Karma is determined to travel again, even insisting on doing it alone. He sure everything will go fine!...so why is he still so scared?

——-

Between Omniverses

"Are you sure you still want to do this, little crow? It hasn't been that long since-"

"Yep! I'm sure dad. Please? I'll have Nix with me and i can call you through the bond if i need help"

Karma really wanted to go somewhere by himself, to prove that to his dad that he could do it..but mainly for himself. He didn't like living in fear and knew something new needed to be done.

"..and you still want to go there? There is much nicer places to go for your first trip, little raven~"

"Yep! I'm sure. You should stop worrying, dad. I will be fine "

...At least, Karma hoped he would be and might have forgotten to mention that he hadn't studied what this multiverse would be like, at all. He only knew two things really: that dad had planned to take him there at some point and that the Balance was well managed, so it should be a nice simple trip.

"I'll be fine! I promise to call you if i want to leave, dad"

He felt slightly guilty at the little white lie, as he didnt want to have to rely on anyone for this trip. A meow interrupted his thoughts and he amended his trail of thought. He didn't want to rely on anyone but himself and Nix. He grinned as his familiar brushed against his legs, knowing they would always be there.

Oneiro sighed but could see the stubborn glint in his child's eyelight, so let it be. It's not like Traveller hadn't also looked over the place beforehand but he still worried. He wasn't blind to their uncertainty and would make sure to keep a close eye on them, just in case.

Crouching down he checked them over and made sure they had everything, before nuzzling them, smiling as they giggled happily. Standing back up he waved his hand to create a portal, watching as they nervously walked towards it.

"Don't forget. I am just a call away~"

Curse Multiverse

Karmas wings twitched as he stepped out of the portal, his breath stuttering as he tensed at the new surroundings. He narrowed his sockets and scanned the area, mentally confirming what his dad had said about the Balance, making his wings to lower from their alert position.

"It's rather quiet here, Nix. Where do you think we should go?"

Nix meowed and sniffed the air, leading their monster to somewhere nicer. It smelled too much of death here and his monster was far too tense for his liking.

Karma gave one last suspicious look to the area and began following Nix, his Judgement magic slowly trickling out of him in his paranoia. Maybe he should have stayed with dad and brother longer...

He shook those thoughts off and steadied his breath, determined to do this. He needed a break from everyone he knew, to get over this stupid fear of people! Was it really stupid, if he had lived through so much?

...he sometimes wished he was back in the darkness again.

Of course he never told anyone, knowing it would only worry them but he had to admit that life would have definitely been much simpler.

He was so distracted with his thoughts that he accidently bumped into someone, flinching away from their hands, as they helped to steady him.

"..Sorry"

Dream didn't have time to give a reply as the babybones sped off and quickly blended in with the crowd, still in shock at what had happened. By the time it wore off he spun around frantically, trying to look for the child. He had to tell the others!

-

Karma was unnerved by the crowds, thankful for his small size as he could weave through them with ease, trying his best to avoid touching anyone else. He was already embarrassed he had run into a Dream variant and also unnerved .

When he nearly bumped into someone again , he sharply swerved to a side alley and out of the crowds, hiding behind a building to catch his breath. He sighed as he turned invisible, feeling a weight fall off him. There had been far too many eyes on him but now things should be easier.

He began to float and focused on Nix, letting them lead him but paused when they reached a random portal, looking down at them in confusion. He stepped back onto the ground and paused before entering, staring at it in unease.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Nix meowed and nudged his legs, calmly looking back at him with their ghostly eyes with error symbols. He sighed but in the end he trusted them, in the next second stepping through the portal, tension leaving his form as he sensed fewer SOULS nearby.

He slowly walked around what looked like the Underground, humming at all the sights. It didn't look any different to what he was used to but the familiarity was nice, calming to his overwhelmed mind.

"Oh...well that explains it"

He stared at the white cracks in reality, realising that this AU was on its way to collapsing. He looked around to see if there were any portals opened but pouted when there were none in sight. Guess he was stuck here until it naturally dropped into the AntiVoid.

He made his way to a nearby bench and sat down, Nix jumping onto his lap. He mindlessly stroked them, briefly looking up when a corrupted Nightmare sat beside him but went back to staring at the white cracks, which were growing larger by the second.

It was oddly hypnotic to watch.

He wasn't worried about going into the AntiVoid, as he had visited the place with his dad and brother a few times since the incident . He also had many options to leave, his pin glinting as a reminder of a guaranteed escape and Nix would be with him, so he wouldn't be totally alone. He had many options but he didn't really want to use any of them, not yet at least.

It hadn't even been a day since he left the inbetween and he refused to call for help, until he absolutely had to.

He was still annoyed he would most likely be stuck in the AntiVoid for a bit but he could do this!

He unthinkably pushed the tentacle that got too close to him away, using his wings to prevent the rest getting close. He squeaked in alarm when one circled around his waist, gripping onto it tightly in shock. He shivered at the touch, burying his face in Nix fur and trying to remember to breathe. His magic said this monster was not a threat to him but his mind went into overdrive, all his fears being pushed to the forefront of his mind.

He was fine, they weren't hurting him, there was no need to panic

...he was going to pass out.

-

Karma woke up on something soft and tried to move away from the fluffy thing tickling his face. He let out a sneeze and sat up, realising it was Nix rubbing against him. He was feeling in a daze, unsure what had happened and looked at the room, hoping to get some answers.

The bed, which he was puzzled to be on in the first place, was quite large, easily able to fit five of him. Black and gold seemed to be the only colour used for decoration, with a bizarre amount of apple imagery scattered around. He cautiously stood up and made his way to the lit fireplace, stretching out his wings to get some warmth.

He felt so cold and sat on the ground, ignoring the door completely.

He had no clue how long he sat there, staring at the fire, when he heard a click before the door opened. He turned his skull to look, blankly watching as a black tentacle slithered in, dropping off a plate of food beside him. He didn't react as it carefully pat his head before leaving, the door closing once again.

He was oddly tired and drained, seeing no point in moving. He went back to watching the fire, blocking out Nix pleas to eat.

He hated how hard he was finding things and how his first day out he panicked, feeling a sense of shame overcome him. He loved his family but the conflicting memories made such a mess of contradictions it hurt . He couldn't stay away from the world forever, already feeling guilty he had forced brother and dad to stay confined inside for so long.

Time passed and he stopped reacting when the door opened, not even trying to move. He did take out his rainbow bear plushy though, holding it tight whenever he fell asleep by the fireplace, somehow always ending up on the bed afterwards.

Nix looked content to stay here, so he didn't have to worry about them, tiredly nuzzling his bear.

-

It was another day doing the same thing, when the door opened but this time steps were heard. Karma folded his wings tight behind him but not much else, not even turning towards them.

"I like your bear, little one"

Karma looked up, seeing the same corrupted Nightmare from before standing by the door. He found it easy to look at them, with their appearance not causing a mess of contradictory emotions in his mind. He didn't spend much time near corrupted Nightmares when he was with them.

"Thank you..."

He felt a tad dizzy lately but he assumed that was due to keeping his Judgement magic on constantly, so just ignored it.

"Will you eat anything today?"

He shrugged and turned away, done with the conversation.

"How about leaving the room? You could go outside..or perhaps the library?"

He felt a spark of interest in the idea and looked them over, trying to gauge how truthful they were being. He saw them twitch but otherwise look calm, as if not caring either way.

"The library?"

"Fine choice. Let me lead the way"

Karma stood up, having to grab onto the bed frame to keep from falling down. Holding his plushy he made his way to the door, relieved when they didn't stand close to him. He quietly followed them to the library, unsurprised to notice that the layout was what he expected. The homes of the Balancers rarely differed much and he let out a chirp when he spotted all the books.

"Pick whatever you want. I will be in the room next door, if you need me"

-

Karma had been here for a week and he decided it wasn't so bad. He spent most of the time in the library, taking his time to look over all the books. He was in no rush to leave and this Nightmare was surprisingly accommodating, revealing that he had been using their personal room for his stay.

He even started having meals with them, slowly getting used to being near another monster again.

..he was not happy that his routine changed when another monster arrived. He was startled when he spotted the Positivity Guardian he bumped into again, making sure to avoid them whenever he could. Getting along with one monster was more than enough for him!

-

"-then he went down the road, hoping to find his way home"

He was sleepily leaning against Nightmare in their office, as it was one of the few places that Dream didnt go into. He yawned as they continued reading out loud, purring as he felt a tentacle gently brush against his wings.

Their calm voice with the safety they exuded, let him lower his guard. Without realising it his Judgment magic turned off, letting his body relax from the excessive magic he had been using the past few weeks.

He grumbled when he found himself on their lap, burying himself in their chest to block out the light. He slowly relaxed again when they continued reading out loud, feeling very close to sleeping right here.

"Little one. I have some news"

He sleepily hummed to show he was listening but did not move otherwise.

"Some of my friends will be visiting soon and i was wondering if you fancy meeting them"

Karma felt his calm evaporate, tensing right back up.

"You don't have to see them! I just wanted to inform you, as you are staying here"

"Are you kicking me out?"

"No! I just thought you would like some company. I know you don't get on well with Dream-"

Karma made a face at the observation, unwilling to admit why he was having such issues with them, sighing tiredly as they continued. This was feeling a lot like a sales pitch at this point and the thought brought an unwilling smile to his face, helping to relax him some.

"-but i thought perhaps you would get on with the others. They are friendly and i'm sure you would have fun"

He considered it and quietly asked if they would be there, not feeling an ounce of embarrassment for clinging to the nearest adult for stability. He had gotten used to Nightmare and didn't flinch when they touched him anymore, which was a massive improvement in his books!

"Of course I will be. You won't regret this, little one"

He doubted that but he was willing to give it a chance. Who knows, perhaps it won't be as bad as he thought.

~~~~~~

Karma: *Determined and ready to go outside* I can do this! This will be so easy

Also Karma: *5 minutes being outside* This was a terrible idea! There are people everywhere!
Why didnt anyone warn me about this?!

Nix: *Having warned them multiple times but ultimately ignored* =^._.^= ∫
-
Karma: *Held by Nightmare and hissing whenever Dream gets near*

Nightmare: *Smugly looking at Dream at being the preferred twin for once*

Dream: *Doing his best to avoid Nix trying to bite him* Now is not the time for that, brother!