Final Chapter Better Off Lost
Set after Brendan encounters Mercy
Authorities have been receiving reports from people at a local home that family members have been going missing. The owner of the house had claimed to have not seen them. The police came to investigate the house the next day. They found the three missing family members. A boy's mutilated body was found in a toy chest, a girl's frozen body was found in the kitchen freezer and the mother was found as a charred corpse in the furnace. The bodies showed no physical struggle with their murder. Because of this the police began to suspect that the murderer was a family member. Records showed that the mother of the two kids was an adopted member of the family.
Victims: Mercy (Age 34) Leo (Age 10) Rey (Age 8)
"That must be the spirit I saw... I'm so sorry..."
New Entry
Mercy:
The name of that spirit was Mercy. It seems that Alice had a sister. She probably murdered Mercy's kids for this sacrificial ritual. According to a note that I found Mercy was adopted. Just what else is going on that I don't know about?
"We should look around a bit more. There might be some things we missed around here. Let's try the second floor." Brendan suggested.
"Alright then." May agreed. Brendan and May proceed to the second floor. They enter a room labelled 'Music room'. He finds an envelope and opens it.
"Let's see what's in this." Brendan wondered. There was a letter in the envelope.
Why did I have to be so unwanted? Why doesn't Mother love me? She loves my sister more. I hated her ever since she was born. My sister was always the center of attention. She had silver eyes with pretty blonde hair. She so cute... I absolutely hate her. I should just run away. I have been become my sisters shadow.
"Ah!" May gasped.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Brendan asked with worry.
"Shadow... Shadow... I'm your shadow..." May said in a cold and shallow tone.
"You're not my shadow. You're like my sister."
"You're wro-" May is cut off as Brendan falls unconscious.
"..."
"B-Brendan?! Are you okay?! Brendan!" May called.
"..." Brendan hears a familiar sound. "I'm here again... What is it now?" Brendan walks through the door and sees another flashback.
"Anna." Alice said.
"Yes Mommy?"
"Your stupid child!" Suddenly the woman started beating her child.
"Why...? Why Mommy...?"
"Don't call me your Mother! You're not my child! You're just trash!" Alice said in an abusive tone.
"..." Anna didn't respond.
"Where is my daughter?! What did you do to her?!" Alice demanded.
"..." Anna still didn't respond.
"Answer me!" Alice continued to beat Anna.
"...No..."
"Stop! Milady please stop!" Rosa begged.
"Stop... Stop... STOP!" Brendan screamed. Suddenly he wakes up and he is in May's arms.
"You okay?" May asked.
"H-huh? May?"
"Here let me help you up."
"Thanks May."
New Entry
Abuse to Anna:
The red-haired girl Anna, was adopted a few months before Alice, her mother gave birth. Alice seemed to constantly abuse her for some reason. I wonder why.
Brendan and May continued on and they found a safe.
"Hm... Maybe... Yes!" Brendan used medallion. Brendan obtained photo. "*Gasp*" Brendan gasped.
"What? What's wrong?!" May asked.
"(This is Alice, Mercy presumably her two kids. And is that Riba? Were they related in some way? How exactly?)"
"Brendan? Brendan!"
"Oh sorry! I just dozed off."
"Ok..." Seeing as they have not much more to look for, they exit to the forest of suicide. They get through the puzzle and find a grave.
"S-something is buried here." Brendan muttered.
"Brendan should you really be touching that?" May questioned. She didn't like this. She dreaded what could be buried there. Something evil? Death? Whatever it was she didn't like the feeling.
"Something... Important..." Brendan's speech started to turn into shallow puffs of heavy breathing. "A-ah!" Suddenly a scream rang out from Brendan.
"What?! What is it?! What's wrong?!" May exclaimed taken aback by her friend's sudden outburst.
"L-look..." May turned to the hole and at the sight of what was buried there made May want to vomit. It was a child's corpse.
"Oh god... Who would do something like this?" Brendan stared at the corpse in horror. It's almost as if he wanted to cry.
"L-lets go. We shouldn't stay here any longer." May said worried about Brendan's emotional state. Then a spirit appeared out of the grave.
"Uh... Hello." The young spirit said kindly. Brendan noticed this one wasn't hostile so he felt no reason to be afraid.
"Hello are you the spirit of this body?" Brendan asked.
"Her eye's..." May said looking at her eyes. Brendan notices she has grey eyes.
"She has no colored eyes... I feel like those are familiar somehow."
"What are you doing here?" The spirit asked curiously.
"We're looking for a way out. Do you know any way?"
"There's an exit in the back of the mines. Just enter the mines take a right and just go on from there." The spirit said innocently.
"Do you know how you ended up here?" Brendan asked as he was baffled as to why a child was buried here. The young spirit looked down sadly.
"No... My spirit roams this earth without any memory of my death."
"God I'm so sorry..." Brendan said sympathizing with the spirits pain. He then notices a ribbon. "Is this yours? Why aren't you wearing it?" Brendan gives the ribbon to the spirit. She looks at it carefully.
"This is mine...?" The child said confusedly barely able to remember the ribbon. Suddenly a flash of images enter Brendan's brain. He can see two children going into the forest.
"Hey Serina come this way! "A red-haired girl said.
"Wait up sis!" A blonde-haired girl said joyfully. "So, what are we doing here?" The red-haired girl's expression turned serious.
"Well... I wanted to talk." She said.
"Oh? What's on your mind?"
"Well... Why does mom love you more?" Said the red-haired girl.
"Mommy loves both of us." Said the blonde girl. The red-haired girl scoffed.
"Hah that's laughable. Ever since you were born, she abused me. Treated me like trash just because I was adopted. And all because you were born... You really have an empty head sis." The sister looked surprised.
"Really? I've never seen Mom hit you before. Maybe it's all a misunderstanding." The red-haired girl's expression darkened.
"I need to get rid of you... Mom will love me if I'm only one left. So die!" The Girl took out a shovel and started hitting her sister with it.
"O-ow! Stop it Anna!" The girl pleaded.
"Shut up. Die! Die!"
"St-stop... sis..." The girl was barely breathing.
"Not dead yet? I'll just bury you. I hope no one finds you. You should rot in that hole." After seeing those images Brendan was left with a shocked expression.
"Oh my god... How could she do such a horrible thing? What a monster..." Brendan muttered.
"What's going on with you?! You're worrying me!" May said worryingly.
"Sorry..." Brendan turns back to the spirit. "Serina... You were killed by your adopted sister... Anna." Brendan explained to the young spirit. The spirit started tearing up.
"That's right... Why? Why would she do this to me?" She said unhappily.
"I don't know myself honestly." The spirit looked at the ground and then turned back to Brendan.
"Tell my sister... I'm sorry for everything." The spirit requested. Brendan didn't know if he could keep a promise like that so he simply replied...
"...I'll do my best." The spirit departed happily.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
New Entry
Blonde-Haired girl:
I just met the spirit of a girl who was murdered by her sister. Poor girl... She didn't seem any age over 6 years old. Her sister murdered her and from what I saw from some images in my head it seemed to be out of jealousy though that kind of motive seems cruel. The girl also had grey eye's... Where have I seen those before?
Brendan and May continue on to the mineshaft and then see two paths.
"I think the girl said to make a right." May said.
"Yeah... But what's on the left path?"
Just to clarify this is how the Sealed and Puppet ending diverge.
"Please bro can't we just leave?"
WARNING THIS DECISION WILL AFFECT YOUR ENDING. Joke. No link for that.
"We should check the left path. There might be something we need there." Brendan insisted.
"*Sigh* Fine..." May sighed. They took the left path and explored more of the cavern. Suddenly they come across some strange wire.
"Hmm... There's some sort of strange wire here. Let me see if I have anything sharp I can use to cut it." Brendan said.
"Can't you just rip it off with your hand?" May suggested.
"Go ahead and try." May tried to touch the wire but ended up cutting herself.
"Ow! That hurt." May winced.
"Not really wise to assume things." Brendan joked.
"You're a jerk. If you knew it would cut me why didn't you say so?" May pouted.
"Here, I have this knife we can use." Brendan said. May put on a disturbed face.
"Uhh Brendan... Where did you get that?" May asked worriedly.
"I don't know. Riba said I found it somewhere. I don't think he was telling the truth though."
"(Riba? That guy I met earlier?)" May thought.
"Something wrong?" Brendan asked.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing!" May said shaking off the thought.
"Ok..." Brendan said as he proceeded to cut the wire and as he goes through the path it opened. He finds an envelope and opens it. Then he sees a familiar face in what appears to be a wedding photo.
"No way..." Brendan murmured. ("This is Alice and... is that Riba?") May seemed to recognize the man in the photo.
"Hey I saw this guy earlier! Could this be his?" May wondered.
"(No doubt about it. This is Riba and Alice. This must be their wedding photo.) I'll hold onto it. Just in case we run into Riba I can give it to him." Brendan obtained wedding photo. "Oh? There's something written on the back." Brendan flips over the photo.
I am slowly dying now. I really don't want to die. I want to stay here with Riba. The doctor said I have developed symptoms of Hysteria and schizophrenia, along with my countdown on life. I have no choice. I must sacrifice my child. I will do it. I must go through with what Riba told me to do. If he can grant me eternal life, then I will do it. I must sacrifice Serina. Anna isn't suitable for the ritual. I've been too hard on her lately. She doesn't know my mental and physical condition but I am too afraid to tell her that her mother is dying she is only a child. I have no control over my thoughts and actions. I am scared. Someone help me please... - Alice.
"Oh god... that's just..." May was at a loss for words.
"It doesn't matter. We have to keep moving." 'Brendan' said coldly.
"Umm... o-ok..." May seemed a bit disturbed at the coldness in the boy's voice. They kept going further into the caverns following a bunch of minecart tracks. Then they find a small grave in a small part of the cave.
"This is... Anna..." Brendan said gravely.
"Brendan you shouldn't be touching that. May said skeptically. She didn't anymore to do with spirits
"I don't get it. If Anna killed her sister, who killed Anna? And why was she buried here?" Suddenly an entity in a black and red dress appears.
"There's no need for me to explain." Brendan was terrified at how dark the spirit looked. "As you probably figured out... The one who has taken your body hostage is none other than my murderer." Anna explained. May was in shock.
"W-what? Brendan's body has been taken hostage?" May spluttered out in complete fear. This was too much for her to take in. Why didn't Brendan tell her?
"Alice my so-called mother is the one who's corrupting him." Anna replied.
"B-Brendan why didn't you tell me?" May asked.
"..." Brendan didn't say anything.
"Brendan has been getting closer to death ever since he took possession of the music box. When he came in the house, I couldn't kill him. But now I know should have. Mother has control of his body." Anna said. But a thought dawned on Brendan...
"But why did you kill Serina? You're one and only sister?" Brendan asked. He didn't understand Anna's motive of killing Serina so he wanted to know. Anna looked at the ground.
"Because..." Anna hesitated to explain. "I was jealous. Mother started to abuse me as soon as my sister was born. I thought killing her would make Mother love me. I was wrong. She ended up killing me instead." Anna said with a look of detest for her mother. Anger pursed through Brendan.
"Murdering your innocent sister wasn't the answer the answer! You know that! Even with all the abuse you endured!" Brendan shouted aggressively. Malice fed Anna's hatred.
"SHUT UP!" A growing pain coursed through Brendan.
"Aahh!"
"Why would you want a murderer running free? Why would you let her escape?" Anna scolded.
"Brendan! A-Anna please leave my Brother alone! We can help you!"
"I have to kill you now. I can't let her escape."
"Aaah! May! Show her the photo!" Brendan called.
"Ah! Yeah! A-Anna look at this!" May gives Anna the photo. Anna looks at the photo.
"Ah... This is... when Mommy and Daddy were happy..." Anna reminisced.
"Look at the back of the photo. Your mother... she had an illness." Anna's soul is purified...
"...I... I didn't know Mommy was going to die..." Anna starts crying... "I'm sorry I killed my sister, please forgive me!" Anna cried.
"Hey don't cry. It's all over now. Your sister wanted me to tell you... That she's sorry for everything." Brendan said wanting to keep his word of telling Serina's apology to Anna.
"Serina... I didn't know... I'm so sorry..." Anna sobbed.
"It's okay. You don't need to feel regret any more you can pass on." Anna begins to depart.
"T-Thank you... Please do whatever it takes to stop my Mother... Don't let her take you."
"Come on May let's get out of here."
New Entry
The Truth:
It seems that Alice was the Mother of Alice and Serina and Riba was the Father. Alice had a mental and physical condition, which would explain her abusive behavior towards Anna. Alice tried to perform a ritual that would allow her to live as an entity. Anna herself became an entity with the hatred and anger built inside of her. She sealed her Mother in the Music Box to prevent her from escaping. Trapped in the Music Box I currently possess... But what do I do? Do re-seal Alice into the Music Box? How do I get her to leave my body? It doesn't matter now. I have learned the Truth. There is no need for us to stay here any longer.
"Come on May let's get out of here."
They move on and Brendan finds a switch. He pulls it.
"Wonder what that did." May wondered. Suddenly the ground began to shake.
"Crap. Run!" Brendan screamed as he and May. Rocks began falling but luckily, they made it out.
"Whew..."
"Tell me about it."
"Let's keep going." May said. They kept going but just then Brendan stopped. "Huh? Why did you stop?" Brendan starts laughing hysterically.
"Hahahaha... You really are stupid, aren't you?" 'Brendan' pulls out a knife.
"What are you- Ah! A-ah why are you doing this...?"
"You're not needed 'Sister'." 'Brendan' said in a sly tone. A flow rage goes through May.
"Don't call me that! You're not Brendan! Give him back!" May shouted angrily.
"Oh, how adorable... You know I can't do that." 'Brendan' grabs May. "There's no use in running. I'll kill you very slowly and painfully."
"Brendan stop!" May struggles against 'Brendan' but luckily, she pushes him to the ground and runs.
"Come back! Come be by your brother! Ahaha!"
"No! Stay away!" May screams as she runs from her attacker.
"What's wrong? Are you afraid of me? AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" 'Brendan' laughed hysterically. Suddenly a faint figure knocks 'Brendan' unconscious.
"...Sorry but I had no choice but to do this. I know what you want. I can give it to you if you cooperate with me."
"What's going on with Brendan? Ever since I reunited with him, he's been acting so strange... I'll worry about that later. I have to find Brendan."
Now... Brendan is awake and he sees a familiar figure in front of him.
"R-Riba? Is that you?"
"Yes, its me." He answered simply. Suddenly he holds a piece of shattered glass to Brendan's throat.
"W-what are you-"
"Shut up you're not the one I need."
"W-why?" Brendan fearfully asked.
"In case you haven't figured it out I'm not alive anymore. What else do you want to know about me?" Riba asked. Brendan thought about this and asked...
"Why did you drive Alice insane?" Riba started chuckling.
"Ahaha... Because she was the perfect angel. She easily fell in love with me. Her condition was enough for me to make her go mad."
"That doesn't explain why you did what you did to her."
"I like seeing the suffering of others. She slaughtered her family just for me. But I need Alice not you."
May continues further into the cave. Suddenly she finds Brendan but... Also, she sees a familiar face.
"Hey aren't you the guy I met earlier?" The man was silent. "What are you doing with Brendan?" Suddenly the man started laughing. "What's so funny?" The man continues laughing. Then...
"AHAHAHAHAAH! I can't believe you're still alive! Looks like Alice didn't throw away the trash." Riba cackled maniacally.
"W-what are you doing? Hey!"
"I'm sorry you're not invited!"
"St-stop!" May struggled against the man until she fell over.
"Oof!"
"Now to finish you off!"
"Riba?" 'Brendan' called.
"Yes Alice?" Suddenly Riba lets out a scream of pain.
"AHHHH!"
"Stop getting in my way... Now go back to where you came from... in hell."
"B-Brendan? Is that you? Say something if you hear me!" May called to 'Brendan'.
"Come with me we can be together."
I grabbed Brendan's hand but... It felt cold, even with a glove on, it felt cold. It felt like I was touching... death. May thought with an instant fear filling her veins. She pulled away from 'Brendan'.
"You're not Brendan!"
"Oh, aren't you smart? ~" Brendan said with a smirk. Suddenly there's a flash and May ends up in an unknown location.
"W-what is this place?" May wondered. She sees 'Brendan' ahead of her.
"You do know why a curse was placed on this home?" 'Brendan' asked.
"I-I don't but all we want to do is just leave!" May said. She was scared. She never felt so scared in her life. Not this much anyway.
"Brendan... He doesn't want to leave. He wants to learn the truth. You're aware of this."
She was speechless. She didn't know how to feel. She had a mix of emotions of fear, anger and sadness. She was looking at a face that scared her. A face that made her sad. A face that belonged to her best friend. And... she was afraid. Afraid of him.
"Learning the truth came with a price. In exchange he had given me his body."
"No! You're wrong! Brendan would never give his body for something like this!" May cried. She was shocked to think anyone would have the audacity to think of her brother as a weak person. He wouldn't give his life for something twisted like this... right?
"I made a pact with the devil just so I can live with the man I love the most. Riba himself is a devil. I had to do what he said to make myself an entity. But Anna ruined my plans. Her killing Serina failed the ritual. She also became an entity with the hatred and anger built inside her. Without someone as a host I would've suffered here for so long... but now I can finally leave this home."
Suddenly a flow of rage begins washing over May.
"You... you..."
"Hm?"
"Screw you monster! I won't let you roam this earth with Brendan's body! You're a cold-blooded murderer!"
'Brendan' laughs. "Yes! What you say is true! I am nothing but a cold heartless killer! And I wouldn't mind killing you!"
I have to call to Brendan! He's in there somewhere!
"Brendan! Can you hear me?! Don't let her use you! Brendan!" She called. Then he let out a scream.
"AH! Stop no!" Brendan's voice can be heard. "M-may... Help me..."
I have to keep calling to Brendan he's still there.
"Brendan! Come on you can fight it!" Another scream is heard.
"M-may..."
Brendan! I can feel his aura. I can't give up yet! One more time!
"BRENDANNNNN!"
"No stop! AHHHHHH!"
"All I wanted... was to live again..."
"Not with Brendan's body. I'm sorry."
"Please... Let me live a little longer..." Alice begged.
"Come on Brendan! Fight it!" May called.
"Use the music box now!" May heard a voice say. She looked at the Music Box in her hands. She sighed.
"I guess I have no choice." May used the music box.
"I don't want to go back stop!" May cranked the Music Box and Alice screamed. "AHHHHH!"
"...The air feels much lighter now. Why does it feel so good? Is it finally over?" …May is in the area from before with Brendan in her arms. "Brendan are you okay?"
"Hmm...?" Brendan muttered.
"Here let me help you." Brendan looked at the man he once called his friend.
"He's dead..."
Brendan and May make it to an exit. They are about to leave but... Alice appears.
"P-please... Don't leave..." She begged.
"B-Brendan! Don't get near her!" May said cautiously.
"...Alice."
"I just want to live again please..." Brendan sighs and goes near her.
"You can't have my body. I'm sorry. But you can pass on now. You killed Riba. He was the one in control of you the whole time. You didn't love him, I know, you just wanted be free. Deep down, you wanted to be saved." Brendan said sympathetically.
"I can't leave now so I can't be saved." Alice said sadly. Brendan nodded.
"Nonsense, I know what keeps you binded here." Brendan smashes the Music Box.
"Brendan no!"
"This Music Box is what kept you here. Now you're free."
"I...I... Thank you..." Alice said thankfully.
"And this journal... I'll get rid of it. I have no use for it."
"B-But Brendan! That's all of your hard work!" May exclaimed.
"I don't need it Anymore May. Some stories are better left untold and forgotten." Brendan said expressly.
"Y-you're willing to do this for me? Even after everything I have done to you?"
"I always forgive and forget. The secrets of this place are safe with me. Don't worry." Brendan promised.
"Thank you so much!" Alice said happily as she departed to the afterlife.
"Even after all that she did, you still managed to put her soul to rest?" May asked.
"We all deserve some peace you know. Besides we're still alive, aren't we?"
"But Brendan... All of those murders..."
"Yeah I know what she did was wrong but she wasn't doing it under free will. She was going to die and in desperation she succumbed to Riba's demands."
"..." May was speechless. She was touched about how kind he was.
"She deserves a rest." Brendan finished.
"...I still think what she did was wrong but... you have a heart of gold to bring salvation to her." Brendan nodded.
"Come on let's go home. It's getting really rainy."
"I'll get the fireplace lit then." Back home... "Ah finally that's over..." May said relieved.
"Yeah... That place was a real nightmare..." Brendan agreed. May notices Brendan is holding the Journal.
"Brendan? What are you doing?" Brendan throws the Journal into the fire.
"Keeping my promise by burning the Journal. No one needs to know about the home." Brendan simply replied.
"But why?" May asked confusedly.
"It's better off this way. I don't want to remember anything about that place." Brendan said.
"But what about the investigation?"
"It's fine May. Thing are sometimes better off lost."
May thought for a moment and thought Brendan was right. She didn't want to remember that place either.
"...Alright Brendan."
BRENDAN AND THE MUSIC BOX
TRUE END
BETTER OFF LOST
Finally, it's done. Now for Arc. Stay tuned for that.