Who Lies in the End?

Ch 34: 4 "You have every right to hate me"

art by: Flames

The cool, night air rustled blonde hair in the calming silence. Moonlight cast the slumbering world below in a gentle hue while the full moon sat amongst a star-speckled sky. Off in the surrounding forest, grey eyes could see loitering figures of monsters, but they didn't dare cross the village wall and into the lamp-lit streets. No, they stayed in their wilderness, leaving the quaint village alone... mostly. The only monster that dared to disturb the tranquil night was the flock of phantoms that circled the mansion's roof.

Dream rose his "borrowed" crossbow to aim at a phantom that flew a little too close. He took a second to steady his hand before releasing the bolt of the crossbow. A second bolt later and the translucent bat body fell to the roof. One more carcass to the ten already strewn about.

He didn't bother to move any of the bodies and instead went back to gazing at the horizon. Thoughts of distant lands and memories of past adventures clouded his mind as he pondered on old victories and past mistakes. Not that there was much else to do. Here, for now, no one was chasing him down. Here, for now, he could treat himself with black and white visions of times past.

Thoughts of the void flickered in his mind, despite Dream ignoring them. The cold, empty space, the distant roar of enraged fury, the endless air that would fail to catch him if he fell... his extended hand that reached for something -anything- only to turn up empty, cold, and alone.

Dream noticed he was reaching when his pale fingers blocked the distant horizon. He paused as he stared at his black, fingerless-gloved hand. Empty. Cold. Alone.

Another phantom swooped down to scratch at his green hood, but two bolts later and its body dropped to the slanted roof.

"Too stressed to sleep?"

Dream glanced over his shoulder towards the voice only a few feet behind him. Sapnap kicked the body of a phantom out of the way before glancing back towards the still circling bat, "Gosh, they're so annoying."

Dream chuckled before turning his attention back towards the horizon. He pulled his green cloak over his shoulder more, to fight off the night chill.

"Just like you," Dream joked.

"Yeah, yeah," Sapnap muttered before walking over to stand by Dream's sitting form. His hands were stuffed into his pant pockets while his slat-grey eyes stared forward. They both waited in silence before Sapnap couldn't hold back the words, "I need to talk to you."

"Sure," Dream kept his eyes on the skyline.

"I don't like you."

"I couldn't tell."

"...but George wants you around, and so does everyone else."

A pause, "... I don't believe that."

"Fine. George, Karl, Fundy, and Tubbo want you here. Ranboo and Sam are unsure, but support George."

Dream hummed, unsurprised, in response before shooting down another phantom.

Sapnap's jaw clenched as he forced the words through his teeth, "I don't always agree with his reasoning, but George is not leaving me any room to argue."

"You got put in the dog house, didn't you?"

"Can you like shut up, for a second?" Sapnap snapped as his head whipped around to look down at Dream.

Dream's breathy laughter flittered across the air and diffused a little of the accumulating tension, "Alright, alright. Continue," he waved off as he collected his breath.

"Geeze," Sapnap muttered before turning back to look at the slight ombre of the night sky, "We are in a bad situation with the dragon egg, and George has been worried about it ever since it got here. As much as I hate to admit it, we need help to return it, and if you indeed have gone to the End," his tone slipped into a bitter edge before a sigh relented it into defeat, "... then we need your help."