RISE OF THE LOST HEIR: ASHES TO EMPIRE

TWO: WEIGHTS OF THE DAY

Levi made his last delivery of the afternoon and jogged back toward Arden Express, the courier shop where he worked his longest shift. The sky had already turned a dull gray, the kind that warned Northwood Crest of an early winter.

Inside, warm air and the smell of cardboard greeted him.

“Nice work today, Levi,” Ashley Moore, his boss, called out. She was in her late thirties—stylish, sharp-eyed, and far too fond of watching Levi whenever she thought he wasn’t paying attention.

He gave her a small smile in return.

She leaned her elbows on the counter. “Still with that girlfriend of yours, I see.”

Levi blinked. “Why do you say that?”

Ashley made a dramatic sigh. “Because you only get that lifeless look when you’ve been arguing with her. I swear, if I had a man like you, I wouldn’t waste your energy on pointless things.”

Before Levi could answer, Bob, a chubby man in his late thirties with a thick country accent, wheeled out a dolly stacked with boxes.

“Can’t blame ’im, Ashley,” Bob teased. “He’s one of them boys who fall helplessly in loooove.”

Levi rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s not like that. Clarie might be demanding, but she’s… encouraging sometimes. And I’m the one who asked her out. It’s not her fault.”

Bob snorted. “Ain’t that the same thing that other friend of yours does? What’s her name—”

“Elsa,” Joe a dark employee standing by a rack replied without hesitation, smiling.

“Ah! Yeah. Elsa. And unlike your girl, she’s always encouraging. To everyone.” Bob said, pointing a thumb. “Sweet as sugar and twice as good for you.”

Levi shrugged. “Elsa’s nice to everyone. That’s just who she is.”

He grabbed his backpack. “Look, I have to get to my other job. See you both tomorrow.”

“Poor kid!” Bob muttered as Levi left.

Ashley swatted Bob with a receipt roll. “You were supposed to boost me, not Elsa! Where did that even come from?”

“Give up, girl,” Bob said, disappearing into the storage room.

Joe snickered in the corner shaking his head.

By evening, Levi’s energy was almost gone. Side jobs, deliveries, and running from place to place had left him drained. On his way home, he decided to stop by Elsa’s shop, hoping for a brief respite.

“Another busy day, I assume?” Elsa greeted him, walking toward his table with that familiar, warm smile that seemed to lighten the weight on his shoulders.

“You wouldn’t believe it,” Levi said, easing into the chair. “How about you? How’s your day?”

“Busy, bustling, as usual,” Elsa replied. Her eyes flicked over him, noticing the slight slump of his shoulders, the exhaustion in his movements.

“Well then, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you with my usual two takeaways. My grandma’s been complaining of pains and dizziness lately. I don’t think she has the strength to cook,” he said, giving her a tired smile.

Elsa’s brow furrowed with concern. “Don’t you think you should take her to the hospital?”

Levi shrugged, a wry smirk tugging at his lips. “I would, if she let me. She’s stubborn… thinks I won’t be able to handle the bills.”

"Can you? " she asked.

Elsa shook her head. “And she’s not entirely wrong. Hospital Bills will be a lot for me right now." He sighed with his palm on his cheek.

"But that’s why you need to take her now — it might be to much now but you know you can handle it.”

He looked at her, hearing the reason in her words, yet hesitant. The last time he had even suggested taking his grandmother to the hospital, she had stopped speaking to him for days.

“You’re right,” he said finally. “I’ll try.”

“Good,” Elsa said, her tone gentle but firm. “Now, I'll get your order so you can be on your way.”

As she stepped away, Levi pulled out his phone. A text message lit up the screen:

>"Babe, there’s a party at Steve’s house. You have to accompany me."<

Levi sighed, the exhaustion pressing heavier against him. Elsa noticed the way his shoulders slumped and the faint tightness in his jaw. She wanted to say something, to offer help, but knew better than to interfere.

“Is everything alright?” she asked softly.

Levi gave her a reassuring smile, hiding the ache he felt inside. “Nothing I can’t handle,” he said, standing up and collecting his order. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

"Maybe I'll come to visit....her, I'll come to visit her within the week?" She asked .

"Yeah sure! You know she'll be delighted. "

"Alright. Just be careful!" "Yeah, goodnight."

Elsa watched him leave, her heart tightening. Each day, Levi carried so much on his shoulders, and yet he never let anyone lighten the load. She wanted to step in, to help, but all she could do was watch from afar, hoping one day he might let her.

It was clear: Levi was struggling — but he never stopped moving forward.

And that made him even harder to resist.

And she didn’t know—

this night was one of the last peaceful ones any of them would ever have.

———