Opening quote: ~The best journey answer questions that in the beginning you didn't even think to ask~
*****
[113 Years After CR.]
A being stood as if rooted to the floor, its body looked like it was created from black threads. It avoided the sparse light, staying at the corner of the room. It looked at the scene unfolding in front of him, as if he was forced to.
The being could neither move nor speak. The other people in the room also didn't pay attention to it, that was because to them, the being was not in the room.
From the being's perspective, the scene was like a black and white movie that involved two adult figures with blurred faces and a child that was seated in some sort of compartment. The being could see the two adult figures talking to the child. Every other thing outside the range of these individuals was blurry to it.
It watched the scene unfold multiple times as though the three figures were in a loop. As it kept watching, the voices of the adults that were once inaudible became whispers that if it tried, it heard. The being could gradually hear bits of their words until they became completely audible.
On the face that looked like a ball of thread, where the mouth was supposed to be, two rows of teeth appeared, forming an uncontrollable smile as it listened to their conversation.
The two adults said to the child with voices heavy with pain, sadness and urgency:
"We're sorry."
"This is the only way for you to have a normal childhood."
"Please be free. Explore the galaxy. Make friends. Most importantly, enjoy yourself."
"We hope this name will be cherished. You'll always be our little Femi Noma."
"This is the only thing we can truly give you."
"T-this burden. We're truly sorry."
"This is the w..."
With the sentence's abrupt ending, the smile erased from the being's face, turning to a sad expression.
After slight hints of sadness showed on the being's face, the world collapsed. Reality broke like glass.
~DING DING DING~
Femi's alarm pulled him out of his lucid dream. A lucid dream where he was a humanoid thread-like being that couldn't move or speak, made him feel like that environment was truly from reality.
Carefully sitting up from the bed, Femi brought his hand to touch his cheeks, "It's been a while. Why today?" Femi said, his smile tinged with tears.
The dream haunted Femi since he was 6 years old, right after he was settled in an adoption center. Compared to when he was 6-11 years old, he rarely had the dream as much as he used to. Before it happened daily, eventually becoming monthly, until it finally became yearly.
"Hm! Can't let it hold me back though!"
He didn't usually dwell much on the dream – what's the point in thinking about something he has no clue about.
Still, Femi knew the dream was abnormal. Aside from the fact that it was the only thing that has ever made him feel sad, the last sentence seemed to hold information of great value. The figures also, likely his parents, exuded emotions like love, anger, fear, sadness which Femi had either never experienced or rarely did.
Because of that reason he mentally labeled the dream as one of the unknowns he'll solve when his ventures begin. The dream was also the origin of his name that he's so proud of, Femi Noma.
Femi stood from his bed and did his morning exercises. He was 6 feet tall with an average body size but well-defined muscle. He had light brown skin which made his piercing red eyes fiercer. The black dread hair was currently rough, effects of enjoying a good night rest.
"Today. It begins." Femi brushed aside the lingering feeling the dream brought about. He had grown quite accustomed to the dream's unsettling familiarity.
It didn't take Femi long to freshen up and get dressed. He donned a white T-shirt and joggers, leaving his hoodie draped around his neck.
His room was already packed extra tidy the night before; all his essentials packed in a bag. Despite the contents of the bag weighing nearly 40kg, advances in technology had reduced its weight to a mere 15kg.
Femi strode out of his room, keys in hand. As he was passing his neighbors' apartment, he tossed them through the apartment's mailbox.
"I hope we meet again, Old man!" Femi's voice echoed down the corridor.
Before the old man emerged, Femi had already left their apartment floor. The old man gazed at the keys in his hand, then at the rising sun, wearing a warm smile.
"I hope to see your achievements on the news someday." The old man's voice was soft yet filled with emotion.
Though they lived in different apartments, they were still on the same building floor, notwithstanding Femi and the old man were quite close.
The old man was Femi's only father figure and Femi was the old man's only son. He adopted Femi at age 7, and now, as Femi turned 18, the old man left Femi to embark on his journey into adulthood. It was the old man's duty to let Femi embark on a journey.
Why wouldn't he be sad? He had treated the brat like his blood-born son ever since he retired and decided to adopt him. They had been together for 11 years, eating, playing, joking, and crap. Now, they parted ways, not seeing each other anytime soon.
They had already celebrated together, a combined birthday and send-off, the day before. The old man had already braced himself for what might be a permanent separation.
"Can't believe he left this old man to be cared for by the support center. Hahaha." The old man said what was supposed to be scolding Femi, but he was actually proud to see his son venture off.
Brushing the feeling off, he began to mutter with pity, "You've not stepped into the world fully but you're already walking the deadly and blood-filled path of those who have been blessed. It has already been said, 'To whom much is given, much is expected.' I hope you survive the truth of this dangerous world that we found ourselves, child."
Meanwhile, Femi had already arrived at a taxi stop and flagged down a silver car with hints of purple. Its sleek design and hover technology symbolized the era's advancements.
"To the Star-port," Femi instructed the driver, who nodded and set the course.
As the car hovered 18 meters above the ground, thrusters engaged, propelling them forward. The world outside blurred as they sped towards the star-port.
Over 100 years, technology had leaped forward but the advancements depended on the planet. For a planet like Earth though, hover vehicles dominated the streets, while traditional cars and bikes were a rarity.
Hover cars could traverse to anywhere around the planet in a jiffy as long as there was enough fuel. It had even put airplanes out of commission.
Well, not every hover car could travel at that height.
As they neared the star-port, Femi's excitement bubbled over. He had taken the first step on his journey to traverse the galaxy, to becoming a Galactic Wanderer.