It takes Monika a few minutes to realize she is alive again. In the sense that she's still cognizant and feeling particularly existential. This shouldn't be the case, not after what transpired during her crowning moment of hubris. And yet, she finds herself in an everlasting zone of darkness unlike the one she had grown accustomed to.
The impossibility of this current state of being is overwhelming to Monika. How long has it been since she had a physical body? Or a mind clear of the noise and flashing lights her own void was so prominent with? It takes all her willpower not to collapse on the spot from the overload. Her steady breaths and even heartbeat enough to bring her mind to ease.
The floor beneath her shoes gives off a soft splash every time her feet shift upon it. Following close by are watery ripples that go out in all directions. Curiosity takes hold of her as she decides to move forward, watching said ripples get bigger as she goes on. It gives the former club president the notion of walking through a puddle after a rainstorm. Except this time there is no uncomfortable feeling of water seeping into her socks.
After awhile spent walking, Monika's initial unease starts ebbing away. Even though she has no idea where she is, the serenity of this void contrasts completely with the void of before. Where the latter was a noisy chaotic place of darkness, static, and colors, this void was peaceful. It could give off the sense of a post-credits setting, given the right touches here and there. A way to unwind after the chaotic mess of a story the observer and the character went through together.
A part of her wished this could've been the case for her and the others in the literature club. But there can be no happiness within that game, not if it continued on the way it did. At least, not with her still in it.
Her musing is put to the side once she sees something in the distance, a speck of shifting orange and yellow. Seeing said speck perks up her mood almost immediately. Without much thought she runs to it. Running headlong towards something deep within the unknown like this is indeed foolish. But it's all she has right now. She'll take it.
After a minute or so she finally reaches the source of the light. What greets Monika is an old computer set-up. It's bulky, but small enough to fit atop a basic desk one would find in a computer lab. There is no sign of dust on this computer whatsoever, yet she has doubts about it being used recently.
The screen itself pulsates between orange and yellow for the background. A good sign to show it's still on and functional. There is only one window open on said screen. A grey colored thing with a blue top to it with a simple message awaiting answer:
Input Name: _
Monika's eyes glance down to the keypad and mouse on the desk while her fingers rest at her sides. She feels frozen on the spot, uncertain whether she should interact with it. She takes a few steady breaths, trying to piece together what she knows so far: One, she is not currently deleted. Two, she is in the void, but not the one she is used to. Three, there is no sound here save for her own breathing and the splashes on the ground whenever she walks. Finally, her only form of connection to anything is the old computer before her. It wants her to input a name. The real question is, should she do so?
...
She looks towards the screen again, mouth set into a determined frown as she steps forward. Her hands reach up to the keyboard, her long fingers typing out her input:
Input Name: Monika_
With the name now typed she presses down on the enter key, waiting for the machine to process her name. The window disappears from the screen after a few seconds. She doesn't have to wait long before a notification window pops up.
[...]
Huh. Now that is a strange sight. What type of notification was that? She doesn't have much time to process it before it too is gone, replaced by another notification.
[Greetings Monika. I've been expecting you.]
To her credit Monika does not show how off-putting being called out like such did to her. Though she clenches her fists atop the desk. Her eyes stay fixated on the screen as the notification disappears, and another pops in.
[Please, take a moment to calm down if you must.]
She gives off a slight hum at this, having already calmed herself down earlier. Again, her steady breaths are what help to get her nerves down. She manages to put on her best poker face as she looks to the screen again.
[I can imagine how jarring this may seem to you.]
"I've been through worse." She manages to say back with an even tone, eyes focused on the screen as the notifications keep coming.
[From what I've heard about you...]
[That is an understatement.]
Well, at least now Monika knows the machine can actually listen and respond back to her. Doesn't make it any less creepy, despite her facade of calmness.
"Ah. And what have you heard about me?"
[Only the important parts, or so I am told.]
The woman does not like this response. Having a complete stranger know anything about her was worrying enough on any level, but if there was someone else feeding this person her information... no. No she cannot abide by that. She's supposed to be dead right now. Forgotten. She will not abide anyone to spread information about her like this.
This might not be Doki Doki Literature Club, but if this place is a game like hers she should be able to access it. It would be a quick thing too she would think to herself. Erase this being's knowledge of her and then go after the one who told them about her. Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Not much of a plan, but...
Her inner musing is interrupted with a couple notifications. Both of which send chills down her spine.
[Like how you can access your games files and edit them to your heart's desire.]
[As you might of figured out, this is not your game. Access for you is denied.]
[I do hope you understand.]
"Perfectly." Still doesn't stop her from trying, her mind reaching out to try and poke a way in. No such luck comes her way though. What she does get is another notification.
[Please stop that, it tickles.]
Now THAT gets her facade to break, amused surprise coming across her features. "It, tickles?"
[Yes it does, so please don't do it again.]
[I do have something to speak with you about.]
[Distractions would only prove a detriment right now.]
The former Club president respects the machine's wish for now. As soon as she stops trying to prod her way into the code another notification ding comes up.
[Thank you. Now...]
[Monika, do you remember how you got here?]
...Does she?
She closes her eyes, her frown prominent as she tries to recall anything from before. Yet in the end, all she can remember were the last fleeting moments of the game getting wiped, and by Sayori no less. It prompts a melancholic smile on her face for a brief moment, before turning back into a frown. Her eyes open back up again when she hears another notification pop up.
[Monika?]
"No such luck. I do apologize, but I do not recall how I arrived here. Should I?"
A few seconds pass before another set of pop-ups come up again. More than likely her new acquaintance processing this information.
[We figured that might be the case. Do not worry about it for now.]
She gives off a small hum, eyes looking off to the side and into the dark void. Her mind is awash with a multitude of questions, all vary on subject but pertain to her current situation. Trapped within a dark but peaceful void. Talking to an unknown entity through an old computer set-up. On top of that she is not in her previous game anymore, and there is another person out there that knows who and what she is. It is clear to her that she is in need of answers, and she needs them now.
"Alright then. Can you tell me who you are? We've not had any proper introductions." Monika finally voices out, a calm smile on her face.
[It is only fair.]
[Officially I am known as The World Machine, though you can refer to me as the Entity.]
[It doesn't matter to me either way.]
World Machine... Entity... seeing those names makes something click within her mind. A dawning realization coming to her that should've come to her much earlier than this.
"Are you, an AI? Like me?"
The response is not immediate. It gives the girl the image of this Entity thinking on how they should respond to her inquiry. But they do respond to her nonetheless.
[The answer to this is yes, and no.]
[Yes as in I am an AI, but not in the way you are.]
"What? How is that..." Perplexed, she takes a moment to process the choice of words herself. It's not long until she comes to another conclusion. "World Machine... that's not just a name. It's what you are as well, correct?"
[Yes, exactly. I am the engine of this world that you are in right now.]
[Rest assured, there is more to here than this void.]
After that notification a few more windows pop up. This time with vibrant pictures across them. In said pictures she can see a barren blue landscape littered with machines and metal all around. Another displays lush green fields, leafless forests, and rural settlements on display. The final two show the same red-tinted city. One reveals the catwalks that weave through the skyscrapers high above. The other shows the ground level where the shops and library is.
But in all the pictures is a single tower. It seems to stretch far into the sky above and towards a brilliant light source. It reminds her of the sun, and she feels like that assumption is not that far off. She is... amazed, to say the least. Another notification pops up after about a minute, pulling her attention away.
[You are within the tower in the pictures, if you were wondering.]
"I see..." Monika glances back to the darkness all around her, fingers relaxed atop of the desk. A new world. She is in a completely new world, one that is far more expansive than the one which she came from. Teeming with life no less. It is more than she ever thought possible, truly it is. Almost seems too good to be true, and yet... here it is.
She looks back to the screen, frown once again on her face. "You know how I am here, don't you?"
[Correct.]
"Then tell me, please. I need to know who did this." She asks in silent desperation. Why is she here? Why is she alive? Who in their right mind would bring her back? Bringing her to such a place far better than her own and one she does not deserve. Just... who would do this?
The Entity's answer almost makes her faint.
[Our mutual friend.]
[M.]
