Given An Unwanted Second Chance

Chapter 9

"Eclipse??  Eclipse, breathe, just breathe.  You're okay; no one is hurting you."  A voice broke through the darkness of panic I was having and my vision properly returned.  I could barely breathe, though...was someone angry?

No...I was just hyperventilating.

I was shaking terribly, my vision blurry with tears.  I was on my side on something a little soft.  Right...the couch in Horror's house.

"Just breathe, Eclipse.  You're okay.  You're okay."

I could barely tell which skeleton was in front of me trying to calm me, but from the lack of colors, I had to assume it was Cross.

My breathing slowed ever so slightly, but I was still hyperventilating.

The dream...or memory...I had...the pain from the slashes was still fresh on my mind.  And I knew I wasn't hurt, but there were phantom pains on my legs and arms.  They hurt, they stung, make it stop, no more pain---

Someone grabbed my hands (probably Cross considering he was the one nearest).  "Hey, hey, don't do that.  You're okay, it was just a nightmare."

I squeezed my eye shut.  "M-m-memor-ory..."  I whispered, my voice weak.

"The subconscious is more accessible in a sleeping state...whatever door was stopping her from remembering clearly opened to some degree."  Another voice spoke.  Dust, I think.

"We get it, you're a nerd, Dust.  Eclipse, snap out of it.  You're fine."

"Killer, she's...traumatized.  Be nicer, would...you?"

A scoff, but nothing more was said from the other voices.

It took me a few minutes, but my heart...soul?...stopped beating so hard in my chest and my breathing finally leveled out.  I opened my eye, muttering.  "S-Sorry...I wasn't...prepared for that."

Cross let go of my hands as I sat up, rubbing my eye.  "I really hope this doesn't happen every time I sleep..."

"Trauma is not so easily conquered, especially when it's memories that were blocked before."

I sighed softly, looking at the skeletons around me.  "I have to hope that the next time I sleep, I can ask Nightmare on how to properly start sensing this balance."

"Oh, that reminds me, Eclipse...did you find out how the boss died?"  Cross asked.

The memory of the towering skeleton combination of Ink, Error, and Dream...Fusion...scared me.  I nodded slowly.  "Ink somehow combined his own soul...what did he say...or lack thereof?  Anyway, Ink combined his, Error's, and Dream's souls and created a monstrosity that managed to kill him.  Nightmare said it doesn't have a name but called this monster combination Fusion."

Dust looked thoughtful.  "Ink doesn't exactly have a soul, so taking others' souls to build upon isn't surprising.  Though the idea that it could and did happen is surprising.  Ink is stupid and forgetful, but he's still a massive threat.  Especially since he and Error cannot die."

"And by the sounds of it, neither can Dream to some extent.  How was this ever a battle that could be won by us...? "

"It's been...difficult since Error...joined the Star...Sanses a few years...ago.  It was mostly just...Dream and Ink, and rarely...an Underswap Sans named...Swap.  He's like us.  He can...be dusted if hurt...enough.  He has the stats of...a Sans, but is...immensely stronger due to being...a royal guard or sorts.  No LV or EXP...just pure training."

"What...what happens if you guys get dusted? "

Killer looked uncomfortable as he tossed his knife from hand to hand.  "We...our worlds reset and we have to go through the stuff again.  In technicalities, all of us are immortal, but it takes time to come back.  Ink and Error can't die.  The boss and Dream...well, Dream has the immortality since he was created by the Tree of Feelings.  The boss used to, as well, but became more like us due to all the apples.  Dream only lost a minor portion of the immortality based on the fact that he can't dust."