The Dream Keeper was on his knees in front of her. His head is bowed and face hidden behind the shadow of his sweat matted hair. He's panting heavily and his very aura was shaking.
 
How weak.
 
For fun She taunts him...and then throws a wave of shadow his way.
 
To the Dream Keeper's credit, he did manage to dodge majority of the attacks, but She was getting tired of the game. Her patience had run thin and he was no longer a fun little play thing. 
 
Every attack of hers that landed on him sent his precious Sand scattering.
 
What a mess.
 
She batted at him with more Shadow, his body went careening to the left. Landing hard upon the solid not-ground that the subconscious allowed them to stand upon. 
 
"A youth like you has no chance of winning. Give up now Dream Keeper and I shall make your demise a quick one."
 
He coughs, spitting blood from his mouth. 
"Hah!" He grins as he shakily gets to his knees, lips stained a sticky red, "not on your life!"

She tsked.
She would have granted him mercy simply because he was young; then again, the youth always had such debilitating hubris

"Not on my life maybe, but it will definitely be on yours!" Growling, she raised a wall of Shadow, preparing for a final devastating blow. "Goodbye Dream Keeper-!"
 
She sent the attack forward only to flinch back. For the first time during the onslaught, she completely saw his face. Eyes completely Gold, sockets illuminating and spilling. The skin around his eyes were splinters black like cracked ceramic. The most shocking part of it all, he wore a smirk on his face.
 
The Shadow wall she had attacked him with dissipated with the flick of his wrist, Sand destroying it with precise but brutal motion.
 
He then stood up.Gold gaze unwavering.
 "I told you", he spits, "not on your life"
 
In one 'come hither' motion, she suddenly realized his plan… though a second too late.
 
The Sand that had been scattered about, during each of her attacks, suddenly rose up and charged. Ready to defend it's Master from his enemy- her.
 
In less than a blink she found herself skewered by several large spikes of Sand. 
 
As if to add insult to injury, the Dream Keep raised his hand again, copying her move; a wall of Sand.
 
The blow was devastating, enough so that it rented her form to pieces  no thicker than the Sand itself.  She was nothing short of shredded apart in every sense of the word.

Well, if that was her true form that is.
Fortunately it was only a projection of her being, an avatar, a puppet if you will. Her actual form had remained seated upon her throne, outside of the vortex of nothing that was the subconscious.
 
Her projection had remained in the subconscious to drain it further, not that she had the need anymore; her little pet's machine provided quite a bit of sustenance.
 
Still, she obviously could not ignore what had just occurred. The Dream Keeper... that power, so raw and unrefined. It was no doubt of the Subconscious itself. The very same as their surroundings but completely different all the same. 
 
She sensed it now, how foolish she had been; her own hubris had caused her obliviousness. His age, the manipulation of the Sentient Subconscious, the spec of her essence within him.
 
The Dream Keeper was her Son.
 
She cackled, letting her voice echo through to where her projection had once been.
The poor Dream Keeper's face of stunned horror will be etched into her very Core for eternity and how wonderful it was to look at.

She laughed as she explained to the youth just who exactly he was.
 
At first he had vehemently denied it...but then again, there was no other logical explanation. 
 
The Core she had rended from that, particularly pesky, Emotion and thrown into the depth of the subconscious had somehow evolved and became strong enough to leave her hold on it. 

Her estranged son lived, how quaint-
 
The Dream Keeper suddenly collapsed, of exhaustion no doubt. His Sand immediately started swarming around him in a concerned buzz.
 
She huffed.
He was still a tad too weak for her liking but that was nothing training couldn't fix, there was definitely potential.
 
Using a bit more of her power, she encased the prone Dream Keeper in her Shadow, almost as if she were hugging him under her bosom. Then she wiped his memories. Just the bits and pieces that were recent. Just enough so that he would truly be hers when he awoke.
 
The Sand hissed, forming a tornado fueled by its pure aggression. It had pulled him away from the Shadows and out of the sub-nothingness, but a good amount of damage had already been done. Now all she had to do was wait.

She had all the time in the world.

The waiting had indeed paid off and next time he returned she was there, though no longer with a form to project-- not that he would remember anyway-- but  her disembodied voice.
 
He called her Mother.
 
And she told him what to do to be a good Son.
 
….
 
Eyes closed, she senses him the moment he steps foot within the shrouded forest.
 
Upon opening, the clear nictitating membranes move horizontally across yellow sclera, proudly displaying the vertical slits of her pupils.  
 
"So my prodigal Son has finally stepped into the shadow of my sight", she snaps her black clawed fingers. 
 
Her servants of darkness crawl up towards her in response, drilping, huffing and growling, awaiting her command.
 
She cackles at how eager they are.
Teeth brush against ruby lips, her fangs gleam as she smirks and points outwards.
 
"See that his return is a swift one~!"
 
Her servants holler, howl, squeal and chortle, rushing outside; their stampede out into the forest creating a harrowing cacophony.
 
----
 
Clank! Clank!
ClankClankClank!
Clink! Clank!
Clak-!
 
"Stop! You're going to bring those things right down on us Remus"
 
The Duke pouts but stops rocking side to side. He grumbles and pushes away the cane that had smacked his shoulder. "Just cause you got a fancy new Cobra cane doesn't mean you can hit me with it… or you can do it again and I'll find out just how far I can deep throat it~!"
 
Janus scoffs, but removes the cane, "and have your saliva all over it? Absolutely not, you might erode it within seconds! If it were metal it would probably rust on sight."
 
"Fine", huffs Remus, "you can just shove it up-"
 
"It's also not a Cobra by the way, shame on you for not knowing your serpents~"
 
The Duke blinked, taken aback. 
"Oh, fuck you!"
 
"No, thanks~!" Grins Deceit as he calmly walks backwards a few steps before gracefully spinning around. The motion twirling his caplet. "Now do hurry Remus, can't have you slowing the group down!"
 
"Yeah, yeah I'm coming! Hold your freaking vipers!"
 
"Oh? Not hold my horses?"
 
"Your pythons ate all the fucking horses-", the Duke bends to pick up a pebble and immediately tosses it at Deciet .
 
Said Serpentine Personality, bats it away with the cane. "Ha!"
 
Remus rolls his eyes. "you're having way too much fun with that thing aren't you, you Dapper lil' shit!"
 
"Very much so thank you~!" Grins Janus as he twirls the cane. "It really does wonders for the ensemble!"
 
"Hurry up you two!" Calls Logan exasperatedly from the front.
 
The Teacher then grumbles to those around him. "Why did Remus get to carry all the food again?"
 
"Well", pipes a sheepish Patton, he points at the travel backpack Logan's wearing, "you're carrying all the water and medical supplies", he then points at his own pack, "I have the tents and Remus...he likes the sound the cans and pots make when he shakes the bag?" He shrugs, with an awkward chuckle.
 
Logan and Anxiety groan in unison.
Remy and Thomas, on the other hand, barely even try to muffle their giggles.
 
Roman rolls his eyes, "Hey Remy", he asks, "how are we doing so far?"

Sleep, pauses and flick his wrist to re-summon the magic 3D map Fairy Godmother had given him to use. "Looks like we're making good time, we just gotta keep heading straight up!"
 
Anxiety exhales in partial relief, "well that's good I guess, the  less time we spend in the open, the better it'll be"
 
"I concur", admits Logan, "we're at a distinct disadvantage, we can easily get picked off by those creatures without the proper tree coverage"

"Yeah", agrees Patton as he places his hand lightly against a blackened tree trunk, wonder why all these trees died though-"
 
"Probably because the machine drains energy from the subconscious and we're in the subconscious forest?" Deceit swings his cane in gestural form as he speaks.

Roman can't help but reminisce on how the Scaled Side had acquired it in the first place.
….
 
Fairy Godmother Stood in front of all of them. "You all have your plan, it's not much but it is our best bet. I had promised you that I would aid you all in any way I could, for now this is what I have…"
 
She hands three fairly large travel packs to Logan, Patton and Remus. She then hands her 3D map to Remy, whom she gently patted twice on the head. She gave Thomas another Map-- just in case, she whispered-- and then she drew a sigil out of her magic on the Manifestor's chest.
"I am supposed to be your blessing, but I have yet to do something worthy of that Title. For that, I have failed, consider this my penance, a shield to protect you should you find yourself in mortal peril. This is one way I can atone, but keep in mind dear Host, it only works once."
 
Thomas gapes, "Wait what?!"
 
"You can take a powerful hit, but if the seal is broken then that is the end of it."
 
"Oh...ok", he nods, "I'll try to keep myself out of trouble"
 
"Let's hope you do, for all our sake", she smiles ruefully.
 
The fae then walks in front of Anxiety, "you have one of the longest ranges in regard to both attack and defense, there is nothing I can gift to you, except this..." She begins writing a sigil on his chest, "this is the sigil of speed, it will allow you to quickly sprint short distances so that you may assist the others"
 
"Cool, so videogame dashing basically, what's the catch?"
 
"The 'catch' as you call it, is that theis sigil works with the user's stamina. It will drain you the more you use it, so do so at your own risk"
 
Anxiety nods, "I can handle that thanks"
 
The Fairy moves on to Deceit.
"Your ability to create illusion is impressive, but it would be more effective if you could hold them longer, and even better yet, make them solid."
 
Janus raises a brow, "is there a sigil for that?"
 
"Yes, but you have no need for it. You already have the potential to do these things, you simply need a conduit to help you channel your abilities." She then reaches into the sleeves of her cloak and retrieves an old wooden wand.
 
Deceit wrinkled his nose but takes it anyway.
Immediately it began glowing and transforming. 
 
Panicked the Serpentine Personality drops it, but when it lands on the floor...instead of being an old wand, it's a newly polished Shepherd's crook.
 
Gingerly, Janus picks it up and admires it-
 
"Of course it's snake themed" Gripes Roman good natured.
 
Indeed it was, and Janus found himself entranced, happy to run his gloved fingers along the grooves of the wooden scales.
 
"Remember", warned the fae, "this is merely a conduit…. You exhaust yourself, it will not work."
 
Deceit gave her a single, serious nod in reply...before stepping off to side to gidley show it to a certain Duke.

Lastly Fairy Godmother Stood in front of Roman. "My Prince", she starts, "to you I give my most precious gem.  Upon breaking, this will allow the user to be teleported to the area just outside my cabin."
 
"You mean outside the door or where Fifi tried to kill us?"
 
"With Fifi and her siblings of course! Much too risky to be outside my front door, wouldn't you think?" She smirks fondly.
 
Roman chuckles. "Fair enough"
 
 "It takes three seconds for a portal to open but it can only be opened once. You can't unbreak a gem after all. It will begin to close once a person goes through, so it's best that you use it for your return when you're all next to each other."
 
With all the gifts bestowed, the fae bid them a temporary farewell.
 
"Return safely, Fifi will await your return. I will do my part to establish what ever communication I can. I will make certain that we have more man power for the war against the Witch."
….
 
Blinking, the Prince subtly stuck his hand in the pocket below his sash. The dagger that was once there now lay at his hip. Inside the pocket is where he kept to gem. He ran his index finger across it. 

"Be warned my Prince, the further you go into the forest, the further your powers will wane. This goes for your brother as well. Good luck"

Biting the inside of his cheek, Roman internally vows to make sure that they succeed and return in one piece.
 
----
 
"Well, shit…!" Exclaims Remy.
 
The Aspect had been looking at the Map and following it diligently. When he suddenly paused, looking up with his hand by his forehead. This, of course, caused everyone to stop and look up as well.
 
In front of them was very much a dead end…  Nothing but the rocks at the base of a craggy mountain. Atop it they could see the canopies of the rest of the forest; but as it was, with absolutely nowhere else to go, they were facing a steep climb up a very tall cliff.
 
Remus wolf whistles, and then grins maniacally. "So we climbing or what?!"
---
AN//: Hi guys~! 
How y'all doing? 
I haven't been seeing much of anything from the void lately so please do comment! I can't wait to hear from you guys and I'm very interested in knowing your predictions for the upcoming chapters.
They're gonna be fun… Heh ;)

See y'all in the Comments section and on the discord chat!!!