Broken Together (MCYT au)

Chapter 69: Sacrifice

One cannot die to Herobrine's wrath without being broken beyond repair. The simple words which repeated in their mind, a constant melody even in the incorrect definition of the afterlife.

An endless field of grass, as far as the eye could see. Grass a shade closer to yellow than green, reaching up to his knees when he finally managed to stand. Glancing around to see a small house which resembled his own, a woman relatively aged sitting on the front porch; a closer look and one could see the glowing white eyes staring into his own soul.

"Dream?" Her voice soft, Dream's vision clearing to see the light pink hair flowing ever so slightly, a shade duller than what he can remember her having. "You aren't supposed to be here, not yet."

He was not too sure what she was saying, simply starting to make his way towards the house. His mind grew slightly foggy, knowing she was a woman of importance. Someone critically important in his life, someone he had not seen in a long time.

"Well, what if I adopted all three of you. Could be all five of us, a little dream team. How does that sound?" She got up to be greeted by two little ones hugging her as she watched the little boy take off his mask, green eyes sparkling.

The memories slowly returned to him, the woman who cared for him when the world stripped everyone else away from him. Nadia, I think that was her name.

Dream could not pinpoint precisely why such a grand sentimental feeling bubbled in his chest, though he figured he simply missed Nadia. After all, he remembers it being a very long time since their last talk. The fogginess of his thoughts was interrupted by the attempt at conversation. "My sweet child," her voice was soft as tears streamed down her face, rushing over to wrap her arms around the other. "Dream, what did they do to you? Why are you here? Oh dear, you aren't supposed to be here."

The memories slowly surged back to him for a few seconds and the numbness of this moment was quickly replaced by emotional agony. His grip tightened as slow tears turned into thrashing sobs, only feeling the soft circles being rubbed against his back as he cried. Nadia! The woman who gave so much to him, the woman who saved him, the woman he could call his mother. "I'm dead, Nadia. Aren't I?" The sobs slowly started to calm as he let go, slowly analyzing the face of the woman in front of him.

When he knew Nadia, she was a ray of sunlight. Light pink hair with lavender eyes, skin hardly aged despite being his guardian. Energetic and bright, a constant sugar-like laughter filled the household whenever she returned from work. This seemed different, not very old but skin wrinkled under the eyes, eternal eyebags. The once rosy-pink hair had an undertone of gray while the purple eyes were nothing but a piece of a broken memory.

"Soon, you will be or maybe you won't. Something is coming, I can feel it. For now, let us have a small chat." She gestured to the porch of the house, the only object interrupting the endless field. "You will not be here for long; we can talk to fill the time."

Dream slowly accepted the offer with caution, sitting down on the porch as a soft cool breeze blew by. The wood as aged as she was, brushing his hand on the smooth planks. "It hasn't been the same without you," Dream said softly, a part of him not wanting to make eye contact with her. "Even after you came back, they weren't the same."

As much as he loved the woman who sat beside him, she had killed. Then again, so had he.

"I know you all took it harshly, though as much as I wish to distance myself from my past, I never manage to," Nadia smiled, laying her hand over Dream's, as comforting as she could. "I know you aren't very fond of the man, but Zayne was the one who saved Sapnap's life. He was the one who possessed Sapnap and well," she tried to gesture it with her hands. "He floated him down as best as he could. If Sapnap didn't have the pendant, he would be as good as dead."