Chapter Text
“Look what I found!” George shouted exuberantly, clearly proud about whatever he had discovered.
Dream made sure to sigh in mock annoyance loudly enough for his friend to hear, but still clambered through the broken stone to see whatever it was he was so excited about. He lightly hopped over a gap in the floor, the ruined temple was hazardous, but that’s what made it so thrilling to find and loot.
“What is it?” Sapnap reached George slightly before him, making an attempt to snatch the object out of the older man’s hands. George yanked back, scolding Sapnap loud enough to make Dream’s head start to ache. But what else was new with these two?
Despite the mild annoyance, Dream still caught himself smiling under his mask, white painted ceramic hiding his features. These were his best friends, more like brothers than anything. He was used to their antics by now.
George squealed as Sapnap made another attempt at stealing his treasure, high pitched outrage echoing in the stone halls. He stumbled backwards and nearly knocked Dream over, immediately dashing behind him.
“Dream!!! Made him stop!” Sapnap stood in front of him with a mischievous grin, dark eyes reflecting the torchlight.
“Just show us George.” Dream groaned and shoved Sapnap back as he tried to get past him.
“Yeah Georgie, show us!!”
Once George was convinced Sapnap was being kept at bay, he stepped under the nearest torch, proudly holding up a dark oval object in both hands.
“It’s a mask, and it looks kinda like yours Dream!” Dream had to admit, it did look similar. Thought the stone was painted pure black instead of white… George flipped it over, grinning as Sapnap gasped.
The front of the mask had a red frown painted on, simple dots and lines, just like Dreams. The red color was odd, it looked like the color of blood, and almost looked wet despite obviously having been down here for who knows how long.
“Dude! There’s no way, you brought this down here as a prank, admit it!” Sapnap huffed and tried to call George’s bluff, but he wasn’t backing down.
“No, I found it, over there. Look at where it was if you don’t believe me, there’s a little nook just this shape.” Dream matched Sapnap’s skeptical expression, but he had to admit the spot where George had found it was pretty convincing.
“You should put it on!” Apparently that was all it took to convince Sapnap, the younger man was bouncing around, dark hair falling loose into his face as he did.
“Fine, just for a minute, this could be valuable.” Dream acquiesced and held out his hand, using the other to slip off his white mask and hang it on his belt. Around anyone else he wouldn’t have exposed his face for a moment, but George and Sapnap were the exceptions to the rule. Besides, they were alongside him when he got the scars, they wouldn’t stare. They had matching ones on their torso’s and arms from…
Well. The place they had all grown up wasn’t something Dream liked to think about often.
When George handed over the mask it was heavier than Dream expected. He slowly slipped it over his face, fighting off a vague sense of unease. He expected it to be cold, like his mask was in the morning when he first put it on for the day, but it wasn’t. The stone of the mask was strangely warm as it brushed his face. It was a perfect fit.
Suddenly Dream felt entirely comfortable, it was odd how nice the mask was. He realized he was just standing there, smiling contentedly, when Sapnap shoved his shoulder.
“Hey, what do you think?”
Dream shook his head briskly and turned to his friends, tipping his head to the side in an intentionally jerky fashion. He got exactly the reaction he was hoping for when Sapnap stepped back and George shivered.
“That’s creepy Dream, stop it.” Dream wheezed as George whined, complaining about being made fun of. “Alright, you’ve had your fun, you should take it off now.”
“Nah.” Dream shrugged carelessly. “I’m gonna keep it on for a while, it fits really well anyway.”
As George continued to complain about Dream wearing it just to scare him, the three men packed up, getting ready to head home.
Dream didn’t feel uneasy anymore.
You and I, we’ve got all sorts of things to do
Power and blood
Let’s go somewhere fun
Your name is Dream?
A nightmare can start whenever we please
Dream woke up wearing his new mask. He couldn’t remember exactly why he didn’t take it off the previous night, only that he felt anxious and uncomfortable when he started to remove it, so he didn’t. Somehow it fit well enough that it didn’t disrupt his sleep, it was almost like a second skin, comforting like a warm blanket.
He groaned as someone called for him, loud knocking on his door forced him out of bed. Dream swung open the door, eliciting a yelp from Sapnap, who jumped back lightly into the hall.
“Really dude, you’re still wearing that dusty thing?”
Dream only shrugged, why did he care what mask he wore?
“Techno is going to be so weirded out if you wear that to your training today.” Sapnap groaned while moving out of the doorway, leading the way to the kitchen.
Fighting?
Dream felt a grin spread across his face, usual excitement for a fairly normal activity.
He didn’t know why, but he really wanted to fight. He scarfed down his breakfast before grabbing his gear, dashing out the door as George and Sapnap gave brief goodbyes.
Dream even jogged down the familiar trail to the training grounds, sliding into the dueling area with dopamine already flooding his veins.
To his credit, Technoblade took the change of mask in stride, only briefly looking confused before he gestured to the two boys sitting off to the side of the field.
“Tommy and Tubbo wanted to watch today, is that okay?”
Dream nodded. He didn’t care, he just wanted to fight, he just needed to start fighting!
A scowl crossed his hidden face as Technoblade delayed the fight further, stepping close enough to whisper.
“You okay Dream? You seem kind of… jittery today. We can train some other time if—”
“NO!” Dream practically shouted, hand already dropping to grasp the axe handle at his side.
It was an odd feeling of disconnect as Dream recognized how oddly eager he was feeling… brief mental images of blood crossing his mind confused him. But then Techno had backed up and given the signal, and the fight had begun!
Fight him Dream, then spill his blood.
Tubbo cheered along with Tommy as Technoblade landed a clean hit on Dream’s armor, twisting his sword at the last moment in order to not do any real damage. Dream was knocked to the ground by the force, an event that signaled the end of the round.
Tubbo thought the new mask was… eerie to say the least. But Tommy wouldn’t shut up about how ‘badass’ it was, so he voiced patient agreements. It did make him look more threatening, though Tubbo wasn’t convinced that was a good thing.
“Way to go Blade!!” Tommy pumped his fists as Techno sheathed his sword and reached down a hand to help Dream to his feet.
Fairly normal stuff, Tubbo was getting bored already, his attention wandered as he watched an insect fly around Tommy’s blond hair, possibly mistaking it for a flower or something…
“Hey!” Tubbo’s focus flipped as the very air seemed to grow tense. Tommy stood up next to him, hand reaching for his as he stared at the field. Technoblade grunted in pain, tossing himself away from Dream as the other fighter took another swing at him, blood dripping off the edge of the axe.
“What the hell Dream! You hadn’t started the match yet!” Tommy started shouting furiously into the practice area as Techno blocked with his shield, injured leg making it difficult to dodge at full speed. Dream continued to attack unrelenting, he… Tubbo’s heart chilled. Dream was out for blood.
Technoblade seemed to realize it too.
“Tommy, Tubbo, run! Go now!” Techno meet the masked man’s next blow with an increasingly splintered practice shield, tone holding no room for argument. Tubbo gripped Tommy’s hand fiercely, turning and starting to drag him away into the woods.
He tried to ignore the cut-off shout of pain from behind him. They had to get away. They had to get help.
The two boys fled as a shield finally broke.
Dream stood over all the blood with heaving shoulders.
This was wrong.
This was right.
He wanted to run away from what he had done, he wanted to dip his hands in blood and enjoy the beauty of what he had created.
Technoblade lay still at his feet, the deep gash tearing into his neck was terrible wonderful.
Even as Dream mentally protested what he had done, tried to reason with himself and argue about how horrible of a crime he had committed, his face held a smile.
He couldn’t help it. The moment he killed Technoblade Dream felt a rush of endorphins completely unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It was almost like an out of body experience, like someone else was taking immense joy in the killing.
But it was Dream. He was feeling the joy and oh god he wanted to vomit, to wash and shower until he was clean and go to bed so this would just be a nightmare.
Nightmare.
There are more to kill.
Dream was aware of the direction the two boys had run in the forest, but he didn’t want to go there, why would he?
It would be good to kill.
It would be good.
Dream was already sprinting down the path, Technoblade’s sword in his hand, before he decided to do so.
If I follow them, I can explain, stop them from getting more people involved.
Nothing to explain, kill them, enjoy it.
So soon there was rustling ahead of him, a red and white shirt, Dream sent the tall boy to the ground with an easy sweep of the legs. He glanced around through the mask as Tommy started to climb to his feet. Where was Tubbo? The other boy had seemingly vanished, but Dream wasn’t concerned. Where one of them was the other would be nearby.
He walked towards Tommy as the blond backed up, hands held out defensively until his back hit the unyielding trunk of a tree.
“Hey Dream, hey big man.” Tommy’s voice was shaky, Dream felt revolted at how terrified the boy was. He was always so confident and boastful, and now he was scared of him. Dream felt so happy to hear the fear. His mind spun with contradiction. “Dream, please, I don’t know what’s going on but—”
Kill.
Tommy’s words were cut off by a heart-rending scream of pain, Dream looked down, almost surprised to see the sword piercing through the boy’s gut, pinning him to the tree as it went straight through him to stick in the bark. Huh.
Good. Yes, kill.
Dream hated, relished, the broken cries that could be heard as he yanked the sword free, allowing Tommy to fall to the earth in a bloody heap.
“TOMMY!!”
Ah, there he was.
Dream turned, flicking the blood coated blade towards Tubbo as he ran forwards, eyes only fixed on where his best friend laid bleeding in the dirt.
It was almost too easy.
Tubbo staggered and dropped, gasping in pain as the sword opened a wide gash across his chest. Still the brunette crawled over to Tommy, leaning over him as if he could protect the taller boy with his own body.
Dream allowed them to have a moment before he plunged the blade in Tubbo’s exposed back, the cry of pain it caused echoing through the forest.
No one was around to hear it.
Blood was drying on the warrior in the training grounds.
Dream walked away from the dying boys on the forest floor.
He was far from in control.
Kill.
Badboyhalo sighed as he tidied up around the house that he and Skeppy shared, mentally bemoaning his housemate’s lack of organization skills.
He turned to face the door when he heard it slam open, he was expecting Skeppy to come back any time now, he was working on getting some materials for a project.
But it wasn’t Skeppy standing in his front hall.
Bad took a hesitant step forward as he recognized Dream swaying in the doorway. His friend was wearing an… odd mask… but that in and of itself wasn’t what alarmed Bad. No, he was alarmed because his friend was covered in blood, the sword in his hand was dripping with it.
“Dream? Dream are you okay?” Bad hurried the rest of the way across the room, mentally going over the potions he had, healing supplies already brewed and stored.
“I’m not hurt.” Bad paused, tilting his head as his glowing eyes, pure white, evaluated Dream. The man shrugged, then shuddered. Bad stepped forward in time to support him, gently wrapping one of the man’s arms over his shoulder to keep him upright.
“What happened?”
Dream hesitated for a moment, then started shaking as he spoke.
“I… I found this mask yesterday. Something is wrong with it. I—” Dream’s voice broke, he sounded more upset than Bad had ever seen him. “I killed them. I killed them and I enjoyed it. What do you think of that Bad?”
Bad recoiled lightly before collecting himself.
“This isn’t you Dream, you wouldn’t hurt people, let’s get the mask off you and get you some help, okay?”
Dream took a step away from him and shook his head sadly. Suddenly he looked a lot more steady on his feet than he had a moment prior.
“No Bad, you don’t understand. I killed them, and then I came here to kill you.” Bad didn’t have time to react before he heard a click and there was a sudden searing pain at the base of his neck. He stumbled backwards, hands clasping around the arrow that was imbedded in his throat.
Dream stood in front of him with a crossbow, terrible frowning mask looking almost like the dotted eyes were following him as he dropped to his knees.
Bad wheezed out a choked cry of pain, blood pushing past his lips as he did so.
The mask was the last thing he saw before everything faded away.
The last thing he heard was the sound of faint laughter.
Bad hoped Skeppy would be home late.
Dream left the quartz house after Bad’s eyes were completely devoid of light.
The part of him that rebelled against the violence, that felt horrified by what he had done kept getting quieter and weaker. The main influence pushed him to find more people to kill, more blood to spill.
It was easy enough to find someone else. Wilbur walked right up to him, asking if he had seen his brothers since training that morning. Dream was more than happy to lead him right to them, almost smugly taking him to the place in the woods the younger boys laid.
Wilbur rushed to them, a pained cry of grief leaving his throat. He dropped next to their still bodies, eyes wide and uncomprehending.
“How… why?”
That tall man’s hand hovered over them, Tubbo still clinging to Tommy, even in death.
Dream realized how smart Wilbur truly was when the elder looked up at him, resignation in his eyes.
He knew he was dead before Dream even drew the blade.
Wilbur Soot let himself fall into the dirt next to his brothers, gently draping an arm around them as he breathed his last.
Dream walked away, the grin on his face nearly the opposite of the frown on his mask.
The last remnants of Dream’s control kept tugging him away from the place he knew two people would be.
Even as the force in the mask screamed at him to kill, he stayed away from his home, from the home he shared with his best friends.
He didn’t doubt he would kill them, he wanted to kill them.
He had to stay away.
Unfortunately, they came to him.
“Dream! Where have you been?” Sapnap ran up to him on the path, stopping short when he was close enough to see the blood coating his shirt. Sapnap held out his arm, forcing George to stop next to him, the brunette looked confused but allowed himself to be halted a fair distance away.
“We’ve been looking for you everywhere! Something’s happened and…” George finally seemed to notice that Dream was covered in blood. “Are you alright?”
Dream tilted his head, a thousand words rushing in his head.
“Of course, what’s going on?” He spoke lightly and innocently, a small part of him begging his two closest friends to catch on, to flee while they could.
“Dream, Bad was killed. He’s dead and… you’re covered in blood.” Dream stepped forward, appreciating how Sapnap flinched back and cut off his words. George’s eyes were wide under his glasses, disbelief covering his features.
“What… Why are you covered in blood Dream?” George’s tone was hollow, he tried to take a step towards him, only held back by Sapnap’s restraining grip on his upper arm.
“I…”
NO
Not them, not Sapnap and George. Dream would kill anyone else with pleasure, he caught himself mentally bargaining with whatever malicious force had taken his own mind over.
Kill them. Blood. NOW!
Sapnap threw himself in front of George in time to catch the first arrow on his shield, Dream growled in frustration.
He needed blood, he needed it now!
Please no, not them
He wanted to see them bleed.
The two men were wearing their armor and armed, obviously aware there was a killer somewhere. There was no chance they were prepared for it to be Dream.
He charged them on the wooden path, eagerly drawing his sword and shield as he ran forward. Sapnap meet him with a clash, giving George a moment to draw his own weapon.
“Dream! Snap out of it!” Sapnap gritted his teeth as they exchanged the first few blows, parrying Technoblade’s stolen sword with his own.
He was holding his own for the moment.
The force was increasingly impatient. He wanted them dead, needed them dead.
George started shooting arrows from the side, jumping off the path to get some distance. Dream sneered, he was obviously aiming to injure, to incapacitate Dream. That could be used. Dream dodged and weaved around the arrows, making himself as difficult as a target as he could while also keeping pace with Sapnap.
The dark-haired man was equally hesitant to do Dream harm. It was pathetic.
Dream stopped moving for a moment, giving George time to line up a shot, Sapnap jabbed his sword in a strike aimed for Dream’s arm.
In a flurry of movement Dream dropped his shield, grabbing Sapnap’s arm with the free hand and yanking him closer.
Please Sapnap, just do it… let this be over…
As expected, Sapnap twisted the sword to the side and dropped it rather than letting it connect on its new trajectory, pointed at Dream’s chest. The younger man cried out as an arrow not meant for him connected with his shoulder, wet thunk pleasing to Dreams ears.
“Sapnap!!” George shouted an apology from the side, now hesitating to nock his next arrow on the bow.
Sapnap, to his credit, gave more fight. Dream was prepared to end him then and there, but his old friend managed to maintain his grip on his own shield and slammed the iron frame into Dream’s side. The blow loosened Dream’s grip enough for Sapnap to dodge backwards, one arm now hanging uselessly at his side, arrow sticking out the back of his shoulder.
“DREAM, STOP!!!” George shrieked at him as he charged Sapnap again, not giving him any time to recover. He only paused to regain his shield, easily keeping it between him and George as he rapidly wore down Sapnap’s defense.
Sapnap swayed and stumbled, a shield his only reprise from the onslaught of blows.
Dream grinned at the fear in his eyes, pressing his advantage for all it was worth. Soon Sapnap had small gashes on his arms and legs, he was starting to slow down.
Then Dream kicked his legs out from under him.
A bloody shriek tore from Sapnap’s throat as he dropped to his back, not able to keep the arrow in his shoulder from impacting the ground. Dream slashed his sword downward, a deep gash opened on Sapnap’s forearm, and the shield dropped from his hand.
Dream didn’t manage to deliver the killing blow before George was there, desperately swinging his own weapon, trying to put any space between the masked killer and where Sapnap lay helpless on the wooden path.
“Give us anything Dream, what’s going on? Please!” George gritted his teeth as Dream practically danced around him, far superior at fighting.
Tell them. Please, let me tell them.
“The… mask…” The words were a whisper, Dream didn’t think the other two even heard him. He wasn’t sure if he even did more than mouth them.
Killing, it doesn’t matter, kill them, fight them.
“Did you kill Bad?”
George still sounded like he couldn’t believe it, he sounded broken, so torn by his friend attacking him. Killing their friends, their family.
“Yes!” The joy in Dream’s voice made him feel sick. “I shot him in the throat with an arrow!”
George’s eyes hardened.
“I’ll give you the choice Georgie, how would you like to die?”
“Don’t call me that.” George believed it now. He started on the offensive, no longer fighting to injure or incapacitate, he matched Dream’s intent, pure kill-or-be-killed intensity.
It didn’t help him in the end.
There were no fancy tricks, no deception. Dream fought with pure skill, and he outclassed his friends in that regard by a mile.
George stumbled away from the exchange with a deep stab wound on his thigh, straight through his armor.
“GET AWAY FROM HIM!!” Sapnap threw himself back into the fray, sword aiming for Dream’s neck.
Dream knocked the blow away with his shield, easily twisting Sapnap’s sword out of his hand, leaving him unarmed and defenseless. He grunted as pain erupted in his side. Turning, Dream drew his crossbow and fired in one fluid movement, it was already loaded and ready. He didn’t wait to see the arrow meet its mark, he knew it flew true.
He saw Sapnap leaping forward from the corner of his eye, he twisted and easily brought his sword to bear. It was level with his torso, but Sapnap still moved forward, unprotected.
A shriek tore through the air.
There was an odd tugging sensation, and everything spun.
Dream… floated… things were wrong… Where…. Why?
He focused his eyes just in time to see the mask shatter on the hard wood path, Sapnap tossing it down with the last of his energy.
Dream reached forward, managing to catch him as he collapsed.
“Dream?” Sapnap wheezed his name out, pain making his voice rough.
“I… I’m here Sapnap, it’s really me now.”
Carefully, as to not cause more pain, Dream lifted Sapnap and cradled him to his chest. He ignored the tugging pain in his side as he moved, he knew without looking the arrow wasn’t deep enough to do real harm. He almost wished it were. Dream walked over to where George sat limply against the hillside, head lolling back and blank brown eyes staring at the sky. The answering arrow had hit its mark, it stuck out from his chest, buried in his heart.
Gently, ever so gently, Dream sat down next to him, supporting Sapnap against his side.
Sapnap’s dark eyes were filled with tears and pain, his hands uselessly grasped at the blade buried in his torso.
Dream took a moment to delicately close George’s eyes. He looked more peaceful now. Then he turned to Sapnap. He felt numb. He remembered fighting and killing, he remembered something enjoying it. He knew it was the mask, but he had done it. His mind couldn’t comprehend it right now.
All he knew was that George was dead, and that Sapnap would soon follow.
“I’m sorry Sapnap, I should’ve been stronger.” Sapnap didn’t—couldn’t—respond. He only continued to follow Dream with his eyes, occasionally letting out sobs of pain, tears and blood streaking down his face.
Dream held him close, resting his cheek against Sapnap’s forehead and hoping the contact was comforting. One hand gripped the hilt of the sword. He wouldn’t prolong his friend’s pain just to continue apologizing, that wouldn’t be fair.
In the smoothest motion he could manage, Dream removed the sword, tossing it to the side as soon as he could.
He never wanted to touch another weapon as long as he lived.
Sapnap screamed in pain, but it was weaker this time. His agonizing sobs intensified before growing fainter. Blood poured from below the base of his sternum. Dream didn’t bother to try to halt the flow. Instead, he just held Sapnap close, rocking lightly and mummering reassurances, apologies for what he had done with his own hands.
He stayed like that long after Sapnap had grown cold in his arms.
The whispers that overwhelmed his mind were gone, no malevolent force telling him to kill. But so were the pleasant sensations, the delightful apathy the mask had provided was absent as well.
Dream sat by the side of the path, the bodies of his friends resting on either side of him. He stared at the splinters of the mask in front of him, almost wishing it were still whole.
If it were… he wondered if he would but it back on, desperate for relief from the emotional agony that felt like it was tearing him in two.
He thought he might.
But that wasn’t an option.