Given An Unwanted Second Chance

Chapter 46

I waited a while before standing again, turning away from the glowing bars.  I focused on the bond with Cryo, giving it a sharp tug.

...correction, I ATTEMPTED to give it a sharp tug.  It was like trying to pull mist.  It moved, but it wasn't in the way I meant.

Nonetheless, relief flooded my body as a portal opened and revealed Cryo and Gradient.  Both looked surprisingly panicked.

Err...maybe not so surprisingly.  I'm certain they felt the strangeness of the bonds, as well.

Something was wrong with the portal, though.  It looked watery.  I frowned, approaching the portal and reaching forward.  My tendrils touched it first, but instead of reacting as if stepping through a doorway, the tendrils passed through and disappeared.  I pulled back quickly, the tendrils reappearing.  I tried again, and the same thing happened.

"Umm..."

"ECLIPSE!!!"  Gradient cried, swiftly stepping up to the portal and reaching for me.  Once more, instead of his hand coming through, it seemed to disappear.  He jolted back, his hand reappearing.  "No...nonono, wait, Cryo, why can't we reach her?!"

"Eclipse, what happened? "

"I-I was accosted by some thugs.  Thinking on it, I doubt they came close to killing me, but they startled and scared me enough that Dream must've located me from my negativity...  He didn't know at first what I was, but one of the thugs cut my neck pretty deeply...I bled liquid negativity, and he caught THAT pretty fast.  Things went downhill really fast from there...  I didn't want to risk calling Cryo for a portal with Dream nearby.  I tried getting away, but he was so fast...and I got severely unlucky."

"Your bond to me is super weak.  What could've possibly weakened our bond? "

I swallowed thickly, turning sideways a bit and summoning my soul for them to see.  The lime green glow of my soul was still weak, but the swirls shone as brightly as before.  The silver-colored device embedded in my soul was an eyesore, though...

Cryo stiffened.  "By the gods...that's a bond damper.  That doesn't even EXIST in our multiverse.  How...? "

"Cross called to me frantically through the bond earlier, and I went back to your AU.  The whole group was freaking out.  They knew the bond would be diminished, but they said they couldn't even feel the bond anymore.  It was like you were gone..."

I squeezed my eyes shut.  "I can't feel the bonds, either.  The ones I have with you and Cryo are nearly invisible, too.  I barely managed to call out to Cryo..."

"Our bonds are vastly different than the ones with your group.  Gradient's bond with you resonates through the damper because of your connection and strength.  My bond with you is the strongest in our multiverse.  Other bonds would not make it past the damper."

"But why would Dream put a bond damper on your soul??"

I opened my eyes again.  "He thinks I'm connected to this multiverse's Nightmare.  No one else around has an apple-shaped soul."

Gradient's eyelights dimmed, and despite the weakened bond, I could feel his anguish.  "E-Eclipse..."

My face fell, and I reached out to Gradient.  He reached out, too, but we simply passed through the portal, not connecting.  He pulled back, tears welling up in his eyes.  "I-I can come get you!  Cryo, can't you send me there??"

"Gradient, no---"

"I can't allow that."

"But WHY?!  Eclipse is in danger!!"