Dying was more painful than Desmond thought it would be.
Honestly when he had touched the plinth and button that would save the Earth from the solar flare, while simultaneously releasing Juno from her eternal prison, he knew there would be pain. He really didn't expect the fire that flowed through his every vein like lava, nor did he expect the pull he felt deep in his soul like his life force was being pulled from his unconscious self.
At least he believed that he was unconscious, He had only ever appeared in The Grey when he was either unconscious or in the Animus and since the last thing, he remembers was you know dying he really doubts he's in the Animus.
The Grey looked and felt different this time though, other than the pain that was never every other time he was here, Clay wasn't there he knew that instantly and the individual that was seated at the edge of the coded ocean was someone that Desmond had never seen before.
"HEY," Desmond yelled making his way forward to the person, "Who are you? Where's Clay?"
"Clay, was that his name?" The person muttered their eyes never leaving the simulated waves.
"Was that his name," Desmond mocked "Of course that's his name, where is he and who are you?"
"I didn't do anything to him if that's what you're worried about, I only sat and spoke with him while you were otherwise preoccupied." The person said, giving Desmond a side glance when he sat down beside them.
"Is that so, Clay never mentioned anyone else being here, why not if you were always giving him company?" Great more secrets, why was it that everyone had so many secrets.
"Because I asked him not to tell you, it was dangerous and if he had told you then IT would have found out that I'm not where I'm supposed to be, IT wouldn't have liked that and no matter how useful he was IT would have destroyed him in front of the both of us." They said bringing their knees to their chest and wrapping their arms around them.
"And how would IT, whatever IT is, know any of that?" Desmond was starting to get sick of the twenty questions he was playing with this person, who Desmond was able to see now looked to be male. "Better question how do you know that IT would do that at all?"
"Because every time you've come here IT has been watching, making sure that everything has been going according to the plan IT has, and the reason I know that IT would destroy him, is because IT has done it before?" The now identified male said.
"Right… say I believe that, how can I trust you, you still haven't told me What IT is, what happened to Clay, or even who you are."
"Just before you appeared, I was talking with Clay, and he just faded into nothingness… and then you were there, pale and fading just like he did, only slower but then you woke up and all the paleness and fading disappeared, but I think Clay is gone for good." He said with a sigh heavy with sadness. "As for what IT is, IT is a being made of code, known to the people like me as a Dreamon, a piece of infected code trying to take over the main code of the universe and rule everything. You know this particular Dreamon by the name of Juno, however when I met IT it's name was Nightmare. It ruined my life and the lives of my friends, slowly gaining full access to the universal code, it was only stopped when a friend of mine destroyed my body. It took some time but it's a good thing this friend was semi-immortal, by the end of my body's life, I had gone by many names, but my favourite one, despite what IT did while I used it, was Dream"