Hoku smacked both hands on his forehead, scrunching hair between the palm of his hand and fingers, before proceeding to dramatically throw his arms forward and steady his balance on the grass.

Upon closer inspection, Hoku discovers that the porch is wrapped around the entire manor.

There was even a balcony that resembled the structure on the ground, though only the front of the porch was destroyed.

The two largest pillars that supported the awning above the front door were two different lengths, comprising many minor blemishes, like cracks, peeling paint, and an entire missing half.

He ran his hand down one of the damaged columns, the texture felt like small craters under his skin.

Yellow caution tape was tied to what remained of the entrance, evidently old tape because the letters in 'caution' were starting to appear dingy and blue.

Hoku lifted the tape, ducking under it and making his way to the door.

A metal ring hung from a thick holder masked in soot.

He lifted the metal allowing it to leisurely slip from his index finger and make contact with the door.

'Kind of reminds me of the house from that one movie when the kid gets left alone at home on Christmas, but classier.'

Hoku grabbed the handle and twisted it. He had to kick the bottom a few times before it fully opened, in which the entire top of the door frame began to crumble apart.

Pieces of wood trickled into his hair and the hood of his jacket, but he had already managed to become so enthralled by the entrance, that he disregarded it.

Candle holders were mounted along both walls in the vast hallway.

The ground below creaked achingly when his foot pressed on the floorboards, but he only glanced down briefly before crossing the threshold under the door.

Upon entering what Hoku presumed was the parlor of the manor, he found that most of the furniture inside was in despair due to years of neglect.

Based on the discoloration of the ceiling above certain parts of the floor, it was obvious that the roof was also damaged to such an extent that rain would inevitably leak through the ceiling.

He smeared a boot over the small light patch at the entrance to the parlor at the end of the hall.

A few rusted bells with black semi-circular mechanisms attached to the tops lay in a small pile near the corner of another door frame.

The first thing that drew Hoku's attention in the next room was the unusual curved staircase with a spiraling rail that stood along the right wall of the room.

Placing merely a hand on one of the steps could cause the entire thing to collapse.

He hoped that the room he was searching for wasn't upstairs, because then finding the painting would have been nearly impossible.

Streaks of black tainted the small area below the railing that rose above the stairs.

Taking a closer look, Hoku caught sight of a rectangular outline beneath the soot.

His hand brushed the inside of the outline, and he became certain of what it was.

'A door––coated in more residue from the flames.'

This door didn't have a handle, but there was some sort of melted plaster that dried after seeping through the old hinges.

Hoku pushed on the door with the same hand.

The wood between the door snapped in intervals each time he leaned forward to assert more pressure on his wrist.

"There must be something behind—" Hoku clenched his teeth and turned his body so that his shoulder was facing the door.

He took a few steps back, bumping his boot into something on the ground.

He rushed forward bracing himself to clash either into the door or onto the ground, but abruptly stopped at the sound of a far door slamming shut.

Pieces of gravel from the stone fireplace that was overlooked fell onto the floor behind him.

Hoku wasn't sure whether he should ask if someone stumbled in or hid.

However, the manor was deathly still, if someone had come inside the floorboards would have announced their presence.

Without lifting his feet, Hoku leisurely shifted backward enough so that he could see into the next room.

...

A loud rushing noise filled the room, like air or a fire being set ablaze

This sound echoed in the distance, perhaps even in the hallway at the entrance

Dong Dong Dong

The bells were no longer in the corner near the frame. It smelled of smoke and gasoline

What a wretched nightmare it was

I wanted to leave

None of this makes sense, why can't I leave?

No matter how many times I kick and pull at the door there will always be some sort of lock on the other side.

I must wait for the manor to come to life before I can awake in this new era

"What a strange poem bàba!"

"Thank you, Feᝰ෴, my brother was never fond of my poetry. He always said they were too allusive."

"Where are you going now, my son?"

"What do you mean?" he asks, tilting his head.

"You breathed in too many fumes from the fire. If you continue to lay on the ground like this you might be burned."

'What fire?'

"When you awake, find the key in the painting and burn every paper you find."

'Why can't I suddenly speak?'

"Don't let the snake in the garden fool you."

'Please tell me what is going on!'

"I'm afraid it has already begun. I'm glad… this is what you remember."

Your first objective should be to seek your patrons. Without them, you cannot get across certain stars."

'Why?...'

"Most importantly, don't let yourself stand out. You are different from the abundant creator. He seeks to remove you from his past."

…

"T a k e w h a t t h e w a t c h m a k e r o f f e r s y o u."

W a k e u p n o w."

Rule 3

Sending written letters to the past will not change the future. Instead, the recipient will lose memories of the letter. If the correspondent personally delivered the letter... both parties are doomed.

Rule 4

Never go near a paradox. There are three kinds, all of which you should avoid.

Nonetheless, it is possible to escape some of them. The regular paradox is a single place where time has warped into a cage of recurring past. Rabbit holes are multiple parallel time frames.

Think of it as an addition to the same concept as a regular paradox, except multiply your chances of escaping by how many times you will be teleported to a different outcome of the past. Someone has yet to free themselves from an upside-down frame.

A reversed paradox does not repeat itself, nor can it alter an environment. There's no way of knowing you're inside until it is too late.

Rule 5

You are now in the year 1812, if you've made it to the fifth rule. Do not be alarmed once you escape the first paradox you will be transported back into a different version of the present. I have scribbled out the original rule in order to leave this note for you. You must read each of the rules as a whole if you wish to survive, and possibly save this universe from its demise.

-end of the memoir's prelude-