The dark ocean of sleep rippled around me as I floated through it towards the bright walls of another world. I could feel the night dissolve into light, prying my eyes open. It wasn't a harsh light, but instead a warm, welcoming one.

As I expected, I had woken up in the same place where I would meet Noemi.

Speaking of, the Goddess of Light was waiting ahead of me with her back facing me. Her long glowing gown swept around her in a phantom wind, somehow glowing brighter than the walls. Honey gold hair drifted in the same wind as she turned to me.

Amber eyes fell on me with a smile, "Ah, you're here. We've been waiting for your arrival." Her voice was as smooth as silk, filling the seemingly infinite space.

"We?" I said, glancing around. From what I could see, we were the only two in the area.

She nodded at me, coming closer. Soft clicks emitted from her shoes as she made her way towards me, "The gods and I," Her fair hands took my own, "You have made us so very proud, my dear. We have finally won the war, thanks to you."

Her praise wrapped around me, filling me with warm flattery. It was slightly overbearing to be praised by a goddess, after fighting in a bloody war.

At the thought of the bloodshed and destruction that the war had caused, the warm feeling disappeared. Thanks to this war, I had almost lost my friends, my life, and people had died.

I pulled my hands away from her, a scowl appearing on my face, "Do you realize what this war cost me and my friends? People's lives were threatened, and two even died! Yeah, Schlatt needed to die, he was too far gone, but Wilbur could've been saved!"

Noemi's face remained soft despite my anger, "My dear, that wasn't what we planned nor wanted. Schlatt's death was the dark gods' doing, but Wilbur's death was neither of our fault's." She lowered her voice, "That was his own doing."

Anger bubbled inside of me. I knew it probably wasn't my place to be angry at a higher being, but I couldn't stop. After what I had learned of what Schlatt used to be, I felt sorry for him. He had just wanted to feel something again after losing his son.

And Wilbur had gone through so much pain. He had lost his son like the president, but also his nation and his brothers at times. His death was not deserved, despite his actions against L'manberg.

I calmed my anger to keep from snapping at the goddess, but not keeping the slight bite out of my tone, "Why couldn't you have done something to change his death? You saved not only me but also Dream on multiple occasions. And also, why did it have to be me to fight this war? I almost lost everything I love for it!"

My questions spewed out like a broken fountain. The emotions and exhaust from the day were winding through me like a stream.

Noemi turned, signaling for me to follow. As I fell into step with her, she answered, "I will come back to your first question. The second is much easier to answer. We chose you not just because of your magic, but also because you were the only one strong enough to handle this destiny."

"Your powers make you a very strong asset. But that's not what decided it. You have such a strong soul that we knew you would be able to handle the darkness and its gods." She answered, looking forward.

Before I could ask anymore, she continued, "We knew the risks and pain you would have to possibly face in this war, but we needed you. Without you, your world would have crumbled under the darkness."

Her answer echoed through me. I was needed to stop my world from dying, because of my magic and soul. The gods knew I would experience pain in my relationships, but had to take the risk anyways to save the world.

I took a deep breath, trying to comprehend it all. "And what's the answer to the other question?"

A slight hint of sympathy waded in her friendly eyes, "Admittedly, we have saved you and the God of Chaos many times before. We do have the power to stop death. But we have saved you two because of your stance with us. You are practically a goddess, and Dream is already a god."

It was strange hearing Dream be marked as one of them. Despite his calling, he was still the emerald-eyed boy I knew and loved.

Or at least as far as I knew.

"While we could've stopped Wilbur's death, he was hurting so much that we knew he wanted to pass. His soul practically begged to be taken. So when he went to do his deed, it was the least we could do to send his father."

Oh, so that's how Phil had found us. And knew what the button would do.

I nodded, my anger slowly slipping away. The goddess clasped her hands as we walked, "And even if we had wanted to stop his death, it had already been delayed."

My head snapped towards her in confusion. She sensed my movement, turning towards me. Her hand grasped my own again as she tugged me in another direction as if she knew where she was going in this maze, "Come, I'll show you and then you'll understand."

I let her guide me through the blinding walls, walking in what felt like no specific direction. But her feet walked a worn path, bringing me towards a place she knew well.

In the blink of an eye, the bright lights morphed into a long hallway. The area was transformed into an actual building. How did I not notice it before?

We stepped over a threshold into the white hallway. The floor was made of solid white marble, as well as the pillars that lined the hallway. Tall windows were built into the almost pale blue walls, edged with window sills wide enough to sit in.

I broke free of Noemi's hold to run up to one of the windows. She let me go with a small laugh following my footsteps. I gaped at what I saw beyond the glass.

We were clearly in a castle, made of the purest of white, atop dark green grass that sprouted with delicate white flowers. Towers streaked up towards the sky, which was a mix of pastel colors, forming a painting among the clouds.

A courtyard was far below us, filled with an intricate fountain that was placed in front of a large birch tree. There was a swing dangling from the branches. The tree had limbs hanging low like a willow tree, filled not of smooth green leaves, but of delicate clear leaves made of crystal.

Even from above, I could see the details and beauty of the tree that was planted in this castle.

Noemi came up beside me, her face glowing slightly from the warm sky. I stared up at her in wonder, "Where are we?"

Her smile widened, turning to me, "We are in the castle of the Inbetween. This is a gateway, a comforting place where gods like me can come to connect with your world. It is also a doorway for time traveling."

Her last words snagged my attention, my thoughts automatically turning to Karl.

She began walking down the hall, towards a wide staircase at its end. I followed, looking out the windows to watch the view. Small plant pots were placed in between each window, a small dark flower planted in each. They reminded me of wither roses.

The staircase led down into a hallway, Noemi taking it towards the right. When we stepped into another room, my heart stopped.

The huge room had pillars lining it, with glass running down the middle of the floor. A single block of polished diorite was placed in the middle, with a wither rose on top.

But that's not what drew my eyes.

A large, glowing sphere was behind the block, made up of bright streaks of lime green strands. They were constantly moving in a circle, sending a slight green reflection against the glass. And there in the middle, was Karl.

I ran up to him, stopping before the large ball. He was floating in the middle with his eyes closed, clutching the book he had shown me. His green goggles and colorful sweatshirt glowed in the bright lights.

Despite his content face, there were scratches marking his wrists, neck, and one long one running down his cheek. They were deep, blood dotting around, some even dripping down from them.

My eyes widened when I noticed how more continued to appear. They came out of nowhere, the slices being made by an invisible blade.

"Karl!" I tried to take a step forward, but a hand was placed on my shoulder. I whipped around, staring up at Noemi in defiance, "Let me go! I need to help him!"

She showed sympathy on her face but did not loosen her grip on my shoulder. My gaze turned back to Karl as I watched helplessly from the side. The blood that slipped from his cuts did not fall onto his clothes or to the floor, stopping just before.

"What's happening to him?" I desperately wanted to reach for my friend, but I knew he wasn't present with us. He was somewhere else, where I couldn't reach.

"He's somewhere in time, completing a task." I turned back to her, "I am showing you him because he is the reason that Wilbur's death was delayed."

I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion. "What?"

The woman turned back to Karl, her eyes scrapping over his blooming cuts. "He went back in time and covered up the tracks to the button room at the festival. Wilbur couldn't find the button, so his death was moved."

For a moment, my head swirled with confusion and racing thoughts.

But then it clicked. Karl was time traveling to fix the events of the war.

Karl was trying to fix the present right under everyone's noses.

"So that means he knows the future?" I continued after she nodded, "And he's trying to fix whatever messed up stuff is going to happen there?"

"Yes. And some of his work has already been put into use, but it's subtle. One day, he'll be able to stay here to understand more about his powers." She turned to me, her face now serious, "And until then, you cannot mention this place to him."

I nodded, showing I understood. Karl was trying to save us by risking his own life. I didn't know the consequences of time traveling, but I didn't doubt that there would be a risk to it. But he continued to do it anyway, for us.

Noemi's voice broke me from my thoughts, "With your and Karl's efforts to save the world, we decided that as a gift, we could send Wilbur back as a ghost. But it won't truly be him, he will lack all the bad parts of himself."

My eyes widened at her words. She noticed, laughing softly, "It's the least we could do. For the prices, you all had to pay."

Pushing the idea of a ghost version of Wilbur out of my head, I turned to fully face the goddess. The word price made the anger spark once again. It wasn't nearly as strong as before, but there was enough to make my fists clench.

"I appreciate that, but speaking of prices, what is this price I have to pay?" I put quotations around 'price' with my fingers.

Her face darkened slightly, a small frown forming on her lips. I could tell she was contemplating something, either telling me the truth or telling me at all.

But I stared her down, waiting for an answer. After all the crap I had gone through, I deserved to know what I would have to deal with.

She sighed, "The price has already been paid."

Ideas of what it could be raced through my mind, making my heart beat faster. I thought of anything bad that had happened to me directly recently, a million thoughts appearing. It truly could've been anything.

The goddess made a point of keeping her eyes off mine, "It has already been put into motion, but the consequences will come slowly."

"What is it? A lot has happened to me recently, so I would like to know specifically what it is." My hands began sweating slightly as anxiety nipped at me.

"You were not the one to take the direct deal."

My heart dropped into my stomach at her words.

I knew exactly who it was and it shattered me. I lacked words as my heart burst into a frenzy, sending cold shivers through my bones.

Why would he have done that?

Noemi noticed my panic, placing a hand on my arm. Warmth seeped through my sweatshirt into my soul, calming the panic slightly. I knew it wasn't gone, just being suppressed for the moment. Probably until I woke up.

The warmth made my mind dip slightly in the exhaust. I knew my visit with her was coming to an end, but I forced my eyes to stay open until I got more answers.

"You know already that Dream made the deal to become a god, placing himself among us. And by doing this, he is allowing true parts of his soul, that he had hidden, to develop and grow into something hideous, like greed for power and control."

She continued sympathetically, "This is the price of the war and to you because of your relationship with him."

My voice was hoarse as I whispered, "Why? Why did he do this?"

Her long lashes moved down as she glanced at the ground, "Because it had to work for the plan to defeat the darkness, but also because he believes that by controlling the world, he can protect you. His love for you is developing into something darker, willing to do anything to love you."

"He hasn't loved anyone as he loves you in his immortal life, and now that he has you, he doesn't want to lose you."

Despite the warmth of her hand, chills ran down my spine. Maybe I didn't know Dream as much as I thought.

"But do not fret yet, my dear. You have not fully lost him, he is still the boy you love. But savor every minute you have with him. Time is precious."

She pulled me into a hug, cradling my almost shaking form against her own. My weight was practically held up by her arms. Warmth swept through me as I felt her hug tighten.

Sleep was practically tugging me under, my eyes drooping shut. My fear melted into numbness.

But before I could totally leave the Inbetween, I heard Noemi murmur, "You will not remember what the price is. You will realize what it is at one point. But for now, you will only remember to treat time carefully."

I felt something else appear around the two of our hugging forms. More presences surrounded us, glowing in a circle. I couldn't open my eyes, but I knew that there were other gods here.

Before I could pry my eyes open to see them, sleep took me away.

-

When I opened my eyes again, Noemi as well as the glowing circle of gods were gone. I was no longer in the Inbetween, now back atop the hill before the explosion.

Pale colors painted the sky with the coming of morning. The sun was rising slowly, the moon disappearing until it returned tonight. The world was quiet as people slept, not yet awake to start their days.

Quackity was still asleep next to me, laying on his back. I gingerly sat up, my bones now healed, from my magic. Also, my powers felt stronger, after being able to rest.

Despite my trip in the Inbetween, I felt rested. I couldn't remember every detail of my experience there, only remembering the gorgeous white castle, being told Wilbur would return, and ... Karl.

KARL!

Images of the boy being cut and bleeding, wrapped in green, spurred me into motion. I quickly stood, ignoring the soreness in my muscles as I raced towards my home.

~~~~

oh no I hope karl is ok :(

I hope you all enjoyed it! have a wonderful day, make sure to drink some water, eat something, and get some sleep