The Hidden Kingdom // DreamSMP

Chapter 4: She's Back

You noticed the llama on top of his roof but didn't have the time to question it before he opened the trap doors, walking down and dragging you along with him. The rush of warm air hit you as you were pulled into the room illuminated by torches.

Closing the doors behind him, he walked back down to see you awkwardly standing in the middle of the barren room.

He raised a brow and chuckled. "You can sit down y'know. Make yourself at home. Seriously you might be here for a bit."

You nodded, taking your backpack off, sitting at the nearest table. "So.. Where are we?"

Karl looked at you and took in a deep breath. "Well, earlier, I mentioned that we were in the DreamSMP."

"DreamSMP... Ok. So the 'magical' door, brought us here." Piecing it together Karl interrupted you.

"Yeah... Uhm from what I'm guessing, this a different timeline or dimension from yours." You tilted your head.

"Mine? You're from there too. We go to the same school." It was odd to refer to a place you were both from as only belonging to one of you.

Shaking his head, he took out the rusted key and placed it on a nearby table; also taking out the very journal you saw earlier that "day" in class. "I'm from here. I found the key one day and well... I just kinda found your timeline using the key and-", he scratched the back of his head, "-I just really liked it there. I mean look at my hoodie!" He points to the colorful peice of cloth on your torso. "It's cool! And phones too. Video games. Pizza! They don't have any of that stuff here."

You laughed slightly about his excitement for your world. "But it's boring isn't it? I don't even know what you have over here but this town already looks more interesting than my world. I mean...", taking a look over at the key, you thought of the end less possibilities. "-if you have that key... You can go anywhere you want. Do whatever you want and get away with it! I mean think of all the timelines—or dimensions, whatever they are—that you'd be able to visit! It's pretty powerful right?"

Karl nodded, picking up the key and staring at it. "Yeah. But I feel like there's a reason I found this key. Y'know?.." He picked up his journal, flipping through the yellowed pages. "Like think of all the things I could do to help people! Or all the wrongs I could right."

Whispers.

As you watched Karl flip through very few pages he's written in and talking excitedly about—you don't know what he's talking about. His voice seemed to fade as it was soon replaced by whispers.

Your mind became muddled with a dark fog as Karl's words only came out as a mere voice in the distance.

Panic.

You couldn't hear what he was talking about. You couldn't hear anything aside from the whispers that seemed to fill every sense of your being.

Not the slight crackle from the lit torches. Not the turning of pages. Not the rustling of cloth that came with Karl's every movement. Not the thunk of the key as he placed it onto the table.

Not even the heavy breaths of your own panic.

"The key."

"Grab the key."

"Take the key."

"It's yours."

"I don't belong to him."

"You made that wish. Not him."

"Just take it."

Confusion.