I’m a carefree miner — not broke, with steady auto income — so I go down to the mines as usual. Today I head straight through the familiar tunnel, but halfway in I notice another passage branching off. It looks strangely artificial, though I didn’t think anyone had been here.

Curiosity wins, so I walk into that tunnel. At the end, a green, shimmering crystal floats in the air. I reach out to touch it. Before my fingers even close, the crystal flies into my chest. For a moment I feel nothing — then everything changes.

A voice rings inside my head. “Hello, Master,” it says.

I freak out, heart pounding. The voice introduces itself: “I am the Voice of the World. May I have a name, Master?”

Still bewildered, I say, “Janitor.”

“What are you?” I ask.

“I am the Voice of the World,” it replies. “My power is The World. You are my Master now, so I can do whatever you wish.”

The tunnel goes quiet except for the hum of the crystal. I try to think of what to ask first. The possibilities stretch wider than any vein of ore I’ve ever seen.