CONTENT WARNINGS!

This chapter contains mentions of child death, implied abuse and violence.

Footsteps echoed loudly down the never ending halls. [YN] ran as fast as they possibly could, their heart pounding in their chest. Tears formed in their eyes, blurring their vision, causing them to bump into a wall as they turned a corner.

They couldn't remember why they were running and was too scared to look back. Out of sight, out of mind. Yet they knew something... Someone was chasing them. They could hear it. They could hear him.

"What's the matter sweetie? Running away again?"

Familiar yet different, a voice called out from behind [YN]. They shook their head and tried wiping away their tears. Desperately trying to ignore the pain in their legs, they kept running.

"You can't ignore me forever."

The voice echoed down the halls. Slowly, the walls around [YN] began dripping a deep red blood, coming from the ceilings. The further they ran, the more blood trickled down the walls.

"You need to obey."

A sudden sharp pain in [YN]'s ankle caused them to trip over. Turning to look at their ankle they saw a dog with a foaming mouth and bloodshot eyes biting it.

"No, no, no, no! Get off of me!" [YN] yelled, their voice seemingly quiet despite trying to scream.

Looking further down the hallway, [YN] spotted him, [REDACTED]. He was growing closer with every second. Their eyes widened and they tried pushing themselves away from the dog, but as soon as their hands touched the ground they felt a sticky sensation.

Lifting their hands to look at them, they saw blood completely covering them. [YN] tried to scream but no noise came out. The pain in their chest grew heavier as he slowly lowered his face to look at them.

"Their blood is on your hands."

"You made me do it, it's your fault!" [YN] stated, their voice a mere whisper.

More tears trickled down [YN]'s face. They squeezed their eyes shut and shook their head. [REDACTED] grabbed their face, squeezing it tightly.

"I think it's time you wake up."

[YN]'s eyes snapped open, one hand moving to grip onto their shirt. Their breathing was frantic as they looked around, realising they were sat on the metal lift. BanBan was sat opposite to them, his brows furrowed with concern.

"Are you okay?" BanBan asked softly, his golden eyes flickering ever so slightly.

"Yeah I just..." [YN] started, letting out a shaky breath. "Had a nightmare."

BanBan nodded solemnly. He slowly moved a hand to hold onto his cross, twisting it between his fingers. [YN] looked away, closing their eyes and taking in a deep breath.

"How long was I asleep?" [YN] questioned.

"Not long, maybe around 20 minutes. You started dozing off as soon as you sat down and I didn't want to wake you, you looked exhausted." BanBan explained, his tail slowly swishing around.

[YN] hummed quietly, slowly standing up, trying to ignore the pain in their shoulders and legs. BanBan stood with them, moving to hold the metal gate open. [YN] muttered a small thank you before the two stepped off of the lift and began walking.

BanBan spoke while they walked, unlocking and opening several doors. [YN] heard the words, yet none of them processed, they felt disconnected from their body. Their arms crossed over their chest, one hand scratching at their skin.

"You know, Syringeon isn't too fond of humans. Especially after everything [REDACTED] did." BanBan sighed.

[YN] snapped back to reality at the mention of [REDACTED]. They tensed up slightly, scratching their skin more. Looking down at the ground, they hummed quietly before speaking.

"He invited me here, I'm sure it'll be fine." [YN] mumbled.

The two walked into another room, at one side of the room was Nabnaleena. She looked quietly at [YN] before immediately running as soon as she saw BanBan. [YN] hummed quietly, turning to look at their companion.

"Do you mind if I take a moment? I want to try something." [YN] asked.

BanBan nodded and stepped aside. [YN] then slowly made their way to where Nabnaleena had run off to. Before long they found her, curled up in a corner with her legs up against her chest. She immediately turned and looked over at [YN] upon hearing them enter the room.

Nabnaleena wiped away her tears and stared up at them with wide blank eyes. [YN] held their hands up, trying to show they weren't a threat. Slowly they sat down near her, tilting their head slightly while looking at her stitches.

"I bet those hurt." [YN] whispered, gesturing to the purple stitches.

Quietly nodding, Nabnaleena's face softened slightly. [YN] moved their backpack to their lap, humming quietly while thinking.

"If you'd like, I can remove them? I promise I'll be careful." [YN] suggested.

Nabnaleena's eyes widened as she looked back over at [YN] before looking back down at the ground. [YN] could tell she was processing, considering the option. They gave a soft, reassuring smile.

Nabnaleena looked over at [YN] once again and slowly nodded. After taking a set of scissors out of their backpack, [YN] got to work. They placed one hand gently on Nabnaleena's cheek, humming quietly while snipping and slowly removing each thread.

As careful as they tried to be, some of the stitches bled slightly. The turquoise liquid slowly dripped down NabNaleena's face. [YN] offered reassurance, telling her how good she was doing. Nabnaleena kept her eyes shut the entire time, her body shaking.

Once all of the stitches were removed, [YN] went into their backpack. Taking out their hoodie, they used the sleeves to wipe away any of the blood left. Eventually Nabnaleena stopped bleeding, [YN] slowly backed away, smiling softly.

"All done, how do you feel?" [YN] asked, their voice soft.

Nabnaleena opened her eyes, one of her hands moving to gently trace over the scars beside her mouth. Tears slowly formed in her eyes, trickling down her face. Slowly she opened her mouth, her jaws cracking slightly as she did.

"Feel... Free." Nabnaleena muttered, her voice raspy after having not spoken for years.

Nabnaleena stood up, wrapping her arms tightly around [YN] in a hug. They held each other for a moment before she thanked them and ran away. [YN] packed their things away and then left the room.

Upon returning to BanBan, [YN] noticed how shocked he looked. They gave a small smile, crossing their arms. BanBan slowly turned to look at them, his eyes wide.

"Did Nabnaleena let you remove her stitches?" BanBan asked.

"Yeah, she seemed a little anxious about it but she did a great job." [YN] smiled as they started walking.

"She's never let anyone touch her stitches, she rarely even lets anyone get close to her." BanBan muttered as he followed behind [YN].

The two walked for a little while before coming across a locked door. [YN] took out a keycard and opened it, as soon as the door opened freezing air immediately hit them. Slowly stepping into the room, they began trying to look around.

Inside the room was almost completely pitch black. [YN] began shivering, rubbing their arms with their hands to try and warm up slightly. They moved forward carefully yet bumped into something.

Rummaging in their pocket, [YN] pulled out their phone, using the flashlight on it. The thing they had bumped into was an ice crate with a severed arm inside of it. [YN] covered their mouth, immediately looking away.

The loud clunking noise of a door opening made [YN] turn around. Their hand moved away from their face as their eyes widened. Stood in a doorway with light beaming behind them was a tall figure. The figure slowly bent down to step through the frame, their body was barely able to be made out in the darkness.

Moving the flashlight of their phone to point at the figure was when [YN] realised who it was. It was none other than Syringeon himself. He had pinkish skin with slim yellow eyes. The left side of his face had two scars over the eye, making it a lighter yellow.

On the centre of his forehead was a scar that closely resembled an eye. He wore an outfit almost entirely made of gold and yellow, including a golden veil over their face. She had four arms, all of them having metal hands and forearms.

A loud ringing grew in [YN]'s ears. Their head grew heavy and before anyone knew what was happening, they collapsed to the ground. BanBan immediately rushed to their side, holding their limp body in his arms.

"You're getting closer."

It was that voice again. His voice. He had been reoccurring in their dreams more often since their sibling disappeared. It didn't make the pain any easier.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you."

[YN] slowly looked up. [REDACTED] towered over them. His figure loomed tall, his face full of anger and disgust. He looked different this time, his neck seemed out of place ever so slightly, like the bones within were twisted.

"Wake up."

[YN] sat up, their breath heavy as they looked around. They were lying in a medical bed, BanBan was sat at the end of it. He looked over at them, his eyes turning from a light colour to a deep gold.

Moving a hand to their chest, [YN] let out a shaky breath. It was then that they realised just how warm they felt, looking down to see they were wearing a knitted sweater. They looked over at BanBan, raising an eyebrow.

"I found it in an old storage room, you were shivering then you passed out so I wanted to warm you up somehow." BanBan explained.

[YN] nodded and sighed quietly. They moved the medical sheets off of themselves and moved so they were sat at the edge of the bed. BanBan stood up, moving to assist helping them stand.

Hopping off of the bed, [YN]'s legs began to shake. They gripped tightly onto BanBan's arms, trying to keep their balance. BanBan held onto them, humming softly as his tail slowly swished around.

Once [YN] was stabilised and collected their bag, the two left the room. They began walking down a hallway, several blood splatters staining the walls. The hallway stenched of blood and decay. [YN] quickened their pace slightly, one arm looped around BanBan's to help with support.

BanBan pushed open a door, the two of them stepping through and into a large open area. In the corner of the room was a large desk with two chairs either side. NabNab sat on the desk, slowly kicking his legs. He was wearing a light blue shirt and a dark blue jacket with the sleeves rolled up at his elbows.

Despite his mouth being stitched, NabNab seemed to be smiling as he looked over at Syringeon who was sat on one of the chairs. Syringeon wore a yellow shirt, black trousers, a deep purple jacket as well as yellow and black boots. He was leaning over the desk, writing something in a notebook. Syringeon's eyes were catlike, yellow with black slits.

NabNab was the first to notice [YN] and BanBan, he nudged at Syringeon, pulling her attention to the duo. Syringeon closed the notebook and stood up, he gave a small bow, holding out a hand towards [YN]. It was then that [YN] realised just how tall he was, standing at a grand 12'10".

"Welcome home, [YN]. We've been awaiting your return." Syringeon smiled, his sharp teeth on show and his Irish accent strong.

[YN] stepped forward, taking the significantly larger hand in their own and shaking it. When they pulled their hand away they held onto the straps of their backpack. BanBan stood behind them, his tail erratically swishing.

"Care to take a seat?" Syringeon offered, gesturing to the seat opposite to where he had been sitting.

As much as they didn't want to, [YN] slowly nodded and moved to sit down, placing their bag on their lap. BanBan stood behind them, nodding over at NabNab who gave a small wave. Syringeon then sat back down in his seat, his top set of hands interlocking with her elbows on the table.

"Now, if it isn't obvious, things around here have changed since you last were around. For starters, I'm the New God. While I consider myself of a high status I hold higher morals than the old gods. Although I will say, I deem myself a punisher to those that deserve it. Sins will be atoned." Syringeon explained.

[YN] nodded quietly as they squeezed their backpack. BanBan placed a hand on their shoulder, lightly squeezing it, they flinched slightly in pain, making him remove his hand. Syringeon hummed before continuing to talk.

"Your sibling is currently busy. You're welcome to hang around and wait for their return or if you'd like, since you've been helping so many others, you could try to help Josh." Syringeon suggested.

"Josh is down here?" [YN] asked, quietly.

"Sure is, he came crashing through the ceiling while you were passed out. He's been pacing ever since." Syringeon sighed, one of their lower hands moving to rub their brow.

[YN] nodded and stood up, putting their backpack back on. They tucked the chair into the desk and turned around. BanBan began leading them to the door.

"One last thing." Syringeon said.

[YN] turned to look at him. Syringeon's eyes seemed to glow, a small, almost sinister smile on his face. She held a pen in one hand, slowly tapping it against the desk.

"I hope you like my work." Syringeon beamed, his smile only growing wider.

[YN] nodded quietly and turned back to look at BanBan who rolled his eyes. The two then left, walking through a different door. Walking down a staircase, [YN] noticed several fresh looking blood splatters on the wall.

"What did he mean by that?" [YN] asked.

BanBan gripped onto his cross and sighed. "You'll see soon."

Once reaching the bottom of the stairway, BanBan unlocked a door and the two walked through it. [YN] looked around, seeing streets and tall buildings. They hummed quietly, stopping upon locking eyes with something.

The creature had an almost humanoid figure, except all of the joints were doll like. The skin was a turquoise colour. Its eyes were white pools that stared blankly at [YN], its mouth open agape. It had no hands and its feet had no details, resembling a doll again.

The two stared at each other for a moment before the creature turned and ran away. [YN] turned to look at BanBan, going to question the creature but pausing at the sound of scuttling at their feet. They looked down to see a turquoise head with black eyes, four sets of limbs attached to a small round body. It looked almost spider like.

In a state of panic, [YN] kicked the creature, sending its body flying. They immediately began spluttering out apologies, but the creature only scurried away. BanBan covered his mouth with one hand, desperately trying to hold back a laugh.

[YN] lightly punched his arm as BanBan laughed softly. The two then continued walking, turning a corner to find a silver statue of Syringeon. [YN] stared up at the statue, cringing at it before quickly walking past it.

Before turning a corner, [YN] looked over their shoulder. The statue was around 20ft tall, the lower arms reached out while the upper two were together in a praying motion. Cringing again, they looked away, looping their arm around BanBan's again.

After walking for a while the two stood in front of a chain link fence. Behind it was a small building with Liam's Cafe & Bar on a large sign. BanBan and [YN] both exchanged confused looks before turning back to look at the bar.

"Have you ever been here before?" [YN] asked, lightly squeezing BanBan's arm.

"Never, I rarely ever come down to this level because I hate looking at the experiments." BanBan said as he shuddered slightly.

"Experiments?" [YN] questioned.

"The Alien looking things, like the one that ran away from us earlier." BanBan explained as he pushed the fence open.

The two stepped through the fence, slowly walking towards the building. BanBan pushed the door open, the both stepping through. The room had a few empty tables with a set of stairs at the opposite end of the room. The duo looked at each other then began making their way down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs was a large dimly lit room. Half a dozen of the experiments were sat at tables, all of them turning to glare at the pair. At the far end of the room was a bar, one of the experiments stood behind it.

Getting a closer look at all of them, [YN] noticed that any scars they had were all red instead of the turquoise colour of the other mascots. The barman, Liam, had a large scar over his face. The scar went over his right eye, causing it to be a deep black colour. Liam placed the pint mug he was cleaning down on the bar, his brows furrowing.

"You shouldn't be here." Liam muttered, slowly crossing his arms.

"We were just curious-" [YN] started.

"Get out of my goddamn bar!" Liam exclaimed, pointing at the stairs.

[YN] nodded and the two quickly made their way back up the stairs and out of the building. BanBan's tail erratically swished around as he opened the chain link fence. [YN] looked up at him as the two continued walking.

"So... What are those things?" [YN] asked.

BanBan's ears perked up slightly before drooping again. He looked down at [YN] and sighed softly before staring down at the ground in front of them. [YN] quietly placed their head on his shoulder.

"How much did high priest Dadadoo tell you about what happened here?" BanBan questioned.

"He told me about the fall but not what happened to the bodies." [YN] stated.

BanBan nodded solemnly. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking. The silence that previously would have been painful seemed far less intense than when the two first met.

"The experiments are what happened to the humans. The New God put their bodies on ice and tore them apart, piece by piece, putting them into these new forms. Some of the humans exist as multiple experiments. In some way or another, all of them were involved in what caused all of our deaths." BanBan explained, his voice shaking slightly.

"Is that what he meant by sins will be atoned?" [YN] muttered, already knowing the answer.

BanBan nodded quietly. His tail began erratically swishing around again. [YN] gently squeezed his arm, humming quietly.

"What happened to the five owners?" [YN] asked.

"They're all living in their own personalised hell, suffering in ways that remind them constantly of the way they died." BanBan said, shuddering slightly.

"God that's..." [YN] started.

"Awful? I know." BanBan sighed.

[YN] tugged at the sleeves of their jumper, humming and quietly nodding. The two stopped in front of a large building labelled as the theatre. They walked up the short but wide staircase, BanBan pushing open one of the tall wooden double doors and holding it for [YN] as they walked through.

The theatre had a dozen double doors inside, all of them boarded up. There were several cabinets spread around, one of which having a bench beside it. [YN] walked over to the bench, sitting down on it with a loud sigh.

"You can look around if you want, I just need a moment." [YN] said, moving one hand to their neck to feel their heart rate.

BanBan nodded, quietly going through the cabinets. [YN] closed their eyes, taking in a shaky breath. They focused on their breathing, making sure to take long, slow breaths. BanBan looked over occasionally, his eyes switching between light and deep gold.

"How many of my scars did you see?" [YN] asked.

BanBan stopped in his tracks, mid way going through a set of files. He tensed up slightly, taking a moment before slowly turning to look at [YN] they were staring at the ground.

"What do you mean?" BanBan questioned.

"I'm not wearing the shirt I was wearing earlier. It's a different one under the sweater. Similar but different." [YN] said, their knee bouncing slightly. "How many of my scars did you see?"

BanBan went to speak but stopped himself. [YN] looked up and over at him, their face blank. He quietly looked back down at them, letting out a small shaky breath.

"I saw the ones on your arms and back. You had blood on your shirt and I didn't want to leave you in bloody clothes." BanBan explained.

[YN] nodded and stood up, slowly walking towards the door. BanBan hurried after them, moving to open it. [YN] muttered a small thank you as they crossed their arms.

At the bottom of the theatre stairs was Stinger, he waved upon seeing the two. [YN] hurried down the stairs, waving back. Stinger's face softened slightly, he leant down, offering a hug.

[YN] immediately wrapped their arms around him the best they could. Despite Stinger's body being cold, the embrace felt warm and comforting. It felt familiar. They gripped onto Stinger slightly, not realising how much they needed the hug.

BanBan cleared his throat, the two separating from the embrace. He crossed his arms as he looked up at Stinger who sighed. [YN] looked between the two, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"Uthman, if it's alright, I'd like to speak to you about something." Stinger said.

"I'll leave you two alone." [YN] said, already starting to walk away.

BanBan went to protest but Stinger placed a tentacle on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. [YN] walked around the corner where they found another small chain link fence. Pushing it open, they walked through.

There was a small area with a mix of tables, Banbaleena was sat on one, staring up at a hole in the ceiling. [YN] walked over, sitting on the table beside her. The two sat in silence for a while, staring up at the ceiling.

"If I focus enough I can almost imagine it's the stars I'm looking at." Banbaleena whispered, one hand reaching out towards the ceiling.

"You really love space, don't you?" [YN] playfully teased.

Banbaleena nodded quietly. She moved to bring her knees up to her chest, hugging them. She still stared up at the ceiling, her eyes watering slightly.

"My memories of being alive are pretty fuzzy, but when I was homeless looking up at the night sky was one of the only things that kept me hopeful." Banbaleena laughed softly.

"You were homeless?" [YN] asked quietly as they turned to look at her.

"It's how I ended up getting involved in this hellhole in the first place. [REDACTED] offered me a safe place to stay, all I had to do was devote my life to this place. After years of being on the streets I eagerly agreed." Banbaleena explained.

The two were quiet for a while. Looking up at the ceiling , occasionally parts from the hole flaked off and fell to the ground. The longer [YN] looked, the more they could start to see the resemblance of the lights being the stars.

"I have no idea if I can get a signal on my phone down here but if you'd like I can try to get some space pictures for you?" [YN] asked.

"You'd do that for me?" Banbaleena asked, her face immediately lighting up.

"I'll sure as hell try." [YN] laughed.

[YN] pulled their phone out, unlocking it and going onto their search engine. Luckily they had two bars of signal. The two spent a countless amount of time scrolling through pictures of all different types of space phenomena. Ranging from black holes to quasars to different exoplanets.

They laughed, they oohed and they aahed, analysing each picture in detail and pointing out all the unique qualities. Banbaleena's tail happily swished around the entire time, her eyes practically glimmering.

Meanwhile, Stinger had sat BanBan down, he looked like a child about to be lectured by a parent. Stinger sighed as he crossed one set of tentacles. BanBan's tail slowly swished around as his knee bounced up and down.

"You need to be more careful." Stinger stated, his voice firm.

"I know, I'm just so thankful to have them around, I got carried away." BanBan muttered, looking down at the ground.

"Patience is key. We might finally be getting our freedom, don't fuck this up for us because you want to worship them." Stinger sighed, a tentacle rubbing his brow as he closed his eye.

BanBan nodded quietly, placing his hands in his lap. Stinger sighed again after taking in a deep breath. Looking over at BanBan he slid a folded up note across the table. Looking at the note then up at Stinger, BanBan slowly picked it up.

"What is this?" BanBan asked as he slowly unfolded the paper.

"The proof that this building legally belongs to [YN]." Stinger explained.

BanBan's eyes widened, he stared over at Stinger, his mouth agape. He looked back down at the paper, reading it over again before taking in a shaky breath.

"What am I meant to do with this?" BanBan asked, gripping onto the note.

"The only reason I'm showing you this is so that you know not to fuck up. Our lives are on the line here and our future is in their hands." Stinger sighed, leaning back in his seat. "Is that understood?

BanBan nodded before speaking. "I understand."

[YN] and Banbaleena were lying on the table, staring up at the ceiling. Banbaleena had a wide smile on her face, both of her hands resting on her chest. [YN] hummed quietly.

"Thank you, [YN]. I really needed this." Banbaleena smiled softly.

"I promised you we would talk about space at a later point, all I did was keep my promise." [YN] smiled back. "Though if it's okay, I should get going. I need to find Josh."

"Of course! Good luck, stay safe alright?" Banbaleena wrapped her arms tightly around [YN] in a hug.

The two held onto each other for a while, eventually [YN] broke away and climbed off of the table. They smiled and waved over at Banbaleena before leaving through the chain link fence, she smiled and waved back.

[YN] began walking, looking down the path in front of them, before long they came across a box on the floor. Picking it up and opening it, they found a large cross attached to a necklace. Humming quietly, they placed it inside of their backpack.

Looking back up, [YN] saw several of the experiments staring at them. They were all quietly whispering to each other but quickly scurried away when [YN] looked at them. Sighing, [YN] continued walking.

[YN] stood in front of a large building with a sign reading tools mart. The building seemed to have a rancid aroma, a small that they couldn't quite pin point. A hand on their shoulder caused them to jump slightly, turning to see Syringeon stood behind you.

"I must warn you, this is where he tends to reside." Syringeon said, her voice firm but oddly soft.

"He?" [YN] asked, gripping onto the straps of their backpack.

"Your father, or what I turned him into anyway." Syringeon explained.

[YN] took in a shaky breath before speaking. "I think I can handle it."

Syringeon nodded, watching as [YN] pushed open the door and stepped inside the building. Inside the building was dimly lit, the lights flickering intensely. The odour seemed even worse from the inside.

There was another large statue, also created with silver. [YN] had no idea where the materials for it came from or how it was made, not that it really mattered. The base of the statue had something engraved on it, walking over and kneading down they began to read.

If you ever find yourself questioning why you're here then let this be a reminder. Each and every one of you here was involved in the death and murder of dozens of individuals. Many of you forced myself to commit crimes against those I consider friends and even family. You have committed sins against human kind and were the scum of the earth. You worshiped false prophets, men with ego issues and god complexes. And for that, you are to be punished.

[YN] let out a shaky breath, feeling their heart rate quickening. They stood up and walked around the statue, walking over to a tall doorframe. The door was missing, seemingly torn from its hinges. They traced a hand against the frame before stepping through.

In the room was one of the experiments lying on the floor. There was shattered glass all around the room, supposedly from where a bottle had been thrown at the wall. The experiment slowly turned its head to look at [YN] before muttering something under its breath.

Quietly, they step around the experiment, walking through another door frame. The next room had a large table with paper scattered all over it. Walking over to the table, they looked over some of the pages, some of them looking eerily familiar.

Some of the pages had essays and important information about the mascots. Others were drawings that looked like they had been done by a child. Picking up one of the pages, [YN] smiled slightly. It was a drawing of Stinger holding hands with a small child, he looked happy.

[YN]'s smile faded at the sound of a loud groan coming from the next room. Placing the paper down, they walked over to the tall, wooden red door. Taking in a shaky breath, they pushed the door open, stepping through.

Their eyes immediately widened, one hand moving to cover their mouth. In the corner of the room was a dark turquoise slug like creature. It was as tall as the other experiments, its mouth half the size of the rest of its body. At the centre of the black pools of its eyes were two human looking green eyes. The eyes looked familiar, too familiar.

"Dad?" [YN] asked quietly, tears forming in their eyes at they stared at him.

The creature let out another low groan, its two seal like arms pushing its body forward and towards [YN]. Instinctively, they took a step back. Their heart was pounding in their chest, their entire body aching. There was no denying the fact that the creature in front of them was what used to be their father.

The bloodshot eyes stared blankly at [YN] as he slowly moved closer. With each movement he let out a groan in pain, unusually determined. [YN] stood still, their body trembling with both hands covering their mouth. The source of the stretch was staring them in the eyes.

In an instant, [REDACTED] stopped moving forwards, his body began violently convulsing, his eyes rolling back. His head limped forwards as he stopped moving, [YN] turning around to see Syringeon had fired a taser at him. She crossed her lower arms, sighing dramatically.

"Did he hurt you at all?" Syringeon asked, looking down at [YN] softly.

[YN] shook their head, removing their hands from their face and slowly looking back over at [REDACTED]. He was glaring at the two of them, almost panting slightly.

"A little fun fact for you, this bastard is in constant pain." Syringeon said, smiling slightly. "Just as he deserves."

[YN] nodded quietly, glancing up at Syringeon before looking at [REDACTED] again. He was muttering hate repeatedly, his voice raspy and cracking occasionally. Syringeon rolled his eyes as he scoffed slightly.

"I think I'm going to leave. I still need to find Josh." [YN] muttered.

"Safe travels, I wish you good luck." Syringeon smiled.

[YN] walked back through the door they had come through. They stepped around the experiment on the floor again, who was now curled up in a ball. Before walking through the next doorframe they heard a loud thud followed by groaning. Not wanting to turn back, they sped up their pace, running out of the building.

As soon as they were outside, a loud rumbling could be heard. [YN] looked down the path, seeing Josh coming running around a corner, crashing into a wall. He stood up and began looking around, locking eyes with [YN].

[YN]'s heart began pounding in their chest as they stared into the green eyes of the green giant. He still had chains around his limbs and waist, some of them having bite marks on them.

Before they knew what was happening, Josh began charging directly at [YN]. As much as their brain screamed to run, they stayed still. They continued staring at him as he bounded towards them. Despite everything, they refused to run.

Josh stopped, directly in front of [YN], glaring down at them. He huffed loudly, his brows furrowed, his mouth still covered by his mask. [YN] quietly held out a hand. Josh stared down at their hand for a moment, almost contemplating his options.

[YN] could feel a bead of sweat dripping down their forehead, yet they still stayed. Slowly, Josh leant down, he looked [YN] up and down. In that moment, the both of them were vulnerable and so, Josh placed his forehead against [YN]'s hand.

Letting out a relieved sigh, [YN] gently rubbed their thumb against Josh's forehead. Josh closed his eyes, leaning into the touch more. He sat down, letting out a small huff.

"I want to help you." [YN] whispered.

Josh opened his eyes, moving away from [YN]'s hand and pointing at his chains with one hand. [YN] nodded and took off their backpack, pulling out the keys they had previously found. Josh's eyes widened and he held out his hands.

Carefully, [YN] used the keys to unlock the chains. Under each one were turquoise scars, the skin slightly thinner than the surrounding area. Josh didn't seem to mind, from what [YN] could tell he was just happy to have his restraints removed.

With a small click, the last chain was unlocked and removed. [YN] then slowly took off Josh's face mask, revealing a small scar over the right side of his mouth. Slowly, [YN] took a step back, smiling softly.

"How do you feel?" [YN] asked, kneading down to place the keys back in their backpack.

"Free." Josh whispered, his voice deep but quiet, one of his hands slowly rubbing his wrist.

"Oh, I found this earlier, is it yours?" [YN] questioned, taking out the cross they had found.

Josh slowly took the cross, squeezing it tightly in his hand. His back hunched over as tears formed in his eyes, slowly rolling down his cheeks. [YN] stood up, gently placing their hands on Josh's cheeks, wiping away his tears.

[YN] hummed quietly, placing their forehead against his much bigger one. The two stayed there for a while, the only noise being the soft humming. They swayed slowly together, the size difference between them barely seeming to matter.

"You'll be okay, I promise." [YN] whispered.

The two held onto each other for a short while longer before Josh broke away, he muttered a small thank you before walking off. As Josh departed, Syringeon exited the tools mart. He looked over at [YN] who had a soft smile on their face.

"You've done a good job, you should be proud of yourself." Syringeon said, a slight smile on his lips.

"Everyone around here deserves to feel secure and free after everything you've all been through." [YN] said as they put back on their backpack.

Syringeon nodded, humming quietly as he began walking. [YN] watched as NabNab ran up to her, jumping and climbing onto his shoulder. They held onto each other as Syringeon walked around a corner.

[YN] hummed quietly as they began walking, glancing up at the ceiling. Banbaleena seemed to have a point, if you focused hard enough, it did look like space. [YN] bumped into someone, immediately snapping them out of their trance.

"Well, fancy seeing you again, though I didn't think we would literally be running into each other." Dadadoo laughed, placing a hand on [YN]'s back to stabilise them.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry." [YN] said, stepping backwards.

"Don't be silly, it's a pleasure getting to see you again, dear." Dadadoo smiled, moving a hand to push [YN]'s hair out of their face.

[YN] laughed softly, looking up at Dadadoo who had a soft smile on his face. They smiled back slightly before their smile faded. They thought back to what BitterGiggle had previously said.

"Can I talk to you about something?" [YN] asked.

"Of course you can, dear. Would you like to find somewhere to sit and chat?" Dadadoo suggested.

[YN] nodded, suddenly becoming aware of just how much their legs were aching. The two made their way over to the Cafe, taking a seat at an empty table. [YN] placed their backpack on the floor, their knee bouncing up and down.

"So, what did you wish to speak about?" Dadadoo asked, smiling softly.

"Do you want to be a father?" [YN] questioned, looking up at him as their knee bounced more.

"What exactly are you proposing?" Dadadoo asked, recoiling slightly at the question.

"Not like that!" [YN] exclaimed, covering their face with their hands.

Dadadoo laughed softly, intertwining his fingers and placing his hands on the table. [YN] sighed and placed their hands in their lap. They looked up and over at Dadadoo.

"The naughty ones, do you want to be their father?" [YN] asked.

"Ah, that's what you meant." Dadadoo said softly.

Despite the fact he was wearing a veil and lacked most facial features, [YN] could see a sadness on Dadadoo's face. He was quiet for a moment, looking down at his hands. He began slowly twiddling his thumbs before speaking.

"I've always wanted to be a father. I had my own children in my old life, I loved them all so dearly." Dadadoo stated, letting out a small forced laugh.

"What happened to them, if you don't mind me asking?" [YN] questioned.

"A car crash, while I was at work a drunk driver hit the car my wife and children were in. They all died on impact." Dadadoo explained, letting out a shaky breath.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, that must have been devastating." [YN] whispered, moving one hand to place on top of Dadadoo's.

"It was, but that was over twenty years ago. With my children I was the complete opposite of how I am with the naughty ones. I had an active part in their lives, taking them to school and playing games with them. We did so many things together." Dadadoo laughed softly.

"What made you do things differently?" [YN] quietly asked.

Dadadoo fell silent for a moment. He let out a sigh, taking [YN]'s hand in his own, gently rubbing his thumb against the back of it. He forced a slight smile before it fell.

"The old gods, especially your father, drilled it into my head that a true father doesn't get involved in his children's lives. They told me that the reason my children died was because I was too involved in their lives and it was God's way of punishing me." Dadadoo explained, his voice shaking slightly.

[YN] fell silent for a moment, gently squeezing Dadadoo's hand. They looked up at him softly, memories of their childhood flooding back as he spoke. They sighed softly before speaking.

"Can I be brutally honest with you?" [YN] asked.

"Of course you can, dear." Dadadoo said softly.

"What the old gods said to you is bullshit. All of it is bullshit. They manipulated you and used your trauma against you to feed their complexes. I'm sure you were a great dad. It sounds like you loved your kids dearly. You can keep living in fear of punishment or you can live in the moment. The naughty ones are kids that need a dad. Are you going to neglect them like the monsters that hurt you, or are you going to love and support them even if it's terrifying at the start?" [YN] said, their voice confident despite shaking slightly.

Dadadoo paused for a moment, staring down at [YN] as they spoke. He listened carefully to each word. Gently squeezing their hand, he smiled slightly, his face showing softness.

"I'm going to love and support them. Or at least I'll try." Dadadoo said, taking [YN]'s other hand in his own.

"Baby steps alright? You don't have to dive into the deep end. I know you can do it." [YN] smiled softly.

"Thank you [YN]. Both for listening to me and believing in me when no one else did." Dadadoo smiled back.

The two stood up, embracing in a small hug, Dadadoo had to bend down to wrap his arms around [YN]. They held onto each other for a moment before separating, leaving the cafe together. Upon exiting it, they saw one of the naughty ones outside the chain link fence.

[YN] placed a hand on Dadadoo's arm. He turned to look down at them, they smiled softly and nodded at him. With a shaky breath, Dadadoo walked over to the naughty one, slowly picking it up and carrying it away.

Their smile growing wider, [YN] left the area, beginning to walk. Before long they came across BanBan, whose ears perked up at the sight of them. [YN] smiled slightly, waving over at him.

"There's someone who wants to see you." BanBan said, his tail slowly swishing around.

"Yeah? And who's that?" [YN] asked, looping their arm around BanBan's.

"You'll see, I don't want to spoil the surprise." BanBan exclaimed as the two began walking.

[YN] hoped that the person wanting to see them was their sibling, nerves growing slightly in their stomach as they walked more. They gently squeezed BanBan's arm, he smiled down at them softly.

BanBan pushed a door open and the two stepped through it. Inside was a large room, Zolphius was sat on the edge of a medical bed. He looked far different to when [YN] had last seen him. The stains on his face had been cleaned and his left arm had been repaired.

Toadster was sat beside the bed, screwing on a new leg attachment. He stopped what he was doing, smiling and waving at [YN]. Zolphius looked over at them, despite his face constantly being in a smile, he actually looked somewhat happy.

"Zolphius, you're getting patched up?" [YN] asked, their face lighting up slightly.

Zolphius nodded before speaking, his voice still robotic but with far less static. "You made me realise I don't have to be broken, that I deserve happiness just as much as everyone else."

"Damn right ya do, you deserve a happy ending Zolph. You've been through so much!" Toadster exclaimed.

Zolphius let out a small static laugh. "They only pulled me apart a few dozen times, it could have been a dozen, dozen times."

"Zolph, buddy, I love ya but you have a weird sense of humour." Toadster sighed as he clicked the lower part of the leg into place.

The group laughed for a while, exchanging jokes and comments. Zolphius seemed genuinely happy, something that none of them ever expected to happen. Once he was all fixed up, Toadster helped them off of the bed.

Zolphius held his arms open as an offer, [YN] smiled softly, embracing him in a hug. They squeezed each other gently, the hug not lasting long. After separating they all said their goodbyes, BanBan and [YN] then left the room, making their way back towards Syringeon's office.

"Do you think my sibling will be back yet?" [YN] asked, leaning against BanBan slightly.

"Let's hope so." BanBan said.

The two made their way back up the stairs, BanBan holding the door open as [YN] stepped through. They found Syringeon sat at his desk again. She was wearing a small pair of glasses, taking them off upon seeing the duo and gesturing for them to sit.

[YN] sat down on the seat opposite to Syringeon, their backpack in their lap. BanBan stood behind them, one hand on their shoulder. Syringeon nodded over at him, making BanBan roll his eyes.

"Can I ask you something?" [YN] questioned.

"Of course you can, what's on your mind?" Syringeon smiled, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, it's less of a question, more of a request." [YN] mumbled.

Syringeon hummed quietly before speaking, crossing his lower set of arms. "Is that so?"

"You've been punishing these experiments for what? At least five years right? I know what they did was bad and in no way am I excusing their actions.." [YN] started.

"Continue." Syringeon demanded, his brows furrowing slightly as his smile faded.

"Don't you think that they've been punished enough? Have you even given them a chance to apologise and grow from their mistakes? Surely the whole point of punishment is to rehabilitate after retribution has occurred?" [YN] asked, their voice shaking slightly.

Syringeon listened intensely. When [YN] was done talking, he sighed, closing his eyes and moving a hand to rub his brow. She picked up a pen, tapping it against his desk.

"You know, if anyone else had asked me that, I would have told them to get the fuck out of my office." Syringeon sighed.

"But...?" [YN] said, smiling slightly.

"Since you've helped practically everyone down here in some way or another, I'll consider it." Syringeon stated, waving one hand in the air.

"Really?!" [YN] exclaimed.

"Don't get your hopes up eager Ed." Syringeon crossed his upper set of arms. "Anyway, onto the topic of your sibling."

[YN]'s eyes lit up, BanBan squeezed their shoulder slightly. They desperately tried to ignore the pain surging through their entire body, their head starting to feel light. Syringeon smiled slightly before letting out a small sigh.

"I've grown rather fond of them. As you're well aware, it's not exactly like they had a solid father figure. With time, they've slowly become like the child I never knew I wanted, myself becoming the father they never had." Syringeon explained.

[YN] nodded quietly, trying their best to listen. The ringing in their ears made it difficult, Syringeon's words not fully processing in their mind. They went to ask a question but as they did the sound of a door opening could be heard.

The three of them turned around, stood in the doorway was a blue furred mascot. He had floppy dog ears and horns with turquoise cracks on them. His tail was extremely fluffy, a mostly blue colour with a yellow end.

He had bright yellow eyes and a matching beard. Around his horns was looped a golden headpiece, a yellow gemstone on his forehead. He wore a dark blue cape with a yellow trim as well as a black shirt, shoes and trousers.

[YN]'s eyes widened at the sight of him. After so many years they had assumed he was gone yet here he stood, the great Flumbo himself. He smiled softly, leaning against the door frame.

"Am I interrupting something?" Flumbo asked, his voice barely audible to [YN].

Their heart pounding in their chest, [YN] gripped into their jumper. Their head felt light and before they could do or say anything, they passed out, collapsing with their head banging against the desk.

Syringeon immediately stood up, rushing to their side as BanBan lifted [YN]'s head. The three began yelling amongst themselves, none of the words making sense, none audible to [YN].

"Wake up..."

It was his voice again.

"We're not done yet, it's time to wake up..."

As much as they tried, for the first time [YN] couldn't wake up. His voice echoed in their mind as the darkness began to surround them. There was still more to do. It wasn't over yet, was it?