Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When the multiverse breathed its first sign of life, the vastness of it seemed to be endless. Within the blank space that spread through the area, there was nothing. Between that universe, and perhaps between that of time as well, ruled a council. These higher beings gave way to the multiverse, caringly weaving it together in collaboration with one another.

Time: laying the base of the foundation to bring the universe from a standstill. Fate: spun tightly to hold together the inevitable as the universe matures. Destiny: stitching together with Fate to balance what will, what must, what can, and what cannot. Faith: lovingly stenciled upon the world to motivate and inspire all who may inhabit it one day. Hope: strengthening the fabric of the universe to withstand even the harshest of conditions. Karma: a loose thread, where a single pull to test its integrity may lead to consequences and reactions to all who try. And, of course, Magic: imbibing the material together and giving way to incredible phenomena that gave the multiverse properties and possibilities beyond that of comprehension.

Together, each wove and stitched until the multiverse was perfect. Perfectly balanced and... empty. This did not last, however. From the emptiness, these higher beings encouraged the formation of first life; the first, and only, universe shaped by each of their hands. This universe, the original creation, was simply known as Undertale. The tale of the monsters and humans living together in peace was a beautiful story, but it was merely the prelude to the story.

It was the Destiny of the monsters to be sealed away under the mountain, Mt. Ebott, after a brutal war. Though refugees of war, through their will and with the help of Magic from the monsters, they were able to establish a home. Though crowded and hidden away from the Sun, monsters held tight to their Faith that they would be free. That their angel that had seen the surface would come and free them all. The king and queen took in a fallen human child their son had found and called them their own. The royal family brought Hope to all monsters and humans. The pressure soon bared down upon the two royal children; constantly being told and reminded that they were the future of monsters and humans. The two children perished after taking this responsibility too far; a faulty plan to go above ground to collect human souls. That, of course, was only the surface of the story. The fallen human wished to destroy their village, to deliver Karma to those they had known. Their sibling, who had absorbed their soul, had resisted, and returned back underground, where they dusted soon after. As Time passed, more and more humans fell until six souls rested in wait to be used to break the barrier.

The final human child to fall below marked the maturity of the universe, established stability after flourishing for many years. It came with a few hiccups as well, minus perhaps those that had gotten too curious for their own good. The Void was formed soon after, engulfing those who had fallen between time and space. There only appeared to be one resident, for now. Other than a few minor bumps, it was perfect. Until the deities began to interfere with their multiverse.

The first to do so was Fate, who grew discontent with the way the universe unfolded before them.

As the final human fell, they navigated through the Ruins and killed monsters as they encountered them. They appeared confused and afraid as they encountered them, which slowly eased as they continued their journey. Most monsters were spared after leaving the ruins, but the outcome of the story was unfulfilling. The human left the Underground after killing the king, their subsequent struggle with Flowey causing the remaining souls to vanish. The monsters were left hopeless with no souls, lost family members, and no way out.

Fate was unsatisfied with this, too unsatisfied to allow the story to continue on. While the human, and before them the vessel flower of the prince, had been able to essentially reset time backward, it was extremely limited. Time had closely monitored the limits of this power, unwilling to let the balance tip too far by allowing large skips backward. They had what were essential "checkpoints" that the two had been able to use. This way, there was a set parameter that they could jump to rather than recklessly throwing time in reverse. Seeing that this system would not help change the outcome, Fate traveled beyond the veil separating the universe from their plane. They reached into the world and granted a way for the fallen human to change the Fate of the Underground. They called this a "true reset", where they could begin again from the moment they fell Underground.

The other deities were outraged by the action, condemning them for manipulating their perfect universe. Time had been the most disgusted, having had their timeline unwound and splintered off into multiple directions. What was done was done, however, and the beings could only watch as the human experiment with the world. Exploring, resetting, repeating actions, and trying to find new paths and things they had missed before. The child would show mercy one moment, then kill another just to see what would happen, how things would change. Seeing this spiral, Karma was the next to interfere.

Within the universe, Magic had appointed a monster to serve as a judge for the souls that passed through their world. It made sense to Karma, then, to bless this monster with the power to serve proper justice to those who did not pass judgment. They called this "Karmic Retribution", a power that fed on the sins clinging to the target's soul. This power gave the judge greater recollection of the unfolded events, allowing them a better means to judge actions that the other may attempt to erase. Upon return, Karma would hear nothing of the protests for further interfering with this universe. To them, this perfectly balanced the damage that had been done.

Fate, bitter from being challenged on their meddling, began to structure their own being instead. If the others would not let them create the world as they saw fit, they would make someone who would. They molded this being after the judge of the created universe within a plane simply dubbed the anti-void. It was meant to be unreachable for those who could not pass through planes of existence. Though imperfect and soulless, Fate loved the small monster they had created. They named the being Ink, a testament to the creative abilities they had imbibed them with. As they breathed life into this creation, they whispered their Fate to them in that white void. They whispered his name, his Fate, and cautionary to the limitations of both his power and this multiverse. The monster, Ink, seemed to have only retained his name.

Destiny became jealous of the deity, seeing the blessed monster perfecting the ability to create masterpieces and, eventually, entire worlds. Destiny began to weave their own universe in response, giving it much more care and precision than the hasty hands of Fate. It wasn't too difficult to implement the same structure as the first universe, but the tricky part was altering its pattern of it. Why should it be this world's destiny to suffer under the earth? Though a few deities disapproved of this, mainly Fate and Time, others were more curious or unbothered by it. Hope and Faith even took a special interest in this world, finding joy seeing a world filled with more dreams and optimism. If asked why Destiny spent so much time creating the judge of that universe, they would simply say that they had "such momentous plans" for this monster.

Things began to go wrong.

Fate's little child had begun to make universes as he was designed to do. After encountering the original universe, he became inspired to make alternate realities of them close by. These alternative universes began to appear through exciting strokes of paint and magic. The first few were simple, such as a role reversal universe dubbed Underswap. Then there was the disturbing pattern the creator fell into of creating dystopian realities. Underfell was the first universe that the creator displayed his lack of empathy. With no soul, there came no real emotions other than a faint echo of a feeling from time to time. These could be amplified through vials of paint that he had been created with, but it was no substitute for real emotions.

Perhaps the most unfortunate experiment was the tale of Dreamtale, where the creator created a universe for the balance of positivity and negativity. Though not a god himself, Ink could still give these universes monsters that were very much almost deity-like without truly being immortal or all-powerful. When a universe was first created, Ink would often leave it to develop and grow upon the story he had written for it for quite a while before checking in on it. This was not the case with Dreamtale, as it was almost a personal project. He would observe the universe and the twin beings that guarded the tree of feelings. The bright positive Dream was created to be the contrast to the secluded Nightmare.

Ink favoured the positive being and had made sure the story was always in his favour. Nightmare was often left alone and uncared for by the other inhabitants, who saw no need for the negative feelings he brought. Isolation turned into hostility as Ink began to change the story little by little in a dark fascination of what would happen. Much like their creator, Fate, he too could quickly grow bored of the same story. Perhaps that was why he was always creating. As the torment became worse and worse, he decided to throw in a plot twist. What if he pushed the other to consume the dark apples? What would happen? In the end, as Nightmare consumed the apples out of terrified desperation, he became warped in negativity. He was left screaming and pleading as he drowned in a dark abyss of manifested negativity. Dream managed to secure the last golden apple, keeping the balance from tipping completely. After encasing his brother in stone, Nightmare vanished entirely from the destroyed universe.

To say the deities were outraged would be an understatement.

Through swift action and intervention, the universe gained a new element of balance. The balance between positivity and negativity, of dark and light. Hope and Faith showered their blessings upon the encased monster so he may one day protect this delicate balance. Karma found fault in all parties involved and marked each of them equally. Perhaps not soon, but one day they would each encounter their rightfully earned retribution. Magic had been forced to intervene to keep such a disaster from happening again. Ink could not be allowed to create beings so vastly powerful or in the likeness of a deity, and Magic made it so. To compensate, Magic was forced to create a land of demi-gods to help control the balances made. This was simply referred to as Reapertale, seeing as the main need was for Death to corral the influx of souls from the destroyed universe. This universe was shaped by Magic, Time, Destiny, and Karma. After its creation, Magic vanished. The multiverse was still upheld, and magic still imbibed the beings of the universes, so they were still alive somewhere within it.

The warnings that had been whispered to Ink had gone unheard, as every day the multiverse was filled with new universes and, after time, even copies of already existing universes. Fate began to fear for the stability of this multiverse if it began to overflow. The only obvious solution in their mind was to create a counterpart to balance out the creation. There must be one of destruction to keep the multiverse from filling up. While there was no danger anytime soon of overcrowding, the problem was best solved early. Fate, knowing the mistakes they made from their first creation, decided to simply "borrow" an existing one instead to fill this role. Carelessly, they ripped the judge from Destiny's lovingly crafted world, causing its stability to collapse and, consequently, the universe to end. Destiny quickly intervened, attempting to drag their precious creation back as they were taken. After a power struggle and far too much power fed into this monster to attempt to take control, another intervened.

Karma, disgusted and infuriated by the actions taken, seized the being for themselves. They cast away the two jealous deities and mended the monster they had so viciously shaped. The being was far too powerful to be placed into a new universe, the touch and blessings of three deities leaving this creature virtually a god. Having had a hand in this, Karma took pity upon this creation that was now on the same level as themselves. Karma severed the ties of the anti-void, disallowing access to it for any other being unless explicitly permitted by Karma themselves or the young deity.

Karma stayed with the monster, a skeletal monster much like most of the judges of the universes. The bones of this monster were stained black from the constant touch of celestial beings before being brought to such a state themself. Golden lines wrapped up the arms of the being like ley lines, pulsing and thrumming with the power it held. Robes of blue covered much of the monster, with golden embroidery lovingly stitched into the material. Karma's symbol marked the back of the ancient robe and the frontal bone of the monster.

Through time, Karma helped the monster to discover and perfect their powers while drilling into them the responsibility and implications that came with them. Unlike Ink, the monster seemed to take this very seriously. The tales of the multiverse brought pain to the monster's soul and they wished to help this plane to find peace and balance. Karma felt a warmth of pride in the kindness and mercy of this monster. With a final cautionary warning, Karma withdrew from the planes of existence and left the monster to live their life.

This is how Erratum came to be.

Chapter Text

This world was… as depressing as Erratum had expected it to be.

It was obvious when Dreamtale was laid to waste, no one bothered to come to clean up the mess. Dust and blood were still staining the dead grass around the area, and the tree of feelings lay fallen at the base. The god pitied the state of the place and pitied the solidified monster before them.

Dream still stood, frozen in time, encased in stone. His brother had sealed him away, but unable to safely extract the last golden apple, left him. It was obvious it had been for quite a long time by the state of the universe. Erratum had assumed the creator would have come by now to fix this world or, at the very least, release the monster before them. There were no signs that anyone had been in this world since that day, however.

Erratum tilted their head to the side, observing how the statue seemed to occasionally leak golden liquid from its petrified eyes.

It truly was a pity.

Nightmare, as far as the god was able to gather, was still out there spreading negativity. The further the balance tipped, the more powerful the negative being became. Ever one for balance, Erratum had come to see if Dream had still been encased as their guardian had described. It seemed so.

Erratum silently reached their hand out, wiping at the golden tears that stained the weathered stone. From their touch, a crack in the surface of the stone appeared. They stared at this crack, wondering how they could have possibly done that with the gentle pressure they applied. Still, the split continued to travel, spreading down the expanse of stone.

Well, this was not supposed to happen. This was not good.

They hadn’t meant to interfere with the natural process of this world. Though, considering the state of it, was it really going through a natural process? If Dream hadn’t returned to his form by now, what were the chances he could do it without outside forces? Regardless, what was done was done. The only thing to do now was back off and observe from afar. This was the creator, Ink’s, favourite little universe, and he was probably already alerted that there had been a shift. It was time to leave before there was an inevitable confrontation.

Erratum reached their hand out, dividing the fabric of reality with ease. Golden threads seemed to pull back the space before them, leading away into another world. They whirled their head around as the sound of crumbling stone reached their ear, or whatever semblance the opening in their skull was to an ear. Dream was on his hands and knees, seemingly gasping for air he hadn’t had in what seemed like eons. Erratum quickly made their way through the opening they had created, glancing back through the portal as Dream looked up. They quickly closed it, leaving the positive being behind.

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Dream swore he saw someone just now. Faint colours of black and blue seemed to disappear before he could focus on it. Perhaps he was just hallucinating after years trapped within the stone prison.

Stone prison.

He gasped, pulling himself up to his feet as he surveyed the area. Nausea flooded him as he covered his mouth with one hand. The village, all those he had once protected and helped, were slaughtered. The remains of them were scattered in bits and pieces along with various traces of dust that hadn’t been blown away.

He turned slowly to view the tree, his mother, and was greeted by an equally grim sight. What was left was merely a stump, a lifeless tombstone to what he once held dear. He fell once more to his knees, crawling to the stump that was once his mother. He rested the top of his body against the wood, weeping openly against it. Everything he had once held dear was gone, completely gone. He was alone.

He jolted once more as the sound of what he could only describe as bubbling filled the area. Pulling away from the fallen tree, he witnessed a puddle of black ink coalesce and gurgle upon the ground. It seemed to slowly rise and take a more solid form as it did. Eventually, he was left staring at a quite colourful skeleton much like himself. He cautiously rose to his feet, raising his hand as he called upon his positivity staff.

“Whoa, whoa, easy there pal!” The inky creature spoke, hands held in front of him, placating. The skeleton tried their best to appear harmless, not wanting to start a conflict.

“Who are you? How… how did you get here?” Dream demanded shakily, not faltering his grasp on his weapon. The strange monster had a sash of various vials strapped to him, paint it seemed. A large, comically so, brush was also strapped to his back. Some sort of artist then?

“Oh shoot, right! Uh, hi! My name is Ink!” The skeleton greeted, the shapes in his eyes shifting like the fluid in a lava lamp. “You’re Dream, right?”

“How did you- “

“I know lots of things! Kind of my job as a protector, ya know?” Ink interjected quickly. He continued to grin brightly at the positive demi-god before him.

“Protector…” Dream echoed with a small frown on his face. He obviously had a lot of catching up to do.

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Within the space between planes, both the multiverse and “the between” where the seven major guardians resided, lay the anti-void. Or what it was formally known as before Erratum had inhabited it.

When being guided by Karma, they had taught them how to manipulate the environment around them. It was a blank slate that was easily tampered with. It belonged to Erratum anyway, so they were free to do with it as they pleased. The best way to describe how they altered the environment is to look at the plane’s base materials. They saw it as an equivalent to a code in a computer, which displayed to them the fabric of the reality around them. Despite never having seen it previous to their first experience, it made sense to them. It was like a language that they’d been native to since the moment they were created.

And so, the plane shaped to what Erratum saw fit.

The god sat peacefully beneath a tree; eyes closed as they reached out through reality shifting. They had to ensure they had not screwed up too badly with the whole Dream situation. Fortunately, none of the guardians appeared alarmed by the information. If anything, Faith and Hope seemed excessively relieved to hear of this news. That was a relief at least.

“Yip!”

Erratum opened their eyes quickly, concentration broken by the sharp sound. Glancing down, they beheld a small, white dog standing before them. It just… stared, vacantly, at the god. Erratum was puzzled by the creature, wondering how it possibly could have gotten here. No one could enter or exit without their permission. This simply should not be possible. Yet here stood this dog, little paws tapping excitedly on the ground in place.

Erratum reached out to the dog, attempting to feel if it was tangible. It seemed to be, as they rested their palm fully on its head.

How strange.

The dog continued to stare at them a moment, allowing the touch as Erratum puzzled over the creature. As quickly as the peaceful interaction began, it ended. The dog turned its head to the side, latching its sharp little teeth into their hand. Erratum gave a cringe at the bite, pulling at their hand until the dog released it. The dog yipped excitedly again, bowing its front half in a playful stance. Erratum reached out to snatch the dog, but it quickly darted away. The little dog gave a bark, a vortex swirling before it as it did so before it disappeared through it.

Well, that was… annoying.

Erratum examined their hand, deeming it nothing more than a few puncture wounds. Putting the strange encounter on the backburner, they closed their eyes once more. As the darkness overtook them, a new sound filled their mind. It was like the gentle stir of the wind, faint whispers within their mind. They quickly opened their eyes again, scanning around for any other intruders in their land. There was no one, but the whispers continued.

Erratum was open-minded to many of the things that have happened to them, including being torn away from their original world. Strange voices in their head were close to where they drew the line.

Still, they attempted to decipher some of the whispers within their mind. Most seemed to blend together, unable to surface from the sea of voices. A few seemed to stick out though, and they sounded… wishful? It was hard to tell. They begged for things, asked for guidance, sought out answers. It was all extremely confusing to the god. Why were they suddenly hearing all of this? They had no answers to give people, no great wisdom to impart them with. Surely there was some other qualified deity who should receive these.

A great wail within their mind drew these panicked thoughts to a halt. It seemingly stabbed through their conscious, ringing in their ears despair. It pleaded for anyone, anyone at all to hear. It was desperate, the being despondent, and Erratum had no idea where they were. This multiverse was vast, and they had nothing to go on but a cry for help.

They turned in place, almost as if searching for the direction of the call. Surely if they could hear it, they could also find the source. They just had to be creative, think outside of the box. As they puzzled upon this and boy wasn’t this a puzzling day, a thought occurred to them. They could warp through reality to places at their will so long as they knew where they were attempting to go. If they focused on the want to find this person, surely it could work the same way? It made sense to them, but there was only one way to find out.

Slowly, they raised their hand and allowed the golden threads to pull back reality like a curtain. At first, they were greeted with nothing but the black abyss of the between. They sharpened their focus, and soon, a world greeted them. Erratum stepped through the portal as the world materialized, closing it behind them as they looked around. A strange open hall greeted them, much like a cathedral as each step they took echoed around the area. They came to a stop as they noticed another at the end of this great hall, staring directly at them.

“Who are you? Where did you come from?” The being was another skeleton monster, on guard and obviously hostile.

Erratum frowned slightly as they divided reality once more in front of them to the source of this universe. They felt muted surprise to find themselves in the original universe The Seven had made, glancing back up at the skeleton. It all seemed to check out as they closed the window before them.

“What was that? How did you do that?” The skeleton, Sans as they knew, questioned them. Erratum continued to walk forward, silent and offering no explanation as they did. The other wouldn’t comprehend it even if they tried to explain.

“Stay over there,” Sans demanded, magic lashing out in hostility from where he stood. Erratum could feel the pulse of magic from where they stood, knowing the other was reacting purely on animalistic fear. They elected to remain where they stood, not wanting to engage with this monster. It was their guardians’ precious world after all.

“Good…good,” Sans muttered as the other came to a halt, never taking his eyes off of them. He scanned the being up and down, trying to understand what was going on. This had never happened before in all the resets he’d witnessed. Never had some tall, darker skeleton waltzed in from thin air and approached him. As much as he welcomed a change of pace, he was also wary of it.

“Now… I’ll ask again. Who are you, and how did you get here?” He felt like he was in no place to make demands, but did it really matter anyway? If they killed him, he’d just come back the next reload. They’d already taken down the homicidal human four times before this… person appeared. He was due to slip up to the demonic child, so did it really matter if this skeleton killed him instead?

Erratum watched as the other struggled with his thoughts, the conflict clear on his face. They’d never interacted with the other universes before, and they weren’t sure how to start now. Should they start now? Wasn’t the entire issue with this multiverse the fact that interference had unbalanced it? If they were meant to help this multiverse, however, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to try.

“I heard you.” Errarum's voice echoed and carried, almost ethereal as it reached the other. It was as good a place to start as anywhere.

“You heard me,” Sans echoed, voice dry and full of doubt. Erratum understood it was probably a hard concept to grasp and truly, it didn’t make much sense to them either. They didn’t speak much at all, let alone communicate with other people in this world, so they struggled to navigate through a conversation.

“You were calling. Asking. You pleaded for assistance, for someone to hear.” Erratum attempted again, hoping that would somehow explain everything. Watching the look on his face shift, they supposed it did in a way.

“You… heard? How could you possibly hear that? I didn’t even say anything, it was just…” Sans trailed off as he watched the skeleton approach him again, this time allowing them to get closer. The other gave him a quizzical stare at this, stopping in front of him as they waited to hear their words.

“Just…a prayer,” Sans finished as he looked up at the god. “I’m desperate, I thought… I never thought someone could actually hear them. I didn’t believe anyone was out there to hear them.” He explained, voice filled with both disbelief and awe. Erratum gave a small upturn of the mouth, resting their hand on the top of the other’s skull fondly. They felt the other had more to say, so they remained comfortably silent as always. It took a few moments of quiet, but eventually the other started up again.

“I…I just want this to end.” Sans breathed after a moment, seeming to be awash with anguish and resolve all at once. “Over and over again… there hasn’t been anything but death and despair. We’ve all suffered so much for so long, not that anyone else is aware,” He added with a hint of bitterness. “I’m not sure how long it’s been… weeks? Months? Years? Of just… endless genocide. Reset after reset, kill and repeat. I’m… I’m so tired and… and I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep going at this rate. I feel like I’ve been standing in this one spot for an eternity.”

It was clear to Erratum that the pain ran deep with this monster. From what they gathered; this world seemed to be stuck in a loop. An endless loop of the fallen human slaying the inhabitants before skipping all the way back in time to do it again. This seemed uncharacteristic; the universe should have a balance between these loops. While Fate may have given the fallen humans in this multiverse such a power to redo things, it should still follow a pattern. If this world was cycling through the same experience over and over again, something was wrong.

“Is there anything you can do? Please, I’m begging you, pal, if… if there’s anything at all you can do, I’ll take it. I’ll do anything.” Sans pleaded with Erratum, gripping onto the front of their robes a moment. While the other only came up to roughly their false ribs, it was still enough to jostle the god forward a bit. Erratum reached down to manually unlatch the other from their robes before guiding their hands back down to their sides.

“I can try.”

Erratum had no idea what they were doing. They had come to investigate the mysterious voice, not directly mess with the reality of the original universe! Still, if there really was a problem, they were the best qualified to fix it. The Seven would want that, right? Surely, they could understand why they were doing this. They weren’t like the creator who endlessly played god by creating all these alternative worlds. Erratum knew they were only trying to justify themselves, but knew regardless of the morality of it, they were going to do it anyway.

Erratum reopened the window into the universe’s base components, hearing the audible inhale Sans gave. This universal “code” was much different from Erratum’s plane, which served to make things a bit more difficult. This wasn’t just a massive blank void, there were people here and timelines. There was no way they were going to directly influence the time without the original source. Fortunately, it seemed that wouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Sans took a defensive stand once more as soft footsteps echoed through the corridor. Erratum turned their head and set their sights on the small child at the end of the hall. Their sleeves were stained with dust and their hand clutched a knife tightly. This must be the child Fate blessed with the true reset ability.

Perfect.

“Hmm… that expression,” Sans spoke, hands stuffed in his pockets as he observed the child. “That’s the expression of someone who’s-“ He didn’t get to finish his usual spiel as Erratum raised their hand up and shot forth strings of gold. The strings seemed to pierce straight through the child’s chest without causing any direct physical wound, tightly wrapping around the culmination of their being. With a rough tug, the strings retracted with the vibrant soul in its web. The child fell to the floor, limp and motionless as Erratum caught the soul in their open hand. Sans could only gawk silently, as it all seemed to happen so fast, he barely registered it.

“What did you just do??” He turned fearful eyes back on Erratum, who merely held onto the soul and gazed into the open void before them. They glanced back up at Sans before looking to the soul in consideration.

“This universe bends to the will of this child. Their soul holds the power to bring time back to the beginning, and in order for me to do so as well, I need the same power.” Their eyes met Sans’s, who seemed to grasp what they were saying. “I may be unable to stop these… horrible events from taking place, but I can certainly try to rebalance this world.” They didn’t bother to explain further what they meant, pushing the soul forth to alter the universal code. They soon found themselves floating, greeted with an endless void a moment as they closed their rift

They equivalated this to doing a “hard reset” on the universe. Much like one would erase data on a hard drive before restoring it back to its factory settings. Any anomalies or loops brought forth from the abuse of time travel, hopefully, would correct itself this way. This was the first time Erratum ever attempted such drastic measures, so it truly could go either way. Either this would help regulate things, or they screwed up way worse than in Dreamtale. As the universe blipped back into existence though, they didn’t feel any sort of instability that suggested a catastrophe. Erratum landed gracefully, ankle-deep in the cold snow. The door to the ruins was against their back as they glanced around.

Huh, this wasn’t where they had originally entered the universe. Not thinking too much about it, the god trudged forward through the snowy wooded area. Past the gate that truly would stop not a soul, they came across a small clearing. There stood a little checkpoint stand and an oddly but conveniently shaped lamp. Sitting at the crude checkpoint was Sans, looking bewildered and ruffled. He glanced over at the sound of crunching snow, the glow of his eyes dilating as he saw the other.

“So… that wasn’t a dream then… that was real,” Sans muttered as Erratum made their way to his checkpoint. “I don’t even understand what you did or… or how you did it.” He rambled a moment with how bizarre and unreal the situation was. Erratum let him, understanding that it was way beyond the comprehension of most monsters. “I dunno do I… do I pay you? Do you want something? I don’t have much to give you but…” He trailed off as the god once again placed their hand on the top of his head. Sans didn’t really understand what that meant but remained quiet regardless.

“There is nothing in this universe you could offer me. You called for me, and I did what I could. I’ve interfered far more than I should have, so I must leave now.” They pulled their hand back after a moment and divided the thin fabric of reality again to step through. As they crossed the threshold, however, Sans spoke up again.

“Hey!”

Erratum turned to face him through the still open window to his world. The skeleton walked around his checkpoint, giving the portal a fascinated yet intimidated look over. “Just… thank you.” He settled upon, unable to find any other words to say. Erratum gave that same faint smile, nodding their head once at them to show they understood. With that, the strings pulled the rip together like a thread pulling a rip in a shirt together with a needle. Sans could only stare at where the dark skeleton had simply vanished just as abruptly as they had appeared. He had expected to endlessly fight with the devil today, and somehow, he met a god instead.

Chapter Text

The incident in the Undertale universe was met with mixed reviews from The Seven. Erratum had expected this, however, and had explained as much as they met with them through their reality shift. Karma, as expected, completely sided with their little protector and their decision to intervene. Time had condemned the other immediately, only letting up the slightest bit after a quick explanation of the seemingly fractured loop the world had been in.

“In the end, it is up to my own judgment to deem what the acceptable measures to be taken are. I refrain from toying with these worlds for the sake of curiosity. I only followed the call for help.” Erratum explained, floating within the abyss as The Seven, minus the currently missing Magic, surrounded them. “I find myself suddenly plagued with voices of others within my mind. Sans had called them… what was it? Prayers, that was the word.” They felt a twinge of anxiety as the group of guardians exchanged looks with one another. It was difficult to make out any details of these beings, as they retained no real physical being. They were beings of power and magic, not inhabiting any sort of solid vessel.

“That is preposterous. Why would the prayers of the multiverse reach you? Such ability should be accessible to us.” Fate remarked with clear disdain. Erratum could not fault them; they had come to the same conclusion the moment they realized what was happening. They agreed they were much more capable of giving answers and wisdom.

“If I may,” Karma interrupted, their spectral form once more surrounding Erratum. They always found this comforting, like their entire body was floating in a deprivation tank. “Erratum is just as well one of us, and they are connected to the physical plane that is the multiverse. It would make sense why these thoughts and prayers are only accessible to a deity within that plane. The distance and realities they must travel to reach us is an impossible journey, therefore they travel the shorter distance to Erratum.” That… did make sense, in a convoluted way. This whole “god” thing was complex.

“What does it matter if they come here or to them? The important thing is they are being heard!” Faith interjected with audible delight in their words. “Think of all the pleas and wishes that have gone unheard until now. I, for one, welcome this strange new development! Go forth and bring Faith back into the multiverse!”

“Yes! Their Hopes and dreams rest on you!” Hope echoed.

Erratum had never felt more pressure than they did now in their entire life. These guardians, the most powerful beings in existence, weren’t even able to help these universes! And they expected them to do it? It seemed like an impossible task.

“You said it yourself; it is up to your own judgment to know when to answer these calls.” Ah, they did say that. “We will be watching you, to ensure your success.” Karma assured them.

“And to be sure you do not let the power go to your skull.” Destiny quipped, their form turned toward Fate in what was most likely a spiteful look. Yes, truly there was no pressure in those words.

“Go now, return to your body. We will be here when you need guidance.” Karma assured as their comforting presence slowly faded.

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It had been a while since the entire incident with the mysterious skeleton.

Two resets had gone by since then, one of pacifism, and one of a more neutral nature. All in all, it was a break Sans really needed after the endless loop of suffering. He had assumed he’d become apathetic after all the resets and times he had seen his friends die, but the countless loops seemed to reawaken that anguish again.

“Sans?”

Sans looked up; his musing broken as his brother stood before him. He did his best to give an easygoing grin, leaning back further into the couch as he did so. “Sup, bro?” He greeted casually. The other didn’t seem to buy into his lackadaisical behaviour, jaws set into a frown.

“Do not ‘sup’ me, Sans! You have been lazing around even more than usual! As your cooler and more responsible brother, it is my duty to make sure you are motivated to do your best!” Papyrus spoke with such certainty in his voice it briefly cheered the other up. “And, well, I am worried! You always have this look anymore. Like you’re trying to solve an incredibly impossible puzzle made by yours truly! I thought, maybe, you’d want to talk about it?” He broached, hands wringing together anxiously as he did.

“Look, Pap, it’s nothin’.” Sans quickly assured, feeling a pang of guilt for causing the other distress. “My well of puns is just running a little dry. Been trying to come up with some new ones lately.” He winked with a mischievous grin.

“Of all excuses, that is the flimsiest one you could have made.” Sans cringed slightly at this. Yeah, it was a pretty shotty excuse; he was an overflowing pool of bad jokes. “I know you’re a more… private monster, but I just want to help you! I know you don’t seem to trust me, but-“

“That’s not it at all!” Sans quickly interjected, sitting up straighter. “Of course I trust you! I just… I don’t know if you’d even believe me if I told you.” He admitted with a hesitant glance away from the other’s face.

The other did not seem deterred by this. “Sans, if it is bothering you this much, it must be very real! Of course I would believe you!” Papyrus insisted, attempting once more to breach his secretive brother’s defensive walls. Sans gave a long exhale, debating upon what to tell the other. What could he possibly say to explain what had been going on? Papyrus didn’t remember the resets, didn’t know the kind of struggle he had been going through, didn’t know about the mysterious monster that interrupted the natural flow of how things usually went.

“I think I met god.”

Whatever Papyrus had been expecting the other to say, that didn’t appear to be it. “Erm… you met god? Am I hearing you correctly, brother?” He checked, unable to help but appear skeptical at the claim.

“Yeah, I didn’t really think you’d-“

“No, no! I said I would take you seriously, and I am!” Papyrus quickly assured, waving his hands in front of him frantically to cut him off. “I just… you have to understand how surprising that is! It isn’t every day that your brother meets god! Wowie…” He hummed as he dropped onto the couch beside him with a quizzical expression. “So, you mean you actually… saw them? The Angel?”

The Angel?

Ah, right. From the prophecies. It was common for the monsters to turn to this supposed “Angel” for guidance and prayer. Was that who that was? He didn’t bother to ask at the time. “I’m not sure…”

“How did you come to meet?”

That was a harder question to answer. What did he say to that? ‘Oh I was having a meltdown in the judgment hall after seeing a human that hasn’t even come here in this timeline yet kill all my loved ones so I prayed to anyone that would listen to help me?’ Yeah, that would go over well. Sans supposed the other wouldn’t remember this conversation, however, come the next reset.

“I just… I was down, really felt lost, so I prayed for guidance. I didn’t think that anyone would actually hear me, but I guess I was wrong.” That seemed like a more believable answer, and it wasn’t entirely untrue. “Yeah, they kinda just… appeared in front of me. Honestly? I almost just attacked them at first.” He grinned sheepishly. He huffed out a small laugh as Papyrus aggressively crushed him in a hug.

“I am so sorry you were having such a hard time Sans! I wish you would have told me you were feeling sad!” Papyrus mourned as he squeezed onto the other. “But! I am also very happy that there was someone out there that was able to help you! I should say thank you. Erm… though I suppose that would be a difficult thing to do.” He frowned as he released the other. He seemed to come across an idea though, hitting the bottom of his fist into his gloved hand in a realization. “Of course! I simply have to send them a prayer myself! Expressing my gratitude for their assistance!”

Sans gave a small snicker as the other enthusiastically clasped his hands together and began to simply speak to the room around him. He didn’t bother telling him that it really wasn’t necessary to speak out loud; he could appreciate his enthusiasm.

“-And I am grateful that you took time out of your surely busy schedule to help my brother! I pray that he will continue to be happy and successful like his cool brother!” Well, that was certainly sweet.

“And maybe that you can inspire him to be cleaner and less lazy!” Ah, less sweet.

“There isn’t much I can do about choices of free will.”

Both skeletal brothers jolted in surprise, nearly knocking heads as they frantically looked around. There, in a strange split in the wall, stood the strange skeleton from before. Well, they were more leaning out of the hole in the wall with their hands resting over the bottom of the split.

“Wowie! I can’t believe god is a skeleton!” Papyrus exclaimed, to which said god cringed.

“Erratum.”

“What?” Sans spoke as he looked at the now not-so-unfamiliar god.

“Please, just call me Erratum.” Erratum sighed at the dramatic title and reverence. “That is my name, after all.”

“Not a very godly name. No offense! Just… you know, being called the equivalent of an error?” Sans quickly attempted to explain his thoughts, though the other didn’t seem offended.

Erratum tilted their head a bit at the question, never having bothered to explore the meaning of their name. “Considering the nature of corrections I have made so far in universes, I choose to see it as a call to action.”

Well, that was certainly one way to view it, Sans supposed.

“Sure, uh, Erratum. Not that I’m not grateful for ya but, why are you here?” Sans questioned, a little nervous their appearance meant there were more problems in their world.

“Your brother is very loud.” Ah, right. Papyrus was naturally a very loud monster, and it wasn’t exactly surprising that it transferred from prayer to Erratum. “I needed to check in any way to see if all issues have been resolved here.” They assured, seeming to sense the twinge of embarrassed guilt from the other.

“Everything seems to be back to normal. No issues or anything now.” Sans assured, trying to be discrete for the sake of his brother. “Just… thanks again for that. It really does mean a lot.” He added on quietly with a more genuine smile to his face. Erratum fully stepped through the split in the wall, allowing it to close behind them as they did so. They approached both skeletons, leaving Sans to marvel at the fact they were taller than even his brother. Once again, they rested their hand on the top of Sans’s head.

“I was glad to do it. This world is to be protected by all means necessary, and that is what I intend to do.” That was both relieving and a little worrying to hear. What kind of other threats were out there that endangered this world? Sans hoped this person, Erratum, could truly ward off any problems that may arise like they claimed.

“So… does that mean there are other worlds out there? Like… alternate realities?” Sans took this opportunity to ask some actual nagging questions that only a higher being could answer.

“The simple answer is yes. There are many alternative universes that exist within this multiverse.” Erratum explained. The other stated it so calmly while Sans was virtually losing his mind at the prospect. They answered a question Sans had been researching his entire life to know. Though he supposed it wasn’t a big deal for someone like Erratum who could simply walk between realities with ease. “I’m actually rather surprised that I was the first to visit your world.”

“What does that mean?” Sans spoke anxiously. Were there more beings out there like Erratum? Were they all as friendly? He had a sneaking suspicion that they weren’t; that would make his life too easy.

Erratum winced a bit at this, mentally berating themselves for even mentioning it. They had been certain the creator would have been curious enough to poke around in a universe they didn’t create. Then again, maybe they did and simply kept at a distance like they had in Dreamtale. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is everything here is stable.” They diverted, though they sensed the other had several follow-up questions to this. Thankfully, or more inconveniently perhaps, a loud crashing noise interrupted their exchange.

“It’s that blasted canine!” Papyrus shouted as the small, white dog scampered from the kitchen with a bone in its jaws. “And it’s got one of my bone attacks!” The dog dropped the bone as Erratum swiped for it, seeming to surprise the two brothers at the break in their calm demeanor. “Hold still!"

The dog managed to squeeze away, barking as another vortex swirled before it. “Oh no you don’t!” Erratum snarled as they managed to leap in after the annoying mutt before the vortex blipped from existence. Sans was left standing in the middle of his living room, confused and unsettled. He was left with more questions than answers as well as a newfound discomfort with the familiar white dog.

“Well!” Papyrus grinned as he bent down and retrieved the bone from the ground. “They seemed like quite a nice fellow!”

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Erratum found themselves face down in the snow, significantly less graceful than their normal landings. Traveling via dog vortex was definitely not their choice of transportation.

They pulled themselves from the snow, brushing themselves off thoroughly while glancing around the environment. The atmosphere was… off. There was just a feeling in the air that they could sense. They reached within the universe’s components to get a sense of where they had landed. “Horrortale… a name that certainly gives no eerie vibes.” Erratum muttered sarcastically as they glanced around.

This time, they needed to be stealthy.

Using their golden strings, they hoisted themselves up into the tall pines of the forest. It wasn’t exactly pleasant with all the pine needles pricking at their clothing and bones, but they’d live. They carefully moved tree-to-tree, surveying the land below. There didn’t seem to be many signs of life, but the landscape seemed to match most of what the original universe’s structure was. Perhaps the name was merely deceiving.

That was until they came across a disturbing sight.

They had paused when they saw a monster, a Snowdrake by the looks of it, crouched in the snow. Erratum settled themselves on a branch, watching with curiosity as the creature flailed around a moment in a frenzy of shrill screeches and feathers. It appeared like it was struggling with something. Further intrigued, Erratum jumped to the next tree for a better vantage point. They immediately regrated that decision.

Below them, the Snowdrake was viciously pecking and tearing at a fallen Jerry. Erratum had felt immediate nausea at the scene, gripping onto the branch tighter to ground themselves. Sure, no one liked Jerry, but this was gruesome! What kind of place was this anyway? What world had this multiverse’s creator made?

Before they could even think to intervene, an axe soared through the air and perfectly bisected the Snowdrake from beak to tail. Erratum watched with muted horror as it fell to dust, the mutilated Jerry left twitching in the snow. A larger figure lumbered closer to the fallen monster, bony hand wrapping around the handle of the axe. Erratum deduced this was the universe’s Sans, though he looked worse for wear. The skull plate was caved in at one side and they could see a singular glowing red light illuminating their left socket. The battered skeleton lifted the axe over his shoulder, his opposite hand pulling at the bottom of his empty socket with a cruel grin. Erratum quickly opened a doorway back to their plane and fell in before they could witness anymore.

Erratum gulped down desperate breaths, head pounding and vision swimming as they processed everything. At least the name of the world made perfect sense now. There laid the question, however. Why did that universe exist? Why was it created? For what purpose? The creator intentionally formed and developed this world, they realized with a disturbing realization. This is what the creator wanted the world to be like. They had envisioned a dystopian reality where the monsters were these… well, monsters. They recalled Karma explaining the creator’s rampant creation of universes both positive and negative, but they never suspected something like this!

With an even deeper sinking feeling in their hypothetical gut, they mused upon a more disturbing question.

Just how many more universes like this one were out there?

Chapter Text

Time seemed to pass rapidly after Erratum’s first interactions with the multiverse. Year after year, they managed to somehow discover countless worlds of varying fates. Some were unique, some were near carbon copies of others. Some were light and cheery, and some were not. Time after time, world after world, it never became any easier to witness. Horrortale, Dusttale, Underfell, Underworld… seemed like they never ended. Erratum had lost count of the number of times they returned home to their plane and wept. Such anguish that existed in this multiverse settled heavily in their soul and caused it to pulse with shared suffering. The tears became so frequent that they seemed to carve twin golden paths in the corners of their sockets. They continued to struggle to understand why the creator would have done all of this. Was it sadistic delight? Curiosity? Just because he could? Erratum struggled to keep the bitterness from their soul at the very idea of the other treating the universes like playthings.

But then they were struck with another idea.

Ink had been created without a soul, and thus without any true emotions. Karma had given Erratum an in-depth explanation of the creator and his formation, so they felt comfortable enough to draw a conclusion. Perhaps he was doing it to understand emotions better. Sure, he could simply use paint to replicate the emotion of sadness or anger, but what did that truly mean to him? They were emotions with no ties to an external or even internal trigger. Even experiencing it, perhaps the other didn’t really understand emotion. Creating universes with heavy themes of sadness, hate, joy, fear… maybe it was all a way to express these emotions. A way to study them and understand how they connected people to events or their environment. It was a less grim theory than the others.

Erratum had been slowly inserting themselves more and more into other universes. They took better care to keep out of the way, however, and remain mostly a mild task manager at best. Little things to help, mostly out of sight. A comforting word in the form of a passing echo flower message, conveniently placed items, and whatnot. They still had no great wisdom to impart to others, so they mostly left those wishes unattended. There wasn’t much they could do to assure a person about their place in the world or the meaning of life. That was way too complicated to even consider dealing with. There were times they had intervened in more major ways, mainly if the universe was showing signs of instability. These problems required a more hands-on approach, whether it be manipulating the universal “code” itself or eliminating errors by force. They were certain that more than once they’d been spotted, but they did their best to be discreet.

The voices had become easier to live with, and thus, easier to navigate through. The whispers always remained as soft lapping at the inside of their mind, always ready to be pulled forth for more consideration. They told Erratum of their sorrow, their hopes, their joy, their rage. They felt as though each person was someone they had known their entire life through the constant chatter. There were certain voices that returned daily or even more than once a day to them. Those beings Erratum had given little names to in order to distinguish them from the sea of voices. Each held a significance to the makeups of their words and energy that was always radiating from them. From the soft mutters of the Lonely heart to the impossible wants and expectations of the Dreamer. Each one brought a sense of fondness to Erratum, to the point where they could identify a change in their patterns almost instantly.

That was how they were able to pick up a problem with their Little light.

Little light was always so bright and exuberant with their every prayer and wish. They were never for themselves, either, but for those around them. Little light always asked for others' safety, not their own, for the happiness of others, not for themselves. Lately, however, the vibrant light seemed to dim with each whisper it gave. There was no great regaling of their day and their great aspirations and hopes for others. There were only pleas for comfort. They asked to understand, which was confusing. Erratum didn’t know what they wanted to understand. They asked for strength, which Erratum could not supply to them. It was frustrating to have the knowledge of all these wants of others with limited power to do anything about them. A call for help, however, was something Erratum was always able to answer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was fairly late, late enough where all the other lights in Snowdin had been snuffed out for the night. The smaller sentry set his scuffed boots by the front door as he moved to lock it securely. Snowdin was by no means a dangerous place, but it still helped to be vigilant! After ensuring the door was shut tight and the television was off, the small skeleton trudged his way upstairs. He didn’t bother to peer into his brother’s room to check on him; it would be locked anyway. He closed the door to his own room with a heavy sigh, shoulders slumping under the weight of his cheerful façade. He dropped to his knees at the side of his bed, expression set into a frown as he stared at the mattress in exhausted consideration. After a moment or two of near dissociation, the skeleton brought his arms up to rest his elbows on the mattress. He clasped his hands together and leaned his forehead against them in tired acceptance.

“Hi… it’s me again,”

He was never really sure how to start these out. What was the proper way to address a deity anyway? Was there a right or wrong way to do this?

“I want to start off by saying, again, that I am very happy where I am! Things could always be better, sure, but I have a lot here! I have a roof over my head, a job I enjoy, my friends… my brother,” He frowned as he hesitated a moment. “I don’t know what’s going on with him. He’s changed so much, and not in the good ways! He’s reclusive, he’s obviously saddened by something. He always has this haunted look in his eyes… and I can’t help him. He won’t let me, because he won’t let me in. Maybe I need to be a better brother? Can you help me be the brother he needs?” He practically begged as he clenched his hands tighter together. “I don’t ask for much, and I’d hate to start now, but… I just… I want to make him happy again…”

“Little light,”

The skeleton startled a bit, head shooting up at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. There, settled cross-legged in the middle of his bed, was an unfamiliar skeleton with blackened bones. He lowered his hands to his sides limply, simply trying to process this new development. “W-who are you? How… how did you get in my room?” He whispered, as if afraid to provoke the other. The other frowned, tilting their head slightly at the question as they made no move for him. Looking over this new monster, he could tell that the other radiated a strange calmness and power that seemed otherworldly. “Are you an angel?” At the confused frown, the smaller skeleton gave a thoughtful hum. “No, you don’t have the big feathery wings like the books say.” He deduced, to which Erratum glanced over their shoulders a moment as if to envision them. As they looked back, the skeleton still kneeled on the floor traced the golden lines of mana with his eyes before landing on the marking engraved on their forehead.

“…Are you a god?” He breathed out in wonder, staring up at them hopefully. Erratum gave a soft smile at this and moved to settle their hand atop his head. The smaller skeleton could only sit frozen in place under the monster’s hand. “Are… are you here to help me?” He continued with growing hope in his soul.

“I can certainly try, Little light.” Erratum offered truthfully in response.

The skeleton squinted a bit as he finally stood from the floor. “Why are you calling me that? Not that I’m bothered by it or anything!” He quickly reassured with a nervous tug at his handkerchief, to which Erratum just gave a fond smile. “I’m just curious? I guess?”

Erratum could understand his confusion but even now, they still had no name to go off on. “It is the name I gave your words. The voice of your prayers.” They explained, hoping that somehow made sense. “I do not know every person’s name in this multiverse. That would be a lot to keep track of.”

“Oh! Of course, where are my manners?” The skeleton gasped as he realized he hadn’t even introduced himself. What kind of host was he to not introduce himself to his guest?? “I’m Sans!” He beamed brightly.

Erratum gave another frown at this, having already deduced that. “Yes, well,” They sighed as they stood.

“Wowzer…” Sans muttered as they stood fully before him.

“There are many named Sans in this multiverse. I can’t call all of you by that.”

“Oh! Of course, duh! For distinguishing between realities, I go by Blue!” Blue quickly amended with a confident thumbs up.

Interesting, so this Sans was aware and potentially interacting with other realities? Seems like something the creator must be involved in. They weren’t here to probe into Blue’s knowledge of the creator, however. “You say you want to be a better brother.” They refocused, but paused as Blue gasped and got to his feet.

“Wait! I-I wasn’t prepared for someone to answer me tonight, I don’t have an offering!” He frantically began flitting about the room in search of something. Erratum seemed confused by this as they had never been revered so heavily.

“That is unnecessary. I do not require compensation for-"

"No, no, no! It isn’t payment for that, it’s an offering. You’re my god, offerings are important, especially when they answer you!” Blue insisted vehemently at the other's dismissal of the act. Blue quickly threw his door open, taking the stairs two at a time to reach the living room. Erratum followed at a much slower pace as they observed the strange behaviour the other exhibited.

“I know I have-! AHA!” Blue grinned triumphantly as he pressed down onto the couch cushion and heard a small clinking sound. He quickly dug through the couch before pulling out several golden coins he had rescued from its clutches. He quickly darted back over to Erratum, holding his hands out with a satisfied expression on his face.

Erratum had absolutely no use for gold. They didn’t use currency, didn’t buy anything, they didn’t even eat most of the time. They were a monster of very little maintenance, so gold would be better suited to someone else. They chose not to voice this, however, as they could clearly see this was a ritual that the skeleton found great importance in. They moved their hand to collect the coins from him, tucking them away securely within their robe. “Thank you, Little light. Your kindness and generosity know no bounds.” The smaller monster seemed quite satisfied with this.

“Mweh, it’s the right thing to do! Um…” Blue frowned a moment as he looked the god up and down a moment. “What… what exactly do I call you? Sorry I didn’t even ask before!” He realized with mortification.

“Erratum.”

“Erratum? Hmm… not what I was expecting. Oh!” Blue grinned as he came upon an idea. “What if I call you Errata? Same thing, but it sounds way more godlike!”

Errata? It was true, it was basically the same thing. It was simply the plural of erratum, and this was the second time someone had commented on their “not-so-godly” name. Picking a name wasn’t easy when you have nothing to go off! “I suppose that is fine.” They conceded after a moment of consideration. Blue beamed brightly at this and nodded once in agreement.

“Now, tell me more about what troubles you.”

Blue deflated a small bit as they flopped back on the sofa and hung their head. “As you probably already know, Papyrus is my only family. The only one I know of, at least, or remember. We were always really close and, and we never hid things from each other! Recently, though… well, maybe not too recently, it’s been more of a gradual process, he’s been changing. I don’t know what it is but… he’s pulled away from me. He makes fewer jokes and doesn’t spend much time at home anymore. I don’t think he knows I’m aware, but he has nightmares. Loud nightmares. He screams and thrashes, sometimes his magic goes crazy.” He picked at the threading of the cushion under him, looking troubled. “I want him to be able to come to me and confide in me! I may not look like it, but I’m the big brother! I’m supposed to be there for him like I was when we were younger!” He finally stopped to take a breath after pouring his soul out. “So… I want to be the brother he needs right now.”

Erratum pitied the young monster as they knew exactly what was wrong with his brother. “Are you aware of what a reset is?” They posed the question rather than reassuring the upset monster. Blue blinked as he looked back up at Erratum curiously.

“Well, yeah. When I first started communicating with other universes and formed the Star Sans, a lot of different versions of me explained them. I don’t remember any myself, but I’m aware that it happens in my world too. It’s… kind of scary, knowing you’ve probably already lived this day before and are destined to do the same thing again.” Blue admitted with a slight shudder.

“It would be difficult, then, to be able to remember all of it and have no control. To be unable to stop it.”

“That’s what the others say.”

“So you must understand how your brother feels, in a sense,”

Blue seemed to freeze at this statement. How Papyrus feels? That didn’t make any sense; all the people who remembered resets were Sanses! “Papyrus wouldn’t remember any of those things, he’s not a Sans!” He voiced. Erratum didn’t seem put off by this, and that brought anxiety to Blue’s soul.

“You are familiar with the original multiverse’s Sans, correct?”

A nod.

“All alternate realities stem from his universe, and thus there are many different iterations of his being. Sans is lazy, he tells lame jokes, he consumes excessive amounts of condiments, and he has an energetic brother. What does that sound like to you?” Erratum posed, standing quietly as they let the other mull this over.

Blue looked down at the floor, eyelights darting about as if searching for the answer to this. What did it sound like? In what way? Lazy, bad jokes, condiments, ugh. It sounded way too much-

Blue looked back at Erratum instantly at that thought. His face reflected the heartbreak in his soul, which in turn caused a pulse of agony within Erratum. “It… it sounds like my brother…” He breathed with horror. “He… he remembers everything. No one else remembers but him… oh stars. Stars…! Poor Papy!” He gasped as he rested his hand over his mouth. Erratum could do nothing but rest their hand on the weeping monster’s skull, allowing him to take it all in.

“Errata,” Blue muttered weakly after he pulled himself together somewhat. “You… you have to help us, please. I can’t see him like this anymore, I don’t want him to suffer.” He grasped tightly at the sleeve of the god’s robe, holding it like a lifeline. “Is there anyway… is there any way you could take those memories? Keep him from remembering all of this?” He questioned with obvious hesitation. Erratum was visibly startled at the request as they had not expected it. The memories of the resets were given by their Protector, Karma. They supposed if anyone could, it would probably be Erratum.

“In theory,” Erratum began, holding up their free hand at Blue’s expression to keep him from interrupting. “However, there is a reason all judges remember these timelines. Karma has given them the job of dealing out proper judgment in their worlds, and remembering what the human tries to erase is part of what helps them judge.” Blue looked disappointed by this, clenching harder onto the sleeve.

“So there has to be someone to remember.” He understood, really he did, but it just didn’t seem fair that his brother got the short end of the stick. Papyrus would do anything for Sans, even through all the suffering. “Then,” Blue spoke again, a new thought entering his mind. “Can you make it me instead?” Erratum was, once again, thrown for a loop at this request. “I know what that means, the implications of that. Having to remember everything.”

“I’m not certain that you do,” Erratum replied as they looked toward the staircase. They could sense the soul above them rousing into an alert state. “I also don’t think your brother would be very pleased with that idea. Taking his memories without consent and burdening yourself instead. Even good intentions can have poor taste.”

“Why do you have to be so wise?”

“When you’ve been alive as long as I have and dwelled with beings far beyond comprehension, you learn a few things.” Blue pouted further at the equally eloquent answer. He was determined to make this work somehow, he just had to keep thinking. This line of thought seemed the most promising so far, he just needed to dig a little deeper. Then, it hit him. The most obvious of answers.

“You can make me remember then? Could you do that? So, we both remember the resets?” Blue questioned, to which Erratum gave a small smile. Their Little light truly had a heart that exceeded him.

“Absolutely not.”

Erratum glanced back at the staircase again, nodding in casual greeting to the lanky skeleton quickly descending the stairs. They quickly sidestepped as Papyrus rapidly approached with a less than pleased expression. “Papy, stop! Errata is a very special guest! Don’t provoke them!” Blue pleaded as the younger brother scowled at the god.

“Special guest,” Papyrus scoffed as he sized up the taller god. “More like a special pain in my ass. You think you can just put these ridiculous ideas into my brother's head?” He demanded as he jabbed his finger against Erratum’s chest.

“Watch your language! You’re embarrassing me in front of my god!” Blue cried out with mortification as he pulled at his brother’s hoodie.

Erratum quietly stared down the enraged brother with a neutral expression. They moved their hand very slowly to the wrist connected to the hand jabbing them and snatched it. “Do not, if you value that hand. Just as you wouldn’t want to be touched without consent, neither do I.” They spoke in an even voice as they redirected the hand back to the skeleton’s side. They took that time to back up a significant amount to keep a safe distance from the two.

“Don’t feed this creep’s weird god-complex! They’re probably just trying to prey on you!” Papyrus spoke in exasperation. “They could have killed you, Sans! They’re spouting nonsense about resets and making you remember, which is bullshit, might I add.”

“This wouldn’t even be an issue if you had just talked to me!” Blue shouted back with rising frustration. “I try so hard to be there for you, but you treat me like I’m some child! I am the older sibling, darn it, and I know a lot more than you seem to think I do! I’m not oblivious and I’ve seen way more realities than you have. So for once in your life can you stop being so resistant and let me in!”

The silence that followed was uncomfortable, even for Erratum. Papyrus refused to meet Blue’s eyes as he shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets. “You wouldn’t get it… you couldn’t understand.” He muttered.

“But that’s why I want to do this! So I can understand! So you have someone who you can relate to, who you can confide in! You can’t do this alone, not anymore. I will not allow it!” Blue responded firmly to this dejection. “There is absolutely nothing in this world or any other world that can make me change my mind!” He declared. Papyrus gave a weak chuckle at this and leaned against the arm of the couch.

“Yeah… I know. You were always like that.”

Blue’s tense posture relaxed a bit, seeing the other wasn’t going to continue fighting with him. “I know, and I’m sorry that you don’t like this, but I don’t like that you have to do this either! So we’re just going to have to do this together!” He flopped down beside his brother and crossed his arms firmly. “Together!” He emphasized once more.

“Together…” Papyrus relented with a heavy sigh. “So,” He glanced up at Erratum who still stood quietly at a distance. “Can you really do all that you say you can?” He questioned, ignoring the hard elbow to the ribs from his brother.

“I haven’t had the time to even agree to this. But yes, I believe I can.” Erratum spoke as they divided reality with their strings. Blue watched with pure fascination while Papyrus just stared in disbelief at the act. “This should be a fairly simple process, but I have to warn you. If you do this, I am uncertain if I will be able to undo it.” They advised with a glance to the duo. Seeing the determination still etched onto Blue’s face, Erratum smiled and looked back to the “code” of this world. “I understand. If you could both, please come closer.” They insisted, to which the two rose from the couch and approached. “This is an odd request, but I require your soul.” They spoke as they met Papyrus’s eyes.

“Yeaaaah, I really don’t know about that.”

“I understand your hesitation, but the gift Karma gave the judges is in you, and I need that in order to replicate it.” Erratum explained with their hand raised. “May I? It will not hurt.”

Probably.

Papyrus seemed extremely uneasy, glancing down at Blue who gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up in encouragement. “Be easy, kay? I’d like to get it back in one piece.” He half-joked. Erratum nodded as golden threads wisped from their hands and seemed to pierce straight through the skeleton’s sternum. Papyrus froze at the sensation. It wasn’t a painful one, but it sure made him uneasy to see it. As the threads wrapped around his soul, he was stricken with a feeling of warmth. It was like his being had been wrapped in a towel fresh out of the dryer, warm and comforting.

Erratum withdrew the soul from the other and allowed it to hover close, still encased in their strings. They remained vigilant and hyperaware of every move they made with the fragile source, small beads of sweat on the sides of their skull. “Just need to plug this into here…” They muttered as the strings around the soul extended further and sunk into the open rift. “Perfect. Now let’s see if I can…” They muttered, closing their eyes and attempting to focus on finding the familiar aura. After a few moments, they could sense the familiar magic of Karma. “There you are,” They muttered as they shot another set of strings from their other hand to Blue. The skeleton squeaked as his soul was also retrieved.

“Not to be ungrateful, but maybe a little warning next time!” Blue requested as he watched his own soul float away. Even as unsettling as it was, Blue couldn’t help but admit it was a nice feeling, like a big hug to the core of his being. He knew he was safe there.

“Sorry, I should have said something.” Erratum agreed with a small wince of sympathy. They turned back to the open rift as the strings from Blue’s soul snaked into it as well. They glanced up one last time, searching their faces for any hesitation. Well, from Blue at least. The other still stood firm, so they returned to their task. They simply needed to thread a single string between their souls to finish the transfer of information. It was set up much like completing a circuit, which in a way Erratum supposed it was. “You may feel a slight tingling sensation in your atoms.” They remarked before running a length of thread between the souls and completing the circuit from rift to both souls.

A tingle didn’t even begin to describe it.

Blue felt as though his entire chest would cave in from the heaviness. It was like ten blue attacks pushing down on his soul all at once. Papyrus seemed mostly unaffected but alarmed at his brother’s distress. It made sense; Erratum wasn’t actively changing the makeup of his being. It only lasted a handful of seconds, but it felt like an hour before it ceased. Blue gasped out for air as his soul returned to his chest, sinking down onto his knees. Papyrus quickly crouched beside him to fuss and check him over. “I’m fine, I’m fine…” Blue assured as he batted the other’s hands away.

“I’ve never done that before, so my apologies if it was uncomfortable.”

“You’ve never done it before?!” Papyrus squawked with indignation. “So, you decided we’d be your test trial??” To which Erratum tilted their head.

“No one has ever asked for such a complex thing. I asked several times if you wished to back out.”

“Yeah, but you never mentioned you’d never done this before!” Papyrus reemphasized with distress.

“It doesn’t matter! We’re fine! I’m fine!” Blue reminded him as he got back to his feet. “So… did it work?” He questioned excitedly. Erratum just nodded in response, to which Blue grinned and moved to hug his brother. “Good! Now you don’t have to keep doing this alone! Next time it happens, we can be together, and I can help you!” He promised him.

“Heh… not sure I’ll really want to talk about it, but I appreciate the gesture. It would be nice just to have someone there that gets it…” Papyrus sighed as he rubbed the top of Blue’s skull. “Guess that’s that then.”

Erratum smiled to themself as they closed the rift back up again. While they weren’t exactly sure how this would affect this reality, they were certain it wouldn’t cause massive disruption. Their Little light was happy, and really that was all they cared about.

Their musings were interrupted by a piercing series of shrieks in their mind. So intense, it momentarily knocked them to the ground.

“Errata!” Blue cried as he rushed to their side and knelt beside them. “Are you okay? Did the process hurt you?” Erratum shook their head as a hand came to press tightly to their forehead.

These were screams of fear, of pain. Prayers of desperation that were snuffed out mid-thought by some force. They fought to shove them down in order to get a better grasp on what was happening through all the chaos and noise. This was beyond the normal prayers for safety from a genocidal human.

“I have to go. Someone needs me.”

“I understand, you’re a very busy god! Thank you for all that you’ve done.” Blue helped the other to their feet before stepping back. “I hope to see you again sometime soon!” He called as Erratum disappeared quickly through another rift. He jolted as his phone vibrated soon after, frowning as he moved to answer it.

“Hello? Ink?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outertale was usually a pretty peaceful place. Expansive galaxy, endless stars, the works.

So why exactly did everything descend into chaos so fast? The Sans of that universe couldn’t figure it out as he ran from his doppelganger.

Everything had started off normally, but then the crazed hooded skeleton seemed to drop from the sky and begin a homicidal spree. Sans was quite aware of the gang of darker Sanses that prowled the multiverse, and he knew damn well who this skeleton was.

He was (unaffectionate-ly) referred to as Dust. The unhinged monster from Dusttale.

His universe just had to be the unlucky one to be targeted by his insatiable desire for EXP and power. There was absolutely no way he could take down this guy, but he wasn’t sure if he could hold out until the Star Sans group got here. He was out of places to go as he stood mere feet away from a sharp cliff that plunged into the abyss below.

“Shit,” He swore as he whipped around to face the bloodthirsty (dust-thirsty?) grin of his assailant.

“Cornered already? Too bad, I was enjoying the hunt. It’s more fun when they run.” Dust grinned viciously at the fear in his face. “That’s okay, I’ll make this quick for ya. Sans to Sans, ya know? I’m doing you a favour.” He chuckled darkly as he gripped tightly onto a sharpened bone. Before he could even think to step closer, however, he was met with a sudden tear between them. This looked nothing like his boss’s portals, and it definitely wasn’t any of the pathetic Stars, so who could it be?

Their interest peaked even further as a tall, blackened-boned skeleton stepped through the tear before it knitted back together. Now this looked like a piece of prey he could find satisfaction in killing. “Come to join the fun?”

Erratum sharpened their glare as they focused on the offender. “You do not belong to this world.” They never took their eyes off of him in the chances that he lunged. “Leave, or I will remove you myself.”

“Oooh, is that a threat? I don’t think you know what you’re up against.” Dust snickered as more jagged bones materialized around him, eye burning with magic. Erratum withdrew their arms from their robe and moved them in an intricate pattern. A rope wrapped tightly around one arm, a shining silver weight attached to the other end. The rope dart sat perfectly poised against their arm, like a cobra ready to strike.

“I don’t think you do either,”

And just like that, it was on.

Chapter Text

Erratum wasn’t foolish enough to make the first move. They remained perfectly posed in waiting, knowing the other's frenzied bloodlust wouldn’t allow them to stay still for long. Just as they predicted, the other took the bait and launched himself forward with a wicked grin. Erratum quickly swung the rope in a circle, gaining up momentum until they were able to launch it forward with the force of a striking serpent. Dust was forced to lurch himself to the side, snarling a bit at the attempt. Erratum didn’t hesitate to swiftly pull back on the rope at an angle, catching the other by the scapula as it retracted back to the god. Dust was knocked off-center and briefly fell to his knees at the dull ache of the blunt metal colliding with and then scraping across the bone. Erratum stepped back and turned their body as the heavy metal dart returned, moving fluidly to arch the weapon around again to prevent it from colliding into their own body.

“Fancy tricks you got,” Dust growled as he was quickly back up on his feet and armed again. “Fine, we don’t gotta do close combat. I hope you can make peace with whatever god you have.” He grinned as rows of sharp bones circled around him. “Cause I’m gonna send you straight to ‘em, express shipping.”

Erratum was unmoved by this threat as they watched the spiral of magic coiling around the hostile monster. ”I have already made peace with myself centuries ago.” They replied, minimally engaging in the banter the other seemed to want. This seemed to successfully provoke the monster as he snarled once more and sent a flurry of attacks with a swipe of his hand. Erratum was quick to dodge the oncoming wave, securing the rope dart around their arm so they could freely use their hands. Their hand came up to their face, covering one eye and dragging it down. They pulled their hand away, golden threads of magic following and twinning around their fingers. They quickly threw their hand out and sent the strings forward to attempt to ensnare their assailant.

Dust quickly jumped out of the way of the strings, but in doing so lost concentration of his magic. The sharp projectiles came to a halt as he focused on the strange threads of magic. The strings didn’t seem to dissipate or fall limp, however, as they still seemed to flow and pulsate in mid-air. The strings seemed to turn abruptly, catching the aggressive monster by the arm, and tightening their hold. Dust gave an enraged shout as he gripped the sharpened bone in his hand and brought it forward to slice the threads away. The magic barely even budged, refusing to be cut away. “What is this?!” He demanded as he yanked and thrashed his arm like an animal with its leg caught in a snare.

Erratum didn’t bother with a reply as they pulled them forward with their strings. Dust hissed as he was dragged across the rocky ground, heels digging into the rocks to resist. Erratum easily overcame the resistance as they pulled the monster up, more strings wrapping around his middle as he hung midair. With the same fierceness as they threw their dart, they threw their entire body into the swing of their arm. Obeying the command, the strings harshly swung down and slammed Dust into the terrain below. He gave an audible pained shout as his spine met the ground, momentarily writhing. He grasped around a moment and attempted to get his magic to comply after the shock dissipated. He finally gripped onto a newly formed bone, quickly sending it careening toward his captor. Erratum was forced to release him to dodge, allowing Dust to scramble to his feet and roll his neck. “Now you’re just starting to piss me off.” He drawled, finally understanding this wouldn’t just be a simple kill. “I don’t know who you are, but I’ll be damned if you get in my way!” He shouted as he launched himself forward again.

Erratum allowed him to charge as they unwrapped their rope dart from their arm again. He was too close to attempt to pierce him, so they had to improvise. They swung low this time, able to wrap the rope around the other’s ankle. With a hard yank, Dust was once more on the ground. “I’m gonna shove that thing so far up your-“ Erratum took this distraction to quickly round the monster as he pushed himself up to his knees. They took the remaining length of the rope in either hand and brought it around Dust’s front to his cervical spine. Dust gave a strained sound as Erratum pulled back tight on the rope, effectively choking him out as he struggled.

Meanwhile, the Sans of this universe was left to marvel at the sight. Seemingly out of nowhere, this dark skeleton dropped from the sky and began to attack. Well, they didn’t really attack the crazed killer, but they definitely were not holding back now. Sans was perplexed because this was not just a chance encounter of a monster stumbling across a scene and picking a fight. When the other had come into his world, it was like they had known what was happening. Like they had expected this outcome. They were actively defending Sans and, in turn, his universe and he didn’t know why.

Dust managed to pull a knife from his jacket pocket and wildly thrust it behind himself. He couldn’t see the skeleton, but he was sure with enough frenzied swipes he’d get them. Erratum hissed as the tip nicked their left zygomatic arch, causing them to pull away from the violent swipes and allowing Dust to gasp as the tight grip left his throat. He launched back at the skeleton now with frenzied swings of his knife, losing any grace of the battle in a desperate attempt to just end this monster. Erratum ducked and dodged as it swung and stabbed, feeling a trace of sweat on their brow. They needed to get him at a distance to regain an advantage in this fight. They jerked further back as a burst of magic seemed to crash between them, forcing them apart to avoid the splash of magic.

“Hey bud, didn’t forget I was here, did ya?” Sans called out as he stood a fair distance away from the scuffle.

Erratum was less than thrilled to see the monster getting involved in this fight. They knew there was no convincing him to stand down now that he already intervened, however. They just hoped this didn’t make things more difficult.

“Yeah, you’re real tough when you’ve got your pal here, aren’t ya?” Dust mocked as he stepped back, momentarily disengaging and allowing Erratum to fall back closer to Sans.

”Your assistance isn’t required. You’d be better off leaving until we’re finished.” Erratum addressed him, though their eyes remained on Dust the entire time. He seemed to be eyeing them up, mouth moving as though he were speaking to someone beside him.

"Nah, I’ve already gotten this far.” Sans shrugged back casually, as though it were more a hassle than an actual threat on his life. “Plus, this freak’s messing with my home. I think I deserve to get a few hits in.”

Erratum glanced briefly at this Sans, mentally dubbing him “Outer” in an extremely unoriginal nickname. Calling every Sans they meet “Sans” was becoming a headache. They didn’t protest as Outer cracked his knuckles before allowing his magic to spark back to life. A swirl of seven motes seemed to alight around his head, star-like in nature. Outer kept his eyes sharp as he followed Dust’s every little movement. The motes cast a large radius of light around the area, and Erratum would almost say it was pretty if they weren’t fighting for their lives.

“Can’t let you destroy this world, bud. But, for all your efforts, here,” Outer grinned as he lifted his hands threateningly. “Have a constellation prize.” Two of the orbiting motes lurched forward at this, on a straight trajectory for the monster. Dust attempted to move out of the way, but the first mote collided with the ground and the terrain simply exploded. Dust was unable to take the brunt of the rocky shrapnel and dodge the next mote at the same time. The second star collided directly with him and tore a piercing scream from the monster. Erratum was temporarily blinded by the sheer radiant explosion that followed, lifting one arm up to shield their eyes until it had died down.

”How much magic does that take?” Erratum questioned as they turned their head a moment to look at Outer once their vision returned. By the looks of him, it was no small feat.

“A lot,” Outer wheezed a moment with drops of sweat rolling down his skull. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll live.” He insisted. “Hopefully,”

Erratum didn’t get a chance to respond as Dust rushed through the cloud of smoke and dirt left behind from the blast. Outer was quick to teleport out of the way, seeing that the monster charging for him. Another mote discharged in retaliation, this one rupturing the ground as it exploded. Dust cursed as he backed up, the rock crumbling away at the edge of the cliff. Erratum became hyperaware as the ground broke away under him, leaving Dust freefalling down into the abyss. Erratum acted instantaneously on instinct as they half threw themselves over the ledge, barely keeping from falling off right after him. They shot out their golden strings and barely managed to snag their wrist in their grasp. Erratum grunted as they pulled themselves to their feet, hoisting the battered and aggressive monster up out of the abyss.

“What are you doing?!” Outer shouted as Dust was splayed onto the ground, heaving weak breaths as he did. “Have you forgotten the last twenty minutes of him trying to kill us??”

”Does that mean we should be the same?”

“Oh, don’t give me that bullshit! Don’t take the moral high ground, he’s a murderer!” Outer seethed at the god’s show of mercy. “It would’ve been one less problem in the multiverse!”

Erratum frowned as they looked to Outer with disappointment. They didn’t blame their anger and want for vengeance, but they also knew he didn’t know Dust’s entire story. How Dust was made to be this. ”I don’t decide who gets to die.” They simply left it at that despite the other's obvious outrage.

“You could’ve let me die.” Erratum glanced back to Dust as he managed to push himself up to his hands and knees. “Woulda been so easy. I would’ve let you fall. I woulda laughed about it.” Dust continued as he sat back on his haunches. The god approached the downed monster as he continued to speak to them. “Your friend ‘s right though, when you take the moral high ground…”

Dust turned sharply as Erratum ventured close enough, slicing his knife up and tearing through the fabric of their robe’s sleeve. “You always lose!” He laughed at the spill of marrow over his blade as the distal part of their radius and ulna were lacerated. Erratum cringed and clenched their teeth as they retreated, clutching their arm as it bled. They stared down at the torn sleeve of their robe, the fabric that Karma had swaddled them in when their world was destroyed. Erratum’s normal wave of cool emotions burned into an unfamiliar flame of anger as they looked back up. Dust was already in the air, however, both hands clutching his knife as he aimed to drive it down in the god’s skull. Erratum had no time to counter, throwing their hands up in a defensive crossed position above their head.

The sting of the knife never came.

Erratum looked up from where they protected their head with their arms. In front of them was a wall of blue, just transparent enough to see through. Dust’s knife was digging into the field of magic, but it would not budge under his attack. Erratum had no idea what was happening or how they were doing this, but they were grateful, nonetheless. The wall reminded them of the “coding screens” they would see when they searched through the fabric of worlds. It almost reminded them of a firewall; blocking out what they did not want to come through. More and more, Erratum was realizing the multiverse really was like a giant network.

Dust was forced back by the shockwave of magic that came from colliding with the wall, huffing as he stumbled back a few steps. “You’re a tough piece of shit, I’ll give you that. Why are you defending this crappy floating rock of a world? With that kind of power, you could do anything. You could have this multiverse wrapped around your finger like your stupid strings.” He grinned as Erratum forced the wall down after a moment of trying. “You could join us, ya know? I’m sure the boss would love ya.”

Erratum didn’t dignify this with an answer, or even an outward response. They were tired of this battle, and they were tired of this monster. They needed to end this.

Golden strings appeared once more within their hands as they launched them forward. If they could get a hold of their soul, they could force him to yield. They didn’t want it to have to come to that, but this is where they were now. Dust jerked away, however, and made another dive for the darker skeleton. Erratum yanked their hand reflexively as strings shot out of the fingertips of their damaged arm. These far missed their mark, piercing straight through the frontal bone of the monster. Dust seized up as his body went ramrod straight while Erratum stared with disbelief at where they were connected. There was no wound, no sign of breakage. It was like when they passed through Blue’s chest to their soul, but this felt different.

They could hear voices, sounds, screams. Echoes of the past within their mind drowning out the calm ocean of whispering voices. Erratum squeezed their eyes shut at the sensation, immediately being flooded with flashing imagery as well. Piles of dust, monsters fleeing, children screaming. They saw it as though they were the one doing it all. There was a distinct lingering image of a child, they recognized them as Chara, under them as a sharp bone was impaled into their chest.

Over, and over, and over, and over again.

Erratum forced their eyes open after this, hands trembling at the searing pain that was stabbing through their skull. Dust was on the ground at this point, muttering nonsense between wails and partially seizing on the ground. Erratum managed to finally sever the connection, Dust going still on the ground as Erratum leaned against Outer a moment as he ran to their aid. After a moment of catching their breath, they managed to support their own weight again, thanking Outer quietly.

”Leave. You can tell your boss I send him my regards if he continues to attempt to tip the balance. I will be a roadblock in your way at every turn from now on. This is the only warning I will give you; if any of you come into these worlds again to corrupt them, I will take you down.” Erratum promised with a sharp glare down at the wheezing monster. To his credit, Dust chose not to say anything and simply fell through a dark portal that formed beneath him.

And just like that, it was quiet.

Outer panted as the motes dissipated, leaning down as his hands rested on his knees. “Jeeze… you practice that dramatic monologue?” He joked with a huff of a laugh. Erratum turned to him and rested their hand on his head gently. Outer frowned as he stood up straight again, the hand moving with him. “Hey… you’re bleeding a bit, you know that?”

Erratum frowned as they followed their eyes to the cut in their robe. Their bones and hand on that arm were stained with marrow. ”This is going to be a pain to fix.” They sighed as they swiped their thumb over the cut on their face. ”Your world should stabilize soon enough. After that, the world should force a reset to fix this… mess.” They glanced around at the various craters and rubble lining the ground.

“Right, yeah okay… that’d be nice.” Outer sighed as he straightened up and brushed his coat off. “By the way, who are you anyway? Never seen you around here or at the council before.” He questioned curiously.

Council? Interesting.

”Erratum. I’ve recently received the name Errata as well, however, because it is ‘godlier’.” Erratum still didn’t know what was wrong with their name, but far be it from them to stifle their Little light’s creativity.

“Godlier? Okay…” Outer didn’t bother to question this as he shoved his hands back into his coat pockets. “Well, I’m glad you came at least. The Stars are kind of late to the party at this point.” He sighed with a shrug. “You could stick around and explain all that to Blue, Ink, and Dream though.”

”Yeah, I have to go.” Erratum immediately replied as they tore a rift into reality. There was zero chance they were going to stick around for the creator to pop in. ”If you ever do need me, just send a prayer. I’ll hear it.” Outer didn’t have a chance to question them before they were through the portal and gone.

“What the hell just happened?” Outer questioned the air around him, turning around a few times to check his surroundings. “That really happened, right? All of that was real, right?”

“Who are you talking to?”

Outer whipped back around to see three vibrant skeletons making their way to the decimated clearing. Dream gripped tightly onto his staff as he observed the destruction. “I think we’re a little late…” He spoke with a touch of embarrassment.

“Yeah, we would have been here sooner, but someone kept going on about this crazy skeleton they were talking to.” Ink laughed while Blue pouted up at him. “Anyway, did you take care of Dust then?”

“Well… kind of?” Outer frowned as he tried to find a way to explain what happened. “Honestly, I was about to die, got trapped out here by myself. Then out of nowhere, there was just this skeleton. Black bones, gold strings, real strange…”

“Errata was here?!” Blue gasped, while Ink’s eyes began to shift shapes rapidly at this. “I told you they were real! That’s where they rushed off to so quick!” He beamed brightly.

“Yeah, that was their name. You know them? I’ve never seen them around before.”

Blue nodded enthusiastically in response to this. “Yeah! They’re my god! They come when they hear you ask for help!” Outer seemed a little skeptical of this, but he did recall how the other claimed their other name was ‘godlier’, as they put it.

“Well, whoever they are, I’m glad they were here to help!” Dream cut in as he dismissed his staff. “Sorry we didn’t get here in time, but we’ll do better next time!” He promised. Ink rolled his eyes a bit at this and waved them off.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go then! I can get back to those blueprints I was making for my AU!” Ink grinned as he quickly vanished through a puddle of ink.

Dream sighed as he turned back to Outer with a pleading expression. “I’m sorry about him. You know he’s a little spastic and… airheaded.” He wrung his hands together as he spoke, gloves making small sounds under the friction.

“Heh, yeah I know. He’s doin’ his best.” Outer assured with a wave of his hand. “Thanks for droppin’ by, but things are gonna be okay now. I’ll see you all later, okay?” He dismissed them. Dream gave a friendly wave back as he started to walk back out of the clearing. “Blue, you coming?” He called back.

“One second!” Blue replied as he hurried to Outer a moment. “So, they fought right? Was it cool? Was it super epic?” He half demanded with excitement. Outer gave a nervous laugh at the other's insistence but nodded after a moment.

“Yeah, it was actually really impressive. They talk kind of funny though…”

“They’re just trying to sound all-wise.” Blue laughed a bit before steeling himself a moment. “Say… did they do the head thing to you?” He questioned. Outer gave him an odd look at this, to which Blue sighed. “You know! The… putting their hand on your head?”

“Oh! Yeah, yeah they did.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dust grunted as he leaned against the doorframe to the grand hall, arm wrapped defensively around his ribs as he caught his breath. He swore consistently under his breath, mentally berating himself for being beaten by an Outertale Sans and his mysterious little friend. If he thought he was in pain now, it was nothing compared to what was coming.

“Boss wants to see you.”

Dust looked up to see his smirking comrade hover beside him with a cruel grin. “Aaaand he doesn’t sound too excited by your failure.” He taunted further.

“Shut up, Killer.” Dust growled as he shoved past the snickering skeleton rudely and limped down the hall. He paused in front of the dark oak doors before him, sighing anxiously as he hesitated. “This is gonna suck…” He muttered before pushing the large doors open. He kept his head down, watching the floor as he approached the occupied throne.

He knew better than to look him in the eye after screwing up so royally.

Dust dropped to his knees at the foot of the throne as he reached it, not having enough strength to stay on just one knee. “You wanted to see me…?” He questioned hesitantly. Silence followed for a long time, only serving to make Dust’s fear and anxiety heighten. The other probably did that on purpose, gorging himself on the negativity.

“It has come to my attention that not only have you failed a rather simple task I sent you on, but you also managed to, how did Killer say it, ‘get your ass thoroughly whooped’. Is that correct?”

Dust gritted his teeth as he kept his head bowed and silently seethed. “…Yes, my king.” He barely had any time to react as a cold appendage wrapped around his neck and hoisted him into the air. Dust choked a moment as his hands gripped onto the offending appendage, finally meeting the eye of the monster.

“How am I to expand my territory if my team is useless? If you can’t even cause misery to a single world, then what use do I have for you?” Nightmare growled as he stood from his throne and pulled his minion down closer to eye level. “What excuse do you have that you think will make me spare your life?” He demanded.

“There was someone else!” Dust choked out as he clawed at the tarlike substance around his throat. “Came out of thin air! Looked like no one I’ve ever seen!” He gasped as he was released, coughing harshly as he laid prone at Nightmare’s feet.

The tendrils retreated behind their master, twisting, and flicking irritably. Nightmare glowered his single eye down at Dust. “Explain.” He demanded before settling back into his throne. “Before I change my mind.”

Dust quickly got back onto his knees, looking up at him this time as he recounted his tale to him. “It was another skeleton…they had black bones and gold around their eyes. They could make these tough as shit golden strings that wouldn’t cut. Threw me around real good… then I slipped off the edge of Outertale. But for some reason, they caught me and brought me back up. What an idiot,” Dust sneered at the memory, slightly humiliated at the idea. “Then…” He trailed off, breath hitching as he recalled the sharp stab of the strings in his mind, living through his worst memories.

“Then?” Nightmare pressed on; attention thoroughly caught. “Your fear, while delicious, demands an explanation. Only I should invoke such visceral terror.”

Dust really didn’t want to talk about it, but he knew Nightmare cared very little about what he felt. “Those strings just… went straight through my skull. They got in my head… it was so painful. It pulled me back into my world, back into my memories. I… I was there again, killing everyone. I could feel their dust, hear their screams…” He muttered borderline hysteric at this point. Nightmare ignored his mental state in favour of mulling this new information over. “They told me to send you their regards… if you kept messing with the multiverse. Said they’re gonna start fighting us off.” He warned him.

Nightmare let out a series of cruel laughs at this, his hand resting on his forehead as he leaned back into his throne. The insane sound echoed around the spacious room as he pulled himself back together. A single tendril came up to wipe an imaginary tear from his eye as he sighed. “Is that so?” He chuckled as he steepled his hands together. “Then I look forward to our imminent meeting.”

Chapter Text

Trying to force the multiverse to bend to their will was significantly tougher than Erratum had originally thought it would be.

By no means did they expect it to be a simple task, but the extent of what they could do was what made it difficult. There were so many commands and secrets they had to figure out through sheer trial and error. After the incident in Outertale, they had spent some time in their mind meditating and contemplating on the universe. They came to understand that the multiverse wasn’t truly like a machine or network like they had assumed, but it merely presented itself that way to them. The multiverse was so complex that it was impossible to comprehend, so it transferred its complex rules and language into a form they could understand. Thus, this plane became very much a large network to Erratum with various commands, configurations, and blueprints. It was a thrilling revelation as it allowed them to narrow their actions and power down to a more specific art. No longer did they have to delve into the direct code of each universe. They found that they could pull up what they considered their “command window” when needed. It displayed everything they needed to know immediately, such as their location and the current universe, as well as at the ready for command inputs. It was convenient, but they weren’t sure why they could suddenly do all these things.

Another thing they had been experimenting with was their apparent new magical abilities that had made themselves known. It had taken a few days to perfect calling upon their firewall protection after their initial accidental display. Considering they had made themselves an enemy of some powerful criminals, it would certainly come in handy. After the strings incident as well, Erratum had a sneaking suspicion they could even influence others through direct contact with their souls. They assumed it would be much like hacking into a program or connection, but they didn’t dare attempt it yet. They already knew they could act as an antivirus, but what they wanted to know is if they could manipulate data and create backdoors to them.

For several days, they had been attempting to reach the call of another soul who prayed to them daily. Several times a day, at times. The only issue was every time they tried to open a rift in their universe, they were met with resistance. It was as if the universe was on lockdown, which lead them to believe something had gone awry within it. Erratum had attempted to reach them before with similar results, but now they had new tricks in their arsenal. They currently had their command window open, a series of translucent blue windows that wrapped around them. A few windows popped in and out of existence every now and then as they needed, turning their head a moment to view a screen before turning back to the one in front of them. Creating a backdoor would hopefully allow them to essentially “sneak in” to this universe without being detected. From there, hopefully, they could disable whatever strange power was keeping it locked down.

It took a couple of frustrating hours, but their work finally bore fruit when their empty rift suddenly gave way and allowed them to pass. Erratum breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped through and closed the tear behind them. The universe around them was… entirely void. Erratum looked around in confusion as several blue windows popped around them with various error signs in response. They quickly shooed them away before venturing in further. "I was certain I had the correct location… perhaps I still need to work on this. I would think I’d passed into the void if it weren’t for the severe lack of molecular destruction.” They mused.

As they ventured further, they began to see some colour in the distance. Well, white was still a refreshing colour in this sea of black. They slowed their speed as they grew closer, seeing a monster sitting cross-legged on the ground facing away from them. Erratum recognized the screen in front of the monster as the “save screen”, as it was called. Usually, this was not visible to anyone other than the fallen human, but this seemed to be an exception. They stood a bit away from the monster, not wanting to startle them when they spoke. "You’ve been calling for me.”

The monster swiftly jumped to their feet, whipping around with their arm extended. Erratum noticed the summoned blaster beside the alarmed monster and swiftly pulled their firewall up with a flick of their wrist. The blast of energy collided with the digital wall, which held strong under the assault. The monster jolted back as the blaster faded from existence as quickly as it had manifested. “Who are you? You’re not Sans.” He demanded with suspicion. Erratum compared him to a hungry and frightened animal.

"Not the one you’re expecting I’m sure.” Erratum agreed as they allowed their protective wall to fall. "You were not easy to get to, my Lonely heart. Your universe is… strange.”

“What do you want with me?” The skeleton demanded of the god. Erratum took a moment to observe the monster that was currently threatening them. They look nearly like the original Sans, well, if it weren’t for the giant gaping wound across his chest and pixilation around his eye. It certainly didn’t look comfortable, and combined with this endless void, Erratum was genuinely surprised the other hadn’t lost their mind yet.

"No, this is quite the opposite. It is more what do you want from me?” Erratum emphasized as they moved their hand over a screen that popped up beside them. "These are your prayers, aren’t they?” They questioned as the window slid over to the monster. The wounded skeleton still appeared wary but did look over the presented screen. His face rapidly changed as he read what was on the screen and glanced up at the god.

“Is this a joke? How do you have all of this?” He demanded as the screen vanished. Erratum frowned at the hinted accusation.

"These were the prayers you gave me. It wasn’t easy to get to you, but I can see why that is now. Your world is… a little broken, I would call it.” Erratum frowned down at their screen as they pulled up the layout of this world. "It’s as if your pathway is incomplete… like someone stopped writing the story halfway through.” They continued with faint confusion. They had heard the creator could be quite forgetful, but to leave a world unfinished? Especially when this was the state he left it in? "Geno, is it?” They checked as they read through their information on the screen. It was also convenient to be able to pull up the inhabitants of the universe and learn more about them.

“Broken is putting it lightly.” Geno huffed before freezing in place. “How do you know that? How do you know my name?” He demanded of the darker skeleton before him. “If you really were a god, you would have helped me a long time ago. You would have fixed this… you would have stopped all of this.” He clenched his fists tightly to refrain from attacking again. He only further seethed seeing the pitying expression the other held.

”It was not my intention to ignore you. As I said, you were not possible to reach until now. Stopping the resets and genocides is outside of my control. The Guardians have set this into place and much like the laws of nature, you cannot change that.” Erratum did feel bad, they really did. They couldn’t imagine being subjected to this Fate repeatedly. They would be lying if they said they didn’t hold some resentment toward Fate for the events that had led to the domino effect to where they stood now.

“The Guardians? That’s some myth crap you’re talking about. I’m not buying it.” Geno growled as the other continued to test him. “I suppose you come from a nice cushy surface world. Resets must be easier when you don’t have to wind up buried back under the ground again.”

"I wouldn’t know, I have no universe. While at some point I had belonged somewhere, the being that I am now was not crafted in this multiverse. I reside in a timeless space between realities where The Guardians allowed me to refuge after my creating.” It was a difficult thing to try to explain, and their social skills still weren’t the best. "And The Guardians are very much real. Destiny, Fate, Time, Magic, Hope, Faith…Karma. As a judge, you should be quite familiar with that one. Who do you think blessed you with that power?” They watched the other contemplate this and knew they had at least made a small bit of progress.

“That… still sounds hard to believe. Fine, let’s say you’re telling the truth. Let’s say you’re really a god and you’re really here to help me.” Geno scoffed as he held his arms up and gestured to the landscape around him. “Fix it.” He challenged the other. Erratum hummed a bit as they initiated what they equivalated to a troubleshooter. This was a tricky case as they were no creator by any means. Perhaps with a bit of work they could find ways to manipulate the environment through complex coding. As it was, it seemed the only real difference from the original universe was the possession of determination Geno had. It seemed to keep him stuck in this space instead of returning to his universe when a reset was initiated. Another Sans seemed to have taken his place when the universe attempted to force correct the issue in self-preservation.

"Well, it’s not going to be easy. Your determination is keeping you from slipping back into your universe. Think of your body as a water molecule and your universe as having a phospholipid layer surrounding it and you’re on the tail end of it.”

“The tail end... so the hydrophobic area. It repels me.” Geno frowned at this. “You’re saying I’m screwed?”

"I never said such a thing.” Erratum spoke with clear confusion on their face. “I can attempt to manipulate the code to accept you, but I am uncertain as to what that result would look like…” They answered honestly with their hand over the command hesitantly.

Geno seemed to mull this over in his mind a moment before nodding his head. “I’m willing to try anything at this point.”

Erratum nodded as they ran the ping command. Hopefully, it would show any sort of break in connection that they could manipulate to their need. Things didn’t seem to work out as smoothly as they hoped, however. They pulled their hand back as the ground quaked beneath them, the entire void seeming to flicker and pulsate a moment. Erratum held their hands in front of them as if attempting to placate the universe until it passed. They exhaled in relief as it did, dismissing their console. "This…may not be safe with you here.” Erratum concluded.

Geno was wide-eyed, hands shaking as he looked at the other. “You think so?! What the hell was that??” He demanded of them. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”

"I told you I didn’t know what the result would be. This is a task much larger than anyone has ever asked of me. It might take some creativity and experimenting to find a way to fix it.” Well, the god was at least extremely forthcoming with him. Geno sighed and flopped back onto the ground with his arms crossed.

“Great, guess I’ll be stuck here while you’re figuring it out.”

"I do not mind taking you back to my plane. It is expansive and accommodating.” Geno tensed up at this offer. He wanted to take it, he really, really did, but…

“I can’t leave the save screen… I’m barely hanging on the way it is, ya know?” He laughed bitterly. “The moment I leave, I’ll die. The only thing keeping me alive is the fact time is basically paused here.” He placed a hand gingerly over the seeping wound with a disappointed expression. Erratum tilted their head and crouched in front of him. Geno gave them an annoyed look as their hand came to rest atop his head.

"As I said before, time does not exist in my plane. It is only manipulated by my command.” They really made this offer tempting, but Geno wasn’t so sure about it. He’d do anything to get a break from the endless darkness and loneliness. "You are afraid, I can understand that. I would not offer this to you if I believed it would harm you.”

“Just… what if it’s not the same? What if my body doesn’t agree with where it is and dusts?” He was afraid, and despite how miserable his existence might be, he didn’t want to die. Erratum stood again from the ground and allowed the golden strings to pull back reality for them. Geno quickly got back to his feet as he approached it, fascinated by its existence. "Let your hand pass through it first. Perhaps seeing that the appendage is unharmed will reassure you.” That seemed fair, right? Better his hand disintegrates than his entire body.

Geno steeled his nerves and shakily rose his hand in front of himself. It stopped just shy of the portal, tremors increasing at the mere idea of passing through. He jolted as he felt the god rest their own hand on top of his to steady it. They watched Geno closely as they guided it slowly through the opening before him. Geno clenched his eyes shut as it passed through, waiting for the pain of it dusting.

It never came.

He slowly opened his sockets and marveled at the site. His entire arm was reaching into a different world and there were no adverse effects. He was still in one piece. “I’ll be damned…” He breathed. Erratum gave him a pleased smile as they fully stepped through the portal first. They kept their hand on Geno’s, not pulling him or forcing him along, but offering guidance and leverage if he chose to follow. The wounded monster still felt extreme apprehension, but slowly raised his leg to step through. Once one foot was on the ground, it was a little easier to pull his entire body through. Once again, he tensed up and hunched his shoulders down.

Nothing happened.

He felt as though his breath had been stolen from him as he looked around this new world. It was so colourful, so beautiful. There was grass for miles, trees, flowers… there was a sky. He tilted his head back as he observed it, watching the clouds roll along the vast ceiling. The whole place looked like a botanical zen garden, but nothing interested him more than that sky. “It’s warm…”

Erratum felt their soul clench tightly with shared anguish. They weren’t sure how long the other had been stuck in their situation, but it was long enough to have lasting effects, they were sure. "I find the landscape of nature to be more relaxing than settling in a home. I am the only one that lives here, so I settle for simplicity.”

“This is your idea of simplicity? It’s the most complex thing I’ve ever seen! This entire situation is the most complex thing I’ve ever experienced! And that’s saying something!” Geno stammered in disbelief as he turned to view the monster. Looking at them in the sunlight, and gosh wasn’t that a wonderful statement, he realized how ethereal the other really did appear. Shades of gold and black with a complex symbol engraved into their skull. “What is your name?” He finally asked. The god have him a small upturn of the mouth at his question.

”Errata. Erratum, if you find the casualness more acceptable.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adjusting to having another person around was interesting, to say the least. Not unwelcomed, but definitely a different experience.

Erratum had no experience with roommates or being a host, at least not in this form, so they were winging it at this point. They had thrown out the idea of remaining mostly hands-off in the multiverse and apparently decided to go the opposite direction. Removing a key person from their universe seemed as hands-on as one could get. It was for a good cause of course, but that didn’t mean Erratum was in a rush to speak to The Guardians about it.

The first day was spent observing Geno adjust to his new environment. Seeing him kneel on the grass and touch it with his hands as though it were a visual hallucination brought agony back to Erratum’s soul. They did their best to keep their view on the creator at a strong disdain. Hate would do no good to any party and only led to dark paths. Still, it was difficult to not hold a great deal of resentment for the suffering he put countless worlds through. Erratum elected not to reveal any of this to Geno; he didn’t need to know that his tale was written this tragically intentionally. Erratum had changed it and that was what mattered in the end. Now, they were only having issues attempting to adjust to a mortal in their realm. How did one take care of another living being?

Geno had denied a want for a residence in a home or the construction of anything. He had expressed a desire to stay out in the open where he could remind himself this was real. Erratum could respect that, and so they merely strung their golden threads tightly to fasten a sturdy hammock between a few trees. A couple of pillows and a blanket and it was perfectly inhabitable. Geno seemed happy at least, which in turn made Erratum happy. He also seemed to marvel at the god’s ability to change the environment at will.

"This is my plane of existence. I control when it is light, when it is dark, the growth of the grass, and I can bring it all back to zero if I wish.” This blew the bleeding skeleton’s mind, especially as he saw the speckle of stars Erratum brought forth for him at his timid request.

Erratum wasn’t sure how much time had passed as, again, there was no concept of time here. It was enough time for them to repair their robe at least. The golden strings they produced made for a sturdy stitching material, after all. With one sleeve stitched all the way around in tight X’s, the god had grudgingly sliced the other sleeve off as well for symmetry. Both sleeves were now held on with threads of gold. At least now it looked the same on each side, though they were sure to give Dust a proper thrashing if they crossed paths again.

“Where’d you learn how to sew?”

Erratum glanced up at Geno at the question as he plopped down in front of them. "I’m not certain, I simply know.” They explained with a slight shrug. "Perhaps I have always known how to do it. Perhaps it is a skill I learned before I was taken to this new life.” It didn’t really matter either way, in Erratum’s opinion. They had far larger things to spend their time pondering on.

“You have a strange way of talking.”

"So I’ve been told.” There was no bite to this, in fact, the god smiled faintly. They were aware while not bizarre, their speech pattern and word choices were formal and cryptic at the same time. Hey, they were centuries old and only started speaking to other monsters the last fifty of them. "Does that bother you?”

Geno snorted a bit as they sat forward in a tripod position. Erratum silently wondered if it was to help him breathe easier with the wound pressing into his ribs. “Nah, you should have heard how my bro talked. Strange is good.” He reassured them as he absently picked at the blades of grass. Erratum hummed in response to this, showing that they were still listening. As they looked up, a peculiar sight greeted them and caused them to stop their absent weaving of threads.

Right there, just at the back of his second cervical vertebrae was the symbol of Karma. Erratum would recognize it anywhere. They had never noticed it before, but that might have been because, with the way Geno was leaning forward and looking down, it was much more visible.

Why?

”Would you mind holding still a moment?” They spoke suddenly as they raised their hand to run their fingers over the marking.

“Uh, sure, why do you-?!” Geno locked up a moment at the sudden touch. “Uh?? What are you-?”

Time seemed to slow as the marking reacted to the god’s touch. The engraving filled and gleamed with a golden light, and similarly too did the marking upon Erratum’s frontal bone. Their eye lights vanished from their sockets, or rather, it appeared the entirety of both orbits lit up with white. They felt as though they were thrown from their body into another dimension, untethered and flailing. Looking around, they realized they were back in the dark void of Geno’s world. They could see the damaged monster standing in front of that save screen, speaking with another version of himself.

This was strange on a new level Erratum didn’t think they could reach. Not after the introduction of the voices.

Erratum approached the two monsters curiously, but they didn’t seem to notice. In fact, as Erratum moved their hand, it seemed to pass through them and distort the image a moment. It was as though they were made of smoke. The god frowned in confusion as they listened to the conversation instead. They noticed the way Geno spoke to this Sans; how he attempted to make a deal with him. They could see his intentions and read his thoughts without even truly hearing them. The desperation led him to manipulate his replacement to attempt to kill the Chara of this world. To attempt to stop the cycle of suffering.

Erratum believed they understood what this was all about now. They believed they knew why Geno appeared the way he was.

Erratum blinked a few times as they felt their body again. They realized belatedly that they hadn’t moved from where they had been sitting. They remained behind Geno, hand resting on his neck. Perhaps it was much like when they shifted realities to speak with The Guardians. There was time to linger on that thought later, for now…

“You carry your pain as a way to carry your guilt. Your endless flow of blood, the ever present wound a visible penance of your sins.”

Geno turned around to face Erratum after their hand released him, giving the skeleton a perturbed look. “I’m sorry? Is this another one of your strange ways of talking?” He questioned, eyes darting up briefly as he noticed the mark on their forehead filled with golden magic. “Uh, you’re glowing…”

"You could never get Sans to listen to you. No matter how many times you pulled him into your world and changed your story. You couldn’t stop the killing. You couldn’t stop Chara.” Erratum didn’t need to meet Geno’s eyes to know the other was paying attention. "You hold guilt because of this. Not only this but because of your ultimate goal; to erase your entire world.”

Geno felt as though an icy knife had been shoved straight through the small shard of soul he still had. He couldn’t feel his hands, and he didn’t think he could move even if he wanted to. He was frozen to the spot, exposed for what he truly was. He was foolish to think a god wouldn’t be able to figure it out. “…What are you gonna do to me?” He managed to breathe; the terror was evident in his voice.

Erratum stared at him a moment, able to sense the waves of fear rolling off him. They raised their hand, ignoring the immediate flinch it earned and placed it on the skeleton’s head. "Do you regret it?”

“Regret…?” Geno frowned at the question, not expecting it. “It… it was the only way. There was no other hope. The best way for me to protect everyone from harm was to end it permanently. It might sound dark and cruel but… after so many lifetimes, you get desperate. I just… I wanted it to stop.”

Erratum gave no indication of what they were thinking regarding his answer. Geno furrowed his brow bone a moment as he tried to read the other. He then realized he hadn’t technically answered their question. They were waiting to hear it.

“I…I do. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I didn’t want to become the very thing I set out to destroy…” Geno admitted after a few moments of tense silence. “I thought what I was doing was mercy… maybe I’m just selfish. Maybe I just wanted to stop hurting and disguised it with righteous intentions. Heh, I’m no god, Errata. I can’t fix things like you can.”

Erratum gave a slow nod at this as they seemed to accept this answer. “I believe you, and I don’t believe it was driven entirely out of selfishness. Desperation, yes, but you always thought of your home. At the very least, you thought about your brother.” They managed to place their hand over the back of Geno’s neck again after a moment. "I think you have suffered these consequences long enough.” Sympathy laced their tone as their grip tightened on his cervical spine.

”I free you from your suffering.”

Geno didn’t have time to comprehend everything they were saying before they felt what he could only describe as static across his bones. The chronic burning pain against his chest seemed to recede, easing up until he felt he could fully expand his ribs and breathe. The glitching pixelations rolling across his body eased before vanishing from him entirely. His clothes were still drenched with blood, and a quick pass of his hand over the right side of his skull confirmed its deformed state. But it didn’t hurt. He didn’t ache, and he almost felt whole. As whole as he could with a ninth of a soul, at least.

“Y..you..”

"As long as you are a resident here, you shall want for nothing. You will also not suffer needlessly when your lesson has already been learned.” Erratum cut him off as they held their hand up to stop his inevitable babble of gratitude.

Geno gave a sound of disbelief, almost scoffing at the sheer magnitude. He was at a loss for words as he absently felt along his ribs. They didn’t feel as though they’d crumble away to shards at the slightest movement anymore. “How could I possibly ever repay you? How could I ever do anything even a fraction of the amount you’ve done for me?” He looked back up at Erratum, not even able to muster up any normal annoyance by the slightly amused expression on their face.

”That’s easy,” They assured, watching as Geno leaned in at this with full attention.

”Live for me, Geno.”

Chapter Text

Geno became a slightly different monster after their confrontation with Erratum. The god didn’t view this as a bad thing, rather it seemed to have a positive impact on him. He didn’t spend much of his time alone, sulking and refusing to acknowledge his environment anymore. The skeleton seemed to become more fascinated with everything, in fact, including Erratum. Erratum supposed this was due to his original lack of trust and belief in them originally. He asked a lot of questions, and the god didn’t mind indulging him most of the time. They tried to avoid anything regarding the other’s world, not certain if they were ready to explain that.

Overall, life was peaceful.

Erratum reflected upon that as they delved through the codes of Aftertale, as they had come to learn it as. They occasionally returned here alone to study the base components and makeup of the world to discover a solution for Geno. They had promised to try, and they would be remiss to ignore that. Sanses had something about promises.

Just as Erratum expected, this universe appeared to have a full story completely outlined for it. It appeared as if someone had canceled an execution command, at least that’s how it presented to Erratum’s mind. They attempted to understand the creator’s logic in this decision; were they unhappy with how he originally designed this world? Did he plan to change aspects of the story? Whatever it was, he had left this world in a state of incompletion, and now Erratum was trying to sort out the mess. The god grumbled quietly to themselves, reminding themselves once again not to hold contempt, as they pulled up both Geno and the replacement copy of Sans side by side. Cross-referencing these two, the god found them to be nearly identical. The biggest issue they were stumped on was Geno’s determination. As far as they knew, this wasn’t a property they could simply strip from him either; it was an essential integration of his code. Perhaps the appearance of this replacement Sans is what prompted the creator to pause this story? Maybe they were attempting to find a way to incorporate both of them into this story.

Erratum had a bad habit of making excuses for Ink.

“Other copies in different universes exist with determination properties. There should theoretically be no reason why Geno couldn’t survive within the world. Correct?” The god glanced over at a screen that popped up, which simply gave them a question mark in response. They waved away the unhelpful response from their program. “That was rhetorical. Perhaps if I dig deep enough, I may discover the completed timeline for this story. In the event that I am able to, I could force execute it through admin permissions. I would have to bring Geno back, however, and force them through the events of everything…” It wasn’t ideal, but once it reached a resolution, Erratum could fix the messy bits up again. Perhaps they could even lock the world back down again, perhaps like their own plane existed. This would allow Erratum to come and go as they pleased, as well as anyone Geno allowed them to program in. A part of them hoped the creator would not be on that access list.

Erratum paused as warning signs began to pop all over their screen and in various windows. They glanced up in alarm as the sound of bubbling liquid filled the black space. They quickly closed all their windows and made a hasty retreat. The last way they wanted their first meeting to go was while they were actively pulling apart from one of his precious worlds. Call it a tactical retreat, for now. They breathed a sigh of relief as the portal closed to Geno’s world. Looks like sniffing out that storyline would have to wait until another time. Still, they were onto a good lead, and they finally had some information they could give to Geno. That should put a little hope into the monster.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ink hoped to make this a quick trip into Aftertale. Pop in, talk to Geno about multiverse findings since they couldn’t attend meetings with the council, then pop out. No reason being more late than usual to the council meetings, lest Dream gives him a thorough scolding. Ink hummed contently to himself as he walked along the vast void toward the save screen. Was there a reason this world was still like this? Was he supposed to do something about it? He couldn’t remember if he had always meant for this world to be this way or not. Oh well, he’d check his notes later to see if past Ink had scribbled anything down as a reminder. Ink came to a stop as he visualized the save screen and saw no sign of Geno.

“Geno? Where are you? Hiding from your old pal Ink?” The artist called out cheerfully as he glanced around the vast space. There was nowhere the other could hide from him as this space was rather small and void of any scenery. Gosh, he really needed to consider spicing this place up a bit. While black was better than white, it was far too dull for his liking. Ink attempted to regain control of his thought process as he redirected it to the issue at hand. “All right, this joke isn’t funny Geno. You know I’ve got places to be! Just… come out so I can talk to you!” He called out.

But nobody came.

“This isn’t good…” Ink muttered as he placed a hand against his cheek and frowned. No one else could enter or leave this space except him. Had something gone catastrophically wrong? Did he screw up keeping this area contained? “Oh well! Guess I’ll actually get there on time then!” He grinned as he sunk away in a mess of ink. He popped back up in the meeting hall of their base, grabbing onto Dream’s ankles as he half reformed halfway through his portal. Dream gave a startled yelp as they jerked forward, glowering back at Ink as he laughed and fully rose from his ink.

“I hate it when you do that.” Dream informed him as he crossed his arms and watched the artist hop up to sit on the meeting table. “And I hate it when you don’t use the chairs we provided.”

“You need to loosen up! This is my table, so my butt can sit here if it feels like it.” Ink informed him as he began sketching in his book, only half-listening to his lecture.

“The point is showing you have some respect for the others here.” Dream frowned as Ink rolled his shifting eyelights before returning to drawing. “Did you talk to Geno at least? You’re actually on time for once. That makes me feel like you forgot.” He eyed the other skeptically as he did. Ink frowned as he considered this before looking up again.

“Oh, right! Yeah, no he’s gone.” Ink explained with a shrug of his shoulders. The room fell silent a moment as Dream stared at him with wide eyes.

“And that doesn’t concern you?!”

“What am I supposed to do about it?” Ink questioned him as the other meeting Sanses began to talk amongst themselves in worry. “I’m annoyed he isn’t where he’s supposed to be, but I can’t run across the entire multiverse searching for him. If he managed to get out, he’s probably dead anyway.” He offered with a half shrug. Dream flinched a bit at the callous wording the other chose.

“Don’t say it like that! This is serious! What if Nightmare found a way to breach through your defenses? How long will it be before he’s able to find our world and breach through this one as well?” Dream attempted to drive home the seriousness of the situation, which seemed to work on most everyone else present. “We need to find out what happened to him!”

“I’m open to any ideas you have then. A séance maybe?” Ink suggested sarcastically as the positive spirit slowly began to lose his patience. Blue had stood by throughout the argument, not having the energy to try and break it up. He was still adjusting to active memories of resets, and though he knew it wasn’t going to be easy or pleasant, it was way more intense than he anticipated. “I’m going to see if Errata knows anything about this.” He informed the both of them as he settled on the ground cross-legged. “At least it’s more productive than bickering.”

“You’ve gotten sassier lately.” Ink snorted with amusement. “And how do you plan on doing that just sitting on the floor?” He didn’t receive a response from Blue, who appeared to be deeply concentrating with his eyes closed.

“Errata can hear your prayers.” Ink paused at this, turning his head down the table to the person who spoke up.

“That’s what they told me at least. That’s how they came to defend my world.” Outer explained as he tapped his fingers against the hardwood of the table. “They said if I ever needed help to just send a prayer out and they’d hear it.”

“Riiight… sounds kind of delusional, but okay.” Ink drawled out as he listened to their tale. He glanced over at the original Sans as he cleared his throat, which caught everyone else’s attention. He had a large sway over the group considering he was both the oldest creation and the original idea for the entire multiverse. “You have something to add?” Ink prompted.

“Yeah,” Sans replied as he glanced around the expansive table. “Outer’s right. I assume you’re talking about Erratum, right?” He questioned, to which Outer nodded his head. “My world got stuck in a genocide loop that never reached a resolution. Kept skipping backward and restarting, repeatedly.” He didn’t like thinking about that. He was certain he stood in that hall for weeks that last stretch of time. “I prayed for someone to make it stop, and that’s when they appeared to me.” The table broke out into soft murmurs.

“What did they look like?” Sci questioned, ever curious about the going-ons of the universes.

“Their bones are black, and last time I saw them, they had these golden lines around their eyes. I’ve seen them on their arms as well. It looks like ley lines over their body, and they use these golden strings. Saw them pull the human’s soul clean from their body with them in under five seconds.” Sans explained as he recounted the tale in his mind. “I still see them occasionally in my world doing whatever it is they do. Routine scans and maintenance they call it. Hell if I know what gods do all day.”

“There have been various reports of a darker skeleton sighted in other universes.” Dream commented as he looked to Ink. “I had worried it was Nightmare at first, but no one reported any deaths or destruction. I’m guessing this is the monster everyone had been seeing. I guess if they’re not hurting anyone, then it’s not a big deal?” He didn’t like how Ink’s face was set, however. The other seemed to be growing progressively more irritated.

The debate was halted as a small, strange portal was opened just above Blue’s head. A golden thread descended down and deposited a scrap of paper in front of the monster before it retreat back through the portal, which then promptly closed. Blue beamed proudly as he grabbed the paper and got back to his feet. “I told you they’d have some answers!”

“Okay, well, what does it say?” Dream questioned hesitantly. He was still attempting to wrap his head around the idea that there was some god out there he wasn’t aware of. He hadn’t heard of any full-blown celestial beings being directly in the multiverse, only those told in myths that resided outside of it. The closest this multiverse had were demigods like Ink and Reaper, while himself and his estranged brother were spirit embodiments of emotions. He moved with Ink to peer over Blue’s shoulders, admiring the neat golden script written on the page.

“Little Light- that’s what they call me,” Blue quickly explained before continuing. “I apologize for not personally answering your request. I can sense you are among a large gathering of monsters, and I would rather not be a part of it. Geno is safely within my realm where he will stay for the time being. His world is dysfunctional and lonely-“

“Dysfunctional?!” Ink sputtered in offense, only to be rudely hushed.

“And he pleaded for me to take him away while I looked further into it. You know how to reach me if you require anything further,” The end of the page was inscribed with a fancy “E” in the same golden script. “Well! Guess that’s explained! Errata will keep him safe, trust me. They’ve helped me a lot too!” Blue puffed up proudly as he passed the note down the table for the rest of them to appraise.

“How come no one has bothered to tell me that there has been someone messing around with my worlds?” Ink questioned the group of skeletons present. “Has anyone considered it might be a bad thing for some stranger to manipulate the storylines of your worlds?” He stared directly at the original Sans as he said this.

“Is it only okay when you do it?” Ink turned his eyelights onto Red, the Underfell variant of the group. “I mean, is that what’s got you all pissy? Cause someone else is able to mess around with worlds like you do?” He snickered a bit. “Look at you, you totally are. Your eyes always give away what little you’ve got goin’ on in yer brain.” He gave a series of amused cackles at this, but Dream was quick to intervene.

“That’s enough, quit provoking each other.” He demanded as he gave both a sharp look. “At the end of the day, they aren’t hurting anyone. It sounds like they might even be helping! Outer told us they were the one that drove back Dust when we didn’t get there in time, remember?” Dream reminded the irritated creator.

“Yer asking a lot of him.”

“You hush!” Dream scolded the amused Fell counterpart. Dream took the note as it rounded back to him, handing it over to Blue. The swap monster beamed and carefully tucked it away for safekeeping. “Now, can we please get on with business?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erratum had a distinct feeling that revealing themselves to the large gathering of what they assumed was the council Outer had mentioned would become a problem in the future. Their main worry was catching the interest of the creator, and they certainly did not want to confront him until they had a solid plan. Despite all the “good deeds” they had done these few centuries, the main problem of Ink’s out-of-control creating had yet to cease. Erratum still needed to construct a plan on addressing these issues, without the original solution Fate had in mind.

“You’re back earlier than normal.” Erratum looked up as Geno came into view. The god moved to settle on the grassy terrain with a soft sigh and nodded. “I was interrupted by an unexpected guest.” They explained as Geno sat back on his knees in front of them. "I was unaware you were expecting a visit from the creator.” Erratum watched as the confusion on the other’s face rapidly changed to one of alarm.

“I completely forgot! Is it already that time? Ink usually pops in every now and then to give me an update about the multiverse because I can’t attend the meetings! He’s gonna freak out!” Geno panicked briefly, only to pause when the god placed their hand on the top of his head. Geno huffed out an annoyed breath at this.

“I passed a message along with Blue. They are aware of your location and that you are safe.” This reassurance seemed to ease the fear the other had. A look of puzzlement befell his expression a moment later.

“Why didn’t you just tell Ink?”

Erratum wasn’t entirely sure how to answer this question. They didn’t want to confront the creator yet, and they’d prefer to not do it at all considering everything. The struggle to remain neutral and without resentment was a challenge without having to be in his presence. “I do not wish to encounter him.” Geno tilted their head a bit at this and dislodged the other’s hand.

“Why is that?” Geno questioned, but only received silence in response. He glanced over the Guardian’s face to decipher their schooled expression. “What’s your beef with Ink?”

“We have never met.” Erratum explained with a dismissive wave of their hand. “There is no ‘beef’ as you would say. Our ideologies do not… agree with each other.” Seeing the puzzled expression prompted them to attempt to give him at least a small explanation. “You are aware of the multiverse. Tell me, do you believe that it is a stretch of infinite space?” This question seemed to throw the other off as he blinked a few times. “Or would you believe that it is, indeed, finite with limited dimensions?”

“What does that have to do with it?” Geno questioned, shoulders tensing at the intense expression the other gave him in response.

“Everything.”

Geno would have asked further questions, despite being a bit intimidated, but Erratum suddenly perked up and stared off at the ceiling. They appeared to be listening to something he couldn’t hear, and he chalked it up to one of those god things. “I need to go. There has been some sort of disturbance nearby that I need to assess.” They quickly got to their feet and pulled open a new rip to step through. “I’m not sure when I’ll return, but feel free to continue on as normal.” They assured him before leaving the plane entirely.

They weren’t expecting to be greeted by a whole bunch of nothing.

Erratum opened their control panel as they stared around the vacant white space. First Geno’s world, now this one? Was this just a style choice the creator ran with for a while? Looking over the details, however, that didn’t seem to be the case at all. It was like there had been a total file erasure somehow, which didn’t make sense to Erratum at all. It shouldn’t be possible for the inhabitants to implode their own universe like this. “It’s never a simple issue, is it?” They questioned, to which the screen on their right simply gave a colon and parenthesis in response. This talking to the universe thing was becoming a bad habit rather quickly.

A series of muttering and shuffling pulled them from their musing. Toward the middle of the white void laid a monster curled up tightly. They hurried over to the distressed monster and knelt at their side. Erratum wasn’t sure if they noticed, holding onto the sides of their skull, and mumbling incoherently. Erratum was hesitant but allowed their golden threads to slide past the intricate black and white attire. They withdrew his soul and immediately found a problem with it. Holding onto the soul, they could make out the faint outline of what appeared to be a human hovering around the monster. The soul looked stitched together between two halves of different souls. The entire thing pulsed with pain and conflict between each hemisphere, which appeared to fight for control. Erratum stared up at the image of the human as they opened their control panel. A good override should fix this.

It took quite a bit of maneuvering and creating what they equivalated to a quarantine folder to stash the human away, but eventually, the pulsing of the soul quieted. The image of the human faded away, and the skeleton on the ground fell silent. Erratum quickly returned their soul as they groaned and rolled over onto their back. He stared up at Erratum, seeming both dazed and lethargic. “Chara...?” They muttered.

“They’re not available. I’ve overridden their influence.” Erratum watched on with muted confusion as the skeleton sat up abruptly and attempted to scoot away from them.

“No! No overwriting! Please!” They begged of them, to which Erratum held their hands up placatingly.

“Not overwrite, override. There is a difference between the two.” They seemed to relax at this, which heightened Erratum’s curiosity more. This obviously had something to do with how he wound up in this state. “What is it that you go by? Other than Sans.” They added on after a moment of thought. The skeleton managed to get to his feet with minimal struggles, summoning a glowing weapon and leaning on the handle to stabilize.

“Cross,” He replied as he looked up at the darker skeleton. “Who are you..?”

“Errata is what I’m more commonly known as now. Erratum is also acceptable.” Erratum needed to really find a condensed speech to give for this. “I am a god, and I heard your prayers. As disorganized as they were..." This sounded extremely conceded; they should work on that. They watched in confusion as Cross gripped the handle of his blade tighter as he got to one knee. It took them a moment, but Erratum finally understood as they rested their hand on his head. “There’s no need for that. I answer anyone who needs me. And, looking around, you clearly do.” They frowned with a glance around the vacant area. Cross looked up at them hopefully at this statement.

“Can you take me away from here? Please… I’ll do anything. I’m a soldier, I can offer you protection.” Cross bargained with them. Erratum tilted their head a bit at the plea. They didn’t really believe they needed any protection. They held their own quite well and far be it from them to drag someone else into their multiverse quarrel.

“Again, not necessary. I can take you into my home and offer you shelter. No one should have to live in these conditions.” They sympathized as they opened a rift behind them again. Cross managed back to his feet after a moment, staring in fascination as he approached it. “There is another in my realm, just so you are aware. Geno is his name, and I think you’ll both have a lot in common considering your worlds.” They trained their eyes on a figure in the distance. “I have more things to do. I will meet you there in a while and answer any questions you have.” They watched as Cross hesitated for a moment before entering the portal. Erratum sighed as they dispelled it and began their way over to the cloaked individual.

“I suppose this is a rather grave affair.” Erratum watched the cloaked figure turn and peer at them, sockets darkened as they observed them. “Hello, Death.”

“I prefer Reaper. A little less grim than death, heh.” Reaper chuckled at his own pun. “I would be curious how you could see me when I’m not actively revealing myself, but I would assume you’re Errata?” He hummed as he looked the other up and down, floating upward a bit more to solve some of the height discrepancies. “I was hoping I’d come across you someday. Your altar is beginning to get crowded with offerings and it’d be grand if you could deal with that.”

“Altar? In Reapertale?”

“Well, yeah. That’s where the altars to all The Guardians are.” Huh.

“I’ll be sure to stop by after I’ve sorted through this situation.” Erratum watched as Reaper collected lingering souls. The cloaked skeleton glanced up after a moment as another dark portal opened.

“Not sticking around for this guy. Good luck.” Reaper disappeared fully soon after that. Erratum turned around as a monster covered in a thick, tar-like liquid stepped through. A singular cyan eye peered into Erratum as a vicious grin overtook their face.

“So, you must be the one who attacked my minion.” He hummed as he looked them up and down. “Dust didn’t mention that you were a god. Forgive my manners.” He spoke as clenched one of his fists and rested it firmly against his chest in respect. “I’d come here to retrieve someone I had intel on, but it appears I was beaten to the punch here.”

“Nightmare,” Erratum spoke with a slight nod of their head. Nightmare watched them curiously as his negative aura drew nothing from the other. In fact, the god’s emotions remained a calm, undisturbed neutral. “You would be correct. Cross is safe from any otherworldly influences.” They punctuated this with a sharp glare at the negative spirit. “I believe your pawn delivered a message to you?”

“Oh, he did. My question to you is why? You have unfathomable power; I can feel it coming off you in waves.” Nightmare grinned viciously as inky tendrils flicked and writhed behind him. “I am a god in my own right. We could be unstoppable if you joined my side.” One of those tendrils shot out and grasped onto Erratum’s wrist. “Don’t be a martyr. They won’t appreciate you for it. They won’t love you for it.” He watched as the god remained unmoved, only looking at the appendage currently wrapped around their wrist. Erratum moved their opposite hand to grasp onto the tendril firmly. They watched with fascination as it seemed to shrivel and melt away. Nightmare jerked himself backward as if he were burned, staring at the puddle of liquid negativity pooling on the floor.

“You are no god.” Erratum spoke firmly as they watched the other rear up the rest of those tendrils in hostility. “A real god doesn’t do their job for the glory or to reap benefits. Love, admiration, appreciation… these are all intangible things I don’t ask for. Humility would do you well if you ever wish to be a ruler.” They were aware they were provoking the darker spirit, but they were also certain he wouldn’t attack alone. Nightmare was intelligent both in battle strategy and in terms of book smarts. He would send people to fight for him, or at the very least fight with an advantage in numbers.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Nightmare turned to open his own portal, glancing back momentarily. “You’ll see it from my perspective one day. I’ll be waiting for that. Until then, we’re enemies. The next time we meet will be in battle, Guardian.”

“Errata.”

“Of course.” Nightmare chuckled darkly as he slunk backward through the portal again before it disappeared. Erratum released the breath they had been holding and relaxed their posture a bit.

“It will be a cold day before I become that desperate.”

Chapter Text

Opening the portal into Reapertale, Erratum got the sneaking feeling that they were beginning to get in over their head. Two mortals, chatting with death, provoking Nightmare; they should probably schedule in a lot more time for training and practicing their magic. Erratum pulled up a screen in front of them to make a quick note before dismissing it again as they noticed the embodiment of death approaching.

“Oh good, Nightmare didn’t kill ya.” Reaper observed as they hovered around the monster a moment before retreating again. “Come this way, the temples aren’t too far off from here. Your altar is in the same area.” Erratum didn’t question this as they followed Reaper through a small stretch of forest and up a stream. Following the stream up revealed a stretch of flat land beyond the trees. Several large temples stood tall along the land, facing away from the large drop of the sheer cliff. It appeared that they were located on a mesa, and the location was quite beautiful. Erratum noticed that in the circle of temples laid another fixture of a smaller proportion. They would have thought it was a statue if not for how it appeared up close.

It was built upon stone, smooth cuts stacked together to form a shrine in the middle of the clearing. A protective canopy-like roof covered the raised platform, held up with similar stone columns. A carved, rather well made if Erratum were vain enough, statue of them depicted kneeling on the ground with their hands clasped together was on the protected platform. Erratum could see that the eyes were made to be closed, and a stream of water running from the corners to the front of its bowed face dripped in a slow rhythm into a bowl below it. As impressive as it all was, so too were the various items on the platform and around the altar itself.

“Yeah, you can see why it’s becoming a problem now.” Oh yeah, Erratum could see all right.

Wrapped boxes, vases of preserved flowers, rocks (they wouldn’t question what people’s idea of sacred or valuable was), and that was just scratching the surface. Around the platform itself was gold, quite a bit of gold. So much gold. Erratum felt a little overwhelmed just taking it all in.

“I would apologize but I had no idea this was an issue.” Erratum looked over to Reaper and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I appreciate you showing me this. I will move all of this into my realm.” They assured him, but they could tell Reaper wasn’t exactly listening as he stared at the hand grasping his shoulder. He gave a breath of a laugh before looking back up at Erratum.

“Guess you really are a god after all.” Reaper chuckled before bringing a closed fist up to their chest the same way the god had seen Nightmare do. Must be an etiquette thing among gods and spirits. “But yes, moving all this junk would be really helpful.” Erratum nodded in understanding before approaching their shrine. They glanced up and around at the temples surrounding the altar.

“There is one for each.” They remarked at the seven temples around them. “I am aware a handful of The Guardians shaped this world, so I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise. I wonder if it is possible to contact them through their respective temples?” They mused out loud with an expression of contemplation. That could wait, they decided. Erratum turned back to the altar as a wisp of blue briefly flashed in their vision. They could see now that the statue version of the god had a deep blue stretch of fabric around its shoulders. Erratum carefully removed the article and studied it in their hands. It appeared to be a scarf of some kind, deep blue in colour and soft to the touch. Erratum carefully wrapped it around their neck and felt as if it was always supposed to be there. It felt like a comforting touch to their soul.

“One for each,” Reaper nodded as he looked up over the temples. “Destiny, Magic, Karma… All of ‘em are here.” He glanced back over at Erratum’s shrine. “And of course, our new little Order.”

“Order?”

“You seem surprised,” Reaper noted with curiosity. “You are a Guardian, which means you have a domain. So yeah, Order, Balance, you get the idea.” He shrugged. Erratum really didn’t get it. “The Guardians must really like you.” Reaper idly floated beside them. “Not every day a Sans is taken from their world and shaped into a literal god. Seems like a lot of pressure to put on one skeleton.”

“You have no idea.” That earned a laugh as Erratum opened a portal beneath the altar itself and carefully guided it down beside the tree they normally rested at. They could see Geno sitting up in their hammock with a confused expression. Erratum didn’t offer any explanation as they began the work of transferring everything over. Reaper drifted through the open portal, taking it as an invitation to sate his curiosity. He frowned as the grass around him died as he touched down.

“Ah, sorry about that.” He apologized as Erratum stared down at the dead grass. The god frowned as they paused their work and opened a task menu. A few absent taps and the grass renewed itself back to life.

Only to die again around the reaper’s feet.

Erratum stubbornly continued this cycle until another window popped up with a display of clear irritation. The god rolled their eyes at the petty little “>:(“ displayed and swiped it all away with their hand. “Could you perhaps not exude your touch of death? At least in my world?” They requested, which earned a strange look from the demigod.

“Yeah, wish I could pal. Not how this works.” Reaper shrugged as they floated upward to spare the grass from any more damage. “Kind of my thing, ya know? Being Death and all?”

Erratum was bewildered at this claim. “You’ve been like this your entire life?” At the other’s nod, the god quickly approached him. “This is a power for stubborn or suffering souls. A touch to bring them to their death. This isn’t something that should be active all the time.” They were truly puzzled on why the other seemed to have no idea what they were talking about. “All right, I have a temporary solution for this.” They decided as they raised a hand before quickly pausing. “Right, right, permission. May I see your soul for a second? Just a moment.”

“Ehhh…”

“I understand the hesitation, but I promise I only aim to help.” It took a few moments of hesitation for Reaper to reluctantly nod. Erratum gave an appreciative smile as strings appeared and slid into the other's chest. Geno was still watching from mere feet away with shock and confusion. Erratum continued to ignore the audience as they opened their task menu again. It didn’t take them long to find this large source of magic and put a temporary block on it. “There, now touch the grass again. Go on.” They insisted. Reaper gave them a confused look. “I want you to know this is the strangest thing that I’ve ever done.” He informed the other as they settled back on the ground. They observed the grass as it stayed pressed against his ankles.

“It’s… fine?” Reaper questioned after a moment. He knelt and ran a careful finger over a wild daisy, admiring the soft petals as they didn’t shrivel up. “What did you do?”

“In simple terms, I turned off your power. Focus for a moment and tell me if you can feel an absence within. An area that feels different than before?” Reaper wasn’t quite sure he understood but closed his eyes anyway. After a moment of taking a mental inventory of his body, he did seem to notice a stillness he hadn’t before.

“Actually, yeah. I do.” He looked up to see the satisfied expression on the god’s face.

“Excellent. Focus on it again while I take the block off.” Reaper quickly floated back up to spare the grass again and nodded. Erratum nodded back as they tapped their screen again. Reaper clenched his eyes closed as he focused on that stillness again. He could feel the moment it swirled back to life and pulsed with magic. “Good, now you’re aware of where it is. Acquaintance yourself with your magic and its flow first, then you can begin to control it. Once you can do that, it should be as simple as flipping a switch off and on.” Reaper gave a huff of a laugh as he stared back at Erratum once more.

“You really are something else, you know that?” Erratum gave a small smile at this.

“Yeah so, can we talk about what’s happening here now?” Reaper looked back at Geno, who had climbed out of his hammock to observe the bizarre scene. “What’s with the piles of junk? And is that literally Death?” Geno questioned with unease as their “guest” gave a wicked grin.

“Oh, what’s this? A long-overdue soul I’ve neglected to reap?” Reaper taunted as they moved to circle the other carefully without touching. The anxiety the other gave off amused him greatly. “Relax, I’m just messing with ya. You must be Geno then.” The demigod moved just a bit out of his personal space and gave him a once over. “With an injury like that and a soul that damaged you should have been dead a while ago. You’re an interesting one, aren’t you?” He grinned.

“Bite me.” Geno spat as he put more distance between the two of them.

“I would, but I don’t fancy a mouthful of dust.”

“Enough,” That shut the two of them up rather quickly. “No fighting in my garden.” They chastised while messing with their task window. “I’ve keyed you into my world. You are free to come and go as you please. I would like to see how you progress with what I have shown you.”

“What?! You can’t just let him waltz in whenever he pleases!” Geno protested as the reaper hovered near him again. He scooted off to the side again as he noticed. “He’s just gonna come mess with me all the time!”

“I’m wounded that you think so little of me.” Reaper certainly didn’t sound it, however.

“It isn’t up for debate. Now, both of you play nice. I have someone else I need to find here.” Erratum gave them both a firm glare of warning before heading further into the wooded areas. It didn’t take them long to find Cross sitting with his legs dangling over a small bridge. He stared down into the pond, lazily following the fish with his eyes. He turned his head sharply at the sound of footsteps, only to relax his shoulders from their tense position.

“I was starting to think I imagined you,” Cross commented as Erratum stepped onto the bridge. “Then again, this whole situation might just be one big hallucination.”

“Unlikely,” The god offered as they settled cross-legged beside him. “As preposterous as the situation is, it is very much real. I couldn’t leave you in that desolate world filled with nothing but emptiness. I wouldn’t be a very good Guardian if I ignored the pleas of the multiverse.” Cross watched them with visible awe still etched into their features. Erratum did their best to not appear overwhelmed by it. “Follow me back to my garden. I would like you to meet the other resident here. Perhaps both of you can help me understand these ‘offerings’ as well.” They frowned as they stood up again. Cross seemed confused but didn’t dare argue as he scrambled up to follow them. By the time they returned to the garden, only Geno was still there, looking flushed and outraged.

“Oh good! Thanks for leaving me with that creep!” Geno complained as they crossed their arms tight to show their displeasure. “He’s gone now, thankfully.” He sighed before noticing the new skeleton beside him. “Oh, good, who’s this now?”

“Cross. His universe was a lot like yours was, except a white void of nothing.” Geno let his arms fall to his sides at this, taking on a more sympathetic look.

“I see…” He muttered as he looked Cross over. “Sorry… didn’t mean to come off as hostile.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Cross shrugged, not phased either way. Erratum nodded in satisfaction before heading over to the altar and sighing. Geno and Cross exchanged looks at this before following out of curiosity. “That’s an impressive shrine you’ve got there.” Cross admired with respect.

“Yes, I had to move it out of Reapertale for disturbing the peace.” Erratum admitted as they gave all the items odd looks. “I’m… not certain what to do with all of this stuff. I’m not even quite sure what half of it is…” They sighed as Geno moved to begin sorting things unprompted.

“Well, we should separate everything into piles then. Perishables, gold, messages…” The damaged skeleton rattled off as they began stacking a couple of boxes off to the side. Cross took that as an initiative to begin moving things as well. Erratum shrugged as they attempted to help in their endeavour to tame this mess. They set all the letters and messages to the side, knowing these required their entire attention at a later time.

“Whoa, you sure get a lot of stuff,” Cross remarked as he stared down at a box of fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate. “You must not have to go anywhere to get food.” He laughed softly.

“Considering I don’t eat, no, I don’t.” Erratum nodded as he looked from Cross to the box. “You’re more than free to take any of that stuff. I don’t indulge.” They smirked to themselves at the excited grin the other gave before diving into the box. Oh yeah, they could totally handle caring for two mortals.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“-So because of all of my failures, I don’t deserve to be called ‘Sans’ anymore. Geno is a reminder of the cycle I allowed to perpetuate over, and over again.” Geno stared down at the grass in front of him, picking at the blades so they wouldn’t have to meet anyone’s eyes.

“Dude.” Cross breathed, unable to find any other fitting words.

Erratum sighed as they leaned their back against one of the columns of their altar. “You must understand the futility of your situation. You had a set path and what happened was out of your control. There was no right or wrong action you took.” They tried again as the two mortals sat in front of them. While they knew these mortals came from rather broken worlds, they failed to realize the emotional baggage they brought into their own.

“People are dead because of me,” Geno emphasized, though the argument was growing old with the number of times he stated it. “I should have stepped in sooner. I should have killed them when we first met.”

“You know why that wouldn’t have worked. You must set blame where blame is due. There are parties involved here that you need to transfer accountability onto rather than on yourself.” Erratum was unsure of when their unofficial daily group therapy sessions started but they felt they didn’t have the credentials to be running it. Now that Erratum could open a proper portal as a one-way window, it made it easier to make a time system. Around the same time every day, they would all sit down in front of the god’s altar and wait for someone to speak. Both monsters took unnecessary blame for the destruction of their worlds. From the outside perspective, it appeared obvious to the god that they had very little impact on it. Of course, that was easy for Erratum to see.

“Yeah… I do know.” Geno relented after another moment, remaining silent as Cross offered him a comforting pat on the shoulder. Geno declined the offered square of chocolate that followed and looked back at the grass. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do for us, but I think I might be a little too broken for all this.”

“Nonsense,” Erratum dismissed just as easily. “There isn’t such a thing. Fixing something may not make it appear the way it was before it was broken, but that doesn’t mean it is of no value. You decide what that looks like.” The group sat in contemplative silence for a moment before the god leaned their head back against the column and closed their eyes. “Now, let’s compartmentalize and store all these thoughts and feelings for the day. We can reopen this later.” They instructed as they guided them with words. Erratum could appreciate this part of the session.

“Yip!”

The sound was like nails to the inside of their skull at this point. Their eyes snapped open as the cursed white dog sat before them. How it continued to slip in, Erratum had no idea. They needed to reinforce their antivirus protection code. “You again,” They remarked with little enthusiasm.

“Oh hey, it’s that dog. Cool little dude.” Geno grinned at the sight of something familiar. “Used to drive my bro up a wall, heh.” He found slight amusement seeing the normally unflappable god visibly irritated at this small canine.

“Whenever you show up, strange things happen. Is this one of those times?” Erratum questioned the dog. The dog gave another loud bark as a swirling vortex appeared, causing the god to sigh in displeasure. “Must we take the horrible portal? It always spits me out face first.” They realized the futility of bargaining with a dog. Eventually, they got to their feet again and looked back at the perplexed monsters behind them. “I apparently have something to attend to. Keep compartmentalizing!” They quickly instructed, causing the two to sit up straight and clench their eyes shut again. Erratum sighed as they reluctantly pushed their way through the uncomfortably small swirling vortex.

They found themselves flat on their back in the middle of a shallow puddle of water soon after. “Could have been worse.” They relented as they sat up. It appeared to be a section of Waterfall as far as they could tell. It didn’t seem too far off from a typical Waterfall environment, perhaps a bit quiet. They opened their task manager and briefly felt passing anxiety through their soul.

Horrortale.

They had been contemplating what to do with this universe after they first discovered it. It was the place that made them realize the horrors some worlds were put through. The answer to how to help this world was never simple to them. They hadn’t even delved too far into the makings of this world other than the famine and core-controlled magical failure. Erratum wondered why the creator had this world’s magic created through the core. What was it like before the core was built? Did certain monsters just die? Were they shunned from society until they dusted in a twisted sense of survival of the fittest? That was a thought process they weren’t mentally ready to deal with yet. They finally stood up from the ground and edited their own code from the screen to remove the wet ‘debuff’ from them. They stood there a moment in thought, ankles still submerged in the shallow puddle. They needed to approach this next part with extreme caution, and they weren’t sure how this newly formed plan in their mind was going to go. Surely if humans could domesticate wolves this way, it could work for feral monsters?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Horror was not having a great day.

Visits to his world in between working through Nightmare’s realm were exhausting. He was aware Nightmare enjoyed the anguish and suffering that came from his world, which is why it was spared. It was the best he could ask for since helping the monsters in his world was off the table. Nightmare would probably laugh before skewering him for such a request. He just counted himself lucky he scraped together enough to feed his brother every so often when he visits. It wasn’t a lot, but they got by. Today wasn’t so grand, however. No humans to be found, no traps had been sprung, and Horror had no means of acquiring food any other way. He kept his fingers curled into his right socket as he walked, occasionally pulling down on the floor of the orbit and scraping at the infraorbital foramen.

It was then he noticed a speck of black in the white of the snow in the distance.

For what Horror lacked in magic he made up for through meticulously trained senses. The closer he got, the clearer he could sense them. This monster smelled clean, as if they had never known a day of misery or stress in their life. They clearly weren’t from this world, that was for sure. His grin split up even further as he recognized the monster from Nightmare and Dust’s description of the god they had come across. If he could bag this catch, he would be greatly rewarded. He could potentially work a favour out of his boss’s tightly clutched hands. Their hand left their socket and gripped tightly onto his axe in preparation.

“I can sense you there.” Horror stiffened from where he stood. How could the other have possibly detected him? He had practically perfected his craft of stalking and hunting. He could slaughter up there with the best of them! Cursing internally, they sidestepped out from the tree line and faced this piece of prey head-on. Up close, Horror could practically feel the power pulsing off them. He parted his jaws slightly, tasting the air and scenting the powerful magic. He grinned viciously as a brief thought of what biting directly into that soul would taste like.

Focus. Instant gratification wouldn’t cut it here.

“You would be Horror then.” Erratum spoke, not seeming to expect an actual answer. “I assume you already know who I am, considering your allies, if you would call them that.” They brought up their firewall preemptively at the nervous twitching of the axe in their hand. “This can take a full blaster without so much as cracking. Your axe will do nothing for you here.” A loud CLANG as said weapon struck powerfully to the wall sent a small pulse of power back against Erratum. It almost would have knocked them back a bit if they weren’t already well-versed with this ability. “Now that we’ve tested this hypothesis, I’ll be holding onto that for our conversation.” They remarked as their strings wrapped firmly around the handle and hoisted it up to a sturdy evergreen, where it dangled precariously from a branch.

Horror was beginning to feel like a trapped animal at this point. The other showed no signs of hostility yet, which only further set his nerves on edge. He growled a bit at them, pointing at them before gesturing to the area around them. The god stared on for a moment, seemingly attempting to decipher the motion. After a moment, the wall dropped as they looked him over with a renewed sadness.

“I see… you don’t have the magic to form your voice.” Horror glared harshly at this, refusing to acknowledge his weakness. “And yes, this is your world, and I don’t belong here. You’re right to be wary of me and I do not fault you for that. I’ve been here before. I’ve seen how things are and how… bleak this world is.” It was obvious they were picking words to placate him. Horror refused to be pacified by this prey. “I know you won’t let me help you or your world. You don’t trust me. I wouldn’t mind working to earn that trust, however.” This piece of game talked too much.

Before Horror could consider resorting to claws and teeth, Erratum opened their task window and retrieved something from their inventory. Horror froze as the god produced a nicely woven wicker basket, the inside of which held various fruits. A sharp pang of hunger made him momentarily dizzy and nauseous, allowing Erratum enough time to approach him and not be immediately attacked. They didn’t push their chances, simply setting the basket down and backing off again. Horror glared at them as he recovered but distantly appreciated the gesture. He stared down at the offered food with obvious ravenous hunger, but he refused to let that overtake his commonsense. He grunted as he grabbed an apple, tossing it out to the god.

Erratum caught the projectile fruit with ease, looking confused as Horror stared them down intensely. Perhaps the other was testing them? Seeing if they were attempting to poison him? Erratum felt a passing sting of anguish at the thought. They lifted the apple to their mouth and took a decent bite out of it to prove it wasn’t a trap.

Huh, not bad. Perhaps this whole ‘food’ thing wasn’t as overrated as they first thought.

Horror stood there and waited until the other ate the entire thing, and then another several uncomfortable minutes after. It became increasingly clear that nothing was happening, and that the food was, indeed, edible. He stared at Erratum as he crouched in the snow down to the basket, shoving an entire pear into his mouth without breaking eye contact. Erratum wasn’t sure if this was an intimidation tactic, but they found it more bizarre than intimidating. He broke eye contact with them soon after, beginning to simply tear into the flesh of the fruits offered ravenously. Now they were a little bit more intimidated. They just stood there, awkwardly watching this monster devour food like it was going out of style.

Unsurprisingly, Horror went through the entire basket in what must have been five minutes. It would be impressive if it weren’t already so sad. “I hope that at least shows I’m not here to harm you or your world. Perhaps one day you’ll see that.” Erratum spoke as the other stood from the snow and glanced up to where their axe was dangling. Taking the hint, the god allowed the threads to lower the weapon down until the other could take it. “I also placed another few baskets directly in your home. I know, but I didn’t think it safe to have you carry anything in the open.” They held their hands up as the other immediately bristled at the information. Deciding it wasn’t worth the confrontation, Horror backed down and rested his axe over his shoulder.

“…back?”

Erratum perked up a bit at the raspy-sounding voice. It was obviously rough from lack of use, but it also showed the energy the food provided the other. “Yes, I’ll be back. I’ll try to bring a variety of things for you to try, and for your brother of course.” They made sure to throw that in there. Call it a little manipulative, but they knew how important most Sanses found their brothers. The other nodded once to show they understood.

“Weird.”

“So I’ve heard.” Erratum smiled faintly with a small shrug. “At any rate, I would rather not stay around for your little group to find us. Wouldn’t want them seeing you fraternizing with the enemy.” Horror could tell this wasn’t a taunt, but a genuine concern. They were right though. Nightmare would take his head clean off if he found out he not only let the god get away, but also accepted any sort of gift from them. He gave another nod to show he understood as the god opened a window into another world. “I will be seeing you around then.”

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Killer gave a sharp grin from where he sat on the dining room table as Horror entered. He knew damn well the rage it filled the feral monster with, but Horror refused to rise to the bait today. He was feeling better than he had in a while. Killer seemed to take note of his lack of reaction, nearly pouting as the other simply walked past him. “Nothing? Really? Come on, I’ve been waiting for like ten minutes! Not even a courtesy stab?” He half whined as the other refused to indulge him. Horror rolled his eyelight and turned to look at the other.

“…Shut up. Get down.”

He then turned and left the stunned monster sitting there as he retired to his room. Killer sat there dumbly for a few beats of silence before slipping back off the table and leaving the kitchen. “Since when the hell could you do that? Have you been giving us the silent treatment for years?!” He called out as the other clicked the lock to his room.

Chapter Text

“He better have been tellin’ the truth. I feel so stupid doing this but dammit, I got nobody else to call.”

The ground rumbled with the impact of magic that shook snow loose from trees. Red cringed as he stayed crouched over their wounded brother. The attack happened so suddenly he was caught off guard being “escorted” to his guard post. His phone had been crushed in the scuffle and he had no way of contacting anyone else for assistance with these assailants.

“What’s it again… Errata, yeah that’s it. Look we’re gonna die out here, it ain’t lookin’ good. I can’t take them both down and keep my bro safe at the same time. Dammit, please I’m beggin’ ya, and I don’t beg for nothing!” Red swore as he watched the remaining dog guards poof into dust with just a few vicious slices. “Shit-!” Red felt panic choking him as empty sockets leaking black tar locked onto him.

“Listen to you, it’s hilarious. Crying and begging for someone to come and help you. And here I thought the Fell universes were supposed to be tough and ruthless.” Killer cackled as he mocked and intimidated the wounded skeleton. “Well, tell me then,” He grinned as a flurry of knives circled his hand a moment before launching forward. “Where’s your god now?!” Red could only watch as his fight or flight skills decided to lock firmly into a standstill in between. The blades suddenly slammed into a transparent wall of static and binary numbers. The shockwave of the impact knocked Red back on top of his brother, but he remained unharmed from the attack.

“They’re right here.”

Red whipped his head to the side at the ethereal voice above him. “I’ll be damned…” He breathed as the darker god stared down at him a moment, most likely to view the damage done.

“I would have been here sooner, but I was attempting to keep my…” Erratum trailed their eyes over to Cross, standing posed beside them with their glowing blade wielded in their hands. “…guard, from following. I was not successful.”

“You’re not going into any battle without me.” Cross stated matter-of-factly without taking his eyes off the enemies. Killer sneered at the two of them but was unable to get a word out as Dust shoved him to the side with a fierce snarl.

“Oh, I was hoping to see your face again. We’ve got some unfinished business.” Dust growled as Erratum kept their eyes firmly trained on Dust now. They knew they had to watch his every move to keep themselves safe, but they also needed to address the two native brothers as well.

“I can open a doorway to my world for the two of you. It will keep you safe until-“

“To hell with that!” Erratum frowned as Red cut them off immediately. They had hoped with their injuries they would retreat without hesitation, but it was clear that wasn’t going to happen. “We got the numbers now, ain’t no way we’re ducking out.” He declared as their taller brother recovered to his feet. “We’ll show ‘em how Fell monsters fight!”

“This is all very cute and touching, but less chatter, more splatter!” Killer cut in with another series of magical knives flinging through the air. Cross reacted instantaneously by positioning himself closer to Erratum and deflecting the blades with his much larger one. “I don’t mean to question your judgment, but at this rate, it’s not going to be helpful to argue with them,” Cross informed them with a flourish of their blade.

“Very well but stay out of close combat. That is where they want you to be, and we could use the backup from the rear.” Erratum ordered the two scraped-up brothers. Red was smart enough to know when to pick his arguments and this was not one of them. He nodded sharply, more than comfortable staying long-range and focusing on magical attacks. He was a little worried about Papyrus following the same instructions, but it appeared that he viewed the god as a commander in this situation. They both fell back further while Erratum further approached.

“Can’t wait to see the look on Boss’s face when we bring back your dust in a jar.” Killer grinned as they flipped their knife in their hand. “Maybe he’ll get off your ass for your last failure, Dusty.” His jeering seemed to cross all boundaries, teammates, or enemies. Dust glowered briefly at him before surrounding himself with blasters. “Okay, okay, I get it. Less banter.” Killer grumbled as they launched themselves forward while blasts of magic shot around him.

Erratum was quick to dodge the incoming attack, leaving Cross to expertly parry the melee knife attack. “Ohhh, I recognize you. Boss was real disappointed to see you sided against him.” Killer grinned viciously as they teleported out of the striking zone of his glowing blade. “I can see you’re no fun, too serious. You’re hardly a loss.” They quipped with a toss of another knife. Cross didn’t bother to retort back to any of his provocations and focused on returning blows. Leaning to the left allowed the knife to land home in a tree, allowing Cross to grasp it and return it back to sender. Killer winced as it grazed past his cheek, eyes narrowing with renewed rage as they wiped the cut with their jacket sleeve.

While Cross focused on the close combat, Erratum was left to block and evade powerful blasts and sharp projectiles. After taking brief cover behind a large evergreen, they decided now was a perfect time to execute some newer attacks. They took a calming breath before leaning their body out from behind their protective cover. Their task menu screens circled around them briefly before a smaller one descended over one socket. The crosshair helped Erratum to accurately target the murderous skeleton before slamming their hand onto their screen to execute their command. A condensed beam of pure data and electricity shot forth from the screen and hurdled toward Dust. The skeleton had little time to react to the surprise attack, convulsing as it slammed straight into their chest. A strangled cry tore from his throat as the force knocked him several feet back while the static burned and seared their very bones. He felt like his spine was wrapped in livewires as he pushed himself onto his stomach, desperately hoping the cold bite of snow would numb it. He weakly raised an arm and shot off a blaster, which immediately collided beams from a returned blaster.

“Not lookin’ so hot now, are ya?” Red sneered from behind Erratum as his own blasters hovered at the ready for further commands.

Dust wasn’t an idiot, in fact, he prided himself on retaining a great wealth of intelligence through his insanity. This wasn’t going to end in their favour; he had known that from the moment that damn god appeared. Still, if they could handicap them in some way, then maybe this wasn’t all for naught. He locked his eyes onto Erratum, seeing them tapping away on the transparent screen in front of them. If he couldn’t land a hit on the monsters around them, maybe he could destroy whatever power they were using to create their attacks. They redirected their blast to fire directly at the console screen. Erratum looked up at the sound of the blast, the screen in front of them expanding as it took the brunt of the attack. Rather than shatter the screen or blow Erratum back, the beam itself seemed to almost absorb into the console. Erratum looked on with fascination as lines and lines of code appeared on their screen.

Oh, this was an interesting new development.

The god locked their eyes on the code before trailing their hand down to a displayed command just below it. Download. This was about to get interesting.

They pressed down onto it, watching as the code transferred off to the side of them in glitching lines of binary. Slowly but surely, it loaded into a familiar floating blaster after a few moments of reconstructing the data. “For someone who wishes to see me fail, you certainly help me discover new ways to prosper.” Erratum commented before raising their hand up in command. The blaster shot off without hesitation, bringing an exciting satisfaction to Erratum’s soul. If they could virtually steal their enemies’ attacks, then they had a greater advantage against them. Dust managed to crawl their way out of the blast radius, cursing violently at how their advantage had turned into a massive disadvantage.

“Way to go, Dusty!” Killer snarled as they were all but wrestling with Cross now on the ground, both having been disarmed sometime within their struggle. “ Really knocking it out of the park lately!”

“SHUT UP! Both of you!” Dust snarled as he whipped his head around to something unseen. “I’m not weak, they’re a god! I’m not useless!” They snapped defensively to their air around them. Erratum had the time to feel a ping of pity for the obviously unstable monster. A shout of anguish drew them out of it, however, as they turned their attention to the other fighting monsters. Killer had managed to withdraw another hidden blade and pierced it into Cross’s shoulder. Erratum reacted instantaneously as their strings shot out from their hand. This monster’s soul hovered in front of their body, ironically a perfect target shape that made snatching it easy. Killer gave a wheeze of a breath as a burning sensation filled their soul as they were lifted and dragged away from the fight.

Underneath the pain of the strings another burning sensation built up inside him.

Erratum looked up sharply as a newer golden portal split the sky in half. Another skeleton monster appeared from within it, bow at the ready and already firing off in retaliation. Dust hissed as they decided to take their loss and retreat, quickly vanishing from the clearing. Dream landed a few meters away from the battle, arm still drawn back on their bow at the ready.

“What did you do to me?! What have you done?!” Erratum turned their head sharply at the wail of their currently captive monster. Killer was clawing at their chest, his soul still tangled in their strings. The circular soul was contorting and warping its shape, looking oblong and quivering as if in a personal struggle. They quickly retracted their strings; afraid they might accidentally destabilize and shatter the soul if not. The monster continued to gasp and grip onto their ribs tightly. “Damn you! No, no not now… Fuck!” They cursed sharply as they fell back into a black hole of a portal behind them. The clearing was once again quiet, save for the desperate panting and groans of the remaining monsters.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve been stabbed in way worse places.” Cross gave a strained chuckle as he gripped the hilt of the blade. The newly appeared spirit quickly rushed toward him, however, grasping onto his wrist as he knelt beside him. Cross blinked up at him, having not previously seen him in the fray.

“Wait! Um, let me do it.” Dream insisted as he grasped onto the handle carefully. “I can heal you during it, so it won’t be as bad.” They explained as their opposite hand glowed a soft yellow and rested on his shoulder. Cross grunted a bit as the knife was removed, but the sting was quickly soothed. “There… is that better?”

“Yeah… thank you, uh..?”

“Dream! My name is Dream.” The spirit quickly answered the unspoken question with a smile.

“Cross.” The other offered back.

“I sensed a large spike of negativity here, even for a place like Underfell.” He explained as they both rose to their feet. “I knew this had to have been the work of my brother and his cohorts.” He turned as Erratum approached and gasped softly. He quickly raised his fist and pressed it to his chest, to which the god stared on with equal confusion. “It’s… a show of respect. From lower-tier deities.” He explained, to which the other opened their mouth in a silent “ah” of understanding.

“That answers a lot of questions.” They glanced up as Red and his brother joined them. “I am glad you are unharmed. Things should resume as normal during the next cycle.” Erratum assured, keeping it vague for Red’s brother’s sake.

“Good to hear it.” Red sighed before glancing up at the god. “Sheesh, Blue wasn’t lying. You’re tall as shit.” He remarked, causing Dream to jolt in offense for the god.

“Ah, you really shouldn’t use such language with a god. Swears are… extremely offensive, more so than just to any other monster.” Dream stammered out anxiously.

“I take no offense. I understand mannerisms are different in each universe.” Erratum assured, much to Dream’s immediate relief.

“I’ve never seen you around before all of this… how long have you been here? You know… in the multiverse?” Dream questioned with genuine interest. It wasn’t every day you got to speak to a Guardian, after all.

“Well… I suppose shortly after the shaping of the creator. A stretch of time after Undertale first formed.” They explained to the group of interested monsters. “Of course I was not a Guardian at that time. It was not long after-“ They paused, considering this answer. There was no sense in attempting to spare the other’s feelings, however. “After the fall of Dreamtale I was made into what I am now.” They didn’t miss the small cringe from Dream. “I apologize for bringing it up.”

“No no, I asked.” Dream assured as he wrung his hands together. “It’s just… hard to think about.” He explained to which Erratum nodded in understanding.

“My own world was destroyed and wiped from existence when I was removed from it. I can empathize with your pain, even if I have long since forgotten the faces of my friends and family.”

Dream gave them a pitying expression at this. “That’s terrible… I’m sorry you had to go through all of that. But! Now you’re here helping so many people!” He immediately brightened up with his positivity. Erratum felt the waves of his aura battering against their person, trying to influence their emotions. They weren’t convinced the other was aware he was doing it. “You should really consider-“

“Your group and your council, while fascinating, aren’t for me. I would have many conflicts with varying ideas and morals, I’m certain.” Dream was visibly confused and surprised by the answer.

“But… your input would be so important!”

“Be that as it may, I will continue to work from a distance.” They were unrelenting at this. The last thing they needed was a power struggle in the form of a democratic gathering. “I must be going. I’m afraid we might have left Geno in a bit of tizzy, leaving him alone with Reaper.”

“Reaper??”

“He’s pretty good company all things considered.” Cross commented with a small grin. “Between the subtle threats of death and sarcasm, of course.” Dream took a step back and simply observed these bizarre new monsters. He gave a delighted laugh after a few moments, the sound tinkling out like gentle bells.

“It sure was a pleasure to meet the both of you! I really do hope we can talk again sometime.” Dream blinked as he moved to fish out his phone after a moment. “Oh! Here, in case you ever need to contact me, let me give you my number. And maybe in case I ever have any questions for you too.” He flushed in slight embarrassment.

“What is that.”

“A…phone?” Dream blinked as the other continued to stare at him with confusion. “We use it to contact other monsters on their own phones. Do you… have you never…?”

“Geeze Errata,” Cross sighed as he crossed his arms. “You really need to invest more time in learning about our ‘mortal’ ways.” He air quoted the word “mortal” as he did so. “You’re so out of touch.”

“I am doing my best!” Erratum defended with a small frown. They ignored the monochrome guard as they took the phone from Dream’s hand and turned it over a few times. “Do you think you can make this work?” They questioned, to which a screen popped up with a thumbs up. Erratum touched the device to their screen and watched as the numbers encoded onto their display. “That should work the same way. This is much easier for me.” They explained as they handed Dream’s phone back to him.

“What is that?” Dream questioned as he went to pocket his phone again, missing his pocket a few times as he gawked.

“The multiverse.”

“I beg your damn pardon?” Red deadpanned.

“Um… I also?” Dream spoke with confusion.

“The multiverse is a living, sentient being. The Guardians imbibed it with all their magic and intent, so of course, it is conscious. It is such a complex being, however, that communication is beyond comprehension to even the most literate of deities. It manipulates itself to appear as coding to me, working as a complex computer or machine to communicate and follow my influence.”

“Fascinating,” Dream breathed in wonder. “So, what does that make you a Guardian of?”

“Balance, apparently.” Erratum shrugged in response. “Order, keeping things from tilting too far in one direction. There are several balances in this multiverse, I’m sure you’re familiar with one at least. Positivity and negativity are one of them. One cannot supersede the other, and one cannot survive without the other.” They scanned the spirit’s face as they said this, frown beginning to set firm on their face as they did so.

“Oh Guardians above he never explained your job to you.”

“What??”

Erratum pressed their hands together and raised them to their face, taking a slow deep breath to keep it together. Of course. Of course the creator forgot to explain the balance to him. Erratum wondered silently if they were put here solely to fix every single mess that had ever been made in this multiverse. It was certainly beginning to feel like it.

“You are the embodiment of positivity. You keep those emotions alive in this plane. Your brother is the embodiment of negativity, same concept. You both live on a scale.” They explained slowly, as though teaching it to a child. “Too much positivity and things begin to shift. Too much negativity, the same thing. You are both meant to balance each other out so the multiverse runs on a smooth course of experiencing life through proper emotional channels.”

“So… eliminating negativity-“

“Would be catastrophic.” Erratum quickly interjected with a wide-eyed expression. “The whole system would implode on itself!”

“I’m not saying we should do that! Just a question!” Dream held his hands up defensively at this. “Just… is it so bad to have an excess of positivity over negativity?” He questioned. “I honestly don’t see how that can be bad.”

“It sounds nice, yes. Until positivity supersedes and begins to bleed and mix into negativity.” Erratum spoke sharply. “Delight from cruel acts, happiness at others' expense… you can see how positive emotions are not always for good intentions.”

“I-” Dream stuttered as he attempted to wrap his mind around it. “I…I guess not. I mean… sure some people feel good about doing bad things but… is that positivity?” He questioned, beginning to feel a sense of doubt. Was this monster telling him the truth? Did he have a way bigger task than he originally thought?

“You put the definition of positivity into a very narrow box. Contemplate on this conversation, and perhaps speak to the creator and see what he tells you.” Golden strings pulled back reality, allowing Cross to step through the portal and hold his hand out for Erratum. “Think for yourself, Dream.” They left him with that as they disappeared back into their own world.

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“Nightmare!"

The negative spirit jolted in their chair, book tumbling from their hands as Killer shoved the doors to his study open so hard they smacked against the wall. His slimy appendages immediately reared up in hostility at the interruption, but the spirit became aware of the strong emotions coming from the other.

That should not be happening. Killer’s emotions were dulled and repressed from the mutation of a soul he had.

Killer stumbled before falling to his hands and knees, grasping onto the edge of Nightmare’s jacket desperately. “They… they did something..! My soul..!” He wheezed out in a panic.

“Get off the floor! I can’t understand you when you’re in hysterics.” Nightmare growled as he yanked his jacket free from his hand. Killer stumbled back onto his feet, and Nightmare’s appendages shot up in alarm. The normally perfectly round soul on his chest was quivering and attempting to shape itself.

“That damn god… they grabbed it with these golden strings… and it burns! It hurts!” Killer gasped as they clutched the front of their shirt. “Make it stop!”

Nightmare could not allow the soul to take back its original shape. Not after all the work he had done to keep the murderous monster under his control. One appendage shot out and grasped onto the soul, curling, and shaping it back down into a perfect circle. A few pulses of negative intent and the target of a soul grew still and reverted back to normal. Killer sighed out shakily in relief as it was returned to its proper place. “Thank you… thank you…” He babbled and praised the dark being while Nightmare sat back again and thought. Another failure to stretch his control due to this god’s interference and it appeared they were becoming a bigger threat with each day that passed. He needed to begin strategizing how to take them down for good.

------------------------------

Erratum shifted a bit on the uncomfortable pile of shredded blankets and gutted pillows they were half sitting, half lounging on. It wasn’t ideal, but far be it from them to tell the hungry monster how he should live his life. Said monster was sitting across from them, large red eye staring almost directly into their soul. Erratum had grown less uneasy through their encounters, but it was still an eerie sight.

“Boss said… wrecked their mission.” Horror spoke in broken sentences still, but the progress of building magic reserves was obvious in the presence of his voice. Erratum nodded their head at this, not denying it.

“It was senseless slaughter. I heard a prayer, I responded. Their problems become mine by proxy.” Erratum explained as Horror munched idly on a plate of cookies the god had found at their altar. “It is the same way I would respond to your prayer if called upon. I suppose I am morally gray in that aspect, but I almost must be considering my position.” Horror nodded their head slowly at this, showing he understood what they meant.

“God… have to… nonbiased.”

“That’s pretty much it.” Erratum agreed with the offered broken response. “I would be remiss to pick and choose who deserves help. Certainly, I can deny sadistic wants and vain demands, but I will always answer those who truly need me. It doesn’t matter the walk of life.”

“Still weird…” Erratum breathed out a soft laugh at this. Horror was quiet after this, focusing on cleaning his plate. The house they lived in was rickety and had seen better days, but it offered a semblance of protection for them. Erratum supposed it was a sign of trust to be allowed inside at all. “Nightmare.”

“Spirit of negativity.” Erratum nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“Would answer…? Despite everything?”

Erratum took a pause at this as the other watched them intently. This felt like a test, and the wrong answer would earn them distrust. They stuck with the truth, regardless. “If he truly needed me, in a way that wasn’t for his own personal gain or to cause suffering of others, yes. Nightmare is still a person and is also needed for the balance of emotions.” They replied as they looked down at their own hands. “This world… the people in it… they need each of the balances to live. The balances are what keep everything alive, keeps the multiverse from destruction. You are all at their mercy, and the more the balance is tipped, the less merciful it becomes.”

Horror let the silence continue after this, leaving Erratum to wonder what the other was thinking. It was hard to judge based on his expression since he remained rather guarded in all aspects. Erratum simply continued to look at their hands, contemplating all the things they had done with them. All the monsters they had helped and all the actions they had taken, whether they were the right ones or not. They blinked as a cookie was settled into their hand, causing their head to raise again. Horror sat across from them, closer than before, and offered them a rare, less frightening grin.

“Like our odds… with you. Keep… keep us protected. Multiverse is…in safe hands.” It was the clearest the other had spoken the entire time. He still needed time to think and pull them together, but his sentences were becoming more structured and understandable. Erratum smiled back at the recovering monster.

“That means a lot, coming from you.” They jolted as Horror grabbed onto them and partially dragged them forward, alarming them briefly. They were confused as the other continued to hold onto them and didn’t let go. “Um… what is this? That you’re doing?” Horror pulled back slightly to look at their face and frowned.

“Hug?”

“What is ‘hug’?” They questioned, which only earned a pathetic whimper and them being smooshed back into his chest once more.

Chapter Text

“Would it kill you to give a heads up whenever you’re gonna disappear for a while?” Erratum had just been returning from Horrortale when Geno confronted them with his arms crossed. The god had to admit that they did have a bad habit of disappearing within a moment’s notice. They forgot that with two others living in their world, it was probably polite to let them know when they’d be gone for a bit.

“I didn’t mean to worry you. I had an appointment in Horrortale.”

“I wasn’t worried about you!” Geno quickly defended with a scowl. “Would just be nice to know, okay?” He frowned after a moment before uncrossing his arms. “Wait, Horrortale? What in the world could you have to do in there??” He certainly seemed worried, which amused the god greatly, though they didn’t openly show it.

“I visit a friend there every so often, bring food. You understand how that world is.” Erratum explained while Geno relented a bit at this. “Horror is a little boisterous for sure, but he is a gentle soul no less. Circumstances have made him this way.”

“Horror?!”

Geno was staring at the god as though they had completely lost their mind. “That’s what you consider a friend?? He’s one of Nightmare’s, ya know?” He reminded them as his hands moved around as he spoke. “Last I remember you telling me, you and he aren’t on the best terms. What makes you think Horror won’t set up an ambush on you one day?” Geno grunted as Erratum rested their hand on top of his head.

“You are worried.” Erratum remarked with audible amusement now, unable to help themselves. Geno batted their hand away with a frustrated sound, turning his head back as Cross approached.

“There you guys are. Reaper’s dropped by so I figured you’d want to know.” Cross informed, to which Erratum nodded and Geno jolted noticeably.

“He’s here?!” Geno sputtered with anxiety, yanking the bottom of his hoodie and sweating.

“Better get going if you want to get yourself mentally prepared.” Cross snickered as Geno rushed off where the other had come from. Erratum moved to do the same, only to be stopped as Cross held his arm out.

“He’s not really here, just figured you needed a break.” Cross shrugged before laughing a bit. “For someone who claims he can’t stand the guy, he sure has an interesting reaction to him.” He commented with a knowing smirk. “Methinks he protest too much.”

“Don’t go telling him that or you’ll become a pincushion full of bones.” Erratum advised with a slight smile.

“So… Horrortale.” Cross prompted with curiosity. Erratum understood his curiosities; he hadn’t had any contact with other realities before Erratum came around.

“Let me see if I can make this a little simpler.” Erratum pulled up their task menu and scrolled through it a moment. “Ah… here we are.” They slid the screen over to Cross so he could read it himself. The guard seemed startled by this, gently running a hand over the screen with interest. It didn’t appear to react to his touch like it did Erratum, but he wasn’t a god after all.

“How exactly does this work? Does this document everything that’s happened in that universe?” He questioned as he skimmed the words on the screen.

“More or less. It’s the direct fabric of their reality being processed into code, which is then being displayed onto my screens for viewing.”

“That’s extremely convoluted and confusing.”

“I’ve found that’s what being a god is all about.”

Cross took a solid few minutes to read through everything, grimacing as he looked back at Erratum. “Wow… that’s really messed up. Like… really messed up.” He muttered as he glanced back at the screen. “Are there a lot of worlds like this...?”

“There are quite a few I’ve come across in my time. They aren’t always the same, and they all vary in degrees of horror. My worry is how many more worlds like these will be created.” Erratum frowned as they idly weaved their golden threads between their fingers to ease their rising frustration.

“Is that why you don’t like Ink?”

Erratum abruptly stopped their hand movements at the question, eyes locking onto the guard. Cross scanned over their face to try and decipher the god’s thoughts. “It’s just something me and Geno have talked about. The way you said that though,” He commented as he passed the screen back over to them. “The way you say, ‘how many of those kinds of worlds will be created’, it sounds personal. It’s about Ink creating these terrible worlds, isn’t it?” Erratum remained silent at this.

“Gotcha,” Cross seemed rather satisfied with himself at this. “Looks like we finally have something for you to talk about during our little group huddle.” Erratum wasn’t sure how to respond but was thankfully saved from having this conversation as their robe pocket wriggled.

“Hoi!”

Erratum frowned as a small head poked out from their pocket, staring up at them with beady eyes. “Awawawa… so tol!" Temmie spoke in a weak voice. Cross pointed at the creature with a confused expression.

“Is that a Temmie in your pocket?” Cross questioned the obvious as Erratum grabbed the thing by the scruff and lifted it to examine.

The creature was obviously a stowaway from Horrortale, the condition of them gave that away immediately. They must have snuck in at some point when they were tracking Horror down. They were obviously suffering from mange and had several active skin infections from the looks of it.

“I’m not sure how you managed to get here without me detecting it.” Erratum spoke with curiosity. “I must also make a note that anyone I’m carrying on me, apparently, can just slip through my wards.”

“P!! Don’t send Tem back!!” The creature wailed as they hung loosely from the god’s grasp. “Tems… EAT Tem! Tem weak… they die!” They pleaded with them.

“Aw, c’mon, you can’t toss them out.” Cross agreed as he looked on with equal pity. “You’re all for a good sob story anyway, right?”

Erratum gave him a withering look as they moved to properly cup the monster in their hands. “I wouldn’t send them back in this condition anyway.” They reassured both parties. “You’re free to stay as long as you need.” They were slightly amused that both Cross and Temmie slumped with relief at this.

“You so kind! Tem …preciate!” The small monster sniffled. Erratum handed the creature off to Cross.

“Your responsibility then, since you vouched for them.” They informed the guard as he handled the Temmie. “Give it a bath first.”

“Nooo! Not bath!!”

Cross held the Temmie away from his body as it wriggled and protested. “Yeah… I’ll get right on that…” He sighed with reluctance.

-------------------------------

“Hey, Errata…”

“We are compartmentalizing.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You’re skipping out on your turn.” Erratum sighed as they opened their eyes again to view the group. Cross was sitting beside Geno, who was sitting a significant distance away from Reaper, who had decided to more view than participate. Erratum had allowed him to stay when he dropped in during their daily sessions of… whatever this was.

“There is nothing for me to discuss.” They assured as they attempted to go back to their meditations. They knew where this was going.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Geno remarked, Temmie settled in his lap as he patted their head. “We gotta talk about your beef with Ink.” He spoke, which immediately caught Reaper’s attention.

“Oh? What’s he done to you that’s gotten under your skin? You seem rather unflappable.” Reaper questioned with both amusement and curiosity.

“Again, there is no ‘beef’ to be had. We haven’t even met before.” Erratum reminded as they ran a hand over their face. “Our ideals clash.”

“What ideals?” Geno prodded further. “We’re not gonna settle for that answer anymore. Even if you portal your way out of here, you still have to come back sometime! And we’ll keep bugging you!” He threatened, and Erratum knew he was one hundred percent serious. They let out a long-suffering groan and slumped back against their altar.

“…Have I ever told the story of how I became a Guardian?”

“You know you haven’t, quit stalling.”

Erratum frowned as they pulled out a pair of knitting needles and resettled themselves in a proper sitting position. Their golden strings wrapped firmly to the needles as they began to knit; it always eased a bit of their anxiety. “I don’t quite remember where I came from or the universe that I was in. Destiny had created it on their own. I was somewhat of a prized possession, I would consider. Not much of a person, but an idea that they appreciated.”

“Destiny, okay. That’s one of the Seven that you talked about, right?” Cross checked as he tried to recall the long, dull lecture-style talk Erratum had given them.

“That’s correct,” The god nodded as the needles clacked together softly. “Fate had created their own… world? Well, it was more of an endless white void, where they made their own divine being.”

“That was Ink,” Geno concluded from the way the others face subtly shifted.

“Yes,” They confirmed once more. “Destiny was careful with their work. They took what would translate to years crafting me and my world. Fate? You could equivalate their shaping of Ink to a few days, a week at most.” They pulled at a loose thread, breaking it off with a dissatisfied expression. “When you work that quickly, you tend to miss a few steps and make a few mistakes.”

“What are you implying?”

Erratum glanced up at Reaper, noting the tone of his voice that clearly screamed ‘choose your words carefully' at them. “There is no implication to be made. The quick crafting is why he possesses no soul.” They reminded the demigod. Said demigod stiffened up as their dark wings summoned and fluffed out.

“He what?!” Geno sputtered as he lurched forward, knocking Temmie out of their lap. “What do you mean he has no soul?!”

“I’m sorry I… thought you would be aware of this.” Erratum was genuinely shocked at this. Did anyone know about the creator’s… condition? “Has he never told you any of this?”

“Uhhh, no. No, it’s never come up in conversation before.” Reaper spoke as he held one wing in front of himself, attempting to groom the feathers back into place.

“But… why else do you think he carries his paints to simulate emotions?”

“That’s what that’s for?!” Geno was floored by how casually the other was making this conversation. They could make the apocalypse sound like a regular Tuesday afternoon.

“I thought it was just a weird quirk. Or an addiction. You know how Sanses are with their condiments.” Reaper shrugged with a frown. “So… no soul, no emotions. Wow… that’s kind of a bombshell.” He admitted. Erratum felt a tiny bit bad dropping all of that on them.

“What does this have to do with your creation though?” Cross questioned as he watched the god intently.

Erratum moved their fingers quicker as they considered how to word their answer. “His soul was unstable when he was made due to the influx of power. It was introduced too much too soon, and it essentially crumbled away. He was gifted with the ability to create, so that was the tradeoff I suppose. He was also given guidelines and warnings about the multiverse and his powers. The thing about not having a soul is that you lack a sense of being as well. Empathy, rationality, impulse control, even memories.” They exhaled with frustration. “So, when they were told that the multiverse could only hold so much, they didn’t retain it. Thus, he never learned to show restraint or limit what he makes. The multiverse continues to fill at an accelerated rate, and if it becomes overcrowded, well...”

“Bad things… got it.” Geno nodded as the other trailed off. “You put too much air in a balloon, it’s eventually gonna pop.”

“A proper analogy for it, I suppose. Worlds colliding, balances flipping, the inevitable end to the entire multiverse.”

There was that casual apocalypse conversation Geno noted with a grim sense of humor.

“So, I was taken from my world by Fate, and my universe collapsed. I was… supposed to be his counterpart. A demigod with the ability to destroy and erase worlds from existence. I was meant to counteract and cull universes to make room.” The silence that followed was deafening. They sat there, uncomfortable for a moment.

“You don’t do that though.”

“I don’t. I could, but that Destiny never came to be.” They explained. “Destiny tried to take me back from Fate’s hand. The back and forth was… agonizing.” They had never spoken about the experience before now. “Mortals were never meant to be subjected to their touches for a prolonged period. Their magic and auras are potent, and it sears your very being. That much should be obvious by the state of my bones.”

“Wait… all of that… they’re scorched??” Geno gaped as he looked over the blackened bones.

“In a sense of the word. Eventually, Karma stepped in and took me away. They brought me here, to the anti-void, the same place the creator was formed.” They looked around at the dense garden they had made of the area. The void stretched on endlessly, as far as they could tell. “By then, all their magic and intent had altered my being, the very makeup of my soul. And thus, Errata was born, so to say.”

The group of skeletons exchanged looks with one another as they soaked all of this in. Cross was the first to speak after the tense quiet.

“I uh… I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have pushed you into sharing such a personal story.”

“You were bound to learn of it eventually. I have no shame in where I’ve come from or where I’ve been. I’ve made peace with my life and the loss of my previous one.”

“You’re a hell of a lot stronger than me then.” Geno chuckled bitterly at this.

“Me too.” Cross agreed softly as he looked to the grass under him. Temmie had found the discarded golden string in the grass and was idly batting it, oblivious to the seriousness of the conversation.

“Yikes… and I thought I could kill a mood.” Reaper joked, earning a glare from Geno at the poor timing.

Erratum frowned as agony pulsed through their soul as the two sat before them with haunted looks. They stood from their altar and walked the short distance to them before settling down on their knees. Both skeletons looked up at them as they rested a hand on the backs of their necks and pulled them in. Geno and Cross both jolted in surprise as they were pressed into the god’s chest and crowded together.

“What…??” Geno sputtered in confusion as they tried to look up at Erratum. The god was unbudging, however, as they kept them held close.

“You may not have recovered from the pain of losing your homes,” Erratum murmured to them softly as they held them tighter. “But you will always have a home in me, as long as you desire.”

Geno was quiet after this statement, unable to find any suitable words to reply to such a heartfelt and compassionate reply. He felt the sting of tears in his eyes as one hand moved to grasp the fabric of their robe. He pressed his forehead further into their chest to hide the strong effect those words had on him. From the slight shudder in Cross’s shoulders, he could find a bit of comfort knowing it wasn’t just him.

“Awww, where’s my hug?” Reaper crooned teasingly as he hovered near them with amusement. Even with their deadly touch being suppressed as it was, he still tended to keep a distance from them most of the time.

Erratum gave a huff of a laugh as they moved one hand to guide him down as well, squeezing him in after a few squirms and adjustments from the others. Reaper blinked owlishly as he was pressed up against the group of them.

“Oh…” He muttered as his hands moved to wrap around their torso. He closed his eyes as he rested his chin against Erratum’s shoulder. “This… is nice.” He muttered quietly. Erratum just gave a small sound of contentment as they held the three of them close.

“You said the touches of the Guardians burned,” Geno spoke up as he recovered emotionally. “I don’t feel that when you touch me though.”

Erratum considered this a moment. “I believe it is because of my physical form. The other beings do not exist in a physical sense, more like pure forms of magic and energy. I have my previous physical body from my old world to contain everything.” They theorized with a small frown. It was surprising, now that they thought about it, that this physical form had been holding up as it had. Monster bodies existed solely on magic rather than physical matter, however, which might be working to their advantage.

“Sounds complicated.”

“It is. Now… may we proceed with compartmentalizing this very complex trauma?”

-------------------------------

“I assure you; I do not require a chaperone on every visit, and this particular plea sounds like an emergency.” Erratum was hastily storing away their sewing supplies as they prepared to answer another call.

“All the more reason for me to go with you! What if it’s like last time, huh?” Cross protested as the god opened one of their portals. “You can’t go out there on your own if you run into those guys again.”

“I can, and I will. I have done it many times before you, don’t forget that.” Erratum reminded him with a look over their shoulder. “I would feel more comfortable with you staying here with the others while I’m gone. If you are needed, I am more than capable of summoning you. You trust that don’t you?” Cross slumped his shoulders a bit with a heavy sigh at the question.

“You know I do, but that’s-”

Erratum shook their head as they pulled him into a brief hug. “I will be back before you know it. Let Geno know this, so he doesn’t worry as well.” They instructed before pulling away from him. Cross moved to cross his arms tightly with obvious displeasure.

“Fine. I’m not happy about it though.”

“Of course.” Erratum acknowledged as they disappeared through their portal. They briefly saw the conflicted look on Cross’s face before the tear in reality came together again and closed off their world. They did feel bad leaving him there to worry, but they absolutely could not bring him to such a volatile situation. Not with who they were going to see.

They found themselves in a decent-sized bedroom, which must have been well decorated and even luxurious at one point. As it was, the room was barely recognizable as a bedroom except for the presence of an actual bed. The walls had claw-shaped grooves in them and smashed furniture littered the room. Even the sheets on the bed were torn and stained with both blood and what Erratum assumed was dust.

Speaking of dust.

The doors leading out to a balcony were flung wide open on the far side of the room, the curtains that were once covering it shredded and flapping as useless ribbons in the wind. Erratum was slow to approach, trying to remain as quiet as possible as they made their way to the doors. They weren’t sure if it even mattered with the amount of screaming and wild whipping of magic that echoed through the area. They managed to wrestle away the shredded curtains from the doorway and ease their way onto the balcony. Their scarf whipped wildly where it hung over their shoulder as the raw, wild magic swirled and lashed through the air around them.

Sitting on the edge of the railing was Dust, clutching his head and giving occasional shouts and sparks of agitated magic. They could see the sparks racing over their body every so often as he screamed and shook. Erratum could barely make out any of the babbles of words he was saying, other than a plea to make it stop and to let it end. The god knew this was going to be the most precarious situation they had dealt with yet.

They raised their firewall immediately in anticipation, and to ease some of the pressure on their body from the battering magic. It served as a good windbreaker at least. They took a quiet breath to mentally prepare themselves for this conversation before steeling their nerves.

“You aren’t exactly who I expected to call for me.”

The effect was instantaneous as Dust whipped his head around with a fierce snarl. The firewall caught the vicious blast from their summoned construct, though it even pushed the god back a small bit on their feet. The floating blaster faded away after a moment and the crazed monster looked no less hostile than before. Erratum dropped their wall as the whipping of magic calmed a bit with the previous concentrated magic attack.

“I didn’t call for you.” Dust sneered as they moved themselves to face Erratum, slipping off the railing and standing slightly hunched over. “I don’t need help from someone like you unless you’re here as a sacrificial lamb.” They grinned widely at the very idea. “Would you like to help me with that?”

Erratum didn’t rise to the threat or show any signs of fear. They raked their eyes over his heaving form and took note of the desperate flares of magic. “Your soul is burning itself up.”

“What do you know?” Dust bit back.

“Your body wasn’t made to handle such a large surge of magic.” Erratum continued to explain without being prompted. “You’ve continued to kill and build power past the point you should have capped out. Monster bodies are strong, and their souls can hold a wealth of magic, but they have their limitations. The power you seek to build yourself higher will ultimately destroy you.”

“I can handle it.”

“You can’t,” Erratum denied as they approached him slowly, inching forward ever so slightly.

“Stay away from me.” Dust hissed as they bristled with magic and hostility. “You think I’m dangerous now? Imagine my power when I take you out.” He threatened them.

“But you don’t really want that, do you?”

Dust stiffened up at this.

“Despite what you’re saying, even if you truly believe that, somewhere deep down, you’re screaming for help.” Erratum continued to approach him, causing Dust to back up into the railing again. “You wouldn’t have called out for someone to help you if not. Subconsciously, you’re crying out for someone to stop the torment in your soul. You’re screaming out for forgiveness in a voice you’ve tried to bury down into the recess of your mind.” They moved to stop a few feet away from them. “But there is nowhere deep enough in your mind that I cannot hear a true plea for help.”

“You don’t know me…” Dust muttered as they gripped onto the railing behind him tightly. “You don’t know what I want… you don’t know what I’m feeling!”

Erratum looked on at them with an unreadable expression, unwilling to show their pity and further enrage him. “I have existed long before you were a thought in the creator’s mind.” They spoke softly to him. “I have seen your world, and I know all the details. Whether you try to pretend as though you’ve always been cruel and bloodthirsty, that’s not where you started. You didn’t slaughter because you enjoyed it or for fun. You did it out of a misguided attempt to stop the human from killing all of you instead. You’re aware of the contradictory nature of your wants, of your previous plan to force the anomalous force to abandon your world.” Dust inhaled sharply in response.

“You spend your time rationalizing and justifying actions you know are wrong. You think your end goal overpowers what sacrifices have to be made.” Erratum frowned as they let the pity settle on their face finally. “And you hate yourself. You hate yourself so intensely that you would resign yourself to sit in a world, alone, forever; waiting for the human to arrive again in the event you were successful. Never resting, never at peace. You know somewhere deep down that your goal is unreachable and that your timeline will never be stable. The cycle will continue despite it all, but you find you’ve come too far to go back. That’s why you stay outside of your world now, to prevent yourself from having to regain all of those levels over and over again.”

“Shut up…”

“Gaining more levels by killing outside of your world will not help you. Your body was not made to handle that, and you will die. If you burn up your soul here, outside of your own universe, I’m uncertain what would happen to you. Would you disappear altogether? Would you wind up back in your world? Would there be consequences beyond that?” Erratum could see the terror flash briefly over their face. “I don’t think it’s something you want to find out.”

Dust was breathing heavily now, fingers digging into the metal rails as his hands shook. “You’re trying to scare me… you’re trying to intimidate me into stopping.” They accused through clenched teeth. “But no one can stop me. No one can stop me now.” His voice continued to rise with every sentence he got out. The magic was beginning to flare up again. “I don’t need anyone else. Everyone around me is a pawn, a steppingstone toward reaching the power I need to stop it.” He claimed as his hand moved behind him discreetly.

“I don’t need anyone. I don’t need anyone!”

Dust lurched forward as his hand withdrew the blade from the elastic on his waist. Erratum was startled by the sudden physical attack, having only been prepared for any magical outburst. They only had a brief amount of time to berate themselves for not expecting that with this monster before the blade was buried in between the space of their ribs. The god lurched forward as static rolled along their body, eyes wide and error windows beginning to pop up on various screens around them.

Dust inhaled sharply as he still grasped the hilt in both hands, eyes staring at the blinding white in their sockets. He began to hyperventilate as his fingers refused to release the blade. “What…?” He shook as a tremendous amount of power sapped from his body. He felt his knees buckle as he stumbled forward at the sudden weakness in his body. The hot burn of magic had quieted in his soul, leaving it lighter and pain-free.

Something still didn’t feel right about it. Dust continued to panic as he could hear the hallucination beside him begin to screech and tear into him as he took stock of his body. He should be feeling the rush from eliminating (he thinks? The god was still in front of him, but they weren’t moving or speaking) a powerful enemy. He was sickened that it was the exact opposite, however. He felt weak, his soul felt less full, his detachment from a normal kill absent, as he stared at this being. He hadn’t gained anything from this at all. In fact, he came out in the red this time.

Somehow, despite the power of the god, somehow,

He had lost levels.

Chapter Text

The sensation of floating in the Between was familiar to Erratum at this point. They placed a hand over their ribs, seeing the sparks of blue against their hand. It was as though a severed wire was sparking within their chest. They turned their head up sharply as the Guardians descended upon them.

 “Ah… always a pleasure to visit.”  Erratum spoke sheepishly as Karma swirled around them once more in a comforting spectral embrace. As much as the original conversion had brought them pain, they were able to appreciate the lack of burning their touches brought now.

“You, while intelligent and merciful, are also reckless and oblivious.” Karma sighed out around them. Erratum had the decency to scrunch their shoulders up and hide half their face in their scarf. They were a little embarrassed to have this discussion.

“To be fair-” 

“You stand before us after taking a fatal attack. There is nothing to make that less shameful.” Fate remarked blandly at the other’s attempt.

Erratum frowned as they tried to focus on the shapeless being. “It was a mistake on my part, I agree. I am doing my best and I am doing it alone.” They reminded them with slight frustration.

“For now.”  Time spoke up, though made no move to further explain this. Erratum didn’t like their cryptic behaviour; always being vague to keep future events a secret.

“Am I dead then?” Erratum questioned as they stuck their hand into the wound, noting the lack of pain.

“Please don’t…” Hope had an audible cringe in their tone as they floated closer with Faith. The two beings tended to stay together. “You are not dead, but we’d like it if you didn’t abuse the lack of dying.” 

“That is a fair request.” 

“Not our only one either!” Faith spoke up cheerfully as Karma moved aside to make way for the other two. Both Guardians circled near Erratum, momentarily giving them flashbacks before they disappeared back into their mind. "Your little… stunt… has inspired something within us!” 

“To help with the balance of positivity and negativity, and for those unstable monsters. There will be more suffering from the effects of this high-level phenomenon and magic storms.”

“Magic storms?” Erratum continued to float there as the two Guardians each placed a hand on either side of their face. There was a series of tingles, like a couple of hypodermic needles prickling up their mandible up to the greater wing of their sphenoid bone.

“The event you witnessed that other monster suffering from. That’s what we’ve elected to call it due to the manifestations and effects of it.” Faith explained as the two Guardians drifted away from them once they finished.

“Think of these new abilities like a birthday gift. It makes it sound more fun and less like heavy responsibilities.” Karma remarked as they surrounded Erratum once again. The damaged god blinked once at this.

“Birthday?”

“Well, I don’t know if I would call it that, truly. It is the day that you became what you are now, however.” That made more sense.

“We have another request we’d like you to fulfill at your convenience,” Hope added on after Erratum watched a series of sparks and pixelations run up their arms.

“Bring Dream and Nightmare here so we make speak to them.” 

Erratum frowned as they looked up in surprise. “Bring them here? I am certain I could have Dream successfully shift within a temple, but Nightmare…” 

“At your convenience,” Hope reemphasized with what was probably a kind smile.

“As much as we love to have you here, you left your body at a rather inconvenient moment.” Karma reminded them. Erratum nodded in agreement but quickly looked up after a moment.

“Wait, how does this new power wor-“

“Good luck!” 

Erratum felt a little dizzy as they came to again, still slumped forward and knife buried in their chest. They waved the mess of error windows out of their field of vision and regained their bearings looking around for Dust. They didn't have to look far, seeing him huddled on the ground with his hands covering the back of his head. He was mumbling hysterically to himself and shaking uncontrollably. Erratum frowned as they couched down and placed a hand on their back, causing him to jerk his head up and stare at them.

"You... no. I-I killed you... I... you..." Dust stammered out as he zeroed in on the knife in their chest. "I know I did... I felt your soul leave... you died." He seemed like he was trying to convince himself. 

"I did not die, no." Erratum replied as they pulled their hand away to prevent further overstimulating him. "And I didn't necessarily leave, just... well, it's difficult to explain. God stuff?" They shook their head as they were unable to find a good explanation. They felt the crazed monster grab onto their robes, attempting to shake the calm god, though they remained unmoved.

"What did you do?! What did you do to me?!" Dust shouted as Erratum stared on with confusion. "I don't know how... you...! You took away my levels! You stole the power I worked so hard for!" He snarled at them, throwing a punch that Erratum easily caught. "I'm nothing without them! Give them back!" He demanded. 

"Even if I knew what you were talking about, I would do no such thing. Your violence level is radically high even with the loss." The god frowned as they trailed their eyes down to the hand they were grasping. They rose their brow bone as they saw the familiar symbol of Karma and nodded their head. It made sense that this monster would be marked considering everything he has done. They grasped tighter to his fist, igniting the symbol in a golden light. Their own marking filled with magic as their eyes whited out much like they had the first time they experienced this. They were more prepared for the disconnected feeling as they found themselves standing ankle-deep in freezing snow. 

They could see Dust standing before their brother, and the sight nearly made them sick.

Papyrus was slumped down against a rock, bones impaled in what was left of his body as he spoke empathetically to his brother. As he faded into dust, the remaining skeleton dropped to their knees and began to scream and clutch their head. It had to be one of the most horrific things Erratum had witnessed yet. 

The scenery shifted as Dust walked through Waterfall, killing monsters as he came across them. Erratum could see clearly the disembodied head of Papyrus floating around him, whispering and encouraging their murderous rampage. Always encouraging more violence, always egging him on, always reminding him of what he's done and how disgusting he is. 

Whether that is true or not is not of Erratum's concern.

They found themselves back in their body again a moment later. Dust was yanking on his hand as the god was nearly crushing it in their grasp. 

That specter was now visible to Erratum, circling and hissing insults at Dust. They criticized him for being so weak, for failing to kill an off-guard enemy, for losing levels, and being a failure. 

This was suitable punishment? This seemed to only encourage the other's behaviours. 

"You know he isn't real, don't you?" 

Dust froze and stopped his struggling. "What are you talking about?" He spoke lowly, obviously guarded and wary.

"What you're experiencing are hallucinations. Papyrus isn't here. He isn't watching over your shoulder and judging you. Your mind is unwell and has conjured his image in response to the horrors and stress you've put your body and psyche through."

"You never know when to stop talking, do you?" Dust growled while the specter grinned silently at the god. 

"Regardless, I've decided that this sort of mental torture is not suitable for retribution." The grip on his hand tightened up further, making Dust wince and yank his arm again. "So I am taking this away." 

Dust could feel burning up his arm which was far more painful than the other's grasp. As he shouted out his pain, he vaguely noted that his mind had gone quiet. He gasped raggedly as he hung his head. "Papyrus...?" He muttered deliriously. 

Erratum continued to hold onto him, not quite finished. "Instead of these hallucinations, I have found inspiration from your outburst upon me. From this point forward, every kill you make will not empower you. Instead, each life you take will also take your power. Every soul will eat away at your levels, every lost life a lost amount of your magic prowess." They could see the fear on Dust's face as he looked up at them again. "And so it will be." 

Dust yanked his hand away as the burning subsided, shaking violently as he stared down at it. He couldn't see any outward damage or marks, but the words hung ominously in the air. Though the hisses of his brother were gone, ringing continued in his acoustic meatus. 

"You... you fucking monster..." 

"I'm the monster?" Erratum questioned with genuine confusion. Dust only clenched his fists tighter and stared at them with frustrated tears.

"Do you understand what you've done?! I can't... Nightmare will kill me if he has no use for me! If I can't kill... if I'm weak..." Dust was hyperventilating at this point at the mere thought of it. This monster had completely screwed him over. He should have known better than to try and tussle with a god. 

A third time.

"What is done is done. I will not release you from this as long as you continue this path." Erratum spoke firmly to him. "When you have learned... when you have truly come to terms with everything; only then." 

"Get away from me..." Dust gritted out as he pushed himself to his feet and wrapped his arms around his middle. 

"When the time comes, you'll call for me."

"I will never beg you for anything. I will never ask for anything from you. I hate you." Dust hissed back at the other. Erratum just shook their head and opened their portal home. 

"Even if you hate me, you will. One day." 

Geno and Cross were both still waiting at Erratum's altar for their return. 

Well, Cross was waiting. Geno was pacing around restlessly. 

"You're giving me anxiety," Cross remarked as the other turned and began walking the opposite way again. "Can you at least sit down? You're gonna start wearing a trail into the ground at this rate."

Geno glared back at him in response, though he did stop his pacing. "I figured you of all people would be worried. The last time they went somewhere they were in Horrortale, and I can't imagine any emergency they had to answer is any less life-threatening."

"I am worried, but there's nothing I can do about it now. They said they would contact me if they needed back up and I have to trust they will." Cross sighed as they leaned back on their hands. "Plus, Errata says Horror isn't so bad. They've never come back with, like, a missing limb or anything. So he's obviously not trying to eat them." That didn't seem to relieve any of Geno's worries. 

The wounded skeleton perked up, however, as familiar golden strings created a rift for the god to step through. Geno let out a relieved sigh as he saw them returning.

"There you are! You know, rushing off like that really makes me- AAGHH!" Geno suddenly screamed as Erratum turned to face them fully. The god seemed befuddled by his reaction, tilting their head with a frown. 

"What?" 

"There's a KNIFE sticking out of you!" 

"Ah, I thought I had forgotten to do something." Erratum hummed as they looked down at the knife. They had forgotten to remove it, having become wrapped up in the series of events that unfolded after they had returned to their body. 

"FORGOTTEN?? How do you FORGET a knife is wedged in your ribs?!" 

"Well, it wasn't the most pressing matter at the moment." 

Cross was quickly at the god's side, frowning in disapproval. "You're not going by yourself anymore. You promised you'd call if you needed backup!" 

"To be fair, we were chatting just fine when suddenly," They gestured down to their chest. "A knife." 

"Of course, suddenly." Cross frowned as they grimaced at it. "I... don't feel comfortable removing this." They admitted as they saw how deep it went. "Call Dream, he seems good at all this stuff." 

Erratum sighed as they opened their task menu. "Fine, but only because I do feel guilty." They relented as they pulled up the spirit's information. It only took a few moments to connect, Dream's face coming into view with a confused look.

"Hello? Oh! Hello Errata!" Dream greeted with a frantic wave. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you! Um, can I help you with something?" 

"Yeah, you could help this stubborn god's newly acquired wound," Cross complained as he came into view next to Erratum. "None of us here would dare touch it. It's... kind of bad." 

Dream seemed alarmed at this statement. "Oh gosh, um, sure if I can help I will. Where... um, where should I meet you?" 

"Let me open a portal for you." Erratum moved to tear a new rift in reality, revealing Dream standing at a kitchen counter. He whirled around at the sound of the portal, hanging up his phone as he stepped through.

"Wow... is this where you live? It's very beautiful." Dream praised as he turned to look at the god. He gasped as a hand flew up to his mouth. "Oh, my stars!! What happened?!" 

"A knife." 

"I can see that!!" Dream sputtered as they rested a hand on the side of their chest. The healing magic helped the immense pain of them attempting to pry it out. "I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry..." Dream frantically whispered as he struggle to pull it out. After a few moments of yanking, the knife finally budged and separated from the god. "Who stabbed you??" 

"Dust." 

"That checks out," Geno remarked as he hovered nearby with a frown. Dream turned at the sound of the other's voice, brightening up a bit.

"Geno! You look... wow, you look different." Dream noticed as he looked him over. The other no longer had pixelations covering his body, though his right socket wasn't looking too hot. His bloodied shirt was replaced with a newer gold-coloured sweater, most likely made by the god he was tending to. There were no traces of blood on it either. "You look really good, actually! Your mood is so much brighter too! No more pain?"

"Nope." Geno rocked back on his heels with a small grin. "Errata fixed me all up... mostly. Look, there was a lot of damage done and I'm not complaining." He chuckled softly. "They're pretty cool, ya know when they aren't being stupid." 

"Hey..." Erratum frowned as they examined the knife. They popped their head back up a moment later as they remembered their meeting. "Actually, Dream, there's something I wish to speak with you about." They gestured the spirit over, though Dream seemed confused.

"Okay...? What would that be?" He trailed his eyes over to the altar behind Erratum, eyes wide with wonder. "Wow... you even have your own temple? That's really impressive..." 

"Yes, yes. Anyhow, when Dust pseudo-killed me-" 

"KILLED you??" 

"He killed you?!" 

Erratum chose not to address this. "I entered the Between and spoke with the Guardians. After a... light reprimanding... Hope and Faith requested to see you." They explained, which made Dream stiffen up. 

"M-me? The Guardians want to see me?"

"There's an issue," Erratum frowned as Dream tried to wrap his head around this. "They also want to see Nightmare." 

Dream jolted in surprise at this. "Nightmare?? How is that going to work? We can't even talk without it ending in a giant fight!" 

"I haven't a clue. The Guardians work in frustratingly mysterious ways." Erratum sighed heavily. "Their phrasing suggests that they wish to see the both of you at the same time as well." 

"That's never going to work! Can't they just talk to me alone? Then maybe one day we can get Nightmare to cooperate?" 

Erratum frowned sharply as they stood a bit taller. "Are you suggesting the Guardians don't know what they're doing?" 

"Nonononono!" Dream quickly backtracked with his hands up and frantically waving in front of himself. "That's not what I was implying at all! I just don't see how that can be pulled off!" He tried to amend. Luckily, Erratum seemed to relax a bit. 

"Also, I apparently have been tasked with more Balance related work." Erratum commented as they tried to focus on any new sensation in their body. They closed their eyes and pressed their hands together, attempting to find their center. This was supposed to be for the positivity balance, right? So perhaps focusing on those feelings...

They exhaled slowly as a ball of gold expanded between their hands, resting there as they reopened their eyes. Dream was watching with wide eyes, sensing the concentrated positive energy coming from it. 

"Wow... what does it do?"

"I have no clue, they didn't bother to explain. They stated it's for what they call 'magic storms' and what I can only assume is balancing the high negativity imbalance. Probably a good thing since Nightmare wants my head on a pike." 

"You've fought with Nightmare? Magical storms?" Dream was so lost trying to comprehend all of this god stuff. 

"Yes, he wasn't too happy I wouldn't fight for his side. And apparently, when a monster reaches such a high level of violence, they begin to have lashing outs of their magic. It can burn through their magic, and inevitably burn up their soul. Without stopping the outburst, it will kill them. I assume this is to help neutralize that." Erratum attempted to explain to the best of their knowledge. 

"So, you'll be helping us then?" Dream brightened up. 

"If you mean traveling around with your group, no. I will still continue to do this on my own." Dream seemed disappointed in hearing this but nodded regardless. Erratum sighed heavily as they settled back against their altar. "This has been a strange 'birthday', I will say." 

"It's your birthday?!" Cross sprung up at the news, while the other two also immediately perked up. Erratum was beginning to sense they shouldn't have brought it up.

"Sort of? It was the day I became Errata, that is." 

"We should celebrate!" Geno enthused, to which the remaining two nodded frantically. 

"Celebrate what?" Geno jolted at hearing this voice, whipping around quickly as Reaper floated through a dark portal. "Hello there Geno, always a pleasure."

"Cram it. It's Errata's birthday." Geno informed him with a huff. 

"Oh? That is a celebratory occasion." Reaper agreed though Erratum didn't feel the same.

"Really, it's-"

"Oh, let me call Blue! He loves a good party, and he's basically your most loyal follower." Dream laughed as he tapped away on his phone.

"There is no party! This is really unnecessary." Erratum tried again, but things were quickly spiraling out of their control. 

"We don't have gifts!"

"I require nothing. Look at all the stuff I already have lying around." Erratum gestured dramatically to their altar and offerings. 

"See if Blue can make a cake!"

"I don't require food!"

"Doesn't mean you can't enjoy it! Oh, you can make decorations for this place, right? Come on! It'll be fun!" Cross enthused as he nudged the flustered god. 

"You aren't going to let this go, are you?" Erratum sighed as they looked over to Reaper wearily. "How goes the training?" They attempted to change the topic to anything but this. 

Reaper beamed as they lowered themselves to the ground. The grass wilted a bit, but the flowers didn't seem to shrivel up and die. "It isn't perfect, but I'm making progress." He seemed rather proud of himself. 

"You're making great progress indeed." Erratum approved with obvious pride in their expression. "Since we're apparently having this little get-together, allow me to suppress it entirely for now. One day, you'll be able to do it yourself." They promised as they threaded a string around their soul once more. 

Dream hung up after a moment, grinning sheepishly. "Blue, uh, is going to get things ready. I'd say maybe an hour or so? Then he'll be ready to swing by." 

Wonderful.

Erratum felt ridiculous. 

Once Blue had arrived, he had demanded the other wear this ridiculous triangular hat that tied uncomfortably around their head. The others had assured them that it was part of the tradition, but they weren't so sure about that. It felt silly and slightly humiliating. The others seemed delighted though, so they supposed they could live with it for now.

Blue had come bearing what they called a 'cake', looking proud of themselves as they sat it on a round table the god had conjured up. Erratum had compromised on the decorations, as ridiculous streamers and balloons were not to their taste. Floral arrangements and archways made it look like a proper garden party, which no one seemed too upset with.

"Kinda romantic, isn't it?" Reaper grinned mischievously while Geno rolled their eyes in exasperation. 

"Errata! Bend down a little so I can take a selfie!" Blue called out to them. Erratum crouched down to Blue's level as he held his phone up and threw up a peace sign. "Come on, smile! Don't look so stoic for once!" He insisted. Erratum managed a small smile, which satisfied the other enough to take the picture. "Perfect wallpaper material!" He announced proudly. 

"Come on! We're gonna light the candles and sing happy birthday!" Dream called out cheerfully while Blue pushed Erratum insistently. The god didn't budge at the shoves but eventually started moving themselves to the decorated table. The chocolate cake sat in the center, candles circling around the decorative frosting and blazing with tiny flames. 

"Why are they on fire? Is this a hazard?" 

"Not really, you'll blow them out in a minute anyway!" Blue assured as they stood behind Erratum with the rest of the group. "Okay everyone, on three!" He called out to them. "One, two, three!"

The group broke out into various keys of "Happy Birthday", the tempo all over the place. Despite it all, Erratum was grinning as well. The energy and positivity were absolutely infectious and seeing that it made them all so happy, well, then Erratum was happy too. 

As the song wrapped up, Blue blew an annoying horn right near the side of their head. It nearly deafened them, but the joyful laughs and cheers made the annoyance a little less grating.

"Go on! Blow them out and make a wish!" 

A wish? What could they possibly wish for?

"Come on, it's part of the tradition! And you can't tell us or it won't come true!" Blue instructed while Dream giggled beside him. Erratum huffed out a faint laugh as they turned back to the flickering candles. It was hard to think of anything they really wanted with all of them surrounding them and chatting happily. The only thing they could think of was they wished for the balance they sought after so much. They wished the suffering of the worlds around them would end. They wished they could simply speak civilly with the creator and come to a suitable middle ground for both of them.

The god inhaled sharply and blew out the candles, closing their eyes with a smile at the cheers that followed.

Chapter Text

Erratum had found through further group sessions in their realm that keeping their hands busy kept them calm. The more they spoke about the balance, about the creator, and their duties, the more their practiced calm began to ripple. Geno had been the one to point out that the god tended to summon their strings and toy with them when they got like this.

Seeing how well they were with sewing and knitting, it didn’t take too long for Erratum to take up the hobby. They found peace in stitching and weaving threads and yarn together into something new and useful. It made them feel like they weren't just sitting idle and doing nothing, even if it wasn't the most efficient use of their time. With the number of supplies that began to appear on their altar, however, it was difficult to resist the urge to absently knit. That is how they found themselves now; knitting peacefully while Cross raided the altar and munched absently on whatever he could find. While the god had developed a surprising sweet tooth after the little 'party' that was thrown, they still did their best not to indulge. 

"Looks like Red dropped some of that good dark chocolate for ya." Cross commented from his spot. 

They tried not to indulge. 

Erratum had looked away from their project and was in the middle of the internal debate of giving in to the craving or ignoring it. They didn't get much of a chance to consider it as the rise of voices swelled in their mind again and they picked out a particular voice. They tilted their head up a bit, listening intently to the unheard plea only they could decipher. This person had never called out to them before, usually waiting until Erratum dropped by like they normally did.

"I know that look," Cross commented as he stood beside the god, able to creep up on them while they were distracted. "You're doing the posture of 'a voice I have to go answer' and I'm not letting you leave alone." He crossed his arms stubbornly as he stared down at the god. Erratum looked back up at him as they recognized his presence and sighed. 

"While the last emergency ended... poorly, perhaps-"

"Psuedo-death is what I believe you called it," Cross replied dryly. 

"I am capable of traveling on my own. I've been thoroughly chastised by the other Guardians and do not want a repeat experience, thank you very much." They shuddered as they remembered that humiliation. 

"I don't remember asking about all that," Cross commented as Erratum rose to their feet and stashed away their supplies. "I remember saying 'not letting you leave alone' and I'm inclined to follow through with that." Erratum gave a roll of their eyes as they attempted to walk away from the other. "I'm like a tick, Errata. I'm real hard to get rid of once I'm latched on."

"A repulsive comparison, I might add." Erratum cringed as they both came across Geno sitting in his hammock. "Geno, please tell Cross that I am perfectly capable of answering calls for myself." 

Said monster was obviously caught off guard by them, jolting a bit and nearly flipping out of his hammock. He looked back at the two of them with a huff, moving one hand subtly toward his back to shield it. "You're on your own with this one. You think he's gonna listen to me? He's brash and trigger-happy." Cross didn't seem too pleased with this description, scowling a bit at him. 

"I'm not trigger-happy, I'm prepared." Cross corrected with narrowed eyes. "I said I would protect Errata as long as I am at their services and I intend to do just that." He stated firmly while Erratum sighed in displeasure. The god trailed their eyes down to where Geno's arm was hidden away, interest piqued at the guarded position.

"What is it that you're hiding there?" The god questioned Geno. They were admittedly a bit curious, and if it got them off this topic and distracted, then all the better.

Geno stared at them for a moment as he attempted to come up with any words to say. Cross seemed to lose his serious edge at this, perking up a bit. "Yeah, whatcha got?" He grinned, the stoic soldier persona vanishing instantly. 

"Nothing! I don't have anything!" Geno fretted as he managed to land on his feet after struggling with his hammock. 

"Show me your hand then!"

Cross grinned as he rushed forward toward the other. Geno quickly turned around, both hands held tightly to his chest now as he tried to escape. Erratum, ever the antagonist and hoping to keep them both thoroughly distracted for a while, subtly shot a string out and snagged one of his ankles. Geno yelped as he nearly tripped, stumbling a bit as the string kept him from fleeing any further. Cross smirked as he grabbed the skeleton by the shoulders, whirling him around with a loud "Aha!" 

"Wow, dude. Wow." Cross snickered immediately as Geno flushed and scowled at him fiercely. 

Geno was clutching tightly onto a pretty, silky black feather in both hands now to protect it. Erratum released his ankle and tilted their head a bit as they observed the other's posture and expression. 

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! I don't wanna hear it! Shut up!" Geno immediately began to hiss with embarrassment as Cross laughed and threw his arm around Geno's shoulders. "Get off me! This doesn't mean anything!" He protested loudly as Cross gave him a knowing look.

"Geno, pal, bud..." Cross snickered as he continued to hold him in a near headlock to keep him there. "You spend all your time complaining about Reaper and how much you can't stand him,"

"Cross, I swear-" 

"And you are fooling absolutely no one." Cross couldn't keep his laughs in as Geno began to shake in both rage and potentially mortification as well. 

Erratum found a perfect time to slip away into a subtle portal as the sound of a charging blaster began to fill the air. 

Erratum exhaled sharply as they landed directly in Horror's home, startling briefly at the intense look they were met with. Erratum could feel the tension rolling off the other, but his face didn't give away any distress. It was hard to gauge the situation just by taking in the skeleton and the environment. "I apologize it took me a bit to get here, it was not my intention to make you wait." They assured, attempting to decipher his expression again quickly. "What is it that you need?" 

Horror grunted a bit as he looked over his shoulder a moment despite the house being empty. "Wanted... to warn." He rasped out after a moment, fully catching Erratum's attention. Horror frowned and furrowed his brow bone, giving a gruff sound of frustration as he attempt to form his thoughts into words. "Nightmare... sending us to..." The monster went quiet a moment, eye fuzzing and unfocusing a moment with the intensity. "Underswap!" Horror finally recollected as he looked up at Erratum. "Bait you... use as hostage..." 

"Nightmare is planning to send all of you to Underswap to kidnap Blue." Erratum clarified, eyes fierce as they took in Horror's words. "You're absolutely sure?" 

"Yes... positive." Horror nodded firmly. 

"I'm honestly surprised you would tell me this information." Erratum admitted as Horror continued to glance around anxiously. "Does your loyalty not lie with your leader?" 

"Loyalty... lies with you." The intensity of the statement paired with the glow of his eyelight momentarily left Erratum speechless. To gain such trust and respect from someone who had originally wanted to chew on their soul was an honor. And a little daunting, admittedly. 

Though the height disparity wasn't as great as it was with others, Erratum still placed a hand on the top of his head, mindful of the open wound. "Your choice to be potentially self-sacrificing humbles me. I can only hope to be as loyal to all of those who follow me." They spoke earnestly, huffing a small laugh as Horror squeezed them into a tight hug. "And be as comforting." 

Horror released them after a healthy squeeze that could probably snap bones on regular monsters. Erratum only stumbled a bit before righting themselves again. "Right, with this information, I will go ahead and see myself to Underswap. You can be assured that you will not be harmed, and I can promise that no attacks will be thrown." Horror seemed perplexed by how they would manage this feat but nodded regardless. They'd figure it out, Horror was confident.

Erratum bid him a kind farewell before hopping universes once more. They found themself squarely on their welcome mat, attempting to do the polite thing and knock on the door properly. They could hear a distant thump and what was potentially glass shattering on the floor. The door flung open enthusiastically, Blue standing on the other side with the usual cheerful smile. That expression seemed to brighten impossibly more as he saw Erratum standing there.

"Oh! Hello Errata!" Blue greeted brightly as he grasped the god's hand and pulled them inside. Erratum followed without a fight, moving to settle themselves on the couch while Blue scurried back into the kitchen. Erratum assumed that's where the other had been before they had knocked if the sound of clinking glass was to be believed. Blue returned after another moment with a mug and presented it to Erratum with a pleased expression. "Not my usual offering, but, a good one I think!" He assured as the god gave it an unsure look. "I know you don't eat a lot, but you'll like this! It's hot chocolate!" He tempted the other. 

Erratum was thoroughly tempted as they accepted the mug and took a generous gulp. It was warm and rich, satisfying the ridiculous craving they hadn't been able to curb before they were called to Horrortale. "You're right, this is very good. You spoil me with your pastries and various treats." They remarked with a pleasing smile. "Not that I am complaining, of course." 

"Mweheh, I've certainly gotten a lot better than I used to be!" Blue agreed as he hoisted himself up on the cushion beside Erratum, tucking himself into their side and watching them. "So... I love having you here, but is there a reason for the sudden visit?" He questioned curiously. The god usually communicated with him through an open portal rather than directly entering his world. 

Erratum set the now empty mug aside and nodded their head. "I got intel that Nightmare's group will be here shortly to take you hostage." They explained calmly. Blue tensed against them at this information. "Don't be afraid, that is why I'm here. Their hope is to use you to lure me into Nightmare's domain, so it is me they want, not you." 

"You don't seem very concerned by this."

"Not at all." Erratum replied honestly as they rested a comforting hand on Blue's head. "Nightmare's group is one I've become familiar with. I know their weaknesses, and Nightmare is an enigma that I plan to dissect in my own time." They perked their head up as they sensed a few souls entering through a rift. "I would like for you to head to your room and shut the door. I will deal with this." They instructed. Blue seemed indignant at this request.

"But I can help! I fight all the time!" Blue protested immediately with a flash of genuine anger for a moment. He was tired of people viewing him as too kind and vulnerable to fight. Erratum seemed to sense his rising frustration and rested both hands on his shoulders to keep his attention.

"There will be no fighting. I am quite aware you can fight, and I have observed you fighting for several years now even before we met." Erratum reassured him, staying alert for the approaching monsters. "This is something I must do alone for it to work. I need you to trust me." Blue still looked reluctant, but his shoulders sagged after a moment and he nodded his head. "Thank you." 

Erratum allowed the other to give him a brief hug before the smaller monster rushed up the stairs and slammed his door closed. Erratum did feel bad, truly, but this was to keep Blue from interfering with their plans. Which, if he had been here to see, he would have most definitely done. 

They didn't have much time to think about that before the door was broken down. 

Horror stepped past the splintered remains of the door, hand grabbing and yanking at his socket as Dust and Killer followed them in.

"Kay boys, it's a simple mission. Grab the kid and hightail it back to the manor, got it?" Killer instructed his two lackeys.

"Honestly, the door was unlocked. None of that was necessary." 

The group froze at the sound of the god. Killer cursed as he whirled around and saw Erratum lounging comfortably on the couch. They even had an empty cup right next to them! All cozy and waiting for them without any fear in their features. 

"Might I ask why you are actively breaking and entering one of my follower's homes?" Erratum questioned dryly, noting silently how Horror lagged back a bit with an apologetic expression briefly flashing over his face. 

"Don't play dumb, strings!" Killer hissed as he brandished a knife. "You obviously knew we were coming, so how'd you do it? You been spying on us?" He growled. 

"You appear to think I have enough free time to watch your group like a reality television show." Erratum rose to their feet, keeping acutely aware of the weapons that were drawn in response. "I told you that I would begin to appear when you mess with worlds. I can sense my follower's world's danger." Not necessarily the truth, but they didn't need to know that. The scowl they received told them the others were too wary to think twice about it. 

"Whatever! If this won't work, we'll find another way to bring you to boss!" Killer threatened them. Erratum rolled their eyes in exasperation as they turned and began opening a rift.

"If that's all this is about then allow me to make this easier." Erratum stepped through the portal and gave them an unimpressed look. "Honestly, it seems a little dramatic when you all know how I can be contacted already." They left it at that as the portal closed again. The group stood there silently for a moment as they tried to understand what just happened.

"Say... how do they know where our hideout is?" 

"They're a god, Killer. How do you think?" 

"Dumb... going home..." Horror grunted as he dragged his axe along the ground. The other two were hesitant but eventually followed the horror monster out of the house. 

In the end, they accomplished what they wanted. Just not at all the way they had expected.

Nightmare gave a frustrated sigh as he scrubbed his hands over his eyes in exhaustion. He was having one of his 'better' days as his lackeys would call it; head clearer and the suffocating negative aura more controlled. The darker spirit didn't seem to be aware of the rise and fall of his behaviours and the others wouldn't dare speak about it to him. It was a minefield trying to maneuver around Nightmare and gauge what his mood was for the day, ever-shifting and unpredictable. On days where he was able to focus, however, he spent it updating and going over current territory that fell under his kingdom. It had been a frustrating amount of time since he had expanded, but with the addition of Erratum poking into worlds and driving his people back, it was becoming more difficult to keep up. Targeting neutral grounds had begun to look more favourable despite the extra attention it would inevitably bring.

He gritted his teeth at a quiet knock on the door. He had sent his goons off to retrieve the swap Sans not ten minutes ago and they were already back to bug him? Despite how capable the group was, he had sincere doubts that they had the ability to smoothly pull it all off in such a short amount of time. Especially not with how much Killer liked to toy with his victims before killing them or bringing them prisoner. With a heavy sigh, he returned to marking off areas on the parchment spread in front of him, not bothering to glance up at the door.

"Enter." 

He hardly acknowledged the door opening and shutting, scowling as he struck through the territory of Outertale aggressively. It wouldn't do well to try that again. "What is it this time? This better be to tell me the star idiot is secure and in a holding cell." He drawled out, more exhausted and annoyed than threatening.

Erratum glanced around the study a moment, appreciating the details. The walls were a pleasant dark purple with black accents on them, bookshelves aligned neatly against them and full of tomes. It was obvious that the darker spirit was interested in magic, both property and theoretical judging by some of the titles. They looked back to Nightmare after another moment and realized he hadn't even looked up to see who was in his presence. That was surprising to Erratum, as they figured the other would be keenly aware of their surroundings. 

"I hope you don't mind that we decided to skip some steps in that plan."

Nightmare tensed as his tendrils reared up defensively. He jerked his head up and saw the god standing before him, the epitome of calm as always. He silently cursed himself for having his guard so low; this skeleton could have killed him easily if they had so desired it. He slammed his hands down on his desk and rose to his feet with a threatening thrash of appendages. His fury only burned higher as the god ignored him in favour of examining a row of books. It took him several moments of observation to deduce that the other was not ignoring him to provoke a reaction, but was genuinely taking interest in the environment. Erratum wouldn't be so careless as to ignore the obviously threatened spirit. Nightmare managed a calming breath before begrudgingly resting his fist on his chest. 

"These are old," Erratum observed as they withdrew a well-loved leather-bound tome. "Do you miss practicing complex magic? Studying the theoretics of it isn't the same, but it still shows a lasting appreciation for the art." They commented as they thumbed through it carefully. "I'm sure that's not why you wanted to bring me here, however." 

Nightmare steeled his expression again and collected their cool once more. There was no riling this monster up, so it would do no good to expend energy attempting to intimidate or attack them. Plus, he didn't want to destroy his study. "You would be correct." He voiced, leaving the comfort of his desk and observing them from afar. "Although your point is valid, mostly. I long for nothing but total control of the multiverse, but magical theory and spells are fascinating topics to study." He agreed.

Erratum nodded once as they replaced the book, eying the chess set near the closed-off window. "I haven't played a decent game since visiting Time." They remarked as they found themselves near the fancy-looking set. "Of course, it's impossible to win again Time. Not when they're calling check in 20. Never play a strategy game with a being that can practically see the future." They advised as they turned a rook in their hand. They could feel Nightmare's eye boring into them, but they chose to ignore it. Either he would speak up and get to the chase or Erratum would continue to comment on every little thing in the room until the spirit lost his patience. 

"Perhaps I could indulge you while we talk, then." Nightmare offered, admittedly tempted at the idea of playing against someone who didn't flip the board when they lose. Or eat the pieces. 

Erratum didn't respond verbally, only settling down into the chair on one side of the chess table. Nightmare moved to the opposite side, able to directly observe the god now face-to-face. He made a small gesture with his hand insistently. "White goes first." He encouraged as Erratum glanced over their pieces and considered the possible moves. It was quiet for a few minutes as the two took their turns at a slow pace, attempting to size each other up and determine their strategy. In the end, Nightmare broke the silence. 

"What is it that you seek in this plane?" Nightmare glanced up at the other's face briefly as he moved his pieces to attempt a check. "You go world-to-world responding to distress calls, yet you turn away my idiot brother and his little friends. Surely you don't work out of the kindness of your heart?" Erratum hardly acknowledged the question as they escaped from being checked, moving a rook to capture a piece soon after.

"I'm the god of Balance," Erratum responded with the same calm, ethereal voice as always. "And as you could imagine, the multiverse is far from being aligned and in order. I feel you take considerable pride in that." They rose their brow bone as they said this, training their eyes on the obviously amused spirit. 

"I care not for the balances of the universes." 

"You will when the multiverse is destroyed and you die with it." Erratum replied firmly, emphasizing the point with an aggressive move of their piece. "Check in two." Nightmare appeared even further amused by this, and Erratum was thankful for their practiced calm so as not to give the other the satisfaction of tasting their frustration. 

"So dramatic," He chuckled as he redirected his piece and restrategized. "I don't need to consume the entire multiverse in darkness to maintain control. It's more fun to leave a few alive to attempt to rebel against me. Make enough worlds fear you, the others will begin to bow out of the conflict. People are loyal only to themselves and their wellbeing," Nightmare stated as they took a white rook from the board and rolled it between his fingers. "Are you willing to sacrifice those who trust you in order to stop me? Is the balance more important to you than your little peons?" 

Erratum narrowed their sockets the slightest bit as they watched the other attempt to toy with their emotions. That's what he was best at, after all. 

"You project your own view onto me," Erratum remarked with a shake of their head. "I don't send others to fight for me. I am not some lax god that rallies armies and cavalry to fight under my reign or worship." They smirked a bit as they gripped onto their queen. "I am the driving force behind it all. The sacrifices I have made have all been against my own person. My time, my sweat, my blood... and perhaps you're right." They hummed as they allowed Nightmare to take his turn. "They won't love me for being a martyr. No one will bow at my feet or cower before me when I walk by. And if that is the case," They gave a soft laugh at the scrunch in Nightmare's face as he picked out a piece to move. "Then I'm doing everything right." 

"You waste your talents on something that can never be achieved." Nightmare scoffed as his tendrils curled and swished behind him. "Nothing is perfect, and there will never be a permanent state of balance. There will always be tipping, there will always be injustice and power struggles." 

"Perhaps, but not so much if those in charge of their side of the balance do their job." 

"You expect me to continue to be the yin to that idiot's yang?" Nightmare growled at the suggestion. "I'd rather let the universes fall into the void." 

"Hope and Faith sure hope you would consider it." Erratum frowned at the strong disdain the other projected. "They wish to have an audience with the two of you one day." 

"Hope and Faith, heh." Nightmare shook his head and closed his eyes in disbelief. "Of all the Guardians. They can coddle up to my brother all they'd like, but they don't interest me."

"Not up to your aesthetic?" Nightmare gave them a sour look at this. "At any rate, if this was a way to intimidate me or coerce me into allowing you to continue your free reign, then I'm sorry to say it's not very convincing." Erratum informed him as they met their single eye dead on with their own.

"I will not be moved." Erratum left it at that as they clacked their piece audibly against the table. 

"Checkmate." 

Nightmare clenched their jaw tightly as Erratum sat there calmly, which somehow was worse than when his brother gave him those hopeful looks between pleas. "You play well, better than my idiots at least." 

"I'll take the backhanded compliment." Erratum shrugged, raising one hand as a tendril snaked out at them. "I wouldn't do that. If you recall," They grasped onto the wriggling appendage, watching as it curled away and melted into a toxic pool on the table. "It's not very effective." 

Nightmare jolted back again, the chair falling over as he stood up abruptly. He couldn't figure out how the other could do that, and if they could do this, what they could potentially do to the rest of his body. "Aren't you just special?" He muttered bitterly as Erratum opened their task menu and reset the board effortlessly. The spirit allowed his eye to rake over the transparent window before it quickly vanished. "I don't have to attack you to hurt you." He smirked after a moment of consideration. "Your compassion is your downfall. You appeared here willingly because your little Blue was in danger of being targeted by me." He noted how Erratum eyed him with intensity now. "I don't have to kill you, just those that you love. The negativity from you would be a power boost to me that would give me unfathomable strength." 

Erratum walked calmly over to Nightmare as he spoke, never interrupting him. They stopped only a few feet away from him, one hand reaching down and gripping his shoulder. Nightmare stiffened as he felt the corruption under it bristle and bubble. 

"I think," 

Erratum squeezed down harder on his shoulder, causing Nightmare to nearly buckle as the thick corruption pooled down his arm and onto the floor. He glowered up at them with his cyan eye, baring his teeth at them like a feral animal. It was an expression Erratum felt suited Horror more.

"You probably don't want to test the limits of my mercy." Erratum gave him a small smile, chilling even the king of negativity. 

Erratum pulled their hand back after that, grimacing a bit at the glob of negativity that clung to them. "I cannot understand why you Dreamtale twins seem to melt and break when I touch you." They shuddered as they shook their hand clean. Nightmare pressed his hand to his shoulder as though he were staunching a wound and glowered at the god. The words registered after a moment, tendrils swishing once more like an angry cat's tail.

"You were the one that freed him." 

"Accidentally, I might add." Erratum excused as they made sure none of the other's slime clung to their robes. "All for the best, I suppose, since you threw positivity and negativity so far out of balance. Dream kept this multiverse somewhat stable these past hundred years or so." They informed him with a pointed look. 

"So, you choose to continue to oppose me."

"I oppose anyone who threatens this plane." Erratum corrected him. "If the balance were tipped the opposite direction, I would oppose Dream. I don't work based upon what is right or wrong, only on what I have been made to do. My morality is in shades of grey." Nightmare narrowed his eye at them with a shake of his head. "You don't have to understand all of it, only that as long as the balance is too far to your side, I will be against you." Golden strings pulled open a rift behind them, allowing them to back up into it without having to take their eyes off the spirit. With how riled up he had become, they couldn't risk turning their back on them. 

"We'll see about that." Nightmare grinned viciously at them. "We'll see how long it takes to break you. How much you can really handle on your own before it all comes crumbling down. And then where will that lead you?" He chuckled as he held his hands up in front of himself. "Right back to me." 

Erratum scanned him up and down before shaking their head. "As I said before, it'll be a cold day, Nightmare." They waved their hand once before the threads stitched the rift between them back together, leaving Nightmare in his study, alone. 

Nightmare slumped a bit as he allowed the rage to fully consume him. He zeroed his eye in on the standing mirror at the corner of the room and stormed over to it. He grabbed the cloth covering it roughly and yanked it away, angling the mirror correctly to view his entire body with ease. Nothing seemed out of order; the corruption was already back to its stable form and flowing without interruption. He made eye contact with his reflection a moment later, seeing a flash of something behind the eyelight. 

"You disgust me." 

He snarled at the image before piercing through the glass with a sharpened tendril. 

Chapter Text

"ERRATA!" 

The god froze as they stepped back into their world through one of their rifts. They briefly considered ducking back out at the sound of the two irate mortals rapidly approaching. They ultimately sighed and decided to face it head-on, knowing they'd ultimately hear about it later if not. Cross was half jogging toward them, which made Erratum briefly wonder if he was going to outright attempt to tackle them to the ground. Geno was following close behind him at a more moderate pace. The god was relieved when Cross simply stopped in front of them with a firmly set scowl on his face. 

"I-"

"Do not," Cross inhaled sharply as he collected his irritation to more properly address the higher being. "Give me any excuses. I don't want to hear them. I told you I was going to be going with you from now on and you tricked me! You got me distracted so you could slip away without me!" He clenched his fists tightly as Geno stood next to him, looking equally displeased but not voicing it. "Now I know I can't trust you to keep yourself safe, so I'm really gonna have to start acting as a guard." Erratum groaned a bit at this.

"Nothing happened and I am still in one piece. Horror tipped me off to some trouble and I prevented it from happening." Erratum reassured him at the scowl on his face. "Oh, and I had a strangely interesting game of chess with Nightmare." 

"Nightmare was there??" Cross spoke with alarm, eyes narrowing further at this.

"No no, I portaled to his manor and met with him in his study." Erratum corrected with a flippant wave of their hand.

"You just straight broke into his hideout?!" Geno shouted with disbelief, hands raising in a motion that signaled he was barely restraining choking the god.

"He wanted to talk to me." 

"And?? That doesn't mean you should just??" Geno sputtered as he tried to find the words to express why this was not okay. Cross just pinched the bridge of his brow and took a deep inhale before exhaling slowly. 

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

"That seems extreme." Erratum insisted to him with a shake of their head. "I was just popping back in to show you that everything is fine. I have to check back in with Horror and make sure no one caught wind of him helping me." They turned to open a portal as they said this, jolting a bit as Cross grasped the back of their robe. 

"Not without me you're not." Cross gave them a pointed look that just dared the other to fight him on it. Erratum released a long-suffering sigh as their arms dangled loosely at their sides in defeat.

"Your weapon must remain unsummoned at all times unless I signal otherwise. Physical weapons must be sheathed as well." They instructed him, to which he nodded once to show he understood. "Great," They muttered under their breath as they finally opened their portal and dramatically gestured toward it. "After you then." Cross didn't comment on their tone as they stepped through the portal first.

Geno was giving Erratum the same annoyed look that he always did. "You might be powerful and clever, but you're not impervious to damage. Just let us worry about you, okay? And try to help?"

"So you are worried then." Erratum grinned a bit wider as Geno threw his hands up and walked back in the same direction he had arrived from. The god laughed quietly as they finally entered Horrortale through their portal. Cross was standing nearby, scarf tucked up all the way to his nasal aperture and obviously on high alert. He nodded to Erratum before flanking their side as they walked. Erratum felt this was entirely unnecessary, but they also didn't have the energy to protest any further. "Horror is very protective of his territory, so please do not provoke him. If he thinks you're a threat he will lash out at you."

It didn't take them too long to reach Snowdin, which was barren as always. There weren't ever many people hanging around, too suspicious of one another. Erratum paused as they heard the same swelling voice in their mind again, much more frantic than last time. They began to speedwalk after this, causing Cross to pick up the pace as well.

"What's the matter?" Cross questioned with alarm at their sudden shift in pace. 

"I can hear Horror praying. Something isn't right." They explained briefly as they found themselves quickly at the front door of the rundown home. They jiggle the doorknob, finding it locked as it normally was. They knocked frantically on the door and waited for an answer. Several moments of silence passed before they pounded their fist on the door. "Horror? It's Errata, please open the door. I will portal in there if I have to." They warned with a frown.

"I can break it down." 

"You'll do no such thing." Erratum frowned as they leaned against the door and attempted to make it budge. A prickling sensation washed over their body as they did so, causing windows to randomly pop open and closed around them.

"Uh, Errata? You're like... I don't know, glitching out. I don't know how else to put it." Cross sounded alarmed as he watched the other seemingly fizzle in and out at some points, especially on their shoulder where they were pushing on the door. Erratum didn't have time to respond before they felt the pixelations roll over their body and their vision fuzzed out momentarily with the blinding glitching. A sensation, much like what they assumed a teleport felt like, washed over them before their vision finally returned. 

"Um?? Errata??" Cross spoke frantically as he pounded on the door. "You just like... clipped through the door?? Are you okay?" He called from the other side. Erratum frowned as they looked down at their hands, seeing the pixelations roll up their arms with a sound much like binary code being generated. They shook their head and dismissed the strange occurrence for the moment and opened the door for their... guard. Cross quickly entered the home and looked them over with obvious concern. 

"What the hell was that?" He demanded with a frustrated glare. "Warn a guy next time, would ya?!" 

"I honestly don't even know what happened." Erratum admitted to him. "That's never happened before, and I'm not exactly certain what it means." 

They both ceased their conversation at the sound of what the god would describe as a primal wail. Erratum wasted no time jogging up the stairs toward Horror's room, Cross tailing them the entire way. Thankfully, the door wasn't even shut all the way, so they didn't have to attempt whatever clipping they'd done to get in the house. Erratum slowly pushed the door open and took in the state of the room. It appeared far worse than the upturned and disheveled living room, that was for certain. 

The bed was shredded apart, the stuffing and bedding inside rearranged into a makeshift sort of nest bedding that was also lined with curtain shreds and gutted pillows. The window was also shattered, allowing the chilly air to fill the room and blow stray papers and shredded material around. Horror lay curled in a fetal position in his strange bedding, hand yanking harshly at the bottom of his socket while his other hand clawed at the front of his shirt. Erratum quickly dropped to their knees in front of him and grasped both wrists to keep them from further self-harm.

"Horror, please, calm down and look at me." Erratum instructed him gently, waiting for the other to respond to their presence. Slowly, the fuzzing in their eye sharpened once more and he made eye contact with the god. "Good... now, tell me what happened. What has you so frantic?" They pressed with a firm yet concerned tone. Horror cringed as he attempted to lift his hand to his empty socket again, only to be stopped by the other's firm grip.

"Nightmare... was real mad." Horror began, voice rasping out and sounding rougher than normal. He must have been in a bad state for quite a bit. "Failed to get... hostage. Lost leverage... to make you comply." He hitched his breath with rising panic again. "Took anger out... on everyone. Hit...punished... Took away... food privilege. No food... because of me. Everyone... hungry..." He continued to babble while Erratum kept his wrists firmly grasped.

"Your worries are valid, but I assure you that I can supply them with food." Erratum soothed his major worry. They understood that considering his world, food was considered the most precious resource that was more a luxury rather than a guarantee. Nightmare obviously knew where to hit to really cause suffering among his subordinates, which the god found repulsive. They had caused this, however, and they intended to fix it. "No one will go without so long as I'm here." 

Horror seemed to slowly relax at this, going boneless and limp as Erratum released his hands. They could hear the monster muttering quiet thank you's to them over and over again while Cross finally had the courage to fully enter the room. He elected to remain silent, seeing that Erratum had the situation more than under control. He was just here for backup in case things got messy. Horror began to sit up, however, and there was no aggressive air around him. Cross allowed himself to relax his stiff posture a bit, seeing this monster wasn't an active threat. 

"Help? Even after... what happened?" 

"I cannot in good Faith ignore a request that displays your selflessness for others. You never mentioned anything about yourself and I'm certain you need to eat as well." Erratum rested a hand carefully on the skeleton's skull. "Which, while we're on the topic, I had an idea regarding this food insecurity." They could see this got his attention as his eyelight sharpened and nearly pierced through their skull with its intense gaze. "I had mentioned it to another friend of mine as a possibility when you regained a decent amount of strength and magic, and considering your speech patterns and activity level, I believe now is as good as ever." 

Horror continued to watch them as Erratum opened a new portal to a spread of land with rolling fields and a bright blue sky. Horror slowly got to his feet and moved to examine it, almost transfixed by it. Erratum encouraged him forward, and the monster wasted no time stepping into the new world. Erratum followed shortly after, Cross taking up the rear. 

It was easy to see that this location resided on a countryside-style land. A quaint cottage was visible a few acres out along with a row of stables and a barn nearby. Crops of various spread were blooming and fruiting in their selective fields while a few Langstroth hives sat quietly buzzing in a flowering area. Both Horror and Cross were enraptured by the scenery, both vigilant monsters dropping their guards a bit. 

"Well, howdy stranger." 

Erratum gave a soft smile as another skeleton approached them, wearing a straw hat and worrying a bundle of wheat head between their teeth. "Hello, Farmer Sans." They greeted respectfully. "I thought I would bring the monster I had been speaking about the last time we visited." 

Erratum had a decent amount of respect for Farmer Sans. The only prayer he'd ever sent them had been not for himself, but for one of his livestock. Erratum wasn't the best at healing and was certainly no veterinarian, but they managed to assist with bringing the animal back to good health. "I trust your cow is still well?" 

"Thanks to you she is. Didja' wanna take a look fer yourself?" The farmer questioned as he leaned against the pitchfork stuck in the ground. 

"Nooo thanks, we're good. No cows." Cross dismissed quickly with a wave of his hand. Erratum threw a strange look at Cross at his quick and rather odd response. The other seemed to notice this as well.

"Is that so? Well, no big deal. Ain't gonna hurt my feelings." He chuckled while Cross yanked nervously at his scarf. Farmer Sans turned his eyes back onto Horror, who stiffened a bit at the appraising look. "So lemme make sure I understand this. Yer wanting to try and cut a deal fer fresh produce and supplies, right?" He questioned. Horror had no knowledge of this, looking to Erratum in hopes they would respond. 

"That is correct." Erratum agreed as they pulled up their task menu and tapped away on it. "Potentially use some square feet for planting as well. I feel curbing the aggressive appetites will reduce hostility, and if we can manage that, then growing their own food would be a good safety net. Waterfall has some rich soil and is plenty damp for most seeds, and teaching some of them how to properly sow and raise crops promotes autonomy." They explained. 

"That's an awful lot yer askin' for." 

"You know I would never ask for so much without proper payment." Erratum assured as they withdrew a sack from their inventory. The contents of the sack clinked about as they handed it off to the farmer, who jolted forward a bit in surprise at the weight. 

"Sheesh, you ain't gotta butter me up this much." He assured as he examined the content of the pouch. "This gotta be what, 2? 3 thousand gold?" He spoke with disbelief. 

"Honestly I stopped counting at some point and just kept shoveling." Erratum replied honestly with a slight shrug. "I don't use the stuff and it continues to appear every single day. I'd like to think my followers would be happy to know their donations are going toward beneficial sources." 

"Phew, well consider me sold." Farmer Sans chuckled heartily as he looked back at Horror for a moment. "You, boy," He addressed him, causing the monster to stiffen up considerably at the call. "If yer gonna be apart o' this, yer gonna be workin' fer me." He informed the startled monster. "Ya look sturdier than an ox, I think we can make this work." He chuckled at Horror's flustered confusion. "It'll do ya some good." 

Erratum had mentioned before to the farmer the entirety of Horror's situation and their belief that he needed reintegration. Currently, the other was much more animalistic than a monster, and perhaps interacting and relearning some skills would do him well. The farmer appeared up for the challenge, which was a silent relief to them. Horror shot a desperate look at Erratum and the other could practically read his mind.

"I have no issues transferring you back and forth every day. I understand your want to remain in your world to protect your brother, and for your 'boss' to be able to find you." Horror looked a bit relieved at this, confirming Erratum's suspicions. "You'll be good for Farmer Sans, right? No hunting the livestock, no eating the crops out of the ground." They listed, to which the monster nodded frantically. 

"Can do it..." Horror assured them while the farmer look only slightly worried by the needed guidelines. "Won't... disappoint." 

"I know you won't, but don't torture yourself trying to do everything perfectly. It will take some time to adjust." Erratum glanced around and nodded firmly as they felt satisfied with the situation. "At any rate, I should be off. I never know when I'll be called away next." 

"You take care of yerself, ya hear?" Farmer Sans instructed them with a pointed look. Erratum gave him a thumbs up before splitting a portal open again and allowing Cross to leave first. "See ya a little later then I guess." He waved as the god disappeared back to their plane. His eyes locked on Horror again, who stood up straighter at the continued appraising look. "Now then, where should we start?"

Just as Cross had promised, he had practically become Erratum's shadow for the next couple of weeks. 

No matter where the god went, Cross followed them diligently and was more than willing to put his life on the line to protect them. Erratum had several problems with this and more than a few concerns about the implications it carried. They had decided early on, however, that if Cross was so persistent, then Erratum would use that to their advantage.

"You want me to fight you," Cross spoke the statement dryly rather than questioned. Erratum nodded their head once to show that is, indeed, what they wanted. "Why exactly is that?" 

"With these newer abilities and constant danger I am in, I feel it's necessary to begin properly training myself for combat. While my strings and rope dart are all perfectly fine and well, the continuous emergence of these magical abilities demands more refined training." Erratum did their best to explain while their screens popped in and out of existence. They could see the hesitation in his eyelights however. "I wouldn't ask if I weren't positive you would make sure you didn't push too hard." They continued to try and persuade him. "Come on, Applesauce-"

"DON'T," Cross gritted his teeth tightly, making the other pause quickly. "Don't call me that." He spoke through clenched teeth. Erratum was usually very accommodating and understanding of what the others asked of them. 

However...

"Come over here and make me, Applesauce." 

It wasn't too hard to get him on board with the idea after that. In fact, Erratum was certain he got enjoyment trying to strike the infuriating god while they grinned and continued to tease him. 

At some point, even Geno got involved. Erratum suspected the other felt left out and had suggested the other tag team with Cross every so often during a spar. Geno focused on magic and long-range while Cross was close combat and physical. All in all, it turned out to be extremely successful in refining their skills and magic into doing what they wanted without having to put much thought into it. 

Which couldn't have come at a better time.

It was during a warm-up to their planned sparring session that they received a pleading cry in their mind. They looked up sharply from where they were meditating as they focused on the familiar voice. 

"Little Light," 

"What's up?" Cross questioned at the faint whisper the other gave. He quickly noticed their 'listening' posture, however, and deduced what was going on. "Gotcha, where we dropping?" He questioned as he slid his jacket back on. 

"Guess we'll see." Erratum replied as their strings parted the world once more. They stared on with surprise as they were met with nothing. "Strange... it's very similar to the situation I had getting to you, Geno." Said monster perked up a bit at this statement. 

"Well... what'd you do to get to me then?" 

"I managed to find a backdoor to slip through in my control menu." 

"Oh, then just have Verse do it." Erratum furrowed their brow bone and turned slightly to give him an odd look.

"Excuse me?" 

"Verse, ya know," Cross gestured with his hands in front of himself. 

"You named the Multiverse..." 

"Verse!" Geno grinned, causing the task menu to pop open in front of the god with a pleased ":D" displayed on its screen. "They seemed pretty fine with it."

And everyone got on them for their name choice. Erratum felt a little spurned.

"I can't begin to tell you how strange that is, but far be it from me to stifle your creativity." Erratum shrugged as they began to tap away on "Verse". "Either way, he's calling me from a world I can't access easily, which gives me a feeling of dread." They admitted with a frown. Cross moved beside them, unable to quite sling his arm around their shoulders and settling for a playful punch on their arm.

"Whatever it is, we can handle it just fine," Cross assured them with a smug grin. "Unless you're going soft on us now, Errata? Have we successfully depleted your power through all these fights?"

"You wish," Erratum smirked as the world finally opened to them. "There, that was a bit of a pain, but I can hopefully open access back up once we're there so this won't happen again." They gave a small wave to Geno before hopping through the portal. Erratum landed squarely on a strange, almost floating island surrounded by... paper? They weren't really sure what they were looking at. 

"Um... how did you get in here?" 

Erratum felt chills spread over their bones as they stood up from their crouched position. Blue was standing with his group only a few feet away, looking distressed and clinging onto Dream's cape. 

Ink was staring right at them. 

"Errata!" Dream grinned as he held his fist to his chest. He looked at Ink expectantly, nudging him hard a moment after. The artist gave him a bewildered look and crossed his arms tightly with a pout. 

"What? I didn't do anything!" 

"Exactly!" Dream hissed quietly back at him, gesturing to the fist on his chest. "You're being disrespectful!" He chastised him, to which Ink rolled their changing eyelights and waved him off. 

Erratum didn't care much for the whole proper diety greeting, but the knowledge that the other was being intentionally disrespectful did burn them a bit. 

"Even Nightmare at least has the courtesy to greet me before trying to manipulate me." Dream winced harshly at this and looked down while Ink laughed in amusement. 

"Whatever, you're uh..." Ink glanced back at Dream momentarily, having already forgotten what the other had called them. He remembered the gist of it and decided to take a stab in the dark. "Uh, Error, right?" The creator grinned brightly, meanwhile, Dream looked mortified, and Blue felt secondhand offense. "You're the one who's been poking into all the universes, right?" His grin seemed to lessen into a more patient smile. "And somehow broke into my Doodlesphere? Which kind of annoying and shouldn't be possible? Sheesh, kind of rude isn't it?"

Oh yeah, they weren't going to get along. 

"Errata," The god emphasized as a violent set of glitches rolled up their arms a moment. "Do not call me anything other than that, creator." They instructed with a clipped tone. It wasn't much longer before Cross landed beside them with a huff. 

"Sorry, got distracted by-" He trailed off as he saw Ink, wincing internally. "Woof... this is awkward." He muttered as he looked between the god and demi-god a few times. He gave a weak wave over at the other two Stars, who both looked uncomfortable as well. 

Erratum was ready to figure out the issue and leave when windows began to pop up all around them frantically. They stared at them in surprise, all of them displaying a warning sign and beeping frantically at them. They touched their fingertips to their temporal bone and a smaller blue screen appeared as a transparent blue square over one eye. The crosshair shifted around a bit before locking onto a sketchbook Ink was clutching, beeping frantically, and attaching tags onto the image to display information.

"Okay, that's pretty cool." Ink admitted with a fascinated expression. "What's it do? Are you like a computer? What AU are you from? Did I make you? I don't think I did, or at least I don't remember doing it, though that's not really all that surprising." The creator continued to ramble off.

"Ink, Errata is a Guardian. You did not make a god." Dream spoke with barely restrained frustration at his behaviour. He shouldn't have been surprised, but it didn't make it any less painful to watch. To their credit, Erratum was doing an excellent job at ignoring him. Which only spurred the artist on further; he despised being ignored. 

"What's Verse got?" Cross questioned, electing to ignore the group too as Erratum read something unseeable to him. Cross assumed it had something to do with the digital eyepiece that was currently covering part of their vision. After so long with the god, he was able to notice the small shifts in their expressions, so they judged based on that.

And boy, they did not look too pleased. 

"What is it that you have there." It wasn't phrased as a question, something most of them noticed. 

Ink, however, seemed pleased as he held up the book. "Oh, this? It's my sketchbook! I tend to doodle a lot, kind of my thing, but this is where all my big ideas go! Mainly for AUs I have in the works. I've got one that I've almost completely finished, just need to start the legwork on it!" He declared proudly. Erratum turned their eyes onto Blue, who looked pained at the topic. They instantly knew that this call had to be about that. 

They didn't really bother to ask as their strings shot out and grasped the book in question. Ink, caught off guard, could only give an annoyed shout as it slipped from his hand and zipped over to the god. Erratum continued to ignore him as they flipped the page open and simply stared. They couldn't do anything but stare, their calm waters thoroughly disturbed and rippling with rising outrage. Dream seemed to notice as he hitched his breath and backed off a bit. 

"What... is this?" Erratum sounded both disgusted and horrified as they never took their eyes from it. The voices in their head began to fall away as a pulse like a drum began to echo in their head. Never, in all of their centuries, had they been so... angry. 

"Oh, you could have just asked." Ink frowned a bit with an annoyed expression. "It's based on two other universes I've already made. I decided it would be interesting to mix them together and change the story a little bit." He seemed rather proud of this, much to Erratum's continued disgust. 

"I call it Horrorswap."

Erratum knew exactly why they were here. 

Looking down at the image, they could see the mixture of the two worlds before them. Their selfless Little Light, the rough and struggling Horror. Both of them combined together to be placed into a new world of suffering, famine, of pain. They saw their two followers on this page.

"No." The golden markings on their face became brighter as tears began to travel down the worn-down trail. 

Ink frowned with a confused expression. "No what? No..?" He looked back at his two friends, further puzzled seeing that they had backed far away from the creator at this point. "Am I missing something here?" 

"Dude..." Cross spoke with disbelief, taking the book from Erratum's slack hands and looking over it. "This is... so messed up." He muttered at the sketches of these twisted and feral monsters. 

"This world will not be made." Erratum clarified as they pulled themselves together enough to meet his eye again. "It's sick and twisted. How dare you even consider creating such suffering. And for what? Amusement? Curiosity?" They needed to know why. They had to. "And you allow this? You, Spirit of Positivity, stand idle while these worlds are made? Have you no shame? Have you no moral?" They were blown away at this. "You fight Nightmare to push back negativity, yet you're watching it be made! How could you possibly push all of that blame onto him when you are at fault as well??" 

Dream, for his part, looked ashamed of himself. He kept his head lowered as golden tears spilled down over his cheeks as well, his arms wrapping around himself in a self hug. Blue did give him a pitying look and comforted him, but the look he gave Erratum assured the god he understood why they were doing this. 

"Okay, okay." Ink held his hands up to attempt to deescalate everything. "Let's not get crazy here, Dream is certainly no Nightmare." 

"I've heard the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree." Dream winced even harder at this. 

"Hey, leave him alone! He hasn't done anything!" Ink growled as a red crosshair appeared within his eye as well. "Sit on your high and mighty throne all you want, but just stay out of our way." He threatened the other. "I'm going to make this world and it's going to be a great story! Who's gonna stop me from doing that? Who could oppose me over my own job?" 

Erratum frowned sharply as they took a step forward and pulled their hand up to their eye. The fresh tears wound around their fingers as sharp threads in a familiar fashion. Their body shifted to an offensive stance as they stared the demi-god down. They didn't breathe a word, and Ink looked shocked.

"You?" 

The artist withdrew their large paintbrush from their back and gripped it tightly. Both eyelights settled on Erratum as they took a quick sip from a red vial they produced. 

"Hm, I've never fought a god before, so at least it'll be fun." Ink gave a splitting grin as black ink dripped from his mouth. "I'm not usually one for destroying a creation, but I guess exceptions must be made!" 

"Hit me with all you've got, creator."

Chapter Text

Erratum was thankful their firewall held up firm in the face of the creator's paint assault. It did make it momentarily hard to see as the splatter of colours obstructed their field of vision. Thankfully, warning windows popped around them and alerted them of the approaching threat. They swiftly threw themselves to the side, narrowly dodging the oversized paintbrush as it split the ground where they had been standing. The god briefly wondered if the other had any care whether he killed them or not, but decided not to linger too heavily on that.

"Ink! Stop!" Blue shouted from the sidelines, a bit intimidated to get involved. Ink was his friend and teammate, but Erratum was his god. Erratum answered his plea for help and was currently fighting, perhaps not solely for him anymore, but to keep Ink from creating a world of suffering. He couldn't possibly fight against Erratum for that, but he didn't think it would be wise to oppose Ink either. 

"Cross," Said guard perked his head up at the call. "Stay with the other two. Make sure they do not get involved, am I clear? You are to remain with them and protect them from any stray attacks. I do not believe the creator will care much if there are bystanders." They gave Cross a quick glance before seeing him vanish in a teleport. Satisfied with his compliance, they dropped their splattered wall and saw Ink impatiently waiting for them. 

"You done? A bit careless to start a conversation in the middle of a battle." Ink remarked as he clenched tightly to the brush. 

"So is having your shoes untied."

Ink blinked as he looked down at his feet in confusion. "Hey wait, I don't wear-!" He was cut off as a beam of energy slammed into his chest and knocked them backward. Erratum huffed out a faint breath of amusement despite the situation.

"Made you look." 

Ink recovered much quicker than any other opponent Erratum had faced in the past, almost immediately on his feet again and back in Erratum's space. The god had to dodge strikes from the large brush, each swing fueled by the artificial rage in his system. 

"You're a slippery one, I'll give you that!" Ink hissed as he swung in an arch to cut off any retreat they could have. Erratum pixeled out, however, and vanished, leaving the brush to pass through a cloud of glitches. A few feet back, the god reformed from the ground up in a mess of codes and pixels before taking on a solid form once more. They were still getting used to the sensation of being broken down into their basic components and being put back together again, but it beat having their skull caved in. 

"So cool...!" Blue whispered, earning a distressed look from Dream. "I don't like them fighting, don't get me wrong! But... come on!" He gestured to the clashing deities a ways away from them.

"Blue, there is a Guardian and a demi-god fighting in the middle of the Doodlesphere!" Dream exclaimed as he sidestepped a careless splashback of paint from the battlefield. "They're going to destroy something if they keep fighting!" He was terrified that one wrong move could cause a ripple effect that destroyed worlds nearby. Cross frowned sharply at this as he placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. 

"Hey, you two!" He shouted as he got their attention. "Take it outside, you're gonna trash the place!" Ink seemed to realize this as he slapped a hand on his forehead.

"Duh! Can't have you destroying any of the worlds here!" 

"Me?!" Erratum hissed, offended as they gestured around to the mess of paint splattered around the area. "You remain the only one endangering the multiverse, as usual." They snapped as they rushed the artist in a full-body tackle, the both of them disappearing through a rift the other had made. Cross took off in a full sprint toward the rift before diving in himself. Blue was quick to follow after him, with Dream forced to tail after them as well. 

Ink found himself with his back pressed into the ground as Erratum planted their knee firmly against his chest. Ink growled as he twisted around until he was able to bring his foot up to kick them square in the chest. Erratum grunted as they were shoved backward a few feet and freed the artist. Ink sneered before dissolving into a mess of ink and reforming a few feet away. He looked around and felt an icy chill down his spine at the white abyss around them. "What is..? Where is this? Why are we here?" He demanded, trying not to let his rising fear show. Erratum frowned sharply as the three others arrived soon behind them. 

"This," Erratum gestured around the vacant area. "Is where I found Cross. A hardworking soul and loyal, to a fault." They gave the guard a sympathetic look as the other stared at the blank space with a faraway expression. "Why was this universe's path destruction? Why did the set course lead to a single monster, tormented by what had happened, trapped in endless white space? Where were you? Or better yet, why. Why did you make the world that way?" They continued to press for answers. They had to know with complete certainty that he did this maliciously before they'd allow themselves to give in to that burning disgust. 

Cross's head jerked back up as he heard this. "Yeah... yeah!" He gritted his teeth as his weapon was summoned into his hand. "Why?? You... you made me this way!" He realized with horror. "You created me knowing what I was going to go through. You... you created my universe, you made this happen!" He felt Dream gripping onto his arm, trying to discourage him from lashing out. "I didn't ask to be made! Was my world a game to you? A fun little show until you got bored?!" He demanded. 

"Not every world can be happy!" Ink snapped back at this.

"Perhaps so, but they also don't have to be this cruel." Erratum shot back immediately. "Tragedy happens, negativity must exist in the world for it to exist. In every universe, there lives a balance between positive and negative." They used the artist's indignant rage to determine that his guard was slightly down. "That's why we don't need you to make worlds made only of anguish!" They shouted as their strings shot out toward the creator. Ink startled a bit as they passed through his ribcage and out the back, leaving him with a cold burning feeling in the emptiness of his chest cavity. Erratum stood there a moment with confusion as the strings tangled into his ribs instead. Then it dawned on them.

"That's right... no soul." Erratum frowned as they clenched their hand tightly to squeeze the strings tighter to Ink's body. "Would have made this easier, but I've been known to do things the hard way too." They relented. 

"What do they mean, Ink?" 

Erratum paused at the soft voice. They turned their head as Dream stepped cautiously beside them and held his hands to his chest anxiously. With their focus redirected, Erratum could sense the disbelief and rising terror within the other. This discovery would have to go on the back burner for now, however, as Dream stared directly at Ink. 

"Ink... you don't have a soul?" Blue questioned from beside Cross, sounding stunned at this information.

"I'm not surprised you haven't told anyone." Erratum spoke with distaste as they slowly dragged the artist forward with their strings, much like a fisherman reeling in their catch. "Do you worry what they would think if they knew you could simply pick how you wanted to feel? How you can decide to not feel sad, or anger, or fear, just by not taking a swig from their vials?" They pressed him further as Ink gripped at the strings in an attempt to break their hold. 

"Is that true?!" Dream cried out as he took another step forward. "Ink, is that true? You... you can't feel emotions? You don't have a soul?" He couldn't quite wrap his mind around that. He had always had issues reading Ink's emotions, but he had assumed it was due to his status as a demi-god. After meeting Erratum, however, and being able to sense them just fine, he had begun to have his doubts. 

"What difference does it make?" Ink snapped as he dug his heels into the ground to resist the tight pull. "Now if you're not gonna help me then take Blue and just leave! I can handle this myself!"

"Can we just not fight?" Dream redirected the conversation toward negotiation as he looked between them. "Maybe we don't make another world of starving monsters based off our friend's world?? I think that's a good start!" He attempted with a strained grin. 

"Who's side are you on?!" Ink demanded as his enraged eyelights locked onto Dream. 

"The multiverse's!" Dream exclaimed in exasperation. Erratum's console menu popped up beside the spirit, displaying a simple ":/" on the transparent screen.

"I'm serious!" Dream protested at the unspoken doubt. "I'm entirely for keeping the multiverse from falling apart and, of course, minimizing the amount of negativity. In case you've forgotten what my job is, Ink!" He called out to him.

"What is your job, Dream?" 

The spirit clenched his eyes closed a moment at the direct question. He could feel the Guardian's stare boring into the side of his skull as they waited for his answer. Dream took a steadying breath before opening his eyes again and meeting Ink's outraged stare. 

"To keep positivity equally balanced with negativity; no more than negativity, no less than." He spoke confidently. He could feel a hand at the top of his head but didn't turn their eyes from Ink.

"What are you saying, Dream? No more, no less? You don't want there to be more positivity than negativity in the world?" Ink questioned in bewilderment. "I thought that was your whole thing? Bringing positivity to the world to vanquish negativity?" He scoffed with a glare. "What do you hope to gain then? What do you really want out of all your efforts if not to make the multiverse a better place??"

"I just want my brother!" Dream cried out in frustration, tears dotting at the corners of his sockets as Ink fell silent. "That's all I've ever wanted, but that's not going to happen. So, the next best thing I can do is continue to keep our balance in check so the multiverse doesn't collapse!" He shouted. "It's never been about what I want Ink! It's about what I have to do!" He clenched his fists tighter in front of himself. "What I was made to do..." 

"As much as I love seeing character growth, I believe we were in the middle of something here." Erratum cut in, sensing the rising tension and conflict between the two beings. They used their leverage to lift Ink entirely off the ground with their strings. "I don't want to keep fighting you, creator. I only ask you to yield and abandon this awful world you've created in your mind." They could see the resolve set in Ink's face. 

"Make me then." 

Erratum had no issues with that. 

They shook their head in disappointment as Ink's body slammed back into the ground with a harsh yank on the strings in their grasp. Ink spattered the ground with black ink as he choked and gasped for air. He managed to snag his brush from the ground, however, and send a searing streak of red paint hurdling toward the god. Erratum moved their other hand from Dream and pulled their firewall over the both of them quickly. The paint seemed to sizzle and bubble where it connected with their screen much like lava. 

"Ink!!" Dream cried from the safety of the wall. "You would have hit me too!" He felt his soul pulsing with terror as he stared at the thin wall separating him from the corrosive attack.

"Then get out of the way! You're not helping me so just leave, Dream! I don't want to hear your peace talk because I'm not gonna cave to some crazy monster with a Messiah complex!" Ink snapped as they were able to wriggle loose of the strings now that Erratum was focused on keeping their wall up. 

"It would be best to stay back with Cross and Blue." Erratum agreed as they gave Dream a sympathetic look. "He doesn't care who he has to harm to get his way. Leave this to me, it is what I was created for." They assured the distressed spirit. Dream hesitated for a few moments, desperately wanting to somehow make the situation better. In the end, he conceded and fell back with the other two bystanders. Erratum was relieved by this, but was quickly alerted by the eyepiece of Ink's movements. 

The artist had the nerve to start weaving together their idea in front of them. Their large brush moved in swipes to paint, starting off small as it began to expand with each stroke. Erratum noticed that if they focused, mainly with their eyepiece, the entire thing appeared as code to them. 

They could work with that. 

Erratum launched forward while the other swiftly retreated, paint following and forming a trail behind him. Erratum was able to reach their hand out and grasp the forming images of the paint, almost as if it were tangible. They could feel the buzz of binary and code in their hand and knew that they could manipulate this, or better yet, destroy it. Destroying it seemed like a waste, however, so they decided to try something a little different. 

They absorbed it, consuming the data right before the artist's eyes.

Ink stared on with muted shock as the paint coalesced down from an image into a tight ball of unreadable lines to him. Erratum lifted it up and consumed their work. "What??" He sputtered as the god's magic flared brighter in response to the absorbed energy. "That's not possible... that shouldn't be possible!!" He shouted as the world around them remained a vast void of white. 

"Before your magic becomes a creation, it is merely basic components in the multiverse." Erratum explained as windows circled them once more. "I can see and manipulate those components the same way I can the multiverse. If I wanted to, I could consume entire worlds. That would be cruel, however, and I refuse to take lives if I don't have to, let alone destroy a universe." They couldn't help but smirk as they walked forward and saw the artist take steps backward in response. "It is cosmically hilarious, I suppose. I was supposed to be your counterpart to balance this multiverse. In the end, you wound up being both the creator and the destroyer." 

"I don't destroy! I'm the reason this multiverse exists!" 

"The multiverse exists at the will of the Seven!" Those same strings snatched the creator again in a tighter hold than last time. Electricity raced up and down them like livewires, causing Ink to cry out and writhe as they lifted him up. "At any moment they could erase it all! They could start all over again and kill every single one of us! They didn't, because they are more merciful than that!" They seemed to let go of their earlier hesitations as they slammed them around without relent. "Your careless actions are the reason I'm even here! If you would have just listened, I wouldn't have been made! I would still have a home, existing peacefully as any other mortal did! You continue to fill this world, however, exponentially so to the point the fabric of reality is in danger!" They huffed as they let Ink lie on the ground now, crumpled and leaking dark ink across the white floor. 

"Your Karma, your punishment for all of this, is me." Erratum stated in a calmer tone as Ink tried to push himself up to his knees, only to collapse again. "So, listen well, creator. You have to stop this. If you continue to create worlds at the rate you're going, the balance will begin to tip. There is only so much room in this plane of existence, and once it is filled, that's it. As you approach that, worlds become crowded around one another. Universes will collide with each other, and waves of destruction will come. All of the balances will be broken; life, death, positivity, negativity, creation, destruction... all of them in shambles. And with that comes the complete annihilation of the multiverse." They were silent a moment as they allowed him to take this in. 

"You think... I'm gonna listen to you?" Ink huffed out as he spat a clot of black sludge on the ground and scowled. "You're full of shit... I don't believe you. I don't know if you're just... jealous of me? Of the attention I get? But... I'm not gonna stop making things to satisfy you." Erratum gave a harsh laugh at this. 

"You're delusional, but so be it." They raised their hand up once more.

"Errata, no!" They froze at the call, remaining perfectly still. Blue wrapped his arms around them from behind, pressing his forehead into their back. "That's enough... please. He's had enough." He begged them.

The god silently lowered their arm again at the plea, sighing heavily in resignation. The creator was pretty battered the way it is, they begrudgingly admitted. Blue quietly thanked them and let them go so they could approach Ink. The god stopped before him and crouched down, placing a hand on the back of his neck. 

"I will be watching you. I may not be able to stop your creating spree, but I can certainly oppose you when the worlds you make are so cruel." Erratum pulled their hand back as the symbol there pulsed a bit brighter with the added effect. They glanced over to their giant brush discarded at the artist's side and picked it up. They admired it a moment, squeezing it to test out its durability. Gripping either end of the brush, they raised it up before bringing it down over their knee.

The brush snapped in two in a mess of splinters. 

"You bastard..." Ink coughed as the two pieces of his brush were tossed aside. Erratum didn't bother to respond to him and began to walk away.

"I'll tell everyone what you really are. I'll tell them all how you want to destroy future worlds from existing. No one will follow you after that, you won't go unopposed." He threatened them. 

Erratum stopped in their tracks a moment, taking a calming breath to regather their calm aura. They only gave Ink a flat look over their shoulder to address him. "I can't stop you from doing that, but I have Faith that those who know me won't believe you. And in my time dwelling among the worlds, that's a lot of people you'll have to convince." They left it at that as they returned to the three waiting skeletons. None of them had anything to say, unsure of what they could say. 

"Are you...?"

"I'm fine," Erratum assured Dream with a wave of their hand. "I would suggest you tend to your friend, however. I was a little... heated." They admitted.

"Heated? Dude, you were the entire fire." Cross chuckled as he moved to pat Erratum on the back. "You feel better now? After kicking Ink's ass?" He questioned them. Their grin fell as they saw the solemn look the other gave him.

"No... I never wanted it to go this way." Erratum opened their rift once more and quietly stepped through it. Cross understood the unspoken command and followed after them. "I apologize for dragging all of you along in this mess. I will do my best to keep our conflict separate from the rest of the inhabitants of the multiverse." Erratum apologized with a pained look in their eyes.

"No!" Erratum blinked in surprise at Blue's outburst. "I'm sorry, but as your most loyal and dedicated follower, I can't let you do this alone!" He declared.

"Exactly!" Cross called from behind Erratum. 

"You speak of opposing your friend." Erratum reminded him with an uncertain frown. "Are you certain you would be able to do that?" 

Blue lowered his head a bit as he clenched his eyes closed. "I...I don't want to... but I also don't know if I can keep working beside him. Seeing him do that... and being so callous to my feelings over the world he was making... it hurts." He admitted as he gave the god a pathetic look. "And you never do that to me. You don't make me feel like my emotions are stupid and you don't ignore me when I ask for help. You're more of a friend than he's ever been, and I get that now."

"Little Light," Erratum crooned sadly at his dejected speech. "The creator does not possess a soul. He is unable to empathize and relate to other monsters because of this. It is nothing that you did, and it isn't because your feelings are invalid. This conflict between the two of us? This is nothing anyone else should involve themselves with. It is solely my responsibility." 

"That's not gonna stop us, I hope you know." Cross chimed in as he jumped to try and see over their shoulder. "Move over a bit ya giant beanpole!" He griped. Erratum managed a small smile at this as they moved aside so Cross could lean through the portal himself. "Tell ya what, Blue. How about we meet up every so often and spar a bit? I feel like you could be a great fighter with some proper guidance. I was in the royal guard, ya know." He winked, much to Blue's excitement.

"You were?! Wowzer... that would be amazing!" Blue exclaimed with pure excitement. Erratum silently glared at Cross, knowing that he knew full well that Erratum was hard-pressed to deny their little follower's most enthusiastic desires. Cross merely grinned back at them without any remorse. 

"Fine... I will see to it that you are able to visit from time to time. I only ask you to not start a conflict with the creator yourself; it will only end poorly." After receiving a firm nod of agreement, they sighed and moved to close their tear in reality. They paused a moment later, frowning in thought. "Dream?" 

"Y-yeah?" The spirit stammered at being addressed. The god gave him a look full of sadness and shared anguish, causing Dream's own soul to squeeze painfully.

"We'll figure something out... somehow... we'll figure something out for your brother. Hold me to that promise." 

"Okay..." Dream whispered as he held himself in a self hug once more and stared pointedly at the floor. 

"I hate to cut this short, but I have someone else I need to transfer back to their own universe." Erratum apologized. "You know how to reach me." With that, the rift closed between them. The remaining two skeletons stood their quietly, each of them pondering over their separate internal conflicts.

"Well," Blue sighed as he led Dream along with a careful hand on his shoulder. "Let's go patch up Ink... can't have him bleeding out all over the floor..."

"They've been like that for days now though!" 

Geno frowned as he continued his argument with Cross. It had been a few days since the entire confrontation with Ink and the god hadn't done much more than sit at their altar and stare. Even now, the other was sitting propped up against one of the columns, running a hand absently over the recovering Temmie as they snoozed away in their lap. 

"Look I'm worried too, but there isn't much we can do. That whole thing with Ink really took a lot out of them, mentally speaking." Cross sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "They don't even say anything during our group talks anymore... what makes you think we can get them to open up about it? We already know why they have this issue with Ink, and it's not like they don't have a right to feel like shit after what happened." 

"I know, and I'm not asking for them to spill their guts about their feelings or whatever, just for some normalcy!" Geno paused as he considered that. "Well... whatever our normalcy was at least. Nothing about this is normal." Geno frowned as he sat on the ground and thought. "I'm not sure how to go about it though. I'm kind of a fuck up on my own so I'm not sure any pep talk I'd give would be met with any enthusiasm." 

The two of them continued to bounce ideas back and forth until a darker swirling portal appeared a ways away. Reaper floated through before it closed behind him again and immediately hovered near Erratum curiously.

"Sheesh, who died?" The demi-god joked with a slightly morbid grin. Geno gave him a harsh glare that drove home the point that now was not the time. Reaper, for once, seemed to understand this as he backed off his playful persona. "Rough couple of days?"

"You could say so." 

"Mhmm, Ink held a council meeting. He looked pretty roughed up during the entire thing, which I guess was your doing." Reaper informed, to which Erratum simply closed their eyes and continued to pet the monster in their lap. "Don't look so glum, pal. He tried to start some witchhunt, but Blue and Dream opposed him. It got really uncomfortable in that room, I'll tell you what. I've never heard such words come out of Swap's mouth, heh." He laughed a bit, which did bring a small smile to the god's face. "Once the rest of us heard what the conflict was really about, the whole notion was shot down. Those who you've helped before spoke how they would have expected you to fight against that. Even those who haven't directly met you were vocal in their disapproval at Ink's actions. There were a couple of tense questions about why he needed to make these morbid worlds, but it was all masterfully dodged." He recounted with a chuckle. "So, no need to be all gloomy about it. No one really blames you for what happened."

"I blame me."

"Yeah, a couple of them said that too." Reaper agreed with a nod. "That you would take all that blame on yourself, that is. Very righteous god of you." He teased them.

Erratum relented with a small huff, finally looking up at Reaper with a tired expression. "I suppose that isn't what you came here for?" 

"Only partially," Reaper agreed with a proud grin. "Admittedly, it's also for a more personal announcement. I've finally mastered the whole death aura thing." He seemed pleased with himself as he made this announcement. 

"I'm happy to hear that. I could really use some good news." Erratum admitted with a brighter smile this time. "Show me?" They didn't have to insist much as Reaper landed perfectly on the ground in front of them. None of the grass wilted, and even a long stroke of the grass with his hand left no traces of dead foliage. "Excellent, truly excellent." 

"Yup, I haven't tried it on a living being of course. Just... hard to do that final test in case I somehow failed." Reaper admitted with an uncertain frown. Erratum's eyes zeroed in on the two monsters that had approached when Reaper had arrived. 

"I'm confident in your abilities, and you will never know fully until you try." Erratum insisted. "I'm certain Geno would be happy to volunteer." 

"I would what?" 

Reaper grinned a bit as he redirected his gaze onto the confused Geno. "Oh? I would be so grateful." He stated as Geno gave Erratum a timid look.

"Reaper has mastered turning his touch of death on and off. He just needs to simply touch a mortal to prove it without a shadow of a doubt." They explained.

"You want me to be a guinea pig??" Geno sputtered with disbelief. 

"What's the matter?" Reaper teased as he held his hand up. "You came here not knowing if you'd live or die, right? Afraid to flirt with death a little more?"

Geno flushed brightly as he gave him an outraged hiss. "Fine! Whatever, at least if you kill me I won't have to hear this anymore." He huffed.

"Wonderful." Reaper grinned as he stood in front of him.

Geno lost his indignant stance as he lifted his hand up nervously. He glanced back over at Erratum again, who only gave him a thumbs up in response. Reaper stood there patiently with his own hand held up as if waiting for a high-five. Geno cursed softly under his breath as his hand shakily reached out for him. His hand hesitated briefly just before their fingertips touched, tremors wracking his entire body now. Finally, he bit the bullet and pressed his entire palm up against his and closed his eyes. 

Nothing happened.

Geno slowly peeked one eye open, seeing his hand fully intact. After confirming he was definitely not dead or dusting, he fully opened his eyes again and stared at their hands. He looked up at Reaper, seeing the faint glow of a single light in one socket. 

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" The demi-god spoke in a hushed voice as if any louder would break the atmosphere of the moment. Geno couldn't fight the small smile that made its way onto his face as neither moved their hand away.

"Yeah... I guess not." 

Erratum sat nearby at their altar, watching the two of them with a strong feeling of pride. They had both come quite a long way from where they began. Cross slipped in beside them and lounged on one of the stone stairs of their altar. 

"Yup... they're entirely hopeless," Cross announced softly to the god, who huffed a quiet laugh back. "Seriously though, it's frustrating to watch them. Almost painful."

"I don't think it will be quite the same now." Erratum replied, a small frown gracing their face again as they watched the two curl their fingers together. 

"I don't think anything will be quite the same..."

Chapter Text

"There better be a good reason fer this shit." Red snarled as he slumped in his seat and crossed his arms. He cast his sour gaze out among the gathered group, seeing them all equally as uninformed as himself. "Does anyone even know why we had to have some emergent meeting? I figured if it were so important he'd already be here." 

"Relax, that's them now," Outer spoke as the gold light of Dream's portal lit up the front of the room. He quickly got to his feet, however, as the positive spirit helped Ink stumble and limp into the room. Blue followed behind them quietly, keeping his eyes from meeting anyone else's. 

"Stars, what happened to you?!" Sci gasped as the rest of the council broke out into frantic chatter. 

"That glitchy little asshole happened to me." Ink sneered as he leaned against the table to prop himself up. Blue frowned sharply as he slammed his hands on the table beside him.

"Do not talk about Errata that way!" Blue snapped at him despite the glare it earned. "Don't give me that look, you know exactly why this happened!" 

"Shit, Errata did that to you? Man, what'd you do to piss them off?" Red snickered as he observed the tense atmosphere between all three of the Stars. Dream might not be saying anything, but the discomfort in his posture spoke louder volumes.

"Me?!" Ink protested as he glared Red down. "You're just going to assume I provoked this kind of assault?" 

"Yeah," Reaper spoke from his secluded little corner of the room. He didn't normally say much, but seeing Ink so beaten up from Erratum of all people amused him to no end. "We are. Errata is a really peaceful and chill god, Ink. If they felt the need to rough you up, there had to be a good reason behind it." He glanced around as he saw several other monsters nodding or whispering soft agreements. 

Ink glared as he listened to the murmurs of doubt coming from the others. "Well, they certainly didn't have any 'chill' when they met me!" He growled as the noise died down. "What's worse, they were able to just break into the Doodleverse. No one should be able to get in there except me and anyone I bring!"

"To be fair,"

Ink glared at Dream as he spoke up, but the spirit wasn't looking at him still. "Errata quite literally has the multiverse at their fingertips. At any moment they can access, well, anything that the multiverse can offer them. It's not surprising that they can just ignore the normal limitations of reality." He offered.

"Even so, they told me they had the power to consume entire worlds. They could destroy any of your worlds without so much as breaking a sweat. Do we really want someone with that kind of ability in a place where all of your worlds are just hanging out??" Ink attempted to redirect. A few monsters look back and forth at each other at this proposal until Outer gave a scoff of disapproval. 

"I get what you're trying to say, but Errata isn't like that." Outer frowned as he glanced at Blue, who looked positively irate with the direction of this meeting. "They spend their time running themselves ragged answering prayers and pleas for help from all the universes. They're not gonna do anything to them. Hell, they've pushed back Nightmare's group every time they pop up anymore. You're worrying over nothing." 

"Hell, I trust them more in the Doodlesphere than you," Red commented, shrugging a bit at the nervous glances he received. "What? We're all thinkin' it, I'm just not afraid t' say it." 

Ink moved to grasp something at his back as the debate continued between the monsters. "You think they won't? You think they aren't a danger to any worlds?" He questioned them as the two broken ends of his paintbrush clanked against the table. The room fell silent again as everyone eyed the destroyed item. "This is what happened to Broomie when they saw me creating a new world. Broomie is durable and they split him in half like they were a twig. They threatened me to stop creating worlds and beat the crap out of me." This seemed to grab their attention again. 

"That's not how that all went down!" Blue jumped in with an outraged expression. "You attacked Errata, Ink! You're the one who provoked them, and they didn't say they were going to fight you on creating worlds, only oppose you when you make such horrible ones!" He still looked quite betrayed by the other.

"What was the world you were making?" The group immediately turned their heads to the original Sans, seeing the calculating look on his face. "I know Erratum, and I know their feelings on some of the worlds out there. So, tell us, what was so terrible that made them try and stop you?" He sat there quietly as the group waited to hear. Ink glanced over at Blue, who only gave him a sharp glare in response. 

"Go on, tell them!" Blue demanded as he clenched his fists on the table. "Tell them how you were going to take my world and turn it into another Horrortale!"

"Why?!" Sans spluttered, truly shocked that the other had really attempted to make another version of such a terrible world.

"I woulda beat yer ass too!" Red shouted as he stood up from his seat, knocking his chair over. "I'll beat yer ass right now! You sadistic son of a bitch!" He threatened while Sans held both his shoulders to try and keep him from actually doing so. 

"You know how hard on themselves they are for what happens in those worlds?" Outer spoke up again with a firm frown on his features. "They take everything personally and frankly, god or not, no one can live under all that pressure." 

Sans nodded as he managed to wrestle Red back into his seat. "It's true. They didn't always have those gold marks on their face." He explained as he plopped back into his seat. "Once they discovered Horrortale for the first time, they realized how many bad worlds were out there. They kept finding them, worse and worse, and they wept over each one of them. Can't imagine what that kind of magic does to ya if just repeated exposure to your own tears corrodes your own bones." He huffed out a small laugh. "They're probably also beating themselves up over having to fight you in the first place."

"How have they become the victim in this situation??" Ink grunted as he splinted his ribs with one arm. "I'm the one with the cracked ribs!"

"Ink, you did this to yourself! I'm the one who called them there in the first place because you were being entirely unreasonable!" Blue was nearly on the table at this point from leaning over into his face. "How could you even look me in the eye and tell me all the excruciating details about what you were planning to do to a twisted version of me and my brother? That's... I don't know how else to say it... that's extremely fucked, Ink." He flushed slightly in both outrage and embarrassment from using such language. "And then you have the nerve to stand up here and try and start some sort of mob mentality on someone who actually listens to me, all because you're acting like a little pissbaby?!" 

Red was howling at this point, beating his fist into the table as he was unable to catch his breath. Reaper held his phone up from the back, recording the short interaction for future amusement and potential blackmail. The only person who looked even slightly mortified aside from Ink was Dream. 

"Stars, that... was a little rude, I'll admit. I definitely didn't mean to devolve into such language but... you push me there Ink! You're so frustrating!" Blue growled as he finally pulled himself away from the artist and ran a hand over his face. Dream had been quiet until this point, but a nagging question kept clawing at the back of his mind.

"Ink... why do you keep making these worlds? The ones like Horrortale and Underworld..." Dream managed in a soft voice, not meeting his gaze still. "If keeping positivity balanced is my job in this place... why do you make my job so difficult? And for seemingly no reason at all?" He finally looked at him with a small glare himself. "At some point it makes me question your intentions." He admitted. 

"He makes an awfully good point." Sans frowned as the calculating look reappeared. "You some kind of a freak? I get that it's unrealistic to believe that you can just create worlds that are perfect and all sunshine, but... you seem to be real comfortable making worlds on the opposite end of that spectrum." 

"Kinda fucked up too." Red agreed as he wiped tears from the corners of his sockets. "I mean shit, my world could have been so much nicer. At the very least not so horrible that you can't even go outside without having to fear not coming back home. Ya ask me, I woulda been perfectly fine not existing if that were the other option." The room was uncomfortably quiet at this remark. The other was definitely skilled at finding the crudest way to say what others were thinking. 

"You think only those of you with happier stories deserve to live?" Ink sneered at the accusations thrown his way. Dream gave a frustrated sigh at his statement.

"Ink that's not what we're saying at all. It's just... the ideas you come up with are kind of... messed up sometimes. I mean, what you did was kind of-"

Heartless.

Dream stiffened a bit as he subconsciously slid his gaze down to where Ink was splinting his ribs. 

"Kind of what, Dream?" Ink's words held a sharp warning in them, one Dream heard clearly without even meeting his eyes. Dream clenched his fists tightly against his chest as he refused to give him the satisfaction of looking him in the eye.

"Nothing, Ink." 

Everyone was silent now, unsure how to progress the meeting from this point. Everyone seemed to agree that Erratum wasn't a threat to anyone except potentially Ink, and even a majority of them silently thought he probably deserved it. 

"Well," Reaper stretched a bit from the back of the room, growing bored now that the fun tension was delving into uncomfortable territory. "This has been a real treat, but my little Bleeding-heart Dove is probably waiting anxiously for me." He grinned mischievously as he gave a curl of a few of his fingers in dismissal. "Till the next disastrous meeting." He departed with that through a swirling portal of shadows. A few others began to mutter quiet excuses themselves before gradually getting up from the table and hurrying off from the meeting. Blue didn't even bother, turning on his heel and leaving swiftly with Dream. 

Ink was left there to sulk and stew in his indignant rage. 

"That's absolute gold." Cross laughed as Reaper held his phone up as the group of skeletons huddled near him. 

"As much as I don't agree with provoking the creator, I have to admit... it is a little funny." Erratum couldn't help but agree with a slightly exasperated expression. "We should probably start those training sessions soon." 

Nightmare had never understood the point of some of these universes. It was as if Ink just choose a random thought and decided to slap it on a canvas with little change to the original Undertale universe. Some were, admittedly, creative and perhaps almost unique, but other times they were just useless wastes of space. He was honestly doing them a favour by incorporating them into his kingdom. 

He was beginning to grow annoyed, however, with how long it was taking to execute those who resisted his takeover. Killer was having no issues dusting the guards, and since this was a Dancetale world, there wasn't much pushback to their attacks. Horror had been left to cause fear and generalized negativity to feed his king, giving Nightmare even more power on the battlefield. One monster, however, was failing to meet Nightmare's high expectations.

"Dust!" 

The crazed monster twitched slightly as he turned his head to look at Nightmare. The negative spirit gave him a deadly glare as he glanced at the citizen Dust had pinned to the ground. Nightmare knew he was holding back for some reason, and it only further fueled his rage. "Stop playing with your target and finish them." He commanded. Dust's eyelights shrunk a bit, and Nightmare could feel the waves of anxiety and fear radiating from him. He narrowed his eyes at him, confused and irritated at his terror and hesitation. "That's an order!"

"But-" 

Nightmare snarled as his tendrils raised above his head and sharpened to a thin point on each end. "Either you kill them this instant or I'll take your insubordination as a death wish!" He watched as Dust summoned a sharpened bone, holding it in both hands as they shook. "NOW!" 

Dust squeezed his eyes closed as he plunged the bone into the soul of the defenseless monster. As they faded into dust, the murderous monster collapsed backward and cried out. He could feel the power leaving him again, numbers ticking away and stealing the magic stuffed greedily into his soul. He could feel a small twinge of something in his mind as their level dropped again. 

Was this guilt? Shame? 

He wasn't sure he even remembered what those felt like, but those seemed like the correct words. 

Nightmare jolted with obvious surprise at the violent reaction, seeing how the other seemed sapped of his strength. He glanced up at the sound of blasters and a powerful wave energy battering at his being. Killer soon appeared from the fray, panting and covered in a layer of dust. 

"Errata and their little pet are here." Nightmare cursed at this news. Horror lumbered over at a slower pace, looking to Nightmare for further directions at the change. They both glanced down at Dust with confusion. "Geeze Dust, you get your ass handed to you by one of the little bunnies in town?" He snickered. 

"Fall back, this world isn't worth it." Nightmare ordered the group as one tendril wrapped tightly around Dust. "This world isn't hard to overpower; there will be a next time once that pesky god is neutralized." He muttered darkly as he opened a portal. The group didn't question his judgment as they all hurried through the portal before Nightmare followed after. Once they were all securely in the halls of his manor, Nightmare dropped Dust to the floor unceremoniously. 

"You better have an explanation for this." 

Dust groaned as he pushed himself up and rubbed his fist into his chest, as though a sternum rub would relieve the ache within. "I can't-"

"You will tell me!" Nightmare cut him off sharply. "Don't you dare defy me! You have exactly three seconds to explain before I impale you through your useless skull!" He threatened him.

"It was Errata, okay?? Fuck, you're gonna kill me for this... literally." Dust cursed as he lowered his head in defeat. Nightmare grew silent as he waited for him to elaborate. "When I was having that bad magic flare, they showed up." He admitted shamefully to his leader. 

"They were in my home and you did not tell me?" Nightmare hissed at the very thought. The very, very small rational part of his brain reminded him that the frenzy of such a rush of magic would have made him act in irrational, potentially stupid ways. "Continue, before I lose my patience." 

"They gave some long-winded speech, the idiot. Gave me enough room to deliver a good killing blow on 'em." Dust grinned momentarily before faltering again. "But... they didn't die. I'm not sure what they did, but they were alive. When I did it," He looked at his hands with terrified eyes. "When I gave that fatal blow... I lost levels. It was like they sucked it out of me. When they came back they... I don't know what they did. It was like a curse almost?" He tried to explain. 

"What did they do?" Nightmare demanded, feeling a rising sense of alarm at this news. 

"They said..." Dust clenched his eyes closed as he remembered the burning sensation down his arm. "They talked about Paps... told me he wasn't real, that it was in my head. Said it wasn't... right for retribution? Whatever the hell that means. So they took him away." He whispered the last bit as he mourned his brother for the first time in quite a while. "They said every life I take from then on would eat away at my levels and drain my power." He gave a dry laugh as he pressed his forehead down onto the dirty marble floor. "A large part of me was just hoping they were trying to intimidate me. Guess they really meant it..."

This was not good, this was very not good. Nightmare clenched his jaw tighter as his tendrils jerked and swished around restlessly as he thought. He recalled the large symbol on the back of the god's cloak and at the brow of their skull. "Karma... they must have originally been the champion of Karma before they became a full Guardian. They have the power to deliver punishment to those they deem guilty."

"Champion?" Horror was the one to speak up at this, trying to pass off his interest as simple confusion at the topic. After all, most of them still thought him a dumb mindless beast even with his newfound speech. 

"Legends of the Guardians state that each being has the ability to choose a champion to work through since they cannot directly interact with the multiverse." Nightmare scowled with distaste. "Or so it was supposed to be, seeing that one is currently running around and making my life difficult. Champions are imbibed with celestial magic and power that of which rivals any monster you could imagine. They also have the ability to contact their Guardian for guidance and assistance, though I have never actually witnessed any champions other than Ink in my lifetime." 

"Ink's a champion?" Killer spoke up, just as thoroughly invested at this point.

"Yes, but of whom I am unaware. I doubt the clueless idiot knows either." Nightmare remarked with irritation at not knowing something so crucial. "He bears no mark that I can recognize other than the blotch on his face, which is not identifiable." He glanced down at Dust again, pondering what to do with him now that he knew of his 'issue' so to say. "You will still be expected to participate in sieges and raids, but I expect you to have enough restraint to keep your enemies alive. Dead monsters don't release negativity anyway, so I suppose this is something we can work to our advantage.

Dust lifted his head from the ground, staring at the spirit with disbelief. "M-My king?" He stammered with uncertainty. He had never been shown this kind of mercy before. 

"Don't. Fail me again." Nightmare emphasized this with a sharp tendril tapping on the back of his skull. "Or your levels won't be the only thing you lose." With that, he retracted the tendrils into his back and began to head toward his office. 

"You all are dismissed."

Erratum found it was easier to let go of their anger and guilt as the days went by and people continued to rally behind them. Seeing Cross and Blue sparring and Geno being huffy but gentle with Reaper was also a great soothing balm to their soul. They had been getting pings from Vers- their command menu whenever Ink was active in creation. They didn't have the energy or patience to stop his creating quite yet; there were still centuries before critical overload was projected according to their task menu. Thankfully, none of the universes he had started crafting were too vicious or cruel. Perhaps he had learned his lesson.

Fat chance.

Erratum jerked from their thoughts as several windows popped open around them with various warnings. They rested their hand over their control menu to identify the problem and immediately tensed up. 

Ink was nearby. But how was that possible? 

"Take me there, please. Lead me to him." Erratum spoke to the screen below them as the windows slowly began to close. The screen stayed blank for them, causing the god to close their eyes with an impatient sigh. "Please, Verse, guide me." They relented. The little screen displayed a pleased ":D" before displaying a map of sorts to guide them along. Erratum shook their head as they followed the projected path, scanning the area along the way. Nothing seemed out of place, and they hadn't sensed anyone entering their world.

Erratum stopped in their tracks as their console alerted them that they were within feet of the creator. They glanced around expectantly, but there was no one there. They glared down at the screen with confusion. "Verse... you are an omnipotent entity with limitless power. Why do you use it to toy with me?" They frowned as an arrow pointing downward displayed next to a rather unamused expression on the screen. They furrowed their brow further in confusion before looking at the ground and scanning. 

There, just ahead of them, they could see something. 

It appeared like shattered glass and static to them with no discernable shape to it. Their eyepiece appeared before their socket as they crouched down to examine it closer. The code was broken up and confusing, but they were determined to figure out why this was pinging Ink to their menu. They placed their hand on one of the fragments and immediately heard whispers from the pieces. They closed their eyes and focused on the noise, allowing the images to come to their mind. 

They could see what they only assumed was Ink, at least what he was in the beginning. They could see the moment Fate encompassed him with magic, the soul straining against it before rupturing and scattering like shrapnel around the area. Erratum gasped as their eyes flew open again, staring down at the piece below them.

This was a fragment of the creator's soul. The one that had destroyed itself during his creation. 

It made sense, in a way. Ink was originally created in the white abyss that was once the anti-void. He had been left there for who knows how long until he finally mastered his powers of creation and learned how to travel into the plane where the universes would come to reside. Erratum had changed how the anti-void appeared in their own time within it, never once thinking about how Ink was once shaped in this plane. 

Staring down at the soul fragments, it became chillingly clear that they were kneeling in the spot Ink had been formed. Erratum scooped a few pieces up with their hands, examining them and trying to push them into place. It was hard to tell which pieces went where, and even when they managed to find what they believed was a good fit, the pieces seemed to repel each other like two positive pole magnets. Erratum felt frustrated at this; of course, it would be too easy to be able to restore a soul like this. Perhaps, though, if it was simply code, there would be a way for them to figure it out later? 

"AYYY, YOOO!" 

They jolted and nearly dropped the pieces in their hands at the unfamiliar shout. Their screen popped up again, alerting them that their antivirus had caught something. Erratum sighed heavily as they began shoving pieces to Verse's screen, which absorbed each piece greedily. "Can I have one break today? At least a moment without a major crisis in my own home?" They complained as they searched one last time for any pieces they may have missed. Satisfied, they quickly melted into the ground in a mess of pixels.

They reformed back at their altar, startling Geno who was lounging nearby in his golden sweater. "You're going to give me a soul attack one day, ya know." He complained. "You wondering about that screaming too?" He questioned. Cross appeared from behind the statue of the god, having been pillaging while the other was away.

Erratum nodded once as they tapped on their screen. "I apparently snagged something, or someone I suppose, in my antivirus protection." They explained as strings descended from the sky. They could see a strikingly colourful skeleton tangled in a mess of them, dangling before them as Erratum brought them down further. 

"Ay bro, super unrad of ya. I'm just tryin' to see your crib here, you feel me?" 

"Oh Guardians above, not him." Geno groaned with a roll of his eye. "Fresh, how did you even get in here? You shouldn't be able to skate into a whole different plane of existence." 

"My dude, how was I supposed to know? This place was givin' some rad powerful vibes." Fresh grinned as Erratum slowly let him go. "Sup my pixelated pal? Name's Fresh!" He greeted them with a pair of finger guns. Erratum gave him a strange look as they pulled them up on their screen curiously. 

"Ah... you appear to be a parasitic-like virus I failed to destroy a while back." Erratum sighed heavily with annoyance. "I see you've gotten stronger and... have begun claiming hosts." They grimaced as the shades the other wore seemed to change to a series of exclamation points. 

"Ayy, I 'member that! Wow, you really messed up lettin' me get free and grow like that." Fresh paused as he thought for a moment. "Yo does that make you my totally radtastic Pops then? Or... Ma? Parental figure?" He considered. 

"That is not even close to how that works." Erratum groaned as they ran a hand over their face. "Though it is my fault that you exist, so I suppose I have to take responsibility for this. Just... don't call me any of that." They instructed him. Fresh gave them two thumbs up at this with no other comment. Cross held in a snort at the obvious irritation building in the god, though Geno appeared to be just as irritated with the monster.

"Cool, not a prob. I'd rather think of ya like a cool sibling. Like, a really, really, really older sibling." Erratum could feel the slight throb of a headache coming on. "At any rate, I seen what I needed to, so Imma skeedaddle now. See ya around!" Fresh grinned as he stood there, his shades changing to a couple of question marks. "Bruh... I totally can't Fresh poof out." 

"Well, I'm not going to let you leave." Erratum scoffed at the other's expression. "You're a body-snatching virus, and since you're here because of me, you are going to stay with me then." 

"Aww, what! You can't ground me, that's totally bogus!" Fresh protested. 

"Yeah! You can't keep him here??" Geno agreed with horror. "He's an absolute terror, Errata! He's going to be such a pest." 

"The last person you said that about you-" 

"Shut!" Geno flushed as he quickly cut Cross off, who only laughed in amusement at his flustered state. Geno nearly hissed as Fresh wrapped an arm around both Geno's and Cross's shoulders and grinned. 

"Ay if we's gonna be roomies, we gotta get along, right? I ain't gonna bother ya... too much." Fresh promised with a menacing grin. Geno groaned with displeasure as Fresh began to ramble on in lingo that Erratum was still attempting to decipher. Cross just stood there and took it, more amused with the situation and new guest than annoyed.

Erratum was beginning to wonder how they continued to acquire all of these strange mortals in their realm. 

Chapter Text

Errata was finding that their patience was being tested on a daily basis now.

They were aware that Fresh was intentionally being as obnoxious as possible to get Erratum to release him, but that wasn't going to happen. They weren't sure how to fix the problem with Fresh, but they couldn't let them out to continue to cycle through bodies. The best they could do right now was keep him here so his stolen body stayed in stasis while they figured out a plan. They had way too many things on their plate and it was beginning to finally catch up with them.

"Yo my glitchtastic godly bro!" Erratum took a steadying breath as they opened their eyes. "Whatcha doin'?" He questioned as the rest of the residents gathered near the altar and settled down. Geno settled comfortably beside Reaper now, the other draping a wing gently around him.

"I don't know how else to describe it other than our daily therapy session." Geno offered as he absently ran his fingers over the black feathers. "It started off as Errata checking how we were adjusting to our new home, but dark and emotional stuff kept bubbling to the surface. Now it's become a time where we just sit and try not to be emotionally constipated anymore." He explained, to which Fresh gave a perturbed expression.

"Dat's weird, but aight. Is hunger an emotion?"

"No, Fresh. Hunger is not an emotion." Cross informed with a raised brow bone.

"Then I got nothin'." Fresh shrugged as he sat on the ground near the group. "I'll just watch ya." He assured with a thumbs up. Erratum nodded once before glancing over to the group with a silent question. Everyone was quiet for a moment, not wanting to go first. Erratum sighed as they locked eyes with Cross, who squirmed a bit in place and looked away.

"I uh... I've been feeling kinda guilty lately." Cross started as they studied a blade of grass intently so as not to meet anyone's eyes.

Erratum had been suspecting there was something bothering the other for a bit now. "Is this your thoughts, or Chara's thoughts?" 

It had been a struggle to decide what to do about that situation. While going through their to-do notes within their command console, they had realized they never removed Chara from the quarantine folder that they had essentially made in Cross's soul. They felt a bit bad about that, and in the end, after speaking with Cross, they had both reluctantly agreed to let the specter out. It was a little unfair to keep them locked up like that.

Chara was not happy when they were finally released.

"I mean, they don't help. They're certainly not here to boost my confidence." Cross huffed. "But yeah... guilt. That's my biggest emotion I think."

 "Why is that?" They questioned, giving him all the time he needed to gather his thoughts. Cross was quiet for a bit, pulling at the grass and considering his words.

"I feel like I should have done more during that fight," Cross admitted after around a minute of silence. "I know standing by and making sure the others didn't get involved was important but..." He frowned as his face scrunched up. Erratum tilted their head a bit at this, encouraging him to go on. "Fighting and defending... it's what I'm good at, you know?" He huffed out with frustration. "I've been trained hard to be an upstanding guard with impeccable reflexes and good battle strategy. I feel useless doing nothing."

"Useless?" 

"I mean, it's like a dull knife, right?" Cross frowned as he leaned forward a bit and sighed. "A broken tool doesn't serve a purpose." 

"Do you see yourself as a tool?" Erratum frowned as they considered this sentence. Cross looked sharply back at the ground again, answering them just as well as words would have. "You do understand that you are more than just a tool, correct?" 

Cross gave another sound of annoyance as they glared at the ground. "I don't know, no? Maybe? I just want to be useful. I told you when I followed you that I could offer you protection, that I would fight by your side." 

"Cross, first, take the therapy animal." Erratum instructed as the recovering, better-nourished Temmie was passed around to the guard. Cross held the monster in his arms as it padded its paws on either side of his face repetitively. "Second, you don't have to prove yourself to me, to anyone. You've shown that you're a strong fighter, a formidable mentor, and a dear friend." Cross gave a crack of a smile at this, shaking his head a bit. 

"What about you then?" He questioned, turning his head up finally to look at the god. Erratum tilted their head once again in further confusion. "Who are you trying to prove yourself to? Doing all of the things that you do?" 

"I'm not certain I understand."

"Well," Cross sighed as he sat the Temmie down again. The small monster wobbled its way back to Erratum, who placed it back in their lap. "From what you've described, your job is to keep balance. That means trying to fix the emotional instability and the continued creativity problem. You focus a lot of your time on answering others' problems though instead. I'm not saying you're doing your job wrong, I certainly couldn't do any of this god stuff, but it's like... you are trying to prove something." 

Erratum considered this, not taking too much offense as they dissected this question. They weren't certain if they were truly trying to prove anything to anyone, possibly themselves. They hummed as they ran a hand absently over Temmie. "It might be the inherent pressure on my shoulders. Fate expects me to quell the creator, Karma expects me to deal out proper punishments, Hope and Faith expect me to answer prayers and help positivity? That part was a little unclear." They listed off with a shrug. "Perhaps I'm trying to prove my place as a Guardian? I've never given it any consideration, it simply is my job. I don't have time to consider why I do the things I do, I simply do them." They gestured to the altar behind them a moment. "These people all count on me to give them some sort of reprieve from the hand they've been dealt. I can't just stop now." 

Cross exhaled slowly as he took in this answer. "Yeah... that's pretty heavy. Man, I do not envy you. No wonder you're so glitchy all the time anymore." He commented, a series of pixels rolling over the god as they gave a surprised expression. "You've had to have noticed that, right? You're like... almost fizzling out at some points. You're pushing yourself waaaay too hard, and you expend a lot of magic nearly every day." He pointed out to them. He watched as the other tilted their head up in a listening position. "See? You're a workaholic. They survived years without you here, they can survive a few issues without you." He chided them. 

"But-" 

"Not during the daily meeting! No answering prayers during therapy!" Geno finalized with frustration. "Unless it is life-or-death, it can wait a little bit." He stated firmly while Reaper snickered beside him. "This is an intervention now." 

"This isn't how this is supposed to work." 

"I think this is exactly how this is supposed to work. The multiverse isn't going to fall apart if you take a few minutes to yourself." Geno disagreed as he crossed his arms firmly. "Have you ever even taken the time to just sit there and rest?" 

"I sat and did nothing for hundreds of years." 

"Okay fair... how about trying things you've not done before?" Geno suggested. "You've never done simple things like taking a nap! You're based on a Sans, so that should come naturally to you!" He insisted.

"I don't sleep, I have no need for it." 

"Just because you don't have to doesn't mean you can't." Cross pointed out with a small frown. "I think it might even be healthy to try. Can't hurt, either way, right?" He suggested. Erratum released a heavy breath as they glanced around the gathered monsters. "You know we won't let it go." 

"I'm very aware." Erratum assured with a weary expression. "If it will satisfy your concerns, I will do it. I won't guarantee that I will actually rest, but I can certainly attempt it." 

"That's all we're really asking for," Cross assured.

"My dove is so caring." Reaper teased with a sly grin. Geno shoved the other, attempting to push him away off at this point in irritation. Reaper only grinned wider and wrapped both wings around him now stubbornly. "And shy." 

"Someone else go, please. I don't like focusing on my own problems." 

"Yeah, welcome to the club." 

"Dirty viruses," Erratum snarled as they attempted to capture and destroy the malicious code plaguing the universe they had dropped into. They had taken several minutes to attempt to convince Cross that, no, they didn't need him to accompany for once. Erratum was naturally an antivirus, and only they could properly kill off these annoyances before they got out of hand. 

Fresh was slowly growing on them (like a parasite), but there was no need for repeats. They had to destroy them all. 

Cross had refused to let them go alone again, however, especially after their last encounter. Erratum didn't have the time to argue the matter and simply left Geno in charge of Fresh. The parasite had learned early on from a brief attempt to graffiti their altar that Erratum, while merciful and patient, could be wrathful when pushed. They wouldn't hesitate to turn a blind eye to whatever Geno might wind up doing.

This Swapfell variant had screeched to a halt mid-genocide due to the numerous viruses crawling around the world's code. While most of the Underground was empty, there was no one progressing the story forward or backward. Erratum was certain the minute these were all squashed out, they could repair the little glitches and everything would continue as normal. 

Now if only the little things weren't so fast.

Erratum had chased one all the way from Hotland back to Snowdin, much to their frustration. They assumed this had been the original malware considering the size of the squirming mass of pixels. Cross was confused by the entire process of watching Erratum capture and fry the balls of pixels in their hands, but he was supportive regardless. He had helped cut some off in the beginning to keep them from escaping the god's reach, but the larger ones were a bit trickier. Thus, it led them on a wild goose chase back to Snowdin. Cross was starting to wear down from all the running and athletics he was using to outsmart these things, but Erratum was fueled by spiteful determination. 

"Hah... Underground's only so big... don't know why it's still trying." Cross panted as he stuck close to Erratum. 

"Self-preservation. Its mind works in a primal, instinctive way to remain alive and produce more viruses." Erratum answered, never taking their eyes off of the fleeing malware. "Which is why they need to be eliminated. They will continue to consume and produce more viruses until the world is unstable and full of them. Then, the universe will collapse and all the viruses that survive will pour out to infect new ones." 

"So," Cross attempted between huffs of air. "A lot like... a real virus in the body? Hijacking cells until they rupture?" 

"Precisely." 

Erratum was hot on this thing's tail, ready to grab it at any moment. Sadly, being so focused on this virus made them a bit tunnel-visioned to everything else in the environment. 

"What the fuck is that thing?!" 

"Errata-!" Cross attempted to warn them as the god continued after the virus. The god ignored him, barreling through the group of monsters with little thought. 

"Pardon me!" They managed to call before diving after and grasping onto the virus. They gave a triumphant laugh as the mass screeched and writhed within their hand to try and escape. They pushed themselves up to their feet again, still grasping tightly onto the virus. "My apologies, I wasn't quite-" 

The group of murderous skeletons stared back at them with a mixture of befuddlement and annoyance. Killer and Horror were both sprawled out in the snow, Killer on his stomach and Horror flat on his bottom. Dust was standing a bit away from the downed monsters, staring at Erratum with what the other could only assume was bloodlust. 

"The hell you doing here?!" Killer hissed at the god with disgust. Cross carefully circled around the group back to Erratum, keeping a hold of his glowing blade as a visible threat. The one good thing with having released Chara is the power that seemed to bleed over into the skeleton. It made him an even stronger partner to fight alongside. 

"I'm working, what are you doing?" Erratum spoke with a sigh, as though speaking to a child bothering them at their job. They glanced up as a golden portal appeared and even more skeletons appear in the abandoned town of Snowdin. "Can I please just do my job?" The god closed their eyes momentarily as they squeezed the virus tighter, the ley lines up their arms igniting before the virus was consumed by a shock of magic and exploded. 

"Ew," Dream cringed at the sight that immediately greeted him upon arriving. "Um... what's going on here? Errata?" He frowned in confusion as his fist moved in his usual greeting. Ink was annoyed though as he spotted the god. 

"Working with Nightmare's group now? Are you the one messing up this world?" Ink snapped as he leaned against his brush, which Erratum noted didn't have a scratch on it. Blue narrowed his eyes at Ink but said nothing as he waited for Erratum to explain.

"We do not work together, and no. I came here to eradicate the viruses disrupting this world." Erratum explained as Verse blipped open and the god tapped away on it. "That should have been the last of them. Now, again, what are you all doing?" They glanced up at the group of (mostly) hostile skeletons. Before any of them could answer, the door to the local shop swung open with a harsh slam. Nighmare took in the scene before him and focused first on Erratum, and then zeroing in on Dream.

"What are you doing in my territory?" Nightmare growled as his tendrils lashed out angrily. "This is a part of my kingdom, Dream!" He reminded the other harshly. Dream hardened his expression as the other addressed him. 

"You mean the territory that you enslaved?" Dream replied coldly.

"Please, you think everyone is on the side of light? This world welcomed me with open arms." Nightmare grinned viciously at the look on Dream's face. "You're the ones trespassing on my grounds." 

"These worlds don't belong to you!" Ink snapped at the other's claim. "The people here have their own lives and story to live, you shouldn't be interfering!" Ink looked over as he heard Erratum mumble something under their breath. "You got something to say, Error?" That got the god's attention, who snapped their head up immediately with a glare. 

"Do not disrespect me, creator. You can call me Errata like everyone else or you can keep your mouth closed." Erratum spoke sharply. They noticed Nightmare seemed to take interest in their dispute, which Erratum feared could mean nothing good. They certainly didn't want him to get the idea that they were somehow against the Stars in general. "Now can all of you please leave so I can force reboot this world?" 

"We're gathering supplies, you leave!" Killer replied childishly at the request. Erratum rolled their eyelights with an irritated sigh. 

"Could you quickly finish then and then leave?" 

"Hey, don't encourage them to steal!" Ink protested immediately. Erratum gave the artist a confused look at this statement. 

"This world is aligned with them and probably regularly runs supply trades with them already. Plus, this world is completely vacant right now. Everything is going to be replenished the moment I run the program again. It's not really hurting anyone if they gather medical supplies and whatever else they may need." 

"It's aiding the enemy!" 

"Call it whatever you want." Erratum shrugged as they closed Verse and glanced over the monsters. Neither group was fighting each other yet, so that was a positive in the situation at least. "They still require food to live and medical supplies to heal themselves. It isn't like they can go to any world and gather them like many of us have the privilege to do." Erratum kept their gaze on Dream as they spoke, attempting to appeal to his compassionate side. The spirit did frown and waver a bit, to his credit. 

"They did this themselves! They're the only ones to blame for their actions!" 

"Oh, don't go there Ink." Erratum narrowed their eyes at the creator with rising outrage. "I could search the entire multiverse and still never discover where you find the audacity. As though you didn't create the worlds and storylines around you that led them here." They shook their head as they glanced at Cross. "I suspect this is going nowhere, we'll come back later and finish it." They explained as they turned to create a portal out. "The viruses are all gone, that was the most important part. Rebooting can be done-" 

They barely saw the window pop up with the warning sign in the split second they had to react.

The god came to an abrupt halt as a sickening CRACK pierced the air, followed by a blurring sensation of pain and agony against the back of their skull. Several gasps rang out as Erratum collapsed into the snow, dazed and dizzy from the impact on their skull. A hand reached up and gingerly touched the area, which was quickly saturated in marrow by the time they pulled it back. 

"Wow, I thought you were way smarter than that. Turning your back on an enemy?" Ink laughed, as though truly amused by the notion as he stood gripping onto his large brush. Cross recovered from his stunned position as he lashed out at Ink with his own blade. Ink blocked it with his brush, grinning at the guard impishly as the two pushed and struggled against one another.

"Ink!!" Dream shouted in disbelief at his actions. The god had been leaving and had done no harm to any of them, yet the other had struck them regardless. Blue looked beside himself in rage, not sure what to do with his body as he stared on in disbelief. Even the group of darker skeletons stared on with muted surprise at the sudden turn in events. Horror's fingers twitched a bit against the handle of their axe. 

Cross managed to shove Ink backward after a drawn-out struggle, still feeling the exhaustion in his bones from the earlier chase. Ink merely swiped at him again but was pushed back by a shockwave as his brush collided with a transparent wall. Cross was knocked down from the force himself, looking over at Erratum in alarm. The god had their hand held out, still pulling themselves into a crouch as they protected Cross.

"Sheesh, you're still conscious?" Ink laughed as the other stumbled to their feet and glared. Erratum's vision was a tad blurry from the blow to the occipital part of the skull, but they weren't about to let that show. "If you taught me anything from last time, it's to not let you get an advantage. Gotta take you by surprise." 

"Cowardly," Erratum corrected with a small wince. "Attacking somebody with their back turn." 

"You're gonna lecture me about battle etiquette?" Ink snorted with amusement as he shifted his brush into one hand. "I don't really care, you bleed all the same. Maybe next time you'll-" The artist jolted a bit before frowning in confusion, eyelights rapidly shifting. 

"Not so fun on the other side, is it?" 

Erratum squinted their eyes a bit to try and distinguish a bit more of what was going on, but Cross seemed completely aware. 

"Holy shit, Blue." 

The smaller Star member was stood firmly against Ink's back with a dark expression on their face. Ink glanced down at the front of his shirt, where a dark spot of ink was blooming against the fabric. He seemed more startled than in pain, trying to look over his shoulder. 

"Did you just...?" Ink tried to connect the wires in his brain to confirm that, yes, that in fact just happened. "Did you just stab me?!" 

"Daaaamn," Killer called out with a gleeful grin on his face. "This shit is better than any soap opera. Betrayal? Violence? It's got it all!" He commentated while the rest of the group stared on with immense interest. Nightmare took this time to begin to open his own portal, looking at his group with a small upturn of his head. 

"You attacked my god when they were only helping this world. If you're going to force me to choose between them and you, then you're pretty much pushing my hand now." Blue bit out with frustration, emphasizing his point by giving a sharp twist of his blade before slipping it out again. Ink placed his hand over the black stain on his lower ribs, wincing a bit at the raw stinging sensation. 

"So, you've made your choice then." Ink grunted as Dream frantically moved to his side. When he tried to assess and heal the wound, however, Ink shoved him aside roughly. Dream winced as he hit the snowy ground, sitting up and rubbing his shoulder with a pained sound.

Nightmare's tendrils twitched a bit.

"I guess I have," Blue replied as he moved to join Erratum's side with a concerned expression. "I can't handle your unpredictable behaviour Ink. One minute we're friends, and the next it's like I'm just some means to an end. I've had enough, but I can't say I didn't enjoy the better times we all had." He gave a sad smile at the artist, but the other just sneered at him in return.

"Fine. Don't expect me to show you any mercy then if you decide to fight alongside them." Ink warned him as he backed off finally. Blue didn't seem too phased by this and turned his head to the side, refusing to look at the creator anymore. Ink gave them all one last parting glare before disappearing in a vat of ink. Dream brushed the snow off of himself as he got back to his feet, turning his fretting onto Blue instead.

"I'm fine, it's fine," Blue assured as he grasped onto Dream's wrists gently and smiled. "Sorry, you got pulled into this mess. I don't think I'm going to be seeing you as often anymore." He spoke regretfully before sliding the small blade back up into his wrist holster to properly hide it.

"Nonsense," Erratum interjected as Cross steadied them a moment before letting them walk on their own. "My plane is a neutral ground that you're both free to come and go within. Feel free to drop in as you please, everyone else does." They spoke with a shake of their head, but they didn't seem too annoyed by it if the smile said anything. 

"Well, if you're sure." Dream agreed with a small sigh. "I'm so sorry about what happened. Let me heal you." He insisted after he finished fussing over Blue. Erratum was about to thank him for his compassion when another warning box popped beside him urgently. They looked up sharply as both arms swept out and shoved Cross to one side and the remaining two Stars to the other. They felt the wind punch out of them as the projectile tendril pierced clean through their chest and out the other side. 

"ERRATA!" Blue cried out as he rushed to his feet. The god cringed and struggled weakly as they were lifted into the air by the offending appendage, putting further pressure onto the surrounding traumatized bone. 

"Brother?! What are you doing??" Dream shouted with terror, eyes wide as he watched the darker spirit. "You can't-! Why would you?!" He couldn't fathom why his normally calculating and intelligent counterpart would do something so verboten, even by Nightmare's standards. 

"I was never very good at following the laws, why start now?" Nightmare smirked back at him in response. All of the remaining members seemed to have already disappeared into the swirling portal behind Nightmare. "I tried the whole deity etiquette thing and now I've grown tired of the entire thing. Ink doesn't appear to care, why should I?" He stared at Dream pointedly, smugness radiating off of him. 

"You don't want to do this!" Dream called out to him desperately.

"Don't tell me what I want!" Nightmare snarled as his shoulders raised instinctively with a glare. "Don't pretend you ever knew what I wanted!" Dream's protests died down a moment at this, wounded by the statement despite himself. Erratum moved their hands up to grasp tightly onto the tendril speared through them, sighing with momentary relief as the ooze bubbled away as it normally did. The relief didn't last long as they then fell from the air without the support of the tendril, hitting the ground limply and remaining prone. Their body screamed with agony and pain, practically begging them not to move from the spot on the ground. 

"This has been a treat, truly. We should do it again sometime." Nightmare chuckled darkly as he disappeared into his portal before it vanished entirely. Dream broke into a full run and dropped to his knees beside Erratum, hands hovering over them a moment with terror. He wasn't sure where to even start. He felt frustrated tears pricking at his eyes for hesitating so much, glancing at Cross who was just as lost for what to do. 

"Heal." 

Both skeletons jumped at the rough voice. Dream blanched a bit as Horror towered over the three of them, unsure if he should try and heal the other or attack the monster above him. Cross seemed less alarmed though, furrowing his brows a bit. "Horror? Didn't you leave with everyone else?" 

"No. Snuck away." Horror explained as he continued to bore into Dream with his intense eyelight.

"H e a l." 

"Right, right! Got it! Right away!" Dream sputtered as his hands rested on the back of Erratum's head. "I can't believe he did that... Nightmare I can kind of understand, just a little bit, but..." 

"Ink's a little prick is what he is." Cross spit as he helped shift Erratum around carefully so Dream could continue to heal them. "Errata has helped these universes tirelessly at the expense of their own health. They will answer call, after call, after call without a break, sometimes for days. They said they don't require sleep, but even so, I've caught them looking more worn down than usual on those bad days." He gave Erratum's face a pitying look as he turned them over to examine their chest. "And Ink sleeps soundly at night knowing he's made so many awful worlds out there. Places like Geno's, where he sat by himself for the longest time. Or mine, in a loop of self-destruction until everything ended." 

"Or mine," Horror added in with a frown. "Hungry... everyone starving. Hurt."

Dream had an encroaching thought that made cold terror settle in his middle and his soul clench tightly. If that was the case...

Horror moved to lift the god up with surprising ease, his own body rather large for a Sans. Cross looked like he wanted to protest this, but Blue just touched Horror's arm reverently and smiled. 

"If it means anything, Errata talks about you a lot. They really respect you as a friend." Blue assured him kindly. Horror stared down at the small being for a few moments curiously. He eventually gave a faint grin to show his delight at hearing this. "Now then, we need to get them home so they can rest and heal properly," Blue instructed as he looked at Dream. The other nodded as he created a portal into Erratum's plane with some difficulty. Erratum had allowed him to come and go freely, but it was a bit more taxing to open a portal to an entire plane rather than a universe, and he had used quite a bit of magic already. He exhaled heavily as he gestured for everyone to go through. 

"Horror, you should be able to pass through so long as you're holding them," Cross spoke as he entered the portal. "That's what they think, at least, after they brought home a Temmie from your world." Horror seemed perturbed by this but didn't question it. He simply passed through the portal into the world, marveling at the botanical wonder that it was. The air felt clean and the atmosphere unoppressive. Then again, it wasn't really surprising considering who he was talking about after all. 

"Hey lovebirds!" Cross called out with his hands cupped around his mouth to project his voice. Geno was up in a larger tree, sitting upon a branch while Reaper sat beside him, wing draped over him as he spoke animatedly with his hands. Geno was watching him with fond amusement, a rare gentle expression on his face. The two were quickly startled from their moment at the call, Geno immediately flushing and ready to defend himself. His words died in his throat as he saw Horror carrying Erratum's limp and injured body. His eye lit up with magic immediately before Blue quickly jumped in to explain.

"Wait, wait! He's friendly!" Blue called up to the enraged couple above. "This wasn't him! Ink and Nightmare did this! Well... not together, or even at the same time. It's a long story!" He assured, watching as the both of them settled ever so slightly. Blue sighed in relief while Horror moved to where Erratum's altar was situated. He took a moment to admire it, examining the stonework and various items around it. He hummed as he looked to a basket settled at the bottom of the stone steps filled with fresh bread.

"I made that." He commented as he pulled at the various stitching materials and blankets to begin to make something on the grassy floor. It was a little difficult using one arm to support the god, but he managed it. 

"You did?" Cross questioned in surprise as he tried to figure out what the other was doing. "I had some of it earlier today, it was really good. Where'd you learn to bake like that?" He inquired with curiosity. From what he knew, Horrortale was a devoid land with no food to spare for pleasantries such as pastries and baking. 

"Farmer Sans," Horror explained as he finished what appeared to be some sort of makeshift nest-type bedding. "Errata... takes me there every day. Work for supplies... food and skills." He explained to the rest of the group slowly as he tried to form the explanation in his head. He was getting better, slowly, but the head wound was certainly not helping his language and speech comprehension. 

"I knew this was gonna happen one day." Geno frowned as he came to stand beside Horror. "They keep pushing themselves and putting themselves into these situations. They're lucky you all were there and that this wasn't any worse." He looked to Reaper a moment as he said this, seeing the solemn look on his own face. Geno sighed as he pulled a blanket over Erratum's form and shook his head. "Well... at least they can finally take that nap." 

They all backed off a bit after this, not wanting to hover over the Guardian while they were recovering. Fresh, curious about the whole debacle, decided to poke his head in from behind the group. He could tell everyone was giving off some pretty harsh vibes and wanted to see for himself. He glanced down at the wounded god, frowning a bit as he considered their slumbering form. They looked pretty injured, and everyone seemed to be anxious about it. He didn't really know how to relate to their emotions, but he tried to find the right things to say in the moment.

"Bummer." 

No one appreciated his efforts. 

Chapter Text

"Sans?" 

Sans groaned as they opened their eyes, finding themselves face down on the carpeted floor. Sans felt befuddled as they tried to recall what led up to where they were now. What was going on?

"Did you forget to take your medicine again?? You know what Doctor Alphys said about taking your medicine on time!" Medicine? Sans was so confused by this conversation. 

"I don't-" Sans paused as they heard their own voice. That didn't seem right, that didn't sound right. They couldn't place why, but their voice seemed... wrong. They turned their head up to respond to this person, only to freeze as they did. 

The monster looked like a typical Papyrus, though they sported a comfortable hand-knitted sweater by the looks of it. What was most offputting, however, was the completely smooth face the other had. 

No eye lights, no sockets, no mouth, nothing. 

"Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?" The faceless Papyrus questioned them.

"Uhhh nope. No, not at all..." Sans muttered back with apprehension. They looked down at their own hands, seeing the tremors in their bones and the little plasters occasionally littered on their fingers. 

"You need to use those thimble thingies!" Papyrus chimed in, making Sans flinch a bit. "And wear your glasses!! You'll stop poking yourself so much!" 

Sans had so many questions they wanted to be answered, so much they needed to ask. They didn't have much time to do so as the ground under them began to shake violently. They inhaled sharply as a whisp of blinding white seemed to encompass them, their whole body burning at the contact. They could hear distant screams from the faceless Papyrus, but everything sounded as though there was cotton in their skull. A feeling of nausea overtook them as they were dragged down, seeing the colour of their world fading into nothing but black. 

They were floating, endlessly, with nothing around them. Sans-

No... No that wasn't their name, was it? Not anymore at least.

They cringed at the blinding light that seemed to surround them on all sides now within this void. A cry tore out of their throat as what felt like a set of two hands grasped them from either end. It was as though their entire being was being dipped into a vat of acid, slowly dissolving the bone away from them. Their soul felt heavy like it could burst at any moment as it greedily absorbed the influx of magic. 

Back and forth, they grasped and pulled. 

Burning ceased momentarily as they lost their grip, only to surge up immediately as they grabbed where they could. Agony pulsed as their mouth stayed parted in a silent scream, their voice having long left them. 

How long had it been?

Minutes? Hours? Days?

...Years? 

It felt like an eternity of struggling, of trying to keep their body from scattering into a million pieces. They wanted to scream out for help, but no words could make it through the empty screams they gave. A sound buffeted against their skull, and it took them a moment to realize it was laughter. It slowly rose and swelled, until it was all they could hear. 

"Interesting," They tried to look around, but all they could see was the indistinct shape of the beings of light. They could feel panic in their chest and the last threads of their sanity beginning to fade. They knew they couldn't hold out much longer before they broke or died, and they weren't sure which one they preferred.

It all abruptly ended a moment later, the pain having ebbed the longer the beings held them. Another being appeared, banishing away the two specters with their presence as they cupped the skeletal monster in their hands. The monster was soothed, feeling no more than a slight tingle at the added magic that was filtered into them. The light seemed to bother their eyes less, and they could nearly begin to make out a form in the shapeless magic. 

"Your creation is also your worst nightmare? That's... hilarious." The voice within their mind began to laugh again, drawing their attention back to the void around them. The being of light had disappeared by the time they turned back around, leaving them in the dark. They tried to move, gain any sort of footing in this space they floated through. As soon as they felt solid ground under them, however, they felt something wrapping up their ankles. 

"The power I gain from your terror? Absolutely addicting." The voice nearly purred as the monster was dragged downward by tendrils of tarry goop. The monster reached out as they sunk, trying to grasp for something to pull themselves out with. They managed to finally find the voice to scream as the thick substance surrounded them and flooded their mouth, cutting off their ability to breathe. 

"Errata." 

Erratum snapped their eyes open as they found themselves floating once more, though they felt more in control this time. They recognized their body, who they were, and who was before them now. They frowned sharply and narrowed their eyes dangerously at the amused being.

"Nightmare. I suppose I shouldn't be as surprised as I am." Erratum seethed quietly as the negative spirit observed their helpless position with a satisfied grin.

"I have waited for ages to get into your mind." Nightmare emphasized as tar began to wrap around Erratum again. "When I learned you didn't require sleep, I had given up on the idea I could infiltrate your dreams. Ink's rash actions gave me the perfect opportunity to make sure you were down for the count, however." He looked more than pleased with this revelation. 

"This is just a dream," Erratum grunted as they tilted their head away from the wandering tendrils. "Your influence is nothing here. You aren't really here, and you can't harm me." 

Nightmare laughed with malicious glee, shoving his hands into his pockets in a false appearance of casual relaxation. "Are you sure?" He questioned after he had calmed down. "Are you sure I can't? Is the pain that you have felt not been real? Has the emotional turmoil been a mere echo of the past, or is it raw and present?" He grinned at the expression on Erratum's face.

"That's all temporary." Erratum responded as they refused to give in to his torment. "When I wake, you'll be nothing but a memory." 

"Oh, is that so?" Nightmare's grin sent a slight chill down the god's spine. "You think I'm going to let you go? You think I'm just going to let you wake from this living hell?" He chuckled darkly as Erratum let this sink in. "I'll keep you here, for as long as it takes. If I have to torture you within your own mind for days, I will do so. I will never let you leave." He emphasized firmly, though the grin never strayed from his face. And Erratum believed him.

They believed he would keep them here as long as they needed to. 

"How long do you think it's already been?" Nightmare questioned smugly as he fed on the anxiety and fear the other projected. "Time is meaningless in your mind. What seems like moments might have been hours. Hours may be days. How long do you think it would take before your little followers begin to break down?" He taunted the other. In a swirl of black mist, the forms of Geno and Cross became clear in front of Erratum. They both appeared confused and stared up at them with terror.

"Errata, please..." Cross begged the restrained god. "I can't be alone again. I can't be abandoned again." Erratum felt a painful clench in their soul, but it was nothing compared to witnessing Geno beside the fearful guard.

"You said you would help me..." Geno stood before them, bones bubbling and oozing from the determination in their body. "It hurts... you said you would make it stop. You would fix my world and give me my life back." He was becoming less solid the longer he spoke, making it hard to distinguish his words through the sizzling mess. "I trusted you... you're no better than him... toying with our lives and our feelings." 

Erratum was thrashing from the hold on their body now, trying to lurch forward uselessly. "I will, I meant that! This... this isn't real! You aren't here! This is in my mind!" They shouted, clenching their eyes closed tightly to block out the sight. "I would never turn my backs on you... I would never intentionally leave you." 

"If I'm not real," Geno moved his hand from the wound on his chest, a thick paste of blood and liquid bone following in a stringy concoction. "Then why does the pain feel so real?" He whispered as he finally collapsed into a liquid puddle before fading into dust. Erratum felt their breath quicken at the sight, seeing the horrified look reflected on Cross's face as well. The guard turned to look at Erratum again, only to choke as one of Nightmare's tendrils pierced his chest and another wrapped firm around his throat. 

"I'll destroy everything you hold dear, and I will kill everyone you love." Nightmare threatened as Cross clawed and struggled against the appendages. "Unless," His grip weakened a bit, allowing Cross to gasp and choke on the marrow pooling in his mouth. "You surrender yourself to me. Perhaps you could prove yourself trustworthy enough one day to be an asset, but for now, I will only accept your complete obedience." He narrowed his eyes as Erratum glared him down as well. "The choice is yours. Will you sacrifice yourself to save those you love?" 

"I could never trust you to keep your word." Erratum spat back without hesitation. "The only way to save them is for me to continue to rebel against you, not surrender myself to you." 

Nightmare gave a single chuckle at this, retightening his hold as Cross began to choke again. "You heard them, Cross. If your god's will is for you to die a martyr, then so be it." At these words, Cross seemed to grow quiet and compliant. He allowed his arms to fall away from the offending tendril as it continued to choke the life out of him. Erratum's breath hitched at the final look of dedicated respect the other gave before exploding into dust. 

Erratum felt cold. They weren't sure if the numbness was any better than the horror they had been experiencing, but they were too far into their own mind to consider it. Nightmare seemed pleased, so their emotional state was obviously still beneficial to the spirit in some way. 

"People are weaknesses, so easy to exploit." Nightmare commented as he patted himself off to remove the lingering dust from his clothes. "Letting people in leaves you vulnerable." He sneered with distaste as he appraised Erratum.

"I suppose you would know." 

Nightmare narrowed his eyes a bit at their tone. "What are you implying?"

Erratum continued to stare him down, though there was a twinge of instability in their features. "Don't forget, this is still my mind." They remarked as a flash of gold revealed a group of skeletons standing before Nightmare. The darker spirit twitched as he recognized his subordinates, glaring at Erratum. "You may attempt to put up a front, but I know better." They muttered darkly as golden threads laced between each of their wrists before tying tightly around Nightmare's. "If I'm vulnerable, what does that make you? I can protect my followers with every bit of my strength and hide them in an instant. Your own people are always out in the open, fighting for you and risking their lives. They are not hard to find." 

Nightmare opened his mouth to protest, but Erratum continued to speak.

"I have been in your manor, even before our game of chess. I have been with every single one of them before I met with you." Erratum watched as the tendrils on the spirit's back curled a bit inward. "I am merciful, but you know very well that if I had wished it, they would be dead. And you would have been helpless to stop it." They rubbed their wrists as they approached him. Nightmare realized now that through this exchange his tendrils had disappeared and released the god. 

"Your mask is slipping," Erratum commented as they grasped onto the threads linking the group together. Nightmare strained to remain standing as the dark group dropped to their knees at the pull. "You pretend you aren't capable of feeling anything other than anger, hate, anything negative. You're just as attached as they are, whether you want to believe it or not." Nightmare tensed a bit as he noticed a blinding white colour encompassing Erratum's form once more. 

"I think you've forgotten who you once were."
"I think you've forgotten who you once were."

Nightmare shivered at the dual-toned voice, a mix of Erratum's blended with a gentler voice. Nightmare looked down at his hand attached to strings, breath hitching as the tar dripped away from it. They could see the white of their bones below it, mocking him with their presence. He tried to pull away from the tightened threads, but the familiar skeletons below him grasped the strings and pulled harder. Nightmare stumbled as they attempted to resist their pull, but eventually, they fell to their knees as well. They could see the sleeve of their old tunic now, cold dread settling low in their gut.

"Do you fear they wouldn't respect you if they knew?" Erratum didn't expand further on that, knowing they didn't have to. "Do you fear that you aren't always the one in control? That you're just as vulnerable as any other person, deity or not? We all have weaknesses, some are just more exploitable than others. At least, looking at it from your point of view." They hummed as they felt the comforting presence of Karma around them. They weren't so certain this was just part of their dream anymore, it felt too tangible. 

Nightmare looked up as Erratum stood over him, staring down at him with the light surrounding them. "I could let the other Guardians take over from here regarding your transgressions." Nightmare tensed up at this prospect. "I could leave you at their mercy." Nightmare winced as the light grew brighter a moment. 

"But I won't." 

Nightmare felt the intense heat retract a bit as the light reduced in brightness. Erratum stared down at the half-tarred monster in consideration. "The question is what to do with you. I would almost say you punish yourself enough." They sounded somehow sympathetic even through all of this, which only made Nightmare more enraged and more anxious. Erratum continued to process everything that had happened, trying to find an unbias way to go about this. Before they could even begin to plan something out, the being below them began to hiss and cringe.

"Dammit..." Nightmare hissed as a golden light began to tint the edges of the black void around them. "This isn't over, Errata. I'll be waiting for the next time you let your guard down." Nightmare vowed darkly before vanishing in a whisp of shadows. Erratum blinked as the landscape transformed fully, causing them to wince as the bright sun above shone down on them. They raised a hand to shield their eyes, trying to make out the landscape.

"Errata!"

Erratum gave a few hard blinks to adjust their eyes, seeing Dream rushing toward them. They frowned in confusion as Dream squeezed them in a tight hug and sighed with obvious relief. "What's going on?" 

"You've been asleep for so long..!" Dream explained as he pulled back to look at the god. Dream looked exhausted with a clear darkening of the bones under his sockets. "Nightmare had been causing you terrible nightmares, but I couldn't break through his magic. He seemed very determined to keep you trapped in there with him and to keep me out. It took so long, but then there was a sudden lull in his magic and I was able to finally slip in." 

"Ah, yes, that tracks." Erratum nodded as they placed a hand on Dream's shoulder and guided him back to the tree. "I suppose this is a sort of dreamscape then?" They questioned as Dream leaned against the apple tree with an exhausted sigh.

"Yeah... me and Nighty used to meet here. We wouldn't so much sleep as we would fall into trances to enter this place. Through here we could travel within dreams and nightmares of the villagers to feed off their energy. It also helped us monitor them and intervene in the cases of extreme nightmares. Nighty would consume the dream and I would replace it. He got a good power boost and I expended some magic to gain a net profit from the added positive dreams." Dream kept his eyes closed as he described his past, a tired expression etched on his face.

"That is fascinating." Erratum remarked with a tilt of their head. "This is still something that you do, then?" 

"It's not easy," Dream sighed. "Nightmare was the one who could consume the bad dreams. I have to work much harder to change a nightmare to a good dream, and with how unbalanced positivity and negativity are, I usually gain no power from it." He opened his eyes a moment later, seeing Erratum standing a bit away from him. He looked over the black and gold features on them, sitting up abruptly. 

"It was you..."

"Hm?" 

Dream sat forward on his knees, scanning over Erratum once more with his eyes. "You're who I saw the day I was freed from the stone." He was certain of this the longer he stared at them. "I remember seeing a flash of black and blue... and a brief golden glow before it vanished. I couldn't make it out at the time... but it was you, wasn't it?" 

Erratum was quiet for a moment as the other continued to look at them expectantly. Erratum settled down in front of him, crossing their legs and resting their hands on their knees. "Yes... you're correct, it was me. I had come to check on your status when negativity began to severely outweigh positivity." They explained. "I saw you were still in stone, but your eyes were leaking a gold liquid. It looked like tears, so I wiped them away. When I did, the stone began to crumble. I panicked and fled, knowing that I had interfered with your world. This was before I had begun the work that I do now." 

"Ink... always told me he had come to rescue me." Dream went quiet for a moment, gathering his bearings with a shaky breath. "I... I need to ask something that's going to be hard to hear, I'm guessing. For me, not for you." Erratum sat quietly, waiting for him to continue. "Did..." Dream gave them a pleading stare as he gathered his courage. "Did Ink create my world? Did he... was he..." He stammered weakly, not wanting to say it. Erratum let out a long breath, closing their eyes as a pang of sympathy shot through their soul.

"I think it's only fair you know the story of Dreamtale," Erratum agreed after a moment. Dream appeared confused by this.

"The story? But I already know the story, it was my world after all." 

"Not the story of your world, the story of how it came to be. The story of one of Ink's biggest mistakes, not that you all are mistakes, but you'll understand what I mean at the end." Erratum leaned back as they recounted this tale. "Before Magic restricted Ink's creative magic, he created a world that balanced emotions. Ink doesn't have them, and I believe personally that he was attempting to understand them through this... experiment." They could see the wide-eyed horror on Dream's face, but they continued on without addressing it.

"After you two were given your physical bodies and left to guard your mother, Ink continued to stay close by and observe you. Rather than letting your world grow and the story to develop, he took full control over it." Erratum couldn't meet Dream's eyes anymore, feeling the pulse of anguish. "He found you interesting, Dream. He began to favour you and the bright positivity you brought to everyone. He began to see the quieter, more studious Nightmare as... boring, so to say." They cleared their throat to attempt to dismiss the feelings it brought with it. "This... next part will be harder to hear." They warned Dream.

"He understood the effects of the emotions you could bring, to an extent. He didn't seem to comprehend the need for negative emotions or what made them so important. So... he started to play with them to see what would happen. He influenced the story and began to influence negativity from the villagers to Nightmare, wondering what would happen if he pushed him. He wanted to know what intense negative emotions would make a person do." Dream's breath was hitching, and Erratum didn't have to look to know the other was crying. "That's not the worst part..." They spoke quietly, giving the other a moment to gather himself.

"He... wanted to know what would happen if he pushed him to his limit. He wanted to know what desperation would make him do. He wanted to know what would happen if the other consumed the apples." Erratum was looking as far away from Dream as they possibly could without turning their back to him. "Karma described it as a whispering voice to Nightmare, a voice that insisted if he showed he could care for the positive apples as well, they would love him as they loved you. That the hurt would stop. Obviously, that didn't happen, and the apples turned. When the villagers were overcome with negativity, he consumed them out of fear and desperation, just as Ink had wanted." Erratum chanced a glance back at him. "You know how the rest of the story goes." 

Dream was hunched over, hands clutching either side of his skull as his breaths came out in panicked gasps. Erratum knew the other wouldn't take it well, but they also knew the other had a right to know. "After this happened, Magic restricted Ink's creative powers to prevent him from causing further unbalance by creating deity-like beings. That's how Reapertale came to be; when a few of the Guardians created it to attempt damage control." Erratum sighed heavily as they gently touched the back of Dream's skull. "And that's the story of Dreamtale. I'm sorry you had to hear it from me. It shouldn't be me having to explain it to you." They sharpened their expression a moment at this before softening it again as Dream looked up at them.

"H-he... he took everything from me..." Dream hiccupped with a heartbroken expression. "My brother... a..and he let me... and I fought beside him... I lost my best friend... because someone was bored. Because... they thought it'd be interesting to see everything fall apart." Dream let himself be guided to Erratum, pressing his face into their chest as he sobbed. He mourned the life they never got to have because the person they thought was their friend decided it wasn't exciting enough. 

"I know... I know it's horrible." Erratum murmured softly, unable to do much else to stop his hurt. They focused intensely for a moment, hoping they could somehow force their body to use their magic in their sleep. They gave a satisfied hum as golden light surrounded their palms as they held Dream and fed their magic into him. Hope and Faith wouldn't want Dream bleeding himself dry of positivity. "We should wake up... it will be easier to talk about this with everyone else. Or... at least whoever is around right now." They insisted, to which Dream nodded weakly against their chest. He didn't say anything else, but Erratum could see the environment becoming fuzzier and less in focus. The last thing they saw before it all faded was the despondent face of Dream staring down at his hands.

"Ay, glitchmister's movin'."

"Move Fresh, they're waking up!" 

"Someone get some water." 

"Dream? Are you okay?" 

Erratum blinked their eyes open, feeling fatigued weighing their bones down like lead. They could feel soft material around and under them, but they found themselves too exhausted to try and look around. They groaned weakly as Dream moved to sit them upright, supporting them with a hand on their back as Erratum slumped forward. "How long..?"

"It's been three days, Errata!" They grinned weakly at the distressed and worried voice of Geno. "We thought you were going to die! Don't you ever pull that shit again, you understand me?!" He continued to lecture as Erratum stood on wobbly legs and took a moment to regain their balance. "Are you even listening to me?!" He shouted as Erratum managed to move from the makeshift nest on the ground. They gave a relieved sigh and pulled Geno into a crushing hug, causing the other to give a grunt of surprise at the force. "Geeze... I missed you too, okay?" He muttered.

"No one buys that tough-guy stuff you do, you know that right?" Cross snickered from beside him. Erratum swung their arm out and yanked Cross in as well, holding tightly onto the both of them. Cross was equally confused now but placed a hand on their back regardless. 

"Cool that you're not dead!" Fresh called out with a set of finger guns. "Dat woulda been a bummer." Erratum decided to that at face value.

"I guess I know what Nightmare used to torture you within your sleep." Dream spoke, still sitting in the plush material Erratum had been in. "He was always good at finding what brings the most terror out of you..." He seemed just as despondent as he had in the dreamscape. Both Cross and Geno gave each other a look from over either of Erratum's shoulders, feeling pity over what they must have seen happen to the both of them to cause this reaction. Erratum released them both after a moment, giving them a soft apology as the two mortals gave worried expressions. 

"I've got water!" Erratum glanced up as Blue came running back with a bowl in his hands. He huffed out a few breaths as he stopped in front of the group, setting the bowl aside and holding tight onto Erratum now. "You're okay! I was so worried, we all were! You were out for so long... and you kept writhing and glowing in your sleep... we didn't know what to do. Dream was here for so long trying to get you to wake up, but then you both wouldn't wake up!" He looked up at them tearfully. 

"I'm-" Erratum coughed, their throat dry and rough from lack of use. Blue quickly offered the bowl to him with a concerned look, giving the god a moment to quench their thirst before speaking again. "I'm sorry that I worried all of you like that. It is my own fault for what happened." They apologized as they handed the bowl back to Blue, who looked indignant. 

"It wasn't your fault! Ink hit you in the back of the head! Then you kept us from getting skewered by Nightmare, you had nothing to do with all of that!" Blue protested as they tossed the bowl aside with outrage. "We all know who's at fault here, and it isn't you Errata," Blue assured them, wringing his hands together anxiously. "Reaper seemed... really upset when he heard what happened." He included with a frown. 

"He said something about deity laws but didn't explain much else." Geno nodded with a confused frown. "Again, I'm guessing it's a god thing." 

"I'll explain it a bit later, hopefully with Dream's help. You seem more versed on diety law than myself." Erratum jolted a bit as their task menu popped up. "I said versed not Verse." Erratum grumped before tensing up a moment. "Wait... you said it's been three days?" They seemed to just be realizing this. 

"Oohhh, no you don't!" Geno immediately spoke up as he grabbed one of the god's arms. "The multiverse didn't explode the three days you were out. You don't need to go dashing off trying to do some kind of 'catch up' on prayers!" He chastised them. "Someone agree with me please!"

"He's right you know." Cross frowned as he grabbed their other arm insistently. "You're not gonna be much help to anyone if you pass out trying to move too quickly." Erratum frowned at the both of them, feeling slightly frustrated. "I know you feel restless doing nothing, but you have to heal. That's not negotiable." 

"We won't let you leave!" Blue agreed, wrapping himself around one of their legs stubbornly. "You'll have to drag us with you!" He declared loudly. Fresh dropped himself over Erratum's back just to be a pest and keep them there as well. Erratum gave Dream a helpless look, but the spirit held his hands up. 

"Don't look at me, I agree with them." He informed the disgruntled Guardian. "Either way, I need to go to Horrortale and inform Horror. He'll be really upset if we don't let him know Errata's okay. Cross? Would you mind accompanying me?" Dream requested, to which the guard straightened up immediately and nodded. "Thank you..." He gave Erratum a sad smile before opening a portal to Horrortale and allowing Cross through before following him. 

"So," Geno started, pulling at Erratum insistently. Blue seemed to get the idea and quickly moved from Erratum's leg to their now free arm to help Geno pull them along. Fresh remained no help, being a roadblock even by adding even more weight to be dragged. Erratum gave a longwinded sigh as they were forced back into the makeshift bed of materials and blankets, half crushing Fresh. The other didn't seem to mind too much. 

"You're gonna stay there until we say otherwise," Geno spoke with finality. Erratum no longer had the energy to protest and just nodded their head while Fresh squirmed to free himself from behind the Guardian. "Good. You better keep that promise." Erratum felt a jolt in their soul at this statement. Their mind went back to the melting Geno within their nightmare and their accusatory look before they died. 

"I will... I promise I will." 

Chapter Text

Ink gave a glare at Blue from across the table, who met it equally while Dream stood at Ink's side nervously. The gathered council all seemed rather uncomfortable with the thick tension in the air. 

"Didn't think you'd show up after you quit the Stars." Ink spoke up to Blue, causing visible shock to ripple through the gathered council. It was apparent there had been some sort of falling out, but no one expected it to be that severe. "How's being a backstabbing friend?" 

"How's your chest?" Blue quipped back as he raised his head defiantly. "Probably better off than Errata's skull, no thanks to you." He huffed, drawing several eyes over to Ink immediately.

"What does he mean?" Outer questioned suspiciously. Ink opened his mouth to begin his long rant but was cut short as a swirling black portal deposited Reaper into the meeting room. Everyone knew the demi-god was rather quiet and had a dark sense of humor, never really causing many issues. The expression on his face, however, rivaled the deathly energy of his touch alone. 

"Ink," Reaper started as he approached the other end of the table. "You've started something that I cannot be a part of, so I'll be bowing out of our alliance." He commented, which jolted Ink back into motion.

"What?? Why? What changed??" Ink sputtered as he tried to wrap his mind around this.

"You changed, or maybe it's because you never change." Reaper scowled darkly back at him. "You attacked a Guardian with their back turned that led to severe injuries to their person. I'm a deity, and I'm not gonna send a message to the higher beings that I stand behind you." He glanced at Dream a moment with a softer frown, yet still obviously enraged. "Any rational deity would do the same." Dream looked uncomfortable at this.

"Bruh, we talkin' about breaking deity laws?" Epic commented as he stood from his seat. "Yyyup, guess I'm outtie too." He sighed as he pulled his hood up. Ink shot the zealous skeleton a befuddled expression. "You?" Ink questioned in confusion. "You're not a deity!" 

Epic laughed a bit at this. "Nah bruh, I'm Magic's champion. I'm not gonna support this catastrophe, bruh." 

"Wait, you're Magic's champion?!" Dream gasped in surprise. "But... you don't have a visible marking!" 

"Eh, that's assumin' it's in a place you wanna see, bruh." Epic snickered at the embarrassed flush that brought to Dream's face. "Either way, Imma head out." He gave a thumbs-up before vanishing entirely in a teleport. Dream hoped he could find out a little more about that at a later time, but for now, he begrudgingly had this situation to deal with. 

"Ink, I've respected the work you do keeping the multiverse in line and pushing Nightmare back, but I can't have your back on this one." Reaper informed him with a frown. Dream withdrew into himself a bit at the mentioning of Ink 'pushing back' Nightmare after making him what he was today. "I'm not gonna fight you either, I'm staying outside of this. If you two are gonna start some crazy god civil war, I don't want anything to do with it." He held his hands up at this while the group of skeletons looked between each other.

"Seriously?" Ink drawled with irritation on his face. "Oh, when I was all battered and bruised no one batted an eye. But I crack one skull and everyone loses their minds." He scoffed, which was followed by a small uproar as the council began to speak over each other. 

"You did what?!" Outer gasped in horror. "Please, please tell me you at least have a reason? Even a stupid, horribly misguided one?" He begged the other, who just shrugged in response. "I saw an opportunity, I took it. Next time they'll think twice before turning their back on me after intentionally trying to provoke me." Ink offered in response, which did nothing to quell the anxiety in Outer's gut. Blue slammed his fist onto the table and gathered the attention back over to him. 

"YOU got angry, Ink! Errata said it didn't matter if Nightmare and his group took supplies from that broken world because they were going to reboot it. Everything would come back after that!" Blue argued with the artist. "So that just means we let the literal bad guys do whatever they want??" Ink shot back with equal amounts of rage. Most council members were attempting to shrink down into themselves further as if it would get them away from the uncomfortable confrontation.

"Errata wouldn't hurt them if they aren't hurting anyone else, and they make a good point! All of them still need to eat and be healed when they're hurt, and they can't go to anyone else!" He pointed out, trying through frustrated desperation to make the other just see what he was trying to say. "Who's fault is that?? They kill and torture people all over the multiverse, Blue! No one is going to aid a bunch of murderers and I don't want to be associated with anyone who does!" He looked around the group of uncomfortable group of Sanses, trying to gauge a response from them. Blue abruptly shot up out of his seat, ready to give them another verbal lashing. 

"I don't know, Ink..." 

The group looked over at Dream as he circled around the table to stand near Reaper. Said demi-god had been quietly watching the confrontation go down after having spearheaded the entire situation. Dream looked at Reaper a moment before gazing back at Ink with an exhausted expression. "I...I used to think they were all just evil or cruel monsters hurting others for their own personal gain, and for the most part that's true, but..." He clenched his teeth together to keep himself from falling apart. "But... what Errata said was true too, wasn't it? You... created the worlds, the storylines, the bad guys, Ink. They aren't cruel just because they suddenly feel like it, that's... that's how they were made. That's how you made them when you made their worlds." His eyes were teary, but he did his best not to let them pull away from the serious discussion they were having. 

Blue stared on for a moment before slumping back down in his seat. "Exactly..." He muttered as he stared down at the table with frustration. "That's why Errata can't stand you, Ink. It isn't because people openly adore you, or because you have something they don't. It's because you take no consideration into the people you're hurting when you do these things! It's exactly like when you tried to make that horrible world based on mine!" He shouted at him with renewed outrage at the memory. "They told you that you're making too many worlds where suffering is the sole plot-driven experience! They told you that if you kept going the way you are that the multiverse is going to destabilize! Worlds vanquished in an instant!" Blue tried to drive it through his thick skull.

"Uh," Sci cleared his throat as he meekly attempted to speak up. "Can I... ask for further explanation on this whole 'destabilized multiverse' thing?" He requested nervously. Dream nodded as he allowed Blue to settle a moment and attempt to wrangle his rage in again. "Errata said that this plane of existence, where our multiverse lies, is not limitless. The closer we get to filling it with universes, the more at-risk universes come to colliding with each other. That would be... bad, as you can imagine. Mass extinctions of worlds leading to a tidal wave of destruction that would completely destroy the balance in the multiverse." 

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed this before the original Sans got to his feet as well. "So," He started as he looked at Ink with an unreadable expression. "This something that just slipped your mind too? Shouldn't this have been something that comes up, oh I don't know, way before now?" 

"If what Errata says is correct and there really is finite space," Sci spoke as he began jotting something down in a loose notepad. "Then, yeah, that would be... really bad. Really, really bad. End of the multiverse bad." He emphasized further. "That's what Errata said would happen." Dream frowned as he twisted his hands together. "They don't have to care either, you know." Dream added on after a moment of thought. "They don't exist in this plane, and it would make no difference to them if ours completely ended. Other than they might get a little lonely." He gave a saddened smile at this. 

"No one," Ink started as he leaned against the table now to loom at the group. "Acts and does the things they do without some sort of ulterior motive, Dream. They're just trying to get into your head and convince you they know what's best for you." The positive guardian was at his limit as he took an aggressive step toward him. "And what does that make me then??" He demanded of him. "Are you saying all of the positivity and help I give is just... for some ulterior motive??" 

"YES!" 

Dream stumbled back a moment as if struck. Ink didn't seem too bothered by the visible distress on his face, however. "Dream, don't pretend you do all of this out of the goodness of your soul. You're driven by the naive belief that all of this will somehow lead you back to your brother. Everything you do isn't really for the betterment of the multiverse, hell half the time it isn't even for yourself! It's always been about Nightmare and you'll keep on this path as long as you think there's even the slightest chance that it will benefit your goal. I'm worried sometimes you'd turn against everyone else if it meant getting your brother back." 

"That's not true!" Dream denied with fresh tears down his face now. "Maybe I do hope that I can somehow reach him, sure, but that's not why I do everything I do! That's not why I put up with constantly trying to stay positive so others can feed off me like a leech, Ink!" He shouted back at him. "Most people are only around me for the positivity I bring Ink, not because of who I am or what I do. And at least," He emphasized heavily as he gave the other a pained expression. "I have a soul to try and do good by." He shook his head as he looked at Reaper, grasping onto his robe sleeve. Reaper seemed to get the memo as he opened his darker portal and led the distressed spirit through. 

"How did he not die?" The Dancetale variant's question went without notice as everyone's focus was somewhere else.

Ink glanced at the council a bit nervously as all eyes were on them now. For once, he kind of wished they would forget he was even here. 

"Wanna explain what that means?" Sans was still standing at the opposite head of the table, giving the artist an expectant look. "Let's put aside the weird gaslighting for a moment and the complete breakdown of what used to be our first line of multiverse defense. What was that last bit about?" He questioned Ink, who just gave a shrug with a sheepish grin. 

Blue wasn't having any of that, getting sick of the number of times he's sat down only to jump to his feet again. "Be genuine for once Ink or I'll tell them!" He threatened the other, glowering back at him as the red crosshair in the artist's eyes met his. Ink sighed as he crossed his arms petulantly and rolled his eyelights. "Fine, okay. I don't have a soul. There, are you happy?" 

"What... do you mean?" Sci questioned as he pushed his glasses up and stared at the artist. "Um... if you don't have a soul, how are you alive?" This only got a shrug in response, which further unsettled the scientist. "I just woke up like this, okay? With this sash to help me feel things." He tugged at the sash storing his vials of paint in them. Red inhaled sharply and tilted his head up with exasperation.

"Holy shit the person in charge of all of our worlds has no fuckin' soul. I always thought you just had a really dark and twisted sense o' humor." Red moved out of his own seat with a shake of his head. "Nope, no thank you! Nah, I think I'm gonna let Errata stay in charge of my universe, thank you very much." He quipped with finality before vanishing again. The original Sans didn't even say anything before teleporting himself out as well. Blue closed his eyes a moment before a tear in reality was made by golden strings, much to the curiosity and wonder of those remaining. He gave Ink a nasty look before hopping into the rift before it vanished as well. 

Erratum had found themselves on unofficial "PTO" due to their three-day slumber. They had argued it for nearly an hour with their followers before Dream brought Horror in to overpower the god's stubbornness. They were eventually forced to cave and now here they sat, up against their altar, with a tight frown on their face. 

"It's not so bad!" 

Erratum barely turned their head to give Dream a side-eyed glare. The positive spirit had been spending more time around the group after the incident. He made sure Erratum actually rested peacefully to speed their recovery, and he got a reprieve from his isolating thoughts. Ever since the explosive meeting with the council, he hadn't felt safe enough to stay in the Doodlesphere, nor did he feel safe enough alone in his own mind. "It's like... a mini-vacation?" He continued hopefully. 

Erratum turned their head fully to view the spirit with a pitying expression. "We're outside the multiverse, Dream. There is no positivity balance to be maintained here, so you can... stop..." They gestured around Dream for a moment, trying to signal what they meant. "Whatever this is. The guarded cheery mask to force yourself to be positive. Plus it's admittedly a little unsettling." They remarked at the aura that still battered at their magic from time to time.

Dream gave them a blank look before all at once seeming to deflate. "Oh, thank stars..." He sighed as he leaned into the altar himself and sulked. "Am I really that obvious?" He pouted at the other, who gave a huff of a laugh and began to knit. The movement of their hands helped quiet the sea of voices that had been swelling higher and higher lately. "To me you are, but that's because I know your whole story and can sense your emotions to an extent. I'm nowhere near the empath you are, but your aura is suffocating." Dream hung his head a moment with a defeated sigh. "Sorry about that..." He muttered shamefully, to which Erratum shook their head. "I understand the necessity when the balance is the way it is." 

Dream remained silent after that, not sure what else to talk about. He felt he might be bothering the god with his questions but they seemed openly receptive to conversation. He was pulled out of his thoughts as Reaper appeared from one of his portals, looking around quickly. Seeming satisfied, he floated his way over to the two lounging deities. "Hello Reaper," Dream greeted, raising a browbone at the anxious expression on his face. "Something the matter?"

Reaper shifted a bit as he looked from Dream to Erratum, who had sat down their project to give him their attention. "Well, there's something I wanted to talk about." He withdrew a larger lily from his robe once he did another quick glance around. The body of the flower was a glowing pure white with shades of soft pink brushed over the inside of the petals and darker pinks speckled about it. Dream gasped and sat up straighter as he looked it over. "I've never seen such a beautiful flower!" He admired. Reaper gave a flustered chuckle at this.

"Thanks, it came from Life's garden actually. It's called a stargazer lily." Reaper admitted as he looked over the plant fondly. "She was so happy for me when she saw I could touch her creations without causing them to die. I went to her for a favour and she was more than happy to help." He glanced up from the lily to see Dream's face shift to one of excitement. "I want to court Geno." Dream gave a soft squeak of a sound at this. "Ohh, that's so cute!" He cooed before turning to Erratum with a hopeful expression.

Erratum wasn't entirely sure of the significance here, but they had enough context clues to know this was about the demi-god's relationship with Geno. "I'm sure he'll be touched by the gestured, even if he pretends not to be." The god assured with a hint of amusement. Reaper perked up a bit at this and grinned. "So, I have your blessing?" Erratum was further confused by this as they tilted their head. "Yes? Why wouldn't you?" They replied, which seemed to satisfy Reaper enough as he floated off contently. 

"I have a feeling you don't really understand all of this." Dream spoke, obviously enjoying the confusion the other had. "Courting is a sacred thing for deities; you're basically going through this whole process to eventually ask them to bond their soul with you." He explained with a soft, wistful sigh. "Before the monster gives their first courting gift and begins the whole process, they approach the family of the one they're courting to get their blessing to do so." Erratum hummed with interest, feeling the slightest bit touched that they would be viewed in this important role. "I'm glad for them, they deserve each other. They're both kind of a mess too, so." He giggled. "Maybe they'll ask you to do the ceremony when the time comes." 

Erratum thinks that would be nice, even if they weren't too sure what that would entail. It was sweet to know that they were able to help these two souls meet and be able to form such a strong connection with one another. They frowned after another moment of thought. "I'm nearly finished with recovering Aftertale's story-" 

"Let's not talk about that right now." 

Erratum could respect the other's want to focus on the positive for now. It wasn't as if Geno wouldn't be able to come back after it was all done and over with. Considering how it appeared to come to a resolution, the other might even be able to survive outside of timeless spaces. The pain and suffering they would have to put him back through, however, was something no one wanted to focus on. The more focused Erratum found themselves in these thoughts, the louder the roaring in their head became.

They were so very behind with answering prayers and it drove them absolutely insane. They were nearly stir-crazy sitting in their realm like they used to do before their life turned upside down for a second time. They sat their project aside with a frustrated sigh, closing their eyes with exhaustion. The longer they ignored the whispers in their mind, the louder it seemed to get until they found the mental strength to sort through them a bit. 

"Errata?"

The longer they went without answering them, the more their magic burned and the more the voices persisted in their mind. It was giving them a headache at this point. Even now, they could feel the sharp, excruciating pain radiating from their frontal bone to the rest of their skull. Dream might have been saying something, but everything else seemed far away at the moment. They just wanted a moment of peace without it following a swell of feelings of inadequacy and deafening cries for help. They couldn't help but feel a little selfish for wanting one break, especially when the pain it caused their head was so severe. 

"ERRATA, STOP!"  

Erratum opened their eyes again with a sharp inhale as Cross grasped at their arms tightly from behind. The god frowned in confusion as they realized they were facing their altar now instead of leaning their back against it. Notably, dark streams of marrow slid down one of the columns and joined a growing pool at the base of it. Erratum brought their hand to their frontal bone, cringing in pain at the sharp and throbbing pain that it brought. They vaguely noted how unfocused and blurred their hand seemed to be when they pulled it back to examine the marrow staining it. They looked over their shoulder to see Dream staring at them with his hands over his mouth in terror while Cross stared down at Erratum with wide eyes. 

"Geeze, look at yourself." Cross sighed as he helped the god turn the right way back around. "Lean your head forward, it's gonna drip into your sockets." He frowned as Dream brought shaky hands up to either side of their skull. "What was that all about? Dream said you were both talking just fine, but then you suddenly went quiet and started slamming your head against the stone and glitching out." Erratum frowned in confusion as the cracks healed up enough to where they could look up again. 

"I... don't recall doing that. I was having trouble controlling the prayers in my mind and it got a little overwhelming. I don't even remember moving my body, let alone doing... that." They frowned, thoroughly disturbed at the idea they lost control of their faculties for a moment. "It seems the longer I stay here without doing anything, the worse it becomes. It isn't like when I was first here by myself before the voices began when I could sit for years without issue." Cross and Dream didn't seem any further calmed by this explanation. 

"You're way too stressed. You have to figure out a way to unload some of this off your shoulders, hell, delegate it if you have to! You're a Guardian, right? Surely that's something you can do?" Cross suggested with a concerned frown. The god glanced him up and down a moment as they considered this request, humming with sudden interest.

"Perhaps so. I'll get back to you on that." 

Killer panted as he nearly collapsed in the foyer with exhaustion. His jacket was partially torn and he looked worse for wear, though none of his associates seemed any better off. "It's not gonna hold long..." He informed the group with a groan. "Fuck, I thought Dust's episodes were bad..." Said monster twitched a bit at the mention, staring off at something unseeable before focusing back on him again. "We can't all have a screwed-up soul like yours that can handle all the levels, dirty human lover." Dust sneered back. "Please, I only worked with them because I was bored. Then it was to get what I wanted from them, and I did in the end. I didn't need the stupid human after that." Killer reminded with a grin.

"We don't have time for your ridiculous back and forth." Nightmare hissed as he lashed his remaining tendrils at them. The others had been either sliced or bitten clean off and would need time and extra negativity to regenerate again. "Boss, we should just kill him," Killer spoke up with a scowl. "He's out of control and he's probably gonna end up dying from this anyway. C'mon, we can be real quick and humane about it." He grinned viciously.

"NO," Killer nearly flinched at the severity of the tone as Nightmare reared up at him threateningly. The dark spirit regathered himself after a moment and resumed snarling at him instead. "Not an option, I can't afford to lose anyone here." He spoke with finality. "What else is there to do?!" Killer demanded as the sound of splintering wood filled the halls. "Dust rode them out well enough but Horror hasn't used magic in years! He can't survive these episodes like Dust could!" He pointed out in frustration. Nightmare cursed quietly under his breath, knowing the other wasn't wrong about that. He didn't have much time to think on this as the ground rumbled and growls echoed the halls before Horror was on top of Killer again. 

"WELL FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE DOING!" Killer shouted as they gripped the wooden handle of Horror's axe as the other gnashed his teeth at him and pulsated an aura of sickly and weak magic. Nightmare clenched his teeth as he tried to come up with anything to do in the moment that didn't include caving another hole into the side of his head. He looked to Dust sharply a moment later and raised a tendril at him. "Call for Errata."

"What?! Absolutely not!" Dust snapped as he clenched his fists. He swore he would never call out to them for any sort of help and they meant that. It was true that they were the one that quelled his own magical storms, but damn if his pride refused to let him consider the option. "I don't want to see their smug face when they get here!" He snapped his mouth closed as a tendril squeezed around his neck a moment. "Are you questioning my orders?! Don't forget I could have struck you down the moment your levels started to drop. Don't test me." He threatened him. 

"All right, all right!" Dust choked out, gasping for air when the spirit finally released him. "Dammit..." He hissed as he stayed seated on the ground. "I'm gonna hate myself for this..." He grumbled as he closed his eyes. 

"Anymore than you already do? Is that possible? Haha- OW! He bit me!" 

"Shut up I'm trying to concentrate!" Dust hissed as he clenched his eyes closed tightly. It took him a few minutes to string together something that wasn't entirely hostile in their mind and wondered vaguely if the other would even bother to hear him. It didn't seem like anything was happening as he opened his eyes. Killer was trying to overpower Horror, who just as easily shoved him back down onto the ground savagely. "I knew this wouldn't work, we have to-" The words died in his throat as the familiar rift appeared between them and the god stumbled their way out. They appeared tired, potentially even still wounded from the last time they encountered them. Dust briefly thought of how foolish and reckless it was for them to come without seeing if it was a trap.

"Where is he?" 

"Where do you think?!" Killer shouted from the floor as Horror changed his strategy to attempting to wrench the axe from Killer's grasp. Erratum quickly moved to grip the blade of the axe with several tight strings before managing to rip it away from the both of them. This unbalanced Horror enough to allow Killer to kick him square in the chest and dislodge him. He scooted back hastily from the frenzied monster while Erratum put themselves between him and Horror. They quickly shot forth more threads until they had a secure hold on both wrists and both ankles, effectively immobilizing him aside from violent thrashing. Erratum breathed out a sigh of relief before looking back at the group for an explanation. 

"He just started flaring magic and went nuts." Killer offered with a clueless shrug. Nightmare rolled his eyelight before looking back at Erratum. "My theory is between proper meals, rest, shelter, and activity, his soul was able to build its core magic back up. He doesn't have much still, but with the return of magic came the immediate influx of levels and the power boosts that it gives. It threw him into one of these violent magic attacks and, well," He gestured to his battered group and the still snarling Horror. 

"Faith and Hope called them magic storms. It's a manifestation of out of control magic that lashes out at high levels until it completely burns up your soul." Erratum noted in the back of their mind the slight shrinking of the spirit's eyelight as they said this. Erratum was doing their best to not tie him up as well and leave him here after what he had done to their mind. They could push it aside for Horror, however. "I think I have something for this that doesn't include Karma." They glanced at Dust a moment, who merely bared his teeth at them in response. The god ignored him as they knelt down to the restrained and supine monster on the floor. Horror obviously didn't recognize them as he immediately began half shouting, half growling the moment Erratum entered their line of sight. 

Erratum carefully extracted the soul from Horror's chest, causing the monster to stiffen up momentarily as he sensed how vulnerable he was at the moment. The god felt a flash of frustration at how hastily they had been sent back after receiving this power, as they generally had no clue how to do this. They cupped the soul in their hands and observed it, watching as it pulsated and burned hot to the touch. The god closed their eyes as they tried to concentrate on that newer flow of magic within their system. Glitches ran up their arms the longer they concentrated, brows furrowing as they did so. How did they do this the first time? Positivity, right. They had to find positivity to feed into this magic, which was difficult to do when the entire manor was overflowing with negativity. They tried to turn internally instead on memories and echoes of past feelings.

It wasn't easy, but remembering the beaming face Geno gave when he sat before Erratum, Cross, and Dream while holding his lily sparked a warmth inside them that rivaled the chilling negativity. The same ball of gold that had manifested the first time engulfed the tormented soul in its magic, effectively rendering Horror still and quiet. Erratum kept their eyes closed and focused intently on purging and siphoning off the excess to keep the soul from burning through it rapidly. The entire process took around twenty minutes, and by the time the god returned the soul back to its owner, they were dripping sweat and out of breath. 

At least with all the expended effort, the voices were back to their normal soft lulling. 

The strings dissolved away from Horror's body, the god too exhausted to keep the other tied up. Horror groaned as he rolled to his side and curled in on himself tightly, though the whiplash of magic had ceased. Nightmare gave a near-inaudible exhale as things grew quiet and still once more. Erratum managed to pull themselves over to Horror to examine him, satisfied only when they saw him breathing steadily and face smoothed of pain. "He's unconscious, but he'll live." He announced to the group. 

"Cool, he lives to see the day I beat his ass for ripping my jacket and gnawing on my shoulder." Killer mockingly cheered from his position flat on his back. He momentarily craned his head up to appraise Horror before letting it drop back to the floor. "Actually, I don't wanna fight that fight. I'll just put tinfoil in the microwave again." He conceded. "You'll do no such thing!" Nightmare snapped at him. Erratum would almost find it endearing if they weren't so absolutely done with the lot of them. It was going to be a pain just to create a doorway back to their own home. 

"If that is everything, I am going to see myself out. I need to recover after expending all that magic." Erratum stated, eyes sharpening at the look on Dust's face. "Don't mistake that as an opportunity. You don't want to see what else I can do to you." They outwardly threatened, much to the surprise of all of them and to the fear of Dust. Seeing they were all thoroughly pacified, the god sighed as they simply fell through a rift in the floor. Less effort, though the landing would probably be less than ideal. 

They found they were completely right as their back met the grassy ground below. They groaned and laid one arm over their eyes, waving their hand around a moment until Verse appeared. After setting the 'time' to night, they allowed their arm to fall back to their side limply. Dream stared down at them with visible disapproval etched onto his face, Cross standing right beside him with an equally annoyed expression and exasperated body language. "I know, I know." Erratum grumbled at their disapproval. "I had to do it though, for Horror. And so he wouldn't kill your brother and his little 'roommates'." They defended their actions, though they could tell it did little to help their case.

"Okay, we'll come back to that whole other can of worms in a moment." Cross informed with a confused expression. 

"Yes as much as that concerns me, so does the strain you put yourself through." Dream pointed out as the god momentarily glitched and fizzled as they touched Verse. "I'm fi-fine." Erratum denied as the task menu vanished after another moment. "You're not fine! I can barely even understand you!" Dream could completely understand why Geno and Cross were constantly so passively sarcastic and frustrated all the time. Erratum frowned as they waited for the pixelations to pass before attempting to speak again. 

"No, you're right. I have noticed that I have progressively taken on more than I can handle." They agreed, much to Dream's satisfaction. "But," Dream looked less excited by this continuation. "I think I have a solution for a lot of this." 

"I'm afraid to ask, but what would that be?" Dream frowned as Erratum finally rose back up on their feet with a grunt of pain. The god looked between the two of them a moment before giving a small smile and resting a hand on either of their shoulders. 

"I have decided to designate a champion."

Chapter Text

Fresh was not at all disillusioned with the knowledge that he couldn't possibly be a champion candidate. He was perfectly fine with that too; it sounded mad time-consuming and tedious in his opinion. However, watching everyone else rush around was pretty fun if you asked him.

After Erratum had made their announcement about selecting a champion, Dream had thrown himself headfirst into arranging an entire ceremony of sorts for it. Erratum had seemed a bit flustered at the idea, but Dream had been more than a little insistent. 

"No one has ever seen a Guardian select a champion!" Dream had enthused with his eyes practically sparkling. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime event! We have to gather some of the other deities at the very least!" He had insisted without much room for Erratum to argue. In the end, everyone knew the god was enough of a pushover to allow the other to have his way. 

So that is why Fresh found it interesting to see the god pacing at their temple and pixelating in and out of existence, occasionally staring down their statue resemblance as though it could solve their problems. Fresh was bored enough to pester, so he decided to investigate. "Heya broski!" The god jolted a bit, obviously not having heard the other approach for once. "You got some mad anxiety right now, my dude. Harshin' the vibes." Erratum gave a patient sigh at the other's lingo. 

"Tone down the strange dialect for me, you know it is difficult for me to follow." Erratum frowned at him. "Aww, you're no fun." Fresh protested as he leaned against Erratum and grinned. "You gonna say what's on your mind then? Or I could just keep buggin' ya with my totally radical linguistics, brah." He grinned at the twinge of annoyance that briefly passed over the other's features. He loved being a pest, practically fed off of the irritation he brought.

"If you must truly know," Fresh gave them a thumbs up to encourage them to continue. "I've found myself at a bit of an impasse as far as selecting a champion would go. I hadn't considered how difficult selecting between people would be." They frowned and sat at the foot of their altar. "There are benefits to different people in this role, and I'm a bit lost on where to go from here." 

"You're totally buggin' about picking between your friends, dat's what it comes to right?" Fresh could read between the lines when he wanted to. "Aiight well, if you don't wanna choose, just have someone else pick for ya!" Fresh's glasses shifted to an "E-Z" as he looked at Erratum. 

"That," Erratum started as they gave him the weariest, most exasperated look they could muster. "Is by far the worst suggestion I could have possibly imagined. You continue to somehow surpass my expectations, and not in a good way." They informed the delighted parasite. They took a moment to consider this ridiculous idea before moving to a different train of thought. Having someone else select was out of the question; it was their choice to make, but perhaps a second opinion wouldn't hurt. "I think I'm going to discuss this with the other Guardians before I make a definitive choice." They decided as they settled themselves more comfortably on their altar. 

"Sick! When ya gonna go then?" Fresh questioned the other with interest. Their shades shifted to a couple of question marks as he was greeted with silence in response. "Yo, you good?" He questioned as he looked over to the god. Erratum had their eyes closed and was obviously no longer listening to him. The markings on their arms and forehead were pulsing a bright golden colour as they allowed themselves to slip from this plane. 

"Ay, it's kinda rude to just bail in the middle of a conversation!"

Erratum welcomed the comfortable feeling of Karma's spectral embrace the moment they stood before the Council. They knew they didn't even have to explain why they were here at all, as they always seemed to know exactly why. Probably Time's doing, the nosy celestial. 

"We are delighted to see you have decided to take on a champion. Your physical body has begun to suffer from holding your astral body and siphoning your magic into another may help you." Karma spoke around them, causing Erratum to momentarily abandon their original intent. 

"Astral body?" Erratum questioned as they looked down at their own hands. "You mean like how the rest of you look? That's... just inside of me?" It was an unsettling thought to have. Their entire being coalesced and packed within their former body, like a hermit crab in a shell. Or a gas filling the entirety of a closed container, which only served to make them feel existentially claustrophobic. "Try not to think too hard on that. I can sense it causes you some distress." Karma offered, though it did nothing to actually help. 

"That is not what this is about," Time spoke up, cutting off Erratum's spiraling thoughts. "You are struggling to select who you wish to work through, that much is obvious." Erratum sighed and nodded their head. "My question to you is: why are you pulling yourself apart for this?" Erratum wasn't quite sure they understood what they meant. "I'm not as all-knowing as you Time, I'm going to need a little more than that to understand." They informed the cryptic Guardian. 

"I will reveal it to you, but only for your compliance." 

This grabbed the god's attention.

"I, too, have recently selected a champion." Erratum was stunned to hear this information; they had long thought Time too proud, not that they'd ever say it out loud, and too old-fashioned to involve themselves directly in the multiverse. 

"Oh, yes, you certainly did." Fate did not sound too enthused from what Erratum could tell. "You did make a selection... you did do that." Destiny seemed to sigh from beside them. Erratum was beginning to worry a little bit about what they were signing up for. "What is it that you'd have me to do?" 

"They are, admittedly, a little... inexperienced. It is from a younger universe that Fate's champion created and they require a bit of guidance." Time explained to the god before them. 

"That's certainly a way to put it..." Fate remarked with a whisp of a voice. 

"I'm not certain what I could guide them with, as I have no sort of Time magic or even an understanding of your own powers, but I can certainly aide to the best of my ability." Erratum promised with an uncertain expression to their face. They really hoped they weren't signing up for some disastrous situation. Time appeared pleased, however, at this response.

"Wonderful. Now, allow us to explain some things..." 

Erratum shifted nervously from where they stood on their altar. Even after going over everything with the Guardians, they still felt incredibly anxious over what would transpire today. It didn't help that there were so many people here to watch them make this important choice. 

Dream had pulled in as many deities as he could, which wasn't many considering everything, as well as some of their close circle and their families. Epic had even popped in when he heard the news, interested in actually seeing this Guardian for himself. Erratum was amused to no end when they saw how fast he and Cross hit it off within moments of meeting each other. Reaper had extended an invite to Life and was now standing there loudly introducing and going on about Geno while the poor monster pressed his face in his hands in mortification. The Toriel-based demigod gave a delighted laugh and was just as enthusiastic in greeting the embarrassed monster. Horror had immediately crushed Erratum in a teary hug when he arrived, which took the god several minutes of reassurance that no, they weren't upset with them and, no, Horror didn't hurt them. After thoroughly convincing him, and with a little help from Blue and his brother, the other was satisfied enough to let them be. Erratum had never had so many people in their plane before, but they thought they could manage it. The only issue that had arisen so far was trying to convince the visitors that yes, Fresh was here and, no, he wouldn't hurt anyone. 

"Hey! Down here!" 

Erratum broke out of their anxiety-filled thoughts at the sudden call. They looked around a moment with a confused expression. 

"I said down here!" 

Erratum turned their head down to see a smaller skeleton at the foot of their altar. They stepped down toward him before crouching down so they could better see the child. They held their hand out with a soft smile as the smaller child grinned and placed both of his own in theirs. "I didn't see you there, child. I don't recognize you, are you perhaps here with someone?" They questioned curiously. They didn't recall any of them having any other siblings or children, so they continued to draw a blank. The child didn't seem bothered by this as he shook his head.

"Nah, I was told to come here!" He explained, which only further puzzled the god. "I'm Sans, obviously duh, but everyone calls me T.K!" The child introduced themselves. "Stands for Time Kid." He further explained. Erratum stared off a moment into the distance as horror overcame them.

Time Kid. 

Time.

Time had literally selected a child as their champion. 

And Erratum had agreed to watch over them. 

They had agreed to become a LITERAL guardian to the Guardian's champion. 

"A-ah... I see." Erratum momentarily glitched out and fuzzed a bit around the edges. T.K didn't seem to mind too much, appearing even fascinated by the other's appearance. "So... you would be Time's champion, correct?" They had to make sure; maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe they were just overthinking it. 

"Yup!"

Wishful thinking. 

"It was kind of surprising, you know?" 

Oh, did Erratum know.

"But they said that there was a Guardian here in the multiverse who could help me understand all of this!" Erratum didn't bother to point out that even they didn't understand all of this god stuff. No need to make the kid panic though; Erratum was doing enough of that for the both of them. T.K looked back as another smaller bundle ran towards them, nearly tripping over their own feet as their goggles fell over their face. "And that's my bro, Papyrus." 

Erratum vowed to get back at Time for this, somehow, someway. They'd figure it out. 

"You are a mere babybones, and you have been chosen for something far greater than yourself." Erratum frowned slightly as they watched T.K half hold, half-hug his brother. "I am... surprised, to say the least. I have been instructed to guide you, and I will certainly do that, but I must also insist that you let yourself be a child at the same time." They were beginning to feel like they had only taken on more stress to equal out the giant weight they were about to take off their shoulders.

"I'm not a babybones," T.K huffed indignantly with a glower. "I may be little, but I'm still a Sans! I'm strong! I can move through time and universes!" He protested, which brought a small smile back to the god's face. "I am aware, and I am not doubting that you are strong, but it still worries me. I have been around nearly a millennium, so forgive me for seeing most of you like young children." They informed.

"Wow, you're old." 

Ah, children. 

"Hey Errata, we starting this thing or what?" Cross called out from beside Epic. "People are starting to get antsy, bruh. Let's cut to the chase, homie!" Epic added on as well. Erratum rolled their eyelights a moment before gesturing to the group of them. They seemed to get the message as they began to corral the guests around the altar for the viewing of the event. Erratum felt that anxiety return as they gazed upon all of those gathered around their altar. 

"Thank you for taking the time to bear witness to the selection of the champion of Order." Erratum addressed the group as they all fell silent. They passed their gaze upon all of them, feeling a small twinge of pride when they truly realized these were their people. These monsters chose to follow them after they reached out to them. Erratum didn't think they would ever quite wrap their minds fully around that. 

"My life was chosen for me, and while I mourn the world I've lost, I do not regret the path I'm on now. My domain lies in the balance; keeping the multiverse as close to equilibrium as I possibly can. Life and death are both well balanced, and I thank you both for that." They looked to Reaper and Life, who gave a respectful nod and raised their hand to their chests. "Negativity and positivity remain at war, but I am aware that the spirit of positivity works overtime to keep the balance from completely shattering." Dream gave a more reserved, saddened smile at this as he clenched his fist to his chest a little tighter. Erratum gave them an understanding nod before continuing. "And last, the balance of creativity, which is currently unopposed with any counterbalance. I was originally supposed to be the destroyer to equal things out once the creator got out of control, but that never came to be. Due to this, the multiverse is rapidly filling with universes everyday and runs the risk of eventually causing mass extinction." A shudder collectively passed through the gathered group. "While I have yet to find a permanent solution to this issue, I do have a few leads. Until then, I am far too busy to spread myself as thin as I do, and thus, I have elected to choose a champion." 

"The person that represents me should display the qualities and virtues that I stand for. Justice, perseverance, humility, and self-sacrificing. More than that, I believe a person who has had firsthand experience with what this multiversal crisis can do would be fitting. Someone who suffered from complete destruction at the hands of an unstable universe, and yet chooses to serve a higher cause rather than act out of animosity." Erratum met surprised eyelights as they zeroed in on a monster at the front of the crowd.

"Cross," 

Cross stood there in silence a moment, frozen to the spot as the other called for him. Dream eventually nudged him lightly with his elbow, an amused expression on his face as the other snapped out of it. He glanced back at Dream, who gave him an encouraging smile before slowly approaching Erratum at their altar. "Me..?" He checked, making sure he understood correctly.

"Unless there is another Cross here that I'm not aware of." Erratum replied with a soft laugh. "You look surprised, why is that? You told me when I first rescued you that you would act as a guard for me and protect me, whether I needed it, or wanted it, or not." They placed a hand on the top of there head. "However," They gave them a more serious expression. "This is not for you to see yourself as a tool or weapon. You are an individual, well, you and Chara are both your own persons that is. You both, together, are more than worthy of being the champion of a Guardian. I am honoured that it happens to be me." They huffed a small laugh as Cross hugged them around the waist. 

"I won't let you down... I swear it, I promise. Both of us, we both will do our best." Cross promised the god, who only nodded in understanding. Cross gave an embarrassed grin as he pulled back after a moment and gave the crowd a sheepish look. Erratum stepped away from their altar a moment and stopped before Blue, who gave them a confused look. 

"You have always been loyal to me, Little light. This was a tough decision for me to make, and it took extensive debate with the other Guardians for me to come to my decision." Erratum explained while Blue gave them a small smile. It's true, he did feel a bit of a sting of disappointment, but he had already expected this. Cross had far more experience than himself with fighting and protecting others. 

"I know, I-" Erratum held their hand up a moment to silence him. 

"I can sense what you're thinking, and I assure you that you're incorrect. You are strong, Blue, and you have shown judgment and righteousness in the face of opposition. You've gone against even your closest friends to stand up for what you believe in, and for what is good." They gave the smaller skeleton a fond look, to which the other beamed back up at them. "Well, I definitely can't argue with that! I'm nothing if not dedicated to what I believe in!" He agreed. 

"Indeed, which is why you are also to be my champion." 

Blue physically jolted at this sentence, giving them a wide-eyed look. "Wh-?? But, but you... and Cross..?" He tried to form his thoughts together while they comprehended this implication. Dream also seemed surprised but waited for Erratum to further explain. 

"I deliberated with Time and Karma, and we all came to an agreement regarding the state of this multiverse. It is on the brink of disaster, and currently, I am the only Guardian here with the ability to directly interact with it. My domain is Balance, Order... my champions, too, must represent that." They explained as they gestured for Blue to follow them. Blue glanced back at his brother a moment, who simply squeezed his shoulder gently with a proud expression on his face. Blue nodded as he followed Erratum and stood on the opposite side of them, leaving Cross on the other side. 

"Cross, you are a warrior through and through. You fight off enemies without hesitation and regardless of the danger. Your sword and your power are your weapons." Erratum turned their head to look at Blue next. "Blue, you are the equivalent of an abbot. You dedicate yourself to serving people and you've elected to dedicate your time defending others and doing good in my name. You are unafraid to stand and oppose those who are wrong, and you are quick to speak up and voice what others may be afraid to. Your words are your weapons." 

They gestured for the both of them to stand in front of them, to which they both obediently followed. Erratum gave the both of them a soft, gentle look as a hand came to cover both skeletons from their socket down to the bottom of their mandible. One hand rested on Cross's right side, while the other rested over Blue's left. 

"I, Errata, Guardian of Order, declare both Cross of Xtale, and Blue of Underswap, as my rightful champions. And so it will be." Golden magic flared from their ley lines as it collected into their palms and pushed its way into the two monsters before them. The feeling of pixels and glitches were sharp against both of their faces as well, almost to the point where the contact was unbearable. Erratum held them there until they both felt they were about to tap out, then it all faded away again. The god gave them both proud looks as they examined the marks of gold left behind on their faces. They manually turned each of them around to face the crowd again, placing their hands on either of their heads.

"I present, for the first time, the champions of Order." 

The crowd roared with approval, shouts of joy and celebration filling the air as they welcomed the two into the world of chaos that is being associated with a deity. Dream rushed up to the altar and grasped onto Blue's hands with an excited sparkle in his eyes. "Blue! Oh my gosh, you're a champion!" He nearly squealed while the smaller monster laughed, still in disbelief. "You're going to do amazing things, and I hope you'll still let me be there with you for all of this. I know things have been... a little tough since the Star Sanses went south, but-" He paused as Blue squeezed his hands tighter. 

"Dream, you're like, my best friend," Blue assured him with a sincere smile. "We might not be the Star Sanses, but we're much more than that. We don't need a fancy name for it." Dream gave a soft smile and hummed affectionately in response. "Spoken like a true champion." 

Cross gave a wide grin as Geno crushed him into a hug while Reaper hung back a bit with Life. "Couldn't have gone to a more deserving monster." Geno pulled back a bit as he looked over the guard. "Are you getting teary-eyed?" He teased him affectionately. "C'mon, what kind of pansy champion are you?" He taunted, snickering a bit as Cross pulled him into a headlock. "I'll show you champion!" He threatened as Geno tried to squirm his way out of the hold. 

Erratum sighed with exhaustion and plopped down on one of the steps of the altar. That had taken a lot of magic out of them, but they did feel lighter. They could feel both monsters like an extension of their own magic, allowing it to continue to flow without straining the physical body housing it all. They glanced beside them, noting a small, white canine settled down on the step beside them. "You seem to appear at interesting times. I'm becoming suspicious of you, and I will discover your secrets." The dog stared up at Erratum a moment, and the god could swear something about it- 

They didn't have much time to think about it as the dog darted off and into the distance, yipping and vanishing within moments. Erratum shook their head and waved the entire encounter off, deciding it probably wasn't as important as they were making it out to be. 

"I hope I've done the right thing." Erratum spoke softly to themselves as the guests crowded the two chosen champions and chattered excitedly. 

"I never wanted to put any of them in the line of fire to protect myself. I'm not foolish enough to think I can do this alone, however." They sighed as they listened to the soft dripping of water into the bowl on their altar. "I can take comfort in knowing this is something they both wanted. That I didn't force anyone." Erratum felt they were trying to convince themselves of this, but they knew it was true in the end. Both of them would have continued to fight for them despite any protest Erratum had given in the past. It was better to provide them with the means to do it if they absolutely felt that was their calling. 

"If anything happens to them, Guardians above, I will never forgive myself..."

Chapter Text

"This entire bonding thing is very strange." 

Erratum was trying to follow what was distressing the deadly demigod before them with Dream's assistance. The positive spirit gave Reaper a sympathetic smile as he tried to soothe him. "It's all right! I'm sure we can figure something else out!" He assured him before looking to Erratum hopefully.

"I'm going to need more to go off of if you expect me to help." Erratum frowned at the look they received. "Oh! Well, the next part of courting is a display thing of sorts? It's... hard to explain, kind of old-fashioned." Dream attempted to explain. "Basically, it's about accentuating some of your most prominent features, usually using a colour scheme that symbolizes your partner." Erratum couldn't help but correlate this to a more animalistic mating display but said nothing of it. "Reaper chose to put the focus on his wings since they're very prominent already and Geno seems to like his feathers. But..." 

"Anything to add colour to them involves sticky pastes or paints." Reaper sulked as he leaned against Dream in a pout. "Makes my feathers clump and not to mention it's extremely uncomfortable." He sighed in distress. Erratum found the entire thing a little silly but didn't dare make that known. It was obvious this was important to Reaper and, thus, it was important to Erratum. The god puzzled on this a bit and considered what they could possibly do to help. "Does it have to be liquid?" 

Reaper seemed a bit thrown by the question. "I mean, no? I can't really think of anything else though..." Erratum nodded a bit before Verse appeared before them. "I don't toss out any offerings I receive even if I have no use for them. They were meant to be gifts and it would be insulting to do so." They explained to the confused demigod. After a few moments of tapping around, a box appeared in front of the Guardian. "I never question what others find valuable enough to offer, as everything has its own meaning to a person. Shells, rocks, and other little items like that I keep in this box. With proper grinding and refining, we should be able to make enough powder to coat over your feathers without causing them to stick together as paint would." Erratum explained as they withdrew a few deep red rocks and pink shells. Reaper perked up immediately at this and quickly moved to sift through the box as well. 

"This is perfect, I didn't even think of that!" Reaper grinned up at the Guardian as they collected a variety of rocks and shells. "You really are the best, you know? I know this might be insignificant in comparison to other issues..." Erratum waved this off immediately. "It isn't insignificant to you, so it isn't to me either." Reaper snorted a bit at this. "Yeah, that's about what I expected you to say." 

Dream gave a fond smile at the interaction, relieved that the other had found a solution. As Erratum rejoined him, letting Reaper have his time to dig through the box, he began to turn something over in his mind. "Hey, Errata," 

"Dream," The Guardian addressed. 

"You said that Nightmare has been... weird, right?" Dream checked a moment without meeting their eyes. "Weird is a word for it I suppose. The drastic change in behaviour and morals is certainly bemusing to me. One moment he is ruthless and willing to cut anyone's throat for his ambition, the next he's sparing people and swallowing his pride to ask for assistance." They responded with a furrowed browbone. Dream nodded a bit at their words, twisting their hands together in a nervous habit. "Next time we come across him and his group... can I ask you to just... trust me? I want to try something and... well, just let me take the lead for the moment. If things turn south, you can intervene at any point." He requested quietly as if expecting the other to blow up over it. 

Erratum was admittedly confused by the request but saw no reason to deny him. "I'm not opposed to it, but I will be watching closely." They informed the other, who nodded quickly in response. "I know! And I promise I know what I'm doing!" 

Dream had no idea what he was doing.

Now that he was here with Blue and Erratum, the whole idea he had seemed like a suicide plan. It didn't take very long for the dark group to act up again and Erratum had confirmed that they would let Dream take the lead on this. Nightmare was only a few feet away from him now, his lackeys nearby and grinning viciously at the group. 

"I see you've taken on a champion. It's a shame someone so powerful would place their trust in someone so weak." Nightmare sneered as he scanned his eyelight over Blue's marked face. The little champion clenched their teeth, but the Guardian placed a hand on his shoulder to instruct him to remain at their side. Nightmare was intentionally attempting to provoke an attack and Erratum wouldn't allow him the satisfaction. They needed to trust Dream on this one, whatever that would entail. 

Dream exhaled slowly as he took a step forward, regaining Nightmare's attention. The darker spirit waited for him to launch into a pathetic speech over how he knew the other was still good and all of that nonsense. It never came, however, and his brother just continued to stare at him. Nightmare narrowed his eye at him with an annoyed swish of his tendrils. "What are you looking at?" He growled at the other, irritation rising. Dream said nothing as he continued to observe him, soul racing as he tried to gain his nerve. "WHAT, Dream??" Nightmare snapped as the other continued to stare him down. 

Dream narrowed his eyes at him and removed the circlet from his head, tossing it aside. Nightmare stared at him for a moment, confusion on his face before the tendrils on his back seemed to retreat back into his body. There seemed to be some sort of flash in his eyelight, perhaps something of recognition? Or something else, Dream couldn't identify. No one else seemed to know what was going on and were hanging back, anticipation heavy in the air. Dream clenched his teeth as he suddenly rushed at the darker spirit with an angry shout. 

Erratum was doing their absolute best not to intervene at this point. They had no idea what the other was doing other than throwing himself directly into a deadly encounter. Surely Nightmare would simply impale him or dodge the rather weak attempt to attack him. 

He didn't. 

Nightmare seemed to become equally aggressive, meeting the other head-on as they collided and fell to the ground. The two proceeded to devolve into an almost wrestling match, shoving at each other and trying to pin one another to the ground. They were saying something, it was hard to make it all out as they were shouting over one another. The entire thing seemed... juvenile, more of a quarrel rather than attempting to maim and kill one another. The rest of Nightmare's gang were watching with absolute befuddlement at the two, now wrestling and pulling at each other's sockets, and clothes, and even pushing against each other's faces to get a leg up on the other. 

"What's going on??" Killer finally shouted as he watched the struggling spirits on the ground.

"I...I have no idea." Erratum admitted as they all watched with confusion. Blue frowned as he placed his hands on his hips and tapped his foot. "You two are acting like babybones! Guardians above, get off the floor and either talk like civilized beings or actually fight!" He scolded the two, who seemed to completely ignore his words. It didn't even look like the two were aware anyone else was here anymore, only focused on trying to choke out the other. Erratum finally grew tired of this, tangling the both of them in their strings and pulling them up and away from each other. Both spirits continued to thrash and kick out, trying to somehow land another hit on the other.

"Enough!" Erratum rose their voice, effectively causing the two to freeze in place. Erratum rubbed at their temples, exhaling slowly to keep their cool. "I don't know what all of that was, but cut it out! It's embarrassing to see two demigods acting so childish." They gave them both pointed looks before dropping Nightmare back on the ground and pulling Dream back to their side. Nightmare huffed as he stood from the ground and brushed himself off, clenching his fists as a portal opened. "We're leaving." He announced to the group.

"What? We just got here!" 

"Boss, what the hell was all that?!"

"But-"

"GO!" Nightmare shouted as his tendrils reappeared threateningly, causing the group to clam up and quickly shove one another through the portal. Nightmare glowered hatefully back at the remaining three skeletons, eyes lingering a moment on Dream. The positive spirit merely jutted their chin out proudly in response, causing the other to hiss at him before disappearing into the portal. Dream slumped soon after that, moving to collect his circlet again.

"All right," Erratum started as Dream turned to look at the other two. "What was all of that? I thought when you said you wanted to try something, it would have been more... coordinated? Intelligent? Less completely insane??"

Dream was smiling though through the scrapes and bruises he had acquired through the encounter. "I know it doesn't make sense to you, but it confirmed a lot of things for me." He assured, which only caused the others to give him confused expressions. "That, what you saw? When we would disagree or fight back when we were still guarding the tree, that's how we would solve the issue." He gave a quiet laugh as he recalled it. "It seems silly, doesn't it? We'd shove each other around and try to pin the other down. Whoever yielded first lost the argument, and that was that. It's childish I know, but that was how we always did it." He explained with a teary-eyed expression. "That, what just happened and what I saw, told me there's still a bit of him in there. If there wasn't, he wouldn't have done all of that. He could have easily impaled me or thrown me off, but he didn't." 

"You have a weird way of doing things," Blue remarked with a concerned frown. "That was a big risk to take you know." Dream laughed a bit, as though it meant nothing to him. "I know, but I just... I had a feeling and I went for it. Sometimes I can still feel him... sense his aura from time to time. It's always brief, but it's definitely there." He sighed as he looked at Erratum with a conflicted expression. "I don't really know what all of it means, and maybe I sound stupid and hopeful like Ink said," That brought a sharp and resentful look from the Guardian. "But I really think that he can still be helped." 

"Well, I'm not opposed to trying to help!" Blue enthused as he swung an arm around Dream. "If you say he can still be helped, then I believe you! You'd know him best, right?" He insisted, to which Dream frowned a bit. "I'm not sure I do anymore..." He admitted. 

"Regardless," Erratum's voice brought their attention back to them. "Next time you want to 'try' something, please give me more details first. That way, I don't have a soul attack while you're doing it." 

Dream gave them a sheepish grin in response.

Dust glowered down at the dirty floor of the dungeon, digging his knife into it and leaving more gouges behind. He tried counting his breaths, feeling his soul hammering in his chest and twisting painfully every so often. He tried ignoring rising nausea that would come in waves before receding back before he could gag. It was becoming tougher and tougher each day, and at this point, he wasn't sure how much longer he could take it. 

"Took ya long enough." He muttered as he drove the knife into the filthy concrete floor with a scowl. He didn't want to look up and meet their eye, half ashamed and half too prideful to do so. 

"I would say the same to you." Erratum glanced around the cell with slight interest, raising a browbone before looking back to Dust. "What did you do to land yourself here?" Dust scoffed a bit as he managed to yank the knife back out of the floor. "Nothin', it's voluntary. Didn't want to be up in the main part of the manor if we're gonna be doing this... shit." He motioned around a moment before leaning his head against the wall and sighing. Erratum moved to settle on the dusty cot in the corner opposite the irritated monster, crossing their legs and waiting patiently for the other to begin.

Dust was stubbornly silent for a while, still refusing to meet their eyes despite the other's obviously relaxed demeanor. He slumped his shoulders a bit and figured he'd already called them here, might as well say something. "I thought I could control myself, ya know? Just stick to simple maiming and terrorizing, easy enough."

"If I had thought that were the case, I wouldn't have set up the punishment the way it is." Erratum remarked, much to the displeasure of the other. "Yeah, well, you were right. Bet you're real fuckin' happy about that." He grumbled with a scowl. "I'm never happy about having to instill Karma's punishment on others." Erratum responded despite it being a more rhetorical question. "Yeah, you would. You're too soft and let others take advantage of you. Hell, you respond to people like us." He snorted rudely. 

"I find-" 

"Don't give me some wise remark in response." Dust cut them off immediately, much to the god's chagrin. "Comes with the territory." They managed to joke with a faint smile. Dust didn't seem to find it humorous. "The more my levels drop," He continued, successfully regaining the god's attention. "The more I can feel. Even when I went through resets back in my world, I still had that numb drive even at level one. This is... different. Feeling... guilt." He finally put a name to it, as much as he hated to do it. "Going back to my world... it's not even an option anymore. If it resets while I'm there? I go back to one again... and there's no way for me to regain levels." He clenched his teeth tightly as he begrudgingly spilled his fears to the other. "I just... I just wanted to stop the human, and this was the last hail mary. Kill everyone first and then kill the kid until they finally stop coming back." 

"And then what?" Erratum questioned with a pitying expression. "You stay in your world, forever? Alone? Hopelessly waiting in case the human ever returned and started all over again?" Dust was silent in response, but Erratum already knew the answer. "You have to come to accept what you can't change. If you really want to spite your story and creator, the best way to do it is by taking a complete left turn. Even I advocate spiteful defiance when the circumstances are right." 

"You're wasting your breath," Dust shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not looking for some life-changing, soul-searching path to embark on. I just want the feelings to stop." He huffed as he finally turned his head to look at the Guardian. They still seemed relaxed and off guard, which Dust found foolish of them. Then again, they also knew that he couldn't try and kill them without severely depleting his levels further. 

"Well," Erratum hummed as they tilted their head to the side. "You can't just make guilt 'stop' so to say, especially not for things like this." Dust furrowed their browbones as the god sighed and retrieved something from their robe. He tensed a moment as if expecting them to withdraw a weapon, only to be further puzzled when they retrieved a set of needles and half weaved golden fabric. Dust gave them a bizarre expression as they simply began to knit in the middle of their conversation. "You've been through too much now, and you've put your mind and soul through more torment than most people go through in a lifetime. The guilt will most likely never leave you, so long as you continue to return to your senses. As they say, the higher your level, the easier it is to distance yourself from your actions and cause pain. You can't hide from your actions behind your levels anymore." They pierced through him with their stare, causing Dust to shudder with dread.

"So you're saying I'll always feel like this?" Dust huffed out a harsh laugh as he slumped against the wall. "Shit... what's the point in even living if that's all that's left for me? Inadequacy, helplessness, and crippling guilt and... sadness?" Erratum examined the monster silently for a moment, letting him process everything before speaking again. "That's not necessarily true either." They replied, causing Dust to give them an irritated expression. 

"You said it will never go away but it won't always be here? You're just feeding me bullshit now. Is this a game to you? Are you getting a kick out of this?" Dust snarled at them with rising hostility. Erratum shook their head with a patient sigh as they continued to knit. "The guilt may always be with you, but that doesn't mean it has to control your life. You have to embrace what has happened and learn how to move forward. If you don't, then yes, you will always be a prisoner to your feelings." They gave a soft laugh under their breath. "I'd suggest a little group therapy thing I have every day, but I don't think you'd get along with the others." Dust glared harder at this but made no comment. "What are things you like to do? That isn't killing or torturing?" Erratum added the last bit on after a moment of thought.

"Uh... I don't...?" Dust was a bit thrown by the sudden question. "I don't really do anything else. This is what I'm expected to do and I take... took joy in doing it. I don't even remember what brought me joy before all of the murdering started." He admitted as he stabbed the floor again. Erratum watched him as he seethed and scraped against the floor with his blade. "Not sure anything could really spark any sort of joy for me anymore." Erratum gave a slow nod of understanding, pitying the suffering monster. 

"If I might," Dust looked up as the god finally spoke up again. "You're rather good with your knife, and perhaps utilizing that will be helpful. I find keeping your hands busy helps rampant thoughts quiet a bit. You should look into carving, perhaps with wood or soap." They suggested with a slight shrug. "You might find it therapeutic." 

"That's your ultimate advice?" Dust deadpanned with a blank expression. "Soap carving? Wood whittling??" He couldn't believe he stooped so low as to call out to them only to get such absurd answers in response. Erratum looked up from their work, humming a bit as they stood again and crossed the short distance to him. Dust tensed up a bit as the god settled in front of him and produced another pair of needles. He gave the god a confused look as they pulled golden threads from their hands and wrapped them tightly to the needles. "Here, let me show you how to start." 

And that was how Dust found himself clumsily fastening strings together beside the peculiar Guardian. He had become frustrated quickly trying to untangle mistakes and properly move the needles, but Erratum was patient and walked him through it several times. Now, Dust was able to knit the threads together with moderate success with the god at his side. He was... a little pissed off. Not so much with the activity, but with how right the other was. It was surprisingly calming to make something with his hands and it did help quiet his mind a bit. He couldn't understand why the other would go out of their way to do this though. 

"You have something on your mind." The god stated rather than questioned him. Dust paused their knitting a moment and huffed a bit. "Why are you doing this? I don't understand what your motivation is. Are you trying to turn me against Nightmare? Are you trying to convert me to the good side?" He sneered, to which Erratum gave a soft laugh in return. "Not at all. I'm not foolish enough to believe I can make anyone do anything without directly taking away their freedom. It's... too much like the creator's own methods. I refuse to fall into that mindset." They stated firmly. "You really can't stand Ink, can you?" Dust was curious about this feud of theirs. "He creates universes like yours, and that is something that I feel rather strongly against. Not that your existence is a bad thing, but you never should have been subjected to the story you were given." Erratum stared solemnly down at their project and Dust could tell that they truly meant that. 

"You're stupid for caring for people who don't care about you."

"Perhaps," Erratum offered back with a shrug before replacing their knitting supplies into their robe. "I should be going. It's already a risk for me to be here under Nightmare's nose, and I'm sure it wouldn't go well if he caught the two of us." Dust couldn't argue with that. He frowned as Erratum placed their completed project in his lap. "Keep your hands covered, keeps you from chipping at the bones." The god gave him a knowing look and Dust had to fight to not show any shame on his face. The god offered a compassionate smile back and briefly, placed their hand on his head before it was swatted away. "Ugh, don't get all mushy with me. Just leave before I lose all patience and stab you again." He threatened, but he could tell Erratum didn't take the threat to heart. The god merely gave him a small wave before disappearing through a rift in reality. 

Dust slumped into the wall once more, staring up at the ceiling and giving a long sigh. That had been both painful and strangely therapeutic, not that they would ever admit it. He glanced back down to the knitted mittens in his lap. They were well made, a pleasing golden colour to match the magic the other had used to weave them. Dust looked down at his hands, frowning at the self-inflicted chips on the surface of the bones. He sighed once more before slowly sliding the gifted mittens on to cover his hands. 

They were warm. 

Warmer than he deserved.

Dream stared around at the group of bizarre monsters he sat with. Erratum was quietly watching them from their altar as each of them took turns speaking about what was on their minds, their fears, and their deepest shames. It was definitely not what he was expecting when Cross invited him to stop by for a "meeting" with Erratum and their followers. He squirmed a bit as the god's eyes landed on him, hoping the other didn't expect him to participate. 

"You seem anxious." Erratum observed as they felt the anxiety the other gave. "You're hesitant about sharing your actual thoughts." It wasn't phrased as a question, and Dream knew that was intentional. Dream shrugged a moment, trying to play it off with a smile. "Oh, it's not really that! Things have been kind of stressful lately, sure, but I've talked with Blue and you a lot, and I'm feeling generally more at peace with everything." He assured them. Erratum didn't even entertain this with a response, which only made Dream squirm a little more. "Really! I've been lucky with what I've been given and I can't say I've suffered the way-" 

"I'm gonna stop you right there." Cross broke in, waving his hand as if to dismiss the very idea. "Dream... you don't really think that, do you?" He checked as his eyelights scanned over him. He felt more concerned at the genuine confusion the other stared back at him with. 

"Dream," Erratum waited until they had his full attention again, steepling their hands and staring at him. "You were created and thrust into a world where you were expected to guard a tree of your former mother that bore the fruits of all positive and negative emotions in the entire multiverse. You were manipulated by everyone around you and gaslighted until you felt obligated to fix every issue those around you could come up with because, otherwise, they would find subtle ways to make you feel like a failure. You became alienated from your brother because the villagers worked their manipulative ways to keep you away from him, afraid his 'negativity' would corrupt your positive influence. You witnessed your brother become torn apart by his own despair until he consumed the apples, which in turn caused you to absorb the final golden apple. You were thrust into deity status abruptly with no guidance and then promptly turned into stone for over a century until I accidentally released you. To top it all off, you had the creator, of all people, as the one to guide you through your new life and abilities. Now you can't even bring yourself to experience real emotions because you're afraid of the implications that would bring. You have been groomed to be a perfect, positive, ray of sunshine that was expected to kill his own brother and bring happiness to the entire multiverse." 

It was uncomfortably quiet following this long speech, and no one really seemed to know what to do now. What does one say in response to that? 

"I mean... when you put it like that..." 

"Dream," Erratum sighed with exasperation at his response. "Aren't you tired?"  

Dream didn't immediately respond to this question. His first instinct was to clamp down on the rising emotions in his chest and dampen them; reassuring everyone that it was fine. He'd had plenty of time to grieve his losses and form a new purpose to make him happy. He had formed new friendships and found a real purpose in the multiverse that kept him happy. Happy? Busy? Dream didn't want to think about this. It didn't stop the question from resonating in his mind and soul, however.

Aren't you tired?

"I..." 

Dream clenched his hands into fists against his lap, lowering his head shamefully as his breath hitched on a quiet sob. "I'm... I'm so tired..." 

Erratum gave him a pitying look as he sobbed and pressed the heels of his hands against his sockets. The group of monsters around him slowly began to show signs of draining positivity as well in response to the spirit's aura. The god frowned and quickly moved to settle in front of Dream, laying their hands on their back and feeding small bouts of golden magic to him. They felt like Hope and Faith had made them a backup generator at this point for positivity. They really hoped to find some stability in the positivity and negativity balance, because they could not handle all of this pressure. Emotions were just obviously not their thing. 

"I'm sorry..." Dream whispered against their shoulder as he gripped the front of Erratum's robe. "You're right though... you're so right and I don't want to admit it... I didn't ask for this stupid role in the multiverse. If I could quit, I would! Believe me!" He laughed dryly. "I'm not sure the last time I actually felt happy. Surely long before I was turned to stone." Erratum nodded as they stroked along his back, encouraging him to continue. "Do you think... maybe, one day, we can figure this out? That if we can make the balance stable... we can just stop? No more fighting, no more spreading positivity and negativity, just letting the worlds be. That would be nice... me and Nighty could be at peace." 

Erratum blew out a long breath at this, giving the others helpless looks. They were all looking at them, however, to make it all better. "I would like to think that." Erratum finally responded as they stared off in contemplation. "My entire goal is to bring a semblance of Order to this multiverse, so I would like to believe that it is obtainable. I have already promised you that I would figure something out for your brother. I expect you to continue to hold me to that." Dream gave a soft laugh, nodding his head against their chest. "Okay..." He smiled as he felt the others gather around and finally join the embrace. 

For a moment, everything was peaceful. There was a distinct feeling of hope shining in the air. 

Erratum suddenly pulled away from the group with a wail of agony, startling the rest and causing them to break apart. The god fell onto their back, stiffening and clawing at their head as they continued to scream. The ground suddenly began to shake, knocking the group over as it increased in intensity. Temmie skittered by with a frightened "awawawa" as branches broke off of trees and various items against the altar fell over. Geno clung to Reaper tightly as the demigod encased him in his wings protectively while Cross shielded Dream with his own body. As the quaking began to recede, Erratum was left gasping for air and shaking. They were slow getting to their knees, having to take a moment to catch their breath. 

They had never felt such intense pain, never in any battle or encounter. It was as close to the pain they had felt from their conversion to Errata, which was quite a feat. They finally managed to stand again, though the aftershocks running through the ground made them wobbly at best. Windows began to pop up around the god immediately, nearly obscuring their entire field of vision as they attempted to swipe away the excess. They managed to make their way to Verse, desperately trying to figure out what was happening.

"Errata!" Cross was holding onto Dream, helping him stand as Reaper helped Geno back to his feet. "What's going on?!" He watched the god scan over Verse's screen as it blared an alarm at them urgently. Cross stiffened at the look that passed over Erratum's face, which hid absolutely nothing from him. It was one of pure horror, terror, and agony as they looked up at the group with wide eyes. The champion couldn't help but feel terror as well at the idea of something so horrible that it brought fear to the Guardian.  "Errata...?"

Erratum kept their hand idly on Verse's display, mind whirling and shockwaves of pain still prickling at their bones. They shook their head the smallest bit in disbelief. "It can't be... it's... it's too soon." They muttered as the others continued to feel a rising sense of terror.

"It's started..."

Chapter Text

"W-what do you mean?" Cross stammered as the ground finally stilled and allowed them all to regain their balance. "What's started? Errata??" He tried to coax answers from them, but the panicked look in their eyes made it clear they didn't hear him. 

Erratum was busy dealing with the overload that still pounded in their mind. There had been a sudden, sharp tidal wave that crashed over their mind that had knocked them out of their senses. It was a multitude of screams, and pleas, all of which became intermingled with each other until they all overlapped. It was as though they were all speaking at once, as one. They couldn't make sense of it, but they could identify where it was coming from. They wasted no time, physically tearing at the air and opening a new portal into a universe they had not seen before. Erratum didn't see anything too suspicious at first, but the atmosphere was... off. They could sense that Dream felt the same as the spirit shuddered from behind them.

"Errata, please! What's happening?!" Geno called out as the other stepped through the portal and vanished. "Shit!" He swore as the god disappeared without answering. "Something isn't right, they weren't acting right..." He frowned as he looked to Reaper, who gave him a helpless shrug. "I don't know where they went or I would follow them." He apologized to his distressed partner. Cross clenched his teeth, stressed and irritated that the other had gone in without him. 

"Verse!" Cross called out, the only thing he could think to do. The task menu only appeared to Erratum, as far as any of them knew. Even though they could all touch the little windows it consisted of, it didn't react to them like it did Erratum. Perhaps, however, now that he was a champion... 

The command menu popped into existence in front of Cross, who gave a triumphant sound. "Yes! Okay, okay... um..." He tried to think of what to do now; he wasn't actually expecting this to work. "Show us Errata! Where are they?" He commanded the window after a moment of thought. He was offered an  "¬_¬" on the displayed screen. Cross gave an exasperated sigh as he clasped his hands together. "Please, Verse?" He tried again. It must have satisfied them, as the screen stretched out in front of him and began to display what appeared to be a live feed from somewhere.

"Ah! There they are!" Dream pointed out as the group of monsters gathered around the console. "What's... what are... those?" 

Erratum arrived in the snowy landscape of the new universe, panting and looking around with wild eyes. They couldn't outright identify anything wrong, as it all appeared to fall in line with the normal landscape of Undertale. They knew better than to be relieved or calmed by this as they continued forward at a frantic pace. They should have known. They should have taken this into account a long time ago. They couldn't believe how stupid they were! Things were too calm, and to expect there to be thousands of years before issues began to rise? That was their biggest mistake.

They stopped abruptly as a new sensation crawled along their spine. They could hear... something. They weren't sure what it was, but it was from behind them. Dread gripped their soul tightly as they slowly turned their head to look back over their shoulder. 

There weren't words to describe the feeling the sight brought. 

This... thing. It stood, or more floated perhaps, before them. It was an indistinguishable shape, ring-like with other bits branching off and undulating. There was something within the center of the ring, a face perhaps? Several faces? Bits of facial features? Erratum couldn't make heads or tails of where this thing started and where it ended, but they knew one thing for certain.

It was in ceaseless, intense agony. It pulsated with every undulation and quiver that it gave, saturating the air around them with a nauseating mix of pain and suffering. 

Erratum was nearly brought to their knees by it, hands quaking as they turned fully to face this... thing. They felt their breath quickening further as it hovered closer to them, causing them to shoot strings out in defense. They had no distinguishable body part to attempt to bind, so they aimed directly for the soul, or at least in the general direction of where they expected it to be. They grunted as they were met by an incredible amount of force, as though the soul were as dense as a neutron star. A few more heaves finally pulled it loose, though it didn't stray too far from the abomination. Erratum was unable to pull it toward them further, and frankly, they weren't sure they really wanted to. They could hear frantic whispers and the pulsations of several individual beings from the larger, distorted soul they possessed.

This wasn't just a soul. This was many souls. 

"Oh... Guardians above..." Erratum breathed as they released the soul and took several steps back away from this thing. They knew what had happened now, and it made them want to both scream with horror and vomit all at once. The universes had, indeed, collided as they had feared. Several different universes had brushed along each other and, rather than imploding or taking out more in the neighboring radius, they had simply... merged. 

Every monster, every single soul, together. Every Sans, which floated before them, combined together in one mass as the "new" universe left behind tried to compensate for the combined worlds. This failsafe kept the beings "alive" if one could call it living, by forcing them all together in an amalgamation. While it kept the combined universes somewhat stable, it was obviously extremely painful for the monsters involved. 

"I didn't... I never thought if the universes collided... that they would melt into each other... that the inhabitants would be corrupted into one another..." Erratum muttered to themselves, trying to come to terms with what had happened. It didn't seem real, it didn't feel real. None of this should be happening, it didn't make sense. This wasn't a viable universe, and every garbled plea was begging for it to stop. Their breath hitched as something collided with their back and forced them to stop their retreat. Reluctantly, they glanced back and saw a partially delimbed and melted Papyrus. They jerked back and scanned over this newer being(s?) with equal trepidation. The form of this Papyrus began to shake before what appeared to be arms and hands separated from the melted bones with sickening cracks. Each one held a new skull with everything from the glabella to the maxillary completely caved in. 

"No..." Erratum whispered as they glanced back again to see the other pulsating monstrosity hovering closer again. "No no... this can't be right! It can't! The multiverse still has so much space! How... how could this have happened so soon?!" They shouted, but there wasn't anyone there that could answer this question. The other couldn't help but weep, their soul full and bursting with empathetic agony and suffering. "You can't... you can't live like this." They stammered after another moment of silence. "You... I..." They looked down at their own hands with fear, eyes becoming hazy as they considered their only available option. 

"I... I can't fix this...but...I can make it stop... I can end this suffering..." Erratum wept as they said this, unwanting but willing to make this decision. "May the other Guardians have mercy upon my soul..." They breathed as they closed their eyes tightly and held their arms open. 

The surroundings began to shake and glitch, parts of scenery beginning to fade in and out of existence as it did so. The two creatures seemed to screech and garble unintelligible words, but they too were shifting and pixelating with the rest of the universe. Erratum continued to draw the world together, focusing on the entire living and breathing code that they were intimately familiar with within each world. It all coalesced down until it swirled together and packed tightly into a mess of code and light that the other held within their hands, much like when they had taken Ink's attempted creation of Horrorswap. Erratum floated within the empty blackness that was left behind, the universe entirely gone from the multiverse. The god allowed themselves to maneuver back into a summoned portal, hitting the ground on their knees and clutching tightly to the condensed universe in their hands. 

"Errata!" Cross called out, Verse vanishing as the other returned. Each monster seemed mortified, but Erratum wasn't paying attention to them. They had to steel themselves as they stared down at this ball that was once several thriving, individual universes. They clenched their eyes closed tightly as they brought it up to their face and consumed the entire code, body shaking the entire time they forced it down. They could feel the immediate boost it gave to their power, but it felt tainted, wrong. The other immediately slammed their hands onto the ground as they lurched forward and heaved, watery magic being expelled from their mouth as they gagged. 

The group was alarmed but unsure of what to do, afraid to approach the other as they vomited and sobbed. Cross could feel the call from them, however, for help. He wasn't sure if the god was aware they were signaling their champions for help, but he responded regardless. He rushed to the god and slid onto his knees to place a firm hand on their back. A bright burst of light revealed Blue landing before them with equal alarm in his eyes. He wasn't sure what to expect when he was called, but this was much more frightening than any battle he was expecting. 

"I HATE HIM!" 

Everyone flinched at the sudden outburst the other gave. Blue settled on his knees in front of them as well, eyes wide with fright as the god balled their fists into the grass. 

"I HATE HIM SO MUCH! I HATE HIM!" Erratum continued to scream with anguish. "WHY WON'T HE STOP?! WHY WON'T HE LISTEN?! I HATE HIM! I̸ H̴A̶T̵E̴ ̵H̵I̴M̵! I̸̭͒ ̸̛̬H̸̡̀Ȧ̷̲T̴̮̕E̵̮̒ ̸͐ͅH̷͝ͅI̵̯͊M̴̖͊Ḯ̶̞̣̐͗ ̶̡̛̝͇̩̣͐̓̔H̵̦͓̟̬̀̍̽̚͝A̸̻̲͙͈͎̒͂T̷̥̊͒͑̾ͅE̸̗̖͐̿̅̍ ̴͉͆̋̍Ḩ̸̤͕̭̄͑Ḯ̴̟̒̉̂͗M̶̳̟̮͊̈́!̷̠̖̳̀͗̆"

The words became less and less understandable the more hysteric they grew, and no amount of reassurance or comforting touches would calm them. The other finally reared backward again, seizing momentarily before their sockets became filled with glitches. Windows popped up all around them with errors displayed before the god simply collapsed onto their side. Blue cried out as he moved to their side and frantically checked them over. Dream was soon right beside him, trying to uselessly push healing magic into them to somehow stimulate them into waking. The other wasn't waking, or responding at all to their attempts. Dream clenched his eyes closed to attempt to reach them in their unconscious state, but there was nothing there to anchor to. 

"I-it's like they aren't even here." Dream spoke as he opened his eyes again. "If they were unconscious or asleep, I could slip into their mind, but..." He wasn't sure what it meant, but Blue's heightened anxiety showed the other was assuming the worst. 

"Brah, they ain't sleepin'," The group all paused as Fresh, of all people, spoke up. "Whatever whack episode dat was sent them way off the deep end. If I had to guess, they probably did that reality shifty thing as like a defense mechanism." He shrugged at the stares he got. "Or somethin'." He muttered at their intense looks. Dream nodded a bit at this as he shared a look with Blue. "Okay... then we should keep their body comfortable and safe while they're absent." He allowed Cross to haul the god up, an impressive display of strength for sure, and move them to the makeshift nest that they had once slumbered in. He placed their body gently into the fabrics and blankets, almost as though he were afraid he'd harm them if they moved them any more than that. "Someone should-"

"I got dis." Fresh cut him off as he moved to sit cross-legged beside the god. "Pretty sure you guys got more pressin' deity stuff to do. I'd feel... better, bein' the one sittin' here." His shades remained blank, not revealing anything they might be thinking at the moment. The group exchanged uncertain looks, but no one argued with him. "If you're sure..." Dream agreed after a moment of silent deliberation with the others. 

"I'm gonna call an emergency council meeting." Blue frowned as they pulled a blanket over Erratum's body. "You're what?" Dream questioned in surprise. "But... only Ink does that. It's for important multiverse emergen...cies... right." He frowned as he looked at the obviously pissed champion. "Exactly, and I think it's time we all had a talk about this. A real talk."

Ink frowned at the odd sensation in his chest. He wasn't sure what to make of it but he was certain he didn't enjoy it. It was like an ache right against his sternum that he couldn't quite relieve. He glanced over to his newer creations, all of which he had created a bit further from the rest of his other worlds. If he kept them away from the others, perhaps that irritating Guardian wouldn't poke their nose into them. He noticed that the strings holding them up seemed to be tangled together, the paper representations pressed against one another and merged. 

That was new.

Ink floated up further to view them closer, a bemused expression on his face as he glanced over it a moment. The paper only displayed 'help' over and over, at least, that was all he could identify in it. The world was messy, something he would expect from a mixture of different creations. It was neat, for sure, but it wasn't something Ink was necessarily proud of. It was more a little blemish than an exciting new discovery.

Before he could think to do anything, the page began to shake. Ink blinked once as it began to crumple in on itself as if someone had wadded it up into a ball. The crumpled page ignited in golden flames and sparks before it disintegrated altogether. Ink stared at the place where this world used to be, completely dumbfounded. The world had lit up in a hypnotic gold light before disappearing entirely. 

Something had destroyed his universe. And he only knew of one being that could do this.

"Errata..."

Erratum floated within the space of the Between, hands clutching around themselves in self-embrace as they shuddered. The Guardians were silent before them, none of them breathing a word to them as they gathered themselves. "I... I can't do this..." Erratum finally spoke up, though their head remained lowered and their body curled inward. "It's too much... I can't... I can't... please..." They begged them uselessly. "Pick someone else, please. I'm not... I'm not capable of stopping this. I can't make these decisions... it's too much for me." They wept as they finally looked up at the quiet spectators. "Please... make it stop... I'm not like you, I was a mortal. I wasn't omnipotent and eternal like you are, I was created by you. More specifically, you." They looked to Destiny with a pang in their chest. "I was being shaped as your champion, wasn't I?" They demanded of them.

"Yes," Destiny admitted without hesitation. "You were to be my champion, using strings of Destiny to fulfill your place guiding others." Erratum had an intense moment of grief hearing this. They may not like the idea of being made for the sole purpose of being a servant, but they would have still been who they were first made as. They would have kept their world, their home, all of those they had long forgotten. "But, as you know, things changed." 

"Oh, I'm very aware." Erratum gritted out as they looked to Fate next. "Why? Why?? Why couldn't you just control him?!" They demanded of the indistinct being. "Why can't you force him to listen?? Why can't you bring him here and put him back in place?!" They continued to berate the celestial being as frustrated tears burned their face. Fate was silent in response to this, whether from indignation or guilt was not clear. 

"Ink has no soul, he cannot shift realities like you," Karma responded for them, soft voice doing little to soothe the god for once. "He cannot project himself here and he cannot be persuaded in through moments of rest due to there being no soul to project." Of course. Of course. Erratum was so outraged that Ink got to go about his life as a deity, never aware of the damage he caused while Erratum was forced to try and clean up behind him. They clutched the sides of their head with a frustrated shout at this response. "And you know it can't be undone. You are the Guardian of Order, and that cannot be placed on anyone else." Erratum didn't want to hear this, turning their back to the group. 

"There is no one else," Hope agreed remorsefully. "You are their last Hope. You are so many people's last Hope and there is no one else who can do the things you do in the multiverse. We exist outside it, there is nothing we can do. Our interference is what caused all of this in the first place, we cannot do it anymore. Even so, we can only remain inside our domains of power to assist." 

"And I carry the powers of the domains of several of you," Erratum gave a dry laugh at this. "Of course... so by extension, they allow me to do things beyond what your individual domains normally allow. Of course." They muttered with a shake of their head. "Why can't you just drag him here as you did me?" They sounded bitter at the mentioning of it. 

"When that happened to you, your entire world collapsed. Ink is connected to multiple universes, and if the same were to happen, it would cause mass damage. The destruction could potentially speed up the multiverse's end." Karma reminded them gently. Erratum knew, but it still burned to know they really couldn't help them. They closed their eyes as Karma surrounded them in a spectral embrace. "You are weary and hurt. Please, rest with us here for a while. The least we can do is help your mind recover." Erratum couldn't argue with them, rage turned to apathy as they were guided along to the others. They weren't sure how long they would be here, but they certainly hoped it wouldn't be long enough to worry their followers.

Blue stood at the head of the table at the opposite side where the original Sans usually resided. He had a sharp look in his eyes and his jaw was set in a tight clench as he waited for everyone to arrive. He had kept his blue bandana tied to his neck, but the rest of his attire had gotten a significant rework after receiving his new role. His shirt was a tighter, darker blue fabric that formed to his body well. Overlaying it was thicker chains of gold, ringed and laced together to form a defensive barrier for himself. His rubbery gloves were replaced with tactical ones, allowing him to freely use his hands and offer them better protection. Even his boots were replaced with tougher material as well which allowed him a better grip for climbing and rougher terrain. Cross had originally teased him for 'dressing the part', but Blue took the danger he was putting himself in very seriously.

The first few members began to blip into existence, confused as they saw Blue rather than Ink. While the artist was normally late to regular meetings, he was always the first one present for his emergency gatherings. "Blue? Is that you?" The original Sans questioned as he looked him over. "You look... different." He commented as the swap monster grinned at him. "I'll explain that in a little bit so I don't have to keep repeating myself." He assured him, to which Sans simply shrugged and took a seat next to his normal spot. More and more monsters began to arrive, each one giving Blue a strange look or asking similar questions. Blue dismissed them all with the same answer as he continued to wait. The chattering fell quiet when Ink appeared in a blob of ink, looking around in confusion.

"Okay, who activated my emergency system?" 

"I did." 

Ink blinked in confusion at Blue as he looked him over. He scanned the golden markings down his face and frowned. "Geeze, what happened to you? A character redesign? I didn't make any edits to the story." He frowned as he read over his scarf a moment. "I think? I don't know anymore." He muttered while Blue rolled his eyes. "You didn't do this, Ink. Errata did." 

The room perked up with interest while Ink dropped his scarf and gave him a hard look. "Is that so." This wasn't phrased as a question but Blue chose to address it like one. "That's right. Errata selected me as a champion of Order to work through them." Blue was proud of this title and held himself high with this announcement. The table broke out into interested remarks and whispers at this declaration. 

"Damn Blue, gotta say, that's pretty badass." Red commented with a thumbs up. Blue grinned and rubbed the back of his neck with a flustered laugh. "Thanks! I can honestly say I feel it. I haven't gotten all these new powers down yet, or even really discovered what they are, but I'm learning!" He assured them. Ink narrowed his eyes further at the monster, not sharing the excitement everyone else had.

"You've completely aligned yourself with them then." Ink checked as Blue met his gaze with equal confidence. "That's right. Errata is my god and I've pledged my life to serve them and carry out their will." He confirmed without hesitation. Ink made a move for his brush slowly, but Blue was quick to react. He held his hand out and summoned an impressive war hammer, modified and pulsating with restrained power. "Don't even think about it. This isn't a personal attack Ink, and there will be no fighting during council meetings!" He moved to rest the larger weapon against his shoulder, displaying a surprisingly disproportionate fear of strength holding it with one hand. "Oh, you like it? I thought the weapon I got was really clever! A hammer, like the one you'd use in court to call for Order in the court? Mwehehe," He grinned brightly at the mixed expressions in the room."Now... I would like to talk about why we're here." 

"Yes, please elaborate." Ink was becoming increasingly impatient as he waited for the other to simply get to the point. Blue's face hardened again as the hammer shrunk down to a more manageable size. "Earlier today, a group of universes collided together and merged into this... horrific... amalgamation of a world." He started off, effectively silencing everyone else. "All the people from each world were spliced together and their souls all became trapped with one another. Dream said there was so much pain... so much agony from these creatures. Errata had to absorb the world just to make it stop, just to give them peace." He looked down as he said this, recalling the intense breakdown the other had. 

"So it was them!" Ink shouted as he stood from his seat again. "They destroyed that world! I told you they would-" Blue slammed his hammer down against the table and a wave of magic washed over it in waves. Ink jolted a bit as he became silent instantly. 

"Ink, this was an unstable world where everyone in it was begging to die! Because you," He pointed at him with his hammer, causing a few skeletons to duck and avoid the flailing weapon. "Crowded them too close together and they collided with each other! Errata could barely handle the anguish it brought them to make that call!" Blue reminded him with disdain in his voice. "It was an accident! I didn't know they were that close together, I just have to be more careful!" Ink insisted with a wave of his hands. "Ink that's not the point! The point is your creation is out of control! Once again, limited space Ink! This is going to happen more and more the closer we get to using up all the space we have! And then what? We live with the threat of our worlds just... melting together??" He demanded of him. 

"Oh, is that how this is?" Ink scowled as he took a quick sip of his red vial. "You're going to push that ridiculous ideology that they're preaching? You're starting something you don't have the ability to finish, Blue." He warned the other. Blue glowered back at him without fear. "I know exactly what I'm doing Ink, and if you can't see reason, we're going to have to do our best to make you or stop you," Blue remarked as a few Sanses moved closer toward Blue's end of the table. 

Ink huffed out a harsh laugh at this, scanning over those who hung onto Blue's words. "All right then, I hear you Blue." He assured in a low, threatening tone. A few other Sanses scooted back closer to the creator with a hint of uncertainty at the others pulling away from the group. The room soon had a visible division in it as skeletons looked between one another and the tension continued to mount higher and higher. 

"So it's a war you want? Fine, it's a war you'll get." 

Chapter Text

"YOU DID WHAT?!" 

Blue hushed Dream as he hovered over Erratum to check their status. They were still motionless and they were all growing a little worried at this point. "Dream, let's not pretend this wasn't going to happen in the end." Blue sighed as he looked at him with weary eyes. "It's been building and building for a long time. Erratum was giving him all the patience and time in the world, but I'm not going to do the same thing. Erratum has all of us now and if we don't intervene, this," He gestured to Erratum's unconscious form. "Is going to keep happening until it kills them." 

Dream frowned as he looked to Cross, who only nodded in agreement. "Like it or not, Hopes and Dreams and wishful waiting aren't gonna make the multiverse stable. We all here have a job to do, whether through being another's champion or being a protector." He reminded the other who simply sighed in response. "I know but... we're already dealing with Nightmare and his group. All this conflict is going to increase negativity so much. I can only imagine he's going to get stronger and harder to manage." Dream glanced back at Blue with worried eyes. "And if more of those... horrible merged worlds appear... stars, he'll have a field day. Imagine the power he could draw if he got in there." The group shuddered a moment at the mere thought.

"Chill my dude," Fresh spoke from where he was settled. Most of them were surprised that Fresh had been literal when he said he would stay with Erratum the entire time. So far, no one had seen him move from that spot. "We got mad wicked people on our side," They all noted silently the use of 'our' in this statement. "And I'm sure we can find more people too." He assured with a thumbs up. "I don't know if there are any other Sanses I feel comfortable dragging into this." Dream admitted as he wrung his hands together.

"Why does it have to be Sanses?" Dream looked to Blue as he said this with curiosity. "Erratum was the first to teach me that there were universes out there that had judges that weren't Sanses. I think this is a perfect time to start bringing them into the picture." When the council was formed, it had been a silent agreement to bring in only Sans judges, as they only felt comfortable leaving the multiverse in each other's hands. It was a common trait that a lot of them shared; the belief that everything fell on their shoulders. Perhaps they were gluttons for punishment? Blue didn't know. "I know Storyswap Chara would have been a great person in the council, but no one wanted a Frisk or Chara there due to, well, you know." He shrugged a bit.

"I don't think that's a bad call." Cross chimed in with a nod. "I say we take all the advantages we can here. On the field of war, there is no fair fighting and when the stakes are this high, I'm willing to work with even my worst enemy. What's that saying? My enemy's enemy is my friend." Dream gave a small laugh at this. "I guess so..." He sighed as he moved to place a hand on Erratum's forehead and closed his eyes. After a few moments of silence, he opened his eyes again with a sigh. "Still not getting anything... guess they're still not in their body." 

"They'll be back, they always come back," Blue assured as he patted him on the shoulder. "For now, um... we should prepare how we're going to tell them about all this." He spoke with a nervous laugh. "Ohhh no," Dream spoke as he pulled away a moment and crossed his arms. "You are going to prepare how to tell them about all this. I had zero input on this decision and as a champion, you're gonna look your god in the eye and tell them what you did." 

"Dream! You're supposed to be my best friend!" Blue whined pathetically. 

Dust had noticed Horror was a little off nowadays. 

He originally brushed it off as lingering effects from his first major magic storm, but the other hadn't shown any signs that Dust did when he had them. Horror wasn't lethargic, jumpy, or easy to agitate. He had taken to the kitchen, which Dust was admittedly shocked Nightmare had simply allowed him to do, and had cooked and baked excessively. No one really complained because lunches and dinners became a much more pleasant affair. Nightmare's lifting of rations and allowing actual freshly prepared meals was a blessing that none of them were going to question. Still, Dust was becoming a little suspicious. 

Definitely not concerned. Just suspicious. 

The monster twitched a bit at soft whispering at the back of his skull. He chose to ignore it as he spotted Horror just down the hall; probably returning back to the kitchen. "Horror," He called out to him, causing the monster to stop and turn toward him. He turned his head to the side a bit, much like a dog Dust noted silently, and allowed Dust to approach him. "What's going on with you lately?" He questioned, eyeing the other intensely. "You've been acting off. You seem... anxious." He remarked as he watched the other grip at the bottom of his jacket and pull every so often. "Not to mention you basically sleep on the kitchen floor now." 

Horror gave a gruff noise and shrugged stiffly. "Just... been thinkin'." He muttered after a slow moment of gathering his words. "Oh yeah? You?" Dust managed to joke, causing the other to give a less strained smile. "But seriously," Dust redirected after a moment. "If something happened, you know you can... talk to us, right? We can squash pretty much any problem so long as it's got a soul. Can't help much if it's emotional crap; you'd need to call someone else for that." He sighed as he watched the obviously bothered monster. He subtly tensed at the look the other gave him, a strange expression briefly passing over his face. "...Yeah." He spoke slowly. Dust felt uncomfortable with the staredown, moving his hands from his pockets to subtly chip at the bone to redirect his mind from the aggressive noise in his mind. The warm threads of his gloves met each other, however, and he quickly remembered to restrain himself. He looked back to Horror at the sharp noise that suddenly emitted from him.

Horror seemed to become extremely interested in him.

Dust's eyelights shrank as Horror's large hand gripped his wrist tightly. He pulled Dust a bit closer to view the material of the gloves on his hands before another alarmed expression came over him. He looked behind himself a moment, up and down the hall to make sure it was empty, before placing a hand around Dust's mouth and dragging him into the nearest empty room. Dust shouted muffled protests as he was dragged, growling and summoning dozens of sharp bones the moment he was released. "What the hell are you doing?!" He demanded as Horror locked the door behind him. Horror briefly pressed the side of his head against the door and closed his eyes, listening intently. Deeming they were truly alone, he turned back to the monster with a wild look in his eye. 

"Where'd you get those?"

Dust was surprised (and perhaps a little proud) at how clear the question was. "I..." He faltered as he looked down at the handwear. They were a telling golden colour and knitted together with such warm intent it made him momentarily nauseous from guilt. He looked back up at Horror again and began to sweat a bit. "I... got them on a raid. To... keep my hands covered." He knew it was a shit excuse and was certain the other didn't buy it for a second. The growl he received back confirmed it. 

"Bullshit." Horror wrinkled his nasal bone as he said this and loomed closer to him. Dust kept the sharp projectiles close to him in case the other decided to attack him or tried to drag him to Nightmare. "You... saw Errata." He accused him as he scanned over his face. Dust clenched his teeth tightly as the other confronted him. "What are you gonna do about it?" He sneered back at him. "You gonna rat on me to boss? You think I'm all buddy-buddy with the enemy? Don't forget I'm the one who first successfully incapacitated them." 

"Why'd... you call them?" 

Dust paused at this, becoming instantly more defensive. "Who said I called them? We stumble on them all the time out in different universes." He immediately denied it.

"DON'T. Lie to me."

Dust tensed up further as Horror raised his voice. "Tell me... why?" The other grew docile once more as his voice lowered, seeing the other becoming skittish. Dust considered continuing to deny it until the other became frustrated and let him go, but he knew it was pointless. Horror was very patient and could keep at it for hours before relenting. Even if he teleported away, it wouldn't stop Horror from eventually finding him and dragging him back. "I... you know I've been losing levels, right?" Horror nodded to show he was listening. "It's... I," He growled as he tried to convince himself to open up. He kept a very firm wall between himself and everyone else, after all. "Regaining a sense of morality sucks." He downplayed. 

Horror grunted a bit and nodded at the other's explanation. "They're... good at talking you.. through stuff. Real... smart." He remarked as he watched the other closely. "Whatever, I guess. They say some weird shit." Dust muttered in agreement. "Wait..." Dust quickly jerked his head over in Horror's direction in shock. "You've spoken with them??" He questioned with obvious surprise. "Mmhm." Horror rumbled, seeming pleased by the question. "Brings... food. For my world... my bro." Dust twinged a bit at this, and Horror gave him a sympathetic look. "They're... the reason I can...talk." Horror continued as he took small pauses to form his words. Dust might have partially felt a bit of respect hearing this, not that they'd ever tell the smug god. "They're probably just trying to make us all soft and turn to the 'good' lifestyle." Dust sneered as he clenched his fists to feel the strain of the material against his hands. 

"You don't... really think that?" Horror questioned with another tilt of his head. Dust sighed heavily and shoved his hands back in his pockets with a frown. "...no, I don't. I did at first, but I think they're just generous to a fault. I giant fault." He muttered bitterly. Horror gave an amused sound at this and nodded in agreement. "Works themselves... to death." He frowned after another moment, that same dreary look Dust had been seeing overcoming him. "Yeah?" Dust questioned, able to take a hint and read into it. "Something... happen?" He questioned carefully. Horror nodded slowly after a moment of deliberation. "Bad things... Ink. They're..." He twitched a bit as he moved to pull at his socket.

"Fuck Horror, how long have you been talking with them to know all this??" Dust moved to grab him by the elbow firmly. "And stop doing that or I'll take this hand off." He spoke firmly. "Kinda... defeats the purpose of... preventing mutilation." Horror spoke with a weary grin. "Ever heard of cutting the head off to save the body?" Horror gave him a blank stare in return. "Whatever, doesn't matter. Just..." Dust took a moment to look off to the side, a feeling of embarrassment rushing over him. "Ugh, I can't believe I'm gonna do this but..." He moved to fish something out of his pocket, handing it over to Horror. "Can you just... give them this when you see them next?" He muttered softly.

Horror stared down at this offered item in surprise. It took him a moment to realize this was soap, as his keen sense of smell confirmed by the sharp scent it gave. It was shaped down and carved into a design, however, that Horror found slightly familiar. He couldn't quite place it, but the longer he stared, the more he recognized it. "This... is Karma's mark... the one... they carry." He noted as he looked back up at Dust, who refused to make eye contact. "You...make this?" 

"Yeah... so what? They suggested doing something with my hands and said something about soap and wood carving. Just thought I'd try it." Dust bit back with restrained hostility. 

"Pretty." 

Dust flushed a bit as he pushed past him. "Shut up, fuck you, I'm leaving." He spoke quickly as he unlocked the door. Horror rumbled an amused laugh as he carefully tucked the carving away and followed him out. 

Both of them froze as Killer stared at them from down the hall. 

Killer betrayed no emotion as he took in the two of them. He looked from the room they both stumbled out of back to the two surprised monsters. He noted the amused fondness the larger monster had carried coming out and the still present flush on Dust's face. "Ahhhh, I see." He grinned widely. "That's why you two have been so weird? Psssh, like we all didn't already know. You don't gotta sneak around."

"Killer, holy shit, NO. That's not what this is!" Dust immediately shouted, completely mortified by the implication. Horror just furrowed his browbone in confusion, not seeming to quite get what the other was hinting at. "Horror, tell him! Tell him we just went in there to talk!" Dust begged him. 

"Well... I more... dragged you in, but-"

"Stars above, say less!" 

Erratum blew out slow breaths as they sat cross-legged, suspended endlessly in the weightless void that was The Between. Once their initial anguish had been curbed, they had taken to meditating and the use of guided imagery from their mentor. Without the soft whispers in their mind, it was easier to transcend and observe their current situation in a more in-depth manner than before. They weren't certain how long they'd been here at this point, and they couldn't bring themselves to care too much until they reached a solution in their mind. So far, they were stuck on the drive the creator had to create the worlds that he did. They had been certain his dabbling in different themes was to understand emotions better, but they were beginning to doubt that original idea. 

Something else was going on here, they could sense it. 

"What is it that you seek?" Karma whispered softly around them. Erratum opened their eyes for the first time in a while, searching around the empty space with determined eyes.

"Time,"

At the call, said apparition appeared before them without a word. "I need to see what happened after Fate left Ink in the anti-void. I want to know what happened initially." They thought if they could perhaps see this, they could identify where this drive began. 

"Why is it I should do this?" 

"Perhaps because I'm babysitting your charge?" Erratum bristled in response. "That was a nice surprise, might I add. That's neither here nor there, however. I request assistance to be able to understand better how to approach the creator." Erratum watched as Time stood there a moment before a whispy sigh sounded from them. Without any further words, Erratum found themselves standing in an endless white void. They turned in a full circle, but there was nothing but white for what seemed like miles. 

There, in the distance though, they spotted someone.

As they approached, they were able to identify this 'someone' as the creator that they knew now. The skeleton was by himself, standing over the remains of his own soul and looking around the area. 

"Hello?" 

Erratum froze as the other called out. Ink wasn't looking at them, however, but rather all around the area with desperation. 

"Is... is anyone there? Hello??" 

Erratum listened intently, noting the fear and desperation in his tone. They knew Ink failed to recall the directions that Fate had given him, and by the looks of it, that may be because he wasn't even fully aware he was even alive until this moment. He had no recollection of his creation or of Fate at all. 

Curious.

Ink began to hyperventilate as he grasped the sides of his skull. He took off running in a random direction, desperate to find anything that wasn't white and empty. He might as well have been running in place, however, because the environment never changed. Everything was the same, plain, endless white. The artist collapsed down on his knees, sobbing loudly as he pressed his forehead against the white ground. 

Erratum found themselves back before Time, eyes wide and mind thoroughly confused. "How long...?" 

"Many years," Time answered before they could ask further. "It took him quite a while to discover his abilities. Once he escaped, he began to create worlds after discovering our created universe. He was desperate to not be alone, to not be forgotten again." Erratum huffed out a breath, as though someone had punched all the air out of them. This was a lot to take in to begin to dissect their intense loathing for the artist. Erratum felt there was still something missing here; a motivator, a reason for things to have spiraled out of control. "I would suggest you speak with Fate directly." 

That was a good starting point. 

Erratum thanked the Guardian before calling upon Fate. Once they had appeared before them, Erratum wasted no time in interrogating. "When Ink first began to create, it was always one world at a time and in spans of years before the next." They looked back to Karma, who seemed to nod once at this information. Erratum had to be certain this was the case, however, even if he trusted everything Karma had told them when they were first created. "What happened to this? What happened to make him suddenly endlessly create new worlds without stop, for days at a time?" The god stared through the indistinct shape that was Fate as they were greeted with silence.

"What did you do." 

Fate seemed to become guarded at the command. "You speak to me in such a way?" The tone in their voice clearly expressed their displeasure. "I speak to you as another Guardian trying to save your multiverse." Erratum refused to back down from this. "I am not below you, I am your equal. I deserve to know what has happened to be able to fix it, Fate. Tell me."

The celestial being remained silent for quite a while, but Erratum never wavered from their demands. It seemed to be an eternity before Fate began to speak again. "You recall the events of Dreamtale, I am certain." At the god's nod, they continued. "After the destruction, and ultimately Dream's imprisonment in stone, the creator fell into a sort of rut. No matter the combination of paints, there was no more inspiration to create worlds. I could sense the slightest echo of sadness, and loneliness within him despite his lack of soul. So, I sent what I would call 'muses' to assist him." 

"What do you mean by 'muses'?" Erratum pressed with a slight frown. "I thought you hadn't been allowed to interact with the multiverse after what happened in Dreamtale?" They questioned suspiciously. 

"No one was aware they had." Karma did not sound pleased at this development, and Erratum now understood why Fate had been hesitant to reveal this. "You would go against our warnings after what your champion had done?! While we were busy crafting the demigod universe to repair the broken balance, you would sneak away to further interfere?!" Erratum shrunk down at the outraged boom of Karma's voice. 

"Just as you wished to help Destiny's supposed champion, I too wished the same for mine!" Fate defended back with equal outrage. "Who could fault me for wanting the best for my creation? Who could shun me for wanting the best for him?!" 

"No one could fault you for wanting to help, but I need you to be clear about your methods." Erratum finally butted back in, seeing things were beginning to escalate. "What do you mean by muses?" They redirected again, seeing the two beginning to retract their hostility. 

"Do you recall the whispers in your mind of the people in the multiverse?"

Erratum was instantly sick. 

"You created... voices of invisible beings to speak ideas to him?" They breathed quietly. "It got out of control, didn't it?" 

"It was supposed to be suggestions and reminders if he forgot an idea. The muses became their own separate entities after a while, commanding and demanding worlds that they pushed into his mind. They won't silence until it has been shaped perfectly." 

Erratum placed a hand over their mouth momentarily as they took this in. "His hand is forced... he has no choice." They felt genuine horror at the very idea. It was so similar to their own situation that it made them want to both laugh and cry hysterically. "And you choose to tell me this now?! This would have been useful ages ago! I could have approached this situation so much differently!" Erratum began to shout once more, absolutely outraged. "You have to fix it! No one deserves to be forced into a Fate they never asked for!" 

"I cannot fix it from where we are. He would have to be physically in front of me so that I might reshape his mind. This is not like creating things or influencing beings like we can from direct interference. I wouldn't be able to project myself long enough for such an arduous task." Fate continued as the other Guardians began to appear around them. Most of them gave off waves of displeasure, though Time seemed to have already expected this information. "I know it is late to seek forgiveness for this, but that is all I can ask for. I am aware my original interference has brought us to where we are now, but it is not something that I can take back." 

"You have caused these worlds so much anguish!" Destiny cried out in retaliation. "Why should we allow you the comfort of forgiveness after everything you have done?!" 

"Because the majority of you are no better."

Silence permeated the dark abyss as Erratum effectively silenced them all. "You all act as though the majority of you have not done the same! For good intentions or not, you have also interfered in the worlds. With Time making a child their champion, it becomes increasingly obvious you do not comprehend the fragility of this multiverse! Any slight change can throw things into an absolutely unbalanced mess, which I would have thought you'd understand by now!" Erratum didn't care that they were virtually scolding the Guardians at this point; they were one just as well and if they could all chastise each other then they sure could do the same. "This is why Magic disappeared from the Seven! They couldn't handle the chaos that had become the multiverse and their own Council! You want to begin throwing blame at one another? Look no further than yourself first!" 

The group was silent after this, none of them breathing a word as the words hung in the air. "Oh I am aware I'm just as guilty, but I am at least self-aware enough to have realized now the fault of my own blinding hatred." They frowned as they closed their eyes tightly. "I somehow thought I was the one in charge of running the entire multiverse because there were so many mistakes, so many disorganizations that needed fixing. I'm beginning to understand that it isn't up to me to fix everything and that, perhaps, I have become just as bad at trying to control these worlds." They looked down at their own hands, the ones that had destroyed an entire world. "But I will continue to do what I must with careful restraint. I have plenty of others who will see to that." They finally smiled after another moment.

 "This... has been helpful. I appreciate what you have done, and you should forgive one another for your actions as I forgive you. Despite being celestial beings, we too, are imperfect." 

The first thing Erratum noted when they returned to their body was the comfort that surrounded them. As they opened their eyes, they could feel the soft material of the blankets around them and the pillows beneath them. They groaned at the bright light above them, pressing their arm over their eyes to block it out. 

"Ayyy, Glitchy!" 

Erratum pulled their arm back in alarm, blinking up at the upside-down face of Fresh hovering above them. "Yo, I was beginning to think you'd never come back, brah! You had us all mad worried." He informed them while his shades displayed 'Phew' on them. 

"I-" They winced as their throat croaked, thanking Fresh as he handed them a bottle and took a drink. They sat up abruptly and spit it out, glaring at the contents of the bottle. "What is this vile stuff?!" 

"Don't diss my Moutain Dew, dawg!" Fresh griped as he took the bottle back, thoroughly insulted. "Bleh... whatever, just... where are the others? There's something I need to discuss. Please gather them here for me." They instructed the parasite, who gave them a quick set of finger guns before disappearing. Erratum wiped at their mouth again as they settled into a comfortable sitting position in their little nest. They noticed there was something sitting beside the pillow they had been lying on, and they moved to carefully grab it and hold it in their hand.

It was the symbol of Karma, crafted carefully from a bar of soap. Erratum felt a pulse of warmth in their soul as they took in the simplistic creation. They hoped that meant the troubled monster was opening himself up a little more. They glanced up as they heard footsteps rapidly approaching them, making them quickly brace themselves. They grunted as Blue nearly knocked them over onto their back again as he forced his way onto their makeshift bed. 

"Errata! You're okay! You're alive!" He nearly wept as he held onto the god. Erratum gave a soft hum, resting a hand on the back of his head to comfort him. "I would never leave all of you in such a state. I am so sorry that you all had to see me like that." 

"Only you would apologize for having a mental breakdown after destroying a suffering world." Geno frowned as he stood next to Reaper like a disappointed mother. Erratum couldn't help but smile a bit at the comparison in their mind. "Quit smirking, you're not off the hook." He quickly growled. Dream was the first to sit on the grass in front of the piles of blankets, giving the other a tense smile. "We're happy you're okay, but... can you explain what exactly happened? You just sort of... glitched out and became unresponsive. I couldn't delve into your dreams or unconscious mind and Fresh explained that you weren't in your body?" They seemed confused the more they tried to explain their question. 

"Certainly, and I have important information that I wish to share as well." Erratum agreed as the rest of them settled down to listen to them.

By the time they were done explaining, the majority of them looked shocked and conflicted. Erratum couldn't blame them; it was a lot to take in after what they had all originally believed. "So... I cannot say that I truly hate him. I know what I said, but I was in so much pain at the time. It was easier to redirect that hurt and guilt onto someone else, but I can see now that we are brothers in suffering." Erratum spoke it with such pain that the collective group could feel their despair. Erratum noticed that Blue was nearly sweating at this point, while Dream was giving him a hard, expectant look. 

"Is something the matter?"

"I don't know, Blue, is there?" Dream leaned in as Blue gave a sheepish grin and yanked at their handkerchief. "Right... um... Errata? We uh... well, while you were out, I called an emergency council meeting about everything. Well, I'm not sure how to say this?" 

"Little light, you are raising my anxiety to new levels." 

"Mweheh..heh.." Blue shifted uncomfortably in their spot. "Well... it's very possible that, perhaps, maybe... I started a small war?" There was a tense silence as everyone looked at Erratum, afraid of how they would react to this news.

Erratum sat there quietly, slowly letting the information register in their mind. 

War. 

Ink had declared war upon them and all of those associated with them. How long were they in The Between?!

"Um... E-Errata? You okay?" Blue questioned hesitantly. Erratum stared blankly at him for a moment as the champion grew more and more anxious. Finally, Erratum let the full implications of this news wash over them.

And subsequently crashed. 

Chapter Text

"I'm afraid..." 

"I know, I don't blame you."

After Erratum had been given the full rundown on what happened while they were gone, the god knew they had to start working quickly. The last thing they had wanted was an actual multiversal war, but they were beginning to understand it didn't really matter what they wanted. Erratum knew with how things were progressing, they needed to tie up loose ends as fast as possible. Geno knew the time had come when the god had successfully found a way to force run his world's story, and despite his eagerness to see his world and brother again, he was terrified. 

"You're sure things will be okay? I just... I never thought I would have a semblance of a life after the Save Screen. Now that I have it... I'm afraid I'll lose this too. What if things don't go well? Or I can't handle it? What if I die? What if I don't know how to progress the story right? I know too much now, way more than I was supposed to." Geno looked to Erratum with fear. Erratum rested their hand on the top of his head, and for once, Geno leaned into it instead of pushing them away. "I assure you, I have scanned through the entirety of your story and you will be okay. You are not going to die, and I will be watching you the entire time. You won't see me, but I will have a one-way portal to your world while you're there. Once it has reached its conclusion, I will come back for you. As for the story, it is within you. Your 'code' is integrated into your world; you will know what to do when you get there." They promised the nervous monster. "I know... I know you won't let anything happen." Geno spoke quietly as he clutched onto the front of their robes. 

Erratum glanced up at the three other monsters standing nearby. Geno pulled away after a moment, exhaling shakily as he gathered his nerves. "Geno..." Reaper stepped forward and Erratum moved away to let them have their moment. Geno glanced away as Reaper gave him a sad expression, resting a hand on his cheek. "I'll see you soon, my dove, okay?" He soothed him as his wings encircled him gently. Geno flushed faintly at this, giving a small huff as he turned to face the demigod after a moment. He gripped him tightly by the collar of his robe, pulling him down roughly and pressing his mouth against his. Reaper widened his eyes as his wings plumed out in shock at the other's bold move. Geno moved away just as quickly, his hand pulling his scarf up over the majority of his face as he avoided eye contact. Reaper gave a delirious grin as he wavered a bit and attempted to fix his wings again, red traces of dust still visible on the feathers. 

"I hope you don't expect the same goodbye." Cross joked, causing Geno's flustered state to relax a bit. "Nope, that'd be a little weird for us. You're more like... brotherly, you know?" Geno chuckled as Cross gave him a tight squeeze. "Don't make me tear up, asshole." He joked while Geno gave a small laugh. Fresh grinned as he lifted them both off the ground with his hug, much to Geno's voiced displeasure. "Aw, totes lovin' this family vibe! See ya around, Geno!" Fresh chirped before dropping both skeletons back to their feet. Geno huffed as he righted himself again and gave the parasite a glare. "You are, by far, the most obnoxious person I have ever met." He remarked, earning a delighted grin from the parasite. "...Kinda like a pesky younger bro." He finished, causing Fresh's smile to disappear along with the words on his glasses. 

"As sweet as this is, I believe we have waited long enough to restart this world." Erratum remarked though they did watch them all with tenderness to their expression. Geno nodded as he stepped forward to the summoned rift back to the horrible black void. He gave a shaky sigh before stepping through it, looking back over his shoulder a moment before walking forward into the vast darkness. Erratum ran their hand over Verse as they brought forward the full timeline they had tirelessly dug up. They gave Geno's retreating form a sad smile before pressing the 'force run' command and closing the rift. Erratum frowned as they settled down again on the ground, opening a new one-way portal to view the world again. They felt relieved to see the world was progressing once more from the beginning of the story. They felt awful knowing the kind of pain both physically and mentally Geno was going through, but they also hoped Frisk being in the save screen would give some sort of comfort. 

"I suppose you'll be here for the next few days then?"

"Correct." 

"So you'll let me handle things then?" Cross checked as Erratum continued to stare into the open rift.

"Also correct." 

Cross was relieved by this assurance and gave a soft sigh of relief. "Good, glad to hear that. I'll be poking my head into a couple of worlds regarding this whole war thing. Once we gather enough people, I'll let you know and you can do your thing. It's better we get everyone on our side to understand how we plan to handle the other side." Erratum simply nodded in agreement, never turning their head from the rift. Cross gave a faint smile as he looked to Fresh, who nodded once and settled down beside Erratum, immediately beginning to chat and rambling on about various topics in his strange lingo. Satisfied that the other would keep them company, Cross disappeared in a spark of golden light to continue his search.

Cross should have known any Chara, no matter the universe, would be stubborn at best. Cross had hoped that after pleading his case the human would understand, but they didn't seem to trust him as far as they could throw him. With Storyshift placing Chara in Sans's place, it only made their personality that much more insufferable. 

"Yeah, I don't trust you Sans sorts," Chara remarked carelessly as they appraised Cross with an unimpressed look. "I mean, come on, a holy war? You've gotta know how stupid that sounds." They scoffed as Cross nearly pouted at their remarks; no, he hadn't realized how stupid it sounded until then.

"I wouldn't call it that, just... a god and a demigod fighting against each other over what to do with the multiverse?" He attempted, though Chara didn't seem too keen on this either. "Okay whatever, it's a war of some sort, but I would like to reemphasize the whole 'mass destruction and melty universe' thing again. Errata just needs people who are powerful and who will listen when they try to explain what needs to happen." Cross frowned as Chara appraised their knife with a bored expression on their face. "Yeah, no, I'm good. If they're really all that great, then they can take care of it themselves." They shrugged despite the proposed danger Cross had brought. 

Cross could have strangled the aloof human if not for the sudden shift in the atmosphere that had even Chara perking up in alarm. They properly armed themselves with their knife as the familiar forms of Killer and Nightmare became visible from a swirl of darkness. Nightmare appraised the both of them with little interest as he took notice of their presence. "Only one of their little followers? I doubt you'll put up much of a fight without calling out for your little god." He sneered before his face shifted into one of confusion. "You... are their champion as well?"  

"Did you really expect Errata to stop at one?" Cross huffed back as he summoned twin blades into his hands with a glower. He knew the other was attempting to provoke him into fighting without calling for Erratum, but little did Nightmare know that the other was occupied at the moment. Still, Cross wasn't going to let Nightmare think the god wouldn't come and dispel that threat from the encounter. "I would suggest you take your henchmen and walk right back out the way you came." He openly threatened the two of them while Chara fell in beside him with an equally dangerous expression on their face. Killer seemed unphased as he pretended to swoon and leaned into Nightmare. "Such a shame we didn't get to him first, Boss! I thought he was a stick in the mud, but I bet he's a lot of fun." Nightmare shoved the monster away with his tendrils, which stood poised over the taunting monster in a warning. Chara didn't hesitate when they saw the two thoroughly distracted, their arm arching their blade in a perfect slice that cut through the air like a sonic boom. Both Killer and Nightmare were knocked backward by it, while Cross braced himself a bit firmer to the ground as the shockwaves buffeted him. 

"This is why you Sans types piss me off so much," Chara growled as Killer picked themselves back up off the ground and launched at the human. "Oh, I get it, you've got a personal strife, don't ya?" Chara smirked at the expression on Killer's face. "You get conned by another version of me? By the looks of your soul-" They quickly dodged a vicious stab in their direction. "Ah, that one gets under your skin I see. Heh, get it?" Cross could tell that the human had Killer's full attention in this fight, which left them...

"Guess it's you and me, Cross." Nightmare smirked as his tendrils flicked and lashed in sadistic delight. Cross briefly felt a pulse from the locket on their neck and gave a slow exhale to steel himself. He didn't bother to respond to the spirit, though his glare told him everything he wasn't saying. Cross sliced through the first appendage that swung his way, finding satisfaction in the outraged hiss of pain it brought from Nightmare as it retreated backward. Cross took his retreat as an opportunity to advance, sidestepping and dodging attacks with the grace of a veteran fighter. He was completely at home in the fray of battle, and without the hyperawareness of Erratum on the field, he was completely zoned in on Nightmare. The spirit seemed to become aware of Cross's abilities as he tried to take the fight back to a more ranged distance. Cross only pursued further as he maneuvered and slid between thrashing and slashing tendrils to deliver a decent slice with his blade across his chest. Nightmare gave a pained shout as one tendril managed to snag his ankle and pull him away, slamming him against the ground with excessive force. Cross grunted in pain but refused to cry out as his spine throbbed in protest at the treatment.

Nightmare wheezed a bit as the dark, thick tar dripped from his body a moment in a struggle to stay solidified. "I wondered what hitting you with Errata's concentrated magic would do." Nightmare looked up sharply as Cross got to his feet, both blades glowing a bright golden colour in his hands. Nightmare understood now why the attack affected him much stronger than he had originally expected. "That just means I need to kill you now rather than later. Perhaps you would make a fun hostage, but I think it would cripple your god if I simply snuffed the life out of you." Nightmare grinned viciously as dozens of sharpened tendrils raced out to meet Cross. Cross stared on in shock at the incoming attack, briefly caught off guard and cursing as he tried to decide how to dodge this. Left? Right? Which one would cause less damage? He couldn't figure it out.

So he went both ways.

Cross stumbled to the side as he dodged, staring wide-eyed at the impaled ground where he once stood. As the tendrils retreated back to their owner, Cross stared on with shock at the sight that he was left with. "What are you doing here?!" 

"I have no idea but I'm not gonna complain!" 

Cross stared in amazement as Chara, his Chara, stood on the other side of the impaled ground. Their black and white attire was the same as the last time he had seen them in the flesh, and they were wielding the giant glowing blade Cross remembered using quite often. The guard noted silently that they appeared to have a trace of gold down the left of their face, but he would focus more on this whole bizarre event later. Cross glanced down and noticed his locket appeared to have been altered as well. The full heart locket was now a broken half of a heart, much like the 'best friends' heart pieces children would have with their friends. He was left further amazed, and entirely confused, about what this champion lifestyle had brought him.

"Okay, now we're getting interesting!" This universe's Chara (how does Erratum keep up with all these alternates?!) remarked as they played keep-away with Killer's knife, who was spewing insults and hurling bones at them. Nightmare appeared visibly surprised as well at the sudden change in enemies, tendrils curling and flicking as he observed the battlefield. "You champions are always pulling out new annoying tricks." He growled as Cross continued to stand firm against his assault. Pulling another Chara into the battle only made things more difficult, and as things were going now, it was already becoming embarrassing for the spirit. 

"Boss! They took my knife!" Killer half shouted, half whined as both Chara's exchanged a snicker with one another. Killer attempted to impale the newly summoned human with a few well-placed bones, but they merely deflected them off their blade before nearly cutting into the enraged monster with their large blade. "QUIET!" Nightmare snapped at his childish lackey before lashing out at Cross again. Cross swore as he jolted to the left to dodge the strike, which caused his Chara to jerk to the left as well and stumble. "Agh, you gotta work with me here, Cross!" They shouted as they both experimentally pulled on whatever invisible teether kept them from separating too far. This earned Cross another powerful slam in the side by one of Nightmare's tendrils, sending him and Chara both skidding across the ground unceremoniously. 

"I have to do everything myself..." Shift Chara sighed as they turned to Killer abruptly, causing the monster pursuing them to attempt to bring themselves to a halt. Chara simply grinned and grasped the exposed soul at his chest, causing the skeleton to choke on a gasp as they brought the tip of their blade to the center of it. "It's a perfect target shape, you know? You think I can hit a bullseye from here?" They twisted the knife slowly, letting the cold steel barely scrape the quivering soul, but it was still enough to cause Killer to drop to his knees and scream. All other fighting came to a screeching halt as Chara met Nightmare's cyan eye. "I wouldn't make any sudden moves. My hand might just... slip." 

Nightmare's tendrils retreated to his side again, curling in on each other as he kept his eye trained on the tip of the knife connecting to Killer's soul. "Good, I can see I have your attention." The human smirked as they appraised every small change in the spirit's expression. "Now... I could easily just kill him right now, wouldn't think anything of it. You all came into my world and started all of this. You fucked around, and you found out. I'm feeling a little merciful today, lucky for you, so here's how this is gonna go. You're gonna take your little friend here, and you're both gonna get the hell out of my world permanently." They demanded of him without a trace of hesitation as the knife nicked the soul in their hand, causing Killer to give a pained howl. "Or-"

"Stop!" 

Chara rose a brow as Nightmare called out to them, waiting patiently for his response. "Oh? I haven't even given you all of your options yet." They mocked him, causing the spirit to clench their jaw harder. "Just... let him go. We'll leave." Nightmare bargained, much to Cross's surprise. Apparently, Killer's as well as he turned his head in his leader's direction with a pained sound of confusion. Chara huffed as they delivered a hard kick to Killer's side, causing him to sprawl forward with a pained sound. "Come get him then. No funny business, or else." They squeezed the soul in their hand as Killer choked into the ground. "Stop, stop!" Nightmare hissed as he moved to crouch beside his downed comrade, tendrils moving to form a barrier between Chara's line of sight and Killer. Chara waited until Nightmare opened a swirling portal behind him, and only then did they toss the soul back with feigned disinterest. Nightmare quickly caught it in one tendril before locking their eye on them with murderous intent. He hesitated for only a moment before disappearing back into the portal with Killer. 

With that, Shift Chara sighed with relief and studied their new knife. "Well, that was annoying." They remarked as Cross and his Chara approached them. "Gotta say, maybe you're not so bad for a Sans. Especially if you've got someone like that keeping you in check." They remarked as Cross's Chara (seriously, how did Erratum do this??) smirked and looked at Cross smugly. Cross rolled his eyelights but said nothing, knowing it was useless to argue. He also noted silently that his Chara had the opposite half heart locket piece as he had suspected. "Tell you what," Cross looked back to Shift Chara as they pocketed the new knife. "Come talk to me sometime soon and bring this 'god' person with you too. I'll see for myself who this supposed god is and what they expect me to do, but I'm not saying I'll join your cause." Cross sighed with relief and slumped a bit as exhaustion caught up with him. He jolted as the invisible teether dragged him back to his Chara, who phased back into him without any warning. Cross patted himself down a moment to make sure he was still in one piece, hands stopping at his now full heart locket. 

"That's gotta be weird to live with."

"You know... it's not the weirdest thing by my standards." 

It had been two agonizing days of Erratum watching Geno's universe without a single break. Fresh was good at being a distraction, but even he had his limits on what he could deal with. The parasite groaned as he leaned against Erratum more, who merely shifted a bit to accommodate his weight as they sat quietly in front of the portal. "When's he gonna be done? It's mad boring! Cross thinks my shenanigans are funny and your confusion isn't as fun as Geno's annoyance!" Fresh complained loudly as his shades shifted to 'BORED'. 

"It's okay to say that you miss him." Fresh blinked up at the god as they spoke for the first time in quite a while. Erratum turned their head down to peer at the pestering virus inhabitant with a trace of amusement and exhaustion. "He'll be fine, I promise you. The story is almost complete now, and then I can finally step back into his world and fix the coding locking it away. He'll be able to move between universes without dying, which is a benefit that outweighs the risks of what we're doing." They explained to him with a reassuring smile on their face. "Heh, if you say so broski. I trust you know what you're doin'." Fresh assured with a thumbs up, to which Erratum simply huffed a soft laugh in response. 

"Ya know," 

Erratum perked up a moment, sensing the change in tone and atmosphere. Fresh slipped his shades off a moment, frowning as he studied the blank lenses. "It's kinda wild how different things have been here, ya know? Usually, I'm chased out after snatchin' my newest body cause I wreck the world, ya know? But, you're like the exact opposite. You don't want me to leave." Erratum didn't mention how they couldn't let him leave considering said snatching habits, but they could tell this wasn't the time to say it. "Dunno, kinda rad, ya know? It's like havin' a weird little squad that likes t' kick it with ya." He grinned a bit at the god's confused expression. "People who wanna hang around ya." 

"We do 'like to kick it with you', Fresh." 

Fresh gave a hearty laugh at this, resting his arm over his eyes as he struggled to breathe between laughs. Erratum smiled to themselves, allowing themselves to be the fool in the situation to bring a bit of lightheartedness to the conversation. "In all seriousness, you are wanted here Fresh. Do you... not realize that?" The god's face morphed into one of slight concern as Fresh caught his breath and grinned. "Hm? Aw, you a real O.G, for real Errata, but I know it ain't like that. You gotta keep me here so I don't take any more hosts. I can only survive here since the soul I'm munchin' on can't deteriorate when there's no time." 

A horrendous thought, Erratum realized, as they spotted the heart-shaped object in his eye. It looked intact and pristine, which suggested the other had stumbled across Erratum's plane not long after securing a new host. "Perhaps in the beginning it was for safety reasons, but you have been here quite a while. You've formed bonds with the people here whether you were aware of it or not. In a strange way, I've seen you from the moment you became a virus in a random universe to what you are now. It's hard not to have some fondness, skipping past the parasitic tendencies and body horror, for you." 

Fresh frowned as he watched the god with obvious confusion on his face. "Brah, I don't get you. But hey, suit yourself I guess. It's like havin' an omnipotent parent, but one that doesn't like go through your phone even though they could, ya know?"

Erratum did not know. Erratum didn't know at all, but they think they understood the sentiment the other was getting at. 

"I get it though, I do. Your crib is pretty dope, so I don't mind being trapped here." Fresh assured them with a grin back on his face. Erratum frowned as they looked from the portal in front of them back to Fresh. "How long have you had this host?" Fresh blinked up at them at the question. "Well, since I've been here? Maybe a couple of days before I got here?" Fresh attempted to recall, though it was hard to do when time didn't really mean much here. "Is that universe still intact? Do you even remember what universe it was?" Erratum frowned as they scanned his face for any signs of deception. "Mmm, nope! And nope. Whatever it was, it's a wasteland now. My bad." He didn't sound remorseful. Erratum steepled their hands and leaned their head forward a bit in thought. 

"I really, really should consider not doing this." Erratum spoke as they glanced back at the confused parasite. "But I'm going to lean into my morally grey alignment here as an excuse. If you keep going through worlds to take hosts, more worlds will be thrown off trajectory and potentially corrupt. Whatever world that body came from is completely unsalvagable by this point, and your form is stable and viable. That's... a good enough reason to do this, right? Binding you to this soul to prevent the destruction of many others?" It was an extremely flimsy excuse, but Erratum still felt the need to justify themselves. "I'll be honest, I ain't followin' ya." Fresh commented as he observed the conflicted expression on Erratum's face. 

"I'm deciding the bond your virus into the code of the soul you stole. I'd have to detach the sentient presence of the other Sans, but honestly, it's probably more merciful for me to do that anyway." Erratum commented as Fresh sat up abruptly. "That sounds... wicked messed up, I'll be honest." 

"Hence my hesitation to do so. The soul is doomed regardless, so there isn't much to be done about it in the first place. I'm doing my best to make this work without encroaching on Reaper's domain here." Erratum hummed as they thought about the implications of this action. "It's not really death if the body and soul don't die, right? This should be fine, it's just codes and numbers. Nothing-" 

"You'd do that for me?"

Erratum paused their moral conflict at the question. Fresh was staring at them with a mixture of confusion and what the god suspected was poorly suppressed hope. "Fresh, I've done far more preposterous things for other people. If we subtract the doomed universe, I see this as a win-win situation." They insisted as though it weren't anything special. Fresh frowned further as he tried to decipher any hidden intent behind the proposal. "You're sure about this? Don't get me wrong, I'm down, but... ya know. People won't look too favourably on this, I don't have stellar reviews with a lot of 'em." He reminded the god. 

"This concerns me because...?" 

"I mean you're the one out here trying to recruit people, yeah? I'd be harshin' the vibes on that." Fresh replied, to which Erratum hummed in acknowledgment. "I understand your point, but if I am going to have people on my side, then I want them to support my decisions as well. People are free to disagree with me, but at the very least, they must support my followers as well. More than that," Erratum placed a hand on Fresh's head, making sure the other was paying full attention to them. "You, Cross, Geno... you've resided with me in my plane for quite a while. All of you I consider as good as family, I hope you understand that." 

Fresh was silent as he took in this information, and Erratum gave him the time to absorb it all. They knew Fresh had a difficult time understanding a lot of emotions, he more survived on animalistic instinct as a parasite would, but they knew the other could comprehend them with some time. Fresh leaned forward uncertainly, pausing as he glanced up at Erratum for any signs that they were uncomfortable. When he was met with the same stare as always, he pressed his forehead against their chest and wrapped shaking arms around their middle. Erratum rumbled a soft laugh as they placed a firm hand in the center of his back. 

"I know Fresh... I know." 

Killer cringed as Nightmare handled his soul with the utmost care. He was lying back against his bed, breaths coming in soft wheezes at the pulse of pain in his soul from the small cut it received. Nightmare had it held close to his face as he observed the surface, silently cursing his slightly impaired vision as he scanned it over. It didn't appear too severe, just a little knick as he had suspected. Still, it didn't hurt to give it a full check over since injuries to the soul were no joke. 

"Hey, Boss,"

Nightmare looked up from the soul at Killer's weak voice, appraising him silently as he waited for him to speak again. "Why'd you... why'd you do that? You coulda one-shot that little bitch once you were that close, I'm sure of it. You got deadly precise aim." The wounded skeleton chuckled weakly with a faint wince. Nightmare narrowed his eye at him with fizzling irritation in the core of his being. He wasn't too sure himself because he knew the other was right. Once they had gotten Killer's soul, they could have easily taken them out in vengeance.

"I didn't want to take that risk." 

Nightmare appeared surprised by the words that came out of his own mouth, as though he hadn't expected them at all. Killer gave him a similar look of surprise, though he quickly attempted to play it off as he gave a smug grin. "Aw, I knew you cared deep down in your inky heart." He teased the spirit, as though he didn't currently hold the very core of his being and could shatter it with a tightening of his grip. Nightmare rolled his eyelight with an exasperated sigh as he replaced the soul back in its normal floating position. "You'll live, sadly." 

"Come on, Boss, you know you'd miss me if I dusted." 

"You would serve no use to me as dust." Nightmare responded dryly at the other's insistent teasing. "Though it would only be a slight downgrade if I really consider it." He added on, causing the other to full-on pout in response. "At least I actually came to help you. I didn't see Dust or Horror scrambling to assist you in today's raid." He reminded him, which only caused Nightmare to distance himself further with a cold stare. "So I'm aware." He remarked with a glance over to the open doorway of Killer's room. Both mentioned monsters retreated even further behind either edge of the doorframe at the intense glare. Killer sighed as he closed his eyes, feeling the sting in his soul with every beat it gave. "How long is this gonna take to heal up?" 

"Horror will prepare you a separate meal with what healing magic we have access to. It isn't much, but it should ease the pain at the very least." Nightmare replied without taking his eyes off of the two in the doorway. Taking the hint, Horror disappeared entirely from the doorframe to return back to his kitchen, dragging Dust along by the edge of his sleeve. 

Nightmare thought he caught a quick flash of gold, but ignored it as he stood from Killer's bed. "I expect you to lie in this bed until morning. I will reevaluate your condition then and see where we will go from there." He instructed him, to which Killer gave a weak, playful salute in response. Nightmare shook his head before heading to exit Killer's room entirely. 

"Hey... Boss?" 

Nightmare paused in the doorway, turning his head back to look at the wounded monster. Seeing him sitting up in bed, he bit back the immediate need to scold him for immediately disobeying his direct order. The contemplative look on Killer's face made him pause, however, as he seemed to search for the words to say. 

"...Thank you."

Nightmare visibly jolted, if only slightly, but it was enough for Killer to detect. He said nothing of it, but Nightmare did his best to steel himself once more in an attempt to downplay his immediate reaction. "Just keep yourself from getting into these situations. You're a skilled opponent, but your weak point is out for display at all times. If you get cocky on the battlefield, you leave yourself open for fatal mistakes." He could see Killer shrink in a bit at the response, but the other needed to hear this. "And, you're welcome." 

With that, Nightmare turned to fully exit the room, closing the door quietly behind him as he did. He exhaled the breath he had been holding after a few moments of blissful quiet, slumping forward a bit. He eventually peeled himself away from the closed door to head toward the kitchen to see to it that Horror was following his silent request. He paused a moment at the wall of mirrors he passed on his way through the corridor to the grand stairs. He wasn't sure why, but he felt compelled to at least linger for a moment. He approached one of the lengthy mirrors after a moment of inaction, considering his appearance as he placed a hand on the smooth glass.

He stared into the reflection in the mirror.

Nightmare stared right back.

Chapter Text

"Look! It even fixed your- Euugh...oh."

"Heh, don't worry, I've gotten used to it." Geno grinned a bit as Papyrus made a sound of displeasure. "No no! It's not that bad! I hardly notice it!" Papyrus quickly backtracked, which only served to make Geno laugh with a shake of his head. "Nah, it's fine. Kinda been beaten into submission over the topic. Plus, I'm pretty certain they're watching and I will catch hell if I make a negative remark on myself." 

"Uhhh... who's watching?" Sans questioned with a hint of anxiety while Frisk stood nearby in confusion. "Don't worry, give it a minute." Geno assured as he continued to look out over the sunset with a faint smile. He couldn't believe it had been as simple as eating a damn pie. The difference between life and death had been a, rather tasty he would admit, piece of pastry. He allowed the thought to drift away as he heard the rift in reality open up from behind. "Heh, took your time." 

"As though I would forget you." 

Geno turned around to face them, looking quite surprised to see a few others with them. Cross gave him a small wave while Fresh gave him a set of finger guns with a wide grin. "I thought he was grounded?" He frowned with a suspicious look. 

"HOW MANY BROTHERS DO I HAVE???" Papyrus shouted as his hands grasped either side of his skull. 

"His... condition... has been fixed," Erratum assured with a quick glance over to the other inhabitants nearby. "My apologies, these monsters are from different alternate realities to this one. They aren't from this world." They did their best to explain. "You can just... do that? Move between realities?" Sans questioned as he examined this strange new being, who gave a soft laugh in response. Sans didn't see what was so funny, but Geno rested a hand on his shoulder with a grin.

"This is Errata, Guardian of Order. Basically, they're a god." Geno said it so matter-of-factly while Sans was busy trying to comprehend the complexity of that. "Okay??" He managed after a moment of confusion. "That's... definitely something." He remarked as he suddenly felt extremely intimidated by all of these new monsters. "Yeah, it's a lot to take in. I don't even have the time to explain everything that's happened to me." Geno chuckled a bit as he squeezed Sans's shoulder in reassurance.

"Geno,"

Said monster tensed a bit as a faint flush rose to his face. He glanced over with his eye widened at the call, and Erratum stepped aside to allow the demigod through. "I'm pretty sure, deity laws or not, he would have reaped my soul if I didn't alert him when we were coming to see you." The god explained as Reaper hovered to Geno, while Sans backed up immediately at the sight of what was basically the Grim Reaper. Geno groaned in embarrassment as he pulled his scarf up under his nasal aperture to try and hide. Reaper trilled as he enveloped him in his wings with a pleased smile regardless.

"Erm... sooooo...?" Sans spoke up after a moment of silence, giving Geno a confused look. Geno flushed a bit more as he pulled his scarf down to properly speak. "Right, this uh... this is Reaper, yes he reaps souls so let's address the elephant in the room first." He immediately explained. "He uh... I'm, well, I mean we...?" He glanced at Reaper for a moment as he tried to find the right words to say. "He's my partner, I guess that's the way to put it?" This seemed to please Reaper as his feathers ruffled around him. 

Sans continued to stare at him for a moment at this revelation. "So... I guess you really did have a date with death, huh?" He grinned with a wink at him. Geno couldn't even appreciate the pun as he buried his head in his hands while Reaper laughed. "Heh heh, well, glad he makes you happy? I'll be honest, this is very strange." He admitted. "There is no part about my life that isn't strange, trust me," Geno assured with a weary sigh. Reaper moved to release him after a moment, standing aside so Erratum could approach. Geno rolled his eyes as he leaned his head forward a bit, allowing the god to place their hand on the top of their head.

"I'm sorry it took as long as it did to get your world fixed, but I am more than happy to see that it has a happy ending. Resets do not exist past this point, so you are free to live your life without the looming threat." Erratum assured him, getting a joyful grin in response. "Wait, you're serious?" Sans checked as he looked from Frisk back to Errata. "No more resets, ever, right? No jumping back to the beginning?" He had to be sure he understood correctly. "That's correct. This timeline had a definitive endpoint in the story. Jumping back to the beginning when there are two of you here would be... messy anyway." They had a passing thought of the conjoined monsters they had seen but pushed it down into their mind to lock it away. Sans seemed to deflate with relief as he leaned against Papyrus, who didn't seem to understand but was happy everyone else was happy. 

"Errata, I don't know how to thank you enough. I know I might not be around all the time like I was, but-" Geno huffed a bit in surprise as the god pulled him in close to embrace him. "You can travel freely between universes without dusting now. Your determination allows you more power to do so than most Sanses, and I'm certain Reaper is more than eager to show you how. You are always free to drop in at any time. You will always be family to me." Geno pressed his face further into their chest with a pathetic sound. "Damn you and your words." He choked, slightly muffled in the material of their robe. The god merely smiled and held onto him tightly, reveling in the knowledge the other was happy. Soon, Cross and Fresh were nudging their way into the embrace with matching grins. Errata felt a sense of peace in their soul they hadn't felt in quite a long time.

They all looked up in alarm at the sound of footsteps rushing toward them. Undyne soon appeared from up the mountain pathway, shouting something about a movie. She paused as she took in the scene, glancing around at all the skeletons in the area. Geno's grin tensed as he began to sweat at the expression on her face. "Uh... hi...?"

"SANS, WHAT THE HELL??"

"Language..."

Dream had been anxious all day.

He had to spend several hours pacing and giving himself a pep talk to convince himself to go through with what he had planned. The moment he stepped into Erratum's plane, however, he instantly found all that gathered nerve fleeing him. He could see the god resting at their altar as they normally did and he was certain the other was aware of his presence. They must be waiting for him to approach, but Dream felt his knees lock up as he thought about it.

"Hey Dream!" 

The positive spirit perked up a bit as Cross came to greet him, smiling a bit easier as the champion held his hand out for him. Dream grasped his hand in a friendly gesture, giving him the same smile he gave everyone. "Hello Cross, I hope you've been well?" He replied pleasantly to the guard. "Now that Geno's doing better and Fresh is well? Yeah, it's been pretty good." Dream blinked in confusion at this, tilting his head slightly. "Fresh?" He questioned curiously. "Oh, right. Errata... uh, how did they explain it? Combined his parasite form with the soul's code? Smooshed them together? Shoved the soul into him? It's... I'll be honest I still don't understand." Cross admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck, causing Dream to cover his mouth and giggle. "So, he's got a permanent body then? No more stealing bodies?" He questioned to progress the conversation along. "Nope, he's good to go, which means he can leave if he wants to, but I think he likes hanging around. So yeah, things are pretty good, all things considered." He frowned after another moment. Dream felt a small squeeze in his soul at the reminder of the ongoing conflict. "Right... I wanted to speak to Errata about that, actually." He informed him, to which Cross gave him a curious look but nodded. "Sure thing, just go talk to them. You don't have to schedule an appointment." He teased him as he pushed him forward a bit insistently. Dream laughed a bit at the gesture before reluctantly moving to approach the settled Guardian. He instantly felt his nerves alight with anxiety once more as he paused a few feet away, hands wringing together nervously.

"Your fear is practically palatable, Dream." The spirit jolted a bit as Erratum cracked one eye open to appraise him. "You come here seeking counsel or for a listening ear?" They questioned as Dream settled on their knees in front of them. It had taken a while for the god to assure him that the entire deity greeting thing was entirely unnecessary, especially in private company. "Well... I-I wanted to talk about this whole war thing." He started, to which Erratum's face contorted into one of sorrow. "I had assumed you would at some point. It is not my want for there to be any conflict, and with any luck, I can help prevent any actual fighting between universes. I actually plan to speak to the creator sometime soon about keeping the conflict between us. I would have a better chance of getting through to him if he didn't feel persecuted." Which, to be fair, Erratum was aware that this was exactly the issue at hand. Ink had become a target of animosity and accusations due to his role in their universes which, ultimately, led people to expect him to take the blame for everything in them. 

Erratum knew they were just as guilty for this assumption, as well as a prejudiced view of him for his soulless state. They had resolved that struggle themselves after messing with the shattered pieces of Ink's soul, however, but their original stance on it had spearheaded their own followers' opinions upon it. They knew they needed to fix this, but with them also attempting to find a solution to helping Ink and the multiverse, they were feeling quite overwhelmed. 

"Right, so, you don't really have like... hatred for Ink? You don't want to punish him or something?" Dream ventured with a worried expression. "Absolutely not. I've been bigoted enough the way it is. I thought I was his Karma for his actions, but I believe I've been looking at Karma very one-sided." Erratum explained to him. "Karma isn't always negative. There is good Karma as well, and perhaps because I am always dealing with the bad kind, I forget the good still exists. Good intent breeds good Karma, and I do believe in the beginning, that he had good intentions. Even now, despite it all, I don't believe any of this is malicious intent. Not only this but can Ink really be put to blame for a lot of actions? I feel like... he doesn't really understand. Concepts like death can be hard to comprehend when nothing seems permanent to you as an immortal being. He didn't have someone like I did. Karma was there for me when all of this deity stuff was thrust upon me." Dream was hanging onto their words as they spoke, seeming to gain something from it. "He needs guidance, not fixing. I think that is ultimately where I've gone wrong." 

Dream let out a long sigh as he took in their words. "We all make mistakes, none of us are infallible. I think it's very becoming of a Guardian to admit to their faults." He smiled at them before looking down at the ground again in thought. "So... I feel less guilty when I tell you this..." He still felt trepidatious about having this conversation, but they had to do it! They had to be strong!

"You want to go back to him."

Dream looked up sharply at this, shocked as he stared into Erratum's knowing eyes. "You understand him more after all of this has come to light and you know he has never truly meant you any harm. Ink favoured you so much when he made your world, even if it went poorly in the end due to it. I don't believe Ink would ever want to hurt you, Dream, not intentionally. In the end, I think you're the only one he truly trusted. He really needs someone like you on his side right now." The god nodded to him once in approval at the unspoken request. Dream slumped his shoulders a bit with a weak smile. "You're not... mad? Upset that I'm basically turning my back on you?" 

"Is that what you consider it? Do you plan to fight me or keep me from helping?"

"Of course not!" Dream insisted quickly. "I know we want the same thing, Errata, I just... that's what it feels like I'm doing." He sighed miserably. "It feels like any decision I make is gonna be the wrong one..." Erratum placed a comforting hand on his shoulder with a heavy sigh. "I understand... I understand that far too well. I assure you, however, that you aren't betraying anyone. I will explain it to the others as well so they might understand too." 

"I'd appreciate that. I think it would sound better coming from you, and... I don't know if I could tell them all of this to their faces." Dream admitted with a flash of shame. He knew that Erratum would articulate everything perfectly to the others, however, where he's certain he would trip up and stumble trying to explain. "Anyway, thank you for being open-minded about this. I appreciate that you listen to me and don't condemn me." He sighed. "I believe most of my condemning days are over. Unless it comes to serious matters, I'd rather it not come to that." Erratum assured him. 

"Well, I'm just glad you're so understanding." Dream glanced up at them again with an uncertain expression. "You don't... think different of me, right?" He had to check and he knew the other would be straightforward with him. Erratum seemed perplexed by the question, the spirit could tell by the squint of their eyes and the tilt of their head. "Of course, I don't. You are perfectly capable of making your own choices, Dream. You don't have to get my approval for anything, I sure hope you know that. Just as I've said to my other boys, you will always have a family in me if you should so need it." Dream appeared overjoyed at this, wrapping his arms around Erratum's neck and nearly pulling them down as he squeezed them tightly. "Thank you! I thought you'd say as much, but, I had to be sure." He beamed at the god as he released them before getting back to his feet. "I'll still pop by when I can, I promise!" Dream called out to them before opening a portal back out. Erratum gave him a wave as he left, smiling to themselves quietly.

Dream shuffled nervously after stepping through the portal into the Doodlesphere. He knew Ink would sense him there pretty soon, so he only had a few minutes, at best, to prepare himself. He didn't know how the other would react to seeing him again. Dream had walked out of their last council meeting after Ink had crippled Erratum for three entire days. He thought he was doing the right thing by distancing himself from the conflict, but he didn't think he'd be able to avoid getting involved in the end. Perhaps if he was by Ink's side, he could attempt to be the rational one in the situation. There was only one potential problem; Ink was a wildcard. There was no way for Dream to gauge how the other would react until after everything was said and done.

The sound of papers scattering had Dream looking up and snapping out of his worrying thoughts. Ink soon appeared from somewhere above, probably having been checking over his worlds, dropping down onto the ground with a blank expression on his face. His eyes cycled through several shapes as he stared at Dream, trying to assess why he was here. 

"You came back."

Dream rubbed his arm nervously as he looked away from him. "Yeah... I did." He replied quietly, unsure how else to respond. "Ink... I don't think you're a bad person." He spoke again after the silence grew too uncomfortable. "I...I thought you were just carelessly making worlds because you could...but... I don't think that's the case." He knew for a fact it wasn't if Erratum's speech about their stay in The Between was to be believed. "I know... I know you don't have a soul," He could see the other jolt just the slightest bit at the statement. "But I know you use your paints to stimulate an emotional response. How you respond when you take all of them... is that really any different than having an emotion evoked from a normal monster? Doesn't each emotion come naturally when the situation arises? Does it really matter if it's from a soul or from a vial?" He looked up at Ink, seeing he was still paying attention to him, though Dream couldn't tell what he was thinking nor feeling. "I know we can make this work, Ink. We can come to a solution with as little violence as possible. The others that are getting involved? They're all mortals... we can't expect them to fight, Ink. They're not like us, and we can't let them die outside of their own universes. We don't know the implications of that." He was wringing his hands together again, anxious about how the other was taking this.

"I'm sorry I said that." 

Dream paused his speech at this. "I... what?" He questioned, uncertain what the other was talking about. Ink frowned as he looked off to the side and away from Dream for the first time. "What I said, back in the council. That... you're only motive was to get your brother back. The implication that you'd betray us if it meant you could. I know that isn't true... I shouldn't have said it." His tone was quiet, and while he was normally quite reserved, he seemed to be open with the spirit now. Dream exhaled slowly as he gave the other a sad smile. "I know, Ink... I know you didn't mean it, but it did hurt. I try really hard to keep things together, both balance-wise and mentally, and I don't think people really appreciate that. I don't think people know how hard we all work and what we have to go through as deities. It's... a lot. Every deity has so much pressure on their shoulders that I'm shocked the majority of us haven't cracked under the pressure yet. I think I've been close a few times." He admitted solemnly. 

"Yeah... I think I was too." Dream seemed surprised by Ink's confession but didn't address it for fear of him lashing out or pulling back. Instead, he took a few more steps toward him with a gentle smile on his face. "Well... I think we were always better keeping each other in check when we were together." He gave him a hopeful look, scrunching his shoulder a bit and ducking his head slightly. Ink looked him over a moment, seeming to truly consider the other's words as he did so. Dream did his best not to flinch when Ink moved his hands, watching as they moved to retrieve two vials. He wasn't sure what the colours meant, but the yellows and pinks looked pretty in their vials. The artist took two small tastes of the paints before replacing them back in his sash. After a few steady moments, his eyelights shifted back to more colourful arrays as his face lit up.

"You mean it then? You'll stay?" Ink grinned, causing Dream to breathe silently in relief. "Yes Ink, I mean it. Goodness knows what you've been doing on your own all this time. I bet the base is a mess too! Can you even open the front door or do you have to portal in?" The spirit gave him a knowing look while Ink just gave a sheepish shrug. Dream gave a small surprised gasp as Ink pulled him up off his feet and lifted him a bit, as if holding up an art piece to admire. "Whatever! You like cleaning anyway! It'll be fun! You'll sweep, and I'll sit on the couch and watch you!" He insisted, drawing a laugh from the positive spirit at the artist's antics. 

"Okay Ink, whatever you say." He felt if he concentrated enough, he could almost feel the joy radiating from the artist. Watching how he held onto him and talked in that fast, excited tone, Dream really didn't think Ink was so much different than any other monster, after all.

Soul or not.

Chapter Text

It had taken a few explanations, but eventually, Erratum's followers accepted (some begrudgingly) Dream's decision in the end. Erratum had assured them all that Dream had not turned his back on them or betrayed them, and in the end, no one was really all that surprised. Dream would most likely die a martyr if this conflict didn't resolve itself quickly. This was why Erratum had been planning how they would approach the creator without him immediately trying to kill them. 

"hOI!" 

Erratum exhaled slowly as they opened their eyes to stare down at the small creature. "You are looking well." They noted as the Temmie rested either front paw on their leg. Their fur was clean and kempt and they had returned to their rotund and stretchy form. Erratum patted their head and allowed them to settle in their lap, resting peacefully and watching as Temmie ran past the both of them. 

Wait.

Erratum turned their head quickly to see the creature bounding off, looking back down at the Temmie still settled down in their lap. Small error windows popped up around them a moment as they tried to understand what they had just seen, but then they spotted someone slinking by their altar. They narrowed their eyes a bit at the suspicious behaviour of their most volatile visitor. They crossed their arms and frowned as the other tried to slip past them. 

"Fresh..." 

Said monster froze in place, turning their head and displaying their shades, spelling out a telling 'UH OH' on them. "Heya, fam! What's hangin'?" The colourful parasite greeted, attempting to hold his jacket closed with both hands. Erratum scanned him up and down with an unimpressed look, beckoning him closer with a curl of their finger. "Come here." 

"Ahh, ya sure? I mean-" 

"Fresh," 

Fresh quickly stepped up to the god as they rose to their feet and appraised Fresh's nervous form. They could hear faint noises now that he was closer, causing them to furrow their brow bone and zero in on the jacket he was holding closed. "What do you have there?" They questioned, watching as Fresh began to sweat a bit. "Nothin'! Just passin' through, nothin' to see here!" He insisted, as though Erratum would actually buy that. "Mhmm." The hum sounded doubtful as they gave him an impatient sigh. "Open your jacket." 

"Actually I'm wicked chilly right now, so-" 

"That wasn't a suggestion, Fresh." 

"Yeah I get that but can we reschedule dis? I gots place t' be." 

Erratum scowled a bit as they reached forward themselves and grasped the lapels of the brightly coloured jacket. Before Fresh could even process it, the other had already forced the other's hands away and the jacket open. 

Small, numerous little monsters tumbled out from the clothing. Each of them gave little sounds and squeaks, various 'hoi's and 'awawa's echoing through the area. Erratum was completely speechless as they stared at the Temmies now swarming at their ankles with fascinated noises. 

"Don't get mad-" 

"Where did they all come from?!" Erratum sputtered as Fresh gave a sheepish grin. "Well, dat's the thing! Once the lil' guy was all healed up, they started... multiplyin'? It was mad weird to see 'em split apart like little amoebas, but ay, love dat for em! Now they got a dope lil family!" Fresh was grinning widely as he pulled his cap off, a smaller Tem sitting on his skull contently. Erratum ran a hand down their face with an exasperated expression. They couldn't believe they hadn't seen them multiplying! Then again, it looked as though Fresh had been hiding it for quite a while considering the sheer number of them. 

"What am I to do with all of these creatures?!"

"Brah, you're da one with all the powers here. You can make 'em a little place to stay, right? Like what they used t' have? C'mon, ya can't just boot 'em back into Horrortale!" Fresh insisted, trying to keep a pleading face on and not let out a snort as the small cat-like monsters climbed their way up on the annoyed Guardian, who didn't seem in a hurry to do anything about it. Erratum pondered upon how their life had come to this; every single decision they had made led them to this very moment. 

"Let me make sure I am understanding this correctly," Erratum started, their patience being tested to the absolute limit as Fresh stood there, grinning and holding onto a Temmie. "You want me to create a little village for these creatures to live. The very first homes I actually make... are for these?" They lifted one arm as a few clung to the threads of their robes.

"Erm... yeah?" Fresh grinned weakly with his shoulders hunched a bit. Erratum gave a heavy sigh and let their arm flop back down uselessly.

"Yeah, sure, why not..." This was their life.

And so, Erratum stood before Verse and worked tirelessly on the screen it displayed to them. Fresh hovered nearby, appraising their work while the Tem on his scalp leaned over as well.  

"Nah fam, dey like cardboard!" 

"Cardboard? That's not a stable material for-"

"YAYA! CawrDBOd!"

"Right... of course."

It was a strange creation of makeshift lean-tos and cardboard boxes, but the little creatures appeared delighted when they were introduced to it. In the end, Errataum had to admit it brought them the same warmth to their soul as helping another universe did.

It was a strange way to spend their day, but they decided it wasn't the worst way to do it.  

"You have to swear to me that if things go sour, you'll call for us." Cross was staring Erratum down with fierce intensity as the other prepared to breach back into the Doodlesphere. Erratum had insisted the best way to approach the creator without starting an immediate conflict would be if they went alone. Cross had not liked this idea but had begrudgingly accepted that they made a valid point. Now, Erratum simply had to bear through his long lecture before they would be able to set off.

"Yes, I've kept a backdoor open into that world that will allow you to enter if it is so needed." Erratum reassured the tense guard, who only sharpened their glare. "I will call for you if things escalate to out-of-control levels." They assured him, which only did so much to relieve his anxieties. "Okay... because I'll be furious if you don't." He reminded them with a flash of gold pulsating briefly in their markings. Errata gave an amused smile, much to Cross's irritation, and rested a hand on his head. "Plus, I need you to stay behind. Reaper agreed to help with T.K, but so did Fresh. I would appreciate you ensuring neither of them pushes him too far. Even if they are Time's champion, they are still a child." Cross softened his expression a bit and sagged his shoulders with a sigh. "Yeah... I get what it's like to have such high expectations on your shoulders from a young age..." He agreed. 

"Just as you trained Blue to find his strengths, I know you can help T.K to hone his powers without becoming... well," Erratum gave a soft laugh as they gestured to themselves. "In over their heads." They watched as Cross rolled their eyelights at this. "Yeah, no need to tell me twice. Get 'em while they're young before they become workaholics trying to fix the entire multiverse's problems." 

"This feels like a personal attack." 

"You'd be correct." 

Erratum gave him a soft smile before a rift opened up behind them. "All right, I really must be going now. I will call for you if things go poorly, all right?" They insisted, to which Cross gave them a doubtful look but nodded regardless. Erratum knew there would be no convincing him entirely but was thankful he was willing to trust them regardless. Erratum stepped through into the vast floating island-like area before the rift closed behind them. 

All they needed to do now was wait. The creator would come for them. 

They settled themselves on the ground, folding their legs and waiting for the creator to appear. They weren't entirely certain what they were going to say, but they had a basic outline of what they wanted to convey to him. They hoped that was enough to springboard off of, and of course, that the other would be willing to listen to them. They perked up a bit as Ink suddenly landed on the ground a few feet away from them, looking less than pleased to see the god. 

"You." 

Ink's eyelights were a bright red, locked onto the passive Guardian sitting on the floor of the Doodlesphere. Erratum was watching them, appearing relaxed in stature though they were completely on guard with the artist present. "Are you that eager to die or something?" He growled as his brush bounced anxiously in his hands. Erratum shook their head a bit, not moving off the floor despite the other's hostility. 

"No, this isn't about fighting. In fact, the best way to start this off is by apologizing." 

Ink narrowed their eyes a bit, shapes shifting within them as he tried to understand what the other meant. "This whole multiverse 'war', the divide between universes, the way others have begun to scorn you," They could see the flash of some unidentified emotion pass briefly over his face as they said this. "It all has a common factor, and that is myself. I didn't know you or your story well enough to draw a proper conclusion, and yet I did anyway. For that, I am genuinely sorry, Ink." Erratum appraised the artist the entire time, trying to gauge how the other would take this.

"You think that means anything to me?" Ink snarled, though the rapidly shifting shapes in his eyes spoke volumes to Erratum about how the other actually felt about it. Erratum briefly wondered if anyone had ever owned up to a mistake to the creator before. Perhaps they all placed their flaws and faults on him for creating them in the first place. Erratum quickly brought themselves back to reality as Ink continued to glower at them. "You attacked me, you destroyed my worlds, you turned my friends against me, and a sorry is what you have to offer me??" 

"Not necessarily, no. I want to make things right and explain to everyone what's truly going on here." Erratum insisted, getting to their feet now as Ink continued to show rising levels of hostility. The artist tensed as they did, but the god made no move to attack him. "They need to know why I'm here, why Dream and Nightmare are essential to the multiverse, why you make your worlds, which is something we can accomplish togeth-"

"What do you mean, 'why I make my worlds'?" Ink cut them off with a sneer. "You might win everyone else over by acting all-knowing, but that facade doesn't work on me. You know nothing about me!" Erratum gave him a sad expression, which only made Ink want to crack their skull all over again. 

"Ink..." Erratum sighed heavily at the resistance the other was putting up. "I've been around nearly as long as you have. I've heard your stories from the Guardians themselves, I've seen your past, your actions, and your life through memories and through direct observations. I know more about you than you can remember about yourself." Erratum watched the other back up slightly, putting more distance between them. "I saw your creation by Fate; I live in the same place you were created!" 

Ink seemed to freeze at this, looking uncomfortable at the mention of the antivoid. "The... the white place?" The slight tremble in his voice was audible, and Erratum had the natural urge to comfort him immediately. They resisted, however, and simply nodded their head. "Yes, though it is much different now that I'm there. I can manipulate that plane with almost no limitations, and endless white was simply not what I saw as homely. So, I changed it to be more inhabitable." Erratum explained to him. "I'm... sorry you were left there for so long. Alone and confused... I'm certain it was a horrible experience." 

"Don't pretend to care. You would just as soon find joy in my death." Ink snapped at the audacity the other had to say this. "Not at all!" Erratum instantly denied with a wide-eyed stare. "Just like myself, you were never asked to be made. You were never asked if this," They gestured around to the floating land they were on, looking up at the hanging paper that decorated the world. "Was the life you wanted. We were created with a purpose from a higher being and we're doing the best with what we have." They watched as Ink wavered a bit, face contorting between agony and outrage. "I thought you made worlds on a whim, just because. I thought you made cruel worlds as an experiment... but I was wrong. I was so very wrong." The grim expression made Ink feel a wave of anxiety in the cavity of their chest, as though the other knew some terrible secret about him. 

"Why didn't you tell any of them?" 

Ink furrowed his brow bone a moment, attempting to understand what they were talking about. "Tell who what? What are you talking about?" He demanded of them, brush held in front of him threateningly. "Stop being cryptic and vague and just tell me up front!" 

"About the voices. The muses that speak to you." 

Ink felt that rolling wave of anxiety spike to new levels. "How..." He breathed as Erratum continued to watch him tremble and panic. "You can't know that... you can't possibly know about that!" He denied frantically as he backed even further away from the god. "There are many things I have the unfortunate knowledge of. In the end, it doesn't matter. I want to help you, not hurt you, Ink. I know it may not seem that way after everything that's happened, but I sincerely mean that!" They tried to reason with him, but they could see the other was hesitant to believe them in his defensive state. "I don't want your help!" Ink spit the words out hatefully, shaking off the anxiety with a quick taste from his red vial. "You're just trying to manipulate me!" 

Erratum made a frustrated noise as they rested a hand on their forehead. "I just need you to give me a chance to prove it to you!" They continued their attempts to appeal to him, but Ink didn't seem willing to hear them out any longer. "You lost any chance to ask anything of me!" Ink swiped his brush forward, a slew of paint heading Erratum's way. The god jolted as Verse appeared before them, expanding their window and absorbing the messy attack. Erratum quickly hit the download button, watching a cloud of binary hover in the air beside them. 

A blob of paint appeared from the code, falling to the ground with a crude 'SPLAT' while Erratum stared at it. Ink stared as well, befuddled and confused by the 'attack' the other made.

"I'm... not certain what I expected." Erratum admitted as they glanced away from the stain on the ground. They couldn't wield ink and paint the way the creator did, after all. Ink shook their head, snapping themselves out of their trance, and glared at the other. "You can't prove squat to me, so you might as well leave before I put another crack in your skull!" He threatened, but Erratum blinked at the words. 

Maybe they could prove it.

Erratum held their hands up as the other took a threatening step forward. "What if I could?" They questioned, watching Ink give them a peculiar look and slightly lower their brush. "What are you talking-" 

That was all the distraction they needed to shoot their strings forward. Ink gave a choked gasp as they pierced through the frontal bone of their skull, leaving no damage in their path into his mind. Once again, Erratum found themselves experiencing these memories in a first-person view from the creator's perspective.

They could see the shapeless form of Fate, cupping them in their hands as magic burned and throbbed within their chest to the point it was nearly unbearable. A sickening popping sensation resonated within their chest as shattered pieces escaped through their ribs. The pieces scattered like shrapnel, leaving a cold, empty and numb feeling within their body. 

This wasn't enough, Erratum knew they needed more than this. 

 They could hear the soft words of Fate whispering to them, seeming to coil around their entire body. 

"-My wonderful creation, and you shall show-"  

Everything was fading in and out, and Erratum quickly recalled their theory that Ink may not have been fully conscious, or even entirely sentient yet, when this was being explained to him. 

"-Too much, and the multiverse will-" 

"-Will make due to give you the emotions the others-"

"-Create, my wonderful-" 

Erratum broke away from their hold on his mind, trembling as they fell onto their knees. Their ears were ringing, marrow dripping from the acoustic meatus as they gasped for air. Marrow ran from their nose, and they could even taste it in their mouth. Their body was pushed to the limit trying to pull forward these memories to experience them, and they could feel how much energy it sapped from them. Their head felt like it could cave in and crumble away under all the pressure within their skull.

Ink was hunched over, black ink on the ground below him where he had presumably vomited from the experience. He looked up slowly to Erratum, face unreadable as the god tried to keep themselves from simply collapsing forward altogether. "I don't..." Ink trailed off, his voice raw from the screams he had let out. Erratum nodded weakly at his words, fatigue visible in their eyes. "I can see... why you may not have understood what they explained to you." They huffed out weakly. "You were hardly aware..." 

"I don't understand..." Ink whispered as he clutched onto his brush, holding it tight to his body like a security item. "Ink... you're Fate's champion... you're meant to help this multiverse. You can't do it without guidance... without knowing what to do. Let me help you..." They touched Verse's screen, pulling forth a small shard from it. Ink stared wide-eyed, recognizing the fragment from the flashes of memories he had seen. "I know I can do it... I can help... I can save you." Ink watched as the small shard retreated back into the task menu, hands trembling as he dropped the brush in his hands. "I..." He clenched his eyes closed and gritted his teeth. 

"NO!" 

Erratum jolted a bit at the sudden outburst. "No...?" They grunted as they pushed themselves up with great effort. "Ink, please, I-"

"I don't TRUST YOU!" Ink shouted as he groped around his sash a moment in a panic. "You're... you're trying to trick me! How do I know those are even my memories? How do I know you aren't fucking with me?! You're trying to appeal to my emotions, my vulnerable side." He clenched his teeth as he withdrew a white vial from the edge of his sash, eyes peering at them with a wild expression.

"But I won't let you." 

Erratum watched the other down the white vial with a frantic swallow, feeling a rising sense of dread in their stomach. Ink leaned forward and vomited a sludge brown slew of paint onto the ground, body stiff as he panted and braced his hands on his knees. He stayed that way for a while, the oppressive atmosphere weighing Erratum down further. Ink finally moved after another tense moment of silence, turning their head upward to stare at Erratum.

Their eyes were reduced to small, white pinpoints. Something about them brought genuine fear to Erratum's soul. 

"Ink?" Erratum cautiously called out to him, watching the creator pick up their brush and appraise it with a blank expression. They glanced up to Erratum again after another moment, those same dead eyes staring straight through them. Then, suddenly, he launched himself at the Guardian. 

Erratum gasped as their wall shot up for protection, but the fierce slam of Ink's brush combined with Erratum's already exhausted magic reduced it to nothing but pixels. Erratum stared with wide eyes as the artist swung the brush around with practiced ease, slamming it into the side of their ribs and sending them careening to the side. Erratum gave a shout of pain as they slid across the Doodlesphere's floor, winded and stunned from the sudden attack. They quickly noticed the warning window before them, barely rolling away in time to avoid the handle of the brush slamming down where their head would have been. 

"Ink, stop!" Erratum shouted, wincing as they pulled themselves to their feet. "I don't want to fight you! Just-" They had to dodge a few more slews of paint, the other giving them no time in between attacks to even consider retaliating in any way. The artist moved one hand to the side, summoning a blob of floating black ink just above his hand. He flourished his hand, the ink snaking around and shifting to his will. It lashed out like a whip, which Erratum barely had time to avoid. The ink wound around their wrist, however, as it obeyed the command of its wielder. Erratum retaliated by shooting forth their own strings, which caused Ink's focus to switch to them and the ink holding Erratum to dissipate. The artist lashed out with their brush, a wave of red paint coating and dissolving the strings as they made contact. Erratum stared on with shock as they did, never having seen anything able to destroy the threads they had made. 

Ink seemed to appraise the puddle of red paint on the ground, growing still again as he did so. Erratum took that moment to slowly begin to approach again, step-by-step, trying not to make it obvious. "Ink... please, we don't have to do this. We don't have to fight." 

"You lie to Ink." Erratum stopped as the artist spoke, never taking his eyes off the red paint. "You hurt Ink. We won't trust you." The god noted the odd speech pattern the other adopted, assuming it was the result of whatever he had taken before he attacked. "I admit that I was wrong, that I've handled things poorly. Trust is something I want to earn from you, and I can only hope that I can prove to you that I truly want to help." That seemed to trigger a reaction from the artist, who moved their hand up again. Suddenly, the red paint jumped to life, flying toward Erratum in a surprise attack. 

"We don't want your help." 

Erratum gave a pained wail as the red paint collided with their face, slathering both orbits down to the sphenoid bones. They grasped at their sockets, only able to feel the burning pain as they desperately dug at the paint that blinded them. Their fingertips burned as they became coated with the paint covering their eyes, only bringing forth more searing pain. It was agonizing, and they felt for a moment that they truly might die at the hands of the creator.

But then, they could hear the sound of crackling magic and sense new souls entering the Doodlesphere. There was a brief sound of scuffling and screams, but they couldn't separate whose voice belonged to who, and they certainly couldn't see them. After a few agonizing minutes, they felt a set of arms attempting to hoist them up. They resisted immediately, uncertain who was attempting to manhandle them.

"Errata, relax! Shit, just hold still. Verse, open a portal back!" Erratum was relieved to hear Cross's voice. "I can't see!" They didn't mean for it to come out as frantic as it did, but they were terrified and completely defenseless. Cross hushed them, trying to keep them calm and their head still. "Blue, come on! Just leave him here, he doesn't take priority over Errata!" So Blue was here too? Of course, their call would reach out to both of them. They could feel it when they passed back through to their plane, landing on their back with their head in someone's lap. "Geno! Get some water, as much as you can carry in a bowl!" They heard Cross command. They listened to the sound of feet crushing grass around them, hurrying around in a frantic manner. 

"Hold still," 

Erratum arched and jerked as water poured into their sockets, washing out the paint left behind from the attack. Cross sat them up after a minute, helping them drain the water from their sockets. The god gave a few hard blinks, staring at the fuzzy image of Cross in front of them. "Errata!" Cross breathed out in relief as he saw their eyelights again. "Are you okay? Can you see?" 

"A little?" Erratum replied, reaching their hand out to feel how far the other was from them. "Shit... um, maybe it's temporary. You'll heal, right? You'll be fine." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "Brah," Fresh frowned as a metal bat appeared in their hand, moving to rest it on his shoulder. "It's on sight, my dude. On sight." Erratum shook their head quickly at this, not wanting to escalate this further. "No, we can't do that. He doesn't understand, and it was clear he wasn't in the right mindset. I'm not sure what was in that vial but-"

"Wait," Blue cut them off with a concerned frown. "What colour was it?" 

"White?"

Blue huffed out a frustrated breath. "That's what I thought. Whenever he did that back when we were fighting as the Stars, he would just lose all control. He'd vomit this gross brown crap and then just attack, no mercy and no restraints." He recalled with a frown. "It was always kind of scary to watch." Erratum swiped uselessly at the air toward Blue, frustrated they couldn't properly see him to comfort him. "I believe it's a mixture of all the other paints he has consumed. It sets him to a blank state with no emotions, and apparently with no ability to hold back." They felt Blue press against their side in a hold, smiling softly as their champion squeezed onto them. 

"Well," Cross sighed as he leaned against Erratum. "At least you called for us... a little late, but I guess it's something." He grumbled. "It wasn't going bad until the very end. I did what I promised to do, didn't I?" They felt the skeleton give another hard sigh. "Yeah... you're not gonna hear the end of this though. I'm gonna have to go back to following you everywhere you go again." 

Great.

Now that the adrenaline had faded, a dull painful throb settled within their sockets. Fear gripped their soul as they silently wondered if their eyes would ever get any better than what they were now. What use would they be if they couldn't see? How could they navigate and assist others if they couldn't even see three inches in front of their face? They would be useless, worthless as a Guardian. They had too many people relying on them; they couldn't become the one relying on others. 

As if sensing their rising distress, Blue and Cross pressed closer to them in a futile attempt to provide comfort. The rest of the group remained quiet as Erratum's breath gave terrified hitches every so often, trying to accept the sudden debilitating injury. 

Chapter Text

"Maybe I can help!"

T.K sat up on his knees in front of Erratum, a look of determination in his eyes that the god couldn't see. Blue had wrapped several bandages around their skull to keep their eyes protected while they healed what they could. The god had been more subdued and quiet over the days, as though the loss of sight threw them into a more vulnerable demeanor. Erratum turned their head in the direction of the child's voice, their smile gentle and sad.

"My little Stopwatch," Errata sighed, reaching their hand out until T.K scooted closer and pressed his head up against the outstretched hand. "You're sweet, but you have a lot more training to do before you can reverse Time that significantly." They could tell the other was pouting without even seeing them. "But! I can cause a seed to sprout into a full flower and revert it back to a seed instantly! I can totally reverse Time on your eyes to reverse the damage! I'm getting really good at controlling it!" T.K protested insistently at their statement. "And you're doing wonderfully. You've come to use your magic much quicker than I did when I was first starting out, but that is the fact of the matter; you are just starting. Your heart is larger than your magical reserves." Erratum pet along his skull as they felt him slump in defeat. "What's the point in being a champion if I can't do anything? I'm just a dumb kid in over their head." T.K mumbled, clearly disheartened. 

"Hey now," Errata sat up a bit straighter in response, a frown firm on their face. "I won't hear such words, you understand? It is frustrating to have such unfathomable power with no skill to wield it, I understand that well, but that does not mean you are dumb. As for being a child, there is nothing wrong with that either. You have a lot of responsibility on you at such a young age, but don't let your size determine your worth." They instructed him firmly. T.K gave a small snicker as he listened to the other rant. "We should put you in a box and have people pay gold through a coin slot for your wisdom like those old fortune teller machines." He quipped, earning a soft laugh from Erratum. 

T.K perked up at the sound of a new portal opening into the world, standing up immediately and aiming their slingshot at the positive spirit that appeared. Dream blinked at the hostile posture, glancing around to make sure the other was truly threatening him. 

"What do you want, traitor?" T.K demanded of the confused spirit. Errata placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking their head a bit. "Stand down, little soldier, we've been over this." Errata lightly chastised, earning a soft "Hmph!" from the small champion, who elected to stomp their way past the positive spirit. Dream blinked as he stared at Erratum, quickly rushing to the other to get a closer look. He gasped as he took in their weary posture and bandages, placing a hand over his mouth. 

"Errata! What happened??" Dream frantically questioned, dropping to his knees in front of them and moving his hands to the bandages. "Well..." The god trailed off, making Dream frown and turn his head away. "Ink... right." He muttered softly, feeling conflicted by this information. "It was my fault, really. I pushed him too hard for our first 'negotiation' meeting. He downed his white vial and, well, the rest kind of followed suit." The god explained, causing Dream to look back to the god quickly. "He took his white paint?! No wonder you're in bad shape... what did he do?" Dream questioned as he removed the bandages. Errata gave a hard blink, seeing the golden outline of the spirit in front of them. "I took a direct hit from his red paint and it blinded me." 

"Oh, stars..." Dream breathed as he traced around the orbits, causing the Guardian to wince. "Sorry! Sorry, let me..." He fed a bit of healing magic into the other, unsure what he could do for them. Errata gave a relieved sigh as some of the throbbings dulled and disappeared. Their eyelights didn't improve much, though they could kind of make out his features if he leaned in close enough. "Thank you." They hummed as they pulled their hand up to test their close-range sight. "You should have called for someone sooner! How long have you been sitting here in pain?!" Dream griped at them with a firm frown on his face. "I didn't want to bother anyone with the matter. Plus, it's my own fault it happened." They could barely see the frustrated expression as Dream groaned and rubbed at his temple bones. "That's not an excuse! Stop being a martyr, this instant!" He demanded of them, which only earned a laugh. "I'm serious!" 

Errata elected to further ignore this conversation, feeling the other's positivity plummeting. "Speaking of Ink, how has he been since you rejoined him?" They questioned, watching as Dream's face shifted into something a bit lighter. "Oh! Well, it's been fine. He's still a bit airheaded, but he actually apologized to me! I know he's not all bad, just severely misguided." He replied. "Lack of guidance is more the words for it. I delved through the memories of his creation and everything was extremely fuzzy. He didn't hear the extent of Fate's words, only pieces. Things such as 'create' and how to use his vials. No wonder he was trapped in the anti-void for so long; he had no idea how to get out." The god gave a pained expression at this "I can't imagine what that does to a person. Alone and confused as your very first memories." Dream furrowed his brow bone as sympathy shot through his soul. "Yeah... I guess he needs someone more than I realized. Well, I'm not gonna leave him! He's a mess on his own." Errata watched on with what little vision they had, but they didn't even need eyes to see the affection the other held for the artist. 

"It's amazing he's still alive after all these years." 

Errata turned their head slightly as they heard the voice of Reaper nearby. They could see the lax demigod, for the most part, hovering closer to their altar. Erratum squinted their sockets further to attempt to make out the streak of red around the other's shoulders. "Oh! I didn't realize you two were already that far into courting!" Dream beamed as he gave Reaper a polite wave. "What do you mean? I can't see." Erratum reminded with the faintest of pouts, though they'd never admit to making such a face. "It's a little, um," The spirit flushed slightly with a flustered laugh. "Well, the courter wears an article of clothing that is personal to the one they're courting. It's supposed to be, um, enticing? It's supposed to suggest equal ownership of one another, not just the courter to the one being courted. It's supposed to be tempting and intimate." The spirit looked embarrassed from explaining it, as though he had said something scandalous. Reaper gave a few amused snickers as he adjusted Geno's scarf around his neck. "The look on his face was priceless." He agreed before turning their attention back to Erratum. "Anyway, I came here to deliver something to you."

Deliver?

Erratum gave him a curious look at the statement, watching as the demigod pulled something from his robe. "Found it on my rounds through the Guardians' temples. It was in a really nice box at Karma's offering plate. It was addressed to ya, so don't go thinking I robbed your Guardian." He assured as he passed the object over to Erratum. The god held it closer to their face to get a better view of it. They blinked as they recognized them as a pair of spectacles, tracing the rim of the object with one finger. The god hummed with interest, using a set of strings to ensure they were secured snuggly to their skull. 

"Oh wow," 

The world lit back up into view for them, causing a grin to brighten their features once more. It wasn't the same as having their eyes healed, and perhaps they felt a little silly having to wear them, but it was certainly worth it to see again. "How is it? How's your sight?" Dream questioned eagerly, leaning forward with anticipation. Erratum huffed out a soft laugh, closing their eyes a moment as they adjusted to them slowly. 

"Just fine." 

It was loud in the manor, that much Killer knew. It had been loud since the night before if he wanted to be specific. 

It had been around two weeks since the incident with their soul in Storyshift. They had a couple of bad days, ones he knew concerned all of the residents in the manor, but he had pulled through just fine. It had been worth it to see the visible relief on Nightmare's face when he was taken off of bed rest. 

Still, that brought him to his current predicament. He recalled Nightmare's warning about having his weakest spot out on display for everyone, and he felt shame as he watched his soul hover at his chest. He hated the implied disappointment his king had for his obvious weakness, or at the very least, that's what he assumed the other felt. He was Nightmare's right hand, the one he relied on to get shit done. He had to be the firm tank between the world and his king, he had to. His soul was stopping him, as usual. 

So, desperate measures were being considered

And now he stood in the gardens of the manor, observing the pristinely kept roses that Horror tended to. He distantly reflected on how different Horror had become in such a short amount of time with seemingly no cause. He certainly wasn't gonna complain; he had seemed healthier and even, dare he say, happier. He figured whatever was helping him couldn't be too bad, so he elected to let the other be and not pester him. 

He tensed at the sound of rustling leave and footsteps, turning themselves around to face the incoming person. He lowered his knife ever so slightly as he recognized the person approaching him, watching as they struggled to brush away stray leaves and avoid getting caught on a lone branch. 

"Not the most convenient place I've been called..." 

"You think I was gonna let your magical signature get all over my room?" Killer scoffed as Erratum straightened their robes with a sigh. Killer rose a brow bone and snickered a bit. "What's with the glasses? Did I catch ya in the middle of your knitting circle, grandma?" He taunted the god, who only looked on with confusion. "No, I haven't had the time to knit today, actually." Killer felt little satisfaction with this answer, hoping to elicit an annoyed response from the other. "Yeah... whatever." Killer shook his head as he looked the other up and down. Errata stared back, giving him an appraising look. 

"Well?" 

"I'm gettin' there!" Killer snapped back, flipping his knife anxiously as he tried to swallow his pride. "Fuck, I really don't want to ask you for help. It's a big blow to my pride, ya know?" He watched as Errata nodded, having a dull feeling of appreciation for the other not rubbing it in his face. "Not sure if Crossy boy told you about what happened in Storyshift," He prompted.

"Yes, about the splitting they did and Chara threatening your soul?" They checked, to which Killer nodded. "Yeah... so," He grumbled a bit as he stilled his movements, keeping the newer knife clasped in his hand. "I hate knowing someone can get one over on me so easily. One wrong hit and I'm clocking out of this life, and it sucks. I know I could be so much better if it was in my chest where it belongs." Killer growled as he glared at the hovering target as though it personally offended him. 

"You wish me to place your soul back where it should be." Erratum theorized as the other struggled to admit what they wanted. Killer nodded once, refusing to meet their eyes as he did so. Erratum frowned as they puzzled over this situation. They weren't exactly sure how to go about doing this as the other's soul was quite... unique, to say the least. Perhaps, however, if they could revert it closer to what it should be, it would respond easier. It was worth a shot at least.

"Let me try something." That was all the permission they asked before golden strings were wrapping around Killer's soul. Killer gave a sound as though someone punched all the air out of him, immediately feeling that sensation in their chest they had felt the first time this happened. "W-wait, what are you doing?" They stammered as the god considered their soul a moment. "Well, my theory is it is unable to reside within you in this state. So, the more it resembles your original soul, the easier it is to influence." Erratum explained, charging up the light magic bestowed upon them by Faith and Hope. "What?! That wasn't part of the conditions!" Killer snapped with panic. "You can't make me go back to that! I'm supposed to be impassive, unflappable! I don't want to be like the original." He hissed at them. Erratum glanced up at him a moment, tilting their head slightly.

"Forgive me, but I don't believe I asked." 

Killer shouted as the strings lit up an even brighter gold, causing him to fall to his knees. Erratum watched closely as their positive memories fueled the magic, coaxing the soul to bend to their will. Any influence Chara had in the making of Killer's soul was no match for the sheer power and magic Erratum washed over it. Killer wailed as their soul warbled and warped, inverting in on itself until it pulsated as a bright heart. Erratum seemed satisfied as they guided it back into the monster's chest cavity, watching them convulse as it slotted back in place. Erratum looked pleased as the strings retracted back to them. "There we are, right back where it should be." They spoke with little fanfare, Killer gasping and grasping the front of his shirt.

"You bastard... bastard... this isn't what I wanted..." Killer panted, feeling a swell of emotions attempting to crest over him. "Maybe not, but it's what you needed." Erratum replied, tucking their hands together in the long sleeves of their robes. "You've let others control you and your feelings your entire life. You don't know how to feel and act for yourself, only valuing your worth based on what you can do for Nightmare; for those that you try to protect." They spoke as Killer struggled back to his feet. "You can't care for anyone, however, if you can't care for yourself first. The only way you can do that is to relearn who you are." 

"None of that makes sense. You're just spouting bullshit." Killer growled as he clenched his eyes closed tighter. "Fuck... these feelings... it's been so long..." He whispered with audible pain in their voice. "I've done too much... I've gone too far. I let them convince me to kill everyone I loved and I..." He gripped his skull, shouting out his frustration. "No! Fuck, stop! I'm not going back to that! I won't feel guilt or regret! I'm not doing it!" He tried to deny his own swelling feelings desperately. Erratum could only watch him struggle, unable to soothe their mind or offer any support. Anything they'd have to give wouldn't be well received. Killer glowered at them, hate clear in the small pinpricks of light Erratum could identify. "I don't get it... you help me, but you still try to fuck me over. Whose side are you even on? I can't understand why you'd fight us so hard when you hate Ink so much." He grunted. "I do not hate Ink, he suffers like the rest of you do." Erratum explained with a small frown. "That's something I've learned myself recently..." 

"Heh! The way you two fought? I doubt it. What could possibly make you go from wanting him virtually dead to sympathizing with him?" Killer sneered, earning a small sigh from Erratum. They moved to settle on the stone bench nearby, closing their eyes and considering this. "Once again, that's not what my goal was. It was to stop his creative spree and prevent them from creating horrible worlds. Things have come to light recently that have made me... consider my methods." They stated. Killer frowned as he dared to approach a bit closer. "All right, I'll bite. What things?" He ventured. Erratum opened their eyes again as they peered up at the full moon.

"Can I tell you a story?" 

"Erm, a story?" Dream blinked as Ink sat on the floor of their base. Ink nodded his head as he set his sketchpad aside, looking a bit uneasy. "Yeah, about... about some personal stuff." He explained quietly, earning the spirit's full attention. "Of course! You can tell me anything Ink. I won't judge you." He assured him with a comforting smile, which earned an uneasy smile back. "Okay..." Ink muttered as he hugged his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them. 

"When I first left the anti-void and realized I could create worlds, I was so happy. I could make people, so I wasn't alone! I could create brand new worlds and watch them go! I wouldn't feel so alone if there were a bunch of other people in the multiverse, right?" Ink's smile was sad as he gave a long sigh. "I knew I was different from all of them. Watching them fight with the human, seeing their souls, I knew I would never fit in. I was made outside of everything, without any sort of world of my own. I tried, really hard, to feel something on my own, but it never worked. I didn't have the capacity to actually feel things and I felt... well, like a Flowey." Ink laughed a bit at the comparison. "I tried to be good though, and I think I have been! I... I don't think everyone else sees that though. They see all the things I've done wrong and not all the things I've done right." He shook his head a bit, returning to his original point. 

"Dreamtale..."

Dream tensed a bit at the mention of it.

"I... I wanted to make someone who could understand. People who knew what it was like to have so much responsibility on them, so I could relate to them. I could have actual friends who would understand! Someone who didn't really have an actual soul, being spirits and everything." He was grinning again, and Dream was hanging onto every word. "I didn't interfere with worlds or interrupt the story, but I really wanted to. I hated thinking I had to wait so long to meet the both of you!" 

Dream was acutely aware of his usage of 'both'. 

"So I broke my own rules. It was supposed to be small things, I swear! Leaving little things for you all! Books, little treats, just little things! Then I... I saw how difficult it was for you, Dream. You were doing so much for so many people, and I hated that. I tried so hard to lighten the load, and change the story a bit so you were treated better. I didn't think of what that could do... of tipping the scales where you were treated well, but Nightmare was treated unfairly. He was always quiet and kept to himself. I just thought that's how he was, that's what made him happy. I knew the others didn't treat him right, and I tried to help! I tried messing with the villagers and changing the story but... it went wrong." He whispered as he closed his eyes. "When Nightmare consumed the apples, I didn't think... I didn't think that would happen. I wasn't sure what would happen, but... he needed to be stronger after the accident. They were all encircling him and I knew they'd kill him... but I didn't know once he ate one, he wouldn't be able to stop. I didn't know it would corrupt him and destroy the person I had seen as a friend from afar. I..." Ink paused as Dream scooted forward, moving to wipe away some of the artist's tears from his face. 

"I didn't know..."

"I know Ink..." Dream soothed quietly, his own tears streaking down his face. This was nothing like what Erratum had told him in his dreamscape, not at all. Dream didn't think Ink was lying to him either about any of this, plus, Ink was a terrible liar. Erratum had gotten their knowledge of Dreamtale from the other Guardians, however. What had happened? How did the story get so skewed by the time it reached Erratum? 

"I didn't leave you alone, you know." 

Dream blinked as he sat back on his haunches while Ink moved to cross his legs. "I knew too well what it was like to be stuck, unable to go anywhere, and alone." He sighed as he gave Dream an apologetic expression, eyelights shifting slowly in shapes. "I visited as much as I could, but with Nightmare out there now, I was stuck trying to keep things in order in the world. Plus I... kind of went radio silent for a long time. I... I guess it was a kind of depression? Just, you know, without actually having any feelings. I just kind of sat in the Doodlesphere, void of any emotions and refusing to take my paints. It was easier to be numb than to think about what happened." He hummed as he closed his eyes. "Things... things changed, let's say. I'm not... I'm not ready to talk about it." He whispered in a shaky voice. Dream knew he was referring to the Muses in his mind, but didn't reveal that he was aware of their existence. "But! When you came out of stone, I was so happy! I finally was able to see you, to talk with you for real! You were... you were just as gentle and kind as I had thought." There was a fondness in his eyes that momentarily stole Dream's breath. "And you stayed. You stayed with me and you even saw me as a friend, as an equal. I... I never had that with anyone else." He shrugged a moment after he was finished. 

"So yeah... that's... that's my story."

Killer blew out a slow breath as he took in Errata's tale, rubbing the back of his neck. "Shit..." He muttered as he let that all sink in. "That's... definitely not what I was expecting." He admitted.

"Me either." Erratum agreed with a sad smile. "That is why I can't bring myself to hate him. He doesn't know, and he needs help, just like the rest of you. No one has noticed it until now, however." They shook their head a bit as they stood once more. Killer rubbed his knuckles over his sternum, still trying desperately to ease the aching wail his soul gave from all the emotional torment. "You know, this doesn't change nothin'. I still can't stand you and I'm gonna follow Boss's orders whatever they may be, even if it's killing ya." Killer gave them a strange expression as the god nodded their understanding. "Psh, no wonder you get yourself hurt all the time. You're an idiot." Erratum didn't seem phased by the insult. "I suppose that would be everything you needed?" They checked one last time. "You did shit I didn't even want. Like hell I'll ask you for something else." Killer growled back in response. "I'd suggest you leave before I repay you for your kindness." It was a blatant threat, but Erratum didn't appear intimidated. 

Killer was only slightly annoyed (and perhaps impressed) by their calm demeanor. 

"Until next time then." Erratum nodded their farewell as a rift opened behind them. "There won't be a next time." Killer spat back at them with a glare. The god only gave him a soft laugh before the rift closed up again. Killer huffed as the other left, grumbling under his breath as he headed back toward the castle. "Stupid smug son of a bitch..." He muttered the entire way through the manor. He paused briefly at the screams from a floor above, frowning as it elected a foreign feeling in his soul. 

"Horror has him under control." 

Killer snapped to attention at Nightmare's voice, turning to face him immediately. The dark spirit appraised him with his working eye, frown tight on his face. Killer could feel the sweat beading at the back of his skull.

"Is it done?" 

Killer nodded in response to his question. "Yes, Boss." He answered obediently. Nightmare zeroed in on his chest, seeing the soul absent from its normal resting place. "Good." With that, Nightmare brushed past him without another word. Killer breathed out a sigh of relief once he had left the room, feeling his soul pounding in his chest.

He would never understand why Nightmare had been so insistent for him to call Erratum. 

Chapter Text

Horror gave a dissatisfied growl as Erratum came to collect him from his universe. He couldn't tell what was wrong, but he could sense the other's discomfort with their keen senses. Erratum looked a little uncomfortable with how close Horror was, but the monster didn't seem to notice or care. "Glasses." He rumbled curiously as he took them in, tilting his head a bit as Erratum touched the frames at their mentioning. 

"Yes I, ah, have to wear these." Erratum explained while Horror gave them a suspicious glower. "Why? Didn't... need 'em before." He questioned the other expectantly. Erratum gave a heavy sigh as the other continued to pester them. "Okay, okay, but don't get too angry." They insisted, which only made Horror narrow his eyes with a low level of rage already. "I went to speak with Ink and things got out of hand. He blinded me with his paint, but I'm certain it was an accident. He didn't seem to be in his right mind." They held their hands up placatingly as Horror bared his teeth in outrage. "It's fine though, I'm fine! I can see just fine with them on, okay?" They insisted, but Horror didn't seem too satisfied with this answer. Erratum sighed as they allowed Horror to squeeze them tightly, willing to deal with the scrutinizing of their body for further hidden injuries. Things would be so much simpler if they could just make people listen. Often, it felt as though the multiverse was too precarious to leave in the hands of others. If we controlled-

Erratum closed their eyes calmly as the voice swelled away, compartmentalized down where it should be.

"Everything... okay?" Horror frowned as the god refocused their attention on him. "Of course, just a little loud today." Erratum excused, which seemed to satisfy the lumbering monster. "Don't...push yourself." Horror gave them a narrowed-eyed look as he said this, earning a quiet laugh. "I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything." They swiped their hand and parted reality for him, seeing the distant land of Farmtale in the rift. "Are you ready t-" 

Erratum had turned their head to look at him when their eyelights suddenly extinguished. Horror looked alarmed as the rift closed and Erratum fell back into the snow underfoot. The universe shook a moment, causing Horror to hunch over and shield the god with his body. He had no idea what was happening, but Erratum was wailing and seizing under him in distress. Horror snapped his head up with a feral snarl as a bright light and a pair of new souls appeared near them. He relaxed his posture as he saw Blue and Cross standing, or attempting to remain standing, with their weapons drawn. 

"What's going on?!" Cross demanded as Horror remained positioned over Erratum. "Don't know! Just... started screaming... everything shaking and..." Horror attempted to explain, eyelight wide and body tense. Blue touched Cross's shoulder with wide eyes. "Last time this happened, those universes collided." He informed grimly, causing Cross to tense up significantly. Horror didn't understand what they were talking about, but a direct call to his soul distracted him. 

"Nightmare..." Horror informed as the world stilled once more. Blue nodded in understanding as they all helped the dazed god up to a sitting position. "Go, before he comes looking for you." Blue encouraged. "We've got this handled." Horror seemed hesitant, but knew he couldn't stay much longer without risking the negative spirit poking around in his world looking for him. He growled as he darted off toward his home, letting Blue and Cross help Erratum back to their plane. Erratum grunted with pain as they held their head, trying to ease the throbbing sensation so they could properly deal with this new problem. 

"Errata, you have to relax," Cross instructed them firmly. "You're not gonna make it stop if you try and force the pain down. Take a breather, okay? Just lie back and breathe for once." He sighed as the god gave a pained groan. "The worlds are already a fused mess, it's not like it can get any worse at this point if you wait."

Nightmare grinned viciously as the waves of torment fed into his body. This mess of a universe was absolutely drowning in negativity, more so than any world he had ever come across before. The moment he had felt a sudden spike in negativity, he knew he had to find and claim the source. He couldn't believe how lucky he'd gotten to find something that made him feel so powerful, so thoroughly filled with negative intent. His subordinates seemed both fascinated and disturbed with the scenery as they passed several amalgamations of monsters in the landscape. None of them tried eliminating them after Killer struck one down, nearly causing him to seize up with the large flux of magic it caused his body. That was fine, however. They didn't need to kill anything to cause suffering in this world. The fact that it even existed was painful enough to fuel Nightmare. 

He could only give a sadistic laugh as his brother and the creator appeared right on time in the universe with him. He could see Dream immediately waver, buffeted and surrounded by nothing but negativity. "Well, well," Nightmare drawled as he approached them, taking delight in how vulnerable they were in this universe. "I suppose you've come to try and stop me, correct? For once, however, it seems I have the tactical advantage. Not a drop of positive emotion in this world, Dream, for you to draw upon. I have to applaud you, Ink. Creating such a delicious world where happiness comes to die? I feel like it's my birthday." He snickered as Ink's face pulled into an angry sneer. "I didn't make it! It just... sorta happened! It was a mistake, but that doesn't mean you get to have free reign in it!" Ink denied instantly. 

"Of course, of course. But," Nightmare grinned viciously as his tendril lashed out, easily capturing Dream as the spirit fumbled to dodge with Ink. "Who's going to stop me? You? Your little golden boy?" He waved the captured spirit around tauntingly as he said this, causing Ink to tense up as Dream's weak form thrashed. "We've done it before a thousand times, we'll do it a thousand more!" Ink decreed as he slashed a slew of paint at him. Nightmare snickered as he pulled himself from the line of fire, but allowed his captive brother to linger. Dream cried out as paint slathered across his chest and neck, burning both him and the tendril that kept him restrained. The excessive negativity kept Nightmare's body regenerating at a rapid rate, however, so he just needed to deal with the brunt of the pain.

"Careful, creator," Nightmare mocked as Dream gasped and writhed in his hold. "You never know who could be caught in the crossfire." Ink backed down a bit, eyes wide as Dream called out to him desperately. The other members of Nightmare's group were beginning to surround their leader as well, reminding Ink that he was horrifically outmatched in this situation. He couldn't abandon Dream though, not after everything, not again. Dust and Killer both gave the artist vicious grins as they approached, causing the creator to back up each time they grew a little closer. The only exception was Horror, whose face remained still and neutral as he clutched his axe.

Their saving grace came by carving a large tear in reality. 

Blue and Cross dropped to the ground first, armed and ready to attack the moment their feet touched the floor. Erratum landed gracefully behind the both of them, eyes already trained on the advancing group of monsters. Dust and Killer both tensed as they saw the god, exchanging looks with one another before backing up the slightest bit.

"At my side." Nightmare commanded at the change in opponents. Dust and Killer fell back immediately, sticking to either side of their leader. Nightmare narrowed his socket as he spotted Horror standing idly in place. "Horror! I said at my side!" He demanded again, causing the monster to glance back over his shoulder at him. Horror looked back at Erratum again, turning his axe in his hands. Blue and Cross tensed at the movement, but Horror rested the blade down into the snow, folding his hands over the end of the handle. He bowed his head at the group, easily showing his submission to surrender. 

"What?!" Nightmare boomed at the show, his other two minions looking just as shocked by his actions. "You dare turn your back on me?! After everything I've done for you?!" The spirit snapped in outrage, the tendrils not restraining his brother lashing out in response. The tendrils seemed to freeze in place, however, as he attempted to launch them forward. Nightmare widened his eye as they, instead, turned on him and reared up threateningly in response. 

Erratum watched with fascination as Nightmare's own body seemed to rebel against him, as though refusing a direct order much like Horror had. Cross and Blue moved forward and gave Horror firm pats on the back and shoulder, seeming to commend him for the noble move. Erratum quickly opened another portal to Farmtale, gesturing to the monster before them. "Go, you don't belong on this battlefield. I will not make you choose between two sides." The instructions were simple but non-negotiable, Horror could sense that much. He gave them one last helpless look before disappearing into the rift. A shuffle from off to the left made the god turn to face Ink, who scanned over the Guardian's face a moment. If he took notice of the glasses, he said nothing of it.

"Here to destroy this world?" Ink questioned, uncertain if Erratum was here to pose a bigger threat to him. Erratum turned their head back to face Nightmare, who seemed to have gotten control over his tendrils as they resumed lashing behind him. "I'm here to push him out. The longer Nightmare is in this world, the stronger he becomes. The universe is saturated with a limitless supply of negativity, and if he is able to feed freely, it will cause disastrous outcomes." Erratum's face had a grim expression on it, which Ink was inclined to believe. "All right... but that doesn't mean I'm siding with you for anything. We have a common goal, okay? That's it." 

"That's fine by me." 

Cross split off with Chara, who wielded their large glowing blade while Cross handled his Balance Daggers. Blue had his Warhammer slung over his shoulder already, bouncing in place to keep himself from simply launching forward. Ink still had his brush wielded in his hands and Errata was surrounded by their various screens. Nightmare scoffed as he pulled Dream further back out of the way of combat, still squeezing him tightly in his grasp. "Not bad, I will admit. Under normal circumstances, you'd be quite the challenge to kill." He grinned as their shadows began to swirl and condense around them, seeming to grasp at their ankles and drag them down. "But these aren't normal circumstances, are they?" 

Erratum broke down into a mess of pixels, quickly removing themselves from the restraining hold and reforming a distance behind Nightmare. Ink simply swiped his brush against the ground, overriding the shadows in a blob of paint before breaking away. Cross spotted Erratum from behind Nightmare, moving quickly with Chara to keep the spirit's attention on them to allow them to work. Nightmare took to the bait, tendrils sharpening and striking out at the duo with deadly precision. Cross and Chara were able to move in sync with each other, using their connection to pull to one side or another to keep the other from injury.

While he was distracted by this, Erratum moved to lasso the tendril holding Dream with a few well-aimed strings. They concentrated and let loose a jolt of positive light down the strings, causing the tendril to melt away and Nightmare to give a pained hiss. Dream gasped as he plummeted from the sudden release, flailing his arms to try and at least prevent from cracking his skull on the ground. "I gotcha!" Ink grinned as he caught the positive spirit from below, not even buckling under the force of him landing in his arms. Dream gave a shaky sigh of relief, allowing Ink to safely set him on the ground. Dream yelped as Ink swept him back up again suddenly, leaping back out of the way as a stray tendril slammed into the ground where they had once been standing. 

"Ink!! Put me down!" Dream shouted as the artist continued to dodge stray attacks while holding the spirit in his arms. "Right, right!" Ink grinned sheepishly as he let him go, watching Dream dart toward Erratum and duck behind their firewall at a barrage of bones that followed him. 

"Errata!" Erratum paused as Dream appeared beside them, gasping for air and looking already out of stamina. "Right, right. It's a completely negative world." The god realized as their free hand rested directly on Dream's chest, nearly shocking him with the quick jolt of gold magic that rushed into him. Dream gasped for air, blinking a few times to reorient themselves. "Phew! That sure woke me up. Thanks!" He called out as his bow reappeared in his hands again. Erratum gave a short nod as Dream moved to begin firing off shots at his brother, trying to cut down on some of the negativity in his system.

Erratum jolted as the little screen eyepiece they had grown accustomed to seeing from time-to-time lit up the entirety of their spectacles. They blinked a few times to adjust their eyes, appreciating how it outlined targets and displayed binary for them to read. They singled out Killer, who was weaving his way through the mess of attacks to directly ambush them. Their hand ran over their screen before executing their command, the condensed beam of data and electricity shooting forth from the displayed screen. Killer swore as he threw himself out of the way of the attack, stumbling long enough for Blue to target him. The little champion swung his hammer around and slammed it into Killer's side, placing his hand above his eyes to watch the skeleton fly off in the direction they whacked them. 

"Nice shot." 

"Thanks! I've been working on it!" Blue grinned back at their god with clear delight. Erratum noted as Dust veered away from them, shooting them a dirty look before launching themselves at Blue instead in retaliation. Satisfied that their champion could hold their own, Erratum advanced further to support Dream as they shot arrows at their sibling. Cross was slicing through tendrils left and right, sweating as more seemed to regenerate despite the speed he was taking them off. 

"He's like a fucking hydra!" Cross complained as Chara sliced with him, both efficiently keeping Dream protected as he fired off his arrows. Nightmare growled as the positivity burned his body and the sharp pain of each slice shot up his spine. He turned his sight to Cross, grinning widely as the cyan of his eyelight pulsed brightly. Cross gasped as more shadows appeared at his feet, swirling around and crawling up his body. He gave a shout as he reached for Erratum, but the cocoon of darkness snapped shut around him before Erratum could react. The god snapped their head to Nightmare, seeing his focus held intensely on Cross. 

Erratum looked to Dream, who had paused his attack at the new development. "He's trapping him in his worst nightmare!" The spirit spoke frantically, rushing forward to the dark swirling prison that had swallowed Cross up. Dream slammed his fists on it, but was instantly repelled backward at the intense negativity it shot out. "Agh... Cross's negativity is feeding into it. We can't break him out unless we stop it at the source!" He looked tearfully at Erratum, unsure what else could be done. Erratum glanced up to Nightmare and pulled a few strings from their face. "I think I can make that happen. I just need you to pull his attention long enough for me to take aim." Dream nodded profusely as he got as close as he could to Cross's cocoon, wincing at the negativity it brought to him.

"Brother!"

Nightmare's socket twitched from where he was focusing on Cross. "Don't start the ridiculous reformation speech, Dream!" He spat out with irritation, moving his eyelight over to peer at the opposite spirit. Erratum used that time to pixelate away and hide behind the dark cocoon, focusing their eyes on Nightmare's face. The crosshair was already locked on to where they planned to aim, they just had to be sure he was distracted enough for them to hit their mark. 

"But I know you still have some sort of kindness in your soul! Look around you!" Dream called back, watching Nightmare's face scrunch a bit in confusion. "Even if they're doing horrible things, you have people that you care about! You try not to show it, but you do care! I know you're still hurting deep down, but-"

"You know NOTHING!" Nightmare snarled at the audacity the other had. "You know nothing of SUFFERING, Dream!" He snapped, which only earned a glare from Dream as well. "You think I haven't suffered Nightmare?! From you? From the villagers? From everyone?!" The spirit demanded of him in outrage. "My entire life I've been groomed to be a perfect little martyr, Nightmare! Someone who won't question the intentions of others or what they make me do because they all mean well. They always mean well. I've spent my entire life pleasing everyone around me! I've spent years making everyone happy and fixing all of their problems, Nightmare. But you know who I can't please? Who I can't make happy, Nightmare??" He continued to rant, knowing full well Nightmare's entire attention was on him. 

"ME!" 

Nightmare didn't have time to respond as a golden thread pierced harmlessly through the front of their skull. Erratum stood to the other side of Cross's prison, eyes closed tightly as the whispers began. They could see from Nightmare's perspective his time in Dreamtale. They saw flashes of moments with Dream, could smell the old pages of his tomes, could feel the harsh blows of stones, and hear the cruel words of others. They briefly saw the Tree of feelings, decaying and glowing with dark apples. 

Above all, however, they could hear screaming. A screaming wail for help, a call for mercy. A call for Errata. 

Erratum pulled away with a gasp, eyes wide as they looked around. Their body felt weaker, but they hadn't pushed themselves the way they had with Ink. Nightmare was dazed and stumbling back while Cross collapsed forward onto the ground. Dream was quickly at his side, soothing him and encouraging him to get back to his feet. Chara swung their arm around his shoulders and helped hoist him up, griping at him for letting his guard down in the first place. Dream turned to see the searching look on Erratum's face, curious as to what they had seen. 

Erratum looked back at Dream with wide eyes, as though they had made a shocking revelation. 

"Keep back and hold off the others. There's... something I have to try." 

Dream was too confused to argue with them, and by the time they registered it, the god was already heading straight toward Nightmare. Blue reacted quickly by holding off Dust, deflecting his sharpened bone attacks and blocking powerful blasters. Chara swiped at Killer as he tried to slide past them to provide Nightmare more protection, and Dream managed to get a good shot in the shoulder to him. It only slowed him down, but it was enough for Cross to recover and place him in a reverse chokehold. Erratum was dodging and blocking vicious tendrils as they lashed out and attacked them, but they never retaliated. Their hands began to glow a bright gold once more, imbibed with the positivity granted to them by the Guardians above. Nightmare snarled at them as they were soon upon him as close as they could get. Before the other could react, however, Erratum brought their hand down over his face and swiped. 

The god gasped as the tar sloughed away onto the ground below them. 

The right side of Nightmare's face remained thick with negativity, but the other side... 

On the other side, Erratum could see pristine bone and a frightened violet eyelight staring up at them. The terrified being gave several gasps, as though coming up for air for the first time. 

"Er..rata...help...ple.." He spoke in between gasps, his face turning more and more frantic as he spoke. Erratum was stunned, holding onto both of his shoulders to keep him from thrashing or pulling away. "I...I'm trying, I am. I don't... I'll fix this... somehow..." Erratum swore as their hands squeezed his shoulders tighter. 

"Nighty?!" Dream cried out as he caught a glimpse of what Erratum was seeing. He was rushing forward toward the two of them, tears in his sockets. Erratum gasped as a tendril wrapped around their throat, lifting them into the air before tossing them carelessly away. The god collided with Dream, bringing them both down painfully to the ground. Nightmare began to gasp louder as the thick substance began to bubble and crawl back up over the bone.

"NO! PLEASE! DREAM! DREAM! DREAAAAAAUGH!!"

The sound was swallowed up as the liquid negativity poured into his mouth, soon swallowing up the remainder of him into the goopy form once more. The teal eyelight reignited with a fierce glow, showing nothing but contempt toward them. "NIGHTY! PLEASE! NO, PLEASE! COME BACK!" Dream screamed out as he struggled back up to his feet, reaching out with a shaky hand. 

"HE'S NOT HERE!" 

Dream flinched backward with a shaky hitch of his breath, tears streaming down his face. Nightmare growled as his tendrils raised up once more at them threateningly. "You can't have him! I will keep him. ForEVER. He's MINE!" The darker spirit could see the various looks of shock, mostly on the faces of his subordinates. He cursed before opening a portal behind him, deciding it was better to abandon this attempt in order to protect both of themselves. Dream sobbed as his brother vanished, his two minions following soon after him.

The field was full of nothing but gasping breaths and harsh, heartbreaking cries. Ink had come to crouch beside Dream, hands resting comfortingly on him with a confused but concerned expression.

Erratum stood in the aftermath of it all, trying to understand what they had seen and what it could mean. They stared down at their own hands, still seeing a smudge of black against them where they had pulled away the negativity. 

"Go... I still have work to do." Erratum spoke lowly, needing to both be alone with their thoughts and to absorb this world.

"But you'll-!" 

"Ink,"

The artist paused at Dream's broken voice. The spirit gazed up at him with such anguish it even made the hollow feeling in his chest feel denser. "Please... let's just go. I... I want to leave." He pleaded with him weakly. Ink sighed heavily through their nose, but nodded as he lifted Dream once more. He didn't complain this time, limply laying his head against the creator's chest. Ink spared one last hard glare at Erratum before disappearing in a swirl of ink. Cross reformed with Chara, sighing shakily as he recovered from his own trauma from being in Nightmare's grasp. 

"You two as well, you can't be here while I do this." They reminded the two champions. "Sure just... come right back, okay? I think we should talk about all of this. I sure as hell need to..." Cross muttered the last part as they opened a rift back to Erratum's plane. Blue followed in after him, shooting a worried glance back at Erratum as they left. Erratum nodded weakly as their hands moved to begin collecting the data and code into a condensed ball.

"Yes... yes, we should."

Chapter Text

Dream clutched onto the weighted blanket around his shoulders. His mind was still holding tight to the image of his brother, screaming and being swallowed up by the negativity on his body. He was certain it would haunt him for days to come, but he had soldiered through worse. Ink frowned as he picked at a loose thread on the couch, not saying anything as he was uncertain how to help at this point. 

"Hey Ink..."

Ink perked up a bit, glancing at Dream quickly as the spirit addressed him. He wasn't looking at him, but Ink counted his acknowledgment as a win. "Yeah?" He tried not to sound too eager, not wanting his intent to be misread. Dream didn't comment on it, furrowing his brow bones as he mulled over what to say. "Why..." He started, pulling the blanket closer. "Why did those universes collide? I thought you said you'd be careful..."

Ink frowned as he looked away again, staring at the wall at the accusatory question. He didn't blame Dream for being a bit bitter about it, he was a bit bitter toward himself for it as well. He wanted the other to understand though. So badly did he want him to get it, for someone to get it.

"Remember when I said I went into a sort of depression after Dreamtale?"

Dream finally looked up at Ink, surprised by the sudden question. "Yeah... you said something changed." He recalled, wondering if the other was truly about to open up about something that personal. "Well," Ink started, glancing back and seeing he had captured Dream's attention. "Can I... tell you something? And maybe you'll just kind of humor me? Even if it seems farfetched?" He half pleaded, looking a touch desperate as he did so. Dream nodded slowly at the question, not needing any convincing after what he already knew. "I promise Ink, I will take you very seriously." 

The artist seemed to appreciate this as he looked down at the floor. "I'm not sure how long I sat in this place, just numb and refusing to take my paints, but at some point I... I started to hear stuff." He glanced quickly to Dream, trying to judge if the other was taking him seriously. The spirit sat quietly, giving him his full attention and nodding. "So... I ignored them at first, too numb to do much else. Eventually, though, it was like I... I couldn't control my body. I heard all these ideas in my mind for stories, for worlds, for people. I didn't have the emotional drive to do it, but I still felt the need to follow through on these ideas. I was kind of just going through the motions, robotically making these worlds. When I finally took a break, when the voices were quiet, I took my paints for the first time in a while. It was... I was so confused." He frowned as he moved to start sketching, letting his hands scribble to ease his anxiety. 

"So," Dream started, turning his body more to face the uncomfortable creator. "You hear like, people? They give you ideas?" He questioned, curious to see Ink's perspective on it. Ink nodded slowly, seeming hesitant to do so. "Yeah... Creators. I hear the Creators whisper their wants to me, what they wish to see. It was so... neat! I mean, these guys inspired so many great worlds I never would have thought of! Dancetale? I mean how cool is that concept! Outertale? It's such an amazing and, frankly, out-of-this-world universe!" This brought a laugh out of both of them, lightening the atmosphere a bit. As their laughs died down, Ink deflated just the smallest bit.

"Then..."

Dream was immediately attentive again. 

"They... they got more forceful, demanding. They were bored with these happy, pretty worlds I was making. That, uh... that started something new." Ink admitted as his pencil tapped against the page anxiously. "When... when they started giving me details about a world they simply called "Something New' I started feeling hesitant. It didn't make sense to me and I thought the world cruel and, well, lame honestly! Sans siding with Chara because he's worn down by them asking? Boring! It didn't strike me as believable. Then they insisted that it was due to the 'player' hacking the files to make it happen." Ink rolled his eyes, as though recalling the conversation. "I still thought it was dumb though, so I scrapped the idea. They... they didn't like that." 

Dream scooted closer to Ink, moving the end of his weighted blanket to drape over him as well. The artist gave him a grateful smile, setting his sketchbook down and scooting a bit closer to the spirit. "I tried to keep carrying on like I did, making universes that I thought were interesting. They got louder though, and they got irate the longer I ignored them. It got to the point where the screaming was so loud I couldn't think of anything else. I begged for them to stop, but they refused to stop demanding for this world. I... finally caved and started working on it. The more I worked on it, the quieter the Creators got, the happier they became." 

"That sounds... awful, Ink." Dream spoke quietly, feeling his soul clench painfully. "I can't imagine what that must be like. I never would have guessed you were dealing with that. Is there any reason you never mentioned this before?" He questioned as Ink clenched his fists tighter. "Would you have believed me? Would anyone have believed me?" Ink looked at him, able to discern the answer by the look on Dream's face. "Are they... are they still loud?" Dream ventured after a moment. "Sometimes." Ink muttered as he hunched his shoulders. "They wanted me to start making the universes closer together, away from the main sphere where I keep everything. They thought if I kept them away from the majority of the AUs, Errata will have a harder time detecting these worlds being made. Then... well, you saw what happened. That terrible universe, that Help_tale, formed when they all touched." He shuddered a bit. "So why would they have you make them all so close together again?" Dream couldn't understand the thought process behind it.

"Because they wanted to recreate that world."

Dream froze at this disturbing realization, blinking wide-eyed at Ink. The artist nodded a bit, feeling the horror radiating off the spirit. "Errata destroyed that first world shortly after it was made, before I could really even get a look at it. I fought for weeks to not make copies of other universes to be subjected to the same fate. After Errata came and... did whatever they did to my mind, I wound up giving in. My head just hurt so much from everything." Ink admitted shamefully, hand skimming across his vials before withdrawing a blue one. "I knew it was doomed to become another one of those worlds... but I did it anyway. Just to make the Creators stop." He sounded guilty, at least, Dream thought so. 

"Oh, Ink..." Dream leaned into him, wrapping his arms tightly around the artist. "I don't blame you, okay? You're suffering so much... more than you're letting anyone else see. I wish you would have told me though! You know I wouldn't have thought you were crazy or making it up!" He lightly chided him. Ink gave a weak smile as he rested a hand on one of Dream's knees. "Yeah... but I was still afraid. But, after today, you deserved to know. It wouldn't be fair for me to keep you in the dark." 

Dream closed his eyes as he held onto him, nodding against him. "Thank you, Ink, for trusting me." 

There had been an emergency 'meeting' at Erratum's altar after everything that happened. They briefly discussed the entire situation before turning their attention to Cross and what he had experienced. There were many tears and the champion had wept through most of his explanation. 

"It felt like I was in there for days. I was stuck, just... back there again. Trying to make it stop. Trying to escape. It was so lonely, so painful..." 

Everyone had taken a break from discussing Nightmare to soothe the guard instead, deciding it was much more pressing. Erratum had been surprised that Dream hadn't immediately appeared and dropped a slew of questions on them. They assumed he was busy with the creator, however, after everything that happened. The god was left pondering over what they had heard and seen, staring at their hands as the gold colour of their magic flickered at their command. Whatever this magic had done was obviously not strong enough to ward off the negativity covering the monster, as it seemed to act with a mind of its own.

Erratum believed, however, it did have a mind of its own. After Nightmare's declaration to keep the monster underneath forever, it was clear that they were operating on different sentience. It disturbed the god to think how the other had been virtually trapped in their own body all this time. Such suffering they must have gone through, just like so many others around them. All of these worlds without anyone to turn to that could make it better, who could take the reigns from them so they wouldn't have to think. It was something we had the ability to do, however. That's why we were here, after all, to enforce-

The god closed their eyes as they allowed their mind to go quiet, packing away the noise and compartmentalizing the thoughts. When they opened their eyes again, they still hadn't come up with any solutions to the problem at hand. Even sitting in contemplation for days had yielded very few fruitful ideas, most of which were quickly tossed aside after further thought. They heaved a heavy sigh as frustration began to further mount. 

"Heya, E!" 

Erratum gave a faint smile as T.K plopped themselves cross-legged in front of them. "You've been sitting here for a long time, you know that? You were sitting here yesterday when I was training with Reaper!" He informed the god, who simply nodded in agreement. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" He questioned curiously, leaning in a bit to give them his full attention. Erratum hummed, feeling their mood soften at the innocent nature of this child. "Many things, little Stopwatch. Trying to solve a problem that continues to puzzle me." The god replied as the small champion listened attentively. "Well, whenever I can't figure something out, I usually have to take a break from thinking about it. Sometimes the answer just comes to me while I'm doing something else!" He informed the god, who could only chuckle quietly. 

"All right, then what do you propose I do?" They challenged, watching as T.K got to his feet quickly and tugged them along. "You can watch me practice! You're supposed to be the one watching over me anyway, so do your job!" Erratum just continued to give amused laughs as they allowed themselves to be pulled along. The two soon came across Reaper, who was looking slightly impatient until he spotted the both of them. 

"Lose something?" 

"I swear, children are hard to keep still." Reaper sighed as the young champion gave him a cheeky grin. "Are you ready to try this now?" The demigod questioned, seeing the child give a firm nod in response. "All right, now, you've done well getting a seed to sprout and revert back to a seed. Today, we're going to do something similar, but a bit more advanced." Reaper moved his hand to a wild daisy, allowing his magic to properly flow as they touched it. The flower soon wilted and blackened, quickly dying from the touch. "While death is very much something that should remain permanent, this flower has no soul to be reaped. Reversing the effects put upon the flower can restore it back to life, but I must emphasize once more, that this power is not something to be used to return a deceased soul back to life." 

"I hear ya, gramps, sheesh." T.K scoffed at the intense warning, causing Reapers feathers to bristle a moment. "Relax," Geno smiled from beside him, moving his hands to gently fix his feathers. "You're doing a great job, a very good teacher." He praised, which seemed to stroke the wounded ego of his partner. T.K rolled his eyes as he sat on his knees in front of the dead flower and concentrated. Light blue magic collected in their hands as their left eyelight sparked into a bright blue clock face. Erratum watched with fascination as one of the clock hands wound backward, the flower slowly revitalizing and returning to its previous healthy state. 

"Very good, well done." Reaper praised as the champion leaned back on his hands, panting a bit but looking beyond pleased. Erratum gave a small clap as well, genuinely impressed by his ability to-

Their hands paused mid-clap, eyes wide in thought. 

"Reaper?" They spoke, drawing the attention of all three participants. "I believe I will be taking over these sessions for a little bit if that is acceptable." Reaper seemed surprised by the request but nodded his head. "Sure, you're the one in charge after all. Can I ask why the sudden interest?" He could see the gleam in the Guardian's eye, which only made him more suspicious.

"Just... a stroke of inspiration, I suppose."

It had been many years since he had been here. It was usually too painful for him to even consider. 

Dream ran his fingers around one of the rings of the large tree stump, feeling a heavy sorrow in his soul. He would never forget waking up and finding his entire life had been turned on its head. He gave a sad sigh as he rested both elbows on the stump, clasping his hands together and closing his eyes. He sat there for a while, listening to the absolute stillness in the air, unbroken by even a slight breeze.

"You know you can reach me other ways."

Dream turned his body around with a sad smile, seeing the Guardian towering over him. "Yeah... but this felt more symbolic." He replied before getting back to his feet. "I guess you already kind of know why I called you..." He spoke quietly, looking down at the ground.

"Indeed, and I think I already have an answer for you." 

Dream's head snapped up at this, staring in wide-eyed confusion. "Wh- but wait, how? I...I mean, I would be amazed! But-" He stammered, not expecting this response at all. Erratum nodded as they held their hand out a moment. "Would you mind summoning your bow for me?" They requested, much to Dream's confusion. The spirit slowly moved to call it forth, handing it over to the Guardian with a bit of hesitation. Erratum admired the wood a moment before moving their hand to pluck away the bowstring. 

"Ah, please! Please don't break it, it's the only thing I have left of my mother!" Dream pleaded with them frantically, only to be gently hushed by the god. They strung a thick chord of golden string to replace the broken one, the carvings on the bow lighting up a bright gold. Dream took the bow back and admired it, running his fingers along the grooves. "It's very pretty, but I'm not sure how-" He blinked as Erratum simply moved to open a new rift, a smaller child bouncing out of it excitedly. 

"Hi Dream!" T.K waved at him with enthusiasm, seeming rather excited. Dream gave a slow wave back, looking incredibly confused. "Dream, can you create a positivity arrow for us?" Again, a strange request, but Dream complied anyway. The golden arrow rested in his hand, thrumming with positivity that had been pulled from Dream's body. Erratum thanked him as they took it, handing it over to the small child. 

"Okay, you know what to do." 

T.K stuck his tongue out in concentration as the clockface reappeared in his eye. Light blue magic swirled around the arrow, carving its way through to intertwine with the positive magic. T.K eventually slumped with an exhausted huff, sweat beading down their skull. "Phew... okay... hah... done." He announced before handing the arrow back. Erratum turned it over in their hands, seeming satisfied by what they observed. "Thank you, Stopwatch, this is exactly what we need." Erratum praised the child, who gave a thumbs up and grinned. "Cool... I'm gonna go nap for like, seven hours." He informed as they stumbled back through the rift.

"Um... so...?" Dream questioned as the rift closed and Erratum turned their attention on him again. "I believe I have found a combination of my magic, your positive magic, and the influence of Time's magic to neutralize Nightmare's soul." Dream stiffened in shock, trying not to let the rising Hope in his soul overpower his rational thought. "W-Wait! How did you come to that conclusion??" He backpedaled, trying to follow their thought process. "Your positivity combined with the powers Hope and Faith gave me, which I've infused through your weapon, and Time's ability to revert backward should, in theory, be enough to pull him forth again." 

"Pull him forth... you say that like what he is now isn't him." Dream noted, though, after their last encounter, that wasn't too surprising. "Yes, and no. Nightmare has always been there, but the collective consciousness of the negativity has surrounded him. I'm uncertain why it behaves the way it does by entrapping him and taking over like a parasite, but-"

"Wait!" Dream gasped, cutting them off. "Ink said when the apples turned and the villagers targeted him, he influenced the story again! He said he didn't know what would happen for sure if Nightmare ate one of the apples, but that he knew the other needed the strength from them to survive. He said he never intended for him to eat all of them, that once he had one another force compelled him to keep going." Erratum looked baffled by this information. "That's... that's nothing like..."

"I thought the same." Dream agreed with a frown. "But... the things he told me, Errata. He wasn't lying, I know he wasn't lying. He is a terrible liar, and I would have been able to sense him trying to deceive me. I think... I really think my world was way more than some experiment." He shook his head, pulling himself out of the reverie. "That's a story for another time though! About this arrow..."

Erratum slowly nodded as they filed this away for later. "Right, we only have one shot at this. Stopwatch is powerful for his age, but he can only manage one of these at a time before needing a long rest. You have to make the shot count." They were firm as they spoke, trying to drive home how important it was to successfully fire off this arrow. "Okay, got it. I'm a good shot, I can do that. Where am I supposed to aim, though?" He frowned. 

"Have you ever shot an apple off of someone's head as practice?" Dream was confused by the question but slowly nodded. "Yeah... I saw it in a movie and wanted to try." He replied as Erratum stepped closer. The god angled Dream's hand until the point of the arrow rested against Erratum's chest. 

Dream balked as he realized what they were saying. "I-I can't do that! T-That'll kill him!" 

Erratum shook their head, however. "Not with how we're doing this. I wouldn't go through with this if I thought there was even a chance that it would do something that drastic." They assured him, but Dream still looked extremely uneasy. "Dream, I promised you that I would find some way to do this. I asked you to hold me to it, and now I'm asking you to trust me to follow through." Dream looked down at the arrow in his hand, clenching tighter to it after a moment. 

"Okay..."

"Great, because he'll be here soon." Dream jolted at this statement, staring at them with alarm. "H-How do you know that? He never comes to Dreamtale! Neither of us comes here for... obvious reasons." He trailed off, a saddened look in his eyes. Erratum furrowed their brow bones a moment as they glanced down at Dream. "Dream," They spoke, glancing up as the sky got dark with clouds. 

"Nightmare lives here." 

Dream could barely register this statement as a dark, familiar laugh broke through the area. Dream swiftly slid the arrow into a strap on his back, knowing he needed to be completely confident to fire it off. Nightmare soon appeared from the shadows, grin tight and malicious as he scanned over the both of them. "What do we have here? I had sensed your pathetic aura, Dream, but I hadn't realized you brought a guest. Oh, is this supposed to be a rescue mission then?" He mocked, watching as Dream's hands trembled on his bow while Erratum stood there calmly as always. "Something like that." Dream replied, trying to steady his breathing as the darker twin snickered and flicked his tendrils. 

"How cute," 

He lashed one tendril out, knocking Dream off his feet with ease while Erratum dodged with more grace. Dream knew he needed to get his emotions under control to fight properly, but it was so difficult to do when a presented chance to help his brother was burning a metaphorical hole in his back. "Your inner turmoil only makes me stronger." Nightmare drawled as Dream pushed himself back up to his feet, firing off one of his normal positive arrows at him in retaliation. Erratum executed their own condensed beam through verse, causing the darker spirit to dodge the strong blast and in turn, take the arrow in the shoulder. He hissed as one tendril came to yank it out, glowering at the both of them. 

"Why won't you just let him go?! Why are you doing this?!" Dream demanded as he continued to rapid-fire arrows at him, frustration and a hint of rage behind each shot. "I've kept him for this long, why would I let him go now?" Nightmare sneered back, wincing with every arrow that managed to land. "Accept that you failed him! That when he truly needed it, I was the one there. I'M the reason he's alive!" 

"Is that living to you?!" Dream demanded as his bow turned into a staff, clashing against the other. Nightmare's tendrils wrapped around the staff reflexively, hissing as it burned him with positive magic. "You might as well give in! You can't overpower the both of us!" Dream reminded him as the butt of his staff slammed him in the chest. Nightmare grunted as he staggered backward, clutching his chest while his tendrils swished irritably. He stepped back, intending to retreat back to his home and collect his subordinates for support. As he moved to summon his portal, however, the dark swirl merely sputtered before going out.

"I've locked this world down. There will be no portals opened in this universe for as long as I have it locked." Erratum informed, hand stroking the screen of their console. Nightmare hissed and reared his tendrils up again, feeling cornered quickly by the both of them. "Surrender to us and we can fix this. We can rebalance your soul." They continued firmly, their console vanishing again as Dream moved beside them. Nightmare knew they were both going to fight him until they submitted, but he still had one last thing to try. He knew of one thing that he could attempt after his time in Erratum's mind. 

"That's what you want, isn't it?" He began, catching Erratum's full attention. "To fix things, to rebalance everything. You crave to be the one to reshape this multiverse into what you believe would be the most ideal existence. You just know that if you were the one in total control that everything would simply be as it should." He could see the tensing of the other's body, which only made him grin more. "And you're right. This multiverse is helpless, you've seen that yourself. No matter how many times you fix something, a thousand more things go wrong. Nothing stays fixed because perfect balance can't exist when everyone is simply allowed to do whatever they wish."

"Nightmare, what are you talking about?" Dream was completely lost, but he could tell the other wasn't speaking to him. He could sense the tension and anxiety radiating from Erratum, and combined with the words Nightmare was feeding them, it made him extremely concerned. "T-That's not true!" He cut in, sensing this was beginning to go wrong. "Just because nothing stays perfect doesn't mean it's bad! It's the natural order of the universe to have fluctuations!" He insisted. "Oh? I don't believe that's your call." Nightmare smirked. "I think that was supposed to be a matter between the Guardians when they created this multiverse." He hummed, tilting his head a bit. "If they sent you down here, a Guardian of Order, then that must mean you are here to take control of it. To ensure it remains exactly as it should be."

Erratum's head was throbbing as they continued to shove thought after thought down into the recesses of their mind. Nightmare was trying to get to them from every angle in ways Erratum hadn't been prepared for. They expected Nightmare to lie, to swindle, to attack in order to ensure a victory. They didn't expect him to pull things out of the air that had been locked away in a protected mental barrier.

"Your expression, you know it's true." Nightmare continued at the strained look on their face. "You have rightful claim over this multiverse. Its very being is at the tips of your fingers. All of that power and all of these resources and you believe you are simply meant to sit and act when it seems right?"

"It would be easier to keep a balance if there weren't those intentionally disturbing the order!" Dream snapped, to which Nightmare snickered. "Fair point, but I can see it so clearly now. Errata," He sharpened his eye as he stared them down. "I have the resources to help you get there. My foolish brother and his ridiculous light-aligned allies would never understand your true purpose. They'd brand you as a power-hungry menace, something I can sympathize with. I can promise to uphold my side of the balance in return, as much as it pains me. All I ask is you let me show you the way, the true way, to fix this multiverse. And the only way is through you." 

Erratum was quiet as they took in his words, soul thrumming wildly in their chest as the tension rose. Was the other wrong, though? Everything he said, everything even slightly implied was points that circled their own mind. Even watching Nightmare partially swallow his own pride to admit he needed to retain balance through this revelation was... it was hard to turn away from.

"Errata, you can't... you can't be seriously thinking about this!" 

There was that uncertain tone, one that showed Dream did fear us being a power-hungry beast. Others constantly look to us to fix things but the very idea of us fully doing our job sends them on the defense instantly. None of them have our power; none of them have the responsibility of keeping the multiverse alive on their shoulders.

Erratum took a hesitant step forward. 

Nightmare's tendrils curled together in delight while Dream gave a shocked hitch of the breath.

"That's right... I knew you would one day realize it." Nightmare soothed as the Guardian turned their head to look back at Dream one last time. Erratum tightened their jaw before crossing the field completely to Nightmare's side, allowing the tendrils to move and stroke at their face and neck reverently. "They could never treat you the way a god should be treated." He spoke lowly, turning their head as he fed off of Dream's intense suffering. "You're a fool, Dream." He informed the spirit as his tendrils retreated back again, swaying in obvious delight. "You use a Guardian like an errand boy and this is what happens. Give them the respect they deserve, and you can see their true potential. You can help them reach new heights." He sneered at him. Erratum placed a hand on Nightmare's shoulder, seeming to pacify him to prevent more fighting. He huffed reluctantly, still glowering at Dream. 

Erratum moved their arms to wrap around Nightmare from behind, further burning Dream as betrayal stabbed through his soul. The Guardian looked Dream in the eye, however, and he could suddenly feel a shift.

The god's arm tightened around Nightmare's neck, forcing it upward as his other hand began to glow a vibrant gold. 

"NOW, DREAM!" They shouted as their hand came down to his chest, grasping onto the front of their shirt and tearing it as they sloughed away negativity. The pristine, cracked white bone showed through the negativity, Nightmare giving outraged screeches as his tendrils attempted to impale and choke the Guardian behind him. Dream withdrew the arrow from his back, aiming quickly with terror in his soul. 

He exhaled slowly as he released the arrow, watching it soar toward its target. The heavy negativity was already bubbling back up quickly to try and cover the bone once more. Just as it encroached up to his ribs, the arrow struck true, the dark negativity stalling just around the area. Nightmare stiffened, tendrils going limp as they slid off of the wounded Guardian behind him. 

"Shhh..." Erratum soothed, gently easing the gasping spirit down onto his back. Dream tossed his bow aside and rushed toward them, tears flowing from his eyes as he dropped down beside Nightmare. His hands shook as he observed the arrow stuck straight through his sternum. Erratum shook their head as he moved to pull it out, only making Dream whimper more in distress.

"Is this... what you wanted?" 

Dream sniffled as Nightmare stared up at him, eye hazy and breathing shallow. "Are you... happy? I bet you are... you'd love to see me die." The dark twin croaked, pulling painful sobs from his brother. 

"Shhh..." Erratum hushed once more, placing a hand on the side of Nightmare's face. "You are not dying... and you will not be destroyed." They assured the confused monster. "However, it's time. It's time for you to let him go." They murmured gently to him. "You've done good... you've kept him alive, but this isn't the village. There isn't anyone for you to keep them hidden from. You will always be with him, but you must let him free." The Guardian watched the features on his face twist to one of slight fear, the sludge beginning to drip from his form. 

"...I'm scared."

"I know you are," The Guardian soothed, watching this spirit with such sorrow. "But it's time." Dream was watching with confusion, weak sobs still escaping his mouth every so often. Nightmare closed his eye momentarily, shuddering as though trying to fight it. 

"You... Errata," Said god nodded at his acknowledgment. "You keep him safe too." Nightmare managed, the words sounding more like a command than a question. "I believe between the both of us, he will be just fine." 

Nightmare gave a long exhale after this, the dark tar on his body coalescing together before sinking down through the spirit's chest, breaking the arrow. Erratum could see the shattered side of Nightmare's skull, caved in from the supraorbital process up to the sphenoid bone. They watched as the dark negativity suddenly reemerged through the broken structure, coating the side of his skull to keep that side of his skull stable. 

Slowly, Nightmare's eyes slid open. Erratum noticed that the corrupted side had the familiar teal eyelight while the other had that violet one they had briefly caught a glimpse of before. Dream leaned forward, gasping as his hands fumbled in an attempt to grab the other's hands. Nightmare's hands clumsily moved from where they rested on his abdomen area, managing to grab onto Dream with a bit of a struggle. 

"Dream...?" He sounded drowsy, like he'd just awoken from a long nap. Dream sniffled as he gave a weak, teary laugh. 

"Welcome back, Nighty."

Chapter Text

Killer had his feet kicked up on the couch, muddy shoes staining the nice leather. He had been thinking about everything that had happened recently, specifically during their fight in that strange universe. Nightmare had been off ever since that day, locking himself away in his office and refusing anyone's request to enter. Hearing the spirit shout how he wouldn't let him go, whoever he was, still rung in his mind. What did it all mean?

He jolted as the main doors slammed open, immediately on guard as he spotted both Dream and that damn god lugging someone along. "Hey! What the hell are you two doing here?! You think this is some kinda safe house where you can drag your-?"

"Killer, we swear to everything above and every star in the sky, if you don't let us through we will pull your soul back out ourselves." The skeleton between the two threatened, the tone lighter, but familiar. Killer squinted his eyes, watching as the mystery skeleton gave him a glare with dual-coloured eyes, black sludge covering the side of his face.

"Boss??" Killer sputtered, recognizing him despite his vastly different appearance. "What's going on? What are they doing here? What happened to you?!"

"Shut up!" Nightmare snapped as the other pestered him with questions. "And clean that couch! We don't want to see one muddy footprint by the time we're done in our office!" He demanded as the three brushed past him. Killer watched with muted confusion as they headed up the stairs, drawing several more confused looks from other members of the manor as they stuck their heads out of various rooms. 

Erratum closed the door behind them as they entered Nightmare's office, separating them from the prying eyes of the others. They helped Nightmare settle behind his desk, watching him slump into the chair with an exhausted sigh. Dream was hovering nearby, seeming to want to fret over his brother's condition. Errata stood quietly, waiting for Nightmare to say anything. Finally, the spirit opened both of his eyes, gazing from Dream back to Errata.

"You..." Nightmare started, sounding in disbelief. "I...we don't know how you did it... I- we don't know how you figured that out. We... sorry, this is all a little surreal." He admitted, placing a hand on Dream's arm as the other came to hug him from his side. 

"I could only imagine." Erratum spoke with sympathy, seeing how much the other had suffered. Nightmare panted as one hand came to touch the side of his face, breath quickening as he felt the familiar tar substance on his face. 

"Nighty! Nightmare, relax!" Dream pleaded as the other hyperventilated, hands shaking as more of the thick negativity spread down his neck as he abruptly got to his feet. Dream continued to panic, which only seemed to set Nightmare off more. Erratum moved quickly, grasping onto both of Nightmare's wrists and directing his gaze up to them.

"The more you feel powerless and afraid, the more they're going to react. They aren't there to take over your body again, only to keep you safe. If you feel like you're in danger, they're going to take more dominant control over you." Erratum soothed him, making sure the other kept watching them. "Just look at me, Nightmare. Take a few easy breaths, and they'll know you're okay." They instructed him.

Nightmare was staring at them with an unreadable expression but soon began to slow his breathing. The calmer his breaths became, the more the negativity receded. He sighed heavily as it finally returned to the side of his skull. He looked down, seeming to remember that his shirt had been torn open from the entire encounter. He scowled as he grabbed a replacement jacket, zipping it up over his ruined tunic. "Okay... well, that's going to take some time to adjust to. No matter, we've been through worse." He cleared his throat as he slipped away from Erratum, moving back to the side of his desk. "I don't suppose you want something from all of this?" He questioned.

"Of course not Night-"

"Yes," 

Dream balked as he gave Erratum a shocked look, though Nightmare didn't look that surprised. "Let's discuss everything, then." Nightmare nodded as he moved to sit back at his desk again, folding his hands in front of him. "What are your demands?" The darker spirit inquired, watching as the god gave a quiet laugh. 

"Nothing like that, I assure you. This is about the balance." Erratum explained, which seemed to make Dream look less betrayed. "I suppose, what I'm asking for, is for the both of you to take a seat and discuss what happens next." 

Both spirits exchanged looks with each other, seeming apprehensive at the idea of facing everything. Still, Dream sat at the seat in front of Nightmare's desk, squirming a bit under his gaze. Erratum stood nearby, watching calmly with both hands tucked together in their sleeves. Dream twisted his hands together anxiously before he finally spoke up. "I...I-I don't want to do this fighting anymore, Nightmare. I know I haven't been the best, and I know I've really dropped the ball with the whole balance thing, but I want things to be better." Dream began, glancing up nervously at his brother.

Nightmare let out a heavy sigh as he leaned forward a bit, rubbing his forehead. He moved to pull off the crown still on his head, giving it a scowl before setting it on his desk. "That's all well and good, and believe us, we'd want the same. Is it simply that easy, Dream? You must remember, we're not exactly able to show our face anywhere in the multiverse. Regardless of what we look like now, we'd be executed on sight." He reminded Dream. 

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try, Nightmare!" Dream protested at his reluctance. "Aren't you tired of hiding away? The balance has always been in favour of the negative emotions, so you wouldn't even have to do too much in the beginning! Just let me take care of things for a while!" He insisted, which only brought a scowl to his brother's face.

"It's so nice to see you care about the balance now. Where was that kind of enthusiasm when we were protecting the tree? Scratch that, when we," He gestured to himself, making it clear he was speaking solely about himself. "Were protecting the tree? While you were busy running around the village?" 

Dream stood up suddenly at this, looking just as outraged. "Don't act like you did everything by yourself Nightmare!" He hissed, causing Nightmare to also jump to his feet.

"Dream, our one job was to guard the tree. That was it! We- I stayed there every day to make sure no one would disturb the tree! Do you know..." Nightmare closed his eyes as the negativity spread down his neck again, quickly losing his composure. "Do you know how many times we had to push people back? How many times people would call you away for some bullshit problem just so they could try and swipe an apple? Do you know how much pain we went through keeping them all back? All the attacks? The insults? The broken bones and scrapes?!"

"How was I supposed to know when you never told me anything!" Dream cried, slamming his hands on the desk. "You're going to sit here and expect me to have been able to know what you were going through when you were keeping it a secret?! Why didn't you come to me? Why couldn't you just talk to me, Nightmare?!"

"Because they would have killed you Dream!" 

Dream stiffened at the claim, watching as two tendrils erupted from Nightmare's back with a pained shout. The spirit winced as he rubbed at his shoulder, trying to adjust to the new weight on his uncovered spine. Nightmare looked back to Dream again with a frown. "If we had told you what they were doing to the tree, to us, you would have pushed them away. The only thing that kept you safe from them was their belief that you were the complete embodiment of positivity, even if you weren't quite that yet. They believed you would do anything and everything they asked of you, which kept them complicit, but most importantly content. If you stopped, they would have realized they had no use for either of the two little spirits of the tree. They knew the only way to truly get to us was through you...  if they threatened to kill you or harm you, they knew we would have caved. They still had use for you, however, and hoped they could keep you while getting the apples they wanted so much."

Dream stiffly sat back in his chair again, feeling numb by this information. He could tell by the look on Nightmare's face, though, that the other was completely serious. "No... that... that can't be true. I know... I know they used me a lot. I don't... they wouldn't have-"

"They would Dream!" Nightmare hissed as the tendrils on his back lashed angrily. "Why do you think we built our manor on the ruins of the village?! If there's one thing we don't regret about back then, it's slaughtering every one of them. Was it right? No. Do we care? Absolutely not." He emphasized every statement by slamming his fist against the desk.

"Don't say that!" Dream gasped at such a harsh statement. "You should have told me!"

"What were we to say?! We were in over our heads! We- I...!"

"You were both children!" 

The two spirits fell silent, having almost forgotten the Guardian was even there. Erratum was staring at the both of them with a stern expression, having had enough of the back and forth. "You were both put in an impossibly complex situation fit for a deity as children. You were expected to do the job of an adult god while being nothing more than little forest spirits!" They continued with the same amount of discontent. "I will not sit here and listen to you two shout and blame one another for something that had always been out of your control. You've both made mistakes, you've both been hurt, and you've both come to reconcile. You have to face the past and accept what is done, is done." 

Both spirits quietly appraised one another, seeming to mull these words over. Nightmare eventually stepped out from behind his desk, circling around it and continuing to give Dream an expectant look. "The Nightmare you knew died a long time ago, Dream. We aren't the same introverted child that was pushed around and tormented their entire life. We'll never be the monster you've been seeking to save." 

"I know..." Dream clenched his fists tighter as he looked him in the eyes. "I know you're not... and that's okay. You told me back then, right before it all ended, to remember who you once were. And I do! I do remember who you were, and I'll never forget that Nightmare, but I want to know you! I know you've seen too much, done too much, lived too long to be the same Nighty that I knew. I'm okay with that! I just... I just want my brother back. You'll always be my brother, no matter what you do or what you look like." He watched as Nightmare turned his head away a moment, tendrils swishing a bit as he sighed.

"You're just as stubborn as you always were, Dream." Nightmare finally spoke after a moment, giving him a weak smile.

Dream frowned as he moved away from his seat, quickly moving around to nearly bowl the other over. Nightmare gave a huff of a laugh as the other clung to him, moving to embrace him as well, tendrils coming to encircle the both of them. 

"How come you're taller than me?!" Dream sniffled as he looked up at him. Nightmare gave a quiet chuckle at this, noticing the height difference himself.

"Perhaps because there's always been more negativity in the multiverse? It fed our body and acted as an accelerator for us when we were growing." Nightmare theorized. Dream didn't seem satisfied with this as he pulled back, huffing indignantly. Dream dropped the pouting facade as he looked back up at his brother's face, seeing the smile there.

"I think the perfect place for you two to start is with a book club."

Nightmare gave the god a strange look, though he wasn't completely turned off by the idea. "Is that so?" He questioned hesitantly. Dream didn't seem to understand and waited for them to further explain.

"I think it would be a good bonding time, and, I think I know the book to start with." Erratum moved to open Verse, skimming through their inventory until they selected the book they were looking for. "Ah, here it is. I thumbed through it at the request of a follower, but I think you two would benefit from it." They spoke as Nightmare took the book curiously. His face fell flat as he glanced up at Erratum.

"Codependent No More? Really?" 

"An excellent read I think you both could learn from." Erratum smiled at their offended expressions. "Don't even begin to argue as though you don't already know." They could see the beginnings of a protest in both of their faces. "If you aren't aware you're horrendously codependent then read the first chapter. If you still feel that way, freely tell me I'm wrong." They challenged both of them. Nightmare tossed the book on his desk with an unimpressed look. 

"Fine..." The dark spirit grumbled, satisfying the god for the moment. He watched as Erratum opened a rift in his office, turning to look at the both of them insistently. Dream clutched onto Nightmare's wrist while one of his tendrils wrapped around the offending hand. Errata blinked at their silent response, huffing a soft laugh. 

"Both of you, come with me." They clarified for them, which seemed to ease their mounting separation anxiety. Dream followed after Erratum, glancing back to ensure his brother followed. Once they were through the rift, they found themselves surrounded by a circle of temples. "This is where the Temples of the Guardians lie, deep within Reapertale." Erratum explained. 

Nightmare looked around with fascination, never having had the opportunity to visit this universe when he was in his previous form. "It's incredible... but why are we here?" He questioned curiously. Erratum waved them forward, guiding them along to a large open temple. There wasn't much to it; a large opening on the inside with a plate probably meant for collecting offerings and a large symbol on the ground in front of it. Nightmare recognized it as the symbol of Karma.

"A while ago, I told you that Hope and Faith wished to speak with you both." Erratum spoke, looking between the both of them. "So, I'm going to guide you through shifting into The Between. There, we shall speak to the Guardians." They instructed them, settling in the middle of the large symbol. "It is easier for me to do this through Karma, for obvious reasons." 

"You're certain about this?" Nightmare questioned, though he still settled beside the god nonetheless. Erratum could tell they were hesitant about meeting the Guardians after everything. 

"Completely." Erratum agreed as Dream settled in front of them, forming a triangle between them all. "Now... simply take my hands, and close your eyes. Focus on your souls, and I will do the rest." They instructed as the markings over their bodies began to illuminate. Both spirits exchanged looks with one another before closing their own eyes, feeling the steady beats of their souls. Moments later, a sensation as though they were being pulled from their body overtook them, leaving them spiraling until they awoke in a floating abyss. 

Erratum seemed calm enough in this strange environment, while Dream and Nightmare were flailing a bit and trying to keep their composure. A set of bright apparitions descended upon them, making the two spirits wince momentarily at their brightness. Erratum only gave a soft smile as a different entity surrounded them, bringing them comfort rather than fear.

"You've done well, as I knew you would," Karma spoke around the god, causing the two spirits to jolt at the strange voice. "I knew you would find a way to bring them both together again. You've brought a shard of pride back to the Council." They praised, to which Erratum simply gave a soft hum in response. The two other shapeless forms were before the two spirits, who looked on with apprehension. 

"No need to be afraid! We have waited so long for the two of you! I am Hope,"

"And I am Faith. We have seen both of you from the moment you were created, and we sustained your forms when you were transcended so rapidly to deities." Faith informed the two mesmerized spirits. "It is at our request Errata has brought you here. As twin celestial beings, it is only fitting for us to take on twin champions." 

"Wait, wait," Nightmare interrupted with surprise. "Us? You want us to act as your champions?" He spoke with a hint of doubt. 

"Well, even though you have obviously had a marking from Magic at some point," Hope acknowledged as they stared through the spirit, who seemed surprised to hear this. "You are not their champion, don't you worry. I believe, before they disappeared, they took pity on your plight and gave you a blessing." Nightmare stared down at his hands a moment at this, seeming fascinated and intrigued. 

"Your Faith in others and in every action you take has moved me enough to consider you worthy." Faith informed as they surrounded Dream, who stared on with wide eyes. 

"Your Hope for change and salvation, the struggle you fought to retain your sentience, and the Hope your redemption will give to others has moved me enough to consider you worthy." Hope further encroached on Nightmare, who still seemed to believe this was a giant hallucination. Faith was the first to move, fully engulfing Dream's form for a moment. 

"I, Faith, declare Dream of Dreamtale as my rightful champion. And so it will be." 

Dream gave a surprised shout at the sharp burning sensation that shot through his body. Erratum hadn't warned him about this part! It seemed to sear his very being before the Guardian released him again, causing his body to slump in relief. He didn't feel any different now that the burning subsided, but there was a pulsing sensation on his right scapula that seemed to remind him of his new duties. "I-I will do my best." Dream whispered, resting his fist on his chest and dipping his head. 

Nightmare watched with wonder as his brother was imbibed with their power, feeling anxiety in his own chest. He glanced up as Hope momentarily surrounded him before he felt as though he were splitting apart. The sensation wasn't painful, but it was jarring when he was suddenly face-to-face with a familiar corrupted version of himself. 

"You both have been with one another for centuries. Though born from suffering, the both of you now exist harmoniously with one another. May you both live your symbiotic lives in peace now, free from persecution." Hope spoke to the both of them, who stared at one another like they had so many times through the mirror. 

"I...I can do that." Nightmare agreed as he watched his corrupted mirror image twist their tendrils around and nod in agreement. They both interlocked their hands, seeming to come to an understanding with one another with small, sad smiles. They combined together once more, Nightmare holding his own body in a self hug for a moment.

"Now," Hope continued, recapturing Nightmare's attention. "I, Hope, declare Nightmare of Dreamtale as my rightful champion. And so it will be."

Nightmare cringed instantly at the sharp pain that zapped through him. It was certainly intense, but he had shouldered and pushed through worse pain in his life. He could grit his teeth and endure it for as long as it took. It felt as though it took forever, somehow longer than Dream's had, before Hope finally pulled away. He could feel the pulsing at his left scapula immediately, reminding him of his new duties. He looked down at his hands, blinking in confusion at the dark gloves and the feeling of heavy fabric on his body. 

"Oh... wow, Nightmare." Dream cooed in wonder at his sibling.

A dark, purple cloak was fastened at his neck, trailing down to the bottom of his ribcage where a darker black material lie underneath. His pants hugged tighter to his body, a dark black colour that went all the way down before disappearing into the purple and silver boots. Atop his head lay a circlet, the chain fastened around and dipping just to the center of his forehead, where it held the rune of Dagaz in its clasp.

"I felt a change of wardrobe was fitting for your new title," Hope remarked as Nightmare tried to get a good look at himself. 

"Ever with the theatrics." Faith seemed to tease, both apparitions drifting away from the new champions. Both siblings gave each other wide grins, seeming to appraise one another with pride. Erratum drifted closer to them, placing either hand on their shoulder and squeezing tightly with a similar prideful look.

"I present, for the first time, the champions of Hope and Faith."

Chapter Text

Erratum sighed as they made notes in Verse while their allies gave them updates on their situations. There wasn't a lot the group had to say to them that made them very hopeful for the coming future. Since the entire 'war' propaganda began, the god had been forced to begin actual meetings with those on their side. Their 'meeting room' was more of a glorified gazebo with a round table for them to gather around. They had quickly explained what was really going on and their ultimate goals to each member that joined, which was usually met with some resistance. They always took time to straighten the facts and show them the receipts and, one by one, they all fell in line.

"Can't be helped," Outer spoke as he shrugged a bit. "Sci closed off his world and any sort of help to anyone strictly aligned with Errata. Any casual passing through Outertale, for leisure or business, has been restricted in retaliation. There have already been a few scuffles regarding Ink and a few of his known followers." He reported to them, much to Erratum's continuing displeasure. 

"Keep calling me when it happens, I always love breaking a few bones." Storyshift Chara smirked from where they leaned back in their chair. They had been quite resistant to joining the entire cause, even after their encounter with Cross. Erratum had shown up to explain at their request, and Chara had turned them away once more. Before the god could leave, however, Chara's brother had come wailing to them. They had apparently sustained a tear to their rainbow handkerchief and were completely inconsolable over the fact. Erratum had patiently settled on the front step of the two's home, stitching the tear and returning the article to Asriel once they had finished. Chara had spontaneously changed their mind within the thirty minutes the god had taken to repair it.

"No killing anyone outside their worlds," Geno spoke up, giving Chara a suspicious glare as he did so. He did his best to be amicable with most of the members, but he had a hard time getting past Chara's disposition. Reaper was hovering nearby, not involved with the multiverse dispute but being actively supportive of his partner. "We still don't comprehend what would happen and, frankly, I don't wanna find out." He watched as the human rolled their eyes in response to his worries.

"Regardless," Erratum spoke up, capturing everyone's attention once more. "If things escalate, especially with Ink directly, please reach out to me. I want there to be as little fighting as possible between universes. This is strictly a dispute between myself and the creator." They reminded all of them with a serious expression on their face. "At any rate, that isn't what this meeting is about." This seemed to spark curiosity in the majority of them. "There has been a change in alliances that you all must be made aware of. I'm overjoyed to report that the balance between negativity and positivity is officially out of my hands." 

"Wait," Red spoke as he tried to comprehend this. "The hell you mean? The people who are supposed to be in charge of all that are Dream and Nightmare. Dream's sided with Ink on this matter and Nightmare's... Nightmare." He scowled a bit as he said this. Erratum smiled, however, with a pleased gleam in their eyes. "What did you do." It was a statement rather than a question from the Fell monster.

Erratum said nothing as they opened a golden rift beside themselves, allowing two new figures to step through. Dream gave them all a sheepish grin while Nightmare kept his gaze firmly away from all of them. The reaction was instantaneous, as the group began giving confused or outraged questions.

"Is that Nightmare?? What happened?!" Outer sputtered, while Geno stared on in confusion as well. 

"ERRATA," Geno sounded scandalized and looked just as much, glancing at Cross and Blue with disbelief. "Why am I just now learning about this?!" He demanded, to which Cross held his hands up innocently. 

"You weren't here! You've been in your own world or with Reaper!" Cross pointed out, trying to avoid his wrath. This just caused Geno to whirl on Reaper, who looked just as alarmed by the other's glare. 

"Did you know about this??" Geno demanded of his nervous partner. 

"Geno, my dove, you-"

"I can't believe you!" Geno cut him off immediately as the other went to defend himself. 

"But you would have-"

"Enough, please." Erratum interrupted the whirlwind of chaos before it could grow out of control. "Nightmare has always been, in a sense, two separate entities. The negative embodiment that you all know, and the person underneath it all." They looked to Nightmare, gesturing for them to go on. Nightmare looked hesitant, but Dream was there to give him an encouraging nudge. 

"I...well, we... Um," Nightmare fought with himself a moment, the negativity spreading down his neck as he listened to its soft voice in his mind. "Okay, yes, I have been sort of aware for a long time. There were more moments where I was dormant, I suppose you would call it, than actually conscious. Almost everything was entirely out of my control, but it was all done by..." He touched the side of his face a moment, feeling over the negative tar. "Well, them. It was some misguided attempt to keep me alive and protected after... everything. That's not what we want anymore, however. Now that we're finally in balance and able to coexist, we can properly take care of things again." He glanced around at the group, desperately wanting them to believe him. 

"Why should we believe someone who's killed millions of people and caused so much damage?!" Red demanded as he slammed his fist on the table.

"How do we know you aren't just going along with everything for your own interest? Until something better comes along?" Chara accused further, sneering at him as they recalled their first encounter. 

"What are you talking about?! There's no special interest in this for us other than not dying! We just want to do the job we were meant to do in the first place! Before this whole mess even began!" Nightmare shouted back at the accusation. 

"As much as I hate saying it, I believe him." Geno frowned as he crossed his arms. "Just like the rest of us, Dream and Nightmare didn't have control over their stories. In the end, we should be questioning why Ink even... made that world."

"Yeah, I mean, according to Errata, my world existed before Dreamtale did. If the emotional balance wasn't an issue before then, why was the whole 'tree of feelings' thing necessary?" Blue spoke up as well with a confused frown. 

Dream was the one to jump in on this. "No no, it's not about that!" He insisted with a wave of his hand. "There's a lot you all don't understand from Ink's perspective!" He insisted, much to Nightmare's scorn. 

"I'm sure he had nothing to do with our previous condition." Nightmare scowled back at him. Dream frowned as he pulled his hands back to wring them together. "Yeah, we thought as much." He muttered darkly, to which Dream quickly chimed in again.

"Nightmare, he didn't mean for it to turn out that way! He was trying to protect you!"

"Protect us?! He wrecked our entire life!" Nightmare hissed as two tendrils erupted from his back. "Don't you tell me what I went through was for my own good! His 'little story' is the entire reason our lives went off the rails, Dream!"

"It wasn't like that! He thought if you ate just one-"

"Why are you defending him?!" Nightmare demanded, cutting Dream off. "Why are you so certain he's telling you the truth? After years of lying? After all this time of pain and suffering?!" He demanded of him. Dream clenched his jaw at the other's questions, tears dotting at the edges of his sockets. Nightmare scanned him over a moment, face slowly morphing into one of disbelief. 

"Oh... Dream, no. Dream..." Nightmare sounded exasperated as he rested a hand on his forehead. "You can't seriously... not him. Why? Why him, Dream??" He groaned with frustration. Everyone else had grown silent at their argument, seeming to fear Nightmare would change his mind and start slaughtering them all again.

Dream didn't appear to understand what his brother was saying. "What? Nightmare, I don't-"

"You know he doesn't feel anything, right?" 

Dream tensed a bit at this sentence, eyes wide and frightened. "That's... no, I mean, not on his own but... I mean, he chooses what-"

"Dream, please," Nightmare sighed as he narrowed his eyes. "Don't... don't do that to yourself. Don't act so naive, it's not becoming of you." He narrowed his eyes at him. "If he knew you were here? Do you think he'd still 'choose' to feel how he feels about you now? If he really cared, he wouldn't drag you all over the multiverse in his own mess!" He could see the other turn away from him, refusing to entertain the idea. "He's not capable of replicating any feelings that aren't artificial, Dream." 

"And that's so bad?! Why is that any different than having natural feelings! It's not his fault he doesn't have a soul!" Dream shot back at him, clenching his fists tightly. "Why... why are you all so horrible about that? Like he somehow chose this kind of life? He had just as much control as the rest of us! Can we just once not persecute one another and just try to help each other?!"

Nightmare fell silent at this, frown still firm on his face. Erratum gave a soft sigh as they tried to pull things back together. "I have to agree. The goal is to find a solution, not tear each other apart in battle." They reminded the bunch, staring pointedly at Nightmare. "I want to find a way to make this right by helping Ink. I have... one idea, but I would rather not use that as my first approach." They admitted with an unreadable expression. "For now, I think we've touched upon everything we needed to. All of you are dismissed, and once again, notify me of any arising conflicts." 

With that, each member began to reluctantly leave. The atmosphere was still rather tense once the majority of them were gone, leaving Erratum's familiar group and the twins. Erratum breathed out a silent breath as the twins avoided each other's gazes, probably still stubbornly clinging to their beliefs. They shook their head a bit in disapproval, only moving away at the call of Geno. Erratum could see the rather chastised expression on Reaper's face as they got closer, which was admittedly a bit amusing. 

"Hey, um, I know this isn't the most ideal time," Geno started with a nervous laugh. "We wanted to ask if it was okay if we, like... lived here?" He questioned, much to the surprise of the god. "Just! You know!" He sputtered at the other's expression. 

"Courting stuff," Reaper chuckled at his partner's embarrassment. "Reapertale is out of the question. I wouldn't want to overwhelm my dove with that kind of environment." He explained though Geno gave him a dirty look at the remark.

"And as much as I love my family and having my world again, just... no." Geno chuckled weakly. "I don't really feel like I fit into their dynamic anyway, so I'm all right with moving out. It's not like I can't visit them whenever I want." He added. "So, yeah, we were wondering...?"

"Of course," Erratum insisted with a pleasant smile. "I told you a while back that you'd always have a home in me should you ever need it." They reminded him, causing the other to huff and turn his head away. 

"Yeah... was kinda relying on that," Geno admitted, causing the Guardian to give an amused laugh. "Whatever! Just... I hope you don't mind me saying we don't exactly want to live outside."

"I assumed so, and that won't be an issue. I am more than capable of designing something like I did for the Temmies."

"You did what?" Geno questioned with a blink. "Temmies? Plural? Multiple?" 

"Fresh." 

"Ah, that makes more sense." 

Nightmare paced anxiously in the main hall, extremely aware of the eyes on him. His tendrils swished a bit, prodding at the clean side of his face as though to draw his attention. He merely batted them away with a frown. Erratum had assured him they would be sending a rather reluctant Horror back to hear Nightmare out, and the dark spirit was trepidatious at best. Horror had turned so quickly in battle to Erratum's side and, as bitter as it made him feel, he couldn't even really blame him. Seeing how Horror had gone from mute and skittish to having enough magic to do simple attacks made him realize he had more than just failed Horror.

His thoughts were interrupted as a bright rift opened up, the anxious monster in question being pushed through to the other side. The rift closed just as quickly, and both monsters realized that Erratum expected them to work it out without them mediating. Horror was staring at him with obvious hesitation, looking like they'd rather be anywhere but here. Nightmare cleared his throat, trying to collect himself enough to start this conversation.

"We... we're sorry." Nightmare glanced back at the others as they crowded the room as well.

"We?" Horror questioned curiously. Their eyelight trailed between the dual-coloured eyelights the other possessed, humming a bit before nodding. "Different... people?"

"Sort of, it's..." Nightmare sighed as he glanced away. "It's hard to explain. I, me," He tapped the clean side of his skull. "I've always been there, for the most part. I didn't have a lot of control, not until more recently. It started when I first encountered Errata, when they grabbed one of my tendrils. When the negativity turned to liquid under their grasp, a little part of me felt... more aware." He attempted to explain.

"So you're not really our Boss? You're just kinda... what, the gooey emotional center?" Killer spoke with a raised brow bone. "You're just the soft little skeleton underneath." This seemed to strike a wrong cord, as the liquid negativity spread up to the top of his skull and down his neck, leaving the others a bit surprised. 

"We think you've missed the part about how we have always been here." Nightmare sneered as the tendrils curled irritably. "You think we're different? That we aren't the same Nightmare that killed countless souls and corrupted dozens of worlds? This," They gestured to themselves with a glare. "Is as close to the real Nightmare as you're gonna get!" He snapped as the skeletons exchanged looks with each other. 

"Who do you think took all your night terrors? Who do you think showed restraint to you at the very last moment when things escalated to irrational violence? Who do you think brought you into their home? Them??" He scowled as the tendrils raised up threateningly. "They mean well, but the rationality and mercy are solely from me. They react defensively and for the sole purpose to keep the both of us alive. They aren't as versed in compassion and restraint." He panted a bit as he broke off his argument, turning his head away.

"We know we failed you, all of you, many times. We were relentless, heartless, and we failed to keep you safe when you needed it. Under our care, you should have wanted for nothing and feared even less. We became the thing you feared above all else when we should have been your comfort in this multiverse." Nightmare broke off, feeling stupid for saying anything at all. It was obvious they weren't understanding, and they saw him as lesser. Weaker. 

"I... saw."

Nightmare looked at Horror with confusion, seeing him staring intensely back at him. "When... you stopped rationing. Let... me start cooking. That... was you." He rumbled, to which Nightmare nodded dumbly in response.

"I saw you..." Nightmare snapped his head over to Dust now, who picked at the golden mittens on his hands. "I know you suspected Errata had started helping me, but you didn't say anything. You even provided me with an area to do my carvings. Not to mention all the times you've eased the... voices." He scanned Nightmare's face a moment with consideration. "You're the one who spared me when my levels started falling. That was you." 

Nightmare breathed out a quiet sound at this, nodding as well. Killer cleared his throat, which really threw Nightmare. Killer would rather crawl through barbwire than admit to anything or be, Guardian's forbid, sentimental. 

"Dammit, yeah, I saw you." Killer sighed as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "When you surrendered for my sake, even if we both knew you had a good chance to take them down. You did it because you didn't want to take the risk of me dying. You told me that, and you looked shocked when you said it. That's how I know you're both definitely different, somehow. And when you made me call Errata? That had to have taken a lot of pride swallowing to do, to admit someone else could do something for me that you couldn't." He huffed in amusement, much to Nightmare's momentary annoyance. "Yeah... that was you."

Nightmare glanced around at the bunch as they moved in closer, no longer appearing afraid or hesitant of his new form. Nightmare gave a confused sound as they surrounded him, momentarily alarming him. The sheer loyalty and respect that radiated from them baffled the spirit. How much they seemed to trust him despite their belief he was a different person was... touching. He gave a faint smile as the negativity retreated back to its proper place, sensing the group wasn't hostile. Nightmare allowed the tendrils to move and prod at each of them, seeming to take them in and commit them to memory. 

"Yeah... that was me."

Chapter Text

Dream sighed heavily as the back of his head lightly met the large tree behind him. He was settled underneath the large apple tree of the Dreamscape, trying to psyche himself up enough to get started. It was always so exhausting to scour the unconscious minds of the multiverse and he typically didn't have the energy to make much of an impact. As much as positive, good dreams gave him power, the negative nightmares sapped it from him. Turning a bad dream into a positive one expended a lot of his own reserves, and with so much negativity in the multiverse, that usually ended in him losing more power than he got in return.

It was frustrating, but he had so much work to do. If he wanted to start properly correcting the emotional balance, he needed to start this arduous work as soon as he possibly could.

"You look like crap." 

Dream blinked up at Nightmare's form, startled by his sudden appearance. Nightmare crouched down in front of him, grinning a bit at his surprised look. "What? Not happy to see your brother?" He taunted him, which seemed to snap the other out of his daze.

"Sorry, just, I haven't seen you in the Dreamscape since... you know." Dream muttered, brushing past it quickly. "What are you doing here though? Not that I'm not happy to see you, just...?" 

Nightmare waved it off, not wanting to drag his past into this. "Well, I know you said you would handle things since you needed to spread positivity, but then that got me thinking." He started, whisps of purple magic following his hand as he spoke animatedly. "While I can't do much on my end, what I can do is help out here. Consuming bad dreams is still something in my arsenal of balance, after all." He smiled as he held his hand out to him. "Like old times, right?"

Dream stared down at his hand, flashes of memories passing through his eyes of when they would hop through the Dreamscape. They would have silly competitions to see if there were more good dreams or bad dreams, play tag throughout various unconscious minds, and of course, actually work! Nightmare or Dream would signal one another when coming across a particularly gruesome nightmare, or a mind that had been plagued with countless nights of nightmares, and begin their work. Nightmare would instantly consume the dream, fueling him in a quick burst of negativity, while Dream would expend minimal magic as a result to build a better dream world. 

Changing a nightmare to a positive dream took a lot more energy than influencing a blank mind. 

Dream moved to take the offered hand, smiling as he was pulled up to his feet. He nodded firmly in response and watched the subtle flash of relief flicker through his twin's face. He hoped to one day prove to Nightmare that he still meant as much to him now as he did back then.

"Just like old times."

"Yeah, bruh. I dunno what to tell ya. I've never seen something quite like this before, bruh."

Erratum gave a soft sigh as they watched the small soul shards repel one another the moment they got too close together. They had hoped with Epic being Magic's champion, the other would have a bit more knowledge on this phenomenon. The champion appeared to be as puzzled as they were, sadly. "Well, I appreciate you taking the time to offer your knowledge." The god sighed, disappointed that this had been another dead end. Epic gave them an apologetic look and shrugged a bit. 

"Sorry, bruh. Magic is one thing, sure, but this is some freaky soul stuff. You'd think I'd know a thing or two about it but this is beyond even me, bruh." Epic apologized while Cross moved to pat his back.

"You did your best, dude." Cross assured sympathetically. "I don't get this soul magic stuff either so don't take it too hard." 

Soul magic.

Erratum looked up from the little shards, intrigued by Cross's words. "Soul magic..." They hummed quietly, puzzling over where they had heard this before. They knew they had heard, or seen it somewhere else before, but where? 

Then they recalled a neat little study; countless rows of old tomes and well-loved books tucked away with care. 

Erratum fed the soul pieces back to Verse before getting to their feet again. Cross gave them a curious look, silently questioning where they were off to. "I'm going to pay Nightmare a visit. I recall him having a few tomes and books on theoretics of souls and soul magic." They informed their champion, who still looked slightly uneasy despite their ongoing alliance with the darker spirit. 

"All right... just be careful and actually call us if something happens. Not after it happens, before." Cross emphasized with a narrowing of his eyes. Erratum held their hands up innocently at his accusing stare.

"I will, I will. I have learned my lesson."

"Press 'x' to doubt." Epic chimed in from beside Cross, much to Erratum's confusion. Cross seemed amused, however. 

"I'll update you on anything, all right?" Erratum promised as they opened a rift in front of themself. Cross gave them a hard look but nodded nonetheless. He knew the Guardian would go whether Cross believed them or not. "Wonderful," Was all the god said before disappearing into the rift. They found themselves at the door of Nightmare's study once more, though no 'persuasion' was needed to get them here this time. They wasted no time giving a few gentle knocks on the door.

"Proceed."

Erratum assumed the other was admitting them access and opened the door. The office looked the same it had when they were last here a few days ago, though perhaps a bit messier. A few books were stacked up on either side of Nightmare's desk. The pile on the left seemed to have significantly more books than the pile on the right, and Erratum wondered which stack contained the ones the spirit had already read through. Said spirit hadn't acknowledged them too much, pouring through another book that lay open on his desk. The Guardian gave a few amused chuckles, pulling Nightmare's attention up to them.

"You're not who we were expecting," Nightmare spoke as he placed a finger against his book, probably keeping a place marker on the sentence he had been reading. "We hope you don't mind the lack of a proper greeting-"

"As I've told your brother, it's absolutely unnecessary, especially in polite company." Erratum quickly waved away. "At any rate, I've come to ask about your knowledge of soul magic." They informed, cutting right to the chase. Nightmare's brow bones rose in surprise at the other's words, moving to quickly mark his page before closing his book.

"Soul magic?" Nightmare repeated as he set the book down on the right side of his desk. He rose to his feet and scanned the other over with a perplexed expression. "Why would you be dabbling into the works of soul magic? That's a rather controversial branch of magic, after all." He informed them as he trailed his fingers over his bookshelf. "You better have a very good reason for-"

"What if I showed you something that you might find hard to believe?" 

Nightmare gave a patient sigh as the other cut him off. He gave the god a rather dry look in response, as though he were questioning why he was even dealing with them at all. "Errata... you would have to be much more specific than that. You constantly are doing things that are hard to believe." He informed as he pulled a book from his shelf. 

Erratum gave a quiet laugh at this. "I can't exactly argue with that logic. At any rate, this," They retrieved the various soul pieces from Verse once more, using a series of strings to keep them all from flying apart. The soul's repelling force toward each of its pieces made it impossible to have them all close in proximity without pushing each other away. 

"Is that something." 

Nightmare dropped his book a moment, quickly moving in front of the god to view the little pieces. He appeared fascinated by them, a hand moving out to lightly glance over one of the pieces. "What...? How is this possible? How long have you had this??" He glanced up at them with confusion, though his curiosity was much more prominent than his annoyance. 

"I found it in my antivoid a while back, right where the creator was formed." Erratum watched as Nightmare stiffened up a bit at this implication. "This is Ink's soul." 

"Guardian's above and every star in the sky..." Nightmare muttered, both stunned and completely exasperated all at once. "So when you said his soul was basically shattered when he was created-"

"I was literal, yes." Erratum nodded as they gave a soft sigh. "I can't influence them to bind with one another again, however. It's almost like each bit has its own gravitational field that's pushing them away from each other." Erratum watched Nightmare select two pieces, attempting to push them closer together. Nightmare's brow bone shot up again as the pieces halted abruptly, resisting hard enough to keep Nightmare from pushing them any further.

"Fascinating..." Nightmare breathed as he slowly pulled them away from each other again. "We've never studied soul shards up close as they normally disintegrate quickly after they shatter. This is an entirely new concept we're looking at here." He enthused as he pulled them closer to his face to view them.

It was slightly endearing, but it didn't answer any of Erratum's pressing questions.

"Is there anything you know of that could assist with them bonding back together? I've tried a few different methods to put these pieces together, but it's obvious that there's something I don't quite understand." Erratum had even resorted to attempting to stitch them together at one point. That had been disastrous. 

"You speak of doing something a bit unethical here." Nightmare warned as he released the pieces from his hands, picking his tome up off the floor. "Most mages and magic users frown upon manipulating the soul. Does Reaper know you're doing this?" 

"Well, no..." Erratum muttered, turning their head away a moment. "It's a bit blurry as far as his domain goes. The soul isn't exactly dead and Ink is very much alive, so does it count?" They shrugged, trying to appear unbothered.

"Mhmm," Nightmare hummed, looking unimpressed. "Do you suppose if he found these little pieces he could reap him?" He questioned. 

"The Guardians wouldn't want that." Erratum felt certain of this matter. "Fate gave him an alternative source of life so he may continue to exist. If Reaper were to reap these... I'm not certain what would happen. I don't intend to find out." They watched as Nightmare shook his head and peered down at his book. 

"So you turn to us to help with your immoral deeds."

"Immoral is a strong word to use here." Erratum defended as they hovered closer to his desk. "It's not bringing a soul back to life if the person in question is already alive, right?"

Nightmare huffed out a quiet breath. "Oh, our mistake. Not immoral, just 'morally gray', right?" 

"Now you're on my level." Erratum smiled back at the other's taunting tone of voice. "I won't tell anyone of your assistance if that's what you're concerned about." They added as Nightmare furrowed his brow bone in concentration.

"We have no image to uphold anymore. We don't think people can think lower of us and tampering with souls is just par for the course." Nightmare glanced up at Erratum, mildly amused at their confusion. "It's an expression. It would surprise no one to see us do it." He explained further before turning the book around and tapping the page.

Erratum glanced down at it, tilting their head a bit at the images and words. "It might be faster for you to explain it. My first language is binary and I'm rather slow trying to translate." They frowned as Nightmare gave them a bizarre look before shaking his head a bit.

"Souls are held together by the culmination of a creature's magic. In theory, a strong enough magical force should be able to cause each piece to recognize one another once more." Nightmare tapped his fingers on the desk, humming a bit as a dark tendril appeared from his back and tapped the page. "Yes, that's the issue." He spoke, frowning a bit. "The magical force most likely should be from the soul owner's own magic. We don't exactly have that though, do we?" He frowned as the tendril arched at him. "Look, we're good but we're not miracle workers."

"Are you talking to me or-?"

Nightmare batted away the tendril and rubbed his hands together. "Fine! We have high doubts that this will work, but we're already here and we're always up to prove someone wrong." Before Erratum could question if he was even speaking to them anymore, Nightmare's hands lit up with a bright violet colour. Each soul shard glimmered around its edges with the same violet, ensnared in the spirit's magic. "Okay, release them, and let's see what we can do." He instructed. 

Erratum felt hesitant to do so, knowing how these volatile pieces could scatter apart. Slowly, each thread released their captured shard, allowing them to be held solely by Nightmare's magic. Nightmare gave a hum of approval as he moved his hand around, the pieces circling in the air for a moment. "Now let's see where each bit goes..." He muttered as they swarmed around him. Nightmare would move his hand and arrange several pieces at once, sifting some off to the side for later consideration. The tendril on his back would occasionally move to gesture at something and the spirit would respond back verbally to it.

The Guardian was captivated by him. They knew from seeing his large collection that Nightmare must have been quite the magic user at a younger age, but it was obvious his continued studies made up for the lack of practicals. Erratum would follow each wave of his hand as he maneuvered around the pieces and seemed to place them in a shape that resembled the upside-down heart structure. They could see the sweat beading on their skull as both hands moved to cup either side of this 'soul'. 

"Son of a..." Nightmare grunted as his body strained, attempting to force these pieces together. "Come on, you're so close! Just accept each other, dammit!" He hissed as more purple magic flared from his left socket. He finally gave a strained shout and released his hold, panting heavily as the oddly shaped 'soul' hovered in front of him. He glanced over it, huffing a bit with interest. "Well... We did something." He shrugged. "Definitely not a fix or compatible with life, but it's more than we thought." He glowered as the tendril beside him swayed a bit. 

"It... almost looks normal." Erratum hummed as they cupped their hands under the object. "Well, at the very least I don't have to worry about losing any of the pieces anymore. I'm grateful that you even attempted. I know you don't exactly like Ink." They moved to carefully allow Verse to absorb the strange 'soul', watching Nightmare wipe his forehead and sigh. 

"Yeah, well, you've done us a lot of favours. We don't like being in debt to others." Nightmare excused with a small frown. "Plus, it gave us an opportunity to experiment with something we couldn't possibly pass on." They hummed as they looked Erratum up and down a moment. 

"It'll be something to speak to the other Guardians about." Erratum stated as Verse vanished from in front of them. Nightmare held his hand up at this, grabbing their attention once more.

"Let us do it." He requested, surprising Erratum. "We were going to request council in Reapertale for... our own reasons, so it's something we can add into our discussion with them." Nightmare assured, tendril curling up a bit. Erratum couldn't imagine what Nightmare had to discuss with any of the Guardians, simply chalking it up to lessons or guidance as a champion.

"All right, if you would prefer to do it that way, then so be it." Erratum nodded, much to Nightmare's delight. "At any rate, I shall let you return to your studies." They smirked the slightest bit as they said this, not bothering to exit through the door as they fell back into another golden rift. 

Nightmare shook his head a bit as the other vanished, glowering a bit as the tendril rounded on him. "What? We didn't say anything." He defended, wincing as it lightly jabbed his forehead. "We don't have to listen to that." He huffed as he switched the book on his desk for the one he had been reading earlier. He coiled a whisp of magic around his fingers, manipulating it with subtle twitches of his hands. He glanced over them before huffing a small laugh, seeming to understand the god's amusement now.

"Maybe you were right. Maybe we did miss practicing complex magic. Nosy god..."

Ink had been perfectly content to the extent his paints allowed watching Dream ramble on about something while they were patrolling Haventale. 

Well, patrolling was the word Dream used. Ink believed 'goofing off' was a better term.

Ink had been nodding dumbly, a lot of the information drifting out of his mind the moment it entered. He was more interested in watching Dream weave together daisy chains with enthusiasm to match his words. 

Ah yes, definitely 'patrolling'. 

Ink grinned a bit as he moved to make a comment on it, knowing the other would struggle for an excuse when confronted. He paused as the hollowness in his chest seemed to shrink and his ribs felt lighter. An explosion of sensations saturated his system, causing him to fall supine from where he had been sitting on the ground. His hand clutched his chest, eyelights fiercely changing every few seconds as he tried to process everything.

"Ink??" Dream gasped as he leaned over the other. He moved his hands to turn the artist's head side to side, seeming to appraise him for any issue. "What happened? What's wrong?" He fretted as the artist remained stunned on his back. Dream frowned as Ink looked up at him, seeing something akin to wonder pass over his features.

"Wow... you're really pretty, you know that?" Ink wasn't sure what possessed him to inform Dream of this humiliating information, but it was out in the open now. There was this feeling in his chest that he acted upon immediately, exploring the foreign sensation with verve. There were many unfamiliar... feelings? Emotions? That would be impossible, he didn't feel these things. Try as he might, mixing his paints could only accomplish so much. The delicate, more subtle feelings were never replicable despite his best efforts. 

This felt like one of those feelings, however. Soft and delicate, like silk ribbons laced between his ribs.

"I-Ink! Don't tease me, you're obviously hurt!" Dream stuttered as he momentarily flushed a bright yellow colour. Ink could only laugh breathlessly at the reaction, feeling that sensation bubble around in him another moment before it all faded away again.

Cold, heavy, empty.

Then, a slight sensation. Something that was just barely there, if he focused hard enough.

Like a promise held just outside of his reach. 

"Ink?" The artist blinked back up at Dream, his senses returning back from their overstimulated assault. 

"Sorry! Not sure what that was all about, but I feel fine now." Ink assured as he sat up quickly, causing Dream to lean back more. "Anyway, you were saying? Something, something, Dreamscape..." 

Dream huffed out a frustrated breath. "I can see you were paying as much attention as I thought you were. And please don't brush over this, Ink. You were acting so strange... are you sure you're okay?" He checked once more, though he had to admit the other appeared completely normal. Ink tilted his head a bit at him, taking in the lingering dusting of yellow on the spirit's cheeks and concern in his eyes. That soft, fluttering feeling was distantly sparked for a mere moment, but it was enough to make him smile.

"Yeah... yeah, no I'm good. I'm really good."

Chapter Text

Geno didn't think he would have to deal with troublesome neighbors when he had decided to live within Erratum's plane. Sure he knew Fresh would pop in and out to annoy all of them, but nothing could have compared to what was residing just a stone's throw away.

"Hoi! New neighbor!" Geno cringed as the small creature rested its front paws on his leg. Sure the little Temmie they had helped nurse back to health was manageable, but he hadn't realized that it had multiplied so much! "Tem... hap! Skeletons... kyoot!" 

Reaper seemed endeared, and perhaps equally amused by Geno's reluctance. Either way, he didn't seem to mind the 'village' being about a mile from their home. He had assured Geno that Erratum would make their home secure so none of them could squeeze in. Erratum had confirmed Reaper's claim and Geno felt just a tad more relaxed by the reassurance. 

They had decided to go with a more rustic home to fit the rather overgrown and wilderness theme of their world. Erratum had spent a few days with Geno over their shoulder, pointing out things on Verse as they constructed the base blueprint. They had agreed upon a log cabin structured home, which suited Geno's want for something simplistic and cozy. He had also attempted to explain the various amenities a home needed for them to live in, which had originally confused the god. Geno was perplexed on how Erratum could have such vast knowledge of the multiverse and how to manipulate it, yet absolutely no fathomable idea what a sink was.

"And this is for..." 

"Washing things? You know, like dishes? Your hands even?" Geno would have thought the other was messing with him if it weren't for the genuine confusion they had shown.

"Is that not what a stream is for?"

"Errata... I'm not coming outside and walking all the way over the bridge every time I need to wash my clothes or dishes."

Despite how long it had taken to actually design a liveable home, it had taken only a few hours to construct. Geno watched with fascination as Erratum simply manipulated the environment with the help of their various consoles and even directly manipulated code in front of him. Geno had done a throughout inspection afterward, making sure the place was structurally stable considering how fast it had been made. It seemed satisfactory, however, and he had little to complain about. 

"I'll admit, that's pretty impressive," Geno spoke as he stood back and admired the cozy little home. "Though I wasn't expecting it to be done quite that soon. I don't have any of my stuff packed..." He chuckled as he looked at Erratum. 

"It's easy when you've lived here for thousands of years. I know how to change this environment at will and reconstruct it as I wish." Erratum explained, sensing his curiosity.

"If that's the case, why don't you do that for other worlds? You know, reshape them and all that?" Geno questioned with a slight frown. It certainly would have served to make things easier on a lot of worlds. 

"I'm no creator, Geno. I cannot simply rewrite a story and tamper with the universes." Erratum sighed as they frowned. "I am bound not only by certain laws but also by what domains I reside in. While my plane of existence is easy for me to manipulate due to its lack of story, time, and being outside of the multiverse, other worlds don't fit those very specific quotas." 

"That's dumb. So Ink is who we have to rely on to fix everything?" Geno wrinkled the bridge of his nose at the idea.

"Not really," 

Both Erratum and Geno glanced over at the new voice, the god smiling warmly while Geno prickled visibly. Nightmare nodded a greeting to both of them, trying to ignore Geno's obvious irritation at his appearance. 

"Ink is Fate's champion, and as such, has the ability to decide what comes into existence and what doesn't. Once he creates the world, it is very difficult to change its route, and certainly not without... consequences." Nightmare frowned as he touched his face a moment, causing Geno to lessen his hostility a bit. "Ink simply isn't powerful enough to wipe the slate clean and start over, or pick pieces to edit without destabilizing the world. For now, there isn't too much to be done with a completed timeline." 

"Well put, and accurate." Erratum nodded in agreement at his words. "I do believe, however, that if we were to experiment with our abilities together, we could perhaps find safer ways to explore the possibility of 'editing' a world." They shrugged a bit as they said it, however, as it seemed not even plausible that Ink would ever agree to that. 

"We're sure he'd just love to rub shoulders with you." Nightmare huffed softly, earning a soft hum of agreement from the god. 

Erratum glanced upward a moment with a frown, sighing softly as they gave Nightmare an apologetic look. "I know you've just arrived, but there's apparently an issue I must attend to." They informed him, to which the spirit waved off easily.

"It's fine. We were going to speak with your champions, however, if you'd mind not calling for them for just a little bit." Nightmare informed the curious god. "And uh, perhaps you as well Geno." Nightmare included after a moment of thought. Erratum glanced between them with lingering curiosity but said nothing as they opened a rift. 

"All right... feel free to stay as long as you'd like. I'll try to return as soon as I can." Erratum gave them both a slight wave before disappearing into the opened rift. They were quickly greeted with an interesting scene in the wake of New Home. They rose a curious brow bone as Undyne approached them, face set in a hard scowl as she looked them up and down.

"Yeah, you'll do." She voiced after a moment, further puzzling the god. "Got a couple of extradimensional freaks poking around. Sans said to call out your name and the current pressing issue if anyone suspicious showed up." Undyne explained as she kept a tight grip on her spear. 

"Have you gotten a look at who these suspicious persons are?" Erratum questioned the captain. 

Undyne glowered at them a moment as if to judge how incompetent they were. "Would I have called you here if not?" She hissed at them. "I thought they were Sans at first, but then there were more?? That looked like Sans?? I thought I was hallucinating from the heat of Hotland, but I definitely saw a bunch of rogue skeletons. One had a giant... paintbrush? On their back?" She seemed completely befuddled as she explained it. "There was another, kinda taller skeleton. Not quite... you tall. Shit man." She scoffed as she looked up at them. "Had some cracks down his face. Then there was one other guy that I saw. Had a dumb little crown and a cape." 

Erratum hummed softly and nodded. "Understood; I know who these monsters are. I assume they're further up ahead, so I will-" They jolted a bit as a spear suddenly struck the ground in front of them, momentarily startling them. They looked back at Undyne, who was sneering at them again with outrage.

"SLOW DOWN!" She snapped at them abruptly. "Sans said you were some kind of higher being! I am the captain of the Royal Guard and I will escort you to them." She spoke firmly as another spear appeared in her hand. Erratum held up their hands in surrender, not willing to start an argument with her. Undyne seemed satisfied with their compliance, quickly stalking ahead while Erratum followed behind with a soft sigh.

Why did they need an escort again? They were more than capable of defending themselves in an emergency. 

Undyne led them through the abandoned home of the Dreemurrs and down the stairs, escorting them the entire way to the judgment hall. The Guardian was slightly annoyed, as it would have been much faster for them to have simply pixelated their way over. They weren't about to say this though and wind up with a spear in their eye socket; they already had sight issues, thank you.

Finally, Erratum was led into the large hall where, just up ahead, they could see a group of familiar skeletons. They took a slow breath and released it, trying to keep themselves composed for the nonsense they were most likely walking into. Undyne's heeled boots clicked and echoed through the hall while Erratum moved silently behind her, gathering the attention of all parties ahead.

"Bout time," Red grunted as Undyne fell in line beside Erratum, still keeping the fierce guard demeanor up. "Can you tell these lot to fuck off now? I already told 'em we ain't on their side so they're not welcome here." He glowered at the group, which only earned a glare back from Ink.

"You can't bar us from this universe! We're just doing check-ins to see what's going on!" Ink protested with irritation. 

"I already told you that I'm leavin' my world in their hands!" Red snapped as he gestured to Erratum, who looked far too uncomfortable to be part of the conflict. "So piss off! And yeah, you sure look like you're only 'checking in' with that guy with ya." He glared at the taller skeleton from Echotale, as Erratum recognized, who looked more collected than the rest of them.

"I wouldn't have to bring other people along for backup if you all weren't so hostile!" Ink protested as he glanced at Erratum. "Is this what you wanted? This ridiculous conflict between worlds?!" He snapped at the god.

"Me? I didn't start this!" Erratum denied with a tight frown. "The last thing I want is for others to be fighting on my behalf! I didn't even start this war; I was never even asked if this was what I wanted, which in case you have not realized, it isn't." Erratum had to take a moment to breathe again, trying to keep themselves from becoming angry. "This issue is between you and me, Ink. No one else. Just call off your people, and by that I mean stop closing off worlds to others!"

"Your side is doing the same thing!"

"There is no my side, Ink! They only did it in retaliation to Sci barring them from entry! I can only do so much before the others begin acting of their own volition from an injustice. I hold meetings constantly to try and remind them all not to engage." They glanced over to Red a moment, who shrugged.

"Didn't do nothin' this time, did I? I called for ya before attacking." Red pointed out, though it did very little to soothe the god's irritation.

"Regardless, if the residences don't want you here, then you need to leave." Erratum sighed as Ink tightened his grip on his brush. "Please don't make this difficult. I truly don't want to fight you." They turned their eyes to Dream, who was looking everywhere else but at the god. "Dream, I expect you to know when to back off. Any sort of monitoring in this world is done by me, therefore, I can ensure you it is well looked after." 

Dream opened his mouth to speak, but Ink held his arm out in front of Dream. "Don't intimidate him like that!" The artist growled with a red flash in his eyes.

"I'm not intimid-"

"We're not gonna surrender and leave just because you think you own this world." Ink snapped, much to Erratum's annoyance. 

"I might." G spoke from beside Ink, leaning against one of the cracked pillars and texting on his phone.

"No, you won't!" Ink protested the other's aloft response, looking annoyed as he watched the taller skeleton ignore the entire encounter. 

"Can I also emphasize that I don't believe I own this world? I just look after it and answer those who call out to me?" Erratum chimed in, wanting to get that out in the open even if Ink continued to distrust them.

"Ink," Dream sighed as he grabbed the other's arm that was still outstretched in front of him. "Look, we can see this world's obviously fine and... well, Errata has done a good job keeping this place safe. I mean... no one even directly attacked us on sight! That's something, right?" He grinned weakly, hoping the other would just give up on attempting to provoke a fight. 

"Dream, who's side are you on?!" Ink protested at his words, giving him a confused and slightly aggravated expression. Dream sighed as he grasped Ink's hand, which appeared to startle the artist. Dream pulled together his gentlest, perhaps manipulatively so, expression as he faced him. 

"Yours, Ink." 

Ink stared at him a moment, caught off guard by the direct response. His eyelights shifted rapidly a moment between shapes, appearing confused about what to settle on. That distant flutter was back and he managed to pull his gaze away to glare back at Erratum. "Fine... we'll leave. Don't think this means you've won, though."

"No one wins in a situation like this." Erratum sighed as Dream quickly opened a new portal behind the three of them. "I don't want this to be a war, Ink. Please, tell your people to lay down their arms and we can-"

"Nope! Don't wanna hear it!" Ink cut them off before they could get their entire thought out. "Don't expect me to be so merciful next time!" He shouted before the three of them disappeared. Erratum's shoulders slumped a bit at this as they sighed.

"Wow," Undyne spoke up with a judgmental look. "Thought you said this guy was supposed to be some powerful god?" She laughed at the idea. "Oh, I'm terrified! They might rationalize me to death!" She mocked. Red looked uneasy, sweating a bit as he glanced at Erratum. 

The Guardian laughed a bit at this before their face fell flat. Their eyes lit up a bright golden colour and their mana lines pulsed. "I'm not certain you want to test me after that frustrating encounter." They warned as magic weighed heavily down on them both.

"Okay, okay! Fuck, my bad!" Undyne immediately backtracked at the obvious threat to her being. "Damn, okay, I see it now." She grumbled as the god reigned themselves back in.

Erratum could only chuckle again at the change of heart.

Erratum had been thinking about Nightmare lately. 

After the confrontation in Underfell, they had a suspicion that Dream hadn't mentioned anything about Nightmare to Ink. Knowing Nightmare was still out traveling universes when he could, though only select ones that Erratum had fully ensured understood his predicament, it could spell disaster in the future. If Ink happened upon him, despite his new appearance, Erratum was afraid the other would immediately react with hostility. 

Erratum had pondered over this situation for a while, knowing the dark spirit may be reluctant to call them in a tough situation. It was a few days later when they were mending Cross's scarf that the god had an epiphany. From there, they began to work with their strings. They tried to work with both haste to get it to Nightmare quickly, and gentleness to ensure it was as well-crafted as they could make it. 

Once they had finally finished, they appeared at Nightmare's study once more with a few soft knocks. 

"Enter, Errata."

The god hummed with surprise, opening the door and entering his office. Nightmare was sitting in an armchair near his bookshelf, looking slightly amused at the god's intrigued expression. 

"How did you know it was me?" Erratum questioned curiously as Nightmare turned to face them better.

"You always knock the exact same way. The boys feel the need to pound on the door to get our attention." Nightmare explained with a small huff of a laugh. He glanced up again as Erratum moved to settle beside him in the opposite chair. "We never got a chance to speak about it, but the Guardians gave us some insight on the soul situation." He informed, instantly capturing the other's attention. "It seems we were right about a lot of it, but perhaps, the other Guardians could assist if they were able to see it." 

"That poses a problem..."

Nightmare sighed with a small nod. "We know, and we said the same. Astral projection is one thing, but you can't bring your physical possessions with you. We haven't thought of anything so far that could potentially assist in this." He admitted with a small frown, one tendril curling on his back in thought while the other was busy prodding at the god's hand. Erratum hummed as they lightly touched the tendril, jarring Nightmare out of his thoughts.

"I'm glad they don't melt as they used to when I touched them. I think it was an effect of Karma, which I assume was broken when we shot straight magic through your soul." Erratum remarked as the tendril snaked around their arm a moment in response to the prodding. 

"Sorry they're so... active. We, well, I, can't really control them." Nightmare spoke as he tapped the clean side of his skull. The Guardian gave an amused sound as they glanced back at Nightmare again.

"I don't mind them. At any rate, I didn't come here for an update, though it is very much appreciated." Erratum informed as they turned to Nightmare. The spirit hummed in confusion but nodded his head for them to continue. Erratum moved their hand to retrieve something from within their robe, struggling a moment with the tendril tugging their arm a bit. They did snicker to themselves, however, as they listened to Nightmare chastise the appendage in an embarrassed hiss. 

When Erratum finally presented the item for him to see, Nightmare froze. 

It appeared to be a bracelet of some sort, woven in a complex design from the god's golden strings. Even without holding it, Nightmare could feel the powerful pulses of magic coming off of it in waves. He looked up at Erratum, mouth slightly opened as he tried to find words.

The Guardian appeared confused by his reaction but decided to put it aside a moment to explain. "I know you can be rather proud, and I worry that if you ever find yourself in need of me, you won't call for me. I made this from my own magic for you to wear, which I hope you will, so I can make sure you can reach me when you need me. If you should ever find yourself in need, simply grasp the threads and pull. I will be able to sense it." They informed him. "In a way, it will ensure I'm always with you." 

Nightmare continued to stare at this presented item for a moment, nodding slowly to assure he was listening to them. Finally, he moved his arm forward and presented his hand to them silently. Erratum tilted their head a bit at the gesture. They weren't sure why the other didn't simply take the item, but perhaps he simply needed help putting it on? The god didn't ask as they leaned in and fastened it just below where his glove started. Erratum smiled a bit at the bright gold that stood out from the other's darker colours. 

Nightmare moved their opposite hand to run a hand over the threads, seeming to admire it. The god gave a soft hum, faintly sensing the delicate touch through their magic. "It's... very beautiful." He finally managed after another moment. He blinked a few times to break out of the trance, suddenly frowning. "Wait, hold on, this isn't how-" He seemed slightly irritated by something, getting to his feet quickly and pulling open a drawer on his desk. "We went through all this trouble, we're supposed to do this!" He declared, though Erratum had absolutely no idea what he was referring to. 

The spirit finally grabbed something, making a noise of satisfaction before he was in front of Erratum again. He was suddenly holding out an old tome to the god, which Erratum could only guess was at least a couple of centuries old from how worn it looked. The god looked up at Nightmare, watching as he gave them a serious expression while their tendrils swayed behind him. The god finally took the book after a moment, running their hand over the cover with interest. 

"This was the very first tome we ever owned." Nightmare spoke as Erratum studied the thick leather cover. "We didn't have a lot back then, and anything we had of value was usually destroyed or stolen from us. We kept this book stored away inside the hollow of the tree. It was, and really still is, our most prized possession." He explained with an intense look that the god felt pinned under.

"Errata... I-"

The spirit was cut off as a loud thumping against the door interrupted his speech. His tendrils immediately sharpened and reared back with hostility at the interruption, Nightmare's entire body language becoming aggressive as Dust entered his study without being authorized. Dust momentarily glanced between the two of them, seeming confused before shaking his head and looking at Nightmare. 

"Killer's having a really bad magic storm." 

Erratum stood immediately at this, keeping the book held firm in their hands. Nightmare appeared alarmed by this, his tendrils twisting with anxiety.