Chapter 1: Dream
Flashback:
A young boy dressed in bright green raced through the trees, occasionally jumping over a fallen log or ducking underneath a branch. His sandy blond hair wild from the wind and his eyes sparkling with adventure, their color matching the dye of his clothes.
"Dream!" His name echoed through the trees, but he turned only for a moment, ignoring the call from his friends, and instead, he continued to walk towards a large crack in the side of a rocky wall. His calloused fingers traced the lines of the jagged rocks, their points as sharp as the blade he kept on his side. Slipping through the narrow entrance his feet struggled to find balance on the mossy floor of the damp room.
The air was cold and humid, leaving drops of water on the boy's skin, mixing with his sweat. He grabbed a match from his leather pack and swiped it across a dry section of the walls. Its weak flame lit up only a little, leaving most of the cave dark. He continued slowly advancing, careful not to slip, and relighting the matches every few minutes.
"Dream..." An echo of his name traveled through a cold wind that blew from the back of the cave, causing Dream's hair to stand up on end and leaving a trail of goosebumps along his tanned skin.
"Who's there!" He shouted, lighting his last match. There was no answer, but he didn't take any steps further. "Answer me!" Dream tried to sound brave, but his words came out as more of a squeak than a shout.
The voice responded, "Dream..." Another guest of wind blew, knocking him over, and the match extinguished on the wet ground.
Dream lay on the ground in complete darkness, his hands trying to grasp at anything familiar. He fell still when he felt something over him, it's hot breath sending waves of panic across him, "Don't hurt me, please." His plea was weak, and a deep voice began to laugh, sending shock waves through the cave, causing the whole room to shake, loose pieces of rock rained from the ceiling.
"Ahh-'' Dream began to scream as something grabbed at him, his vision going dark...
Present Day:
"I'm done with this place!" Dream grumbled, "I mean it." He was older now, and he'd grown taller than most of his friends. His muscles were more defined, and he had a roguishly handsome look about him. With his messy head of sandy curls, skin still tanned from days spent in the sun, and the mischievous grin that usually took residence on his lips, except more and more these days, it was being replaced with a scowl.
It was fight after fight with his mom, and especially since she had taken in the baby. He had been left on their doorstep with a note that only read, "His name is Tubbo, please take care of him."
Dream had always been a kid who got into trouble, but a few years ago, things grew worse. There were no more playful jokes or light laughs, he grew irritated quickly, and his temper shortened, causing him to become a ticking time-bomb. The people of the Badlands were constantly walking on eggshells around him.
Fights were frequent, but they passed quickly, so as Dream began to storm off with his pack attached to his belt, his friends hurried after, hoping he wouldn't walk too far before he calmed down.
"Dream, please! You don't mean those things." A boy with dark brown hair gently placed his pale hand on Dream's shoulder. A pair of white goggles rested on top of his fluffy hair, and his shirt was a light blue, like the sky. But, the most interesting thing about him was that his eyes were two different colors. One was a deep chocolate brown, and the other was a bright blue that sparkled. Some might fear that if they looked into them, they might not ever be able to look away.
Dream shrugged him off, "It said that this would happen, that she would try to stop me. That they all would." He muttered to himself, not making any sense to the rest of the group that gathered around.
"George... It's different this time. I'm worried." The third one whispered. He had jet black hair that stood in every which way, and his presence radiated warmth. There was a black cloth tied around his forehead, he carried a sword in one hand, and in the other, fire danced across his fingertips.
Dream continued walking past the edge of the forest and into its depths, "Are you coming with me or not?"
The boys looked at each other, "Sapnap?" George asked, and the boy shrugged his shoulders, taking off after Dream, "My dad will know I've gone with Dream." Sapnap spoke, reassuring himself more than his friends.
George laughed, "At least I don't have to worry about that."
The group trudged through the woods, following a manic Dream to who knows where. Birds chirped as they jumped from tree to tree, startled by the loud arrival of people in their homes. The sun beat down and left marks of sweat on all but Sapnap, as his skin was already painted in flames.
An hour in, they stopped to sit under the shade of a large Spruce tree, its rough wood cutting into their backs while they laid against it. They took turns pouring water from Dream's supply into their dry mouths and chewing on the inner layer of the tree's bark, trying to satisfy their empty stomachs.
Sapnap laid out on the dirt, closing his eyes. George shifted himself to lay beside him, his breaths heavy from the long walk.
"What are you two doing?" Dream growled.
Sapnap squinted an eye open, "Resting, what does it look like?" His witty response received a smile from George, but Dream only continued scowling.
"We've been walking for so long, can't we just-" George was interrupted by the sound of a soft crack of a branch. Dream lifted a finger to his lips, telling the two boys to keep quiet as they quickly sat up. Sapnap grabbed his blade and crouched beside Dream towards the direction of the noise. George stayed back, but he kept a hand on the dagger in his belt.
As Dream and Sapnap raised their swords, a tall man emerged from behind the bushes. He wore a dark green mask with painted black eyes, and his long coat blended in with the dark underbrush. "Sam?!" Dream was surprised at the arrival of his friend.
Sam wasn't originally from the Badlands, but he'd moved there on temporary terms. He came from a tribe that called themselves "The Creepers." who lived in the darkest parts of the woods and practiced magic. They traveled often and kept away from other people, with the only way to track them as, following the abandoned fires and spots of blackened grass. Sam's father agreed to let him live among other people as long as he returned when it was his time to lead.
"Did you follow us?" Dream asked.
Sam nodded, "You weren't exactly subtle."
Dream smiled, and the two of them embraced, "I'm glad you're here! We are going to need more people if this is going to work."
"If what's going to work?" A soft and wispy voice replied from behind Sam. A small girl with light hair and rosy cheeks entered into the clearing, alongside a quiet boy with chestnut hair.
"Alyssa? Callahan?" George smiled as he stood with the rest.
"Home wouldn't be home if you three were gone." Sam shook Sapnap's hand, resulting in sparks from the combination of magic and fire.
After the group's cheery reuniting, they continued their trudge after Dream. This time the group talked and laughed amongst each other, causing time to fly quickly, and before they knew it, the orange glow from the setting sun was filling their vision.
They stopped for the night and slept under the starry sky, with the warm summer air serving as their blanket. An early morning followed, with a quick breakfast of dried meat that Callahan had brought with him, earning him endless praise from the rest of the group.
"Dream, do you have any idea where you're going?" George asked as he panted from the steep climb up a grassy hill. He bent over with his hands on his knees, and Sapnap offered George the rest of his water, which he gulped down quickly.
The rest of the group climbed the last of the incline and stopped to catch their breaths.
"Callahan says his feet hurt," Alyssa spoke up after she regained breath, "and he's not alone."
"We're here." Dream finally spoke. He stood at the edge of the hill, looking out on a great wide expanse of land. The sun shined its last light, casting a golden glow. They all stood, and joined Dream at the edge, Sapnap, and George on either side of him.
"It's beautiful." George gasped.
Dream smiled, turning to his friend, "This is it, the Dream SMP."