There was something in the attic.

Somnus heard things from up there even though his room was on the first floor of his house. He was rarely allowed on the second floor and had never even been inside the attic of his own home. But the boy could swear he heard noises, faint and muffled as they were. He usually had to listen intently to make them out and most of the time even he felt like they weren't real.

But they were there in the silence of the night. Not all the time, not every day. Only sometimes. The boy could swear he heard things being knocked around, footsteps and even yelling. But always so faint, sometimes seeming more like an echo.

They were terrifying to hear while Somnus lay in his bed in the middle of the night, having been awoken but not knowing the cause. On several occasions, the boy tried to explain to his parents what he heard at night but they were quick to tell him it was just his imagination. They stated there was nothing there.

Strangely though, Somnus's parents never took Somnus upstairs to check. And when he asked, they told him again that he wasn't allowed up there. It was something that was told to him since he could remember. His mom and dad said there was very important work in all the rooms upstairs, that Somnus was too young to be allowed to even see what it was.

When Somnus was persistent, they ordered him to stop asking. They had sounded so angry that time that their son did as they asked. He never brought it up agai, even though he so desperately wished to know just what exactly was up there. And why his parents spent all day on the second floor, leaving Somnus alone most of the day. He wasn't allowed to have friends over so he never had anyone to play with.

And his parents too rarely had anyone over. Maybe they just didn't like other people? Somnus didn't know.

The child knew it was weird that he wasn't allowed on the second floor but he'd never defied his mom and dad. Not yet anyway.

Something like a muffled yell and then perhaps the sound of something breaking came and Somnus flinched. He pulled the sheets over his head and closed his eyes, hoping he could fall asleep. He didn't really hear the sounds when there was light out, maybe because there were always other noises to drown them out.

Sleep eluded the boy, no matter how hard he tried to calm himself enough to fall asleep.

Somnus finally slid out of his bed an hour later when he heard another faint yell. Though he was afraid, his curiosity was winning out. Just what was making these noises? Had his parents maybe left a TV on upstairs? Did they even have one there?

The boy knew his parents were asleep, having heard them both go to bed in the room beside his already. If he really wanted... Somnus could go upstairs. Right now.

Still clad in his pajamas, Somnus picked up a flashlight from his chest of toys. It was small, and not very bright but it was all he had. He snatched up his favorite stuffed toy too, clutching it to his chest with one hand and he held the flashlight with the other. He didn't turn it on, not yet.

Feeling more comfortable with his little blue dragon friend Draco, a stuffie given to him by his dad, Somnus slowly tiptoed out of his room. His heart beat uncomfortably hard as he made his way towards the stairs. His parents always left one light on at night and its glow spread around the house enough that Somnus did not need to use his own.

The boy hesitated at the stairs, just looking at them and the door that prevented him from going up. He again recalled he'd never defied his parents orders like this before. If he got caught, he'd be in big trouble. Maybe he'd be grounded for the rest of summer vacation. It had just started. Or maybe, the child thought to himself, they'd ground him for even longer.

Even as young as he was, Somnus knew it was strange to have a door in front of a staircase. It hadn't always been there. It was when Somnus turned four that his dad built some makeshift walls and installed the door. The boy knew it was to prevent their son from going up there. He'd asked his friends at school if their parents did that and none had.

But the door would not stop Somnus today. He knew the lock was broken. You just had to give the doorknob a little jiggle and it would unlock. He'd seen his parents do that when they went into their study, usually bringing food and water with them.

Somnus gently moved the knob back and forth until he heard a soft click. He slowly opened the door, hoping it would make no creaking sound. It didn't. Now free to make his ascent, Somnus put his small foot onto the first step.

The boy stilled when he heard a bang, this time not as faint, his heart almost felt like it would stop in fright. He jumped a little, and then expected his parents to come out and yell at him. But they didn't. Waiting a few minutes first to make sure no one was coming, Somnus continued.

Somnus made it to the second floor and felt a strong sense of unease, like something bad was here. He glanced around, seeing that everything looked normal. The boy tiptoed to the rooms, finding all of them locked. He felt a little disappointed at that.

There was only one place left to check now. Somnus stood beneath the attic door, reaching for the cord that would pull the stairs down. It was almost too high to reach but after jumping a few times, his fingers caught it enough to pull it down a little more. Now he could grasp it fully in hand.

Somnus then pulled it down, straining a little at the effort it took. Once it was down, Somnus heard something, footsteps again, like bare feet on wood. He froze, feeling his breath catch in his throat.

So someone was up there.

Maybe it was one of his parents? Somnus thought to himself. But he'd heard them go to bed. And he didn't hear anyone go up there afterwards. He began to believe this was a bad idea. That maybe he should just go back down and go to sleep.

The boy thought about it for several minutes. Making up his mind and taking a deep breath to calm himself, Somnus didn't listen to his sensible side. He began to go up.

Somnus turned on his flashlight as he entered the attic. He made it up with no issue. His first thought was that the attic was much bigger than he thought it would be. There were boxes around him, blocking the view into the rest of the room. There was a broken plate beside further ahead and to his left, as if someone had dropped it or possibly even thrown it in anger.

Somnus tiptoed past the boxes and staying away from the broken ceramic. He used his light to illuminate the space before him. He turned the corner past the boxes, shining his light on an open area. Immediately he saw markings all over the wall and then… chains? They were attached to the wall. His light followed them and he froze once he glimpsed just what they led to.

There was a man in the attic.

Somnus backpedaled but only managed to trip, falling onto his bottom. His flashlight and Draco dropped from his hands. The flashlight bounced, turning off and leaving everything dark.

"Well, well, well. We've received a new visitor tonight." A man's voice said out from the darkness. It sounded cold, and sent a shiver of fear down the boy's spine.

Somnus was frozen, too afraid to even move. He knew he should though. He should scream, yell for help. This man shouldn't be in their home.

"And who are you?" The voice asked. Somnus didn't speak, trembling as he scrambled for this light. He managed to fumble around for it and turned it back on. He pointed it at the man.

The stranger had red-violet hair, and was rather tall. His eyes were an odd, vibrant golden hue. He had a bit of stubble over his chin. He looked very disheveled, his clothes ripped and mismatched. He maybe wasn't as old as Somnus first thought, maybe as old as his friend's brother. Was that 18 or 19?

Somnus couldn't remember at this moment.

There were chains around the man's arms and legs, leading to the wall behind him. There were odd markings carved and painted over the entirety of the wall, and even the chains seemed to have off symbols etched into them. There was a small room, with only three sides behind the man, on the very back wall. Somnus could see a toilet and a sink inside.

The man frowned, squinting now that the light was shining on him again.

"Point that away." The stranger ordered, not taking any steps toward Somnus/

The child did as the man asked, hastily lowering it. The man was still visible, but not as much. It did not seem like he could reach Somnus, his chains not allowing it, and the child found himself thankful.

"That's better."

"Who are you?" Somnus tried to demand, but it came out as a broken croak, his voice much softer than he wanted. "What are you doing in here?"

The man laughed. "Why should I tell you a thing when you haven't even introduced yourself? Tell me, boy. What is your name?"

"... Somnus." The child finally whispered. He wondered if he should be telling this man that. He'd been told not to talk to strangers. And this stranger was in their home .

"Somnus." The man repeated. "An interesting name. Familiar even… But from where?"

The man cocked his head and closed his eyes, as if trying to remember. He shook his head after a time and then looked at Somnus once more. "A pleasure to meet you Somnus, my name is Ardyn."

"Why are you here?" Somnus asked, hoping to stop the trembling of his voice. He couldn't reach him, the boy thought to himself. He shouldn't be afraid.

"As you perhaps just saw, I cannot leave. These-" There was the jingle of the chains. "-Prevent me from leaving."

"Why?"

"Why don't you ask them?" The man seemed like he didn't want to answer the question himself.

"Ask who?" Somnus wondered. His parents? Or maybe someone else?

"The owners of this house. Are your parents a friend of theirs? Or perhaps..." The man trailed off, looking at Somnus again.

"I live here. With mom and dad." Somnus stated.

The man froze at that. "Mom and dad? You are a son of the Caelums?"

The child nodded. Ardyn's eyes narrowed and he spoke in a growl. "Somnus Lucis Caelum…"

Somnus flinched at the tone of his voice. He was angry.

"Come here." The man ordered.

Somnus shook his head vigorously. He didn't think that was a good idea.

"I just want to see if it's true. Come a little closer. I can't reach you, see?" Ardyn moved a hand up to show the metal encircling his wrist.

Somnus finally relented, pushing himself to his feet. He grabbed his plush from the floor as he did. When Somnus was younger, dad got him Draco for his birthday. He told him the toy would help keep him safe at night when he was feeling scared. Even though he wasn't so naive to believe a toy would do that anymore, it still brought him comfort when his parents couldn't. Having Draco with him eased his fear, if only a little. The child trembled as he stepped forward, moving his flashlight so it illuminated his own face for Ardyn.

Ardyn stared for a time. His eyes, golden before but now somehow turning darker, seemed to blaze with fury.

"They have another son." The man hissed, his voice causing Somnus to flinch.

Another? Somnus thought to himself in confusion. He didn't have a brother.

"They didn't tell me. I didn't even know. " The man was furious. His eyes had gone completely dark now.

"So I am to be replaced?" Ardyn roared. "They leave their firstborn in here while they enjoy their lives with another child? Am I to suffer in the darkness for the rest of my days? How dare they?! "

Ardyn was panting after his tirade, still gazing at Somnus. He suddenly lunged forwards, reach a hand out. He was stopped by the chains, his face twisted in an angry scowl. His eyes blacker than anything the boy had ever seen.

The terror of this finally allowing him to move, Somnus managed a small scream and bolted out of the attic. Even in his fear, he managed to remember to push the stairs back up.

The child trembled and gasped for breath when he finally made it back to his room. He wanted to go to his parents but he was afraid to bother them. They were always so busy and said they were tired whenever Somnus wanted to just be with them. The boy instead grabbed his blanket from the bed and headed into his closet. He threw the blanket over himself and Draco, huddling there for the rest of the night.

One of my few stories that will not have any M rated themes/content. If you decide to look at my other published works, please make sure to read the tags at the start of each.