𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐃𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐘

Chapter Twenty-One: Whelve

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whel·​ve |  /ˈ(h)welv/

(v.) to bury something deep; to hide

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A thin, misty fog swirled around me as I opened my eyes, taking in my surroundings nervously. I was standing in the hall of a great mansion, whose ceiling stretched like a dark sky, chandeliers sparkling like stars above me. My footsteps echoed across the marble floor as I walked through the mist, soon coming to realize that this was a dream.

No ghostly trains came to pick me up, however. There was no sign of Ballora.

The fog began to abate, growing thinner as I walked, and I was able to see my surroundings more easily. The more I observed the mansion, the more I realized how decrypt it looked, like a battle had taken place within. Streaks of blood stained the marble floor, and limp, lifeless bodies lay strewn around on the ground, shielded with mist so I could not recognize them. A chain with shackles was hanging from the top of the great ceiling, looking quite out of place in the once-grand mansion.

"Where am I?" I asked. My voice echoed throughout the building, seeming to mock me as it faded away.

A sound came from behind me, a ghostly sound like the whistle of a nightmarish freight train. I turned to face where it had come from, and saw a beam of light shining within the fog. It increased in refulgence over time, enough so that I had to shield my eyes after a moment. The light then took the form of a person- a faceless angel. Great, wing-like masses extended on either side of its body, and it held something in one of its arms. It appeared to be a book of some sort, a book whose title I was unable to read.

"You are in the future," it said.

That voice... I could've sworn I had heard it before, but things like logic and memory didn't work right in the dream world. I knew that by now.

"I've seen you in dreams before," I mumbled. "You were the one who asked for tickets during that dream I had on the train."

The stranger inclined its head, but said nothing.

"What do you mean, I'm in the future?" I asked it.

"Precisely that; this is the future, if you so will it," it told me.

"Why are all these people dead? And where am I?" I glanced around nervously. "Are these my friends or Quackity's people?"

The stranger took a step forward, and only now did I notice a pen in its hand, floating over the pages of its book unceasingly. "You are a person of unquestionable moral, Wonder. You think with your heart, rather than with your head. This can lead to your demise or your triumph if utilized correctly."

"The hell does that mean?" I asked, yet received no response. "I've got so many questions... what are you writing? Where is this place? Who even are you?"

"Who I am is none of your concern," the stranger told me. "Heed my words, and you will succeed.

"Now wake up,

"Wake up,

"Wonder, wake up!"

The voice changed, as did my surroundings. No mist, no mansion, no angel - except for the one whose face was inches away from mine.

"Ballora?!" I yelped, instantly awake. "The fuck-"

I suddenly became aware of the terror painted on her face, and realized. "Oh, shit..."

"Quackity's here," she told me, her voice trembling ever so slightly. I shot up from the couch, letting out another shot as my knees stiffened. I limped over to the window, nearly tripping as my joints failed me, and looked out. Sure enough, I saw the familiar beanie atop the head of my arch-enemy as he and two others entered my apartment building.

"Shit... oh, shit!" I shrieked. "How did they find us?! You- You need to hide, Ballora! Get in the closet, quick!"

"Wonder, no!" Ballora exclaimed, quickly shaking her head. "I'm not going to leave you with him!"

I placed my hands on Ballora's shoulders. "Listen to me; if Quackity finds you, he's going to take you back to his team, and he's going to hurt you when he finds out that we've been together. You need to hide, now. I promise that I'll be fine, and I will do everything I can to keep us safe, now go!"

I shoved her towards the closet, but she still refused.

"Wonder-"

"I'll be fine! I'll protect us, now please!" I begged. "Quackity won't hurt me, I promise, now get in the closet!"

I practically shoved her into the closet and slammed it shut, and not a moment too soon. The door to my apartment was blasted off its hinges, and Quackity and Comet stormed in.

"The jig is up, Wonder!" the former declared. "Hand over Ballora, now!"

I spun to face them. "It's nice to see you too, Quackity," I said sarcastically, approaching them. "Tell me, how's your casino been?"

Comet dramatically gasped at the severity of my taunt. Quackity looked unfazed.

"You've used that on me before, it's not going to work," he snapped.

"Oh, yeah, I remember," I nodded. "Just felt like saying it again. Anyways, how'd you find me?"

"That not important, Wonder," Quackity told me. "But I'll tell you anyway. We received information from a tipper that you lived in an apartment building run by a man named Sans. After we put out the warrant for her arrest-"

"That was you!" I exclaimed. "Goddamnit, you nearly had me killed!"

"That would've been nice," Quackity said. "Anyway, after we put out the warrant, some Tumblr sexymen saw you with Ballora, so we knew you had to be together. Then when Sans was admitted into the hospital, we knew just where to find you."

"That's actually kinda smart, for someone like you," I said. Quackity looked mildly offended. "Can I ask who the tipper was so I can beat the shit out of them?"

Quackity chuckled softly. "I was hoping you would ask. Are you sure you want to know? She's here with us, if you want to see."

"Oh yeah, there were three of you," I realized. "Yeah! Bring her on in! I wanna see who this is!"

Quackity looked over at Comet, and the two separated to reveal the third figure standing in the doorframe. My initial anger and excitement quickly faded to utter horror as I realize that I had been betrayed, and I took a step back.

"No..." I breathed as I stared at a person I knew very well, a person I had once considered to be a friend.