SCP-5436
rating: +28+x

Item #: SCP-5436

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: All instances of SCP-5436 are to be kept in a standard locker at Site-19. Personnel wishing to conduct tests involving SCP-5436 are to obtain Level 3 or higher authorization and present a detailed list of intended test subjects. All testing of SCP-5436 must be conducted in a soundproof containment chamber with padded walls and floors. Direct exposure to SCP-5436 is to be conducted exclusively by D-class subjects.

All known orchestras and related media are to be monitored for symptoms consistent with exposure to SCP-5436, and any additional copies of SCP-5436 are to be confiscated immediately.

Description: SCP-5436 is an unknown orchestra’s recording of Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, K. 626, distinguished by the addition of a unique auditory cognitohazard, which remains outside the human range of audible perception throughout the length of the recording. All individuals who listen to SCP-5436 report the experience of an unknown dimension and eventually encounter entities, dubbed SCP-5436-1. These anomalies are described as angels/spirits/supernatural entities if the subject is religious, and extraterrestrials/machines if the subject is not. Subjects who encounter SCP-5436-1 have unanimously reported feelings of serenity.

SCP-5436 was originally theorized to function as a means of generating a highly complex set of illusions. However, subsequent testing has suggested that SCP-5436 may actually function as a unique method of remote viewing. It is currently believed that the user receives sensory information from an extradimensional source, with increasing immersion across each section of the recording.

The effects of SCP-5436 are summarized in the following table:

Music Section Effect on Subjects
Section I. Introitus No anomalous effects.
Section II. Kyrie Subjects begin to experience a minor compulsion to continue listening through the remainder of the recording, regardless of prior interest.
Section III. Sequentia Subjects experience the onset of mild perceptual alterations, including photopsia1, hyperacusis2, and the sensation of falling. These conditions gradually increase in severity over the course of this section.
Section IV. Offertorium Altered perception increases exponentially in complexity. Photopsia and hyperacusis symptoms begin to manifest in coherent, kaleidoscopic patterns.
Section V. Sanctus3 Altered perception becomes fully immersive. Subjects cease responding to any external stimuli until SCP-5436 either finishes playing or is paused.
Section VI. Benedictus Subjects begin to perceive the presence of SCP-5436-1. Instances of SCP-5436-1 do not seem to take notice of the subjects until the start of Section VII. Agnus Dei.
Section VII. Agnus Dei It is at this point that SCP-5436-1 approach the subject. During this time, the subject’s bodies undergo grand mal seizures that continue until SCP-5436 either finishes playing or is paused.
Section VIII. Communio Subjects suffer a permanent loss of higher brain function and undergo a momentary decrease in their personal Hume reading, resulting in the creation of an additional instance of SCP-5436-1 that appears in all subsequent testing.

Any copies of SCP-5436, recordings of SCP-5436 being played, and artificial broadcasts of SCP-5436 are known to display the same anomalous effects as the original SCP-5436. As a result, a single copy of SCP-5436 could potentially be utilized to mass produce any number of additional instances.

Investigation: The preliminary investigation of SCP-5436 was initiated when the Foundation’s WATCHDOG global anomaly monitoring network highlighted a significant correlation between recent upticks in comatose patients, and growing rumors of an unidentified New Age movement applying music as a means of transcendence. These rumors were traced to an anonymous post on a religious studies forum4. Foundation analysts then developed a watchlist of any forum users who had interacted with this post, the investigation of which eventually led to the discovery of SCP-5436 on 04/23/20185.

Incident Log 5436: The following is a log of all known incidents directly involving SCP-5436. It should be noted that the vast majority of individuals who utilized SCP-5436 (>80%) were found to suffer from severe depression and/or anxiety.

Document 5436: The following is a reproduction of the forum post that led to the initial investigations of SCP-5436. The original post has since been deleted in an attempt to minimize the occurrence of further incidents involving SCP-5436.

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