The next morning, Deniel woke up with one thought on his mind: he needed to find teammates. He had two weeks to prepare, and that clock was already ticking. As much as the idea of having superpowers excited him, the reality of the situation kept hitting him—he couldn’t do this alone. The man had made it clear: find three people you trust, give them powers, and stick together.
Deniel grabbed the black bag from beside his bed and headed out. He didn’t have a solid plan yet, but he figured he’d start by checking out some of the people he knew. He couldn’t exactly go around asking, “Hey, want to help me fight monsters?”—that would sound crazy. But maybe, if he took his time, he’d figure out who would be the best to trust with something this big.
The first person Deniel thought about was Aris. They weren’t super close, but they used to hang out after school sometimes. Aris was one of those guys who could make anyone laugh. He was always cracking jokes, even when things were tough. Deniel wasn’t sure if Aris would take the whole “saving the world” thing seriously, but maybe his laid-back attitude would help in a situation that would make most people panic.
Deniel found Aris hanging out near their old school, leaning against a fence, talking to a couple of kids. Deniel walked over, trying to act casual.
“Hey, Aris,” Deniel called out.
Aris turned and grinned when he saw him. “Deniel! Man, I haven’t seen you in a while. What’s up?”
“Not much. Just, you know… been busy,” Deniel said, feeling awkward already. He wasn’t sure how to bring this up.
Aris nodded and turned back to the kids he was talking to. “Hey, I’ll catch you guys later.” After they left, Aris turned back to Deniel. “So, what’s going on? You look kinda stressed.”
Deniel hesitated. This wasn’t going to be easy. “I… need to talk to you about something. Something important.”
Aris raised an eyebrow, but his grin didn’t fade. “Important, huh? Sounds serious.”
Deniel sighed. “It is. But it’s gonna sound weird. Just hear me out, okay?”
“Alright, man, hit me with it.”
Deniel looked around to make sure no one was listening, then leaned in closer. “Okay, so… there’s this guy I met. He told me something. Something big. And, uh, I know it sounds crazy, but he said I need to help him stop some… monsters.”
Aris blinked and stared at Deniel, his face completely serious for a moment. Then, he burst out laughing. “Monsters? Dude, what have you been watching lately? That’s wild.”
Deniel rubbed the back of his neck, feeling frustrated. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me. But I’m serious, Aris. This isn’t a joke. These monsters—they’re real. And if we don’t stop them, they’re going to take over.”
Aris shook his head, still smiling but looking a little confused. “Wait, wait, hold up. You’re serious?”
“Yeah,” Deniel said firmly. “I wouldn’t be telling you this if I wasn’t.”
For a second, Aris looked like he was thinking it over. Then he gave Deniel a hard look. “Okay, let’s say I believe you. What does this have to do with me?”
Deniel took a deep breath. “I can’t do it alone. The guy gave me these… powers. And he said I can give them to three people I trust. I need a team, Aris. I need people who have my back.”
Aris stared at Deniel, the grin fading completely now. He looked serious, like he was trying to figure out if Deniel had lost his mind or if he was telling the truth. 
“So, let me get this straight,” Aris said slowly. “You want me to help you fight monsters? Like, actual monsters? And you can give me powers to do it?”
Deniel nodded. “Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Aris was quiet for a long time, and Deniel could feel his heart pounding. He didn’t know what he’d do if Aris said no. He couldn’t force him to join, but he really needed someone he could trust, and he hoped Aris would be that person.
Finally, Aris sighed and rubbed his hands through his hair. “Man, I don’t know. This sounds like some sci-fi movie stuff. But… I guess if you’re telling the truth, and this is real, then yeah. I’d be down. I mean, if the world’s in danger, we can’t just sit back and do nothing, right?”
Deniel let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Yeah, exactly. We have to do something.”
Aris nodded, though he still looked a bit unsure. “Alright, so… what now? You just hand over these powers or what?”
Deniel reached into his jacket and pulled out the black bag. He opened it and showed Aris the glowing circles inside. “These. There are three left. Each one gives you a random power. I don’t know what it’s going to be, but it’ll be something you can use to help fight.”
Aris stared at the glowing circles, his eyes wide. “Whoa… that’s wild, man.”
Deniel nodded. “You ready to try one?”
Aris hesitated for a second, then shrugged. “Why not? Let’s see what happens.”
Deniel handed him one of the glowing circles. Aris took it, holding it in his palm for a moment. He looked at it closely, then closed his eyes and pressed it against his skin.
At first, nothing seemed to happen, just like when Deniel had used his. But then Aris opened his eyes and gasped. “Whoa… what the—”
Suddenly, his whole body seemed to shimmer, like he was turning transparent. Deniel blinked, staring in shock as Aris’s body slowly faded, becoming completely invisible. 
“Aris?!” Deniel called out, looking around even though Aris had vanished from sight.
“I’m right here,” Aris’s voice came from where he had been standing, but Deniel couldn’t see him at all. “Dude, this is insane. I can’t see myself!”
Deniel laughed in surprise. “You’re invisible, man! That’s crazy!”
A few seconds later, Aris reappeared, his body slowly fading back into view. He looked down at his hands in awe. “This is unreal. I can actually go invisible?”
Deniel grinned. “Looks like it. That’s gonna be super useful.”
Aris nodded, still staring at his hands. “Man, I didn’t think I’d actually believe you, but… this is real, huh? Monsters, powers… everything.”
“Yeah,” Deniel said, feeling a bit more confident now that Aris was on board. “It’s real. And we’ve got two weeks to get ready.”
Aris looked up at Deniel and nodded firmly. “Alright. I’m in. Let’s do this.”
Deniel felt a wave of relief wash over him. He had his first teammate. Now, he just needed two more.