It take a while for Cross to make Horror to promise that he wouldn't eat another poor miner.

The other mindless bugs were for him to eat but not the clearly conscientious miners, and with a growl, Horror accepted, but he made clear his unhappiness about it.

"It was just a little bug, no one's going to notice it's not there anymore, have you seen the others miners? All look the same!"

"That's not the problem here, who knows what this bugs have inside, I know that your magic can dissolve almost anything but... please, don't eat the talking bugs, they could be useful to find the rest of us"

"So, if the aren't useful... Can I eat them?"

"...No, we'll find another thing to eat, but for now don't eat the citizens of this place"

Dust just laugh his butt off the whole time, the jerk.

"Shouldn't be you be in charge here, you're the oldest here!" Cross scoffs at him.

"I'M being the oldest, y'all screaming is not necessarily quiet and is this place is not sound proof". And then Dust point out to a little bunch of unconscious miners.

"How—"

"I throw rocks at them, they're not very resistant to damage, but hey! None of them is dust yet, so it's fine"

And it was true, once Cross kick the miners a little, it was clear that they still alive, which was good, they had no need to be criminals so soon after arriving to their new home

Which bring up a new problem.

Their clothes.

Once glance and it was obvious that the clothes they were wearing in the ambush were barely more than rags and would definitely get unwanted attention.

It was good that they come prepared for this.

----------------------------------------------------------

No cost too great.

That was once his justification for all his past actions, that all the decisions he made was for Hallownest, for his subjects' sake...

(For the family he could've had once, but sacrificed in the search of a greater good).

The Pale King was not a saint and whoever tried to say the opposite was a fool or a complete ignorant of his sins and regrets.

The biggest of all was of them to sacrifice his own children to the Abyss and it's God in a desperate attempt to finally get rid of the Infection that was killing his subjects and allies.

He refused to care about the kids (the babies) that tried to reach for his light but end up falling into the darkness of the Abyss.

He refused to see how Ghost, who actually manage to reach his light, just needed a hand to get to the top, but he couldn't force himself to help them, the possibility of having to choose between which child was to become a living weapon and who could have the chance to be a child.

(Because that would be like admitting that both of them were children, whose childhood he was stealing from them).

He refused to acknowledge Hallow's obvious conscious and feelings, trying to make them into a true Hollow Vessel.

(All for nothing).

He refuse to pay attention to the informs that report have seen Vessels like Hallow around the Kingdom.

But once the Shade Lord, highest of all the Beings, almost killed him for daring to steal his void, Hallow stepped up front to defend him... That was the moment were he could no longer force himself to be blind of his mistakes.

His heart hurts just by thinking on the deal he made with the God.

The promise that the Infection and the Moth Goddess would disappear forever from his kingdom but he should gave up all the void things and beings that he had made.

Including the children that he barely get to know when they were mere eggs and that now probably would never met them.

He didn't need his future vision to tell him that.

But it was fine, it was what he deserves for how much he hurt them in the little time they had been alive.

The fact that Hallow and Ghost had enough forgiveness on them to come and tried to let him repair his relationship with them was more than enough and he would be dammed if let himself fail them again.

Which led him to today, with Ghost talking about these "new siblings" that their other father discovered.

Vessels that he NOT made, he made sure that every piece of void in his power were returned to the Abyss, no exceptions.

Which lead to the question; who made them then?

Who was stupid enough to make the same mistake than him? Who's poor children were sacrifice to create them?

And with which purpose?He was desperate when he did that, trying to defeat the Radiance once and for all, when he decided to create the Vessels., what would lead to another bug or even another Higher Being to do something even remotely similar to that?

Was it to stop something similar to the Infection?

Or was it some fool playing God, or thinking they could just steal from the Abyss without consequences?

In the end, it didn't matter, the damage was done in more than one sense and it wasn't really his business to discover the reason behind the existence of this new Vessels.

But it was his business and duty to make sure these Vessels were return to the Abyss as soon and in the best health as possible.

---------------------------------------------------------------

"You really are going to keep that smelly hoodie? "Cross didn't even try to hide his disgust to the idea.

They had move away from the 'miner zone' and found a place to change their new clothes out of their dimensional pockets, and for the sounds of the wind not too far way, Cross was almost sure they were close of an exit from this caves.

Him and Horror were already in their new clothes, cloaks and pants that just slightly resembled their old ones. Horror still having an enormous fluff in his cloak's neck, a simple held by a rock with a bug shape similar to the one Cross have on his and the one Cross had a "X" pattern as always.

They also had shirts in their pockets, but given that for what they had seen from the miners, more or less clothes weren't gonna be a problem, so why not enjoy their new exoskeleton and all the extra protection that brings?

So why not enjoy and show off their new exoskeletons to the world?

(He already wanted to see any of Ink's minions try to break his ribs to "calm him down" now! He want to see them follow them to this multiverse and that try to subdue them now that the greatest weakness that all the "sans" possess can no longer be exploited by them!)

Cross was not surprise by Dust not wanting to be shirtless, his brother was content just being in the background and not draw too much attention on himself given what his last experience being in the 'spotlight' was.

But he was confused about him not wanting to change his upper clothes at all and just keep his old hoodie.

He was completely sure that Dust have his cloaks and shirts in his dimensional pocket, they check more than once to bring everything with them when left the castle, so what was the issue here?

"...I like... this hoodie?". Dust said, or rather, asks, clearly not wanting to share the real reason. And Cross really, really wanted to push further the issue, and for the look in his face, Horror wanted too, but maybe this wasn't the right place to do it.

(Once they find where Killer, Nightmare and Error were, they would talk about it, maybe Error or Nightmare would knew the reason behind Dust's decision).

But for now...

"...Okay, good, but don't think this will stay like this".

"I wouldn't believe it if you said otherwise ...". It was said as Dust relaxed, clearly relieved that he didn't have to talk about feelings so soon in this new world and if it weren't for the talk involving one of his brothers, Cross would also be very happy to avoid it.

(But he had promised himself years ago that he would not be like his Papyrus, that his brothers would never find anything but an understanding and caring if they ever come to him with confusion and doubts).

(Their worries and doubts would definitely never be met with hundreds of blasters fired at full power at them, oh gods, that image took years to finally left his nightmares, the people who he believed family, his own fucking brother, they try to kill him, they didn't even hesitated before try it—

—He don't even remember why that happen, all his memories from his formal AU are feelings of pure betrayal and disbelief, black and white spilled with purple.

Except that moment, a spear, Undyne, blasters, so many of them, his brother don't even looking at him before shooting—

If Error hadn't appeared after he took his Chara's soul—

If Mom hadn't feel pity for him and cured him with her void—

he—).

—He feel arms around him.

"—things you see." That sounded like Horror's voice.

Oh.

Oh, he was having one of those episodes again.

"—lease Cross, try to breath, tell me 5 things you see." There it was again his voice, this time, clearer.

He tried to take deep breaths, breathe, and after a few minutes, he was able to respond to Horror's question.

"I see, I see those pink crystals that are all over here, I can see you, I can see Dust, I see, I see the exit of the cave, and... Horror."

"Yes Cross?" His older brother's voice was low and calm as always, and with the adrenaline that now was starting to build in him, he could feel Dust gently rubbing circles on his back, he could practically feel his head trying to convince him that somehow Cross's panic attack was his fault, hearing the voices of monsters who never deserved his loyalty.

"There is someone at the entrance of the cave."

Silence.

Two glances followed Cross's.

And there he was, maybe half Cross's height, pure black body and a... mask? A mask white with two eyes as black as her mother's void looking direct at them.

And in normal situations, Cross would be more caution of them, he would get defensive, he'll wait for an attack.

But in his current state, his mental defenses lowered, more attached to his instincts than he normally would be.

He could only see this stranger and the void inside him just see them and just one word come to his mind—

S̷̡̫̠͇̘̮͙͒̓̈́͗̿̇͑͋ͅi̴̠̻͑͋̏́b̴̨̜̖̙̳̘̈́͑l̶̳͍̜̦̽͗̈́͝ĭ̶͕͉͚͐͐̃̀͊̑̕n̴̨̪̺̫͔̣͎͖̂͐̋̔͋̈́͘͘g̴̦͇̤͖̑̽̽͋͠͝.̸̹̰͙̦̔̆̚͝ͅ

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Man this got dark pretty fast, didn't it?

Pale King is really difficult to write, I rewrite his POV like 6 times and I'm still not convinced from this ver, but I'm finally on vacations and wanted to update this, so.

If someone is interested bc it doesn't get really explain here, the reason Cross had a "random" meltdown was bc back in Voidverse he was mostly repressing his trauma in fear of Ink catching him if ever let himself being 'weak' and now that his brain finally got the memo that they were safe decided that this was the perfect moment to let it out all, Dust decision was just the trigger to it.

In other things, next chapter is a little Reaper POV and the beginning to Ink and co's fall.