PRESENCE OF POWER

Stood in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection. He couldn’t believe how fast time had flown by. It felt like only yesterday that he had started school, and now here he was, about to start his first job as a grocery store clerk. He took a deep breath, trying to calm nerves.

“Come on, Sam,” he whispered to himself. “You can do this.”

He grabbed his backpack and headed out the door. As he walked to the store, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. What if he messed up? What if he couldn’t handle the pressure? He pushed those thoughts out of his head and focused on the task at hand. He needed this job, and he was determined to make the most of it.

When he arrived at the store, he was greeted by a friendly older woman who introduced herself as the manager. She happily showed him around the store, explaining his duties and introducing him to his coworkers. They all seemed nice enough.

He spent the day stocking shelves and helping customers. It was a busy day, and he barely had time to have a break. But he liked it. It was a challenge and importantly, an income.

As he was finishing his shift, he felt that he had done well today. He had made it through his first day, and nothing bad had happened. He was looking forward to going home and relaxing, but fate had other plans.

Just as Sam was about to clock out, a masked man burst into the store, brandishing a gun. Everyone froze, not sure what to do. Sam’s heart was pounding in his chest as he watched the man demand that everyone hand over their wallets and valuables. He didn’t know what to do but comply, he threw down his bag and retreated away with his hands raised.

As the robber was barreling out the door with stolen goods in hand, Sam’s girlfriend, Amanda, walked in. She didn’t see the masked man and accidentally collided. The gun went off, and Sam watched in horror as his girlfriend fell to the ground.

As the robbers footsteps fade into the street, Sam ran to Amanda’s side, his heart breaking as he saw the blood spreading across her shirt. He didn’t know what to do, but he couldn’t just stand there and watch her die. He tried to stop the bleeding by pressing his hands into the wound bunching up Amanda’s shirt, but he was helpless. It felt like hours, but in reality, it was only minutes before the ambulance arrived and took Amanda to the hospital.

Darkened, Sam sat in the waiting room, hands shaking, as he waited for any news about Amanda. His mind overtaken with grief, he felt lost and alone.

After what felt like an eternity, the waiting room door slid open, the doctor walked in and sat down next to Sam. He told Sam that Amanda had survived, but it had been a close call. She was going to need time to recover, but she was going to make it.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn’t believe the weight that lifted off him, the absolute grief that he may never see Amanda again. He didn’t want to ever feel like that again. So fearful. So helpless.

Sam spent the next few days by Amanda’s side, watching as she slowly regained her strength. It was a trying time, but it brought them closer together. They talked about their hopes and dreams, Amanda was studying to be a lawyer, but Sam wasn’t sure what he wanted in life, He hadn’t thought about it much.

After Amanda was feeling better, Sam started volunteering at the local homeless shelter with Amanda, helping to feed the less fortunate and providing them with warm clothing and shelter

Sometimes after work Sam would help out at the shelter, it made him feel good to help people less fortunate. Just a simple blanket was the world to someone who had slept in the cold for weeks.

It was a Friday evening, after a long day at work, Sam was handing out bowls of soup, and he came across a particularly ragged man. The man’s clothes were tattered and torn, and his hair was wild and unkempt. His eyes were hazy but full of wisdom. He handed the man a bowl of soup, and the man took it with a nod of gratitude. But as Sam turned to walk away, he heard the man whispering something under his breath.

Sam paused, the whispers were not English, he knew that much. and as the man muttered the whispers coming from him started to sound like they were coming from everywhere, the voice almost came from Sam himself. then... it stopped.

Sam had seen some weird things before, so he brushed it off, Crazy old man, he thought.

Later that night while he was trying to sleep, he felt restless and agitated like something was stirring inside him.

As he lay in bed, he had vivid dreams about being wrapped in divine gold light and whispering he couldn’t understand mixed with a strange feeling of serenity. soon the light overtook his vision, and he awoke in the night, as he sat up quickly in bed, Amanda laid beside him.

The soft exhale of her slumber filling the space, Sam pulled the blanket up, covering her.

then drifted back to sleep...

The next evening, Sam went about his volunteer work as usual, but there was a whisper at the back of his mind, ”how can you do more?”

handing out soup and blankets felt like he was helping, but it was starting to feel like he was taking a bucket to the ocean. there was always a sea of people out there that he wasn’t able to help, thoughts of insignificance pattered around in his mind.

Sam had promised Amanda he would be home for dinner, but his volunteer work at the homeless shelter had kept him later than he intended. As he walked through the darkening streets, he realized that he needed to take a shortcut through a particularly dark alley to get home in time.

As he entered the alley, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned quickly, and his heart sank when he saw three men standing in front of him. One of them was holding a knife, and Sam could tell from the looks on their faces that they meant business.

“Hand over your wallet chump!” the thug demanded with an angry scowl spread across his face.

Sam froze, eyes wide.

“Now!” another thug spat, pounding his fist in his hand.

Sam’s mind raced with his past struggles with everything he’d gone through lately, especially how helpless he felt when Amanda was shot, another whisper echoed ”should you really just hand over your things and submit to these scum?”

Sam thought me might be able to talk his way out, “Uh, I uh... don’t have anything on me.. I swear.” Sam spoke with unease

“Search him!” barked the one with a knife to his accomplice

The thug grunted and stepped close to Sam, while his hands are up the thug slides his hand inside Sams jacket to feel for a pocket, a drop of sweat beads off Sam’s head, time starts to dilate, and Sam makes a split decision that very well might be his last.

As the thug finds a pocket in his jacket Sam shifts his weight and tightens a grip around the thug’s wrist, in a split second before he could even react to Sam, he jerks his arm up and snaps the thugs arm clean in the middle of his forearm.

Screams erupt from his mouth and drops to the floor tugging on his arm, Sam releases it, the thug falls back recoiling in pain from his now disfigured limb.

Sam focused his attention back to the other two, but it wasn’t fast enough.

The thug with the knife didn’t hesitate, he lunged forward and stabbed Sam in the stomach.

Time slowed again, the knife piercing his body, he stood still noticing the wind blowing by his ears, the buzz of a lamp on the wall, the smell of alcohol and cheap cologne on this thug taking his life.

The thug pulled him closer with the knife still enveloped in Sam’s stomach and whispered “I was going to kill you anyway” an evil grin spread across his face then twisted the knife.

Pain and pressure shot through Sam’s entire body, he gasped and stepped back. feeling the weight of the attack and a sense of doom, he pressed his hand against his pierced shirt expecting to feel blood spreading across it.

But he couldn’t feel anything.

He looked across to the thug who had just stabbed him and their faces showed confusion, he looked down to see a golden light scattering through Sams hand as he covered the hole.

Sam pulled his hand away from the wound and a bright divine light shown out illuminating the sheer bewilderment covering the thugs faces.

Sam looked down in amazement at the light, as he watched, the pressure quickly vanished.

As the hole closed up the light vanished just as quick, silence now filled the air, mixed with the groans of the thug with a mangled arm.

The thugs backed away in fear, clearly shook by the display of power and impossibility, “Grab him quick” said the thug pointing the knife to their downed accomplice.

Sam stood still, watched as they got their broken friend up and hobbled away “Quick lets get out of here!” they plead fearfully.

What just happened?

He thought as he stood there in the empty alley.

This isn’t possible, am I dreaming?

He wondered as he pinched his arm.

“Well, okay then...” he muttered to himself as he slowly walked off.

Sam walked through his front door to the smell of dinner calling him, he hung up his jacket before walking through the kitchen door.

Amanda was just finishing dinner and turned to Sam.

“Hey you! She said with a loving smile

Sam’s mind was still wandering from the previous event.

“Oh, Hi...”

Amanda could see his mind was elsewhere “You okay?”

“Hey yeah, don’t worry about me” he said with a chuckle while scratching his head, “Just tired”

I don’t want to burden her with all this.. He thought.

“C’mon, let’s eat” Sam said bringing up a positive tone.

..

Sunday

Sam spent the next few days trying to understand his abilities. He had healed from a stab wound within seconds, but he needed to know if it was just a one-time thing.

Taking a fork out of the kitchen drawer, he hovered it over his hand planted firmly on the kitchen counter.

His plan was to stab himself and see if the light came back and healed him. “okay... here we go.” he said as he pulled the fork down jamming into his hand.

Expecting the fork to pierce his skin, it bent and crumpled like foil.

“Woah” Sam said awestruck by his durability

My skin must have gotten incredibly strong since I was stabbed, because the knife broke through the skin.

Sam wanting to test other aspects of his physical status, brought him to the gym.

It was Late at night, Sam wanted to test his strength. He began with a 100kg bench press, which isn’t easy.

He loaded up the weights and sat down on the bench.

He laid down, his arms in position, Pressed into the bar and... Lifted it, with ease. It felt like nothing, Sam stood up from the chair holding the bar in one hand like it was a flagpole made of foam.

He then moved on to 200kg and lifted it like it was a mere stick. He piled on as much weight as would fit on the bar, the pole flexing under the weight. To a stray onlooker in the gym’s complete surprise, again, Sam lifted the barbell with absolute ease despite there being 600kg on the bar. He was astounded at his strength and so was the onlooker with his mouth hung open. Sam realized that the gym wasn’t enough for him.

The next day on the way home from work he was passing the railway station an idea popped into his head to try his hand at lifting a train car.

there were a few very old ones that had been parked up for a while and were very rusty, overgrown with weeds, Sam walked over to a secluded train cart, surveying the area before kneeling down to get a grip on the solid rusty frame, It took some slight back muscle, Sam tightened his legs and back, the vein on his neck visible with strain, the cart started to groan with displeasure and with a shriek of metal it tore free from the track that once held it, welded with rust.

Sam holding it in the air with content, happy with the effort and outcome, he dropped it. The cart reverberated through the rails when it struck back down with much force. Dust and corrosion outlined the cart.

Walking home after lifting the cart he pondered what else he was capable of, he felt amazing, in every way. He began to run, the wind blowing past him, running felt like it was as easy as a breath of air, faster and faster he ran, coming up on a fence, instinctively, he jumped.

Dirt kicked up and Sam was suddenly hurling through the air at least 10 meters high, The feeling you get when you fall appeared in Sams stomach and his smile faded fast, he didn’t mean to jump this high.

He is still moving quite fast and now heading towards the ground, all he could do was try to land well. thankfully without a hitch, he contacted the ground with a thud pressing into the earth and kept on with complete ease.

He realized something, as he scuffed his feet to a stop... I could go higher than that. He thought daringly.

Sam stood still for a moment, staring at the dirt path before him. His chest rose and fell as he filled his lungs with the cool evening air. The stars above shimmered faintly through the suburban haze, and with a sudden impulse, he bent his knees and leapt.

The world fell away beneath him. Trees shrank into mere shrubs, streetlamps flickered like fireflies, and rooftops stretched into a jagged quilt below. His stomach churned as the wind tore past his ears. Higher and higher he went, until the neighborhood was nothing more than a grid of lights.

Sam could almost touch the clouds. His heart pounded at the sheer scale of it all, the cityscape stretched for miles, rivers glimmered silver, headlights on highways crawled like fireflies. Then gravity reclaimed him...

He plummeted.

The ground screamed up to meet him. The air burned against his skin, his black hair whipped against his forehead. With instinctive control, he braced himself. His feet struck the earth like a hammer on stone.

THOOM!

Dust and dirt exploded outward in a violent ring. The shockwave rattled fences, car alarms screamed in the distance, and pebbles danced down the pavement. Birds scattered from the nearby trees in a frenzy. Yet Sam, unscathed, rose from the shallow crater with calm composure.

He looked around at the mess beneath his feet, then simply dusted off his jeans. “Well,” he muttered, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, “guess I can add that to the list.”

He walked home under the starlight.

The Next Afternoon – Amanda’s University

The campus buzzed with activity, students laughing, the clatter of shoes against marble floors, vending machines humming in the cafeteria corner. Sam stood by one, coin in hand, watching the small spiral coil turn as his drink tumbled down.

That’s when he heard them.

Not heard like ordinary sound, but sharp, intimate, inside his head. Two girls leaning against a wall, whispering to each other with smug grins. Their voices were so clear, so present, that they might as well have been breathing into his ear.

“Ugh, look at her,” said the taller one, Kiara, twirling a strand of her glossy black hair.

Rain, her friend with a sly smirk, snorted. “Miss Perfect Amanda. Daddy’s money bought her everything. Bet she’s never lifted a finger in her life.”

“She acts so high and mighty,” Kiara sneered. “You know what? Watch this. I’m totally going to trip her when she comes out. See how princess perfect likes the floor.”

They both stifled giggles.

Sam’s jaw clenched. He didn’t like what he was hearing. He thought he should do something. But what?

His fingers tightened on the can in his hand until the aluminum groaned.

A moment later, Amanda emerged from the cafeteria doors, balancing her books against her chest, her bright smile carrying the grace of someone trying to belong.

Kiara stuck her foot out.

Amanda stumbled. Her books scattered in a clatter of paper and pens. She gasped and hit the floor with her knees, eyes wide with embarrassment. The cafeteria’s chatter faltered for a heartbeat, then resumed with cruel laughter ringing from a corner.

“Oops,” Rain said, her laughter sharp as glass.

Sam’s heart thundered. He pushed himself from the vending machine and started across the room, fists balled tight. But before he reached her, Amanda scrambled up, cheeks burning, scooped her books into her arms, and bolted through the side door, head down, eyes brimming with tears.

Sam froze mid-step. Anger boiled inside him.

The laughter of the two girls still echoed, but under it he felt something deeper, like another layer beneath their voices. Thoughts. Images. Shimmers of want and envy, as though he were inside their skulls.

Kiara dreamed of being adored, Rain of belonging anywhere. Their cruel words were masks, thin armor for hollow insecurities. Sam felt them, raw and unfiltered, pouring into his mind like water through a crack in a dam.

He lifted his hand, trembling. Noise filled his ears, static, whispers, the hum of countless unseen voices. The cafeteria blurred at the edges of his vision.

What if I could change it?

The thought wasn’t his own. Or maybe it was. He didn’t know.

Sam closed his fist, focusing on Amanda, on the pain etched in her face as she ran. He imagined planting something within the girls’ minds, a seed of kindness, of guilt, of reflection.

For a moment, the cafeteria went utterly still. Then the sound rushed back in, laughter, footsteps, chatter, everything as before. Except the girls.

Kiara bit her lip suddenly, her expression showing with unease. “Did we… go too far?” she muttered to Rain.

Rain frowned, her voice lower now. “Yeah… maybe. She looked, seriously upset. Maybe we shouldn’t have done that.”

They glanced at each other nervously before hurrying away down the hall.

Sam followed at a distance. His heartbeat was steady now, a quiet storm within him.

They found Amanda in her private academic office, one of the perks of her father’s generous donations to the university. She was seated at her desk, shoulders shaking, hands hiding her face.

Kiara knocked softly on the doorframe. Amanda flinched, turning to look at them with tear-streaked cheeks.

Kiara’s voice wavered. “Amanda… we, we’re sorry. We shouldn’t have done that. It was stupid.”

Rain nodded quickly. “Yeah, we were being… mean. Honestly, it wasn’t fair. You didn’t deserve that.”

Amanda blinked at them, stunned. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Kiara fidgeted, eyes cast down. “I guess we just… thought it was funny, but it wasn’t. We’re sorry.”

Amanda sniffled, nodding slowly. “…Okay.” Her voice was small, but sincere.

The girls shuffled away, casting awkward glances at each other as they left.

When the hall was empty, Sam stepped in quietly. Amanda looked up, startled at first, then softened when she saw him.

“Sam…” she whispered, wiping her cheeks quickly.

He crossed the room and crouched by her chair. “Hey. Are you okay?”

Amanda hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah… just embarrassed. I shouldn’t let them get to me, but...” Her voice cracked. “It just hurts sometimes.”

Sam gave her a warm, steady smile. “You don’t deserve any of it. Not one bit.”

Her lip trembled as she looked into his eyes. “Thank you.”

Sam squeezed her hand gently. “Always.”

Sam left Amanda at the university, giving her a small smile before heading home. By the time he unlocked his front door, the weight of the day pressed heavy on him. He tossed his jacket over the back of the couch and sank into the cushions, the flickering colors of a reality TV show washing over him. His eyes grew heavy, and before long, sleep pulled him under.

The room hummed.

At first, it was subtle, a faint vibration in the air like a powerline in the distance. Then, snap! a jolt ripped through him, sharp enough to steal his breath. His eyes shot open.

And everything was wrong.

Gone was his living room, the couch, the TV. Instead, Sam found himself sitting in the warm grit of sand. Palm trees swayed lazily in a salty breeze. All around him stretched endless blue, water glinting under the sun, horizon unbroken.

He spun in a slow circle, heart hammering. An island? He pinched his arm hard, wincing, waiting to wake up. Nothing.

“This… this isn’t real,” he muttered, voice shaky.

A hand landed on his shoulder.

Sam flinched, spinning around. Standing behind him was a ragged man, skin weathered like old leather, hair tangled, clothes torn and stained. His presence was strange yet familiar.

Sam squinted, gears turning. Where had I...

It clicked.

The shelter. The old man whispering nonsense when Sam handed him soup.

The man gave a knowing grin. “Yes. It’s me. From the shelter.” His voice was gravelly, but calm, as if reading Sam’s thoughts before he’d even spoken.

Sam’s breath caught. “How did you...”

“My name is Baron,” the man interrupted, his eyes sharp with an unshakable weight of wisdom. “And you, Sam… have been chosen as my successor.”

Sam’s mind whirled. “Successor? To what? Why me?”

Baron didn’t answer directly. Instead, he looked out at the sea, his tone quiet and heavy. “You will change, again and again. The road will not be easy. But you will succeed. Because you must. There is no other option.”

“Wait, what does that even mean? Successor to what?” Sam pressed, desperate.

“I am retiring,” Baron said softly, “to the void.”

Sam blinked. “The… void?”

“You will understand in time,” Baron replied, his voice drifting almost like an echo. “When you truly grasp the gravity of your position, we will speak again. But for now, you must find your way home. Focus your mind, and the world you desire will come to you.”

Sam shook his head in disbelief. “That’s ridiculous. We’re in the middle of nowhere. How the hell am I supposed to...”

He turned for just a second.

Baron was gone.

Sand shifted under the breeze. Palm leaves rustled faintly. Sam’s throat tightened as he looked around the empty island. Frustration welled up, and he kicked the sand hard, grit flying.

“Dammit!” He dropped onto a jagged rock jutting from the sand, wiping sweat from his forehead. Baron’s words replayed over and over. Focus your mind, and the world you desire will come to you.

Sam closed his eyes, exhaling through his nose. “What does that even mean…”

But somewhere deep inside, something clicked.

He pictured the serenity of an open plain, golden light and life abundant.

The air snapped like static. Heat and salt vanished. A rush of sound filled his ears, not waves, but pounding hooves. Sam’s eyes shot open.

He was standing on wide, open plains. Grass swayed golden under the sun, and in the distance, antelope thundered across the savannah. The air smelled of soil, of life.

His chest heaved. “…I... teleported.”

Excitement surged through him. He clenched his fists, grinning.

He closed his eyes again, concentrated, buzz, snap! sandstone pressed under his shoes. When he opened his eyes, Sam stood atop the Great Pyramid of Giza. The city stretched beyond him, desert rolling into infinity. Wind rushed past, hot and dry.

Sam threw his arms wide. “Woooo!” His voice echoed across the ancient stone. “This is insane!”

Below on the ground a small child tourist tugs on her mother’s shirt pointing to Sam atop the Pyramid but ignores her.

One more test... Sam thought to himself

He closed his eyes, this time pushing harder, deeper. The sound of the wind cut out. A silence heavier than anything he had ever known filled his senses. His eyelids fluttered open...

And the earth hung before him.

A glowing marble of blue and green against an endless black canvas, brilliant and alive. Sam stood on a gray, dusty expanse. The ground beneath his feet was solid yet alien, pocked with craters.

His breath caught in his chest, but he didn’t feel the need for oxygen. He was alive. Whole. Untethered from earthly requirements.

Sam crouched down and dragged his finger through the powdery ground, carving the words:

“Sam was here.”

He stared at them for a long moment, heart beating.

Finally, with a small smile tugging at his lips, he closed his eyes. The thought of his living room, the couch, the flicker of reality TV, filled his mind.

Buzz. Wobble.

When his eyes opened again, he was back. The cushions sank under his weight, the TV droned on about contestants arguing, and the faint hum of his fridge filled the quiet.

Sam leaned back, arms spread along the couch, a grin curling his lips.

The world had just gotten much, much bigger.

And it was his.