*Warning! Graphic depictions of injuries, blood, and depressing thoughts. Proceed with caution!*

It had been a week since I had met Reaper. I knew he wouldn't be foolish enough to stick around when I destroyed that AU, but I hadn't seen him since. I was grateful, because that meant he wouldn't try to slice me to bits with that scythe of his. I hadn't run into Inky or his lackeys either, but that wasn't a surprise. I had been ahead on my destroying quota for awhile. Besides, they can't track me if I'm too fast to catch while I'm destroying.

I reluctantly chose to destroy a copy of Fellswap Gold. I had just gotten through Waterfall and was heading to Snowdin to destroy it. I broke down the door to the skeleton brothers' house, looking for the Papyrus of the AU. His status as the Judge made him dangerous, as he could alert Inky or his friends who would try and drive me out of the AU before I can destroy it. The voices buzzed in my head, urging me onwards, and I didn't see the fist coming straight for my face.

*Crack!*

I grunted as Sans' fist connected with my jaw, sending me flying backwards. Blow after blow had me stumbling back, until my back hit the table behind me. I glanced briefly at the single item on it: a cactus. On the pot was a name tag that read "Spiky", and below it was a note saying "Papyrus, water your damn plant!" 

I turned my attention to Sans and dodged a few more hits, but one caught me square in the chest. It knocked the air out of me, and I collapsed to the ground trying to catch my breath. Sans grabbed hold of my neck and pulled me up while I gasped for air, and took the opportunity to shove that damned cactus down my throat. I choked and gagged as tears poured down my cheeks, the sharp spines of the cactus tearing a bloody path through my mouth. Through the blinding pain, I managed to summon a bone and throw it at Sans, putting some distance between us. I ripped the bloodstained plant out of my mouth, coughing out spines and blood. I looked up right as Sans' boot struck me in the head, knocking me back into the table. Enough force had been in that kick to make my head pound, and as I dizzy and disoriented as I was, I tried to get up. A bone was plunged into my chest, preventing me from standing as Sans stood over me.

I couldn't scream in pain without inflaming my destroyed throat, so I gasped as Sans stepped on my bleeding chest. He smirked, clearly expecting me to start dusting any second. I wished I could, but I knew even this wouldn't kill me. I brought a shaky hand to my face and trapped Sans in a web of strings, standing up unsteadily. I pulled the bone from my chest with a painful groan, blood dripping from the wounds. I raised my eyelights to look at my prisoner, seeing only fear in his eyes. His eyelights reminded me of that little skeleton child, and I realized with a jolt that he had family, too. His brother would most likely come looking for him, and would find out he was killed. 

"I-I'm so-rry," I looked away as I shot a bone through him, glancing back to watch the last of his corpse turn to dust. I fell to my knees, gripped by a coughing fit as the stupid cactus spines lodged themselves in my throat and partially into my ribs. Everything hurt. It hurt so much to breathe, it hurt to make any sound. I forced myself to get up and leave, knowing the voices would get angry if I didn't get moving.

I left the house and moved farther into Snowdin, blowing up buildings as I went. I didn't pay much attention to where I was going until something wet and searing hot hit me from behind. I hissed in pain as Inky's red paint burned through to my bones, then turned around. Inky stood near the brothers' house, Papyrus soon following him. His eyesockets had tears in them, and I couldn't help the sharp pang of remorse from entering my soul. He... must've found Sans. I prepared for the inevitable fight just as Inky charged.

"Error, stop this!" the small creator cried. He slammed his paintbrush into my shoulder, sending me skidding across the ground and dislocating my shoulder badly. I only had a moment to glance at the damage before stumbling backward to avoid more red paint. I used my undamaged arm to manipulate my strings into a whip, and slashed Inky in the face. He yelped in pain, but recovered quickly and sprayed more paint at me. He yelled out as he finally got close enough to swipe his giant paintbrush over my eyesockets. In spite of the condition my throat was in, I screamed in pain, trying my hardest to wipe out the red hot liquid. I could feel it sear into my eyes and hands, and when I opened my eyesockets, everything was dark. I tried wiping at my eyesockets more, thinking there was more paint in them, but it didn't work.

It was all dark.

I-I can't see.

I can't see!

I CAN'T SEE!!!

My breathing quickened when I realized what had happened. Inky blinded me! I couldn't see, I couldn't dodge attacks, I couldn't defend myself, I was helpless! I cried out as something hit me in the leg, and I fell to the ground, whimpering in pain. I clumsily scooted backwards, hoping I was getting away from Inky. I held my left arm close to my chest, frantically thinking of how I would defend myself with only an arm and a leg.

Inky shook his head at Fellswap Papyrus disapprovingly. The tall skeleton had wanted to get his revenge on the heartless bastard who had taken his brother from him, and Inky couldn't fault him for that. He was equally upset with Error's actions, but he had the decency not to attack out of hatred or vengeance. Still, he was getting tired of creating a new AU when Error destroyed another one. He missed the days of peace and prosperity in the multiverse, and though he didn't wish Error dead no matter what he did, he was getting more than a little annoyed with the destroyer's obstinance.

Inky readied another attack, glancing at his opponent and frowning. That's... odd. Error's eyelights were normally visible. They've never gone out before, so what gives? He watched as the glitch stood up, noting with a hint of concern that the destroyer's leg was bleeding heavily, his shoulder was bent wrong, and Inky swore he could hear a faint wheezing that was growing in volume as the seconds passed. He looked terrified out of his mind, and Inky didn't know if it was pity or suspicion that compelled him to wonder what was wrong.

He splashed some paint at Error, but to his surprise, the glitch didn't attempt to dodge. "Uh, Error-?"

"I CAN'T SEE!!!" the destroyer yelled out in a panic. Inky cringed from how scared, broken, and raspy his voice sounded. It was normally glitchy and difficult to understand at all, but this made it sound like he had deepthroated a cactus!

Inky shook his head. Error was likely trying to lower his guard by appearing defenseless. He didn't buy it for a second, and pointed his paintbrush in the glitch's direction. "Nice try, Error. I'm not falling for your lame tricks!"

I turned my head quickly, trying to pinpoint Inky's voice. Does he really think I'm in any position to trick him?! I admit, I had done that in the past, trying to throw him off my trail, but surely he could see that I was not joking! I frantically summoned as many bones as I could and shot them out, trying to hit something, anything! I couldn't see the attack coming, but I knew the familiar blunt force of Inky's giant paintbrush as it hit me full in the face. I was sent flying backwards, rolling to a stop onto my bad shoulder, groaning in pain. I scrambled to my feet and tried to limp away, but I slipped on a slope and fell into freezing cold water. The cold surrounded me as I flailed my limbs to try and get to the surface to breathe, but thought better of it. Maybe this would finally kill me.

Inky cried out in alarm as he watched the destroyer fall into the river. He raced to the water's edge, searching for any sign of Error. Nothing.

'Where did he go?!' he thought fearfully. He stayed by the riverside for half an hour, waiting to see if Error would resurface before giving up hope. If Error didn't show up in a day or two, he thought sadly, he would know why. He reluctantly stood up and made a portal to Dreamtale, wondering if he had underestimated Error's injuries.

I washed up on the shores of Waterfall and dragged myself out of the the warmer water. I was shivering, my throat and shoulder throbbed in pain, and my bleeding chest stung from the cold water. I wished I had drowned, or frozen to death. It would have been better than this.

Blind.

Wounded.

Broken.

I lay on the ground for awhile, my eyesockets growing heavier and heavier. Before I could stop myself, I fell asleep for the first time in decades.

... ... ...

Once again. I stood beneath the yellowish sky. AUs floated closer and closer together. I couldn't tear my eyes away as they collided. Hundreds were destroyed. Faster than I could ever take them out. The scrolls of paper as long as my arm seemed to cry out. Their children had died. My soul twisted in agony. They were young. New. They didn't deserve to die. Who did this to them?

A voice. "This is what will happen if you don't destroy, Error." It's the kind voice.

"I know it's hard now, but it will get better." Another voice. Stern. But also gentle. A contradiction. "You just need to be strong for a little while longer. Channel the Patience you were born with, and I will reward you."

... ... ...

I jolted awake as the chaos of a thousand malicious voices screamed in my nonexistent ears. My face contorted painfully as I struggled to get up, tears of exhaustion and agony springing up in my eyesockets.

'About time you wake up, you miserable, lazy piece of shit!'

'You haven't finished destroying this anomaly, so get going!'

"I-I'm... going...." I wheezed, backtracking to Snowdin to finish what I started. The whole time, I thought about that strange dream, wondering what it meant. It could be a trick, some illusion that somebody is casting on me. But, if the kind voice and its apparent companion had been helping me from the beginning, then surely I could trust them! They had helped me out of the Anti-Void, they'll do it again, right?

It was probably false hope, though. Nothing ever really goes my way.

_______________________________________

SPEEEEEEED, I AM SPEED-

I have the Super Star from Mario and I am DESTROYING my obstacles today! Rather short chapter this time, but it's picking up in the next chapter, which I will try to do, tonight. No matter how long it takes me, I am gonna try to upload uhhh, is it two chapters so far today? Imma get to three so I can sleep somewhat soundly. By somewhat, I mean barely at all cuz it's fucking roasting in my room and I wanna jump in a freezing cold ice bath