Setting: Dreamtale.

Characters: Dream, Nightmare, Cross, Epic, X!Chara, Ink, Error, Blueberry.

Summary: Nightmare doesn't have much time left, and his life rests in Dream's hands. Dream is desperate to save his brother, and is willing to do anything to achieve that wish.

A/N: Reeee more Dreamtale. I don't know if this counts as Dreammare. This goes with an idea in one of my AUs. I'm working on an Errorink smut and a Cream smut.

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"...... Cross?"

"Dream, long time no see."

Dream stood at the open door, blinking in surprise. He had not been expecting any visitors today, but the guards had told him that it was urgent business that could not wait for a scheduled appointment. Being the son of the Tree Spirit, who was this country's queen, he was treated like a valuable jewel. His older brother, Nightmare, was also treated the same way. His excessive love for books, knowledge, and the arcane arts caused them to enroll him in a private academy that was focused on magic. When he came back from the school, he'd agreed to put his magic to good use and helped the queen put an end to cults and other fiends. Dream hadn't seen him in a good few months, since he'd gone off on another mission.

Cross was one of Nightmare's close friends, and a good friend of Dream's, too. He was definitely the more reserved type, but it wasn't that he was shy. He just didn't like to talk about himself or be the center of attention. He'd run into a few months ago, before Nightmare had gone off on that mission. They'd made short talk then, as Dream was rather busy and Cross wanted to rest. It was rather late that day, too.

"Nightmare is your older brother, correct?" Cross asked him, probably just to make sure.

"Yes. You know that already, Cross," Dream replied with a smile, but then picked up on his grave tone. "Did something happen to him? I--"

"Please come with me," Cross cut him off, reaching into his pocket and showing a badge to him. "Nightmare and I need your help, right now. The situation is urgent, and the queen has called upon you to assist. This is an order."

Although he was filled with some doubts and a whole lot of confusion, Dream followed Cross and his other companions-- Epic and Chara-- to the one section of the castle he'd never been in. He felt a tidal wave of pressure and negative feelings wash over his being as he stepped foot into the area, and it nearly knocked the wind out of him. This entire section of the castle, which the queen had reserved for formal business purposes, was drowning in tension. It was completely different from all the times he'd walked by it, and completely different from the rest of the castle. He'd thought something was going on earlier, when some of the servants had ushered him into his bedroom and stayed with him rather than leave until they were needed again. But this.... what was going on?

Dream, Cross, Epic, and Chara walked past all of the areas he had known about. The rooms where the council held meetings, the rooms where the queen discussed affairs with foreign ambassadors and leaders. The surrounding servants were thinning out slowly, and soon the number of guards present was increasingly drastically. It was very unsettling. Completely different from the atmosphere he was used to. Dream felt like he'd walked into someone else's territory, and the tension in the air didn't make him feel any better about his worries regarding Nightmare.

After a bit of walking, they reached a sealed off library, which was nestled deep underground. Dream had only known that the dungeons were underground, and a few wine cellars. As the grand doors to the library were closed, and the four of them were inside, Cross gave Epic and chara orders to stay and guard the doors. Make sure no one came in and no one left unless ordered to. Their movements and convoluted routes, not to mention that even Epic wasn't making any jokes or smiling, confirmed that there was some kind of secret being kept here. Something was going on. As he and Cross scrolled past the endless shelves of books and wooden cases, he thought about how much Nightmare would've liked this place.

"Cross...." Dream began, his voice echoing in the large room. It didn't sound right to him. "This place is...."

"The queen's second reading room, where we keep reports of cults and magic from everywhere-- collected by the Royal Army Countermeasure Group, along with all kinds of corresponding research," Cross answered him.

Dream stared at the back of Cross's head, thinking for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say any of the doubts he had, Cross bluntly answered them himself. He didn't even turn or look over his shoulder at him.

"Entering this place requires the permission of a Royal Council Member or higher," Cross informed him.

Dream frowned a bit. The king and queen had promoted Nightmare to being one of their most trusted council members, as well as a close assistant to the Court Wizard.

"Then why....?" Dream started, wanting to ask why he had been brought to this place.

"Because we all believe that you may need to use it soon," he stated.

Cross suddenly halted in his footsteps, and Dream had nearly bumped into his backside. He peeked around him and saw that they had come to a tightly shut stone door. Cross only had to flick his wrist, the lights of the room reflecting off of a golden armband he was wearing, which had some intricate patterns engraved on it. But whatever that gesture or armband meant or could do, the stone door had started to quake. It let out loud, ear grating, grinding noises as it moved on its own. It sounded hundreds-- no, thousands-- times worse than nails on a chalkboard. When it opened, it revealed a stone staircase that led downwards in a spiral, and disappearing into deep darkness. A cold breeze swiftly blew by, tugging on Dream's clothes and causing the yellow cape around his shoulders to blow out behind him. Caught off guard, Dream shuddered at the chilly feeling. From the depths of the opened up area came a deep, but clearly pained wailing. He also sensed something familiar, and leaned forward.

"Let's go down," Cross suggested, but Dream had a feeling he didn't have much of any other choice.

".... What's down there?" He timidly asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The calm and stoic expression on Cross's face subtly twisted, showing some emotion on his face. Dream could see the disgust written on his face, but also the fear. He could sense the fear, too. When he opened his mouth, he said words that Dream thought he would never hear in his entire life.

".... It's where your brother is being kept."

When they got to the bottom of the staircase, they entered a room that looked similar to the dungeons. There was little to no lighting in here, and there wasn't that much space. Dream perked up when he saw two people up ahead, both skeletal monsters like himself and Cross. One was wearing mostly brown with multi-colored eyes, which were currently a deep blue and flaming red. The other had errors appearing all over his body and blue streaks down his face from his eyes. A smile spread across Dream's face as his pace picked up slightly, eager to greet his old friend and his guardian.

"Ink!" Dream greeted him, apparently startling.... something. A loud snarl tore through the air, and Cross and Error shared a look.

"Dream, it's good to see you again," Ink responded, turning to face him. "Please keep your voice down. Nightmare might accidentally injure himself."

As the Multiverse Guardian said this, he turned back around. He guided Dream to the end of the room, where the loud snarl had come from. He squinted his eyes to look into the darkness, but was absolutely horrified by what he saw. This.... being.... looked absolutely horrible. It had a twisted body with broken ribs and numerous cracks, a ferocious face with only one visible eye, said eye was letting off an eerie blueish-greenish glow, was being completely covered by a thick black goop that had a magical aura, and at least four appendages that resembled tentacles sprouted from the back. This being was the source of that pained wailing, and it radiated a powerful negative aura. Dream knew this aura better than anyone.

".... Cross said it...." Dream began, trying to get himself to stop shaking. ".... He's my brother....?"

Ink patted his back softly as he took in several deep breaths, trying to steel his nerves and maintain formality and professionalism. He tried to move his legs, or even his arms, but he was as still and stiff as a statue. The amount of negativity radiating off of Nightmare was practically suffocating him, fear creeping into his soul. Dream's gaze was fixed onto his brother's form, as distorted as it was. The cage was surrounded by thick iron poles, all of which were covered in runes that glowed in every color in existence. Blue strings were keeping Nightmare in place, probably so he didn't hurl himself into walls or try to escape.

"It wasn't just him," Ink said, and turned Dream to face two other cages in the room.

One of the cages was a desolate scene, with not much to see. The walls and floor were scorched to a deep and dark black, probably by what must've been a large fire or some other kind of spell. Only the runes on the iron poles remained. The other cage was.. slightly more normal, with some pillows and blankets in there to comfort the person. They were a small skeleton, shorter than even Ink, with tattered clothes and a blue bandana around their neck. There were some wounds that were healing, and he knew it was Ink's magic. Whatever damage had been done to him was something he could heal.

"Blueberry....!" Dream gasped, his devastation clear and evident in his voice. "What in the world happened to them!?"

Cross and Error stiffened up, but neither of the guards looked as though they would give him a clear answer. Ink's gaze did not turn to Dream, he was still staring at the monster that had become of his brother. His face had that look of knowledge that had always caught Nightmare's attention. The kind of face that said he knew something no one else did, or knew more about it, despite having not been there.

"He.... saw God," Ink morbidly stated.

"Blueberry is injured, the other person is dead, and my brother is.... like that. So if you're here to help, then stop talking in riddles," Dream quickly retorted, as Ink's answer had stunned him so much. "There is not one god."

"I'm not lying, at least. Some of the cults that your mother has hunted down and destroyed worship the corrupted and cruel demons, who've held rituals to try and call forth these unknown existences," he clarified, dismissing Error's glare with a flick of his scarf. ".... We don't know where they learned any of these methods, but they somehow summoned a projection of pure chaos."

"A chaos projection!?" He gasped, shocked beyond belief as his eyes widened further, which he didn't know was possible in this situation. "Nighty said that chaos projections are some of the most lethal divinities!"

"And he's right. Chaos cannot be contained or controlled once it is unleashed," he nodded, his voice grim. "Nightmare accepted the job of stopping the ritual. Those unearthly beings have been dealt with accordingly, but he was still dragged into the ritual."

Ink narrowed his eyes for a brief moment, as though thinking deeply about something. He remembered his and Error's eldest child, Paperjam, running up to him in a wild panic. It was out of character for him, as Paperjam was usually very calm and collected, and thought things through, although a bit stubborn. Paperjam had quickly explained to them that the "owner" of Dreamtale, the Tree Spirit, had requested their immediate assistance. Ink had a feeling that something bad would happen that day, but he never would've expected this of all things.

"You cannot.... look directly at pure chaos...."

Dream fell silent, turning once more to the caged monster. There were more cracks forming along his brother's body, and the black goop had nearly swallowed him whole by now. Another howl of pain escaped his mouth, loud and sharp enough to make Dream visibly flinch and scoot closer to Ink. The Multiverse Guardian gave him a sympathetic look.

"What should I do, Ink?" Dream asked him, tears threatening to spill out. "My magic is nowhere near as strong as Nighty's...."

"I don't know exactly," Ink spoke lowly as he closed his eyes and pointed at the scorched cage. "The other person who came back with your brother couldn't stand the changes and turned into a horrid monster. If you cannot manage to save your brother, then I can only...."

He let his words fall off, believing he did not need to finish his sentence. Dream silently thanked him for it. He didn't know if he could ever hear those words from another person's mouth, as he could barely stand hearing them in his own voice. Dream's gaze somehow returned to the charred interior of that cage. Whatever, or whoever, had been in there was obliterated. As though they never existed, not a single speck left of their being.

"Give me one chance to save him, Ink," Dream begged him. "But I'll need your help."

Ink, without missing a beat, nodded. "I have an idea that might work, but only if you're the one to perform the spell. I will do everything in my power to help you."

Dream began his task of saving Nightmare. His mother, fully aware of the situation at hand, had excused Dream from his duties as a prince so he could focus on the reversal of his brother's corruption. What little sanity Nightmare still had left, aside from fighting the chaotic corruption, was put entirely towards not attacking anyone who came into the room. Especially his brother, who, in his opinion, stupidly wanted to sleep next to him in the cage. Dream had open and unlimited access to the Royal Council's reading room, and many scholars who had studied both divinities and magic were brought in to aid him. Cross, Epic, and Chara had to remind him and even force him to take breaks so he could eat and sleep.

Exactly 135 days have passed since Dream's job began.

With the combined support of the Royal Council and Multiversal beings like Ink, they found the means to control the chaos contamination from spreading further. Dream's magic had continued to strengthen with the more he used it and practiced the appropriate spells. Whenever he performed a spell successfully, he would get starry eyed. Ink could only watch as his friend was overjoyed about his successes, unsure of how to warn him about the drastic consequences. As they had yet to discover how exactly to remove and reverse the chaos contamination plaguing Nightmare, Error suggesting using that as an opportunity.

"You have to tell him eventually," Error whispered to him. "It's the only way to save Nightmare. He needs to know the consequences."

"I know, Error.... I know...." Ink sighed in response. "I just.... I don't know if he'll be able to handle it."

Ink's suggested solution to Nightmare's corruption was a type of ritual. It would reverse the effects of the corruption, though some physical traits would remain, such as the cracks on his skull, though they would heal with time. In order for the ritual to work, Dream had to use pure positivity magic, as well as love. But he also had to take Dream, at the end of the day, to a separate and closed off room to sit him down. It was then that Ink finally broke the news to him about the consequences that would take place as a result of the ritual. Dream listened to every word and considered everything very carefully, taking time to accept things as they were. He finally agreed to it once he had accepted it all, and the ritual took place the next day.

After all, everything comes with a price.

Dream desperately clung to his brother's torso, beyond relieved to know that he was himself again. Even if he couldn't see through this pitch darkness clouding his vision now, he knew his brother was there. Even if he couldn't hear him, he knew he was there, and he could feel his SOUL's radiation. He could feel the messages he was trying to say through them, and he could respond back with the same method. He knew that their mother was holding a feast to celebrate their victory and success, and he had encouraged Nightmare to go and enjoy himself. But his older twin refused to and declined the offer, insisting that he would much rather be with Dream. Especially now that he was like this.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry...." Nightmare said through his SOUL messages, one of his hands gently caressing Dream's cheek.

"It's alright, brother," Dream replied, his own SOUL pulsing out the message. "Everything will be alright as long as you're okay."

"But I'm not okay," he argued, his gentle grip on Dream tightening a bit. He faintly felt his brother's tears splash onto his skull. "How can I be okay when you're... you're like this?"

Dream was silent, unsure of what to say.

"You're deaf. You're blind. You're mute. Your forearms were completely shattered. Your magic is all used up," Nightmare listed, his aura full of shame and guilt. "Oh god, Dream...."

"...... It really is alright, brother," Dream replied, leaning into his brother's body. "Everything will be alright. I'm alive. You're alive."