Chapter 1:

In a Victorian-style mansion, a middle-aged woman frantically paces around in circles. She looks between her butler, a friendly man in his late 60s, and her son, a small boy shivering in fear. Speaking to the butler, fear and impatience evident in her voice, she says,

“Quickly, evacuate him before they come!”

“Yes, madam. It will be done quickly.”

Gently picking the child up, the butler runs into an adjacent hallway, making his way to a secret chamber which leads out of the house. Along the way, multiple servants can be seen running around in fear, some even fleeing the residence in fear. After half-a-minute of running, the butler arrives in front of an inconspicuous pillar, seemingly built halfway into the wall. Reaching into a small crevice, he inserts a key into the keyhole, then heads down the hallway again.

Opening a door at the end of the hallway, he walks towards a bookshelf and takes a book from it. Suddenly, the bookshelf slides to the left, revealing a dimly lit passageway that can fit two men side-by-side. Rushing into the hallway before the bookshelf closes again, he sets the child down, who is still shivering frightfully. Looking deep into the child’s eyes, he says,

“Young master, we must escape before they arrive. Please, follow me down the hallway.”

Slowly nodding, he follows behind the butler. After what feels like an eternity walking, the path suddenly splits in two. Without stopping, the butler takes the path on the left, and before long the path is split again. After changing directions a few more times, he can finally see the end of the tunnel. Running towards the light, he is stopped by the butler’s hand. Gently smiling, the butler says,

“This is as far as I can go, young master. Outside of this tunnel is a man waiting in a black car; please follow his instructions very carefully. He will be your new caretaker. Never forget that you are the future of the Leviathan house. If you die, everything we have worked towards will disappear.”

Seeing the child nodding his head, the butler stands up and walks back into the tunnel. However, before he could get far, he remembers that he forgot to hand over the book that the madam previously requested him to. Running back, before they take off, he taps the shoulders of the child, causing him to jump in fear. Turning around and seeing it is the butler, he says,

“Why did you come back?”

“Because, young master, I nearly forgot to give you this book. It is from the madam; she said that you must never, ever lose it. “

Taking the book from the butler’s hands, he carefully inspects it. The book is a deep, dark crimson, almost as if it was soaked in blood. The spine, however, is a dark black, and looking into it he feels as if it is gazing back at him.

“Sir, quit staring at the book and hurry into the car. You can look at it in there, but it is not safe here.”

Nodding and running to the car, the driver gets out and opens the door for him. Getting in the car, he looks back at the young driver; a handsome man who looks like he is in his mid-twenties. He has light blonde hair with green eyes, a slim nose, and thin lips. His body is well-built, but not overly bulk. Wearing an expensive black suit with a green tie, he looked like a dependable and strong man.

Seeing the door being shut, he buckles himself in and reclines the seat a tad. Watching the driver enter the car and drive off, the boy looks back at the tunnel he just came out of only to see it is no longer there; in its place is a small green hill.

Thinking about what the butler said to him, he turns his head to look at his lap, marveling at the book. Checking it out once again, he thoroughly looks at the exterior of the book, then attempts to open it up. Wrapping his fingers around the cover of the book, he tries to open it, only for it to remain shut. Trying again, but with more effort, he tries to pull it apart. However, the book refused to open, remaining shut and hurting his fingers. After a few more attempts at opening the book, he gives up. Looking towards the blonde-haired driver, he asks,

“Who are you and why are my parents not coming with us?”

“My name is Ryan, a rank C butler serving your parents, sir. As for the reason why they can’t come with us; they have to protect the house…” He goes silent for a few seconds, “and buy time for us to escape, young master.”

“What do you mean buy us time to escape? I don't understand. They told me that we would return after this is all over. That they would be okay, and it wasn’t a big deal for them.”

“This is for your safety, as you are the heir of the Leviathan family. No matter what happens, we must ensure your saf-“

BOOM!

Suddenly, they hear an explosion in the distance. Looking in the direction of the explosion, he sees a mushroom cloud forming in the direction of the mansion. Shock fills his mind, and he pressed his head against the window to confirm the direction that the explosion came from. Double-checking, triple-checking, he comes to the realization that the explosion originated from the mansion.

Fearful and worried about the safety of his parents, he asks Ryan if the mansion was the location of the explosion.

“It most probably is, sir. Since it has already came to this, we must escape even faster; I fear to imagine what would happen if we are caught.”

Hearing what Ryan says, adrenaline rushes to his head, and he suddenly faints.