Little Nightmares The Butterfly Effect

The Storm

Within the Lady's more private quarters, teens dressed in yellow cloaks gathered around a stack of books and a fire pit they crafted themselves. Magic formed in between their fingers and the fire pit, softly at first but slowly growing. A light glow suddenly engulfed the room and an image of the ember butterfly and the North Wind appeared, behind them the storm clouds had formed, thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Even from here, they could feel the waves from the ocean become rougher, they looked at each other and grinned. "It has begun."
"It is time to end this." The North Wind took the hand of the butterfly, the winds swirling around them. With it, soft Japanese cherry blossoms swooped to and flo. The shadows shaded, the illusions faded, two adults wearing kimonos that blew in the storm they created held each other close as they danced. The Lady's raven black fluttered gently as she met the eyes of her husband, he smiled back at her. Her chocolate brown eyes that his grandchildren had nearly made him melt, her pale skin still soft and warm as he held her hand, her smile was intoxicating.
He brought his lips closer to hers, she agreed in seconds. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her lips brushed with his, their love though they had been separated, was still as strong as it had been years ago. When they pulled apart, smiles engulfed their faces, one of true happiness and love like the ones their grandson had with his beloved, their granddaughter-in-law, Six. "It's time to free them."
Deep in the Maw, the staff wandered the halls aimlessly, each watching the Nest and the dark clouds filling the sky. Dread and sadness filled their hearts, knowing what was about to happen and feeling frustrated at being powerless to stop it. The Lady stared blankly into her broken mirror, her raven hair hung heavy over her face, one red eye almost glowing. Her reflection wasn't the ugly crone she saw before, but it was difficult for her to peer at her reflection. She didn't want to see the tears that were rolling down her cheeks, her red irises that were bloodshot and her fangs, fangs that killed her mo....
Within the Pale City, the remaining adults sulked in their respective locations. The Hunter sat at his cabin, cleaning his shotgun with a cloth, his visible eye staring out at the woods then looking at the Signal Tower in the distance, cursing its existence. He then looked out into the woods, a pathway running from his cabin into the woods, a pathway that he, his wife and his daughter had walked down before. His girlfriend then wife had carved a heart into the bark of a log, a sign of their love and forever bond. He clutched his shotgun closer, the same one he used to attempt to off himself when all this suffering started.
The Teacher smacked her ruler at her desk as she glared down at the students, some of them shattered to bits, her hair was a wreck, her eyes wild and her uniform looking a bit dirty and unkempt. She felt like she was going insane from that damn cycle and truth be told, she was. Far in the building, a fat child hid in a locker sweating in terror. He swallowed down a brick in his throat, clutching his lollipop close to his chest, it had a few cracks from smashing the Bullies' heads in but it was still usable yet it wouldn't be a match against the Teacher. The child started to sob in terror as he stared out the cracks in the locker, waiting for the Teacher to come by and capture him like the previous cycles.
The two Bullies who weren't a bother, cowered in their desks, shrinking down in order to hide. The Doctor placed a hand against his hand, form slumped over his desk, his old desk back when he was a normal doctor, his hair disheveled and his eyes baggy. A girl with ginger hair sat against a wall of her prison, making tally marks in the walls with a spoon. There were several as it was a reminder of the cycle around her and how many had passed in this hellhole. She let out a choking sob, a hand pressed against her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks, hiccups racked her form, her body shook and her cries filled her room. But nobody came except the storm.
The toddler let out a frightened cry as he curled up into his homemade bed, clutching the blanket and his gator stuffed animal close to his chest. His nightmare was about the tvs, they always were as he was kidnapped by the Thin Man in the previous cycles. He hadn't talked about what he went through with his guardian yet, he wasn't ready and he wasn't sure if he'd ever be ready. The ghost kid took in a deep breath as he stared out at the buildings of the Pale City, his head bowed, his arm clutching the stump where his other arm was. A loss from the adult with the giant scissors before his fate was sealed by the tvs, but in a few minutes another loss was followed.
Like the Barber, his fate was sealed as were the Viewers. One by one, they were sucked into the tvs leaving behind their clothes. However none of them noticed nor did they care and neither did the remaining children in the city as their lives were affected hard by them even if some of them were once their parents. Wires grew out of their heads, connecting with their master behind the board cast. The TVs lit up more, the light blue screens becoming brighter nearly blinding the eyes of the children but they kept going on including a kid in green with his girlfriend even though they were covered in injuries.
In the Signal Tower, the Flesh Eyes watched the scenes within the Pale City with glee. The Viewers were powering them making them more powerful than they were before in years, the children were still numerous but they would be gone soon. If they had mouths, there was no doubt they would have smiled smugly at their battery. In his chair, the Thin Man sulked, a broken look on his face as he watched the screens of the Viewers getting sucked into the screens and the children running around the city, carrying supplies to ensure they could survive.
He looked up to the scenes of the Maw, the wilderness and the Nest, tears trailing down his cheeks before he broke down. It was concluded, the cycle would continue. His son, his family, his friends were about to have their lives ruined once again while he was about to be destroyed. Like in the previous ones. However unknown to them, the North Wind and the butterfly watched, their wings fluttering and their storm building.