Fragments of a Broken World: The Lost City [Complete]

Episode 17 - Nightmare

Do you know something? When I go to sleep, I always tell myself "The dreamland awaits me." as a way to motivate positive dreams and ward off the bad ones. It had been many nights since I had seen anything until today when I had a most unusual nightmare.

I wake up in the middle of the desert, no longer in the city nor could I see it anywhere, even though the skies were still green.

It was difficult to breathe because of the heat. In other circumstances, I would know that I was in a dream, but no matter how hard I tried to wake up, I couldn't even scream.

After everything I saw in this city, what if they expelled me to the desert while I was sleeping?

I see a person approaching from kilometers away, walking at an extremely slow pace. Minutes pass until eventually, he reaches where I am.

Upon seeing him more clearly, I see that he is wearing the same clothes he had on when I arrived in the city. The silhouette, with my own voice, says to me:

"Broken Forever, that's what you are. Just look at yourself, frozen in fear with all this sweltering heat. You haven't changed at all since you started this journey."

I want to close my eyes, but I can't help but see him, nor can I look away.

"Do you think that because others had given up before you, it makes you better? Or someone strong?

"You're wrong. It doesn't matter if people don't tell you, I'm the voice you hear when you feel ashamed or think you could have done better because between you and me, even if you don't hear it, you know the people think it.

"What... what do you want from me?" I respond confused and tired, almost begging for clemency.

"To give you a life lesson. You haven't received enough yet." he says, removing the rags that cover his face and speaking more clearly. "A broken man dies bit by bit, piece to piece, we know it well. First, they hurt your body, then with words, they corrupt your soul, and in the end, you feel your heart break until there is nothing to breathe for."

"I want to forget." I said, gritting my teeth, making a great effort to move my mouth, but my whole body felt numb, as one would expect from a dream.

"Your tears are well deserved."

That person becomes more and more energetic.

"Remember! Remember 'Oh, Broken Forever,' the one who had to pay the price for his family. Do you remember? It didn't matter if you were good, you were surely like them. Inside, everyone is a sinner, even in silence, among the shadows, the sin that hides in the flesh of each one of us.

"No!" I feel my voice break, my throat was as dry as the desert that surrounded me.

"Violence! That solves everything! Violence is what they seek for people like us! That's justice, yes, the only justice there is!" Exclaims the worst version of myself.

I try to respond, but I am completely hoarse from the knot in my throat.

"YOUR. WOUNDS. WILL. NEVER. HEAL!

With such a chilling and resounding scream, I wake up suddenly, even though several hours had passed, and the sun was rising. The nightmare was so exhausting that it felt like I had just taken a nap.

How would you summarize this experience? A reflection of myself, completely unpleasant.

I refuse to believe that a dream knows more about myself than my own thoughts; I will not give importance to what my-self said.

What am I saying... It wasn't even an evil copy or something like that, I imagined it, I must stop looking for meanings in the dream.

But why would I want to forget? Forget about what?