Chapter Text
Throughout the multiverse whenever something of importance seemed to happen, 'it' would be there. Whenever an 'anomaly' was investigated, there would be evidence of 'it' being there. there would be mysterious stains littering the ground among kicked up dirt or snow, like a horrific murder scene, a black vile smelling liquid that many had identified as ink, only to be baffled when the scans report only error signs and corrupted finding.
Reported sighting of a strange 'monster' that stuck to the shadows seemingly watching from afar, unheard apart from the sound of crunching leaves, or the sudden snap of a twig, then the glimpse of a white black and brown before nothing, seemingly appearing and disappearing as fast as one could fully register what they had even witnessed, so fast that many questioned if they had even seen anything in the first place
There had even been reports from world's unaffected by any type of anomaly about the black liquid found outside of restaurant bins and occasionally in the middle shops that had been broken into and had many of it's items stolen, the investigations always ending up abandoned, with the only clues they could find being the same inky liquid and that all the items stolen had all been edibles, mostly junk food and strangely beef jerky, lots of beef jerky.
either way, 'it' always seemed to show up before or after big events would unfold, almost like 'it' knew something was about to go down.
The reports were endless, and yet no one seemed to be able connect the dots, aside from him and a small few others.
Dream pondered as he sat snuggled against the trunk of the large tree, high above away from the dangers of the forest below, a seemingly ungodly place for many to nap, but a good enough resting place if dream had any say in the matter.
Big events in the multiverse where far and few between luckily, very few were unlucky enough to witness or god forbid, become involved in solving an error in the world like Dream had sadly, far to many times to count.
It made sense that word of this mystery had not become talk to the travelers of the multiverse, much less see the pattern that had repeated time and time again.
but to be fair, many also didn't live for as long as dream had so far...
It had been alarming to figure out whatever 'it' was, that it must be connected to the anomalies that occurred, the first time he had even encountered an anomaly, he had only been 100, barely managing to survive the life of a hobo outcode, and still freshly tramatized from both the loss of his sibling to madness and the slaughter of his world.
But when he looked back at the recorded account of 'the event', the day he lost everything. sure enough, a small seemingly innocent line mentioning the discovery of that same dark inky liquid.
Proof that 'it' has been around for a long long time.
Whatever 'it' was, 'it' had to do with the unnatural goings on in some way shape or form, and that's why dream was on a self imposed mission
Capture 'it', no matter the cost
The plan had been discussed to core, a human with unnaturally grey skin and seemingly hollow eyes, to capture this mysterious being.
With their so called 'many eyes and ears' they to had heard and concluded that this creature had to be involved with the anomalies. together they agreed that this possible threat to the multiverses safety had to be captured, contained and even studied if some of the scientists apart of the discussion had any say in the matter, an understandable request, since everyone was curious of what 'it' even was.
And so with the trap making skills Dream had learned being a homeless starving hobo, he had made many complicated and we'll made traps if he did say so himself, scattered around as many world's as he could
Seeing as the mysterious being seemed to have some form of magical abilities he had set the traps up to only be triggered by magic signatures, that way no poor unsuspecting animal investigating would not end up with at worst, a life threatening wound, at best a dart in it's butt.
Dream had already had the misfortune of triggering one if his traps by accident and ended up having an involuntary 4 hour power nap, so at least he knew that the trap worked just fine, if a little to well.
With his ability to Sense the presence of those around his traps and an alarm system set up dream was ready to play the long waiting game.
Traps baited with the mysterious figures seemingly favorite food, beef jerky and other random junk food he could steal find, eventually something would happen, even if it took years, he would be ready.
He didn't expect however for the traps to be triggered not even an hour after settling into his nap.
Dream jerked awake to the sound of his phone buzzing, signalling his trap had been triggered, yet he felt no presence from any of his traps.
Confused he check his phone, a hidden trip wire\net trap he had set up had been triggered in universe number 4573-21, he remembered that one, it had been the last universe he had decided to set up his trap for the day, A peaceful and mostly quiet universe aside from the occasion nosy fox hoping to steal his bait as he was setting up his trap.
Maybe...a fox or other animal had decided to pay his trap a visit?
But that shouldn't have triggered his trap, unless it was a magic animal, which he supposed could be possible...
he couldn't feel any presence in or around his trap, magical fox or not, so either whatever it was had got away with a treat for it's hard work or maybe he was just losing his touch.
Sighing dream jumped down and through a golden portal back to the clearing he had first landed in when visiting 4573-21.
Walking along the little forest path dream retied his cape back around his neck from when he had been using it as a makeshift blanket, him being so small it trailed behind him kicking up leaves and picking up dirt to come along for the ride.
Another dip in a lake seemed to be near in the future for both himself and his cloak.
Chuckling to himself dream arrived at his trap sight and was stunned.
The trap had indeed been triggered and whatever it caught didn't let itself stay that way for long.
The hanging mental net had been torn to shreds. Lose chain and rope hung swaying lightly clanking together in the wind and torn up chip bags and beef jerky were scattered around the forest floor
What shocked dream most, a very large splattered puddle directly underneath the destroyed net and the dragging trail of black liquid leading deeper into the forest.
Dream couldn't breathe, it felt like if he did he would fall to pieces and never be able to get up again if he dared to exhale and just become a sad lump of positivity rotting on the forest floor.
This screaming voice in his head telling him to just go, that it was not worth it to follow the trail into the big bad forest, it was not what he had expected to experience when he envisioned this moment.
Gulping down his growing anxiety and trying to ignore the pleading to go do something else, anything else, he began following the mysterious trail deeper into the forest.
Following the tracks, staff summoned and ready to strick at any sudden movements, Dream noted the tracks seemed to show the one creating said tracks seemed to be... struggling
The foot prints, skeletal foot prints were spaced strangely, like they were drunk and trying to walk along a straight line but not having the ability to follow through
Soon, he saw 'it'....them.
Collapsed in the mud, a dirty brown cloak hiding most of their features, outstretched a small skeleton arm poking out from underneath the robe, a strange pattern, maybe a tattoo showing off complicated lines and twirling loops on the length of the arm, their palm a dark grey and small, even smaller then his own, fingers curling slightly in on itself.
Cautiously but quickly dream kneeled down into the mud next to the stranger and placed a worried hand to rest on their back.
"He-hello?" Dream anxiously whispered, shaking the limp form after a few long seconds of silence.
Worry growing dream heaved the stranger onto their back
A face like his revealed itself, a 'sans' as the travelers of the multiverse would say.
Their sockets closed and mouth slightly opened to show blunt teeth like his own, lethargically letting out small puffs of breath into the cold air, a large black stain marked their right cheek.
Dream hesitantly traced the mark on the strangers cheek, a stain from the liquid that seemed to follow them? It looked dry and would take quite a bit of scrubbing to clean.
Dream pulled open the robe only to jerk it back into place, scandalous the stranger was bare underneath, face burning a golden yellow dream undid his cape and used it to shimmy under the robe and cover the bare skeletons pelvic area, only then did dream careful move aside the cloth.
Face still hot dream examined the stranger more, more tattoos danced across the skeletons ribs like a abstract painting, along with half healed scratches and infected looking cuts.
Down by their lower half and on their side a dart had planted itself deep into their dark ecto stomach.
Pulling the dart from his unsuspecting victim, dream watch with morbid fascination as a trickle of that same dark black liquid started to bubble up and drizzle down their side sluggishly.
Was this black stuff their blood? Dream quickly looked around him noting the now alarming amount pooling around them.
Now very worried for this hurt stranger dream careful wrapped them back up safely in their robe before huffing and pulling the skeleton onto his back, blush once again forming on his face feeling bare bones escaping their clock and brush his side.
Dream formed a portal to the first place he could think of to get help for this mysterious skeleton and get advice from one of his few real friends.
Dream leaped into the portal leading to 'blue's universe.