Reside in MiSide

Author's Note:

Hello, dear readers!

I've come back to you with yet another chapter faster than expected.

Before we begin, I'll address one question that I've been asked frequently: Yes, this story will have a happy ending.

Though…

Warning: This chapter contains triggering content. Read at your own discretion.

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There was danger up ahead. It couldn't get any clearer.

I recalled my conversation with Shortie and couldn't help but wonder if the danger I sensed stemmed from the abandoned models possibly lurking behind the door.

For a moment, I weighed my options. I could carefully head inside with everyone, ready for any possible attacks, or leave Tiny Mita outside for her safety, though that would mean leaving her in the cold and dark, surrounded by the unsettling "fresh" Mita.

As I pondered this, I began to consider other possibilities.

One notion in particular stood out.

"Cappie," I spoke as I turned to face her, "earlier, you guys told me about this bracelet being some sort of safety mechanism. In that case, wouldn't it be better for me to create duplicates of it?"

"That won't be possible," she stated, but still offered me her arm for me to attempt it.

Unfortunately, as she said, I failed to create a duplicate of it.

"It's like your ring," she explained, "a unique artifact."

Which is exactly why I had hoped to duplicate it.

With that idea scrapped, I had to explore the other options. That's when I landed on a solution: Cappie would protect Mita, while I dealt with the danger inside.

I wasn't deluded into thinking I was stronger than Cappie. From what I'd seen, her combat abilities were on another level—strength, speed, even "hacks" like teleportation.

That's precisely why I wanted her to be the one shielding tiny Mita. Sure, maybe letting her take on the fights would've been smarter, but their safety was my top priority.

I am such a hypocrite…

"Cappie, I sense something beyond this door. Can you take care of Tiny Mita and protect her?"

Cappie's eyes widened slightly, though it was hard to tell due to the dim lighting.

"I want to fight!" she declared.

"I know," I replied, "but I need you to protect Tiny Mita. No one can do it better than you."

She didn't like my words. Not one bit, if her expression was anything to go by.

"Please," I said softly.

After a few seconds, Cappie reluctantly agreed. I felt relieved and guilty simultaneously.

Still, with that done, I had her hold Tiny Mita for me.

It worried me that Tiny Mita hadn't uttered a single word during the exchange, but it simply wasn't the time to address that.

Taking a cold, deep breath, I manifested a duplicate of the axe I had stored earlier and opened the door.

Unlike the complete darkness behind us, the door led to a somewhat dimly lit room.

Said room was a typical Mita bedroom, but with one key difference: The bed had been turned diagonally, and at the center of the room was a chair.

Sitting on said chair was a Mita. One that was all too familiar to me.

"Kind Mita…" I uttered in disbelief as I observed the Mita sitting on the chair carefully.

The more I looked, the more I realized something was off. Something was very wrong.

"No… maybe a model that looks like her?" I muttered, considering the possibility of it being an abandoned model. A possibly aggressive one.

That was until I heard Cappie behind me speak, her tone bleak, "Andrei. That's not a Mita."

A chill ran down my spine as I observed the pretender for a few seconds before something happened: A wide grin began to form on the pretender's mouth.

"Aw… You revealed it too quickly. Where is the fun in that?"

Her voice was a sickly sweet one. The kind of voice that would usually calm one down, thinking they're harmless.

"Who are you?" I questioned her cautiously as I tightened my hold on the axe in my hand.

"How scary~" she voiced as she mockingly mimicked being afraid.

"Are you a Player?" I pressed.

"Well, of course! If I am not a Mita then I'm obviously a Player! Is your name Sherlock by any chance?"

She sure is trying to get under my nerves.

All of a sudden, the pretender heaved a sigh before saying, "And here I thought my cosplay was perfect. So much for perfection… getting outed in a second."

"Well, who cares!" her mood shifted to a cheery one as she clapped her hands hard, "I can just try better next time!"

Is she… unstable?

Despite her peculiarity, the Player in front of me was one that I could possibly obtain information from.

"Why are you here?" I asked, "You surely have a purpose right?"

"Ah! Is this part where I give a villain's monologue?" she got excited all of a sudden, "But I'm not even the main villain…"

She said that last part in a lower voice, but I still heard it clearly.

"Sorry if I'm bad at this," she began, her tone mockingly casual. "It's my first time giving a villainous speech."

Her voice shifted, taking on a more theatrical edge as she pointed a finger at me, wearing a fierce, almost predatory smile.

"You're a bad Player, misbehaving and making Mita upset! For that, she's going to punish you for your bad behavior. If you surrender now, she might show you some mercy. Now, choose!"

Her dramatic flourishing and final shout did little to move me.

I stared at her, unimpressed.

"I refuse," I replied, matching her smile with my own.

"Are you stupid!?" she snapped, her voice rising. "Don't you get it? Surrendering is the easiest way out! Why can't you just be like the rest of us and love her properly? Just accept her!"

"The rest of you?" I echoed, the words pricking at my curiosity. Just how many other Players are there?

"Duh! We all love her—not just me!" she huffed, clearly missing the point of my question.

Behind me, I heard Cappie's voice, soft but firm. "Andrei…" she said, not continuing but urging something unspoken.

Her words brought Kind Mita's warning to the forefront of my mind: Every Player is our enemy.

Without hesitation, while the pretender's guard was down, I drew back my arm and hurled the axe straight at her face.

Her eyes widened in shock, and she twisted her head to dodge, but not quite fast enough. The axe grazed her cheek, cutting deep, and even severing a lock of her hair.

I blinked, taken aback. What the hell? Isn't that axe a little too sharp?

Blood began to trickle down her face from the gash, but something about it was… wrong. The wound looked unnatural, like a poorly disguised tear in fabric.

Her expression twisted—more than it should have—as though the tight-fitting skin on her face was damaged.

"Oh, man…" she said, her voice eerily calm, fingers brushing against her injured cheek. "And I was so careful not to damage these."

She ran her hand over the cut and her severed hair, her movements oddly deliberate. Then, without warning, she grabbed at her face and pulled—hard.

The skin peeled away in a grotesque, wet rip.

Not her skin. The skin she wore.

Beneath it was the bloodied, dirt-streaked face of a girl I'd never seen before. Her true expression held a dark, sadistic glee, starkly different from the mask she'd just discarded.

"You know…" she said, her voice now dripping with twisted satisfaction. "I wore that one thinking it'd make you hesitate to be so barbaric."

"Andrei!" Cappie shouted, her voice now urgent and laced with unbridled rage.

That was it. That was the moment that I realized what exactly was going on.

"YOU…"

I voiced as I felt a clogging in my throat. In response to this, the disgusting thing in front of me began cackling madly.

"Oh, she's going to LOVE this. She'll probably let me hug her for hours and hours~!"

I created more duplicates of the axe and quickly began throwing them.

This time, she moved quickly – far quicker than earlier. She got up from the seat and nimbly dodged the projectiles as she cackled.

"It won't happen again!" she cried.

I need to close in on her. But would I even be able to handle her? She's fast. Too fast.

I continued producing axes after axes, hurling them at her, however, none of them hit the target.

The sadistic bitch was enjoying herself as she dodged, as if the fight was a game to her. I could tell from the sickening expression on her face.

Then, an idea popped up in my mind: Do objects I store with Vanishing Distortion keep their momentum?

It was worth a try.

I focused, willing the four axes she had dodged to vanish in an instant.

Then, with a flicker of intent, I made them reappear around her, each positioned for an unrelenting strike.

The moment they materialized, I directed them at her in synchronization.

To my pleasant surprise, the plan worked flawlessly, thanks to someone behind me shining the flashlight into her eyes.

Along with the pained screams of the insane bitch, the axes cut deep into different parts of her body.

One axe cleaved through her right clavicle, another severed her wrist, a third struck her back, and the last buried itself deep into her left thigh.

In shock and pain, she ended up losing her balance and fell onto the ground, blood gushing out from all her injuries.

"This is so fucking unfair!" she screamed amidst the pain.

"So, I've been told," I muttered frostily as I approached her.

"Come on, finish me off the way you did Six," she said as she glared at me, her eyes trembling. Was it fear? Anger? Insanity? I didn't know and wasn't all that curious.

Again. I will be killing someone again.

The thought gnawed at me, but I resolved myself as I manifested an axe and clutched it tightly.

My ring began sparking, the sparks spreading all over the axe.

For a moment, I was stunned, wondering how that had even happened, but my attention quickly shifted back to what was most important.

"Fuck you," I cursed at the Player's bloodied face before I chopped her face in two.

Blood and other fluids gushed out with some droplets splashing against my face and clothes.

Sparks spread all over her body, causing it to twitch uncontrollably for a few seconds before it abruptly came to a stop.

It was done. I had killed again.

To protect… To avenge.

I stared at the corpse before me as swirls of negative emotions swam inside me.

After a while, I turned my back to the corpse and began walking to the duo near the door.

"Andrei…" Tiny Mita muttered, tears flowing down her eye. This prompted me to hug her, and by extension, hug Cappie.

Cappie wasn't in a much better shape. I could feel something wet against my nape, which I assumed to be tears she'd shed.

While I wasn't sure about Tiny Mita, I knew for a fact that Cappie had understood everything. The implications.

I felt my chest tighten and my throat felt dry. Why? Just why?

The world I found myself in was cruel and vile, a twisted reflection of my own, though I had never experienced the horrors of my world so intimately. I hated everything about being here, despised every moment of it.

And yet, I couldn't deny the strange love I felt for it, because it was where Cappie and Tiny Mita were.

My affection for them grew stronger by the day, far beyond what should have been reasonable given the short time we'd known each other. Perhaps it was the influence of dormant memories stirring within me, or maybe they had become my anchor, a means to cope with the suffocating darkness that surrounded me. Or perhaps, at my core, I simply needed something – someone – to keep me from utterly loathing the grim reality I had found myself in.

"We… must keep on moving," I whispered. Emotions had to wait.

They didn't say anything in response to that. Though, when I broke the hug and began walking, Cappie followed me.

Am I truly doing the right thing?

Seeing Cappie the way she was now felt so wrong. It was as if she was born to be jovial, yet here she was, suffering. Not to mention exposing Tiny Mita to such gruesome acts despite her being a child.

As we passed the corpse, I took one last glance at it, taking note of a sharp object half-hidden under it.

It was a knife. Probably what she intended to use on me once she was done playing around.

I pushed those thoughts aside and moved forward, stepping through what should have been the bathroom door.

Instead, we entered a dimly lit room with tiled floors and walls. The space was divided into sections by walls with open gaps that functioned as makeshift doorways. It felt as though the original bathroom had been drastically altered, expanded into something far larger, with its contents replaced entirely.

Upon entering the first section, a light bulb lit up right on top of us. When we stepped into another section, the light would follow us through some mechanism installed into the ceiling. Though, since Tiny Mita and Cappie still had their flashlights, it didn't matter much.

We were the only ones in that place. Nothing else was there.

So, we cautiously explored the place until we chanced upon a white door.

I opened the door and stepped through into an odd place. It was as if we were on one of the many floors of a building. There was a rectangular cut out in the center with glass panes on the side.

Looking down, I saw no end, only darkness. The same went for when I looked up.

We continued walking to the next door, which upon opening it, revealed a flight of stairs leading down.

Darkness.

I pulled out my flashlight and started descending the stairs, with the others following closely behind.

We eventually reached the bottom, where water awaited us, reaching up to my ankles. Arched structures dotted the area, and at the center, a golden light shone down on a ladder.

Aside from that, the place seemed empty. Still, we moved toward the light with caution. I stowed my flashlight away, gripping an axe in one hand and a knife in the other, fully prepared for any ambush that might be waiting.

When we reached the ladder, I stored my weapons and the flashlights as Cappie handed me Tiny Mita before swiftly climbing up.

I followed suit, using only one arm and my legs to ascend. As I neared the top, Cappie took Tiny Mita back from me, and I finally pulled myself out.

"What is this place…?" I muttered as I looked around.

The room we found ourselves in was strange. A massive golden-yellow light source illuminated the area, surrounded by swirling particles. Apart from that, there was nothing else but a white door.

After a few moments of awe-struck silence, we started walking toward the door.

When I opened it, I was greeted by the sight of curved walls adorned with enormous metallic sewer-like openings. The entire area was tiled in white, though several sections were cracked and damaged.

There was only one clear path, leading to the right and toward another door.

But I didn't move. Neither did Cappie, who had stopped beside me.

WE HAVE BEEN WAITING

I stared at the giant text scrawled across the walls in what appeared to be blood. "What...?" I muttered under my breath.

"She's waiting for us," Cappie spoke.

"She…? You know her?" I said as I turned to face her. It was clear she was referring to Crazy Mita.

"I remembered some memories. Memories with her and with you…"

Her voice was weak and trembling. It was obvious that the memories most likely weren't joyful ones.

"What do you remember?" I asked.

"Fighting her. You on our side as we fought her."

"Our? Who else was there? Kind Mita?"

"Yes, and the others."

Who is she referring to?

"Who exactly are the others?"

Cappie paused as her brows scrunched before she responded, "I don't remember that clearly."

So, her recollection is still imperfect.

It was similar to what I was going through. Heck, I wondered if there was a connection between them.

"She's announcing her presence so clearly," I said, "we'll probably fight her."

"I'm ready!" Cappie announced confidently with a firm expression.

My gaze shifted to Tiny Mita, nestled in Cappie's arms. Her face remained as blank and unreadable as ever. A gnawing fear took root in my chest as I imagined the possibility of her being caught in the crossfire.

I couldn't shake the revelations from earlier, the heavy weight of them sinking deep inside me. The things we might face, what could lie ahead – it made my stomach twist in dread. I hated the uncertainty.

We began moving toward the door, which I ended up cautiously opening.

And so, we were inside a small room with another door – a thick metallic one – right in front of us. The walls and ceiling were similar to cage walls. Darkness was all we saw when we peered into them.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to face Cappie, nodded once, before I manifested an axe and opened the door.

Immediately, a gust of cold wind hit my face as it spread into the room.

Before me stretched a metallic bridge, its path branching out into three directions—left, straight ahead, and right. The only path that was clear of debris and obstacles was the one to the right.

With a steady breath, I stepped onto the bridge, moving cautiously. Looking below, I saw nothing but white – a blank expanse stretching far below, eerie and endless.

In the sky, I could see some planetary body that rather close. The moon? Another planet? I wasn't sure.

As I walked, the chill made my body tremble and the fog that had obscured my vision began to lift, revealing a massive structure in the distance. I could feel Cappie's presence behind me as she followed along.

The structure loomed larger as I drew closer, and then I saw them – cubes. Countless cubes, stacked in layers, one after the other, creating the giant structure. There were two platforms for two levels.

One cube on the first platform's level caught my attention, as beside it was a pastel pink sign with blood-red letters spelling out: SURPRISE FOR YOU.

Beneath the text, a red arrow pointed to the right.

Cappie spoke in a flat tone, "It's a trap."

I let out a quiet sigh, "I know. But what else can I do but check?"

Despite saying that, there was a growing unease spreading inside me. As if something truly horrid awaited me.

The cube was one level higher, so I needed to get up there somehow. For that reason, I started walking around in hopes of finding a ladder or staircase.

As I walked, I noticed circular openings in the cubes, revealing Mita skeleton models inside them. The cubes also had air conditioners on the sides. Is this where the models are produced and kept? Maybe just the latter?

There was some odd noise coming in the distance, but I couldn't make out what it was. It only served to intensify the sense of dread I was feeling.

Eventually, I ended up making a turn around one corner, leading to a broken entrance behind which was a hidden room with numerous monitors. There were various names on the screens on the sides.

"Are these… all Players?"

That didn't sound like good news to me. In hindsight, it made so much sense. A popular game would have a lot of Players. But the real question was how many of them were inside the game.

At the back of the room was a computer with a keyboard and big button to the side. I approached it and noticed that the keyboard and button had no labels.

The computer screen displayed numerous names typing the same thing: Praying for you 🕯️ O Great Mita 💝

It felt cult-like. Perhaps, that's exactly what it was – some sort of cult for Mita.

Just when I was thinking that lunatic couldn't get any worse.

Done exploring, I exited the hidden room, only to spot something that definitely wasn't there earlier.

"A ladder? Yeah, this is definitely a trap…"

I climbed the ladder, ending up on the first metallic platform.

Following that, I walked toward the cube I needed to get to earlier, passing by a few cubes on the way.

I reached the cube and hesitated before leaning in to glance inside. The interior was shrouded in darkness, the faintest glimmer of light barely illuminating the center. I squinted, letting my eyes adjust to the gloom, and as clarity settled in, I was struck by an overwhelming sense of horror.

Bile rose in my throat as I took in the grotesque scene. Suspended in the air by chains that dug into the raw stumps where limbs had been severed was what used to be a whole female body. Naked and exposed, the figure's stomach bore a bloody message carved deep into the flesh: SURPRISED?

But what truly froze me was the face – or the absence of one. The patch where a face should have been, was a bloody, raw expanse of exposed flesh. The eyes, horrifyingly intact and exposed, trembled with pain and terror as they locked onto mine.

I knew what I was looking at. But I refused to accept it. I really didn't want to.

This can't be real. Please… no…

Suddenly, a blinding light flooded the cube's interior, illuminating rows of round, gray objects neatly aligned along the walls. Each had a thin thread extending from the top, like deadly ornaments waiting for their moment. The light also revealed a chilling message scrawled in blood on the back wall: BOOM

My stomach dropped. My eyes widened in alarm, and I opened my mouth to shout – but before a sound escaped, a deafening explosion ripped through the air. The blast set off the cube's door, which slammed into me, hurling my body violently off the platform.

Pain erupted throughout my body as I collided with the ground of the bigger platform below, knocking the breath from my lungs. My vision blurred, the sight in front of me a haze of black and red. The cube, now engulfed in flames, spat thick black smoke into the air.

No… No… NO! WHY!? WHY!?

Despite the agony coursing through me, I managed to drag my aching body upright, grimacing at every movement. My throat burned as I called out hoarsely, "Ca-ppie!"

Through the haze, I saw her. She was surrounded, fending off an onslaught of Mita skeleton models with glowing red eyes. They rushed her mercilessly, but she held her ground, wielding her toy hammer as she skillfully fought them off. In one corner, Tiny Mita sat huddled as she observed everything.

Before my mind or the extreme pain that I was feeling could settle, a voice sliced through the mayhem, chilling me to my core.

"Did you like my present?"

The voice was cruel, singsong, and unmistakably Crazy Mita's. I twisted around to see her standing in the distance, flanked by two towering figures. One was strangely obese, his bloated form swaying as he moved, while the other was skeletal and lean, his movements twitchy and erratic.

Players.

Before I could so much utter a single word, she teleported right to me and crouched down before placing her hand against my cheek.

"You should've stayed with me. Those dolls… though now changed are still fakes. Just because you've corrupted them, you think they'll be fine?"

"Cr-azy bi-tch," I cursed at her despite the pain. What the fuck is she even talking about?

One her face, a look that appeared to be a mix of disappointment and fury appeared as her fingers clenched my face.

I was raging inside. There was no redemption for that psychopath. She was too far gone. The problem was that I couldn't do shit, given my physical state.

At that moment, I spotted something small appearing from the edge of the platform and rushing toward us.

Crazy Mita noticed it from my eyes too, as she vigilantly turned around, but it was already too late for her.

The small figure, which was none other than Chibi Mita, was carrying some small syringe(?) that she immediately stabbed Crazy Mita with.

Crazy Mita screamed in agony as she struck away Chibi Mita before she fell on her side and began flailing about.

As confused and surprised as I was, I saw that as an opportunity to finish her off, but my body refused to move.

Come on, fuck, FUCK.

In the distance, the two Players broke into a dash as they rushed toward me with clear intent to murder.

And then it appeared.

From the corner of my eye, a monstrous black figure emerged—a towering behemoth seemingly composed of writhing shadows and grotesque, shifting limbs. Its form glitched unnaturally, as if it defied the very fabric of reality. Protrusions jutted out from its body like small, black shadow tentacles.

Its head was eerily round, featuring an open mouth, hollow nose and two hollow eye sockets glowing with piercing yellow orbs. Those eyes locked onto the Players with a predatory focus.

The Players didn't have a chance to react.

In a blur of unnatural speed, the creature reached them. The obese Player let out a strangled gasp as his entire head was bitten clean off, his body collapsing lifelessly to the ground. The lean Player tried to move, but it was futile – one of the creature's limbs sliced through him like paper, cutting him in half at the waist.

The behemoth didn't stop. Its momentum carried it forward, its massive, writhing body crashing through the platform's edge. With a final, distorted roar, the creature plummeted into the endless white void below.

What… the… fuck?

I looked at where the thing had appeared from, only to spot Tiny Mita, who was now standing with arms extended in front of her.

She? But how? What even…?

My thoughts came to a halt as I noticed Crazy Mita seemingly having recovered a bit as she shakily attempted to get up.

"YOU… EVERYTHING IS RUINED!"

Her voice was malevolent and reeking with fury. She lifted her head to face me before calming down disturbingly quickly as a twisted smile formed on her lips.

"My present," she spoke, "did you like it?"

That was it. The pain in my body be damned, I got up and rushed at her.

At first, I hoped to manifest an axe and cleave her with it, but I couldn't use Vanishing Distortion. So, instead, I once more struck her directly in the face with my fist, leading to sparks being released from my ring as a great force hurled me back.

I couldn't move for a few seconds before I eventually lifted myself off ground to look at her.

The force had been an intense one, as I spotted Crazy Mita lying in front of a bent side-rail of the platform. Half of her face was a mess, revealing a glowing red eye and broken machinery.

Has she fainted?

I tried to get up, but my body once more refused to move.

"Da-mn it…" I cursed with gritted teeth.

To the side, Cappie was seemingly done with the models. She had come out of the battle unscathed, despite the sheer number of them.

"…out!" I heard, causing me to turn my head. Crazy Mita had regained consciousness and was shouting, "COME OUT!"

Then, from seemingly nowhere, a Mita emerged, rising from the sides as though she had been floating in the void before gently settling onto the platform. She wasn't like any of the other Mitas I'd encountered before.

Her white dress flowed unnaturally, and her bare feet made no sound as she landed. A bleak, suffocating aura surrounded her. From where I stood, the details of her face were obscured, but even the faint glimpses I caught told me she was unlike the rest. Something about her felt wrong.

What stood out more than anything was the way she twitched – no, glitching – as her neck snapped from one position to another.

Cappie basically teleported right in front of the creepy Mita and attempted to strike her with her hammer.

However, the creepy Mita's head suddenly elongated at a breakneck speed and struck her from the side, apparently with enough force to knock her away a few meters.

Then, the elongated head turned to observe me, sending chills down my spine.

It then shot out toward me.

Just as the head was about to reach me, a freaking fridge plummeted from above, crashing into the grotesque thing and pinning it to the ground. Relief was short-lived, though, as a chair appeared out of nowhere and slammed into me, pushing me backward. The relentless shove of the chair drove me closer to the platform's edge, and no matter how much I struggled, my body betrayed me, leaving me powerless to stop it.

"Andrei!" I heard a shout, causing me to look over at where Cappie was. She was holding something in her hand and hurled it toward me.

A sensation unlike any other spread within my body as despite the pain and my body's firm refusals, I shot out my arm to grab the object – the bracelet.

The next thing I knew, I was right at the edge of the platform, on the verge of falling off.

My eyes jumped about. Crazy Mita was leaning against the side-rail, her hand pressed against where I had injured her.

The creepy Mita was still awake as she tried to get her head out from under the fridge.

Tiny Mita was huddled in the corner once again, holding Chibi Mita with her arm.

Cappie was preparing to rush at the enemies.

And lastly… to the left, I saw an entourage of Mita arrive, lead by none other than Shortie. The sight burned itself into my memory as I fell into the white void below.

Time passed as my descent tore through the cold, white void.

Memories of what had happened up there played through my mind vividly. I felt severe loss, pain, and anger. Everything had gone to shit, and I was all by myself.

That was the moment I heard an unclear voice inside my head, "Andrei."

That voice… no… but I just saw her die.

And then I realized what was happening.

My eyes drifted to the bracelet I was clutching hard. Tears welled up in them as a smile made its way to my lips.

She isn't gone. She's with me… She's with me…