I groaned, opening my eyes. For a moment, there was no pain, but then it shot through me faster than I was ready for. I didn't have the strength to scream, by body coiling against the pain. I felt someone shift under me, their arms supporting me to stop my flinch.

My eyes filled with tears, falling onto gray and white fur. I stared up at the sky, watching as gray clouds moved in from the horizon. Maybe lightning would come strike me down and I wouldn't have to feel the pain anymore.

I felt myself rising and falling slightly, the sound of beating hooves faintly echoing through my head. I had my head resting against the white shirt of someone's shoulder. I then realized I couldn't move my limbs, as they were wrapped in a red cloak.

My exhausted body shook as shivers raced up and down me. I closed my eyes, sinking down into my mind. I felt a hand pressed to my forehead for a moment to check my temperature, a deep monotone voice calling my name.

I ignored the person, no longer being able to open my eyes. For a second time, I gave in to the beckoning call of sleep.

-

Technoblade pov

Techno jumped off Ash as gracefully as he could, while trying to race towards the door. He could feel the blood from her side beginning to soak through his cloak onto his white shirt. The stickiness of it was agitating the voices, calling for more.

He gritted his teeth, trying to shake them from his head. They persisted but quieted a bit. Now was not the time to give into them, not when he could feel her getting limper.

Not taking the time to be polite, Techno crashed through the oak door of their home, stepping into a hallway. He paused for a moment, straining his pointed ears. Voices were floating through the hall from his right.

He broke into a run, making his way to the voices as fast as he could. In the room he raced into, George, Sapnap, and Karl were lounging around on couches. When he stepped through, their heads snapped to him and then their eyes traveled down to the girl in his arms.

As they ran over to him, George turned to Sapnap, "Go get Dream. Now." Sapnap ran off past him without another word, only throwing a concerned glance at y/n. He could see the tears already brimming in Karl's eyes, skimming down his face.

"Follow me," George ran past Techno, prompting him to follow. Her body began shaking more violently, causing him to strengthen his grip. The more blood that stained his shirt, the harder it became to bite back at the voices. At least the effort to get rid of the voices kept his anxiety at bay.

George led him into a room at the end of another hallway, pointing to a bed as he ran into a small room to the left. The pink-haired man gingerly placed her down, careful to not disturb the wound.

He peeled back the part of his cape that covered the wound, leaving the rest so she would stay warm. The mantel didn't seem to be helping her shivers though, her exhausted body coiling. Although her hoodie was navy, he could see the darkness that bloomed over the spot.

George came rushing back out of what he assumed to be a bathroom, clutching an armful of medical supplies. He placed them on the floor next to her, turning to the boy on Techno's left, "Karl, go get a bowl of warm water and a towel from the kitchen."

The boy nodded his head, rushing out of the room. George didn't waste time asking questions, quickly preparing to take care of her. He peeled back her sweatshirt slightly, only revealing the wound.

Whoever had done this to her was not an expert, and it showed. They had cut her below the ribs, deep enough to do severe damage but not enough to kill. Usually, one to criticize someone's sloppy job of a cut, he was thankful for once that it was not a killing blow.

But he recognized the shape of the cut, which knife had done it. For he had been the one to give the dagger to the person who had stabbed her.

The cut was a jagged line in her side, blood not slowing even after the time it had been open. George grimaced slightly but started to clean supplies to stitch. Karl came rushing back in, clutching a bowl and towel.

He placed it next to George, going deathly still when he saw the cut. His skin became as white as a ghost's, the blood draining from his face. Karl quickly turned, walking out of the room.

Techno didn't blame him, almost following him to escape the chorus of voices in his head. But he couldn't leave her, not yet.

-

Dream pov

Something in the world shifted at that moment, a silent tremor crashing down from somewhere.

Dream sensed it, pausing his walk to Manberg. He had taken the long way round to take as much time as he could before he had to see the dreadful president. He was about halfway there when he froze.

Whispers, not evil ones, rushed into his head, speaking too fast to decipher. His muscles went taut when there was a loud crash from behind him. He spun on his heel, coming face to face with a panting Sapnap.

"Sapnap, what's-"

His friend tugged on his sleeve, already beginning to run back the way he came. He spoke between breaths, "It's...y/n..."

His blood ran cold at his words, pushing his legs to go faster.

-

A blood trail was outside their front door, leading from a gray horse. He ignored the animal, following the blood into their home. It split into two directions but his instincts leading him towards their rooms.

Sapnap, although having difficulty breathing, ran right behind him. Karl was curled into a ball outside her room, sobs shaking his body. The low light of the hallway made the boy seem even smaller with his head pressed into his knees.

Dream glanced over his shoulder at his friend, the latter nodding. Sapnap slowed, kneeling down to comfort the boy. Dream knew Sapnap would take care of him, coming up to her door.

It was worse than he expected when he stepped into the room.

Techno, wearing a white shirt splattered with blood, stood stiffly in the corner. George leaned over her, gripping a towel that used to be light blue. It was now a crimson red. His focus didn't break as Dream crashed into the room.

And then, there was her.

Blood was caked to her skin, thickly seeping into her sweatshirt. Her face was paler than he had ever seen it, her brows knitted together in pain. He also saw deep bruises around her wrists, looking like manacles.

Something inside of him snapped at the sight of her broken body. He ripped his mask off, letting it fall to the floor with a clatter. He whirled on Techno, stalking up to him, "Did you do this?" His voice was rough when it rumbled out.

Techno's dark eyes snapped to him, his lips forming into a tight line, "Of course not. And before you ask, I don't know what happened." He ignored the slight hurt that showed in Techno's eyes at the thought that he would do this.

Dream clenched his fists, slowing his pace as he neared the two others. George's hands were beginning to turn pink, setting down the towel. He quickly applied gloves, picking up a needle.

He turned to Dream, "You're in my light." Somehow his voice was steady, no hint of a shake in it. Dream hesitantly took a step back, retracting his shadow that had loomed over them.

He went over to the other side of the bed, gently grabbing her hand. Her shaking body calmed slightly at his touch, but not subsiding.

For once, he let himself be vulnerable. He didn't care who was in the room, not when his heart was giving out in front of him. Silent tears rolled down his face, dropping down onto the bed.

"Hang in there, please don't leave. Not yet." His voice cracked, "I can't live without you."

-

y/n pov

I was falling. I think backward, but there was no light to know. The only reason I knew I was falling was the feeling of my hair whipping upwards. It was so dark that it wouldn't have made a difference if I had closed my eyes.

In a way, it was quite calm. No pain or emotion lingered in my body. Although, if I closed my eyes it gave me a dizzy feeling. But other than that, there was nothing.

Suddenly, I was jerked into a standing position. My head swam as I regained my balance, my equilibrium steadying. I pressed my hand to my side, the feeling of blood no longer there. In fact, there wasn't even a cut.

I turned around, a bright light appearing in the distance. I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the light. It filled the dark area I was in, humming with life.

I took several steps toward it, a sense of understanding washing over me. I knew that if I walked into the light, I would be leaving my world for good.

Huh, who knew that a little cut would do this much damage.

I felt a presence appear behind me, my head snapping backward. On instinct my hand went to my hip, searching for my sword. But I only grasped air.

The thing that now stood behind me didn't have a form, only pure darkness in the shape of a human. It sucked all the life that the light produced away, plunging me into freezing temperatures.

I shivered, "What are you?"

The thing sounded like it laughed, but a deep rumble echoed. This thing wasn't human. When it spoke, it's words were in my head, I am one of your 'dark gods'. I am your worst nightmare.

I sucked in a breath, taking a step back. I was weary of the light that still lingered behind me. I wasn't ready to step into it, not yet.

It continued in hushed whispers in my mind, Do not be afraid, I can bring you great peace. Come with me and there will be no more pain. For you, your friends, or your world.

I didn't believe it for a second. I went rigid, tensing to defend myself. I raised my chin, "You're lying. I'm not as gullible as you think."

It hissed, anger sweeping around me. Before I could react, long arms of black wrapped around me. I screamed as spikes of cold shot through me from their touch. I scratched at them but they wouldn't disappear.

They continued to wrap around me, one wrapping around my throat. I coughed, gasping for air.

As I began to lose almost all my air, the thing's arms retracted. I clutched at my throat when I fell to the ground. A warm light wrapped around me, helping me breathe.

"Stay away from her. You know the deal." A warm but firm voice called from behind me. A hand was placed on my shoulder, warmth quickly filling the places that the cold had just shot through. Behind me, Neomi stood protectively over me.

The thing hissed again while backing off into the endless shadows. Neomi's light spread towards it, making it back off. I stayed limp on the ground, savoring every breath I took.

The goddess walked around to the front of me, kneeling, "You must go back, my dear." Her amber eyes looked like honey as she spoke, "He did not mean to do this to you. The man is in great pain, he acted without thinking."

I nodded, staying quiet. She pressed a hand to my cheek, "Your friends and magic are working very hard to keep you in that world. Don't let their efforts go to waste."

She stood, taking a step back from me, "Let the stars guide your path." She disappeared, a light growing stronger around me.

I prepared myself, knowing that the pain would return when I closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I let myself be pulled back into reality.

-

Surprisingly, there wasn't much pain when I felt myself return to reality. I could feel the slight twinge of stitches in my side, stopping the previous waterfall of blood. I tried my best not to move so I wouldn't destroy the stitches.

The comforting pulse of my magic washed over me. It rushed through my bones, working to fix the wound. It didn't have to work as hard now that someone had stitched me up.

I could hear faint whispers of conversation in front of me. I turned my head slightly, the conversation quickly ending. I slowly opened my eyes, shock settling in me.

Everyone looked awful. Every person's eyes were tear lined, even Techno who had a faint gleam in his. The man's shirt was practically red from my own blood, his mantel thrown on the floor. Sapnap held Karl tightly, hugging the boy. Dream did the same with George, but I could see the shake in his legs.

They all stared at me as if they had seen a ghost. I pulled my cracked lips into a small smile, "What's with all the tears?" My voice was rough, cracking on the last word.

Karl was the first to move, practically jumping on me. He was careful of my wound, tucking his face into my neck. Hot streams of tears dripped onto neck. My own tears followed his.

Sapnap and George joined the boy, carefully wrapping their arms around me. I attempted to move my arms to hug back, but the stitches on my side tugged. When I hissed, they tensed. I tried to laugh without hurting myself, "Relax, I'm fine."

Techno's voice rumbled out from behind them, "You aren't fine, you were just bleeding out two minutes ago."

The boys parted, letting me see the pink haired man. I cracked another smile, "Hey, but I'm still here aren't I?"

He rolled his eyes, but I could see the silver lining around them. My smile fell away as I stared at the blood on his shirt. I couldn't imagine the restraint he had to have had over the voices to carry me all the way here.

I made a mental note to thank him later, drawing my eyes to Dream. He stared at me, his lips slightly parted. I had never seen him like this.

I glanced around at everyone, "How bad was it?" My voice was a little louder than a whisper.

George was probably the one who had stitched me up, being the one to speak, "The cut was deep, but luckily it didn't hit anything vital." His face paled, "You lost a lot of blood. Enough to make us think..."

He didn't need to finish for me to know. When I was laying outside Pogtopia I thought it would be too late. But by some miracle, I was alive.

George recomposed himself, "I stitched you up, but when I finished, you were muttering in your sleep. And then you began screaming." He glanced at the ground, "You wouldn't stop, even with the medicine."

I nodded, the cold faintly touching my skin again. I bit down on my shiver, "I'll explain later."

They all nodded, Dream still standing completely still. Sapnap glanced to his friend, clearing his throat, "We'll give you two a few minutes."

-

As soon as they exited, Dream came over to me, wrapping his arms around me. Before he even had finished getting comfortable, my tears had already begun to fall. He shifted so that I was comfortable without disturbing the stitches.

He had his chin resting atop my head, his tears falling onto my ears. I gripped his hand, letting the realization of what just happened hit me. It was an effort not to release it in sobs but I managed to let tears fall slowly.

His voice was shaky, whispering, "What happened?"

I shook my head slightly, a raw feeling in my throat. I wasn't ready to say it aloud. Not until I thought it over.

He shifted so he could see my face, "Do you know why you were screaming?"

I took a shaky breath, "A dark god attacked me in my sleep. It was killing me, but Neomi stepped in." I looked away before I said the last part, "I was a few feet away from leaving this world for good."

Something that I had never seen before happened following my words. Dream completely fell apart, squeezing his eyes shut. I pulled him into my uninjured side, rubbing his back while he shook with sobs. It broke me that he was feeling like this.

It was so rare for Dream to be like this that it shocked me. My tears stopped, for the moment. I bit my tongue as I moved to kiss the top of his head.

He tensed slightly as I grimaced. My voice was hushed from tears, "I'm not going anywhere, it's not my time yet."

He lifted his face towards me, his voice breaking, "I thought you were gone."

I gave him a sad smile, "You can't get rid of me that easily."

We laid in comfortable silence for a few moments, savoring each other's presence. Our tears slowed to a stop, leaving our eyes puffy. I could care less, I knew I looked like I had been revived from the dead.

"Ghost saved my life, as well as Techno." I said, staring off into space.

Dream's face had returned to normal, the only sign of crying was his wet lashes, "I'll make sure to thank them both. Ghost will get as many treats as he wants."

I smiled, closing my eyes.

~~~~~

hey we're alive lol

i thought this plot out while taking a standardized test haha

make sure to get some water and something to eat, have a lovely day!

OMG. 10K. READS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH

I never thought this would be seen by anybody, and now Im here. I love reading all your comments and replying to them. I love you all so much, you're amazing! Thank you!