Summary: When talking to him, your dream didn't feel like a dream anymore. It felt more and more realistic as the nights went forward, the sun descending more and more.
Notes: An original idea I had in mind for a while!
Dreams. Such fascinating phenomena. The fact that the human brain is able to create such diverse, intricate and detailed imagery had always been interesting to you. Something about images, thoughts and scenery created in one's sleep seemed complicated. And yet, all you needed to do was to fall asleep. Once falling into a deep slumber, the doors to the dream world would open, each time looking a bit different.
However as of late, your own experiences within said world had been suspiciously identical. The dream had always started the same, on a large balcony where you could see a vast, open field. The balcony was attached to a palace of some sorts, however there was no door leading inside, just a stone wall. The railing was also made of stone, which was smooth to the touch, feeling almost like silk. The railing was filled with roses, decorating the balcony and the pillars, situated on each side.
This stunning balcony was where you had started your dream just a few nights prior. And everything had been the same, from the non-existent door, to the blood red roses. However, you had finally discovered what was so different every night. It was the sun. The Sun in your dream, that brightened the field, was slowly moving towards the horizon each night. Frankly, it had taken you at least three nights to realize this, but eventually you noticed the bright sun not being as high up as last time. This then made you wonder, what would happen when the Sun finally set? Would your continuous dream come to an end? Then what was the point? Why would your mind make up something this realistic and specific, only to have it end so soon? There had to be more. Of course dreams are dreams and shouldn't affect reality, you knew this, and yet, you couldn't help but to wonder if something big was waiting for you.
And there you were again. Traveling to the unknown world, where the same scenery from the balcony awaited for you. Or that was what you expected. Once you arrived at your familiar destination everything seemed normal. There were the pillars, the roses, even the scenery was almost identical, minus the Sun that was once again slightly closer to the horizon. But then you realized something. You weren't alone, in fact there was someone standing at the very end of the balcony, eyes locked to the horizon. This almost startled you, given the fact that you had always been alone whilst in this dream. And now there was someone standing right in front of you, with their back facing you. A part of you was joyous that you finally found someone within your dream, but the other told you to be cautious, as they didn't seem familiar.
You weren't sure how to approach the person. They were clearly buried in their own thoughts as they hadn't detected your presence. Taking this as an opportunity, you got a closer look at them. Now, you could tell that they were a male, maybe in his late teens. He had short blonde hair, and he wore dark armor with a royal blue cape hanging from his left shoulder. You couldn't see the details of his face, or the front of his body. Perhaps it would be alright to walk over to him and maybe find out who he was.
Taking slow, quiet steps, you made your way to the railing, stopping next to him. He seemed to notice your presence but for some reason he didn't react. You opened your mouth to speak but he was faster. "Professor, I apologize, but I would really appreciate if you could-" His sentence was cut short as he turned to look at the person next to him, noticing a complete stranger. Now you could see his face. He had wonderful blue eyes that were now widened with confusion and small, pink lips which you assumed formed a stunning smile.
"I.. uh.. Hello.." You say shyly, trying to be calm to avoid tensing him up. The blonde blinked a few times and it seemed that the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat. The poor boy must've been startled by your odd appearance, you being in your pyjamas and all.
"Who..? Who are you?" his voice was almost non-existent, being almost a whisper. His eyes moved from your head to your toes, trying to figure out your strange attire. You also noticed his outdated outfit, seemingly being from the Medieval times, though you didn't know for sure. History wasn't your strongest subject. Seeing a person who acknowledged your presence in your own dream was almost surreal to you. You had seen and interacted with humans in your dreams in the past but never had it felt this real.
"I.. My name is (y/n) and.. All of this is.. My dream" The words left your mouth carefully. The boy blinked at your words, seemingly confused by them. He was about to say something, probably question you again, but he stopped himself and instead let out a heavy sigh, turning his head towards the Sun.
"I see.. Heh.." He let out a chuckle and brought his hand to his face. The tiny chuckle slowly evolved into a light laughter. "I must truly be losing my mind.." You felt uneasy as his calm demeanor was broken momentarily. His words only made you want to question him further, but you thought it best not to. But you did want to know something;
"What's your name?" His eyes turned back to you, regaining their calmness that was lost mere seconds ago. "Dimitri."
"Well, Dimtri. Care to explain where we are?" He seemed to be an inhabitant of the place your dream took place in, so naturally, this was a fine opportunity to get answers. Perhaps even the last one, since you had no idea if Dimitri would appear in your dream again.
"We're in Fódlan. And this, is the Garreg Mach monastery" He said pointing at the building. Now you realized that there was an actual door, leading inside. Fódlan didn't sound familiar at all, which made you wonder why had your mind developed a totally unknown world with its own people.
"Oh.. I see.." Your eyes fell to the floor, as you tried to think. "You said that all of this is a dream?" Dimitri asked, looking at you yet again. He was genuinely confused, even thinking that this was a dream of his own. Yet something about seeing a total outsider, claiming his world was nothing but a dream interested him.
"Yes. I have had this same dream for days now. It begins here, on the balcony and.. It's always the same, however-"
"This time, you encountered me" Dimitri finished your sentence, having somewhat understood your words. You nodded, but then pointed at the Sun. "The Sun has also changed. Every time, it descents closer to the horizon" Dimitri's eyes followed the direction you pointed, falling on the shining star. "I have no idea what is going to happen when it eventually sets, but I have the feeling that these strange dreams will come to an end". Dimitri brought a hand to his chin, thinking about your words.
"We can wait together, if you'd like. I come here quite often to relax, and would appreciate some company. I'd love to get better acquainted and learn more about you" He finally said with a smile and it was just as warm as you had thought. You were surprised at this sudden interest, initially thinking he saw you as a total freak. "It's going to take a few more days I think.." Time moved a lot quicker in dreams, or that's what you had noticed and assumed that you'd soon wake up to the ringing of your clock. In fact, you already heard the sound slowly getting louder and louder in your head.
"That's fine. I have time" Dimitri didn't remove his eyes from the horizon. He seemed sincere and kind, but for some reason, something about him seemed extremely strange. It was as though something was tormenting him internally.
"If you want to. I'll be waking up soon though.." You weren't sure if you would see him again next time you went to bed though you wanted to. Something about him made you want to get better acquainted with him, but dreams were unpredictable, so you assumed this was the first and last time you'd meet him.
"I'll wait for you here then" He finally turned to look at you with a determined look on his face. Your inner clock was getting louder, your wake-up being mere seconds away. However you had time to say your final farewell before vanishing:
"I doubt it. This is a dream after all"
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To your absolute amazement and surprise, Dimitri had indeed kept his promise and waited for your arrival the next night. And the night after that and so on. The blonde stood beside you on the balcony each night, waiting for the Sun to set. You spent your time chatting and describing your different lives. You learned he was a prince and a great lance-user in battle. He told you about the monastery, his professor whom he had mistaken you for when you first met and just about everything else about him and all of Fódlan. When talking to him, your dream didn't feel like a dream anymore. It felt more and more realistic as the nights went forward, the sun descending more and more. In fact, last night the Sun had been almost entirely set, with only thin rays of light seeping through. The sky was orange and red, making the scenery breathtaking and much more beautiful than the one in your own world.
You assumed the next night would be the one to have the Sun fully behind the horizon. For some reason the thought scared and made you nervous in a way. If your theory was to be true, after this night, you'd never see the the beauty of Fódlan, or Dimitri ever again. This kept you awake for much longer. You tried your best to brush it off and finally drift into the dream world, but the thought of never experiencing such a surreal dream haunted you and prevented your dormition.
Despite these thoughts, you were able to fall asleep. It felt as though the dream was calling for you, pulling you in for the possibly final time.
And there you were on the all too familiar balcony. Except it wasn't the same. Not at all. The Sun had indeed set, but that wasn't the reason for your shock. The railing and the pillars were cracked, the once red roses were now grey, dead, with no life left in them. The sky was filled with stars and the Sun was now replaced with the Moon that admittedly looked stunning. However neither the cracked stone nor the lifeless flowers shocked you more than the sight of the person standing in front of you.
Dimitri's back was turned towards you like usual but he was significantly taller and now wore a long blue cape, with black and white fur on the top. His once orderly hair was now longer and messier. His posture had worsened and he held onto his lance that was stained with the blood of an unlucky victim. You carefully approached him, feeling scared and confused. "Dimitri..?" You received no answer from him, but continued your approach. Upon reaching him and stopping beside him, you got a closer look. It was like your first meeting, but this time your curiosity was replaced with fright. He had bags under his eyes and beared an expression that downright screamed hatred.
"Dimitri.. What.. What happened to you?" His blue eyes shot at you at a speed that startled you. His remaining eye held no life in it, only flames of fury, while the other was covered with an eyepatch.
"Are you here to torment me as well? Was that your intention from the very beginning? To use your dreams to your advantage and torture me just like the others?!" Dimitri's hectic movements and loud voice, made you back away from him slowly. However you came to a halt when the sharp tip of his lance was suddenly pointed at you. "N-no! That's not what I'm here for! Dimtri I would never hurt you.." It felt like his intense stare burned through you, reaching the very core of your being. You didn't understand. Was this the consequence when the Sun set?
"Then why.. Why did you return every time?! I should've known you were nothing but a hellish being, sent by the demons roaming inside me!" He kept his lance steady, but you were sure he would lose that steady grip at any minute. "I.. I would never do that.. Please Dimitri, put your lance down" Your voice held clear fear in it, and you slowly gripped the lance, something you would never do in the real world, and carefully guided it away from your body. Surprisingly Dimitri didn't resist, but still held the gaze that could intimidate anyone. He let out a small huff and stood up properly. He clearly realized, he had crossed the line and truly startled you. He knew you had nothing to do with his constant suffer, but at that time, he was looking for a culprit. Dimitri's gaze softened ever so slightly and returned yet again to the familiar horizon.
You didn't say anything for a few minutes, not only because you thought it best not to anger him again accidentally, but also because you were left wondering what had caused him to change like that. You finally gathered the courage to speak, after standing there for a while.
"Dimitri, please.. Talk to me. What happened here?" You felt left out and lost, not knowing anything that had happened. Was this even possible? For dreams to continue on their own even without the person experiencing the dream? This dream of yours wasn't normal, that much you knew, but what was it then? The more you thought about it, the more new questions arose. You wanted to help Dimitri, but had no idea what was going on. The sheer uncertainty clouding your vision was killing you and only made you want to know more.
Dimitri took a deep breath before lifting his lance up once more. This time it didn't point at you. No, it pointed at the once bright horizon that was now dark and decorated by a dozen stars.
"The Sun has set, (y/n).."
So I've always found dreams extremely fascinating and thought of ways I could include them in a oneshot. So I came up with this. I'm not sure how to explain the idea, but I hope it wasn't too confusing. I just thought entering Fódlan through dreams might make for an interesting and different oneshot. The main goal was really to give each reader a different interpretation of this oneshot. I'd love to hear you own interpretations so feel free to share them in the comments!! Thank you for reading and being patient!
-Ymi