'To my special boy who will soon become a man -With love papa'

Amazing! Gary did it again! He's uncovered the true meaning behind reality.

Gary's eyes regained focus. "It's actually kind of cute" thought Gary.

He read on, and found that the book described how one goes about unearthing their 'innate' strength thus reaching their projected limit. Gary was excited at the prospect. Never before had he felt such a sense of wonder.

He absorbed every morsel of information available. He looked closely at every picture of a man, woman, or demihuman conquering a dragon, or scaling a mountain, or standing atop a massive statue of themselves.

Gary supposed a little splendor was necessary to motivate children.

Apparently all he had to do was meditate and seek himself within his own heart, then within his own mind, then drag his soul from the astral plane, and force it to breathe life into Gary's fleshy body. No sweat! Easy as pie.

Gary proceeded to spend the next 3 months in meditation attempting to feel something, anything. He barely kept track of taking care of the food stall, and nearly failed to pay his fee on time. If he had failed to do so his punishment would have been severe whipping, as was apparently the standard here. More reason for Gary to try as hard as he might to qualify for not being as much of a glorified slave.

Gary sat on his bed taking long deep breaths. He could feel it. There he was within his own heart, within his own mind. Off in the distance he could see his soul waiting for him. It was just a short walk along the beach.

The water was black. Gary stared into it. He saw nothing. Then there was something, and that something said: "Wouldn't it be nice to be more of something than less?" Then there were more somethings, and those somethings become even more of a thing than the original something itself. Quarks, atoms, stars, planets. Far too many things to list. Then life came about. With life came competition, and with that came adaptation. Life began to struggle to survive, and to breed. One day came the thinking ape. The ape thought to itself: "I'm best, I think." With this thought the ape thrived. The ape created empires, jazz, tea, ticky-tacky, the oscars, ennui, and all manner of unspeakable sins.

The weight of all these things found comfort crushing down on Gary's back. He walked slowly but surely closer and closer to his soul.

Gary's real father beats him to the ground with a wooden stick. Gary's tears sink into the sand.

"You're pathetic" he spat. "You're gonna have to grow a spine one day boy. If you ever want me to respect you as a man"

Gary rose at the provocation. He beat the worthless specter within an inch of its incorporeal life.

"No matter what I do, I'll be a better man than you." Gary spat.

Gary's dragged into the water and held down by his former bosses. He struggles and thrashes to no avail.

"You're pathetic" they say in unison. Their faces morphing into devils. "lazy pieces of shit like you deserve to suffer, and die"

Gary rose at the provocation. He drags them all down with him.

"Unlike you. I'm a slave to no one" Gary spat.

Gary wakes up facing God's judgement. A being of no definite form sits on a wooden throne. Where a face should be is a mask. The mask shifts through various emojis.

"You're pathetic" God states."I gave you life, yet you squandered it, and spent your days cursing my name"

Gary rose at the provocation.

"To hell with your dogshit life! When did I ask you to give me this bullshit! I'm going to make my way up there and sodomize you! You worthless miserable tyrant!" Gary screamed.

Gary found himself standing in front of his soul. It looked much like all souls do. A pathetic, tiny little sphere. Gary swallowed it.

Gary woke up and found that he was levitating. This was odd as Gary was not used to levitating. Gary felt a strange pressure in his abdomen. His mind went blank as he felt the most divine pleasure he had ever felt in his entire life. There were no more worries or cares in the world. He was one with the universe. The wind, the sky, the sun, the earth, the wooden frame of his bed were one in song rejoicing Gary's magnificent achievement. For just one moment, that seemed to stretch on til the heat death of the next universe, and beyond, Gary was at peace with himself, and his life.

Then that feeling went away. Gary fell back down, hit the side of his bed, and landed face first on the floor. Despite that Gary was incomparably excited. He'd finally taken his first step on the journey of cultivation.

He'd awakened his inner potential and become slightly stronger than the average adult. Hurray for Gary!