"Wake up."

My mind and powers jerked awake at the sound of someone's voice. My magic was instantly squirming in my body, trying to pull me away from where I now lay.

I had spent what felt like forever trying to fall asleep last night, tossing and turning for hours. I finally dozed off to the sound of the rain tapping against my windows and nestled into my sheets.

Now, I wasn't where I had fallen asleep.

Blackstone bricks surrounded me, encasing me in a dark room. There was a bench behind where I sat on the floor and a barred door in front of me. A lone torch burned above the entrance, leaving the room poorly lit.

I quickly shook off sleep, whipping my head around in confusion. I pinched myself, flinching when I felt it.

This wasn't a dream.

I shifted slightly, sitting on my legs. A clinking sound emitted as I moved, making me look down.

My navy hoodie and pants had been fixed and my wounds didn't ache.

But that wasn't what made me gasp, or what pushed my magic into a place where I couldn't reach it.

Thick, brown chains wrapped around my wrists.

Copper chains.

The cuffs were connected together in the middle, then branching out to connect with the floor. They were glued to the ground by big bolts, made of the same material.

My heart raced with fear and confusion. I had gone to sleep in my house, surrounded by my friends, and now I was chained to the ground in what seemed to be a prison.

Wait, I was in the prison.

Pandora's Vault.

But, how?

Knowing it wouldn't work, I tugged on the chains with all my strength, trying to pull out of them. My skin stung from the edge of the bands as they cut into my skin, most likely leaving dark marks.

Panting, I sat back down on my legs, defeated. I was trapped in an inescapable prison, without my magic.

I rarely felt trapped, but without the comfort of my magic, I began to breathe faster. I didn't have my powers, and I was chained to the ground with thick shackles.

My head snapped upwards as someone laughed. It came from the shadows outside my cell, the person hidden from my view.

Their voice was chillingly familiar, "Nice try, but not even you could escape this prison. Sam did a fine job on it."

When the masked man stepped out from the dark, my eyes widened. I scooted away from the bars of the door slightly, wanting to get away.

Dream's mask appeared grey in the low light, more cracks streaking across the face. It was far more damaged than it was last night.

A mischievous grin was below his mask, showing off his white teeth. His netherite armor was on, dancing with the strongest enchantments.

He looked down at me, "Comfortable?"

I felt at a loss for words. Feelings of anger, confusion, and betrayal collided within my heart. I felt overwhelmed and scared.

When I just sat staring at him, his smile softened. That strange change in emotions was happening again and I knew it even with the mask in place.

He crouched down so he was at my eye level, "You understand why I had to do this, right?"

I slowly shook my head in response, still not able to process what was happening. This had to be a nightmare, I tended to get those when I was upset.

But, I could feel my pinch and the ever-present scraping of the chains around my wrists.

"Y/n, I'm doing this to keep you safe and because I love you. This is the safest place in the world."

Confusion rose above the rest of my emotions with his words. His words sounded sweet and sincere, but I was trapped in a prison by him. My heart felt all wrong.

I found my voice, coming out in a whisper, "Why would you put me in here?"

My hands were shaking in my lap, from the fear as well as the rising anger. When he didn't respond, I stared his stupid mask down. I didn't need my magic to know how angry I was becoming.

I quickly stood, jostling the chains around me. They were heavier than I thought, tugging my hands down in front of me.

Despite the weight, I squared my shoulders as I marched up to where Dream now stood on the other side. He was taller but I glared anyways, "Why the hell am I in here?!"

He just smiled sadly, "I told you already, to keep you safe," His face turned paler under his mask, "I can't lose you."

"Putting me in a prison isn't the best option! I can keep myself safe!"

"Y/n, you have to understand what I'm saying."

"Then explain what the hell is going on!"

He swept a hand around at the bars, chains, and the prison behind him, "I built this all for you," He paused, "Well, you and some other people I suppose."

My hands and legs were shaking uncontrollably with anger, making the chains bump against the black floor. Tears of frustration began rolling down my face.

Yet, my voice was steady, "Dream, you have to let me go. This isn't how love works. You can't lock someone up in a prison just cause you love them and you're scared that something will happen to them."

His head tilted like a confused puppy, "But, I don't want to lose you. You're the best thing that's happened to me in my eternal life."

I took a deep breath, staring at the ground, "And I feel-" I wanted to say felt, but I didn't want to anger him. Not when I was trapped in this place and he clearly had control. "-the same, but this isn't right. What do our other friends think about this?"

"You don't have to worry about that."

"What?"

In one swift movement, he had me standing closer to him, with one hand on the manacles and the other gently holding my cheek between the bars. I tried to pull away, but his grip on the chains kept me in place.

I wanted to shatter that stupid mask. Its never-ending happy face stared down at my unhappy one, sending a chill up my spine.

His voice was dripping with fake sweetness as he whispered, "Our friends are no longer a threat to you."

"Dream, what did you do?"

Pulling his hand off my face, he reached into his hoodie pocket, grasping at something.

When he pulled his gloved hand back out, the tears came faster than before.

The last thing I saw before the world went black was a white, torn bandana, turned black in some spots from being burnt and scratched goggles.

-

Thunder boomed as I sat up in the dark room, my heart racing faster than it ever had.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my wet eyelashes pressing against my hot skin. My throat was raw most likely from screaming. Nausea washed over me and emotions crashed like waves under my skin.

I was trapped in a prison by the man I loved. I felt like throwing up at the thought.

Bringing my hands up to cover my face, I paused, forcing my eyes open. There was no sickening clinking sound of chains on each other or on the blackstone floor.

In fact, the bricks had been replaced with my bed, which was a mess with sheets twisted around me and a pillow thrown on the floor. I was back in my room.

It was a nightmare.

In the haze of just waking up and recovering from the dream, I hadn't noticed a person come into my room. The hallway was dark so no light showed me that someone was entering.

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the feeling of someone's hand on my shoulder. The sheets became even more wrapped around my legs as I jerked away.

The person gripped my arm gently as I tried to squirm away from them, unable to see who it was in the darkness. I hadn't even registered the feeling of my magic returning to my grasp.

I stopped fighting when I recognized their voice, "Y/n, calm down. It's okay."

My head snapped in the direction of theirs. Moments ago, that same voice had been the one trying to tell me they were saving me by putting me in the prison. And now, he was trying to comfort me.

As well as my mind, my magic felt discombobulated. The magic had been with me in the dream and recognized the person in it.

Warning bells went off in my head at the sight of the smiley face. It was around his face, dripping with raindrops. Unlike before, the face gave me a sick feeling.

I muttered under my breath, placing a hand to my head, "Holy shit."

Dream stepped closer to me, sitting on the edge of my bed, "Y/n, what's going-"

Not only my magic, but my instincts screamed at me to get away.

And I listened.

Ripping my legs out of the blankets, I bolted out of bed and ran for the balcony door. I heard Dream call after me as I sprinted onto the slick landing, racing towards the fence.

Vaulting over the edge without hesitation, I felt Dream's fingers brush my sweatshirt in an attempt to stop my descent. He failed, and I continued to plummet down towards the ground.

This time, I had practice from the night before. My wind caught me within inches of the wet grass, letting me off with a running start. Knowing I had a few seconds before Dream burst through the front doors, I ran.

The sun had risen, hidden behind the stormy clouds. The storm from the past two days still raged on, sending streaks of lightning across the sky. The volts lit up my feet and the rocky water as I ran towards the Community House.

I had no idea where I was going, but I did know who I had to find.

-

Dream pov

Why the hell was she running from him?

The question raced through his head as he chased after her in the drizzly morning. She was leading them away from their home, in the direction of the mansion.

She had been screaming in her sleep when he had come home from being out for a while, and when she had seen him, something snapped in her. It was as if she suddenly saw him as the villain that was in her nightmare.

But, he hadn't done anything to make her think that.

Well, he hoped so at least.

Also, he had no idea how she was running on her wounded leg. The trident had pierced the muscle, yet he was chasing after her, not even being able to catch up to her.

She had always been faster than him, with her agile body and the help of magic, but with an injury, she shouldn't be able to get away.

They passed Tommy's old Embassy, which was now eerily silent. The building was at a standstill without the energy that the boy had brought to the area.

Dream liked the quiet, especially since the owner of the home was nowhere near here.

"Y/n! Stop running!" His voice cut through the stormy world, a thunderclap echoing his words.

She glanced over her shoulder, running without seeing. Water droplets flew from her hair when she shook her head before turning back around.

Something caught his eye as they were running, her sweatshirt sleeve moving above her wrist. The sight made something protective take over, pushing his legs faster.

A deep, almost black bruise wrapped around her wrist looking as if it had come from chains. It was deeper than the one Wilbur had given her before she had been stabbed.

Whoever had given her that would pay, and he would make sure of it.

-

y/n pov

The adrenaline was beginning to wash out of me as the mansion came into view, as well as the new building behind it.

It had only been a week, but the dark walls of the prison were sprouting up from the choppy pond. The dark bricks sent a chill down my spine in the humid air and warm rain.

The sound of Dream's footsteps was steadily getting closer due to the wound in my leg starting to become present. It started with a dull ache and was almost throbbing in protest now.

I gritted my teeth, pushing myself through the pain. Only a little further.

Nearing the steps down to the ground, Dream's voice made me stop. Even with the wounds, I wasn't fatigued, thanks to my magic and training.

"Please!"

The masked man was slowing his run when he saw me stop, a few feet from me. He quickly pulled his mask to the side, showing the concern on his face.

I raised my hands reluctantly, making him stop in his tracks. I hated that I had to do this but I wanted to be safe, even with him.

A sizzling sound happened as the sound of crackling flames began from my hands. The rain came off as steam when they hit the almost white flames that wrapped around my hands.

Usually, the fire was cherry red, from the low heat. Now, they were white and pale yellow, simmering with intense heat. The color was warped from the significantly hotter temperatures.

We both stared at my hands for a moment, a determined feeling making me raise my head. My stance became confident with my bent knees and raised arms.

I loved Dream, or who he used to be. The nightmare only made me see clearer.

He raised his palms in caution, "Tell me what's going on, please."

"Why do you want to know so badly?"

The question made him hesitate in surprise, unsuspecting I would ask it. I knew he wanted to know because he cared for me, but I wanted to know if there was something else behind it.

Now that his mask was moved, it allowed for me to see if he was lying.

His face softened, "Because you seem scared, and I want to help. I came home and you were screaming like you were being murdered."

There was no lie in his words.

I didn't want to tell him about the nightmare, in fear that there was a chance he was going to put me in there. So I changed the direction of the conversation with a question that had been lingering.

"Why are you really making Sam build the prison?"

He scoffed, "I already told you. It's for people who belong there, people who mean something to me."

Although there wasn't a lie, I could see through the thin veil in what he said. He wasn't telling the whole truth and I could tell by the small twitch of a vein in his temple.

The vein had always been his tell.

Continuing, his voice was gentle, "Does the prison have something to do with what's going on?"

I ignored his question, pushing forward like a steam roller, "Would you ever put someone you love in there if you thought it was right?"

Something clicked in his clover eyes. My body tensed up as he took small steps towards me with his palms still raised.

"Y/n, do you think I would put you in there?"

I didn't answer, only staying frozen in my spot.

He was a couple of feet from me now, close enough to reach out to me.

When he lifted his foot to take another step, I took a step back. This made him stop where he was with a tender look on his face.

"You don't have to worry about that. I love you, and you can trust me-"

"I can't trust you!"

My words had slipped past my lips faster than I could register. I hadn't meant to say it aloud, but with the release of them, a small weight lifted off my heart.

At the same time, something broke inside of me. It was the cold truth, and he needed to know, even if it hurt both of us.

I continued what I was saying in a calmer tone while he stared at me, "Dream, I can't trust you anymore. You've changed into someone that I don't know anymore."

"I haven't done anything to hurt you."

"Not directly. But you took Tommy away from his home, his friends, and me."

Dream had the audacity to roll his eyes when I brought my friend up. Anger sparked in me, fueling the flames to grow taller and wider, fully engulfing my hand.

"Oh come on, I sent Tommy away with good reason. He needed to go."

"No, he didn't!" I couldn't hold back the wave of anger that washed through me, "You're scared because he's threatening your power!"

A cold, hard look replaced the gentle one, turning his soft gaze into a stare. "Huh, you were the one who I thought would understand the feeling of having power and having it threatened. I gained this power to protect you!"

His words sparked a thought in the back of my mind with a surfacing memory. It was a painting of the Inbetween castle and I was talking angrily to Noemi. The word price circled around the memory.

Pushing it away, for now, I stared at the man I thought I knew.

"I may have powers, but I don't use them to hurt the people I care about!"

"It doesn't look like it right now, considering you're aiming flames at me."

I was about to respond when someone came up behind me. I tensed at the feeling of the person but eased when I saw who it was.

Sam's green highlights in his hair were darker with the rain, now fully visible with his hood down. Raindrops ran down his creeper mask, plopping onto the equally as green sweatshirt under his netherite chest plate.

The smile that usually pulled at his lips was missing, replaced with a thin line of concern. He completely ignored Dream, angling his mask towards me, "Are you alright?"

I let the flames around my hands fade away, lowering my arms. The person I had been racing towards for safety had come to me.

I had only recently started getting closer with the tall man, but I felt safer with him than I did with Dream at the moment.

I faced my body sideways, not turning my back on Dream. I had to angle my head up to look at the creeper face, "Can we talk?"

Sam glanced up at the other, whose mask was in place again. The mask chilled my still boiling blood, the image of the bars and chains present.

After a moment, the man nodded, angling his head from where he had come from down the stairs.

I stared at Dream a second longer, searching for the man I used to love. But as I stared at the smiley face, everything felt different.

So, I turned on my heel without a second thought, turning my back on Dream.

~~~~

oop the prison is lowkey scary

sorry for being so slow on this chapter, I had no idea what I wanted to do with it lol

have a wonderful day! drink some water and stay safe! :)