Jordan stood on top of the edge of the apartment roof. The wind blew against his skin, giving him goosebumps. He crept his smile as he tried not to let it fall from his face despite the weather. All was going according to his plan, and soon he'll finally get his vengeance on that man.

Footsteps got louder as the noise approached the door and it slammed open, with a figure stepping out of the room. "I'm here." Another male voice spoke up. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Well, well, well." Jordan turned to face the figure. "I didn't think you'd show up, Stanley."

A vein bulged on Stanley's head as he inhaled and exhaled to calm himself down before continuing. "With a threat like that? How could I ignore it?"

"Then you know why you're here."

"Yeah, it's about time we settle this once and for all." Stanley pointed out. "When Hilary finds out about—"

"I don't believe she trusts you anymore." Jordan interrupted with a smug grin.

"What do you mean—?"

"Why don't I give you all the details?"

"Wait, stop!" Hilary thundered as she stormed through the door, causing the two to turn to face her. "What's going on here? What are you two doing?" She pointed.

"Oh, you're just in time, Hilary," Jordan spoke up. "I was just about to bring an end to your suffering by putting a stop to—"

"No way." Stanley interrupted. "I'm going to be the one to end this cycle by putting a stop to you."

"Knock it off!" Hilary retorted. "Fighting like this won't solve anything or make this better." She reminded them. "You're only making things worse."

"But we're in this situation because of this monster." Stanley pointed out. "We need to get rid of him now!"

Jordan chuckled and lowered his head. "Not if I get rid of you first." The other two turned to face him as he raised his head, eyes bloodshot. "You know what? Forget what Melody said; I don't care anymore. The only way for me to truly succeed is if I murder you myself!" A grin spread across his face.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Stanley and Hilary's hearts pounded as the back of their necks sweat profusely. "Didn't you try to do something like that already...?" Stanley murmured.

"That was just a fluke," Jordan remarked. "And Hilary would've been sad and all alone if your stupid plan had worked back there." He looked down at his hands. "Thankfully, I've been given another chance to redeem myself." He glanced back at Stanley. "This time, I will be the original, once I rid you out of the picture. Nana will be so proud when I kill you slowly and painfully! Hilary will be my one and only—"

"Oh, come on." Stanley interrupted with a scoff. "Who believes what you're saying? That's bull—"

"Will you knock it off?" Hilary interjected. The two had stopped fighting and glanced at Hilary. She breathed in and out to calm down as the atmosphere got ambient and quiet again. "The one responsible for this isn't either of you, so stop fighting."

"What?" Stanley and Jordan exclaimed. "But if it's not him, then who could it be?" They pointed at one another, questioning.

"Then again, you're not even real, are you?" Hilary asked Jordan. "You know that, don't you?"

"W—What do you mean?" Jordan inquired, stammering.

"I read it in my diary," Hilary explained, taking out her book. "When I looked back on some of the earlier pages, they showed how I met a guy in the market who was new and had blue eyes. A couple of pages later mention another recent worker who looked like him, but with red eyes."

"No..." Jordan whispered, shaking his head in denial.

"Not to mention there's this part where a person named Melody would sometimes show up from time to time, almost as much as you, Jordan." Hilary continued while scrolling through the pages. She looked up to face Jordan in the eyes. "And the strange townspeople I ran into earlier had called her 'Master' for some reason. Is something wrong?"

Stanley's mouth gaped upon hearing this. "Could that mean Jordan is a pawn for...?"

"No, it can't be. That's not true!" Jordan thundered, taking a step back. "You're lying, I can't- you're not—"

Hilary raised her hand. "Wait, where are you going? Don't go stepping away like that!" Jordan's foot nearly slipped off the roof. Hilary ran over to push him back onto the roof, but in the process, her body slipped and fell off the building.

"HILARY NO!" Stanley and Jordan yelled out. They rushed over and jumped off the building without a second thought. Even when falling, they both still reached their hands to grab Hilary.

The magenta hat and book flew off and landed on the roof where it laid still. A shadow walked up to the items and picked them up. The figure looked down and sighed.

"How miserable you all look from up here," Melody muttered under her breath. "Thought you'd learn by now, you flew too close to the sun, and now look what you've become." She dug her hands deep into her coat pockets. "I guess I have no choice. If only you knew how I felt."