Dreamtale Oneshots

Why Are You Afraid?

Thank you Pacifist-Chara for this interesting suggestion :> I hope you all enjoy and remember to brush your teeth before you cross the road

Nightmare wandered through the forest with no real sense of direction. Lately he'd been taking more and more walks at night to try and clear his mind however most of the time it seemed to make things worse. The strange, somewhat gargled voice in his head seemed to talk more to him since he'd started going out- maybe it'd stop if he just stayed at home yet he'd come to the conclusion that he had a morbid fascination with the voice. He wouldn't act upon what it told him to do, though he'd listen and had even started talking with it. Not long, deep conversations- just small comments and thoughts.

He felt like a freak.

The guardian sighed, trying to focus on wherever he was going. It didn't help much since he had no real destination, he was just wandering around aimlessly. This time he'd ventured further into the forest than before and the area seemed different. He glanced around, examining his surroundings.

Somehow, it seemed a lot darker here- maybe there were more trees that blocked out the moonlight. He couldn't tell- he doesn't pay attention to details like that. He spared a glimpse up at the trees, involuntarily shuddering when his eyes fell on the twisted, malformed branches. They arched downwards like hands trying to grasp at something; the guardian recognised these trees from his nightmares. He tensed up, deciding to hastily walk by the warped trees. The voice within his head chuckled.

Nightmare's pace quickened and he almost broke out into a run when he noticed the tree's become more deformed the further he went.

"I should go back home." He whispered to himself with shaky breaths.

'Look.' The voice inside his head mumbled, causing Nightmare to twitch. 

The guardian stopped dead in his tracks, confused by the instructions. He spun around, trying to peer through the inky darkness at whatever the voice had saw. He turned his head, scanning the eerie forest until his eyes landed on a soft glow from somewhere within the scraggly bushes that scattered the ground. He mindlessly took a few steps closer and squinted, attempting to peek at whatever was casting the flickering light.

'Just go up to it.' 

Nightmare frowned, contemplating whether that was a good idea or not. The longer he gazed at it, the greater his curiosity grew. He wanted to know what it was. He let out a small huff, beginning to tread over towards the source of light with a mix of fear and interest plastered on his face. He glanced downwards, noting the thin layer of mist that blanketed the forest floor. Was it always there? Shaking his head, the guardian moved forwards and ducked underneath a few spindly branches that protruded out dangerously from nearby trees. 

The light seemed to grow brighter and Nightmare could tell it was either being casted from a fire or maybe a few candles. A small clearing began to come into view and as Nightmare neared he caught sight of what looked to be a table and an absurd amount of candles littering the area. There were two makeshift torches standing up beside the table, constructed with a few sturdy branches and sticks that were tied together and lit on fire. Nightmare gasped, yelping in surprise when he clumsily stumbled over an exposed tree root and fell face-first into a few dead, shrivelled leaves.

'You idiot.'

The guardian let out a groan, shuffling onto his knees and clutching his skull. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, feeling a stinging sensation where his skull had made contact with an inconveniently placed rock. 

'Get up.' The voice snarled, making Nightmare wince.

The guardian obeyed a few seconds later, heaving himself up and dusting down the dirt on his clothes. He took a deep breath and tried to ignore the dull pain in his skull as he tentatively approached the table.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be some kind of shrine. There were a few books neatly placed in a stack on one side, surrounded by candles. He cautiously moved a few of them aside so he could pick up one of the books and skim through it. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he opened it and began to briefly read the first page. It didn't make any sense- the book was talking about some kind of deformed creature. He frowned, flicking the page over and scanning the text. 

He managed to skim over the first chapter of the book and had a vague understanding of what it was on about. Some kind of god that would awaken and reshape the world to create a better future for everyone. It sounded dumb to him; from the way the god was described, it was more of a monster. The writer of the story sounded indecisive when depicting the god and all he really gathered was that it was a squid. This was definitely fabricated.

The guardian sighed and decided to read through the second book. He reached down and lifted it up, swapping it with the first one he'd read. For some reason, he felt a chill pass through him. It's probably just the cold wind. He opened up the book and began to read the first chapter like he'd done with the previous book. This one made a little more sense and as he read the description of the god-like being and how it would alter existence, his eyes widened and the book fell from his hands.

'Why are you afraid?' The voice asked and Nightmare could practically hear it's wicked grin.

The guardian trembled, lifting his hands up and peering down at them. It couldn't be real. Surely not- he must have misread the text. Nightmare released a nervous laugh, crouching down and retrieving the book. He fumbled with it in his hands, rereading the same paragraph over and over again.

'The god will arise from darkness and cast a shadow over the land. It will bring about chaos and take the lives of every living soul on the planet until the world is undisturbed. Then, the being will use it's single eye to reshape and reform the world into a better version of what it once was and life will start again. A better future will be created and the god will watch over the land and eradicate all that threaten it's existence.'

Nightmare's breathing became erratic and his blood ran cold.

'Why are you afraid?' The voice asked again.

Nightmare almost dropped the book again. His eye-sockets were empty as the words echoed in his mind and he pieced together the description. Squid-like creature, arisen from darkness, single eye...

'Why are you afraid?'

Nightmare let out a strangled cry, frantically placing the book back down on the table and knocking a few of the candles. That's when a small statue caught his eye. How had he not seen it before? He scooped up the figure with shaking hands, analysing it's structure. It was inexplicably similar to the creature in his nightmares- the creature in his mind. Of course, there were some differences however he couldn't deny that this was an interpretation of himself- no. It's not him, he's not the creature. He won't become the creature.

'Why are you afraid?'

"I am not you." Nightmare stammered, placing the statue back down and studying the rest of the table which he now confirmed to be some kind of apocalyptic shrine. "And I will never become you- I won't destroy this world."

'Then why are you afraid?'

Nightmare froze.

And he sobbed.

The tears built up quickly in his eye-sockets and before he could register what was happening he collapsed to the ground releasing a dismal cry. The voice tutted at the pathetic display. 

'You keep saying that you won't become me- that you aren't me.' It spoke lowly. 'But you and I are the same. I am you. A voice in your head and a reincarnation of your inner darkness and fear.'

Nightmare covered his non-existent ears, trying desperately to block out the voice. 

"Leave me alone!" Nightmare sobbed, curling up into a ball beside the table. The voice snickered.

"You are alone."

When daytime came and Dream found his brother in the kitchen talking to Keith, he didn't think anything was wrong. Nightmare was smiling so everything was fine, just how it should be.

--End--