The Bright Presence in Alan's dream
And from the depths, something, or some things, surged up to meet them. Things of darkness, but bright things of light as well. The diver explained that these things, or these presences, were forever fighting a war between the forces of light and darkness. A dark presence had taken over his girlfriend, and a bright presence now came to take over him. 
- ― Samantha describes the Presences, This House of Dreams
The Bright Presence is a mysterious supernatural entity that originates from the alternate dimension known as the Dark Place. Taking the form of Thomas Zane, the Bright Presence guides Alan in his battle against its antithesis, the Dark Presence, with which it has been locked in constant battle for an eternity. Alan utilizes the Bright Presence's power in his journey, using light to banish the darkness from the Taken and defeat them.
History[]
Thomas Zane
The Bright Presence originates from an alternate dimension known as the Dark Place, wherein ideas and imagination can become reality. For eons, the Bright Presence was locked in conflict with its antithesis, the Dark Presence. Eventually, the Dark Presence sought to make itself manifest in the real world, taking advantage of a poet named Thomas Zane. Zane's lover, Barbara Jagger, drowned in Cauldron Lake, the portal between the Dark Place and reality; the Dark Presence, inadvertently aided by Emil Hartman, enticed Zane to use the Dark Place's power to write Barbara back to life. However, when Barbara returned, her body had been possessed by the Dark Presence. Realizing his mistake, Zane vowed to undo the damage that he had done.
Zane used his poetry to erase himself and Jagger from reality, descending deep into the Dark Place and encountering the two Presences. In order to maintain the balance, Zane gave away his body to the Bright Presence, as he and Jagger descended deeper and vanished into the lake forever. The Bright Presence, still controlling Zane's body, continued to use its light to aid in the fight against the Dark Presence. When the Dark Presence attempted to use Alan Wake to take over the world, the Bright Presence, appearing as Zane, taught Alan how to fight the Dark Presence and its power by using light to kill the Taken. In the end, Alan used his writing to save Bright Falls from the Dark Presence, trapping himself in the Dark Place in the process, where the Bright Presence continued to aid him in his survival.
Personality[]
The motivations of the Bright Presence are not known. It is a mysterious and ethereal entity which seems solely dedicated to eradicating the Dark Presence. It appears as though, unlike the Dark Presence, the Bright Presence is unaware of its true identity, as it invariably regards itself as being Thomas Zane. When Alan confronted the Bright Presence about its ambiguity, the Bright Presence appeared to be distressed and confused about its identity, before sternly ordering Alan to continue and vanishing.