A BURNING REVELATION

The noise of trains, the opening and closing of doors, and the bustling footsteps of commuters filled the air at the subway station. Ethan and Rudeus stepped out of the cab.

"Here you go," Rudeus said, handing money to the driver. They both turned to face the subway entrance.

"There it is," Ethan pointed out.

They entered the subway, blending into the crowd of commuters. Rudeus looked around, taking in the scene. "So, uh... what now?" he asked.

"I... actually don't know," Ethan replied, looking around as people hurried past them.

"How did it happen? Did a portal open, or did you just vanish and find yourself in the past?" Rudeus's voice was a little too loud for comfort.

"Hey, calm your voice down unless you want people to think we're weird," Ethan warned, chuckling.

"Alright, alright," Rudeus lowered his voice. "How did it all happen? Did a portal open, or...?"

Ethan smiled, remembering the surreal experience. "I was just walking towards the subway, minding my own business, and then I saw this light. It drew me closer. As I got near, it was like the ground opened up, and I started falling. The next thing I knew, I was back where I was born, as a baby."

Rudeus's eyes widened. "Woah, that's crazy. And a weird place to be when you went back in time."

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, should I try walking towards the train? Maybe something will happen."

Rudeus nodded. "Well, here you go."

Ethan walked towards the train, blending with the commuters boarding it. They tried it four times, but nothing happened. Each time, Ethan walked towards the train waiting for passengers, only to find himself back with Rudeus.

"Sigh... guess the god of time doesn't really want you to go back," Rudeus said.

"God of time?" Ethan repeated.

"Yeah, someone has to be behind you going back in time, right?" Rudeus explained.

Ethan shrugged. "Alright, I'm gonna try one last time. If nothing happens, we'll just go home."

"Alright, kid," Rudeus agreed.

Ethan tried one more time. Frustrated, he started heading back to Rudeus. Unwillingly, he saw ten seconds into the future. He saw a girl beside the train; her cell phone fell, and as she bent to pick it up, the train started moving.

Ethan snapped back to the present. He spotted the girl and quickly ran towards her. As she reached for her phone, Ethan shouted, "Watch out!" Someone in the background echoed his warning. The train was coming dangerously close. Ethan pushed her out of the way just in time. The train crushed her phone and zoomed off. They both landed on the floor, Ethan on top of her.

They opened their eyes simultaneously. Realizing the position he was in, Ethan panicked and quickly stood up. Rudeus, seeing the commotion, ran towards them.

Rubbing the back of his head, Ethan stammered, "Uh... sorry."

The girl stared at him, slightly dazed. Suddenly, the people around them started clapping for Ethan's quick action. He blushed and extended his hand to her. "Are you okay?"

The girl stuttered, "Uh, yeah, I'm fine."

Their eyes locked, a moment of connection forming between them. Just as she was about to reach for his hand, Rudeus suddenly tackled Ethan to the ground.

"Are you okay, Ethan? Hope you weren't hurt?" Rudeus asked, oblivious to the scene he had caused.

Everyone around them was confused. Ethan, embarrassed, muttered, "Why you..." He stood up quickly.

The girl, shy and bewildered, stood up and began to walk away. Ethan noticed and called after her, "Wait!" He reached out his hand, but Rudeus started checking him over, fussing over his hair and face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Geez," Ethan said, pushing Rudeus away. They both stood up. "Look, you scared her away."

"How's that my fault? I was just checking on you," Rudeus defended himself.

"You were supposed to check on her," Ethan retorted, annoyed. He dusted off his clothes and headed out of the subway. Rudeus hurried after him.

"Hey, come on, kid. I didn't know," Rudeus said, trying to slow him down. "At least now we're even. You did the same for me at the hospital, remember?"

Ethan stopped and turned back. "Wait, wait, wait. Don't tell me you did this because I cost you a chance of asking the nurse out. Even if you couldn't."

Rudeus looked offended. "What? No! And hey, if I wanted to, I would've asked her out, and she'd accept."

"In your dreams," Ethan joked. As he glanced around, he spotted Alex from a distance. "Wait... isn't that Alex?" He said aloud.

Ethan's gaze locked onto Alex in the distance. Rudeus followed Ethan's line of sight. "Is that the new kid you talked about? And what's he doing with a lawyer?"

Alex was seen exiting a building alongside a lawyer. "Yeah, that's him," Ethan replied, puzzled. "I wonder why?"

"Should we follow him?" Rudeus suggested.

"And why would we do that?" Ethan asked, a look of incredulity on his face.

"Uh, you know," Rudeus started, "you said he's the new transfer student who came instead of Arthur. Maybe we can find a clue? I don't know."

"No, that would be stalking. And besides, a lot has happened today. We came here for nothing. Let's just go home, Rudeus."

"That reminds me," Ethan continued, "Mrs. Thompson's trial is this week."

"Oh yeah, your dad told me," Rudeus replied.

Ethan's expression darkened, and his fists clenched. Rudeus noticed and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Hey, kid, you don't need to feel this way. You've already saved your mom, got Thompson locked up, and she's going to pay for what she did. But on the bright side, you won. And hey, you said we came here for nothing. Well, trying to go back to the future didn't work, but you saved someone today—that girl. So you know what? Coming here wasn't in vain."

"You're right," Ethan agreed. "Let's go home."

Meanwhile, at an unknown location, murmurs and hushed conversations filled the air. The room fell silent as a commanding figure emerged. The higher hierarchy leader, Lord Arcturus, strode in and took his seat at the head of a circular table.

The assembled members rose to their feet in deference, then settled back into their seats. One man spoke up, "Hail Lord Arcturus!" The chorus of "Hail!" echoed through the room.

Lord Arcturus raised his hand, silencing the room. His gaze fixed on one of the elders, "So, have you retrieved the key yet, Elder Kael?"

Elder Kael stood, his voice trembling slightly, "No, my lord. We searched her residence, but it was not to be found."

Elder Kael hesitated before continuing, "If I may speak, my lord... I warned you she was untrustworthy. You hesitated, and now the plan has failed. We tried contacting her, but she remains silent. Her trial approaches, and we risk losing the key forever."

Another elder, Elder Victor, sprang to his feet, "How dare you question our lord's judgment!"

The room erupted into argument, but Lord Arcturus's raised hand silenced them once more. A heavy, dark aura emanated from him, and the room was filled with pressure. The assembled members cowered, fearful.

"Did you ensure all evidence was cleared from her residence?" Lord Arcturus's voice was icy.

Elder Kael nodded, "Yes, my lord. Our assassins, the White Hand, left no trace."

Twenty figures, clad in white, emerged from the shadows, bowing in unison. Lord Arcturus's gaze never wavered, "Continue searching. We must find that key at all costs. And if she refuses to cooperate... we'll extract the information."

Meanwhile, after Alex was seen by Ethan and Rudeus with a lawyer, he went away with Mr. Arnold driving. They dropped the lawyer off, and as Arnold was driving, he said, "So...uh...you heard what the lawyer said, right?"

"Yeah, and from the looks of it, things are not looking good," Alex replied.

Mr. Arnold, trying to comfort him, said, "Don't worry, Master Alex. Everything will be fine."

When they got home, they reached the front door. Arnold opened it, and as Alex was about to walk inside, he stopped. He noticed something on the ground and then looked up at one of the room windows.

Arnold noticed Alex looking up and asked, "Uh...is anything wrong, Alex?"

"No...nothing's wrong," Alex replied, staring at the window once more before entering the house. Inside, he felt an unsettling sensation. He went upstairs to check, noticing subtle signs of disturbance—slightly moved furniture, a drawer left slightly ajar, and a faint scuff mark on the floor. His keen senses told him something was off.

He headed to his mother's bedroom, checked the drawers and everything inside. Despite the assassins' skill, Alex's own knowledge and instincts made him realize someone had been there. "I was right," he muttered to himself. "Some people came to the house. For them to leave no trace...they're skilled. But what did they come to look for? And why Mom's room? And who are they?"

He went downstairs and found Arnold. "You said we have another house. Where?" Alex asked.

Arnold, puzzled, replied, "Yes, Alex. It's down t—"

"Good. We're going there," Alex interrupted.

Arnold, confused, asked, "Alex, I don't understand. You want us to move into the other house? Why? We already have this one."

Alex stopped what he was doing and replied, "We're going to the other one because we're burning down this one." He thought to himself, "They already know our whereabouts. We have to move fast. Whoever they are..."

Arnold, shocked and confused, stammered, "Burn...burn down this house? What...what are you talking about, Alex? I don't understand anything. What about the maids? We can't just burn down this house just because we want to go to the other one, Alex."

Alex walked up to him and said, "You promised me that you'd do anything I said without asking questions."

Arnold, remembering his promise, sighed. "Well...yes, I know, but...uh...fine. As you wish, Master Alex."

"Tell the maids to pack up too. We're moving to the other house," Alex instructed.

They quickly packed their essentials and moved to the other house. Then, Arnold and Alex returned to the original house. Arnold held a can of petrol and some matches. He looked at Alex and said, "I hope you know this is a crime, Alex...burning down a house. Even if it's our own house, it can cause harm."

The wind blew through Alex's hair as he replied, "Crime? What's more criminal is staying here when they know our location. We need to disappear."

Arnold did what was necessary and set the house on fire. Alex stared at the flames, the fire reflecting in his eyes. Internally, he thought, "Is Mother hiding something from me? Is she connected to whatever happened that made those guys come to our house? I'll have to find out."

Meanwhile, Ethan and Rudeus got home. Clara and Dick were asleep. Ethan and Rudeus sat down to chat about the day's events.

"Today was a lot," Ethan started.

"Yeah, trying to figure out how to get back to the future is no small task," Rudeus replied.

"And saving that girl...I didn't see that coming," Ethan said.

"Maybe there's a reason you saw it. Like, maybe you're meant to change more than just your own past," Rudeus suggested.

Ethan sighed. "I guess. But it feels like there's so much to handle."

"One step at a time, kid. You've got this," Rudeus encouraged.

Exhausted, Rudeus yawned. "Alright, kid. That's all for today. I'm going to bed now."

Rudeus left, and Ethan went to his room. He took out his paper listing things he needed to fix and sat down, staring at it. "Well, I guess I've got a lot to fix here," he muttered with a tired chuckle. He thought about the vision he had seen at the warehouse. "I really need to dig into Mom's family history and figure out what's going on with Mr. White. Maybe I'll check on him after school; it's been a while... And I still haven't called the hospital yet."

He sighed, thinking about how much he had relied on Rudeus. "Tomorrow, I'll just tell Rudeus and we'll go—wait, no. I've put him through too much already, and he just got out of the hospital. I can't keep depending on him every time I need help. I'll visit Mr. White after school. We have a lot to talk about."