Reborn as Error

102 - Adjusted Trust

"I'll just ask right away Dream, what do you know about the Doodle-Sphere?" I asked as we entered the Anti-Void. I could've gone straight to the Doodle-Sphere but I wanted to see what he did and didn't know.

"It's where Ink resides at times. It's where the different aus are held," he answered.

"Ok, how many aus do you think he has in the Doodle-Sphere to monitor and watch over?"

"....maybe sixty, probably a hundred? Maybe more, maybe less. I know that there's variations of the same aus." I had to resist the urge to sigh. He really didn't know how much there was. 

"I am genuinely sorry about this. We are not friends. We are not allies, but I can see you trusted Ink." I said before leading Dream into the Doodle-Sphere. To say he was appalled would be the most accurate description I could give.

"What is all this?!" 

"It's exactly what you think it is. Listen I'm not going to sugarcoat it, I really want to destroy everything here however I know that doesn't fix anything. I believe my plan could benefit us both if you allow it to happen without issue." I said while looking at I paper that was close by. I could see Drwam was weary of my actions.

"....what's your plan?"

"To be blunt, destruction. But for a good reason. You can feel everything and you know it's too much. Too much of anything, even a good thing, is bad. If I get rid of most of these aus and leave a suitable handful then the multiverse doesn't collapse in on itself." I wandered forcing Dream to follow since he didn't want to lose sight of me. I just looked over the different aus wondering who else I should try to save.

"I don't like the idea of wiping out several innocent lives but if that's all you're going to do then why haven't you? You're here and you can just get rid of them." I paused and glanced back at him.

"I could, you're right. However, I want revenge." My body glitched a bit causing Dream to tense, he could feel my emotions weren't in a great place. I took a breath and calmed down before continuing. "Destroying the aus is a temporary solution since Ink will just have a blank canvas to mess up again. I'm never going to forgive this multiverse for what it did to me. I can't forgive Ink for what he's done." 

"What did he do? I know you guys are enemies and fight all the time but I don't know much else." I scoffed as I stopped near a bundle of papers tempted to just tear them immediately. But I held it together. 

"Don't tell me with all the fights you've participated in not once did you ask why. Well, besides him turning everyone against me for the sake of feeding his own greed, might be projecting a bit with that, and creating so many aus where others are suffering? Also him trying to destroy me constantly, surprising even me he's done more when I wasn't even around. He knows that he needs me to clear up space for him to make more. So... other than admit he's wrong and stopping he instead captured poor Aftertale Sans and tossed him into the Anti-Void to hopefully turn him into another me." A chuckled rumbled from my throat, unintentionally.

"I saved Geno and now he's helping me. Thank God he was found in time or else he could've became... someone else." I know very little of that other possibility besides that fact that I know it would be bad news for me.

"....I don't believe that he would do that... but I saw Geno with you in Outertale." Dream looked unsure. 

"I'm just telling the truth. You don't have to believe me. My goal is simple, break down Ink and fix this mess. Is it harsh? Maybe but I really truly do not care about him specifically. There needs to be a balance and right now the scales are leaning too much to one side."

"And what's stopping you from leaning it all the way to your side?" Dream asked which was fair.

".....I think you fail to realize how truly little I care about this multiverse but I'll be damned if I let it collapse because of one individual's negligence."

"What exactly do those in Outertale have to do with this?"

"Well surprise, I know how to do things. I don't need them to fight I just need allies to turn to. I can find specific aus through individuals. Those on my side would ultimately be safe. Of course just because they aren't on my side doesn't mean I'll destroy them. I don't have an ally in the main au or in Underswap but I'm not going to destroy them just for that. Whether you're against me or not, it doesn't matter. I have a lot of pent up aggression... don't be the first one I let that out on." 

It was a threat and he understood that. Usually in my multiverse I would never really think of fighting Dream or Nightmare. But these ones don't have my respect or acknowledgment, I will toss them around like a doll if I feel like it.

"Also having enough beings in one spot reacting greatly to seeing the world of space was the bait I needed to talk to you."

"What?!"

"Sorry, you're just too easy to lure and I knew you would at least listen........ I just left a whole group of individuals in an unfamiliar au." 

I opened a portal back to Outertale and we both went through. I spotted the group a distance away just fine and was relieved nothing happened while I was gone. I don't want responsibility over anything that could be avoided. 

"So what are you doing now?" Dream asked seeing I relaxed.

"I'm not sure yet but I know what I want to do..... eh not important right now. I know you have your doubts but I'm not stopping you from talking to them if you don't believe me. Just know if... when... we fight, I'm not holding back. Won't be convincing other wise." I said with a slight smirk as I walked back to the group. 

Dream didn't follow.

I returned to an interesting sight of Underfell Paps and Outertale Undyne having an arm wrestling match while Storyshift Chara egged them both on. The other were either talking or watching besides Geno. He looked up at me as I stood by him.

"Everything good?" 

"Yeah just... trying to think. Eventually Ink will know and sneaking around will be harder or not necessary. I'm not ready... I'm pretty sure I'll go ballistic on him and my sanity is already questionable as it is. I can say I'm fine but I could just be lying to myself." 

I missed Sci, Lust, Gradient, and the Nightmare group. Things were easily to deal with when they were around. I also missed Stretch since he did try to be that brother figure we needed. Fresh was the only thing here that was keeping me stable and that alone was a scary thought. 

Eventually, I sent everyone home to their aus. I needed to move on to the next thing or jump immediately to just destruction. I needed Undertale on my side and Underswap. How I wasn't sure yet. I didn't need fighters but it would be helpful. 

I'm pretty sure Fresh was up to something but I couldn't bother trying to pry information from him. He was a wildcard and I would just have to trust him. 

The next thing happened pretty fast. I was on my own walking through Dusttale, it was empty I didn't care. The atmosphere of Dusttale always felt heavy and it was hard to not accidentally step on someone's dust. My hood was up and my hands were in my pockets as I walked through the abandoned tomb of an au. 

I heard a sound the caused my instincts to act first, I leaned back as a knife whizzed past my face. I turned my head slightly seeing Killer.

"Rude." I muttered removing my hands from the pockets. I heard crunching in the snow and reached back with my strings while looking at Killer. I ensnared someone in my strings.

"Sloppy." I turned a bit seeing Horror was the one I caught and flung him to Killer. My stance widened and I spread my magic to the area around us before throwing my hand up summoning bones around us and behind the trees causing Dust to leap out of hiding and be trapped within a wall of bones with myself and the other two.

"Predictable. I didn't think I would see you three so soon..... I guess fate had other plans." I grinned fully prepared to do whatever I wanted to them. I looked at them and saw Dust tense up making me focus on him.

"Oh don't worry Dust, I'm not a ghost like your brother. I'm very much real. They can see me too. But if things go well maybe you will all be ghosts..... makes things easier for me."

I don't need them to be able to succeed in my mission.