With a loud thud the lift settled in its place at the beginning of floor two. The metallic gate slowly swung open as [YN] stepped out, quietly walking down the corridor in front of them. Silence filled the halls, the only noise being [YN]'s footsteps echoing quietly.

[YN] turned a corner to be greeted by a mountain of stairs, they looked up and sighed before slowly starting to climb. The stairs seemed to go on forever, twisting and turning every 15 or so steps. It was exhausting, but they pushed through, determined to keep going.

After a while of walking, [YN] came across a mural on the wall. It was a one eyed orange jellyfish who seemed oddly familiar. They slowly traced their fingers along the cracks in the orange paint, only then noticing several poorly drawn stars drawn in crayon around the painting.

Shaking their head, [YN] continued up the stairs, finally finding their way to the top. The sound of rustling and footsteps could be heard, making their body tense up slightly. Slowly turning and looking back down the stairs, [YN] saw a deep blue blur before it quickly disappeared.

[YN] turned back around, gripping onto the straps of their backpack and letting out a shaky breath. They pushed a button on the wall which opened the blue doors in front of them with a loud clang. Walking through the doors, they slowly looked around the room, the walls and floors both different shades of blue.

The sound of a bell dinging made [YN] jump slightly. They immediately looked around until they spotted a camera and speakers on one of the walls above them. Upon seeing it a voice came from the speaker.

"Woah, hey you're a human aren't you? An actual human? I've not seen one of your kind for years. If you can hear me, could you possibly wave at that camera?"

[YN] looked around slightly before looking back at the camera. Slowly, they waved at it which resulted in some distant sounding giggles. There was then a cough before the voice spoke again.

"Stay in that room alright? I'll come and find you, whatever you're here for I can help with. I know this place like the back of my hand just.. Stay put, I'll be right there."

There was a loud clicking noise coming from the speaker and then, there was silence. [YN] quietly began walking around the room until they came across a desk with a computer on it, taking off their backpack and dropping it on the floor they sat on the spinning chair at the desk.

[YN] spun around on the chair in circles before kicking the wall to come to a stop, their head spinning slightly. They then looked over at the computer, there was a light on the box underneath the desk, implying it was still functioning.

Looking up at the wall across from the desk, [YN] noticed a mural of several mascots on the wall, all in varying shapes and colours. They looked back down at the pc, leaning down to press the on button.

The computer screen almost immediately lit up, showing a Lock Screen. [YN] hummed quietly, pushing back the swivel chair and opening one of the drawers at the side of the desk. They rummaged through the drawer for a while before finding a piece of paper with a note stating the password is Password2.

Rolling their eyes slightly, [YN] typed in the password and pressed the enter button. The screen took a moment to load before showing a default background with several named folders. Humming quietly, they leaned forward, slowly going through some of the folders.

Most of the folders had other folders inside of them. Inside the deeper folders were pages and pages of documents, going into details of dates, punishments and events. Upon opening another folder [YN] immediately flinched, they saw the name [REDACTED].

Goosebumps grew on their skin, immediately fumbling to turn off the pc. The screen returned to black, [YN] gripped into their shirt slightly, their breath heavy. [REDACTED] was a name they had not seen in many years, it was one that still sent shivers down their spine.

Standing up, [YN] grabbed their backpack, putting it back on and walking over to the mural. Their eyes wondered to the orange jellyfish again, still unable to pinpoint why he looked so familiar.

[YN] used to know the facility better than most of the staff that worked there. They suspected that the supposed "Stinger Flynn" most likely had murals around the building even back then. Similar to the other mural of him, this one also had stars drawn around it.

Their eyes trailed across the other mascots on the mural before landing on the one that looked exactly like one they had seen earlier. BanBan, the red cat with horns. [YN] hummed quietly as they looked at the painting, despite his bright colour he looked like he had a friendly face.

Getting so absorbed with their observation, [YN] didn't hear the sound of a door opening. The feeling of a hand on their shoulder made them jump slightly, immediately spinning around. Their eyes widened upon locking eyes with a personification of the red horned cat himself.

BanBan towered over [YN] slightly, he was 7'1" and covered in red fur. He wore a black button up shirt, matching black trousers and shoes with a white clerical collar. His face had a few scars of a similar colour to the turquoise substance [YN] had found. One of his horns was also broken with the same colouring around the cracks.

He wore a soft smile, straightening his posture and taking a step back slightly. BanBan then did a small bow before bringing his hands together and intertwining his fingers. His eyes looked heavy, bags under both of them, most likely due to a lack of sleep.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, it's been a long time since we've had any visitors. You're the first human I've seen in years. Am I correct in assuming you're trying to get to one of the lower levels?" BanBan asked, his voice soft, a slight French- Canadian accent present.

[YN] hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding. Banban's smile widened slightly, his red tail slowly swishing around behind him. His eyes then widened before he let out a soft laugh, holding out one hand.

"How rude, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is BanBan, though from your observation of the mural I assume you already knew that." BanBan smiled.

Looking down at his hand, [YN] noticed a scar on his palm of an X. They slowly reached out a hand as well, taking his in their own and shaking it. BanBan gently squeezed their hand.

"Sorry I'm a little.. Lost I guess? It's been a while since I've been here. Not that I planned on coming back." [YN] started as they let go of BanBan's hand. "Oh uh.. My name is [YN] by the way."

"If you'd like I can be your guide? I would be delighted to help you in any way I can." BanBan's ears perked up slightly, clasping his hands together again.

[YN] looked over at BanBan quietly for a moment. His tail was swishing around slowly, his ears pointed up and a soft smile on his hopeful face. His golden eyes were dilated slightly. Sighing, [YN] shrugged.

"Sure, I don't see why not." [YN] mumbled, forcing a slight smile.

BanBan let out a small excited trill before turning on his heels and starting to walk, gesturing for [YN] to follow him. They followed quietly, gripping onto the straps of their backpack. The silence that previously filled the halls was now replaced by a quiet purring coming from BanBan as he led the way, his tail swishing around more as he walked.

The two walked for a while in mostly silence before BanBan began to speak again.

"I'm not sure if you've met him yet but as a small warning, NabNab has been roaming around this level today. He's entirely harmless, he wouldn't hurt a fly!" BanBan laughed slightly.

[YN] thought back to the mural they had seen. On it was a blue creature of the name "NabNab". The blue on the mural looked a similar colour to the blur that they had seen on the stairs. They assumed that it was NabNab.

"So, you said you know this place like the back of your hand?" [YN] asked, their voice quiet.

BanBan's ears perked up slightly before drooping again, his tail no longer swishing around. He let out a soft laugh before talking.

"I would hope so, I've been here for long enough. My Gods created me by hand. They crafted and designed me this body and gifted it to me. [REDACTED] gifted me life through the soul of my donor. I've been living here for over ten years, I've seen the highs and the lows. I watched the construction and growth when our Gods expanded. And..." BanBan started.

[YN] watched as BanBan slowed his walking, slowly crossing his arms as he looked down. Their eyes softened as they looked at him. Trying to ignore the fact that he mentioned that name.

"I watched as our Gods fell. Not actually watching but.. I heard it all." BanBan let out a shaky laugh as he stopped in front of a door.

"I'm sorry you had to experience that, I bet it was difficult for you." [YN] whispered, nervously squeezing the straps of their backpack.

BanBan looked over at [YN], a soft smile growing on his face. He tilted his head slightly and let out a small laugh before talking again. "It's quite alright. It's all in the past now anyway. But that aside, I have someone I want you to meet!"

The cat pushed the door in front of them open, holding it for [YN] to walk through, which they did. Slowly looking around as the smell of candles hit their nose, [YN] stepped inside the room.

The brightly lit room was covered in dioramas of planets, drawings stuck to the walls and books on shelves with some scattered on the floor. In the middle of the room was a large table with paper and crayons scattered all over it. Sat at the table was another mascot who closely resembled someone [YN] had seen on the murals named Banbaleena.

Banbaleena had soft white fur. Covering her face was a dark pink veil, behind which were two bright pink eyes, softly looking over at [YN]. She wore a long pink dress which had shades of both dark and light pink.

Upon seeing [YN] she quickly stood up, revealing that she was a few inches taller than BanBan. Banbaleena let out an excited squeal, running over to [YN] and tightly wrapping her arms around them in a hug. They tensed up slightly before relaxing in her grasp, she smelt like cinnamon and peaches.

The sweet smell relaxed [YN], for a moment completely making them forget all of their worries. They loosely wrapped their arms around Banbaleena, squeezing her gently as she slowly swayed them both.

"Uthman you didn't tell me we had a visitor! I would have prepared a snack or cleaned up at least a little!" Banbaleena exclaimed as her tail slowly swished around in a similar way to how BanBan's did.

"I had no idea myself, I spotted [YN] here when checking the cameras and didn't have much time to prepare myself either." BanBan laughed softly.

Banbaleena pulled away from the hug, placing both hands on [YN]'s shoulders. The loss of the closeness snapped them back to reality, their eyes softening slightly as they looked up at Banbaleena's face.

"Goodness you look exhausted, come, sit down." Banbaleena smiled.

The three walked over to the table, sitting down together. BanBan pulled out a chair for [YN] and pushed it in as they sat down. Banbaleena looked over at BanBan, watching him as he took a seat.

"It's been so long since we've had a human around here, I'm assuming you're from the outside world right? Or at least I would hope so, I would hate for you to have been another poor soul that was locked away here somewhere." Banbaleena questioned, quietly tapping the fingers of one hand on the table.

"Yes, I'm from the outside, I uh.. Only really came here to find someone." [YN] muttered, pulling off their backpack and putting it in their lap.

"That means you've seen the stars right? What's it like? I haven't seen the stars in so long, I wonder if they're as pretty as the pictures I have of them are." Banbaleena's tail swished around faster.

BanBan let out a soft laugh, intertwining his fingers and placing his hands on the table. Banbaleena playfully scrunched up her face, poking her tongue out at him before turning her attention back to [YN].

"Can you see black holes from outside? I've heard they're pretty far away, especially TON-618, that's the biggest black hole right? Though it would be so interesting if there were ones bigger than it! Oh I wonder what the biggest star is, how bright is our sun in the day?" Banbaleena rambled, not waiting for [YN] to answer any of her questions.

Banbaleena rambled for a while, occasionally asking a question only to ramble more before even getting a reply. BanBan looked over at Banbaleena softly, he cleared his throat making her pause mid sentence.

"Oh was I rambling too much? I'm sorry, it's just been so long since I've spoken to someone new." Banbaleena apologised, one hand nervously scratching the back of her head.

"It's alright, I like listening to people talk." [YN] started, making Banbaleena's ears perk up slightly. "Though.. If it's okay I'd like to keep moving. I have someone I need to find and I'm not sure what condition they're in."

Banbaleena's ears dropped slightly as she smiled softly, nodding in understanding. As she did so BanBan stood up, walking to a shelf and picking up a book before taking a note out of it and putting it in his pocket.

"Of course, just know you're always welcome here, it was a pleasure to meet you." Banbaleena smiled as she stood up.

"It was nice to meet you too, maybe if we meet again you can tell me more about what you know about space?" [YN] suggested.

Banbaleena's ears perked up again, she quickly ran around the table. Wrapping her arms around [YN] in a hug, she squealed happily again. [YN] wrapped their arms around Banbaleena in return, squeezing her back.

"Oh I would love that so very much, you're so sweet, I hope BanBan takes good care of you while you're here." Banbaleena laughed softly.

The two hugged for a while longer before Banbaleena let go, [YN] stood up, putting their backpack on again. Banbaleena walked over to BanBan, wrapping him in a tight hug, slowly swaying the both of them. BanBan laughed softly as he pulled away from the hug.

BanBan then walked over to [YN], leading them to the door. He opened it and held it open as they walked through. The two then waved at Banbaleena before leaving the room and continuing on their journey.

His tail slowly swishing as he walked, BanBan crossed his arms behind his back. He hummed quietly while [YN] followed him, they quietly tried to copy the sound of his humming.

"If you don't mind me asking, you said you haven't been here for a while, how well did you know the facility before you left?" BanBan asked, his voice soft and full of curiosity.

[YN] looked down at the ground as the two of them continued to walk more. They gripped onto the straps of their backpack again, their humming stopping as they thought for a while before replying.

"I knew it well enough. But it's been so long, I was just a teen when I was last here." [YN] let out a soft, shaky laugh as they replied.

BanBan hummed softly in understanding. He moved his hands to his chest, one holding the cross around his neck and slowly twisting it. His tail flickered around slightly, different to the smooth swishing it had previously shown.

"You know, Stinger Flynn mentioned that one day a human would show up here." BanBan muttered.

[YN] thought back to the murals they had seen of the orange jellyfish. They still couldn't pinpoint why he seemed so familiar. Squeezing the straps of their backpack again, they looked back up at BanBan, watching as his ears flickered slightly.

"He said that they'd come and save us from this place. You seem to know a lot about the facility, or at least enough to get this far. From what I've gathered you're a trustworthy person. I might be losing my mind a little but.. You also seem slightly familiar." BanBan laughed softly, turning his head to look at [YN].

[YN] looked into BanBan's golden eyes, he had a soft smile on his face. He wore an expression that beamed gentleness and compassion. As the two came to a halt in front of a lift, BanBan tilted his head slightly.

BanBan hummed softly as he fiddled with his cross, slowly twisting it between his fingers. It was then that [YN] noticed all of his fingers had small scars on them where his nails should have been. Noticing their gaze, BanBan moved his hands behind his back, clearing his throat slightly.

"Do you have any idea how far down this person you're looking for is?" BanBan asked, moving to open the metal gate of the lift and holding it open.

[YN] shook their head before they replied. "I have no idea, the only thing I have to give me any kind of hint is this letter."

The two climbed onto the lift, BanBan closing it behind himself. [YN] pulled a folded letter out of their pocket. Handing it to BanBan they slumped against the wall of the lift, letting out a shaky sigh. Unfolding the letter carefully, BanBan began to read the letter.

Dear [YN],

Due to unfortunate circumstance someone close to yourself has entered the abandoned facility of the cult you were raised in. I want to make it clear, this is not a kidnapping. Your sibling entered the facility of their own will and has requested for myself to send you this letter since there is information here waiting for you that must be discussed in person.

Your sibling has made themselves comfortable in my presence and is a delight to be around. However, I am not suited to take care of a child. It would be beneficial for everyone involved if you were to come and collect them as I cannot leave the facility.

I hope this letter finds you well and I look forward to seeing you upon your arrival. And to ease your questioning, please view the attached picture of your sibling on the back of this paper as proof of them being here. I wish you safe travels and hope that your journey is pleasant.

Yours sincerely,

Syringeon.

BanBan slowly turned the paper to see a printed picture of a child no older than fifteen. Quietly he folded the paper back up, handing it to [YN]. He turned to press the red button which started the lift, with a loud clunking noise it began to go down.

Sitting with his legs crossed, BanBan let out a small sigh. [YN] sat down as well, putting the letter back in their pocket and looking over at the red cat.

"We'll most likely have to make our way down to the lowest level, that's where the New God resides. I hope you're ready for a long journey since we will have to go down to level six." BanBan muttered, one hand fiddling with his cross again.

"I'll go as far as I have to go to find them. I would do anything to ensure my little sibling's safety." [YN] whispered, moving their backpack to their lap and hugging it.

BanBan smiled softly, looking up at the light above them. "You're a good person [YN], I'm sure you take great care of your sibling."

"I try to." [YN] laughed slightly.

[YN] squeezed their backpack, smushing their face against it. The two of them were only just heading down to level three. This was just the beginning of a long and intense journey but [YN] would do anything for those in their family that remained.