King's Heir (A Dadmare fic)

8

Two steps into the portal and all Nightmare saw was blood. It splattered the AU's now nonexistent ground, but this was also no longer the AU he had been headed too, this was the Antivoid. The endless white plane that made Ink himself uncomfortable, Nightmare felt pity for whoever got trapped in such an area, as the likelihood was that they would die in a matter of days or weeks.

The smell of blood hit Nightmare like a truck, pounding into his senses with unbroken pride. The god let out a growl, looking away from the sight as his tendrils curled around himself in an attempt to make him relax. He shooed them away. Instead, he followed the trail for red liquid to a rather... an interesting sight.

Children fighting with weapons... one holding a knife and the other with a sharpened bone. They were holding their weapons to each other's throat, neither of them moved and they looked almost ready to pass out and that's when the king noticed. An alarming amount of blood was leaking from the child with the bone, they looked about ready to crumble to the ground.

Nightmare felt his soul squeeze and he sent out his tendrils, snagging the skeleton with the knife a smidge roughly but being sure to treat the injured one with care. Both somehow passed out in his hold, but Nightmare was more worried about their injuries. He pulled the kids into his arms and when the blood began to stain his hoodie he frowned, sitting onto the ground and placing the two sleeping children in his lap. He was so focused on the injured one he didn't notice the other open their eyes.

Slowly, the king let his hands up with warm magic, the light cyan magic tending to the youngling's wound. Healing magic was rough and it was already seeming to take a toll, the god's tar like cover beginning to melt off like candle wax. While he worked on the injured one, the other looked around though it was hard to tell due the lack of eyelights.

When the child finally laid his eyes on the god he nearly jumped up, the king spared him a glance. "You're already awake..."

They nodded, "Y..Yeah."

"What's your names?"

"What?"

"Your names," Nightmare spoke gently, "what are they?"

The child curled up a bit, "I'm Killer... that's Dust." He pointed to the young skeleton Nightmare was healing. Nightmare nodded, the last bit of goop finally slipping off his skull to reveal the white pristine underneath. Killer stared at Nightmare, eyes widening as he looked at the giant hole in the king's skull that covered the right part. "You're hurt..."

Nightmare scoffed, chuckling a tad. "I'll be fine, I'm more worried about your brother here."

"Not my brother." Killer mumbled, Nightmare smiled.

"What happened?" The god spoke easily, not minding the stares the younger gave to his half skull.

Killer paused to find the words, "Alter... mommy... mommy died. Dust said it was my fault for not helping him. We got in a fight..."

Nightmare frowned, so these boys had been adopted by Alter then... and they'd just lost him not too long ago. Then they fought and one came close to death.

"Is Dusty going to be okay?"

Nightmare chuckled, "He'll be fine, he's almost healed."

Killer looked at the king, "Are you going to be okay?" Nightmare paused, finally getting a good look at Killer. He took in the sight of lightless sockets, that inverted heart soul, and the black liquid seeping from his sockets. And he smiled.

"I'm just fine Killer, I just overused my magic so my corruption can't stick to me." Nightmare smiled, allowing his magic to finally rest. He carefully lifted Dust and Killer back into his arms, Killer lightly clinging to his soon to be brother.