Upon his arrival at school, Stein was met with strange looks. No one came to school on their sixteenth birthday.
He didn't get along well with his classmates, and he couldn't blame them for that. He had been an obnoxious brat for most of his childhood, and it didn't help that they all had glaringly obvious flaws.
As he walked to his classroom, someone waved at him. Luke, their class representative. He had a golden watch on his waving hand while the other donned a silver one. Stein waved back and made his way to his desk. Luke was surrounded by his clique of privileged kids. Stein's eyes fell to Luke's shoes: expensive, but tiny wear cracks lined the midsole. The others didn't seem to notice this, or that Luke rarely hung out after school. He was probably working multiple part-time jobs.
Inside the classroom, Hannah was laughing and holding hands with a new boy Stein didn't recognise. He was probably from another class. Other girls in the classroom sneered and pretended to lower their voices as they dogpiled on her. What they didn't notice were the bruises her makeup sometimes failed to cover, or that she always avoided talking about her parents. In the end she was just seeking affection in the wrong way.
Stein easily picked up on these little things. At first, he looked down on all of them for having these flaws. Later, he came to realise that humans were just meant to be that way.
"Settle down, kids." A middle-aged man walked into the class empty-handed. Although he was barely forty, there was already a large bald patch on his scalp. Mr. Daniels jotted out arithmetic exercises from memory as the class went on.
Stein soon lost interest. The pace at which the lesson progressed was too slow, and Mr. Daniels kept repeating the same points multiple times. He knew the reason behind this, but that didn't mean he had to waste his time. He pulled out a book and began flipping through the pages. Usually, he would be subtle about this, but everyone knew it was his sixteenth birthday, so he should be able to get away with it.
Stein remained in class during lunch break.
"Hey." A hand pressed a letter onto his table. Looking up, Stein met a lovely smile. It was Anna, a classmate of his and something of a childhood friend/crush.
"It's gonna be alright, okay?" she said, patting his shoulder before leaving. They rarely talked nowadays.
He picked up the letter and opened it. It was becoming tradition to give someone an appreciation letter on their sixteenth birthday, mentioning all the things you liked about them and how the world would be worse off without them. He didn't care for such sentiments, and hadn't expected any.
"Don't be shy, he doesn't bite."
Anna's voice caught Stein's attention. She was addressing a bunch of students. Each held a fanciful piece of paper. They probably planned to visit him if he had remained at home. A knot of guilt tightened in his stomach. He had never written such letters to his classmates. Why were they being so nice to him?
One by one, they came by, leaving words of encouragement and dropping letters on his desk. Stein felt his shell cracking. He had always assumed his classmates hated him. What if it wasn't as bad as he thought? What if he was the one who shut them out?
Back home, Stein and Lindsay sat on the bed in his room as they read the letters.
"Wow!" Lindsay exclaimed as she scanned through one. "How are you so popular when you're always brooding?"
Stein scoffed at her. He had to keep reminding himself that he hadn't done anything to warrant affection from most of the writers. They were merely proud of him and his accomplishments. Still, he couldn't deny the fact that they cared about him. If he could go back in time, maybe he wouldn't push them away. Maybe he could have remained friends with Anna.
Lindsay had made a grand speech about them staying up the entire night watching a movie or reading a book, but it wasn't even eleven yet when she fell asleep. She didn't wake up when Stein carried her back to her room or when he tucked her in.
Finally alone, Stein tried to sleep but couldn't. He tried reading a book, but he couldn't concentrate. What if he disappeared just like his brother? What if Lindsay woke up tomorrow and he wasn't here? Would they be nice to her in the foster home? How would she cope without him?
Stein knew he had done his best, and it was illogical to torture himself with such worries, but the thoughts kept flooding his head. Eventually, he resorted to a meditation technique he had used in the past. In a few minutes, his head cleared, and he drifted off to sleep.
It was dark and quiet, silent and vast. He was nowhere, yet he was everywhere. Stein could feel his consciousness slipping away. Then there was light, and with it came clarity.
He found himself standing in the air with nothing but light all around him. His eyes failed to make out any nearby objects and surfaces. Was it a lucid dream? No. While he had perfect control of his body and thoughts, he couldn't make things happen at will, as one could in a lucid dream.
He stared around, looking for something to explain what was going on or give him a clue.
Flickering caught his attention. Sparks of pure white light sprouted from a spot in space, like fireworks spreading out in blinding brilliance. Stein jumped back, almost letting out a yelp. The sparks stopped, then began spiraling before coalescing into one brilliant spot.
The ball of light expanded in a blinding flash, forcing Stein to shut his eyes and raise a hand over his face. Even through this, the light grew brighter and brighter. Then, without warning, it vanished.
Stein hesitated, cautiously lowering his arm. He jumped back at what he saw. There was a woman, if the being could be called that. She towered over him, her mighty legs hovering in the air. She was about nine feet tall, and her suspension in the air added to the effect, making Stein feel small and insignificant beside her.
It didn't help that she was perfect—too perfect. It was as though every other woman he had seen was a terrible, pathetic attempt at creating this. Her face was flawlessly symmetrical. Every feature seemed to be sized and placed perfectly. Her skin shone richly, as though it had received the best care and had never once been exposed to harsh conditions.
Her curves were moderate, not too small or too large, just the perfect size. They didn't draw attention; they simply blended with the rest of her features to create the flawless woman. She wore a regal white dress that clung to her figure, draping down to the floor.
Something was odd. Stein felt no lust when looking at this woman whose beauty couldn't be described with words. He thought he should be afraid, but his emotions and wants defied logic. There was no fear in his heart. He wasn't nervous. All he felt was curiosity. He wanted to speak so badly, to ask questions. It took a lot of effort to make himself say nothing.
The woman smiled at him, and Stein thought that if any form of technology could capture her smile, it would be a priceless piece of art.
"Congratulations," she said softly. "You have ascended!"