The crystal crown was warm.
That was the first thing Jason felt when his fingers touched the smooth surface of the crown. It wasn't just warm, but it felt like living energy was flowing through his fingertips. Energy that pulsed, moved, breathed. Like a heartbeat contained within the crystal itself.
Jason wanted to pull his hand away, but his fingers wouldn't move. Or maybe he didn't want to pull his hand away. Either way, he kept his hand there, touching the crown with his thumb and four other fingers.
The cold of the alley suddenly vanished. Replaced by a pleasant warmth, an intoxicating warmth. Jason's breath that had looked like white smoke in the cold air now became normal. His body no longer trembled from the cold.
He brought the crown closer to his face.
Under the light shining from within the crystal, Jason could see far more detail. The crystals weren't just ordinary stones. Each crystal had its own pattern, like a fingerprint or unique handprint. Within them, like light trapped thousands of years ago, there was something moving slowly.
The golden light moved like liquid within the crystal, flowing from one crystal to another. The light wasn't static. The light was alive.
The ancient symbols Jason had seen before now began to shine with a different light. Each symbol had its own color. Some shone red, some blue, some yellow. Together they formed a beautiful pattern, something that felt very ancient yet also very modern.
Jason read the symbols. Somehow, he could understand their meaning even though he'd never seen such writing before. The symbols spoke of courage, of light, of heroes who choose to stand when the world needs them.
His hand trembled as he lifted the crown.
Trembling not from fear. Trembling because the energy radiating from the crown was so immense, so powerful, that Jason's body seemed unprepared to contain it. Like holding an explosion in the palm of his hand.
The crown was light. Far lighter than Jason had imagined. He'd thought a golden crown this size should weigh several kilos, but it turned out the crown weighed almost the same as his work bag. Maybe even lighter.
Jason lifted the crown to his head.
When the crown touched the skin of his bald head, something happened.
Energy exploded from within the crown like a shockwave spreading throughout Jason's entire body. The energy surged through his nerves, through his muscles, through every cell in his body. The sensation was like a thousand volts of electricity flowing in one second, yet it didn't feel painful. It felt like waking up from a long sleep. It felt like a body that had just come back to life.
Jason's head began to glow.
Golden light emerged from the crown now sitting on top of his head. The light spread across Jason's entire bald head, making the surface of his skin shine like a lamp that had just been turned on. Jason's head glowed brightly, like a light bulb shining at a hundred watts. Like a miniature sun growing from above Jason's neck.
The light was so bright that Jason couldn't see his surroundings anymore. Everything was too bright, everything was blinding. His eyes closed involuntarily from the glare.
Then the world around him began to shake.
Not like a normal earthquake moving from bottom to top. This was a tremor that came from everywhere. The walls of the old alley began to shake, bricks started falling from their places. Trash scattered on the ground began to fly into the air. Rusted cans began to convulse. Beer bottles began to shatter with loud sounds.
The golden light became brighter. The light no longer just shone from Jason's bald head, but the light began to radiate in all directions, piercing the alley walls, illuminating the entire area around the alley.
Jason tried to scream, but his voice was inaudible. His voice was drowned out by the roaring sounds created by the light and tremors. Everything he had imagined about explosions or catastrophic blasts, all of it happened at the same time.
The tremor continued to intensify. The alley walls began to crack, from small cracks becoming wider and wider. Pieces of brick began falling to the ground with loud and booming sounds. The entire structure of the alley felt like it was about to collapse.
The golden light reached its peak.
The light became so bright it was like a mini nuclear explosion happening within the alley. The light blinded, the light was dazzling, the light was perfect. If someone had been watching from a distance, they would have thought there was a catastrophic explosion occurring at the edge of Seattle.
The tremor reached its conclusion with a loud sound, like an explosion being struck by a giant hammer. The sound echoed throughout the area, heard even on the main street hundreds of meters away from the alley.
Then everything became silent. Everything became dark.
Jason stood in the middle of the alley, with the golden crystal crown on his head. Its light had dimmed considerably, now shining softly like a candlelight swaying gently on a night breeze. His head still glowed, but that light was far calmer than before.
Brick rubble scattered around him. The walls of the old alley had suffered severe damage, some sections had collapsed. Yet Jason stood safely, no bricks had hit his body. It was as if the golden light had protected him.
Jason's body felt light. It felt strong. It felt different. It felt like he had just been born again.
He looked at his own hands and flinched in surprise. His hands glowed softly, as if there was a transparent layer of light wrapping around his skin. That light flowed slowly across the surface, like water flowing in a thin layer.
"What... what happened?" Jason whispered, his voice sounding different. His voice was deeper, more authoritative, fuller with power.
The same voice he had heard in the alley spoke again in his head. A voice that whispered softly, yet full of authority: "Welcome, Jason. You have become the heir to the crown. You have received power."
Jason looked around the alley. Everything had changed. The old alley now looked like it had experienced a massive explosion. But one strange thing: no one came. No ambulance sirens. No police. No people running around.
Something was happening. Something that couldn't be explained.
And from the direction of the main street, Jason heard sounds. Sounds of people screaming, people panicking. Sounds that made Jason feel that what had just happened wasn't a dream, but something very real.
The light from Jason's bald head shone slightly brighter.
And in the darkness beginning to close over the alley, Jason could see shadows. Black shadows shaped like creatures, moving from a distance. The shadow moved toward him slowly but surely.
"What is that?" Jason screamed, his hands already ready to fight even though he didn't know what he would do.
The voice in his head spoke again: "The safety of the city begins here, Jason. Countdown to your first battle."