'Ink' panics and does something spontaneous, that he instantly regrets.
Nova is unimpressed by Karmas new 'friend' and makes sure to show it.

——

FGOC Multiverse

'Ink' was hardly surprised when the following days Oneiro locked themselves and Karma in their room, even if Sans seemed to be at a loss at why this was occuring. He felt no urge to enlighten the others on the obvious, so mainly passed by the closed door, making sure he could still sense that Karma was alive.

His path stuttered on the third day as he felt no one in the room. When he pushed it open he had to instantly stop, due to the potent magic he could sense. It reminded him of Error but it felt much more malicious then he was used to....He would give it a day before he truly worried where they had gone.

He tried to cheer himself up with the thought of Sans' reaction to monsters leaving, without saying anything to them and felt a smile form on his face.

He was surprised that at the end of the day he passed by Oneiro, who had an unusual look in their eyelights and was covering Karma in their wings. He tried to sneak away but froze at the wrathful look in their eyelights, that was soon snuffed out when they saw him.

"Oh. It's only you. See you, Creator. Have a good night~"

..what was that about?

-

The next day he could hear a commotion occurring outside, so opened the window in his room to watch what was going on. He hummed in curiosity at everyone being outside but his gaze never wavered from the babybones in the garden, standing opposite Wine.

He leaned forward in interest but grimaced as Reds voice 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~"

'Ink' burst out laughing at that comment, almost tempted to push Red to confront Oneiro later. It would liven things up and get rid of the loudmouth at the same time. He was a bit disappointed when Edge dragged his brother inside but perked up at Oneiro speaking up.

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

"Why not?"

Why not, indeed. He knew there was something off with Karma's health but was still clueless at what exactly it was. He still hasn't found a good time to CHECK them, especially with others getting in the way.

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

He tilted his head and looked at Wine in curiosity. So the other had a better idea, did they? He could admit he had gotten a bit lax with knowing what health conditions monsters could get but with his 'job' he hardly had time to deal with such small issues.

He was impressed at how smoothly Wine initiated the Encounter and was curious if Karma would be able to use their Judge magic at all. He had only ever witnessed it when they were panicked so far. He watched Karma startle at the Encounter before looking at their options in confusion.

"What do I do now?"

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

This time he looked at Wine features, spotting the quick look of upset before it was expertly hidden but not fast enough for him to miss.

"Now you have a go"

He chuckled at his guess being correct. They did have Death magic and rather a lot of it it seemed. He felt amused how others started shifting in unease at the black magic from the babybones but he was rather surprised at their control. He knew the adult Goth staying here admitted to still having issues with their magic but this still wasn't the magic he had been looking forward to seeing.

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

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

He hummed at the valid concern. He knew few monsters would be able to stop them if it occured again but he did know that at least Oneiro was able to.

"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 helping you to look deeper"

.........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"

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

'Ink' was so glad he wasn't closer to that magic, already feeling some of the effects from this distance. He could see that some of the others headed inside to try and get away.

What a powerful babybones he had found! He stepped back and closed the window, pleased at what he had learnt.

It did give him an unsettling feeling that perhaps this was the reason Oneiro kept them around...were they also punished if they didn't perform as wanted? Mother I've been good, please stop hurting me!

He decided to head downstairs to grab a drink and was bewildered why several monsters were crowded around the door to the living room.

"What are you guys doin-"

"Shut up, Ink! We are trying to listen in"

He hummed and got closer, ignoring the grumbling and dirty looks he received.

"- do sins have to do with anything?"

He looked up when Dream barged in the room, getting a brief glance at Karma and Oneiro sitting on the couch, just before the door was slammed shut again.

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

"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"

...is that truly what Dream thought? He was worried about what other things the Positivity Guardian believed. He snapped out of it when Wine jolted him, while trying to get closer to the door.

"- 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?"

He smirked at the expression on Sans face but quickly left before he could be dragged further into this mess. He sighed wistfully at the babybones words. If only the assigned Judges thought the same way. Things could have been so much easier then.

-

'Ink' felt like he was being watched for days after seeing Karmas 'fight'. No matter where he went, he felt he couldn't escape the gaze and it only seemed to grow worse as time passed. It put him on edge and caused him to go through his paints at a much faster rate than he was used to.

He was unsure if he was being paranoid but he was convinced someone was touching his vials and mixing up the order. He had started to keep the sash on him at all times but it hardly made a difference. He often went to grab paint and just managed to stop himself, before he took the wrong colour.

It didn't help that he was sure it was that strange Error being the cause, even if he never physically spotted them. It made sleep hard to come by, as when he laid down malicious amusement would flood his room, causing him to be unable to relax.

He was convinced that as long as he made sure to check his paints, before drinking them he would be fine but they must have been wise to his tricks. When he took some yellow he shuddered when he realised it was the wrong feeling entirely. He quickly tried to balance it out with another paint but that only made the situation worse.

He grit his teeth and reached for his most hated paint vial but was alarmed that it wasn't there. Looking around the room he couldn't spot it and he knew that soon enough the emotions would overwhelm him, until they ran out. He shakily walked out of the room, wanting to get away but feeling far too overwhelmed to think clearly.

He never noticed that he staggered into another room, as he was just trying to get away. He could feel it was too late when he fell onto his knees and resigned himself to dealing with the after effects of overdosing. He really hated his paints.

"Karma!"

'Ink' was just able to look up and realise that the babybones was in front of him but his thoughts were getting too scrambled to think clearly. He didn't even have the energy to flinch away, when a familiar item was put near his mouth and he automatically drank from it.

He blankly looked at Karma, feeling all emotion drain from him. Mentally he was glad but his body felt nothing after having drunk from the white paint.

"Little crow...what are you doing?~"

"Ink didn't have any white left, so I gave him some of mine"

"....What I meant was why do you have paint in your inventory?"

He emotionlessly listened in, mentally compiling it for later, when he had enough emotion to fully analyse it. He continued drinking the remaining paint Karma was giving him, logically knowing this was the best course of action.

"They were my favourites when I had to drink them. It was nice getting a choice sometimes"

He could see Karma about to turn away and felt his arms latch onto them, not wanting them to walk away from him for some unknown reason. He was rather 'curious' and felt his full focus narrow on Karma. He stared into their sockets and held even tighter when they tried to move.

"You need to let go, Ink. Let's get you some different paint"

..paint..yes. He needed paint to function. He loosened his grip but kept one hand on them and still watched them intensely, letting them direct his other hand to his own paints. This process felt familiar and it was reflex, to pick the correct paints he needed to drink.

"No, Ink. Taking blue paint right now is not wise. You don't want to spiral again, do you?"

He paused and felt his paint mix in his body, realising they were correct. That had been a rather frightening experience and he knew he would spiral down if he took that paint. He shakily took a breath, feeling more like himself again and shifted as Karma leaned closer to him.

"Such cruel orders that are forced upon you, Creator"

He clenched his hand on them and looked at them in pure fear. That was dangerous knowledge to have, not to mention the power he could feel coming from that statement.

"I won't say anything. It is not my place to tell"

He was still feeling too charged to calm down, so dragged them closer and hugged them tight. Maybe if he held on tightly enough he could hide them from mothers gaze. He mindlessly stroked their back, trying to think what he should do next.

They knew. That changed things.

-

"C'mon Karma. I have so much to show you!"

'Ink' enjoyed going out often, ignoring the glare that Oneiro gave him each time he did so. He didn't care for the opinion of someone, he was sure was the cause for some of Karmas..more alarming traits.

"Bye, Oneiro! See you later"

At the beginning he stuck to exploring the current AU with Karma but today he had decided to risk going to the Doodle Sphere. When he arrived he was shocked that he still couldn't feel mother.

In his excitement he had brought Karma along, only realising when he heard them chirp in excitement. He spun around to face them in horror, at what he had thoughtlessly done. Was his mask of 'idiot Creator' becoming too much a part of him?

"K-Karma, you can't t-tell anyone"

He was enjoying his freedom and did not want to have to go back into the same daily routine and dull fights. Thankfully they agreed but their next question caused him to tense right back up again.

"Ok...so what should I call you?"

He froze in panic, unsure where this question was coming from. Just what kind of powers did they have?

"Are you ok, Creator?"

He was about to reply when that ominous presence returned and shivered in fear, as he turned around to face a monster that looked eerily like Error..but looked even more unhinged. He tried to grab Karma but they ran straight to the monster, chirping in greeting.

"Nova! You are here early. Have you met my new friend yet?

"No I haven't, Godling. Why don't you introduce me to your friend"

'Ink' felt his instincts scream at him to run but he was frozen on the spot, staring at those dark sockets filled with malice.

"This is the Creator! I'm not sure what his chosen name is yet but he is super good at art. Creator, this is Nova. They are one of my latest caretakers. They give great hugs"

He felt himself twitch at that last detail and it didn't help that 'Novas' smirk grew, looking far too amused, almost begging him to test this new fact. He could already imagine several of his ribs breaking if he even tried, not that he felt any urge to do so. He wanted to live!

"Nova? Can you help? I can't tell where it is"

...why did he feel he wasn't going to like this?

"Are you sure, Godling? There are much better friends i can get for you"

Also, why did 'friend' sound suspiciously like 'pet'?

He was way in over his head but before he could say anything, he saw blue strings head for his chest. He gasped at the burning feeling and felt something crack inside him.

"All done. It was a rather shoddy job if i'm honest. Enjoy playing with your friend, Godling...Creator, you owe me"

Opening his sockets he was confused when he had fallen down and was soon faced with a smiling Karma but thankfully no Nova.

"Congratulations, Creator! It seems Nova likes you. How do you feel?"

'Ink' stared before laughing hysterically. Just what are these beings? Removing that stupid bond to mother, giving him a SOUL like it was easy and not to mention the power radiating from all of them.

Standing up he stuck out his hand and started to tug at Karmas SOUL, sure he would find the truth with it. He soon had to stop this plan, when he heard whimpering followed by a cracking sound, which made his own SOUL ache in sympathy, for some strange reason. Just what had he done?

Looking down at the babybones he winced at the fear painted on their skull and the shuddering breaths they gave, while also moving a step away from him.

"I-I....I'm sorry. I didn't m-mean..."

He felt any words he could say would be meaningless and instead crouched in front of the babybones, hurt but unsurprised when they flinched at his movement. He let his magic loose, allowing them to choose whether to accept his magic and wordless apology. He was given an intense look, before he felt his magic be accepted by the other.

He doubted this would be enough to calm them or receive back their trust but it was a start...hopefully he hadn't screwed everything up. He was starting to enjoy their company.

He soon headed back to the AU they were 'stuck' in and he watched as Karma ran off, as soon as he let them down. Walking to his room, he hoped to have time to think over just what had happened, but far too soon found himself cornered by Sol.

"Why hello, Ink. Can you tell me why little aster feels so relieved to be here? You didn't do anything...did you?~"

He tried to lean further away from them but was soon grabbed by his scarf and brought even closer to their skull. He felt magic gathering on his skull, at the heat they were giving off, knowing he needed to calm them down quickly.

"You feel very different. What have you been up to?~"

He wanted to leave but reluctantly gave a condensed version of the story, trying to avoid any mentions of his accidental mishap. They looked much calmer and even interested and he was soon let down. He did have a question of his own though.

"Do you have any idea why Karma isn't getting better?"

"No idea. Oneiro hasn't told me but it's obvious its serious~"

Now 'Ink' might have had to use fake emotions for a long time but that didn't mean he was incapable of spotting emotions in others. He could see the worry and slight anger, at this fact being kept from Sol and knew he could use this.

"How do you feel about joining Karma and I on our outings?"

Hopefully Karma would still want to be around him but this would mean getting Sol on his side and keeping the child away from Oneiro.

-

Thankfully Karma did want to still go out, even if now he could feel a gaze on him at all times. It helped when Sol joined in and he hoped between the two of them they could easily feed Karma, without Oneiro having to be near.

Unfortunately Nova also turned up, seeming to enjoy jumping out at random to check up on them. He wished they would just leave him alone but by the look on their skull he doubted that would ever happen.

A week passed and he noticed a rather alarming pattern beginning to form. He would take Karma and Sol out during the day but it would only take an hour before Karma looked dead on their feet. It got to the point where he was constantly carrying them, due to how lethargic they were. Just what was Oneiro hiding?

One day he was trying to wake Karma up, growing more alarmed when nothing was happening. Even using his magic to coax them awake did nothing. This was of course the moment the menace Nova turned up.

"What's wrong with, Godling?"

"...they are sick. I'm sure you already knew that but this place doesn't seem to be helping....i know a place whe-"

"You are not taking them anywhere! I don't trust you"

He growled in frustration, at not even being heard out but soon Sol spoke up.

"What about me?~"

"..what are you talking about, pigeon?"

He watched in awe at how Sol managed to convince Nova that their plan would work wonderfully and also manage to piss off Oneiro at the same time, which seemed to be the star part for the others' acceptance.

He was speechless at how compliant Nova became and was finally able to share what he knew. He growled when Karma was suddenly taken from his arms by Sol and took a step towards them.

"No time to waste. Good luck with Oneiro~"

He scowled in annoyance but soon yelped, as he was roughly pushed down onto his knees.. looking up he paled at Nova's gaze and the bloodlust pouring off them.

"I know you did something to, Godling. I don't care if it was on purpose or not, you still screwed up. I will generously allow you to live, as long as you follow a few simple rules"

-

'Ink' was so lucky to have escaped that 'discussion' alive but now he had to play the distraction for Oneiro. It hardly took long, for as soon as he stepped inside the house he found himself pinned to the wall, by a frankly feral looking Oneiro.

"WHERE.IS.HE?!"

"Well he isn't with me. Who knows where he cou-"

He winced as he was thrown across the room and quickly went back to the Doodle Sphere, knowing that the others would soon discover that their magic had 'suddenly' recovered to full strength. He was not staying in this multiverse any longer, especially with Oneiro still in it.

He was glad to be free of FATE but was unsure if this was any better in the end. He flinched as Novas strings around his wrists pulsed in glee and he sighed in exhaustion.

Hopefully he would get rid of this one easier than his last 'owner'...he didn't have much hope though.

~~~~

*Oneiro and Karma hiding in their room, after the 'Frisk' incident'*

Sans: Why is Oneiro staying away from us? It's been days!

'Ink': *Stares in disbelief* I know i didn't make you this stupid...How have you lived this long?
-
'Ink': I wish someone would realise what position i am in

*Karma bluntly stating they know he is a FGOC*

'Ink': *Panics at them knowing such dangerous information* Not this one! Why not Sans instead?! I don't mind if that one is killed!
-
Karma: What do you think of Nova, Creator? Aren't they nice?

*Nova sneering at 'Ink' and frothing at the mouth, looking ready to rip 'Ink' to shreds at a moments notice'

'Ink':...i don't think you are using the correct word here
-
*'Ink' accidentally cracking Karmas SOUL*

'Ink': Oh no...hopefully Nova never realises what i did

*Nova appearing with a psychotic grin and 'hugging' 'Ink" close*

Nova: Did you miss me?

'Ink':*Whimpers*