Orion tried to open his eyes, but the bright rays of the sun were hitting them directly.
He found himself standing in a body of water — not deep enough to drown.
The water was neither cold nor hot. It felt strange, like something he had never felt before.
When he finally managed to open his eyes, all he could see was a clear blue sky without a single cloud.
He moved his hands slowly, placed his palm on the surface of the water, and pushed himself up into a sitting position.
He looked around again and again, not knowing where he was.
Confusion filled his mind as he tried to remember how he got there, but his brain refused to respond.
Orion stood up and looked in every direction, yet nothing caught his attention. There was nothing but water and sky.
Then suddenly, a voice echoed inside his head.
"You have been chosen."
The moment he heard it, his vision started spinning. Ripples formed in the water around his feet as his body lost balance.
Everything became blurry.
After a moment, Orion opened his eyes with a sudden movement.
It was night.
The water was gone.
It felt as if he had been transported somewhere else.
The air was cold and the darkness was thick. He could not see anything except a faint light far away.
Orion frowned, trying to understand what was happening.
"…Did I move somewhere else…?"
He slowly stood up and started walking toward the light, thinking there might be someone there.
The closer he got, the harder it became to move.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
He didn't know why his body was slowing down. Maybe he was tired… or maybe something else was wrong.
Still, he forced himself forward.
After a long struggle, he finally reached the light source.
It was a small campfire burning in the middle of nowhere.
Orion sat near it, hoping to feel warmth, but the cold did not disappear. Instead, his body felt even weaker.
His head started spinning.
He raised his hands toward the fire, trying to warm himself.
That was when he noticed something on his left hand.
A mark.
It looked like a symbol written in a language no human had ever seen.
He stared at it, confused.
The moment he tried to look closer, his dizziness became worse.
His vision went dark.
He opened his eyes again.
This time, he was not in the dream… not in the water… not near the fire.
He was inside the broken hut.
Orion sat up slowly and looked around.
"…Just a dream…"
He stretched his arms and legs, trying to shake off the strange feeling, then walked outside the hut.
As the morning light fell on his body, his eyes moved to his hand.
He froze.
The same mark was there.
Exactly the same as in the dream.
His heart started beating faster.
"What… is this…?"
He looked toward the street and noticed several people wearing proper uniforms, holding rifles in their hands.
One of them held a speaker close to his mouth.
"We have received notice from the Organization. Someone among you has awakened. He or she is ordered to surrender. We will not harm you. I repeat, the awakened person must surrender immediately."
Orion felt his chest tighten.
"I had that dream… This… this must be related to it…"
His body moved before he could think.
He turned around and ran.
But luck was never on his side.
One of the officers saw him.
"Hey! Kid, don't run. Catch him!"
The others moved instantly, following the order like machines.
Orion ran through the market, turning corners without stopping.
He knew every part of this place.
He hid behind a large stone, trying to stay quiet.
His breathing was heavy.
"Come out, kid. We won't harm you," a loud voice shouted.
Orion clenched his teeth.
"This is bad… I'm done…"
Suddenly, an idea came to his mind.
He quickly grabbed dirt from the ground and rubbed it over the mark on his hand, mixing it with his skin color.
The symbol almost disappeared.
For a moment, he thought it worked.
But then—
"Sir! The kid is here! Behind the rock!"
Someone had seen him.
The officers rushed toward him and pointed their rifles.
Orion raised his hands immediately, shaking in fear.
"I didn't do anything… please…"
"Get him. Cuff him," one of them ordered.
An officer stepped forward with shining silver cuffs and locked them around Orion's wrists.
He was dragged to their truck without resistance.
While they pushed him inside, the dirt on his hand rubbed off.
One of the officers noticed it.
"Sir… this kid has the mark. Look at this."
He grabbed Orion's hand and showed it to the others.
The officer in charge looked at it for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright. We'll hand him over to the Organization. No need to worry anymore."