I followed the old man who called himself Roger.
But my mind was restless, filled with questions.
Who was this man, really?
What was his motive?
And what was this "truth" he kept talking about?
At the very least, he didn't sound hostile… but he didn't sound fully supportive either. There was something hidden behind his words—something I couldn't quite understand.
Whatever he was planning, I needed to be careful.
He led me through parts of the city I had never seen before. The streets grew quieter, more unfamiliar with every step.
The night was dark. Thick black clouds covered the moon, swallowing what little light remained. It looked like rain would fall at any moment.
I followed him closely.
Then suddenly, he took a sharp turn to the left, leading into a narrow alley.
"Taking me to a place like this… what are you planning?" I asked sharply, raising my guard.
He stopped.
Slowly, he turned toward me—but said nothing.
Then, without breaking eye contact, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
My breath caught.
I immediately recognized it.
A Teleport System.
Or as I called it… a Flash Gate.
It wasn't exactly a gate, but it allowed instant travel to any location. It wasn't something ordinary people could own. It was used only for high-level government missions, military operations, or rare emergency situations like natural disasters.
So why did he have one?
The device was a small, metallic sphere—smooth and polished. Purple energy crackled around its center like lightning, circling endlessly. At the top, a single glowing button pulsed faintly.
"How did you get that?" I asked, my voice shaking despite myself.
"How I obtained this is not important," he replied calmly. "What matters is that we must use it to go somewhere far. This is our only way."
I hesitated… then slowly nodded.
"I can see the mistrust in your eyes," he continued. "But I assure you—I am taking you somewhere safe. A place unknown to everyone."
Before I could respond, Roger pressed the button.
In an instant, the device shot upward, hovering above us.
A surge of purple energy exploded outward, forming a field that surrounded us completely.
The air trembled.
The pressure—
It felt like my entire body was being crushed.
I gasped, unable to breathe properly, and shut my eyes as a scream escaped my throat.
Then I heard a sound behind me.
I turned around immediately.
It was Roger, standing at the edge of the doorway.
"Welcome to my humble abode," he said calmly. "This is where I live. And here… I shall reveal to you the truth."
He paused slightly.
"But before that, would you like some black tea?"
He stepped forward and, with a small gesture of his hand, summoned something from behind the wall.
A robotic maid emerged.
It was about my height, its body smooth and metallic, colored in white and blue. Two thin antennas extended from its head, and its face was a glowing screen.
"Hiiii, guest!" the robot said cheerfully. Its voice was soft and feminine.
"My name is Liza. It's very rare to have a guest here. Master doesn't usually bring anyone…"
It paused, then added brightly, "Oh! Please, have a seat."
It pulled out a wooden chair for me.
I hesitated for a moment, then sat down, unsure of what to say. I tried to adjust to this strange, unfamiliar atmosphere.
Liza soon left the room, leaving Roger and me alone.
Silence filled the space.
One minute passed.
It felt… uncomfortable.
Why wasn't he saying anything?He brought me here to reveal "the truth," yet he remained silent.
The quiet became almost suffocating.
Roger finally raised his fist to his mouth and coughed lightly.
"Listen carefully, child," he said, his voice suddenly serious.
"I am about to share with you the secrets of the government—the real history of our country. The truth that was erased.I will tell you their lies. And how they can be destroyed."
"But how?" I asked quickly. "Tell me everything—now!"
He didn't respond immediately.Instead, he looked at me for a long moment… and then began:
"It all started sixty years ago...I, Mrs. Elma, and many others worked under the government as part of a secret group. Our task was simple—to keep people within the boundaries of knowledge set by the government. To decide what they should know… and what they should never know.
But the truth is… we ourselves didn't know what existed beyond that boundary.We were nothing more than puppets.Until one day… we discovered something we were never meant to find."
My heart began to race.
"While working in an old government facility, I came across a hidden passage. It led to a small white room. I brought a colleague with me, and together we went inside.And there… we found books.Many books. Hidden. Preserved.But one thing caught our attention above all.A diary."
It was titled… 'The Truth.'"
A chill ran through me.
"We opened it," he continued, "and what we read… changed everything.The diary was written in the year 2030… by someone named Davis.
According to him, a new political party came into power through elections. But not everyone accepted the result.The votes were manipulated. The victory was a lie.People protested. They demanded justice. And they were silenced.
Many were killed. Others were imprisoned. Their rights… their freedom… were stripped away.But even then, people resisted."
His tone grew heavier.
"They fought back. They protested. They hoped… that somehow, they could free themselves from the grip of a corrupt government."
He looked at me sharply.
"But the government held power.They cut off communication with the outside world. No networks. No contact. No escape."
The room grow colder. I could hear the sound of distant thunder in the sky
"And then…"
He stopped.
"The nightmare began.In a short time, thousands were killed. The exact number… unknown.With fear spreading across the nation, the government grew stronger.They began their true rule.First… they banned books.All books were ordered to be destroyed.Only a few selected texts were allowed—ones that served the government's interests.They created a circle of knowledge… a limit that no citizen could cross."
I felt my chest tighten.
"And when knowledge is limited…So is courage.No one was left to question them.No one was left to resist."
He paused… then continued more softly.
"But not everyone gave up.There was a small group… a hidden resistance.Davis was one of them.They gathered the banned books. Preserved them. Protected them.In secret, they created what you now see…"
He gestured around the room.
"A sanctuary of knowledge.A place where truth could survive.For future generations.For people like you."
My heart pounded.
"But…They were discovered.They were executed.They died… leaving behind only the books… and that diary."
Roger looked at me, his expression unreadable.
"And that… is how this all began."
Roger stopped speaking, leaving me alone with my thoughts.His story echoed in my mind—the government's rise to power, the killings, the executions… and Davis' death.I couldn't even begin to imagine the horror those people had gone through.It was all too heavy. Too dark. Too painful to fully understand.
The sound of rain falling outside filled the silence. Soft at first… then heavier, as if the sky itself was mourning the past.
I lowered my gaze, my chest feeling tight.So many people had suffered. So many had died.
All for the truth.But… even in all that darkness, there was something else.
Hope.
The diary.The knowledge they left behind.
It hadn't disappeared.It had survived.And maybe… just maybe… it could be used to save the people of today. To free the future from the government's cruel grasp.I slowly looked up.This wasn't just a story of the past.It was a responsibility.
Roger took a deep breath, drawing my attention back to him as he began to speak again.
"Let us move forward… a few years after the events of 2030.It was the year 2047.Mrs. Elma, I, and the rest of our group were completely shaken after reading Davis's diary. All this time… the government we had been serving… had been lying to us."
He tightened his grip on his cane.
"We were devastated. And we were furious.So we did what anyone in our position would do. We chose to rebel."
"We formed a resistance group… and we chose Mrs. Elma as our leader. Among all of us, she was the most intelligent, the wisest, and the most capable. She was a natural leader.But our thirst for truth didn't stop there. We began digging deeper… uncovering more of the past."
His expression darkened.
"After the events of 2030, the government began systematically eliminating those who refused to submit—especially intellectuals.They created a knowledge gap within society.And when you remove the thinkers… it becomes much easier to control the rest.They rewrote history. Twisted it. Recreated it.They presented themselves as the saviors of the nation.And the people… believed them."
His tone was almost bitter now.
"They accepted the lies. They trusted the very ones who oppressed them.With no one left to question them… the government grew stronger and stronger.
"They rose above everyone… as the so-called protectors of their kingdom."
Silence filled the room.
"After learning all this," he continued, "we began to plan.To overthrow the government.To free our people.To restore knowledge… and bring back true peace."
For a brief moment, his voice softened.
"It gave us hope."
Then his expression changed.
"But…"
He looked at me with a distant, almost haunted gaze.
"We didn't realize…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"That everything we were building… would lead to another tragedy."
"Tragedy…?"
Of course. Something like that was bound to happen.
If they had succeeded… I wouldn't be here now.
That means they failed.
They lost against the government.
I lowered my gaze slightly.
To him… that must be the greatest tragedy of all.
"Let me tell you what happened... to us. The tragic fate we could not escape. I will tell you about it." Roger began, with a low whisper.