Lavender Snow

Discard

The End was surrounded by void.

Darkness stayed constant on all sides of the hovering islands of pale stone, leaving no way of telling time. The Elytrians had found an Enderian decades ago that could sense the passing of time, and made clocks based on what he had claimed.

Once the clocks were made, there was no more need for such a power. There were several other Enderians like this, who had lost their use or who hadn't been checked out for years. The apartments were becoming crowded and the Elytrians were beginning to worry that they wouldn't have room to build their mansions and shopping centers.

Suicides helped with the overpopulation problem. Enderians would jump from high levels of the apartments. There was one case where a fresh Enderian broke out of the branding center and dove off the cliff to the void below. He hadn't even had a magic transfer yet and decided he wanted to end his own life.

Unfortunately, the suicidal Enderians always seemed to be the most useful ones. Windows were bricked up. Leashes were attached to Enderians to prevent them from running off. The Enderians were given entertainment to fight off depression, and they wouldn't recharge unless they were happy anyways.

The apartments continued to fill.

When Dream had become ruler of the Essempí, he saw a simple solution to everyone's problems. And thus discarding was born.

"The discards are all ready, sir," Sapnap said, tapping at his keyboard.

Dream gazed down at the discarding platform, hands clasped behind his back. "You may proceed."

Sapnap nodded quickly and tapped the intercom. "Phase two, Hyphae."

Dream watched the small blue figure below step up to the line of paralyzed Enderians and place his hand on the first discard's wrist. Black tendrils of poison crawled up her arm, and George moved on down the line as blood began leaking from her mouth and eyes.

The crowd leaned forward, excited.

A second later, her body dissolved into purple light, sparking and hissing. The crowd whooped as her still-disintegrating body rose into the air, shining until she disappeared completely and the next discard began glowing purple.

Dream watched until every last paralyzed Enderian had been discarded, then stretched and stepped away from the glass, patting Sapnap's shoulder on his way out of the observation room. "Good work as always, Pyro. See you at the theater later."

Sapnap bowed. "I look forward to it, piss boy."

Dream laughed, punching him. "Don't call me that! I'm going to go check on 1696."

"Yeah, yeah, have fun, your royal piss boy!" Sapnap turned back to his keyboard, smirking.

Dream walked through his palace's halls, whistling. His footsteps echoed around the obsidian pillars and line of mirrors on each wall. Some of the braver nobles complained about the mirrors, but Dream liked the feeling of having windows to other worlds hanging on his walls. Stepping past each mirror made a pattern of green reaching into infinity. It felt powerful.

Dream's mask glinted back at him in the door of the elevator. Lanterns flashed past as he descended deeper and deeper, level after level after level. The ride took two minutes, and then the lights went off and he was plunged into darkness.

The door opened silently. Dream stepped out into the pitch-black room, walking some distance before flicking the switch behind his mask to make the smile glow. A lime plate slid behind the eye-holes and activated, letting him see through the dark with sudden clarity as though the lights had been turned on.

The Enderian was where he had left it, huddled on its massive chair. Its deep red eyes flicked to him, then it started shaking and hid its face in its knees.

Dream walked forward, slowly. His robe swished around his ankles. "1696. Look up at me."

The thing dug its hands into its head, tugging out chunks of hair. A disgusting, animalistic whine escaped its lips. Dream wrinkled his nose but continued forward until he was crouched in front of the Enderian. "Look at me."

It obeyed. Dream reached out, cupping its face in his palm. "What happened the day 1732 disappeared?"

1696 shut its eyes. "I-I don't want t-to tell you."

A spike of rage flashed through Dream, but he pushed it away. Patience. "I know. But your friend might be somewhere dangerous. We just want to bring him back. You want him to be safe, don't you?"

"N-no, I can't— I'll be discarded, I d-don't—"

"Is that what you're afraid of?" Dream crooned. He wiped a tear off 1696's cheek with his thumb. "Don't worry about that. I swear on the stars that I won't allow you or 1732 to be discarded. Just tell me what you know, and then I'll let you go."

1696 opened his eyes and looked at him, then glanced away. Dream smiled behind the mask. He knew he'd won.

"S-swear it?"

"On the stars."

1696's lip wobbled, then he took a deep breath. When he looked back, his right eye was a lime green.

"Okay."