Book 1: The First Fallen Human

Past Time

Nightmare stormed down the hall, furious at all the noise happening. What the hell was going on?! He scowled, his tentacles whipping outwards in annoyance. He walked, leaving a black trail behind him before stopping. He stared down the hall at the figure. He was frozen. Her hood was still down. Scooter blinked at him. Nightmare was frozen. He immediately spiked up as he saw movement next to her. He blinked at Blue, Error's little puppet. Blue stared at him, wide-eyed. He squeaked, quickly hiding behind Scooter.

"It IS you." Nightmare's voice was hushed in shock. Scooter blinked at him. Blue seemed both scared and confused. Oh, the pain that leaked off of her was absolutely delicious. He tried to ignore that and focus on her. It was her. The one he'd seen before. Before he'd become... He gulped shakily. His tentacles were waving uncertainly. He blinked at her. She blinked back and tipped her head.

"I... don't recall you..."

Nightmare blinked before realizing that they'd only met in his uncorrupted form. He looked down at his hands. He glanced at Blue. "I'll show you, but I don't want him to see." He said quietly. Scooter nodded and turned to Blue before leaning down.

"Go on ahead and wait for me. I'll be there soon."

Her voice was soft, even though it was still as monotonous as ever. Blue gulped and nodded before quickly transporting himself behind Nightmare and disappearing behind another set of doors. As they shut, Nightmare turned to her. He gulped and closed his eye. It hurt to do this. He let out a shrieking groan as the goop began to pull itself back into the holes on his skull and into his soul. He would only be able to hold it for a  minute.

His goopy body disappeared and he sighed as he looked up at her with purple eyes. His bone was the color of ivory and he wore fancy-looking clothes. They were purple and gold. She still didn't seem to recognize him. Nightmare didn't want to, but... He snapped his fingers and a golden crown with a square sticking up out of it appeared on his head. Engraved on the square, was a crescent moon.

Scooter blinked and there was a spark of recognition in her dull eyes. She moved closer and he allowed her to. He blinked up at her. She reached out and he quickly held up his hands. "I... wouldn't do that..." He said quietly. Nightmare paused at himself. He hated his voice. His real one sounded so weak! He scowled and looked down. He gave off an aura of fear and negativity. She stared at him with blank eyes. He could smell her pain and blinked as he realized that she didn't care. He blinked as he felt a hand rubbing his head.

Nightmare coughed and a bit of black goop came out. Scooter removed her hand and stared at him.

"What happened to you...?"

Nightmare gave a weak grin before coughing up more of the black goop. "What everyone didn't think could happen... to that weak skeleton they hated... He, himself... I, myself, became corrupted by hatred and negativity..." He said, his voice dipping back into that goopy rumble. "The one they tortured with words and stones... was the one who eventually killed them..." Scooter stared at him before he saw a flash of understanding in her eyes.

"It happens to us all..."

Nightmare blinked. Why did she sound like corruption was familiar to her? She'd been glitched, not corrupted. He jumped as she spoke, staring at him.

"I may not have corrupted physically... but I feel... that once... I was not as bitter and... jaded... as I was when I fell."

When she fell? Nightmare stared at her. She'd become corrupted BEFORE she'd fell? He didn't understand, but in some strange way... He knew what that felt like. "You... remember that?" He asked. He coughed again, the goop starting to pour out of one of his eye sockets. Scooter blinked.

"I... remember very little detail. Only a few moments before I fell... I remember clearly... But... everything else from my past... it's always a feeling of familiarity... I still don't even know my real name..."

Nightmare stared at her in dismay. Falling down here had given her a second chance at life. But a life she didn't want or ask for. One that she lived in constant agony. He coughed out more black goop before quickly removing the crown from his head so he wouldn't dirty it. It clattered to the floor.

He collapsed onto his knees as the tentacles started to push out from his back again. He screeched before it became silent and he was back to his goopy form. He sighed and lifted his head.

"So why are you here...?" He asked in the voice he was much more accustomed to. Scooter nodded.

"I'm here to speak to Error... about killing me..."

Nightmare blinked at her. "Error holds a truce with the AU Guardian, Ink. He is not allowed to destroy and he will not break that truce out of fear that Ink will break his end." He watched as she moved past him.

"Is that so?"

Her voice was soft and unbothered. He furrowed his goopy brow and nodded. Scooter seemed unbothered by this.

"I will make him kill me."

"How?" Nightmare asked, genuinely doubtful. There was no way. Error hated AU's too much to go back on his word. He blinked as she looked back and made eye contact. Her grey eyes held a tint of green.

"I'm known for bargaining."

Her voice...! It sounded... alive. Nightmare was momentarily taken back. It seemed she remembered that single detail from her past life. He didn't understand. Then, she opened the door and he saw Blue sitting on the steps outside of it. The realization hit him like a train. He stared as she shut the door. Blue had been starting to turn to her with a smile.

Nightmare was quiet for a moment before a wicked grin curled his lips and he began to laugh. "What a CLEVER girl!! What a WICKED... clever girl..." He mused before staring at the door. He blinked. Why had one of Blue's eyesockets been empty?

Oh.

Nightmare froze and quickly started to move towards the entrance. He'd left Killer outside. He came out the front doors and immediately into the aftermath of a warzone. Maroon and black blood spattered the entire clearing. He finally located Killer, who was leaning against the wall, missing limbs and sitting in a pile of dust. His target soul was wavering every few moments.

Nightmare was wide-eyed. Scooter had done this? To his best henchman?? He felt a flicker of fear deep inside of him. He shook it off and leaned down next to Killer, his tentacles reaching out. Killer was unresponsive. Nightmare was momentarily alarmed as he began to heal the other, allowing bits of dust to reform on him and remake his body. The process would be slow and Nightmare was quiet as he waited.