The money changed everything, and nothing.
I couldn't buy a Lamborghini. I was 16, living with my mom. But I could upgrade my tools.
I ordered a top-tier gaming laptop online. The fastest processor. The best keyboard for typing. I used a parcel locker for delivery.
I bought a new phone. A sleek flagship. I hid the boxes in my closet.
The physical changes were subtle. The psychological shift was seismic.
I walked through school halls differently. My shoulders were back. My gaze was direct.
Marcin the bully tried to shoulder-check me again on Wednesday.
This time, I didn't budge. I was rooted.
He bounced off. Looked surprised, then angry.
"Watch where you're going, Thorn!"
I just looked at him. I didn't smile. I didn't frown.
I just looked.
He faltered. Swallowed. Muttered and walked away.
Power isn't just magic. It's posture.
But I needed to test the real power. The Compulsion.
The skill itched in my mind. A new appendage begging to be used.
The target had to be female. One per month.
I knew exactly who.
Zofia. The queen bee of my class. Pretty, popular, and vicious. She'd led the campaign of whispers that made my old life hell. "Creepy Alex." "Weirdo Thorn."
She was perfect.
I planned it for Friday. The school cafeteria was chaos. The perfect stage.
I saw her at her usual table, surrounded by followers, laughing too loud.
My pulse hammered. This was it.
I focused. The skill unfurled in my mind like a dark flower.
A subtle, invisible thread seemed to extend from my thoughts toward her.
I formed the suggestion. Simple. Specific. Humiliating.
You will stand up, walk to the principal's table, and confess your embarrassing, secret crush on him. You will do it with tearful, sincere emotion.
I mentally pushed the command down the thread.
It cost me nothing. Just a faint, cold drain at my temples.
Across the room, Zofia stopped laughing.
She blinked. Looked confused for a second. Then her expression settled into one of determined resolve.
She stood up.
Her friends looked at her. "Zo? You okay?"
"I have to do something," she said, her voice oddly flat. "It's important."
She walked. Across the crowded cafeteria. Heads turned.
She walked right up to the principal's table. Old, stern Pan Dąbrowski was eating soup.
The room quieted. A wave of silence followed her.
She stopped in front of him. Tears welled in her eyes. Real, shimmering tears.
"Pan Dąbrowski," her voice broke. It was loud in the quiet room. "I… I can't keep it a secret anymore. I have feelings for you. A crush. It's all I think about."
You could hear a pin drop.
The principal froze, his spoon halfway to his mouth. His face went from pale to beet red.
Zofia started full-on sobbing. Sincere, heartfelt sobs of confession.
The cafeteria exploded.
Gasps. Shouts of "WHAT?!" Howling laughter. Phones came out. Recording.
Zofia stood there, weeping, completely convinced of her own confession.
I watched from the back corner, sipping my juice.
The cold fire in my chest was now a sun of pure, dark satisfaction.
It worked. Flawlessly.
A notification only I could see flickered at the edge of my vision.
[SKILL: COMPULSION - COOLDOWN INITIATED. 29 DAYS 23 HOURS REMAINING.]
I finished my juice. The chaos in the room was a symphony.
One down.
I pulled out my new phone. Opened the Fistoria app.
My novel, "Chronos Imperium," had just entered the Top 100 on the Rising Stars ranking.
I smiled. A real, chilling smile.
"Time for the grind."