Chapter 70: The Dream That Wasn't Yours
🌙 Act I: A New Initiative
Ne Job was cataloguing miracle scrolls when a scroll arrived wrapped in velvet and moonlight.
> Notice from the Department of Divine Sleep:
> Interns are invited to participate in the Dream-Link Experiment.
> Purpose: To foster empathy and understanding across departments.
> Each participant will experience another intern's dreamscape for one night.
Ao Bing blinked. "We're swapping dreams?"
Taiyi Zhenren frowned. "I once dreamed of filing cabinets that sang opera. I'm not doing that again."
Ne Job smiled. "It's a chance to understand each other."
Twinkle hummed.
Lord Xian appeared. "Participation is voluntary. But recommended. Dreams are data."
Ne Job signed up.
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🛏️ Act II: Entering the Dream
That night, Ne Job lay in the Dream Chamber — a cozy room filled with floating pillows, soft lights, and a scroll labeled "Dream-Link Protocol."
He closed his eyes.
The dream began.
He was in a vast library made of clouds. Scrolls floated like birds. Ladders led to nowhere. A voice whispered, "Welcome, Ne Job."
He turned — and saw Ao Bing, dressed as a cloud conductor, orchestrating thunder with a baton.
"Is this your dream?" Ne Job asked.
Ao Bing blinked. "No. I thought it was yours."
Taiyi Zhenren appeared, riding a phoenix made of footnotes.
"This isn't mine either," he said. "Something's wrong."
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🌀 Act III: The Dream Tangle
More interns appeared.
Glimmer the sprite floated by on a marshmallow cloud.
Inspector Quill was arguing with a sentient teacup.
Everyone was confused.
Ne Job realized: the Dream-Link had malfunctioned. Instead of one-to-one swaps, it had merged all dreams into one chaotic landscape.
Scrolls sang lullabies. Filing cabinets danced. Teacups debated ethics.
Ne Job gathered the interns.
"We need to stabilize the dream," he said. "Find the core. Anchor it."
Twinkle pulsed gently.
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🧠 Act IV: Finding the Anchor
Ne Job led the group through the dreamscape, searching for a common thread.
They passed:
- A garden where kindness bloomed.
- A hallway of forgotten miracles.
- A room where every intern's name glowed softly.
At the center, they found a scroll — blank, pulsing.
Ne Job touched it.
Words appeared:
> "You are not alone. You are part of something bigger."
The dream shifted.
The chaos faded.
Each intern found themselves in a shared space — calm, warm, and filled with gentle light.
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🌈 Act V: Waking Up
Ne Job awoke in the Dream Chamber.
Twinkle hummed.
Ao Bing was already scribbling notes. "That was wild."
Taiyi Zhenren adjusted his monocle. "Surprisingly enlightening."
Lord Xian summoned the interns.
"The Dream-Link malfunctioned," he said. "But the result was… illuminating."
Ne Job proposed a new initiative:
> The Empathy Archive
> A shared space where interns can record dreams, stories, and reflections.
> Accessible to all. Optional. Encouraged.
Approved.
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📜 Epilogue: A New Scroll
The next morning, a new scroll appeared in the Bureau:
> Scroll #D-101: The Shared Dream
> Created by: Intern Ne Job and Participants of the Dream-Link Experiment
> Effect: Fosters empathy, connection, and calm.
Ne Job added a note:
> "Sometimes, the best way to understand someone… is to dream with them."
Twinkle hummed.
And somewhere in the Bureau, a teacup whispered, "I forgive you."