Chapter Text
Dream stared at the gurgling lava in silence, counting every bubble that burst and splattered molten rock all over the obsidian floor. Purple tears dripped down from above from the crying obsidian. Occasionally, the peaceful noises were interrupted by the elder guardian's mining fatigue, though it stopped scaring him once he knew when to expect it.
Dream was waiting. For what? Well, the warden Sam of course. Why?
...It was complicated.
For starters, he and Sam had created this prison together for any potential criminals. Ironic, isn't it? Trapped in a prison of his creation and watched over by his once associate now enemy. To be fair, it was much deserved. Dream could count at least a dozen crimes he committed just off the top of his head, and was even surprised he had gotten away with all of it for so long. His entrapment was long overdue, in his and many others' opinion.
Thinking back on the many mistakes Dream had made was not a fun pass time. After being stuck in the prison for so long, he started to rethink some of his actions. He didn't exactly have A+ decision-making back then. People are becoming independent and making their own country? Completely obliterate everything they worked hard for, cause mistrust between friends and kill anyone who stands in your way. Paranoia took over logic. Past Dream wanted to squash down anyone he thought could become more powerful than him. He feared that, if someone could kill him, they would decide to take over the server and kick him out, leaving him with nothing.
Well, here he was. With nothing.
And right now, all he wanted was to be with his friends again.
Dream regretted every decision that led him to this point. Hurting his people. Destroying livelihoods. Killing a child, a friendly ghost, and many others. He had taken himself down a path of self-destruction and ruined the great life he had made for himself.
But, he had a plan to get it back. And it started with the revive book.
It was just like it sounded. A book infused with the power to revive people. Only Dream knew how to use it, which made him valuable. If he were killed, there would be no way to bring people back from the dead. It's why Quackity, another member of the server, came in every day to torture him in hopes of getting the information on how the revive book worked. Though recently, the duck hybrid stopped showing up. Probably busy with his own affairs. Anyway, after the torture was finished, Sam would come in and heal Dream with a potion, but just enough so that he wouldn't die of blood loss.
Dream started writing down his plan in one of his many journals.
- Get Sam to come into the cell and give him revive book.
On paper, it sounded fairly easy. However, in reality, it was going to be quite difficult. Now that Quackity was gone, he needed another way to get Sam's attention that didn't include giving himself crippling injuries. Plus, once he did give Sam the revive book, there was a high possibility the warden would no longer find value in keeping him alive and well...
Dream updated his plan.
- Accept the possibility of death
- Get Sam to come into the cell and give him revive book
Surprisingly, accepting death was by far the easiest task. Dream had already thought about it. Would the server be better off if he had died early on? Would people celebrate? Would anyone cry? More importantly, would anyone even care?
After the worst days of torture, Dream had seriously thought about just jumping into the lava. It would be so much faster. The burning would end eventually. Obviously, he convinced himself not to do it. But he still considered it.
Now back to the plan. How would he get Sam into the cell? The creeper hybrid used to come in all the time because Dream kept destroying his clocks. So maybe, if he destroyed something else, Sam would have to come in to replace it. But what could he destroy?
The sink wouldn't work. It was bolted to the ground. Dream wanted to keep his lectern so he could comfortably write in his journals. That left the chest.
Dream stood up and determinedly limped over to the chest, grabbing the sides so he could tip it over and spill all its contents, aka, the rest of his journals. After making sure they were all out, he tugged the chest toward the wall of lava, rolling it until it fell into the lava. The wood crackled and popped as it burned, even throwing a charred splitter or two before it was destroyed completely.
Guess… all I have to do is wait now. Dream limped to the back wall and slid down to sit next to his pile of journals, opening up his inventory and taking out the revive book. Ancient glowing symbols emitted from the worn leather cover, whispering names of the dead. Dream sighed, leaning his head back.
Here’s to hoping Sam comes soon.