It was a very satisfying
feeling that Hobbies Kraft was experiencing at the moment. The sense
of accomplishment, of finally taking the big leap forward to change
his future into the direction that he felt was right for him, made
him happy and drew a honest smile on his normally rather
expressionless face. He felt like he had finally gained control over
his life.
He just stood there on the
podium for some time, simply savouring the moment. Then he took a
deep breath and left the stage.
“You know,” Hobbies
Kraft said with a tone in his voice that sounded like that he was
about the tell a long and personal story, which indeed he was, while
demonstratively interrupting his own words by taking a sip from his
glass of brandy.
The rather bitter taste
filled his mouth, and he immediately wondered how people could enjoy
drinking this stuff. Yet he tried his best not to let his face
express his distaste while swallowing the liquid. He had an image to
build, after all, which was the sole reason he had started drinking
brandy in the first place.
The ice cubes in the glass
were pushed around and caused a faint clinking noise when he put it
down on the table as he resumed talking, starting again from the
beginning.
“You know... Life is
crazy. It's so full of unexpected turns and events. You can plan
ahead as much as you want, but ultimately that will be of no use. I
also made plans, back then. Before this whole “revolution of the
mind” stuff that changed everything. And come on, who the hell
could predict such a thing happening?” Hobbies paused, resting his
gaze on his conversation partner, trying to retain a friendly,
hail-fellow-well-met expression. He hoped that the hours in front of
the mirror had paid off, but his counterpart's reaction or rather
lack of thereof kept him in the dark about it.
Once Hobbies decided that
the pause in his speech had reached the perfect length, he continued.
“So I've made a
lot of plans back then. Crazy plans. I thought of countless ways to
repay the things that had happened back then. You know, life wasn't
pretty... enjoyable
back then...” He hoped that the bitter and cynic emphasis he had
put into this words had completely eliminated every faint hint of an
emotion that could be laid out as a weakness.
Obviously, I still make
plans, given the whole “end of the world”-thing...” A smirk
briefly flashed on his mouth. “But you know what's the difference
today?” Hobbies' eyes were fixed on the person opposite of him, and
his face lit with conviction and a startling self-assuredness. This
time though, the expression was completely genuine. “Today,” he
continued, “Nothing can stop me from actually accomplishing my
ambitions.”
The room the two men were
in was lit by a dimmed ceiling lamp emitting a warm and comfortable
light, while a little desk lamp on the small coffee table between the
two occupied armchairs was additionally illuminating the scene from
below, drawing subtle sinister shadows on Hobbies' face. At first he
had wondered if such a light setup was really necessary, but now he
noticed how much it added to the general atmosphere. Once again he
was glad he had watched that one youtube guide on how to be a
successful villain and put its teachings into practice. When you're
threatening to destroy the world, you need credibility, you need to
be taken seriously, and you need to be respected.
It was no easy job, but
Hobbies Kraft was aware of this. He had prepared himself, had made a
plan, and this plan was working out perfect at the moment. He
continued talking.
“Magic they called it.
Ha, magic! It's funny how quickly they let go of their scientific
approach once something comes along that truly can't fit into their
world of logic and rules. It's not magic, though. No, it's something
else. It's a new way of thinking - quite literally. I assume you're
not one of the gifted?” His conversation partner remained silent.
“I'm not sure you people
really understand how it works, no matter how many explanations you
get. You know, it's just something you have to experience to truly
understand. I think what makes this skill inaccessible for so many is
that you have to overcome that shaky set of rules that defines our
reality... The basic idea is so simple, really. But I don't want to
waste your time with concepts that obviously don't seem to fit into
your head...” Another short pause, another sip from the brandy.
“I was a pretty fast
learner, you know. You could say that I was always good at thinking
outside the box.
Back then when the
phenomenon became popular online but hadn't yet been accepted and
picked up by the “real” media, I was one of these guys you could
see hanging out in dark backyards every other night, practicing,
sharing tips, showing off their skills. It felt like a new secret
religion, committing blasphemous acts against their god of science.
These were the good times.” Hobbies sighed and instantly wondered
if doing so had been a tad too theatrically. The man in the chair
across from him again showed no sign of reaction, and if it hadn't
been for his eyes that followed Hobbies' every slight move and never
changed their expression of loathing and hatred that mostly tried to
cover up the fear the man was experiencing, Hobbies would have
assumed he had suffocated due to the duct tape gluing his mouth shut.
But to be fair, the man's hands were also tied, so it wasn't like he
could have just expressed his thoughts through gestures either.
Staring at Hobbies was all he could do, really.
“You know what irritated
me at these gatherings? So many of these people simply used their new
skill for fun, as a leisure activity, like other people who play
guitar or paint in their free time. There were only a few that, like
me, saw in our new abilities a chance, a tool for us to utilize. And
now my time to use this tool has come. And you could say I'm quite
skilled at it, as you sure noticed earlier..." Finally his counterpart showed reaction by squirming in his chair, but the grip of rope that held him in place didn't ease up.
"Now, my friend, you're lucky, you know that? Because although you tried to just cowardly assassinate me..." Hobbies stare got serious. "...I'm not gonna kill you. Although I would have every right to do so, especially if you consider my profession. Now, you are the first, and that makes you lucky. Because I'm gonna let you out of here, and then you're gonna deliver my message to the world. You will tell them what happened here today. You will tell them that I'm not a crazy nutjob with too much power on my hands. No, my friend - I am the one who will cause this world to end, and there's nothing anybody can do about it."
