I will control you-

My hand flew to my head as I woke up, my heart racing from the strange words that had circled the dark pools of my nightmare.

There was no visual image of the nightmare that I could remember, just that it had been cold and dark to the point where I couldn't see anything. Something had floated around me, whispering things I couldn't decipher.

Except for the last words, until they were cut off by a warm burst of light and I was pulled from my sleep.

Nightmares like that had been happening more frequently, ever since Wilbur had built those black and yellow walls to revolt against the peaceful leadership that Dream and his team, including me, led.

But I had shoved the strange dreams aside since the efforts of the approaching war had drawn so much of my attention.

L'manberg had yet to declare war, and Dream was giving them a couple of days to decide what to do with themselves. But if white flags weren't raised soon, Dream would make the first move.

My heart rate slowed and my head leveled out, allowing my eyes to return to their focus on my surroundings.

I summoned a small furl of fire in my hand, my powers awakening with my call. They had been sent reeling from the strange nightmare, but now they returned with glee.

The magic pulsed through my bones as I stood, stretching my stiff muscles from laying on the cold ground all night with nothing but a thin bedroll to soften my spot. It eased with warmth into my limbs, trying to comfort me.

I had to admit my bedroll was probably more comfortable than the others, thanks to the soft grass I grew underneath with my earth powers.

The sides of the tan canopy tent I was sleeping in came alive around me with light as I stood and quickly dressed with a navy hoodie, simple pants, and black boots. Last to go on was my belt, a netherite sword in the sheath.

I let the fire in my palm go out, plunging me back into darkness.

Crack!

I stopped moving, holding my breath to listen. Thanks to my unnatural powers, I could hear and see better than the average person.

There was some shuffling outside, a good distance from my tent. Snow crunched quietly, now noticeable after I started listening once I heard a twig snap.

I quickly pulled up my hood, to hide my features and shield my face from the cruel weather beyond the flap of my tent.

Outside, snow broke under my boots, my feet completely disappearing in thickness. Winter was unforgiving in certain parts of these lands, making war difficult and tiring if fought outside the warm bubble of the Dream lands.

The territory of the Dream lands ended just before this small camp on the Eastern side of the Community House, far away from the bustle and chatter of people.

I stepped around the makeshift campfire in the center of the circle of dark tents, stopping just outside their line. My eyes shifted over the dark oak woods that surrounded our camp, keeping my back to the plains on the other side.

Everything was silent now, even the leaves seemed to be holding their breaths. The clear sky and bustles of stars watched quietly above, moonlight shining down on my hooded head.

"Okay Dream, stop messing around," I called out into the night amusingly, waiting for a response.

Dream had always been one to play tricks on me, Sapnap, and George with his stealthiness and unnaturally quiet feet. He was the only one I would expect to be out this late, trying to scare me.

But no response came.

I scrunched my brows together and walked over to Dream's tent, which lay still and steady. I expected it to be empty, but when I pulled the flap back, Dream was asleep on his bedroll with his smiley face mask on the side of his dirty-blonde head.

He shifted in his sleep and I quickly dropped the flap to walk away. He always had been an extremely light sleeper, if he even did sleep in the first place.

Trudging through the deep snow, I moved as quietly as I could towards the dark oak tree that the noise had come from. When I strained my ears, I could faintly hear someone's muffled breathing.

Fire sparked in my hand, embers dripping onto the ground and melting the snow. I raised it toward the lively tree, trying to convince myself to burn it to get to the person.

Ultimately, the fire went out. There was no way I could destroy the tree, not when I was connected to it through one of the four powers I had: earth, wind, fire, and water.

So I pulled my sword free from its sheath and ran through the snow with heavy footsteps towards the tree. As I turned the corner, someone in all black lunged.

Hands were shoved into my shoulders and both of us fell to the ground, the powder of snow catching our fall. The person moved instantly to try and pry the sword from my grip.

I swiftly kicked out with my leg, sending them flying backward. I stood, fury burning in my eyes.

This person was stronger, more than enough to tell me that it wasn't any of the L'manbergians trying to attack by surprise. Wilbur, their leader, and Tommy, his younger brother, were tall, but not this strong.

With a swipe of my hand, ice formed under the person's feet, causing them to slip backward with a yelp. The ice cracked in places as I summoned dark and gnarled roots to twist out of the ground and around the person's wrists.

But they didn't struggle for some odd reason.

Instead, when I neared, they shook their head to make the black hood fall back off of their head to reveal a man with a sheepish smile quirked under his tundra blue eyes and electric blonde hair.

I gasped, instantly making the roots recede back into the cracked ground. "Punz?"

A look of surprise had settled in his eyes as he stood and brushed himself off. "Nice kick, it got me right in the stomach. But I should've known you heard my approach, you always do with your wacky senses."

I rolled my eyes, a smile creeping up on my face. "Why are you here?"

His smile slipped away as he said, "Where's Dream? I have a message from L'manberg that I need to relay. They want war."

-

Dream pov

Thud!

Sapnap slammed his fist onto the barrel that was being used as a makeshift table, sending innocent pencils and arrows flying to the ground. The sound echoed through the quiet tent they called the meeting room.

George jumped, his closed eyes fluttering open with heavy lids full of sleep. Unlike the rest of them, he was always tired and took a while to fully come to his senses after being woken.

Tonight after being shaken awake in the dead of night when the moon was at its peak was no different, even if he should be awake to hear the message Punz had for them.

Anger was seething out of Sapnap despite the early hour. His voice was rough, "'We don't surrender?," He repeated the message again. "How stupid could they be? They lack in strength and they know what they're going up against."

Sapnap's eyes flickered off of Dream to y/n for a second, where she was leaning back in her stool at the table.

Dream's eyes did the same, landing on her as she studied the map on the table that he had just been looking at.

He had been woken up by her just a few minutes prior with Punz trailing behind her, ice clumped to his black boots. In his hand was a paper message, Wilbur's familiar scrawl sending a thrill through his heart.

The revolution between the criminal nation had been inevitable, even without Dream's hand to guide a surrender. All he wanted was for the lands he and his friends had built to stay peaceful.

But something whispered in Dream for him to tear down this nation. It would feed him power and protect the future of his lands.

He ignored it, pushing it to the back of his mind. Now wasn't the time for something to lure him into a pitfall of greed and power-driven mistakes.

He wasn't like that.

Dream refocused his eyes, drumming his fingers absentmindedly on the mask strapped to the side of his head. He said, "It was idiotic of them to reject the offer of surrender. Wilbur should be smart enough to know how powerful we are."

He wasn't just talking about his own skill with weapons and a sharp mind, no, he was talking about y/n.

Her supernatural powers of the elements added a considerable amount of strength to their efforts. She was quicker and faster than all of them, thanks to her quick thinking and magic-toned body.

She was breathing power, not just because of her strange supernatural powers, but because she was also determined.

Just as much as he was.

"I say we crush them," Dream continued. "They have no right to threaten our lands and our peace. We leave at dawn tomorrow."

Sapnap and George fist-bumped, a thrill shooting through the room. Punz was dragged after the two as they exited to prep for the advancing war.

Dream stood to exit, bundling a stack of maps in his arms. The parchment crinkled in his lime hoodie-covered arms, the smell of ink wafting around him.

"Could we keep the death count little to none?" Y/n asked, making him turn to where she had moved out her seat. "I know we can win, but I'd prefer not to lose my friends over there."

The light that shone from her wrapped around his heart, making him smile. Somehow, after two years of friendship and laughter, she had caught his heart in a sweep of her rays.

Even with her damn scary powers, she was kind and gentle underneath. The confidence and powers were a part of her, but so was the happy sunlight of her soul.

Dream shook off his feelings, forcing his thoughts to return to war tactics and discs. "We'll try, but I can't promise anything."

Content with his response, she smiled in return and moved to walk past him.

He grabbed her wrist with his free hand as she passed, saying, "But stay safe, please."

Her warm smile turned to a mischievous one and she mocked, "No promises."

Then she was gone, out of the broad tent and almost into her own tent.

Without her presence, the routine whispers flooded his mind, pushing for an evil entity to take over.

Dream just scoffed at them, shaking his head, and followed after her.

~~~~

ooooh first chapter things lol

this is the re-written version of this chapter lol, so if ur rereading, that's why it's different :)