⛓ My beautiful caged songbird ⛓

Chapter 6: Their findings

—past, 8 months back, on the way to Pandora’s vault—

Dream was stopped.   

There would finally be peace again on the server now that his reign of Tyranny was over. Almost everyone had come and stopped him in person to save Tommy and Tubbo. Dream was filled with joy when they came and stopped him, stopped Nightmare. Normally, Dream would have lost consciousness whenever Nightmare took control over his body. But for some reason, he saw the whole event fold before him. He was helpless when Nightmare threatened to kill Tubbo. He wanted to scream his lungs out, he wanted to cry the words he wanted to say, but his mouth and body refused to obey and let Nightmare do what he did.

Now the kids were safe from him.

His items and armor were taken from him, including his communicator. Currently, he was being escorted to Pandora’s vault. A prison designed and constructed by Sam under Dream’s (Nightmare’s) orders. It was an inescapable place, and Dream was going to spend the rest of his life there alone. Nightmare had gone quiet as though he was dead, and Dream was glad he shut up for now. Sapnap, Sam, Punz, Antfrost, Bad, Eret and Quackity (who was naked again, god) escorted him cautiously. Some of their faces clearly showed hatred towards him. Though, what pained his chest was to see Sapnap and Puffy’s disappointed and hurt expressions. Some people went to escort Tommy and Tubbo safely out of this place, while Niki took Puffy home, probably going to comfort her the whole night.

He couldn’t take it. He couldn't. It was too much.

A small, but pained chuckle escaped his lips.

Quackity turned to look at him, his expression red and livid. His clothes and armor were on him again, though Dream didn’t know how as he didn’t see him put them on. “Is this a laughing matter to you, Dream?” He snarled. “You're going to jail! You’ll live there for the rest of your life! There’s nothing funny about it.”

The broken porcelain smiley mask had a piece of the lower part missing, so they could partially see his cracked lips smiling sadly. “I agree with you, Quackity.” He said, trying not to make his tone sound cocky. “It’s just that this scenario reminded me of… a story I read a long time ago.”

Punz frowned, looking at him over his shoulder as they continued walking. “A story?”

“Yeah…” Dream smiled bitterly to himself. “W-Well, at least the ending of how the villain met his end.” He quickly said. “I’ll tell you.”

Ant scoffed. “There’s no need—“

“Once upon a time, there was a couple who were madly in love with each other,” Dream cut him off and began narrating the tale despite a few protests. “One day, the wife found out she was pregnant, and was overjoyed with the thought of starting a family with her beloved husband. But that night before she could tell him, she found him with another woman in their room, whispering and exchanging words that lovers would say. Shocked, enraged and heartbroken, she fled her home and never returned. Her heart was in such a weak state, darkness crept into her heart. Hatred towards her husband was all she felt, and the thought that she was carrying a part of him in her womb enraged her even more. So to get back at him, she disowned her newborn son by changing his status to a slave. A class that was always treated as filth.

“She took her frustrations and hatred towards the child— humiliating him by denying his gender, taking away his rights, hitting and abusing him till he bled and scars were made. Until, finally, when he was 7, she sold him to the black markets. He eventually was sold again and had an owner. He was discriminated against, taken advantage of, and looked down by the other town’s people because of his status as a slave. But there was nothing the child could do about it.