Prologue
Escaping from the void proved itself as a rather easy feat. After deciding to give up on his latest confrontation with Anti — that smug, glitchy bastard — Darkiplier had slipped expertly through a crack in between multiversal planes and found himself...well, as a matter of fact, he didn't know where the hell he was at the moment.
His surroundings consisted of a few blackened trees, totally devoid of leaves. The ground at his feet was a deep charcoal black. The whole area, which appeared to stretch into infinity, looked like the aftermath of a wildfire. What struck Dark the most was the sky above him — it was dotted with millions of stars, all of them glittering against a startling backdrop of colors from the galaxies.
The clearest thought in Dark's mind was, What the fuck is going on?
He had no business here. He tried to open another crack through which to move. But, strangely, nothing happened. He remained where he was. That familiar lurch in the pit of his stomach, which came whenever he traveled across different planes of existence, was absent.
Dark sighed with frustration. "Fine," he grumbled out loud, "I'll stay here, until I can discover who the motherfucker is that—"
Now, now, my darling Darkiplier...is that any way to speak to a dear friend?
A chill slithered across Dark's spine. He knew that voice, somehow, almost by some instinct he had been previously unaware of. He whirled to confront the owner of the voice, glaring in all directions, but he could discern no one within a thousand mile radius.
The voice laughed softly.
You amuse me, you pathetic little creature. But your effort is pointless...I am all around you.
I am the air you breathe, the earth upon which you walk...
Dark gritted his teeth. His fists clenched; involuntarily, he began to shudder. Jesus Christ, that horrible voice made his skin crawl! He couldn't remember ever feeling this helpless before, lacking control over his mind and body. The rising surge of panic in his chest only contributed further to his helplessness.
"Just tell me what you want," Darkiplier managed to growl. "I've already had enough of this pompous bullshit of yours."
This time, the voice chuckled.
Soon you will understand everything, Darkiplier. You will all understand.
Before Dark could respond to that, he finally felt that lurch in his stomach. He was moving across the multiversal planes again...but where would he end up next? He closed his eyes as nausea, another symptom that sometimes occurred when crossing the planes, overcame him. When he could hardly stand it any longer and felt the urge to retch, relief came at last as he arrived in a new location.
"Fucking hell," said Dark under his breath. He blinked rapidly, letting his eyes adjust to the light. He was slightly startled after he heard a rustle of clothing and a shaky intake of breath coming from his right side.
"Is...is that really you, my friend?"
Dark turned to the source of the voice, and inhaled sharply.
"Hello again, Wilford," he said.