Johan had always understood the fragility of the world. He had watched it bend. Watched it fracture. And now, at the age of nine, he was no longer just a participant in the game. He was its designer. A mere whisper could send a person spiraling into doubt. A single glance could instill fear where none had existed before. These were simple tricks. What he considered child’s play. He had mastered them long ago. But now, Johan sought something greater. It was not enough to manipulate individuals. Not enough to bend families. Not enough to control small groups. Now, he wanted to see if he could break an entire system. To see if he could collapse a world from within. To watch as order unraveled beneath his touch. And so, he began his next experiment. The small town where Johan and his mother lived had already begun to shift under his influence. His classmates were no longer independent minds, but extensions of his will. His teachers, once so proud of his intelligence, had become blind to the silent power he wielded over their classrooms. Everywhere he walked, he saw the consequences of his whispers. A friendship torn apart. A family divided by doubt. A boy, once confident, now wracked with paranoia. It was all too easy. Johan had reached the peak of his control over individuals. And yet… he felt nothing. Not satisfaction. Not pride. Not excitement. Because this was not enough. He did not just want control. He wanted to break the world itself. Věra Černá had once tried to be a mother. She had tried to believe that Johan was simply different, that his coldness was something that could be softened with time. But now, she did not try at all. She did not ask him where he went, nor did she question the strange changes in the town. And she especially did not try to understand the monster she had birthed. She knew. She had always known. But the truth was too terrifying to face. So she pretended. She let it happen. And in her silence, Johan saw something amusing. Even a mother, one who should have loved him unconditionally, was not beyond his influence. Even she had become a piece of his game. And if he could break his own mother’s will… Then there was nothing he could not break. For years, Johan had tested fear, doubt, and paranoia. But now, he wanted to explore something deeper. He wanted to see what happened when a person was pushed beyond sanity itself. Not just broken. Not just controlled. But completely unraveled. And so, he set his sights on his next subject. Herr Bauer was a respected shopkeeper in town. A man known for his fairness, his discipline, his dedication to routine. Johan had watched him for months, memorizing his habits, noting the things he valued most. His business. His reputation. His sense of stability. And now Johan wondered: What would happen if he took it all away? What would happen if he made Herr Bauer question everything he had ever known? Would he break? Would he shatter? Or would he do something even more interesting? Johan was eager to find out. Johan did not confront Herr Bauer directly. He did not need to. Instead, he let rumors do his work for him. It started with a single comment, spoken in passing to a customer in the shop. "I heard someone was stealing from here," Johan whispered. The customer frowned. "Who?” Johan only smiled. "I’m sure Herr Bauer would never let that happen." And with that, the seed was planted. The customer left, but the thought remained. And soon, it spread. People began to watch Herr Bauer’s shop differently. Began to whisper among themselves. Was it true? Was someone stealing? Had the old shopkeeper lost control of his own business? Herr Bauer felt the shift. The glances. The unease. He began checking his inventory more carefully. Counting his money with trembling hands. He found nothing wrong. But the doubt had already taken root. And that was all Johan needed. Johan began escalating the experiment. A missing ledger. A misplaced order. A rumor that a shipment had been intercepted. None of it was true. But the truth was irrelevant. People’s perception was what mattered. And soon, Herr Bauer began to unravel. He started losing sleep. Started snapping at customers. Started watching his own employees with suspicion. And then, one night, Johan delivered the final blow. It was simple, really. A note left on Herr Bauer’s doorstep. "They’re watching you.” That was all. Three simple words. And yet, they carried the weight of a thousand doubts. Herr Bauer barely slept that night. The next day, he accused an employee of stealing. The accusation spread through the town like wildfire. The employee denied it, begging and pleading to be believed. But the damage was done. The shop’s reputation crumbled. People stopped coming. And Herr Bauer? Herr Bauer was left alone in his store. Surrounded by the wreckage of his own paranoia. One evening, Johan passed by the store. The once-thriving shop was empty. Herr Bauer sat behind the counter, staring at nothing. His hands trembled. His eyes were hollow. He had lost everything.  Johan smiled. Because this had not been about Herr Bauer. It had not been about the shop, or the rumors, or the money. It had been about understanding. About proving a theory. And now, Johan understood something new. People did not need enemies to destroy them. They only needed a single doubt. And given enough time… They would tear themselves apart. As he walked home that night, Johan’s mind raced with possibilities. If he could break a man, he could break a town. If he could break a town, he could break a city. And if he could break a city… Then there were no limits. Johan had spent years playing with individuals. Now, he would begin playing with society itself. And the world? The world would never be the same again.