I looked at the clock. It was a sign of an upcoming change, the countdown to madness. It was ten minutes to midnight. I released a sigh.

I had a quiet day until the evening. The day was normal as a floating cloud surfing the wind for an uncertain future. Then the sun took leave for the day and night took over in the sky, as did trepidation over my heart. I remembered my unsightly encounter with the system. I realized that the encounter would repeat again tonight allowing me another chance to hold a piece of god’s miracle. A new superpower awaited me. This realization led to unwanted anxiousness and a headache.

Two ailments that don’t go so well together.

As if that wasn’t enough, my father picked up my brother, Abhey, from our uncle’s home on his way back from work. Who took one look at me and pointed out all the wrongs in a single breath.

I was lazing around, dinging tea, and minding my own business. When the handsom-er and eager younger brother of mine came over and started accusing me.

“Who are you and what did you do to my dull brother.”

One could imagine my reaction. I spurted out the tea I was drinking, most of which went on the just-cleaned floor. While some of it went up my nose and gave me quite an unhealthy burn. Let’s not forget the pain and the awkwardness that followed when I was trying to clean my nose of any Darjeeling tea leaf residue.

“What happened,” My father asked, and my brother in all of his evil innocence counted an infinite amount of flaws in me.

“I’m serious. Who is he?” Abhey pointed at me.

“What’s wrong with him?” My father asked.

“Look at his eyebrows,” Abhey answered. “They are not conjoined anymore. Even his nose bridge looks straighter. Remember it used to have this huge budge at the center like an overly large rock had gotten stuck in a pipe?” Hmm, our father scrutinized while he continued. “It’s not there anymore. And his lips, they are reddish. I remember one of my friends asked me once if my brother smoked. He told me those who smoke have black lips.”

“He’s not wrong,” I heard my father mummer. I grimaced inside. Outwardly, I smiled. Though it probably looked forced.

“What else?” My mother came over from the kitchen. She set the tray she carried on the table and laid down on the bed, releasing an audible groan of satisfaction. The way she stared at us, she seemed too engrossed to be joking. I saw a kind of sharpness in her eyes that wasn’t there before. She had her doubts too, I guessed.

“That’s not it.” My dear brother continued. “Doesn’t his face look narrower? And what’s with his skin? I remember he had ugly purple-looking pimple spots on his right side.”

“That’s true,”

“But ma, haven’t you noticed the biggest difference?”

“What’s that?” My mom said leaning forward, her ears perked.

“Don’t you think he looks fairer? I mean you can now almost see him in the light. Look,” He said standing next to me. “He used to look like my shadow before, but now,”

I didn’t know whether to get angry at him or be scared.

“Looks the same to me,” My mother said.

My brother looked at my grimace, snickered, and then started laughing. “Look at his face,” He wheezed out. He couldn’t breathe. He was laughing so hard.

“You shit--”

“What do you say?” My mother sat up, glaring.

I stomped my foot and left the room. I should say I escaped the room, but I wanted to have some dignity left. I went back again. Abhey stared at me in fear and stepped closer to our father. I wasn’t there to pick a fight. I ignored him, picked up my cup of tea, and went out of the room. I could hear all three of them laughing behind me and truthfully, it made me slightly sad. I really had no respect left in the house. And I brought it all on my own head.

Our parents’ behavior shifted in Abhey’s favor after my academic performance took a plunge due to certain love-related problems. Even though my parents had always catered to my little brother's needs, at least they paid attention to mine. Now I felt like that awkward pillar disturbing the house feng shui. It had been a slippery slope ever since my crush crushed me. The result of this was a constant struggle between indifference and inexistence. I didn’t even get a gift on my birthday this year. I guess I deserved that too.

No one cares about a moldy loaf of bread that they can’t eat. That only spreads diseases and takes up space in the fridge. At least one could throw out the moldy bread and free up space. How could my parents do that to me? It would be neither ethically nor socially acceptable. Not only would they be deemed irresponsible but also lose respect.

We lived in a society connected by relations rather than networks. Everyone here knew everyone else. To abandon a son would not make them martyrs, but lose them respect and trust in the society. A result that I wouldn’t want for my enemies.

Thankfully, there would be no need for anyone to think about that future. I had already decided to change so there was no need to panic. My parents didn’t want me to waste my life away and I was gonna respect their decision.

Laser eyes and fire breath be damned; I had survival on my mind.

I closed the physics book I was reading to pass the time. Studying is a fairly time-consuming affair, once you get past the initial drowsiness that comes from reading educational books. Especially when solving problems. You get into the rhythm and it’s midnight before you know it.

The clock struck midnight and the unease that I had been feeling since evening reached its peak. Burning words containing celestial aura appeared right before my eyes.

[The Daily superpower system has heard your wish!]

[Super Brain is an excellent superpower that not only passively enhances your intelligence by some degrees but also provides active improvement to your learning capacity by expending some energy.]

[Task level: E]

[Help your younger brother complete his homework once.]

[Would you like to accept the task to acquire the ability? Yes/No]

“Are you kidding me?” I screamed out in surprise. Not from the task; it was scary, but not as scary as the system's appearance.

I was confused and sick when it appeared for the first time to me. Then it suddenly disappeared before I even had the time to organize my thoughts. This time I was completely awake and in control. Yet its appearance was so sudden that it jolted me back. Like when someone pats you on the back. Most people tend to rush forward to save their lives or cower to survive. I responded in the same way. I was surprised. Anyone would be if burning words of red and blue start glowing in front of their eyes. I was a bit too loud though. And I could already hear a pair of footsteps getting louder with each step. Hurriedly turning the light off, I dove under the blanket to pretend I was sleeping. I kept my face away from the door. I didn’t dare to sneak a peek around to check for danger.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Soon the approaching footsteps entered the room. The lights turned on. I knew from the flight of the footsteps that they belonged to my mother. She stayed in the room for a few minutes, standing behind me without saying a word. The pressure I felt at that moment was indescribable. Seconds ticked away. The second arm of my clock was a sharp sword pointed at my heart, closing the distance with counted steps. Then the light turned off, driving the room back into darkness. My mother didn’t leave. She stood at the door, waiting, silently. I didn’t move either until I heard her walking away and even after that, I stayed still, pretending to be asleep. I had no reason to move.

The system’s task was to help my brother complete his homework. More surprising was that it was an E-level task. I didn’t blame the system. It probably couldn’t see through my brother's disguise and thought he was only human. The devil lives among us. We just can’t see him. Laying down, I wondered how the tasks were rated. The last so-called E-level task almost sent me to the gulag. What would a higher-level task ask from me, to assassinate Putin?

Jokes aside – It was going to be a challenge to complete this hell-level task (personally adjusted). I was sure my brother wouldn’t even let me inside his room. I couldn’t remember the last time I had entered that morbid place. I leaned over my bed and looked out the door. Abhey’s room was directly opposite mine. Connected by a hallway, his room was by the front gate; the only room with a window. One could even say he had the best seat in the house. I could see some light moving about inside his room from the space under the closed door. Yes, I wasn’t allowed to close my door at night, but he was.

My parents were too partial. I sometimes wished I hadn’t stopped studying. Fucking love -- broke me in so many ways it was hard to count.

Unfortunately, the plan to get the superpower before the next morning went bust before I could roll it out. At least the system was real and so were the daily superpowers. The best thing was knowing that I could wish for the powers. I mean I would love to get teleportation, but considering the hell-level task I received for such a basic level of power, who knew what kinds of monsters I would have to face to acquire that?

Left with no other choice, I called it a night. I packed my books, closed the door (because I am a lunatic who doesn’t listen to anyone), and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I didn’t even remember falling sleeping. I was so exhausted. I felt confused when the alarm rang because I thought I had just fallen asleep. How could it be morning so soon? Then again, I hadn’t slept the previous night. Then I first exhausted myself learning how to use disguise and then studying for hours. Feeling exhausted even after a night’s sleep seemed completely believable.

I turned the alarm off and got up in a daze. I was opening the door when I heard frantic footsteps outside and remembered I had a rival competing with me for occupying the bathroom and that thought woke me up faster than a can of concentrated tarry black coffee. Abhey’s laughter echoed in the house as I rushed after him. Our mother wasn’t there to glare at me that day. I sped around the corner, almost banging against the wall’s edge, only to see Abhey standing inside the bathroom with a hand on the door handle and a sneer on his face.

“Stop!” I yelled. He didn’t.

The sound of the door slamming shut on my face felt more like a slap than a statement of his prowess over me. I banged on the door and he started laughing in the bathroom like a maniac. I released a groan and went away.

He does it most days. Competes with me to see who could occupy the bathroom earlier, faster, whatever. It didn’t help that the bathroom was closer to his room.

I woke up half an hour earlier than his supposed waking time so he wouldn’t have to wait to use the bathroom. But he was such an asshole that he woke up at the exact time as me so he can compete with me. I learned about it the hard way when I made the mistake of accommodating him once. Thinking, if he wanted to bathe earlier then I’d let him.

So I woke up half an hour late believing the bathroom would be empty. It wasn’t. He cried out to our parents that I didn’t wake up on time and was now bullying him. Not only did my mother give me an earful, but I also had to go to school without bathing. That day one of my classmates told me I smelled like dead fish. He wasn’t making fun of me. He was telling the truth.

Sighing, I gave up and went about my day. While Abhey washed up, I brushed my teeth and ironed my clothes. I also had breakfast in that period. Yes, I ate before bathing. I had no choice. This was what he had forced me to become. Eventually, I would have my revenge.

We left home on time and met Arzoo and her little brother on the way. Abhey waved to her and then he started flirting with her. I wonder why I felt pangs of regret whenever she laughed at his jokes. On the bus, we sat together as always. And as always he took the window seat. We didn’t talk on the way to school. He liked to boss me around at home, but he was quite civil outside. Never disrespected or called me by name or talked behind my back. He even called me his elder brother when we sometimes passed by at school during recess. Guess he had a good side too.

He even showed his good side that day, when I heard a younger voice mocking me from the bus window on our way to the classes.

“Oye, monkey! Do you want a banana?” The voice called. It was young and belligerent. Then came laughter and the droning conversation that followed. I didn’t hear what they were saying, but my heart was already in the pit of my stomach. What a great start to the day.

I didn’t fight back because inaction was the best form of defense I had learned over a long period of harassment. The bullies want attention. They want you to talk back so they can entertain themselves. They feed off of your anger. It makes them happy.

“Take your banana and shove it up your ass. I bet you’ll like it too.” Suddenly I heard from beside me. Instantly the laughter died down.

I looked up and saw Abhey flipping double birds to the assholes in the bus. It was like an instant shot of adrenaline. The mood reversed and suddenly I was proud of my little brother. I even felt a smile creeping up my face.

All of my renewed excitement and pride melted into water and evaporated into steam when my brother turned to look at me.

With disappointed eyes, he asked, “When are you going to stand up for yourself?”

Such a small question yet it threw a boulder into my heart. Causing waves of magnitude that none of the taunts ever had. My face fell into the abyss. Grim replaced the smile. My head dropped further than before. I was down in the pit again. So embarrassed of myself that I couldn’t even look at my little brother. Before I knew it, I was walking faster, trying to distance myself from him.

He was right. When was I gonna stand up for myself? I thought of pushing him away but found him clinging to me like a god-forsaken leech. No matter how fast I walked I couldn’t get rid of him. Truthfully, it became a little funny by the time we reached the stairs because we were both running.

We separated on the first floor. My class was there but he had to go up another floor. His words were still on my mind. I couldn’t help take a few steps forward and stop.

“Hey,” I turned around and called him but he had already climbed the stairs. Exhaling heavily, I was about to turn when I saw him appearing back on the stairs.

“What?” He said with a scrunched-up face like a constipated cat.

“Thanks,” I had to fight myself to say it. My pride wouldn’t allow it; even though it allows almost everyone to throw dirt at me.

“Sure. Anything else.” Abhey asked nonchalantly.

I shook my head and he walked back up the stairs. I saw him smile and suddenly remembered my task. Perhaps, I could use this incident as an excuse to help him with his homework. I would need to be persistent and shameless, but this was a God-given chance and it would be a shame to waste it away. It was like finding gold in the mud. With new enthusiasm, I walked into my class, excited about the day.

Even though my task was only to help Abhey complete his homework, it almost felt like I was gonna usurp the king from his throne.