Project 404 [DNF]

Chapter 30: Technoblade

Skyblock teaches us that no matter how ridiculous the odds may seem, within us resides the power to overcome these challenges and achieve something beautiful. That one day, we'll look back at where we started and be amazed by how far we've come.

- Technoblade

Dream stared in terror as George fell unconscious. Although it was scary seeing George black out, yet the biggest cause of his fear was the individual who sat tied up next to George.

"Tommy?" Dream whispered.

The blonde boy's arms and legs were restrained, and his mouth was covered. The blue eyes were glossy and widen in fear.

"Are you hurt?" Dream asked while searching for any sign of abuse. But Tommy thankfully shook his head. Tommy seemed relieved by not being alone in this horrible situation and Dream could hardly blame him.

However, Dream had a growing fear that he knew what were awaiting them. After all, he'd been apart of Schlatt crew for many years.

George whined but appeared to slowly regain his conscious. The brunette's reaction to seeing Tommy was about the same as Dream's.

He hoped that his prediction would be wrong, but the further they drove, the more anxious he became that they were heading towards their deaths. Yet, he didn't want to accept it. Even Schlatt could be cruel enough to execute a child.

Right?

For the first time in his life, Dream found himself praying. That Schlatt wanted him dead wasn't surprising but killing Tommy and George would be highly immoral. Also, an extremely bold move considering that he'd be making two dangerous enemies; George's dad and The Blood God himself, more commonly known as Techno. Because that much had Dream figured out by now, Techno might seem like a cold-hearted monster, but his protectiveness towards his family was undeniable.

"Dream?" George whispered weakly. Dream's gaze fell on him. "Yeah?"

George eyes flickered nervously around the car for a moment. "I forgot to tell you this, but it's crucial that your emotions don't switches off for at least a couple more hours. Otherwise, you'll forever be stuck in that state."

Dream clenched his jaw. "It's not like I can control it."

George began chewing on his bottom lip. "You need to find some sort of anchor. Try to figure out the pattern and make sure to avoid it at all costs."

That got Dream thinking. What could it be? His emotions tended not to switch off when he was around George. Though, it wasn't completely true. He was suddenly reminded of the small plushie in his pocket. When he found it, he recalled sensing that his mind wanted to switch. But something had stopped him. Previously, it'd been when he got upset or overly protective.

That's when it clicked. Maybe it worked as a protection for his mind. Like a metaphorical mask that acted as a barrier between his actions and his emotions. Because he'd no issues committing horrible deeds when he didn't get the emotional aftermath from them.

That would also explain why the hallucinations always had such emotionally triggering topics. Schlatt wanted his feelings gone and possibly hoped to achieve that by putting him through traumatic illusions to permanently active the barrier.

His train of thoughts got disrupted as the car suddenly shook violently. Shouting could be heard from the people driving the car.

Dream heard how George yelled in surprise as the doors to the van swung open. Dream had never been so grateful to see Sapnap as in that moment. A car trailed behind him, and Dream spotted Techno and Wilbur.