p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"uspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"Chapter 21- Rainbow Ink (Apples)/span/u/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAs soon as we landed in the Doodle Sphere, before the portal even finished closing, Dream stiffly turned and walked away./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"dream!" My call got him to pause, but he didn't look back. "what just happened? who emwas/em that guy?! was that em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"stone?/em" I blurted in a rush. But, observing his downcast demeanor, I settled for one simple question. "are you okay?" Dream resumed his pace./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Thank you for saving me, Serif," he said quietly, opening a swirling gateway ahead. "I'm going to… I'll be back later." Without any further explanation, he stepped through the portal and was gone./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBefuddled by this unusual behavior, I gaped after him, then glanced at Ink. He stared hollowly after his friend, his expression completely unreadable./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"is he okay?" I asked, wings sagging tiredly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Not yet," Ink stated cryptically, glancing everywhere but at me. "But he will be."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSpotting his sketchbook nearby, Ink lazily wandered towards it. With one hand pressed to his injured shoulder, he unlatched his oversized paintbrush, dropped it aside, and sloppily kicked his tennis shoes off. Melting to the ground, he sprawled wearily across it. Then he absentmindedly nudged the bowl towards me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Want some candy?" he offered./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"you can't distract me like a child, ink," I protested, scowling. "seriously, are you gonna tell me what's going on, or not?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Probably not," he admitted with a sigh. "It's not really my story to tell." Fidgeting, he rolled over and dedicated his attention to his drawings./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"that's it?" I balked. "that's all you've got to say?" He didn't acknowledge me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGrumbling, deciding to bide my time, I turned my back on the Artist and sat. Folding my wings over my shoulder, I started smoothing down the rumpled feathers. Dream would return before long. I could just ask him about the terrifying encounter./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI recalled the attack anew and frowned. The tar's acrid taste lingered in the back of my throat, making me reconsider Ink's offer of a snack. Even now, I could still faintly feel the tentacle strangling my soul. My hand pressed over my chest nervously. When I blinked, I glimpsed those piercing, cyan eyes staring into mine and shuddered. "Nightmare," indeed. I guessed he'd be the subject of mine for months to come. But as long as I lived, I knew I'd never forget that silky, dark voice in my head—there was a rustling right over my shoulder—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""Serif?" I shrieked, jolting like I'd been stuck with a pin./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"ink!" I exclaimed breathlessly, whirling to face him. "don't emdo /emthat!" He barely reacted. He just waited expectantly. "what do you want?" I prompted, scowling. Slowly, in a daze, he held the bowl out to me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Candy?" he offered distantly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBefore I could decide whether to feel annoyed or grateful, I noticed Ink's face and hesitated. His eyelights were flickering. Instead of bright, expressive colors, his irises were arrayed in muddy, desaturated hues. His features were notably shadowed, and his cheeks were dusted with a faint rainbow haze. I blinked, confused./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"what's up with you?" He didn't seem to hear me. His eyelights' uneven shapes dissolved into patterns of scattered triangles and dots as his gaze unfocused./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hmm'kay," he murmured, absently pushing the bowl along the ground towards me. "I've had 'nough, so you should have 'em."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe Artist rose distractedly, muttering unintelligibly to himself. A sharp shudder wracked across his limbs and he shook his head vigorously. Then he glanced down at his injured shoulder. Bewildered, he stared at the rainbow goop oozing from between his fingers./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"why haven't you regenerated, yet?" I asked, concerned. Shaking my wings out and tucking them back, I stood. "should i call for dream?" The Artist swayed unsteadily, tilting his head aside./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Dream…?" he noted curiously. He suddenly seemed to remember something, for a flicker of recollection lit in his gaze. "Oh, right. Well… there was a tree." He probably intended on pacing, but merely staggered off aimlessly. "Lotsa apples. And, there was yellow and blue. Gold. Purple and black… then black. All black." He sounded out of breath, despite the fact he was gasping for air between every few words. "Apples, then there was… tree. All gone. Broken crowns. Black and electric blue—"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"hey, slow down," I complained, hurrying after him. "what're you talking about?" To my surprise, he muttered something about little navy memory bells. "wait, is this about emdream?/em" I "/emyou don't have to explain. i can just ask him when he gets back."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Come back," the Artist observed, distressed. "Can't. All grey. No color. Trapped in grey. Grey, for so long…!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"calm down, ink," I urged. "you're acting crazy." No response, just more unintelligible gibberish. I caught a phrase and recognized the diction as actual emLatin/em. "well, emcrazier,/em" I muttered, sighing./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDropping my hands into my pockets, I stopped pursuing him. Between the adrenaline from battling Error in MelonTale, and his sugar high earlier, I guessed the Artist was having some sort of energy crash. Watching Ink wander off, I crouched and selected a pink Starburst from the bowl. He'd surely go back to his usual self, soon enough./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWithin the minute, the Artist froze. He stood stiffly, twitching, then went rigid and barfed a torrent of ink. Ordinarily, I wouldn't pay this behavior a second thought. It happened a lot. But the paint was usually black. Not rainbow. I frowned, swallowing my snack. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"that's new. /emAfter a long display of artworks, the torrent stopped. Ink swayed dizzily./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Colors?" he murmured confusedly. "So many…" Pulling the back of his sleeve across his face, he gazed at it blankly. He flinched and shuddered as the Sphere's light flickered. My soul sped. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"something's wrong. /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I stood./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"ink?" He turned, gaze drifting distractedly. Apart from his brightly flushed face, his bones were ashen, and his eyes were a chaotic scramble of achromatic squiggles. "ink, what's wrong?" I demanded, frightened. He blinked through a few tangled shapes before answering./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I think," he whispered, "I think I'll just… t-take a nap." He slowly sank to the ground and sat. His faltering eyes stared blankly ahead—and he suddenly collapsed limply to the floor. I was by his side in a flash teleport./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"ink?!" I exclaimed, shaking him. "answer me!" He didn't stir. "please, come on! you can nap later. just tell me you're okay, now!" Nothing./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBy this point, I'd discovered that Ink actually did sleep—once or twice a month. Typically, he'd seek out Dream's company and curl up at his side. Twisted in a comically contorted heap, the Artist would eventually fall into a deep slumber. For hours, he'd cuddle the oversized paintbrush, or deposit colorful drool across the cover of a sketchbook, his fingers twitching and a grin tugging at his face. Not crumple without warning. Not lie still as death. This wasn't a nap; he'd passed out./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanRolling Ink from his side to his back, I balked at the rapidly widening puddle of rainbow beneath him. His shoulder still wasn't healed, and his HP was dropping alarmingly fast. How could one attack cause so much damage!?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"dream, emhelp!" /emI cried. Nothing happened. "dream?" Silence./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spana name="_Hlk141995615"/aThe Sphere's sky flickered from white to grey. Ink shuddered listlessly as his vague HP bar swooped from the yellow warning range into the red danger zone. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFrightened, I hovered a hand aglow with magic over his chest, hoping to get a clearer read on his stats. But as I reached out to find his soul, I remembered he didn't have one. All that could kill him was complete destruction or corruption of his body./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIf the paint vials were the source of his emotions, I reasoned, perhaps emthey/em were his magical core. I directed my efforts towards the sash and discovered that, not only did the glittering bottles repel my pinging energy, but they were emlosing their color. /emThe tips of the glass hearts had turned grey. I yelled Dream's name again. But nobody came./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI'd only ever used soul-based healing, and I hadn't practiced in years. But as Ink's HP continued to plummet, I realized I couldn't wait for help to come. I had to do something, I had to try…! Planting my hands over the Artist's hurt shoulder, I squeezed my eyes shut and summoned healing magic./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanInitially, it was merely normal, heatless blue flame. It didn't adhere to the injury. I concentrated harder. The glow flickered, likely debating whether or not to just snuff out, let alone obey my wishes. The thick rainbow began to seep between my fingers, instilling me with dread. Would he dust, or turn into a colorful puddle? I feared I might find out./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy soul pounded as I started to panic. The Sphere briefly darkened. Windows and Wigglers froze mid-flight. Ink's paint vials continued to desaturate. His stats faltered terrifyingly. Gritting my teeth, I let go of my last energy reserve and gave it all I had./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFor an awful moment, nothing happened. But then, the blue turned gold, adhered to the damage, and began to emit a gentle warmth. Ink's falling HP slowed. Then, miraculously, it stabilized./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOverwhelmed, I heaved a heavy sigh of relief. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"that was way too close. /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Dizzied with stress, I watched the Artist's HP gradually tick up as my soul's panicked pounding began to calm/span. The respite, however, didn't last long. My magic quickly lost its effect on Ink's stats, and his HP's upward climb slowed. Then, the numbers froze… and began to decay again./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI gaped, aghast. There was no way one little fracture could cause so much damage. No, something else had to be causing this, something far more dangerous than a hurt shoulder. This was beyond my skill to heal. I needed Dream's help. I had to get through to him, somehow…!/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanInk could summon the golden Protector back easily, and the cries of a besieged universe brought him running. Sometimes, even my own meltdowns and nightmares were enough to bring him home early. At this realization, my gaze drifted back to the Artist. emdream can sense extreme stress, /emI concludedem. /emem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"i need to work myself into a panic./em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"A few weeks ago, I'd have selfishly done literally /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"anything /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"to avoid an anxiety attack. But I was running out of time and ideas. And suddenly, the thought of having one paled in comparison to the thought of Ink dying./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"dying. ink could die. /emThe tiniest pinch of panic urged me on. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"what would happen to the universes without their strongest protector?/em em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"how many thousands would be killed by vicious destroyers like error? /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I'd seen my hometown ransacked and my brother violently murdered. Without Ink's protection, how many innocent souls would watch their whole /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"world /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"be ripped apart? My soul fluttered /spanfaster. I forced myself to stay focused./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"what would dream and blueberry do without him? what about me? he's my friend, too. /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"My sight went fuzzy as unexpected tears welled. I couldn't bear to watch another friend dust. Not Ink, not like this!/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy speeding breaths grew shallow. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"he's dying. /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I started to feel lightheaded. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"if i don't get help now, it'll be too late. /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"My racing soul began to pound painfully hard./spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';" i can't do this alone. ink could actually—he's falling down, right here. i can't save him. if i don't get dream's attention fast, ink's gonna—!/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';" In a swell of searing anxiety, I took the biggest breath I could, faced the sky, and screamed—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"DREAM!/em"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMere seconds later, a few yards away, Dream shot through a portal and rolled like a tumbleweed. Leaping up, distraught, he exclaimed—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Serif! Are you okay!?" The relief was overwhelming, and miraculously, enough to suppress the attack. It worked. My plan worked!/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"i'm fine. ink's not," I summarized, huffing to catch my breath. Dream glimpsed Ink past the edges of my drooping wings. A choked gasp caught in his throat. He raced for us./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What happened?" he interrogated, sliding to the ground beside me. He patted Ink's cheek and called his name—to no avail. Ink wasn't even embreathing/em. Dream promptly hovered his palms over his friend's chest and summoned healing magic. A golden glow encased the unmoving Artist. "How long has he been like this?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"a few minutes?" I guessed. "he was muttering gibberish, then he just collapsed! his hp went critical super fast. i didn't know what to do." Dream laid a hand over Ink's forehead to assess his HP./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You healed him?" he asked. I nodded, then shook my head, distressed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"i mean, i emtried. /emi couldn't keep his hp stable…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"It's alright, Serif," Dream soothed, summoning a detailed display of Ink's stats in the air before him. "Truthfully, I am impressed you managed to heal him at all, untrained."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFrowning closely at the data, Dream cycled through different magical frequencies to assess the Artist's reactions. The numbers flickered spastically, changing and dropping erratically. Dream shook his head, baffled. "This isn't like him." I gave a stressed, sarcastic sigh./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"oh? seems normal to me. he holds deathly still like this all the time." Dream didn't spare a chuckle; he was too focused on a red segment of Ink's stats./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No, not that. This is almost like…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDream gasped. Before I could ask what was wrong, he leaned forward and loudly snapped his fingers beside Ink's head. The Artist flinched. His eyes deliriously drifted ajar; they were filled with glitchy 1's and 0's./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"A virus," Dream breathed, dismayed. I recalled Ink's observation, that Error'd landed a single strike and fled. The Destroyers lured us to MelonTale to infect Ink with a code-corrupting virus. "He's never succumbed to one, before," Dream balked, hands blazing brighter with healing magic. But upon seeing Ink's unwaveringly low HP, Dream abandoned the effort. He fumbled to scoop the Artist into his arms. "We must hurry!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDespite his burden's tiny form, the golden Protector stumbled as he tried to stand. I finally noticed the faint tear trails on Dream's cheeks, and the shadows around his eyes. Even his legs were shaking. He was exhausted. I scrambled to his aid./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"where are we going?" I prompted, helping lift under Ink's knees./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"UnderSw—" A choked expression flashed across Dream's face. "Usually, UnderSwap's the best universe, but I forgot; it's completely empty, now."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"best universe?" I questioned. "for what?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Happiness," he murmured distractedly. "My magical skills strengthen in the presence of positive emotions."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"oh, emwow/em. that's an incredible—uh, okay then. what's the second-best world?" Dream hesitated. His paled eyelights dimmed. For a moment, he looked nearly as scared as I was./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I never should have left," he breathed shakily. Instead of trying to break his daze or urge haste, I gave the best, calming smile I could, and whispered—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"but you're here, now." My tone was more effective than I could have guessed. Dream stared back at me, calmed, and smiled, too. Then he nodded./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"HavenTale," he concluded. A portal swirled open a stone's throw away. "Come on!" I scrambled to match his pace, struggling to hold Ink up./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"why do you always open portals so far away?" I challenged breathlessly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Tearing holes in time and space is dangerous business, Serif." I frowned at the distance./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"yeah, but like—seriously, emthat/em far?" I grumbled, stumbling./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"emYes,/em" Dream huffed. "Remember the last time you approached an incomplete portal?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"hey, that wasn't my fault," I countered. "and, i actually loved the space place."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Falling out of a portal pathway can be deadly; the True Void is the least of my fears," the golden Protector warned. "Unless you want to test your luck, hold on tight. Ink's deadweight could be enough to drag us off-course. It might be a rough ride."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"wait, what?" span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I balked. "hold on, /spanmaybe we should figure out a safer—em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt was too late. Dream had already pulled us into the portal./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAs soon as we landed in the Doodle Sphere, before the portal even finished closing, Dream stiffly turned and walked away./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"dream!" My call got him to pause, but he didn't look back. "what just happened? who emwas/em that guy?! was that em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"stone?/em" I blurted in a rush. But, observing his downcast demeanor, I settled for one simple question. "are you okay?" Dream resumed his pace./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Thank you for saving me, Serif," he said quietly, opening a swirling gateway ahead. "I'm going to… I'll be back later." Without any further explanation, he stepped through the portal and was gone./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBefuddled by this unusual behavior, I gaped after him, then glanced at Ink. He stared hollowly after his friend, his expression completely unreadable./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"is he okay?" I asked, wings sagging tiredly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Not yet," Ink stated cryptically, glancing everywhere but at me. "But he will be."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSpotting his sketchbook nearby, Ink lazily wandered towards it. With one hand pressed to his injured shoulder, he unlatched his oversized paintbrush, dropped it aside, and sloppily kicked his tennis shoes off. Melting to the ground, he sprawled wearily across it. Then he absentmindedly nudged the bowl towards me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Want some candy?" he offered./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"you can't distract me like a child, ink," I protested, scowling. "seriously, are you gonna tell me what's going on, or not?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Probably not," he admitted with a sigh. "It's not really my story to tell." Fidgeting, he rolled over and dedicated his attention to his drawings./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"that's it?" I balked. "that's all you've got to say?" He didn't acknowledge me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGrumbling, deciding to bide my time, I turned my back on the Artist and sat. Folding my wings over my shoulder, I started smoothing down the rumpled feathers. Dream would return before long. I could just ask him about the terrifying encounter./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI recalled the attack anew and frowned. The tar's acrid taste lingered in the back of my throat, making me reconsider Ink's offer of a snack. Even now, I could still faintly feel the tentacle strangling my soul. My hand pressed over my chest nervously. When I blinked, I glimpsed those piercing, cyan eyes staring into mine and shuddered. "Nightmare," indeed. I guessed he'd be the subject of mine for months to come. But as long as I lived, I knew I'd never forget that silky, dark voice in my head—there was a rustling right over my shoulder—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';""Serif?" I shrieked, jolting like I'd been stuck with a pin./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"ink!" I exclaimed breathlessly, whirling to face him. "don't emdo /emthat!" He barely reacted. He just waited expectantly. "what do you want?" I prompted, scowling. Slowly, in a daze, he held the bowl out to me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Candy?" he offered distantly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBefore I could decide whether to feel annoyed or grateful, I noticed Ink's face and hesitated. His eyelights were flickering. Instead of bright, expressive colors, his irises were arrayed in muddy, desaturated hues. His features were notably shadowed, and his cheeks were dusted with a faint rainbow haze. I blinked, confused./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"what's up with you?" He didn't seem to hear me. His eyelights' uneven shapes dissolved into patterns of scattered triangles and dots as his gaze unfocused./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hmm'kay," he murmured, absently pushing the bowl along the ground towards me. "I've had 'nough, so you should have 'em."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe Artist rose distractedly, muttering unintelligibly to himself. A sharp shudder wracked across his limbs and he shook his head vigorously. Then he glanced down at his injured shoulder. Bewildered, he stared at the rainbow goop oozing from between his fingers./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"why haven't you regenerated, yet?" I asked, concerned. Shaking my wings out and tucking them back, I stood. "should i call for dream?" The Artist swayed unsteadily, tilting his head aside./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Dream…?" he noted curiously. He suddenly seemed to remember something, for a flicker of recollection lit in his gaze. "Oh, right. Well… there was a tree." He probably intended on pacing, but merely staggered off aimlessly. "Lotsa apples. And, there was yellow and blue. Gold. Purple and black… then black. All black." He sounded out of breath, despite the fact he was gasping for air between every few words. "Apples, then there was… tree. All gone. Broken crowns. Black and electric blue—"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"hey, slow down," I complained, hurrying after him. "what're you talking about?" To my surprise, he muttered something about little navy memory bells. "wait, is this about emdream?/em" I "/emyou don't have to explain. i can just ask him when he gets back."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Come back," the Artist observed, distressed. "Can't. All grey. No color. Trapped in grey. Grey, for so long…!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"calm down, ink," I urged. "you're acting crazy." No response, just more unintelligible gibberish. I caught a phrase and recognized the diction as actual emLatin/em. "well, emcrazier,/em" I muttered, sighing./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDropping my hands into my pockets, I stopped pursuing him. Between the adrenaline from battling Error in MelonTale, and his sugar high earlier, I guessed the Artist was having some sort of energy crash. Watching Ink wander off, I crouched and selected a pink Starburst from the bowl. He'd surely go back to his usual self, soon enough./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWithin the minute, the Artist froze. He stood stiffly, twitching, then went rigid and barfed a torrent of ink. Ordinarily, I wouldn't pay this behavior a second thought. It happened a lot. But the paint was usually black. Not rainbow. I frowned, swallowing my snack. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"that's new. /emAfter a long display of artworks, the torrent stopped. Ink swayed dizzily./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Colors?" he murmured confusedly. "So many…" Pulling the back of his sleeve across his face, he gazed at it blankly. He flinched and shuddered as the Sphere's light flickered. My soul sped. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"something's wrong. /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I stood./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"ink?" He turned, gaze drifting distractedly. Apart from his brightly flushed face, his bones were ashen, and his eyes were a chaotic scramble of achromatic squiggles. "ink, what's wrong?" I demanded, frightened. He blinked through a few tangled shapes before answering./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I think," he whispered, "I think I'll just… t-take a nap." He slowly sank to the ground and sat. His faltering eyes stared blankly ahead—and he suddenly collapsed limply to the floor. I was by his side in a flash teleport./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"ink?!" I exclaimed, shaking him. "answer me!" He didn't stir. "please, come on! you can nap later. just tell me you're okay, now!" Nothing./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBy this point, I'd discovered that Ink actually did sleep—once or twice a month. Typically, he'd seek out Dream's company and curl up at his side. Twisted in a comically contorted heap, the Artist would eventually fall into a deep slumber. For hours, he'd cuddle the oversized paintbrush, or deposit colorful drool across the cover of a sketchbook, his fingers twitching and a grin tugging at his face. Not crumple without warning. Not lie still as death. This wasn't a nap; he'd passed out./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanRolling Ink from his side to his back, I balked at the rapidly widening puddle of rainbow beneath him. His shoulder still wasn't healed, and his HP was dropping alarmingly fast. How could one attack cause so much damage!?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"dream, emhelp!" /emI cried. Nothing happened. "dream?" Silence./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spana name="_Hlk141995615"/aThe Sphere's sky flickered from white to grey. Ink shuddered listlessly as his vague HP bar swooped from the yellow warning range into the red danger zone. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFrightened, I hovered a hand aglow with magic over his chest, hoping to get a clearer read on his stats. But as I reached out to find his soul, I remembered he didn't have one. All that could kill him was complete destruction or corruption of his body./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIf the paint vials were the source of his emotions, I reasoned, perhaps emthey/em were his magical core. I directed my efforts towards the sash and discovered that, not only did the glittering bottles repel my pinging energy, but they were emlosing their color. /emThe tips of the glass hearts had turned grey. I yelled Dream's name again. But nobody came./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI'd only ever used soul-based healing, and I hadn't practiced in years. But as Ink's HP continued to plummet, I realized I couldn't wait for help to come. I had to do something, I had to try…! Planting my hands over the Artist's hurt shoulder, I squeezed my eyes shut and summoned healing magic./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanInitially, it was merely normal, heatless blue flame. It didn't adhere to the injury. I concentrated harder. The glow flickered, likely debating whether or not to just snuff out, let alone obey my wishes. The thick rainbow began to seep between my fingers, instilling me with dread. Would he dust, or turn into a colorful puddle? I feared I might find out./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy soul pounded as I started to panic. The Sphere briefly darkened. Windows and Wigglers froze mid-flight. Ink's paint vials continued to desaturate. His stats faltered terrifyingly. Gritting my teeth, I let go of my last energy reserve and gave it all I had./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFor an awful moment, nothing happened. But then, the blue turned gold, adhered to the damage, and began to emit a gentle warmth. Ink's falling HP slowed. Then, miraculously, it stabilized./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOverwhelmed, I heaved a heavy sigh of relief. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"that was way too close. /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Dizzied with stress, I watched the Artist's HP gradually tick up as my soul's panicked pounding began to calm/span. The respite, however, didn't last long. My magic quickly lost its effect on Ink's stats, and his HP's upward climb slowed. Then, the numbers froze… and began to decay again./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI gaped, aghast. There was no way one little fracture could cause so much damage. No, something else had to be causing this, something far more dangerous than a hurt shoulder. This was beyond my skill to heal. I needed Dream's help. I had to get through to him, somehow…!/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanInk could summon the golden Protector back easily, and the cries of a besieged universe brought him running. Sometimes, even my own meltdowns and nightmares were enough to bring him home early. At this realization, my gaze drifted back to the Artist. emdream can sense extreme stress, /emI concludedem. /emem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"i need to work myself into a panic./em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"A few weeks ago, I'd have selfishly done literally /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"anything /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"to avoid an anxiety attack. But I was running out of time and ideas. And suddenly, the thought of having one paled in comparison to the thought of Ink dying./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"dying. ink could die. /emThe tiniest pinch of panic urged me on. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"what would happen to the universes without their strongest protector?/em em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"how many thousands would be killed by vicious destroyers like error? /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I'd seen my hometown ransacked and my brother violently murdered. Without Ink's protection, how many innocent souls would watch their whole /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"world /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"be ripped apart? My soul fluttered /spanfaster. I forced myself to stay focused./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"what would dream and blueberry do without him? what about me? he's my friend, too. /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"My sight went fuzzy as unexpected tears welled. I couldn't bear to watch another friend dust. Not Ink, not like this!/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy speeding breaths grew shallow. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"he's dying. /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I started to feel lightheaded. /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"if i don't get help now, it'll be too late. /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"My racing soul began to pound painfully hard./spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';" i can't do this alone. ink could actually—he's falling down, right here. i can't save him. if i don't get dream's attention fast, ink's gonna—!/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';" In a swell of searing anxiety, I took the biggest breath I could, faced the sky, and screamed—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"DREAM!/em"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMere seconds later, a few yards away, Dream shot through a portal and rolled like a tumbleweed. Leaping up, distraught, he exclaimed—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Serif! Are you okay!?" The relief was overwhelming, and miraculously, enough to suppress the attack. It worked. My plan worked!/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"i'm fine. ink's not," I summarized, huffing to catch my breath. Dream glimpsed Ink past the edges of my drooping wings. A choked gasp caught in his throat. He raced for us./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What happened?" he interrogated, sliding to the ground beside me. He patted Ink's cheek and called his name—to no avail. Ink wasn't even embreathing/em. Dream promptly hovered his palms over his friend's chest and summoned healing magic. A golden glow encased the unmoving Artist. "How long has he been like this?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"a few minutes?" I guessed. "he was muttering gibberish, then he just collapsed! his hp went critical super fast. i didn't know what to do." Dream laid a hand over Ink's forehead to assess his HP./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You healed him?" he asked. I nodded, then shook my head, distressed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"i mean, i emtried. /emi couldn't keep his hp stable…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"It's alright, Serif," Dream soothed, summoning a detailed display of Ink's stats in the air before him. "Truthfully, I am impressed you managed to heal him at all, untrained."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFrowning closely at the data, Dream cycled through different magical frequencies to assess the Artist's reactions. The numbers flickered spastically, changing and dropping erratically. Dream shook his head, baffled. "This isn't like him." I gave a stressed, sarcastic sigh./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"oh? seems normal to me. he holds deathly still like this all the time." Dream didn't spare a chuckle; he was too focused on a red segment of Ink's stats./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No, not that. This is almost like…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDream gasped. Before I could ask what was wrong, he leaned forward and loudly snapped his fingers beside Ink's head. The Artist flinched. His eyes deliriously drifted ajar; they were filled with glitchy 1's and 0's./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"A virus," Dream breathed, dismayed. I recalled Ink's observation, that Error'd landed a single strike and fled. The Destroyers lured us to MelonTale to infect Ink with a code-corrupting virus. "He's never succumbed to one, before," Dream balked, hands blazing brighter with healing magic. But upon seeing Ink's unwaveringly low HP, Dream abandoned the effort. He fumbled to scoop the Artist into his arms. "We must hurry!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDespite his burden's tiny form, the golden Protector stumbled as he tried to stand. I finally noticed the faint tear trails on Dream's cheeks, and the shadows around his eyes. Even his legs were shaking. He was exhausted. I scrambled to his aid./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"where are we going?" I prompted, helping lift under Ink's knees./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"UnderSw—" A choked expression flashed across Dream's face. "Usually, UnderSwap's the best universe, but I forgot; it's completely empty, now."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"best universe?" I questioned. "for what?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Happiness," he murmured distractedly. "My magical skills strengthen in the presence of positive emotions."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"oh, emwow/em. that's an incredible—uh, okay then. what's the second-best world?" Dream hesitated. His paled eyelights dimmed. For a moment, he looked nearly as scared as I was./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I never should have left," he breathed shakily. Instead of trying to break his daze or urge haste, I gave the best, calming smile I could, and whispered—/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"but you're here, now." My tone was more effective than I could have guessed. Dream stared back at me, calmed, and smiled, too. Then he nodded./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"HavenTale," he concluded. A portal swirled open a stone's throw away. "Come on!" I scrambled to match his pace, struggling to hold Ink up./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"why do you always open portals so far away?" I challenged breathlessly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Tearing holes in time and space is dangerous business, Serif." I frowned at the distance./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"yeah, but like—seriously, emthat/em far?" I grumbled, stumbling./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"emYes,/em" Dream huffed. "Remember the last time you approached an incomplete portal?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"hey, that wasn't my fault," I countered. "and, i actually loved the space place."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Falling out of a portal pathway can be deadly; the True Void is the least of my fears," the golden Protector warned. "Unless you want to test your luck, hold on tight. Ink's deadweight could be enough to drag us off-course. It might be a rough ride."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"wait, what?" span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"I balked. "hold on, /spanmaybe we should figure out a safer—em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;""/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 182.05pt;"span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt was too late. Dream had already pulled us into the portal./span/p