The Fall

Huang Chen stood at the empty iron door, feeling the sharp teeth of the cold penetrate his skin. He was holding a box with some small things in his hands for delivery, but his gaze was fixed far into the void - into that bottomless abyss that separated him from the present and from the future.

He was an orphan. One among millions. There were many people like him in this world, people who were born and disappeared without leaving a trace. He was already used to being alone, used to the fact that no one noticed him. He was used to his gaze slipping past people like a ghost, and even at that moment, standing at the door, no one saw him.

Working as a courier in this city was humiliating, but he had no other choice. He could have been a doctor, a scientist, a traveler, but he became what he turned out to be — a man without a purpose, without his name, without his own place in the world.

When he returned to the subway, his body was tired, but his brain, as always, was working at its usual rhythm. He walked thoughtlessly, not paying attention to others. What can you expect from such a life? The fuss of people, their fleeting glances—it was all alien and useless. He knew that no one was interested in him, that few people cared about his existence. This was his place.

But fate, as always, plays with those who don't believe in it. And so, on this day, he came face to face with her.

She was too beautiful. Or maybe he was the one who was too ugly. But something was wrong at that moment. He was just riding the subway, as always, with a box in his hands, when she turned sharply and their gazes crossed. He felt something wary in her eyes, and her lips curved into a strange smile.

She looked like something that could be ideal, but was actually far from it. He said something, some words addressed to her, but immediately realized that those words didn't make sense. Because she wasn't listening.

In the blink of an eye, she grabbed his hand and said mockingly: "What did you do to me?" She didn't even try to hide her smile, her eyes shone with a bright light, full of enthusiasm and confidence. A cold voice rang in his ears, but he didn't have time to realize what had happened. Quickly confused and defenseless, he tried to justify himself, but his words were lost in the noise. It was as if an invisible wall had appeared between them.

When the tags branding him were ready, when people on the subway were already starting to look at him with condemnation, she said, "He tried to harass me." His heart seemed to stop when he realized that her words had power.

It wasn't just a misunderstanding. It was a decision that ruined his life.

When the train finally stopped, he went out onto the platform, and everything was as usual - cold, fuss, echoes of unfriendly looks. And so a few more hours passed, during which no one said a word in his defense. No one knew what really happened. No one knew his side of the story. But this moment, this injustice, became fatal for him.

The next day, he came to work and found that he had been fired. For being the victim—and the culprit at the same time. All his colleagues turned away from him, no one supported him, because the girl's word was more weighty than anything he could have said. That was all it took to get him out of my life.

Huang silently left the office and went outside. At some point, he saw her. The same girl standing with some guy. His heart sank. She didn't even notice him. But that was the moment when everything fell into place.

"You were just a pet to me," she told her companion, laughing. "A pet that bores me." These words burned his soul, and he realized that this whole world, which seemed to him infinitely complex and large, was actually empty. Empty as his own life.

His eyes filled with tears, but none fell. He wasn't capable of tears.

The moment he stood on the edge of the road and felt his body lose strength, he saw only one thing — the headlights of a truck approaching at incredible speed. And the only thing he felt at that moment was relief.

No one needed him anymore.

But it was only at that moment.

Dark. Pure, cold darkness. Huang Chen could feel it engulfing his head, absorbing the remnants of his consciousness. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he was sure that time was over for him. The pain in his body disappeared, all his feelings disappeared, his thoughts became floating shadows, and only emptiness surrounded him.

But suddenly there was a sound. At first it was faint, like a rustle, then it got brighter and louder. Voices. And the light. A warm, soft light that burned his eyes, awakening him. The pain returned, not physically, but internally, in my mind. He didn't know how long he had been in the dark, but now he was here. But where was he? And why was his body responding to that light again?

His vision was blurry, and all he saw was a vast expanse filled with soft light. The body couldn't be his, and he felt nothing but a strange sense of alienation. Fear gripped him. How did he end up here? And why was he so weak?

The dark curtain gradually began to dissolve, and a scene full of strange images appeared before his eyes. He found himself in some other place, not in the world he had been in before. He could smell the fresh earth, breathe in the air, but there was something strange about it. It was a place where his consciousness should not have entered.

"You came... through the pain... through suffering," the voice whispered. He couldn't figure out where it was coming from. This voice was deep, ancient, as if it was addressing him from afar.

"Who are you?" asked Huang Chen, not understanding why his words were coming out so softly, like a whisper.

The voice did not answer, but a shadow appeared in front of him. A shadow that slowly turned into a silhouette, clad in strange clothes that shimmered like light. It was a being that could have been a deity, but it wasn't from the world that he knew.

"You've lost your life, but I'm giving you a chance. In this new world, you can be someone more than you were before," the creature said.

And now, he understood. He was reborn. But why? Why is he alive again?

"You were weak. And he couldn't cope with the hardships of his fate. But now you're going to face a challenge. In this world, you will be like a seed that must break through the stones and achieve greatness. You have to survive, and I will give you strength, but it all depends on your efforts. Will you be ready?" The voice continued.

Huang Chen felt a spark ignite in his soul. He wasn't ready to give up, wasn't ready to be weak. His memory flashed back to the girl's last look, her words. He remembered his fall, his pain, and his worthlessness. And now, he had a chance. But a chance for what? For greatness or for another failure?

He was silent, staring into the void. He couldn't go back anymore.

"I'll give you something that will help. But remember, your power won't be achieved right away. Everything will depend on your decisions and your actions. You will receive something that will help you strengthen in this world. It starts small, and you decide for yourself what happens," the voice said, and the light around Juan changed.

The body began to feel heavy, but strangely heavy, as if all its cells were beginning to react to something new. He felt the space around him becoming more familiar with each of his breaths. It was a place where there were no familiar boundaries and laws. Everything was different here. But what was it?

He opened his eyes and saw in front of him... the earth. Grass. Wind.

And there was one more thing. A small box appeared in his hands. Its simple shape and worn surface looked ordinary, but there was something special about this object. Something important.

He opened it and saw a small star like a sparkle of light that shimmered like a gemstone. He wanted to touch her, but something stopped him. The power emanating from this star was astounding.

"This is your first step. It depends on you what you do about it. You will fight and you will develop, but you must remember one thing — in this world, everything has a price," said the voice, and Huang felt the star smoothly absorbed into his palm.

An indescribable sensation filled his mind. He felt his body begin to change. It wasn't just a rebirth—it was the beginning of something more. Something important.

"Be ready," said the voice, and the world went back into shadow.

Huang Chen stood up. He was here now, in another world. The place where his life had just begun.

But the first questions are already forming in his head. How to use this chance? What should he do? And what kind of power lurks in this new world?

Questions remained. But he knew one thing—his struggle was just beginning.

Huang Chen opened his eyes and felt as if his body was reliving everything—both pain and fatigue. He was in a new world, but it didn't seem to be exactly the place he expected. Of course, he was in the body of a five-year-old child, but the feeling was strange. He looked around —the soft grass under his feet, the bright rays of the sun, the warm wind, but it all seemed too much... idyllic. Something was clearly missing.

He realized that he was still sitting on the ground, slightly twisted with incomprehension and confusion. I didn't want to get up, and it was unusual to stand. His new little legs were shaking, as if they didn't quite obey him.

"Well, okay, that's enough... It's not like the worst thing that could happen to me," he thought, looking around at his surroundings. There were no signs of destruction, no demonic creatures, no corpses on the ground—everything looked too much... peacefully. It's almost "almost" beautiful, like in that advertisement about country houses where everything is green and happy.

"Where am I?" Huang Chen muttered, peering into the distance, hoping to find at least some landmarks.

He tried to process what was happening, but all his thoughts were slipping away. As soon as he tries to focus, it seems to him that everything around him starts spinning again, as if in an inexpressible fog. It was weird and a little scary. But the strange feeling that this wasn't quite the real world never left him.

— well... It's time to realize that I'm not in the right place at all," he said aloud, but his words sounded more like a plaintive whisper than confidence. He would like to be anywhere now, if only not in this new, as it turned out, world.

And then his gaze caught on something amazing. In the distance, almost in the very center of this "ideal village" where he found himself, there was a small wooden house. There was nothing special about it, but for Juan, it was a direct indication that he should move in that direction. Taking a deep breath, and despite his timid state, he began to slowly move there.

"A small wooden house, a place on the edge of the world… Okay, maybe this isn't the end. Maybe even the opposite — the beginning of something new."

After walking a few steps, he noticed a small creature that from a distance looked like it was no bigger than a chicken. Or perhaps it looked more like some kind of small animal. It did not show aggression, but still this strange creature attracted Juan's attention. He resolutely walked up to him and squatted down.

— Hey, who are you? "What is it?" he asked quietly, not knowing how to properly conduct a conversation with such creatures.

The creature cocked its head as if assessing him. There was a look... strange. It's even kind of... It grunted, if that was the way to describe the sounds it made. But there was something hostile about this quacking, as if this creature was also a little embarrassed by his presence.

—Oh, you little one... Quack,— Juan protested and stood up, rubbing his cramped legs. — What a world, I tell you!

Forgetting about caution, he tried to pick up the creature in his arms, but it abruptly disappeared into the bushes.

—Oh, of course,— he sighed, casting a worried glance at the bushes. — I instill fear. I also unsuccessfully chose a place to communicate.

The moment when you find yourself in another world, with forces you don't know anything about, and small creatures that are clearly not amenable to communication. However, despite his embarrassment and the fact that his new small legs refused to walk smoothly, Huang Chen felt a small surge of energy again. Although fear and uncertainty did not leave him, he understood one thing — this was his chance. His chance to start over, and maybe something worthwhile will come out of it all.

He got up and looked around, deciding to go to the house anyway. Even though his mind was still racing, he was ready to start on his journey. Because there was no choice. Being weak, afraid, and running was definitely not his style. The awkwardness of his new life, his new body, and the strange creatures in this world were just the first challenge he had to deal with. And who would have thought that his next meeting would be so important and strange.

"It's probably time to find this owner of the house," he thought, suppressing a smile. "Who knows, maybe it's not as strange as this world."

The uncertainty was receding, but only partially. That world was full of strange surprises, but he was ready to face them face to face.

Huang Chen continued on his way, and with every step it seemed that this world was not only unusual, but also infinitely alien. The feeling that he shouldn't be here didn't leave him. His new body, small and weak, did not have the same confidence that he had been proud of in the past. However, this fact only increased his desire to understand what was happening. He was an orphan, weak and insignificant, but despite this, something in him did not allow him to accept this situation. He was ready to go wherever circumstances led him, because he simply had no other choice.

As he approached the village, looking at its wooden houses, his attention was attracted by a figure sitting at the door of one of them. It was an older woman, probably middle—aged. She was sitting on a bench, carefully turning something over in her hands, whistling softly to herself. Her fingers moved with such ease that Huang Chen couldn't help but notice her skill. However, there was another detail: she had clearly noticed his approach.

"Did you come?" Her voice was calm, a little casual, but at the same time there was some hidden energy in it. She looked up, and Juan felt a strange feeling: as if this woman already knew him, even if they had never met.

He paused for a moment, not knowing how to respond properly. He was an outsider, and how could you even talk to someone like that in this world? The fear of strangers, especially women, has remained with him since his last incarnation.

—Yes,— he finally said, realizing that he couldn't stand any longer anyway, and it would be foolish to hold back his steps. He froze in front of her, feeling his insides tighten with anxiety.

The woman, without interrupting her work, looked at him and grinned. It was a light smile, unencumbered by any fake gestures of goodwill. It was as if everything around her was part of an unchanging reality that she wasn't going to give too much importance to.

"You're not from around here,— she said with surprising calmness. "A stranger, huh?" You're not even hiding it.

Juan didn't know how to react to this, and his timidity was clearly evident. He just nodded silently, trying not to show his embarrassment. At one point, it seemed to him that she could see right through him, and that made him feel even more vulnerable.

—Come on, don't stand there," the woman got up from the bench and, without waiting for him to do anything, headed inside the house. "You have nowhere to go, don't you?" The locals have been discussing you more than once, little stranger. Come on, tell me how you got here.

Suddenly, Juan realized that he couldn't just leave. Acknowledging his helplessness, he followed the woman, feeling extremely awkward. For a second, it even seemed to him that he was like some kind of living being who was just waiting for his fate in this strange world.

When they entered the house, Juan was stunned by how everything was arranged here. There was a strange smell of wood inside, which he found slightly musty, but at the same time pleasant. He did not know what to expect, but he could not get rid of the feeling that his life, or rather, his entire existence in this world, was not an accident.

"Sit down,— the woman pointed to a small table covered with a coarse but, in its own way, beautiful cloth. "You're not going to tell me how you got here, are you?"

Juan wanted to say that he didn't know what had happened, that he was even in this body, that he was an ordinary person, but in front of this man, it would sound like complete madness. He just remained silent, sitting on a wooden chair. The woman was standing in front of him, watching him closely.

—Everything will be fine," she suddenly reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "You just don't understand where you are yet." But that doesn't mean you won't survive here.

Juan flinched at her touch. It wasn't what he expected. He was afraid that she would see his weakness, his fear. But her gaze was full of something he couldn't understand. It wasn't pity, it wasn't empathy, it was impartiality.

"You're not afraid of me,— she suddenly spoke as if to herself. "Or you're too tired for that." However, hardly anyone could be afraid in your position. Hang on, this is just the beginning.

Juan didn't know what to say, and the words stuck in his throat. All he could do was nod. His new legs were shaking again, but he gritted his teeth. He had a chance. And he wasn't going to miss it.

Juan sat in silence for several minutes, listening to the woman moving around the room. Suddenly, she stopped her actions and turned to him, her gaze penetrating, as if trying to uncover his deepest depths.

"You still haven't told me how you got here," her voice was soft, but there was a hidden severity in it. "But I guess I know you're not from around here." You're an outsider. And not just an outsider.

Huang rubbed his palms together nervously, feeling nervous. He wanted to say something, but the words stuck on his lips. How can you explain your situation when it seems so incredible that you can't even figure out how to get into a child's body and start all over again?

The woman looked at him curiously. She was obviously waiting for an explanation, but, apparently, was not ready for any revelations. Huang suddenly realized that this situation was very different from all the ones he had experienced before. Here, in this world, there were no rules he was used to, there was no plan by which to move. He wasn't sure if he even understood how he needed to act.

—Okay," the woman suddenly relaxed, and her gaze became softer. "You're not ready, I get it. But don't think that this is an accident here. You're still going to be an important player.

Her words made Juan tense up. He realized that she knew something, but he didn't want to reveal all his cards right away.

"A gambler?" He asked cautiously.

The woman nodded. After lingering her gaze on him, she suddenly got up and went to one of the corners of the room, where there was an antique box. Opening it, she took out something that looked like a small metal amulet. She placed it on the table in front of him.

"This is for you." You can't survive in this world if you're not prepared for the challenges. You're nothing. Small, weak, helpless... But you have a chance. This could be your first step.

Juan cautiously reached for the amulet. The metal was heavy despite its size, and its surface was covered with strange engravings that were impossible to understand at first glance. Fear gripped him for a moment, but he quickly controlled it.

— Is it something special? "What is it?" he asked, feeling uncertainly that this was all too strange.

The woman smiled, but there was determination in her eyes.

"You'll use it when you feel ready." It's not magic, it's not just an artifact. It's a symbol. A symbol that you have to become strong. To avoid becoming nothing.

Juan slowly took the amulet in his hands. He understood that his life had changed, but he did not yet know what would come of it. The woman moved aside, but did not leave. She just kept watching him, as if waiting for him to make the first move.

And now, he finally understood. It was the beginning of his journey. A path that he couldn't avoid even if he wanted to. It was all new. Incredible. And scary.

He got up from his seat and went to the door, still holding the amulet in his hands, still unable to understand its true significance. What happened next? It was a difficult question to which he had no answers.

And he decided not to think about what would happen next. Just footsteps. Just a moment. Life was too short to think about the future when his present was so uncertain and difficult.

But whatever his fate, he couldn't afford to stop.