A million dreams
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In which you relive your childhood trauma.
Press F to pay respect.
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-Illuxio on twitter

"Who- who are you!" The little boy in front of you pointed his sword at you. It was dark, but the campfire in front of him lit up all of his features perfectly. His blonde hair was looking orange in the faint light, and his green eyes seemed to be almost luminescent. He was wearing leather armor and had stone tools, but what caught your attention the most was his age. He seemed to be around the same age as you.

You were caught off guard. You had been all by yourself for days, and now you stood face to face with a potential friend. Maybe you didn't have to be alone anymore.

"I'm- I'm, uh. I'm (Y/n)." Your voice sounded faint, childish. You spoke your words as if he was supposed to know who you were. As if you saying your name, would make him drop his sword.

But what was crazy was, he actually did. He lowered his arm and looked at you. His eyes were suspicious, mysterious, and yet the kindest pair you've ever looked into. "How old are you?"

"9." You answered. A cold breeze made you shiver, and the boy gestured for you to take a place next to him by the fire. You gladly did so.

The boy's eyes lit up. "I'm 10!" He looked around the forest, especially behind you. "Where are your parents?"

You held out your hands for the fire to warm them up. You were a kid, and didn't have a filter - therefore you were perfectly fine with sharing your life story with a complete stranger. "They died. I'm alone."

The boy went quiet. He was looking at his chicken on a stick that he held over the fire, a distant look on his face. "Mine too."

You got surprised but didn't say anything. You just stared into the flames along with him, as the two of you remembered the families you used to have. Then your stomach decided to speak for you.

The boy beside you snapped out of his trance and laughed. "Are you hungry?"

Cheeks as red as the fire in front of you, you nodded, and the blonde handed you some of his chicken. You took it and ate it. The first bites were slow - then you practically swallowed the chicken whole. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He just smiled at you, and you smiled back at him. You had both been alone for so long, and you sought comfort in each other's eyes - getting a feeling you weren't so alone anymore. "Do you want to see my house? I build it myself. It's not too far from here."

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"No way. Are you sure I can stay here?" You asked, looking around the house in awe. It wasn't very big, and it was clumsily built. The ceiling was low and there were countless holes in the wooden walls. But it gave you a strong feeling of home - which was a feeling you had missed more than anything.

"Of course. You can stay as long as you'd like." He said in a happy voice. He was truly glad that he had stumbled upon you - now the house wouldn't be as empty anymore. He showed you around proudly, even though the house only consisted of two rooms. His bedroom, and everything else in the other.

Tiredness overwhelmed you when you saw the bed in his bedroom. You hadn't slept in forever. You sat down on the bed while the blonde boy leaned against the wall, grinning at your funny expression.

"I'm glad I met you." You mumbled, which caught the little boy off guard. "Now we can be alone together."

You laid down on his bed, ready to sleep - and he decided it would be the first and last time he took a stranger he met in the forest home to live with him. But something told him that this was the start of something good. He smiled for himself. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Alone together."

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When you opened your eyes again, you weren't in your new friend's bed anymore - you were standing up and were currently in the nether. That wasn't really a nice change of scenery. You've always hated the nether. It was way too hot and dangerous for your liking.

Your friend was in front of you, giving some pig-guy all of your gold - which you've spent hours getting. You still didn't understand why.

"Why are we doing this again?" You asked the boy, walking up beside him. "And just why do I have to wear these golden shoes? I liked my leather ones better."

He laughed. "I keep forgetting this is your first time in the nether. If you don't wear any gold, the Piglins would attack you. They have some weird obsession with gold, you see. And we're doing this to get enderpearls."

You mouthed and 'oh'. You watched as the piglin he had trapped in the ground, kept giving you everything besides what you wanted. At one point he gave your friend some arrows. Your friend handed them to you, and you rose a brow.

"You wanted to learn how to use the bow, right? You'll need some arrows for that."

"Oh... Thanks." You muttered, a see-through screen appearing in front of you as you put them in your inventory. You looked around the red and fiery scenery when your friend let out a cheer.

"Bingo! Ender pearls!" He shouted, getting up. You gave each other a high-five.

"Now let's head home." You said eagerly. "I'm sick of this place."

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As you walked, the scene suddenly shifted into a more sunny one. You found yourself on a grassy meadow, the grass being so tall it reached your belly-button.

Your hair had grown longer, and you were now wearing iron armor. Some time had definitely passed. The grassy field in front of you was empty and silent. You were walking around, searching.

"Hey! Come out already, it's not funny anymore!" You yelled loudly, continuing to look around.

You were busy looking for your friend - you were playing your favorite game, which was basically a mixture of tag and hide-and-seek. You always had a hard time finding him.

You sighed, about to give up, when someone jumped out of the grass right beside you, tackling you to the ground. You screamed in shock, your yell turning into uncontrollable laughter, as you rolled around in the grass, with your best friend on top of you.

"Got you!" He yelled happily, punching his fist in the air. "I win! You're making dinner tonight."

You switched positions with him, pinning him to the ground, tickling his stomach. "Oh, yeah?" You spoke loudly over his loud wheezes. "And what about all the rounds I've won, huh?"

He laughed, kicking you away softly. "What are you talking about, (Y/n)? I definitely won! You have the same reflexes as a sloth!"

"Take that back!" you lunged a playful fist out for him but he avoided it with ease. You then got up, standing beside the boy who had grown much taller than you - when you first met him, you had been around the same height.

"Seriously though, (Y/n). We need to work on that. A zombie could be creeping up behind you, without you even noticing."

You snorted, as you put an arm around his shoulder, beginning to walk back to your home. "And as if you would care, if I get eaten by a zombie. Then there'd be more food for you."

He hit you in the side, you letting out an 'OUCH'. "Of course I'd care! You're my family! I'd rather starve than lose you! I'd rather die than lose you!"

"You're being cheesy again."

"I'm being honest."

"Well, your honesty is cheesy."

"Your honesty is non-existent. I know you love me"

"Easy there, easy there." You shook your head in an upgiving manner. He laughed, and you walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence.

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"I did it! I'm getting the hang of this!" You suddenly cheered, a bow in your hands. It was morning, and you had apparently spent the whole night practicing your archery skills.

"Let's go, (Y/n)!" Your dear friend happily exclaimed as he ran over to the tree, you had just shot an arrow at. It had hit perfectly in the red dot that was painted on the bark. The tree was quite far away, and it was your first time hitting it from this far away, so you were pretty proud.

You rose your brow, as you saw your friend place the apple he had been eating right on top of his head, standing against the tree. "Now hit the apple!"

You lowered your bow in protest, eyes widening in shock. "What!? No! Are you crazy?"

"Come on!" He yelled. "You hit the mark, this is the same thing! I know you can do it, you wouldn't hurt me!"

"That's not how this works" You yelled back angrily. What was he thinking!? "Just because I hit the mark, doesn't mean I can do it again! I could miss and send an arrow flying through your left eye!"

"I'll take the chance!"

"But I won't! Come back here, let me try again!"

"I'm not moving."

"I said go away!"

"No!"

"You're crazy!!!"

"Life is about taking chances. Don't be a pussy! Do it!"

In anger, you took an arrow and aimed it at the apple on his head. You took a deep breath, focusing every single cell in your body. And then you let go. Your friend didn't move an inch.

It hit the apple right in the middle, sending it flying into the tree. Underneath it, your friend let out an impressed whistle. He made his way back, with a huge grin on his face. "I knew you could do it."

You were panting heavily, feeling both proud, scared and angry. "You're insane. I'm never doing that again. That wasn't funny."

He wrapped an arm around you and fuzzled your hair. You tried to push him away. "Oh come on now, you just proved how good you are with a bow! Now I don't have to worry about you whenever you go hunting or mining alone."

When you finally managed to push him away from you, you walked towards the nearest tree. "Fine. Now you do the same with me. Hit an apple right on top of my head, but with your axe this time"

"What- (Y/n), NO!"

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The scene broke into a million pieces, creating a new one. When was this ending?

You looked to see yourself in the middle of the forest, walking down a path with your best friend. He was humming, and his hand was holding yours. You had gotten taller, older.

You were just taking a normal walk when something caught your eye. You stopped up and looked at a poster on a tree. It was a rare sight to see anything man-made around here.

"Oh look, it's a contest!" You said eagerly as you took it in your hands. Your friend watched from over your shoulders. "No way, you can win a prize and stuff! It's a battle of combat skills!"

He took the paper out of your hands and looked at it. His eyes had clearly caught interest, and you watched as his freckled face turned eager as well. "There's a map to the village where it'll be held! It'll take place tomorrow!"

"That's the perfect opportunity for you!" you gasped. "You've always been good at combat!"

He pointed his finger at you. "You too, (Y/n)! We should both participate."

"Oh please, I have the same combat-skills as a dead slug. Besides, it says right here only one person per family can go." You pointed at a little text-box on the paper.

Your friend almost looked disgusted. "We're not family."

You rose your brows. Ouch. "What? Why? I know we aren't related by blood, but-"

"Because that would make you my sister, and that would just be... weird." He said as if the word 'sister' tasted bad in his mouth. His cheeks were dusted with a shade of pink.

"Oh." You said, thinking about it as well. Him, your brother?...

...

Nah.

"Well, I'm not participating. But I'll gladly root for you." You said grinning, as you put the poster in your bag. The two of you needed to head back to your house, before heading to the village.

He smiled. "Well, that's good enough for me. As long as you'll always stay by my side."

"And I, who thought there was a limit for the amount of cheese in one sentence." You laughed, taking his hand. You looked into his green eyes, and he looked into your (E/c), playful ones. "But I will always stay by your side."

And so, you continued walking. And the beginning of the end began.

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"Please, don't go!" Your desperate yell broke the scene into a million pieces, sending you to a far darker one. Your sudden sad and terrified feelings overwhelmed you. You were 15 years old, standing tall in the doorway, blocking your friend's way out. You were sweaty and your body was shaking slightly. "This has gotten way out of hand! Come on, there's plenty of other competitions that won't acquire you to kill someone! What if some of the contestants are on their last life? They won't come back! Please, you- you can't go!"

The boy sat in front of you, sharpening his axe from the shadows. You were in your house, but he was on the way out. His green eyes glowed in the dark. "I'm sorry, I've made up my mind." He stood up, walking towards you. His voice was eager, confident and it tried to convince you - but all you heard was madness. "Think about it, (Y/n)! It's a famous contest. Hundreds of people will be watching. Everyone will praise me if I win."

"Is it all about fame to you?" You yelled, looking up at him with angry eyes. You needed to prevent him from going, at all costs. Cause if he did, you would lose him for good. "I don't even recognize you anymore!"

He just looked at you, not showing any emotions at all. His once warming and kind eyes were now blank and lit up the dark with insanity. He had lost himself in it. You had let him. "Get out of my way, (Y/n)."

"If you're going - I won't come along. You'll be on your own." You threatened him with the only thing you knew he wouldn't dare to resist. He had said it himself. That no matter what, he wished for you to stay by his side.

You panted heavily as if being stubborn took a lot out of you. You looked at him directly in the eyes, without blinking. He returned the gesture.

Your heart and mind were racing, your body cold and tense. Everything in you awaited his answer. You just wished for him to drop all of this, and return to his normal self. So you could have fun like you used to. Lately, everything he cared about was those stupid competitions.

And then he did something that was completely out of character for the boy you knew and loved.

He pushed you harshly aside, walking past you. He didn't look back, as he said the words that hurt you the most. "Then so be it."

He chose power and riches over you - and he disappeared into the darkness.

You had lost him.

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