When the Stars Die

Chapter 6

(I think my favorite thing about this story so far is how I started writing it as a random story with no real intended plot, and now it's become this.)

The last time the council room had been used, the Truce was agreed to.

And now they were in the same room again, though this time for a different reason. Nightmare had taken his spot at the head of the table, while the other attendees filled in the remaining seats at random. The only ones who didn't have a place to sit were Crescent, Betty, and Reaper. The two children (even though Betty was technically older than either Dream or Nightmare, she was still seen as a child) had taken to the side of the room, while Reaper stood by the table.

There was an awkward silence in the room, as well as high tensions. While Cross was getting the message to the Star Sanses, Nightmare and the others had focused on getting Reaper to calm down. They'd taken equally as long, as the Stars had needed to wake up before answering their call. By the time the three of them actually arrived, they'd managed to get Reaper to calm down enough to have a proper conversation.

The awkward silence and high tensions were from several factors. The first one was the awkwardness of the two groups being together again. Though the biggest contributor to the atmosphere had to the revelation of news that Reaper had for all of them. The one who seemed to have the calmest expression was Ink. It was a bit disturbing how unbothered he looked.

"So.... your world's Chara stole your scythe again?" He asked.

"That's right. I don't when she got it or how," Reaper confirmed with a nod. "But last time she got a hold of it, she reaped hundreds of souls before their time."

"Um.... oh!" Blue perked up, turning to Ink. "Didn't you say you were starting to sense something was wrong in the AUs or something?"

"Yeah, I did. But I don't think it's Chara," he replied. "I've felt her presence before. It felt different from that."

"WaIt, HaNg On," Error interrupted, narrowing his eyes at Ink. "YoU fElT a PrObLeM iN tHe MuLtIvErSe AnD dEcIdEd NoT tO tElL aNyOnE uSeFuL!?"

"What do mean by that!?" Blue snapped at him.

"Uh? IsN't It ObViOuS?" He replied. "YoU aNd DrEaM mAy Be StAr SaNsEs, BuT nEiThEr Of YoU KnOw ThE MuLtIvErSe As WeLl As I dO."

"That's just your excuse because you want to spend more time with Ink!"

Error's eyes narrowed into a glare as he stared at Blue, who glared back with just as much annoyance. It was a bit hard to see unless you were sitting close to him, or just had really good eyesight and an eye for details, but there was a dark blue blush starting to appear on his face. Nightmare grinned a bit as he noticed it, but his mouth was hidden by his hands. Ink noticed it too, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Can we PLEASE get back on topic?" Reaper asked, a tone in his voice that none of them had ever really heard before. "Chara is gonna potentially throw the balance upside down!"

"He's right about that." Ink nodded. "Last time Chara got a hold of his scythe, or any other power, she didn't exactly use it properly."

"Huh. I didn't know there was a way to use stolen power properly." Dust blinked. "So what are we supposed to do about it?"

"Yeah. Isn't making sure the Multiverse doesn't go to complete hell the job of its protector?" Horror sneered, first grinning at Ink, then turning to Reaper. "And since it's YOUR scythe, shouldn't YOU be the one--?"

"ENOUGH."

Nightmare's voice boomed in the room, making everyone shut up instantly. Ink let out a quiet sigh, slumping in his seat. He turned his head a bit and gave Reaper an apologetic look. The king's tentacles, which had been flared up into dangerously sharp points, relaxed and flicked. He shook his head in disappointment, choosing to ignore the slight murmurings of Crescent and Betty.

"I get that you two are bored, but can you drop the attitudes and take this seriously!?" He snapped at the two murderers. "Where were we?"

"..... We were talking about Chara tipping the balance in a drastic way," Dream said. "But here's what I don't understand-- when her reaping failed, she became corrupted by chaotic matter. Balance has a repeating cycle, such as every time something is given life, something else dies. Chaos is the exact opposite."

"So you're asking why she's repeating something she's done in the past," Ink finished for him, more as a statement rather than a question. "I'm wondering the same thing myself."

As the gathered monsters continued to discuss the situation at hand, the two who were off to the side of the room turned to each other. They spoke in low, hushed voices to avoid any unwanted attention or interrupting the more important conversation going on. Crescent may have been Nightmare's son, but he was still given strict punishments. As for Betty... Nightmare treated her like a daughter.

"Um.... isn't Ink supposed to be the stupid one?" Betty asked in a low whisper. "That's what you said."

"Heh. That's because he normally is," Crescent whispered back. "But when things about the Multiverse get serious, so does he."

~~~~

"This meeting is adjourned. We'll pick up from where we left off tomorrow."

Everyone at the table let out sighs of relief, some louder than others. Dust and Horror were the first two to stand up, bolting out of the council room. Blue stared after them with a look of annoyance, making a barely audible 'tsk' sound under his breath. Crescent and Betty stood up from the floor, groaning at the soreness in their legs. They were the next two to leave the room.

"Reaper, will you be heading back to Reapertale?" Ink asked.

"I have to. Toriel needs to have an update on the situation." He nodded. "Would you like me to come back once I'm done?"

"I think that would be the smartest choice," Nightmare pitched in. "You're directly related to the situation. And if Chara was able to do that much damage to Life, then...."

"..... Who knows what she can do to others," he finished. "I understand. Very well then."

Reaper did a curtsy of respect to Nightmare and the other Guardians of the Balance. It was a bit sloppy, and Error used every fiber of his being to keep himself from laughing. Once the portal to Reapertale opened and closed, the other attendees of the meeting had left the room as well. Near the end of the meeting, they had agreed that the Star Sanses would spend the night in Nightmare's castle.

The group had decided to split up into pairs. Nightmare had a few things he wanted to discuss with Dream in private. Cross, Killer, and Blue were deciding which bedrooms the three Stars would take for the time being. Cross wanted to be close to Dream, but it was likely that Nightmare would object and want Dream to be closer to his own private quarters. As for Error and Ink...

"So.... WhY dIdN't YoU tElL mE?"

Ink paused in his steps for a moment, taken back by Error's question. Of course he was going to ask more about that. He let out an internal sigh, biting the inside of his cheek. He turned to Error, who had taken to leaning against the wall.

"WhY wOuLd YoU oNlY tElL tHoSe TwO?" He asked. "I cAn HeLp YoU mOrE tHaN eItHeR oF tHeM cAn."

"I didn't want to bother you," Ink said. "I know how much you can't stand the AUs in general."

"InK. LoOk At Me." Error grabbed Ink's chin, turning his head so he was looking up at him. "I mAy HaTe ThOsE sTuPiD aNoMaLiEs WiTh A bUrNiNg PaSsIoN, bUt WhEn We AgReEd To thE TrUcE, wE aGrEeD tHaT wE wOuLd HeLp KeEp ThE bAlAnCe StAbLe."

"I know, Error... I know...." He sighed. "But I wanted to handle it on my own. I'm still not entirely sure there's even anything out there."

"I'm DoUbTiNg YoUr GuArDiAn InStInCt WaS wRoNg, BuT iT cOuLd VeRy EaSiLy Be PaRaNoIa," he hummed. "WhEn DiD tHe feElInG sTaRt?"

"I'm not sure. I just felt it one day and...." He trailed off, having a slight realization. "Do you think it could be related to Chara?"

"It'S a PoSsIbIlIty...." He frowned. ".... InK. WhAt ExAcTlY dO yOu KnOw AbOuT tHiS aNoMaLy?"