SLH Test:
1) The object under consideration (as well as a subject or occurring distortion) appears anomalous even in relation to the very reality of the Backrooms.
2) The object under consideration did not originally exist in the Backrooms (i.e., it came from outside), or its environment rejects it.
3) The object under consideration displays traits uncharacteristic of the entire class of similar objects.
4) The object under consideration exerts an undefined, inexplicable influence on the surrounding environment, violating the laws of both the Frontrooms and the Backrooms.
5) The object under consideration cannot be classified as a "Level," "Entity," or "Object."
To identify the nature and existence of this distortion, we have gathered researchers, scientists, and wanderers from different corners of the Backrooms. This document is open to everyone who has ever encountered this distortion. At the same time, the Coalition of Backrooms Survivors (CBS) reserves the right to edit and use the submitted materials.
Parousia is a special type of distortion that can be described as the sensation of a strange, invisible, and undefined presence near a person. This distortion may be observed, heard, felt, and sometimes, perhaps, even inflicts physical harm. Although the existence of Parousia has not yet been proven, numerous testimonies from wanderers point to its influence. For now, it cannot be definitively stated that this distortion exists, but its complete denial would be premature.
Description:
Parousia manifests as a subjective sensation of the presence of something that objectively does not exist. This feeling is especially acute on the first ten levels of the Backrooms. At the moment, we cannot say with certainty where this sensation comes from and for what reasons it arises or disappears. In some cases, Parousia appears without obvious causes. For example, a person may think about a mysterious being hiding in the shadows. And soon begin to feel its presence. This distortion precedes psychosis, hallucinations, self-harm, and other harmful actions and states.
The distortion manifests in various forms. Some describe it as a tall figure hiding in the shadows, others as a thin humanoid monster that avoids eye contact, turning its thinnest side to the observer. However, the general feeling remains similar for everyone. All these cases are united only by the same sensation for each person: before the appearance of the distortion, the person suddenly feels unwell, experiences nausea, and vision darkens. Usually, Parousia arises spontaneously, without external stimuli.
In order to somehow convey this feeling to you, we invited Dr. Filatov, who had long studied this distortion, for an audio recording.
Record №3. From the dialogue between CBS researchers and Dr. Filatov.
… Ah, you know, guys… It’s about time you tried to describe this distortion. For that, one case from my life will do. Once, trying to get some fresh air after another binge of vodka, I went out into the corridor of our base, to level A-55. Only later did I realize that was a mistake… One should stay closer to people. It's always calmer with company, isn't it? Ahem… unfortunately, at that very moment, I began to feel unwell, and instead of returning, I, alone with myself, mentally began filling out a small test: poisoned? (seems not; in recent days there were only CBS rations), withdrawal? (unlikely; I hadn’t taken anything like that for the past week). Meanwhile, I was feeling worse and worse… Darkness began to thicken in my eyes; it was neither an eclipse nor a cloud covering the sun; it was something else. Outside the train window, it was a clear day — only I was immersed in this darkness. Trying to blame it on the pills they actively hand out here didn’t work. My nose was filled with a strange, unnatural, bitter, repulsive smell. A “spirit” of dampness and rot appeared. Only through the strange, rising nausea in my throat did I gradually begin to understand that I was clearly not alone here. Someone was breathing right down my neck. Or maybe hiding in the foliage outside the train. Perhaps they were already waiting for me behind the compartment door. At that moment, I vomited. After that, I instantly turned around. Another second and I might have broken my neck. My hands were sweating, my face flushed. And hell knows how much adrenaline rushed into my blood… I felt a strange gust of wind from somewhere outside, maybe from behind, or maybe right beyond the glass… If only I had caught sight of that creature, crouching to the ground, ready to leap and sink its teeth into my neck… its sharpened, bloody claws would have instantly shot out, dug into the train's linoleum, and its rectangular pupils would have dilated! So much so that in them I would have seen my own reflection. However, when I finally gathered the courage to die miserably, I again began to look around, trembling like a leaf, like an idiot about to wet himself. In front of me was a completely empty (or perhaps already emptied?) hallway, and the imaginary monster had already fled. It seemed to seep under the floorboards, jump off the train, and begin waiting for another moment. Looking closer at the corridor, my vision returned, and everything lit up with colors again. The cadaverous smell disappeared. My fingers still trembled—I unsuccessfully tried to stop the panic and to breathe clean air, but it was difficult. Foolishly, I began to search for the source of fear, looking out the window, under the seats, and in the compartment. Nowhere! It was nowhere… The fear vanished as if it had never been: I even managed to return to our base, at that time I still didn’t know why this had happened to me… When I told Pavel, my bunkmate in the compartment, he told me of a similar case. We decided to study this anomaly more closely, to see it through to the end. Now, I am here. I share with you, gentlemen, my reflections so that you too may understand (or perhaps even reveal) the nature of this distortion. You know… Better try to feel it yourselves. Pavlik and I found a method. I’ll give you a kind of parody of an instruction, it doesn’t always work, but… sometimes it does! Take a book with my notes, sit down to read in a quiet room, and there you will understand everything.
[End of record]
After a short hour-long delay from the researchers, employee Milov volunteered to become the subject of experiments in exchange for an additional bonus of almond water rations. Sitting in a quiet room, he read aloud a text from Filatov’s notes. After some time, he truly felt something strange, his face flushed, and he asked to be released from the isolated space. Filatov repeated this experiment with 4 more researchers, Parousia was felt by 3 out of 5 people.
Filatov’s text is given below:
In order for you to get closer to this effect, try the following: Read my text carefully, focus on it, quiet your thoughts, and let your eyes glide over the letters without leaving its boundaries. And now just think about what is at the periphery of your vision: somewhere behind your shoulder, to the right or left — there, where you usually pay the least attention, something indescribable is silently approaching you, so quietly that you begin to suspect silence itself of “betrayal,” of “concealing” this something. It is here. Right now. Do not look away. EYES ON THE PAGE! Take a deep breath. Take another deep breath. On your exhale, try to imagine what will happen to you next, how It will deprive you of your head. How many times will It pierce your heart with its fangs? Or whatever it has? Claws? Maybe even teeth? —- but that doesn’t really matter… Before this happens, you had better escape and run as far as possible… or try to shield yourself with your fragile hand. Damn, I said it wasn’t worth writing this distortion. You won’t have enough time even to scream.
Record №8. From the dialogue between CBS researchers and Dr. Filatov.
… You know, as soon as I start thinking about it, at that very moment I feel a strange taste, first on the tip of my tongue, then in my throat — it’s… metallic, bloody. And at that same moment I start to feel nauseous, really sick. In my mind immediately arises the terrible smell I felt in that corridor, on 55. I remember when I sensed it the second time… realization never comes in time. Into my nostrils again struck a wave of cold and rot. This smell sank into my throat, the feeling squeezed it with a terrible, inexplicable spasm. Finally, I (forgive me, Dr. Vasnetsova) began to vomit, my stomach turned inside out. I fouled the entire floor, splattered the walls, and the doors—everything. I kept coughing from that filth for a long time. Gradually the feeling began to fade. And then it was gone. I was left alone again. I was glad and, at the same time, confused. Just a second earlier I thought I would die miserably, and then… At that very peak everything stopped. No, just imagine! It’s exactly like on the scaffold, before the hangmen… You are ordered from above to be killed, like Dostoevsky, and then bang! Salvation appears. And you are alive, unharmed, but after such “swings”, your psyche will surely have problems! Just look at these sufferers from the old days in The Frontrooms. Wandering souls… they, you know… seek the purest drug, one that could carry them not just into nirvana, but into paradise itself… just to forget these damned Backrooms.
Personally, I had contact with the distortion only twice, but I am terribly afraid of Parousia, sooner or later it will again begin to terrorize my life. It is impossible to “prepare” for it—it plunges our mind into primal hysteria, so no matter how much you tremble, no matter how you try to delay the moment… I assure you, it won’t work. Especially not here, in the Backrooms.
And in fact, my very existence as a researcher who tells you about it — will affect your perception of this distortion. However, it seems to me personally that this feeling will sooner or later overtake everyone. In all people Parousia will awaken, in everyone who has lived in the Backrooms (and perhaps even in The Frontrooms), enough to feel something inexplicable to human understanding, something beyond existence.
[End of record]
Name:
The name of the distortion was coined by Dr. Sukhin; together with Dr. Filatov, he was the first to describe such an unusual sensation. The definition is not connected with “Parousia”1 from Christian theology. Instead, it refers to Plato’s philosophy, specifically the idea of “form” — an abstract essence manifested in concrete objects. This feeling was named so precisely because of its nature: an invisible presence, frightening in its inexplicability. In the context of the distortion, it is about the “idea of presence” of an unseen entity projected onto the perception of a particularly sensitive person; it is not possible to determine visually or behaviorally which person is “especially sensitive.” There is a hypothesis that the distortion represents an external influence directed at the human mind — either as a spontaneous distortion or as a deliberate act.
Scale:
The influence of the distortion most likely extends exclusively to living beings. It is considered complex only because we do not know whether it affects only living beings. Its influence on the material environment, if any, is minimal or not recorded by modern research methods. If the distortion excessively harms the human mind, it is quite capable of driving a person insane. In rare cases, signs of suicidal thoughts have been observed; however, it is unclear whether these consequences are caused by the distortion itself or are the result of accompanying factors of being in the Backrooms: stress, isolation, and the generally dangerous environment. This suggests that the surroundings play a role in provoking the distortion.
Influence:
At present, its effect on the human body has not been reliably studied. The influence of the distortion on the Backrooms itself is doubtful. If the hypothesis about its impact on fauna or other forms of life is confirmed, it will open new avenues of research. At this stage we have no means of contacting more or less intelligent representatives of the Backrooms fauna and therefore cannot gather more reliable information. Attempts to study its influence on other beings (including Filatov’s experiment) remain limited and often end in tragic outcomes.
Record №10. From the dialogue between CBS researchers and Dr. Filatov.
A day after the experiment with Parousia, an inexplicable tragic incident occurred. Two participants of the experiment died under strange circumstances. One died of heart rupture at night in his room. The second perished under even stranger circumstances. This case will be mentioned below in the interview with Dr. Filatov.
Dr. Ustinov: Good morning, Dr. Filatov. Are you already aware of the reason you were invited for this interview?
Dr. Filatov: And to you… Good morning. Hm… no, I am not aware, but apparently it is something urgent. It's rare that you invite us, researchers, especially so early.
Dr. Ustinov: Yes… With regret I inform you that after the experiment with Parousia, 2 people died. Savichev died of heart rupture at night, while they slept. He died peacefully. But the second…
Dr. Filatov: How did he die? When… Are you serious?! If this is really so… then maybe it’s just a coincidence, anything can happen. Is this true?
[Silence from Dr. Filatov for a minute]
Dr. Ustinov: Yes, maybe you are right… of course, you would be right if not for the second fatal case. The trainee named Kasigin died far more strangely, much stranger than the first.
Dr. Filatov: And… How did he die?
Dr. Ustinov: He strangled himself… but strangled himself strangely, without any ropes. On his body were found huge, unnatural wounds, cuts, grooves, and burns. On his neck — red marks, traces of either teeth or fangs; he was clearly helped. If you look for signs, you could suspect anything and anyone. Do you have any ideas who could have done this?
Dr. Filatov: Parousia. The distortion! It reached the poor boy, what else could it be?! Our level is patrolled. No creatures could be involved, how could he strangle himself?! If everything you said is true, then it can only be one thing.
Dr. Ustinov: I see. In fact, we also suspected the distortion. However, do you know that the ones who suffered were not those employees who clearly sensed danger after your notes, but those who understood and felt nothing at all.
Dr. Filatov: That’s… strange. I thought it should be the opposite, but here… it’s not. Are you already observing the other participants of the experiment? If not, then immediately take note of them! Maybe they are already…
Dr. Ustinov: We have them under observation, don’t worry, we already noticed the pattern.
Dr. Filatov: And take note of me as well. I think sooner or later it will manifest again. Though, who knows?! Maybe your Kasigin picked up some unknown entity or parasite… When was the last time he was on research? How many days before his death did you check him at the medical examination?
Dr. Ustinov: You see… He had already gone out long ago, and they wanted to take him for research of a new level the next day, that is, today. So he was found at night, just an hour before departure — at home, strangled and mutilated. The medical examination of the deceased Kasigin was conducted by Dr. Vasnetsova right before our experiment with the distortion. He was perfectly fine.
Dr. Filatov: Then Parousia did it… I am a fool! A fool for asking to study it! I gave… gave you… Vu… Vultures, those damned papers!
Dr. Ustinov: We cannot know your involvement for sure, however, one way or another, certain measures will be applied to you. We will tell you about them now; don’t be too afraid, nothing serious, only deeper study of your distortion. A sort of house arrest under supervision of video and audio recording devices. From other research you, Dr. Filatov, will naturally be suspended. Do you object to such punishment?
Dr. Filatov: I…
Dr. Ustinov: Of course, in case of refusal we and the research staff and the head of the department may think of another punishment. However… as an old friend I’ll tell you that you probably won’t like it…
[Silence for 10 seconds]
Dr. Ustinov: Dr. Filatov? Have you made a decision?
Dr. Filatov: Yes. Escort me to your room. Let’s take a closer look at our Parousia.
[Filatov stood up from the table, already heading to the exit when Dr. Ustinov interrupted him.]
Dr. Ustinov: Before you leave… understand me, Dr. Filatov, we have been digging into the Backrooms for decades, but we don’t know even a thousandth of what it contains. And if we talk about the influence of the Backrooms on a person… By the way, we had to introduce another group into the classification. No longer creatures or levels, but distortions — certain influences on the Backrooms itself. This group is studied disgracefully poorly, though in my opinion enough facts have accumulated. You know, doctor, I myself used to be a physicist and therefore a skeptic, but even I sometimes get chills down my spine, especially when I think about these inconceivable facts.
Dr. Filatov: I know… I know all of this. That’s why I study it!
[End of record]
Dr. Filatov asked the staff members who had sensed Parousia to try sketching the unknown entity. Below are attached drawings and reflections of the wanderers.
Intensity:
Due to the impossibility of identifying people who are susceptible to Parousia, its intensity cannot be determined. However, based on a survey conducted among CBS staff, in which 58 people participated, 68% of respondents reported experiencing this distortion in their lives before, while 32% reported its absence. Many describe their experience of interacting with the distortion differently. The average amount of time spent in the Backrooms before the appearance of Parousia also varies greatly; usually it approaches a year, and the absolute majority of those who felt it experienced it on the first levels of the Backrooms. The data indicated are not reliable as of 30.11.2024; future revisions are possible.
Nature of the distortion:
The distortion apparently existed alongside humans both in the Backrooms and on the Scene. However, it was in the Backrooms that its anomalous properties intensified. It is unknown whether this distortion exists in the minds of other intelligent beings of the Backrooms. Most likely, other intelligent life forms perceive those affected by the distortion as madmen. Due to the impossibility of determining the source of the distortion, no dialogue has been established with it. CBS researchers suggest that the distortion has no will; it arises individually, in each person, gradually. Dr. Ustinov put forward the hypothesis that Parousia is a kind of “informational parasite” that uses human thought for materialization. The reason for the frequent presence of Parousia on the first levels of the Backrooms is under study.
Research protocol of Parousia by Dr. Ustinov.
After Dr. Filatov’s consent, Dr. Ustinov ordered an experiment to be conducted. Accompanied by Ustinov, Filatov was taken to the residential unit; the living conditions in the room were the same as for any research staff member. For safety, all windows were sealed with metal bars and then covered with boards. Any contact with society was reduced to a daily morning report via radio; other communication was strictly prohibited. Cameras were placed in all rooms except the bathroom; in addition, they were equipped with night vision, and audio recording devices were hidden in various places throughout the house.
Day 1-3
Dr. Filatov behaved naturally, in his free time he read books and recorded some information, all at his desk. Nothing unusual was noticed. Over the radio he asked several times about the duration of his stay in the room; this information was not provided by the research staff. Several times he expressed dissatisfaction about the food, which was delivered daily through the gap in the door.
Day 4-6
Dr. Ustinov informed Filatov that the other subjects had tragically died under unclear circumstances. (In reality this was a lie. Ustinov decided to test his hypothesis about the psychological influence of the distortion on the human body.) Due to the false information, Filatov became more anxious. He began turning on lights throughout the room, several times requesting new lamps to illuminate dark corners. His nightly sleep was reduced to 2 hours daily. Filatov spent more time at his desk and refused food several times. During sleep he screamed. Over the radio he repeatedly reported verbatim that this was: “Torture, not an experiment.” Ustinov ignored all of Filatov’s requests. Several researchers stated that this experiment was inhumane. Most of Ustinov’s team left the study of Parousia, only 3 remained.
Day 7
Due to the report of an “inhumane experiment” from the departed researchers, the leading CBS research staff decided to terminate it. Filatov was granted a month of rest. Ustinov was demoted and issued a reprimand with the condition of expulsion from the CBS research staff upon repeated violation.
Day 8
Death of Dr. Filatov. He was found by Dr. Ustinov. The case was identical to that of staff member Kasigin, who tragically died 9 days earlier. Filatov lay lifeless in his apartment, in the bathroom. Cuts, claw marks, and burns were found all over his body. His eyes were gouged out by his fingers. Next to the corpse, on the wall, a message written in blood read: “want some cake?”. The exact cause of death is unknown. The remaining research work and papers of Dr. Filatov were seized under strict secrecy.
Additional experiments:
Research on Parousia continues for the possibility of CBS using this distortion. For the safety of certain important individuals of the organization, it is transferred to a separate special group, which was given the name “Lantern Bearers.”
Further information about the distortion is not subject to disclosure.
Conclusion:
- It is impossible to completely exclude the influence of the distortion on the reality of the Backrooms. CBS scientists have put forward some recommendations to minimize the chance of Parousia appearing, listed below:
- Avoid thinking about Parousia, since any attempts to comprehend it may stimulate distortion activity. This article is the point of no return, the last information that a curious wanderer should know.
- It is recommended to avoid revisiting the first ten levels of the Backrooms.
- Advise all other friendly groups to cease research on Parousia.