I remember when Caitlin and I were discussing my powers, she asked about everything, especially about flying. I wasn't particularly keen on explaining it all, but for my only friend, I didn't mind and sat there explaining. To her, it was like something out of a fantasy; to me, it was just my everyday life. She wanted to understand what it felt like when I flew. So, I told her everything I knew about it. I wasn't a scientist, but I could explain the basics in simple terms. I'd explored it myself, trying to figure out how I fly and what principles govern it, but I still couldn't fully grasp the mechanism. Willpower? Maybe. A gravitational well inside me? Madness.
"Listen, Kate," I said back then, "it's not easy to explain. The first thing that comes to mind when I think about flying on Earth is the feeling of absolute freedom. For a regular person, the speed of flight is something incredible, tied to limitations, being confined in a cockpit, noise, stress. But for me, it's different. I don't feel weight, I'm not limited by any technology. My own powers control me. All sounds fade away when I pick up speed. All I hear is my own breathing, the faint hum of the air as I slice through it."
With just a wish, I could fly, and that was a pretty strange aspect of my existence. I wished, and lasers shot from my eyes. I wished, and everything froze. How does it happen? I still don't know.
The speed I can reach while flying on Earth is honestly staggering. Imagine I can race through Earth's atmosphere, outpacing even the fastest rockets. I easily break through atmospheric barriers. My flight isn't limited by the technical aspects that constrain ordinary aircraft. While the speed of light is about 300,000 kilometers per second, I can reach speeds several times faster, casually defying the laws of the space-time continuum. How did I calculate it? By feel and instinct. How is it possible? No clue. A walking anomaly, that's what my friend called me.
She was amazed at how I didn't destroy everything around me, but I couldn't give her an answer. And maybe I never will. I didn't understand the mechanism of my powers at all. Maybe I should've paid more attention to it.
When I flew above the Earth, the speed at which I moved wasn't just thrilling—it also created an interesting perception of time. For example, if I decided to fly from one end of the Earth to the other, I could reach any point in mere seconds, covering kilometers and continents. It's an incredible feeling when simply moving from one place to another becomes unbelievably fast. A trip from New York to Tokyo, which would normally take 12 hours, is just a moment for me. I can watch continents and oceans flash before my eyes and barely notice as I soar over them. Time and space are no longer the limitations that ordinary people face.
At high speeds, I can feel the air change, its density gradually decreasing as I gain altitude. It's like the moment when a plane starts to take off, and the sensation of acceleration is so intense it feels like everything might fall apart. But for me, it's just a transition from one form of movement to another. I can breathe at any altitude and easily adapt to those changes.
Speaking of speed, I could probably move across the Earth at thousands of kilometers per hour without effort. Even at that speed, ordinary vehicles couldn't come close to me. But the most amazing thing is that I can change direction, maneuver, and adjust my speed instantly. This opens up endless possibilities, as I can instantly travel to any point on Earth and return in the same moment. The difference in how I perceive the world becomes even more striking when I think about how anyone traveling at normal speeds would feel endless exhaustion. For me, those speeds are just routine.
As for risks, they barely exist for me. Strong winds, storms, unpredictable weather—it doesn't matter. I can easily adapt and maneuver to avoid any dangers. Even collisions with objects I might encounter on Earth—like tall buildings, trees, planes, or even meteorites—aren't an issue. I can move so fast and so precisely that I don't run into things. And if I need to slow down or stop, I do it effortlessly, without the slightest strain.
Now, imagine I fly into space. Unlike Earth, there's no atmosphere here. No resistance, and it completely changes the picture. Everything around is absolute silence, boundless space. Here, speed isn't just an important trait—it's the essence of existence. Here, I feel utterly free. I can move in any direction at any speed.
Without an atmosphere in space, my movement isn't restricted by forces like air resistance. I can move, change direction, and accelerate without any limitations. In that sense, space gives me complete freedom. The only obstacles that might appear are things like asteroids or space debris. But, again, my ability to maneuver lets me avoid those collisions.
My speed in space can be absolutely insane. I can effortlessly orbit planets, race through cosmic voids at speeds that turn stars into blurred streaks of light. If I decided to accelerate to the speed of light, theoretically, I could outrun it. But what's interesting is that, as a living being, not a machine, everything I perceive during this journey is different from what it would be for a spaceship. Even though there's no atmosphere in space, I still feel movement, like when I maneuver or pass by objects.
When I think about speed in space, one thing becomes clear: there are no limits. I can fly so fast that time ceases to matter for me. The time that passes for me would be completely different from what people observing me from afar would experience. Space travel becomes an opportunity to visit worlds, dart from one star to another as if I were strolling through my own backyard. Flying through the solar system, including planets, moons, and even comets, becomes as routine as walking through familiar territory.
What's interesting is that in space, with no atmosphere, I can theoretically move much faster than on Earth and even break the laws of physics, like the speed of light. Of course, that's a philosophical concept in a way, because even for me, as Superman, there are limits to how I can perceive and measure speed in this vast cosmos. It's hard not to destroy a planet with my body…
So, flying on Earth and in space is very different. On Earth, I face certain limitations tied to the atmosphere and natural conditions, but even then, I can outpace any plane or rocket. In space, the universe is wide open to me, and I can move at incredible speeds, covering vast distances and exploring new worlds. Either way, flight isn't just a mode of transportation—it's a feeling of absolute freedom and power that's impossible to convey in words until you experience it yourself.
Only once did Caitlin muster the courage to fly with me. She never wanted to do it again. Spitting out the blood that had pooled in my mouth, I wondered.
How's it going, friend? Seeing me like this, what would you say?
"Get up, demon spawn, we're not done," a gruff voice barked from above.
Raising my head, I looked at the person who was my only hope for salvation.
Yeah, this wasn't exactly how I pictured an exciting coding camp for young programmers.
Lying under the scorching light of two suns, drained of strength and will, I was being beaten by an exorcist. Fantastic. I love my damn life.
---
"I can get us out of here."
That was the first thing that came to mind as my consciousness cleared.
I was telling the truth, but the skeptical look on the massive exorcist's face made me tense. How could I regain my powers, and where had they gone? Without them, the first thing to kill me wouldn't be physical weakness or dehydration—it would be this man's hands.
"Oh yeah?" He brushed his hands off as if shaking off dirt and smirked. "You can't even get up from the sand. How are you going to get us out of here?"
He was right. The weakness in my body was overwhelming. To be stuck in the body of a regular 13-year-old kid after years of living a monstrous, godlike existence was tough.
"I know a spell to jump between worlds."
I shared something I never wanted to tell anyone. But I had no choice.
Either he believed me now, or I'd end up a corpse in these sands with a broken neck. All around was nothing but desert, and the silence pressing down under the gaze of two suns forced me to think fast and find a way out. In moments like this, you grab onto anything you can. To survive. To return.
I wouldn't survive here alone, that was certain.
Yes, I'd fought in deserts, and not just for a month. I had vast experience surviving in the arid regions of our planet. But that was with gear, support, and loyal comrades. Not like this. An unknown planet, with unknown threats, me as a powerless kid who could barely lift a large rock, dressed in black clothes that definitely didn't belong here, and my companion—a religious warrior in all white. This exorcist was my only chance.
"What do you think is happening right now, you little idiot?" He tilted his head and crossed his massive arms over his chest. He stood firmly on the sand, and every movement betrayed his vast experience. He didn't even seem to sweat, while I was drenched in precious liquid in this heat. Damn, it's hellishly hot here.
"I don't know… The last thing I remember is Jane coming to our house." That was a lie.
"You're lying." Without blinking, he countered. "You're lying, and even the lowliest demonic creature lies better." I tensed. "But for some reason, you're telling the truth about the spell. Maybe you believe it yourself… But I don't care."
Before I could react, he closed the ten-step distance between us in an instant. Kicking me in the chest, right in the ribs, he sent me flying a few meters.
"Ghk…" I fell, and it felt like I broke something. What the hell? What was that instant step? Did he teleport? Watching and thinking as he approached me with slow steps, I couldn't figure out what he wanted from me.
"My brothers and sisters died by your hand. And only the will of my God keeps you alive. You'll face judgment, but until my wrath is sated, you won't stand."
Another blow, but this time I managed to protect my head. Damn, something cracked. At this rate, he'll kill me.
"Stop—stop!" Shielding myself with the arm he'd broken, I waved the other, curling into a ball. Playing on pity always worked, especially with kids. How many soldiers had been killed that way back in the day? And it worked here too.
He stopped with his foot raised, exhaling through gritted teeth and slowly lowering it.
"I'm telling the truth! The truth! I'm not lying!"
"I believe you." He crouched to my eye level. "I know you're not lying. You're just a kid possessed by an ancient goddess. Just a strong kid who lost all his power because of one creature. That abomination caused me a lot of trouble in the past, no denying that, and it's ruined your life now. That's the truth. I had to wake from a centuries-long slumber to subdue her." He smiled, but his expression quickly darkened. "But I don't care."
Suddenly, his hand grabbed my neck and lifted me to his eye level. That humiliation again. Furious, struggling to breathe and hide my rage at being in this position, I tried to do something. My weak hands scratched at his arm, not even reaching his face. Maybe I could at least claw him one last time…
"My faithful brothers and sisters died. And that can't be undone."
A punch, his fist flying toward my face. Damn. That was the last thing I remembered.
When I came to, his fist was already swinging at me, slower this time, almost mockingly, aiming for my chest. The blow sent me flying, and spitting out the blood pooling in my mouth, I wondered.
How's it going Cait?
"Get up, demon spawn, we're not done," the gruff voice barked from above.
Fu**