Trigger warning: Mentions of torture in this chapter

The closer Anti got to the green glow, the brighter and more clear it got. It felt like hours until he finally got close enough to see that it was actually just a swirling vortex. Like a portal or something. But he didn't feel worried about it at all. He should, but he didn't.

It felt safe.

"Come on through" that voice sounded again.

Anti swallowed thickly and stepped around the green vortex but there wasn't anyone around. They had to be inside of it, 'What do I have to lose?'

He stepped through.

Anti blinked a few times, getting used to the brightness after being in pitch darkness for so long.

"There ya are. I'm glad you trusted me"

When Anti's vision came back, he saw the man before him, "S-sean?"

The person in front of him looked eerily like his counterpart except with his hair in a small bun and his beard was thicker like before he came back from LA a while ago.

Anti looked around where he was. The room was quite familiar and he remembered it to be Sean's old recording room from a few years ago.

The mystery man shrugged, "I suppose. Sort of"

Anti tilted his head in confusion a bit, "What do you mean? Are you an ego then?"

He shook his head, "No. I'm more or less. . . . . perhaps Sean's consciousness?"

Anti just looked more confused and he explained further, "I am the part of Sean that made it possible for you and the other egos to exist. A collective of everyone put together in a way. Make sense?"

"Oh" Anti nodded, albeit still VERY confused, "Neat. . . . Am I dead?"

He shook his head, "Nah, dude, no. You're close to death but not quite. You've certainly suffered enough, however, haven't ya, Anti? I didn't intend for that. Actually I didn't intend for you at all" he chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"Have a seat and we'll talk, bud"

Anti looked behind him for a chair and sat in it just as the conscious sat in Sean's old office chair. He looked so intimidating even though he was just Sean's 'creative mind' basically.

"So you created me then? Is that what you mean? What do I call you? How can I go back? The others-"

"Calm down now. Calm down. Everything's alright for the time being. Think of this as a dream if you need to. As time moves here, it's a LOT slower out there. We have certainly enough time to answer whatever questions you may have. And I might have an answer. No guarantees though!" he laughed, "And while I helped to create the other egos. . . no. I didn't create you."

"You helped create Jackie, Chase, and the others but . . . why not me? What am I, then? You know what, how can I even know that I can trust you!?" he stood up suddenly defensive of the strange being, "Where the fuck are we and what do you want from me!?"

"Always so defensive and brash" he commented, not put off at all by Anti's shouting, "You could never trust easily, could you? Dark was the first person you actually warmed up to, right?"

"Answer the questions!" Anti's eyes glowed green in his anger.

The being raised his hands up defensively, smiling brightly, "Alright, alright" he chuckled, "In short, you really are a glitch. There's no other way to explain it, really. Sean didn't create you. I didn't. Others did."

"Others?"

"Tell me, Anti. Who is it in this world that you love the most? Even more than your brothers?"

"I'm not following." he clenched his fists in frustration. What was his weirdo trying to say!?

"What do you think of your fans?"

"My fans. . . . wait. . . . . you're saying-" it clicked.

He nodded, "Correct. It was them. You were created by the community as a whole. They are what gave you life, Anti. That's why you care so much about them. You love them deeply and it really shows. And they all love you. That's why you never felt like you truly fit in with the other egos even though you still are a part of them and Sean!"

Anti sat back down slowly in the chair, thinking on his words. It did made a lot of sense now that he thought about it, "The other questions. Why did you bring me here and where are we?"

"You were dying." he stated simply, "I couldn't let that happen. I'm a part of Sean. His consciousness. I share his love for all of his egos, even you although I had no part in creating you. You're so close to death that not even Henrik will be able to help you, you know. You've lost a lot of blood. More than the last time you were at a theater."

Anti remained quiet, thinking, "Where are we?"

"Oh yeah!" he nodded, "This is the very room you were created in!" he bounced in the chair excitedly, "The first moment Sean saw anything about you on Tumblr when you were just made into creation. Do you remember? You appeared right behind him in the same sort of state you would be whilst 'snapped'." he snapped his fingers for effect.

"Sean thought you were a demon or cosplay burglar at first but recognized your face as his own. He called you by your name and you came out of it. Upon hearing your name, you became . . . . . you"

"I don't remember"

"None of the egos remember their first day in existence. It's normal."

Anti crossed his arms and rested his leg on top of his other knee, "You said not even Henrik will be able to help me now. . . Will I die then no matter what? Am I stuck here?"

The conscious shrugged, "I don't know, actually. But I do have an idea! Whenever you've fully snapped, ya put out a lot of power. It's a sort of chaotic energy similar to Marvin's but so much stronger. You've never been able to control it and you always let it warp and distort your mind, changing you into a different person."

"That's what it is? Wait a second, how do you know this about me if you didn't even create me?!"

"I observe. Simple. Anyways. . . . I bet you could use that power to your advantage if you really tried. You could heal yourself. I know it's scary, bro."

He saw Anti's doubt and his inner Chase came out, "I know you swore never to snap again and you're so brave and strong not to. . . but this time. . . . . This time I don't think you really have a choice."

"I never do"

"But this time, you have a reason behind it."

Anti wiped his forehead and anxiously tapped his foot on the ground, "I don't think I could do it. What if I kill one of my brothers along with everyone else there? I don't want to kill. I already killed people without even realizing it! Even if they were on death row, anyways, it's still . . . . You know"

"No. I don't." he shrugged, scratching at his beard with indifference, "I'm just Sean's consciousness. The inside of his creative mind that not even HE realizes exists. I've never been in any situation but I do have empathy because I've seen it through your eyes. That's how I know so much about all of you. I see you through Sean and our minds. We are all connected like a spider web . . .sort of. Ya understand?"

"No, but that's got to suck. Anyways. Is it really the only way? To snap?"

He nodded, "I'm certain. And I'm very certain you can do it, Anti. Otherwise. . . well otherwise, you and all your brothers and Sean are going to die, Dark and all of HIS brothers AND Mark. They'll all die. But you . . . you can end this."

"Wait" Anti froze, "What do you mean by that?! No, I took their place. I agreed to be tortured so Actor wouldn't hurt them! That's what he wanted! Right? He said-"

"And ya really believed him, dude?"

Anti felt anger well up inside of him and the conscious smirked, "That's it. Use that anger. Let it drive you. You can end this, Anti. I trust you completely. Just as all of them do. That's why you're here, after all"

He stood up and Anti did as well, "You really think I could control it?"

The conscious grinned a little, "Of course. You're strong, Anti. You always have been. You've just never had a real reason to show it before."

He placed a hand on Anti's shoulder and for once, he didn't flinch away, "Just remember. You're doing this for the people you care about. You're doing it for them. Because you care. . . .right?"

"Of course I do. They're my brothers. My family. No matter how fucked up they are" he smiled lightly in return.

"I'll send you back then, glitch" he winked and Anti could just barely feel his left eye tingle a bit. He didn't know why but the conscious seemed knowing and skated by it, "Ya got this"

Anti gulped but nodded, "Wait! One more question . . . why come to me NOW all of a sudden? If you came to me near death this time then why not when I was bleeding out after Actor's cult ambush?"

The conscious smiled sadly, "I am a manifestation of Sean's conscious and creative mind and . . . a collection of all the egos put together. I didn't come to you because. . . . well. . . . none of them really trusted you yet. And you know how they used to think about you. However, things have changed now. . . .haven't they? You've changed and in turn. . . . they ALL trust you implicitly. They all love you, Anti."

Anti thought about it and nodded, smiling at the revelation, "I guess that makes sense. Thanks then. . . for the help. . uh . . you"

He smiled, "Call me Sam. I like that name"

Suddenly Anti blinked and he was back in the chair. He gasped out and coughed, blood running out of his mouth and pain returning to him like a roaring fire.

In front of him, he could barely make out a TV next to the camera. He could see the other egos on the other side looking horrified and scared. Well. . . sort of see.

"Oh well look who's awake again!" he recognized the voice to be Actor's, "I thought you were dead! You've seen better days, though, haven't you? Ready for a surprise, glitch bitch!?"

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Chase watched in horror as they were forced to watch so many horrible things happen to Anti. Actor had finally made him scream by forcing his fingers in his wounds and carving into his back and front. Actor made them all watch as he stole some popcorn from one of his followers, watching the video like a real movie. The cultists in the audience cheered and laughed as Actor carved the word, 'FREAK' into his back.

'No please' Chase sobbed, cringing away from the screen. He felt like he would puke, 'Please let that be the worst of it.' but he was so wrong.

Sean felt like he'd pass out, it was too much for him. All the blood and the screaming. He imagined that this was probably what Anti had probably put his own victims through but that didn't make things any easier.

Anti took this punishment for them. . . . he did this for them. He was sort of redeeming himself. Did he think he HAD to?

Actor continued his torture in the video, ripping out some nails slowly, occasionally beating and electrocuting him.

Actor laughed hysterically in the video, "This is so much fun! I can't believe I haven't done this before! I got your foul blood on my suit but I can always get another!" he took the knife back that was handed to him from one of his followers.

Anti coughed messily and breathed hard but still had fight in him, "F-fuck off. . . . "

"Look at you. Can't even insult properly anymore" Actor gripped Anti's chin and forced him to look at him, "Hm. . . .Your eyes are flickering again sort of. Blue to green. I wonder what that means, hm? None of the other egos' eyes change color like yours. You really are a fuck-up, aren't you?"

Trigger warning

"N-no worse than you. M-mark do-doesn't even want you in h-his v-videos. At least I g-get a spotlight here and th-there" Anti chuckled but it was short-lived when Actor suddenly lunged and stabbed him in the eye.

"Gahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!" Anti shouted in agony, "S-son of a . . . .F̶U̵C̵K̴!̷"

"You were saying, glitch?" Actor laughed tauntingly and pulled out the knife with his eye attached. Anti groaned as the eye was ripped out and Actor looked at it in fascination.

Trigger End

"Hm. Not glowing anymore. Turned brown." he flicked the eyeball off his knife and squished it under his shoe, "You're lucky I don't take out BOTH eyes for your comment, you little mongrel."

Dark shuddered as Actor moved and he could see the empty hole where his friend's eye used to be. He felt like puking but he still had the duct-tape over his mouth. He shuddered at Anti's defeated expression.

'Anti, no. Please don't give in to him' Dark thought pleadingly. He knew Anti couldn't hear him but he couldn't watch his friend getting tortured like this. It was agony for all of them and his heart ached. He couldn't even remember the last time he felt this way. Probably never.

Actor in the video stood back, still laughing and admired his work, "Now your face is just as fucked as mine. I feel as if something is missing, though." he paced around looking at Anti before finally smiling, "I got it!"

He came back over to Anti and stabbed him in the stomach. Anti didn't even scream or say anything snarky this time. He whimpered and Actor chuckled in his ear, "Now as you bleed out, we're even. I'll enjoy making the others watch this. Do you think they'll cry? Do you think they'll care? You'll never know, will you? But I doubt it. Why cry for a worthless freak like you?"

As he pulled away, Anti finally passed out from the blood loss. He wasn't dead yet but he was close.

Sean cried, he didn't care. The others lost it as well, sobbing, tearing and shouting with the tape over their mouths. Even Dark shed tears, terrified that Anti was actually dead.

Actor bellowed with laughter in the theater, the cultists joining in with him, "Oh what a show! Show the live-feed now, will you?! Let them see his corpse in real time!"

They switched it to live and they all felt a cold shiver run down their spines.

'No, this isn't happening' Sean was freaking out, 'No please. Not Anti. No!'

"Well, well, what is this?" Actor hopped up on the stage and made his way to Dark who cried shamelessly, "Are you actually crying, Dark? Oh don't tell me you actually had FEELINGS for that little shit?"

He ripped off Dark's tape and the Iplier ego snarled at him angrily, "I fucking swear, Actor. I will fucking KILL you, you piece of shit! I-"

Actor slapped him across the face, "Enough out of you. You can't kill me. I've got an army at my side willing to do anything and everything for me. You, my friend, are all tied up and at my mercy. You are in no position to be making threats, Darky"

Dark growled at him, "He didn't deserve to die"

"Oh? Why's that? Because he was actually the 'good' guy all along? What? You're telling me you would have taken HIS place?"

"Yes"

Actor looked surprised and was about to retort when Chase piked up, "You're the worthless freak here, not him!"

Actor turned towards Chase with a frown, "What was that, drunkard?"

Chase, his face streaked with tears, shouted fearlessly at the man, "You're the monster. Anti didn't deserve that! He was a good man! He had a good heart! You think you've won!? You're nothing but a spoiled attention whore!"

Actor grinned and was about to start beating the shit out of Chase when they all heard a sudden bloody cough.

Actor turned to look up at the screen, "Oh well look who's awake again!" Anti slowly looked up at the camera upon hearing Actor's voice, "I thought you were dead! You've seen better days, haven't you? Ready for a surprise, glitch bitch!?"