A cramped but cozy living room in a bustling apartment building. The sounds of distant traffic and city life filter in. The GREAT HERO GOD BOY (14 years old), whose name is ELIJAH, is sprawled on a well-worn couch, engrossed in a fast-paced action game on his phone. His dark, slightly unruly hair falls into his eyes. He wears a faded t-shirt and shorts. Scattered around him are discarded snack wrappers and school books.
Close-up on Elijah's phone screen. The game character is just about to land a critical hit. A sudden, almost imperceptible GLITCH flickers across the screen – a brief, vibrant flash of impossible colors, like static from another dimension, before vanishing.
Shift to ELI (the Father). He's in the kitchen, meticulously cleaning. He looks a little drawn, a subtle tremor in his hand as he polishes a glass. A flicker of pain, barely visible, crosses his face – a fleeting, internal spasm. He quickly dismisses it, forcing a calm expression.
OLIVIA (the Mother) is seated at a small desk near a window overlooking the city lights. Her hair is loosely tied back, and she's sketching intently in a large, worn sketchbook. Her current drawing is an intricate, almost ethereal depiction of a strange, abstract symbol glowing over stylized pyramids. As the glitch happens, a faint, almost melodic HUM seems to resonate only in her head. Her eyes widen slightly, not in fear, but in thoughtful recognition.
Back to Elijah. The flicker on his phone has returned, this time stronger, distorting the entire screen into swirling, hieroglyph-like patterns for a moment before the phone simply DIES. All power gone.
A wider shot of the living room. The lights in the apartment begin to flicker erratically, not just dimming but shifting in color – hints of indigo, gold, and an impossible purple. A faint, almost imperceptible LOW HUM begins to emanate from somewhere beneath the city, a sound that vibrates through the floor. Eli grips the counter, his knuckles white, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. Olivia looks up from her drawing, her eyes distant, her expression thoughtful, as if witnessing a grand spectacle only she can truly appreciate.
The lights are flickering wildly, casting strange, shifting shadows across the room. The hum is now a low, resonant thrum that vibrates through the floor. Elijah is still mostly focused on his dead phone, oblivious to the escalating strangeness. Eli is visibly strained, trying to maintain his composure. Olivia remains by the window, her eyes distant, as if observing a grand spectacle.
Eli strides over to Elijah and gently but firmly takes the phone from his hands.
Close-up on Eli's face. His eyes are filled with a mixture of worry and determination.
Elijah finally looks up, noticing the flickering lights and the strange atmosphere. He's still confused but starting to sense the urgency.
Eli places a hand on Elijah's shoulder, his grip firm.
Elijah is now standing, a mixture of confusion and responsibility on his face. He glances at Olivia, who offers a small, almost knowing smile, as if she's aware of something he isn't.
Elijah is running through the crowded, dimly lit streets. The city's usual cacophony is muted, replaced by an unsettling silence punctuated by the distant, rhythmic THUMP-THUMP-THUMP of the failing power station. The streetlights flicker with the same strange colors as the apartment lights.
Elijah arrives at the power station – a massive, imposing structure that hums with an ominous energy. The main gate is open, unguarded.
Elijah hesitantly enters the power station. The interior is dark and filled with the eerie glow of emergency lights. Sparks fly from damaged machinery. The THUMP-THUMP-THUMP is deafening inside.
Close-up on Elijah's hands. As he reaches out to touch a sparking wire, a faint, almost invisible ENERGY crackles around his fingertips – a subtle, golden glow.
Elijah's eyes widen. He seems to instinctively understand the machinery now, seeing the flow of energy, the damaged circuits, the points of failure. It's like a new sense has awakened.
A wide shot of Elijah working with a focused intensity. The golden energy crackles around his hands as he reroutes power, bypasses damaged systems, and stabilizes the failing generators. The THUMP-THUMP-THUMP begins to slow, then to even out.
The lights in the apartment have stabilized. The strange colors are gone. The hum has faded. Olivia is still at the window, a faint smile on her face. Eli is pacing anxiously.
Elijah bursts back into the apartment, slightly sweaty but triumphant.
Eli rushes over and hugs Elijah tightly, a rare display of affection.
Olivia approaches, her eyes filled with a knowing warmth. She places a hand on Elijah’s cheek.
A final, dramatic shot of Elijah, bathed in the soft glow of the apartment lights. His eyes glow with a faint, golden energy, mirroring the power he wielded at the power station.
It's the next day. The city is bustling with its usual morning energy. ELIJAH, now wearing his school uniform, walks with a small group of friends. They're laughing and chatting, looking like typical teenagers. Sunlight bathes the scene.
Close-up on Elijah's face. He's smiling and joking with his friends, but there's a subtle, distant look in his eyes, as if he's only half-present. A faint, almost imperceptible GOLDEN GLOW sometimes flickers in his pupils, barely noticeable.
Elijah is in a classroom. He's taking notes, but his gaze drifts to the electrical outlets or the wiring in the wall, his brow furrowed in thought. He can almost feel the electricity humming beneath the surface.
Elijah is at a cafe with his friends during a break. He reaches for a glass of juice, but as his fingers brush the condensation, a small, barely visible ARC OF ENERGY jumps from his hand to the glass. He quickly pulls his hand back, looking around nervously, but his friends are too busy talking.
Elijah is back home after school. He's trying to do homework, but his eyes are fixed on a blinking router. He stares at it intently, and for a split second, the router's lights all turn a vibrant, impossible blue, before returning to normal. Elijah blinks, convinced he imagined it.
Elijah is sitting alone in his room, phone in hand. He's scrolling through social media, but his finger hovers over a post about the unusual power surges that affected the city last night, and a few comments mentioning strange lights and sounds. He looks conflicted and uneasy.
Elijah stands awkwardly in the living room. His parents are there: Eli is hunched over a tablet, his brow furrowed in concentration, while Olivia is fanning herself lazily on the couch, sipping a cold drink. The air looks heavy and still.
Close-up on Eli's face. He doesn't look up from the tablet, his gaze intense. His voice is tight, betraying a mix of distraction and underlying tension.
Elijah shifts his weight, trying to push past his father's usual evasiveness.
Olivia sighs dramatically, fanning herself faster. She glances at Elijah, but her expression is more annoyed by the heat than concerned by his words.
Olivia waves a dismissive hand.
Close-up on Elijah's face. His initial frustration turns into a deeper sense of isolation and bewilderment. His parents, absorbed in their own "important" and "cold" worlds, have just pushed him further into the unknown. A subtle flicker of golden energy briefly dances in his eyes.
Elijah sits on the edge of his bed, looking down at his hands. He clenches and unclenches them, a thoughtful and slightly worried expression on his face. The faint golden glow we saw at the power station is now subtly visible around his fingertips.
Elijah looks around his room. His gaze lands on a small desk lamp plugged into the wall. An idea sparks in his eyes.
Close-up on the lamp. Nothing happens at first. Then, with a sudden FLICKER, the lamp turns on, even though Elijah hasn't touched the switch. The light is a slightly unnatural, bright white.
Elijah's eyes widen in amazement. He grins, a sense of excitement and dawning understanding washing over him. He points at a fan across the room, concentrating again.
The fan sputters to life, its blades whirring erratically at first, then settling into a steady rotation. Elijah watches, his smile growing wider.