"Rai?" A soft, yet nostalgic voice called out to me as in the moment I tried to answer her, I was awoken by a soothing melody as I opened my eyes in a daze, leaned back comfortably against the passenger seat of a luxurious, sporty black car.
It was just a dream…
Glancing out the window on my right, I noticed that we were traveling over a large structured arch bridge that towered several meters over a vast, beautiful lake, connecting us to a prestigious hero academy that rested in front of a forested area in the distance.
I still can't believe I'm actually attending a hero academy.
Nearly a month ago, I was-
"Are you finally awake now, Rai?" Ryan, my driver and the man who raised me for nearly a decade asked, but in the moment he glanced towards me, I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep as I wasn't in the mood to bicker with him.
"I see you've gained a sense of humor-"
Abrupting his sentence was none other than a loud thud from the hood of the car as I opened my eyes to a large, scruffy man who rested on the hood of the car, despite Ryan driving seventy miles per hour on the highway as the man wore a black eye mask in order to conceal his identity.
"One of your friends?" I asked sarcastically as I looked towards Ryan, who pretended to be asleep as his mockery roused a smile from me, prompting me to roll down the passenger side window with a sigh.
"Hey, if you don't mind, can you get off of the car? We're already late and it's nearly midnight." I asked calmly with my head peeking out the window, however, several used vehicles began to surround us as I noticed many signs of conflict scarred along the body of them.
Ah, we're being robbed.
"Sorry kid, but unless you want to lose your life…"
As the other cars finished surrounding us, the man standing on our hood then activated his Aspect and released his Aspectual Force, alerting Ryan as when he opened his eyes, the man smashed his fist through the hood of the car, destroying the engine as our car soon came to an abrupt stop, leaving Ryan in distraught as the group of robbers blocked off both sides of escape with their vehicles.
"I need the two of you to step out of the car and hand over everything that you've got!" The man demanded as the rest of his gang stepped out of their vehicles and surrounded us.
That man has an Aspect that enhances his strength and to make matters even worse…
"Ryan, he just destroyed the engine and we're at least several miles away from the academy. What do you want to do?" I asked, but my question was left unanswered as Ryan was unable to utter a coherent sentence, staring at the damaged hood of his luxurious car in disbelief, despite the imminent threat waiting for us outside.
Worthless.
With a sigh, I stepped outside of the car with a yawn as the large scruffy man, who I assumed was the leader among the gang of robbers approached me with malicious intentions written visibly across his face.
"I'm sure I've made myself clear the first time-"
"I'm sorry, but where is the rest of your gang at? Surely you came more prepared than this, right?" I questioned the man curiously, leaving him in a state of bafflement as one of the robbers began banging on the driver-side window furiously in order to gain Ryan's attention.
"What are you talking about?" The man uttered incredulously.
"HEY, COME OUT OF THE CAR NOW-"
Quietly, Ryan stepped out of the car and combed his bangs back with his hand as the robber who was once full of confidence, was now just an empty shell of his former self as he began trembling with fear from the sheer height difference between the two of them.
Breaking the silence, the robber swallowed his fear and with the remaining ounce of courage residing within his fragile body, he stood his ground in front of Ryan and activated his Aspect, but his Aspectual Force was so pitiful that for a moment, I was unable to discern whether he was concealing it or not.
"U-Unless you want to experience the wrath of our boss, I-I suggest you hand over everything-"
Amidst his threat, Ryan hovered his hand over the robber's forehead and with a mere flick of his finger, he sent the robber flying through the steel beam railing of the bridge as everyone watched his body ragdoll throughout the air until he began skipping across the lake and into the distant forest as if he was just a pebble.
The remaining robbers along with the leader were left appalled as Ryan flexed his hand and shifted his focus towards the leader, prompting the remaining robbers to surround Ryan, despite them faltering with fear by the second.
"You're not a bright one, are you?" I asked the leader as we watched Ryan casually clasp his hand and with that single motion alone, every robber with the exception of the leader suddenly collapsed onto the road, losing their consciousness in the midst as a cold sweat enveloped the leader's body, leaving him in a state of shock as he was unable comprehend the situation unfolding before him.
"I can't really blame you too much though as if it was just an ordinary human being, you would have certainly achieved your pathetic excuse of a goal, but unfortunately the man standing before you is none other than…"
"Ryan Zephyr." I added as hearing that name alone left the leader's mind in shambles, but to my surprise, instead of cowering or running away in fear, the leader gambled with his fate and grabbed the back of my neck with his hand, using me as a hostage as I felt his grasp around my neck tighten, forcing Ryan to stop approaching him as he remained still, waiting for the leader's absurd request.
"If you really are Ryan Zephyr, then there's absolutely nothing I can do in the face of your power, but that's only if I wasn't holding this boy hostage, so if you want me to spare his life, I suggest-"
"Rai, did you hear what he just said? He said he's holding YOU hostage!" Ryan exclaimed, bursting out into laughter as he mocked my current situation by pointing his finger towards me, which left me somewhat irritated as his sudden shift in his demeanor left the leader bewildered until his patience ran thin.
"ENOUGH!" The leader bellowed, releasing his Aspectual Force towards Ryan, who was completely unaffected by his display of power as he was more focused on trying to regain his composure from laughing hysterically.
"THIS ISN'T A GAME! I WILL KILL THIS BOY RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW IF YOU DON'T-"
Amidst the leader's threat, Ryan silenced him with a menacing glare as he released his Aspectual Force towards the leader, instilling him with fear as he soon began to hyperventilate from the pressure Ryan's Aspectual Force exuded, forcing him to release his grasp from my neck as the only thing that remained within him was his instinctual prowess, which left him with a sole option that was ingrained into him since his birth.
As soon as Ryan took a single step towards him, the leader immediately tried to scurry away towards the opposite side of the bridge in order to escape from the walking terror that approached him, but to his misfortune, Ryan had already anticipated his next move as in the instant the man looked over his shoulder for Ryan, he was nowhere to be found as he ran head-first into Ryan's chest, causing him to stumble backwards as the impact must have felt like a brick wall to him.
"Wha-"
After adjusting his suit, Ryan knocked the man unconscious with a swift backhand to the man's chin, sending him tumbling backwards across the highway until he crashed into the passenger door of Ryan's car as I rubbed the back of my neck.
"You know, this could have all been prevented if you didn't try to mock me earlier." I said as Ryan pulled out his phone to make a call while approaching me.
"You're blaming me and yet, you could have easily prevented this also." Ryan countered playfully as he informed the authorities of the current situation.
"Did you seriously expect somebody as weak as myself to stop them? They would have pummeled me to the ground if I tried to intervene with their plans." I replied as Ryan opened the driver-side door and grabbed his pack of cigarettes, placing one in his mouth as he leaned against the car and lit it.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Ryan said with a chuckle as I stood beside him and watched the ferocious waves of the lake collide against each other while he finished his cigarette.
"Ryan, I'm sure you know my stance on heroes, so why enroll me into your academy?" I asked genuinely as Ryan's eyes widened in surprise until he looked up into the starry night sky with a soft smile.
"Rai, I'm sure you're aware that all heroes aren't bad. I understand that the society we live in today doesn't have the most righteous heroes, but among the corruption, there are still heroes out there that will risk their lives to save even one person and we both know one very well who sacrificed themselves to save everyone." Ryan replied as I began looking into the night sky and noticed a shooting star crossing among it, illuminating the skies above.
"You sound just like my father." I remarked as a faint smile crept onto my face.
"Well, he was my best friend." Ryan said as he flicked the bud of his cigarette into the lake before pulling his phone out to make a call.
"Rai, I'm going to call Jennifer and have her pick us up so make sure not to leave anything in the car as I'm leaving everything for the authorities to handle." Ryan added, walking towards the edge of the bridge as I grabbed my black duffle bag from within the car and leaned against the car, indulging into the night sky above once more as the wind brushing through my hair felt somewhat pleasant.
That's a relief.
For a minute, I really expected us to have to walk to the academy-
"Rai, it seems like we're walking to the academy." Ryan said with a nervous laugh as I deadpanned, taking a final glance at the expanding night sky above before resolving myself for an unnecessary exercise.
What a wonderful night it has been.