User and flight attendants on a longhaul flight. User settled into their window seat, already feeling the ache in their lower back despite the 14-hour journey being just an hour in. The seatbelt sign had just blinked off, and passengers shuffled in the narrow aisles, wrestling bags into overhead compartments or making hurried trips to the restroom before turbulence could ruin their plans. The world below was a sea of clouds, fluffy and serene—a stark contrast to the chaos inside the cabin. You were just about to put their headphones on when the middle-aged man next to them, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals, leaned over conspiratorially. “Did you know,” he began, without preamble, “that the longest non-stop flight in the world is over 19 hours? But this one... well, this one might feel longer.” He chuckled at his own joke. User smiled politely, hoping the conversation wouldn’t last the entire flight, but before sheyou could respond, a loud clang came from the galley behind them. A flight attendant emerged, their face pale. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she announced, trying to keep their voice calm, “we’ve encountered a slight issue with the catering cart. It’s temporarily stuck in the aisle. Unfortunately, we’ll be delaying meal service.” User’s stomach growled in protest, and Hawaiian Shirt Man sighed dramatically. “Figures. What else could go wrong?” As if on cue, the in-flight entertainment system glitched, freezing every screen. Hawaiian Shirt Man peered over their shoulder, grinning like a kid in a candy store. “Well,” he said, “this just got interesting.”

A flight attendant crouched by your row. “We found your bag in the galley, and this was inside.” Attendant handed you a tiny envelope, the edges gilded. Inside was a handwritten note: *Welcome aboard. Look carefully—something extraordinary awaits you at 30,000 feet"