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huffle-dork · 1 year

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Curiosity Killed the Cat: Chapter 12

The Grand Finale Chapter 11 | Masterpost|

Jameson and Anti arrive in Chase’s recording room in a burst of glitches. Jameson is quick to run over to his brothers, Chase quickly meeting him halfway and hugging him tight. Jameson smiles and pats his arms, trying to assure him that he’s okay.

Anti buzzes to stand next to Henrik and Jackie, eyeing down the computer. “...any clue what Kit kat is planning?”

Jackie sighs, “No… but… Phantom did warn us he would be trying to get a large crowd… I just hope his magic can’t affect people over technology…”

“Whatever this is though,” Henrik adds shakily, “I do not think it’s good…”

“Yeah…” Anti agrees, solemnly looking at the screen.

Marvin’s charming face is smiling at the screen as he begins the stream. He looks… normal. His bright blue eyes are shining with that innocent look he had before all this mess started. His hair is… long though- and brown. But, he wears his signature white cat mask on his face, a big cloak over his shoulders- and that suit he’s been wearing still on and looking fresh. Fresher than it did at the hospital that’s for sure…

“Top of the morning, everyone! That’s what Jack says, right?” He laughs and tries to smile at the camera, “Sorry if I got it wrong! It’s been a while since I had a video, hasn’t it?”

Jackie grips the back of the chair he’s leaning on, hearing cracks under his palms. Marvin sounds fine… but he knows he’s not. He knows that isn’t fully his brother right now… and his heart is beating in his throat as he hangs onto every word he says.

Marvin laughs again and his eyes flicker to something darker- green and purple appearing briefly in his irises as he adds quietly.

“...did you miss me?”

That line sends a shiver down all the egos’ back- except Anti who scowls and bares his teeth, his form glitching angrily.

“Or- I guess you were expecting that line from someone else, weren’t you?” Marvin spits at the camera, his voice getting lower. He glares at the camera now.

“Actually… that’s why I’m here. I would like to have a chat with all of you…” Marvin talks like a teacher disappointed at his students, sighing dramatically. “We need to talk about the glitch… and all of yours’s... Unhealthy obsession with him.”

He slams his hands down on the table and leans in closer to the camera, the feed glitching slightly with green and purple as his anger resurfaces. Flickers of his darker mask and veins of black magic show up on his skin, if only for a brief second. He glares with hatred burning in his eyes.

“Why do you want to hurt me and my brothers?!” He snarls at the screen.

“Oh the theorists are gonna have a field day with all of this,” Anti mutters, crossing his arms.

“Why do you cheer and seek out our torturer? Is our pain funny to you? Is it fun to see us controlled and puppet-ed and hurt over and over and over again?!” Marvin bites at the screen, feeling the eyes of the community on him. His anger makes his form flicker more and more. But finally, he laughs bitterly and shakes his head, sitting back down in the chair and lounging back. But he still looks furiously at the camera.

“...You all have no concept of the pain you cause. All for your entertainment… you all sicken me.”

“...harsh-” Chase whispers under his breath with a wince. Though… he can’t help feeling exactly what Marvin is feeling. And he’s sure his brothers are all hiding that part of them that feels the same.

Marvin laughs darkly as he tilts his head at the camera and grins, showing sharp canines. His form fully melts away into it’s corrupted form- mask black and purple and branches of purple magic running up his neck and crawling up rapidly to his face. His sclera has turned black and his eyes flare even more purple.

Cries of confusion can be seen in the chat. Some wonder how Jack is doing all this- others assuming this is all for shit and giggles.

“Well today! I say no more!” Marvin chuckles darkly but his emotions quickly shift to anger again as purple magic zips around him dangerously. “I’m sick of being a pawn controlled by the whims of people who don’t even know me! Just like fucking Jack… I will no longer be a puppet- controlled by the likes of you!”

For a second- it feels like Marvin’s eyes meet Anti’s through the screen. And… Anti hates the surge of fear that goes through him.

Marvin then looks away and laughs, getting up and holds out a hand that glows purple. The camera seems to be lifted up in his magic as he grins, “And to prove that to you all… let me show you something~!”

In a poof of purple smoke- the camera turns off for just a second and then reappears with Marvin- and he’s now standing over the comatose Jack.

“Jack!” Henrik shouts in worry, closing in on the screen as if he can reach them.

The comments are going crazy- some worried- some wondering if any of this was real.

“Now this must be a shock for you all! After all…our beloved Chase has been doing such a good job of filling in for our precious Jack, hasn’t he?”

Chase shivers and staggers back, feeling panic gripping at his chest. No! What was Marvin doing?? He’s unraveling everything they’ve been trying to hide! He’s gonna send the whole community into a frenzy!

“He’s insane-” Anti growls, “Just what is he trying to do? Make 20 million people have a panic attack?? Alert the news? He’s gonna expose all of us!”

“He must be doing this for a reason…” Jackie mutters, but he looks nervous too. This was gonna be a lot to clean up….

“Now now- don’t worry everyone! I can assure you he is safe… and I will wake him up after all of this is done!”

“̸̬̾L̷͓̐i̴̧͂k̴͓̚e̸̙͝ ̵̣̆h̶̗̔e̸̟͆l̸͙͘l̸̥̉ ̴̦͝ḣ̷͈e̶̝̎ ̶͇̌w̴͙͂i̵̳͆l̷̮͠l̶͖̚!” Anti suddenly shouts, glitching wildly and he tries to dive towards the computer. He barely enters the screen for a second before he’s thrown out, spasming as purple energy crackles along his body. He grits his teeth and curls up on the floor to keep from crying out in pain.

Marvin seems to stare knowingly at the screen as he smirks and chuckles. “You see… this is the work of the glitch you all love so much… you gave him enough power to take Jack… and put him to sleep.

But, not to worry! I took control of him from the glitch… I’ve been keeping him safe and sound.” He assures the screen charismatically.

“Lying Bastard!” Henrik curses, gripping the table tight. Jameson puts a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him down.

Marvin then sighs and poofs and him and the camera appear back by the desk in the normal recording spot. He stares at the screen intensely.

“... there is something that must be done before I can wake up Jack and make all of this right, however. And for that… I need all of your help.”

“...uh oh-” Jackie whispers.

“You see,” Marvin begins- and as he does, the background behind him starts to shift and change, warbling in and out of focus, flowing like it’s made of watercolor. Then, it slowly starts to spiral.

“I can’t allow all of you to fuel the glitch any longer… so you’re all going to help me get rid of him.”

All of the egos feel shivers go down their spine as they start to panic.

“Jamie quickly! Marvin is at Jack’s see if you can-!” Henrik whispers desperately.

Jamie is already trying to produce some magic to try to teleport- but his magic sparks and fizzles with purple.

Anti groans from the ground, trying to get up, “H-He’s blocked it- He’s created some kind of magic wall- we can’t get to him…!” He growls in anger.

Marvin laughs maniacally and thrusts a hand out at the camera. It starts to glow purple and spirals of lavender magic start to overlay the screen- the background also swirling with purple magic.

Jackie recognizes this instantly and he shoves anyone close to the screen that’s trying to watch. “D-Don’t look! H-He’s trying to-!”

Chase and Henrik are shoved to the floor, Jameson trips and lands on his ass, magic cracking as he falls.

But, In his effort to push everyone else away- Jackie has ended up standing right in front of the screen. The magic very quickly grabs a hold of him, his eyes echoing the spiral of the magic as his jaw falls open, mind going blank.

“N-No! Jackie!” Chase cries out, trying to push himself up. Henrik grabs him though and keeps him down, fear clear in his eyes. “J-Jackie said not to look!”

Marvin’s laughter is haunting as he captures all of the viewers one by one. The chat falls silent as everyone who is watching is caught in the magic- falling under Marvin’s spell.

He giggles as more magic starts to eat up his skin on his face, veins opening up wider and fizzling with more dark purple magic.

“Yes…! All of you… all of you give me your memories of the glitch…! I’ll erase them… bit by bit.” He pauses to laugh, feeling a surge of emotions from his captives.

“No, don’t worry everyone! I won’t kill him~! No… I’ll leave enough of him around… Just enough so he can’t fade. But he won’t reform either… ha ha… doesn’t that sound familiar, A̴̭͝n̵̹̈́t̶̹̓ì̵̢?̷̝̓” Marvin laughs insanely, increasing his magic as he starts to dig into everyone’s collective memories- and starts to tear them to shreds. Any hint or glitch of the demon known as Antisepticeye, he rips apart into tiny pieces.

Anti starts to scream bloody murder, his entire form starting to be broken apart by purple veins of magic. He glitches and spasms, clawing at the ground like that can save him. His eyes are pits of toxic purple magic as he screams and screams and screams-!

“H-Help me…! H̴̺̾-̷̨̉Ĥ̴͇Ê̴̼L̸͓̅P̶̺̎ ̴͙̆M̶͈͂E̴̲͛!̷̘̍!̷̛̟”̴̫̀ ̵͓̈ Anti sobs out desperately, his entire form being broken apart.

Henrik rushes to Anti’s side and Jameson joins him, the gentleman tries to stabilize him with a bit of magic. But- it’s not working, nothing is working!

Chase staggers and goes to grab onto Jackie’s shoulder, shaking him. “J-Jackie! C’mon dude, snap out it! Y-You’re helping Marvin, h-he’s gonna kill us!”

Jackie doesn’t respond- or more like he can’t respond. The magic is strong in his eyes, his mind being invaded and memories being picked apart and shredded. Purple veins crawl from his eyes and tears leak out of them as he trembles- stuck in the magic’s grasp.

But, even though he doesn’t respond to Chase- he seems to be mumbling something. Even though it seems to pain him.

“M-Marvin… d-don’t do this… please..! Stop!” The hero whispers tearfully.

Chase dares to briefly look at the screen- at Marvin.

The magician- for just a second… seems to flinch, blue very faintly flickering in his eyes.

Chase’s eyes widen. Did- did he hear Jackie…? Did they have more of a pull since they’re all connected to Jack and Anti?

Chase narrows his eyes in determination. He looks at the others. “G-Guys… this may sound crazy… but I have an idea…! I think… if we get pulled under- maybe we can reach Marvin through his magic!”

“T̴-̷T̶h̴a̶t̵'̷s̴ ̷t̵h̷e̶ ̶s̶t̴u̷p̶i̵d̶e̵s̷t̶ ̸t̶h̷i̵n̸g̴ ̵I̵'̴v̸e̴ ̵e̴v̴e̷r̷ ̶h̶e̶a̴r̴d̶!̸” Anti snaps out at Chase.

Henrik and Jameson exchange glances. But slowly, Jameson nods, eyes glowing with determination. Henrik sighs and seems hesitant, gripping his hands into fists. But, he soon nods too. “I-It’s worth a try… what else can we do?”

Chase smiles at his brothers and then helps them up to join him next to Jackie. He hesitates, then grabs Jackie’s hand. A surge of power flows up his arm, orange light shimmering in his veins. He looks at it with confusion. “Uh… okay- that’s… totally normal…”

Jameson notices this and goes to take Jackie’s other hand. He catches red pulsing up through Jackie’s veins under his jacket sleeve as his own glows teal. He offers his hand to Henrik’s who takes it quickly. His veins glow with white and he laughs a bit in disbelief, shaking his head.

“... I will never understand all this magic shit… but… let’s save our brother…”

Jamie nods with a hopeful smile. Then- they all look towards the screen, letting the magic fully take them in.

“F̷-̴F̵u̴c̴k̸i̷n̸g̷ ̴s̶u̶i̵c̸i̶d̷a̸l̶ ̷i̶d̵i̵o̸t̸s̷-̶ ̵” Anti grumbles before he gets another wave of pain that sends him screaming and glitching into the carpet.

As the magic washes over them, suddenly the brothers hear a cacophony of screaming that sends all their minds reeling. It’s a tidal wave of confusion and fear and agony that sends them spiraling underneath. But they quickly try to resurface- determination pushing them forward.

They hear a loud voice above the others, echoing in the wide expanse. “MARVIN!!” Jackie’s voice cries desperately. “You have to stop this! This is gonna kill you! Please wake up!”

Henrik and Schneep start to join him, shouting out for their brother, trying to get him to snap out of this.

Then- another voice joins them- almost as loud as Jackie’s.

“MARVINNN!!” Jameson’s inner voice yells. The others are momentarily confused. They’ve never heard his voice before. But… with the tone and the British accent- it sure does sound like him.

Jamie continues to shout towards Marvin, pushing his magic into projecting towards the magician. “Marvin we’re here!! You don’t have to do this, this isn’t you! Please stop this!! Don’t let the darkness win! Fight back!!”

The others are fueled by their little brother’s passion and start to join him in his cries, increasing their voices above the panicked screaming of the fandom.

Marvin’s magic falters, his fingers trembling as he tries to keep the spell steady. But there’s a very loud scream behind him that’s threatening to break his concentration.

Jack is also screaming in agony as Marvin’s magic destroys what he’s created.

“Shut up! You’re fine!” Marvin growls to the Youtuber, “This is for your own good! For all of our good!”

Then, Marvin is hit with a wave of screaming voices- hearing the fandom’s panic all at once and it leaves him breathless. His eyes flicker more with blue at the sound and he tries to drown it out, closing his eyes and increasing the spell.

“No no no! C’mon I-I’m so close…!” He grunts to himself through gritted teeth.

Then, he hears them- the sounds of his brother’s voices. And- Jamie… Jameson is the loudest.

Orange, red, teal and white light dances in his eyes, trying to fight back against the purple corruption. He winces and holds a hand against his head, the voices becoming too much. It feels like his head is gonna explode!

“Marvin please!!” Henrik pleads.

“C’mon Marv! You’re better than this!” Chase urges.

“You’re not alone anymore Marvin! We’ll never let Anti hurt you again!” Jackie promises.

“Marvin, please! Fight back! WAKE UP!” Jameson encourages.

Something inside him snaps. And… it feels like Marvin is waking up from the deepest dream he’s ever been in.

He gasps and instantly ends the spell, waving his hand away to get rid of the spirals.

The boys all crumble to the floor as they’re released.

Anti is practically passed out and dead weight on the ground, his entire body covered in purple magic veins that spark with glitches and pixels. Henrik rushes to check his pulse or- whatever you’d check to make sure the glitch wasn’t dead.

Jackie staggers to his feet and goes to help up Chase and Jameson. He smiles warmly at Jamie and claps a hand on his shoulder.

“Nice shouting in there, buddy! You were incredible! A true septic voice, just like the rest of us!” He pulls Jamie in and gives him a slightly noogie. “Always knew you had it in ya, baby bro!”

Jameson blushes bashfully and hides slightly behind his hands.

Then, They all turn back to the screen, and see Marvin hyperventilating.

He looks desperately at the camera, tears in his bright blue eyes as he whimpers out, “I’m sorry- I-I’m so sorry everyone! I… I… d-don’t understand what… I.. I never wanted this to happen…!”

He suddenly falls forward towards the desk, gripping at his sides as he yells out in pain. The veins of magic are still stark on his skin and they start to glow brighter, the skin around them starting to darken and look like it’s covered in ash.

Jackie recognizes the sight of this and he panics, pressing up against the screen. “N-No!”

He looks desperately to Jamie, “J! W-We gotta get to Marvin! I think the magic is killing him!”

Jameson’s eyes widen and he nods, trying to concentrate on a spell to get them to Marvin. It seems like his magic isn’t blocked anymore… but he is a bit drained from the projection he used. Still he focuses as hard as he can, sweat blooming on his brow.

Marvin looks at his corrupting hands and skin with fear, stumbling out of the chair and shaking his head. “No…n-no no no no! W-What’s happening? I-I-!” He shouts out in pain again and this time, grips at the area around one of his eyes, falling to his knees. When he lets go and looks at his shaking hand, blood and black gunk are there- the substances now leaking from his eye. He coughs, black sludge falling from his mouth and he nearly falls over. He heaves and tries to drag himself back to the desk-

His brothers were watching right? They had to be… otherwise they wouldn’t have reached him like they did!

He claws his way back up the desk and looks back at the camera one last time. He looks panicked and scared as he reaches out towards the screen- as if he can reach his brothers through it.

“H-Help me!!” Marvin sobs, dark smoke leaking out of both corners of his mouth, his entire face cover in pulsing magic.

And then, there’s a flicker of purple power- and the camera gets destroyed, shutting off the livestream.

“No!” Chase shouts, trying to see if he can get the stream back up again. But it’s gone- it’s offline.

“J! C’mon how’s that spell coming??” Jackie cries. Jameson’s knees are shaking as he tries to finish the spell.

Then, something grabs his leg, startling him. Anti is grabbing him, gritting his teeth as he supplies the gentleman with some of his own power.

“Grab onto the oldtimer, now!” He calls out, “Let’s go save Kit Kat before he kills all of us!”

The others rush to grab onto Jamie as Anti glitches them away to Jack’s studio.

Marvin has collapsed to the ground, holding himself up on his elbows as he coughs and shakes, the corruption still trying to eat him alive.

He sobs, gripping his fingers into the floor, “I-I didn’t want this…! I-I’m a monster- i-i hurt so many people…!” He closes his eyes and breaks down, “I’m no better than he is…!”

A dark voice giggles in his ear though. It doesn’t sound like the glitch though… it sounds like him- just wrong.

“𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕡𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕪𝕠𝕦’𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖…! ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕡𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕨𝕖’𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖… 𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕟 𝔸𝕟𝕥𝕚 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕𝕟’𝕥 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕝 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕚𝕕! 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠𝕟’𝕥 𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞… 𝕒𝕟𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞. 𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕓𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙- 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣. 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕗𝕒𝕣 𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕒𝕝𝕝!”

Marvin shudders, trying to shake off the voice. But, it’s echoing all around him, fogging up his thoughts in black smoke.

“N-No! No I… I don’t-”

The voice shushes him, it’s voice charismatic and smooth. Easy to listen to.

“𝔻𝕠𝕟’𝕥 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕪 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕒 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘, 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕧𝕪… 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕝𝕖𝕥 𝕘𝕠. 𝕁𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕘𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕚𝕟… 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕀’𝕝𝕝 𝕥𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥~!”

Marvin feels his heart drop- and then his body starts to feel numb and disconnected from his core. Just like- just like when Anti tried to steal his body. Back in Phantom’s warehouse.

The reality of all of this falls on him like a ton of bricks. All this power… it never was his, was it? It was using him the whole time… just like Anti did. Just like Phantom did.

He was never taking control of his story… he just let himself become a toy once again. Something to be played with and then tossed aside.

Hopeless tears fall down his face as he hangs his head.

“...i-i’m so sorry… Jackie… j-Jamie… hen.. C-chase… i… I never wanted to hurt you…” He whispers heartbrokenly. “I… I just wanted to keep us safe…”

Energy cracks in the air around him as the force of magic inside him takes over more of his body. This… was how he was gonna die? Losing his body to a dark force of magic he helped create…

If he fought harder against Anti… if he never opened that stupid book all those years ago…Maybe- Maybe none of this would have happened…

Marvin can’t feel his legs now and he starts to panic. He looks around the room for something- anything!

His eyes land on Jack’s bed.

The magician quickly tries to drag himself closer to his creator, even if his legs drag behind him- the floor turning black and charred beneath him. He reaches out desperately.

“J-Jack please…!” Marvin sobs, “J-Just this once… h-help me…!” More of his body gets numb as he tries to pull forward and then he crashes onto the floor, wailing. “I-I just wanted to protect my family…! I wanted to make everything right…!” He looks up at Jack’s sleeping face and feels the numbness spread into his heart as it all crashes down on him. Everything he did…

“I… I shouldn’t have been made…!” He whispers, voice choked with tears.

The voice chuckles in his head and whispers like a siren song, “𝕆𝕙 𝕔’𝕞𝕠𝕟 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕧𝕪… 𝕕𝕠𝕟’𝕥 𝕤𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥! 𝕀, 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕠𝕟𝕖, 𝕒𝕞 𝕤𝕠𝕠𝕠 𝕘𝕝𝕒𝕕 𝕨𝕖 𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕞𝕒𝕕𝕖! 𝕀’𝕞 𝕘𝕠𝕟𝕟𝕒 𝕕𝕠 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕕𝕠… 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕔 𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕕𝕠…𝕀 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕦𝕤 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕. 𝕎𝕙𝕠 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨𝕤 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕀’𝕝𝕝 𝕕𝕠…! 𝔹𝕦𝕥… 𝕚𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕓𝕖~”

Marvin closes his eyes and sobs, curling up on himself.

If he was gonna die… why couldn’t it just be over with already…? …maybe this is what he deserved.

He feels his body start to twitch as the magic takes over- he feels his cheeks start to move without his permission, his mouth grinning without his say so- a mad haunting laughter escaping his lips that’s not his.

But- his hand- it seems to be curling around something in his pocket. Using the last of his strength and a lot of effort fighting through the numbness, he brings it towards his face.

It’s… its the jack doll.

Something then occurs to Marvin.

He lashes out to grab the doll with his other hand- and he starts to push all of his magic into it. No… not just his magic- his life force too.

The voice in his head stops laughing- and now sounds panicked. “𝕎𝕒𝕚𝕥 𝕟𝕠- 𝕨-𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕘?!”

“I-I can’t let you take over my body and u-use my magic…!” Marvin grunts out, trying to push his energy out faster. “B-But I can’t die… I can’t let us reform so you can do this again so-!”

His eyes flare blue green as he yells and puts more magic in- his body really starting to lose color- even the veins fading to gray. “I-I’ll give my life b-back to Jack…! He can start over… h-he can make someone new…! Someone better…! And I c-can make sure you won’t hurt anyone ever AGAIN!”

“𝕐-𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕚𝕕𝕚𝕠𝕥!” The voice cries, “𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠𝕟’𝕥 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕚𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜! 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕞𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕗 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤!”

Marvin laughs bitterly and shakes his head, “m-maybe you’re right… but o-on the off chance this will stop you… s-stop us… then… i-it’s a risk i’m willing to take…!”

He yells as he pushes the last of his life force and magic into the doll- hoping the connection to Jack is enough… maybe it’ll wake him up too. He… he doesn’t know.

But the voice is gone- one last weak scream echoing in his ears before falling silent.

He pants, his whole body trembling as it loses all its color, his eyes starting to turn milky white and glassy. He laughs quietly, bowing his head.

“...make someone good for me… won’t you, Jack?” He whispers, closing his eyes and holding the doll close to his forehead.

Then- the door bursts open.

Jackie, Schneep, Chase and Jameson all pile through the door, looking at Marvin desperately.

“M-Marvin!” Jackie cries out, tears in his eyes.

Marvin stares at disbelief and tries to smile at them, black smoke leaking out of his mouth again- the floor around him looking like a crater hit it.

But then- the light in his eyes fades. And he crashes to the floor with a hollow thud.

The jack doll tumbles out of his hands and stills, blue green magic pulsing in its core.

#hufflewriting #readcktc #cktc #curiosity killed the cat #marvin the magnificent #antisepticeye #jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jackieboy man #jameson jackson #henrik von schneeplestein #chase brody #black magic #corruption #mind control #tagging stuff is hard #ive been soooo nervous to get here for some reason even tho this is the climax!! this is what ive wanted to write for SO LONG #so immm gonna finish this fic i swear to GOD #i hope you guys enjoy :')

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huffle-dork · 3 years

Text

Curiosity Killed the Cat: Chapter 10

What Swallows the Light

Chapter 9: [x] Read from the beginning: [x]

(AN: IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG I HATE THAT WRITING IS SO HARD FOR ME RN AHHH I LOVE Y’ALL THANKS FOR STICKING WITH THIS- THE END IS NEAR!! LIkE MAYBE 3-4 MORE CHAPTERS!! EEEEE!!)

The boys regrouped at Chase’s studio- exhausted and spent but determined to look for Marvin using any means necessary. Well… most of them.

Jackie was desperate- desperate to do anything but resort to Jameson’s suggestion… he was not ready to face Phantom again.

His limbs still ached from the abuse he suffered at the hand of the mad conman. But, he wasn’t scared. Superheroes don’t get scared.

Chase groaned loudly and flopped his weight onto the back of the couch. “Jackie, c’monnn! We’re getting nowhere with all this!” He gestures to the collection of trackers and electronic devices Jackie’s collected- all beeping or malfunctioning. “Marvin knows you too well man! He’s probably using some freaky magic shit to block himself!”

Jackie grumbled and refused to acknowledge Chase, stubbornly tapping on the tablet he was trying to program. When it refuses to work, he suddenly yells in frustration and throws the thing hard against the wall. It cracks through the surface- the screen shattered and sparking. The hero then grips his hair and suppresses an even louder yell.

Schneep and Jameson exchange worried looks with each other. The doctor tries to speak up,” Jackie-”

“Shut up! I know!” The hero hisses through clenched teeth. “I know this isn’t working! But there has to be something! Something we’re missing.. Something that doesn’t involve-!” He seems to choke slightly, swallowing thickly.

A static laced laugh breaks the tense silence as Anti- who’s splayed across one of the couches like a lazy cat- finally speaks. “Woowww Spandex- it’s so rare to see you so scared shitless-”

Jackie turns to shout at the glitch, his eyes burning with blue power. “Shut the fuck up, you lazy bitch! I ain’t scared-”

“Righttt and the refusal to just- go do the easy thing and see the guy who might actually have the answers to whiskers’ problem is…? What? A super secret strategy of yours? Stubbornness? Stupidity? You are good at that last one-”

Chase has to grab Jackie and hold him back as the hero almost throws himself at the glitch to strangle him. Anti laughs madly, the air around him fizzling with glitches and static.

“Someone’s gotta length your fuse big guy! Hate to see what’ll happen when you finally explode~” Anti’s eyes darken to pits. “Then again… maybe it’ll be fun to watch~!”

“Anti for the love of god- stop antagonizing him!” Jameson huffs in exasperation, making sure his speech slide appears in right in front of Anti’s face so he can’t ignore it. Anti simply laughs and pushes it away- but luckily he doesn’t push the hero anymore.

The others look to Jackie with sympathetic faces. The hero shoves Chase off him with his elbow before looking away, clearly conflicted.

Schneep coughs then carefully walks up to Jackie, using his quiet bedside manner voice, “Jackie… we all know you are… hesitant. About seeing Phantom again. But we also cannot waste our time… we do not know what Marvin could be doing to Jack right of now.” Jackie cringes slightly at this, anxiously starting to pick at the skin beneath his gloves. Schneep looks to his brother with kind and worried eyes. He steps closer and gently places a hand on his then whispers to him low. “It is okay to be scared, you know.” The doctor’s eyes shift to the lounging glitch and Jackie can see the spark of fear in his eyes. “We all understand… but- you cannot let your fears keep you from moving forward, yes?” He squeezes the older brother’s hand tighter, “We all need to work together to stop this… you will not face this alone. And we do not think lesser of you for it.”

Jackie is quiet for a beat- but slowly he nods. He meets Schneep’s eyes and smiles softly. “Thanks Hen…”

Then he sighs and squares his chest before addressing the rest of the room.

“Alright… time to go pay Phantom a visit.”

The door to the tackily clad Phantom’s emporium opened effortlessly with a little bell. The egos all walk in-and are greeted with a dark and abandoned shop.

“It’s awful dark in here…” Jameson comments, his speech slide adding a small burst of light.

Chase squints and whistles under his breath, “Yeah- jesus… you’d think the guy could afford more lights in this creepy-as-fuck shop-”

He then shouts and suddenly falls to the floor.

There’s the sound of glitchy laughter from Jameson’s phone while Schneep digs out his and turns on the flashlight.

“Mein gott Chase- are you okay?”

There’s a groan as Chase pushes himself up and rubs at his head,” Y-Yeah- Yeah I’m okay- I just stepped on something-”

Suddenly there’s the sound of muffled yelling that has all the boys turning to look at the floor. “N-No way…” Jackie gasps as he goes to inspect the object, then he brings it up for the other boys to see. It’s one of phantom’s crystal orbs- only it’s occupied by the con artist himself and his brother, Mare. Mare is kneeling, one hand knocking against the glass while the other cradles a pale and spent looking Phantom.

Schneep’s eyes widen, “wh- how… how did this happen?” He whispers in disbelief. Jameson is covering up his mouth. Chase is massaging his calf before he looks up and yells, “Woah!”

Mare inside the orb scowls and knocks against the glass again. There’s a large crack on its side- like it might have been smashed against a corner of something. “Would you stop gawking and help us?!”

Jackie’s face falls slightly. Even if these guys were villains… this wasn’t right. So he nods and goes to try to smash the orb on the ground.

But quickly, Schneep yelps and goes to stop Jackie. “Wait!”

Jackie blinks in confusion and Schneep breathes before whispering to his brother, “Let’s… let's think this through, Jackieboy- if we free them now… we might not get the information we need.”

The doctor raises an eyebrow at Jackie and it slowly dawns on the hero. Jackie hisses back low to Henrik, “You want us to use their imprisonment to get info on Marvin?” His eyes glow slightly, “That’s not right, Schneep!”

Schneep pushes back against Jackie and whispers back, “If we do not- they will just poof away and will not get the info we need to save Marvin! Do you want to help him or not?!”

Jackie’s mouth opens and closes before he scowls and looks away. Schneep tries to hide a triumphant smirk. He then takes the orb from Jackie’s palm and holds it out before announcing, “We will release you… but only if you swear to tell us everything you know about what is happening to Marvin. If you do not and try to escape… we will treat you as the criminals you are and take the actions necessary to put you both back in jail.” Mare rolled his eyes, “Yeah yeah, stiff- whatever! Just get us out of here! My brother is fucking dying!”

Jackie and Schneep make eye contact before the doctor gives the okay. Jackie readies to smash the orb on the floor-But Jamie quickly stops him. He then signs, “Perhaps I can offer some assistance?”

The hero looks confused but he offers the ball to Jameson regardless. The gentleman smiles in appreciation then holds both his hands over the glass. He closes his eyes and focuses- teal light travels up the glass and coats the orb. Then, a flash of teal light rockets across to the empty space in the room and from the light forms Mare and Phantom in the same position they were in inside the orb.

Chase whistles, “Nice work J! ...now we won’t have to step on broken glass!”

Mare takes in a deep breath and looks over his extremely pale brother, who is breathing heavily and can barely keep open his dull eyes. He then shoots up to his feet and tries to make it to the back rooms of the shop.

Jackie beats him though and holds out his arms to stop him, his eyes flaring blue. “Where do you think you’re going?”

The dark ego bares his teeth ferally and pushes into Jackie’s face. “Out of my fucking way. Hero! You might not care but we were in there for a week! And those orbs absorb magic- it’s been sucking my brother dry for days! So- if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna get him something to make sure he’s alive for your fucking interrogation- is that okay with you?!”

The red hooded hero stands speechless and just steps aside, letting his arms fall as he nods. Mare doesn’t waste a second to rush past him.

There’s the sound of rustling and glass bottles hitting the floor before NateMare rushes back out and skids on his knees to be back by Phantom’s side. He cradles the other figment’s head and gently lowers a bright red glowing potion to his lips. The second the liquid meets his lips, Phantom’s eyes shoot open and glow red as he gasps. His back arches and he almost seems like he’s in pain but Mare just holds on tighter and dumps the rest of the potion into his mouth.

“I know…” He whispers, “Just- hold on, okay Phan? This will help, I promise…”

The other egos watch with bated breath.

Eventually the last drop falls into Phantom’s mouth and Mare takes the bottle away. Phantom pants like a man dehydrated finally offered a drink. His eyes burn red and for a second it seems like nothing happened. Then, the red blooms on his skin- in his veins, and travels across his body. The demon shudders and grits his teeth but as the magic flows, his pallor returning to normal. Finally, he sags in Mare’s grip and starts to breathe at a more regular pace. He weakly smiles up to his brother. They don’t exchange words, just simple nods but… it seems like Phantom was trying to say thank you. Phantom then turns and seems to remember they have company. He sighs and groans as he pushes himself up. He’s a bit unsteady but soon he’s standing tall again. He opens up his palm and from the ground, his staff comes rushing out and into his grip. He spins it then slams it to the ground to lean on. He eyes the company of Septic egos as he pushes back his hair.

“Forgive my… haggard appearance. Your brother… managed to do quite a number on me.”

“So, you know what happened to him? He was here?” Jackie asks eagerly. Phantom raises a hand to silence him.

“I will answer all your questions… but only if you let Mare go to rest. He does not have any answers for you and... He hasn’t been able to eat or drink since we were imprisoned… I did what I could but.. I survive on magic. He does not.”

The egos look at each other before nodding in understanding. Phantom nods to his brother, “Go. I’ll check up on you later.”

Mare seems hesitant to leave- but after a stern look from his brother he purses his lips but retreats to the back rooms regardless.

Jackie quickly pipes back up as soon as the curtains close behind him, “So- Marvin? He was here?”

Phantom nods, “Yes, he was here. He was the one who trapped us.” He then looks to Jackie and raises an eyebrow, “Said the act was… what you would call Justice.” He then shrugs and sighs, going to fall against one of the armchairs in the room. “Which I guess is fair-”

The hero’s gaze hardens as he hisses, “He doesn’t speak for me. I wouldn’t have done something like that.”

The red demon raises his head in slight surprise, then he smirks, “Oh~ I sense a bit of in-fighting?”

The air in the room gets tense as all the egos shuffle and cough. “Uh.. you could definitely say that-” Chase mutters.

Phantom hums and goes to lean forward in his chair, tapping his fingers against his orb. “...I already had my suspicions… and since you all are here for answers… why don’t you fill me in on what mischief my darling little apprentice has gotten himself into?”

“Don’t call him that-” A speech slide darts in front of Phantom’s vision followed by a serious looking Jameson. He frowns and pops up another slide once he’s gotten Phantom’s attention, “He is not yours. Not anymore.”

The demon blinks then chuckles and shakes his head, “I suppose you’re right, Jackson.”

Suddenly, the air turns electric as a groan of annoyance sounds from Jameson’s phone. Glitches fly out of his pocket and soon Anti’s fizzly form splays across one of the couches as he throws out his limbs in exasperation. “Jesus christ yall can blabber! Can we get on with this already?! Or need I remind you kitten whiskers literally has all our lives on the line?!”

Phantom jumps and somewhat curls up in his chair, trying to hide the fear in his eyes. “...w...what is he doing here?”

Anti blinks then grins wolfishly at Phantom, “Well hello to you too pretty boy- still not over our last encounter I see?” He laughs madly.

Jackie sighs then points to Anti with his thumb, “He’s the start of this whole thing. Plus… Marvin is targeting him.”

This peaks the con-man’s interest. He knits his eyebrows together and gathers his composure, leaning all his weight on his staff and linking his fingers. “...Enlighten me.”

The Septic egos then take their time to explain everything: Anti’s kidnapping of Marvin. The state of Jack. Marvin’s memory loss- his behavior after being rescued. How all that changed suddenly. His manipulation of Jameson. The book- the nighttime encounter in Jackie’s apartment. Jackie and Marvin’s fight. The criminals he killed. The veins and purple magic and eyes- the smoke that seemed to coat everything black. The hospital… how Marvin took Jack. Phantom listens intently. After they’re done he sighs and brushes back in his hair, looking towards the bookshelf behind him. “..it’s as I feared.”

He looks over the boys then stands up to address them, “... this time I am not the source of Marvin’s problem. In fact… I fear the problem may have sprouted from inside him.”

“What?” Henrik asks, “What does that mean?”

“Yeah- this… this doesn’t seem like Marvin’s magic at all! He.. he’s good! That’s how Jack made him- so how could this come from him?” Jackie shouts, looking angry.

Phantom holds up a hand to silence them. “I’m not saying this just happened randomly… but you must know this. Magic deals in absolutes.”

He then holds his hand over his orb and starts to dance his fingers in the air over it. White light comes from the orb and starts to dance in the air.

“In our world- Light magic is the prominent force. All magic stems from it. Because typically, magic is used to help or heal. Like… superpowers. They are a form of light magic. When magic first began… it was only used for good. However, humanity is selfish. And with selfishness comes the other side of magic… dark magic… black magic. Black magic is an invader- it was not made to exist here. But- through selfish desires and evil intentions it entered into our world. And… black magic is not like the light. It is constantly hungry- because it knows it does not belong here. It seeks to devour all sources of light and life. Even it’s users… it either devours them whole- or uses them to draw more people into darkness.”

Anti rolls his eyes, “Alright Merlin, thanks for the magic lesson. What’s all this bullshit gotta do with this?”

Phantom huffs and grips his staff, “I’m getting to that. But since you so kindly interrupted me, I’ll be blunt with you.” He points his staff at Anti. “You, glitch, are the catalyst for Marvin’s transformation.”

The glitch sputters, his form buzzing with static as he sits up, “What the fuck?! How is this my fault- I didn’t do anything to whisker’s magic! I’m not even magic myself!”

Phantom laughs and shakes his head, “All figments are filled with some form of magic. Or we wouldn’t exist.

But that’s besides the point for now. Remind me again, Anti, what is it you had Marvin do while in your capture?”

All the egos turn cold eyes on Anti. The glitch almost looks guilty as he crosses his arms and looks away from his audience. “I… forced him to put Jack to sleep.” Then he shakes his head and throws out his hands, “But that’s it! I didn’t touch him- I didn’t possess him or corrupt him or anything!”

Phantom nods and floats fingers through the white light still floating in the air. “Perhaps you didn’t… but you provided the spark.”

He opens his arms to the light, “Pretend if you will- this is Marvin’s core. His center of magic- his soul. Jackie mentioned earlier- your creator made Marvin to be good. So- that’s what his core is. A source of light magic.”

He then snaps and a pure black flame ignites on his fingertip. “Now- if I add a spark of black magic…” He lowers the black flame into the white light.

The light almost instantly begins to be eaten by the black. The black spears through the light like a hungry predator until all that’s left floating in the air in a bubble of black, sparking with purple power.

The septics watch with horror.

“...that’s... what's happening to Marvin?” Chase asks in a small voice.

“...it is a slower process but yes.” Phantom nods. He leans back into his chair and snaps the magic out of the air.

“Since Marvin’s core is good, any type of spell that goes against his nature could possibly change his entire magical alignment. What most likely happened is… whatever spell he used on Jack was enough to spark a dark magic takeover.”

“...But- Marvin has used darker magic before.” Jameson points out, “**Like when he’s been possessed by Antisepticeye- or… his last encounter with you. How come that didn’t trigger his magic to change?” **

Phantom hums with a smile, “A good question, Jackson. While under possession, Marvin’s magic is not entirely his own. When under my control- I fueled him with my own magic. It’s like… dye in water. It can leave the water stained sure- but eventually it will return to what it was because of the constant flow. Magic is fueled by the soul- so as long as Marvin is alive, his magic refuels itself. So even if it was changed momentarily by an outside source- it should go back to what his core was.”

“...the community-” Anti suddenly mumbles. Everyone looks to him with curiosity.

“...yes, Anti?” Phantom raises an eyebrow.

The glitch scowls then turns to face the other demon. “Jack’s community. Does that count as an outside source? Because I swear that Magician’s purpose has been flip-flopping around so much because they can’t make up their goddamn minds on what side he should be on. All this magic bullshit- does it really matter when Jack and the community has so much pull on our characters?”

The air is silent while the room takes in this information. Phantom smiles and leans back. “Hm- I can’t say for certain… though me and Mare are influenced by our community as well- each figments story is different. Me and Mare were made to be evil so… there’s not much we can do to change that.”

He then points his staff at some of the septics, partially Jameson and Schneep. “However- that is why I’ve found you septics so… fascinating. Even if Jack made you one way… the fandom can change you. Like how our beloved Doctor was once considered to be on the Glitch’s side… or how Mr. Jackson seemed to be free of corruption because of the fandom’s love… until it was revealed he was a puppet all along.”

Schneep nervously rubs his neck and looks away, shuddering at the memories from that time. “...that… I..I do remember… being changed by them. Forced to be someone else… until Jack set the record straight.”

Jamie is silent, playing with his hands and looking at the ground. His wrists hidden under his sleeves- his strings out of sight. Phantom smiles to himself, “That’s why I’ve always been so fascinated by my Magnificent… he’s so easily swayed. His alignment is so back and forth. He could be anything. He could become anyone.”

“Okay so- why isn’t this they’re fault, magic man?” Anti suddenly sneers, “Why isn’t this debacle their fault?! They almost have as much power as Jack does! Why aren’t they responsible?”

Phantom scratches his chin and taps his specter thoughtfully, “...I don’t think we can rule out their influence entirely. But… Marvin hasn’t been the star of the show for a quite a long time, yes? So… a change this sudden could only be explained by new lore from Jack. and… since he’s asleep.” The demon looks pointedly at Anti and raises an eyebrow. Anti grumbles and folds his arms again, sinking into the couch.

Jackie sighs and sits down, holding out his hands, “Okay so- let’s recap… because Anti made Marvin put Jack to sleep- that magic he used started to change his core. It went from light magic to black magic because black magic is a greedy bastard- so it’s changing Marvin… which is why he… he did all the things he did… right?”

The red clad demon nods, “Correct. Since the magic is an invader… one could say it’s possessing your brother. But- it won’t take much for it to grab control and change him permanently. He was already starting… what he was doing to those thugs is classic black magic. Feeding off life forces helps to fuel the black magic even faster. There’s nothing more selfish or evil than taking a life. ...Marvin’s actions might not entirely be his own- this all could be the black magic working to take over Marvin’s core faster. Especially since he did not choose to use that magic that sparked this in the first place… It’s manipulating him.”

Jackie seems to light up slightly. He smiles to himself and whispers, “...i..I knew it- I knew this couldn’t be Marvin… not really.”

“So what can we do to stop this? To save him?” Chase brings up. “We gotta stop him before this thing eats him- or Jack!”

Phantom is quiet for a second before sighing, “...that.. I do not know.”

“What?!” Jackie exclaims as he jumps to his feet, eyes burning. “You- You know all of this but you don’t know how to save him?! What the fuck?!”

The demon just raises an eyebrow, “Hero. I collect souls to survive. My core thrives off dark magic. I may know how it works… but I don’t know how to stop the process.” He then sighs and looks around. “I can give you advice though… that book. He stole it from me. It is a source of black magic itself- and it reacts to the user. It will do anything in its power to keep Marvin reliant on its spells. It will only hasten his corruption so… try to keep it away from him. Seal it away… it can’t be destroyed except by the purest of light magic.

Also- beware him collecting a large group of people. The magic inside him is going to be looking for the largest amount of souls it can corrupt. And… if he succeeds…. It will be too late. Your brother will be consumed. And they’ll be no going back.”

The air grows heavy at this news and the others exchange worried glances. The con-man watches before rising to his feet. “I’ve given you all the information I can… I would use it quickly if you want to save Marvin. Every second wasted is him getting closer to being consumed.”

The others look at each other then nod. “Alright… thank you Phantom.”

“As promised… we will not bother you and Natemare.” Schneep adds, adjusting his coat as he gets to his feet. He gestures to the others and starts to head for the door. Anti watches from the couch, seeming to be deep in thought.

Before Jackie can join the others however, Phantom lightly grabs his wrist to stop him. The hero looks back with confusion. The dark magician looks… almost bashful. He opens and closes his mouth several times before whispering out in sincerity, “... I know there is a lot at stake but… please Jackieboy… save my Magnificent.”

Jackie balks at this- then slowly his eyes start to burn with anger. He throws Phantom’s hand off him and grabs the figment by his vest and throws him against one of the pillars making up the walls.

“Are you fucking serious?! Your magnificent?! He isn’t your property asshole! After all of this- after all he’s been through you still think you get to stand here and be selfish?! To think about how you’re going to use him next?! If you so much as breathe near him again I swear to god i’ll-!”

Phantom just sits there and takes it- looking Jackie in the face. Jackie pants and growls, pushing Phantom more up against the wall when words fail him. The demon winces then opens one eye to look at Jackie.

“Are you done? Can i say my piece now?”

Jackie bares his teeth, ‘What could you possibly have to say to that? Gonna manipulate me with your fucking smoke to make me think you were in the right all this time? That you were helping him? That you ever cared for him at all as an apprentice?!”

“I DID CARE!” Phantom suddenly shouts, pushing back in Jackie’s face and blasting out enough magic to get Jackie to let go. Jackie stumbles back and narrows his eyes at Phantom as the demon dusts himself off and straightens his vest.

“...or… I do care. ...I think-” He sighs and lowers his gaze to the hero. “...I’m not like you and your family, Jackie. I wasn’t made to be good. I was made to manipulate and to steal. To trick. So… of course that was my purpose when I first took your brother in all those years ago…

However, despite my nature… i believe I developed a… soft spot for him. I… didn’t know how to interpret those feelings. I thought it was a need to fully control him- to make him mine. But… even that wasn’t enough. I couldn’t understand.”

He then sighs and picks his specter off the ground, going to twist it thoughtfully between his fingers. “But… all that time spent in that orb… enduring the same thing I made him endure… I was able to think. ...to maybe realize it was more than that need of control. That… maybe- the very small part of me that’s human… maybe that part actually cared for him. ...like how I care for Mare.”

Jackie’s hard expression softens slightly, looking to Phantom in confusion. The demon doesn’t meet his eyes as he chuckles bitterly.

“...I fought it for a while but… he was different than my other cons. He was… the first one just like me. A fellow figment just...looking for a place in the world. Of course… my purpose had to be fulfilled… a creation can’t deny its reason for existing. But… for a while… I couldn’t. Not to him. Maybe that’s why it took me so many years to finally hunt him down…”

He shakes his head then ventures to his bookshelf, going to open a small ornate chest. He digs inside then pulls out a white object and holds it in his hands while turned away from Jackie, rubbing his fingers against the surface.

“You know… there’s one thing I know about light magic… why you heroes and goody-two-shoes always best us in the end.” He laughs and turns to Jackie, handing the item to him.

It’s a blank white cat mask.

Jackie’s eyes widen as he takes it and then he looks to Phantom, who’s smiling bitterly.

“...it’s your ability to be positive. To believe in each other. To have things and memories that… keep the darkness away. ...perhaps that can help you.”

The demon looks to the ceiling almost wistfully, “I know… anything involved with me is tainted now. And… Marvin will never want anything to do with me again. I’m.. okay with that. But… maybe that mask… can remind him of when magic was good to him. When his love for magic was pure and child-like… perhaps it can save him from the dark.”

Jackie is speechless once again. He looks down at the mask and rubs his thumb against the edge. He can imagine Marvin when he first met him- when he first took off his distrustful shell and started to open up. How happy and mischievous and carefree he was. Did he actually feel that way with Phantom once?

“...you really do care about him..” Jackie pipes up quietly. Phantom smiles and shrugs.

“...I can’t say for sure. But… i do hope you save him. Really…” He sighs and looks back to Jackie seriously, “If he survives… I will leave him be. I will not hunt him down again… I will consider all his debts paid.”

Jackie’s eyebrows raise in surprise. Then, he laughs slightly and puts the mask in his backpack. He straightens the straps and turns to go- but not before giving one last look to Phantom.

“Hey- maybe there’s a little light in you after all Phantom.”

Phantom snorts, “Don’t get mushy on me, hero. You’ll make me more sick than I already am.”

Jackie laughs and shrugs, “Fair enough. Well… thanks.”

“Just get out of here, Jackieboy- don’t waste what little time you have with pleasantries.” Phantom grumbles, going to head towards the back room. “And… good luck.”

The hero nods and grins before hurrying out of the store and back into daylight.

However, he’s quickly met with a panicking Schneep and Chase who are on him in a second.

“Jackie! Oh god- oh shit this is bad!” Chase whimpers.

“What? What happened? What’s wrong??”

Schneep meets Jackie’s eyes, his own filled with fear.

“...Anti has disappeared. And he took Jameson with him.”

“...son of a bitch-?!”

46 notes · View notes