Stupid game

Note: the counting of deaths was added in the remake. It's not a mistake. This element was added to make the regressions more obvious.

"Wednesday? What a peculiar name—"

Thump.

A head fell to the ground, cleaved by an unnatural dark energy.

"Wednesday...?"

Morticia stared at her daughter, dumbfounded.

Wednesday's eyes remained cold as she watched the figure before her die.

[3 Years Later]

"Ruwaarr!!"

A grotesque humanoid burst from its confinement.

BAM!

The room shattered under the creature's fury.

"..."

Wednesday observed with an unflinching gaze.

Dark energy enveloped her head.

Crack.

And with it, her own life was extinguished.

[Attempts: 1290/∞]

*

"Our students..."

The principal's body suddenly became a deep crimson red.

Dark energy enveloped the figure, distorting limbs in all directions.

Crack! Crack!

The shape became unrecognizable.

"Oh my—"

The students watched in stunned silence.

The floor quaked violently.

TRUNK!!

The ground split, revealing a gaping crack.

"What? What is that?!"

"Ha!!! What is this thing!?"

"Help! My leg—"

Dark energy engulfed her head.

Crack.

Once again, she met her end.

[Attempts: 1401/∞]

*

"Ahhh!!!" screamed the bound black figure, its blood seeping from its fingers and mouth.

"What were those monsters?"

"M-Monsters?! What are you—"

Crack.

A finger was twisted grotesquely by pliers.

"Ah! Aaah!!!"

"What is the name of your sect?"

"I don't—"

Crack.

A tooth fell to the floor.

"Ah!!!!"

"What is your 'sake'?"

"Please—"

Crack!

An arm was twisted by the dark energy.

"Ah—"

The figure collapsed, overwhelmed by pain.

[3 Years Later]

"..."

A black figure sat in silence, devoid of life.

No matter how much she tried to extract information, none came forth.

TRUNK!

The ground trembled once more.

"RUWAAR!!"

Eerie noises erupted from nowhere.

Tak. Tak.

The sound of fingers tapping a surface contrasted with the dangerous situation.

Wednesday sat calmly, watching the black figure.

"Another failure."

Crack.

[Attempts: 1999/∞]

*

"I'm going to have a baby." The black figure announced, wiping her face with a tissue. "Right now."

"It's an Addams!" another black figure exclaimed.

Only two black figures were sitting while eating at the huge dining table this time.

The Little Wednesday sat expressionless seeing her father running with her mother in his arms.

Suddenly, she was alone in the room.

'So tired.'

Wednesday had regressed many times.

She couldn't recall the creatures' shapes or their organization.

Her entire world was blacked out, as if data was intentionally hidden from her.

She sipped her juice, cleaned her plate, and headed to the kitchen.

The black water fell as she diligently cleaned her plate.

In the black water, the image of a girl with blue eyes and beautiful blonde hair appeared.

"You again."

Her world was filled with mysteries.

Why was only black and gray visible to her?

Why did people lack faces?

Why were the books that could offer answers empty?

Why did the world fall apart no matter her actions?

"It's boring."

It felt like playing an unwinnable game.

She disliked it.

The blonde girl's face twisted with disgust.

"How long must I endure?"

Her eyes stared blankly at the water.

She had regressed countless times, no longer as resolute as before.

Her spirit was drained.

Revenge seemed pointless.

"Should I give up?"

A thought she had never allowed herself to entertain now seemed plausible.

The Enid she knew was long gone.

She had never felt connected to her family.

Was there a reason to fight for this world?

Suddenly, everything seemed meaningless.

"What should I do?"

She asked the girl in the water's reflection.

Tuk...

A small scorpion crawled onto her shoulder.

"Nero...?"

Wednesday's hands reached out to the scorpion.

Nero accepted her touch quietly.

"How many years will you have this time?"

Nero, too, was a variable in her bleak world.

The scorpion died at various ages depending on her regression.

The shortest he lived was six months; the longest was seven years.

In her first life, Nero had died while playing with her.

That was the last time Wednesday had cried.

She vividly remembered crying over Nero's tomb and being annoyed by a foolish woman.

The woman... what was her name?

No, was there even a woman there that day?

Why can't I remember...?

[#1/#2/#NaN Hide and Seek]

"Ugh—!"

Wednesday felt searing pain throughout her body.

Every cell seemed to be ablaze.

Her eyeballs felt like they were filled with lava, and a hammer pounded her skull.

The agony eased only when she deliberately stopped thinking about it.

'So my memories were also manipulated.'

The fact that she couldn't remember Nero's funeral suggested some special force was at play.

Under normal circumstances, Wednesday would investigate this further.

But not now.

Despite several regressions, realizing her memories were tampered with only now was odd.

'It's not the first time.'

This explained her current state.

If she delved deeper, she might lose her memories and forget the brainwashing.

Her past selves seemed to have investigated, despite being aware of this fact.

A theory began to form in Wednesday's mind.

What if her inability to remember was due to nearing the truth?

The empty books, the androgynous voices, the black figures, the mysterious entity.

Perhaps her entire world was censored because she had approached the truth.

However, when the truth neared, the world intervened as it did now.

'It's a dead end.'

If her theory was correct, there was nothing she could do.

But why did she always regress when she died? Was there a reason?

It could be just an ability she possessed, but the sudden pain and world intervention made her reconsider.

Her regression wasn't natural but deliberate.

By someone she didn't know or couldn't remember.

'Is there a reason?'

Unless this entity sought to torture her and savor her despair, there had to be a reason for her continual revival.

Perhaps discovering the truth wasn't the answer but a distraction from the real objective.

But if so, what could it be?

How could she finish this game if she had no information?

The only clues were the variables, yet thinking about them caused pain.

It was an eccentric game.

The kind she loathed most.

A game based on luck and coincidences rather than analysis and careful thought.

The game challenged her to do the exact opposite of what she would normally do.

Don't think.

Ironically, she realized this only when considering giving up.

'How to finish this game?'

The condition to finish seemed like a coincidence—a particular event, something, or someone.

There must be conditions to find it.

If the world penalized her for intervening, it meant she should do the opposite.

Not intervene at all.

Follow the canonical path. She should replicate her actions when unaware of her situation.

The same circumstances but with her experienced perspective.

Her hypothesis made sense.

"Is that the answer?"

She asked the blonde girl reflected in the water.

As expected, no answer came.

*

[1 Day Before Graduation]

"Wednesday?"

'Nothing.'

Wednesday stared at her notebook.

It contained every event of her life.

All conversations, interactions, thoughts, and circumstances.

She had perfectly simulated her first version.

But nothing happened.

"Wednesday!"

Why? Where had she gone wrong?

Was her hypothesis flawed from the start?

Was this world merely a sadistic game for amusement?

"Wednesday!!!"

An androgynous, loud voice interrupted her thoughts.

Only one person would be so intrusive.

"Shut up, Enid. I'm thinking."

"When are you not thinking?!" Enid's body seemed to protest the words.

"This is none of your business."

"Of course it is! You're my BFF!"

Wednesday didn't contest Enid; she lacked the energy to argue.

It was the first time in a long time that she had interacted with Enid.

Wednesday couldn't muster the courage to face her directly.

Her presence reminded Wednesday of her failures and impulsiveness.

"You haven't slept in three days! Tomorrow is our graduation. What are you doing?!"

Enid's hand intrusively touched her face.

"Look at these dark circles! Your pale skin looks even more corpse-like now!"

"..."

Wednesday had nothing to say.

Enid's words were true. Wednesday couldn't deny it.

She had tried everything; this was her last hope.

But even that had failed.

Tomorrow, they would all die.

She would remain trapped in this endless loop, a dull world.

Even if she tried to die, she couldn't.

It was hell.

"Are you okay? You don't look right..."

"I just can't sleep."

Enid's hands trembled as she saw her usually stoic friend with such vacant eyes.

What could Enid do to help her best friend?

"J- Just rely on me!"

Enid wrapped her arms around Wednesday, lifting her effortlessly.

Wednesday wasn't surprised by her strength and accepted the embrace as a lifeless doll.

Her body was carefully placed on the bed.

Click.

The light went out, and the grayness turned to complete blackness.

"This is the song my mom always sang to me when I couldn't sleep."

Coff~ Coff~

Enid placed her hands on Wednesday's head, gently stroking her hair.

"♪~"

A familiar lullaby emanated from Enid's lips.

Wednesday's eyes suddenly flickered with life.

Her intuition was telling her.

This song was the answer.

Wednesday listened until the lullaby ended.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Enid asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

"Enid."

Wednesday's voice trembled with despair.

"Can you... sing it one more time?"

"O-Of course!! I can sing it all day!"

Coff~ Coff~!

Enid adjusted her posture.

All Wednesday could think of was the peculiar lullaby.

"You—"

*

[Attemps: 2000/∞]

[You are my sunshine]

Bam!

A forceful presence opened a door.

[My only sunshine]

Bak! Bak!

Books were scattered on the floor.

Crack!!

Dark energy engulfed a bookshelf, shattering it into fragments.

Behind it lay a secret passage, dusty and foreboding.

"It's here."

[You make me happy]

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Pictures lay strewn around.

None were recognizable.

Yet, they felt strangely familiar.

[When skies are gray]

She advanced to the end.

There was no wooden sword or portrait.

"I don't need one anyway."

Dark energy gathered in her hands, enveloping the room.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

[Conditions for the Mazurka met...]

Strange voices echoed in her mind.

[Initializing judgment mode.]

Suddenly, everything turned black, but she maintained her balance.

Wednesday calmly surveyed her surroundings.

A spacious room with a single door ahead.

[#1: Fair Duel.]

A strange wooden mannequin materialized in the air.

A dark aura surrounded the mannequin as it took form.

"The same old trick."

[You'll never know, dear]

In the vast space, a child and the mannequin faced each other expressionlessly.

Dark energy condensed from her hands.

Trick—?

The mannequin stared at her, perplexed.

CRACK!

The dark energy enveloped the mannequin, distorting its limbs.

Arm by arm, leg by leg.

Crick!

The mannequin was split in half.

[#1 Fair Duel—]

CRACK!

A door was shattered completely.

Trick! Trick! Trick!!

A mannequin was twisted into the wall, tentacles spreading across its form.

[How much I love you]

Tap. Tap. Tap.

In front of her was a vast room.

Inside, a strange black figure with horns, peculiar red eyes, and a wide smile stood, watching her.

[#1/#2/#NaN Hide and Seek]

Two black figures faced each other.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The sound of clapping echoed, the creature's smile widening.

CRACK!

Dense, deadly energy enveloped the black figure, its smile remaining.

"I'm tired of playing your stupid games."

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The room twisted and distorted from the dark energy.

"Get me out of here."

[Please don't take]

At her words, the black figure extended its hand towards her, three fingers outstretched.

"You have three chances."

The last thing Wednesday perceived was the floor before her eyes as she lost consciousness.

"Use well."

[My sunshine away]

And a familiar sound she couldn't forget.

[#1/#2/#NaN Fair- and Seek (Complete#?#@]

***

My Sunshine

You are my sunshine; My only sunshine

You make me happy; When skies are gray

You'll never know, dear; How much I love you

Please don't take; My sunshine away

***

Author note

Until I finish the remaining drafts I will upload chapters every three days. The next chapters will be uploaded on days 9 and 13. Little by little things will come back to normal. I used my stock before because of college and all I have now are a lot of drafts to finish (dying internally).