The thought settled heavy on him.
The fate of the world rested on his shoulders.
He needed to calm his mind.
Stay focused.
Stay collected.
And most of all, fear nothing.
Leon stepped through the door into complete darkness.
There was nothing, no sound, no shape, just endless black.
Then, a faint light flickered before him, growing brighter.
From the light emerged a creature unlike any he had seen.
Its body was that of a wolf, strong, sleek, and powerful.
But it had two heads.
One was a wolf's, fierce and alert.
The other was a crow's, black, sharp, and watchful.
From its shoulders sprouted four wings, broad and feathered, beating softly in the stillness.
A long tail swayed behind it, adding to its strange, otherworldly presence.
Leon felt a mix of awe and unease.
The creature's two heads turned to Leon.
In a voice that echoed like a distant howl mixed with a harsh caw, it asked,
"Who am I?"
Leon froze.
This was a test.
If he didn't give the exact right answer, he knew it could be the end.
But he felt a flicker of hope.
He'd studied dreams interpretation since he was young, that was why he was chosen for this.
He took a deep breath and plunged into thought.
The wolf, he thought, represents instinct, loyalty, strength... but also anger, aggression, isolation, and inner conflict. The wild, untamed part of the self, the struggle to protect what matters.
The crow, he continued silently, stands for intelligence, transformation, sometimes bad omens and death. But more than that, it's regret, hidden knowledge, the need to face uncomfortable truths.
A cold voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You have one minute."
Oh fuck.
Leon's mind raced.
He kept thinking, piecing it all together.
Two heads, this must mean duality.
A conflict inside the dreamer's mind.
A battle between instinct and intellect.
Between the light and dark parts of himself.
The four wings, power and freedom.
But also complexity, the need to rise above every challenge that drags him down.
And the long tail, that's the past.
The burdens he carries, the things trailing behind him, still shaping who he is.
Everything fits.
After a long moment of thinking, Leon's eyes widened.
I understand it now.
The creature's voice cut through the silence.
"Your time is up. State your answer."
Leon took a steady breath and said,
"You are survival."
The creature's eyes widened in surprise.
"Why do you say that?" it asked.
Leon met its gaze and replied,
"Fight or flight."
Leon looked at the creature carefully and began to explain.
"The wolf head, aggression, anger. It represents fight."
He glanced at the crow's head.
"The crow, intellect, wisdom. It stands for flight."
He took a breath, steadying himself.
"Together, you're the survivor instinct of the human being."
"The long tail? That's regret. The weight someone carries after choosing either path."
"And the wings… they're the dreamer's wish, the hope to rise above these instincts."
Leon smiled confidently.
"Is that right?" he asked.
The creature closed its eyes slowly.
"It is right," it said quietly, then vanished.
The wolf's head lowered, its breath steaming in the cold air. The crow's eyes flared white, and its wings snapped open with a sound like breaking bones.
Then both heads bowed in unison, the beast dissolving into a thousand black feathers that drifted upward, leaving the next door in their wake.
Leon sighed, the weight of it settling in.
Another door.
Still more to face.
The eighth dream began.