"Ugh!" I groaned, waking with a light headache as I sat up straight, reaching for my head and cradling it in my hand.
My eyes slowly adjusted to the lighting of the surrounding as I paused to an unfamiliar environment.
"Where am I?" I questioned. Calmly and slowly, looking around to make sense of my surrounding.
At first my cannulated hand, the I.V stand, an hospital bed and other hospital related equipment and machinery. Then it hit me, I was in fact in an hospital.
"But how did I get here? What happened?" I questioned, trying to recall all that had happen before now.
However, my recall was cut short when I heard an unfamiliar voice addressing me.
"Welcome to the land of the living Mr. Basil." A female voice cuts in.
The voice was female, calm but firm. I turned my head to see a woman seating just by my bed. Her eyes fixed on me With unsettling precision.
"We need to talk." She said, her expression shifting from polite to serious in an instant.
My pulse quickened for a moment.
"Talk? About what?" I questioned.
She glanced around, as if checking for eavesdroppers.
"It's confidential. But since we have the room to ourselves, I can tell you here." She said with a sigh.
"Yeah thanks, but I think I'll pass." I replied, shifting uncomfortable backwards, still on the bed.
"What if I told you it's related to your mother's disappearance eight years ago. I know about your dad Professor Basil and mom, Doctor Stella." She said, in a desperate attempt to get my attention.
"What did you just say?" I asked, looking back at her. Her words had finally pip my interest.
(How did she know about that?) I thought to myself, a bit confused and surprised at the same time.
"You heard me right, I may have information about the mysterious disappearance of your parent." She added, handling me a envelope.
I sat there in silence, with no other choice but to accept the envelope.
Opening it, I was greeted with a picture of my parents along with several office files and record history like someone had been keeping a tab on them. I found myself staring at her skeptically.
"Just who are you and how do you have access to my parent's files, I thought they were confined by the government?" I inquired.
"That's right, I haven't introduced myself yet. The name is Chloe, a federal agent in charge of all affairs concerning case MBA042. A code name for the incident that led to your mom." She informs, showing me her badge for authentication purpose.
"MBA042? What's that and more importantly please tell me everything you know about my parents disappearance?" I prompted, out of desperation, hoping she had the answer.
In response she lets out a sigh.
"It all started ten years ago, three years before your father went missing and two years before your mother was taken." She began.
"You see, a group of miners stumbled upon an ancient, abandoned ruins deep within Samothrace Island. No one knows its origin or how it came to be. The federal agents got involved and brought in a team of scientists to study it. And during their research… they uncovered something—something humans were never meant to witness." She said, her tone filled with anticipation.
"The end of the world approaching." She added.
"With the knowledge of the potential consequences if such news were to become public, the government and other federal agencies opted to keep it under wraps. They offered a substantial sum of money to the group of tourists who stumbled upon the runes, urging them to maintain secrecy while further research was conducted. However, progress was hindered by the inability to decipher the words inscribed on the rune walls. Consequently, they enlisted the expertise of archaeologists—the professionals skilled in ancient runes and discoveries." She explained succinctly, before I interject.
"This is where my dad comes in, correct?" I inquire.
"Precisely, you see your dad, Professor Basil being an archeologist and also one of the founding members, alongside my dad Professor Astor, were chosen for this task due to their vast knowledge of ancient languages and religions. So, they were responsible for deciphering the strange writings on the walls, but along the way something happened which we're still unsure of." She informed.
"I'll be honest with you, not much is known about your parent's disappearance. However, we managed to gather some information based on this." She added, passing me a journal.
"What's this?" I asked, taking the journal.
"It's your dad's. You see, during the time he spent trying to make out what those runes were, he discovered something. An artifact buried in the temple." She replied.
"Here's a visual representation of the artifact." She states as she scrolls through her tablet before handing it to me.
"Wait, this is… How?" I questioned, attempting to comprehend the situation, as I was now staring at an image of the mysterious box from my dream and that's when it hit me. This was the same box from eight years ago. The same box that took my mom.
"Oh, that's right, I forgot you've made contact with it, haven't you?" She questioned.
"When I was eight." I replied.
"But recently, I've been having weird dreams about it." I added .
"That's new." She said, a spark of interest in her eyes.
"What do you mean by that's new?" I asked in concern.
"How do I put this? Oh, that's right. In the search of truth of what happened to my father I discovered about his research which was closed at the time. Using my connections as a federal agent, I was able to gain access and permission to reinvestigate the case, and my search led me to finding the runes, where I found nothing but skeletons or you could say corps. Using DNA analysis, we were able to make out the identities of the corps which matched the files containing the names of those who were working the case at that time, that is but, one person." She Explained.
"My dad?" I questioned.
"Yes, due to our research, we discovered that part of the runes collapse, trapping the people who were working inside, and as such their death could be classified as an accident. However, since your dad corpse wasn't discovered it safe to say he wasn't there when it collapsed. Either that or…" She paused.
"…Although we did manage to find their journal containing the progress they made, but aside that nothing. However, during my investigation, I found the artifact they spoke of and it was to be shipped to land for further research, but something happened along the way. The artifact came to life, and it's been searching for a host ever since, or so our theory is based." She further explained.
"That being said, most of the people the artifact has made contact with have been reported missing as if they had just disappeared. Which, of course, might explain why your dad was never found, and also you said you've been having dreams about it, right? Well, we think you're the one it's after." She informed, trying not tense the atmosphere.
"Me, why?" I questioned helplessly
"I don't know for sure. But in the last page of that journal, your dad clearly stated you were the key, which of course, means that artifact is somehow linked to you." She added in explanation.
I flips through the pages of the journal, only to be left bewildered and speechless as to what I found written within it.
"They may think I might be going crazy or something, but the truth is this thing, it revealed to me visions, secret and events I am yet to understand. I feel like somehow, I'm interlinked to it. My mind is like a labyrinth with a fog keeping me from finding the truth. But one thing I'm sure of but still don't know how it's possible, the key to it all is no other than my son.
.
.
.
This is it for me I guess, if anyone is reading this, please pass these words to my son, and keep him away from the artifact at all costs.
Son, I know I might not have been the ideal parent you might have wanted ever since that box took your mother, my wife away from us. And you're going to have to grow up without Me. Yes, I regret ever living you that day and chasing after a box. However, I have a request to ask, it may sound selfish at first, but the reason is best not revealed. If I am unable to unravel the mystery behind all this and I die trying, my only which is for you, to finish what I started. Find the truth, with time everything would become clear.
Prof. Basil.
As I read, my eyes welled with tears, and I set the journal aside.
"I know it's not the right time to ask this, but we want you to come with us, so we can find out why this box is after you." She requested
"I'm sorry, but I decline." I simply replied.
"Look here, your dad wanted you in on this for a reason. Are you seriously going to let that reason go to waste?" She queried.
"We can help you understand this mystery. Let us study you and see if we can find a reason why this is all tied to you." She added
"Then what? I become a victim of that box, never to been seen again like my parent? What difference would it make?" I asked in reply.
"If you want my opinion on this, I advised you drop the case before you end up like them." I said turn my back at her as I looked to the window.
Chloe was about to say something before her alarm sets in. Causes her to turn her attention to her phone only to see a reminder alert.
"Sorry to cut the conversation short, but something important just came up, and I have to attend to it. Oh! And should you change your mind about my request, here's my card, call me." She said dropping off her card before storming off, leaving me behind to ponder on the situation.
Meanwhile, Chloe, who had just got into her car, dialed up an unknown number, to which there was an instant response.
"The boy?" The voice asked.
"I found him, he's the one alright, but makes one wonder, how is an average school boy wrapped up in all this?" She questions in respond.
"Who can say for sure? But one thing I can assure, we'll all know soon enough, and remember if things go south, do what you must." The voice replied, and then hung up.