Arelio was still staring at the page without blinking. The name written there filled his mind with questions. How could his name already be written in his father's old notes? The book looked as though it had been stored away for years.
He turned back to the previous page, hoping to find a clearer explanation.
But the more he read, the more confused he became.
"What does all this mean?"
Arelio leaned back in his chair. His eyes were beginning to feel tired, but his curiosity made him unwilling to stop.
The next page contained a short note.
"One day, Arelio will find this chest. When that time comes, it means he will be old enough to learn everything."
Arelio fell silent.
"Why did Dad write about me?"
Throughout his life, Arelio had felt that his relationship with his father was ordinary. His father had been loving, but he wasn't the type of person who often told stories. He always kept many things to himself.
Even when Arelio asked about his father's youth, the answer was always the same.
"I'll tell you when you're ready."
But time had never given him the chance. His father had left before the story ever came out.
Arelio closed the book for a moment.
The grief he had kept buried for so long resurfaced.
"Dad... what really happened?"
Suddenly, he heard a soft knock at his bedroom door.
Knock.
Knock.
Arelio quickly turned around.
"Who is it?"
The door slowly opened. His younger brother, Raka, appeared, rubbing his eyes.
"Bro, you're not asleep yet?"
Arelio immediately closed the book.
"Not yet. Why?"
Raka stepped inside and looked at the desk covered with old things.
"What's that?"
"It's nothing."
Raka raised an eyebrow.
"If it's nothing, why do you look so serious?"
Arelio gave him a small smile.
"You're overthinking it."
Raka walked closer and looked at the wooden chest on the desk.
"Where'd that come from?"
Arelio was silent for a moment.
"The shed behind the house."
"The one we're not allowed to enter?"
"Yeah."
Raka immediately sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Whoa, maybe it's full of treasure."
Arelio chuckled.
"Nope."
"Then what is it?"
Arelio looked at the chest.
"A secret."
That answer made Raka stop joking.
"Whose secret?"
Arelio didn't answer.
Raka watched his brother seriously.
"This is about Dad, isn't it?"
Arelio was startled.
"How did you know?"
"Because every time Dad's name comes up, you always change."
Arelio looked at his younger brother.
Sometimes he forgot that Raka was actually pretty perceptive.
"I found something about Dad."
"What?"
Arelio hesitated to answer.
He didn't even know yet whether the story in the book was true.
"I'm not sure yet."
Raka nodded slowly.
"Then find out until you are."
Arelio smiled.
"Easy for you to say."
"Because I know you won't stop until you get an answer."
Raka's words left Arelio silent.
Maybe he was right.
Ever since finding the chest, Arelio hadn't been able to quiet his mind.
The next morning, Arelio went to see his grandmother in the kitchen. Mira was making tea when he arrived.
"Grandma."
Mira turned around.
"You read the book last night?"
Arelio was startled.
"You knew?"
Mira gave him a faint smile.
"I could tell from your face."
Arelio sat down in a chair.
"I found something."
"What?"
"Dad already knew about me before I was born."
Mira's hands stopped moving.
"What did you read?"
Arelio took the small book out of his bag.
"This."
Mira looked at the book with a solemn expression.
"It's been a very long time since I've seen that thing."
"Why did Dad keep it?"
Mira took a breath.
"Because your father was afraid."
"Afraid of what?"
"Afraid that one day you'd have to face the same thing he did."
Arelio grew even more curious.
"What do you mean?"
Mira was silent for a long time.
"Your father found that chest when he was almost your age."
Arelio immediately looked at his grandmother.
"So Dad opened this chest too?"
"Yes."
"Then what happened?"
Mira walked over to a small cabinet in the kitchen. She took out an envelope that had been stored there for a long time.
"There's something I never gave you."
Arelio accepted the envelope.
"What is it?"
"A letter from your father."
Arelio's heart began beating faster.
"Why are you giving it to me now?"
"Because your father asked me to give it to you when you found the chest."
Arelio stared at the envelope.
His hand slowly opened it.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
The handwriting he knew so well began to appear.
For Arelio.
The very first sentence made his eyes fix on the page.
"I don't know when you'll read this letter, but if you've made it this far, it means you've found something Dad has been hiding all this time."
Arelio read every word carefully.
"Rel, there's a reason Dad kept that chest. Not because its contents are valuable, but because there's a story inside it that you need to know."
Arelio paused for a moment.
His breathing felt heavy.
At the bottom of the letter was a sentence that made him even more curious.
"Don't believe everything you hear about our family."
Arelio looked at his grandmother.
"Grandma..."
Mira said nothing.
"Has something been hidden from me all this time?"
Mira lowered her head.
"Yes."
"Who?"
Mira didn't answer right away.
"The person you've trusted all this time."
Arelio felt the atmosphere change.
What had started as simple curiosity now felt like something much bigger.
The chest was not merely an old object.
The book was not merely a record.
And his father's letter was not merely a final message.
A great secret had been waiting all this time to be discovered.
Arelio gripped the letter more tightly.
He knew that after today, his life would never be the same again.