Whisper [Undertale Multiverse]

Ch14 - Dream

Dream's POV

The roles in which Dream had undertaken weighed heavily upon him. The responsibilities of a god to his worshippers was an expected duty for him, something he was mostly accustomed to providing for. Whilst born mortal, he and his beloved sibling had both been abandoned as mere babybones, taken in by the goddess of emotion Nim and given a blessing so strong it unintentionally caused the both to become gods.

Whilst Nim taught them everything they needed to know of godly affairs before her passing when they were twelve, they were forced to fend for themselves. Neither sibling had been raised into royalty, so when the twin kingdoms were established as a result of their worshippers, it had resulted in a lot of trial-and-error.

At least, throughout the struggles Dream endured, he was not alone.

Ink had appeared overnight one day like a stray raccoon, teasing the various guards and causing all sorts of minor mischief. He would sneak into the kingdom to paint gorgeous murals on random buildings, and whilst technically a form of vandalism, the beautiful stories he would create were so breathtaking that the people were keen to welcome the hidden god who created them.

Of course, Ink had almost given Dream a soul-attack when they first met in person, the artist quite literally throwing himself off the rafters in a startling entrance. He seemed fascinated by the little kingdom that had formed, by the beautiful god they worshipped, and it seemed the creator wanted nothing more than to chase whatever form of entertainment he could find.

Ink was so sporadic, so impulsive and blunt, that Dream didn't have to worry about being deceived like he had been in his younger years. Perhaps that was why the two ended up becoming so close, even having a child of their own. Young Palette, though Ink seemed to constantly forget their existence, much to Dream's dismay.

Blue was Dream's other closest friend, and the most recent addition to their little group. The god was perfectly aware that the little mortal would occasionally venture to the kingdom of the moon, socialising with those who resided within the darker castle's walls.

In secret, he was thankful for it; his relationship with his sibling had become terribly strained, but with Blue visiting (even if in secret), Dream was comforted that his sibling was at least safe. Surely Blue would tell him otherwise, for the little mortal was still loyal to the kingdom of sun.

Still, the millenia in which the positive god had ruled his little kingdom had been exhausting. He loved to provide for his people, to bring them joy and happiness, but their demands and expectations were sometimes impossible for him to meet. How was he to balance being both a god and a king, when he had been born into neither role? He always gave too much of himself in everything he did, and it was burning him out.

Regardless, as exhausted as he was, he had a duty to his people, and to those he called his friends.

When he was informed of Whisper by the guards of his castle, he sighed, wishing he had just a moment of reprieve, but would not keep the stranger waiting. After all, gods like him didn't get to rest, and today would be no different. He just didn't realise that the shorter skeleton was another god until the two were facing one another.

"You may approach," he had said simply, keeping his tone warm and welcoming at the unfamiliar aura. It reminded him of his sibling, though he couldn't place why that was. Perhaps this person was a friend of his darker twin?

He waited, at first, for the other to introduce themself, as that was simply polite, yet they did not, instead gazing intently at him. Dream recognised their aura but decided not to point it out for now - the other was already frightened, and the positive god did not understand why.

Upon their lilac eyes settling across the paintbrush strapped to Ink's back, Dream sensed a sudden spike of emotion. Fear, confusion, overwhelm, but also recognition. The negative emotions may not have been his domain, but they were clear by the way Whisper curled in on themself, the way their bones began to tremble so hard he could hear them rattle from across the room.

With fuzzy eyelights, Whisper begun to back away. This was most certainly not a typical reaction for somebody meeting Dream or his partner.

"Are you alright, little one?" Dream tried to soothe. He knew they were an adult, but it was a term he used to describe most of those he met, in part because he was so used to engaging with mortals. "Ink will not harm you..."

Whisper did not react to Dream's words. Had they even heard his attempts to soothe them? He cast a glance at Ink, who seemed awfully confused at the behaviour.

"Hey, you okay? What's wrong?" the artist called out. He could be rather obtuse when it came to anything regarding emotion, but the way Whisper's eyelights guttered out made even him concerned. "Hellooo? You okay? You weren't like this before, what's up with that?"

Dream moved towards Whisper carefully, hoping that the slow movements would prevent them from being startled. "I do not know what has you so distressed, but you are safe here. No harm will come to you," he breathed out gently.

Whisper only reacted when Dream tried to rest his hand gently on their shoulder, a terrified gasp escaping from them. It was the same terror he had felt in the Dreamscape just a night or two ago - was this person the stranger who entered the world of dreams? Could that have been part of why they were so frightened? Did they think he would be mad at him, perhaps?

In an attempt to placate the panicked stranger, Dream increased the strength of his aura, but they seemed to react even worse, going from near-catatonic to crying and screaming out. He withdrew immediately, unsure of how he could have possibly been the cause of such distress, and even less certain as to why Whisper was quite literally crying out the name of the god of death.

Dream was certainly surprised when Reaper actually appeared at his name being called.