Hey everyone! I've even surprised myself with how fast I got this chapter up!

So…this has been an absolute bitch of a chapter to write, but I was so excited for it that I wrote it in no time flat! I had no idea it was going to be so hard, but I think I'm pretty happy with how it came out. Secrets are about to be revealed! And an epic confrontation awaits.

Special thanks for reviews: Subtle Shenanigans, Tifflinck, gear25, sarahlucylu

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.

Just a heads up, there are spoilers for the video series Who Killed Markiplier…but I highly recommend you all go and watch it. A personal recommendation.

Chapter 14: Sins Of The Past

The three stood in silence, no-one really having an answer to Alix's question. None of them had the faintest idea what to do, and Dark had suitably shaken all three of them. His parting words to each of them rang through their heads, and it was messing with them. Badly.

Alix was unsure what to do with the possibility of her having a future again. She was scared to hope, having given up long ago. If the opportunity did exist, what price was she willing to pay for it?

Jack was warring with himself on whether there was any bargain Anti could make in which he would give himself up – and what that would mean. He was weighing up his own worth versus that of those he stood with. If it meant saving Matt, would he do it? If there was a way for Alix to return to the outside world, was that a worthwhile price?

Mark was furious at himself: furious that he'd lost Matt to Dark. Furious that he'd not been more prepared for the trap. Furious that he couldn't work out the mystery behind the creature masquerading as a warped version of himself. Something just wasn't adding up, and not being able to understand it was killing him inside. Now it had taken Matt, purely because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I guess maybe a better question is - what can we do?" volunteered Jack, earning questioning looks from the other two. "Let's be honest here. Anti and Dark have us in a corner. They've got Matt as a hostage and I don't think the same surprise tactics are going to work on them again. We might know how to fight Anti to a degree, but we've got no defence whatsoever to Dark's shadow attacks. I can stop him, but we can't fight back."

Alix sighed in aggravation. "I've seen Dark strike at Glaysha for months but I still feel like I don't know anything about him. It's like he's completely changed since you guys came here. And I just don't understand why."

Mark let out a long breath before answering. "It's because there is a piece of this puzzle we are missing. Dark said it himself, there is something much bigger going on here than just me and him, and I am now sure it has to do with Damien. He knows more than he's letting on and we need to confront him about it."

Jack looked at him strangely. "Mark, what are you suggesting?"

"Dark is using Matt as leverage. Let's spring his trap."

"Are you sure, Mark?" Alix asked him seriously. "You heard what they said in Glaysha, it's fair game on Matt. If they feel threatened, they may just kill him."

"They took him on purpose, they'll keep him alive unless they feel we have the upper hand. They want a fight, so let's give it to them."

The other two thought about this for a couple of seconds, trying to get their racing thoughts under control. It took some soul searching to realise what their limits were going to be before nodding. "Okay, let's do it," agreed Jack, somewhat reluctantly. "We need a plan though, we can't take them head-on."

After a couple of seconds' thought, Mark's eyes lit up in inspiration. "Wait a minute. Maybe we can."

Using Jack's powers in tandem, they managed to work out the way forward. He first destroyed enough of the floor of the tomb to expose the passageway, then used his light shield in a new way to see where it connected to their area. Alix and Mark were both impressed by his idea and began to factor that into their plan when they reached the Ancient Castle. It was going to take a combined effort by all of them to have the slightest chance of saving Matt and escaping.

They had come to the conclusion that Anti and Dark knew exactly why they were heading to the castle: they would be guarding the Overseer's Staff. The thought crossed their minds that Damien had made that their exit condition to bring about a final confrontation. As they journeyed through the underground passage they kept all of their guards up, not wanting to give either of the sadistic pair hunting them an easy opportunity.

Mark knew they wouldn't be there. They were waiting on the stage of their setting, holding all the cards. Or so they thought.

The trio emerged inside the castle after an hour's walk, and both Jack and Alix had to stop themselves jumping at their own shadows. Despite Mark's warnings about what they would find within, they still weren't braced for the unnerving nature of the castle. What really didn't help their cause was when several waves of skeletons, wolves and other hybrid creatures that the programming team had created for Glaysha swarmed on them barely ten minutes after they had arrived. It had been a vicious fight and though none of them had been left critically injured, it had caused them to eat through their supplies at a rate.

Jack had been forced to use six of his stamina serums, at which Mark gave him the same number back to replenish his inventory. Mark and Alix had used five blue health serums and one red one when a wolf had managed to clamp onto Alix's right arm, leaving it severely lacerated. Jack helped restore their own inventories with his own supply, but they soon realised Dark's plan. It was no co-incidence that they were being faced with more enemies than any of them had seen at once as they approached. He was trying to run them out of supplies. They couldn't afford to hang around; they were going to be at enough of a disadvantage as it was.

It didn't take Mark long to realise that Dark was leaving them a path. Mirrors lined a set route through the multitude of corridors, each showing Dark's smirking face when Mark looked for a reflection. He still didn't get the shadow's affection for the reflective surfaces, but he couldn't dispute the creep factor. Seeing the dark, twisted version of himself in the mirror every time he looked for his own reflection was more than a little unsettling. It struck just that little too close to home. Following Mark's lead, the trio marched through the castle, doing their best to avoid any more scuffles along the way. They managed to dodge a few ambushes thanks to Alix's illusions drawing the attention away from them. There was one which they couldn't evade entirely, but some tactical use of their smoke bombs helped them make a quick escape.

As they emerged on the fourth floor of the castle, they could hear Anti's laughter up ahead. All of them tensed, knowing what was waiting for them. Mark turned to Jack and Alix, giving them each a nervous smile. "All right, this is it. I know this is probably going to be one of the hardest things we ever do, but we can do this. We've got a plan, and we're all crazy enough to try and pull it off." Alix giggled at this while Jack smiled. Mark's smile became more genuine and he turned to focus on Jack. "Sean, remember what we said. No heroics."

Jack chuckled. "That goes for you too, Mark. I'm not the only one with little-to-no consideration for their own safety." Mark laughed softly and Alix bit her lip to try and stop herself joining in. Jack's gaze swept over both of them. "In fact, it applies to all three of us." He stopped to stare at Alix intently. "No suicide moves, Alix. You're making it to the end with us, you hear me?"

She gave a small nod and saluted as she smiled. "Aye-aye, skip!" she chirped in a mock military voice. Jack and Mark both laughed at her attempt at humour, delighted to see more of her personality shine through. They were glad to have her standing beside them, as well as feeling slightly humbled. Not everyone would have the courage to face an enemy like this, especially after all she had been through inside the Dreamscape.

After a moment of decision, Mark and Jack both embraced her in a hug, and she gripped back happily. Whatever lay ahead, they were ready to face it together. Mark was the first to pull away, looking at his companions seriously. "We ready for this?" He got two strong nods back.

Eyes steeled in determination, Mark turned to stare down the corridor intently. "Let's do this."

The end of the passage brought them to a massive stone arch, beyond which lay a large chamber. Or at least, what was left of it. Much of the back wall and part of the floor connected to it had crumbled under the ferocity of the storms around the castle, and the whole area was lit in a sickly purple glow. It didn't take long to realise the source: instead of normal flames, all of the torches were lit by Dark's shadow fire. When the trio emerged through the arch, they could spy their targets about fifteen metres away. All four of them.

Upon an altar at the far end of the room they could see Anti sitting with his legs crossed, twirling the Overseer's Staff in his left hand. His demented smirk was still in place and grew at seeing the company arrive. In front of him they could see Dark standing confidently, arms crossed and a smug grin on his face. Mark, Jack and Alix all paused as they took stock of the scene, and their eyes all raised when they caught sight of swirling shadows behind Anti. Alix's voice died in her throat as Mark and Jack both froze on the spot at seeing what lay there.

Matt was suspended several feet in the air in a crucifix position, arms and legs immobilised by shadow tendrils locking him in place. His eyes were closed, his head was bowed in front of him and his skin was almost white, black pulsing veins spreading across his skin. They could see many smaller tendrils were almost…absorbed into his skin, none more obvious than one large vine which appeared to have dove straight into his stomach. Shadows poured out from all the puncture points and the others fought hard to keep their stomach contents down. Mark was having the hardest time out of all three of them, knowing Dark had done this to lure him out.

God, Matt. What has he done to you?

The three of them soon advanced, Mark and Jack either side of Alix, who kept a pace or two behind them. Dark and Anti watched in glee as the trio came closer, knowing their game was coming to an end. As they got closer, all three of them saw something they hadn't noticed before. Matt had been deliberately positioned so far back that he was above the broken floor – and they all knew just how far the drop was. If he was let go, there would be no chance of survival. That was going to be a big problem.

A desperate idea came to Jack's head and he leant over and whispered in into Mark's ear, the older man pulling away to look at him in complete disbelief. Jack spoke softly to him again. "Well, there's no reason to think it won't work in reverse." Knowing it was the only thing which could factor into their plan, he nodded at the Irishman and turned back to Alix. He repeated the instructions to her and she nodded in acknowledgement. They then turned their attention back to their foes standing before them, coming to a stop about six metres away.

Anti put the staff down back on the altar behind him and Dark chuckled. "It took you all long enough," the shadow spoke impatiently, his anticipation showing for the first time. "And here I thought you had decided to forsake Matt for the length of time you took."

Jack swore back Dark. "Not on your fucking life! Your minions just slowed us down is all!"

The glitch laughed at Jack's response. "Oh Jack-a-boy…if they proved to be a challenge, then you don't have the slightest fucking chance against us!"

Mark took another couple of steps forward, glaring at Dark as the shadow smirked at him. "All right, you've got us here. You've got Matt as a hostage, and we can't fight you on any sort of level playing field. The bit I don't get about this is…why? Why do all this? What purpose does Damien have for you taking on the guise of Darkiplier to get to me?" His voice rose in volume as his pitch become more demanding. "What have I done to him, to deserve all this? For my friends to be dragged into a living nightmare with me? For him to willing sacrifice an innocent person in here? Tell me, Dark. What is really going on here?"

A few seconds passed before Dark started to laugh, quietly at first before growing into a full belly laugh. "Oh Mark, what a speech. Is that why you took so long to get here, to come up with that? It was certainly poetic, I will give you that much." Mark's glare turned a couple of shades icier as the shadow regained his composure. "Well, I suppose you have come this far. And to see the look on your face as I finally end this after so long…it will bring me great delight."

The half-Korean snapped back at him. "Bring what to an end? What the fuck is this all about?"

Dark sauntered towards Mark, causing Jack to instinctively charge his lightning in his palm. Anti mirrored the move, giving Jack pause. "Not so fast, princess," mocked the glitch. "Dark doesn't like to get fried, but I think your little friend will like it even less. And if he tastes my lightning, I will make sure you can't fix him with your little potions. So, be a good little boy and listen to Daddy's story. I think you'llfind this interesting too."

After sharing a look with Alix behind him and receiving a nod he stood down. Before he spun back however he cast his eyes upwards subtly, spying the figure creeping along the wooden beams stabilising the high roof of the chamber. Not lingering too long, he turned his attention back to the illusion on the floor and got a wink from her. Satisfied that Alix was well on her way to executing her phase of their plan, he turned back the confrontation before him. He may not be able to attack, but he could certainly defend Mark if he needed to.

Mark fought hard not to flinch as Dark came to a stop only two metres away from him. He really didn't like having the shadow creature so near to him, especially when it seemed so confident. Dark's smirk vanished, changing to a neutral and disinterested mask. "Let's cast our minds back, shall we. Tell me Mark, your whole 'Darkiplier' persona, that was something that your fans came up with, wasn't it? But what started that whole thing?"

It took a few seconds for Mark to answer. "It's been so long ago that I don't really remember why I started it. I just thought it would be a good idea."

Dark hummed in thought. "And then as time went on, you started having dreams, didn't you? Flashes in your sleep of 'Darkiplier'. They gave you ideas and you played off them. Over time it grew until you decided to give 'Darkiplier' an origin, and explanation of how he came into being. You then expanded it to give birth to the rise of another one of your beloved characters. Wilford Warfstache I believe he became. Correct me if I am wrong, but that came to you in a sequence of dreams, did it not? Vivid ones I imagine."

Mark looked at him in complete confusion. "What are you getting at here?"

The shadow scoffed. "It was all so crystal clear in your mind when you woke up. How it happened, the story behind it. Everything was just like a book…and you brought it to life. You could see every scene in your head as though you were there." Its face turned to fury and Mark took half a step back. "That is because it was not just a story, or a sketch or whatever the hell you made it. What you portrayed…that, was real."

Alix jumped in. "The hell are you talking about?"

Dark smirked at her. "Forgive me, Alix. I forget that you have been trapped in this world for so long that you are unaware of many events. Rewind to 2017, one year ago, and Mark released a series of videos for his fans. They were titled 'Who Killed Markiplier'. It was a grand tale of murder, mystery and betrayal. The titular 'Mark' was somewhat of a scandalous character, fallen prey to a murderer within his very home! His 'friends' began to investigate, but no answers were to be found. They turned to the mystical arts for the solution as to who the killer was, all the while exposing all the fractures and lies which surrounded the little group.

"In the end, 'Mark' escaped death due to the help of a dark entity which was trapped inside the manor, instead condemning his ex-wife and best friend to die in his place. Knowing they had been betrayed, they sought the help of another unfortunate soul who had died in the events which followed. Offering them the chance of life again, the threesome returned in that one body. But the combination of so many enraged souls in one vessel twisted them, creating 'Darkiplier', hell bent on revenge against 'Mark' for having ended their lives so prematurely."

Dark's smile turned knowing as he began to see Mark pale, making so many impossible connections in his head. "Tell me, Mark. What was the name of the person that 'Mark' possessed to find freedom again?"

Mark shook his head as his mind swam. It's not possible. It was just a fantasy! A dream! "You're fucking lying."

Anti laughed insanely. "Seeing you deny the truth is so entertaining." The glitch's attention flipped to Jack, who too had gone white. Jack knew exactly what connection Dark was angling at. "Go on then, Jack-a-boy. What was the name of the one Mark betrayed?"

Jack gulped before speaking the word, the undertones of it sending chills through his body. "Damien."

Alix looked between all four of them in disbelief. The shadow's expression turned back to one of neutrality, though no-one missed the hatred in its voice. "Your 'dreams' Mark, were my memories. Mark was my twin brother, and I loved him dearly. But, his greatest fault was that he never appreciated anything in his life, not even me. When Celine left him in desperation to get away, I guided her. While the Colonel was a figment you added to your 'production', I was the one who truly sheltered her. He tormented her, used her! It tore at my heart to hide something like that from him, but he was a monster to her." Dark turned away, wandering away from the group.

"And then…he learned of my role in it. Under the guise of trying to make amends, he invited Celine back to their home. Fearing what he may do, she begged me to join her. I did so, unknowing it was exactly what Mark hoped for. Celine and Mark both practiced mystical arts, I distanced myself from it after a time: fearing the power it could bring about. We spoke, Celine and I agreed to stay the night after the weather turned.

"That night, Mark was killed. Days first, then weeks passed. After much suspicion was aimed at us, Celine desperately tried to communicate with Mark in the realm beyond, hoping he could point us in the direction his killer. I was there for moral support." His voice turned softer, something none of them expected. "How I wish I had hardened my heart as I wanted to, let go of my lasting sentimentality of him. After all he had done, it was exactly what he deserved. But…being identical twins, some things run too deep. I wanted to know who killed my brother too."

Dark spun back to the them, his eyes now completely shadowed over. Mark did take a step back at this. "The moment she made the connection I knew something was wrong. She was distressed, crying out for help. I used my meagre talents to try and assist her, but he was waiting. He crippled Celine, fatally wounding her body and leaving her mind trapped before overpowering me. I will never forget the sickening look on his face as he left me to die in that dimension…Mark stole my body, intending on leaving me stranded in the nothingness." Shadows began to flare around him. "With the last of her power, Celine tried to send me back before Mark could gain control of my body. It didn't work, and he swatted me away like a fly. I was stuck between the realms, wandering lost. In a place where time was meaningless, I was left to fester. Confusion turned to anger. Anger turned to bloodlust. And with that bloodlust…I found the power he had acquired."

"I crossed back to this world as a spectre, searching for him. I wanted to make him suffer as he had me…but I never found him. He died an old man, living a masquerade within my body. Living my stolen life! The need for revenge burned inside me, and I soon realised I had an opportunity yet. Souls do not leave this world for long, and all I had to do was wait for him to return." His face relaxed, the rage it contained vanishing for the time being. "And here you are, Mark."

Mark shook his head in denial as the shadow continued. "Time rendered my powers inert, however. Oh, believe me, I tried possessing you, Mark. It was how you saw into my mind and saw how I came to become what I am now. My treacherous brother left safeguards, however, no doubt fearing that I would search for him beyond his own lifetime. After several failed attempts I realised I needed another plan…" Dark turned its attention to Alix, smiling at her nastily.

"And that was where you came in, my dear. I stumbled across your little project purely by chance. You were looking for a benefactor to kickstart your project, but no-one would take the gamble. Seeing my perfect opportunity in the world you were looking to create, I possessed some fool, assimilating myself into his life." Alix's eyes widened in horror. "Of course, it took time. But your brilliance meant it was completed far sooner than I thought possible. And then…your magnificence became your downfall. I had used some of my limited power to extend the influence of this place, make it more real."

He smirked at her. "You realised the world was too perfect, too alive. I couldn't risk you uncovering the truth, so I seized upon another opportunity. I could test just how deadly and diverse this place was without showing my hand too early. Refine it if I needed to. What I did not count on was that same brilliance which brought my revenge all the closer meant you slipped under my radar. The 'Dark' which you fought for months was nothing more than a program, written by one of your team under my secret orders. When I entered this place at long last, I simply adopted the persona."

Dark spun back to Mark, seeing his whole body on the verge of shaking. It smirked: his reaction was everything he had hoped for. "I finally had my opportunity for revenge against my brother, 89 long years after he died in my body. 172 years after he tore everything away from me! And just as he did to me before, I was determined to make him pay by seeing the life he treasured ripped out from under him! Unfortunately, only two of those closest to you took the bait…but the one I wanted more than any is here. With Jack, I could give birth to Anti, and torture you even more!" Anti stood and bowed at the announcement of his name, causing Dark to chuckle. "And he's even more demented than I hoped for."

The glitch sniggered as he returned to his full height. "I do try. After having been restrained within Jack's mind for so long, I'm enjoying to opportunity to do what I want."

Fighting through the sickening feeling in his stomach at all the revelations, Jack quickly glanced upwards and saw the real Alix all but frozen in the rafters. He could only imagine what was spinning through her mind at that moment, but they needed her to focus. She could only keep up her illusion for so much longer before they were exposed. He sprinted to stand beside Mark and snapped at Anti. "Fuck you! You'll never get out of this place, you psychotic bastard!"

Anti smirked and pointed at Mark. "You so sure about that, princess? Looks like you're another person down."

Jack turned to look at Mark, his stomach dropping at the lost and utterly helpless look on his face. "Mark-"

"This isn't real," Mark whispered, putting his hands on his head as he shook it violently. "This is all just some sick and twisted scheme to get inside my head!"

Dark smiled in triumph. "Of course it is, Mark. This whole place has been designed to break you apart, one small piece at a time. And now, the stage is set for my final vengeance."

The shadow stepped back, bringing pillars of black fire to life at each of his sides, causing everyone before him to recoil. "You asked why I was given the guise of 'Darkiplier'? It is because I am him!

"You asked what you had done to Damien to warrant him seeking revenge? You now know what you did to me almost two centuries ago!

"Why did I bring your friends in here along with you? It is so you can watch them die before I destroy you!"

Purple flashes reflected in its eyes before they shimmered back to emptiness. "I am Damien Villaire, what you came to christen as 'Darkiplier'. I am your worst nightmare, and I will finally end this. Once. And. For. All."

So yeah...that recommendation was kind of critical. If you haven't watched Who Killed Markiplier, please do!

As I suspected, this chapter ended up becoming a lot longer than I originally envisioned. So the final fight is going to have to wait until next time! I really can't see it being long before I upload it, I am so excited to write it! Please let me know what you thought of the grand reveal and I shall see you all next time!

*Smooch*