Sofia snapped her fingers, she appeared inside a cubicle in a worn-out office building. The floors reeked of piss and the smell of rotten food was apparent, but she found comfort in those things.
She had enough of the fancy meals, luxurious hotel rooms, and lavish vacations at the snap of a finger. Her gift was powerful, yet it left her stuck in a catch-22. She could take anyone she wanted with her on her journeys, undoubtedly, sharing those experiences with others would make them better, yet that meant exposing her most important secret to other people, possibly endangering them. She had no reservations about putting herself at risk, she could dodge a bullet if she saw it coming, she could get out of any cell or dungeon they could throw her in. But people who knew about her powers would become valuable sources of information for the bureau.
She snapped her fingers again, this time appearing in a part of the world where the sun was still up. She appeared on the promenade near a beach with beautiful white sand, reflecting and scattering the sunlight in all directions.
Behind her, across the road from the promenade, low-rise luxury apartments along with five-star hotels were neatly tucked in a line, with the occasional street dividing up the buildings into city blocks and letting traffic flow through the city.
Sofia looked all the way up to a hotel's penthouse and snapped her fingers, instantly appearing in the lavish room.
Beautiful furniture made of an expensive type of wood no doubt, along with a pure white marble floor that reflected everything, everything.
She walked through the apartment-like hotel room until she found the bed and TV. Closing the thick blackout curtains and going back into bed, she turned on the TV and watched a program in a language she couldn't understand until she fell asleep.
***
'I was right, fancy hotels leave you with shitty sleep.' She thought, getting out of bed to put her clothes back on and going to the bathroom to wash her face. Dark bags rested under her eyes as she had barely gotten enough sleep, the sanitized smell of everything in the room was enough to make her want to puke.
She stepped out of the room, only to be met with an unfamiliar face right in front of her. The man that was dressed like a bell boy was carrying cleaning supplies, most likely getting the room ready for a new client.
His eyes went wide as he looked at the tall, menacing woman glaring down at him. He reached for his walkie-talkie but was intercepted by a gust of wind, blowing the device out of his hand.
The two people stared at each other for a few seconds before the bell boy started conjuring a simple blade made out of ice. He pointed the blade at Sofia and took a step back.
She merely walked towards him and summoned her own ice weapons. Only hers numbered in the dozens and were floating near her. All the ice weapons shot off and pierced the bellboy, killing him where he stood. He collapsed, the icicles still piercing his body.
She used water magic to clean up the blood and then teleported herself along with the corpse to the dilapidated office.
Sofia conjured a roaring fire, raging on the tip of her fingers before casting it down on the bellboy. His corpse was burnt to a crisp, only ashes remain, then the ashes burned too until nothing was left.
'How unlucky of me.' She thought, ignoring the smell of burning flesh.
After she was done cleaning up, her phone rang from her pocket. It was a reminder of the job she would have to do tomorrow.
****
3 months ago
In a completely different part of the world, a man opened his eyes for the first time in days.
He had been admitted to the hospital after almost dying in a traffic accident. His injuries were severe yet the doctors miraculously managed to save him even after his heart had failed.
The man opened his eyes only to be met with a blank white ceiling and the constant beeping of the machinery keeping him alive.
"What happened?" The man asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"Oh you're up, welcome back to the world of the living." The nurse that was checking his IV drip said.
"How long have I been out?"
"Only three days. But considering the state we found you in, you should've been out for at least a few months." She checked his pulse along with all his other functions. "It seems everything is fine here, let me get the doctor for you so you can discuss things with him."
The woman went away for a while before returning with the doctor in tow.
The doctor that walked into the room looked to be quite young. He was a short yet muscular man with slicked-back black hair and olive skin.
"The miracle boy awakens." The doctor said,
"The boy who lived." Another nurse adds while chuckling, drawing a gaze from her boss.
"Anyway, can all of you step out of the room, I need to discuss a few things with my patient." The doctor asked, but it sounded more like an order.
After everyone left the room, he began speaking
"I hate to partake in this cliche, but I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
"The bad news?" The man asked, still a little dazed.
"Your magic is gone."
"The good news?" The man sighed. He didn't particularly care for magic, he couldn't do anything more than use fire magic as a match anyway.
"Your damaged kidney completely regenerated, on its own. Your heart restarted itself, your body, it's not human anymore. I suspect you have awakened."
"What?" His eyes went wide, his daze now completely gone.
"You're 18 right? It fits within the parameters, thereby, you most likely awakened. That is the only conclusion I can come up with." The doctor said. "But don't worry, no one else besides me knows, I'll keep this a secret."
The man still couldn't believe his own ears.
'Me? Awakened? Impossible, my magic has always been the weakest out of everyone I know.'
Just as he began to wrap his head around the situation, he saw something in the corner of his eye. He tried following the object, but whenever it lined up with his direct line of sight, it would always move towards his peripherals.
Still, the man decided not to reveal this to the doctor who was still watching over him.
"Well, that's about it for today. I'm going to leave now, I wish you luck in your recovery." He said while walking to the door. "Though I doubt you need it."
After the doctor left, the man began searching for the thing at the edge of his vision, whenever it felt like he was about to catch it, it would scurry away, as though trying to hide from him.
He realized chasing the object was a fruitless endeavor, so he closed his eyes and let his consciousness drift.
Then, a videogame-like interface popped up in the man's vision, as though it had been imprinted on the back of his eyelids.
[Welcome to the Gift system.]
[Current gift: Endless regeneration]
[Strength: 17]
[Agility: 20]
[Mana: 5]
[Endurance: 13 (+200) ]
[Current quest: Get shot.]
[Reward: Gift(Shield type)]
'You're kidding.'