Memories

Chapter 27: Magic Sure is Convenient

A/N: the photo above is a drawing I drew of what Fate looked like :D

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[Entering: Dreamswap_101(05)...]

[Access has been granted...]

[Relocating Error.exe...]

[Relocating Gradient.exe...]

[Relocating complete.]

[DS_BALANCE_101(05) requests to integrate Error.exe]

[DS_BALANCE_101(05) requests to integrate Gradient.exe]

[Request pending...]

[...]

[Request denied]

[Good luck, travelers.]

Gradient shifted and shook his head slightly when he felt something tickle his skull. After another moment of silence, his eyes snapped open and he sat up with laboured breaths. "D-Dust!" He choked, tears welling as his mind replayed the events that had occurred in the last two days. "Where am I? Mr. Mercy?! Anyo-"

"CaLm dOwn." a voice interrupted his panicked shouts.

Gradient looked up and through his blurry eyes, he saw the otherworldly teacher. "Mr. Mercy!" He yelled, "Mr. Mercy, are you okay?! Oh, stars, Dust, he-"

"BrEath, bReatH. DeEp bReaths."

Gradient did what his teacher told him to do. He took deep breaths. In, out, in, out. In.. Out...In....

"GoOd. LiStEn cLoselY, GraDiEnt. We'Re cUrrEnTLy iN anOther MulTivErse." Mercy explained calmly, too calmly for Gradient's taste.

"Another multiverse?!" He wailed, "like-like the same way you came to my multiverse?"

Error nodded.

"So, let me get this straight. You came to my multiverse, posed as a teacher, something happened and now I'm in a different multiverse?! What happened back there? What were those red strings! Oh, the screams-"

"GraDIeNt cALm dOwn-" "I CAN'T CALM DOWN!" The child shouted. "I just watched my new friend DIE and w-what happened to my world?!"

Mercy blinked, eyes boring into Gradient's own eyes. "it'S gOne." He replied nonchalantly.

Gradient stared at him, eye sockets wide in disbelief and glowing pinpricks shaking.

"What?" He whispered, voice weak and wobbly.

"YoUr mUltIvErsE iS gOnE." Mercy repeated. "DeStRoYed. RiPPed To shReAds aNd aLl tHaT rEmAinS is lEfT to bE cOnsUmEd bY tHe vOid."

Gradient sputtered, eyes gaining a desperate glint to them. "W-what about my classmates? They were alive! I saw them! What about my parents?! Dad? Mum?!"

"..." Despite being confused about why Gradient would still care about the two skeletons that had hurt him, he answered. "ThEir exiStenCe wilL bE broKen iNto a milLioN pieCes, puT bAck tOgEthEr AgAin, and rEpeAtEd ovEr and oVEr aGaIn. FoR-"

"-Eternity..." Gradient ended in horror. "Is there nothing we can do? We survived, didn't we?!" his voice was gaining a hysterical edge to it, "We can go back and help them! We can save them! We-"

Mercy pulled Gradient into a hug. The child's body shook as he collapsed. Gradient sobbed and screamed, mourning everyone that he had known that he would never see again. Why did this have to happen? Why?