It was an evening like any others. Locked within their houses, the residents of the Backstreets were silently attending to their needs, ignoring the horrid reality waiting outside of their residence.

In the distance, screams of agony could be faintly heard but nobody paid attention to it.

Any other day, they would have been left on their own simply because meddling with someone's business could lead a good samaritan to an early bad end. However, today was slightly different, it was a special day on a special month known for its terror above anything else.

In that scenario, seeing crimes that would normally make people puke on the spot could only get some awed sounds from them. It was a truly sickening & disgusting sight that would make anyone with a sense of morality look at with anger.

However, and honestly, nobody really gives a shit. The City is awful, end of the story. Now, let's move on from that topic.

Yes, the main point of interest in this small fragment revealed to us.

Y/N: Alright, I'm ready to go, these candies won't get away from me THIS time!

With a loud voice reaching the entirety of the room, Angela's assistant raised a fist in the air with a proud look on his face. In the room with him, both Hava alongside a certain girl with pale hair clapped while a third person was leaning in her seat, a beer in hand.

She slowly woke up from her stupor and glanced at the man standing like a moron in the middle of the room and pointed at him.

Zophia: What the hell is this supposed to be?

Y/N: What do you mean? It's my costume, I need one to get chocolate.

The eyes of the blond assistant blinked one at a time before she continued.

Zophia: ...And what are you supposed to be? A dumbass?

Y/N: As much as I would like to refute that, you do have a point. However, I'll still have to say 'no'.

The exhausted captain twirled for a bit to show the entirety of the outfit he was wearing to the audience he had. He then placed his hands against his hips and revealed a grin of confidence.

...You know, the type that makes you want to ruin it out of spite.

Y/N: I'm the big man himself, Ayin. I thought it was pretty obvious with the wig and the lab coat. Hell, I even got contact lenses for the right eye color.

The drunkard observed him from head to toe for a few seconds and began laughing to herself.

Zophia: Heh, I guess the dumbass comment still applies.

Wow ok- Ahem.

Moving on from that comment, the man dressed like a certain person that I totally do not know rolled his eyes and dusted off the black shirt he wore.

After making sure that his costume was spotless, he turned towards the duo sitting together and sent a question their way.

Y/N: I don't look that bad right?

Alter Ego: Of course not, don't worry.

The girl with long pale hair replied before standing up from her seat. Just like him, she was also dressed for the festivities.

She wore a matching lab coat alongside a green shirt. Her hair was tied to make a ponytail and, instead of her usual blue eyes, a red color was seen looking back at him. A bead of sweat formed on her face as she watched the wig on top of the man's head.

Alter Ego: Lucky for you, it's hard to keep mine with my long hair.

Y/N: ...Nothing that a little amount of Light can't fix, I'm sure.

As he said that, the director's helper stepped closer and began arranging the girl's hair, completely ignoring a certain other person in the room looking at the duo with a wide grin.

Her own & natural red eyes locked onto the both of them and she leaned further into her seat without saying a single word.

The one known as the devil herself, Hava, was completing the third member of the trio, also wearing a lab coat of her own. Her red eyes were now green and hidden behind a pair of glasses.

With her costume completed, the A, B & C was completed... or rather remade.

Zophia: Still, isn't Angela gonna lose it if she sees you dressed like this?

Y/N: Pfft, like I care, why do you think I chose this outfit in particular?

Zophia: ...You're a spiteful & sadistic man, never let anyone tell you otherwise.

The blond girl then downed a full can in the span of a dozen of seconds before throwing it towards the entrance. Just as she did so, a newcomer walked in, leading to them receiving the surprise projectile directly in the head.

"Ow..."

The sound of a pained mumbled caught the attention of the trio.

In the doorway, the figure that every assistant recognized was crouched down, holding their face.

Y/N: Sorry about that Morgan.

Morgan: It's fine... I'm used to it...

Alter Ego: ...Isn't that bad though?

Her question was completely ignored by everyone who heard it, even the victim herself. After a moment to catch herself, she stood up and made her way to the group, also dressed for the occasion.

Now that she was in full display, everyone had the chance to see her from a closer angle. A whistle soon followed, not from our insert protagonist but rather the fake Benjamin.

Y/N: Wow, that's a nice costume, who are you dressed as?

Morgan: Morgan.

?

Y/N: Which Morgan?

??

Morgan: Morgan.

Y/N: Ah, makes sense.

???

For some reason, her repeating her name twice was enough to make everyone present nod in agreement. I'm honestly confused, what's there to understand?

Sigh.

Whatever, let's just move on, I don't want to think too much about it.

Cereb: Hey everyone, I'm ready for the big party. Got some more drinks and also a little something for later.

With a perfect timing, Malkuth's first helper ran inside with more bottles and a bag carrying something unknown.

Just like everyone else, the boy was dressed in clothes that did not match his usual style. Instead of the Floor of History's outfit, he wore a long trenchcoat. A blade made of flesh, teeth & eyes was by his hip, ready to be pulled out at a moment's notice.

Cereb: You should have seen Yuri and Monika's face when they saw the sword. I think one of them even passed out, it was hilarious.

Alter Ego: Again, isn't that a bad thing?

...And for the second time, her question was swiftly ignored, tossed aside when another person walked in with a wide smile on her face.

Malkuth: Halloween!

Y/N: Malkuth, I knew you'd join us!

What was once a simple group of 4 almost doubled in size in the last 30 minutes. Their final member was dressed in a typical witch outfit.

She walked towards the large team and gave a tight hug to the "leader" of the troupe. As she did so, her grin grew wider with ecstacy for a moment before snapping back to a regular look. The whiplash left Alter Ego bewildered.

Malkuth: Is everyone here?

Y/N: Not yet, we're still waiting on Random.

Zophia: Hm? Random? Who's that?

The drunkard blurted out her thought as she opened one of her eyes. At this moment, the strongest desire she had was to go back to sleep. However, curiosity got the better of her.

A chuckle was all she got in response to her confusion. The man turned in her direction and revealed yet another cocky look.

Y/N: He's the local eldritch abomination, probably explains why his parents don't love him. I dunno, I'm not a psychologist, I'm a reader insert.

A drop of sweat began to go down Zophia's face as her hazy mind processed the answer she got.

During that time, Hava finally stood up from her seat and took out a book from within one of the pockets of the lab coat she wore. She opened it to a certain page and began writing in it with a pen.

...

Seconds pass but nothing followed afterwards, making the devil with temporary green eyes look at the director's assistant.

Hava: He's not answering.

Y/N: Tch, I sent him a message like 2 hours ago, what's taking him so long-?

Right as he ended his sentence, almost like the devil himself was waiting for him to waste his breath before pranking him, a song echoed in the room. The one dressed as me- I mean, a person I totally do NOT know took out his own book and looked at it.

Y/N: Ah, there we go

Without any hesitation, he opened it and placed it on the table for everyone to see. In a process that is similar to the invitation, a window formed itself, revealing a boy on the other side.

Before he could even start speaking, Angela's helper raised his voice.

Y/N: Where the hell are you Random, we're all waiting for you!

Random: Yea I know, I know, I was about to mention that. Sorry to say this but I'll be delayed a little bit, I got lost on the way. It's not that easy crossing between stories, even if they are inside the same universe.

Y/N: That's an explanation that the Ruina-only readers aren't gonna get but fine, not much we can do about it.

The ex-captain pinched the bridge of his nose and followed by rolling his eyes.

Y/N: When are you planning to arrive?

Random: I dunno, I just finally found someone so I'm asking them the direction to the Library. It might take me a-

The head of the boy trying to find his way around the City suddenly turned his head towards the side and revealed an expression of puzzlement, which quickly turned to annoyance.

Random: Yea duh, do I look like a monk? Of course I have horny thoughts.

Alter Ego: ...Who is he talking to?

Her question was given a simple shrug as an answer.

Random: Oops, forgot it's still on. Sorry about that. On the bright side, you can expect me to be here in 30 minutes so you can go on without me, I'll be looking forward to the party.

The one with a name that certainly did not give his parents the "parents of the year" award awkwardly messed around with the window currently displaying his face to the librarians currently in the room.

After a few groans and muffled curses, the view offered to them was moved around and revealed a second person sitting on the other side of a table. Random had his back facing them and a grin on his face while holding a peace sign.

...Since when was he inside a house?

Random: Here's my guide, kinda hard to communicate but I'm doing my best. Say hi to Alice everyo-!

However, before anyone could exchange any greetings, an explosion of red paint filled the room the cameo side character was currently in. Everyone froze as they realized that the girl sitting behind had turned into a massive blood pool.

Random, who was completely confused by the change of mood, turned around and saw what was left of his guide.

...

Random: ...Nevermind what I said, I'll be here in an hour.

Y/N: ...Sure, don't get killed.

Random: Pfft, I'll be fine, I know how to roll, I'm virtually immortal.

With a laugh that completely disregarded the morbid sight he had witnessed a few seconds ago, the call between them came to an end, leaving the group in complete silence.

...A silence that lasted 5 seconds at best.

Y/N: All right, who's ready to get some candies?

Everyone else: Yea, candies!

...

...

Y/N: Trick or treat, give us a treat or we'll trick your ass!

The sound of Angela's assistant's loud voice echoed in the empty air as he slammed his fist down against the first place they chose to visit. In the back, the rest of the group was standing together, each carrying a bucket with them.

At first nobody answered but that quickly did a full 180 when the ex-captain continued to knock for the next minute without a single break.

A singular head popped out, who was met with the sight of an empty bucket belonging to the dumbass in the front.

Y/N: We're here for candies, give us a treat hobo man. Otherwise, I'm shoving Roland's gloves up your ass and performing a Furioso on your organs.

Argalia: ...Fucking hell.

Hava: The threat was so sudden that he became sane for a moment.

A faint sigh of defeat slipped out from the Blue Reverberation, who walked out from his tent with his scythe in hand. His eyes looked at the assortment of people looking at him and took notice of the outfit Cereb wore.

Argalia: Hahaha, is this a pathetic attempt at a costume?

Cereb: Nah, I stole her clothes while she was asleep. Can't be more accurate than that.

Morgan: ...How are you still alive?

Cereb: Hah, I won't be once we return, I can tell you that for sure!

Y/N: Hmmm, naked Gebura sounds nice but we're here on a mission tonight. So come on, spit out the treat or we're sending your homeless camp into the Outskirts.

With a firm tone, the ex-captain once more slammed his bucket in the face of the Color Fixer. The lunatic's gaze shifted to it and back to the face belonging to the one holding it.

Without a single word being said, the Fixer raised his weapon with his usual grin.

Thankfully for the assistant librarian & unfortunately for the Reverberation Ensemble leader, a booming voice quickly shut down any hostilities with their mere presence.

Greta: Hahaha! Look what we've got here, that's a varied stack of ingredients if I ever saw one!

Zophia: Shit, the shark lady is here.

Greta: Dunno what you were expecting, you ARE inside our camp.

The distorted woman taking the appearance of a walking shark let out a laughter that woke up the remaining members of the Ensemble. All of them slowly emerged from their resting places.

Eileen: Hm? What's going on?

The head belonging to the leader of the Church of Gears popped out from the tent Argalia stepped out of, completely naked for everyone to see.

A long period of silence followed until she realized that everyone's stare was on her. The lightbulb serving as her head turned red and she quickly retreated into the tent. When she came out, she was fully dressed in her suit.

Y/N: ...Didn't know we were interrupting some... private time.

Argalia: She's doing this on her own.

For the second time, the sheer shock the man received was enough to bring back from his mentally deranged state.

Y/N: Yea, sure, we'll go with that explanation.

Malkuth: Y-Y/N, maybe we should leave for now-

Tanya: Backing away so soon? You only just got here.

Greta: That's right, you should stay for dinner!

Out of fear, Cereb reached for the blade by his side with sweats going down his face. He might be wearing & carrying the sword of a legendary Fixer but he himself wasn't. Still, in spite of that, he was willing to stand as a wall to protect his friends.

The black wolf took notice and grinned while cracking her knuckles.

Greta: Now, let's see what we have!

The eyes of the predator scanned each head present until they landed upon the leader from the side of the Library, who looked up to her. A long staredown ensued, leaving both sides in silence.

Then, finally-

Greta: Oh, if it isn't Y/N. It's rare to see you out here, I almost mistook you for someone else!

Y/N: Can't blame you, Angela doesn't allow me to go touch the ground outside without a leash around my neck.

Alter Ego: She does WHAT?!

Her yell of surprise was ignored by the duo standing at the front, who exchanged a laughter between them.

Y/N: ...If what she promised is true that is. I don't really have a need to go outside, even less needing her permission.

Hava: Didn't that Arbiter drag you to A Corp for like a week?

Y/N: We don't talk about that.

Greta: Hahaha! Still keeping that sense of humour. I hope you also kept your appetite!

Malkuth: ...Y-Y/N? D-Don't tell you-

The voice of the Patron librarian caused the librarians to turn towards the director's assistant, understanding what she was trying to say. Everyone present knew Greta's deal and for her to be on friendly grounds with him, it would mean...

The only response they got from him was a simple shrug.

Y/N: I know that Angela made it so that we don't feel hunger but it doesn't stop a man from wanting a good meal once in a while.

Morgan: Y-You ate human meat?

For the first time since they've stepped outside, Morgan raised her voice and pointed at him. Her already pale skin became paler and her eyes widened in horror.

The accused member frowned back and placed a hand against his chest, pretenting to have his pride hurt.

Y/N: Of course not, like I said in a previous chapter, I'm a pure boy... if we ignore Angela's attempts on me.

Zophia: Honestly, the more I know about you, the more deranged you feel like. I wouldn't be surprised if you did.

Y/N: Have a little faith in me!

Hava: Kinda hard to do so when you're just taking what she's giving you.

Just as she said, the man who worked in the Central Command department was reaching towards a bag that the shark lady was almost shoving into his grasp while looking in their direction.

As he was about to argue back, he took a peek inside and his eyes widened. Whatever was inside quickly shut him up.

Like a child that recently discovered a treasure, he reached inside and pulled out a packaged cake.

Y/N: I didn't know you could make these, this is great! I'm saving that for later.

A wide grin was plastered on his face until he opened his mouth wide and shoved the entire package inside his throat. The scene was so horrifying that even the toughest members of the Ensemble averted their eyes.

Zophia reacted by downing a fresh can of beer in one go.

Morgan: ...That was horrifying.

Malkuth: God that was hot-

Jae-heon: ...What.

...We're gonna move on from this worrying comment, for my own sanity.

Ahem, anyway, with now the items they came here for, the leader of this group turned and made his way to the other librarians. With a proud look, he opened the bag he carried and revealed multiple sweets within.

Some were curious enough and took out a few to examine them, fearing that they might find a human finger hidden somewhere.

Cereb: ...To think a shark would be the first person we get a treat from, this world really went down the drain.

Y/N: Don't be like that, the night is still ahead of us. Come on everyone, let's keep going!

Many "Yea"s were exchanged between the librarians before they made their way towards the remainder of the Nest, leaving behind the members of the hobo association.

Said members looked at the group in the distance before turning their eyes to the lady with culinary talent.

Elena: Since when...

Greta: A long story, it's rare to see someone enjoy anything you serve them!

Tanya: ...What's happening to him?

The one with a wolf head pointed towards the clown, who silently looked up at the sky, towards the descending Sun. The sight was unusual, even more for the group who was stuck alongside him. He hadn't said a single word during the entire conversation.

Without any warning, he turned around and looked at the members of the Ensemble.

Oswald: Miss Sun seems to be in a bad mood today, she's crying her poor heart out~

Argalia: Haha, so this explains the sound of mosquitoes in my ears.

Philip: ...Shouldn't we kill them now instead-

Everyone Else: Shut up Philip.

Bremen: Bark-Bark!

...

Yea, I haven't mentioned this but ever since Alter Ego wore her costume, a certain someone trapped within the Light has been screaming nonstop up until now. Even now, I can hear her yells, no matter how far I get from her.

I completely tuned her out. If I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to narrate this whole chapter.

"I'm gonna strangle this bitch, I swear! I'll my hands on her and rip her head off! She dares steal my look AND my love?! I won't accept this!!"

She's been yelling things like that for a while now.

I now understand that Angela's awful attitude is possibly hereditary, at least if I believe what I'm hearing and witnessing.

"Ayiiiiiiin, hold me back, I swear I'm getting down and beating her ass into the ground!"

No you won't, you have toothpick arms and akwardly bent legs, you're not gonna do shit.

"I heard that Ayin!"

Not like you can do much about it. So shut it and let me narrate in peace.

...

...

Y/N: So, anyway, past that, not much else happened. We went around, asked some candies and beat the shit out of some Sweepers for trying to mug us... I think.

Alter Ego: I think they were trying to give us candies.

Morgan: ...Y-You also pointed a gun at someone's head when they said they didn't have candies.

Y/N: It's trick or treat, he didn't have treats so I just pulled a trick.

Hava: Seems logical to me.

The girl with red eyes backed up Angela's helper as she took a candy from the pile they gathered. Afterwards, she looked to her right and tossed it past the limit of the bridge they were resting on.

Hava: Catch.

From the lava down below, a hand emerged and grabbed it. It followed with a thumbs up before sinking back into the liquid.

Alter Ego: ...I still think throwing Cereb down there was a bit harsh, even coming from Gebura.

Y/N: Heh, he'll be fine.

The ex-captain replied as he pushed down a candy bar. With the treat now in his mouth, he looked around, seeing how everyone was happily eating what caught their attention. He leaned further into his seat with a content look.

Y/N: Plus, in the end, we did get a peek of perfection.

Hava: I honestly wasn't expecting to see her walk out with nothing on.

Zophia: He did take her clothes during her sleep.

Hava: Good point.

The blond girl raised her head just to point out what they forgot before immediately collapsing back to the floor.

During their walk around the Nest in the hope of gaining sweets, the librarians quickly realized that, despite not really paying much attention to the actual event, the drunk girl did wear a costume...

...And it was probably the saddest one of the group: a depressed & overworked office worker.

Some people felt so embarrassed seeing her like this that they slipped her a few donations alongside her share of candies. It was truly a sad sight to witness.

Zophia: Still no clue what I'm gonna do with 50,000 Ahn but I guess I can save it for when we're done.

Y/N: Dunno how useful it's gonna be in the Outskirts but sure, you do you.

Zophia: ...Huh?

Y/N: Oops, forget I said anything.

The exhausted worker quickly avoided the subject when he realized his mistake. Behind him, the sound of footsteps caught both his and everyone else's attention. Even Cereb's completely burnt face peeked out of the lava.

In the distance, what they saw froze them in place... with the exception of a certain skeleton swimming in magma due to a lack of body to sense fear.

Angela: So this where you were.

Y/N: ...Shit.

Her assistant softly mumbled to himself as she closed the gap in an instant with a teleport. She held him by the neck before raising him to his feet forcefully.

The glare she held was powerful enough to remind him of the Ice Queen's containment room.

Angela: After everything I've prepared, for the both of us alone, you decide to leave in secret?!

Y/N: Huh, I-

Angela: I prepared everything, from a perfect resting place together to even spiked drinks... all of this is ruined!

At the mention of the drinks, the candy held in Alter Ego's hand was swiftly crushed. Her dead eyes looked at its remains, imagining the AI's head there instead.

Y/N: ...It was worth it.

His response came with the sound of choking coming from him. However, unlike what one would assume, Angela was not the cause of said noise.

The ex-captain let out guttural noises of agony until finally, he spat out a familiar container he had previously devoured onto the AI's face. The saliva made it stick to her face long enough for him to open it, take the sweet inside and eat it without taking a bite.

The package slowly fell down, revealing a machine on the point of recreating a Floor Realization.

Y/N: You got some stuff on your face, you should get that checked out.

Zophia: You're the last person who should be able to say that.

Without a single word coming from her mouth, the director glanced down and finally took notice of the costume he was wearing. Her already furious expression grew past 'furious' and jumped straight into 'wrath'.

Her hand holding onto the man tightened as her eyes slowly made their way up to him.

Angela: Who did this?

Y/N: Who did what?

Angela: Who forced you into these clothes?

Her cold tone of voice could almost make the lava nearby freeze in place. The others present were choking on the air they were holding and for a good reason.

The entire Library began to vibrate, sending warning signals in everyone's brain. They looked back at the one who was being focused on by the machine.

With a feeble smile, he raised both of his hands at the level of his face and spoke with the average IQ of a reader-insert protagonist.

Y/N: I just wanted to dress as the person you love the most, pretty funny eh?

Angela: ...

Morgan: ...We're all dead.

Cereb: Speak for yourself, I already am.

Zophia: I wish I was that Random guy right now.

The floating skeleton, completely ignoring the emergency of the situation, slowly turned towards her and asked a question to nobody in particular.

Cereb: Come to think of it, where IS Random? It's been 6 hours.

Alter Ego: Are we really doing a transition now of all tim-

...

Random: This time! I'm sure of it, it's THAT way! I just beat a tough boss, it has to be this way!

While the apocalypse was still ongoing within the Library, a different type of disaster was leaving the man with the worst name in existence on a whole new adventure, one he didn't care much about.

Random: I swear I'm gonna get there for the halloween party, just you wait!

As he brandished a bloodied fist, the one trapped in a hellish reality kicked the corpse of a deceased monster he killed with his bare hands, not willing to trust anything he found in the shithole he was trapped in.

Random: I wonder what kind of candies they got... Oh, maybe they got some drinks too? God knows I'm gonna need one once I leave this shithole.

With no hesitation in his steps, he calmly made his way further with a frown of annoyance. Just thinking about the next roadblock was enough to leave him in a bad mood.

Random: If I see one more thing trying to block my path, I'm gonna beat the crap out of them so much that they'll wish my parent had used protection to save them.

(This is probably the only time I'll do a chapter related to an irl event since they tend to age poorly.)