Chapter 6 The Fall

I didn’t even know where I was going. I had nowhere to go, but I didn’t stop.

My legs kept moving long after the strength in them should have given out. Branches scraped against my arms as I pushed through the narrow paths, my breath coming in uneven bursts. My chest burned, my throat dry, but I kept running like something was still chasing me.

Maybe something was. Or maybe it was just the fear that had rooted itself so deeply inside me that I could no longer tell the difference.

I didn’t stop running until I reached the top of the mountain. By the time I did, my legs finally gave in. I stumbled forward and dropped to the ground, my palms scraping against the rough surface as I tried to steady myself. My breathing was ragged, my whole body trembling from exhaustion and everything that had happened.

For a long moment, I just stayed there, staring at nothing. Then slowly, I lifted my head.

The view stretched out before me, wide and familiar. It was the mountain.

Of all the places my feet could have taken me, it had brought me here. A bitter smile tugged at my lips, though it didn’t last. It was the only place my leg was mostly familiar to apart from the library. This place used to mean something. It used to be warm.

I pushed myself up and walked toward the edge, my steps slower now, more deliberate. The wind brushed against my face as I stood there, looking down at the vast drop below.

The sun was already beginning to set, painting the sky in soft shades of orange and gold. Memories came before I could stop them.

I saw my mother. She always loved this place. She would sit on the grass with that gentle smile of hers, her voice soft as she talked about everything and nothing at the same time. Sometimes she told stories, sometimes she just asked questions– about school, about books, about the future I thought I would have.

My father would sit beside her, pretending not to listen but always adding something at the end, usually a joke that made her roll her eyes.

And Daniel…

A faint ache tightened in my chest. He never sat still. My brother would run around, chasing nothing, laughing at everything, always asking questions that didn’t make sense. He loved the fireworks the most. He would sit beside me when night fell, his small hand gripping mine as the sky lit up.

“Next time,” he had said.

The words hit me harder than anything else. I swallowed, my throat tightening. There was be no next time.

The wind picked up slightly, brushing against my face, but it did nothing to clear the heaviness in my chest. I closed my eyes.

For a moment, I let myself stay there.

In the memory. In the past. In the version of my life that no longer existed.

“I knew this is where you’d come.”

My eyes snapped open. The voice sent a sharp jolt through my body. I turned quickly.

Victor stood a few steps behind me. For a second, I couldn’t move. I just stared at him, my mind struggling to catch up.

“How did you–” My voice came out rough.

He gave a small, almost amused smile.

“You always come here,” he said. “Your father told me once. Said it was your mother’s favorite place. I knew it’d be your solace right now”

Something twisted painfully in my chest at the mention of her. I took a step forward instinctively.

“Stay away from me,” I said.

Victor’s expression didn’t change.

“You’re still running,” he observed calmly.

“I’m not running from you,” I snapped, though even to my own ears, it didn’t sound convincing.

“No?” he said. “Then why are you here?”

I clenched my fists, trying to steady myself.

“Why are you here?” I shot back.

His smile faded slightly.

“You made things difficult,” he said. “You should have left when I told you to.”

“I wasn’t going to run away from my own house,” I replied. Until you tried the craziest thing anyone could do.

“And now?” he asked.

I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t have one.

He took a slow step closer.

“Do you understand what you’ve done?” he continued. “You involved the police. You killed a man.”

The words hit me like a blow and my breath caught in my throat.

“I didn’t– he attacked me,” I said quickly. “I was defending myself.”

And he was not even dead. He didn't–

Victor let out a soft laugh.

“Do you think that will matter?” he asked. “Do you think anyone will listen to you?”

I hesitated and that hesitation was all he needed.

“They won’t,” he said quietly. “You’ve already seen that.”

The truth was bitter. The police and their indifference flashed through my brain. The call. Everything. I swallowed hard.

“What do you want from me? Do you want to kill me now that your men aren't capable?” I asked and he scoffed.

“Those men are more capable than you think. I wanted you to leave,” he replied simply. “That would have solved everything.”

It felt like he still had more to say so I asked. “And now?”

He looked at me and then he smiled again.

“You can guess.”

The words sent a cold wave through me. My brow knitted and my heart began to race.

I took a step back, my heel dangerously close to the edge now.

“Uncle Victor…” My voice faltered. The name felt wrong on my lips now. He was not my uncle by blood and no more my uncle by friendship. Every tiny thread that held our relationship together has loosened. It was now distant and meaningless.

“There’s no need for this,” I continued quickly. “I can leave. I won’t say anything. I won’t go back to the police. I’ll disappear, I swear.”

The words came faster now, desperation creeping in. But I meant every single word. “I swear, I won’t cause any trouble. Just let me go.”

He watched me silently as I spoke. And then he laughed. Not loudly. Not harshly. Just enough to make something inside me sink.

“You should have listened earlier, Damon,” he said.

“I’m listening now,” I replied quickly.

“It’s too late.”

The finality in his voice made my chest tighten.

“Please,” I said, the word slipping out before I could stop it. I had never begged for anything in my life.

For a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes.nThen it was gone.

“You’ve made things too difficult for me,” he said.

I shook my head, panic rising fast.

“No– no, I can fix it. I’ll go anywhere. I’ll–”

His hand moved.

It happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to react. A sudden force against my chest and the ground disappeared beneath my feet.

For a split second, I felt nothing. And then I was falling.

The world tilted violently as the sky spun above me. The wind rushed past my ears, loud and unforgiving, tearing the breath from my lungs. My body twisted uncontrollably as I dropped, the mountain edge growing smaller above me.

My heart slammed against my chest. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. I forced out a scream.

All I could feel was the endless drop beneath me. Panic surged through every part of me as I reached out instinctively, my hands grasping at nothing. There was nothing to hold onto. Nothing to stop the fall. I continued to scream as the water rushed up to meet me. It hit like a solid wall.

The force knocked the air out of my lungs completely, pain exploding through my body as I plunged beneath the surface. The cold was immediate and overwhelming, wrapping around me like something alive. My body sank down, deep, and the light above me blurred quickly as the water closed in, dark and suffocating.

I didn't even try to move. I didn't try to swim. My limbs felt heavy, unresponsive. My chest burned as I struggled to breathe, but all that filled my mouth was water. It rushed in, choking me, forcing its way down my throat as I thrashed weakly. Everything was so cold.

The pressure built inside my chest, unbearable, as my lungs screamed for air that wasn’t there.

I tried to push upward but my strength was fading.

My movements became weaker as images flickered through my mind.

My mother’s smile. Daniel’s laughter. My father’s voice. And then nothing.

I was awakened by my muggles noises and a strong cold that engulfed me. My body felt heavy, like it didn’t belong to me anymore. My chest burned faintly, my throat raw as something forced its way up.

I coughed.

Water spilled from my mouth as I gasped for air, my body jerking slightly as I struggled to breathe properly. The world around me slowly came into focus.

It was so different. The ground beneath me wasn’t familiar. The air smelled strange. The sounds around me didn’t belong to any place I knew. The murmur came from the people that surrounded me. The crowd.

Their voices overlapped, speaking in tones I didn’t fully understand at first. I blinked, my vision still blurry. Where am I?

Before I could make sense of it, someone suddenly grabbed my shirt. The grip was firm and desperate. My eyes widened.

“Lucian!! Lucian!” The voice was loud and filled with emotion. I looked up.

An older man stood before me, his hair ashen, his face lined with age. I scrunched up my face to remember if I knew him from anywhere. I did not.

“Lucian!!” The man shook me as his voice trembled. “Where have you been, my son? Why did you leave home for so long?”

His eyes were wide, filled with something I couldn’t place. But he looked nothing like my father. Nothing at all. I became confused.

My head spun as I tried to process everything at once– the water, the fall, the place, the people, the man calling me a name that wasn’t mine.

“Lucian,” he said again, his grip tightening.

I stared at him. “Are you okay, son?”

My mind struggled to keep up. This wasn’t my home. This wasn’t my town. Nothing here made sense.

I might have passed out but I still had my memories. I remember everything that had happened. Everything I had lost. But this place, it was not mine.

A strange, dizzying thought crept into my mind.

Could this be what happened in my novels? Could I have become someone else? Am I reborn?

The quest

ion barely formed before the world tilted again. The last thing I saw was the man’s face leaning closer, his voice calling out again.

“Lucian!”

Then everything went dark.