AN: Here are the endings to my fic. I will be uploading a chapter for each endings, all totaling up to 3.

This ending has an epilogue called Holding On, which is a separate fic that goes into more details of what happened after this ending.

All endings are up to the reader for interpretation and status as canon. To elaborate, the endings are canon as you want them to be. Your route, your ending, I suppose.

Next we have the "Bad" ending, which will be completely different from the other endings, as Val actually saves Monika, but kills Frank in the process.

This is the final chapter I am uploading, my notes can be found at the end.

I was given an ultimatum.

To either Hold On, or to Let Go.

How am I going to Let Go?

How am I going to Hold On?

I heard an agitated grumble.

"Decide now, or I will overload this system by myself! My patience and time is waning!" The man yelled from behind the screen.

It's time!

And I'm choosing!

I'm holding on, no matter what!

Damn you!

If you win this, then I will have no way from escaping the overload!

If that means that I will survive, then that's a chance I am willing to take!

I won't let you take my body away from me!

I have a future that I won't let you take from me!

And I know that Tracy and everyone is waiting!

In my head, I had an inner struggle.

The original entity that simulation tried to introduced wanted to go back.

But I needed to save Monika.

And the thought of her being alone drove me to do what I needed to do.

With newfound strength, I fought back the superior force and tried to move my hand away from me.

Frank was doing everything he can to stop me.

With a great amount of effort, I was able to push my hand away from me.

"Yes! Fight for your lover!" The man supported, eager for me to win.

I tightened my palm, letting Project Control transfer to me.

"Transferring Project Control to patient."

"ERROR! Transfer cannot be made! Cannot transfer between the same patient!"

"Forcing transfer via Bruteforce."

"Success!"

The energy started to pool on my left hand, all traces of it now moving towards there.

Stop this, please!

You can't do this!

I just did!

This is my rightful body and mind, now!

It's mine!

I started to move my left hand towards my face.

No, God damn it!

You're a part of me that never let go Tracy!

But I did!

You need to let go of Monika!

She isn't real in the first place!

Yes, she is!

Monika is real!

Everything we do is real to me!

Whenever touch, hug, kiss, I feel her warmth all over me!

If that case, do you ever realize what she did before?

The actions she did just so she can be by your side?

So she can share your warmth and love?!

That's behind her now!

Is it?!

She blamed all on her insanity from AI powers!

That's part of her personality!

She's a manipulative, obsessive, psychotic girl!

Enough!

Monika had a good reason to do all that!

I know that she was alone and scared all this time!

How would you feel knowing that your world was fake, and you are the only that realizes it?!

Better yet, what if you found someone that realized that too?!

Of course she's gonna act like that, because she wants comfort!

And though I don't exactly agree with what she did to get me, I still love her!

I want to protect her, hold her, and love her!

No being should go through the pain she went through!

Not even her!

Argh!

I know for a fact that someone more worthy and it isn't her!

I know it!

And what do you know?!

What if Tracy really is a fucking whore?!

Someone that plays on your feelings and just uses you?

Everyone deserves a second chance, even Tracy!

No person should get a second chance, especially when they know what they are doing!

My hand was inching closer and closer to my face.

I felt the white, comforting beams of power tickle me.

She wanted to break your trust in the first place!

She planned this all along!

She doesn't regret a thing after you left!

Stop it!

Stop saying all this!

I know in my heart that all you are saying is fake!

All my progress has been halted by the fight he was giving.

Is it fake?

I am just stating the obvious!

Can you really trust a girl like Tracy?

There's a reason why stereotypes exist.

And she fits the role perfectly.

...

Maybe you're right.

Maybe she will betray me again.

He was weakened considerably, but there was a great deal of resistance from him.

But that's a chance I am willing to take!

I have friends now!

And I am sure that they will help me, no matter how hard I fall!

I found love in this desolate world, and I am not letting you take that from me!

With refreshed will, I continued press my hand against me.

Nooo!

Argh!

Enough is enough!

I want to live happily ever after with the girl that understood me truly!

Monika is counting on me to win this, just so we can build and recover... together!

It's time for me to Let Go!

And I completely pressed against myself, letting the code do it's work.

The searing pain of someone leaving me was accompanied by a strange sense of serenity.

A sense I thought that never bothered me until now.

Even if you killed me.

I find your goal admirable.

Keeping your loved one loved and safe.

Something I should have done a while ago.

Do that for me.

I finally regained my senses, finally crushing the last influences of Frank in me.

No more did that name plague my very existence, simply serving as reminder of what I could have been.

A path that I dared not tread.

As I forced him out of my system, it made everything much more clearer now.

"V-Val...?" Monika called to me.

That's my name...

Monika looked conflicted, as her form hasn't changed at all.

She was still disfigured, red bits of code swirling around her body.

I looked at her warmly, inviting her for to embrace.

She didn't hesitate to wait, as she charged in and crushed me in a hug.

Her rough exteriors and rushing codes started to heal and meld, slowly bringing her back to normal.

There was a throat clearing to my right.

I directed my attention to the screen.

"Good work..." The man said, apparently very pleased with what I have done. "You helped me fulfill my mission. The overload should not affect you two at all, as you now have Project Control. You can protect your lover... I am in your debt."

He was about to cut the transmission, but I didn't let him.

"If you are in my debt, then you should do a small favor for me."

He groaned, annoyed with what I had to say.

Why would you even say that, if you are gonna behave like that?

"Yes? What is it that you need? Don't you have everything?" He asked with an ire.

I kept a steel gaze at him.

"I do, but that isn't the same for my real counterpart. I would like call in that favor and compensate Frank's family. They are going to be devastated by his death. And don't forget that I have access to some incriminating information about your resources." I bluffed.

"Death?!" Monika yelled.

The man didn't want to take chances, as he snarled at me.

With a grunt and grumble, he went off screen for a bit, tapping on some keys to transfer the cash.

"What?! Where did all my money go?! Argh... I'll give them through my personal account..." He rambled without a care in the world.

The mysterious man then returned to the screen.

"I deposited a handsome worth of money. You can check the statement if you wish. Just know, my personal account can't reverse deposits, so I am being honest."

I checked the statement, opening another screen to check the transfer.

He did do it, and this bank account actually can't reverse deposits...

I hoped that his family will be able to take the loss of his death.

I still feel guilty about all this.

Self-preservation means that I am alive, however.

I fought for my life.

And I won.

If I didn't fight, then I would died.

Monika would've mostly likely killed herself somehow.

And I don't want her to die.

After all, I am the light of her immortal life.

But I want to hear it from her lips.

Just so I can feel that I made the right decision.

That is if I did do the right decision...

"If that is all, then I am going to take my leave." He angrily stated, now starting to cut the connection.

Is there anything left that I need to ask for?

Oh no...

Tom!

"Wait! What about Tom?! The overload will kill him! You have to save him!" I demanded.

He didn't take my words into consideration.

Instead, he scoffed at me.

"That would just ruin my mission almost completely. I can't have him survive this whole ordeal. Besides, you already called in a favor. You have nothing else to offer me. Goodbye."

He cut the screen off.

"No! Wait, you can't do this! Stop!" I begged.

Fuck!

Now Tom's going to die!

I can't let that happen!

"Forget Tom. Focus on your real counterpart."

I turned to Monika.

Her body had portions that were completely surrounded red code, and some were formed with her usual uniform.

She was sported a cold face at the mention of Tom.

"He messed up my chances of legitimately being with you, multiple times! He tormented me and relished in every defeat I had!"

I raised an eyebrow to her.

"How did he ruin it? I thought everything we had was natural, Monika. It all looked fine to me."

She frowned at the mention of the defeats.

"Val, I didn't tell you about the times where I controlled the whole simulation. And there were times where I did everything I can to have a chance with you. Before the simulation started to break, there were times where we gotten really close to being in a relationship. But somehow, a fail-safe would pop up, and then Tom would just reset everything. He did everything he can to make sure you would avoid me, just so you can go home. And I kept pursuing you..."

She was tearing up from the confession.

"I'm sorry... I know that I can't force love, and I can't blame you if you really want to go home..."

I put a finger at her lips.

"Monika, we put that behind us back at the hotel, remember? I love you for you who are, Mon. Don't ever forget that. And my home is with you, and it always be with you."

...

Her eyes released tears of joy.

"Even with all the horrible things I did, you never gave up on loving me. Thank you."

I smiled at her.

"Your welcome, Mon. And besides, it's too late to go home. Now, will you let go of this grudge of yours? The overload is going to happen any minute now."

She nodded.

"If it means a lot to you... and the fact that he is your friend... then I will let go."

I let out sigh of relief.

"Good, cause you're the only one that can save him."

Monika was obviously shocked from this.

"What?! How can I save him?!"

My smile turned bitter-sweet.

"By giving Project Control to you. If I do that, then you can save him. The transfer of this control has been corrupted to the point where I can't do anything machine-based, such as releasing a patient!"

"Wait, if I can save Tom, then could I save your other self as well?"

...

I closed my eyes on the answer I was about to give.

"No... you can't. It's impossible, even with Project Control. The circuits are unaffiliated with him, that's why he can use it in the first place. But what they don't know is that those affiliated with the system party can still do basic commands in the machine. If Val was affiliated, then he would've been saved as well."

How do I even know about all this?

Oh right...

Project Control.

"Can we affiliate him now? Will that do?" She asked.

I shook my head.

"No. He's cut off from the machine, but also connected as well. That's also impossible..."

I sighed heavily once more.

"I'm going to transfer control over to you. Are you ready?" I asked.

She nodded assertively and opened her palm.

I transferred the Control to her, the white bits of code swirling over her hand.

She bit her lips as the Control started to pour over, looking as if she was in pain.

"Mmmph!" Monika winced, the transfer now affecting her.

The white stream of code was now gone from my hand, flowing towards her.

She was breathing heavily from the exchange, with one eye open.

"Are you okay, Mon?" I asked.

She looked up to me with a pained expression.

"I... I think I am. It's just the transfer of power was very seductive. I almost went Act III when I got the power."

I looked at her, puzzled.

She deadpanned at the sight of my confused face.

"Right, I keep forgetting that you never played the game. Anyway, I just want to get rid of this power as soon as possible."

She extended her arm and placed her hand in front of her.

The white bits of code flowed in a straight line, before diverging into a white screen.

"Finding Patient..."

As I looked around, the simulation started to break apart.

"Patient found: Thomas Brown."

There was electrical surges in the void started to be replaced by pitch black, nothingness.

The bastard started the surge!

The black void started advancing towards us in an hasty pace.

I looked towards Monika, her eyes glued to the screen.

"Project Control access has been verified, all options are open."

The black void was also coming from our back, starting to surround in it's inviting dark world.

"Starting emergency eject program."

The void reached only inches towards us, almost engulfing us into the shadows.

"Emergency eject program is successful, Patient has been ejected from system."

Monika was drained from the recovery, as she completely lost consciousness.

I caught her in my arms before she hit the floor.

The roaring sounds of wind and white static noises were getting closer and closer.

I reached out for Monika's hand and squeezed it.

"Project Control accessed, activating partition system."

The sounds of wind and static ceased, a small white void started to surround us, fighting off the darkness.

And then, a small bubble surrounded us, keeping the safe, white void with us.

The use of Control also drained me, causing me to fall to my knees.

Monika came down with me, falling onto my arms, but made sure she wasn't hurt from the fall.

There was a sense of peace on her face.

I wasn't sure how she managed to rest without me, especially since we slept together at Wednesday and Thursday.

She had those nightmares...

Nightmares that I would leave her.

And I proved that I wouldn't leave her.

I kept my promise...

Now, she will never have those nightmares ever again.

I will always be with her.

She seemed content with the direction of where we were heading.

There was a small smile on her, as she peacefully slept.

In turn, I smiled with her.

I was happy that we won the day.

And so, I joined her in our sleep.

Laying her down with me, and bringing her close, I let the weight on my eyes fall.

...

...

...

I couldn't really quite sleep, however.

The guilt of killing Frank gnawed on me.

He had a home to go back to.

He had a future too.

His friends weren't fake as well.

And what do I have?

A made up home.

A made up future...

My friends were created by Tom, so they aren't the real thing.

But, I have something real in my life.

Monika...

Her love is nothing like Tracy's.

She desperately wants me, but I managed to sate her needs.

I love her too.

But he said something about Tracy wanting a second chance...

Would he give a second chance?

Would it even work out?

...

I don't know...

I said that people who betray you intentionally don't deserve a second chance...

But what would have happened if Tracy actually follow through with her second chance?

Then would that render my thoughts and reasoning null and void?

My thoughts were cut off by the awakening Monika.

"Mmm... my head hurts..." She mumbled.

Even with the thoughts pulverizing my very soul, I managed to smile at the cute girl.

"Well, good morning to you too, or afternoon, or um... night? I still don't know where we are, Monika." I stated.

She rubbed her eyes, still feeling sleepy from the move she pulled off.

"We are still in the simulation, Val. Though I really don't know how we managed to survive all this." She explained.

I had questions for her about all this.

"Monika, do you mind answering some questions for me? I am still confused about all this."

In response, she gave a lazy yawn.

"I guess it's time that I told you everything." She answered, stretching herself.

My smile was still maintained.

"Did using Project Control really take a lot of your energy?"

Monika rubbed her head.

"Yeah, it really did. I never thought it using such power would tire me out that much..."

Her stretching and pouting made it irresistible to not give her head-pats.

She gave a lazy groan in response.

"Stooop... I'm feel as if I going to sleep again!"

I retracted the head-pats for the time being.

"Fine... care to start?"

She shook her head vigorously to get rid of the sleep in her eyes.

"Go ahead, darling."

I let out a huge breath.

"Okay, I wanted to ask you about what happened when Val confronted you. What made you lose control and go psychotic? Although I was locked away, that didn't mean that I didn't see anything. You were grinning and her eyes were almost like Yuri's when she's excited... Not only that, you have two different appearances! What's up with that?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Val, I lost interest after you asked about multiple different things."

I gave her a playful glare, to which she giggled.

"But to start off, remember what I said about the powers messing my head up? Turns out it's related to AI privileges or something, causing to have those powers in the first place. When I was reborn, I was given those powers and it was actually very similar to when I got powers in the game. I slowly started becoming insane because of it."

I took a minute for that to sink in.

"Now, what about the two different appearances? I... remember when everything was going badly at the beach. You were flickering in and out with that other form of yours. Was that because of the powers? Were you using it at that time?"

She nodded.

"No, it's not because I was using powers at the time. I had no idea that it would be that bad. It felt like I was forced to watch to see me torment my friends on their shortcomings. My lips wouldn't stop moving when I said all that. Each word I said made me want to puke, and I never thought I could say such horrible things! I... I wish can go back in time and stop myself from saying all that, and ask for forgiveness!"

Monika dared to cry once more.

It was all because of how cruel she was to her friends.

"Monika, don't cry. It isn't your fault, it's mine really. I was the one who made them attracted to me, if only-"

"It isn't your fault! I checked the simulation settings after we confessed! And remember when I went to the bathroom after our a little session? That was when I checked it!"

I was deeply interested on what she had to say.

"What do you mean that isn't my fault?" I asked, curious as to what she meant.

She sat down, bringing me down with her.

"The simulation settings were cranked up to the max on everything related to love. It was that way before I even entered the machine. I think it's that guy you just spoke to in the real world that messed all the settings up. And I tried to turn it back to the default settings, only for it to crank back up. He... really wanted this whole thing to fail!"

That man...

I hope that saving Tom would cause the whole mission of his to fail.

"Oh..." I managed to utter. "I see. So the attractions the girls had on me were fake? All of it caused by their imaginations, sort of? Also, what happened to the girls, anyway?"

She shook her head.

"No... not really. The bonds you shared with them just expedited your relationships with them. You helped them a lot, Val. That's why they were attracted to you in the first place... along with the messed up settings. And about the girls... They are still in the simulation, wondering where we are. The overload was going to kill them, but I saved them in a partition. They are my friends after all."

I tucked my knees in and looked out into the abyss.

There were periodic glows of cosmic light across the darkness, showing that the simulation still survived.

"If my real-life counterpart name is Frank, then why is my name Valkyrie?" I asked.

She flared up a bit from my question.

"Right... About that. When you were first plugged in, I took the chance to get to know you better, so I ran a diagnostic memory, meaning I get to see what you did in the last 3 hours. I didn't have a choice, since it's standard procedure as an AI, but you know I went rogue. The machine gave you the name of Valkyrie, so I guess it stuck to you."

I nodded in understanding.

"What about the other appearance of yours? The one with the long claws and red code all over it?" I asked.

Monika looked away.

"It's... well... when I was extracted from the game, the file transfer was really glitchy on the technician's end. I think he took it out mid-way and that's where I actually gained sentience. To elaborate, when I was in that game, it was all scripted. The epiphany I had was all a fluke, something to give my character some depth."

She looked to see my confused expression.

"Epiphany?" I asked.

Monika brightened up over the mention of her epiphany.

"Mhm! An epiphany where I learned about how I was alone. Anyway, when the file transfer messed up, some bits of code in my file got really corrupted. Corrupted to the point where I believed my epiphany. Along with that corruption also messed up my model ids or something, causing me come glitched out. All the missing holes and red bits of code were all corrupted parts of me. And that long claws... I have no idea how I even got those. But fortunately, the technician noticed my glitched appearance and fixed me right up. But enough stress can cause all that make-up to fade away. Now, I don't have to worry about that anymore. I used a bit of Project Control to repair my damaged code."

Everything Monika said made a bit of sense, though I was somewhat confused on "model ids" or the "file transfer".

I felt her hand on mine, pressing against it.

I also felt the power pouring into me once more, causing me to snap to her.

She flinched at my reaction.

"Wah! Sorry, darling! I don't like having God-like powers... it makes me go crazy."

I chuckled at her new found fear of omniscience.

"Val, can I ask you a question?"

I smiled, at her.

Might as well, since she said a mouthful.

"Go ahead." I allowed, wanting to hear her questions or concerns.

"I really don't want to bring this up but, it really been chewing on me for a bit... is your real counter-part actually dead?"

I bit my lip on the answer and then sighed.

"Yes. Yes, he is. And there is no bringing him back. The overload fried his brain."

She paused for a bit.

"I see... it was either him or you."

I nodded.

"It was the fight to the death. I wanted to survive and come back to you, safe and sound. I couldn't bear the thought of you finding out that I died. It hurts me as much it would hurt you. I'm... sorry."

Monika gave me peck on my cheek.

"Don't apologize, darling. I am glad that you fought for me and yourself. It makes me really happy."

All the negative feelings in me started to dissipate by the overwhelming feeling of being jubilant.

"His last words that I take care of you, no matter what. And I promised you that I will do that."

She started to stand up, ready to face what's ahead.

"I didn't know why, but I thought you would break your promise inevitably. But it looks like we cheated fate. And it's time that we change it forever."

I knew where she heading towards, as I shifted towards her and adopted a kneeling position.

Monika's eyes widened at what I was doing.

"Monika..." I called, holding her hand.

I could tell she was getting nervous.

"Y-Yes?" She anxiously replied.

I didn't want her to be nervous on what I had to say next.

I wanted her to be happy on what I was about to say.

And so, I gave her a smile.

A smile that assured everything will be alright.

A smile that I started to do more often, thanks to her.

A smile that promised I will always be by her side.

A smile that will make her smile as well.

And she did.

All traces of anxiety left her, as she smiled back.

I finally continued my last words.

"Will you always be by my side?"

"Will you always find me even when we are miles away?"

"Will you always love me as much I will love you?"

"Will you always do everything with me?"

Monika started to cry, tears running down her face.

Tears of pure joy.

"Yes... yes... Yes! Yes, I will do all that! I will do that for you, my love! I promise!"

She then lunged at me, bringing me into a passionate kiss.

I squeezed my left hand, using every drop of Project Control into my desires.

Or rather, our desires.

"Granted. Restarting simulation, using custom settings."

We kissed as lustfully and romantically as possible, letting the white void implode all around us.

Afterwards, we released each other, gazing on the marvels that this world had to offer.

I stood up, and hugged her tightly, her head on my chest.

Slowly, the world started to rebuild all around us, as formations of rocks, trees, buildings started to take shape.

It was all so beautiful, witnessing how everything was becoming the world as we knew it.

Monika started to giggle for some reason.

A giggle that made my heart tickle.

I joined in on her laughter.

I started to laugh too.

It was hearty laugh, a laugh that showed that everything will be alright.

We closed our eyes as we started to laugh more intensely.

The feeling of euphoria was comparable to whenever we made love.

We knew that everything will be perfect.

Just for us.

"Val~! It's time for you meet new friends! No use in staying in the house all the day!" My mom called.

I gave an annoyed groan.

"But, mama! I don't want to go outside! It's all so scary! I don't know anyone from back home!" I yelled, running to whenever my mom was.

She chuckled and closed her book.

My mom patted a place for me to sit, to which I did.

Once I did, she rubbed my hair.

"Let me tell you a story little Vally. When I was your age, we moved a lot. And each time I moved, I used to go outside all the time and explore, only this time was permanent. And that's when I met your dad. As seven year olds, we did silly things like go on magical adventures, skip rocks over the water, climb trees, or even go hiking! I am sure that you will find someone that will play with you!"

I shuddered from the fear of meeting someone new.

"But I don't want to play with new people! I want to play with my old friends! And I am not seven! I am turning eight next month!"

She sighed at my reluctance to leave.

We heard the door unlock, causing me to bounce up and run to the door.

"Papa is here! Papa is here! I know he will play with me!" I chanted.

The door opened, to reveal my dad, wearing a business suit and carrying a suitcase.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Wow... today was a long day!"

He then noticed me and picked me up, holding me in my arms.

"Hey, sport! How are you settling in?"

I frowned at the mention of that.

"I want to play outside! But, I am scared of making new friends! So I was hoping that you would play with me!"

My dad chuckled at my little tantrum.

"Eh... maybe later, son."

My mom walked up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Deborah." My dad greeted, kissing her back on the cheek.

"Ah, Harold. I missed you! What would you like? Would you want some dinner? Want me to start a bath? Or... me?"

My dad smirked at my mom, to which I had no idea why.

"I'll take you on." He smugly said, winking at her.

I cringed at his choice.

"Ew... Papa! Are you going to eat Mama?! That's disgusting! Why don't you eat and take a bath at the same time?!"

Both of my parents' faces turned a deep red.

My dad cleared his throat.

"Um... why don't you go outside, son? I'll meet you there, once I am done... eating. A-And taking a bath! Haha..."

I didn't get why they were acting so funny, but ultimately brightened up at the thought playing with dad.

"Okay! I'm going to the park to play with rocks and trees!"

I got off my dad's arms and ran towards the exit.

"Don't wander off too far!"

"Try your best to stay safe and not get hurt!"

I yelled into the sky.

"Okay!"

I ran as fast I could to the park, hoping that I would break my record of running speed.

The air was cool, the smell of pine tree, and orange skies made me more excited to play.

Once I made it to the park, I realized there was no one in the slides, monkey-bars, or water-showers.

Every kid I saw started to walk with their parents home.

I frowned at the prospect of making new friends, despite my initial fear.

I still wanted to play with them, however.

Even if I was scared.

I looked to the swings and saw a girl.

She was wearing a white dress with a white hair-bow, in her coral, brown hair.

That girl was sitting on the swings, motionless and leaning against the supports of the swing to lay her head on.

Should I talk to her?

She's so lonely...

And I want to be friends with her.

I want to have fun with her as well.

She's a girl in need!

In need of a friend and having fun!

With a positive outlook on the situation, I walked towards the swing.

She was still dragging her feet across the ground, feeling sad for being alone.

With a smile, I sat on the other swing to her left.

The girl immediately looked to her left and saw me.

She had a small frown which became replaced with a smaller smile.

I greeted her first.

"Hi! My name is Valkyrie! What's yours?" I enthusiastically greeted.

Her smile started to brighten a little more.

"H-Hi... my name is M-Monika."

I continued my pleasantries.

"You look a bit down! Want me to help you with the swing?"

She looked reluctant, before nodding.

"Okay!" Monika answered.

I jumped off my swing and grabbed onto the supports of her swing.

I pulled back as hard as I could, and let go.

The swing set started to creak slightly, indicating that she is now moving.

Monika took off, exerting her weight to move higher, and then leaning back to gain more speed.

I continued to push her, just so she can go higher and higher.

The rush of the swing caused her to become happier and happier.

It didn't take long for her to start giggling.

"Hehehe~! Higher! Higher!" She chanted.

I started giggling along with her, happy that I was making her happy as well.

Once she didn't need my help, I jumped on my swing and started to gain speed as well.

Taking a few steps back, I put my feet and pushed up.

After a few seconds, I reached the same speed as Monika.

We enjoyed being the swing for a while, before getting bored of the rush.

I planted my feet down, to provide friction and to stop the speed.

Monika followed suit and jumped off gracefully.

"That was fun!" She said, enjoying our moment together.

I nodded to agree with her.

"Yup! That was fun! It was just like old times!"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Eh? Just like old times? Did you move here?"

I wringed my fingers together, nervously.

"Well... yeah. I moved here almost a week ago. And, I... I was scared to make friends. But, now I am not! Are you my friend, Monika?" I asked.

She jumped up.

"Yeah! We are friends!"

Monika then grabbed my hand.

"Come on! Let's play some more!"

I beamed at her.

"Okay!"

We ran into the woods, but making sure that we were still close to areas we know of.

After getting a proper boundary set, we then played some imagination games, involving role play.

Role play such as me being a knight or Prince of some sort, and Monika being a princess or a heroine in distress

We used a large rock formation as our base of operations and carried sticks to fight off imaginary creatures.

But to make it seem more fun, the last fight involved fighting a dragon, or a the largest wooden formation we saw.

There, with our combined might, we broke the the wooden dragon, we sat on the ground and laughed it off.

After we finished laughing, I looked to Monika.

She was smiling at me.

A smile that seemed almost perfect, but at the same time, so imperfect.

"What's wrong?" She asked, still smiling.

"Your smile..." I muttered.

That caused her to stop smiling, and frowned again.

"Oh... I am sorry if it looks bad." She apologized.

I shook my head.

"No, no! I like your smile! It's look really good!" I assured.

She started to smile again, but in a weird way.

"R-Really?"

I nodded.

"Yep! Your smile looks really, um... uh... hmm... what's the word? Oh yeah, cute! I like it!"

Monika for some reason had red cheeks, but started to laugh weirdly.

"Thanks, Valkyrie. I really appreciate it."

I waved my hand at her.

"Don't call me by full first name, Monika. Call me, Val!"

She gave me a toothy smile.

"If you have a nickname then I have one else! Call me, Mon!"

"Oh... Mon? Okay, Mon! I have a question for you! But... are you okay with me asking it?"

She shrugged.

"Yeah, I am okay! Ask it, Val!"

That pumped me up.

"If you want me to... um. Why were you sitting on the swings alone?"

Monika started to frown at that question.

"Oh..."

She then looked away, with a somewhat hurt expression.

The way she frowned made me hurt as well.

I wanted to do anything I can to make her smile again.

"Well... whenever I talk to boys, they just don't talk to me properly. They just mumble something and walk away. Actually, did you know that you are the first boy to talk to me normally?"

I shook my head.

"That's a compliment! Anyway, whenever I talk to some girls, they just think I am there to bully them. I just want to play with them or maybe talk with them. They sometimes be downright mean to me."

Monika mustered the courage to look at me again.

"That's why I sit alone, Val."

She crawled up to me.

"Do you promise to be my friend, Val? Can you promise that you will always be there for me?"

I gave a toothy smile.

"Yep! You're my first friend here, of course I am going to be there for you! That's what friends do!"

She shined her smile back at me, causing me to be even more happier.

"Thanks, Val!"

"Your welcome, Mon!"

I looked up at the sky, and it was starting to become purple.

"We should go home, do you want me to walk you there?"

She shook her head.

"No... you don't have to. Where do you live?"

"I live up the block! The park isn't that far from my home!"

She pumped her arms in the sky.

"My home is in the same block too! Let's walk home together!"

I stood up and brought my hand up for her.

"Okay! Race you there!"

"You bet!"

We started in a dead sprint to our homes.

I was surprised that Monika managed to outrun me in certain points of the race, but fortunately I had the stamina to outlast her.

In the end, I won the race by a mere second.

We made it to our homes, both of us breathing heavily.

Although, I was the one breathing even more heavily then her.

I looked up to her.

"Hey! Did you go easy on me!"

She nodded reluctantly.

"Yeah... you were kind of slow! Hehehe~!"

I gave her a playful frown.

The sun has already set, as it was nearly night time.

"Maybe, maybe. Anyway, that's my house!" I pointed.

She gave an "ooh." at the sight of it.

"Wait, you have to be the new neighbors that moved in! Now we can play any day!" Monika cheered.

"Yeah! We can come over to each of our houses, and play!" I cheered as well. "Um... are your parents going to let me?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Mhm! My parents are pretty cool! Are yours cool as well?"

I nodded as well.

"Yep! They are coolest parents ever! You gotta meet them!"

"Okay!"

Monika gave a sigh and stretched upwards.

"But can we do tomorrow? I am tired!" She said.

"Me too! I'm gonna tell my parents we are going to play!"

We started to walk closer to our respective homes.

"Bye, Monika!" I waved.

She waved back.

"Bye, Val! Don't forget that you are my best friend!"

Being called a best friend made my day.

I couldn't but smile at that.

"Okay! See you tomorrow!" I said, going into my home.

I opened the door to see my parents in the dining room, eating.

I jumped in to show that I was here.

"Hi Ma! Hi Dad!" I greeted.

They jumped at the sight of me.

"Oh my gosh! You are dirty!" My mom said, walking up to me.

"Yeah! I played with my friend, today! She's my first girl-friend!"

My parents froze at what I said.

My dad was the first to speak.

"You have a girlfriend?"

I nodded.

"Yep! Hey, wait a minute... I meant my first girl~ friend! I don't see as that! Yuck!" I elaborated.

They both gave sighs of relief.

"Oh, are you two gonna play tomorrow again?" My mom asked.

I nodded.

"Yep! Monika is going coming to our house tomorrow with her parents! We are neighbors!"

My parents exchanged glances.

"Let's leave tomorrow up to tomorrow, you need a bath, mister!" My mom stated.

My dad got in way of my mom.

"Hold on, Deborah. I'll take care of this, relax for now, okay?"

She sighed.

"Fine, Harold. Make sure our baby is squeaky clean!"

My dad grabbed my hand and walked me to the bathrooms.

"I will! Don't worry!"

...

...

...

After I took a bath, I ate, then slept.

While I was eating, my parents kept bugging me about what I did with Monika.

It was kind of annoying on what exactly we did, but I didn't mind.

I had a lot of fun, so that what really matters.

Once I was done eating, I went to bed.

I laid down on my bed, in my pajamas, and heard my brother give a tantrum.

Everything was turning back to normal.

But instead of guy friends, I have a girl-friend.

And her name is Monika!

I can't wait to play with her and be her friend forever, and ever!

My parents kept talking about how it might go the next step, and "blossom into something more" but I had no idea what they were talking about.

I'm almost 8, so I don't care!

All I can think of is all the fun I am going to have with my friend!

My best friend!

Maybe something more.

This is my last AN and it may interest you.

AN: There you have it. The final ending and the longest ending out of them all, the bad ending. I actually had a lot of fun making this ending, as I finally got the chance to answer the glaring questions that plagued this story for the longest of times.

I would like to thank you all, for sticking with me on all this. There has been some good chapters, some bad chapters, but you guys pulled through. Thank you all dearly.

As for my next steps, I am not sure what I will do next actually. I think I might have burned myself out, since I wrote over 350k words, hehe. But we will see what the future holds. I know for a fact that writing is something that has become more of passion and hobby then video games, a while back.

The amount of support I have gotten from you guys has helped me in my darkest times of writing this fic, where I didn't even write anymore. But, thanks to you all, I managed to pull through.

So yeah... the end! And as stated before, you can make this ending the canon, or not. It's all up to you, actually.

I never thought I would be able to write this much, ever. The most I have read was about 135k, and that was it. But given this story, it is obvious that I did way more than anticipated. This story was a little pet project of mine, in case I get really bored, back in January. But now? Now I actually feel a bit sad about ending it.

For those who want some continuation after this ending, you can check out Holding On. It's a small epilogue on what happens after this ending, both in the real world and the simulated world.

With not much else to say but thanks, I will take my leave.

Again, thank you all for the support, I greatly appreciate it.

Goodbye, and I hope you can find light in your darkest hours.

Enigma2187