Welcome to yet another Binding of Isaac short story. As stated in the summary, this spoils the final ending of the game (the one seen in Afterbirth +). If you do not wish to be spoiled, turn back. This story also has death on screen, so those who do not wish to read about that should look elsewhere.
As always, see the author's notes at the end for details, and I do not own Binding of Issac.
Enjoy!
Truth
I was many things.
I was the one with the cackling laugh.
I was the four horsemen as they rode away to cause chaos.
I was the fallen angel, angry glare and devilish face contrasting with its holy wings.
I was the floating heart, and the creature it represented.
I was the devil himself, ready to bring suffering.
I was even a living skull without a body.
Yes, that was the form I liked best.
But none of those were what I really was.
For I was actually something even more important than all of those things put together.
Something more deadly, more terrifying, than any of the beasts could muster.
Something that couldn't be defeated, no matter what was pitted against it.
Something that every creature had to face, and all would tremble in fear.
I was the truth.
There were many enemies to fight, many allies to recruit, and many items to pick up. So many, I often wondered if it was possible to find them all.
No, it was impossible.
The truth was that there was nothing there.
Every enemy…
Every item…
Every ally…
None of them existed.
It was all me.
Yet that boy, my creator…
He didn't want to know the truth.
Or perhaps he truly was unaware of the truth.
Maybe he was too afraid to face it.
But he would have to, no matter how he felt.
And so I lead him into place where I'd made my home. A dying memory, the boy called it.
I knew it by another name.
The Void.
Yes, the Void. That was more fitting. That was all this place was, and that was all that would be left after we fought.
The boy trembled in fear as I towered over him. But the battle must go on.
After all, the boy was still ignorant of the truth.
The boy held up a card, and tossed it with all his might.
Yet his efforts were in vain, as the flimsy paper did nothing.
However, I recognized the card instantly.
It was a card used to ignore battles.
To end them without effort.
To run from them.
Yet the truth could not be ignored.
The truth required effort.
The truth could not be run from.
Rage burned inside me.
How dare the boy try to escape the truth!
I charged towards him, faster than his eyes could see.
But the boy was ready.
He held something else, and I stopped in my tracks.
I didn't know what the red oval contained, but I knew whatever it was, it was fatal.
Within seconds, I could feel my life force ebbing away.
Yet, I could see the boy collapsing, dead on the floor a few seconds later.
I smirked.
I would live to fight another day.
The truth could never truly die.
Yet the boy was gone, no closer to understanding the message I held.
He would have to start again, provided he worked up the courage.
That is, if he understood what happened in the first place.
The boy had tried to use an alternate plan, and failed.
The truth could not be circumvented, no matter what plan one used.
Luckily, the boy seemed to realize that, and later returned.
This time, the boy was forced to fight me without any special shortcuts.
Of course, the battle took a long time, longer than any boy had ever fought. Sometimes, I could see him stumbling, as though he was barely alive.
But those outcomes didn't surprise me.
The truth could be painful.
Sometimes it could take a while to figure out.
At last, my life force once again left my body. This time, I could see nothing else hitting the floor.
The boy had truly won, his victory well deserved.
But it was nothing to celebrate.
Instead, there was only a cold, cramped, chest.
The chest contained a boy whose own life force was rapidly leaving him.
His mind was muddled with delusions, but my message to him couldn't be clearer.
No matter how many battles the boy won, he would always lose in the end.
And now, in the last few moments of his final battle, the boy finally understood the truth.
Author's notes:
-So this idea popped into my head after seeing the final ending of the game. I was particularly intrigued by the final boss, Delirium. Aside from being completely unexpected, Delirium represents an interesting concept.
-Delirium is a physical manifestation of Isaac's madness as he is dying. Isaac's dying delusions make almost the entire game.
Since Delirium represents those delusions, he also represents the truth behind what's happening. This is true for both the characters and the player. This concept is further explored by the fact that beating Delirium unlocks the final ending of the game. This ending shows the player the truth about the game, and what really happens to Isaac during it.
And so this idea was born.
-Delirium's special ability to transform into any boss the player has fought. Therefore, some of the things he mentions himself being in the beginning are actually bosses he can transform into. This skull without a body is actually his original form. However, the player will only see it at the beginning and end of the battle, unless they have somehow not fought any bosses before getting to him.
-The idea that every enemy, boss, and item was all just Delirium has to do with Delirium itself. Everything is Isaac's dying memories, and Delirium represents that. Since delirium is the dying memories themselves, everything else can be traced back to him.
-The part about a card being thrown actually has to do with an item. There was an item in the game called Chaos Card. Chaos Card normally allows the player to kill any enemy in the room, including bosses. However, Delirium cannot be harmed by the Chaos Card. Using it makes his attacks faster and more powerful. Hence the reference to rage.
-The part about an alternate plan has to do with another item. There is an item called Plan C. This item normally kills all enemies in a room, but kills Isaac 3 seconds later. While it can be used on bosses, with Delirium, this item will always fail. The reason for this is that delirium has a death animation that is longer than 3 seconds, so Isaac will always die first.