Chris didn’t know why they picked him. Maybe it was because he was small. Weak. Easy to corner. Whatever the reason, the bullying never stopped.

Every day at school was a battlefield. But unlike the superheroes he read about in comic books, Chris couldn’t fight back. He kept his head down. Cried in the bathroom when no one was looking. Pretended the bruises weren’t real.

The only light in his life was Victor. His one and only friend. Victor never teased him. Never looked at him with pity, just pure loyalty. They both shared a love for science fiction, video games, and dreams that felt too big for their small lives.

When their class went on a weekend camping trip just outside the city, Chris was almost relieved. No lockers to be shoved into. No fists. No whispers behind his back. Just stars, trees, and some peace — for once.

But peace never lasted long.

That night, while everyone else was asleep in their tents, Chris sat by the campfire alone, staring up at the sky.

And then he saw it.

A streak of light — brilliant, fiery — tearing across the sky like a crack in the night itself. A meteor.

It wasn’t just far-off and gone in a flash. It was close. Too close. It looked like it hit somewhere not far from the camp.

Chris stood, heart racing.

“Victor!” he whispered, hurrying back to their tent. “Victor, wake up! I saw a meteor!”

Victor groaned. “What…? Chris, go to sleep, man.”

“No, seriously, it landed nearby. We have to go check it out.”

Victor sat up halfway, rubbing his eyes. “You’re crazy. We’ll get in trouble.”

Chris hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. You stay. I’ll go.”

Victor didn’t respond. He just turned and went back to sleep.

Chris grabbed his flashlight and snuck through the trees, keeping his steps light. The night was thick with silence, broken only by the crunch of leaves underfoot.

After twenty minutes of walking, he saw it — a crater in the ground, still glowing faintly with blue and orange light.

In the center… the meteor.

It pulsed like a heartbeat. Not hot, not cold. Just… alive.

Chris stepped closer, breath shallow. Something about it called to him. Not with words. With feeling.

He reached out — his fingers touched the surface.

Pain shot through his arm. Then his chest. Then his entire body.

And then… everything went black.

—

Chris woke up on cold grass.

His body felt strange. He looked at his hands — they weren’t small anymore. They were bigger, stronger. Veins ran along his forearms. He touched his face — no baby fat, no small features. He stumbled to a nearby stream and looked at his reflection in the water.

It wasn’t him.

It was an adult.

A strong, tall man — probably in his twenties. Fit. Muscular. Unbelievably powerful-looking.

Chris stared at the reflection, heart thumping wildly.

“What the hell…?”

He wasn’t weak anymore.

He wasn’t small.

He wasn’t the same.