Chapter Text
The gods were gathered, the major gods at least, the most important, those from whom life came to be. They were sitting on their throne in front of the frail dryad kneeling before them, a young black skeleton, barely three hundred years old, so young for an immortal. He had lived such a short time and had already broken the rules...
« You have committed a grave crime, Nightmare, » growled the deep voice of an anthropomorphic goat, king of the gods and god of the world, the strongest of all, Asgore. « You have eaten the sacred apples and massacred innocent mortals ». Nightmare, sitting in the center and held on the ground by an erinyes - a deity with black wings and hair made of snakes - his back still bleeding from the amputation of his tentacles just after acquiring them thanks to the said sacred apples, listened while staring at the ground, trembling at every word of the king. It was better not to meet the gaze of an angry God. « For your crime you must be punished and I condemn you to servitude. For two centuries, no less, you will be at the orders of a God ». The dryad slightly raised his head at the sound of his sentence, he knew the gods, if some were merciful, others were cruel. « You will serve the God of Destruction, he will be your master and you will obey him ». He had heard of this god, Error, he had heard of his temper, of his coldness towards anyone who dared to speak to him. A shiver ran down his spine, what would he do to him once he became his master ? He met the gaze of his mother in the assembly, Nim, Goddess of Feelings, although she was against her son's punishment she could not protest, no one contradicted Asgore, not even the other gods. « The assembly is over, » the King proclaimed, rising, sealing Nightmare's fate for the next two hundred years.
The erinyes forced him to get up, not taking into account his fatigue or the pain that ran through his whole body, he had to wash and change his clothes before being offered to the god, his dirty and sticky tunic stuck to his bones, he could not leave like this.
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Error was a solitary god, several hundred of years old, living in a white marble palace on a mountain. The dwelling was large, configured like a temple: rectangular, columns surrounding it, some covered with ivy. A garden was in the center of the temple, under an opening in the roof, in the middle stood a large fountain, on the left a broken column was on the ground and, on the right, an olive tree had grown. The garden was surrounded by several columns thinner than those outside. The first room was completely open to the garden, it served as a living room and dining room. The closed rooms, like the kitchen, the bathroom or the bedrooms, were all on the opposite sides, the longer ones. The corridor connecting them was also open to the garden, going around it, making it a luminous dwelling and allowing the sun to warm the marble of the floor. There was a basement, accessible by a staircase, where wine and food were stored. A divine place, though rather simplistic. The God of Destruction didn't care much about riches and luxiuries.
When the god returned home after yet another day of wandering through the mortal world, he found a dryad standing in the living room, dressed in a long white tunic and a crown of flowering branches, a birth gift from his mother that he had been able to keep; it changed according to the seasons. Error looked him over for a moment before going to his apartments, not speaking to him. It was not uncommon for a nymph to get lost in his palace; this dryad would surely find the exit alone and go back where he had come from.
If only it had been possible, Nightmare had tried to run as soon as he had been left alone, but he was held here by invisible chains and could not go further than a kilometer around the domain, just enough to reach the river that flowed downstream, but not to cross it, so he had gone back inside, catching a glimpse of a vineyard upstream from the temple and hoping that the master of the place had not arrived in the meantime, which thankfully had not been the case. He had visited his new residence a little to pass the time.
Nightmare sat down on one of the red armchairs. The sun had set and given way to the moon. Error had just left to his apartments, dressed in a sumptuous red tunic and a blue scarf draped over his shoulder and around his waist, embellished with gold embroidery. The dryad quickly got up when he saw the god reappearing, but he once again ignored him and went into the kitchen to get something to eat, leaving him alone and confused. Wasn't he supposed to give him things to do? Nightmare wasn't going to complain, of course, but it was still strange.
He tried to follow him to the kitchen but stopped when he saw him come out, bread and a bunch of grapes in hand, he went into the garden to eat, all under the confused gaze of the young dryad who ended up going to sit on the column lying on the ground, simply waiting to be acknowledged. But nothing happened, Error had returned to his apartments and had not spoken to him, nor even shown him where he was supposed to sleep. Eventually, being accustomed to sleeping outside with his brother, Nightmare spent the night under the fountain.
He woke up with the sun the next day and just had time to see Error leave, going to make his daily rounds among the mortals. Why hadn't he woken him ? Was all this actually some kind of test ? Did he have to guess everything he had to do ? What would happen if he didn't do the right things ? He got up, unsure of what would happen next. There was a broom against one of the walls; he might as well sweep the place; it would keep him busy for a while; he had nothing else to do anyway.
That evening, when the Destroyer returned, the dryad was treated with the same scene as the day before: the god ignored him and went about his life without paying any attention to him, although he had paused for a moment when he saw that the floor had been swept. The night passed, and once again Error left in the morning without waking Nightmare.
The dryad didn't understand. Was silence also part of his punishment ? Two hundred years without being spoken to, was that a kind of exile ? Were the orders going to be communicated to him trough writing ? He didn't know, he couldn't know. He spent the day wandering between the rooms, touring the inner and outer gardens and going to refresh himself at the river, it was warm for a spring. He waited without knowing what to do, he wanted to go back to running between the trees with his brother like he used to. He hadn't wanted to eat his mother's apples, he knew they were sacred to the goddess and that it was forbidden to pick them, and even more so to eat them, but the village at the edge of his forest was full of contemptuous and violent mortals, he had wanted to protect himself, to protect his brother, his goal had never been to make a massacre and completely destroy this village, but the pain and the magic that had flowed into his bones as he bit into these divine fruits had taken over his actions for a moment, and now, he was punished for having wanted to defend himself...
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The Underworld, a cold place, divided into several "rooms" from which all sorts of screams and cries could be heard. The gods could enter it, but few mortals could. This vast underground expanse was the kingdom of Reaper, God of Death, who ruled alongside his husband, Geno, an oread, a cave nymph, one of the oldest of his kind. He was known for his wisdom and calm and was always dressed in a large red cloak. The oread was outside his palace when he heard footsteps approaching, thinking at first that it was is husband, he only turned around when he heard the footsteps stop at the entrance to the large terrace and was surprised to see the God of Destruction himself there, who greeted him with a nod. He knew him well : it was not uncommon for him to visit them in the Underworld; however, it was unusual to see him arrive unannounced.
« I came to talk to Reaper, » Error explained. « He's not here, but do speak, I can replace him. Do you want a pomegranate ? » Geno offered, to which the god politely declined, « No thanks, I want to be able to go home ». Geno shrugged, « too bad for you, they are delicious ».
Error stepped onto the terrace to stand beside the oread, who had taken a pomegranate from a basket, a fruit of the Underworld : anyone who ate one would have to stay there. If the God of Death knew something, his husband would know it too; he never hid anything from him. « I'm listening, to what do I owe the honor of your visit ? » Geno asked, biting into his fruit.
« I have a nymph at home, a dryad », the Destroyer explained, sitting on the edge of a low wall. « Yes, it's not the first time a nymph ventures into your home, there have been several », replied the oread without really understanding the problem. Error sighed, « I know, but this is different : he doesn't seem to be ready to leave and is acting strangely », he explained further. « What do you mean by that ? » Geno took another bite. « He swept the floor. »
The nymph didn't answer right away, wondering if it was a joke, then he seemed to remember something, « if you're talking about the nymph who was punished, then it's normal, he was condemned to serve you for two centuries. » Error hadn't been invited to the meeting, but Reaper had, and he had obviously told his husband everything that had happened there. Finding out he was now a slave owner wasn't the news Error had been expecting. « What ? Why at my house ? » asked the God, straightening his posture. « Because everyone remembers your teenage years and no one wondered if you had changed. » Geno replied.
The oread knew the god's adolescent period very well. Error, at that time, was fiery, angry at everything, constantly looking for trouble. He had been sent to the Underworld many times to calm down, so that the gloomy atmosphere of the place would make him stop causing trouble. Geno and Reaper, especially Geno, had taken him under their wing. The nymph taught him to stay calm, to channel his emotions, showing great patience with him, something no other god had done before. Error had come to consider him like a big brother and came to him when he needed advice or simply to vent out.
Unlike the gods, nymphs were not born as children; they came into the world as adults, but carried within them the eternal carefree spirit of youth. Although they matured with age, many of the gods considered them immature and naive. Geno was one of the few nymphs respected and esteemed by the gods, so his taking care of the young Destroyer had never been met with opposition.
Error sighed, massaging his temples. No one had told him. Two hundred years was going to be a long time, to say he had settled on this mountain precisely to be alone... « Can I at least know his name ? »
« You didn't ask him? » Geno asked incredulously, to which Error raised a brow, « No ? »
« Error, he's been at your place for two days ! » Geno pointed, « and ? » Error retorted, not seeing the problem. The nymph sighed, exasperated by the god in front of him. « His name is Nightmare, he's Nim's son, try to talk to him from time to time, please, » he reprimanded. The god hummed, « I'll try, but I don't promise anything. »
« Go away, I don't want to see you anymore, » Geno gently shooed him away, both exasperated and feeling sorry for the young dryad who was going to have to live with Error. « I'm leaving, I'm leaving, no need to hit. » The God sneered as he got up and headed back the way he came from. He now had a Nymph under his command, which also meant he would have someone at his house during two centuries, someone who would need to eat and be cared for, someone he would have to watch over. Thinking about it, maybe it wasn't just this nymph who had been punished, maybe it was a slight vengeance from his colleagues. It hadn't even begun yet and he could already feel the migraine coming on; these were going to be the longest two centuries of his life...
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« Nightmare, is that right ? »
The young skeleton jumped, crouching on the stool he was previously standing on to remain stable and not fall, holding a jar of honey he found on a shelf. He hadn't heard the god come in. He turned around slowly. Was he going to be punished for rummaging through the cupboards? He was hungry; he hadn't eaten since arriving here. He answered softly, his voice almost inaudible, hoarse from the corruption that had passed through his throat a few days earlier. « Yes... ? »
They looked at each other for a moment without either breaking the silence, Error seemed to be analyzing the thin figure before him, draped in a white tunic so long that it fell on his feet, a traditional outfit for a nymph when they weren't naked. He still seemed very weak, tired from the immense pain, his consequent loss of blood following the amputation, as well as the stress caused by his punishment, and even the trial itself as it had been the first time that he had seen so many gods gathered in the same place.
« I was informed that you would be at my command for the next two centuries, that you would be my slave, correct ? » Error eventually continued. A hesitant nod answered him. The dryad didn't take his eyes off him, holding the jar of honey against himself. « What were you planning to do with this pot ? » The god pointed. Nightmare looked down at the honey before answering, « I... I was hungry... » There was a short silence before Error spoke, « while you're at it, wash some olives and soak them in oil and herbs », he finally ordered before leaving the kitchen.
The god couldn't be too hard on him, he had seen his weakened state and he couldn't blame him for being hungry, especially when he hadn't offered him anything to eat all day. Or the day before. The dryad didn't move for a moment. He had expected to be reprimanded at the very least, but in the end, nothing had happened, apart from his first order since arriving, which, luckily, wasn't a very complicated task. He placed the honey on the ceramic countertop and decided not to delay in fetching the olives and oil from the basement; the herb was already in the kitchen on one of the shelves.
The Destroyer had gone to sit on one of the living room sofas, he had given his first order to his "slave" and he didn't know how to feel. On one hand, he was almost proud to have found something for him to do, and on the other, it felt strange to command another divine being. Commanding mortals when his priestesses consulted him was normal for him, it was in the order of things, but a nymph ? The son of one of the major goddesses ? It was a completely different feeling that he didn't know how to analyze and to which he would have to get used to. Nim must have been quite unhappy with the fate reserved for her son, so would she try to turn against Error if he mistreated the dryad on top of that ? It wouldn't be the first time that gods fought among themselves, would she go to war with him if he didn't take a minimum care of her son ? He preferred not to take any risks, he was powerful, sure, perhaps even more powerful than the goddess, but making her angry was not a good idea: she could be particularly cruel when she wanted to...
Error was lost in his thoughts when Nightmare returned with the bowl of olives and knelt in front of him to offer it to him. He turned his head when he saw the movement and took a few seconds to take the bowl from his hands. He ate a few olives before realizing that the dryad hadn't moved from his spot in front of him and was looking up at him, seeming to be waiting for something, even if neither he nor the god knew what. The Destroyer's gaze moved from the new slave to the olives and back to the slave, and slowly, uncertainly, he offered him one, which Nightmare took with equal uncertainty and held in his hand for a moment, looking at it without understanding why he had taken it. He ended up eating it looking just as confused as Error.
Two hundred years. It was going to be a long time.
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« You will sleep here ».
A thick red curtain closed the entrance to the room like a door, as it did for every room except the kitchen. It was the central room, on the right side of the temple; Error's apartments were just on the left, a storage room was on the right. The dryad stared at the curtain for a moment before returning his gaze to the god. « You can go in ». Error invited him.
The nymph then entered his new room : the floor, unlike the rest of the temple, was made of stone, not marble. There was a wardrobe to the left of the entrance and a bed against the right wall, suitable for one person. Next to the bed was a small cubic piece of furniture, a bedside table. There was no other furniture, and the room was rather narrow, but to Nightmare, who had only known earth as a bed, this was luxury. « I don't need your assistance at the moment. You can rest. I'll come get you if necessary ». His new master informed him as he left the room.
The sun was already beginning to set over the horizon. Nightmare looked a little closer at the room once he was alone inside. There was a small window on the far wall and he could feel the coolness of the stone through his sandals. He sighed as he looked at the trees in the distance. Even if he managed to reach them, he would be held back by his magical chains, there was no escaping divine punishment after all. He finally moved away from his contemplation to sit on the bed, his back still aching when he stood for too long. He would heal, he was divine too after all, but he was a minor deity, even being the son of a goddess, so healing took time. He laid down on his right side, facing the back wall, and placed his crown on the bedside table. The bed was soft and comfortable, a change from the grass. He thought a little about his day, after preparing the olives, he had to clean up the stains he had made in the kitchen and then pick fresh olives from the tree in the interior garden to macerate them in oil in the cellar. After that, Error hadn't ordered him to do anything else, so he took the opportunity to go wash in the river, he knew there was a bathroom, but he was used to washing in the live streams and found the currents comforting and soothing on his mistreated bones. It was when he got back to the temple that he was able to discover his room. He was beginning to wonder if this god was as awful as everyone said, but deep down, he couldn't help but be afraid that this was just the calm before the storm. Nevertheless, despite his worry, he managed to quickly fall asleep in his new bed.
The dryad woke up late the next day, the sun was already up, and as he sat up he could see that a bowl had been placed on the bedside table next to the flower crown, inside was a brown mixture smelling of plant and, as a Tree Nymph, it didn't take him long to recognize the smell: poppy, a natural painkiller. He first put his crown back on, his most precious possession, before looking at the bowl, hesitant to drink its contents. A wave of pain, however, made him grab the bowl as he turned to stand, so he swallowed the liquid without asking himself any more questions and waited a few minutes before leaving the room. He looked around for the god, wondering if not waking him was deliberate or if he had simply forgotten about him, would he wait for him and lecture him on the importance of getting up early ? He found his host in front of the fountain, filling a cup with water to water the potted plants in the living room. He stopped when he saw the young skeleton looking at him from the columns without daring to come forward.
« I see you're awake, did you drink what I left on the table ? » He asked. A timid nod answered him and as Error was about to add something, he stopped when he saw the other trying to speak, searching for his words. « Why did you... do that ? » He finally spoke, his voice sounded a little better today. « If you're not in good shape, you can't work properly, and given your condition, I imagine my colleagues didn't give you time to recover before sending you here », he explained, watering the plants. « Not... not really... » the dryad admitted.
« When you're in better shape I'll expect you to get up earlier. » Error added, and Nightmare nodded, it was predictable, but at least he had a little time before tackling harder work. He hadn't expected such consideration from the god, but when thinking about it his reasoning was perfectly logical, if he was in pain he wouldn't perform well. What he didn't know was that Error had seen him when he was washing himself and had noticed the horrible marks on his back where the tentacles had grown before being cut off without much care, so he was partly aware of the cause of his fatigue: a recent major injury that hadn't healed yet.
« I won't be here today, you'll sweep the floor while I'm gone and go wash the clothes in the river ». The god instructed. The dryad nodded again. Sweeping was easy, and he could sit while he did the laundry, especially since he would have all day to do it, so he could go at his own pace. He didn't particularly want to do it, but he at least took comfort in the thought that it wasn't too much of a chore right now.
Once his plants were well watered, the Destroyer went to put the cup away before leaving, going, as usual, to survey the world of mortals to test their hospitality, a sacred thing, visit his temples and priestesses, and decide what should be destroyed and what should not. Nightmare therefore had the house to himself. He sighed and went to get the broomstick; if he started now, he would have the rest of the day to rest.
He decided to start with the different rooms to bring all the dirt back into the corridor and sweep it all outside. He started with the rooms on the left, there were three of them, same as on the right, the kitchen being the one in the middle, the bathroom being on its right and the last room, on its left serving as storage for amphorae or various trophies brought back either from fights or large offerings. He took some more honey from the kitchen, it was his favorite treat. He finished the left alley by simply sweeping the stairs leading to the cellar, the floor of which was earth and having no window there was no point in passing the broom there. He went along the back wall to arrive in the alley on the right where the first room was Error's apartments. He stared at the curtain for a moment, wondering if he was allowed to enter a god's room. It was a private place after all, but he had to sweep the floor, and he was rather curious to know what was hidden behind the thick red curtain. He stood there for a while before finally going in, figuring he'd just sweep the floor. The room was... disappointing, to say the least: a wardrobe against the left wall, a drawer against the back wall, with a large bed next to it, some furniture, and a war armor. Everything was inlaid with gold, and the room was larger than the other rooms, but it wasn't the divine chamber Nightmare had expected. The only interesting thing was the loom behind the bed, against the right wall, on which a tapestry was being created. Weaving was a woman's profession - Undyne, Goddess of War and Strategy, was an excellent weaver, by the way - but could it be that Error practiced weaving in his spare time ? Or was the loom for someone else ? A lover perhaps ? In any case, if someone came here to weave, Nightmare would know. He then swept the room, admiring the meticulous work on the tapestry, then went back out to do the remaining rooms and the long corridor, before sending the dirt outside.
He took a break at midday to lie in the sun for a while, the warmth feeling good on his bones, before going to fetch a large wicker basket to put the laundry in. He went to the river, placing his full basket on the ground and sitting beside it. He soaked the laundry in the river piece by piece before spreading it on a flat stone, then, using a smaller stone, he rubbed it to remove all the stains. Cleaning everything took him a while; the afternoon was almost over by the time he finished hanging the laundry on the long line hanging between two wooden pillars. There was a bit of air, it would dry quickly. He went to sit on the column in the garden while waiting for Error to return - which shouldn't have been long - watching the sky turn orange as the sun went down. He had taken some figs on the way to snack on.
A raven entered the temple through the door. Nightmare watched it from the column where he had laid on, and later fallen from, having practically jumped when he saw the raven get enveloped in a swirl of black smoke, which, once dissipated, revealed the god in front of the dryad. A whimper of pain accompanied the surprise encounter with the ground, all under Error's confused gaze.
« I should have warned you, perhaps ? » he asked, watching the nymph straighten up. « Yes... » Nightmare replied, getting up as he gritted his teeth. « You'll know for next time then. » Error simply answered, « you can go to bed if you want ». The dryad didn't need to be told twice and went straight to his room to settle into his bed, his back aching. He would pick up the laundry the next morning.
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The days passed quietly at first, Nightmare had very little to do, he was recovering well, then his back ended up not hurting at all and Error began to give him more work during the day. He took care of the maintenance of the temple and the garden, washed the clothes, cooked and washed the dishes, at the same time kept an eye on the stocks to know when to go pick olives or grapes to make more wine, he also put away the offerings that Error sometimes brought back from his outings and kept them in good condition. He had been at the god's house for almost a month and even if he hated working for someone, he had to admit that Error was not as horrible as the stories said.
He had never seen him angry, but he had heard mortals speak of it once: in Crete, a group of mortals had desecrated one of his temples, destroying the images of the god and using the building as a place of debauchery. Error had flown into a deep rage, his magic had seeped into the ground, making it tremble as it had never trembled before, had risen up to the mountain overlooking the city and had caused a huge explosion followed by a rain of burning stones and a thick cloud of equally hot ashes. The explosion had quickly been followed by three immense waves from the sea, reducing to nothing what remained of the Minoan people and their city...
But with him, Error was rather calm, silent, he sometimes looked at him as if he felt sorry for him, for this young nymph stuck here for two centuries. Nightmare tried not to annoy him even though he was already fed up with domestic chores, he was born to run in the forest, not turn around in a house, no matter how cozy it was !
The nymph was pruning the olive tree when the god, sitting on one of the garden chairs, called him. He had a wooden tablet in his hands, surely a message from another god that had been transmitted to him. « Fill me a cup of wine with honey, please ». He said please sometimes, at the end of an order, surely out of pure politeness, the dryad told himself, even if he wasn't sure that politeness should apply from a master to his slave. Nightmare placed his scissors on the edge of the fountain and went to the kitchen to get what he needed. He first retrieved a cup, then the jar of honey, pricking a little of its contents, and looked for a jug of wine, without success.
« I didn't bring any back... ? » He thought aloud. He looked in the cupboards again but finally had to face the fact that he, indeed, didn't have any wine. He sighed and left the kitchen, walked along the corridor under Error's gaze, and went down the stairs to the cellar where a torch, lit by an eternal fire, hung on the wall to light the room. Amphorae were lined up on the floor against the side walls, a table was against the back one with fruits, vegetables, fish, cheeses and other foods placed on it. He chose an amphora of wine, grabbed it by the handles and took the stairs back up, holding it against his abdomen. He hurried a little on the way up, not wanting to make the god wait too long, but in his haste, when he reached the last step, he stepped on his tunic and, unable to catch himself because of his load, fell forward and dropped the amphora, which landed on the floor, spilling the wine on the marble.
« Oh no no no no.. ! » He panicked when he saw all the liquid on the floor. Quickly and without getting up, he righted the amphora to try and stop the flow, discovering without surprise but with much horror that he had broken it in the fall and that the fragments, more or less large, littered the ground in the liquid. He quickly retrieved them, dropping one in a panic, to try without success to put them back in place. He froze when the shadow of the god loomed over him, clutching the broken amphora against him as if to try to hide the damage. He slowly raised his head towards him, already feeling his soul beat faster and his breathing quicken, he felt so vulnerable like this, without any defense or way to escape. Error looked at him, his expression unreadable...
« I... I didn't... it was an accident... ! » Nightmare stuttered, looking down, « I... I'm going to throw it away... » The Destroyer frowned at his words. « Why do you want to throw it away ? » he asked. The dryad jumped slightly, having expected him to shout at him rather than ask a question, especially in such a calm tone. He looked up at him confusedly, « because it's broken... ? It's ruined now, it can no longer hold wine or other liquids... ? » he hesitated.
« To destroy does not mean to ruin. What is this amphora made of ? » The god asked. The dryad did not understand, he simply stared at the god without answering. « What is it made of ? » Error repeated. « Of... of terracotta... ? » Nightmare tried. « Exactly, in other words: if you grind it finely, you can incorporate it into fresh clay and remake other pottery, stronger than before. Sometimes destruction is also a new beginning, » he explained before sighing and gesturing for him to get up. « Stand up, I'm going to show you something. » As the god was already walking away towards the fountain, the dryad, still in shock, took a few seconds to move and finally placed the almost empty amphora against the wall to stand up, his tunic stained with wine and torn where he had placed his foot. He finally arrived at Error's side and watched him put his hand in the water to disturb its calm surface. Nightmare watched him do this at first without understanding before an image appeared in the water, first blurry, then clearer until he could see a deserted field surrounded by a mountain. Was this how the gods watched over mortals when they were not among them ? « What do you see ? » Error asked.
The younger skeleton looked at him for a moment before returning his gaze to the image. « A field and a mountain... ? » He hesitated, wondering if it was a trap, but he saw nothing else. The god put his hand back in the water, the image blurring for a moment before coming back into focus and revealing the same field, but this time greener, crossed by a wide river fed by a waterfall at the top of the mountain. « And now ? » He asked again. « A waterfall and a river ? » He didn't quite understand the principle of this test, if it was one. « And what did that bring to the field ? » Error continued, and Nightmare looked again, « it... brought life.. ? The plants grew.. ? »
« Do you know what allowed the waterfall to irrigate the field ? » The dryad didn't answer, looking at the god without understanding his reasoning. Why show him the life of a field when he had just broken an amphora and wasted wine? Seeing that he wasn't speaking, the Destroyer spoke again. « The top of the mountain that held the water collapsed, it is thanks to its destruction that the waterfall could flow and bring water to this field, without that, it would have remained barren. Do you understand what I mean ? Destroying something is not always ruining it, destruction is beneficial for many things and especially life, if you destroy a wall you can expand and build new things behind it, if you destroy a building you can reuse the stones to build another one, if you destroy a helmet you can melt the bronze and make a dagger, ... destruction is not an end, it is a way. » Error patiently explained, looking at the nymph to make sure he understood.
Nightmare listened to him speak without interrupting, looking back for a moment at the water, where the image had finally disappeared, and then at the amphora left against the wall behind them. He saw only waste, but the god seemed to see much more. « Why... why are you explaining all this to me ? » he asked, looking back at Error. The answer took a few seconds to arrive, and Error frowned slightly. « Because far too many of you don't understand what I have to offer, that I bring more than misery and desolation, » he finally said. The nymph didn't reply, having no answer to this sad statement. Error sighed, returning to sit down on the chair he had left when he heard the sound of the amphora hitting the floor. « Go clean up, then go wash and change your clothes. Pour the remaining wine into another amphora, forget the cup I asked for, I don't want it anymore, » he instructed, picking up his wooden tablet.
Nightmare looked at him for a moment before complying, going to get a rag and a bucket to mop up the wine. While he cleaned up the mess, he thought about the god, glancing at him from time to time. He and his brother had inherited a characteristic from their mother: they could sense the emotions and feelings emanating from others. He could sense the negative spectrum, and his brother, Dream, the positive spectrum. He deployed a bit of his magic for the first time and almost immediately felt the Destroyer's pain, which he watched for a moment before turning off his magic again, not wanting to be seen interfering with his mind. His reputation seemed to affect him more than he showed, and it was true that until then, he was nothing like the tyrannical god Nightmare had heard so much about before being punished. But then, who was he really ? Who was hiding behind this reputation ? Was he, just like him, just a victim of others' misunderstanding ? It was with his head full of questions that the nymph went to look for a new tunic and headed to the river to clean himself after having finished transferring the remaining wine into an intact amphora, putting the broken one outside so he could reuse it later, as Error had suggested. Perhaps his punishment wouldn't be as bad as he had imagined after all...
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It was night, the two deities were asleep. Nightmare had been watching the Destroyer for the past few days, trying to get to see through him without much success, the only thing he had discovered was that the God was indeed the one weaving the tapestry in his room, he had not seen anyone enter except him and when sweeping the floor he could see that the work was progressing.
Error had noticed this change in behavior without understanding the cause, wondering why suddenly the dryad at his command was staring at him so much, he who avoided his gaze all the time, except when he spoke to him, nor why he seemed to observe all his actions when only a few days ago he made sure never to cross his path and was as discreet as possible. Had he said something that he could have misinterpreted ? Fortunately for him, Nightmare could not follow him into the mortal world...
Despite this strange behavior, the dryad did what he was asked to do, and even if the god sometimes heard him grumbling from a room away, he at least had the decency not to do it in front of him. And to say Error thought that nymphs were always joyful... Nightmare had shown him the opposite, always having a withdrawn expression by default on his face, he didn't want to be there and it showed. It wasn't pleasant for Error either to have someone at home all the time, he liked his solitude, he liked being able to talk alone while thinking, but with Nightmare who was going between the rooms he was forced to keep quiet and give up on the peace of his home, not that the dryad was particularly noisy, but he could hear his footsteps and the objects he was moving. It had been a little over a month and a half and he still hadn't managed to get used to it, especially since his stock of honey was diminishing more quickly since the arrival of his slave...
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Folded laundry was placed on the small living room table in front of Nightmare, who was busy picking up the bowls of grapes from breakfast. He looked up at Error, who had just returned from a seemingly brief trip among mortals. What did he want him to do with the laundry ? It was already folded. Was he going to ask him to put it away ? « Go change, we're going out, » Error declared, much to the dryad's surprise.
He had only been there for three months, was Error already planning on giving him back ? Was he doing such a bad job ? He had once confused olives with grapes and put grapes to macerate in oil instead of olives, but still, was that a reason to get rid of him ? And if Error returned him, to whom would he have to go ? Would his sentence be extended because he had failed his first master ? Would he have to work for a mortal ? It would be a great humiliation, even for a nymph, to have to be a mortal's slave.
The god looked at him, not understanding why he had started staring at him like a deer caught in front of a wagon on the road. « Did you hear me ? » This new question seemed to snap Nightmare out of his trance, « where are we going ? And how ? I can't get away from here. » he asked, puzzled as he still had his chaines. « A banquet with the gods. If I'm the one who decides to take you out, that's fine. Now go change before we're late », the Destroyer urged.
The dryad complied, going to put the bowls in the kitchen before taking the linen and going to his room to change quickly, away from the god's gaze. He unfolded the fabric to reveal a long blue tunic, cut like the one he usually wore, as well as a large rectangle of purple fabric, a himation, to be worn around the shoulders or on the arms. Luxurious clothes and colors. A metallic sound was heard when he unfolded the himation: a thin gold crown had just fallen to the ground, it was adorned with a small gold crescent moon as well as a small precious stone. Nightmare looked at all this for a moment before finally undressing and putting on the clothes, it was the first time he had worn such sophisticated ones. He hesitated a little in front of the tiara but ended up placing his plant crown, on which blackberries had grown since the beginning of summer, on the nightstand to wear the gold one instead. After checking that he had put everything on correctly, he left the bedroom, Error waiting for him in the living room, he too had put on a richly decorated tunic.
« Is the tunic the right size ? » the god asked. Nightmare looked at him for a moment before nodding, still rather confused, « why did you give me these clothes ? » He asked. « We're going to a banquet with the other gods, the least we are recquired to do is dress well. » Error replied, but the answer only half satisfied the nymph; he had hoped for a little more precision. Was he dressed like this to please his future master ? Was this the standard attire for slaves during a banquet ? Was he actually going to serve as a slave during this banquet, or was he just going to accompany them ? He decided to ask the question differently, « why take me, then ? »
« During this kind of event most of the gods bring some of their followers, their slaves or their lovers », Error explained, « I thought that by taking you they would see that you fulfill your punishment well, and at least it gets you out of the house ».
« So it's not to trade me ? » Nightmare insisted. It was the Destroyer's turn to be confused. « Why would I... ? » He sighed, « we'll talk about it later, otherwise we'll be late ». The dryad didn't have time to respond as, with a wave of his hand, the god had already enveloped them in the same black smoke that appeared during his metamorphoses, to which Nightmare had finally gotten used to. When the smoke dissipated, a whole new setting appeared: a large room with an opened rooftop with several sofas and tables filled with all sorts of food, everything was marble and gold and several gods had already arrived, some accompanied, others alone. Nightmare quickly caught up with Error seeing that he had already started to move forward, not wanting to be alone in the middle of all these gods. He already felt a sense of unease settling inside him, being in such an inferior position reminded him of the oppression of the villagers as well as the day of his judgment, and he had no desire to remember any of that...
« Stay close to me and don't say anything. I'll show you where to sit when it's time, » Error said in a low voice before approaching a small circle of deities. Nightmare had no intention of leaving him anyway, Error being the only one he knew. He looked around for his mother, though, wondering if she had come and if he would be allowed to talk to her, but he didn't see her anywhere... He turned around when he heard a voice nearby.
« Error ! What a surprise to see you here, did you remember the way ? » Reaper, God of Death and king of the Underworld, a tall white skeleton with empty eye sockets and a long black hooded tunic. He had wings similar to those of a crow in his back. Nightmare had already met him, he was present at his trial.
« It seems so, but if I had known you were here I would not have come », replied the Destroyer with a smile. The God of Death merely laughed at his friend's joke while the dryad wondered if this interaction was normal or if the two gods were going to fight. « It's been a long time since we saw you at a banquet, Ink was inconsolable. » Reaper commented. Error rolled his eyes at this announcement, knowing full well it was false. Ink was the God of Creation, he was extravagant and deceptive, everything he did was for the purpose of entertainment and nothing more, many suspected him of not feeling real emotions and of making everything up. « Hey, you brought your dryad with you ? How are things going with him ? » Reaper changed the subject, and Nightmare jumped when he heard the god mention him. He looked at Error, waiting to see what he would say. Would he mention the broken amphora or the oily grapes ?
« He eats all the honey but other than that he's not unpleasant » Error opted to say. The dryad felt his cheeks heat up; he would have preferred to talk about the amphora or the grapes after all. Before the conversation could continue, Asgore invited everyone to come and sit around the tables to chat and eat. Error gestured for the nymph to follow him as the other gods also began to settle down. Their slaves or followers were either at their feet or on small seats next to the god or goddess's couch, all adorned with riches. The Destroyer designated a seat for the dryad; he was spared from the floor this time. He sat down, bringing his hands on his laps, and watched the others arrive. They were all seated in an ellipse, at the top of which was Asgore accompanied by his wife Toriel, Goddess of Life, a kind but stern goddess who disapproved of her husband's methods. She hadn't been there for the dryad's judgment, not wanting to participate in this cruel act. Next to Reaper, on the same couch, Geno had settled down. Nightmare had heard a lot about the oread: a nymph respected even by the major gods, that got people talking. He saw the other slaves on the floor whispering among themselves, some giving him amused glances, others looks of pity, he told himself that it must be normal, since he was new here, his case must be intriguing, even if this attention made him particularly uncomfortable.
He vaguely listened to the conversations around him, playing with the end of his himation, the gossip of gods interested him very little, he preferred the good old gossip that they told each other with the other nymphs, knowing the stories of this hero or that demigod, knowing who had had the most offerings and sacrifices, who had recruited priestesses, all that was boring for him. A bit of discussion however caught his curiosity : he had heard the name of his brother. « Dream has left the forest apparently... » said an epimelid, a nymph of the meadows, sitting with other nymphs of the same kind. Nightmare turned his head slightly to listen. « To go where ? » asked another, « no one knows that, he's nowhere to be found, even Nim is looking for him and so far she hasn't found him », the first explained further. « Well, if even his mother doesn't know where he is... »
The dryad barely held back a gasp. Dream had disappeared ? For how long ? Had he been kidnapped or had he fled some danger ? Was he injured ? At least he knew why his mother was away... He would have liked to go looking for his brother but because of this damn punishment he couldn't go anywhere, and even if he asked Error he doubted the god would take his time to go looking for a dryad he didn't even know, especially when a goddess was already looking for him. He didn't hear any other information, the subject had already shifted to something else and he had stopped listening. He could only hope that his mother found him and that he was safe and sound.
Time was passing very slowly, Nightmare was starting to get hungry but apart from the gods he didn't see anyone eat so he concluded that slaves, nymphs and lovers might not have been allowed to. He turned his gaze towards Error who was listening to the conversations around him, taking the information without really speaking much. He sometimes answered but he wasn't very active in the discussion. After a few minutes the god turned his head towards the dryad, having felt like he was being observed. The nymph's gaze furtively passed to the food on the table before returning to the god who took a few seconds to understand what he wanted. According to the rules Nightmare had to eat last, after the gods, which Error had forgotten to tell him so that he would eat a little before leaving, so he was completely fasting and the banquet was visibly taking long. He couldn't feed him in front of everyone but at the same time it was partly the god's fault that he was hungry now... Error finally grabbed an olive and gave it to him discreetly, it obviously wouldn't be enough but it would help him wait until his turn. Nightmare took the olive and didn't move for a moment, then he pretended to put his himation back on and ate the juicy fruit, crushing it against his teeth with his tongue to avoid chewing. They repeated this stratagem two more times a few minutes apart as not to appear too suspicious.
The banquet ended after another interminable moment for Nightmare, but that didn't mean they were leaving, simply that they were now free to get up again to go and chat in groups like when they arrived. « You can go eat if you want, now that the gods are finished, » Error informed him, standing up. « I'm going to go talk to Reaper. Don't stray too far from here; I don't want to go looking for you if you get lost. » The dryad didn't need to be told twice and stood up as soon as Error had left, going towards the table where there was not much left, but he had barely put his hand on some bread when someone called out to him again.
« Nightmare ? » A new voice said. The nymph gritted his teeth before turning around, his piece of bread in hand. Before him stood Geno, who, being the husband of a god and not a mere lover, had been able to eat during the banquet. « I'd like to speak to you in the garden. Now », he added before the dryad could protest. Without waiting for an answer, the oread headed for the exit. Nightmare quickly looked at his bread and swiftly grabbed a piece of cheese before following him outside. The garden was large, filled with all sorts of plants, many of which Nightmare didn't know and had ever seen before. A large fountain was in the middle of the garden, but there were also ponds and trees to provide shade and coolness. He walked alongside the oread, who was actually a little taller than him.
He bit into his bread.
« I saw that Error passed you some olives during the banquet. »
He choked on his bread.
Was he going to get into trouble ? Was Geno going to report them ? He looked at him, waiting for what would happen next with apprehension. « He forgot to tell you to eat before leaving, didn't he ? » the oread asked, not angry. The dryad looked at him for a moment before nodding. Was there going to be no reprimands ? Geno sighed, sounding more exasperated than angry. « It doesn't even surprise me coming from him... » He led the black skeleton under a tree, grabbing an orange and offering it to him. Nightmare placed the cheese on his bread before taking the orange, his mouth watering at the sight of the juicy fruit, « thanks... »he murmured.
The two nymphs sat down under the tree so that Nightmare could eat more easily than by standing up. « Error isn't behaving too badly towards you ? Does he ever talk to you ? » the oread asked after a moment. Nightmare wasn't aware of the connection between the nymph and the god, but he suspected that Geno must still know him well since he and Reaper seemed to be friends.
« He... He tells me what to do, but we don't really have any conversations outside of that... I mean, that's enough, right ? » He hesitantly replied, peeling his orange, having finished the bread and cheese. Was Error supposed to speak less or more to him ? « I guess that coming from him it is in fact not bad, yes... » Geno nodded, thoughtful, « and apart from that, he doesn't overwork you too much ? »
« Oh, no, I would say it's okay in that matter, I mean, I have quite a bit to do, but he lets me take breaks when I'm tired... why ? He shouldn't ? » Nightmare asked back, a little worried that he might have said something he shouldn't have. « He sets the rules he wants to, you're his responsibility after all, but I prefer to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid either, he barely knows how to take care of himself, so taking care of someone else... » The answer made Nightmare smile a little as he bit into an orange slice. The more time passed, the more the god's reputation seemed to crumble. Geno seemed to know him well; perhaps he could tell him more about him ?
« Honestly... » Nightmare began, « I was a little scared at first, I had heard a lot of stories about him... » he tried to start the subject as naturally as possible. « There are bad stories about everyone », Geno told, « people remember the bad more easily than the good ». Nightmare raised his head to look at the oread, who quickly noticed his curiosity. Young nymphs didn't know how to hide this kind of thing. He smiled slightly, a little sadly, this dryad had been punished in his tender youth, he should have spent his first years discovering the wonders of life, letting his curiosity completely guide him, not playing the servant for a god and having to be content with old stories... Geno decided to tell him a little about Error, so that he would know at least a little about the divinity with whom he lived, as it clearly wouldn't be the divinity himself who was going to tell him anything. « Error was a terror when he was young, I took care of him a lot. »
« Oh ? In the Underworld ? » Nightmare asked, his attention clearly piqued. « Down there, yes, it's not such a terrible place if you go there alive, otherwise I wouldn't have married the king. » He continued, seeing that dryad was listening to him as he ate. « A teenage god, believe me, is like a mortal with powers: they always find a way to create problems and fight even when there was no reason to, they have the same ambition, the same anger against their elders and the same way of not thinking before acting ». Nightmare listened attentively, having finished his orange. « The only downside is that the nonsense is as divine as they are. »
« Did he do something bad ? » Nightmare asked. « Oh, by Asgore, yes ! » Geno replied. The dryad could not hold back a small burst of laughter at the tone of the oread, who seemed to be as exhausted as if the said nonsense had been committed the day before. « One day he let Cerberus go out into the world of men unsupervised because he thought he needed some fresh air ! » Geno explained. The young nymph put his hand to his mouth in a gasp of surprise to keep himself from laughing again, which would have been inappropriate in his opinion. Cerberus was a huge three-headed dog, guardian of the Underworld; the idea of him wandering among mortals was both frightening and comical, especially for the reason given by the Destroyer. « Reaper had to go looking for him; the mortals believed he had come to punish them personally for their meager offerings because of their poverty, and he had to invent a sort of prophecy that one of them would one day have to enter the Underworld... and then years later Heracles was born and fulfilled the false prophecy by bringing Cerberus out for the second time. But at least he brought him back himself this time. » He commented. Nightmare had never heard of this false prophecy, but he had heard a lot about Heracles, and knowing that he was somehow connected to Error in such a way was very comical. He would have liked to learn more, but the sound of footsteps made both the nymphs raise their head: the Destroyer was arriving in front of them, looking for his slave.
« Nightmare ? What are you doing here ? I told you not to move. » The god started to reprimand the dryad. « He was with me, » Geno replied before the younger nymph could do so. Error turned his head towards him, not having noticed him at first. He seemed to calm down, « at least let me know next time, I looked for him all over the room and the garden, I thought he had run away. »
« I can run away ? » Nightmare had spoken without thinking, the god's sentence having made him react quickly; could he run away when he was here ? Did the chains disappear when Error took him out of his domain ? He had thought they would simply take their source in another place, but he hadn't considered that they could simply disappear momentarily. The oread and the god looked at him, the latter having seemed to realize his mistake as soon as the dryad had spoken. The young nymph lowered his gaze, an urge to bury himself six feet under swallowed him. Why did he always have to speak too much ? He had said that with too much hope, Error would watch him more closely, that was for sure... « Sorry... » He apologized.
« You can't run away. Everyone here knows you're being punished. We'd catch you before you could even get out of the garden. There's no point in trying. » Error corrected himself. Nightmare nodded. He hadn't thought of that, but it was true that trying to escape while among the gods, including the one who had punished him himself, wasn't a very bright idea. « Get up, we're going home. » The Destroyer ordered, and the dryad complied.
« Did Reaper already leave ? » Geno asked. « No, he's waiting for you inside », Error replied. « Okay, I'll go join him then. » The oread stood up too and took a few steps before stopping beside the god, « one last thing... » The Destroyer's gaze fell on him, « don't be too hard on him, he's young, he needs to learn, not to be crushed », he warned him before finally leaving.
The God watched him walk away before turning his attention back to Nightmare standing next to him, head lowered down. Error understood what Geno meant; in his youth, he himself had been the victim of a certain oppression from the majority of the Gods. They had tried to calm him down once and for all by sending him to the Underworld, to teach him his place so that he would never try to be heard or to rebel. If he had ended up growing up well, it was thanks to the oread, who had done everything to calmly teach him to control himself, to understand what he felt, without making him feel like a threat, a beast to be tamed. History seemed to be repeating itself with Nightmare; he too had been punished so that he would adopt a constant attitude of submission, so that he would never show himself to be enterprising. Looking at this nymph, he felt like he was seeing himself, a young deity with potential but who was being restricted and silenced. He sighed, and without saying a word, called upon his magic to bring them back to the temple where the invisible chains immediately resumed their function. « It's been a long day, you can go change and rest... » Error told him, his irritation having vanished.
The dryad didn't need to hear more, going back to his room without a word, looking at the floor. He closed the curtain behind him, got rid of the himation and placed it on the only piece of furniture in the room, placed the golden crown on top, then took off his blue tunic and put on his white one instead. He collapsed flat on the bed, feeling a lump form in his chest. How naive had he been, thinking he could just leave and hide, regain his freedom and not be caught, escape the wrath of the gods by running fast enough and far enough. Who did he think he was ? He was only a nymph; he couldn't just hide from the major gods like that. His brother could. His brother could hide from their mother. He doubted anything had happened to him; he had a knack for being loved by everyone; Nightmare didn't see why that would have changed after he left, so Dream must have left on his own. He had time to think about it during the banquet. His brother had always been better than him at everything, in everything he undertook he beat Nightmare, Dream was just made like that, he had to get used to it. He loved his brother, sincerely, but he sometimes envied him, wished he could be as good as him, in vain... Running away and managing to hide from a major goddess, if anyone could do it, it was him, but not Nightmare...
He curled up in on himself, he would have liked to disappear that day, the day of his judgment, he would have liked to be transformed into stone or a plant, even a spider, rather than being sent here where he felt so weak, so vulnerable and so naive, he hated this feeling of helplessness. His lips trembled for a moment, his eye stung, and finally a tear fell. He hugged his pillow against him, burying his face in it to not make a noise, he was already pathetic enough as it was, no need to be heard on top of that. He let his tears flow, crying for his brother and for himself, for the pain of the corruption, the cruelty of mortals and gods, for the injustice of the situation and his naivety, he cried without holding back, catching up for all the times where he didn't cry because things just kept on happening, and so time passed like that, wasting his last bit of strength in his tears until night fell and Morpheus took him in his arms...
Error didn't bother him, having understood that the dryad wasn't in the mood tonight. He let him rest. He had taken advantage of the banquet to ask questions and had learned what Nightmare had done, he had learned that he had eaten Nim's apples and had massacred an entire village before being caught by an erinyes sent by Asgore and brought back by force into the realm of the gods to be judged and punished. He suspected that the story wasn't complete, that the most important testimony was missing: that of the nymph himself, but he wasn't going to ask him right away, he would wait until he was a little more comfortable. He had two hundred years ahead of him for that, but for now, he was going to leave him alone...
Despite all the rumors about him, Error didn't wish to make Nightmare's forced stay unbearable, and he hoped the dryad would one day trust him enough to see that...