I arrived home just as the sun set and darkness fully enveloped the sky. I should probably try turning the sky red for my next prank, almost as if blood was contaminating the sky... I'm getting sidetracked.
"I'm home!", I yelled out as I took off my shoes.
"Welcome back dear.", a woman walked downstairs and embraced me.
That woman was my mom, Annabelle Croft. She has black hair and large green eyes, just slightly shorter than me at 5'10 as she patted me on the back.
"I've made your favourite for dinner, Mac and cheese!"
My mom is extremely caring and considerate, so I'd hate to make her disappointed. She was the first person I talked to, about my... hobby. A year after my awakening, I knew I had to talk to someone about my obsession or I would soon commit a mistake that I can't fix.
She always knew I loved scaring people, because I probably did the most pranks on my parents as a child. But soon they got accustomed to all my tricks. Maybe I played dead too many times so they didn't care if I actually died anymore. Oh, once I pretended to hang myself. Should've seen the face on my mom when she walked into my room. I laughed when she tried to cut me loose and then I got beat so badly I thought I might actually die that day. Ever since, I've stopped pranking my parents because my poor mother's heart couldn't take anymore.
I told my mom that I have used my abilities on strangers to scare them, expecting to get punished severely. But my mom did not jump to conclusions. I explained the joy I feel by scaring people, the euphoric freedom of using my ability on others. But I knew I shouldn't be doing this as it would cause a lot of trouble. My mom just sighed and said she understood my emotions and my needs. She proceeded to tell me her stories of when she was younger after she awakened her ability. Her ability is to 'charm' another person through eye contact for a period of time. If a person is charmed, they would treat my mom as if she was their best friend or lover, following my mom's orders. She couldn't tell them to harm themselves as that isn't something a close lover or friend would say, but actions of friendship and love were okay. The best part is that the charmed person is also unaware of the mental influence.
She managed to get many gifts, able to garner superficial attention from everyone, and she told me she enjoyed every second of it. She loved the attention, was obsessed with it, and was addicted to it, similar to my problem. She only stopped after my dad captured my mom's heart, but that story remains a mystery.
My mom assured me everything will be fine, but she warned me to never take it too far, because I do have a potent ability that could do serious psychological harm. I promised her I will only do my pranks when the withdrawal symptoms get too unbearable.
This condition of mine basically meant I had to take the hero route in order to satisfy my urges. Another option that could allow me to use my abilities is in the army, but they only patrol the border without much fighting as the world is currently in 'peace'. There's still a lot of crime and unrest inside each country though, so not actually peaceful.
After I finished dinner with my mom, I talked to her about how my tests went and my future plans.
"Your hero admission test will be in a couple of weeks. I hope you pass and get into the hero course without any problems.", Mom reminded me.
I've already applied to many hero universities, receiving offers and the dates of their admission tests from all of them. I've committed to attending 'Hero University of Lagnad', the nation's top hero university, which consistently produces top heroes on the heroes ranking, with graduating heroes securing fame and a good starting salary.
Brandon and Luke are also committed to the same university, so I'll see them on the day of the admission test. They'll both probably ace the test, knowing their work ethic and strong abilities.