"NO!"
Ash's voice ripped through the air as he bolted down the slope. His boots slipped on loose gravel, but he didn't slow down.
If that boulder smashed into the city, the entire mess would land on him. The elders would demand answers, the guards would drag him in, and everything he'd worked for would vanish.
But that wasn't why his chest felt like it was caving in.
No, deep down, there was a far more urgent fear clawing at him. A fear that had nothing to do with the council, the city, or politics.
His mother was still there.
And if that monster of a rock reached the city…
He pushed harder, lungs burning, legs aching.
The boulder had been slowed a little by trees splintered and cracked against it, turning its fall into a grinding, bone-shaking crawl.
That bought him maybe five minutes. Five minutes before it crushed everything in its path.
He made his choice. He wouldn't waste time chasing the rock itself. He had to get home. If he could just reach his mother's side, he could drag her out before it hit.
Behind him, Marine's voice rang out. "Ash! Where are you going?!"
"To my house!" he shouted without turning.
Robertson yelled, "We can stop it together! Don't run off!"
"We don't have time!" Ash barked back, his voice almost cracking.
Perro cursed. "Damn it, then we'll split! Marine, with me—try to freeze it again!"
Ash didn't hear the rest. The pounding of his heartbeat drowned out their words, and the world narrowed to the path ahead.
The houses in the distance blurred through the heat in his eyes.
He could feel the story pushing him forward like fate itself was leaning over his shoulder, urging him on.
Because sometimes, in moments like this, you don't think about plans, tactics, or the bigger picture.
You just think about the person you can't lose.
---
Ash slammed the door open and nearly tripped over the step as he burst inside.
His chest rose and fell like he'd just sprinted through a battlefield, and sweat dripped down his forehead onto the wooden floor.
There were maybe three minutes left before the boulder hit.
His mother was sitting at the small table near the window, her thin fingers working a pair of knitting needles.
"Mother! We need to get out—now!" Ash gasped, stepping forward. "A boulder's coming down from the mountain! It'll hit the village any minute!"
She didn't look up. "A boulder," she said slowly, the needles clicking together. "Is that the reason you're stomping into my house like a madman?"
Ash's jaw clenched. "This isn't a joke, I'm serious—"
But she set the knitting on the table, her dark eyes finally meeting his. "For weeks now, you've been… different. You vanish for hours and you come home with bruises, dirt on your clothes. That look in your eyes like you're not even my son anymore."
He froze. His mouth opened, but nothing came out.
"I raised you for seventeen years," she went on, voice firm. "I know when something's wrong. You speak differently, you walk differently, you don't even eat the same way, and now, you barge in shouting about falling rocks like the world is ending."
I-I....
Ash's heart pounded harder, but not from the run this time.
"Mother, please," he tried again, stepping closer. "We don't have time for this—"
She stood, her knitting falling to the table with a dull thud. "Then make time because I don't know who you are anymore, Ash. My son… he hated the mountains. He was scared of storms. But now you disappear into danger like it's nothing. And every time you come back, it feels like I'm looking at a stranger."
He swallowed hard because she was right. The truth that he wasn't her Ash at all sat heavy in his throat. He wanted to tell her everything, but the seconds were slipping away like sand through his fingers.
"Please," he said again, his voice quieter this time. "Just trust me and come with me. I'll explain later. I promise."
Her eyes searched his face for a long, tense moment. Then she shook her head. "I don't know if I can trust this version of you."
Ash's voice cracked as he stepped forward, gripping her shoulders. "Mother, please! I'm not asking you to understand, I just need you to trust me! We have to leave, right now!"
She held her ground at first, her jaw tight like she was determined to win whatever battle she thought this was.
But then, her eyes softened and her hands trembled against his arms. The tough front she wore crumbled, and a shaky breath escaped her lips.
"I still love you, Ash."
"Even if you've… changed. Even if you walk and talk like someone I don't quite recognize, you're still my son. You'll always be my son."
He froze, the words cutting deeper than he expected.
Her gaze wandered past him, toward the window, as if speaking to the mountains themselves.
"You know… everyone I love eventually leaves. My parents, your father, even your uncles and your sisters—they all left. Some to find work, some to marry, some to… never come back at all. Every time, I'm the one left behind in this house."
Ash's throat tightened. He wanted to say somethin, but the lump in his chest wouldn't let him.
She looked at him again, a sad smile tugging at her lips. "So, even if you're different now… I'm holding onto you."
"Because if you go, I'll have no one left."
Ash's breath hitched, and for a moment, he forgot about the boulder, the danger, the roaring in the distance. He wanted to hug her, tell her everything, but the seconds were bleeding away.
Mother... I'm-I'm...
"Please, just run!" he said desperately. "We can talk later, I promise, but if you stay here—"
She shook her head, her voice quiet but unshakable. "Ash… if my last moments are meant to come, I'd rather face them here, not running away in fear. The mountains gave us life. If they decide to take it, then so be it."
He stopped cold.
The words rooted him to the spot, and for the first time since he'd come into the house, he didn't know what to do.
His mother's smile softened into something fragile yet warm, the kind of smile meant to be remembered.
"Ash… whatever happens, promise me you'll live in a way you can be proud of. Be happy, even when it's hard. Be kind, even when it's easier to be cruel. That's all I ever wanted for you."
Ash's hand rose slowly toward hers. Just a little closer… just touch her hand, that's all I need right now.
But then, he felt it.
Time slowed, and the sound of splintering wood tore through the air. The boulder slammed into their home, and it was massive, twice the size he'd imagined. The side of it plowed through the wall to his right, sending appliances tumbling and shattering, beams snapping, and dust choking the air.
It's the end, right?
The boulder's curved flank rose toward him in dreadful slow motion. And yet, all he could see was her. All he wanted was to feel her hand in his, just once more.
Please, God, if there's a god out there, let me touch my mother's hand.
Then, she moved.
Not away from him, but into a stance like she was bracing for impact, as if she'd already decided what to do.
Before he could process it, a sudden force yanked his body backward. He blinked and found himself slammed against the far wall, the boulder's edge scraping past his legs.
And then—
He saw her.
She was caught in its path, her body dragged along with the crushing weight as the boulder tore through the rest of the house.
Dust filled his lungs, his vision blurred, and the only words that escaped his mouth were the same ones she'd spoken just moments ago, the ones that now cut through him like glass.
"Be happy… be kind…" he whispered.