~ 𝙳𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 ~ [𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑥 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟]

Chapter 14: A Flash of Hope

As Dream crept up the stairs, he tried to calm his breathing. It had started to rain outside, and it didn't look like it was going to get any better anytime soon. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door to your room.

You were still in a deep sleep, your breathing serene and easy. You face was so... peaceful. For a fleeting moment he considered waking you up before pushing the thought away.

Inching to the side of your bed, he listened to the raindrops fall on the roof. His eye sockets closed.

For the tiniest second he felt at home again. Just him as his brother under the tree, holding each other, listening to the rain on the leaves from under the blanket. If only times could possibly be like that again. If only his brother was still here—still himself.

If only.

His gloved fingers carefully took the Book of Magic from your bedside table. Dream had never done something like this before, but he had to try. His mother had told him and Nightmare about the two other Trees before and how they had guardians as well.

If there was anyone that could know what to do, it was one of them.

Dream flipped through the pages, but didn't find anything—at least, not until he got to the very back of the book. There were three signatures, slightly smeared, and a note.

Dedicated to the author of this book, who's looking over my shoulder right now and telling me that I don't have to write this.

And another note in elegant handwriting.

Hey, you can find me in the West sector. See you soon, Nim.

The West sector. Ink and Dream already deducted that the West sector was the furthest west you could get in the Doodlesphere. Although they had chatted a little about contact, they never acted on it.

Tapping his fingers together, Dream opened his aura through a thin line into the Doodlesphere. Emotions flooded him all at once—happiness, humor, pain, love, patience, irateness.They exploded in a multitude of colors and light, flashing for attention before his very eyes. Brushing away the nagging feeling at the back of his mind, the guardian drifted through the multiverse. Papers fluttered in and out of the world, some ripping others to shreds. There were peaceful ones, such as Haventale and Pacifist Timelines, and there were the chaotic worlds: Underfell, Flowerfell, Underworld. He never drifted anywhere near universes like Underworld and Horrortale. The presence that would snake through his frame like smoke was too familiar. Too deadly.

Every now and then he'd catch a glimpse of a strange figure—or maybe not just one figure alone. Dream heightened his guard, summoning his staff. Even if they weren't there to fight, they could rub each other the wrong way. No, not even could. Would. Once, he even saw one of them ripping a stable universe apart with their pale hands like it was nothing. Even Error would have had trouble tearing apart a universe like that. He shuddered. Dream hoped to keep away from whatever those were for as long as he possibly could.

After a few more minutes of drifting, Dream finally floated into a universe he'd never seen before. It seemed to have cloaked itself until the time was right. It's aura was calming and welcome, like a rich cup of hot chocolate in the middle of a blistering winter. It reminded him of you. Smiling softly, he pulled the strand back into his frame and opened his eyes. The room was still the same, and you were still fast asleep on your bed. Dream first rested a hand on your head before turning to a freshly opened portal. His mouth remained in a smile, eyes on you, as he walked through the portal.

Now he was really in the multiverse, and was immediately overwhelmed with a sense of dread.

One of the figures was floating a few feet away from him.

Its presence was haunting and frightening, even to a being of pure positivity like Dream. It drifted from universe to universe, taking each into its grasp and looking over it before tossing it aside. Was it looking for something? Inching around the area of dark energy, the guardian watched as it took a universe in hand. Lustswap. Sure, it wasn't the best of universes, but it was still of value. The emotions that came from that place, though...

It's aura flared angrily. Disgust. Apathy. Anger. Hate. The amount of hate that came from that singular being nearly toppled the spirit. It burnt his bones to a crisp and made his SOUL shrivel up. Dream watched as the universe exploded into shreds, disintegrating into nothingness. No, wait. It hadn't exploded. It had just ripped it apart so fast that he couldn't keep up.

It straightened, folding their hands behind their back. The aura grew more contained, although the scalding coldness remained.

".ɯɐǝɹp"

His heart stopped, and he ran.

He'd never run that fast before in his life. Terror overran every other feeling as he fled west. All that he knew was that he had to get away from that—that thing. The tiniest bit of logic peeked through the clouds of his mind, screaming, Stop running blindly! It might catch you—

A universe swallowed him whole. Dream screamed before he realized he was in a pair of arms, floating calmly to the floor. He felt so small in that moment, inside of a stranger's arms. Small tendrils of rainbow color fluttered around him. He was softly lulled to sleep as the stranger descended into the universe.

He was on the grass. Everything was tranquil and calm in that moment, with nothing but the sun and violet sky and infinite plane of white grass under a tree with leaves of hundreds—no, thousands of colors that didn't even exist, yet existed here...

...Wait. A tree?

Dream bolted upright, heart soaring. The tree barely moved, although the thin rustling of leaves could be heard. Delicate fruits hung off of the pale branches, refracting light. Each one was a different color; although many looked alike, each tone was slightly different. Each one represented a different life.

"Yes!" He laughed, hugging himself and twirling. He'd done it. He'd found the Tree of Life. And while he was here...

Expertly, Dream began scaling the tree. Even after 100 years, he still knew exactly how to shift his pressure and what branches to reach for. Though the tree was different, he could still climb it like it was his tree. Somewhere near the middle was where he finally found it.

Reaching out, Dream cupped a medium sized, green-teal orb in his hands. It pulsed sleepily with positive energy. He smiled. "Hello, (Y/N)." The ball of light swirled in his hands as if it could hear him. Just holding you in his hands made him feel better about himself. The world melted away as he stared at your SOUL, watching the colors pulse and brighten. Yes, this was something he wanted to keep safe forever.

"Hello, young one." He stiffened before realizing that the aura held no ill will. Turning, Dream came face to face with an opalescent figure.

They smiled, tapping Dream on the nose. "I was waiting for quite a while. Very rude, you know, to keep someone waiting for 100 years." Folding their hands on their lap, they smiled. "My name is Quetzalcoatl. Guardian of the Tree of Life."

Quetzalcoatl gestured to the multicolored tree beneath and above them, rainbows following in their arm's wake. "As you've most likely guessed, this is the very place where all life originates. Even you and your brother started here." They sighed, looking distantly into the sky. "Even Nim started here."

"...Nim?" Dream asked, getting comfortable.

Quetzalcoatl smiled softly, their aura smooth and empathetic. "Your mother."

He went silent.

The guardian of life settled into the tree, their gaze still and comforting. "I'm guessing you want answers."