In an empty hallway filled with silence, there was a crimson door and a sign displaying the number [1].
After walking for a while, there was another door reminiscent of the night sky displaying the number [2].
At the end of the hallway, the 3rd and final door revealed itself. Out of all of the doors, this ivory white door with an intricate design stood out the most.
The door slowly began to open by itself, as if it was a sign to enter. The inside was surrounded by complete darkness.
In a far distance from the entrance, there was a large panoramic screen and recliner couch seats with side tables. It became clear that this place was inside a movie theater.
The faint light from the screen was enough to figure out that there were only empty seats in this large theater.
The first scene of the movie introduced the main protagonist, Shura. He was revered as one of the most powerful figures in the empire. Due to his accomplishments, he was sent by the emperor to defeat the enemy kingdom.
The antagonist is the ruler of the enemy kingdom, a notorious tyrant aiming to rule the world. The hero embarks on a journey to gather allies in order to defeat the antagonist and save the world.
Halfway through the movie, Shura succeeds in gathering seven highly skilled allies. They quickly gained fame throughout various lands and were proclaimed as heroes, the last hope for humanity.
After defeating the allies of the antagonist, it was finally time for the final battle which will determine the fate of the world.
The main characters were full of common tropes and it was just like any other action oriented story.
However, the plot twist at the end was completely unexpected.
Instead of the usual happy ending, the main protagonist and his allies faced utter defeat.
The world was engulfed in chaos and misery of being ruled by the tyrant. Eventually, the entire world faced destruction.
It was just a cliche movie full of common tropes yet why do I feel this sense of disappointment.
Was it because of the notion that no matter how hard the trials were, the heroes should still be able to achieve their goals in the end and they were supposed to have a happy ending as a reward at the end of their journey.
This movie gave hope that the main characters would prevail and yet they ultimately failed.
When the ending credits rolled, the tears just continued to silently fall.
I woke up at the sound of the alarm.
"It was just a dream"
This was the first time I had recalled a dream so vividly.
Ever since I lost my memories in an accident a few years ago, my memory lapses gradually worsened.
In short, I have the memory span of a goldfish.
I went downstairs and saw my mother preparing breakfast and my father was reading the newspaper as usual. While we were eating, the doorbell suddenly rang.
"Grandma! I'm so happy you came"
"I couldn't miss my granddaughter's birthday"
Grandma entered the house and went straight to the kitchen.
While having breakfast, we talked about our plans for later. Mom suggested that we watch the new superhero movie that apparently got a lot of good reviews.
When she mentioned the word "movie", it reminded me about that strange dream earlier which dampened my mood a bit. Both of them became visibly worried.
"It's nothing. I just had a strange dream"
"What kind of dream was it?"
"It was a strange movie about a hero who tried to defeat the villain. .
but he failed to save the world in the end"
The room fell eerily silent. The ending was unexpected so this reaction was not that surprising. It was not as if I was giving unwanted spoilers since it was a movie that didn't even exist in the first place.
"It sounds like the usual fantasy story that tried to add a unique twist"
I agree with dad. Mom was about to say something but my grandma suddenly appeared holding a strawberry cake and greeted me "Happy Birthday". My parents gave me a birthday present, a medium sized box wrapped neatly. While I was wondering what could be inside, grandma suddenly asked me.
"What would you like to do in the future?"
"I'm not sure yet but isn't it the same for everyone? Graduating from school, getting a job then eventually retiring." I answered after thinking about it for a bit.
I heard dad mumbling "How boring" but it might have been my imagination.
My mother who was keeping quiet since earlier finally spoke.
"You should try to have bigger dreams. Just try to imagine it. What's impossible today might be possible tomorrow! Doesn't just thinking about the endless possibilities make you feel excited?"
"I don't know. I had never really thought about the future like that before."
Rather than the future, I'm more interested in the past
but the last time I tried to recall my past memories, I fell into a coma.
"If you have forgotten it, then maybe it wasn't important"
"You're right, grandma"
I shouldn't make my family worry about me. Let's just forget about the past!
While they were preparing to go out, I was sitting alone in the sofa and saw the gift that my parents gave me earlier. After unwrapping the gift, my eyes widened.
It was 5th volume of my favorite novel which was sold out.
I thought it would be impossible to get a copy but now it's in my hands.
Not knowing what the future holds is frightening but at the same time it's exciting since things that are impossible today might be possible tomorrow.
I wonder what kind of future awaits me.