While his group marched far ahead in the German mountains, Adam spent his time flirting with his girlfriend, Joanna. From a distance, one could easily mistake them for a solid couple who had been together for months or even years, but in reality, they had only known each other for a little over a week.

In Adam's eyes, and he was certain Joanna was aware of it, this was just a holiday fling. Soon, the group would part ways, each person returning home, including the two young people who had been spending their days together for some time now.

Every opportunity was a good one to kiss and hold hands.

“Hurry up back there!” grumbled a camp counselor for the hundredth time, who was twice their age.

They had set out early in the morning from their leisure center to go on a hike, while others chose horseback riding or canoeing, much to the frustration of the young boy who didn’t enjoy walking.

At least, he thought with a slight smile on his face, I get to spend time with Joanna.

She was a very pretty girl, one of the prettiest he had ever seen. She had long, wavy red hair and large, bright blue eyes that sparkled like sapphires. She was also fairly tall, as tall as him, which was uncommon. Adam himself was quite a good-looking boy, which had made it easy for him to attract girls’ attention since middle school. It hadn’t been difficult to charm this spirited young girl.

At first, she had rejected his advances, but his sweet words eventually won her over. The past few days had been happy and entertaining.

“Hey, Adam, you’ll call me often, right?”

Adam looked at Joanna in surprise before smiling warmly at her.

“Of course! Every day!”

This was exactly the answer the young girl was hoping for, and she returned his smile.

Their stay in Germany was coming to an end, and soon it would be time to go home. Then, school would start again. He would see his friends, his family, his dog, and his cat. Even though it was highly unlikely they would ever see each other again, Adam couldn’t bring himself to say anything else to Joanna's question.

“Watch your step, it’s slippery,” Joanna said to her boyfriend, whose hand she held tightly.

The ground was indeed muddy due to recent rain showers. Although it was now sunny and warm, it hadn’t been enough to make this long dirt path any easier to walk on. In some places, they had to step aside to avoid a large puddle, even if it meant walking through thick, damp grass.

They were surrounded by tall trees, and the slope was steep enough to make everyone sweat.

Ah, and to think it's just to eat at the top of one of these small mountains! Ah, I’m thirsty.

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Adam pulled a plastic bottle out of his backpack and, while walking, began to drink in large gulps. He didn’t see the large puddle in front of him, and without Joanna's warning, he would have stepped right into it.

“Thanks, Jo—”

He didn’t have time to finish his sentence before he felt his foot slip as if he were standing on ice.

“Huh?”

“Adam!”

As he tried to regain his balance, he tipped to the side and tumbled down the slope to his left. The scenery whirled past him as he rolled over and over. Nothing seemed to be able to stop him as he gained speed.

Instinctively, he tried to protect his head with his hands, and eventually, he came to a halt. Dazed, he looked around and made sure he wasn’t injured.

Phew! That was close!

Not far from where he had stopped, there was a huge black rock shaped like a fang. He would have certainly hurt himself badly if he had crashed into it.

“Adam! Are you okay?!”

From the path, Joanna called out to him with concern. The camp counselor and the other kids had turned back, each one as worried as the redheaded girl.

“I’m fine!” he assured them as he struggled to stand up. “I’m not hurt!”

Adam could almost hear the sighs of relief coming from the path.

But as he was about to try climbing back up, his eyes noticed a small, shiny object at the base of the black rock. Wedged between the roots of a nearby tree, he found an old-fashioned pocket watch. The watch was clearly weathered and covered in moss, as if it had been there for years. However, its golden face still retained some of its luster. He thought he saw an engraving inside, but time had rendered it unreadable.

With some caution, the young man picked it up and admired it.

“Wow! It’s beautiful! But it’s really taken a beating!”

Proud of his find, he slipped it into the pocket of his denim jacket and began to climb, using the nearby tree roots as steps.

Suddenly, a violent migraine struck, and his vision became blurry. Colors faded, and the sunlight instantly became unbearable.

“W-what?”

Adam didn’t understand what was happening to him. Just moments ago, he had felt perfectly fine, but now it felt as if his head was being crushed. With each passing second, the pain became more and more unbearable.

“A-ah… My head… My head hurts.”

Unaware of the situation, Joanna and the others were waiting for Adam to climb back up.

Help!

Even the mere act of thinking aggravated his headache. Leaning against a huge oak tree, Adam covered his face with his dirt-stained hand. Only his mouth, twisted in pain, was visible.

It hurts so much! God, please make it stop!

His heart seemed to pound loudly, drowning out the sound of the wind in the leaves and his own breathing. His legs went weak, and before he realized it, he found himself sitting on the ground at the foot of the great oak. All his strength left him, and he collapsed to the side, losing consciousness.

When he reopened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by strangers dressed in strange clothing. Though he lacked the strength to move or speak, he realized he was lying under a large white tent made of thick canvas. Confused, he looked around and noticed that many people were lying on makeshift beds, many of them covered in blood and bandages. As for the smell, it could only be described as foul, a mix of blood, straw, sweat, and animals. The combination made Adam want to vomit, even though he had just woken up.

“François! You’re awake!”

“It’s a miracle!”

Huh? Why are they calling me François? Who are these people?! Oh, my head!

The pain, still present, suddenly exploded in his head with the force of a punch. It was so intense that, despite his efforts, he lost consciousness once again.