Something is terribly wrong.
In reality, Soul has quite a few problems at the moment, but one of them is particularly concerning. Soul assumed that the strange weakness and soreness in his body was from jumping between so many people. All the discomfort should have gone away in a half a day or so. It's only getting worse. By the evening of the next day, Soul's entire body feels like a giant bruise. His limbs repeatedly cramp up with painful needles, and every moment aggravates the constant throb everywhere else. Soul can feel his magic pulse in time with his building headache. It's not nearly as painful as to make him faint, but the pain is steadily creeping up to that point.
Soul only has one theory as to what's going on. This is the longest that he's ever been in the same host. Cherry's body and magic are rejecting Soul. It seems like he's finally been identified as something foreign. The more Soul thinks about what is happening, the more scared he becomes. Soul nearly died last time he was left without a host. He remembers feeling himself fade away, disconnected from the borrowed magic that sustains him. Soul's presence puts a slightly higher burden onto his host's soul. More magic must be produced in order for him to function normally. Soul should have expected something like this. It only makes sense that a monster's soul would eventually notice the presence of a leech. Soul's not sure if he'll be spat out of his host to wither away like in Candytale, or if Cherry's magic will simply destroy him like any other bacteria.
It's hard to decide which option would be better.
Only one person has come to his sell today, and that was only to drop off another plate of food. Soul didn't even get two words in before they scurried off as fast as possible. They're afraid of him. Not even Ink has been back to see Soul. There's probably some meeting going on about what they're going to do with him. They can't intend to just leave him in Cherry indefinitely, right? If this goes on for a couple more days, there might not be anything left for them to debate over.
Sitting still for too long is impossible, so Soul has to stop himself from wincing repeatedly as he paces the cell. Staring at the same four walls for days is maddening. Chasing around the morbid thoughts in his head is even worse. Looking for any sort of distraction, Soul has been using his aura to search his surroundings. It's impossible to glean any meaningful information about the AU. His abilities are only suited for locating people.
There was only silence yesterday, but today, Soul can sense a small group of people somewhere nearby. A few of them are familiar. For the last hour, Soul has been contemplating trying to lure someone to his cell. His aura has levels of strength and subtly. If Soul can pull it off, he thinks that he might be able to get someone to walk his way without them realizing why they feel the urge to move. Almost everyone has the instinctual need to help when someone calls. At least that's what Soul hopes for.
Aiming for only one person in the middle of a group is rather difficult. Soul is trying his best not alert the few monsters that feel familiar to him. He almost cheers when he senses a monster take a few steps closer to his location. That excitement quickly deteriorates into disappointment when they step back to join the group. Soul manages to catch someone's attention a few more times only for them to ignore that faint compulsion. This is so frustrating! Clearly, Soul's abilities were never meant to be used for something like this.
Things would be so much easier if he could call Error for help. Soul is afraid that if he tried, Error would ignore him. Soul doesn't know if he could take that kind of rejection. He'd rather leave things broken as they are then to possibly make Error more outright with his hatred. Error surely hates Soul, right?
Soul tries to slightly strengthen his aura to see if it helps holds people's attention. Too late, he realizes that he's been found out. Someone starts to head his way, but it's one of the people that Soul was trying his best to hide from. He suppress his aura back down to undetectable levels. This doesn't stop Dream from rounding the corner of the hallway and hesitantly approaching the cell door. Soul backs away from the door by a few feet. It wasn't so long ago that Soul was possessing Dream. Soul rarely interacts with the people who he steals secrets and personal memories from. He doesn't know what to say.
"What are you trying to do?" Dream asks. He's not quite hostile, but not friendly, either. Dream stays back from the bars and out of Soul's reach.
"......... You have to let me out," is all Soul can think to say.
"I-," Dream stops, trying to figure out what exactly he should say. "It should only be for a few more days. I don't know if you've actually done anything wrong, but........ you must understand how the situation looks, right? People are scared of you."
The awful thing is that Soul does understand. He is dangerous and scary to be around. More than that, Soul knows how Dream thinks. He can almost feel the crippling indecision that plagues the Guardian. Dream has been struggling with his morals for a long time now. Unlike is brother, Dream didn't get the chance to grow up. He still believed that the world was black and white when he finally broke out of his stone prison. It's only recently that he's noticing all the shades of gray. It's only recently that he's considered the fact that Nightmare might be right, and that there's something bigger going on. Soul feels hopeful that Dream might actually believe him.
"You aren't a traitor for trying to find out the truth, Dream," Soul finds himself saying, "I know that you're afraid to find something horrible, but it's more important that you try."
"......... I have the strangest memory. The Destroyer of Worlds was bleeding on my kitchen floor. That was you, wasn't it?" Dream looks at Soul with a guarded expression. "How many of my secrets did you steal? Are you working with Nightmare?" His tone isn't accusing, but more resigned.
"I-I don't want to do those things!" Soul protests. "I can't not recall a few things. I usually can't even remember who I am when I wake up in a new AU. There's no choice in most of the things I do. And to answer your question, I've never even met your brother."
"If you've never met Nightmare, than why were you with Error?"
"Error is my...... friend. Why would I have to work with someone to be another monster's friend? None of that is important though! You have to let me out, and you have to tell Ink about the balance!"
"You keep mentioning it, but why can't you tell me about the balance if it's so important!?" Dream is almost begging when he says this. He's desperate to figure out what's right.
Soul doesn't respond, face falling into one of frustration. The balance is very important. Soul is absolutely sure of it, but he can't remember what it is. All of his memories and reactions are shrouded in mystery. What even is the balance? Why is so bad that Ink doesn't know about it? How did Soul even recognize Error when they first met? Most of all, Soul wants to know why he's like this: a mere fragment of something alive. Another spasm of pain rakes down Soul's body, and he's just about to ask again to be let out when a dull boom shakes the building. Soul and Dream both jump in surprise. Loud voices echo down the hall.
Dream snaps into action almost immediately after the commotion starts. It's hard to figure out what's happening with Soul's aura shading Dream's own, but he can at least make out that there's something big going on outside. The Guardian turns to bolt down the hall without sparing a word.
"W-Wait!" Soul calls out, but Dream either doesn't hear or doesn't care in his rush. Soul almost bangs his head against the bars when Dream leaves. Soul is no closer to getting out than before. It's frustrating to be so helpless. The mounting pain in his body is beginning to drown out rational thought. It hurts. Soul starts yanking at the bars. They don't bend even a small amount, but Soul keeps pulling at one until he feels like his arms are going to tear off. The effort leaves him panting and in a considerably high amount of pain.
Despite the dizziness returning, Soul keeps hopelessly pulling at the bars until a distant whisper makes him freeze. He immediately brushes off what he felt as a wistful thinking and stats to pull on the bars again. Soul almost falls over when he feels it again, stronger and closer. It's not until Error calls out with his magic a third time that Soul finally responds. How can Error be here? With more waves of magic sent back and forth, the Destroyer quickly zeroes in on the prison cell. Soul can't tell who's running with them.
Soul actually steps back from the door just before he sees Error come around the corner. What's going on? Error is supposed to be really mad at him right now. Soul is scared of what Error might say. All these days of avoiding his feelings and trying to forget about it entirely has made Soul terrified of this unavoidable confrontation. He's afraid to make it worse. What if Error finally says that he doesn't want to be Soul's friend anymore?
Error looks absolutely pissed when he stops in front of the cell. He doesn't even stop to consider if that ridiculously short Swap!Fell Sans is actually Soul or not. "WhAt the hell arE you doiNG here!?" Error snarls, "YoU've bEen rotTIng in that cEll for days, riGht? Why Are yoU lettiNg this haPpen, iDiOt?" Another skeleton appears a moment later at Error's side, but the white and black garbed monster seems hesitant to get between whatever's happening.
"I-I didn't mean to be captured," Soul stutters, flinching at Error's loud voice. "I was in the original UnderFell, and he was supposed to come to a big meeting, so I went to the big meeting, and-"
"So Why tHe hell didn't You try caLlinG for me as sOon as you got yoUr aSs capturEd!?" This is the real reason why Error's so mad. He only learned that the council had locked up a strange body stealing thing days later after when Fresh broke into the anti-void to gossip about it.
"......... I didn't think you answer after........" Soul can't look Error in the eyes when he admits it out loud. If Soul had tried, and Error ignored him, Soul doesn't know if he could bear that sort of rejection. Error is his first and only friend. Soul didn't know how lonely he was until he met Error.
Some of the anger melts off the Destroyer's poster. He sighs heavily and has to take a moment to choose his next words. "WhAt you did waSn't okay," Error starts, making Soul cringe, "But I dOn't think thAt you did it on pUrpose. ProMise to nEver do it aGain, and I'll cONsider forgiving You."
"Really?" Soul looks up, smiling, suddenly happier than he's been in weeks.