Chapter 1: The Final Night of the Past
From the story: Dawn After Storm
Chapter 1: The Final Night of the Past
Hanoi at night. A gentle rain was falling. The raindrops tapped steadily on the old tin roof, echoing like distant whispers from the past. Nam sat in his small rented room, the dim yellow light flickering against his sleepless, hollowed face.
On the table lay an old phone, the screen still lit. The last message from someone who used to matter showed “seen” a long time ago. Memories of being used, of sweet words that turned out to be calculated moves — blackmail, emotional manipulation — had numbed Nam to the core.
In the mirror, he saw himself — a boy not yet twenty — yet with eyes aged like one who had lived several lifetimes.
"Love isn’t meant for me. I just need to hold onto what I have, live for myself. No one is worth it."
That sentence played in his mind over and over, like a mantra born of heartbreak.
But that night... something felt different.
In the midst of darkness, Nam opened a music track that he couldn't recall ever searching for. The melody flowed — peaceful, distant, and strangely familiar.
The lyrics: “Vì anh đã tìm thấy bình yên...” (Because I’ve found peace...) — from the song Bình Yên by Vũ.
And then — the dream began.
Nam found himself standing in a golden rice field. Far ahead stood an ancient temple, its curved roof veiled in thick incense smoke. Each step brought him closer. No fear. No doubt. Only a strange sense of pull.
A woman dressed in soft ivory áo dài stepped out from the temple. Her eyes were deep as the ocean. Beside her was a colossal snake — majestic, yet gentle in presence.
"You've endured enough," she whispered. "Now is the time to learn how to give."
She placed her hand over Nam’s heart. A light surged through him — warm, flowing, radiant.
"Remember this mantra," she said, "you'll need it to reopen your heart: ba ra ba ra am so ri ba ra."
The sound echoed as if it rose from his very soul.
When Nam awoke, the rain had stopped. But inside him… the storm was gone.
