Hidden Wings [A DreamSMP Hybrid AU]

{Chapter 8}

[Dream's POV]

Finally, the day of the announcement came. I had stayed indoors for the best part of a week, only interacting with Phil to plan the big moment. I would've asked George, I wanted to ask George, but I knew he would've said no, or made up a transparent excuse. He had been acting off, hostile even, to me ever since my hybrid came to light and I had a feeling it was to do with Sapnap.

I had known Sapnap since I was very young, before I was forced to hide my hybrid. So naturally, he knew. Then, through a series of unfortunate and distressing events, I went into hiding. It took a while, but eventually my hybrid attributes lessened until they were easy to hide with long sleeves and the mask that became my trademark feature.

Then I met George.

He was my breath of fresh air, my relief from all the terrible cards life had delt me. And with him by my side, I began to straighten up again and face life's challenges with a natural smile. After a while, I decided to make the big investment and not only move to a new server, but make my own. I still hid my hybrid, more out of fear of the consequences than anything else, but I was fine, living my life as a normal human.

You know what happened after that.

So today was the big day. Phil had given me plenty of tips about what to do, until I felt confident that I was prepared for every eventuality. He had shown me how to fly as well, in a roundabout way. I winced inwardly as I remembered my first lesson.

"No! You have to BELIEVE you can fly! Feel the wind beneath your wings!" Phil shouted.

"I'm trying!" I yelled back, frustrated with my lack of progress. Phil's eyes softened.

"Getting frustrated won't get you anywhere, come on, let's take a breather." We were far away from the main part of the server, a good few thousand blocks away from any other player and ironically close to the flower field where my secret had first come to light. I nodded; my anger cooling rapidly.

We sat under a tree on the outskirts of the field, enjoying the companiable silence. I looked over to see Phil drawing a small bottle out of his overcoat, filled with a watery green liquid. I opened my mouth, but Phil beat me to it.

"This is a jump-boost potion, but I've added a couple of ingredients to make it more volatile." He said.

"Are you sure it's safe?" I asked anxiously.

"Of course, I've used it before, it should help you a bit." Phil handed me the bottle but refused to elaborate. I uncorked it with an uncertain glance and swilled the unappetising liquid, before raising it to my lips and downing it in one, foul-tasting gulp. I turned away and gagged, trying to keep the bitter liquid down. A second swallow settled my stomach a little bit and I turned back to Phil.

"Try flying again." He said.

I settled into a low-slung pose, waiting a second before unfurling my wings and pushing off the ground, simultaneously thrusting them down.

Like all the times before, nothing happened. I fell back to the ground, cupping the air with my wings to slow my fall.

I tried not to let my disappointment show.

Phil surprisingly seemed indifferent though, only stating a brief, "Try again."

I did. Just like all the times before, I set myself up and unfurled my wings, leaping into the air as I had done so many times before. Only this time something was different. As I leapt up, I was propelled almost 10 blocks into the sky, as my joy began to outweigh my panic, I suddenly realised that my wings were thumping with a steady rhythm as I hovered several tens of blocks in the sky.