Iridescent || DNF

Chapter 14: iridescent

Dream barely recognized the man in all black that emerged from the blinding light. Barely could even begin to comprehend what was going on. Was that man... himself? Never before had Dream felt so shattered, so confused.

    "I am Dream," the man smiled, tilting his mask further back to reveal his features further. He had a single, stripey scar that stretched down from the tip of his eyebrow to the side of his chin. "But I am not your Dream."

    Dream hesitated, taking a step forward.

    "You're not me," he called out, shaking his head. "You're not real."

    The other-Dream smiled, lifting his axe easily from his side. "Oh, I'm real. Just as real as you. And you."

    The fake-Dream pointed his axe at Dream and George. His axe glinted in a way that was too familiar. Was that the axe of peace? Techno's axe?

    "I am Dream from another world. The world of XD."

    "XD?" George questioned. "What kind of name is that."

    "It's the name that inspired the mask," Dream of XD whispered. "It's the name that one day will be known by all. Or be known by whoever's left. I can see that my lightning strike has made it's mark. It's a shame your silly light protected all those people from the blast. Now it looks like I will have to do the dirty work."

    DreamXD lifted his axe and without another word, charged forward. Never in his life had Dream seen someone fight as the fake version of him did. His strikes were so fast, so strong...

    Dream charged forward, and with a clang his sword met the fake Dream's axe.

    DreamXD raised his eyebrow. "I've never killed another version of me before. But this should be fun."

    Without another word, the two continued to fight, metal against metal clanging out over the field. It was absolute pandemonium.

    DreamXD hooked Dream's sword, but Dream forced his sword away before he could be disarmed. Another fighter who fought just as dirty as he did. And Dream hated it.

    DreamXD swung his axe around, causing Dream to jump back and falter. Just before DreamXD swung his axe to where it would finally meet its target, a bright light blazed over the two. Dream was able to roll away just in time, and DreamXD's axe was met with dirt.

    "You have been overtaken by the shadows Dream of XD," George muttered. "You have let your darkness overcome you."

    Dream XD spit on the ground, before running his finger along the edge of his axe with a glint in his eye. "And I am all the more powerful for it. No one will overcome me. No one will kill me. I have the ultimate control, the ultimate power."

    Dream scoffed. "You're demented."

    "No, I'm right. Look at you. You are powerless. A sad version of me, really. But if we were all like me, then none of us would have any true power. And that's why I'm the best one. The only one."

    The light emanating from George cut through the crowd of people, and George stormed towards Dream, grabbing his hand. The pair stood defiantly together in opposition to DreamXD, and for some strange reason Dream felt a pang in his stomach. He felt safer with George close, safer with the brunette's hand tucked into his own...

    "You are the one who is powerless Dream XD. You have no one, only yourself. And you don't have any true power. Everything you have comes from the in-between. You've sucked out all the darkness, and the only thing left is light. There is no more balance."