Chapter Text
~OG Multiverse~
How you got yourself tangled up in this mess, you’ll never know.
Before you stood some sort of twisted, evil god, offering you -his prisoner- his Soul in some deranged act of defiance against his enemies. The apple seemed to glow, yet sucked in the light around it at the same time. The odd purple and green shine to it made you think of how old cartoons depicted curses and magical poisons. A fitting Soul for the vile scum of the earth in standing in front of you.
“Take it.” Nightmare hissed, black sludge sliding off his form and plopping wetly on the stone floor beneath you. Glowing golden arrows stuck out of his body like porcupine quills, casting the horrific scene in a jarringly soft lighting. The cracked and broken bones the bastard king stood on gave you a perverse sense of satisfaction. After everything he and his men had done to you, it was the least he deserved.
Reaching forward, you grasped the shiny black apple. It slid into your hand as you eyed the thing like it was some kind of pit viper. The slimy god's hand slipped from his Soul as he collapsed in agony, writhing in pain. The castle shook with a sound like thunder as the battle raged outside the king’s office. It seemed as though his brother was done taking the high road.
You had seen the power Nightmare had paraded around more than once. You seen first hand how he tore through a battle field. How he manipulated the minds around him with his magic. the way he could silence a room just by stepping into it. How he could open a door to any world, travel to any universe. You couldn’t deny, the offer was tempting. To have all that strength for yourself. All that magic. All that presence. The fear you could wield. The chaos you could cause. The freedom you could have. And all you had to do was eat a single, willing, Soul.
So, just commit an act that went against nature itself. No big deal.
Your stomach churned with uncertainty as you turned your gaze down to the dying skeleton on the floor. Could you make this choice? His single remaining eye stared, unfocused as he squirmed and groaned in agony. It wasn't like you hadn't done horrific things in the name of power before. His brother’s positivity was too deep in his system to save him even if you wanted to. And you really, really didn’t want to. It was just one Soul.
You frowned down at the fruit in contemplation. Who's to say his brother, or his brother’s allies, wouldn’t kill you too? You’d only heard rumors of the so-called guardian of hope. How did you know he would free you and let you leave? You weren’t exactly a paragon of good yourself. You were a serial killer and a vicious terrorist, a blight on your world. Nightmare had taken you from your Au because you were such a dark well of negativity that he could go for days just feeding off of your aura.
You didn’t want to end up in another cell. Or worse, on death row.
You wanted to live.
Despite the black, bruise-like appearance, the fruit crunched under your teeth crisply. (The texture almost reminded you of home. The little apples you mother would slice for your snacks.) As soon as the taste hit your tongue, you recoiled and had to force yourself not to spit it out in surprise. The Soul tasted absolutely nothing like an apple. Instead, a bitter, flowery sort of flavor filled your mouth as you chewed. The sounds of combat drawing closer as you ate, sending a burst of anxiety through your veins as you chewed faster.
Once you reached the core, the last of the Soul melted in your hands. You yelped in surprise as it turned to goop and flew straight into your chest. You fought off an involuntary gag as the wet, cold substance squirmed inside you and worked itself into your own Soul. Nightmare let out a blood-curdling shriek before falling still, his corpse fading to goo and dust. You panted, shuddering in disgust at the slop on the floor (it was oozing into your shoe. You had corpse matter soaking your socks.).
Then the pain hit.
You were melting. Your skin looked like it was sliding off your red human black flesh as it fused with your bones. Your vision turned dark and wavy, shadows stretching and clawing at air before your very eyes. You could see it all. The darkness, the pain, the fear swam in your vision and tore at your mortal mind, ripping it apart piece by piece. The world around you shifted and swayed as your head hit stone with a solid thunk. Frantic, you scrabbled at the floor with your nails claws talons. Your Soul seemed to ache and freeze and drop all at the same time. Nausea settled in your gut, forcing you to retch up the black gunk that blocked your airways. Aching, endless, agonizing cold filled your body from head to toe. You shuddered, teeth bones fangs sinking into your tongue and lips as they chattered uncontrollably. Tears streamed down your face as you desperately cried out for help. Only a weak rasp made it past your lips.
Something clattered off the desk in the midst of your writhing. You only noticed because of the thunderous sound it made as it hit the floor, and the sudden sensation of falling that came after. Everything turned dark as you fell into some sort of bland, terrible abyss. You shook and choked and sobbed in agony as you floated through the nothingness, your very body and Soul being rewritten. In the very back of your desperate mind, you begged for some sort of relief. For anyone to come to your rescue.
There. Warmth. Light. Calling for you. Sweetly echoing in your ears.
Desperately, you reached for it. A drowning Soul’s final desperate attempt at salvation. At life.
The light reached back. And. You. Could. Breathe.