I want your soul [ Errorink / Errink ]

Chapter 57

Chapter 57
Journeys Through Timelines

Writer's POV:
Ink observed the drenched skeleton, who was wringing the water out of his clothes, and couldn't help but chuckle.

After a moment, Error sighed and glanced at the skeleton in front of him. "This wasn't it," he remarked, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Ink nodded in agreement. "Right... Well, I guess we'll head to the next one," he suggested, pointing towards another island further away.

As they made their way towards the boat, Error kept his gaze fixed on the shorter skeleton, causing Ink to become confused. "Is... something the matter, Ru?" Ink asked, furrowing his brows in concern. He received a simple head shake and a sad smile in response.

"Nothing's wrong, don't mind me," Error reassured, though he couldn't shake the thought of asking Ink about his past. He had promised himself to inquire about it, but he wasn't sure if the other would be comfortable discussing it.

As they reached their boat, Ink wasted no time in pushing it into the water, and together with Error, they hopped on. Ink summoned his giant paintbrush once more and began paddling towards the next island. However, as he paddled, he couldn't shake the worry gnawing at him, especially as he kept stealing glances at Error.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Ink finally voiced his concern, hoping to ease whatever was troubling the other.

Error responded with a noncommittal "mhm," his gaze fixed on the distant islands as he sat on the boat's floor, his hand supporting his head. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed and rested his hand on his thigh.

"I, uh..." he started, his voice hesitant at first but gradually gaining resolve. "I went back to the past and saw you as a kid..." His words trailed off as he glanced at Ink, who now stared back at him with widened, white pupils. Error shivered slightly from discomfort under the weight of Ink's intense gaze, which wasn't threatening but rather blank and expressionless.

Snapping out of his trance, Ink's pupils returned to their normal colour and shape. He looked down at the floor, his paddling slowing to a stop. "Oh,"  he voiced out softly. Then, he sighed heavily and turned around, avoiding the prince's gaze. ".. that's... something," he muttered, unable to meet Error's eyes.

The prince, feeling bad for mentioning that he saw his past self, apologized sincerely. "Ink.. I'm..sorry. I know you dislike talking about your past-"

The wizard turned to look at him again, this time with a small smile. "I-It's not like I hate talking about it..." he admitted, his voice tinged with vulnerability. Pausing as if he were carefully choosing his next words, he sighed and resumed paddling. "I just... can't really remember how I was back then..." His tone held a mixture of frustration and sadness as he grappled with the gaps in his memory from his past.

"You can't?" Error raised a bone brow. He was somewhat glad that Ink couldn't remember his past, because he wished for him to live happily now than look back at his miserable state when he was a kid, but also guilty. Perhaps it was a mental blockage, not allowing him to recall any hurtful events.

"Mhm.." Ink confirmed quietly, paddling in silence for a brief moment before inquiring about his past, "How... was I back then?"

The prince's shoulders stiffened at the question, indicating to Ink that it might not have been a pleasant memory. However, he quickly relaxed and attempted to lighten the mood with some playful banter. "You were adorable. A foot shorter than you are now, barely reaching my torso," he remarked, lifting his hand to roughly measure the height of the other's younger self.