Chapter 4

It could have taken days, or a few hours, or maybe even a year. All he knew, is that it only felt like a few minutes before opening his eyes. Eric was laying on his bathroom floor, wearing nothing. The floor was briefly wet, and the tub was empty. The lighter sat by his foot.

"What the hell?" he said as he sat up with a groan. He couldn't remember what he was doing, so his nudity was a bit questionable and unsettling.

That's when it hit him. The candle. Did it work? He thought. He stood up and searched all over the bathroom for the candle but couldn't find it anywhere. Was it just a dream?

Either way, Eric wanted to get back into his clothes. So, he opened the door and slowly peeked out. It was quiet, and he didn't see anybody. That gave him the chance to quickly head out and run into his room. He shut the door behind him.

After that, he went into his dresser and put some clothes on. He then exited his room and walked down the stairs. Everything seemed normal, so the boy concluded that it was just a dream and that the magic birthday candle was fake. "Mom?" he said as he searched the house.

"In the kitchen, Sweetie," she called.

Eric headed for the kitchen and looked at his mother. She was washing the dishes. She was quiet for a moment. Eric sat at the table as his mind began to wander. He was disappointed that the whole thing was a scam. He had waisted his time.

"Did you enjoy your nap?" his mother finally said, her back still turned.

Eric blinked in confusion and then turned to his mother. "Nap?" he asked.

"Mhm, you went to the bathroom, and were gone for a few hours. So, I suspected you went to take a nap."

The boy was shocked. To him, it only felt like a few moments. So, he was on the bathroom floor for a few hours, he decided. Eric jumped down from the chair and stared at his mother's back. "Mom, did you hear or feel anything unusual?"

"No, I don't think so," she answered as she turned around and smile at her son. Her smile then turned into a frown. "Eric." She was whispering now and had a look of concern on her face.

"What?" the boy asked, eager to find out what was really going on. But what he didn't know was something his mother could see.

"You're glowing, Poopsikins."

Eric blinked. "What?" He held out his arms in front of him and noticed a blue light forming around them. He then quickly ran upstairs and into the bathroom to see himself in the mirror.

It was true. Eric was glowing, and he didn't know how it happened or how to stop it. "What the hell?!" he cried. The glowing increased and he started to feel his body vibrate as his head felt fuzzy. His ears began to hum, and soon enough, blue energy dashed out of his hands and shot at the mirror.

Mrs. Cartman heard a crashing soon from down stairs. "Eric?" She began to run upstairs, worried about her son.

Eric opened his eyes and was shocked to see that the bathroom mirror had completely shattered. He heard his mother's voice, but he refused to answer her. Something was up. He had never had this type of power before, and he wasn't so sure if he was scared or eager to find out more about it.

"Eric!" Mrs. Cartman cried again, her voice becoming louder.

Eric was no longer glowing and rushed out of the bathroom, coming eye to eye with his mother. He was immediately in her arms.

"Eric, what happened? Something is wrong!"

Eric didn't know what to say. He just remained quiet, letting his mom hug away. When he was in the bathtub, he seemed to be the only one that felt the rumbling, but now his mother could see what he got.

The boy gasped. "Could it be the wish?" he asked himself.

"What, Eric?" Mrs. Cartman broke the hug and looked into her son's eyes. She was concerned.

"I have to go out for a bit." He ran down the hall and down the stairs. He heard his mother call his name, but he didn't turn back. After putting his shoes on, he ran out the front door.

The town looked the same, but Eric could feel it was different. He scanned the area, looking for something unusual. A glowing butterfly flew passed him. "I did it," he said, "I changed the world."

The first thing Eric did was run back to his house to change his clothes. He had a wizard suit with his name on it, in his closet. In his previous times, he and his friends would pretend to act like people from the middle ages. And Eric was the Wizard King. If his wish came true and he controlled the world, then that meant he was a real wizard.

Eric smiled at that thought, for being a real Wizard King would be the best thing in the world. Although, he wasn't so sure how he was going to control his magic. It subsided for now, but he didn't know when it would act up again.

"I'm the Wizard King," he said to himself as he walked back outside all dressed up, "I can overcome anything. Now, let's see how this new world affected my friends."

The boy walked straight to Butters' house first, and immediately knocked on his door.

Butters was the one who answered and smiled brightly. "Oh, hey there Eric," he said. "Are we playing Game of Thrones again?"

"We aren't playing, Butters," Eric replied before he let himself inside. "This is for real."

Butters didn't seem to quite understand, so Eric began to explain to him what had happened. Butters was the last person to make fun of people, so Eric knew that he would believe him. "But if that's true," said Butters after Eric told his story, "then where are your powers?"

"They are inside me," Eric said and then turned away. "They got out of control at my house. So, it's up to me to overcome them."

"Oh, well, do I have powers, too?"

Eric turned to his friend. "Of course, you do. If this is my wish, then you have the powers of Butters the Merciful."

Butters could tell that Eric was confident. "So, I'm a real Paladin?" He grew excited, and it was the least he could do to control himself from dancing and celebrating.

Eric remained sane. "Go get your hammer, Butters."

Butters took Eric up to his bedroom, and first thing went to his closet. He started to go through his stuff as Eric eyed his friend's pet hamster.

"Oh Hamburgers!"

Eric turned to him and his eyes widened.

Butters had pulled out a hammer that was taller than he was. The handle was wood and had golden rings on it. The head was half the size of his head with jewels, and it pointed gold at the top. Not only that, but it was glowing blue. "Eric, you really did do it!"

Eric was amazed. "You see, I told you! Do you feel the power?"

"Yeah, yeah I do." Butters could feel it alright. His body pulsing and burning. It was intense, but nothing have ever felt so good. The Hammer of Justice was real, and Butters couldn't wait to try it out.

"We will all go somewhere deserted to try out our powers," said Eric. "I already tried mine and it was very destructive. There's no doubt yours will be, too." His voice was full of certain and seriousness.

"You mean everyone else has powers, too?"

"From what they had in the real world, they will have here, legitly."

"Oh, I don't think that's even a word."

Eric turned around, ignoring Butters' remark. "We must gather the others, and together we will show what we are made of!"

The first house they stopped by was Stan's, and the boys were eager to tell Stan all about what Eric wished for and that they had real powers. Eric knew that Stan wouldn't believe him at first, so it was going to take a while to convince him.

Mrs. Marsh opened the door after Butters had knocked on it, and then the two asked if they could come in to talk to Stan. "I suppose," she replied before letting the two pass her by.

Stan was right there on the couch, playing on his Xbox. He was very focused on what he was doing, so Eric knew that he wouldn't have his full attention on him right away. Mrs. Marsh had gone into the kitchen.

"Stan, we have something important to share," Butters said.

He was quiet for a few seconds as he continuously pressed buttons on his controller. "Yeah, what it is it?" His eyes were still glued to the screen of the TV, but he was all ears on them.

One again, Eric told the story about the candle and his wish. When he was done, Stan made it clear that he didn't believe him, and continued his video game.

Eric wasn't going to give up, though. "You still have your sword, right?" he asked.

Again, Stan was silent for a few seconds. "Of course, I still have it." He continued to press buttons, making his character on the screen kill bad guys.

"Everything may seem normal at first, but if you pay close attention you will find some things that have changed. Check your sword."

"Dude, I'm not gonna go to my room, I'm in the middle of a—aw, awe!" Stan watched as his character on the screen perished. He let out a sigh and waited for the game to load so he could start a new match.

"Stan, we have no time to wait," Eric said, "the magic is real! Look at Butters' hammer!"

Stan finally peered over at his friends and looked at the hammer that was bigger than Butters was. He seemed shocked, but then the expression on his face changed to uncertainty. "That doesn't prove anything. I have to see more for myself."

"That's what I'm saying, go get your damn sword!" Eric exclaimed, close to throwing a tantrum. He gripped his wizard staff out of anger and had his eyes closed tight.

It was enough to get Stan to listen, so he went to his room and opened his closet. He was shocked to find it. His sword that he made from wood was not the same sword anymore. It was a real blade. "No way," he said as he wielded it.

"See?" Eric said as he stood by his friend's doorway. "How does it feel?"

"It's a lot heavier than it was before, but some how I can hold it very easily." He swayed it back and forth in front of himself, his face full of awe.

"That sword was meant for you," said Eric.

"He did that!" Butters said full of excitement, and that got Eric smiling.

They had Stan's attention now, and the three of them agreed to go tell the others and convince them all that reality had become fantasy.

Sorry for the short chapter, but it was a good time to end it. Just to let you guys know, I wont be doing everything 100 percent as the Stick of Truth, but it's pretty close. Please review!