Kaisler wakes up early, still feeling the lingering effects of his last mission. His mind races with thoughts about his newfound power. Unable to shake the curiosity, he decides to call Buddy.

Kaisler: "Yo, Buddy! Guess what?"

Buddy (groggy, barely awake): "What?"

Kaisler: "I got a second power."

Buddy: "Really? You sure you're not messing with me?"

Kaisler: "I’m not lying. The problem is, I don’t know how I got it... or why this specific power."

Buddy: "Man, you're such a rookie at this stuff."

Kaisler: "So what?"

Buddy: "Let me explain. Second powers usually manifest during extreme circumstances or when you overcome self-doubt. It's typically based on your personality and what you truly need or desire at that moment."

Kaisler: "Well, I got the power to create infinite minds in my head, store infinite information, and transfer my mental burden to these other minds."

Buddy: "I expected you to be able to see people's abilities and powers."

Kaisler: "Technically, I can do that too."

Buddy: "I’m always right."

Kaisler: "Can you kill that cocky personality and turn back to normal?"

Buddy (smirking): "Why are you telling me this?"

Kaisler: "Because now, I practically have no limits when it comes to the power of my strings. I can make them fully invisible, deal infinite damage, and... well, pretty much anything, really."

Buddy (grinning): "I knew you’d figure it out."

Kaisler: "What about how much you can spread them?"

Buddy: "That depends on your stamina."

Kaisler: "So you’re still weak."

Buddy (laughing lightly): "Don’t worry. I’ll train you. Forget about strength for now. Just focus on stamina and mobility."

Kaisler (groaning): "Aw, man, do I really have to?"

Buddy (laughing harder): "Yep. No excuses."

Kaisler: "Aw, man, really? How many marathons?"

Buddy (chuckling): "Marathons? Hahaha, stop. You’re making me laugh."

Kaisler: "So, how long is the race?"

Buddy: "We’ll be running around the known universe."

Kaisler (eyes wide in disbelief): "NO FUCKING WAY! NO, HELL NAH! FUCK NO!"

Buddy (grinning): "Stop exaggerating."

Kaisler (panicked): "HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO BREATHE IN SPACE?"

Buddy (casually): "Couldn’t you just make your threads so small that they carry oxygen particles?"

Kaisler (thinking hard): "I don’t know."

Buddy (smiling to himself): "It’ll work. Just don’t overthink it."

Buddy: "Well, just make all your threads completely invisible from now on, okay?"

Kaisler thinks for a moment.

Kaisler (determined): "If I make them that tiny and unseen, I could carry oxygen particles. Then I can drag it to my lungs... so I can breathe. That’s perfect."

Buddy (nodding approvingly): "Good. Now you’re thinking."

Buddy is running through the vast emptiness of the void, the dark expanse of space stretching endlessly in every direction. His body is fully invisible now, with strands of energy-thin strings trailing behind him like a shimmering web. Each thread, no thicker than a molecular bond, carries vital oxygen particles from nearby planets, floating in space, and channels them into Buddy’s lungs.

His legs move effortlessly, but the strain on his lungs is starting to become unbearable. Despite the oxygen flowing through his threads, the burn in his chest is overwhelming. His body is moving at 256.4 trillion times the speed of light, each step a blur in the void.

Buddy’s breathing comes in ragged, controlled gasps as his feet make almost no sound. They don’t touch the ground but instead hover over the empty void, with his invisible strings pulling him along. A layer of threads is positioned under his feet, creating an invisible surface—his own personal "ground" as he jogs through the cosmos. The scenery around him is distorted as the universe stretches and bends in an almost incomprehensible way. Everything moves in slow motion around him, like the universe itself is giving him the respect of witnessing his impossible speed.

Buddy’s thoughts, however, are light-hearted, despite the speed and strain on his body.

Buddy:
“Ha! This is nothing, Kaisler. You look like you're about to pass out just from thinking about this! It's like a jog through the park at this speed! Look at you, trying to keep up.”

Buddy chuckles, the sound of his own voice seeming to stretch and echo in the distance as if it’s been altered by the sheer speed at which he’s moving. His mind is clouded by the exhaustion, but there’s still a smirk on his face. The void around him flickers, the stars seemingly dancing in his wake. The sheer time it would take for most beings to cross even the smallest fraction of the void feels like an eternity—but not for Buddy.

Buddy (laughing loudly):
“C'mon, Kaisler! You said this would be impossible! I bet you're dying to catch up, huh? But, hey, we’ve got all the time in the world now, don’t we? I mean, we’re running at a pace where time itself doesn't matter, my dude!”

He jogs smoothly, his hands swinging casually as if he’s walking through a city street, totally at ease despite the chaos of speed. Each time his foot moves, he flicks out more invisible strings—blurring through space to ensure the constant flow of oxygen into his lungs. The moment he steps, his threads stretch out from his feet, creating an almost silent “track” beneath him. With each step, more and more oxygen particles float from planets far off, carried by his infinite threads into his body, keeping his mind sharp and focused. His senses are heightened, and yet, there's no sign of his energy being drained—except for the growing burn in his chest.

Buddy can feel his mind trying to catch up with his body as he pushes past unimaginable speeds. The universe feels like a still frame, as he becomes the blur within it.

Buddy (mocking):
“Come on, Kaisler! I bet you’d be crying right now if I wasn’t so damn strong. You’ve got this, right? Just... keep thinking about your little threads while I finish this marathon!”

Buddy’s voice echoes around the vast expanse, though it seems almost too quiet for the immense speed he’s achieving. The gravity of the moment doesn’t quite hit him. He's always known he could push his body to these extremes, but the absurdity of moving at this speed in a place like this—where time and space barely matter—feels almost mundane.

Buddy (grinning widely):
“Look, Kaisler, if you need me to stop and wait for you, just let me know. I’ll run back and... I don’t know, give you a ride or something. After all, you might just collapse from exhaustion!”

Buddy laughs harder, his laughter reverberating through the endless void as he pushes on, his body gliding effortlessly through the empty cosmos.

10 hours later

Kaisler (panting, clearly exhausted): “Oh my god... I did it...”

Buddy (laughing, still catching his breath): “Calm down. You’re getting stronger, man.”

Kaisler (wincing as his chest burns): “No... not really.”

Buddy (laughing louder): “Come on, didn’t you say you have no drawbacks?”

Kaisler (lying on the ground, barely holding it together): “I guess I do have a drawback... while my mind has no limit, my body does. I need to break those limits...”

Buddy (lying on the floor, not from exhaustion, but from laughing too hard): “Oh man, you’re really trying to sound like one of those anime protagonists right now.”

Kaisler (confused): “Wait, what? Why are you laughing?”

Buddy (still chuckling): “You’re talking like you’re the main character of a show... It’s too good, man!”

Kaisler (rolling his eyes): “So, I’m not allowed to have an inner monologue now? Alright, fine. But... I need to work on my body—hands, legs, my entire body as a whole. Got it?”

Buddy (mockingly serious): “Just shut up and die, okay? Just die already.”

Kaisler: “Anyway, I’m going to a fancy restaurant.”

Buddy: “With what money?”

Kaisler: (grinning) “My money, obviously.”

Buddy: (smirks) “Oh yeah? Funny, because I got some intel that you just made 25 million.”

Kaisler: (raises an eyebrow) “Wait… who told you that?”

Buddy: (shrugs) “The Multiverse Explorer workers. You know, the ones who take their cut?”

Kaisler: (crosses his arms, smirking) “Well, I’m rich now.”

Buddy: (casually stretches) “So am I.”

Kaisler: (pauses, looking around, suddenly confused) “Wait… so what now? This was supposed to be a training arc, but I already trained. What happens next?”

Buddy: (laughs, shaking his head) “What do you mean, ‘chapter’? Bro, we’re not in a book. Shut up, lil bro.”

Kaisler: "Doesn’t matter anyway. You coming with me to the restaurant?"

Buddy: "Yeah, but you’re paying."

Kaisler (rolling his eyes): "Of course I am. Your dumb ass wouldn’t pay even if your life depended on it."

Buddy (grinning): "Damn right. Anyway, I’ll text Sarah."

Kaisler: "Cool."

The neon glow of floating billboards reflects in his eyes as he searches for a familiar contact—Juno.

Kaisler (texting Juno): "Yo, me, Buddy, and Sarah are going to this fancy restaurant. You coming?"

A few seconds pass. The typing indicator appears… then disappears… then appears again.

Juno: "No."

Kaisler blinks at the screen, waiting for an explanation. Nothing. Just a single word. Cold. Merciless.

Kaisler: "…What do you mean 'no'?"

Juno: "No."

Kaisler sighs and calls Sarah instead. She picks up almost immediately.

Sarah: “What’s up?”

Kaisler: “Juno won’t come.”

Sarah (annoyed): “Ugh, of course she won’t.”

Kaisler: “Can you convince her?”

Sarah: “Give me a second.”

A few minutes later, Sarah storms into Juno’s place.

Sarah: “JUNO. WE’RE GOING TO DINNER.”

Juno (calmly drinking tea): “No.”

Sarah: “Why?”

Juno: “Because I don’t want to.”

Sarah: “That’s not a reason, that’s an excuse!”

Juno: “And?”

Sarah: “…Damn it.”

Kaisler, Buddy, and Sarah sit at a round table in an upscale, futuristic restaurant. Holographic waiters glide across the floor, taking orders and refilling drinks. The food is beyond luxurious—exotic meats from unknown dimensions, drinks that shimmer in multiple colors, and desserts that defy gravity.

Later – The Restaurant

Buddy (grinning): “So, what do we do after this? Retire?”

Kaisler (leaning back in his chair): “Man, I was thinking about it. Imagine just kicking back, buying a planet, and chilling.”

Buddy: “Yeah, I’m trying to live that Elon Musk timeline.”

Sarah (confused): “Who?”

Kaisler (laughs): “Don’t worry about it.”

Buddy: “Or maybe we invest in AI, wait for it to take over, and then blame it when we go broke.”

Sarah (frustrated): “WHAT ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT? SPEAK NORMAL!”

Kaisler: “We’re just saying, with all this money, we could set up something crazy. Like a utopia. Or a fast-food chain.”

Buddy: “Or both. ‘Kaisler’s Multiversal Burgers.’”

Sarah (pinching the bridge of her nose): “I swear, if you two start a burger empire instead of doing something useful with your lives, I’m going to lose it.”

Kaisler (grinning): “What? People gotta eat.”

Buddy: “Yeah, and imagine a burger that can bend space-time.”

Sarah (slamming her hands on the table): “WHY ARE YOU BOTH LIKE THIS?!”

Kaisler and Buddy just smirk at each other as the waiter arrives with their food. Sarah groans, realizing she’s trapped in another one of their ridiculous conversations. As the night goes on, the three of them eat, laugh, and talk—knowing deep down that despite the chaos of their lives, moments like these are rare and worth cherishing.