Not Even Real | Dream SMP School AU

13 - Back to the Void

Ranboo opened his eyes to see the black void around him once again. He hadn't wanted to return to it after the last time. It wasn't even bad last time! He just hated how the void made him feel.

Vulnerable.

"Welcome back Ranboo." The voice greeted him.

"Oh great- wait I haven't told you my name! How did you know it..." Ranboo wasn't as shocked and delusional as last time. He was more aware.

"I live inside your head Ranboo. I am the thoughts in the back of your mind. How could I not know your name?" The voice questioned.

Ranboo couldn't deny it, he was slightly scared. No, not slightly, VERY scared. The only voice in his head he had ever known of was him, his own. This one didn't sound like him.

"You sound like someone I know..." Ranboo trailed off, realizing why that would have made sense.

A memory flashed in his mind from when he was in seventh grade...

Ranboo was sitting in class beside one of his friends. His teacher was rambling about things he could have cared less about. His friend beside him was writing a note. His friend gave him the note from under the desks.

"Meet me and _______ at the _______ today at _______"

Ranboo nodded to his friend and put the note in his pocket.

Ranboo's teacher stopped talking and looked out to the class.

"Okay, you all seem extremely uninterested in this. Hmm... how about we learn about the voices in our heads and our thoughts instead?" Ranboo's teacher asked the class.

A few head perked up. Ranboo was surprised that his teacher was even doing this.

"Put your hand up if you want to learn about that." His teacher continued.

Hands went up from almost every corner. Even Ranboo put his hand up, something he didn't like doing unless everyone else was doing it.

"Okay, we'll learn about that then." Ranboo's teacher erased the white board.

Ranboo sat up and waited for the lesson to begin. This was something he was actually interested in. Something so much better than math or history. It was more sciency and interesting.

"So, some of you may know about this already, but when we think, it's usually our own voices in our heads right? Well in some cases it's not. Sometimes, we hear our friends voices or our acquaintances voices instead. That's just how thinking works. It doesn't mean that there's a voice in our heads and we should get tested for mental illnesses, it's just how thinking works. Although that is the case for most people, it isn't for sure going to happen to anyone. Just remember, your own voice is much better and more reliable than anyone else's. Don't expect other people's voices know more than you."

Ranboo opened his eyes. He saw the black void again.

"Welcome back Ranboo." The voice laughed.

"I was hoping that I would wake up." Ranboo mumbled.

The voice laughed once again. Ranboo hated when it laughed like that. He wished it would just be normal and not sound so sinister. Okay, well, no. It didn't sound sinister, it just sounded like it was mocking him, and he hated when people did that.

"I'd like to inform you that I've thought of a few possible names for myself." The voice told Ranboo.

Ranboo looked up as though he'd see who was speaking, but of course, he saw nothing but the expanse of the endless black void.

"Want to hear them?" The voice asked.

Ranboo thought for a moment.

"Yeah, sure..." He replied.

He waited for the voice to tell him all the names he had thought of. Ranboo wondered if the voice had been thinking about the names all day, while he was at school, when he was on discord.

"Well, the first few names were plain and not very good. Jack, Tony, Steven. None of them really... fit. I needed something more sophisticated, something so much greater. William, Dominic, Edward. The problem with those names is they sound much too old. So I thought of something... rare. Something I can bet you've never heard. Oceanic, Polaris, Dusk... Dream. I have decided to name myself... Dream." The voice finished.

Ranboo just sat there, trying to process everything that the voice had said.

"So you named yourself Dream?" Ranboo asked, still confused.

"Exactly. Don't you think it sounds nice? Heh heh..." Dream began laughing again.

The void seemed to be getting closer. Ranboo didn't know how he could tell, but it felt like the void was closing in. The walls of the endless black space were becoming real. He could feel them pushing against his arms and back. He tried to stand, he failed. He tried to get up, he couldn't move.

"Dream? I... I think the walls are closing in!" Ranboo yelled.

Dream just kept on laughing. Maybe he hadn't heard Ranboo's plea.

"DREAM! HELP!" Ranboo's mind filled with words, echoes of sentences he had been thinking.

All at once he heard his thoughts from earlier, like waves crashing in his head. He couldn't think. His mind was full of words.

What the heck was that?!Gosh... I need to speak to Eret... late on my first day? Oh man...Oh man... what the heck was that dream?Eret sure does a lot doesn't he?Why... why is he suddenly frowning? What did he..."Will you just shut up?"I mean, how could it be my fault? I wasn't even near him!I wonder what happened to Tommy...The last thing that he did, according to Toby, was leave to go to the bathroom. I wonder if he went there for the same reason I did, or at least something similar. No one really bothers you in the bathroom.I mean, we all have our off days, and they can happen any day, any time. I haven't met a single person who's life has been perfect every single day. That's just how living works!Tommy was probably just... huh... what would be be stressed about? Maybe people calling him Thomas or something. Goodness... that teacher sounds horrible. I did overhear that Wilbur said something to her though. I wonder what other was...I wonder if Wilbur has discord?I'm glad no one's here to judge me for being lazy. I mean, who can blame me though? Blue berry waffles are so good.I wonder if Toby or Tommy can sing...

He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He couldn't see. He couldn't breath.

He felt light-headed. His eyes closed. He fainted.