Kaiden hit the ground with a thud, the soft cushion of grass beneath him doing little to ease the shock of the fall. His body screamed in pain, his chest and stomach flaring as if he’d belly-flopped onto concrete. He gasped, clutching at his torso, every nerve firing off in sharp stings. His arms and legs felt like they’d been whipped by branches.

“Fucking ouch,” he groaned, curling up into a ball, instinctively trying to stretch and fold his body to ease the pain. The soft earth pressed against him, the blades of grass brushing his skin. Slowly, he rolled over, planting his palms into the ground, and instinctively began pushing himself upright. He stood shakily, his legs trembling beneath him.

Kaiden began walking in uneven circles, pacing slowly, trying to shake the sensation off. Each step felt awkward at first, his legs still tingling with the aftershock of the fall. As his hands moved over his body, probing for damage, he realized with some shock that nothing seemed broken. He felt around again, more carefully this time. No bones sticking out. No blood pooling under his clothes.

"How...?" His mind spun.

His arms, his legs, everything was in the right place. He should be hurt worse than this. He should be in agony, right? But instead, he found himself moving... just fine. There was a brief flash of confusion, but it floated by as he kept walking, his mind still half-fogged.

The pain, which had hit him like a truck just moments ago, was already falling away. He barely noticed how fast it was disappearing, like fading sunlight. In fact, he was walking perfectly well now. It felt oddly normal. Wait. Walking?

He froze mid-step, his foot hanging in the air, a realization creeping up on him like a shadow he hadn’t noticed until it swallowed the room. He hadn’t walked unassisted in years. Years. His mind seized on that fact, but it refused to fit into the world he was currently standing in.

Kaiden’s jaw dropped. He was walking.

His eyes widened as the reality finally set in. Not just walking—but walking without crutches. His legs didn’t buckle. They didn’t tremble. There was no ache, no muscle fatigue dragging him down like a weight. He wasn’t in the chair. He wasn’t struggling. And... he felt fine.

No. Better than fine.

He took a deliberate step forward, almost testing himself. The movement felt fluid, powerful even, like his legs had never known anything but perfect function. His entire body buzzed with energy. He lifted his hands to his face, his fingers steady, strong.

For a second, he laughed—just a breathy, shocked laugh, the kind you let out when something so absurd happens you can’t do anything but marvel at it. His hands, his legs—everything—worked. Worked better than they ever had.

Kaiden looked down at himself, then quickly scanned his surroundings. There was dirt on his suit from the fall, but otherwise, it was pristine. Not a tear or a smudge. He absentmindedly brushed the dirt from his sleeves.

And then it hit him again—harder, deeper this time.

He wasn’t just walking. He wasn’t just feeling better. He’d fallen. Twenty stories, no less. He should be dead. The fall should have snapped him like a twig. It should have shattered his bones, left him bleeding out on the pavement. But here he was, standing, breathing, alive.

Alive?

Kaiden’s stomach dropped. His eyes darted to the sky, to the unfamiliar surroundings, the eerie calm that settled over him. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t...

He swallowed hard, his pulse quickening.

Was this a dream? He glanced around, taking in the wide, open expanse of grassland, the scattered trees swaying gently in the breeze, the dirt road winding its way through the landscape like an invitation. It was beautiful, peaceful. Too peaceful.

His stomach churned as his mind caught up to the moment. Everything felt too vivid, too solid to be a dream. He shouldn’t be standing here, admiring the scenery. He shouldn’t even be here. The fall... no one could have survived that.

He didn’t survive that fall.

And if this wasn’t a dream, then...

"This is..." he whispered, the words barely forming on his lips. "This must be the afterlife."

Kaiden stepped onto the dirt road, his mind spinning with the wild implications of having crossed into the afterlife. He had no idea what to expect, but the road seemed like a good place to start. One end stretched on into the distance, vanishing into the horizon, while the other revealed the faint outline of a town with walls just visible in the distance. That definitely looked like the better option.

With a purpose now, he started walking toward the town, his steps picking up speed. His body felt light, energized in a way he hadn’t experienced in years. Soon, his walk turned into a brisk stride. Then, without thinking, he broke into a jog. The ground was firm beneath his feet, the rhythm of his body familiar but long forgotten. The faster he went, the more exhilarating it became.

Then, he was sprinting—full tilt down the dirt road, a goofy, uncontrollable smile stretching across his face. Tears welled up and began streaming down his cheeks, but not from sadness. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d run. The sheer joy of it, the freedom in his limbs, was overwhelming. His mind flashed to the saying “like riding a bike,” though he’d never actually ridden one.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

His lungs began to burn, his muscles aching from the unfamiliar exertion. His feet throbbed in protest from the terrible shoes he was wearing, but none of it mattered. This wasn’t the kind of pain he was used to—the pain of a body broken and failing him day by day. This was from something new, something powerful: effort. The more it hurt, the more the tears fell, hot and fast, as if they were spilling out all the years of frustration and bitterness that had weighed him down for so long.

If anyone saw him now, he’d probably look ridiculous—tears streaming, a wild grin plastered on his face, running as if his life depended on it. But he didn’t care. This was ecstasy, pure and simple. The burn in his chest, the fire in his legs—it all felt incredible.

Kaiden pushed harder, willing himself to go faster, to hold onto this feeling for as long as possible. His lungs were screaming for him to stop, but he refused to slow down. The town loomed closer and closer, its walls growing larger with each pounding step, like a finish line waiting to be crossed.

And then—darkness.

He didn’t even feel himself hit the ground before everything went black.

Kaiden stirred to the prodding of his left shoulder, a dull, persistent poke rousing him from the depths of unconsciousness. A voice, gruff and impatient, broke through the fog in his mind.

"Hey, you dead?"

Kaiden jolted awake, blinking rapidly, his throat as dry as sandpaper. "Huh?" he croaked, the word barely making it out. Dead? His mind repeated it, the concept floating dully as he tried to grasp where he was, what was happening. His vision swam for a moment, and when it finally cleared, he found himself staring up at a man clad in what could only be described as medieval fantasy armor—plates of steel, rough leather straps, the works.

Wow, Kaiden thought, blinking in disbelief. An attendant of the afterlife.

The man in armor glanced over his shoulder and called back to someone behind him. “He’s alive, boss.”

From the road, a gruff voice responded. "Good. Now get him the fuck outta the road."

Kaiden’s mouth moved, but his voice came out in a rasp. "Water..."

The armored man looked back at his boss, who sat atop the seat of a horse-drawn carriage. The boss gave an irritated wave of his hand, clearly not interested in lingering. With a shrug, the armored man pulled a water skin from his belt, dragged Kaiden to the side of the road, and tipped it to his mouth. Cool water spilled down his throat, and Kaiden nearly choked from how suddenly refreshing it was.

"Okay, that's enough," the boss called, his voice sharper now. "Let’s go."

The man in armor snapped the water skin closed and got up, walking back toward the carriage without another word. He hopped into the front seat with ease, settling next to the driver. The horses neighed softly as the carriage began to roll forward, creaking away from the town and heading down the road.

Kaiden, still catching his breath, waved weakly after them. "Thank you!" he called, his voice ragged but sincere. The carriage, though, kept going, no acknowledgment coming from its passengers as it disappeared down the path.

He sat there for a moment, trying to make sense of it all. "Why would the attendants of the afterlife just... leave me here?" he muttered to himself, brow furrowing. His eyes followed the now distant carriage, confusion swirling in his mind. He felt something tugging at the back of his thoughts—something about what the armored guy had said.

He’s alive, boss.

Kaiden blinked, the words bouncing around in his head. "Wait... alive?" he said aloud. "But... if this is the afterlife, then isn’t everyone here technically dead? Or if you make it here, then you’re considered alive... again?"

"Huh," Kaiden muttered, shaking his head as he pushed himself to his feet. "Guess I’ll figure that out when I get to town."

The town wasn’t far now, the walls much closer than before. As he dusted himself off and started walking again, he made a conscious decision to take it slower this time. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he chuckled to himself.

"Of course, everyone has their limits," he mused, the absurdity of his earlier sprint hitting him now. But as strange as everything was, for the first time in years, he had felt alive. And that was something worth hanging onto.

As Kaiden approached the gates, he caught his first glimpse of the town within. From a distance, the scene was a whirlwind of color and activity, a sprawling bazaar stretching out beyond the gates. Even from where he stood, the buzz of life carried on the wind—merchants calling out to potential buyers, stalls overflowing with goods, and people haggling for everything from shimmering cloths to strange, bulbous fruits that glowed faintly in the midday sun. He saw flashes of metal too—shining swords, intricately carved daggers, and gleaming suits of armor displayed proudly. The banners above each stall swayed in the breeze, decorated with symbols he couldn’t recognize, giving the place an exotic, otherworldly feel.

He paused, his stomach twisting again, but this time with uncertainty. A bazaar in the afterlife? That didn’t add up. Shouldn’t this be... more peaceful? Serene? And then there were the guards.

Flanking either side of the massive wooden gates stood two guards, imposing in stature, their hands resting on the hilts of longswords sheathed at their sides. Up along the stone walls, Kaiden could make out archers positioned at regular intervals, their bows slung over their shoulders, eyes sharp as they surveyed the landscape.

Why would heaven need archers and gate guards?

His mind raced, his earlier assumptions unraveling faster with each step toward the gates. His run-in with the armored man and the carriage driver all began to make sense in a different way. This wasn’t heaven, was it?

No fucking way... he thought, his eyes narrowing as a new possibility entered his mind. Have I been transported to another world?

The thought seemed too insane to even consider, but the more he stared at the town and its inhabitants, the more it felt right. He wasn’t dead. He wasn’t in some tranquil afterlife. He was... somewhere else.

Kaiden continued his approach, his steps hesitant but determined. The guards at the gate gave him long, confused looks, their gazes flickering over his suit, their expressions marked with suspicion, but they said nothing. He was well aware that he probably looked out of place in his modern, sleek outfit, especially when compared to the guards in their medieval gear.

Their armor was a deep blue, polished but worn from use, with thick leather straps securing plates of steel across their chests and shoulders. Each wore a tabard of the same blue, emblazoned with a white crest—an emblem he couldn’t quite make out from this distance. The archers along the walls sported matching uniforms, though theirs were lighter, designed for mobility, with quivers of arrows strapped to their backs.

Kaiden’s heart pounded as he walked past them. He could feel their eyes on him, could almost hear their unspoken questions, but they didn’t stop him.

Still, his unease grew with every step toward the gates. Whatever lay beyond, it wasn’t what he’d expected when he first hit the ground. Not heaven, he thought, the realization settling deeper into his bones.

Another world.