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Dream has died four more times since his conversation with Bad.
George has given him another scar on his face.
A thin web of white snakes up his arm spreading from two adjacent points, courtesy of a spiders poison.
Bad burned the left side of his shoulder blades with lava.
He doesn’t know what kind of mark an enderman leaves.
His only ender pearl rests heavy in his pocket. He needs to find a desert for tonight, or just any kind of open ground, not this dark oak forest that seems to stretch out for miles.
As he keeps an ear out for the bubbling of lava, another noise catches his attention.
Voices, talking and laughing in a different tongue that Dream can’t understand, and he relaxes the tiniest bit. A village.
After a few feet, the trees disperse and make way for a clearing. Small houses are scattered in a seemingly random pattern, roads twisting in strange ways to meet them. Stalks of wheat bend in the wind on the small farms where some of the villagers are tending to the soil. Two children run around the open space in the middle of the houses. A golden bell stands on the edge of a fountain. They look content, living in peace in their own little corner of the world.
Dream takes a deep breath and steps out of the trees.
They notice him, of course. They stop their conversations and watch, keeping an eye on the stranger that just appeared on their doorstep, but their eyes aren’t filled with suspicion. They merely take notice of him and continue about their day.
An iron golem wanders past, its mechanisms creaking as it slowly moves about. Flowers are braided around his joints, carefully placed so it doesn’t hinder its movements.
It’s nice. It’s quaint. It’s normal.
It’s a place Dream can’t stay, even if, somewhere deep down, he wishes he could.
He finds one of the farmers, trading some of the few valuables he can spare for a few loafs of warm bread. Even if he can’t understand their speech, they give him a satisfied and friendly nod as he bids them farewell.
The sun is going down when he steps back into the cover of the trees, and he gives himself a moment to take in the sight of the last sunrays peeking over the tops of the houses. The voices of the villagers drift over, soft and distant and content.
Then he hears something else.
Voices, close and frustrated and familiar.
Dream barely has time to climb the closest tree and hide between the leaves before he spots Georges head poke out from the bushes several feet away. His glasses are askew, dirt smeared on his clothes and a tired expression on his face.
‘A village!’ Dream hears him call out.
Behind George follow both his companions, looking equally exhausted and dirty.
‘Okay, that’s it, we’re staying here tonight,’ Sapnap rules. ‘I don’t care what you guys say, I’m going to sleep in a real bed.’ As if to prove his point, he yawns.
‘I’m gonna ask if they have a place for us, first,’ Bad says, already making his way over to a villager who’s watching them approach. ‘And don’t steal anything!’ he calls after Sapnap and George, who have raced ahead in an impromptu game of who can reach the bell the fastest.
Sapnap yells something as he wins, George laughs. They’re too far away to be able to hear what they’re saying.
From his spot in the trees, Dream feels more lonely than ever before.
-
He doesn’t mean to fall asleep hiding in the tree.
He observes the hunters during their time in the village, keeping watch until they enter a home and don’t come out for the rest of the night. The heavy feeling in his chest keeps him looking out, hoping to catch another glimpse of his friends even if he knows they won’t show their face until morning.
He’s just resting his legs, he tells himself. He’ll go hunt for endermen after just a few more minutes. He doesn’t notice his eyes fluttering shut until it’s too late.
Something wakes him up.
It’s still dark as he blinks the sleep from his eyes, silently cursing himself. He strains his ears for anything unusual, but nothing catches his attention besides a zombie stumbling past the base of his tree. Then he hears the rattling of a skeleton before the twang of a bowstring directs his gaze to something in the direction of the village.
‘Stupid skeleton,’ he hears George complain, and instantly he’s wide awake.
At least the mobs leave you alone while you sleep, the hunters won’t give him that privilege.
‘George, come on. He’s probably miles away by now. We don’t have time for you to get all personal with the skeletons,’ Sapnap says. They must think he’s used their night of rest to put as much distance between them as possible. And maybe, if he’d been smarter and less sentimental, he would have.
‘Shut up,’ George retorts, his voice getting louder. ‘If I die it’s your fault.’
‘Nu-uh, that just means you suck.’ The moment the words leave Sapnaps mouth, Dream sees him emerge from the trees and pass by directly underneath him. With his breath caught in his throat, he watches as Bad follows, and lastly, a little behind the rest, George.
‘Whatever,’ the latter mumbles, pulling an arrow out of his shield and tossing it away. He fumbles with something in his pocket and slows down a little as he pulls it out, eventually coming to a stop just a few feet past Dreams tree. Dreams stomach drops as George glances behind him, taking a look at the thing in his hand before turning around completely, a frown on his face.
The second he sees George lift his head, Dream drops out of the tree.
Georges scream gets cuts off as Dream lands on top of him, pulling them to the ground as they wrestle, both trying to get the upper hand. Georges hand is pushing against Dreams face, the other clutching Dreams wrist. They roll over so that Dream is on top of him, managing to grip one hand around Georges throat while the other holds one of Georges hands pinned above his head. Fingers pry at his wrist as George struggles underneath him, desperately trying to regain his ability to breathe.
Then there’s an arm around Dreams neck that pulls him away. He plants his feet firmly on the ground, doubling over in an attempt to shake off the person on his back. Even as he twists and turns, the grip doesn’t falter. He spots George bend over on the ground, hand pressed against his throat as he coughs.
‘Keep him still!’ He hears Sapnap call out.
‘I’m trying!’ Bad yells right next to his ear.
Dream lets himself fall and rolls, Bads arm only slightly giving way. It’s just enough to get out of his grip, and Dream takes in the breath he didn’t realize he couldn’t. Bad is still clinging to him as he writhes on the ground. With the only loose arm he has, Dream takes out an ender pearl and throws it as far as he can. A stray elbow knocks against his temple, knocking his mask askew and Dream only sees stars before his eyes refocus. He’s laying flat on his back, a heavy weight on his chest.
Sapnap is looming over him, sword pointed at his chest with a victorious grin.
His eyes glance over the exposed part of Dreams face, and he falters.
Then Dream disappears from underneath his fingertips.
-
It pulls him, sudden and cold, and for a split second he think he’s messed up. He’s restarting, Sapnap stabbed him, he died. But when there’s ground under his feet again, there’s no morning light. The stars are out, less bright than what they would be in the middle of the night, but still, Dream lets out a sigh of relief when he spots the faint pinpricks of light.
‘Where’d he go, he teleported!’ Bads voice snaps him out of his daze, and he runs.
He zigzags through the trees, passing zombies and creepers who only notice him when he’s already out of their reach, taking random turns in an attempt to shake the hunters off his trail. It doesn’t work; their footsteps are always right behind him.
‘Oh, Dream!’ George yells like he always does.
Abruptly Dream turns around, taking a wild swing at the first person he sees. Bad screams as Dreams axe glances off his shield and cuts through his shoulder. Dodging Georges sword, he runs again.
The trees are slowly dispersing, making way for a rocky underground as a mountainesque biome replaces the forest. With no other way to go, Dream starts climbing.
It starts out as a small slope, slowly getting steeper before Dream has to grab on to ledges and outcroppings of stone to pull himself up.
‘Where is he going?’ Bad calls out.
If there is one thing good about having to do the same things over and over again, it’s the fact he’s getting better and better at everything. The hunters lack the experience of multiple lives’ worth of running, climbing and fighting. Their voices become more distant the higher he gets.
When he feels like there’s enough distance between them, he dares to look down.
George and Sapnap are slowly making their way up. Bad stands at the bottom, clutching a bleeding shoulder that colors his dark clothes even darker.
One of the places he grabs gives way and Dream almost loses his grip. Dropping the piece of stone he pulled out, he looks for a new place to continue climbing.
He snickers as he hears the rock hit something metallic.
‘Ow, what the heck?’ Georges voice rings out.
With shaky arms, Dream reaches the top. Kneeling on the ground, he gives himself a moment to breathe as his heart races.
He places a hand on his chest, the place his life would have been taken away if Sapnap had been just a second earlier.
If he hadn’t hesitated.
Why did he hesitate?
Dream pushes the thought away. It’s just the heat of the moment, the second before his victory, at least in his eyes. Who wouldn’t relish in the fact their target laid trapped and dazed beneath them, ready to lose.
He hates the fact that he hopes. That Sapnap remembered something, anything, to make him hesitate.
‘I don’t want to do it like this…,’ Bad mumbles.
Dream can’t understand why.
It doesn’t matter; Sapnap isn’t Bad, Dream wasn’t dying.
He pushes himself to his feet and looks around. The top of the mountain is empty, just a platform of stone. He looks down around him. No water, and the trees of the forest are too far away; nothing to break his fall.
He’s going to have to fight.
When he goes to check on the hunters, a hand grabs his foot. He scrambles back, falling on his butt as Georges head peeks over the edge. When George pulls himself up further, Dream kicks his foot loose, placing it on Georges chest and pushes. George screams as his hands fail to grab on to solid ground, and he teeters backwards before he disappears from Dreams view.
Dream doesn’t look down again.
From the corner of his eye he sees Sapnap lift his legs onto the plateau, taking out his sword as Dream takes out his axe.
Whatever his reasoning then, he’s definitely not hesitating now.
Sapnap raises his sword and swings as Dream blocks and readies his own weapon. They dance around each other, both trying to push the other back to the edge of the cliff.
When Sapnaps sword slides off his shield, Dream turns and knocks it against his head. With Sapnap stumbling back, clutching his face, Dream hooks his axe around his sword and pulls it from his grasp. It slides over the floor, teetering on the edge of the cliff before it gets pulled down by gravity.
Sapnap is panting. Blood drips down his face from a nose that stands more crooked than usual. One hand clutches his splintered shield, the other empty.
Then he charges.
Dream swings with his axe and it sinks deep into the wood of the shield. He catches a glimpse of Sapnaps grin before the shield twists away, ripping the axe from Dreams fingers. Then Sapnap jumps forwards, discarding his shield and wrapping his arms around Dreams waist.
Dream stumbles back from the force, his feet slipping as he gets thrown over the edge.
He feels Sapnap cling to him tighter as they fall, and for a moment Dream can’t help but wrap his arms around him as he waits for the ground to meet them.
It only hurts for a split second as his back shatters.
-
The void pulls him in, waiting and ready.
His back is numb.
He misses the feeling of his friend in his arms.
Too soon there’s ground under his feet and wind in his hair.
-
This time, when he sees a village in the distance, he doesn’t visit.
Dream grumbles as he watches the sun peel out from underneath the horizon, marking the start of a bright new day after a night of no sleep, no ender pearls and no lava.
A skeleton aims an arrow at him, its bones flaking like coals in a fire. Dream kicks it over and it crumbles to dust. The bow surprisingly survives, albeit covered in the ashes of its former owner. Dream picks it up. It has definitely seen better days, but it’ll give him a few shots before falling apart.
Dream slings it over his shoulder. It’ll have to do until he can make one himself.
The desert is starting to warm up, now that the sun is casting its rays over the barren landscape. It’s going to be hot and miserable if he’s stays here, but he has to; it’s the easiest place to look for lava pools, and Dream really needs to head to the Nether soon.
The desert is both a blessing and a curse. The sand surrounds him for as far as the eye can see, with nothing except cacti and dead bushes and rabbits that make him jump because their hopping sounds like footsteps. With no cover, the hunters will be able to spot him from miles away.
But that also means they can’t sneak up on him.
They’re too obvious anyway, as Dream spots three figures in the distance; the rising sun reflects in Georges glasses, Bad sticks out like a sore thumb in the pale sand. The heat is going to be the worst for him, in his dark clothes. Their armor flashes as it catches the sun.
Dream picks up the pace.
-
They tail him all the way through the desert and into a birch forest. Dream hopes he can shake them off here so he can turn around and head back. His limbs buzz with the leftover adrenaline from a night of fighting off mobs.
A hill rises up from the ground on his left, and Dream walks around it until he spots a cave. It continues deeper underground, but Dream only steps in until he’s hidden from view and presses his back against the wall.
He hears the hunters approach on the outside.
He dares to glance around the corner, immediately regretting his decision as he locks eyes with Bad, who instantly calls him out.
‘There he is!’
Dream curses as he takes out his axe and shield, rolling his shoulders as he takes a fighting stance.
Sapnap rushes up first, too eager, too reckless. Dream dodges his first swing, bringing his axe down when Sapnap is at the low of his sweep. Georges sword catches his blade just mere inches from Sapnaps exposed side. Dream retracts his axe, taking a few steps back and repositions himself to a better stance. The two of them also ready themselves, clutching their shields tighter when Dream exchanges his axe for his bow. With an arrow pointed between the two of them, Dream slowly backs away further into the cave.
Two of them.
Where’s the third?
Dream gets his answer as Bads sword sinks into the shield that he manages to throw up at the last second. He lets the arrow fly, hearing George cry out as it connects. He shoves Bad back, seeing him stumble and almost fall from the force. Turning to the others, he draws his bow back, but Sapnap is already in front of him and the arrow goes wide. Sapnap is pushing him back, Dreams bow now useless in the close combat. Keeping his shield raised, he manages to switch back to his axe. When Sapnap finishes another swing, Dream raises his weapon. He can see the way Sapnap tenses, raising his shield to block.
Dream wasn’t aiming for him.
He strikes the shield so hard it flies from Sapnaps grasp, clattering to the floor where he won’t be able reach it unless he wants Dreams axe in his back.
Something whips past his face, shattering against the stone wall behind him. Bad has taken out his bow, nocking back another arrow as George takes Sapnaps place. Shockwaves gets send up Dreams arm as he meets Georges blade with his own. There’s a solid second of them trying to overpower the other before Dream angles the blades, letting them scrape past each other with a screeching noise that echoes of the walls. With their weapons pointed to the floor, he knocks George away with his shoulder, catching himself as an arrow sinks into the edge of his shield with a thud.
With George on the floor, Sapnap closing the distance, shield equipped once more, and Bad reaching for another arrow, Dream turns and runs.
He doesn’t have torches like his pursuers, instead choosing to slink away in the shadows. He can hear their footsteps behind him, chasing him down tunnels and hallways made of stone that wind through the earth. It’s only a matter of time before he’ll run into a dead end.
The light licks at his heels.
He turns a corner and the ground disappears from under his feet. His elbow painfully slams into the floor as he catches himself on the way down an abyss hidden in the darkness. His fingernails scrape against the stone as he pulls himself up to his feet. The light has almost closed in.
He barely has time to think before someone runs into his back and sends him stumbling over the edge. Darkness engulfs him as he plummets down.
Someone screams, he doesn’t.
He’s ready for the feeling of his bones shattering before the void pulls him in and away.
He’s met with freezing water instead.
The impact knocks the air out of him and fills his lungs with water. His armor drags him down as he sputters, barely managing to keep his head above the water. He only gets a second to breathe before a current sweeps him under again. In the pitch black water there’s no sense of up or down as he holds his breath until his lungs burn.
Then his head connects with something, sending a spark of pain through his skull before the world fades away.
-
When he comes to he’s lying on his stomach, arms sprawled out next to him. He coughs, forcing the last drops of water out of his lungs. When he lifts himself up he notices his lower half is still submerged. Water sloshes around his feet as he stands up and takes in his surroundings. He’s ended up in an open pocket of stone, one side giving way to the telltale hallways of a mineshaft. On the other side is a lava pool, giving off a warm glow and casting long shadows on the walls.
Well, that’s one way to find lava.
When he brushes his wet hair out of his face, he realizes his mask is missing. A cold sense of dread settles in his bones as he looks around for it, not seeing it anywhere on the ground or in the water.
He finds something else instead.
Sapnap, lying a few feet away, equally soaked. His dark hair is plastered to his face. Blood mixes with water around his head. He’s not moving.
Yet.
Dream pushes himself to his feet and walks over to the hunter, moving him on his side. There’s a gash on the side of his head that’s bleeding sluggishly. It doesn’t look severe, head wounds just tend to bleed a lot.
He should kill him. It’d be so easy, to just take his items and leave.
Laying there, eyes closed and expression relaxed, Sapnap looks almost peaceful. If not for the rising and falling of his chest, he could’ve looked dead.
Suddenly Dream understands what Bad meant.
But even if he doesn’t want to kill him, he can’t leave him lying here like this.
First, Dream unties his headband, wrapping it around so it covers the wound as a makeshift bandage instead of just an accessory. And while he can’t reach Sapnaps inventory, he can undo the straps of his armor. He tugs off Sapnaps chestplate and holds it for a moment. His own chestplate is roughed up a lot more, showing wear and tear from his battles; the metal is chipped away in multiple places, one of the shoulder plates is missing. He undoes his own, slipping on Sapnaps before tossing his old one in the lava.
Somehow Sapnaps sword is still in his hand. Dream pries it from his grip and walks over to the cobwebs gathered in the corners of the mineshaft. The blade easily tears through the strands, leaving him with thick thread. He ties Sapnaps arms behind him, leaning him against a wall away from the water.
The bleeding seems to have stopped, leaving dried up streaks of red trailing down the side of his face.
Not knowing what else he can do, Dream turns his attention to the lava. The pool is big enough for a portal, and there’s water, but he doesn’t have a bucket. Taking out his pickaxe, Dream wanders into the mineshaft to look for iron.
It doesn’t take long before he finds some, up in the ceiling between two wooden posts. Shielding his eyes from the dust particles that drift down, he ends up with seven clumps of raw iron that he stuffs away.
He makes his way back to the pool, hacking through two spiders as they skitter out of the shadows. Sapnap hasn’t moved from his spot, but Dream keeps a close eye on him as he pulls out two furnaces, placing them down on the opposite side of the cave, close to the lava. He splits up the iron and throws in some coal, sitting down in front of them so the subtle heat warms his back.
When the iron is done, he sets down a crafting table and shapes it into two buckets, pausing as his own warped face looks back at him.
For the first time in a very long while, he looks at his reflection. Georges new addition goes over the bridge of his nose to his already scarred eye, reminding him of the panic of pain and darkness.
He takes the buckets and moves over to the water, filling them. He keeps Sapnap in his line of sight as he steps close to the lava, pouring out the water. The lava hisses as it sends hot steam into his face when it turns into obsidian. He moves back to the pond with the empty buckets.
From the corner of his eye, he can see Sapnap beginning to stir. He watches as the hunter blearily opens his eyes, his face scrunching up as he tries to sit up further. He lets out a grunt as his arms remain stuck behind him, struggling with the bindings until he spots Dream standing on the other side of the cave. Sapnap blinks at him, eyes unfocused before he smiles mischievously.
‘Dude, take me to dinner first.’ There’s a slight slur in this voice.
Dream can’t help the small laugh that escapes his throat before he sighs and rubs at his eyes.
‘Shut up,’ he mumbles, voice devoid of threat. They breathe in silence for a moment, taking the other in during the only calm moment they’ll have with each other.
Then Sapnaps eyes glance over to the lava, and Dream freezes as he realizes what Sapnap is considering.
Dream didn’t kill him, but is being stuck here really that much better?
He sees Sapnap weigh the options, tries not to think about searing pain and heat before it’s swept away into nothingness. Seemingly having made his decision, Sapnap reluctantly leans back against the stone, and Dream lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
‘You took my stuff,’ Sapnap realizes as he looks between his own chestplate-less self and Dream. His words are getting clearer. ‘Dude, you undressed me while I was unconscious.’
‘It sounds so bad when you say it like that,’ Dream says.
‘Well, I’m not the one undressing people.’
‘Just call it an apology-gift for trying to kill me,’ Dream says. Sapnap blows some damp hair out of his face.
‘Where’s my apology-gift, then? Last time you literally watched as I got murdered by like, four wither skeletons.’ The hunter wiggles his feet back and forth, not being able to sit still.
It takes Dream a few moments to figure out what he’s talking about. Last time you tackled me off a cliff, he almost says. But Sapnap isn’t talking about that; he’s talking about his last time, the only last time he remembers. The one where Dream won.
It feels like a lifetime ago.
Technically it was. Multiple.
A sorry weighs heavy on his tongue.
You were only doing what you had to, Bad says.
‘It was only two,’ he says instead as he hovers over the water, bucket ready as he catches his reflection, mask-less and scarred.
Sapnap finally seems to notice the missing part as well.
‘Wow, you look terrible,’ is all Sapnap says as Dream rights himself, and his stomach sinks. He should’ve known better, shouldn’t have hoped.
‘Gee, thanks,’ Dream mumbles. He doesn’t feel like living up to Sapnaps sarcasm right now.
‘Okay, fine, mister pretty boy. You look great,’ Sapnap replies. ‘That ghast got you good, though.’
Dream almost ignores Sapnaps comments, focusing on the hissing of the lava. Then he realizes what the words mean, and he freezes.
Instantly he turns to Sapnap. ‘What did you say?’
Sapnap just looks at him. ‘What?’
‘That last thing, what did you say?’ Dream presses.
Sapnap scoffs. ‘Dream, c’mon. Now you’re just fishing for compliments. I’m not boosting your ego more than that.’
‘Not that.’ Dreams hands start shaking. ‘After that.’
‘Dude, what are you talking about? Did you hit your head on the ceiling or something?’
‘You said something about a ghast.’
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘Yes, you did!’ Dream says, voice laced with desperation. ‘Sapnap, please.’
Sapnap shifts uncomfortably against the stone. ‘Dude, you’re freaking me out.’
Dream runs a hand over his face, stifling a groan. Peeking through his fingers, he takes a good look at Sapnaps confused face.
He tries another approach. ‘Sapnap, where did I get this?’ he points at the one side of his mouth.
Sapnap stares at it for a moment. ‘I don’t know,’ he says, uncertain. ‘You’ve always had it.’
‘You gave it to me,’ Dream tells him. ‘You pushed me in front of a fireball.’
Sapnap looks proper confused now. ‘…I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
Dream turns away, rubbing his eyes with one of his hands, gripping the bucket in his other. ‘Just... never mind. Forget what I said.’
There’s an easy way to make him forget, Dream knows. He doesn’t want to think about it.
He works on the rest of the portal in silence.
‘So… are you just gonna keep me here?’ Sapnap asks as Dream readies the last lava bucket.
‘If I have to,’ Dream says before hissing fills his ears.
‘I can just come in after you,’ Sapnap taunts.
‘I’ll tie your feet together,’ Dream says.
‘Then I’ll just hop, like a bunny.’
‘Sure.’
Dream takes out a piece of flint and iron, striking them together at the bottom of the obsidian frame. On the place where the sparks land, it catches like a flame on gasoline, and a purple sheet rises up until it fills the frame. It sends out a wave of hot air, like he opened a furnace. Dream puts one of his hands through. When he pulls it back, his sleeve is completely dry.
The portal softly hums in the open space.
He looks back just in time to see Sapnap rise to his feet, the remnants of the spiders string clinging to the stone in threads.
Dream still has his sword, he’s wearing his armor.
Sapnap has nothing except an open pool of lava.
‘I really advice you not to do anything stupid,’ Dream says as he locks eyes with him. Sapnap only looks a little embarrassed he got caught.
‘Would I ever?’ he says.
But Sapnap doesn’t know that Dream remembers his trick.
This time, as Sapnap runs at him, he turns, pivoting on his heels and catching Sapnap at the back of his shirt before driving the sword through Sapnaps stomach.
‘Sorry,’ he whispers.
Sapnaps breath hitches in his throat, one hand clasping over Dreams on the hilt, the other clutching around Dreams arm. He lets out something between a sigh and a laugh.
‘It’s okay.’ He looks up at Dream, a dopy smile on his face. ‘No hard feelings.’
His items clatter to the ground, the noise echoing through the empty space.
Dream doesn’t think he’ll ever forget the sound of Sapnaps last breath escaping his lips.
-
With a hollow feeling Dream rummages through Sapnaps items. He has no need for his tools or the cactus he carried with him for some reason, only pocketing the extra food and iron ingots. He tosses the rest in the lava.
The glint of something enchanted catches his eye. Dream shoves cobblestone and a shovel out of the way before he sees the source of the light. A compass, needle spinning like they're in the Nether. Dream picks it up, frowning when the needle turns downwards.
No matter what way he points it, the needle is stuck to the south. Must be broken, he thinks, and he almost tosses it away. Then he thinks back to the chase through the trees, hunters always on his heels no matter what way he ran. George, who stopped and looked even when Dream never make a sound.
Dream puts it on the ground and steps around it.
The needle follows.
-
Dream isn’t sure why he takes it with him. It serves no purpose to him, only taking up space in his inventory that could be used for something better. Maybe it’s a comfort that he’s the one who has it, not Sapnap. Maybe it’ll serve as a reminder that they’ll be able to find him no matter where he runs.
It’s only a small comfort knowing that where he’s going their compasses will be just as useless as his.