With a sudden, unbeknownst snap from Mono's bony, dry fingers and with only the smallest bit of magic running through the laboratory's walls and wires, as the hooded skeleton stood before Mono, without warning the laboratory began to shake violently, growing in magnitude increasingly, slowly yet surely as most of the tiles and materials that made up the walls and floor slid out in a square-like form as from the black hole, came multiple, many contraptions, metal claws, spears, spikes, and guns, connected by a thin metal tube that extended for who knows how long from wherever it etched out from.
"You don't understand, that thing was gonna hurt you... I can help you if that's what you want-!" Dust said, attempting to negotiate but was quick to be cut off as Mono silently, with bitterness, swung the same hand forward in a cleave-like motion as four of the metal claws that suspended from the ceiling increased their arm's length, violently heading for Dust in hot pursuit as the hooded skeleton took a step back defensively as their eyes narrowed.
Dust was gritting his teeth and still trying to reason further as he jumped above the metal claws which all tried to go for a pincer attack on the hooded skeleton, at that instant whilst suspended in the air, one of the metal, magic-infused guns charged up a ball of energy which was quick to fire at Dust in one rapid burst, yet despite how much power it yielded the magic ball was quickly avoided with one, circular and purple barrier summoned before and below Dust.
"You should've done so before you did this," Mono said, monotone and annoyed as he only thrust one of his arms forward, the spears protruding from the ground charged their way at Dust, piercing through the air from the speed it was going, but yet again Dust's eyes locked in on them, and as he fell down while they homed in, Dust took both of his arms and at the right timing, held the metal body of the spears, before enveloping them in purple fire, crushing them as they faded into ash whilst he finally landed on the ground safely.
"...There were risks, not just that machine damaging you, but something you can't understand yet, something I have yet to confirm here that restricts both me and you, something that dooms where we stand, that's why I didn't try to help at first, I was being cautious-" Dust attempted to lean in closer to Mono's space but was forced to duck down, balancing on his arms while his legs were retracted to narrowly dodge a metal blade coming from the walls that were to decapitate Dust's head clean off.
"Because it puts us and this place in danger? Oh please! I'd rather that happen, this place isn't what it used to be! Everyone here would be happier if everything RESET at this point!" Mono said, dashing back to get some distance as this time he took out two of his arms, throwing them outward as around four more metal guns came from the walls behind him, left and right.
"...Don't act like you know what that feels like, and with your ignorant insistence... Not only will this place die but so will this entire universe as a whole!" Dust said angrily, but immediately composed themselves, shaking their head left and right, standing their guard as the four metal guns all began to charge up more high-powered beams of magic, all aimed sharply at the hooded skeleton standing amidst that arena of traps and weaponry.
"Is that so..? Well then, better non-existent than despairful now, right? I'll be honest with ya, I really did want to help everyone here... But from what you've done and hinted, I guess that's impossible then, isn't it?!" Mono cackled as he closed his fists, the magic guns releasing near full-powered beams of magic at Dust, whose body then sparked with unique purple lightning when he took a step forward, he suddenly blitzed out of the beams' range, avoiding it completely as they instead crashed into the floor, causing for the laboratory to rumble with dust and shadows as what was left of Dust's original position was the faint glimmer of that same electricity along with a trail leading to Dust's new location amongst the green tiles.
"That's enough, just calm down because we can talk this out-!" Dust directed himself once more, this time hastily speeding over behind Mono, before the lab-coated skeleton could even react, their arms were suddenly folded and locked in with Dust's as he was slammed face-first to the floor, his disability to do anything prompted for the metal weapons to stay motionless, tight in its initial gaze, but unable to do anything more while their master was restricted to the floor, Dust's grip growing tighter as to restrain the lab-coated skeleton further from doing much.
"Fine, you want a non-vague explanation to this all? I'm not sure if it's one of the conditions for it to be caused, but the fact you're allowed to long for it and reach so close tells me otherwise... Though it may just be a false guise either way,"
"There is something called the Worldline that lives amongst every universe as a primordial concept, it gives rules, commands, and pre-determined fates not only for each individual within the said universe but the timeline as a whole so long as it fits the theme it represents... For me, I nor everyone else was ever allowed to be free... Until I refused, it got everything erased to nothingness, and only I survived..."
There occurred a dreadful silence, it was almost breath-taking as Dust remained nervously in that locked position with Mono's arms, would the lab-coated skeleton understand his reasons, in fact, it all seemed so fast, he had just met this man and now they were both at a dead stare with each other from what Dust could see of Mono's singular eye.
"...I-I see now, let me go..." Mono said in a distraught tone, which earned Dust's sympathy as slowly the hooded skeleton released his intense grip on the lab-coated skeleton, who slowly got up, it was eerie, their movements were now like that of a zombie risen from the grave as Dust took a few steps back for safety, but that initial caution dropped as all the metal weaponry sunk and pulled itself back into their respective crawl spaces.
"I know this seems so sudden, but I'm serious when I want to help you from your suffering, how about I assist you in leaving this place... Find a better home, perhaps?" Dust put on this time a genuine, soft smile as he extended out his hand in front of Mono, eager for him to shake it in acceptance as the one-eyed skeleton only looked down at the hand, their chin only moving down, and nothing more.
"So... Nothing can truly be done, then? Is this truly what my reality is?" Mono asked, raising one of their hands slightly, but before Dust could even respond, the very moment he blinked, Mono smirked mischievously and suddenly turned the opposite way, running as his weak legs pumped violently towards the determination extractor, causing Dust's eyes to widen from the suddenness, but that was when he realized what Mono was really going for.
"Sorry, but I refuse, we'll get our own ending by ourselves..."
"But If it really seems we won't get it..."
"...Evade... I command you..."
"Then I shall simply do what I should have done long ago!"
"Only then will I and everyone else be free! The ending we all desire!"
They were running to jump into the very void below.
Dust's mind went to a mortifying halt as he could only stand there frozen out of shock and indecisiveness, in his very soul he wanted to save this unknown man, but at the same time they had already crossed a large distance, a single millisecond left was all it took before the void fully encompassed them, it's infinite arms pulling you down faster than you should, and Dust would not be able to catch them in time without dying himself, a portal would take too long to form as well, his fear of that void... And furthermore, once they went in who knows if the Worldline would break or not... This put Horror and Killer at immense risk as well, for they still existed within the current timeline, and not near the would-be cause of the collapse, needed to survive a Worldline Prolapse...
To sacrifice Killer and Horror, or to save this man? Though the choice was clear without a doubt, Dust could not help but shiver in shame at the thought of it...
"I'm sorry... But you've done too much for me to do anything now," Dust muttered, with intense reluctance in his tone as his hand shook whilst he raised it to the side, slowly but surely summoning a portal even with what he was doing then, with one last gaze at the man a mere instant from being consumed by the void, only the reflection from the fractured determination extractor being the last sight of them, and even then it was near transparent for they were already deep into the void, with a heavy breath, Dust fully immersed himself into his purple portal before just as slowly as it went, it closed, time felt dead, yet undeniably fast.
Just as when shimmering white cracks of reality began to form in impossible places...
There was only blackness you see, worse than what you could ever believe.
A million arms or so grabbed, tugging at the skeleton in a monstrous band.
Murmuring amidst the silent depths, as even the void began to glim crackling lights.
"For as long as I lived, monsters only tasted defeat."
"Thrown in here by what we thought were our allies, our friends..."
"Maybe even our family."
"Now they stand above us, while we rot in the prison of their grim makings."
"..."
"Why did no one come to save me when I fell?"
"Everyone in the laboratory at this moment... Where were they?"
"Too busy with research perhaps? Ha... Of course... It's not like I screamed anyway, thus they should not have been able to hear it..."
"But where were they when I struggled beforehand? For months constantly, it felt like it was only me."
"..."
"Ah."
"Because it really was just me."
"In the end, nobody came, nobody was ever there."
"...Dust..."
"He alone came, but failed to do anything meaningful for me."
"No! He ripped it all away from me in fact..."
"..."
"There was nothing else but you."
"A primordial force? What a joke! No matter if it is real or not, It means nothing of being an actual threat... The only danger that was before me..."
"Was you."
"Dust... Wherever you are now..."
"No matter how far you get..."
"It doesn't matter."
"I'll kill you."
Outside the dying universe, where with ceremony grand it prolapses...
Bursting out of its thin shell through a blissful portal, and where a violet platform formed far in front of it, out jumping through the portal in a desperate craze three skeletons came, leaping far into the multiverse's cold presence as they all landed collectively and safely on the purple platform the moment the portal closed shut, though the trio was now safe from the inner prolapse, what was left as a problem was the outer explosion.
"Be careful!" Dust said as he was quick to stand up first and turn around, forming a larger square barrier before them with three layers just as the universe consumed itself and eventually self-destructed, and out from where it once was a powerful but short-lived shockwave which was able to shatter even the first two layers of barriers that Dust had put up, the third one narrowly surviving in the end.
The three were sweating, they had just narrowly survived such an event, Dust dropped to his knees, breathing heavily and profusely, he would have fallen on his face had he not thrust his hands down to support his upper body, they were all noticeably tired but Killer and Horror could recognize that Dust's exhaustion was no regular type, prompting for the two to gaze in concern before Horror then made his way slowly to Dust, outstretching a hand while Killer followed.
"Dust, what the hell happened? Just how did that damn Worldline thing break so easily there-?" Horror said, but despite his tone, it was not out of anger or ferocity, but merely that of worries and puzzlement, but he was only met with a soundproof silence, without any response whatsoever from Dust.
"...Hey, come on, talk to us..." Killer said, but the moment he did so Dust immediately cowered his hands up above his skull, holding it tightly as his hood stretched and was near being ripped apart as his fingers squeezed them greatly, from what seemed to be frustration.
"...I-I fucked everything over..." Dust muttered under his breath, he had finally talked but Horror and Killer were quite disturbed as his tone was completely and utterly one of disbelief and sorrow, it had been long since they last heard it.
"...I wanted to help... I really did,"
"And yet..."
"Things only got worse."
"I'm a damn hypocrite..."