Later, when he wasn't so wholly distracted by his loss, Dream would consider his own identity beyond their current predicament. But now wasn't that time.

"Yes and no." His jaw was tight as he spoke. "First, much of my power must be stripped. This cannot be achieved by a mere sorcerer alone." So there was more involved. He just didn't know how. Without his ruby, there was no conceivable way to bring down an Endless without their own failings. Perhaps he'd finally been deemed unfit to rule the Dreaming after all. But even that seemed unlikely, given the distinct lack of Desire's gloating.

He stared at Hob when he expressed a wish to work with others. "Proceed with caution, Hob Gadling. There is no telling who we might encounter, or what their motivations might be." A little overly cautious? Yes. But Dream wasn't going to trust easy. Not here.