Who would’ve thought my sister’s high school graduation would end with me falling through the sky, screaming toward what I was sure would be my death?

  The wind roared past my ears, clothes whipping against my skin as I flailed, desperate for something—anything—to grab onto.

  Would I die? Probably.

  Would Mom mourn me? I hoped so.

  Would Stacey miss me? Maybe.

  None of it mattered. All that mattered was surviving the fall.

  And to think, it all started at Betty’s Flower Shop.

  The sweet scent of roses and lilies filled the air as I waited in line, a bouquet in mind for my little sister’s graduation.

  The girl in front of me dropped her keys. As I bent to grab them, our hands brushed. She smiled. For a second, everything blurred around us.

  I handed her the keys, but before I could say anything, someone—a figment of my imagination—shouted my name, slicing the moment in half.

  I froze. She gave a soft, slightly disappointed, “Okay then,” and turned away.

  Flushing with embarrassment, I grabbed a dozen lilies, paid, and hurried out.

  At my car, I tossed the bouquet onto the passenger seat and shook my head.

  “Get it together, Lamont,” I muttered, backing out of the lot. “No ghost. Just stress.”

  I turned on the radio, tapping along to the beat—

  Then someone cleared their throat beside me.

  “Damn it,” I muttered, hands tightening on the wheel.

  There he was: an old, white-haired man in a long coat, half-smiling like this was all a joke.

  “Serves you right, bonehead,” he said.

  I kept my eyes on the road. “You’re just a figment of my imagination,” I said through gritted teeth.

  He laughed. “If only.”

  He phased through the seat to sprawl in the back, perfectly at ease.

  “I’m here to keep you alive through the power transfer,” he said.

  “Not now,” I muttered. “I need to focus. Graduation, remember?”

  “Time’s running out, Lamont. You’re all I have.”

  I ignored him, pulling into the parking lot of my old high school.

  As I stepped out with the bouquet, he hovered behind me, his voice low.

  “Call me Cashius,” he said. “And don’t keep me waiting.”

  Then he vanished with a pop.

  As I entered the school, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was losing my mind.

  Maybe I needed to check myself into a psych ward. Either I was hallucinating, or someone had slipped me one hell of a mickey. Every time he showed up, goosebumps ran up my arms.

  A ghost I couldn’t shake—and see-through, too.

  I silently prayed and continued down the crowded hall, hoping he wouldn’t return.

  When I reached the gymnasium, I scanned the sea of people until I spotted my mother waving me over.

  I sat beside her and handed her the flowers.

  “Thank you for picking them up for me, baby.”

  I nodded, my mind drifting back to Cashius and whatever he still had to say.

  When the principal walked onto the stage, I zoned out, only half-listening as I searched the students behind him.

  There she was—my sister. Her face practically glowed beneath her cap and gown.

  I waved, but she didn’t see me. That was fine. Today was about her, not me.

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  When the ceremony ended, she burst toward us, her diploma clutched in her hands.

  “Mom!” she laughed. “I’m finally done!”

  She grabbed Mom’s hands, looking almost bashful.

  Mom gave her the flowers while I stood back.

  “I’m proud of you, Stacey,” I said with a smirk. “Now maybe you’ll go away to school, and I’ll finally get some peace.”

  She punched me in the shoulder.

  “Stop acting. You know you love me,” she said, rolling her eyes. “And maybe you should go away too… It’s what Dad would’ve wanted.”

  I rubbed my arm, and Mom gave me a friendly shove.

  “You two stop it now and be happy for each other,” she said, her eyes brimming with tears.

  Stacey left soon after with her friends—probably to get shit-faced, like I did after my graduation a couple of years back.

  Once she was gone, I slipped away into the halls of my old high school, looking for a quiet place to talk to Cashius.

  The photo lab.

  Since it was a Saturday, the building was mostly empty. The only sound was my sneakers squeaking against the polished floor.

  I flashed back to a few years earlier, walking these same halls with friends who had all gone off to better things.

  Why I hadn’t gone too was still a mystery—to both me and my mom.

  She’d always say, “Your father would’ve loved that you got a scholarship.”

  But after he died in the line of duty, I gave up.

  School didn’t matter anymore. Neither did college.

  When I reached the photo lab, I pushed open the door. The warped wood scraped against my fingers.

  Inside, it was pitch black.

  I found the light switch and flipped it on. The dim amber glow of the red light filled the room, and the overhead vent hummed to life, sending a cool breeze across my face.

  I paused in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection.

  My skin looked flushed—drier than ever.

  Standing there, I felt strangely out of place, like the reflection belonged to someone else.

  The deep lines under my eyes told the story of a restless night spent talking to a ghost.

  I bent over the sink, splashed cold water on my face, and tried to convince myself this wasn’t real.

  Cashius had appeared like a glitching screen—his form unstable at first, flickering like an old CRT monitor.

  Lines bled over reality, his figure shifting between sharp and blurred, gray and distorted.

  Ready to get this over with, I turned to survey the room.

  Piles of old camera equipment were scattered across the space, along with trays for developing photos and dusty bottles of chemicals.

  Relics from a time before everything went digital.

  I picked up a roll of film, turning it over in my hands before setting it back.

  No one came in here anymore.

  It was a forgotten portal to the past.

  Suddenly, the air wavered.

  My ears popped.

  Finally, I thought, as Cashius came into focus—sharper now, with a hint of color.

  “Lamont,” his voice boomed, rattling the air. “We need to talk. Now.”

  He glanced around, frowning.

  “This room won’t do. We need to be outside, somewhere open—or the frequency could start a fire.”

  “Here you go again. What fire?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

  “Please, just get outdoors—somewhere with a clear view of the sky.”

  “How about the roof?” I said, already heading toward the stairwell.

  “Perfect,” he said sharply. “The energies need a direct path to the sky. Otherwise… explosion.”

  I stopped mid-step, giving him a hard look.

  “Damn it, man. At least tell me why you’re here while I take us up.”

  “You’ll have to wait,” he said, clipped and firm.

  On the way up, the same crazy thoughts clawed their way back in.

  Lamont, you’re going insane.

  But somehow, I kept going—one step at a time.

  By the time we reached the roof, I had almost convinced myself to hear him out.

  I pushed open the door and let the wind hit us.

  “Okay, we’re here,” I said with a smirk. “Now start explaining.”

  “Well, as I told you last night, Orbralis is in dire need of warriors. Men of the world. Men like you,” he said, pacing around me.

  “Outrageous,” I scoffed. “No one wants me for anything. I’m just a regular guy. Fucked up in the brain, trying to figure out life.”

  Cashius stopped and gave me a pointed look.

  “I was tasked with bringing back a champion. You are it.”

  “Bullshit. Why me?”

  “Because I need your help. That’s why.”

  Needing my help wasn’t enough to make me believe any of this.

  You’d have to be crazy to think this was real.

  He stepped closer, inches from my face.

  “There’s no time for details. Just know this—a beam of pure light will descend on you shortly, pulling you from this world. In minutes. Are you ready?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Kind of. If you say no, that same beam will kill both you and me.”

  My stomach dropped.

  I reached for him, but my hands passed through the air.

  “What did you just say? If I say no, I die?” My voice cracked.

  “That’s the gist,” he said, strangely calm. “Now, what’s your answer?”

  I froze.

  Was this real? A dream? A nightmare?

  If I said no, I’d die.

  If I said yes, I’d lose everything—my mother, my sister… even my ex, who probably wouldn’t notice I was gone.

  Cashius hovered beside me, flickering like a dying light bulb.

  “So what’s Orbralis?” I asked, stalling.

  “A world unlike any other,” he said. “Walking there is a dream. Dangerous, sure—but breathtaking. It’s why I picked you.”

  He suddenly tensed, putting a hand to his ear like he was listening to a radio.

  His face darkened.

  “Ten seconds to decide. Either we’re dead, or we’re gone.”

  I hesitated, every part of me screaming to stay.

  Mom would lose it if I vanished—another person gone without a trace.

  And Stacey? She’d never forgive me for missing her college send-off.

  But if I said no… would my charred body be the last thing they’d ever see of me?

  Cashius tapped his foot, arms crossed.

  “Tick-tock, hero.”

  “Well,” I exhaled, the words heavy on my tongue. “The only choice is to leave… and see if you’re telling the truth.”

  The words barely left my lips when the sky exploded—not with sound, but with a silence so profound it choked me.

  Light, thicker than cotton, wrapped around my skin, buzzing like a live wire.

  My bones hummed.

  My teeth rattled.

  For one terrifying second—

  The world twisted—and then vanished.

  Next, the wind screamed in my ears as I plummeted through empty air.

  “CASHIUS!” I flailed, but only the void answered.

  The ground rushed up. Or was it down?

  My stomach lurched.

  If this was death, it was a shitty way to go.

  Then—

  A cloud blotted out the sun.

  Still falling, I let out a scream.

  Welcome to Orbralis.

  Hope you’re not scared of falling.