Shadow Realm

Chapter One( The Beginning )

           Have you ever asked yourself, why was I born?  I mean, what's the point of life? What were we created for? What is life? What is reality?  Do we really know the difference between reality and fiction? What is life when there's nothing to do? You can't fly, speak to animals, or even have magical powers. Honestly, life is just too boring. There's no point in having it. After life, comes death, and when in death, what happens next? Do we really know the answers to these questions? I wish there was more to life, like more action, horror, adventure, something that would intrigue me.  I want something-

"Nathan, quit daydreaming! Hurry up and go to the attic to start cleaning. The faster you clean today, the less you have to clean tomorrow," my mother said loudly, causing me to snap out of my thoughts. I sighed in disappointment, standing up from my comfy seat on the ground. My mom sighed, shaking her head. First day of summer vacation, and I have to clean my grandparent's attic. I was not a happy camper. "I know you would rather go play with your friends, but this is an important task. Only you can do it. Your grandparents would be proud," my mother said with a smile. I rolled my eyes before running up the stairs. My grandparents died a few years ago, yet my mom still makes me come to their old house to clean it up. She said it's what they would have wanted. I keep telling her that we should just sell the house. But she continues on with telling me that grandma and grandpa wouldn't be too happy about that. Which I honestly don't understand. No one lives in this house anymore. I know I shouldn't complain too much since my mother does everything around here. But I can't help it, my childhood ended pretty fast. My father died when I was twelve years old, leaving my mom to care for both my older sister and I. However, my sister hated us, she blames us for father dying. And so, she went to live with her friends, completely abandoning us. Meaning, I'm basically an only child. Which means I have to do all the work. Which isn't fair for a sixteen year old. As I walked toward the attic door, the floor creaked loudly, causing me to get even more annoyed. The house is probably older than my grandparents themselves, which usually means there should be cool stuff here. Except my grandparents were probably the most boring people in the world. Though I have to admit, they did have some great stories. I stopped in front of the door, staring at it. As annoying as cleaning is, I can't help but feel slightly curious. Ever since I was a child, I was never allowed in the attic. And now, I can, so there has to be something cool in there, right?

I slowly grabbed  the knob, opening the door, and then walking in. The first thing that I noticed was how hot the room was. I mean it was practically boiling, which is common in California, I guess. The second thing I noticed was how bright it was. I squinted my eyes, using my hand to block off the sunlight. I closed the door before walking toward the window, pulling the curtains closed. The dust from the curtain filled the air around me, causing me cough. I waved my hand around randomly to get the dust away from me. When the dust cleared, I scanned the room, my excitement for something cool subsiding.

The entire room was covered in cobwebs.  I took out my phone as I turned on flashlight mode. I walked over to the first box of junk, leaning over as I roamed through. "Books, CDs, papers, magazines, newspapers, and more books," I mumbled to myself, seeing nothing that would catch my attention. I sighed in disappointment, backing away before plopping myself down on the ground. Isn't there anything here? I glanced around, looking for something of interest. Until I noticed a shiny object that caught my eye. I turned, seeing a strange looking box, standing up slowly. I walked over to it, kneeling down as I pulled it out from between the shelves. I brushed off the dust from the box, before I felt a small sting. I pulled my hand back, dropping the box onto the ground. I winced, waving my hand around as I used my other hand to set my phone down with the light pointing up. I held my hand, seeing some blood on my palm. I sighed, ignoring the small cut.

Now that I got a better look of the box, I noticed how there were small thorns on the top and bottom of the box with a tiny bit of blood on one of those thorns. I wiped the blood from my palm with my thumb before I inspected the black box. The box had a mysterious aura around it. I tilted the box to the side carefully. I tried to open it before noticing the lock. It looked old, maybe a few decades of age. I glanced around the room before seeing a small screwdriver. I leaned to the side, picking it up. I then took ahold of it using the bottom part as I smacked it against the lock. The first few times, it didn't budge, but after a few more hits, the lock cracked and hit the ground. I grinned proudly before tossing the screwdriver away. I opened the box, staring inside to only find an old notebook and a feather ink pen.