Warning! This chapter does talk about panic attacks and blood. Please skip this chapter if you do not want to read about the character experiencing a panic attack.

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It was happening again.

I stood in the same obsidian room, one lone torch on the wall. There was no door, no escape.

In front of me sat four hooded figures, tied to chairs. I stood frozen before them, clutching a sword.

"Do it." A deep, familiar voice echoed behind me. Although I couldn't turn my head to see him, I knew the horned man stood behind me. Watching.

I walked up to the first figure, not in control of my own feet. I pulled the first hood off, revealing George. He looked fearfully at me, not saying anything. I followed through with the same hoods, revealing Sapnap, Tubbo, and Tommy.

None said a word, only watching me in fear. And every so often, glancing at the sword.

"It's time." Another voice said, stepping from the shadows behind the figures. Dream's mask was dirty, his voice deep and unforgiving.

I tried to refuse, lashing out at the darkness in the back of my mind. I tried to drop the sword, tried to stop the event that was about to happen.

I stepped towards Tommy and Tubbo, who sat side by side. Dream stepped in front of Sapnap and George, smiling maliciously at them. All four shrank back in fear.

Tears began streaming down my face, my sword lifting on its own accord, "I'm sorry." I whispered. I began screaming, trying to stop, right as my sword started it's arc down. Dream mirrored my movements.

I shoved my eyes closed as the sword made impact. It was eerily quiet, no screams, only the sound of dripping. Something thick coated my hands.

I felt two bodies shift next to me, one leaning in towards my ear. His mask lightly brushed my face.

"We will rise."

-

My hand flew to my heart as I jerked awake. Sweat pooled around me, my heart beating wildly.

It was the dead of night, light from the moon streaming into my new room. It bathed the room in an eerie aesthetic. Ghost was still asleep on the end of the bed.

It had been a week since we had finished the house. And since the man had spoken to me in the woods.

I hadn't told anyone about the meeting. His image floated through nightmares that occurred every night. It was the same dream over and over, the only thing changing was which two I killed.

They never screamed, only watched. The feeling of blood sticky on my hands, now engraved in my mind.

It was a terrifying thought, imagining being the killer of your closest friends. The dreams seemed strangely real, leaving my throat raw from the screaming. I prayed to any of the good gods that were left out there, that this nightmare wouldn't come true.

Sleep seemed impossible now. I stood, almost falling from the shake in my legs. It was strange being in control of my own body again. I steadied myself, patting Ghost as I passed through the door. I walked towards the bathroom at the end of the hall.

Everyone was asleep, the only sound was my steps and Sapnap's snoring. They echoed against the dark walls, the shadows staring back at me. I reached the bathroom, squinting against the light I just turned on.

I was a wreck. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, deep bags under my eyes. My hair was plastered to my head, my skin slightly pale.

And then I blinked.

When I looked back, blood coated my arms and chest. Darkness loomed in my eyes, threatening to take over.

I bit back on a scream, starting to claw at my skin. I wiped on my arms as hard as I could, ignoring the pain. The blood stuck to me, clinging to me like a leech. Tears started streaming from my eyes, an uncontrollable shake in my hands.

Breathing became hard, oxygen not staying in my lungs. I turned on the sink, trying to scrub the blood off my arms. It stayed, not relenting to the water.

The world began to go black and red, the only visible thing was the blood. I could only hear the running water, now running red. I could hear the raging river that ran through my mind. My head was underwater, crushing me. Water filled my lungs, weighing me down towards the bottom.

I must have knocked a glass off the sink because there was a loud crash. Glass shattered the ground, leaving small scrapes along my legs. I was too deep into the river to notice.

I reached for my magic, grasping for fire. If water wouldn't work, I needed to try fire. I called it, but it was weak flames that answered, the magic having a mind of it's own. It didn't want to hurt me. I reached deeper for more, ignoring it's protests. It relented, the flames becoming larger. I pressed them onto the blood, not caring for the burns that resulted. When the blood stayed I let the fire fizzle out, returning to using my hands.

Strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into the now lit hallway. I still scrubbed at my arms, digging my fingernails in. Someone was speaking to me, softly trying to pull my hands away. When I didn't stop, the grip became firmer, pushing my arms to my sides. I closed my eyes, squirming to get free.

When I opened my eyes, the blood was gone. But my arms were extremely red from my scratching, half-moons scattered up and down them. My legs were bleeding from the glass, red streaming down onto the wood floor.

I was sat on top of someone on the ground, their arms encasing me. They whispered into my ear, but the words were unclear in my foggy mind. Exhaust suddenly crept into my mind.

I blinked several times, letting reality come back to me. I looked up, Sapnap and George were crouched in front of me, worry written on their faces. I slid my gaze to behind me, looking into Dream's green eyes. I watched his lips move, slowly starting to hear his voice.

"It's alright y/n. Breathe, take some deep breaths. Focus on me." His voice was soft, gently holding me above the water. I could feel the rushing stream still moving through my head, roaring, and crashing. It threatened to pull me back down, but Dream's words held me aloft.

"Hey, can you try something for me?" He questioned lightly.

I nodded, not being able to form words quite yet. George stood, walking downstairs, looking for something.

"Can you tell me five things you see?"

I cringed slightly at the thought of talking but lifted my eyes to my surroundings. Ghost had ventured out, leaning his head on my knee, blood slightly soaking into his fur. I reached out, grounding myself on the feeling of his fur.

"I see Ghost," I said, barely a whisper. My voice was hoarse, my throat straining with the words.

Dream nodded, leaning my rigid body into him. I relaxed, leaning into his warmth. I looked out the window at the other end of the hall, staring at the sky. Stars twinkled and danced along the dark sky. They beckoned for me to continue, giving me some strength.

"I see stars," I said, my voice slightly louder. Before I could continue George came back up the stairs holding bandages and a cup of water. I took the water eagerly, letting the liquid coat my raw throat. I noticed the cup wasn't glass.

George looked up at me silently, hovering his hands over my legs. I nodded, he silently got to work on the glass in my legs. His goggles bounced on his head slightly, and I wondered if he slept in them.

"I see George's clout goggles." I could speak more clearly, the rough edge slowly smoothing out. Dream hummed, gently nudging me to continue. I made an effort to not look at the blood that was now being wiped away.

Instead, I turned to Sapnap. He was watching George contently, his dark eyes fixed on him. His bandanna was slightly crumpled from sleep. He turned his eyes to me, smiling to comfort me.

"I see Sapnap's dumb face." I smiled slightly, watching as he faked some hurt.

"That was uncalled for y/n." He said, amusement biting in his voice. Relief flooded into his eyes at the small smile on my face. They all seemed so worried.

I turned my head to look at Dream, his mask thankfully absent. The image of the mask now sent chills down my spine, the brush of it still noticeable against my ear. He watched me, warmth in his eyes.

"I see you." I said, my mind calmer. I was away from the river that had roared through my mind, silence filling me. I closed my eyes, savoring the quiet.

"Yes, you do." He said, a smile noticeable in his voice. He pressed a light kiss to my forehead, my magic returning from the dark corner it had hidden in moments before. It was hesitant but came rushing back to Dream, like a beacon. It was strange how the magic reacted to him, sparks once again dusting the floor around us.

The boys laughed, watching as the sparks fizzled out. A weight was lifted off my heart seeing them alive. George finished up, bandages wrapped around my legs. He quickly applied some ointment on my arms, soothing the burns.

I stared at the burns for a moment, shock settling through me. I couldn't believe that I had used my own magic against me in panic. Never had I done that before.

"There you go, all fixed up." He smiled brightly at me, leaning back to sit next to Sapnap.

I leaned back, closing my eyes again. I breathed in, then out.

"Y/n, do you want to tell us what happened?" Dream asked gently, scared to lose me to the river again. I shuddered slightly but nodded.

The words sounded ugly as I told them about the nightmares and the meeting with the man. They looked deeply disturbed when I finished, anger reflecting on all of their faces.

Disgust dripped from his voice when Sapnap spoke next, "That bastard. He's hella messed up." His face softened before he spoke again, "We won't let that happen y/n. He'll die before he can get close to you."

Dream nodded, "And I won't let myself get that far under. I may be insane, but I would never kill any of you." It was a dark sentence but we all nodded, the words sinking in.

I felt my eyelids begin to droop, sleep seeming possible again. I felt safer than I had in ages, encased in Dream's arms, surrounded by friends who would fight till the end of the world to protect me.

I heard Dream ask if I was tired, I just closed my eyes in response. He lifted me up, carrying me gently in his arms. He brought me into his room, placing me on the bed. I let him tuck me in like a toddler.

Sapnap and George had disappeared to only return with their own pillows and blankets, setting them on the ground next to me. They made a makeshift bed settling in.

Sapnap giggled, "Sleepover!" George laughed, taking off his goggles. He set them on the ground next to his pillow. So he doesn't sleep with them.

Dream stepped into my room for a second, coming back with Ghost in tow. He also held a small lantern that he must've dug out from the closet. He set it on the nightstand next to his bed, lighting it. When he turned off the main light, the little lantern illuminated the small area.

"I didn't think you wanted to sleep in the dark after that." Dream said as he kneeled down, wiping my blood off of his fur. He stood, watching Ghost settle in between George and Sapnap. George draped an arm over the dog, cuddling with him.

Dream laid down on the bed, hesitantly moving towards me. I had my back to him, but I could feel his warmth against me. I scooted closer to him, leaning into him. He draped an arm protectively over me.

I was the first to fall asleep.

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your honor, they are best friends

yay another part! sorry for the dark chapter. I'm sorry if the chapters are slower this week, I am getting back into the swing of school and sports. Tysm for reading! I love all of you!