The process is elusive...
So I don't know how…
Time is but an abstract illusion...
So I don't know when...
The future is malleable, untethered...
So I don't know why...
Space stretches beyond all bounds...
So I don't know where...
The very essence of my existence is uncertain...
So I don't know what...
How I was formed...
When it began...
Why I was brought into being...
Where it all unfolded...
What was used to create me...
But there is one thing I do know...
One thing that lingers in the depths of my being...
A single word:
Infinite.
----
Year 2028 Of The Gregorian Calendar
The 11th Day Of the First Month
Adriel woke up as usual. Reluctantly, of course.
All credit must go to his trusty alarm.
Sitting on his bed, wrapped in his worn-out blanket, he hugged his pillow like it was his lifeline, staring into the distance. Thinking about… well, nothing.
Yeah. Nothing. A blank mind.
It was like an old computer booting up. He sat there for a solid 13 minutes, doing nothing (probably waiting for his little brother to finally shut down).
Adriel's morning routine was as simple, repetitive, and slightly boring as possible:
1. Wake up.
2. Go to the toilet.
3. Freshen up.
4. Come out.
5. 10 push-ups.
6. Clean the house.
7. Go to the kitchen.
8. Make breakfast.
9. Eat.
10. Do the dishes.
11. Head to his room.
12. Sit on his bed for another 10 minutes doing absolutely nothing.
It was like his mind was getting its daily software update.
Adriel Goldhaven, 22 years old, Cyber Security student at Techwood University, was in his third year.
He grew up in a middle-class family and seemed like your average guy.
He wasn't your typical goody-two-shoes, nor was he bad. He wasn't even good.
He just did whatever the hell he wanted, whether it was right or wrong.
And as for why he chose cyber security...
"Mom, I want to study cyber security when I grow up," 14-year-old Adriel told his mom one day.
"Huh? Why the sudden change? You wanted to be a doctor just a few days ago."
His baffled mother replied.
"No, I want to be a hacker, the good kind though. They protect people from computer threats and test if their devices are secure."
Adriel answered matter-of-factly.
"Sigh, alright, whatever you want to do…"
"Sure."
An innocent-looking Adriel said.
'No shit, who the hell wants to be a hacker for good? First step in getting rich... complete,' Adriel thought, with a sly grin.
Contrary to expectations, he didn't actually want to help companies. Not really.
Adriel had a five-step plan for success:
Step 1: Become a Cyber Security Expert.
Step 2: Hack Bitcoin miners.
Step 3: Hack at least 10,000 computers to mine different coins for him.
Step 4: Become rich.
Step 5: Invest the money in a legitimate business, just in case questions get asked.
Simple. Straightforward.
But, he forgot one small, slightly important detail about his life…
He had an attribute about himself.
One that he didn't quite like.
To put it in simpler terms:
[Attribute: Dreams and Reality have nothing in common.]
Effect 1: Whatever the user thinks shall not happen the way they expect.
Effect 2: Whatever the user desires the most may or may not come to pass.
Effect 3: Whatever the user fantasizes about shall forever remain a fantasy.
Effect 4: Prediction ability shall be reduced to 0%.
In short? Adriel's plans never went the way he expected.
He discovered that his prediction abilities are nonexistent.
If he thinks today would be a good day...
Well...
It would either be bad or better than expected.
It just wouldn't go the exact way he wants it.
And sure enough, it took effect.
---
On his way to class, as he took the bus, Adriel thought about the fact that, despite being in his third year, he still didn't know the first thing about hacking a Bitcoin miner.
He definitely didn't have 10,000 PCs mining coins for him.
He was just a guy studying cyber security, not a hacker.
And...He was broke.
During Class
"Adriel Goldhaven!!!"
Adriel was startled out of his daydreams so abruptly that he nearly jumped out of his seat. He scanned the room for the source of his sudden alarm, only to find the professor—an old man in his sixties—staring at him with a venomous glare.
"I know that look. Looks like Adriel is in big trouble this time."
"Yeah, Professor Clarke's been in a bad mood lately."
"Poor guy. To be the target of today's anger transfer…"
"His fault for not paying attention, whether it was real or fake…"
Trying to snap back to reality, Adriel heard the voice of Professor Clarke, like a demon rising from the depths:
"What was the last thing I said?"
---
After some lighthearted conversation with his coursemates, Adriel walked home to his one-bedroom apartment.
This was not the dream he had envisioned. He thought he'd be driving a Lamborghini by now, living the high life thanks to his '5 Steps to Success.'
Instead? He had just $900 to his name.
His 'rich hacker' plans were clearly going nowhere fast.
As Adriel walked through the familiar shortcut—one of those dimly lit alleyways that always seemed to appear in movies as a setting for something strange—he noticed an odd scene ahead.
In the shadows of the alley, a man sat hunched in front of a rickety stall, cluttered with old, dust-covered trinkets.
Antique items—ornate pocket watches, tarnished silver rings, faded leather-bound books—lay scattered across the worn wooden table.
The man, with his gaunt frame, wore tattered clothes, and his shoes, barely held together, seemed to have seen better days.
He looked like someone whose possessions had been passed down through generations, perhaps family heirlooms, now being sold for a pittance.
Adriel's gut told him the man was likely struggling, so his instinct as the "good guy" kicked in.
Without a second thought, he approached the stall.
His fingers brushed over the cold, neglected items, and he picked up a random silver ring that seemed a little out of place, glinting in the low light.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crisp $100 bill, stretching out his hand toward the man.
"I hope this is enough for you," Adriel said, his voice low but kind.
The stranger looked up, his sunken eyes meeting Adriel's with an almost knowing gaze.
"Good luck," he murmured cryptically, his lips curling into a thin smile.
Adriel blinked, confused by the response. "Huh?"
The man's smile deepened, a strange warmth emanating from him as he added, "Thank you so much, sir."
Adriel, taken aback by the odd phrasing, nodded, unsure of how to react.
The man's words felt… out of place, like an echo from another time.
"Umm, sure," Adriel muttered, still uneasy. He turned, walking away quickly, feeling an unsettling chill crawl up his spine.
As he made his way down the alley, something gnawed at him.
He glanced back over his shoulder, his heart sinking.
The stall was gone.
No trace of the man.
No sign of the cluttered items or the old wooden table.
The alley was empty.
Adriel stopped dead in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat.
"What...?" His voice faltered as he turned in place, scanning the quiet street.
The man—his stall—everything had vanished without a trace, as though it had never been there at all.
Adriel reached into his pocket, his fingers trembling as he fumbled for the silver ring he had 'bought'.
To his shock, it was still there, nestled in his palm.
But that wasn't the strangest part.
The $100 bill he had given the man was still there too—exactly as it had been before, crisp and untouched.
Adriel's mind raced. "How...?" He muttered to himself, his heart pounding in his chest.
"I swear I bought something from an old man just now... so how?"
The shock was visible on his face, his hands shaking as he stood frozen in the middle of the street.
The feeling of being caught in some kind of illusion—or worse, a strange twist of fate—gnawed at him.
The alley was quiet now, as if nothing had ever happened, but Adriel couldn't shake the feeling that something far more mysterious had just crossed his path.