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Dream has always found chess something interesting.
It was a strategy game, about sacrifices and patience, about putting all the pieces together to create a domino effect until it reached checkmate.
The most interesting part was that the world worked the same way.
And he learned to think that way.
Despite this strategic nature, Dream considered himself a person of affection, actions were more effective than words, from hugs, harmless games and any platonic affection he could find.
So when he started a family, it was one of the happiest things in his life.
They weren't connected by blood, but he still felt like it was.
Tommy and Tubbo were his younger brothers, with Tubbo being the most relaxed and Tommy the most aggressive, Dream adored and protected them with all his heart.
Bad, Sam and Eret were figures considered older, even though there wasn’t much difference in age, they were figures of responsibility and that he always trusted his problems, just as he wanted them to trust theirs.
Everyone else, George, Sapnap, Wilbur and many others who followed were as chaotic as he was, not too young as teenagers, but not too 'older' to be 'authority' figures.
Dream could be as affectionate as possible, nothing would separate them.
Or so he thought. After all, the world was still a chess board.
Wilbur started with a drug-making plan, of course, it wasn't a problem, he knew how to take care of himself and he was an adult, but that was before Tommy and Tubbo got involved.
Soon after, the caravan was the ignition point for L'manburg.
His family started to break up and he didn't know what to do.
He thought it was okay, if they were in trouble they should talk to him. It would have helped and improved.
It looked like his family didn't consider him back and it hurt like hell.
Dream tried everything, but nothing seemed enough, and in fact, it seemed to have made it worse.
All the looks of the L'manbergians were like stabs in the back.
Wilbur made his move and it was Dream's turn.
It was a war that killed his lands, no, the lands of L'manburg.
A betrayal separated his brothers, he had to shoot Tommy taking one of his lives and the boy exchanged his precious discs for the independence of a country that separated his family.
He was bitter, but he accepted and was quiet about it, the discs burning his hands.
When Schlatt came to power, he saw a useful resource.
The hate.
He wasn’t present when Tommy and Wilbur were exiled, but he knew the reactions of others because of that eccentric, but understandable strategy by JSchlatt. The hatred of the tyrant made Tommy and Wilbur together as glue, made Tubbo become a spy to protect his friends, made Niki rebel, made Technoblade enter the server and help his brothers.
Dream helped his family by the shadows, but his worst mistakes forced him to lose a family member.
He lost his brother, Wilbur, because he was an impulsive bastard and because he didn’t think straight about his moves.
But he, deep down, thought that his family would get together and everything would go back to how it was, since L'manburg was destroyed and oh... how wrong he was.
L'maburg was rebuilt, Quackity planned, for some reason, to revive Schlatt in a political move, almost nobody liked Techno, besides Phil and Dream himself, Tubbo was a 16-year-old president ruling a nation that should never have existed and everything was so separate, factions after factions, governments after governments.
He was in Tommy's courtroom, when the boy burned George's house, that Dream grew tired of disunity.
It was creating the perfect strategy, or watching the server and his family die.
No matter what the cost, he would bring his family together, even if he had to sacrifice his own pieces.
He started small, whispering semi threats in Tubbo's ears, who was worried about his home, saying that Tommy needed to be banned. He felt his tongue numb, but he needed to be careful for the end to be worth it.
He didn't expect Tommy to play dirty.
And he didn't expect Tubbo to play so out of character.
He needed to make everyone hate him, he needed to cut the ties and put them together, no matter how.
His target was Tommy, the boy was like an anime protagonist, the hero like the ones in the stories and his younger ‘brother’.
He pulled the lines, like a puppeteer, he manipulated him as if it didn't matter, as if he were a cruel monster.
Perhaps he was becoming one.
His second goal was to get George and Sapnap out of the ring, he cut ties, treated them as if they were worthless.
He asked to build an unbreakable prison for Sam, when he realized that Sam already thought he was going too far, Dream demanded the progress to stop.
L'manburg, George, Sapnap and Sam.
His next move would have to be the ultimatum to eliminate any points of affection that others had for him.
He burned the community house.
His old and first home, he watched the wood burn as he left the ruins behind.
Now he was really homeless.
He helped Techno escape his execution and joined him when Tommy returned to Tubbo's side.
They blew up L'manburg without remorse.
Techno did it for revenge and for anarchism.
Dream did it because it was part of the plan and because that shitty country had gotten enough from him.
"You are a monster, Dream" Tommy spat
Dream swallowed, the mask hiding his features, and the three of them were plunged into the storm.
"Ok..."
He waited for one to pass, everything would have to be perfect.
"Come find me and I'll give you the records, but just take Tubbo with you"
He knew that Tommy had a plan, a plan that involved everyone.
Dream was almost jumping with excitement, but he needed to look cruel.
He used Tubbo as a threat.
"Hand over the disc or Tubbo dies"
He blew up his items and guided them to the secret base, he started a long monologue about the server being his by right, about how attaching himself to things was something that weakened him and that when he abandoned everything made him stronger.
He forced the boys to say goodbye and Punz showed up just in time.
He wouldn't have known what to do if they had been late.
"Not so fast, Dream"
When everyone appeared on the portal, Dream felt so happy.
Hate brought them together, and all their sacrifices and moves were worth it.
As much as it wasn’t such a noble reason that brought them together, he didn't care much about it.
Tommy kills him twice, it hurts like hell, but he stays in character.
Everyone decides to imprison him and he follows obediently.
He can't help but smile when everyone applauds and Tommy thanks everyone for helping.
Dream is locked in the dark.
His execution is scheduled for January, 28th.
Everyone is present.
Quackity, Tommy, Sapnap, Punz, Sam, Niki, Puffy, Eret, Bad and Tubbo, all bows ready and pointed towards him in the middle of the yard.
The sun shines on the blue sky.
His mask was removed if it prevented them from killing him, his expressions exposed like an open book, each of them looked at him with concentration and determination.
Maybe they'll celebrate it without him, but it's worth it if they're happy.
"Ready?" Quackity calls and everyone nods
He can see the expressions of two of them hesitate.
"Shoot!" Tommy orders and he closes his eyes.
The arrows fly through his head and one of them crosses his heart.
A faint, but happy smile decorates his lifeless face and the rain falls on the yard.
Everyone may even think that Dream was defeated in the end, that he didn't expect everyone to arrive to destroy him and wrest his power.
All the moves led to the checkmate he planned from the beginning.
Once again they fell for his game.
Many people forget that Dream was very good at chess.