The wind hit his face hard.
For a moment, there was no ground.
Only air.
The boy didn't scream.
He didn't panic.
His legs moved.
Out of habit.
"…This is not running," he muttered.
The cliff was high.
Too high for a normal person.
Rocks below. Sharp. Unforgiving.
Bad choice.
Very bad choice.
He looked down.
"…I should have thought first."
Pause.
"…Too late."
His body twisted mid-air.
He aimed.
Not for the ground—
For the slope beside it.
Loose dirt. Broken rocks. A chance.
He hit.
Hard.
His body rolled, slammed, bounced, slid down the slope like a thrown object.
Pain shot through his arms, his back, his side.
But his legs—
Still moved.
He pushed.
Used the fall.
Turned it into motion.
By the time he reached the bottom, he was already running.
Behind him, the men reached the cliff.
They looked down.
One of them clicked his tongue.
"…He jumped."
Another smiled.
"Good."
They didn't hesitate.
They jumped too.
The boy didn't look back.
He didn't need to.
He already knew.
The ground below was rough.
Stones. Roots. uneven land.
Perfect for slowing people down.
Not him.
He ran through it.
Fast.
Light.
Like he barely touched the ground.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
His breathing grew heavy.
His body hurt.
But that feeling—
Still there.
"…Why are they still close?" he said under his breath.
He slowed for half a second.
Listened.
Footsteps.
Still behind him.
"…This is annoying."
He turned sharply and ran toward a narrow path between rocks.
Then another turn.
Then another.
Left. Right. Jump. Slide.
Anyone else would get lost.
He didn't.
He remembered every step.
Every turn.
But they still followed.
That was the problem.
He stopped suddenly.
Just for a second.
Thinking.
"…If running doesn't lose them…"
Pause.
"…then I need something else."
He looked around.
Trees.
Loose rocks.
A small river nearby.
A plan.
Simple.
He ran toward the river.
Jumped in.
Water splashed.
Cold.
Fast current.
He didn't stop.
He ran through the river.
Upstream.
Downstream.
Back and forth.
Then out again.
He changed direction.
Again.
And again.
Then he ran.
This time—
No footsteps.
He slowed.
Just a little.
Looked back.
Nothing.
Silence.
He stood there for a moment.
Breathing.
Thinking.
"…Did it work?"
For the first time in a while—
That feeling…
Was gone.
He sat down.
Exhausted.
Wet.
Hungry.
"…Running into water is useful," he said.
Pause.
"…I should remember that."
He lay back on the ground.
Staring at the sky.
Finally—
Peace.
Far away—
A man looked at a map.
The glowing point flickered.
Then stopped.
"…Lost him?" the man whispered.
Then smiled.
"…For now."
The boy closed his eyes.
Thinking it was over.
It wasn't.
End of Chapter 12