Congratulations, Kenshin Shibata! You've been selected to be part of a super special group of people that we'd love to get to meet! We've taken notice of your talent and want you to be known across the entire world! Isn't that just super duper amazing? Just follow the directions attached to this letter to get to where we'd like to meet you at. Further details will be given upon arrival! We hope to see you there!

I don't remember signing up for this.

Anyway, you're probably wondering why I'm here monologuing about a letter meant for me showing up in my mailbox. Well, the answer to that is quite simple. This small, harmless piece of paper would be the thing to introduce me to a world unseen by me. A world that I had no idea existed until this very day, filled with mystery and questions. That sounds like something that you'd be curious to explore, does it not?

Well, unfortunately, I mean that in the worst way possible. You'll see why, just give me some time.

The reason why I acted upon this letter instead of just throwing it out immediately is still beyond me. No matter, I skimmed through the map drawn out in pen below the invitation that was also written in pen, leading from a scribble of the apartment building I lived in to a somewhat large and fancy… hotel? Well, fancy as you could get with doodling a building in pen. I took the time to memorize the map as soon as I can, even though I would take it with me.

At the time, I was writing the 27th chapter of my latest manga series, titled "Doves and Roses" while my parents were at the grocery store buying some food to last us for what probably will be a few weeks before the next trip to the market. And so, I wrote a small note to them and stuck it on the counter. It read this:

Hello! If I'm out of our apartment when you get back from the store, I'm either biking to school or from school back here. I forgot my lunchbox in the cafeteria last Friday, and the lunch menu doesn't look too appetizing tomorrow. Cheers!

As soon as I finished writing my bluffing message of forgetfulness, I stuffed the letter given to me and immediately rushed out my apartment's door and down seven flights of stairs to grab my bike chained to the front of the building. I was relieved to see that it was still leaning on the building's exterior and that no one tried stealing it again. Next, I hopped onto my bike, ignoring that the sun had already started setting over the hills, and rode off to, well, somewhere.

Soon enough, after a somewhat bumpy ride and an incident or two with a rusty wheel, I made it. I checked the map twice, just to make sure I was at the right place before chaining my bike to a steel fence not far from the doodle-house I remembered. I took my first steps after a long bike ride, my left hand trying to retrieve some warmth in my pants pocket.

The small piece of paper with that written message rested softly in my hand. My eyes scrolled across the white sheet's text once more before darting toward the massive structure in front of me.

This really wasn't a hotel at all. A massive black household that would have been impossible to see had the lampposts beside me and the windows inside the complex not brightened up the exterior where I stood. From the concrete sidewalk where I stood at, the building looked like a large mansion that a multi-millionaire would live in. A pitch-dark chateau of some sort.

I have no idea why I'm here in the first place. Well, other than the fact that I was given a letter to come here because I was wanted by some random person for some random reason. I'm just a guy who writes manga. I don't know why I'd be wanted by whoever is inside the mansion, to be honest. Maybe for an interview of some sorts? Whatever it is, I'll hopefully figure it out at some point or another.

Ready to find the answer to my question of why the hell I'm here, I took a few careful steps toward the pitch-black chateau, my feet making echoing clicking noises as I took each step. Next thing I knew, I was inches away from a giant single black door, seemingly shined to perfection. Some of the light from the lampposts could bounce off it it, I would guess. Slowly, my hand hovered over toward the brassy knob of the door before suddenly suddenly…

My peripheral vision started to blur. My head began to ache with a disturbing pain. My hand began to slowly slump downward, then my arm. I didn't know why any of this was happening. My hand was just about to open the door, and now I only feel incapacitated and forced to… to…

Thud!

Hello again, everyone! I thought I should make a short preview of Hope Lies in Despair for everyone. Some sort of introduction is always good for posting during the submission dates for an SYOC!

Speaking of that, I'd like to announce that I am extending the deadline for submitting your character for Hope Lies in Despair to FEBRUARY 10TH to give everyone more time for creating characters. That's all I have to say for now! Ciao, everyone!