Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Error looked up at the starry night sky above him with a smile, feeling his body slowly turn to dust.

It wasn’t a fight, but rather an ambush. But that’s fine; at least they chose an Outertale copy for this, and he could have a beautiful view before he left… before he could finally rest. Relieved not to have to maintain the balance anymore, happy not to be forced into endless battles with Ink and his stupid council, at peace not to have to care about any of it ever again… but he didn’t want to leave this way.

Using what little strength he had left, Error leaned against a wall, still gazing at the sky, his “enemies” watching his every move with caution and even a bit of discomfort at the peaceful smile on his face. But Error couldn’t care less about them at that moment; all that mattered now was his departure.

He felt his soul tremble and weaken, but it still had one last thing to do.

To everyone’s surprise, his soul emerged from his chest, a tiny, fragmented, and fragile thing, held together by worn blue lines and slowly turning to dust.

This certainly wasn’t what anyone expected a soul of a powerful boss monster like Error to look like, but they didn’t have much time to think about it because a distressing cry echoed through their souls.

The Destroyer was crying for help

Monsters and humans from different universes gathered there froze in fear, thinking the Destroyer was calling the Nightmare King and his gang of lunatics.

A portal opened, and Ink, shocked by the cry that Error’s soul had caused, prepared for a second round of fighting, but everyone was wrong.

Swap was the first to step out of the portal, glaring at everyone there with an irritated look, which turned to hatred when he noticed his own brother among those who had set up the ambush. He walked over to the Destroyer and knelt beside him, his gaze softening and becoming sad upon seeing the state in which they had left his friend. Dream followed shortly after, not even sparing a glance at the crowd and rushing straight to the Destroyer with a worried look.

Ink was about to approach and question what his co-leaders were doing beside Error but was interrupted by a row of bones that appeared in front of him and someone else stepping out of the portal.

“I advise you to stay where you are,” Cross stepped out of the portal and walked to stand a few meters from Ink, blocking his view of the Destroyer and his allies.

“Cross? What are you doing here? What are all of you doing defending the monster that caused us so many problems and the loss of so many friends?” Ink immediately questioned, curiosity overcoming any other emotion.

Dream and Swap didn’t care enough to answer him, so Cross did it for them.

“They just came to say goodbye.”

Dream gave his injured friend a sad smile while using his magic to allow the dreaded Destroyer to have one last dream. It was the only thing he could do to help his friend forget the pain and have a pleasant dream in his final moments.

Feeling his mind gradually lose consciousness, Error smiled at his friends, whispering a final ‘goodbye’ and an ‘I’m sorry’ before closing his eyes and feeling his fragmented soul finally fade away.

If he had a little more time, he would have liked to apologize for all the pain he caused, explain to Ink his reasons, and warn him that, in his absence, he would need to be much more careful with the balance.

But he didn’t have that time.

…He hopes, from the bottom of his soul, that everyone will be okay and that his friends and Ink can keep the entire multiverse safe from now on…

Error was gone, and all that remained was a pile of dust, his clothes, and some blue li

nes that used to hold his soul together.

Chapter Text

Error hadn’t expected anything after death, so finding himself in a dark, empty void was an unwelcome surprise. He couldn’t feel or see his body, so he thought it was just his consciousness wandering in the darkness, which was strangely warm and silent.

The former destroyer thought he might be floating in the void, but quickly discarded this idea because this darkness didn’t feel anything like the other voids, anti-voids, or universes he had been in.

Well, it wasn’t what he expected, but he wasn’t going to complain too much, at least the place was peaceful. He didn’t mind being completely alone here too much, hoping not to go insane from spending eternity here with no one and being unable to do anything.

For some reason, Error’s consciousness began to slip away again, and he fainted.

The next time his consciousness returned, he felt oddly restless. The darkness surrounding him seemed to be... trembling? No, it seemed like it was being shaken by something. It didn’t make sense, but that’s what Error thought was happening. He panicked for a moment, thinking it was a sign that the multiverse was collapsing and that soon his friends would have to join him in this darkness.

He could only calm down when he felt something... caressing the void around him? He could also hear a soft, faint noise that almost sounded like words but was distant and muffled by something...

Weird...

Maybe this void was sentient in some way and was trying to comfort him somehow?

He wanted to think more about this and about what this place was, but he lost consciousness again.

This was how Error spent his time in the darkness, waking and losing consciousness periodically. He could feel something caressing the void around him or a muffled noise whenever he woke up. Over time, Error just assumed that this void was indeed sentient and, in some strange way, trying to keep him sane.

When he was awake, Error thought about his friends and how they must be. Were they safe? Happy? Too busy fulfilling their part of the balance? He hoped Ink was cooperating with the balance this time.

Something strange happened the next time he woke up

First, there was a strange noise, and then the void seemed to be moving frantically around him. Error didn’t know what was happening, but the noise seemed to get louder over time. After a while, the void stopped moving, but it seemed that the strangeness wasn’t over.

Suddenly, Error began to feel something trying to push him somewhere. The darkness seemed to be cooling down, while at the same time, a light seemed to be dispersing the void, and the noise was loud enough to be recognizable this time.

It was the sound of a baby crying.

Oh Asgoro, what now?!

The light enveloped him completely, and he felt very, very cold. The crying was even louder now, and Error was annoyed, thinking, ‘Can someone make this baby shut up already?!’ He couldn’t see anything yet, but he could feel that something was trying to wrap him in something warm again.

The noise decreased a bit, and Error felt relieved. Then he noticed that the new warmth surrounding him had a soft texture and was gently rocking him.

“Congratulations! It seems like a very healthy little skeleton!” A familiar voice sounded in his ears, and Error felt as if something was placing him in someone’s trembling arms.

“Look, Reaper, our little raven.”

Error recognized that tearful voice—it was Geno. But what was Geno doing here? And Reaper was here too? Why?! And what raven were these weirdos talking about? Error wanted to yell and complain—why had these idiots woken him up?

“He’s so small... are you sure he’s okay, Sci?”

Sci was here too? What the hell was going on? Error felt his eyes slowly opening, and the first thing he saw was an exhausted but very satisfied and happy Geno, who also seemed much, much bigger than he remembered.

Geno looked at him with so much affection and held him so carefully. This was so uncomfortable. Error felt a creeping agony and fear in his bones, acutely aware that the only thing separating his new vulnerable body from Geno’s touch was a soft blanket. His Afefobia had lessened significantly over the years with Dream and Swap’s help, but this was too much to handle all at once. Why couldn’t he have stayed in that cozy void for eternity? Why couldn’t he just stay dead?

“He seems perfectly fine, but we’ll run some tests before you’re cleared to go home. For now, he looks very well and healthy.”

To Error’s relief, attention was shifted away from him and back to Sci, who was wearing strange protective clothing, writing something down on a tablet before placing it on a table and approaching Geno, extending his hands almost to reach the baby, signaling to hand over the newborn.

“Can we keep him a bit longer? He just arrived, and I don’t think I can let him go,” Geno asked, his voice tired and anxious, not wanting to leave his little raven just yet. Sci gave a nervous laugh, slightly afraid of upsetting Geno and provoking the wrath of his companion, who was literally death itself. But procedures were important to ensure the safety and well-being of both the mother and the newborn.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s possible at the moment. It was a difficult delivery, and you’ll need to rest to undergo a checkup as soon as possible to ensure everything is in order. The same goes for the baby.”

With a sad sigh, Geno handed over his precious little raven to Sci, who carefully held the baby and examined him for a few moments, checking for any visual abnormalities. The only thing that seemed particularly wrong was that one of its sockets had no light and that the baby hadn’t made any other noise besides the initial crying at birth. This was certainly concerning. The fact that the baby appeared expressionless, as if his mind wasn’t there, was unsettling.

Sci gave a professional smile to the couple while the nurses did a quick checkup on Geno.

“Before I forget, what is the little one’s name?”