Oren sits entirely motionless beside a table in a dimly lit room, hugging his knees to his chest. Across the room, two figures are arguing. A flash of lightning illuminates the room. One of the figures is a giant man adorned in various pieces of rose-gold jewelry. The man thrusts one palm forward, pushing the other figure away before turning his narrowed gaze toward Oren and pointing. The word "him" echoes throughout the room before being drowned out by the sound of booming thunder. The other figure, a longer-haired boy dressed in what looks like ceremonial marble-colored armor with gold trim and pinkish cloth accents, jumps in front of the man's pointed finger. The boy shakes his head. He mutters something, lowering his head slightly. The man raises one hand, his brow twitching. His hand simply hangs in the air for a while. Finally, the man clenches his fist and lets out an animalistic roar of frustration. With one massive sweep of his arm, he knocks countless pieces of pottery to the floor. Without a word, he storms off through the nearby door. The boy's shoulders relax. He lets his head fall slightly. He glances over his shoulder at Oren, a look of concern painted across his face. He walks over slowly and kneels in front of Oren, offering a faint smile and gently placing his hand on Oren's shoulder. Oren quietly leaps forward wrapping his arms around the other boy. The boy is shocked for a moment, but after a bit, he returns Oren's hug.Rain and thunder are once again heard outside. Standing in front of a giant glass window is Oren, his eyes red and his hands fiercely gripping a piece of parchment. Behind him is a picture surrounded by candles resting on a small table. In the picture is the long-haired boy. Oren blinks a few times before looking down at the piece of parchment. His eyes quickly scan every line. He begins reading the same message over and over. Suddenly, lightning strikes directly in front of the window. Oren jumps slightly, closing his eyes. When they open, it's a new day. He's standing in front of a crowd of thousands, the sun shining radiantly above. He stands motionless, shocked, and dressed in his finest regalia. To his right is the giant man from earlier, his face locked in an almost constant frown, seemingly unamused. Oren looks around, his heart racing. He begins taking rapid and shallow breaths. He hears someone approaching from behind. After a moment, he feels something metallic being placed upon his head: a thin circlet. A figure standing to Oren's left exclaims something, eliciting roaring cheers from the crowd. Oren closes his eyes and tries to calm down.His eyes open. It's night. He's back in his house, in the same room as the photo. Standing across from him is the giant man from earlier, who slowly removes a necklace with a faintly glowing purple crystal. The man places the necklace in a wooden box before shifting his attention to Oren. He lets out a sigh and shakes his head, a disappointed look on his face. He says something inaudible before walking out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Oren jumps as the door slams. His gaze slowly shifts toward the wooden box and he gulps. Oren glances at the photo of the boy for one last time. Without a word, he walks over to the photo and removes the circlet from his head. Oren places the rose-gold circlet in front of the photo and forces a smile. He starts quietly making his way through the house, darting past the kitchen to a small storage area. Oren quickly grabs a box labeled in a language he can't read. Without a second thought, he throws on the clothes that he finds inside. As he runs back out a shiny pan reflects his face, causing him to stop for a moment. He takes a deep breath. He goes back and returns with a paper bag over his head, hiding his face. Oren re-enters the room and slowly approaches the box his father had closed. With one hand, he reaches forward to open the box, slowly revealing the glowing crystal necklace. Almost entranced, he leans closer, the crystal glowing brighter and brighter as he nears. He slowly grabs the leather lace for the necklace and holds it up to his face. Suddenly, the crystal flashes purple causing Oren to jump backward, falling into a portal that opens behind him; as quickly as it opens, it closes.
