No POV hours later

Nightmare senses something off and frowns. He can sense more anger and horror than ever before with an flood of vengeful, murderous intent...and it's from his mother of all people. He gets up from his research for solutions for Dream and his tentacles set down the fifth table he was trying to fix after Killer broke it. For some reason the damages only happen in the castle but in Error's side of the base, they're harmless and obedient but that's a different story. He sinks into the floor and rises in Dream's house, taking a glance around. He can hear his mother in the guest room dedicated to her recovery screeching and cursing without restraint in a furious rage, hardly making sense to him. Swap walks down the steps and glances at him, seeming stoic and trying to keep a strong appearance on despite the internal conflict he can sense.

"What brings you here, Swap? Any idea why my mother is cursing up a storm?"He asks

"Palette called me over to help calm her down. She's only hurting herself and breaking the window in her rage. I bandaged her but she's still shouting at the window to people listening but we cannot see. If you want the reason, just check out front and it will explain itself."Swap says, then turns back to Nim's room to try calming her down after Palette shouted for help again.

Nightmare steps outside and immediately stiffens up. Even the voice of Corruption in his head went silent. There Dream stood with the trimmers still in his hands, turned to stone. The shades still rest over his eyes, keeping his vision from causing any harm but it's clear he isn't seeing anything anymore. He hesitantly steps closer, taking the shades off. He can see Dream's expression clearly now. It isn't one of fear or shock, more of calm resignation and acceptance. Almost as if he expected this. And he notices something else about this statue state. There's a hole in the statue, breaking through his chest where his soul would be as if it was ripped out of him. Yet he can't sense Dream's soul or aura anywhere, not even in a distant AU. He checks inside the hole anyway for clues, seeing nothing but stone imitations of his brother's cracked ribs, the ones that would've been around his soul now broken off completely. Nightmare hates the sight of his brother's condition and shakes his head, knowing that without his soul that there may be no hope of freeing him this time...Maybe that's what was intended....He shakes his head....But then he knows it is possible...Error found a loophole to this stone prison Dream could get stuck in so if there's no soul to detect some positivity, then Error's solution can't fix it.

He goes back inside and enters the room for his mother, finding Swap and Palette tending to her and Obscuro just hovering in the air with this empty look on his face. It's like he's in the room but not really there.

"That's it! I'm going back to hunt them down! I will get them if it's the last thing I do!"Nim shouts

Those words snap Obscuro out of his thoughts. He quickly grabs Nim before she can attempt anything.

"No! You are staying here, Mother! You have to! It's what Dream would've wanted for your safety!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"Nightmare asks

"He had a source tell him that some higher beings were getting bored and dangerous. Enough of a threat to make him not trust anyone other than Mother, Destiny, and Will for the most part. He wants Mom here while she recovers so that none of the rest try to gain more power by harming her."

"It would make sense...I do have a few balance keepers in my custody as far as the tapestries indicate. If they wanted to change things and get more control, I'd be a good obstacle to remove...But those fools...I can't sit here and do nothing!"

"You're better safe here recovering than getting in danger, Mom. Just imagine what Dream would do if he learned you were in trouble."Obscuro says

"Oh yeah, that's a good point. Forget any troubles he is facing, he'd get deeper into trouble if it meant you'd be safe. And you'd probably get lectured by him about safety despite the risks he easily took without second thought. "Nightmare says

"He needs to keep his priorities as coming back safely."Nim says

"Then you have to stay here and recover, Mom. Not take risks with your safety and health or we can't scold him for throwing his safety aside."

"Fine...But those record-keepers are dead when I get back."

"Record-keepers?"Palette asks

"They're the ones that keep track of everything in the multiverses and every influence other beings have on it. It mostly was just a list of Fate's actions until Fate got pushed out of control. I recall them complaining that their records are missing the fights for balance or intensity that it used to have...They complain about different details all the time so I didn't think much of these complaints. They're obsessed with records like their stories. They came in cloaks thinking that hides them but I could sense it was them. Breaking so many rules to take him..."

"WhAt tHe hELl?"A voice shouts outside

"Great, Error arrived. I'll speak with him if you have things handled here."Nightmare says

Palette and Obscuro nod as Swap goes to make something in the kitchen. He steps out to see Error staring at the statue of Dream and frowns, sensing conflicting feelings ready to burst in him.

"The good news is that his soul isn't there in a twisted sense since it means he is elsewhere. He didn't see his reflection but as far as my mom's anger shows, it was some people from the higher realm and Obscuro suspects the motive was boredom. Some record-keepers took him to make their records of the multiverse more interesting."

"WhAt d0 w3 d0 aBoUt iT?"

"Um, excuse me..."A voice says

They glance up, seeing Will peeking through a portal at them.

"Can I borrow you for a moment, Nightmare?"

Nightmare nods, curious about what he may have to share and trusting Will since he was the one his mother and brother guided. He steps through, leaving Error with the statue. He finds himself in the tapestry room and seeing that Dream's tapestry is ripping apart as the images on either side start to fall apart.

"We cannot find your brother anywhere but that's no surprise since the record keepers have secret hangout areas in this realm. They're probably hiding there now and doing something to him to change him and make things more amusing for them. I noticed it when his eyes started changing colors in the tapestry so I think they might be trying to edit him. The key word is trying."Will says

"Is this supposed to be good news?"He asks, horrified at the sight of his brother's tapestry falling apart as it is the representation of him.

If it falls apart completely, then the soul it represents is gone forever. He doesn't like the thought of that.

"Don't worry, they can't do much in their position with him. The threads still connect to your mother so as long as he is her balance keeper to keep as far as our rules would see it, they cannot eliminate him. Only beings in charge of souls or balance keepers can decide or influence the ends of lives or how lives go. They can change or hurt him all they want to try, but they're just hurting themselves. They can't kill him and the more they hurt him means more violations and more punishments for them. This tapestry is already trying to remake itself but it may not be split between his role and self like it was before. The fact that it's breaking and rebuilding itself shows that he is still fighting. Whatever happens, he will return to you but he may not be the same as he was before."

"What could that mean? How may he return?"

"Oh in various ways but another factor I notice is a role expectation issue here. They're tired of the peace you have with your brother since your fights with him were the fun parts of their records to read. They're bored and add on his bond with Error that they don't understand, they think he crossed too many lines that are expected not to be crossed for his role. They're frustrated so when he comes back, he will either violate and twist those expectations around or he will be in a state forcing him to obey them. I think they're getting frustrated that they can't get him to conform and that it's more likely that he will change the expectations for his role."Will says, pointing to a thread crossing out the part that reads POSITIVITY on the tapestry.

Then a few words formed on the tapestry in sloppy rips that read Destruction's fault! Nightmare frowns, seeing that they're already looking for a scapegoat.

"Why are they so fixed on Error?"

"Well, they took a line that he said to you as a challenge. They already don't like his relationship with your brother since it's opposing roles and means less action for them to be entertained by. Then he made a comment and they took it as a challenge once they put it in the records, wondering what would happen if it was disrupted or trying to test how certain he is about it."

"What line?"

"Something about Dream deserving love and if he needs it held out to him for 500 years, that's what Error will do."

"I recall that comment. So this is basically manipulating Dream for amusement and his role as well as being a commitment test?"

"As far as I see or can tell, those are parts of it."

"Will we have to wait 500 years for him back?"

"I don't think so. You know your brother and how he is about goals."

Nightmare grins, knowing Dream won't stop until he reaches a goal. So if the goal is to come home, then Dream will find a way home.

"Anything we can do?"

"Not really. We're searching for the record keepers to get him back but the best thing you can do is wait. If things go right, he won't be erased from your multiverse."

"Wait so there's a chance that he could die?"

"There's always a chance but right now, it's slim. The corruption in his soul doesn't help his chances though. If they decide to violate more rules and manipulate the records to say that he doesn't belong to your mother or something along those lines, it could change. I'm just telling you the current facts."

Nightmare frowns, not liking the sound of that when things start to sound so reassuring.

"We're digging into what they were hiding so I'll keep you updated. Just make sure your mother recovers and nobody does anything reckless."

He nods, getting sent back and landing beside Error.

"Soo?"Error says, prompting an explanation.

Nightmare takes a moment to process it all and shakes his head.

"They're testing him since their dissatisfied with him and their expectations for him aren't being met...It's complicated but it's also a test for you, Error. You said you'd love my brother for 500 years and they took that as a challenge to ruin it among other things. We can't do much right now but wait and be ready to take him in whatever state he returns in."

"So w3 loSt h1m f0r 500 y3arS?"

"We'll be lucky if it's just that long..."

Error frowns, catching onto the implications. Nightmare seems to be thinking the worst already and that they won't get Dream back at all...not alive..

"He mEnTiOnEd lEaRnInG s0mE iNfO tHaT sUgGeStS haViNg tO pAsS oN hIs rOlE oR gIvE iT uP oNe dAy...h3 se3m3d hApPy iN a wAy aNd sAyS tHaT iT r3m1ndEd h1m oF h1s liFe's impr0ved sTaTe. I d0n't tHiNk tHaT iT m3anT d3atH 0r h3'd g1v3 iT uP n0w...He sAiD a l0t of bAd w0uLd c0me b3f0r3 iT g0t g0oD...h3 wiLl c0m3 baCk aNd tHeSe t3stS wiLl faiL."

Nightmare reluctantly nods. Then they go inside to see what they can do to help.

Meanwhile, Dream is hearing various voices comment on how he has gotten weaker, gone soft in this new phase of his life, and is making the wrong choices while mistaking them for happiness. They want him to prove that he is still strong enough, still good enough to be believed, and that this is the right path. How? By fighting every foe or threat that crossed his path. Including owl beasts. If he can defeat every threat or every fear he has had, then they'll let things continue as he has made it. Let them live as they are. If he loses, everything is going to revert closer to Fate's design where the balance was a challenge and not the casual topic it has become according to them.

Dream doesn't understand how the process of the balance becoming less of a concern to handle is such a problem but then he realizes that it's not as entertaining to these higher beings. That's the real problem. Their amusement.

So he sighs, realizing his way home is not only to be right but entertaining. It's not about right or wrong but what's fun or dull and he has to make what's right seem fun. So even though he's terrified of the challenges they have listed for him to face alone and is fully aware of this huge gamble, he doesn't see many other options.

"Fine, I'll do it."

This response shocks them.

"What could be so important to keep this different path, this different life, going strong to risk that for? Is it really worth the risks? We thought the owl beasts would definitely sway you!"

He laughs at how they admitted to rigging it against him already, shaking his head.

"If you had real lives, real emotions, or people you cared for, then you'd understand. The experience and people that make you feel genuinely happy instead of chasing fleeting moments of amusement based on trends or problems, that's different. The kind of joy that loved ones give where the rest doesn't matter, that's worth it. I don't care if our roles are opposites or that our lives are not what we are expected to do...or less predictable for you than it was when we had the endless cycle of battles for balance. This is better. We don't know what's ahead but I know it's something good. There's a bit of excitement in the unpredictable or the unknown, especially when I finally won't be alone taking those next steps. Don't you want something new? Want something interesting instead of the same expectations or the same outcomes? Isn't it tiring having the same fights ending the same way over and over? Why not let something new happen? Why not redefine your expectations or remove any expectations and just see what happens? Wouldn't that be more fun or interesting for them? It certainly is fun for me to live with less or different expectations of what life will bring me and instead explore what can happen. The possibilities are more fun to consider than the rigid expectations. Just being there for the ride is fun and you should give it a try."Dream explains

He sees that some of them consider it but they whisper amongst themselves. He grins, knowing that he is getting better at persuasion and is getting somewhere already. They say that they'll agree to his suggestions once he proves himself still fit by winning. Dream nods, determined to do so, and gets dropped into the "game".

He takes on each challenge in the trial space, firing arrows or slicing with his spear, running, climbing, and anything he can do to survive. He gained wounds and scars after each one and hardly had time after defeating one threat to handle himself before facing the next one. It was like the old days when he constantly had to rush to fight Nightmare's gang, except he wasn't hopping AUs to do so. He could hardly rest and after a while, he dug out a safe space to do so. With each challenge came more scars, less energy, but also less restraints on him. The record keepers thought they just had to tire him out and that he'd eventually surrender to their expectations, but they underestimated him. He learned to improvise and innovate with his powers, doing what he had to do and after a few hundred challenges, something snapped in him after he had a monster puke chemicals onto him. He killed that beast but was left gasping for air, choking out the chemicals and trying to wipe the burning substances off of him. He hid away in the safe space he made for himself and passed out. For a few moments, his soul stopped beating as it now got contaminated not only by the corruption that makes Agape's consciousness but by these chemicals as well.

Nim immediately sensed this and started weeping in her bed, horrified that something had been done that violated all the rules put in place and everything she did to keep Dream safe. Nightmare also sensed that something was wrong. It was like a part of him was missing. By now a decade has already passed with no news or updates from Will so that solidified the facts for him...thinking that the slim chances actually became a bigger reality. He quickly goes to the house to comfort his mother. Word quickly spread about this feeling they got but Obscuro, Swap, Palette, and Error refused to believe that it was true. They may sense negativity or bad circumstances, but Dream has to be out there. They have to be patient...Don't they?

While this was being debated and the record keepers either panicked about killing a balance keeper or believed they'd won, nobody noticed that Dream's soul started beating again. Not only that but it accepted the chemicals and corruption as part of it now, being a very mixed-color of an apple shining just as brightly as before. He got back up, tending to his scars and wounds while they argued about the next steps, oblivious to his actions or that he lived. Even he can tell that something snapped and he checks himself, then finds that his stats have changed. He now has LV and with that comes more power instead of relying on his aura alone. His aura has also changed and has lost the restrictions it had before, a message even saying that he has reached higher potential than before, allowing him to do more with what he has. He grins, getting up and stepping out for the next challenge, shocking all the record keepers.

"What? I'm still here unless you think I can go live my life again."

That leads to more challenges being thrown at him and years passing in the multiverse despite his best efforts to get things done ASAP. He hopes he isn't leaving his loved ones to wait for too long or this isn't convincing Error that Fate was right about him being a phase. He's determined to return home by any means necessary and quickly thinks of new ways to get through the challenges quicker, testing what he can do or summon.

In his absence, other beings have tried to suggest to Error for him to find a replacement for Dream. Since they can't locate Dream, some figures think that the statue is all that is left of Dream. Others think that it was the roles that attracted them to each other, a foolish thought, so they try to suggest roles of people similar to Dream that Error may be interested in. A few want it to go back to the way it was with destruction and gang battles against the Star Sanses. Error refuses it all and shakes his head, gripping tightly onto anything he has to remind him of Dream and keeping the hope that he will be back soon. He's used to time differences as it works differently in the antivoid than it does for AUs so if he has to deal with a time difference, he will. Not even Ink can annoy him enough to loosen his hopes or fixation on doing what he can to make sure the multiverse is in its best condition when Dream returns. The constant comments do get on his nerves though. He looks through pictures in scrapbooks or code screens and his phone to see memories of Dream.

Nightmare has lost any real hope and has closed himself off for the most part due to this loss, only coming out when his mother or Obscuro needs him. Obscuro watches over Nim as she recovers and fears the loss of Dream, yet he refuses to think of it as possible. He looks after Palette and is basically the glue keeping the family together and keeping them from losing all hope. He has them do activities, take pictures, or spend time together since isolation is the worst thing to do right now and Dream wouldn't want them falling apart. He, Blip, and Swap keep hope alive for their group and try to lift the spirits of those close to them the best they can. If asked by friends about Dream, they say that he will be alright and to just keep hoping since Dream has never failed to return to his family before. Dream is not to be underestimated as they say. Obscuro eliminates any troublemakers who try to spread rumors against that hope or try to take advantage of the situation. Soon enough, Nim heals enough to return to the realm and furiously demand answers. Obscuro considered it as releasing a wild storm because there would be no survivors based on how angry Nim is. He chuckled, saying that those record keepers were definitely doomed to her burning fury. Nothing worse than a mother's fury.

But by the time she healed and went to demand her answers, Dream had finally won and got what he was promised: A way home with the ability to live life as it has been and continue to do so based on their choices, not what's expected. They still called it a fall from grace for him and that he "isn't the same balance keeper" they thought they knew. They said it would be interesting to see how this inevitably fails, obviously being sore losers. Dream is unaware of how much time has passed but couldn't care less for their comments. He promptly turns backward to the portal to face them and salutes them with a smile. Then he hops backward while giving them two middle fingers in the air as he falls through the portal. The record keepers didn't have time to consider his exit because they heard Nim screaming for them and they quickly tore down their secret area and tried to eliminate any evidence of their activities. But the tapestries show everything and Dream's tapestry will never be the same again.

And where does he return?

In the statue that they turned him into. The stones crumble away to free him and he blinks a few times, his eyes adjusting to the sunlight. He checks himself, seeing that his new scars still remain on him from all those challenges. The gardens are neatly kept around him and not even growing on him despite him being in that spot for years. He is relieved that his gaze didn't turn things to stone, indicating that his code was fixed at some point during all that.

Now, where does he begin to reunite with his loved ones?

TBC