The storm raged on outside the pastor's home, an angry wind whirling about. The storm had come in unexpectedly and quickly, but Tyler realized in retrospect that it probably could've been seen for miles. If only they had had a TV to check the weather. Unfortunately, Tyler's father had recently come out and said that TVs were another gateway to sin in one of his sermons and as a result, they were forced to dispose of theirs. With WiFi being so sparce this far out in the country, the pastor's family was at the mercy of God. Not that any of them were complaining. To Tyler, his father's word was the will of God, and so he was more than happy to shun the "devil's desserts" as his father called them and recuse himself from the outside world. Sure, he got made fun of for it, but Tyler knew that his devotion would pay off when he was in heaven and all his former classmates burned in hell.
"Tyler! Go out and close the church doors!" his father called from the other side of the house. At the moment, Tyler's parents were securing their belongings in case a tornado emerged from the chaos.
"Yes father!" Tyler obediently responded. Bravely, the brunette opened the door and slowly made his way to the church a few yards over. The church was the family's life, so they had to make sure it was protected.
Just as Tyler managed to finish placing the lock and bar over the church doors (it was the only protection they could afford), an object came and flew straight into the wooden door, lodging itself into the crack it made. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a lamp of some sort. Tyler recognized it from one of the children's books his mother had read to him as a child before his father had admonished them for not reading the word of God. Tyler's father believed that every waking moment should be in worship of the Lord, so children's books were not allowed.
It was due to this that Tyler would have, in any other case, disregarded the lamp and told his father about the damage once he got back. But as he observed the lamp's intricate designs and colors, the brunette began to desire the lamp. Giving into temptation, Tyler dislodged the lamp and took it back with him into the house, hiding it inside his coat.
As Tyler reentered the house, he immediately went into his bedroom to examine his prize. Closer inspection of the lamp entranced Tyler, who's blue eyes shone due to the reflection of the lamp. Unconsciously, the brunette began rubbing the lamp, and as he did so a fog began spewing out of it. After enough had gathered, it materialized into a human, one like Tyler had never seen before. While admittedly, Tyler didn't spend much time at the gym (since muscles weren't a requirement to be a pastor), the brunette looked tiny compared to the man before him. At an easy 7', the man had a foot on Tyler in height and each of his nicely tanned biceps were bigger than Tyler's head. His facial features were even more amazing than his perfectly bronzed body. Everything about him was in the right place. The only off-putting thing about the materialized man were his eyes, a sharp golden color that made people immediately look away due to their intensity.
"Thank you for freeing me Master." The genie's voice was rich and deep. "As a reward for doing so, I will grant you any wish you desire for the next 24 hours."
Tyler's mind was reeling. The bizarre spectacle before him made him worry that maybe the lamp had hit his head instead of the church. Had that man said any wish? It sounded so enticing, however, Tyler's father had always told him that if it was too good to be true, it probably was, and this definitely seemed too fantastic. Not to mention, the man's entrance reeked of magic and devil work.
"Absolutely not! You are clearly one of Lucifer's minions and I will not be fooled," Tyler declared. The genie was confused by the brunette's answer. Usually people jumped at the opportunity to get all their desires fulfilled; it was how they were so easily manipulated. The genie began reading the situation. Looking around the brunette's room, he was able to quickly deduce that this man was not like his past masters. Based on the 'empowering quotes' that definitely weren't based in this era and the idols that adorned the room, the brunette clearly seemed faithful to something that was keeping him strong. It was child's play to recognize the faith in religion that this man had.
"I can assure that I am not one of 'Lucifer's minions' as you say. I'm nothing but a servant to your will, Master."
"Then I wish you'd stop and go away," Tyler ordered. Luckily for both them, the genie was easily able to reword the wish in both of their favors. Time reversed and Tyler stated his new wish. "I wish you'd stop MY DISBELIEF and NEVER go away."
"Well, I can grant the first part of your wish, but the second disobeys my 24 hour rule, so I cannot grant it," the genie compromised, acting as if he hadn't altered the pastor-in-training's wish. It was nothing he hadn't done before. The genie's eyes glowed for a split second as the wish came into effect. In response, Tyler's eyes widened as he realized that this was in fact a real genie.
"You're... You're real?" Tyler exclaimed. The brunette was now able to believe the genie, however, he knew nothing about the genie's +3 ability. That was a closely guarded secret that no being other than himself was allowed to know.
"Precisely Master. I'm here to serve you," the genie stated.
Tyler became even more fearful at that response. Tyler believed the genie wanted to serve him, but that didn't change the fact that he could still be one of the devil's servants. "How do I know I can trust you?"
The genie rolled his eyes. "Make a wish and find out."
Tyler thought hard for a moment. One wish couldn't hurt, especially if it meant he could use it to find correct the genie's possible intentions, right? "Alright, I wish that it is impossible for you to lie."
Child's play, the genie thought. "I wish that it is impossible for you to lie WHILE STANDING THERE."
Tyler recognized the flaw in his wish but figured he could see the genie's movement in case the muscled man wanted to lie. "Ok, since that's settled. Are you in any way aligned with Satan or have any ill intentions towards me?"
The genie smiled. Imperceptibly, the buff man moved his feet a centimeter away from his original position. "No, Master."
Tyler let out a sigh of relief. A loud crack of thunder emanted from the outside world. "Great, then I wish this storm and all the damage it has caused would disappear."
As there was no point in changing that one, the genie granted it as is. Tyler was forced to shield his eyes at the sun that now shone through the windows. There were no traces a storm had even occurred. It was a beautiful day.
"What will everyone think?" Tyler asked. Most people would be slightly confused if the weather suddenly stopped, he realized.
"Do not fret Master. The world will not know of your changes unless you wish it to be so," the genie declared. A grin formed on Tyler's face. He thought back to all those who had questioned his faith in God in the past. They'd learn the truth.
"So what do I call you?" Tyler asked.
"Whatever you wish Master," the genie answered.
"Hmm. How about Johnathan? Yeah, I like that. My name's Tyler, and we're gonna have a lot of fun," Tyler declared.