Work Text:
Redza had escaped Pandora’s Vault which led to the temporary alliance between the Syndicate and the Hero Commision. According to Dream, Redza had decided to set up base at the prison after slaughtering all of the inhabitants, what Phil thought was odd was that he didn’t turn them into puppets, he simply left the corpses to rot. Another thing raised flags in Phil’s mind was Dream’s main term for the alliance,
You have to free Redza’s current host, you may not kill them.
In any other situation his determination to save an innocent would make sense, but this felt more, personal . He would allow no modification to the term, he also insisted on as little harm to come to them as possible, they managed to convince him that harm would come to them no matter what but he seemed less than pleased.
But he had to ignore the red flags about Dream’s behavior as they made their way inside the remains of the prison. The once glorious prison was not yet reduced to rubble as the main exterior walls remained intact, but the same could not be said about the interior. It reminded Phil of the nether in a way, lava flooded the ground and the lower levels of the prison, the obsidian was broken and warped in a way that reminded him of netherrack. It was insanely hot inside the prison, but despite that there was a certain chill in the air, it made its way into Phil’s body and made his body stiff and his wings puff up in preparation for an attack. He spared a glance at the heroes and then at his boys.
Beneath the hoglin skull, Techno’s eyes were warily watching the lava, he was clearly reminded of the nether as well as he kept a careful hand on his axe, holding it less like himself and more like a piglin brute. Wilbur was tense and careful, he was clearly being incredibly careful to stop himself from instinctively phasing through the ground. He looked to the rest of the Syndicate, he could read Sam well despite his face being covered extensively, he was looking throughout the broken prison that he designed with an odd mix of despair – from seeing his project he worked so hard on in ruins – and relief – from the horrific thing he created finally being destroyed – he did seem to notice the feeling in the air as well and had a tight grip on his trident.
“Can you sense him?” Dream’s voice sounded out quietly, but so loud against the near silence only cut by the bubbling of the near still lava beneath them. Phil looked up at him with a questioning hum and Dream clarified, “You said you could sense him, can you now.” Phil paused and closed his eyes, he sent his magic out, searching for Redza, there was a vague signature at the center of the prison, “He’s near the center, we’re not far from him.” He answered just as quietly, the other heroes and his villains tensed immediately. They got to the edge of a large circle of lava, “Prepare yourself, he’s around here.” Phil warned.
“Rather unfortunate that you don’t have much time to do so.” A voice echoed loudly in the prison, everyone stopped and their heads shot up. The source of the voice was stood on an small elevated platform held up by solid obsidian pillars, it was in the center of the lava pool and he stood there looking down on them with a large grin on a young face.
Redza’s host was young and considerably pale, they had thick long curls that were slicked back with gel, they wore Redza’s old suit, retailored to fit the young child in front of them, the dark cloak that reflected the void of the End dragged behind them and was kept in place by golden clasps.
Is this why Dream was so persistent on sparing the host, because of how young the child Redza was using as a body was?
The only thing alike to Redza on the child’s form were the blood red eyes, glaring down at them with burning hatred.
“How lovely to see you Zephyrus, and co. of course.” He acknowledged, his voice was strange, Redza’s voice was layered over his host’s young voice, “What brings you to my prison?” The voices were conversational but the warning undertone was obvious to everyone there.
“Leave that boy’s body Redza.” Dream’s voice was the opposite of the lava beneath them, cold and solid but just as vicious and threatening as the burning liquid. Redza laughed happily, the child’s was loud and boisterous but was drowned out by Redza, “Oh you would like me to do that wouldn’t you? You are rather fond of him aren’t you?” He questioned with a hum making a vague gesture to his host looking pleased at the way Dream’s hand gripped his sword tighter.
Redza pressed a hand to their cheek, “I mean it makes sense,” His wide malicious grin stretched the child’s face unnaturally, it didn’t belong to such a young face, “Any big brother wouldn’t want their baby brother possessed by the big bad.”
Oh, oh .
Dream’s brother is being used as a host for Redza, of course he wouldn’t want any harm to come to him, possessed or not. The realization came to Techno and Wilbur too, Wilbur winced and bit his lip and Techno’s face and eyes hardened, they were both likely imagining if it happened to each other. Phil looked to Dream, his eyes were barely visible through the holes in his mask but the elytrian could just barely see them, they were filled with emotions, rage, anger, guilt, despair, longing, hopelessness .
Phil could relate, memories of hundreds of years previous, the last time Redza was freed…
Honey brown eyes overtaken by red, Techno mourning the loss of his elder brother and Phil mourning the loss of his eldest son as a too happy not phantom phantom wandered into the cabin.
They had managed to free Wilbur, they would free Dream’s younger brother, even if they hated the hero, no person deserves to watch their family get possessed by a monster .
Redza was still talking, “You can worry not though, a part of your dear brother still lives,” Redza promised and Phil grew worried, he had nearly forgotten that part of Redza’s ability, “When I take over someone’s body their spirit is forced, at least the parts that were most prominent at the moment I possessed them,” Wilbur used to be so joyful, singing and playing his guitar and existing without a care in the world, “Would you like to know what was most prominent in your brother Dream? ”
He paused, likely for dramatic effect, before his smile turned into something adoring and intrigued, “He was angry .” He whispered so loudly and Dream tensed further, “And oh so sad.” Redza spread his arms wide as his grin grew once more, “Those were his most prominent emotions, his most prominent memories, and all of them were forced from this body to make room for me.”
“And his emotions were so strong that the phantom became something I like to call,” His eyes creased with his grin as he raised his hand, “A Wraith .” He snapped his fingers and silence reigned, but then the lava beneath the platform was disturbed as the thick liquid bubbled intensely, “Are you ready to see your brother’s rage personified Dream?” Something began to emerge from the lava, starting with two long spikes, “Are you ready to feel his anger,” The spikes were horns, attached to a head with long boiling lava replacing hair, “To be reduced to ash by your darling brother!”
Eyes were now on them, solid coal black except for a burning iris that scanned over the group of heroes and villains before the iris turned into a slit, the thing lurched forward in the lava and began moving quickly towards the obsidian, immediately the heroes and villains began taken dozens of steps back as they raised their weapons, but Dream held still, staring at the thing with wide eyes and shaking hands.
Dream wasn’t moving?
Coal claws dug into the obsidian floor and dragged the body out, it was coal skin with lava spilling from the cracks that spread across it’s body, it had large curling horns and long dragon tail and black wings with magma for the membrane.
Dream wasn’t moving.
It raised it’s claws with hatred burning in comparison to the lava that made up it’s hair.
DREAM WASN’T MOVING.
Blaze dove quickly, pulling Dream from its range. It screeched in anger and agony, and began attacking ruthlessly, they were barely dodging it’s attacks, Techno sliced at it with his axe, it shrieked angrily but the lava spilled from the wounds and reformed the coal that held it together.
They vaguely heard Redza cackling as they were chased from the prison by the Wraith.
(Outside the prison Dream crashed to his knees, clinging to 404 and Blaze like they were his lifeline
The Syndicate said nothing about his breakdown.
Only keeping their eyes on the wraith who didn’t dare to leave the remains of the prison.)