E-404 | Dreamnotfound

Chapter Fourteen

A/N: I wrote this chapter to the eerie music above so if you want the same/better reading experience I'd suggest listening to it play in the background.

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George extended his hand, reaching for the mysterious purple substance that effortlessly floated within it's obsidian walls. The morning was still young and the sun had yet to greet the group of men as dark particles waved throughout the air. Broken stone surrounded the gateway, fitted with gold blocks and netherrack that littered the ground, attempting to take back the green grass that was starting to wither in a newfound brown state.

The mood was suddenly filled with fear.

As much as they all wanted to be positive about the outcome, which could be seen through their half-hearted attempts at sleeping and jokes, seeing the portal in person spiked a sense of dread within them all. As the brunette turned to the masked leader for guidance, he barely received any. Each and every one of them were on edge, afraid, frightened, and unsuspecting but aware of the hardships they'd eventually be tasked with facing.

"We've made it this far," Dream tried with encouraging words, "We can't turn back now."

Determination was placed within everyone's eyes but it wasn't the only emotion either.

After moments of silence filled with a dreary sound of monsters, they exchanged their final farewells. They were clueless about their future situation, making it reasonable to believe they'll never make it back. Of course, days before at the meeting, they'd been confident of their abilities, but now, it was a completely different narrative.

Dream pulled George into an embrace as many of the rest followed suit. The blonde wrapped his arms around the other. The rest may have questioned their closeness, even the two participants themselves would've, considering Dream was clutching onto the brunette's head as he rubbed the back of it in reassurance, but they recognized the seriousness in the atmosphere and decided against it. After his hug from Sapnap, Karl felt yet another pair of arms closely grasp onto his clothes. He knew from the body's build that it was George. He could sense how anxious the boy was, much like himself. And despite every gut emotion telling, begging for them to stay within the realm of the mortal world, none of them could listen.

"Are you ready?" Dream asked, tensely gripping the handle.

The only response he'd received were slight nods that portrayed the opposite of what they were supposed to confirm. None of them would ever truly be ready.

As George carefully walked through the portal beside his partner, his vision blurred, mixing with the amaranthine pigment that had colored the unknown substance. When it settled to the point of normalcy, the first thing he noticed was the large, blood-red spiked mountains that seemed to surround them on each side. The hazy fog had settled cozily within the small valley they'd entered into which did little to help reveal possible pathways.

When they noticed the rest of the group had made their way through the portal as well, Dream continued with hesitation as he followed his map. In the nether, it wouldn't track their movements, making their leader observe the terrain as the only means to evaluate their positioning.

In the distance, George could identify what seemed to be a blaze: a fire creature that drops an important potion material when killed. Its horrid sounds echoed throughout the crimson walls and mashed with the stray cries from a flying ghast. Much to the brunette's surprise, mindless pigs wielding golden swords seemed to be the only creature that had been so close but had yet to attack them.

Dream tapped Sapnap's shoulder as they quietly made their adventure deeper into the valley that was contained below an overarching mountain. Smoke wisped around in its swirled pattern as its gray color greatly clouded their vision. Despite that disadvantage, George couldn't ignore the looming black towers built so high that the top was only feet away from the arch's ceiling.

A hushed whisper that the brunette could identify as Dream's rang out throughout the terrifying sounds that surrounded them, "The fortress is just up ahead," he pointed towards the structure, "Start to break off in your assigned groups for those wither skulls. Remember to be safe. If you can't fight one, don't try to."

There was visible nervousness plastered on everyone's faces. While most of them had been to the nether in past years, the dimension now held a different atmosphere.

"And be aware. We know that the mission we need to complete in this part is different from the last. It's unknown. If something so big can change from normalcy, then I wouldn't be surprised if something, or someone else, did too."

George searched for hope as every last bit of himself felt like crumbling. Just days ago he was having fun with his friends at the base. Just days ago he was excited about their adventure. Just days ago he thought the worst pain would be his memory acquisition but now he was sure much more suffering was ensured. Even if they tried their hardest, there was no way possible that they'd all make it out alive.

During his search, he locked eyes with Karl. The person he'd known from the outside world. He watched as the green pigment that surrounded the pupil danced, mixing with the gray that overpowered the rest and fought against the differing color. And within the beauty of the iris, anxiety seemed to grip every part, even down to the last colored strand that crossed paths with another. The shape mimicked the emotion as well, leaving all the creases that came from happiness stilled.

"Everything's going to be okay," Karl reassured, however after the deep glances George had taken at his eyes, he knew that was a lie.

He could only acknowledge the statement with a nod before Karl and Sapnap left to venture through their section of the fortress, leaving him alone with Dream. The feeling of safeness he'd always had around the masked leader was slowly dwindling. That isn't to say that the brunette wasn't comfortable around him, because by now he certainly was, but that didn't change the horrible vibes that the nether gave.

"George!"

The other flinched at the unexpected sound of his name. He'd been too lost in his thoughts.

"Hm?" He asked, sweat slowly dripping down his face due to the burning air. As he glanced up at Dream's face, he could sense a fear that admitted off of him without even seeing his face.

A fear that was soon his own.