Story 2, The Price of a Dream
(Warning! Spoilers)
In a world interlaced with dreams and nightmares, a young woman named Miya found herself ensnared within the tendrils of a tormenting reality. Her father, Roderick Burges, was a man devoid of compassion, his heart brimming with cruelty since the death of her brother, Randall, who died at Gallipoli. Each day, she withstood his physical and psychological torment, their home becoming a living nightmare.
As she matured into a young adult, the longing for freedom ignited a flame within her. One fateful day, she concocted a plan to free both herself and another from their respective prisons.
She brewed cups of coffee laced with a potent sedative for the guards who were unsuspecting of her intentions. As Miya entered the room, the air seemed to shiver around her. The pale, naked entity trapped within a sphere of thick glass, watched her from his confined space.
From his perspective, she was a beacon of life in this drab, cold place. Her smile was a sunbeam piercing through the heavy clouds of his captivity, and her eyes held a spark of defiance that matched his own. Miya engaged the guards in conversation, her charm and wit entrancing them. They laughed at her jokes, their eyes growing heavier with each passing moment, the sedative subtly weaving its spell.
As their laughter dwindled and their eyes became unfocused, they seemed to realize what she had done. "I'm sorry," Miya murmured, an apology laced with a sadness they couldn't comprehend. As one guard tried to stand, she caught him as his unsteady legs gave up on him, making sure he wouldn't hurt himself as he toppled. The second guard was slumped over their table. She hurried to her feet then sprinted towards the glass sphere resting her hands on the glass as she looked at her father's prisoner. Morpheus watched her approach, an unusual curiosity stirring within him.
He rose to his feet, his hands instinctively reaching out to meet hers through the glass. The sight of her, determined and vibrant against the dull backdrop of his prison, was a stark contrast to his endless days of solitude. Miya's eyes darted around the sphere, searching for a mechanism to unlock it. She knew she had to act quickly, her heart pounding like a drum within her chest.
She looked back to the guards as a thought occurs to her. In a split second she's across the room, taking one of the guns from the sleeping guardsmen. She unchecks the safety as she turns to shoot the glass but with a sharp smack on her hand Roderick's cane knocked the weapon out of her grasp. The gun hit the water surrounding the sphere with a splash.
Roderick's rage manifested in a flurry of brutal blows upon Miya. His cane fell upon her with a ferocity that turned her body into a canvas of pain. Despite the assault, Miya held onto consciousness. Her dream of freedom was within reach, and she would not let it slip away so easily. The pain was intense, but it did not compare to the relentless torment she had weathered throughout her life. She was willing to risk everything for a chance at freedom. For a life without pain and living nightmares.
Meanwhile, Morpheus, guided by an instinct older than time itself, found a way into the mind of one of the sleeping guards. He haunted the man's dreams, guiding him to unholster his gun and shoot.
As the first gunshot rang out, the world seemed to freeze. The bullet struck the glass sphere, sending a spiderweb of cracks radiating from the point of impact. Roderick halted his assault on his daughter, his eyes wide with shock and fear as he turned to the sleepwalking guard before looking at the glass as he orders him to stop, but it's too late, he emptied the clip into the sphere, each bullet embedding itself into the glass and shattering the once impenetrable prison.
As the sphere shattered, freeing its captive, Miya lay on the cold, hard floor. Her body was bruised and battered from her father's cane, each breath a painful endeavour. Her consciousness flickered, the edges of her vision darkening as she slipped into unconsciousness. But as the real world faded, another realm took shape—a dreamscape, beautiful and ethereal, unlike anything she had ever seen. Here, in the Dreamworld, Morpheus walked towards her along a black sandy beach. He was no longer a prisoner but a king in his realm, his eyes reflecting the wisdom of countless ages.
Morpheus crouched before Miya's beaten form, his eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and compassion. His hand extended towards her, a silent invitation for her to rise. With a gentle touch, he helped her to her feet, her body now whole and unblemished. The bruises and injuries that had marred her flesh were gone, and the pain that had haunted her existence had dissipated. A soft expression adorned Morpheus's face as he looked at her. His voice resonated with an otherworldly calmness as he spoke, "Why did you help me, Miya?" Morpheus asked, his voice soft. With a strength she didn't know she had left, Miya met his gaze.
For a moment she's shocked, he had never spoken a word in all the time he has been a prisoner and somehow he knows her name. But she answers his question. "No one should be forced to live in a cage," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted to be free from Roderick Burges. I could have just left, saved myself... But..." She paused for a moment "Not without first trying to help you" Her words hung in the air, a testament to her courage and will to survive. She had risked everything to help a being she barely knew, seeking freedom from her torment, but risking it to save another. In her final moments of consciousness, Miya had found a sense of peace she had long yearned for, a respite from the relentless fear and pain.
Morpheus listened intently, his eyes never leaving her face. In that moment, he understood the depths of her suffering and the strength it took to defy her tormentor. He extended his hand once more, a gesture of solace and acceptance. "Miya, you have shown tremendous courage and selflessness," Morpheus said, his voice carrying a weight of appreciation. "You have faced the darkness head-on, defying the cruel hand that life dealt you. For that, I offer you a place in the Dreaming, a realm where pain and fear hold no power. There, you can find solace and live a life free from the shackles that once bound you." Miya's breath caught in her throat, the weight of his words sinking deep within her soul. A wave of gratitude washed over her as she realized that her fight for freedom had not been in vain. Tears welled in her eyes, but they were tears of relief and newfound hope. Morpheus offered her his hand, a small smile playing on his features, reassuring her. With a mixture of awe and gratitude, Miya placed her hand in Morpheus's outstretched palm.
She knew she had found a protector, a guardian who would shield her from the nightmares of her past. Together, they walked through the dreamworld, leaving behind the pain and suffering that had plagued Miya's existence. As they ventured deeper into the ethereal landscapes, Miya felt a profound sense of peace enveloping her, a promise of a life where fear and torment held no power. And with Morpheus by her side, she knew she would find the solace and freedom she had always yearned for.
Simultaneously, in the waking world, Morpheus, freed from his crystal sphere, now stood in the room that had been his prison for countless years. He glanced at Miya, her fragile body lying on the cold stone floor, beaten and bleeding. A surge of anger welled up within him, not just for his own suffering, but for the injustice that had been meted out to this brave young woman. Turning his gaze to Roderick, he felt a cold, calculating rage. Roderick, the man who had imprisoned him and tormented his own daughter, stood there in shock, his eyes wide with fear. Morpheus stared at him, his eyes reflecting the storm brewing within him.
"You," Morpheus began, his voice low and dangerous, "have committed atrocities that cannot be forgiven. You have abused what power you have and imprisoned those who did not deserve such cruelty." Morpheus, not speaking about himself but the others that had been hurt over the years by Roderick. Taken aback by Morpheus's words, Roderick tried to speak, but Morpheus raised a hand to silence him. He didn't want to hear any excuses or pleas for mercy. He wanted justice. "I have been trapped, watched over by your guards, and held captive in this glass prison," Morpheus continued, his voice echoing in the room. "But the suffering you inflicted on me pales in comparison to the nightmare you subjected your own flesh and blood to."
Morpheus moved closer to Roderick, his gaze never wavering. "You've instilled fear and pain into those who should have known a father's love and protection. Instead, you've been a monster." Roderick flinched at Morpheus's words, his fear palpable. But Morpheus wasn't done yet. "For your crimes against me and against Miya, you will face the consequences."
With a wave of his hand, Morpheus invoked his power over dreams. Roderick's eyes turned white as he was pulled into a world of nightmares, a realm where his worst fears would come to life. It was a fitting punishment for a man who had caused so much suffering. As Roderick was consumed by fear and despair, Morpheus turned away from him.
He had exacted his revenge, but there was no satisfaction in it. Instead, he felt a deep sorrow for the innocent life that had been caught up in this cycle of abuse and cruelty. He moved across the room to where Miya lay, her life slowly ebbing away. He crouched by her side, reaching out to touch her face gently. "You will not die here, Miya," he promised, his voice soft. "Not while I can offer you refuge." With that, he extended an invitation to her, a chance to escape the pain and suffering that had been her life. He would take her to the Dreaming, where she could live free from fear and torment. It was the least he could do for the brave young woman who had risked everything to free him. And so, as Roderick faced the horrors of his own making, Morpheus prepared to guide Miya into a world of dreams, a place where she could finally find peace.