The Fall
Copyright© 2026 by Luna winters
Chapter 1
The eerie silence was unsettling. Even with the sun high in the sky, no one seemed to be around. The quiet created an illusion of horror — a persistent feeling of being watched. Trees swayed, wind blew dust into mini-cyclones that danced across the ground. Though they were only two, it felt like hundreds of eyes tracked their every step, ready to devour them if they slipped. Even in the open jungle, in the middle of nowhere, they were not alone.
“Miku, are you okay?” Kai asked, his usual charisma undimmed.
She stirred from her reverie, trying to stand but gasping for breath.
“Let me help you up.” Kai extended his hand. “The longer you stay down there, the more you look like a trampled flower.”
She didn’t understand his humor. She hated everything about him — his talking style, his hair, his mannerisms. Yet whenever his dark brown eyes rested on hers, she felt an unexpected solace, as though he were staring into the abyss of her soul and whispering, I’ll always protect you. She shoved the feeling aside and stood.
“Seems we’re in the middle of a jungle!” Kai exclaimed, not a shred of fear in his voice. “I wonder what kind of adventure awaits us deep in here.”
Beautiful? How is this beautiful? Sunlight pierced the canopy, casting monster-like shadows. A huge spider hung leisurely from a branch, staring as if savoring their misfortune. Everything creeped her out — even her thoughts swarmed with wild monsters waiting in the dark.
“I wonder how beautiful it’ll be when some creature tears us apart,” she replied, trying to inject fear into him.
Kai wasn’t moved. He kept walking, touching leaves and bark, smiling like a lunatic. “Wow! Look at those flowers! This is truly a great adventure, Miku!”
Miku analyzed their surroundings. She wasn’t a landscape expert, but she could hunt for clues. The trees looked unusual — twisted, almost artificial. The sun beat down with abnormal intensity, turning the jungle into a hot inferno. Since regaining consciousness, she’d felt watched. Nothing felt real — not the sky, not the light, not the air. It all looked like a painting. Awkward. Unnatural.
She tuned out Kai, who wandered singing odd hymns while looking for things to tease her with. Instead, she tried to piece together how they’d gotten here.
Earlier, they’d been walking through a strange city — Miku curious, Kai lost in mischief. The locals seemed hostile. Whenever Miku looked their way, they averted their eyes. Even children watched with contempt. Kai just smiled and greeted everyone, cheerful whether they replied or not.
To Miku, everything felt out of place — the houses crooked, the people unreal. Unable to bear their stares, she clung to Kai as they walked.
Then Kai spotted some odd, tasty-looking food and leapt for it like a child — though he was twenty. Miku watched, dazzled, as he slipped and fell. But before hitting the ground, he crystallized his arms and legs, cushioning the impact.
Kai was gifted — he could turn parts of his body into crystal. Miku was gifted too; she could wield water for defense and healing. She called it water healing.
Right after his fall, the world overlapped — market, crooked houses, then darkness. Miku lost consciousness and dropped.
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