#blueheartedinfo

Damien Brooks (Original W.KM era Damien)

General W.KM era shenanigans. Let him have friends to goof around with when times are good. That's not restricted to canon characters or district attorneys!

University era, especially toward the end where he realises that his family is corrupt.

(Leading from the above, an AU where he's encouraged to going on the run in that tiny sweet spot between graduation and his parents coming to collect him.)

The D.AMIEN era. I've nothing more to add here. Please and thank you. This could even be a chance for modern characters to meet him if they have a way to do so.

Let him babysit. Despite his rotten upbringing he's got AMAZING parental instincts.

Ships: Both Damiens are hopeless romantics, but the original version is more open-minded to it, so long as the partner is willing to accept they would need to be a 'secret' due to Damien's controlling family. Trust is vital to him, as he wants a partner he can be completely himself with. In terms of c.anon characters, D.illiam, M.armien. HOWEVER. I'm not actively looking for these. I know my chance to have either of this sailed LONG ago, and I've been baited too many times over the years with either to properly feel comfortable with anyone offering, especially if it's a character the person doesn't write at all/often.

AUs Fantasy AU. Damien is a prince, second to the throne after his sister. The kingdom is in a time of peace, so he is able to dedicate himself to his studies and his magic... Even if his parents aren't too keen on this. A what-if where W.KM doesn't happen as planned. Would it be one where Mark still wants revenge, or is Mark able to regain that grounding? Time is broken. What if someone was able to go back and meet Damien at an earlier point in his life? Whether that was someone who only knows Dante meeting the Mayor, or someone meeting Damien as a child.

Dante (Damien Brooks post-W.KM)

Helping Dante adjust to the modern world.

Friendships! Help him overcome the self-loathing.

Found family! Help him gain a new sense of belonging.

Ships: Truthfully, he's not in a position to look. The only exception would be if it was someone he was dating when he was still human... And even then he would be incredibly hesitant. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, nor does he want them to be in danger because of him. Most importantly, he doesn't feel he deserves a happy ending.

Damien Truman (Modern Day 'reincarnation'/anomaly)

Meeting characters from the W.KM era. He doesn't know any of them, but he's reminding them of a time long past.

Dogsitting. Barnum can't be left alone all the time!

Crossovers! He's barely involved with the M.arkiplier project stuff. It's so easy for him to go to certain places and meet people. He's just a guy with a fear of ghosts!

Damien being bullied into taking the position of Colony Development Lead on I.nvicible 2 when he finishes his term. He doesn't want to be there, but he doesn't have a choice.

Ship-wise, there's nothing specific. He doesn't have a d.istrict attorney friend, nor does he have any 'rebooted' versions of W.KM characters aside from his sister. The main requirement for him is simply having a connection with someone he trusts... and a lot of patience for putting up with this man who is taking his promise to "give being mayor his all" a little too seriously.

Noah Venture (Captain of Invincible 1, wiped from existence with the destruction of that timeline)

Getting to meet the crew of Invincible 2. They're people he knows, but also doesn't know at the same time.

Meeting a Captain who crystal-hops onto the Invincible 1. Noah's ship has a faulty start with the warp core, so it's the perfect chance for a Captain to land in and have a chance to recoup and plan.

Meeting Noah during his 'wanted criminal' era. He spends time with Bandit and W.ug ahead of his 'final showdown' trying to gather clues. (Reminder: Because this Captain isn't a Viewer, his story is set.)

Encounters with the two alternate versions of Noah: the 'Dark' he becomes in the bad ending who keeps encouraging the loops in order to gain more crystal shards and, by extension, more power; and a 'lost' version where he fully fuses with the crystal to become a more sagely figure who resides in the void. (Note: I don't think I've fully explained it here, but I can provide information at a later time)

Ships: This poor man is far too stressed out for ships in the majority of his tale. The best chance to get anything would be before or after everything when he actually has time to think.

-

Damien Truman - AKA Modern Damien.

This Damien is the default by rule of thumb. His default verse is “keeping the egos in check”. He is the result of the Actor attempting to rewrite the fated tale in a modern time, only for it to fail and for the twins to actually live normal lives.

However! Damien should not exist. He’s an anomaly as he should not be alive when the Damien from WKM era still exists (in the same way that there isn’t a William as Wilford is right there). This also means that he can interact with other Darks with no negative consequences (usually), and his untapped seer powers can draw attention of others who may not be human.

Whether his friend Mark is the Actor or an unrelated individual is entirely up to the other party, but Damien will always start by defending his friend if Mark is being accused of something because he doesn’t know the full story. He’s still a pawn, after all, even if he lives a fulfilling life with no destined dreaded poker night.

-

Damien Brooks / Dante - AKA WKM Damien

It’s hard to tell at a glance, but the icons I use for WKM!Damien have a vintage, sepia filter on them. They will be ‘softer’ in appearance than normal ones. 

Damien Brooks is the Mayor of the WKM era, and his primary verse is “a day in the life”. He will be the one I default to if I write with someone with a WKM era/1920s muse (unless they have a specific modern verse). He’s the poor soul that is brought to the manor, gets possessed, develops trauma between that and being stuck in a loop with no memories, and briefly loses his mind to an entity that keeps him “in character” until he eventually snaps out of it. He’s canon divergent because of this, and the focus is on a creature struggling with grief, guilt, and trauma while stuck in the ‘performances’ he wants no part in. In this sense, he is an ‘entity’, but he’s more akin to ‘a ghost trapped in a physical shell’. There is no ‘Celine’, no ‘evil entity’. It’s just the pieces of a broken man held together with energy from within the Void.

‘Dante’ is his middle name, and he takes that on to show he’s more than the ‘role’ that was assigned to him without his choice, yet also not worthy of taking the name of the man he used to be. His version of Date is different, in that he is shot in the face after trying to rescue the date (he didn’t know them) and earns his distinct crack-like scar across the left cheek; while Heist is more similar in that he was trying a more subtle path in trying to help the viewer break out of the loop without running the risk of him getting trapped all over again.

-

-

Damien Truman’s life had humble beginnings. His parents were barely married six months when they discovered their family was starting a lot quicker than expected. They were excited for one child, but utterly surprised to discover they were expecting twins. Whatever fear they had was quickly replaced with joy when a healthy girl and boy were born. Named Celine and Damien respectively, their lives began on the busy, but slow-paced farm their grandparents owned. For anyone, it would be the ideal setting to grow up in.

The twins were very close, despite how different they were in personality. Celine was loud, outgoing, and rebellious; Damien was introverted, shy, and keen to avoid trouble. Celine was able to give her younger brother the confidence to speak out, while Damien helped hold her back from being too reckless. Together, they navigated the world of the farm as a world to play in. The two children could explore the fields, the barns, the worn dirt paths; and help the adults with smaller jobs like feeding the hens. They could play hide-and-seek in the woods and look for squirrels or birds. But beyond the farm, Celine had friends. Some of the neighbours had young girls that were firmly in their ‘no boys allowed’ phase. Damien might have had classmates, but he wasn’t close enough with any of them to feel comfortable hanging out with them outside school. The adults quickly discovered that Damien was incredibly shy without his sister for moral support. He would spend his free time reading in the field the cattle frequented, under a large oak tree. If any of the farm hands try to engage in conversation, they found it hard to get the boy talking properly. If he continued like this, he would never find his own voice by himself. His grandfather decided to do something about this to help Damien work through his shyness. He took the boy under his wing and had him help with extra-special jobs that had him interacting with others: assistant ‘crop checker’, guiding cattle to or from the fields for milking, fetching tools for the farm hands, among others. At the very least, it was a start to encourage Damien to speak more.

All that good development went down the drain when the twins were nine years old.

After a lot of hardship, Damien’s parents finally got the opportunity to move to the city with new jobs waiting for them, as had always been the plan. While Celine took it all in her stride, Damien stumbled. The change was immense and he quickly became homesick for the quieter farm life. He clammed up. If it wasn’t for Celine and his class, it would have taken him years to restore his confidence. His dad also managed to persuade his boss to let Damien accompany him to the job on Saturdays. It was that stepping-stone that helped give Damien a chance to try and practice social skills in an informal setting and make the city life a little less intimidating. Over time, he came out of his shell and he revealed that upbeat side of himself.

Even so, the stress Damien went through brought about an unexpected side-effect - it unlocked his seer powers. He had the gift of sight. If he concentrated, he could see ghostly figures wandering around certain locations. Celine was fascinated by this discovery, wondering if she had her own powers and encouraging him to practice. It became second-nature for him to sit on the grass, completely oblivious to the conversation around him, as he watched ghostly birds overhead, or that he would sketch ghosts he spotted on day trips. However, all this screeched to a halt when Damien developed a fear of ghosts after a traumatising incident involving the Actor when he was twelve years old.

The years rolled by. Damien gradually became more confident in himself through various after-school activities that he was encouraged by his parents to attend. It meant that when the time came for the twins to go to university, it was second-nature for them to go to different places to chase their dreams. Damien went to study political science and humanities. It was here that he met another dear friend. Only some of their classes overlapped as they were studying different courses, but they got along very well. They each encouraged the other to do their best so they could try and help others as much as they could.

~~

Now, this all sounds rather normal, doesn’t it? With this story, it sounds like it could be about anyone. How could this relate to the tragic tale we know as ‘Who Killed Markiplier?’ at all? One thing you probably have noticed on this blog is how there is mention of a ‘second cycle’. The events of that story have already happened. Pieces of the story came together and attempted to recreate it. Fortunately for all parties involved, there were several key differences:

Mark (whether the Actor or an innocent soul with the same name) lived in another state.

William never existed as Wilford is alive and well.

Celine could exist because the previous ‘version’ of her is suspended in the Void.

But Damien? The Darkiplier in this timeline consists of a corrupted Damien who calls himself ‘Dante’. Like William, he shouldn’t exist, yet he does. This makes Damien himself the anomaly of this particular timeline.

~~

Even so, the pieces that assemble frantically try to set the story in motion, like an impatient director wanting to get to work. Mark and Celine met and began dating in university. It was a whirlwind, fairytale romance. However, between Mark’s stress with his degree and where he was in life, along with Celine wanting to progress and do more in the relationship, the two became strained until they broke apart and she hurried off with another man. This is where that intended story fell apart. Without the intensity of a marriage and an affair with a childhood friend, Mark could gradually pick up the pieces and start over, eventually moving to the city Damien lived in.

Unaware of this averted fate, Damien had a great experience in university and graduated with honours. He returned to his beloved city with plans to make positive change. Not long after that, his university friend found their way to the city. While they followed their profession, Damien worked on many volunteer and community projects, soon getting elected to the city council as a local representative at twenty-two. Celine was thriving in her own career and going up the ranks. Life was looking up, until a rather interesting wrench was thrown into the works.

Fans of Mark’s that lived in the city had noticed an up-and-coming politician and noticed some strong resemblance. Operation “#markiplierscousin” was a mission to ‘reunite’ Mark with his long-lost cousin that worked in politics. The campaign failed in officially organising a meeting, but it succeeded in helping Mark and Damien have a reason to talk when they cross paths at a local function. They were strangers, yet it felt as though they were old friends catching up, and it was no surprise that they met up regularly to hang out when they had quiet time. Before long, Damien was helping Mark and his team with behind-the-scenes jobs during big events or fundraisers. For Damien, it felt nice to be able to relax and have fun with a group of friends. He could let his guard down and have fun.

~~

At twenty-six, he had decided to run for Mayor since he felt the current one was not holding his promises to the people. It was a tough campaign, filled with attempts to smear Damien’s name and destroy his reputation, but he struggled through and became one of the youngest mayors in the city’s history. Mark’s home became the headquarters of celebrations for two full days, and while Damien can’t remember much of those days, he knows it was the perfect way to commemorate a monumental victory.

Two years have come and gone since he was elected, and Damien wouldn’t change it for the world. It has been every bit as hectic and stressful as he expected, but he is determined to prove that he was the right choice for the city. In his time in office, Damien has learned some important lessons - one of which being the undeniable fact that there is more going on in this world than meets the eye. Despite his fear of ghosts, he recognises that not everyone he meets may be human. They could have a curse or some sort of trouble chaining them down. In many cases these individuals are drawn to him, and in turn he finds himself compelled to reach out and offer some support. He knows there is a mysterious ‘shadow’ that calls himself Dante who needs help, but is impossible to locate.

It is matters like these that ensure Damien puts himself last while on his quest to help those he meets and the city he loves. He forgets he is only one man who should have limits and a life, but he is getting there. Between the friends he has made and his pet corgi Barnum, he is learning how to live life for himself.

-

While Damien Truman had humble beginnings, Dante was the polar opposite.

Born ‘Damien Brooks’, he was the younger child of the established Brooks - a posh, upper-class family that resided in an elegant mansion with servants waiting on hand and foot. Even though Damien was the youngest in the family, he was raised as the heir. His twin sister Celine might have been ten minutes older, but she was a girl and thus was not seen as ‘valuable’ in their parents’ eyes. Ironically, it would mean that out of the two children, Celine would be the one that had a better shot of childhood. For Damien, his childhood was utterly miserable. From a young age, he was raised with the sole purpose of continuing the family legacy. He was to study law and join the very successful family firm, and that was that. All his education and extracurricular activities all went back to this goal set out for Damien by his parents. The only exception was learning to dance. His parents approved it because it was good for Damien to be able to hold himself well at a social gathering, but it was a chance for the twins to have fun and become rather talented at dancing together.

Speaking of Celine, she was his only friend for the first seven years of his life. They spent a lot of time together, even accidentally developing a basic understanding of their respective seer skills together until they were forced to stop. He attended classes, but he was not allowed to become friends with anyone in his class. After all, it would interfere with all the other things Damien’s parents wanted him to do. It meant that when he was brought along with Celine to a party in another elegant home where there was another child his age, Damien was at a loss on what to do. He was a child moulded to live in the adult world - he had no idea how to be a child, unlike his sister. The other boy - Mark - thought this was rather peculiar and dragged the twins outside. There, he could introduce them to his friend William, the youngest son of the house’s handyman. When Mark explained the problem, young William was aghast and made it his mission to help Mark teach Damien how to play tag. A simple game with easy to remember rules. At first, Damien was hesitant. Running around could mean he could trip, or dirty his clothes. Stained clothes could give a bad first impression if his parents wanted to introduce him to anyone. However, Mark scoffed and insisted that if anything happened, Damien could borrow some of his clothes and no one would know. With further coaxing, and a little encouragement from Celine, Damien relaxed enough to give it a try.

That night was his earliest happy memory.

The party went well, and the two sets of parents began meeting up more frequently. In turn, this allowed the children to spend more time together. The twins’ parents did not approve of their children being friends with a handyman’s son. They were in no position to stop Celine and Damien being William’s friend, but they could frequently say it to Damien; as though they could guilt him into cutting ties with the ‘lower-class’. Thankfully, the happier memories of playing games with his new friends overruled that guilt, and he never distanced himself from his friends. 

However, it taught Damien two important lessons - never tell his parents about friends he makes and what they might get up to; and make as few friends as possible so he wouldn’t be shamed into letting them go. As Damien grew up, he realised that everything he did was being judged by his parents in terms of how ‘useful’ it was to achieve Damien’s ‘goal’ of being a successful lawyer. He was the youngest of two children, but the only boy. That meant the reputation of the family was firmly planted on his shoulders. He had to make them proud, simply because he had no choice and that it was for some sort of ‘greater good’. One time, he had the books he read for leisure confiscated because he didn’t get a high enough result in exams that he was too unwell to do. But he could see Celine, and how she was only able to do a certain amount in the world due to being a girl; something that seemed to make her less ‘important’ in her parents’ eyes beyond finding a suitable husband. No matter how smart she was, her impact would be lesser because of that simple fact. Yet, somehow, it gave her more freedom in the family, and he was jealous of that.

Toward the end of high-school, he acted out in the only way he could think of. His parents wanted him to attend the local university - that way he could attend the lectures as required and study at home. Instead, Damien did his research with help from staff in school. He was able to find another university that had a famous legal department and an excellent reputation… But it was in another state. Damien insisted that being in a new place would be the best way to learn new, more relevant topics that could come in handy. The parents were not happy, but they allowed it.

--

University… The place where Dante embraced the motto “Life is Ours To Choose”. For the first time in his life, he could breathe. He attended his classes and worked hard, but he could choose what he wanted to wear, what he wanted to eat, what he wanted to do when not studying. He could join clubs because they were fun and not because they were relevant to his occupation. He could make friends with whoever he wanted as well, including a bright-eyed, witty young person that became one of his best friends. They helped him loosen up and have fun. Together, they attended class parties and fought terrible sickness the next day when drinks were mixed in ways they shouldn’t be.

But most importantly, they helped Damien realise how trapped he had been. A simple conversation was like opening Pandora’s Box:

“When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?”

“A lawyer.”

“Yeah, but aside from that. When I was a kid I used to pretend I was a lamplighter, and then a teacher.”

No response.

“Damien? Did you never get to do that?”

“I was never allowed.”

Damien’s first two years in university became a journey of self-discovery. Who was he? What did he want to do in life beyond what he was told to do? Fortune favoured him, for he did have genuine interest in law. But he also found he had time to figure out his hobbies. Reading was as great an escape as ever, and he finally had time to enjoy playing the violin - one of the instruments his parents insisted he learn to improve his concentration, but the only one he truly adored. He was introduced to the simple pleasure of going on a walk for no reason other than to aimlessly wander and appreciate the views. He joined an unofficial debate club that unintentionally helped him with casual social skills. He got to visit Chicago for a week to attend lectures and had his pocket watch stolen by a man who looked a little younger than him. Sure, he never saw the watch again, but that was an exciting story!

It was even a chance for him to learn how to grow close to people - another thing strongly discouraged by his parents. It was only after meeting the family of another university friend did Damien realise that his parents were in a loveless marriage and viewed everything as business steps rather than seeing the bigger picture of a loving family. He was still struggling with being physically affectionate (and often froze when friends in university hugged him), but he was getting there. He was going to be better than his parents, in that regard. If he ever had a family of his own (no matter how that might look), he would be the best father he could be.

Even with the war going on, the years in university helped Damien find himself. Toward the end of his course, he realised that he didn’t want to go home. He’d had a taste of freedom, and he didn’t want to let that go. He knew that when he returned home, he would be forced back into that tiny hole his parents had carved for him whether he liked it or not. One of his tutors noticed his uncertainty and tried to help him look for work anywhere else. 

In the conversation, Damien discovered something that chilled him to the bone - that his father’s firm had connections with criminals in his home state, according to rumours. The reason they were so well-off was likely more because of that rather than honest work. It only led to his final months being filled with anxiety. He frequently wrote to Celine, admitting that he didn’t want to go home, but he was too scared to simply disappear and start again somewhere else. If the rumours were true, he was afraid he would be so easy to find. And if he was found…? He couldn’t bear to think of the consequences.

To those that knew him well, there was no denying that even with the war, Damien was the happiest with himself he had ever been. The university years were the best years of his life.

--

When the time came, Damien graduated his politics and law degree with top honours and begrudgingly returned to his city. Mark and Celine had a fairytale romance as teenagers and were married by 22 (when everyone was home safe and a proper celebration could happen). William survived the war - now insisting he should be called ‘Colonel’ - and was adjusting back to partial civilian life. As expected, Damien was pulled into the family business and set to work. It was a slight weight off his shoulders when he realised his clients were ordinary people with no connections to the criminal underworld. Some who might have worked with his father quietly admitted to him that they were relieved the son was nothing like the father, and it spurred Damien on to keep doing what he thought was right.

Even when faced with a police investigation that gave him a criminal record because of the law firm, he worked to do what was right. It took Damien two years to fight and get his name cleared and prove that while he was working in the firm, he had no connection to anything potentially dangerous, no idea what anyone meant, and evidence that he had barely been there a year.

(Of course, his father got off scot-free without as much as a question from the police and presumably-feigned surprise when Damien somehow got the blame, but Damien could never get proof.)

The young man would have crumbled, only for two groups: members of the upper class who believed Damien was being truthful, and the ‘gang’. Mark, Celine, and William stood by him as he worked to rebuild any form of reputation free from his family’s reputation. Mark, whose acting career had taken off, was able to help Damien pay for extra legal aid to clear his name. In return, Damien became legal advisor to Mark and his family, an act which helped him show that he was better than what the papers had said of him.

Of course, it wasn’t long before him mentioning his interest in politics reached the family. Before he knew where he was, he was being encouraged by his parents to run for Mayor far sooner than he would have wanted to. He did, but he was quick to remind his parents that he wasn’t doing it for the family name, nor would any potential victory mean that there would be ‘easy access’ to anything.

Damien, much like the man who would share his first name a century later, won a difficult election just shy of his 25th birthday. His criminal record, though still in the midst of a battle to have it corrected, was a constant sore spot. Part of his early years included a stint in hospital from gang members that wanted to make sure Damien kept quiet about their actions, and a curious case of him being sedated in hospital and being mayor in a town of monsters for what felt like several months. Despite this, Damien dedicated himself to fighting for truth; and this was how he would face his time in office. With corruption all around him, anyone could try and weasel their way to better things through him. He stood firm to his resolve and - for once - would not let himself be used by anyone. Life was starting to find peace despite the strained relationship with his parents. There was even word of his best friend from university planning on moving to Damien’s city if they could. He would finally be his own person, free from the whims of others.

However, two years later, he found himself becoming host to Celine more and more. Her marriage with Mark was not as perfect as either had hoped, their differing views on many matters tearing them apart. Not only that, she insisted she felt terrible when alone in the house and couldn’t understand why. Damien knew something else was wrong, but he could never get the information out of her.

She would use his home as a base and leave on day trips. Damien was under the impression that she was trying to find a new sense of purpose beyond the marriage and to try and set it right. He only found out about her affair with William at the same time the city did - in the headline of the city papers. He was furious, and the pair had a vicious argument that day. Celine, angry that Damien couldn’t understand why she wanted an ‘out’. Damien, appalled that she would not only betray Mark’s trust, but would act as indecently as their own parents in their later years after she swore she had married for love. Both were too angry to try and find the compromise, and Damien only realised this when she left the city with no way to contact her.

He spent a week trying to talk to Mark, but he was never home, or he was unavailable. When he finally was allowed in, he did everything he could to lift his friend’s spirits, even offering a spare room in his home to help give him a chance to start over. It didn’t work. Damien didn’t see him after that, but it made him belatedly realise how Mark had grown quieter over the years. He’d never fully learn what happened, he realised.

It took him longer to try and reach out to the Colonel, and their friendship never fully recovered despite it all. It would take less for them to argue than it used to, and it all stemmed from them never having a proper chance to talk about what happened. Their interactions were few and far between.

At the very least, he had his friend working in a law firm in the city. It was better than being completely alone.

~

If interacting with Dante before he became “Dark”, it would be at this point.

~

Admittedly, the best summary for this next section is to watch Who Killed Markiplier. Since the POV is a different character, The summary might not be as concise as needed.

Nearly two years passed. With his childhood friends scattered in the wind, Damien focused more on his work and spending time with his university friend. To his delight, they won the position of District Attorney, but both were too busy to celebrate on the day. A week after that, an invitation appeared at his office from Mark out of the blue. It was for a poker night due to take place that weekend in his home. This was the first time he had heard from Mark, and he quickly responded to confirm he was going. Damien was actually supposed to attend a social gathering with the councillors, but he decided this was more important. He had promised himself that the moment he could interact with Mark, he would drop everything to try and give support. 

Seeing the Colonel arrive with the District Attorney was confirmation that this might be the start of something better. Mark himself was the best he had been in months, making an effort to talk to the small group gathered for the party, and seeming to have a good time at the poker table. The drinks were filled and refilled, and soon everyone was roaring drunk. Damien remembered his poor friend being punched in the jaw by the Detective, and helping them back to their room about 1.30am. After that, he passed out in the room given to him.

How was he to know something terrible had happened that night?

Mark was found dead hours later, and the Detective that Damien couldn’t shake suspicion of (along with the unfortunate District Attorney) began investigating the murder like it was a game of some sort. Damien tried to talk to the Colonel about it, but it only resulted in Damien losing his temper and storming out. It was like everyone was in a play - no one was taking this seriously at all! He couldn’t help but feel lost and confused, and spent most of the morning by himself, attempting to process what had happened and ultimately realising all the things his friend would never do. Grief weighed him down, rendering him unable to give any proper contribution to the “investigation”.

Attempts to find the Colonel to apologise failed, and by the time he and the Attorney found him, the Colonel and the Detective were at gunpoint with one another, locked in a heavy argument that was mere seconds away from disaster. Then, before either could pull the trigger, Celine stormed in. Without giving an opportunity to explain anything, she took control of the situation and pulled the trademark ‘Brooks Manipulation’ (as Damien called it) to coerce the Attorney into helping her with a seance. Damien tried to get her to reconsider - she knew the family history with the occult and the dangers involved - but it was to no avail. So instead, he wished for their safety.

It wasn’t long after the first session was interrupted that Damien was overcome with a strong need to know the truth. Despite his own stance on the occult, he offered his help. If Celine had managed to get good results with someone who had no known association with the occult, imagine what answers they might find if she has a clairvoyant, no matter how untrained he might be.

For the first time in years, they worked as a team. She was arrogant and didn’t set up the protection rites, he was struggling against seething impatience from an unknown source. It left both of them vulnerable to an attack when there was no one around to help them. Celine’s body moved like a marionette as she roughly pushed the table at him. In an instant, he was knocked out of the chair, but unable to move as something loomed over him. A shadowed hand grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him onto his feet. It wasn’t a faceless entity. The eyes and grin were unnatural and almost cartoonish, but Damien could see who it was meant to be:

“Mark?”

Everything went black

--

He woke with a start. He was in a bed in a cold room. Something wasn’t right about the scene he was in. The more he tried to hold onto that feeling, the quicker it faded like a dream struggling to exist in the waking world. Celine knelt in front of the fire beside the bed. She mentioned something about how he ‘shouldn’t stay up so late’. There was a quiet apology as he climbed out of bed and got ready.

It was the start of the period best described as ‘The Cycle’. Damien would wake, go out to the abandoned snowy woods, chop wood, return home with it, prepare it for the fire, and sleep. It could have been mere days. It could have been months. Time didn’t matter when you felt like you were sleepwalking. He could never remember the walk to the forest. He could never remember eating, or seeing Celine sleep. None of this mattered when you were barely able to recognise the inconsistencies. A small, pink flower hidden in the snow was the first truly different thing, and the first moment since he initially woke that Damien looked beyond his task of keeping the fire going. Yet every time he tried to mention something to Celine, she firmly stated her truth that Damien found himself accepting without question.

It left him unprepared for an encounter with a man after being dragged through a hole in the icy lake. Mark - or someone pretending to be him - forced Damien to remember his life in such a sharp, cruel way that it nearly gave him whiplash. His mind never had time to process the initial death or the mystery of what happened to him, and Mark goaded him with the idea of Damien playing the ‘villain’ in the grander story while Damien froze to death. Everything that happened before now was petty and had no real consequences. Celine had noticed her brother’s disappearance and quickly got rid of Mark, but it was too late. The protective barrier keeping Damien safe was shattered. Only he could leave, since she was too exhausted to carry on.

He stepped out of the ruined cabin, reached out, and threw some poor soul into a mirror in a manor. He didn’t recognise them. The name they cried out was foreign to him. He had a task to do. The body he inhabited was not his own - he knew where that was and who to hunt for it - with two minor injuries. He couldn’t feel the pain of a broken neck or a bullet wound. He also knew his soul was tied to a broken corpse in the void, but it wasn’t worth pulling that out instead.

No longer Damien, merely a soul corrupted by the entity’s powers, he set out.

--

Years passed. Time didn’t matter. He was on a hunt for the Actor who called himself ‘Mark’, and nothing would stand in his way. He would catch wind of a scenario and follow the tracks. Those who might have information were hurt, and sometimes killed. But it was all in the view of the end justifying the means. Then, one day, everything screeched to a halt. He remembered it clearly. He was in a city in the dead of night, the full moon shining down from above. He never cared for the weather or the setting he was in, but something in him kept his eyes skyward.

Next thing he knew, he was crying as memories and emotions slowly returned to him. There was an overwhelming guilt in the atrocious deeds he committed, and the irreversible pain he caused. There was blood on his hands that he would never be able to clean away. The grief and pain from so long ago was fresh on his mind once more, only this time tainted with his own actions and behaviours. He had broken out of the role of ‘villain’ and had to suffer the consequences. It was a heavy price. Having a sense of humanity not only meant he had all his memories back, but he could feel pain - both from his own body and the one his soul was supposed to be trapped in. Phantom pains became a common occurrence in his life.

Damien’s next encounter with Mark did not go well. The Actor feigned surprise at the entity’s refusal to do what he was supposed to do. Their argument led to a confrontation that concluded with Damien being shot at. The bullet grazed across his left cheek and cheekbone, but the skin splintered and cracked across half his face like broken glass. It was a miracle it didn’t damage his eye. The pain was unbearable, but the Actor sneered that this only proved that the entity was no longer ‘Damien’, and that the entity should not dare to sully an innocent man’s name. The proof of his crimes was clear as day on his face.

Broken and distraught, the entity struggled to keep coherent thoughts over the intense pain burning his face. Something whispered in his mind to let go - all the pain would go away if he let go. But he refused. He might not be worthy of the name ‘Damien’, but he was not the creature that the world seemed to believe him to be.

Fate, at last, took pity on Damien and led him back to a world of monsters, a place where he could find solace and heal. Distant memories of dreams that had him here when he was mayor proved to be a reality. In a town dedicated to Hallowe’en, under the watchful eye of Oogie Boogie, Damien was able to find more humanity and goodness than all the previous years around humans. It was a chance to heal without the fear of looking over his shoulder and expecting the worst. He could relearn basic human social skills, and it was one of the main reasons why he never succumbed to the darkness in the way others who shared his past in other timelines might have.

It was here that he decided he would take his middle name - Dante - to regain his own sense of identity. It was a name that meant ‘enduring’, and endure he would.

--

These days, he keeps to himself, especially once he discovered someone tried to ‘recreate’ the events of a century earlier with pieces missing. He still believes he can find proper peace if he can reclaim the body that was rightfully his, though he also knows he needs to return his own shell back to the Attorney, if ever he can find them. Dante is merely a ghost trapped in a physical body, he shouldn’t be here and he wants out of the story he was forced into; but he has no idea how. Instead, he resumed his legal training and took it upon himself to keep the ‘egos’ out of further trouble.