Painting in the Darkness - a Nightmare x reader x Ink

~8~

"Shhh, it's ok, he's not here anymore, he won't hurt you."

I calmed down hearing his comforting words before falling asleep.

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I woke up, feeling a weight pressed against my back. I sat up and yawned, taking in the surroundings before looking down to see...

"Ah, I see you're awake now."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I fell asleep on you, Nightmare! I-it was an accident and I was super tired and-" He shushed my ranting by placing his finger against my lips.

"No need to apologize, dear. It is quite alright." He spoke calmly as he sat up and carefully placed me on his lap using his tendrils. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks immediately.

"U-um, why did you bring me here, anyways? What made you choose me? I'm not special."

"That's not true. You are special. And the reason why I brought you here was to remove you from your previous life, away from the suffering you went through."

"But why would you care? No one has ever cared about my life."

"Because I suffered through a similar thing, dear." I looked up at him, surprise drawn onto my face.

"What?"

He chuckled and looked at me. "It might be easier to explain through a story."

Before I could say anything else, he jumped right into the story.

"Long ago, in a vast multiverse, three trees grew. The Tree of Life, Tree of Magic, and Tree of Dreams. Together, they would help create the infinite universes.

The Tree of Dreams was guarded by two brothers. One was the Guardian of Dreams, the other was the Guardian of Nightmares. They each kept their side of the tree safe from those who wished to do it harm.

The Guardian of Dreams was loved and favorited by the people of the village. He was constantly showered with love and affection. Meanwhile, the Guardian of Nightmares was hated by the villagers. They despised his apples that only granted people nightmares. He suffered through each day being assaulted, while his brother remained oblivious.

One day, he had enough. 'I'll show them! I'll show them that I can take care of the golden apples just as well as my brother can!' He reached out to touch one of the golden apples. In doing so, all the apples became corrupt and black. The villagers became enraged and marched to the tree, ready to slay the 'evil' brother. He became scared and ate the apples. His corrupted mind and the hellish apples turned him into a true monster. The brother became horrified. The brother took out the last golden apple he had and bit into it.

A battle then rang on for centuries. Neither side won, but their universe was destroyed. Since then, the brothers have been enemies and their battles still continue to this day."

He finished his story and looked down at me.

"O-oh my gosh. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"Don't worry, it's all in the past now." He spoke calmly, setting me back down on the bed and walking towards the door.

"Anyways, I have a few thing I need to take care of. I'll see you in a little while, Y/N." He then walked out and closed the door behind him. I waited a few minutes before walking over to the door and peeked my head out.

He's gone.

I walked out of the room, quietly closing the door behind me. He never said I had to stay in the room, so there's no harm in exploring a bit. I walked around the seemingly empty halls, for once not scared.

"w3Ll, wH47 d0 W3 h4V3 h3r3?"

Crap...