I go to step forward into the deafening silence only to pause. Now was my chance.

I suddenly ducked down before reaching back summoning bones from the ground behind 404. He was distracted from looking at Frisk's soul and was struck launching him, and the soul, over my form and into the portal's opening. A bit of an oversight on my end. I only had a second to summon a sharp bone and cut Ink free from his ties before I felt strings wrap around my arm and neck. The weight of 404's form caused me to get dragged and fall in as well.

"Error!" I heard before feeling everything come to a stop. I groaned feeling all the weight stop and settle on my arm and neck. It was a bit suffocating. Ink was grabbing onto my other hand trying to hold onto me as part of his torso was hanging over. 

"Ink! Let go! You're going to fall in!" I called out only for him to shake his head.

"I can't!" He said straining, this was the first time I believed his expression. He looked so panicked. I felt the strings tighten around my arm as 404 started either purposely tighten them or was trying to climb up. I could feel my own powers start to drain, pretty sure I heard something crack. 

"Ink-"

"Error! Please! I- I can't do this alone! There needs to be a balance remember! You told us that! There can't just be me!" Ink was straining holding the weight of two beings plus being injured a bit from fighting. 

I couldn't let both of us get dragged down.

"I'm sorry... but Gradient needs at least one of us around. The multiverse can survive." I said before  twisting my wrist a bit cutting his arm with the sharp bone that was still in my grasp causing him to let go. I kicked 404 down as I let gravity take control seeing him trying to summon a blaster or bones or whatever but no. I was taking him down with me ignoring the call out for my name.

It felt like we were falling forever constantly getting turned around unsure what was up, what was down, etc. 

I felt my body crash against something like a floor and only had a moment of peace before I felt a sharp pain rack through my body. I felt my form burn with intensity. It felt like I was being set on fire while being ripped into pieces. I was writhing in pain screaming, or that was just the sound of static filling my ears.

I could hear too much at once yet not enough to know what was going on. Eventually everything droned out and I could only hear myself panting as I was staring ahead at nothing. 

Was I alive?

Was I dead?

Was I alone?

I had no idea.

I tried moving, starting with my hands and feet working my way through until my position felt different. I think I was standing now. The Void is confusing to navigate.

"What did you do..... what... did... you... do!!" I heard before I felt a force hit my already burning body causing mr to lose balance so now I was on my knee. Looking over I saw a very damaged, pissed, looking 404.

"You fool! You've killed us both!" 404 was breaking apart as he had his furious expression. I could see Frisk's soul still together and undamaged thankfully. Then he noticed something.

"Why aren't you falling apart... the Void destroys monsters no matter how strong they are," he said and I looked at myself. It was weird that I could see myself despite there being no light source. He was right though, I wasnt chipping away or melting into the void. I stabilized myself as I looked down at him. 

"I can't fact check you on that... I don't know if what you said applies to all monsters... but I'm not all monster." I said before exposing my own soul next to Frisk's. His eyelights shrunk either in disbelief, horror, or disgust. I wasn't sure since his face was getting progressively more damaged. The monster part once again is being protected by the human part. 

I was satisfied seeing him in disbelief crumbling before me but, I wasn't going to let the Void be his end. With what little I could muster I shot out a string into his body ignoring the sounds of pain before removing his soul. 

I brought it to myself as I returned my own soul back into my body. A monster soul that was stronger than most, but not going to last long. Then he started laughing and not the good kind, it was scratchy and vile. 

"You won't survive this," was all he said before his body started breaking apart much faster and I was hearing a buzzing sound like static that was getting increasingly louder.  My eyes widened in an 'oh shit' manner before I looked over at Frisk's soul. I opened up a glitchy screen quickly and saw that I had four options.

Absorb    Reset    Return    Continue

I hesitated for a moment seeing the reset option but ignored it picking return. The area around me felt unstable, 404's destruction might actually effect the Void in the process. I saw another screen pop up.

Selecting return will immediately return this soul back to its original body. You will not be able to use it's power or get it again unless by force. Doing this is irreversible, do you still want to proceed?

I selected yes and watched as the soul zipped away into the darkness to return to Frisk. The static just got louder and louder and louder before I felt my own form start to buzz. Then there was a loud boom and my senses went dark.

Others' pov

They stared in disbelief as they saw 404 and Error fall into the portal. They saw Ink lunge forward to catch Error but it didn't seem to be successful since Ink came back up empty handed. There was a moment of silence before Ink hurried up and ran to the others to help free them from 404's strings.

He managed to free theirs mouths by pulling on some of the strings. It was a complicated things to manage since he's seen Error managed to remember which strings do what when they use multiple.

"Ink! What happened?!" Red said.

"Idiot! Were you not paying attention!" Fell said in response to hearing his brother.

"Kiddos, you guys ok?" Classic asked Frisk and Gradient. Frisk nodded while Gradient just stared at the opening to the void with tears. 

"Paps?" Sci asked and the small Papyrus nodded.

"I'm ok brother." 

"Ink! Get us down!" Killer said kicking around.

"Knock it off!" Dust said getting annoyed when he got nudged.

Nightmare suddenly groaned and his eyes rolled back as he head lulled to the side. He went limp. His form suddenly got covered in the dark goop that he used to have and his form slipped out of the strings he formed into his corrupted self. Nightmare stood there for a bit seeming to be dazed. 

Then the strings surrounding all of them dissolved causing everyone to be freed of restraint. 

Blue and Viper ran for the opening to hopefully do something only to stop when a red blur shot out and made a bee line towards Frisk. The edges of the opening glitched before it then closed itself.

Classic reached out and his eye flashed before the red blur was caught by his magic revealing it to be the human's soul. He sighed in relief before handing it back to Frisk. The Classics fretted over Frisk for a bit while the others checked on themselves.

Everyone was fine. 

Lust and Fresh however wandered over to Gradient and each placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him silently. They didn't know what to say or even if Error was still alive. Ink quickly discovered that he was able to open up a portal though so they were now free to leave.

"Everyone, head back to your aus and make sure nothing is damaged. After a bit I would like to call up a meeting between a few of us or whoever wants to listen to discuss.... well what do next and if anything needs to be fixed. Is that alright with you brother? Ink? Classic?" Dream asked looking a bit deflated.

"That's alright with me," Sans said as Nightmare just hummed in agreement. Ink tapped his foot a few times as he wrote on his scarf before nodding. 

"What about the kid?" Outer Sans said looking at Gradient.

"He can go where he pleases," Dream said immediately. "If he wants to visit someone he can just as long as it's safe. Is that ok?" The guardian said looking at Gradient. He blinked a few times and nodded. Fresh leaned down to whisper something before nudging Gradient towards Nightmare and his group. 

In a moment the group was engulfed in darkness and gone. Fresh poofed away while Ink opened up a large enough portal in the ground to the Doodle-Sphere for the others to jump in. Dream looked at Sans, Papyrus, and Frisk.

"Don't worry, we'll come back to clean up our mess in your home."

Sans just waved him off.

"Don't worry about it, think of it like all of your home away from home. Feel free to stop by whenever." They shook hands before Dream jumped in.

Ink was the last one. He stared at where the portal to the Void was before jumping in. The blob on the ground dissappeared and the Classics headed home to return Frisk to Toriel and come up with a believable story that wouldn't get them in trouble.

🖐︎❄︎ 🖐︎💧︎ ☠︎🏳︎❄︎ 🏳︎✞︎☜︎☼︎