Heir of Eternity

Trap or Protection

The alarm on the table rang at exactly six o’clock. Ethan turned it off before the sound could wake anyone else. His head felt heavy; he had barely slept all night. The words from the mysterious letter kept spinning in his mind, mixed with the image of the old man cornered in the narrow alley and the four men in black who had pursued him.

He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbed his face, and glanced at his study desk. The iron box was still there.

For a moment, he hesitated. He had a strange feeling that once he opened the box again, his life would never be the same. Yet, curiosity won out. He pulled the drawer open and opened the box.

The old childhood photo was still there. The metal disc was there, too.

But... the letter was gone.

Ethan froze. He took out everything in the box, one by one. Nothing. He checked the entire contents of the drawer, even tearing through his college bag and the jacket hanging behind the door. Still, it was nowhere to be found.

"Impossible..." he muttered.

He was certain he had tucked the letter into the box before going to sleep. No one had entered his room. So where could it have gone?

"Ethan!" Martha’s scream from downstairs made Ethan jump. "If you still want breakfast, come down now!"

Ethan closed the box and shoved it into his bag. Whatever was happening, he couldn't be late for class again.

As soon as he reached the dining room, the cold atmosphere greeted him. Ryan was busy with his phone while eating eggs and toast. Lily was picking fruit from a glass bowl. Martha poured coffee into her husband's cup without once looking in Ethan's direction.

"You’re late," Martha said flatly.

"I’m sorry."

"That’s all the bread left."

At the end of the table sat only a single piece of stale bread. Ethan didn't complain. He took the bread, spread it with the last bit of jam at the bottom of the jar, and ate in silence.

Ryan smiled thinly. "I heard you’re moving to the attic next week."

Ethan stayed quiet.

"I can't wait to see you freezing every night," Ryan added. Lily chuckled softly. "Hopefully the rats up there won't bite you."

They laughed as if it were the best joke they had ever heard. Ethan just looked down, finishing his bread. He had heard those taunts too often. Retaliating would only create more trouble.

A few minutes later, he grabbed his bag and said goodbye to his uncle, who had just come downstairs. His uncle only gave a slow nod without speaking. It was that silence that had wounded Ethan the most over the years.

Outside, the morning air felt much more biting. The sky was still gray from last night’s rain. Ethan walked toward the bus stop, burying his hands in his jacket pockets. When the bus arrived, he boarded with a dozen other workers and students.

The bus pulled away from the residential area. Five minutes later, Ethan noticed something that made his skin crawl.

A black sedan was directly behind the bus.

At first, he tried not to think about it. A coincidence, he told himself. But when the bus stopped at a red light, the sedan stopped too. When the bus started moving again, the car continued to follow at a consistent distance.

Ethan grew anxious. Finally, the bus stopped in front of the campus. He got off with the other students, and as he glanced across the street, the black sedan pulled over as well.

The windows were heavily tinted, hiding anyone inside. The car didn't move. It just sat there, facing directly toward the university gate.

Ethan stood stunned on the edge of the road. For some reason, he felt that the car wasn't waiting for anyone but him.

Ethan stood frozen in front of the university gate. A stream of students flowed around him; some were joking, others rushing to class. No one noticed the black sedan parked across the street. Perhaps he was the only one who felt that something was amiss.

"Don't overthink it," he muttered to himself.

The car could be waiting for anyone. Blackridge was a college town. It wasn't unusual for parents or drivers to pick up their children. Ethan forced his legs to walk into the campus area. Just before passing the main building, he looked back one more time.

The sedan was still there.

The morning lecture went as usual. Professor Harrison explained macroeconomic theory in front of the class with a calm voice that nearly put the students to sleep. Ethan sat in the second row, trying to focus. The midterm exams were only two weeks away; his scholarship depended on those results.

But his mind wandered.

The image of the metal disc, the disappearance of the mysterious letter, and the old man in the narrow alley continued to haunt him. Who exactly was he? Why were the men in black hunting him? And most importantly, why was the symbol on the metal disc exactly the same as the one in his childhood photo?

"Ethan." Professor Harrison’s voice broke his daydream. "Could you explain the relationship between inflation and interest rates?"

The whole class turned. Ethan stood up immediately. Although his mind was a mess, he managed to explain the material in detail. Professor Harrison nodded with satisfaction before gesturing for him to sit back down. A few students clapped softly, while Kevin, who sat by the window, just snorted in annoyance.

When the lecture ended, Professor Harrison called Ethan over. "Do you have a moment?"

"Of course, Prof."

After the classroom emptied, the professor approached him. "I heard the administration contacted you again regarding the semester fees."

Ethan smiled bitterly. "News travels fast."

"The campus doesn't want to lose a student like you." Professor Harrison slid a business card from his pocket. "This is an acquaintance of mine. He runs an agency that provides part-time work for high-achieving students. It’s not easy to get in, but you have a chance."

Ethan accepted the card with both hands. "Thank you so much, Prof."

"Don't waste your potential just because of money."

That sentence felt warmer than any care he had ever received at his uncle's house. After saying goodbye, Ethan walked out into the corridor. Only a few steps later, someone bumped into him from the side.

"Sorry!" A female student immediately began picking up the books that had fallen.

"It’s my fault," Ethan replied, helping her.

When the last book was retrieved, their fingers accidentally brushed against each other. The girl smiled kindly. Her dark brown hair was tied up simply. She wasn't striking, yet her aura made Ethan feel calm.

"Ethan, right?"

Ethan frowned, confused.

"We were in the same Statistics class last semester," the girl continued. "I'm Clara."

Ethan finally remembered. Clara was the student who often sat behind him during lab sessions. "Ah, yes. I remember now."

"I heard your exam score was the highest again."

"Just a coincidence."

Clara chuckled. "Someone who always gets the highest score can’t call that a coincidence."

They walked together toward the campus courtyard. Their conversation flowed lightly—about assignments, strict professors, and exam schedules. It had been a long time since Ethan had talked to someone without feeling judged. When they reached the library, Clara excused herself because she had to attend an organization meeting.

"See you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Ethan watched Clara walk away for a moment before turning around. Right across the street... the black sedan was still there. The engine was running, but the windows remained tightly closed. For nearly three hours, the car hadn't moved an inch.

Ethan’s chest tightened again. He took out his phone, pretending to read a message while watching the reflection in the building's glass.

The next second, the driver-side door of the sedan opened.

A man stepped out. He was nearly six-foot-three, wearing a neatly tailored black suit with a buzz cut. From a distance, his face looked ordinary, like any other office worker. However, there was one thing that caught Ethan's breath.

The man didn't walk toward the campus. He stood beside the car, then slowly lifted his head and stared straight at Ethan, as if he had been waiting for just that one person all along.

At the same time, Ethan’s phone vibrated. A message came in from an unknown number:

If you want to stay alive, do not go to the cemetery tonight.