On a chilly Friday afternoon, a frail and ghostly young man sat alone on a weathered park bench, his ragged clothes hanging off him like remnants of a forgotten life. With outstretched arms, he begged for a scrap of food, a simple gesture often eliciting nothing but disdain from passersby. Some tossed him scornful glances, while others laughed, their cruelty a stark reminder of the harsh world he inhabited. Kindness was a rare visitor in his life.
At just three years old, Seth had been thrust into a dark reality. He became an unwilling spectator to the violent exchange of words between his parents, a battleground that ended with his father abandoning him and his mother tragically taking her own life just months later. Now, at sixteen, he had spent over a decade living on the streets, mastering the art of survival and begging for scraps. Thirteen years of this existence had hardened him; it had become his norm.
As he sat there, lost in thought, he overheard a nearby group animatedly discussing an ancient and almost forgotten legend known as The Curse. According to them, it was a sinister entity that preyed on the physically weak, snatching its victims away only to return them days, months, or even years later—if they returned at all. Those few who were fortunate enough to escape had earned the title of deities, yet their tales were cloaked in trauma. A voice suddenly interrupted, "I saw it... there's no real way to describe it," he whispered in fear. "A curse; that would be the best way to describe it."
Seth shook his head in disbelief. He had always dismissed such stories, refusing to entertain the idea of something supernatural invading his already bleak existence.
The somber atmosphere was suddenly disrupted as a massive city screen flickered to life, casting a glow across the park. The headline blared: "Disappearance Cases Stacking Up."
As night fell, Seth sought solace in a quieter corner of the park, finding refuge on a bench concealed behind a cascading waterfall, where a tiny pond shimmered at its base. It was his sanctuary—a peaceful retreat from the world, the soothing sound of water tumbling over rocks providing a gentle lullaby.
Just as he surrendered to exhaustion and slipped into an abyss of darkness, the ground beneath him began to tremble. At first, it was a gentle shake, but it escalated into a forceful quake that rattled his very being. Panic surged through him as he tried to pry his eyes open, but a mysterious power held them shut, anchoring him in place as the world transformed around him.
Then, it all stopped.