Tyler's POV

The Sun Mountains stood tall, their peaks catching the first light of dawn. At the base, scattered terraced houses rested quietly. Among them was a small, shabby cottage, tucked away from sight.

I walked towards a cottage from the forest, With the steamed buns in each of my  hands that had by now turned cold and hard, I strode toward the cottage. When I reached it, I pushed open the door with my foot and stepped in.

The space inside the cottage was minimal. The room was almost empty as I owned very little.A discolored table, a shaky and cracked wooden chair, and a bed were the only furniture in my room.

I put the buns on the table and walked to the bed with my face turned pale, my breath was deep and slow, and my clothes were torn and ragged.

My clothes were covered with blood spots from the many fights I had been in. I was also about sixteen or seventeen years old, but there was something about me that made it seem as though I was older. 

"Tyler! Tyler!"

Bella shouted as she tried to wake me on the bed. However, I did not respond. My eyes stayed closed as I remained lost in my unconscious world.

Bella was a rather coarse and vulgar fellow. She was the kind of person who would always follow her emotions and would never give any thought or consideration to my actions.

Seeing that I, her buddy, was still not moving, she felt uneasy and worried. Agitated, Bella, paced back and forth in the small space of the room.

A few moments later, she returned to the bedside and tried to wake me up once more,"Tyler, please wake up! You are scaring the hell out of me. Are you just going to die like this? At such a young age when you haven't fulfilled your dream? If you die, I will be all alone. I won't have a single friend to talk to. You cannot be so selfish. Please wake up for my sake, as well as for your own, OK?" Tears rushed out of her eyes. Bella continued in her hoarse, broken voice," Tyler, you used to protect me. With you by my side, no one dared to bully me or humiliate me. You were the one who would always stand up and teach those bastards lessons. I always wondered what good things I had done to earn an incredible friend like you. I am really sorry, buddy. Please don't die! Please don't leave me alone!"

As the sorrow in her heart intensified, Bella's reaction gradually changed from sobbing to wailing.

The sound of her cry was so loud in the small, confined space of the cottage that the straw ceiling seemed to tremble with this howl.

"Tyler, I have no intention to live in this world if you die. It is all because of those bastards. Wait, buddy, I will go and kill them."After saying that, Bella turned and rushed out to seek revenge.

She had always been like that. Driven by her feelings, Bella would do whatever came to his mind at once.

However, just as she was about to step out, her ears caught the sound of me grumbling in discomfort

"What is that noise? Oh, my ears! I feel I am going deaf! Who is making that awful sound?" I knitted my brows at the sound of Bella's cry.

Bella halted at once and turned.

She saw me on  the bed raising my arm faintly in the air and trying to clutch onto something. 

Bella rushed back to the wooden bed and clasped his raised hand into my own as she exclaimed in excitement," Tyler! It is me, Bella. How are you feeling?"

"Tyļer? It has been so long since anyone called me by that name.

Oh, yes! I remember. That name brought back memories of my past. My buddy who played Basketball with me used to call me by that name.'

I gradually pulled myself from my memories and focused on the present. I felt a sharp, shooting pain streak across my forehead as I tried to move. I  didn't dare to think harder.

I opened my eyes slowly. The sunlight penetrated through the cracks in the straw ceiling and scattered on my face. I narrowed my eyes and tried to recall where I was. I looked around the small, shabby room.

I was taken aback with surprise. Where am I? How did I end up in such an old cottage? Who brought me here? Am I dreaming? What is this place? My mind earnestly sought answers to his questions. I winced as the effort worsened the headache.

I was an ordinary employee of a company in the beautiful, prosperous, coastal S city, which belonged to Cathay Nation.

After graduating from college, I came to New York with my girlfriend. We wished to pursue our careers and start our lives together in the new year as a new chapter.

After a few years of dedicated work, I was promoted from my worker position to manager of the Sales department. The promotion was a joyous event as it inevitably brought hope and more enthusiasm to my spirit. I worked harder than ever.

However, things were not as smooth as I expected. A sudden, horrible incident struck my soaring career.