The sweet lilac behind the cold cyan

Chapter 5

Since the day Cross and Dust came back with serious injuries Nightmare got pretty angry. Killer told him that the one who hurt them was named Ink and that he was the protector of the multiverse.
Apparently, Ink didn't like when they messed with the AUs to cause negativity. Nightmare could understand that but that wasn't a reason to hurt his friends like that, what if he hasn't been able to heal Dust and his HP dropped to zero? The thought always made the guardian shiver. Because of the threat that Ink represents Nightmare asked them to stop their missions. Perhaps if this Multiverse protector saw what damage the absence of negativity could do, he'll start using his brain.

So following Nightmare's orders, all of the gang stayed at the castle. Cross and Killer were reluctant at the beginning but they gave up when the guardian insisted. After all, what could a little break cost? They were safe here at the castle, and if things became more complicated with the balance, Nightmare would warn them.

Today had been a pretty good day, they all played video games and even if he could tell that they let him win, Nightmare was happy. He was finally with people that weren't judging him for being the guardian of negativity, it was good to not have to excuse himself for existing. The others were already asleep in their room while Nightmare was still reading in his own room.
It was getting late and the guardian could feel his eye starting to close while he was slowly falling asleep.

He was dreaming again, he could tell because he was home. His mother's embrace, his brother's presence near him, all the things he lost and was craving for. It felt so good to see them again.

"I missed you so much..." Wanted to say the guardian but like last time he wasn't able to use his body.

At least he was hugging his mother. He closed his eyes treasuring the moment. He still had both of them so that meant he wasn't all goopy yet! He still didn't know how he became like that, even Killer, who was the first to come to the castle, didn't know.

Soon some silhouettes appeared far away, it looked like a mob, an angry one. So it was that day uh? Too bad Nightmare really wanted to stay in his mother's embrace.
Soon enough and not really surprised, he felt his body moving to go toward the mob. His mother tried to keep him with her and he could hear the brustle of the leaves encouraging him to stay in the tree. But he didn't listen since he had to protect the tree. He should really had listen to her now that he thought about it.

The villagers were looking at him, angrier than ever. Shouting about how he corrupted Dream and that because of him he wouldn't give them apples anymore. It wasn't his fault or Dream's if they abused of the golden apples. He tried to tell them before but they never listened to him. He and Dream were the guardian of the Tree and its apples, they were precious things for the balance of the world, not painkillers that you could take to ease your pain.
Dream used to give some to the villagers to ease their pain when he was younger but even his kind-hearted brother knew that he couldn't keep going like that. Like he had trouble telling them Nightmare did it. It wasn't a big deal if the villagers became angrier toward him, they were already awful. Besides he didn't want anything to happen to Dream, his brother already had a lot of problems to deal with them, he didn't need Nightmare's problems.

"Hey, demon thing! What are you doing here again? Didn't we tell you to get out of our sight yet?" Viciously said one of the villagers.

Inwardly, Nightmare sighed, he couldn't avoid this situation but he wished that it could end faster. At least he wasn't hurting one of his friends like last time. He was always seeing Killer's tears when he closed his eyes.

"Go away! You can't have the apples. They need to stay on the tree it's not for your personal sake that they are here" Answered back the guardian.

He shared the anger that his past self was feeling, he really hated those villagers for what they did to him and to Dream. He was feeling bad for those feeling when he was a kid but with time this guilt faded away. And now that he had spent time with people that really loved him he knew that he hadn't to support these kinds of treatment.