Escape From Antherion Tower

CHAPTER ONE: THE BOY NOBODY WANTED

The first thing Kelvin Katz learned about silence was that it could hurt more than shouting.

Every morning at exactly 6:15, his alarm buzzed once before he reached over and switched it off. He never let it ring twice. If it did, someone downstairs would complain.

He sat on the edge of his bed for a moment, staring at the faded baseball poster hanging above his desk. It had been there since he was nine. His father had put it up one Saturday afternoon after promising they would go to a Rockies game together.

They never did.

Three weeks later, his father died in a highway accident.

Eight years had passed since then.

Sometimes Kelvin could still remember the sound of his father's laugh.

Other times, all he could remember was the funeral.

He rubbed his face and stood.

The floorboards creaked beneath his feet.

"So much for being quiet," he muttered.

His bedroom was the smallest room in the house, tucked away beside the attic. The walls were bare except for the old poster and a small bookshelf packed with worn science-fiction novels. His desk had one loose leg that wobbled whenever he wrote, and the window looked over the backyard where the fence leaned slightly to one side.

None of it bothered him.

What bothered him was the feeling that this room wasn't really his.

Nothing in this house was.

The smell of bacon drifted upstairs.

Kelvin pulled on a gray hoodie and headed down.

By the time he reached the kitchen, breakfast was already on the table.

His mother stood at the stove flipping pancakes.

His little sister Emma was coloring in a dinosaur book while humming to herself.

Liam was trying—and failing—to balance a spoon on his nose.

Sarah looked up and smiled.

"Morning."

"Morning, Mom."

She handed him a plate.

"You slept okay?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

Kelvin nodded.

"I just stayed up reading."

"You always stay up reading."

He smiled faintly.

"It helps."

Before Sarah could answer—

The back door slammed.

Heavy footsteps crossed the hallway.

Mark Sullivan walked into the kitchen carrying a travel mug and a stack of paperwork.

Without looking at anyone, he reached into the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of orange juice, and poured himself a glass.

Only then did his eyes land on Kelvin.

"Finally decided to wake up."

Kelvin glanced at the clock.

6:42.

"I've been up since six."

Mark shrugged.

"Could've fooled me."

Sarah shot her husband a warning look.

"Mark."

"What?"

"I'm talking."

"So am I."

Mark took a sip from his mug.

"You've got school today?"

Kelvin nodded.

"Yes."

"And after school?"

"I promised Mrs. Parker I'd help organize books in the library."

Mark snorted.

"So... volunteering."

Kelvin frowned.

"She needed help."

"And you're doing it for free."

"Yes."

Mark leaned against the counter.

"That's your problem."

Kelvin stayed silent.

"You spend more time helping strangers than helping your own family."

"I finished mowing the lawn yesterday."

"I wasn't talking about the lawn."

"Then what?"

Mark's jaw tightened.

"I'm talking about responsibility."

Sarah sighed.

"Can we please not do this before breakfast?"

"I'm having a conversation."

"No," she said quietly.

"You're starting an argument."

For a second, Mark looked as if he wanted to reply.

Instead, he grabbed his lunchbox.

"I'll finish this later."

The garage door opened.

Then closed.

Silence settled over the kitchen.

Emma looked up from her coloring book.

"Is Dad mad?"

Sarah forced a smile.

"No, sweetheart."

"He just had a long day yesterday."

Kelvin knew that answer.

It was the same answer every time.

School wasn't much different.

Cedar Ridge High looked exactly like every other public high school in America—red brick walls, crowded hallways, lockers slamming every few seconds, and students trying to finish homework before first period.

Kelvin wasn't popular.

He wasn't unpopular either.

He was simply...

There.

Most people knew his name.

Very few actually knew him.

As he reached his locker, someone bumped his shoulder.

"Watch it."

Kelvin turned.

A tall senior wearing a varsity football jacket barely glanced at him before continuing down the hallway.

"No problem," Kelvin muttered.

His friend Ethan appeared beside him carrying three textbooks.

"Dude."

Kelvin smiled.

"Morning."

"You ready for the chemistry quiz?"

"I studied."

Ethan groaned dramatically.

"Of course you did."

"You always study."

"Some of us enjoy passing."

"I enjoy sleeping."

They laughed.

It wasn't a big laugh.

Just enough to make the morning feel normal.

Until Kelvin noticed someone watching him from across the hallway.

A man.

Not a teacher.

Dark suit.

Black tie.

Standing completely still.

He wasn't talking to anyone.

He wasn't checking his phone.

He was simply...

Watching.

Kelvin blinked.

A group of students walked between them.

When they passed—

The man was gone.

"You okay?" Ethan asked.

Kelvin looked around.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"I thought I saw somebody."

"Who?"

"...Never mind."

The first bell rang.

Students poured into classrooms.

Kelvin took one last look down the hallway.

Empty.

Maybe he imagined it.

That afternoon, rain clouds gathered over Cedar Ridge.

The walk home took about twenty minutes.

Kelvin liked walking.

It gave him time to think.

He stopped at the neighborhood grocery store to buy milk, bread, and eggs. His mother had texted him the list during third period.

The cashier smiled as she handed him the receipt.

"Tell your mom I said hi."

"I will."

He stepped outside.

Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance.

By the time he reached home, the first drops of rain had started to fall.

The front door wasn't locked.

Inside, the television was on.

Emma and Liam sat on the living room floor building a castle out of plastic blocks.

"Kelvin!"

Emma jumped up.

"You came home!"

"I noticed."

She laughed and hugged him around the waist.

"You promised we'd finish my volcano project today."

"I remember."

Liam looked up.

"Can mine explode too?"

Kelvin grinned.

"We'll see."

For a brief moment...

The house felt warm.

Peaceful.

Like the family he wished he had.

Then the garage door opened.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway.

Mark was home.

Kelvin's smile slowly faded.

The sound of the garage door closing echoed through the house like a warning bell.

Emma's smile faded instantly.

Liam quietly pushed the plastic blocks into a neat pile.

Neither of them said a word.

Kelvin noticed it.

They weren't afraid of Mark.

They were simply used to the way the atmosphere changed whenever he came home.

The front door opened.

Mark stepped inside, wiping rainwater from his work boots with a faded mat.

His eyes swept across the living room.

They landed on Kelvin.

"You're home."

"I just got back."

"You buy the groceries?"

Kelvin lifted the paper bag.

"Yeah."

Mark took it from him without another word and looked inside.

"Milk."

"Bread."

"Eggs."

He nodded once.

"You remembered everything."

It wasn't a compliment.

It sounded more like surprise.

Sarah appeared from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel.

"You're early."

"They let us leave before the storm got worse."

She kissed his cheek.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour."

Mark grunted and walked toward the kitchen.

Kelvin picked up one of Emma's toy dinosaurs.

"So..."

He smiled.

"Should we start building that volcano?"

Emma's eyes lit up.

"Yes!"

She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him toward the dining table.

Liam followed behind carrying construction paper, glue, and a cardboard box almost as big as he was.

For the next forty minutes...

Everything felt peaceful.

Emma carefully painted the sides of the volcano brown while Liam insisted every volcano needed dinosaurs.

"It doesn't make sense," Kelvin laughed.

"Dinosaurs don't live inside volcanoes."

"They do in cartoons."

"I guess cartoons win."

Emma giggled.

Sarah watched them from the kitchen with a soft smile.

Moments like these reminded her of the boy Kelvin used to be before life had taught him to keep most of his feelings locked away.

She missed hearing him laugh.

Real laughter.

Not the polite smile he gave people so they wouldn't worry.

As she stirred the soup simmering on the stove, she glanced toward an old family photograph hanging near the hallway.

It showed her...

A younger Kelvin...

And Daniel Katz.

Her first husband.

Kelvin's father.

The photograph had faded over the years, but Daniel's smile remained as bright as ever.

Sarah looked away quickly before anyone noticed.

The rain intensified.

Wind rattled the windows.

Thunder rolled across the sky.

Mark sat in his recliner reading emails on his tablet.

The television played quietly in the background.

A news anchor spoke over footage of heavy storms moving across Colorado.

"...Residents are advised to remain indoors as severe weather continues through the evening..."

Mark muted the television.

"Liam."

"Yeah?"

"Homework finished?"

"Almost."

"Finish it."

"Okay."

Emma looked at Kelvin.

"Can we make fake lava now?"

"We're almost there."

Just then—

The lights flickered.

Once.

Then steadied.

Mark glanced toward the ceiling.

"Power company's acting up again."

Nobody replied.

Kelvin reached for a bottle of red food coloring.

The moment his fingers touched it...

A strange chill crawled across his hand.

He frowned.

For a split second...

The bottle felt warm.

Almost alive.

Then the feeling disappeared.

"You okay?" Sarah asked.

Kelvin looked up.

"Yeah."

"You look pale."

"I'm fine."

He wasn't.

It lasted only a heartbeat.

But something about that sensation lingered.

Like static under his skin.

He rubbed his palm against his jeans.

It went away.

Or so he thought.

Dinner was quieter than breakfast.

Forks scraped against plates.

Rain hammered the roof.

Emma talked about school.

Liam complained about math.

Sarah listened patiently.

Mark barely spoke.

Kelvin preferred it that way.

Halfway through dinner, Mark finally looked up.

"So."

He pointed his fork toward Kelvin.

"Mrs. Parker still has you volunteering?"

Kelvin nodded.

"For another few weeks."

"Still free?"

"Yes."

Mark shook his head.

"I'll never understand kids like you."

"What do you mean?"

"You work for free."

"You read books instead of making money."

"You spend weekends helping old ladies carry groceries."

Kelvin blinked.

"I don't see anything wrong with helping people."

"No."

Mark leaned back.

"That's because you're naïve."

Sarah sighed.

"Mark..."

"The world's not fair."

He looked directly at Kelvin.

"The sooner you learn that, the better."

Kelvin met his gaze.

"I already know."

Something in his voice made Mark pause.

Not disrespect.

Not anger.

Just quiet certainty.

Mark looked away first.

"Hm."

The conversation died there.

But Sarah noticed something unusual.

For the first time in years...

Kelvin hadn't lowered his eyes.

Later that night...

The rain finally stopped.

Kelvin stood outside on the back porch, breathing in the cool air.

The backyard smelled like wet grass and fresh earth.

He always came outside when he needed to think.

The silence felt different out here.

Cleaner.

He looked up.

Clouds drifted slowly away, revealing dozens of stars.

"...Dad."

The word escaped before he realized he'd spoken.

"I wish you were here."

He laughed quietly.

"That's stupid."

"You can't hear me."

A breeze passed through the trees.

The old wind chime hanging near the porch rang softly.

Kelvin closed his eyes.

Sometimes...

He imagined his father answering.

Not with words.

Just with peace.

He stayed there for several minutes before hearing the back door open.

Sarah stepped outside carrying two mugs.

"I thought I'd find you here."

She handed him one.

Hot chocolate.

His favorite.

"You remembered."

"I always remember."

They stood side by side.

Neither of them spoke for a while.

Finally...

Sarah broke the silence.

"Do you hate him?"

Kelvin knew exactly who she meant.

He stared into the steaming mug.

"I don't know."

She nodded slowly.

"I know he isn't easy."

"I've tried."

"I know."

"I really have."

Sarah's voice cracked.

"I know."

Kelvin looked at her.

"I don't want you blaming yourself."

She smiled sadly.

"That's difficult."

"I chose this life."

"You chose to keep us together."

"I chose what I thought was best."

Kelvin didn't answer.

After another long silence...

Sarah reached into her sweater pocket.

She pulled out a silver necklace.

A simple chain.

With a small black pendant shaped like an eight-pointed star.

"I've been meaning to give this to you."

Kelvin frowned.

"What's this?"

"It belonged to your father."

He froze.

"You've had it all this time?"

She nodded.

"He wanted you to have it when you turned eighteen."

Kelvin gently took the necklace.

The metal felt strangely warm.

Not from her hand.

From within itself.

Almost...

Alive.

He looked up.

"Mom..."

Before he could finish—

Sarah grabbed his wrist.

Hard.

Too hard.

Her face had gone completely pale.

"Listen to me."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"If anything strange ever happens..."

She swallowed.

"...Promise me you won't panic."

Kelvin stared at her.

"What are you talking about?"

She forced a smile.

"Forget I said anything."

"Mom."

"It's getting late."

She turned toward the door.

"Come inside."

Kelvin looked down at the pendant again.

The warmth had vanished.

As if it had never been there.

But one question refused to leave his mind.

Why had his mother looked... afraid?

He slipped the necklace into his pocket and followed her inside, completely unaware that, across the street, a black SUV had been parked with its headlights off for nearly fifteen minutes.

Inside the vehicle, a man lowered a pair of binoculars.

"He has the pendant," he said quietly.

The woman in the passenger seat looked up from a tablet displaying lines of encrypted text.

"So... it's really him."

The driver started the engine.

"Not yet."

His eyes remained fixed on the Sullivan house.

"...But it will be soon."

The SUV pulled away without a sound, disappearing into the darkness before anyone inside the house noticed they had been watch

The storm had passed.

By ten o'clock, Cedar Ridge was wrapped in an uneasy silence, broken only by the occasional chirp of crickets and the distant rumble of traffic from the interstate.

Upstairs, Kelvin lay on his bed with the silver pendant resting in the palm of his hand.

The black, eight-pointed star reflected the moonlight pouring through his window.

His father had owned this.

For seventeen years, he'd never known it existed.

He turned it over.

There was a tiny engraving on the back.

Not a name.

Not a date.

Just one word.

Aeternum.

"What does that even mean?" he whispered.

He reached for his phone and typed the word into a search engine.

No results.

Only unrelated websites.

He frowned.

"That's... strange."

A knock sounded on his bedroom door.

Three soft knocks.

Only one person knocked like that.

"Come in."

Sarah stepped inside.

"You still awake?"

Kelvin quickly slipped the pendant beneath his pillow.

"Couldn't sleep."

She smiled weakly.

"Mind if I sit?"

He nodded.

She lowered herself into the old desk chair, looking around the tiny room.

"I've always hated this room."

Kelvin laughed quietly.

"Why?"

"It's too small."

"I've never minded."

"I have."

She looked toward the old baseball poster.

"Your dad put that up."

"I remember."

"He insisted it was crooked."

Kelvin smiled.

"It still is."

For the first time that day, Sarah laughed.

A genuine laugh.

It disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For everything."

Kelvin looked at her.

"You don't have to apologize."

"I do."

"I couldn't give you the childhood I wanted you to have."

"You gave me everything you could."

"No."

Her eyes lowered.

"I didn't."

The room fell silent.

Finally, Kelvin asked the question that had lived inside him for years.

"Did Dad know he was going to die?"

Sarah looked up sharply.

"What?"

"I don't know."

"It's just..."

He hesitated.

"...Sometimes it feels like he left something unfinished."

Sarah stared at him.

For several seconds, she didn't blink.

Then she slowly stood.

"Get some sleep."

"Mom."

She reached the door.

"When you're older..."

Her hand tightened around the doorknob.

"...I'll answer every question."

The door closed behind her.

Kelvin stared after her.

"Older?"

He was seventeen.

How much older did she expect him to be?

---

Downstairs...

Sarah didn't go to bed.

Instead, she walked quietly into the garage.

The old garage smelled of oil, dust, and fresh-cut lumber.

She knelt beside an old metal storage cabinet hidden behind paint cans.

Her hands trembled as she unlocked it.

Inside sat a weathered wooden box.

She opened it.

Old photographs.

Letters.

A wedding ring.

And another pendant identical to Kelvin's.

Sarah picked it up.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Daniel."

Her voice barely rose above a whisper.

"I don't think I can keep him hidden anymore."

Across town...

The black SUV pulled into the underground parking garage of an unmarked federal building.

The driver stepped out.

He looked to be in his late forties.

Dark suit.

Gray hair.

Calm eyes.

He carried a slim metal briefcase.

A security officer scanned his badge.

"Good evening, Director Hayes."

Hayes nodded.

"Status?"

"We've prepared the briefing room."

"Good."

The elevator descended four floors below ground.

When the doors opened, six people were already waiting.

A giant digital map of the United States covered one wall.

Several red dots blinked across the screen.

Most were scattered randomly.

One blinked steadily over Colorado.

Hayes placed the briefcase on the table.

"Report."

A young analyst stood.

"At 19:43 local time, our sensors detected a Class-One Aether fluctuation in Cedar Ridge."

Another analyst tapped a keyboard.

A grainy satellite image appeared.

The Sullivan residence.

"The signal lasted approximately four-point-eight seconds."

Hayes folded his arms.

"Confirmation?"

The analyst nodded.

"Ninety-nine-point-eight percent."

The room became quiet.

Finally, someone asked,

"Is he awakened?"

Hayes answered without hesitation.

"No."

"Then why did the Core react?"

"We don't know."

Another screen lit up.

A faded photograph appeared.

A smiling man stood beside a young woman holding a toddler.

Daniel Katz.

Sarah Katz.

And baby Kelvin.

Hayes stared at the picture.

"So..."

He murmured.

"...the bloodline survived."

One of the officers shifted uneasily.

"Should we move tonight?"

Hayes shook his head.

"No."

"Why not?"

"He hasn't awakened."

"If we move too early..."

"...we'll only create panic."

The officer nodded reluctantly.

Hayes closed the folder.

"Continue surveillance."

"And notify Antherion."

Those words changed the atmosphere in the room.

Nobody spoke for several seconds.

Even the analysts looked uncomfortable.

Finally...

Someone whispered,

"You think they'll actually take him?"

Hayes didn't answer immediately.

He looked once more at Kelvin's childhood photograph.

Then he said quietly,

"They always do."

The next morning...

Kelvin woke before his alarm.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains.

For some reason, he felt exhausted.

As though he'd spent the entire night running.

He rubbed his eyes.

His bedroom was unusually warm.

Almost stuffy.

He pushed the window open.

Cool morning air rushed inside.

"Better."

His eyes drifted toward the pillow.

The pendant.

Gone.

He frowned.

"What?"

He threw the blanket aside.

Checked beneath the bed.

Opened every drawer.

Nothing.

"I know I left it here."

His heartbeat quickened.

He searched the room again.

Still nothing.

A voice called from downstairs.

"Kelvin!"

His mother's voice.

"Hurry up!"

"You'll be late!"

Kelvin took one last look around.

Maybe he'd moved it without remembering.

He hurried downstairs.

Breakfast was already waiting.

Emma waved enthusiastically.

"Lucky Charms!"

Liam grinned.

"I already found the marshmallows."

Mark folded his newspaper.

"Sit."

Kelvin obeyed.

As he reached for the cereal box...

Something caught his eye.

Around Mark's neck...

Hung the silver pendant.

Kelvin froze.

His stepfather noticed.

"What?"

"That necklace."

Mark looked down.

"Oh."

"This?"

"I found it upstairs."

"You left it on the hallway floor."

Kelvin frowned.

"I didn't."

"You must've."

He shrugged.

"I figured it belonged to your mother."

Sarah nearly dropped the coffee pot.

Her face drained of color.

"Where..."

She swallowed.

"...Where exactly did you find it?"

Mark frowned.

"Outside his room."

Kelvin looked at his mother.

She wasn't looking at him.

She was staring at the pendant.

Her hands were shaking.

Mark noticed.

"You okay?"

Sarah forced a smile.

"I'm fine."

But she wasn't.

Kelvin knew she wasn't.

And for reasons he couldn't explain...

The pendant suddenly felt far more important than anyone was willing to admit.

Outside the house...

Parked two streets away...

The same black SUV sat silently beneath the shade of an oak tree.

Inside...

Director Hayes lowered a pair of binoculars.

His phone vibrated.

He answered immediately.

"Director."

A calm voice spoke from the other end.

"Has the boy awakened?"

Hayes continued watching the Sullivan house.

"...Not yet."

A brief silence.

Then the voice replied,

"Good."

"Because once he does..."

"...everything changes."

The call ended.

Hayes looked back toward the house.

For the first time in years...

He wasn't sure whether he hoped the boy's power would awaken...

Or prayed that it never would.