THE PURPOSE (SANS AUs X READER)

ACT 1; CHAPTER 5

        That same rush of adrenaline that hit you the first time you entered a portal with Dream. You found yourself back in what seemed to be Ink's empty realm, but there was something horribly wrong. The same blackness that Error had brought on was still there, but now was plagued with what seemed almost like some sort of television glitch. The faint sound of white noise from electronics sounded in the background, irritating if anything. Despite this, just the air of the place gave you chills. There really was something horribly wrong.

Once you'd picked yourself from the landing out of the portal, you looked around. According to Geno, it should have teleported you straight to Ink and Dream. Geno...you still felt bad. It must have been lonely, living in such a bland and cruel world, never able to leave, unless he wished to die. You would have to figure out how to get him out of there later, but for now you had to focus.

You strained your eyes and searched once more. Finally, you could see the glint of Dream's bow in the distance and Ink's bright colours. You began sprinting. As you approached you noticed Ink kneeling down, staring at the ground, and Dream seemingly comforting him. Dream must have heard you coming, because he turned. The moment he saw you, his eyes widened. "(Y/N)?"

You came to stop beside him. "What happened?"

"Why are you here? How did you get here?" Dream asked in shock.

"I'll...explain later," you told him. You looked to Ink. "What--"

"It's gone," Ink murmured, "It's all gone. He took it all away." Ink was on the verge of tears, both sorrowful and angry. In his hands he held a couple of strings, and his hands were splattered with more paint that usual. You recognized those strings. They were Error's. You locked eyes with Dream. The expression he gave was heartbreaking. You recalled that Ink was the creator of AUs, and Error was the destroyer. If that was the case, then did that mean...?

You reached out and placed a hand on Ink's shoulder. "Ink..."

Ink jumped up suddenly. "What the fuck? Why? Why does he do this? Doesn't he understand that he's an AU too?" He clasped his skull in his hands. "I don't get it! I don't get it..." He shook his head. "Innocent lives, destroyed. Gone. Never to return again."

Dream whispered, "Which one this time?"

"It doesn't matter!" Ink screamed, "What matters is that it's gone, and it's all his fault!"

Another one of Ink's mood swings. It seemed this was the pattern of his--a cycle of unstable emotions. Though, you couldn't really blame such spiteful rage this times. One of his beloved creations was just destroyed, and entire world. You wanted to comfort him, but you had no idea how. You didn't even know much about this place, or the AUs, or even about them. Yet, your heart still ached.

Suddenly, Ink's rage changed to solemnity, and his expression darkened. "But...there was something else. I saw it, heard it. I wasn't sure at first, but now..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Dream.

Ink's gaze shifted to you. You felt...cold for some reason. "No offense, but I don't think she should hear this. I'm not sure how it'd affect her."

Your heart sank. You wanted to know. Maybe you were just nosy, but you also wanted to help. If you didn't know anything, how were you supposed to help? It was obvious you weren't going anywhere anytime soon. Escaping may have been your main objective, but with all that was going on there was no time to focus on that. You needed to help them get through this, and although it seemed that this happened often Error, whatever Ink had just mentioned, the way he said it sounded so menacing.