Chapter 28 - Reunion

The deep rumble of thunder stirred me from my sleep. Rain pelted the window as I wiped away at my eyes. This thunderstorm had been going on for the past couple of days, though this was the first time it had woken me up. It was probably for the best if I ended up having the same nightmare again.

I looked next to me to see the laptop sticking out of my pack. Without thinking, I pulled it out and opened it, moving to the "OneShot" program. Opening it only revealed the same black screen and error message as I had seen before:

FATAL ERROR: SAVIOR NOT FOUND. SHUTTING DOWN.

I sighed. I didn't why I kept opening the program if nothing was going to change. I think I remember hearing how that was the definition of insanity. Honestly, that wasn't too far off from how I felt, but I guess I really was hoping for something to be different every time I opened the laptop.

I stared at the error message for a while, contemplating whether I should try to fall back to sleep or not. It's not like there was anywhere I could go. Not with the wall of rain that was falling onto the city. What I wouldn't give to be back in that warm wheat field…

I adjusted the blanket around me and shut my eyes, keeping the laptop on my lap. Even if I wasn't going to sleep well tonight, I may as well keep the laptop close to me. The heat emanating off it did help combat the chilly weather that seeped in from the outside.

As I drifted off, I found myself thinking of Niko again…

...I still miss her…

…

…

...

*ding*

…

...Huh?

My eyes opened to see that the screen had...changed? A letter had replaced the black void. I blinked. Was I already dreaming? I didn't think I could fall asleep that fast. I rubbed my eyes again in an attempt to wake myself up, but when I looked at the laptop again, the letter was still there. I felt my heart pound against my chest as I read the letter:

"Alan, it looks like you completed your mission in the world.

And...I'm sorry. I know you wish to return.

But the Entity called itself OneShot for a reason.

That restriction was implemented a long time ago.

Removing it now is impossible.

...At least, for me."

My brow furrowed. What's that supposed to mean…? I put aside that question and kept reading:

"...If you would be so kind as to test something for me…

I do not know the full extent of your capabilities, so pardon me if this sounds foolish.

A log of your saved progress may exist somewhere on the laptop…

...Maybe even in the same location as my last letter to you.

If this "saved progress" log takes the form of a file, perhaps you can manipulate it.

Try removing it from its current location...A simple deletion will do."

My fatigue had completely vanished when I read those words. Was the Author saying what I think he was saying? If I found this "log", would it undo the ending? Would I be able to go back?

"Again, I apologize for not knowing the extent of your capabilities.

If what I described confuses you, I am sorry."

I re-read the letter over and over. Part of me was scared that this was just some elaborate prank...but, if it was true...if what he was implying was true…

"Niko…" I whispered as my eyes began to sting. I...I could see Niko again. I could find another way to get her home without destroying the world. It almost seemed too good to be true, but I had nothing else to lose.

I was wide awake as I opened up the Documents folder, my heart beating faster and faster as I scoured the folder, looking for this "saved progress". Eventually, inside the same folder that had the clover program that guided me and Niko through the Tower, was a file: "save_ progress".

I hovered the mouse over it as I stared at it. This was real. Oh my god, it was real. I could go back.

I hardly noticed the tears that began to streak down my face. George, Kip, the lamplighter, Maize, Calamus, Alula, Silver…

Niko.

I could see them all again.

...But was this really the right thing to do? If I deleted this save, what would that mean? Wouldn't that take Niko away from her home again? It would be selfish of me to do that to her, but at the same time, I couldn't just let everyone die if I had a chance to save them. My mind raced as I found myself at an impasse. Would...would Niko understand if I brought her back to save the world? She even said it herself when we were in the Tower; she didn't want to let the world end.

…

No...I had to do this. I owed it to everyone to at least try. I had to try and find a way to save their world...and I wanted to see Niko again.

Having made my decision, I deleted the file. Thunder boomed from outside as I prepared myself to head back into the game world. I adjusted the blanket around me one last time before I moved the mouse over onto the black clover that sat in the middle of the desktop.

"Okay...okay…" I mumbled to myself, "Please work...for the love of God, please work."

I held my breath as I opened the program. The black screen opened, but there was no error message this time. Just darkness. It didn't last long when I saw the familiar screen of sunlight shining down on a black clover. I would have launched to my feet in cheer, but I could feel them begin to go numb. It was working. I was actually going back! As the familiar wave of exhaustion flowed through my entire body, forcing my eyes closed, I felt a mix of determination and fear flare inside me.

I really hope this works…I thought before I tasted metal on my tongue as light splintered across my vision until it all went black.

It felt like several hours before I began to regain consciousness to which my greeting was the dull headache that was all too familiar to me. I groaned and rubbed my head. Waking up with a headache is still definitely not one of the best ways to wake up. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could hear the creaks and groans of old, rotting wood around me. I sat up and looked around in amazement.

It...it worked. I was back. The withered floors, the smashed TV, the ripped up furniture. This is where it all started.

"It actually worked…" I laughed quietly. I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I fell back onto the couch. It was only then that I felt my hand brush up against something next to me. I looked over and saw...a journal. No, not just any journal. The same journal that Niko and I had found in the safe during our original run. But why did I still have it? How was it even here? I quickly opened it and saw the same unintelligible writing that we had George translate for us.

I closed the book and set it back on the couch. Well, if I didn't think this run was different before, I definitely knew now. The journal being in my hands early was the biggest sign of that. Although I didn't why I had it early, it was best that I held onto it. We would probably need George to translate it for us before Niko and I entered the Tower again.

Speaking of which, if we are at the beginning of the entire journey, then where was...?

"H-Hello?"

Sparks shot up my spine as I froze. That voice...young, innocent...I knew that voice.

Please be real, please be real, please be real, I repeated over and over in my head as I slowly turned around.

Wide, golden-yellow eyes stared back at me. Her ears twitched underneath her hat as she wrung her hands against her scarf. Everything around me blurred as I focused solely on her.

"N...Niko?"

She took a small step back as her pupils narrowed and her hands froze, "Who...are you? How do you know my name?"

I blinked. I felt my joy slowly vanish as I motioned to myself, "I'm...Alan. Do you...not remember me?"

Her brow furrowed, "...Alan?" I heard her mutter. As she studied me, I watched as her anxiety from earlier disappear. Her body began to relax, only for her eyes to look...conflicted. Her gaze fell to the floor, "Alan..." she repeated, "Why does that sound so familiar?"

I stayed silent. I didn't know how to react. None of this was going like I thought it would. I thought she would remember me; remember what we had been through, but...if deleting that save file meant her memories were erased too…

I only then noticed the tears that had begun to fall from her eyes, though she herself didn't seem to notice. I took a small step towards her, "Hey...what's wrong?" Her eyes glazed over as I moved closer to her. She didn't pull away when I kneeled down and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, talk to me."

I reached out to wipe away the tears that had fallen down her cheek like I had done several times before, but before I could she quickly launched into my arms, gripping onto my shirt tightly as her sniffles increased in intensity. I was stunned for a second before quickly recovering and wrapping my arms around her. Having her in my arms again...it was euphoric beyond belief that it took all I had to not breakdown in front of her.

She let go of my shirt and stepped back, wiping away her tears, "I'm sorry. It's just…" she hesitated, "I don't...remember meeting you, but you feel so familiar to me...like you're an old friend I met a long time ago…"

Now it was my turn to be conflicted. She definitely seemed to recognize me, but our whole entire journey from before had been erased from her memories. All the laughs, all the tears...even telling her about my past had been erased. All of it was gone. Only I remembered.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to be angry that she couldn't remember, but...maybe it was for the best that she didn't know. She didn't have to worry about me, despite her insistence in the original run. I had to make a choice to put that behind me now. I was being given another chance to be with her, to save this world. I wasn't going to waste that.

I pushed down my inner turmoil and smiled at her, "It's alright, Niko. I know this all feels really confusing to you…" I started to say, but I stopped. Telling her the truth about why this all felt familiar would probably freak her out even more than what she was feeling already. If she knew this world was fake, on a laptop, I don't think she would take that well. It'd be better to continue keeping that part hidden from her, to protect her, "...But let's slow down and take a deep breath, okay?"

She mimicked my deep breathing, letting her apprehension fade away, "Better?"

She nodded, "Mhm…"

I let go of her and stood up. I was still dismayed by her erased memories, but I was glad she was at least feeling better, even if only a little bit. A sharp snap from the TV spark brought me back to the issue of the house. We still needed to find the sun and get out of here.

"So…" Niko began, scanning the room with her golden eyes, "...do you know how we can get out of here?"

"I think I've got a good idea. There're some things we need to get first and I'm gonna need your help. Sound up to it?"

She smiled and nodded. From there, it was a matter of retracing our steps from the original run; Finding the pack which gave the journal a nice place to stay, the alcohol in the fridge, making the torch, finding the key, and unlocking the basement door. At the precipice of the stairs, I felt Niko grab onto my hand. I looked down at her in surprise, but she simply gripped my hand tighter. I smiled and squeezed her hand before we descended down the steps. I'm glad some things hadn't changed.

The lightbulb laid at the end of the hall, and just like before, Niko was quickly drawn to it. One touch from her hand and it quickly illuminated the hallway. I blew out the torch and dropped it to my feet, "Well, that's what we need." I offered her my hand again, "Ready to get out of this place?"

She nodded and reached for my hand again. We headed up the stairs and to the door with the picture of the sun. Niko looked between it and the sun in her hands, "So, do I just...touch the door with this?"

I nodded and, slowly, she raised the lightbulb up to the door, causing the picture to begin lighting up. I grabbed onto her as the light washed over us. It took a second before I heard the creaks of metal.

"Mr. Alan?! What happened?!" Niko spun around, disorientated by our sudden teleportation out of the house.

"Hey, easy. It's okay!" I held onto her.

She quickly calmed down and shook her head, "S-Sorry, I wasn't expecting that to happen." She looked around, "Where are we…?"

I moved towards the door that led to the outside, "Come take a look for yourself."

She scampered up to me and we walked outside together. I was only faintly aware of the broken boards that lined the doorway; the boards that I had broken in the original run. I was glad that I didn't have to almost break my arm again, but it was interesting that some things that had happened before stayed the same now.

"Woah…" Niko murmured as she caught sight of the Tower off in the distance, in awe of its scale. I was not. I didn't even want to look at it. All it reminded me of was my failure to save this world the first time. I shivered as I could still hear the sound of glass shattering against the floor in my head. Instead, I found my attention drawn to Niko.

I quietly pinched myself to make sure that this wasn't a dream; that she really was here with me again. Pinching myself did nothing. Only making my joy of being next to her again grow. It still pained me that she didn't remember me, but I would gladly accept that if it meant I could be with her again.

I felt myself tear up as I continued to watch her, paying little attention to the area around us. Niko looked over at me and raised a brow, "Mr. Alan? What's wrong?"

I looked away as I wiped off my tears, "S-Sorry. Some dust got in my eyes."

I heard her giggle, causing me to do so as well. When I was sure all of my tears stopped, I turned back to her. She was back to studying my face again, trying her best to find memories that weren't there anymore.

"Everything okay?" I asked her.

She flinched, "Oh, sorry…" her eyes darkened, "This is all just…"

"A lot to take in, right?"

She peered up at me, "Y-Yeah…" She shook her head, "I just can't get rid of this feeling that...I've done this before."

"Like deja vu?"

Her brow furrowed, "Is that what that means?"

I nodded. Her ears fluttered underneath her hat as she processed everything. I kneeled down next to her and tenderly placed a hand on her shoulder, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I…" she faltered, still unsure of everything, "I think so…" She turned to me with a small smile, "I'm just glad that I'm not alone."

I smiled back, You and me both, Niko. You and me both...

Niko looked around at the darkness that covered the Barrens, taking notice of the smaller cottages near the docks close-by, "We should probably start looking around for something to show us where to go."

I stood up and took her hand in mine, "Stay close to me, then. We'll figure it out."

She smiled, "Okay, Mr.-" She stopped, "Er...is it okay if I just call you 'Alan'?"

I chuckled, "I'd like that. I don't think I'm old enough to be called 'Mr.'."

She giggled, "Maybe a little bit..."

"Well, does that mean I get to call you a cat?"

"I'm not a cat!"

I smirked, "Not even with the cat ears you have?"

She puffed out her cheeks, "Cats walk on four legs though!"

We both started to laugh as our voices traveled into the darkness. It was like nothing had ever changed between us.

As our laughter died down and we moved further into the Barrens, fear settled itself in the pit of my stomach. It kept screaming at me that this wasn't the same Niko that I had grown to care about, that this was all fake, a dream, that there wouldn't be a way to save both Niko and the world this time, that I was a terrible person for not telling her the truth. But...I didn't care.

I felt my hand drift into my pocket where I still held onto the picture of us together and I smiled. Niko had come back to me and I sure as hell wasn't going to lose her again.