Unrequited LOVE

•Chapter 21•

Ping.

...

Gaster knew. This was too good, really. He paced the house, SOUL thrumming impatiently.

...

Ping.

She was here.

***

There was something inherently wrong as soon as you step into the neutral-void. It's aura was stale, dried up.

And it made you very, very nervous.

"You feel it too?" Dream's voice startles you from your thoughts. The Guardian of Positivity fiddles with his phalanges, eyelights dimming slightly.

"Yeah," you confirm, peering around. Everything looks in place. "There's something wrong here."

"...WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL," Blue warns. "THERE COULD BE ANYTHING-"

Ping.

There it is again: the twinge. Your chest burns and you slap a hand over the area, startling the others.

No. Not this...

"-(Y/N)! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Blue rushes to your side. "ARE YOU HURT?!"

You don't respond, sucking in labored breaths as your ribcage heaves, magic humming in your ears.

[He's here]

After a few agonizing seconds, the burn subsides and you can breathe again. You croak out an: "I-I'm fine, B-Blue."

He looks skeptical, glancing back at the other two skeletons. "I Don't Think This Was A Good Idea. We Should Go Back-"

BOOM!

The ground beneath your feet shakes, like a earthquake. It isn't one, however, because earthquakes don't happen in the neutral-void.

"what the-"

Suddenly, a new voice rings through the space. Your head jerks up and you gasp.

Who the hell is that-

Standing a few meters away is a tall, spindly skeleton dressed in a creme turtleneck, black pants, and dark gray coat. His skull is riddled with cracks of varying size, giving him a terrifyingly-fractured appearance.

And then, he speaks. "I don't believe you will. Not with her, at least."

The way he says 'her' sends shivers down your spine. Your wings fluff up threateningly as you stand tall.

"what the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Ink's voice cuts through the air like a knife. He weaves forward to stand in front of you, Dream, and Blue. "answer me!"

The skeleton merely chuckles. "Oh, how cute - playing hero, are we?"

"i said answer me!" You watch apprehensively as Ink produces the glowing red bottle from its confines. His broom materializes in his hand, dripping with magic. "who are you?!"

A disturbing sneer mars the skeleton's face. He stares straight at you. "Just a simple scientist. Unfortunately, you have my experiment."

You gulp, sorely intimidated by this guy. Ink opens his mouth once more, ready to fire back, but gets interrupted by a wave of pure, raw magic erupting from the skeleton.

BOOM!

In a moment of pure instinct, you spread your wings to shield Dream and Blue, panting lightly as the aggressive magic knocks the breath from your lungs.

...It burns.

It's him.

"It's you!"

The skeleton pauses. "How could you-"

"You're the one messing with my SOUL!" you accuse, anger swirling beneath your skin. "It's you!"

Blue stares at you, shocked. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN-"

"So you feel it, too..." the skeleton trails off. "Interesting..."

Without warning, he shoots forward faster than you can blink. Ink shouts in surprise, brandishing his brush.

Oh, no you don't-

You raise a hand, eyes glimmering with magic. A green and red barrier formed between Ink and the attacking skeleton, halting his assault.

"I was right; you did create that barrier."

...You had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

The skeleton places a hand on the glowing surface, flinching when it burns brighter.

"No matter."

BANG!

He slams his fist over the barrier and it cracks.

BANG!

Another hit later, half the surface is covered with small, spiderwebbing cracks. You grit your teeth, pouring more magic into the barrier.

Blue touches your shoulder, a bone materializing in his gloved hand. "We Need To Get Out Of Here-"

CRACK!

The barrier shatters. Ink yells loudly.

Something latches on to your wing.

Oh shit.

***

'Oh shit' is right... Vote if you like this chapter! :)