“Father, can I go? I want to explore!”, asked the boy, while pulling on the robe of a bearded man, his blue eyes gazing in marvel at the grandeur of the bazaar. Looking at the many stalls that lined up the crowded street, he noticed that some of them were selling food that he had never heard of before, while others were dealing in rustic armor, lustrous jewelry, and weapons that came in all shapes and sizes. Many signs boldly claimed that the weapons or armor they sold were of divine nature. Divine or not, these weapons contained an indescribable beauty in the eyes of the boy. He could not stop himself from looking at them in amazement. Suddenly, a distinct yet mouth-watering aroma hit the boy. He quickly began feasting on the smells that the aroma brought to him. A hint of baked bread, fried noodles, and roasted meat. These delicacies were one of many that the boy enjoyed eating at home.

While savoring the sweet smell of the bazaar, he began contemplating why his father would not allow him to go outside the clan’s gate. Not even with his father’s bodyguards. He wanted to know the reason behind this, but he was never able to find the time to ask his father about it. The boy knew that it would be best to ask him now, as they were alone and not surrounded by the various elders and soldiers of the clan. Gathering up his courage, he timidly asked his father, “Father, why am I not allowed to come here? Why do I have to stay inside the clan all the time?”. Sensing the growing displeasure of his father when he asked this question, the boy sighed, he had to cherish this small moment of freedom that he had today, and quickly added, “Father, it is okay...I understand why you want me to stay at home! It is for my safety, isn’t it?”.

“Yes, my boy, it is for your safety...Now let's hurry along...We need to get to the Temple as soon as possible!”, stated the bearded man, while suspiciously looking at the small boy beside him. He could not understand why this boy would ask him this question if he already knew the answer to it. Was it to annoy him or distract him from something that he did? Thinking of these possibilities, the bearded man chuckled as he continued to drag the boy towards the Temple.

As the boy and his father continued moving along the crowded road, the boy's attention drifted away from the stalls as he set his sight on a gigantic fountain that stood in the middle of the street. Adorned with symbol and relics of Temple, it was carved out of white marble and took the shape of a man yielding a flame, the chosen one. The person that was going to save the world when the terrors of the night came knocking on their doors. The boy looked at the carved figure in disdain. He did not want to become like this person. He wanted to follow his own path. Noticing that people were looking at him with puzzled looks on their faces, the boy shifted his sight to the fountain’s water. These waters were littered with coins. Bronze, silver, and even gold coins were thrown in it as a gesture of faith from the follower of Temple. They thought that this action would bring them luck in their endeavors.

Unexpectedly, the boy noticed out of the corner of his eye, an oddly human-like shape that stood still in the dark corner of the street. Throughout their walk, he and his father had encountered many shadowy figures lurking in there as if waiting for something or someone to come close to them. The boy let out a nervous laugh as he saw the figure looking back at him. From careful inspection, the boy could see that it had long hair and was quite thin. Noticing the boy’s prolonged stare, the figure immediately bolted towards the darkness of the alley. The boy sighed as he looked in amazement and fear at the departing figure. He admired the figure’s bravery in going deep inside the darkness of the alley.

Redirecting his gaze towards his father, he asked, “Father, when will we reach the Temple, I...”. Noticing that his father's temperament had, once again, changed as he asked this question, the boy quickly said, "Forget it, father, I will wait...". The boy was growing restless with every passing minute. He wanted to stay in this bazaar. He found himself thinking that this place was much more interesting than looking at an ‘awakening’ ceremony. Although he wanted to follow his father, he detested the thought of something controlling his fate. The ceremony was to him the prime example of people’s fate being controlled. The more the boy thought of this, the sadder he became. Was his whole life already mapped without him being able to live it? He wanted to make mistakes of all kinds and learn step by step what he was meant to do by himself. Noticing his fluctuating emotions, he slowly discarded these thoughts and, once again, began admiring the beauty of the many strange objects that adorned this bazaar and he wanted to see if he could find something that he could keep as a souvenir of this day. With this in mind, the boy started to concentrated all his thoughts on finding that object, his souvenir.

The boy noticed that the bazaar’s chaotic environment made it hard for him to concentrate. His ears began ringing due to the noise. Noise. It was what filled this whole street. Sounds of joy, laughter, and anger could be heard. However, one distinct sound could be heard above all others, that of the many merchant’s shouts. The awakening ceremony had attracted the greedy eyes of many merchants, who traveled through these parts. They decided to set up their stalls of many sizes and colors in this particular intersection as it was in this area that many candidates of the ceremony and onlookers crossed to get to the Temple of the Will. The boy not taking heed to these sounds started to look at the stalls. Each time the boy crossed one, he would look to see if anything had caught his interest. Eventually, he saw something that did. It was a small bracelet adorned with golden draconic shapes. This bracelet although simple seemed to emanate a powerful yet mysterious energy that drew the boy towards it.

“Please, son stay near me. Do not leave my sight. This city although looking joyous and harmonious is filled with chaos and disorder. Nobody will help you if something happens to you. People are too selfish to care about other people's problems...Anyways, enough of me rambling about! I am here today as the patriarch of our family. I have to go with the younger generation to see what kind of Will they will awaken and you will be coming along with me to see this event for yourself! It will be a good experience for you!” said the bearded man in a gentle yet proud voice.

“Father before we go, can I please buy this small bracelet...Please go with me to this stall to buy it!”, said the boy as he pointed towards a small wooden booth at the edge of the street.

Looking at the worn-down stall that his son was pointing at, the bearded man slowly nodded. He was confused as to what object caught the attention of his son. Noticing that his son started to pull him towards its direction, the bearded man sighed. Although he was tight on time, he wanted to gift his son something to commemorate this day. A joyous day for both him and his clan. Thinking of this, he smiled as he eyed the shabby stall with curiosity.

As they grew closer to the stall, he noticed a strange force passing through him that left him numb and shaking. It felt as if he had crossed to another space within the bazaar that was confined yet far vaster than it. He could no longer hear the noise of the bazaar, only silence. His breath quickened as he thought of what person or thing that was capable of bringing him and his son to this place. A place not located within their city maybe even their own world! Could it be him? No, it can’t be him. It cannot be him! Steadying his breath to calm down his ever-growing panic, he glanced over at his son. Had he noticed the same change that he felt? Seeing his child's bright innocent smile, he knew that he was clueless regarding their dire circumstance. Diverting his gaze towards the stall, he pleaded to the heavens that it was not him, not that cursed man that ran this booth. Fear seemed to rise behind his eyes as he saw its name. CLEARSTANCE. This name painted in gold could only mean one thing, this stall belonged to him. The peerless demonic entity that terrorized their city, fifty years ago. Why did he return here? Thinking that his life and that of his son were in danger, he quickly jerked his son back towards him, embracing him tightly on his chest.

“Father why are you doing this?!”, bellowed the boy, who suddenly noticed his father’s condition. He could not understand why his father was shaking as if he had seen a ghost. Was he scared? The boy knew that this was not possible. Why would he be scared of an eerie-looking stall? As he pieced together his various thoughts, his face was drained of color. He slowly began understanding his father's actions, something was living here. Something that could cause a man like his father to experience fear. Hearing his father’s heartbeat rising drastically, dread began to envelop the boy as he quickly opened his mouth to ask him about this. Without warning, his father put his hand over it as he said, in a raspy voice, “Don’t speak too loudly, he might hear us...Although I am certain that he already noticed our presence, he...”. All of a sudden, a misty red aura covered the bearded man and the boy, as a deep booming voice interrupted him. A voice coming from behind the stall...