Dear Grandpa,
The world around me collapsed when you left me alone. As per your instructions, I pray daily to the god—sorry, our god, because our god is forbidden now. People only believe in Divinex. They say it is marvelous and miraculous in its own works, and that it is what keeps people together. It is also the reason behind the survival of humans in Asia, the last habitable place on Earth.
Divinex rules Asia, and me—a stupid boy who is all alone. On top of that, I'm living in the outskirts, completely detached from the outside world.
And one more thing, Grandpa. As usual, I'm reading astrophysics and your books, but I don't have a single soul here to speak with. The most painful thing is that I don't even have someone to share my happiness and sadness with, because having people around makes human life feel complete.
And finally, I'd like to conclude with this: I'm going to use your invention. I know you'll be mad at me for doing this, but I have no other choice. I need to meet people, and more than that, this life is pretty boring and dull. I'm sorry for being such a big failure.
Yours,
Jeevan!!
Jeevan closed his pen and opened the drawer of the table that belonged to his grandpa. Inside was a red leather-covered book and a bookmark left untouched for years. The paper was soft and delicate.
He went to the bookmarked page and slowly turned it. His eyes moved left and right, reading words that were never meant for him. Sweat began to form on his forehead. He adjusted his shirt collar and stood up from the chair, placing both hands on the table.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
He pulled the book to his chest and held it tightly. He cried for a moment before looking seriously at the photo frame hanging above.
The room had remained locked ever since his grandpa disappeared.
Jeevan looked around. The room was entirely wooden, and books were everywhere.
"What a drag. How could a man live like this? I know he was always reading, but I never imagined this."
Jeevan walked toward the photo frame and carefully took it down. Then he grabbed a hammer and smashed it. The glass shattered across the floor.
Inside the frame was a small key hidden in one of the corners.
He took it cautiously.
"As per the diary, there should be a brown-and-black leather-bound book in the spiritual section of his library. Where is it?"
He continued searching.
The book was resting on the highest shelf.
He fetched a ladder and climbed toward it.
"Okay, why hide a book inside a book? I got the key, but why should I reach for another book?"
Jeevan sighed and continued climbing.
His hand finally reached the book.
Then he remembered he had left the key in the living room.
"What an idiot..."
He climbed back down and headed toward the living room.
"What a contrast. This house is filled with high-tech products, but Grandpa's room feels ancient. It's like time-traveling into another era."
The house followed a minimalist design. The sofa, bed, and even the television were built with simplicity in mind.
A large poster hung on the wall.
"Divinex is your God. They are here to save you, and they never fail at any cost."
Jeevan stared at it with a dull expression and sighed deeply.
"These guys... They're the main reason I'm doing this tonight. Tomorrow morning they're going to burn all the books in Grandpa's room."
He grabbed the key.
Then a thought crossed his mind.
He walked toward the window near the front door and slowly peeked outside.
Two men wearing full tactical gear moved through the street.
One carried an EMP gun.
The other carried a neural gun.
They knocked on every door in the neighborhood.
"Oh shit. The neighbors."
Jeevan froze.
"I totally forgot about them. I never spoke to them, and they probably made up all kinds of suspicious stories about me. They reported me to the GPF. I don't have time. I need to hurry."
Jeevan rushed back toward the poster.
Looking at the red-pupiled, one-eyed figure descending from the sky—the symbol of Divinex—he tore the poster from the wall.
Hidden behind it was the image of the forbidden god.
He clasped his hands together.
Dropped to his knees.
And prayed.
Then he hurried.
The GPF was here for him.
He rushed toward his grandpa's room and grabbed the book mentioned in the diary. With the key in his hand, he was clueless.
"What the hell? Where should the key go to open the secret room?"
He searched frantically but grew increasingly confused.
"Jeevan, we are here for you! Come out, or be punished under the name of Divinex! We don't want to hurt you!"
The knocking on the door grew stronger and stronger.
"Sir, he is not obeying. We are waiting for your command."
"Fools! Break the damn door! But don't use that stupid neural gun. We need his memories, and we need information about his genius scientist grandfather. Be careful with him."
The officers obeyed and began breaking down the door.
Jeevan heard everything.
He grabbed the black book, and halfway through opening it, a hidden compartment beneath the table slid open, revealing a secret passage.
"Grandpa, you are a genius."
He quickly climbed inside and shut the entrance just in time.
When the GPF entered the room, all they saw was a room filled with books and nothing more.
Meanwhile, Jeevan crawled forward through the narrow passage.
"I understand now. Those stupid neighbors thought I was a scientist. For some filthy money, they reported me. What a shame."
After crawling for nearly half an hour, he finally reached another room.
This room was also made of wood, but it felt different.
It was a single chamber with books stacked in the corners and a lone bulb hanging from the ceiling.
For some reason, he felt as though he was never meant to be here.
He carefully examined the room.
"Multiple inventions by a single man... I can't believe my eyes. Grandpa never spoke about any of this. He always acted as if his inventions were something ordinary, but now..."
He approached a machine and opened the diary.
Looking for a keyhole, he found nothing.
Then something caught his attention.
A rat was gnawing on an object near the corner of the room.
He rushed toward it.
The machine was covered by a thick cloth.
He pulled it away.
"This is the one. Okay, now..."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out the key, and inserted it into the correct slot.
The machine immediately began vibrating.
The vibration was strong enough to alert the GPF above him.
He checked the time.
1:30 AM.
Following the instructions in the diary, he started operating the machine.
Soon, the vibrations were joined by a loud mechanical hum.
"Oh shit. They already know I've hidden something. This machine is going to reveal my location."
The noise grew louder.
The machine rumbled violently.
Jeevan carefully continued the process.
Suddenly, a bed extended from the machine.
A screen lit up.
LAY DOWN
He obeyed.
"Another pop-up window? My God, I'm out of time. They'll be here any minute."
A series of numbers appeared on the screen.
Below them was a prompt asking for the correct answer to initiate the process.
He entered two wrong answers.
Nothing happened.
Quickly, he opened the diary.
No clue.
Then he heard loud thudding sounds above him.
They were getting closer.
With no other choice, he entered his final answer.
The machine immediately initiated the process.
"I knew it. The answer was my date of birth."
But suddenly the machine went silent.
Jeevan sat upright and looked down at the wires.
"It was that damn rat."
One of the cables had been chewed through.
He reached toward the damaged wire.
The moment he touched it, a powerful surge of electricity shot through his body.
The machine came back to life.
A mechanical voice echoed throughout the room.
"Soul Rift Initiation Begins.
Ready for the Soul Journey?"