< 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 > (Discontinued)

[Chapter 7: Strange Twist of Fate]

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Even from a few feet away and with your attention on 'Quetzalcoatl', you could feel Dream tense drastically. The guardian of the Tree of Life—or, at least, who you assumed them to be—practically waltzed down the hill toward you. Dream took a step in front of you, summoning his bo staff. The aura between him and 'Quetzalcoatl' was so thick you could have cut it with a string.

'Quetzalcoatl' laughed, through it was empty and cold. "Such a warm welcome from you, Dream. I can feel it in the air."

"Who are you?" Dream asked tersely, grip tightening on his staff as he took a step back. You followed suit. "And what have you done to Quetzalcoatl?"

They laughed again, and the sound was even colder than you'd first heard it. "Dream, Dream, Dream," they scolded, sounding like a parent talking to their disobedient child. "Sometimes I do wish that you'd just shut up."

He flinched hard.

'Quetzalcoatl' continued to walk toward you, almost staggering as they took step after step. They turned their empty gaze towards you, and you had the fleeting impression that you were staring at a corpse. "Ah! And (Y/N) too," they purred, "What a treat. I normally never get... visitors."

Dream reached out to you with a shot of emotion. For the first time since he'd ever sent an emotion to you, you felt him in what seemed to be distress. Panic.

Like he'd seen something like this before.

"(Y/N), we have to get out of here. Now," he breathed, hardly daring to move a muscle. You faintly nodded, fear creeping up your spine and sending your thoughts wild.

'Quetzalcoatl' threw back their head and laughed. It echoed around the empty valley and you could feel the Tree of Life shake its branches in fear. This was not normal. "But Dre-eam," they hummed childishly, raising their arm. The fabric of their sleeve was ripped as if they had been in combat. "I never get visitors anymore. Won't you be so kind as to stay for a while?"

They clenched their fist. The air around the AU went cold, the sky darkening to a a sickening black before settling into a navy blue. Dream glanced up at the sky, mouth slightly agape, before he waved his own hand to create a portal.

Nothing happened.

You felt your nerves starting to act up and sent as many positive emotions his way as you could muster. He used them and tried again. Nothing.

"What did I just say?" 'Quetzalcoatl' snarled, their playful facade dropping as fast as it had come on. "Won't you stay? Don't you want to know how this works? How he works?"

Something in Dream just sorta... snapped. He whirled around, fury blazing in his eyes. It was genuinely terrifying. The knuckles that held his bo staff started to whiten further. "Which. He?"

'Quetzalcoatl' nodded thoughtfully, staring off into the mid-distance. "Ah, yes. Your lovely little twin brother. Nim always told me that she'd wanted twins." They spat the word like it was a foul morsel in their mouth. "Alas, he was... unfortunate, to say in the least. Never really understood by anyone at all. Not even his own brother. Hmph. A shame that he was so weak—"

Dream shot an arrow straight into their side. 'Quetzalcoatl' cried out in pain, hand immediately clasping over the wound and pulling out the beam of light with tremendous force. They glared at it before snapping it it half. Dream shot off another arrow, this time into their arm. It was followed by about 7 more, each in a particular place and none of them missing their target.