Blackout

The man checked his watch for the third time.
It was impossible.
He closed his eyes only for the five minutes and now he was in complete darkness.
The only source of light was his flashlight that he was so happy he took on a journey.
The man was panicking more and more.
Suddenly, he heard a growl coming from the darkness behind him.
The watch fell on the ground with a lifeless hand of its owner.
The sound of flesh being torn apart accompanied it's ticking.
It showed 13 o'clock.

Blackout is an ailment or a curse that makes someone stop seeing the light, first natural, then artificial.
It's one of the main reason why anyone brave or stupid enough to travel after the Extinction came carries more than one source of light with themselves and almost never travels alone.

Transmission & Vectors

Depending on the type of spirit that can cause it, Blackout can be transmitted in various ways.
There are spirits that specialize in stalking their prey that can cause it just by looking at the prey for a long time.
For some, their bite transmits the Blackout like a poison.
There are also enormous, deity-like spirits, whose mere presence creates giant areas that afflict anyone who enters them with the condition.

Symptoms

First stage

During the first stage, the afflicted gradually stops seeing the natural light.
From the records of the affected people, it's as if the day turned into night and then as if they were placed in a completely black cellar.
At this point, any sources of artificial light are still completely visible and can light up the area around the afflicted as if they just were in a dark place.
This stage can take somewhere between a few seconds and an hour, depending on the strength of the spirit. Some spirits are weak enough to only be able to make someone suffer just from this stage.

Second stage

At this stage, even the artificial lights begin to dim and at some point completely disappear.
This stage is way slower than the first one as even the strongest spirits need at least an hour to make someone reach the next stage.

Third stage

At this stage, the afflicted person sees nothing but complete darkness.
Any prolonged staying in the area or the sight of the predator can cause real damage to one's sense of sight.

Treatment

The only way to get rid of this ailment is to get away from its source and wait it out.
In case of predators that stalk the one afflicted it can prove to be difficult as long as the predator is still alive.

Whenever someone notices that they are suffering from the Blackout, they usually try to move back the way they came as there is a possibility they just entered the area influenced by a giant spirit.
If, at that point, the condition doesn't weaken they know that they have to defend or hide themselves to break the line of sight with the spirit.
It's also a reason why people who travel outside of the areas safe from spirits often wear more than one source of light and some additional flares or glowsticks.
The period of healing varies depending on the stage of the condition that was reached.
To heal from the first stage one needs to rest for a few minutes.

Type

Supernatural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Uncommon

Affected Species

• Human

History

Before the Extinction, there were cases of Blackout whenever some spirit of darkness or predatory spirit slipped through The Curtain.
Those cases, however, were very rare and usually, someone dealt with them pretty fast.
After the Extinction, when the material and spiritual worlds merged with each other, and various spirits flooded the Earth, the Blackout became way more common, at least as there were still people alive to contract it.