In this world, death is a staircase after a staircases after a staircases until you reach the top. But when you reach it, you will wish you had fallen between one of those staircases.
11935, in a Western city called "The Ship"—a city floating on the water like a modern island—it was known for its narrow, waterlogged streets, foul odors, and dangerous alleys teeming with trouble, theft, and marginalization.
In these streets lived a nineteen-year-old boy with black hair and moon-red eyes named Dandon. His family didn't call him that; they preferred to call him "Dan" because he hated his first name, which he would joke, made him feel embarrassed.
Dan never knew the warmth of his real family they abandoned him when he was young. But he found someone to raise him when he was adopted by a small family at the age of five. He considered himself one of them, and more than that. He saw them as his entire world.
Dan was known for his spontaneity, impulsiveness, and curiosity, as well as his courage. He always defended the weak in the city. His heroic deeds defined his character, not his fear.
but he also suffers from schizophrenia and his decisions are disturbed but not dangerous (yet).
The family consisted of father Victor Flair, mother Laura, and daughter Lyra. Dan was the fourth child, but he never felt out of place. Their home was filled with laughter and petty mischief, and in the midst of this warmth, Dan flourished.
One day, Dan invited his best friend Frank over for dinner. Frank entered the house and, as usual, crashed into the window, laughing and saying,
"I swear this window holds a grudge against me."
The entire family sat around the table. Frank ate his food with gusto, while Dan took in the scene: his mother to his right, his friend to his left, his sister Lyra, and his father in front of him.
A small moment of pure happiness made him feel like he had it all. His father interrupted his thoughts in a calm voice:
"Pass me the bread, Dandon."
Dan was a little annoyed and replied with a laugh,
"How long will that nickname haunt me?"
Everyone burst out laughing, and Frank repeated,
"Dandon? Dandon"
That evening, the conversation dragged on for a long time. Frank dreamed of possessing supernatural powers to protect the weak, while Dan joked,
"How will you protect people when you can't even protect yourself from a window?"
Frank smiled with the confidence of a child and replied, "You'll see."
It wasn't the conversation that stopped them; it was sleep that finally forced them to shut up.
In the morning, his mother woke him up, calling,
"Dan, Dan, go get the milk quickly!"
Dan stretched lazily and replied,
"Okay, okay, I'll go."
He went out into the street and headed to the nearby grocery store. He bought the milk and walked back, looking at the sky and thinking,
"It looks like it's going to rain today."
But his steps were not complete Suddenly, a body fell from above, right in front of him. He was one step away from having his life crushed with it at that very moment.
"But death was just knocking at the door, Such a polite he is"
When Dan returned home, his mother was horrified to see him covered in blood. She rushed to him, her voice trembling. "Dan, oh my God! What happened to you?"
"I'm fine, Mom... The blood isn't mine.but The milk... It fell out, just like that body did."
He rushed to his room and closed the door behind him. He went to the bathroom to wash himself, trying to wash the blood from his clothes, but the blood was also clinging to his thoughts. He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, questions he couldn't answer running through his mind.
That man who had fallen in front of him... Did he have a family waiting for him? Did he have dreams that didn't come true? Was he murdered, or did he choose to give himself up?
Dan felt he was one step closer to his end... a step that could have taken his life.
Moments later, he left his room to see the concern in his family's eyes. He smiled to dispel their fear and said, "I'm fine... I'm sorry to worry you."
The next morning, he couldn't resist his curiosity. He asked nearby shopkeepers about the man. One of them replied sadly, "He was a father of three... His wife died a few months ago in an accident, and he couldn't bear the loss. He lost his mind and jumped off the top of the building."
Dan felt a silent shock, then looked down at the ground, anger burning in his heart: "Humans are selfish... They run away from life and leave their loved ones behind, scattered and lost."
He left the place and hurried back, but the thought of the three children remained in his mind: What would happen to them now?
As he walked, lost in thought, he heard screams coming from a nearby restaurant.
He cautiously pushed open the door and saw four men shouting at a woman and her young son, who was trembling as he served them food.
"Get out of here!" the mother shouted. "This place is for customers, not for savages."They burst into mocking laughter.
{ Should I intervene?
No, it's not my problem.
What if the woman and her son die?
What if you die, you idiot, like that man before.
I'll intervene.}
Then Dan walked over quietly. He sat down at a nearby table and said loudly, "A glass of juice, please, ma'am."
The men stopped laughing and stared at him. One of them approached and placed a heavy hand on Dan's shoulder, saying sarcastically, "What are you doing, boy? Didn't you hear us talking? Or are you tired of your life?"
Dan replied calmly, "I did. I heard the owner of the restaurant ask you to leave... and that's enough for me."
He stood up slowly, looking them in the eye without fear. "Now... I want to drink my juice in peace. Please leave, For your safety."
The man smiled contemptuously, then walked over to his companions. In an instant, they pulled out their shining daggers and stabbed Dan... stab after stab. The steel pierced his flesh five times, until he collapsed to the ground.
As his body fell, drenched in blood, a faint smile spread across his lips
and he Whisper:
{ Damn. you shouldn't have interfered, and....you haven't drunk the juice yet.}
Then he sank into the silence of death.