Chapter Text
I roll over in my bed and grab my phone to check the time. The clock reads 2:37am. I groan, frustrated.
I can't sleep. Again. I've been tossing and turning for what feels like the whole night, but when I check the time it's only been two hours since I attempted to lay down for sleep. I sink back into my bed, lying on my back and staring at the ceiling.
“Why have I been struggling so damn much lately?” I say to myself out loud.
There’s no one to hear me as I grumble and cover my face. I’ve been dealing with this for almost two weeks; I'm tired, I try to sleep, then I can't fall asleep for hours. No matter what drinks or tricks I try, nothing helps. Lately, the only thing that has actually worked is playing on my phone or watching videos until I simply pass out from exhaustion. I typically watch videos of people playing horror games, which seems counterintuitive, but it works better than any other genre. I never get nightmares from them, but it makes for some pretty weird ass dreams, and even sometimes lucid ones. Despite that, I decided to try the same remedy tonight, so I pop on some YouTube and get under my blankets. I pick out a long video in a playlist, which should be plenty to keep me asleep until my alarm goes off for work in the morning. Before I know it, I fall asleep when the video doesn’t even hit the halfway mark.
I wake up some time later, a little disoriented as it's now pitch black in my room. I sit up to try to make sense of the darkness, but nothing is visible. There’s no YouTube, and not even a soft glow of any electronics normally in my room. I reach out around me; okay, my bed is still there. Why can't I see anything? Did the power go out or am I dreaming? Can I even think to myself when I'm dreaming? A disconcerting feeling floods my senses, and there's something very unsettling in the darkness around me. I search around my bed, looking for the edge, and swing my legs over to put my feet on the ground. The floor feels different; there’s no feeling of carpet from my rug. The bare floor is also extremely cold, almost making my feet go numb. The blackness that surrounds me makes me dizzy, as I have no grounding for where I am. The silence is deafening, but I hear a faint high-pitched sound that makes me think my ears are ringing. I try to stand, but I have to sit back down on my bed to stop my head from spinning.
“Ugh.. where am I? What the hell is that sound?” I mumble to myself, trying to hear something other than my tinnitus.
Is that sound getting louder? I frantically look around me, even though I can't see shit. What the fuck is going on here? I need to wake up, I must be lucid dreaming again.
I get up from bed, successfully this time, and I hold the side of my head to calm the ringing. I hold my other hand against my bed, looking for the foot of it. I stare off into the empty distance, blinking my eyes to try and adjust them enough to see. I decide to walk forward with my hand out, searching for a wall, or anything solid in general. I take several steps without running into anything, and anxiety starts to set in. The more I walk, the louder the weird high-pitched noise gets, and the more I find myself being oddly drawn to it. I figure I should follow it, hoping the source will shake me awake.
“God, what even is that sound?” I groan, trying to squint through the dark to discern any type of object, but I still don't.
I press forward towards the noise despite the icy floor making it difficult to move. I find myself quickly out of breath; I’m not used to walking long distances, by any means, but I’ve barely moved fifty feet and my lungs feel like they’re being squeezed in my chest. I crouch down, trying to calm my breathing, thinking my anxiety is causing the tightness.
As I recover, I swear I hear a small masculine chuckle echo in the distance, but I can't tell where it's coming from.
“Hello? Is someone there?” I ask the void in front of me. Despite how vast it seems, my voice isn’t echoing, and there is no response.
A small lump forms in my throat, not helping my already shallow breaths. I swallow hard, fighting the urge to run back towards my bed. Not sure I could find it again even if I tried.
I hear the same laugh, louder and slightly closer this time. Why does that echo but my voice doesn't?
“Who’s there? I know you’re here, I can hear you laughing!” I call out and my voice starts to break.
I let out a noise that’s a mix of frustration and confusion. Why haven’t I woken up yet? What the fuck is going on right now?
“It seems you are quite confused, Y/N,” a deep male voice speaks behind me, matching the tone of the laugh I heard.
I turn around quickly to find where he is. The humming becomes louder, morphing into a seemingly static sound.
“Who the fuck said that? Where am I? And how the hell do you know my name?!” My voice comes out shrill and panicked. I look all around me, trying desperately to find where this man who’s speaking is located in the nothingness.
“I'm wherever you'd like me to be, darling.” He speaks in an almost sultry tone, sending shivers down my body. Whether that's from being uncomfortable, fear, or something else, I'm not sure.
“And I'll answer all your questions in due time. For now, try to relax. Panicking will get you nowhere here.” It sounds as if there's two voices overlapping each other when he talks, with the same sounds from before alongside them.
“Relax? Yeah fucking right!” I chuckle nervously. “And what do you mean by ‘here’? Where in the hell is ‘here’?!” My voice cracks more as I shout.
I hear the man sigh from somewhere to my side, but almost like a growl. “What did I just tell you about questions? Have some patience, would you?”
The ringing gets louder at the last question, and I quickly deduce that he must be the source.
“I-” I let out a sigh of my own, rubbing my forehead. “Easier said than done, y’know!”
“You don’t really have much choice in the matter, now, do you? You’re confused and anxious, so do as I say,” he tells me sternly.
“Yeah? And why should I? Who are you to tell me what to do?” I demand from him.
“Incessant… Do you want answers or not?” His voice grows angry.
“Yes, of fucking course I do!” I’m getting irritated as well at the audacity of this strange voice.
“Good. Now listen; you've been heading in the right direction, for the record. Face the direction of my voice and keep walking forward. You'll come across a structure soon.” His voice is no longer around me, but more so in front of me, and my brows furrow. The fuckin ‘right direction’?
“Yes, there is a correct direction in the void, even if there does not seem to be,” he informs me.
That makes the hair on my neck stand up, stopping me in my tracks. Not only does this cryptic individual know my name, he can read my thoughts? I look behind me, debating whether to heed my original thought of making my way back to bed. I doubt that'll wake me up if I haven't already done so. Reluctantly, I follow his instructions anyway, shaking my head in disbelief. This doesn't make any fucking sense. I have to be dreaming.
“No, you're not, and yes, I can read your thoughts, which is why I had originally advised you to relax. I tapped into your mind.” He speaks in a calmer tone now, but still sounding as if his patience is thin. It does little to slow my rapid heart rate from knowing someone is in my head, reading my every thought. This can't be fucking real.
“I'll calm that fear as you make your way here. Reading your mind is not a constant; I only do it at will. I'm not lurking in your head as you suspect,” the man explains, as if it’s completely normal to do so in the first place.
“Well, that doesn't make me feel any better, if that's possible in my current situation,” I grumble. He might be lying just to make me loosen up, so I’m staying on guard.
I hear him sigh again. “I understand your hesitation, though I had hoped it would still ease your reluctance. It isn't my goal to intrude on your mind more than I have, but noting as it's your first time here, it's almost necessary. Fear is… abundant in this darkness.”
“Yeah, no fucking kidding. Waking up and not being able to see a thing is definitely terrifying.”
I'm still scanning my surroundings, looking for what I'm being led to, or anything in general to focus on instead of the cold nipping at my body. I continue walking per his guidance, despite the doubt in my mind.
“How far is it to this ‘structure’ you mentioned? I'm getting tired of walking on what feels like ice.” I almost wish I had worn socks and shoes to bed. I hope I just wake up soon, this shit sucks.
“You aren't too far now, just turn to your right about 20°. Soon you should arrive at a large gate. Wait for me there, and don't move until you see me.” He gives oddly specific instructions, but I figure I'd be stupid to ignore them at this point. I proceed while fear still lingers in my chest.
I don't know why I'm trusting this, but it certainly beats wandering the endless desolate landscape my brain created. I would think I'd lead myself to safety, anyway, so no harm should be done.
Sure enough, after a little more walking, and feeling like my feet are frozen, I see a large metal gate that looks like it belongs to a mansion of some rich Hollywood actor. It has tall stone pillars holding up each side, connecting it to the rest of a matching fence, and a latch in the center keeping it closed. I push on the gate to try and open it, but it doesn’t budge.
“I think I’m here, but the gate isn’t open,” I call out to the unknown man.
I don't hear an immediate response so I stand waiting at the gate, hoping it just needs to be unlocked. Shifting my weight off each foot, I wiggle my toes to try and get some warmth back in them. I'm still weary of the whole situation, but I wait patiently in the hope that I'll either get answers, or I'll wake up soon. As I'm rubbing one of my feet, I hear a loud metallic creak behind me and jump slightly. I turn around as the gate slowly opens, and I walk through with a racing heart. Once I fully enter, I watch the gate close behind me and hear it lock again. Unsure of the fate that awaits me, I stand with my back against the entrance, my arms crossed in defense.
“Hey, dude, you there? It's dark as hell and I don't wanna walk too far from the only thing I've been able to see,” I ask, waiting for the individual I was supposed to meet.
I look both directions, then I suddenly feel a large hand on my shoulder, making me almost leap out of my skin. I whip around and see what I hope to be the man I've been speaking to. He's a taller guy, taller than me, wearing a dark suit with a maroon tie and white undershirt. It seems to be tailor-made, perfectly outlining his broad shoulders and toned arms I assume to be beneath the cloth. His hair is a deep brownish-black, parted to one side hanging in front of his forehead, and skin- wait, gray skin? His whole body is practically black and white. It's the void in my own mind, so I’m not going to question that too much. His long face is quite attractive; a wide nose and a chiseled jaw outlined with a short beard. His hooded eyes are damn near black, and it almost looks as if he's wearing eyeliner on his bottom lashes. I can't blame him for wearing it, it definitely works on him. Looking at him honestly makes me speechless for a moment, then I notice what I can only describe as some kind of ‘aura’. Cyan and red surrounds him in an almost glitchy, 3D-like manner. The only color in this goddamn dream (or nightmare?) realm is this mostly monochrome man. The colors merge closer to his body as he prepares to speak.
“Nice to finally meet you face-to-face, Y/N.” The man takes my hand and gently places his lips against my knuckles, making me gasp lightly at the surprise gesture. “My name is Darkiplier, but you may call me Dark. I know you have questions, and I'll answer them. Please, follow me, and stay close.”
I do as Dark says, sticking right behind him, more afraid of the void than I am him, for some reason. He walks quickly with an air of confidence, his hands clasped behind his back. While alongside him, his very presence feels odd; brighter than everything around us, but somehow the same shade of it as well. It seems the two colors of his aura both conflict and compliment this dimension. After a few more strides, we arrive at a huge mansion that matches the front gate, much like I assumed. The mansion was also made of stone like the pillars, and looks to have at least two stories with a dozen rooms or more, almost resembling a modern castle of sorts. We step up onto the front porch and he unlocks the front door; it’s a two-door entrance made of wood, and there’s outside lights on either side only illuminating the porch itself. It's a gorgeous building, but severely out of place in the darkness. Only I could dream of something this amazing. Too much HGTV as a kid, probably.
“You live here?” I'm the first to break the silence.
“Yes, this is where I stay and work in the void. Please, after you.” He opens the door and allows me to walk in first, glancing behind him as he does.
As soon as I enter, my jaw drops. The inside is somehow even more gorgeous than the outside. The entryway is as tall as the house itself, light marble flooring complimenting wooden and cream walls. To my right is a grand staircase leading to the upper floor, supported by an intricate wooden railing and banister; part of the house disappears under these stairs. I see doors and various paintings in the upstairs landing, but I'm unable to make out what they're of. Directly above me hangs a beautiful chandelier, crystals adorning every inch of the light fixture, creating little geometric designs on the walls around me. There are small tables near the front door, holding delicate vases with deep colored flowers that seem very well kept. There’s a small round rug on the floor, which I relish in as a break for my numb feet. If this is any sign of how the rest of the house is, I'm already impressed with what my mind can conjure up.
Dark gestures towards him. “Come, I'll show you to the living room so we can talk properly.”
Now that we're inside, I realize how eloquently he speaks, and with an accent I'm unable to place. His deep tone sounds more velvety in this more enclosed space, especially without sounding like there's multiple of him talking over one another. The two voices he previously spoke with have seemed to calm down, only slightly audible now as they've merged more into one. He pronounces ‘room’ weird though, sounds more like ‘rom’, ‘rum’, or ‘roum’? I've never heard anyone talk like that, I wonder where I got it from.
He walks several steps towards a corridor before I realize he moved. I take a few large strides to catch up, too mesmerized by the architecture of the house and definitely not wanting to get lost.
“This place is absolutely beautiful. Somber and moody, but I like it, honestly. Why so many rooms though? Is it just you here?” I ask, staying close behind, still not looking at him but at everything around me.
“Why, thank you, I designed it myself. And yes, I live alone.” The last part was said with little emotion, but a slight glitch. Touchy subject, maybe? I get it, I live alone too.
“In this big ass house?” I pause for a moment. “Well, it doesn't seem like there's anyone else here but you and I, so that's fair.”
“It is an empty space in this land. Haven't had a visitor in… I'm not sure how long. Time does not pass the same in this place as it does in the human world.” He states, and I don't immediately recognize the effect of his words.
We continue down the hallway, passing a large kitchen that has an island, a dining room with a grand table, and a couple more closed rooms. I was only able to catch a small glimpse of these other areas, but from what I could tell they look just as elaborate as the foyer.
“Wait, time is different here?” I look back at him, finally puzzled by this revelation.
“Yes, and no. It's difficult to explain, but I will try to. It would just be best to be sitting while attempting to do so." Dreams are so fucking weird.
We arrive at a set of double doors with glass panels, and he opens them both at once, revealing a dimly lit living room equally as elegant as the rest of the house. Dark flicks on a couple lamps around the room, giving me a better look at it all. Lavish chairs and couches surround a large wooden coffee table littered with a few books, a large marble fireplace matching the previous floors that has a gentle fire going, and a bookcase full of texts on one side of the room. There's a large artisan rug beneath all the furniture, and the designs are so intricate that I think it's hand-made. I can't believe he's in this amazing house all by himself. Everything is stunning, clean, no dust in sight. The living room feels very inviting, the fire warming the space and bringing a much needed light to the world around us. It's a lot of seemingly 1800s era furniture, with some more modern touches here and there. If nothing else, he has an exquisite taste. Or rather I do.
“Please, have a seat, Y/N. ‘Make yourself at home’, as they say in your realm.” He gestures to the sofas and chairs, and I gladly oblige, albeit puzzled by his remark.
I sit myself at one of the chairs near the fireplace, moving my freezing feet and hands towards its warmth to bring feeling back into them. I take another look around the room we entered, still slightly weary of the situation I’m in.
“Would you like something to drink?” He questions, pouring himself a glass of what I can only assume is alcohol, given the long bottle it's in.
I hesitate, and he seems to notice.
“I also have water, hot tea, or coffee. I just simply enjoy the taste of this.” He turns to face me, leaning against the alcohol cabinet and takes a sip from his cup.
“I would like some water, actually. Thank you, Dark.”
All that walking froze my feet and dried my throat, both more than I realized. Luckily I have water on my nightstand for when I wake up.
“One moment.”
He walks out of the room and I continue heating my extremities by the fire. He quickly returns with a glass of ice water and hands it to me. Even the cups are fancy? I outdid myself. I thank him again and take a small drink, watching his every move suspiciously.
“Are you warm enough?” He sits on the couch to the right of me, his glass in hand.
“Mostly, yeah. My feet were so fuckin cold walking out there, I thought they were gonna fall off before I got here. I hate wearing socks to bed, but I almost wish I did tonight.” I chuckle nervously, wiggling my toes, glad to have feeling back in them.
“That wouldn't be a bad idea to do so in the future. I have a suspicion that we'll be seeing more of each other.”
He takes another sip and puts his cup on the table in front of him. I turn to face him, my eyebrows furrowed at his remarks. He leans back, cracking his neck both ways, making me wince slightly at how loud it was. He crosses his legs, his foot on the other knee, and folds his hands on top. He looks over at me, and I meet his gaze, curiosity starting to overtake anxiety in my dreamworld.
“Now, your questions,” he starts. “I know you have plenty, but allow me to answer the basic ones first. As I stated before, you are not dreaming, nor having a nightmare. This is a real place called The Void. Certain humans can enter by falling asleep, much as you did.”
I scoff. “Okay, sure, I'm totally not dreaming.”
“You aren’t. I won’t repeat that any more than I need to,” he says, annoyed again already.
“Alright, geez.” I pull my legs up onto the chair defensively. “What did you mean by ‘certain humans’ though?”
He sighs. “We'll get to that part later. How I know your name is simple; I picked it from your mind as soon as you entered. I have the capability of mind reading, but only when I choose to do so. Like now, you're wondering if I'm doing it currently, how it works, and how much I can read. Correct?”
My mouth opens slightly. “Y-yeah, that's right. Creepy, but right.” Why do my lucid dreams have to be so odd?
“I apologize, I only used it as a demonstration. I can also speak to you through your mind, but I have not done so, as I imagine it would’ve alarmed you more.” He grabs his cup once more, drinking nonchalantly.
“Yeah, I probably would've lost my shit if some random voice popped in my head going, ‘I see you are quite confused.’” I mock his voice, and take a drink from my own glass.
Dark gives a short laugh, much like he did when I first entered. “Yes, I assumed it would be, hence why I didn’t.”
“Yeah, especially saying you ‘can be wherever’, that was just weird.” I turn back to the fire, warming my hands to distract myself.
“Weird? Heh, I suppose so. Regardless, doesn't make it any less true. I really can be wherever.” His tone deepens with something mischievous, and I hear faint glitching noises from his direction.
I glance back at where he's sitting. Wait- where he WAS sitting. He's gone? What is going on here?
“Where-”
“Right here.” He cuts me off before I can even ask. His voice comes from behind me.
I whip around in the chair to see him just standing there, hands folded behind his back, a small smirk on his face. I gasp, jumping out of my chair from surprise. My shock makes him snicker.
“What the fuck? How the hell did you do that?” I ask a little loud.
“Another ability of mine. Humans would consider it teleportation, but it's more a manipulation of atoms and shadows, to explain it simply.”
He walks towards me and holds his hand out and up. A glitchy darkness covers his palm, and in an instant his drink appears in its place. I blink a few times in shock. I knew this weird shit would happen if I fell asleep to videos again.
“Sorry for startling you, darling. Merely wanted to demonstrate for you in real time.” He calmly takes another drink from his glass, as if I didn't just have the shit scared out of me.
“This is fucking wild… That was really cool though.” How did I come up with that one? “Let me guess, that stuff is all connected to the way you kinda look 3D?”
“Why, thank you, and yes, it is. It's also how I was able to make my voice sound so close to you when you arrived here.” He sits down on the sofa closest to me instead of the original one he was on.
I lower back into my seat, thinking about all the shit I've managed to come up with while being unconscious. Even so… None of this can be real. I need to stop watching YouTube to fucking fall asleep.
“I sense doubt in you. I don't need to read your mind to know that. What other questions do you have?”
“Oh yeah, I have several questions. You've said twice that I'm not asleep. But like, how do I know for sure I'm not just dreaming? I mean, I've had some pretty wild and vivid dreams before, so why is this any different? Teleportation, a never-ending darkness, you and your weird 3D aura… thing.” I wave my hands, gesturing around him. “It's just too fantastical to be real, and certainly something I could make up in my sleep.”
“That's a valid concern, and all reasonable points to make. It's obvious you aren't easily convinced, so I have devised a couple ways to prove that this isn't just a figment of your imagination,” he states as confidently as usual, making me roll my eyes in annoyance.
“Of course I'm not easily convinced! I fell asleep and woke up in my bed, surrounded by nothing but darkness, then some guy I couldn't even see talked to me from out of nowhere. Now I'm inside a giant, expensive-looking house that you'd see in magazines, with said man, who's telling me I'm not asleep and I've been transported to some.. some dimension? The only thing that makes sense is the name of this goddamn place. So yes, I'm going to be skeptical, Darkiplier.” I say his name sarcastically, as even that seems unreal.
I stand up and start pacing away from him, borderline pissed off with this strange man acting like it should all be some kind of common knowledge. Why would I create someone who is trying so hard to convince me that this makes sense, that this is real?
“Y/N, please, sit down.” I shake my head at him, not even looking in his direction.
“I'm just lucid dreaming. I've done it before, and here soon my alarm will go off and I'll wake up to go to work, and none of this will have happened.” I say less to him and more to myself.
I hear Dark stand up but I pay him no mind, silently telling myself to snap out of it and wake up. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I turn to look at him, feeling irritation boiling inside of me.
I snap at him. “What do you want? You're in my head.” I turn away and scoff. “It makes sense now, that's how you were able to read my mind and know my name. Because you're already there. I can't believe this shit… My dreams have certainly outdone themselves tonight!”
“Do you want proof or not?” he asks, emotionless.
I shoot him a glare. “Proof of what? It won't matter once I'm awake, none of this will.”
“It will matter if I give you something that leaves with you.” He crosses his arms in front of him, seemingly fed up with my reactions.
“Yeah? Like what, a headache? ‘Cause I already have one of those.” He shakes his head at me, clearly becoming more exasperated.
He holds his hand out, and like before with his drink, glitches appear in his palm. Out of the weird darkness appears a small rock, almost looking like obsidian, but it has the distinct red and blue effect around it, just like Dark does.
“This. I'm going to give this to you, and once you exit this land, it will be with you in your room. It won't have my aura attached to it in your world, however, as it would be too suspicious.”
He offers me the black rock, and I take it hesitantly. It has a smooth, glass-like surface, some points but nothing sharp enough to hurt. I look it over a few times, and it feels like TV static in my hands. Slightly tingly, similar to a small spell of pins and needles, but not uncomfortable.
“Uhh, okay? What do you want me to do with this? And why's it feel that way?” I turn my gaze back towards him, spinning it in my hand.
“Just keep it with you until you leave. It probably feels odd for you because it's connected to me, my energy. It'll have a little vibration to it, along with a subtle hum or high-pitched ringing. Those characteristics will carry into your world, but will only be felt and heard by you since I gave it to you.” He motions for me to listen to it.
I hold the object up to my ear. “Yeah, I can hear it. It's not nearly as loud as yours is, but it's there. Kinda looks like obsidian too.”
Of course it would be obsidian. It's my favorite rock, so my mind would use that for this purpose.
“This is cool and all, but I would almost guarantee I have something closely resembling this in my bedroom, so I still don't believe you. I thought you said you had multiple ways to prove I'm not dreaming?”
He turns away from me to pick his glass up from the table, sitting back down on the sofa to take a large drink from it. “I do. But the other option is much more direct.”
“What, is the rock not direct?”
“It is, but less so. You need to still keep it though. It's yours for as long as you'd like it to be.”
I look back down at the stone and shrug. “Okay, neat, I guess. What's the other option then?”
“You really should sit back down.” He motions towards the other couch I'm standing next to.
“I don't want to. Just tell me what the other one is.”
A wide smirk appears on his lips. “I can visit you in your world.”