God of Restoration

Chapter Four

Life has seen a great deal in her long existence. When the visitors had arrived, her aura had even told her there were four Monsters present. She had just assumed that she was mistaken. When Life sees the small soul lovingly cradled in Blue's arms, her experience explains nothing. Monster souls do not persist after death.

".......... That is the young Alloy's soul?" Life asks, unnerved, just to be sure.

"Yes. Alloy's soul is actually indestructible," Cross explains, "He should have come back by now, but it looks like he needs some help. We're trying to get into the Doodle Sphere to find another piece of him. Alloy and Ink are the only two who can get in, so we thought another god might be able to help."

"Oh, dear. That is a problem," Toriel gasps. Everyone knows about the delicate balance, and word is just starting to spread about Error 404's destruction. Alloy is the only one with the power to balance the AUs. "I'm afraid that I can not enter that plane, but fear not. The God of Magic may be able to help you. He's the only one that might have a clue as of how to enter."

"Really!? You think so! Where can we find him?" Dream spews excitedly.

Life chuckles softly before she starts to explain. The God of Magic lost his physical form in an accident many years ago. His consciousness and abilities were preserved in a very special mirror. Only a few gods know of his location, and Reaper trusts her with the information.

"Gaster's domain is special. You can not reach it without a God's assistance, including the shortcuts that my Sans is so fond of. I will be accompanying you. Know what I am perfectly capable of defending him and myself if your intentions are not as they seem." Flickers of flame dance around Life's fingers as she gives the skeletons a warning looks. All three nod their heads frantically, not wanting to face her anger.

When Life uses her magic to transport them, it appears as a large magic rune that grows out from underneath them. It's glows with a soft green light. All Reapertale gods have this ability, but it will not work outside the AU. Teleportation through AUs seems to manifest in Sanses after hitting a certain power level. Life has refused to leave her garden in the past, but those times are gone. The other gods know by now she prefers to left alone. Gaster and Reaper are the only few she trusts. Dream feels like his nonexistent stomach gets flipped inside out and back again when they teleport. As soon as the ground is beneath him again, he stumbles away from the group and throws up. Cross gags and manages to swallow while leaning on his knife. Life looks at Blue, expecting the same reaction, but the small Monster is unaffected. It's seems he has a stronger stomach than the other two.

Dream looks around the space in curiosity once he recovers. The strangest part is that this room appears to have no door. The only light source is a lit chandelier attached to the high ceiling. The architecture is ornate and extremely old looking. Besides the woven tapestries decorating the walls, the only piece of furniture is Gaster's Mirror. It's simple, but the frame is clearly made out of solid gold.

"This Au's Gaster is in there?" Blue asks, just to be certain. It seems like a very lonely existence.

"Yes. Gaster doesn't usually appreciate new faces, but I'm sure that he will at least hear your request," Life explains.

"Alright. Just wake up the man in the mirror. No problem. We're coming for you, Alloy." Dream then strides up the the mirror and and knocks confidently on the glassy surface. That confidence wains when the mirror hisses at him, Dream yelping and lurching back in surprise.

Life chuckles. "Gaster, don't be so rude. These three are simply requesting your assistance."

"......... outsiders......," a voice mumbles from the mirror, "They only being trouble."

"Come now, at least show yourself. Do you remember what Sans said about that new young one? Alloy?"

This must have peaked Gaster's interest. The mirror's reflection shimmers. The glassy surface seems to peel inwards until a slit runs down the middle. A thin Monster in a dark cloak peaks out to observe the group properly. He scans all the skeletons slowly on by on. His eyes stop on the bundle that Blue is carrying. A Monster soul that radiates an enormous amount of magic that Gaster has never found before. The rest of the mirror's reflective pieces peel and fall back, revealing a stary night background. Gaster, God of Magic, is fully revealed now. His elegant clothing and stern expression is quite intimidating.

"That, I assume, is a god's soul," Gaster leans forwards and rests one hand against the mirror's surface as he thinks, "A very, very old soul. Older than the Multiverse? What are you wanting me to do about it?"

"Alloy should've reformed his body by now. He's not suppose to be able to die. We need your help to get into the Doodle Sphere so we can find another piece of his soul, so hopefully he can come back," Dream explains, not being too prideful to whip out the puppy dog eyes.

Gaster doesn't pay that any heed. "And the Doodle Sphere can't be reached by a normal Sans," he hums in thought. That's a tricky one. Gaster doesn't even think Reaper would be able to force his way in, but all hope is not lost. Gaster is the God of Magic for a reason. Magic is a plaything to him. After all, Reaper and Grim are entirely made from it. All magic can be traced back to it's source. "Do you have anything with a strong tie to the realm?"

Dream exchanges a few worried glances with Cross and Blue. A strong tie to the Doodle Sphere? Hardly anything physical is from that place. The Doodle Sphere is merely a representation of the Multiverse. Any AU can be accessed from there, and the creation of one starts inside.

"Well, we could try Alloy's paintbrush," Cross suggests. No one is quite sure where Ink got Broomie. It's not magical in itself, but it helps Ink channel and control his raw magic. Alloy seems to used it the same way, but he's also less dependent with Error's strings.

Dream pulls the giant art utensil off of Blue's back so the other doesn't have to fear dropping the soul. The tips of the brush is dry with old paint. Right now, all it looks like is a hunk of wood. Dream realizes just how old it is when he gets it in his hands. Hundreds of battles are scratched into the wood. It holds a lot of history. Dream steps up to the mirror again so that Gaster can examine it. The God of Magic presses more of his body against the mirror. Dream would've snorted, but he doesn't want to see what kind of attacks Gaster can manifest outside the mirror.

"That oversized toothpick isn't from the Doodle Sphere. The residual magic is too weak. Try again," Gaster huffs. He can immediately tell that this brush is nothing without its owner. It doesn't amplify magic, but rather nullify it. The core is made out so something other than wood. The little lingering magic in it pulls to a place with too low of a magic presence to be the Doodle Sphere. All three skeletons are dismayed at this news. Broomie isn't from the Doodle Sphere? Where was it created?

"Have you tried to trace the soul, Gaster? It must be strong to persist after the body is gone," Life speaks up. If they're looking for a piece of a soul, shouldn't the other half lead to it.

"It couldn't do any harm, but this was once Error's soul. It could just trace back to the Anti Void," Cross sighs. He doesn't want to back to Nightmare with failure.

Gaster turns his gaze back to Blue's bundle. This time, he looks for a few short seconds before his eyes flare up to a deep violate color. This, he can work with. A large magic rune blossoms from underneath the mirror and spreads to capture the feet of the three skeletons. Gaster grumbles before he sends them on their way, no warning given.

"Gaster! You'll make them terribly sick with such sudden teleportation!" Life chides him.

"I don't care. I wanted them gone," Gaster grumbles, "And have you spoken to Reaper? Is he still visiting that glitching outcode?" The God of Magic, after all, is also a dad.