Welcome to another Binding of Isaac one-shot! It will probably be my final one, and it's a bit longer than the others. Also, as stated in the summary, this fanfic has spoilers for the entire game (including the expansions and the true ending in Afterbirth +). It also features character death onscreen.
Other than that, see the author's notes for details, and enjoy!
Choice
Isaac stared at the chest.
Dusty cobwebs lingered, and Isaac couldn't remember when his mother first acquired the item. Yet its golden lock and outside still shone brightly. If one didn't know better, one would think it had just been bought. The dark brown wood had its fair share of scratches, but these scratches did nothing to impede its function.
Even now, the chest beckoned, daring him to open it.
Yet Isaac couldn't answer that call.
Even though he knew the chest well.
It was where all his toys had been.
It was in his room for as long as he could remember.
And it was where he could end it all.
He just had to climb in, and lock the place…
And then…
No more pain.
No more fear.
No more sadness.
In an instant, everything would be over.
But Isaac didn't take a single step.
Instead, he still stared.
But he didn't even see the chest anymore.
Instead, Isaac's mind wandered to something only he could visualize.
The little boy before him howled and cried. They may have been tears, yet they could have pierced like bullets. Somehow, Isaac attacked the child. He didn't know the reason why, and the power that he used was something he didn't even realize he was capable of.
Yet just knew he had to attack this being.
It was the only way to get it to stop…
Or so it seemed.
The child continued to cry, Isaac dodging its piercing tears.
At some point, Isaac realized was not alone.
Other beings appeared from seemingly out of nowhere.
Isaac didn't know what they were or where they came from, but he knew they were not on his side.
They looked like angels, white wings flapping in the sky. They cast angry, accusing, glares, as their liege cried even harder.
The angels swarmed Isaac, as he frantically tried to dodge their furious flapping. Isaac could feel sticky red liquid plastered onto his body. His eyes widened in horror as he realized it was blood.
Perhaps now the angels would stop once they noticed their target was injured.
Yet they paid him no mind, continuing to attack mercilessly.
It was through all this chaos that Isaac realized something.
The angels cried too, and just like the boy, their tears pierced him like bullets.
The tears burned like fire and Isaac couldn't resist screaming.
Yet that did nothing to stop the angels.
They turned their heads, and slowly the flapping of wings stopped.
But Isaac knew that couldn't be a good thing.
Instantly, light surrounded the angels.
In a second, they were in front of him.
No, they weren't just in front of him.
They were everywhere.
They were at his sides, behind him, even mere inches away.
Isaac could hear nothing but their screaming and flapping. Tears stained their faces, but to Isaac, they may as well have been shooting flames.
It was in the midst of these attacks that Isaac noticed something disturbing.
All the angels had the faces of infants.
Isaac resisted the urge to gasp in horror.
Were these angels all people who had died as infants? Were they coming back to haunt the living?
Isaac didn't know, and he wasn't sure he wanted to.
He just knew he needed to get to the boy, and defeat him.
So he somehow summoned the power that he had used before, and attacked the angels.
The angels scattered hastily, and those unfortunate enough to be hit by the attacks crashed to the ground.
Yet no matter how many were defeated, more appeared.
Their eyes were filled with a murderous rage as they descended upon their hapless target.
Fear filled Isaac's eyes, as he utilized his power again and again.
It seemed as though the angels could fight forever…
Was he doomed to die here?
Eventually, the flapping stopped. The angels' screaming went silent, some with their mouths still hanging open. Isaac's eyes widened again as the angels all slowly disappeared in a flash of golden light.
Why had they all disappeared? Maybe…
He glanced at the spot where the boy had been, noticing blood staining the ground.
He had succeeded with his attack, but where was his opponent?
Suddenly, a golden light shone down, similar to the one that had flashed before the angels.
Isaac shielded his eyes, but the light continued glowing. Trembling, Isaac uncovered his eyes.
Hesitantly, he glanced up and stifled a gasp.
There, bathed in the golden light, was his opponent.
He looked very much like the angels he had summoned. The same white wings flapped in the air, and Isaac could see a shimmering halo. Occasionally, the wings stopped flapping and more light appeared. Isaac realized the being would probably be able to teleport like the angels had.
Isaac expected glares and hostility, yet was met with nothing of the sort.
Instead, the angel the boy had become wore a smile on his face. There was no anger in his eyes, only an aura of peace and tranquility.
Despite all this, Isaac shivered.
What was there to be at peace about? How could one find peace in the middle of a battle?
Unless… The boy was at peace with Isaac killing him?
But why would he be, after he had been crying hysterically before?
Isaac knew he didn't have time to ponder this.
There was a battle to fight.
Isaac launched his attacks, and the boy disappeared.
Confusion crossed Isaac's face.
The fight couldn't be over that quickly, could it?
Immediately, Isaac received his answer as beams of light nearly blinded him.
Isaac desperately tried to run from the light, but it seemed to cover the entire area. He howled in pain as the light scorched his body.
His own tears streamed down his face as he frantically started looking for a way to attack his opponent.
As the light cleared, there was a final ray, of hope.
The boy appeared to be wide open, specifically to the side.
If Isaac could just dash to the right, he could end the battle…
Yet as soon as the thought entered his mind, the boy spread his wings wide.
Isaac's vision was now filled with feathers as the boy soared in front of him.
The angel boy quickly blocked Isaac's way. His wings seemed like they would take up the entire room. The boy's binding golden light still shone down.
The opponent may have looked peaceful, but it was clear he was ready for battle.
Isaac gulped.
Now the only way through was to confront the foe head on.
Isaac readied his attack, and fired.
It was over in an instant.
The other boy didn't even flinch as the attack collided. He still kept his peaceful, serene, look, even as he fell in battle.
Isaac shuddered.
There was something unsettling about his opponent…
If only he could just figure it out…
But he had no time to ponder as the boy faded away into his now familiar golden light.
Isaac was once again nearly blinded by the light, but forced himself to stare at his opponent finally leaving the battlefield.
He was finally able to glance at his opponent's face.
Isaac let out a gasp.
The boy looked exactly like him.
Instinctively, Isaac took a step back.
It couldn't be real…
He didn't have a brother, or a twin…
So there was no way this boy could look like him.
Unless…
The boy was him.
But that would mean…
He had destroyed himself.
As Isaac's mind whirled back to the present, he could only think of one thing.
He could destroy himself.
And the way to do so was to crawl into the chest standing before him.
But… if he did…
What would be left?
Isaac's mind again took him to another place.
Only, this time, he was sure others could see it.
There was the cold, dark, chest. In the center, a boy huddled, shivering. His frightened face was stained with tears.
But it was far too late to cry.
For no one would hear in the deep, dark, chest.
No one, except for himself.
And even he couldn't register the sound of the tears over his rapid, ragged, breathing.
The last thing the boy saw was his body's bluish tint as he closed his eyes forever.
Isaac pulled himself back to the present or to analyze the past.
So he would die.
But was it better that way?
Better than being hurt constantly? Or feeling like he would be?
Maybe.
But then there was the monsters…
Isaac shuddered. He didn't want to deal with the monsters…
Especially the one in blue.
Isaac could visualize it now…
The creature was just a glob of something, but Isaac was never quite sure what.
Somehow, the thing had a mouth and eyes. It looked like it was struggling to breathe, face frozen in permanent shock.
Yet even if the creature couldn't breathe, it could still fight.
The piercing tears flew in all directions. Isaac winced as they hit him, but there was no time to hesitate. Flies and other enemies chased after him, just as the angels did. At least these pursuers weren't as persistent, as one attack finished them off.
As Isaac's vision cleared of enemies, his eyes widened as he saw something else.
The faint glow of lasers could be seen, and they seemed to be coming from the creature's eyes. Isaac let out a scream one of the lasers slammed into him.
But this was the perfect time to retaliate with his own attack.
After all, there wasn't much else he could do.
So he attacked, viciously. Isaac didn't miss a beat as he scored hit after hit on the monster. Yet no matter how much Isaac attacked, the creature remained standing.
Isaac noted that it seemed the stronger his attacks were, the stronger the creature's defenses.
No, that couldn't be true, could it? After all, he hadn't encountered any other creatures like that…
Whether not that was the case, the blue monster eventually collapsed. It let out a screech that echoed throughout the entire area. Isaac clapped his hands over his ears, but there was no blocking out the noise.
If it went on for much longer, he could go deaf!
Suddenly, the creature was bathed in light. Instantly, it disappeared, leaving its figure scorched into the ground.
But Isaac had no time to catch his breath as he was sucked into an endless void.
And there he met another enemy.
Isaac didn't see this enemy.
No, he only felt it.
It was some personification of madness, insanity.
He didn't even know what form it had, as it kept changing into other ones.
Isaac couldn't count the amount of times he'd gotten hit, but he also couldn't count the amount of times he had successfully attacked back.
Eventually though, the madness fell.
And then, Isaac was treated to the truth.
The truth of what was happening.
The truth of who he was.
The truth of what he needed to do.
Now, as his mind sent him back to the present day with the chest, he faced that truth.
But then, what if it wasn't the truth at all?
What if it was just some urge?
Some impulse?
And what if he regretted his decision?
If he regretted it now, could stop it?
Isaac's mind continued to play its games.
A shriveled blue creature sat on the ground. It clearly had been dead for a long time, but somehow it moved and fought.
Isaac had no idea what the creature was, but there was still the instinct to defeat it.
Yet, as Isaac attacked, he noticed something then stopped him in his tracks.
The blue creature seemed the exact same as the boy he'd fought before. He lay curled up in the center of the battlefield, filling the air with howling, gasping sobs.
How could they be the same?
They clearly looked like different people…
Isaac spent so much time pondering that he didn't see the creature's next attack until it was almost upon him.
With that, he realized the two beings weren't exactly the same.
Instead of wailing angels, the blue creature sent flies.
Isaac trembled, expecting to get swarmed again.
Yet, that was not the case.
Instead, Isaac heard only distant buzzing, and realized that the flies had not moved.
On the contrary, they had surrounded his opponent. It didn't even seem like they wanted to fight back.
So Isaac attacked without hesitation.
Yet every time he did, the flies took the hit.
They may not have been angels, but it was clear the blue creature was their liege.
The flies flew loyally around the dead creature, even as Isaac blasted them again and again.
Isaac could've felt sympathy for them, if he wasn't in the middle of a battle.
Eventually, the flies were defeated, and the boy soon followed.
And then there came something familiar.
The wings.
The white, flapping, wings.
And the smile.
The peaceful, ironic, smile.
Isaac shuddered.
What was even more unnerving than the creature was the same as the fight with his doppelgänger.
Why were they so similar, and what did it all mean?
Isaac spent so much time hesitating that he almost made a fatal mistake.
Because although the creature had no blinding light, he could still teleport.
And Isaac realized too late where it was headed.
He tried to dodge, but it was hopeless.
Isaac screamed as the blue creature slammed into him.
He stumbled back, the wind knocked out of his body.
It was then that Isaac got a good glance at the creature's eyes.
He bit back another scream.
There was nothing there!
Only cold, empty, blackness.
Isaac wondered how the creature could even see.
Isaac trembled.
What had happened to that being to make it that way?
Yet, within a few minutes, Isaac stood firm.
He couldn't let the creature take advantage of his weakness!
He had to fight back!
A battle was a battle!
So he readied his attack. And fired.
With one mighty blast, the creature disappeared.
Or rather, he faded away.
There was no golden light in the battle, yet somehow it took the combatant away.
And Isaac remained, left to wonder.
The blue fighter looked nothing like the one he had fought before.
The one with the angels, the wings, and the light…
Yet they had so much in common…
Their sobbing selves, their loyal guards, the teleportation, the ability to fly, and even the serenity in battle.
Perhaps the truly were the same person…
But if they were…
Did that mean the first boy he had fought with the light and the wings was dead?
He didn't seem like it…
And Isaac knew the boy from that time was him.
So if the boy from the first time was the same as the blue creature, and the former was Isaac…
Then the blue creature had to be Isaac too…
But how?
He couldn't be two people at once, much less both alive and dead…
And he certainly wasn't dead right now. Otherwise he wouldn't be standing right in the center of a battlefield.
Unless…
The creature represented his desire to die.
And Isaac certainly had that desire.
How could he not? After all the suffering he'd gone through…
But Isaac had destroyed that the dangerous desire.
Just like he destroyed himself before.
Isaac's mind brought him back to reality, as the realized what that meant.
He could destroy his desire to die.
He could fight it.
He could live.
Yet he could also destroy himself.
And give in to the desire.
And it was all so easy, when the means was right in front of them.
Isaac stared at the chest.
Now it held a simple choice.
To live or to die.
Isaac sighed and looked down at himself.
Was it really worth living?
After all the horrible things he'd done? After all the horrible things he'd seen?
And yet, when Isaac closed his eyes, he could visualize the monsters clearly.
The giant blue thing couldn't breathe… The madness manifested…
And the fate that awaited him… Struggling for breath in the cold dark chest, then finally succumbing alone…
Isaac shook his head. It wasn't worth seeing those things again.
And it wasn't worth meeting a grisly end.
He could fight his desire.
He would fight his desire.
He would live.
Isaac backed away from the chest. He did so slowly, until the item disappeared from view.
As Isaac prepared to walk out of the room, he nodded.
He'd made his choice.
And he didn't know where it would lead.
But in his heart, Isaac had a feeling it was the right one.
Author's notes:
-So I got this idea from an old theory that was crafted in the earlier versions of the original game. This theory is now debunked, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless. In this theory, it states that Isaac can either live or die depending on the game's actions. If the player goes to the cathedral and fights Isaac, Isaac is literally destroying himself and chooses to die. In contrast, if one chooses to confront the darkness of the Chest and face the unnamed blue baby within, Isaac will have destroyed his desire to commit suicide. After that, he lives. Unfortunately, this theory was debunked when more of the game was revealed with expansions, and Isaac dies no matter what. However, I still wanted to use it here, and give Isaac something of a happy ending.
-I did, however, add a bit to it. The bosses that Isaac fights are in order, Isaac (himself), Hush, Delirium, and Blue Baby. The reason Hush and Delirium were picked is because of what they represent. It is believed Hush represents Isaac suffocating in the chest, and Delirium represents his mind breaking down during that time. Similarly, the bit about Isaac seeing himself suffocating in the chest comes from the final ending in Afterbirth +.
-All of the scenes in the battle were from the attacks that the bosses typically use against Isaac. The reason Isaac's own attacks were not described was because of literally hundreds of combinations players can have fun facing them. I felt like it would be too difficult to find a specific combination when there were so many, and simply chose not to describe it.
-Isaac's fear and hesitation about fighting comes from an observation I made about the game itself. Isaac is never shown fighting, or even having it interest in it, before the game begins, and not really understanding the powers and being frightened when suddenly thrust into combat would be reasonable.