Dark Tuning

Dark Tuning is triggered by a moment of psychic alignment, typically arising during periods of despair, obsession, desperation, or hubris. Environmental factors are significant, particularly in locations where metaphysical boundaries have weakened, such as ruins, disaster sites, abandoned infrastructure, and places marked by unresolved endings. In these settings, the Dark is not so much an invading force as one that is recognized by the individual. Following this recognition, separation becomes increasingly difficult, as the mind functions as an interface for the Dark’s expression.

Symptoms of Dark Tuning initially manifest subtly during the early tuning phase. Affected individuals may experience heightened perception in low light, intrusive thoughts described as pressure or weight, emotional flattening, inappropriate calm, and distortions in time perception. As the condition advances to the resonance phase, both physical and mental symptoms intensify. Shadows may distort unnaturally around the body, skin may feel cold without external cause, and whisper-like, nonverbal auditory hallucinations become common. Social withdrawal increases, secrecy becomes compulsive, and the individual demonstrates increased effectiveness in Dark-adjacent phenomena. In the late manifestation phase, physical anomalies may develop, including elongated or autonomous shadows, aversion to light, and localized spatial warping. Identity erosion, fixation on endings or thresholds, and instability of reality in the immediate vicinity are frequently observed.

The prognosis for individuals Tuned to the Dark is poor. In the earliest stage, reversal is theoretically possible with extreme intervention. During the resonance phase, only partial suppression is achievable, and in the manifestation phase, the condition is regarded as irreversible. Outcomes include psychological collapse, permanent metaphysical alteration, transformation into a stable Dark anchor, or, more rarely, complete dissolution of the individual’s physical or narrative presence. Although Dark Tuning is not invariably fatal, survival often entails significant loss of identity or autonomy.

Sequelae are frequent among survivors and include chronic dissociation, permanent reduction in emotional range, increased vulnerability to other metaphysical conditions, and persistent spatial instability in inhabited areas. Even individuals who are successfully suppressed may contaminate locations over time, resulting in zones of weakened reality or subtle Dark resonance.

From an epidemiological perspective, Dark Tuning spreads slowly and irregularly, clustering around traumatic events and areas of metaphysical instability. Outbreaks are frequently linked to urban collapse, mass displacement, failed large-scale rituals, or cultural fixations on nihilism and endings. Epidemic-level events arise when Tuned individuals congregate or are deliberately exploited, while full pandemics are rare but highly destructive.

Only sentient minds can host Dark Tuning, although some fauna and flora serve as carriers of resonance. Nocturnal animals in Dark-saturated zones may amplify the Dark without experiencing degradation, while certain fungi and lichens retain Dark resonance and are occasionally harvested for rituals at significant risk. These organisms do not suffer from the condition but contribute to its persistence and spread within the environment.