Keanu was still standing in front of the empty house. Everything that had happened felt too fast.
A few minutes ago, all he had wanted was to find answers about his past. Now he had met Arman, the man who had existed only in his family's secret stories all this time.
But before he could say much more, Arman's expression changed.
The man looked panicked.
"Keanu, get inside. Now."
Arman's tone immediately made Keanu realize that something was wrong.
"What's going on?"
"There's no time to explain. Hurry."
Dimas, standing behind Keanu, was starting to feel uneasy too.
"Keanu, I think we should listen to him."
Keanu was still hesitant, but in the end, he went inside with Dimas.
Arman quickly shut the door and turned off the light in the front room.
The house went dark.
They had to rely on the faint light from their phones.
Keanu could see Arman's face more clearly now.
A lot had changed since the old photograph he had found in the attic. His hair was now streaked with gray, and his face looked tired, but his eyes were still the same as in the photograph.
The eyes of someone carrying a lifetime of stories.
"So... you're really Arman."
Arman looked at Keanu.
"Yes."
"Why did you only show up now?"
The question left Arman silent.
"I know you're angry."
"I'm not just angry."
Keanu drew a breath.
"I'm confused."
Arman lowered his head.
"I understand."
"For twenty years, I lived without knowing who I really was. I found a picture of myself with someone I didn't even know. I found a letter saying there was a huge secret. And now you just show up out of nowhere."
Arman accepted every word without trying to defend himself.
"I was wrong to let you grow up without any explanation."
"Then why?"
Arman looked at him.
"Because back then, I had no choice."
Keanu shook his head.
"That's what everyone says."
"I know."
"Everyone always says they did things to protect me. But no one ever asked whether I wanted to know or not."
Arman fell silent again.
Dimas remained quiet beside them, letting Keanu release everything he was feeling.
Finally, Arman spoke softly.
"You're right."
Keanu was slightly surprised.
"I should have explained everything from the beginning."
"Why didn't you?"
Arman walked over to an old chair and sat down.
"Because someone was after me back then. And when they couldn't find me, they started looking for the people closest to me."
"They were looking for me?"
Arman nodded.
"Yes."
Keanu clenched his fists.
"Who were they?"
Arman looked toward the window.
"People who wanted to erase the evidence of something that happened long ago."
"What evidence?"
Arman took a small key from his pocket.
"Do you still have that wooden box?"
Keanu nodded.
"I do."
"You need to bring it here."
"Why?"
"Because what's really inside isn't in the box itself."
Keanu furrowed his brow.
"What do you mean?"
"What you found was only the beginning."
Dimas immediately focused on them.
"There's another part?"
Arman nodded.
"Something is hidden inside that box. Something that can only be found by someone who knows how."
Keanu remembered the small symbol on the wooden box.
"That symbol?"
Arman looked startled.
"You saw it?"
"Yes."
Arman let out a breath.
"Then it's all true."
"What's true?"
Arman didn't have time to answer.
Suddenly, they heard a car stop in front of the house.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Arman stood up.
"We don't have much time."
Keanu looked toward the window.
"Who's out there?"
Arman didn't answer.
He simply hurried toward the back room.
"Follow me."
They entered a small room that turned out to have a secret door behind a bookcase.
Keanu was shocked.
"This house has a hidden room?"
Arman opened the door.
"This house used to be where I kept some important things."
They entered the narrow room.
Inside were several boxes, documents, and old photographs.
Keanu saw one of the photographs lying on a table.
The photograph made him stop.
His father was in it.
Arman was there too.
And there was another man he'd never seen before.
"Who is he?"
Arman looked at the photograph.
His expression immediately turned serious.
"He's the reason all of this happened."
"Who?"
Arman hadn't had time to answer when they heard the front door open.
Someone came inside.
Footsteps drew closer.
Arman turned off the light in the room.
"Don't make a sound."
Keanu held his breath.
Through the crack in the secret door, he could see someone's shadow moving across the front room.
The person stopped right in front of the bookcase.
As if they knew something was there.
Then a man's voice rang out.
"I know you're in here, Arman."
Keanu looked at Arman.
His face was tense.
The man outside continued.
"You can't keep hiding forever."
Keanu began to feel afraid.
Not because the man was outside.
But because, for the first time, he realized that his family's secret was far bigger than he had imagined.
Arman moved closer and whispered.
"Keanu, whatever happens next, don't give that box to anyone."
Keanu stared at him.
"Why?"
Arman looked into his eyes.
"Because inside it is the reason they've been hunting us all this time."
The footsteps drew closer.
And the secret door began to move slowly.
Someone was about to find them.