Surprise everyone!

So, I know that I said to expect an update on the 9th, but I felt so bad for making everyone wait for the last chapter, that I decided to update early! I also wasn't 100% sure I will actually have the opportunity on the 9th to get this up, so here's a present!

Special thanks for reviews: perpetuation, RandomRae

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to Markiplier, JackSepticEye or Matthias/Hi5 Universe. If you wish to use anything relating to my own universe, please ask first.

Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 7: Fear The Dark

Matt raced after Jack, but it did not take long for Jack to escape his view: the younger man was by far the faster runner. Glaysha had only been a few minutes' run from where Anti had launched his attack, but that few minutes had Matt's mind going in circles. He'd seen videos that Jack had created of Anti, seeing the vision of Jack's fans come to life on screen. But to be faced with him as something living, breathing…terrifying, it had shaken Matt. He could only imagine the chaos Jack's mind was in. It gave rise to so many more questions, and he didn't even know where to start with searching for answers. One thing it had proved, however, was that the Dreamscape was dangerous. In more ways than they expected.

We need to find Mark. Fast.

Once back within the relative safety of Glaysha, Matt ran towards the library, guessing that was where Jack had fled to. He headed straight for Alix's refuge, praying that no NPC's would be around. Some turned their attention to him as he charged through the door and into the storage room, but Matt wasn't taking the chance of someone stumbling in. Taking time to lock the door behind him, Matt then opened the path to Alix's study. When he came bursting through, breathless, he was relieved to see his guess had been right. Jack was sat in a chair, white as sheet, staring off into nothingness. Alix was knelt before him, trying to break through his intense gaze, but he was lost to his own thoughts. As soon as she spied Matt, she leapt to her feet and pulled him to a distant corner of the room.

"Jesus, Matt, what the hell happened to the both of you? Jack stumbled in here, pale as a ghost, and has been zoning since he sat in that chair. I've never seen anything like that before," she asked frantically, but then her eyes caught the state of him. Though Matt was now physically unharmed, his armour was still scorched and blackened from Anti's lightning. "Shit, that isn't Jack's lightning, is it?"

Matt shook his head. "Christ, I wish it was, Alix. I don't think either of us would be nearly so freaked if it had been. How much do you know about Jack's dark side, Antisepticeye?"

She turned thoughtful for a second. "I remember him doing that whole theme through a month, finishing with that Halloween video he brought out which had Anti killing him. That came out only a month before I got stuck here. Matt why-"

"Because that's who attacked us. Anti is…he's alive, and he's here, in the Dreamscape." Alix's eyes widened impossibly, the news having clearly come as a shock to her. That did Matt's concerns no favours. As one of the creators of the Dreamscape, she would have known more of its workings than anyone. The fact that Anti's existence had come as such a shock to her had him fearing the worst. "Alix, can the Dreamscape bring things from people's minds to life? Could it have conjured Anti as a challenge for us to best?"

Alix vehemently shook her head. "No, there's no way it can do that. The Dreamscape cannot access anything other than your conscious thoughts, we thought it would be too much of an invasion of privacy were it to go beyond that. It can read your reactions to situations and act around you accordingly, but that's it. The Dreamscape is nothing more than a space waiting to be filled by players. It's merely a foundation, it cannot directly affect whatever it is supporting. No…I've got a very bad feeling about this. The only way Anti is here, is if someone used the software beyond what it was meant for and accessed Jack's memories, but they wouldn't be able to do it surreptitiously. The intrusion would be not only lengthy, but also painful."

Matt and Alix stood for several seconds, digesting the revelations imparted to each other before an emotionless voice broke through the silence. "I know when it happened." They both turned to face Jack. He continued to stare into the distance, but his gaze now seemed to be more focused. "Damien said that I got stuck in the Mental Matrix before I was uploaded to Glaysha. I was there for about a minute before he sent me on my way. The process after that was…excruciating. My head hurt like hell when I woke up here. Damien must have used that window to access my memories and create him."

"But that still doesn't explain how or why he's here," Matt continued.

Alix hummed in thought. "Jack, Anti is based around a glitch, right?" Jack nodded but remained staring off into the distance. "Then Damien had all the opportunity he needed. Anti isn't alive at all. We're inside a computer, and a glitch only exists inside a computer system. He exists here because Damien made a program for him. That's all he is, a program."

That finally broke Jack's gaze, and he turned his attention to Alix. "Then how did all of…that, feel so real? It really felt like he had-" Jack cut himself off, the echoes of the pain he felt still reverberating through his body. He desperately tried to avoid thinking about the knives, especially the one that Anti had dragged across his neck- A violent shake of his head cut off Jack's train of thought, but he knew it wouldn't last long. The memory had been replaying in his head almost constantly since Anti's attack.

The programmer's eyes turned sympathetic, and when Jack held his right hand up to run over the front of his neck, she had a feeling just what Anti had done to him. "Guys, for all intents and purposes, your minds think that what happens here is real. It doesn't truly know the difference, not subconsciously. You are consciously aware that you are in a simulation, but your subconscious is now directly connected to the Dreamscape. It doesn't have that direct connection to your body to know the difference."

Matt's eyes widened in realisation. "Hang on. Alix, what will happen if we die inside the Dreamscape? If you are saying that our minds think that what transpires here is real, then…?"

She sighed deeply. "I honestly don't know. We wrote a program to auto-eject anyone who died in-game, but I wasn't directly responsible for that. In theory, the subroutine was designed to remove anyone from the game the moment before they died. It was deleted along with the exit program when I first became trapped here. I've tried to re-write it as best I can but…I've not been brave enough to test it."

"Because if it doesn't work, you die for real."

Alix nodded. "Plus, I don't have a body to go back to. For all I know, I could just end up floating in nothingness, or cease to exist. I always figured I'd find out how good a job I did of writing the code when I eventually couldn't cope with living here anymore. I really wish I had better answers for you two."

Her eyes hardened, and she then turned her attention to her inventory. Matt watched in fascination as she held her fingers over the display in a certain configuration, which then caused it to flash to a new screen. Line after line of data was streaming through faster than he could keep up with, and he realised with a start that Alix was staring at the game code of the Dreamscape. A holographic keyboard had appeared on her arm and she typed on it with her right hand, focusing hard on the rapidly changing screens. Jack's attention had been drifting again, but when he caught sight of what Alix was doing he stood and came to a stop next to Matt, the two of them watching in confusion as she jumped through display after display of code.

Jack almost jumped a foot high when he felt a hand on his left arm, but soon regained control of his breathing when he realised it was only Matt. "Shit, sorry, man. I didn't mean to freak out on you like that."

Matt smiled gently at him. "Don't worry about it, Jack. I'm not surprised after what Anti did to you. I know this is probably the worst possible time to ask this, but…how do you feel?"

The change in Jack's demeanour was noticeable. His shoulders had gone rigid and his eyes dimmed in remembrance. "I'm not going to lie, dude. I'm shit scared. I mean- Jesus Christ, I just had Anti try to drag a knife across my throat! The worst bit is I'm sure a lot of this is self-inflicted. I'm guessing that this program of Anti is based off how I acted, as him. If I hadn't made him such a fucking psychopath hell-bent on killing me, then I don't think we'd have nearly so much of a problem now."

"Hey, Jack, we don't know if that is true or not. Plus, I think Anti is a fair bit more complicated that that. He's not just an act that you put on, is he? I'm guessing that when you were making those videos, it kinda came naturally to you? It was less of an act and more of an expression of how you thought he felt, am I right?"

Jack's eyes widened. "That's freakishly accurate. How-"

"Just a little bit of psychology knowledge. I think Anti is literally a sub-personality. Let's class you as 'Jack', the dominant personality. Beneath that, there are lots of sub-personalities that we can access for different situations. When someone is putting on a brave face? That's them accessing a different personality temporarily. That's where split-personality disorder comes from, when ones of the sub-personalities begins to vie for outright control with the dominant one. I think what's happening with Anti is kinda comparable."

The Irishman stared at Matt for a few seconds. "So… you think Anti is actually a part of me, as a whole? Does that mean all my other egos that I've made for my channel are probably the same sort of situation?"

"Probably, I don't know nearly enough about it to say. But it would explain why Anti seems very lifelike for a computer program."

"I think Matt's right." They switched their attention back to Alix at her words, seeing that she was now reading down one screen. "From what you two have said, Anti seems way too diverse to be just a fabrication. Not even the AI we have in here can create something like that. It's almost like he has a mind of his own." She finally stopped and read more carefully. "Gotcha. You were right, Jack. Anti was created only a minute after all three of you were uploaded to the Dreamscape, Damien had a program waiting. Son of a bitch, that means he planned this. He brought Anti here on purpose." Her eyes widened in shock. "Oh shit…"

Matt and Jack shared a look. "You know, when someone says 'Oh shit', it really doesn't do my nerves any good," Matt attempted to joke, though he was half serious.

Alix grimaced. "Sorry, I know that didn't help but…I've found Mark."

The other two gaped at her. "What?!"

"Where is he?!"

"He was deliberately dropped in a separate location from you two…and he's in Dark's lair. That's on the other side of the map. Crap, I'll have to go get him."

Jack held onto Alix's arm as she closed the screen and prepared to go to the other side of the room. "Hang on, what do you mean 'you'll have to go get him'? How can you get over there? And why can't we come with you?"

Alix paused for a couple of seconds before answering. "There are teleportation stones as part of the game, I have a cluster of them here that I've managed to collect from the merchants. I can use them to get to the Ancient Castle and hopefully retrieve Mark without arousing too much suspicion. The problem is Damien will now know that I am still alive in here. Accessing the game codes as I just did will have reverted my status to active." She quickly returned back to the game codes and brought up the player statuses, turning her arm to let both Jack and Matt see what was there.

Active: Mark Fischbach. Glaysha Simulation Running. Area: Ancient Castle, 2F

Active: Matthew Fredrick. Glaysha Simulation Running. Area: Glaysha Town, Library

Active: Sean McLoughlin. Glaysha Simulation Running. Area: Glaysha Town, Library

Active: Alix Cathroe. Glaysha Simulation Running. Area: Glaysha Town, Library

"I have a feeling that we won't be left alone for very long, so we need to find Mark fast. And, I mean this in the nicest way possible guys, but you'll be sitting ducks against Dark right now. We can't risk you two getting hurt, or worse, killed, in trying to save Mark. Please, let me go alone. I'll feel a hell of a lot better about it."

Matt shook his head sharply. "No way. Mark is our friend, we can't just sit here and do nothing!"

Jack joined in protest. "Yeah, and if Dark is as dangerous as you say, it may take all four of us to fight him!"

Alix stared at them both solemnly. "And if Anti is there too, waiting for Jack? I think you both know fighting the two of them is an impossibility right now. If we only had a bit more time I would train you both right now, but every second Mark is out there is a second too long. I dare not think what Dark will do to him." She flicked back to her inventory and pulled out two pouches of purple powder, offering one each to Jack and Matt. "Here, use these. They're a nifty little thing. It's for nothing more than aesthetic value, but I'm sure it'll make the pair of you feel a lot better." Both of them stared at the pouches before opening them up. "Dump them on your head." Jack and Matt both raised an eyebrow at Alix and shot her a dirty look. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn't help but laugh. "I'm honestly not trolling you! As entertaining as it would be to douse you both in purple chalk, that is not what I'm doing. Trust me?"

Knowing that Alix would probably not try and prank them at a time like this, the pair both sighed before upending the contents of the pouches on their heads. Matt coughed as some of the powder got into his nose and Jack threw Alix a look, suddenly wondering if she had been intending on tricking them. She smiled gently at the pair of them. "Look at each other."

They turned back to one another and stared in wonder. Matt's armour was now pristine, the scorch marks having vanished, as well as the crack which had appeared in his breastplate from where Anti's lightning had connected. Jack's tunic and cape were no longer scorched and the tears in Jack's arms had been repaired. The blood which had stained his white cape was now also gone. "I knew some players would want to carry the scars of their battles with them, but I also knew others wouldn't. We developed the powder so you could have the option. I've got a large stash here, so feel free to take as much as you want. Now you don't have to carry the physical signs of Anti's assault with you."

The moment was swiftly ruined when a large explosion could be heard outside. All three of them grasped for something the steady their balance as several more rang out in the next few seconds, the blasts being accompanied by violent shaking of the ground. Alix's breath caught in her throat: she knew the timing was far too co-incidental. Jack's voice stole her attention briefly as the chaos outside died down. "Fuck! What was that?"

Alix didn't waste any time and ran to her desk, retrieving her halberd as she pulled a concealed lever. A ladder dropped from one of the higher bookcases, which Jack and Matt could now see was a false front. Alix quickly scaled it and pulled one of the books to the right at the top, causing the false section to depress and reveal another path. "A secret room, inside a secret room. Seriously? That is just so clichéd," Matt muttered as the pair followed her.

They climbed the ladder and crawled along the narrow tunnel at the top, emerging in a narrow, circular, two-tiered chamber. A bed and bathroom facilities comprised the bottom floor, while the ladder led to a second landing with a hollowed-out centre, allowing them to see all the way to the skylight above. As they climbed the other ladder, they realised the walls of the whole upper landing were made of glass, allowing them to see the whole of the town. Alix was fetching supplies out of various chests as another series of explosions shattered through the air. Everything shook from the force and both Youtubers turned their gazes to the outside.

Black fire was raining down from the sky, striking buildings, the streets, people…anything it touched was torn apart from the force. Matt and Jack watched in horror as screams ran out, the townspeople were running in fear and desperation from the onslaught. Several of the town's guards fell in a feeble attempt to protect the most vulnerable, but none could attack a foe in the sky. A bright flash from behind them caught Jack and Matt's attention briefly, but they were blinded by the light temporarily. The clatter of a window was the last they heard before they realised that Alix was now gone.

Jack opened one of the windows looking over the centre of the town, and the pair watched as they saw Alix charge into the danger: or at least what they believed was Alix. A small, what appeared to be girl, was running along the rooftops, her long red hair tied up in braids while a white and red coat all but drowned her small frame. The halberd on her back was clipped on at nearly 45 degrees so that it did not catch on the ground as she sprinted along, her eyes turned skywards. The pair soon saw what she was focused on: a shadow was descending from the sky. It hovered about fifteen feet above the ground and it was the source of the black fire which was causing such devastation. The both inhaled sharply as they saw a stream of black flames emerge from the shadow, incinerating everything it touched. Countless people were set ablaze in the square, as well as many stalls and animals which just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The shadow then stopped all of a sudden, halting its deadly assault. They saw the girl take cover atop the rooftops, hiding only a few metres away from the creature as she waited for an opportunity to strike. She glanced quickly up at their hiding place, confirming that it was indeed Alix, and held up a hand, urging them to stay put. Anguished screams rang out through the town for almost half a minute before a deep, echoing voice boomed through the area, almost leading Jack and Matt to wince form the force.

I see you have not yet learned.

Matt turned wide eyes to Jack, but the Irishman's focus was on the suffering before them. As much as they both knew this was only a simulation, the smells of burning and death, the screams of pain and grief were getting to them. This suddenly seemed all too real to them.

A small figure emerged from one of the buildings, which both Youtubers soon clicked was Eamon, the town overseer. He approached the shadow, hands held in front of him in submission. "Forgive us our transgressions, Dark One. We mean no harm to you, nor seek to cause you ire." The pair turned to look at each other, realising that this…thing was Dark. Suddenly Alix's warning seemed all too accurate. There was no way they could fight this. Their attention soon snapped back to the scene before them, watching as the shadow descended to the ground.

Pests should know their place. This town knows that not.

Eamon shouted in anguish as Dark let loose another stream of fire, destroying an entire side of the square. Jack had to fight every fibre of his being not to get involved. The urge to use his shield to at least dissipate something of Dark's attack was almost overpowering, but he soon realised that Alix was staring straight at him from across the site of that very attack. She must have been able to tell what he was thinking, for she shook her head at him noticeably. Jack instead fisted his hands tightly, cursing the being in front of them as he watched the town suffer.

"Please, oh Dark One! Spare the innocent, I beg of you! They have done nothing to deserve this!" Eamon begged, descending to his knees before the being. Both Jack and Matt's hearts hurt at the pleading and desperate town from the old man. A scoff of disdain echoed around the area in response.

Then suffer their fate instead.

They both shouted in horror as they saw the shadow prepare to strike the overseer, but a battle cry from above stole its attention. It turned its attention to the figure which had just leapt from above and hurtled fire at the girl, but as the flames died it was soon evident that the attack had struck nothing but air. As Dark was distracted Alix leapt down from the roof, racing towards Eamon and gathering him over her shoulder, racing him to safety. Just as her decoy was destroyed, Alix had managed to get Eamon to shelter, before racing back out into the heart of the fight. In the flash of an eye three versions of her were suddenly visible. The copies either side raced to either side of the shadow, halberd glinting off the sun shining overhead as the weapons came crashing down. No damage was done to Dark, but it successfully distracted it. Once it had deflected one and attempted to attack the other apparition, the real Alix swung out in a large arc, cutting straight through the shadow before she spun and cleaved downwards. The damage was evident and the shadow roared in displeasure, exploding in a fiery rage. Alix was thrown by the blast and landed hard on her back, rolling on to her front in a desperate effort to take cover.

Dissatisfied by the turn of events, the shadow let out another screech, suddenly condensing into a humanoid form. Everyone around stared in terror as the creature made its fury evident.

Vermin! I offer you one chance to atone for your insults! Bring to me the one who interferes with my world! I give you two days to save your pathetic existences! Deliver them to my castle if you want to live! DO NOT FAIL ME!

The figure then paused, looking at the surrounding area. It locked its gaze on Alix, who was taking shelter behind the ruined wall of a building, narrowing its stare briefly before hurtling a ball of black fire straight at her. The crumbling walls were blown apart and came crashing down atop her hiding place. Once that was done, Dark turned its stare back to the town, but subtly turned its attention to the glass tower overlooking the square. It smirked as it caught sight of both Jack and Matt, knowing that his plan was coming together perfectly. It will not be long now. Dark was then consumed by black fire, vanishing only a few seconds later.

The town was in disarray, but both Jack and Matt were frozen to their spot. They knew those down below could use their help, but they couldn't get what they had just seen out of their heads. The air in their lungs had caught the minute Dark had taken on a human shape, and they now suddenly feared the worst.

When Dark had shifted, they could have sworn they were staring down at Mark.

So…another slightly dialogue heavy one, but it also had a fair bit more action. More focus on everyone next time.

Hope you all enjoyed it, and I would love to hear what you all thought of it!

*Smooch*