Chapter Text
Adeline's hand moves to cover her mouth as the wound is shown to her. Oh god. "I... I suppose so. It's... part of my entity. To keep to yourself. To..."
A pause. Her voice grows distant, strained as the waves are heard in the distance.
"To be alone."
Before he can respond, his vision grows fuzzy, his ears filling with cotton. His blue is fading, dulling, muting. His grey returns in ash, his suit struggling to keep color and blending in with his skin. He's fading, an old polaroid left out in the sun. He doesn't look timid anymore. Doesn't look stern. Just neutral, staring at the grain in the hardwood. In... no that isn't it. That's sand. The living room is gone. It's just- gone. Dark stands on an empty beach, Adeline's last words echoing in his ears. Alone. Why was he looking at sand? He isn't sure. And that's fine. He doesn't care.
He doesn't care...! Oh, how dreadful that was. So much pressure, so much... something. It was unpleasant and it isn't happening anymore, that's what counts. But where is he? The shallow waves lap at his shoes, his heels digging into the sand. The smell of the ocean breeze is strong now, begging him to let it take over. Let it in. He can just barely feel the ghosts of hands gripping his arms. His... his arms... his...? Who is he? Damien... right? No, Celine. He-- she-- who? Who are they? Where are they? Why can't they remember anything?
On Dark's left, a blue spirit protrudes. On Dark's right, a red spirit protrudes. They aren't speaking, aren't moving, barely-there bodies dangling like puppets without their strings. Like melting cheese, they are being pulled apart from the other, from Dark, away, out. Something is trying to help him, needs space, it needs to be let in. He understands such a request, of course he does, because... because he... it's on the tip of his tongue. What is it... He staggers, right hand gripping, reaching for a cane that isn't there, and he falls to his knees. His hands catch him, sinking into the water and through the sand. It's gritty but plush, water cold but... cooling. Not like that lake, that... the... His eyes are locking onto the middle distance, glazed and lightening. No, not in joy; the black is fading. They're turning white.
"Ark- Dark! Please- c-" A voice is calling, fading in and out of reality, wisping past his ear like a breeze. "-orry, I didn't mean-" It sounds worried, no- scared. It sounds scared. "-ome back, please, hear m-"
Tears slip from cloudy, unblinking eyes. Is he talking? He doesn't think so. He isn't worried, he isn't scared. The base of the spirits begin to tear, threatening to snap off his body. Dark doesn't feel a thing. He can't think of anything either. There's just... nothing. Something. Not much. What is he without them? Is he dying? He doesn't have a soul of his own, just the bloody pieces of others. His breath hitches, a low panic thrashing against the waves. He can't see, his eyes darting about. It's the mist, there's so much mist. Where is that voice coming from? Maybe there's someone there. They could help. Because if he keeps floating away... if he leaves...
Oh, no matter now. He asked for this, didn't he? He wanted this very badly. He still does...? His ears strain for that voice, somewhere, trying not to relax into the sand. It's hard. He's so. tired.
Dark can feel hands gripping his arms tighter, shaking, trying to pull him from the sea. When did the water get so high? Maybe he's drowning. How was... anything... what? Can he still think? He can feel himself coming apart, losing himself. It doesn't feel nice anymore, it doesn't feel like anything. He can't remember, can't speak, can't leave. His thoughts are slipping away.
"I can't lose--" The voice is muffled by the waves. "Please! I'm sorry!"
Her cries ring through his mind too loudly, enough to push through a thought: She must be near me. He reaches out a hand and grabs whatever is closest to him-- her shoulder-- and grips it for dear life. The spirits zip back inside of Dark, making him tense and grit his teeth, a wet cry springing from his mouth. His other hand reaches for the same thing, something to ground him, and finds her arm, gingerly grabbing hold of it. He tries to breathe deeply, tries to remember what he is, how he is, why he is. He's in a body. He must be, he's holding something in hands. He can ask if he's in a body, he can... can he speak? "...maybe," The word is quiet, crushed and washed away by the noise. But his mouth moves, and his throat vibrates. He can speak. He's thinking again. He can ask for help, he can get out of... this. "I'd... I need to go." Is what he lands on, stuttering and unsure, slightly slurried.
As he comes back, Adeline is gripping his arms for dear life, relieved, but still so concerned about how he's speaking. Her gaze never leaves him, worried and scared eyes boring into his soul. There's a figure in front of him, he can make out some details now. She's crying, her face now full of color as tears stream down her cheeks. She speaks, words Dark can't put together but he knows the voice. "N-no, you're-- y-you need, you- you need to sit, the--the Lonely, it's- it's not going to leave you b-be for a bit. P-please, sit, wait. I'm so so so-sor-sorry!"
Someone he knows, it's a woman? A woman he knows, he can remember, he has to. He reaches out and tries to lay a hand on her face. But that mist, it's pushing back. He struggles, his arm fighting against a force he can't understand. His arms sizzle with black, curling smoke, desperate to free him. Who IS she? "W... Willow?"
If he could just see a little clearer, think a bit faster, he wouldn't feel so numb. He wouldn't feel so lost. His whole body starts to give off black smoke, expelling as much of the mist as it can. "What's... happening to me..." He says, voice struggling to find a pitch.
Adeline starts to flap her wings, trying to shoo away the fog that clings to him. When he calls out a name, a woman's name, she thinks it best not to correct him. Not now. She doesn't want to send him back in. "You're g-gonna be okay, j-just, trust me, fo-focus on my voice. I'll lead you out. Just, just t-trust me, a-and listen, okay? Breathe, take a d-deep breath, follow me out, fo-follow my voice. It's go-gonna be okay." She sounds desperate, calling to him frantically, though Dark still struggles to catch more than a few words. She needed to pull him out. She couldn't lose someone else.
'Okay.' He hears, the hand fighting to rest on her face released from the mist as a soft gust brushes over it. A tired hand manages to make it to her cheek.
And Adeline lets him, even if it sets her anxiety ablaze. Even if her heart pounds and her mind screams danger. Adeline lets him cling and hold and cradle however he needs to, as long as it means pulling him free from the Lonely. She tries hard to stop crying, he was in pain and he didn't need to see her crying when he came to. Stuttered breaths and hiccups spill out as she attempts to stop, going as far as to hold her breath to stop the tears.
'Focus.' He's trying. He's trying very hard, but damn it Willow this is difficult. His hands tremble, huffing in exertion.
'Me.' Me? No, you. You what? He feels himself growl, bitter and angry. Not at her, at the mist- he's feeling. He... remembers. He holds onto it.
'Lead... Listen.' He chokes, memories and self crashing together. He understands, but he understands it all at once. Slowly, his eyes turn cold again, deep color crawling through his figure. The Void rumbles, raging like a fire, pushing the mist off through his eyes, ears, and mouth.
'Listen. Deep. Breath.' Deep breath, two words. He does so, coughing out seawater-
' Follow... out... Voice- It's go-gonna be okay."
Dark is shot into reality, lungs stinging and head burning. He can see the water below him as he coughs, spitting up water as the Lonely grips and struggles, begging to stay. The Void can fight it off quickly now, thrashing and piercing through its endless coils. He coughs some more, using her arm to hold himself up. He lifts his head.
"...Adeline?"
She watches as the last bits of fog are viciously slaughtered, looking down at the man holding onto her, face reading fear and sorrow. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay..?"
His breaths are ragged and his throat stutters with air, but he's here. He is whole and he is present. It hasn't registered to him that he should probably let her go, sit back and regain himself. All he sees is a truly terrified woman that just saved his life. And her words fill him with care, a concern he's never known. The hand on her face lets go, hovering. "I'm..." He croaks, coughing around his words. Adeline carefully leans Dark forward in case he coughs up any more water. She kneels in front of him, trying not to break the eye contact. "I'm o-kay, I'm... alright." He settles his hand on her shoulder. His body sizzles to a calm, now back to his normal misty self. His eyes bore into her like he's looking for something. Dark gulps, huffing. "Are... you, ok? Where... where a-re we..." He looks around, face breaking into confusion.
"I-I'm okay, we're-- we're in your living room. You're safe." She doesn't explain what's happened, yet. She doesn't want to scare him away, to make him run away as others have. Adeline finally has a friend, damn it. She doesn't want to lose him so soon.
"But... no." He looks back to her, confused and swaying. "We c-an't be, look at th-e w-ater." He looks out at the endless sea shore, hears the rolling of the waves. They're suddenly very, very loud. His eyes catch on the crash of a wave, the soft bubbles at the edges.
'She's lying.'
He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to shake his head to rid of the sudden thought but only makes himself dizzy. He turns himself back to Adeline, head bowed and eyes closed. "Th-is isn't home!" He cries angrily. "Where am I. What i-s this?" He begs.
"Y-You're in the Lonely, d-don't be scared, I'll lead you out." She moves to take both of his hands, trying desperately to help him to his feet.
The Lonely... he doesn't know what the means. He did ask, didn't he? He can't complain now. Instructions, right- this must be her God's territory. Just follow her, she will know the way.
"Up, come on, y-you need to ge-get up. I'll t-take you home, I promise, please." Adeline sounds desperate. She needs to get him UP. Moving. They need to move.
"Right... ri-ght," With a shuddering breath and a hanging head, he lifts one leg and plants a foot in the sand. He holds onto her hands and pulls himself up, the effort and speed far less than he's capable of. It makes him anxious, grasping for his power as he feels it kindle dully in his chest. Still, he staggers, opening his eyes. The water wades at his dress shoes. The water-
Don't look at the water. He cannot look at the water.
His eyes quickly raise to Adeline, nodding with an unintentional tilt to the right. "Follow your lead." He croaks, clearing his throat.
Adeline takes a deep breath, turning her head to glance behind her for just a moment. She nods, takes hold of his hands, then starts to walk backward. "Eyes o-on me, okay? Do-don't look away from me. Talk to me."
"I'm... Dark," He takes a deep breath, trying to think over the thoughts of The Lonely and its quiet whispers. "Darkiplier, that's my full name. I don't have a birthday, I was..." His peripheral catches on something and he instinctually glances to check it.
Damn it, just a palm tree. Just the wave of the palm trees.
'Why are you leaving me?'
He sucks in a breath, squeezing her hands.
'Stay. Not for long, just a moment.'
'Y ou can spare a moment.'
He pulls his eyes off it, catching himself before he stumbles. He blinks hard, knocking the milky hue that tries to creep in. "I'm. I know. my name. And..." He takes a breath, looking her in the eyes and latching onto the first train of thought he knows is his. "...I don't have a gotcha day, the day my parents adopted me. It's all... complicated. J taught me about that word, that holiday 'gotcha day', but I concretely do not have a birthday so I never celebrate. It's one of the ways we can tell ourselves apart from shifters should we ever need to."
Adeline pulls him as she walks, keeping him on track as they walk out of the lonely. She's got this. She's doing great. "Keep talking."
He smiles, sighing.
And then he sees it.
Dark blinks, and for a moment, Adeline is gone. What's holding him, tendrils snaking up his arms is a cloud of fog. There are two piercing white glowing orbs staring into him. Adeline- or what she was now, speaks again. Her voice is quiet, both right in his ear and so far away at the same time. "You're doing great."
Its over in an instant and a shiver runs through his whole body. The sight makes his eyes go wide, mouth hanging open. Is... is... she... lying? "You-" He rips his hands away with bared teeth, Void energy snapping out from his palms. He takes a breath to scold the being in front of him, and the mist comes flowing back in.
He gags and chokes, eyes falling off of Adeline and closing. It isn't being gentle anymore, clawing and fighting against him. He's been taken by surprise.
His entire body is enveloped, snatched into a cloud oh so similar to Adeline. And suddenly, Adeline's hands are empty. She watches as the fog envelopes him, and takes him away. Lunging forward, she tries to snag him. But she's too slow. And when he opens his eyes she has disappeared. He is alone.
Dark freezes, tears springing to his eyes. Oh no. Oh God. He shuts his eyes as quickly as possible, no longer struggling to breathe against the mist. It lets in the scent of the sea, trying to lull his eyes open. No no no no, no he was just there. He was almost out. She was just there. Fuck, was that never her!? That's what he thought, but he could be wrong. In his panic, he puts his hands over his ears and presses down hard. "Shut up," He growls, sand squirming under his feet, steaming with black smog. "No... leave me ALONE!" Four tendrils burst from the sand, surrounding him and twisting around his body in a ring with a foot of space between him and them. Their ends raise slowly, jolting to focus on their portion of the area. He sighs, keeping his hands over his ears and staying still. He strictly focuses on the feedback coming from the Tendrils. He will not fall again. He can fight his way through this, to... somewhere. He will.
"Damn-- DARK!! GIVE HIM BACK!" The fog subsides some, parting to show Adeline where its toy is. Her eyes widen at the sight of the tendrils. Immediately she's off, wings flapping to try to get her off the ground. She succeeds for a moment before crashing to the ground. Right, it's too cold. She gets back up, running as fast as she can. "DARK!!!"
The tendril on his right rumbles and chirps. It's picking up vibrations. Something is running at them, they want to know what to do. He points his face toward the threat, eyes closed and ears covered, hesitating. He can't risk seeing if it's her or not. He thought it was her before, her face was exactly as it should be; she held him. "Keep it away." He mutters. The tendril dives into the sand, racing toward Adeline like a snake. The others stay close to guard, scoping out their sectors.
At first, she doesn't notice the tendril. She's running like her life depends on it. Her feet carry her through the sand even as the now-bitter taste of sea salt stings in her throat, the salt burns in her eyes. "DARK!!!"
It bursts up from the sand a few feet ahead of her, slowly curling its tip to look down at her.
She screams in shock, falling to the ground with a harsh thud. She has her arms up to block any attack just in case. It chirps, telling Dark it's Adeline.
He huffs, scrunching his nose. "Do you know that?"
It twists to the right, observing carefully. It isn't sure. Should it neutralize her just in-
"Do not harm her." He commands. "We cannot risk hurting her. Just keep it at bay."
It complies, pulling away and simply staring down. It will gather more information.
She slowly gets back to her feet. Dark... Dark is safe. She just needs to get to him and lead him out. She starts to walk forward, trying to walk around the tendril. "Dark!! Please- I'm sorry! I-I know- I know this place is scary, let me lead you out! You'll die!"
It darts in front of her, chirping and gurgling. She's trying to pass, she said she wants to lead you out, that you'll die. What should it do?
"...I don't know," He whispers. If it hadn't almost killed him, he wouldn't believe that this Lonely could do such a thing. He knows far better now. But he has power back, he knows how to keep himself above water. 5 against 1 was some damn good odds to him. "...was she scared of you?"
Yes.
"Is she still?"
It would seem so.
...
"Let her pass." He commands. "Stay by her. If we must get our hands dirty."
The tendril curves to the side, making way for a direct line of sight to Dark.
Her wings flutter, as if trying to get her to fly again. She's terrified of these tendril things, but when it curves, leans to let her see dark, she starts walking cautiously. When it's somewhat clear that they won't hurt her, she sprints, running as fast as she can towards Dark. They need out. Now.