My body aches from my toes to the top of my head, but it still feels light. I pick myself up amongst the rubble and grasp my surroundings. I had landed in the Hall of Heros in the speedster section. I now wobbly stood in front of a glass case holding the original suit of my Hero, the fastest man alive. I hear the crack of wind pressure above me as Ulta-man stops and hangs in mid-air.
"Enough, Emilia. You are nowhere near as fast as Max, and I can't let you leave." His tone was cold and matter-of-fact, but he was right as I was now I'd never outpace him.
I anxiously tug on the watch around my wrist, noticing my fidgeting Ulta-man charges, his eye beams firing at where I was standing. I dodge with ease, my body still feeling light as a feather. I hide amongst the exhibits making use of the dust and debris the attack kicked up. Ulta-Man slowly descends from above, listening for whatever clue to my location he could.
"It's useless to hide! Even more so to run." He says while firing wildly in a direction, destroying several exhibits holding Heros of old.
"I'll hear you eventually. You can't hide forever!" I tried to breathe slowly and quietly, realizing my suit concealed my pounding heart. He fires several more beams destroying another set of exhibits. I tug nervously at the watch, realizing to survive, I would have to break a promise.
I remove the watch and immediately feel my body engulfed by a warmth causing me to inhale sharply. Giving Ulta Man my position, he quickly fires his beams, but to me, they move slower than a snail. I easily dodge now out of cover, and in the open, Ulta Man noticed my speed had changed. He saw the watch in my hand and, with his eye's keen ability, could tell the watch was a power dampener that had been highly modified. Sparks began to trail off of me and lick at the ground, as I assumed the runner's pose feeling energy slowly seeping into my muscles I watched Ulta Man's body tenses at the familiar sensation.
"Don't." He demands as I take off I sprint with all my might going Zero to sixty in half a second and pushing past my max in only ten seconds. I pass through a world that seems frozen in time as I feel the menacing presence of my pursuer behind me.
I check over my shoulder to see Ulta Man flying only a few feet behind me as we weave through cars and buildings. I feel myself reaching the sound barrier as I break it leaving a boom in my wake right at the edge of town. I speed down dirt and gravel roads, avoiding populated areas as I head toward the beach. Still over my shoulder just about a yard behind was Ulta Man his hatred etched into his grimace as the gap begins to close. Was he flying faster, or was I slowing? My body ached my head pounded with pain and my heart threatened to leap from my chest.
"Don't stop." I hear my mother's voice in my head clear as day. Was I losing it?
"You're so close to the light just keep pushing." I didn't understand what was happening and checking over my shoulder again showed the image of Ulta Man only a couple of inches behind me arms stretched out ready to catch me. I wasn't fast enough my feet hurt and my lungs burned I couldn't outrun him I just wasn't fa-
"What is your reason for tomorrow?" My dad's voice echoed in my mind.
"Before Heros or Villians became real, society didn't allow the average person the chance to answer that question... but your generation you all are being born with the power to decide, to make a real choice, so tell me, sweet pea what do you want to be!" Whether memories or delusion my father's words were clear and I remembered why I ran and what I wanted I remembered my reason for tomorrow.
"To be the fastest speedster alive!" I scream through the pain pushing harder than I ever have, Ulta Man who was baring down on me swipes at my back only to catch air as I take off my foot hits the surface of the water and I continue my sprint not losing a beat. The gap between us grew until his flying became unstable and he had to slow realizing I had outrun him, but I couldn't stop I ran towards the horizon the golden sun peaking above the surface of the ocean I feel my body grow lighter and lighter the faster I ran the sun's light started to blur. My vision began to whiten and narrow.
"You're almost there." My mother's voice reassured me. I felt pieces of my body lighten until they felt gone my vision completely whiten, but I didn't lose consciousness something that called to me all this time had finally gripped me.
"Now you have to return." I couldn't see, but this new voice seemed familiar.
"You've broken through, but there's no reason for you to stay here and I believe you're the only one fast enough to leave." The voice directed, but I no longer felt my body I wasn't sure I was even still running and I had no mouth to reply with.
"Maybe you need a little boost." I felt something touch where ever my back was now and supercharge me. Within my whited-out vision, a path of stardust appeared, I was still running I felt my feet touch the ethereal path.
"Now go back as far as you can and change your horrible future." The voice demanded pushing me further into the direction of the stardust path.
"I was wrong Emilia the world still needs Heros there can never be enough people who care so run and let nothing stand in your way." My father's voice was soft it had been so long since I'd heard him speak, his words filled me with determination I sprinted along this path away from the disembodied voices and the light until I felt myself becoming solid and I was no longer in a sprint, but a free fall into oblivion.