Being a building owner is my lifelong dream. Ever since I was young, that simple idea lived quietly in the back of my mind.
Just think, all you have to do is rent your building, and you can just live off from it. You will get money from doing nothing, just watching the months pass while the rent comes in.
It was my ultimate dream, which I was currently trying so hard to achieve, even if the road felt far and impossible sometimes.
I am Theodore Vale, a 28-year-old corporation drone. You know what that means, right? A man who dedicated his whole life to a company that barely pays them enough salary for their daily lives.
We wake up early, dress neatly, smile politely, and give our youth to a system that does not even know our favorite color.
We sit under white office lights that never change, listening to the sound of keyboards clicking like endless rain. And at the end of the month, we stare at our bank accounts and wonder where all the effort went.
Talking about daily life, mine was simple and dull. Get up, wash, go to work, eat, come home, sleep, and then the same circle from yesterday. Over and over again, like I was stuck inside a loop I could not escape.
My office is basically like my second home, but not the warm kind, you know. Honestly, I seriously feel like it is a prison.
It keeps sucking you dry like a damn leech, draining your energy little by little until you cannot function anymore.
I can feel it in my shoulders every evening, damn it. I can see it in the reflection of the elevator mirror, dark circles under my eyes, a face that looks older than twenty-eight.
That's why I need to step away from that life and become a building owner and live off comfortably. I do not want luxury or fame. I just want peace. I want to wake up without an alarm screaming at me.
I sighed as I leaned back in the bus seat. I got my window seat, which I was basically a partner with. I always chose this side, pressing my forehead lightly against the cool glass as the city moved past me.
The bus engine hummed loudly, and people around me were busy with their phones or lost in their own thoughts.
The sun was dipping from a corner of the sky, making the sky bleed red and orange. That was my favorite sight of every day, the sunset.
No matter how tiring my day was, that view always made me feel a little calmer, like the world was telling me that endings can be beautiful too.
I tried so hard to stay awake as the slow rocking of the bus made me sleepy. My eyelids felt heavy, trying to close them every few seconds. But I can't.
Not when the one sitting next to me kept yapping and yapping that I couldn't even figure out what he was saying anymore.
"Shut up, Faye," I huffed under my breath, rubbing my eyes. I already looked like a panda with dark circles under my eyes. I could even feel how dry and sore they were. And my younger brother just had to rub salt in that wound.
"Eeh, come on, listen to me, Theo," he nudged at my sleeve like a damn baby, which he exactly is. He leaned closer, his shoulder bumping mine as the bus moved.
His eyes were bright and full of energy, completely opposite of mine. It was unfair how a sixteen-year-old could have that much stamina after school while I was dying from work.
"It seems they released a new game where the power came from the smartphone, ain't that superb?" he kept going on, his hands moving excitedly as he explained.
I tried to close my eyes again, hoping he would take the hint. Faye was my only family, a sixteen-year-old boy who still had that childish spark in him. Ever since our parents passed, it had been just the two of us. No matter how annoying he was, he was all I had.
I sighed softly and leaned my head against the window. The glass felt cool against my forehead. Just a few seconds of sleep, that's all I wanted.
But as soon as I closed my eyes, the bus suddenly jerked violently forward.
My body snapped to the front, and people screamed. My first instinct was to cover Faye. I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into my chest as a blinding light emerged from the window.
"What the-?!" Faye's voice boomed, but I couldn't answer.
The next thing I knew, the glass shattered into pieces. The sound exploded in my ears like thunder. Tiny shards flew everywhere as I hugged Faye tight, turning my body to shield him. I felt sharp stings on my arm and neck, but I didn't let go. My only thought was simple, protect him.
Then my whole world went black.
It felt like I was being dragged into the darkest pit, my body weightless yet heavy at the same time. My ears rang loudly, a high-pitched sound that wouldn't stop. My eyes burned as if they were bleeding, even though I could see nothing. I couldn't tell if I was falling or floating.
But I was still alive.
I could feel it.
I was breathing.
With an effort, I rolled myself to a side. I no longer felt Faye in my hands. Panic slowly crept into my chest as I pushed myself onto my elbows, and I opened my eyes.
Trust me, I really thought I was dreaming.
I was sitting on a floor that looked like glass, but tiny ripples were moving through it like a water surface.
Every time I shifted my weight, soft waves spread beneath me, glowing faintly. Above me, the sky was filled with galaxies and constellations. It was like I was given a first-class seat to a planetarium show, except it felt too real and vast.
"What in the-" I began to mumble as I slowly pushed myself to my feet. I looked around, trying to find a wall, a building, anything normal. But there was nothing. Just the endless cosmic sky and the glass-like floor reflecting it.
"Theodore Vale, 28 years old, am I right?"
A deep feminine voice echoed from behind me. The sound alone made my legs freeze. My back stiffened, and a cold feeling ran down my spine. I slowly turned back with stiff and cautious movements.
And then I saw her.
I found myself standing in front of a divine-like figure leaning lazily on a fancy chair that looked like it was carved from light itself. The chair floated slightly above the glass floor, glowing faintly with golden patterns along its edges.
She had long blonde hair that flowed down her back like liquid gold. Her golden eyes shone softly, but there was something sharp hidden inside them, like she could see through everything.
Her silky Greek goddess-like frock only made her body look… um, perfect. It moved gently even though there was no wind. She looked relaxed, one leg crossed over the other, her chin resting lightly on her fingers as she observed me like I was some interesting toy.
"U-uh, yes, I am," I muttered weakly as my throat felt dry. What was going on? What the hell happened? Did I somehow die? My heart began to beat faster as that thought settled in my mind.
The woman smiled slightly, as if she found my fear amusing.
"You did not die… yet," she said calmly.
My eyes widened. Did she read my thoughts or what?
"Excuse me?" I asked, my voice fracturing a little. I took a small step back without realizing it. "Who are you? Where am I?"
"Tch, why do you have so many questions…" She let out an annoyed huff, rolling her golden eyes slightly.
The audacity of this woman!
Of course, I have questions in an absurd situation like this, where I don't even know anymore if I'm dreaming or not! My hands clenched into fists at my side, even though my knees still felt weak.
"My name is none of your business. Frankly speaking, a human has no right to hear it," she said, finally leaning forward and putting her elbow on her crossed thigh. Her golden eyes looked down at me like I was something small and insignificant. "And as for where you are, you are in the waiting room of MWGA."
Did I hear her right?
Waiting room? Human? MWGA?
"Milky Way Galaxy Association," she said as she stood up. The white frock fell smoothly down to her feet, and the gold accessories around her wrists and waist shone softly under the galaxy-filled sky.
I stared at her like a deer caught in headlights. Not because of her body, ahem, yes, she was beautiful, but because I did not understand a single thing she was saying. My brain felt slower than usual, like it refused to accept any of this.
I was on a bus going home with my brother.
And now… Milky Way?