RISE OF THE LOST HEIR: ASHES TO EMPIRE

SIX: BREAKING POINT, GOODBYE NORTHWOOD CREST

Elsa had been out of town for a few days preparing for school, but the moment she heard of Grandma Martha’s death, she rushed back just in time for the funeral.

“Sorry, bro… we’re gonna miss her,” Tommy muttered, standing awkwardly among the small crowd. At least he had the decency to show up. Elsa stood beside Levi throughout, quiet and steady, accepting everyone’s condolences with him.

Tommy never once looked her in the eye.

And Clarie? She sent a text:

“Sorry for your loss, can’t make it. Not in town.”

Levi didn’t even have the strength to react.

When the crowd thinned out, he finally broke again, shoulders trembling.

Elsa rubbed his back gently, crying softly with him.

______

Two months after his world collapsed, Levi began receiving messages from his different workplaces, asking if he would resume.

He quit them all except Arden Express. There was no point anymore.

“You know you can still take time off,” Bob said in his thick accent, eyeing Levi’s sunken expression.

The entire neighborhood noticed—Levi had become a ghost.

He never smiled. He walked past people with his earphones in, eyes dead, like a soul wandering without direction.

---

Another month passed. Elsa’s days in Northwood Crest were numbered—her father got a promotion, and the entire family was moving out of state. She hadn’t told Levi yet.

All the sleepless nights, double shifts, and stress eventually caught up with him. Levi fell seriously ill.

One morning, barely able to sit up, he heard loud, impatient banging at the door.

“Who is it?” he croaked as he opened the door.

A sharply dressed man stood there with two others behind him.

“Sorry to bother you this early. You’re Levi Powell, correct?”

“Yes… and you are?”

“We’re from Platinum Bank. This is regarding your loan.”

Levi’s heart stalled.

“According to the agreement you signed, you’ve exceeded the payment period. We’re here to inform you that the house is being mortgaged.”

“What? No—no, it’s till next year. He told me a year—”

The man shook his head. “No-Did you read the terms before signing? You were given two months, and it has now been over that. Since you haven’t paid anything, we’ll return by evening to evacuate the property.”

He handed Levi the documents.

Levi’s signature was right there. His fingerprints. Everything.

He remembered how fast they had been ready with the paperwork.

He had been tricked.

They saw his desperation and used it against him.

No wonder, he did find the managers smirk suspicious.

“Please… give me more time,” Levi begged weakly.

“Not possible. We’re collecting all collateral-backed houses today. Good day, sir.”

They left Levi standing in the doorway, dizzy, shaking, unable to breathe.

Sick and panicked, he rushed to the bank and demanded to see the manager—the same man who had smiled at him during the loan. The man tried to ignore him, but Levi pushed his way in.

“You told me a year. You said one year!” Levi growled, fists shaking.

The manager lifted the file lazily.

“Your agreement says two months. We deal with paperwork here, not conversations. If you don’t like the terms, you should’ve read them.”

“You conniving scum—”

“Security,” the man called.

The guards dragged Levi out as he shouted, “You lied! You liar!”

And just like that, the last thing his grandmother left him was ripped away.

---

By the time he reached home, the rain had started.

All his belongings were already dumped on the porch.

Hobos were rummaging through them.

“HEY!” he yelled, running after them. They grabbed what they could and fled.

He fell to his knees in the cold rain, staring at what was left of his life.

He cried silently, screamed into the downpour, then forced himself to gather the surviving valuables and hide them in the backyard.

He needed somewhere—anywhere—to sleep.

Tommy’s house was the closest.

He knew they had become distant, but maybe as his best friend, he would help him… at least for a night.

He walked through the rain and knocked weakly. The door was unlocked.

“Tommy?” he called, stepping inside. “Tom—”

A familiar voice floated from the bedroom.

“So you promise to get me the bag tomorrow?”

Clarie.

“Of course, babe,” Tommy replied. “I’m not Levi.”

Levi froze.

He moved toward the slightly open door.

There they were—lying together, touching, laughing.

“Ugh, don’t remind me of that fool,” Clarie scoffed. “He couldn’t do anything right. And then he expected me to show up at the funeral? He wasn’t even worth dating.”

Tommy laughed. “Glad you are over him. You weren’t thinking twice when we first started.”

“Please. When I want something, I get it. Nothing was going to stop me.”

Levi felt the betrayal crash into him—but strangely, not with the pain he expected.

More like a final, relieving confirmation.

Without a word, he walked out.

___

The rain had stopped by the time he found an affordable inn. He still had a bit of money from the loan.

He showered, changed, and sat on the edge of the bed.

His grandmother’s final words echoed in his mind.

Take what is important to you, and leave.

He inhaled deeply.

“Guess It’s time,” he whispered.

His phone rang.

Elsa.

They met outside, and the worry on her face was immediate.

“Oh my God—are you alright? I saw the lock and some of your things outside—what happened?”

“I put the house on collateral,” he murmured, exhausted. “The manager tricked me. I lost it today.”

She gasped, covering her mouth.

“I’m leaving tomorrow, Els.”

“What?”

He sank onto a bench, soaked in defeat and clarity.

“A lot happened today. The house is gone. And… did you know Tommy and Clarie were fucking?”

She froze.

“Guess that’s why my grandma never liked them,” he said quietly. “Debt collectors coming to ask for their payment. The whole neighborhood felt off. But… weirdly, I’m relieved. And since there's nothing left for me here, I’m taking the first bus out. Not just the town—the state.”

He looked at her with softened eyes.

“You’re the only one left here that I truly care about. I wanted you to know before I leave.”

Elsa exhaled shakily.

“I’m glad… I was afraid of leaving you all alone. My dad is relocating the family. I’m leaving the state too… probably this week.”

He brightened a little. “Really?”

“And since you’re leaving…” she swallowed, “I knew about Tommy and Clarie. I'm sorry i didn't tell you when i found out ”

He stared.

“He begged me not to tell you. Said it would destroy you… and ruin my friendship with both of you. He even threatened to tell you I had a crush on you. He said it wouldn't happen again, guess i was the fool for believing.”

Levi’s eyes widened.

“You... had a crush on me? Since when?”

“Probably since the day he introduced us,” she chuckled, admitted embarrassed. “But you fell for Clarie, so I stayed quiet.”

“And why tell me now?” he asked softly.

“Because I have nothing to lose anymore. And because Martha made me promise to knock sense into you before I left. She wanted you free, of all secrets.”

He lowered his gaze, guilt tugging at him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t see you,” he whispered.

She shook her head. “It wasn’t meant to be. Go, Levi. Leave everything that has hurt you here. Be free.”

She tapped his shoulder gently and stood up.

He watched her walk away—then called out:

“Els!”

She turned.

“Good luck with your new life,” she waved with a bright smile.

“And if there’s a next life…” Levi said loudly, voice cracking,

“I hope it’s you I fall for.”

She froze.

Bit her lip.

Smiled softly.

Then she turned and walked away.

For the first time in a long while, the weight on his chest loosened.

---

The next morning, Levi packed what little he had left—only the valuables Martha told him to take.

He walked to the bus station, bought a one-way ticket, and looked back at Northwood Crest one last time.

“Watch over me, Grandma,” he whispered.

“Goodbye, Northwood Crest.”

And with that, he boarded the bus—

toward a new state,

a new life,

a new beginning.

Whatever awaited him there,

he was finally ready.