Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"What do you think of this current situation?" Roland asked Angela.

She looked at William Afton talking to Jae-Heon and Kleine regarding this viewing they are going to watch.

They were a bit far from them, so they couldn't really listen to what they were talking about.

"I see no issue, after all, it was bound to happen." She responded. "Though, thankfully, it appears that Blood-red Night won't be joining this viewing."

They then saw Issei quickly walk towards a boy with a hat.

"Excuse me, are you uh..." He looked at the list Kleine gave him. "Oh, Kunikuzushi." He said with ease, not expecting a Japanese name.

"I go by The Balladeer or Scaramouche in my work, I see no reason why someone like you would be so inclined to converse with me." He said nonchalantly. "Tell me, what purpose does someone like you have with someone like me?"

"Well... I need you to join one of these viewing t-" He wasn't able to finish talking.

"I refuse." He quickly replied. "I see no benefit for myself."

"Please?" Issei begged.

Scaramouche simply smiled. "Nope, I won't"

Issei sighed. "And here I thought Alhaitham was complicated..."

Well, there was also Dori, who he had to sell his soul to... not literally of course, but it felt like that.

Scaramouche was absolutely loving seeing this human despair over being refused. He had no need to attend that viewing after all, and he didn't gain anything from it.

Issei wasn't going to give up, however, he looked at who he needed to go next, interestingly enough, it was the last person in the list.

Il Dottore.

He didn't know much about the man aside that he was the representative for that one meeting between the different groups.

Hopefully he'd be more inclined to accept his request.

Back to Roland and Angela, they saw as Issei ran back to the elevator to go and find someone else.

"Seems like he's still at it." Roland commented.

"I must admit, he does try quite a bit." Complimented Angela.

"That aside, I suppose it is time for me to join the Afton family and the Limbus Company." She sighed as she stood up from her chair.

"Have fun." Sarcastically said Roland.

Angela knew that he said that due to what he himself saw with the Faraway gang.

"I will, surely the Puppeteer and the others won't cause much problem."

As she walked away, Scaramouche glanced at her for a moment.

"What drives her to enter one of those rooms?" He muttered.

Knowing full well that she herself was also abandoned by her creator, it did create a sense of connection between them two.

Yet he wasn't expecting her to act so differently to him.

Sure, there was that sense of annoyance when they were talked to by people they didn't really want to talk to, their mistrusting nature and so on.

But they were different when it came to how they dealt with things.

He wondered, just what happened for her to come to accept humans.

"Mmm... perhaps I'll see what they saw once they exit..."

"No running in the halls." Sighed William as he saw Charlie and Michael playing tag while trying to get to where the Limbus Cast was waiting for them.

"Let them be kids." Jae-Heon chuckled.

"I agree with Jae-Heon, they're just having fun." Henry agreed.

"Well what if they end u- aaaand just as I was going to say it." William said as he said Michael bump into Heathcliff again.

"Oi you knucklehead, watch where you're going!" Warned Heathcliff.

"Pot meets kettle..." Whispered Ishmael.

"Are you alright? Michael?" Elizabeth said as she curiously watched him get up.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm all fine." He said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Now that everyone is here, it would be best if we entered." Outis informed.

"Well, give me a second to get up will ya?" Expressed Michael with annoyance.

"Watch your tone kid, I'll teach you manners." She warned.

William stepped in as he then said. "Hey, who are you to treat my son like that?"

"..." Angela was starting to regret her decision.

"(Alright, I think we shouldn't escalate this over a small aggression.)"

"Dante urges us to enter the room before it escalates." Faust repeated.

"I agree with him, I believe we shouldn't be fighting in the middle of the corridor, we might wake up someone who just so happens to have their room around here." Mentioned Henry.

"Well... if the executive manager said so... very well." Outis accepted.

The situation fortunately didn't escalate as they all entered the room.

Once Evan finally decided to join the group, the door behind them closed, he flinched as the door shut suddenly again.

The room started changing colors until it became pitch black.

Come back, Michael.

To the facility where childhood memories remain on the colorful walls.

To the facility where tragedies struck while leaving a trail of death.

To the facility that gave you not only a grim reminder... but also will and purpose.

To the facility where the cold ambient grazed your rotten flesh.

Return from the streets.

It's time you come home.

...

"What a great start." Sarcastically commented William.

"..." He then looked down as he remembered what Kleine informed him.

"I still do not understand what is interesting about all these viewings." Admitted William. "They even show content that shouldn't be watched by kids."

"I've lived in the City ever since I could remember." Jae-Heon recalled. "And I can tell you that this isn't a problem here."

"Kids need to learn about the dangers of our world as quickly as possible, so that those who live in the backstreets can survive."

"I understand that we live in different worlds, and yours is much more cruel." Pointed out William. "But I do worry over the fact that this might traumatize my kids... Well, Evan and Elizabeth at the very least, Michael seems to love seeing them."

Jae-Heon laughed. "Perhaps he could fit into the City."

William took a sip of his coffee. "That aside, as I was saying, these viewings seem to be creating rifts between me and my family, the idea that Michael killed his siblings, and that I snapped at him, it's not very healthy to our already strained relationship."

Jae-Heon remained silent for a moment. "..."

"I know that is bullshit, the fact that you act like you care. There is something that has been weighing on you, hasn't it?"

William perked up as he looked back at Jae-Heon. "How... did you end up with that assumption."

"I know how you truly are, William, the City is a place where many people exist, and I've seen my share of those." Explained Jae-Heon-

"What I am trying to say is that the only reason you care about your family is because of your past, one that you seem to only know off."

"Henry also knows, at the very least, my backstory, but not who I truly am." Corrected William. "Why else do you think a British man is in America?" He chuckled cynically.

"I won't delve deeper into your trauma, but know that who you truly are doesn't scare me at all, in fact, I see you in the same light as I did when we first started talking." He specified.

"..." William looked away as he thought about what else to say.

He wondered, was he meant to be a City dweller instead?

"Your story about putting your son back together... I feel like it is something I would do based on my personal traumas." Revealed William. "And... perhaps Henry would too."

"Henry?" Jae-Heon laughed. As far as he was concerned, that man was too soft to do anything too drastic. "Please, as far as I could tell when we talked together, he wouldn't hurt a fly."

"You may say that, but remember, we would do anything for our children, or at the very least him." Reminded William.

"Ah, that is correct." Realized Jae-Heon. "We know not what we may do for the sake of our children... or in your case, your personal feelings."

"... You're right, there is a simple reason why I even keep them in my house at this point..."

"I don't want to be alone, not when everyone seems to abandon me."

As William declared that, Kleine slowly walked over them.

"I see both of you are bonding even further." Kleine said with a smile.

"As a matter of fact, I will make this short..."

"Whatever you see in the viewings, has certain truths to them." He revealed.

"Then... that version of Michael could have..." William whispered, thinking about the posilities.

"Indeed, your household will crumble and you will have to guess what the reason was."

“...”

“To be betrayed by your own son…”

From the looks of it, Michael left him and his siblings.

Once again, someone left him in the dust.

He glanced at Michael for a moment.

Perhaps he should cut his losses.

(So this is what T Corp's Nest looks like?)

We were somehow able to get through the borders without problem, I guess our experience with K Corp. had tampered with our expectations.

"We made it through with flying colors... or sepia ones since we're at T Corp." Mentioned Ishmael.

"Ahem Ahem! Tis is but mere childsplay! No need to complime-" Don Quixote tried to speak.

"We didn't even have to call her out." Murmured Gregor with a smile.

"I'm proud of her... she's grown so much." Commented Rodion as if she were a proud mother.

"The fact that we're acting like that... makes me think that Don Quixote got us into a lot of trouble..." Gregor groaned.

"Not surprised that Chiquita was such a troublemaker, after all, remember the K Corp. checkpoint." Rodion shivered.

"Don't remind me..." Sinclair whispered.

"Least we can avoid the situation this time around... right?" Ishmael said as she glared at Don Quixote.

Everyone seems quite relaxed about entering a nest without getting into trouble, which was quite understandable.

It might also be the fact that they have finally gotten used to the same old routine by now.

Though, it seemed as there was one who wasn't as relaxed as the others.

"..." Michael looked outside the window.

"(We're going to this place called... Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Place?)"

It was easy to see that Michael's serious expression seemed to be attributed to this unexpected request by his father.

"White hair?" Elizabeth said as she noticed her brother's hair.

"Well, well, then, look who's the old person now." Charlie teased.

"Looks like that one comment came back to bite him." Henry chuckled.

Michael grumbled. "It doesn't make me look THAT old..."

"Our next destination in that version... is a pizzeria?" Sinclair said in disbelief.

"Hey, might not be the most impressive place but... it's probably going to be calmer than the previous one." Gregor pointed out.

"Aaaaand that's a jinx..." Ishmael sighed.

"Now that I think about it... that's a locale name I don't recognize..." William realized.

"Could just be a new one you created." Henry suggested.

"Yes..." He responded.

He had a look of confusion, it wasn't common for him to look this thoughtful.

"So... this place..." Started Ishmael. "Is it in the middle of a barren land?"

"Yes, there wasn't any thought put into where the place would be built..." Michael downcasted.

"There was no purpose to the place, it wasn't meant to be used as a local for people."

"That contradicts the point of a business, why would I build a pizza place in the middle of nowhere?" William said in disbelief.

"..." Heathcliff paused for a moment as he realized what was going on.

"This must be my turn then." He uttered.

"What makes you sure of that?" Outis asked.

"That's a description of the place where I grew up, Wuthering Heights."

"Wuthering... Heights?" Michael said in disbelief.

Just then he then pointed his finger at Heathcliff.

"No fucking wonder your name seemed familiar!" Michael yelled.

"Michael! Language!" Warned his father.

"Uh? What are you talking about, lad?" Heathcliff said in confusion.

"You're the main character of Wuthering Heights! The orphan boy taken in by the Earnshaw and ends up developing some sort of love triangle between Catherine Earnshaw and Edgar Linton!" He explained.

"I'm... not sure that's how the story goes..." Henry said, also remembering the story from when he decided to read a few novels.

"Ah, who cares, the point is that your story was part of the literary section of my english classes." Pointed out Michael. "And Christ, yours alongside The Whale were annoying to study, I barely passed the exams!"

Ishmael raised an eyebrow hearing that, however, that was nothing comparable to Heathcliff's reaction.

Heathcliff let go of his bat as he grabbed Michael by the shoulders, with a menacing yet pleading look on his face he yelled. "Oi! If you know all that! Tell me! What did Cathy do after I left?!"

"How's she doing? Is she doing well? Did that bastard of a brother of hers finally kick the bucket?! Tell me, boy!"

"Hey! Hands off my son!" William yelled as he tried to get in the way.

"Piss off!" Heathcliff yelled as he pushed William away by force.

William stumbled back, only to be grabbed by Henry and Jae-Heon as they helped him back up.

"Tell me now! What's Cathy been up to?!"

"Urk... Are you, Heathcliff the adopted or Linton Heathcliff? You saying Cathy makes me think that you're the latter." Michael said as, though not in danger, the way Heathcliff was grabbing him was actually hurting him.

"Linton Heathcliff? What the hell does Linton have to do with me?! That Edgar bastard and I are no family!"

"L-listen! From the looks of it, you don't know that Catherine and Linton got married while you were away..." Michael revealed.

Heathcliff's eyes widened as he finally let go. "I... I don't believe the shite you're spouting!"

"How could she marry that bastard of the Edgar family?!"

"This all happened because of a misunderstanding, you left because of something Catherine told Nelly, right?"

"...!" Heathcliff couldn't say anything at this point, the boy truly knew what happened to him. "You're... telling me I'm a book in your world?"

"I thought something this important would have been discussed within that meeting you were in, Yi Sang." Outis said as she glared at the man.

"I apologize, though we have indeed attempted to progress in the odd coincidences of our realities, none have recognized that we were supposedly a book in another world."

"Well, we aren't sure, as far as we could tell, it could just only be Heathcliff." Mentioned Sinclair.

"No, when the boy said The Whale... I believe that was related to me." Ishmael pointed out.

"... Then we're all part of some literary book in that boy's world?" Rodion said, not liking that idea.

"..." Most of the sinners didn't speak any longer, which made all of them question who they really were.

All except Heathcliff.

"Explain to me. Everything." He demanded. "Just who the hell is Linton Heathcliff?"

"He's your son, the one you had with Isabella Linton." Explained Michael.

"That girl? I only met her a few times when Cathy would visit the Edgar Family..."

Each word that came out of Michael's mouth slowly made Heathcliff feel sadder.

"... If I may." Angela asked.

"Though I see that this is not the best moment to speak, I believe it is necessary for us to continue with the viewing."

"Hokma spoke to me over the information talked during the meeting, and I have come to the conclusion that, though there may be many coincidences, not everything has to be the exact same."

"As such, I believe Heathcliff should continue holding hope over the possibility that the events that Michael has revealed may not be true."

"... You're right." Heathcliff realized. "You said Isabella Linton and Edgar Linton, Linton is the surname instead of Edgar."

He started calming down. "I hope that she's right, because I don't know if I will be able to hold all my anger if it is the truth."

"Because if it is... I will make sure everyone that made me suffer pays for it."

Michael frowned, that was exactly what Heathcliff in the book did.

Perhaps had he not said anything, the course of this Heathcliff's life could have gone differently.

Although he seemed cryptic, the others were able to notice his unusual demeanor, and many of the other sinners came to talk with him.

"Coming back to a place full of regrets must be taking a toll on you." Spoke Yi Sang.

"Has the viewing stopped for a moment while everything we did went down?" Hong Lu asked.

"It seems so, how odd, we were under the assumption that it would continue on while we discussed." Yi Sang answered.

"I could have sworn that there were times that it did pause, but perhaps we just didn't pay it much mind." Gregor added.

"Gregor's right, usually, our discussions don't go for long, it just seems that this time, we did talk for long." Ishmael stated.

"Regrets..." Michael whispered. "Those regrets are part of the reason, but they aren't the main issue."

"This letter my father gave is... something." He declared.

"Why is that?" Yi Sang asked.

"It is a mistake of the past, one which allowed him to continue living." He revealed. "I was planning something with Uncle Henry, a plan where..."

He paused for a moment.

William looked at Henry for a moment.

"William, I have no idea what they are talking about." He defended himself.

"Wow, you know me well." He chuckled sarcastically.

"I know you're paranoid... especially when it comes to business."

"You say paranoid, but I am being cautious, do you remember that time you were duped by a scammer?"

"Alright, you do have a point." Henry laughed.

"Mmm..." Michael sighed, stopping right before revealing more about himself.

"Manager." He suddenly called out.

"Have you ever wondered who you truly are?" He asked.

"(Uhm... yes, while I was forced into joining Limbus Company, I have no longer any reason to leave the company, as I am trying to discover who I truly am... but I do think that's no longer the only reason for I decided to stay...)"

Michael knew exactly what he meant. "I can understand that... but do you ever wonder if that unknown past of yours is a terrible one? One where you were a horrible person, a brigand?"

"What would you do then? Would you accept it? Or would you reject it?"

"(... I don't know, I can't be sure about what I will do until I finally discover who I truly was.)"

"Honestly? You're not the only one who's curious about who you truly are." Gregor admitted.

"I know that most of us just will keep our identities to ourselves... but given that we're here for who knows how long, and also showing us a lot of our past, though with other people..."

"I do look forward to seeing who you truly are, manager bud."

"(... In that case, would it be fine for me to see your past as well?)"

"... I'm not completely comfortable, but I can tell that you mean it out of genuine feelings, so I believe it's for the best."

"For me to face the past."

" And if I were to be honest, I believe this is what our odyssey will be about."

"I mean, look at Yi Sang, he's been much more cooperative with us." He pointed out.

"And verily noble if I do say so mineself!" Don Quixote added.

"I see no need to be praised for such actions." Yi Sang looked away.

"(Then... how will Heathcliff change?)"

Dante looked at Heathcliff, who seemed to pay even more attention rather than bickering with Ishmael.

"In my case... I wished it never existed." He admitted.

"Michael..." Charlie whispered.

"Hey, don't look at me, I don't feel that way!" He refuted.

"Of course, why the heck did I even try to be sympathetic with you, you jerkface." Charlie pouted.

"That aside, things don't really seem to be looking bright for Michael's future." Henry worried.

"Eh, that's another version of me." He insisted.

William remained silent, with the information he had from Kleine, he believed this to be something he should keep to himself.

Truthfully, he didn't want the others to start pointing fingers at him given how bad things could possibly get.

"Even now, I still continue to keep it as a reminder, that perhaps things could have gone better had I not been so immature."

"I am no longer that boy who brought ruin to my family."

"I am a drifter who was unable to protect his lord..."

"Though... perhaps that has changed the moment I met you."

"That's a lot to unpack." Elizabeth commented.

"Yeah, though, I must say, is it just me, or are those who replace one of us more receptive to Dante?" Sinclair pointed out.

"You're not wrong, that Sunny boy did act much more grateful to Dante compared to Yi Sang." Gregor agreed.

"Ah, so is this what you call getting the short end of the stick? Because Dante seems to have been given the less receptive sinners with him!" Hong Lu innocently said.

"Oi, I haven't done anything to our manager... yet." Heathcliff defended himself.

"(...)"

I didn't know what truly happened to Michael in the past, although he's talked about his life as the son of William Afton, only his time being affiliated to Fazbear was ever mentioned.

It was never about what he did in the past few years after the closing of the franchise.

"Given the fact that I mentioned being a drifter, I believe that what we saw in the previous viewing where I was that cool samurai guy carried over." Michael said.

"Wow, here you are trying to sound intelligent." Elizabeth groaned as she rolled her eyes.

"I am intelligent!"

"You literally were the only one to fail chemistry that one time." Charlie deadpanned.

"He what?" William quickly said.

"You promised me to keep it a secret!" Michael groaned.

"Tis is enough talk! When can we get to the pizzeria! I want pizza!" Demanded Don Quixote.

"I also want to try this delicacy known as pizza!" Hong Lu agreed.

"I... never tried as well..." Yi Sang whispered.

"That's a sad life." Sinclair uttered. "I-I didn't mean it like that though!"

"No, no, I get you Sinclair, it must be quite a delicacy if you commented that, so I hope to eat some one day!" Hong Lu smiled.

"We're getting some once we leave this viewing, I can't believe you've lived without eating it." Gregor muttered.

"Ah, all I've known is some delicious food like rice and beans!" Hong Lu explained.

"... Are you sure he's not British? Because that's as bland as British can get." Charlie deadpanned.

William coughed upon hearing that.

"Not uncle William though, he's been living in America for quite a bit." Charlie specified.

"S-still... Charlie saying that can be offensive..." Henry scolded.

"Any toppings you guys want?" Gregor asked.

"Cheese Pizza."

"Just the normal stuff, like pepperoni."

"Sausage."

"Mushrooms."

"Pineapple."

"Who the bloody hell said that?!" Heathcliff yelled, yet no one raised their hand or revealed themselves.

"Serious..." Murmure Rodion. "I can't believe some of you have never tried it..."

She then started reminiscing while sighing. "Ah... I can still remember when a local I used to go for a bite was still open back then, I would always go there to get a box of pizza to then eat the entire thing."

Sinclair nodded. "Back then when my family didn't have prosthetics, they would always bring me and my sister to a local to celebrate whenever we got high notes."

"A shame the one I used to visit closed though..." Murmured Ishmael, remembering the sardine pizza they used to serve at a local in her district.

"All this talk about food is making me hungry." Michael said.

He then looked at Rodion, who was nibbling on a fry on her mouth.

"Can I-"

"No."

"Though, we can at least be glad for the fact that Hamhampangpang has taken up their spot, right?" Gregor tried to lighten the mood.

"Oh! For sure!" Agreed Rodion.

"None can compare to the precise and well prepared dishes of such a local." Added Meursault.

"Can we go to Hamhampangpang after this mission?" Requested Hong Lu.

"That's good for me."

"Sure."

"I don't see any problem."

Suddenly, they looked out of the window to see a man being attacked by a gang.

"¡Malditos! Such acts of villainy in broad daylight shall be punished!" Declared Don Quixote. "They dare prey on poor bystanders! Unforgivable!"

"Are they what you call a gang?" Asked Hong Lu.

"Rather than gangs, they seem like mere thugs." Commented Gregor.

"They weren't so aggressive back then." Spoke Michael. "They wouldn't dare attack so brazenly before."

"(So, what would be an actual gang?)"

"Kitsune no Yomeiri." He answered.

"Again with that name..." Murmured William.

"..." Yi Sang remembered that one time during the previous viewing with the Afton family.

He reminisced over that time Faust pretended to still be all knowledgeable.

That one statement she said that one time was indeed proof of his hypothesis.

"They were a gang that previously took on assassination and recon missions." He explained.

Ryoshu snorted. "A S.E when we were at K Corp."

"To think you would meet them as foes, indeed, I was impressed at their C.K." She praised.

Michael glared at her for a moment.

"So members of the Kimchi No Yummy were the ones to attack us instead of Shi Association assassins?" Gregor said.

"Kitsune no Yomeiri." Corrected Sinclair.

Charon then started blasting the horn. "Charon wishes to vroom vroom. Charon can't deal with roadblocks on the way."

"Seems like there's no other way." Spoke Vergilius. "Go out and take care of them before Don Quixote makes a fuss about it."

"Splendid! Permission to bring justice upon thee!" Don Quixote said excitedly.

"You know, I still wonder why Vergilius just doesn't do anything to help us." Rodion wondered.

"We seem to always have to deal with the enemies while he just slacks." Outis spat.

The scene changed

"Oi." Michael called out.

"EEEEEEK!" The civilian screeched as he saw Michael slowly walking towards him.

"That civilian acts like Evan." Mocked Elizabeth.

Evan looked away in shame.

"Elizabeth..." Warned William.

"Tell us what we want, and we'll let you off the hook." He demanded.

"T-then... you're not here to kidnap me?" The civilian asked.

"For the last time... no, we're not here for that." Gregor clarified.

"So... why did those people ask for time instead of money?" Hong Lu inquired.

"A commodity that can also be traded?" Suggested Rodion.

"Am I... the only one who's read the T Corp. pamphlet guide again?" Asked Ishmael with dismay.

"Hopefully this doesn't become a trend once our actual journey begins." Ishmael sighed.

"T Corp. also known as Time Track Corporation, have their citizens exchange timepieces instead of currency, such devices are also used as user identification. As such, laborers are rewarded by their efficiency with time." Yi Sang explained.

"Thanks for explaining, Yi Sang." Thanked Ishmael.

"(Will this be a problem? Outis is the only one with a piece related to time.)"

A few sinners looked at me.

Ah right, I also have my head.

"But, wouldn't taking off your head mean that you die?" Evan mentioned.

"(... You might be right.)"

"I don't know what you said." Lamented Evan.

"Uhm... anyways, what is this all about kidnappings?" Asked Gregor.

"Right, there's been a scary rumor going around about kidnappings of children in the streets of T Corp." The civilian proceeded to explain.

"O-oh..." Henry said with shock.

"What a T.M." Ryoshu said.

"Uh, I'm surprised you even reacted to that." Sinclair said.

"What did she say?"

"Uhm... I don't think I should share it." Sinclair said as she saw Ryoshu's deadly glare.

"When I saw all of you rushing at once, I thought I was going to get kidnapped as well..."

"But you're a full grown adult, not a child." Sinclair pointed out.

"You never know though! They might change their mind at any time and start kidnapping other people as well!"

"Serial killers... or in this case, serial kidnappers would never change their targeted victims so easily." William pointed out.

"Enlighten us with further information." Demanded Outis.

"People disappear in this place and uuuh... Right! This is the last place known to have had people going missing!"

"How very helpful." Sarcastically said Charlie.

"Citizens also became shut-ins just to avoid being the next victim, the newspaper even advises people to stay in, look!"

"But... they're all adults..." Sinclair murmured.

Michael looked really impacted by this information.

"This does remind me, this is oddly similar to the kidnapping case that was mentioned when we worked with the Blade Lineage." Reminded Outis.

"If so, then it must mean it is true, perhaps they are both connected to one another, perhaps a syndicate is behind this." Suggested Ishmael.

"It cannot be a syndicate." Refuted Michael, for some reason, he seemed really sure of himself.

"Seems like Michael knows something." Elizabeth stated.

Meursault nodded. "It is statistically zero for a syndicate to coordinate to perfection while leaving no evidence behind."

"Especially when it is able to put the streets to a halt."

"Maybe it's even worse than just murder? Maybe they are kidnapping for something else..." Suggested Sinclair.

"Perhaps digging in further may result in a dangerous outcome?" Inquired Hong Lu.

"(If there are no trails behind... perhaps they are using some sort of device, or maybe they're being backed by a powerful organization.)"

"I think we're brainstorming a bit too much, don't you think?" Spoke Rodion.

"What?" Asked Sinclair.

"Night in the Backstreets." She reminded.

"Sweepers come and completely clean every filth that occupies the streets." She explained.

"Right... that might explain quite a lot." Added Gregor.

"(Oh right, the idea of sweepers did scare Sinclair at first.)"

"That's because she wouldn't stop making impressions of them while I tried to sleep." Murmured Sinclair.

"Whoops?" Sheepishly said Rodion.

"I don't really know what Sweepers are though." Sinclair said.

Rodion was about to talk, but someone stopped her.

Gregor put his claw on Rodion's shoulder. "Don't."

She pouted hearing that.

The scene changed.

"(Michael, could you read outloud the letter again?)"

"Sure, but there's not much to it." He said.

The folded letter in Michael's hands was then brought out, as it's contents were read out loud by him.

The letter itself had a tone of persuasiveness, be it from desperation or urgency, Michael didn't know, but given that it came from his uncle, he would have come had it not been for the end of the letter.

Just then, Michael read the last line. "...And so, please honor this meeting with your presence."

"Kind regards, Henry." Upon reading the name he smiled for a moment, yet Michael gripped the envelope tightly, his face turned grim with a touch of melancholy.

"Our bond seems to still be healthy." Henry smiled.

"I'd never change anyone for you, uncle Henry." Michael smiled.

"I expect you to come, Michael. - William." He then sighed as his hands trembled.

"..." Evan trembled as he never saw Michael act that way.

" Just how scary was dad? " He thought

Gregor on the other hand had a very empathetic look on his face.

Gregor downcasted, seeing himself in that exact reaction Michael had when he met his mother. "It seems... we're far more similar than you thought, Mike." He then smirked in defeat.

"Our parents seem to still have a hold of us."

"...Indeed." Michael uttered.

"...Gregor, you truly resemble Uncle Henry."

That empathy then disappeared.

"Way to ruin the mood." Gregor groaned.

"Are you still going with that?" Gregor snickered. "Just how similar did he look?"

"Quite similar, I mistook you for him the first time, but your personalities are completely different."

Gregor smiled, he was glad that there was someone else who could understand what a bad relationship with your parents looked like.

"Isn't it a bit odd?" Spoke Yi Sang.

"You're right, it is indeed odd." Agreed Ishmael.

"Instead of going to a Lobotomy Corporation facility, we are going to a pizzeria instead."

"How much does that matter?" Asked Ishmael.

"Golden Boughs are originary of Lobotomy Corporation facilities, as such, they are found inside such." Faust explained. "If they are to be found outside such territories, it is a sign of them being transferred."

"I am assuming that's where our next Golden Bough resides."

"Indeed, that is exactly what I pretended to point out, Ishmael." Yi Sang Said.

"Good to see I don't have to be the one to bring the news." Intervened Vergilius. "Hopefully none of you were thinking about this trip as a way to fool around the pizzeria just because Michael was invited, else you'd be incredibly disappointed."

"According to the LCCB, a Golden Bough has been observed within the facility." Explained Faust. "Specifically somewhere deep within the pizzeria."

"However, the Golden Bough's location is yet to be identified as strict security measures have been put upon the place, which hinders the Before Team's scouting rounds."

"Good to see the security is still great, even if it is for a meaningless establishment." William huffed.

"The security measures won't be a problem." Reassured Michael. "I'll lead the way."

"Though, it seems as if the Golden Bough was presumably transferred to the pizzeria by a third party." Assumed Yi Sang.

"Quite so, it is odd that there is a Golden Bough inside this place, when they are usually found inside Lobotomy Corporation branches." Agreed Ishmael

"This must mean that William must be an important person for this mission." Concluded Ishmael. "To own a Golden Bough..."

"What connections would he have though? Isn't he just the owner of a pizzeria?" Heathcliff asked.

"A businessman must have connections, but I must agree, I don't think the franchise would reach that high of a level of importance to be able to gain something like a Golden Bough... whatever that may be." William admitted.

"I believe that wouldn't be the correct question to ask." Ishmael stated.

Meursault nodded. "The question the personnel must ask is rather how he knows about the Golden Bough."

"Not who he could have asked to get the Golden Bough?" Rodion mentioned.

Faust shook her head. "We must remember that the factions of Hermann and Demian know of the existence of the Golden Bough, as such, it is likely to be one or the other."

Sinclair gazed down as he wondered just who truly was Demian. The times he was able to talk with him were rather fond due to the fact he was able to live on despite Kromer's genocide.

It seemed as if he knew nothing of who Demian truly was.

"And to truly believe that Michael will come, even if it is for the Golden Bough or not..."

"My father is a dangerous individual." He warned. "He must have simply taken the Golden Bough to make me come home, otherwise I would have never tried to come back."

"Is that how you see me? Michael?" William asked as he crossed his arms.

Michael remained quiet, intimidated by his father.

"Don't ever believe anything he says, he will simply manipulate you, in fact, I am sure he's behind this series of kidnappings."

"And now you're accusing me of doing the kidnappings now?" He said, this time raising his voice a bit.

"Will, remember that this is another reality." Henry tried to defuse the situation.

Given the fact that only William knew of what Kleine had told him, he couldn't help but try to deny the possibility of him being the culprit.

It wasn't because he believed himself to be innocent, but rather because there was no reason for him to do such a thing.

"Henry, I understand that, but being accused of such horrible things from your own son hurts." He said, pretending to act hurt.

"... I understand..." Henry comprehended.

"You're quite sure about that." Commented Sinclair.

"It seems you know more than you're letting on, mind explaining to us why you think so?" Inquired Outis.

Michael looked away. "I... don't really want to... not when..."

A moment of awkward silence ensued as the sinners looked at the defeated face that Michael was giving.

"I am to assume he was lying." William concluded.

"I'm not sure, the look in his eyes seems honest." Heathcliff mentioned.

"How would you know?" William said with skepticism.

"Mate, I've lived in the streets for so long, I should be able to tell between lies and truths, at the very least from people who aren't masters of manipulation, or those whose motives I do not know."

Ryoshu took out the cigarette from her mouth as she said. "I agree, deceit such as this would be A.E.A.P. to detect."

"(I think we might need to stop asking such personal questions.)"

Michael nodded in gratitude as he then looked at Hong Lu.

"...Hong Lu." He called out. "Mind going to your room and fetching a hair tie for me?"

"Hair ties? Michael, are you feeling girlish?" Charlie teased.

"Oh please, hair ties aren't something girls only use!" Michael refuted. "If you paid attention to history class you'd remember that discussion we had about different cultures."

"I'd rather not, you remember how... some of the students got quite aggressive with their comments." She shivered.

"I remember getting called into a meeting after what happened." Henry mentioned

William then nodded. "Apparently some of the kids couldn't keep their hateful comments to themselves."

Michael scoffed. "Not like you have your own."

William glared at his son. "Of course I do, you didn't know what it felt like living during that period."

"As a matter of fact, aren't you studying it now in schools? Time sure flies."

"It doesn't help that you got interested in the history of the Japs." He also expressed.

"W-William!" He said, not wanting his best friend to get into any trouble.

"Of course! Give me one moment as I go!" Hong Lu excused himself as he went to get it.

"Given the fact that we're not stopping anywhere close, I suppose I will have to change my appearance." Concluded Michael.

"I can't go there looking like this..." He muttered.

"Not when I still hold onto that hope, what I yearn for..." He closed his eyes.

As he did so, I was able to see a bit of what he was thinking, just like with Sinclair, I saw a bit of his memories.

"Hey, hold on, what do you mean you can look into our memories?" Gregor said as the cigarette in his mouth dropped to the ground.

"(I don't actually know! That's knew for me as well!)"

"I don't know about your appearance, Michael, you look good to me." Complimented Henry.

"That is for a homeless man." Joked Elizabeth.

"Hey! I look good in a long coat!" Michael refuted.

A memory of a bouquet of paper flowers being held by a girl was all Michael reminisced about, she was lending it to him, as a way to show her gratitude.

" That's Seiko. " Analyzed William.

He needed to know just what these Japanese individuals from the past had to do with his son.

Along him were two men with katanas as they spent time near a sakura tree.

" Yoruichi and Michikatsu... "

Behind the tree were two individuals as one was being scolded by the other.

" ... I only recognize Mitsuki... "

And standing on top of the tree were two other ninjas, vigilant of their surroundings.

" ... And no knowledge of those two. "

"What a beautiful place." Commented Charlie.

"I do like seeing that my brother does have a chance at love." Teased Elizabeth.

Michael simply groaned.

I snapped out of his memories as I immediately saw him open his eyes again.

"It's time I show him I am no longer a boy from before." Michael declared.

He looked at his sword, a kodachi, the last gift his mentor gave him.

Once Hong Lu finally came back with the head tie, Michael entered his room to prepare to meet with his father.

All I could think of, is who were they? What significance did they have for Michael?

"A sword with plenty of meaning, quite the O.D.A." Ryoshu complimented.

"I think Michael has already changed a lot..." Whispered Evan.

"I get you Evan, he seems more mature and... less rash." Charlie agreed.

The scene changed

The sinners seemed to be starting to question Vergilius' legitimacy, though that wasn't what was currently worrying my mind.

"What? Art thou questioning the authority of the great color fixer?" Don Quixote said in disbelief.

"Well, from the looks of it, we seem to be acting that way since he hasn't really been doing much to help us." Heathcliff pointed out.

"Nay! Thou must be an ordeal bestowed upon thee to prove thy worth!" Don Quixote denied.

"Whatever lets you sleep at night..."

It was instead Michael's sudden change, both in clothing and in demeanor.

Michael now wore a black fox mask, instead of the long coat he had, black tight armor enveloped him as baggy blue robes covered one of his arms and his lower half. His hair was tied into a ponytail.

"A similar outfit to the one when he was the Blade Lineage mentor it seems." Meursault analyzed.

"A black fox mask? Yo, that is cool." Michael said.

"I don't know I feel with you having a ponytail though, actually, just long hair in general." Elizabeth said.

"Oh don't just hate me because I'm beautiful." Michael retorted.

Although he's always been laid back, that attitude suddenly banished as a serious calm feeling proceeded to engulf his surroundings.

It made me wonder...

"(Michael, what was the reason why you left your home?)"

Michael slowly turned his head, with the mask on, it was impossible to truly know how he reacted or how he felt.

It was as if he had entirely changed personality.

"Don't pretend to be edgy." Elizabeth said as she rolled her eyes.

"As if, I'm just acting like an actual ninja! Calm and composed!" Said Michael.

He then responded. "No reason in particular, it was a culmination of everything that has happened up until now."

"I wasn't truly close to my father or my siblings, it felt like people simply living in the same house instead of a family."

"Is that how you see us, Michael?" Evan asked.

"... I wouldn't go that far, yeah, I don't like you much, but at least with Liz, while she annoys me, I wouldn't really just want her to disappear or something." Michael explained.

"And what about dad?" Inquired Elizabeth.

"He's always out, so I don't really care since I'm always in charge of the house." He shrugged.

"But... my breaking point was the moment I realized that everything happened because of me."

"I didn't leave when they were there, I left when I thought they were no longer present."

"In a way, I wonder..."

"Would they have ever forgiven me for what I've done?"

"It must have been something serious for him to feel that way." Henry worried.

William glanced at his children for a second.

If he was right, it might perhaps have been because of Michael accidentally killing Evan.

That being said, he himself would have not taken a lot of action against Michael.

There was no need to get rid of him when he still had his own use for him.

So long as the household didn't feel empty, he'd not really care about whatever his children ever did.

It just meant he'd have to stop using one facade and switch to another.

Michael didn't elaborate any longer, he started walking directly towards the door of the bus.

Though, perhaps it wasn't that he didn't want to, but because he couldn't convince himself into doing so.

In the end, I let it go, there was no reason to ask him questions when he was close to reliving his past.

"Before we leave, manager." He called. "If I even end up becoming unstable, please, make me snap out of it."

I simply nodded as the other sinners listened to those words.

"Given that we have some that would... take that quite seriously." Heathcliff said as he glanced at Ryoshu and Rodion. "That's going to bite back at him."

"Wait, why me?" Rodion demanded.

"Gut feeling." He answered.

Upon leaving, we were met with a closed sign at the entrance of the pizzeria, yet despite it being there, Michael grabbed the handle and opened the door wide.

The aggressive rain only sounded harsher the moment we entered the pizzeria.

"How verily strange, though the bell hath signaled our arrival, not a single soul hath decided to welcome us." Don Quixote said.

Inside, we could see the decorations hanging on the walls, a few children's pictures could be seen on the walls, which Hong Lu decided to check even closer.

It was silent, no music played inside the franchise, a contrast to the very colorful place we found ourselves in.

Michael simply stood in front of the main desk, he bent over to check one of the drawers.

From there, he took thirteen different collars with a card on them. It seemed to be an item used to identify who was invited to the place.

"Michael seems knowledgeable with this establishment." Noticed Charlie.

"Must mean he took after his father." Considered Henry.

"Well, at least there is someone who'll follow your steps." Jae-Heon smirked.

William looked at his other two children, Elizabeth was too clingy, while Evan was too shy.

If he ever had to give the franchise to his children, Michael would be the best one to keep it afloat.

Just then lightning struck.

"It's a bit weird." Rodion commented.

"I can see small critters roaming within the establishment, small mice have been spotted on the floor." Analized Meursault.

"You're telling me this pizzeria is run down?" William said as he raised an eyebrow.

"Given the fact that it's in the middle of nowhere, perhaps people gave up on it?" Henry suggested.

"They still have a job to do there." Retorted William.

"Lightning has been booming a lot lately, it seems to have gotten even worse once we got inside this place." Pointed out Outis.

"We could have been burnt into a crisp had we stayed outside for a bit longer..." Said Sinclaire as he shivered from thinking about it.

Once again, lighting struck, this time the sound was even more intense than the first time.

"Hopefully that doesn't cut out the light from this place." Nervously said Rodion.

Outis seemed to be looking past the window of the entrance, in a way, it could be noticed that she was reminiscing.

The sinners continue with a bit of small talk while waiting.

At first, it was weird that we waited at the entrance rather than going deeper into the establishment.

But Michael didn't seem to move despite knowing this place, perhaps there was a reason behind it.

"Security obviously." Responded William.

"But the place isn't filled with employees." Charlie pointed out.

"I've been working on animatronics that can work as security."

"Oh, are you talking about stuff like the security puppets?" Henry recalled.

"Those very same ones."

Said sinner continued to look around the place, the only thing to really analyze were the drawing on the wall and the very retro style of the building.

He seemed to be looking at the color of the stripes going through the entire wall with a sense of somberness.

He sighed, to him, this place simply reminded him of terrible memories.

"Sorry! I'm sorry to keep you waiting!" The voice of man could be heard as the quick steps of this individual drew closer.

He sheepishly laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "We don't usually get any more visitors here, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Place hasn't really been known to be open these days."

"That voice..." Elizabeth whispered.

"Yup, that's dad." Concluded Charlie. She recognized that awkwardness when it came to talking with those he didn't know.

Michael looked up to see who it was.

Through his mask, he muttered. "It's been a while, Uncle Henry."

The now named Henry widened his eyes. "Michael? Is that really you?"

"Somehow, yes, I have returned." He declared.

Henry sighed. "I assume you realized how bizarre the current situation is, right?"

Michael nodded. "The fact that father decided to invite me? And the fact that he now controls this place?"

"You're right, I don't know what happened to this place, but your father won't be able to do anything anymore..."

"That I won't be able to do anything anymore?" William repeated as he looked at Henry.

"I don't know anything that they are talking about." Henry said as he raised his hands to defend himself.

Michael frowned upon hearing that there was some information he was missing. "..."

Outis however intervened before Henry could explain the situation. "Please, allow us to delve further into the building, we have been standing at the entrance for far too long."

"Oh right! Sorry about that, hopefully you took one of the cards, the security here can get a bit... aggressive if you don't have one." Henry explained.

We took a few steps into the main room...

Only to be met with the most colorful place we could ever imagine.

"It doth have plenty of color!" Don Quixote said with awe.

"In this place where we are deprived of color, the Freddy Fazbear franchise was a light which reflected color to those who never knew it existed, it was for that reason why it was very successful back in the day." Explained Michael.

"That actually sounds nice for a place in T Corp." Heathcliff commented.

"It must have been a successful franchise to be filled with such vivid colors." Yi Sang added.

He then looked back at Henry. "About fath-"

Henry interjected as he asked. "How have you been, Michael? I haven't seen you since... well, you know... you sort of disappeared..."

"At first I thought that you just decided to back down, that wasn't a big deal." Henry joked.

"But... you might be surprised about what may be next... I don't know what he has been doing after I had to back down from the plan" He said while he downcasted his gaze.

"S-still though, I can't believe how much you've changed from then... actually, you didn't really change when it comes to your clothes, you did also wear a mask and gloves before, but your complete attire seems different from back then." He continued rambling.

"There is a lot to unpack here." Angela said.

"Indeed, Henry and Michael seem to have had some plan in regards to William." Analyzed Jae-Heon.

"Given how hostile Michael was when he described me, it is likely that both of you are against me for one reason or another." Concluded William. "The motives of it, we still don't know."

"And given that the franchise is still running and that I still have a hold on the company, it is likely a more personal conflict that has nothing to do with business." He finished.

"A falling out then?" Henry suggested.

"Perhaps."

"Calm down, Henry." Said Michael. "You keep rambling when you're nervous."

"Yeah... sorry about that, it's just... I'm nervous as to what William has done to this place..." He said with worry.

Gregor stepped forward as he asked. "So, Mike buddy has been comparing me to you ever since we've met, and I must say, yeah, you do look like me." He chuckled.

"That being said, I'm curious, what's your relationship to him?" He asked.

Henry softly laughed. "Though he does call me uncle, I'm not really his biological uncle, I just so happened to be a close friend to his father, and out families were quite close to one another as well, so him and his sibling started seeing me as their uncle."

"With that out of the way, I still want to ask..." Michael once again tried to say his question, only to be interrupted yet again.

"Oi! When's that brother of mine coming? Has he decided to run away in guilt to not see me?!" A loud voice could be heard from another room.

"Wow, Mike keeps getting interrupted." Charlie laughed.

"That voice is very gruff... wait what did he mean by brother?" Elizabeth said.

"It appears as the guests were waiting for Michael, as such, it is likely that they are a relative of his." Suggested Angela.

"But the only one who's my brother is..." Michael widened his eyes as he looked at Evan.

Evan looked nervously at his brother as he was starting to sweat.

"Oh, so you've grown a pair, uh?" Taunted Michael.

"If I gotta stay here any longer, then I'd rather stay in another room to not see any of yer mugs!"

Michael seemed shocked by that voice. "What did he mean by..."

"Wait... is that..."

Henry yelled back to respond. "N-no need to wait any longer Evan! He just arrived!"

"So it is you?" Spoke Michael.

"Looks like he's gotten that British accent you had when we met, William." Henry laughed.

"Never knew Evan would end up acting so informally." Commented Elizabeth.

"... That must mean he's replaced Hindley." Heathcliff concluded. "No one else talks like that shite."

"That's what I was going to tell you, but I ended up rambling... they're back... somehow..."

"Somehow?" Repeated Sinclair.

"There is a lot of information that we are missing." Meursault pointed out.

Michael started to walk quickly towards where that voice came from, Henry followed suit.

"This... doesn't feel like the place where a party is going to happen..." Rodion said awkwardly.

"Yeah... it's like that cruise party..." Sinclair pointed out. "There's that dreadful feeling, there's no way to hide it."

"A cruise party, then... did we go to..." Ishmael proceeded to process those words.

Did they already go to U Corporation?

But it was too early for them.

"This place seems to not have had clients for an extended period of time." Analized Meursault. "Furthermore, the main animatronics which were supposed to be the main highlight of this establishment are nowhere to be seen."

"Mineself was expecting a par-tay, but instead, we found ourselves in a depressing situation..." Said a saddened Don Quixote.

We went through the place, getting closer to the booming voice.

Deeper within the pizzeria were two individuals standing by two opposite sides alongside their clique. It was obvious that their relationship with one another was not amicable at all.

On one side were many individuals wearing animal masks, some of which we recognized as the one from the animatronics of the place. There stood surrounding a man sitting on a chair, his clothes were tidy, extravagant and very formal.

A stern look on his face, he continued to insult and belittle those with animal masks.

While on the other, the very same animatronics stood, the mechanical sounds as they waited in formation was strange, but what was stranger was the fact that there was a girl standing in the middle of those masses.

A smile on her face, it did make her quite creepy.

"So that's how both of you will look grown up?" Charlie said with excitement.

"Looks like Evan is successful, he's got a very expensive looking suit." Smiled Henry.

"And he seems to be accompanied with bad influences." Grumbled WIlliam.

"Look at me surrounded by animatronics!" Elizabeth pointed out. "I look so cute in that outfit!"

"And a bit creepy..." Evan stated.

"Yeah, like Evan said, that smile in your mouth is hella creepy." Michael agreed.

"Says the guy who looks like a drug dealer stalking some person." Elizabeth shot back.

"Where did you even learn about drug dealers?" William was starting to get a headache.

"And what about that girl accompanying Liz?" Henry noticed.

Yet between those two groups...

"Tis is a surprise! But a welcome one nonetheless!" Said Don Quixote in excitement. "Fixers of the O-Oufi Association!"

"Mineself feels grateful at the presence of such noble heroes!" She finished.

"Oufi fixers again?" Gregor said.

"We've been through various transactions, for example, back at K Corp. when we saw Sunny replace Yi Sang." Reminded Rodion.

"But the way Don Quixote is acting... it feels like it's actually the first time we're meeting them." Ishmael noticed.

"(H-hey! We'll have time to ask questions and autographs, the situation right now is a bit awkward)"

If it weren't for some of the other sinners, Don Quixote would have immediatly sprinted towards them.

And that was also what made us the center of attention for these two groups. We were not gazed at by the factions.

Of which were filled with hostile intent.

However, what seemed to be a security guard was able to sense the tension as she then asked. "Let's just calm down, everyone, alright?"

Michael didn't recognize her. "Who may you be? You stand out as normal in this sea of abnormality."

 "Pft, are you trying to sound smart?" Charlie smirked. "That just sounded cheesy."

"Yeah, like a very bad pickup line!" Added Elizabeth.

"Uhm... I'm the current security guard of this place, I am Vanessa, it is a pleasure meeting you." She smiled as she extended her hand for a handshake.

"Surprisingly someone who seems likely to exist in our world." William spoke.

"Though, I don't think I've ever seen her anywhere around our neighborhood." Tried to remember Henry.

Michael looked back at Henry as he accepted said handshake. The look on Henry's face was one filled with weariness and a bit of confusion, it seemed as though even though he arrived earlier, it was still very confusing for him still.

"I'm not sure how I got into this entire mess, but seeing the children of Afton is truly a very eventful shift for me." She joked.

"Oh? Are we famous?" Elizabeth said with excitement.

"But what about me? I'm also the daughter of one of the founders of Fazbear's..." Charlie said, noticing that she was nowhere to be seen.

"... Henry, if I may." Called William.

"Yeah? Will?"

"Could this feud perhaps be related by the fact I somehow ended up obtaining complete ownership of the name of Fazbear's?" He suggested.

"Mmm... that might be possible, but why might Michael want to help me with that?"

"Our relationship in that version seems to be far more rocky compared to the one we actually have."

Jae-Heon noticed what William was doing.

"What a crafty individual." He smirked. "Trying to distract his friend so that he misses any possible lead to what the truth may be."

"Oh, don't be." Evan chuckled. "There is nothing to be surprised about seeing us, in fact, you should be wary of my brother, make sure you don't end up getting killed by him."

"Again with him being a murderer in this world." William sighed.

"I've yet to do anything." Reminded Michael.

"Who did he kill this time?" Ryoshu said with a smile.

"Last time was Evan... and this time, we don't know." Outis recounted.

"Evan." Called out Elizabeth. "You know it was an accident, I am sure he truly regrets what he did to you."

"With that mask, it's impossible to tell what sort of emotions are brewing within him." Yi Sang stated.

She then smiled at Michael. "Mikey, it has been a while, hasn't it?"

"I knew that even though you made mistakes and left, you would come back to rectify them."

"Right..." Muttered Michael. "Can I truly mend mistakes from years ago as someone else?"

He sighed. "I'm still confused about what is going on, what are both of you doing here?"

"I came here because of an envelope, there was no mention of either of you also arriving."

It seemed as Michael was being wary of the information he was giving away.

I didn't know why, but I saw as the other sinners restrained themselves from asking the questions.

"Looks like he doesn't really seem to care about what happened in the past to me." Heathcliff said.

"He is more than likely suppressing such feelings." Angela suggested.

"..." Elizabeth downcasted her gaze as she seemed to be disappointed at his answer.

And as for Evan...

"You spastic fuck!"

"Oooof, that is some strong language." Henry cringed.

"Indeed, never knew I'd hear a slur out of one of my children's mouths, and from Evan no less." William said, amused by the situation.

"Oooooh, Evan just swore." Elizabeth teased him.

"You sure these kids are acting in a manner they should?" Sinclair asked.

"Given how they see this as mere entertainment rather than a glimpse to the future..." Gregor recounted.

"Kids can be L.D. if they want to." Ryoshu added.

"Yeah... my sister used to be a little devil too." Reminisced Sinclair.

“I meant little dicks.” Ryoshu corrected. “Try again next time, kid.”

"Ah, in that case, my siblings would be big dicks, right?" Hong Lu said with a smile.

“(Don’t… say that…)”

"Still, that's quite a strong insult aimed at his own brother." Ishmael pointed out.

He suddenly got up from his seat, with a rage that couldn't be described, as such a rage explained itself with just a look at him.

"Can't you bloody understand that all the bullshit you did will come back to bite you? You truly feel nothing ‘bout the fact you gave me a lobotomy you twat?"

"Wait... wouldn't that mean that he killed Evan again?" Henry murmured.

"Lobotomy doesn't necessarily mean you die, but I believe Evan simply got lucky and survived." Explained William.

"I believe the possibility of him being the victim should still be open." Angela suggested.

"Why do you say that?" Jae-Heon interrogated.

Faust came to assist Angela as she then said. "The City is home to various medically advanced options that may lead to the full recovery of an individual, such is the case of the various insurances fixers have, and given you hail from an enriched family, it is highly possible you have one such insurance."

Angela then looked at Jae-Heon. "Or perhaps William did the same as you."

"The same as him?" Henry said in confusion.

William knew what Jae-Heon did to try and get his son back, yet he defended his friend. "Just because we are friends doesn't mean we make the same decisions, if you are accusing me of doing something similar to what he did due to our friendship, then you are mistakenly wrong on various levels."

"That aside, the reasons as to how Evan is the victim or not is not what we should be paying attention to, but rather, what motive did Michael have to do what he did." William changed the topic.

" Cheeky. " Jae-Heon thought, impressed by how easily William changed the topic.

"He probably wanted to prank Evan, and that must have ended badly." Suggested Elizabeth.

"That unfortunately does sound like something Michael would do." Charlie had to accept that possibility.

"Come on! I may bully him, but I'd never do something so cruel as that!" Refuted Michael.

"Not intentionally, but accidentally, Michael, I'm not saying you're heartless, you wouldn't stoop so low." Clarified Charlie. "But... the way you treat Evan is cruel, and I don't understand why you do that..."

William looked at Michael for a second.

He saw a bit of himself in him.

Or rather, how he'd play cruel pranks on Evan, as if he was toying with him.

He remembered back when he'd do the same with animals, back when he arrived in America and went to a new school.

He was the odd one, missing a father, not really talking and always dirty with blood because he'd treat animals badly.

He still wondered why Henry always stood by his side once they met, they were both geniuses when it came to robotics, yes, but they could have just gone their own ways with different projects.

After all, William was the one to think about creating animatronics, Henry simply tagged along the journey.

Either way, he was... glad that Henry was always accompanying him, having such an easy to read individual by his side was a good change of pace.

Yet once he married, he didn't have time to stay up all night brainstorming new ideas.

He was once again, alone.

And then, he met her.

"I know well that you got up and fled from your problems, and once you decided to come, you don't even want to fucking address them?!"

"You have the guts to show yer ugly mug here and yap like you don't want to fix shite?"

"I can bloody see it, you loonie, you truly don't feel guilty over this, you cunt!"

He then grabbed the chair and threw it at Michael, fortunately, Michael simply cut it in half with his katana.

Ryoshu whistled, seeing the clean cut.

"Evan seems to really hate Michael in that world." Pointed out Charlie.

"I mean, I always thought that Evan needed to stand up for himself so that Michael would stop bullying him." Elizabeth sighed.

"But... I don't want to act like... that version of me." Evan declared.

"... You have a point there." Elizabeth ended up accepting.

Michael simply scratched the back of his head awkwardly, hearing his brother yell at him with so much hate was new to him, even if it was a version of another world.

Evan, seeing this, then sighed. "Be glad you and your band of vagrants haven't been met with an assault from this group of shitbags."

He then looked at one of the individuals with a mask. "We haven't gotten any orders from our boss."

"Fuck yet boss mate, there's a fucking reason why you're even floating and not sinking into bankruptcy." He then spat at him.

"Aaaand, now he's the bully." Deadpanned Charlie.

"Victims are likely to become aggressors if not given the right help." Henry explained.

"Which now that I think about it, William, shouldn't you be doing something?"

William sighed. "Henry, I had no idea that this was going on while I was at work, you know I put Michael in charge since he was the eldest... and just recently did I discover what he truly did, and you've seen how I scolded him, no?"

"R-right..."

"Yet your son did not speak up to reveal what Michael was doing." Angela pointed out.

"Given how you lack knowledge as to how humans act, I suppose I can't fault you for saying something like that." William calmly said. "But victims are less likely to report their aggressors in fear of what they may do."

"Truthfully, you fascinate me, Angela, a machine who acts incredibly human, you are in short, what I would like to build one day." He admitted.

"... Flattered, I supposed, yet for what reason?"

"I run a business, so creating animatronics that feel human, act human, and live like humans would be the greatest boost for my business."

"The prospect of a robot acting like a human is fascinating, and would certainly attract more clients."

Angela frowned. "So you're thinking of creating sentient AI so that they are chained to your company?"

"See it this way, if they act like humans, then they need a job to cover their expenses, as such, working in my company would be their job, and I'd pay them with maintenance, shelter and anything they need." Explained William.

"Of course, this is an ambitious plan, and I don't truly expect it to happen during my lifespan, so at the very least, I wish to create the grounds for the next generation."

However, it did seem as if he wasn't going to order them to attack us, much to Ryoshu's dismay.

Though it was a bit weird still, he seemed so hostile, yet he didn't want to deal with any sort of direct conflict.

Was he... still scared of Michael?

"Wow, even in that version, Evan's scared of Michael." Frowned Elizabeth.

"Just how badly did Michael treat Evan?" William whispered.

I looked at Michael for a moment, and despite the mask he had on, I could sense the pity he felt for his brother.

"That might actually be rubbing salt in the wound." Stated Henry.

Suddenly, the door opened with a kick.

"Aight, I leave for a moment, and our contractor decided to seethe over God knows what." The person said with a bat in hand.

"Wait, that's a freddy mask, like one we sell." Recognized Henry.

"Fucking hell dude, what in the world happened to the chair?" He said as he saw a destroyed chair on the floor, he then saw Evan simply standing.

"This place is hella big, ya know, the other pizzeria I worked at was easier to navigate, this place is a fucking maze." He ranted.

"An employee of Fazbear's as well from the looks of it." William mentioned.

"As far as I can tell, not one of the employees we currently have."

Henry flinched a bit at those words.

"Boss, we have guests." One of the masked individuals declared.

For a short pause, Michael and the masked man simply looked at eachother.

"Jeremy?" Michael asked.

"Wait, Jeremy?!" Michael widened his eyes.

"Oh, one of Michael's pals from school." Charlie recognized the name.

"So your friend ended up working for me, uh?" William smirked.

"And from the looks of it, Evan as well." Added Henry.

"Dang, never thought Jeremy would work for the wimp." Michael muttered upon hearing what Henry said.

"Oh shit, Michael?!" Jeremy said as he let his bat go. "Dude, where the hell've you been, dude?"

"Been a while since you came back to this dump man, you gotta check out how damn weird this pizzeria your old man ended up making." Jeremy started patting Michael on the back.

"Yo, all of y'all." Jeremy said as he looked at his lackeys. "Give him an applause, he's an OG from when this band of misfits was just four dumbasses."

"So that group of friends of yours ended up becoming a gang?" William said much to his dismay.

"Wait, in that case..." Heathcliff murmured. "That must mean that it's Matt and the Mad Rabbits."

"Shit, that means Hindley contracted them." He realized.

At this point, he was able to connect a few of the dots.

The lad who looked like Gregor replaced Nelly, Elizabeth was probably a stand-in for Linton given how they acted similarly, Evan was that bastard Hindley...

But... who'd be Catherine?

No, he already knew, it was Michael's father, rather than going back to meet someone he cherished, he went there out of his duty as a sinner.

This meant that Michael didn't have anything to attach him to that hellhole, unlike him, who at least had Cathy.

From the looks of it, it was very common for past acquaintances to appear once again during their turn.

He clenched his fists. He would make sure to be ready when that time came.

Ready to hold his rage so that he showed he had changed from that brigand from back then.

His subordinates started clapping as I and the sinners looked stupefied.

It was quite incredible how he was able to ignore the awkward ambience of the establishment.

Evan looked away seeing this. He didn't like seeing his bullies have such a heartwarming reunion.

"Wait, you're working for my brother now?" Michael asked as he realized the situation.

"Yeah, uhm... about that." He nervously chuckled. "We gotta pay bills somehow, and he got the money for that."

Michale then looked at the mask Jeremy had on. "Looks like you haven't changed from the Freddy mask you had."

"You on the other hand have another fox mask, what's that one for? Doesn't look like the Foxy mask you had before."

"..." Michael closed his eyes for a moment. "It's a gift from someone."

"One of the Japs I assume..." Grumbled William.

"William, you do realize that fox masks are very common in Japanese culture, right?" Henry reminded. "You can't just say all that given the fact you sell Foxy masks."

"At that time, I didn't know, truthfully, perhaps getting rid of Foxy could fix a few things..."

"William..." Henry didn't like how his friend was putting it.

"You can't deny that my hatred for that country isn't unreasonable, not when they were allies of those monsters."

"The Japanese of today had nothing to do with what happened forty years ago." Reminded Henry.

"... They too lost a father in the war I suppose..." William muttered as he downcasted his gaze.

"But when I was talking about getting rid of the Foxy mask, that was actually so that Michael would learn a lesson, taking away his favorite animatronic would certainly teach him."

"But nonetheless, I think that your fashion tastes haven't changed at all." Michael commented checking out the leather outfit with fur on the top that Jeremy had, the yellow mask he had was a bit worn out, but it was the one that he recognized from back then.

"Ew, did he keep that mask even after so many years? That mask must be foul." Michael commented.

"Least the material seems to be durable, so we made a good decision in making them of quite good quality." William added.

"What can I say, shit's lit." He laughed.

Michael then noticed the confused looks the other sinners were giving him.

"I should explain a bit about what is going on." He said.

"This is Jeremy, a former friend I had back when I was still a kid." He presented. "We used to be sort of a gang with two other people."

"Now that I think about it, what happened to the other two?" He asked.

Jeremy shrugged. "Beats me, I haven't gotten into contact with them, they don't deserve to see us though, those bastards decided to put you under the bus after the accident."

"So those two are fake friends? I'll keep that in mind." Michael frowned.

"Perhaps it won't be the same in our world though? Just something in that world?" Elizabeth suggested.

"Nah, I had a few suspicions, but this sort of confirmed it."

"That's... sad to hear." Uttered Charlie.

"Look at you though, your outfit is sick, hella different to the ones your, what I assume to be, workmates have."

"Are you like some sort of VIP or something?"

Michael shook his head. "I am not, this is an outfit I put on for the occasion."

"Aaaah, I gotcha, you're taking advantage of some sort of company rule loophole so that you can wear something else." He assumed.

"Let's go with that, yeah." Michael stated, thinking that explaining the situation to his former friend would take too long.

 Ishmael sighed. "Least he's keeping us out of any sort of false image."

"He does seem more intelligent compared to Heathcliff." Mentioned Ishmael.

"Oi!"

"So... why'd you leave?" Jeremy asked.

"I mean it as in, what was the breaking point that made you end up calling it quits and flipping your old man off?"

"Well... It was a mix of many circumstances..."

"I once promised myself that I would not come back until I proved to everyone that I changed."

"And now, I believe I am ready." Michael declared with determination.

"Bildungsroman." Muttered Gregor.

"Surely he's grown after becoming an adult, right?" Henry hoped.

"Least given how bad his relationship with us is, it should make him mature a bit." Grumbled William.

"Attaboy, I can at the very least see that you're calmer than the adrenaline junkie you used to be." Jeremy said proudly as he patted Michael's back, this time with a bit more strength.

"Well, as for me, yeah, you can see I still got the gang going, and that your brother contracted us, but that was with the help of the Ring really." He explained.

"See, they sort of recommended us for this job, it was easy cash, protect your brother and that was it, surely wouldn't be hard so long as he didn't get close to any animatronics." He laughed.

"Piss off, Jeremy." Evan growled as he flipped him off.

"That isn't... very reassuring..." Evan whispered.

His fear for animatronics was already intense, but this only furthered it even more.

"Part of the reason why I keep telling Elizabeth to stay away from Baby, you never know what'll happen when the animatronic is still a work in progress." Explained William.

"The Ring? How interesting." Ryoshu said.

"Seems like that's going to be our first time interacting with one of the fingers." Rodion said.

"Well, no need to worry, Michael, we get well enough now, some silly banter of the past." He chuckled.

"Never thought I'd see the day." Admitted Charlie.

"Yeah, didn't know Jeremy would get buddy buddy with this cry baby." Expressed Michael.

He then got a bit closer to Michael as he whispered. "I think he just dislikes you because you were the one behind all of this, so I'd advise you either make amends full heartedly or just ignore him, that's all your choice."

"I- I'm sorry, but did you say the Ring?" Rodion said with concern.

"Must be the Fauvists then, they are the only ones who would be willing to take up this bunch of G.F.N with tacky, cheap animal masks." Ryoshu concluded.

William huffed. "Tacky you say? I've spent quite a bit of money to make sure they're of high quality."

"Still shit." Ryoshu bluntly said. "You use art for M.G. I use art for C.E. we are not the same."

"So you mean..." Michael uttered.

"That's right! We're working for one of the fingers now!" Jeremy said with excitement. "Remember when we used to talk all wack like we were some sort of syndicate? Guess I ended up fulfilling that dream for us."

"Wait, you seriously wanted to work under one of those nutcases in that world?" Heathcliff said with disbelief.

"What's so bad about them?" Michael asked.

"A lot." Rodion bluntly responded.

"Oh, how bad could it be?"

"They use people's corpses for arts, and that's just the Ring."

"Bloody hell."

"That's... impressive." Admitted Michael.

Evan seemed to be starting to get sick of this reunion as he then said. "This is a sorry sight."

"Sorry to crash yours and your boyfriend's reunion, brother."

"Fuck you mean boyfriend?!" Michael said, indignant.

"I knew it." William deadpanned.

"Hell no! Dad, I'm not gay!"

"Well, you do act gay."

"William?" Nervously said Henry.

"Do you have any idea what he says when he gets his friends over to the house?" Asked William.

"I... actually don't want to know."

Michael wanted to speak up, but he had the feeling that he was going to dig the hole he was in even deeper.

That was until something dawned on him.

" Wait, how did he know I brought my friends over? "

Surely neither Evan or Elizabeth would snitch, Liz actually hung around some of his friends, and Evan would never speak up.

Furthermore, he always made sure that everything looked normal once they left.

Just how was he able to know that?

"But the fact that the both of you hooligans ended up working for some sort of criminal network is truly disappointing."

"C-criminals?! Thou shan't slander the noble voyage of Limbus Company!" Declared Don Quixote.

"Only reason why I contracted Jeremy is to shove it on his face, and now I'm here to shove it in yours." He smirked.

"Talk about petty." Charlie commented.

"This is my revenge, brother, I've become the successful man myself, while you're a lowly employee of some sort of band full of misfits and crude people."

Many of the sinners would have immediately brandished their weapons by now while hearing Evan, however, knowing that they were in presence of Oufi Fixers as well as the fact that this would lead to pointless conflict, they decided to simply ignore him.

"Evan..." Michael called out as he took a step forward. "I believe you're gravely mistaken."

"I am no longer that hooligan that used to haunt you."

"I... won't deny the fact that I used to spend sleepless nights remembering that fateful day and also the guilt that haunted me after..."

"But..." Michael then sighed. "I've gone on a few adventures, not just with this group of unique cast, but also alone and with others who I held closely."

"I've learned, I've made mistakes and I've regretted many of my actions..."

"And... one thing I learned is that..."

"I'm done with this past that you are trying to guilt trip me into." He admitted. "In fact, I feel bad for the state you're currently in."

"Not even taking accountability? Wow, that's an ever deeper low for you." Elizabeth snarled.

"As if, the cry baby stopped being a victim the moment he decided to weaponize his tragedy." Retorted Michael.

"Still, it would have been nice to at the very least apologize, don't you think?" Suggested Charlie.

"While the prank going wrong would have probably made me apologize..." Michael looked away. "If I am honest, I wouldn't be apologizing for what I've done to Evan, but rather the fact that it turned out like that."

"You're an asshole, Michael." Glared Elizabeth.

"Language, Elizabeth!" William yelled.

"But daddy! Are you not going to reprimand Michael for what he just said?!" Shouted Elizabeth.

"If he doesn't decide to change, then that's on him." William explained. "I'm done babysitting him, so if he wants to cut ties with this family, then he's welcome to do so."

"Oh, so you just gave up on me? As if you were even trying to help from the start, you literally spent time on the workshop or with Henry! You never spent time with your family!"

William frowned. "And guess who's the one who's been sustaining all of you so that none of you would end up hungry and poor? Me! I can't believe you're so ungrateful, Michael!"

"Ungrateful? As if! Father, you literally don't even interact with us, do you even know how lonely I am when the only company I have is the crybaby and this damn clingy bitch?!"

"M-Michael..." Henry whispered, he didn't like how this was escalating so far.

"I'd fucking know what it feels to be alone!" Roared William. "You atleast have a father that's alive, I had to live without a father in my case!"

"All because of that damn war that you didn't get to experience, you are taking what you have for granted! And that just pisses me off!"

Michael glared as he finally uttered. "No wonder mother left you, you expected her to be the one to teach us everything while you'd just go on to achieve your dreams, no? Making her throw away what she wanted to do an-"

"YOU LITTLE-" William was about to lunge against Michael, but Jae-Heon grabbed him by the arms. "CAN'T YOU REALIZE THAT I TRY EVERYTHING I CAN?!"

"If only... If only you felt what it was to be so lonely, to realize what it felt to have truly no one to have your back..."

"You wouldn't even have uttered those words!"

"After all, the best way to teach someone is to make them go through what you had gone through before!"

The room was quiet from the awkward silence that was left.

Evan looked at Elizabeth as he asked. "Liz? Who was mom?"

"...I don't know, and no one except Michael and daddy know..." She responded. "There is nothing about her, be it photos or anything."

"I was too young to really get to know her when she left, I was just born, don’t you remember?" She explained.

Gregor looked at William for a moment.

While the room was depicting him as someone similar to his mother...

He saw no similarities between them, at least for now.

If anything, he believed that this William was the one before anything truly bad happened, which was saying a lot given how bad the relationship between him and the eldest son was.

Least for the other two, there didn't seem to be much friction between them.

Angela could only be reminded of how rocky her relationship with Ayin was, she understood Michael, that need to have the love of someone would see as their parental figure was ingrained in her for so many millenia.

Both were right however, the best to avoid conflict would be to completely cut ties.

William had finally calmed down as he looked at Jae-Heon. "Thanks for holding me back, I don't know what I would have done had you not been here."

"The fact you've never hit your children is a commendable act of a parent, though I have to admit, you really need to connect with your children." Admitted Jae-Heon.

"You have many ideas, yes, but they aren't going anywhere." He explained. "You still have many years up ahead, they can wait."

"I am saying this as a father to another, you never know when one of your children may one day die."

William understood where he was coming from, but he personally would rather focus on the animatronics more than anything.

If Michael left, then good grief, at least he still had two other children, two which were much more obedient.

He looked at Jae-Heon. “Remember, I don’t care about them, I simply want to get rid of that feeling of loneliness.”

"What do you mean?" Evan said surprised and completely baffled at the lack of guilt.

"You've changed for the worse, brother." Michael pointed out. "Hating me for what I did is understandable..."

"What I don't understand is why you would let it get a hold of you and control every single move you make. Up to this point, I can see that this success to talk about isn't from your own work..."

"It's the work of your thirst for revenge."

"Despite the fact that I look like a drifting vagabond, I seem to be more at peace than you, you who is wearing the suit of a successful man."

"Ouch, pitying your enemy is certainly a way to rub salt in the wound." Cringed Rodion.

"Revenge, uh?" Thought Ishmael out loud.

While Evan hated how Michael acted around him, he never really held it against him.

Yes, he was frustrated, he wished to talk back, to make him stop.

But he'd rather he continued doing that than being forced near any of the animatronics.

So long as he never spoke out loud to his father, the possibility of being brought to one of the Fazbear establishments would decrease.

"You... YOU!" Evan yelled as he tried to find the words he wanted, yet he never followed suit with whatever he tried to express.

"That person really has been talking ill about Michael..." Ishmael pointed out. "That thirst of vengeance has completely engulfed him..."

I could see Ishmael frowning while looking at Michael's brother. Certainly, he was acting similarly to how Ishmael did when it came to the Palid Whale.

"Mmm..." Ishmael hummed hearing that. That confirmed it, they had already gone to U Corp.

She clenched her fist, they surely weren't prepared to fight against that bastard.

"You'd never understand this hatred that I have for you!" Evan expressed, finally finding what he wanted to say. "You didn't have to suffer what I had to go through! All those agonizing years of pain inflicted by you don't simply go like nothing! You'll never understand what it's like to have nothing left but the wish to trample the aggressor if it's the last thing you do!"

"You'll never know what it's like to be hunted like an animal!"

"But I do." Michael revealed. "I know what it feels to abandon everything for the sake of vengeance."

"I just can't look at the sight in front of me, the shy Evan that I knew is now but an empty husk filled with rage." He declared.

None of us knew how Evan looked or acted previously, but based on what Michael said, it was certainly a radical change.

Even if what Evan said was to be true, Michael's calm and social demeanor to the other sinners certainly didn't convince the words the brother said.

"Quite impressive, Michael, convincing your workmates that you are not wrong." William sarcastically said.

Michael glared at his father.

Henry at that moment realized that their relationship had completely broken up, there was no point in trying to mend this.

Yet he didn't know who's side to take.

"You... you bloody bastard..." Evan looked away in frustration as he stomped back to the group of masked people. “I Swear! I will one day hunt you down like the mutt you are!”

"It's scary how much the yearn for revenge can do to someone..." Ishmael whispered.

Michael took a deep breath as he then asked. "What about father? We're all here, yet where is father?"

"You... didn't read the letter?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Oh, least it looks like you're still that dumbass brat that had no fucking brains." Evan chuckled, having even the tiniest speck of triumph over his brother.

"I don't like this Evan." Charlie stated.

Evan couldn't help but nod in agreement. He wished to never turn into whatever that was.

"Evan!" Elizabeth called out. "This has gone on for too long, I understand that Michael wouldn't know due to departing before what happened."

"Let's at the very least allow this moment for the family to be together once again, just this once." She pleaded.

"As if we were a family! Father never cared that Michael would make me suffer, and you would always cling to father like a fucking harlot!"

"No one was normal except me back then! Yet why is it that all of you are trying to act normal while looking at me like I'm the weird one?!" He called out.

"Was daddy's lack of affection too insufficient for you? Dear sister? How about you start hogging on something else aside from dad's dick!?"

"This is uncomfortable..." Henry whispered as he had already covered Charlie's ears.

"Henry, that doesn't work." William sighed.

"I still appreciate it though, dad." Charlie thanked.

Evan could only shoot his sister an apologetic look, one which Elizabeth noticed.

She paid it no mind, she herself didn't know how to react to such crude language.

"Didn't know the kid could have such vulgar language." Whistled Gregor.

"Amateurs." Ryoshu snorted.

Michael and Elizabeth looked uneasy hearing Evan so unstable. Some of the other sinners started rubbing their shoulders or necks from the awkwardness.

"Father didn't express his love for us as a normal parent would do." Elizabeth defended. "Yet he never touched or hurt us physically... We just needed to be the ones to take the initiative so that he would give us his attention."

"Keep dickriding him, why don't you?" Evan said as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to have to agree with that version of Evan, there is no love inside that man." Bluntly said Michael.

"It is very vulgar of you to say this in regards to our family, Evan, must you use such colorful language in an attempt to make us react?" Elizabeth sighed.

"I think this is time for us to calm down, you two." Henry finally spoke up. "I understand that your household had many problems, but please, neither of you truly had any bad blood when you lived together, no? There is no point on being at each other's throat for something that didn't even happened between both of you."

"... Alright, Uncle Henry." Evan let go of a deep breath as he looked away from his sister. "I still have a bone to pick with my dear older brother however."

Elizabeth on the other hand nodded.

Michael then asked once again. "Where is father? I still have no knowledge regarding what he wants by asking me to come here."

"I've come all the way here to prove to him that I've changed, that I am no longer scared of him or what he does, I am ready to face my past and accept it."

"He's right, where's uncle William in all this?" Charlie wondered.

Henry looked away for a moment. A confused face could be seen on him as the other two family members looked down in grief.

Vanessa twiddled with her fingers as she was unsure what to think about the current situation.

Henry finally decided to speak. "We... won't need to carry out our plan..."

"What are you trying to say, Henry? Just stop trying to soften the blow." Michael demanded.

Meursault suddenly grabbed Michael's shoulder. "Michael, I may have a general idea of the current situation."

"If I may, I believe that the current emotions and atmosphere on the current room may mean a very grim outcome relating to your father, as such, I believe my condolences are in order."

"Ah, so I kicked the bucket, uh?" William sighed.

"Meursault, you have nothing to worry about, I... I just need Henry himself to say it." Michael expressed.

"Michael... William is dead." Henry finally revealed.

"Daddy's dead in that world'" Elizabeth felt pain in her heart hearing that.

"Well, given how all of you have grown up, it's natural for me to have died in those years." Accepted William.

"Not sure if I'd say I am proud of this development though..."

The boy widened his eyes behind his mask, yet he did not utter any sound.

"Please, explain to me how this course of events occurred." He petitioned.

"Father died during his work, he was working on an animatronic before he suddenly fell to the ground." Elizabeth explained.

Michael rubbed his chin. "I... I'm skeptical in regards to that explanation."

"It's understandable, he was quite healthy after all."

"No... I don't mean that." He said as he looked at Henry.

Henry nodded, signaling that there was indeed something going on.

"Mmm, given how Henry and Michael have acted, it appears that something has gone awry." Outis noticed.

"Based on the description Michael has given, there is a high chance of this being a ploy created by William Afton." Meursault suggested.

Suddenly, an Oufi Fixer stomped his weapon to the ground as he said. "Now."

"The promised hour has come."

"Mister Evan Afton, Michael Afton and Miss Elizabeth Afton, three parties blood-related to the deceased."

"Now with all significant parties present, we shall start the current ceremony."

"The first order of the ceremony is to fulfill William's will."

"Thus we shall begin with his first demand, that his will should be read out loud to his children, all present in the establishment, in the same space and time."

Michael didn't object or question it, instead, he remained silent as the Oufi Fixers prepared with the will.

Just then, he got closer to Ryoshu as he then whispered. "You felt it, didn't you?"

She nodded. "There is something amiss."

"Should we act?"

She shook her head. "Iie, we need to G.M.I."

"Eh? Doth thee notice something we have not?" Don Quixote asked in confusion.

"Did you get it by any chance, Ryoshu?" Sinclair asked.

Ryoshu nodded. "I won't spoil the surprise." She sinisterly smiled.

The Oufi Fixer then looked at the two of them. "Warning. Any further interruptions to the reading of the will may lead to physical force being used upon the guests in hopes to ensure the will's completion."

Ryoshu gripped her odachi in annoyance. "Perhaps S.T.A.T.B would be fine however."

The Oufi Fixer took out a letter. "This is the deceased's will, it has been verified through various tests that it is legitimate, and that it has been not counterfeited or tampered with."

"Mister William has asked for this letter to be read aloud in presence of the three attendees."

"I will now proceed to read the contents of the will."

"A lot of William this, will that..." Rodion said, starting to get tired of the overly long speech before the actual reading.

The Oufi Fixer cleared his throat.

"Finally."

"It appears all of you have finally reunited, albeit through a tragic event."

"Yeah, 'tragic' you say." Snorted Michael.

"First and foremost, I wish my words to be met with respect, and without conflict by all three of you."

"This is a once in a lifetime moment, do not waste it, for I will not come back."

"There is no agony, no suffering, no punishment, in the place that I am now."

"You may rejoice, weep or even be unaffected by my death."

"For I have finally reached my final destination."

"This franchise that I built through companionship and sweat and blood."

"It is time to bestow my legacy to one of you."

"Oh, is this like those last wills where you call upon someone to get the inheritance?" Charlie realized.

"Seems like it... though, given that it is co-owned by William and I, it is a bit weird I don't get to become the owner of it, even until I die as well." Commented Henry.

"That theory of me controlling the company does seem more plausible, not that you say that." Agreed William.

"Mmm... now that I think about it, doesn't Henry still look young?" Hong Lu pointed out.

"You're actually right, he seems to be in his forties or so." Ishmael added.

"How weird, I thought I'd be an old man by now given how much the others have grown..." Muttered Henry.

"Something must be weird with him." Heathcliff accused. “Or he’s like Nelly.”

"Either that, or he's found a very good skincare routine to make him still so young looking." Rodion joked.

"I have come to accept its shortcomings, its reputation and its vengeful ghosts."

"This franchise, which I will leave..."

"To my eldest son, Michael Afton."

"Wait, me?" Michael said as he pointed at himself.

"Well, given how Elizabeth and Evan don't seem to be the most... fit for it, I'm not surprised." Charlie sighed.

"Hey! I'd make for a good CEO!" Refuted Elizabeth.

"Truthfully, I believe Charlie would make for the best one to own the franchise." Admitted William.

"Thanks, uncle William!"

 "You were the only one to truly work as part of its employees, and you have shown to be fit as a manager of such an establishment."

"Mmm, I might change my opinion, it seems he's competent enough to actually run a place." William corrected.

"If that's the case, I wouldn't mind being competitive with Charlie to get the rights for the franchise." Michael smiled.

"Oh, it's on, Michael." Challenged Charlie.

"Or... both of you could co-own the place like William and I are doing." Softly laughed Henry.

Rodion then whispered. "Wait, Michael used to own a pizza place?"

"Could have fooled us, might ask for a free pizza later." Smirked Gregor.

"I didn't own it, but rather, I was the manager." Explained Michael.

Elizabeth looked away for a moment, perhaps resentful for not being given the franchise's ownership.

As for Evan, he didn't care, had it been given to him, it would probably have been completely destroyed out of spite.

"As for my daughter, Elizabeth Afton."

Elizabeth perked up with excitement, her eyes vividly and craving for what her father left for her. "Please, tell me father."

"Please be kind to others."

"Find purpose besides my legacy, that is all that I ask for you."

"This way, I will truly be proud."

"How unusual." Jae-Heon said.

"I knew Elizabeth yearned for my attention, but not that much." William lied.

He knew it, and loved how attached she was to him, it meant that she wouldn't abandon him.

"..." Angela could notice the attitude of the girl in the scene, and could only feel a sense of deja vu.

Right, she yearned for Ayin's approval.

"..." Elizabeth remained silent as her eyes turned back to the dull color they had

"Evan Afton, my youngest son."

"Though you used to be a shy and kind boy..."

"You have disappointed me."

Evan flinched at the change of tone. The Oufi fixer was quite adept at expressing the message in the will as if William had said it himself.

"Honestly, I thought he'd be the one to never disappoint father, mostly because he just does nothing." Admitted Michael.

"Perhaps his current attitude is one that uncle William doesn't like." Charlie suggested.

"I understood that expectations were harmful, and I paid the price after seeing what you have become."

"Please, seek help at M Corp."

"I won't force you, it is your choice, and yours only if you decide to bring your life back together."

"I wish to see you back to how you used to be."

"First time I've seen him really care." Sarcastically said Michael.

William sighed out of annoyance, he'd ignore that brat for as long as he continued to mock him.

Perhaps that way he'll see that there truly is no one by his side.

Though... Henry could be a problem for his plan, that man could never understand what he's trying to do.

"What bull shit is he spouting..." He growled, skeptical of his words.

"For my closing words..."

"I wish to also add onto what I will give to Michael Afton, my son."

"Damn, again? Your other self seems to actually care." Laughed Michael.

"Uh... given your other version's description, that might not actually be good." Sinclair pointed out.

"Truthfully, it does annoy me how chummy he's acting with his son, especially when the lad doesn't see that place as his home." Heathcliff expressed.

"First and foremost."

"Welcome back, dear son."

"..." Michael remained silent with a confused look as he looked at the floor.

Elizabeth glared at him, the attention William gave to him at this moment was certainly making her jealous.

"No worries, Liz, I don't actually want father's attention." Cleared Michael.

"She seems much more... clingy?" Charlie muttered.

"I suppose William did end up neglecting the care his children needed emotionally." Jae-Heon concluded.

"I won't deny the possibility, I've always been so invested in my work that I forget to care for them." Admitted William as he glanced down.

"... We'll have to fix that issue before it escalates, William." Spoke Henry.

"Once the eight bell rings..."

"The Golden Bough shall be yours."

Many of the sinners widened their eyes hearing that declaration.

We knew that it was inside the establishment, but there was that uneasy feeling that Michael warned us about.

Something was greatly wrong.

No...

There was more than one here.

"Two Golden Boughs in a single place?" Ishmae said in disbelief.

"He certainly has had external aid." Yi Sang believed.

Faust nodded. "The amount of Golden Boughs is limited to L Corp. facilities, as such, it is unlikely for him to attain them in such a short time given their recency of appearing."

"Even more for him, your favoritism is showing, father." Evan snorted sarcastically.

"Dante, is there any issue?" Faust asked.

"(There is... a second Golden Bough in this establishment)"

"Father... what the hell would you need two Golden Boughs for..." Michael murmured, trying to figure out what was going on.

The first bell rang.

Suddenly, everything went dark.

"Uh, I wasn't expecting the lights to go out." Gregor commented.

"Not the end of the viewing yet, right?" Hong Lu asked.

"No, it should turn into a white room for it to signal the end." Explained Ishmael.

"Henry?" William asked on his desk.

"Yes, Will?" He responded.

"Do you feel like... there's something watching us?" He inquired.

"Uhm..." Sinclair muttered.

"They aren't talking about us, right?" Rodion said with worry.

"Didn't know uncle William had a sixth sense." Joked Charlie.

"Don't be silly, ghosts aren't real."

"Never took you as the sort of guy to believe in ghosts, William." Henry commented.

"Neither did I." Agreed William.

"... I'm not sure."

"Come on now, I was expecting this situation to be the other way around, you explaining why ghosts aren't real while I was being a scary cat." Henry chuckled.

"Ah, my other self also thinks the same!" Laughed Henry.

"I know, I'm someone very skeptical... yet, this feeling... I need to learn why I feel this sensation." Murmured William.

"That aside, I wish we could just get that X-Corp all purpose wrench to make all this easier to build..."

"Daddy!"

Elizabeth came sprinting towards William, surprised by the sudden hug, William simply wrapped his arms around his daughter to make sure she didn't fall.

"Wow, that girl tackled him like a rocket." Gregor whistled.

"I'm surprised he wasn't sent back by the orange blur." Rodion joked.

"Ah ah! Tis shall be the color fixer name bestowed upon thee shall she become a fixer!" Don Quixote declared.

"I told you to not come here." William warned with a bit of annoyance. "You know it's dangerous in the workshop."

He then looked at Evan and Michael, who were at the door.

"Michael, how many times have I told you to look after your sister?" William scolded.

"Not my fault she decided to dump an entire bowl of flour on me to make a run for it!" He yelled. Just then, William did notice that Michael was indeed covered in white powder.

"Oh, that's rich." Laughed Charlie.

"Didn't know you would dress up like a snowman." Joked Elizabeth.

"Oh shut it both of you!" Michael yelled in annoyance.

"Oh dear, here, let me help you there, Michael." Henry said as he got off his chair to try and help Michael.

"There's no need, Uncle Henry." Insisted Michael.

"You couldn't even see where you were going, so just let dad help." Charlie said as she caught up to the others.

Laughter resonated through the place as they attempted to get all the flour off of Michael while using a hose.

"Getting cleaned like a dog as well, man you're really into animals, uh?" Continued teasing Elizabeth.

Michael simply groaned.

Suddenly, a bell rang once.

That very same hose was now being used to clean off the blood William had on himself.

"O-oh..." Sinclair uttered.

"Well, that escalated quickly." Gregor whispered.

"Right, this different world is much more cruel." Remembered William.

"Fascinating, I didn't expect a child to fit inside one of the animatronics Henry designed."

"W-what?" Henry stuttered upon hearing that.

William scratched the back of his head as his other version was not painting a good picture of his reputation.

"W-Will, why would your other version even do that?" Henry questioned.

"Hell if I know." William responded. "My other version seems to be more mentally ill."

"Wait..." Henry realized something. "When Michael and I were talking about a plan..."

"Could it have been because you went psychotic in that world?"

William casted down his gaze. "More than likely."

"... Least you're not like that..." Henry sighed with relief

If only he knew.

He looked back to his house.

It was quiet, far more quiet than what it used to be.

But that was to be expected, only Michael was left, and he had completely shut himself away from society.

And that was better.

He'd never go anywhere without his order.

"This family has already been ruined."

"All I can do now is simply move on to my little projects."

"Can see a bit of him in your current form, father, both of you are apathetic." Insulted Michael.

"Oh, I can say the same for you, dirty brother killer." William shot back. "You've done it twice now, so there might be something that's bound to happen if you continue acting the way you do."

Both of them glared at one another for a few minutes despite the awkward atmosphere.

And yet again, the bell rang again.

"I can still hear the voices, Henry." This time, William Afton was in the springtrap suit.

This time however, he was lying down on the dirty floor. Blood was spouting out of him as he saw the spirits flying through the air.

"W-William!" Henry yelled as he saw the very awful state his friend was in.

Elizabeth screeched at the horrifying image while Evan couldn't help but hurl.

"I expected as much, the spring lock mechanism could malfunction like that." William sighed. "Having each bit of metal burrow into your flesh sure is an agonizing demise."

"Schieße, that's a horrifying way to go." Gregor grimaced.

"Truthfully, it's a miracle we didn't have any incident relating to these springlocks, though quite ironic that I, the creator, ended up being the one to die to them." William admitted.

"Yeah, we really needed to find a replacement just to make sure no accidents happened." Henry added.

He laughed. "See? I told you, ghosts were real." He proved to no one in particular.

"Ah... how fascinating... It hurts... i-it really hurts." He muttered.

Suddenly, he yelled as one of the springlocks stabbed him in the arm.

Sinclair felt a shiver down his spine hearing that blood curdling scream.

Michael could only cringe at it. Even if he didn't like his father, it was still a horrifying image to see him so bloodied.

Evan cried as he covered his ears while closing his eyes, he didn't want to hear or see that, he just wanted it to end.

"I'll get to the end of this, I... I won't die until I learn about this phenomenon."

"Yes... I've already come a long way from before, I can't stop right now, not when I'm so close to the truth..."

"I'll come back and finish what I've started."

"That's how you died then?" Henry asked.

"Yeah, it seems like it." Answered William. Truthfully, a very grim and agonizing way to die, but this just convinced him to never enter one of those springlock mechanisms ever again.

"H-hey? Are you guys alright?" Rodion asked, checking out if everyone else was alright.

"The light suddenly went out all of a sudden, I could have sworn I heard a tune from one of the doors." Commented Sinclair as he shivered upon remembering it.

"Ah! Be not afraid! I know thy tune that played through the darkness! It was Marcha del Toreador!" Don Quixote recognized.

"Toreador March, you really loved that song if I remember correctly, William." Henry reminisced.

"And I still do, why else do you think I play it when the pizzeria is at night?"

"That aside, what we just saw for a moment... Where they William's memories?" Questioned Ishmael.

"From the looks of it, yes, they were my father's memories." Michael answered, conflicted after watching the first memory.

"It is very likely that this has been under the influence of the Golden Bought." Informed Faust.

"Wait... but why would it be his memories rather than Michael's?" Hong Lu asked.

"... Faust needs a moment to find the answer." She responded.

"Well, that question aside, I think we should get a move on." Michael suggested. "The animatronics get quirky at night after all."

"What, are they possessed or something?" Elizabeth joked.

"And that means..." Sinclair murmured.

"They will attack us like they are possessed." He declared. "So stay on guard."

"Oh, you weren't kidding." Elizabeth said as she widened her eyes.

"Perhaps the animatronics malfunction." William murmured as he put a hand on his chin. "We'll have to check on them just in case once we get back."

"Do you know where everyone else went?" Asked Hong Lu.

Just then they saw Henry with a hand over his aching head.

"What... happened?" Henry said as he stumbled to the group.

"Well that's one of them." Gregor pointed out.

Michael walked towards Henry. "Do you have any recollection of how the facility turned into this?"

"As I told you before, Michael." He said he recovered. "I don't know what your father did to this place."

"..." Michael seemed pensive over those words for some reason.

"S-so wait, is that how William died? But doesn't it seem sort of…?" Sinclair asked.

"That he died... wouldn't be the right word, he instead found a way to live after dying." Michael revealed.

"Had he died right there and then, we wouldn't find ourselves in this place." Explained Michael.

"How interesting, you're telling me you found a way to cheat death?" Jae-Heon said with interest.

"If that is the case, chances are, the Head would have put all their attention into that." Angela refuted.

"That would be... a quite impressive discovery, William." Henry said in awe.

"Oh please, I'm not a scientist, I'm an engineer and mechanic." Reminded William. "I know little to nothing about biology."

"Michael... I don't know what makes you think that William had something up his sleeve, he might not have been the best father, but at the very least he brought Evan and Elizabeth back." Explained Henry.

"I still despise him for what he did... but I could see myself doing the same as him had Charlie not died because of him specifically."

"If anything... I can't specifically blame the fact he wants everyone to be back." He ended up saying. "But right now, we need to find where he truly is, I still don't believe he's dead."

"... I am skeptical regarding your claim that he's been trying to bring Elizabeth and Evan back, this should be something that the Head would respond to immediately, as resurrection is strictly prohibited in the City." Michael pointed out.

"That is correct, breaking the law means immediate termination from the Claw and an Arbiter." Yi Sang explained. "I have my suspicions as to what they truly are, given the hint he has given."

Faust nodded. "The mention of Evan and Elizabeth being deceased may hint at the idea that William has either found a loophole or has truly gone against the Head."

“...” Yi Sang knew that was wrong, but given how Faust had to rely on her own intelligence during these viewings, it was understandable. As such, he decided not to speak up.

"..." Henry looked down in sadness.

Hearing himself mention that Charlie was dead was quite a bit of a shock to him, but given that she hadn't appeared yet, it did make him think about the possibility.

"(Are you going to explain what Evan and Elizabeth might be?)"

"I fear not, manager." Yi Sang shook his head. "It is farfetched and quite frankly, lacking in proof."

"Henry seems to be contradicting himself a bit." Outis noticed. "Firstly slandering and now mentioning the good intentions William has."

"Not just that, but Ryoshu and Michael have been acting odd ever since they met the other Aftons and Henry." Sinclair added.

"Quite a lot of secrets, uh?" Heathcliff commented.

"They will sooner or later be revealed." Meursault assured.

"From what you've told me, he's had quite a few personal experiments going on within the basement, the best we can do is find our way to that place." He instructed.

"That was in our house, we are in the pizzeria, if we try going there, it might as well be too late to do anything. I suggest we go to his office, we might find something there." Explained Michael.

"Sounds like a plan." Henry smiled.

I noticed that Michael sighed in disappointment for some reason.

"See what I mean?" Sinclair said as he pointed at the Michael of the other world.

"No need to be so pushy about it, Sinclair." Giggle Rodion.

"S-sorry, it's just that this kind of turned into a murder mystery of sorts." He chuckled.

"Uh, if you put it that way, it does feel like it is some sort of novel called 'The Mystery of William Afton' if you think about it." Hong Lu added.

“That is a very basic name though.” Gregor commented.

"How can we be sure that this isn't part of William's ploy?" Outis argued. "As Michael previously said, he's an extremely manipulative man, what possibility is there that he had all of this planned?"

"Perhaps, but... I believe that facing him head on would be the best way to deal with him." Gregor concluded.

That wasn't a guess, but rather, from what happened during our first mission.

"You're kidding..." Gregor uttered, not liking the implications.

How unlucky was he truly?

Both Michael and Gregor seemed to have very relatable circumstances, yet where they separated was with how they coped with the aftermath of finally being free.

They then saw Vanessa and Evan dealing with some animatronics.

"Bloody hell! What the fuck happened to this place?!" Evan yelled as he used a pair of brass knuckles to dislocate the head of one of the animatronics.

Michael whistled. "Didn't think Evan had it in him, that was hell of a punch."

"That's going to be costly." Deadpanned William.

"Perhaps there are more important issues to pay attention to." Suggested Jae-Heon, noticing that WIlliam didn't really worry over the fact that his animatronics had become aggressive.

"Just a normal night at Freddy's" Joked Vanessa, she used her baton to block and then parry another opponent.

Michael seemed a bit puzzled at what she meant by that, sure, he had to deal with animatronics back then, but he never had to deal with them physically. Just a door being closed here and there while looking at the cameras.

"Currently, the gang that Evan brought are fighting against some of the animatronics." Explained Vanessa.

"Those scoundrels don't fucking know how to fight, what a waste of my money!" Evan ranted.

"... I believe each one of them has something from you, WIlliam." Jae-Heon noted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"Michael has your killer tendencies, Elizabeth has that clinginess you have and Evan your lack of preoccupation about others."

"That's ridiculous, for one, Michael does it by accident, Elizabeth is clingy but probably doesn't actually have abandonment issues, and third of all, Evan's just being a businessman more than anything."

"I don't think being a businessman is that extreme..." Rodion muttered.

"The animatronics are acting up... do you think father had anything to do with this?" Michael asked Henry.

"I think so, there's no other possibility."

"Either way, let's go help them." Michael commanded. "I'm not going to let anyone die in this establishment when I have the chance to impede it."

"There was no need for you to help me." Evan said ungratefully.

"So you would have rather died?" Ishmael asked.

"Well, there's not much dying when there's no one to care about you now, do we?" He laughed.

"That's quite sad." Charlie stated.

"At this point I'm not surprised, our lives seems to just be fucking depressing." Bluntly stated Michael.

"As a matter of fact, you might have been lucky by being dead, Charlie, because God knows what would have happened had you been alive to be in that shithole."

"Michael, first of all, don't cuss in the name of God, second of all, that's straight up disrespectful." William scolded.

"I'm cursing God because he gave me an awful father."

"Well if you want to play that way, you're an awful son."

"Guess whose fault it is?"

"And guess whose fault it is that his own brother is dead?"

"Oh come on, that didn't even happen!"

"Oh, but it hasn't happened yet, there is a difference between not happening yet and never happening."

"It's just a fucking viewing, what's the possibility of that being real?"

William laughed. "Well guess what, the owner of The Hotel just told me that these viewings hold a bit of truth in them, and given that this has been a common occurrence, that just tells me that it is true."

"Wait, if that's the case, why haven't you told us?" Henry asked.

"I assumed you already knew."

Jae-Heon intervened. "I too thought all of you knew as well, I simply thought that you didn't care."

"Why would we not care?!" Henry said in disbelief.

"Well, I don't know how your world acts." Jae-Heon said as he shrugged.

William looked at his eldest son again. "So what now, are you going to talk back?"

"..."

"I thought so."

Evan looked in disbelief. "I'm going to die because of my brother?"

He looked in fear as he could only wonder, how exactly?

No, he knew how already, it was because of an animatronic.

"Get out of my way now, I'm going to look for Jeremy now."

"Since when were you so close to him?" Michael questioned.

"None of your business, it's just mere employment stuff." He refuted.

"No matter, I'll meet up with him and deal with you later, I hope you die on your way." He cackled. "I swear I'll find a way to make you pay!"

He slowly stumbled away.

"Should we tell him?" Hong Lu asked.

"Don't, let him live in his own delusion." Ryoshu said.

"Uhm... Sir Michael, if I may give thee a question..." Don Quixote tried asking. "What happened between thee?"

Evan looked closely, awaiting the cruel truth of what happened to him.

Michael did the same, however, he tried to do so without anyone noticing.

Michael sighed. "A childish prank gone wrong."

"I'm... unfortunately not surprised." Charlie sighed.

"Seems like Mikey went too far with one of his pranks..." Elizabeth frowned.

"See what happens when you push too far, Michael?" William taunted.

"He's supposed to be dead, yet he's still alive somehow."

"This has father all over it."

"Oh? Please give more details." Ryoshu said with interest. "It is quite... fascinating to hear your tale."

"I don't think this is the best time to say something like that, Ryoshu." Gregor mentioned.

"S.T.A. Bug Guy." Ryoshu glared.

"Is that what you call a death dealt by a blood related kin now?" Michael taunted. "This is rich coming from you, you know?"

 "Hell, you could call that filial impiety, no?"

Ryoshu's interest turned into a hostile look as she gripped her odachi. "W.Y.N.W, fox."

"Wow, did that actually strike a nerve?" Heathcliff said impressed.

"(Ryoshu has been hiding her past or why she reacted each time it has come up.)"

"Truthfully, I'd rather not delve deeper into her secrets, not sure if I can live with the idea of a blade always being at my neck." Admitted Ishmael.

"You know, you might be onto something." Rodion agreed.

Don Quixote could be seen frowning at the prospect of killing one's siblings.

Yeah, it was a bad thing to do, but she couldn't help but feel like it was affecting her far more than she expected.

"Filial impiety, uh?" Jae-Heon snorted, had Elena been here like she wanted before, this could have been a more interesting viewing seeing as bloodfiend terms had been mentioned out of nowhere.

"We're almost there, everyone." Henry declared. "Just a bit more and we should be able to get to William's room where he usually worked."

Michael gazed at Ryoshu for a moment as he nodded.

In response she did the same.

What was going on with these two?

But we were stopped by Jeremy's gang, they were standing in front of a door, and it didn't seem like they were going to allow us to get in.

"Looks like we're going to have to force our way in." Gregor declared.

"Well, looks like this is the first time combat has been skipped." Heathcliff commented.

"Yeah, the previous combat played on while we talked, didn't it?" Recounted Gregor.

The scene changed.

"..." Michael hummed as he scavenged through the bodies.

"What are you looking for there?" Ishmael asked.

"A watch or something, they're usually used as identification." Explained Michael. "... But it seems none of them have one."

"How odd..." Yi Sang muttered.

"Based on their garb, they are likely people from T Corp. territory." Informed Yi Sang.

"So... are these the kidnapped victims then?" Said Sinclair scared.

"It is too early to come to such a conclusion, we should continue pushing forward." Outis reminded.

"Furthermore, their stature does not match that of the targeted kidnap victims." Yi Sang pointed out.

"In that case, we should enter William's office once and for all." Henry said as he touched the knob of the door.

"... Uncle Henry." Michael called out.

"Yes, Michael?"

"When I left... how did you fare knowing you'd have to live with fatehr still on the lose?"

"... You... don't really want to know." Henry said as he lowered his gaze.

"I'll respect your answer..." Michael nodded.

"I must seem like a coward, right?" Michael stated. "I left you to fend for yourself..."

"Wow, this is the first time I've seen Mikey insult himself." Charlie said surprised.

"I think he got rid of that ego of his." Deadpanned Elizabeth.

"I do feel a bit concerned over the fact he is blaming himself." Frowned Henry.

Henry chuckled. "If I had a mirror right now, I would be showing it in front of you..."

"You have changed, Michael, and I am sure that it was for the better." He smiled.

"... Thanks, Uncle Henry." Thanked Michael. "You flatter me... but... did father ever actually mention me? I'm assuming you had some conflicts with him even without me."

"No, he did not, which makes this will even more strange." Answered Henry.

"I suspected as much, he's trying to manipulate me, how could anyone want a dirty hooligan, a good for nothing that ruins everything..." Said Michael.

"..." Heathcliff casted his gaze down as those words resounded inside his mind.

Yeah, he now saw why Michael replaced him, at least in that world.

They might be more similar than he thought, rowdy children who grew up to prove they changed their ways.

Unlike with Yi Sang and Sunny, his case was of him meeting his past self, rather than a mirror.

"I don't share that sentiment, Michael." Revealed Henry. "Though your father may not have cared about you, I believe he sees you as the perfect example of what he wished to obtain."

"As if." Michael groaned as he rolled his eyes.

"Though he didn't mention you, I could feel that he was looking for you." Continued Henry. "Even to the day I never saw him again, the last thing I could sense was a yearning to meet you once again."

"What a way to express your love, father." Sarcastically said Michael.

"... I suppose I am a father after all." William whispered. He didn't love Michael for he was or because he was his son.

He cared for him because it appeared to be the last one of his children.

Evan and Elizabeth abandoned him like his father and his wife, Henry abandoned him for his family, and all that was left was Michael Afton.

The one who would abandon him out of his own will more than external factors.

"He was looking for me?" Michael uttered with disbelief. "In that case... I suppose leaving you was the right choice."

"R-right." Agreed Henry.

Michael seemed shaken by the revelation, he had gripped his katana more than ever after hearing how his father was looking for him.

"The boy is starting to doubt his view of you, quite the manipulative tactic, Afton." Commended Jae-Heon.

"Henry was the one to say it though." William pointed out.

"Why do you think he'd say that though?"

"... No way..." William realized.

This version of him was far more manipulative and scheming than him in the current time.

Just then, I delved into his mind as I saw a memory of his past.

"Are we in some sort of castle?" Charlie said out of curiosity seeing the change in scenery.

"It seems... quite Asian actually." William muttered.

"Ah, a shiro, wasn't expecting to see one." Ryoshu smirked.

"My lord." Michael said as he knelt down.

"There you are, Michael." Ieyasu said with a smile.

"Holy shit, is that Ieyasu Tokugawa?" Michael said in awe, he wasn't expecting to actually work under one of the three great unifiers.

"Another one of those Japanese historical figures, I assume." William sighed.

"So then... does that mean that Michael somehow actually traveled back in time?" Charlie questioned.

"If that is the case... how?" Muttered Henry.

"What may it be that you want?" He asked.

Ieyasu pulled out a scarlet letter out of his clothes. "I was thinking of giving this card to Hanzo, however, given how skilled the Takeda are, I thought of using him as a distraction."

"Give this letter to Nobunaga, the Takeda are rushing in as fast as they can, right now, what is important is for my lord to know that the enemy is coming." He explained.

"Is such an important mission fit for someone like me?" He asked.

"Look at you trying to be so humble." Teased Elizabeth.

"He may seem a bit of an old man, but let me tell you, he is called one of the great unifiers of Japan for a reason." Reminded Michael.

"Does that mean he is powerful?" Evan asked.

"That is part of it, but that's because he has many powerful officers under him." He explained.

"A great example is Tadakatsu Honda, the man who was never injured in battle."

"Oh, these warriors are quite interesting." Ryoshu commented. "P.C."

Surprisingly, Michael understood her as he went on about various other historical Japanese figures.

Ieyasu had sympathetic eyes. "Michael, you are one of the most important people in the Tokugawa clan."

"And... don't tell this to Hanzo, but he himself also cares about you a lot."

Michael widened his eyes. "Master cares that much for me?"

"That he does, he simply does not want to show it." Admitted Ieyasu.

"..." Michael closed his eyes.

Just then, I could catch a glimpse of another memory.

In it, I saw Michael standing in front of his master, Hanzo cradling another one of his students on top of a cliff.

Both of them were dead, they had stabbed one another in battle.

This left Michael dropping to the floor, as that day, he had lost a father and a brother.

"A father and a brother? So does that mean he replaced us for some others?" William asked.

“... They are the ones from that first glimpse…” He analyzed.

"A found family story, how sweet... but that ending is... really sad." Charlie said with sympathy.

"W-well... it was bound to happen, given it was during a very conflictive era." Explained Michael.

"Though, I never knew he died because of his own disciple."

The scene changed

Inside William's Office, we found many animatronics roaming around, thankfully, the others were able to defeat them quickly.

We looked around to try and find the diary that Michael's father kept.

But what worried me was the sense of loss of direction that Michael had right now.

Those memories that Michael had seen probably took a toll on him as he reminisced of what I could tell, a better life.

He closed his eyes as once again, he took a glimpse of his own past.

"There are many flowers on the field."

"Some people like collecting them and turning them into bouquets... I don't really like that."

"Would you like to know why?"

Michael looked at Seiko who held a bouquet of flowers he had given to her. "... Because flowers are meant to bloom rather than be harvested?"

"You are correct. Flowers are meant to cover the fields with colors that this place so lacks." Said Seiko.

"I will let these flowers return to the land."

"Instead, I will use origami... so that we can fill this bouquet with our memories." She smiled.

"Dear lord this might end up giving me freaking diabetes because of how sweet both of you are." Charlie squealed with joy. "If it weren't for the fact that she's from the past, I would have wholeheartedly approved of the two of you."

"I wouldn't." William deadpanned.

"Like you had a choice in this." Snorted Michael. "I'll choose whoever I want as my lover."

"Even if it's your buddy Jeremy?" William joked maliciously.

"For the last time! We're just friends!"

"Michael? Will you open the diary now?" Hong Lu asked.

Michael blinked once before realizing that he had been staring into the void.

"R-right... sorry about that." He apologized.

Once Michael took a closer look at his father's diary, he noticed that it was completely covered in ink.

Faust got closer as she took a look at the ink. "This seems to be a specially made ink, the next pages have not been affected by the pool of ink."

"Possibly to hide what the contents are."

"That means that the contents are important." Pointed out Ishmael.

Just then, the diary opened itself as it passed through many pages to finally stop at one of them. Its contents were legible.

"Once again, it appears Michael has run away."

"The thirst for vengeance is in the air of this establishment."

"When will he stop making others suffer just like I do? Will he ever realize that he's very similar to me?"

"If you don't come back, fine then."

"Be happy knowing you left everyone to suffer."

"That plan of yours could have let them all find peace, yet you ran away, as expected."

"This place and those who haunt it, they are what keeps you in this reality."

"Will you truly abandon what is everything to you?"

"Just like those who have done so to me?"

Henry frowned. After the revelation that William told, each of these actions his other version made were analyzed by the man.

The prospect of his best friend turning out to be a dangerous serial killer scared him, and he had his suspicions as to why Charlie wasn't there.

Truthfully, he didn't know what to think, he wished to give the benefit of the doubt to William, yet the way he's been acting wasn't really what he expected.

Then again, he couldn't fault him, despite being a father, William didn't have knowledge of what father would act, after all, his father died a while ago.

Add in the fact that his mother was apathetic of him and that his wife left him, it led him to a very vulnerable spot where he had to toughen up himself.

And now, he decided to put his ideals onto his children.

It may have worked for him, but it was not guaranteed that it would work on Michael and the others.

William has the chance of mending and acting like an actual father at the moment, yet he doesn't realize it.

He'd expect him to act more attached to them given his backstory, yet he's acting distant to them while wishing for them to stay, it was just outright contradictory and confusing.

"What is it that you truly want... old friend?" Henry whispered.

"Boy, some of this is quite nasty... do you reckon he had all of this planned?" Gregor commented.

"Given the image Michael gave of his father, it wouldn't be too far off..." Sinclair added.

Michael continued reading the contents of the readable pages.

"Surprisingly, I made a new associate."

"It gave me a new experiment to try."

"I saw the fascinating mirror in front of me."

"I now know what to do."

"Hide in this establishment by creating a lower level."

"We must delve deeper into hell."

Michael did not respond, he closed the diary and hid it into his clothes.

"Who do you think he means by 'we'?" Sinclair asked.

"I can get an idea of who it might be." Rodion said as she looked at Gregor.

"... Yeah, who else but the one who stole the first Golden Bough from us." Gregor downcasted his gaze.

"So my mother ends up being our main opponent..." He sighed in misery.

"We may be in for a gruesome conflict." Yi Sang stated, remembering that Gubo and Aseah were part of Hermann's group.

"...Who else do you think is part of them?" Heathcliff asked.

"I... don't want to know." Sinclair said, knowing full well someone who could possibly be part of them.

"I'd suggest we prepare ourselves both mentally and physically for what is to come." Ishmael recommended, after all, she was the first one who started preparing herself for her confrontation against the Palid Whale.

"Then... we must get there." Michael stated.

"How though? As far as I can recall, we never heard of a stairway downwards." Hong Lu pointed out.

"The exit that Henry created before." Michael muttered. "It must have been built through it."

"In that case, we'll have to get to your former office." Henry spoke. "Whatever he must have done, it seems that the exit could have possibly been turned into a basement of sorts."

"Father was secretive, I wouldn't be surprised if he made the exit more hidden." Michael added.

"Loud sounds could be heard each time I tried to pass through your office, he must have been preparing the place while he thought I wasn't there, perhaps there is a trap somewhere." Informed Henry.

"So, William, any thoughts of becoming an architect?" Henry joked.

"Not at all, though if I do seem avid at it, I might ask that Kaveh fellow for some help." William answered.

Henry softly laughed. At the very least their conversations didn't change much.

How he hoped for them to never change, but he was prepared to cut ties if it so happened that the reason why Charlie hadn't appeared yet was because of William.

The scene changed

Henry sighed. "Right, this maze of halls and corridors was my doing, I supposed it has now backfired."

"Well, it seems you also could have a knack for architecture as well." William snorted.

"There is no use sulking over an action from the past." Comforted Michael.

"We've been going around and around this place, when will we be able to get to your office, Michael?" Ishmael asked.

"Still, I have taken a sense of familiarity with this building." Stated Yi Sang.

"The corridor." Uttered Ryoshu.

"Correct, it is similar to the corridor of the Backdoor."

"Comparing the exterior and interior building of the establishment, there is a disparity between the size of both." Analyzed Faust.

"Faust believes that such a construction is worthy of remarkable praise." Faust complimented.

"Ah... thanks I guess." Henry uttered.

"... Perhaps that is one of the changes father made." Suggested Michael. "This place reminds me of the nights I spent working here, the fear of the unknown crawling through the vents until they got to me, not knowing where or when they would come."

"..." Michael slowly pulled out his father's diary, he then flipped through the pages.

"This... basement I decided to create..."

"We must keep going deeper."

"Sooner or later, I wish to hang a picture of my entire family."

"One where I could see each one of the children I lost that day, and the one who decided to leave."

"That boy who sat on the sofa, the boy who ruined everything, and all he did was watch the static of the television..."

"Quite different to the advertisement, buzzing and suffocating heat, no?"

"Do you remember those days?"

"You never left back then, I wished for you to have stayed clueless to what I was up to had I been given the choice."

"But you were in the end, a fail safe for what I assume would be my demise."

"I wished to know that there was at the very least someone who cared enough to look for me."

"... Father." Michael sighed. "Let me ask you, and I truly want you to answer me truthfully."

"No strings attached to it, no manipulative lies like your counterpart..."

"Do you even love us?"

William looked down for a moment. "In the normal sense, no, I don't see you as family." He admitted.

"I don't have any attachment to you, if anything, I am surprised that I even had you, Michael, I somehow had you before Henry could even have Charlie."

"The reason why I even had you in the first place... it is because I thought it would be what completed me."

"You don't know this, but your grandfather was drafted for the Second World War, leaving your old man alone with a mother that never cared about her son."

"So I ended up wondering, what was so important about family?" He asked himself. "I thought your mother and I had good chemistry... but she didn't understand my work, so we ended up falling out."

"After that, I still didn't know what was so important about family, but at that time, I realized what I truly wanted..."

"So to tell you the truth... I don't see us as family, I kept you and your siblings because you are a reminder of not only her betrayal, telling me to never truly become attached to someone..."

"But also because you are the reason why I realized what I truly wanted..."

"To never feel that loneliness I felt in my childhood."

"I don't, however, understand how that ties to me turning into a killer." He clarified. "But... I suppose that at the very least, that fear took hold of me, to the point I would go to the extreme to try and make sure at least one of you would always come after me."

"..." Michael was left speechless. "You're... a damn fucking psycho."

"I can't believe you were able to say all of that with a straight face." He spat.

"I know that, I won't deny it, nor do I want your sympathy, this is who I truly am, a self centered bastard who wants his own way." He admitted.

He then looked at Henry. "... I know what I am going to say might make you pissed off."

"But had you not left to go marry that girl, I wouldn't haven't ended up this way, you were someone who I truly thought I could count on."

Henry flinched hearing that, knowing full well that he was at this point just blaming him for something he not only had no idea was happening, but had no way of knowing. "What I don't understand is... how can you be so accepting of the way you speak? Don't you feel guilt? Anger? Anything?"

William sighed. "You know, Henry? The William that you knew? He never existed."

"I'm sick of putting on different personalities to appeal to certain groups, to you, to Elizabeth, to your daughter or even to our sponsors supporting the franchise."

Elizabeth flinched at the mention of herself. At that point, she wondered.

Was she following who she thought to be her father in hopes of her attention? Or to see what his true personality was?

"I never got the chance to truly show how I actually acted, because all of you would be disgusted by how apathetic and egocentric I am, no?"

He then looked at Jae-Heon. "Truthfully, I feel like you're the only one I was able to show that side to."

The Puppeteer laughed. "I'll be honest, had I been my past self, I would have hated you a lot."

"But that's in the past, at this point I don't care whatever happens to others."

"We're the same really." Added Jae-Heon. "We both used our abilities to create something to satisfy our loneliness, all while trampling others for our benefit."

"The only part I don't agree, is that I did care for my son, you on the other hand, I am quite amused as to how damn self centered you are." He finished.

"I thought you were normal, Jae-Heon." Henry stated, surprised by the sudden change of demeanor.

"There is a reason why the Limbus Company has been avoiding him up to this point." Angela pointed out.

"Oh wow, I forgot you were here."Michael said as he jolted from the surprise appearance.

"As she stated, we are fully aware of the danger the Ensemble poses, as such, we were told by our guide to avoid them at all cost." Yi Sang explained.

Henry took his daughter's hand as he said. "Charlie... after hearing all this... you know what I'm going to say."

She nodded. "I... never thought uncle Will would actually show his true colors... I'll promise to stay away from him if you ask me to, dad."

Henry let go of a deep breath. "I worry about what will happen to Michael, Liz and Evan..." He then looked at them.

Michael seemed to be the least affected one, not in the sense of being inexpressive about it, but rather because he never truly saw William as his father.

Elizabeth seemed completely out of it, as if she was going through an emotional conflict as to what her thoughts about her father truly were.

Evan on the other hand started crying, hearing those hurtful words from his father truly affected him, Henry could understand that.

He should make sure they are safe at the very least, there is a reason why he is their uncle after all.

The Limbus Company on the other hand remained silent for a bit.

"I know what we need to do." Michael declared. "We need to get closer to the warmer parts of this place."

Once again, masked individuals stopped in front of the group.

Michael sighed. "Where's Jeremy?"

"..."

"I suppose you won't talk, fine then, I'm going to come find him when the time comes."

Ishmael looked at Heathcliff, who was deep in thought.

"You know, I don't usually want to talk to you about anything." She whispered. "But I believe this sort of conflict has been happening in all the long viewings we've had up till now."

"Ah? Oh, lad, I do see what you're saying." He agreed. "But given how Sunny ended up after the viewing, I believe this is going to help them in the long run."

Ishmael sighed. "For once, I hope you're right."

The scene changed

We finally arrived at Michael's office. We clumsily had to go through vents to get here.

"Elizabeth..." Henry whispered as he saw the girl waiting in front of them.

"You are finally here..." She said as she closed her eyes.

"Tell me, sister, are you a part of your father's plan? Or do you seek to continue looking for his attention?" Michael asked.

She did not respond.

"I will take that as you admitting to being his accomplice." Spoke Michael. "Tell us, what has father been doing there?"

"Is that your answer then, Elizabeth?" William said with a different tone of which Henry was used to.

"How interesting, you were willing to follow me." He smiled. "Yet how come you are dead?"

"..." Elizabeth didn't speak, still unsure as to what to think about her father.

"I told you not to come close to Baby, didn't I?"

"What the hell did you do with your animatronics, William?!" Demanded Henry.

"Inflicting pain into others, given how I lost everything I've built, I suppose showing others what loneliness truly feels like is what this killing spree of mine wished to inflict." He explained.

"What's a parent without their children? Just a lonesome person who failed to protect what they had to."

"Would you do so in exchange for his diary?" She tried to bargain.

"If this is for the purpose of trying to go and find any mention of you inside it, then I refuse." Rejected Michael.

"How infatuated is that girl with her own father?" Sinclair asked.

"Not at a healthy level, that's for sure." Gregor muttered.

"All I see is devoted loyalty." Outis refuted.

"Blind loyalty, that is." Ryoshu uttered.

"So it has come to this." She sighed. "You could simply wait for the bell to sound eight times without having to go these lengths to stop him."

"I don't believe he is dead, and your words further fuel my suspicions." Pointed out Michael.

"So now you decide to finally face your past? Will you not run away like you did last time..."

"Like how you left me with that..."

"Those are words similar in William's diary." Charlie pointed out.

"She's certainly following his footsteps then." Ishmael said with concern.

"Enough." Stopped Michael. "You know well that it won't work, I know what you truly are."

"... I see now." She simply said. "I won't fight, there's no point on spilt blood."

"I will make this short, I myself do not know what dad did to this place, but I don't care."

"At most, I simply know that a different group partnered up with dad, of which then ended with the Ring also getting involved."

Ryoshu pulled her cigarette out of her mouth as she let out a simple smirk.

"The Ring? Like the ones that were bossing Jeremy around?" Rodion asked.

"So not only Gregor's mother, but also a finger? Those are some impressive connections." Said a surprised Rodion.

"I suspected as much, even if I wished to deny it." Michael admitted. "I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it looks like this got more complicated."

"I don't know what particular reason they have to be here, all I know is that although we all worked with this mutual benefactor, Jeremy and Evan have a different agenda compared to dad and I." She revealed.

"Do you know exactly how your father obtained the Golden Bough?" Ishmael tried to ask.

"Father always had his ways, it simply took the help of this associate that we were able to get it."

"Then, what happened to father? You tried to dodge the question, answer." Demanded Michael.

"As I said before, you don't deserve to be told what has been going on, you abandoned us, you left Uncle Henry to his own luck, and now you decide to actually care?" Elizabeth sneered with annoyance.

"And I still can't understand why father favors you more than me, or even Evan..."

"I was the one who stood by his side, I was the one who helped him, I was there to support him..."

"Yet why?" She asked, desperately looking for an answer. "What makes you so special to him?"

"Why did he prefer a cold blooded murderer? One that hurt his siblings, and killed his own friend?"

"No, perhaps he sees himself in you." Elizabeth suggested.

William couldn't help but giggle hearing those words come out of Elizabeth's mouth.

Henry still was unable to believe the smile that William had on his face after he finally snapped.

It was a smile of genuine yet disturbing happiness, a smile he never saw his friend have at any time he saw him.

This was truly who William was, he ended up accepting that.

"Stop it..." Michael muttered.

"Though you were the last to leave... you stopped being his son the moment you ignored your duties as a brother." Spat Elizabeth.

"If it weren't for the laws, he would have already disowned you."

"It's because of you, daddy turned the way he is now."

"..." Michael took a deep breath.

"I wouldn't say that's the reason why I hadn't disowned him yet." Taunted William.

"I suppose Elizabeth is still in denial as to the fact that this is how I truly act." He sighed.

"Fine." Michael simply said. "Do you want to play like this?"

"Then alright, I'll make this clear."

Michael forcefully grabbed Elizabeth's neck and slammed her onto the wall.

Evan jolted at the sudden sound.

"How interesting." Ryoshu said with glee.

"Quite fitting for a briggard like me, no?" He chuckled.

"The reason why father preferred me? Yes, because I did have something that you never had."

"Unlike you, I killed people without people knowing it was me, the only outlier was Evan."

"Surely he just means while he worked as a ninja, right?" Charlie hoped.

"That and the fact that the prank I did on Evan was an exception." Added Michael. 

"I still can't believe a prank would go so horribly wrong..." He whispered.

"I burned the animatronics of the other establishments, I set their souls free."

"I killed you, I killed Charlie, and the only one who knew was dad."

"What?" Henry said as he slowly looked at Michael.

"Uncle Henry, please, believe me when I say this, what reason would I have to kill Charlie?" Michael slowly said, not wanting to make Henry even more hostile.

"Oh, how funny!" William said as he clapped while laughing. "And here you thought I was the one who killed her!"

"You knew that?"

"Oh, Henry, you're so easy to read, did you really think I didn't notice that you were suspecting me of killing your precious daughter?"

William cleared his throat. "But poor Elizabeth was moved to the sidelines! None of you are going to point out that Michael was also the reason she died?"

Just then, Heathcliff intervened.

"Listen, I may be a dumbass when it comes to all this intellectual and technological stuff..."

"But, one thing I am good at is following my gut feeling."

"And right now, it is telling me that you yourself had something to do with it." He accused.

Yi Sang then added. "Furthermore, it is likely that Michael merely neglected his duty to oversee his sister, as it was previously reported that she died due to getting close to this entity called Baby, which you claim you have told her many times to stay away from."

Henry closed his eyes for a moment. "You're... right, Michael would never do something on purpose like that, if anything, it was probably accidental..."

"But if that is the case...Michael, may I ask you to keep your pranks at a minimum?"

Michael looked away for a moment. "I... I will Henry, I genuinely believe that I should change."

"And all it took is a different reality showing me that my recklessness produced so many accidents..."

"And after that, you killed me."

"Oh, just right after we had that heartfelt moment!" Michael groaned.

"Wait, hold on, how does that even work?!"

"This is just confusing." Charlie sighed.

"Given the fact that Mr. Afton has proven to be able to live after death, it is highly possible that those of his bloodline have also discovered or have been affected by said phenomenon as well." Meursault suggested.

"So then... no one in our family is truly alive?" Evan asked, finally having recovered from his initial moment of vulnerability.

"You killed daddy's favorite child, do you believe he would have been happy about that?"

"But of course, he was, only because it made me even more special."

"Because of you, he took an interest in me." He pointed out.

"Because of you, I turned into a lifeless husk that marched on."

"Because of you, he now has another chance to reunite with me."

"You did this to yourself, Liz, it's all your fault."

"The only reason dad even looks at you, is because he wants you to bring me to him."

"That's harsh." Cringed Gregor.

Elizabeth looked at the scene in silence, after discovering that the image of his father was fake, she merely closed herself until this viewing was over.

What point was there to continue if he never loved her in the first place?

Suddenly, Michael's arm got cut as it dropped to the ground.

Michael looked at who had done it, only to see Ryoshu sheathing her odachi back.

"You-" He tried to yell.

"I keep my promises, fox." She reminded.

"That I do." Ryoshu repeated.

Dante looked at Yi Sang, as he noticed that he was thinking quite a bit.

"(Is there something you're thinking about, Yi Sang?)"

"Ah, Dante, yes, indeed." He nodded.

"This may be too early to prove, but it appears that each one of the sinners has been in conflict with the individual that has replaced one of us." He explained.

Dante realized that he was right, Sunny had a few discussions with Outis, while Ryoshu and Michael seemed to have some sort of weird relationship themselves.

"..." He closed his eyes as he sighed. "I supposed that's enough."

He then looked at his sister, who had dropped to the ground gasping for air.

"I guess... this answers it..." She uttered. "You, truly, are dad's favorite for a reason."

"Yeah no, this geezer here just loves himself and that is it." Michael pointed at his father.

"Well, I could see you being my favorite for the fact that you're just so adamant in trying to hunt me down, it's fun to see you try." William laughed.

"There's no longer any point in standing in your way."

She backs away with a look of defeat, she activates a button as a small entrance opens up, a ladder to a black bottom was all that had to show.

"Elizabeth..." Tried to call out Henry.

"This looks like a long way down, just how deep did he construct?" Ishmael said impressed.

"All I can say is... a guest was expected to come." Elizabeth pointed out.

"Whatever you find down there, it is what William wished you to see."

The room turned back to white.

"So that's it for the first part?" Henry sighed.

"And we have two more to go if we assume the previous one is to be used as an example." Ishmael added.

"This is taking too long, don't you think?" Commented Gregor.

"Hopefully the next two aren't as long." Rodion said as she stretched.

William said nothing as he was the first to leave the room.

None of his family or former friend decided to go after him.

In a way, he was disappointed, he expected them to at the very least react.

Just then, he saw someone standing in front of him.

"My, my, seeing you all alone here compared to when you entered with your family, something bad must have happened uh?" Scaramouche taunted as he looked at the man in front of him.

While he expected a miserable man, he realized quickly that the atmosphere around this individual had drastically changed.

"Sorry to disappoint you then, but I believe I've finally decided to give up on that facade." William responded.

"..." Scaramouche was now wary.

"After all, what is the point of loving others? I see no reason to do so, don't you think?"

"... I must say, I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment." Scaramouche smiled.

William walked past Scaramouche as he then said. "Betrayed thrice... it took me that many times to finally realize that no one truly cares about me."

"..."

"Once by my father, once by my wife, and once by my son." William recounted.

"Human connections? They mean nothing."

"I have cut ties with those who forced me to act normal, so now, I am free to do the experiments that I want." William ended as he walked away.

Scaramouche looked back at the figure of William Afton disappearing in the distance.

He started laughing.

"Oh, how intriguing."

He was reminded of himself, yet his attitude was what he would expect from Il Dottore.

"Very well then, I suppose this is a sign..."

"I'll see what you will show me, Issei Hyoudou."

The door to the Hotel opened once again.

Kleine looked at who the new individuals were that entered.

"Oh, now that is quite an interesting bunch."

Kleine could see more individuals from the City, but also from those of the DxD world.

"Welcome to Weldline Hotel! How may I help you fill your heart?"

Indeed, a Phenex, a Student Council President, a Messenger, a Color Fixer and a Liu Association Director had appeared.