Down with the King- Dream SMP

20- Dream

WARNING: Language and blood/gore

He strolled through the Nether Fortress, knowing the dark hallways by heart. He remembered the first time he'd come here, after he'd built the first Nether Portal. The fortress had been smaller then, a mysterious building that had clearly been abandoned by it's previous inhabitants. Dream never did find the people who had built the original fortress, but he hadn't given up hope of finding them either.

Their era was one of many in a long timeline, Dream knew that. His father had known that too. Long ago, people similar to them in many ways had walked the Earth. Like Dream, they had built great kingdoms and cities, even traversing into alternate dimensions like the Nether. But something had happened to this great race, something terrible. They'd disappeared, leaving behind only ruins and empty husks of their great creations. They'd left him with pieces of a puzzle he desperately tried to put back together, pieces that Dream didn't fully understand himself. His father hadn't understood them either and it was his ignorance that had gotten him killed.

Not wishing to think of his father, knowing it would lead to thoughts of his mother, Dream quickly focused his attention on his destination: the Vault. Very few people entered the Nether and fewer still could find their way through the Nether Fortress without becoming hopelessly lost. This made it the perfect place for Dream to keep his most precious and prized belongings.

He came upon a pathway that, on first glance, seemed to be walled off by a lavafall. However, when a secret button was pressed, the lava opened like a curtain to reveal an iron door. It was through this door that Dream now stepped, ignoring the searing heat of the lava that closed behind him.

The Vault was simple enough. Made of both obsidian and crying obsidian, the room was lit with soul fire torches that blazed eternally. It was a small room as Dream didn't have very many possessions he actually cared about. Along one wall stood five sets of enchanted netherite armor, each piece embedded with the most powerful magic Dream could summon. On the other hung a series of enchanted weapons, their blades glimmering in the blue light. A painting of a family hung over a small table consisting of a man with his hand on a woman's shoulder, their two kids standing beside them. The man had a stern look upon his face, though not unkind, and the woman's smile radiated warmth and happiness. The little boy stood next to his father and mother, grinning proudly at the unknown viewer, and a little girl giggled in the woman's lap. They looked happy.

The most interesting thing in the Vault, however, was a dark blue chest that sat in the center of the room. Dark purple particles floated in and around the chest and the very air seemed to hum in the presence of the foreign object. It was this chest that Dream opened, staring into the dark abyss of nothing hidden within. From that expanse of nothingness, he pulled out a shimmering trident glistening with enchantments. He strapped the weapon to his back, knowing he'd want it for later.

Taking one last look at the painting, he turned and left the Vault. It wasn't long until he found himself back in his room, blinking away the waves of nausea traveling through the Nether Portal gave him. Unstrapping the trident from his back, he placed it on rungs nailed into the wall for the time being, he wouldn't need it just yet.

A sharp knocking at his door caused him to look up, hand reaching up to ensure his mask was secured in place.

"Dream?" came George's voice from the other side. "Are you in there?"

"What are you doing here?" Dream asked, opening the door enough so he could see him, but not so much that George could see into his room. "You know that this area is off limits-"

"He's here," George butted in, biting his lower lip nervously.

"Who?" Dream asked, though he had a hunch of whom George was speaking of. "You're going to have to be more specific-"