"Shit!" Jackie fell to the ground and slammed his fist onto the floor, cracking the wood.

"Jackie, stop!" Sean tried to console him but he wasn't any better off. 

Jackie shoved him away and ran his hands through his hair, "No! He's gone! He's fucking gone!"

Chase stood stock still, hugging himself, thinking about what Anti had said. 

All of their emotions were through the roof and it was clear none of them knew how to really deal with it. 

'We need to stay calm' Jameson tried signing to them, getting their attention, 'If Anti really wanted to go back to Puppeteer, he would have stayed her to hurt us. Right?'

"I'm not worried about Anti leaving for Puppeteer" Jackie shook his head, "I'm worried FOR Anti if that bastard finds him! Anti wouldn't go back"

"How do you know that?" Chase grunted, "This is just like what happened that night"

"No, it is not" Henrik agreed with Jackie, "Anti is smarter than that. He knows we care about him."

Marvin then realized, "Puppeteer is after HIM first."

"Yeah, we know that" Sean crossed his arms, "That's why we need to find him and-"

"No, you don't get it" Marvin stopped him. He understood what Anti was doing, "He's not the same man as he was before. He's different. But also. . . ." he sighed.

"What, Marvin?" Jackie asked. The magician clearly figured something out but didn't want to tell them, "What is it?"

"Anti left for a reason but it wasn't to go back to Puppeteer. It was to protect us. Because he knows that Puppeteer needs that magic first and foremost."

'What do we do?' Jameson asked, 'There has to be something we can do!'

"He said not to follow him" Henrik crinkled his brow, "He has a plan, perhaps?"

"We NEED to find him!" Chase was getting more and more worked up by the second, "Anti is NOT in the right state of mind right now! What was his state of mind before he lost his memories!? He wanted to KILL himself because he thought that that was the only way to rid himself of the bastard!"

They all tensed at that. Chase was right but. . . . . . where do they even start?

"I think you are wrong. I don't think he'd kill himself" Henrik disagreed, "But you are right in one think. We need to find him. Even IF he is angry with us"

Anti glitched to the only place Puppeteer could never go.

He had only been there once. He hated it but it was his only shot.

Hopefully his newest friend would be there to help him.

It was vacant and black. It felt like outer space and probably just as cold.

Seeing Dark no where to be found after he woke up, he figured he had either left or someone came to retrieve him. Either way, he knew Puppeteer did a number on him by messing with his head. He had to be here in the void.

'Damn Iplier bastard' he thought to himself, 'Really is a stubborn one. But I guess I have to thank him for actually trying to help. Wilford really has turned him into a softie.'

Anti blinked only for the scene around him to change.

He was in Marvin's room. It was brightly lit with fairy lights and the magician was sitting on his bed with a big smile on his face, showing Anti a card trick. Anti laughed and practically bounced as the card trick worked over and over again. 

Anti watched as they laughed and teased each other, clearly having a lot of fun.

'I guess I've turned into quite the softie myself. Fine. You win that one, void'

Anti blinked again and the scene changed once more.

He was in the basement of the Septic house, a little light coming in from the basement windows. Looking over the small gym, he saw himself and Jackie fighting. Play-fighting, really. Jackie was showing him how to do a certain defensive move, letting him try it on him.

Anti smiled at the memory watching himself lunge at Jackie only to unfortunately not even make him budge. Jackie laughed and grabbed him in an affectionate headlock, ruffling his hair, ignoring Anti's idle threats and soft 'sparks' that came off of him.

The scene changed again with Anti and Chase in the kitchen together. He was helping Chase make supper. Really it was Chase teaching him how to cook since he'd never learned. Anti was horrible, burning food and himself but Chase never gave up on him and they found his perfect skill in the kitchen. Using a knife. Of course it had to be that. Chase was uneasy at first, having unwelcome flashbacks but they had fun anyways. Every once in a while, Chase would fling a cut vegetable at him and things would turn into a mini food fight that Henrik had to intervene in.

Anti watched as the scene changed over and over. 

Showing him memories with all the egos just having fun.

Jameson was teaching him sign language and would occasionally teach him 'bad' words just to spite the others. They even made little sock puppets together one day! Even though Jameson couldn't speak, he still made sure to get it across that he liked to spend time with him.

He was helping Henrik in his office after getting treated for his head. He even tried to make Hen a cup of coffee but that didn't go over very well. It didn't taste very good but Henrik still drank it, not about to let a bean go to waste. He felt like he cared for Henrik most of all. He was the first to trust him. When he was scared and alone in the hospital. Jackie had wanted those handcuffs on but Henrik trusted him enough to take them off while he slept. He actually tried to . . . comfort him.

The others were just as caring now but he'd never forget that.

'Why is the void showing me all of this? I knew it all already. . . . I knew this place showed the inside of your mind and what you felt but . . . it's really starting to get weird. Where could Dark be? He had to be here somewhere, right?'

The void went black again, creeping him out. He knew the place had a mind of its own, practically so he hoped he didn't offend it.

He was reminded of the first time he came here and it showed him all the terrible things he had done. He wanted to bail but Puppeteer had taken control of him before he could, forcing him to face Dark before he disappeared again.

"You're not gonna. . . show me that stuff again are you?" he called out into the darkness. Of course it didn't answer with a voice but nothing happened so he took that as his answer.

"I'm just trying to find Dark! Trying to stay away from Puppeteer for a while if that's alright"

He felt stupid talking to himself like this but he didn't want to mess with anything he knew nothing about.

Suddenly a bright light turned on just ahead.

'I guess I'll go that way?'

Chase was just as worried as everyone else but he had another person weighing on his mind.

Stacey.

He knew it was his fault that Puppeteer got in his head and he felt horrible for it. All Stacey said was that she didn't want to get serious again. At least not yet. She wasn't ready and Chase should have just let it go but after the call, he just got so emotional. So fucking depressed and scared that he was going to lose her and the kids again.

Chase sneaked off to the kitchen. He didn't care. He needed to hear her voice right now.

No matter how many times she unintentionally broke his heart. 

He took out his phone, being mindful of everyone else in the living room trying to come up with some sort of a plan, and dialed her number.

It rang for a few moments and at first, Chase was afraid he was being too clingy until she answered.

"Toss-boy? What's up?"

"Hey Stace! I know earlier you said you didn't want to get serious or anything right now but I just really needed to talk to you. Something-"

"Whoa, whoa there, Chase." she stopped him, "Are you okay?"

"Well, yeah. Now I am. But I just-"

"Chase, we haven't talked since last week when Dark arrived. How's Anti doing by the way?"

His heart stopped.

"Wh-wait . . . . what? But Stace. . . . I talked to you earlier this morning. Remember?"

"No . . .  Chase. That didn't happen. Are you sure you're okay? What's happening over there?"

"Fuck. . . ." Chase scratched the back of his head and whimpered, "Shit! A lot has happened Stacey, but now this . . . dammit, this is bad!"

"Chase, what are you talking about!? Just tell me what happened!"

"Puppeteer possessed me and knocked Anti out which forced his memories back. He ran off not long ago and we're worried Puppeteer will- Look, I'll call you back. I promise. I love you!" he hung up.

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have done that but he had to warn the others.

He bolted into the living room, "Guys, we have a problem!"

Jackie actually jumped at little at his re-entrance, "Fucking-what, Chase!? We're trying to-"

"I just got off the phone with Stacey!"

"Oh for fucks sake" Henrik sighed, "Ve don't have time for-"

"She said I never called her this morning. That we haven't spoken since Dark arrived"

Marvin gulped, "Shit. That means. . ."

"Puppeteer got into your head BEFORE the possession" Sean concluded, "He made you think Stacey said that, knowing what you'd do"

"It made him more vulnerable for possession" Marvin nodded, "We have to be more careful, then. No telling what he's capable of. If any of you start to hear a sort of whisper in your head, don't listen to it. It's a very easy magic. Doesn't require a lot of energy."

"Damn it all" Henrik cursed, "So he's still vatching us? Even if Anti's not here?"

'Probably making sure if he comes back or not' Jameson wiggled his mustache, 'Or if Dark comes back'

Jackie bit his lip, "Marvin, what exactly could you do right now? Without Anti, would you be able to cut off the connection between Puppeteer and Henrik?"

"I could try. It might drain me but it could give us an advantage"

"Let's do it. And then I'll tell you what we'll do next. I have a plan"

Anti followed the lights in the darkness for what felt like hours. 

And then he started to feel a sort of breeze. Cold and sharp.

"Are you taking me to the cabin? Is that where he is?"

The lights suddenly went out and it was dark again, "Jaysus, I just asked"

He blinked as a cold rush of air blasted into him and when he looked around, he was in a forest. It was night, of course and he thought he heard an owl somewhere but started walking. The grass tickled his knees through his ripped pants and he could only hope it wasn't poison ivy.

Anti walked a little more out until he was finally at a large clearing with a cabin in the middle with the lights on inside.

With a sigh of relief, Anti ran for the small house, leaping over the fence and knocked roughly on the door. Or rather. . . banged on it with full force.

He would have kept banging on it too if he wasn't suddenly teleported inside!

"Fuck!" Anti just about fell over but corrected himself from doing so.

"I'm surprised the void allowed you here" 

Anti turned towards the voice but didn't expect to see Dark laying down on the bed.

He looked so tired and beat. So . . . . undignified? Anti felt kind of bad.

"Dark . . . You really did give it your all, didn't you?"

The Iplier snorted, "He caught me off guard. Stronger than I thought. The magician. . . was stronger than I thought"

Anti nodded, "You doing okay?"

Dark nodded, "I'll be fine. . . . . . what's wrong?"

He shuffled a little and looked out the window, "I uh . . . I hit my head shortly after he knocked you out. I  . .  I remember everything now"

"Well that's good." Dark commented, "Isn't it?"

He shrugged and sat on the floor next to Dark's bed, "I don't know. Everything's so confusing right now. I almost . . . This was the only place I thought of coming where he couldn't find me."

Dark nodded, "You can stay. But what of the others?"

"He's not after them. He's after me first."

"Hm. You almost what?"

"What?"

"You were going to say something else. What did you almost do, Anti?"

"Why the fuck do you care?" he stopped himself, "Sorry . . . . I mean . . . I don't know what to think of you anymore. Even if I did choose to come here"

"You remember our first meeting, hm?" Dark chuckled, "When I beat the shit out of you?"

"You're not helping but yes."

Dark snorted, not in the mood for Anti's childish mannerisms in avoiding the situation "Spill it, glitch"

"Fine" Anti groaned, "I almost killed myself. I thought that if it was just gone and the magic was just. . . . . gone forever then Puppeteer would be powerless. You know?"

"Well that's stupid"

"Hey!"

"Well it's true. If Puppeteer really wanted you all dead then he'd simply find another way to do it. Pure and simple."

". . . . . .. you're right"

Dark stretched a little and sat up. Anti looked up at him, seeing the bags under his eyes, "Could you put more fire in the fireplace?"

Anti sighed but nodded, getting up to do so, "Sure, old man. So what did Puppeteer do to you, by the way? Why you look so beat like you haven't slept in years?"

"Technically I haven't. I don't require sleep if you remember."

Anti rolled his eyes, throwing wood in the fire place.

"He took my energy, Anti. Absorbed it"

He stilled at that, dropping the clump of wood in his hands.

His heart dropped, "You couldn't have just said that in the beginning?!"

"Well so sorry, my mind's a bit messed up right now, Anti. But you see the problem?"

Anti swallowed, a groan threatening to escape him, "Means he has more power than before. Without my help."

"Doubt he knows it yet, though"

"What do you mean?" boy it was just one thing after another, wasn't it!?

Dark grunted and leaned back against the wall, "If he knew then he'd already be using it to come here, grab you, take that power, kill us both and then kill the others. But he hasn't."

"How does he not fucking know!? All that power-"

"Is mine. It's a different type of energy than what he's used to so I don't think he senses it quite yet. But you better hope he doesn't. It might be a little weaker than Marvin's magic but it's still powerful. Could be invincible against Sean, though."

Anti covered his face in his hands, "Oh my fucking god"

It really WAS one thing after another.

He let go and screamed in his hands.

'What am I supposed to do now?'