From July 27th, Sunday, to August 14th, Thursday

July 27, Sunday.

Another one of Zek’s livestreams was starting, and, as usual, he was drinking.

— Hello, my faithful… look, look what I bought, look… — said Zek, showing a fishing rod with neon lights. — Another sacred session of wisdom from the man who made the clouds stop pissing. Now the weather is finally normal in this damn place. What are we going to play today, my faithful?

Zek picked the game “Good of War,” controlling the character Kleiton, but constantly dying, and yelling at the game the whole time, until his mother interrupted him.

— ÉZÉCHIEL, DAMMIT, STOP YELLING! — Zek’s mother complained.

— SHUT UP, YOU OLD HAG! YOU JUST COMPLAIN! YOU’LL GET ANOTHER SLAP IF YOU COMPLAIN AGAIN! — Zek shouted back.

— GO EAT, BOY! STOP WITH THIS INTERNET NONSENSE! I MADE RICE!

Zek stood up angrily, slammed his headphones onto the table, and left the room — even away from the mic, you could hear the argument.

— Listen here, you old hag, I already told you not to make food in this damn house! It’s like you’re trying to poison me! Look at this rice, all burnt, looks like cigarette ash! And this egg full of chicken crap? Living with you is worse than prison!

Zek returned to the room and got back to gaming as if nothing had happened. But the entire chat was against him. “Look how he screams at his own mother,” “Zek is trash,” “He admitted he hits her,” “Call the cops on this psycho.”

— Ah, you people only complain, damn it. That gossiping old lady’s lucky I’m the prophet. Fuck you. Hey, does anyone know how I get past this part of the game? Look, I’m pressing the button and nothing’s happening…

But the internet didn’t forgive. For three days, no one talked about anything else except Zek’s argument with his mother. They wanted to cancel him no matter what, but nothing happened. The police wouldn’t even go to that shack he called a home. Even his fans called him out for the shameful behavior. But Zek didn’t care. Because something big was coming.

July 31, Thursday.

Zek had just stepped out of a music studio booth, with BenBizarre and his loyal cameraman and sidekick Tache waiting for him outside.

— So, the DJ production we contacted was dope, right? — Ben said.

— Yeah, they even said they’re gonna put autotune in this thing, I don’t even know what that is… — said Zek.

— Don’t sweat it. Your English isn’t great, but it’s good enough for the track. While they’re finishing up the production, let’s shoot the video. Tache here pulled some strings to bring in pro editors, CGI artists, dancers, and even a stylist! — said Ben, patting Tache on the back, who stayed stone-faced.

August 7, Thursday.

A lot of people had already forgotten about the controversy between Zek and his mom. But the self-proclaimed prophet took over the internet once again — not through collective outrage, not through his madness or supposed rain-stopping powers, but through something surreal and hypnotic.

“Zek Prophète – SKY BENDER (Official Music Video)”.

A song described as “Electro-Klezmer-Funk-Hop.” The video opened with Zek wearing a coat made of umbrellas, standing atop a gigantic meteor painted like a disco ball. The camera zoomed in, spinning and flashing with lights and colors intense enough to cause an epileptic seizure. The chorus was sung in broken English with a heavy accent:

“He waves his hands and the rain obeys, he saw the end through a cloudy haze!
Dancing with the aliens in disco space, praise him now, cuz he’s the human interface!
SKY BEND-ERRRRR! Sky benderrrr! Makes the thunder stops, he’s the holy sender!
SKY BEND-ERRRRR! Sky benderrrr! Meteor’s coming and he’s not a pretender!”

The clip was full of absurdities: The first was Zek walking down a street with dozens of people in alien costumes following and dancing behind him, all holding umbrellas. Then he enters a neon-lit church, where a robotic Jesus is DJing a rave. Another scene shows Zek baptizing a goat with glitter, with a message on screen reading “no animals were harmed during filming.”

But perhaps the most iconic part was the dance: Zek moved right and left, pointing upward with his index finger, then waving at the sky while chanting “oh, oh, oh oh oh.” Near the end of the clip, people dressed as aliens and in regular clothes follow Zek copying his moves, and finally, a meteor crashes down from the sky in a massive explosion. Only Zek survives, declaring “I am the fire and the flood, baby” to the camera.

At first, it was laughter. Then, admiration. Then, obsession. Everyone started recording themselves mimicking the dance steps. Remixes and covers flooded the internet — from Brazilian funk remixes to a cover by a death metal band. And, of course, the memes — Zek was shown surfing on a meteor, replacing world leaders, and even painted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling reaching out to God.

Within 24 hours, it had millions of views. Within 72, it was the number one hit in several countries. At the rate it was going, both the video and the song were on track to become the most played in history.

All over, churches swapped hymns for Sky Bender and its remixes. People danced to it in services and masses. Some even got tattoos of “I am the fire and the flood, baby,” “Sky Bender,” or just Zek’s dancing silhouette.

Zek’s socials exploded with followers. It was only a matter of time before he became the most followed profile ever — if the pace held up. The controversy with his mom was nearly forgotten, save for a few lingering haters. He got invited to podcasts, talk shows, and to perform live — all of which he turned down. Brands wanted to partner with him for reasons he didn’t even understand, and fan clubs began to spring up. He simply left everything in BenBizarre’s hands.

August 14, Thursday.

Another Zek livestream. Paparazzi were swarming the outside of his shack, to his elderly mother’s annoyance. Zek’s room was now decked out in golden decorations and a banner that read “SKY BENDER: GOD’S POPSTAR.” He was drinking cheap beer from a dog bowl.

— Look at the number of views, man… — said Zek, letting beer drip down his dirty beard. — I stop the rain, I see the end, I make the whole world dance, man. I’m gonna win the Grammy, the Oscar, become Pope, become President of the United States, man. I can do it all! I’m awesome! I. Am. Awesome.

He stepped away from the camera and started doing the dance from the video, only to trip on a wire and fall flat on the floor, triggering a storm of laughter in the chat. “Tripped on his own ego,” “More like Sky Breaker,” “God knocked you down, dumbass.”

He got up, a little pissed, and sat back in his chair, starting another game session while taking a swig of beer.

— I was born in a barn, man… And now, the world bows, man, before me… — said Zek, eyes wide open.

219 days left.