Karma learns more about Encounters and Dreams views are challenged

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FGOC Multiverse

Karma was unsure why they were standing outside, when the past week they had been staying in their room, with only Nova turning up. Oneiro had also been acting much more affectionately for some reason but they always changed the subject when he asked why. Did they enjoy the zoo that much?

Shifting again in unease he looked between Sol and Oneiro, wary on what they were waiting for.

"What are you doing outside so early?"

Sans may be cautious of the winged Dreams but he still had some responsibility in what they did. He knew if they caused any issues he would be the one to blame. Toriel had made that very clear, after seeing the condition Frisk came back in.

Thankfully that incident did mean the kid wouldn't be coming back any time soon, so hopefully no more issues would occur....He sadly didn't think his luck was that good.

"What perfect timing, Sans! Today I was going to teach my child about Encounters. You wouldn't mind helping, right?~"

This felt like a trap but he was sure he was missing something. Glancing at the babybones, watching with curiosity, he felt his hesitance wash away and readily agreed.

"Excellent! Stand over there and we shall begin~"

Karma had never seen an official Encounter before. He was more used to the fights that were large-scale between the higher powers, who had no need for this restrictive format. He spotted more of the residents gathering outside and felt his magic jolt in anxiety.

"It's ok. We are just watching for now, little aster. Ignore the pests~"

Karma clung closer to Sol, feeling calmer when their wing hid him further from the others. He was startled when the surroundings went black but settled, as Sol's magic blanketed over him, realising he could still clearly see Oneiro and Sans nearby.

He didn't like this at all.

"Just watch what Oneiro is doing, little aster. This is just to let you get comfortable with what to expect when you try it. Encounters are not just for fights but also to get to know others and to have fun~"

Karma was confused by this statement and couldn't help but speak up.

"But doesn't the fallen child kill like this as well?"

Sans flinched at the truth, feeling memories resurface at all the RESETS he had to endure. So many deaths. So much dust...

"You are right, little crow but I will only be demonstrating the basics for you today, as it's a useful training tool for young monsters~"

Sans shook out of his thoughts and passively listened to the questions Karma had about what was occuring. Encounters were a great way to keep an eye on a young monster's health, when practising their magic. He had done this with his brother a lot.

"Now Sans will demonstrate how to do a CHECK in this type of Encounter~"

Sans did so and instantly paled at what he read. Just what kind of monster did the machine bring?! He could tell some values were hidden and looking at Oneiros' expression, they were finding this whole thing rather amusing.

"This can be useful for finding others weakness and other fun facts, even when not in an Encounter~"

Sans shivered at the mocking tone and heavy magic that was pressing down on him. Why did he volunteer for this again?

Karma nodded in understanding, with Sol confirming it would be much easier to understand when he had a go. Looking over at Sans, he whined in distress at seeing their eyelight leak out magic but his sockets were soon covered by Sol's hand.

"Just feel what Sans is doing. Try and memorise the feeling on how they access the Judges magic, little aster~"

Karma tried but he was still very confused about how it worked. The book his brother left on 'Judgement/Karma magic' in their shared place had been a helpful read but he still felt he was missing something vital, to truly understand what to do....at least the cookies he had also found were delicious.

....Maybe he should check to see if there are more.

"And we are done for now. Thank you, Mr volunteer~'

Sans wheezed as he was violently kicked out of the Encounter. He didn't know you could even do that and going by Oneiros' expression, it had been entirely intentional. He had no idea what he had done to piss the other off but he was regretting even existing at this point. He flinched as Oneiro passed him, looking at him in disappointment, before they stopped by the FellSwap, Wine.

Wine was already regretting coming outside and cursed his curiosity. Hearing that Sans had volunteered to demonstrate magic with Oneiro, had been just too good of a chance to miss. It had been amusing seeing how uncomfortable the other was the entire time but now it seemed it was his turn.

"You will help next, won't you Wine?~"

He refused to show his fear and merely nodded, stepping closer to the other. He quickly stepped out of the way, as Sans swiftly made their escape inside, shivering at the intense look the winged menace was giving him. He was unsure how he had attracted the two winged monsters' attention but he was despising every second.

Standing where Sans had been, he was confused when Oneiro didn't initiate anything and instead walked over to the babybones.

He might not have been there for the whole incident but he did manage to hear that the babybones had Judge magic. Seeing Sans try and use their magic against Oneiro had been amusing, as he knew that the other was much too weak to affect such a high LOVE monster, who was clearly experienced.

He jolted when hand landed on his shoulders, shivering at the breath he could feel on his neck.

"You know about Judge magic and how it works don't you, Wine?~"

"I do"

It felt like a test and he knew if he answered wrong his brother may be dragged into this. He let out a discreet breath as they stepped back, pleased but looked over at Red in disbelief as they spoke up.

"Why didn't you pick me? I am way more powerful than all these idiots"

"That is rather easy to answer, Red. You see I would feel the uncontrollable urge to kill you before you even summoned any magic, but you are more then welcome to test me~"

Wine was resigned to Red's lack of self preservation, surprised living in UnderFell hadn't given the other better instincts on what monster to avoid pissing off. He smirked when he saw Edge drag their brother inside, knowing the other was in for a lengthy lecture. At least someone had some sense.

"Now Karma. This will be slightly different to what you saw before, as your SOUL will not be brought out~"

"Why not?"

Wine could see Oneiros face spasm in brief panic, so he decided to speak up.

"It can make it easier to control new magic when the SOUL isn't outside"

He was given a look of gratitude for his quick thought. It wasn't completely a lie but he was in no rush to speak the truth.

Wine started to build up his magic and gently let it wash over Karma, in order to initiate an Encounter.

He made sure it was a very basic one, that was used to help teach children a very loose set of 'rules' in a controlled environment. He put no effort into bringing out their SOUL and could feel Oneiros magic grounding the babybones, just in case.

"What do I do now?"

"Press the CHECK button. It is always a good start"

Wine made sure the babybones knew what to press and then decided to do the same. He grimaced at the abysmal numbers shown but hid it as soon as Karma looked over. He could see them start to get nervous, so took over and formed a bone, making sure it went nowhere near them.

"Now you have a go"

Wine intently watched them form their magic but knew straight away it was not the correct magic type. It was very dark and he knew he wouldn't want that to touch him, so was thankful they threw it wide, just as he had done before.

"That was very good but you need to use your Judge magic"

"...i'm scared to loose control"

Wines' posture relaxed and he softened his voice, the other reminding him of his brother, when they learnt of the damage their magic could do to him.

"Babybones. Don't think of it as an attack. Instead, think of it as having a look at someone. Everyday you look at someone and have a general idea of what they are like. Now, think of your magic just helping you to look deeper"

It was a rather basic way to think of it but it seemed to do the job, as he soon felt a wave of magic wash over him.

......... You feel your sins crawling on

"Very good. You are almost there. Now you have to be more determined to know. This is a way to know of you are safe"

He saw them try and again and knew this time it would work perfectly, so braced himself for the familiar feeling.

......... You feel your sins crawling on your back ........

Wine disliked the feeling of his sins trying to drag him down but had grown used to it, with all the practice with his brother. He swiped the magic away with his own, glad it wasn't a strong attack.

"Excellent work"

Karma chirped at the praise but felt a tad shaky. It was much harder to use the magic than he thought. Maybe because he wasn't born with it? He was confused when the Encounter ended and saw Oneiro step forward.

"You are so smart, little raven. Now we can practise a bit more in the open"

"But I thought the Encounter was better?"

"And it is but you will rarely ever be in one, especially with your level of magic. This has helped you recognise which one is the Judge magic though, hasn't it?"

Oneiro watched his child, glad they had grown more confident in trying this. Having those two 'test dummies' had really been useful~.

He smirked as he felt their magic build and felt his form be weighed down by all his sins. His child was such a quick learner~.

......... You feel your sins crawling on your back ........

Thief/Arsonist/Violence/Blackmail/MURDERER

SUCH A DIRTY SINNER

Oneiro merely smiled at the words and images that repeated in his mind, not regretting a single thing, as it had all led him to his child after all. His child's magic also felt more like it was testing if he would hurt Karma and not really caring about his past actions.

'Never'

The magic pulsed once more before it harmlessly faded away, as if satisfied in his resolve, making him look at his child in wonder. He ignored the disbelief from the spectators, at how he was hardly affected, more focused on grabbing his child before they collapsed.

Maybe he had pushed them a bit too much today.

"H-How?! Your sins must be numerous!"

Karma felt a tad dizzy so was relieved when Oneiro picked him up, feeling that his energy was rather low. He then looked over at Dream, confused about what they were talking about. He leaned against Oneiro as they went inside, seeing Sol head off in a different direction.

When they sat on a couch in their living room, he was placed in Oneiros lap, enjoying the magic they were giving off.

"I'm confused, Oneiro"

"About what?~"

"Why Dream sounded upset, that you weren't affected more. What do sins have to do with anything?"

"It's very important, Karma! Morals are vital to separate us from savages!"

Oneiro scoffed as Dream barged in, spouting more nonsense but perhaps they could be useful.

"But why? Everyone is different"

"Judge magic is very special, Karma. It can see your sins and force you to realise what you have done. It's infallible"

"That doesn't sound right...Judge magic is a tool but it's the monster that uses it that's the deciding factor on the end result"

Oneiro was amused at Dream's growing bewilderment, due to Karma not instantly agreeing with them. His child wasn't a brainless follower, not like the rest of the beings the other surrounded themselves with.

He pretended he couldn't sense the other monsters crowded around the door, feeling insulted that they thought he wouldn't be able to tell they were here. They were lucky he truly didn't care if they heard what his child had to say.

"If you were right Dream then surely everyone deserves to die"

Oneiro focused back on the conversation, almost sad that he seemed to have missed a rather vital part.

"What?! That isn't what I said at all!"

"You have LOVE Dream, just as the other 'sinners' you condemn. What makes you different from them?"

"Pull back, little raven. You are using too much magic~"

"It was in defence! I am not the same as any of them"

"Then why is it so hard to realise you can't Judge everyone the same, based on such a few factors? It's the intent that matters. Having the title of 'Judge' does not make you better than anyone else. Biases are still there"

"Sans is a great monster!"

"So he Judges everyone equally? Even the monsters who killed a child, who was scared of being in a new place? What about the Queen who left her people in her grief? The King who became cruel to all humans when his own child was a human?...Even the Positivity Guardian who doesn't see everyone as deserving equal compassion?"

"Let's go, little crow. I can feel how tired you are. Get out of the way, Dream~"

Oneiro could see how Dream was speechless, due to how many ideas were thrown at him. His child could be rather ruthless in their opinions, even if they didn't fully understand the world around them.

It was so easy for others to forget that Karma was a Death god and had seen most of what the multiverse could offer. Death doesn't discriminate and it occurred no matter how 'peaceful' an AU was.

The monsters listening in stood in contemplation, never thinking much of the odd magic they had been given. They mainly thought Ink had given it to them for amusement, just to see what they would do with it but was the Creator actually smarter than they thought?

~~~~~

Oneiro: Isn't my child so clever?~

*Karma performing Judge magic after a few examples and displaying high magical power*

Dream: *Has no idea whats normal for monsters* Very impressive

Sans: *Shivering in fear*...You both know that's not normal right?

Wine: *Always happy to mess with Sans* I see nothing unusual here
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*Dream droning on about morals*

Karma: *Raised by many 'questionable' monsters their whole life*...are you speaking English right now?