Three Futures Enslaved | Dream Team

Chapter Forty-Five

Dream didn't trust Sapnap at all.

He didn't really know the man. The name "Sapnap" was just that to him --- a name. He could barely associate it with a face, and even that face had been extremely blurry. 

Watching the man fight had only made it worse. 

Sapnap was an incredible fighter. He'd defeated Sam quickly, taking into account the warden's skill level and technique. He'd figured out the best way to combat him after a couple strikes.

If Dream really had known the man, he would've been so wary of him that he'd never let himself get too close.

He didn't trust Sapnap when he unlocked the cell. He didn't trust him when he held his arms wide, either for a hug or for the opportunity to strangle him. He didn't want to find out.

It was attack or be attacked, and he chose the offensive.

Dream threw his weight towards the man. Sapnap reacted slowly --- probably because he hadn't expected to have to react at all --- barely managing to raise his arms in time. Dream sidestepped at the last second and dropped low, straightening his leg out and sweeping Sapnap's out from below him. The man fell to the floor with a grunt and a sound of pain, giving Dream the perfect opportunity to pluck his sword out of his hand, directing the tip of the weapon towards Sapnap's throat.

"I thought you'd be better," he said with a frown.

Sapnap scowled at him, though he didn't look totally angry. "Dream. Come on, please."

"Don't even try," Dream said coolly, pressing the sword closer towards the man's throat. The warrior closed his mouth immediately, watching Dream carefully. "You're not a typical person. That style of fighting...."

His brow furrowed as he tried to place it. It was familiar to him, much like Sapnap was, though far from his reach at the same time. He couldn't tell where it was from, but the memory felt older than the others he'd had, in a strange way.

He gave up with a frustrated sigh, electing instead to scowl heavily at the man below him. "You're Sapnap," he said, just for confirmation.

Sapnap didn't respond. Dream retracted his sword by a fraction of a inch, giving him just enough room to speak. 

"Yeah," the warrior whispered, not daring to move too much. "I'm Sapnap. You're Dream. You're supposed to be my friend."

Dream scowled harder. "I'm not your friend."

"You are. You just don't remember."

He stared down at the pleading look in the man's eyes. That was true; he didn't remember. But he could confirm some things now that he had a piece of his past lying right before him.

"George," Dream said. "He was my... friend... too, right?"

Sapnap nodded slightly. "Yeah, he is. He's the prince of Superiora, the kingdom you just destroyed."

A twinge of guilt ran through Dream. His mind flashed back to the room he'd seen, when he was looking for a place to shower. That perfectly made bed, the pristine room that looked like it hadn't been used in a good while... the mirror. The chain-like words, the title that inched around the frame. He'd felt sorry for the prince. Was that because he had known him once, in a past life?

"He was there when I woke up," Dream recalled. 

"He was always there," Sapnap said quietly. "He barely ever left your side. Months, Dream. We spent months trying to find a way to cure you."