Chapter 1: A world of our own
Chapter One — A World of Our Own
Dream's POV
The first thing Dream noticed was how quiet everything was.
The world stretched out in front of him, untouched and unfamiliar. Tall oak trees covered the hillsides, their leaves moving slightly in the breeze. A river wound through the nearby forest, reflecting the bright afternoon sunlight, while a few sheep wandered aimlessly through the grass.
It was peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Dream stood in the middle of the grassy clearing, turning slowly as he took in the surroundings. He had spent the better part of the previous evening preparing the server, making sure everything was working and deciding who he wanted to invite. It had taken longer than expected, mostly because he'd kept changing his mind about little things that probably didn't matter.
But now it was finished.
His own server.
The idea had started out simple. He wanted somewhere he and his friends could play without having to worry about joining someone else's world. A place where they could build whatever they wanted, explore, and eventually invite more people.
He imagined a small community of players, each with their own houses and projects. Perhaps they would build a village together. Maybe someone would eventually construct an enormous castle or an entire town.
He wasn't entirely sure what he wanted the server to become.
He just knew he wanted it to become something.
After spending a few minutes gathering wood, Dream opened his chat and messaged George.
It took several attempts to get a response.
George had never been particularly good at replying quickly, especially when he was doing something else. Dream had learned that trying to get his attention sometimes required an unreasonable amount of patience.
Eventually, the familiar notification appeared.
GeorgeNotFound joined the game.
Dream turned toward the small clearing where George had spawned.
George stood still for a moment, apparently taking in the landscape. His character slowly turned from side to side before he started walking toward the river.
Dream watched him explore for a few seconds before following.
George had always enjoyed exploring new worlds, even if he complained about practically everything along the way. Dream knew he'd probably spend the next hour wandering around before remembering that they were supposed to be building a house.
And he was right.
George seemed particularly interested in the riverbank. He walked along the water, occasionally stopping to look at the surrounding trees and hills.
Dream eventually caught up with him.
The two began discussing where they should settle, eventually choosing a small hill overlooking the river. It was close enough to the forest for gathering materials, but far enough from the trees to leave room for future buildings.
It was a good location.
Dream was already imagining what it might look like once the area became more developed.
George, meanwhile, appeared to be more interested in finding a comfortable place to stand while Dream did most of the planning.
That was fine.
For now.
By the time Sapnap joined, they had gathered enough wood to begin constructing a small house.
The notification appeared while Dream was organizing the materials in a chest.
Sapnap joined the game.
Dream immediately looked toward the spawn area.
Sapnap appeared near the edge of the clearing, looking around before making his way toward the hill. He was already carrying a few blocks of dirt, presumably collected while exploring the area around spawn.
His arrival changed the atmosphere almost immediately.
Sapnap had a way of making even the simplest activities entertaining. He was competitive about practically everything, and Dream knew it wouldn't take long before he started arguing with George about something completely unnecessary.
Sure enough, the first disagreement happened before they'd even finished the walls.
Sapnap thought the house needed more stone.
George thought the wooden design was perfectly fine.
Dream, who had originally suggested the entire thing, found himself caught between them.
Eventually, they compromised.
The result was a small wooden house with a stone foundation, a sloped roof, and several windows facing the river. It wasn't particularly impressive, but it was comfortable enough for three people.
They placed their beds inside, arranged a few chests along the walls, and left enough room for a crafting table and furnace.
Dream stepped outside to look at their work.
It wasn't much.
Still, he felt strangely proud of it.
The three of them had only been on the server for a short while, and already they had somewhere to call home.
As the afternoon passed, they began making small improvements to the surrounding area. George gathered flowers and planted them near the entrance. Sapnap expanded the little storage area, while Dream started a small farm beside the river.
It was the sort of afternoon Dream had imagined when he'd first thought about creating the server.
Nothing particularly exciting was happening.
Nobody was fighting.
Nobody was arguing about territory or trying to steal anyone else's belongings.
They were simply enjoying themselves.
And for the moment, that was enough.
George's POV
By the time evening approached, George had begun to realize that Dream's idea might actually have some potential.
He hadn't expected to enjoy himself as much as he was.
The server was still mostly empty, and their little house looked rather unimpressive compared to the possibilities surrounding them. Nevertheless, there was something nice about starting with absolutely nothing and slowly creating something of their own.
George spent some time exploring the nearby forest.
He collected flowers, gathered a little extra wood, and found a small patch of pumpkins farther down the river. He marked the location in his mind, deciding he would return later.
He also discovered a hill overlooking the entire valley.
From there, he could see the small house they'd built, the river winding through the trees, and the beginning of the farm Dream had been working on.
It was a pretty place.
He wondered what it would look like in a few weeks.
Perhaps more houses would appear along the river. Maybe someone would build a bridge connecting the two sides of the valley. If enough people joined, the empty landscape might eventually become a proper settlement.
The thought made him smile slightly.
He wasn't usually the sort of person who enjoyed planning things too far ahead, but this was different.
There were no expectations.
No responsibilities beyond whatever they decided to create.
For once, he could simply enjoy being somewhere with his friends.
When he returned to the house, Dream was standing outside, looking through a chest.
Sapnap had apparently disappeared again.
George wasn't particularly concerned.
He had already learned that Sapnap could wander off for twenty minutes and return with either something incredibly useful or absolutely nothing.
Usually nothing.
The sky was beginning to darken, and the first stars were appearing above the trees.
George placed his collected materials into one of the chests before joining Dream outside.
They stood together for a little while, looking over the small settlement.
Dream seemed pleased with himself.
George didn't say anything about it, but he was glad.
Sapnap's POV
Sapnap returned just as the last of the sunlight disappeared.
He'd spent most of the evening exploring, collecting resources, and looking for somewhere he could eventually build something of his own.
He hadn't found anything particularly interesting yet.
There were plenty of forests, a few caves, and a large mountain in the distance. He'd made a mental note to explore the mountain properly another day.
For now, he was hungry.
He returned to the house and found George and Dream standing outside.
The two looked unusually peaceful.
Sapnap decided that needed to change.
He dropped a collection of materials into the nearest chest and immediately began explaining his plans for the following day.
He wanted to explore farther away from spawn, gather more stone, and perhaps start building a larger structure near the mountain.
Dream seemed interested.
George looked considerably less enthusiastic.
Sapnap didn't particularly care.
He was already imagining what he could build.
The server had only just started, and he wanted to make something that people would recognize as his.
Something impressive.
Something that would make Dream jealous.
Preferably.
Dream's POV
Later that night, Dream sat outside the house while the others began logging off.
The area was quiet again.
He could hear the occasional sound of an animal somewhere in the distance, along with the soft movement of the river below the hill.
He opened the player list and looked at the names.
Three people.
That was all.
For now.
He knew more people would be joining soon. He'd already spoken to several friends about the server, and a few had expressed interest in coming online.
He was excited to see what would happen.
A notification appeared.
Callahan joined the game.
Dream looked up.
A few seconds later, Callahan appeared near the house.
Then another notification.
Alyssa joined the game.
And shortly afterward:
Ponk joined the game.
Dream watched as the new arrivals began exploring the area.
The quiet little hill suddenly felt much less empty.
Callahan wandered toward the river, Alyssa started looking for a suitable building location, and Ponk immediately began exploring the nearby forest.
Dream greeted them and showed them the small house.
It was already becoming clear that they would need more space.
He spent the next little while helping everyone gather materials and choose places to build. There was a brief discussion about where the next houses should go, followed by some confusion about who had taken the last few pieces of wood.
Nothing serious.
Just the beginning of what would hopefully become a very busy server.
Eventually, Dream stepped back and looked at the small group.
A few people had gathered near the house, while others were already wandering off to explore.
It wasn't the enormous community he'd imagined.
Not yet.
But it was a beginning.
And beginnings were important.
Dream returned to his inventory and started thinking about what they should build next.
He had no idea how much this little world would eventually change.
He couldn't have known how many friendships would form here, or how many would eventually fall apart.
He couldn't have known that some of the people standing beside him would one day become strangers.
For now, there was only a quiet valley, a handful of houses, and a group of friends who had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
And Dream thought that was perfect.
End of Chapter One
