The forest had grown thicker the farther Ash walked.
He wasn't tired—not in the way people usually were. His legs were fine, his breath steady. He had enough energy in his body to flip through another gang base if he wanted to. But his mind had gone… quieter. The kind of quiet that wasn't peace. The kind that lingered after every noise had been shut off.
He wasn't looking for anything anymore.
He just wanted air that didn't smell like fear.
The sun was beginning to sink behind the hills when Ash reached what looked like the end of the path. A towering cliff rose ahead, layered in moss and silence, crowned by heavy branches above.
Water trickled softly along the rocks, but there was no trail, no opening, no gap.
Dead end.
Ash tilted his head.
"…Mm. Suspicious," he murmured.
He stepped forward and placed his palm against the cliff face. The rock was damp, cool—but there was something beneath it. A hollow. Faint vibration.
He crouched, brushed aside leaves, and found a patch of ivy-covered stone that echoed when tapped.
"Hollow," he confirmed. "And hiding something."
Ash pulled a screwdriver from the toolkit strapped to his back, pried open a crack near the base of the stone, and peered inside.
A narrow crevice. Natural. But it widened into blackness beyond.
He didn't hesitate.
He slid in sideways, pack slung to his chest, breath steady, and moved forward through the dark.
It was a tight fit, and his hoodie snagged once on a sharp edge. But the air changed the moment he stepped through—cooler, deeper, filled with the sound of water.
And then— The tunnel dropped.
Ash didn't fall so much as glide down a slope of mossy stone and land with a soft thud in tall grass.
And then… he saw it.
It looked like a dream that had been forgotten by the world.
A vast green valley, hidden deep within the cliffs. Wide and wild and untouched.
Seven waterfalls poured down from different points, their waters glimmering as they fell into crystalline pools. Steam rose from natural hot springs scattered around the terrain. Giant trees arched over rivers and stone bridges shaped by nature. Flowers bloomed in wild patterns across soft hills, and vines swayed in the breeze like dancers.
And the fireflies… Tiny lights drifted in the air like floating stars. Dozens. Hundreds. They moved slowly, like they were breathing with the land.
Ash stared.
"…Whoa," he whispered. "Did I die? This looks suspiciously like a high-budget afterlife."
A butterfly landed on his nose.
He blinked.
"Nope. Still alive. And still wearing an apron. Good."
He exhaled a long, long breath.
And for the first time in his life, he felt something wrap softly around his chest from the inside.
Belonging.
Ash walked forward through the tall grass, arms swinging at his sides.
His combat boots left light impressions in the soil. His hoodie fluttered slightly with the breeze.
Birds chirped, distant and gentle.
He passed beneath a natural stone arch and into a clearing surrounded by soft hills and trees that looked like they had been painted with sunlight. The air smelled of pine and wild herbs.
To his left, a hot spring bubbled. To his right, a waterfall caught the last light of day and split it into rainbows.
He dropped his backpack with a soft grunt and sat cross-legged beside the water.
He didn't cry this time.
He smiled.
"…So this is mine now," he said to a nearby dragonfly. "Sorry. I claim this land in the name of rice."
The dragonfly buzzed once and landed on his boot.
Ash leaned back and looked at the sky.
"I'm gonna build the best kitchen the forest's ever seen," he said softly. "And a giant bed. And a tech lab. And maybe a rooftop garden with solar grills."
A firefly landed on his hand.
It glowed twice, like it was saying yes.
Ash tilted his head.
"Okay," he said. "But only if you help."
That night, he didn't pitch a tent.
He lay on a blanket near the spring, staring up at the sky as the fireflies floated above him like stars that had come down to rest.
He ate plain rice and half a banana. It was probably the worst dinner he'd made in three years. But he grinned like it was a feast.
Because for once… He wasn't running.