Loyal Servant (CrossMare) (BEEN REWRITTEN.) (READ THE NEW ONE I SEE YOU VOTING)

Ark Two, Chapter Three

As sleep washed over him, the world became dark like a void that stretched on forever. He thought he was alone at first, simply hovering in the black nothingness, but movement caught the corner of his eye. He swerved in the air, finding something approaching from out of the void to his side.

As the figure got closer, Cross easily recognized them as X-Chara. He had a soft smirk on his pale white face, and his dark eyes flashed with a look of hatred. "Facing me head on, are you? I wasn't sure you would be so foolish," He chuckled, summoning a blade into his hand. He appeared to be standing on nothing, but he managed to draw a red line around himself with the tip of the blade anyway.

"You threatened my king and lover. I am his protector, and I always deal with threats as soon as they show themselves. You shouldn't have announced your presence in the waking world. You could have taken me by surprise here. But now that I know you're awake, you've lost an advantage," Cross snarled.

"I have no need for that advantage when I have a thousand others," His opponent scoffed.

"We'll see about that," Cross retorted before raising his hand and shooting multiple sharp bones in X-Charas direction. He didn't move, watching them approach until they hit a mostly translucent red barrier that rose from the line he had drawn with his blade. They seemed to disintegrate into the air as soon as they touched the shield. 

"If you want to hurt me," X-Chara said, aiming his blade towards Cross. "You'll have to find a better way than that. I've been trapped inside this little void for years. Do you really think I haven't learned how to manipulate it in my favor?"

He slashed the blade down, hitting the invisible ground with enough force that everything shook. Cross watched as red lines like cracks started to spread around him from the large sword. He wasn't sure what X-Chara was doing, or what else he was capable of, but he did know he had to beat him swiftly.

He summoned spiked bones beneath X-Charas feet instead, forcing him to jump back to avoid the attack. Cross kept them coming, watching him jump around while the red cracks spread. He could hear them now. They sounded like breaking ice, spreading more and more. Then after a laugh from X-Chara, they started to glow.

Cross focused on them, looking around and trying to predict what came next. The problem was, he'd never seen this before. He was at a disadvantage he was not prepared to have. He thought X-Chara would simply use his dagger like before, but now he felt uncertain. He had no plan, and had no idea how to make one either.

Everything shook again, and then like lightning, something flashed out from the cracks. Blades. Hundreds of small knives. He tried to move out of the way of the closest ones, but in doing so his back was struck by more. He cried out, moving away and watching how his blood simply hovered in the air thanks to the apparent lack of gravity that failed to affect X-Chara.

He couldn't tell how badly he was bleeding, but he felt thankful for the fact he knew he couldn't die here. But he could still be defeated. He readied himself to attack his opponent again, but suddenly he was pierced from behind. He couldn't speak or even scream as a blade pushed through his spine, silenced by the pain. If it weren't for the fact this void world wasn't real, that would have been his death...

"Defeated so easily. I thought you would be stronger, Cross. How disappointing," X-Chara scoffed as he pulled away. "Goodnight, Cross," He added with a hiss. Cross blacked out again

***

When his conscience returned, he could see himself laying in his bed beside Nightmare. He felt like a ghost hovering beside his own body. "No..." He whispered as his body's eyes opened. Except it wasn't his body anymore, was it? X-Chara just took control, and he meant ill intent... "No!" He yelped out louder. It didn't look like he had been heard, but soon X-Chara looked at his ghost and smiled. He then looked at his own hands and flexed them curiously.

X-Chara bested him... Why hasn't his form changed? Why did X-Chara keep up this monster appearance when he could change to a human form now? Unless... Unless he wanted to look exactly like Cross... Was this the game? A game of pretend where he plays as Cross?

Cross looked away from the imposter as Nightmare stirred and looked over at who he believed was Cross. "Nightmare... Nightmare he's not real! I'm here!" He called, but it seems his voice could not reach his king. Nightmare just stared at the imposter for a moment before speaking calmly.

"You're up again? Are you alright, Cross?" He asked before a yawn escaped him. The imposter smiled back at Nightmare.

"Yes. I'm just fine. Everything's alright now," He told him, gently stroking one of Nightmare's slow moving tendrils the way Cross always did when Nightmare felt uneasy. The touch falsely reassured Nightmare, and he gave the smallest smile before closing his eye.

"Very good," Nightmare purred out.

"No... It's not me!" Cross desperately tried to call his lover again. Still he wasn't heard. He was invisible and silenced. What could he do? Would he be forced to watch X-Chara destroy everything he worked so hard for? Everything he loved?

Fear gripped him hard. What could he do?