CRYPTOMNESIA // Eret x Reader

Fourteen

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It was in the blink of an eye. Kid shouted for you, obviously angrily, but you were already through the portal. Eret held Tubbo tightly in their arms, Tommy shook slightly, and Bunz mewled at you from your arms. Charcoal barked angrily, then continued running through the hot world. You all chased him, knowing he had no clue as to where you were headed, but unwilling to try and take over the lead.

Kid's voice came from behind you yet again, now following through the portal. "Get back here!" They shouted, closer than you would've hoped. Charcoal began leading you into a Nether fortress, bringing you right into the clutches of the dangerous mobs.

You gasped, spotting a wither skeleton raise its sword and charge, noticing now how severely underprepared you were. Immediately, you did the first thing you could think of, and that was just screaming one particular person's name.

"ZALKHAIN!"

Nearly instantly, a purple mist appeared around yourself, Tommy, Eret, and Charcoal. It felt, for a moment, like your body was being ripped apart. You almost wanted to scream again, but the feeling quickly died, and you fell to your knees, now in the Aztalkian castle.

Bunz scrambled from your arms, meowing loudly and running forward. He scratched at a pair of black slacks, which you soon realized belonged to Zalkhain. You looked up at them, seeing their grey eyes widen and eyebrows furrow.

"How did you..." They gasp and drop down, yanking you to your knees by your arm. "How did you do that? How did you summon me? Why did I hear you, you were so far away!"

You groaned and slumped against them, shaking near violently. They sighed and held you in their arms, standing and taking you with them. "It probably felt like your insides were being ripped from your body, huh?" You nodded slowly and clung to them, still shaking. "Felt like that for my first time, too. All three of the others here have been through it before, each with a similar reaction... So... I guess I should've expected you to have that sorta reaction. Sorry."

You groaned again, but it was much less angered than the one prior. "I'll keep my interrogations for after all this, mkay?" They joked, smiling down at you. "Also, ah, don't call me 'Zalkhain', it feels weird. You can call me Zalk, alright?"

You nodded, staying silent, still. Zalkhain carried you to your room from there, and you fell asleep near the second they set you down.

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Again, more impossibly long-seeming time passes, and you wake up, completely swaddled in your comforter. You stretch your arms above your head, relishing in the feeling of tranquility that drowned the room. If only you could've stayed there in the silence forever, never having to listen to the world's headaches again...

No, that'd be too simple. You knew yourself too well, regardless of your bind wish. You always need at least a slight challenge.

"Having my entire home destroyed and a war break out and a weird person randomly appearing in my mind and now apparently being able to contact Zalkhain through my brain? Yeah, not the kinda challenge I wanted..." You mumbled between a yawn.

A quiet knock came at the door, and you whined softly, pushing the blankets off of yourself. You padded slowly to the door and creaked it open, staring out at the person there. Eret looked down at you, eyes slightly wide before they smiled softly down at you.

"Hi, Y/N," she whispers, smiling softly. You wave slightly and lean on the door frame, waiting for him to say something else. You weren't exactly prepared for conversation considering your organs still felt ripped in pieces. "Well, uh, are you feeling alright? You've been out for quite a while, you know.."

You nodded and yawned, clutching your stomach when the pain kicked in. Eret frantically grabbed your shoulders and held you tightly, eyes widened yet again. "Hey!" They called, obviously worried. You just fell into her arms, feeling hopeless.

"God, what am I gonna do?" You whispered, clutching tighter to Eret. He sighed and picked you up, carrying you back to your bed. "What am I meant to do, Eret?"

"I don't know, Y/N," they reply, wrapping her arms loosely around you on the bed, careful to stay clear of places that made you wince. "I know how long it takes to recover from the 'prospect' of Zalkhain's powers. Everyone here except for Fundy understands."

"Probably besides Rosemary, too." You pointed out, turning towards him and burying your face in their chest. "She probably doesn't have a clue what physical pain is."

"You're probably right about that!" Eret laughed quietly, obviously rolling her eyes (though you couldn't see it). You both settled into a comfortable silence, holding one another in your arms.

"You know, I really respect you risking your life to go out to save them." He said suddenly, voice cautious and quiet. "Not many people would do that."

You flushed slightly in embarrassment and brushed away the statement. "I— I really only did it for Charcoal, you know? He's my dog after all!"

"I know, but," they smiled slightly and shook her head, looking back at you. "If you'd only been doing it for your dog, you wouldn't have said what you did before we'd left. You wouldn't have even brought them with us! Wouldn't have gotten Bunz, either." He spoke quickly, but every word sank into you with a different level of intensity.

"Y/N, all of that makes me respect you. The fact that you knew you didn't have to do it, and still you did it anyway."

You were silent for a small while, just staring back at them, grateful for everything she said. "Thank you," you whispered, burying your face in his chest.

"'Course," Eret responded, slowly running their fingers through your hair, tugging knots away as gently as possible. "Hey, uh... would you like to leave with me?"

"What?" You asked, pulling away slightly with raised brows.

"Like— Like once all of this is done! Once we have everything settled and all that with whoever those people are and Zalk and Rose. After all of this is over with, would you like to come sailing with Sapnap and I?" They clarified, near a panic for the beginning of the statement.

You thought for a moment. You'd never been sailing before, and were even less sure that Eret had been, either. Plus, what would happen if you were to go, and something would happen to any of your friends? What if you'd get lost at sea? What if there was some sort of argument, and you were stuck there?

"Well, where would we go?" You asked softly, shoving all of your worries down. You shouldn't be worrying about any of that right now, so you didn't. You wouldn't.

Eret chuckled, the sound light in your ears. "Anywhere, everywhere... wherever you want, Y/N, we'll go there."

"Truly?"

"Of course, my dear."

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