A few days later, Anti woke up.

He was in the Iplier house infirmary. 

He tried to remember how he got there but all he could remember was a drunk Darkiplier kissing and molesting him and then everything went black.

Turning his head to the side, he could have died right there.

Dark was laying in a bed next to him, staring straight up at the ceiling.

Anti could still feel his hands on him.

He could still taste his tongue in his mouth.

Hear his moans in his ear.

He nearly got away with it.

Or did he?

What happened?

Why were they in the infirmary?

Dark must have sensed he was awake and glanced over at him.

"You're . . awake"

" . . . . . . . . . . Am I?"

"D-do you . . . . remember?"

Anti's nose twitched. He could have killed him for asking that.

How could he ever forget?

"You . . . you tried to. . ." he could feel himself crying already involuntarily, "You tried to. . ."

"I was hoping you'd at least forget that. . ." Dark sighed, ". . . .I . . . . I'm so sorry"

Now that was surprising.

Dark NEVER apologized to him and meant it.

"Wh-what?"

Anti saw the tears roll down Dark's own face, "I'm sorry, Anti . . . There's no excuse. . . for what I did. I was drunk . . . but I let my own selfish goals and desires cloud everything I am . . . . I saw you as a tool from the very beginning . .  and I treated you worse than a useless mutt. . . .  just like how Actor's treated me . . . ."

Anti stared over at Dark, completely appalled, shocked and PISSED.

"You . . . you sack of shit. Why now? Why the fuck NOW do you DARE to apologize to me? After EVERYTHING you've done?!"

Dark shut his eyes tight, "I. . . .. back in the wine cellar. . . . ..  what I did. . . . it turned you into something else. . . . you were. . .a monster. I . . .caused that . . . I corrupted you . . . Actor was here. . . he told the others we were both broke in his home . . . and were both drunk. That his guard dog attacked us . . . . there was no dog"

Anti suddenly realized the bandages Dark had wrapped all around his torso.

'Is he saying. . . that I did that to him?'

"I. . . I stopped you?"

Dark nodded, "I'm. . I'm glad you did. . . . but damn, you were terrifying. I've never seen anything like it."

Anti understood then and turned away, unaffected by it all now, ". . . You're not apologizing because you're sorry. . . . you're apologizing because you're afraid of me now"

Dark sucked in a breathe, glancing back over at Anti.

The glitch suddenly smiled to himself.

"Good" he turned back to Dark, his own sinister smirk playing on his lips, his eyes black, "Let today remind you then . . . to never fuck with me ever again. Do you understand. . . Dark?"

Those eyes.

Dark shuddered and swallowed, remembering those eyes in the wine cellar.

"I. . .. . I understand."

Until anyone else came back to check on them the next morning, they stayed like that in their beds in complete silence.

The Septics tried to ask Anti what had happened. Some of them, namely Henrik, didn't quite believe all of Actor's side of the story. 

Namely because Anti didn't have any wounds on him and what kind of guard dog did he possibly possess that could damage DARKIPLIER like that?

But Anti was insistent that everything was fine now.

Everything was better than fine.

Although, he sure did start acting a lot different.

He had this look in his eyes that freaked the others out.

Before, Anti just looked depressed.

But now, he looked downright creepy.

It worked out for the new video Sean had been working on for Chase, though. He had Anti appear for a moment in the back of the car and his weird stare stole the show.

Sean didn't seem to notice Anti's new behavior all that much since he was so busy.

Anti stopped caring.

He stopped caring about everything.

About everyone.

He just felt so empty since that day.

Barren.

Dark sat in his office, looking out the window.

It was raining outside, a soft thunder in the distance.

He, himself, had been distant lately.

He couldn't stop thinking about everything he had done.

The horrors he had committed.

All for that damn book.

He took in a breathe and slowly exhaled.

"Well don't you look down in the dumps today?"

Dark didn't even flinch.

He knew who it was.

". . . . . .  Actor. . . . what do you want?"

"Hmph. . . it's no fun if you're so unphased. . ."

Dark turned slowly to see him a few feet away from the desk, that big grin on his face.

Actor chuckled, "I hadn't spoken to you since that incident . . . with the wine cellar. Really was a shame you decided to test me like that"

Dark blinked, "Test you?"

"You really thought the book would be in my own house? For shame, Dark, for shame" he shook his head.

Dark sighed, "I don't care anymore, Actor. . . . keep the damn book. I don't want it anymore"

Actor blinked and stood straight. He actually looked surprised, "Oh? Why the suddenly change in heart?"

"Look what I did. . . . What my obsession had turned me into. I corrupted Anti into that thing. It's all my fault and-"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!" Actor suddenly started laughing at him, loud and obnoxious. 

Dark didn't understand why.

Actor wiped away a few tears and covered his mouth, still chuckling a little, "Oh, forgive me! It's just. . . It's just really funny how you think that YOU are the one that changed Anti"

Dark's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"Well think about it! Anti only started to change when I made an appearance to the stage! Who do you think keeps sending him all those nightmares? Who do you think made that black mass in his stomach last year!? IT WAS ME, YOU IDIOT!"

Dark blinked and stood up out of his chair, "What?! Why would you-"

Actor rolled his eyes, "Well it's too early to let you in on everything right NOW but you DO play a big piece in the puzzle, Dark. Anti is the key . . . ."

"The. . . the key?" he was even more confused, "Key to what?"

Actor grinned, "To Celine, of course! Don't you want her back? Don't you want to just be Damien again? Go back to the way things were?"

"Well . .. yes, but . . . you're the one that started everything"

"Oh, and I DO regret it, I do" Actor nodded, "That's why I've been working on a solution. I've been redeeming myself for my beloved. . . . to bring her back. For she really is just . . . sleeping. Deep inside of you."

"But what . . what does Anti have to do with any of it?"

Actor leaned over the desk and poked Dark's forehead, "Aren't you a daft little ego? Celine's gonna need a body when she comes back, you know. But for that to happen. . . the body needs to be. . . .empty"

Dark's eyes widened, "You've been . . . you WANTED Anti to suffer. You've been breaking him down so you could make him pliable enough to put Celine's soul into him."

"Bingo . . . and well . .. I mean, you DID help with that, too. Good job, by the way. I couldn't have done it without you. Since you LOVED that book so much, it really worked out in my favor that you really thought Anti could help you FIND it"

"I. . . what if I tell Mark about this?"

Actor was amused and smirked, "You won't. We both know you want Celine back, too. And if we get Celine back, you can become Damien again . .. more or less. We'll all be complete again. Everything will be fixed, including William"

"William?"

"Well of course! With Celine back, she could fix him no doubt! Don't you think?"

"You hate William, though"

Actor shrugged, "Eh, does it matter? So you don't tell Mark. Anti's body continues to bake and when he's ready, I'll use the book to extract Celine's soul from  you and put it in Anti and you'll become Damien again and everything will be exactly as it should be. Okay?"

Dark wanted to argue.

But Actor's plan really did sound enticing.

He already messed up Anti.

What would it really hurt?

"What about Anti?"

"What about him? He's not the same anymore. The old Anti is gone and he's nothing but a hollow vessel now"

Dark licked his lips. 

'He's just a monster now anyway. Maybe I'll just be doing the Septics a favor in the end'

"How long until his body is ready?"

Actor smiled with a little chuckle, "I knew you'd come around. . . .A couple of years should do it. It seems like a long time but in the end, I know it'll be worth it."

"Yeah?"

Actor nodded, "You'll have your sister back soon . . . . Damien"