand to her hair and brushed it with his fingers "Hmmm..." Six hummed contently at the action, which made him smile in return.

He didn't notice how his shadow wiggled strangely under him before it became normal. His eyes became clear again.

He kept stroking her hair as he organized his thoughts. "We managed to get a hit on the monster and then... what happened after that?" He felt his head throbbing in pain and closed his eyes as the memories escaped him. He couldn't remember what happened after the knife fell. All that he could remember was a sinking feeling in his chest. Something bad happened after that. He was sure.

He opened his eyes to look over Six at the destruction around them with suspicion. Something happened after he lost his memories. Where did the monster go? How did they end up here on the ground? Where was-! Rain!

He widened his eyes when he remembered their turned animal companion "Where did Rain go?" Mono stopped brushing Six's hair as he searched around as much as he could while on the ground. But there wasn't anyone there with them. They were alone in the hut.

"Humm" Six grunted in her sleep in displeasure, which made him focus his attention back on her. Looks like she wasn't happy he stopped his ministrations.

Her eyes trembled as she slowly woke up. She yawned in his face, which gave him a full view of her mouth. For some reason, he thought some of her teeth looked... sharper.

But that wasn't his focus right now. Six was waking up. In his arms. They were very close. He froze as he waited for her reaction.

Six slowly blinked her eyes as she stared around blankly for a second before her red spheres focused on him.

For a second, he swore he saw her pupils were like that of a cat before they widened back to normal as she focused on him. Her whole body relaxed against him as he heard something rumbling. "Heyyyy..." She mumbled with a dopey smile, but the sound came out strange.

Mono stared at the girl with his whole face red for a moment before he spoke "H- hey Six. Umm..." He thought of what to say for a second "Are... Are you okay?" His worry came out on top "You... umm... sound a little... hoarse?"

Six stared at him, confused for a moment "WhAt?" She asked and the sound of her voice made her flinch. "What was..." Her mind began to clear as her drowsiness dissipated. And in a second, her whole mind went into disarray as her thoughts exploded into consciousness.

Her eyes widened in shock, her pupils thinning again and the rumble disappeared as she tried to understand what was happening "I! What!? Who-?! No, wait! MONO! That's right! This is Mono! He is my... friend! Yeah! Friend! And we... are... on the ground... holding each other..." Her eyes widened again and the rumble came back as her thoughts became clouded, her shadow was wiggling strangely.

"No wait! Why are we on the ground in the first place!? What's going on!?" Her eyes focused and the rumbling stopped again. If Six was thinking straight, she would have heard a "Tch!" being uttered in her mind. But she wasn't.

"M- Mono!" She called him with a blushing face "What- What's going on?! How did we-!" She hastily sat up while releasing him. Which made him hit his head on the ground at the sudden action. "OUCH!" He squirmed while rubbing his head in pain.

"*GASP* MONO! I'M SO SORRY!" She helped him sit up with a worried expression. "Let me see!" She lifted his hand away and rubbed at the spot he had hit. "Are you dumb? You have to look under the bag!" A sudden thought appeared in her mind. "I need you to take off your bag for a moment." She looked at him with a determined expression.

Mono looked at her with a surprised expression before looking away in hesitation. "Please..." Her expression changed to a more concerned one now. He looked back at her for a second before nodding in agreement.

Six grabbed the bag and slowly lifted it off his head. Mono looked away in embarrassment at showing his face. He had willingly shown it to her before, so he didn't think he would mind it so much. But this time it felt... different somehow. More personal.

"Oh wow... he really IS cute..." Something spoke inside Six's mind. She shook her head to concentrate back on what she was doing and looked at his hair. She couldn't see where the bruise was.

Frowning in concentration, she lifted her hand to his hair and slowly searched until she stopped when he hissed in pain. She felt a small lump on his head. She grimaced in displeasure at her clumsiness. It was her fault he was hurt.

"Rub it with the palm of your hands." A thought appeared in her head. "What- Just do it already!" She jumped a little at the harshness of her voice. She confusedly lifted her palm and rubbed the lump on his head.

He hissed again at the sudden action "Six! What are you-! Oh..." He complained before his pain suddenly began to melt away, leaving a relaxing feeling in his head. He sighed contently at her actions.

Six widened her eyes in surprise when she felt the lump disappearing under her hand. After a few seconds, his head was back to normal, as if he had never hit it in the first place.

She slowly lifted her hand away from his head and was shocked when saw some dark tendrils being absorbed back into her hand.

"Wow. It doesn't hurt anymore. How did you do that?" Mono asked as he turned to look at her. He noticed she was staring with wide eyes at her hands.

"I- I don't know..." She spoke absentmindedly. "You're welcome!" She heard a voice speaking in her head. A voice that sounded exactly like hers.

"What..." She spoke while holding her head in confusion.

"Six? Are you okay?" He asked her with a concerned expression. She looked... scared, almost.

Six blinked at him for a few seconds. Trying to understand what was happening to her. She shook her head to get her bearings and ignored the voice in her head for now.

"Y- yeah. I'm okay." She stared at his face and blushed when she realized she hadn't given his bag back yet. "H- here..." She lifted his bag toward him while looking away.

"O- ooh. Thanks." He 'smiled' at her as he grabbed the bag. Which made her blush harder in response "Wow... what a killer smile..." The voice in her head spoke with wonder. She felt as if she was going crazy.

"So," He talked while putting his bag on "Can you tell me what happened here?" He asked while getting up and looking around.

She looked up at him for a moment before the memories all came back to her at once. Making her mind spin in confusion and fear. "Well, that's a loooooong story..." Said the voice in her head again.

Yep. She was definitely going crazy...

Chapter Text

Six told him everything.

Everything that she could remember from the moment he lost consciousness. They sat on the ground beside each other as Six talked and Mono listened with bated breath.

How the spell The Witch threw, turned her into a cat. How they fought against the monster with the plan Rain had thought of. Mono was very scared when she told him about how she distracted the Nightmare. "Scratching a monster's face isn't a distraction Six! That was very dangerous!" He complained in concern.

"What? It worked, didn't it? She was very distracted." Six shrugged in amusement, looking at him with a proud smile.

Mono frowned and looked down in worry. He grabbed her hand and stared at it as he spoke "I don't like it when you get hurt..." He mumbled sadly, which made Six quickly drop the smile on her face in guilt. She didn't regret the action, but she didn't want him to be sad "I'm... I'm okay! See? You should look at the other guy..." She tried to change the subject and lighten the mood with a joke.

But it didn't work. Mono knew what she was doing. She was trying to brush the subject off as something that didn't matter. But it did matter, especially to him.

"Can you... can you at least try to be more careful? Please?" He knew Six wouldn't change the way she was. The only thing he could do was to caution her when she tried to do something dangerous. He looked at her with pleading eyes.

Six blushed in embarrassment. Here was someone worried about her and she just tried to play him off. "If you don't promise him right now, I will." The voice in her head threatened. "Shut up!" She yelled in her thoughts. She couldn't believe she was arguing with herself.

"I... I will try. I promise, okay?" Six squeezed his hand to get his attention while she spoke. Her expression told him she was being truthful and well, even if she wasn't, he was going to make sure to take care of her.

Next time, he was going to protect her.

"Okay..." He 'smiled' at her in satisfaction, which made Six look away with a blush. "Wait... How can we see that? He still has the bag on..." The voice in her head sounded extremely confused. Six shook her head in an attempt to silence her strange thoughts.

"So, what happened then? After you 'attacked' The Witch?" Mono asked with a disapproving tone, which made her look at him and roll her eyes. Of course, he would mock her form of 'distraction'. Six ignored his insult and told him about how Rain managed to convince the tools to attack their monster.

But then her story took a more somber tone when she remembered what happened next. How The Witch launched a spell that destroyed every utensil attacking her and the rest of the furniture.

"Her spell ended up revealing where I had hidden you, and she used that against us..." She said with a quiet tone "She had a knife on her, she tried to..." She stopped talking and looked at him with worried eyes.

Mono didn't need to guess what happened after that. He scooted closer to her and hugged her. "I'm okay." He whispered.

Six froze for a second before her arms slowly raised and hugged him back. She sighed in his embrace as she relaxed. He was here. He was okay.

"And then? What happened after that?" He asked as he released her but still kept holding her hand.

Six looked at their joined hands for a moment as she tried to remember what happened after that. "After that..." She mumbled as the memories became unclear. The only image that appeared in her head was a 'smile made of darkness'.

She widened her eyes in shock. "Six? What's wrong?" Mono asked in concern after he noticed the change in her expression.

"The Shadow..." She looked at him with wide eyes. Her pupils were slitted again.

He tilted his head in confusion "What about them?" He asked.

"They saved you..." She answered in disbelief, which made him widen his eyes in surprise.

"...what?" He thought he must have heard wrong.

"The Shadow! After The Witch tried to kill you with her knife! They saved you!" Six repeated with an anxious tone "It's the last thing I remember before I..." She didn't know what happened after that. She only remembered feeling hungry.

Mono looked down in confusion. "Why would they do that?" He asked himself out loud.

"Well, why wouldn't I? You were my prey. I wasn't going to let her get what's mine." A familiar voice said.

"What?" He looked at Six in confusion "What did you say?" He didn't understand what she was talking about.

But Six looked at him in confusion as well "I didn't say anything."

"I did." Her voice sounded from behind them, which made them flinch in shock.

They looked at each other for a second before they slowly turned their heads back.

They stared at a figure exactly like Six. But this one was made of shadows. A mist of darkness floated around her as she stood with her arms crossed. When they looked at her, she gave them a wave and a smile "Hey there! Nice to meet me!" She spoke with a casual tone.

Mono and Six stared at her for a second before they quickly stumbled to get up and run.

The shadow stared at them with a deadpanned expression and sighed "And they say first impressions are what matters... She said as she disappeared into the ground to go after the fleeing two.

She needed to talk to them after all.

Chapter Text

The kids ran without looking back until they reached one of the piles of rumble inside the room. They scampered under what was left of the bed after it was destroyed and stared at the center of the room with surprise on their faces.

There wasn't anyone there anymore.

"Can you see them?" Six asked her friend as she anxiously searched around the room.

"No. I don't see anything..." Mono did the same at her side.

They couldn't feel their presence either. The heavy pressure the shadow carried when they appeared.

The room was completely silent, except for their breathing.

"What are we hiding from?" They jumped in surprise at the voice on their side.

Slowly turning their heads to the right, they saw the shadow lying down on their side while holding her head with one hand. "Hey again." She casually spoke while smiling at them.

"WAAAA!" The kids yelled in fear and hurried to get out of there.

They ran to the center of the room but stopped when the shadow suddenly appeared in front of them. She had one of her arms stretched toward them as she yelled "STOP!" And they froze in front of her, more out of surprise than out of fear.

They stared at the Nightmare in front with caution, they didn't know what this thing wanted but they would be ready for it. "Alright, enough with the wariness already. I'm not gonna hurt you, even if I wanted it to. Which I don't, not anymore at least." The shadow crossed her arms and shrugged as she talked.

...or so they thought they would.

Mono and Six stared at her with surprise at her words. They... didn't want to harm them? What did this mean? They looked at each other for a moment before they stared at the shadow with suspicion. Were they lying?

"No, I'm not lying." The shadow commented with an indifferent tone while staring at her nonexistent nails.

Were they trying to trick them? "No, I'm not trying to trick you."

Were they... wait... how are they... "Answering your suspicions without you asking them?" The shadow grinned at them smugly.

The kids took a step back in alarm. Their suspicions rose the more the shadow talked. Seeing their reactions, the shadow sighed in annoyance before taking a more serious tone. "Alright. I will stop joking around. What do you want to know?" The shadow spoke with a serious tone. But it sounded unnatural. Like they were forcing themselves.

Mono and Six stared at the thing in front of them for a second before they stared at each other. They gave meaningful stares at each other as if they were having a conversation before they reached an understanding by nodding their heads. The shadow raised an eyebrow in amazement at their ability to understand each other without speaking. Not that she was surprised, they knew why after all.

Mono was to first to speak. He took a step forward bravely and spoke to the Nightmare in front of them "Who are you?" With a serious tone.

The shadow stared at him for a moment before she spoke "I am The Shadow." With a serious tone "Or at least I was. Now I'm not sure what I am anymore." Before she returned to a nonchalant one.

Mono stared at them with confusion. What did that mean?

Seeing that the conversation had stopped, Six took a step forward as well and stopped beside Mono "What do you want then?" She glared at the being in front.

The shadow appeared to think for a moment before she spoke "Well that depends, what is it that YOU want?" She asked back while looking at them.

Six glared at them with annoyance "That is not an answer!" She yelled at them.

The shadow appeared to roll her nonexistent eyes before she grinned smugly at her "It is if you know all the clues." She spoke mysteriously.

Six irritation grew even more at her response "Give us a straight answer already!" She screamed while taking another step forward. Mono couldn't see it, but her eyes were menacingly shining red at the shadow.

They trembled for a second while looking at Six before they spoke seriously once again "Alright, alright. I will talk." She raised her arms in defeat with a worried expression. "Look down and you will understand..." She spoke with a defeated tone.

Raising an eyebrow in suspicion, Six looked down and stared at the ground for a moment, before her eyes widened in surprise. "...what?" She took a step back when she noticed what the shadow was talking about.

Her shadow. It was stretching toward the being in front, and they were coming out of it.

Mono widened his eyes in shock. Does this mean-?!

"Yes Mono. It's exactly what it appears." She stared seriously at him for a moment before she couldn't force herself anymore and smirked at him "This is a party of three now!" She cackled while raising her arms.

Mono and Six stared at the being in front of them as if they were crazy. "Oh c'mon don't look at me like that. It's not as if I had I choice in this." She shrugged with a defeated expression.

Looking at them with confusion, Mono asked "What do you mean?"

The shadow stared at him for a moment and was about to explain before she froze and trembled for a moment. "I... can't talk about it..." She didn't want to get on the bad side of that thing.

They looked at them with suspicion again. The shadow sighed in annoyance "Look. I can't go into details but, I tried to save myself and ended up being part of you. Now I can't hurt you even if I wanted to. Which, again, I don't." She spoke to the two of them.

The kids looked at each other for a moment. They were having trouble understanding what was happening. Trying to clear their doubts, Mono decided to ask "So... you are part of Six now? Is that it?"

The shadow stared at him for a moment with a mysterious expression "Yeah. You could say that..." She said nonchalantly.

Mono stared at them for a moment before shrugging "Well, welcome to the team then." He spoke with an accepting tone.

"MONO!" Six looked at him as if he was crazy "You can't be serious!" She yelled at him, making him jump in surprise.

He looked at her with a confused expression "What?" He asked innocently.

"Why do you trust what they say so easily?! They could be tricking us!" "Am not-" "YOU SHUT UP!" Six glared at the shadow with shining eyes.

The shadow raised its arms in defeat and stopped talking. She did not want to know what the girl could do to her while angry.

Six looked back at Mono with an inquisitive expression. "So? Care to explain yourself?" She asked with her hands on her hips. Her bangs were parted and he could see one of her eyes glaring at him.

Mono was mesmerized by her expression for a moment before looking away while blushing. "How do I still find her cute in this situation?!" He exclaimed in his head but out loud "I don't know! Maybe because they look like you!" He mumbled while confused, not noticing when Six widened her eyes at his response.

She blushed while looking at him flabbergasted. "OHHH! Great idea Mono! Let me try something!" The shadow exclaimed amidst their turmoil and became engulfed in darkness. The kids jumped awake from their confused state and stared at the shadow with suspicion.

When the mist dissipated, what stared back at them wasn't Six anymore. It was a boy wearing a long coat and a bag on his head.

The kids widened their eyes in surprise again as they stared at the Mono made of shadows. "My goodness! How do you even see with this thing?!" The shadow exclaimed in annoyance at the bag on his head. They took it off and threw it away. The bag evaporated into a dark mist and drifted back into the shadow below.

"Now then," The shadow spoke while dusting their hands for a job well done, they looked at Six and repeated what they said before "I promise that I can't hurt you nor do I want to." He tried 'smiling' at her but without his features, it didn't look as good as Mono's.

Six blushed in annoyance at their actions. Just because they looked like Mono didn't mean they were him. "Huh. Is that how I look when I smile?" Mono spoke while rubbing his chin and wincing "It looks... menacing..." He said while looking at the shadow's face. They didn't have eyes or teeth, so it looked really scary.

Six chuckled at his reaction "Don't worry, yours is better." She smiled while patting his arm.

"You think so?" Mono looked with hopeful eyes at her.

She stared at him for a moment before her cheeks became red and she nodded.

Mono 'smiled' at her "Thanks Six! I like yours better too!" He said while grabbing her hand.

Six looked away while blushing but didn't try to release her hand.

The shadow stared at them with a deadpanned face. "Wow. So this is how it feels being the third wheel..." He said with a bored tone before he was engulfed in darkness again. They turned back to being Six since being Mono didn't work. "I like this form better anyway!" They spoke out loud but the two kids in front were still in their own world.

The shadow smiled angrily "HELLOOO! I AM STILL HERE, YOU KNOW?!" She shouted, which made them jump in surprise.

When they realized what happened, Mono looked away in embarrassment while Six glared at the shadow with annoyance. The shadow stared back at her while waiting for her response.

Six sighed in annoyance and gave up. "Fine. You can come with us..." She crossed her arms and looked away.

The shadow smiled at them smugly "I knew you were a softie Six. In fact-" She closed her mouth quickly when they noticed Six was glaring at her with shining eyes. They looked away in fear and feigned ignorance.

Mono looked at their interaction with amusement. "Well, at least it won't be boring for a while." He thought while smiling. He looked between the two and noticed something they should probably deal with now as well.

"Then, since you are coming with us you're going to need a name! And I already thought of one!" He exclaimed proudly. He puffed his chest "Shadow-!"

"If you say Shadow Six, I WILL punch you." The shadow said with a deadpan expression.

Mono deflated at being denied without even being able to talk. He disappointedly looked at the ground in sadness. Six widened her eyes at his reaction before glaring at the shadow in fury. Her eyes shined at them, promising pain for making Mono sad.

"WAIT, WAIT!" They begged while raising their hands in surrender "It's not that I don't like the name..." She didn't. But she wasn't going to tell him that. "It's because I already choose a name for myself!" She said proudly toward the two.

They looked at the shadow with surprise. Mono looked at them with an interested expression "And what did you choose?" He asked with an excited tone.

The shadow stared at the two in front of her with fondness. It was a name that described her well. She smiled smugly at them as the dark mist stirred around her.

"You can call me... Sixteen!"

Chapter Text

The children stared at their new companion with wonder. "Sixteen... It's a good name! I like it!" Mono commented with a smile.

"It's... not awful." Six said with as much amiability that she could muster toward the being in front of them. Which, in Sixteen's book, was already an improvement in their relationship.

"Thanks, you two! I like it very much!" Sixteen smiled at them gleefully. "So! Now that we got THAT, sorted out. What are we doing next?" She asked with anticipation.

The kids looked at each other for a moment before their expressions turned serious. They knew what they should do. "We are-!" They talked at the same time

"Going to find a place to hide!"
"Going to find the next target in our quest!"

But they finished with different ideas. "What!?" They exclaimed while glaring at each other. "Oh no..." Sixteen cringed as she knew what was about to happen.

"What do you mean you want to keep going?!" Mono shouted at the insane girl in front of him "Wasn't this experience enough already?! We almost died!" He couldn't believe she wanted to keep going after that!

"Of course, I want to keep going! We actually managed to do it at the end, didn't we?! Why should we stop now when we just started?!" Six crossed her arms in annoyance toward the overprotective boy in front of her.

"We were lucky! You know that as well as I do! We didn't kill anything! What we did was fall into a trap and almost die! Or worse!" Mono crossed his arms as well in defiance.

"But it worked, didn't it!" She refused to admit he was right. She took a step forward and stared into his eyes with determination "I won't give up now Mono! I will do this-!" She stopped as she closed her eyes and thought about her next words carefully. She knew what she was about to do, she hoped she didn't have to do this but she couldn't keep going alone. She needed him.

Opening her eyes, she looked up at him with a pained expression "Even if it's without you..." Now there was no going back for her.

Sixteen widened her eyes in shock at Six's words. Had she really done what she thought she did? She looked at Mono to see his reaction but she couldn't see his eyes from she was. But she didn't need to.

Mono took a step back in surprise. Six... wasn't giving him a choice. She knew he would never leave her alone. He was taken aback by her determination. Was this really what she wanted? To hunt those monsters even if they killed her? He couldn't understand why...

Mono turned away from her, looking down with a pained expression "We will do it your way then Six..." He said in a fierce tone. He didn't feel like being nice to her right now. He began to walk away from the two with slow steps "I will... try to find Rain. She hasn't appeared yet..." He talked in a subdued tone as he walked until he disappeared on the other side of the hut.

But since he wasn't looking at her, he missed the way Six lifted her hand toward him. She almost went after him to apologize but decided against it. Lowering her hand, she clenched it tight until it hurt.

But it didn't matter how much she hurt herself. It wouldn't soothe the pain in her chest.

"Why did you do that?" She heard a voice in her head. Looking around in surprise, she noticed the shadow had disappeared. "...Sixteen?" She asked out loud.

"Yes. I'm here. Why did you do that?" The shadow repeated itself with an angry tone.

"What do you mean? And why did you disappear?" Six feigned ignorance and tried to change the subject.

"I don't want to look at you right now and don't try to play dumb. You know what I mean." Sixteen angrily replied to her. "Why are you manipulating him?!" She exclaimed in a higher tone. "He is not dumb, you know? He knows what you are doing. And you know how much that hurts him. So I will ask you one last time. Why did you do it?!" Her voice escalated to a shout at the end.

Six held her temple in pain for a moment. Turns out it hurts to have someone shouting in your head. She looked down in thought for a moment before she opened her mouth to respond. "I... need him..." She commented in a small tone.

"That doesn't explain why you thought that hurting him was a good idea!" The shadow exclaimed.

"I didn't think it was a good idea! I just didn't have a choice!" She whisper-shouted while walking back and forth "Mono is-! Too much Mono! He will try to keep me away from danger whenever I go! But I don't want that! I'm tired of hiding!" She stopped as she closed her eyes and clenched her fists. She reminded herself of all that she went through since she could walk. The fear of thinking if you were going to live another day.

She had enough of it.

As her feeling grew, so did the darkness around her. A black mist began to float around her in response to her emotions. "I want to fight! I want to make them pay for destroying our world! I want to hurt them as they hurt us!" The mist began to orbit her faster and faster.

"I! WILL! MAKE! THEM! PAY!" Six said in a dark tone. Her hands were intertwined with dark tendrils as she floated a little above the ground. Her eyes were black with shining red irises. Her pupils were slitted as she blankly stared ahead with an angry expression. Her fangs had grown out of her mouth and her claws had lengthened to sharp points. If someone was close to her, they would notice she was growling.

"SIX! STOP!" Sixteen shouted at the girl to snap her out of whatever was happening to her.

Six immediately snapped back with a gasp as her eyes turned back to white. She looked down at herself in horror as she noticed the sharp claws in her hands. "NO!" She dropped to the ground in shock and fell into a kneeling position. She hugged herself and closed her eyes. "No... What's happening to me..." She trembled in fear. She was turning into a monster...

"Six! Just listen to me! Breathe! Slowly!" The shadow tried to calm the girl from her panicked state "Breathe in! Breathe out!" She repeated this a few times until Six did as she told her to do.

"Breathe in... breathe out..." Six repeated what the voice in her head said and slowly calmed herself. As she did so, the darkness around her began to dissipate, and her features began to go back to normal.

"Fuuuu..." With a final sigh, she opened her arms and looked at herself with relief. Everything was okay now.

Sixteen kept silent for a few seconds before she spoke about what she thought they should do. "You need to tell Mono. He can-" "You won't say anything about this to him!" She was interrupted by Six.

Stopping in shock for a moment, Sixteen frowned at the girl "What do you mean we can't tell him? He needs to know! Maybe he can help!" She spoke with an annoyed tone.

"I don't want him to know!" Six spoke with fear in her tone. She didn't him to know she becoming more of a monster.

"Don't worry. You know Mono won't think less of you because of that. After all he-" But Sixteen was interrupted again.

"You won't tell him and that's final!" Six spoke with shining eyes, making Sixteen stop in uncertainty. She still didn't want to know what Six could do to her when she was angry.

Six took her silence as agreement as she nodded to herself.

"SIX! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" She turned back to see Mono running toward her with a panicked look in his eyes. He stopped in front of her to catch his breath for a moment.

"What is it?" She asked him with an anxious tone. Glad for the chance to forget what just happened to her.

"...yeah Mono. Tell us what happened..." Sixteen appeared again. She glared at Six with a worried expression for a moment before she looked at Mono when the girl glanced her way.

"It- It's Rain!" He spoke while out of breath. He looked up at her with wide eyes "She disappeared!"

In an underwater resort drifting away at the sea. Where the rich went to escape from the horrors of the world and feast themselves with numerous foods.

On the lowers levels, where the monsters that owned this iron cage kept their prisoners, a boy woke up as something dropped on him.

He fell out of the bed in shock as he stared at a figure rising on it. The figure rubbed her head in confusion and looked around to see where they were.

Not seeing anything meaningful, they looked down at the boy on the ground in surprise. "Oh, hey there! Why are you on the ground?" The figure said with a feminine voice. Making the boy realize that the one that threw him off his bed was a girl.

"You... kicked me out of it..." The boy said with a quiet tone.

"Oh! Ummm... sorry about that..." The girl apologized with a blush on her face.

Sighing with a tired tone the boy raised himself while brushing his clothes "It's okay... it's not like I was having a nice sleep anyway..." He talked with a miserable tone. Nightmares were a constant in The Maw. Be it in the real or the dream world.

"So who are you?" The boy asked the strange girl on his bed.

The girl pondered on what to answer for a moment before she replied "You can call me Rain..." in a mumble.

"Rain? I don't know anyone with that name around here..." The boy pondered to himself in confusion. He never heard someone say that name around here.

"And you? What's your name?" The girl asked with curiosity.

"Oh," The boy jumped out of his daze and looked at the girl "My name is..."

"Seven."

Chapter Text

The kids searched around the hut for their missing companion but couldn't find any clue of where she could be or where she could have gone. It was like she had disappeared into thin air.

"Did you look under there?" Six asked while pointing at what was left of the cabinet.

"Yes..." Mono sighed sadly. They have already checked every pile of rubble in this room. He looked around to see if they might have missed a spot but there wasn't anywhere else she could have hidden, and if she was still here she would have heard them calling for her.

She was gone.

"That makes no sense... Why would she just disappear like that? Without even telling us?" Mono looked down in confusion.

"I don't know. But wherever she is, I think she might be fine. She was very resourceful after all." Six commented. She didn't worry about the girl too much. She was brave enough to fight to get her body back. She would be fine. "Let's just leave this place already. I'm tired of the smell of the swamp." She waved her hand in front of her nose.

Mono looked at her for a moment before he sighed. He hoped she was right. He might have just met Rain but he was still worried about her. He hopes she takes care of herself. "Let's go then. I might have an idea of a way for us to go back to the forest without having to find a boat again." He said while walking toward a wall.

Six tilted her head in confusion before following after him. She stared at the back of his head "What's your idea?" She looked down at his hand and tried to grab it.

"Well, since we probably don't want to go back the way we came I thought we could try to call the-" He stopped and recoiled his hand when he felt someone trying to grab it. He looked back at Six with a surprised expression and noticed she had a shocked look on her face.

Noticing what he just did Mono opened his mouth to apologize but stopped after he remembered what she did to him. He looked down with a hurt look for a moment before turning and walking to the wall again "We could try to call The Hollow Den here. See if it can bring us back to the forest." He said while ignoring what just happened.

Six felt as if her heart was stabbed. He ignored her. He didn't want to hold her hand. And she knew it was her fault. "Hmm, I wonder why he is mad at you. It's almost like you manipulated him into following you." Sixteen said in a sarcastic tone, making her heart hurt even more at the memory.

She shook her head to drive the guilt away. She didn't have a choice, she kept reminding herself of that as she followed after the boy she hurt. "...yeah. Just keep telling yourself that." Sixteen commented with an irritated tone before going silent. She was still mad at Six for hurting Mono. Even more, now that she refused to apologize to him.

They neared one of the walls in the hut that didn't have destroyed furniture covering it. Mono stared at the wall for a moment "Okay. Let's try this..." He closed his eyes and concentrated.

Six stood beside him and looked at his face before staring at the wall. Sixteen appeared at her side and did the same "So that's how you guys disappeared. How... unfair." She said with an annoyed tone. Six decided to ignore her.

Mono recalled the feeling of the last time he made the den appear "Please, come to us..." and called.

The Hollow Den answered.

The wall in front of them began to twist. A hole appeared in the wood and began to widen until it a half circle appeared. Large enough for both of them to pass through.

Mono opened his eyes and smiled at it. He thought it was cool how they had a place that could appear out of nothing.

"Again. It's so unfair that you guys found this. How did you do it in the first place?" Sixteen asked with curiosity.

Mono looked at her and tilted his head "What do you mean? Weren't you stuck in here before? You know, when you were a... mist?" He tried to find a word to describe what she was when they first met.

Sixteen tilted her head in confusion "Huh? This is the place where I was imprisoned?" She looked at the opening without recognizing it.

"Yes, it was. Don't you remember?" Six questioned the shadow at her side.

"Eh, not really. My memories from before I killed The Hunter are a blur." Sixteen couldn't recall how she was before she gained consciousness. All that she remembered was how she wanted to hunt the two kids at her side. How the times have changed...

"Wait!" Mono whipped his head toward her "YOU killed The Hunter?!" The realization shocked both him and Six by her expression.

"Yeah I did!" She spoke proudly "He was hunting my prey after all." She had an annoyed expression as she spoke. The audacity of that Nightmare!

Mono and Six looked at each other for a moment before he asked reluctantly "And... who... was your prey?"

"Oh it was you guys!" She said as a matter of fact with a happy smile on her face.

The kids recoiled from the shadow and stared at her with suspicion.

"Ah don't worry! I told you I don't want to do that anymore! We are all friends now!" She rebutted their suspicions with a delighted tone.

Mono stared at Six with a complicated expression for a moment "Riiiight..." He spoke while turning his head toward the shadow "Thank... you? I guess?" He thought he should thank her for killing The Hunter at least.

"Your welcome!" She responded gleefully "Now! How about we check this place out?!" She clapped her hands with anticipation and pointed at the hole in the wall.

The kids stared at the shadow with a complicated expressions. They didn't know how to react to having one of their former enemies turn into one of their companions. It was... a strange feeling.

They decided to just ignore it for now and go inside the den. They had to plan what to do next.

Chapter Text

Something was... different. It was the first thing they realized when they entered.

"What... is that?" Mono pointed to the right of the cave in surprise. There were two new additions to the small room.

They approached the objects carefully in suspicion but widened their eyes when they could finally see what they were. "...no way..." He whispered in an awed tone.

In front of them, there were two beds made from the same materials as the walls of the den. The legs appeared to be grown from the ground to form the furniture that ended in a flat headboard. The mattress was made with some kind of string they did not recognize, curled around many times until it became a large surface for someone to lie over. It looked very comfortable.

But what caught their attention the most, was the flat headboard. There were words carved onto it. No, it looked as if they had grown there with the bed. The one on their left said, "SIX" and the one on the right "MONO". All of this is written with the same type of letters used on the name they had seen on the entrance of The Hollow Den.

"Huh. That's neat... and creepy..." Sixteen commented at their side, staring at the beds with curiosity.

Six didn't have words to describe her surprise. Taking the first step forward, she approached 'her' bed to look more closely. She passed her hand on the mattress to feel how soft it was and smiled when her hand pressed down on the strings. Not only was it very soft but also it didn't make her hand itch.

She sat down close to the headboard and stared at her name. She never had a bed before. Well, not one that belonged only to her. And definitely not one as... good, as this one was. She traced the letters of her name in awe, was this how her name was written? It looked so... normal. Was this how it felt? To be normal? It made her wonder how the world was before... well, before everything.

Seeing her reaction, Mono decided to try his bed as well. He stared at it for a moment before turning and slowly sitting on it. He was surprised for a moment as he sunk further into the mattress than he thought he would, losing his balance for a moment.

After he stopped himself, he froze for a moment before the feeling under him registered in his brain and his whole body relaxed. "It's so... fluuuffffyyy!" He lowered himself happily onto his bed with a wide smile.

His voice caught Six's attention as she stared at him sprawling gleefully on his furniture. He was laying on his stomach and swinging his feet back and forth with a wide smile on his face. The image burned itself into her head as one of the cutest things she had ever seen.

She blushed at the thought and looked away in embarrassment.

Sixteen stared at the two with amusement for a few seconds before she frowned in suspicion. She grabbed her chin in a contemplative gesture "Don't you guys find it strange?" She spoke out loud to grab their attention, and when they looked at her, she continued "This place didn't have beds before right?" She asked while looking at both of them.

Mono righted himself up and crossed his legs on the bed. He looked at Six with wide eyes and noticed that she was doing the same. "...You are right. That IS strange." He looked at his name on the bed with suspicion now. Who... or what... had put these things here?

"Not only that but these beds also have your names on them. If that isn't creepy then I don't know what is." Spoke the living shadow while crossing her arms.

Mono looked at the bed with reluctance. He had to admit she had a point. "But it's so comfy..." He complained inside his head. Why couldn't he have good things?

"Maybe..." Six spoke out loud which caught their attention. They looked at her and saw that she had also grabbed her chin in thought. "Maybe, it was The Den that made them for us?" She looked at them with a questioning look.

They widened their eyes at her assumption "Why would you say that?" Mono asked her after he shuffled to sit on the edge of the bed.

Six looked at him "Because we have seen that this place can show us things that we ask." She said while pointing up "Maybe, it gave us the beds because of something we did." She explained her guess which made Mono drop his head in thought.

She might be right. This place was, somehow, alive. And it was sentient enough to answer their questions. He thought of an idea that might work to understand where these beds came from. He looked up at them "Maybe we can just... ask? The cave, I mean." He spoke in a hesitant tone, waiting for their reactions.

The shadow looked at Six for a moment and shrugged her arms. "I don't see why not. The worst that could happen is that it ignores us." She spoke as she turned to the opposite wall and waited for the two to get up.

Nodding to herself, Six raised herself from the bed followed by Mono doing the same. They approached the blank wall and looked at each other. Thinking about who should ask the question.

"Hey you! Whatever you are... Was it you that made those beds?" Sixteen got tired of waiting and asked the question herself, pausing a little as she questioned what this place was.

They waited with bated breath as the silence stretched inside the cave. But nothing happened.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" The shadow got annoyed at being ignored and banged her fist on the wall. But still, nothing happened. She glared at the wall as if it had wronged her and huffed.

Mono and Six looked at each other with exasperated expressions. The boy walked forward and put his hand on the shadow's shoulder "Let me try..." He spoke with a hesitant smile.

Sixteen pouted at him and went to stand beside Six. They watched the boy walk forward and stand in front of the blank wall.

"Umm, excuse me," Mono spoke politely "Was it you who made those beds for us?" He asked while rubbing his hands in nervousness.

They waited for a few seconds and the wall finally began to twist and change. Sixteen huffed in annoyance but stared with curiosity as the image of a positive check mark appeared on the wall. Finally answering their doubts.

It was, indeed, the cave that added the new furniture.

Feeling skeptical about its reasons, Six walked forward with a questioning expression "But why did you do it?" She crossed her arms in defiance. She wouldn't believe they got something for nothing.

After waiting a few seconds again, the wall began twisting and forming a new pattern.

It was the map with the Nightmares and their territories again.

The kids stared with surprise as the image of The Witch was crossed off the map. Showing that two of the monsters were defeated.

Sixteen widened her eyes in recognition "I see...!" She exclaimed and looked at the two kids that were looking at her right now. "It's because of The Witch!" She spoke as if her words were enough to make them understand.

The two stared at each other in confusion for a moment before Six looked at her and asked "What do you mean?"

Sixteen stared at them with a deadpanned expression before she sighed and complained about how dumb they could be sometimes. "It's because she is dead!" She explained while shaking her head.

Mono and Six widened their eyes in shock. It made sense! But if that was true then... "Does that mean that?!" Mono exclaimed as he looked at the shadow with an excited expression.

Sixteen nodded at him with a smug smile. Of course, he realized what that meant "That's absolutely right Mono!" She exclaimed with the same excited expression.

Six looked at the two with an annoyed expression. "Explain it to me already!" She exclaimed while crossing her arms in irritation. She definitely wasn't jealous of them. She wasn't!

The two looked at the girl and spoke at the same time:

"The cave evolves when a Nightmare is killed!"

Chapter Text

Six looked at them with confusion in her eyes "It... evolves?" She didn't know the meaning of that word.

"Yes!" Mono replied with enthusiasm "It means The Den will change every time we kill a Nightmare!" He explained when he noticed her confused expression.

"That's a very vague explanation but, yeah. He is right." Sixteen rolled her 'eyes' at them. Pretty hard to do when you didn't have those. But somehow she did it anyway. She was expressive like that.

"Ohh..." Six widened her eyes when she finally understood what they meant. She smiled smugly at Mono "Then we have even more reason to kill them now huh?"

Mono noticed her expression and glared at her for a moment before he looked away in annoyance. He didn't want to admit he was interested in how The Den would change over time. He knew that if he did it would only give Six more reasons to throw herself into danger. And she had enough of those.

Six pouted at him and looked away as well. If he didn't want to talk to her then she wasn't gonna either!

Sixteen stared at both kids with a tired expression. She just joined their 'group' but she could already tell they were going to give her lots of work. Deciding that she had enough for today she sighed and said "I think we had enough adventure for today. How about we go to sleep?" She faked a yawn to convince both of them. She didn't actually need to sleep, she just wanted these two to rest.

Mono and Six stared at the shadow with confused expressions for a moment "But we just woke up?" The girl pointed it out.

Sixteen smiled at them cheerfully with her eyes closed "Go to sleep. She said in a menacing tone and opened her eyes to glare at them while still smiling "Now." She ordered.

The kids felt a chill down their spine as they straightened up and walked stiffly toward their beds in fear. They lay down and stared at Sixteen with a confused looks. "Good kids! Now have a good night!" She said before dissipating.

The kids stared at each other from their beds with expressions of not knowing what just happened.

They kept looking at one another for a few seconds before the silence and their cozy beds started to affect them. Their eyes began to drop in drowsiness as their fatigue made itself known.

"Good... night... Six..." Mono mumbled with closed eyes.

"...goodnightMono..." Six answered already half-asleep.

And together, they slowly drifted off into a peaceful rest.

Sixteen stared at both of them with fondness from her hiding space before she closed her and allowed her thoughts to drift away. She couldn't sleep like the two of them but she could 'turn off' her brain as she entered a kind of meditative state. It was her way of resting when those two weren't active.

And while some kids rested...

...others were just woken up by having a girl fall onto them.

"So, Seven, where the heck am I?" Rain asked while looking around curiously at the various kids sleeping. She didn't remember ever seeing so many together.

Seven tilted his head in confusion at the girl, "It's... the nursery." He spoke in a way as if it was common knowledge. "You don't know where you are? And why did you fall on me?"

Rain looked at him "A nursery?" She asked herself, confused. How did she get here actually? "I- You didn't see where I came from?" She asked him with a hopeful face.

Seven raised his eyebrow in disapproval "You fell on me while I was sleeping remember?" He spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh yeah, oops!" Rain looked away in embarrassment. But she looked back at him when she noticed he was still on the ground. "Here, let me help you uuuUUUUPP-!" She exclaimed in surprise as she got tangled in the sheets and fell to the ground.

But it didn't stop there.

Seven couldn't even cry out in pain as the girl fell on him and they rolled under another bed until they stopped with the girl sprawled on top of him. He was about to say some very not-so-pretty things to this girl when he heard a distinctive sound that sent a chill down his spine.

A sound that every kid on The Maw knew and feared.

"O- oh! I- I- I'm so sorry!" Rain stuttered as she closed her eyes in shame.

But Rain wasn't from around here, she was from another... place.

"Why does this always happens to me?! Curse my luck I swear-!" "SHHHHH!" Rain was stopped from talking by the boy under her. She opened her eyes in surprise and saw that he had his index finger over his mouth as he used his other hand to cover her mouth.

He glared at her with a serious expression as he pointed to his ears and then to the room outside.

As the silence began to linger, she concentrated on the sounds outside and heard something sinister. Labored breath followed by short steps and something being dragged. Something heavy.

Rain stared as someone passed in front of the bed they were under. But she could only see their feet and their arms. Their very long arms. So long that the creature was dragging them behind.

Rain knew what they were.

An adult. A monster. A Nightmare.

She looked back at the boy under her and saw that he was craning his head up to look at the monster walking away from them. She wanted to ask the boy where the heck she was again and why the hell there was a Nightmare walking among children and not killing them!

But Seven still didn't look at her. He was looking at The Janitor as he stopped to check one of the beds and grunted in displeasure. He knew who that bed belonged to. He glared at the monster with suspicion. What was he up to?

Rain kept glaring at the boy with annoyance. He still had his hand over her mouth and was still not looking at her! She was about to make her annoyance known by making a sound when she finally looked at his face. Carefully looked at his face.

She didn't notice it before but the boy had bangs over his eyes. Hair that was now sprawled around his head, since they were on the ground. She could see his face now. Really see his face.

He had beautiful brown eyes and a small nose. His mouth was stuck in a frown as he glared at something she couldn't see. Probably the monster but she didn't care about that right now.

What she DID care about was the handsome boy under her. The boy with a brave face and warm hands.

Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she finally realized what she was thinking about. Her face became fiery red with embarrassment as she noticed how close she was to the boy. A handsome boy, her mind made sure she didn't forget that.

Seven kept glaring at the monster until he stomped away with displeasure. Something was wrong. There wasn't anything in the monster's hand as he walked away, so where was his friend?

He heard a sound above him and finally remembered the position he was in. He looked up "Hey look, I might need your help with something. Can you-?" He stopped when he took a look at the girl's expression.

She was looking at him with a red face and wide eyes. He finally realized he still had his hand on her mouth. She might be uncomfortable. "Oh, sorry." He took his hand off her face "Also, can you please get off me? You are heavy." He said with a serious tone.

Rain felt her whole body blush in shame. She glared at the boy under her with resentment and crawled to get out from under the bed. Once she was up, she crossed her arms and refused to look at the boy. How dare he?! Calling her heavy! She didn't even eat that much!

Seven crawled out from under the bed as well and looked at the girl with confusion. Why was she glaring at the floor? He decided to ask her later. For now, he had to check on his friend.

He went toward her bed slowly and scowled when his fears were confirmed. Runa had disappeared. And if his guess was right, it wasn't because of The Janitor. Did she finally try to escape? He needed to find her!

He went back to the girl with braided hair to ask for her help. "Rain! I need your help!"

The girl glanced at him for a moment, glared, and looked away with anger.

"Rain?" He tried moving around to look at her face but she kept looking away from him. Was she... angry with him? But why? He stopped for a moment to think.

Was it something that he said? He tried to remember the things he said to her and finally widened his eyes when he realized what he did wrong. It was something that Runa had lectured him about once. How could he forget?!

"I'm sorry for calling you heavy." He apologized with a sincere tone.

Rain perked up at this and glanced at him.

Noticing he had her attention, he continued "I shouldn't have said that about you. You are actually a very pretty girl." He spoke with a serious tone. He hoped he had said that right. It was what Runa told him to say when he said something bad to a girl.

Rain widened her eyes in surprise and blushed while looking away. "He said I'm pretty!" She felt a grin widen her mouth but tried to stop it. She raised her hands to her cheeks to massage the red away as she looked at Seven. "A- alright then. What do you want? If you ask nicely I might help you." She said with a fake annoyed tone.

Seven stared at her for a moment "Huh. I wonder why that only works with girls?" He thought before shaking his head to focus.

"I need your help to find my friend. She disappeared. And I think she is trying to escape." He spoke with a worried expression.

Rain uncrossed her arms and looked at him with a worried expression. Did he say escape? "Escape from... where?" She asked with an anxious look.

Seven raised an eyebrow at her again but he remembered she might be new here since he hadn't seen her before. He sighed and looked at her with a sad look. "Let me be the first to give you the bad news."

"Welcome to The Maw."

Chapter Text

The kids woke up after a very nice sleep feeling invigorated. They never slept so well before. The beds were truly amazing.

They were now in front of the map, trying to decide where they should go next. But it seems their next targets wouldn't be so easy.

"It's no use Mono. I told you already, we have to go!" Six was trying to convince the boy for minutes now. The reason he was being so stubborn was because of just a little detail.

"I told you going to the city is suicidal! Do I have to remind you who is the one that controls everything there?!" Mono shouted with desperation.

"We don't have a choice! The rest of the Nightmares all live there! Look!" She rebutted by pointing at the map. The symbols for The Hunter and The Witch were crossed out, meaning The Wilderness and The Swamp were conquered already.

The rest of the monsters were all divided into different parts of the city, of which the kids already knew two of them.

The silhouette of a woman with a stretched neck was easily identified as The Teacher, and her den was The School. The place was filled with violent Clay Children that only learned how to break others.

The symbol next to her was obvious as well. A fat head with a white cross in the middle, this was The Doctor, and his den was The Hospital. Where the only living things were his experiments that sent shivers down their spine.

But that was where their knowledge fell out. The rest of the symbols were unknown to them. Sixteen also didn't have a clue about what they could be.

There were another five of them.

The first one was someone wearing a strange hat that looked like a fish's mouth. This one also had a cross on it but was different since the lower line was longer as it stretched downwards. Was it another healing place? Maybe he was related to The Doctor in some way. Their area was above and to the left of The School.

The second one was to the right of the first. It was a man with a great beard wearing a hat with a wide brim. It also had a drawing of a fist holding a shovel under his face. Some kind of digger maybe? We should probably watch our steps there.

The third one was very... unsettling. They had a face that appeared to be... melting? And wearing a small hat on top of that? Why do they all have hats? "Can I get them as well?" Mono thought secretly before shaking his head. His den was above The Hospital, on the very edge of the chasm that crossed the whole city. They didn't have a single clue about what this one could be.

They just hoped he couldn't melt faces...

Above that was the fourth one. It was a man with a square head and a long thin mustache. There was a hand under him holding a pair of scissors. The weapon looked very sharp. Let's hope he doesn't know how to use it.

The last one was to the right of the third. For some reason, this one was different from the others. It was just a pair of eyes surrounded by toys. What could that even mean?! The kids were annoyed at the vagueness of the map.

There was also a place in the center that was completely black but they didn't need to guess what it was.

The Tower.

Lair to the scariest monster in the city.

He was the reason why Mono felt very much against going toward the city. He could appear from anywhere at any moment and whisk them away to do... he didn't know what. And he didn't want to know.

That's why both of them were arguing again.

Sixteen stared at them with a very annoyed look. She was already tired of their contradicting nature.

Every time they weren't arguing they were glued together while staring at the eyes of each other with red faces... before one of them said something that upset the other and they were fighting again.

It was giving her a headache.

"ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!" She shouted, making them freeze in surprise. She focused on Mono.

"Mono, can I talk to you for a second?" She waited for him to drop his surprise and nod, to guide them a little further away from Six. Once they were far enough, the shadow suddenly disappeared, which startled the boy.

"Don't worry. I just don't want Six to know what we are going to talk about." Sixteen spoke with a serious tone which made him look toward Six for a moment. She was glaring in his direction with annoyance on her face.

Glaring back at her before looking away, he decided to hear what the shadow wanted "Fine. What is it?" He asked with an irritated tone.

"Look, we both know that no matter what we say, Six is going forward with this quest. With or without us..." Sixteen explained with a serious tone, which annoyed the boy even more. Because he knew she was right. Six had said so.

Sighing in frustration Mono looked to the ground in defeat "What do you want me to do?" He mumbled.

Smiling to herself in triumph, Sixteen spoke in a concerned tone "Be there for her. She might want to look like a tough kid but we both know she is more than that. She is blinded by this quest that she thinks is for revenge. And if no one helps her..." She didn't need to continue since Mono already knew.

As the silence grew, Mono glanced back at the girl behind him. She was looking away with a pouting face but kept stealing glances in his direction with curiosity.

It was honestly so cute it made his heart hurt.

He sighed in defeat, it seems he would never be able to against that girl. Or any girls for what it's worth. Since even the one made of shadows had won against him. He needed a male friend. Probably one that isn't easily influenced by girls...

"Fiiiiiine. We both know I can't let her go alone anyway..." He slumped forward in irritation.

"That's our Mono!" Sixteen spoke with a happy before she remembered something important. "One last thing before we go back." Her serious tone returned.

Mono lifted his head in attention.

"There is... something, going on with Six. I think it has to do with her powers." The shadow spoke with a worried tone.

Mono widened his eyes in shock as he glanced back at Six "Six has powers?!" He whisper shouted.

"Yes. But don't tell her yet. I think she got them after your encounter with The Witch." She explained to the surprised boy.

"Wow..." Mono mumbled in awe. He wasn't the only kid with powers now. It made him so... so happy! He wanted to tell her right away! She was like him now!

"Mono! MONO! Focus! You can't tell Six about her powers!" Sixteen yelled at him with urgency.

The boy froze in shock "W- what do you mean? Why can't I tell her??" He asked with a desperate tone.

"I told you! There's something wrong with her powers. They are unstable. If something gets her over the edge I don't know what could happen. You need to promise me to keep this a secret okay? Just until I figure out how I can help her. Can you do that?" The shadow asked in a serious tone.

Mono closed his eyes in pain. The situation made him want to cry. How could he not since the girl he liked was like him? But since she couldn't know they could never share that feeling. The feeling of not being alone. It made his heart ache in pain.

"Okay..." He whispered while trying to hold his tears. He couldn't let Six be suspicious of the reason he wanted to cry. He used all of his strength to force his feelings down. They weren't important right now.

Sixteen felt pain as she watched Mono ignore his feelings to make sure Six was okay. She wanted to tell him that he was wrong and that his feelings mattered as well. But she couldn't let whatever was happening with Six get out of control. The consequences could be disastrous.

She could only choose the lesser evil for now... at least that was what she thought.

"Thank you. I promise I will find out to help her as soon as I can, okay?" Sixteen tried to comfort him.

The boy nodded in confirmation, he was too sad to respond.

The shadow sighed in defeat. There wasn't much she could do for now. "Let's go back to Six. Act like you just lost an argument so she doesn't get suspicious."

Mono nodded and turned. "Well, at least that will be easy since it's how I feel..." He thought depressingly. He walked back to Six and looked at her face. She was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"So? Did you guys decide on something?" She spoke with an irritated tone while crossing her arms. For some reason, she felt like she was being left out of something.

"Yes!" Sixteen appeared at their side with a cheerful tone "We had a discussion aaaaaand..." She looked at Mono and waited for him to finish her phrase.

The boy looked at her for a moment and noticed the urgency in her expression. He let out a sigh and looked at Six "I... I'm going with you." He spoke with a neutral tone. Trying to hide how he felt.

Six looked at him skeptically. She could feel he still wasn't that keen on going to the city "Really? What changed?" She asked with suspicion while glancing at Sixteen, who squirmed a little while under her look.

"I just..." His voice broke a little, so he cleared his throat, making Six look back at him. "I just don't want you to be alone." He said while looking straight into her eyes with all the sincerity he could muster.

Six widened her eyes in surprise before she looked away while blushing. She felt her whole body warming up at his words. "... it's so unfair..." She whispered in her head.

Sixteen stared at the two with a complicated expression. One was feeling pain because he was keeping a great secret and the other was happy at being told sweet words. How is it possible for them to be so conscious but also so oblivious of the other?

She didn't understand. She shook her head in defeat "So where are we going first?" She said to draw their attention back to the map.

They jumped in surprise for a moment before looking at the shadow. She was pointing at the map and waiting for their decision.

Mono stared at it for a moment and decided he didn't want anything to do with it for now. He looked at Six "Where to?" And asked while tilting his head.

Six glanced at him for a moment before a confident smile bloomed on her face. She approached the map and touched the place between The School and The Hospital.

"First! We are going to get my raincoat!"

Chapter Text

Mono and Sixteen looked at Six with deadpanned expressions. Of all the things...

They felt all their tension leave their bodies as they sighed in exasperation. "So we are going to The School first?" Mono asked her with a tired face.

"Yes!" Six responded with an excited expression. She couldn't wait to get that raincoat back and be one step closer to her other self.

The boy stared at his friend with a concealed blush. Even if he was feeling bad about doing this he couldn't help but adore the way his friend looked so happy. She was just too cute.

"We should probably get going then." He said while looking away "Let's move close to The Hunter's Cabin and go to the beach from there. Should be easy since we already know the way." He remembered from the drawings the den showed before.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Sixteen nodded and looked between the two with interest. "So then, how are we going? Do we walk or follow the water? Gonna use a boat again?" She asked with curiosity.

Mono and Six looked at each other and grinned. "Wanna do the honors?" The boy asked with mirth.

Six nodded excitedly and went to stand in the middle of the room. Sixteen stared at the girl with confusion "What is she going to do?" She turned to the boy and asked.

Mono simply continued grinning at her with mischief "You'll see." He winked at her and looked at the girl in the center of the room.

Six looked up and smiled as she spoke what she wanted "Please take us back to The Wilderness!" Her voice echoed for a second before everything went silent.

Sixteen looked at the two of them with confusion before she went wide-eyed as the entrance of the cave closed and the walls began to move. "You got to be kidding me..." She mumbled as they shifted from dark oak to a more brownish tone, changing the texture of the wood as well. Once everything stopped, she stared outside and was once again surprised when she didn't see the room of the hut anymore. They were now in a very familiar forest.

Realization began to appear on her face as she stared back at the two kids grinning at her. So this is how they managed to escape from her former self. She pouted in irritation at their expressions "You know this is cheating right?" She complained but only received smug looks in return, which only aggravated her mood more. "Whatever..." She let herself dissipate in irritation, not wanting to look at them "Are we going or not? She asked with an annoyed tone.

When the kids looked at each other again they couldn't hold themselves anymore. They began to uncontrollably laugh until their bellies hurt.

Sixteen kept fuming with anger in her hidden space. She promised herself to get back at them for this.

As their laughter slowed down, the two kids cleared their eyes of the tears and rubbed their hurting stomachs. They giggled as they tried to regain their breathing, staring with fondness at each other.

They had faces full of joy as the world seemed to slow down for them, making the moment as far as possible. The pure joy they felt was unaffected by whatever disagreements they might have. It was just kids laughing at each other in joy.

They didn't know it yet, but this moment made them grow even closer to one another...

The world slowly came back to normal when they realized that, while laughing, they drifted closer to each other and were almost touching now.

Their eyes widened and their faces went red as their hearts began to beat stronger.

Mono stared at the girl that made his gray world colorful.

Six stared at the boy that broke the loneliness in her heart.

They opened their mouths to speak as their hands touched...

"BOO!" Sixteen shouted as she appeared in front of them, making both jump in fright and separate. They stared at her with scared expressions before they turned into ones of anger. "HA! Revenge: Achieved. Nice job me!" She congratulated herself as she disappeared again. She wasn't gonna let them complain to her. It was their fault for laughing at her after all.

Mono and Six looked with angry expressions at the place where the shadow just disappeared before sighing and looking at each other once more. But the moment was already over, they could feel it.

The boy remembered what they were about to do and why.

The girl knew what she had done and what she wanted.

"We should... probably get going..." She said while turning to the entrance.

Mono looked hurt for a moment before he sighed and looked ahead with a neutral expression "Yeah... let's..." He mumbled with a defeated tone "You can... lead the way... if you want to." He scratched his arm in awkwardness.

Six didn't look back at him and just nodded before walking ahead. Mono stood for a second before following from behind.

Sixteen had stared at their interaction with guilt. She did want her revenge, but she didn't want this...

Sighing silently, she stared at the two kids with worry.

The kids left The Den and stared at the forest with recognition. They were close to The Hunter's Cabin. "...You remember the way?" Mono asked the girl calmly.

Six looked back at him and nodded. She pointed in a direction and began to walk. Mono followed after her without saying anything.

The silence between them made all the noises in the forest louder. It made them twitch every time the wood from the trees creaked with the wind or an insect made a noise.

The Wilderness might not have its hunter anymore, but it still felt oppressive for the two small kids. Who knows what else might live here? They sure didn't want to find out.

As a familiar structure appeared on the horizon, the kids could finally relax with a known landmark. The irony was also not lost on them. Feeling relieved by finding a Nightmare's Den, who would have thought that?

They stopped at the front and frowned at the house. Knowing that its owner was gone didn't make it easier to go inside.

"So this is where sack face lived." Sixteen appeared at their side. She examined the house with a scrutinizing look. "Meh. The witch's house was scarier." She shrugged with a not-interested expression before disappearing again. "You guys gonna stand there all day or are we going in? She hurried the two.

They looked at each other and noticed that all their tension was gone now. They shook their head with amusement as they climbed the porch.

Going inside through the door instead of the window this time, both looked around the kitchen carefully in case something wrong happened.

Remembering something important, Mono looked at Six "Should we take some food with us?" He asked with an inquiring expression.

Six stared at him for a second before looking down at her stomach and lifting a hand to it. She wasn't hungry now but she knew how she was going to be later. She looked at the boy again and nodded "We should also look around for something to carry them." She added to his idea.

The boy nodded at her "I'm going to look in the cabinets up there. You can search the ones down here." He explained and waited to see if she wanted to add something. When she just nodded at him in confirmation, he turned and began to climb the drawers. The same ones they used before to escape...

He decided not to dwell on that as he searched the cabinets he could reach.

Six stared at the boy for a moment before she started her search as well. She stopped while opening one of the closets when she remembered someone. "Aren't you going to help?" She thought while resuming her search.

"Nah. Don't feel like it." The shadow responded in a relaxed tone, making Six roll her eyes "Of course, you don't..." She thought with sarcasm.

The kids went around the room searching and picking up every bit of food they could find. When they were finished, they stood awed in front of a large pile of cans, bags, and dried meat and fruits. The two of them had never seen this much food gathered in one place before.

They knew what it was like to live in this world. Scrapping for every piece of sustenance they could find to not starve while adults gorged themselves. It wasn't fair...

Six was once again reminded of the rage she felt against those monsters, clenching her fists until they almost bleed.

Mono felt sad. Sadness for the kids that had to die for any scrap of food while those NIghtmares hoarded it all for themselves.

It wasn't fair...

Their thoughts coincided as the house began to tremble without them noticing. Their powers began to manifest in response to their emotions. Six had shadows surrounding her while Mono was twisting the space around him. If this continued...

"So! How are going to carry all of this!" Sixteen exclaimed, making them jump in surprise.

Everything stopped as the silence returned. The kids stared at the shadow with glossy eyes before they began to clear. Shaking their heads, they stared at the pile of food with scrutiny. They didn't seem to have noticed what just happened.

"That was close..." The shadow thought as she sighed in relief. She stared at the two as they tried to come up with a way to carry all of this food with them. Which, as Mono was kindly pointing out, was impossible.

Sixteen stared at the pile of food for a moment before a darkbulb appeared above her head. "Why not put all of this in The Den?" She asked with an excited expression.

The kids stopped their discussion and looked at her with wide eyes. They looked at each other again and saw they had the same meaning in their expression. "Why didn't they think of this before?"

They went toward one of the walls and called The Den to them.

The wall began to glitch and open as The Den appeared in front of them. This time, the walls inside were made of concrete with the lights being lightbulbs.

They didn't stop to question how The Den worked as they carried the food inside, making sure to organize everything so it didn't become a mess.

When they were finished, they decided it was about time they ate something so they stopped for lunch. They started with dried meat and fruits. It was delicious.

This would sate Six's hunger for a while.

The kids left the hole in the wall and walked out of the kitchen. They passed the dining room with the stuffed people but decided against looking at them. Six felt they were creepy and Mono didn't want to relieve the sensation of seeing their deaths.

Sixteen had taken a good look at them, but all she said about it was "The Witch is still scarier."

The kids passed the stairs to the basement and stopped to stare at it. Mono looked at the girl and noticed she had a conflicted look on her face. He looked down again before asking "Did you leave something down there?" He asked in case she wanted to go down there and search.

The girl kept looking down while in thought for a moment before she looked at the boy. Her complicated look relaxed as it gave way to a hesitant one. She took a step in his direction while looking into his eyes. She looked down for a moment in doubt before her eyes were filled with determination.

Before Mono could ask what was wrong, he felt his world going dark as his bag was lifted from his face and he felt something warm on his cheeks. He felt his whole breath being taken away as his body froze in shock.

When his bag came down again and he could see the girl in front of him, he noticed she had a bashful expression while looking at him while her arms were on her back. "Nothing that I care about." She responded to his previous question. She looked up at him with a red face "Thank you for saving me..." She mumbled before turning and walking ahead.

If someone looked closely, they would notice how the girl's ears were fully red and a dark smoke drifted up from her head as she walked away.

But no one saw anything. In fact, Mono didn't even know who he was right now. He lifted one of his hands to his cheek in reflex "Did she just..." He couldn't be certain since he couldn't see anything but it certainly felt like it.

The boy felt his whole body warm up in embarrassment as white smoke began to rise from his bag. His face felt like it was on fire as he tried to comprehend what just happened.

And in the dark space where she hid, Sixteen just cackled out loud to herself in amusement. Oh, she couldn't wait for what more this journey would give her...

Chapter Text

"Mono!" The boy heard someone calling him from the end of the corridor. The sound shook him out of his daydreaming. He hurried to see why Six was calling him only to see the girl looking at a switch hanging from the ceiling.

"What is it?" He asked the girl with apprehension. Maybe she heard something in the attic?

"Look," She pointed at the door behind him "The door is locked. I think the key must be up there. Help me pull this thing down!" She explained and jumped up to grab the switch. But she was too short to reach it alone, so she ended up grabbing air in frustration.

She huffed at the thing and looked at Mono again. "C'mon! Help me get this thing down!" The girl hurried the boy up.

Mono was watching with amusement as the short girl tried to jump at the handle alone. It was adorable. He shook his head when Six called him and went to help.

Six glared at the boy as he approached her. She knew what he was doing, it wasn't her fault that she was short!

The boy lowered himself with his hands interlocked and waited for her to set herself up. She placed her foot on his hands and nodded that she was ready. With a nod back, Mono launched the girl up and watched as she grabbed the lever.

Six tried pulling the thing down but no matter how hard she pulled the switch didn't budge. "It's no use. I can't open it alone..." She looked at Mono and had an idea "Hey! Grab me and pull me down!" She said with a smile on her face.

The boy looked confused for a moment before he shrugged and did as she asked. He jumped and grabbed her legs.

Slowly, the lever began to come down until it clicked.

They watched as a set of stairs dropped down from the ceiling until they touched the ground. The attic was open now.

"Nice!" Six said with an excited voice and released the switch.

"Wait-!" But in her excitement, she forgot Mono was still holding on to her.

They would have stumbled to the ground and hurt themselves, had their new companion not helped them by holding the two up.

"Good grief, you two need to be more careful!" Sixteen said while glaring at the two with a worried expression. She had a set of tendrils coming out from the ground supporting the two.

Mono was with his feet on the ground while Six was still being held in his arms. Their faces were almost touching as the tendrils were holding them together.

They stared at the eyes of each other and noticed how close they were. Their faces went red as they froze without knowing what to do.

Sixteen stared at the two for a moment before a smug smile appeared on her face "Oops!" She said as she suddenly dropped the two, making Six go even more down on his arms and bump their heads together.

"Ouch!" Mono flinched in pain and dropped the girl in reaction.

Six managed to fall on her feet as she rubbed her head in pain.

Sixteen laughed at the two with satisfaction as they tried to soothe their aching heads.

The sound of her laughter drew the attention of the two kids, who glared with anger at the shadow while holding their heads.

The laughter slowed down as Sixteen felt the tension building in the air. She looked at the two and noticed their murderous glare. Oh no, she had done it now...

"Ehehehehe... Oops..." She laughed awkwardly while scratching her head and looking away. If she could, she would be sweating buckets right now.

The two kept glaring at the shadow until the pain in their heads began to disappear. Their anger cooled down as they remembered they still had a key to find. She was off the hook...for now...

Sixteen felt danger in her soul as the two kids turned away from her and began to climb up the stairs. She didn't know why, but she felt something bad was going to happen to her later. That was her last thought as her form dissipated back into her space.

As the kids carefully stepped into the attic, they looked around with suspicion in case something began to move. They found some books, wardrobes, chests, and a mannequin but still no key.

"Maybe on the other side?" Six pointed at the cabinet blocking their way. The furniture didn't have anything they could use to climb it so they would have to find another way to do it.

Mono looked at where she had mentioned and noticed the same thing as well. There was also a chest close to it that they had to jump over to reach it. "Hmm..." He muttered thoughtfully before moving to check it out, with Six following behind.

He inspected the trunk for a moment before putting both hands on it and pushing with effort, making the case move only a little bit. But this was enough for him to know that the chest was movable. He turned to his companion that was looking at him with intrigue, "We can use this to climb over to the other side." He explained with a small smile of accomplishment.

The girl widened her eyes in realization and smiled back at him. She put her hands on the trunk and waited for the boy to do the same.

Mono placed himself at her side and nodded. "Ready?" She nodded at him "Push!" They struggled with the object for a moment before the chest began to move toward the cabinet. After the trunk was close enough, they stopped pushing and stood for a few seconds to catch their breath. This thing was heavier than it looked.

The two smiled at each other for a job well done and began to climb the chest and the cabinet. They dropped to the other side and searched around for any signs of the key they needed.

The light from the small window illuminating the room made everything in this place look somber. The color gray was so predominant here that any distinct color from that would stand out. Like a certain golden object hanging from a hook on the ceiling.

"There!" Six was the first one to notice. She pointed at the object and moved to stand under it, with Mono following behind. They stared up at the key as they wondered how they were going to get it down.

Mono examined where the hook was coming from and noticed that it was connected to some kind of contraption that used some kind of sack as a weight and a crank to move the two. But said crank was apparently missing for some reason... It was never easy, was it?

The boy sighed in annoyance "Look here," The boy gestured toward the hole in the contraption "It's missing some kind of lever to move that... sack over there." He pointed at the strange object being used as a weight. He did not want to know what was in there. "We need to find it." He explained and began to search around.

The kids searched everywhere in the room to no avail, there were no signs of any crank or lever.

"Hey, get closer to that dresser over there." Sixteen suddenly asked the two. They looked at each other for a moment and shrugged before getting closer to the furniture. Once they were near it, Sixteen appeared and began to inspect it. "Give me a second..." She said as she disappeared under the dresser.

"Ah-ha! I knew it!" Came a voice from the other side "There is more space over here! C'mon!" The shadow said as she appeared above the dresser. She offered her hand to pull the two over.

Mono and Six stared at the shadow for a moment before they looked at each other and smiled menacingly.

Sixteen felt a chill go down her nonexistent spine as the two kids smiled at her. She was about to retract her arm when she felt two hands pulling her down. "WAAAA!" She exclaimed as she fell before hitting the ground and dissipating in a dark mist.

The two kids laughed at the shadow after enacting their revenge. They found it hilarious how she sounded as she fell.

Sixteen rubbed her aching head inside her space, she didn't feel pain but the shock of the impact was still there. "...I guess that's fair..." She mumbled in acceptance. She knew they were going to try something, she just wasn't expecting it to be so soon...

The kids slowed their laughter as they smiled at each other in amusement. "Wanna do the honors?" Six asked the boy while pointing at the dresser. She was asking if he wanted to go first.

Mono stared at her for a moment before a memory clicked in his mind. He remembered something he saw in a book once. He decided to try it out.

"Ladies first." He said while bending forward with a hand on his chest. If he recalled correctly, it was called 'bowing'. It was something that boys were supposed to do to girls? Or something like that? That was all he could remember.

Six didn't know why but she felt her cheeks warm at the gesture. "O-oh. Hmm... O-okay..." She stuttered while looking away from him.

Sixteen stared with a smug smile at the boy from her space. "Smooth, Mono. Very smooth." She said only to the boy, who looked confused by what she could mean.

"Smooth? What is?" He asked the voice in his head.

The shadow shook her head in amusement. Of course, he wouldn't know what he just did. He was innocent like that. Let's hope we don't find any other girl in our journey or else Six might go on a killing spree.

"It's nothing don't worry. Go on, Six is waiting for you." She changed the subject to get the boy moving.

Mono tilted his head in confusion for a moment before deciding to ask what she meant later. "Here, let me boost you up." He said to the girl and positioned himself in front of the dresser.

Six stared at him with rosy cheeks before shaking her head. "Not the time to get distracted by cute boys... Not that I find him cute or anything... I'm a mess..." She sighed in defeat and placed herself in front of Mono. She nodded that she was ready and the boy boosted her up again.

She landed on top of the dresser and turned to help Mono up. She stretched her hand, which he grabbed, and then she pulled the boy to her.

The two stood on top of the dresser and looked down on the other side of it. There was a plank for them to climb down and a cabinet blocking the way again. But this one had some space for them to crouch under it.

They walked down using the plank and crouched under the furniture to move to the other side. Walking in front, Mono suddenly stopped moving as he stared at something with wide eyes.

That light that shone in this part of the attic made the scene even more disturbing as the boy stared at the thing sitting in the chair.

It was another one of those stuffed people. But this one looked older. Much older.

The boy stared at the old woman with hesitation. Why was this one over here and not with the ones downstairs? Was it because she was old? It didn't make sense.

"What is it?" Six whispered from behind him, she was wondering why he had stopped.

Mono turned toward her and made some space for her to look. "There's another stuffed person here. An old lady." He whispered back at her.

The girl moved to his side and saw what he was talking about. It was definitely an old adult. She had never seen one so old before. They were... wrinkly.

Six looked at him "You think she might be dangerous?" She asked with an inquisitive tone.

He looked at her for a moment before looking back at the thing on the chair. "No. I don't think so..." He responded with certainty. The old lady was long dead, just like the ones downstairs.

After getting his confirmation, Six decided to go on ahead and look more closely at the sitting old lady. She walked in front of it and widened her eyes when she saw what they were looking for.

The crank. It was on the old lady's hand.

"Look!" She pointed at the object to show it to the boy that just arrived at her side. "The crank!" She said while looking at him.

The boy nodded in confirmation and approached the thing on the chair carefully. It might be dead but he wasn't going to give it any chances.

Grabbing the end of the lever slowly, Mono observed the stuffed old woman on the chair carefully before pulling the crank to him. But the object didn't move.

He used a little more strength but the crank was still stuck in the stuffed hand.

Throwing caution to the wind, he used all of his strength to pull the object. A ripping sound began to come from the old woman's arm, and with a loud 'SNAP', the arm came off together with the crank that fell to the ground.

Mono didn't expect what would happen when he pulled so he was shocked when the arm came off. So shocked that he fell to the ground on his back.

He stared at the arm with fear in his eyes before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Six asked with a concerned tone. She also didn't expect the arm to come off but she recovered more quickly since she saw Mono fall to the ground, which made her quickly go to his aid.

The boy focused on her presence and began to calm down. He lifted one of his hands to the one on his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. He closed his eyes and with a final sigh, he looked at her and smiled. "I am. Thanks." He said in a happy tone.

Six smiled back at him "Anytime." She said and helped the boy get up. The two stared at the fallen arm for a moment with a somber look.

"What? You guys need a 'hand' with that?" Sixteen appeared on their side and motioned toward the arm on the ground. She had a smug look on her face because of her joke. She was very proud of it.

The kids stared at the shadow with deadpan expressions before they sighed in annoyance.

Mono grabbed the crank and moved to crouch under the cabinet again, with Six following close behind.

The shadow stared at the two as they ignored her "Though crowd." She commented before her form dissipated again.

The boy moved up the plank again and dropped the clank on the other side of the dresser. He climbed down from it and turned to offer his help to the girl above with a smile.

Six observed him with amusement for a moment. He knew she was totally capable of coming down by herself but offered the help anyway. She decided to humor him as she sat on the edge of the dresser and watched as he stretched his arms toward her.

She only fell for half a second before she was in his arms again. Smiling at the boy with happiness. "Thanks for the help." She said with mirth in her voice.

"It was nothing..." Mono blushed while looking away. He lowered her to the ground and went to pick up the crank.

He took the lever to the slot in the wood and fitted it inside with a 'click'. Using both hands, he began to move the crank around and noticed that only the sack began to move up. Looks like the hook with the key didn't have anything to do with this contraption.

He stared at the sack for a moment and looked up at the key on the ceiling with hesitation. There was only one thing they could do to get that key. Moving the sack back to the ground, he turned toward Six "Can you move this for me, please?" He asked with a serious expression.

Six raised an eyebrow in doubt but nodded at him. She got into position as the boy went toward the sack "What are you going to do?" She asked.

Mono sighed as he grabbed the sack and looked at her "The only thing we can do..." He said and nodded in her direction.

The girl stared between him and the key and widened her eyes in realization. "Are you sure?" She asked with hesitation.

He gave her a short nod and waited for her to move.

She nodded back at him and began to slowly rise him up.

Mono kept staring at the key as he moved up with the sack. When the movement stopped, he tried not to but ended up looking down anyway. This... was higher than he thought...

He shook his head and focused on the key. He calculated how much strength he would need to make the jump and prepared himself.

He counted down from three... two... one... and jumped.

He was in the air for just a moment before his hands grabbed the key. But before he could congratulate himself on it, the key suddenly slipped off the hook.

Surprised by what happened, he ended up releasing the key on reflex as he fell to the ground.

Six watched with shock on her face as the boy fell to the ground. With a silent scream, she stretched her arms to catch him but realized she was too far. She felt something move beneath her skin and...

"Gotcha!" Sixteen grabbed the boy before he touched the ground. The two kids froze in shock before they sighed in relief.

"Thanks..." Mono said while his whole body relaxed in the shadow's grasp. That really gave him a scare.

"Don't mention it." She brushed him off and lowered him to the ground. But she wasn't looking at him, she was staring at the girl close to the crank that was staring at her hands, with a cautious look. That was close...

Six felt strange as she looked at her arms. For a moment there she could almost feel... she didn't know what. But she didn't feel anything right now. She kept looking with confusion for a few more seconds before shaking her hand and going toward Mono.

Sixteen had just released her hold on him as she approached "Are you alright?" She asked in a concerned tone.

Mono nodded in response "My legs are a bit shaky. But other than that I'm fine." He said as he tried to calm his beating heart, giving her a reassuring smile.

Six sighed in relief before punching the boy in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?!" He exclaimed while rubbing his arm.

The girl simply moved and hugged him in response "Don't scare me like that..." She mumbled in his chest.

He stood in surprise for a moment before hugging her back. "I'm sorry?" He decided to apologize even though it wasn't exactly his fault.

Six shook her head and smiled in amusement. Only Mono would apologize for something that wasn't his fault. That was the kind of boy he was. Kind. Selfless. Great friend. Great hugger...

She didn't notice how her thoughts were becoming muddled as she squeezed the boy in her arms. He made her vibrate with happiness. Though she did not realize it was quite literal.

"Hmm, Six? Are you hungry?" Mono asked with confusion. The girl in his arms was shaking and making some kind of sound. But instead of a stomach growling it sounded more like a... soft buzzing sound. He liked it actually.

The girl suddenly opened his eyes and quickly pushed the boy away in embarrassment. She looked away from him with a red face and the noise abruptly stopped.

Mono looked at her even more confused now "Six? Are you okay? What was-" "It was nothing!" He tried asking her what was the problem but she suddenly interrupted him.

She turned her face toward him with a fierce red expression "You didn't hear anything...got it?" She threatened him. Making him feel a chill go down his spine.

He raised his arms in defeat "Okay, okay. It's just..." He stopped for a moment "...it was a very cute sound." Before saying in a small voice while blushing.

Six widened her eyes as her face felt like it was burning. She looked away from him again "...shut up and get the key already..." She responded in a small strained voice. "My face hurts... is he trying to kill me?" Was what she thought as she rubbed her aching cheeks.

From the side, Sixteen observed everything with amusement. She had a big smile on her face as she watched her peers.

Mono did as she asked and went to grab the key with a small blush on his cheeks. He stared at the golden object for a moment before strapping the object to his coat with a small smile. He loved his coat. It was so convenient.

He turned to his friend and noticed she was looking at him with a jealous expression. He tilted his head in confusion "What?" And asked.

Six kept staring at him for a few more seconds before sighing and pouting "...you are so unfair." She said in a small voice "In so many ways..." While finishing in her thoughts. When they find her Raincoat, she was going to make it as useful as his coat.

The boy didn't look as if he understood what she meant so she just sighed again and moved toward him. "Let's go down." She ignored his confusion and went toward the dresser they dropped from. It had some drawers they could use to climb back to the stairs.

Mono just followed after her and stared as she opened the drawer.

But before she finished opening it, something blurred past them at a fast pace while making strange noises.

"WHOA!" He fell to the ground as he evaded the white thing running in his direction. He kept staring at it as it disappeared under the other dresser before it appeared above it.

It was staring at them with curiosity.

The kids stared at the small white creature with wonder.

"What the heck is that?!" Sixteen was the first to ask with surprise in her voice.

Chapter Text

The kids and the shadow stared at the little creature with awe and hesitant faces. It looked like a... very small kid? Wearing a pointy hat? How strange.

"Guys! What is that?!" Sixteen walked backward toward her peers as she whisper-shouted. Never losing sight of the little one above the dresser who appeared to be observing them with curiosity.

Six chuckled at the evident hesitation in the shadow's voice. Was she scared? Of a Nome? That has to be the funniest thing she has ever seen.

"It's...(pfft!)... It's a Nome...(hehehe)" Six did her best to hold her laughter as she explained.

Sixteen was not amused. Which she expressed by pouting at the girl.

"That's a Nome?" The boy on Six's side asked. He had a curious look on his face as he looked at the small creature.

The girl raised an eyebrow at him "You never seen one? They are everywhere!" She exclaimed.

Mono rubbed his head in shame. "I... I did hear about them but... I never saw one. At least, not in the city..." He explained in a small voice.

"Huh... how strange." Six thought aloud "They are very friendly creatures," She said while smiling at the Nome on top of the dresser, who was stepping back and forth on the furniture while looking at them "They usually help anyone lost or hungry." The girl explained as she walked toward the Nome. "Let me see if I can talk to it. I have been helped by some of them before." She said, not explaining what before was.

"Oi," Six slowly approached the little Nome, calling him in a small voice "It's okay. We're friends." She smiled at the little one. A full smile that showed her teeth.

But it had the opposite effect of what she wanted.

The Nome stared at the girl with curiosity for a moment before it flinched in fear. The light coming from the small window reflected in the girl's red eyes making them shine with a strange glow. Her teeth were unusually sharp as well, making her smile more menacing in the Nome's mind.

The little creature trembled in fear in the girl's presence. It made a small noise as it ran away from her, making Mono flinch in surprise for a second. There was... something else mixed in that sound.

Six made a sad expression as the Nome ran away from her. She didn't understand. What did she do wrong? She pouted slightly in displeasure at the creature's reaction. She wasn't that scary... right?

The girl would have continued that train of thought before she felt someone press a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at who it was and saw that it was her very own bag-headed friend.

He was looking at her with sympathy. "Don't worry. You are not scary at all." He said suddenly, somehow dispelling her worries as if he knew about them.

The girl blushed a little as she looked away in embarrassment. "Thanks..." She responded in a small voice.

Mono 'smiled' at her, making her blush harder. "Let me try something. I think I can make it trust us." He said with his eyes shining with something she didn't recognize. But he was smiling so it didn't seem like it would be something bad. So the girl nodded at him and waited to see what he would do.

He nodded back at her and approached the dresser. He could hear the little Nome waddling around behind it. Good. It meant he was still there. "...Hello?" He said in a small voice close to the furniture, making the sound on the other side suddenly stop.

He waited for a few seconds before the Nome began to move again. The small creature climbed the dresser again and peeked at the one who spoke. The Nome saw the girl again and stopped for a moment before seeing that the strange boy with a bag on his head was closer to it this time.

"Hey," Mono waved his hand at it "It's okay. She's nice." The boy smiled gently, his comment making Six huff and Sixteen snicker.

The little one observed him with curiosity. The boy seemed... nice? Not scary at all, even with the bag. "Croki?(Friends?)" It asked out loud. It didn't think any of them could understand it. They never did.

The boy's smile widened as his eyes shined with realization. "Yes! I didn't hear wrong! It's the same thing as Rain!" Mono exclaimed in his head. "Yes! We are friends!" Mono said in a happy tone, making everyone in the room stop and look at him. The boy ignored their looks and simply did a turning gesture with his hand. Tuning into the Nome's frequency.

The small creature jumped in surprise when the boy responded to its question. It felt something warm in its heart as it tilted its head to the boy "(You. Understand?)" It asked with a hopeful tone.

Mono kept smiling at the Nome as he nodded his head "Yes. I understand. Nice to meet you!" He said in a happy tone as the girl and the shadow stared at him in confusion.

The Nome jumped up and down on the dresser "(Understand! Understand!)" It shouted before it climbed down from the furniture and went toward the boy. It began to circle him in happiness "(Friend! Understand!)" It kept repeating.

The boy chuckled at the little one's actions. It was very cute. He kneeled on the ground "Want a hug?" Mono asked in a friendly tone while opening his arms. He wanted to hug it so badly.

The Nome stopped in front of the boy and jumped at him as soon as he understood his words. "(Yes! Yes! Me hugs! Likes!)" It croaked happily in his arms.

Mono laughed in joy as he squeezed the little creature in his arms. It was so soft!

The girl in the room stared at the boy with jealousy. He was so unfair...

The boy suddenly raised his head and looked in her direction. He smiled before walking in her direction with the Nome in his arms, making her tense in hesitation. "What is he doing?" She thought nervously.

He stopped in front of her and the Nome turned its head in her direction. It made a scared noise before it tried to hide in his arms, making the girl flinch and look away in sadness.

Mono gave her a sad smile before he lowered the Nome to the ground "It's okay. She's not bad. She's friend too." He explained calmly to the little creature, making Six look back at them with a nervous look. The Nome turned its head to glance at her. "Here. Let me prove." He raised one of his hands in her direction, with his palm faced up.

He looked at her with a calm smile as he waited. The girl knew what he was asking. To trust him. She hesitated for a moment before she slowly moved her hand toward his.

Mono felt Six's hand touch him and slowly lowered it to the Nome in his arms. He used her hand to caress its head gently, making both flinch for a moment "It's okay... we are friends..." He whispered in a soothing tone.

Six gradually began to relax as she felt the texture on the Nome's head. It was very... soft. She loved it. She began to slowly move her hand by herself, making Mono release his hold on her.

The Nome relaxed in his arms at her ministrations. "...(friend)..." It croaked happily. Mono smiled as his idea worked. He looked toward Six and nodded, informing her that it was a success. But the girl was too distracted by the small creature in his arms.

She kneeled in front of him and slowly wrapped the Nome in a hug. And with this, the little one wasn't scared anymore.

The scene was so cute that Mono couldn't hold himself anymore. He wrapped his arms around the Nome and his friend and squeezed them in a warm hug. Making the other two even happier.

Sixteen stared at the heartwarming scene with a blank smile on her face. "How nice~ Everyone is getting hugs..." She said with an envious tone.

The kids chuckled and looked in her direction "Just get here already!" They said at the same time.

The shadow was surprised for a moment before she smiled and ran toward the group. "I want to be in the middle as well!" She exclaimed as she jumped at them.

The group laughed at her antics as they hugged each other, deciding to enjoy this moment of peace to its fullest.

"Weren't you scared of the big bad Nome?" Six said while trying to hold her laughter.

"Shut up!" Sixteen exclaimed in embarrassment. Making the two kids laugh even harder as the Nome stared at them with confusion.

Chapter Text

After the group of kids had their fill of very warm hugs, the group decided to move on with their journey, they still had a sea to cross after all.

"Can't we take him? Pleaaase?" Sixteen implored the other two as she carried the little creature in her arms. She gave it a little squeeze while rubbing her head on his.

The Nome, whose name they learned was Tic, made low croaking noises at the affection received.

Mono and Six gave the shadow a sad smile "You know we can't." "It's too dangerous." One said as the other completed. They looked at each other in surprise for a moment before chuckling.

Sixteen pouted at them before sighing in defeat. She knew they were right. It didn't make it any easier though. She looked at the little creature in her arms "I'm sorry Tic. We have to go now. Stay safe, okay?" She said in a hesitant tone.

Tic made a sad noise but nodded at her. "(It. okay. Tic. be. good.)" He said before hugging the shadow, who hugged him back in sadness. She didn't understand what he said but guessed the meaning behind his actions.

They released each other and Tic went to give Mono and Six a hug as well. The boy and the girl squeezed the little Nome in a warm embrace. "Stay safe Tic..." Mono said in a small voice with Six repeating the same afterward.

After being done with their goodbyes, the kids watched the little Nome waddle toward the dresser at a slow pace. He stopped in front of the furniture and looked back at them for a moment before he waved and disappeared under the dresser.

The group felt sad after seeing him go but it was for the best. Who knows what could happen to him in the city? Sixteen let herself dissipate as Mono and Six walked toward the opposite dresser and climbed the drawer to leave the attic.

They climbed down the stairs and Mono used the key on the locked door, which slowly opened to reveal the backyard of the house.

There was a small hut that smelled awful, close to the stairs leading out of the door, and another cabin with an open door. They stared at each other for a moment before going straight to the cabin with the open door.

Neither of them wanted to know what was in the small hut.

Entering the cabin, the kids stared at numerous boxes piled on top of each other, as well as some bottles and traps on the shelves in the wall. They observed everything with curiosity for a moment before their eyes were drawn to the window on the opposite side of the door. Both thought the same thing as they looked at each other.

They knew this place. After all, it was where The Hunter 'prepared' his prey. The image of The Nightmare chasing them with a shotgun appeared in their minds as they recalled what they had seen on The Den's walls. It made a chill go down their spine.

But luckily, he wouldn't be a problem anymore, since The Shadow had already dealt with him.

"You're welcome!" She said in their heads with a convinced tone. What would they do without her? She shook her head inside her space with a proud smile on her face.

But there was something she was ignoring.

"Did you forget that you were also hunting us?" Six said with a raised eyebrow while crossing her arms, making Mono chuckle in reaction.

Sixteen widened her eyes as she remembered that part. She pouted in embarrassment and decided to stay quiet, lest she says something else for them to make fun of. "...hmpf! I already apologized for that..." She whispered to herself, but she forgot the kids were still hearing her.

"I don't remember that." Six said with a smug smile as she looked at Mono, turning his chuckle into laughter. She liked hearing him laugh. Even more when it was about making fun of someone that tried to kill them.

The shadow stayed quiet after that. If they were going to keep making fun of her, then she wasn't going to talk to them anymore!

The girl shook her head in amusement as she felt the shadow's animosity. She still didn't completely trust her. Yes, the thing was glued to her, but that didn't mean that she had to like it.

But maybe one day she might trust her...maybe.

After Mono finally stopped laughing, he apologized to Sixteen for laughing since he felt bad about it.

The shadow tried to stay mad at him but couldn't. She knew he was being honest. But before she accepted his apology, an idea formed in her head to get back at both of them. She smiled wickedly before she appeared at the boy's side.

"It's okay Mono." She said in a sweet voice while looking up at him with her hands behind her back. She took a few slow steps in his direction and stopped in front of him.

From the side, Six observed with suspicion in her expression. "What is she doing?" She thought as she narrowed her eyes when she noted Sixteen glanced in her direction and smirked at her.

"I forgive you." The shadow smiled at him as she got closer to his face.

Mono began to feel uncomfortable with her being so close. But before he could ask her for a little space, his vision darkened as the one in front of him raised his bag into his eyes, just like a certain girl had done before.

"Don't tell me she-!" The boy froze as he felt something cold and soft on his cheek for just a moment. His whole mind went blank as he realized what Sixteen had just done.

The shadow lowered the boy's bag back on his face and looked into his eyes. When she saw how blank they were, she had to hold herself from laughing, otherwise, her plan might not work. "Thanks for apologizing Mono. You're a good friend." She gave him what she thought was a 'pretty smile' before turning toward Six. Not seeing how the boy slowly blushed behind her.

What she saw made her hesitate for a moment.

The girl's eyes were shining red in hate and jealousy. She had her mouth in a silent snarl as her whole body trembled with rage. She glared at the shadow with such tension that it seemed that she would attack at any moment.

Sixteen might have regretted her actions if not for the fact that Six was making fun of her a few minutes ago. So, not caring about how angry the girl was, she stuck her tongue out at her with a mocking expression.

The action made the girl even angrier. She was about to pounce on the shadow when Sixteen simply smirked at her and let herself dissipate.

And like that, she had accomplished her plan of messing with Mono and annoying Six. She smiled in amusement at what the two might do now.

Seeing that the current object of her ire had decided to flee from her, Six let her eyes drift to the boy that had a hand on his face with a befuddled expression.

Six didn't know why, but she was really pissed right now. But she didn't want to vent it out on the boy, it wasn't his fault after all. But she still needed something to take out her anger.

She looked around in search of something to use and looked at the numerous items on the shelves. A set of various breakable items.

Six smirked with a menacing expression before she set off to reach her objective.

Contrary to what most might think, Mono wasn't that innocent. He knew what Six and Sixteen did to him. He just didn't know how to react to it "A warm feeling... a cold feeling...and so soft..." His thoughts were a mess as he recalled both feelings on his cheeks.

*CRASH*

But his thoughts were interrupted when a loud noise echoed inside the cabin, making him jump in fright.

*CLANK*

The boy stared with wide eyes at where the noise came from and saw a couple of objects that had fallen from the shelf. And as he was observing it-

*CRASH*

Another one fell and broke on the ground, making him flinch for a moment. The boy looked up and saw who was the culprit responsible for the broken objects.

"HAAAAAAA!" Six yelled as she kicked another bottle to the ground, which made a satisfying breaking when it hit. Her smile widened as she went to the next object and continued on her pact of destruction.

Mono and Sixteen gaped at the girl with fearful expressions as she went about to destroy every object in the room that she could.

And when the last object fell to the ground...

*CLAP CLAP CLAP*

Six smiled at the pile of broken objects with a satisfied expression as she clapped her hands for a job well done.

She looked toward Mono and saw that he was gaping at her with a stiff expression. She grinned at him before approaching the boy and nudging him awake "C'mon, we have a box to move." She said in a happy tone before she turned and skipped to said box.

Mono stared at her for a moment then turned his head to the pile of destroyed objects. "...I think...It's probably best that you don't try that again..." He advised the shadow inside his head.

Sixteen didn't say anything but the boy could feel her silent agreement. After all, she didn't want to be the next broken thing on the ground...

The bag-headed boy ignored the scared shadow and went to help the cute scary girl with the box. He also didn't want to make her angry...

Chapter Text

After the box was moved and the kids climbed the window to the other side, they fell into a pile of various pelts that The Hunter had prepared.

The smell of rotten meat burned their nostrils so they just kept moving on their way to leave this place as soon as possible while covering their noses with their hands.

When they eventually reached the part of the room that had light coming from the window, the two of them stopped to stare at The Hunter's workbench.

It was here that the monster transformed its prey into the stuffed objects he kept at his house.

They felt a chill go down their spine as they thought about the amount of pain the monster must have inflicted upon his victims.

But now he was gone, and his victims could finally rest in peace, knowing that their killer had been dealt with.

The light appeared to shine brighter at the two kids as they moved toward the door to leave. Almost as if the souls were thanking them in a way...

Mono stared at the little door he knew the 'other him' used to leave this place. "We... don't need to go through here this time, right?" He spoke but his voice sounded funny as he was holding his nose.

Six nodded at the boy in confirmation. She pointed at the big door while tilting her head with a questioning expression.

He nodded at her and moved toward the door with her following behind. He positioned himself to boost her and, with a little push, the girl arrived at the knob and pulled it downwards, making the door open.

Climbing down the steps to the ground, they could finally release their noses and breathe the pure air outside. "Ugh, finally! This place smells almost as bad as The Swamp!" Sixteen complained, making the two kids chuckle a little.

They walked at a slow but steady pace, observing the boxes they would have used to block The Hunter's shots, walking around the small cliff, passing through the tall grass, and dropping into the hole under the tree.

Crouching through the tunnel, they exited on the other side and arrived at the broken bridge. Mono and Six looked at each other and nodded, they already knew what to do here.

The boy grabbed the rope and pulled with all of his strength, lifting the fallen part of the bridge for Six to jump across.

After she did, she walked back to the edge and waited with a stretched arm. Mono released the rope, making the part fall again, and faced the chasm with determination.

But as he began to run, images began to flash in his vision. The wooden bridge changed into a stone one and the boy jumped.

The girl grabbed the boy and stared at him behind the shadow of her yellow raincoat.

The moment seemed to stretch for an eternity as the boy thought the girl would release his hand and let him fall.

But it was broken when he felt Six pulling him to the safety of the wooden bridge.

Mono felt his whole body tremble as he gasped for air with his knees and palms on the ground. "W- what... was t-that?" He thought with desperation. The fear he felt, was so real. Everything felt so real! The stone, the air, and even the cold hands of the girl in the yellow raincoat!

He was... he was so sure he was going to die!

"...ono! Mono!" He flinched when he heard a voice at his side. He looked at the source and found the worried face of his friend looking at him. She had a warm hand on his shoulder as she tried to shake him out of whatever he had.

He stared into the girl's eyes. In search of something, anything that resembled the girl in his vision. Because he was no fool. He knew who that was. How could he not when they were on the way to get the raincoat back?

But his friend's eyes were different, they had light in them. A fierce red light that burned with determination but now was set in a frown as she looked at him.

And her hands, he lifted one of his to the one she had on him, they were warm. Not cold.

Little by little, Mono began to calm himself as he controlled his breathing back to normal. "I-I'm..." Okay, he wanted to say. But he didn't feel like it, at least not yet.

Six realized how distressed he was, and without hesitation, hugged the boy with all she had.

He flinched a little in surprise but quickly relaxed in her arms. Slowly, he raised his arms as well and hugged the girl back.

They held each other until he heard a rumbling sound close to him. He didn't know what it was but it made him feel... safe. That everything was going to be okay.

Mono opened his eyes and realized the noise was coming from the girl in his arms. "I knew it..." He thought "I knew that I wasn't imagining things before" He remembered the last time he heard this sound was when he was close to the girl as well. "Must be something about her new powers that Sixteen told me about. I don't know why Six minds it so much. It's so cute." He had a relaxed smile on his face as he enjoyed the sound.

"Are you okay now?" Six asked the boy in her arms. She hoped he couldn't hear the sound coming from her. She couldn't control it!

"Yeah... thanks..." He responded in a relaxed tone as he decided to release her and not comment about the sound she was making.

"What happened?" She asked while she tried to make the rumbling stop. Which she did, after a few seconds now that her focus was elsewhere.

Mono thought about how to answer, her questions bringing the images back. He didn't know what to say, how could he explain without sounding like he was crazy?

He shook his head and decided to just say what he saw "I-... I saw something... When I went to jump to you..." His voice had a careful tone to it.

Six tilted her head in confusion "What?" She asked with an inquiring expression.

He hesitated for a second but continued "I saw us... on a stone bridge." He looked at her "I was jumping across like I just did here. And you caught me but..." His tone of voice changed into one of fear "But it wasn't... you..." He saw her eyes widen "She was wearing that raincoat and I couldn't see her face... but her hands..." He looked at his hand while he remembered "They felt... so cold... and I..." He shuddered for a moment "I was so sure that you were going to drop me..." He felt pain clenching his heart.

Six didn't know what to say. She... or the other her... wanted to drop him? In a stone bridge? What did that mean? Why would she do that to him? She wanted so hard to tell him it wasn't anything, that they were just things on his mind but she couldn't. Not when she knew that there was 'another her'. And that didn't make her feel any better.

Shaking her head, she looked at the hurt boy in front of her and focused on him. Anything else could wait, her friend was hurt and he needed her.

"Mono" She called to get his attention and looked at him with a serious expression "I swear, no matter what happens, that I will never let you fall. I will always be there to catch you when you jump and always be there to help you when you need me. This, I promise with all that I am and will be." She spoke with a hand on her chest and a determined expression on her face. Her eyes seemed to glow as she stared at her precious friend in front of her.

Mono felt his breath being taken away as he listened to her words. He could feel something stirring inside of him, begging to be left out. And he decided to do just that. He opened his mouth and let the words flow out "Six" He called her, just as she did "I swear, that no matter how many enemies you face I will always be there to aid you and always be there to save you if you need it. Nothing will stop me from being with you. This, I promise with all that I am and will be." He spoke with a hand on his chest and a caring expression on his face. His eyes glowed with a gray light as he stared at his precious friend in front of him.

The air around them began to turn and shift unbeknownst to both of them. It was charged with a strange force that circled them for a moment and disappeared into a ripple in the air.

The kids smiled at each other in happiness and raised themselves from the ground to keep moving. Their hands gravitated toward the other as if it was natural for them as they walked forward.

Behind them, a shadow formed itself as she stared at them with happiness. She shook her head in amusement before looking back at the wooden bridge the two just jumped across with a frown. "That image... I will not let it come to pass. This, I swear with all that I am and will be." She said before dissipating back into her space.

The kids kept walking through the woods while passing by all the places they would have if they were escaping from The Hunter. Though this time, they did not have to dive into that smelly water. A relief to all of them.

And all the while they were holding hands. Neither wanted to be away from the other until they reached the beach.

Mono, Six, and Sixteen stood beside each other as they stared at the city on the other side of the sea.

The pale crooked buildings, the gray clouds above them, and the landmark that shined with a menacing purple light through the entire land.

The Pale City

The next objective of their dangerous quest.

Mono and Six looked at each other "Ready?" He asked. The girl nodded in response with a determined expression while squeezing his hand.

"Yeah, I'm ready too. Thanks for asking." Sixteen rolled her nonexistent eyes at them. She was getting tired of being forgotten.

The two laughed at her in response. "Sorry, Sixteen." Mono apologized, the kind boy that he was. The shadow only shook her head in response before dissipating. "Let's just go already." She said with a grumpy tone.

The kids chuckled a little more before they went toward the door stuck in the sand. And with a little push from both of them, the door was released. They jumped on it and sat, as the 'boat' slowly floated toward the city. As if it was pulled to it.

And slowly, their figures disappeared from the beach of The Wilderness.

The old promise has been broken and a new one has been made.

This time, I will make sure they reach the correct end. This, I promise with all that I am and was...

A slumped figure on a chair twitched as it felt their presence approaching.

They were coming.

As they always had done.

He would find her.

After all, he promised to get to her no matter where she was.

"[Intermission - Old and New Promises]" Completed.

Chapter Text

While two of our kids were cruising along the calm water of the sea that separated the forest and the city, two other kids were sneaking around inside a massive chunk of metal that drifted with the currents of the ocean.

"The Maw?" Rain asked with a confused expression. She hadn't heard of any place like that. "What is The Maw?"

The boy looked at the girl as if she was crazy. How could she not know where she was? But he didn't have time for this. He had to look for now. Who knows how far she must have gone by now?

"Look, I will explain it later. Right now we have to move." Seven ignored her surprised expression and moved toward the door. Not noticing how she pouted at being ignored but followed him nonetheless.

As they passed the door, Rain flinched in surprise at the number of doors she assumed had other dorms inside. "Are all of them filled with children? Why? What is this place?" She thought as she stared around. They were in a square room that only had doors on the first floor and a set of stairs to a balcony on the second floor they were currently in, which had even more doors...

But her musings would have to wait because Seven was already moving without waiting for her. "Hey!" She whisper-shouted in annoyance, making the boy flinch and look back at her with a scared expression.

He quickly looked around with caution, and when he noticed that nothing seemed to realize they were there he glared at the girl with irritation. "Are you crazy?! We have to be quiet!" He whispered after moving toward her.

The girl didn't like being called that, as she showed by glaring at him. "And why is that?" She asked back in a low voice while crossing her arms.

Seven looked at her with disbelief. "Didn't you see the monster that just walked out from there?" He pointed at the room they had just exited from.

Rain looked at him with a confused expression "Umm... No?" She whispered with a small blush on her face. She was... distracted at the time...

He sighed at her as if she was hopeless. "How is this girl still alive?" He questioned everything as he looked at the girl. "His name is The Janitor. He is the Nightmare that watches over all of the children in The Nursery." He explained as he turned back and began to move to the other side of the room. Rain quickly followed after him as she listened.

"He is the main reason why none of the children try to escape from this place." The boy suddenly stopped as he heard something under him.

But Rain didn't notice it "And why-" She began but was quickly stopped as Seven hastily covered her mouth. She looked at him with annoyance but stopped when she saw him pointing down and making a shushing gesture.

Wondering what had him on edge like that, she looked down and felt a chill go down her spine.

It was a kid. And they were running.

But not running in joy as kids are supposed to do, she was running from something.

The monster wasn't the most bizarre she had seen, but it certainly was... unique.

It had small legs and very long arms. And its face appeared to be melting as its forehead covered his eyes, making the thing essentially blind. But it didn't need his sight. Something that it proved by accurately lifting its head and listening to where the running kid was going.

After that, it didn't take long for it to reach them and grab them with its long arms. The Nightmare made a strange noise of accomplishment before bringing to kid back to their room.

Rain looked at the boy again to gauge his reaction "Was that?" She asked with hesitation, but the boy appeared calm. Like the scene that just happened didn't affect him.

Which was not true. While Seven did feel bad for the kids that were taken by the monster, he knew that there was nothing he could do to save them. He shook his head and began to move again "Yes, that was The Janitor and no, it wasn't her." He whispered.

The girl looked back at the door where the monster had disappeared in for a moment before following him.

The next room they entered was empty except for a lonely bed that was turned on its side, revealing a hole under it.

Rain looked at the walls with intrigue as she noticed the numerous drawings on them. "This room... it was filled with kids once. Where did they all go?" She thought as she slowed her steps.

"Hey, what is-" She tried to ask the boy what this place was again when she stopped in shock.

Seven had just jumped into the hole without hesitation.

"Wait-!" She whisper-shouted again as she hurriedly went to see if he was alright. Looking down, the boy was just getting up from landing on another bed. He patted himself for a bit before looking at her. "Cmon! Hurry up!" He called her in a low tone before moving to climb down from the bed.

Rain stared with shock at him. "Does he even think before he does something?! How is this boy still alive?" She thought with disbelief before dropping down and landing on the bed with an "Oof".

After she climbed down, she passed the door and noticed they were now in another room with a bunch of doors. "How many of these do they have in here?" She thought with unease. Seeing that Seven was already halfway on the other side of the room, she hastened her steps and managed to reach him just before he hit the end.

Because it was an end. There was no way to keep going. At least not forward.

"What now?" She asked him with a nervous expression.

Seven didn't answer her and looked around for any way to keep going. And it was when he was looking to the side that he saw something peeking out from the edge of the balcony.

He moved closer and saw that it was a bunch of boxes stacked up on the floor they were currently in. All of them in a perfect way from them to climb down. "How... convenient?" He thought about how strange it was but decided not to question it. "Over here." He called Rain and moved to climb down without waiting.

The girl followed him and they slowly moved to the floor below without making any noise. It annoyed him greatly how slow they were moving but it was necessary. He didn't want to grab unwanted attention...

After their feet had hit the floor, they quickly stopped as they noticed that there was a strange light coming from around the corner. The light moved from left to right in slow intervals while stopping for short moments.

Seven waited for the light to move away from them to look around the corner. The light was coming from a strange eye on the wall. It looked so lifelike that if it wasn't made of stone he would have thought the wall was alive.

He knew what those things are. He heard other children talking about it. The Watchful Eyes. The thing that turned kids into stone if they tried to escape.

But that wasn't what caught his attention.

No. That was reserved for a girl with a flashlight in her hands as she used a stack of boxes to hide from the eye on the wall.

"Runa!" He called her before he could stop. He was lucky that the eyes couldn't hear anything. Only see.

The girl turned her head with a scared expression when she heard her name being called. She looked at the one who called her and was shocked to see Seven there.

She was going to move toward him but the light began to move back to the corner he was looking from, making him have to hide to not turn into stone.

Runa hesitated as she realized that her path forward was open. She looked back at the illuminated corner for just a moment before biting her lips and moving toward the door.

When the light began to move away from them again, Seven looked around the corner expecting to see his friend waiting for him.

But she was already running away across the corridor on the other side.

Chapter Text

Seven stared at the back of his running friend in shock "She... she left me behind..." He thought in sadness. He was so out of it that he didn't realize how the light was coming back to his position.

He felt his world turn when he was pulled back into safety by the girl that was following him, falling on his back in surprise.

"Are you okay?" Rain asked in worry. She had seen everything from where she was. She had noticed that the light must be dangerous if the two were avoiding it and how the girl he had called a friend went ahead without him.

The boy looked at her worried expression with a blank face. "She... she left me... " He spoke with disbelief in his voice.

Rain looked at him with sympathy, it wasn't the first time she had seen someone left behind. This world... wasn't gentle with kids like them. All the places she had been to, had the same thing in common.

Fear.

Fear controlled most, if not all, of their actions. It could turn even the most loyal friend into a coward. It was such a sad thing to see every time.

But they still had time. His friend wasn't gone, they could still reach her. She just had to wake this boy up.

She usually didn't do this but desperate times required desperate solutions. She had seen someone do this once before, she just hoped it worked for him as well.

Lifting her hand, Rain clenched it into a fist and brought it down onto his head, giving him a soft bonk. She didn't want to hurt him, only wake him up.

Seven flinched in surprise at his head being hit, he lifted his hands to the spot she had hit and looked at her with annoyance on his face. "What was that for?!" He whisper-shouted. Even if he was in shock, he still didn't want to attract unwanted attention.

"We need to keep going." She looked at him with a straight face. "'There's still time to help her."

Seven scowled at her "And why should I do that? Didn't you see she choose her freedom instead of me?" He spoke with resentment.

The girl shook her head at him. "She is scared. Scared of whatever this place could do to her. But in her fear, she might forget to be careful, and that is why you need to help her. Otherwise... you might not see her again." She spoke with grief, remembering the ones she had lost.

The boy looked at her with a surprised expression. He had noticed how...hurt, she looked. He looked toward the corridor his friend had disappeared into. Was this really it? Would this really be the last he sees her? He didn't want that! He wanted to reach her and ask why she left him. He wanted to cry and laugh together again.

With determination filling his body again, Seven raised himself from the ground and looked at Rain. "Thank you." He gave the girl a small smile.

Rain felt her cheeks warm up at his expression. "...what a killer smile..." She thought with embarrassment as she looked away. "I-It was nothing..." She stuttered.

Not realizing her state, Seven turned around and began to move again. "Alright then, let's go." He peeked around the corner and waited for the light to look away from them.

Not noticing the girl with a deadpanned expression behind him. "...boys..." She sighed in annoyance before following him.

As the eye looked away from them, they hurriedly went toward the set of boxes underneath it. They waited for the light to move where they just were and ran to the corridor.

They kept moving as quickly and as quietly as they could, passing by several closed doors and reaching the end, where they reach a set of bars that, surprisingly, had enough space for them to pass through.

"It's The Play Room..." Seven commented as they entered the dark room. He realized that the bars they just passed through were supposed to be energized. Somehow, The Janitor forgot to turn them on. How lucky.

Rain looked at the various toys with curiosity. "They have a place to entertain kids? But why?" She thought with suspicion. "Hey Seven, what exactly is The Maw?" She asked as they moved to the end of the room.

The boy looked at her with a strange expression again, as if he couldn't understand how she didn't know where she was. "It's... a safe place for kids to live. Or at least that's what that lying monster told us..." He clenched his fist in anger.

"What do you mean?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Every week... a bunch of kids disappears from their beds. And we never see them again. The Janitor takes them somewhere we don't know about. And if you try to run..." He left the phrase unfinished.

"They get captured anyway..." Rain said as she remembered the kid she saw being captured by that monster. Seven nodded in affirmation.

"The last thing I remember is seeing that this place... floats... on the sea. I don't know how to explain it. It was what I saw before I woke up in one of the beds. The other kids said the same thing when I asked them. No one knows what happens to kids and that The Ferryman brought them here. That lying monster..." He spoke with anger as he approached the set of bars at the end of the room.

Rain widened her eyes as the boy finished his explanation. "I'm... on the sea?! But-! But how?! Last time I checked I was in a damn swamp! Very far from the sea!" Confusion filled her mind as she crossed the bars. Sadly, there was no one to answer those questions for her.

"*Gasp*" She heard a sudden intake of breath coming from her side. She looked at Seven and noticed he had a surprised expression on his face, staring at something ahead.

Looking ahead as well, her eyes widened at the sight of the girl from before on top of a couple of cages. Fixing a bunch of clothes into a rope.

"Runa!" The boy on her side called the girl in a low tone. She didn't think the girl would hear from where she was but to her surprise, the girl in question looked at them with an alarmed expression.

She froze for a second before she turned and tossed the rope out of the window. If Rain wasn't seeing things, the girl had a conflicted and scared expression on her face.

"Runa, wait!" Seven ran toward his friend but stopped when he saw he couldn't reach her. Not without using something as support. He quickly searched around the room for something as the girl began to climb down the rope.

He found a small cage close to the door that he could use and quickly moved toward it. He could push it but he was struggling with the weight. But that was quickly solved when another set of hands appeared on his side and helped him move it.

He looked at Rain with a thankful expression and pushed the cage with all of his strength. Together, they quickly set the object in place and climbed to the window.

They looked down at the girl that was running toward a hole in the wall. "Runa!" He called the girl again and flinched when his voice echoed a little. But the girl still ignored him and kept running. Seven quickly moved to climb down and chase after her.

Rain stopped in shock as she looked up at the ceiling. Or at least tried to, since she could only see endless bridges and darkness. "...what the heck is this place..." She thought with fear.

She snapped out of it when she felt something brush against her feet. The rope. She looked down and realized that Seven was already halfway down. So she quickly moved to follow him.

As soon as Seven dropped to the ground he began to run toward the wall. Rain did the same behind him.

They reached the box and rapidly climbed it to reach the hole and climb through it as well. They raised themselves into a room that had no visible way out with a set of fans on the wall. A single light illuminated a hole in the ground that had its lid open.

Seven paled as he looked at it. "What is it?" He heard Rain ask at his side with a worried expression.

"She... she went down... you're not supposed to go down..." He spoke with a scared tone as he looked at the darkness below.

The girl stared at him for a moment before looking down as well. With determination in her expression, she simply jumped into the hole without waiting for the boy.

"Wait-!" Seven tried to stop her but it was too late. She was already sliding down the pipe and without realizing it, he was already jumping after her in shock.

The steel walls of the pipe passed by in a flash as gravity pulled them downwards. And before they could of how bad this idea was they were already out and hitting the water.

They hurriedly swam up and gasped as their heads emerged from the water. Luckily, it was only deep enough for them to not hurt themselves.

Looking around, they found a platform on the other side of the room and decide to move toward it. Halfway there, the ground raised so that they could finally walk again.

They stopped for a moment to catch their breath.

"You are crazy, you know that?" Seven said as he looked at his companion through his drenched bangs.

"Eh. I get that sometimes." Rain brushed him off as if jumping inside a dark hole without knowing what was at the bottom was normal.

The boy shook his head in disbelief, before moving toward the platform. He realized it was too high for them to climb and used one of the boxes floating around to reach the edge. The girl realized what he intended to do and helped him.

The two of them raised themselves on the platform and searched where the girl could have gone now.

That question was answered when they noticed a light coming from a hole in the wall being blocked by planks.

They walked to the hole and realized they could pass through it. Seven went first with Rain right behind him. She looked around for a moment before looking at the boy that had stopped in front of her. "What's wrong?" She asked with a curious tone.

Rain walked to his side and looked at his face. It was stuck in a pale incredulous expression as he stared ahead.

With her eyes widening in surprise, Rain looked at where he was staring and felt her whole body go cold.

A flashlight was on the ground, illuminating an opening in the wall that also had planks covering it. But that wasn't what they were seeing.

No.

It was the slimy black trail that stretched from the flashlight to the opening and the small handprint on the plank beside it.

And when Seven heard the screeching of a creature on the other side, he felt his whole world breaking apart.

Chapter Text

The Pale City

The place where The Transmission started.

No one knows how it all began. And even if they did they were already corrupted by The Tower.

But if somehow, one of them had managed to survive the first days of The Transmission, all that they would say is that The Tower suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

One second everything was alright, and the next... chaos.

The Signal corrupted everything in its reach. Those that were closer to The Tower were used as fuel and material for it. As for the rest... well, that depends on what kind of a person you were.

The only ones that couldn't be affected were The Children.

Something that The Tower was aware of,

And definitely made use of it.

Slowly drifting with the currents of the sea was a door. That by itself was already strange, but if one looked closer at this door, they would find two kids using the door as a raft. And as the 'boat' approached the beach, both of them had very different reactions as the crooked buildings of the city appeared through the mist.

One of them had an expression of determination. Nothing would stop her from completing her objective.

The other stared with a face full of hesitation. He didn't want to come back to this place. But he would follow his friend to make sure she was safe.

Both of them were so distracted by the buildings in front that neither realized that they were already at the beach. They were quite surprised when the 'boat' suddenly trembled and stopped.

Taking a moment to get their balance back, they looked at the ground and stared at the wet sand of the beach.

They had arrived.

"Ugh. Finally! That took ages!" Sixteen complained as she appeared at their side. She was stretching herself to get out the kinks in her body. Or at least she tried to since she didn't have a real body. It was mostly for theatrics.

Six rolled her eyes at the shadow as she got off their 'boat'. The sand felt nice on her feet. She realized she quite liked the sensation. She turned her head to the side with a small smile on her face but it disappeared as she looked at Mono.

Everything in his body told him to run away.

Run and never look back.

His body was so tense that if anyone touched him he was sure he would snap.

He could feel it. The city. It was a cacophony of noises and colors that made his head hurt. And at the center of it all... IT watched everything. With ITS eyes and-!

He jumped in fright when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He looked at Six with a frightened expression on his face, before realizing where he was and sighing as he calmed down.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked with a worried expression.

Mono wanted to say that he was, but he knew she would see right through it. He decided to shake his head in response.

"Is it the city?" She asked again as she approached and grabbed his hand.

He nodded his head.

Six gave him a reassuring smile "Don't worry. I'll protect you." She said while squeezing his hand.

If Mono could melt into a puddle he would right then and there. "She is so cute..." He thought as a small smile bloomed on his face. Feeling brave, he lifted her hand to his face and gave it a little kiss.

"Ah-!" Six felt her whole body blushing up in surprise. Small wisps of dark smoke began to rise from her head in reaction to her emotions. The wisps tried to form something but ended up just disappearing after a few seconds. As if they weren't sure of what they should be.

The boy 'smiled' at the girl "Thank you, Six." He said with affection before trying to release her hand.

But Six wasn't going to let get away with this. She squeezed his hand back and pulled it to her face. She noticed the surprise in his eyes as she smirked with a red face and kissed his hand and released it afterward.

She turned away from him and looked back at him from the corner of her eye "...you're welcome." She said in a small voice before moving forward to the building with a door half opened.

Mono felt as if he was floating. He stood there with his hand frozen up where she left it. His face was definitely red if the warm feeling on his face was any indication. Small wisps of white smoke danced around his head with glee. As if they were happy.

The boy shook his head and gave a few taps to his cheek before following the girl.

Sixteen observed everything with a delighted smile on her face. She thanked whatever entities placed her with those two. She was never going to get bored.

The shadow disappeared into her space as the two entered through the open door.

None of them spared a glance at the small TV that was buried in the sand. If they had, they might have noticed the hollowed eyes that watched them with a hateful stare.

Everything felt numb. He couldn't hear or feel anything. He felt like he was dead inside. "Why... why did she have to die?" He thought while staring at the ground with dead eyes.

The girl that comforted him when The Ferryman dropped him here. The one that always made sure that he was okay. The kid that always tried to help other kids.

His friend... was dead.

"Whywhywhywhywhy" Seven covered his eyes with his hands. He wanted answers. Why did she leave him behind? Why didn't she ask him for his help? Why did she have to die?

He didn't know what to do now. His eyes began to water as he cried in grief. He felt so alone. He didn't have a friend anymore. He-

...

Is being hugged?

Seven opened his eyes when he felt someone wrapping their arms around him. It felt... warm. Suddenly, he didn't feel as lonely anymore. He slowly hugged them back as he cried in their arms.

And Rain let him do it. She held him close to her as she felt for him. To lose someone you held so dear... was never easy.

She kept holding him until his cries slowly stopped. The boy sniffed and wiped his tears with his sleeves. He was still looking at the ground.

"Why..." She heard him say with a broken voice. "Why did she do it?" He looked up at her with a desperate expression. He NEEDED to know why she left him behind.

Rain didn't know what to say. She didn't know Runa. How could she talk about someone she never met? But Seven wouldn't accept that. She could see it on his face. He needed something to keep going. Otherwise... he might end up just like Runa...

So she thought about what she would have thought about instead. What if it was her imprisoned in this place? If I knew what my fate would be if I waited for it to come without doing anything?

"I think..." She spoke with hesitation "I think she didn't want to die here..."

She watched as the boy tilted his head to the side "What do you mean?" He asked with a confused expression.

"You said it before. The children stay at The Nursery until The Janitor comes for them. And then no one ever hears from them again." She said with a serious expression "I think... that whatever fate those kids had, was so... bad, that when she learned about it, she decided that the danger of escaping was worth it if she could get out of here." She finished her explanation.

Seven looked even more confused after her explanation "But... why didn't she say anything? Why try to leave alone?" He asked with a hurt expression.

Rain shook her head in sadness. "I... don't know. I could give a lot of reasons why, but only she could have told you why." She closed her eyes in defeat. Not seeing his expression falling as she answered.

He thought about his friend. How she appeared to be always happy and optimistic. He never saw below her mask. Never asked about her fears and apprehensions. How much she was hurting. And now... it's too late.

"Look," He heard a voice at his side. He looked up at the girl "I know that you might be thinking that it's your fault. But trust me when I say this. It isn't." She said with a serious expression.

Seven felt his emotions flare at that moment "What are saying?! Of course, it is! If I was a better friend she-!" But he was interrupted.

"No, it wasn't! You did the best you could with what you knew! And that's all that you could have done!" She didn't let room for arguments as she approached him and lifted the boy off the ground with surprising strength.

He stumbled a little after she let him go and glared at the girl "But what do you want me to do?! What do I do now that she is gone?!" He shouted at the girl with a pained expression.

Rain simply approached him and inched her face closer to his "You. Live!" She said with a determined expression. "You live to honor her memory! To accomplish what she couldn't do. That's what you can do!"

The boy stumbled back at the passion in her voice as he stared at her with wide eyes. Was she right? Was that really what he should be doing now?

Seven looked toward the black handprint left on the broken plank. "Would you want me to do this? Runa?" He thought as he closed his eyes and remembered the kind girl that he liked.

"Hey Runa." The boy asked the girl sitting at his side.

She looked at him with a small smile "What?" She tilted her head in a cute motion.

"Do you... have a dream?" He asked with a small blush on his face.

The girl froze at his question. A pained look passed through her face for just a moment as she looked up with longing "I... want to see the sky again..." She spoke with sadness before she closed her eyes and shook her head.

She looked back at him with a smile again, "What about you?" She asked with curiosity.

The boy blushed at her attention. He had never thought about what he wanted. But now, looking at her sad expression, he knew exactly what it was he wanted to do.

Seven opened his eyes with a new fire burning in them.

He looked at the flashlight on the ground and picked it up.

He looked back at his new companion with determination "Let's go." He turned and walked to the hole where his precious friend disappeared.

"To where?" Rain asked as she hurried to follow him.

"We are getting out of this damn place." He said with a determined tone as he passed by the hand print on the plank.

"I... want to help you achieve yours..." He spoke in a small voice while looking away from her. He felt so embarrassed!

But after not hearing any response from her he turned his face to look at her again and was surprised at what he saw.

The girl in front of him was trying to hide her face with her arms. He could only see her ears that for some reason were red.

He tilted his head in confusion "Runa? Are you okay?" He approached the girl with worry.

Runa quickly turned away from him and refused to look at his face. "You are so unfair sometimes..." She said before walking away in embarrassment.

The boy stood there with a confused expression on his face "What does that mean?!" Before he ran after her.

Chapter Text

As the two passed through the hole in the wall, Mono and Six scanned the building they were in.

The room was bare of any furniture with only debris from the roof scattered around. The roof had a massive hole in it that went through the whole building, letting the somber light from outside enter.

Both kids flinched when they looked up to see a TV hanging from who knows where. But if it were only that it wouldn't be so scary. It was the fact that the TV had a set of clothing hanging through it.

Adult-sized clothing.

"How the heck did that guy get there?" A shadow appeared at their side as Sixteen asked with morbid curiosity.

Six scrunched her nose in displeasure. "Don't know. Don't care. It's one less adult we don't have to worry about." She responded with annoyance as she glared at the suit.

Mono only stared at the TV with a somber expression. They weren't even fully into the city and this was already a bad sign. He ignored the bad feeling in his guts for now. "We should keep going." He said to his two companions.

Both looked at him and nodded as Sixteen dissipated again.

They walked past the hanging TV while stealing glances at it. They still couldn't guess how that adult ended like that. And one of them didn't even want to find out.

Reaching the end of the room, they found another hole in the wall. But instead of being made for a door like the one they came in from, this one was just broken from the outside.

Passing through it, they stopped in awe and stared at the sheer greatness of the streets.

"Whoa..." Six expressed her amazement as she observed the numerous buildings around them. She looked to the left and noted that she couldn't even see the end of the street. The other side being the same as well.

Mono looked around with apprehension. He felt... strange. If he had to describe it, it was as if you just arrived home but noticed something was... different. "The city is... quiet?" He thought with confusion.

From all of the memories he had of the city, it was that it has never been this quiet. It was as if a quiet lull had taken over it.

It was calm. Too calm. He didn't like it.

"Hey" He jumped when he heard a voice at his side. He looked at Six with wide eyes and a hand on his chest.

"Sorry!" The girl had an apologetic expression on her face. "Just wanted to get your attention."

Mono sighed as he relaxed "It's okay." He paused for a moment as he looked at her "What did you want to ask?"

She looked to the side for a moment as she thought against speaking. But with she shook her head and looked at him with a determined expression. "What if we went exploring?" She felt a small heat in her cheeks as she realized that she must be acting like a kid.

Totally forgetting that she is one...

Mono tilted his head in confusion "You want to... explore?" He asked back so she better explain herself.

"Y-yes!" She spoke with more enthusiasm. "You see, we know if we go through there-" She pointed at the building with a closed door and a wide broken window "We are going to end up at The School in no time. But I wanted to see what more we can find on this street." She opened her arms to show the vastness of it, making Mono look to the sides in wonder before he looked back at her "I don't want our journey to be so... straighty." She scrunched her nose as she said the last word. As if she didn't know the right one to use.

The boy couldn't help himself then "Pfft-" He tried to hold his laugh but it came out anyway.

Her head snapped at him when she heard it. She felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment "Why are you laughing?!" She exclaimed.

Mono tried to compose himself enough to answer "I-It's- *hehe* linear." He snickered.

Six crossed her arms in confusion "What is?" She didn't know what he was talking about.

He controlled his laughter before answering again "The right word is 'linear'. Not straighty." He said with mirth in his eyes.

The girl felt her whole face burn in shame before she looked away. "Shut up! It's not my fault I'm not as smart as you!" She pouted.

He shook his head in amusement as he looked at his cute friend. "I can teach you if you want?" He asked while trying to make peace.

Six looked back at him from the corner of her eyes. "...you would?" She asked with a small voice.

Mono 'smiled' at her with happiness. "Of course!"

She felt herself blush at his expression and turned away again "Thanks..." She said with a small smile.

"So!" She turned around with an expectant expression, completely forgetting about her embarrassment. "What do you say? Wanna go exploring?"

The boy looked back at the building behind him for a moment. "Well... it's not as if The School is just going to disappear..." He concluded and looked back at her "I don't see why not." He shrugged with a small smile.

Six gave him a full smile as she pointed to her left "Let's go in this direction then! I want to see what is at the end of this street!." She exclaimed as she began to walk forward.

Mono stared at her for a moment before he felt someone appear at his side. He looked at Sixteen and noticed that she had a serious expression on her face.

He tilted his head in confusion "What?" He asked the serious shadow.

"You do know you pamper her a lot right?" She asked as her face changed to a smug one.

He felt his face burning at the accusation. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said as he went after Six and left the shadow behind.

"Sure you don't!" She exclaimed toward his back and dissipated with a smug smile when she saw the boy tripping for a moment.

Mono shook his head with irritation "You can be so annoying sometimes. The boy thought to the entity inside his head.

"What can I say? I'm special like that." Sixteen said with a convinced tone.

He sighed and decided to ignore her for now. He didn't want to be the reason for her ever-growing pride.

Chapter Text

Mono reached his friend and together they walked along the grey streets of The Pale City.

They looked around with curious eyes as they tried to find anything that seemed interesting to them.

One might even think they weren't even in a dangerous city at all...

They passed by various buildings, which had all the same thing in common.

They were tall. Very tall.

And crooked.

All of them were bent in some way or form. With some even looking as if they were about to break and fall.

It was a mystery how they were still standing...

And as they passed those gray and crooked buildings, one of them caught their attention.

It was a building just like the others, but with a distinct difference.

It's color.

Unlike the shades of gray on the various structures around them, this one was painted with a bright pink color.

Of course, the color got darker and dirtier with time, but still, this glaring difference was what caught their attention.

The front of the building also had a big window that showed what was inside, where several pink boxes could be seen stacked in different piles.

Beside the window was a door that had a sign barely hanging from it. Time, yet again, corroding the rope that held it. The word 'closed' could barely be read from it.

And above the window was a group of deteriorating letters that formed a set of words.

"The...sweet dream?" Mono read the words aloud.

Six heard his muttering and turned toward him "The what now?" She asked with a confused tone.

He looked at her for a moment and pointed up "Up there" He looked at the letters before looking back at her "It says 'The Sweet Dream'." He explained.

The girl looked at the letters for a moment before looking back at him "Okay... and what does that mean?" She asked while cutely tilting her head.

Mono stared at her face for a second before he held his chin between his thumb and index finger while scrunching his eyebrows in thought "I think... it means... a very good... dream?" He said with doubt in his voice.

Six looked at him with a raised eyebrow before she nodded in acceptance "It makes sense." She said while thinking about how smart he was.

"Pfft-!" They heard inside their heads before the figure of Sixteen appeared in front of them.

She looked as she held her stomach with her arms. "Y-you (pfft) you guys- (hehe) are too much (haha)" She was barely able to contain her laughter.

The two kids looked at each other with confused expressions before looking back at the trembling shadow.

Sixteen wiped a fake tear from her eyes before looking at them with a happy expression "Thank you Mono, for your incredible explanation." She said while looking at him with amusement "But as much as you are right you are also... wrong!" She said while pointing a finger at the now confused boy.

He stared at the shadow in Six's form for a second before answering "W-What do you mean?" He stuttered with a small blush on his cheeks.

Sixteen responded by closing her eyes and inflating her chest with pride at knowing something they didn't "It is... a name!" She said with a pause for suspense.

...

...

A few seconds passed in silence...

The shadow opened her eyes and looked at them "Why aren't they saying anything?" She thought with confusion.

Mono had a confused look on his face, while Six just looked at her with a not-amused expression.

Sixteen felt herself deflate as she noted their boring reactions "Really guys? Not even an 'Ahh' of surprise or a round of applause?" She complained with a pout.

The boy flinched for a second before he began to clap with enthusiasm. But it slowly died down when he noticed the look that Six was giving him.

The shadow smiled again as she bowed to her audience "Thank you, thank you! You are too much!" She gave them a wide smile of satisfaction.

Six sighed in annoyance "Enough with the jokes already. Explain yourself!" She glared at the shadow.

"Alright, alright! Jeez! You're no fun!" Sixteen rolled her nonexistent eyes at the girl, which made her glare at the shadow even harder.

She flinched in fear for a moment before deciding to quickly explain herself "This is a store!" She said with haste.

The girl stopped glaring at her as her expression turned to one of confusion. She looked at the boy for an explanation, but when he just shrugged back at her she understood that he also didn't know what it was.

"What's a 'store'?" She asked Sixteen with a serious expression.

"Ahem" The shadow cleared her throat as a pair of glasses materialized in front of her eyes. She needed them for her explanation.

Mono felt himself freeze as he looked at Six's figure with glasses. A small seed bloomed inside of him that he would only learn about in the future...

"A store is a place where people sell stuff and other people come to buy." Sixteen explained while pacing from left to right "Anything can be sold in one. Clothes, food, hats, you name it. It's how people got their stuff before everything... you know..." She finished her explanation by motioning for their surroundings.

Six listened to her explanation and nodded with a somber expression. "Before everything was distorted... She thought in a grim mood before she felt her chest burn with conviction. She would fix everything after she defeated those monsters!

The boy looked baffled for a moment as he stared at the shadow "Wait..." He said, drawing attention to him "How- How do you know all of that?" He asked with apprehension.

Sixteen stopped for a moment before she answered with a smile "Well of course because I-!" She suddenly stopped "I-" Her expression became unsettled as she tried to remember "I- I don't know..." The glasses on her face disappeared as she looked at the two kids with a blank expression.

Nothing was said between the three as the tension in the air began to rise.

Six squinted her eyes with suspicion and was about to speak. But the boy at her side was faster "It's okay." He said with an accepting tone "We can figure it out later." He 'smiled' at the shadow.

Sixteen froze for a second before she turned around in embarrassment, a purple blush on her cheeks. "...thank you." She whispered before dissipating. She couldn't look the boy in the face right now.

The girl stared at the spot the shadow just was with a hard expression. Her suspicions about their new 'companion' grew every second.

"Hey" She heard a voice at her side. She looked at the boy "Wanna see what this store is all about?" He offered his hand to her.

Six felt a blush on her cheeks as she gave a small nod and clasped his hand with hers, giving it a small squeeze in happiness.

The boy 'smiled' at her before he guided them toward the door.

And although the falling sign on it said that the store was 'closed', the door opened with an old creak as the two went inside to explore.

But what both didn't know is that although bright colors can be quite eye-catching, they can also mean danger in some cases.

Sadly, this was one of those cases.

Because although the store has quite a 'sweet' name, the creature inside is anything but so.

Its name...

The Candyman.

Chapter Text

As the kids passed through the door, both were mesmerized by the sight in front of them.

On their right, they could see the big display window that they saw from the outside, with the details on the pink boxes being discernible now.

The name of the store could be seen on all of them, written inside a pale pink cloud that contrasted well with the bright pink of the box.

The letters were designed with bright gold letters that shined when the light would hit them just right.

The inside of the store looked very spacious, with various shelves lined up in neat rows, filled with different boxes of various colors.

Something strange to note was that although most places in the city seemed to be distorted and decaying, this place seemed to be untouched on the inside.

Almost, because one could still see some cracks in the walls, floor, and ceiling. But those were too few and apart to be noticed even by a common adult.

And if you were a kid...

"Whoa..." Mono muttered unconsciously. His eyes filled with wonder as he stared at the things in front of him.

Never in his life had he seen such a marvelous sight. So many colors and shapes that were new to him made his mind pause in awe.

At his side, Six was much the same as she gaped at the numerous boxes on the shelves. Her sharp senses picked up something that made her stomach flip with anticipation.

*GROWL*

The Hunger made itself known as Six's body began to leak wisps of dark smoke that coalesced on her head and lower back.

Mono quickly turned his head at the sound and felt his eyes widen as he observed the changes occurring in his friend while she was distracted by the amazing scent her senses picked up.

The smoke on her head came together to form a pair of very fluffy ears that twitched slightly with her emotions.

The one on her back elongated and formed a long fluffy tail that left wisps of darkness every time it moved.

And all of that combined with her eyes and teeth made him blank out for a moment.

"Mono, can you smell that?" The girl turned to look at her companion with enthusiasm but her expression turned to one of confusion when she noticed his expression.

The boy could feel his face burning as he stared at the cute scene in front of him. Six tilted her head with a confused expression on her face. But that wasn't all. Her ears moved with her expression. So one ear was flattened while the other was straight.

It was too much cuteness for him to handle.

And although he should be panicking over her new appearance something in his mind told him to keep calm and not act up. He listened to that voice for now.

"Mono? You there?" He flinched as Six waved her hand in front of his face.

"Y-Yeah? What is it?" He asked while blinking between her face and her ears, a small blush on his cheeks.

"Can you smell that?" She asked again as her ears and tail moved with the anticipation reflected in her expression.

Mono tilted his head in confusion for a moment before he closed his eyes and breathed in.

His eyelids trembled as the most remarkable scent graced his nose.

While the air in the city was heavy and smoky, and the one in the swamp was humid and smelly, this scent was the first one that Mono ever associated with the word 'good'.

But good didn't even come close to what he was feeling.

If he had to describe it, it was like smelling a dream.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked around with wonder in his eyes.

"What... is that?" His eyes shined with curiosity and excitement.

"Well, I! Can answer that question for you!" A voice said in their heads before a dark smoke appeared from the ground and formed into a shape in front of them.

The shape, of course, is the shadow version of Six, Sixteen!

"That, my friends, would be something that almost every kid in this world loves and want!"

She spoke like someone making a sales pitch.

"And what is it?!" Six could barely hold herself from barreling toward the shadow and wriggling the answers out of her.

The shadow gave them a mischievous smile before presenting the items in the store like she was the owner "...Candy!"

"Candy..." "Candy..." Both kids repeated at the same time as they felt their stomachs twirled with desire.

"Yes! Candy! From the smallest gumdrop to the biggest chocolate! Every kid loves candy!" She spoke with enthusiasm "What we have here is a great opportunity to eat all the candy that we want!" She also couldn't hold her excitement.

"All the candy..." Mono said.
"That we want..." And Six completed.

Both looked at each other with stars in their eyes. How could they not be tempted by this idea?

But as they looked at each other, Mono saw her appearance and was reminded of her 'unique' situation. She might be okay with her eyes and teeth, but he decided to at least tell her about it so she wouldn't be surprised by it when she noticed.

"Oh! Erm...Six, there is..." He blushed a little as he pointed toward the top of his head.

The girl blinked for a moment before her arm stretched over the top of her head and began to feel with her hand. There, she felt the ethereal cold wisps of darkness that dissipated every time her hand passed through her fluffy ears before reforming back.

And by instinct, she also turned to look at her back and saw her tail moving unconsciously for a moment, before looking forward again.

She stood with a blank expression for a moment before she moved so fast that to Mono it almost seemed as if she teleported.

He looked around in a panic to see where she had gone but didn't have to search for too long since-

"WHAT IS THIS!?" The girl shouted behind him.

He quickly looked back and saw that she was looking at the darkened glass of the door. A part of it that was clean enough that one could use it as a mirror.

She was waving her arms above her head and at her back to make the extra appendages disappear without success.

"Oh boy... Now you did it..." Sixteen floated at his side with a troubled expression "And I even tried to warn and distract you against doing it *sigh*" She sighed as she looked at the boy with disappointment.

Mono felt guilt claw at his heart after he noticed what she was talking about. He was not supposed to comment about Six's new... limbs? Appendages? He didn't know what to call them.

"...What happened to her?" He whispered to the shadow as he looked at the girl still trying to make her ears and tail disappear.

Sixteen sighed again "I told you at the witch's house, something is wrong with her. Her new... 'powers' must have something to do about that." She pointed at the girl that was getting tired from trying. "My guess is that it must be related to her... Hunger." The shadow spoke with caution in her voice.

The boy stared at Sixteen for a moment before nodding in understanding. The Hunger. He had seen it a few times already. Although... she didn't have fluffy ears and a tail before. Whatever happened in that cabin must have been more shocking than all of them knew.

Six had finally stopped thrashing about as she lowered herself to the ground and hugged her knees. Her ears were flattened against her head and her tail was curled around her in a protective measure.

Mono felt a pang in his heart at the image. He couldn't let her like this. She looked so sad.

Leaving the shadow behind, he walked toward the girl and kneeled at her side. She kept her head down even if she noticed he was close.

"Hey" He called in a low voice but she still didn't look at him. He tried poking her to get her attention but it only made her turn away from him.

"Six..." He called with a worried tone "What's wrong?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

"..." The girl kept her silence, her posture hunching even more over itself.

Mono was about to get closer to her again when he heard a small noise.

"...ange..." He heard the girl say, but couldn't understand.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

Six finally moved again as she looked back at him. Her ears were still flat against her head and her bangs were parted just enough for him to see one of her eyes looking at him with a sad expression and a small drop of tears at the corner of her eye.

"...doesn't it look... strange?" She asked him in a small voice.

Her appearance was like an arrow that just flew straight through his heart.

With all of his thoughts blanking out, Mono just stared at the girl with a lovestruck expression and white smoke floating above his head.

But his inability to respond left Six to make conclusions of her own.

With her tears getting more volume, the girl looked away from him while crying "I knew it! I look horrible!" She exclaimed.

That snapped Mono right back to the situation. "No!" He shouted, making them both flinch in surprise. "I mean no, you don't look horrible... at all..." He said with a more subdued tone.

She still kept her back to him but he saw that one of her ears had raised and pointed at him. He got her attention.

Feeling his cheeks heat, he walked closer to her again "If anything... you look even cuter now..." He spoke while scratching his neck and looking away in embarrassment.

That answer instantly made the girl perk up. She peeked at him from the corner of her eye. "...Really?" She asked in a hopeful tone.

Not trusting his voice, the boy only nodded while a small wisp of white smoke drifted from his head.

And then, faster than he could notice, he felt something hit and hold him tight as they both fell to the ground.

Feeling a little disoriented by the blow, Mono looked up to see what had hit him and saw ebony hair with two wisps of darkness in the shape of cat ears.

"...thank you." The girl said as she hugged the boy tighter.

And although he feared she might break something inside of him, he decided to just hold her back and enjoy the moment.

Watching from the side, Sixteen shook her head in amusement. "And I thought the sweetest thing here was the candy." The shadow spoke with mirth.

Chapter Text

"Alright' you two! Let's get our heads back in the game! You can be all mushy later." The shadow said with mirth in her voice and watched as the two quickly got up with red across their faces.

Shaking her head in amusement, Sixteen turned around "We have a lot to explore so let's go!" and spoke before walking without waiting for them.

The two quickly followed behind her as they began to look around together with stars in their eyes.

The store was very simple in its shape, with the shelves forming corridors that started from the big display windows to a counter deeper into the store with a closed door behind it.

At the start of each corridor, there was a sign that showed what you could find in it. A shelf for each category of candy found in the store.

As they approached them Mono read the names out loud for Six. From left to right, it was caramels, chocolate, gummies, hard candy, chewing gum, licorice, lollypops, and sour candy.

The shelves were in pairs, forming five corridors inside the store.

The kids were undecided about which they should go into first.

Six wanted to look at the chocolates and caramels first. Mono was in doubt between the gummies and sour candy. And Sixteen didn't know why, but she felt the licorice calling her.

Each of them had their motives to want to go first but in the end, the deciding factor was...

*GROWL*

The girl's insistent stomach.

Six placed her hand on her belly to appease her pain. She looked at the others with a pitiful expression. And that combined with her ears flattened against her head was enough to melt any heart.

"*Sigh*... Fine... We can let you go first..." Sixteen said in defeat. But in the next moment, she made an incredulous expression when Six immediately perked up again and pulled Mono by his hand toward the caramel section.

"...that sneaky little-" The shadow grumbled to herself as she realized they had been played with. She followed the two with a not-amused expression.

They went into the first corridor that had different types of caramel. They looked at the boxes for anything that might get their attention but they all looked the same.

Unable to hold their curiosity any longer, both kids went toward one of the lower boxes to open it.

They found that the box was protected by a thin layer of plastic that was very hard to tear with their hands.

"Hmm." Six hummed thoughtfully for a moment before looking at her hands. 'What if I...?' She focused on a single finger and concentrated. Slowly, darkness rose from her shadow and began to move and coalesce around her hand until it took the shape of a single claw.

Six stared with bewilderment at her hand. 'It worked! I can't believe it!' She gasped internally.

"Whoa..." Mono muttered unconsciously. 'She did that so easily...' He thought with a bit of envy. He wanted to have that control over his powers as well but if he tried he probably would just cut the box in half... or the entire shelf.

'Maybe later...' He decided. Besides, seeing how cool Six was with her powers made him hope he could be like that with his own one day.

With a focused expression, Six looked at the box before slowly tearing only the plastic from the box. After she was done, she discarded it and let out a puff of air she didn't realize she was holding. As she relaxed, the claw
dissipated in dark smoke and swirled back into her shadow.

With this, they could finally see what was inside the box.

Feeling their anticipation rising, all of them stood in front of it, and Six gently lifted the lid.

Inside were small brown cubes wrapped in more plastic. The wrappings had gold letters that read "KR-MEL" on the top. Mono would have found it funny if he wasn't so surprised but something else.

"It looks..."Six began.
"Kinda..." Mono continued
""Lame"" Both finished at the same time. With disappointment visible on their faces.

"Heh. Serves you right for fooling us." Sixteen gloated with a smug expression, making the girl glare at the shadow with annoyance. "Well, let's at least try one. Maybe the taste is worse than it looks." She egged the girl more.

Six decided to ignore her as she grabbed one of the caramels. Mono doing the same a second after.

They noticed that the plastic of the wrapping was made in a way that made it easy to unwrap it, so they didn't need to use the girl's claws again.

Now they each had a brown cube in their hands.

"Well, here goes nothing." Six decided to try it first as she raised it to her mouth.

The taste was unlike anything she ever felt on her tongue. She also noticed that it was very sticky to chew on. The candy kept getting stuck in her teeth.

She loved it. And it also showed on her face as her ears and tail twitched in happiness.

As Mono watched her expression change he finally decided to try it as he tore a piece of the cube and raised it to his mouth.

'Hm, it's not bad. A bit chewy though.' His expression didn't change much even after he felt the sweetness inside his mouth. It was definitely better than anything he ever tasted but he didn't feel like he could eat much of it.

"Let me try." The shadow tore a piece of Mono's caramel before throwing it inside her mouth. But her expression warped in disgust after feeling the taste. She forced herself to swallow it. "Ugh. That tasted awful." She spoke with a sick expression.

Six, who was already on her second caramel, snorted at her before she kept eating.

Mono and Sixteen had to stop her after the third because she didn't seem to be stopping any soon.

They dragged her away toward the chocolate section as Six cried she wanted 'just one more'.

Approaching the lower shelf again they grabbed one of the boxes and opened it.

Inside there were bars of chocolate wrapped in yellow wrapping with red letters that read 'Choco-is-late'. This time Mono wasn't as focused on the taste of the candy and realized that the name of the candies were puns.

And very bad ones.

He loved it.

He chuckled a little to himself as Six grabbed one of the bars and opened it. One bar was big enough for the three of them so she sliced the bar in three and gave two to the other while keeping one for herself.

They each took a bite of it and were surprised by the taste and how the chocolate began to melt when it was inside their mouths.

Surprisingly, they all thought it was good. A very mild reaction but one they all agreed on.

After they finished eating, they took a moment to enjoy the nice taste on their tongues before Sixteen and Mono looked at each other to decide who was going next.

Getting a hint from Six, Mono decided to try the same tactic as her as he lifted the bag from his head and looked and Sixteen with a begging expression. "Can I go next please?" He asked with sincerity.

The shadow wasn't ready for the sneak attack. Nor was the girl beside her that was caught in the crossfire and flopped to the ground with 'Mono overload'.

"Yes... Anything you want..." Sixteen responded with her hands covering her face to hide the purple blush she could feel on it.

And while Mono was elated it had worked he was a little sad that they couldn't look at his face for too long. Totally misunderstanding the motive since he thought it was because of his eyes.

He put his bag back on while the shadow lifted the girl from the ground. Sixteen noticed that Six had a very strange dopey expression on her face. So she decided to fix it by flicking the girl's forehead.

"Ow!" The girl snapped back to reality as she rubbed her head in pain. She glared at the shadow for a moment before looking at the boy behind her and looking away with a blush that went up to her ears.

Sixteen snickered before looking at Mono "Go on Mono. We are right behind you." She said with a smile.

The boy looked at them with a confused expression before turning and walking toward the 'Sour Candy' section.

The shadow looked back at the girl with a smug expression. "You know, you had a very ugly expression on your face just now." She taunted the girl.

Six glared at the shadow with embarrassment.

"It looked kinda like this." Her face changed to mirror the girl's dopey expression. Making the girl feel her blood rush to her head in anger and shame. "I wonder what Mono would say if he looked at this and-" But the shadow wasn't able to finish since a hand swished through her face, making her dissipate into dark smoke.

The girl didn't even look behind as she followed after the boy with a fuming expression.

The dark smoke floated for a few seconds before it reformed back into the shape of a girl.

Sixteen felt as if her whole head was spinning as she grabbed it with both hands. "Ugh. The risk I took was calculated but dang am I bad at math." She said to herself before following the other two.

When Mono reached the shelf he looked back and saw that Six had a very pissed look on her face while Sixteen was holding her head as if she was in pain.

He tilted his head in confusion "Is something wrong?" He looked between the two but couldn't figure out what could have happened between them.

Six gave him a fake smile "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." She looked at Sixteen as she arrived at her side. "Right?" She gave a menacing smile to the shadow.

Sixteen barely nodded in response as she felt her head twirl even more with the movement.

Mono stared at their strange interaction with confusion before shrugging and moving to grab one of the lower boxes again.

Opening it up they were met with colorful packets of candy in a 'blob' shape. The blobs also seemed to be covered in a white powder.

Each packet had a handful of blobs so they opened one up and each of them grabbed candy from it.

Six already wasn't looking forward to this one. It had a very sharp smell. It made her nose sting.

They looked at the colorful food for a few more seconds before taking a bite of it.

Six and Sixteen quickly spit the candy out of their mouths the moment they felt their tongues burning.

"Wha da hel is dat thin!" The shadow cried as she tried to clear her tongue with her hands.

The girl wasn't faring much better as she quickly ran toward the caramel section a grabbed one from the open box before popping it into her mouth.

She immediately felt better as she began to chew on her favorite candy.

She walked back to the sour section before stopping in horror as she watched one of the most frightening things she has ever seen.

Mono. Eating the hateful food like it was the best thing he had ever tasted. He was even smiling too!

And at that moment, Six finally feared the boy for the first time. After all, only a crazy person could be able to enjoy those disgusting blobs.

She looked to the side and saw that Sixteen was pretty much of the same opinion as her. If her expression was any indication.

The shadow looked back at the girl and both exchanged glances in a silent conversation before both nodded in agreement. Looks like they could agree on some things after all.

Mono got out of his trance once he felt the silence around him. His cheeks got warm when he realized he had been gorging himself out on the sour candies.

He couldn't help himself.

The taste was a whole new experience for him. It stung a little in the beginning but became sweet after. And the more he ate it the less it stung, leaving only the strong flavors inside his mouth.

He felt that he could eat it for hours if he wasn't awakened by the crushing silence.

The boy searched around for his companions and found them looking at him from behind with scared expressions.

As if they had seen one of the scariest things in their lives.

Mono began to feel anxious. Had they seen something?

"Hey! What happened? You guys seen something?" He asked in a low voice as he approached the two while looking around cautiously.

Six and the shadow flinched for a moment before they forced themselves to relax. There was no need to fear the boy... right? He just had some... strange taste for food.

"N- no! Everything is okay! R- right? Sixteen?" The girl asked the shadow in a frantic tone.

"Y- yes! No- Nothing to worry about!" She responded in the same manner.

Both of them with forced smiles on their faces.

But Mono knew that Six was lying. He could feel that she was hiding something.

He came closer to the girl and lowered his head closer to hers "What's wrong?"He asked in a worried tone while staring at her eyes.

Six felt her whole face heat up with his proximity. Suddenly, all her intentions of lying to him just vanished in a single moment. "I- I- I'm just-" She didn't want to hurt him but she also couldn't lie to him.

But when she looked into his eyes she decided to just say the truth.

"I... didn't like... the sour candy..." She spoke in a small voice as she looked away in embarrassment.

Being this close to her, Mono was able to hear every word she said. But he felt there was still something she wasn't telling him. "Was it only that? You looked scared for some reason..." He asked in a calm tone.

Six didn't want to but spoke anyway "...you also looked kinda scary eating those awful blobs..." The girl spoke in a pouting tone at being denied the option to keep silent.

Mono would have found it hurtful to know she was scared of him in some way, but her cute demeanor was enough to wipe those thoughts away.

He couldn't help himself as he snaked his arms around her and embraced the girl in a comfortable hug. "It's okay. We all have something we don't like." He spoke in a soft tone.

And although Six did flinch in surprise for a moment, she quickly melted in his arms as she hugged him back.

They spent a few moments like that before a sound brought them back to reality.

"Pffft-!" Sixteen forced herself to hold her laughter.

The two kids turned their heads to look at her in confusion. "What? Why are you laughing?" Mono asked the shadow.

Sixteen barely held herself enough to respond "It's- it- (hehe) Six- (hahaha) Six is rumbling- (hehehe)" She snickered at the girl.

And the two finally felt it. They were vibrating. The source truly being the girl since Mono could hear the sound coming from her now.

Six released the boy to look at herself in confusion "Wwwhaatt isss tthiss?" She quickly covered her mouth with her hand in shame.

The boy was so surprised he couldn't hold himself when he started snickering. Meanwhile, Sixteen was already laughing out loud.

"Mmmmooonoo! Itsss noot ffunnyyy!" Six yelled at the boy. But her trembling voice only made the situation funnier.

"I- I'm sorry (hahaha) It- I wasn't expecting it." He said after finally being able to hold himself.

"HHMMMPFFF!" She tried to pout but the rumbling only made the action cuter.

"(hehe) Here. Maybe if you relax it will stop." The boy suddenly lifted his hand and began to pet her head. He slowly caressed close to her fluffy ears in a soothing motion.

But the action had the opposite reaction instead. With the rumbling getting even louder now.

Sixteen didn't think she could laugh even more than she had but she was quickly proven wrong once she dropped laughing to the ground.

The girl felt her whole body light up in embarrassment as she rapidly moved away from the two and ran back to the caramel section.

The boy was surprised at the sudden action before watching Six go with worry. He didn't mean to embarrass her further. He only wanted to help. It's what he used to do to himself sometimes to relax.

He focused back on the present once he heard the obnoxious laughter of the girl-shaped shadow. He furrowed his brows in displeasure. "That wasn't very nice Sixteen." He crossed his arms in disapproval.

But the shadow was too out of it to hear him. "I- I can't (hahaha) I'm g- gonna dissipate- hahaha!"

The boy shook his head and decided to ignore her as he waited for Six to come back.

Chapter Text

The girl couldn't believe what just happened.

If she could, she would just hide inside a hole and stay there forever.

"Stupid shadow... stupid powers... stupid Mono..." She repeated inside her head as she kept eating one caramel after the other, not even realizing when the rumbling in her stomach stopped or when her ears and tail dissipated into dark smoke.

After she decided that she was calm enough, the girl stopped her munching party and decided to go back to the other two.

She began walking back to the corridor that had those 'awful' sour blobs but stopped just before it once she heard some voices in the corridor just before it.

Peeking over the edge of the shelf she found her precious friend and the obnoxious shadow arguing over something.

Six tilted her head in confusion before moving over to where they were to see what was wrong.

"...-hat do you mean these things are delicious?! Can you actually taste these things?!" Mono shouted at Sixteen with a pale, almost sickly expression.

"They are! It's not MY fault that your tongue got destroyed by those acid blobs you ate before!" She crossed her arms with a stubborn expression.

It looked like they were arguing over another type of candy, and judging by the opened box at their side it looked like she was right.

When Six was a few steps away from the two, they quickly perked up at the sound of footsteps before looking in her direction in alarm and relaxing after realizing it was just her.

She noticed that Mono seemed surprised for some reason before his expression turned into a disappointed one.

The girl, who was about to ask what they were doing, forgot what she was about to say once she felt it.

She approached the boy with a worried expression on her face "What's wrong?" She asked.

Mono twitched in surprise for a moment before he looked away in embarrassment "Nothing. Why?" He said in a meek voice.

Six furrowed at the boy "Because I felt that Mono. You were disappointed when you saw me. Why?"

The boy felt more heat rush to his face as he rubbed his neck "It's... hmm..." He looked at the girl bashfully "It's... because... you don't have your... ears... anymore..."

The girl froze for a moment as her hands slowly rose to her head and she patted over where she felt the coldness before. After not feeling anything, she looked at her back and saw no signs of a tail.

She sighed in relief at being rid of those but became confused once again when she realized something.

"But why are you disappointed?" She asked as she looked at him while tilting her head.

Mono felt the heat creep up to his ears. "I- It's..." He felt reluctant to say it but decided to just come out with it. "I... liked... them on... you..." He barely forced himself to speak as white smoke began to rise from his head.

Six felt her thoughts come to a halt before everything came back at once as her whole face heated up and dark smoke rose from her head. "A- ah... I see..." She said with a strained voice.

Sixteen watched the two from the side with a neutral expression as she munched on something she had in her hand. "You two are disgustingly cute." She said loud enough for the two to hear, making them jump in surprise.

The girl looked at the shadow with an annoyed expression before she noticed that she was eating something.

And it was... black? She almost couldn't see it on Sixteen's hand.

Forgetting her anger, Six felt her curiosity get the better of her "What the heck is that thing?" As she asked while pointing at the 'thing' in her hands.

The shade perked up excitedly in response "What? This?" She raised her hand with the 'thing'. "It's just the best candy in the store so far!"She gloated before taking another bite of it.

"What?" Six looked skeptically toward the shadow before looking back to Mono.

The boy shook his head in warning "Don't listen to her! Those things taste awful!" He tried to warn her.

"And what do you know, Mr. Sour Blobs?" Sixteen taunted the boy.

"Hey! I love my Blobs..." He responded despondently.

"Then why don't you go over there fill your mouth with them and let Six decide for herself?"

Mono crossed his arms and sighed. He looked at Six in defeat and decided to let her try it herself.

Seeing that he was quiet now the shade smiled and looked at the girl "Here! It's called Licorice, I know you'll love it." She tore a piece of the black stretched thing behind her and gave it to the girl.

Six stared at the candy in her hand with suspicion. She lifted her head and stared at the different expressions of the other two, one with anticipation and the other with pity.

"Let's just get this over with." The girl sighed and threw the piece of candy into her mouth.

But just as quickly as it went in, it was quickly spat out again after the first bite.

"Pfha! What the heck is that?!" The girl shouted with disgust.

"Hey!" The shadow looked offended by her actions.

"Ugh! It tastes like cardboard!" Six said before trying to clean her tongue with her hand.

"Oh! Not you too!"
"That's exactly what I said!"

Mono and Six said at the same time.

"And how in the world do you two know the taste of cardboard?" The shadow lifted an eyebrow at the two.

Said two froze for a moment before looking away in embarrassment. Learning what was good to eat and what was not was... hard.

"Anyway," Sixteen sighed in defeat "Guess I will just have to accept that you two don't have any taste." She spoke proudly as she went back to eating her Licorice.

The two kids shuddered at seeing the shade eating something so disgusting. They looked at each other and decided to leave her alone as they continued to look around the store.

They kept going through each corridor as they tried every other candy they found at the store.

They loved the chocolates and the gummies, but the hard candy was..., well, too hard to eat. The chewing gum made their jaws sore and they had fun sharing a lollipop. Although they did feel very embarrassed by it.

Mono and Six never realized it was possible to experience such a great time in their world.

But as always, the world is never kind for too long.

The two kids had the great idea of grabbing a bunch of different sweets and stocking them inside the den.

Each of them wanted to have their favorite candy stocked up so they separated to go to each respective corridor.

But before they could even begin to gather a single box, a sound was heard through the entire store.

It was something that in their sugar-filled minds the two of them had forgotten to consider.

Why was this place so well-kept?

The question was the first thing that crossed their minds as the sound of a shaking door knob echoed from behind the store.

And the answer was something that both of them knew very well. It was the first thing that popped into their head as the door slowly began to open and a jagged hook grabbed the edge of it.

Their short dream was turning into...

A Nightmare.

Chapter Text

The silence of the store was broken by the sound of hinges scratching against each other.

Mono and Six watched with pale faces from opposite sides of the store as a figure appeared from the door behind the counter.

They froze for a single second before realizing that the silhouette was holding a stack of boxes that blocked their vision.

Which meant that the thing hasn't seen them...

Yet.

Reacting quickly, both scampered as silently as possible to find a place to hide, but neither of them had any luck.

The store was made so that whoever sat at the counter could have a full view of the corridors. And everything was so well-kept that there weren't any holes to hide into.

They could try to run outside, but only Six was close enough to the door to go unnoticed by the monster. Mono was still standing on the other side of the shop and there was no way she would leave him behind.

The only they could do for now was hide along the edge of the shelf and use their size to keep themselves out of view.

Looking at each other from afar, they couldn't see the other's expression but both knew it mirrored worry.

Neither knew anything about this monster or what he could do. The kids also noted that Sixteen had quickly made herself scarce.

Smart move on her part. They wished they could do the same.

Suddenly, a loud sound echoed throughout the store. As if something had fallen to the ground, followed by a deep and annoyed grunt.

And although Six knew that hiding was the best thing to do right now, her curiosity and instincts compelled her to know more about her opponent.

She looked at Mono with a determined expression and motioned about her intentions.

The boy quickly shook his head against the idea. Crossing his arms in front of his chest in a clear 'NO' sign.

Six took that as a yes, as she choose to ignore him and peek around the corner at the monster that owned such a nice place.

Seeing that he was ignored, Mono shook his head in defeat and decided to join her. At least that way both would know what they were up against.

From what they could see, The Nightmare from the candy shop was a man with dark skin. He had short curly hair and a strange set of clothing they couldn't identify from where they were.

He was holding something shiny in his right hand that looked like a... hook?

They didn't know why it was holding it. But then again they had no intention of understanding how a Nightmare thought.

Its face was also very weird with one eye larger than the other and... holes? All over his skin.

It made them shudder in disgust.

It appeared that the monster had dropped one of the boxes of what appeared to be more candy by accident. It was lowering itself to the ground to grab it after leaving the other ones on the counter. And after raising himself and moving the dropped box back to the pile, he looked around and went wide-eyed once seeing the state of his store.

Several open boxes were strewn around in a random mess. With empty wrappers left in all of the corridors with the licorice one being the least dirty for some reason.

The two kids promptly retreated into hiding once they saw the thing looking around the store.

But that was the wrong thing to do.

Because the man had seen that something had moved near the entrance of the store and realized that whatever made this mess was still inside.

And so, with an expressionless face, The Nightmare began to move.

Six felt that her heart was about to burst from her chest after almost being caught. She looked at Mono with a worried expression and she swore she could feel his disapproval.

She glared at him in annoyance since he did the same thing as her and decided to look over the edge one more time to see if they were caught.

But before she could she felt a chill run down her spine as she instantly jumped and rolled forward. Her instincts yelled at her to keep moving but she went against them and looked back to see-

Nothing.

There was nothing there.

"Then what-" "MONO LOOK OUT!!!" Six heard the shadow shout in their minds. But the warning came too late.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Mono felt weightless as he was lifted from the ground by something. He watched the ground becoming far and far away from him as he shouted in panic.

Six watched with dread as her friend how her friend was grabbed by the metal thing that the monster used in his hand and was brought face-to-face with it.

And so, they were finally able to see The Nightmare in full.

He was tall. Very tall.

Not taller than Mono had described The Thin Man to be but still taller than any Nightmare they had seen. His strange set of clothing was a cherry red coat over black jeans and jacket and brown boots.

Being so close, Mono realized that the holes in his face were hexagonal-shaped. Which made him even more disturbed by it.

And since his sleeve had risen with his position, the two were able to see that the metal thing he was holding was a crooked hook.

Except, he wasn't holding it at all. It WAS his right hand.

The monster stared at Mono for a few seconds before looking at Six.

She felt her whole body tensing up as his eyes stared unblinkingly at her. She could feel it, this thing was dangerous.

The man huffed, and as if deciding it was too much of a bother, he ignored her and began to move back to the counter with Mono in hand.

The boy tried to struggle out of the monster's hold to no avail.

"Wait!" Six rapidly followed after them while feeling regret for quenching her hunger moments before. She could've used the boost of her powers right now.

"Hurry Six!" Sixteen goaded the girl with a worried tone.

"I'm trying!" The girl huffed out while turning around the corner and going after the monster. But their size meant the monster was much faster than her. He was almost at the counter already.

"Tell Mono to zap him or something!" She yelled to the shadow as she used all her strength to run.

Sixteen was quick to comply and the boy closed his eyes to focus on the sparks inside of him. He had used them to fry some fish before. Shouldn't be so hard to use them again.

He desperately chanted inside his head for it to work as he straightened his arms forward aiming at the monster's face.

Suddenly, something moved under his skin, and with a crackle, it left his body and hit the Nightmare.

The effect was instantaneous as the man flinched and dropped Mono from his hook.

Now, if the boy knew anything about how gravity worked he would have remembered how dropping from so high up could be very fatal.

So now he was falling to the ground, very fast, and with nothing to cushion his fall. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain from the impact...

But it never came.

He opened his eyes which widened in surprise once he realized he was actually in Six's arms. Being held. In a princess carry.

And while Mono knew this wasn't the best moment, he felt his whole body turn red at being carried by Six. "In a princess carry nonetheless!" The boy didn't know how to feel.

"Now is not the time to gush Mono! Focus!" Sixteen chastised the boy for being distracted at such a crucial moment.

Feeling even more embarrassed now that his feeling was disclosed in such a way, the boy was about to argue in his defense when he heard a deep grunt behind them.

He looked around Six to see that the monster had already recovered from the shock on his face. Which didn't make any sense. He was sure he had put enough power on that blast to fry The Witch two times over.

But this thing just shrugged it off after a few seconds.

Either he misjudged the amount he had used...

Or the man was stronger than he seemed.

Either way, they were in deep trouble since, at the rate that the monster was already moving, he would be on them in no time.

They didn't have time to go out through the door.

"Plan B it is then!" His thoughts quickly reacted to the situation. "To the wall! Quick!" Mono warned the girl who quickly complied and moved in response. He closed his eyes and called for the only thing that could help them right now.

And as they approached the wall, it began to glitch and open up to them.

The Hollow Den was quick to respond to their plight.

Upon seeing the hole suddenly appearing and realizing their intent, The Nightmare's usually expressionless face turned to surprise before gaining a fierce look.

The man stretched his right arm and the limb suddenly fell from his shoulder before it flew toward the kids at a faster pace.

Six felt the chill on her spine again and warned the boy in her arms "Coming behind!" She said out of breath. Running like this without her powers... she never wanted to do something like this again.

The boy promptly reacted to her words as he looked back and saw wide-eyed the appendage flying toward them.

Without thinking, he aimed one of his arms at it and fired another zap which hit its mark and stopped the arm in its place, giving them enough time to jump into the den and make it disappear from that location.

The Candy Man walked toward his twitching arm and grabbed it from the ground. He popped it back into place and shrugged the sparks flying from it with a few shakes.

He stared at the place the kids had just disappeared into with fierce eyes before turning away and going back to tidying up his store.

There was nothing more he could do.

For now at least...

Chapter Text

The kids fell into the hideout in a heap, with Mono on top of Six.

"Ugh..." The girl groaned in pain after hitting the ground. It hurt even more since Mono fell on top of her. Her head was spinning.

Mono recovered faster since he wasn't hurt by the fall. And although he felt drained from using a lot of his power, he quickly scampered off the girl to check on her.

"Six? Are you okay?" He asked in a worried tone as he softly lifted her head onto his arms.

The girl felt her vision twirl once more when she was moved but her complaints quickly died once she felt her head being embraced.

She could feel her whole face heating up in a blush. She wanted so badly to move away but her body wasn't listening and wanted to get closer instead and hold the boy back.

And with her head in bad shape right now she decided to just stay where she was and accept her fate.

"I'm okay..." She mumbled out a response and closed her eyes in embarrassment.

Mono sighed in relief and stared at the girl in his arms. Only now realizing how close they were, he felt his cheeks warm up in response. He thought about saying something to ward off this awkward situation but his mind was too drowsy to come up with anything.

Drowsiness began to embrace both of them as they fell into a comfortable sleep while holding each other.

Rain decided that she hated leeches. She was sure that even if she hadn't learned what happened to Runa, she would still hate those disgusting things with every fiber of her being.

But even her hate paled in front of Seven's...

That's what she thought as she watched the boy in front of her smashing the creatures to paste with a piece of wood along the way. She looked back at the trail of 'bodies' he left on his way and shuddered a little.

Not out of pity for the things, but at the disgusting scene around them.

She stared back at the boy that was just finishing another kill and cleaning his face with a sleeve. The boy looked back at her coincidentally and noticed she was watching him.

"What?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Rain twitched and looked away with a small blush on her cheeks. "Nothing..." She responded in a small voice. But in her head, she was thinking that he looked kind of... cool.

And feeling the blush on her cheeks spread further, she shook her head in frustration. "This is not the time to be thinking about this!" She thought in shame.

Seven looked even more confused with the actions of the strange girl. Deciding he didn't want to know, he turned around and walked further into the depths. "Let's go." He called in a firm voice.

The girl quickly followed after the boy so she wouldn't be left behind in the dark. He was the only one with a flashlight after all.

Together, they reached a room flooded with water and they groaned in displeasure.

Not only was getting wet annoying, but the place where they were also wasn't the warmest of places. Deciding they had no choice, Seven aimed the light forward to search where they should go.

He found a metal fence blocking the way forward and a door covered in planks. Seeing no other options, he told her what they were going to do. "We have to climb to the other side and find a way to cross that door." He didn't wait for her response as he dropped his 'club' and jumped into the water.

Rain sighed in annoyance before following after him. "He could at least hear my opinion before acting..." She complained in her mind.

Reaching the door on the other side, they realized that one of the planks at the bottom of the door was loose and together, they were able to remove it and keep going... into another flooded room.

"Ugh! And I thought the swamp was bad..." She grumbled as they lowered themselves into the water.

But Seven didn't know what she was talking about "What's a swamp-" He began to ask but stopped once he heard a sound behind them. Rain clearly heard it as well since she looked back at the same time as him.

A few boxes and barrels were floating in the water. They were still when they jumped in but now it was clear they were moving. And not because of the ripples they caused.

Something was moving them out of the way and coming in their direction.

Feeling a terrible chill go down their spine, both kids quickly reacted by swimming in the opposite direction as fast as they could.

Behind them, the thing chased after them with increasing speed. But before it could reach them, the kids had already reached the other side and climbed out of it.

The ripples stopped at the edge of the platform and everything was silent after that.

They stared at the water with ragged breaths.

"I take back what I said..." The girl glared at the water "This place is much worse than the swamp." She declared as she tried to still her erratic heart.

Seven still couldn't comment since he didn't know what a swamp was. But he didn't have to know to understand how much he already hated this place. He clenched his fists at the dark memories that plagued his mind and turned around "Let's keep going." He said in a firm tone.

Rain looked at him with surprise "Wait. You want to keep going? After that?!" She pointed at the water as if the boy didn't see the same thing as her.

He looked back at her with a skeptical expression "Would rather try to go back? Passing through that thing and becoming a prisoner in this cursed ship?!" He spoke in a harsh tone but quickly flinched away at her expression.

She had winced at his tone of voice and looked away in shame. Realizing too late what he had done, he decided to just turn away from her and showed a remorseful expression. "Let's just keep going..." He said in a more neutral tone.

The girl stares at his back for a moment before getting up and waiting for him to move with a hurt expression. She decided to keep quiet for now lest she angers him further.

Walking for a few minutes, they reached a room that opened into a big reservoir that was empty for now.

They looked around for an exit but the only door in the room was closed tight and there was no way they could climb the water pipe.

Searching around with his lantern, Seven looked into the waterhole itself for a way out and noticed the drains on the sides "The water has to go somewhere right? Hopefully towards the exit..." He knew it wasn't the best idea but it was the only one they had.

"There," He shined at the drain "We might be able to go further using those." He looked at Rain and felt guilt crawl down his chest when she only nodded quietly.

"I did that..." He thought as he climbed down onto the reservoir followed by the girl. "I have to apologize. This is what Runa would have wanted..." He felt a pang in his chest at the reminder that his friend was no more.

He climbed into the drain and used the short moment he was alone to clear his misting eyes. "I'll apologize later..." He argued since now didn't seem to be a good time to do so.

With Rain climbing after him, they kept moving until they reached another reservoir that was filled at the bottom. This one was much higher than the one they came from.

With the only clear way being up, they climbed the exposed metal grate and noticed a way they could go to the right but far out of their reach. Climbing onto the platform above, they saw a strange machine with tubes at the sides and a lever in the middle.

Looking down into the waterhole, Seven shined at the only clear exit with a thoughtful expression.

He tried moving the strange lever once but it wouldn't budge. Now he was stuck trying to think of a way to reach there.

"Do we jump or...?" "Hey!" His thoughts were interrupted by an echoing voice. He looked at Rain and noticed she was pointing at something.

"There's a switch over here! It might do something!" She explained and waited for his input.

He approached her and shined their light at the switch. "It's too high. How are we-?" But he was interrupted again as the girl quickly ran past him, climbed the side of the machine, and jumped at the switch.

Her weight brought the thing down and the engine in the room roared into life. The kids twitched at the loud noise before relaxing once the roar became a quiet rumble.

They sighed in relief and Rain dropped down from the switch. She approached the boy and gave him a small smile before remembering his previous lashing and looking away with an awkward expression.

Guilt once again crawled inside of him before he turned away and moved to test the lever again.

It was moving now.

He moved it all to the way to the right and Rain noticed the waterhole filling up to the top. Flooding their exit.

"Wait!' She called out, making the boy stop in place "Go back a little" She gestured her hand to the left.

Thinking she had a reason to ask that, he slowly moved the thing back.

"Slowly... slowly..." She motioned with her hand and "Stop!" She exclaimed.

Releasing his grip, he went toward the reservoir and noticed that the water was at the right level to move forward.

"Nice work." The boy bluntly said before he realized what he was doing.

He twitched for a moment and looked at the girl only to see her with a surprised expression on her face. He looked away with a blush on his cheeks and didn't see the smug smile the girl had on her face.

Not wanting to worsen the mood, she simply nodded and said "Thanks." Before jumping into the water.

The boy looked down at her and shook his head to drive away his embarrassment. He jumped into the cold water and for once was glad when it helped to cool off his warm face.

They moved forward into their only exit and reached a set of stairs they used to climb. Only to reach another door with planks covering it.

But this time, there weren't any loose ones they could pull and move forward.

Luckily, there was a vent in the corner they used to crawl to the other side... to reach another room with more water...

Both kids sighed in displeasure and prepared themselves for more swimming.

But before Seven could jump in, Rain felt a terrible chill go down her entire body. And it wasn't because of the cold.

She moved faster than she thought possible and grabbed the boy before he could jump forward, making him stumble and fall down.

He groaned in pain for a moment before looking at her. "What was that for?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

But Rain didn't want to hear right now. She covered his mouth and glared at the water that was giving her signs of danger that were comparable to The Witch.

Meanwhile, the boy was getting more irritated by the seconds as he stared at her and where she was looking at.

The place was eerily quiet. With only the sounds of a few droplets of water now and then.

He stared at her focused expression with irritation and took her hand off his mouth "Hey, I asked what was that for?" But Rain either didn't hear him or choose not to.

He was going to say something more but stopped once she moved away from him to a pile of trash nearby.

She returned with an empty can in her hands.

"What are you-?!" His words were cut short when she ran and threw the object in her hands far into the flooded corridor.

The can soared for a moment before coming down with a loud splash.

Seven looked at the girl's crazy actions with increased confusion before a sound made his head turn back to the water.

And it was with a palling face that he watched the ripples of something quickly moving after the thrown object and stopping where it landed.

The boy gulped air as he stared at that spot with a chill racing down his back.

At his side, he heard Rain sighing in annoyance again.

"I REALLY hate this place..."

Chapter Text

Rain and Seven stared at the water with dread. The thing lurking in the depths couldn't be seen but the kids were sure of it.

It was an adult.

One that was probably put here to prevent any kid from escaping... or most likely ending them...

The worst part was that this long corridor was entirely flooded. Meaning the monster had the advantage.

It was clear they had to use the things floating in the water to progress. The only problem was that the monster would move at the first sign of something moving in the water. The steel can had proved that.

That meant they had to go forth one at a time, or else they would risk being grabbed.

"I will go first." The boy said calmly, though his mind was anything but so.

"What? Why?" The girl asked in confusion.

"One of us has to do it. The other can help by holding the flashlight and distracting the adult." Seven explained.

"But that doesn't mean you need to go first..." Rain says with a worried tone "Let me go! I'm a fast swimmer!" She tried to convince him.

"No," The boy shook his head in negation "It's true you swim faster, but I can't throw something that far." He pointed at the floating steel can.

"But-" "Besides," He interrupted her "Since you swim faster, it will be much easier for you to evade the monster." He looked at her with finality and she could see that there was no way of changing his mind.

"Fine" Rain sighed in defeat "But you better not die hear me?" She stretched her hand, to receive the light.

Seven nodded in response and put the light on her hand. But when their hands touched, the boy stopped with a thoughtful expression before looking her in the eye.

"I'm sorry..." He said in a soft tone. Rain's eyes widened in surprise, she wasn't expecting it. "For what?" She asked with confusion.

"For yelling at you before." He kept his head down in embarrassment "I was... AM... still angry... for what happened with Runa." His voice acquired an edge at the memory before quickly relaxing again "But that's no reason for me to take it out on you" He looked away in shame.

"Oh..." The girl voiced out in surprise, with a small blush on her cheeks, she grabbed the flashlight from his hand and answered "It's- It's okay! I forgive you!" She shows him a small smile.

The boy felt the warmth on his cheeks as he avoided looking at her expression.

Ignoring the awkward silence after, he prepared himself for what he had to do next "Are you ready?" He asked as he looked at his new companion.

Rain nodded with determination as she lighted the way forward near some things she could use to throw. She was ready.

And without giving time for him to think against doing this, he jumped.

In less than a second, he was already in and swimming forward as fast as he could. His first stop was the wooden box in the way.

Reaching it, he climbed the object and looked around to see where the monster was.

He saw the ripples moving toward him halfway from the box and the steel can.

Seven looked back and nodded at the girl.

Rain was ready for it and quickly grabbed a random object nearby and launched it somewhere close but far enough from the box he was on. So the monster would think he jumped.

And that was what happened as the monster swerved to the right in the direction of the thrown object.

Seven waited for it to be far enough from where he was and jumped back into the water, swimming straight to the furniture floating nearby.

The monster stopped for a moment in confusion before ignoring the previous sound and swimming toward the moving one.

Rain watched with trepidation as the monster quickly chased after Seven.

The boy reached what he realized was a couch and ran on top of it to the opposite side.

And without being told to, the girl launched another item to distract the nightmare.

Seven jumped again and moved as fast as he could and reached a briefcase near a set of stairs on the side of a pair of water tanks. He wasted no time climbing to the top and looking back into the water.

He saw the trail of the adult ending below the briefcase and jumped in surprise when the monster smacked the case, making a loud sound.

Sighing in relief once the silence settled, he looked back at Rain and gave her a thumbs up. He was fine.

She sighed in relief as well and got ready for some effort. She would have to be fast.

Moving back a little, she stored the light away so that it wouldn't fall and took a running jump into the water.

Seven was shocked to see that she had nearly reached the box he had used before with her jump. He watched as she climbed on top of it and how the monster moved toward her. He looked around for something to help her and grabbed a small rock.

Rain climbed the box and watched for where the monster was at. She still had time.

She prepared for another jump but flinched when something dropped in front of her. She looked at the rippling water with surprise and looked at the culprit.

Seven.

He tried doing what she did but wasn't able to accurately hit where he had aimed.

He looked at her with an apologetic expression before his eyes widened and he started to move his arms erratically.

The girl looked at him with confusion before she was quickly reminded of her current situation when the box under her began to shake.

Moving without thinking, she jumped out of the box at the same time the monster smacked the box up.

Coincidentally, the girl was boosted far enough away that she dropped almost on top of the couch. She landed near it and didn't stop to think as she climbed the furniture ran on top of it and jumped toward the briefcase, landing halfway there.

Swimming as fast as she could again, she reached the case and climbed to where he was.

The boy had watched everything with shock. He had never seen someone move so fast.

He approached the panting girl with an embarrassed expression "I'm sorry" He apologized for his blunder.

Rain looked at him with an annoyed expression for a moment before she sighed "Just-, leave the throwing to me, okay?" She spoke tiredly.

He nodded apologetically and helped her get up. They looked down at the water and saw that it was calm. But they were sure the adult wasn't far.

The girl used the light to scan for the next way forward, and they found a stone platform a few meters away from them.

So using the same strategy as before, they were able to reach it without any mishaps this time.

But now they were faced with a problem. There was nothing they could use on the water in front of them to avoid the monster.

The only thing of note they could find was a few hooks hanging from the ceiling and a crank above some crates.

"Maybe we should check it and see what it does?" Rain asked and Seven agreed.

They climbed on top of the crates and the boy gave the crank a try.

As he turned it, a sack hanging by a hook began to emerge from the water.

Rain was quick to notice that they could use it to reach the next platform by using the hooks on the ceiling. And Seven consented to the idea.

But just before the sack was lifted out of the water, the boy was startled by the crank seemingly getting stuck.

No.

It was being pulled in the other direction.

Grunting with effort, he looked at the girl with a frantic expression "Give me a hand!"

Rain looked at the water with an annoyed face before rushing to help him.

Together, their combined strength was more than enough to shake off the adult and they lifted the sack at the right spot for them to use.

They jumped to the next platform and looked at what appeared at the end of the corridor with hope.

Just one more stretch for them to clear.

With the only thing around for them to use to distract the adult being various parts of dead fish, the two of them decided to risk it as they gathered all the parts they found on a nearby tub and tossed them in a corner of the water.

Moving quickly, they jumped from the opposite corner and swam as fast as they could to the end of the corridor.

And it was with bated breath that they arrived and climbed to the other side just before the monster could grab either of them.

They heard the adult growl in displeasure and anger before going quiet. The sound sent shivers down their spine.

Distancing themselves from the water, they looked around the room. Rain used the light to scan their surroundings and they saw how dirty it was. There were countless piles of trash and broken wood.

Above them, they could see a broken wooden platform but no clear way of reaching it. Which was a problem since she could see a door up there.

They looked around for any way to climb up and ended up on top of a table to the left. There, they found a big plank they could use as a ramp to jump to the other side.

Upon reaching the door, Rain boosted Seven up to the knob and the door opened with a loud creak. They were shocked to find the room in a similar state to the ones before. Flooded.

Hanging from the door, Seven didn't want to drop down until he was sure there wasn't anything in these waters.

Something that the girl quickly noticed and helped by dropping a large piece of wood she had found around.

They waited for a few seconds, and when nothing happened, they sighed in relief and decided to keep going.

Climbing on the nearby platform, the only thing they could find was a lever on a big pipe on the wall. And seeing no other way forward, they decided to try it.

A loud rumbling echoed through the walls as the water under them was quickly drained.

And when everything was clear of the foul liquid, they became shocked to find a normal living room under it.

There were tables, shelves, a clock, and a resting chair. Everything was either nailed to the floor or the wall so it wouldn't float.

Looking at each other, both of them realized where they were.

They had found the monster's 'home'.

Chapter Text

"C'mon, we have to keep going." Seven stirred them out of their revelation and began the climb down into the lair using a stack of drawers they could now see after the water was drained.

Rain didn't argue and followed after him.

Their feet made splashing sounds as they reached the wet floor of the now-drained room. They looked around cautiously for any sign of danger but there wasn't any to find.

The room had only one way forward, a door.

Nevermind the strangeness that was a door being underwater it was even worse that it was locked. Why would it need a locked door? It's not like someone is gonna visit it.

"*Sigh* Great. A monster with privacy issues." The girl commented in annoyance, making the boy's face twitch with amusement for a moment before it was gone.

"We need to find the key." Seven said as he began to look around for anything that stood out. Rain sighed and began to do the same.

Looking around, the only thing that DID stand out was a big jar on the table. It was the only thing that seemed it could fit a key.

They looked at each other, both thinking the same thing as they moved the only chair in the room and climbed onto the table.

At first, they tried to open the lid with no success. It was as if the thing was glued together.

The only other option they had was to roll the stupid thing off the table and let it break.

And that's exactly what they did.

It rolled off the table and hit the ground with a satisfying sound. However, what came after that was anything but.

A squelching sound followed by a small wail made itself known in the room.

The kids looked at each other and both reflected their disgust.

They knew exactly what that sound was.

Looking over the edge, they saw the disgusting slimy body of a leech squirming around and searching for its prey.

Under it, was the thing they needed to move on.

The key to the locked door.

Rain was already tired of these stupid things.

She looked at Seven and smirked as a daring plan came to mind.

"On three, we jump!" She didn't give him time to think as she grabbed his arm and looked down to aim.

"Wha-!" "Three!!!" She pulled her companion with her as they dropped feet first onto the disgusting animal.

*SCREEECH*

The leech wailed in pain as the weight of two kids flattened its organs into a paste. It didn't even have time to turn around to grab them before it felt its life drifting away.

It died without knowing whatever killed it.

"Yes! Hahahaha! It worked! Take that you stupid-! THING! HA!" Rain celebrated her victory over another one of the many monsters in the world. A small victory compared to The Witch, but one nonetheless.

Seven just stared at her with his heart beating out of his chest. She could've at least waited for him to prepare himself.

He shook his head and pulled the key from under the leech. Looking at its corpse, he whacked it in the 'head' with the key. Hard. Just to be safe.

With the now very dirty key, the kids unlocked the door and moved forward into a room that only had a set of ladders going up.

Seeing no other way, they climbed it and ended up in another flooded room, to neither's surprise.

Only this time, there wouldn't be any swimming since the water was a little more 'shocking'.

But it wasn't any problem for them since they quickly saw the way forward by using the two cases floating in the water to jump across.

They walked into a dark corridor, making Rain grab the almost-forgotten, flashlight to light the way.

It appeared to be a shower room since there was various sets of shower head and drains on the ground. However one of the drains appeared to have caved in at some point. Leaving a gaping hole in its place.

Neither of them wanted to go down again so they moved around the gap very slowly to avoid any accidents.

On the other side of the room, there was an opening they could use to climb through.

But as they climbed and looked into the next area, both froze as something caught their attention.

It was another flooded room with objects floating around. Only this time bigger and wider.

But what made them freeze wasn't the size of the room, but what was in it.

There, in the middle of it.

It was watching them with half of its head out of the water.

A pale head with balding hair and pruned skin.

The Nightmare.

It looked old, much older than any other monster they saw before.

But its eyes were the same. Full of vicious and gnarling hunger.

It kept staring at them for a few more seconds before it disappeared underwater.

But they knew it was there.

Watching. Waiting.

The kids gulped in fear but they knew it was too late to go back. They had to keep going.

Rain used the flashlight to scan the way forward and what she saw wasn't encouraging. The room was too long and the objects they could use as a platform were too far and scattered about.

It didn't look good. They needed a new plan.

She looked around for something they could use but didn't have much luck. Getting frustrated, she started grumbling under her breath.

"Ugh... I wish I could just bash that thing's head..." She murmured in irritation.

It was just a passing comment made in annoyance. But it echoed inside Seven's mind.

With a thoughtful expression, he looked at Rain "Pass me the light for a moment." He asked with a serious face.

Seeing his look, she passed the light over to him and watched what he would do.

He scanned the room and was glad to discover that what they needed was right there in front of them.

A floating metal barrel.

Now he just hoped it would work...

"I've got an idea... but you might not like it." He said with a cautious expression.

The girl stared at him with a puzzled look "Ooookay... Let's hear it."

Seven approached her and whispered his plan to her. Not noticing how the girl twitched at his sudden proximity.

After he finished, he stepped away to gauge her reaction.

She looked thoughtful but not fearful. He didn't know if this was a good sign or a bad sign.

"Okay." She turned to him with a determined expression. "Let's do this."

He stared at her in awe before nodding.

They glared forward into the water as they got ready.

Seven was the first to run out.

It wasn't a complicated plan.

First, one of them ran and jumped onto the barrel nearby.

That was sure to attract the monster's attention as a trail of bubbles moved forward to where Seven had landed.

The tricky part was the timing.

But the kids had something even better on their side.

'Luck'

Rain ran as soon as she noticed the trail of bubbles disappearing under the barrel. As she approached the edge she crouched down and...

Jumped

The Nightmare was close. Very close to getting one of them. She moved her arms to grab at the barrel and...

*THUNK!!!*

The monster blacked out.

Just before Rain landed on the barrel, Seven had also jumped up.

The result was that they landed at the same time, pushing the barrel down with a surprising speed.

They knew the plan had succeeded the moment they heard the sound of metal hitting something.

With haste, they jumped forward into the corridor. They didn't for how long the monster would be out but they didn't want to find out.

As they reached another set of stacked drawers, both froze as a wrathful cry echoed in the room.

Looking back, they saw a trail of bubbles quickly approaching their position.

"Hurry!" Rain shouted as they scrambled to the top of the stack.

Without thinking, they jumped forward onto the water as far as they could go. The end of the room was already in sight.

They swam as fast as they could and reached it just before the monster could get either of them.

Not looking back, they kept going as they climbed the broken wall in front of them.

Underwater, the monster watched with fury in its eyes.

This was not over.

Was what it thought was it swam forward.

Chapter Text

Seven and Rain dropped on the side as they hit something much softer than the floor.

Turns out there was a bed under the hole they just climbed through.

Finally something nice for a change.

After rolling out of the bed and dropping to the ground, the boy turned the flashlight on the scan their surrounding once more.

It appeared that they were on some kind of broken second floor since he could see the floor below from the giant opening in front of them.

The other side of the room had the rest of the second floor and... some kind of lever?

For now, it looked like the only way forward was down.

Seven looked back at his companion "Looks like down is the way to go." He spoke.

She stared at him for a moment before she looked down at the pool of water under them with a grimace. She was so very tired of water already...

Rain looked back at him and nodded in agreement.

It was all he needed for him to jump down, followed closely by her.

They went under and quickly swam upwards out of the water.

There were two ways they could go now.

One went to a closed door, and the other had a panel with a button and a hole in the wall.

They climbed the side with the door and went to check on it.

Unfortunately, the door was sealed shut with no knob or keyhole in sight.

It opened with a mechanism it seemed.

Looking around, the only thing that stood out to them was the button and the hole on the other side.

Remembering the lever he saw on top of them, Seven looked around and saw that one of the walls on this side was broken up to the second floor, leaving a set of planks that could be used as stairs.

He looked at Rain "Try to get the lever on top of us and throw it to the other side" He pointed at the panel and hole on the opposite side "I think it might be our way out of here."

She nodded in agreement and went towards the wall to climb.

As she did so, Seven dropped back into the water and swam to the other side of the room.

As he climbed up, he heard the sound of something falling underwater behind him. Making him flinch and look back.

He saw the ripples of something going under and looked upwards to see Rain with her arms stretched out.

She blushed in shame as she rubbed one of her arms. "Aha... I think I... missed?" She avoided looking at the boy directly as she stole glances at him.

Seven looked at her with a deadpan expression. "And how, say you, are we gonna get out now?" He spoke with mild annoyance in his tone.

That made the girl blush even harder in embarrassment. "Ugh. I'm sorry okay! I'm gonna get it!" She yelled before she jumped from the second floor onto the water below.

The boy only watched her futile attempt to grab the lever back with a pitying look. He sighed in exasperation.

Even if she somehow found the thing in that murky water, how would she bring it back up with her strength alone?

No. They needed to do something different.

He looked back at the panel with a button and decided that it was worth a try.

He pressed the button.

With a gurgling sound, the water from the pool began to drain at a fast rate. He went to look and watched as the water revealed the lever they were looking for and a gasping girl who was looking at him with an annoyed expression.

"Why didn't you do that first?" She glared at him.

He stared back with a deadpan look "Why didn't wait before you jumped?" He asked as a matter of fact.

The question made her look away in embarrassment and annoyance.

She knew he was right... but she was not going to admit it.

"Just help me get the damn crank already..." She muttered under her breath.

Seven blinked. He looked at the 'lever' and realized she was right. It was a crank. One that, most likely, would fit in the hole in the wall.

But they wouldn't be able to carry it up from where she was.

Luckily, there was a case right next to her they could use.

"Bring that case closer and climb on top of it with the crank." He didn't wait for her response as he turned back to approach the button "Tell me when you're ready!" He shouted since he couldn't see her.

After a few seconds of something being dragged on a wet floor and someone dropping metal on a wooden surface, "I'm ready!" he heard the girl and pushed the button.

He waited for a few seconds as the girl slowly appeared from the now-filling pool with a crank on her arms.

He moved towards her and was surprised when she suddenly tossed the object toward him. He struggled to keep his balance as he grabbed the thing from the air.

After stopping, he looked back at the girl with an annoyed look but saw that she wasn't looking at him.

Seven sighed in defeat before he moved to fit the crank on the hole. There was no point in fighting right now. He knew that from experience.

After fitting the crank into its place, he began to turn it and saw that the door on the other side was opening.

That was their way out.

He turned the crank till it stopped and the door was fully open. But once he released the thing the door began to slowly close again.

He quickly grabbed the crank again and stopped the door from closing.

He sighed in annoyance.

"You go first." Seven jumped in surprise at the voice at his side. He looked at Rain with wide eyes before they relaxed. Why was she so stealthy?

"What do you mean?" He asked with a puzzled look.

"I'll hold the crank for you, and then run toward the door before it closes." She said with a serious look "We both know I'm faster."

Seven had to agree with her on that. She was faster than him. That didn't mean he agreed with all of her plans.

"I'll wait for you at the door." He returned her serious expression "We both pass through or neither does."

His words surprised the girl. She smirked a little in satisfaction.

"Fine." She spoke with a satisfied tone in her voice "Go on then. I'll be right there." She pushed him away and began to crank the door up.

He nodded at her and jumped to the other side using the floating case on the pool.

Stopping by the door, he looked back and waited for her.

Rain finished cranking as the door fully opened and prepared herself.

With a mental countdown, she released the crank and ran towards the door.

She jumped over the pool and ran toward the almost closed door.

At the last stretch, Seven passed the threshold to the other side and watched as the girl slid under the gap just before the door closed.

Once again in the dark, Seven turned on the flashlight.

They were now in a room with nothing except a broken floor.

At the end, a normal wooden door waited for them to open it.

And that's what they did as they moved towards it, jumping over or avoiding any hole they found on the broken ground.

They approached the door and as soon as Seven touched it to open...

*CREAK* *SPLASH!!!*

The door slowly fell forward and dropped into the flooded room ahead, making both of them jump in surprise.

They calmed their beating hearts as the boy used his light to look into the following room.

It looked just like any other flooded room they encountered on the way here.

Which meant that-

*SCREECH* *SPLASH!!!*

Seven paled as his light stopped at something that didn't appreciate the sudden brightness on its face. It screeched in anger before jumping underwater.

The monster. It was here with them.

And this time it didn't look like there was going to be some way to fool it.

"What do we do?" He whispered to his companion "It's too risky if we both try to outswim it."

Honestly, Rain was already fed up with this damn thing.

And looking into the room gave her all that she needed to deal with this stupid monster once and for all.

"Keep the room lit up for me." She strode forward and jumped.

"WAIT-!" But he was too late to stop her.

And what he saw next, would be forever imprinted on his memories.

He saw the girl he just met, one who didn't even know where she was, a girl whom he just saw easily miss a throw and get petty over it, do the unthinkable.

He almost let the flashlight fall as he saw her outrun the water Nightmare in a series of calculated jumps and maneuvers.

And then, as if that wasn't already impressive enough, she climbed towards an energy panel, turned it on, filled the room with more water, outran the monster AGAIN, and dropped a live TV on the water, shocking the monster to death, at the same time that said fried monster tried its hardest to grab the girl and bring her under. Destroying everything in the room to do so.

His jaw fell as he stared into the once more dark room.

"Okay, I'm done! You can come over now!" She called from the other side as if she had just finished cleaning the room.

Boy was he glad she couldn't see his current state.

He didn't think he ever felt warmer or redder in his entire life.

"Seven?! You there?!" He heard her calling him again, making him twitch in surprise.

Deciding that the cold water would be very good right about now he jumped forward to swim to where she was.

He found her on top of the now-dead television she had dropped on the water.

"There you are!" What happened to you?" She asked as she offered her hand to help him up.

The boy felt his cheeks warm up again as he looked up at her. He grabbed her hand and climbed up the TV, looking away once he was up "It's nothing... let's keep moving." He muttered under his breath.

Rain tilted her head in confusion before shrugging. "Ooookay. Let's go then." She jumped to the open door close to them.

He followed with his head lowered. He just... couldn't look at her right now.

The girl kept glancing back at the stalking boy with confusion.

This kept going right until they reached a set of stairs to go up.

She stopped moving and turned back to look at him.

"Alright. What's wrong?" She asked with a serious tone, making the boy flinch in response.

When he kept quiet, she felt her anxiety bubble up.

"Was it... what I did? Did I scare you?" She asked while lowering her hand and rubbing her arm. "It wouldn't be the first time..." She thought.

"No!" He shouted making her flinch in surprise. "No, I..." He lowered his voice and mumbled something she couldn't understand.

"What?" She asked with a still anxious look.

"I thought you looked cool..." He spoke in a more audible tone. His face was warm as he still refused to look at her.

"Oh!" She gasped in pleasant surprise as she twirled her fingers and felt her cheeks warm up. "I see..." She mumbled.

They stayed like that for a moment before Seven sneezed and shivered.

Somehow only now feeling the effects of being wet in a dark place.

Rain looked at him with a worried expression "C'mon. let's find somewhere we can dry ourselves and warm up." She said as she turned and began to climb up the stairs.

Seven rubbed his nose and followed after her.

At the top, Rain found the way blocked by a steel grate. But luckily for them, it was unlocked.

She lifted it slowly and looked around. There was nothing around except the light shining over them. She climbed up carefully, looked around for a moment, and turned to look back down at her companion.

But that was a mistake.

Because no matter how lucky a person is, it does run out at some point.

And so, Seven watched as a pair of long arms grabbed his friend and disappeared into the darkness.

But it wasn't her fault, she was just...

unlucky.

[Intermission II - From the sweetest clouds to the murkiest depths.] - Completed

Chapter Text

As Six slowly woke up, she groggily scanned her surroundings to know where she was.

She saw the concrete walls around her and realized she must be in some kind of building.

There was a weak source of light hanging from the ceiling, though it didn't look like a lightbulb. She couldn't make out what it was.

On one of the walls, she noticed a big drawing of something familiar. A map. One with depictions of creatures in certain areas of it.

And if that wasn't enough indication of where she was, the two beds made of the same materials as the building with names on the headboards most certainly were.

Her awakening mind realized she was at the Den.

And as she tried to remember how she got there, memories from the day before flashed before her eyes.

The joy of finding the candy store and the sweet taste of the delicacies she tried. As well as the horror that came after...

The dread she felt as she ran away from the monster that owned the store was enough to put her whole body on alert. She needed to get up, no place was safe! They could find at any moment and then-!

"Hrmm..." Her restlessness froze as she heard a sound very close to her.

And in her shocked state, she realized there was something that she had forgotten.

Something that would've been obvious in her normal state did escape her groggy mind.

There were two beds inside the Den. And as comfortable as she knew they were, she wasn't in any of them.

So how the heck had she slept so well in the first place?

"Hmm... gummies..." The answer made itself known as her 'pillow' shifted under her.

Her frozen body became even more tense as Six slowly realized where she was lying.

Or more specifically... on who.

And as if the universe hadn't enough of messing with her, the giggling in her head sure made it seem like it.

"Pfft! C-Careful there Six, you don't want to wake the sleeping b-beauty, right?" Sixteen spoke with barely contained laughter.

With her thoughts going a mile per minute, Six closed her eyes to calm herself.

"Okay... Okay... This is fine! I'm fine! Everything's fine! I'm gonna turn over and get up! Easy peasy! Everything's fine!" She kept chanting inside her head as she slowly turned up, trying not to disturb the one behind her.

After successfully turning... "Okay... now I just need to get up and -!" Her thoughts were interrupted as the one she was trying to get away from trapped her by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer.

Her face immediately turned red at being cradled.

"Not fine! This is not fine! Not fine at all!" Six began to panic as her whole body warmed up in embarrassment. "Oh nonononono! I need to get out of here!" But while her mind screamed in protest about being held so tenderly her body did the exact opposite. She felt herself relax more the longer she stayed in his embrace.

"You do know you're going to have to look eventually right?' Sixteen taunted her with mirth in her voice.

"Shut up! You aren't helping! Go away!" Her mind still tried to resist. But as the minutes passed without the boy moving or releasing her, even that began to fade away.

"O-okay... I'll-I'll open my eyes, wake him up, and then we'll probably laugh it off and get going. Everything will be okay!" She tried to convince herself.

She slowly peeked her eyes open and...

Captivating.

That was the first word that her mind was able to form.

The rest were a bunch of incoherent words that could be formed into a set of compliments had she been thinking straight.

There he was.

The boy who saved and was saved by her many times now. Who came with her on this dangerous journey even when having no reason to. Who was taking more and more space in her head and heart the longer they stayed together.

Her Mono

His name brought with it so many memories.

They had only known each other for a few days but it felt so much longer than that.

He was sleeping against the wall and she was using his legs as a pillow. Although now they were much closer...

And if that wasn't enough to make her combust, the fact that she could see his face sure would.

It seemed like as Mono moved in his sleep his bag had moved up while he was sleeping, leaving his whole face bare for her to admire.

A face that was so close she could his breathing.

As she stared unblinkingly at him, her jumbled thoughts looped back into coherent ones.

"He is! "He's so-!" "Cute? Handsome? Heartthrob? Adorable? Pretty? Yeah, yeah, I know." The shadow interrupted her thoughts with a sarcastic comment.

"Shut! Up! You're! Not! Helping!" Six screamed inside her head with an annoyed tone. But all she got was more giggles taunting her.

She decided to ignore her and focus back on Mono.

She hated to admit it, but Sixteen was right. He was all that. But she also knew he was much more than just a "pretty" face.

Six found herself staring at his sleeping expression. He looked so peaceful and content. He always looked so worried that something bad might happen to any of them. It's nice to know he's having a good sleep.

As she stared, she found herself focusing on his closed eyelids and the memory of the orbs behind them.

The time when they were hiding from The Hunter. When they were just as close as they are now. Of how she was so enchanted by the grey rings floating in a dark pool.

She wanted to see them again.

Unconsciously, her arm moved on its own, and before she realized one of her hands was caressing his face.

As the feeling on her palms registered Six felt her whole face light up in shame. But strangely, she didn't feel any regret.

"Its... so soft!" Her eyes shined as she screamed in her head. The feeling of his soft skin on her rough hand filled her heart with affection.

She wondered if it was soft like that because he kept it hidden for so long.

The girl was so lost in her ministrations that she didn't realize what her actions could do.

Mono was stirred up from his sleep as he felt an unfamiliar but not unwelcome feeling. He groggily wondered what it could be.

He slowly opened his eyes to one of the most adorable things he had ever seen.

There was a pretty girl in his arms, staring at him with a guilty expression. She had gorgeous crimson eyes hidden behind cute bangs. She had one arm frozen in his direction and that must be what he was feeling on his face. Her hand.

Normal Mono would've freaked out in shock at someone touching his bare face. He would've burst red in shame and tried to move away. But Normal Mono wasn't here right now.

It was Sleepy Mono. And he didn't even know his name right now. He thought he was dreaming.

Sleepy Mono also had no qualms about snuggling closer to the familiar girl's hand and hugging her even tighter.

"Ahh... What a shame... He killed her..." Sixteen watched with amusement as the girl almost passed out from what was known as cuteness overload. in the now sleeping boy's arms.

She wondered how much more sweetness she could take before getting cavities...

Chapter Text

After Mono had fully awakened, he was confused by the sight of a girl hiding her face in his arms. A dark smoke floated above her head, twitching in a distressed manner.

He blinked once. Twice. And just before he blinked one more time, his eyes went wide as he finally realized his situation.

First, his bag wasn't covering his face. Hence, why he could see so clearly right now.

Second, they were "really" close. "Oh god, I'm holding her, how did I not notice that right away!"

And lastly, said girl had shifted during his minor breakdown and was now looking at him through her fingers after she felt the boy move.

They stared blankly at each other as the boy felt his face begin to light up in embarrassment. A white smoke, similarly floating above his head.

Not wanting to prolong the silence between them, he spoke first.

"U-um...hi?" He whispered.

His voice was clearly enough to break their stand-off, as Six quickly jumped away from him and turned away.

Surprised, the boy hastily got up and inquired, "Six? Are you okay?" His worry drowning his shame for now.

After a few second of her not responding, another voice took the opportunity to do it for her.

"*chuckles*Oh, I don't think you need to worry about her, Mono." Smoke coalesced at Mono's side, eventually turning into the shadow of the girl in front of him. Sixteen leaned her arm on his shoulder, jokingly looking at her non-existent nails "You could even say she's more than fine since she had plenty of time to-OUCH!" The shadow dissipated as a bolt of darkness struck her away.

Mono jumped in fright at the sight and looked towards the girl in front of him with wide eyes.

Six had a furious expression on her face and an arm stretched in his direction. The surrounding smoke reacted to her emotions and gathered above her head and lower back in the shape of fluffy ears and a lashing tail.

He gaped at the sight as she moved herself back into a normal stance. The smoke dissipated again as she forced herself to relax.

Threading carefully, he dared to question if she was fine again, but before he could- "I'M FINE!" He was cut off by her exclamation.

The girl, realising how harsh she answered, spoke in more normal tone after taking a deep breath, "I'm okay..." She didn't want to take out her shame on him.

... But Sixteen had clearly asked for it.

"Oh... okay." Mono nodded and rubbed his arm nervously before reaching up and pulling his bag down. He still wasn't comfortable showing his face.

He failed to notice however how Six's expression fell at his actions. She really wanted to keep looking at him without the bag.

Not noticing her conundrum, the boy asked what they should do next.

The girl sighed and looked at the wall with drawings on it. "I guess we can check the map and see where we can go from here?" She pondered.

With no other suggestion he could think of, Mono nodded and went with her toward the map.

As they approached it, both noticed there was something different with it.

"It looks more... detailed? Don't you think?" He mentioned.

Six nodded in agreement.

What once was a wall with crude lines and drawings detailing the boundaries of each Nightmare's Den was now a big picture from above showing streets and terrain. Except for the area around The Tower that didn't show anything.

The map also had a new addition. Something that made chills run down their spine.

Right there, on the area around the entrance of the city, was a new area that wasn't there before.

The symbol for this area was a dark figure with a hook hand and a candy on the side.

Under it, was a name they wouldn't forget any time soon.

The Candyman.

They shuddered at the memory of their escape from his chase.

"Well, we're definitely not going back there any time soon." Six said with certainty. No matter how much she wanted to brave through any Nightmare they out there, she knew they weren't ready for something like that. Her instinct told her that.

Mono didn't argue one bit with her decision.

And looking at the map, he was reminded of their first objective after reaching the city.

Her raincoat.

They still had to get it.

But to get there they would have to pass through The School.

The place where The Teacher and her clay bullies resided.

He dreaded having to face those things.

Even more with the fact that they could be separated with Six being taken away from him.

But since they knew what was going to happen in there, it wouldn't be so bad... right?

He sighed and turned to the girl, "If we still want to get your raincoat, we have to go through The School." He reluctantly pointed it out.

Six widened her eyes in surprise. She had to admit that with everything that happened, she almost forgot about it. She also didn't expect for him to remind her of it since he was so against them coming to the city.

Looking at the map, she realized he was right. They would have to pass through The School to reach it. Any other way was completely blocked by the surrounding chasms.

But she didn't fear it, since she already knew what to expect when they went inside. They would be able to handle it just fine.

"Then it's decided. The school it is!" The girl exclaimed with determination.

Mono sighed but nodded in agreement.

"Let's get a move on, then." But before she could summon the door, the boy stopped her.

"Wait! We need to think this through." He began, "Where will we appear when we summon the door? Because the last time we opened was to escape The Candyman. Not only that, but all the places we passed when we arrived in the city are his territory." He paced with a hand on his chin before suddenly stopping as he remembered something very important. "And how will we deal with... the TV's?" He lowered his head in a sad manner.

The girl looked at him with a worried expression. He was right. How would they deal with the TV's that were scattered around the city? They didn't know where all of them were, and any of them could affect the boy badly.

How should they do this?

"Ugh... My head..." Suddenly, a voiced echoed in the room. The shadow coalesced into the form of a girl, hunching in pain while holding her head. "Was it necessary to hit me that hard?" Sixteen glared with annoyance at Six.

"Hmph! Be glad I only hit you that hard." The girl threatened.

The shadow scampered behind Mono to hide. "Monoooo, Six is bullying meeee!" She fake cried as she leaned on his back. Fully aware of how much she was poking the beast.

Six glared at her shadow self with fury as a bolt of darkness flashed around her clenched fist.

The boy didn't know what to do as he felt a chill coming from the front and heard chuckling from his back. "I-I-um-!" He stuttered in confusion.

Feeling her annoyance reach a peak, the girl pulled Mono away from the shadow and flickered her forehead with a small spark of darkness.

"OUCH!" Sixteen cried out.

"Stop being obnoxious and help us already!" Six glared at her.

"Okay! Okay! Jeez!" She agreed while rubbing her forehead "Mono sure has a lot on his hands..." She mumbled.

"What was that?" Six cracked her knuckles.

"Nothing!" Sixteen quickly fled from the girl to check out the map and think of a solution.

The girl glared at her from afar, before finally remembering there was someone in her arms.

She looked up at the grey orbs staring at her, and felt her face heat up as she quickly released the boy in her arms.

"Sorry..." She mumbled.

"It's okay..." The boy mumbled back. His face, a similar shade of crimson.

Ignoring the two behind her, Sixteen tried to think of what they could do as she pulled on the memories she had. Remembering how the moving of the den worked, she managed to think of a solution.

"Didn't you say that this Den can only move to places where you both went to?" The shadow looked at Six as she asked.

The girl tilted her head in confusion, "I did. Why?" She crossed her arms.

"Well," Sixteen pondered while holding her chin, "Can't you just move in front of the school then? Since, you know, both of you already saw yourselves there?" She said while looking between both of them.

Six facepalmed "What? That's your idea? Of course, it's not going to work, you-" But her voice was interrupted by the boy on her side.

"Hmm... Please... Take us to The School?" He hesitantly asked, thinking it was better to at least try Sixteen's suggestion.

If it failed, it failed.

As the girl at his side was about to ask what he was doing, the kids jumped in surprise when the den began to move.

Concrete shifted and turned around them for a few seconds before it slowly stopped and the entrance appeared.

From there, they could clearly see a building with an eye shaped clock on the upper wall.

"Hmmm..." Sixteen smugly smiled, "I guess you could say I'm pretty smart as well. Right, Mono?" She elbowed the boy.

"I-I guess?" He answered uncomfortably.

Six felt her eyes twitch in annoyance.

"Let's. Go." She ordered before marching out of the den.

There were some bullies that needed smashing...

A flustered Mono quickly following after the girl as the shadow chuckled and dissipated after them.

They didn't even think about moving the den closer to the raincoat instead of The School...

In a bare room, inside a tower.

A husk of a man stirred from his sitting position.

The hollow of his eyes twitched as he felt a presence in his city.

They were here.

And if they thought they knew what was coming...

They were completely wrong.

Inside The School

The figure of an adult could be seen in a classroom, organizing some papers.

It did not notice how the TV on the upper corner behind her turned on.

It didn't notice how a hollowed eye looked at it from behind the screen.

And it did not notice when the TV began to ooze and drip a crimson slime on the ground.

But when it finally noticed the slime crawling her away...

It was already too late.

Chapter Text

The kids exited their hideout and stared at the building.

While Six was eager to get inside and break some bullies, Mono was stopped by the feeling that something was wrong.

Something that wasn’t just the fact that they were about to willingly enter a Nightmare’s den...

"What's wrong?" said the girl beside him, noticing his distress.

The boy looked at her. "It's just..." He looked back at the school. "It feels... wrong," he said with a worried expression.

Six tilted her head at him. "What do you mean?" she asked with a confused expression.

"I—" He tried to find a way to express what he was feeling. "I don't know... It just feels... off." He knew he wasn’t making any sense, but it was what he was feeling.

The girl stared at him for a moment before looking back at the School. It didn’t look any different from what she knew of it. Granted, she only knew what the Den had showed her, but still, it looked as ‘normal’ as a Nightmare’s den could be:

Scary and distorted.

But for Mono to say that it could be worse than it already was... definitely rang some warning bells in her head.

She sighed in frustration.

Below them, their shadows moved and coalesced into a kid in front of them.

Sixteen stared at the building for a few seconds before looking back at them. "Yup. Definitely getting the feeling that something in there REALLY hates you guys." she said in a joking manner.

Six glared at the shadow with an annoyed expression as Mono became more worried about what was to come.

Noticing her mistake, the shadow quickly tried to de-escalate the situation. "I—I mean! It'll be fine, guys! Nothing we can't handle!" Or so she hoped...

The girl kept her glare for a few more seconds before sighing and looking at Mono. Noticing his distress, she grabbed his hand to get his attention. "Don't worry, Mono. I'll protect you." She squeezed his hand in reassurance.

Mono stared at the girl with surprise before his gaze relaxed, a warm feeling washing over him. He felt his cheeks heat up as he answered, "I'll protect you too," and smiled at her.

With her own face heating up, she smiled back at him.

Meanwhile, relieved at no violence being directed her way, Sixteen felt her non-existent eyebrow twitch in annoyance as the two kids lost themselves in their own world again.

"Alright! Alright! Stop gawking at each other and let's move already!" she exclaimed before letting herself dissipate into their shadows.

The girl scowled at the disappearing shadow before shaking her head and looking back at Mono. "Are you ready?"

Mono gave a slow nod, squeezing her hand once more before letting go. "As ready as I can be..." he whispered.

Together, they moved forward and pulled the dumpster out of the way to reveal the hole in the steel wire fence for them to pass through.

Mono went first, with Six right behind him.

Getting up, Mono stood still at the edge of the courtyard, eyes locked on the building ahead.

The School

It towered over them with its chipped bricks and walls covered in vines that crawled into shattered windows that stared down like hollow eyes. The doors were battered and boarded up so nothing could get in... or out.

The rusted bell tower jutted from the top of the building, the eye-shaped clock staring down at the abandoned playground equipment in the courtyard. There were swings moving without anything on them, a seesaw tilted permanently in one direction, and a merry-go-round eerily still.

The place was... unnaturally quiet.

The boy once again noticed how wrong the place felt. But he didn’t comment on it, since it wouldn’t change anything. He just swallowed heavily and kept walking.

They scanned the area, comparing it with what they saw of it in the Den, but didn’t notice anything that stood out.

With the doors blocked, the only way in was through the makeshift rope hanging from one of the windows.

Mono and Six looked at each other for a moment before nodding and moving toward it.

He decided to go first, readying himself for anything that could happen once they passed the threshold of the Teacher’s den. The girl wanted to protest but decided against it after looking at her companion. He wouldn’t budge on this decision.

They climbed the rope, crossed the window, and dropped into a hallway.

The moment they did, the light behind them died, and the atmosphere grew heavy—thick with mildew, chalk dust, and something else. Something metallic. Like rust... or blood.

Looking around, the hallway had a corridor to the left, and the path forward ended in a wall with a portrait hanging in the middle that the children already knew had a hole behind it.

Both moved ahead at a slow pace, cautiously looking around for anything that might jump at them.

They reached the left path and peeked at it for any signs of danger.

Nothing.

Going left, they moved to the only open door to grab what they needed to knock the portrait down.

Peeking inside and seeing nothing, Mono quickly moved toward the ball in the middle of the room, doing his best to ignore the three towers of beds and whatever horrid fate their owners had suffered.

Six decided to grab a cube just in case they needed an extra throw.

The two returned, moving toward the portrait now, always checking to see if the coast was clear.

Mono reached the frame and positioned himself for a throw. He took aim and *SWISH*—threw it.

And although he managed to hit the target, the frame stubbornly stayed in place—albeit a little crooked now.

The figure inside the painting looked as if it was laughing at him for his weak throw. And even if it was just his head playing tricks on him, it did hurt his feelings a bit.

Feeling his hurt, Six became pissed at the stupid woman in the portrait and stepped forward with her 'weapon'.

"Let me try," she whispered at his side while still glaring at the picture with determination.

Mono slowly nodded, noticing her serious expression, and moved away.

Six took position, lifted the cube behind her head with both hands. She lost her balance a little but quickly recovered, took aim at the woman's face with a glare and *SWOSH*—threw the cube with surprising strength.

The object flew straight through the portrait, ripping it apart and knocking the frame down.

Mono gawked at her.

Six noticed his stare and blushed in embarrassment.

The boy shook his head and smiled fondly at his companion. "Nice throw, Six," he whispered at her with a thumbs-up.

Feeling proud, she smiled back at him. "Thanks," she said bashfully.

Focusing again, the two crawled through the hole and dropped into a room encased with wood from all sides. There was a single light above shining on a single chair. It was a time-out room.

Looking at the chair for too long gave Mono the chills. He didn’t know why—but he didn’t want to find out either.

He focused back on the ground. Specifically, a spot that was lower than the rest of the boards.

This was it.

After they fell through here, there was no turning back.

Mono looked at the girl to make sure they were really doing this, even if he already knew the answer.

Six’s response was a single, determined nod.

The boy sighed with resignation and stood above the hatch, with his companion quickly following, standing at his side.

They jumped once...

Twice...

And when the third jump landed...

*KA-CHUNK*

The hatch fell, with the kids soon following into the abyss below.

Chapter Text

They didn’t scream.

Although the fall had been completely unexpected, years of being cautious with their voices conditioned them to instinctively close their mouths instead.

This wasn’t right.

There hadn’t been an abyss beneath the hatch.

They knew this.

Both had seen the pictures of their ‘other Mono and Six’ running through the School. There was no pit, no void, no bottomless hole waiting to swallow them whole.

Yet the darkness kept stretching, endless, devouring.

The faint glow from the light above had already vanished.

Mono’s immediate reaction was to grab Six’s hand and squeeze it for comfort. The girl, having the same idea, returned the squeeze—partly for him, partly for herself.

It felt like they had been falling for hours before the abyss finally spat them out.

They didn’t hit the ground so much as they were placed there, feet finding a floor that hadn’t existed a second ago.

The sudden change from falling to being still was jarring.

The impact jolted their bones, making Mono stumble forward and catch himself on one knee.

Six landed hard beside him, exhaling sharply through her teeth.

Their vision spun as their bodies tried to process what had just happened.

Taking slow, deep breaths, they pushed themselves upright and began to scan their surroundings.

And then they paled at what they saw.

Another hallway stretched out before them.

At first, it looked like any ordinary school corridor.

But then their eyes adjusted—and the details emerged.

The walls were alive.

Thick, glistening sheets of red flesh pulsed under the cracked plaster, like veins twisting through the building’s bones. The floorboards heaved subtly, as though the entire place was breathing beneath their feet.

But it got worse.

Because embedded in the walls, half-swallowed by the flesh, were faces.

Not real ones.

Clay heads.

The same crude, expressionless heads the bullies wore. Dozens of them, jutting out from the walls at impossible angles.

Some stared blankly. Others had mouths open in a silent scream. One shifted slightly as they looked at it, as though it could see them.

The kids instinctively moved closer together, their hands immediately finding each other.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!" Sixteen exclaimed in shock, her voice expressing exactly what the other two were feeling.

Suddenly, a wet pop echoed down the hallway. Then came slow cracking noises, like joints being stretched and snapped back into place.

A long, slithering shadow appeared in the corridor to the left.

The kids froze, unsure of what to do.

The cracking sound became a slow, guttural groan filled with pain.

The clay heads rattled against the walls. It was impossible to tell if it was out of excitement... or absolute terror.

Then a creaking sound echoed through the corridor as a door closed, and the shadow disappeared behind it.

The heads stilled. Silence followed.

Chapter Text

The silence was unbearable.

Mono and Six stood frozen in the middle of the fleshy corridor, their hands locked tightly together, as the echoes of the groan and the slamming door faded into nothingness. Only the faint, wet squelch of the walls shifting around them remained, like the building itself was restless.

This wasn’t right.

They knew what they were supposed to find here. They had seen the glimpses inside the Den: the bullies, the Teacher’s endless neck, the morbid classrooms. The School was supposed to be a nightmare, yes... just not this kind of nightmare.

“This… isn’t what we saw,” Mono whispered, his voice breaking with unease. “It’s not the same.”

Six’s jaw tightened as she scanned the walls. “No. It’s worse.”

The clay heads shifted slightly at the sound of her voice, their hollow sockets twitching in her direction. Mono tensed, instinctively pulling her closer.

Six didn’t flinch, but her free hand curled into a fist. “It’s like the whole place changed just for us,” she muttered bitterly.

He swallowed, forcing himself to look ahead. “Then that means… the Teacher knows we’re here.”

Silence pressed down on them after those words. The School seemed to breathe around them, the walls rising and falling in slow, steady pulses.

Six’s lips pressed into a thin line. She hated to admit it, but Mono was probably right. Whatever this place had been before, it was no longer following rules.

And that terrified her more than the Teacher ever could.

The kids stayed still for what felt like forever, listening to the quiet pulse of the walls. Finally, Six let out a slow breath and pulled her hand free.

She had to do something. Otherwise her fear would only keep growing and freeze her. She needed to be brave. For her... and for Mono.

“We need to know how it reacts,” she whispered, her eyes fixed on the nearest clay head. Its blank features didn’t move, but Mono swore its gaze was fixed on them.

He grabbed her and shook his head. “That’s an awful idea!” he hissed, looking at her as if she was insane.

“Everything we do here is dangerous,” Six muttered back in defiance, detaching from him. She stooped, picked up a loose shard of plaster from the floor, and flicked it toward the wall.

The piece clattered softly against the wood. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, one of the heads gave a low rattle, its jaw clicking once before falling still again.

Mono flinched. “Okay… so they hear things,” he muttered nervously.

“Hear things, move things, probably tattle on you things…” Sixteen’s voice drifted up from their shadows, her form stretching out on the floor beside them. She grimaced as she looked up at the walls. “Y’know, I kinda figured bullies were nosy little snitches, but this? This is a whole new level.”

Six shot her a glare. “Not helping.”

The shadow raised her hands in mock defense. “Hey, I’m just saying… if those things start screaming, we’re screwed.”

Mono pressed his lips together. Since staying still was worse than trying, he decided to at least be helpful at figuring out how this new School worked.

He crouched low, testing the floorboards with his hand. They felt soft, spongy under his palm, and each press released a faint squelch. “Even the ground makes noise,” he whispered. “We’ll have to move slow.”

Six nodded, her eyes narrowing on the corridor ahead. “Then let’s see just how much they can take before they start yelling.”

With agonizing caution, the kids began to inch forward, each step deliberate, careful not to drag their feet. The clay heads twitched faintly as they passed, teeth knocking together in soft, hollow clicks.

“Yeah, no pressure, guys. Just don’t wake the wall of creepy snitching heads…” Sixteen muttered from below them.

Six let out a shaky breath, then quietly slipped her hand back into Mono’s. For a second, she looked away, as if embarrassed by the need.

Mono squeezed her fingers without hesitation, his cheeks warming despite the dread curling in his stomach. He managed a tiny smile meant only for her.

Six rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth tugged upward anyway. Her grip stayed firm.

Together, they began to creep down the fleshy corridor, each step soft and muffled on the heaving floorboards. It was like walking across something alive.

The walls pulsed faintly with each breath of the School, but beneath the horror, there were familiar signs. Planks jutting up from the ground at unnatural angles. Buckets balanced on splintered beams overhead. Tilted lockers, ready to topple at the slightest shift in weight.

“Traps,” Mono whispered, his stomach twisting.

Six scowled. “Of course. Because that couldn’t get swallowed up like the bullies did…” she muttered sarcastically.

“Charming as ever,” Sixteen muttered, her form slithering low against their shadows. “Because nothing says fun school days like a locker waiting to fall on your head.”

They tried to move carefully, stepping over a raised plank on the floor. But as Mono shifted his weight, his foot nudged a piece of chalk half-hidden underfoot.

Click.

Both kids froze. Their eyes darted upward just as a rusted bucket swung down from above, a jagged edge glinting in the dim light.

Mono yelped and tried to pull Six back, but there wasn’t enough time—

Until their shadows surged upward.

“Move!” Sixteen shouted, shoving against the children’s backs with unnatural force. The bucket whooshed past, missing Six’s head by inches before smashing against the wall, showering them with rust flakes and rotten water.

Mono collapsed forward, chest heaving, his hands still clamped around Six’s shoulders. For a second he couldn’t speak, too shaken by how close it had been. His eyes darted over her quickly, as if checking to make sure she was still there, still safe.

“Are you hurt?” he whispered, voice tight.

Six shook her head, brushing rust flakes from her hair. “I’m fine,” she muttered, though her hands trembled as they lingered against his arms. She looked him over just as quickly, eyes sharp. “You?”

“N-No… I’m okay.” He tried to sound steady, but his voice cracked with the weight of the fear he hadn’t let out.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Just the sound of their breathing, shaky and uneven, filling the hall. Their hands found each other again almost without thought, squeezing tighter than before.

“Yeah, yeah, you're welcome by the way,” Sixteen’s voice cut in, dripping with sarcasm. Her shadowy figure condensed at their side with arms crossed, glaring at them both. “But in case you missed it, I just saved your butts. So maybe less staring, more not-dying?” She huffed in annoyance. “Seriously, can we not trip every single death trap we find? My nerves aren’t immortal, you know.”

Mono pulled Six closer, lowering his voice. “We need to be more careful… if the heads didn’t scream at that, they might next time.”

The clay heads rattled faintly against the walls, their hollow jaws clicking in uneven rhythm. Watching. Waiting.

As if to prove him right, the bucket that had smashed into the wall shifted loose. It tore free from the rotten plaster and clattered down onto the boards below. The metallic echo carried through the corridor, bouncing from floor to ceiling until it felt like the whole School was listening.

The clay heads reacted instantly. Their jaws snapped open in unison with a deafening CRACK. Hollow teeth clattered wildly, clicking and rattling in a grotesque chorus. The walls themselves seemed to shudder with the sound, like the School was screaming through them.

Mono’s blood ran cold. Six’s grip on his hand tightened painfully, her eyes wide, every muscle in her body tensed.

From somewhere deep in the dark, beyond the walls, something answered.

A heavy thud. Slow. Rhythmic. Growing closer with each step.

The heads clicked louder, as though cheering it on, their blank sockets trained on the children.

“Guess that’s too late now, Mono…” Sixteen muttered, her voice low and grim. Her form wavered, then dissipated back into their shadows.

And the hallway fell into dreadful silence again—just before the next thud shook the boards beneath their feet.

The Teacher listened. No, not listened. She felt.

The walls shivered against her skin, red and wet, feeding her every sound. The clatter of wood. The click of clay teeth. The sharp, delicious snap of fear. It throbbed through her veins, not her ears.

Children. Yes. Children.

Her lips peeled back in something like a smile, though she no longer remembered how a smile was meant to look. Her jaw stretched until the hinges creaked, flesh knitting and unknitting where it met the muscle that wasn’t hers anymore.

The heads in the walls screamed for her, and she rose with them, her body dragging against the boards, her neck spilling forward like a rope pulled too far.

Closer. Closer. The School pulsed with them, guiding her, pushing her toward the sound.

She inhaled, though her lungs were gone. Still she smelled it—fear. Bitter, coppery, sharp as rust.

Her students. Always her students. They would learn. They would all learn.

Chapter Text

Mono and Six stood frozen, the echo of the bucket’s fall still ringing in their ears. The clay heads’ rattle had quieted, but the heavy, rhythmic thud kept coming.

Closer now—each one vibrating through the boards under their feet.

Six’s grip on Mono’s hand was vice-like, her eyes darting down the corridor in quick, frantic movements, searching for any escape.

“Guess that’s too late now, Mono…” Sixteen’s voice drifted from their shadows, her usual mocking tone thinner than before. “So unless you want to meet the welcoming committee head-on, I’d suggest moving. Fast.”

The next thud was so close the walls seemed to breathe with it, a faint shudder running through the pulsing veins beneath the floorboards.

Somewhere ahead, a clay head’s jaw clicked open and shut, as if impatient.

Mono swallowed hard and looked at Six. “Run or hide?”

Her answer came quick, sharp. “Hide.”

They didn’t waste another second.

Still gripping each other’s hands, they moved quickly along the wall, eyes scanning the distorted corridor for anything—anything—that could hide them.

The hallway seemed longer now, stretching in both directions. Shadows clung to the corners like wet cloth, and every step they took made the floor moan beneath them.

Somewhere far behind, the thuds kept coming, slow and deliberate, each one rattling the clay heads in the walls.

“Come on…” Six muttered under her breath, eyes darting between doorframes sealed with warped planks, lockers leaning half-collapsed against the walls, and desks piled haphazardly like barricades.

None of it looked safe.

Mono’s gaze snagged on a classroom door with a narrow gap at the bottom, but through it he saw only the shifting glow of red flesh and the faint click of a clay jaw inside. He yanked Six away from it. “Not there.”

Another thud. Closer now.

The walls trembled faintly, the veins beneath the floor pulsing faster as though excited.

They pushed forward, dodging a rope snare that hung just above their knees.

A rusted locker loomed ahead, tilted and dented, its door half torn off the hinges. Inside, darkness.

“There!” Six hissed, pointing sharply.

Mono hesitated. The gap was narrow, the inside cramped. But the next thud boomed so close it rattled the bucket still wedged into the wall behind them. They didn’t have time to debate.

They slipped through the opening, pressing themselves flat against the cold, corroded metal. The air inside was stale and heavy, reeking of rust and dust. Mono could hear Six’s breathing just inches from his face, quick but controlled.

“Great choice,” Sixteen whispered from the floor beneath them. “Dark, cramped, smells like tetanus. Ten out of ten.”

Mono glared downward, but before he could retort, the hallway went still.

Too still.

Then… slow, deliberate steps.

Not the clean strike of a heel on wood, but the wet drag of something heavy pulling itself forward.

The sound passed the row of lockers once… then stopped.

Mono’s breath caught. The clay heads along the wall began to rattle softly again, as though trying to stifle their own excitement.

Something leaned close. Close enough that the faint, damp sound of its breathing pressed against the metal, making it groan.

The thing outside didn’t move away. The slow, wet breathing stayed right beside them, accompanied by a faint creak… as if its weight was shifting across the locker’s metal skin.

Through a thin crack in the torn locker door, Mono risked a glance. He wished he hadn’t.

A massive shape loomed in the dim light, its proportions all wrong.

The figure’s spine arched unnaturally beneath a sagging blouse, fabric fused to the pulsing red flesh beneath. Veins snaked up her arms and neck, threading directly into her jaw, which stretched far beyond what should have been possible.

It was the Teacher—what was left of her.

She was more part of the School than standing in it. Her skin was the walls, her veins the floor, her movements guided by the slow, steady pulse of the building itself.

She dragged herself forward on limbs that bent and straightened at the wrong angles, each step pulling loose strands of wet muscle from the boards. Where they landed, the wood swelled and darkened, alive with the same infection.

Six saw it too. Her nails dug hard into Mono’s hand, but her eyes didn’t leave the warped figure.

The clay heads rattled wildly now, their clicking almost jubilant. The Teacher’s neck unspooled toward the noise, vertebrae twisting as if pulled by invisible strings. She didn’t have to look around—the School was looking for her.

Mono’s stomach churned. The real nightmare wasn’t just the Teacher.

It was the realization that every inch of the building was alive… and it wanted them.

Her head tilted sharply, like she’d caught a scent. The long neck began to swivel toward their locker, joints cracking as it extended, the shadow of her face stretching across the metal.

Six held her breath. Mono’s heart thudded so loud he was sure she could hear it. The shadow grew darker. Closer.

“Don’t. Move.” Sixteen’s voice was barely a whisper, but it slid cold through their bones.

The Teacher’s face stopped inches from the crack in the locker. Hollow sockets, where her eyes should be, loomed over them, the skin around them twitching as if something inside was pushing to get out. For a moment, Mono thought she was staring straight at him.

Then, without a sound, she retracted her neck in a smooth, sickening pull, turning toward the far end of the hall. The wet drag of her limbs moved away, the clay heads following her with eager clicks until her shadow melted into the dark.

Mono finally exhaled, the air shuddering in his chest. His hand was still locked with Six’s, both of their palms damp with sweat.

“That,” Sixteen muttered after a beat, “is going to be a problem.”

Chapter Text

Silence hung thick in the aftermath, broken only by the faint, distant echo of the Teacher’s dragging limbs fading into the bowels of the School.

Mono peeled himself away from the locker’s cold interior with a quiet groan. His muscles ached from staying so still, but he didn’t let go of Six’s hand until they both slipped back into the corridor.

“Is she… gone?” Mono whispered, squinting down the hall. The pulsing red glow had dimmed, but not disappeared.

Six gave a slight nod, though her eyes lingered in the shadows. “For now.”

The corridor's oppressive stillness pressed in on them as they recovered their wits.

“How—Why... did she become like that?” Mono asked, his voice trembling.

Six stared down the corridor where the Teacher had vanished. “I don't know...” she said, her voice low with trepidation. “Maybe... something from outside got in somehow?” But even she wasn’t sure.

Because what were the odds that the School changed the moment they arrived?

Something smelled foul. And it wasn’t just the walls.

Six sighed. “What we do know is… she wasn’t supposed to be like that.”

Mono swallowed. “Yeah... as if the original wasn’t scary enough.” His tone shifted from unease to frustration. “Now she’s the whole School.”

He knew coming here was a bad idea.

Too late now.

With no answers, each heartbeat felt like a countdown.

Below them, their shadows stretched into a familiar silhouette.

“You’re welcome again, by the way.” Sixteen's voice drifted from the darkness.

Mono glanced downward, puzzled. “What… did you do?”

“Pulled shadows over you. Cloaked your heat, your sound, your... 'souls.'” Her voice echoed strangely. “Wasn’t easy. Honestly didn’t think it’d work…”

“You can hide us like that?” Six asked, frowning at her last comment. “For how long?”

There was a pause.

“No idea. That was my first time trying it.”

Mono blinked. “Wait—what?”

“Seemed like a good idea at the time. Not that I knew it’d work.” Her voice still carried sarcasm, but it was thinner now, edged with something else. “Honestly thought you were screwed.”

Six looked down at the shifting shadow along the floor. “Why didn’t you say that before?”

“Because panicking mid-deathtrap isn’t exactly helpful,” Sixteen snapped. Then she muttered, “Besides… it felt right.”

Mono shivered. The idea of Sixteen weaving them into the dark was both incredible and terrifying, even if she hadn’t known if it would work.

“Alright,” he muttered, rubbing his arm. “We can’t count on that again.”

Six was already studying the hallway. “We need to find where that… thing came from. If it’s controlling the building now, we won’t be safe anywhere unless we cut it out.”

Mono’s voice wavered. “You mean… we fight her?”

“I’m talking about surviving.” Her voice was steady. She reached for his hand — whether for his comfort or hers, she wasn’t sure.

“You’ll need more than guts,” Sixteen added, her shape flickering along the rotted floorboards. “She’s not using the School — she’s fused with it. Every pipe, every wire, every cracked tile. And if that wasn't enough we also have her little snitching pests”.

She motioned towards a random clay head in the wall.

It rattled a little, as if it knew it was talking about it.

Mono and Six exchanged a look. Neither liked the sound of that.

They needed a plan. And fast.

The boy lowered his head in thought before an idea came to mind.

"Wait," He began "If her body is The School, and we are inside of it..." He looked towards Six with expectation.

The girl's gaze widened as she realized what he was thinking about “Then we need to find the heart!” Six exclaimed with a firm resolve. “We find it, and we end this.”

"Oh yeah. Find the heart of a building. Great idea guys!" Sixteen exclaimed with fake glee, making Six glare at her with annoyance.

Mono nodded and sighed. “Yeah. That's the best we have for now”

They walked in silence, their footsteps muffled by the filth-caked floor. Every creak of the wood and groan of the pipes overhead sounded like a warning.

The heads rattled softly. Listening. Making each step a torturous endeavor.

The air buzzed with a strange static, the kind that made your skin itch and your thoughts wander in the wrong directions.

Mono kept his hand tightly wrapped around Six’s, eyes scanning every crack, every open door, every flickering light.

Six seemed less fazed. Or maybe she was just better at pretending.

They turned a corner. A hallway opened up ahead. A familiar dread settled in their bones.

Mono stopped cold. So did Six.

The air had thickened again. Not hot, not cold.

Just dense.

Like the space itself was holding its breath.

“This is...” he whispered.

The hallway was unmistakable. Rusted lockers lined the walls, their doors hanging open like broken jaws. Scraps of paper drifted across the floor, caught in a nonexistent breeze. Above them, a hatch loomed high above, the remains of a rope ladder swaying gently, just out of reach.

Six stepped forward slowly, her eyes wide. “This is...,” she muttered. “This is where they grabbed me...” Her voice shook with trepidation

She stopped, realizing she was nearly dragging Mono, and looked back.

The boy didn’t move.

His gaze was far ahead. His eyes fixed at a battered locker near the center of the hall.

The locker was dented, tilted forward on its rusted hinges, just barely stable.

He recognized it. They both did.

The 'other Mono', had been trapped beneath it.

Helpless.

Forced to watch as Bullies emerged and dragged Six away through a ceiling hatch he couldn’t reach.

Mono’s breath hitched.

He didn’t realize he’d stopped breathing. Not until the edges of his vision began to pulse, darkening like ink spreading over paper.

It was too real.

The hallway wasn’t just familiar.

It was the same.

Every broken tile. Every smear of something brownish-red on the walls. Even the flickering light above the locker, swaying with that same sick rhythm.

And suddenly, it was like he was there.

His chest tightened.

He could hear it.

The laughter. The echo of nails dragging on metal. The heavy, metallic slam of the locker falling.

His knees buckled slightly, hand slipping from Six’s as he stumbled forward.

“I couldn’t save you,” he muttered. “I saw it... I saw them take you and I— I just… laid there.”

His voice cracked under the weight of that memory — not even his own, and yet it cut like a blade honed just for him.

“I couldn’t move... I couldn’t breathe...”

Six turned immediately, crossing the few steps back to him. She grabbed his shoulders — gently at first, then with more insistence as she met his panicked gaze.

“Mono,” she said firmly, grounding him. “Look at me.”

He did — eyes wide, wild. Drenched in guilt that didn’t belong to him but felt like it had always been there.

“That didn’t happen. Not to us.”

He shook his head. “But it did—”

“Not here,” she cut in. “Not this time.”

Her voice lowered. “You’re not under that locker. And I’m not being dragged away.”

She reached down and took his hand again — slowly, deliberately — intertwining their fingers like stitching a wound closed.

“I’m right here,” she said. “We’re not alone this time.”

Mono swallowed hard. His chest rose and fell in short, uneven bursts — but he nodded. Slowly.

The locker was still there. The hatch was still there. But her hand in his made it all... quieter.

He exhaled.

“Get it together, TV Boy,” Sixteen murmured from the shadows, her voice less mocking than usual. “That locker’s just rust now.”

Mono scoffed with an amused expression. “Thanks.”

He took a deep breath before sighing and looked at his companion "Both of you" and giving her a grateful smile.

Six felt her cheeks warm up as she blushed and looked away.

The boy just kept staring at her with a fond expression.

"Ahem!" Sixteen faked a cough "May I remind you guys we're still very much in danger?" Sarcasm dripping from her tone.

Six rolled her eyes and tugged Mono gently forward. “Come on. The longer we wait here, the more bothersome she gets.”

"Hey!" The shadow exclaimed in disbelief.

Mono responded with a soft laugh as the shadow complained underneath them.

His was tone firmer this time. “Right.”

And so they stepped deeper into the hallway.

Together, hand in hand.

Ready to fight the echo of a memory that wasn't theirs.

They crept closer. Every step on the uneven floor made the old boards creak in warning and the heads clatter.

The locker loomed ahead, casting a long shadow beneath the light.

Six pulled Mono back before he stepped in front of it. “Wait,” she muttered. “We don't know what trigger's it.”

He nodded. In the picture s, the locker had fallen when he passed by it. They knew better now. Or at least… they hoped that knowing would be enough to change it.

“What do we do?” Mono asked, eyes scanning backwards towards the hatch in the ceiling. The remains of the ladder swinging in a windless corridor, as if to mock them.

Just like in the memory. Too high to reach. A perfect snare.

Six glanced back at the locker. “If we go forward, something might still come for us.”

“Correction: something will come,” Sixteen whispered. Her shadow stretched briefly beside theirs, glitching at the edges. “Maybe not the same way, but fate doesn’t like being cheated. So watch your backs.”

Mono swallowed hard and looked at Six. “We move together. Stay alert. If they try to separate us again…”

“They won’t.”

Her grip tightened.

The hallway groaned as they stepped forward. Somewhere, high above, the hatch shuddered — like it remembered too.

Chapter Text

They didn’t speak for a while.

The hallway behind them had long since faded into a silent void, but its weight still clung to Mono’s chest like a hand refusing to let go. He kept his gaze ahead now, jaw clenched, fingers wrapped tightly around Six’s hand as if letting go might invite fate to try again.

But the moment never came. Not this time.

“So,” Six muttered at last, eyes flicking around to the clay heads with annoyance as they clattered with the sound of her voice. “Where should we go now?” She lowered her tone.

Mono stopped and glanced at her, then at the cracked floor beneath them. His voice was quiet. “I don’t know. How do we even find the heart of a building?” He looked back at her with a befuddled expression.

“You sure she even has one?” Sixteen asked, her voice drifting from their shadow. “Because I’ve got bets on ‘no.’”

“We have to try,” Six said firmly. “It's either we get her or she gets us.”

Mono nodded and looked down in thought. “If she’s fused with the building... there has to be a center. Something holding her together.”

Six tilted her head, frowning. “What? Like a nest?”

Mono's face snapped toward her. “Yes! Something that she'll do anything to protect! Which means...” His voice faded. He didn't want to finish his sentence.

But he didn't need to.

“Which means the closer we are, the greater the danger.” Six completed somberly.

They all stood there in uneasy silence for a beat.

Then Six took a deep breath and knelt, unclasping her hand from Mono's.

She began to draw a crude outline of the School’s layout on the dusty floor with her finger. “We’re here,” she said, tapping a rough ‘X’ near the edge of the sketch. “This is the hallway where… that happened.”

Mono swallowed but nodded, kneeling beside her.

“Next is the Library,” she continued. “Then the Cafeteria, the Science Lab, the Bathroom—”

She hesitated at that one.

“The place they locked you up,” Mono said quietly.

Six nodded once, tight and grim. “After that, the Music Room. That’s our exit. If it's anywhere, it’s before that. She never let anyone leave.”

“Which means she’ll try to stop you again,” Sixteen murmured. “Whatever she is now… she knows where you’re going.”

“Three rooms to check...” Mono said, rising with a hand to his chin. “And if it’s not in those three?” He glanced sideways at her with a worried expression.

Six rose while cleaning her hand on her shirt. “Then we check the music room.” She reiterated, looking at him with a confused expression.

Mono turned toward her. “And if it’s not there either?”

His words cut through her like a sharp knife. She hadn't even pondered the possibility of the heart being in any other room besides what they knew.

“It will be there. It has to be...” She tried to sound confident, but her voice betrayed her at the last moment.

Mono stared at her for a few more seconds but sighed in defeat. “Okay,” he reluctantly agreed. “We also have to be on guard for the 'real' Bullies. I doubt these heads will be everything we see from them.” He grimly commented while looking at the walls.

“Count on it,” Sixteen replied. “The ones you knew? Gone. What’s left will be worse.”

Six and Mono exchanged a look — not fear exactly, but understanding.

It would only get worse from here.

“We stick together,” Six said, her hand finding Mono’s again. “No matter what.”

He nodded. “No matter what.”

And then they turned toward the looming hallway ahead — toward the Library, and whatever waited within.

Chapter Text

The hallway ahead stretched long and hollow, the cracked floorboards fading into shadows.

Mono tightened his grip on Six’s hand, their fingers weaving together like a fragile tether holding back the weight of what was to come.

The air between them was heavy. Thick with dust, dread, and the distant echo of a memory neither wanted to face but couldn’t escape.

Slowly, they moved toward the end of the corridor, where a door materialized out of the gloom. Above it, words carved deep into the wood spelled what lay beyond.

They stopped.

“Library,” Mono whispered, his voice nearly lost in the oppressive silence.

He swallowed hard.

The word felt heavy. Even when he knew it shouldn't be.

A place once meant for knowledge now felt like a tomb of secrets piled high and waiting to be disturbed.

A tug at his arm pulled him back from his thoughts. Six’s worried eyes searched his face.

She tilted her head—silent, but full of question.

He shook his head, giving her a look that said he was alright.

Six nodded, then turned toward the door. Mono followed.

Together, they pushed it open.

The door creaked slowly on rusted hinges, and a wave of dust spilled out like a held breath finally escaping.

The particles swirled in the dim light like disturbed ghosts, drifting around their faces before settling back into the thick carpet of age that coated everything.

Mono stopped at the threshold. His eyes climbed the walls — no, not walls, but towering shelves stacked so high they vanished into darkness.

The wooden frames leaned inward at strange, conspiratorial angles, as though each was trying to whisper secrets to its neighbor.

Ladders dangled from rails high above, swaying faintly in an unseen draft. Some hung straight, but others were twisted, their rungs splintered, their hooks bent like they had been yanked too hard.

The air inside was thick with the scent of mold and something sharper.

Old ink, maybe, or glue from bindings long decayed.

The books themselves were everywhere.

Crammed spine-first and spine-last into every gap. Piled into towers that defied balance. Jammed sideways in spaces too small to hold them, their pages jutting out at odd angles like jagged teeth. Some were so bloated with damp that their covers bulged outward, distorting the words stamped into them.

A single ladder creaked far above, the sound traveling down into the stillness like a warning.

Sixteen whistled low. “Well… looks like home.”

“Your home needs less dust,” Six muttered, pulling her shirt higher over her mouth before stepping in. Her feet made a muffled thump against the carpet of grit. No echo. The shelves seemed to swallow sound.

Mono’s eyes moved slowly over the stacks, his gaze lingering on the scratched signs nailed into the wood. He frowned as he noticed something off. “The books...” he said, releasing Six’s hand as he stepped closer to a shelf.

"What is it?" Six asked, coming closer while lowering her shirt back.

His hand brushed the spines.

They felt leathery, almost like skin.

He read the signs again, his confusion growing. “They’re not organized by subject,” he said slowly. “They’re… sorted by people.”

Six blinked. “By people?”

Mono nodded “Look,” He pointed to the nearest label and read aloud the words scratched deep into the wood: Students Who Disappointed Me.

He stepped to side. Next to it, another: Students Who Didn’t Listen. Then another: Students Who Wasted My Time. The categories stretched upward beyond the lamplight — Students Who Should Have Tried Harder, Students Who Talked Too Much, Students Who Looked at Me Wrong.

Six’s throat tightened. “It’s like… her mind is on the walls.”

Sixteen snorted. “Yeah, no kidding.”

Six rolled her eyes, taking Mono’s hand and pulling him forward. “Come on. The faster we get through, the less time we waste thinking about her.” She didn’t want to know what else that… thing thought about.

They hopped onto a lower shelf, the wood groaning under their weight, and reached for a dangling ladder.

After moving for a while, they realized something about this new library.

It wasn’t made for moving quickly.

The shelves forced them into tight corridors, pressing in close on either side.

The narrow spaces funneled them forward, only to split at odd angles or twist unexpectedly into dead ends.

More than once, they had to backtrack, the sound of their footsteps scratching against the silence. Some aisles were blocked entirely by fallen stacks, the books sprawled like bodies in the gloom.

Between shelves, “bridges” were nothing more than warped planks laid across chasms between bookcases, the edges crumbling. One was barely the width of Mono’s foot.

He tested it with a toe — it wobbled under his weight. Dust fell into the shadows below.

Six was already across, standing on the opposite shelf like it was nothing. “It’s fine,” she called. “Just don’t look down.”

He made the mistake of looking down.

The drop wasn’t fatal, but it was a pit of jagged splinters from broken shelves, nails sticking out and paper shredded into curling strips.

He might not die if he fell.

But he might wish he had.

Six, noticing his hesitation, crouched down and held out her hand, her eyes softening. “Here,” she said gently, “I’ll help you.”

Mono blinked, then reached out hesitantly.

Her fingers curled around his, warm and steady.

Slowly, step by careful step, she guided him across, her hand a small lifeline in the dizzying height.

When he finally made it to the other side, Six squeezed his hand with a quiet smile.

“See? Not so bad,” she whispered.

Mono let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

He looked softly at her, the edges of his lips raising into a shy, grateful smile.

They began climbing higher. Shelves here bore stranger categories: Students Who Breathed Too Loud, Students Who Were Too Slow, Students Who Smiled at the Wrong Time.

Sixteen muttered, “That thing needs a hobby or something.” Their shadow flickered as she expressed her displeasure.

Suddenly, from somewhere in the gloom above came a faint sound.

A giggle.

They froze mid-step. Mono asked “Did you hear—?”

The giggle came again, higher-pitched this time, flitting from one side of the Library to the other like it was ricocheting off the shelves.

It wasn’t pleasant.

Not like a child’s laughter, with joy or warmth.

It was clipped, jittery, broken into little bursts, like a record skipping over the same groove.

Six lifted a hand, palm out — stop. She turned her head toward the dark spaces between shelves, scanning.

Nothing moved.

The silence was deafening.

Nothing appeared wrong, but the air felt different now. The stillness wasn’t empty anymore.

They exchanged cautious glances, then moved on slower, every step weighted.

The first trap came without warning.

Mono stepped onto a slanted shelf, and the row of books beneath his foot shifted like they had been waiting for him.

The entire stack slid forward in one smooth movement, spilling over the edge in an avalanche.

Six pulled him back just in time as the books crashed to the floor below with an echo that rang through the Library like a gunshot.

From deep in the stacks came another giggle. This time closer.

Six’s mouth flattened into a hard line. “They’re playing games.” Her head scanned around angrily after confirming Mono was safe.

The sound came again, paired with the faint scrape of something being dragged. Mono tilted his head and saw a rope above twitch slightly, like something had scurried across it.

“Bullies” Sixteen whispered. Her eyes searching the shadows for any signs of attacks. Getting ready to intervene if it was necessary.

Mono didn’t need her to explain.

A flicker of movement caught his eye between two shelves.

His skin prickled as his brain realized what it was seeing.

A head — too large for its thin body — peeked around the corner. It had pale skin stretched wrongly like a mask over its clay skull. Its eyes were glassy and too wide, shining faintly in the dimness. The mouth twitched open into a jagged grin, teeth small and square like a doll’s.

Then it was gone.

Six's voice brought him back before he spiralled "Mono? You okay?" Concern dripped from her words as she searched his face.

He looked at her with a frightened look but blinked back into focus at her words. "I-I saw- they look-" He kept stuttering as he tried his best to explain what he had seen to her. Noticing how pale she became after he finished.

Six looked around for any signs of mismatched heads looking at them but the room was deadly still.

But she knew they were there. Watching. Waiting.

She quickly raised Mono to his feet and grabbed his hand "We need to get out of here. Fast."

Mono didn't need to be told twice.

They moved on the fast they could, but the room seemed to have woken up now.

The ladders shifted on their own, creaking softly. A book tumbled from somewhere above and landed near their feet. The air was thicker, the smell of dust laced with something faintly metallic.

Once, a ladder Mono was about to climb tipped suddenly, slamming sideways into another shelf. The crash sent more books tumbling, forcing them to take a longer route.

Another time, a rain of paper scraps fluttered down from above, drifting around them like snow. Torn pages covered in half-erased handwriting.

The darkness giggled again.

Six cursed under her breath as she kept moving, “Annoying pests” They were getting on her nerves.

They reached a ladder that would take them to the next level. But as they climbed it, it swung hard to the side with no warning.

The sudden motion threw Mono’s balance. He clung to the rungs as the ladder smashed against the shelf beside it and wedged tight.

As the world stopped moving, Mono sighed in relief as he realized he was okay. He began to climb up onto the shelf the ladder crashed into.

Getting up while trembling slightly from the adrenaline, he looked to side to find Six on the other shelf looking at him with a worried expression.

Six was already across.

Mono was not.

They looked at each other with raising levels of dread.

Suddenly, a stack of books toppled from above, crashing beside Mono with a deafening boom. The sound echoed like a gunshot, shattering the fragile quiet.

The laughing was closer now.

Darkness gave form to skinny limbs and malformed heads as the bullies crawled out from their hiding spots.

This was no cautious scouting. They were leaving the safety of their darkness, stepping fully into the open with a hunger that promised pain. The air thickened with dread as their unnatural, grinding movements echoed in the silence, announcing a confrontation long awaited, and deeply feared.

Their teeth clattered with their creepy laughter as they approached one of the kids.

Mono.

His body froze in fear as the bullies slowly approached.

"MONO!" Six threw caution to wind as she shouted with desperation "USE YOUR POWERS!"

Mono looked back at her in shock as realization dawned on his face.

He raised his trembling arms and focused.

Feeling the static under his skin, he remembered what he did in the candy store and tried to do the same thing again.

His arms slowly became coated with lightning. Making the bullies pause with hesitation. A dangerous aura being felt from the kid before them.

Deep within the rotting guts of The School, in a chamber slick with pulsating, writhing red flesh.

A television dangled unnaturally, suspended by slick, sinewy strands of crimson tissue that bled out from a gaping black maw where its screen should have been.

Without warning, the walls convulsed violently, the air thickening with a crackling, oppressive static that erupted from the void.

From the flickering darkness of the maw, a pair of hollow, soulless eyes snapped open—voids of emptiness that pierced the room like cold blades.

The entity lurking behind the shattered screen sensed a presence within the school.

A being alike itself.

It felt the being trying to use their gifts.

But it wasn't to be.

The static roared into a piercing shriek, shredding through the very bones of the building.

Only the abomination behind the screen understood the true horror that shriek would unleash.

Suddenly, Mono felt drained. His body stumbled forward before he caught himself.

The lightning in his arms fizzled out into tiny sparks.

He stared at his arms in shock.

Six couldn't understand what was going on from where she was staring. One second there were light and then nothing.

But the bullies didn't need to understand. They just felt the danger from the kid disappear completely.

And the laughing resumed.

Mono heard the approaching steps and looked back at Six with a scared expression.

She didn't hesitate.

“SIXTEEN!” Six shouted.

"I'M ON IT!" Sixteen exclaimed.

Before Mono could even process the words, a rush of cold swept over him. "SIXTEEN WHAT ARE YOU -" Shadows coiled up from the floor like black serpents, wrapping around his arms and waist in a single, jarring motion. His feet left the ground as Sixteen hurled him through the dim aisle toward Six.

He barely had time to scream before colliding with her. "OOF-" She caught him with a stagger, pulling him upright.

They exchanged a quick look, checking to see if they were okay.

But apparently it wasn't quick enough for Sixteen "STOP GAWKING AT EACH OTHER AND RUN"

Behind them came the sound, high-pitched screeches full of malice.

The bullies were not happy.

Twisted and wrong, they rushed towards the kids with hunger. Some skittered on all fours, others limped with their limbs bending the wrong way. One slammed its head into a shelf, knocking loose a rain of books as it let out a shrill, broken laugh.

They moved fast. Too fast.

Mono and Six tore through the aisle, weaving between obstacles, the bullies’ footsteps slapping the floor in erratic bursts.

One darted out from a side aisle, forcing Mono to duck as a splintered ruler whipped past his head. Another leapt from a toppled ladder, barely missing Six as she yanked Mono out of reach.

The library became a maze of collapsing shelves and flying debris.

Every corner they turned, the Bullies were there.

Crawling over furniture, dropping from above, giggling and shrieking with the glee of a game only they understood.

Somewhere ahead, through the chaos, the door to the next hallway loomed. But the Bullies were closing in.

“This way!” Sixteen’s exclaimed as she motioned towards a path with less obstacles with a shadow tendril.

Mono and Six barreled toward the exit, the aisle narrowing with each step as books spilled into their path. One of the Bullies leapt from the top of a shelf, its porcelain mask cracking on impact as it clawed at Mono’s leg. Six stomped its hand without slowing down, yanking him free.

The door was just ahead now.

An arched opening between two massive, crooked bookcases. The Bullies’ laughter grew louder, surrounding them like it was coming from every direction.

Sixteen stretched ahead from under them and condensed in front of the exit, shadows curling around her arms like living chains. She waited until Mono and Six tore past her, then thrust her hands out toward the shelves.

The shadows surged upward, wrapping around the wood and metal frames like vines.

With a guttural grunt, Sixteen yanked—

The shelves groaned and tipped, their bases grinding across the floor. The first crash came like thunder, then another, then another, until the whole wall of shelves fell inward, spilling thousands of books in a deafening avalanche.

The bullies shrieked.

Some in anger, others in what sounded disturbingly like gleeful excitement, but their path was blocked under a heap of splintered wood and torn pages.

Dust choked the air as the kids stumbled into the next hallway. Six slammed the heavy door shut behind them, her hands trembling as she held it for a second longer than necessary, listening for any sign of pursuit.

Only muffled thumps came from the other side, followed by faint, warped giggles fading into the distance.

Mono leaned against the wall, catching his breath.

Sixteen stared at closed door with pride as she dusted her hands off.

“That should hold them… for now.”