You lived in a rather peculiar AU, to put it simply. It was filled with colorful landscapes, beautifully built houses, and, above all, cheerful inhabitants who seemed completely unfamiliar with sadness.
Though that wasn't the most interesting—or perhaps curious—part. Everyone belonged to a rather strict religious group that based their entire lives around eternal happiness. Each person was expected to give generous offerings to some golden-winged god you'd never actually seen, dedicating their lives to following his rules as far as you knew.
Even so, you lived a good life, surrounded by everything you could possibly need. Although... there were things that didn't quite add up.
For example, your friend Ana had recently told you that she wasn't feeling well. She was overwhelmed with sadness and worried about her poor younger brother, who suffered from an incurable illness. It was the first time in your entire life that you'd ever seen someone cry. When you told the others what had happened, everything took a drastic turn. Your neighbors convinced Ana to pray and ask for her pain to be healed at the holiest temple, where the god of positivity resided. The people closest to him called him "Dream."
After that, you didn't see your friend for five days. Then, one day, you spotted her walking around as calmly as ever. Concerned about her, you approached her to ask how she was feeling now. She answered with a huge, forced smile:
"I'm better than ever, dear friend. Our god has shown me the light of eternal happiness."
Her voice sounded perfectly calm, but the reflection in her eyes told a completely different story. Something was strange. There was something about her that wasn't the same as before. In fact, now that you thought about it, almost everyone who returned from the temple seemed strangely fake in the way they acted.
Once again, and this time more insistently, you asked if she was truly okay. Had she really forgotten all her worries in just five days? It was incredibly difficult for you to believe.
She looked at you strangely and denied every suspicion you had. Not only that, but she also recommended that you visit the temple so he could ease your stress as well.
"I can sense your uneasiness... It seems you need it too. Trust me, it'll make you feel incredible."
In the end, you agreed, hoping you were simply overthinking things.
You slowly made your way toward the grand temple where the god resided. You'd heard that he had returned, and you couldn't waste your chance to see him. You even brought your own offering, hoping to receive his blessing.
You entered the extravagant sacred temple, and there, for the first time, you finally saw the god everyone talked about: Dream.
—You're all so adorable!— the golden-winged skeleton gushed in an excessively sweet tone. If everyone else hadn't been consumed by fanaticism, they might have noticed just how fake it sounded.
Dream accepted the gifts with a smile, his wings fully spread so everyone could admire them. He was far too glamorous for your liking, and ugh... there was something strangely suffocating about him as you approached timidly.
The god's eyes locked onto you as if they were piercing straight through your soul. You almost dropped your offering as you swallowed nervously and took a step back.
—Aww... How adorable.— the god murmured before gently taking your face in his hands. —I can feel your distress... It's almost fascinating. You're still free, aren't you? I see... it hasn't reached you yet...
His words were confusing. You didn't even understand what he meant by being "free." Something was deeply strange. Something was truly wrong with him.
Your rational side told you to leave immediately, but it was as if some supernatural force was preventing your legs from moving.
—What are you looking for, dear? Whatever you want, I can give you... of course, for a small, fair price.