The bell jingled as Alex stepped out of the diner, the city night alive with the distant hum of traffic and faint chatter of pedestrians.
The mysterious man had left not even a minute ago, but when Alex scanned the street, there was no trace of him.
His heart raced, a mix of curiosity and unease gnawing at him.
"Where did he go?" he muttered under his breath.
The man's casual demonstration of power replayed in his mind—the phone floating in midair, bathed in a golden glow. It wasn't just a neat party trick; it was a glimpse into something bigger, something extraordinary.
Alex jogged a few steps down the sidewalk, peering around corners and across the street. The man was gone, almost as if he'd vanished into thin air.
"Figures,"
Alex muttered, scratching his head. "People with powers always make dramatic exits."
The thought made him chuckle nervously, but his mind was still buzzing.
That guy wasn't just powerful—he was in a league far beyond what Alex had ever imagined. And if the man was telling the truth, Alex's own potential could lead him down a similar path.
But at what cost?
His stomach growled, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Right," he said, glancing back at the diner. "Coffee."
He slipped back inside, the warmth of the diner greeting him.
The waitress raised an eyebrow as he returned to his booth, where his coffee sat untouched.
"Forget something?" she teased, placing a small dish of creamers on the table.
"Just needed some air," Alex said with an awkward laugh, settling into the seat.
He took a sip of the coffee, then grimaced. It was lukewarm at best.
"Great. Now it's ruined," he muttered, leaning back with a sigh.
Then, an idea struck him. He waved the waitress over.
"Hey, can I get a glass of ice?"
She gave him a curious look but nodded. "Sure thing, hon."
When she brought the ice, Alex carefully poured the coffee over it, watching the cubes swirl and clink.
He took a tentative sip of his makeshift iced coffee and grinned. "Genius."
The waitress chuckled. "You're easy to please, aren't you?"
Alex smirked. "Sometimes, you just have to work with what you've got."
As he left the diner, his thoughts returned to the app.
The walk back from the diner felt longer than it should have. The city's noises—the honk of distant cars, the chatter of passersby—barely registered in Alex's ears as his thoughts churned with questions.
The man's casual display of power had thrown Alex into a spiral of excitement, curiosity, and just a hint of fear.
The image of his phone suspended in midair, glowing with an unearthly energy, replayed in his mind over and over.
If what the man said was true, then the Quest App wasn't just some quirky life-coach software.
"But why me?" Alex muttered to himself as he reached his apartment.
Collapsing onto his couch, he stared at his phone. The screen displayed the latest quest notification:
"Uncover your potential."
The words felt heavier now, tinged with a sense of responsibility Alex hadn't felt before.
The man's parting words echoed in his head: The app is a tool, but it's not the endgame. Push yourself far enough, and you'll see that.
Alex shook his head, tossing the phone onto the coffee table.
"Whatever," he muttered.
The thought of mastering some world-bending power was cool, sure.
But it also sounded exhausting, and Alex was pretty good at avoiding exhaustion.
For now, though, life had a way of snapping him back to reality.
The alarm buzzed far too early for Alex's liking, jarring him out of a restless sleep. Groaning, he slapped the snooze button and buried his face in his pillow.
"Five more minutes," he grumbled.
But five minutes turned into fifteen, and soon enough, the realization hit him: today was the first day back at college.
"Crap!"
Scrambling out of bed, Alex threw on the first clean shirt he could find and stuffed his backpack with whatever notebooks were lying around.
The Quest App pinged with a notification, but he ignored it for now—there was no time to deal with its cryptic riddles.
The campus was a whirlwind of activity, with students milling about, exchanging stories about their summer breaks, and trying to navigate their schedules.
For Alex, the chaos was oddly comforting.
He slipped into his first class just as the professor began speaking, sliding into a seat near the back.
The lecture was uneventful, the professor droning on about the syllabus and upcoming assignments. Alex tried to focus, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the man at the diner.
Had that encounter really been random?
Was the man right about the app leaving "traces"? If so, were there others like him?
The thought made Alex glance around the lecture hall. Everyone seemed normal—bored, distracted, or taking notes—but what if one of them was secretly another app user?
He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought.
"Don't get paranoid," he muttered under his breath.
By lunchtime, Alex had fallen back into the rhythm of campus life, though his mind was still restless.
As he made his way to the student union, he spotted Mia at a nearby table, surrounded by her friends.
For a moment, he considered walking away.
Their last interaction—when he apologized—had been awkward at best. But something in him pushed forward.
If he was going to make things right with Mia, he had to start somewhere.
Taking a deep breath, Alex approached the table. "Hey, Mia."
Her friends glanced up, their chatter dying down as they noticed him. Mia looked surprised, but not entirely unwelcoming.
"Alex," she said. "Hi."
Her friends exchanged glances, and one of them cleared her throat. "We'll catch you later, Mia."
As they left, Mia turned her attention to Alex. "What's up?"
Alex shifted awkwardly. "I, uh, wanted to say hi. And see how you've been."
Mia raised an eyebrow. "I've been fine. Busy, but fine. You?"
"Same," Alex said quickly. He hesitated, then added, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you. About… stuff."
Mia folded her arms, giving him a skeptical look. "Stuff?"
"Yeah," Alex said, scratching the back of his neck. "Like… the whole birthday thing. And everything after."
Her expression softened slightly, though she didn't look entirely convinced.
"Alex, you bailed on my birthday two years ago without a word. And then you just… disappeared. What was I supposed to think?"
Alex took a deep breath.
This was it—the moment he'd been avoiding for years.
"It wasn't about you, Mia. It was… a bad day for me. The anniversary of my parents' death."
Mia blinked, the sharpness in her gaze fading. "I didn't know."
"I didn't tell you," Alex admitted. "I didn't tell anyone. I just… shut down."
Mia sighed, her arms dropping to her sides. "You could've told me. I would've understood."
"I know," Alex said, his voice heavy with regret. "I didn't handle it well. And I'm sorry."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Mia nodded. "Okay. But you can't just expect everything to go back to normal overnight."
"I don't," Alex said quickly. "I just… want to try."
Mia smiled faintly. "Alright. One step at a time."
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, with Alex bouncing between classes and trying to keep up with the flow of college life.
The Quest App remained quiet, its notification still sitting unanswered.
That evening, as he settled into his apartment, Alex finally opened the app.
"Quest Updated: Balance the Scales – Achieve harmony between your mind and body. Deadline: 7 days. Reward: +2 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom."
Alex frowned, rereading the message.
Harmony between mind and body? What was that supposed to mean?
He glanced at his stats:
[Name: Alex]
[Charisma: 2]
[Health: 7]
[Strength: 5]
[Wisdom: 5]
[Dexterity: 3]
[Luck: 1]
[Creativity: 3]
[Cooking: 2]
[Empathy: 2]
It was clear the app wanted him to improve both mentally and physically, but how?
For now, he was just glad the first day of school was behind him.
And as he thought about his conversation with Mia, a small sense of hope bloomed.
"Hehehehehehe"
"Cough, cough."