"So you found something in the Anti-Void?" Dream asked Error.
"It radiated heat, I think it was some kind of fire, but there was nothing to burn. It just whispered to me. It looked like that thing on the lava in Blue's Hotland, to be honest."
Ink stared, nearly dropping his bowl of soup. "I-I know what that is! Can you take me to it??" He stuttered anxiously.
Dream stared at Ink while he stared at Error. "Ink? I don't think that's a good idea. You look a little.." He trailed off.
"What? Possessed? Determined? What?"
"I was about to say dangerous."
Ink paused. "Oh. Sorry." He looked away. "Don't be sorry! We can go together and figure out what it is!" Blue said cheerily.
They were all sitting cross-legged on the floor, bowls of soup in their laps. Firefang was curled around Ink's neck under the scarf, head sticking out and curiously sniffing the air. His tail was quite fluffy and soft, indeed.
Ink downed the rest of the broth, having finished the pasta a while ago. "Well I'm ready to go when you are."
This forced a few chuckles from the rest, Blue smirking. "I already finished, too!" He giggled.
(Le gasp.)
"I thought I was first!" Ink exclaimed. "I'm sorry, but the Magnificent Blue is just too great at times!"
This caused a few snorts from Dream and Error. "I've hardly touched it." Error mumbled through his half-smile.
"Error! You still don't eat enough! You should eat it, you're the guest!" Blue reprimanded.
Error groaned. "No, I hate food."
Blue pouted, begging with puppy eyelights. Error avoided looking at him.
Ink tried not to laugh, smiling at the goofy moment playing out before him. Dream covered his mouth too, hiding a grin.
"Error, please." "Blue...." Berry then got up and moved beside Error, patting the glitchy skeleton's skull. Error cringed and batted the hand away. "No touching!"
"I will pet you, Error!"
"No."
"Yes!"
"No."
"Absolutely yes unless you eat!"
"No!"
"You must!!"
Blue began vigorously petting Error's skull and his sockets filled with errors as he yelped. "8|u€, $+0p! G4h!"
Ink lifted a hand to stop the weirdness happening in front of him, Dream doing the same. But Error grabbed Blue's boney wrist and held it, glaring in Blue's direction. The normally hyper skeleton sighed. "£iπ€, ju$+ |€a√€ m€ al0πe."
He started to sip the broth, glaring the whole while. Ink held in his humour in broken snickering as Dream facepalmed. Blue smiled proudly.
"See? It's not bad!"
Error grumbled irritably, but said nothing more on the matter.
Dream shook his skull in disappointment, but was still smiling.
Ink fell backwards, struggling to contain his laughter. Flames sputtered out of his mouth as Firefang gave him a questioning look, making it worse.
He burst into wheezing laughter. "Ink, are you okay?" Blue asked, leaning over him.
"I can't- oh my gosh, I can't-" Tears built up in his sockets.
"Well, there's the Ink I know." Dream spoke flatly. Ink expelled a blast of red, orange, yellow, and violet flames and stared at the golden skeleton in mild confusion from his place on the floor.
"Seriously, are you done laughing?" "Yeah, sure. What-" CRUNCH.
Everyone looked at Error, who was eating the bowl.
<OmiGod Error no!!> Sinead squealed at the sight mentally. Ink goggled for a moment, then burst back into flaming hysterics. He rolled to the corner of the room, howling.
Blue and Dream had to frantically explain that you shouldn't eat the bowl, but Error clearly knew this already and ate it anyway.
Blueberry sighed, rubbing his face with one hand. Dream tried to take the rest of the bowl away, but Error smacked the hand away and continued munching on the dish.
<How can he eat that?!! Like, I get it. Spite. But how?!?!> Sinead questioned, recovering faster as she was just in Ink's mind. But Ink was still lying there, catching his breath.
No idea but it's hilarious.
<That much is true. I don't get why we're the only ones who find this funny..>
I dunno. Who cares?
He remembered the conversation they were originally having. Ink sat up. "Hey, about that Anti-Void fire."
Error glanced at Ink, crunching the last of the bowl. Ink grinned mischievously. "Does it taste good?"
"No."
Snirk.
"You're so weird, Error."
"You too, Squid."
"I deserved that."
Blue glanced between them, and added "He does this. I've lost many plates and napkins to Error's impossible diet."
Ink blew out fire from his 'nose'. "That's why you were always short on them?? Hahaha!!"
Error stood, raising a non-existent eyebrow. "After a while they all just dissolve when I ate them."
Ink grinned evilly. "Ink, don't." Blue pleaded. He pulled out Broomie and waved the brush end suggestively.
Error's sockets widened, and he froze.
He didn't even glitch.
"Uhh. Did I break him?"
The darker skeleton facepalmed. "Damnit, I was eating paint."
Ink snorted. "Yep. Gosh, I wish I could have been there!" Error rolled his eyelights. "Screw you, Ink."
Ink chuckled, and got to his feet. He walked over and helped Dream up. "Since everyone's standing, why don't we go?"
"I need a new bowl." Dream stated.
"Okay, whatever." He created a copy with a quick flourish and handed it over.
"Thank you, I will be right back." Dream snatched the other dishes and ran to the kitchen, coming right back after a moment. "Ready!"
Error glanced between everyone with a bit of fear, then blinked hard. "Okay, here goes nothing. Try to get it outta my Anti-Void."
He opened a glitchy portal to the endless white expanse. Ink instantly felt the pressure on the Soul and blanked. He lept through mindlessly.
He landed with an echoing thud and didn't hesitate to start moving. /Oh, it's him! Respect! Everyone, quiet down! It's the Creator!/
<Ink.. have you ever heard the voices before?>
No. I haven't even seen the Anti-Void, aside from through Error's portals.
<I want to hurt them, even if not all of them are bad. They either hurt Error or did nothing.>
Nice.
<You're quiet.>
Need it.
<Ink. Snap out of it.>
I need it.
<Okay, but stop falling to the instinct!>
I see it, I need it, I have to have it.
<For the love of God, you dumbass!>
It was right there, Ink was only a foot away. Suddenly, he was yanked back by a net of strings.
"No! Let me- guh- no!"
"Ink!!"
He blinked, realizing what had happened.
"Oh. Sorry, that happens."
"You were about to walk into fire!" Blue cried.
"Yeah, I know."
"Have you forgotten what happened last time?!??"
"Not at all. Still need to touch it, though."
"What?!?! No!" That one was Dream.
"You tryna test your endurance or something?" Error asked.
Ink sighed. "Trust me this time, okay guys?"
Glares from everyone.
"I'm serious about this."
Firefang erupted from his spot in Ink's scarf, landing and walking to the flames. Blue fidgeted in place. Error was blinking, glitching like he heard something he hated. Dream rubbed his hands fretfully.
"I don't think we should let you do this." Dream explained. Blue nodded quickly, but Error did nothing. Then..
"[)0 I+."
The others stared at the glitching skeleton in shock. Error nodded, anger in his eyelights.
"¥0u $4id ¥0u w€®€ g0iπg +0 [{ill £a+€ & $h€ $aid $h€'$ £i®€ iπ©a®a+€. I +hiπ[{ we b0+h [{π0w wh€®€ +hi$ i$ g0iπg."
Error gasped and held his skull as if in pain. "Ju$+ g€+ i+ d0π€ ¶ui¢[{|¥!!" He fell to his kneecaps in pain. Blue held him worriedly as Dream began demanding what was hurting him.
Ink reached out to Error, but felt the flames at his spine... Ink... come...
It was yet it wasn't Sinead's voice.
<Ink..> She sighed, and so did the flame.
What will the Shell do?
What will it do with the true Element?
So tired, are all the pieces.
You are completion... Spectrum.
What will you do when you find the Cold?
The Ice? The Counterpart?
What shall Spectrum do when they find Memory?
I am split in too many places...
I can't remember...
And I won't recall at all soon...
Ink held back this time.
Are you someone else..?
I am a broken piece.
You are the Shell...
She called you Spectrum..
Remember for me, will you?
<???>
Who's She?
....
The Mother. I don't remember much else. Find the rest of me. She said you can take it. I trust her. She created.. all..
Just for us godlings to piece into stories, good and bad...
Ever since the 1st Big Bang, we have been around...
ugh. I don't remember.
Take me.. Ink. Take all the pieces. Make me whole again. I want to remember.
Don't forget, Ink.
The flame stopped whispering.
Uhh, other Sinead?
Nothing.
<Just take it. I've been split before. Still am broken from last time, but this is fixable.>
But what it said..?
<Just give it time and more pieces. I'll remember. Currently I have no idea what the hell other part of me is saying, and I doubt I'll be able to put the memories into something coherent for a while, so just take it. I trust Mother.>
Who is Mother??
<I'll explain when I remember enough to know what the hell I'm saying.> She sighed.
<Don't you want to? Take it, I mean?>
Ink blinked a few times. Okay.
He stepped forward, reaching out. And breathing it in. The flames did not bring pain.
It felt.. weird. But it was warm. It was in his mouth, and had no taste. It tickled in his ribs, tingled in his spine, itched in his skull, and vibrated in his limbs.
Ink turned to glance at the others, and they were staring. He waved a flaming hand. But couldn't speak. He sat down on the floor of the Anti-Void.
Ink just did his best to suck in the access flames and hold it. He felt it inside his skull, in his marrow, fused into his bones. He stared at his arms, the tattoos glowing candle orange.
He took out the Soul, watching the fire dance along it's surface in flares. The Soul itself was pounding excitedly. Ink grinned. It was like the greatest rush of adrenaline, but calming too.
Addictive.
The heat radiated out from him, fading slowly..
Ink felt his sockets grow heavy. He blinked, only to find himself waking up in Blue's arms. He blushed immediately. "Uhh??"
"Oh!" Blueberry dumped Ink into a couch. "Ow! What the heck?!"
"You passed out for twenty minutes!!"
"You were holding me for 20 minutes?"
Blue flushed, then facepalmed.
"It took that long before anyone could touch you. You were too hot."
"Hey I appreciate the flirting, but I'm not interested."
Blue's eyelights died and he turned blue. "NO! Not that kind of hot!!" Ink burst out laughing. "Gimme some credit, that look on your face was priceless!!"
Blueberry growled and stomped his foot. "That was NOT funny!!" Ink giggled and snorted derisively.
Dream swung around the corner into the room. "Ink's okay?" Blue shot Ink a glare. "Ink is fine!" He stomped off.
Dream looked at Ink quizzically. "What'd you do?" "Made a joke."
The golden skeleton narrowed his eyelights. "What kind?"
"The best kind."
Ink stood and stretched. "Dang, that feels good!" He rolled his shoulders and spat fire. He eyed Dream. "Bet I have a buttload more power now."
"Do you have to brag?"
Ink gave him a look.
"Nevermind." Dream left.
"Just don't hurt yourself!"
"Got it!" Ink called back.
He stared at his arms again. They were still covered in black tattoos, swirling in fire patterns. Ink couldn't stop the smile that took over his face.
He was one step closer to his goals, after all. One step closer to taking back his colors. Fighting X-Gaster. Killing Fate to truly protect the Multiverse.
Ink was one step closer to all of this, but then there was what the other part of her, that flame, had told him.
When will things actually make sense?
<I have the feeling that won't be for a long time, Ink.>
.... I know.
<Now you're getting it.>