Fading Ink

Chapter 26

The white void pressed in around him, and for the first time, the white seemed too suffocating.

He was trying so hard to keep his emotions under control, but sometimes, he couldn't help but sit down and cry.

He hadn't bothered to go see Blueberry since everything had returned.

He clutched tighter at the small puppet that lay in his hand. Tears fell, staining the magical fabric, and he tried to turn his head away, but he couldn't, he didn't want to, he wanted to keep Ink's face in his memory for as long as he could.

He knew he'd forget.

Someday, he'd crash again, and he'd lose the memories he had of the artist.

Just like that, Ink never would have existed.

And Error didn't want to forget, he wanted so badly to see Ink again, to rest his hands over the artist's, to talk to him and hear his voice again.

Ink was dead, wasn't he?

"this isn't thE End, yOu rainbOw asshOlE. i'll find a way."

But hadn't he made a promise?

A promise to the artist, dying, and so ready to become something more, and if only he weren't gone.

"what havE yOu dOnE tO mE?" Error sobbed, wiping the never ending tears from his eyes. "hOw cOuld yOu makE mE fEEl?"

Error hugged the doll to his heaving chest, cool tears rushing down his flushed face.

"hOw cOuld yOu..."

Once again, the color white started to press in around him, and he sobbed, trying to at least gather his thoughts enough to leave this suffocating place.

Standing shakily, Error opened a portal, not even caring where he went, he just wanted to be away from here.

Away and alone.

~~~~

"what havE yOu dOnE tO mE?"

Ink jumped, stopping in the snow of Underswap.

That was strange.

Where did that voice come from?

Frowning in confusion, he continued walking, only to stop once again and whirl around.

"hOw cOuld yOu makE mE fEEl?"

He was tempted to call out, but he kept his voice to himself.

Wherever this voice was coming from, it had to be in his head. There was no echo in the surrounding forest, after all.

He could only wonder who the voice belonged to.

"hOw cOuld yOu..." The voice broke off with a sob, and Ink really wanted to find whoever this was and assure them that it would be okay.

Well, he felt stupid doing it, but...

"are you okay?" He tried pushing a thought at the voice. Maybe it would respond.

It didn't.

Ink sighed, continuing his walk to Blue's house.

It was funny though.

He felt like he should have recognized that voice.

Coming into Snowdin, he was greeted with strange looks. It was disconcerting, but he shrugged it off and went straight to Blue's house.

He hesitated before knocking though.

What was he forgetting?

It bit insistently at the back of his conscious, but he couldn't remember, there was too much that had never happened.

Pushing it away, Ink knocked on the door.

The one who answered though, was not who he was expecting.

A blackened, orange, purple, and blue themed skeleton opened the door, his eyes widening when they set on him.

"i-ink? is that REaLLY YoU?"