AFTERLIFE (DreamNotFound)

Sweet Dreams

George jumped, covering his mouth to muffle his yelps, he got up slowly, looking in the dark room, Sapnap was still snoring on his bed, while Bad, who choosed to spend the night with them, was also asleep in the couch, George sighed in relief. Another weird dream.

He didn't wanted to mention it to Sapnap, and much less to Bad now, but since he discovered the coordinates of the book, he's been having nightmares. Or not, George couldn't call them nightmares, they weren't creepy, dark, sad or violent, they could actually be considered as good dreams, full of light, soft words and nothing harmful. The thing was, they were such powerful dreams, so realistic that not even the most experienced person in lucid dreams could tell. And that was the problem, it was like his brain will need all of it's power to produce the dreams, and when that happens, it drained George's energy instead of renew it.

That's why he's been so tired lately, especially these days were the dreams are more frequent. As soon as George's eyes open, leaving the slumber behind, he instantly forgets about whathever happened in that dream. He could only recall the details of something so shiny, but so shiny, that if the dream could get more realistic, George would have gone blind by now.

He slumped back onto the mattres, running a hand through his face, coming back to sleep, hoping for the dreams to stop.

They didn't.

Inside his mind, George could remember every single dream, isn't that weird? when he's awake he can't, but now that he is back, he can tell that the dreams he's had are consequential, like they were telling him a story.

He's walking into a bright, white and golden land, like he's entering the gates of heaven.

There's a soft and warm breeze, flowing around, playing with his hair, and tuning a calm melody with the trees around. His bare feet are walking through some kind of white and golden grass, it feels so soft against his soles, that it could be confused with fur.

He breathed, the air was so fresh and pure, like the whole place, wherever it was. Everything was so peaceful, and he could just... lay down in the grass, and stare at the radiant sky.

Some particles were floating, they looked like they emerged from the ground, they could be dust, fireflies, fairies, or even souls, George couldn't tell, but at least he can confirm that it was a beatiful view, watching how they elevated from the grass, and starting to rise to the sky, to the point that you couldn't distingish them in the clear white-yellowish sky.

George smiled, this could be like a paradise to him if it didn't make him to feel so exhausted as soon as he wakes up, it could be a perfect place to rest, secluded from all of his problems in the real world, without worries, without work, without the threat of the South Kingdom...

"It's good to see you again." A faint voice whispered behind him.

Oh right...

He's been having encounters with this person.

"I was gone for like five minutes." George said, raising his head to look at the silhouette standing behind him.

"I'm sorry for calling you that often, you must be so tired." The voice whispered, now sitting next to George.

"It's fine, in this dimension I don't feel tired."

"But you can't be in here forever. I'm so selfish, draining your energy because I don't want to feel alone."

"I never thought that the afterlife could be so lonely." George mentioned, the person sighed.

"It's so peaceful in here, you don't feel cold, you don't feel hungry, you don't feel pain... But it's not so pleasant when you're only by your own."

"Is this is what happen when you die? You're going to be alone? What about your family that died too?"

"I don't have one." The person trembled, like it takes him a lot of effort to pronounce those words.

"You don't?" George hesitated before asking. "What about your parents? or grandparents?"

"You can't see them if you didn't had a good relationship when you were alive." The person looked away, golden locks falling on his masked face.

"But you managed to bring me here, we didn't even got the chance to met when you were alive."

"When you discovered the code, you just released a path. And now that you are the choosen one, the one with a chance to bring me back, our souls are now connected."

"It sounds like a prophecy."

"Maybe it is."

"That makes me wonder... Do you really want to go back? We need you because our kingdom is in danger, but it's a selfish request, you were so strong, nobody could submit the South Kingdom without your strenght. Do our people really miss you? Or they just miss their most powerful weapon?"

"Don't be so dramatic."

"Dream. I'm serious."

Dream chuckled, he really sounded like the way that Sapnap described.

"I do want to come back. I told you, this place it's so lonely. I want to see Sapnap again, I want to see the king and his scary queen. I want to see the baker again, and the little twins that liked to train in front of me with sticks instead of wooden swords. I died so soon, I want to live after the war, get old, and when I return to this place, there will be people waiting for me or coming soon."

"You're too pure for our world." George snorted, but he mean it.

"You know what I want the most?" Dream turned to face him, oh how much George would like to see him without his mask.

"What is it?"

"The chance to meet you properly." Dream smiled at him, now it was George's turn to turn his head.

"I don't understand why you always has been so interested in me. I'm just a simple alchemist, there's a bunch of people more worthy to meet than me."

"That's why you're so interesting!" Dream grabbed George's shoulders. "You are so reserved, so dedicated to your job, funny when you try it like Sapnap's been talking about you... Those little details makes me want to know more about you!" George blushed deeply, looking away.

"I hope that we get the chance to meet each other, you know that I will forget about this conversation when I wake up."

"I'll wait for you! I can make you my friend again, I promise that we will be together again when I'm coming back to life!"

"Those are such heavy promises for a stranger like me." George half smiled, feeling guilty for liking them, for liking the fact that he's been stealing the legendary hero's heart in his land of dreams, while he's dead in the reality, while he doesn't deserve it at all.

"And I can promise more!" He sounded breathless.

"Thanks for that Dream." George leaned forwards, resting his head on Dream's chest, for a spirit, he was very warm.

"Go back to the real world, I won't bother you for a while... You need to rest."

After a somehow sad farewell, George woke up, feeling so tired to even move, the last bits of memories of his dream fading in thin air.

And he doesn't know why is he crying.

But now he wasn't sure if he wanted the dreams to end anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Honestly, this has been the most beautiful chapter I have written so far 😭