Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lunch time was the easiest to recognize since the sun its in his highest position, but it was also the hottest time of the day, and in the desert not even a lizard, despite its cold blood, dared to stand under that scorching sun.

But a madman was there, them and their horse, even if the horse didn't seem very happy with their master's choice.

They kept their head down, completely covered by the felt hat. A bandana covered their nose and mouth from the sand that the wind occasionally carried.

In sacred silence they moved towards a town just after having arrested a bandit that stole some poor farmer's livestock. Your job consisted in that: wandering around the desert, stop in some city to hunt down some mediocre criminal, hand him over to the sheriff, receive the reward, and then start again to continue this virtuous cycle that you have created for yourself.

The beads of sweat looked inviting to the flies that kept buzzing near the horse's face and butt, the only thought going around your head was: It's too hot...I will never step again into the desert...I swear to God, I will quit soon...I should have waited  for the night.

But waiting for the night was not a wise choice, and you knew it, the temperatures were dropping faster and lately the sky has chosen to cover the stars and the moon with thick clouds making it difficult both to see and orient in the night.

Even if the indications given by the citizens of the previous village said clearly: “For Hammonton? Always go north and you won't get lost!”. You were not entirely sure if you were going in the right way. Sure they had no reason to lie to you, after all you helped them by catching that troublemaker, but that didn't mean they were telling the truth, how many of those people were crazy enough to leave their village?

Hammonton was a place of passage, for adventurers like you.

It is not a place to raise a family and live happily ever after, there was little, a few inns, an armory, hotels... but there were no farms, there were no fields to cultivate and there were no natural sources of water, in short, either you were damned rich enough to afford a pathetically long vacation or just like you, use it as a place to close your eyes without thinking that someone might kill you at night...

Okay that's not true, there is no night you can truly sleep without needing to keep a gun under your pillow, but at least your head would rest on a pillow and not in the sand! Which is way more comfortable.

You had no enemies, but in this world you could trust very few, in your case only your parents deserved blind trust, your father is an honest man, a simple farmer who taught you from a young age to use his rifle for shooting foxes that entered the chicken pens, he helped those in need and never asked for anything in return, totally respectable in your opinion. Your mother was a revolutionary woman, she wasn't someone who gave in easily, she was always determined to carry out her work until the end, a real hothead, she was part of a group of feminists who claimed their rights, your father didn't know it , it was a secret group that passed itself off as a book club, you accidentally discover it when you were just a child by following her when she was heading to a sorta of meeting, when she saw you, you almost gave her an heart attack and after a good lecture, she made you swear to never tell it to anyone.

Your mother had been extremely lucky because your grandfather was a teacher and had taught her both reading and writing so that she could work as a cashier in the village pharmacy and not in the factory.

You had learned the basics of school from her, so that when you actually went to school you would already be ahead of everyone. Your mother wanted you to be a banker, your father wanted you to continue with his work as a farmer, but instead of choosing, one night you ran away leaving just a note on the bed saying goodbye and declaring some sorta of independence, and in search of adventures you left. When you returned after three months your mother gave you a slap on the cheek and then hugged you crying, transforming her eyes into two gigantic waterfalls, and clinging on you like you were a sorta of lifesaver.  

At the memory you caress your cheek, chuckling as if the sting of your mother's hand on your face was still there.

Every now and then you go back to them, and your parents are happy with your final choice, since your brothers were there to keep the generation going.

In the end you were not that much essential. 

While memories of the past distracted you from the suffocating heat of the desert, an acute neighing brought you completely back into reality.

The horse stood on two legs neighing wildly in fear.

Taken aback you pulled on the reins trying not to fall and calm the terrified horse down: “Woah! Calm down Calm down! Take back Zorro!” 

The horse backed away and refused to move forward, you looked towards the horizon but saw nothing, Zorro made another call lowering his muzzle towards the ground and there you noticed what had agitated him.

It was a skeleton! 

Nothing impressive, it must have been a poor deluded person who fell from his horse and thought he would survive walking to the city until he succumbed to the strong heat, or a poor boy killed by criminals, or perhaps he was the criminal.

It wasn't important.

“Come on Zorro, you've seen a lot of skeletons, you can't be impressed now”

But the horse wasn't willing to move, he stamped his hooves on the ground to underline his intentions.

You let out a huff. “Since when have you become so touchy?”

You ran a hand over your sweaty face and since you did not have the patience to stay all day under the sun because of your empathic horse, you decided to move the skeleton to bury it roughly under a pile of sand, but when you got off your horse you noticed the strange clothes he was wearing and how strange the skeleton actually was, it couldn't have been a human skeleton and what were those drops of fresh blood?! It didn't make sense, unless he wasn't human-

You crouched down next to the body, his face was facing the ground, you grabbed his shoulder to put it chest up so you could see the face, but when you turned him, the skeleton grabbed your wrist with both hands and opened his black eye sockets slightly with those bright golden pupils.

You didn't know whether to be terrified or fascinated by this peculiar monster, before you could protest his grip, the skeleton with a dehydrated voice said only one word: "hel-ph" He said is as if his soul at that moment had left his body and you had just witnessed the last words of a monster.

But you didn't intend to let him die in such a pathetic way and so with one hand you held the skeleton's hand, shaking it as if to give him a stimulus of strength: "Don't pass out right now, drink first then pass out or you will surely not wake up."

With your other hand you reached for the leather water bottle attached to the horse's saddle, pulled the skeleton's head up to put him in a sort of sitting position and then placed the water bottle over his mouth, you weren't sure if he could drink but if he didn't need to, he could use it as a refreshment.

The skeleton seemed to gather the necessary strength to raise a hand and hold the water bottle so that he could quench his thirst.

“Calm down or you'll suffocate” you took the water bottle from his hands and then threw the few remaining drops on his face to console him from the heat: “Do you feel more alive or more dead?” even though the question seemed like a mockery, your tone was quite serious.

The skeleton looked at you without giving you an answer, he was breathing hard and seemed exhausted, talking was not necessary, this monster needed a doctor.

You reached your hand towards the horse's saddle again to take a scarf, you rolled it up like a turban on the skeleton's head, that strange crown that adorned his head was shining, it was definitely gold.

A sigh came out of your mouth, maybe they wanted to rob him, but you can never be sure with who you are in front of, and so from the belt that adorned your waist you untied a rope to tie his wrists and feet, the skeleton tried to protest with a few grunts, but in his current state he couldn't do much, so it was easy to tie him up and load him onto the horse like a sack of potatoes: "Sorry not sorry" a small laugh escaped your lips and then you mounted on the horse.

“HAY HAY! Come on Zorro, you don't want a dead man on your conscience, don't you?" and with a shot of spurs, the horse started running towards Hammonton.

Chapter Text

The sun was still high and the protagonist of the day, but you could ignore it perfectly, the air that came from the horse's race was inebriating, for some reason Zorro transformed into a Samaritan at the sight of the skeleton and all the fatigue he had accumulated on the journey it was no longer there and was hurtling at an absurd speed towards their destination. 

On the other hand, you felt alive like never before, it was a bit of an oxymoron, right behind you there was the allegory of death but something in that monster seemed to have sparked the right spark in you, like the star you follow in the dark nights, it was that bitterness of injustice that you wanted to replace with something sweeter, more right.

! 

"What was that?"

You turned your head to check the tied body, the skeleton's face was downwards, a sign of having lost consciousness again, you had the sensation as if you had been peered into the depths for an instant.

The heat plays bad tricks, you didn't want to go crazy due to a fireball that was too big.

“HEYA HEYA HEYA!!!” You gave the horse a few more shots of the spurs to speed up even more, if you didn't reach the city in time the heat would go to your head.

But luckily, finally, you could no longer glimpse endless lands of sand but you could see what seemed like a train station.

Another fault of spurs and the horse seemed more determined than you to reach the city, eager for rest.

After what seemed like the longest minutes of your life, you arrived in the city and the top priority was obviously…

…Zorro! 

Poor horse, he ran so long in the desert without a drop of water, the priority was to find a stable to let him rest and quench his thirst. 

You pulled the reins to make him calm down, and look for a stable.

Someone announces his presence with a laughter, and you turned towards the source.

“Just arrived from the desert?” The question was ironic, all three of you were covered in sand, hot as ever and it was clear that you were eager to find rest, well apart from the monster, it was unconscious but you could tell that it wanted assistance too. 

“Do you know where I can find a stable and an inn? If not, don't waste my time." You weren't a grumpy person yourself, but there was no joking around in such an annoying situation like now.

The man shook his head in denial with his gaze turned downwards, raised his straw shepherd's hat with one finger: "I have a stable, 5 silver coins a night" he said with a sly smile, you noticed some tooth missing.

“If I have to choose between my life or that of the horse, I choose mine. I'll give you 3 coins." 

What a bluff, you would have simply chosen another stable, you would never have let Zorro die, he was your most trusted companion, after your parents obviously, but before yours brothers there was Zorro, he was more useful.

“Okay…but only because your friend there seems to be in really bad shape” said the shepherd pointing to the skeleton, you turned towards it. True that you have a companion on board, you were about to forget about their presence. 

You dismounted and picked up the monster's body, throwing it over your shoulder like when you brought bags of salt to your mother for the pharmacy's supplies. 

You took a pouch from your belt and gave the three silver coins to the shepherd who thanked you by taking the horse's straps to take him to a stable in the shade, with a large basin of water and full of hay. 

Damn if you envy him right now.

Now it's your friend's turn here, you head towards the other facilities looking for a place to treat and rest this monster. 

People looked at you with indifference, some didn't even look at you, an old lady dressed in mourning instead opened her eyes wide and made the sign of the cross at the sight of the skeleton.

That action made you laugh a little, but you had to hurry.

You noticed one structure in particular, with the huge sign Sheriff's Office, with a man outside on a bench in the shade, intent on peeling an apple with a dented knife.

You gave him a whistle to get his attention.

“Are you the sheriff?”

“No, I'm the baker,” he said in a bored tone, pointing to the golden star on his chest. “What do you want, tramp? The cells are full and I don't pay for the dead” he was definitely annoyed.

“First, he's not criminal…at least I think so, second, he's not dead, third, where can I find a doctor?”

The man scratched his mustache with the same hand in which he held the knife thoughtfully. 
“There are no hospitals here, but there is a shelter not far from the station with a nurse, even if she tells you she's an alchemist, let her talk, she does her job well.”

“Thank you” You didn't say anything else, the monster needed help now.

The fatigue was making itself felt, and dragging an extra body along with yours wasn't easy, the station wasn't too far away, but not close either. You could feel the drops of sweat falling down your face like rain, it was annoying but you steeled yourself, you've come this far, it wasn't the time to screw everything up just because you were tired, it's now that you need to assert yourself.

The walk was long and your body and that of your companion was about to collapse on your feet, but like a mirage the shelter tent finally appears near you. 

“OHI! We need help here!” You shouted with little calmness.
There was a big sudden rattle as if someone had been scared, another monster came out of the tent, it was a kind of yellow reptile with small round pince-nez glasses on its face, it looked to all intents and purposes like a doctor. “O-Ooh gosh!” She noticed the monster on your shoulders and put his paws in front of her mouth in concern. “B-Bring it in, I'll t-take c-care of e-everything.” And so you did.

Inside the tent there wasn't much, but the essentials to treat some wounds in case of a bandit attack. “P-Put it on t-the bed.” It wasn't a cot, it was this pile of clean sheets and cloths that simulated the shape of a bed, but it seemed comfortable. You did what the doctor, you assumed from the high-pitched voice that she was a woman, told you to do.

“Caref-“ thump

oops…

You had dumped the skeleton's body dead weight onto the bed, but the action seemed to give the monster consciousness. “Ugh..” 

“At least we know that they are alive.” You commented curiously, but soon sat down on the scorching ground, too tired to stand another second longer.

Meanwhile, the doctor began to clean the wounds with alcohol and water of the monster who remained still and with his eyes closed, only a few annoyed grunts came out of his mouth every now and then as the disinfectant burned in the wounds. The doctor repeated apologies with her trembling hands as she carefully bandaged the injured monster's body. 

It took some time but after what seemed like an hour, the skeletal monster was asleep with all his wounds dressed. The doctor instead had gotten you some water: "Did you r-reduce them l-like this?" She asked as she put away the products she had used. 

“If I had done it, I wouldn't have brought him here.” Harsh but true answer.

“I found them like this in the middle of the desert, they seemed exhausted, I gave them some water and then fainted again.”

“There w-was no need to t-t-tie them up l-like a salami.” The doctor said, in a pedantic tone.

“You never know, I don't know them and for all I know, they could have hit me on the head and taken the horse.” You doubted your words, you had seen the skeleton's wounds, they wouldn't have had the strength to do it even if they wanted to.

 “That was c-charitable of y-you.” 

“I don't want innocent deaths on my conscience doctor.” 

“Alphys! I f-forgot to introduce m-myself. D-Doctor Alphys.” She stretched out her reptilian hand towards you, you gave her your name as you shook hands.

“Good Doctor Alphys.” You got up from the ground with difficulty.

“I'll leave it to her.” You started to leave but she stopped you by taking a piece of your shirt from behind.

“Wait, I can't hold it!” She said, you turned your head towards her, but your body had your back to her.

"What do you mean?"

“I'm leaving tonight, I'm not a permanent refuge, I have to go back to my city for supplies, I have nothing left here, I can't keep a patient.”

“And I can't hold a stranger, I don't even know how to treat a monster's wounds.” 

The doctor seemed agitated. "There's no need! I've already done everything, but he can't rest here, he has to find another place to rest.” She sounded sad from her own words, but she didn't want to allow herself to treat someone without the right attention and with limited resources. 

You couldn't believe what you were about to say, but by now you were in the middle of this story, you decided to help this skeleton, you decided to bring them here and so now it's your responsibility. 

“Okay, I'll find a room for the skeleton.”

You turned towards the doctor to go near the body of your new adventure companion.

“And I'll keep an eye on them.” You took it as the Madonna supports Christ in Michelangelo's piety.

The doctor seemed almost touched, she let out a sigh of relief as you headed out of the tent. And before going out and never seeing that monster again you said: "Be careful, at night there is less risk of meeting bandits but the desert is not merciful at any time of the day." 

And so you headed back to the center of that little transit town to find two beds to sleep in. “All of this is going to cost me so much.”

Your gaze fell on the skeleton “You're a lucky guy you know?” 

Lucky because you weren't a criminal, you could have robbed them and taken away all the goods they were carrying, especially that golden halo. The turban also worked to hide it, people have long eyes and they would have targeted them like a piece of meat among wolves. The clothes they had were covered by a more humble poncho, perhaps they came from the East? After all, you know about huge, golden buildings, a little extravagant for your tastes, that come from the far east.

Now walking wasn't so tiring anymore, but you needed real rest not just sitting for a few hours, a good sleep, and you were also starving. 

You entered a hostel and immediately asked at the counter for a room for two, separate beds, the manager wrote down how much it would cost you, after taking a look at you he told you that his wife still had some leftovers from lunch. You accepted without pretensions, you would have eaten even the sand if it were edible, anything. The hostel manager called out to his wife and told her to prepare two dishes and then gave you the keys to the room and told you to hurry up. 

Getting the keys was a small task, with both hands full and your face still covered by the bandana, you attempted a few very uncomfortable positions before asking the manager to take you to your room, who accepted without any problems to your surprise. He may have noticed your struggle.

He accompanied you to the room and then left the keys in the lock and as he left he reminded you about lunch and to hurry up before it got cold, you thanked him once more before going down and entering the room to place the skeleton. If you looked at them closely they looked like a male, but you weren't one to assume things, you would find out when they will come back to their senses.

You took off the turban that you gave them to make them rest better on the pillow.

They slept undisturbed, and you wanted to sleep too as soon as possible, so you went downstairs to get lunch.

You returned shortly after, full and with a plate of bean soup in hand for your adventure companion for when they woke up, after all it's good even when cold. 

You placed the plate on a wooden table next to the bed and then headed towards your bed, tired as you are, it didn't take long to fall asleep.

A light rest, you didn't put all the covers on, you placed the pillow better on the headboard of the bed and then lowered his hat over his eyes, the bandana still on after lunch. Not even the decency to take off your boots, you soon fell into a light sleep.

Chapter Text

You weren't the type to let your guard down, but with a wounded monster next to your bed, even if it was a stranger, you thought you didn't need to sleep with a weapon in your hands.

And instead you found yourself face to face with the wounded skeleton with your gun pressed in the middle of your forehead. 

You felt betrayed, your beloved Cheri had the barrel pointed towards you.

Cheri, French-style, that's what you called your beloved gun, in honor of the beautiful singer Cheri Dubois, an extraordinary woman who your father introduced you to at the tender age of eleven in a pub, while he gave you the first whiskey of your life to drink. You had engraved her name on the handle in a flawless cursive, just like that woman. 

But this wasn't the time to fantasize, you currently had a loaded gun pointed at your forehead, and you weren't a fan of holes. It was necessary to act calmly and serious.

The skeleton turned the revolver as if they were preparing a shot.

"Good morning? or at least I think, I think it's still afternoon.” You didn't look at the window to check, but the light was still shining through the light curtains of the room.

Is this what you meant for acting cautious and serious?

Your eyes were fixed on the skeleton, if you were going to die you would make him weigh every last one.

"Who are you? And where did you take me?” The skeleton ignored your awful joking comment and frowned, they didn't feel like joking.

You, stubborn as you are, did not give your name, but continued to maintain an ironic and joking tone while recounting the events that had occurred. “Sorry, let me introduce myself, I'm that good Samaritan who saw you in the middle of the desert, offered you some water-”

“You tied me up” The monster interrupted you, but you interrupted them back.

“To avoid a situation like this perhaps?” 

The skeleton fell silent and seemed overcome by a slight sense of guilt, the barrel of the gun was still aimed at you, but it was no longer pressed to your forehead. 

You let a few seconds pass before you started talking again, your assumptions were correct, the skeleton was a boy. 

“I took you with me to this city, I sent my horse to a stable at my expense, I took you to a doctor to bandage your wounds at my expense, I took you with me to rest in a hostel still at my expense, and I got you a plate of food.” You weren't tied to money but you wanted to underline how you had done all this alone and the only one who was losing out was you, while the others, especially the skeleton, were gaining.

“And you did this because..?” He said suspicious of your intentions.

“Because I don't want deaths on my conscience, especially if they ask me for their help.” Your tone seemed to have lowered slightly, and your eyes shone like a gold medal, your words representing the person you were. 

The skeleton seemed to hesitate before lowering the gun until it rested on the bed next to you. But he remained sitting on your bed motionless before speaking again.

“It is true that you could have killed me in several ways, but the fact remains that your behavior remains suspicious, however, it seems appropriate to offer you my apologies for these reckless actions of mine.” he said conflicted looking down embarrassed by his actions, it only showed sincerity.

You took the gun and put it back in its sheath in your belt, who knows how you didn't hear him as he got up and stole it from you. 

You let out a defeated sigh, you were definitely doing too much for someone who just threatened to kill you with your own weapon.

“Alright but can you get up? I don't think this bed can hold two people.” You absolutely didn't want to pay more for damages.

The skeleton nodded and then tried to move but failed miserably, falling dead weight to the ground. “Umph-“. Face on the ground. 

You heaved another sigh and picked up the monster, helping him walk towards the bed, supporting him with your body. “How did you get closer so quietly if you can't even walk?” 

You helped him lay back down on the bed.

“Um, you're actually a pretty deep sleeper, I even had to crawl on the floor to reach you.” 

"..." grave silence.

“Ah…” 

The embarrassment was consuming both of us, the monster's willpower to try to kill you until he started to crawl to the ground was both admirable and a move for suicidal crazy idiots.

But that was the soul of a warrior. 

You, on the other hand, were embarrassed because you hadn't realized it because you were tired. Being out in the sun for so long puts you K.O.

“Hey Samaritan.” 

The skeleton caught your attention. 

“My name is Dream, and…I thank you again for what you have done for me, and sorry...for pointing a gun towards you.” 

Finally you had his name and with pleasure I gave him yours saying that you would actually had done the same if you were in his situation, after all here the rule was kill or be killed and you never know who you can trust who is ready to transform you in a piece of Swiss cheese, offering him your hand which he accepted to shake. Your adventure companion wasn't as hostile as you made him out to be, yes he threatened you, but you were the first to sleep armed soooo...

Out of the corner of your eye you saw the plate that the manager's wife had given you for the skeleton, perhaps it was still warm, you took it and handed it to him. 

“This is not at my expense, it's on the house.” You smiled slightly but the bandana on your face covered it, however you were good even at speaking with your eyes.

Dream reached out and took the plate from yours, you even managed to take a spoon with the promise of giving it back as soon as the monster finished eating, silverware like that is a precious commodity, and you were surprised that they made you take it anyway in the room with the risk of stealing it, but you were a guy of your word and would have brought it back to them without problems. 

“They saw the condition you were in and kindly offered us lunch, but we will have to pay for the rest of the meals.” The skeleton began to eat, he didn't seem hungry at all, it was as if he was making an effort, but his tiredness led him to do it just to recover some energy. Maybe he didn't like it.

"I do not have money." Dream said bluntly as he stopped eating.

“They took my horse, my money and all my belongings.” He lowered his head as if to remember the event as best he could.

“I noticed you don't have any gunshot wounds, you were lucky.” Your answer seemed ready on the tip of your tongue and was just waiting for the right moment to get out of your mouth, it was a thought that had been going around in your head for a while, ever since you saw the type of wounds that the doctor treated, they were strange. This monster was far too lucky, it was impossible for him to have survived such misfortune without a gunshot being fired. 

“They only threatened me, they preferred hand-to-hand combat and then left me in the desert.”

“But what was is a person like you doing in the desert in the first place? You don't seem like someone who travels a lot.” His clothes were completely unsuitable for riding a horse, even saying that he was from the East made no sense, you can't ride a horse in whatever clothes you want. 

This question and answer game was getting more intense than ever, you didn't trust Dream's words, and Dream didn't trust you to tell you the real facts.

Your eyes met defiantly, neither of you had any intention of spilling the beans.

The tension in the air was equal to that of the duels that are seen every now and then with bandits fighting for the supremacy of a territory. 

Duels were not your specialty, you were peaceful despite your job, you didn't hurt just for useless squabbles, the only men who died in your hands were those who had to deal with the Lady Luck of Justice, and were executed on the rope by the mayors. The only blood shed on your hands is your own. It didn't mean you were weak, in fact your hand was the fastest of all when it came to landing blows.

From Dream's perspective, you were naive, too kind to live in a world you are in, the skeleton understood that your actions were not motivated by kindness so he didn't understand why you decided to help him, not that he is ungrateful, he knows that if you hadn't intervened then, now he would be dust.

He wanted to better understand your intentions, he had done a quick CHECK, while you were riding to go to this city, you had a low level of violence, your deeds were good, but why were you doing all this? What were you motivated by? He intended to find out. 

“Okay, I'll cover your expenses.”
Dream won the duel. 

You turned towards the window unable to hold the staring competition.

"It's not worth it" You wanted to ask Dream more questions, especially where he came from. What should you do with this wounded monster? take it with you forever? Absolutely not, you were a loner, the only company that never tired you was that of Zorro, and then how would he follow you? standing? Horses are expensive and you wouldn't have spent another penny more on a monster who was not going tell you the truth.

"Samaritan"

“Look that I was being ironic when I introduced myself, you can call me by my name.”

Dream chuckled lightly and ignoring your comment and added. “Can you bring the rest of the food back? I still can't walk properly."

You nodded, taking the plate and spoon.

“Thank them for me.”

You heard before leaving the room to go to the cafeteria with just a hum of affirmation, still in your numerous thoughts.

Chapter Text

An excruciating pain pervades my entire body, my eyes are too heavy to open, an unbearable heat hits my head, I can't understand what's around me, I only hear the sound of some footsteps, are they two people? My thoughts are interrupted by a scream, a whinny.

Before I lose consciousness I manage to ask this figure for help, my eyes are open but I see nothing except blurry shapes, a strange colored triangle on the person's presumably face. 

My memories of these last events were all the same, until now at least, now that I regained consciousness and glimpsed the face of my rescuer. But that doesn't explain what I'm doing here.

My gaze falls on my reflection from the window glass.

My appearance is pitiful, more than a skeleton I remember a mummy. I remember, I was fighting against my brother, but as always I didn't have the courage to definitely kill him, on the contrary he seemed-

He seemed intent on killing me.

Ouch- Subconsciously I clench my fists, but my hands seem to be damaged too, I just wonder how he did it, my mind is still foggy and my head feels particularly light.

The wounds were treated only physically, but only with magic will I be able to heal them in time to leave this universe and contact the others. I wonder if they are alright or worse..

I clench my fists again and concentrate by closing my eyes and taking a deep breath so I can use my healing properties.

!!! What-!

I couldn't believe my eyes, my magic, it wasn't there! it's as if it had disappeared, how is it possible, I feel absolutely nothing, "is there little positive energy?"

But…now that I concentrate properly, I don't feel any kind of energy either in me or around me. 

My gaze focuses on my hands, what was happening? Terror was getting the better of me, did I lose my powers? Why do I feel neither strong nor weak?

click

“Hey, the lady said-”

"What have you done?!"
My eyes darted to the human. Inside me I felt anger boiling in my bones, was them responsible for this? Did they absorb my magic or something? I wanted answers and I wanted them now.

“I went to bring the dish back to the owner's wife-?”

"NO! What have you done with my magic?!"

“Your magic? Sorry how should I know? it's something about you monsters, I don't know anything about it."

“Don't make fun of me, what did you do?”

“Listen I'm no expert but you seem alive and well even with all those bandages, so I don't understand what magic has to do with this situation.”

“What have you done with my powers?!” Were they telling the truth? Was it possible that they didn't know anything about it? Or were they lying? And if yes, very good I should say.

“Powers?” 

The human's eyes looked more confused than ever before they started...laughing?! Were they laughing at my desperation?

“Has the heat gone to your head? Who do you think you are a super monster with supernatural powers-? haha!”

“Is this human serious?” 

Apart from the two present, not a single sound could be heard. It was too hot for birds to migrate to these areas, the sun was too strong for any insect to have a moment of serenity, the land was too arid for animals to come and graze in bliss. 

If the world outside was in complete silence, in Dream's mind there was a thunderous chaos, full of thoughts that manifested themselves one on top of the other, and before he could finish asking one question, another one appeared. The human's face was unreadable thanks to that bandana but his eyes showed amusement and confusion at the skeletal monster's bizarre questions and peculiar actions.

“Tell me human…” his tone became lower, as if he had just been deprived of all the air in his lungs but was still trying to speak.

“…What kind of component is the magic for you?”

The cowboy blinked a couple of times to process the question. 

“I already told you that I don't know much, it's none of my business” their tone became bored, not because they were angry or anything, but precisely because they didn't seem to have the skills to talk about it, but how was that possible? That the monsters in this universe kept their abilities a secret?

“What do you know about magic?” Sounding out the words became more and more difficult, it was like having a lump in my throat. 

“Isn't that a lifeblood for you monsters? Like blood, veins, various kinds of entrails for us humans."

Everything seemed to go in slow motion.

“Although I really don't understand why it's called magic, after all it doesn't do anything other than it's vital function."

The young Samaritan didn't realize it, too engulfed in their naive thoughts, but the skeleton was as if he had lost 7 years of his life. It simply wasn't possible... but yes, there is an enormous vastness of universes with different peculiarities, everything is possible when it comes to alternative realities, and apparently, a reality was possible in which monsters had no magical properties and in somehow it was affecting Dream too. That's why the wounds hadn't been treated with magic but with banal bandages, that's why Dream's healing magic didn't work, that's why he didn't sense any energy. 

At this very moment, Dream was a simple skeleton with no powers, the only magic that existed was the fact that he was alive after a brutal battle with his brother. 

However, many other problems arose as the seconds ticked by: How do I go back? How can I contact others? And other such questions were the new protagonists in Dream's mind.

A hand on his shoulder interrupted that flow of worried thoughts.

“Hey, it looks like you just saw a ghost, instead of asking questions like that and having these weird reactions you should think about resting don't you think?” 

Almost as if the body moved on its own, the skeleton nodded with a blank look, he extremely needed to calmly reflect on all these events. A day hadn't even passed and he felt his head bursting like it was full, ironic to say that about someone who has lived for centuries and has such arcane memories that even time itself doesn't realize he has, that Dream was getting older? 

The body dropped onto the bed again in a lying position, the human looked at the monster with perplexity before leaving the room again, without announcing where he was going or when he would return, leaving the skeleton alone with his thousand thoughts.

_____________

"I'm coming with you."

The human had recently returned to the hostel, had started talking about how their horse was doing great again and that in a little while, maximum two days, they would be leaving towards the west, specifically a city that had put up several posters that whoever captured a certain man would be handsomely rewarded. They seemed desperate for money, and wanted to point out that the extra costs of this stop had penalized them greatly. They really didn't mean to leave this money thing aside. This was how the skeleton had interrupted the human.

“Coming where?” 

“Wherever you're going.”

It didn't even take a second for the tramp to formulate their response, "Absolutely not." they said in a firm tone.

“Whether you like it or not, I have no one and nowhere to go.” 

“And what do I have to do with you?”

“You don't have my complete trust, but enough to believe that you won't kill me, so until I find a way to get back to my home I will stay with you.”

“I could perfectly abandon you now, you don't even have the strength to stand, I could take my horse and go now.”

“You could, yes…but you won't.”

The human didn't like my answer even a bit, they seemed upset, as if I had caught him red-handed.

“I wouldn't get anything out of it.”

“I will help you with your work.” I tried, a little desperately, to dissuade them, if they had found me and helped me it was destiny that we would meet, perhaps they will help me get "home" in some way.

“As you are, I don't think you'll do much and besides, I work alone, other people get in my way.” 

“Have you ever worked with other people?”

“Well no-”

“-Then I will show you that I am helpful, so I will also repay you for the extra expenses you had to make for me.”

They seemed to think about it intensely, they wasn't quite convinced but their hand reached out towards me as if to shake it.

“But at the first mistake you're out.” They seemed annoyed with their decision, and perhaps they were having second thoughts about the choice  and therefore it was necessary to seal this deal right now.

The skeleton took the hand and shook it. 

“You won't be disappointed.”

Chapter Text

“Just out of curiosity, why can't I have my own horse?”

“Because it costs”

“And why am I the one in the back?”

“Because Zorro is my horse, when you will buy one then you can take it for a walk as much as you want.”

“I understand…BUT THIS DOESN'T EXPLAIN WHY YOU TIED ME AS IF I WERE A CRIMINAL”

After a two day stop in Hammonton, the human had decided it was time to move on to the next town and Dream hoped to find answers to his many questions, however his physical condition had not improved much, he could barely take a few steps without the support of the so-called Samaritan.

“Because you would lose your balance in an instant and fall to the ground, I don't want to incur any more medical expenses.” What an exorbitant lie, they had not spent a single money on the medical care that Dream had received, being that the nomadic shelters are mostly for soldiers who end up injured during the passage and therefore the work was mostly a sort of volunteering let's say they were funded, but this could have remained a secret.

The skeleton's gaze shifted upward.

“I understand but those birds of ill omen are passing me off as fodder.”

Three vultures continued to circle the couple on horseback without ever getting tired, a bad sign. Those kinds of birds are just profiteers, they steal the carcass of the animal killed by others and run away like cowards.

The cowboy raised their head to see them, only for the glare of the sun to blind them as a result. They immediately lowered their head in annoyance.

“If what you say is true then let's remain cautious, there may be predators around.”

Without a response from the monster the journey continued in silence with only the trotting of the horse to keep the two company.

It is thought that the two were able to socialize a little during these two days of rest, but this was not the case, the skeleton spent most of his time sleeping, the tiredness had accumulated since his last battle and since there was little to do in that state, the time was good just for resting, however the wounds still hurt, he wasn't used to being so wounded for long, it was usual to heal the wounds with magic as soon as the battle was over and then allow himself to rest, if  he allowed himself to .

The human, on the other hand, never stayed in the hostel during the day, they had collected information of various kinds on a gang of bandits who had been wanted for months, some members had been wanted even for a couple of years and over time they had built this small criminal empire. There was talk of the reward, if someone captured those criminals, being a real fortune. Everyone drooled over that huge amount of money, on top of that there was the fame, everyone would know about the great hero who would capture that gang of bandits, it was a dream of many and our dear protagonist also wanted to reach that peak, but above all wanted to do justice to all the victims of their discord, many were dead and others robbed by these criminals, it made their nerves boil, they had no qualms about who they robbed, not even the women and children were safe from their crimes, which despicable beings without spines. 

The two hardheads didn't talk much to each other when they were together, neither of them trusted the other enough, like two stray cats they looked at each other with suspicion and always on alert. 

In addition to his suspicious magnanimous behavior, Dream had fixated on the covered face of the alleged Samaritan, he had tried everything, from asking him sweetly to giving orders, to making them remove that colored bandana that hid more than half of the face, he had only glimpsed their forehead in the night when they took off their hat to rest properly, they didn't even eat together so it had been completely impossible. The answers the human gave as to why they didn't take off their bandana were vague, Dream thought that at a certain point they had started keeping it on just to annoy him, it was frustrating to talk to someone without knowing what their entire face looked like. Did they wanted to play the masked hero game? Okay, Dream seemed increasingly less willing to tell his true story.

Now, however, don't think that the skeleton, therefore the guardian of positivity, was so self-centered, it was just a small spite, after all he always tried to hide the concept of the Multiverse from all the monsters he met and knew nothing about it, it was a devastating information that could put their own existence in crisis, and for what little mortal life they had, he didn't want to upset people's minds and potentially ruin lives with that inane factor. It was already hard to move forward knowing so much for himself, he didn't want to burden too many people with this burden, too many already were aware and deep down Dream knew that it's not easy to see people who are identical to you but at the same time completely different, with similar stories, but never like yours, it's confusing.

Speaking of mortals and immortals, who knows how his friends are doing, another question he couldn't solve without magic. Would he be able to travel between worlds without magic once he was healed and regained his energy? Or was he stuck there? No, this wasn't the time to think like this, he couldn't, he had to stay positive. 

Not feeling energies of any kind was another factor that disconcerted Dream, this world was worrying in every aspect regarding magic, it was a big question mark that he would have to resolve as soon as he was back in strength.

“Hey you've been quiet for a while, what's going through your mind?”

“Nothing that might interest you.” 

Dream almost felt guilty, it's not that he wanted to be so harsh with his words, but it wasn't a situation in which one could remain calm.

The human hummed in understanding: “Alright, but know that if you keep everything inside you will explode at some point.”

“Ironic to hear that from you since you even hide your face and didn't even intend to introduce yourself at the beginning.”

“I don't like giving my name to people who point a gun at me, and anyway, what's this about the face?”

The Samaritan seemed more amused than angry, Dream couldn't fully understand their nature, he snorted in exasperation.

“I already told you, it bothers me to look at you, talking with a bandana.”

It wasn't a face he knew from other universes, it wasn't like meeting so many versions of the same human or the same monster that you now know who they are only by looking at their shadow, it was something new, someone new, never met, the skeleton in reality was more attracted than irritated.

The human let out a small laugh.

“I'll make sure to hold it up more often then.”

"Unbearable.." he muttered so as not to be heard by the human, but another laugh made him understand that he hadn't been quiet enough.

The journey continued like this, with some chatter every now and then and but both always returning to their own thoughts, if both weren't tormented by all those doubts it could even have been a relaxing environment. 

At one point the horse snorted laboriously for what might have been the thirtieth time in the last half hour.

The cowboy gave a light tug on the bridle to signal the horse to stop, which complied with pleasure, then dismounted from the saddle to go and untie the skeleton.

"What happens?"

The two were still in the middle of the desert and nothing could be seen except hills of sand, They wanted to abandon him there?

“Zorro is tired, normally such a trip wouldn't be a problem for him, but I didn't take into account that it is the hottest month of the year and the fact that the load has increased.”

Traveling alone is one thing, a couple on a single horse in the desert is another, furthermore the resources were doubled, it was necessary to bring more water and some spare bandages for the injured man.

The Samaritan helped Dream get off the horse who immediately sat down on the ground due to the discomfort of the journey and the fact that he still couldn't remain standing without support, he hadn't had the courage to look at his legs himself and it was not very reassuring as well as the human had strongly advised him against removing the bandages to look at them.

“So what do we do?”

The human passed some water to the skeleton, who quenched his thirst with pleasure, and then gave the horse a drink from a canteen which Dream hoped was not the same one from which they had given him a drink the first time they met.

“Let's let Zorro rest a little, but seeing the sun perhaps we will end up traveling at night.”

With one's gaze fixed towards the west it could be still estimated two or three hours before the sun would set completely, Zorro was much slower with all those extra "baggage" and the sun had tired him.

The human poured water on the horse's muzzle while lovingly petting it.

"It is not dangerous?"

“It is, before long we could enter someone's territory and be attacked. But don't worry, I know how to defend myself."

The human turned towards the skeleton and sat down not far from him, the monster was not very convinced by their words, but did not want to express his thoughts out loud. But an idea came to mind.

“Look Samaritan, aren't you thirsty?”

The Samaritan opened their eyes slightly, they were starting to forget to drink due the amount of things they need to think to .

“Indeed you are right.” they took the water bottle from Dream's hands and started drinking, the bag cleverly tucked under their bandana, keeping away their face from showing.

They chuckle after taking a sip looking at the skeleton, “You look disappointed.” A smirk adorned their face. 

The monster's face was extremely funny to the cowboy, Dream looked like he was about to break his teeth from how much he clenched them to keep from insulting the human.

“Tell me instead.” said the Samaritan, interrupting the curses that the skeleton was holding in his mind. “How exactly do you drink? Or is it something else that you just let it explain by magic?”  they started drinking again while looking at the monster, realizing how thirsty they were.

Dream looked at them skeptically: “What, do you think I don't have a mouth?”.

After saying this he actually revealed a mouth behind those clenched teeth, showing a kind of yellowish tongue.

The cowboy choked on the water and started coughing.

“Hey! everything is fine?" 

Dream reached out to the human, but before he could just touch them.

“What was that thing?! Now that's disturbing!"

And instead of a hand on the shoulder the cowboy received a punch on the back of the head.

“OUCH!”

“But what manners are those?!” The skeleton yelled at them in annoyance and embarrassment at the comment.

“How are you punching me if you talk about manners.” They said, rubbing the back of their neck.

Dream clicked his so-called tongue in annoyance without further comment, sometimes there's no point in arguing.

While the cowboy was apparently reflecting on all the certainties of their life, the monster could only reflect on the journey the two were on. 

If the two had encountered some nasty surprises during the night travel, they would be extremely disadvantaged due too many factors; the fact of being two on a horse of which one is already wounded and does not know how to handle a gun, and if they wanted to escape the horse would be slowed down by these weights. However, the human seemed very confident in their skills with weapons, despite the low Level Of ViolencE... Dream thought he should also question the cowboy about their skills, but obviously he wouldn't get anything without saying something about himself.

A slight thud attracted the skeleton's attention and he saw how the horse sat on the ground visibly tired, the human caressed its muzzle and mane scolding him about how they were spoiling him too much. The skeleton looked at the nice scene undecided whether he too should pet the animal.

As if his mind had just been read, the cowboy invited him to do so, making a joke about the horse not biting.

Dream stretched out his gloved hand carefully and then passed it over the side of the horse who snorted with satisfaction: "It's very beautiful."

“As a foal it was even more so, but now he's old and in the nights snores, disturbing my sleep." They said the last words in a playful tone towards the horse, playing with his ears to give him a slight annoyance.

A light atmosphere had arisen between the two adventure companions while they spent the rest of the time talking about facts more centered on the horse, partly out of real curiosity and partly for the fact that in this way they could converse without talking about themselves.

Chapter Text

An hour of rest was needed to ensure that the horse recovered as best as possible, the skeleton had insisted on the fact that he would not be tied up again and that he was able to maintain his balance despite his wounds, the cowboy supported him by telling him only that in the If he fell it wouldn't help him, but even the monster knew that probably wouldn't be the case.

The sun was starting to disappear to make room for the moon whose shape was becoming more clearer, it was going down coloring the sky orange, looking at the horizon however it was difficult due to the annoying light, but at the same time it was impossible not to be enchanted when you were faced with this spectacle. You were lucky to be able to see the sunset very often, it was the prize at the end of the day that was worth more than every gold coin you earned, it was the memory of having lived another day doing what you liked most, it was a hope for the day after. You made a holy and silent promise.

Whatever death awaited you, you would resist the cold hands of death so that you would see the sunset one last time. So to give a worthy farewell to life.

Soon the colors of the sky took on shades of blue as the sunset was ending, the temperatures had dropped and a wonderful sensation of freshness was replacing the scorching heat of the day, if the night did not hide all those dangers then everyone would be more inclined to enjoying the peace it brings instead of running away from the dangers the darkness brings, a strange feeling of melancholy filled Dream's soul at the thought. The beauty of the night was not evident, it had to be grasped because, being the keeper of secrets, its beauty was not immediately revealed, because instead of being submerged by the light that the sun brings, for the night it was necessary to savor it slowly, grasping all the small details.

The Samaritan guided the horse carefully, looking around to make sure they didn't miss anything strange, these were dangerous lands and thinking of sprinting the horse to get out of here and enter the city was the stupidest move anyone could make, yet many did. You had to be silent and try not to make your presence noticed, you two were lucky that you weren't on a wagon, in addition to the effort of going unnoticed, you would not be much subject to robberies, if someone had arrived maybe they would have just threatened you and then left you alone.

The most deafening noise in this holy silence was the singing of some crickets, insects of this kind meant many things, soon the desert would end and they would begin to find dry grass, and from dry grass to strictly green grass, where the farmers can graze their animals, and finally after the pastures, the cities.

The landscape was changing slightly, instead of sand the horse was moving on dry ground involuntarily making more noise with its hooves, some pieces of land were adorned with tall dry weeds.

The two travelers had already agreed not to speak during this last stretch of the journey to avoid making noise, only in necessary cases, so it was normal that the human's blood ran cold upon hearing Dream's voice.

“Look towards that tall grass.” he warned, whispering in the other's ear, pointing to a particular area with the tallest grass.

It didn't seem like a suitable area for a camp, it could have been a lynx that was looking for easy prey, however Dream still wanted to point it out to the human who with a fluid movement pulled out the gun and shot near the bush, scaring the skeleton who was immediately struck dumb. All noise stopped, had they just killed a poor defenseless animal? Or maybe the animal had just stopped in fear.

In response to the cowboy's shot there was another shot, it was truly an ambush!

The horse stirred, confirming their position with a loud neigh.

“We have to leave now!” Dream said, stabilizing himself better on the horse but instead of continuing along the city street, the cowboy decided to go towards the source of the shots, earning more gunshots from the bandit.

“HAY!” they pushed the horse with their spurs to make them increase speed, however they didn't fire a shot in response, in fact they no longer had the gun in their hand but it had been placed in its sheath.

The assailant stood up showing himself to escape from the cowboy's crazy idea, he was in fact a lynx, well he was a monster with the resemblance of a desert lynx, he was very young, probably no more than fifteen years old but here he was, tinkering with weapons.

In an attempt to escape, the bandit fell to the ground and instinctively put his hands on his head to protect himself from the horse intending to run him over, only for it to suddenly rear up.

Not even Dream expected such a move and in fact he was about to slip but the cowboy managed to catch him with one hand by the poncho he was still wearing while with the other hand held the bridle of the horse which lowered itself and returned to its four legs.

Both the skeleton and the bandit breathed a sigh of relief, while the human quickly turned their horse around and ran towards the original direction.

“What was that?!” The skeleton was definitely shaken by the events that had just happened.

“An ambush, but the monster over there didn't seem experienced, it seems that he mainly attacks freight wagons.”

“I guessed that, but I meant your ride on horseback, you could have used the gun and finished it right away, right?” Not that Dream was in favor of violence but in these cases speed seemed a must...unless.

“I didn't want to kill him.” Dream's suspicion was confirmed, the human was not a ruthless killer or a serial headhunter, he seemed to have good morals, and this could also be confirmed by the treatment he had received up to now without the request for payment, not that he had doubted that they were a bad person, as already said, the human had had many ways to prove themself harmless, but this was one of the many confirmations.

“He looked young, I mean the monster, starting tinkering with weapons at this age…”

The human seemed silent, it seems that the skeleton has touched a sore point.

“He must have been forced…sometimes.” The cowboy seemed unsure of what words to use. “Sometimes you have to take risks in life, to have a new life with new possibilities, you have to pay for the old one and neglect some values. Maybe he wanted to start living with a new sprint.” His tone tightened.

Dream pondered for a moment in his mind what to do until he decided to take a risk by asking: "Did you see yourself in that little boy?"

A few moments passed, which seemed infinite until the human sighed feeling defeated.

“Let's say I can understand him in a way.”

“But how can you be so stubborn?!” Dream thought, the human was with their back against the wall and rather than revealing something about themself they preferred to climb on mirrors in an embarrassing way: "Look, I'm not judging anyone." he said in an exasperated tone.

“I should have knocked you off your horse when I had the chance.” The so-called Samaritan said, expressing their thoughts aloud.

"I can not believe you..."

The cowboy responded with a light laugh, then shrugged.

The conversation could perfectly have ended like this, the two remained silent so as not to attract any more unwanted attention, but since the human had let that sort of small window of their life slip away, Dream was determined to lean towards it and see what was there. And caught up in the moment, without thinking too much about it, he began to tell about himself, even if it meant playing dirty, he would find out something about the cowboy.

“At this point in my life, I can say I don't know anyone who didn't have to make big decisions as a child.” He paused briefly to make sure he had the human's attention.

He continued speaking when he noticed his companion's posture straighten up in a more composed manner.

“Many of my..-” saying friends perhaps didn't reflect all... “-acquaintances, had to face difficult childhoods, it seems so unfair to me that so many people should end up in desperation.”

“People drown in despair because they choose to face life that way.” The cowboy gripped the horse's bridle in their hands.

The fish had taken the bait, now we had to pull it up slowly so that it do not escape.

“I don't agree, sometimes life is too hard on some of us and maybe it's inevitable that we end up in the way we are.”

The two had different views on the topic but perhaps it was because neither of them  was focusing on the same topic. While Dream thought about the unjust fate that the two brothers shared, especially that of his brother, the human thought about the bandit, comparing him with themself from years ago.

“Destiny is not decided by some superior force, it is us who decide what to become and the consequences we pay are the result of our actions, if you choose to take a specific path that leads you to hurt people then it is normal that no one will look at you with respect.”

Too immersed in the vision of himself, of his life, Dream burst.

“What if he felt obligated? What if there was no other way? Have you ever thought that maybe even if he asked for help… no one would help him? Everyone is focused on themselves and instead of knowing people, they prefer to build prejudices and then judge."

The tension could be cut with a knife, the silence was deafening.

“Did this happen to you?” The human's voice was similar to a whisper, both because they felt themself walking on the edge of a razor with Dream's reaction, and because the skeleton with his last words had raised his voice a lot and perhaps had attracted attention .

The skeleton swallowed a lump in his throat that he wasn't about to go away. “Not to me... to my brother” he decided to open a little window into his life for the Samaritan.

The human felt that this was only a taste of a long and difficult life that Dream was living, they did not fully understand what those few sentences of the story meant, but they felt the weight of every single word.

"And you?" The monster's voice dropped so low that he had to lean close to the human's ear. “You seemed irritated.” Another moment of silence from the cowboy: "When I was young I often risked ending up like that kid, but for some reason, despite all the persuasions, I never fell for their tricks...but I've seen people end up badly, become ruthless people.”

Dream hummed as a sign of understanding, satisfied with having learned something about his traveling companion even at the price of revealing something about himself, he was very keen on keeping his life private but he was too intrigued by this person in front of him, it was that jolt of life that he hadn't received for a long time, he felt intrigued by this new figure in his life.

And since he was finally satisfied he could deserve more rest so he decided to rest his forehead on the human's shoulder. “Please don't do any more restless running, I would like to rest.” a light chuckle was heard from him.

The cowboy turned their head slightly even though they still couldn't see the monster's face and then looked back towards the horizon.

Silence fell on the two again and the human was left alone with the trots of their horse and Dream's soft sighs for company.

Chapter Text

Left alone with your thoughts you hadn't even noticed the sun had risen until its dazzling light hit your fatigued eyes. You could finally let your guard down, the bandits of this land were too sneaky and cowardly to act in the open, but that still didn't mean you had to trust blindly your surroundings too much.

The landscape had changed a lot from the night one, now you no longer saw arid and sandy lands but long green and lush meadows with some animals already grazing and shepherds who gave bad looks in case of thieves and foxes, but you wanted to pass without too many troubles and for this reason you kept a low gaze, which the shepherds appreciated very much, it was a simple yet efficient way to show yourself harmless.

Your dear horse seemed getting more and more tempted to stop and taste that beautiful green grass, too tired to move forward he felt all his legs weight on his own hooves, and you couldn't blame him after that tiring journey, if you were on the verge of falling asleep then let alone the horse that bore all your weight and out of pity for the animal you made it stop:

"Okay Zorro, we can afford a little break."

You started to get off only to realize the extra weight you had on your back, your adventure companion still sleeping, but you wouldn't have been able to get off without him moving, then you cautiously called his name: “..Hey. .Dream…”

There was only a soft sigh from the monster in response to your whisper.

Even though you weren't happy with the current situation, you didn't have the heart to wake up those who were resting so peacefully, a question arose in your mind: "Isn't it uncomfortable?", but this wasn't the main problem as Zorro was huffing impatiently.

“One moment Zorro.”
Slightly frustrated you decided to do things your way by grabbing the skeleton's hips and then lifting him up and dismounting the horse with him.

You didn't even have time to sit your companion down on the grass before he woke up.

And the situation couldn't have been more embarrassing, you holding the monster's side with one hand while with the other you were holding its head to lay him more delicately, bent towards the grass in a pose that slightly resembles a casquet.

“Uhm…good morning?” At least Dream seemed to take the scene ironically, while you were screaming all sorts of profanities inside yourself. Too embarrassed to formulate a coherent response, you had the brilliant idea of ​​dropping the skeleton to the ground without the previous planned delicacy.

There was a thomph, and a confused scream that didn't come from you. In fact not even a sound came out of you, only the sound of your heart beating wildly from embarrassment, seeing those bright pupils so close up had triggered a spark that knocked down a brick of that wall of impassivity that surrounded the sensitivity of the your heart.

Dream sat down and scratched the back of his neck, more confused than in pain from the impact with the ground and still half asleep he asked: “Have we reached the city?”.

The question was enough to snap you out of that little trance, you blinked a couple of times and cleared your throat before saying, “No, not yet, there's still an hour or so of travel left. I wanted to stop to let Zorro rest.”

The skeleton replied with a hum of affirmation, you reached him to sit next to him.

Beautiful green prairies with lots of red dots, the poppies that colored the landscape were a spectacle, it almost felt like home, when you and your father were outside the house for hours, just the two of you and the livestock on beautiful August days like this. Filling your lungs with that delicious air, you closed your eyes and for a moment you deluded yourself that this was the same grass of your home.

If you concentrate a little you can hear the cows' bells ringing according to their movements as they graze the grass still wet with drops of dew from the previous night.

A light laugh interrupts your fantasy and you turn towards the culprit with an embarrassed and nervous look.

“Hehe- don't look at me like that, you were so lost in your thoughts I thought you were going to fall asleep while sitting up.”

The bags under your eyes were the price of a night spent always on alert like the soldiers on the borders to be ready for any attack, always looking around to understand how to escape in case of being surrounded and the left hand that often wandered near the case of your revolver.

You didn't have time to answer when the skeleton said: "Rest, I'll keep watch."

Your hard look doesn't change.

“Don't tell me that you still don't trust me!”

“It's not that I don't trust you, but you don't seem ready for all the eventualities that could happen if bandits came, after all you're still injured.”

“Don't underestimate me and rest.”

The dry and concise answer Dream gave you was enough for your tired mind to knock your body out.

You let yourself fall back and let the grass sting your half-covered face.

Your eyelids already lowered and your ears were already pushing away all the noises to let you enter the dream world undisturbed.

And in no time at all, sleep had taken you in their arms.

--"--

The skeleton watched in amazement as the cowboy had fallen asleep so quickly, tiredness had prevailed over their body in a very short time, and from what he saw they seemed to already be in a deep sleep, but above all defenseless.

Dream looked around just seeing animals grazing without a shepherd, it seemed to be very calm territory and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

If he had any nerves, they would be tense from the anxiety he was feeling, and little by little he was relaxing thanks to the beautiful view.

The skeleton could only wonder if his traveling companion always felt so tense, but from what he had seen in recent days and from how deep their sleep was, it seemed so.

His gaze fell on the human's face, at this moment he could take off that bandana and put it back on them without realizing it, but something inside him held him back, he wasn't the type to play dirty games, he would have seen the mysterious face of the Samaritan without tricks.

“You sure are one of a kind.” Dream rested his skull on his gloved hand, a smirk adorning his face.

The horse's snort wasn't enough to warn Dream and he was soon attacked by Zorro who nuzzled his skull in search of affection. Dream happily responded by patting the horse while he tried to hold back his laughter so as not to wake his good Samaritan.

The heat of the sun kissed the earth gently unlike the dry heat of the desert and for a few moments Dream forgot about all the problems he had to face, especially the question of magic which in this universe, in addition to not existing, was also affecting Dream , he forgot about his friends who were probably wondering where he was right now, but for those few moments Dream forgot about all that.

“Okay, okay, stop buddy!” A laugh mixed with a whisper came from his mouth as he stood up, while the horse sat next to his master like a guard dog. The skeleton dusted off the poncho that covered his unusual clothes, he made a mental note to thank the human once again later, both because his clothes were almost reduced to rubble being also covered by bandages, and because he was more easy to blend in with the crowd so as not to receive unwanted dirty looks.

Dream decided to stretch his bones and see these beautiful fields full of poppies on his own, but without going too far.

The wind gently cradled the large green fields which repaid with an equally sweet rustle, creating a harmonious melody that brings back memories of the past. Dream enjoyed this beautiful symphony while walking along those streets that seemed endless, but his mind soon found the perfect moment to think of a way to start using his magic again.

Not that he was bad in this universe, but time being relative, it works differently in every part of the multiverse and sometimes it can be concerning of how it is perceived, he could have disappeared for days or a few minutes for his friends. The certain thing was that he had not disappeared for "years", and this was explained very simply by the fact that in this world time was marked by the sun and there was a moon as a satellite of the planet, he had not ended up in some universe on other planets that they were not the earth with other movements of revolution that would have upset the perception of time. And so there was already one relief.

Second very important question: Where will the Sans of this universe be? Is he there or is it too early for him to be created? In that case Dream would have to talk to Gaster, there was a presence of monsters in this universe, and they coexist quite peacefully with humans, that's why Dream had reached this universe at the end of his life, he felt enough positivity to recover energy, but now all he does feel are his emotions, he didn't feel positivity and he didn't get tired of negativity, he didn't perceive anything as if his sensations had been anesthetized.

It was a theory, but it seemed to fit well with reality: probably his body, even if he were a God or a Guardian (it was not necessary to define it now), he still was a monster, and perhaps his body had only adapted to the particular conditions of this universe, in which monsters have no magic, well, they have it, but only as a vital function. Who knows if there was a war in this universe? Or maybe something like this has yet need to happen?

Now the problem was, how to make his magic reappear? He certainly couldn't wait for Ink to come and retrieve him, also because Dream doubted that his convenient ally would come to his rescue soon.

The sound of some cowbells brought Dream back to reality, he had gone quite a distance with that walk, too immersed in his thoughts to watch where his feet were taking him.

He was amazed to see that the cowbells were not attached to normal cattle but to what appeared to be some kind of spider-cows, were they giant spiders or hairy eight-legged cows? But ehat surprised the skeleton more was the shepherd of those spider-cows, it was an unmistakable anthropomorphic spider monster with lavender-colored skin, it was the Muffet of this universe! He was therefore certain that then there would be a Sans, and then maybe he would be able to somehow get out of this universe with his help.

As if by magic many of his worries vanished and he ran back to the cowboy to wake them up and get back on the road at once.

Too caught up in the emotion, he ran as fast as he could and started to shout the name of his adventure companion in a cheerful tone.

The human quickly opened their eyes and, still half asleep, stood up in a sitting position looking around with their vision still blurred from sleep before feeling two hands take their arms, lifting them from the ground with extreme ease.

“We must leave immediately! We must reach the city, get on the horse Samaritan!”

“What the hell?! Alright alright!”

Meanwhile Dream didn't let go of his partner's hands, shaking them again from the hopes that had manifested themselves in front of him, leaving the human extremely confused but not displeased by this sudden euphoria.

The horse rose with a snort and shook his muzzle, moving his mane from his eyes as he waited for the two to mount for those final hours of riding west.

When Zorro proved ready to leave, Dream left the Samaritan's hands and proceeded to slowly climb up, he let out a small hiss still bruised by his wounds, but the Samaritan, as his nickname suggests, went to help him get on their horse by lifting him up.

“I don't understand your enthusiasm, but as much as it makes me happy to see you without a pout, you have to be careful, your wounds aren't totally healed yet.”

His skeleton finally settled into place, letting out a tired sigh: “Ah, thanks, I sorta keep forgetting.” He said, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

The cowboy hummed in response as they mounted their horse asking to themself how someone can forget that they were severely injured.

A final look at the surroundings, seeing the sun slowly rise higher, threatening its high temperatures.

And with a snap of the reins.

“Hay!”

The two left for the city.

-- " --

The horse's trot was fast and energetic, grateful to have rested, and you, like always lost in your thoughts, stroked the reins with your thumbs, thinking back to the cheerful contact that the monster had started a short time ago. You were a bit curious to know what made Dream become so elated about going to the city, before it seemed like he was only following you because he would probably die alone, and all of a sudden he wanted to get to the city more than you.

But in truth you hoped that that was the thought that was going through your head.

In reality it was those few contacts that you had exchanged that had crept into your mind and kept repeating themselves, coloring your cheeks slightly pink.

Loneliness created these bad jokes, a small gesture of affection gave so many emotions that you hadn't felt in a long time.

A caress from your mother, a pat on the shoulder from a friend, a kiss from a lover, were the most desired things for a solitary traveler like you, and when this desire was fulfilled the heart took that leap into the void that put the mind and heart body in disarray.

Dream meanwhile seemed more determined than ever in his mission and had no room for anything else in mind, everything was secondary, his biggest priority was to find that alternative version of him and hope for something that not even he could define.

And as if by magic you soon reached the city, an old wooden sign with the words "Welcome to" engraved on it had welcomed you warmly.

The sign was so worn that you couldn't even see the name of the city, it could have confused some beginner travellers, but it was a rare event given that apart from this town there were no others as another desert land began immediately after.

The horse resumed a light trot as he entered the city and you looked around to rent a stable for who knows how many nights.

You didn't want to stay too long as the stables in the city cost more, being expensive even though the quality doesn't change from the villages passing through the desert. Your pockets were getting lighter with an extra mouth to feed, and this reminded you of why you were in this city, you were headhunting ruthless bandits who would make you a lot of money.

In the end you managed to barter to lower the price of the stable by just two coins, so the total was 18 dollars a night, this was a real legalized robbery.

With a sigh and many curses swallowed so as not to be mistaken for a hysteric in the middle of a public square, you headed towards an inn that the stable caretaker had recommended to you.

While he was talking to you about the place, he often emphasized how it was the cheapest inn in the city and was made especially for vagabonds like you who were tight on money, he said that it wasn't a nice place to stay, full of insects, husbands who stayed away for one night as they indulged in an adventure with some cute dancers, ugly scoundrels, guys running away from gambling debts and much more, to make it short it was the circus of the problematics. You wouldn't want to hear about the condition of the food after that long list, instead, you helped Dream get off the horse and handed the reins to the caretaker as soon as possible and then headed towards this inn.

But the skeleton seemed to have very different plans saying that he wanted to see the city, his request seemed harmless but one detail made you raise an eyebrow in question.

“I was thinking of visiting the town alone for a bit.”

He had that smile that exuded genuineness and innocence that always made you suspicious of all his moves.

"Alone? In those conditions? You would be an easy target, even for a child.”

“First of all don't underestimate me, second of all, it's broad daylight and I'll be in pretty crowded areas, I don't think anyone here really wants to start a fight.”

“You actually don't know how many bandits roam these streets.”

You didn't want to be crude, but in addition to being true, you were worried about the safety of your traveling companion, even speaking out of the monetary context in caring for him, he had turned out to be a nice fella.

But Dream didn't want to hear any protest and turning towards the opposite side he only said: "You get a room, I'll see you at sunset."

And having said this he walked away, blending into the crowd and you soon lost sight of him, what a peculiar character. An instant ago you were helping him to get off your horse because his ribs hurt too much to move and now he goes wandering around a city he's never seen telling you not to worry and to go to the inn, and how he thought he'd get back to you without knowing where the inn was? It wasn't your problem, you weren't his mother, plus he could have asked anyone for directions to the inn and so you set off alone towards your destination.

The directions that that caretaker had given you were not very clear, he only said that the place was "a little out of town".

What does a little mean? Does it mean "the last house in the city" or "end up in the middle of another desert"? To your misfortune and fortune, it was neither, you didn't have to walk far but it was a little out of town, making it the perfect place for someone who was running away from some trouble they'd gotten themselves into. It was like entering the wolf's den, there you would surely find some faces that the sheriff was looking for, but it would be risky to try to do something strangely right in enemy territory. And so when you finally walked through the door of that inn you acted relaxed as possible even though you could already smell something fishy.

“A room for two.”
You rang the reception bell, to attract the attention of the monster who kept that inn, the cat-like monster gave you a key without even sparing you a glance while emitting a sort of grunt of contempt and disgust.

You looked at the key and then at the clerk and cleared your throat.

“Separate beds please.”

The cat monster then finally looked at you and changed his expression to a questioning face before searching further through the numerous keys he possessed.

“It's impossible that there really are that many rooms.”

You stated with all your honest surprise.

“In fact, they are all spare keys, you know... when four out of five customers return the key to you, you must be ready to replace it.”

This made the place even less safe as an old resident of the room could enter a newly occupied one without many problems.

"Here you are."

The sleep deprived monster lend you a rusty key, which you took hoping that few had taken your room and therefore there was no need to make new ones.

You thanked the monster but he stopped you before you could move towards the stairs.

“In this place you pay in advance.”

Right, in a place like this it was easy to get scammed and run away without paying, who knows how many times it must have happened to this unfortunate guy.

You took your bag of coins out of your boot, it was a safe place to keep the money, uncomfortable but safe, and gave the money needed for three nights explaining that if you stayed longer you would give the rest of the money. The cat monster seemed to doubt your words but took the money anyway, he tried to threaten you about how he would shoot you if you didn't keep your words, but he seemed to be the one being threatened by your hard and impassive look at his thread.

“Aaall right. Well my partner is a skeleton, if he comes and asks you about me you know where to send him.”

And so you walked up the creaking wooden stairs that led to your room.