Alex was furious. He was pacing down the street at incredible speed, hands tucked deep into his hoodies pockets. Just my damn luck, he thought to himself. People around him were in mass panic, jumping into their cars, screaming, sitting on the floor in exasperation. Why do they all get to be so lucky? It’s not fair, he thought. He kicked a nearby can of energy drink across the street in an attempt to quell his bitter rage. An eldritch monstrosity seemingly breaks the barrier of our world, allowing deep chaotic energy and foul spirits to flood in. Surely that would have been enough, but this being decided they would impart the gift of magic onto the population. Great! I love magic! So why is it I seem to be the only one who didn’t get any? Alex let out an audible roar as he kicked a nearby bin, sending it flying a few feet and dramatically spilling its contents across the path.

Stopping and taking note of his surroundings did little to reassure him. Almost everyone around him gave off a faint glow of varying colors as their body absorbed this new power into them. It looked terribly painful. Alex didn’t care, he would happily endure that pain if it meant accepting actual honest-to-god magic in his body. He looked up to the sky, wanting to clear his mind, but the sky itself seemed to be stained an unpleasant purple. Just staring at the sky for more than a few seconds made Alex feel uneasy, like he was angry but also so very scared. Someone grabbed at Alex’s leg and brought him back to reality. A woman, seemingly about her mid-forties was gripping his leg with near minimal force, as if she had no energy to actually grab him. She was screaming and had tears rolling down her face, her words were incomprehensible and her body seemed to contort and twist in pain. A faint yellow, almost smoke-like substance was seeping into her. Don’t be so ungrateful, he thought as he yanked his leg away and began walking again.