< 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 > (Discontinued)

[Chapter 5: Hunt]

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"Remove the...?" You glanced at him, half astonished and half horrified. "Remove the external force?"

"How?" (N/N) asked for you in a stern voice, amazingly already finished with the (F/F) that you'd given them. "I've seen what that thing can do. I've seen what sort of things it's capable of. Not really something to be crossed on a walk in the park." They shuddered.

You shuddered too, remembering your time in the prison. Then you thought of how Dream sent you the scarf, and your fingers drifted to the soft fabric. You blushed lightly as Dream gripped your hand. "We aren't going to be on a walk in the park," he clarified, giving you a squeeze. You returned the gesture. (N/N) made a gagging sound. "This won't be very easy, which is why we need all the help we can get."

You cocked your head to the side. "All the help we can get?"

(N/N) propped their head onto their hands. "What do you have in mind, buttereyes?"

Dream narrowed his eyes a little before he started laughing. "What!? Buttereyes!? Oh stars. Alright, so by 'help' I mean strong figures in the multiverse. I'm suggesting monsters and humans like Ink and Cory." He tilted his head a little, closing his eyes. "OK. Maybe not Cory. But you understand."

You nodded. "So... Strong people, huh? And not only that, but we'll need people that are powerful enough to separate whatever it is from Nightmare's body—"

"—Without damaging the shell," Dream finished.

(N/N) rolled their (E/C) eyes so hard it looked like they almost fell out. "Oh stars, it's like one of those cliche movies where there's a perfect couple that always finishes each other's sentences. Just sprinkle in some extra heartbreakup-and-makeup and you'll be all set."

You glared at them.

Dream rubbed his gloved hands together. "The thing is, in order to fully remove whatever force this is from his body, it will require an immense amount of magic—magic that we may not have access to at the moment."

"At the moment?" You asked, inching closer to him and further from your doppelgänger.

He nodded, lost in thought. "SOUL magic is and always will be extremely complicated. There is no question about it. It's as complex and strange as emotion itself. Heck, I'm the guardian of positivity and still don't fully understand the potential of positive energy. It's all one big mystery."

(N/N) yawned, lying back down on their pillow. There was a distant sort of look on their face as they muttered, "One big, happy mystery that we won't be able to solve in time to save Nightmare."

"Oh?" You piped, a small smile spreading across your face. (N/N)'s eyes widened and they cursed under their breath. "Could it be? Could (N/N) actually have feelings for someone other than themselves?"

"Hey," they snapped, squinting their eyes at you. "I care about people. But I only care about the people that deserve my care."

"Oh, (N/N) likes him," you gasped, putting a hand out your chest. Dream's mouth started twitching into another smile. "I can't believe what I'm seeing. I cannot believe it."

Your doppelgänger scowled, "I never said I liked him!"

"You never said you didn't."

Dream waved his hand a little, though he looked like he was about to break with held-back laughter. "(Y/N), (N/N), calm down. We have a crisis at hand." He folded his fingerless gloved hands together again, looking at you. "So we don't possess that magic that we need right now, correct? If we can find a way to get a lot of magic..."

"Why don't you just find a fountain of magic or something?" (N/N) yawned, resting their head on their hand. "Y'know, like some pond of power or some sh—"

Your eyes brightened. "Or... Or a tree?"

Dream inhaled deeply, rubbing his temples. "Of course. Why didn't I think of it sooner? The Tree of Magic. Corrin. We can just go there and talk with them!" He grinned at you. "You're a genius, (Y/N)."

You tilted your head down a little, face hot. (N/N) retched, saying, "Oh stars, get a room."

In minutes the two of you—Dream was leading the expedition—were getting ready to go and find the Tree. He explained to you in full detail about how it looked and how wonderful it was. He even spilled to you how he had found your SOUL and held it, blushing the entire time. You beamed as you remembered when he came back and confessed, finally. You talked about that too, trying to ignore the strange look on (N/N)'s face. It wasn't criticizing nor judgmental, and yet... longing, perhaps? Smirking, you reveled mildly in the fact that you were right.

Dream put a hand on Ink's shoulder. "We'll be back in an hour or two," he said in a hushed voice, as if someone was listening. "Just... keep the place anchored while we're gone, alright?"

The artist nodded, smiling back with sunny yellow eye sockets. "Yep. Good luck Dream, (Y/N)."

You waved a little, feeling slightly awkward now under your lookalike's heavy stare. They took a few steps toward you, narrowing their eyes before whispering, "You better get that separating magic or die trying. If you die, I'll just follow after you. We gotta separate those two. They need some time apart."

"You liiiiiiike him," you hummed, giggling childishly at the flushed and annoyed look on (N/N)'s face. They looked very close to slapping you, but walked away before they got the chance. Maybe I should bring the book or something. The guardian strolled up to you and very casually placed a kiss on your cheek. It still sent your stomach into knots and your face aflame, but you just smiled down the butterflies and straightened your (F/C) sweater. "OK. I'm ready."

He took your hand and a deep breath before opening a portal. Through it you could see hundreds of papers floating in a golden void, some connected to others. Dream gave you a mischievous grin before leaping though, yanking you with him. You heard Ink laughing behind you before the portal closed. The Doodlesphere was infinitely large, and there was nothing but paper all around. Despite the lack of direction that gave you a mildly nauseas feeling, Dream seemed to know exactly where to go. For a few moments he cocked his head to the side, as though trying to hear a faint tune. Then he floated in one direction, then another, then another.

"We're almost there, (Y/N)," he said suddenly, yanking you out of your haze. "Just a few more—"

"W-Weeeee-Welllllll-elll, wwwwww-ell, weeeee-weeeee-ell-ell, wh-wh-BEEP-whha-whatttt-t do-o we-we-we-eeeeee-WE haha-havvvvv-have here-here-here-here?"

The guardian sucked in a gasp, trying to walk a bit faster. A plethora of neon blue strings blocked your path. Frantically you looked around, but every surface was becoming overwhelmed with blue strings and the black background of the fighting arena. As if by magic, Error was standing a few feet behind you. "Error," Dream said calmly as possible, "We're just passing through. There's no need for us to fight."

"HHHaaaaa-aaaaa-haahhaa-hAHAHhaA! Liiii-iiike-like I'd-I'DDDD-ddd ever-vvveeerrrr-evevevev gggg-GIVE-give-giiiii up thhhhhhhh-eee ch-ch-ch-ch-chaaaaaaan-chaance-ee to-oo0oo0 giii-BEEP-give-get a-a glllll-glitch-glitch out-tttt-ttta-ta-ta wwwwww-aaaaaayyyyy-way." With that, the destroyer pulled a few strings out of his eyes as Dream summoned his staff.

You knew you should have brought the book.

(Hands, prepared to be destroyed by Error's pixlexia.)