Chapter 3

Sharp at five, my alarm went off.

Compared to yesterday, today I was ready. As the alarm went off, I opened my eyes, and the first thing that came into my mind was shifting to a new room. For better or worse, I have to do it, no matter what.

Without giving it any thought, I got out of bed, freshened up, and started studying.

You must be thinking what I am studying and about what. Actually, I just completed high school, and around this same time last year, I came home from school and my mother was waiting at the front door. As soon as I saw her, I knew something was going on.

“Hi, Mother.”

Her smile usually reaches her eyes, but that day it didn’t.

“Your father is waiting for you in the study.”

Without giving it a second thought, I went inside, put my bag in my room, and without changing, headed to the study. I didn’t think much back then. Maybe I should have. But I was dumb — you could say blinded by some people. Maybe. I’m not sure.

I went and stood in front of the black door with a golden handle. A light fragrance of fresh pages, leather, and a hint of vanilla coffee was coming from the other side. I knocked and waited for an answer.

“Come inside.”

With a firm grip, I opened the door. The room was dimly lit. The light was coming from the fireplace, along with some standing and overhead warm lights, which were enough for you to see everything — even read and write — but not flashy.

I think this was the second time I had come into this room.

The first time was when I was a kid. After that, I was strictly prohibited from entering it. And today was the second time.

My attention shifted to my father, who was sitting in front of a massive wall of books. With an authoritative voice, he said,

“Come. Sit.”

All I could do was nod and follow his instructions.

As I sat, he continued,

“Soon you will complete high school, so I think it’s time you start preparing for ‘LVE.’”

With a swift motion, he slid a paper and pen across the table.

With a nod, I picked up the pen and saw the title:

“LVE — LUMEN Veritas Examination”

Where truth meets brilliance.

At the marked spot, I signed and slid the paper back.

He continued, “I expect results.”

The way he said it, I knew we were done talking. I nodded and started to leave. Before I was about to step out, he said,

“Study materials are on your table.”

I simply nodded again and came back.

I got back to the present when my alarm went off. See, this is one of the reasons I want to get out, because I know if I don’t, I will keep thinking about something. I really need a fresh start.

It’s somewhat like a robot — I got ready, came out of my room for swimming, and then headed to the gym. After swim training, I came back around 11, I think.

As I entered my room, all my stuff was gone. I almost panicked and turned to leave when my mother stepped in front of me.

“You wanted to move out, right?” she said with a smirk.

“Yes, Mother… but not like this,” I said in a normal voice I tried to keep steady, but it came out more annoyed.

“Relax. Your father got an apartment for you, so he moved your stuff there and is waiting for you there.”

I simply nodded.

Before I could say anything, she said, “Here, take this.”

“What is this?” It came out before I could think it through.

Without much thought, I unwrapped it. It was a new phone.

“I have saved my number and your father’s as well, and added the new location for your apartment.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

I turned to leave. She said something under her breath, more like a whisper.

“Take care of yourself. And you can come back anytime you want. You know that, right?”

From all the recent events, I was mostly numb, and I didn’t know how to process this. So I just nodded and left before I lost control over myself.

I simply followed the map. My new apartment was almost four hours away from my house. My house is in the outer city area, but this was almost in the middle of the city — not entirely, but somewhat. It’s not quite like my house, but good enough.

While coming here, I saw a few gyms and swimming places near my apartment. It’s almost perfect because I can even walk to those places.

I say almost because I haven’t seen my room yet, and until I do, I won’t say anything.

Soon I reached in front of a middle-sized building with five floors and a decent-sized parking spot. I checked the address to make sure I was at the right location. Then I checked the floor — mine was the 5th floor.

I parked my F-150, went inside, and clicked the up button. Soon, the lift opened with a ding sound. I went inside, pressed the 5th floor, and with that smooth motion, the door closed again.

Soon, the door opened again just as smoothly. In front of me was a hallway, and at the end of it, a simple door. I walked over and knocked.

On the first knock itself, the door opened smoothly, and my father’s cologne smell hit my face.

Before I could lay my eyes on him,

he said in a controlled voice,

“Hope this is good. And don’t forget why you came here.”

I didn’t say much. As I entered my apartment, he left, as if he was just waiting for me. Before I could say anything, he was already standing near the lift. Before I could even think of what to say, the lift door opened again and then closed smoothly.

All I could do was stand there and watch him leave.

After staring at the closed lift door for a few moments, I went inside and closed my apartment door. Then I turned toward my new place.

Before I could see anything—

Notification sound.

Message from Mother: Hope you reached and you like your apartment.

Reply: Yes.

I kept my phone down and looked around.

As you enter, you see a medium-sized hall with a sofa in the center and a TV console on the front wall, with a few plants here and there. Next to that is the kitchen, fully furnished with everything I might need for cooking.

Next to that is my bedroom, which has all my stuff neatly in its place.

After all this, I was kind of tired, so I thought I’d take a bath. While heading to the bathroom, my attention went to my study table, which held the latest prep materials for LVE.

And again, a note:

“All the best.”

I know it’s him again.

I took a bath, then checked everything, cooked something, and then studied.

From that point on, for almost a year, all I did was swim and study — and occasionally hit the gym to keep myself fit and my mind steady.

But two things never changed.

The voice. And the promise of revenge.

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Hey, Icrus here. If you liked this chapter, leave a like or comment. Sharing it would mean a lot. Thanks for reading—next chapter soon

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