[[Darkness spreads out before you. Where are you?]]
[[You hear rushing, and dive to the floor as flashes of light encircle you.]]
[["Ow!"]]
[[You hear rushing, and dive to the floor as flashes of light encircle you.]]
[["Ow!"]]
[[You hear cracking, like a whip is being snapped.->Snippet Appearance]]
[[You peer through your hands to see a small ball of white light with skyblue eyes. ->Talking]]
[["You! You need to help me! Please, I need to get to the node.
You shake your head. //Was this thing talking?// ->Snippet Confused]]
[[ "Where is this? Where am I?"
The fluffy ball zips around you and bounces.
"How could you not know where this is? This is the central network that delivers all the information!"
You shake your head. None of this makes sense.->Who Am I?]]
[[ A network.
"What kind of network? Where are all the people in this place?"
In response a spark flies off, causing you to step back from the white ball.
"People? What are you even saying? Look, we don't have much time-"
You lift up your hand, and it shimmers for a split second.
Reality hits you like a ton of bricks.->The Realization]]
[[Your hand are pixels. You move your hand again, and it shimmers.
You gawk.
Where exactly were you? There is no such thing as people here. So, that means...
What did that mean? Was this some kind of digital world?
It had to be. It's the only thing that would make sense.->Talk to Snippet]]
[[ "How did I get here? I'm not supposed to be here!" You clutch your head.
Your thoughts are throbbing against your temples. Where was your real body? What was your name? Who are you?
The white ball shook, sending out sparks. "You're acting real weird. We're in the network. And I'm supposed to be going to the node, but I got cut off and now I'm alone. Help me please!"
You shake your head. This is too bizarre.
You take a deep breath. If you even can, you're not sure if you can in this digital world.
"So, you're saying you got left behind."
The thing bobs up and down.
"Alright. What am I supposed to do? I can't do anything."->Help Snippet]]
[[ "You could help me get there. I'm just a part of a whole, I can't do anything." The ball's light dims a bit, before it bounces and sends out prickles of light.
"Whatever or whoever you are, your code is unique. I can see it when I look at you. You have to be here for a reason."
You gulp. Was this thing right?->No Other Way]]
[[But you had so many questions. What is your name? Where are you from? Is someone waiting for you? Did you do something in your real life to end up like this?
You clench your teeth. You had nothing. You were nobody. In this point in time, you didn't even exist.
In this world, you are...nothing.
"Please help me." Your head snaps up to see the ball eyes' blinking at you.
You clutch your head. Was this what you were meant to do? Help this thing?
If you didn't, there was no other clues. No way for you to go and find your 'purpose' in this world and who you are. ->The Decision]]
[[This was your only chance.
"I'll help you."
The white ball jumped up and down, sending out sparks.
"Thank you! You're the best person ever!"
You smile. Okay, making this whatever happy...
You freeze, and frown.
"What's your name?"->Names]]
[[ It blinks its eyes at you.
"Name? What's a name?"
You purse your lips. How would you explain a name? "It's like something you call yourself. Or what people call you."
The thing's light dims a bit. "I don't have anything like that. When I was whole with my code, I had memories. Now I didn't."
You press your lips together. That made sense. The thing was like a fragment, or rather a snippet.
"Snippet. I can call you Snippet."
Snippet's lights rev up like an engine, and you grapple at the air as your eyes are pierced. The air slaps your pixels as Snippet zooms around.
"I like that name! I have a name! A name!" Snippet finally settles in front of you.
You sigh as Snippet's lights dim a bit. You hope this isn't a thing that will occur often.
"But what's your name?" Snippet asks and you furrow your eyebrows.->Your Name]]
[[What is your name? You frown.
It's not like you'll ever find out your name, at least for now.
You squeeze your eyes tight.
"Call me Player."
Yeah, that was perfect!
"Player?" Snippet blinked its eyes.
You shake your head. "Just something we use in my world."
You are a player, a player in this digital world. This was the perfect description for someone with no identity.
Snippet sends off sparks again. " Look, let's just get going. We don't have time to talk anymore."->Journey Start]]
[[You nod. It'll be a difficult journey.
And somewhere deep down, you know that this won't be any simple journey.
It would be the beginning of the end.->Second Stage Start]]
[[Snippet's light illuminates the path as you both continue on the path to the node. Dark brushes your sides and wraps around your body.
In the distance, you can see crackles of electricity shoot up and disappear. Silence is played in a continuous loop over and over again.
This place looked like a graveyard. And maybe that's what this was for you.
Maybe you died. Maybe you were being punished for something you did. Or did you come here voluntarily? Was this because of something you wanted?
But you always came back to the one thing, the one true fact.
Right now, you are no one and have no identity.->Collapse]]
[[In the physical world, you had a name. A real body. You have defined features that couldn't be changed, and you were unique.
But now?
You're just pixels. You're everything and nothing. Anyone or anything could be you. In this digital world, you had no identity.
Who are you?
"Look out, Player!"
You look up to see a huge block of pixels descending upon you and Snippet.->Code Alter]]
[[You close your eyes and wait for the impact.
A tingle runs through your veins, and you open your eyes as the pixels smash against your...
What happened to your arm?
Your arm had become transformed into hard layers of steel.
"My arm. What happened?" You shake your arm as if to return it to normal, but it stays the same.
"I altered it." Snippet says and you blink.
"Altered? How?"->Explanation]]
[["We're all made up of code. I just re-configured yours. Here!"
With a blue flash, your arms looks good as new.
You shake your head.
So even your body could be altered. Nothing was stable in the digital world, not even the beings in it.
Well, it did benefit you in this case. Otherwise you and Snippet would have been smashed.
Wait.->Breaking]]
[["Why did the world break in the first place?"
Snippet blinks. "Well, it's probably because the node is broken. Without the centralized node to keep things in order, everything is falling apart. If the node falls, we all fall."
You nod. That makes sense. But you feel a deep pit forming at the bottom of your stomach.
This wasn't the end. You could feel it.
"We should keep going so we can reach the node in time!" Snippet says, and you nod.
You continue on the path to the node with Snippet, with future conflict awaiting you.->Identity Crisis]]
[[Purpose. Was this your purpose?
To help Snippet and to fix the node? Then what? Was something else going to happen?
But that wasn't what you wanted. You wanted something more tangible, more real.
You wanted you. Your real, physical identity.
That couldn't be changed or messed with. You wanted that.
To even get that, you guess you would have to help Snippet first.
That had to be the key to getting your identity. It had to.->Fix]]
[[ "Hey Player, look at this!" Snippet swings forward in front of you, and you follow Snippet and gape.
A deep black hole sits in the air. You can see the pixels surrounding it being slowly disappearing, as if being devoured. It's...swallowing the world.
You shake your head. "What is happening to this world?"
Something was destroying it.
Snippet draws closer to the hole. "I think I can fix it, just give me a second-"
"Snippet, NO!"
Within seconds of your scream, Snippet's body begins to be engulfed by the hole.->Fight]]
[[You had to save Snippet. You had to. But how? How?
Your code. But could you even alter it?
With one look at Snippet struggling as he cried, there was nothing left for you to lose.
You touch your arm, and feel power surge through you as your body glows.
Then you leap.->Fight 2]]
[[The darkness enffulges you, and swallows you into its belly.
For a minute, it invades your mind too.
Is this it? Is this how you'll disappear?
To be written into a world to save it, only to just disappear without a trace.
But that can't be the end. It can't be.
Light floods the darkness around you, and you shut your eyes.->Saved]]
[[ "You did it. You really did it."
Snippet. You open your eyes to see you are both standing on the pathway to the node.
"I did it." It's almost hard to believe, and Snippet zooms around you and jumps.
"And you fixed it too. You altered the code, too! This is amazing!"
You look again at the hole, but it's gone. You really fixed it.
But what happened in the first place?
"It's like something is trying to kill us, Player. The world keeps breaking, and keeps falling on us." Snippet says and you shake your head.->Glitch]]
[["No. It's a glitch."
"A glitch?"
"A glitch. The node or the centralized hub, had a glitch and that's why you got split off and left behind. Now the glitch is causing the system to consume the world.Let's call this thing Glitch. Now, Glitch is either going to consume us, or destroy us."
This was much more dangerous than some plan to kill them. There was a pattern to their madness. Glitch, however, could strike at any time, and we couldn't predict Glitch's movements.
Death could be upon us at any moment, even now.->Snippet Runs]]
[[ "No." Snippet starts to back away slowly and you frown.
"Snippet? What is it?"
"We don't have to go to the node. If it's damaged, how do we know if we can fix it? There's no guarantee, we have to do what's best for ourselves."
You blink. "What? Snippet do you hear yourself? We can't leave the node like this. The network will die, and Glitch will consume the world!"
Snippet blue eyes bore into you. "But if we continue, we might die. And I like being Snippet. I don't want to disappear. I'm sorry."
And with that, Snippet begins dash across the air before you can speak a single word.
Then his figure disappears.->Alone]]
[[Snippet had left. He really left you.
But you couldn't give up now. Not now, especially when you were so close to the node. You could see it in the distance.
With or without Snippet, you had to do this.
This was your destiny.->Third Act Start]]
[[You approach the node with each step you take, the silence pounding harder and harder on your ears.
Snippet wouldn't help you, and you understood. He was afraid, terrified of what could happen.
You had no other choice but accept the inevitable disaster.
Just as you think those words, black blobs form around you.
You always had to jinx yourself, huh?->Rumble]]
[[You fought the black hole before. Glitch's henchman should be no different.
The blobs cling to your skin, and you can feel your energy slowly being drained away.
No this wasn't the end. It couldn't be.
A cry flies out of your mouth. The blobs clung to your arm, sucking your flesh. Power bursts through your skin and flames pour out from your arms.
The fire consumes the blobs, and you stare as the fire dies down.->The Power]]
[[You look down at your arm.
You did that. You killed Glitch's henchman, and you destroyed them.
But for a price. Your arm was gone, and consumed by the blob.
It was so easy to fade in this digital world. But there was still hope.
You altered your own code, just like when you saved Snippet.
You could fight Glitch off with your own power.
Maybe it was your destiny to fade. If that was so, you were going to do it with no regrets.->Halfway]]
[[As you approach you can see the node. It's a dim faint light in the distance.
A dark abyss stretches between you and the node. You look down to see a continuous pit of darkness.
"The pathway to the node is damaged." You mutter to yourself.
You look at your other arm, and see your pixels fading bit by bit.
You are disappearing. If you didn't try now, there was no way to know if you could even save yourself or this network.
You had to try with no regrets.
And then you leaped into the belly of the abyss.->Bridge]]
[[For a second, everything flashes before your eyes.
Snippet. The node. The first time you altered your code.
Then your body is thrust upwards as the wind slaps your face, and you open your eyes.
You're on the other side of the bridge, with the node minutes away.
You did it. You created the bridge!
You smile but it falters.
The real task is ahead.
This was the beginning of the end.->Go]]
[[The node is right there. Right in arms reach.
You take a step forward, but you feel energy leave you.
The node looks dark, as black blobs spill from its center. You can only hope to touch the node and fix it.
So you walk. With each step, the blobs cling to you like a leech.
Your vision grows darker as you reach out to the node, as if to touch it.
But you know you're too late.->Return]]
[[You let the darkness envelop you, until you feel all the weight lifted off you and a bright light surrounds you.
"Player!" Your eyes snap open to reveal Snippet in front of you, bouncing up and down.
"Thank god you're okay." Snippet says, and you laugh.
"I'm glad to see you Snippet." If it weren't for Snippet, no doubt you would be dead.
But now there was a chance for things to be fixed.
"Snippet, you need to join the other part of your code and fix the node."
Snippet sends off sharp bits of electricity. "No. Player, I don't want to disappear."->Goodbye]]
[["It's okay. You don't have to."
Snippet didn't have to go. You did.
"Player, what do you mean?"
"This is bigger than me or you."
You weren't meant to be here. And you weren't meant to have an identity. You were meant to be bigger than life itself.
"You're going to disappear." Snippet whispers, and you shake your head.
"I'm not going to disappear Snippet. Code never dies. It's only added and arranged in different ways."
And now was your time.->Goodbye2]]
[["Snippet, I'll always be with you. Know that."
"No, Player please-"
You gently place your hands on the node, and you feel your consciousness slowly fade away.
Then you become everything.->Snippet Alone]]
[[ The network continues again, with not a dark spot in sight.
"Player, you're right. You'll always be with me. Maybe not in the way I wanted, but you'll be there."
Snippet goes forward and slowly fades away.
Snippet became one with the code, just as the player did.
They were not erased, but simply had become a part of something bigger.]]