You are from another universe. From the one where the legends about the brothers Light and Nightmare sounded completely different, where Dream and Nightmare could still smile together. But then the Apple Incident happened. When the Nightmare from the original universe ate a hundred cursed apples of negativity, his body was torn apart by black goo. He was no longer a brother. He became a nightmare, a true embodiment of darkness.

You were a friend of both of them, and that's why you found yourself in the middle of all the horror.

People and monsters screamed, running through the streets. Tentacles, shining with thick black mucus, reached for them, grabbed, crushed, dragged into the shadows. As soon as someone fell, the chance to survive disappeared. And you ran. Through chaos, blood, black fragments. Your legs got tangled, your heart was torn from your chest.

But the tentacles found you too. One of them wrapped around your ankle, jerked you back sharply - you tripped and fell to the ground. Your palms were scraped, your breathing was ragged.

Raising your head, you froze. You saw him right in front of you.

Dream. But not alive. His body, once shining with light, froze in stone immobility. A statue. A lifeless look, empty and cold.

"N-no..." — the words got stuck in your throat.

You heard laughter behind you. Loud, ragged, hoarse, like iron scraping against bone.

You turned around - and saw. It wasn't Nightmare. It was something else. An ink octopus, its body shimmering with thick liquid, like darkness itself. Its eyes were empty sockets from which blackness dripped.

"Ha-ha-ha... You know..." — the voice was deep, tearing at the soul, — "and your fear... is very pleasant."

The tentacle tugged at you again, pulling you closer. The ground slipped from under your fingers, there was nothing to grab onto. You tore with your nails, grabbed at cracks, but slid back.

You threw your palm forward again, in a desperate attempt to reach Dream - to the cold stone, to that tiny hope.

"DREAM!" — a scream escaped your lips, breaking the roar.

But the only answer was darkness.

At that moment, the sky above you split. A crack, like glass breaking, filled the space. Light poured out of the crack - bright, golden, blinding. Its rays hit you straight, and the world around you began to break, crumble into pieces.

The tentacles twitched one last time - and let go. You fell into the light, into an abyss where there was neither up nor down. You were hanging in that light, between the crumbling world and the void. Your heart was beating so hard that it seemed like it would burst your chest. Your body was being pulled down into the abyss, but the light held you on the edge.

And then… through the deafening roar, you heard his voice.

Soft. So familiar. A little distorted, as if coming through water. "Don't be afraid..."

You jerked. It was him.

"You must leave..." — the voice sounded firmer, as if commanding. — "This darkness will not stop. But your path is not here..."

The warm echo of these words seemed to pierce your chest, causing your breath to falter. "You had to leave." — The last thing you heard before the light completely swallowed you.

You opened your eyes abruptly, as if you had been pulled out of a nightmare. Your lungs sucked in air convulsively, your breath ragged and hot. The first thing you saw was light. It streamed through the translucent curtains, swaying in the light breeze. The sun's rays touched your face softly, warmly, almost painfully pleasantly after that horror.

The room was... too clean. White walls, smooth, without a single crack. The floor was wooden, light, covered with a soft carpet. By the window stood a low table with a vase, where fresh flowers leaned slightly towards the light. And next to it was an armchair, empty, as if someone had just sat in it. You slowly got up and sat on the bed. The sheets were white, soft, and smelled of something fresh - grass, sun. But your heart was still pounding.

"Where am I?.." — The first thought that came to mind.