Dreamtale Time Skip: Decades Ahead. This is an alternate version of the story, in which I’ve filled in the plot holes that bothered me and focused more on the characters than on large-scale events
Below is a brief summary in English
The psychological age of the brothers in this storyline is around 30. The beginning is the same, but the course of events differs. After an endless struggle, both grew weary and reached a peaceful agreement. One was able to think clearly in the darkness; the other realized the impossibility of utopia in people’s hearts. The basis of the truce is minimal interference. Despite the awareness reached during the agreement, both continue to interact with people and influence them in their own way. It seems the essence of the truce was to interfere as little as possible in each other’s lives, rather than in the development of the world around them. Some of the apples were not handed over during the peace agreement, because no one even raised the issue. Dream had no intention of asking. Nightmare had no intention of allowing his brother to share his burden. Awareness is the key to understanding how strongly the apples influence the mind. He wanted Dream to be able to continue living.
— Dream
He hardly ever smiles, except around children and creatures in whom he has seen humanity. He travels and resolves minor issues, discreetly avoiding major conflicts. His understanding of the nature of sentient beings has made him calm and reasonable. He is still willing to find the good in everyone, but does not actively seek it out on his own.
His abilities remain the same. He has developed a stable aura, able to quickly bring people to their senses and encourage dialogue. In his hands is a bow, crafted by someone in gratitude, whom he will never meet again. Like all his possessions, for that matter. With age, he has become terrifyingly tenacious.
— Nightmare
More peaceful in his demeanour. He tends to start with a calm conversation and then proceeds according to the situation. His inclination towards violence and cruelty no longer stems from hatred for the world — it is a need in its own right, one that brings genuine satisfaction. Somewhere deep inside, he distinguishes between negative thoughts and his own, which is why he reasons sensibly. At the very least, he makes conscious choices. The pursuit of a world of fear is over; now he delves deeply into human psychology, having finally found answers to questions he once asked himself until his voice gave out.
These abilities developed and stabilized alongside the mind. The outer layer, negative, is capable of distorting itself to suit the body’s needs. Therefore, Nightmare has a clearly defined human form that is cold to the touch, while any other shell will resemble either a figure cut out of negative or possess a dull, lifeless colour palette, resembling a corpse rather than an exact replica.
Negative has two weaknesses — positive and bones; the former burns it away, while the latter does not dissolve immediately on contact, unlike other solid materials. Nightmare's internal cavity is filled with its own skeleton and a variety of foreign bones. Using these, he can create a frame for new forms. A multitude of teeth, ribs, vertebrates, and other bits and pieces of unknown origin.
If he removes the unnecessary parts, his human form will take shape as a younger version of himself, scaled to fit his own skeleton. Nightmare hasn’t matured since the incident, while Dream has changed quite a bit, albeit more slowly than a human would; hence the difference in their true forms.
The minimum physically formed negative form is four tentacles; the maximum limit is on a scale comparable to a stadium or an entire estate.
Both are travelling, both are changing their routes, hoping never to cross paths again. For better or worse, the world is round. The only constant is their refusal to turn their backs on their ideals; so wherever they may be, they will never understand each other.
