[Another skip happens in time, at the same instance that he teleports.
Nothing is there to greet Serif as he stands in the darkness of the hallway. It's empty as the first time he checked it.
It's impossible anything could be that quick.
None the less, he'll hear it again. It's further down the hall this time, just out of sight. It's voice is haggard. It's thick, wet and struggling. Desperate.]
Nothing again? No. No, no, he definitely heard something. Someone? Either way, that wasn't in his head. So he's not just going to ignore this and go back to bed again.
But before he can go anywhere to investigate, the noises start back up. What... wait--]
...Kid?
[Serif sounds confused, worried, and more than a little wary. But of course when he can hear Grit's voice calling him like this, he's not going to ignore it.
[A skip. And then it's behind him, in a dark corner just underneath a window. The glare of the moonlight obscures his vision. Could he have been walking in the wrong direction?]
He keeps walking and, once again, there's nothing.
...Huh.
...
...Something about this feels weird. Weirder than the situation already is.
But Serif can't dwell on it for long before he hears Grit's voice again.]
What the--
...Just. Damn it. Hang on, kid.
[Something in the back of his mind keeps telling him that this is wrong, wrong, all wrong, but until he knows what about it is wrong, there's not much he can do with that feeling.
Seriously? Again? Just what the hell's going on here... He's not hallucinating or something, is he? Or maybe a spirit is messing with him. That... could be it, maybe, but...
...
Whatever this is, it sure is unnerving. He just looks at the empty space for a bit, trying to figure this out. But it's tough to put the pieces together when you're missing this many.
Right... Okay. Maybe if he keeps looking around, he'll find what's doing this. Worth a shot, right...?]
[S͖͕̬̻̲̮̯k͓i͚̱p̥͕ Serif's patience will be rewarded, in full. Because the voice will return.
The trouble is that it isn't Grit that he'll be hearing call for his help. It's someone he's known for a little longer. Someone whose room was all but empty a few days ago. Someone he waited for.]
In his head, he knows he should be expecting the same thing here as with Grit's voice. He knows that hearing his brother's voice right after Grit's is a red flag all on its own, that it doesn't make sense.
But it's hard to keep that in mind when his soul starts to feel cold and the memories of seeing his brother die hit him like a truck.]
...Tempus?
[So he calls his brother's name before his mind can even catch up with all of this.
[S͖͕̬̻̲̮̯k͓i͚̱p̥͕. And then another. And another. It's near his room, and then further down the hall. Near the window and then seemingly from the inside of another room. No matter where he goes, his brother will always be out of his reach.]
[It was out of his control the first time his brother was wiped from existence, and it's out of his control now.]
[It's strange to hear that uncharacteristic waver in Tempus' voice. Tempus, who is always loud and steady and constant.]
[Forget hallucinations. This is starting to seem like a straight up nightmare. Serif's almost convinced it is, but everything feels too solid for this to be a dream.
He doesn't walk to the places he hears Tempus' voice, he just teleports from spot to spot, hoping to find... He's not sure what he's hoping to find. Something. Some explanation for what's happening.
Because there's no way any of this is real.
He reminds himself of that even as he feels his soul aching at the words. Yeah... it not being real never makes his nightmares hurt less either. Figures it'd work similarly here.
But he doesn't reply, though. Saying anything hasn't done much good so far.
The constant teleporting around is wearing him out a little. And yeah, he's using more magic right now than he should be. But he's not stopping. Not yet...]
The great Tempus will always believe in his brother.
[Admittedly, every time that Serif teleports, he finds Sunny. He succeeds. Sunny doesn't keep it that way, of course. He reloads the last save and molds the world to his whims. He moves this way or that way, at just the right moment. Anything less and Serif lands right on top of him.
But... even so, every time that Serif finds him, their eyes connect. Something in him jumps. Something in him wants to panic.
And as much as Sunny hates to admit it, the saving and loading seems to take it out of him too. It takes a little more of him each time, but Sunny doesn't care because it's worth it. It lends to the trembling as he speaks to Serif in the voice of the people he's lost.]
[The feeling he keeps getting is familiar. It reminds him of something. Something... recent. But it's not quite there. It's like the feeling is already fading every time he realizes it's there. That makes it hard for him to know what it's reminding him of.
His brother's voice gets to him, because of course it does. It's always been an obvious weak spot. He knows this is some kind of trick, but that doesn't help as much as he'd like. He still wants it to stop.
Serif's eyes go dark.]
S h u t u p .
[It's a pretty pointless thing to say, but he finds himself saying it anyway.]
[Perfect. There's the reaction he'd expected. It infuriated him more to admit that he couldn't get so much as an angry word out of the skeleton days before. But now that Tempus and Grit are around to care about, there's something to lose.
Tempus sounds determined, even pleased at the prospect. This is the ideal way to show his dedication to his brother. This is the way they show love.]
[He's surprised he has the energy to be angry. After everything that happened, he should be too drained. But it looks like everyone being back was enough to motivate him just a little. Heh... figures.
Plus... there's something really infuriating about someone using these voices for this. Just to, what, mess with him?]
S h u t .
[His left eye flares blue. Not a conscious act. That's purely his magic reaction to his emotions. Normally he has it under better control, but not so much right now...]
[This is getting to him too much, more than it should. And he knows why, of course. The wounds are still fresh. Not even close to being healed. So the pain of it is still just as intense as when it just happened. And it's not like with the other timelines, where all he has is fragments and his subconscious trying to fill in the blanks. These memories are all complete. Vivid.
And flashing through his head right now.
It has to stop. He wants it - needs it - to stop, he can't handle this right now, not this soon, just stop already
just stop
stop, stop, stop, stop stop-]
S t o p .
[...He hadn't meant to actually say that out loud. Damn it.]
[Everything goes still. Serif's words have seemingly brought the world to a halt. No more voices, no more taunting, no more echoes of people he's failed.
Time crawls and crawls, like a half-dead animal, and there's no telling if it's been seconds or minutes.
Then the light of the window abruptly goes dart, bathing the entire hallway in darkness.]
[Serif doesn't look up at those final words. Or even when everything finally goes quiet. He just stands there, in the hall, his breathing just a little too fast. His gaze is fixed on the floor, mostly because he's not sure what else to do with himself.
He isn't hearing anymore voices now...
Silence.
Just silence...
...
And now the paranoia's setting in, of course, as he wonders if it's really over or just messing with him some more. If it is the second, though, he's not sticking around to find out. Without looking up or moving, he teleports away. He's not even sure where, just... away. Someplace where he can recover from... that.
Looks like he'll have to catch up on sleep during his shift again.]
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no subject
Nothing is there to greet Serif as he stands in the darkness of the hallway. It's empty as the first time he checked it.
It's impossible anything could be that quick.
None the less, he'll hear it again. It's further down the hall this time, just out of sight. It's voice is haggard. It's thick, wet and struggling. Desperate.]
Serif. Please.
[And it sounds like Grit.]
no subject
Nothing again? No. No, no, he definitely heard something. Someone? Either way, that wasn't in his head. So he's not just going to ignore this and go back to bed again.
But before he can go anywhere to investigate, the noises start back up. What... wait--]
...Kid?
[Serif sounds confused, worried, and more than a little wary. But of course when he can hear Grit's voice calling him like this, he's not going to ignore it.
Time to head towards the sounds.]
no subject
I'm not ready. It's cold.
I can't. I just can't.
[A small, wracked sob.]
I don't want to die.
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nndddd-------̲̹͉-̧̝̭̮̠͘̕-̶̴̪̞̥̕He keeps walking and, once again, there's nothing.
...Huh.
...
...Something about this feels weird. Weirder than the situation already is.
But Serif can't dwell on it for long before he hears Grit's voice again.]
What the--
...Just. Damn it. Hang on, kid.
[Something in the back of his mind keeps telling him that this is wrong, wrong, all wrong, but until he knows what about it is wrong, there's not much he can do with that feeling.
So. Towards the noise.
Again.]
no subject
Help me.
Serif.
Serif--!
S͖͕̬̻̲̮̯k͓i͚̱p̥͕. When Serif comes upon that empty space where Grit should have been, he will be greeted with silence. ]
no subject
[...
Seriously? Again? Just what the hell's going on here... He's not hallucinating or something, is he? Or maybe a spirit is messing with him. That... could be it, maybe, but...
...
Whatever this is, it sure is unnerving. He just looks at the empty space for a bit, trying to figure this out. But it's tough to put the pieces together when you're missing this many.
Right... Okay. Maybe if he keeps looking around, he'll find what's doing this. Worth a shot, right...?]
no subject
The trouble is that it isn't Grit that he'll be hearing call for his help. It's someone he's known for a little longer. Someone whose room was all but empty a few days ago. Someone he waited for.]
Brother?
[That tone is poisoned with a touch of fear.]
no subject
It's pure instinct, really. That tone...
In his head, he knows he should be expecting the same thing here as with Grit's voice. He knows that hearing his brother's voice right after Grit's is a red flag all on its own, that it doesn't make sense.
But it's hard to keep that in mind when his soul starts to feel cold and the memories of seeing his brother die hit him like a truck.]
...Tempus?
[So he calls his brother's name before his mind can even catch up with all of this.
Again. Instinct.]
no subject
[It was out of his control the first time his brother was wiped from existence, and it's out of his control now.]
[It's strange to hear that uncharacteristic waver in Tempus' voice. Tempus, who is always loud and steady and constant.]
I believed in you.
no subject
He doesn't walk to the places he hears Tempus' voice, he just teleports from spot to spot, hoping to find... He's not sure what he's hoping to find. Something. Some explanation for what's happening.
Because there's no way any of this is real.
He reminds himself of that even as he feels his soul aching at the words. Yeah... it not being real never makes his nightmares hurt less either. Figures it'd work similarly here.
But he doesn't reply, though. Saying anything hasn't done much good so far.
The constant teleporting around is wearing him out a little. And yeah, he's using more magic right now than he should be. But he's not stopping. Not yet...]
no subject
[Admittedly, every time that Serif teleports, he finds Sunny. He succeeds. Sunny doesn't keep it that way, of course. He reloads the last save and molds the world to his whims. He moves this way or that way, at just the right moment. Anything less and Serif lands right on top of him.
But... even so, every time that Serif finds him, their eyes connect. Something in him jumps. Something in him wants to panic.
And as much as Sunny hates to admit it, the saving and loading seems to take it out of him too. It takes a little more of him each time, but Sunny doesn't care because it's worth it. It lends to the trembling as he speaks to Serif in the voice of the people he's lost.]
That's why I DIED for you.
no subject
His brother's voice gets to him, because of course it does. It's always been an obvious weak spot. He knows this is some kind of trick, but that doesn't help as much as he'd like. He still wants it to stop.
Serif's eyes go dark.]
S h u t u p .
[It's a pretty pointless thing to say, but he finds himself saying it anyway.]
no subject
Tempus sounds determined, even pleased at the prospect. This is the ideal way to show his dedication to his brother. This is the way they show love.]
I'll do it again. And again. And again.
And you'll let me every time.
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Plus... there's something really infuriating about someone using these voices for this. Just to, what, mess with him?]
S h u t .
[His left eye flares blue. Not a conscious act. That's purely his magic reaction to his emotions. Normally he has it under better control, but not so much right now...]
U p .
no subject
Are you okay? Even if I'm not okay, I can make you feel better. We can make all the promises. You can kill me as many times as you want.
I can even make your brother be quiet. Just like I did before.
[Soft and distressed:]
Just please just don't leave me again.
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And flashing through his head right now.
It has to stop. He wants it - needs it - to stop, he can't handle this right now, not this soon, just stop already
just stop
stop, stop, stop, stop stop-]
S t o p .
[...He hadn't meant to actually say that out loud. Damn it.]
1/2
Time crawls and crawls, like a half-dead animal, and there's no telling if it's been seconds or minutes.
Then the light of the window abruptly goes dart, bathing the entire hallway in darkness.]
2/3 i lied.
It's all just a bad dream.
And you're NEVER waking up.
3/3
no subject
He isn't hearing anymore voices now...
Silence.
Just silence...
...
And now the paranoia's setting in, of course, as he wonders if it's really over or just messing with him some more. If it is the second, though, he's not sticking around to find out. Without looking up or moving, he teleports away. He's not even sure where, just... away. Someplace where he can recover from... that.
Looks like he'll have to catch up on sleep during his shift again.]