Me and My Overpowered Abilities

Bob and the young man both froze, their bodies stiffening as their eyes darted around the room. They had to double-check their surroundings to confirm what their instincts were already screaming at them—nothing had changed. Bob hadn't moved an inch toward the alert button, and the young man hadn't taken a single step to shield Bob.

"I'm not here to kill you," I said calmly, taking a long drag from my cigarette as I shifted my gaze to Bob. "That would only draw unnecessary attention to me later down the road. And frankly, you're not worth the trouble."

Bob's jaw tightened, though his hands remained steady. "What are you going to do?" he asked, his voice low and steady. Despite the circumstances, his years of experience showed. Bob wasn't a stranger to danger, and death was something he had long made peace with. He had lived a long and full life, one that was ruthless and self-serving—but a life he could look back on without regret.

"I'll torture you," I replied bluntly, my tone devoid of emotion. "You're already trapped in my illusion, so don't even bother trying to take your own life. My illusions are absolute. You won't die from shock, because I'm in control of your mind right now. You'll feel everything—every ounce of pain I want you to feel—without the comfort of death to save you."

Bob's composure cracked as the cold reality of my words settled over him. A chill ran down his spine, his previously steeled gaze faltering as he began to realize the severity of his situation. The young man beside him, still as stone, didn't even dare breathe.

Before Bob could respond, his vision blurred, and the world around him changed. The once-familiar office was gone, replaced by a crimson-red void that seemed to stretch infinitely. The metallic tang of blood filled the air. He was bound to a cross, his arms stretched unnaturally, the coarse wood biting into his wrists. The oppressive heat of the new environment clawed at his skin, and he couldn't suppress the shiver of dread that crawled up his spine.

His breathing quickened as he struggled to comprehend the shift, but deep down, he knew it was pointless. It wasn't just an illusion he could shake off.

"This is my strongest illusion to date. Tsukuyomi," I said, my tone cold and final as I stood before Bob, sword in hand. "Since you're old, I'll limit the hell you endure to just one second."

Bob's eyes filled with pure terror as I stabbed the sword forward, piercing him. He let out a guttural scream, the pain ripping through him like nothing he had ever experienced before. Despite knowing it was an illusion, the agony was so vivid, so overwhelming, that it felt impossible to ignore. His body convulsed, instinctively trying to escape the torment, but there was no reprieve. The reality of the illusion held him tightly, like chains binding his very soul.

Desperately, Bob tried to focus, madly repeating to himself that this was all just an illusion. 'It's not real... It's not real...' The words became a mantra, helping him cling to the sliver of sanity he had left. Slowly, the excruciating pain began to fade, ebbing away until he could finally catch his breath. His chest heaved as he looked down at his stomach, his trembling eyes searching for the wound. There was nothing. No blood. No injury.

He exhaled shakily, relief washing over him. It really was just an illusion. But his respite was short-lived.

"Right now, you're probably telling yourself that all of this is just a trick," I said, my voice calm and almost indifferent "But in this world, I control everything. Space, Time, I am a god here. If I wish it, it will happen."

Bob's breathing hitched as my words sank in. His eyes widened in dread as he suddenly saw another me standing beside the first, both identical, both holding their swords. His heart dropped, the brief moment of relief obliterated as he realized the torment was far from over.

"For the next one second," I said, raising my blade, "pain will be your only friend."

Wasting no time, I stabbed him, causing Bob to scream in pain, I tasted the sword a few times before pulling it out, allowing my other copy to have his turn. Bob's pained screams filled the illusion, but the pain only grew worse when more and more copies of himself appeared on crosses, all being stabbed and their pain being felt by him. 

Wasting no time, I plunged the sword into Bob, his blood-curdling screams ripping through the air. Without hesitation, I twisted the blade, savoring the torment before pulling it out. My other copy stepped forward, taking his turn. Bob's cries of agony echoed endlessly through the illusion, but the torment only worsened as more and more copies of himself appeared on crosses, each being stabbed mercilessly. Their collective pain reverberated through his mind, amplifying his suffering to unbearable levels.

"I hate humans," I said coldly, my voice calm and detached, "but I can't ignore that humans are also the ones who created the things I love most."

I glanced at Bob, though I doubted he could hear me through the cacophony of his own screams. His face was contorted in agony, his body trembling uncontrollably under the unrelenting torment.

"Did you know," I continued, ignoring his misery, "that to train elephants, humans beat baby elephants? Elephants have a deep, unbreakable love for their parents. So, to shatter that bond, humans trap the baby elephant in a cage and beat it for days, until its love for its parents is replaced by trauma for humans. They call this process 'the crush.' They crush the elephant's spirit."

I spoke lightly, my tone void of any emotion as I blankly watched Bob writhe in pain, his screams growing hoarser by the second.

"Just like how I'm going to crush yours," I added, leaning closer. "By the way, you've got 0.9 seconds left to go."

Bob's pupils shrank in pure terror at those words. Only 0.1 seconds have passed? His body convulsed in fear as his mind tried to grasp the endless agony still ahead of him. The sight of countless copies of me, all wielding swords and inflicting pain on his duplicates, was all that awaited him.

For the next 0.9 seconds, Bob experienced true hell. In this world, time was stretched beyond comprehension. The 0.1 seconds that had already passed in reality equated to 30 minutes within the illusion. That meant the remaining 0.9 seconds translated to five long hours of unrelenting, excruciating torment.

And for those five hours, Bob's screams filled the blood-red world I controlled, echoing endlessly into the void.

***

Outside the illusion, not even a full second had passed. Bob collapsed to the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably. Though the physical pain was no longer real, the trauma lingered—his body still remembered the excruciating torment it had endured within the illusion.

"Bob White," Adam's voice echoed coldly through the phone. "That hell you just experienced was your last warning. Next time, I won't be so easy on you."

Bob's pupils shrank as he slowly turned his gaze upward, staring at the screen in utter disbelief. His so-called human shield was calmly speaking into the phone with Adam as if nothing had happened. Everything was being transmitted live. Bob's mind reeled as he tried to piece together the reality of what just happened.

How was he brought back in time? He distinctly remembered living life normally until Adam appeared before him.

'When did I fall into his illusion?' Bob thought in terror. 'Was hearing his voice enough to put me under his control?'

The realization hit him like a freight train. Adam's power extended far beyond anything he could have prepared for. His illusion didn't need proximity—it didn't even need sight. 'Over the phone... his illusion works over the phone?' The thought made his stomach churn. He was no longer looking at Adam as a mere man. In Bob's eyes, Adam had become something far more terrifying, something monstrous.

'That was just a warning?' Bob thought, his entire body trembling as if still trapped in that blood-red world. Even now, every nerve in his body remembered the pain, as though it were burned into his very being. His mind screamed at him, his instincts begging him to never cross paths with Adam again.

Was this also an illusion? What was real? Surely Adam didn't expect him to believe this was reality. There was no way his illusions could be so powerful. Right? Right?

Bob's mind spiraled as he tried to grasp at logic, but it slipped through his fingers like sand. 'All of this must be an illusion. I'm still trapped under Adam's control. He's in my office—that's where the illusion started. Why else would he show himself here so openly?'

The realization settled like a stone in his gut. 'Yes, this is all part of the illusion. He's testing me, watching to see if I'll make a move that disrupts his peace.' Bob's body trembled as he scanned the room with desperate eyes. Everything felt too vivid, too sharp. That only made it worse.

Bob's bloodshot eyes darted around the room, his breathing ragged as he tried to make sense of his situation. He felt like he was losing his mind, but he forced himself to hold it together. 'This has to be an illusion... It has to be. That monster wouldn't show himself in my office unless it was a trick'.

He gritted his teeth, his thoughts spiraling as he tried to cling to some sense of control. 'Adam is testing me. That's why he's doing this. He wants to see how I'll react. If I prove I'm useful, if I show that I'm worth keeping alive, then he'll set me free. Yes... That's it.'

Adam had dropped all the hints, hints that this was an illusion, 'This is all just a test.' Bob clung to that thought like a lifeline, his mind racing to piece together a plan.

Adam is testing me, Bob reasoned. He wants to see if I'm worth more alive than dead. His breathing was heavy, but he forced himself to steady it. If I prove my value here, if I can convince him that keeping me alive benefits him, then he'll let me go.

Bob's fists clenched tightly, his knuckles white. 'But once I'm free…' A dark glint flickered in his eyes. 'I'll take my own life to escape that monster's grasp. I won't give him the satisfaction of controlling me forever.'

Even so, he wasn't finished yet. 'Before I go, I'll make sure Adam regrets ever crossing me. I'll leave something behind, a final act, that will haunt him. He'll know that no one messes with Bob White without consequences.'

Of course, Bob was already back in reality. Yet, Adam had done everything necessary to ensure Bob would endlessly question it. That was the brilliance of Adam's approach—smart people like Bob, with their constant need to rationalize and make sense of the world, were often the easiest to manipulate. just look at Bob.