Infinite's eyes widened as Sans suddenly collapsed, clutching his head in agony. Grillby was at Sans' side in an instant, his flaming hands hovering uncertainly over the skeleton.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Sans muttered, though his voice was strained. "Just a headache, nothing to worry about."
Infinite interjected. "That didn't look like just a headache."
Sans forced a grin, turning to Infinite. "Aw, are you worried about me, Infinite?"
Infinite crossed his arms, his expression cold. "Hardly. It's just that if you were to be injured, it would inconvenience me. You're the best chance I have of getting back home and achieving what I deserve."
Sans's eyes glinted with curiosity as he straightened up. "And what exactly is it that you deserve?"
Infinite's gaze hardened. "Nothing that concerns you."
Sans shrugged off the cryptic response and pushed himself to his feet, staggering slightly. "Let's get moving," he said, leaving the bar with Infinite trailing behind. Teleporting was out of the question with the headache still throbbing in his skull, and besides, he needed to figure out what had caused the dimensional tear. Something that powerful could only mean trouble.
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As they walked through the dimly lit streets, Infinite eyed Sans, who was rubbing his head. "Where exactly are you going?"
Sans smirked. "Oh, you're following me? What, too worried to leave my side?"
Infinite scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. "No, idiot. Unless you've forgotten, you're the one who teleported us here. I have no idea where we are, and I'm not about to wander off in some random city."
"Fair enough," Sans said, his tone light but his mind elsewhere. "I'm looking for something important."
"Wouldn't happen to be the wave of energy I felt earlier, would it?" Infinite cut-in.
Sans paused, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at the jackal. "Oh? So you felt that, huh? Interesting."
Infinite nodded, his expression unreadable. "Barely. I've only just regained my ability to sense energy. Whatever it was, it had to have been powerful for me to notice it."
Sans didn't respond, his thoughts turning inward as they continued down the street. It wasn't long before they stumbled upon a group of monsters and humans gathered in confusion.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Sans asked, addressing the group.
One of the humans spoke up. "You mean you don't know? There was this big golden portal that showed up in the sky before it disappeared. A lot of monsters reacted pretty intensely to it."
Sans's interest was piqued, and he leaned in. "A golden portal, huh? Sounds like a real Fib-ula to me."
The human bristled at Sans's joke. "I'm not kidding! There really was a portal, and something came through it."
Infinite's ears perked up at that. A golden portal? How interesting. "Where exactly did this portal appear?"
The human turned to Infinite, frowning. "Who the heck are you, and why should I tell you?"
Infinite's eyes flared with menace as he growled, the sound low and dangerous. The human paled, realizing the danger of provoking a monster.
Sans intervened smoothly. "Okay, bud, no need to get aggressive. Just tell us where it is, and we'll be on our way."
The human pointed hesitantly. "It was over by the housing district, about 2-3 miles that way."
Sans sighed at the thought of walking, but before he could protest, air whipped past him as Infinite dashed off, moving with blinding speed.
"Great," Sans muttered. "Of course, he can move that fast."
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Infinite sped through the city, his mind racing as fast as his feet. The thought of a potential threat—or perhaps a means to achieve his revenge—drove him forward. When he arrived in the suburb, he skidded to a halt, scanning the uniform houses for anything unusual.
His ears twitched as he caught the sound of voices. Creeping around one of the houses, he spotted two skeletons—one with a brown scarf and a massive paintbrush, the other wearing a yellow cape and a golden circlet.
"Who are they?" Infinite whispered to himself. "And why do they look so much like Sans?"
"Ink, please stop," the caped skeleton said, his voice tinged with concern. "We shouldn't even be here. This is a main timeline of the original universe; we're not supposed to interfere."
"Aw, c'mon, Dream," Ink replied with a mischievous grin. "Where's your sense of adventure? Besides, I detected an anomaly here. A real one. How exciting!"
Dream sighed, but before he could respond, he suddenly stiffened, his head snapping toward the house where Infinite was hiding.
Infinite tensed. Did they know he was there? How? He had been suppressing his aura as much as possible. The other skeleton, Ink, seemed oblivious, but Dream…
Before Infinite could retreat, a flash of golden light appeared behind him. He whirled around, slashing with his claws, but they met resistance as they struck the golden-capped skeleton.
"Sorry if I startled you," Dream said calmly, his voice soothing. "Please don't be afraid. We're not here to hurt you."
Infinite felt a strange calm wash over him, his aggression fading against his will. He clenched his fists, resisting the urge to lash out again.
"Dream! Dream, where did you go?" Ink called out.
"I'm here," Dream responded, waving Ink over. Ink quickly arrived while smiling."So, you found someone, huh?"
Infinite sized up the new arrival, noticing for the first time how short Ink was—barely reaching his stomach. A smirk tugged at his lips.
Ink bristled. "You're thinking I'm super short, aren't you?"
Infinite's smirk widened. "I have no idea what you're talking about, brat."
"Hey! I'm not a kid!" Ink snapped, his eyes flashing with irritation.
"Oh really? Could've fooled me," Infinite shot back, his voice laced with mockery.
Dream chuckled softly, but the tension in the air was palpable as Ink and Infinite glared at each other.
Before the situation could escalate further, a white, glitchy portal ripped open nearby, distorting the air around it. A dark, glitching skeleton stepped through, his voice echoing with malice.
"₴Ø ₮Ⱨł₴ ł₴ ₩ⱧɆⱤɆ ɎØɄ ₩Ɇ₦₮. гРɎØɄ ⱤɆ₳ⱠⱠɎ ₮Ⱨł₦₭ ɎØɄ ₵ØɄⱠĐ Ɇ₴₵₳₱Ɇ ₣ⱤØ₥ ₥Ɇ?"
Dream immediately drew his bow, conjuring it from thin air, while Ink's grin widened. "Why hey there, Glitchy. Nice of you to join us."
"ĐØ ₦Ø₮ ₵₳ⱠⱠ ₥Ɇ ₮Ⱨ₳₮!" Error snarled, his voice distorting.
Infinite's fur bristled as his instincts screamed at him to run. These beings were powerful—far more than anything he had faced before.
Dream looked nervous as he addressed the newcomer. "Error, please leave. This is a main timeline of the original universe—"
"ĐØ ɎØɄ ⱧØ₦Ɇ₴₮ⱠɎ ₮Ⱨł₦₭ ł ĐØ₦'₮ ₭₦Ø₩ ₮Ⱨ₳₮?" Error interrupted, his voice dripping with contempt.
Error's gaze suddenly locked onto Infinite, his eye-sockets widening in recognition. "₳ ₮ⱤɄɆ ₳₦Ø₥₳ⱠɎ."
Without warning, Error raised his hands, summoning blue, glitching strings that shot toward Infinite faster than he could react. Ink moved in a blur, his paintbrush slashing through the air, and the threads disintegrated in a wave of red paint.
Infinite's heart pounded as he tried to process the bizarre method of attack. He knew he was out of his depth here, but he couldn't afford to back down—not yet.
Error glared at Ink, his voice a snarl. "₱ⱤØ₮Ɇ₵₮ł₦₲ ₳ ₮ⱤɄɆ ₳₦Ø₥₳ⱠɎ ₳ⱤɆ ₩Ɇ? ₳₦Đ ⱧɆⱤɆ ł ₮ⱧØɄ₲Ⱨ₮ ɎØɄ ₵ØɄⱠĐ₦'₮ Đł₴₲Ʉ₴₮ ₥Ɇ ₳₦Ɏ₥ØⱤɆ ₮Ⱨ₳₦ ɎØɄ ₳ⱠⱤɆ₳ĐɎ ĐØ."
Ink grinned as his paintbrush flared to life, tendrils of vibrant energy crackling around it. Error, undeterred, conjured a mass of glitching blue threads that hissed through the air. With a swift motion, Ink unleashed a wave of black paint that morphed into a tidal surge of bone spikes, each one sharper and deadlier than the last.
Error's strings darted out like a swarm of serpents, tearing through the bones. But as they did, the black paint clung to them, growing more cumbersome. Error scowled, releasing the tainted threads with a flick of his wrist before raising his hand. A jagged, glitching dragon skull materialized, its maw opening wide to unleash a destructive beam of energy.
The blast struck Ink head-on, hurling him through a series of houses, the force of the impact reducing them to splinters. Dream's voice trembled with concern as he called out, "Ink! Are you okay?"
From the rubble, Ink emerged, unscathed and grinning. "Come on, Dream. You know that's not enough to take me down. But thanks for the concern, buddy."
Ink retaliated with a massive surge of red paint, leveling rows of houses in its path. Error met it head-on with a barrage of four Gaster Blasters, their combined beams carving through the red flood. Realizing the escalating danger, Dream quickly teleported himself and Infinite to a safer distance.
Above the chaos, Ink appeared, paintbrush poised as he dropped like a meteor. The brush connected with Error, driving him into the earth with enough force to create a crater. "What's wrong, Glitchy? Losing your edge?" Ink taunted, his voice dripping with mockery.
Error stood, seething with rage. "ĐØ₦'₮ ₥Ø₵₭ ₥Ɇ!" His threads shot out, snaring Ink mid-air, and with a violent yank, Error began to swing him like a ragdoll through the surrounding buildings. But instead of cries of pain, Ink's laughter echoed through the destruction.
"This is too much fun!" Ink laughed, slicing through the threads with a swift motion, his paintbrush now trailing purple light. "But let's kick it up a notch, shall we?"
With a flourish, Ink created a pool of dark purple paint beneath him. It erupted into a forest of chains, each link glowing with otherworldly energy as they snaked toward Error. In response, Error summoned a storm of glitching bones that shredded the chains to pieces. The remains collided with a black wall Ink had summoned, barely making a dent.
Undeterred, Ink swirled his brush, and the sky above darkened as a vortex of dark blue paint formed. From it, a rain of swords poured down, each blade slicing through the air with lethal precision. Error countered with a single, colossal Gaster Blaster, its beam disintegrating the swords and evaporating the vortex.
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In less than a minute, the landscape had transformed into a scene of utter devastation, a quarter-mile radius laid to waste by their relentless clash. Despite the destruction, Dream managed to shield Infinite and himself from the worst of it.
"They're holding back," Infinite muttered, his eyes narrowing. "But why?"
Dream, sensing the danger, glanced nervously between the two combatants. "Ink, this is getting out of hand. There are still people nearby!"
But Ink was too absorbed in the battle, the thrill of the fight evident in his wild grin as he sent another wave of paint constructs and bones crashing toward Error. Amid the chaos, Error summoned another wave of Gaster Blasters, their beams converging into a single, devastating blast. Ink deflected it with his brush, the redirected beam nearly obliterating Dream and Infinite's position.
"Watch where you're aiming, Ink!" Dream shouted, his voice edged with panic as he erected a golden barrier just in time to block the blast.
"Oops, my bad, Dream!" Ink called back, not sounding particularly remorseful. "Won't happen again—promise!"
"That's what you said the last time!" Dream snapped, exasperated.
"Hey, I really mean it this time, okay?" Ink replied, rubbing the back of his head.
"ĐØ₦'₮ ł₲₦ØⱤɆ ₥Ɇ!" Error bellowed, his anger boiling over as he summoned multiple massive Gaster Blasters tethered to strings. With a violent swipe, he launched them at hypersonic speed, slamming them into Ink. The blasters exploded on impact, shaking the entire city.
Infinite grimaced, feeling the shockwave even from a safe distance. Being this close to the fight made him uneasy, but staying near Dream, who could shield them, felt like the only safe option. Though he hated the very concept of having to rely anyone but himself, he wasn't exactly given much choice considering his current state.
From the smoke-filled crater, Ink once again emerged, unfazed by the destruction. He twirled his paintbrush, mixing pools of black and red paint, sending energy beams raining down from the sky like a storm of meteors.
Dream, panic rising, extended his hands to conjure a golden dome of light that enveloped the entire city. "Ink, stop! You're going too far—you're going to hurt innocent people!"
Error growled, summoning a legion of Gaster Blasters in response, their beams tearing through the sky to intercept the destructive rain. But Ink's grin widened. With a snap of his fingers, he focused all the beams into a single, massive red blast that swallowed Error and sent him flying into the distance.
The energy collided with Mount Ebott, vaporizing half of the mountain in a single strike. A piercing scream of rage echoed from the molten crater as a torrent of glitching blue strings erupted from the depths.
"ENOUGH!" Dream's voice cut through the chaos, a wave of golden radiance exploding from him and sweeping across the battlefield. The wave's calming force dulled Ink's excitement and cooled Error's fury, halting their destructive momentum, at least for the moment.
Infinite now understood exactly what Dream had done to calm him down. It wasn't mind control, but something close—an aura of positivity that could forcibly calm emotions, influencing people's minds. He'd have to be much more careful around him.
Error scowled at Dream before huffing. "₣ł₦Ɇ, Ⱨ₳VɆ ł₮ ɎØɄⱤ ₩₳Ɏ. ฿Ʉ₮ ĐØ₦'₮ ₮Ⱨł₦₭ ł'ⱠⱠ JɄ₴₮ ₣ØⱤ₲Ɇ₮ ₳฿ØɄ₮ ₮Ⱨł₴, ₲Ʉ₳ⱤĐł₳₦."
Turning around, Error waved his hand to create another glitchy white portal. He pointed directly at Infinite. "₳₴ ₣ØⱤ ɎØɄ, ₮ⱤɄɆ ₳₦Ø₥₳ⱠɎ, ĐØ₦'₮ ₮Ⱨł₦₭ ł'VɆ ₣ØⱤ₲Ø₮₮Ɇ₦ ₳฿ØɄ₮ ĐɆ₴₮ⱤØɎł₦₲ ɎØɄ. ł₣ ɎØɄ ₴Ø ₥Ʉ₵Ⱨ ₳₴ ₮₳₭Ɇ Ø₦Ɇ ₴₮Ɇ₱ ØɄ₮ Ø₣ ₮Ⱨł₴ Ʉ₦łVɆⱤ₴Ɇ, ł ₩łⱠⱠ ₮Ɇ₳Ɽ ɎØɄ Ⱡł₥฿ ₣ⱤØ₥ Ⱡł₥฿."
Error turned back to the portal. "₴Ø, ł₣ ɎØɄ ĐØ₦'₮ ₩₳₦₮ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₮Ø Ⱨ₳₱₱Ɇ₦, ł ₴Ʉ₲₲Ɇ₴₮ ₲Øł₦₲ ฿₳₵₭ ₮Ø ₩Ⱨ₳₮ɆVɆⱤ ₥ɄⱠ₮łVɆⱤ₴Ɇ ɎØɄ ₵₳₥Ɇ ₣ⱤØ₥, ₳₦Đ ₦ɆVɆⱤ ₵Ø₥ł₦₲ ฿₳₵₭."
"Nice to see you too, Glitchy."
"₣Ʉ₵₭ Ø₣₣, ł₦₭," Error spat while flipping Ink off before disappearing through the portal.
Ink childishly stuck his rainbow tongue out at the departing Error while Dream simply sighed. Infinite, however, was shocked. He was in another multiverse? That changed everything. Still, if he'd gotten here, there had to be a way to return.
Dream approached Ink, grabbing him and hoisting him onto his shoulder. "I'm sorry about what he did."
"Hey, what—Dream, put me down!"
"I promise this will never happen again, and I will make sure Ink understands that."
"You can't make me!"
"Yes, I can. You're going in time out."
"You wouldn't dare."
"I do, and I will. Goodbye and good luck, Infinite."
Dream left through a golden portal, dragging the struggling Ink with him. Infinite was puzzled by how Dream knew his name but decided it wasn't important.
Sans appeared behind Infinite, startling him slightly. "So, that happened. Also, ya really shouldn't have run off like that, Infinite."
Infinite stared at Sans. "I am not some child that needs to be watched at all times. Besides, I am more than capable of taking care of myself."
Sans just shrugged before being interrupted by Ink, who reappeared from a puddle of black paint. "Forgot to do something real quick."
Ink swished his brush, creating a wave of rainbow paint that quickly restored all the damage from the fight. "There we go, good as new. Now, I'm just gonna go—"
"NO, YOU DON'T!" Ink yelped as a golden chain wrapped around him, as another snaked around his back taking his paintbrush away. "BROOMIE!" he cried before being yanked through another golden portal.
Sans sweated slightly. "Well, that just happened."
"Let's just go to your house, Sans. I'm assuming you can teleport now."
Sans nodded and teleported both of them to his house. Inside, Papyrus was pacing nervously, perking up once Sans arrived.
"Sans, you're okay! I was so worried—there was so much magic everywhere and all those explosions—not to mention—"
"Woah, Paps, I'm fine. No need to worry so much. Wasn't even near where the fight happened. Can't say the same for Infinite, though."
"Oh dear, are you alright, Mr. Infinite?"
"I don't need your concern or your pity. Besides, it's just Infinite."
Sans sighed as Infinite isolated himself outside. Moments later, Sans's phone rang. "Sans, it's Alphys. What was all that? There was so much magic being thrown around, and Mount Ebott was nearly destroyed. I'm just glad no one was killed. People are scared. Even though the damage is gone, the fact that it happened at all is a major concern. You don't think those responsible will return, do you?"
Sans hummed. "Shouldn't think so. The golden guy seemed pretty adamant about making sure this doesn't happen again. He was the one who protected the city. Anyway, Al, it's getting pretty late, so I'll have to meet up with you later."
"Okay, Sans, just be careful."
"Heh, I'm always careful Al, you know that. 'Sides I've got something to check real quick. See ya."
Infinite stood outside as the sun slowly set. He could feel it—soon, he would be able to use his powers again, and then he would decide what to do next. Hours passed as night fell. Infinite experimented with his abilities, which had finally returned. Unfortunately, there were a few issues. The Phantom Ruby's power was much greater and denser than the copy he was used to, making it extremely difficult to control even a tiny amount of its energy.
But he managed to create two small cubes of energy, and that's when he discovered something. The power of these cubes was far greater than what he could make with the copy. One of these cubes was equal in power to dozens of the ones the copy made. Meaning despite only being able to create two right now, he was already able to challenge the likes of Sonic's lesser friends—but not Sonic. And certainly not Silver or SHADOW. Not yet.
Most importantly, he could manipulate the cubes to take any shape—spikes, spears, swords, energy beams, chains, explosions, barriers. Honestly, there were too many things to list. Best of all, if he focused enough, he could have them do several of those things simultaneously.
Infinite's ear twitched as he heard faint breathing nearby. He whirled around, turning one of the cubes into a familiar red sword, and pointed it at the intruder. The figure was a skeleton with pitch-black eye sockets, strange black goo pouring out of them, and a glowing red target floating in front of their chest. They had the most annoying smirk on their face.
"Nice reflexes there. How did you know I was there?"
Infinite growled, pressing the blade more into the skeleton's chin. "I will be asking the questions here, intruder. Who are you, and where did you come from? If you don't answer, I will sever your head from your shoulders."
The skeleton simply grinned and chuckled. "Well, you're quite the fun guy, aren't you? Don't threaten me with a good time."
Infinite scowled, about to make good on his promise, before being interrupted. "The Boss wants to talk to you. He's interested in you. Oh, and that isn't a request," the skeleton stated, brandishing a knife.