Chapter 1: Chapter 1
I remember that feeling of the grass beneath my feet, the rush of the wind as I darted across the field. I was unstoppable, a young boy with boundless energy, weaving through the other kids who were struggling to keep up. Their heavy breaths were lost to me; all I heard was the sound of my own heartbeat, in sync with my strides. As I crossed the finish line, I saw them—my parents, their faces beaming with pride. They lifted me into the air, and for a moment, I was flying. Then, just as suddenly, I was falling...
With a jolt, I woke up. Seventeen now, not that little kid anymore. I sighed, the dream still vivid in my mind, as I glanced around my room. It was a mess, a stark contrast to the neatness of my childhood memories. Garbage was strewn about, a testament to my current state of mind. I knew I should clean it up, but that would be a task for another time. For now, I just lay there, caught between a past I longed for and a present I couldn't seem to grasp.
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A wave of disorientation washed over him. The vividness of his childhood memory lingered, tugging at the edges of his consciousness. He felt a pang of nostalgia, a yearning for the simplicity of those days when victory was as simple as running faster than the wind. The weight of reality pressed down on him, the clutter of his room a stark reminder of the complexities he now faced the sting of the fall, and the jolt of waking to a life far removed from those carefree days.
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And then it fell on a picture frame with his young picture inside and a name written on it
(Lucas Souteisei)
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A wave of disorientation washed over him. The vividness of his childhood memory lingered, tugging at the edges of his consciousness. He felt a pang of nostalgia, a yearning for the simplicity of those days when victory was as simple as running faster than the wind.
The weight of reality pressed down on him, the clutter of his room a stark reminder of the complexities he now faced.
He stood up and searched the entire room only to end up empty – handed.
"Well guess it was nice seeing a new job."he said while looking at his watch thinking that he could still make it on time if he had found his clothes but now it really is hopeless.
" Now where the FU*K did I lose my clothes."Lucas said calmly.
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The scene unfolds with a sudden, jarring shift. The protagonist, once a beacon of youthful ambition, now stands diminished under the harsh fluorescent lights of his boss's scrutiny.
Words like sharp-edged shrapnel fly, each one a blow to his already waning confidence. And then, the final word — fired. It echoes in his ears as he exits the building, his head bowed not in defeat but in silent contemplation.
He approaches a vending machine, its mechanical hum a stark contrast to the silence within him. A coin clinks, and a can of coke rattles into the compartment.
He retrieves it and finds solace on a bench, sheltered by the delicate canopy of a cherry blossom tree. The world around him is awash with the soft hues of pink and white, petals dancing in the gentle breeze of a perfect day.
Yet, the beauty fails to penetrate the numbness that has settled in his heart.
As he sits there, the brightness of the day casts his mind back to a time when limits were challenges to be conquered. He remembers the grueling training sessions, the relentless push against the boundaries of his physical capabilities. His body had screamed in protest, every fiber straining, every breath a battle cry. But the breakthrough he sought remained elusive, a dream just beyond reach.
Now, as reality bears down upon him, it's not just the weight of a job lost or a path uncertain.
It's the crushing realization that some barriers may never be breached, that the indomitable spirit of his youth might have met its match. The ground beneath him feels too firm, the sky above too vast. And in this moment of profound revelation, he finds himself grounded, unable to rise.
"At first I tried hard at second I tried harder and harder and then... I finally realised no matter how hard I train it was futile in the end."
"If only I was reborn in those fantasy worlds...not like I am gonna try to run into a truck though."
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As I sat there, a memory crept into my mind, unbidden. It was the moment I realized the brutal truth about human limits. No matter how **hard** I pushed myself, no matter how much I willed my body to go beyond its breaking point, it just wouldn't budge. I trained relentlessly, each session more punishing than the last, driving myself to the brink of collapse. My muscles screamed, my breaths came in ragged gasps, and my heart pounded against my chest like it was trying to escape the prison of my ribs.
But it was never enough.
The day reality hit me, it hit like a freight train. I was lying on the gym floor, drenched in sweat, every inch of my body rebelling against the torture I had subjected it to. I wanted to get up, to shake off the pain and try again, but I couldn't. My limbs wouldn't obey; they were spent, devoid of strength. It was a sobering, humbling moment—the kind that sears itself into your memory and refuses to let go.
I had come face to face with my own mortality, the finite nature of my existence. And as I sat under the cherry blossoms, their beauty a stark contrast to the desolation I felt, I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever find a way to break through the barriers that confined me, or if I was destined to remain trapped within them forever.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Non_Nobody
Non_Nobody "Within the theater of life, we each wear a myriad of masks, revealing only the act suited for the stage we stand upon."