Memories

Chapter 25: Revelation

A/n: :) enjoy the update

The guardian slept soundly in the timeless space that was his soul, his consciousness being like wisps of smoke or flames that quickly come and go. Glimpses of star-filled skies, of endless white space, of universes and universes that the other him traveled through and saw. It was little compared to what the other entity actually experienced, but it was more than the guardian knew the world ever was. He saw people that he would never meet yet already knew, he saw places that he would never step foot in yet could memorize the entire layout of said place, he saw libraries full of books, of unread stories, simply waiting to be shared to the world. Once, the guardian swore he saw a library that seemed truly reachable, yet the ocean of sleep pulled him under its cruel waves before he could break through the invisible barriers.

Fortunately, this would not be the last time he saw that particular library. Distantly, Passive wondered when his companion would visit again. Despite the pain and heavy guilt that he did not know the source of that came with the visits, it was the only time when sleep did not haunt him every second. The being could only sigh as he noticed a small ripple in the dark space surrounding him. Despite being tired of knowing he could never reach the outside, it was the only thing that broke the monotony of his prison. He watched as an image slowly faded into existence, a dark library with many, many books. He could see the candles that lit up the large space as well as a nearby desk with paper resting on it.

'The other me must be enjoying the books...' He thought, envy creeping into his mind. It had been many years since he had been able to read, after all. The books used to be the only place where he could be himself and happy, without the threat of pain and danger looming around the corner. Without it, Nightmare was more than a little upset. As he continued to watch the screen, an odd feeling of discomfort crept forward. Usually, when viewing the outside world, he would watch through the eyes of the other him. Not from another viewpoint, however, the screen had not moved even an inch for a couple of minutes already (it might be minutes, or maybe hours, time has no meaning in a space like this). This meant that the other him was either staring at a spot at a bookshelf, not blinking or moving for no reason, or there was something else at play.

The spirit reached out to tap the viewing monitor and recoiled when it reacted much like rubber or some kind of elastic glass. He frowned and pushed at it again. This wasn't normal, not at all. The screen was meant to have a solid barrier, not something that could be broken.

'Something that could be broken...' Nightmare's eyes widened. Could this possibly be a way out? The more pressure he applied to the elastic wall, the more it gave in. For a moment, the guardian stopped to think about what he was doing. What would happen if the other him noticed? What if this was just another mind game, despite the other promising to finally stop? Would this ember of hope be nothing but a self-made hallucination? One made from his own desperation of wanting to be free? Nightmare took a couple of deep breaths to gather his courage before finally deciding to at least try and leave. If he did not, he would be forced to live knowing that he had given up a potential opportunity. With a bit of force, he continued to push against the barrier. It seemed to be somewhat of a mix between rubber and glass as it soon started to crack under the force. Nightmare continued, refusing to give up and the cracks only grew larger. Finally, a loud shattering sound broke through the abyss, and Nightmare was quickly dragged through the viewing screen and into a sea of bookshelves.

"...I... I did it." He said, voice hollow with a hint of an echo. "I did it. I am free.... I-I am free!" Laughter bubbled up his throat and he made no effort to stop. Despite the very obvious oddity that were his transparent bones, he was happy. Nightmare looked around, after seeing no glimpse of the goopy form of the being that had taken over his true body, he did a small joyous jump. "T-There are so many books here! I could stay here for days reading-"