"Anti . . . . septiceye" Dark drawled, placing his cane in front of him intimidatingly, "It's been awhile."

Anti stayed at the top of the stairs, hiding behind the rails.

Dark smirked, "You've gotten shorter"

Jackie scoffed at him, "Look, man, what do you want?"

"I think Anti should be the one to tell you that"

"The hell you talking about?" Chase huffed, "Anti told us he had no idea why you were after him"

"Oh I bet he did" Dark growled, "Little bastard . . . guess it fits your current predicament, though"

"What do you w-want?" Anti spoke softly, still hiding, "I didn't do anything to you!"

"Didn't do-hehehe" Dark laughed to himself, "Funny you say that."

Marvin tried to step in, "Look, Dark, it's obvious we're on the wrong foot. It's possible Anti may have protracted a little memory loss given his current situation. Can you just tell us what he did?"

"Did he kill someone?" Henrik asked, "Because honestly I vouldn't put it past him"

"Hen~" Anti whined.

"Vhat? You were an asshole back then. . . You've changed, though!"

"Jury's still out on that one somewhat. He's still a brat" Chase mumbled to himself with a little smile.

Dark didn't look amused in their banter in the slightest but sighed, "If what you say is true then perhaps I can tell you all . . . . But first . . I want to know what happened exactly to him"

Marvin blushed, "Curse gone wrong?"

"Hm" Dark narrowed his eyes, "Funny how curses aren't really known for being GOOD. It turned him into a kid. For how long? Because this little prick owes me and I refuse to wait too much longer"

"Well you might have to" Jackie stood tall, trying to be menacing, "Because this little prick belongs with us and if you even think about hurting him-"

"It's interesting" Dark stopped him, "How much things change in so little time, don't you think? If I recall, you were the one out to kill him, correct?"

Jackie nodded, "But things do change . . . . people change and you can fucking leave. We have nothing to say to you. You are not getting our brother and-"

"Brother?" Dark sneered, "Hm, how quaint. But I'm not leaving until I'm given an answer from him and the sooner he gets the fuck down here and EXPLAINS himself, the sooner this will all be . . . . .. over"

Anti didn't want to go down the stairs. He didn't want to go anywhere near Dark.

He was never really afraid of him before but as Anti had learned many times already, having been turned in a kid had changed his perspective on many things. He was more timid and weary than ever and Dark's aura was like that of a demon trying to lure him into hell or another one of his nightmares.

He started to shake and whimpered.

Before Dark could yell at him again, though, Jackie stomped up the stairs as quickly and intimidatingly as he could to Dark(which probably wasn't much, honestly), scooping up Anti in his arms to cover him.

"We won't let anything happen to you. Do you trust me?"

Anti hugged him around his neck but made a small confirmative noise.

He walked back down the stairs, holding Anti securely until he was in front of Dark again. The man just stared, perhaps uncertain of what to think. But he didn't want to believe just yet that Anti was different.

"Nice trick, Anti . . . . . Manipulating them into believing you're just an innocent child now just as you look. Won't last forever though." he glanced to Marvin, "Or will it? Curses usually either last forever or are VERY difficult to break. It's not like it'll just wear off or something"

The others stiffened, glancing to Marvin, unsure if this was true or not. But by the look on Marvin's face, he might as well have screamed how guilty he was.

"M-marv?" Chase didn't want to believe it, "This true?"

"Uh. . ."

"Doesn't matter right now" Dark was very good at interrupting them, "Anti . . . . do you know why I've been after you? Why I sent you those nightmares? Threatened you?"

It took a moment but it appeared as if Anti was actually thinking about it among trying to get out of the shock of the other small conversation, "N-no"

Dark twitched, "Really now? You don't recall. . . . anything?"

Anti shook his head, holding onto Jackie tight but he wasn't as afraid as before with the other Septics standing even closer to him and Jackie.

"Look at me, Anti" Dark ordered him, "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't remember a damn thing about what you owe me you little piece of shit" he snarled.

Anti was terrified but everyone waited for him to answer.

Jameson sighed to him even, 'Go on. Everything will be okay'

Anti forced himself to look at Dark but immediately regretted it. His black obsidian eyes piercing through into his soul. But he still held strong. Everything else he had gone through in his time as a kid, it had put him through an unimaginable strain of life-changing phases.

He swallowed and answered him again, "I. . . I d-don't remember. . . . I'm s-sorry"

Dark still stared back at him, not letting anyone know what he was thinking. His features were blank but he seemed to be thinking hard on the situation.

"Very well. I'll believe you for now. . . . . Months ago . . . months ago you promised me you'd help me with something. I don't believe you were drunk so perhaps you were just saying what I wanted to hear at the time and dismissed me."

"That is completely likely" Henrik agreed.

"Hen!"

"It is, though! We vere all thinking it!"

Anti just shrugged a bit in embarrassment, "Maybe .. . . I don't know now"

"Whatever the case, there's nothing you can do now to assist me until you are back to normal size. I had The Jims watching you for a short time. They tell me you've lost your ability to glitch . . . which was a valuable asset"

If Dark wanted to kill them, he would have done it by now. Right? Chase could tell something was direly wrong if Dark had been so desperate to find Anti.

"What's wrong, Dark? Maybe WE could help?"

Dark glanced to him, " . . . .. perhaps" he looked back to Anti, "Doesn't look like Anti will be of any use anyway but you, the magician and the hero . . . hm. . . perhaps"

Henrik and Jameson seemed affronted that he didn't mention them but didn't argue.

Dark sighed, finally relenting, "Some of my friends have gone missing. We lost their trail weeks ago. Yandere, Eric, Yancy, Bing and King. They started disappearing one by one a few months ago starting with Bing."

"Seriously?!" Chase sputtered, "Ya couldn't have just LED with all that from the start!?"

"How was I to believe I could trust you?"

"No wonder Bing hasn't returned any of my texts"

"Where's the last place you saw Bing?" Jackie asked.

"At the house. But he did make a small live vlog at the park in California near Raspy Hill before he disappeared. He didn't come back home that night."

"Let's start there, then" Marvin brought up, "Could be clues there and-"

Dark snorted, "Do you not think I haven't tried that? I even had Abe on the case and he came back with nothing. That's why I needed Anti. He could have glitched into the video and saw through Bing's memories after it before the attack happened"

'How do you know he was attacked?' Jameson asked, 'Perhaps they just . . left?'

"No." Dark shook his head, "They're family. They wouldn't have just left one by one without answers or a good-bye. I'm certain they were kidnapped and it's only a matter of time before someone else of the Ipliers are taken, too"

"Have you tried Google? Maybe he could-"

"Google doesn't have the same capabilities as Anti" Dark argued and stared back at the child, "We need his glitching back"

The Septics didn't like the sound of that and Anti clung onto Jackie tighter. Dark didn't know what he was demanding.

"Look" Marvin shook his head, "We'll do everything we can to help you, Dark. But Anti stays out of it. We can't-"

"So you're fine with leaving him as a child forever?" Dark countered, "That's the consequence of the curse, is it not? I assume you didn't tell anyone but I'm also surprised none of them had figured it out, either. Is it not obvious?"

They stared from Marvin and to Anti and Jackie shook his head, "No"

"Great" Dark scoffed, "So I'm leaving my trust in your hands?"

"What else? You don't have any other means of help, do ya?" Chase snapped back.

" . . .. . . Very well. We'll do things your way for now." Dark nodded, "I'll return tomorrow with Google with the video and we can go to the park to search. Not that I haven't done that myself already."

"Alright" Jackie nodded, "Thank you for cooperating. Please refrain from sending Anti nightmares from now on. He's had to deal with enough as it is"

Dark seemed confused at that but nodded, "I don't understand what you mean by that but you have my word. Septics" he nodded to them again, ". . . Anti. Tomorrow"

With that, he left the house, seemingly vanishing afterwards.

Jackie put Anti down and everyone was just silent. They certainly didn't expect this.

They all then stared at Marvin who didn't seem the least bit surprised.

"I'm sorry" he swallowed, voice cracking momentarily, "I. . . I've been trying to find a spell that would help, I really have but-"

"So you lied straight to our faces?!" Chase shouted at him, making the magician cower slightly, "Thanks to you, Marvin, Anti might be a kid forever! FOREVER! All because you couldn't help yourself and practiced black magic. Which we TOLD you to stop!"

"I know . .. I'm sorry"

"Sorry doesn't really cut it now" Henrik shook his head, "Do you have anything that could help him? Anything you've learned?"

"As if it matters" Chase scoffed, "Just like Dark said, a curse is a curse. Lifelong-"

"OR" Marvin stopped him, "Very difficult to break. I've learned that the curse changes the victim physically into their mental state of mind based on what the caster thinks of them. It's also my fault that Anti is THIS young. I've tried looking through the book for more instruction on reversing it but . . . all I could find was 'eye of the beholder'"

"Great" Jackie sighed, "Whatever that means"

Anti didn't know what any of it meant. He was still stuck in thought that he might be staying this age forever. This small, scared and weak little boy that couldn't defend himself. That had to rely on his brothers for assistance.

And to top it all off, he had to deal with the guilt of another one of his past mistakes. If he had actually listened to Dark that day instead of stealing from him, maybe they wouldn't be in this situation. Well . . Anti might still be a kid but Dark wouldn't have been after him.

"Don't worry, Anti" Chase pat his head and for the first time in a couple days, Anti didn't flinch from him, "We'll figure this out"

Anti looked up at him. They were all looking down on him. Before, he would have been angered by this but it was the most comforting thing now than ever before.

"I'm sorry, Anti" Marvin apologized to him, "This is all my fault"

"It is" Henrik agreed with him, "But it doesn't mean we can't help. Every problem has a solution"

Anti just shrugged, " . . . It's okay. It's my fault, too."

"We'll figure this out, don't you worry" Jackie pat his back, "And then everything will be back to normal, you'll see"

'Right' Anti couldn't stop thinking about his words all night. He was unable to sleep or think about anything else.

'Back to . . . normal'