Once Upon a Dream (Golden Guard x Gender-Neutral Reader)

I'm Dead, You're Dead, EVERYONE IS DEAD

Palisdrum trees are renowned for not only their magical properties, but also huge stature. It's almost unbelievable how massive they can grow. Tall and wide and ancient and wise. The tree you were looking at was no exception. It's crown rose high above the other trees, probably 70 to 80 feet in the air. Its trunk was (to your best estimate) about three Luz's across. There was a hollow in it, wide enough that you could lay down with extra room, but not tall enough to where you could stand without the top of your head grazing the ceiling.The rest of the forest cleared around the tree, as if it were some revered elder or odd drifter. Wildflowers and tall grass swayed around the chestnut like waves of gentle tones. The area was painted with the calming colors of the night, the moon their painter.
The moon sat a pale yellow in the sky. Its gentle face was smiling upon the landscape. Moonlight was different than sunlight. The sun was bright and harsh. It was passionate in a way that often caused trouble. It wanted to be reckless and chase after the things that lurked in the shadows. The moon though, while also passionate, was much more patient in its yearning. It also wanted to chase the things in the shadows, but it knew better than to waste so much energy on pursuing fleeting glimpses. That didn't stop it from trying just a little bit, not nearly as earnest as the sun though. Yes. This was the difference between the sun and moon. At least, to you it was.
The scent of lavender and geraniums buds tickled your nose as the night breeze reeled and rolled through the local fauna. It was a place you knew quite well. You hadn't been here in years. It brought back memories you'd forgotten. Memories you wished would stay buried. You looked up at the palisdrum blossoms. Their whitish/pink color blended in with the white leaves. You had to squint in order to even make them out.
Your sight didn't improve by much. When you returned your eyes to their normal state, you noticed your limited field of vision. Black edged around the round of your eyes. In an instant you figured out why. You lifted your hands to your face, one of them gloved, the other naked and marked with the scars of dying burns. Your fingers traced over your face. It was smooth and frigid. The occasional bump enlightened your hands. You were wearing your Phantom mask. Upon looking down, you noticed you were wearing the uniform, jacket shed in the midnight's warm atmosphere.
You felt something.
No.
Not just something.

Him.

You felt him. His presence was here. Somewhere, maybe just out of your sights, he was there. In a rush of wind, you were up in the tree branches. Reclined on your stomach, you surveyed the ground below.
Snap!
A twig breaking in two. He was being careless. Either that, or he didn't know anyone else was there. Brushing muffled around. The flowers seemed to close in his wake as he passed under the palisdrum. He, oddly enough, appeared to be wearing pajamas. You'd never seen this one before! He wore his mask, as usual, along with black graphic tee and golden sweats that had white lettering down the legs. You couldn't tell what it said from up there and it thoroughly annoyed you. He peered into the hollow of the tree. He was searching. If you could sense him, it seemed probable that he could sense you as well. It narrowed down the possibilities of what he was looking for.
As you stared at him, he continued to sniff around. He circled the tree several times and of course, no dice. So close, yet so far. Resting against the tree, he tapped at his mask with confusion. A smile spread on your face. You picked a branch of palisdrum blossoms, shedding the petals to rain on Blondie. He tried to shoo them away, but everytime he thought they'd stopped, you just sent more spiraling down toward him. With an annoyed groan, he snapped his head up. Well shit!
"Hey!" Blondie exclaimed with balled fists. You dropped the branch. It hit him directly in the face, but you weren't focused on that.
He talked.
He had actually talked!
Your hair swayed in floating wonder. How? Why? Has he always been able to do this? If so, what broke his vow of silence? All of your flooding questions came out in a singular gawk.
"You can talk?"
You could feel his eyes narrowing at you. His hands rose in front of him in a confused pose.
"Of course I can talk!" You pushed yourself up. Hand grasped onto the branch above you, you cautiously navigated the winding limbs of the tree.
"We've had a conversation!" He was right. You had. That night in the alley. You heard him speak for the first time. Then again at the market. Instead of being just a figure you chased, he now had a voice. Not just your thought trying to make up dialogue for him, but an actual voice. That was something you'd have to get used to!
"Indeed we have.." You dropped down to a lower bough. The branch groaned as you landed.
"Nice jammies, by the way!" He looked down at his clothes, as if only now did he realize what he was wearing. He gripped the design on his t-shirt, which appeared to be  some old lady with huge glasses and blueish hair. His embarrassment fueled your ego.
"Well, well, well, how the turntables." You grinned, not that he could see it though.
"That's not how the saying goes."
"It is now."
"You can't just-"
"Yes, I can!"
"No, you can't."
"I'm the emperor, I can do whatever I want."
"PFF! You most certainly are not!" He threw his pointer out in a as-a-matter-of-fact manner. "Emperor Belos is the savior of the Boiling Isles! He spent years developing covens so wild magic wouldn't go out of control like it did in the savage ages! To compare yourself to him is blasphem-"
"I'm literally in a tree and he's not, so who's really in charge?" You hung upside down on the lowest of branches, which was still a good bone-breaking distance from the ground.
"That's not how hierarchy works!"
"It's how tree hierarchy works."
"You just made that up!"
"I'm the emperor! I can make up whatever I want!"
"YOU ARE NOT AND YOU CANNOT!!!"
You cackled at his dismay. The sensation in your stomach, being upside down and laughing at the same time, was slightly terrifying. You clutched your belly and hunched over, as if that would help. In reality though, it ended up imbalancing your weight, causing your legs to slip off the branch. Detached from the tree, Blondie expected you to fall, which only made it funnier when you started to float.
The curse was, well it was a curse, but it did spark quite a few fun moments. Like that time Ed fell off of his roof, and you nearly worried yourself into the stratosphere. Or when Blue and Pepper decided to flirt with Eda and you dragged them into the sky with you. They nearly pissed their pants before they remembered they had palismen! Not to mention all the times you and Eda used to play trivia when you were younger. Everytime you got a question right, she'd throw you into the sky and you'd sink back down. Ah, memories!
"Stop lau- are you floating?" He pointed up at you. As if you didn't already know what was going! You swam through the air, depleted of giggles.
"Yup!" You confirmed.
"... But... But you didn't... Can you cast spells without circles?"
"No, I cannot!" (Waddup! I'm Jared, I'm 19, and I never fucking learned how to read!)
He stood there in confusion while you continued to swim around the air.
"Actually, maybe I can! I've never really tried, gimme a sec!"
There was a pause in the air. Only the rustling plants spoke their piece for a few seconds.
"... Did you do anything?"
"shhhhhUT YOUR MOUTH! I'M FOCUSING!"
"OH MY TITAN! FOCUS FASTER!"
"I COULD IF YOU WOULD SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
"OKAY!!"
"SHUT UP!"
More silence ensued.
"Nope! I can't, sorry pal." You plucked another branch of palisdrum blossoms. Instead of falling down, the petals now floated around you like the love interest from some shojo anime. It reminded you of Yanagi Middle School Guest Society, a show Luz introduced to you while she was fully aware that there would never be a season two and you'd end up heart broken. Luz could be evil when she wanted to.
"So how are you floating?" Blondie just kept coming up with more things to say. You scattered the last few petals off the twig. Deciding it was enough floaty time, you propped yourself between two limbs of the tree.
"Magic." It was the obvious answer. How else would you be floating?
"Obviously, how else would you be floating?" He stole the words right out of your brain! "I'm trying to ask what means of magic you're using to float."
You could feel your limbs getting heavier again. Gravity was returning to normal once more. You hopped out of the tree and began to slow towards the earth below. Your feet hit the ground in a soft gasp of grass. He was standing probably ten feet away. You moseyed a bit closer. The gap between you was seven feet now.
"Can't you tell by the mask? I'm a ghost! I'm using my ghost magic!" You waggled your fingers towards him. His head tilted.
"Oh right! How could I forget about the mask?"
"Yeah, it still has your little autograph from that night." The crack on your mask hadn't been repaired. You planned on melting down some gold and sealing the cracks with it, but you hadn't had the time recently. He swayed forward, scarred hand pointing at his own mask. Five feet.
"I still have the dent!" Indeed, his Hooty looking mask had a small divot in its center.
"Ya know, now that I'm famous, you could sell that for a lotta money!" You suggested. This totally wasn't a ploy to see his face, no sir!
"'Famous?' Since when are you famous?" He crossed his arms. You noticed he had several fading marks on his biceps. Not that you were staring. I mean, it would be unprofessional to stare at the biceps of the enemy! No, that's not what was happening! Nothing of the sort! No, that uh... sorry I'm a bit distracted, but uhhhhhh... that would be... that would be goofy!