Chapter 6: What’s a Disposition?

Chapter 6: What’s a Disposition?

October 18th, 2024 (Revamped April 18th)

Tariq had invited Harith over. A bit annoyed, Harith had just been in the middle of gaming. Still, he sighed and thought,

(Eh… why not. Tariq’s fun anyway.)

He arrived at the front door of Tariq’s place and knocked.

No response.

He knocked again.

And again.

Still nothing.

(Huh… weird. Didn’t this guy literally just invite me over? Where the hell is he…)

Just as Harith was about to leave, something caught his eye—there was a piece of paper tucked beneath the welcome mat.

He bent down, picked it up, and unfolded it.

The handwriting was sleek and stylized. It even included a date.

—2018/8/16. Just walk in, dude. I have something for you.—

An arrow was pointing at the date for emphasis.

A strange wave of anxiety hit Harith, but he gulped it down and slowly opened the door.

Darkness.

“Hello?” he called out.

No answer.

Then—thump, thump, thump.

Footsteps. Fast. Rushing toward him.

“Yo—what?! Show yourself!” Harith shouted, quickly shifting into a defensive stance as sparks flared around his clenched fist.

Behind him—two glowing eyes. One red, one blue. He hadn’t noticed them at first.

As the figure charged, Harith spun around and was just about to launch a punch.

“You’re going down, and out!”

But the figure stopped just in time and called out,

“Yo, yo! Chill! It’s me—Tariq!”

Harith’s sparking fist illuminated Tariq’s face in the darkness.

“Oh…” Harith’s adrenaline dropped. He’d been hoping to punch something evil today.

“Dude,” he muttered, “you didn’t have to scare me like that.”

“I mean, it’s supposed to be a surprise,” Tariq said, grinning. “How’s it a good birthday without at least one jump scare?”

“Wait… birthday?”

Suddenly, someone tackled Harith from the side.

“BRO, WHAT THE HELL?!”

He rolled, instinctively tossing the attacker off him—only to hear a very familiar voice scream:

“يا غبي!!”

“You asshole!”

Amina kicked him square in the gut.

“Ow! Really? On my birthday?”

“Oh—sorry…” Amina said, brushing her hair back.

Harith sighed and sat up. “So Amina and Tariq are celebrating my birthday, huh? I won’t even ask how they found out. I only met Tariq two days ago… and Amina’s my childhood friend. She probably told him everything.”

“Oh wow, genius deduction,” Amina replied sarcastically.

“But hey—closing the lights to jump me like that? Genius way to nearly get your face blown off, Tariq.”

“Wait—lights off?” Tariq looked genuinely confused. “No, man. You’ve got it wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“I… uh… didn’t pay my electricity bill.”

“WHAT?!”

“What’s with the overreaction?” Tariq asked.

“I thought you were rich! You’ve got all these kitchen appliances!”

“Don’t envy me, my friend… anyway.”

Tariq pulled out a lighter and lit the candle atop a small cake sitting nearby.

Together, Tariq and Amina started singing Happy Birthday.

Harith blushed. “T-Thank you guys…”

“Wait—I have an idea. Where are your lightbulbs?”

“Right above you. Why?”

Harith reached upward, electricity flickering around his fingers. He surged a pulse into the bulb above.

The light turned on.

“That should work.”

“Nice! I’ll have to ask you to charge all my appliances,” Tariq grinned.

“Piss off. I’m not your power bank.”

Amina crossed her arms. “Alright, alright. Less chit-chat, more cake. I’ve been waiting to eat that thing since morning.”

Tariq, in dramatic chef fashion, pulled a knife from his back pocket, flipped it in the air, and sliced the cake perfectly into eight even pieces.

The trio took a slice each, with cola on the side.

As they ate, Tariq looked up from his cake. “By the way… this wasn’t the reason I called you here.”

“Huh?”

Tariq set his plate down and got serious.

“Listen, Harith. Amina and I are glad you’ve awakened your Disposition. But we need to talk about something important.”

Harith stopped chewing. “Go on.”

Tariq took a deep breath. “Someone—no idea who—has stolen my formula. The one used to create Disposition powder. And they’re using it to give people powers… even if those people don’t have a strong love for anything.”

“So… they’re handing out powers like candy?” Harith asked.

“Exactly. And these new users? They’re using their powers to hurt others. They’re corrupting our town—and if this continues, maybe even the whole of Egypt.”

Harith’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want to do?”

Tariq stood up and extended his hand. “We’re not superheroes… but this mess started because of me. I want to take responsibility. What do you say?”

Without hesitation, Harith placed his palm on Tariq’s.

“I’m in. I’ve always wanted to feel like a superhero.”

Tariq smiled proudly. Then he turned to Amina.

“Amina?”

She looked hesitant for a second… then placed her hand atop theirs.

“Our mission is clear,” Tariq said. “Erase every rogue Disposition user. Even if it means killing.”

Harith and Amina nodded silently.

Then, Tariq looked back at Harith. “I know you don’t fully understand Dispositions yet. So let me break it down—boring details included.”

“A Disposition is a power that forms when your love for something breaks all limits. Basically… an obsession.”

“There are two kinds: Love Disposition and Hate Disposition.”

“My power—Chef’s Clandestine—came from my love for cooking. Amina’s—Spectral Forge—came from her love of arts and crafts.”

Tariq looked at Harith. “So, what do you think created your Disposition?”

“Uh… I guess… video games? And maybe electricity?”

“No. Yours is called Glitchricity, right?”

“So it’s about glitching?”

Harith shrugged. “Not really. I just thought it sounded cool. Like I glitched real life and got powers. The glitch part’s just for style.”

Tariq looked disappointed. “Oh… well, still, a cool name. Mine’s Chef’s Clandestine. Amina’s is Spectral Forge.”

“Alright, alright,” Harith said. “Now tell me about these Hate Dispositions.”

“Right. Hate Dispositions form from things you absolutely despise,” Tariq explained. “And unfortunately… they’re stronger than Love ones.”

“But they come with a downside.”

“Like what?”

“Well, let’s say… slipping.”

“Slipping?” Harith laughed. “That’s an actual ability?”

“Why not?” Tariq grinned. “If you slipped and fell so often that you started hating it, it could manifest as a Disposition. Maybe you’d gain power by slipping… but always be at risk of falling mid-fight.”

“So basically: Love Dispositions are weaker but stable. Hate Dispositions are stronger but have disadvantages.”

Harith scratched his head. “Wait—so if I love something enough, I just get powers? What’s the point of the powders then?”

“Good question,” Tariq nodded. “Let’s say you love electricity, but not enough to trigger a Disposition. The powder gives you a boost. Inhale a bit, and it fills the gap—awakening your ability.”

“Damn… that’s actually pretty cool,” Harith said.

“Right?” Tariq turned toward Amina—only to find her fast asleep on the couch, snoring.

“Yep… that’s Amina for you.”

Harith chuckled. “So we’re destroying the powders because they’re unlocking potential too easily?”

“Exactly. And that sums it up,” Tariq said, stretching. “Thanks for listening, man.”

He glanced at the clock. “Whoa, it’s late. I’m turning in early—gotta head to Port Said tomorrow morning.”

“Wait, why?”

“Kitchen equipment, of course!”

Harith blinked. “But you—”

“Already have everything, yeah! But who says I can’t check what’s out there?”

Tariq ran upstairs.

“Goodnight, Harith!”

His door slammed shut a little too hard, making Harith squint.

(This guy can’t pay his electricity bill, but he’s traveling to Port Said for kitchenware? I can’t tell if he was serious about that whole Disposition crisis or just pulling my leg…)

Harith sighed and walked out of the house, leaving Amina snoring behind.

From the couch, Amina mumbled in her sleep,

“The lights… off…”

Right on cue, the electricity Harith had supplied earlier faded, and the lights went out.

⸻

The Next Morning…

Harith stood on his balcony, admiring the morning view.

Then—

BOOM!

An explosion rocked the area—coming from behind Tariq’s house.

“What the hell?! He’s getting robbed again?!”

Without hesitation, Harith leapt from his balcony and dashed toward Tariq’s house.

To be continued…

Psst.

A weird, deep voice speaks.

“Don’t mind me. I’ll just tell you the characters introduced so far in the series.”

⸻

Harith Kharaba – Wears a black leather jacket with a blue shirt underneath, along with black pants. He ties his short black hair with purple and green hair ties and has blue eyes. His Disposition is called Glitchricity, allowing him to control electricity at will. (…)

⸻

Sayria Nadine – A long, blue-haired girl who just appeared in her school uniform. Her Disposition is called The Frostful Veil, allowing her to control certain ice elements.

⸻

Amina Zahra – A brown-haired girl with a side ponytail, wearing a red sweater and an ankle-length red dress knitted by her own mother, with green patterns on both the sweater and the dress. Her Disposition is called Spectral Forge, which allows her to form specific items upon request.

⸻

Tariq Al Khazna – A big-bodied chef with ginger hair. Always in his iconic chef uniform and hat. Wears a magical waist pouch. Don’t underestimate its size — that bad boy can pull out even the largest kitchen equipment! Speaking of which, his ability is called Chef’s Clandestine, and… pretty self-explanatory.

⸻

Mutafakir Hazam – A lost teenager who only acquired his ability recently. The whole thief outfit he wore was really just his average outfit… with a mask on. (He cut the top part of the mask to reveal his gray spiky hair for style — what an amazing idea. Next time I rob a motherfather, I’ll do that too.)

His Disposition is called Fortune and Fury — F&F for short — allowing the time around him to feel much slower, making dodging things ten times easier. Every dodge gives him “momentum,” which boosts his next attack’s power, speed, and even reduces incoming damage. Broken much?

⸻

Mutken Mutakamel – Your average emo teenager who had to witness his little sister pass away not even 24 hours after meeting her. He’s got an asshole for a dad and a mother who just said, “Screw it, I’m outta the picture!” He wears the beige trench coat Asma bought for him before she… confessed her love to him. Underneath is a white shirt, brown pants, and a black tie. He has neck-length black hair to complete the drip. His Disposition is ???…

⸻

Mr. Mutakamel (Lahib Al-Huzen) – The assho— I mean, Mutakamel’s father, who came back from the dead to give Mutakamel and Amina the whole term off! Maybe I shouldn’t call that gentleman an asshole…

His Disposition is called The Hateful Speech, and let’s just say this ability is the sentence “Because I said so” turned into a weaponized power.