The GoPro blinked, capturing every motion, every second of the run. Sid grinned to himself despite the ache already building in his thighs. This... this was life.

He cut across another roof, swung himself up a rusty fire escape, and scrambled higher and higher, his body moving on instinct. Sweat rolled down his temple, but he barely felt it. His mind was focused. His muscles remembered every grab, every vault, every kick against a wall to climb higher. At last, he launched himself up onto the tallest building in the block and came to a halt.

The city stretched out beneath him. Neon signs hummed. Car headlights crawled along like rivers of white and red. The cold night air wrapped around him, almost cleansing. Sid spread his arms for a moment, letting the wind rush against his chest, closing his eyes to feel it on his skin.

"This is it... my life now... After getting kicked out because of that damn video... after I broke the president’s face. And what did he get? A slap on the wrist. Suspension."

His lips curled bitterly.

"Of course. His daddy the politician bailed him out. Nepo baby bullshit. The world just let it slide. But me? An ordinary guy gets thrown out like I’m the villain."

He clenched his fists, staring down at the endless city. The anger still lived in him, even after two years, gnawing at him every time he thought of Morgana’s face that day.

"A rotten school for a rotten son of a politician. And all those people pretending like it wasn’t evil. Like it was just normal. Screw that. Screw all of it!"

His eyes shifted ahead. A red tower loomed further in the skyline, rising like a challenge into the night sky. Its windows reflected the neon glow. Sid exhaled slowly, a smile tugging at his lips.

"That one... next time, I’m going there. My highest climb yet."

He flipped the GoPro toward himself, his grin wide and breathless.

"You see that tower? Seven hundred meters high. Six months ago, I was just some guy posting shaky edits of rooftop runs, never thinking anyone would care. And now? I’m about to hit my first million subscribers. So here’s the deal... when we cross that line, I climb it. All the way. Wohooooo!"

He threw his arms out wide, letting the camera capture him against the skyline. The cold air whipped around him, tugging his sweat-damp hair until it dried. For a moment, he closed his eyes, letting the wind wash him clean. His heartbeat slowed, steady again.

Sid opened his eyes, cracked his neck once, and jogged toward the edge, ready for the next leap. The city awaited his descent.

"Alright, time to go home..."

Sid took a final breath, then leapt off the rooftop, body curling into motion again. Every jump, every climb, every rooftop became his pathway home.

Sid swung himself in through the open window, his shoes landed on the wooden floor. He closed the glass quietly behind him, locking out the night. The room around him was as bare as ever, low light from a single bulb, walls empty and gray, a bed pressed into the corner, and a plain desk with a computer set neatly on top. Nothing extra, just what he needed to get by.

Sid peeled off his parkour gear piece by piece, tossing it aside as he headed straight for the kitchen. He threw together a protein shake, downing it in seconds. Without a second thought, he stripped the rest of the way and walked into the bathroom. The pipes groaned when he twisted the knob, steam curling up from the showerhead.

He was just about to step under the hot spray when his phone buzzed from the desk. The screen lit up in the dim light, one word flashing across it.

Mother.

Sid paused. He stared at it for a long moment, his jaw tightening. The ring echoed through the hollow room, tugging at something in him. But then, with a sharp breath, he looked away.

"Not tonight..."

He muttered before stepping into the shower. The hot water drowned out the call.

Minutes later, he walked back out, towel slung over his shoulders, hair damp. He sat down at the desk, the glow of the computer screen lighting his face. His hand brushed over the smooth black casing of the machine. He gave a small, tired smile.

"This... this is the fruit of it. Every jump. Every rooftop. My parkour paid for this."

Without wasting time, Sid grabbed his phone, plugged it in, and queued up the footage from that night’s run. He trimmed it carefully, cutting out certain parts— especially the moment where he talked about the president. That was personal, and he didn’t want it mixing with his account. He wanted to keep his channel clean, focused only on the runs.

With a final check, he tapped Upload

. As the progress bar crawled forward, Sid scrolled through his channel. Video after video was stacked with millions of views, each one a milestone in its own right. At the top corner of the screen, his subscriber count glowed back at him: 991,060.

"Just 10,000 more and I will hit my million. Never expected I would try this Vtuber that Big D was making content of... Now I know, why he was too eager to make anything."

Just then, the phone buzzed again, rattling softly against the desk. He glanced down.

[Mother — Calling]

The screen glowed against the dark room.

The phone kept buzzing against the desk, rattling softly. Sid stared at it for a few seconds, then sighed and dragged a hand through his damp hair.

"Fine."

He tapped the screen and pressed it to his ear.

"Yeah, Mom."

"Sid?"

His mother’s voice came warm...

"How are you, sweetheart? Did you eat dinner? It’s already midnight there. Don’t forget to rest after your run... take care of yourself, always."

Silence stretched. Sid just nodded, but she filled the gap instantly.

"You know, I saw your video tonight. I always make sure I’m the first to watch and comment, haha. I—I just love them. You found something you enjoy and share with the world... But sometimes my heart nearly falls out of my chest when you jump so high—please, always put safety first, okay?"

Her words blurred together. Sid was too tired; her voice became a lull, almost hypnotic.

"I even share them with everyone I know—"

Sid’s voice cut sharp.

"Everyone? You mean your new family?"