"How much further, Techno?" Tommy whined, shifting his wings in an irritated way under his new cape.

"Not much further," Techno said, leading us.

We had been walking for almost ten minutes through underground tunnels below L'manberg and presumably the Dream lands as well. Torches lined the walls, and water ran down the center of the stone walkways.

Surprisingly, the water was clear and not dirty as I expected it to be. It ran as a small trickle, the only sound besides our footsteps and Tommy's complaining.

It was chillier down here, but the light still thrummed through my body, keeping me warm. It was wary of our surroundings and meshed with my other magic to wash out in the area, searching for threats.

As Tommy was opening his mouth to complain again, Techno abruptly stopped, making us almost crash into his back. He walked into a dark alcove and disappeared from our sight.

Tommy and I glanced at each other and followed Techno into the darkness. My hand traced the rough stone walls to make sure I wouldn't trip, and I strained my ears for Techno's footsteps.

We rounded a corner with light spilling out from the room at the end of it. The faint scent of hay wound its way into my nose, followed by the sound of Techno laughing and dogs barking.

I sped my steps up and entered the room, stopping just inside the entrance. A smile wove its way onto my face at the sight of Techno standing with a ton of dogs trying to knock him over.

All of them were grey and white with furry pelts and piercing eyes. When Tommy and I stepped into the room, all of their heads snapped to us, blue and gold eyes finding my own.

They all stopped jumping on Techno and rushed to us, taking Tommy and I clean off our feet. We landed on our backs with wolves pushing onto our laps to lick our faces and sniff our hands.

I laughed till my stomach hurt as wolves yapped and shoved their wet noses into my face. Tommy was laughing as well, struggling as much as I was to get up.

A whistle pierced the air and the wolves backed off a bit with their ears pricked. They sat down with some looking back at Techno and others staring at us curiously.

I wiped the drool off my hands and looked up at Techno with a smile. "Why in the hell do you have so many dogs?"

He kneeled down to pet one, his cape stirring the straw that was thrown on the ground. "They're going to help us in fighting." He flashed me a mischievous smile. "They're my secret Hound Army."

I pushed myself into a better sitting position and looked around at the dogs. There had to be at least thirty full-grown wolves in the stone room. There was plenty of water and food towards the back for them, with straw beds.

"You trained them with whistles?" I asked.

"Yeah, I got the idea from someone," He said, hinting at my own wolf.

I smiled and looked down when something soft brushed the palm in my lap.

A wolf pup had wandered into my lap, her striking blue eyes staring up at me playfully. Her pink tongue contrasted greatly against her pure black fur.

I pulled her into my arms and ran my hand down her back, to which she barked happily at me. "And who's this?"

"Oh, that's the runt. She won't be fighting with us. I don't want her getting hurt because she's too young and small," Techno said, handing out some treats to the wolves.

There were no other wolves with the color of the pup. She came out as the runt and was totally different from the rest.

I peered into her blue eyes, and she reached for my face. She placed a sloppy kiss on my nose with her tongue, making me cringe and laugh.

Techno had his back half-turned when he said, "You could keep her if you want. If Ghost likes her-"

"Really?" I said, excitement bubbling inside of me. I wasn't worried about Ghost disliking the pup, not when he could make friends with horses and cats.

"Sure, why not. But puppies are a lot of work," He said, giving me a pointed look.

"I know. Don't forget I've raised a wolf myself." I looked back down at the puppy. "What should I name you?"

Tommy scooted closer to me, his hand never leaving a grey wolf's head. He looked at the pup, contemplating.

A proud smile found his face. "What about Big Woman?"

I burst out laughing and Techno snorted from where he was restocking their food.

"What?! That's a good name!" Tommy half-yelled defensively.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "I don't think so, Tommy. I want a proper name for her."

"How about Nyx?" Techno suggested, watching the three of us. "She was the Greek goddess of night."

The name was perfect for the jet-black wolf. Her pelt resembled the night sky on nights when there were no stars and seeing was hard.

"Nyx it is," I said, ruffling her head. She barked at the name, licking my face once more.

-

Once Techno was done taking care of the wolves, we set back into the tunnels. The wolves would be left there until they were needed.

Until we went to war with L'manberg, I thought to myself.

My feelings were still mixed with the nation, even more now after they exiled a founding member. And I still believed that the government was just hurting everyone.

I shook the swirling thoughts from my head and refocused my eyes.

Nyx walked happily ahead with her nose pointed to the ground, sniffing at every little thing, and her tail wagging. She stopped once to peer at herself in the water until Techno whistled softly for her to come.

Watching as she trotted next to Tommy, who kept kicking a rock ahead for her to chase, I smiled.

We came to a ladder at the end of a tunnel, where I scooped Nyx into my arms and carried her to the surface. The ladder brought us back up into the world, next to Eret's castle in a cluster of trees.

I could see the Nether portal off in the distance, our way back home. We walked through the deserted Community House with our senses on high alert and our hands on our swords.

Nyx squirmed in my arms so I set her down, letting her run ahead with Tommy. Techno and I trailed a bit behind, checking over our shoulders every now and then.

"I think Tommy may try to steal Nyx," I said, smiling at the two chase after each other like little kids.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did," Techno hummed, a smile gracing his lips. "He is a bit of a thief."

Nyx struggled to climb the stairs behind Tommy but bumped into the back of his legs when the teen froze at the top. Techno and I looked at each other, quickly climbing after Tommy.

What I saw, made my heart stop.

Dream stood in front of the Nether portal, seeming to have come out of nowhere. His netherite armor sparkled in the autumn sun, also glinting off his ax.

But what drew my eyes was his mask, which covered everything except his mouth. The split down the middle had fully turned red after my encounter with him.

And for a second, I swore I saw droplets of gold splattered on the mask, but when I blinked they weren't there.

Techno and I came up next to Tommy, my shoulder brushing the teen. He gripped a golden apple in one hand with his other on his sword hilt.

I quickly picked Nyx up, tucking her safely into my arms and pulling my sword from its sheath. She stayed calm in my arms thankfully, probably sensing the tension in the air.

Techno's smile had disappeared with my own, a calm mask slipping onto his face. He casually held his sword's grip but kept it in the sheath.

"Well, hello," Dream said, sauntering towards us with an evil smile.

Something about how casually he walked made my fear quickly turn into anger. It raged through me, snapping to get free like a caged animal.

The memory of last night flashed through my mind, but I shoved it away as fast as I could, along with the anger.

If I let the anger out, nothing would stop me from running at the man with my sword raised.

And as much as I wanted to destroy the thing that had killed Noemi, I couldn't.

If I killed Dream, I would lose the one fighting to get back to me. The darkness would take Dream's body and soul down with it.

So I gulped and took a deep breath, tensing my muscles. I let my instincts and magic kick in, calming my anger and nerves.

Dream stopped a little in front of us, just at the top of the next step. Now that he was closer, I could see how his mask was dirtier and more cracked than before.

Tommy quivered once next to me, his knuckles turning white on his sword hilt.

"If I remember correctly," Dream said, the smile disappearing into seriousness. "You aren't supposed to be here, Tommy."

Tommy took a small step back, closing in tighter to me. I could feel the fear and unease pouring out of him in waves.

Dream continued, "I got one of your discs back."

This made the teen freeze again. "What?" He let out quietly in disbelief.

"I got it from Skeppy."

Tommy unclenched his sword and his hand wandered to clutch the compass around his neck. He whispered to himself, "Tubbo has the other..."

He said in a louder voice, facing the masked man, "You screwed me over, Dream. You manipulated me!"

Dream scoffed, almost looking bored. "Tommy, I was the only one who visited you. I was the only one that was your friend."

I sneered at Dream, unable to hold my tongue, "You lying son of a bitch. We couldn't visit him because when we tried, you almost killed us." My words darkened at the end.

His jaw clenched and unclenched. I touched a nerve with the Nether incident.

He turned back to Tommy, ignoring me. "You betrayed me. You came here, after knowing you can't be here, you left..."

Each thing he listed made Tommy more and more unsure. His face twisted into confusion as his thoughts clashed with Dream's firm grip on his mind.

"And now you're here, causing problems," Dream continued. "As far as I heard, you had a hostage!"

Now that surprised me. The hostage was probably a part of Techno's plan to get his weapons back, but I would have to ask later.

If we got out of here.

"It was to get back my discs, to put an end to all of this," Tommy said, taking a defiant step forward again.

"Y/n's right. You were the only one to visit me because you threatened them and we're the only ones that go against you!" Tommy shouted, gesturing to me.

I felt a tiny crumb of my old confidence return, stamping the nerves completely. "I think you're scared of us, Dream. I think that's what Tommy's exile was about."

My words struck home, pulling his lips into a thin line. I could tell the darkness was becoming angrier by the minute.

And my words only made it worse.

I saw pride in Techno's eyes as he looked at the two of us. A fierceness was in his stance, ready to attack if needed.

Dream marched towards us, almost close enough to touch us. Calm fury was pouring out of him, agitating my magic and the snapped bond between us.

My sword hilt and the emerald around my neck began to grow warmer against my skin from the magic and nearness of darkness. Both were infused with power and magic, and both knew to be wary.

"Listen, you're going to come with me," Dream said in an angry voice, looking between Tommy and I. "Or I'm going to burn your disc."

The rage I had shoved down snapped the leash and broke free. Fire erupted instinctively around my sword, almost touching my hand with the navy flames.

Tommy on the other hand, became fearful again, his defiance disappearing. He glanced nervously at me and practically dove into my side when I opened my arm for him.

I kept my arm protectively around him as he took Nyx from my arms, sheltering her. I wouldn't let Dream take Tommy anywhere.

But, I didn't have to do anything because Techno stepped in front of us with his sword out of its sheath.

"Well, that's going to be a bit of a problem, Dream, because they're with me."

Tommy's face flashed from fear to disbelief to excitement. He stood a bit straighter, peeking out over Techno's shoulder to see Dream's annoyance.

More of my old confidence came rushing back like an old friend. My magic welcomed it with ease and actually grew off of it, making my flames brighter.

I smirked as Dream hummed in annoyance, contemplating his options.

He could either try to fight Techno, which would be hard considering they were both very skilled fighters. Then he would have to get through me before he got to Tommy.

Or he could do what he did next. Try to talk his way out.

"Are you sure, Techno?"

"I am sure," Techno said without hesitance. "Unless of course, you want to call in that favor?"

Tommy's face dropped slightly, but I stayed confident.

Techno was in debt to Dream after he saved him from the execution and saved Carl. But I believed that Techno wouldn't cash in the favor without a plan up his sleeve.

Dream contemplated for a second, staring at us. "I think I'll keep it."

He began to walk off, past Techno's shoulder, with us watching every one of his moves. I didn't trust him for one second.

"You're free," He said darkly and disappeared down the steps. "For now."

-

"I haven't shown anyone this, not even Phil," Techno said, leading us through the snow.

After leaving the Dream lands, we had quickly made our way through the Nether and back home. Nyx stayed quiet in Tommy's arms until we got back into the real world.

Surprisingly, some part of me felt better after talking to Dream.

Now, Techno was taking Tommy and I somewhere. The sun was beginning to set and the only light was the torch Techno was carrying, glinting off the snow.

We came around the back of a mountain, with a flat wall made of stone and dirt. Techno walked ahead of us, coming up to a spot where he brushed some dirt out of the way.

"You see, I've been working on just a little hobby," He smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Just a little hobby."

Tommy and I glanced nervously at each other, stopping in front of the wall. Nyx snuggled into my arms, savoring the warmth from my body and cape.

A button appeared from underneath the dirt, Techno's gloved hand pressing it. Pistons and redstone could be heard from underground, working furiously.

That's when the wall began to drop as a doorway.

And my jaw dropped with it, followed by Tommy's scream.

More than a hundred wither skulls were tacked to the stone brick walls, with two soul sand bodies waiting at the back. Each black skull was open in a silent scream, staring dead ahead.

Techno stood in front of it, his eyes alive with power and his arms spread wide. I gaped at him, wondering how in the world he got all this.

A spark of power ran through me, making my magic jump. Maybe we could win against the L'manberg government.

Maybe we could get rid of one of the roots of our problems.

"Welcome home, Theseus!"

~~~~

well I had a lot to fit in this chapter

and btw, when I said I have another to write in like foolish, hannah is not correct lolll

anywaysss love you guys and hope you have a wonderful day! Stay healthy and safe!

IM SORRY MY UPLOAD SCHEDULE IS MESSED UP IM ON BREAK