December 2050
A young man in his early twenties walked down the street. His short, black hair was combed up. He looked exhausted, his eyelids heavy. He blinked again and again, trying to fight off sleep. The street glowed from the storefronts—small shops, restaurants, and mini-markets scattered along the sidewalk.
He slowed his pace. Ahead of him, a woman walked, and he did not want to pass her. They lived in the same apartment building, and Ernan had been trying to build the courage to ask her out. They also took the same bus to and from work.
The woman, Alice, was Ernan's height, five feet, six inches. She had long black hair and a slim figure. Her olive skin was smooth, and her small, deep-set eyes were the color of polished wood.
Ernan and Alice had often spoken casually in the elevator. But the fear of rejection kept Ernan from asking her out.
"I'm not following her," Ernan argued with himself. "We just live in the same place. That doesn't count."
They continued toward their building. Suddenly, Ernan stopped. Something fast rushed past him: a man in a cowboy hat riding a magnificent white horse. The horse looked perfect, like a creature from a movie, without a speck of dirt on its coat or hooves.
The rider quickly approached Alice. He snatched a rope tied to his belt, swung it three times like a cowboy catching a steer, and threw it.
"Bullseye! Haha!" the man shouted.
The rope snared Alice. Her whole body and arms were caught inside the coils.
Alice's eyes went wide with shock. She sensed danger but couldn't understand what was happening.
"Please stop! Somebody help me!" she cried.
Hearing her scream, Ernan didn't hesitate. He ran toward the stranger, stopping a few feet away.
"Hey, stop that! I'll call the police!"
"Huh?" The rider paused. His eyes narrowed slowly as he looked at Ernan.
"What is that look?" Ernan wondered. "Is he planning something, or just thinking?"
The man then ignored Ernan and looked back at Alice. He pulled the rope with both hands, lifting Alice high into the air, and dropped her perfectly onto the horse's back. The rider's back was to Alice, and Alice faced Ernan.
Ernan's mouth fell open. He stared at the horse, unable to blink. "How is that possible? She can't be heavy, but he lifted her so high and landed her perfectly. How strong is this guy?"
Alice struggled, but the ropes held her tight. Helplessly, she looked at Ernan, tears streaming down her face.
"Help me, Ernan! Please!"
Hearing her pleading voice, Ernan started running again toward the horse. The stranger struck the horse's face with the rope he was holding.
"Hya!"
The horse reared up, then brought its front hooves down. It began to move: first the left front hoof, then the right, quickly gaining speed.
Ernan chased them, dropping the bag he was holding. But a horse is much too fast. Ernan was no match.
"Hey, stop! Stop!" His throat burned from shouting.
After only a few feet, Ernan had to stop. His lungs were burning, and his breath came in deep, heaving gasps. He leaned over, hands on his knees, trying to stay upright. He realized he could not catch them.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the police. As the phone rang, Ernan watched the horse get smaller and smaller. Then, his mouth dropped open again. He dropped his phone as his head slowly tilted up.
"Is... is that horse running in the air?!"
The shock of what he saw was instantly replaced by the realization that Alice had been kidnapped. Ernan looked at the people sitting outside the restaurants.
"Did you people see that?! Why did no one help?! You are all useless!"
A few minutes later, two police officers arrived.
"Finally, sir. I saw everything. I tried to chase them, but..."
Before Ernan could finish, one officer grabbed his shoulder and arm. The officer twisted Ernan's arm behind his back and pulled handcuffs from his pocket.
"Hands behind your back, please."
"Wait? What? Sir, I'm the one who chased them! Why are you handcuffing me?"
"It's better if you explain at the office."
With his hands cuffed behind his back, Ernan's posture bent forward. The officer held his arm to keep him steady. Ernan looked at the policeman.
"Sir, there's a mistake. You can ask these people, they are my witness—"
Ernan stopped talking. He looked at the people nearby. His eyes widened, and a shiver ran down his spine. They were all looking at him, whispering and even recording him on their phones.
"Their looks... why are they looking at me like that? What did I do wrong?"
An hour later, Ernan sat in the police station. An officer was reading his statement at a nearby desk. The station was a big, square building with bright white lights. It smelled of old coffee and dust. A glass counter separated the officers from the hard plastic chairs. The place was noisy with phones ringing and people walking, even this late.
"Are you on drugs, boy?" the officer asked.
Ernan looked at the floor, shaking his head. He knew his story sounded crazy, but it was true.
The officer's eyes narrowed over the paper. He spoke loudly, trying to scare Ernan.
"A man pulled a grown woman so high and dropped her on a horse? And the horse started flying? What else? Did smoke come out of the horse and then it vanished? Stop wasting my time, boy. I am busy."
Ernan looked up, his stare intense. His voice was furious.
"It didn't fly! It ran in the air!" he shouted.
The officer's left eyebrow rose. "Listen, boy. We normally test people like you for drugs. I am being patient by not doing that. But if you keep talking to me in that tone, you will see what happens." The officer's tone matched Ernan's anger.
Ernan stood up, his cuffed hands straining near his chest. He looked at the officer.
"But sir, I am telling the truth! Why won't you believe me?" he asked in a pleading tone.
The officer stood up and slammed his hand on the table. The noise made others turn their heads.
"Enough! We just called the mother of your 'abducted friend.' And her mother said Alice got home 30 minutes ago! It's late. I'm tired. Stop your imagination, boy. Go home! And whatever you're taking, stop it. It's damaging your brain."
The words struck Ernan hard. He started to doubt himself. His eyes fixed on the spot where the officer had slammed his hand. "What am I hearing? I know what I saw," he thought.
"Now go!" The policeman pointed to the exit after removing his handcuffs.
Ernan stared at the officer for a few seconds, then looked down at the floor. His eyes didn't blink. He turned and walked slowly toward the exit, his gaze still fixed on the ground.
The police station was slightly raised, connected to the sidewalk by three concrete steps.
Ernan stared at the officer for a few seconds, then looked down at the floor. He didn't even blink. He turned and walked slowly toward the exit, his gaze fixed on the ground.
The police station sat on a small rise, connected to the sidewalk by three concrete steps. Ernan walked down them slowly. He had only gone a few meters when his eyes suddenly widened.
A rope snapped tight around his chest and arms. He looked around wildly, trying to see where it had come from. There he was—the same stranger, sitting calmly on the beautiful white horse.
"Sir! Help! Help me!" Ernan screamed, spinning back toward the police station.
No one answered. No one even looked. Ernan tried to run back toward the doors, but the rope reached its limit. The sudden jerk threw him off balance. He fell hard, landing on his back. He struggled to get up, but with his hands tied behind him, he could only scramble in the dirt.
"It is useless. No one can hear you," the man on the horse said. His voice was deep and calm.
Ernan stopped moving. He stayed on his knees, staring at the station windows. Was there something stopping people from hearing him? Was that why the people on the street had looked at him like he was crazy? But it wasn't just the sound. People should have been able to see this.
"Yes, you are right," the stranger said. He spoke as if he could read Ernan's mind. "Not only they can't hear you, but they cannot see you, either."
Nothing made sense. A man with impossible strength, a horse that walked on air, and now a way to make the world blind and deaf. How was any of this happening?
Ernan glared at the man. "What do you want from me?"
The stranger didn't answer. Suddenly, Ernan noticed a small bee flying slowly in front of his face. It glowed with a strange yellow light. Every flap of its wings released a fine, bright white powder.
Ernan's eyes followed the bee as it floated from left to right. Before it could pass his field of vision, his head began to swim.
A heavy dizziness washed over him. His world tilted, and he lost consciousness. He slumped to his side, tied and helpless, as the darkness took him.
Ernan woke up in an unfamiliar room. He was sitting in a metal chair with his head resting on a cold metal table.
He raised his head and looked around. The four walls were a flat, sterile white. To his right was a single wooden door. The room was empty except for the table and two chairs.
He tried to stand up to reach the door, but a sharp metal clink stopped him. His wrists were chained to the top of the table. He looked closely at the bond.
There were no bolts or weld marks; the heavy chain looked like it had grown directly out of the metal of the table itself. Ernan pulled hard, hoping to break it, but the metal didn't budge. He only succeeded in hurting his wrists.
His heart began to hammer against his ribs. He heard the click of the door. Someone was coming.
Ernan knew he couldn't run, so he gathered his anger. He decided to kick whoever walked through that door. He measured the distance in his head, certain he could reach them.
As the door swung open, Ernan saw a hand, then a pair of feet. He braced himself on his left leg and launched a powerful kick with his right. To his shock, a hand shot out and caught his foot mid-air.
Ernan looked up. The person was wearing a plain white shirt and heavy military pants.
"A woman?" Ernan thought. "Are these kidnappers soldiers?"
The woman had long, straight blonde hair that reached the middle of her back. Her skin was incredibly pale—so white that Ernan felt dark by comparison. Her eyes were a stunning emerald green, and her face was beautiful. She stood in the doorway, easily holding Ernan's foot in her grip.
"Too slow," she said with a small smile. She pushed his leg back, forcing him to fall back into his chair.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Ernan demanded. He fixed his gaze on her alluring eyes.
"Want from you?" She laughed softly. "I don't want anything from you—unless you have something you want to give me."
She walked into the room with total confidence and sat in the chair across from him. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and crossing her hands.
"In fact," she said, her expression turning serious. "It is you who needs something from me."