"... what?"
"No way this guy could ever-"
"Goldie! That's not very nice! Fawning over other people while married!"
"No, no, no! I am just as confused as you! Even more confused!"
"Forgive me! I didn't intend to shock you in this way. ... Want to come in for some tea?"
"I guess..."
They all boarded the other ship, entering it and finding it surprisingly well-decorated. What was even more surprising was that none of them could agree on its design.
"You mustn't quarrel. Everyone has different dreams and, therefore different ideal versions of the same thing. For any person, tea time should be held in a different place. By the way, this is Pilgrim."
A yellow orb orbited around Sandman, making weird squeaking noises.
"What is a Pilgrim?"
"He's a dream. And my right-hand man, if you will."
"This is already too weird for me. I'll just have some sweets."
"Don't you dare finish them all..."
"I think there are a few more pressing questions right now, mongrel."
"Right, of course. If we all sit down, I'll be more than happy to explain everything."
They all took this chance to really take a good look at their host: he did, in fact, look quite like Gilgamesh, safe for his eyes, which were two golden orbs. He wore a long robe that waved around as if it was solid and fluid at the same time, and all around him, several little glowing points augmented his shiny aura. Overall, he had a very ethereal, strange, but somewhat comforting appearance.
"Rodion! We have guests. Don't be shy! Come greet them."
A slim figure came inside the room, a young man, with an almost emaciated look. He sat down quietly, barely acknowledging the presence of other people.
"Rodion? And you... you guys must know Mordred then!"
Saber's eyes glowed for a second at this realisation.
"Mordred? Why yes, of course! We were comrades, isn't that right, Rodion?"
"Yeah... she rescued me several times."
"It was such a shame having to part ways, but she said she wanted to find her father alone..."
"I see... I am her father. I'm Artoria."
"Oh... this is certainly unexpected. It seems I'm not the only one with some explaining to do."
One fairly long explanation later...
"Wow... that's a lot. I'm sorry about what you've had to go through..."
"Don't worry, I'll survive... after all, I need to save her."
"Indeed. Now that I think about it, that does explain what's going on right now."
"Which is?"
"Hold on a second, I think now it's a great time to go back and answer my original question: why did you refer to me that way, mongrel?"
"Well... this is kind of embarrassing... but... well... would you all care for a story?"
A long time ago...
There was a man, no, a great king. He had ruled over humanity for centuries by now. He had successfully escaped the passage of time for a long while. However, in the end, he was human, and so he was destined to die one day. And that particular day was that day. The king knew that. He once had tried to achieve immortality but had realised that such a task was foolish.
And yet, when the time came to exhale his last breath, the great king hesitated. He had lived a satisfying and fulfilling life, cementing himself in the history of the world, and yet he hesitated. But this time it was different. He attempted to resist the inevitability of death not out of fear, but out of love and worry for his people. He had long accepted his mortality. But what about his role?
Who would guide humanity to the future he had envisioned? Who would make sure they didn't lose themselves along the way? Who would make sure they wouldn't suffer unnecessarily? He could see the future that was reserved for humanity, but the impossibility of ever living to see it become his present weighed on him. He wanted to be sure that even after he was gone, someone or something would continue to watch over humanity.
That was the first Dream ever made. A dream of love. A dream of protection. A dream of selflessness. A dream of a great hero.
Many came after it, and they roamed around the world, easing the suffering of mankind and guarding it during its sleeping hours. And yet, they all lacked something: humanity. That part, that small part that those who guard humanity must always have, lest they become mere observers or tyrants.
And so, what had remained of the once great dream which had since given birth to all the other countless dreams, became something different, something with flesh, and blood, something... human. It is unknown how exactly that happened, since even he doesn't quite remember or know, or at least pretends he doesn't, but in an otherwise unremarkable cold winter night in a Norwegian village, the Sandman was born.
He studied the art of magic, how to control dreams, and the substance they were made out of: dreamdust. In time, he entered their Realm and managed to become the Lord of Dreams, carrying forward the will of the Great King, until one day, he too felt the shadow of death looming over him.
Instead of using his powers to extend his life, he gracefully accepted his demise and thus was immortalised as a dream, an ideal, as a symbol.
A symbol of happiness, of security, a fleeting moment of calm and of joy in an unrelentless and fleeting life.
The life of William Slummer was over. The legend of the Sandman had just started.
"Wow! What a wonderful story!"
"I find it... very hard to believe."
"Same."
"... I can't believe it... I knew that one day my older self would prove to be nothing more than a foolish mongrel... but this really takes the cake!"
"Goldie, is it really a nice thing to say right in front of Sandy?"
"Oh, don't worry about it, Nero. That's more or less what I expected. Still, I wanted to give you all my gratitude, great king."
"Your gratitude amounts to nothing compared to the displeasure you have brought me."
"Is that so? Well, in that case, I shall grant you whatever you desire."
"I doubt I can imagine something that's not already inside somewhere in my treasury."
"In that case, please accept this offering of dreamdust. If your mind is undecisive, then I shall grant you something that will answer your heart and turn into whatever it desires."
As Sandy concluded with a gentle smile, a pouch levitated away from his belt and into the air, resting right on Gilgamesh's lap.
"... I suppose this is something even I don't possess. Very well, this might improve my sour mood slightly."
"Ok, now that we've cleared up Archer's conclusion, what were you going to say before?"
"Let's see... ah, yes. As I was saying, Mordred's kidnapping and your new task might be connected to what is currently happening in this world... and in the real one."
"What do you mean, Sandy?"
"The effects of all the mana and failsafes established that were needed to keep this world up, not to mention the lack of primordial safeguards on the planet, has, to put it mildly, plunged it into chaos, and, worst of all, it's affecting the very fabric of reality. I am currently keeping every human asleep and safe within his own dreams, but that's not the worst of problems."
"You're capable of doing that?"
"My existence is a complex one. I am dead, but I'm alive as my dream self. And I can project my image into dreams freely. To put it short, it's practically impossible to sever my connection with Dreamland or with every dream. Even for someone or something as powerful as Alaya. That also allows me to see who's dreaming.
And thanks to that, I can tell that in this world, there are starting to appear pockets of spacetime from our reality, together with people who are supposed to be resting in the Underworld as souls, and instead have returned to life. This is causing several problems with the inner workings of the universe as we know it, and I don't want to guess what would happen if this process continued for an extended period of time."
"Reality as we know it would collapse."
"You can see it, can't you? That's why we must stop this madness. Luckily, there is hope: from what I could gather, the instability seems to stem mostly from 7 power sources: the Grand's Saint Graphs, probably. So by defeating them, you could somewhat stabilise reality a bit more. But to achieve a lasting result, you'd need to convince Alaya to return to her duties... or... you know... find a way to replace her..."
"Like I needed more motivation to kill them."
"... King of Knights, I too shall do my best to bring your beloved child back to you. Soon, you'll find her in your dreams."
"I don't need any dream. I have no more need for dreams and illusions. I shall mold reality itself to what I want and desire."
"Who's to say that dreams and reality are opposite? Wasn't it Shakespeare who said we are of such stuff as dreams are made of?"
"I wouldn't press her if I were you, Sandman."
"Don't annoy Saber, mongrel."
"Shut up, Archer."
"No, no, she's right, I've pestered you enough. You're welcome to rest here for tonight. You haven't slept for long."
"I'm sure we can find a better accommodation than here, mongrel."
"Better than whatever you desire?"
"Well, now that I think about it, Goldie, I am quite tired."
"Same."
"Is it ok if we rest here, Saber?"
"Stop sucking up to me, Archer. Stopping every now and then is inevitable. And as our host said, there's hardly a better place in which we could spend the night."
"Very well."
"Well, Sandy, it's been a real pleasure meeting you. I wish you and everyone a good night. I'll go look for a room."
"You'll find it very close."
"See you next morning, everyone."
"Bye-bye, Salty."
"Where are you going to sleep, Saber?"
"Wherever I find a bed. And wherever you aren't going to."
"Saber..."
"Stop."
"Wait. There's something I need to give you back."
"There's nothing I gave you."
"Not you, but your daughter. She took it off when I gave her a different garment."
Gilgamesh extended forward a red ribbon with golden decorations.
"I think you should keep it. It is your right to possess it."
"... this isn't mine. This is Mordred's."
"Then you should be the one to give it back."
"... this is the last time I'm thanking you today, Gilgamesh."
"I shall accept it, Artoria. Goodnight."
"... goodnight."
"It seems like all our guests have gone to bed. I shall fill their dreams with sweet memories and hope for the future."
"What will you do now, William?"
"What am I going to do? Isn't it obvious? I'm going to rescue my friend!"