My eyes flew open.

  I was standing in the kitchen of the Red House again.

  After I had pressed the button, the world suddenly flew upwards (or at least it had felt that way) and I closed my eyes in surprise. Now, suddenly I was here.

  ‘The same thing happened the last time I was here when Pallock brought me into the underground base. How did that happen? Was it some sort of magic elevator? But then how did the room I was in change? Perhaps… was it teleportation?’

  I stood there, pondering for a moment, and then I noticed a note on the kitchen table. I had almost missed it since it was a deep red, and it blended well with the room's color scheme.

  I walked up to the table to get a closer look. The note read:

  “Dear Alric,

  I hope you found our headquarters to be endearing and fun, and I hope you learned something new about yourself.

  In the smallest drawer in the kitchen, you will find the keys to your new house. I hope you find it accommodating.

  Tomorrow, return to the Red House and enter the kitchen. Cedrick will be there to tell you what to do.

  Good luck and good night.

  Pallock.”

  ‘Huh. They really gave me a house.’

  After rereading the note one more time to not miss any details, I searched for the smallest drawer in the kitchen. It wasn’t hard to find.

  Opening it, I found a key, along with another note next to it that read: 34th, Paltrow Lane.

  I picked up the note and the key and then navigated around the glaringly red and surprisingly empty house until I found the front door.

  On the door was taped another note: “Don't worry, the door locks automatically.”

  I frowned slightly.

  ‘That’s good to know, but how many notes do you need to write? You could have just told me all of this before I left.’

  I sighed and resigned myself to the fact that Pallock’s antics would never disappear.

  I then opened the door and stepped out into the city.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  It was nighttime, and the crescent moon was high in the sky.

  Because I was in the slums, there were no oil lamps to light up the road, and I had to find my way through the darkness.

  After stumbling around street corners for a few hours I finally arrived at my destination, 34th Paltrow Lane.

  It was a quaint, humble home. Wooden beams and a wooden roof kept it natural, and the slightly aged stones that built its walls looked like they didn’t fit in the city.

  ‘Much better than the original house that I lived in as a child. It may be smaller, but this house feels much more like home than that four-story gilded mansion. At this point, I’m glad my uncle stole it from me.’

  I walked up to the front door and unlocked it, entering my new home.

  The inside was… empty. Just stone walls and wooden floors, no decorations. I walked through the house, finding each room. There were five in total: a bathroom, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a small storage room.

  I settled into one of the bedrooms, putting all of my belongings (which consisted of a small bag with money and some extra sets of clothes) onto the bed.

  ‘Man, I can’t believe I have my own house. The last time I was ever in a house was when I was enrolled into the army ten years ago and kicked out of the mansion that I had lived in throughout my childhood, though at the time I was still a child, being only seven years old.’

  I sat down on the floor and leaned my back against the bed, to get comfortable.

  ‘This whole situation I’m in right now is crazy. I got kicked out of the army for being weak, then joined a rebel group because I have a supposedly high potential, and I now have my own house. Honestly, I wonder, what would Father do in this situation? Would he stay with the rebels, or leave them? Would he try to unlock some ‘potential’ or be realistic and stay in the background? I don’t know.’

  I barely knew my father. He was rarely home, and when he was, he was always working, or eating a meal, and he rarely had time to interact with me. Even so, I always looked up to him. He was a war hero after all. But then he died and left me with nothing.

  If only I could have met him, one more time, and asked him why he did it, why he fought in a war he knew he couldn’t win, maybe then I would feel satisfied. Because then I would know if I should do the same.

  I closed my eyes. I needed some rest to ease my mind. The darkness swirled, and my thoughts softened, and the world turned black.

  ————

  ‘I sure am tired. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since forever.’

  I was walking through the empty road that led to the main tower, a package held in my hands.

  ‘I wonder why Cedrick told me to bring this to the leader? Perhaps it’s something personal?’

  I looked down at the package. It was round and small and was light enough that I could hold it with one hand. Of course, I would never do that, as with my luck, it would probably slip and fall out of my hands with ease, and then shatter or something.

  I was always the unlucky one in the family. That is why I somehow ended up here, in the center of the revolution, as a member of a rebellion against the empire. Who knows what’s gonna happen to me next?

  As I neared the main tower, I spotted something abnormal in my peripheral vision.

  A man, draped in a black robe, was standing in the shadow of the training grounds building, muttering to himself.

  I grimaced.

  “Uh, who’s there? What are you doing?” I called out to the figure.

  He suddenly stopped muttering and turned to face me. From under the hood, I saw two red dots staring at me, and I knew right then that something was wrong.

  I quickly dropped the package and raised my hands to cast a spell, but I was too late. Something pierced my chest, and I looked down to see a gaping hole where my heart was supposed to be.

  I gasped and then fell to the ground.

  The last thing I saw was the figure running away out of sight, and then the world turned black.