Chapter Text
Dream didn’t remember falling asleep outside. Which is why he was very confused as to why and more importantly how he woke up in a field surrounded by a forest instead of his bed.
“What the fuck” he thought “What the fuck..” he said. (not an original line i know but it was too good not too add)
Maybe he was still asleep and just needed to wake up because unless Sapnap or George somehow found a way to drag him to some random field in the middle of nowhere– which no they did not cause why would they even do that? So this must be some realistic lucid type dream…haha dream… So he did what any person would do in this situation and pinched himself and when that didn’t work he looked at his fingers because obviously they would not look normal since this had to be a lucid dream…right? Oh god is this actually real life, but how?! Everything was blocky and weird though so surely this has to be a set of some sorts. But the more he looked around the more he started to realise this was real and the more that realisation settled the more he started to worry. He finally stood up and properly looked around only to realise this spot seemed oddly familiar. When he turned around he could also see a weird looking tower as well as a road.
Also there are “real” torches on the ground…– well they seemed real even though they looked blocky.
WHY THE HELL ARE THERE TORCHES ON THE GROUND?!
WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?!
He very hesitantly decided to follow the road till he found a city where he could ask around as to where the hell he is.
So here are two things that have confused the man ever since he woke up.
Why the hell is everything blocky and
Why does this place seem so…familiar?
When he finally got to a pathway. And as he walked he ended up at the main portal where the realisation dawned on him. He froze. Holy shit thats a nether portal…holy shit thats the dsmp nether portal…on the dsmp…the minecraft server.
So he is in minecraft, on his server, where he is the villain. What could possibly go wrong?
That is when another realisation dawned on him. If this server followed the lore streams then that would mean that all the trauma they acted out… was real.
All the wars Tommy's exile him taking all of Tommy's lives and then reviving him all of it was real. Well the revival was really just dependent on the timeline he was currently in. He pushed away his best friends and basically made enemies with the whole server… So who the hell is going to help him? There's two people who would consider helping the real Dream and that's Technoblade and Punz. And he's pretty sure Punz wouldn't be loyal to him as he is to his Dream and with Techno he has no favors owed to cDream anymore let alone him. How is he supposed to survive here?!
“Okay calm down this is just minecraft… right?” He muttered to himself.
“Wait… what fucking timeline am I even in right now..” He looked around again, aiming to figure out what point in time he was.
Dream paced in circles, trying to make sense of it all. The nether portal hummed behind him, the sound vibrating in his chest. It wasn’t like hearing it through his headphones or his speakers. This was louder, deeper—real. His hands shook a little as he pressed his palms together.
“Timeline, timeline, timeline…” he muttered like it was some kind of mantra. If he could just figure that out, then maybe he’d know who hated him the most right now, or whether he was already locked up in Pandora’s freakin’ Vault.
“Oh god, Sam’s gonna kill me if this is post Pandora’s,” Dream whispered. “If I’m already supposed to be in the prison…shit, shit.”
The road behind him stretched out like a spine, torches glowing dimly against the dark green forest. He half expected to see Tommy come sprinting out of the trees yelling at him. But the woods stayed quiet. Too quiet.
He crouched down and touched the grass. It felt like grass, tickly and soft against his fingers, not pixels. Same with the dirt—cool, crumbly, getting stuck under his nails. His heart sank. This wasn’t a dream.
The thought hit harder than he expected. In real life, it was all just roleplay—arguments, drama, villains and heroes. But if this place really was the server, then every sword swung, every explosion, every betrayal—that was all real pain, real fear, real loss. And he was the cause of most of it.
Dream forced himself to stand up straighter and glanced back at the nether portal again.
He pressed his fists to his temples, trying to breathe. He needed information. If he ran into the wrong person first, he was screwed.
The crunch of gravel made him freeze. Someone else was on the road.
Dream’s stomach dropped. He quickly composed himself and hid behind the nearest tree. He knows it's really not the best hiding place but where the hell is he supposed to hide out in the open?!
The footsteps grew louder. Dream pressed himself tighter against the tree, his pulse pounding in his ears.
Through the leaves, he caught a glimpse of red.
A cape.
His heart stopped.
Of all the people to run into first, it had to be him. Dream’s mouth went dry. In canon, Techno would’ve been his only ally, maybe even a friend, but that was to c!Dream, not him. And right now, he had no idea if Techno would see him as a comrade… or as another problem to solve.
Techno’s footsteps crunched closer, Dream’s palms were sweating. He could step out, reveal himself, take the risk. Or he could stay hidden and pray Techno didn’t notice the sound of his breathing. But hiding from Techno was like hiding from a bloodhound…
pointless.
Sure enough, Techno stopped. His head turned slightly, ears twitching.
“…Whoever’s there, I can hear you.”
Dream cursed under his breath. He stepped out slowly, hands raised, trying not to look like a threat.
“Techno– wait, wait, it’s me. Don– don’t attack.”
Techno’s eyes narrowed, scanning him like a weapon sighting a target. For a long moment, he didn’t say anything. The only sound was the crackle of the portal behind them.
Finally, Techno spoke. “Huh. You look… different.”
Dream swallowed hard. “Different how?”
Techno tilted his head, gripping the handle of his axe. “Like you haven't been tortured in prison for the past half a year”
His eyes sharpened.Dream tried to keep his voice steady.
“I– healed fast?” he said in the most unconvincing tone anyone has ever heard that he even felt disappointed in himself.
So it really shouldn't have surprised him that Techno didn't buy it and grew a bit more hostile.
“Now I'll give you a chance to tell the truth once more before I just kill you.” Techno threatened him, pointing his axe at Dreams' throat.
Dream forced a weak smile, lowering his hands just a little. “I swear, Techno… I don’t know what’s going on. I just—I woke up here. Things are… off.”
Techno didn’t move, didn’t relax. The sunlight glinted off the edge of his axe as he shifted it on his shoulder. His eyes stayed locked on Dream like he was reading him, weighing every word, every twitch.
“You expect me to believe that?” Techno finally said, his voice flat.
“You, the guy who always has a plan, suddenly doesn’t know what’s going on? Sounds like a setup.”
Dream shook his head quickly. “No, no—this isn’t one of my plans. Look, I know how it sounds. But I don’t think I’m… him. Not exactly.”
That made Techno raise a brow. “Not him?”
“If you’re not my Dream, then I need to know who you are.”
Dream’s chest tightened. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Techno took a single step closer.
“So talk fast, before I decide you’re not worth the trouble.”
Dream bit the inside of his cheek. How the hell was he supposed to explain this? That he wasn’t the c!Dream that Techno knew, but just Clay who just so happened to play the teletubby and got thrown into this blocky nightmare version of reality? That he wasn’t the mastermind villain, just… a guy… a smart, cool, pog guy good at roleplaying and playing minecraft.
“Let’s just say,” Dream started carefully,
"I'm from another…world and I don’t know if I’m supposed to be in prison right now, or if the wars already happened, or–”
“Well basically I kno– uhm I think I know what's supposed to have happened in this world and I'm not sure how much of my knowledge is accurate! Like maybe I'm completely wrong about everything! But I know of a world that looks the same as this one–” He stopped himself, realizing he was rambling.
Techno’s grip on the axe didn’t falter. His expression stayed neutral, but his eyes were sharp, calculating, like he was running numbers in his head.
“…From another world.” Techno repeated flatly, tone almost mocking.
“You hear yourself right now? That’s not exactly convincing testimony, chief.”
Dream’s throat tightened. “I know it sounds insane—”
“Insane would be an understatement.” Techno cut in. His voice wasn’t raised, but it carried the kind of weight that made Dream’s knees want to buckle.
“You’re standing here, alive, healthy, no scars, no prison damage, no nothing. Either you’re lying through your teeth, or you’re something else entirely. And I don’t exactly take kindly to unknown variables.”
Dream’s mouth went dry. “…So what, you’re just gonna kill me?”
Techno tilted his head slightly, considering. “That depends. I don’t waste time killing people without reason. If you’re my Dream, then you’re a traitor and a manipulator. If you’re not my Dream, then you’re an imposter with his face. Either way, not exactly a good look.”
He raised the axe a little higher. Dream took a shaky step back.
“Wait! Just—just think about it. If I was the Dream you know, I’d already be trying to manipulate you, right? I’d have some grand plan, some scheme.” His voice cracked slightly. “I don’t. I woke up in a forest freaking out over torches on the ground, Techno. That’s not some master plan, that’s me losing my mind!”
Techno didn’t move, but something in his eyes shifted. Not trust, but interest. “Alright. Let’s entertain this little theory of yours for a moment.” He lowered the axe only slightly. “If you’re really from some… other world where you somehow know this world, then prove it. Tell me something only you would know about me.”
Dream froze. His brain short-circuited. What the hell was he supposed to say—“Hey, in my world you’re a YouTuber who makes potato jokes”? Yeah, that wouldn’t go well.
He swallowed hard.
“I know… about the voices.”
For the first time, Techno actually tensed. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
Dream immediately regretted opening his mouth, but there was no going back now. “The voices. The ones in your head. I know about them because I watched you talk about them. They’re… real, right? They tell you things, push you to kill.”
Techno’s face was unreadable, but his silence was worse than yelling. His axe gleamed in the light as he adjusted his grip.
Dream’s heart pounded. “I’m not trying to use it against you– I swear. I’m just saying I know things I shouldn’t know. Because where I come from, this– this world– it’s a story. A server. A game. And now I’m here. And I don’t know why.”
The silence dragged. Techno’s expression stayed stone-cold, but there was a tension in the air that made it hard to breathe. Finally, he spoke.
“…If you’re lying, this is the worst lie I’ve ever heard.” His voice was low, quiet, and dangerous. “And if you’re telling the truth, then you’re even more dangerous than the Dream I know. Because you’re unpredictable.”
Dream’s knees almost gave out. “Well I wouldn't really say dangerous…” he nervously tried to not make Techno view him as a threat because that would not bode well for him.
“So what happens now?” He asked in a calmer tone.
“I’ll bring you to my house because I don't want your inevitable death on my conscience”
Techno finally lowered the axe, resting it on his shoulder again. He didn’t relax, his posture was still tense, guarded but he wasn’t about to cleave Dream in half.
Yet…
“Now,” Techno said slowly, “we figure out how to get you back. But don’t think for a second that means I trust you.” His eyes narrowed. “One wrong move, and I’ll send you back to respawn myself.”
Dream forced out a shaky laugh that wasn’t funny at all. “Respawn. Right. Yeah. Totally comforting. Wait… CAN YOU DIE MULTIPLE TIMES??”
Techno just stared at him. Unblinking. “Uhhhhhh yeah? Is that not a thing in your world?”
“NO?!” Dream answered, absolutely baffled. When he finally accepted that he was in another universe he discovers that the world building is also lore accurate.
Wait… do laws of physics not apply in this world…?
“I can see that you've come to a realisation of some sort that I'm sure won't surprise me. But I would like to be at home when u tell me so lets get a move on yeah?”
Having said that, Techno turned towards the portal and walked through. Dream was now fully freaking out and hesitated to walk into it as well once the realisation that he has to go into the Nether to get to Technos cabin settled.
He walks into the portal…