When the Stars Die

Chapter 14

(Ngl I kinda struggled with ideas for this chapter. I don't really know what to do with the book, but I don't wanna just rush to Lux and Nightmare or anything like that. So this chapter is probably gonna be really shoddy.)

Dream had never been in such a damaged condition before.

He'd never been in the medical bay of Nightmare's castle, either. He had to admit that it wasn't as bad as he would've thought it to be. He wasn't expecting it to be dirty or like something out of a horror movie, but he wasn't expecting to be so.... comfortable? The bed didn't feel like a slab of stone and the pillow actually felt like a pillow. It reminded him of the bed he'd been staying in a while ago. He was seething with jealousy about how comfortable the beds were here.

His bones were aching, more than they usually did. He didn't know if it was because of his condition or because of the comfort of the bed. He... hadn't really slept in a proper bed for a long time. Even in the Omega Timeline, most of the time he slept on a stiff mattress. The Omega Timeline was a developing society and whatever they could bring was scarce and sometimes in poor condition. It was the best they could do and he couldn't be prouder of the survivors and CORE!Frisk.

"Mama... are you hurt?" Lux asked, nuzzling into Dream's hand. "Why do you have band-aids?"

"I'm fine, Lux. There's nothing to worry about," Dream reassured her with a smile. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I feel fine...." She replied.

Dream cupped his hands together, letting the little ball of light settle in his palms. He used his thumb to caress her cheek. He let his eyes wander over to the other side of the medical bay. Life had been working on healing the two of them for hours, asking Dream questions whenever she could. Due to Ink's more severe condition, she built a little partition for privacy. He'd been the first one to be told about Ink's coma.

Dream didn't understand it. At least not entirely. Why would Ink jump in front of him to try and shield him from the attack? He was thankful for it, of course, because if he hadn't done so then both he and Lux would be dead. But.... why would he do that? Did he really have that faith in his near inability to die? Reaper had told them all countless times again that, while it was harder for them to die, it was never impossible. Even the ones who seemed to be immune to death.

Life had died before. She was only here now because the balance of the Multiverse had brought her back. But she'd still died. It had taken some time for her to recover from the shock of it, and the feeling of emptiness and the darkness. Dream couldn't even begin to imagine what that felt like. He hoped that he would never experience that, at least until he was ready. Hopefully these injuries would heal up soon. The sooner he was back on his feet, the better.

His head turned as he heard the doors opening. Life walked into the medical bay, pushing a little cart that had some food on it, and closed the door behind her. They made eye contact with each other and she offered him a kind smile. She soon noticed the little ball of flaming energy in his hands and, for a moment, her eyes took on a glimpse of concern. Ah... that was right. No one really knew about Lux.

"Dream, what is that?" She asked him, her concern showing through her tone. "If it's your magic, you shouldn't be playing with it. Not while you're in this condition."

"Life.... I..... I need you to promise me something." Dream looked her in the eyes. Life paused for a moment, observing him, and nodded. "You have to promise me that you'll keep this a secret... at least until I'm ready to tell others."

"..... I'll do the best I can," she sighed. "What is it you want to tell me?"

Dream shifted on the bed. He extended his arms to hold out the little ball of light, letting the Goddess see her better. Lux turned around in his palms, looking up at the woman with wonder and curiosity. Because of her need to be protected and kept a secret, Lux had never seen much of the others. The only people she'd seen before, other than himself and Cross, were Ink, Blue, and CORE!Frisk. Life blinked in surprise as she stared down at Lux.

"This is Lux. She's.... my daughter," Dream said. "Cross's daughter as well."

".... Do any of them know?" She asked.

"Ink, Blue, and CORE!Frisk. Other than myself and Cross, they're the only ones who know," he replied. "I... I don't know how to tell the others. I'm especially worried about how Nighty will react..."

"I see.... being a parent is no easy deed. Especially when you're protecting something vital to the flow of something as large and unpredictable as the Multiverse." She gave Lux a gentle poke on the cheek. "Are you afraid that Nightmare will harm either of you?"

"He's been trying to kill for years now, Life. Of course I'm afraid of that." He leaned back into the pillow. "Lux.... she's only a baby. Being only a ball of energy, she's an easy target."

"Well, for what it's worth, I don't think Nightmare would hurt you for this," she offered. "When I arrived with Reaper, he was right by your beside, you know."

"... He was?" Dream asked, taken back by surprise.

Life nodded. "It took Killer, Crescent, and Bete Noire combined to drag him out. When I told everyone about you waking up, he brightened up so much.... he really does care for you, Dream."

"I'm worried about Cross too. Nighty already isn't very fond of him..." He sighed. "I don't want him getting hurt by him."

"Cross can defend himself. He was trained under the Royal Guard, remember?" She reminded him. "Though... Nightmare is LV 99....."

Dream nodded. "Mhm. Think like a video game-- a level 99 character against, hm, a level 20 character. Cross isn't LV 20, but that's theoretically the highest known LV... to certain AUs? Er..."

"..... You mean to say that Cross has no chance in an actual fight against Nightmare because his LV is always increasing, and it was last known at LV 99?" Life guessed.

"Yeah. Cross isn't weak, but Nightmare can easily best him in a fight." He nodded once more. "... He could easily best me in a fight."

Life reached over to the cart she'd brought in, pouring a cup of green tea. She offered it to Dream, who looked at it with a dumbfounded look. Lux looked at it curiously, almost like she wanted to try it. Life didn't entirely know how energy beings like the Dreamtale Twins worked. Dream took the cup of tea from her and thanked her quietly.

"What does the little one like to eat?" She asked. "Does she eat at all?"

"Well... we don't really need to eat," Dream responded. "But she does like jam."

"Ah, I see." She smiled. "I need to do some more examinations of your injuries, Dream. Is that alright?"

"Of course." He nodded. "Um.... hey, Life? Could I... ask you for a favor?"

"Sure, Dream. What is it?"

"I need you to...."