"Wheew!" he exhaled, stretching after he passed the last wall.

  The foul air of the back alley filled his nose. The sunrays dripped over the rooftops, bringing more life than the hospital.

  His head felt like it was bubbling. His limit was nearing. He called forth the pen, already having the rules sheet pulled up.

  It's completely blank. Alright, I have to be quick. Now how do I work this thing?

  Up to this point, the process was straightforward when he was forced to create rules, but this "power" told him he could do this for all locations.

  As if sensing his intent, a note appeared at the corner of the page:

  —Draw a Custom Boundary on the ground or acknowledge the location.

  What does any of that even mean?

  "Umm— I'm in the back alley?"

  He waited—his nerves tingled as seconds passed. Blood slithered through his fingers, its warmth a chilling reminder.

  The words remained unchanged. No more giving him instructions.

  He shaped his brows, kicking a can across the rough concrete. "Damn it! Do you want me to die or something!?"

  Hezekiah focused on its first suggestion, tirelessly shaking his head as he gave it a shot.

  He pressed the tip of the pen against the concrete, drawing a sizeable circle.

  "This better be correct, there's no other reasonable way to interpret this."

  After he connected the ends, a red light flicked around its border. The sheet changed, reforming its information.

  —Custom Boundary Completed. You're free to write whatever you want and not be bounded by the Instructional Format, however, it can't affect anything that exists outside. Anything that is directly caused or created by the Custom Boundary's rules will revert to its original state if it leaves.

  —Custom Boundary—

  1.

  2.

  3.

  4...

  "Wa—wait a minute." Hezekiah read the information a couple of times, a hint of excitement rousing each time—only to be doused in deep waters as realization kicked in.

  What the f*ck? So even if I get my hand back, it'll disappear the second I leave?

  A sharp breath pierced out. "Of course, just throw something in there to piss me off." He quickly wrote his first rule. The ink shifted, neatly purging any irregularities in his handwriting.

  The blood ceased. Weight returned to his wrist in a fraction of a second. The pain dulled out, calming the frightened nerves.

  "That simple...?"

  He gently lifted his hand. It was seamless, like it was never lost in the first place. Before he realized it, he found himself surprisingly calm.

  "There's no Satisfaction percentage, it really doesn't care what I write in here, and there's no initial delay for the rules to be in effect." He corked a smile.

  Countless scenarios coasted through his mind. The possibilities were endless. Depending on how it's used, its versatility could be a powerful offensive or defensive tool.

  The circle had a radius of three meters. It wasn't much, but what if he drew a circle around the entire city?

  Let's not get ahead of myself. That's simply not feasible.

  As much as he wanted to experiment, he kept his sister waiting long enough already. But the obvious issue still persisted.

  "I can't just lose my hand again. Is there really no way around it?" He crossed his arms, once more reading through the Custom Boundary's conditions.

  Directly caused... is this it? He tapped on his arm. Resolved to test his idea, he walked to the edge of the circle, crossing its boundary.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Immediately the pain returned, along with his hand missing. Although he recently healed, he could tell it was exactly the same as before the healing took effect—the threat of death looming over him.

  He bit his inner cheek. "Never mind my hand, I'll die if I leave this circle."

  After stepping back in the circle, he contemplated his next rule. Regardless of the conditions, he had to somehow leave with both of his hands.

  As long as I'm in here, I can write anything. Directly affected... that's the issue. But there should be a way out.

  He wrote another rule:

  1. A knife exists.

  A knife immediately formed inside the red circle. He examined it after picking it up. He twirled it around his fingers, tossing it into the air, firmly landing in his grasp.

  "Amazing, it's definitely a knife all right. In fact, this may be the best quality I've ever held." He tossed it out of the circle, and it immediately vanished on sight. Another knife appeared in the circle instantly.

  Hezekiah widened his eyes, rubbing his chin. "That makes sense. It's similar to my hand. Since the knife was directly created by the Custom Boundary, if it leaves it will return to its original state, which would be nonexistence. But since the rule states that a knife exists, another knife quickly takes its place."

  He combed through his hair. It was useful, but he still hadn't made any progress.

  Hezekiah noticed a withered leaf by his foot. Gently lifting it, he took another look at the knife.

  It's worth a shot.

  He sliced the leaf into two parts and tossed the halves outside the circle. They remained the same.

  "That clears things up. Basically, I need to get my hand restored without it directly being created or affected by the rules. Should be simple enough."

  1. Create an All-Powerful Doctor

  —Would you like to provide this creation a name?

  "Does something like that matter right now? Just move on."

  It was instant.

  A shadow being with red penetrating eyes appeared. Its teeth were sharp and numerous.

  Hezekiah instinctively stepped back upon seeing him.

  Why did I assume it would be a human? This thing doesn't look like a doctor at all!

  The shadow figure glanced to his left and to his right.

  "Close and personal, huh? Didn't know my lord swung that way."

  Hezekiah furrowed his brows, casting off its imposing appearance.

  "What the hell? Whatever, you're going to do something for me."

  "Let me guess, you're here for a physical? Lighten up, if you get har—"

  "Stop it. I don't got time for this."

  Its lips paused, until it eventually nodded.

  "Fine, fine—can't take a little joke?" It rolled its eyes. "Well? Your commands?"

  What's with this guy? Are all my creations going to be like this? Damn, at least they're not trying to kill me.

  "I'm definitely erasing your existence after this, but restore my hand directly first."

  The Shadow's expression flickered, but nevertheless proceeded. "Hmm? It looks fine to me. You need a doctor for this?"

  Right...

  Hezekiah crossed out the first rule. His hand immediately faded. Blood spurted from his stump, coating the ground. Burning tickled the flesh as he stuck it in front of the doctor.

  "Shit!" He tightly grasped his wrist. "Hurry up and do something!"

  "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Are you mad!?"

  "Don't you understand what's going on!? Just do it!"

  "What do you want me to do without equipment!? You didn't give me anything!" he argued, gesturing there was nothing around.

  "You got to be kidd—"

  "It's just a joke, my lord. Why are you so upset?" The Shadow snapped its fingers, and immediately his hand returned.

  Hezekiah was briefly lost for words, attempting to unravel this thing's behavior. It smiled, waving its hand after meeting his gaze.

  "Got a reason why you're being such a prick?"

  "Whaaat? Please don't accuse me of such rebellion. I'm only a humble nobody who's pleased to be by your side."

  "Oh, so that's all it was."

  Hezekiah flexed his hand, feeling good as new. He turned toward the edge of the circle, ignoring the doctor. He gradually crossed, tensing for the incoming pain, yet was relieved when it still remained.

  "Lookin' real good! How'd I do!?" he shouted proudly, brazenly showing its rows of teeth.

  Hezekiah didn't answer. He summoned the rules sheet, ready to cross out the third rule.

  The shadow covered his mouth. "Oh! I angered you— Hmph. Nothing's wrong with a little fun, but fine, it's not like I have anything important to tell you."

  Hezekiah froze, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Out with it."

  "Well, you see, I may have forgot. Maybe an apology might help me remember."

  "If you keep wasting my time, I'll just kill you and get it from someone else."

  The Shadow's smile slightly trembled. He clapped his hands together, bowing his head.

  "Sir! I don't care!"

  Hezekiah blankly looked at him. It was for a brief moment, but he noticed his hesitation. But it could all wait.

  "Good, nothing to feel bad about then." He crossed out the third rule, ceasing the Doctor's existence, leaving only the knife behind.

  Next time I'll just write it so they're obedient to me. It's no big deal.

  Hezekiah heard the sirens in the distance. Ambulances and fire trucks passed outside the alleyway.

  As he was about to step out, he noticed he still had the hospital gown, covered in blood.

  "Well, that would've been stupid. Never thought I would have to use this power to play dress up. So, who should I create next?"