I reached for the message, only to be yanked backwards. It was like someone pulled me backwards with a strong force. Then, I was blinded by an extremely bright light while surrounded by familiar voices. I gathered the last of my strength to open my eyes. I was met by five familiar and comforting faces. Pink,
coral-pink, violet, gold and brown, this colorful heads filled my vision as I slowly woke up from my nightmare. I looked around to see where the hell am I; it was white everywhere; an empty space with only a recliner; floating screens that now broadcasted static; I saw that I was back in Limbo, Akami-sama's plain of existence. Except, in the distance I can see a large, black cube.
" Look! He's waking up!" I heard a familiar and cheerful voice that made me feel a little bit better. It was Sayori, smiling brightly at me.
" Ugh... What... happened?" I muttered out, holding my head in my hands due to the throbbing pain I felt.
" Oh! I can explain. You see Yoku, when the simulation crashed, I took the character files and brought them here... along with my room." Akami-sama pointed at what used to be my basement.
" Ah... I see... Argh! My head!" I let out a grunt before stumbling forward.
" Y-Yoku! Are you alright?!" Sayori rushed to my side before helping me stagger on my feet.
" Y-Yeah, more or less... Wait a minute, how the hell are you guys fine?!" I asked them. I couldn't help but stare in disbelief. A little while earlier, they were all literally being teared apart by the universe and now they're standing in front of me like nothing happened.
" Oh... Well, Akami-san here gave us the medical attention we needed as soon as we arrived here." Yuri chimed in, bringing out some pills.
" T-This may help." Yuri handed me some aspirin and Akami-sama materialized a glass of water beside me.
" Oh wait! I nearly forgot! Your injuries! Ahaha! Hold on, hold on..." Akami-sama pulls out his command console and takes a look at me.
" Let's see, let's see... Left eye... chest area... Here we go." At the click of a button, I felt the wounds and burns all over my body disappear. It felt amazing as I unwrapped the bandages that covered the left side of my face.
I felt a gush of relief the moment I opened my left eye. " Ah! It's nice to finally have some depth again." I exclaimed, taking a look around the place.
" Ahaha! You know, it wasn't as easy when it came to this three." Akami-sama pointed to the three Dokis behind him.
" Especially you, Yuri." Yuri let out a meek 'Eep' as Akami-sama singled her out.
" You have such beautiful, pale skin! How dare you ruin it with your habits! You know how difficult it is to code such a texture?!" Suddenly, Akami-sama teleported beside Yuri and took hold of her arm.
" Ah! W-What are you doing?!" Yuri squeaked out in surprise.
" See this? Tons of women would be jealous of such soft and smooth skin." Akami-sama said while he rubbed Yuri's arm. I could see that her numerous scars and cuts are now gone, and that she is getting uncomfortable at Akami-sama's intimacy.
Suddenly, Yuri took hold of Akami-sama's arm, pivoted her foot quickly and flipping him over. " P-Pervert! M-Molester!" Yuri accused him while pinning his face to the ground.
" Hmph!" Akami-sama snapped his finger, and he is now standing beside me. Yuri was surprised to find that the god is no longer being pinned down underneath her.
" Anyways, how are guys doing? Does anything hurt? Does anything feel funny at all?" He asked the girls, closely inspecting them for any signs of physical trauma.
" N-No, we're fine... And we'd appreciate it if you could keep your hands to yourself, you perverted geezer." Natsuki said in disgust, taking a step back while glaring at him.
" Oh, don't be like that my dear daughter!" Akami-sama took a step forward and knelt down in front of her. Natsuki's face turned red as Akami-sama looked up at her.
" Sorry I had to leave you behind... I'm really sorry. If you want, I could give you any manga you want." He smiled warmly, taking hold of her hand.
" Ah!" Natsuki was startled by this gesture, causing her to pull back her hand.
" Geez! Don't do that! Besides! You're just my step dad!" Natsuki hissed out.
" Hehehe... It's always nice to tease you. Anyways, as you can see Yoku, I've done my best to heal the injuries they sustained. Although... I didn't really touch on the psychological effects of such a traumatic event." Akami-sama looked at the girls in concern.
" Hmm... I still feel a bit down after all of... that. But I'm fine. I'm a little sad and afraid, but I'm fine! Ehehe!" Sayori said with a cheerful tone.
" That may have been the most intense pain I've felt in my life, but I'm doing well..." Yuri said with a smile.
" Well... to be honest, it wasn't really that traumatizing. But it was really painful." Natsuki said in a calm tone.
" You do know that you pissed yourself when that thing happened, right?" I said to her teasingly. Her face turned a bright shade of red as she looked at me in horror. Before I could laugh however, a shoe came flying at me at high speeds.
" Natsuki! Rude! If it wasn't for the fact that no one could die here, I'd be scolding you harshly right now!" Akami-sama said in a stern voice.
" H-He deserved it!" Natsuki said in a quaking voice.
" I'm boooooored~!" Sayori butted in.
" Hmm? Oh, sorry Sayori. Hold on a sec, let me just finish up my talk with Yoku here." Akami-sama said to Sayori.
" Anyway, we digress. Well, I hope you're feeling fine Yoku." He said to me while he typed something in his console.
" Hmm? Why?" I asked him curiously.
" Huh? Oh right, I didn't explain it to you... I'm deleting you."
" Oh oka— WHAT?!"
" I'm deleting you."
" HUH?!" Our jaws dropped to the floor at his statement.
" Yoku! Akami-sama why?!" Sayori run between me and the god and spread her arms to shield me.
" Don't worry! He needs to be deleted. You want to fetch Monika, right?" He asked warmly. I gave a halfhearted nod in response.
" I see that you're scared. Don't worry, it won't hurt this time." He said before grinning from ear to ear.
" Maybe..."
" Fuck. Fuck it, let's just get this over with." I said before closing my eyes before waiting for what's gonna happen next.
" H-Hold on! If our world is destroyed... Then how will he find this 'Monika'?" Sayori asked the god. Doubt can be sensed from her words while her face showed a distrustful expression.
" How do I explain this to you... Uh... Think of the place Yoku is going as a separate world." Akami-sama said with a warm smile.
" So, like the Recycle Bin?" Yuri asked inquisitively.
" Precisely! Ahaha, that kid... doesn't she know? You need administrator privileges to permanently delete yourself and recover items. But since she is a living entity, I also need her permission to bring her out of there." Akami-sama said with a sad smile on his face.
" Yoku, give me the thumbs up when you're ready." He said before pulling up another window.
" While you're there, I'll take the time to go recreate your universe with the girls." He said calmly. I could see that this got the girls' attention
" W-we're gonna see a god in action!" Sayori said in an excited tone.
" I'm ready when you—" The damn god didn't even let me finish my sentence. In an instant, I was zapped off into some dark void with a glowing door in the middle of it.
D LC: O r R ality
" Oh wow! The damage is pretty bad, huh? Let me fix this." Akami-sama said to himself before typing furiously into his console.
DDLC: Our Reality
" There we go!" Akami-sama said with a proud smile on his face.
" What exactly did you fix?" Maido asked the god curiously.
" Just some technical stuff, nothing to worry about." He replied.
" Wow! So this is how a god makes worlds!" She said with an amazed tone. Sayori was in awe at the scene before her.
A man in his late 20's lounging in a green recliner with bottles of soda and mountains of chips beside him while he held some sort of keyboard in front of him. In front of him floated various screens, showing nothing but static.
" Doesn't really... Well... It's not what I expected..." Natsuki said as she kicked an empty bag of chips aside.
" I... I was expecting some sort of... well, Old Testament-like events." Yuri said as she took a surveyed the area around the god.
"And I also expected that a god lived in some sort of magnificent palace... Not a pigsty..." Yuri muttered out as she avoided the empty bottles lying around the place.
" Heh, it's not about looks, it's about functionality." Akami-sama said before throwing an empty bottle of soda towards a large mound of wrappers. The empty bags of chips and candies went flying everywhere while sending a can of coke flying towards the the god. He caught it mid air and immediately drank from it.
" Woah! Awesome!" Said Sayori as she stared at the god in awe.
" Disgusting." Maido said under her breath before taking a broom from somewhere. She began sweeping the clutter away while Akami-sama continued typing on his keyboard.
" So you're gonna build a world, huh? How you gonna do it? Are you gonna draw it? Are you gonna paint it like some manga or painting and it will become real?! Are you gonna draw vast, green fields and beautiful, glowing cities?!" Natsuki asked excitedly. Though, her excitement was short lived when Yuri looked at her with a dissapointed expression.
" World building isn't just literally painting a picture! Proper world building is the type you'll find in complex novels! You have to add the lore and story about the events that lead up to the current setting. You also have to detail the laws and rules of the world carefully, lest you want the readers to be—"
" Ugh!!! Why do you always spoil the fun? How the hell can you capture the beautiful scenery of the world with words?" Natsuki interrupted Yuri. She wore an irritated and annoyed expression.
" Well, answer me this; how could you appreciate the lack of imagination manga provides? The beauty of literature lies in the ability of readers to imagine and picture the scenery being described to them. Manga and the like fails to do that by—"
" Okay, that's enough! You two are both wrong. I don't build worlds by following those principles! I build worlds by following MY way." Akami-sama eased up the tension between the two Dokis by enlarging the window to a degree that it nearly encompassed them all.
" Tch, when I create a universe... I don't go and follow the same rules or methodology they use in novels or manga! You're not drawing the world or telling it's story from the beginning... That's just a part of it." Akami-sama said before snapping his fingers. In an instant, a small, blue and transparent orb appeared before him.
" What I'd like to do is play it like it was game! Ahaha! It's like playing a more advanced version of Civilization or Sims or some other simulation game." Akami-sama smiled brightly as he loaded up what seemed to be like a small version of Earth.
" Wait, wait, wait, wait! What do you mean by 'play'?! Are you actually gonna play with actual people's lives?!" Natsuki asked angrily, appalled by the god's actions.
" Hmm? Yeah, why?" He spoke nonchalantly, as if he wasn't violating the concept of freewill.
" T-This is wrong! How could you do such a thing?!" Yuri lashed out at the god.
" What do you mean?" Akami-sama asked innocently.
" I'm talking about this! This is... unethical! How could you say that our world and the people living in it is just a game?! Do you really see everything like that?! A game?!" Yuri pointed at the model of the Earth in front of them. She spoke out in opposition of Akami-sama's ways.
He paused for a moment, taking a good look at the model. He pondered about how to explain this to the girls. Yuri and Natsuki had a valid point, but so did he. Even if he is some god, who is he to manipulate the fate of the universe he doesn't even own? Thinking about this, he lets out a soft chuckle. In Doki Doki, no matter who you choose, all will come down to either you achieving the 'Good' ending or the 'Bad' ending.
" Heh, you're right... That was a poor choice of words from me." Akami-sama said regretfully.
" But... No matter what you say, the two of you cannot comprehend the nature of this task. No matter how unethical it may seem, or how pleasant, it is all needed in the grand scheme of things." Suddenly, the air around Akami-sama seemed to tense up as he took on a more serious appearance. His expression was calm yet chillingly cold while his eyes showed only a frightening stare.
" Besides, who are you to impede the work of a god? Do you really think beings like me follow the same set of morals and norms like you people? I have caused genocides that have wiped out entire worlds just to create new civilizations destined for greater things. I have brought forth countless golden ages throughout my realms with a simple snap of my fingers. Now tell me..."
The two girls quaked in their shoes as the now serious and terrifying god loomed over them. His eyes now stared at them coldly while the smile he always wore completely disappeared, replaced by a slight frown.
" You want to take charge of this project?" In an instant, the heavy air around them dissipated and gave way to a lighter and relieving feeling. Akami-sama smiled brightly before breaking out into hysterical laughter.
" Ahahaha! You two should've seen your faces! Ahahaha!" He wheezed while pointing at the purple-haired girl and her friend. They were both shaking in fear at what just happened.
" H-Huh?" That was all Natsuki can muster up to say.
" You're right, I shouldn't treat your world as a game. So for that, I'll give the three of you the task on rebuilding your world. Besides... you guys are the ones that knows it the be—"
Boom
A large explosion rocked the model while numerous mushroom clouds appeared all over the globe. Sayori mean while, stood beside it with a nervous smile on her face.
" Oops. Ehehe..." She chuckled with a guilty smile.
" What did you do?" Natsuki asked her.
" Well, I just... I accidentally crashed a plane over Russia." She pointed at the model. Though, Russia's name was replaced by the U.S.S.R.
" You crashed a spy plane during the height of the Cold War... *sigh* Let me load up a blank slate and let's begin from the top." Akami-sama said before sighing loudly.
DDLC: Our Reality
After an hour of watching the god code and debug, he finally loaded up his creation. Not much has changed, except for the fact that a majority of the world has now been influenced by Japanese culture. He had a proud and wide smile on his face as the textures rendered on the model. Although the rendered textures is super realistic, not a single soul or animal can be seen walking around.
" I can't really place a finger on where you guys are from. You follow Japanese culture and names, but you guys are just too westernized to be Japanese." Akami-sama said as he took a look at the girls.
" So I decided to use the Big Hero 6 template. I just took out the advanced technology they possess and viola! A Western city heavily influenced by Japanese culture." He smiled and zoomed in on the city.
" Huh, it looks just like our old city... except larger." Natsuki remarked.
" Hmm... I-Is it just me or is the library larger?" Sayori pointed out the structure. The library is now five storeys tall, takes up at least four blocks and far more magnificent.
" Y-Yeah... I asked for it..." Yuri murmured out softly.
" Heh, you guys had fun. Anyway—"
" Akami-sama! You promised me that you'll tell stories about your travels!" Sayori pouted and stared at the god.
" Hmm... but I still have to work on the laws of physics and the lifeforms... Eh, what the heck. What do you wanna hear about? The beautiful city of Kyoto? The mesmerizing waters of El Nido and Coron? The awe-inspiring cathedrals of Europe like Saint Peter's Basilica or that of—"
" No, we'd like to hear about your travels throughout the other worlds!" Sayori exclaimed, twirling her body with her hands outstretched.
" Hmm... Well, okay. Sit down, it's gonna be a long story!" Akami-sama is clearly excited.
As soon as they all settled down, Akami-sama would project his stories in front of him as he spoke. He told stories about the numerous worlds he has visited, the countless enemies he have battled and the colorful cast of characters that he made friends with along the way. He spoke of great battles between him and various pantheons, including that of the Norse and Greeks. He told stories about witnessing heroes battle it out for an item called the Holy Grail that is said to grant the wishes of the victor. He was ecstatic at the memory of him nearly beating Tet, the god of play, in a game of chess. He laughed at the thought that he once nearly started the events of Ragnarok and the biblical apocalypse. As his stories dragged on, Sayori can't help but think to herself;
Just who is Akami-sama?
" Akami-sama... I have a question." Said Sayori, her eyes fixated at the being before her.
" Yes?"
" Akami-sama... that's not your real name, right?"
The god was taken aback by this question. No one has ever asked him that. Not a single soul. As he pondered on how to answer this question, Sayori's eyes remained transfixed at him. He furrowed his brows together and went into deep thinking.
" What kind of person forgets their name?!" Natsuki let out a confused groan.
" Well, it doesn't help if I was just born into this whole thing!" Akami-sama said in a calm yet serious tone.
" Look, when I became a god, I didn't have memories about... how I became one. All I know is that I have something important to do."
" And that is?" Yuri asked him.
" I... I made a promise to save someone. I don't remember who it is, but I'm sure I'll find that person if I just kept searching." Akami-sama said sadly. His eyes now showed hints of pure sadness.
" Oh... Sorry... Well, I hope you find that person soon!" Sayori smiled cheerfully, patting the god on his back.
" Thanks, Sayori. Anyways, lets get back to making your world. I believe it's time to add people. For that, I need Yuri to create some backstory for the world while Sayori and Natsuki help me on the people." Akami-sama said before bringing up the model of the Earth once more.
DDLC: Our Reality
After a long and tedious three hours, they've done it. Yuri did a good job on the history of the world. She just had to edit the parts around the 2000's. She just added some sort of event where the world suddenly craved for Japanese architecture and culture. Overall, not much has changed from the timeline. Sayori and Natsuki had fun too in their tasks. They enjoyed creating different kinds of personalities for people. Thankfully, they didn't have to go through all 7 billion people. Akami-sama gave up halfway through and just used the auto create option. But still, he can't help but feel sorry for the people that will receive the traits created by Natsuki. They can't help but love cats, but be allergic to them. He bowed his head and said sorry.
" Anyways, we're nearly done! I just need to touch up on the laws and forces that will govern this world and we're done! Why don't we take a break first." Akami-sama was about to take a seat when an idea came to him. He turned to the girls and smiled widely.
" Hey, I know... Why don't we fight each other?" Akami-sama said, his eyes shone with excitement.
" Huh?! How the hell could we defeat a god?!" Natsuki retorted.
" Don't worry. You have Yoku's basement over there. I'll give you two minutes to pick your weapons. Oh, we could also go all out since no one can die here." Natsuki and Yuri hesitated at the god's offer. But before they can voice their doubts about this, they heard Sayori dash towards the structure.
" Ahaha! The game starts now! Whoever wins would owe the victor a favor that they can't refuse." Akami-sama laughed menacingly as he flew upwards. With that, Natsuki and Yuri run towards the structure while they complained about how idiotic this is.
Akami-sama waited for a while. After two minutes however, he heard an explosion occur from the inside. But before he could fly over and investigate, he was hit on his abdomen with something hard. But before he could grab the object however, it flew back. There was no mistaking it; those runes; that handle; the lightning. It was Mjolnir.
" Hehehe, I see that you are worthy..." Akami-sama said loudly. A figure caught hold of the mighty hammer. She flew upwards to a height equal to that of Akami-sama's. Lightning arched all over her body as she began to swing the hammer.
" I can't believe that the sweet and gentle Sayori could've thrown that hammer." He smiled as he looked at Sayori. Suddenly, she tightened her grip on the hammer and swung it but didn't let go. A powerful bolt of lightning shot through the air, only to be blocked by Akami-sama's palm.
" Come on now, is that the be—" Akami-sama was cut off when a powerful laser shot him. He smiled, turning to face the figure behind him. She wore a skimpy sailor's uniform that had a pink color scheme.
" Hello there, Magical Girl Natsuki!" He teased as he looked at his opponent.
" S-Shut up! I-I didn't expect it to be this revealing!" Natsuki shouted back at him as she tried to cover her body. The uniform had a really exposing midriff and a really short skirt.
" Ahaha! Well, at least it looks good on—" He was cut off when he felt a surge of magical energy accumulate in the distance.
" Ex..." Yuri wore the blue and silver armor Saber wears during fights. Akami-sama smiled as he noticed that the two are also charging for an attack.
"... CALIBUR" With that shout, Akami-sama was assaulted by a bright golden light from the back, lightning and a hammer from one side and a blast of pink energy from the other.
A huge explosion occurred, shaking the entire place. But, to their horror, Akami-sama merely shrugged off the hit.
" Heh, not even close! Hit me with something bet— ARGH!" Sayori threw another weapon at the god. It was the god-killing weapon known as the Asi.
" Hah! I've got a hit in!" Sayori smiled proudly.
" Ahaha! You fool! Tis' but a flesh wou— Gah!" Akami-sama was once again pierced by a weapon. It was a massive sword known as Gram, the one wielded by Sigurd when slaying the dragon Fafnir.
" Hah! I can't even feel— Oof!" Akami-sama was decapitated by a mighty, chained weapon. As his head fell to the ground, the weapons known as the Blades of Chaos returned to Yuri.
With this, they each returned their weapons and went back to their original clothes. They approached the body of Akami-sama, who is fumbling around trying to find its head. Akami-sama's head however, was rolling around and calling for his body.
" Here boy! Here! Come on! Just a few feet to the right! Oh there you are! Girls, could you—"
" Uhh... could you do us a favor and do it yourself? Ahaha! Bye!" Natsuki said in snarky tone before leaving Akami-sama.
" Wait. N-No! Come back! Damn it!"
DDLC: Our Reality
As Akami-sama finished coding in the laws of gravity, he can't help but feel a strange sense of Deja Vu. Having fun with girls reminded him of a time long ago, one that has faded from his memory. It was like, he did this sort of thing before with them. He shook his head. He can't believe it, he refused to believe it. He couldn't have played Doki Doki in the past, right? He was deeply troubled by this. Though possible, he knew that if he did came from a universe that is connected to any DDLC events, that would only mean that something went wrong there. He shook his head to try and forget this kinds of thoughts. He let out a sigh as he pulled up a monitor. He tuned in on a channel and the static that filled the screen was replaced by a scene so horrifying it would equal to that of Yoku's torture. He watched as a boy was horribly tortured by Yuri within the confines of her basement.
" Poor Monty..." Akami-sama murmured as he continued to watch.
Just then, he heard a collective gasp from behind him. He turned his head to find the three girls standing there with their jaws hanging ajar.
" T-that's my basement! And me!" Yuri pointed a horrified finger at herself, who was busy mutilating the boy.
" A-And that's the manga I lent you! What the fuck, Yuri?!" Natsuki was equally horrified at the scene.
" Relax! It's not you... Well, it's not 'you' you, but a you from another world." Akami-sama said nonchalantly.
" B-But still! That's horrible!" Sayori exclaimed.
" Yeah, well, the god of that world chose to portray Yuri like that. Anyways, what he does here is amazing." Akami-sama pointed to the scene where Monty is reaching for the table where Natsuki's manga is placed. Once the manga is within his hands, he began to write a bloody message on it.
" W-What the hell is he doing?!" Natsuki let out a shriek as blood began to pour from the boy's wrist.
" If it's too gruesome for you, here. A more... wholesome one." Akami-sama switched the channel on his monitor to that of a fight scene.
" I-Isn't that the school campus?" Sayori pointed out as two figures began to fight.
" Y-Yeah... Oh! Nice hit, Blank!" Akami-sama jumped from his seat as he roots for the boy. The boy was locked in combat with a woman wearing a black armor clad in gold.
" Oh no! Get up, Blank!" Akami-sama was now on the edge of his seat as the battle raged on. But in the heat of the battle, Akami-sama failed to notice that Sayori was now standing beside him.
Sayori paused for a moment, hesitating as she tugged on the god's sleeves.
" Akami-sama... D-Did you play our game before?"
Everything came to a complete silence as Akami-sama turned off the monitor. He paused for a moment, before stroking his chin. He was hesitant to speak. He expressed a polite smile as he turned his head towards her.
" W-What makes you say that?"
" Because... Because you seem like you had fond memories about this game everytime you look at us." Sayori answered with an innocent smile.
Akami-sama can only muster a simple smile as he answered back. " Perhaps... Maybe I did play this game before... Although I've forgotten all about it already." He said in a calm tone, hiding the fact that he is now hurting inside.
" Anyways, Yoku is about to finish up. Let's go finish up as well." He said before standing up and stretching his arms.
He can't help but feel a weight on his chest. The crushing weight of regret.
It's not that he doesn't remember his past life... He just couldn't access them.
But does he want to know the answer?
He stopped for a second. He smiled in content as thought about his best creation. He was about to fulfill the wish of a boy who wanted a happy ending for the people he loves. He can't help but smile and laugh at the thought the he was probably someone just like him. As he looked back at his memories, he let out a frown as he can't remember anything from before he was a god.
" But... What if..." Akami-sama muttered out. Suddenly, without warning, he dashed towards his monitor. Every one chalked this up to him plunging himself to work on their world.
He began to type furiously. He was going through files quickly. He was trying to find something important. Then, he found it.
Encrypted Files/God/Akami
He smiled widely. He knew he couldn't just hack this. But he had a plan. A bold plan. If he couldn't access the file using his computer...he'll just access it using his mind. The madman is gonna jam files into his brain so that he can see what's inside them. After all, if the universe is a super computer, then the mind of a god is a super, super computer.