Lost Soul

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ever since Soul escaped from the AU with the meeting hall, Ink has been acting......... off. Dream has been catching Ink mumbling to himself more often. That kind of thing isn't too unusual for Ink, but it sounds more agitated than before. Dream tries to be understanding of the fact that Ink has no soul. Most of the time, Ink manages well enough, but every now and then, he gets bad ideas stuck in his head as if someone had glued it in there. This particular idea is just plain awful.

Ink decided that he wanted to stop Error permanently. Error could be captured, maimed, or killed with how loosely the 'plan' has laid out that part. Ink has never planned something so drastic before. Since Error always comes out more injured in their battles, Ink believes himself to be the better fighter. Ink will take on Error and keep fighting until he surrenders. Once Error really starts taking a beating, Nightmare and his crew will show up just like they always have for Ink and Error's worst fights. They will fall right into a trap. Ink has created groups of monsters from original AUs to counter each of the bad Sanses. They will be unable to help Error, and Error won't leave the AU while they are still there.

A battle like this is the last thing that Dream wanted. The Undertale AU copy around him is in ruins. A majority of Snowdin has been leveled. Most of the residents fled at the beginning of the fight, but some of them were surely dusted. Dream doesn't know much about the battle aside from his own role. Ink assigned Dream to keep Nightmare busy. Fighting his brother is nothing new, but the six other monsters attacking Nightmare are making Dream uncomfortable. Nightmare is a close to mid-range fighter. His tendrils give him extra reach, but he struggles to manifest the long-distance bone attacks that most Sanses can.

The battle was viscous despite Nightmares's disadvantage with numbers. Partway through, Dream realizes abruptly that this might be the first time Nightmare has fought with all his strength. Nightmare disables one monster by brutally breaking both their arms. He dusts another with weak bone attack at close range. Even as he fights, Nightmare takes more and more damage. Not even the thick layer of corruption can hide it anymore. Still, Nightmare is focused. Calm. Dream is hoping that Nightmare will actually win and stop Ink's crazy plan.

Someone yells Nightmare's name. He jerks his head too look and so does Dream. Yards away, Dust is on the ground, covered in wounds and barely conscious. Horror is standing over him and trying to fend off both groups created to counter them. Dream feels a whirlwind of emotions from his brother in that moment. Surprise. Anger. Protectiveness. Fear, but not for himself. In that moment while he's distracted, one of the Sans in Dream's team lands a brutal hit to Nightmare's head. He drops to the ground. The monster moves to  strike Nightmare again. Dream is running before he can think. He tackles the other monster to the ground.

Dream does not like to fight. He's always put aside his own thoughts for what others say is the greater good, but the things that Soul said to him are swarming around in Dream's head. What if? What if? What if there's a reason? A reason few know. A reason that Ink doesn't know.

"What-"

"He's already down!" Dream snaps, "Leave Nightmare be!" Drawing an arrow taunt, Dream puts his back to Nightmare and keeps the bow pointed at any one of his 'teammates' that try to get closer. They argue, and Dream can feel the rising tension slowly turning on him. More than one of these monsters want Nightmare dead.

With his back turned, Dream doesn't see Nightmare twitch. His entire body jerks, and Nightmare slowly gets up onto his hands and knees. The black corruption coating his body has become unstable and is dripping off his form. Dream only turns to look after the others fall silent in shock.

Nightmare has staggered to his feet. The corruption runs down his arms and chest revealing moonlight-lit bones. Nightmare claws at his own face in pain and confusion. Even has his magic destabilizes, the four black tendrils on his back seem to lengthen and grow. A third shorter set sprouts lower down on his back. The corruption slides off half of Nightmare's skull and reveals an old injury that left a gaping hole in the side of his skull. His eyelight on that side does not work. A lucky hit right beside the old injury is what knocked Nightmare down. Nightmare looks terrifying. In reality, his eyes aren't quite focused yet, and he seems disoriented.