[Fiction] The Dream Duel

Inside, I felt the darkness of the creature I faced, and struggled with my own darkness within, which wanted to join it. For a few seconds, the possibility that I would not fight, but would simply give up and join the dark side remained very, very real. I don't know how I managed to achieve it, but the feeling subsided, and I was in control of my body again. For now, at least. I didn't know it then, but it was a gift, and it saved me in more ways than one.

I prepared to fight, but even the most optimistic of people would have said my chances of success were slim to none. I wasn't even armed. But it didn't matter to me. I had been too close to succumbing before to consider any thoughts of loss. I would fight, no matter what. That was all there was to it.

It was then that something amazing happened. I felt an intense sensation. It was so intense that I had to shut my eyes for a few seconds. I was flooded... I think I may have glowed in those few moments, but I can't be sure. I think describing it as a sort of mixture of communion and meditation is the best I can do. And, as I experienced it, I knew that I only got to experience it once I had resigned to fighting, without any care for whether I won or not. Retrospectively, it seems, that was the correct choice.

I gained some knowledge at that point that I knew was crucial to my win, and got gifted with a tremendous amount of energy, and heightened awareness. I turned around and saw her, somehow knowing she would be there. She was beautiful, unlike any horse I had ever seen, pure white, emitting a soft golden glow. And she was waiting for me. I looked into her eyes for a few seconds, and I knew that she would take me wherever I needed to go, with no need for communication.

We charged at the creature, whose very being seemed to be darkness itself. As we got closer, I began to plot how I would get close to its heart, its size being many multiples of my own. And then I knew what I would do.

I reached for the sword on my belt, and drew it. It wasn't there before, but I knew it would be there now, another gift from the one who had saved me. It glowed with a soft white light as I held it before me. We picked up speed, and when were were close enough, she jumped. Her timing was perfect, and the jump took me almost all the way, at the peak of which, I jumped from her, gaining the crucial extra length to reach it's heart. I plunged the sword in as far as I could, and left it there.

Then, I fell. And landed badly.

I had done my job, and it looked like I had won, and in a manner of speaking, I had. It would die. What I didn't expect was that it was going to explode, and in so doing, incinerate me. It swelled. I saw the horse and the sword disappear, as if they had just been mirages, and waited for the explosion, and my accompanying death. I didn't mind dying that much, for I was finally glad to have done some good. I saw the creature swell some more, to it's bursting point, and then explode. I saw a white fiery wave of fire consume the space between where the creature had stood, and me, and crossed my arms. I knew as I did it that doing so would not protect me, yet I felt better for doing so. I held the pose, waiting for my end, which I assumed would be in the next second or two ....

... and then woke up. It was (obviously) all a dream, and I felt somewhat cheated. I had been expecting my impending death, and had made peace with dying, only to find out I had only been dreaming. It had been remarkably vivid. And there was evidently some message behind it, which bugged me. The dream occupied my waking thoughts, and I was not entirely present in the company of all who knew me. They were aware something was up, but I didn't tell them I was being haunted by a dream, for fear they wouldn't understand.

But there was someone who would. I visited my old master as soon as I could, and found him deep in thought. Thankfully his meditation had nearly finished, and in a tumble of words I described my dream, though not feeling I had done it justice. His next words, however, completely startled me.

"It's about time!"

Apparently, my dream was a sort of rite of passage. And I had passed, by choosing good over evil, even as I slept. The dream takes a different form for each who experiences it, with the general message of a fight between good and evil, and a specific message for the person involved, correlating to an element of his (or her!) life. My master's, apparently, involved fighting evil food with a special sauce.

"What!?!"
"It's true. Believe it or not, I was quite the glutton in my youth. And so the dream had a message for me."
"So the monster, the horse, the sword, they all mean something? Something specific to me?"
"Exactly."
"But I have no idea what it could possibly be!"
"Don't worry. You have enough time to figure it out. And I'm sure you will... you're smart enough. Let me know when you find out"

I left soon after, glad to have my initial question answered, not so glad to have more take its place. One thing, however, my master was able to explain to me:

"That you were content with dying and had made your peace shows your courage. Not many people are willing to die for the sake of doing good. If you remain focused on what you need to do, not just regarding this dream, but also in life generally, you will achieve greatness. I am sure of it"

High praise indeed, and I felt unworthy of such. Reflecting on those words made me grateful that our paths had crossed, and I smiled a half smile, quickening my pace, determined to repay my master's faith in me.