The darkness dissolved into reality, my feet landing on the hard ground once more with Foolish's arm still holding me up. Echoes of pain rang through my body, my breathing labored.

I looked around, seeing sand, sand, and more sand. The desert biome stretched as far as I could see and even further than that.

We were in the middle of nowhere.

But in front of us, was architecture that I had never seen before. It looked like it had come straight out of an Egyptian history book.

A large entrance, with two glowstone symbols glowing brightly in the coming of dawn, was the frame of a massive temple inside of it. What I recognized as a Pharaoh, stared at me through the entrance.

The size of the place rivaled the prison, in height and width. I felt tiny compared to the buildings.

Foolish, who was still clinging to me, led me over to a sandstone ledge. My knees gave out underneath me from previous pain as I took a seat.

Whatever DreamXD had done to me had left its mark. My muscles were slowly unclenching and my racing heart was trying to ease into an easy rhythm.

My head cleared of the hazy fog as several silent seconds passed and I noticed Foolish studying me with his unnatural jewel-like eyes. They glittered in the glowstone light on the floor.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice a bit wobbly. He had randomly shown up in the god world and had saved me, but I still had no idea who he was.

He had his arms crossed, golden bracers clinking against each other over his tan, sculpted skin. Now that I paid attention, he looked as he himself had crawled out of Ancient Egypt with his golden armor and necklaces.

But there was a god-like air around him. It nagged at the goddess part of myself.

"I guess I should probably properly introduce myself before asking what just happened back there." He held out his hand. "I'm Foolish, the Totem God."

Well, that's why I felt a connection to him.

I tentatively shook his hand, quickly dropping my arm after. My mind was swimming with millions of questions, but I settled on one for now.

"Are you the god form of a totem of undying?"

He chuckled, amusement sparkling in his ancient eyes. "Technically, yes. I'm a god but I'm not in a human form like you are. I have control over death, in a way like the Grim Reaper."

"But you aren't actually Death?"

"No, I can just control people's immortality, and like you, summon lightning," He responded simply.

I crossed my own arms, becoming skeptical. "How do you know so much about me? I've never seen you before, here or in the god world."

He smiled, a far-off look pooling in his eyes. It was like he was focusing on a distant memory of the past.

"I was very good friends with your mother. I watched as you grew up, and of course, I was there when we sent you into this world to save us all."

He knew Noemi.

Ice pierced my lungs, a swift blow to my heart. How had so many people met me when I couldn't even remember them?

Foolish continued, "So, we've met before, but you can't remember. I'll have to tell you about it all another day. For now, tell me what you were doing with my brother."

I shrugged off the blooming heartache, my mind slowly returning to the memories of the past hour. Shock had settled in my bones, and what had just happened in the Inbetween didn't even register.

"First off, who's your brother?" I asked. "And second of all, we have to go back there. Right now."

"DreamXD is my brother, but I've cut him off," He said first, confusion spreading across his stone features. "Why do you want to go back? My brother would've tortured you until he broke you."

The family relations of the gods only confused me more. A family tree would've been very helpful at this moment.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. "What I saw in there confirmed my thoughts. Ranboo, my friend, is being controlled and Dream is still fighting. DreamXD is using him to take over this world."

A dark look passed over Foolish, his lips pulling into a line. "So it is true? DreamXD is a dark god?"

I nodded. "And he's using my friends. We have to go back up there to save Dream."

"We can't."

I shot to my feet, anger quickly taking over. I didn't care if DreamXD would destroy me, Dream was still in there fighting, trying to come back to me and our friends.

My boots slapped against the sandstone stairs with heavy steps. Even if Foolish was almost twice my height, I stared him down with a hard look.

"The man I love is back up there." I gestured wildly at the air. "I'm not going to just abandon him with that Dreamon. I've grieved for Dream because I thought he had died to greed, but he's still up there, alive."

I swallowed the salty tears in my throat. "Noemi said I can save him, and I will even if it means ruining myself. I will bring this world down around me if I have to."

Foolish placed his heavy hands on my shoulders, understanding in his gaze. "Y/n, the time isn't right. Trust me, I know you could bring down the world but you have to wait until his eyes are totally dark."

"But when will that be? I've been waiting for long enough, and my friends and I have gone through so much. We can't wait much longer before one of us breaks."

First, Sapnap, George, and I lost Dream. Next, it was Tommy's exile and his breaking friendship with Tubbo. Who would be next?

"Soon, sooner than you think. But if you try to free him now, you'll lose yourself and DreamXD will just keep on his path to blotting the world out with his darkness."

I was quickly becoming frustrated with this waiting game, and even my magic was restless. It wanted to free Dream just as much as I did.

But a little voice in my head, that sounded awfully like Noemi, told me that Foolish was right.

My effort to free Dream too early would be wasted, potentially ending my life and letting the darkness take control of the world.

I sighed, letting the frustration out with it. Noemi told me I was chosen for a reason and that I was strong enough to save all of us, so I would prove her right.

"There's nothing I can do for Dream until then?" He shook his head no. "What about Ranboo?"

Foolish placed a hand to his chin, only developing his ancient look. "Ranboo isn't like Dream where my brother is using him as a vessel. Ranboo is being used as another set of eyes and hands."

"Does DreamXD have a weakness? All higher powers have to have one."

"It's your magic. Combined, it could kill him. But there's no way to drive him out of Ranboo's head with your magic without hurting Ranboo." He paused, hesitating.

"Is there something else that could happen?"

He looked at me for a long second, contemplating. A grave expression appeared on his face and my heart sunk.

"When you combine the magic to kill DreamXD, there's a small chance it could backfire."

My eyes widened and a chill snaked up my spine. "How?"

"The magic could be sent back into your system, overloading the human part of yourself. If it doesn't kill you, your magic would be weak enough that it would leave you defenseless against DreamXD."

I closed my eyes, his words racing through my ears and right into my heart. I had known there was a catch to fighting DreamXD, but it still didn't feel nice to hear.

Yet despite the sliver of fear I felt, determination and a feeling of power overwhelmed it.

My very being was meant to fight the darkness and DreamXD. I had trained for years with my magic for a goal I had no idea about until a few weeks ago.

So I lifted my chin and opened my eyes. If there was a chance at saving my friends from the darkness, even if I could die, I would take it.

"Okay. I can work with that. You said it will be happening soon, what about until then?"

Now, he turned to face the temple inside the entrance. Its yellow structure was bathed in shadows as the sun rose, sending light cascading over the walls of the entrance.

"I will remain here, at the Temple of Undying. There isn't much I can do to help at the moment. My brother will be looking for me, and you as well. There's no going back after this."

I nodded, the words settling with understanding. Everything was at stake, resting on my shoulders.

I wasn't going to hide anymore.

"When I send you back to Ranboo's house, you will go back to your home. Tomorrow is the day that everything will begin to change with a festival." His words sounded like some sort of prophecy.

But I wouldn't throw the idea of a prophecy out the window. The idea that I was destined for this didn't sound so crazy anymore.

"Thanks, Foolish. For saving me and for .. telling me about all this." I smiled weakly at him, a bittersweet feeling following it. "I guess this is the last normal day I have left."

He smiled back at me. "Don't worry, y/n. This won't be the last. Because you're going to defeat DreamXD."

A small tendril of hope rose in me like smoke. If I had the good gods' hope in me, maybe I did stand a chance against an overpowered god.

"Yeah, I'm going to beat your brother's ass."

He laughed a bright sound, making my smile broaden. "I sure hope you do. This world is so much better with light instead of darkness."

A sense of sleep washed over me, the edges of my vision darkening. My sleeping body back at Ranboo's house was stirring, beginning to waken with the early morning.

As the world was fading, Foolish saluted me. "Even with the coming changes, don't forget those who are your family. They will always come back to you."

My extremely heavy arm saluted him back and I fell backward into sleep.

-

The feeling of soft sheets and a fluffy body arose under my tingling fingertips, my mind snapping back into this body. A slight taste of nausea rose in my throat from the strange teleporting I just did.

I opened my eyes, groggily taking in the quiet room of Ranboo's house.

Patches was still curled up at my side, purring soundly as she slept. Rain quietly pattered against the windows, blurring the outside into a mix of warm colors and grey skies.

Ranboo was gone, but there was a small yellow sticky note pressed to the windowsill.

Y/n, I had to go plan something with the L'manberg government. Something big is happening tomorrow, so hopefully, I will see you then.

-Ranboo

I peeled the note off the wall and shoved it into my hoodie pocket, standing up from the bed. Patches woke up, staring at me with surprise and question.

"C'mon, sweet girl, I'm taking you home," I murmured, picking up the feline. She nestled into my crossed arms, already falling back asleep.

I wrapped my cloak around myself, covering Patches, and pulled the hood over my head. Rain dripped onto my head as I stepped out of the house and headed towards the community Nether Portal.

There was a purpose in my steps and posture now. Even if everything was practically falling apart around me, something felt at ease inside of me.

I had a reason now. I had seen Dream stuck in his own mind, and I had seen who the puppet master was.

I could put a face to all the problems of the past and those of the present.

The Egg, Schlatt's madness, Manberg, and Ranboo's strange enderwalking.

DreamXD was the man behind the mask, the ones pulling all the invisible strings to orchestrate the whispers, and what he hoped was my descent.

But, even with the whispers and invisible threads, I wouldn't fall. The world kept spinning, but I was moving now.

And I was moving towards DreamXD with murder on my mind.

-

I slammed the sticky note on the table in Tommy and I's house, startling Patches where she now laid in front of the blazing fire. Snow was falling in thick clumps outside in the afternoon light.

Tommy and Techno's eyes roved over Ranboo's words with curiosity. I was back in my Antarctic outfit, the two males matching me.

I crossed my arms, smirking at them when they finished reading.

"They're planning a festival. To execute Dream."

Tommy's blue eyes widened, and Techno just stared at me. None of us had good experiences with festivals in the past, but we would have to face those memories.

"I guess we're attending a festival, boys."

~~~~

let the green festival commence >:)

okay look I know this chapter may have been confusing, so drop ur questions in the comments and ill answer the best I can without spoiling. i used this chapter to set out some key facts and to gear towards the ending.

it hurt my head to write this so I hope it wasn't too confusing to read lol

love u all and hope you have a wonderful day or night. make sure to get some water and sleep :)

Also, enjoy the first chapter parallels muhahah

pssst this chapter was shorter for a reason >:) see you all tomorrow