Serendipity (Karlnapity Fantasy AU)

Chapter 33

The huge figure reared up in front of Karl, who sat on the floor, still surrounded by blackness. With an uncertain look, he examined the huge creature above him. He was pretty sure that this was DreamXD. He recognized him from the previous timelines. 

The previous times he had been able to escape him, but not this time, because every time Karl summoned his power in his body, it was unavailable.

"What, is your magic fading?" sneered the god before him. He was clearly amused to have Karl in his control. It didn't surprise Karl that DreamXD could remember him and also that Dream, his supposed son also knew about Karl's abilities. 

The only thing that bothered him was that the god was holding him captive because he was planning something. Slowly, Karl slid a little further back. He was uncomfortable with the way the figure lurked above him and held him under its spell. In the blackness that seemed infinitely far and infinitely large, Karl could move since DreamXD had appeared.

"Where are we?", Karl did not answer the god's previous question, merely looked around, desperately searching for some semblance of light that did not come from the god's great halos.

"Between life and death. Call it Limbo if you want," the god replied. When he spoke like that, no semblance of emotion could be heard. He seemed almost bored with the question.

"What are you going to do with me, XD?" Karl asked, sitting down on the floor in a slightly more comfortable sitting position. He suspected it was because of the limbo, but amidst the blackness, his pain was gone and he felt uncomfortably calmer than he probably should.

"Do you realize all you've done, boy?", Karl noticed how the god's voice grew louder with each word, "Long ago when the other ancients were still there, your kind was given this power by aether. She gave you the gift to rule over space and time, but forgot that no mortal should ever have such power."

"Why not?" shot back Karl, but the Ancient did not react to the boy's provocations. 

"You mortals have flaws that make you essentially different from us and that condemn you to failure. With this power, you could have made yourself a god of a new world, but instead, you use it obsessively to save two mortals whose fate is unstoppable. You'd rather choose lower beings than become something that puts all those fools under your shadow?"

As if lightning struck the darkness, it instantly became so bright that Karl jumped back in shock. DreamXD had swung his arm out, his robe flapping through the air from the movement, creating a see-through. It wasn't one of Karl's portals, but more like a window.

"Look what you've done!" DreamXD screamed at him.

All his friends were out there, spread out over the great field. All across the landscape, the merciless fire of Sapnap ate away at the blood-red meadows.

He saw the injured Quackity struggle through the crowd of fighting men to reach Sam. He saw George and Dream shouting their last words to each other outside the ship because they would not make it in time. Any moment now, the huge construct would explode around them, and almost as he predicted it to the second, everything around them became light. Although he knew they couldn't hear him, Karl couldn't suppress his cry for them. His view of the landscape was obscured by huge clouds of fire and smoke, while huge pieces of metal shot through the air.

Then the window blurred before his eyes and the surroundings went black again. The silence that now followed, as Karl clung to his own body and the ancient fell silent across from him, was almost comforting. The world shifter fervently hoped that what he had just seen was not real. 

"You're crying.", DreamXD stated in an icy voice, after some time.

"No.", Karl defended himself, not noticing how a few tears flowed down his cheeks.