The Soulmate AU

The Moon's Tear - Nightmare's arrival

A few weeks, or maybe a month, have gone by. Whatever the time though, it far from appeased Nightmare of his anger. He still couldn't accept the fact his brother had wasted such time and energy on an AU, and made it so that anyone entering it would be bounded to a Soulmate.

Whatever motivated Dream for this, the King didn't understand his sibling's mind in the slightest. After all, he wasn't one to understand positivity.

That was what made him all the more furious. He was his opposite, negatively thinking the world to be but a waste since the very beginning. Even when he learned from Error this excuse of an AU indeed worked, he refused to believe. No one from his gang did. As Dust once well resumed after the reunion : They were the bad guys, the worsts of worsts. No one would want them. Despite it being said in a joking manner, it remained bitterly true.

Sadly, there came a stubborn part of him that felt appealed by the eventuality. An annoying small hope lingering too much for his liking.

This same feeling he wanted away so desperately only added another layer to the ever growing list of what unnerved him.

In an attempt to calm down the built up wrath, a tendril lashed out to the nearest object at his disposal. He didn't bother looking at what he destroyed. Since that cursed reunion, he took down too many objects of his home to count.

He was at a point where nothing could amuse nor truly calm him anymore.

Dust and Killer were gone forever, most likely to kill or prank without him knowing. Error gave a sign of life only once. Horror probably returned in his AU, though he never cared if he could... And Cross sometimes came to talk, but he expelled him everytime. In other words, it was only him and his rage, in his castle usually so beautiful, that had now become a prison of hatred.

He knew it wasn't good at all to remain here longer.

"Oh fuck it." The negative skeleton groaned, giving up. Spitefully ready to enter the reason of his wrath. "You won Dream. Don't hope you're happy."

Without further ado, he summoned a portal and quickly went in. 'Can't believe I'm doing this.' he groaned internally, convincing himself he just did out of pure boredom and not his stupid spike of hope within.

Luckily, he arrived at an extremely dark place, one cast by the shadows of narrowed streets. A signature of the over-built and crowded shady side of downtown, which somehow began appeasing his irritation a little. Darkness was perfect for him, along with negativity, and this area respectfully leaked out of both. Upon looking further, he easily understood the reasons behind this concentration of negative emotions : It was night time.

Groups of people, all drunk, strolled mindlessly here and there. While some seemed elated thanks to the bright side of alcohol, many obviously experienced nothing more than bad trips. One even in the middle of an anxiety attack, yet no one seemed to notice nor care.

Between these crowds of intoxicated humans and monsters, rare were sober. And among those who appeared to, white powder and syringes alone were enough to understand the opposite.

Depravity at its paroxysm.

Those people, for the most part simple citizens under daylight, were nothing but ghosts of themselves. Trying to forget their problems just for one night, without thinking much about what would await them in the morning... If they were to remain alive by that time. Despair was the fuel that pulled many to such acts, sometimes helped by heartbreak, or tiredness. Despite his persistent grudge, Nightmare allowed himself a sadistic smile as he drank in the negativity. Needless to say it felt good.

Without walking away from his spot in the darkness of a street, he became one with the shadows, lone eye casting a faint cyan hue. In a way turning him into a beast from horror movies, that same creature lurking and waiting for the perfect moment to strike, like any predator.

His time came when someone dared enter the alley and bumped into him.

"Hey asshole..." The man's slurred tone left no doubts of his high intoxication. An almost deadly cocktail of alcohol and drugs have made him oblivious to the danger he ran into. "F-Fuckin' watch y'steps next'ime... y'dont know who'm."

This man never had the chance to understand his mistake. A tendril had already found its way around his neck and thrown him against a wall, far from the safety of the main street, far from other people. Taken by surprise, something fell off the human's hand, bouncing down on the ground with a clear crystal sound. It was too late for him.

"You belive a weakling like you have the authority to tell me what I should do?" Nightmare laughed darkly, enjoying the slowly growing fear of this person, who now made no sound out of stupor.

As he was about to strangle him, a small light suddenly called for attention, focusing him on the object now laid onto the ground. It was nothing more than a single gem, shaped like a drop of water, seemingly supported by a simple silver chain.

In the darkness, it appeared glow a faint cyan blue, but in truth, this interesting piece of work was an amethyst.

Curiously, it reminded the King of himself. Though he didn't dwell much on it when the man groaned, confused yet ready to scream. Something Nightmare didn't wait to prevent him to.

With two of his tendrils, he locked the intoxicated man in the air by the throat, while he used another to take the pendant away from where it was. "Well. if that isn't unfortunate. For you of course." The King mocked. "First thinking you could command me around, then loose that stupid object of yours... I bet you wouldn't mind me keeping it, not that you have a say in the matter either way."

He never got to hear the man plead for his life, saying this object wasn't his to begin with, although he did took his time to squeeze the air out of this human's lungs. At first he only wanted to teach him a lesson, but impulsivity and dark thoughts compelled him to take it further, just for the sake of twisted amusement.

Then he let the lifeless body, the same way a child would abandon a toy once done playing with it.

For a moment, he'd forgotten of what made him mad, even found a certain pleasure in the torturing. So to speak, this little trip offered a revitalizing effect. For once, he didn't regret trying out this AU...

Until he looked back at the item he thought to have stolen as trophy.

Put under a brighter area, the gem was indeed purple, yet still held that blue glow. One he was awfully familiar with.

A sudden picture flashed by his mind, making him loose control over reality in a matter of seconds. He didn't saw the human's face that appeared before his eyesocket, only the necklace caught his attention. A choker, supporting carelessly a silver crescent moon with a little (e/c) round gem safely tucked inside. And his pendant underneath... Like a tear.

'The Moon's Tear.'

This name came out itself, right when he finally snapped back to the world. Realization didn't came that quickly however, shock cleared any thoughts, every negative emotion, anything, making him more hollow than Ink without his vials.

How long did he remain this way? He himself couldn't know and didn't count.

Then he finally understood what just happened.

'Soulmate...' He thought for a second, still baffled, slowly but surely grasping it now. '... Holy shit...'

For the first time, he didn't know how to react to that. Despite the knowledge he gained, both from his books and his past as the Guardian of the tree, nothing had truly prepared him enough to this situation. If most, he so negatively thought it wouldn't work, learning otherwise brought back this feeling of hope he'd desperately suppressed all along.

Since the very beginning, this whole work wasn't a waste. His brother never lied... Still, a part of him refused to believe at all cost.

As horrible as it was, his grudge was now numbed by the growing hope. And he began to regret then. It was too late now though, now that he was bounded to someone, his next task was to find that person.

With one, deep sigh, he resigned to his newfound fate, walking away in the shadows of the streets.

Never would he admit he was doing this out of hope.

The hope of a good ending.