A wild grin spread across Dickson’s face as the two of them continued plummeting through the sky.

The cold air howled past them, their clothes snapping violently under the force of their descent. The city beneath them looked like a painting, growing larger and larger as gravity dragged them downward.

"HAHAHAHA!" Dickson’s laughter echoed through the heavens.

Liam glanced sideways at him and couldn’t help smiling.

"You really are insane."

"Says the bastard throwing injured people out of the clouds!" Dickson shouted back, his voice filled with excitement instead of complaint.

The ground rushed toward them.

Buildings became visible.

Roads.

Cars.

People.

At the last possible second—

Boom!

White wings exploded outward.

Liam shot forward explosively, grabbing Dickson by the arm and redirecting their momentum horizontally.

The force nearly ripped the scream out of Dickson’s lungs.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Then his scream transformed into laughter again.

"HOLY SHIT!"

They flew inches above a river, creating waves that rippled violently outward from the pressure of their passing.

Birds scattered into the sky.

The two shot between mountainsides before soaring upward again.

Dickson spread his arms.

"I TAKE IT BACK!"

"What?"

"I DON’T WANT THIS TO END!"

Liam laughed.

"Too late!"

Without warning, he released Dickson again.

"You son of a bitch!"

Dickson spun through the air uncontrollably.

His body twisted.

Rotated.

Flipped.

For several horrifying seconds, he had absolutely no control over his orientation.

Sky.

Ground.

Sky.

Ground.

Sky.

"LIAAAAAM!"

Liam casually flew beside him.

"You wanted fun."

"NOT THIS KIND!"

Dickson continued spinning.

Then suddenly...

"...Wait."

He blinked.

His eyes widened.

The panic gradually faded.

He extended his arms.

Adjusted one shoulder.

Shifted his hips.

His body stabilized.

He wasn’t flying.

But he was gliding.

Like a skydiver.

"Oh..."

A huge smile appeared on his face.

"Oh shit!"

He shifted again.

His descent changed direction slightly.

"I’M DOING IT!"

He turned his head toward Liam.

"LOOK!"

Liam folded his arms.

"You sound like a toddler learning how to walk."

"LOOK AT ME!"

Dickson angled his body sharply.

He cut through the air.

Then rolled sideways.

Then flipped.

Then somehow ended up upside down.

"...Okay, maybe not upside down."

He immediately lost control.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Liam grabbed him before he crashed into a hillside.

Dickson burst into laughter again.

"DID YOU SEE THAT?"

"You almost died."

"BUT DID YOU SEE IT?"

"...Unfortunately."

Their journey continued.

Sometimes they dove straight down.

Sometimes Liam boosted them upward until they disappeared into the clouds.

Other times Liam flew mere feet above the ocean surface while Dickson reached down, his fingertips skimming against the freezing water.

Sprays of seawater exploded behind them.

Then they soared upward again.

Morning slowly approached.

Neither of them said much for a while.

They simply flew.

The wind.

The silence.

The freedom.

Dickson looked toward the rising sun.

"...It’s beautiful."

Liam followed his gaze.

"...Yeah."

They passed forests that stretched endlessly beneath them.

Rivers winding through valleys.

Entire towns still sleeping below.

Then came mountains.

Massive peaks pierced the clouds themselves.

Snow decorated their summits.

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

"There."

Dickson followed his gaze.

A particularly high mountain stood ahead.

Its peak was hidden among drifting clouds.

The first rays of morning sunlight touched its snowy slopes.

Liam angled his wings.

They shot forward.

The cold intensified.

The wind bit harder against their skin.

But neither of them cared.

Their bodies could withstand far harsher conditions than ordinary humans.

Within moments—

Thud.

Crunch.

The two landed atop the mountain.

Silence.

For the first time this morning...

Everything became still.

Clouds drifted lazily around the peak.

The rising sun painted the world gold.

The view stretched endlessly.

Dickson slowly inhaled.

Cold mountain air filled his lungs.

Then he exhaled.

"...Damn."

He reached toward his neck.

Without hesitation—

Snap.

He removed the neck brace.

Then casually tossed it off the mountain.

Liam blinked.

"...Excuse me?"

The brace disappeared into the clouds below.

Liam stared.

"Dickson."

"Hmm?"

"Weren’t you supposed to have a broken neck?"

Dickson rolled his shoulders.

"Maybe."

"...Maybe?"

Liam stepped closer.

His expression shifted.

The bruising around Dickson’s neck remained.

Dark discoloration covered parts of his skin.

He hadn’t been faking.

Lilith really had beaten him badly.

Dickson reached up.

Crack.

He twisted his neck.

Another crack echoed.

Then another.

He let out a satisfied sigh.

"Ohhh..."

Liam’s eye twitched.

"You sound way too comfortable doing that."

"It feels good."

Dickson then reached toward the bandages wrapped around his torso.

He started undoing them.

Liam immediately stepped forward.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa."

He grabbed his friend’s wrist.

"The hell are you doing?"

Dickson looked confused.

"What?"

"You can’t just strip your medical treatment because you feel like it."

Dickson laughed.

"You don’t understand."

He continued removing the bandages.

While speaking, excitement gradually returned to his expression.

"While we were flying..."

He looked down at his own hands.

"...I don’t know how to explain it."

He clenched his fists.

"It felt like..."

He searched for the words.

"...Like my cells were dancing."

Liam frowned.

"Dancing?"

Dickson nodded enthusiastically.

"My whole body felt warm."

He touched his chest.

"Everything was tingling."

He looked up.

"The more excited I got..."

"The faster it became."

He pulled away another bandage.

"My injuries started itching."

Another layer came off.

"They were healing."

Liam blinked.

"...Healing?"

Dickson grinned.

"I could literally feel myself regenerating."

Silence.

Then—

Liam stared at him.

"...Asshole."

"Huh?"

"You have regeneration abilities now?"

Dickson’s grin widened immediately.

He puffed out his chest proudly.

"Looks like it."

His posture straightened.

His expression practically screamed for praise.

"Pretty cool, right?"

Liam looked at him.

Then at the discarded bandages.

Then back at Dickson.

"...You mean to tell me you’ve been whining nonstop this entire time despite having regeneration?"

Dickson folded his arms.

"Pain still hurts!"

"..."

"It doesn’t matter if I’m healing. A punch to the face still hurts!"

"..."

"My neck was broken!"

"..."

"And Lilith is terrifying!"

Liam closed his eyes.

Then sighed.

"They just be giving anybody powers these days"

Dickson raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Liam stared at him for a few seconds before shaking his head.

Then he said it louder.

"I said they really just be giving anybody powers these days."

Silence.

Then...

"What the fuck?"

Dickson blinked.

"You heard me."

Liam folded his arms with an expression of pure disappointment.

"Back in my day, powers used to mean something."

"..."

"Now they’re just handing them out to random idiots."

Dickson stared at him.

Then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha!"

He laughed so hard he bent over slightly, clutching his stomach.

"My friend," he managed between breaths, "you’re just pained that I’m getting better than you."

Liam almost laughed.

Almost.

Instead, he looked at Dickson like he’d just heard the stupidest thing imaginable.

"You think you’re stronger than me?"

Dickson rolled his eyes immediately.

"You misunderstood me, idiot."

He pointed toward himself proudly.

"I said I’m getting stronger than you."

Liam snorted.

"You?"

He looked Dickson up and down.

"You aren’t even close."

Dickson grinned.

"Oh?"

"Oh."

Liam nodded.

"Very, very far."

Dickson suddenly smiled wider.

"Then..."

He turned around.

"...let me show you something cool."

"Hmm?"

Liam had absolutely no idea where this confidence was coming from.

The two of them walked toward the edge of the mountain.

Cold wind swept past them.

The rising sun continued climbing into the sky, painting the world beneath them in shades of gold and orange.

When they finally reached the edge...

Dickson pointed downward.

"There."

Liam followed his finger.

Far below.

The mountain wasn’t smooth.

Jagged rock formations protruded outward at odd angles.

Steep cliffs stretched downward endlessly.

There was one particular rocky outcrop sticking out from the mountain face.

It wasn’t small.

In fact...

It was ridiculously far below them.

Liam looked down.

Then looked at Dickson.

Then looked down again.

"...Okay."

Dickson puffed out his chest.

"I’ll run there and back in three seconds."

Silence.

Then...

Liam burst into laughter.

"Hahahahahaha!"

He laughed so hard he nearly doubled over.

"Oh my God."

He pointed downward.

"That?"

Dickson nodded.

"Yep."

"Three seconds?"

"Yep."

Liam wiped imaginary tears from his eyes.

"Let’s forget the outrageous time you just mentioned."

He looked at Dickson like he was mentally unstable.

"How exactly are you planning to run along a vertical mountain surface?"

He gestured dramatically toward the cliffside.

"And since when can you even run, dumbass?"

Dickson didn’t answer.

Instead...

He took another step forward.

One foot remained planted firmly on the mountain’s edge.

The other hovered over empty air.

The wind blew through his hair.

His expression slowly shifted.

The usual carefree stupidity faded.

His eyes became thoughtful.

"Since getting my powers..."

His voice softened.

"...I’ve been wondering about something."

Liam stopped smiling.

Dickson rarely sounded serious.

"I can bend lightning to my will."

He raised his hand.

Tiny arcs of electricity danced across his fingertips.

Crackle.

Crackle.

"They appear naturally."

More lightning emerged.

Even without clouds overhead.

Even without storms.

It simply existed.

"As if..."

Dickson looked down at his hand.

"...my body contains an infinite source of this energy."

Liam remained silent.

"So I started wondering..."

Dickson slowly clenched his fist.

"Instead of constantly trying to release it outside..."

Electricity began crawling across his arm.

"...why not distribute it inside?"

More lightning appeared.

Dancing beneath his skin.

Tiny blue veins spread outward.

"What happens if..."

The arcs intensified.

"...I push that energy through every part of my body?"

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

Dickson’s voice changed.

"...What if..."

It vibrated.

"...I make my cells..."

The air around him distorted.

"...every atom..."

His outline flickered.

"...vibrate..."

Liam blinked.

"...at a very high frequency?"