Chapter Text
Dread.
That was the first feeling. Complete, utter, engulfing dread. A weight buried so deep in his back, rooting his feet in spot as a hand hovered helplessly over the teleport confirmation.
Because that laughter- oh that laughter. A haunting comfort in his nightmares at the best of times.
"There's- theres no way. Why is-?!" Elliots voice cut through, the rest of this forsaken group crowded around as a new face stepped foot onto the field. Sinister shadow and binary code slowly escaping their tattered body. "He should be-!"
"Dead? Why how could you, pizza boy~!"
….yes. Yes he should be. And yet there he stood, tattered in all his jestered glory, blackened eyes slowly turning to see who was burning holes into their back. Oh, the smile that spread across their mask at the sight of 007n7, petrified, frozen, afraid at the sight.
As if his son wasn't enough torment, of course this was the logical next step.
Noli.
By all accounts, 007n7 should really have expected this. This— place, if it could even be called that, had a special way of inflicting mental torment upon its victims. He could see it in everyones eyes as one by one they had all entered this hellish realm. There was something unique in store for each of them, a special kind of torment, and Seven knew full well he was not only tormented, but a tormentor. One look at Elliot proved that as much.
And just when he thought he had accepted this eternal fate, just when he thought he had gotten used to the flames, the fire, the burning stabs, the slashing and beheading and impaling- yet another was thrown into the mix.
The laughter echoed, glitchy and horrid and so painstakingly familiar. The round had just started, and it was all 007n7 could do to stare in horror, utter and complete horror as yet another was twisted into this haunted nightmare.
Guest tensed up in front of them all. It brought Seven back to his senses at least.
"Let me take a gooood look…" Noli's mask spun, slow and hypnotic as their feet touched ground, glitched out code and the remains of that painfully familiar GUI window now shattered and embedded into the fractured star hovering above his hand. "What a collection~! Admins, playtesters, the nepo baby and everything, Ill be~! Why, this is one fascinating group … with just one little leftover."
The empty gaze turned on him. Empty- but not devoid of recognition. But Seven couldn't get his hopes up- not with anger still seeped into his bones, the lingering disgust so quiet yet rampant under his skin. He can't accept this. Not after what they did.
"Now, now. We can talk this out, surely— We don't want to be here, so we can make this easy by-"
"Oh, stop whining. " Noli's glitched out voice cut through Buildermans attempt at negotation- something tried at least once with each new foe in the ring. It had yet to work but..— "Ive heard allll about this sick little game~ I know the rules!! And Ive no interest in breaking them, not when I have a score to settle."
The empty eyes never left 007n7 once.
He could sense the glances, the disgusted and curious stares- but he couldnt spare them thought. Not with the bile under his throat. Not with the cold digital interface already summoned in front of him. He had to get out- anywhere but with them.
"You have your 30 minutes to start~ Im a God, not a psycho~! You can praise me for my generosity at a later hour—!" Noli giggled, the sound echoing with that glitched aftertaste. "But you should all know… hes going to be last."
All eyes followed the pointed finger, slowly lifted up- deadset on 007n7. The porcelain smile tilted up, eager with anger, desperation, and— something else.
"Oh, you're going to see exactly what you did to me. And I'm going to enjoy it."
…what a haunting final few words to hear before the familiar buzz of teleportation rekindled his code elsewhere.
The bile was to much. 007n7 spat up on the grass, his knees collapsing underneath him as he hacked out that shaky cough, knowing far to much yet so little— yet his first thought remained solid. Noli was back, and worse—
Noli had access to the kid.
The mere thought made his blood run cold.
His sight was starting to get blurry, the weakness in his elbows giving way as he just settled into the grass of the hellscape that got chosen this time, eyes turned to the bloodred sky as he tried to wrangle his breathing, get his haywire brain under control.
Years- it had been years since Seven last saw Noli before that fateful night. Years since their shattered promise left 007n7 broken and devestated, the door slammed shut in Noli's face. His hand reached, grasped for that forgotten, damned piece of jewelry kept pressed under his shirt, a sick reminder he could never get himself to rid of. Oh it hurt somethin' else— brown hair pushed out of his eyes as his vision started to clear up. Clamor. Conversation.
"Is he ok-?"
"Clearly not. But-?"
"That doesn't matter, he needs protection. Someone needs to stick by him-"
"That'll just be putting a target on our backs, Guest. The rest of us need to pair up, the new guy already said Sev's gonna be the last man standin."
They found him. Seven shouldn't be surprised, the footsteps crunching through the grass as he was surrounded by a few of the survivors.
"Look at him, he's shakin. Here- Cmon, up you go."
The soft, vanilla scent hit his nose first, giving Seven something to ground onto. He took a deep breath as Chance helped him upright, grimacing as he stepped around the soiled spot.
"Ya really have lost weight since we got here." And of course, they couldn't keep themself from being cheeky. Seven just let out a shaky laugh, feeling someone else- Guest at the glance- help him to sit against a nearby wall. He finally got to look up at the surrounding group— Chance, Guest 1337, Noob, and— ….Elliot.
"..Wheres-?"
"Oh, the rest of em went ta jumpstart the generators." Chance shrugged. "We split up the usual— since you got so shaken by the new guy, we figured you might know somethin. Definitely thinkin' that more now that we found ya in a puddle of your own vomit."
…Know something. He could only let out a dry laugh at the implications. Seven's eyes turned aside, just sighing- empty, quiet, echoing at the stare. The burning stare of the other one in this group who knows, who knew.
Well- … sort of knew.
"Last I checked, you two were thick as thieves." Elliot's voice cut harshly through the ensuing silence. He ignored Chance's slight warning, hand gripping at Seven's shirt, dragging him up. "I knew you fucked up a shockingly spectacular amount, but how did you fumble Noli of all people and get him against us?!"
Seven couldn't meet the glare.
"Ell, cmon, he's had enough." Ever the mediator, Chance got Elliot to let Seven go, Guest slowly helping him stand on his own. "You can give us the sob story back at the cabin, but- we need to know his moveset. Get an edge in- any way."
"If you know anything of use— we all know how our memories are less then reliable here." Guest gruffly butt in, keeping it firm but.. quiet. That sort of gentle undertone he always had. "Take your time."
Seven took a deep breath. Right. Now wasn't the time.
"..Im not sure how much he's changed since he got that- thing." Seven shuddered. "..But I'll tell you everything I know."
—
The hours trickled by so painfully.
Despite their best efforts, one by one, Seven was helpless but to watch the little window he hooked up for everyone's heart rates flat line. The few rounds they had succeeded and taken a win, the 5 hour mark had been where the line was drawn and victory was called, but they were barely halfway there.
And all 007n7 could do was watch as the final line went flat.
His breath stuttered.
The information he had given had helped a little bit— most of it regarding the VoidStar and the old GUI Noli used- uses? He wasn't sure. But it seems they had seem intent on keeping their threat true.
A nearby generator was stained with blood. The gore was no longer a problem at least, but Seven still leaned over to close Two Time's eyes before approaching the rumbling machine half fixed. Each generator took 30 minutes off the timer if they had recorded correctly.. and each death added 45. Either way, Seven wasn't good for much else other then fixing these damned things.
At least it was simple. Familiar, like fixing the GUI when it went haywire on rare occasion.
He leaned over, rough hands slipping into the wires with ease. His heart rate was wild, perpetual yet accepting. 007n7 hadn't expected to win this round, and certainly wasn't expecting it now.
But as the wires connected, a trill rang out.
It was still a special kind of jump-start to his heart when the generators started to ring. He yanked himself out of it, ignorant to the dangers that could pose before turning on his heel and starting to sprint.
"Oh, Seven~!!"
The call rang across stone walls, 007n7's gasps echoing across their rough surface- the sting of Void digging deep into his shoulder. LMS was always a painful experience, no matter who was decided to be the tormentor. He slid into an alley, breath heavy and tilted, strung up body tense and irregular.
"Come out come out wherever you aarrreee…~" The icy taunt flitted by his ears, the GUI instinctively summoned to his fingertips at the rustle of wind, the barest footsteps— had Noli walked past-? A clone?? A hallucination—?? He almost dared to have hope when the sound faded, quietly holding his breath… before the cold hands settled into his shoulders. "Oh, so you do still have that ole thing~ coulda fooled me!!"
Seven yelped, trying to tear away from the grip on his shoulders- yet the tattered remains of someone he once called- .. kept the grip tight. Close. Firm.
…gentle. Familiar.
…bile rose in his throat.
"Wh..wha-?" His breath stuttered. Keep it cool. Noli was playful- if Seven could play up to his ego, maybe- oh he wanted to vomit at the mere idea but— "I-I mean, its weakened, but-"
"Oh, spare me the flattery, Sevs— Im all to aware of your tricks, yknow..~!"
Noli cut that short. Painstakingly aware.
"Id assumed itd been all but taken by our hell-spawn— he was so proud to show it off~ but otherwise, knowin' you, Id've thought you'd have escaped by now~"
The claws itched closer to Seven's neck. But Noli's words echo in his mind. Flooded with horrid anger, teeth gritted and jaw tense. How dare. The anxiety was wiped clean from his mind, fists balling as the teleport was cancelled. Before he could keep himself taunt, his fist went up and struck Noli across the mask.
"Don't call him that." Seven spat the words out like venom, fear long forgotten as he whipped around out of Noli's grasp, the killer stunned by the sudden outburst. After seeing Seven do nothing but run and hide, well, can you blame them? "You forfeited that right. He is my kid."
Those empty eyes bore deep into his own. Once so familiar. Once whole. Once not consumed and rotted by the very thing they gave up, that they abandoned for something he thought was greater.
…Noli scoffed.
"And here I thought you'd grown into a coward~!"
…the terse silence lingered between them, the buzzing crackle of code and forgotten memories holding heavy. All Seven could do was look away, dodge the burning gaze— the glass like surface of the c00lGUI hung in front of his hand. Noli just glanced to it.. before shattering it with a swing of his arm.
Sharp edges stung as the void cut into his skin, opening into rivers of blood as it sliced up his torso, along his neck. He stumbled back with a gasp, turning on his foot and immediately starting to run. He could hear the limping steps behind him turn to a rush, floating across the grass as the chase began. Blood dripped onto the grass, flying fingers quick to summon a double and shove its empty form onto the lunging blade.
"Still using old tricks?! You've grown soft~!" Noli's glitched out cackle echoed behind him and Seven dodged behind an alcove, bloodied skin slowly becoming opaque again as he took his second to breath and regain stamina. "You used to have an arsenal of weapons- we used to have so much at our disposal~! Yet you're using just cheap knockoffs..~ got used to laying low to get eyes off you, Seven~? Or have you really lost that clever edge of yours~?!"
The taunting echo flitted past his ears, a hand shoved over his mouth as the sting set in. The slice ran up his jaw, the tinge of void to its edge stinging and preventing the wound from holding blood in place. A damned singsong call of his name sent shivers up his spine- the low trill to Noli's void making his heart race with adrenaline. They were still near. Still close. Fatefully close.
"I know you're there….~"
He had done this before. He had won on his own before. He just had to stay quiet, stay hidden, and distract the best he could from his location. Enough power gathered in his GUI again to pull up the screen, punching in the furthest spawn point he could get to within the studs he could reach. The weird barrier that kept them in their hellish maps limited his view within the GUI as well— he'd never really tried to push it.
It was weakened now. Taken by his own son. There wasn't much he could do at all. Even these barest functions— they took so much energy to pull.
The bar was so close to full. So close. He almost thought he was about to get away with it, fateful hope sealing his tongue when the hurtling crystal exploded in front of him, shattering the screen once again before Noli charged, slamming his body into the stone. Cold fingers gripped at his neck, tight, the entire weight of his body dependent on the strangling grasp as he tried to squirm, to buck, to escape- before..
..he just.. gave up.
The round was over. The sooner he died, the sooner he could go back to the cabin, the sooner they could go back to planning for the next cycle of hell. Deadened reddish brown eyes met the sunken in, rotting flesh- the remnants of the mask Noli wore now welded to his face.
….despite it, Seven found the familiarity in it. They remained like that, stuttered, silent, breathing in sync despite all this time. Something lingered in Noli's face- curiosity, maybe, or perhaps disgust. Seven had seen a lot of that, after all. But this still felt different. It made him uneasy.
Noli leaned in. For a second, their grip wavered, yet Seven didn't move. They just waited for.. something. Lingering. Watching. Before scoffing and giving up on whatever it was he was searching for.
"…I was wrong. You really have become a coward."
Seven's neck flared with sharp heat before his world faded to black, the edge of Noli's laughter fading into a higher pitched, boyish sound.
—
His eyes opened slowly as the cabin faded in around him, the remnant pain in his neck lingering as Seven groaned and sat up- rubbing at the top of his spinal cord uselessly. The injury was no longer there after all— only the mental remains of the pain.
"New killer always means a rough round. Not bad for what was bound to happen, Sev~!"
Aaandd Seven went sprawling forward, glasses getting flung off his face and just barely caught by his tail as Chance slapped him on the back, a loud congratulatory cackle. Seven just righted the pink frames with a light huff, scratching at the back of his neck with a rough sigh.
"Right, yeah." His nerves were still jumpy, static charged and everywhere— but he forced himself to relax, standing up with a slight wobble. Guest at least made sure he was stable before letting him walk.. not that he got far before a blondie stepped in front of him. Elliot's frustration was sky-high, teeth gritted. Anything to do with Seven pissed them off, reasonably so, but still.
He was hoping to get at least a few minutes to process.
"Talk."
His voice was spat out like venom, burning into Seven's eyes. A single finger was stabbed at his chest, forcing Seven to take a step back- before a gentle hand landed on Elliot's shoulder.
"There was no way he could have known." Jane sighed so softly, her voice worn out with disuse. It was rare enough for her to speak since she had joined them in the cabin— she was yet to get thrown into rounds, but her presence was known. Especially since Shedletsky had found her holed up in the basement with a spider on her hat. "Look at him. He's just as distressed as the rest of you."
…He glanced to his hand. Sure enough, the tremor never subsided. It shook with a horrid intensity, his heartrate still astronomically high despite having escaped the pain by now.
Everyone shared a look. The curiosity lingered still but— Jane was right. They all had had their lives already, but they were privy to their secrets. Their quiet whispers. They all had them, but it was a solemn choice to work alongside each other despite it. Because if they didn't then.. well. They had nothing.
So Elliot subsided. Dropping his accusatory stance and folding his arms with a grumble.
"…whatev-"
And then he froze.
A sudden stillness filled the room, surprised but not icey. Like a lingering after effect of a jump-scare, right before the response.
Seven looked up, confused. All the eyes were turned on him- and it wasn't until his hand reached up to feel his cheeks being warm and glistening as he pulled his fingertips back that he realized what was going on.
He furiously wiped away at the tears, forcing a small smile he knew fooled no one.
"I'm going to go clean up and do some fine tuning. If I get marked for the next round in a few hours, Ill let you know." He waved them off, ignoring the worried glances and the avoidant stares as Seven was quick to escape the situation. No one needed to know, not even the burning curiosity that followed him to the bathroom.
Out of everyone- why did it have to be him?!
He could still hear the glitched out laughter echoing in the back of his mind, haunting and familiar yet irreparably changed. A sound he used to be so fond of, that he used to think would be by his side forever. The bathroom door locked behind him before the silent tears spilt over, hand fumbling with the doorknob before he slunk to the tile ground. The permanent mark on his ring finger stung, a phantom reminder of everything he had before this— place took him. It haunted him, just like everything else, and trying to forget it when it came back every time he respawned was nothing. It would always be in his pocket.
And this time was no different.
The black band of metal was flung across the tile, clattering to the ground with a sharp sound. It spun as it settled, the matching red and purple stones inlaid glittering in the faint sparking remnents of light. Fuck him. Fuck this. Fuck himself for dying with it in his pocket in the first place so he has to respawn with that reminder every goddamn day of his life.
It stared back at him, winking in the light, taunting him as he stood up. Shaky steps approached it- before he slammed his heel against it. It didnt break, of course, but it felt nice. Satisfying.
…It took him a few seconds to wipe off his face. The tears stopped as soon as they started, Seven taking a deep breath and cleaning off his sunken eyes and cheeks. He had gotten chubbier when he was actually taking care of C00lkid but before all this happened— when he was… yknow— he had let himself go. His hand lifted, grazing by the scar on the side of his head, before adjusting his hair to cover it up the best he could. No one asked about it, none of them asked about the scars left on everyone's body as the reminders, but still. It was a small comfort. He leaned over, scooping up the damned ring before shoving it back in his pocket, walking back out- only to come face to face with a Chance and a Two Time about to knock on his door.
"Oh, you are alive! Good!!" Chance grinned, adjusting his sunglasses and righting them on his face.
"Hello, Hacker. We have come with news bearing our decision to allow you to use the clock out of turn." Two Time peeked out from around the corner, the little fella strange but- well, 007n7 had gotten used to his fair share of odd people. He was more surprised by the news.
"What-? But shouldn't it be-?"
The clock was their one gift, a solace. A tall, standing grandfather clock where if one of them stood in front of it when the round was beginning, they would be spared being chosen. It only worked on one of them at the time, and as such— they had set up a routine. They would each get a day where they would be the one to use the clock. Rarely did they ever decide to change it up, only if something happened to particularly shake someone up in a round.
…Ah.
Two Time's empty eyes bore into his own. Seven chuckled, quiet and disingenuine.
"…Was it that bad?"
Chance and Two Time glanced at each other.
"You kinda. Uh. Well— so yknow how we figured out pretty fast that Noli guy can cause hallucinations-? Well, yknow—" Chance rubbed at the back of his neck, clearly trying to find his words— "Back when ya first respawned, you were asleep like normal but ya had this weird mark on your neck. So we tried to wake you up but whatever had you in it was weird. Normally those kinda effects don't linger after everything but then you woke up and started freaking out—"
"You were begging for your son in your sleep. As well as telling someone to 'get out of'-"
..Chance's hand slapped over Two Time's lips, but it was already enough to figure out what else he might have been saying. Thanks, Two Time.
Seven just laughed awkwardly, cheeks hinting at red at the implications. Apparently, his nightmares were far from uncommon— this wasn't the first time the other survivors had to listen to his dreams taunt him with his son. But this time— gods. What did Noli do to him..
"Yeah, and given the whole— yknow. Thing that happened with the last round— yeah it was pretty much unanimous that your gettin a break for a day." Chance snickered, refusing to let Two Time pry his hand off his face. "Vee already was good with the trade since she got ta see everythin' on the cams, so yeah."
All he could do was nod, his fingers closed tight around the ring in his pocket— hidden out of sight.
"..Alright. I suppose its for the best." Seven agreed so cautiously- he hated to take Veeronica's escape from her but.. well. The solace and chance to just think would be nice.
Perhaps he could use the time to make sense of it all.