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 27- "Home"/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;" /spanDespite the declaration of his own death sentence, Ink seemed perfectly calm. He wasn't bothered by Dream's efforts to start a discussion. He ignored my attempts at dissuasion. His attention was dedicated solely to his sketchbooks./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;" /spanThey hovered, suspended in the air around him, while he flit between them. He would flip through their pages, scribble chicken scratch in a tiny notepad, then move to the next binder, all the while oblivious to our distress./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;" /spanColorful wisps of magic drifted around the Artist, like koi circling a fellow fish that'd fallen to the lakebed. There was something mournfully somber in the way the ribbons brushed against him. It was as if they too were trying to reason with him. At the rate they were gathering, the thick color would soon obscure him from sight. He didn't seem to notice. Or perhaps he was doing it on purpose./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;" /spanJust before I lost sight of Ink, I saw him reach into the folds of his scarf. He snatched a small, glowing sphere and tossed it into the air before him. The orb rolled off the Artist's fingertips, and the magic swirling around him followed. It coiled across his body, down his arm, and chased after the sphere. The magic was sucked into the orb's core, crushing into a tiny, compact zone of color and light… and emexploded/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;" /spanA blinding flash seared spots into my sight. Blinking them away, I gaped at the gateway before me. Rainbow petals flared from a swirling tunnel, visually rippling the air with crinkling magic. It was the most magnificent portal I'd ever seen. Ink kept his hand out, then the other, both encased in a similar glow, as he struggled to contain the field./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"Go, Serif," Ink said simply. "Papyrus misses you." My soul skipped a beat./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?" I breathed, barely daring to hope./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"Home," Ink answered softly, staring wistfully into the blinding swirl. "It's a risk to approach a sealed universe, but Core Frisk says this should work. I managed to pinpoint its location, but it'll be hidden, soon. That way, you'll be safe from Error. He'll be blind to your world, as… as I'll soon be," he whispered, voice suddenly husky. "But this portal won't last forever. Go."/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 turned my gaze from the gateway to a bewildered Dream, back to Ink, and to the portal… that would lead me home? /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 wanted to go home so badly it left my soul aching. I missed my brother. I missed Grillby, and Alphys, and Undyne. I missed my house, my cluttered room, even that snow-encrusted sentry station! As much as I missed my world, it was doubtful anyone in my world missed me. My very existence had likely been forgotten. When I returned, though, it would probably be like I'd never left. No one would notice the gap, and no one would ever believe the tale I had to tell./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 glanced back at Dream. He appeared as surprised as I was, but as he pulled his gaze to meet mine, 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"I guess… this is goodbye," he admitted, tears welling in his eyes as he embraced me tightly. I glanced back at Ink, alarmed./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 what about you? ink, please don't—!"/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"Go," he said simply, cutting me off. "No matter what happens, whatever the outcome, it'll be a lot easier if I know you're safe. Please, Serif. Let this story have at least one happy ending." And with that, despite everything, he smiled a genuine smile, bittersweet though it was. "It's gonna be okay. Just go."/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 hesitated a second more. I suddenly wasn't sure… what was… the right thing to do. Then, Ink flinched as the magic flickered. He turned his full attention back to the portal as it wavered. His hands began to shake. Gritting his teeth, he ordered—/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"Go, em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"NOW!/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;" /spanSuddenly, all I could see was Papyrus's smiling face. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"home/em. I started running. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"i'm coming home. i'm coming home, papyrus! /emRight before I plunged through 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;" /span"thank you, ink."/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 splashed into the swirling galaxy. A gurgling, laughing current swept me away at the speed of sound. Distant rumbles of sonic thunder echoed around, palpably shuddering through the ocean of rainbow. Up ahead, I could see a lone sphere of pure white. A lonely, isolated universe. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"home. /emBubbling joy filled my soul. The brightness neared. emi'm coming home…! /emIf I reached out, I would soon touch it—/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 slammed into an invisible barrier. Every fiber of my being crackled sharply as a jolt of electricity hit me. High-frequency vibrations splintered across my bones. The current ripped me away from the world's surface. I grabbed desperately for it. But it was already 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;" /spanA cry was torn from my throat. There was no one to hear it. Violent streams tore at me from every direction. My HP halved, and halved, and halved. Some tormenting force preserved my soul, preventing it from just shattering. I would have let it. I would have rather dusted quickly. A smothering sensation scattered my wits. Epileptic flashes assaulted my senses. Painfully loud screeches, like knives on a ceramic plate, carved gashes into my consciousness./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 been outside of the portal's path for mere seconds, and already, I could sense my sanity crumbling. There were no other universes in sight, no havens to escape to. I was trapped between realities, I would be torn to pieces...! The mind-numbing brightness seared my vision blank. I heard only the scream of static. All I felt was needling prickling. Just as the chaos began to choke the last of my senses—/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 felt a hand grab the back of my jacket./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;" /spanDizzying, free-falling physics made the grip on my clothes tighten, desperate to hold on. There was a hand, grabbing for something. There was a loud, distorted emshattering/em sound. Suddenly, liquid was splattering everywhere. It splashed into my face, soaking me from head to toe. Blinking as though through sand, I managed to make out a wobbly, thin green film. It surrounded me, formed a bubble, filled with teal paint… and then—/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;" /spanThere was a final flash of blinding light, then utter darkness./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;" /spanGradually, my eyes drifted back open. White. Just white. Deafened ringing was all I heard. I felt completely numb. Detached. I was surely dead. Honestly? It was a relief. My senses slowly returned. Sound. There was sound, and movement. With a great deal of effort, I forced my flickering eyelights to search for the source./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;" /spanThere, quivering uncontrollably, on his hands and knees beside me, was Ink. He gripped my forearm tightly. His weak healing magic barely held my HP at its miraculous 0.00000001. I fought to focus on him as he coughed up rainbow and black ink, as if narrowly saved from drowning. A few shaky breaths later, his limbs gave out. Turning his head, he met my gaze. After a moment of confounded silence, he quietly 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"I'm so sorry, Serif." Dream's distant cries and sprinting footsteps were nearing fast as Ink concluded— "I don't think I can ever get you home."/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 the declaration of his own death sentence, Ink seemed perfectly calm. He wasn't bothered by Dream's efforts to start a discussion. He ignored my attempts at dissuasion. His attention was dedicated solely to his sketchbooks./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;" /spanThey hovered, suspended in the air around him, while he flit between them. He would flip through their pages, scribble chicken scratch in a tiny notepad, then move to the next binder, all the while oblivious to our distress./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;" /spanColorful wisps of magic drifted around the Artist, like koi circling a fellow fish that'd fallen to the lakebed. There was something mournfully somber in the way the ribbons brushed against him. It was as if they too were trying to reason with him. At the rate they were gathering, the thick color would soon obscure him from sight. He didn't seem to notice. Or perhaps he was doing it on purpose./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;" /spanJust before I lost sight of Ink, I saw him reach into the folds of his scarf. He snatched a small, glowing sphere and tossed it into the air before him. The orb rolled off the Artist's fingertips, and the magic swirling around him followed. It coiled across his body, down his arm, and chased after the sphere. The magic was sucked into the orb's core, crushing into a tiny, compact zone of color and light… and emexploded/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;" /spanA blinding flash seared spots into my sight. Blinking them away, I gaped at the gateway before me. Rainbow petals flared from a swirling tunnel, visually rippling the air with crinkling magic. It was the most magnificent portal I'd ever seen. Ink kept his hand out, then the other, both encased in a similar glow, as he struggled to contain the field./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"Go, Serif," Ink said simply. "Papyrus misses you." My soul skipped a beat./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?" I breathed, barely daring to hope./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"Home," Ink answered softly, staring wistfully into the blinding swirl. "It's a risk to approach a sealed universe, but Core Frisk says this should work. I managed to pinpoint its location, but it'll be hidden, soon. That way, you'll be safe from Error. He'll be blind to your world, as… as I'll soon be," he whispered, voice suddenly husky. "But this portal won't last forever. Go."/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 turned my gaze from the gateway to a bewildered Dream, back to Ink, and to the portal… that would lead me home? /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 wanted to go home so badly it left my soul aching. I missed my brother. I missed Grillby, and Alphys, and Undyne. I missed my house, my cluttered room, even that snow-encrusted sentry station! As much as I missed my world, it was doubtful anyone in my world missed me. My very existence had likely been forgotten. When I returned, though, it would probably be like I'd never left. No one would notice the gap, and no one would ever believe the tale I had to tell./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 glanced back at Dream. He appeared as surprised as I was, but as he pulled his gaze to meet mine, 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"I guess… this is goodbye," he admitted, tears welling in his eyes as he embraced me tightly. I glanced back at Ink, alarmed./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 what about you? ink, please don't—!"/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"Go," he said simply, cutting me off. "No matter what happens, whatever the outcome, it'll be a lot easier if I know you're safe. Please, Serif. Let this story have at least one happy ending." And with that, despite everything, he smiled a genuine smile, bittersweet though it was. "It's gonna be okay. Just go."/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 hesitated a second more. I suddenly wasn't sure… what was… the right thing to do. Then, Ink flinched as the magic flickered. He turned his full attention back to the portal as it wavered. His hands began to shake. Gritting his teeth, he ordered—/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"Go, em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"NOW!/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;" /spanSuddenly, all I could see was Papyrus's smiling face. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"home/em. I started running. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"i'm coming home. i'm coming home, papyrus! /emRight before I plunged through 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;" /span"thank you, ink."/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 splashed into the swirling galaxy. A gurgling, laughing current swept me away at the speed of sound. Distant rumbles of sonic thunder echoed around, palpably shuddering through the ocean of rainbow. Up ahead, I could see a lone sphere of pure white. A lonely, isolated universe. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"home. /emBubbling joy filled my soul. The brightness neared. emi'm coming home…! /emIf I reached out, I would soon touch it—/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 slammed into an invisible barrier. Every fiber of my being crackled sharply as a jolt of electricity hit me. High-frequency vibrations splintered across my bones. The current ripped me away from the world's surface. I grabbed desperately for it. But it was already 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;" /spanA cry was torn from my throat. There was no one to hear it. Violent streams tore at me from every direction. My HP halved, and halved, and halved. Some tormenting force preserved my soul, preventing it from just shattering. I would have let it. I would have rather dusted quickly. A smothering sensation scattered my wits. Epileptic flashes assaulted my senses. Painfully loud screeches, like knives on a ceramic plate, carved gashes into my consciousness./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 been outside of the portal's path for mere seconds, and already, I could sense my sanity crumbling. There were no other universes in sight, no havens to escape to. I was trapped between realities, I would be torn to pieces...! The mind-numbing brightness seared my vision blank. I heard only the scream of static. All I felt was needling prickling. Just as the chaos began to choke the last of my senses—/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 felt a hand grab the back of my jacket./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;" /spanDizzying, free-falling physics made the grip on my clothes tighten, desperate to hold on. There was a hand, grabbing for something. There was a loud, distorted emshattering/em sound. Suddenly, liquid was splattering everywhere. It splashed into my face, soaking me from head to toe. Blinking as though through sand, I managed to make out a wobbly, thin green film. It surrounded me, formed a bubble, filled with teal paint… and then—/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;" /spanThere was a final flash of blinding light, then utter darkness./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;" /spanGradually, my eyes drifted back open. White. Just white. Deafened ringing was all I heard. I felt completely numb. Detached. I was surely dead. Honestly? It was a relief. My senses slowly returned. Sound. There was sound, and movement. With a great deal of effort, I forced my flickering eyelights to search for the source./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;" /spanThere, quivering uncontrollably, on his hands and knees beside me, was Ink. He gripped my forearm tightly. His weak healing magic barely held my HP at its miraculous 0.00000001. I fought to focus on him as he coughed up rainbow and black ink, as if narrowly saved from drowning. A few shaky breaths later, his limbs gave out. Turning his head, he met my gaze. After a moment of confounded silence, he quietly 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"I'm so sorry, Serif." Dream's distant cries and sprinting footsteps were nearing fast as Ink concluded— "I don't think I can ever get you home."/span/p