Look, I’m only at this dumb show for my best friend. Alex wouldn’t stop ranting to me about how amazingly awesome hypnosis is and how it helped her overcome anxiety or whatever. Never tried it out but I’ve seen it used enough in TV shows to know this isn’t real. Or at least not as real as Alex makes it out to be. I don’t think anyone is gonna end up with spiraling eyes walking with their arms stretched out like a zombie, if that makes sense.

I take my seat next to Alex at the front of the show. She’s an extrovert so of course she picked these seats. By the time I’m at the front row, Alex’s already sat looking like she’s about to burst in glee at any moment.

We’ve pretty much been best friends our whole lives at this point, so I can always predict what we’re gonna wear when we go out. Usually, she’s always dressed in workout clothes but puts a hoody on to make it seem more casual. Alex always has her hair braided in cornrows to keep it from distracting her. She has training in the evening for her next fight, it makes sense.

Me, I’m kind of the opposite; I just wear sweatpants and anything loose or baggy since it’s more comfy. I have a short bob cut with black hair, died green at the ends. Outside, I can sometimes look a little out of place but when I’m streaming, I swear this looks so freaking badass in the lighting. My channel’s been taking off lately, so it’s taken up all my spare time this past month. Pretty much the only time I leave my apartment these days is when I’m out with Alex or going to work.

“You made it!” Alex whispers in a squealing voice. “Thanks, Zara!”

“Still on for sushi after?” I ask.

“Fuck yeah.”

The lights around us dim until only a singular beam stretches down onto the stage. Then, a dark shape towers mightily before the audience. It’s the hypnotist. They have a slim but towering figure with a jet-black suit jacket and glowing neon lilac dress shirt underneath. We can’t see anything of the hypnotist’s face because they’re wearing a domed visor helmet. The black visor shines welcomely in the spotlight. Whoever made this costume had to be loaded.

“Welcome,” the hypnotist announces. Their voice has a strange richness to it. It sounds, warm and inviting [well, they are a hypnotist so no duhhh]. But there’s a low, digitized hum every time they speak. I honestly can’t tell if it’s a man or woman under that helmet. “How lovely to see so many darlings, tonight.”

I can’t help cringing at that.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard tales of me if you came to this show. The bliss bestowed by my words. The mind is a curious thing; in many ways it functions identically to a computer. When plunged into a pliable state, you can shift and program it endlessly. Personality, memory and even your own will can be subverted to the whims of the hypnotist.”

Huh…Interesting. But still not convinced, bud. Sorry.

“Is such a thing impossible? Perhaps once. But no longer!”

There’s a pause for a few seconds. Then the whole theater sends a booming applause for the hypnotist. That’s when the hypnotist bows and fixes their visor in my direction. Like they’re staring right at me. If they weren’t wearing that helmet, I feel like they’d have some smug grin on their face for that trick. The hypnotist snaps their fingers, and two assistants rush on stage from the shadows. Whenever they move, it’s like clockwork. Like we’re watching two robots or something. Some trippy stuff.

Both are wearing the same black visor helmet but instead of that fancy suit, their outfits are sleek, black and skintight with no designs or details. They have black soldier boots and collars tightly around their necks with glowing lilac spirals at the center of each. The assistants are standing at attention with their backs straight, feet together and arms at their sides.

“Allow me to elucidate,” says the hypnotist. “I am Nexus, and these are my drones. Helpless humans who fell to my power and surrendered themselves. Mindless. Obedient. Accepting. A fate you’ll one day be begging to share.”

I turn to Alex to see she has some giddy, excited look on her face. What the hell is she so hyped up for? This is some supervillain speech! But then I remember it’s obviously just a character performance to hype up the drama. Even still…I’ve never seen a stage hypnotist this dedicated to the bit. Can’t help but feel at least a little intrigued.

“Of course, not just anyone can be droned at once. It’s quite a long process of conditioning and suggestions. But once that process starts, there’s no stopping it.”

Okay. I know it’s just an act, but that’s still a little intimidating. They get evil villain points for the monologue. I twitch nervously in my seat. But that anxiety turns into annoyance because I can tell this dork is staring at me from behind the visor helmet and smirking like a jerk.

“Today I’ll be guiding you all on the first steps into your fate,” Nexus continues. Their voice dropping to a smoothness that slips into my head and feels warm to accept. A blast of violet light surges on the wall behind Nexus with neon swirls pulling me in. It pauses when the hypnotist snaps their fingers again, freeing me. I shake my head to wake myself up.

Okay…That was freaky.

“At my shows, I like to do things a little differently…Instead of having some naïve volunteer come up on stage, it’s much more thrilling to have the entire theater at my mercy.”

Entire theater, you say? That’s when an idea pops in my head. Whoever this Nexus is, they’re clearly popular. Which means, a lot of people are gonna be watching this show. Looking around at the theater, there’s gotta be at least a few hundred people in here. So, I fold my arms and give the most bored, unimpressed look at the hypnotist. I catch their visor glancing my way every few moments when I start doing that. Eventually, I make my move and interrupt their monologue.

“Oh come on,” I call out. Loudly. “You really think anyone is buying this crap?”

Nexus tilts their head slightly. I can tell they probably have some cocky grin on their face right now. So, I return the expression back at them.

“A skeptic, I see.” Nexus muses. “How lovely. I think, I’ve found my next volunteer. Tell me your name, dear.”

“Zara,” I say proudly. “But you can call me Three-Z. It’s the name most know me by.”

“Three-Z, is that some sort of nickname?”

“My gaming channel.”

My full name is Zara Aziz. But I don’t feel like having my real name public, so I just call myself “Three-Z” since that sounds cooler for a gaming channel.

Behind the visor helmet, I can hear a slight chuckle. They must have caught on that I’m totally using their show to promote my channel. Slimy move? Maybe, but the hypnotist doesn’t seem to mind. Plus, it might make things interesting if there’s someone here “defying” them. I’m sure they’re used to everyone just doing as they’re told. But that’s never been me.

“Tell you what,” says Nexus. “You give it a go at resisting. In front of everyone. If you can last through my entire show without getting hypnotized, I’ll subscribe to your channel.”

Folding my arms, I smirk and lean back. For some reason, I can tell Nexus has the exact same smug expression on their face. Cocky.

“And I don’t give in?” I ask.

“I think you’ll be finding yourself…eager to subscribe to my socials after this.”

“Bring it on then, lovely.”

The spirals return but this time, they’re coming from Nexus’ visor. The same neon, violet swirls pulling my gaze like a vortex. Warmth spreads up my feet and into my legs. I can feel the same sensations seeping over my body. Then, a strange yearning stirs inside of me. A lust for something only the hypnotist can provide. It feels…welcoming.

I gaze helplessly into the violet swirls as Nexus closes in on me. Their warm gaze locking me in place. Then, I grit my teeth and harden myself against the temptation. It takes every ounce of willpower for me to shut my eyes.

“You know…” Nexus soothes. “It’s quite rude not to look me in the swirls when I’m speaking to you.”

“Heh,” I chuckle. “Too bad. I’m not easily swayed, Nexus.”

“By all means, you are free to leave. But would being hypnotized truly be such a curse, darling? My spell brings no pain.”

I stiffen. Nexus’ words weave delicate webs to bind me up. As they speak, I can feel them circling me as a serpent coiling prey. Slowly, I will myself to focus. But the drowning lull of their voice is already penetrating me. Bathing my senses in their embrace.

“I’m stronger than you think,” I say trying to sound brave. “You won’t break me.”

“I won’t need to,” Nexus smoothly replies. “Your desires will betray you.”

My fingers twitch irritably. The yearning to open my eyes and gaze into the spiral is tugging at the back of my mind. That lovely…inviting…Wait a sec, NO! I gotta win this thing! Somehow…I’ll resist this stupid-

“Don’t fret,” Nexus’ voice scrambles my thoughts. “You can let go for me. Trust me when I say that you’ll be much happier when you give in.”

Trust me. That command is so easy for me to follow. Nothing they’ve said has been false so far, so why fight it? What would that truly accomplish? It’s freeing to let someone else make the tough choices. No need for stress or fears any longer.

Nexus cups their hand, holding me by the chin. As they do, lust enflames her nerves. Already, the yearning is binding my senses in a net. All I need to do is look into the spiral and all will be sated. With a shutter, I open my eyes.

“I surrender,” I whisper.

The swirls suck me into the void. Their tempting, beguiling pull that drowns me in Nexus’ words. Whenever the hypnotist speaks, it’s like the voice is coming from inside of me. As if they’re already in my head.

Very good, Nexus whispers inside my mind. Now then, we can’t have bratty gamers making trouble for their betters now, can we?

            “Of course not,” it feels as if my words are spoken by someone else. “How may I serve?”

Taking me by the waist, Nexus’ vortex crumbles the last of my walls I had built up. They pull me closely enough for the swirls to completely ensnare me. My strength is the first to go. I can feel my body going limp as the swirls drain more of me. Next, my worries and concerns are fading away. My cockiness, fear and even that little YouTube channel I run are unimportant. Obeying Nexus and accepting their whims is all that matters to me now.

Nexus loosens their grip over my waist and sweeps me into their arms. In any other case, I’d rather knee them in the face but right now [or visor?] …It just feels like I can let go and trust Nexus to take care of me. Their warm, spiraling swirls lulling me as my fears and worries disappear.

Now then…Tell me about yourself, dear.

            I smile.

*****

“Backaaaaaw!” I cry. “Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!”

I’m hopping on one leg each around the stage with my eyes wide open, flapping my arms. A roaring chorus of laughter from the audience is the first thing I hear when I wake up. Nexus’ spirals have disappeared and I can see my face turning bright red as I stare into their sleek, black visor. As I stiffen on stage, Nexus holds my hand and bows before the audience. I join them and bow with a smile that’s probably way more awkward than how I looked at the start of this show.

“Let’s give a round of applause for the lovely, Three-Z!” Nexus cheers.

After the show ends, Alex is already showing me the videos she took on her phone after I fell into trance. I won’t lie; I had no idea I was that physically fit because some of the commands Nexus had me obeying were seriously impressive.

At one point, they had me doing backflips and then cartwheeling around the stage. Next, they had me breakdancing and singing the last verse of Bohemian Rapsody while doing one armed pushups. Finally, they had me stiff as a board and standing at attention like the other ‘drones’ of theirs. Then, they flipped me upside down until my head was touching the stage and spun me around like a top. Somehow, I didn’t even feel dizzy afterwards.

Alex and I are sitting beside each other on the subway bench as she shows me the last of the videos she took. Honestly, I can’t even be mad that I lost the hypno battle. Nexus gave my channel a shout out and I’ve literally never seen another hypnotist who could do that to a subject. No idea how their spirals can be that powerful but kudos to them!

“So, sushi it is then?” Alex asks.

“Huh?” I ask. “What do you mean?”

“Jeez, they really did a number on you. Sushi remember? For lunch?”

Oh, right! Lunch! I completely forgot. Whatever face I just made must be something funny because Alex bursts out laughing and slaps me on the shoulder. The train is arriving now. Just as I’m about to enter, the yearning I felt on that stage returns. Without thinking, I pull out my phone and search up Nexus’ socials. Their YouTube, Instagram, and everything else. Then I subscribe to all of them.