The Game of Realms

Chapter 2: The Weight of the Past

Phil, Jean, and Rod sat in a dimly lit corner of the diner, the tension between them palpable. They had just sworn to each other that no one would ever know about the book, the scrolls, or their plan to enter the islands. It was a pact of secrecy and survival.

"We have to be smart about this," Jean said, his voice low. "One wrong move, and we'll be hunted like everyone else."

Rod nodded, sipping his drink thoughtfully. "We don't know what's out there, but whatever it is, it's worth a lot. We can't trust anyone."

Phil, however, was distracted. His mind drifted to the past, to the night that had forever changed his life. He glanced at the clock; it was almost time for his aunt to pick him up. He hadn't seen his parents in years. Not since...

"Phil, you good?" Jean asked, noticing his silence.

Phil blinked, coming back to the present. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Don't overthink it, man," Jean said with a grin. "We've got this."

After finishing their food, the three friends parted ways. Jean and Rod walked off into the night, leaving Phil alone outside the diner, waiting for his aunt. The memories started to resurface again.

Flashback: The Night of the Attack

Phil was only a kid when the hunt began. The broadcast had just gone live, and people were already fighting, stealing, and killing for the chance to get into the islands. His father, a security guard at the local museum, had been caught in the chaos.

That night, Phil's father was working the late shift when a man broke into the museum. The thief demanded entry passes, convinced the museum had some hidden away. Phil's father tried to calm him down, offering him the keys to the museum's locked sections. The thief, frantic, touched each key one by one. Nothing happened.

But the thief wasn't deterred. He tore through the museum, and after several minutes, he found what he was looking for—three coins and a scroll. As soon as he touched them, they glowed, transforming into entry passes. Panic set in when the sound of police sirens echoed in the distance. The thief bolted, leaving Phil's father in a daze.

As the thief fled, Phil's father realized something. Two of the keys he had offered the thief had transformed into entry passes. He pocketed the keys, deciding to keep them a secret. They could change everything for his family.

Later, when the museum management discovered the missing keys, they questioned Phil's father. He lied, claiming the thief must have taken them. He wasn't about to give up the passes that could save his family from poverty.

That night, Phil's father rushed home and told his wife everything. After a long, serious discussion, they decided to sell the entry passes and use the money to secure their future. They didn't realize that the museum's owner had reviewed the security footage and discovered the truth.

A group of armed men arrived at their home that night. Phil had been hiding under the bed, listening in terror as the goons confronted his parents.

"Where are the keys?" one of them demanded, pointing a gun at Phil's father.

"I don't know what you're talking about," his father lied, standing firm.

Without warning, they shot Phil's mother in the stomach. She collapsed, gasping in pain as Phil's father cried out in rage. He lunged at the men, but they shot him too.

Phil's heart raced as he watched from the shadows, paralyzed with fear. He knew he had to stay quiet, or he would be next. One of the goons began searching the house, and it didn't take long before they found the keys. Satisfied, they prepared to leave. One of them glanced in Phil's direction and paused, gun raised.

But instead of pulling the trigger, the man lowered the weapon. "Let's go," he said, leading the others out of the house.

Phil waited until they were gone before crawling out from under the bed. His mother lay still, her breathing shallow, and his father was unconscious. Phil called for help, but by the time the paramedics arrived, it was too late for his mother.

His father survived, but the guilt of what had happened weighed heavily on him. He was tortured by the thought that his decision to keep the keys had led to his wife's death and put his son's life in danger. He couldn't bear the burden any longer.

A Few Weeks Later: The Aftermath

Phil's father, once a strong and proud man, had become a shadow of his former self. He barely spoke, lost in his own thoughts, haunted by the memories of that night. Phil tried to reach out to him, but his father had withdrawn completely.

One night, after putting Phil to bed, his father made a decision. He couldn't live with the guilt anymore. He wrote a letter to Phil, explaining everything—the keys, the entry passes, the guilt that had consumed him. He apologized for the pain he had caused and told Phil that he loved him more than anything in the world.

Then, with a heavy heart, he took his own life.

Phil found him the next morning, the letter resting beside him. He read it over and over, tears streaming down his face, unable to comprehend the depth of his father's pain.

Present Day: Outside the Diner

Phil's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his aunt's car pulling up. "Phil!" she called, waving him over.

He snapped back to reality, taking a deep breath as he walked toward the car. The past still haunted him, but he couldn't let it dictate his future. Not with what he had now—the book, the scrolls, and the chance to enter the islands.

Several Days Later: Peace Before the Storm

Life returned to a semblance of normalcy. The days passed peacefully, with Phil, Jean, and Rod going about their routines, pretending nothing had changed. But the weight of their secret grew heavier each day. Every time Phil touched the book, every time he tore a page and watched it turn into a scroll, the enormity of what they were planning became more real.

One evening, as they sat in Jean's basement, the three friends discussed their next move.

"We have the scrolls," Rod said, pacing. "We can get in. But what happens when we do? We're not trained for this."

"We'll figure it out," Jean replied confidently. "People have survived in the islands before. We just need to be smart."

Phil, staring at the book in his hands, felt the familiar pang of doubt. The last time his family had tried to use entry passes for their own gain, it had ended in blood and tragedy. Was it worth the risk?

But he couldn't deny the pull of the islands. The mystery, the power, the possibility of rewriting their futures.

"I'm in," Phil said finally, his voice steady. "But we do this together. No matter what."

Jean and Rod nodded in agreement. They had made their choice. The islands awaited them, and there was no turning back now.

Little did they know, their pact of secrecy would soon be tested, and the hunt for the entry passes was far from over.