**Chapter 1 – The Fall**

  The story begins.

  A rural street.

  Early night.

  A skinny college student in a white, uniform-like T-shirt walked through the darkness. He wore long black pants—dark as the lightless road beneath his feet—and carried a heavy black bag that matched them in color.

  The watch on his left wrist showed **8:46 p.m.**

  He walked hurriedly—almost ready to run. His pace kept quickening as he passed through the street where the lamps flickered or lay broken.

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  Tiny houses, packed tightly together, lined both sides of the narrow road—none larger than seventeen meters across. The place looked like a slum.

  The road itself was incomplete, barely wide enough for a car. One wrong turn from a bus would crash straight into the cramped houses. On either side, open canals ran beside the broken pavement. The sound of water splashing against the waste echoed through the night.

  The boy seemed desperate to reach somewhere—his home, perhaps.

  **Trip!**

  Mid-stride, his right foot caught in a crater on the uneven road. The weight of his bag pulled him down faster as gravity took hold.

  **Thud!**

  He fell head-first, but managed to slam his palms against the ground, softening the impact. Shaken, he pushed himself up, forehead tightening, eyes wide open in surprise.

  He looked shocked.

  Shaking his head, he staggered to his feet.

  “W-… What… happened?” he muttered, his voice low and trembling.

  Dizziness hit. He instinctively pressed a hand to his forehead, trying to steady himself, but his balance kept slipping. His breathing grew fast and uneven; panic flickered across his face.

  He raised both hands to his head—just as the heavy bag pulled backward.

  He fell straight into the edge of the canal behind him.

  For two long minutes, he sat there, dazed, before any sense returned. When he finally tried to stand, his right foot found the edge of the canal. The weak stone beneath it cracked.

  The weight on his back dragged him down once more.

  **Splash.**

  He disappeared beneath the dark water.

  **End of Chapter 1.**