When Fates Align

Chapter 1 ( The Pale Man)

I don't own The Sandman or any of its characters, only my own ■

We begin in the waking world, which humanity insists on calling the real world... as if your dreams have no effect upon the choices you make. You mortals go about your work, your loves, your wars, as if your waking lives are all that matter.But there is another life which awaits you when you close your eyes and enter my realm.
For I am the King of Dreams ...and Nightmares.

When the waking world leaves you wanting and weary, sleep brings you here to find freedom and adventure. To face your fears and fantasies in Dreams and Nightmares that I create... and which I must control, lest they consume and destroy you. That is my purpose and my function.

Or it was, until I left my kingdom to pursue a rogue Nightmare but I failed.

I was powerless, trapped by a spell cast by an amateur with no concern for the damage he had done to my realm and to his own.

Day after day, my captor pleaded for gifts that are not mankind's to receive nor mine to give. So I remained silent.

Did they have any idea what it was like? Confined in a cage for over a century?

Did they not understand the damage done to there world? The pain they have caused me.
More than a century of tortured sleep, of Dreams and Nightmares running riot was coming to an end.

Now I'm free...

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Sophie's POV

I jump awake, a layer of sweat sat upon my brow and I tried to calm my breathing. Nightmares... that's all I experienced when I closed my eyes I guess I was lucky tho some people don't wake up once they close there eyes, others couldn't sleep at all. The sleepy sickness they called it there was no cure for a century until it just disappeared.

I pull myself out of bed and pull on a pair of jeans, and grab a hoodie from my wardrobe along with a pair of converse. I look in the mirror as a brush out the knots in brown hair and throw the brush onto my locker. I grab my bag from beside the door as I leave my apartment and make my way towards my college.

I walk into class and sit down pulling my books out onto the table. When I feel a hand land on my shoulder. "Boo" I jumped in my seat and turn to see "Chris!!..what did I stay about scaring me" I exclaimed,
"you scare so easily tho" he laughed, I rolled my eyes as he places a cup infront of me, " I'm guessing you didn't sleep well again last night" he questions with a worried look on his face.
I just sigh shaking my head taking a sip of the cup, sweet black tea my favourite.
"Nightmares" I sigh,
"Explains the bags under your eyes" he smiles, I roll my eyes.
The teacher walks into class
As he begins to talk his voice begins to fade in and out as my eyes close and I feel my head hit the table.

When I open my eyes I look around to see I'm in a mansion, I'm in a study to be specific. I try to look around to figure out where I am when a door opens behind me a older man walks in holding a helmet. It's circular in two eyes lenses on the from but what stands out most is there's like a spine of bone that sticks out of where the mouth would of been.

A younger man is behind him with a little pouch in one hand and a red ruby necklace in the other.
"Father, what are you going to do with his belonging? The younger man asks
"There not his anymore, there mine" the man responds as he opens a safe which is located beside the desk. He continues to put the helmet,ruby and the pouch inside.
"What if he never does what you ask?"

The question is answered which the safe begin slammed shut. The older gets in the boys face.
"It is non of your business" he snarls before leaving.

I followed after the older man, they don't seem to see me. I follow him down a staircase into a cellar guards stand at the bottom of the staircase. I slip past them as I come up to large glass case which is suspended from the ceiling.
I look inside to see a naked man, he made black hair, pale skin and he was quite thin but muscular. He lay unconscious.

The older man is talking to the guards telling them to not sleep around the man in the glass case. I ignore them and continue to observe the man but his eyes snap open and he looks at me.

I jolt awake out of the dream and look around panicked to see Chris beside me "Sophie are you okay?". The class is quiet and everyone is staring at me. I jump out of my seat and grab my belonging before running out of the room Chris calling after me.