That morning I was buzzing with excitement to try out Grand Chariot. Yeah, I know, probably not the smartest idea when you're supposed to be resting with bruised ribs and a concussion, but come on. Who wouldn't want to test out magical armor the second they got the chance?
Mom made me breakfast. The pain was bearable enough that I could actually walk downstairs by myself without looking like a dying old man. Progress, right?
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Mom asked, worry all over her face. "I can take another day off, you know. You're more important than my work."
I smiled at her. Had to sell this. "It's okay, Mom. Look." I raised my arms and flexed my biceps like some kind of discount bodybuilder. It hurt like hell, but I kept the smile plastered on my face. No way I was letting her see that. "Besides, I don't think your boss will be happy if you take another day off."
Mom sighed, the kind of sigh that meant she knew I was right but didn't want to admit it. "You're right. I just... I was just worried about you."
"No worries, Mom. I'm fine." I gave her my most reassuring smile.
Oh, I was more than fine. I was fucking ecstatic. The second she walked out that door, I was testing out that armor. No way I could wait any longer.
You would've done the same thing, right? I mean, magical armor? Come on.
"Oh right, before I leave." Mom stopped at the door and turned around. "Here."
She handed me a box.
It was a brand new phone.
Still in the packaging and everything.
I stared at it for a second, then looked up at her.
My old phone got destroyed when the lizard attacked me. Completely trashed. I hadn't even thought about replacing it yet, figured I'd deal with it later. But Mom? She made it a priority.
I mean we weren't exactly rolling in cash right now. Don't get me wrong, we weren't poor or anything, but we had to budget. Everything. Since moving to New York, we basically started from scratch. No savings. All of it went to Dad's medical bills and the down payment on this house. Every dollar mattered now.
Thankfully Mom had a decent job as a nurse, so we could cover the bills without too much stress. But new stuff? That was different. That required planning. Saving up. Making sure we could afford it without screwing ourselves over next month.
And she went out and bought me a phone anyway.
"Thank you, Mom." My voice came out rougher than I expected. My eyes got a little teary. Couldn't help it.
She smiled and reached out to ruffle my hair. "Of course, my baby. Take care, alright? There's food in the fridge if you get hungry. Call me if you need anything."
"I will."
She kissed my forehead one more time, then headed out the door.
I stood there holding the phone box, listening to her car start up and pull out of the driveway.
The second the sound of her engine faded, I wiped my eyes and grinned.
Alright. Time to test this baby.
I hurried back to my room, taking the stairs two at a time.
I closed the door behind me and summoned the sword.
It appeared in my hand instantly. Still cool as hell, by the way. The black metal, the chain tassel, all of it. I gripped it tight and got ready to stab it into the ground like the instructions in my head told me to.
But then I stopped.
I looked around my room. At my bed. My desk. My dresser. The window. All my stuff.
What if I destroyed everything? I mean, this thing was supposed to cover me in full body armor, right? What if it exploded outward when I activated it? What if it punched holes through the walls? What if I brought the whole ceiling down on my head?
Mom would kill me. Actually kill me. And we definitely didn't have money to repair a destroyed bedroom.
I stood there like an idiot, sword in hand, frozen.
What the hell was I supposed to do? I couldn't just not test it. But I also couldn't risk wrecking the house.
Think, Adam. Think.
Then it hit me.
The laundry room. In the basement.
We barely used that thing. It was just concrete walls, a washer, a dryer, and a bunch of storage boxes. Nothing valuable down there. And if I did accidentally blow something up, at least it wouldn't be my bedroom.
Perfect.
I dismissed the sword and headed for the basement door.
The basement stairs creaked under my feet as I made my way down. I flipped the light switch. The single bulb flickered to life, casting shadows across the cramped space.
Yeah. This would work.
Nothing breakable except maybe the washer and dryer, and those were pushed against the far wall. Plenty of space in the middle for whatever was about to happen.
I took a deep breath. My heart was hammering in my chest. Part excitement, part nerves.
Alright. Here goes nothing.
I gripped the hilt with both hands, raised it above my head, and drove it straight down into the concrete floor.
"Grand Chariot!" I shouted.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then the sword started glowing. Blue light pulsed from the blade, spreading outward in ripples across the floor. The chain tassel rattled, and I felt something stir inside the weapon. Something alive.
The sword exploded with light forcing to close my eyes.
When I opened my eyes. Everything felt different.
The pain in my ribs? Gone. The throbbing in my head? Gone. Every ache, every bruise, every bit of soreness? Just gone.
I felt amazing.
I felt strong. Really strong. Like I could punch through the wall if I wanted to.
I looked down at my hands. The gauntlets were covered in dark blue plating, fingers articulated perfectly. I flexed them, watching the armor move with me like a second skin.
"Holy shit," I breathed. My voice came out different through the helmet. Deeper, with a slight mechanical filter.
I took a step forward.
And nearly fell on my ass.
Whoa. Okay. The armor was lighter than I expected. Way lighter. I felt like I weighed nothing. Like I could just float away if I wasn't careful.
I took another step. More controlled this time. Then another. Getting used to the weight, or lack of it.
Then I jumped.
Just a little hop, testing it out.
I shot up like a rocket.
My head slammed into the basement ceiling with a solid thunk.
"Ow! Fuck!"
I crashed back down, landing hard on the concrete floor.
I stood up slowly this time, being extra careful.
The ceiling was only about seven feet high down here. Not exactly ideal for testing out superhuman jumping abilities.
But still. I'd barely put any effort into that jump and I'd cleared like four feet easy.
Then I glanced at the floating holographic film floating on my shoulders. Defensive shields, according to the information in my head. They could block attacks, absorb impacts and flight..
Flight.
Oh man. Oh man, oh man, oh man.
I was more focused on the flight part.
This was flight. Actual flight. Who didn't dream of soaring through the skies? I sure as hell did. Every kid did at some point, right? And now I actually had a chance to do it.
Okay. Calm down, Adam. Focus.
How does this work? The information in my head wasn't super detailed about it, just that the shields could generate lift or something. I had to figure it out myself.
I took a deep breath. Closed my eyes inside the helmet. Thought about floating. Just rising up off the ground. Easy. Simple.
Nothing happened.
I tried again. Concentrated harder. Imagined myself lifting up, defying gravity, becoming weightless.
Still nothing.
Come on. Work with me here.
I focused on the shields themselves this time. Felt them humming with energy on my shoulders. Tried to direct that energy downward, push against the ground.
And then, before I knew it, I felt it.
That sensation of weightlessness. Like stepping into a pool and realizing your feet don't touch the bottom anymore.
My eyes snapped open.
I was hovering. Actually hovering. A few inches off the concrete floor, just floating there like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Holy shit," I whispered. "Holy shit, I'm flying."
I was off the ground. Defying gravity. This was actually happening.
I hung there for maybe five seconds, grinning like an idiot inside my helmet, before I lost focus.
The shields flickered. My concentration slipped.
And gravity remembered I existed.
I dropped like a rock, landing hard on my ass.
I sat there on the cold concrete floor, breathing hard.
And then I started laughing.
I can fly.