[ The growing resonance doesn't hurt Alan; he's trying to reach for it, to embrace it, to let it wash over him. But the Dark Presence is another story. Polaris is hurting it, and it wants the sound to go away. The sound is intruding into its domain, and it's nothing more than an outsider. It doesn't belong here. ]
GO AWAY.
[ The words sound loud and harsh, tearing themselves out of Alan, but it's nothing compared to what happens next. The primal roar turns into screams, ripping themselves from the trapped writer who just wants all of this to stop. The sound is painful to the Dark Presence, and it's expressing that in the only way it can: by forcing its host to scream and struggle as if trying to get away from Polaris and that terrible sound. But there's nowhere to go, nowhere to run and hide from the sound.
Hiding beneath the desk wouldn't stop the sound. Not that Alan would let such a thing happen anyway. In his own way, he's trying to resist; trying to stop the Dark Presence from fleeing and hiding. As always, Jesse's touch helps. He can feel it, even though the Dark Presence has ways of drowning out all senses: sight, sound, feeling... It wants to drown out Alan entirely so that nothing remains of him, just the darkness inside, making him malleable, usable for whatever the dark entity wants.
It uses Alan again to betray its frustration and annoyance with the stubborn man who refuses to just give up and be its vessel. Alan's teeth grind together and his hands tighten against the flashlight, and for a second, it looks as though he could lift said flashlight and hurl it against the nearest wall. ]
Get rid of it. Evil. Cursed. Trouble.
[ It's forcing Alan to speak again, betraying its reaction to the sudden, unwanted incursion of light. Darkness can't spread when light is present; or at least, it slows down the pace, and that's the last thing that it wants.
The power originating from Jesse and Polaris and traveling from her hands to Alan's and into the flashlight angers the darkness more, and that anger shows itself in the lines of tension in Alan's form. He's still resolutely holding onto the flashlight, but he's beginning to hunch over as veins start to pop out in his neck. His shoulders start to shake, and although that look of sheer rage is still present, Alan manages to briefly break through the darkness and the shadows in his eyes lighten just a fraction.
I'm still here. I'm still in here, trying to get out. It's not going to-
But as before, the darkness covers him up again, cutting off his attempts at speaking. Thinking. Being himself. His eyes lock onto Jesse, and that look of hatred is clear in them once more. ]
You think that you make a difference here? You don't. You mean nothing. This light means nothing. The darkness means everything. You're only delaying the inevitable. Darkness will cover everything. All realities. All worlds. You will lose.
[ But the power is still alive and resonating, growing stronger, and something seems to shift. The Dark Presence keeps forcing Alan to speak, but something seems to be happening. ]
Darkness will cover everything. All realities, all worlds. You will lose. You will lose. You think you make a difference here? You don't, you-
[ Abruptly, the flow of words that are beginning to loop around stops. Something's stopped them. Alan's mouth opens again, and just one word comes out. ]
Stop.
[ Fingers curl more against the flashlight, the grip Alan has on it tightening even more. ]
You can't drown me out forever. [ More shadows seem to fade from Alan's eyes, the shades of black fading back into gray.
But something strange seems to happen then, something that Alan knows can only be explained and attributed to Polaris. The sound made brighter. The light made louder. The flashlight beam brightens, its light growing stronger. Louder. Brighter. All of it all at once. It's brief, only lasting for a second, but a reflection of the light shines through the windows of the room. For just a second, the darkness in the room is countered by the light.
The reflection of the light's beam seems to shine onto Alan, illuminating him against the darkness. The darkness doesn't like it, but the balance of power has shifted. Temporarily? Permanently? Who knows. But there has been a shift nonetheless.
Another roar sounds, just as primal as the last, but not nearly as loud. And then nothing but silence follows, stretching out for what must feel like hours. Alan doesn't move, doesn't say anything, but that feeling of a shift remains, just as the beam of light illuminating him stays where it is. ]
no subject
GO AWAY.
[ The words sound loud and harsh, tearing themselves out of Alan, but it's nothing compared to what happens next. The primal roar turns into screams, ripping themselves from the trapped writer who just wants all of this to stop. The sound is painful to the Dark Presence, and it's expressing that in the only way it can: by forcing its host to scream and struggle as if trying to get away from Polaris and that terrible sound. But there's nowhere to go, nowhere to run and hide from the sound.
Hiding beneath the desk wouldn't stop the sound. Not that Alan would let such a thing happen anyway. In his own way, he's trying to resist; trying to stop the Dark Presence from fleeing and hiding. As always, Jesse's touch helps. He can feel it, even though the Dark Presence has ways of drowning out all senses: sight, sound, feeling... It wants to drown out Alan entirely so that nothing remains of him, just the darkness inside, making him malleable, usable for whatever the dark entity wants.
It uses Alan again to betray its frustration and annoyance with the stubborn man who refuses to just give up and be its vessel. Alan's teeth grind together and his hands tighten against the flashlight, and for a second, it looks as though he could lift said flashlight and hurl it against the nearest wall. ]
Get rid of it. Evil. Cursed. Trouble.
[ It's forcing Alan to speak again, betraying its reaction to the sudden, unwanted incursion of light. Darkness can't spread when light is present; or at least, it slows down the pace, and that's the last thing that it wants.
The power originating from Jesse and Polaris and traveling from her hands to Alan's and into the flashlight angers the darkness more, and that anger shows itself in the lines of tension in Alan's form. He's still resolutely holding onto the flashlight, but he's beginning to hunch over as veins start to pop out in his neck. His shoulders start to shake, and although that look of sheer rage is still present, Alan manages to briefly break through the darkness and the shadows in his eyes lighten just a fraction.
I'm still here. I'm still in here, trying to get out. It's not going to-
But as before, the darkness covers him up again, cutting off his attempts at speaking. Thinking. Being himself. His eyes lock onto Jesse, and that look of hatred is clear in them once more. ]
You think that you make a difference here? You don't. You mean nothing. This light means nothing. The darkness means everything. You're only delaying the inevitable. Darkness will cover everything. All realities. All worlds. You will lose.
[ But the power is still alive and resonating, growing stronger, and something seems to shift. The Dark Presence keeps forcing Alan to speak, but something seems to be happening. ]
Darkness will cover everything. All realities, all worlds. You will lose. You will lose. You think you make a difference here? You don't, you-
[ Abruptly, the flow of words that are beginning to loop around stops. Something's stopped them. Alan's mouth opens again, and just one word comes out. ]
Stop.
[ Fingers curl more against the flashlight, the grip Alan has on it tightening even more. ]
You can't drown me out forever. [ More shadows seem to fade from Alan's eyes, the shades of black fading back into gray.
But something strange seems to happen then, something that Alan knows can only be explained and attributed to Polaris. The sound made brighter. The light made louder. The flashlight beam brightens, its light growing stronger. Louder. Brighter. All of it all at once. It's brief, only lasting for a second, but a reflection of the light shines through the windows of the room. For just a second, the darkness in the room is countered by the light.
The reflection of the light's beam seems to shine onto Alan, illuminating him against the darkness. The darkness doesn't like it, but the balance of power has shifted. Temporarily? Permanently? Who knows. But there has been a shift nonetheless.
Another roar sounds, just as primal as the last, but not nearly as loud. And then nothing but silence follows, stretching out for what must feel like hours. Alan doesn't move, doesn't say anything, but that feeling of a shift remains, just as the beam of light illuminating him stays where it is. ]