Chapter 2: A Hero’s Final Choice
The world around Liam was a cacophony of sound and movement, but it all felt distant, like he was hearing it from underwater. The blaring horn, the screeching tires, the gasps and shouts of bystanders—they reached his ears but didn't seem to matter anymore. What mattered was the girl. She was alive, standing a few feet away, her face pale with shock and her hands trembling.
Liam tried to lift his hand, to wave, to tell her it was okay, but his body wouldn't respond. He lay there on the cold pavement, staring up at the sky as it shifted from twilight to full night. His chest ached with a dull, throbbing pain, and each breath was a struggle, shallow and ragged.
The girl stumbled closer, tears streaming down her face. She dropped to her knees beside him, her lips moving rapidly. "Please, don't die," she sobbed, her voice breaking through the haze. "Help is coming. Just hold on."
Liam wanted to reassure her, to tell her that she was safe, that everything was going to be fine. But even forming a coherent thought felt impossible. His vision blurred, and the girl's face wavered, replaced by flashes of his past.
He saw himself as a child, sitting alone in his bedroom. The walls were covered in posters of fantasy worlds—knights wielding swords, dragons soaring over castles, mysterious figures cloaked in shadow. His parents were arguing in the next room, their voices rising and falling in sharp bursts, but Liam tuned them out. He had a book in his hands, the latest in a series about a young hero rising against impossible odds.
Books had always been his escape, his refuge from a world that often felt too harsh, too overwhelming. While other kids played soccer or traded stories about their weekend adventures, Liam preferred the quiet company of fictional worlds. He was content to be an observer, a passenger in someone else's journey.
But as he grew older, that contentment began to wane. In high school, he watched as his classmates chased their dreams, joined clubs, made friends. He stayed on the sidelines, telling himself that he was fine, that he didn't need all that. But late at night, lying awake in his bed, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.
Liam blinked, the memory fading, replaced by another. He was sitting in a dimly lit apartment, his laptop glowing softly on the coffee table. It was late—past midnight—but he wasn't tired. He was rereading Aetherium Chronicles, his favorite novel. He'd lost count of how many times he'd read it, but it never failed to captivate him.
The story followed a young noble outcast, a character Liam felt a deep kinship with. The protagonist faced betrayal, hardship, and loss, but he never gave up. He rose from nothing, forged powerful alliances, and ultimately became a hero revered by all. Yet, the ending was always the same. After defeating the final enemy and securing peace for the world, the hero made the ultimate sacrifice, dying alone on a battlefield.
Liam had always admired the protagonist's strength and determination, but he hated that ending. It felt cruel, unfair. The hero had given everything, and in the end, he didn't even get to enjoy the peace he had fought so hard for. Liam often wondered if he could have made different choices, if he could have found a way to change that fate.
Back in the present, Liam's chest tightened. His breathing was slower now, each inhale more laborious than the last. The edges of his vision darkened, but the girl's tear-streaked face remained clear, her desperate cries piercing through the void.
He tried to focus on her, to anchor himself in the moment, but his mind kept slipping away, back into the past.
He saw himself sitting in his office, staring at a blank document on his computer screen. His boss had asked him to draft a report, but Liam couldn't bring himself to start. The task wasn't particularly difficult, but it felt meaningless. Everything about his job felt that way—just a series of motions to go through, a paycheck to collect.
His coworkers often invited him out for drinks, but Liam always declined. He preferred to go home, microwave a frozen dinner, and lose himself in the pages of Aetherium Chronicles. It wasn't a life most people would envy, but it was safe. Predictable.
Yet, even then, a part of him longed for more. He wanted to be brave, to take risks, to do something that mattered. But he never did. He told himself he wasn't the kind of person who could change the world. He wasn't a hero. He was just... Liam.
Pain surged through his chest, pulling him back to the present. He coughed weakly, a metallic taste filling his mouth. The girl squeezed his hand, her eyes wide with fear. "Please, don't leave me," she whispered.
Liam wanted to tell her he was sorry, but the words wouldn't come. His body felt heavier, his mind slower. The world around him grew dimmer, the sounds of the city fading into silence.
For the first time in a long while, he felt at peace. His life hadn't been remarkable, but in his final moments, he had made a difference. He had saved someone. That was enough.
The darkness enveloped him completely, and for a moment, there was nothing. No pain, no sound, no light. Just an endless void. Liam floated there, weightless and calm, his thoughts scattered like leaves on the wind.
But then, something shifted. A warmth spread through him, gentle and soothing. It felt like sunlight on his skin, a comforting presence in the emptiness. Liam's awareness sharpened, and he realized he wasn't alone.
Somewhere in the void, a soft, ethereal glow appeared, growing brighter with each passing second. It wasn't harsh or blinding; it was inviting, like a beacon in the dark. Liam felt himself drawn toward it, not by force, but by instinct. The closer he got, the stronger the warmth became, wrapping around him like a protective cloak.
As he neared the light, he felt a presence—a vast, powerful being, yet one that radiated kindness and understanding. Liam's heart raced, though he didn't feel fear. Instead, a strange sense of anticipation filled him, as though he were on the brink of something extraordinary.
The light enveloped him completely, and for a brief moment, everything was still. Then, a voice echoed softly through the void, clear and serene:
"Liam."
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