Welcome back everyone! First, let me get this out of the way, yes, I know that LN2 is confirmed to be a prequel. However, I wrote both the Sixth and Seventh Reality before the confirmation, so I'm going to treat it as a sequel.

Second, I want to give special thanks to Engelsoft for beta reading all the chapters for the Seventh Reality. You are going to get my thanks because you deserve it!

Third, I don't own Little Nightmares or the comics. I only own my OCs that are mentioned and sprinkled around the chapters.

This first chapter will be Mono-centric, so enjoy! Welcome to the Seventh Reality!

Chapter 1: New Moon, New Beginnings

Time passed differently within the Signal Tower. What felt like days for Mono probably felt like a few minutes to the outside world. As he sat in his little chair with his knees drawn to his chest, the ten-year-old boy couldn't stop the same questions from flooding into his head as he wrapped his arms around knees.

Why? What did I do wrong?

Tears continued to flood down from his puffy red eyes. He hadn't slept a wink after she had let go of his hand. Even though he wasn't tired, dark circles were starting to appear under his eyes, giving him an unhealthy appearance. That moonlit gleam that once shown in his dark eyes was gone, replaced with an empty feeling of loneliness.

What did I do wrong?

It's simple. You didn't do anything wrong. It was her who was in the wrong, a voice told him, comforting him.

Looking up, Mono stared blankly at himself, only in shades of white, grey, and black... like the colors of a monochrome TV. However, the glitching boy wasn't exactly real. He wasn't the same as the Glitching Remains Mono had collected throughout his adventures to the Pale City. No, this... thing only existed inside his head. Something that existed, but was not physically there. Mono knew this. He'd never met this boy who looked like himself before... at least, not until he was let go and had fallen into the fleshy walls. For now, Mono had given that boy a name to differentiate himself from... him.

You're not really naming me if I already have a name, Photo Mono remarked, amused by the thought.

Photo... photography. In old pictures, there were those with the same monochrome colors. A perfect match to the glitching boy who was sitting face to face with him on a chair that had materialized just like the entity himself. That wasn't the only reason why Mono chose the word "photo". This entity staring at him with cool, black eyes was the collection of all the previous Monos who failed to break free from the loop. For the past few days, Mono had been receiving the consciousness of all the incarnations of himself. He could recall everything. Every betrayal, every despair, every thirst for revenge. However, despite being able to recall the emotions he'd felt, they were not completely photographic memories.

For the many times he had looped in each reality, some memories had started to fade from existence. Time had caused them to become so worn out that they were now lost to the realm of possibility. Others began to mix into one another so that it was hard to tell them apart, as if Mono was watching two movies playing at the same time until they blurred.

It's all her fault, Mono. Admit it, she willingly abandoned you - us. Photo Mono seethed, the anger in his eyes matching that of the Thin Man. Seeing the unresponsive boy, the entity sighed, Poor thing.

Mono could feel his cheeks being stroked by Photo Mono, his face was being lifted as his blank eyes merely stared at the glitching boy.

Depression, despair, disgust...

She was his friend... why had she let go? Did she hate him? Is that why she let go of him? Discarding him like he was nothing more than trash?

I don't understand, Six!

It's completely her fault, Mono. You did nothing wrong. You saved her, and this is how she repaid you. She was never your friend.

Photo Mono stared at the empty-eyed, tear-stained face of the boy. Had he had feelings other than anger at Six, or desperation to save his young self, he would've pitied the sorrowful boy in front of him. But, this boy had also fallen into the loop. A failed past.

He was also starting to lose himself to despair and that wouldn't do well. This Mono must grow up to become a vengeful Thin Man. With a more passionate plan, they could finally get rid of Six and free the next Mono. Photo Mono scowled. They were so close, too! This loop's version of Six was near the point of having her mind breaking! She was even willing to not be saved! If only Mono had saved her too late, she would've been too broken to betray him! They would have been freed!

The glitching boy could sense it too. This loop's version of Six was starting to fade. If only she had kindly done so before she'd dropped this nearly-broken boy!

Argh! What a waste of a loop! Photo Mono glared at the hollow boy, sighing, Oh well. We must start at the beginning, isn't that right, Mono?

Photo Mono pressed his forehead against the boy and started the process of transferring all his memories into him. Mono began to flinch, feeling all the angry thoughts from all his previous lives. His own thoughts started to get drawn to all the others, just like how he'd been drawn to the Thin Man. The past met with the future and the future reunited with the past. The boy slowly welcomed the anger and despair. He started to agree with the memories.

Why? Why did this always happen to him? What had he done that was so wrong that he deserved all of this? If he was given the choice to die or stay trapped in this prison, he'd rather die! Death was a kinder fate compared to an eternity of this!

A scowl formed on the boy's face as the image of the girl in the yellow raincoat flashed in his mind, resentment oozing from his body in black particles. Just like the color of the room, that once bright full moon started to glow an angry red. The Earth had cast its dark shadow onto the moon and it was the sun's fault! All his tears had dried up as his eyes were seeing red. He wanted to condemn Six, give her the fate she so deserved. Mono's tiny body shook as he was overcome with rage.

She willingly abandoned me! Betrayed me!

He wanted to capture her, wanted to make her cry and scream! The boy thought back, trying to recall the terror in her voice, finding it very amusing. He wanted to see the look of hopelessness on her face as he tormented her body and plagued her mind slowly in ways she could never possibly imagine! What sort of expression would she make, hm? Mono delighted himself with the thought. He wanted to hurt her. Get mad at her. Hate her. He wanted-

"I'm sorry, Mono."

He wanted to forgive her.

Immediately, the boy snapped out of his dark, twisted thoughts as he gasped in horror. Pushing the glitching boy aside, Mono grasped at his head. Did he really think like that? Was that really him? Or was that the power of the Signal Tower corrupting him like its signal corrupted the residents living in this city? Maybe both. The tower was powered by his hatred and in turn, it returned the emotion back to its owner.

Scared. He was scared. What was he slowly turning into exactly?!

Looking at Photo Mono with wide eyes, the entity simply pouted before disappearing. Resisting the negativity from reentering his mind, Mono separated his own thoughts from his previous incarnations. His thoughts and emotions belonged to him and him only - not to all the other Monos who grew up to become Thin Men. He was the Thin Man, but the Thin Man wasn't him. To keep himself from losing his individuality, Mono tried thinking about his Six - the Six he had been traveling with.

Unfortunately, during those thoughts of anger, some of his memories were beginning to merge or be overwhelmed by others. He thought about his adventures with her, trying to remember every little detail about her so that it wouldn't get any more mixed up with the other realities. At the very end, she was crying and her voice was breaking. So small, weak, fragile... She clearly didn't want to betray him.

Fresh tears fell from his eyes. She... didn't want to betray him.

Why?

It wasn't the question of why she had betrayed him. It was the question of why was it different? From all the other realities Mono could pick up, there were times when she had been angry at him, hated him, feared him... all which led to him being trapped here. Why was that? Puzzled, Mono used his powers to pull out all the realities he could remember. His room was filled with colorful images that played like a film you would find in a theater. From the moment he met Six to the end, both as Mono and the Thin Man. What changed? In each loop, the ending was the same. The only difference was his actions towards Six as the Thin Man, which caused her to betray him as Mono. All perfect examples of cause and effect.

Well, perhaps it wasn't all perfect. Some of the Sixes in those many realities had contradicted that. She would leave him for dead in an instant because she'd been selfish, for survival of the fittest, or because she'd simply been angry that he'd destroyed that precious music box she was so fond of. What was interesting to Mono was that in those realities, it seemed like those Sixes didn't make the connection that her friend was also her enemy. He couldn't relate to those realities. Since those wouldn't provide a good base to help him understand, the boy removed those images from his sight with a wave of his hand.

Looking at the many realities that filled his room from top to bottom, the boy sighed to himself as he wiped away his tears, "This is going to take a while..."

It looked tiresome, but he was still stubborn. At the moment, it was hard trying to find what he was looking for with so many of his emotions scattered about. It was like having ten different puzzles and dumping all the pieces into one mixed pile. Not only did he need to complete the puzzles, but he needed to separate the pieces into their respective piles before starting. It would take time sorting out the many realities and putting them into groups. Luckily for him, Mono had all the time in the world. Besides, having an interesting puzzle to solve would be a great way to pass the time.

~oOo~

Time continued to pass, but it felt so normal for the thirteen-year-old Mono. He was no longer the same child who would mope in his chair. Like children who'd reached the age of puberty, Mono experienced his body changing. Obviously, he was taller than he'd been before, his arms and legs growing longer so that his chair readjusted itself for him. With time being different, Mono never found himself hungry, but his body acted accordingly without nourishment and he started to slim. Subconsciously, as he grew, Mono thought about having clothes that would fit him and the tower met his needs.

The teenager had been sorting out the many realities he had been through - the many memories and emotions he had experienced. The young teen chose to sort the realities based on how the Thin Man felt towards the little girl in the yellow raincoat. Right now, it was too confusing to refer to his future self as "himself", so Mono would continue to call his future self the Thin Man until it was the time to adopt the name.

Are you really doing this, Mono? Photo Mono asked, completely bored out of his mind. You shouldn't waste your time doing this and focus more on thinking of a way to get revenge against that stupid, manipulative, evil little bi-

Watch it! Mono glared at his glitching counterpart.

For a moment, the teenager was surprised. Even if he was speaking through his thoughts, the sound of his voice was still a shock. It wasn't a child's voice, but was slowly transitioning to a young adult's! Photo Mono angrily stared at him, jumping up and down like a petulant child despite him also growing to match Mono's age.

But she is! You hate her!

No, I don't! You - them - all of you hate her! Mono pointed to the large collection of images with red borders.

Huffing, Photo Mono scoffed as he crossed his arms, And what will all of this accomplish exactly?

Unlike you, the collection of all my past lives, I won't allow my anger to affect my actions, Mono answered, turning away to focus on his task.

With another huff, Photo Mono left and gave the teen some time alone, much to his relief.

From the color-coded pile, wrath and vengeance were mostly what those realities were made up of. Only a handful were ones where Mono felt differently towards Six. Next, he began to find the realities where he had a good relationship with Six and put them in their own pile. Using any worlds where they weren't friends would be pointless. Those endings were certain to be repeatable and Mono wished to break from that cycle. If they'd maintained a good relationship, it was more likely Six would not betray him out of malice or ill intent.

With his powers, he banished those useless images from his room, the pile getting smaller and smaller. Next, he pulled out the images that met his requirements. Only six worlds gently flowed down in front of him. All came from a different pile of the many emotion the Thin Man felt for the girl. Only six? That was so little, but Mono should have expected it. Even if there should be more, those worlds were most likely lost, never to be remembered again. Even his older self had told Six that their strong relationship was always a rare occurrence.

If this is all I have to work with, so be it.

Because it was what he wanted, Mono rearranged the images from oldest to newest. A fascinating fact was that all six of these realities had happened when the Thin Man revealed his identity to the girl, or at the very least, had shown her his adult face.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Those were times when she realized who I was. That would explain it.

Looking at the most recent one, which was his own reality, Mono's foul mood softened. He gazed sadly at the last image, recalling his time spent with his friend. The only thing he didn't know was what the Thin Man had told and done to Six. Judging from the furious red border around the image, the teenager could tell that his future self had been harboring intense resentment towards the girl. He nearly reached out for it, wanting to see her again even if it was through the eyes of the Thin Man, but stopped himself from touching it. Shaking his head, Mono turned away from the image with closed eyes.

I'm not ready to gaze into that one yet... That's the one where the Thin Man caused her to willingly betray me despite that she clearly didn't want to.

Opening his eyes to see the first image, another reality coded in red, Mono took a steady breath and mentally prepared himself. Once he peered through, he would be experiencing the same emotion that the Thin Man had. Then, he would be seeing through the eyes of his younger self. Slowly, he placed his hand on the image and stuck his head in.

As his mind plummeted into the memory, Mono felt himself falling into an endless void until he finally reached the ground. Looking up, Mono found himself in the body of the Thin Man. He was like an actor on stage performing a scene, but he was also the audience, observing the character as they played their part.

He felt it. The Thin Man's anger and rage. He confronted Six, allowing vengeance to cloud his mind. Mono observed in shock. The Thin Man didn't have to treat this Six so roughly. Had this taken place after Six tried to escape through the TV? The scene confirmed his thoughts as the Thin Man slammed Six against the wall with a force that left her hissing in pain.

"This is all your fault. You get that, don't you?" the Thin Man angrily asked, towering over her.

"What in the world are you talking about?!" she spat back, equally glaring. "If it's anyone's fault, it's yours for broadcasting your signal and forcing Mono and me to come here in the first place!"

"Funny that you claim it's my fault! You brought all of this onto yourself!" The Thin Man was getting agitated and Mono felt it. "You deserve every ounce of suffering I dish out to you for the pain and misery you inflicted on me!"

At this, the girl became confused, but the look didn't last long as she fiercely stared back at him - staring into the eyes of the enemy. Unable to look at her, the Thin Man unleashed all of his pent-up hatred towards the girl - a girl who had no idea what she'd done wrong.

Using his powers, he contorted her body, meaning to cause her physical pain. Knowing how she treasured her beloved music box, the Thin Man created one that played the exact tune. He laughed spitefully at the distorted monster, enjoying whenever she cringed at his static-filled voice. When Mono saw his younger self coming in to rescue her, breaking the music box had caused her intense pain. It was like her body was linked to the music box and whenever the boy would bring his weapon down, the monster would screech out in pain. Even when he called out to her and he didn't sound anything close to the Thin Man, she flinched as if hating the sound of his voice.

When he finally dealt the last blow to the music box, destroying it, Six returned to normal. However, as she stood, instead of happiness, her face morphed from shock and horror into anger and hate that equally matched the Thin Man's. After taking a look at Mono's face, she realized the similarities as her hands slowly curled into tiny fists shaking with rage. The teenage Mono could read the air swirling around her.

Him?! This... this jerk! Capturing and imprisoning me, causing me so much pain! Claiming that I deserved it! And he dares to smile at me as if nothing had happened?! The absolute nerve of him!

Learning from this, Mono felt that it was unfair for his future self to target Six when she clearly didn't even know what was going on. To her, she was probably on another adventure to stop something.

At the end, when Six had caught his younger self, she had pulled down her hood and pushed aside her bangs to reveal brown eyes of hatred. She wanted to show him how much pain he had caused her - wanting her expression to be the last thing he saw before happily dropping the boy to his demise. At the end, Mono found himself floating upwards until he reached the exit of that reality.

Gasping, Mono stared at that first image in shock. While he could sympathize with Six and understand her reasoning, his younger self had also had no idea what was happening. It was unfair for him too. Feeling anger slowly resurfacing within him, Mono calmed down as the first reality faded. What was done was done. He just needed to understand, not get attached to a distant past. Sighing, he opened his eyes to see the second reality in a neutral border. Curious, Mono observed that image next.

At this stage, Mono was pleasantly surprised that this version of the Thin Man actually retained some of Mono's original personality and captured Six not out of spite, but something else. He had wanted to prevent his younger self's fate from repeating, so he'd taken Six just so she couldn't betray him. He'd changed her into a monster, same as the other realities, but it was only to warn his younger self - to deter him from saving her. The Thin Man believed that if Mono gave up on saving Six, everything would be solved. He even gave her the music box to keep her comfortable so she would never want to leave the tower.

Observing this, the teenager shook his head, What a fool I - the Thin Man - was.

How could the Thin Man have believed such a plan would work? Knowing how his young mind functioned, Mono would never give up so easily. Indeed, his younger self entered the tower and destroyed the music box. Mono waited to see her reaction. She felt hurt. On one hand, the boy she had befriended was her enemy. The Thin Man wanted his past self to forget about her. Was that how fragile their friendship was? The Thin Man could have just talked to her and explained. Instead, he'd just left her in that monstrous form, only giving that music box like it was a last resort. While Mono had saved her from the Thin Man, he'd also undone his future self's work by destroying the music box. Six had a very...neutral feeling towards his younger self. In the end, she let go of his hand, feeling that both versions of him did wrong to her.

Exiting the second reality, Mono pinched the bridge of his nose. Too much viewing of these worlds was giving him a headache. Had he exerted his powers? Mono waited until those lingering feelings from that reality faded along with the image. It was time for the third - the one with a bright pink frame.

Entering the mindset of the Thin Man, Mono was once more surprised at the pleasant emotion the Thin Man had felt in this world. He felt delight towards the raincoat-clad girl, finding her intriguing. In a monochrome world, her bright yellow raincoat just popped out. So brilliant and colorful. It reminded the Thin Man of a bright, warm world, stirring the emotions within him. She was like the sunbeams that danced on the surface of water, radiating so strongly. Watching, the teen saw the Thin Man caring for the child after capturing her.

Something must have happened during her adventure with Mono because she was being so docile. The intent for her transformation was different as well as the process. Instead of his own hands, it was the tower that corrupted Six. It didn't surprise Mono since it was the Thin Man's hatred that powered the Signal Tower. The only difference was Six's transformation by the Thin Man directly or indirectly.

As a monster, he had wanted to have her forget - to forget about Mono so she wouldn't attempt fleeing again. In the end, after the boy arrived and destroyed her music box, Six was looking at his younger version in fear, having made the connection. The realization that her friend was the same person who'd kept her prisoner of her own mind ultimately decided the outcome. She had felt trapped. How could her friend do that to her? So, she'd let go of his hand.

Getting out of the third reality, Mono frowned as that image faded. From each of the memories he'd witnessed, he'd come up with two observations. One, the first three of these worlds had one thing in common: Six chose to let go because she saw both his past and future as the same person. Despite the emotion she displayed differing, it contributed to her choice in letting go of his hand. Two: overtime, the girl's most recent transformations had worse effects on her than the previous ones. It went from physical pain to mental scarring.

It's as if I wanted her to feel how I... how the previous Monos felt...

Just three more worlds that he had to view. Two of them were unknown while the last one would hold the truth to what had happened. With that in mind, Mono entered the one with a black frame.

In the fourth reality, things happened in nearly the same way as the third. However, Mono stumbled on two dilemmas. First, the Thin Man seemed dead. The teen couldn't pick up any emotions at all. It was like the Thin Man had lost his mind after repeating the same cycle over and over again. With a mind similar to a doll's, the Thin Man acted accordingly, merely following the loop to keep it stable.

The second problem Mono had was that he couldn't read the expression on Six's face. She had just let go with no emotion at all, completely out of character to all the other Sixes. The only thing he could do was speculate: perhaps the intensity of her time trapped by the Thin Man had left her mentally fatigued. However, the teenager just couldn't shake away the darkness in her eyes, devoid of goodness. It wasn't as if she looked at him with intended malice. It was like she was possessed by some powerful entity.

It's just like what had happened before... back at the School.

It was faint, but he recalled catching a glint of darkness that danced mischievously in her eyes after Six had viciously attacked that lone Bully. Despite that he understood and can empathize with the feelings of frustration at being bullied, Mono could never truly forget that look in her eyes. Unfortunately for him, he would never know if his speculation was correct.

When viewing these realities, he only had a short frame of time. He could only see them from the time he first saw Six to her abandoning him. As for the girl, he couldn't learn of her past since each reality of her origins might differ from the rest. It was like making a cake. So long as it was that type of dessert, the ingredients to make it could be different.

He couldn't even see Six's future because he was trapped in the tower and therefore had no way of reaching her. Perhaps he was also too young and could not handle his powers fully yet.

So, Mono left this image with only the idea that her torment had changed her, leaving her actual reaction unknown.

The last one before finding the truth... he sighed, slowly letting out a breath he wasn't aware of. "Alright, let's do this."

Mono found himself in the Thin Man's thoughts. He wasn't exactly pleased with the results, but he also didn't reject them either. He simply wanted the girl to forget. As a monster, Six couldn't focus on anything else but her beloved music box. She played it, her ears craving the melody. Despite that the Signal Tower was a prison, the distorted child didn't mind at all. She was in her comfort zone, she felt safe. She just craved the sound - craved comfort. Needing nothing else. Once more, Mono saw the same scene repeat itself as the door to Six's room opened. His younger self had arrived.

While the music box had slowly been broken down, Six had chased him down as if she craved something else aside from the melody. She desired vengeance against the person for attempting to dare destroy something of hers - something she was willing to share. After the girl was freed, Mono could feel that the girl's body language changed. It wasn't that she was afraid of him or was mad at him. The way she looked at his younger self in horror was different. She ran without him, almost like she was trying to run away from something else other than the Flesh Walls.

Near the end, it was pretty much the same and the teenager became frustrated. Just like the last reality he had observed, he couldn't tell what had gone wrong... at least, what had gone wrong with Six. He could only note that she obviously didn't want to let go of him with the way she had to force herself to get up and escape. A slight curious detail was caught when Mono looked at this version of his friend. She had a hand over her stomach. Was she hungry?

With nothing else he could examine, the teenager left this world as well.

Out of the fifth image, Mono reflected to himself before viewing the last one. Something told him that the last detail he caught was important. Though they never got hungry during their adventure, when searching within his own memories, Six sometime seemed to be avoiding him. It wasn't like she avoided him because she felt uneasy towards him, his memories contradicted that thought. She would avoid him like she was afraid of hurting him, creating distance between them. Why was that? Groaning, Mono placed a hand on his forehead and leaned back a bit on his chair. It was like he was missing a piece to this puzzle and unless he found the missing piece, the puzzle wouldn't be complete. He was so close!

Calm down, Mono. Take a deep, deep breath. Deep breaths, Mono...

Following his rational mind to clear his frustrations, the teen tried thinking more about it. He couldn't tell if this... affliction of Six's was a constant variable or not. In the other realities, the girl was taken over by her emotions so Mono couldn't tell for sure if she experienced this ailment after the flight response. Looking back at his own memories, something had caused Six to let him go. If she had been selfish, she wouldn't have stayed behind to catch him. Her hesitance meant that she originally wanted to pull him up, but chose not to in the end.

Slowly, Mono looked up to see the lone image that flickered against the somewhat dark room. Only one way to find out...

Falling into the mind of the Thin Man, Mono immediately tensed from the intense feelings of rage and hatred. Seeing Six in her room, Mono felt his chest hurt. She looked... so small. Of course, he was aware that she was a child, but the way she appeared right now was very much like when he'd found her at the Hunter's cabin. Small and frightened, like a child being confronted by their parents. It hurt Mono as his chest tightened harshly. This was his Six when she got captured the first time by his future self. She always tried to be brave and strong, but at this moment, she wasn't any of those things as her facade slipped, showing her true expression.

"W-Who are you really?" she questioned with impending dread.

Mono watched as the Thin Man explained his past. He felt an odd thought that the Thin Man experienced when he saw Six touching her forehead after he claimed that he had only hatred towards the girl. He had expected for her to lash out at him, get angry, something! ... But not this. Her reaction was very... different. He'd never seen any version of her doing this. At this point, Mono had to stop and focus on the other realities. The Thin Man was right. Six had never acted like this before. Why would she...?

Oh. Mono realized, recalling a forgotten memory. That's right. That did happen...

Six wanted to deny it. However, she couldn't deny the truth for long as hope dashed from her eyes. It was a pitiful look, almost like she was being told that a relative had passed away and she had to accept it. The teenager gritted his teeth as his future self vented his frustrations to the girl, not even giving her a chance to soak in everything. The Thin Man didn't stop, spewing words meant to cut deep and wound the heart and it was clearly working on Six. She looked ready to cry, but forced herself to stay firm.

"But... I'm not the same Six as the one who abandoned you..."

At this, Mono perked up. This Six - his Six - was different. Despite that she acknowledged both him and the Thin Man as the same person, she also saw them as two separate individuals just like how he had to separate her from the many other Sixes in other realities.

"It doesn't matter which version of you I lay my eyes upon, it's still you."

The Thin Man's words made Mono angry. He wanted to scream! Not at Six, but himself! He knew and yet he didn't care, seeing her with no difference to the other versions of Six.

"Do you think... if you took that bag off your head, you'd see me like a monster who'd hurt you?"

The teen closed his eyes, not wanting to see the scene anymore as he recalled Six's worries. He didn't see her as a monster, but his future - a Mono who grew up despising her - clearly did. In a way, he had negated his answer when he had told her that he wouldn't think badly of her.

"That is my promise." A promise that he'd broken himself.

Forcing himself away from looking at the heartbroken girl, the teen lapped up the thoughts and emotions the Thin Man felt. His future planned to give Six her worst nightmare, a prison she wouldn't be able to escape, just like his prison. Mono felt sick when he finally could escape from the Thin Man's thoughts. He didn't need to see the end, the memory was still fresh in his mind.

One thing was certain. His Six saw a difference between him and the Thin Man. He could tell that she wanted so desperately to pull him up, but she couldn't. This... his reality was very similar to the fifth one. What made it stand out was Six's belief that the past should not be condemned for something only the future knew. Dispersing the rest of the images from his room, Mono sat back down in his chair, fatigue noticeable on his features. He had seen so many sides to her, so many faces she would show him whenever he caught a glimpse. Always changing, always fleeting. An enigma that Mono still couldn't solve. Exhaustion spread over his head as the teenager felt his eyes started to droop. Tired. He was tired. For now, he wanted to sleep.

"Mono, have you ever had a sweet dream?"

Her voice chimed in his ears as he recalled such an innocent yet insightful question. Chuckling softly to himself, he thought, Not yet, Six. But now that I can get some sleep, maybe...

With that in mind, the teen tiredly closed his eyes as he drifted away, leaving reality and entering into the world of dreams.

~oOo~

He dreamed, but none of them were happy or sweet dreams. However, he felt refreshed and ready to awaken. Upon opening his eyes, the sixteen-year-old Mono looked around him. He had grown again. Gone were his child's clothes, replaced with new ones. On the cusp of becoming an adult, Mono began to dress more like a young man, wearing a black vest over a white shirt, black slacks, and a tie around his neck. Feeling something on his feet, Mono looked down to see himself wearing dress shoes that matched with his slacks.

It was an odd feeling - wearing shoes. Sometimes, wearing shoes were uncomfortable. Too small, too tight, too big, too much noise that they made... but these shoes went perfectly well with his feet. His black hair had been neatly combed and slicked back into a fancy style. Had he been a child, Mono would have disagreed with wearing clothes such as this. It felt too fancy - somewhat constricting, as if he had to worry about his appearance. Ignoring the thought, Mono felt his mind drifting back to his dreams.

He hadn't dreamt happily. For three years while he slumbered, Mono had been dreaming of her. But with his mind not actively stopping the emotions of all his past lives from filling his mind, it was hard for the young man to try and not think badly of his friend - to try and not hate her.

"You're my friend, Six. I wouldn't think badly of you."

That was what he had told her, and he would honor the thought. Time continued to pass as the ticking of the clock grew louder, ringing in his ears. He had done nothing but think about his Six. Reviewing his memories caused a feeling to enter his chest. A strong desire to protect her, to care for her, to save her for her own sufferings. He wanted to see her truly shining, not hiding her worries behind a smiling face. He wanted to see the real her fully. Why?

I love her... He gasped as his heart beat strongly to confirm the emotion.

How could he have forgotten such a simple thing? He did love her and truly cherished her while they had their adventures. Was it because of this tower? Was it making him forget about all his happy moments? Perhaps the collection of consciousness was partly responsible as well.

Looking back at it now as a teenager, Mono couldn't tell if the emotion he felt for Six was platonic or romantic. All he knew was that he treasured his friendship with Six and couldn't see her in any other way. No one had loved him - expect for one person, but they had left him too soon. His parents had left him at the orphanage and no adults had ever wanted to take him in. Always alone, always being picked on.

Meeting the girl despite that it was destined to lead him to a ruined fate, Mono found that he didn't regret the bond he formed with her. The same could be said about her. The way Six had smiled when they were discussing their dreams... something had lit up his world. He knew. He belonged in that girl's dreams. He loved her... He couldn't hate her, he mustn't hate her.

~oOo~

A couple more years passed and Mono found time to be a torment. He felt like he was going mad. Insanity was not enough to describe it. To keep himself sane and from losing himself to the endless pit of hatred, the eighteen-year-old Mono focused on nothing more than his new plans and on his Six. He wanted her back.

How much time had passed outside? As he matured, the older teen grew to understand one thing: it was easier to hate and place blame on someone else than to forgive and accept responsibility. As he had been stuck, revenge came to mind so easily.

It's not too late, you know. You can still have your revenge, Photo Mono remarked.

The teenager looked up to see his glitching self still being annoyed. He - it - whatever was fixing his steely gaze on him as if what Mono was doing was so... unproductive. Lacking passion. They say revenge is not the best medicine.

Photo Mono scoffed, Well, you are right about before. Hating someone is so much easier than forgiving them. You should follow that.

In that case, wouldn't all the other Sixes be justified in betraying you? After what you did to her, it's probably hard for her to forgive you.

The corners of Photo Mono's lips twitched as he clenched his teeth. He looked ready to explode... until he finally did. What the hell is wrong with you?! How can you try and forgive her? That - that WENCH! After what she did?!

What about you? What about what you did to her?! Mono stood up from his chair, becoming as fed up as Photo Mono.

They were both breathing heavily, hot air filled the room as they glared at each other. Suddenly, a thought crossed the teenager's mind. Why did he want to hate and blame Six so badly? Why couldn't he - or rather Photo Mono - forgive her? It was very simple. It wasn't Six he was mad at. He was mad at himself, hating himself. Trapped in a loop, he should have known what he did which led to the betrayal. But upon feeling betrayed and inheriting past memories of countless betrayals, many past Monos couldn't stop themselves from feeling hatred.

Photo Mono wanted to find a scapegoat. It wasn't his fault, but hers. He wasn't evil, she was. He blamed her. He couldn't bring himself to forgive her. He wanted to feel justified in doing those horrible things, passing the blame so he wouldn't have to feel guilty. Perhaps some of the Sixes in other realities felt the same way.

How could Mono have missed this key piece for so long? The cure for wrath was compassion, forgiveness. He had to let go of his anger and resentment in order to break this never-ending loop. Letting revenge cloud his mind would fix nothing. Feeling enlightened, Mono sat back down, ignoring his glitching counterpart as he turned his thoughts back to his Six.

It's best if you don't ignore me, Mono. I am you just as you are me. Give it time and very soon, you'll understand our hatred for that evil girl.

Photo Mono disappeared, but Mono paid no mind. He was still thinking about his dear friend.

How had she been doing? Had she grown up even by a little? Knowing Six from the reality they came from, she would probably come to the conclusion that he would eternally hate her. Carrying that guilt around, she would most likely be unable to forgive herself. She shouldn't have to think like that when it clearly wasn't her fault. For her own sake, Mono hoped that she would be able to move on.

When she does, will she forget about me? Leaving me behind along with her past?

Part of him didn't want that to happen, but if she did forget about him, he wouldn't blame her. It wasn't good for the mind to cling onto sad memories. It would only wound one's heart even more.

He dearly missed her, yearning to see her again. He loved her. Finding his resolve, the teenager's dark eyes burnt with determination. This time, he would save them! Not just his past, but her future as well! Because he loved her, instead of going to a different reality to repeat it, Mono decided to repeat the reality he'd come from. Even if he met with an exact, identical version of her again once his past self arrived, it still wouldn't be the Six he had bonded with. To her, he would be a stranger and even if he knew about her, it still wouldn't be the same. She just wouldn't be the Six he had grown to care for and love.

With his plans sorted out, Mono used the Transmission around him and traveled back in time. Leaving the sixth reality, Mono entered the newly born seventh. Of course, it wasn't really the seventh world despite him calling it that. In this reality, Mono had hope. Should both Six and his past self manage to finally break free from their personal loops, there would no longer be the need to separate. A perfect number for a perfect world. That was what he hoped for. Feeling drained after traveling back in time, Mono fell back to sleep, slumped against his chair.

~oOo~

Tick tock, tick tock...

The ticking of the clock persisted, stirring the grown-up from deep repose. He was now a man. No longer a child, but an adult! Mono looked down at his twenty-five year old body. He had grown thinner and thinner after not having eaten anything for years, despite that he hadn't craved food. Sighing, the man thought about what he would have to do. He hadn't been innocent at all and was dreading this moment. As a kid, he had collected eighteen Glitching Remains. Children... innocent children whose lives were taken from them for the sake of his selfish revenge against one child. Children who had the potential to grow up happy - and he'd robbed them of their futures. In his many lives, he'd been willing to sacrifice anything to get to Six - even the lives of children.

Being wiser and more mature felt strange for Mono. None of his previous past lives had acted like this. They'd all acted out of anger, grown men holding a grudge over a child. It hadn't even been the same child as he had looped through different realities, destroying her relationship with his past self along the way. He looked down at his shaky, gray hands. He had paled, having been trapped in this darkness, locked away where the sunlight could not reach him. And now, he would have to do terrible things.

I will have to keep things consistent, he thought sadly. In a loop, there can never be any shortcuts. Only the ending matters.

While he considered himself a different individual to other realities of himself, unlike Six, the many consciousnesses would ultimately meld together until they tangled up. Mono dreaded that time to come. It could arrive at any moment and he wouldn't be aware of it. He recalled what the Thin Man had told his Six, that she wasn't any different to the many versions of her he'd seen.

If that's the case, shouldn't the same rule apply to me? Mono thought, keeping the anger back. I'm no different from a monster. I had craved revenge, not caring about who got hurt... not even considering her feelings.

Still, for the sake of this seventh reality, he would continue to try and not let his heart be overwhelmed with wrath. Unable to leave this room, Mono could only capture the eighteen children if they were to stare at the TV while the Transmission was happening. While he could appear in the TVs for a short time, he couldn't leave the tower. He could only leave once his past self had unlocked the door.

Shaking his head, he muttered, I'm sorry.

But he has to do this. Capturing all eighteen children while leaving their Glitching Remains behind. It took days finding them. The emotions they felt after getting caught... Each time he made contact with a TV, he was pulled back, the room telling him that he couldn't escape from it. Once he had taken the last child, Mono felt the room gaining a stronger pull over him. It was like how he'd felt drawn to the door with the eye symbol on it. Fatigued from the horrors he had committed, Mono closed his eyes once more.

~oOo~

Finally, that time had arrived. The slumbering being jolted awake, having sensed her presence. She was finally here... and he was also close by. Very soon now, his past self should meet with Six in the forest. The girl would get captured by the Hunter, leading him to go and save her. Opening his sunken and hollow eyes, the forty-year-old Thin Man let out a sigh. He was no longer Mono. He was now the Thin Man. The full moon was now cloaked by the dark, becoming a new moon. He tilted his head, looking at his glitching body that looked very much like Photo Mono's. His consciousnesses had mixed in along with the rest.

Tall and slender... a living corpse with wrinkled, bleak skin... like any kid's worst nightmare. Preying in the dark and appearing in TVs like how the sly monster had lived under one's bed, ready to take away naughty children. He now wore a suit just like how he remembered. There was only one thing missing. A hat.

Chuckling at his past memories, the Thin Man picked up the dark bluish-gray hat that materialized on the floor and placed it on top of his head. Too long since he had last worn something like a hat. Shaking at the fond memory, the Thin Man simply, patiently stared at the door, waiting for it to be open.

Something was in the air. He had felt it for a long time, but hadn't questioned it before. The loop was getting weaker. The realization both puzzled and amused the Thin Man. A loop was meant to be forever - meant to last for eternity. What could cause it to weaken to the point that it could be broken?

Maybe there were other times when the loop had been broken. However, since he was trapped in the loop, he wouldn't be able to witness the other endings where the loops were broken. Each possible broken loop was chipping away at the main chain. Perhaps that was why he could feel it getting weaker. Weak enough to be broken once more. Why was that? Fate must be planning something from the broken loops. The creation of a new reality possibly? One that wasn't a loop?

If he concentrated a bit, the Thin Man could nearly catch a glimpse of it - an irregular reality being born. A world where the Thin Man and Mono were two separate individuals. There was no loop at all! However, it was an irregularity - completely separated, and it's own world. From the accumulation of the few broken loops, it seemed like a miracle that his past and future weren't the same person! However, the Thin Man dreaded this irregular world. The people who were involved in that world were different. Their roles, whether insignificant or not, were essential to the creation of the irregular reality.

The Ferryman, for example, played a more crucial part in that world and it seemed that world's version of Six had befriended many children before meeting Mono. However, he could sense it. That dark entity within the girl, waiting to emerge. He shuddered as a sudden chill ran down his spine, recalling the look the Six in the fourth reality had had. The Thin Man would love to help guide the children since that newly born world was different - it didn't follow the same sets of rules as this one. However, he couldn't interfere with it. He could watch, but not meddle. If he did, that irregular reality might be destroyed.

Whatever fate has in store for you in that newborn world, Six, I hope you continue to spread your light. Like the sun that is sometimes blocked by those ominous clouds, please continue to spread your warmth and radiance strongly.

Leaving that individual reality behind, the Thin Man refocused on his task. This seventh world was what he had been waiting for. This time, he was not doing this to benefit himself. He was going to benefit them. For their sake, not his. As he waited, the image of that girl smiling so innocently reminded his cold heart to feel a bit.

He reached out to her with his long arm, but much like how he had left the sixth reality, the girl also faded away like a distant dream. The Thin Man smiled sadly as he slowly retracted his arm, recalling an old, forgotten promise he made to himself. What would make him happy? What would his dream be? As he waited, a single answer came into mind.

It's you, who makes me happy, Six. Whether it's in this life or the next, it would be nice if I could play with you again. So I'll gladly wait for you, my most dear, precious friend.

When the time came... when the youthful boy opened the door. What would his fate be? Would the boy be freed from fate's cruel clutches? Or would he be reliving a cycle of endless betrayal and hatred? Only time would tell once the door opened.