Hovering Hopes: The Struggle to Soar

One morning, precisely about 4 years ago, which means 2 years after the energy rain occurred, I had a beautiful dream. My whole body felt incredibly comfortable. I dreamt I was floating high above the sky, feeling a gentle energy flowing throughout my body. When I opened my eyes, teetering between dream and consciousness, I found myself hovering a few meters above my bed.

After the energy rain six years ago, I often dreamt of flying above the clouds, streets, rivers, and trees. But it was always just a dream. Never before had I felt so real, and I was certain I wasn't dreaming. That morning, I told my head orphange that I wanted to leave our village forever and join BtP in Luminescia. However, they didn't permit it. They either thought I was lying or just dreaming because I couldn't prove that I could fly. At that moment, I didn't care if I was dreaming or not. I just wanted to leave the village. I was utterly fed up with my life. I had completed my schooling, even up to the highest level by my village's standards, though it was below the government's compulsory education standard. Plus, I'd been unemployed for a year. This past year, I continually worked in the fields, relying only on physical strength. My mind had essentially been dormant for a full year.

By the grace of the Merciful God, please save me from the beautiful maidens that will soon tie down my legs and rob me of my freedom for the next 80 years with them. I have to escape as soon as possible if I don't want to marry and have little Jaimes.

I was restless, fed up, and eager to leap into the outside world to find my own life. I didn't want any more hoes, soil, scorching sun, and village girls presented to me every day. I wanted my soul and body to roam freely. For God's sake, I wanted to find the fair-skinned city girls I saw on TV, not those tanned by the sun, with massive shoulders, muscular, and strong. I wanted girls who would shed tears and soften my heart when they were upset, not those who would throw chairs, punch my nose, or threaten me with machetes.

Finally, that afternoon, I bravely settled the matter. With determination, I packed some clothes and hitched a ride on a truck heading to the city.

During the bumpy ride in the back of the truck, my mind formulated a plan to travel to the BtP Headquarters in Luminescia. I would report that I possessed power. I was a superhuman.

I planned the journey via land and sea routes, totaling about 8 days. I could have chosen the faster air route, but the cost would have been higher. Given my modest savings, I had to be frugal. Moreover, I still wanted to see many other places before visiting BtP's Headquarters.

I felt much calmer. I could imagine a brighter and more exciting future awaiting me.

I'm free!

I then spent 4 days and 5 nights traveling by land, trying to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way. I tried not to mind the hard bus seats I sat on. I even got severely carsick due to the reckless night-bus drivers who honked constantly, overtaking other vehicles as if they owned the road. Unfortunately, I could only lie weakly during the journey. Along the way, I attempted to fly several times. I managed to hover 5 to 7 cm above the seat.

I can clearly fly!!!

Although out of hundreds of attempts, I successfully hovered no more than a handful of times. Still, I flew. I realized that to fly, I needed to focus and concentrate intensely. Achieving that flying sensation was incredibly challenging, like trying to walk on a tightrope. It's impossible for anyone to walk on a wire without proper training.

If there's anyone who can, it's certainly not this fool that I am.

The feeling of floating was so comfortable and amazing. Perhaps similar to the feeling of those who successfully stand on a thin wire at the height of a 100-story building. At that height, we must be able to experience many amazing things while inhaling the aroma of freedom.

After changing buses three times, I continued my journey by sea. Throughout the trip, all I could see were ships, sky, and the ocean. In short, I didn't see anything interesting this time around. I knew that BtP Headquarters and my new future awaited me across the sea. Keeping that in mind, my spirits were very high.

Exactly according to the travel plan, I docked at the Melodistria pier on the eighth day. From the harbor, I took a taxi to BtP Luminescia considering there wasn't a single public bus heading to that area. Perhaps because of fatigue, I immediately fell asleep in the back seat as soon as I entered the taxi. The driver had to wake me up to ask where I was heading. Groggily, I told him my destination, feeling so tired as if I had just woken up from a deep sleep. I tried to move to refresh myself and peeked out of the taxi window.

From the port, the taxi first entered the city of Melodistria before continuing to the BtP Headquarters. Melodistria is one of the largest and most modern cities located about 55 km from Luminescia—where the BtP headquarters stands. This city is far more advanced than a small town near my village. People dressed luxuriously and looked like models filled the streets and the neatly lined shops. Melodistria made me feel like a monkey that had just entered a spaceship.

When I looked at the time and date on the billboards along the road, I realized I had been traveling for two years and eight days from my village. Which means two years longer than I planned. However, I was sure I had only traveled for eight days. Fortunately, the friendly and kind taxi driver patiently explained that they in Melodistria use the international time calendar, which is two years ahead of the old calendar used in remote villages. Even his tone sounded a bit mocking, saying that it wasn't rare for his taxi to ferry villagers newly arriving in Melodistria. From their questions about the time, he instantly knew they were from a remote village. I nodded in acceptance.

About ten minutes out of Melodistria heading to BtP Headquarters, I looked at the taxi fare meter, which made me swallow hard and touch my wallet. Afraid that my money wouldn't be enough to pay for it.

Then I realized my wallet had disappeared from my pocket, and anxiously I glanced at my backpack holding clothes. Maybe I put my wallet inside the backpack along with my cell phone and other stuff. But, my backpack was also nowhere to be seen inside the taxi, which made me ask the driver. What I realized then was that this driver looked different from the one who initially hailed me at the harbor.

"Your backpack is in the trunk," the driver said, stopping the taxi, "Do you want to see it?"

I didn't really want to bother him, but since he had stopped, I quickly nodded. I opened the taxi door and stepped out to walk to the back of the taxi. Suddenly the taxi moved and turned around, surprising me. Through the taxi window, the driver looked at me, smiled, and threw a card that fell on the asphalt in front of me.

"Thank you, Village man," the driver said, speeding his taxi away and leaving me alone. For a moment I didn't understand what happened, until I saw that the fallen card was my ID, which I always kept in my wallet. I realized I had been tricked. Maybe when I fell asleep in the taxi, the driver had robbed me.

My feet quickly moved, trying to chase the taxi with all my might. But to no avail. I could only see the tail of the taxi speeding away and eventually disappearing completely from my sight. At that moment I was really angry and hoped I could fly to chase that taxi and tear the driver apart. Ironically, I couldn't even fly a bit. My body felt heavy and tired, probably because of the long journey I had just undertaken. Or the driver used some sort of gas that made me sleep as soon as I entered his taxi.

This is where I am, under the scorching heat of the sun, in the middle of the road between BtP and Melodistria. Without a penny to my name and only wearing the clothes on my back. I'm stranded, feeling hot and bothered. The sun's rays sting my bare arms until they hurt. My lips feel dry, as does my throat. My body still feels weak after the long journey and the eight-day sea sickness.

I stared at the smooth asphalt road stretching out far in front of me. The heat made the road surface steamy. The brain inside my head forced me to quickly decide what to do next. At the moment, I only have two choices, go back to Melodistria and find that taxi to get my belongings back or go straight to BtP Headquarters.

I sat on the side of the road for a few minutes to rest, trying to breathe properly and calm myself. I intended to try my flying ability again. But something felt different. I couldn't feel the strong energy that usually emerged when I wanted to fly. Maybe it's this humid area with the sea beside me or my unstable emotions. Anger was taking over me for losing all my belongings. Despite my doubts and annoyance, I chose to continue my journey to the BtP headquarters.

Going back to Melodistria won't give me anything.

Walking and running were my only options to get to BtP Headquarters. I had to do it all under the sun, even if I had to rest several times along the way. I stood up and started walking, jogging towards BtP Headquarters.

Time passed slowly, sweat kept pouring. My tired legs started to feel weary. My clothes were soaked. The entire journey was uphill. By afternoon, I was completely dehydrated. In such a state, I was willing to drink water from anywhere, even from puddles on the street. My throat hurt. My entire body was soaked with sweat. I arrived at the gates of BtP Headquarters in a real mess.

This headquarters was surrounded by a 3-meter high wall that stretched as far as the eye could see. BtP Luminescia Headquarters was still new and accepted superhumans wanting to register as BtP from various regions and other countries. A special lane was provided for superhumans who wanted to register. I and a few others who seemed to want to register as BtP members entered a lane with the sign "Superhuman Recruitment" above it. The difference was, they arrived at the BtP office in shiny luxury cars, while I walked with sweaty clothes.

A beautiful woman in a BtP uniform ushered us into a spacious and neatly arranged waiting room. The room was like a patient waiting room in a hospital. There were several rows of luxurious white chairs neatly arranged in the middle of the room. The air in this room was cool and fragrant, making me amazed. This was the first time I was introduced to the legendary machine, which was famous worldwide for its ability to cool a room and adjust air temperature. The machine named Air Conditioner, which I had only seen on TV commercials, was attached to the room wall.

Inside the room, my survival instincts immediately took over, and I quickly found a water tap near the bathroom entrance and drank greedily, ignoring the stares of others. Although in the end, I realized that it was hand-washing water, not drinking water. The chair felt soft as I sat and saw 6-8 people waiting with me, of course, they were superhumans who also wanted to register. Either way, being accepted by BtP is like getting a VIP ticket to the world's heaven. A super high salary, a big house, and a luxury car. I'm sure I'll have that ticket, after all, I can fly. I am also one of the chosen ones, transformed by the energy rain.

Blessed by the Almighty.

I felt so grateful for being given this life and privilege, and I promise to use it for the best.

To help the weak, for the future of those in need, especially for my own future. Using my power to attract the attention of beautiful girls is for the future of my children and my descendants, so there's nothing wrong with that.

The silence makes my heart race, remembering that I still can't fly, sweat starts to cool on my forehead. I take a deep breath to calm myself, I believe BtP will surely help me fly smoothly, because after all, they are trained professional superhumans. When I was just learning to hover a few inches off the ground, they were already piercing through the clouds and traversing the blue sky.