Children of Chaos

Chapter 5 part 2: In Which Several Things Happen (New)

"This is the second time you've done that."

"DoNe Wh4t?"

"Something weird when I wasn't looking."

Error smirked, watching Dust crunch through the ankle-deep snow. "0nLy tHe $eCoNd?"

There was a long pause as Dust visibly fought not to ask what else Error had done. "...Yes."

Dust had been pointedly ignoring the chocolate in Error's now-tiny hand, which seemed to be getting harder as Error raised it to his mouth and took another bite. Error wasn't sure what the issue was. Sure, most people didn't eat it with the wrapper on, but it was basically a banana peel, right?

He voiced this thought to Dust, who looked disturbed. "Who do you know that eats bananas with the peel on?"

Error opened his mouth.

"Besides you."

Error closed his mouth.

His further suggestions that wrappers were like orange peels, watermelon rinds, and taco shells were all shot down.

Dust laughed at that last one, just a tone off from his counterpart. It was a painful reminder of everyone Error left behind. His mind went to the gang, wondering what happened to them when his ties to the multiverse snapped. Had they felt the Balance tipping?

Would Ink listen to them?

Error froze at the thought. Without him there, no one could destroy AUs. Every new universe was one step closer to total annihilation.

He couldn't do anything about that now.

He shook his head and forced himself to take a step towards Dust, lurching forward on unsteady feet as his body protested the sudden motion. He'd been feeling dizzy and weak since he fell into the Void, like he ate Nightmare's goop again on a dare. (It was something he tried once, and only once. The full week of fevers and the ache in his marrow that stayed for months were a pretty good deterrent, but the worst part was facing Nightmare's disappointment afterwards.)

Error wasn't sure if his sickness was a side effect of traveling multiverses or a lingering scar from getting nearly scattered across space and time, but he didn't enjoy it.

Waking up in that alley had been the first time in centuries that Error wasn't instantly aware of his surroundings, and sensing someone next to him that he didn't recognize had thrown his spinning head into a panic. He thought whoever was there had recognized the god of Destruction and was trying to capture or hurt him while he was weakened.

Error hoped it was a one-time thing. If someone startled him like that again, he wasn't sure they would get out unharmed- or at all. Dust had been lucky.

Error eyed the monster in question warily as he squinted at a sign, muttering street names. Being in another multiverse, even though it meant Error and Blue were safe from Fate, also had some downsides. Everyone here was different from the people they knew, down to the SOUL. Despite Dust's apparent kindness, Error wasn't sure if Dust was leading them to a worse place than they landed in.

If he was, well... It was only one more mistake to add to Error's quickly growing pile of regrets. He was already to blame for getting into this situation. Because of his careless actions, Blue almost-

Error's hand clutched Blue's borrowed jacket tighter, sharp phalanges dangerously close to piercing the material. He forced himself to let go.

He didn't want to disrupt the enchantment that kept Blue warm. It was the only thing preventing Error from having more dust on his hands than he already did.