TW: Torment (mild)

"So," Zace hummed, looking at the odd thing hanging from the wall over Ida's bed. "What does that thing do?"

The 'thing' in question was a gift from the Pines girl, Mabel. It was light purple, with yarn tied around its frame in cute bows. The frame was covered in rhinestones and yellow ribbons. Yarn with feathers and sparkly beads hung down from it.

"It's a dreamcatcher." Ida said as one of her fish playfully nibbled on her finger. "She lifted her finger from the surface of the magic water.

"Some Indi-" She quickly corrected herself. "Native American tribes believed that dreams lived in the air. They'd use these to trap nightmares."

Zace glanced back at the dreamcatcher, easing away from it. He was a Dream Demon and unsure if it would have some sort of effect on him. It looked friendly enough.

"Were all of them covered in ribbons and rhinestones?" He asked curiously.

"No, mainly leather and non-sparkly beads." Ida responded.

Bill stepped into the room. "Dinner's ready." He said, grabbing the two's attention.

Ida smiled at hm, standing up. "Okay, we'll be down in a second." She nodded. The ghost pointed at the dreamcatcher. "Look, Mabel made that for me."

Bill appeared closer to the dreamcatcher. "Very interesting. I think I've seen things like these before." He thought aloud. Zace felt his uneasiness worsen.

"I-I don't think you should-"

His father harmlessly poked the net.

And immediately disappeared.

The two kids stared at where the dreamcatcher was hung for a moment, shocked.

Zace looked at Ida. "Your dreamcatcher at Dad."

Ida looked back at him. "I noticed."

Elizabetta was promptly brought over.

~~~

"So..." Elizabetta stared at the dreamcatcher, which Ida was now holding. "You're saying that the dreamcatcher... has Bill in it now?"

Zace nodded. "Yea, we saw it."

"He touched it and he disappeared." Ida said. "I guess it considers Dream Demons as nightmares?" She suggested.

Elizabetta picked at her black nails, which wisped about like not-fully-physical fog. Her dress billowed with wind that rushed into the room. "Well then," she cleared her throat, causing the winds to die. "I best go to find him." She decided.

Zace tied a string around her wrist to lead her out.

"Would you like a weapon?" Ida asked politely. Elizabetta nodded, and Ida smiled. The girl grabbed the air around her and seemed to hold it up. Her hand suddenly held a knife instead of air. "Be very safe, Ms. Elizabetta." She requested.

With that, the demoness took the knife and touched the web of the dreamcatcher. She disappeared in an instant.

~~~

Bill, admittedly, felt a bit dumb.

Dream Demon touching a dream-catcher.

It was pretty clear what would happen. He sighed. No time to dwell on that. He had to leave.

But he looked around, he realized this was nothing like the mindscapes he traversed. It looked more like a "dreamscape."

Colorful, spirit-like things danced about, heading out of the darkness and in one direction. Dreams.

"Okay," he watched the dreams lazily float off. "Just follow these things and it'll lead you out. Probably."

He suddenly heard a screech and spun around to see. Another spirit - though dark and glowing with rageful intent - was tugging against something grabbing it. A nightmare.

The nightmare hissed and bellowed as it struggled against what was grabbing it. Something purple suddenly wrapped around the nightmares. With a squeak, the thing was crushed.

Bill stared at the scene, just slightly disturbed.

Then, the purple thing noticed him. And Bill realized it was made of yarn.

"Seriously? As if I'm scared of yarn-"

The yarns launched at him. He managed to jump out of the way. "Okay, I think it might be acceptable to panic." He admitted. Behind him, another piece of yarn wrapped around his leg and yanked him up.

"KCUF!" Bill shouted, pointing at the yarn and lighting it ablaze. The yarn dropped him, recoiling away in an attempt to get rid of the fire.

Bill floated to his feet and brushed himself off. "Okay, this won't be as easy as I thought." He said, glancing at the yarns starting to noticed him.

"So sad to watch... My dear friend, what are you doing here?"

The demon felt his body freeze. "What are you..." He whispered, trying to not let terror consume his voice. "You were banished!"

Flintgold's laugh shook the dark itself. "Banished? No, no, I was merely misplaced. I've been lurking here, waiting for my opportunity."

Bill forced a laugh. "Seems like you're just getting cowardly now that you're not in my head anymore."

"Oh, trust me. I haven't gotten afraid of you at all."

He felt the darkness encroaching on him, as if soot was being brushed into his throat. As much as he would've loved to sight Flintgold, the situation wasn't exactly looking good for him.

The yawn barreled toward him, and he flew up to dodge. "I'll deal with you another day." He muttered, glaring at the darkness.

With that, he flew off, following the dreams to where they were escaping to.

~~~

Elizabetta wasn't too concerned by the yarn grabbing for nightmares. They were slow to her, and the wind was in her favor.

"Bill!" She called, starting to searched for her husband. She knew he was very capable, but she had the string that would help them get out.

Also, something just didn't feel right about this place. Like something was lurking around.

She shook her head. This was going to be fine.

With that, she went off.

"Lizzy... What a surprise..."

Elizabetta stiffened upon hearing the voice. "You... Have you been hiding away in this place like the nightmare-coward you are?" She demanded.

Flintgold merely laughed. "You little fool. Why be so snarky? You're certainly in no situation to fight. If you're kinder, perhaps I'll make your death painless."

"Shut the fuck up." She sighed in exasperation. "You're just a curse that we defeated. And I can defeat you myself."

The curse seemed to stir at that. Then, there was a sinister scoff. "You may, only because you are unafraid. He isn't."

"Stay away from him." Elizabetta demanded, the demoness' hands clenching into fists.

"Oh, I don't think I will. And you better find him quick if you don't want something to happen." Flintgold laughed, then the voice faded into the shadows.

Okay, more urgent than before, but she could do this. She had to find Bill. And quick.

~~~

"Still having trouble?" Flintgold taunted.

Bill glared as he singed another strand of yarn. "Be quiet." He demanded. Before he could say anything else, though, his leg was grabbed and he was thrown to the side carelessly.

He tried to catch himself, caught off-guard, but ended up stumbling into one of the nightmares.

The nightmare seemed like it was made of ashes and smoke as it wrapped around Bill, travelling into his eye like it was trying to reach his brain.

Bill coughed and tried to wave the thing away, but haunting images started burning into his mind. Fires and demons crying for help, a cabin he desperately wishing to forget, and the trapped feeling of being helpless as he was controlled by a curse dead-set on ruining everything. It felt suffocating.

"What is it, Bill?" He laughed, watching the demon struggle to remain standing. "Bad dreams?"

A flash of white suddenly made the nightmare screech and dissipate. Bill's head cleared of the images, but his body still felt frozen.

A hand grabbed his arm. "Come on, we have to leave." He looked up to see Elizabetta.

"NO." Flintgold demanded as the darkness came to life. "You stay HERE."

Bill glared at the darkness, determined to leave it here. "Do you know where we're heading?" He asked, looking at Elizabetta.

She nodded. "Just follow me and fend the strings off." She said, then grabbed his hand and started running.

As the two ran, the yarn followed, flicking like snakes trying to catch prey. Bill set them ablaze and kept running with his wife.

Flintgold roared in anger, the darkness coming for them in tendrils. Elizabetta swiped at the tendrils with the knife in her hand. They were reaching a bright light in the shape of a circle, where all the dreams were happily floating out to.

Once they reached it, a tendril flew at them. Elizabetta acting on impulse, threw up one of her protective spells. The shield desperately tried holding Flintgold back, but the curse's rage kept boiling through it.

Bill held his hand up, fire encompassing the shield. Flintgold howled in pain and the tendril recoiled for a moment.

Using the opportunity, the two ran into the circle and found themselves collapsed on the floor of Ida's bedroom.

"Well..." Bill considered his words for a moment. "I think that was lovely..." Elizabetta just laughed, playfully shoving her husband away.