The Threads That Bind Us: An AntiSepticEye Origin Story

Chapter Two

"I'm serious, Robin - I don't even remember a moment from this video," Jack said, gripping his phone.

"I believe you, it's not that," Robin said through the speaker. "I'm just saying you've been doing this for nearly five years and you've been really busy lately. Forgetting the details of a recording is bound to happen."

"But this was the Halloween video – it was different than the rest. And what the fuck went down at the end of it?"

"We talked about this weeks ago, Sean. That was all your idea for Halloween. You know, to make it "spooky"? To get a reaction fro-"

"But I don't remember any of that," Jack persisted.

Robin sighed, "I don't know what else to tell you, man."

"Look, I'm not trying to grill you on this," Jack conceded. "It's just freaking me out... this entire month has made me question things and it keeps getting worse."

"...Have you thought about taking a break then?"

"What?" Jack questioned, almost as if it was an insult. "No - I've never taken a break from the channel. I've never had to. I'm fine, it's just... Just, look at the past videos!"

Robin paused – Jack could sense the eye-roll from the other end of the line.

"Ok," Robin continued. "What about them?"

"Why are there so many glitches and weird shit?"

"Some of these videos have been uploaded for weeks now. Have you not been looking over them?"

"Like you said, I've been really busy. I've trusted you would take care of all that."

"Well, it was all part of the plan. You sent over the recordings, I edited them like I always do, and I added the glitches."

"You added all the glitches?" Jack questioned.

"I-I mean," Robin stumbled. "Yea, I think so. See – now you have me questioning it too!"

"No, don't question it," Jack replied with a calmer tone. "I trust you. It's probably my mistake."

Silence hung over the room as Jack stared at the list of videos on his channel. He shook his head.

"Just," he continued, still somewhat disturbed. "Could you remind me why we recorded this video called 'Soon'?"

"Jack," Robin replied quickly. "I'm sorry, but I gotta go."

"Ok well – thanks anyway," Jack said, hanging up.

He let out a frustrated sigh, before replaying the "Soon" video for the fifth time – hoping he would notice something new that would jog his memory. There wasn't much to the video anyway, besides the weird audio: children laughing, static, and the tune of an old music box. It seemed familiar, but not in the way he hoped. He didn't remember it from his recent work, but somewhere farther back in his past – he couldn't quite distinguish.

Siting back in his chair with his arms crossed, Jack stared at the black screen. He couldn't believe how many videos connected to this anomaly.

If he was unaware of all these videos, then what else was he missing?

The farther back he looked, the more he found. There were even more made-up characters he didn't recognize – a magician named Marvin, an off-brand superhero called Jackieboyman. Then there was this doctor... Schneepl- what? The name sounded like the embodiment of a sneeze.

More fans had been talking about this than he realized, but this new devious persona – A̸n̴t̷i̷, as they called him – had ignited the community. Jack scrolled through complements and "thank you's" from fans, yet they didn't realize he was learning about this too. For these videos, he was a viewer along with them, trying to piece together a puzzle that seemed beyond his understanding.

But what was the point of all this? The glitches, the egos, everything that he knew wasn't his own doing...

Hecould only come to one conclusion: this was a message – a message craftedspecifically for him. Yet his reasoning could only progress so far before it began to question itself. So much of this situation held a supernatural aura. He scoffed at the idea at first – it's foolishness – but he couldn't conjure a more rational explanation. His stomach sank at the mere thought: to be against an unknown force.

Jack looked back at his phone once more. So many fans were talking about this one video – this one creep. He wanted to quiet all the theories and chatter, but there was no way to dismiss it. 

As he continued to view countless threads, posts, and videos referencing all the details he missed, he reached a conclusion. If he couldn't dismiss Anti, he needed to embrace him. He needed to relish this event as if it was his plan all along.

Jack leaned over to set up his camera once again. The second video of the day was already lined up, but he figured it could be shifted back. A quick vlog was needed – something to smooth everything over and reset the tone of the channel going forward.

He already had the explanation and talking points in his head. With so much reaction and enthusiasm from the community – he could easily call this character their creation. He was just playing along, right? Crafting a fun, spooky event for the Halloween season – that's it. And if this character was specifically designed for Halloween, then he could leave all the glitches, eerie grins, and bloodied knifes there in the past.

He took a deep breath as he gazed into the lens of the camera. His conscience tugged at him. Making up fake commentary, explanations, and sentiments for the community didn't feel right. 

He had never lied to them before, not like this. But what else could he do? 

Jack needed this vlog to buy him more time so he could figure out what was actually going on. He pushed back his apprehension and pressed the record button, hoping they wouldn't see the uncertainty behind his feigned smile. 

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