I was in contact with someone who had a portal to a world he had created. He was looking for someone to alter. He had armor, grapplers that shoot out and pull you wherever it hooks, diet plans, exercise plans. He wanted to build a weapon, out of an already alive and normal person. He ended up choosing me, not without my protest. He got me on the diet and exercise plans. I was thankful to be much healthier. Eventually he put me under anesthesia and bonded the armor he'd built with my bones and skin. After the surgery, we went out into the world he'd created. We were walking around with his assistant, when a giant spider saw us and decided to hunt us for food. We started back towards the portal back to the real world, but when we got there, I learned a hard truth. He wouldn't let me go through the portal. The portal to the other world was rigged, and only he and his small, young, female assistant could leave. If I left, the portal would explode inside the world he'd created, and in our world. Destroying me, the world, and the home he lived in in the real world. I was devastated. This meant I could never see my child again. Then left me to my own devices in this world he had created. I killed the giant spider and began devising a plan to escape. Then, he assistant came through the portal without him. She told be she believed I should be free, and knew how to delay the explosion to give me time to get out of this mans false world. So I did. And after I did, I was on the run from him. I hid in friend's homes until I could find a way to escape him in the real world too. As I was looking out the window of my friend's home, I saw my ex. (for context, I saw him in real life the day before I had this dream). I got up from the window and walked to the center of the house. I decided to leave the state with my son. And we were successful. I had escaped this man and the world he had created, and my son and I escaped him in the real world.
The dream may reflect your fears and concerns about your personal growth and development being compromised by someone who has the power to manipulate and control you. The man in the dream could represent a domineering individual in your life, perhaps someone who has a controlling influence over you. The armor and the weapons in the dream may signify the physical and emotional defenses you create to protect yourself from harm. The portal may represent an opportunity for you to escape the harmful situation, but at a great cost. Your fear of being trapped in an artificial and dangerous world keeps you from taking that chance.
The spider that hunts you may symbolize the threat of danger and unpredictability in life. Your anxiety and feelings of helplessness in the dream also suggest that you feel vulnerable and powerless in your waking life. However, the young, female assistant in the dream represents hope and support. Her intervention indicates that there are people in your life who care about your wellbeing and are willing to help you.
Finally, the appearance of your ex in the dream suggests that there may be unresolved issues or negative emotions associated with your past relationship with him that you need to address. The dream may be urging you to work through these issues so that you can move on with your life and find a safe and secure place for yourself and your child.