Abyss woke with a start, almost falling off the surface of what he was curled up on. He sat up, looking around. But.. Wait.

He wasn't at home.

He seemed to be in a huge black void, judging from the view outside the glassless windows of the room he was inside. It confused him until he realized what he had been resting on.

Looking up, he saw that it was a larger-than-average throne with a half-moon engraved into the very top of the headrest, which reached up over three feet over Abyss's head. Of course, he realized, it was Nightmare's.

Confusion gripped Abyss as he shifted off the throne and looked around the room, which was illuminated only by numerous torches lit from wall to wall.

Abyss remembered only some of this. The throne room was no longer as vast as it used to be. Nightmare must have made additions to his castle over the years. He walked around the room a bit more then ventured further, into the hallway.

The eeriness of this entire place was unsettling. How could Nightmare - the usually upbeat, laid-back Nightmare, stand it here? There was only a dim light throughout the halls. The only noise in Nightmare's custom palace was the crackling of the flames from the wall-torches, and the occasional echo of something unknown down the long corridor. That in itself was disturbing.

Wandering aimlessly, Abyss came across a large doorway with a flight of stairs leading so far down, the bottom couldn't even be seen.

Tilting his head, Abyss took a step down. But before he could go any further, he felt a firm hand grasp his shoulder out of literally nowhere. Abyss jumped about a meter into the air before whirling around, eyes wide in alarm.

"N-Nightma-!"

"Never go down there." Nightmare's voice was quiet and kind as always, yet this time he had a firm and commanding edge to his aura and his tone. It was kind of creepy to Abyss.

The winged Sans' brow furrowed. "Why no-?"

"Because you're on my property and I asked you not to ever go down these stairs. Please just don't question it. It's better that way."

"...O-Okay."

Nightmare paused and nodded. "Thank you."

Abyss glanced once more down the stairs but this perturbed Nightmare. So, taking Abyss by the hand, Nightmare led the way down the corridor, occasionally giving a small sigh about something on his mind.

"So..." Abyss began, addressing something he'd been confused about since he woke, "How did I get here? When did you bring me here?"

Nightmare glanced back at Abyss unnoticeably. "I was showing Dust around here when I felt a boatload of negative energy coming from your AU. I thought nothing of it, thought I was just going crazy, then YOUR negative feelings in particular started being clearer to me. I got to your AU as fast as I could... When I got there with Dust, you were just collapsing onto the ground. Killer was behind you. He was about to cut one of your wings clean off with a gnarly-looking knife... I attacked him." Nightmare glanced away nervously as if ATTACK wasn't quite the appropriate word. "...I brought you back here to rest until you woke up. Dust stayed back in Abysstale to...take care of something."

"What...did you do to Killer?" Abyss asked Nightmare quietly.

Nightmare looked away. "Enough. I did enough."

"Nightmare... There's something you're not telling me..."

"What I did is not important, Abyss. You're safe. That's what matters."

"What did you do him, Nightmare?!"

"I did what I had to do. What does it matter to you?" Nightmare was clearly trying hard to keep his composure.

"It does matter to me! What have you done, Nightmare??" Abyss pressed aggressively.

"Nothing!" Nightmare shouted.

"Lies! Tell me what you really did!"

"You're killing me here!"

"TELL me!"

"I stabbed his soul, okay?!" Nightmare snapped angrily, yanking away from Abyss, "I fucking stabbed him in the soul!! Happy?!"

Abyss gasped and held his hands over his mouth. "Th-..." He stepped back. "The soul...?" He rested a hand over where his soul was, on his chest, as if he felt the pain of a bone to the soul as well.

Nightmare shook his head angrily. "I told you. I did what I had to. Just... Go wander around or whatever. You can stay here as long as you want." He turned away. "Don't go downstairs."

"N-Nightmare wait, I-"

Nightmare held up a hand to Abyss, not facing him, and teleported away.

"N...Nightmare..." Abyss's trembling hands lowered. He took a few steps back, wings curling around himself like a cocoon of feathers. "...I'll just... be in the throne room," he said to no one. Then he turned and headed back to the room he woke up in.

* * *

"So, I'll go to the Save Screen and start up a conversation, then I'll ask him to come with me to Overtale. Just... Wait behind a tree or something until I get there. Okay?" Ink said to Error, a concentrated look on his face.

"Don't give me orders..." Error grumbled. Ink rolled his eyes.

"Come on. Do you want me to do this or not?" Ink asked pressingly. Error grouched.

"Whatever. Okay."

"Thank you." Ink continued explaining, Error slowly nodding along in understanding with him.

"So basically I just wait in Overtale until you two appear there?" Error asked the question more like a statement, to which Ink nodded.

"Yes. Just wait. It shouldn't take long. Especially now that he knows he can leave without getting killed. So just be patient for a while until I get him there."

"...Okay."

Ink stood up. "Ready?"

Error stood as well and looked down at the shorter skeleton. "What? We're going now?"

"Well, yeah. Might as well not procrastinate right?" Ink smiled calmly. "Let's go."

"Um. I guess. Okay." Error opened a portal for Overtale. He looked at Ink. "...This isn't some trick to escape, is it? You'll really bring him?"

"I promise you, I will bring Geno to Overtale. And I'll even stay your prisoner afterward if that's what you wish." Ink offered Error a wink. "And you can ask anyone around the multiverse; I never, ever break promises."

Error looked a bit emotional, but only a split second passed before he turned away so Ink couldn't see it. He nodded. "Good. Because I... I'll hunt you down otherwise and I won't have mercy on you next time, if you try anything funny." Error's voice was barely threatening. In fact, he was glitching nervously.

Ink smiled. "Just go into Overtale and wait. I'll be there with Geno in a few minutes."

Error nodded and left quickly. Ink teleported into the Save Screen, glancing around for Geno until he spotted him a few yards away.

"Geno!" Ink called, jogging over.

Geno jumped and whirled around, his face saturating with relief. "Ink!"

Ink was confused as to why Geno was looking like he'd been previously desperate to be saved from something until Creation spotted a Sans floating near Geno. The Sans' cloak was so black it blended in with the background of the Save Screen. Geno stood, rubbing his face as if trying to erase the blush from it. Behind him, Reaper Sans was grinning. Must be a them thing, Ink concluded.

"Err... Oh, am I interrupting something?" Ink asked, giving an awkward smile. Geno shook his head.

"N-No! Actually, this dunce was just leaving..." Geno turned and tried to push Reaper away as if to say. Out! Get out! But the Grim Reaper acted as though he felt nothing.

"Oh, yeah, sure Geno. I can go. Thanks for asking so nicely." Death snickered. Geno groaned.

"Please leave me alone for now, Death, I'm begging you!"

Reaper's mouth curved into a sadistic grin. "I love hearing you beg."

This made Geno's face burn deep red and made Ink murmur a quiet, surprised, "Oh my..."

"I swear to God! Get out!!" Geno turned his back on Reaper to face Ink, an embarrassed smile on his face that was clearly slightly forced. "Wh-What can I- o-Oh- Oh God, what happened to-" Geno's eye went wide. "Ink, your eye!"

Ink blinked and tilted his head. "Oh... I just got... Punched. A little. What, does it look bad...?"

Geno kind of nervously half-smiled. "There's only... A huge crack in your face... You look half-Gaster but um. It's fine."

"Well that's okay. It'll probably heal eventually." Ink shrugged it off.

"Oh... Um.. Okay. Well obviously you came for a reason so... What can I do for you?"

"A-Ah... Perhaps we can take this somewhere a bit less... Uh.." Ink scratched the back of his neck, a nervous smile etched across his face as he glanced at Reaper.

Geno blinked and nodded. He turned to Reaper. "You heard him! Three's a crowd! Shoo! Git! Git!" Geno was lightly smacking Reaper on the arms and chest multiple times but it barely fazed the god. Geno grumbled, pressing his temples as though he were stressed beyond belief.

"Oh, I was thinking, like, an AU?" Ink asked, glancing at Reaper as he added, "Without him, perhaps..?"

Geno raised his eyebrows. "...Oh. Sure. Where are we going?"

Ink smiled. "You'll see. There's, ah... Someone in a certain AU who's wanting to see you."

Geno's face lit up. Ink understood why. These days, Geno didn't really have much company besides the constant Grim Reaper always hanging around. To him, today must be like Christmas.

"Oh, sure." Geno headed over to Ink, a happy bounce in his step. "Who is it?"

Ink winked. "You'll see."

Behind them, Reaper saluted. "I'll just be here," he called, "slacking off from my job until you get back~"

Geno's cheeks turned red. He pretended like he didn't hear Death. "L-Let's head out, then," Geno suggested. Ink nodded and rested his hand on Geno's shoulder, teleporting them both to Overtale where, in the next ten minutes, anything could happen.

---END OF CHAPTER TEN---

(A/N: You'll understand the first half of the chapter better if you get the chess reference in the title XD and it's also a pun so you're welcome for that~"