Matthew arrived at Wawa Dam after an hour's trip. Wawa Dam was a striking place, nestled between towering limestone cliffs and surrounded by dense, lush greenery. The dam itself was an old colonial structure, with large boulders scattered across the rocky riverbed.
He walked along the dirt path, his eyes scanning the landscape for a secluded spot where he could continue his testing. Though there were a few families picnicking by the water and some hikers exploring the trails, it wasn't hard to find a quiet area away from the crowds. Matthew headed towards the far side of the river, where the trees provided a natural cover from curious eyes.
As he reached a clearing surrounded by massive boulders, he opened his cellphone and tapped his "Notepad" app and promptly, there was a list of powers listed on it that he had to test whether he had those or not.
[Superhuman Strength - Check
Superhuman Speed - Check
Superhuman Agility - Check
Superhuman Reflexes - Check
Superhuman Stamina - Check
Superhuman Senses - To be determined.
Flight - To be determined.
Heat Vision - To be determined.
Superbreath - To be determined.
]
This was the first step. In order to control his powers, he must know his overall capabilities.
He started with the heat vision first. He searched for a perfect practice target and he saw a large boulder about 30 meters tall and 5 meters wide.
Matthew stood in front of the massive boulder, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the task at hand. Heat vision was something straight out of comic books, but if everything else on his list was real, then this had to be possible too. He just needed to figure out how to activate it.
He stared hard at the boulder, imagining heat radiating from his pupils, trying to will it into existence. Nothing happened.
"Come on," he muttered to himself.
He clenched his fists, concentrating harder, but there was still no response. Frustration started to bubble up inside him. He had lifted boulders, run faster than cars, and even withstood knife attacks. Why couldn't he get this to work?
Matthew took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Maybe it wasn't about force. Maybe it was about control, like everything else he had learned so far.
He opened his eyes again, this time relaxing, trying not to force it. He focused on the center of the boulder, imagining heat building behind his eyes, his gaze sharpening. He thought of the intensity of fire, of burning energy deep within.
Suddenly, a faint warmth began to build in his eyes. It was subtle at first, a light tingling sensation. He blinked, and for a split second, there was a flicker of something—just a glimmer—but it faded before anything substantial happened.
"Almost there," he whispered.
Matthew refocused, keeping his breathing steady, his body relaxed. He imagined the heat building again.
His vision tunneled on the boulder, and he felt the warmth return, growing stronger and hotter.
Then it happened.
With a sharp, focused effort, twin beams of golden energy shot from his pupils. The laser-like beams hit the boulder dead center, and in an instant, the massive rock began to glow. A sizzling sound filled the air, followed by a sharp crack. The beams cut straight through the boulder like a hot knife through butter, splitting it cleanly in half.
The two halves of the boulder shifted slightly before collapsing to the ground with a resounding thud.
Matthew blinked, the heat in his eyes dissipating almost as quickly as it had appeared. He stared at the now-destroyed boulder.
"Holy crap," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. They felt a little dry but otherwise normal.
He approached the split boulder, running his fingers along the freshly cut edges. The surface was smooth, almost glassy, a clear sign of the immense heat that had just passed through it.
Matthew took a step back, grinning to himself. Heat vision—check.
He glanced back at his phone, feeling a renewed sense of confidence. If he could do this, there was no telling what else he was capable of.
Matthew looked down at his notepad app, scrolling through the remaining unchecked abilities.
"Alright," he said to himself. "Let's see if I can figure out superbreath."
He took a deep breath, exhaling normally, testing the waters. Of course, nothing happened, but he hadn't expected it to. This was going to take more effort, more focus—like with heat vision.
Matthew inhaled again, this time imagining the air being pulled deeper into his lungs, stored and compressed like the force of a hurricane waiting to be unleashed. He closed his eyes, concentrated, and then blew out forcefully towards the boulder.
A small puff of air escaped his lips—hardly impressive.
He groaned, shaking his head. "Okay, not exactly hurricane-level yet," he muttered, but he wasn't going to give up that easily.
Matthew remembered what had worked for his heat vision—relaxing and allowing the power to come naturally. He inhaled deeply once more, filling his lungs until they felt almost painfully full. He imagined the air swirling inside him, building into something powerful.
This time, when he exhaled, he put all his concentration into it.
A rush of wind shot out from his mouth, far stronger than before. The boulder ahead of him shuddered, small dust clouds kicking up around its base. The trees nearby swayed, and a few loose branches cracked from their trunks, flying away in the sudden gust.
But the boulder remained mostly untouched.
"Better," Matthew said to himself, smiling. He could feel the force behind his breath increasing, but it wasn't enough yet.
Determined to push it further, Matthew inhaled deeply once more, but this time he focused on control—on pulling in as much air as possible and compressing it within him. His lungs expanded, feeling like they could burst with pressure.
Then, with one powerful motion, he unleashed the breath.
A tremendous gust of wind exploded from his mouth, far more intense than before. The air howled as it blasted towards the boulder, and this time, the force was undeniable. The boulder shifted, dust and small rocks flying into the air as the wind struck it head-on. A thin layer of debris and dirt covering the rock was blown away entirely, and the boulder itself moved ever so slightly, inching backward under the pressure.
Matthew grinned, wide-eyed.
"I did it," he whispered. "Superbreath—check."
Matthew took out his phone, feeling a surge of accomplishment as he ticked off another power from the list. Only a few remained.
"Alright," he said to himself, glancing down at the next challenge on the list. This was the exciting part of the test.
Taking a deep breath (though not one to blow anyone away this time), Matthew looked up at the clear sky above the dam. If he could soar into the skies, that would be very exhilarating.
"Okay," he whispered to himself. "Focus. Just like with everything else, don't force it."
He bent his knees slightly, preparing to leap. His mind visualized the sensation of being weightless, soaring effortlessly through the sky.
With a powerful push from his legs, Matthew launched himself upward. He soared into the air, feeling the exhilaration of the sudden leap. His heart skipped a beat as he realized he had jumped at least 30 meters high. For a moment, it felt incredible—freedom, weightlessness, like nothing he'd ever experienced before.
But before he could enjoy it, gravity pulled him down, and he lost control. Panic surged through him as he plummeted back toward the ground. The rocky cliffside rushed toward him, and in an instant, he crashed into the face of the mountain.
Boom!
The impact was deafening. Rocks and debris flew in all directions, but Matthew remained unharmed. The cliff, however, wasn't so lucky—it crumbled slightly under the force of his collision. He pushed himself up from the rubble, groaning.
"Ugh... that didn't go as planned."
Brushing off the dust and broken rocks from his clothes, Matthew felt more determined than ever. He had made it high enough, and he didn't get hurt, but flying wasn't just about jumping. He had to figure out how to stay in the air, control his direction, and stabilize himself.
Shaking off the little pain in his shoulder, he stepped back, ready to try again.
"This time, I won't lose control."
He leapt again, feeling that same rush of air and freedom. As he soared into the sky, he focused on his body, trying to feel out how to maintain that lift. He felt lighter than before, as if some invisible force was supporting him. He spread his arms slightly, trying to balance.
And it worked.
For a few precious moments, Matthew felt like he was flying, really flying. He could feel the air rushing past him as he glided forward, the ground below shrinking away.
A smile crept across his face. "I'm actually doing it," he whispered in disbelief.
But the moment was fleeting.
Suddenly, his balance wavered, and the sense of control started slipping away. Panic crept back in as he felt himself beginning to fall again. Desperately, he tried to adjust his position, to regain control, but it was too late. The ground rushed up to meet him as he lost altitude fast.
Crash!
Matthew hit the rocky ground hard, skidding through the dirt and coming to a stop next to the boulders he had been practicing on earlier.
Groaning, he slowly sat up, rubbing his head. He wanted to fly a little longer.