Wounds Heal, Scars Fade

Chapter 19: The Past Always Comes Back

A portal opens using red and yellow strings, a familiar face stepping through into the dark realm of the Void, his eyelights shifting in color and shape repeatedly, but all the colors are pastel, closer to white than color. The red and yellow strings are wrapped around his limbs, puppeting him around with care, compared to the treatment his dear friend endured by these same Deities' hands.

The subject known as Ink looks at the Deity the Void, the quiet stretching out between them as The Void looks through the omniverse.

"Seems your dear friend has departed from this world." Fate and Destiny's strings sag, but Ink seems happy to hear that Error can't be caught again. Fate, however, is persistent.

"Surely there is a location you know of where the Destroyer is?"

"I suppose I can take you to his last known location. For a price."

"Put it on my tab." Fate haughtily responds, Void slowly nodding and warping Ink and the two Deities to the anti-void of TimeVerse.

"Let the games begin!"

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Phantasm and Delusion gaze at each other, both knowing exactly what just happened.

Solar looks at Delusion, narrowing his gaze.

"What the heck happened?" Delusion shakes his head.

"I can't say yet. Sorry, Solar. For now, it seems benign." Solar looks over at Lunar, who is still discussing the plan for Deci, then back to Phantasm and Delusion.

"Update me if it ever becomes dangerous to Lunar." Delusion nods, while Phantasm moves over to Lunar, humming softly. TK stands off to the side, quietly looking down at the floor, deep in thought.

All the skeletons jump as the newest companion, Deci, walks into the room.

"Hi?" Lunar bounds over, gently taking Deci's hands in his own.

"So we've been talking, and we'll try to help you be desensitized to your phobias, so you react...less murdery in response." Deci sighs, nodding slowly.

"Where to begin?"

"What is the phobia you are least likely to blow up over?"

"Well...my Chromophobia isn't too severe, and if the 'new' changes are slowly implemented, my Neophobia won't act up too much." Lunar smiles.

"Mind if you and I talk in private? I have one other thing I need to do." Lunar leads Deci into another room, Hearts and Haven being the only ones dead silent as the others begin their battle plans based on the little information already present.

"Hearts?" Haven asks his good friend, the other skeleton's cheekbones being newly anointed with tear tracks.

"He's just a kid. Yet he's suffered through so much. How could anyone do those things to a child?!" Haven pulls his emotional friend into a hug, sighing softly.

"I don't know."

"Why aren't you crying, Haven?"

"Because tears won't help now. What will help is allowing him to heal." Hearts nods, slowly getting under control and smiling at Haven.

"Thank you so much."

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Lunar stands across from Deci, smiling. Deci shuffles his weight from foot-to-foot, slightly uncomfortable. He looks around, sighing softly when he sees several exits just in case.