The darkness extended endlessly; this was his first thought when scanning his surroundings. A painful sting struck his head as he started to recall the details of his fragmented memories. He focused on the dark void, tilting his head from one side to another until a glow caught his eye. Just like a moth attracted to the flame, he rushed towards his salvation, trying to get rid of the suffocating darkness.
And there he saw the boy. Naked and hunched, protecting what was inside him as if releasing it would mean his death. There was a glow coming from near the boy's stomach. This single glow was the only thing remaining, the single point of light in the blackness. The area contained neither warmth nor coldness, making the boy's position even more unusual.
He gave a nervous shiver at such a picture and became lost in thoughts of his next actions. He approached the boy and was stopped by some sort of invisible barrier. Grabbing its edge, he tried pulling it but started sweating profusely.
A static storm took over him, paralyzing his body completely. Nothing else seemed to matter except for his eyes, looking towards the source of this phenomenon. He saw a faint silhouette of a mouth in the darkness. The speaker sounded like static in his ears, and it was impossible to tell if it came from a man or a woman.
And suddenly the world narrowed down to a single point, absorbing everything that surrounded him. He closed his eyes, and as they opened, the scenery changed around him.
His vision widened and filled with endless light. Coming after such darkness, this sudden illumination burned his eyelids. He raised his hand, covering his eyes.
Eventually, he was able to see everything. His first object of sight was the red curtains near the left edge of his vision.
Glancing to the right, he saw where all this light originated from. A window made of metal decorated with intertwining circles creating an image of flowers. Taking a second to look at this marvelous craftsmanship of his unknown creator, he was unhappy with the intensity of light that prevented him from admiring his creation.
He slowly rose from the bed and brushed off the bits of snowflakes from his eyelashes. Everything was not normal; this room did not belong to him. Having been in a hospital bed throughout his life, everything other than white excited him. He started loving every other color except for white.
As he continued surveying his surroundings, he became fascinated with the design of the room. Everything seemed to be deliberate. This room was something he would never have been able to afford because of the luxurious look it gave.
Having gotten tired of observing the room, he turned to observing himself. He was too pale and frail to have ever tasted what a good meal is all about. The bony structure protruded, providing evidence of his skinny wrists. His heaviest weight was the pressure he was feeling.
The footsteps became increasingly louder, leading his attention towards the door. After stopping momentarily, two knocks followed by a small creak signaled the entrance of someone into the room.
A woman entered the room. She had black hair that framed her face, and her face was devoid of any expression. She was dressed in black and white; both colors seemed to have some sort of battle within themselves. Likewise, she was tall and natural in posture. As soon as she saw him, she dropped the tray she was holding, resulting in her looking shocked yet happy and fearful at the same time.
"An unusual combination of emotions," he said to himself.
"Master Orion is awake," the maid screamed.
Orion was a name that felt familiar, yet the more he searched for that name in his memories, the only thing that was left was a sharp sting in his mind. He was struggling to remember anything about what he was. What he was doing here and where he came from. A lot of these questions began forming in his mind.
The one thing he could deduce was that his name was Orion.
The footsteps from earlier multiplied as a group formed in front of his doorway. There stood a woman looking at him with eyes filled with relief.
"My son, you're finally awake," she went on. "Thank the heavens my prayers have finally been heard."
Left dumbfounded, he looked at her, grabbing his brain, trying his best to recall anything that related to this strange woman. From what she was saying, she was the mother of Orion or him. She came closer; her figure was elegant with clothes that screamed wealth. She grabbed his head and gently laid it down onto the bed.
"Don't stress yourself, my love; I will help you slowly remember everything."
He glanced in her direction and spoke.