Serenity's Garden//Dsmp

Chapter Eight

Karl lost track of time long ago. Probably years ago. He didn't know if that was an exaggeration or not but of course, not like he would've known. He doesn't know how much time had passed. He doesn't know how many times he's had to repeat the same timelines over and over again. He doesn't know how many times he's had to watch his friends die. How many times he's had to be the reason his friends die. He can't remember the original timeline anymore. He can't remember when this all started. When this all started. His one goal was always to save humanity. To stop the inevitable. It's never good enough. He needs to save them all. Once upon a time, George trusted him with the forbidden magic to turn back time. The forbidden power to go back and rewrite history. The forbidden magic to change everything. The power to save them.

Save them.

Those are the only words that have been echoing in the back of his head. The only words that mattered. Nothing else mattered. He can't remember much. He'd rather forget. Maybe he is forgetting. But there are a few that plague him even in his sleep.

1.

The only good memories Karl can truly remember vividly was when he was a child. He remembers Sapnap. Quackity was with them as well. Dream and George too. He never wants to forget those memories so he keeps a journal with the most vivid descriptions. Sometimes he wonders if these memories are even worth protecting. If those memories are worth all of this trouble. Of course, they are. They have and they always will be.

He remembers laughter. He remembers laughing with them. He remembers when every day was just the five of them. Nothing else was important. He likes to think it was only ten years ago. As if he's never had to go through timeline after timeline. He and George were twelve. Dream and Quackity were eleven, and of course, the baby of the group (as they liked to call him), Sapnap, was ten. George was a noble. His family came of talented mages, wizards, and sorcerers. Dream's father was the head of the royal guard and was a trainee along with Sapnap. Quackity was an orphan along with Karl in a village in the capital.

He doesn't remember exactly how they all met. He's pretty sure they all lived near the same place. He didn't know how a person like George turned out to be his friend. Sometimes all he wanted to do was go back and just stay there. To ignore his duties, but he knew it would never be the same. He would create too many timelines where their doom is inevitable.

"Hey Dream didja hear?" George yelped, running up to their usual meeting place. It was such a beautiful park. His voice was so high, sometimes Karl could still hear it ring through his ears. God was it annoying. Oh how much he missed it. "My mom said that the Prince can already read and write perfectly! They're saying he's gonna be just like the King!" He added. Karl giggled, "George you have to stop believing everything the rumors say. Prince Ranboo is only six or seven!" he corrected, earning a huff from his friend, "I know what I heard!" He retorted. Dream snapped a twig from the branch of a tree he was perched onto, "Actually I'm pretty sure that's true! My dad was talking to the king the other day and I think he mentioned something about that."

These conversations were always so meaningless and trivial, but that's all life was to them. So ignorant and clueless. They were all so happy.

When Quackity turned fourteen, he decided to explore the entire world. He wanted to see what the world was like outside of Fremoor. It was hard for him. It pained him to leave his friends, but he promised to visit them and to never stop sending letters. But one day, he broke his promise. He had found different people. He had become involved in some type of organization. But he did promise to return one day.

A few years after Dream was assigned the head of the royal guard, Zariya had invited the King to the palace. Something about a peace treaty after centuries of war. But it had ended horribly. The King of Zariya accused his guests of theft; and just like that, instead of a peace treaty, total war was upon them. Dream had become demented after his father died. No one could recognize him. He was a completely different person. George and Sapnap strayed away from him. Karl tried his best to talk to him, he tried to figure out was had happened.