Karma gets lost and X does not have a good time

————

WingVerse

Karma waved as Pale stepped through the portal, holding Xs' hand while he watched them leave.

He had noticed that Pale had been getting rather lethargic lately, knowing what the problem was immediately. He could see how hesitant they were to leave but had pointed out that he still had X and Nix with him, encouraging them to go 'eat'.

He would be fine and there was still so much for him to explore, so he wouldn't get bored anytime soon.

X felt an invisible weight leave him once Pale left, wiping away some sweat from his brow at the intense white eyed stare he had been given before they left. He was far more relaxed now that he didn't have eyes constantly on him, that he had felt were constantly judging him and his actions.

"Meow"

..of course he couldn't forget Karmas familiar but he felt he was growing used to their constant disapproving stare by now.

It was far more relaxing just being with Karma again, having a small smile as he was tugged alone by the excited babybones, nodding along as they sprouted out more suggestions for places to visit.

He was surprised when he felt something buzzing in his pocket and when he put his hand to check what it was, he was shocked to see a phone.

He didn't even own a phone!

He stared warily as it buzzed again, briefly glancing at Karma who was crouching over a flower and cautiously opened the messages, feeling himself pale at what he read.

Oneiro: Have fun, X. I'm sure everything will go perfectly~

..that had to be the creepiest and most threatening message he had ever seen, mentally cursing all these stupid overpowered monsters who didn't understand what boundaries were.

This creepy Dream was the worst, twitching as he saw more messages pop up, deciding it was best to put the device away before he had a SOUL attack. He felt he would pay for this later but his nerves were shot and he was unsure just how much more he could take of this.

Couldn't he have just one moment of peace from the insanity?!

"X? Where are we going now?"

-

Karma giggled as he explored some cool crystal caves, the past few days having been great. X knew about so many places and even Nix was having fun stalking some animals. His familiar might not need to eat but they still enjoyed it and Karma was just thrilled that they were both having fun.

He touched a large glowing stone, cooing at how it was nearly as big as his hand. That was definitely going into his shiny collection, not having added anything to it in a while, which he quickly needed to correct.

Humming happily as he put the rock in his Inventory he walked back to X, endlessly amused by how messy their wings got everyday. Currently all their red feathers were sticking out but that was ok, as that meant he got to preen them again!

Although, he could do without the weird giggling in the back of his mind, that he had been hearing nearly constantly. Combined with the odd tugging sensations on his SOUL, which was rather unsettling, he was starting to think it may be a serious issue, tempted to tell X... but there were far more important things going on right now that needed his full attention. Such as all the shinies he would soon be adding to his collection!

He was also feeling so much more relaxed these few months spent away from the inbetween, feeling he might finally be ready to go out with dad more. He would message them later, as he had been sure to update them and brother on what he had been up to, but first he really needed to obtain that bright yellow stone on the ground.

It was just too perfect to leave behind!

-

"We are not lost. Don't be ridiculous, Nix."

"Meow"

"So what if we passed that bush several times? That doesn't mean anything and anyway, most bushes look the same anyway!"

"Meow!"

"I'm not sure why you keep bringing up the rocks again. That hardly means we are lost"

"...Meow"

".. maybe it's not common to pass by so many large glowing neon blue rocks in only an hour, but that could just me-"

"Meow!"

"I'm not in denial! I know exactly where we are. Perhaps I just wanted to explore this area thoroughly. Did you ever think of that?"

Karma did his best to ignore Nixs sceptical look, knowing they had a point but determined to keep going. He was still baffled how he had lost X, as he had just been looking around a forest and the next second, they were gone!

Not his fault at all!

..he was starting to get slightly nervous though, noticing it was getting dark and he couldn't sense any SOULS in the vicinity, which he found bizarre. It was not common to have a completely empty AU, unless there were extenuating circumstances.

He knew that from his many experiences visiting places like that, frowning at how odd this AU was. There were no signs of decay or any monster dust on the ground, so he was puzzled why it was like this.

He remembered that there had also been a weird buzzing sensation that had passed over him after he lost X, the magic feeling suspiciously familiar but was gone too quickly for him to confirm who it was for sure....

He shivered when the cold started to set in, smiling when Nix rubbed against his legs to show they were still here.

"..we should go and find some shelter for the night." He knew Nix would prefer he call for help but he didnt think the situation was that dire yet and he had already messaged X..even if they haven't replied at all.

"I promise to call dad tomorrow if X doesn't turn up by the morning, ok?" He bargained, pleased this settled his friend.

He hummed in confusion when the weird tugging sensation on his SOUL got more persistent, unconsciously beginning to walk towards the direction where it was coming from.

He grew tired the closer he got to it and he stopped paying attention to where he was travelling, only shaking out of the odd daze when he ended up sitting at the base of a large tree.

He was strangely drained and curled up at the base, Nix in his arms as he used his wings as a blanket.

The babybones slept peacefully, never noticing a branch lower down and pat them gently on the head or that the surrounding area around the tree was far warmer then should be possible for this time of night.

-

When Karma opened his eyes he was disappointed but unsurprised that X was nowhere to be seen. He rubbed his sockets sleepily and took out his phone, frowning at not seeing any new messages.

He was startled when something fell in his lap, causing Nix to screech unhappily at abruptly being woken up.

..it looked like an apple but he had never seen an apple this red before or with no visible imperfections. It felt and looked far too perfect to be natural and poking it with his magic, only confirmed his suspicions.

"..do you think it's even safe to eat?"

He lowered the 'fruit' in his hand to Nix, who briefly sniffed it before sneezing and going back to sleep, clearly unhappy to have been woken up. He decided to play it safe and not eat it, grabbing some food from his Inventory instead.

He still put this odd apple in his storage though, as he was sure dad would find it interesting to examine. He flinched when suddenly even more apples fell around him, staring in disbelief at what was happening. He chirped in greater confusion when he felt warmth coming from the tree and the giggling grew even louder?!

...since when could trees do that?

-

"Little raven..I can see you have been.. busy. ~"

Oneiro had really thought that X would be more useful than this but going by the way that Karma was clearly by themselves, they had failed in the one task he had set for them. He had selected this multiverse for a reason, as he was friends with the majority of the Balancers and had even done a few small favours for them.

"My tree! No touch!"

...Still, if he ever saw that 'guard dog' again he was tempted to put it down, with how disobedient it was. He had thought the Code restrictions and edits would make them more useful but he was clearly mistaken. His opinion of Nova had somehow plummeted ever further, as even their pets were useless.

How did this situation even happen?

He sighed as he sensed smugness coming from the stupid tree, feeling a headache start to build up. He casually batted away the magic that had come to greet him, ignoring how needy it was being. He had barely tolerated his Tree of Feelings, he was not willing to deal with any others.

One had been more than enough in his opinion!

He rubbed his face tiredly, watching his child play in the branches of the irritating tree, unwillingly smiling at the sheer joy they were exuding despite the cause.

He knew he had forgotten to teach them something and that was how to block Tree of Feelings magic. Their new Code had some slight changes, after having to make them a new body, so now they had Guardian Codes.

So, now all the stupid trees in the omniverse would be clamouring for his child's attention as a technically 'unclaimed Guardian', which only irritated him further.

He was at least able to prevent any bond forming between the two, thanks to how strong the parental bond was between him and Karma but he was still unhappy that this was happening in the first place.

No wonder his child was acting so weird!

He was unable to even take a step towards them, before they began hissing at him. He had been here for hours and he had only managed to move two feet closer since he arrived here, sensing how stressful this all was for Karma.

His poor child must be terribly confused by what was happening, so instead he left some more supplies for them and stepped back, smiling sadly at how much that simple action relaxed them.

This was the first Tree of Feelings they had encountered since they had been with the thing , so he was unsurprised how strong their reaction was to it.

Hopefully in a few days it would get milder and he could sort this out, not wanting to stress them out further. Their progress had been immense since leaving the inbetween and he was so very proud, not wanting to dismantle their progress or their confidence, by pushing too hard.

His gaze narrowed as he made sure the barrier he put around the AU would hold, having placed it years ago due to the local Creators request, with it working out perfect for him now.

This should keep the pests out at least, trusting the Creator to sort out any that bypassed it. He had a few favours he needed to cash in, sharing a glance with Nix who huffed before going back to Karma.

There were many insurances in place for Karmas protection, so it should be fine for him to leave for a few hours.

It was all perfectly safe, I mean, what kind of trouble could they possibly get into?

~~~~~

*Pale leaves*

X: Finally! Maybe i can relax som-

Nix: *Meows ominously*

X: *Anxious but still hopeful* I can totally deal with just tha-

*Phone buzzing with 'friendly' messages from Oneiro*

Karma: *Innocently* Why is your socket twitching weirdly, X?

X: *Doing his best to stay strong*..j-just allergies
-
*X suddnely realising Karma is missing*

X: *Close to reaching Nirvana due to all the stress he is under* HOW?! I looked away for a second!