Chapter Text
Alone was a word Mono had long used to describe himself.
All his life, he survived on his own in this world filled with death around every corner. The suicidal adults he knew as the Viewers, the Teacher with an elastic neck that could meet him from across the room, the doctor who stuck himself to the ceiling like glue.
That was only in Pale City.
However, as terrible as they may seem, those monsters were nothing compared to the Signal Tower; nothing compared to the tall man in the suit who had chased him throughout the whole city. The same man who took his friend and deformed her into a horrifying, twisted creature he barely recognized if it weren’t for her yellow coat.
Oh, how angered he was when he saw her like that, seeing the longing sadness in her eyes as she pulled the crank of her music box, the Transmission brainwashing her into thinking everything was fine and happy. It broke his heart even more when she offered him the said music box to touch. By then he knew that was what kept her locked in this Tower.
And so, he did what he had to do.
Yes, he could tell the story over and over to himself like a bedtime story, change the ending to a better one as much as he’d like, but it still wouldn’t change the painful truth.
That Six was the monster he should’ve run from.
Mono hugged his legs tighter in his chair, chin resting on his knees as a single tear dropped past his cheeks for the third time today. His sobs echoed in the room he was to spend the rest of his life in. And for the third time, he harshly wiped his watery eyes, his denial side telling him she'd left him here by accident.
That she would soon be back for him after realizing her mistake.
That she was sorry, and she was truly his friend.
You silly fool, he said to himself.
It’d been days—or perhaps weeks—since she abandoned him. By now, she would’ve already made her way to leaving the city, because who would even want to come to the Signal Tower to save someone you knew for only a couple of days?
Mono would.
And he had.
Stupid fool, she never cared.
Of course, she never did. If she did, she wouldn’t have betrayed him in the first place. He wouldn’t be here in this room; his freedom wouldn’t have been snatched away from him.
He stared at the clean empty wall, eyes puffy from his hours of weeping over the girl he thought he could trust.
All four walls that surrounded him, and none held a door.
It was evident to him that the room was designed to keep him here, however, the reason behind that was beyond him. Not like there was someone to tell him anyway.
It was too quiet here.
The quiet soon was replaced by a sound of a door unlocking, despite there being none.
In an instant, he cocked his head, the ever-present sadness in his chest casted aside as he was met with an unfamiliar face standing shyly in the door frame, shooting him a nervous smile.
“Uh…hi,” the girl said.
He did nothing but stare at the girl, his eyes wide open in bewilderment.
Is that...an actual person?
The girl merely sighed and brushed off her grey coat awkwardly, and turned to the open exit he could confirm wasn’t there before.
How did she…?
“We can go, you know,” the girl started, her smile becoming tense at his lack of reply. “Unless you want to…stay here?”
At that, Mono shook his head fervently, his nose sniffling every now and then.
He wanted nothing more than to leave this room.
The girl nodded in glee after finally getting something out of him. “Then, come on. Let’s get out of here.”
A pang of fear started in his chest.
The chance to leave presented to him in such a random way, he couldn’t believe it to be true. No, this had to be a trick. The fact that this girl appeared out of nowhere, let alone magically entered the Signal Tower’s premises and found his room, something didn’t add up.
If he were to follow this strange girl, it wasn’t impossible she could betray him too. With her dark-brown hair, her black eyes, she could easily be Six: version 2.0 for all he cared.
She might look a bit younger than that lying jerk, but then again age wasn’t a reliable factor.
Perhaps he’d been thinking too much of Six for him to imagine everyone as her.
The girl sighed at his fixed stare on her. She snapped her fingers then, causing the sound of her snap to reverberate around the room, which got him out from falling deeper into his overthinking-hole.
“Are you coming or not?” she asked, a hint of impatience in her tone if he listened carefully.
The girl tilted her head at the exit as she took a step out, perturbation rose in his mind at the thought of being left behind.
Because he knew this was his one and only chance. If he refused it, there might not be another.
With that, Mono hesitantly got up from the chair he’d been sitting on for who knows how long. The girl in response, smiled brightly at his first achievement. She watched him approach her with such caution and weariness, his hand playing with the other nervously.
After a glance back to the chair, he nodded back to her, signaling that he was ready to leave this place for good.
The girl led him out to the hallway, the one he’d enter way too many times before Six had pulled him out every time. He winced at the memory.
No wonder she hates me.
The door behind them closed with a click just as they made their way to the glowing portal in front of them, their movements heavy and slow.
Once again, a familiar sensation to him.
The girl, however, seemed unbothered like it wasn’t her first time. Was she also used to the Transmission and warping to other televisions? He made a mental note to ask her.
Both then made it in front of the portal, Mono looking it up and down with a wide-eyed gaze.
All this time, he had always wanted to know what was on the other side of the door, and now that he’d been there, he never wanted to get out so bad.
Finally, he could leave, even if it wasn’t Six who rescued him.
The girl beside him gave a reassuring grin, connecting her hand with the portal before it took her into the other side of the unknown.
Gulping at the fact he hadn’t warped for a while; he couldn’t help the anxiety building up in his stomach.
Now or never.
Mono followed after the girl, placing his own hands on the portal.
Then he warped through.
He felt himself being thrown over to the wet ground, puddles of water forming around him as the rain hit him softly on the back of his coat and hair. The sound of a faint buzz behind him indicated enough that they’d gotten out through a television.
As he was welcomed back to the dead streets of Pale City, it never changed since the last time he saw it. His eyes looked around in disbelief, mouth widening. He then looked at the dark sky, water falling on his face instead as a small smile crept to his lips.
He was free.
Free from the Signal Tower. Free from whatever that even wanted him there in the first place.
Getting up to his feet, he took a step forward, almost forgetting the girl that got him out to begin with. Even as he was still in awe, he could feel her stare boring at the back of his head.
The girl was seen shivering slightly as the wind blew in the air. Not a moment later, so did he. Right, he’d forgotten how cold this city could be sometimes. With his soaked coats and all, he didn’t know how he managed to survive without a fire to warm him.
Mono turned to the girl, not exactly looking her in the eyes.
“Thank you,” he said. “I’ve been trying to escape that room ever since I was trapped in there.” A huff left him as he remembered his futile attempts back then.
The girl brightened even more; her expression filled with optimism that he once wore when Six had said her first words to him—
Stop it.
“Thought you might need some help. My dad told me a super evil creature lives in that Tower, so I’m glad I got you out.”
Mono eyed her with curiosity. “Y-your dad…told you that?” he asked, partially because of her father’s knowledge of the Signal Tower. While the other being the fact she even remembered her father.
He certainly didn’t remember his own.
“Yeah! Well, he doesn’t tell me everything though, just things that he thought I should know. And that Signal Tower”—She pointed to the television—“is nothing but bad news. But I guess you already know about that.”
“Yeah...” He averted his gaze, suddenly feeling uneasy by the mere reminder. “I wished I’d never even come there.”
“H-hey, try not to think about the past, okay? It’ll drive you crazy, believe me. Then again, I can’t really blame you though. I’d be angry too if someone just leaves me behind like that.”
Mono froze, his eyes snapping to her in a matter of seconds as the words slipped past her lips.
“What did you say?”
The girl caught on to his suspicions quickly for she looked at him in sudden fear.
“What?” she asked back, feigning cluelessness.
He stood up straighter, on guard.
“How did you know I was left behind?”
Her only response to his question was a nervous chuckle and a flushed face. Her posture screamed guilty.
As he started to back away from the girl, she immediately reached out her hand towards him frantically. “W-wait, I can explain—”
“Who even are you?” Mono continued, his next questions turning more into accusations. “How did you find me in the Signal Tower? No— how did you even know I was in the Signal Tower?”
“I promise I'll tell you everything, okay? Just please don’t run away from me.”
In return, he shot her a skeptical look, nodding a second later for her to explain herself.
The girl gave a sheepish smile. “I’m Viola,” she said. “Now this part is going to sound a little crazy, but someone told me about you. Your name, how you were betrayed, how you were abandoned by your friend—”
“She’s not my friend,” he deadpanned at her wrong choice of word.
Viola shrunk a little, making his eyes softened slightly at that. Mono cursed under his breath, running his hands over his face in exasperation.
How could someone other than him and Six know about the betrayal? That was a personal matter.
“Who told you all that?” he asked after a breath, trying to ease the tension between them.
Silence was all he got from her as she shifted her gaze.
“I swear I’ll tell you, but right now...I need your help first.”
“My help?”
She nodded. “I need you to help me find something just outside the city.”
He felt his face fall, eyes down casted in disappointment.
“So, that’s why you even got me out of there...” he muttered.
Everybody’s just trying to use me in the end.
“I-It’s not like that, I promise! It’s just that…you’re the only one who knows where ‘it’ is. If I could, I would’ve come months earlier—”
“Whoa, hold on just a minute. Months? ” He shot her a look of incredulous, feeling panic rush all over his body with just a single word. “What do you mean months? Is that how long I’ve been trapped for?”
Viola’s eyes widened at her slip up. “C-calm down, I know it’s a lot for you to take in right now. And obviously, you have a million questions running inside your head. Which is why I think you should come with me. I really want to help, Mono, any way I can.”
Hearing his name coming from the girl he barely knew—or to be precise, just met— he didn’t know why he hadn’t run away yet. Perhaps his curiosity still got the better of him even after all this time. He wanted to know what Viola needed his help for, he wanted to know who told her about him.
Mono gave her a sharp nod, letting her continue. Viola smiled brightly in return, clasping her hands.
“Great! Let’s start by finding a way out of the city first though, then I’ll tell you all about my plan. This place is giving me the heebie-jeebies.” She shuddered, turning her head around the street. “Come on.”
“No, wait a second! I’m not going anywhere with you unless you tell me what exactly you want from me.” He stood defensively, threatening to walk away if she kept this up. Viola noticed, raising her hands once again.
“Okay, okay. I-I can just tell you now,” she said, her smile becoming timid. “You see, I uh…I’m looking for something really important."
“What is it?” he asked firmly, no longer accepting a vague answer.
“It’s nothing special. Just a…a music box.”
His breath hitched, his mind remembering a certain music box Six had held so dearly. No, it couldn’t be the same one. There are tons of other music boxes in this world. It couldn’t be, could it?
Masking his growing fear, he cleared his throat.
“Where?”
“Somewhere in the forest across the city. I know it’s in some sort of cabin and I just need you to help me find it. Simple. Totally nothing that would hurt you.”
Mono could feel his stare at this girl becoming colder. The second the word ‘cabin’ left her tongue, he knew Viola was thinking of the same music box he was. It was precisely where they’d left Six’s real music box. In the basement of the cabin.
It was rather unlikely that the Hunter kept a collection of other music boxes, he was sure of it. So whoever this Viola girl was…
She couldn’t be trusted.
He returned to his relaxed, albeit still tense posture, giving her a tightly forced grin.
“Alright then.”
“Wait, really?” Viola asked, stumped at his sudden cooperation just when seconds ago he looked at her as if she was an escaped felon.
“Yeah. I believe you.”
She furrowed her brows, slightly unconvinced at his answer, her smile already gone from her face. “Oh, that’s…good? Okay, um…then let’s continue and find the way out, yeah?”
He nodded, faking his enthusiasm, to which it did not lessen Viola’s doubts. “Of course,” he said, stepping aside and putting out a hand. “Ladies first.”
Viola merely gave him an iffy look, nonetheless, doing as he said by walking ahead.
But just after her back was turned on him, Mono pushed her from behind, making her fall immediately to the ground on her stomach as a surprised yelp sounded from her. Her cheek planted on the puddles of water below.
While she laid on the ground stupefied, he took the chance and bolted to the nearest back alley he could spot, purposely ignoring Viola who shouted, “Wait!” even as she was still on the ground.
By the time she stood up, Mono was already out of sight, hiding behind the wall with his back against it.
Well, was he proud of pushing a girl younger than him down to the muddy street? Absolutely not. He wasn’t as immature to go over that line—even though he did just that. But this was only necessary.
It wasn’t all that hard to crack anyway, Viola knew Six. She must’ve had some sort of a relation to her.
Anyone relating to that backstabber couldn’t be trustworthy.
“Mono, come back! Please!” he heard her shout from a distance, her voice sounding desperate and scared. “We really don’t have time for this! So come on, we can talk it out!”
Why in the world was she shouting? Didn’t she know how dangerous the volume she was using now? And how it could attract adults? Nevertheless, Mono did nothing but stayed behind the wall, occasionally peeking from it to see if she was getting closer to his hiding spot.
Viola was seen moving only a few steps, not walking further than where the TV was. He watched the girl intently from afar, wondering why she was desperate for him to reveal himself.
Well, he already had a few theories in mind. One being, she was a friend of Six’s and they’d been working together to mess him up. But...it wouldn’t make much sense though. The second theory, Six sent Viola to get her music box, so she needed him to locate it specifically. But then, why wouldn’t Six be the one to follow her?
Once more, none of it made sense.
What does she want to do Six’s music box?
All of a sudden, silence overwhelmed the area.
That was…odd. He could’ve sworn he heard her just a second ago shouting without a care in the world like she’d lost all her brain cells. Had she moved on to a different street? Mono hoped she did. Letting himself associate with someone similar to Six was a no go.
After hearing nothing from the alley, he assumed she was already gone. Yet it was best that he made sure of it.
Taking one peek from the wall, his eyes widened in horror.
Viola was still there. She stood right where he left her. But the only difference this time was the new presence that joined them.
A Viewer.
Those TV-addicted scums.
He felt his body tense even more, seeing its face-less face twitch ever so slightly as its back hunched like a walking corpse.
Viola only stood there, feet glued to the exact same place, her chest rising up and down gradually.
Yes, the adults in the city never held a welcoming aura nor a comforting one, yet something about her reaction was worrying him. All the children in this world must’ve at least faced a monster once to know that running was common sense. However, for her it seemed like this was her first time.
But what was more worrying was the fact that she just…stood there, staring back at the monster who could, at any second, run full speed towards her and kill her with just a hand.
The Viewer tilted the side of his head towards Viola, craning its non-existent ears as if it was listening for her movements.
It jolted all so suddenly, causing her to flinch and let out a tiny squeak.
Bad mistake.
The adult stood straighter, then came charging at the girl who couldn’t move her legs even if she wanted to.
Mono immediately got out of the alley, running towards her with all his might.
And absolutely without a plan.
Viola screamed, idiotically.
He could just shake his head at her knowledge of survival, which was almost next to nothing . Then again, maybe not nothing, considering she’d made it as far to the Signal Tower. Regardless she only did it to bust him out for her own selfish reasons.
So, why he was running to stand in front of her was beyond him.
His mind was completely blank by the time he reached her, merely raising his hands up at the Viewer who lunged after the nearest person it heard.
“Mono!” Viola shouted behind him, her face paled at who was standing in between her and the Viewer. Frankly, he hated how he felt the need to save everybody.
All he did was shut his eyes tight, waiting for the hand that was meant for Viola to grasp him.
The sound of a body hitting the ground filled the air, making him open his eyes and merely widening at the sight of the adult now.
It laid on the ground a few feet ahead, wheezing for air as the top part of its skull was seen missing, the skin around it all burnt to crisp. The content of its head could be seen dripping down, and its fingers twitched in silent agony as the life in its eyes faded.
Mono took a step back despite their distances from the dead Viewer, his brows furrowed.
Did he do that? Did he kill the monster? He turned to his hands next, seeing a barely visible and blueish force field swirling above his palm, a tiny sensation of electric tingling just beneath his fingertips.
In slight panic, he shook his hands away before his powers could hurt anyone else, namely the only kid with him, Viola.
She must’ve feared him by now, after witnessing the whole…show he accidentally put out; after witnessing what his powers were capable of.
Warping through TVs was acceptable enough given she’d done it too but blowing someone’s head off by accident would no doubt terrify anyone .
He could already imagine Viola’s reaction, looking at him with utter horror and disgust.
However, as he turned around to meet her, he barely spoke a word for he felt his torso being wrapped by two tiny arms, making him freeze in surprise.
What was happening?
He looked down to her, his face still in disbelief at what she was doing.
Why in God’s name was she hugging him? Well, if he hadn’t been mentally haunted by the fact that his old friend had left him to die, he wouldn’t have thought this simple gesture to be extreme. He knew his old self would have hugged her back without question.
Her arms around him tightened, sending a wave of familiar emotions throughout his body.
“Thank you,” she said, head leaning on his chest as she was shorter. Around Six’s height maybe—
Stop comparing everyone with that liar, he scolded himself.
Mono forced out a grin, awkwardly patting her back a few times until she released him. When she did, he breathed out in relief, unintentionally.
Viola’s expression fell, noticing his discomfort. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“No, no. It’s uh…It’s fine. I’m just not used to being…hugged. Especially by a stranger.”
She averted her gaze away, face flushed at his honesty. Perhaps she did come on a little too strong because who in the right mind would just hug somebody as if they were her family? Ridiculous much.
A faint screech was heard from a far, echoing through the streets of Pale City. Both looked at each other, knowing exactly what it was. More Viewers were coming their way, presumably having heard of Viola’s ear-piercing scream earlier. He knew they had to get out of the streets before they arrived.
As a figure appeared turning from the corner, Mono grabbed Viola by the arm before the adult snapped its head to them, leading both of them to the nearest house he could see.
Viola stayed silent all the while, letting herself be dragged into a home long abandoned by its residents.
The living room was filled with furniture covered in dirt and dust, the wooden floor missing a few boards here and there as the corner of the walls painted with black mold, seemingly growing the more it rained.
Mono released her arm and closed the front door behind him. Just a second later, the screech sounded again, albeit louder now. If they hadn’t been quick to hide, the Viewer probably would’ve been lucky to see them enter the house.
But as the Viewer’s screech became faint, he let out another sigh, shifting to Viola who stood in front of him as if waiting for permission to speak.
“I think we’re safe for now. Let’s just take a break here before we leave the city,” he said, and her eyes lit up instantly at his answer.
He could basically hear the excitement even before it was unleashed.
“SO YOU’RE REALLY COMING—?”
“Shh!”
Viola closed her mouth at that, muttering a small apology soon after.
Mono only shook his head at the girl’s careless behavior. Standing still in the face of danger, shouting out in the open, not minding her own volume. Honestly, it was a miracle how she even survived this long.
Either a miracle or she was too damn lucky for her own good.
Taking a seat on the floor, he tiredly threw his head back against the wall behind him, feeling part of his energy already drained from using his powers. He closed his eyes, hoping to just drift off into the night.
However, he couldn’t now as he felt someone staring through his soul.
Mono opened his eyes, not sure why he was even surprised to see Viola, suspiciously smiling wider after he noticed her.
Okay, this girl is starting to give me the creeps.
“What?” he asked, raising his brow, albeit not annoyed.
“Nothing. I just…missed having some company.” A hint of sadness lingered in her eyes as she looked away, her soft smile faltering as if she was reminded of something. But she soon snapped herself out of it. “Don’t you?”
He gave her a look. Seriously?
Of course, he missed having someone as company; having someone to talk to. Those months—as Viola had claimed—in the Signal Tower were all wasted with him drowning in his sorrows and regrets.
Viola nervously snickered.
“I guess that doesn’t matter much, since you know, we’ll be working together from now on.”
“Yeah, about that,” he turned to fully face her, “Why are you even looking for this music box? And why the one in the Hunter’s cabin exactly?”
She kept herself quiet after that, to his chagrin. But her face soon met his, her bright and giddy expression switched to one of serious.
“Because…it belonged to my mom.”
Mono blinked once. Then twice.
“Your what? ” he asked, his tone clear of skepticism that he did not care to hide.
“My mom, Six.”
He paused for a few seconds more, taking in her words.
“As in, yellow-raincoat? As in the backstabber who abandoned me in the Signal Tower?”
Viola nodded affirmatively in return despite his accusing tone.
Once again, dubiety appeared on his face, eyes unblinking at the name she said to be her mother.
Viola had to be pulling his leg. That was all it would take for all of this to make sense. Because how on earth could a nine-year-old child…have a daughter who looked about the same age as her? And this was Six here.
The idea of that deceiving traitor becoming a mother was simply absurd. Pure claptrap .
Viola’s back shrunk, looking away as if ashamed on Six’s behalf. But the way she reacted already confirmed his questions and suspicions.
Mono huffed in disbelief, shaking his head.
No freaking way.
“Look I know this makes zero sense, but I swear, I’m telling the truth. I’ll even start from the beginning.”
He narrowed his eyes, and nodded his head reluctantly.
At that, Viola took a deep breath.
“I’m from the future. Bam! It’s out.”
Silence was all that came from Mono after, his face becoming more and more dumbfounded and blank by Viola’s mere statement.
By that point, Mono knew the girl had lost every little bit of sanity left inside her brain, judging with all the nonsense spewed out from her mouth.
He figured it could be that she’d gone through something extremely traumatic in the past—a tragedy that messed her up mentally. At least, that would explain why she seemed so carefree in a world where death roamed awake.
But definitively, she was crazy .
“Mono?” she called after a minute of nothing from either of them.
He briefly shook his head, bringing himself out of his daze.
“Sorry, I’m just…” He inhaled deeply and chuckled. “Wow. I didn’t think anyone could go that far for a joke.”
“But it's…it’s not a joke. I’m being serious.”
“Yeah, look. This is just a big misunderstanding.” He waved her off. “I’m sorry if you went through something horrible in the past, and I’m sure you met Six some time before me. Now, I don’t know what she did exactly that led you to believe she’s your mom, but maybe she saved you from a monster—"
“You put an axe through her door.”
All of his prior assumptions immediately crumbled under Viola’s words, his mouth left hanging in utter shock. He felt his body freeze temporarily from the bomb she just dropped on him.
“Excuse me?” was the only thing he got out.
“That’s how you rescued her," she said. "You felt bad after getting her caught, so you went to the cabin, heard her music box playing and followed it until it led you to her! But the door was sealed, so you had to find something to break it through. And then, that’s where you found the axe. But in the end, the Hunter found out and chased you two out of the forest. Am I right?”
More than right.
She was damn specific.
“How did you…know all that?” he asked with widened eyes, his body tensing even more at her knowledge of his and Six’s history.
Now, he knew from the moment he and Six met, she wasn’t exactly a ‘friendly’ person let alone as talkative as he had been. Even getting her name had taken him a day to find out.
So, if he were to assume that Six spilled her life story to a companion like Viola, he’d think it over again.
She shrugged, almost smugly.
“You could say my bedtime stories helped.”
“Wait, so you’re really from the future? Like decades from now?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, and yeah,” she said, relieved that Mono was close to finally believing her.
“But then, how did you end up…here?”
The look of sadness behind her eyes returned. She shifted from his gaze, releasing an exasperated sigh.
“If I tell you, can you promise me something? If we meet Six?” she asked, sounding small and hesitant. He merely nodded, wanting her to continue. “Don’t tell her anything about what I’ve told you; about her being my mom, nor about me being from the future. None of that. ”
“Okay…” he said.
Viola lifted her eyes up to him, a reassured grin making its way to her lips.
And as the heavy rain continued to pour outside in the cold streets, she began her story.
The forest was a quiet place. Dry leaves rustled and blew in the air, the sun just beginning to set as the sky took on its orange hue.
And somewhere deep inside the forest, sat a television under a tree.
The television blared to life and buzzed with static, a soft whine coming from it as its screen glowed brighter and dimmer like a dying lamp.
A small figure appeared on the screen, the centre of it all before the television spat her out quicker than one could blink.
Viola fell to the grass, elbows propping up immediately at her realization.
She turned her head back to the said television, however to her dismay, its glass screen had already shattered into little shards everywhere, smoke coming out of it for the intense heat it had produced.
Her chest began to hyperventilate for all her fears returned tenfold. Her eyes were already close to tears.
But anger soon mixed with it as she gritted her teeth.
That lying jerk!
He pushed her into the TV right after he knew her guard was down. He knew she wanted to help, he knew she wanted to stay, yet he refused to let her. Now with the TV all shattered and broken, it was futile to even try and warp back to him.
This left her with only one option, like he had intended it to be.
She got up from the ground, starting her run through the familiar forest; to reach the bunker.
And she didn’t stop for even a second. No matter how much her legs burned from exhaustion, no matter how much she tempted herself to take a short break.
She had to get there, whatever it took. For her parents’ lives were on the line.
They’d told her beforehand, the bunker was made for emergencies such as this and it was the only place safe for her…to hide.
Of course, parents always thought they knew better compared to their children. Frustratingly.
They wanted her to ‘hide and wait’ in the bunker, until all was safe. Well, she may be a child, but she wasn’t as ignorant as they thought her to be.
She knew things were hellishly bad when it involved the Eye.
So, screw hiding. Screw her parents’ plan for her. She wasn’t going to wait for the worst to happen.
The bunker was seen just hidden beneath the vines, making Viola speed up towards it with determination.
She pushed the leaves that were covering the entrance in a haste, grasping the handle before unlocking the door. It opened, as loudly as the first time she stood here.
Viola entered, climbing down the stairs despite her hesitations.
Darkness engulfed most of her vision, the only source of light being the natural one from the entrance as she left it unclosed. But that was the least of her worries as of now.
Viola rushed to the other room, kicking all the covered boxes that were in her way.
She set her eyes on the television in front of her.
This was the only one left.
Before she knew it, she found herself already sitting in front of its black screen, her palms resting on them like many times before.
She switched it on.
A buzz was felt underneath her hands as her energy shot through the TV, its light illuminating the room in an instant, the familiar sound of static emitting.
Viola shut her eyes as her thoughts and doubts suddenly became loud.
All of the problems mainly came from the Transmission, and the Eye was merely the root of it. It was strong enough to take over because of its host’s ability to broadcast the deadly signal.
So, take away that, then the least it would do was weaken the Eye, wouldn’t it?
Perhaps going back to where it all started could prevent this from happening.
Assumptions were dangerous but doing nothing was not an option.
Thin aura of dark magic and electric surrounded her as she focused on when and where she needed to travel to.
This could go wrong, her mind spoke to her.
That was true. But it could also go right if it worked, if she succeeded. This was her only choice to help her parents and to bring them back home and alive.
She needed it to work.
She couldn’t let the Eye destroy everything.
Viola opened her eyes, white obscuring her sight as she felt herself sink through the TV in a matter of seconds. And in those seconds, it somehow felt as if everything slowed and sped at the same time, a strange feeling yet familiar.
Static engulfed her ears.
However, the whiteness soon dissipated, clearing her view as her face fell on a wet pavement, the sound of rain becoming louder. Her head, dizzy.
Slowly, she stood up, her balance a little off as she realized the massive buildings around her.
It worked! She was in Pale City! But…had her body shrunk?
Everything seemed so gigantic that it was unsettling to say the least.
The lamp posts, the garbage cans, even the benches. They look twice her size!
Viola shook her thoughts off, reminding herself that there were bigger issues she should pay attention to. She needed to find the Signal Tower and get their host out of there.
Luckily for her, Pale City was famous for its ever-looming Tower. With just one turn of her head, she already spotted it.
A hopeful smile adorned her face. Now she just needed to use the television and warp to the Signal Tower—
She turned around only to find that the television she came through was broken in pieces, its glass seemingly had exploded just as it spat her out.
Oh, great.
All she had to do first was find a working television. Only then could she get to Mono.
And only then could she save both her parents from the Eye.
“So, let me get this straight,” Mono said, apparently invested in every word, “ You, Six’s daughter, came here to the past to bust me out from the Tower, all because those parasites of a flesh came to kill all of you? And your parents sacrificed themselves to buy you time to get to the bunker?”
Viola breathed out as if relieving the memory.
“Yeah, pretty much. I didn’t really have a choice because, well, you know. Those ‘parasites’ were coming to kill me. And from what I know, they’ve gotten stronger ever since…Thin Man left.” She looked down to her hands and added, “Years after years they fed on his powers, fed on him . I couldn’t let them do the same to you.”
“Because I was supposed to be the next one, wasn’t I?”
Viola nodded.
Quietness settled between them, both staying in their place with downcasted gaze.
As for Mono, he didn’t know what to feel anymore. The truth Viola revealed to him was too believable to be considered as a lie.
Even if it wasn’t the whole of it, one thing remained clear to him.
Viola had saved him from his cruel fate, saved him from being imprisoned for the next few years, possibly decades.
Maybe it was only right if he helped her in return, regardless of her mother being that yellow-hooded demon.
“You know, if Six is your mother—like you said—then, why not just tell her that ? Why go all the way for some crappy music box you’re not even sure is still there?”
“Because I know her,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “And I know she isn’t as simple to deal with. She changed over the years after she met someone.”
Mono scoffed, unintentionally rolling his eyes.
“Let me guess, your dad?”
Viola paused for a second, taken aback.
She cleared her throat after keeping silent and replied, “Yes, my dad. But that’s really,” She chuckled sheepishly, “not for a long time. So for now, the music box is the only thing I have to gain her trust—which I’m positive she’ll give right after we return her property.”
He frowned at the idea Viola vaguely suggested.
“We?”
“Well, yeah. We’re going to have to meet her one way or another, right?”
All the sudden, the idea of helping Viola became less and less appealing to him. Not helping her per se, but more to the fact that he’d have to face his betrayer in the end.
He wasn’t entirely sure he could refrain himself from beating Six to pulp if he did. And in front of the younger girl too.
Mono breathed through his nose.
“I…don’t think I want to see her, Viola. Not after what she’s done to me.”
At this, she deflated immediately, her brows furrowed enough to make the guilt crawl into his mind. Mono shifted his eyes away, not wanting to look at her expression—as well as hating how easily this was affecting him.
“So, you’re not…coming with me?”
“I am ,” he said, a tad overwhelmed by the disappointment she displayed in her tone, “I’ll still help you find the music box and everything, but that’s all I can do for you; all I will do for you. After that, you’re on your own.” He finally turned back to her as he added, “We’ll just part ways.”
The frown Viola had lifted slightly, to his relief, but it soon was replaced with a hopeful one.
Little did he know, her true plan wasn’t to get the music box to Six.
Instead, it was to get him to her. For the item was merely an excuse.
An excuse for them to talk again.
“Okay, but you do know you’re going to regret it right?”
His body froze at what she said, his eyes remaining still and unblinking.
Regret?
Why would he regret this chance to not see Six’s ugly face?
“What do you mean?” he asked, his voice firm, and frankly, a little offended if he were to admit.
“Hey, I’m just saying,” she said with nonchalance, shrugging to him. “Obviously, you don’t want to see her now, but aren’t you at least curious to know why she betrayed you? Why she left you behind after everything you went through together? Because she never told me, and you won’t get another chance to ask if we part ways.”
Surprise smeared all over his face.
How he never thought of that, he didn’t know. All those times being in the Tower; every minute of every day, he had always asked himself the same question, repeatedly so.
Why did Six leave me behind?
A bloody mystery that was. Because he knew, he did everything right as a friend. And for her to just toss him away like some unwanted junk, he couldn’t understand why he had even debated with himself to forgive her the first day.
Her actions were way beyond redeemable.
Now, did he want to look at her betraying-face again? Instant nope. However, if he ever were to put this behind him, move on from the hurt she’d caused, he had to know why he was betrayed in the first place.
Viola was right, and again too.
He would regret this later if he let the opportunity slide.
“Wow, Six must’ve taught you some great manipulation techniques if you’re this good,” he said.
“W-What are you talking about?” she stammered, caught off guard by his boldness. “I would never manipulate anyone!”
Mono rolled his eyes, though lacking the annoyance in them. “I meant you’ve got a point. I do want to know the reason behind her stupid decision. So yeah, fine. I’ll follow you until I get to ask her.”
“Oh, that’s great!”
“And kill her after…” he mumbled, deliberately making it loud and clear enough for her to hear.
Viola shot him a glare.
“What? I was joking! Can’t a guy make a silly joke about killing his betrayer he once called a friend?” he said, smiling innocently as if the joke itself wasn’t dark.
“That’s my mom you’re talking about. So, you better be joking,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Or else I’ll have to bury two bodies instead of one.”
Giving him a small pat, she got up from the floor and left his side.
Now it was her turn to smile oh-so-innocently.
Mono, however, merely stared with his mouth agape as she turned her back on him, seemingly walking further into the house.
“Where are you going?” he raised his voice from where he sat, not realizing how he sounded like a concerned parent.
Viola stopped halfway, glancing behind her. “I’m just going to the kitchen to see if they have anything edible. Don’t worry, it’ll only take a second,” she said, however, that did not stop Mono from shooting her a look. “Jeez, I promise I’ll shout if I see anything.” She lifted her hands up as if in defeat, proceeding to walk away.
He released a sigh, her form soon disappearing as she entered another room somewhere in the hallway.
Mono eyed it for a second more before throwing his head back against the wall, tired after the day he had—even though he had sat on a chair for the last couple of months. You’d think he would’ve been well energized.
Viola was to thank for changing his constant routine he was sick of.
Maybe helping her find this music box would do him some good, distract his mind from the liar who apparently, was no fit to become a friend, let alone a mother .
Truly hilarious.
Just who would be dumb enough to marry Six?
Mono closed his eyes, a thought lingering in his mind before drifting off.
Who was Viola’s father?