Broken Souls

Chapter 23

-Life's Garden ReaperTale-

Killer scrambles through the portal looking around, "Lady Life, are you here?"

Life hurries out of her cottage hearing Killer, "I am here what brings you by dear is your soul acting up again?"

Error steps through the portal after Killer carries Nightmare and closes the portal as Life hurries out.  "Not today Life unfortunately it is Night this time."

Killer crowds close to Error watching with big sockets.  "Please Lady Life!"

Life gives a firm nod, "of course my dears bring him right in.  I will do what I can for him.  Though we may need, Dream these two have been fighting for a long time."

Error opens a portal and Dream falls through to land on the path with a thump, "say one thing wrong or raise one phalange to harm anyone here and I will leave you alone in the anti-void for a week."

Dream nods and scrambles to his feet, "I won't Error.  Nighty and I are not fighting anymore.  Well we are still learning to get along but not fighting."

Killer nods, "kid isn't that bad way from Ink.  Turns out Blue was right when he defended Brommie he hasn't put a bristle out of place without Ink in the mix and Dream has gotten better too."

Dream frowns, "Killer don't.  Part of doing better is taking responsibility for my actions including following Ink even though I knew his flaws."

Life ushers them inside and to a treatment room off her living room.  "Please set him down on the bed, Error.  Do you know how he ended up like this?"

Error gives a grumpy grumble and gently lays Nightmare down before taking one of his hands and holding it, "one of the fucking higher powers played with the portal."

Killer curses, "why the hell am I not surprised. So could you tell which ones it was?"

Dream looks to Life for guidance having no idea what they are talking about. "What higher powers?"

Life sighs, "Dream there are levels of power among gods.  All the gods in ReaperTale are AU level gods with a very small g.  Reaper and I are multiverse level gods small g.  As are you and Nightmare.  We are still simi mortal.  Then there are immortal multiverse level gods uppercase G that would be Error and Ink.  Above them are the greater powers incarnations of things like, Viod, The End, Chaos, Order, Time, Emotion, Karma, Destiny, and Fate.  They have responsibilities as do we but also a great deal of power and control over the multiverse.  Above them are the creators they spark the multiverses into being.  So if Error says a higher power he means an incarnation or creator."

"It wasn't Fate or Destiny. I have dealt with them enough to know their power signatures.  Whoever it was went straight for Nightmare."  Error slowly strokes Nightmares hands careful with the fragile bones under his thin layer of protective goop.

"Any idea who it might have been? Who would want to attack dad?" Killer paces twitchy with stress.

"Was it an attack? It looked more like he came out of the portal alright, but the generator exploded... did damage.  I might be wrong. I was distracted trying to shield everyone I could." Dream watches Error wondering how he hadn't seen how much Error loved Nightmare even without his positive emotions.

Life carefully examines Nightmare noting every visible injury, "I can brew his usual tea but I have never been able to heal him through the goop. It insulates his body from outside magic as part of his immune system.

Error frowns holding on to Nightmare with his magic reaching out to swirl around him in a dangerous warning. "I can think of one higher power that has a strong claim on Nightmare and Dream.  Emotion, Nim who created Nightmare and Dream was their avatar making Emotion either their parent or grandparent depending on how they viewed Nim.  I don't believe anyone other than Fate would dare interfere with them directly without Emotion's consent."

Killer freezes staring at Error, "I thought dad said his mom was the only one in his AU that supposed him unconditionally?  Are you saying she hurt him now?"

Dream moves closer to Killer, "Emotion might not be mom and if Nighty said mom could be trusted then I am sure he was right."

Life starts working on the tea, "I think we are all overlooking the obvious.  Error, what do his codes tell you?"

Immediately opening a code window Error starts reading through it in detail slowly growing less anxious.  "Huh Dream is right it wasn't intended as an attack just a code patch to give him full control of his form.  When he is awake to control it he will be able to withdraw his goop for healing."

Killer stops pacing, "so him getting hurt was an accident?"

Dream moves to stand near the head of the bed trying to stay out of the way.  "How hurt is he? Can I help in some way?"

Life places a small pot of medicinal tea on the nightstand.  "Very and maybe but he doesn't appear more hurt than he always was.  It appears to be magic exhaustion this time.  Not really surprising all things considered he hasn't taken care of himself in years."

Error gives a soft growl, "well that is just going to have to change. If I can't die then he isn't allowed to either."

Killer throws up his hands dramatically, "big talk for a guy who says he is to busy for the simplest of self care but can jump into the void and fuck off for nearly seven years leaving his soulmate to grieve."

Dream flinches back at the rage and pain that burst from Killer overlying deep fear and grief. "Killer!"

Life rests a paw on Killer's shoulder, "we know this is hard for you Killer.  You have every right to be upset but now is not the time for fighting."

"Let him he is right I let my own fucked up situation cloud my judgment and didn't think about what my actions would do to Nightmare." Error looks away from Nightmare and meets Killer's sockets.

Killer stared at him with big teary sockets for a moment before wrenching himself out of Life's light grip and throwing himself into Error's arms crying.  "You were gone! The multiverse was falling apart! Dad was falling apart! We didn't know what to do anymore! And you weren't there!"

Dream watched slightly stunned as loud, brash, seemingly insensitive Killer wailed in Error's arms like a terrified child clinging to their mother after a long stressful separation. What should he do? Before when he had been fighting Nightmare he would have tried to influence the situation, but he had learned in the intervening years that his habit of trying to elemental negative emotions was harmful.

Error held Killer letting him cry himself out, "I know I screwed up.  You boys did such a good job."

Life sighs watching and wishing the multiverse had been kinder to Error.  They could have done so much worse for a destroyer they could have had someone emotionless like Ink.