Chapter 1: The Key That Shouldn't Exist
The sun poured gently through the half-open window of a modest house in the sleepy town of Gorden. Morning birds chirped like clockwork, filling the air with their familiar tune. Yet, inside one of the upstairs rooms, a young man named Luck lay sprawled across his bed, his eyes wide open—not in wakefulness, but in thought.
Luck wasn't exactly lazy. He just lived more in his mind than in the real world. While others rushed toward careers, goals, and schedules, he wandered through dreams—of distant lands, alternate realities, what-ifs, and "maybe one day" stories. He was a dreamer in a world that had little patience for dreamers.
He lived with his mother, Christa, in a two-bedroom house that hadn't changed much since he was a child. The walls still held faded pictures of family picnics and school awards. His father, Mr. Dawson, had once filled this home with laughter and loud debates over science and logic. A science teacher at the local college, he was respected and loved—until one rainy night, when he never returned from a train trip.
Luck was ten when the news came. They said it was an accident. No body recovered. Just a bag, a few torn papers, and a certificate with his name on it. Christa never spoke of it much, and Luck learned not to ask.
It had been nearly a decade since then. And today, as the digital clock blinked 08:00 AM, Luck was officially twenty years old.
Not that it changed much.
He had just completed his final school exams a month ago and was now hunting for colleges that didn't ask too many questions or expect too much perfection. His grades were good—but his attention? Always somewhere else.
A knock at the door broke his chain of thought.
"Luck, get up!" his mom's voice called. "Breakfast's ready."
"Coming!" he shouted back and rolled off the bed like a sloth escaping gravity.
Downstairs, the aroma of toasted bread and warm scrambled eggs filled the kitchen. Christa, always composed and brisk, poured tea into two mismatched mugs. She smiled as he entered, her eyes warm despite the tiredness behind them.
"Happy Birthday, sweetheart," she said and handed him a plate.
"Thanks, Mom." He sat quietly, chewing slowly, staring out the window.
"You've got some mail," she said, handing him a small envelope. It was from a community college a few towns over—likely another offer. He placed it aside.
"You're going to have to choose one, Luck," she said softly. "You can't keep drifting forever."
He nodded, not ready for that conversation. Not today.
After breakfast, Christa left for her shift at the library. Luck went back upstairs, thinking he might nap again or maybe scroll through his phone until Kevin and Lisa arrived later. But something tugged at him. A sudden urge to explore.
He found himself in the storage room, a place Christa rarely let him enter. Dusty boxes, old curtains, broken clocks, and that wooden cabinet—the one with the small brass locker drawer she'd always kept locked.
He stared at it. Should he?
"She won't be back for hours," he murmured to himself.
Without thinking too hard, he crouched down and gently tugged at the lower panel of the cabinet. To his surprise, the panel popped off with a light creak. Hidden behind it was a small envelope taped to the back wall. His heart thudded.
Inside the envelope was a key—not a house key or a car key. It was older, heavier, with intricate carvings down the handle. He flipped it over. No note, no tag. Just cold metal.
What the hell was this?
He looked around the room, as if expecting something to immediately reveal itself. A chest? A safe? A hidden door?
Nothing.
He turned the room upside down for the next thirty minutes—checked under floorboards, behind bookcases, even in the old attic where squirrels had made a home. But there was no lock that matched the key.
Finally, he gave up, breathless and sweating slightly. He returned to his room and placed the key on his desk.
There it sat, still and silent, as if daring him to ask more questions.
The doorbell rang downstairs.
"Coming!" he shouted and dashed down.
It was Kevin and Lisa, his only close friends in the world.
Kevin was loud and funny, with messy hair and a backpack full of snacks and gaming controllers. Lisa was quieter, thoughtful, always scribbling in her notebook or correcting Kevin's bad jokes. The three had been inseparable since middle school.
"Happy Birthday, dream-boy," Lisa said with a smirk and handed him a chocolate bar wrapped in a ribbon.
"You gonna finally grow up now?" Kevin teased. "Or are we celebrating your eternal teenage phase?"
Luck laughed. "Still waiting for puberty to finish."
They all laughed and entered the living room. The old gaming console came to life as the screen flickered. Controllers were passed around, soda cans opened, and soon the room echoed with laughter and competitive yelling.
But even in that moment of fun, Luck's mind wandered. That key… Where did it belong? Why was it hidden? Why had his mother never mentioned it?
He wanted to ask her. But something inside told him it wasn't time yet.
Hours passed. As evening shadows stretched across the street, Kevin and Lisa finally packed up to go home. Luck walked them to the door.
"Don't forget we're going out tomorrow," Lisa said. "Time to start acting like twenty-somethings."
"Right," he nodded, still distracted.
They waved goodbye.
Back upstairs, the key still sat where he had left it. Unmoving. Unchanged.
But something had shifted inside Luck.
He didn't know it yet—but this was the beginning of everything.
[End of Chapter 1]