The bunny, still hanging from the ceiling, lets out a screech of TV static. Spiky shapes jut out from its form, turning into sharp pincers and other sharp appendages, aimed directly at you. Its bright red eyes are filled with malice.
You begin fighting as usual, but it isn't so easy. Omori begins speaking to you between attacks.
"...This one appears far stronger than the others," he says. He pauses, as though the next thing he has to say is something he wishes not to, "We should... maybe... perform a FOLLOW-UP."
You're pleasantly surprised by this. You attack, and sense your follow-up options: PIANO, ENFATICO, and HARMONY. You chose ENFATICO, playing a short melody on your violin. Omori hums along in response. You both recover some HEART! Omori attacks, his options are: FORTE, ENERGICO, and DISSONANCE. He uses DISSONANCE, moving his knife across the string of your violin. Somehow, it doesn't break, but it does produce an ear-piercing sound, slightly lowering all of the enemy's stats. You keep fighting, and discover the functions of the rest of your abilities: PIANO deals small damage to all foes, FORTE does large damage to a single foe, ENERGICO restores some JUICE to both of you, and most importantly, HARMONY is your "Ultimate Move", so to speak. Having built up enough ENERGY, you use it, the melody of your violin synthesizing with the percussive slices of Omori's knife. Massive damage was dealt, and the bunny fell to the floor, sleeping.
Omori reaches down to the bunny, touching it gently. "I think I remember this one. From the Lost Forest, where that tall man was."
"Daddy Long Legs?" you ask.
"Yes," he says, "Though we should really call him something else."
"Alright," you say, "Well, let's take this little guy with us. I'm sure... Leggy will miss him."
Omori nods, carrying the bunny in his arms, still holding his usual vacant expression. The two of you step outside, which is easy considering the entire back half of the house has crumbled away. On the ground, you find a set of footprints, they are pure black and your shoes stick to them like glue as you step on them. They go on for quite a while, in fact, you can't see where they end. They are, however, following the border almost exactly.
"Hey, Omori," you say, "Any idea who this is?"
He hums and tilts his head.
"I mean, someone's out here, right?" you say, "It seemed like everybody was in Grey Town, but... I didn't really check. Someone must've been left behind."
"Left behind..." he muses, "Most of the Black Spacers are in Grey Town. Herosaurus, Brain Mari, Omoli... we had a picnic with that odd Mari and headless Basil..."
You tried to recall who might be left as you followed the path.
"Maybe... maybe it's... the Stranger..." you say, but your voice trails off. As you begin to piece this together, something shifts. The sky flashes and throbs, ever so slightly. Looking to Omori, his skin seems whiter, his hair blacker, though that shouldn't be possible.
"Mmm," he says, "What is that flavor? Regret? No... that isn't quite right."
You weren't sure if he was mocking you or genuinely trying to understand.
"...Ah, of course. The flavor of unfinished business," he says, "The flavor of a truth untold. It took a moment to register. After constant bombardment from such a flavor, I had trouble detecting this... fainter form."
"In English, Omori?" you say.
"We have a crush on Basil, right?" he says, "I mentioned it earlier, right?"
You blush. You aren't sure why you're embarrassed by this, you are quite literally talking to yourself. Such is the way of the hikikomori.
"I..." you can't quite put your words together, "Okay, yes, a little."
Omori's face scrunches up. It's hard to tell with him, but it almost seems to be a smirk.
"No, you have a big crush on Basil," he says, "As an expert in hiding secrets, may I just say, you are not very good at it."
"Okay, fine!" you say, "Yes, I like Basil, and Aubrey, and I think maybe Kel too. It's just, you know, I've had higher priorities for a while. Never... really got the chance to think about that too much."
"Well," he says, "Given your overwhelming victory against me, your fears, your guilt, et cetera, now may be the best time to think about these things properly."
"That's a bit silly," you say, "I... I did just get done dealing with... M-Mari."
He nods.
"Yes," he says, "And it is done. She wished nothing more than for you to forgive yourself, and beyond that, for your friends to forgive you. Of course, I labored under the assumption that this was impossible, but, you proved me wrong. You did it. Contrary to my previous beliefs, Mari's wishes are worth following. I think you'd agree that she would want you to be happy, and that includes romance, I'd assume. So, now that you've done the self-forgiveness and truth-telling, which again, I am still not sure why that didn't fail for you, I think now you can focus on the smaller problems in your life. You have certainly been neglecting them, and it would be best to not do so. The death by a thousand paper cuts is very real."
You stare wide-eyed at Omori, who seems to notice.
"Omori..." you say, "Were you just... being positive, there?"
He grimaces. "I was afraid you would say that. If that is what you wish to call it, then fine. I'm simply being pragmatic, as you say I always am. Part of that is being able to admit when I'm wrong, and learn from that, as any good logical person would do."
"Mhmm," you smirk, "Sure. Call it what you want, that was positivity right there."
He turns away silently. A hint of a grey blush crosses his cheeks. You keep following the footprints, not talking much. As you follow them, you notice the grass grown taller, and the plants more beautiful. Eventually you are walking through waist-high vegetation, no longer following any footprints, just going forward across the border on pure instinct. The landscape begins to curve downward into a steep valley, with a hole at the bottom. An entrance to a cave? No, it's... much too well-decorated. This is the entrance to a home.
Well, it seemed obvious at this point that this was Basil's home. Or, at least, a Basil's home. The plants were as well cared for as any other Basil. Moreso, actually... these ones didn't seemed to be planted at all. Rather, they seemed to be here naturally... magically? You are unsure. Gazing over the entrance, a spiral staircase of made of clay, Omori draws his knife. You can sense a deep fear in his eyes. He doesn't much care for stairs. You take his hand as you descend.
Your noses are filled with an earthly scent. Roots and vines cover all surfaces around you. Though made of earth, everything appears to be architecturally stable. Not to jinx it, but you don't fear the possibility of a cave-in. As the staircase ends, having taken you down several stories, you enter the home. Cozy, quaint, peaceful... filled with love. You and Omori creep down the hallway as silently as you can, observing your surroundings. There are more plants around you. Seemingly even the chairs and light fixtures are organic in nature. One non-biological object sticks out, though. There is a painting. Four people stand huddled together, an air of intense friendship and... perhaps romance, about them. There is a shadowy figure with glowing eyes, a girl with no face, a young man made entirely of bloodied hands, and a boy bisected in two across his abdomen. Basil, Aubrey, Hero, and Kel, respectively. You cannot remember seeing any of these people in Grey Town. Also, on a second glance, you can't sense any romance involving Hero.
You continue onwards. The house is small, so it does not take much time to explore the rooms before you hear the sound of running water, and that same voice from earlier humming to itself. You creep closer to it. Luckily, an earthen floor means no floorboards to creak. You reach what looks like a kitchen. He's standing there, so hazy, so... distant. You don't know him, he's a Stranger, except, of course, you do know who he is. He's a creepy silhouette, but that's him alright. He's pretty cute, just standing there, doing the dishes, singing a song to himself... is this what Basil is like at home? Maybe this is more what he'd be like in the future, if you two got a house together. As that thought enters your mind, you can't help but instinctually force it out. You have a mission here. As you look at Stranger, Omori readies his knife. You force his hand down with a frustrated expression on your face, as if to say, "No, Omori, we are not going to stab him."
"Hi there!" you say, unsure of what else to possibly say.
Stranger screams as he jolts back, turning his head towards you. His luminescent eyes meet yours.
"...Hello," he says, clearly very nervous. He looks around, as though trying to chose his next words carefully, "...Who are you? What do you want?"
"We're just passing through," Omori says, "We didn't think anybody lived out here."
"Ah..." Stranger says, "...Neither did I. I wasn't... expecting any visitors. Well... I guess that can be a pleasant surprise! People call me Stranger. What're your names?"
"Sunny," you say.
Omori stares blankly and pauses. "Omori," he says.
"Sunny and Omori..." Stranger says, "Hmm. Odd, I feel like I know you from somewhere. Were you two in Black Space before the merge?"
"We were," Omori says, technically not lying.
"...I see," Stranger says, "Oh dear, that must mean you're like me, aren't you? Left behind by everyone in Grey Space. I thought I was the only one on this border... but it seems like I'm not! This world is full of nice surprises."
He takes out a piece of paper and writes something on it. "I'll have to tell my friends about this. If you're here, there may be more people by them, too."
"Your friends?" you ask.
"Ah, yes," he says, "The other people who were left behind. I'm here up north, Kel is to the west, Aubrey is to the east, and Hero is to the south. Surely you've met their... counterparts?"
You nod.
"Good, good," he says, "I suppose we've already been introduced then. So, you said you were passing through. Passing through... where, may I ask?"
Omori's stomach grumbles. "Let's... talk about this over dinner."
"Oh!" Stranger says, "Forgive me, where are my manners? I have guests, of course, of course. I'll prepare you something, it won't take too long. Just sit in the living room and relax, I'll tell you when it's done."
He gestures you over to a room down the hall. It's a quaint living room, like something in a cottage. The sofa is padded with moss, which is surprisingly soft. The couch, along with all of the furniture, seems to almost breathe, beating like a heart, it was all very much alive. After waiting a bit, Stranger comes in carrying cups of tea and a plate of some sort of biscuit-like thing.
"I hope this will be enough to satisfy your hunger, Omori," he says, "To be frank, I never anticipated ever needing to prepare food for more than just myself."
He sits down across from you two, and you begin enjoying the food and tea.
"Don't your friends visit you?" you say, "The other people who got left behind?"
"Oh," he says, "No, I always come visit them. Before the merge, I was something of a wanderer, so it's just in my nature to be the one to make the long journey between the borders."
You've never been a fan of tea, but this tea is nice. It's sweet, with just a small, pleasant bitterness. The biscuits, whatever they are, pair nicely.
"Speaking of us folks who got left behind," Stranger says, "You two truly are an anomaly. Me and the others were working under the assumption that there was only one of us to each border, but it seems as though that isn't true. You've been left behind, too. I can't say I recognize you. You said you were from Black Space... it's odd that we never crossed paths, but Black Space was a large, labyrinth-like place. It's certainly possible. Tell me... who were you, before the merge?"
Time to think of a quick lie. Omori, once again, had quicker wits than you.
"We're both different aspects of the Dreamer," he says, "I'm his pragmaticism, and Sunny is his optimism. We're like everything else in Black Space; we were created to make the Dreamer uncomfortable."
Omori had a talent for telling good lies, particularly the especially devious kind, where it's almost entirely true, save for a key detail. Stranger believes it, and nods. "I see... I suppose that might be why you look so... familiar. You are made in the Dreamer's image."
You can tell from his eyes that he is frowning. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that, being made for such a horrible purpose. It can make one doubt one's own existence and purpose. I know that feeling all too well. I hope you two are holding up well, at least."
You both nod. "Good, good," he replies. Suddenly, a buzz comes from his pocket. He checks his phone.
"Ah," he says, "Pardon me. I messaged the others about you. Aubrey says she'd like to see what you all look like. Are you fine with me sending her a picture?"
You nod, but Omori does not. Perhaps not quite paying attention, Stranger takes the picture anyways.
"Heh," he laughs cutely, "That's a nice photo. It's good to see some new faces."
He sends the picture to Aubrey. Omori shuffles in his seat, pulling his knife out of his pocket. You look at him and silently tell him to calm down. He shakes his head. Clearly, he sees that something is wrong. Stranger's phone buzzes.
"Oh, dear," he says, "Please forgive me for being so distracted, I..."
He doesn't finish his sentence.
"Oh," he says, his emotion changing suddenly.
Suddenly, the furniture around you moves. The tendrils of roots and vines that make them up wrap around you, restraining you. Stranger looks at the two of you with pure malice.
"I don't appreciate liars," he says, "Especially those who lie about something very, very bad."
He stares directly at Omori.
"I had all but forgotten you," he says, "Let's make sure this world forgets you completely."
You struggle to break free.
"...Hmm," he says, "Oh, dear. I truly don't want to hurt you, Sunny, but if you're going to guard this... thing, I'll have to attack you. Are you sure you want to do that?"
Your expression answers "yes".
Stranger shrugs. "What a shame."
Time to fight!