Chapter 3:

The Zeta Realm

Player POV

Where, where am I?

I look around to find myself in this enormous globe shaped room with floating Islands that looks like they act as portals to specific Alternative Universes.

?: "You're in the Doodle Sphere."

Wha! This thing can hear my thoughts hold on let me boot up my program. Oh wait that is right I must be dreaming still.

?: "Oh your not dreaming. In fact quite the opposite actually; I found you in the DDLC Echo and had to pull you out of it before Error discovered you."

Error? I feel like I have heard that name before. But it all seems foggy to me.

Player: "Is there any way you can show yourself? I would feel much better talking to this guy face to face with you much rather than you reading my mind. Kind of a bit creepy if you ask me."

?: "Of course! Allow me to introduce myself."

A black puddle appeared before my feet and out jumped what looked like to be a skeleton. His eyes were black with pupils that constantly changed color and texture each time he blinked. On his back was a giant paintbrush that look like had been dipped in black paint. He wore a robe with a tasal that held tiny capsules. Each seems to contain a gas or a liquid with their own color. Suddenly my memories begin to come back. I remember, back in the Undertale timeline. He was the one who stopped Him from taking its soul.

Player: "Oh hello Ink! It's great to see you old friend!"

Ink: "I was worried that you might have forgotten about me Jac- OH IM SO SORRY! I completely forgot you didn't want to be called that anymore."

Player: "Don't be, I am still trying to forget about what happened in the past. That aside, why did you have to interrupt my time in the game? The reason why I went there was for the reason of giving them a good ending."

Ink: "Haven't you learned anything from Undertale Player? When you try to achieve a 'True Ending,' you always will end up feeling unsatisfied. Sure you will feel happy for everyone at the end, but what will happen to you? Do you just watch them enjoy their moments on the sidelines without even considering your presence? Or will you keep on resetting until you are satisfied enough with more endings?"

Player: "This is not Undertale Ink it is different! This gam-"

Ink: "You don't understand, do you?"

Player: "What are you talking about?"

Ink: "The fact that you believe that you took a piece of your own soul to use it to travel across four walls. You believe that you use a program to give yourself 'ultimate power.' It is about time I told you the truth Player. You are in a different world."

Player: "What?"

Ink: "Let me explain it more. The entirety of the universe used to consist of one realm. The Alpha Realm or what many of you like to call "The Real World." This Realm contains everything that your race discovered from space, solar system, planets, and galaxies. During the creation of Earth, something happened in the universe that caused the alpha realm to split into another copy or in other words, another realm. If I were to give you an analogy it would be like so, in cellular mitosis, cells are growing asexually by splitting to create more. Think of the Alpha Realm as a cell that split into two. The process continues until the organism, in this case, the universe, which contains the cells reaches the limit. That is what lead to the creation of my realm, also known as The Zeta Realm."

Player: "What does this have to do with me and how did I even end up here in the first place?"

Ink: "I'm getting to that, please do not interrupt! Within each realm, a Guardian existed with the duty to protect the realm from anything that tried to destroy it. The Alpha Realm's Guardian was considered to be the most powerful of all the other guardians, 'the omnipotent,' or so we all thought."

Player: "What happened?"

Ink: "An ancient evil has awoken with the sole purpose of destroying the entire universe along with all its realms. The Alpha Guardian sacrificed himself to destroy the evil and saved the universe from its demise."

Player: "So what does this have to do with me?"

Ink: "The only beings that can travel through realms are Guardians. They use this 'spell' to create portals that lead to them."

Player: "Does that mean-"

Ink: "Yes player, you are the dissident of the Alpha Guardian."

I can't believe what he is saying. Me, a low life scumbag, Guardian of a realm? This cannot be true! I-I had memories of myself when I was a child. My Mother, my Fath-.

Ink: "Those were false memories given to you by me."

Player: "But what about the AU's and DDLC?!"

Ink: "Those are known as Echoes. Alternate realities branched off its host much like the Alpha Realm but reside within the Realm's core, for this Realm being the Doodle Sphere. When I found you, you were alone and isolated from your realm. So I decided to put you in an echo with that gave off the facade of earth from the Alpha Realm."

Player: "If this realm mainly consists of Undertale Echoes, then why does DDLC exist here?"

Ink: "After stopping Cross's X-event I came back to the Doodle Sphere to relax, but for some reason, the actions of the X-event caused the creation of a 'Mega Echo' one that defied the others. I was so excited that I decided to visit this Echo only to find a room with puddles of tears. In the corner was a girl crying for what seemed like ages. I asked for her name, and she told me it was-"

Player: "Monika."

Ink: "Right, I comforted Monika and told her that she wouldn't be alone anymore. So I decided to 'reconstruct' her echo by giving her friends back and returning everything to the way it was. But something went wrong. For some reason within the process created a loop. The loop created a sequence of events that lead to her endless torture of her reliving that moment. I had no idea what to do at that point, so I left that echo and never return. I could not bear to see Monika suffering, and I wanted her to just forget about me."

Player: "So it was you wasn't it? You were the one who caused Monika to suffer an endless loop of events. It was you who didn't even consider to give a route to her. But what of Dan Salvato, the creator?"

Ink: "Dan Salvato was a false image that I gave the mortals the persona that this was just a game, and the reason why Monika never received a route in the first place was because she was sentient. Fully aware of the loop and what happened each time her friends had died. Right after noticing this loop I tried to remove it but before I could return. Error stopped me."

The Doodle Sphere

Before Player's Arival

Ink POV

What is this? A loop? Must have been a mistake. I must remove that circle before Monika experiences the horrors that it contains.

Error: "H̸o̶w̶ ̵d̶i̵s̶a̸p̶p̵o̴i̶n̸t̷i̴n̷g̴.̵ ̴I̵ ̴t̵h̷o̴u̴g̷h̶t̸ ̴w̴e̸ ̶c̴a̸m̶e̶ ̶t̵o̴ ̴a̸n̴ ̵a̴g̸r̷e̴e̴m̴e̶n̸t̴ ̵I̷n̴k̴.̵ ̷B̷u̴t̴ ̵i̸t̶ ̴l̸o̶o̴k̴s̵ ̸a̸s̵ ̸i̷f̷ ̵y̵o̷u̸ ̶a̶r̴e̷ ̶a̸d̶d̷i̵c̴t̸e̷d̴ ̵t̵o̶ ̸c̴r̷e̶a̸t̸i̷n̴g̷ ̴m̴o̵r̶e̶ ̴o̴f̸ ̶t̶h̸e̷s̴e̸ ̵s̷t̶u̵p̶i̴d̶ ̸a̸n̷o̸m̴a̸l̷i̵e̷s̴!̴"

Ink: "Error, for once just hear me out. I had nothing to do with the creation of this echo. I am only trying to help its inhabitants."

Error: "H̷e̸l̴p̷ ̴o̴u̸t̷ ̵h̵u̴h̵?̷ ̴S̴o̵ ̷t̵h̵e̵y̶ ̸a̷r̶e̸ ̵s̵u̷f̸f̵e̸r̸i̵n̴g̶.̵ ̷W̷e̵l̴l̴,̵ ̷i̵t̵ ̵i̶s̸ ̸t̸i̸m̴e̸s̸ ̷l̶i̷k̵e̴ ̵t̵h̴e̴s̸e̴ ̶w̶h̵e̴r̷e̶ ̷I̴ ̴f̴e̸e̵l̸ ̸l̵i̸k̷e̵ ̴d̵o̴i̷n̶g̶ ̵f̵a̴v̴o̴r̴s̷.̵ ̶S̶o̸ ̵h̵o̷w̷ ̴a̶b̷o̷u̶t̸ ̵t̶h̷i̶s̵ ̴I̴n̸k̵.̷ ̵I̴'̷l̸l̴ ̷d̷o̴ ̷y̷o̴u̴ ̵t̶h̸i̷s̵ ̸o̶n̵e̶ ̴f̶a̷v̸o̴r̴ ̶a̵n̸d̷ ̴d̷e̶s̶t̶r̶o̶y̷ ̶t̴h̴i̶s̸ ̷e̷c̸h̷o̴ ̵f̶o̶r̵ ̵y̵o̵u̸ ̴a̴n̸d̶ ̵e̴n̷d̶ ̴t̴h̷e̵ ̸s̴u̷f̴f̸e̸r̵i̶n̸g̵ ̸o̶f̷ ̸t̷h̸o̵s̷e̸ ̶g̵l̶i̸t̶c̸h̷e̸s̴ ̴w̶h̶o̴ ̶l̶i̷v̵e̵ ̸i̴n̸ ̷i̸t̸."

Ink: "No please! Don't hurt them I just want them to be happy."

Error: "Y̵o̶u̶ ̵w̴a̷n̶t̷ ̶t̴h̵e̸m̵ ̷t̷o̶ ̷s̵u̶f̴f̵e̴r̷?̶ ̵J̴e̶e̷z̴,̶ ̶I̷n̶k̸ ̸I̸ ̵a̸l̸w̷a̵y̵s̵ ̷t̶h̴o̶u̵g̴h̷t̵ ̴y̵o̷u̵ ̸w̷e̴r̵e̸ ̵a̸ ̴p̶i̷e̷c̵e̷ ̸o̴f̸ ̴s̷h̸i̵t̶ ̵b̸u̴t̴ ̶d̷i̷d̶n̶'̷t̸ ̷k̵n̸o̶w̸ ̴y̸o̷u̵ ̸w̶e̸r̴e̵ ̶a̶ ̵b̵i̸g̶ ̶o̸n̸e̸.̴ ̴S̵o̴ ̷I̸'̷l̷l̷ ̵t̸e̵l̵l̸ ̸y̵o̶u̷ ̵w̶h̴a̸t̸,̴ ̵I̷ ̵w̶i̸l̸l̸ ̴l̴e̵t̷ ̸t̶h̵i̶s̷ ̸e̴c̴h̵o̴ ̷s̴t̵a̶y̵ ̴b̵u̴t̴ ̶o̴n̵l̸y̴ ̶i̷f̸ ̴y̷o̵u̴ ̷p̸r̵o̴m̷i̴s̴e̷ ̵m̵e̶ ̶t̵o̷ ̶n̷e̶v̵e̶r̷ ̵r̶e̴t̶u̶r̷n̵ ̴t̵o̵ ̴i̸t̵.̵ ̴S̵e̶e̵i̷n̷g̸ ̷a̸s̶ ̴i̴f̷ ̶y̸o̵u̴ ̴l̴i̵k̸e̸ ̵t̸o̷ ̷w̶a̶t̸c̶h̶ ̵o̸t̷h̵e̶r̴s̶ ̷s̴u̴f̵f̴e̶r̵ ̴a̴m̵u̷s̴e̷s̴ ̸m̶e̶ ̷s̷o̶ ̶I̶ ̴w̸i̴l̸l̸ ̸j̷u̷s̶t̴ ̶w̴a̸t̸c̶h̵ ̴a̵s̴ ̴t̸h̶e̷ ̸s̴h̶o̸w̴ ̵c̵o̸n̷t̶i̵n̵u̵e̸s̴.̸"

Ink: "Fine, just please don't hurt them."

Error: "I̷n̸k̵ ̵I̵n̶k̵ ̷I̴n̴k̶ ̵y̷o̸u̷ ̴a̵r̶e̵ ̸d̷o̷i̸n̵g̵ ̶i̶t̵ ̵y̵o̴u̵r̶s̵e̷l̷f̷.̴ ̴O̵h̵ ̷y̶e̶a̵h̴ ̵a̸n̵d̵ ̴a̷l̴w̴a̷y̶s̴ ̸r̴e̶m̸e̵m̵b̵e̶r̵ ̶t̶h̸i̴s̴.̴ ̸I̴ ̴g̷o̷t̴ ̶m̵y̵ ̵e̸y̶e̶ ̸o̵n̸ ̴y̷o̴u̷ ̵s̵o̴ ̸d̷o̸n̸'̷t̷ ̶t̴r̶y̸ ̸a̶n̸y̶t̸h̶i̵n̸g̸ ̸s̷t̸u̶p̸i̴d̷.̸ ̷H̸A̷H̴A̸H̶A̵H̶A̸H̸A."

What have I done? This is all my fault.

The Doodle Sphere

Present Time

Player POV

Ink: "So I had to choose. Either I attempt to go back to the DDLC Echo and Error wipes it from existence, or I leave it be without him laying a thread on it. I know that I have done something bad to this echo, and I will never be able to forgive myself for eternity; but Monika, Sayori, Yuri, and Natsuki are all still alive despite the loop's existence."

I don't know if I should kill Ink or let him live. I have never been so angry in my entire life, but I must understand that he is the reason why the girls are still living.

Player: "Alright let us put this behind us for now. Why did you bring me here? I know you said that I needed to be hidden from Error but I feel that there is also another reason."

Ink: "There is, you see when I discovered your arrival in the DDLC Echo I felt a disturbance. I went to discover the source, and by the looks of it, the StoryShift Echo has been completely erased. When I tried to find the cause I could not believe what I saw."

Player: "No… You're not saying-"

Ink: "Unfortunately so, He has returned. Cross is back; and with the DDLC Echo's existence within the Zeta Realm, it is highly susceptible to become victim to the X-Event."

Player: "I must go back to the Echo. If Error still doesn't know that I was there in the first place. Then I can still get back to Monika and protect her from him."

Ink: "And that I will do. When you return, you will wake up like this was just a dream. I will come aid you if I sense Cross's presence in the Echo. Good luck Player! Stay Safe."

I waved goodbye to Ink and step into the portal.