Work Text:
You had finally found it, what you'd been searching for for several hours now. The Darkiplier ending in A Heist With Markiplier! Hell yeah! Now that you've found the video, you add it to your Favorites playlist so you won't lose it. You rewatch it several times that day, and it's so much better than you had been hoping for. However… something is bugging you. Dark said that you want only answers from him, but that couldn't be further from the truth! Sure, the secret codes and mysterious box had been fun to theorize about, but that wasn't the main reason you had scoured through the entire video series as soon as it was uploaded. Fans had been hoping for months before the project was ready that Dark would make an appearance in it. New content with Dark had been a thrilling prospect, one you had been anticipating as soon as the thrill of watching his last video, the Damien animation, had worn off. It seems the more information you received about Dark, the more questions you had in return. Even with these mysteries abounding, you still went back to the content for an altogether different reason. You'd call it attraction, but it was so much more. His persona draws you in, captivates you until all you can think about is him. His demeanor, appearance, intonation, and audio/visual disturbances, all of it mesmerizes and ensnares your every thought. That's why you reacted the way you did when he claimed you only want answers. You want them, but most of all you want him. More time with him, more of his voice, his presence. Three minutes is so short a time, it's just not enough! You need more… somehow. But that's just it. All the content you have is what's posted on the channel, and nothing more. Sure there's fanart and the like, but it's not real. It's an imitation, a tribute. You'd give anything for more time, more words, more of him laying on that desk. But what can you do? What could possibly gain you access to more content except meeting Dark himself, but how would that even be possible?
You clearly have your work cut out, and with nothing but time to burn and obsession to fuel, you begin researching methods to communicate and reach out to him, through works people have written detailing fictional encounters with him and other entities with similar origins or aspects. You research this tirelessly, with an intensity that would frighten or concern others if they knew. Finally, after carefully considering the pros and cons of the various methods you had come across, you decided on the one with the highest likelihood of bringing results (in your opinion). Lucid dreaming. It removed the supernatural aspect and focused on intention and mental willpower. Besides, even if it didn't end up working, it would still be cool to control your dreams better. You do even more research, this time on how best to lucid dream, and practice every night for several weeks, more than a month, until you are confident enough in your abilities. Finally all your work just might pay off.
The night of, you watch every video Darkiplier has appeared in in chronological order, immediately before going to sleep, so as to get yourself in the right headspace. Now as you drift off you make a concerted effort to focus on what he looks and sounds like, while repeating a mantra of “I want to contact Dark”. Eventually, you slip into sleep, and the blackness of your closed eyes was quickly being replaced with… void. Now you might think that blackness and the void are one and the same, but that would be inaccurate. Black is just a part of the color spectrum. The void is nothingness. Your brain can’t accurately process seeing nothing, much like how you begin to have auditory hallucinations when in a completely soundproof room. Your mind can't comprehend there being nothing to perceive, so it quickly makes things up. It starts with shifting patterns overlaying your vision, then they turn into structures, a web of moving three dimensional mandala-like filigree surrounding you, consuming your vision. It's at the same time beautiful and terrifying, awesome in the archaic sense. It's like looking through a kaleidoscope while tripping on acid. You start to feel anxious from all the movement, and also from the realization that you have no idea just how much longer you’re going to be stuck here.
"Not too much longer. If I left you in here a while, your mind would tear itself apart, grinding itself to metaphorical dust trying to find something in the nothing."
You feel like your heart has stopped. The voice hadn’t come from behind you, it came from within, as if it was your own thought. But it was very clearly not your voice that had spoken.
“I’m gratified that you attempted contact, not many fans take it that far. But then again you were always a… special case.” Even though he speaks softly, the words seem to rumble through your mind as if bass boosted. “You also managed to do it correctly the first time, you have no idea how many have tried more… occult measures, in order to “summon” me.” At this he laughs condescendingly. “As if I were some supernatural demonic creature that could be controlled by human religious systems. Quite childish, really.” At this you blink.
“Wait, but I thought that the entity in the manor was a demon? Wouldn’t that mean you’re one?”
“I can see why you’d think that, humans love to assume anything they can't immediately explain is supernatural in nature. However, I can assure you I am no more demonic than string theory, or the machinations of a black hole.
You look at the void, your brow furrowed in contemplation.
"You see, (yn), you live in a world of three dimensions. You can interact with the second and first ones, because you're higher than them, and thus encompass both along with an additional dimension of your own. However, if you were a second dimensional creature, and a third dimensional was peering down at you from above, you would never be able to comprehend it. To you, above and below, up and down, these concepts are non-existent. Even if the third dimensional creature were to explain it to you, it would sound like utter nonsense, because you would have none of the vocabulary needed to transfer the knowledge. Like trying to describe color to a blind person. Or, more accurately, it's like if a mantis shrimp were to describe to you the 14 other colors that humans are unable to see, not just red, green, and blue."
"What does that have to do with you, though?"
"Well, a third of myself, the House Entity as it is referred to by Mark, is a sixth dimensional creature. I can only show you a tiny glimpse of myself, you cannot see more, as your eyes and mind are too… primitive."
"Is this another dimension, the Void?" You gesture around you.
"No. We are still in your mind. It’s just a state you’ve never been in before, unlike being awake or asleep. Sometimes people in comas unlock it, or those that are adept practitioners of lucid dreaming or astral projection."
"So if I’m still in my head, how do I know that I’m not just making this up? Can you prove you’re real? "
Though you can't see him, you can somehow sense that he's smirking. "Well. I suppose I could tell you something that you couldn't possibly know. Like the fact that tomorrow Mark will upload a video in which he says and I quote, "Time is a tricky son of a bitch, but ya know what, I'm okay with that!" There, that will prove it nicely. However, I can see that you would like something that would assuage your worries presently and not tomorrow. So instead I will ask you a question."
"Uh, yeah?"
"Have you ever experienced… divinity?"
"What? No. I mean I used to go to church, but I stopped going a few years ago. I guess I've never felt anything that I could term divine, uh, but what does that have to do with proving you're real? I thought you said you weren't associated with anything religious?"
He chuckles. "My dear, there is a large difference between the divine and the religious. I will show you. It is something not in any way bad or unpleasant, something that when you experience it you will KNOW it is not of the Earth around you, but something h i g h e r. Let us begin, shall we?"
At this you immediately feel a singing resonance flow into you, settling in your brain and spine, but radiating outwards. You feel like your body is being tuned, primed. Then you start to notice this sense of… perfection? Similar to the satisfaction you get when you watch one of those "oddly satisfying" compilations, but at a level you never thought possible. The void has changed, it now looks like tremendously complex machinery moving in perfect synchronization, but the more you analyze it, the more you realize it's not entirely mechanical. It's like... organs? Parts of a cell? You aren't sure, and you are pretty sure it's none of those things, but maybe all of them at once. You also realize that your body feels better than it should. No aches, no pains of ANY kind. Like, you didn't realize that there's a slight uncomfortable sensation to gravity pressing on you at all times until it wasn't there anymore.
"Yessss. You're beginning to feel it. Don't be afraid. Lean into the sensations. Open your mind up as much as possible."
"I…" You hesitate. "Mark, he said not to trust you. That you're one hundred percent manipulative. If I give into this, wouldn't that be giving into you?"
"Mark… is naïve to my true nature. I don't want to use you and throw you away. Besides! If drained you and then discarded you, that would be such a waste. I think that any relationship should be rewarding for both parties involved."
"What- what do you mean, a waste? Wouldn't that be you getting what you wanted?"
"Of course not. That would be parasitic. I am proposing a… mutualistic arrangement."
"Oh so now you're proposing something? I thought you were just proving you were real, not finding a way to get into my head!"
"You didn't call on me to prove my existence. You wanted me, in your mind, for a reason. Isn't that right?" He says mockingly.
"I…" You can't deny that he's right. You wanted him to- it's hard to admit even to yourself, especially to the object of your desires. Domination, ownership, subjugation. Things you've never experienced in the real world, mostly because you've never found someone worthy of such trust and loyalty.
"I know, dear. You didn't really want answers, did you? You wanted… oh so much more. Lucky for you, I am h a p p y to provide. All I want in return, is one teensy little thing, nothing you'll even miss."
Doubt flashes across your mind. Yeah right, no fucking way. But your curiosity ends up winning. "What is it then, I'm dying to know."
"I want what only someone like you can provide me. An access point. You are in tune with the intricacies of this era, the present day. You know the right words to use, the symbols, the shared jokes and cultural touchstones. You aren't aware you're good at these things, they are as natural to you as can be, because they evolved along with your developing brain. As a being out of time, and partly not human at all, these things are not in my nature to use, certainly not fluently enough to connect and exert influence in the desired way. You can provide me with this knowledge. I will simply need to observe these things in your memories and make a copy for my own use, a database if you will. You won't even be aware of the process, I'll be doing this while you dream at night, as that is when your mind is most unguarded." He pauses. "Do you understand my intentions clearly now?"
"Soooo, you don't want to drain my life force, eat my soul, something like that? Seems too benign, I feel like you must have some hidden motive."
At this he gives out a startled and bemused laugh. "Eat your soul? Where do you humans come up with these ideas?! I mean I suppose I could, is that something you want?" He says this last part with malicious glee, teasing you.
"No! No no no, definitely not."
"Good. You're more useful to me alive, obviously, and much more fun, too."
You blush, then a thought hits you. "Wait, so how are you going to contact me while I'm awake, do you have a physical form? Plus, how will you get here? Mark lives in California, so I would guess you live there too."
"Of course I have a physical form. However, I do not live with Mark Fischbach. I inhabit a place beyond your comprehension of time and space. I can travel anywhere I want in mere seconds."
"Huh, convenient."
"So what do you say? Will you accept my proposition?"
"Are there any terms and conditions I should be aware of, fine print?"
"No, the deal is simple. You give me what I want, what I just explained to you. In return…" You hear him growl seductively, "I will fulfill your fantasies, and make you MINE."
You shiver with want. Is it really that simple? That easy, it seems too good to be true. The old axiom comes to mind; if it seems too good to be true, it is. But… you so desperately want this to be real. And he, as far as you can tell, has been nothing but forthcoming with information. He's answered all your questions, hasn't talked around anything or shifted a topic like he had something to hide. All you can sense from him is the bare truth, a confidence in his persuasive abilities. He doesn't need to lie to get what he wants. And that's when you realize, this is your best and maybe only chance to fulfill your fantasy. No one else would ever be able to compare, not a chance. If you pass this up you would only end up regretful and forever wondering what might have been. Damn it, you just hope that this doesn't turn out to be a worse mistake than passing it over would have been. "Alright. I agree to your terms."
"Mmm, wonderful. You've made the right choice, pet."
In an instant you feel something snap! into place, as if you had unlocked a door in your mind and thrown it wide open, only for you to then experience the sensation of something slithering it's way rapidly inside. At this, a part of your brain more primitive than the rest shrieks in panic, fight or flight making your heart rate spike. The thing, the slithering thing, it's curling around that fearful part, you'd assume it's the amygdala, and you feel it squeezing down, exerting control and forcing it to shut down those alarms again. Your heart rate slows almost immediately, and you sigh in relief.
"There you go, that's a good pet. See, there's nothing to fear, you want this, you asked for this. Now. I want you to drift off back into sleep. When you wake up, you may or may not be convinced that this encounter was simply a dream. But we can't have that. That's why I'm going to show you, as soon as you wake, that this was in fact real. You just need to trust me, can you do that?"
"Of course, Dark."
"Good. Now… S L E E P." His voice echos and distorts, but you find it oddly soothing. You almost immediately get thrown out of the void, and back into the blackness of your normal sleeping mind.
You wake slowly the next morning, peacefully. There's something about your dreams last night that seemed important, something about… Oh. You remember. You laugh, then you get up and choose some clothes for the day. How could you have been so foolish, it really felt so real, but obviously it wasn't. No chance. You head to the bathroom to take your morning shower and you happen to glance in the mirror. What you see makes you drop your clothes in shock. Your reflection is glitching, with red and blue outlines. You look down at your hands. Normal. You look back up at the mirror. You watch in horror as it warps reality, not to mention the more scared and emotional you become, the more the outlines seem to jump and extend outwards on either side. God. What have you become?