Children run across the blacktop. Some play tag, others shout and laugh near the swings.
The next panel shifts to a young Bosatsu, sitting alone in a sandpit. He carefully builds a sandcastle, shaping its towers with focused hands. As he works, he hums softly to himself, then begins to sing.
“?Qué tan lejos está el cielo, vamos esta noche?
Quiero que mi papá me abrace fuerte.
Una ni?a estaba esperando a su papá un día.
Era hora de conocerlo, cuando escuchó a su mami decir:
Ven con mamá, cari?o, por favor no llores.
Papá se ha ido al cielo, muy arriba en el cielo.”
(How far is heaven, are we going tonight?
I want my dad to hold me tight.
A girl was waiting for her dad one day.
It was time to meet him, when she heard her mommy say:
Come to mommy, darling, please don’t cry.
Daddy’s gone to heaven, way up in heaven.)
— Kitty Wells, “How Far Is Heaven”
Three kids walk up behind him.
Without warning, they kick the sandcastle apart. Sand explodes outward. They laugh, calling Bosatsu names, kicking sand into his face and making fun of his undeveloped sol-partner.
The recess bell rings.
The bullies run off toward the school doors.
Bosatsu stays behind.
He lies still in the sandpit, tears rolling down his cheeks. The panel darkens, shrinking until it feels like a single spotlight shining on him.
As he lies there, Bosatsu thinks about how soft the sand feels beneath his face—how comforting it can be. He also thinks about how much it hurts when it’s thrown at him. He cries harder, quietly thanking the sand for letting him rest against it.
In the distance, a teacher’s voice calls his name.
It’s time to go home.
The panel opens on Bosatsu’s house.
Inside, Bosatsu sits on the floor playing video games with his father. The room is warm and alive with laughter.
His mother calls out, telling Bosatsu he needs to bathe before dinner.
Bosatsu begs for one more match.
His father smiles and tells him he should listen to his mother.
They head to the bathroom. His mother starts the bath and reaches to help him take off his shirt.
“I got it,” Bosatsu says proudly. “I’m a big boy.”
As he pulls the shirt over his head, his mother freezes.
Bruises cover his back.
Bosatsu climbs into the tub and looks up at her with a sweet, innocent smile. Her heart sinks. She kneels beside him and gently washes his back, asking about his day at school.
When the topic of bullying comes up, Bosatsu’s eyes begin to swell.
She pulls him close and begins to sing as she presses a warm cloth against his bruises.
“?Qué tan lejos está el cielo? ?Cuándo puedo ir?
Para ver a mi papá, él está ahí, lo sé.
?Qué tan lejos está el cielo, vamos esta noche?
Quiero que mi papá me abrace fuerte.
Fue llamado tan repentinamente y no pudo despedirse.
Sé que está en el cielo, lo conoceremos poco a poco.
La ni?a tembló, sus lágrimas no pudo ocultar.
Ella miró hacia el cielo y luego respondió.”
*(How far is heaven? When can I go?
To see my dad, he’s there, I know.
How far is heaven, are we going tonight?
I want my dad to hold me tight.
He was called so suddenly and couldn’t say goodbye.
I know he’s in heaven, we’ll know him little by little.
The girl trembled, her tears she could not hide.
She looked up at the sky and then replied.)*
— Kitty Wells, “How Far Is Heaven”
She lifts Bosatsu from the tub and kisses his forehead.
Down the hall, his father calls out that dinner is ready.
The panel shows the family seated together, sharing a meal.
Bosatsu’s father asks how school was.
“Not so good,” Bosatsu says. “But tomorrow will be better.”
His father begins talking excitedly about his work, mentioning that he wants to show his wife something in the basement after dinner. He believes he’s made a breakthrough in his research.
His mother cuts him off, reminding him not to talk science at the table.
Just as the conversation shifts—
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Three heavy knocks slam against the front door.
The family looks at one another, confused.
Bosatsu’s father stands. “Stay here,” he says, moving toward the door.
He peers through the peephole.
Two tall men in white golf entire stand outside, unmoving—like figures pulled straight out of The Matrix.
He unlocks the door but keeps the chain latched, cracking it open just enough to speak.
The men tell him he’s under arrest for possession and production of an illegal substance.
The father refuses and goes to close the door.
The door bursts open. The chain snaps. The men rush in and grab him in the dining room doorway.
“Run!” The dad yells.
Bosatsu and his mother bolt for the basement.
One of the men follows them, while the other cuffs Bosatsu’s father.
“You’re going to have a lot of fun where you’re going,” the man sneers.
In the basement, the lab flashes past—computers, monitors, strange equipment everywhere. Bosatsu and his mother knock things over as they flee.
They reach a small basement window.
Bosatsu squeezes through first and lands outside safely.
His mother tries next—but she can’t fit.
“Run straight,” she whispers. “Don’t look back.”
Bosatsu shakes his head no, terrified. He doesn’t want to leave her.
Footsteps pound closer.
His mother pushes him back and slams the window shut.
Bosatsu bangs on the glass, sobbing.
Inside, the man transforms—his body twisting into a towering, monstrous lizard.
Mother and son lock eyes.
“BOSATSU, RUN!”
A tear slips from Bosatsu’s eye as he turns and sprints into the forest.
Behind him, his mother is violently devoured.
Her screams echo through the trees.
Bosatsu stumbles and collapses into the grass.
Back in the basement, the second man enters and orders the place burned.
Flames erupt, swallowing the house.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
As Bosatsu lies unconscious, he softly sings the song his mother once sang to him.
“?Qué tan lejos está el cielo? ?Cuándo puedo ir?
Para ver a mi papá, él está ahí, lo sé…”
The world goes dark.
Then Bosatsu begins to speak.
“No one is without troubles, without personal hardships and genuine challenges. That fact may not be obvious because most people don’t advertise their woes and heartaches. But nobody, not even the purest heart, escapes life without suffering battle scars.”
— Richelle E. Goodrich
Bosatsu talks about how scared he is of the world he lives in.
He thinks about how differently the world treats him because his Sol partner has not formed.
He fears he will never become strong enough to find his father.
He fears that everyone he loves will leave him.
He fears being alone forever.
The panel goes blank again.
Then Bosatsu’s thoughts drift to Nakatomi and her weasel Sol-Partner.
He thinks about how pretty her eyes are, and all that jazz.
He imagines them leaning closer, about to kiss
“BOSATSU! GET UP!”
He jolts awake.
Bosatsu realizes he is kissing his grandmother’s Sol partner, a cow.
His grandmother scolds him, telling him he overslept and that he’s going to be late for the Sol Fighter Entry Exam.
Bosatsu checks the clock.
“WHAT?!”
He leaps off the couch.
The TV is on in the background. A loud, aggressive man is screaming at the camera.
Alex: “These are intergalactic beings! These things are not humans! They were sent here to harm us! The Solar Force protects us, but is that all we’ve got?! Construction on Prometheus Tower has officially begun! Check your mailbox to see if you’ve been recruited for construction work!”
Bosatsu bursts into motion.
“I can’t believe I overslept! Today’s too important!”
He talks nonstop while getting dressed, brushing his teeth, and fixing his hair all at once. His grandmother hovers nearby, straightening his clothes and making sure he doesn’t leave looking sloppy.
She tries to get him to eat breakfast.
Bosatsu ignores her, rushing around.
She sighs, then presses an oatmeal bar into his hand.
“You need to eat, my love.”
He takes it, kisses her on the forehead, and says softly in Spanish:
“Volveré con mi papá.”
Bosatsu storms out the front door.
Outside, the bus he needs is already pulling away.
Bosatsu sprints down the street, chasing the bus.
Inside, Nakatomi locks eyes with him through the window.
She bangs on the glass and yells for the driver to stop.
The bus screeches to a halt.
Bosatsu jumps aboard. He is immediately tripped by a bully.
The bus erupts with laughter.
Bosatsu recovers, embarrassed, but determined.
The bus pulls up to the Solar Force East Laloux Branch. The smallest of the four branches, but the closest to Bosatsu’s home.
Bosatsu steps off the bus and joins the long line for the entry exam.
As he waits, he hears whispers.
“That’s him.”
“His Sol partner’s not developed.”
“Is something wrong with it?”
One person approaches him directly.
“What’s wrong with your Sol partner?”
Bosatsu answers honestly.
The person laughs, calls him a freak, and moves far away.
Nakatomi notices from another part of the line.
Bosatsu reaches the front desk, where two Sol Fighters are processing recruits.
They ask his name and hand him paperwork.
As they review his physical condition, one of them notices his Sol partner.
Both Solar Fighters freeze.
“What… is that?”
They whisper to each other, clearly disturbed.
They’ve never seen an undeveloped Sol partner before.
They explain that it’s practically impossible to pass even the pre-entry exam without a fully developed Sol partner.
Bosatsu speaks up.
“I’ve trained my whole life for this. I won’t let anything stop me from finding my father and bringing my family back together.”
The two Solar Fighters stare at him.
Then they burst out laughing.
“Wow,” one says. “You sound like a basic shōnen protagonist.”
They admit they respect his determination. Still laughing, they handed him a badge with a number.
“Go through the doors behind you and wait for instructions.”
Bosatsu walks away as they continue laughing.
Bosatsu enters a massive room filled with incredible recruits and powerful Sol partners.
He feels small.
He sits beside a heavyset boy with a pig Sol partner.
The boy is whining loudly.
“I skipped breakfast! I’m starving! I’m gonna fail because I’m hungry!”
He’s causing a scene.
Bosatsu remembers the oatmeal bar his grandmother gave him.
He breaks it in half and offers it to the boy.
The boy’s face lights up.
He hugs Bosatsu tightly.
“Thank you! I’m Patto! I really appreciate this!”
A voice echoes from the crowd.
“Is that who I think it is?”
Kahan with his skunk Sol-Partner steps forward — an old school bully.
He points at Bosatsu.
“You shouldn’t even be here.”
He mocks Bosatsu’s weakness, then shouts so everyone can hear.
“Look at his Sol-partner! That thing’s pathetic! You’ll never be a Solar Fighter!”
Patto jumps between them.
“Leave him alone!”
Patto and Kahan argue loudly, nearly coming to blows—
Until the room goes dark.
A woman appears on a massive screen.
She begins with a quote.
“Fear can be described as an emotion caused by the way of thinking:
‘I won’t be able to get what I need.’
Importance is an illusion.”
She explains that this is the first step toward becoming a Solar Fighter — and that many won’t make it past this stage.
The trial will take place inside the Solar Fighter Simulation System.
The obstacle course includes:
- A thousand-mile stair run
- A thousand-mile dive
- A thousand-mile swim
- A thousand-mile wall climb
- Reaching the finish line
“The future is in your hands,” she says.
The doors beneath the screen open.
A ladder well descends endlessly.
Silence fills the room.
Then,
“LET’S GO!!!”
Kahan roars and charges up the stairs with his skunk Sol partner.
The crowd erupts and follows.
The race begins.
Thousands of recruits climb the thousand-mile stairway.
Many use their Solar Energy immediately to gain speed.
Bosatsu runs at a steady pace, observing how others manipulate their Solar power.
Patto runs beside him.
“You’re kinda slow,” Patto says, then notices Bosatsu’s Sol partner.
“I get it,” Patto admits. “People mess with me for being heavy. I don’t have friends because of it.”
Patto explains he wants to join the Sol=Fighters to get fit and finally belong.
They stop midway up the stairs as the others pull far ahead.
Patto grins.
“Everyone’s burning their Solar too early.”
He explains that he stores Solar energy in his stomach with food.
The longer he saves it, the bigger the explosion.
“You gave me food,” Patto says. “So I’ll help you.”
“Hop on.”
Patto’s pig Sol partner floods him with energy.
“Hold on!”
A massive blast erupts.
They rocket up the stairway, passing everyone.
The light ahead grows brighter.
They emerge into the freezing cold.
A snowy biome stretches out before them.
Others arrive.
Kahan and two others complain about the cold.
One recruit wanders into the fog and shouts back.
“There’s a drop!”
The cliff edge reveals a massive abyss.
“The only way is down,” someone says.
The group argues over who should jump.
Patto accidentally backs into Kahan.
Kahan snaps.
“Watch where you’re going!”
“Or else what?” Patto says.
Kahan charges his Solar and shoves Patto over the edge.
Everyone freezes.
Patto screams.
Kahan groans. “Great. Now I gotta save him.”
He dives.
Bosatsu sprints forward.
“WATCH OUT!”
He leaps after them..
Nakatomi jumps.
Hundreds follow.
Many stay behind.
Patto falls, crying.
Kahan slams into him mid-air.
They glare at each other.
Kahan laughs and floats away.
Bosatsu collides with Kahan.
Kahan shoves him back.
Everyone begins to shove each other into free fall. Until SMACK! They all crash into freezing water.
To be continued.