Togetherness? - Little Nightmares - Mono x Six

A cycle's end

And there they were, nearing the exit of The Tower. With the girl in the yellow raincoat in the lead and the boy lacking behind, stumbling to his feet. Then it happened, and The Man felt his heart sink in his chest as the narrow bridge collapsed, separating the two of them apart. He could almost picture it happening again. The boy's feet dangling in the air and then-! No! There was still time. Enough time to fix this before all goes to hell. All The Man had to do was shoot her with a wave of energy, right through her heart, and save the boy before he falls into that abysmal pit. If he acted quickly and with precise movements, there's a chance! A definite chance that it will succeed and bring an end to the cycle.

The boy leapt across the bridge his hands stretched out to grab the girl's. The Man saw his chance. It was now or never! He moved his hand into position- but his arm would budge. What's happening? IT'S NOW OR NEVER! KILL HER NOW! But his arm would even move an inch, he looked back to see that his wrist had been seized by a fleshy tendril, with eyes brimming laced around it. No... "NO! LET GO! LET GO DAMN YOU!" The Man fell to the ground as he tried to shake off the tendril, "NO! MONO! MONO!" The Man's voice strained and hitched as his eyes fell on an all too familiar scene, a scene he would never forget in his life. The boy's legs dangled in the air, and the girl had a firm grip on him, "NO! NO! NO!" He pulled his hand so hard he felt it was about to be ripped off from his shoulder. Then suddenly the tendril snapped and The Man was free, quickly glitching back to his feet he lifted his arm and pointed it directly at the little ones. His vision blurred from the sweat. He blinked rapidly, and once he opened his eyes again and his vision returned. What he saw- was not a boy falling to his doom... But the girl reached with her other hand to grasp him by the sleeve of his coat and pull him up to safety, "Huh...?" Six lifted Mono back to his feet and clasped her fingers around his writs as they both raced to the exit of The Tower. Disappearing out of sight as they walked through the giant screen displaying white noise, leaving The Thin Man standing there, shocked and bewildered.

"Am I- Am I dreaming?" No... this can't be right. She... She just... pulled him up? She. The Man's hand fell limply by his side as the entire complex collapsed all around him, debris fell everywhere and rocks plummeted down on the bridge, completely collapsing it. But The Man didn't care, he stood there with a strange smile on his face. His hand rose to his mouth in astonishment. When was the last time a smile formed on his lips? He wondered. But is it really over? He could still recall the time he spent in the room with Bart every time he failed a cycle. He remembered the time Bart had showed him a cycle where both he and Six would escape The Tower alive, only for her to tear the flesh out of him once they reach the other side. Was this cycle also destined to end this way?

Suddenly the world around him stopped moving, and the falling debris stuck there in the air as if time itself had frozen. Right there at the far end of the bridge, standing in the middle of the exit of The Tower was a tall man shrouded in black, but The Thin Man knew exactly who he was... He knew nobody else that could shift between faces like that. Bart assumed the face of the doctor- the teacher then finally the face of the boy he knew as Mono. Bart smiled forlornly, "Forgive me. I just couldn't tell you the real reason why I brought you here. No, you were never meant to kill the girl."

"You-!" The Man spat venom at him, "What could you possibly-"

"The Tower needs its Thin Man. But- What if, I say- what if I took that away from it? You see that would be something it wouldn't like, I'm sure. No, I very much think it would lose its foundation. Without a Thin Man, The Tower would be crippled, like a pup without its mommy. All that would be left for it is to die and disappear from the face of this world."

The Man's eye widened, the world around him started spinning, the sour taste filling his throat, "I was- You were using me... This whole time?! What about- what about the promise of our freedom? Was that all a lie too?"