Chapter Text
Part One
Hunting a Dream
Prologue
A week after the events of Season Three of the Dream SMP
Darkness flooded throughout the night, little light glowing off of sparse lanterns and torches that extended far into the distance. In a house in the middle of a small lake, a man stared down into the crafting table floor, frozen as he thought of what he should do next. A pale white mask covered his face, a smile painted with two eyes staring without a soul. Blond hair sat on his head with a green hoodie underneath, covered up with a Netherite chestplate.
The man continued to stay still, his mind raging as he tentatively felt at a few wounds that had yet to still heal. He had barely survived the battles that happened not long ago, but only barely. He was now given a chance, an opportunity, to finally get what he needed. He had power, but he needed more. He could not stop, or the server would descend into chaos as that rambunctious teen would try to hunt him down and kill him again. It depended on him to save the server, to restore the order that had been destroyed.
This was his only choice, and he needed to go forward with it.
The man kept staring before making his decision. He opened a book and took a quill out of his pocket. He muttered a chant; he wrote, the words that were spoken unnatural to the human mind. Words that were not meant to be said by mortals but were instead meant to be said by those blessed with the power of Creation. He kept chanting as a wind started up, swirling around where the man was focused. The wind got faster and faster, picking up speed as the man’s voice became faster, louder from what was once a slow mumble to an intense, loud string of what was to the average person, gibberish. The man finished writing and continued to chant as he set the book down on the ground, pocketing the quill. He closed the book and threw it onto the ground, taking out his sword and stabbing it in the center. The paper and leather disappeared into mist.
Finally, with a crack of the wind, a person manifested on the ground. He had messy, chaotic brown hair, a single white strand flowing down the middle of his hair. He stumbled as he looked around, before looking up at the man. His face had an aspect of youthfulness to it, yet his eyes held that look that seemed to say otherwise. He could have been twenty years old or fourty. He paused for a moment before laughing into the night.
“You can’t forget anything, can you Dream?” Wilbur said, pushing himself off from the ground. “Not a single possible advantage, not anything so long as it is of use to you.”
Dream looked down at him with a passive look, no emotions showing from behind the mask. “I can’t forget anything, not when I can use it.”
Wilbur paused for a moment before letting out a sigh, his voice amused as he said, “So, what makes you resurrect me for the second time, Dream? I doubt it is out of pity.”
Dream hesitated before nodding, “I have been told that if I resurrected you, I will receive help in… gaining a certain power. He said that you would know what I would mean, and that I would help you with whatever you needed assistance with.”
Wilbur pursed his lips before looking out across the building, “I did say that I wanted to see a new story play out, the afterlife has been increasingly boring with no events to watch from a distance.” He
turned towards Dream before nodding slowly. “Yes, you will need to help me. He wants some chaos, you want power, and I want to watch a story unfold. Do you have the item I need?”
Dream blinked for a moment before asking, “The Eye of Ender?”
“Yes, the Eye of Ender.” Wilbur mused. He looked around before muttering, “Now, he said that he wanted somewhere that would be public and easily accessible. Now, where would that be?” Wilbur glanced out the window before smiling, an idea clearly striking him. “Now that is where we can go. Where’s that Eye, Dream?”
Dream huffed before digging an Eye of Ender out of his pocket and throwing it towards Wilbur. Wilbur caught it in mid-air with his hand and started walking, heading out the door and towards the Community Portal to the right. Dream followed close behind, his hand resting on his sword as they approached the portal.
After climbing the stairs, Wilbur glanced around before sighing, “Well, it was nice living again even if only for a few minutes.” He glanced back at Dream before muttering, “You might want to step back, I’ve heard things can get a bit… explosive when you are dealing with Shards.”
Dream blinked before stepping back. Wilbur let out another sigh before throwing the Eye of Ender straight into the air. The air cracked with a sound of lighting and a hand grabbed the Eye before it could move any further. The hand crushed the Eye before disappearing, a floating figure behind where the hand was. A green, flowing robe floated off of the ground, a white ball with the symbol XD embedded
on the front of it. The person didn’t look at either of them, but it still seemed to stare straight at them.
Wilbur knelt quickly to the person, his head staring at the ground passively as Dream stared up at the person, defiantly. The person didn’t seem to notice Dream as the ball bobbed up and down.
What is it that you want, Wilbur Soot? The voice boomed in their heads, the person not moving a single inch as the voice talked. Wilbur looked up, staring at the person with a smile.
“Dream XD! How’ve you been, my man!? How have your preparations been going to defend your precious Shard that is your existence? But seriously, tell me how’s life as a god?”
There was a pause before Dream XD said, How do you know this, Madman?
Wilbur smiled, “There are a lot of things you learn in the afterlife if you spend enough time digging around. And one of those things just so happens to be other servers. So, I’ve come with a demand because one, I’m bored, two, this will most certainly be entertaining to see play out, and three, I don’t have a number three but there is a Semi God who has put in a lot of effort for this and it would be a shame if I didn’t help him out.”
Another pause before Dream XD said, What makes you think you could be in a position to make demands of me? I am a Shard of Creation, the God of Portals, and nothing can stop me.
Wilbur smiled softly. “I know, but there is one problem. You see, after years of living in the void that is the afterlife, I have stumbled across powers that have made things a whole lot easier to live through. Or die through it, I don’t know. The point is, I have stumbled across a certain… power that you have invested in my father, Foolish, and whoever that Time Traveler is. I can channel it, and in the same moment get exactly what I want from you, but I imagine it will be very painful. Weaken your power, and possibly weaken you enough for someone to come and take your Shard.”
You wouldn’t dare! Dream XD said in their heads. I am a Shard of Creation, the pillar that supports this SMP! I live to support it!
“I’m sorry, Dream XD.” Wilbur mused. “But I really don’t care. All I want is an amusing enough story to watch, maybe have someone else come join me in the afterlife so that I don’t have to play Solitaire with Mexican Dream or Schlatt for the millionth time. You can grant my request now and create bonds that could seal me away from the world of the living forever, taking away a constant threat to Creation. Or you could ignore me and I will use my powers to get what I want anyway. It is your choice, so what do you decide, God of Portals?”
You seek to blackmail a Shard of Creation!? Dream XD shouted, You will suffer for this, Wilbur Soot!
“I will suffer plenty when I can’t be brought back to life again.” Wilbur said, his voice hinting at annoyance. “You can decide if you want to risk it, but I would suggest not doing it.”
A silent pause before the voice boomed inside their heads. You set up your brother and father for failure, Wilbur Soot. What are your demands?
Wilbur smiled as he looked up at the night sky, no stars shining tonight. “I have received a request from a… certain individual on another server. He has requested that I blackmail you into making a portal to this Server, one where both servers could connect and… meet. You are the God of Portals after all, so it should be a simple request.”
What is the name of this Server?
Wilbur smiled. “It’s name is Hermitcraft, the server of Hermits and Crafters. You will create a portal straight into the middle of their Shopping District, and we will let the chaos begin. You know of it, don’t you?”
You wish to bridge a gap between Servers! The god demanded. Do you know how much chaos, how much destruction that will cause! Wilbur only smiled, “The more chaos the better. I just want a story, and I will get it.”
A moment of silence before the figure began again. Very well. Dream XD said grudgingly in their minds, I will grant your request. But don’t expect to see this world long after the bridge is formed.
Wilbur nodded, “I have had enough of this world on it’s own, let's have some fun with another.”
There was a pause before Dream XD erupted into a pillar of light. Lighting erupted from it, sending shock waves across the ground. The ground cracked and Dream scrambled back while Wilbur stood there, his arms stretched out in acceptance of death for the third time. The lighting infused with the Nether Portal, the electricity striking it multiple times. It’s purple swirls changing colors to orange and green. The pillar of light disappeared as Dream XD returned, the person’s body unchanged.
You have brought Destruction back into the world, madman. Dream XD announced. Death and war now await us, all thanks to you.
“Like I said, I don’t care all that much. I just want to see something, and I get to see it now.”
Two portals formed out of the thin air within seconds of Wilbur’s words. A Totem of Undying figure with a shark skin toga walked out of one while a man with a gray cloak, striped green and white hat, and massive black crow wings stepped out of the other. There was a moment of hesitation as the two figures stared at DreamXD then too Wilbur.
“What happened?” The Totem asked. A silent pause before Dream XD boomed, Wilbur brought back Destruction. My counterpart was weakened enough that he couldn’t do anything, but Hermitcraft’s Shard is still very much not weakened.
“That sounds like your problem.” Wilbur said amusingly. “Anyway, I can’t see everyone’s reactions if I’m not dead, so please move this along.”
The man with the crow wings looked in shock at Wilbur, his eyes longing to run towards him. Wilbur only glanced over at him before returning a small smile. He glanced back at Dream before muttering, “Go create the chaos that he said you needed to do, it’s going to be so fun to watch it all play out. Oh, the Spectators are going to go mad with hype!”
A white ball of light appeared in front of Dream XD. There was no emotion on the thing's face, but it didn’t say anything as the ball grew in size. Wilbur stepped up to it, hands stretched out to embrace the new bonds that would be placed on him. The crow man stared at the ball as dread filled him. Dream and the Totem only looked on, unconcerned as Wilbur prepared to meet his doom.
A small portal appeared next to the once Nether Portal. Out of it stepped a graying man wearing a gray suit jacket. One gray eye stared at Wilbur as he shifted his gaze to stare at him, the other eye red as it focused on everything else. Wilbur smiled as the ball of light was thrusted at him, shouting. “Let the Chaos begin!”
The ball of light consumed him, not putting up the slightest bit of resistance as it took away the madman from the world of the living for good. Wilbur Soot was gone.
“What, just happened?” The Totem asked.
Dream XD didn’t respond for a moment. I did what I needed to make sure my Shard wasn’t weakened. Prepare Clay, you will not find peace in the upcoming fighting that will ensue.
Dream stumbled back at the name, flinching. Dream XD didn’t notice and with a crack of lightning, his figure was gone. The man in the gray suit jacket had disappeared as well, and seconds later the Totem and Crow man stepped through portals of their own. They didn’t so much as glance at Dream as they walked through them, leaving the masked man to stand on the grounds alone. He paused for a moment before turning away from the green-orange swirled portal. He would wait for someone else to be the first one to go through it. Until then, he would wait. He would succeed, this was his server and he was it’s one true emperor.
No, a God.