It's the year 2030 in Caltheria, an imaginary country. At 9 PM, the streets were overflowing with people, the air loud with horns and chatter. Among the noise, one building towered above the rest—a 100-floor skyscraper, piercing the cloudy night sky. On its rooftop, a boy named Raven stood on the edge, wind brushing against his face. From up there, the town glittered in every direction, like stars scattered on the ground.
Raven smiled faintly. "So this is the end… Goodbye, everyone."
He stepped forward. As his body fell, he felt the rush of air against him. "So… who said humans can't fly without wings?" he thought. A smile crossed his face, even as tears streamed from his eyes. "Maybe I should be sad… because I'm dying."
Seconds later, a loud crash. His body hit the ground. Blood pooled fast, but the smile never left his face. People screamed. A crowd gathered. But Raven was gone.
People gathered around, murmuring, wondering who he was and how he had fallen from so high.
Suddenly, a girl named Tama ran into the crowd, breathless. Her eyes locked onto the bloodied body lying motionless on the pavement.
She froze.
Tears poured down her cheeks like a river. She wanted to scream, to collapse—but instead, she bit her lip and held it in. Only her tears betrayed the storm inside her.
She stood there, motionless, her mind blank, her heart refusing to believe what her eyes saw.
In the distance, the wail of an ambulance began to rise.
Above them, the sky darkened. Thunder growled through the clouds as rain began to pour, each drop merging with Tama's tears.
Her heart shattered into a thousand pieces—and in that moment, even the heavens seemed to mourn with her.
(Do you want to know who he was—and why he chose to end his life?
To understand that, we need to go back to where it all began…)
Raven lived in a city where the sun bloomed over the mountains each morning, and the warm smiles of kind-hearted people lit up the streets.
In the heart of this town lay a bustling marketplace, tucked between rows of modest houses. The air was filled with the aroma of delicious street food sold at affordable prices, laughter echoing from vendors and children alike.
Just behind the market stood a college—Havenburrow University.
It was here that Raven studied, now in the fourth year of his master's in science.
Raven was always friendly with everyone. He loved making people laugh, even if it meant joking about himself. No matter how hard life got, he always had a smile on his face.
But not everyone liked him.
Some students at college hated him because he was poor. Others looked down on him because of something his father had done in the past—something people still talked about in whispers, something considered wrong or shameful in the country. Because of that, they hated Raven and his family.
One day, things got worse.
A group of bullies shouted at him in front of others.
"You little runt! Who let you sit with us, huh? You bastard—you should've died with your father!"
Before Raven could react, one of them kicked him hard in the stomach. He fell to the ground, holding his stomach in pain.
While he was down, they punched him in the face. Again and again.
The whole class went silent, shocked by what had just happened.
Suddenly, a teacher walked in through the door. The bullies quickly rushed back to their seats, pretending nothing had happened.
The teacher saw Raven lying on the floor, groaning in pain. He had clearly seen what had happened—but still, he acted like he knew nothing.
"Raven! Get up, you idiot, and go to your seat," the teacher said coldly.
He completely ignored the bullies. Like many others in the college, even the teachers looked down on Raven.
Slowly, holding his aching body, Raven stood up and walked back to his seat. He sat down quietly and took a few sips of water from his bottle.
While drinking, he suddenly felt a cold stare burning into him. Curious and uneasy, he turned to look.
It was Richard.
His eyes were filled with rage, like he wanted to kill Raven right there. Richard was the one who had kicked him earlier.
Raven quickly turned his head to the front, his heart sinking with embarrassment.
He knew... he was too weak to fight back.
Raven knew that if he ever stood up to the bullies, it could affect his family—especially his aging mother, who waited for him at home, and his little sister, who was still in school. That's why he chose to stay silent and endure the pain.
A few scars on his body were nothing compared to the risk of losing the people he loved most.
So, he ignored the bullies and focused on the class, pretending everything was fine.
Are you wondering—if everyone hated him, then how was he even allowed to stay in college?
It was because of the principal.
Unlike others, the principal believed that a child should not be punished for their parent's mistakes. That's why he gave Raven a chance to study.
Raven admired and respected him deeply. The principal had helped him during his hardest times. He had arranged a free seat in school for Raven's younger sister and even provided financial support to help Raven's family survive.
Now, let's get back to the story.
As the final period dragged on, Raven kept glancing at the clock—twice every minute. He was waiting for the bell, planning to rush out as soon as it rang. He didn't want to risk running into the bullies again.
The moment the bell rang, he grabbed his bag and slipped out of class without looking back.
He hurried out of the college gate and made his way home. While walking down the street, he noticed a familiar dog trotting toward him.
Raven smiled and knelt down.
"Hey, Taka," he said gently, running his fingers through the dog's fur. "Sorry, I didn't bring anything for you today. I was in a hurry. I'll definitely get you something tomorrow, okay? See you. Bye."
Taka wagged his tail before running off down the lane.
Raven continued walking and finally reached home. As he stepped inside, his mother greeted him with her usual gentle smile.
"How was your day, son?" she asked warmly.
Raven smiled and replied,
"Yeah, it was good, Mom. How's your health? Did you take your tablets on time?"
"Umm… I'll take them now," she said hesitantly.
"Mom! Don't tell me you forgot again," Raven said, a little worried. "Please take care of yourself. If you don't take your medicine on time, you'll fall sick again."
"Okay, my son," she smiled softly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Did you eat something?"
"Yeah, I had lunch at college," Raven lied gently.
Just then, his little sister Lyra spotted him. Her eyes lit up, and she ran toward him with excitement, waving a sheet of paper in her hand.
"Big brother! Big brother! Look at my drawing!" she said, beaming.
She held up a crooked drawing of three stick figures inside a small house—it was their family.
Raven's heart melted. For a moment, all the pain and humiliation from college vanished.
"It's pretty good, Lyra," he said with a smile, placing his hand on her head and gently running his fingers through her hair.
She blushed and pouted.
"Hey! I'm not a little kid! I'll be ten next year!"
Raven laughed.
"You're still a kid."
Lyra puffed her cheeks in fake anger and ran outside to play.
After freshening up, Raven stepped out to head to his small vegetable store. He had opened it after his father's death to support his family. Taka, loyal as ever, followed him closely, tail wagging.
They reached the store, and Raven set up the fresh vegetables—red tomatoes, green leafy cabbages, broccoli, and more. Business was good that day. He managed to sell everything.
"At least one good thing happened today," he said with a small smile, feeling proud.
But it was already dark, and he knew his mother would worry—and maybe scold him—for coming home late. He quickly gathered the cash he'd earned. Wanting to cheer his mom up and show her that their efforts were paying off, he stuffed some money into the top pocket of his shirt and the rest into the lower pocket of his pants.
He locked up the store and began running home, with Taka trotting beside him. The dog had stayed the whole time as if waiting only to leave with Raven.
After a while, Raven slowed down, tired from the run, and began walking.
The street ahead was poorly lit—almost pitch black. As he stepped into the darkness, he spoke softly to Taka.
"Don't be scared, Taka. Look over there—a streetlight. We just need to pass through this darkness, and we'll be back in the light. Let's go."
Raven himself was afraid of the dark, but he pushed forward. Once they crossed the unlit stretch, he let out a deep breath, relieved.
But a little further down, he saw another streetlight—this one flickering. Under it, a group of men sat on bikes, drinking and laughing loudly.
Raven's stomach dropped. He felt the danger in the air.
He lowered his head and tried to walk past them quietly, hoping not to draw attention.
Suddenly, he heard a deep voice behind him.
"Hey! Kid, come over here."
Raven froze. Fear gripped him, but he knew he didn't have much choice. Slowly, he walked toward them, trying to stay calm.
"How can I help you, sir?" he asked, his voice trembling.
One of the men looked at him and said,
"Do you have some water?"
Raven's heart eased a little.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any, sir," he replied politely.
The man waved him off.
"Oh, okay then. Go."
Raven nodded quickly, turned around, and started walking away.
But just a few steps later, he heard their voices again.
"Hey! Brat..."