Part 5: The Dark Contract and the Remaining Light
The atmosphere in the dream changed dramatically when a single envelope appeared in Damian’s hand.
It felt as if the wind had stopped and the temperature of the room had dropped by several degrees.
He stared at it quietly, falling into silence for a long while.
“This is… ‘the contract,’” he whispered.
His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
The paper was the color of ancient parchment, and there was no name written on it.
But a seal seemed to appear, floating around it—a spider design.
“I lost my ‘freedom’ the moment I signed this,” he said softly.
“In exchange, money flowed in, and my life was guaranteed. But my choices… were lost.”
He ran his finger over the corner of the paper as he continued,
“They made me utter the word ‘great.’
But in truth, it was the word ‘dependence.’”
A chill ran down my spine.
Behind the applause of the people, his words had been the “declaration of the contract.”
Yet, I asked,
“So, can’t you break the contract now?”
He remained silent.
In that silence, I understood.
To break it, a ‘price’ must be paid—either his life, or the future of the nation.
Then, he whispered softly,
“You still have ‘freedom.’ You hold words that are not controlled by anyone.
If you choose to write this story, somewhere, someone will read it.
‘Her words will become the map of the future’—that’s what the old woman said.”
Before I could ask, “Who is the old woman?”
A shadow stirred at the far end of the room.
An old woman-like presence was quietly watching us.
Her eyes seemed to hold memories that spanned across time.
“This dream you see is already connected to reality.”
“To be chosen means you carry the ‘seeds of change.’”
The old woman said, placing her hand on my chest.
Then, it felt as though light pierced deep within my heart.
In that moment, I woke up.
But the dream wasn’t over.
His whisper still lingered in my ears.
“If your words reach someone’s heart—then that is the beginning of hope.”
5/15
★OliveR's Dream Journal★ 