100x Cashback

Emir's life had always been predictably mundane. Every day followed the same routine—a 9-to-5 job in a small office, the dull hum of fluorescent lights overhead, and the constant buzz of emails waiting to be answered. The most excitement he had was trying to squeeze in a lunch break between piles of work.

That evening, like so many others, Emir was stuck late at the office. He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. Another late night, he thought, sighing. The clock ticked on, now 6:45 PM. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since lunchtime.

Without much thought, he stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Maybe I'll grab something on the way home," he mumbled to himself.

He stepped out of the office building and into the cool evening air. The city was busy, the streets bustling with people heading home from work or off to their own adventures. Emir wasn't looking for adventure, though—just food. Something comforting. Something to fill the empty void in his stomach.

And that's when he smelled it.

Shawarma.

A scent so irresistible that Emir felt his feet moving before his brain could catch up. His senses seemed to sharpen as he followed the smell through the crowd, his stomach growling louder in protest.

There it was, the shawarma cart, sitting on the corner of his usual route. The old man running the cart waved at him, a familiar, welcoming gesture.

"Shawarma?" the old man called out with a grin, wiping his hands on his apron.

Emir smiled back, his hunger overpowering any concerns. "Yeah, the usual. But today, I'm feeling adventurous. Make it extra spicy."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Extra spicy, huh? Last time, you were practically crying!"

"I'll be fine," Emir said, feeling a rush of confidence. He had no idea why he felt so bold about it. Maybe the exhaustion was getting to him.

The shawarma arrived—hot, sizzling, and dripping with sauce. Emir dug in without hesitation, savoring the crispy meat and spicy sauce. But something strange happened. The moment the warm food hit his stomach, he felt a jolt. A weird sensation spread through him, as if his senses were heightened all at once.

The world around him seemed to slow down. Every sound became clearer, the hum of traffic, the chatter of people walking by, even the faint rustling of leaves in the trees. His vision sharpened. He could see details he had never noticed before—the individual threads in his jacket, the wrinkles in the old man's apron, the gleam of the lights from the streetlamps.

"What... is happening?" Emir muttered under his breath.

For a moment, he felt dizzy, like the world was tilting, but the feeling quickly passed. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog. It was just the spice, he reasoned. Maybe it was just too much heat.

But when he looked around again, everything felt... different. He felt different. His mind was clearer, sharper. It was as if he could focus on a thousand things at once, processing everything around him faster than ever before. The world was more vibrant, more alive.

Emir finished the shawarma, but the odd feeling didn't leave him. He walked home that night with a strange sense of anticipation hanging in the air. It wasn't just the spice, he realized. Something had changed. But what?

The next morning, Emir woke up with the same odd sense of clarity. He wasn't tired, even though he'd gotten barely any sleep. His mind was buzzing, his senses on overdrive. He shook his head, trying to push aside the weirdness of it all. Maybe he was just still feeling the aftereffects of the spicy shawarma.

At work, however, everything felt... alive. As he sat at his desk, he noticed every detail more clearly. The sound of the office printer felt loud and intrusive, the soft clicking of keyboards echoing in his ears. Even the dull whir of the ceiling fan seemed to hum with power.

He also noticed something else. There was Saji "The Office Oracle", sitting at her desk, eyes glued to her computer. Or was she? Emir couldn't be sure, but there was something off about the way she typed. She moved so quickly, so effortlessly, as if she were gliding over the keys, her fingers dancing like they knew exactly what to do without even thinking.

He squinted, trying to focus. But as soon as he tried to concentrate on her, she glanced up at him and smiled knowingly.

"Late night again, Emir?" she asked, her voice warm, as if she had known he'd be here this late all along.

Emir blinked, wondering if she had heard his internal thoughts. "Yeah, you know how it is."

She chuckled lightly, tapping her fingers on the desk in a rhythmic pattern. Her eyes twinkled for a brief moment, like she was hiding a secret. "Just make sure you're not letting those emails control your life, okay? They tend to multiply when you're not looking."

Emir gave a nervous laugh. "Too late. My inbox is practically its own species."

Saji didn't respond immediately. Instead, her eyes lingered on him for just a second too long. Something about her smile seemed to suggest she knew more than she let on.

Shaking the feeling off, Emir moved on, but there was a subtle doubt in his mind. Was she... did she know something?

Then there was Omaya "The Enigmatic Swan". She always carried an air of mystery, moving through the office like a phantom. She was the kind of woman whose mere presence made everything around her feel still and focused, as though time slowed down whenever she entered a room.

As she passed by him in the hallway, their eyes met, and for just a moment, Emir could have sworn that she glanced at him with an almost piercing intensity. A slight spark of recognition flashed between them, but before he could say anything, she was gone—vanishing into the crowd of busy office workers.

Her elegance always left him mesmerized. But today, there was something more in her gaze, something that made him feel like she knew something he didn't.

---

By mid-morning, Emir was starting to feel like he was losing his grip on reality. His senses were so heightened that every detail around him seemed magnified, but it wasn't just his senses. There was a strange aura around certain people, almost like they were capable of something he couldn't fully grasp.

He noticed Afiyah "The Bossy Brainiac" in the conference room. She was at the center of a conversation, and everyone was hanging on her every word. She had a way of making people listen, but today, there was something different in her approach. As she leaned forward, her voice was smooth and commanding, but there was an intensity in her eyes, like she could see through anyone's facade.

For a second, he could have sworn that her eyes glowed faintly, just enough for him to notice before it was gone.

He blinked, feeling his heart race for a moment. What was that?

But Afiyah was just as she always was—sharp, focused, and in control. Yet, in that fleeting moment, something told Emir that she was hiding something, just like the others.

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Financial Summary at the End of Chapter 1:

Earnings from Cashback Power: 1,000 credits (groceries, small snacks)

Spending on Shawarma and Snacks: 30 credits

Current Net Worth: 1,000 credits

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Emir had no answers, only questions. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Or were the people around him hiding powers of their own? The only thing he knew for sure was that he was the one who had changed. His power was real, and he was the only one who had it.

But there was a growing feeling in his gut—a sense that he wasn't the only one who knew that something had shifted in the world around him.

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