[Cafe] 114 – Tournament Arc Over

[Benjamin Grimm's POV]

I had only discovered the Cafe through the news two weeks ago, and I do not regret taking the risk of going into Hell's Kitchen to see if it was real, and by God, it was real. I tried getting my friend Reed to come with me to the store multiple times, but he was too focused on his new 'project' and called the Cafe a fake. He didn't see, so I didn't blame him for not understanding the miracle that was the 'New World Cafe' and its supernatural owner, but part of me wanted to prove it to him somehow and get him to focus on something other than that damned project of his.

Reed and I have been friends since high school and even attended the same college; though Reed pursued a different degree, Quantum Physics, I pursued Engineering. Though we were friends, Reed went off to join some big company and start some super secret project while I was left without a job.

Then, I heard of the Tournament being hosted by the Cafe and the supposed reward you'd get if you won said tournament, anything from the virtual games offered in the store, of which there were many. The Fallout series, the Infamous Series, the Bioshock Series, Project Zomboid, Ark Survival Evolved, Stardew Valley, Minecraft, and Elder Scrolls, there were so many unique choices one could make, and depending on the game, one could spend literal years in the game in a single hour session. Someone could experience a different life in these virtual worlds in a few days.

The series that caught my attention the most was Bioshock, or more specifically, Bioshock Infinite. I had played through what felt like  a dozen different playthroughs, each different and unique depending on my choices in regards to Elizabeth, the girl trapped in a tower, a girl with unfathomable power.

Through sheer luck and a ton of research and practice, I won. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was actually doing something with my life.

"Congratulations on your victory, Benjamin; as the victor of the First Tournament, you may request any item or object from any of the Games featured with the store; what is your request?" The cosmic being and owner of the New World Cafe asked me.

"I wish for the power to open tears like Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite," I said excitedly, with a hint of exhaustion, as I spent days awake outside of the tournament's virtual worlds.

The Cosmic being seemed to pause before tilting its 'head.'

"Are you sure about this? Elizabeth DeWitt's unique powers made her quite strong, allowing her to manifest tears of other universes and timelines across the multiverse, but with her attunement to the multiverse, she became visible to quite many entities...and if I gave her powers to you, you'd become much more visible as well."

Not understanding what he was talking about, I shook my head, "I'm sure."

"Alright. I wish you luck, Ben. You will need it," Zerref warned before waving his hand, then I felt...everything.

My body lit up like a Christmas tree, white light flooding my being and the area around me as my senses opened up to my surroundings and through the very fabric of the universe. I could already see dozens of other me's who went about their lives. Some were normal like me, others turned to some horrific monster of rock and stone, and even a variant of myself who served in the presidential office, yet my peering was suddenly cut off as a voice drifted into my ears.

"You now have the powers of one Elizabeth DeWitt. I will warn you, however, that I did not give you the full extent of power Elizabeth had in her prime. I gave you the potential and the spark, a spark that you could expand into a flame given time, practice, and meditation," Zerref's voice drifted into my ears before pausing, then saying, "I will warn you, Ben. This power...it can be maddening. Few minds are able to reach the full strength of Elizabeth's, especially when it comes to seeing all of your alternative selves and what could and can be, let alone having the power to absorb all of your other variants. Remember, Ben, what you see are possibilities, not guarantees."

Giving him a faint nod, I pulled.

...

[Zerref's POV]

Of all the things one could ask for, I was not expecting the winner of the Tournament to ask for one of the most expensive things possible. Elizabeth DeWitt was a woman who had a very unique and very powerful gift. In Bioshock Infinite, she absorbed all of her other selves before eventually dying herself, kicking off the first Bioshock game.

I couldn't afford to give Benjamin the 'Thing' of the Fantastic Four, or rather the future Fantastic Four, and instead gave him the spark of her powers. If he wanted to reach her level, he'd have to train and use his newfound gift quite a bit before he'd come even close, and by that, I mean at least a few decades, at least.

Not even a few moments after I had given the gift, he opened a tear and walked through, seemingly mindlessly, before the tear closed behind him. "Huh...I was not expecting that," I spoke aloud after he disappeared but smiled despite it.

Though it was quite an expensive reward, it wouldn't take long to recover my losses with how many customers were flocking to the store.

Deciding that I would give him the rest of his rewards at another time, I called out for the second-place and third-place winners.

"Bloody Fist and Captain America, please come to the front desk," I called out to the two patrons I knew quite well.

Bloody Fist, or Volkov, as I knew him, was the first to step forward.

"Bloody Fist, for winning second place, you have received a sum of 2,500 Credits and a free VR Computer." I then looked to the second man to step forward, Coulson, an Agent of SHIELD. And if it isn't the fanboy himself, Captain America, for winning third place, you have received a sum of 1,000 Credits and a free VR Computer. I hope you both enjoy your prizes." I waved at the items I placed on the counter. Due to how large a VR Computer would be, I had it stored on an Engram Shard that could be easily crushed to release the item inside. 

I had no doubt that SHIELD would try to disassemble the Computer when given the chance. Unfortunately for them, it was unbreakable, let alone easy to open to get a look at the internals.

While the two left the  counter, rewards in hand and credits in their accounts, I looked out to my rapidly growing store, and smiled.