I woke up with a jolt.

Somehow I was in my bed...

No. That couldn't be a dream. I knew that all of that was real. How could it not be?

I'm glad that I was at least teleported to my bed once my quest was over. That was rather considerate. Although...

I started to panic as I felt that my hand was empty. When it shouldn't have been since I was clearly holding onto it. Unless I dropped it somewhere while I was asleep?

Alyssa's diary...

I really needed that. I needed to know why she was tormented, how she became this messed up. What was going on in this crazy place.

And I would find it no matter what.

For the first time in possibly my entire life, I sprinted out of bed instantly and eager to start the day. I wouldn't have much luck searching for it if I was just laying in bed doing nothing, would I?

I ran out of my room and knocked on Claudia's door repeatedly. She was rather notorious when it came to taking things of mine so I was pretty sure that she was the culprit.

I couldn't help but wonder how she'd react to it...surely she'd think it was just a made up story or something. Any sane person would have the same impression.
As the words "silly ghost stories" kept buzzing through my mind, I kept knocking.

...No reply.

"I know you're in there!" I shouted threateningly.

Huh, still no reply...

It was then that I remembered something that happened during that strange experience.

Before I fell into the underground, the last thing I heard was Claudia screaming for help.

Oh god...what if she was in trouble?! And after all that effort to save her. Was that all just for nothing?

Starting to feel really paranoid, I flung the door open.

No one was in there. But the thing that disturbed me most?

...The room was completely empty.

It was literally just walls, windows, and floor. No posters, mirrors, phones, nothing.

Although as I looked above, I saw a familiar message...

FuN iS InFiNiTe

FuN iS EnDlEsS

Well I didn't expect to see that again...I thought to myself bitterly. I'd rather not think about what "fun" Claudia might be having, but at that moment it was all I could think about.

At least Thomas was gone...there was no way I'd see him again, right? He was literally erased from existence.

Wait...what if...

I immediately rushed downstairs to see my mother.

...

"Mother! Mother!" I screamed as I frantically ran around the mansion to find her.

Eventually I saw her walk out her office, looking rather annoyed at me.

"You don't need to shout, Owen. A simple knock would have sufficed."

"Look, there's no time!" I shouted in a frenzied panic. "Claudia's gone. Her room is empty and I haven't been able to find her anywhere."

As I said these words my mother...she looked confused. Like my words suddenly shocked her, yet to her I seemed like I was babbling about nonsense that didn't make any sense.

"Claudia..."

"Yes, Claudia. You know, the one you gave birth too?" I said rather darkly.

"...Who's Claudia?"

...Oh my god.

"I didn't give birth to anyone named Claudia."

I couldn't help but laugh. This was all just too hilarious. I found it all so funny, my mother always did have a rather dark sense of humour which was one of the few things about her.

"Ahhh, what a funny joke! You don't have a daughter called Claudia! That's hilarious!"

I still kept laughing, maybe a little too much because she actually started to look afraid.

"Owen, I don't-"

"Next you're going to tell me that I'm actually adopted!" I joked, my voice way more higher pitched and gleeful than usual.

"What are you-?"

"Oh, oh, and next you're going to tell me that you're actually an alien from Mars who migrated to Earth after your planet was destroyed!"

My mother started to get really angry. But I didn't care. I knew that all of this was all just some major prank. I just needed to wait for the cameramen to jump out saying "ha! Pranked you!".

"You are acting way out of line, young man. I will not have you making up stories about a child that I've never had."

"Ohhhhh I get it! Maybe Claudia is actually an angel from Pluto while our father is actually the headmaster of an intergalactic school and she's been sent there! It all makes sense now!!" I said, laughing again.

This can't be a reality.

This can't be a reality.

I had literally never seen my mother so angry before. She was trying as hard as she could to conceal it. But it was there.

"...Don't bring up your father."

I smirked a little. I found a weak spot. I've beaten up demonic creatures from hell, I knew I could take her on easily.

"Why not then? Because I'm bringing it up. Father father father father FATHER!"

"ENOUGH!"

That demand was so powerful that there was a silence that lasted a few seconds.

My mother sighed, rubbing her temples.

"I told you that we are to never to speak of that man again."

I felt a pain inside. Was it my heart? I think it was. How could I ever forget the only person who has ever showed me any kind of affection in this world?

"Why not? What did he do that was SO horrible? Leave us? Hell, I don't blame him for leaving!"

"...There is a very thin line that you are currently crossing."

I literally didn't care. I was passed caring. I just found the whole thing to be so hilarious. This is all just so funny. So so funny.

"You and Claudia. You're both just so...I don't know how to put it, but you're both absolutely disgusting and I am ashamed to be associated with either of you! It's like you let money corrupt your or something, because you didn't always used to be like this!"

I actually almost felt a tear coming...remembering the past. The past that I tried so hard to forget.

"You...you both used to be so kind. And loving. Back when we had nothing. What...what happened...? Please tell me..."

There was another moment of silence.

My mother literally just stood there, her face blank, as still as a statute.

I was a little frightened.

"...M...mother...?"

Oh my god...maybe I went too far...

Deep down inside there was a part of me that just wanted to apologise and make sure she was ok. I haven't felt that urge in so long so it felt weird having that sensation...

That sensation was suddenly diminished after what she did next.

In a fit of pure rage, she grabbed the small table that was next to her and threw it at me, trying to hurt me with it. She was so angry at me that she kept throwing things at me mercilessly until I would finally be rendered unconscious. It was as if I unleashed a wild animal or something, it was rather unsettling.

I started panting from exhaustion as I kept trying to not get crushed. I knew that I should have run away but...I had to stay. I felt...compelled to.

"You...you think I'M disgusting? YOU'RE the one who's a fucking LEECH!" she screamed angrily at the top of her lungs, sounding like she was descending into pure madness.

She was also panting heavily from exhaustion and stopped throwing things so she could catch her breath.

"You...I invest precious time and money on worthless little shits like you...and you have the NERVE to call ME disgusting?! How DARE you! The money I earn is meant for ME. No one else! But of COURSE, you have to fucking eat and not sleep on the goddamn FLOOR like a decent person living under my roof! I don't WANT to give you two anything! And yet I have to! ALL THE TIME!"

Now it was my turn to be stunned. It took me a short while to process everything she just said...every word stabbed my fragile heart like an icicle.

She started panting heavily, trying to regain her composure, and failing miserably at that.

"You..." she said quietly and softly, that was a bad sign.

She looked towards me with pure malice and hatred.

"You're worth nothing. What are you good for? At this point you're just dead weight to me."

...I knew it. I was right. Love? Hah. All a lie. All those times my mother claimed to love me in the past, the times she claimed to love me, all one big lie. Money was the only thing that mattered.
"And you can stop bringing up your father. I don't appreciate you discussing that here."

"Well he is MY father. So yeah, I think I deserve that right."

She smirked a little, getting something out of her purse.

"You forget, son, that this is my household. And here, you will abide to my rules. To prove it..."

She got out something which almost made my heart sink when I saw it.

How...how could she have found that...?

It was a pendant given to me by my father. The last thing he gave me before he left...I always kept it close to me. It made me feel safe and happy. To see it in her hands like this...I couldn't deal with that. I had to get it back.

"...This belongs to me now," she told me mockingly.

No...this can't be happening...

This can't be a reality...

"G-give it back...!" I whined, like a child who got his favourite toy taken away.

"First...do something for me," she said blankly and coldly ad usual.

Sweat started dripping down my forehead. Was I really this desperate...?

"What...what do I have to do...?" I asked rather pathetically.

"Tell me how much you want it."

"...What?"

"Don't act so stupid," she replied sourly. "Tell me how much it means to you."

"W-well..."

Dammit why was I acting like this? I was usually so calm and composed...what was wrong with me? I needed to get my head right if I wanted to stand a chance...

I needed to convince her that I needed it back somehow. She used to be kind and had emotions like most people...surely, deep down, she would understand? Right...?

"...It means so much to me..."

I looked at the pendant in her hand, recalling the days of the past.

"It's something that...makes it so that me and my father could be together somehow...even if he's gone somehow."

I couldn't help but chuckle a little as all the fond memories returned.

"Those were such great times...I remember he used to sing us a bedtime song when we were little. I think you did once too, needless to say..." I started laughing for some reason, making it harder to continue my reasoning. "You certainly weren't the best singer!"

Her face was emotionless and blank as usual, not the way it was long ago. She didn't seem unfazed when I told her her singing sucked though. There seemed to be something there inside her...

"He actually used to tell me some silly ghost stories once. I didn't find them scary at all, I just wanted to do extensive research on them. But Claudia? Hah! She was a wimp!"

...I could have swore I saw my mother tried to hold back a chuckle. I could use this to my advantage...

"Remember when we went camping? She was like so afraid of stepping on the mud that she made me give her piggyback rides. She even want you or my father to do, she specifically made it my job just to cause me pain! Ok not really but it felt that way."

Surely using the memories of the past could help my case, they did seem to be tuning around our heads.

"So...it means that much to you huh."

"...Yes. It does. It's probably the most important thing I ever had..."

I saw a faint smile spread across her lips. Maybe...maybe she remembered the person she used to be? Before she became so corrupted by riches? This way we could finally be a happy family again...

She looked at the pendant, probably remembering the past again that she kept trying to push to the back of her mind.

"Well, in that case..."

It was then that I literally started shaking.

Her warm smile immediately transformed into an evil smirk, her eyes wide with satisfaction and triumph as she proceeded to mentally torture me.

She raised the arm high into the air, with the pendant firmly clutched in her hand attached to it.

"YOU CAN HAVE IT BACK!"

She threw it onto the ground as hard as she could, a glint of malice still prevalent in her eyes and face.

But that wasn't the worst part.

I watched in horror as I watched her stomp on it with her boots over and over again, until it was nothing more than shattered remains of what it was. And even then, it did not stop there. She kept doing it, even after it was in complete disrepair.

The worst part though...was how much she was enjoying all this...

I then knew what I had to do.