[ WP ] A person gains a superpower through an accident , and must decide if they will be a superhero or a supervillain .

It all started with a brilliant white light. Not the kind of blinding, hazy aura you see after waking up in a hospital bed, where the lights are just a bit too intense for your groggy eyes to handle. No, the glow was less intrusive than that. It was more like… like the light radiated outwards from nothing, growing and filling the space until only brilliant white remained. That ’ s how I remember it, at least, from my first encounter with the Stone; I see far differently now because of it. 
 
 I used to work as curator of the Hall of Gems and Minerals at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. It was a prestigious appointment, and I was fortunate to land it after spending most of my twenties and thirties wallowing in sub-par collections. The maintenance portion of the position was a bit tedious, but I tolerated it to get to the part I really, truly enjoyed: creating new exhibits. I loved “ the find, ” the moment you turn over a seemingly lackluster cluster to discover any number of precious and impressive gems hidden just beneath the surface. I lived for those moments of discovery. 
 
 The night I stumbled upon the Stone began like any other. I finished inspecting the Star of India, one of our most prized possessions, and headed down to the vault to resume my search for the next great exhibition. I planned to work through another one of the dozen crates from Montana, but something drew me toward the hastily labeled North Dakota box. I would have passed up on the rest of its contents – smaller, less impressive versions of gems we had sitting elsewhere in the vault – if the brilliant white light had not caught my attention. 
 
 The Stone bathed the entire vault in its ethereal glow. I shuddered with excitement; this was the next big thing. Hands trembling, I reached into the crate to extract the egg-shaped wonder. 
 The last thing I remember is my palm on the surface of the Stone, its brilliant white glow instantly replaced with a deep, hellish red. 
 
 I woke up in an unused subway tunnel, the afterimage of the Stone still dancing on the edges of my vision. Everything felt heavy, like my body was being dragged down to the depths of the Hudson by immense weights that I could not seem to shake off. Still reeling, I reached out my left hand to steady myself on the tunnel wall. 
 
 The rock met me halfway. 
 
 It took a few moments for the feat to register. *I can manipulate rock. I can control earth. I ’ m a hero. * The feeling was exhilarating. I stood and faced the wall, my heart pounding in my chest, waving my right hand over the surface. 
 
 The stone melted into a molten puddle at my feet. 
 
 *I have the power of destruction at my fingertips. * The path, clear as day just a moment before, was suddenly mired with uncertainty. I looked down at my hands, confused. *Am I the hero, or the villain? * 
 
 *Who says I ’ m not allowed to be both? * A quick costume change would do the trick; no one would have time to suspect a thing when their city was being torn down around them. I would demolish the world with my right hand and rebuild it with my left. *Why choose a side when playing the hero AND the villain would be infinitely more enjoyable? * 
 
 *I am The Creator, savior of mankind. And I am Destructor, bane of all who stand against my molten fury. Tremble and despair, mere mortals, for I control both sides of the coin. * 
 
 *This is a battle you can not hope to win. * 
 
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