Chapter 1: The discovery

Brian sat alone in his small, dimly lit apartment, the weight of the world bearing down on his shoulders. It had been a long week, filled with disappointments and setbacks, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that his luck was running out, that somehow god was out to get him.

He had just been fired from both his jobs (that had to be some kind of record), had exactly 8 dollars in his bank account, no girlfriend (who would want to date such a loser?) and to add insult to injury his parents cut him off financially since, as they put it, “he is a big boy now, he should be walking on his own already”. Really? In THIS economy? He could barely afford to eat working two jobs.

As he stared out the window at the bustling city streets below, contemplating if he should just open the window and dive head first into the far below pavement, a strange sensation washed over him. It started as a faint tingling at the back of his mind, a whisper of something unknown and inexplicable. And then, with a suddenness that left him breathless, the truth simply dawned on him:

He had the power to influence reality as he pleased.

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks, leaving him reeling with disbelief. How had he come by such a gift, he wondered, and why had it chosen him of all people? And yet, as he pondered the possibilities that lay before him, a sense of excitement bubbled up within him, a spark of hope amidst the darkness that was his current life.

He collected himself. This just wasn’t possible. “This is a coping mechanism, isn’t it? I’m going into depression and this is how my mind is dealing with. Great, I’m going insane”. This thought seemed appropriate, but the feeling kept boiling inside his head, nagging and pestering him that he had acquired ultimate power.

“Let’s test it then.” He proposed a challenge to no one in particular. “Something simple. If I’m wrong this is it, I’m officially going insane or into depression, I’ll just jump off that fucking window and end it! And if I’m right...”

With trembling hands, Brian reached out and picked up a nearby pen, his mind racing with the possibilities, insanity or power? It felt like his life was hanging on a toss of a coin. And so, with a sense of determination that he hadn’t felt in years, he set about experimenting with the very fabric of reality itself.

Holding the pen in his open palm he just decided that this pen is not blue anymore, it is now red. He kept staring at it and nothing happened. “You have to write with it you fucking moron” he said to himself feeling like a complete idiot, and added “What did you expect, that it was going to start screaming ‘I’m a red pen’?”

He then grabbed the envelope of one of his late bills and scribbled on it. It was red. He brought the pen closer to his eyes “Was this pen even blue in the first place?” ... He facepalmed. “Infinite power seems to come with infinite stupidity it seems” He said to himself again laughing. Something he had not done in quite some time.

“Stop dancing around the issue man, you either have it or you don’t. Either you’s jumping out of that window or you’ll become a literal god”. Brian extended his arm and opened his palm again, the red pen laid there unmoving. He decided that that pen was not a red pen anymore, it was an egg.

And then, with a soft pop, the pen in his hand shimmered and shifted, its form twisting and contorting until it resembled something altogether different. In place of the familiar plastic, Brian now held a small egg, its shell smooth and white against his palm.

He blinked in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just occurred. It was impossible, unthinkable, and yet here it was, undeniable proof of his newfound abilities.

With trembling hands, Brian reached out and touched the egg, half expecting it to disappear in a puff of smoke. But it remained solid and real beneath his fingers, a tangible reminder of the power he now held within him.