The decision came without any deliberation.
Jason let the bus pass him by without a second thought. The driver closed the doors and carried dozens of other passengers away from the stop. Meanwhile, Jason stood alone, his eyes still glued to that strange light glowing from deep within the alley.
He knew this was stupid. Really stupid, actually. Jason would be late for work. Mr. Peterson would get angry. But somehow, there was something about that light that made his common sense feel swept away by wind. There was something calling to him.
Jason grabbed his bag and walked toward the alley. His first steps felt heavy, like his legs were moving through molasses. His gaze remained drawn to the golden light that pulsed gently within the darkness.
The closer he got, the colder the air around him became. Not the ordinary cold that made your body shiver a little. This was a strange cold, a cold that seemed to seep into the bone marrow and touch the very tips of nerves. A cold that made the hair on his arms stand up.
The bus stop had disappeared from view. The sound of traffic from the main street grew more distant, more muted. This alley was cut off from the world, as if existing in a different dimension from the bustling Seattle around it.
Trash scattered across the alley floor. Torn plastic bags containing food waste, brownish beer bottles, and other items no longer identifiable. A pungent smell hit Jason's nose, a mixture of rotting food and some unidentifiable liquid.
The alley walls were incredibly old. Red bricks that had turned black from fungi and decades of air pollution. In some places were colorful graffiti that contrasted sharply with the dull walls. Jason read some of the writing: names he didn't recognize, strange symbols, and profanities.
The golden light still shone. Still pulsed. Still called out.
Jason continued walking forward, pushing through the darkness of the alley. The sunlight from the main street couldn't reach this place anymore. The only illumination was that strange light, that light from somewhere unknown.
Suddenly, Jason heard a sound.
The sound was faint, distant, like a whisper from far away. Not from a human. Not like the normal sounds he usually heard at the office or on the streets. This sound was like wind passing through narrow gaps, like air sighing through holes.
Jason stopped momentarily. His ears tensed, trying to hear more clearly. The sound came again, this time from a slightly different direction. It sounded like words? Or just his imagination?
"Hello?" Jason called out, his voice shaking.
No answer. Only a deeper silence.
He continued forward. His feet felt heavier now. His breathing became shorter. Jason knew his body was responding to danger. His animal instinct told him to turn back, to leave this place, to run back to his normal life.
Yet his feet kept moving forward.
The golden light was now brighter. Much brighter than before. Jason could see the shapes around him more clearly. He could see rusted cans, could see holes in the alley walls.
And in the midst of that light, in the darkest corner of the alley, there was something.
Something that glimmered.
Jason closed his eyes for a moment, making sure he wasn't dreaming or having a sudden stroke. He opened his eyes again and looked.
Yes, there was definitely something there.
Its shape was strange. Round, with parts jutting upward like spines? Or a crown? The golden light shone brightest from that object, making its shape look like it was surrounded by its own light.
"What is that?" Jason whispered to no one in particular.
The faint sound came again. This time clearer. Still like wind whisper, but Jason could catch some fragments of words. Words that seemed to beckon him closer.
Jason stepped forward to see more clearly. Trash under his feet crackled, the sound of plastic and metal being stepped on. Step by step, he drew closer to the mysterious object.
Its light grew brighter.
The cold wind became extremely cold. Jason's breath now became visible as tiny puffs of white smoke in the frigid air. Cold sweat began forming on his forehead despite the freezing temperature around him. His body was at war with itself, torn between worry and curiosity.
The closer he got, the clearer its shape became.
It was a crown.
A crown shaped in an ellipse with crystals glimmering across its entire surface. The crystals were clear with traces of gold within, making the glimmering light look completely natural and mesmerizing. The crown sat on top of what looked like a pile of rocks or perhaps rubble from an old building.
Jason could see a long story written on those crystals. There were intricate patterns, symbols that looked like ancient writing. There was something classical yet strange, something that felt very old yet still gleamed perfectly.
"This can't be real," Jason whispered.
He looked around to make sure no one else was there. The alley was empty. Only him and that crown, isolated from the world around it.
His final steps brought him right in front of the crown. He could feel a strange energy being radiated by it. Energy that made the hair on his arms stand up. Energy that made his heart beat faster.
The whispering sound came again, this time the clearest yet. Jason could catch some words as if someone was speaking directly into his ear: "Take... us... calling... hero..."
Jason screamed and stepped back several paces.
There was no one around him. That voice only sounded in his own head. Was he going crazy? Was work stress causing hallucinations?
But the crown was real. He could see it with his own two eyes. He could feel the energy it radiated.
Jason looked at the crown again. Its light began to slow down, pulsing more gently, as if waiting for his decision. As if the object had its own will, its own consciousness.
His hand trembled as he raised his arm.
His body moved without his brain's command. Feet stepped forward, arm raised, fingers extended toward the crown. Jason realized what was happening but couldn't stop his body's movement.
The crown's crystals felt warm at his fingertips as he almost touched it.
Once again, the voice sounded, this time loud and clear, as if echoing throughout the entire alley: "Be us. Be the hero. Be the light in the darkness."
Jason took a deep breath.
And his hand touched the crown.