Animator vs Animation: The Dark Web

Chapter 2: The City

 As the friends dropped down the glowing white tunnel, Red tugged on The Second Coming's hand. The hollowhead glanced up, seeing Red slightly upset.

Red tilted his head toward The Chosen One—why did he want their help for the virus? Couldn't he just get rid of it on his own, like he did with the Virabot years ago? The rest of the friends agreed, all of them sharing the same doubt. The Second Coming looked at the stick figure ahead of them and slowly shrugged, too hesitant. Even he, the closest to The Chosen One, was left without answers.

But for now, they were trailing behind The Chosen One, who started to drop faster like the world depended on it. The Chosen One never asked for help, always did everything on his own. So then—why did he need them?

The tunnel around them flickered with soft pulses of red, a haunting memory of what they had just escaped. The creeping glitches still clung on the edge of their thoughts, Yellow's especially.

Yellow couldn't shake off the feeling. He looked at his dulled hand clasping Blue's, the one glitched by the note. It reminded him of that moment, one both powerful and painful. It felt like a lightning strike that went through his entire body... He didn't want to feel it again.

Yellow could still remember the feeling of when his vision jittered, a wave of immense anxiety clawing through his chest. Yellow wasn't used to feeling afraid. He wasn't used to this. How could a corrupted note that he barely touched the surface of make him feel like a ticking time bomb of distress?

Before he could think further, Blue squeezed his hand softly, wondering if he was okay. Yellow glanced back and forced himself to nod with reassurance. But the truth was, his mind couldn't stop spinning. He didn't want to worry Blue, or any of his friends for that matter, about his well-being. What mattered more right now, was theirs.

Then just before them, the friends finally reached the end of the tunnel, and the blinding light swallowed them.

As soon as they surfaced to the Outernet, The Chosen One caught The Second Coming into his arms. Then fell the Color Gang, who The Second Coming then caught Green instinctively by the hand. One by one as they got grabbed, the others scrambled to save one another from falling into the dark water below them, holding onto each other by the leg like a string. As they steadied themselves, The Chosen One slowly hovered towards the cliffside.

The friends watched the world to see what was wrong. But the world beyond them took their breath away.

The landscape stretched before them, twisted and broken in ways that made their stomachs churn. The trees, once tall and serene, were now warped, with branches glitching into shapes that were impossible. And the sky's horizon, once a calm light blue, was bleeding into an ominous red.

The Color Gang thought the Outernet as a beautiful place—a world new to them and they yet to explore. But now, it was as if reality itself was decaying, caused by the exact glitch that frightened them back in their home. All of them couldn't help but think, would they too start to break?

As The Chosen One finally reached the cliff, he dropped The Second Coming mid-air, piling up the friends onto the ground. They untangled themselves and looked around; they were at the spot where The Chosen One and The Dark Lord once fought. The scar on the land caused by The Second Coming's laser, the broken shed The Dark Lord stood in to control the portals, it still stayed the same.

The rest of the friends gathered around, prattling about the glitches and how they could deal with it, except for Blue. He watched The Chosen One distancing himself, watching the red horizon as it crept up the sky. Tentatively, Blue tapped on The Chosen One's shoulder, asking him the question that Red had to begin with; why did he want them here? Couldn't he just get rid of the glitch on his own?