Chapter Text
The television flickered in the corner.
“—Villain attack in District 2. Police confirm Blood God and the Syndicate—”
Dream looked up.
Another attack.
People were already waiting.
His gaze shifted to the door across the room.
No one had ever been allowed inside. No one could know what was behind it.
He stepped forward. Then again.
The handle turned easily.
Too easily for the secrets it kept.
A white porcelain mask stared back at him.
Crude black smile. Hollow eyes.
Smiley.
The world didn’t need another inventor. Another face on a screen.
It needed something else.
Not a hero. Not a villain. Not even a vigilante.
Just someone who would help—no matter who was bleeding.
The white mask reflected Dream’s face.
His eyes—bright, almost toxic green—stared back, hard and unyielding.
It was time.
No more hesitation.
A breath in.
The mask slid into place.
Dream Hunter disappeared.
Smiley remained.
Clank.
The bracelet hit the floor, the illusion breaking with it.
Lime wings tore free from his back as the enchantment faded.
No more hiding.
He was ready.
FLAP!
FLAP!
A streak of lime green cut through the sky.
As he neared District 2, the damage came into view.
Buildings torn apart. Smoke rising. Debris scattered across the streets.
People trapped under beams and—
There.
A child crouched behind a chunk of broken concrete, glancing around like moving might make things worse.
Smiley dropped lower, landing in front of him.
The boy froze—then his face lit up.
“Smiley!”
His eyes shone with relief.
Smiley didn’t waste time. He couldn’t.
He pulled a small vial of glowing red liquid from his pocket and pressed it into the boy’s hands.
No words. No explanation.
And that was enough.
His wings spread again.
One blink—then he was gone.
A man pinned under metal—
potion.
A woman bleeding out—
his hand pressed to the wound, power flickering.
Someone calling his name through the smoke—
he turned.
There, in the alley—
Pink hair.
A royal coat, torn and stained.
A crown. The skull mask.
Blood God.
Even from a distance, something was wrong.
Blood soaked through his side.