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Chapter Text

Happy, that's what 5 year old Izuku Midoriya felt whenever he was dreaming. In his mind he could dream about anything he'd ever wanted and it would all come true.

It was like a safe haven for him whenever the harsh truth of reality burdened him throughout his days. He knew it was only temporary, yet he still loved it with every beat of his heart.

In his dreams, he would often see a tall man with ginger hair smile at him while clutching the books in his hands close to his chest as a raven stood on his shoulder.

Every night would be the same, he would appear in front of a beautiful silver castle with three majestic animals guarding it. The tall man would wave at him, while the raven would squawk and guide him to his dreams.

That was what happened every night for 365 days of the year.

On New Year's Eve however, his dream was different, instead of appearing in front of the silver castle with the tall man and the raven, he was in a large room with a pale man laying on floor, crawling towards something.

The man looked to be reaching for something... a pouch, Izuku noticed as he looked on in worry at the scene in front of him.

"Mister! Are you alright?" Izuku asked as he ran up to the man and checked up on him.

"Yes." The man growled out as he shrugged Izuku off and continued to crawl to the pouch.

Without thinking, Izuku ran to the pouch and grabbed it, as he did, an unexpected shock ran through him as indescribable power overwhelmed his senses.

The last thing Izuku remembered was pain and his screams of agony.

~~~~~~~~

With a jump, the child woke up from his slumber and cried as he ran to his mother's room to seek comfort.

Slamming the doors open, Izuku jumped onto his mother's bed and pressed his body against hers, shaking in fear as she woke to the sound of his sobs.

"Izuku? Are you okay? What happened?" Inko groggily asked as her hand rubbed circles on Izuku's back.

"I-I d-d-don't k-know."

His mother looked on with pity as her child took shaky breaths and sobbed into her shoulder, hugging her tightly.

"Shhh.. Don't worry Izuku, you're safe now, mommy's here."

Her hand continued to rub circles on Izuku's back as she brushed his sweaty hair up from his face.

Many minutes passed as Inko desperately tried to calm her child down, every tried and tested method failed, until she remembered a special tale that her husband used to tell Izuku whenever he couldn't fall asleep.

"Do you want me to tell you daddy's special story?" She asked as Izuku looked up at her for the first time in the night, curiosity glimmering in his eyes.

She giggled at his reaction and smiled fondly, remembering the days of Izuku's infancy as the face of her husband briefly flashed in her mind as their son pouted at her.

Inko grabbed the book her husband had written for Izuku, and began to tell the tale.

Long ago in a different time from ours, there was a person with snow-like skin, and star-like pupils in the shadows where his eyes should be. He went by many names and titles, Lord Shaper, Sandman, and Dreamweaver, but the name he liked the most, was Morpheus-- or Murphy for short.

Now Murphy, was the God of Dreams and Stories... Whenever you sleep, whenever you tell a tale, he's who you should be thankful for.

One day, a bad man wanted to capture Murphy's sister, but he captured Murphy instead. The bad man stole Murphy's tools, a helmet made from the materials from another god, a brown leather pouch, and a red ruby that helped Murphy manage dreams.

He eventually escaped, but his tools were gone, some sold, some stolen.

Eventually he got his tools back, Murphy returned home, where he saw his kingdom destroyed in his absence, ready to be rebuilt.

In his kingdom he found a loving couple, one of them was even pregnant with a baby, and that baby's grandchild would eventually start your daddy's family.

Unfortunately, the daddy had to go far away, because he wasn't allowed in Murphy's kingdom, and the mommy and the baby returned to her home.

Even though they were no longer in Murphy's kingdom, the baby was still his, as it was formed in hid domain, and everything in his kingdom was his.

So, Murphy claimed it as his own, nurturing it and caring for it from the shadows, until it turned into a strong young man, and eventually had a family of his own as well.

Many more stories and adventures happened with Murphy, but that's for another time.

Inko closed the book and smiled as Izuku's eyes slowly blinked shut, a content smile on his face as he drifted off to sleep, silently muttering a thanks to Murphy.

"Sweet dreams, Izuku." She whispered as she kissed Izuku's forehead and tucked him in and went to sleep as well.

~~~~~~~~

Morpheus tugged upon the thin walls dividing the Waking World and the Land of the Dreaming, ripping it open as cold air rushed through, blasting his face with a comfortable cold as he walked through and stood in Inko's bedroom, observing her child as he slept.

Closing his eyes and nodding, he confirmed what he suspected to be true, the young boy in the green haired woman's arms was indeed the very same one that unknowingly helped him earlier that night, that very same child was also Daniel Hall's descendant, the child that formed in the Land of the Dreaming.

"Is it really his, boss?" Matthew the Raven asked as he flew and landed on Morpheus' shoulder.

"Indeed it is, Matthew." Morpheus nodded as he continued to observe the child as it slept.

"So, what'll you do now, boss?"

"I will give the child what has always been destined for someone within his bloodline." The Dream Lord said as he grabbed his leather pouch and opened it.

"I will claim the child as my own, just as I once did to his ancestor, many nights ago."

With this statement, Morpheus grabbed a fistful of Dream Sand and walked closer to the sleeping Izuku, blowing it into the air as he weaved it into the boy's body, intertwining it with everything, even the smallest atom.

"With this I weave into him a portion of my power, eternally marking him as my own." An ancient power flowed through the universe as he said those words, as if it was assuring him that his statement would be enforced throughout time and space.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Morpheus turned around, tearing through the wall between dreams and reality, and returned to his home, waiting in expectation, as he silently observed Izuku's dreams.

Chapter Text

Morpheus walked through the halls of his home and silently reminisced, the memory of a young man with wide smiles and white hair flashing in his mind as he passed a locked room, two statues standing on either side, spears crossed, blocking the entrance.

His raven companion squawked in recognition and lowered his head, showing respect as he stayed silent until the room was no longer in sight.

Lucien greeted him from the entrance of his throne room with a bow as the librarian wiped away a stray tear from his tired eyes.

"How long has it been, boss?" Matthew asked, causing the stars within Morpheus' eyes to dim with sadness.

"It has been 327 years, 9 months, 3 weeks, and 25 days since Daniel was... lost."

Thunder rumbled in the distance, the clouds starting to cover the sky as the sun slowly disappeared from sight.

"327 years." Lucien, the ginger haired librarian muttered and rubbed his teary eyes. "A long long time for mortals, but merely a blink of an eye for us."

Up on his throne, the Lord of Dreams nodded with closed eyes, black hair swaying with the wind as he leaned on his throne, an unreadable expression on his face as he rubbed his thumb over the green gem in his hand.

'Once a year, we rest and spend time with each other.' Morpheus thought as he opened his eyes and gazed upon the tiny emerald in his hand with longing. 'That was the promise we made when you were but a child.'

'Happy Birthday Daniel.'

~~~~~~~~

The Land of the Dreaming was operating as normal, the Nightmares were being terrifying, Matthew was observing the land from the skies, Mervyn Pumpkinhead was muttering complaints while demolishing a wall, and Nuala the fairy was cleaning a stained-glass window while humming a song.

The librarian Lucien was checking the many dreams and stories in Morpheus' library, an incredibly arduous and intricate task he put upon himself in order to check if ever something was wrong with the dreamers.

The lanky man stood there within his thoughts, mentally checking and correcting every piece of the library, until a childlike giggle reverberated across the large room, causing Lucien to jump in fright.

Alarmed, Lucien turned his head at break neck speeds to look at where the sound came from. Cautiously approaching an aisle of books, Lucien saw a baby with white hair that faded to black as it reached the scalp, kind little eyes that held the faintest of sparks within them, as if they were waiting to be lit.

And as sudden and unexpectedly as the baby appeared, it vanished with the wind, leaving only a trail of sand on the ground as Lucien carefully observed the scene with tense muscles, ready to protect himself.

"Lucien?" A voice called out from the doorway, causing said man to turn around and come face to face with Nuala, a frail looking girl with brown-hair and pointed ears. "W-what was that?" She asked with wide eyes, slightly trembling as if she were terrified by the child's presence.

"I do not know Nuala. Only once in the history of the Dreaming has this happened before, and the one in the center of it, the one who appeared in this realm as a child, was Lord Daniel." Lucien explained as he paced back and forth through the room, thinking of the possible repercussions of the child's sudden appearance.

"I may not know who or what that child is, but one thing is for sure." The librarian stated as he stopped pacing and looked Nuala in the eyes, "That child will bring about change within the Realm of the Dreaming, just as Lord Daniel once did. Whether good or bad I do not know, only time will tell."

"Do not be afraid of the child, Nuala." A smile graced Lucien's face as he put his hand on her shoulder, easing her nerves. "Have faith, and hope for a bright future."

With that, he left the library, walking through the halls of the castle in order to tell his lord what he'd witnessed, wearing hope on his sleeves as each stride he took was filled with purpose.

~~~~~~~~

Morpheus was looking over his kingdom, hand sifting through Dream Sand as the wind blew on his face, black hair fluttering with the breeze as it parted in the middle.

"I have news, lord." Lucien called out from behind him, anxiousness clear in his voice.

"News, Lucien?" Morpheus asked him with a flat tone, a roll of newspaper in his hand as he turned around and stared blankly.

"Very funny, boss." Matthew said with a deadpan tone, flying in from the window and standing on top of Lucien's head.

Chuckling, he sat back down on his throne, leaning his head on his hand, waiting for Lucien's news.

"You may proceed."

"Y-yes, sire."

And so, Lucien explained, stumbling every now and again as he described the peculiar sight he'd experienced, his master staying scarily silent through the whole ordeal.

An eerie silence befell them after he finished explaining, anxiousness bubbling up inside the two servants of the silent Morpheus.

After a long minute of silence, he finally spoke.

"Find him." A simple order was made, star-like eyes burning with emotion as the power behind his words rang throughout the Realm of the Dreaming.

"Fetch the Corinthian and find him, Matthew."

"Alright, boss." The raven flapped it's wings, flying off into the distance.

"You may go now, Lucien." He waved the librarian off, standing up and moving to the window, the faintest of smiles on his face.

Oh hope, what a wonderful thing.

Chapter Text

Frustration. For the first time in centuries, Dream began to feel frustration again. Not once in 320 years has Morpheus felt frustration of such high levels in such a long time.

The Corinthian, for all his wicked traits, abilities and knowledge was first and foremost his best hunter. And yet, a peculiar thing kept happening.

A child, one who looked frighteningly identical to his second child Daniel Hall, appeared and disappeared at unexpected intervals at the strangest places within the Dreaming. This child evaded the Corinthian again and again, time after time until the Corinthian broke and asked for assistance.

Not only has the child evaded the Corinthian, but it managed to elude Dream's almighty control over the Dreaming. The traces of the boys energy and dreams becoming hazy and foggy whenever Morpheus tried to reach out and track him.

"That child is not normal, sire. The closest we've come to even touching him is when he reached out to grab us." Lucien said with a frightened expression on his face.

"... My lord, I felt it. The moment he reached out, I felt it. A piece of the young master lives on through him. That boy is truly Daniel's kin." his expression softened, a solemn look in his eyes appeared as the bespectacled man ran his hand through his hair.

The hall was silent. Dream of the Endless stood still as he watched over his kingdom, an unreadable expression on his face as he took in the ambiance of his realm.

"I understand, Lucien. Yet, until I can feel the boy with my own hands and look into his dreams... It is all speculation." Morpheus, an entity with wisdom and knowledge matched by few, walked to his throne and sat in silence as he closed his eyes.

A distant memory rang silently in his mind.

"Quit being so boring and play with us, old man!"

"I'll have you know that I can beat you and everyone here with my eyes closed!"

"Blah blah blah, you need to prove it first!"

"Hrggh give me that controller, you insolent child..!"

Laughter and joy. Daniel Hall brought those two important things to the Dreaming, a place so desolate and depressing despite it's management of endlessly flowing creativity and imagination.

The day Daniel Hall disappeared, it was never the same. The laughter that once upon a time filled the great halls of the castle, was replaced with oppressive silence. The joy that made such a lonely castle a real home, was gone.

And here was a child who appeared on his doorstep, with hair like snow and eyes like distant stars, like his son so long ago. Morpheus would never admit it, but his heart ached to hold his child in his arms again. The small boy who grew to be a strong and kind young man who taught an ancient and ruthless and supposedly unchanging entity... how to care for someone.

And so, with these memories in mind and the fleeting lessons Daniel taught him, Morpheus came to a decision.

"Let the child go."

Morpheus opened his eyes and stared into Lucien's eyes with a renewed sense of purpose.

"We are only wasting our efforts in finding him. The boy deserves to be a child. If he truly is my son's kin, he will come to us, in time."

Morpheus' eyes shone brightly, a small ghost of a smile tilting upwards as he fiddled with a green gem with his long bony fingers.

"When that time comes... I will continue to hope."