My Friend Over the Phone

Chapter 46

  Ink's eye sockets shot open. He heaved, trying to get some air in his system, but he found that he couldn't breathe.

    Everything around him was black. He was falling, but there didn't appear to be any ground wherever he was going. At least he knew where he was. It wasn't wherever he was trapped before, no, there was no yellow thread chasing him and wrapping around him like it was before. There was nothing. This was the Void.

    He brought his knees up to his ribs, holding onto them in an attempt to stay in place. The Void chipped away at his bones, eating away at him. He was glad for his soullessness and his status as a God, or else the Void definitely would've taken him while he was unconscious. But with that in mind, little indents appearing in his bones as the blankness threatened to make him a part of it, really hurt.

    He tried to think back to what he last remembered. You were supposed to retrace your steps when you were lost, right? Although, that was probably meant for being physically lost instead of mentally.

    ...Error. Right. He remembered something about Error. They were somewhere that was similar to the Void, too, except there was ground, possibly? He vaguely remembers Error running towards him, which means there was probably ground, even though Ink didn't remember being able to stand himself. Why was Error running towards him, is what he was stuck on. Were they fighting again? No, that's not right. Error didn't attack him when he caught up to him. What were they doing, then?

    Ughh, he wished his memory wasn't so terrible. Why was he like this? He's the Protector of AU's, but yet he can't even protect himself. What a disgrace.

    All he knew is that, or at least he's pretty sure, that Error and himself are on good terms again and that he should probably get out of here to resolve things with him.

    Okay, getting out, getting out. He needs to find a way out of here. He reached for his neck, only for him to realize his scarf wasn't there, and he was still completely barebones. Well, that's embarrassing. He should create some new clothes for himself before he goes to talk with Error. Error said they needed to talk about a bad thing that happened. Wait, why were they resolving their problems with words instead of fighting like they usually do again? Diplomacy usually doesn't work for anyone in charge of looking over the Multiverse as Gods.

    No Ink, focus. On...

    Getting out of here. Right.

    He reached for his... no, his scarf is gone. He just figured that out. His only accurate source of memories is gone. Okay, okay, don't panic Ink, it's fine.he has to think back to the last time he was here. How did he get out of here then?

    Who was he kidding? He can barely remember how he even got here to begin with, how is he going to think that far back?

    He scratched his chipped skull. He should probably think faster, the nothingness eating away as his bones is really starting to get painful now. Uhhhhh... would teleporting work? He was already nowhere, he couldn't possibly get himself more lost than he is right now.

    He tries to teleport, and ends up landing on a ground of sorts. He looks around. He's still in the Void, but at least he's not falling anymore, he can discern which way is up or down now. He squints, seeing a small speck of white in the distance. Despite not moving, the speck seems to get closer, fast.

    The white oval that was now floating in front of him cracks on both sides reaching towards the middle, two eye sockets forming from each split. A mouth grows, smiling at him. Ink tilts his head, trying to remember if this happened the last time he was here. He was here before, right?

    "HELLO, CHILD," Gaster says. Wait, how does Ink know his name? "I DIDN'T THINK YOU'D BE BACK." So he was here before, good to know his memory wasn't failing him completely. Ink tried to respond, but nothing came out of his throat. Why did he feel so...

    "DID YOU FIND WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR OUT THERE?" Gaster asked. ____ didn't respond. Their phalanges didn't look solid anymore, they were see-through and his outlines were uneven, changing every time he blinked. "PERHAPS NOT, IF YOU CAME BACK HERE."

    ...so unfinished?

    ____ tried to tell the stranger, no, its was wonderful, I need to go back, but they couldn't even open their mouth. "YOU WERE ALWAYS SO SILENT, JUST LIKE HOW A CHILD OF THIS PLACE WOULD BE." A child of the Void? No, that can't be right. Didn't they belong to..."BUT IT SEEMS AS THOUGH YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY."

    Yes, there's so much I need to tell you, they tried to say. Their voice seemed to get lost in the Void's space. "THE MORE YOU STRAIN YOURSELF, THE HARDER IT WILL BE TO ENJOY THE SIMPLE THINGS. ENJOY WHAT YOU HAVE, CHILD, YOU DON'T BELONG HERE JUST YET."

    A rumble shook the Void. Gaster looked around, his smile softening when his gaze seemed to lock on something above them both. "STARS, I CAN'T SEEM TO REMEMBER WAHT YOUR NAME WAS," he said, looking back at ____. "THE ONE YOUR FRIENDS ALWAYS CALLED YOU IN THE MATERIAL MULTIVERSE. I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. BUT IN ANY CASE, THEY SEEM TO BE COMING FOR YOU NOW, SO I'LL BE SURE TO LEAVE YOU ALONE. US OUTLIERS CAN'T SCARE THE LIVING AWAY, NOW CAN WE?" Gaster chuckled. "I'LL BE HERE WHEN YOU GET BACK. DON'T FORGET TO STOP BY WHEN YOU DO." His face distorted and disappeared into the black ground beneath.

    "---!!!" Someone called. Who was that? What did they say? Whatever, it wasn't ____'s problem. "---!!! ----- --u are!! you're okay!!" Their voice was getting closer. It felt louder than anything in this silence. He didn't bother to look up. Every outlier was scary to look at, except for Gaster. Gaster was nice. They just wished that person would stop being so loud, it was getting on his nerves.

    But they supposed that it was better than everyone at home being so quiet. ____ remembered the way his ----- would just stare at him whenever he tried to talk to him. ------'s blank, soulless eyes whenever he'd try to tell her a joke. ------ was never as lively as she should've been. ____ was the only one who functioned as they should. Maybe that's why they decided they'd be better off if they didn't.

    That feeling that something is missing is (probably) normal. They feel that way all the time. Someone shook their shoulder, calling out.

    Were they really looking for them? Why? No one cared about them, isn't that why they were here? They were abandoned by their brother Blue and Dream. They wouldn't talk to him. They never cared.

    Wait, who was Blue and Dream?

    Who was he?

    "ink, talk to me, just look at me, please!!" Dream called.

    Ink. His name was Ink.

    Dream was standing next to him, the hand he laid on Ink's shoulder squeezing him tightly. Bandages covered his eye sockets and about half of his skull, as well as his forearms what he could see of his legs. Around his waist a rope was tied, the tail of it suspending up into the distant nothingness. Ink choked, trying to tell him that he was here but being unable to. He put his hand over Dream's instead. "oh, thank goodness! hang on to me tightly, okay? we're going to lift you out of here!" Ink did as Dream asked, and they flew towards wherever the rope came from, eventually reaching a bright place with lots of loud voices. They all blurred together to Ink.

    He last thing he saw was Error's relieved expression before he passed out.