4. Orion Darkwood

It was a kingdom embellished with white marble and exquisite chandeliers. Each resident was dressed in luxurious clothing, looking like royalty in their majestic glory.

All of a sudden, a grand hall appeared in front of them, with a man sitting on a throne like a ruler, wearing a magnificent golden crown.

...Orion felt confused and lost, not knowing where he was, but he could make out a man sitting on the throne talking to a woman.

It appeared that the man and the woman were having a heated argument, leading to the woman crying and leaving the area.

Currently, the man resembling a king directed his attention towards him.

"Orion Darkwood," the man said, addressing Orion. "You are my youngest son yet my most shameful creation. You do not have any talent yet you bore the most devilish curse. I do not want to condemn you but I am also helpless. My only wish for you is that you live a peaceful life and if, by any chance, you remember anything, then think of those memories as nothing but once blissful moments of life."

"Sigh…" Barion Darkwood sighed heavily, "I hereby announce that I disown my youngest son—Orion Darkwood."

Orion, confused by the interaction, was suddenly pushed ahead as if driven by gut feeling, his body automatically approaching the man on the throne.

"No, father, please don't disown me. I am just a child—ten years old. Give me five more years. Father, please grant me this wish," Orion pleaded desperately.

He bowed deeply before the man on the throne, his father, and repeatedly banged his head against the floor in a gesture of reverence. However, his desperate pleas fell upon deaf ears, ignored by his father.

"Men, take him away," Barion commanded.

Orion cried out to his father.

"No, father, no. I beg you, please I don't want to leave. NOOOOOO, mother, where are—Hey wake up,"

Suddenly, everything around him vanished, leaving behind nothing but an encompassing darkness that enveloped him entirely.

"Hurry and wake up," someone urged.

"WAKE UP!"

Orion was suddenly awoken, shocked by the noise, his body soaked in sweat, his breath coming in irregular wheezes. Severe agony pulsed through his head, causing confusion and rattled by the intensity of his dream.

'Hhhhh….hhhhh….hhhhh. What happened?... Was I dreaming? But that didn't look like a dream. It looked like I was in there—in the dream or whatever it was.'

Orion was puzzled and lost, trying to understand the dream, but his main worry was his current situation.

Seated on the wet earth surrounded by sand, he became aware that he was drenched, leading him to examine his environment and evaluate his circumstances.

Observing the area, he saw the individual who had roused him before coming closer. Suddenly, he grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him vigorously.

"Hey, wake up, are you still drea–"

"I am awake," Orion interrupted and stood up.

In that moment of clarity, he recognized that the person shaking him was one of the children he had encountered on the ship.

He appeared to be in his fifteenth year. His face was sharply framed by his pointed black hair, sleek strands falling on the sides and a neatly tied bun in the center of his head. Although he looked young, his face displayed a level of maturity that surpassed his age.

"Are you alright?" the boy asked.

"I am fine," Orion replied.

He looked around and found nothing but an endless ocean stretching as far as his eyes could see.

Scanning the surroundings, Orion realized that he and the peculiar-looking child were not alone in this place.

Two additional kids were present in this location. There was a girl of a similar age. Her vibrant pink hair was cut short, cascading neatly to the back of her neck. Despite Orion's obstructed view, he managed to see several cutting scars on her right cheek.

The second one was a boy who appeared a little older than they did. His long red hair flowed gracefully down his shoulders, vibrant and shoulder-length. His perfectly structured face radiated a remarkable attractiveness that outshone everyone else.

As Orion watched the boy with red hair, the boy looked back at him.

"Took you long enough," the boy remarked.

He and the girl with pink hair then came near them.

"I think the waves of the water sent us to this nearby island here but…"

The strange haired kid took the lead in talking but he paused for some reason.

"But what?"

The only girl present here spoke in a rather annoying manner.

Orion was also curious.

Seeing this, the strange haired kid continued.

"But when we were on the ship I didn't see any island from there—as far as my eyes could see, I only saw nothing but water everywhere."

"So."

The red haired kid urged.

The strange haired kid shook his head.

"So, nothing. I just find our situation rather strange.

Orion also frowned at the condition they found themselves in.

He asked not knowing what to do.

"What should we do now?"

"I say we explore this island and see if we can find anyone; otherwise standing here would do us nothing," the strange haired kid suggested.

The red haired one nodded.

"Let's do it then but first let's introduce ourselves. I am Ryfin."

"I am Famir," said the strange haired kid.

"I am Orion… Darkwood," Orion introduced himself.

Orion didn't know why he suddenly added Darkwood at the end. It was like—instinctual. Like he always introduced himself like this. But that was not correct. On earth, he had the surname of Stark but now he suddenly uttered Darkwood.

'Is it because of the dream?' Orion wondered.

At this moment, the last one also introduced herself.

"Myla."

That was it; that's the only thing she said.

Famir then took the lead in talking.

"You guys see that structure over there. It looked like walls from a fortress or something. So, our destination will be that place."

He pointed towards a direction.

Orion looked around and saw that the spot they were in had noticeably fewer trees than the rest of the heavily wooded island.

He could see a tall wall-like structure in the distance, taller than any of the trees surrounding it, with the rest of the island covered in a mix of different tree types.

Soon after, they set off on their journey towards the intimidating wall they had spotted.

Yet, Famir's face turned sour after just a few minutes of walking.

"Look at that."

Famir pointed towards a massive rock in the distance.

Orion's gaze followed, and he was shocked to see a hand protruding from behind the rock. Before they could react, the hand was swiftly yanked back by some unseen force.

Witnessing this, panic gripped Orion.

"What happened to the hand?"

Famir looked at the rock seriously.

"I think we are in some serious trouble."

As soon as the words left her mouth, a giant appeared from the side of the rock.

Standing at double the height of a person, its blue color mirrored the ocean's deepness. It held a heavy wooden club in one hand, while the other tightly grasped a leg drenched in blood with its fat figure. Its circular face was devoid of any hair, except for a lone horn sticking out of its forehead. However, what was most unsettling was its solitary, sizable eye, focused on them with careful concentration.

"What the hell is this!"

Orion exclaimed as soon as he saw this behemoth come out of the rock.