Wounds Heal, Scars Fade

Chapter 18: Scars Persist

Lunar and Solar wander around the blank space of the mindscape, Lunar finding the eternal white space to be disturbing compared to the normal mindscape. There, they find a glitching skeleton who is sitting beside Decimate.

"Hello!" The glitching one jolts away, turning to face Lunar and Solar, blue strings wrapping around his fingers.

"1-134V3 M3 410N3 N0W!" Lunar steps back, sighing softly, pushing his aura out. Deci instantly calms down, but the glitching one doesn't seem affected at all, and seems to be even more angry compared to before.

"Y0ur 5i11y 4ur45 d0n'7 d0 4n7hing 70 m3." The glitching one smirks.

"F473 g4v3 m3 immuni7y 50 I c0u1d 4ctiv31y r35i57 y0ur p0w3r5 4nd d0 my j0b." Lunar steps closer, frowning sadly.

"Can you tell me more about this job? And why would someone as young as you have to suffer through it?"

The glitchy one gets an evil grin, his eye sockets getting shadowed as he looks down. He begins laughing.

"I'M TH3 B4D GUY!~" Lunar winces, Deci looking away. Solar's power lights up but Lunar slowly steps toward the glitchy figure.

"I don't think you are bad. I think you're just afraid, and hurt, and need the time and space to heal." The glitching one glares between Deci and Lunar, finally growling.

"Y0u w3r3 5upp053d 70 m4k3 3v3ry7hing b3773r!" Deci flinches, mumbling softly in response.

"You have to put effort into deciding who I'll be, and deciding you're ready to confront your issues, Error." The newly dubbed Error trembles, turning away. The area goes into a state of silence, Lunar tapping his chin.

"Error...huh...?" The named skeleton flinches slightly, but doesn't make a move to look at Lunar.

"I don't like that name. It's mean, to me at least." Error looks at Lunar, his eyelights shining with something akin to hesitation.

"R3411y? Why?" Lunar nods.

"It implies your a mistake or something. But you're not. No living creature is. Every living creature was made and crafted for a reason. To name any living being as a mistake, it makes me upset." Lunar states, his eyelights shining with thinly controlled rage.

"But I'm here to help. And the only way I can help is to understand. And in order to understand, I need you to let me in." Error flinches away at Lunar's final sentence, glitches covering his entire body and eye sockets.

"I-i c4n'7...y-y0u'11 hur7 m3..." Lunar slowly steps closer to Error, allowing his footsteps to make sound as he pulls his hands up in front of himself in an act of pacifism.

"I promise...I swear to you. On my mother, on my honor. I will never allow harm to come to you, Error." Error freezes, tears welling up in his sockets and streaming down his cheekbones, before he surprises Lunar and runs forward, slamming into and hugging Lunar like he's going to disappear. Lunar blinks in surprise, hugging the breaking down and sobbing skeleton close. Lunar extends his aura, his power to calm others stronger when he touches them. The skeleton in his hug slowly calms down from sobs to whimpers and finally sniffles. Lunar slowly sits down, Error's hold never waning in strength. Lunar reaches his hands up to Error's skull, smiling.

"I promise. I will never allow harm to come to you. But you do have to let me in, so I know how to keep harm away from you." Error sighs, closing his eyes, and nodding.

"D0n'7 b3 5urpri53d...I h4v3n'7 h4d 4 h4ppy 1if3..." Lunar nods, and with that he enters Error's memories.

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Solar sits with Deci, sighing softly.

"Lunar will be fine."

"That's not what I'm worried about. I feel Error's pain...I want him to really be able to grab this brand new opportunity without fearing the old life he left behind." Solar looks away, frowning slightly.

"It's okay you didn't think of him or me, I get it. Lunar's your brother, you place his life above everyone else. That's just how siblings are...I think...I don't know."

Lunar slowly releases Error, tears pricking in his eye sockets.

"I'm sorry you went through all that. If you'll give my brother and I a few minutes, I'll make sure all the others know what and who triggers you, so we can introduce you slowly to these triggers using neutral or even good stimuli." Error nods tiredly.

"I ju57 w4nn4 5133p f0r 4 whi13...." Lunar smiles, nodding and placing one hand on Error's head, extending a gentle sleepy aura into him. Error slumps against Lunar, who slowly moves Error over to Deci's shoulder, nodding and standing up, Solar following suit.

"It's time?" Lunar nods in response, smiling at Solar.

"Let's phobia and trigger proof this place."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lunar called an emergency meeting, gathering all the TKs except for the peacefully slumbering Deci, and begins explaining the events within the mindscape, and the memories he witnessed from Error, replicating them as necessary.

Every single skeleton who previously harmed the skeleton they know as Deci, or perhaps as Error their counterparts would know, instantly deflated, knowing that they had caused him pain, even if it wasn't them.

Those who weren't overtly harmful to him, like Abyss, Glitch, Lag, TK, G, Dance, Haven, and Love all agreed to help out more as needed.

Lunar managed to get Solar and Phantasm to agree they should back off, since their counterparts were particularly of note.

Lunar and Imprint came to the final decision that as long as Imprint is with another who is confirmed safe, Deci will probably be able to heal. Repose is standing beside Time!Gaster.

"You changed him from Error to Deci in hopes his new start would be enough."

"Oversight on my part. I neglected to think about all the problems Error, Deci had." Repose shrugs.

"Long as nobody from that world comes, we have all the time in the world to heal your missing child."

Time smiles, sighing softly.

"I hope my child's scars can fade."

(988 words

Welp. Not quite 1000 but I really couldn't do much for this chapter.

Lunar is such a sweet boy.

<3