Mark had completely forgotten to take care of his YouTube channel, too messed up in the trouble with his egos to do anything about it. He thought about making a short video talking about him taking a break (because boy, does he need one now) but then again his fans were used to him not uploading regularly.

Then there was all those meetings he was missing and he had SO much writing to do for the Heist sequel and other projects. PLUS, there was the Peens Podcast and he had to call Bob and Wade earlier to let them know he was too busy again. But his egos were more important to him right now.

This was really mostly his fault anyways.

Not that anyone but him, Amy and Sean knew. 

Speaking of Sean, he suddenly heard him call out his name, "Hey! Mark! Mark! There ya are!"

Mark turned to see his friend nearly panting from the running he had done trying to find him in this huge mansion, "Hey man, what's up?"

Sean caught his breathe and grinned big, "Look, I know we talked about staying all together for a while until we got Dark back. . . . but Anti's been really fucking depressed lately."

"Yeah, I know. That's why we need to figure out some way to get Dark back"

"Well just hear me out, now" Sean stopped him, "I want to take my egos out for a little distraction. Including Anti. Maybe it'll help, you know?"

Mark wasn't so sure. Ever since Dark's disappearance, he had been pretty protective of the glitch. Although he wasn't like a clingy parent, he had been watching him closely from a distance. He felt Anti's stress and lonliness and ever though he still had all the other egos, Dark was basically his anchor that kept him sane. Wilford was the same except so much more severe. It hadn't been long but you could tell Wilford was getting more and more forgetful and . . . . sad. Which was strange for him. Everyone needed Dark back.

"I don't know, Sean. I don't think it's a good idea to drag Anti out like that. Especially with you and the Septics"

Sean looked a little hurt, "What do you mean by that?"

It was a hard pill to swallow but someone had to say it to him, "Sean. . . . you really hurt, Anti. Although he doesn't show it around you, he's still in pain. You disowned him. Shoved him out of your life completely. Now I know that he's fucked up a lot and gone crazy but you can't use that as an excuse with me having Wilford as an ego. You could have done better, Sean"

The Irishman gaped at him. He wanted to argue but really, he couldn't. Mark did have a point. That didn't mean he was going to let that go, though, "I know but I'm not the only one who's ever made a mistake with an ego, Mark. Whatever happened to Derek?"

"Derek has nothing to do with this. And what do you mean, a mistake? You're saying you regret creating Anti?"

"I didn't create him! The community did! I didn't MEAN to bring him to life! You got us into this mess in the first place, Mark! If you hadn't made that deal, then they wouldn't be in so much pain!"

"If I hadn't made that deal, they wouldn't exist in the first place!"

". . . . . . . Maybe that would have been better"

Mark couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You're wrong. You may think that but I know my egos have only helped me in my life. I wouldn't be who I am now without them. That includes Anti"

"Anti's not yours"

Mark scoffed, "Well apparently he isn't yours, either. You threw him away and now he's mine to take care of. You never got to see the pain you caused, Sean. Maybe if you did, you'd think differently. Seeing that. .  . . changed me. Made me see they weren't just characters. I'll admit Derek was a mistake. I shouldn't have gotten rid of him but I also shouldn't have created him. An abusive father that neglects his only son . . . I don't know what I was thinking. Having Anti around made me see them for the people they truly are."

Sean couldn't really say anything to that. He felt bad for arguing with Mark at a time like this but sometimes he couldn't help it.

Mark continued, "You're not taking Anti anywhere. I know you just want to help him now but you don't know him anymore like you think you do. Taking him out with you and the other Septics will only make him feel uncomfortable and he doesn't need that stress right now. Take the others if you want but Anti stays here."

Mark's words were final and Sean nodded in understanding.

". . . . Okay . . . I get it. S-see ya later"

Mark wanted to apologize for being so crude about it but on the other hand, he knew he was right. 

Sean walked off disappointed but as he did, he felt a twinge of anger in his belly. 

'How dare he tell me he's not mine?! He's still mine! A part of me! He has no right to him! I may have not created him completely by myself  and he may not be like my other egos . . . but . . . .'

Sean scoffed to himself and continued his mental rant, 'Well he can just sulk here in this place and preach all he wants. I'm still taking Anti with me. I'll prove him wrong. I know what Anti needs.'

Anti didn't know what was going on but he felt like he was being kidnapped. Sort of.

Sean had gathered all the Septic egos together in a sort of secretive manner, having Marvin teleport them all to a nearby lake.

Anti was sitting at a picnic table, trying his best to avoid the others. The breeze in the air felt nice and the games Sean had Marvin conjure looked fun but Anti wasn't really feeling it. He already just wanted to go back home.

'But then again they don't really care about your feelings, do they?'

Anti knew that was partly true. How could they all just act so happy right now with everything going on? Dark was gone, Actor was slinking about and the demon could appear at any moment again. . . not to mention Anti just felt like shit lately. 

Constantly thinking about things he shouldn't worry about. Like was Dark really ever his friend or was he using him as Actor Pest Control? Did Sean and the others actually care about him or was it all out of pity because of what Sean and Chase did to him?

All this negativity breached into his head, filling him with doubts and uncertainties. 

All of it just gave him a headache. He didn't want to be there.

"Hey Anti!" 

He glitched a little and looked over to see Chase with a water gun.

"Wanna join in?!"

He could only sigh. Yeah, he really wanted to go home now.

Actor roaming around with Google at his heels, following his every move. Actually, now it was both Google AND Bing. The other browser android had bumped into his friend in the hall and decided to tag along since Chase wasn't around. It felt like he had two striker drones at his back.

He was trying to nonchalantly look for Anti again to see if the magician was still near him.

Only . . ..  quite suddenly, he felt the demon's energy disappear from the house. A cold sweat washed over him and he swallowed hard but he still tried to act cool.

'Shit, shit shit!' he thought to himself, 'I have to find the magician! Maybe he'll know where he went! He can't just teleport himself, right?! Can that glitch do that!? I don't even know! Fuck!'

He finally made his way to the living room where there were usually at least one Septic ego . . .but there wasn't.

'Dammit! Do I really have to talk to these robots? One of their eyes are glowing red.' Actor knew it was childish but he really wanted to run from them. Even though they couldn't actually hurt him, that didn't mean they weren't scary.

Summoning up some courage, he turned around to face Google and Bing. He was about to ask something when he spotted Mark and Amy walking down the stairs and Actor's lungs wanted to sigh in relief, 'Oh thank god!'

He cleared his throat, "Oh Mark! Just the man I was searching for!" he lied.

His creator blinked out of his conversation with his girlfriend and regretfully locked eyes with Actor, "Actor" he greeted solemnly, "What do you need now?"

Actor tried not to look insulted, "Oh nothing major!" he grinned, "I was just looking for the magician. Would you happen to know where he is? I can't find that McLoughlin boy or any other Septic anywhere"

Mark nodded, "Sean took him and his egos out to the lake nearby for some fresh air. Anti should be here still, though."

"Uh . . . ." Bing looked sheepish, "About that . . . on my cameras, I saw Sean rope Anti on with him as Marv teleported them."

" . . . . . WHAT!?" Mark shouted, "Goddammit! I fucking TOLD Sean I didn't want Anti going anywhere!" he scoffed, "Bing, pull up the camera feed of them all leaving"

"Uh, sure thing, bro!" Bing bit his lip and pulled up a hologram of the scene. 

Sean and the other met in the living room while none of the Iplier egos were there and apparently Sean had pulled him along with them. Anti didn't look happy and seemed to argue at first but quickly gave up when he saw he wasn't going to get his way.

"He made him go" Mark shook his head, "Amy, what do you think I should do? On one hand, if I go screaming over there, it'll make me look bad but on the other, I don't want Anti feeling uncomfortable and stressed. I don't want to fight with Sean but . . ."

Amy nodded, "I understand. I don't really know, Mark. But I do think you coddle Anti too much, maybe. Maybe . . . . give him the benefit of the doubt? If he really didn't want to go, he could have glitched away, right? Maybe he wants to give them a chance?"

Meanwhile, Actor was mentally going insane. On one hand, Anti was with Marvin but on the other, the demon was around all the Septics which meant it could attack them very easily, using the others as leverage against the magician. He didn't want anything bad to happen but yet he didn't want to say anything if he didn't have to.

Celine's face popped in his mind and he could just see her scolding him. His mood turned to gloom, remembering her. He missed her dearly.

"I guess you're right, Amy." Mark finally said, "I'll . . . I'll wait. If anything happens, I'm sure Sean will call or Marvin and Jackie will take care of things." he sighed heavily, "Oh . . did you need anything else, Actor? I'm sure the Septics will be back before nightfall. Then you can ask Marvin whatever question you needed to, I guess"

"Oh right. That" Actor nodded, "Of course. Thank you for your . . . assistance" clearing his throat again, he promptly scurried off, Google right behind him. Fortunately enough for Actor, though, Bing stayed behind choosing to go back to his room and chill or something.

That only left him and Google.

'Great. Death awaits just around the corner with this one. If only' he smirked to himself, 'Wish it was that easy. But Mark just HAD to make him put that charm on me. Maybe I could still kill myself? Nah. I shouldn't. I need to stay and try to make things right. I WAS going to try and enjoy my life again while I could but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. They all care about the glitch and Dark. I don't really know them all that well but  . . . . maybe I should tell them when the Septics return. . . .'

Meanwhile with the Septics, they were trying to get Anti to join them in some mundane game but the glitch wasn't having it. He even started to glitch, freaking them out somewhat.

'The Ipliers don't panic when I glitch' he thought to himself, 'They still don't trust me'

'They shouldn't. You should be feared. Remember what they did to you'

'Didn't I attack them first?'

'They ignored you. Brushed you aside. Treated you as the villain before giving you a chance to even think about who you were yourself'

'Yeah. . . . they did'

'And now they want to just pretend like none of it ever happened. Like they never did anything wrong to you.'

'But didn't I not give them a chance, either? I tried to talk and they wouldn't listen . . . but I also . . . kept fighting them. I kept being the thing they hated and feared instead of improving myself. Like I did when I came to the Ipliers.'

Anti hummed to himself as a headache washed over him. He glitched more and held his head with a slight moan. Henrik noticed immediately and scrambled over to him.

"Anti  . . . Vhat is it? Headache? Migraine?" the doctor felt his forehead, 'No fever. . . " he ran a hand through his hair to try and soothe him like a child.

But Anti was far from soothed. He growled slightly at the touch, "Stop"

Henrik didn't move away though as the others started to gather around him. Chase looked unsteady being so close at the moment but suggested something, "Need a tylenol or something? I got some in my bag I brought-"

"Stop it" Anti tried again but they didn't listen.

Marvin hummed, "Why not a spell? I could-"

"I SAID STOP IT!" Anti shot sparks from him, making them all jolt away.

It was silent for a few moments.

And then Sean piped up, "Anti, what the hell? We're only trying to help you"

"Well I'm sick of your fooking 'help'! I just want to go home!" he whined. The headache was only getting worse and he winced at the sharp pains that shot through him.

'Perhaps he would prefer Dr. Iplier?' Jameson asked, 'He probably would know best after all'

"I do not see vhy" Henrik pouted, "I can treat him just as vell"

"Hey guys, maybe we shouldn't fight." Jackie butt in, "If Anti wants to go home, then let him. Maybe this was too much all at once"

"Fucking told ya, Red" Chase huffed.

Anti was sick of their voices and glitched again.

'See? They just don't listen, do they? They take control over you. Always have. You let them win. Every time.'

'No I don't! I've always fought them! I've always-'

'And they've always won. They got rid of you before didn't they?'

Anti paled. He thought he would break out into tears but something stopped him from doing so. Maybe it was his pride.

"Hey, man you alright?" Chase was brave enough to walk over to him again, "Let's get Marvin to take you home, huh? You look like  you need some good rest, dude"

'Remember when he shot you?' 

Anti whimpered at the memory of both times and stumbled away from Chase, "Get away from me!"

"Anti?" Sean tried coming up to him.

'Remember when he broke your soul and left you to die on your own on the streets after Chase shot you? He disowned you. He doesn't really care. He hated you from the beginning'

Anti froze and there was a sharp, high pitched ringing in his ears. He could barely hear any of them say anything anymore. His panic was overbearing. Finally, tears started to form in his eyes.

'They all deserve to die. Just as you wanted in the beginning. What's stopping you? Spill their blood. They deserve it. You want to feel their blood on your hands and you know it.'

Suddenly Anti caught that.

He froze. 

He felt that as a separate thought.

'Y-you. . . .. that isn't me' Anti thought to himself.

'Remember what they did to you.'

'I'm not thinking that'

'You've suffered so much. It's okay to give it back to them. Make them feel your pain' the voice tried again.

Anti blinked and swallowed, taking a step back as he tried to clear his own thoughts. It all clicked.

"The demon"

The Septics were confused at his words and silence was in the air as if they all were waiting for something to happen. It didn't click for the others yet what Anti had said.

"A-anti?" Jackie asked.

Anti suddenly curled over, feeling a blast of pain hit his chest. He held a hand over his scar and growled in pain, "Ah!" it felt like he was being shot again without all the blood.

Chase shuddered, knowing why he held his chest like that, "Anti! What's wrong, man!? Get up!" he tried rushing over to him but Anti started to spark again, zapping anyone who tried to get close.

'You just had to rush things. Ruin all my plans again. Pathetic insects'

Suddenly Anti felt the same pain in his back and he growled and curled himself in a tight ball on the ground. The other Septics and Sean could only watch as Anti suffered. The demon wanted to remind him of the pain they caused.

'They did this'

And then suddenly he felt his neck being sliced again although nothing actually happened. He felt like he was being choked and spasmed on the ground helplessly. Honestly, it looked like he was having a stroke or seizure which worried the others.

Until Chase finally figured out what was happening, "Fuck! Demon! He said the demon! Marvin!"

The magician gasped, "Dammit!" he rushed over to his own bag that he brought to try and find what he needed but by the time he got back to them, it was too late.

The pain stopped and Anti shivered like a whipped puppy, tears streaked down his cheeks, eyes filled with heartbreak. Yes, he remembered all the pain. It shot through him ten-fold.

'You want to see real pain?' the demon laughed in his head, 'Let's have some fun. I'm in the mood for something bittersweet. How about . . .. something. . . . . . .. . . . .Dark'

Anti gaped like a fish, looking beyond the Septics as a man suddenly crumpled to the ground with a slight groan.

Everyone turned to see him and Anti's voice cracked, "D. . . . D-Dark?"

The man laid on his back and looked over to him, eyes barely open. The Septics and Sean were froze. They didn't know what was really happening or what to really do, everything was happening so quickly.

Dark blinked but he was too tired to move anything else, "A. .. . .. .anti. . . . . . . .. . . anti"

But before Anti had the chance to be happy about anything, the demon laughed in his head.

And took it all away.

When Anti blinked, he was in darkness.

Everyone looked over to where Anti was and saw nothing. He was gone.

Completely disappeared.

Dark shut his eyes in a grimace, exhausted tears forming. He knew then and there what the demon had just done.

It switched their places. 

And now Anti was in the void instead.