New Reality: A Dream x George Fanfic

Chapter 25: Back to the Nether

A/N: Hi everyone! I'll try to make this short, but I just wanted to say thank you all so much for the continued support on this story. I've been dealing with irl things and some bad writer's block, so thank you for not giving up on the story. huge thanks also for 50k reads!! I'm floored that so many people are actually interested in this random fic I'm writing. I love you all, and I hope you enjoy this next part! <3

Dream looked into the Nether portal with apprehension. It would be the third time he'd gone to the Nether, and the first two times hadn't exactly gone according to plan. He shivered. Waves of purple light pulsed hypnotically across the portal's surface as he stared into its depths.

"Dream, I told you you don't have to come. I can do it myself." George placed a hand comfortingly on Dream's shoulder.

"No, I... I can do this." Dream shrugged him off and stepped forward into the purple waves. "See you on the other side."

"Yeah."

Light obscured his vision and he felt the now all-too-familiar dizzying sensation of travelling through the portal. He stumbled out, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the Nether. George stepped through a second later, clutching his head and groaning.

"I hate that." George used the rough netherrack wall to steady himself. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it."

"Well, hopefully, you won't have to."

"Yeah."

Dream hesitated. "Should we, you know, split up? Cover more ground?"

"No way. Dream, are you stupid? When has that ever worked out for us?"

Dream sighed in relief. "Okay, just making sure."

They stepped forward, following the trail of torches that led to the first Nether Fortress.

-----

After several hours of walking in the blistering heat, the two spotted the dark shadow of the fortress looming in the distance. Dream felt himself tense up at the sight. It'll be fine. This won't be a repeat of the last two times- after all, George is with me now. We can do this.

"You okay?" George asked, and Dream realized he'd stopped walking.

"Yeah, fine." He hurried forward, not meeting George's eyes.

-----

They encountered the first wither skeleton just as they clambered over the top of the brick wall and onto the solid floor of the fortress. Dream turned and stared down at the dizzying drop beneath them, the smooth wall broken only by pieces of cobblestone they'd used to climb up. He found himself unable to turn away as his breaths shortened and his vision narrowed.

"Dream!" George's sharp cry broke through Dream's thoughts and he whipped around to see the skeleton. George parried its first swing with his own sword, and Dream jumped in to help. Together, they managed to take down the wither skeleton, Dream landing the final blow with his diamond sword.

Panting with exertion, the two boys stood for a second and looked out over the fortress. The dark reddish bricks stretched all around them and into the distance, paths overlapping and crisscrossing in a dizzying maze.

"Well, we can't just stand here all day. Let's go." George tugged on Dream's arm and pulled him along. Dream looked back regretfully at the wither skeleton's body, which had disappeared into a pile of useless bones, before following.

Despite having visited the fortress previously, Dream and George found themselves getting more and more lost with every turn. The labyrinthine structure stretched seemingly endlessly around them. They killed every skeleton they passed, journeying ever deeper into the fortress, and eventually they reached a section they hadn't yet explored.

"Dream, look!" George pulled his hand from a chest to show Dream a large, brilliant diamond. "I can use this to repair my sword when we get back." The sharp tip of his diamond blade was beginning to chip, and numerous scratches adorned the length of it, which made the diamond a welcome surprise.

"Nice!" Dream grinned, neglecting to mention the three diamonds he'd already stored away in his pack.

Eventually they came across a group of three wither skeletons guarding a stairway. The skeletons swung their swords, bones rattling angrily. Dream ran the first two through with his sword, and George finished the last one off with a blow to the head, shattering its skull. Dream huffed in disappointment at the lack of useful item drops.

Dream found himself beginning to relax a little as they continued through the fortress; after all, he thought, the Nether's a lot less dangerous with someone there to watch your back.

It wasn't long before they collected the first wither skull. They were passing under a raised walkway, and George shot an arrow up at a skeleton Dream hadn't even noticed. The skeleton was knocked backwards off of the walkway and landed in front of them with a crash and crunching of bones, making him jump. While most of the bones disappeared as usual, the skull stayed, and George picked it up with a grin.

"Look, Dream, we've already got one! That's really good!"

"Yeah, I guess it is." Dream took the skull and dropped it into his pack unceremoniously. "Let's get going." He stepped past George without another word and kept walking.

George sighed, hurrying to catch up. "Dream, I know you're scared, b-"

"I'm not scared!" Dream growled more aggressively than he'd intended. "I'm not scared," he repeated, slightly softer.

George shook his head, deciding not to argue. "Whatever you say, Dream."

The two fell back into tense silence as they continued on. Their footfalls echoed loudly on the stoney walls of the Nether, making Dream flinch with every step.

We're making progress, he had to keep reminding himself. We can do this. He glanced over at George, grateful for his comforting presence. Maybe he was a little scared, after all. Not that he'd ever admit it.

But it was okay, because this time, he wasn't alone.