Author's Note: This is based on a headcanon (that I believe in) that I found on tumblr. Please enjoy, fans of OFF and the ones that aren't. If the description failed to warn you, let me reiterate that there are spoilers. Alright? Yay, let's do this!
Father and Daughter
Once upon a time, there was a man named Enoch. He was an enormous man, who had the ability to change the size of his body when he pleased. He had no family, other than a daughter.
When the calamity happened to the world, Enoch hid his daughter down a pit. Then, he expanded the size of his body and squeezed into the top of the hole; he survived the catastrophe almost unharmed, and successfully guarded his daughter from the flames. However, there was one problem.
He was stuck.
He tried to squirm his way out, trying to shrink himself, but he couldn't get unstuck. Then, he saw a little angel.
"You there, boy!" he called to the young boy wandering the wastes. He asked him to get help, offering cakes in return - Enoch had used to be a baker in the old world. Shortly after the boy left, a flock of birds spirited in and lifted him from the pit. Led by a bird named Japhet, the birds brought Enoch to a shack belonging to a man named Dedan. Japhet returned and they started to talk, wondering what to do from there. Piecing together information they heard before the end of the world, there was a woman simply known as The Queen, who promised to fix the world after it's turned to waste. She survived... along with her son, the boy that met all of them. When the boy returned, the three of them told him not to worry, and to play outside while they discussed the future of the world. They talked excitedly, high hopes for the future when Enoch remembered something.
"What's wrong?" Japhet called. Enoch did not answer him. He was running out of the shack with a remarkable pace for a man of his girth. He went back to the pit and looked inside.
His daughter was gone.
He knew that his daughter must have lived, but he was worried about where she was. The man walked back to the shack in a slump. Then the Queen appeared, to pick up her son, and to meet the future architects of the world.
That is how Enoch became the third Guardian.
Once upon a time, there was a factory that churned out sugar. The employees were rewarded with sugary treats, and they worked hard to please the Director, Enoch.
Enoch had an awful secret, however. Sugar canes did not grow in this new world. He did, however, discover that the corpses of his employees could be filtered into sugar.
At first, he simply gathered the bodies of the ones killed by the specters, from his zone and the others. However, the corpses weren't meeting the demands. So, Enoch created a list of rules, which would protect his Elsen employees from the specters; the ones that failed to follow these rules ended up getting killed. As horrible as it was, Enoch thought it was reasonable; after all, the victims practically killed themselves, not listening to his rules. He was disgusted and horrified at himself at first, but it was necessary.
Enoch regularly inspected the work places, the dormitories, and the filtration plant. Everything ran smoothly. He had heard from Dedan about how productive Zone 1 was; however, he had also heard that Dedan was under a lot of stress from having to deal with specters all the time. Enoch was proud in his zone, for its hard-working Elsens, the minimal number of attacks by the phantoms, and the fact that he wasn't stressing out as well.
That is why Zone 3 was the best place in the world.
Once upon a time, a man appeared. He went through Enoch's obstacle course (something he set up if unruly visitors ever came) and came to hold an audience with him. The man was no Elsen, as he had hair, a rather different neck, and completely lacked their nervousness. He wore a mask on his face and had a t-shirt with a heart on it: an odd choice of clothing, as rarely anyone dressed casually these days.
"Hello, dear Director of Vesper." the man said with a chuckle, referring to the third zone's formal name. "My name is Zacharie, traditional salesman and a main character in this little fan story."
Enoch raised his big eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, never you mind. I've come to ask permission to build one of my shops here. Surely you've heard of my markets in the other Zones?"
Enoch recalled something Japhet told him once: a man named Zacharie owned the most popular shop in Zone 2's mall, and he contracted Zacharie to construct an amusement park for the benefit of Bismark's citizens. "Interesting proposal. However, I have no interest in having a market here. My employees are already happy as it is; they don't require silly material objects."
"So you say. However, a Fortune Ticket shop would do you good. Your employees must always be in good shape, especially with the tough specters around here. Trying to get around the cafeteria was quite difficult."
The Guardian tried to think if this would be a wise decision - it might lower the amount of bodies that's being gathered for the furnaces, but it'd be suspicious to turn the deal down. He only hoped that the ghosts would be able to deal with rule breakers quick enough. "Very well. There's an empty building in Area 2 that you could use, Mr. Zacharie."
"Ah yes, thank you Mr. Director." Zacharie nodded then turned around to look at the door. "Sugar, he's accepted the deal!"
Enoch froze. Why did that name sound familiar...? "Oh? Is somebody else here? Who do I have the honor of meeting?"
The door opened and Enoch felt a warming feeling as a girl walked in. It was a young woman who wore a jacket around a bare chest, with tassels covering up the indecent parts. She had a smile, with bright cheeks. Both Enoch and the girl recognized each other, the girl's smile widening. "Dad?"
Enoch's suspicions were confirmed. "Sugar!" He gently picked Sugar up with a giant hand and held his daughter to his chest - Sugar tried to hold her father with her arms. Smiles were all around. "I've missed you! I knew you survived what happened, I always believed you did..."
A giant tear rolled down the director, almost drenching his daughter, who cried as well. "A cave in happened... I had to find a different way out... I wandered and wandered until I found dear Zacharie."
"Yes. She's been my assistant shopkeeper for quite some time." Zacharie said. The masked man showed no apparent emotion, but there was something wet on the collar of his shirt.
"So now, faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love..." Enoch quoted, from a certain book he had read a long time ago. He tried to hug Sugar as tight as he could without crushing her.
"It's nice to see you again, dad..."
"We have a lot of catching up to do. You must have a lot of questions, such as how I came to be the Guardian of this Zone."
"Oh yes, we must catch up! Zacharie, would it be fine if..."
"Why of course. It's not everyday that you find a family member that got separated from you in a post-apocalyptic world." Zacharie said, with a chuckle. "Stay as long as you want. Besides, I must attend to a customer in Zone 2. Remember Pablo?"
"The Judge?"
"Oh yes. He special ordered some cat food made of meat from Alma, and I'm happy to oblige him."
"Ah. Say hi to him for me!"
The masked man left, to leave the father and daughter to their reunion. They continued to hug, enjoying the moment of togetherness. The father got an idea. "Hey, how about I make you a special treat?"
It took a few hours, as Enoch had forgotten the recipe, but he soon managed to create a bar of chocolate, made from the ashes of the dead. He felt faint joy as Sugar happily snacked on it.
That is how Sugar came to be associated with chocolate.
Once upon a time, a father and daughter lived in Zone 3. The father was its mighty Guardian while the daughter was a strong fighter. While she lived with her father, she occasionally left to help Zacharie out - mainly to fight the specters. She continually ate chocolate treats given to her by her father, not knowing of the terrible secret behind the sugars within it. She enjoyed games, and stories, and dancing; her father happily obliged, giving her a game console from the olden days, books from Zone 2, and he danced with her whenever she wanted. It was happy times...
One day, however, Enoch discovered that his daughter was missing. She wasn't working with Zacharie that day, so her disappearance was troubling.
"Sugar?" he called out in his booming voice. He walked around. His daughter was not in her room; she was not anywhere in Area 4. Enoch ordered his employees to search around for her: no one was able to find her.
Enoch felt a feeling of dread: if Sugar couldn't be found anywhere obvious, then she must be in the secret place; the sugar furnaces of Area 3. He rushed over, using all the endurance he could muster. He went through the pipes of his domain, where the sugar ran, so that he could enter the furnace area, as there was no other entrance there (other than the chimney, but Enoch doubt he could go through that).
He emerged in the warm room, smells of sugar and fresh bodies wafting through the air. Enoch froze - the bodies shouldn't smell that fresh.
"I... I..." An Elsen stammered in the darkness before he screamed. Enoch hurried to see what was going on. The room where sugar was shoveled into tubes was filled with Elsens (whom he trusted to do this work and keep the secret) that were recently killed. He tried to wiggle his way downstairs and he saw more corpses... and a woman standing in the middle of the recently deceased.
It was Sugar. Her usual happy grin had a psychotic look to it, and her hands and weapons (some sort of flying baubles) were stained with blood. "Hee hee hee..." She turned to look at her father. "Have you ever thought of something so beautiful turning out to be horrific?"
"..." Enoch did not answer his daughter.
"You shouldn't worry about life... right? Just live everyday... eating spoonfuls of sugar... haha... eating the ashes of the dead..." She went into a fit of giggles.
Enoch wrapped an arm around her daughter, a look of concern on his face. "I'm sorry."
"Hee... don't be, father dearest... it's just how life goes... everyone dances in ignorance to the swan song of the people dying around them... for their benefit... haa... hahaha!" She wrestled out of his father's grasp and turned her attention to an Elsen - he was still breathing. Before Enoch could do anything to stop her, she lifted her fist and laid a powerful hit on him, finishing him off. "Ha ha... what a fun little dance..."
Enoch could only sit by and watch his precious daughter go insane from the revelation.
That is why Sugar was insane.
Once upon a time, there was a room in Vesper, with a bloodied game console and bookcases on the subject of sugar. Sugar lived in this room. When she wasn't playing or reading up on sugar like a madman, she danced to loud, disjointed, rearranged music that played its horrific tune through the hallways. Originally, Sugar was allowed to go as she pleased within Area 4 - that is until the Incident (Enoch decided to brick off the room the Incident took place in so the employees wouldn't see it and immediately go Burnt). From then on, Enoch accompanied her wherever she went. He felt misery and guilt in his heart as he walked alongside his daughter, who hummed to herself and randomly lashed out at any Elsen that happened to walk by.
Enoch was sitting alone in his office while his daughter was locked in his room when he arrived again. "Ha ha ha." Zacharie's calling card sounded as he entered. "Hello again, Mr. Director."
"..." The large man did not smile.
"Hm? You seem down in the dumps. Is it because you've heard about the amusement park? I know that it's disappointing that the old rollercoaster is getting closed off, but I'm still leaving it operational, if you wish to ride it and receive your commemorative photo."
"It isn't about the amusement park." Enoch groaned loudly. He tried to look away from the man, who was as close to Sugar as he was. "It's... Sugar..."
"..." Zacharie stepped toward him. Under his mask was a look of concern. "What's wrong with her?"
"...She's been driven mad by a revelation." He tried to keep his answer vague.
"This is about the secret behind your sweet confections, right?" Zacharie responded casually.
"...Ah. ...How did you come across that knowledge?"
"Veritatem dilexi... I was really curious about what was in Area 3 and I wanted to establish another shop there. Instead I found... well, you know." Zacharie looked up at him. "So, are you going to try and kill me, like any villain would do to someone that found out their terrible secret? That's what the obstacle course outside is for, am I correct? I imagine that you're going to chase me down, following a straight path while I'm forced to scurry around the complicated routes like a mouse."
Enoch sighed. "I have no plans to extinguish your life, Zacharie. Besides, I'm afraid that your death would further drive my daughter into madness."
"Yes... her well-being is at stake, here."
"Along with my workers. She's attempted to strike down everyone but her own father... I missed it when she happily waddled in ignorance."
"...I believe I might have any idea." Zacharie coughed.
"Oh?"
"I have a friend that owns a place that is fairly isolated from the nerve-wracked populace. Sugar could stay there until she recovers her former state of mind... assuming that she does..."
"..."
"Besides... do you like seeing your daughter in the throes of insanity?"
"...No. It pains me, every time I look at her."
"Then she must come with me. It's better this way, trust me. I have worries for her as well."
"...Then follow me."
"Ha... alright then. I'll just wait for you outside of your death course." Zacharie said happily - Enoch could somehow feel that the happiness he expressed was fake. The salesman stepped outside, and as soon as Enoch followed him, he was already gone. Enoch later found him standing in the hallway leading to his office, having awaited for his arrival - he did not bother to question how his teleportation powers. The large man led him through the halls of Area 4 silently until he reached his mad daughter's domain. He cautiously unlocked the door.
Without warning, the door opened from inside and Sugar pounced out. She pinned Zacharie to the ground, insanity in her eyes - she lessened the grip she had on him when she realized who she was attacking. "Hee hee, oh, dearest Zacharie! Hahahaha! I'm glad that you're here, I was going to have a little dance with myself. Would you have the honor of sharing a dance with me?"
"...Sugar." Zacharie murmured. The masked man just stared at his dear friend (?), in fondness and pity.
"My dear..." Enoch placed a big hand on his daughter's soldier. He breathed a deep sigh. "You... might have to leave for awhile."
"Leave?" His daughter stared up at him, childlike emotion in her eyes. "But..."
"It's better this way." Enoch tried to put up a smile, for her sake. "Mr. Zacharie will be taking you somewhere nice to live for... an... indefinite amount of time.."
"I'll get you anything you wish, dear." the masked man on the floor said. "I'll always visit you, to make sure that you have everything you need. I'll protect you. Pablo will protect you."
"Haha... on one condition, my dear masked friend..." Sugar whispered.
"What is it?"
"Pedalos."
"I... what?"
"Hehe, yes. I want a pedalo. Painted on the floor. Hahaha, it'd look lively, wouldn't it?"
"...Yes, I suppose so."
"Oh! Dad! Hee hee!" Sugar got off of him and hopped up to her father. "We've never gone pedalo riding together!"
"..I suppose we haven't."
"Well, can we do it tomorrow? It'd be a lovely, fun time for us, would it not? Hahaha... please?"
"...I'll think about it." he smiled. Deep down though, he knew that it'd be incredibly risky; Japhet informed him that his Elsen citizens were starting to display signs of paranoia. Bringing Sugar to Bismark would be a bloodbath. "Just behave yourself, okay? Do not attack any of my employees on your way out, alright?"
"Hmm? Hee hee... alright. Just for you, dad." Sugar gave him a cheerful smile as Zacharie gathered some of Sugar's essential things into a suitcase for her.
"We must leave now." Zacharie informed.
Sugar latched onto his shoulders and gave him a small peck on the mask. "Haha, alright then." As they left, the daughter turned around and waved her arm, making a small giggle. "Hee hee, goodbye, dad!"
The father waved with a giant arm. "Goodbye, my sweet." He watched them disappear down the hallway. When he was sure they were gone, he sighed and hit his head against a wall, feeling downtrodden about this. After several minutes of this, he forced himself to start walking back toward his office, so he could continue his duties.
He never saw his daughter again after that.
That is how father and daughter became separated.
Once upon a time, there was a happy zone that was unsettling under the surface. Enoch started putting more effort into running Zone 3, wanting to make sure that his happy little factory was sustainable. After all, he had lost his daughter, who was a burden upon the world; this zone was the only thing he had left.
Trouble started to arise when Zone 2 became completely safe: there were much less ghost attacks, and therefore, less bodies that were to be harvested. As a result, Enoch failed to meet the quota for a few weeks.
That's when the employees started to lose it. Some of them became outright aggressive, and some of them even fought against the ghosts. As shocking as it was, Enoch thought it was fine, at first. But that's when the Elsens of the zone started to voluntarily turn themselves into Burnts; their sugar depraved induced aggression made them into powerful beings. Before the other Elsens learned of their existence and triggered a chain reaction of Elsens going Burnt, Enoch moved all of these troublesome employees to Area 4, where he could keep an eye on them. He was forced to personally kill some of them, leaving the rest to mill around like cattle. He employed some of them to take up jobs in Area 3, which involved dragging the bodies of the Burnt to make more sugar - it was enough to make up the lost quota, but at the cost of letting some of the Elsens become monsters.
With his higher focus on running the Zone, Enoch started to develop a god complex. After all, he was the living engine of the Zone. He decided who lived and died. He was the one that kept his people happy.
That is why Enoch saw himself as a god.
Once upon a time, there was a man named the Batter, who was on a mission to purify the world. He stomped through the Zone, discovering its horrifying secrets and fighting all that came to challenge his purificatory might. He eventually made his way to the Director's office and confronted the Guardian of Zone 3.
At first, the Batter and his Add-Ons could not make a dent in the large man, who was delighted that his robust form protected him from their attacks. He grew to a massive size and chased them through his obstacle course, intent to crush the people that dared to remove him from his throne, to remove him from the only thing that now mattered to him.
When the holy baseball player absconded, Enoch decided to travel through the pipes of his factory so that he could effectively ambush the Batter and attack. The trek reminded him very much of the daughter he had - it sent him into a rage. Enoch then emerged from the innards of his factory and swelled to a massive size, confronting the Batter. The rage he felt getting there and his mindless crusade against the Batter clouded his other thoughts - he must pass judgement on the man.
In the midst of the fighting, Enoch soon realized - he had exhausted all of his endurance chasing the Batter down, and it made him vulnerable to his attacks. He wasn't aware of the sharp pains in his head that happened whenever the Batter and the Add-Ons attacked. Unfortunately, Enoch realized this too late; the Batter gripped his bat and flew up to his head like an angel. With one last strike, the crusader knocked the god's head clean off.
Enoch felt everything start to slip away from him: his life and his zone. Now that he was dead, his precious kingdom was going to fade away. "So... the hero has destroyed the beast..." He mused as he glared down at the Batter. He was not sure if it was his blurry-ing vision, but he started to see the Batter as something else: an unjust messiah, a purificatory monster, an extremist angel, a holy devil. The man looked monstrous in his dying eyes.
"Though I walk through the valley of death, I shall fear no evil." the Batter whispered. Enoch realized that he was mocking him, in relation to something he himself had said to him.
The world started to lose its luster. "Have you not realized what you've done...?" the head gasped. "The men who live here, whether they deserve it or not, will fall into the nothingness, never to return..." He lingered on the word return.
He regretted one last thing as he died: he never returned to Sugar, nor had Sugar reunited with him. He forgot when he last saw her, and it made him feel dead inside - well, deader than he already was, at any rate.
He also held one last hope: he wished that his daughter was safe. It was clear that the Batter's demented crusade had taken him to the first two zones; Dedan and Japhet were sure to be dead, their lands scrounged of all life. He hoped that his daughter had not gotten in the Batter's way.
"You've been defeated, Enoch, guardian of the third zone."
Enoch saw his life flash before his eyes: he saw images of him with his dear daughter. These images comforted him as things faded.
That is when Zone 3 ceased to exist.
Once upon a time, there was a masked man, who promised to keep a man's daughter safe.
He entered the purified third zone, after having attended to the mess left behind back in Zone 0. He stood in the void, where Enoch's office used to be. Demonic whispers spoke from all directions as Zacharie stared down at the blank floor.
"I'm sorry. I could not protect her."
He started to walk through the void until he reached a shack, which was completely devoid of color. Before interacting with the block that would take him back to the nothingness, he took one last look behind himself.
"At least you can spend time with your daughter again..." he chuckled dryly. "Unita in morte..."
He closed the door, leaving behind the father's now empty domain.
That is how tragedies typically are.
End
Author's Note: Hence nothing remains except for our regrets.
Also I'm sorry: for the feels and this shitty story.