The next morning, the set was colder and more tense than the day before. The director had increased Aris's scenes, but in a kingdom controlled by Marcus Thorne, this didn't mean more opportunity for Aris—it meant becoming a bigger target.
From the moment filming began, Marcus started using his "industry power." Just as Aris was about to deliver a line, Marcus would intentionally cough or call the lighting technicians over, claiming, "My angle is off here," effectively ensuring Aris's face remained in the shadows. This was the oldest and most effective trick a star used to eliminate a rival: making them invisible.
"Take it again! Aris, stand further back this time. You're blocking the star's light," the director shouted. Marcus's authority over the set was so absolute that it even bent the director's decisions.
Aris was exhausted, but at that moment, The Sight began to function on a different level. It wasn't a supernatural premonition; it was an extreme form of observation. He was reading muscle twitches, breathing patterns, and pupil dilations seconds before they manifested into action. From the slight tension in Marcus's right shoulder, Aris knew that in the upcoming "shoving" scene, Marcus intended to be much more violent than the script required.
When the scene started, just as Marcus was about to slam Aris against the wall to humiliate him, Aris moved instinctively—as if recoiling in character—to soften the blow. He didn't allow Marcus to physically overpower him.
Marcus leaned in and whispered into his ear: "I'm going to erase you from this frame, kid. When the camera doesn't see you, you don't exist."
Aris sensed Marcus's next move just by the way the star glanced at the director. He knew Marcus was about to complain that "Aris's performance is too weak; he's ruining the scene" to get him fired. Before Marcus could open his mouth, Aris beat him to it and approached the director.
"Sir," Aris said in a perfectly professional tone. "Mr. Thorne's energy is so overwhelming that my character's sense of being crushed feels incredibly real. If we widen the shot, my 'disappearance' in the face of his presence would actually strengthen the film's theme of powerlessness."
The director loved the idea. Aris had taken Marcus's attempt to diminish him and sold it to the director as an "artistic choice." Marcus was stunned; every time he tried to push Aris out of the scene, Aris used that very momentum to root himself deeper into the story.
However, this intense level of focus was taking a toll. As Aris walked back to his trailer after the scene, he noticed a thin trickle of blood running from his nose. Reading people this closely—filtering every intention before it happened—came with a physical price.