"Aaaaggghhh..."
Another loud, drawn-out groan echoed across the pristine white marble columns of Mount Olympus.
Dorian was currently sprawled flat on his back on the training courtyard floor, staring blankly up at the sparkling cosmos above. He was completely exhausted from hours of grueling physical exertion, but his current despair came from a completely different source: his latest gacha results.
He was currently occupying his [Prince of the Renaissance] profile. He wore the heavy, sweat-drenched red and white robes of the Master Assassin, his face hardened into the rugged, bearded features of Ezio Auditore.
Suddenly, a face popped into his field of vision. Hermes bent over backward, leaning casually over Dorian's head. The God of Speed was happily munching on a skewer of bizarre, brightly colored alien street food he had just casually conjured after running a quick lap around a distant Outer Rim planet.
"See, Cousin?" Hermes chewed loudly, a mischievous grin on his face. "This is exactly why you shouldn't put all your hopes and dreams on gambling, ehehe."
Dorian groaned again, slowly sitting up and wiping the heavy sweat from his Ezio face. He pulled up the glowing blue system screen, glaring at his inventory.
"Hermes, this is my seventh Hidden Blade," Dorian complained, gesturing to the stack of identical gauntlets sitting in his digital vault. "I only have two arms. What am I supposed to do with seven of them?!"
Athena, who was sitting elegantly on a marble bench nearby reading a thick tome, gently closed her book. "It isn't a complete loss, Creator. You did acquire some of the historical codex pages and technical writings, did you not?"
Dorian sighed, closing his inventory. "Yeah. I got a few more of Leonardo da Vinci's original blueprint papers and encrypted codex entries."
With a mental command, Dorian unequipped the profile. The heavy assassin robes dissolved into golden light, and the rugged face of Ezio melted away, returning his body to his normal, twenty-one-year-old self. He was back in his standard, sweat-soaked training clothes.
Unlike the previous gacha banners, the Assassin's Creed system operated on a completely different set of rules. It didn't rely on Darkness like the Mirror of Night, and it wasn't an endless sinkhole of living creatures like Pokémon. Instead, the AC banner featured a [Synchronization Meter].
Every single time Dorian pulled a piece of Ezio's equipment, unlocked a new weapon, or deciphered another codex pages, his Synchronization with the profile went up by a few percentage points. It was a tangible measure of his progression as the Assassin.
At this current rate, his AC profile would easily max out at 100% long before he even came close to completing his National Pokédex.
But what exactly would materialize when he completely maxed out his synchronization? He couldn't help but sigh. Would the system grant him the Apple of Eden? Or perhaps something far more conceptual, like Eagle Vision bleeding permanently into his real-world eyes?
He rubbed his temples. Unlocking the physical manifestation of Mount Olympus had taken an absolute massive chunk of his hoarded Resonance Points. Right now, he was heavily relying on the continuous, passive flow of points generated by the countless people listening to Percival's songs, and streaming his other songs he wrote for other artists.
"Alright, get up. Enough rest."
Dorian snapped out of his thoughts. Ares, the God of War, stomped into the center of the courtyard, his armor clanking with every step. The god rolled his massive shoulders, a bloodthirsty grin spreading across his face.
Dorian blinked, his mismatched eyes widening in sheer disbelief. "Wait, what? We literally just finished training!"
"Incorrect," Ares countered smoothly, summoning a massive, fiery broadsword to his hand. "That was your profile training. You were learning how to wield the Assassin's weapons and adapt to his center of gravity. That is over."
Ares pointed the tip of his glowing sword directly at Dorian's chest. "Now... we are training you."
"Huuhh?!" Dorian yelped, scrambling to his feet. "But–"
"No buts!" Ares roared, his eyes igniting with the thrill of battle. "Now, battle ready!"
Dorian didn't even have time to complain. Pure, terrified survival instinct took over. He stood up, instantly channeling his energy. Twin, massive metallic gauntlets, the Infernal Arms of Malphon materialized over his hands, glowing with a deep, furious heat.
Dorian grit his teeth, ducked under Ares's incoming, bone-crushing swing, and launched a desperate counter-strike!
…
Meanwhile, halfway across the galaxy, one of the many talented artists actively generating that influx of Resonance Points for Dorian was currently getting ready for a live broadcast.
Backstage at the highly popular Galloway Chat Show, Briane Taleini stood just behind the heavy velvet curtain. Her manager, Kio, hurried over and carefully held up a thermos with a long, reusable straw. It was a specially brewed, throat-soothing herbal tea, courtesy of the fresh mint and honey grown directly on Composer Percival's farm.
Briane leaned forward, taking care not to smudge her lipstick, and took a long slurp of the warm drink.
Kio pulled the thermos back, squinting critically at Briane's face and adjusting a stray strand of her elegant, sweeping hair. "Oh, let me see... yup. All good. You look flawless."
Briane let out a soft exhale, shaking out her shoulders. "Thanks, Kio."
"Of course," Kio smiled warmly. She immediately pivoted, transforming back into the strict, hyper-efficient manager, ushering the scurrying stagehands to clear the walkway.
Out on the brightly lit stage, the charismatic, silver-haired host, Galloway, sat comfortably on a plush red sofa with a glass of wine in his hand. He possessed a famously cheeky, relaxed, and highly engaging late-night energy.
"Right then! Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for some music!" Galloway announced, looking directly into the primary broadcast drone with a bright smile. "Tonight, we have an incredibly special performance. This absolute powerhouse is a ten-time Gilded Crescendo Award-winning star, and she has just completely shattered the streaming records with her brand new single."
The studio audience began to cheer, the anticipation instantly spiking in the room.
"Here, performing her hit new track, 'From The Start'... please welcome the Crystal Canary herself, Briane Taleini!"
The audience erupted into deafening applause as the stage lights dimmed into a warm, intimate, golden-amber hue.
Briane stepped out into the spotlight, wearing a stunning, vintage-cut velvet dress. She walked up to the vintage standing microphone.
[Laufey - From The Start]
For a moment, there was absolute silence. Then, a lone session guitarist began to play. It was a string acoustic guitar, plucking out a classic, highly syncopated Bossa Nova rhythm. It was a warm, bouncy, and surprisingly old-fashioned sound.
Briane leaned into the microphone, her ethereal, crystalline voice washing over the studio.
"Don't you notice how... I get quiet when there's no one else around..."
The song boldly opened in media res, instantly establishing the physical proximity and the immediate, heavy romantic tension of the narrative. The audience was hooked from the very first syllable.
"Me and you and awkward silence... Don't you dare look at me that way..."
Briane's masterful vocal control made the listeners instantly feel the protagonist's exact emotional state. She sounded already on the defensive, completely terrified that a single, lingering look from her crush would instantly break her carefully maintained composure.
"I don't need reminders of how you don't feel the same..."
It was a preemptive heartbreak. Briane delivered the line with a beautiful, tragic softness, conveying a girl who had already decided the painful outcome before the conversation even actually happened.
"Oh, the burning pain..."
Right on cue, the rest of the rhythm section quietly slipped through the side door of the melody. An upright acoustic bass began to pluck a smooth, walking jazz line. Beside the bassist, a drummer entered the mix, he used wire brushes on the snare drum and cymbals, providing a soft, sweeping swish-swish rhythm that perfectly complemented the bouncy Bossa Nova guitar.
"Listening to you harp on 'bout some new soulmate..."
The lyrical storytelling was brilliant, another undeniable Percival masterpiece. The object of the protagonist's affection was completely oblivious, sitting right in front of her and raving about someone else.
"She's so perfect, blah, blah, blah..."
Briane sang the lyric with a perfect hint of playful, jealous bitterness. The 'blah, blah, blah' served as the protagonist's desperate, petty defense mechanism, trying to block out the painful reality of her unrequited love. The entire studio audience swayed gently in their seats, completely mesmerized by the beautiful, jazzy melancholy of the Crystal Canary.
"Oh, how I wish you'll wake up one day..." A gentle grand piano seamlessly joined the mix, providing sparkling, high-register accents that danced beautifully around her vocal melody.
"Run to me, confess your love, at least just let me say..."
Briane closed her eyes, fully retreating into the protagonist's daydream. Crucially, the genius of the lyric revealed that even in her wildest fantasy, she was still not the one taking the risk. She wanted him to make the first move.
"That when I talk to you, oh, Cupid walks right through..." The orchestral arrangement swelled, sweeping Briane off her feet and allowing the character to completely escape the painful reality of the room, floating away into a cinematic delusion.
"And shoots an arrow through my heart..." The vivid imagery of Cupid was deployed to show just how deeply she had sunk into her own romantic imagination.
"And I sound like a loon, but don't you feel it too?"
Briane opened her eyes, delivering a sudden, poignant flash of self-awareness. She knew she was spiraling. The question, "don't you feel it too?" was a desperate plea for reciprocity. It was a fragile hope that she wasn't the only one suffocating in this awkward silence.
"Confess I loved you from the start." It was the ultimate wish for a time machine. She wished she had just been honest on day one, an act of bravery that would have saved her from the agonizing labyrinth of the 'best friend' dynamic she was currently trapped in.
Following the second chorus, the track transitioned into a classic, upbeat jazz solo section. However, instead of a saxophone or a trumpet taking the lead, Briane stepped back from the microphone stand and performed a flawless, breathtaking "scat" solo.
The rhythm section swung heavily underneath her. In jazz, scatting traditionally happened when instruments simply weren't enough to capture the sheer joy or sorrow of the moment. Here, it served a brilliant narrative purpose: the protagonist's overthinking mind had finally short-circuited. She had so much pent-up romantic energy and so few words left to express it that her feelings simply erupted as pure, chaotic, wordless melody.
"What's a girl to do? Lying on my bed, staring into the bluе..." The broadcast cameras briefly panned over to the plush red couch. One of the A-list actresses sitting on the panel had a soft, deeply nostalgic expression on her face. The lyrics had clearly unearthed one of her own younger, bittersweet memories.
"Unrequited, terrifying... Lovе is driving me a bit insane..." Briane wore the emotion of the song completely on her sleeve, her crystalline voice carrying a beautiful, frustrated ache.
"Have to get this off my chest, I'm telling you today!" The chorus looped once more. The studio audience, entirely captivated by the groove, instinctively began clapping along to the bouncy, infectious beat.
"Confess I loved you... Just thinking of you... I know I've loved you from the start..." The song ended with a dramatic ritardando, the tempo slowing down to an absolute crawl. The tragedy of the narrative landed perfectly.
Despite the romantic setting, the overwhelming depth of her feelings, and the elaborate daydream she had just constructed to hype herself up... she remained completely paralyzed. She couldn't say the words.
The final chord faded into the air.
The studio audience held their collective breath for a fraction of a second.
Then, an absolute, roaring applause shook the soundstage.
Galloway, along with the two actors and two actresses on the red couch, immediately stood up, giving Briane a massive standing ovation.
"Wow!!" Galloway shouted over the cheering crowd, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. "Beautiful! Briane Taleini, everybody!!"
He jogged over to the center of the stage, wrapping his arm warmly around her shoulders and giving her a customary, polite light kiss on both cheeks.
"That was beautiful, honey," Galloway whispered off-mic, offering a charming wink. "Love the dress."
Briane flashed a dazzling, genuine smile.
"Come on over, join the fun," Galloway invited smoothly, guiding her down the short steps toward the plush red sofa.
Briane walked over to the panel. She politely shook hands with the two actors and the two actresses, taking her seat at the end of the couch as the studio audience continued their thunderous, unrelenting clapping.
Galloway settled back into his armchair, setting his wine glass down on the small table beside him. He beamed at his newest guest.
"Oh my, oh my, oh my!" Galloway practically sang, leaning forward. "How are you, darling?"
Briane gracefully crossed her legs, flashing a radiant, camera-ready smile. "I'm great, Galloway. Just trying to catch my breath."
One of the A-list actresses sitting next to Briane on the plush couch casually leaned over. "You know, we actually live really close to each other."
Briane turned to her, pleasantly surprised. "Really? I had no idea."
"Oh, yes," the actress laughed, pointing playfully toward the audience. "My mom visits all the time, and she basically uses you as a neighborhood watch. She is always looking out the window saying, 'Oh! Look, I saw Briane Taleini walking her little pup!'"
The entire studio audience burst into laughter. Briane laughed charmingly, her eyes crinkling. "Ah, really? Next time I'm walking him, tell her to come down and say hi!"
"I will," the actress giggled. "Though she might just faint on the sidewalk."
The other actors on the couch chuckled, the entire panel exuding a warm, incredibly friendly, and relaxed vibe. It was the exact magic of Galloway's show; he made untouchable celebrities feel like a group of old friends catching stories at a local restaurant.
Galloway then turned his attention to the distinguished, silver-haired gentleman sitting on the far end of the sofa. "Now, Daus, I imagine your children will be very excited that you are sharing a couch with the Crystal Canary tonight?"
Daus, a highly respected veteran of Accord cinema, chuckled warmly in his deep baritone voice. "Ah, yes. My kids are absolutely massive fans of you, Briane. If I don't come home tonight with an autograph and a holo-pic, I am fairly certain they will permanently lock me out of the house."
Briane playfully put a hand over her heart, taking the compliment with a charming smile. "Ah, thank you, Daus! I too am a massive fan of your films."
"Now, Briane," Galloway smoothly pivoted, looking at his notes. "This incredible new single is yet another massive collaboration with the elusive Composer Percival."
Briane nodded proudly. "Yes. Yes, it is."
The moment the name 'Percival' left her lips, a loud, spontaneous wave of cheering and whistling erupted from the studio audience. The masked prodigy's cultural impact was undeniable.
Galloway smirked, picking his wine glass back up. "I have to say, there must be a lot of elite, veteran producers who are incredibly jealous of Percival right now, hoarding all of your vocal talent."
The audience laughed at the cheeky jab toward the industry executives.
"But, speaking of jealousy," Galloway smoothly transitioned, "that is exactly what the new single is about, yes?"
Briane nodded, her expression softening into something slightly more reflective. "Yes. Well... it happens to the best of us, doesn't it? Being helplessly in love with your best friend, while having to sit there and listen to them talk about their crush."
A sympathetic 'aww' echoed from the crowd.
"In a way, this is yet another one of Percival's incredibly relatable concepts," Briane continued, her tone filled with genuine admiration for the young prodigy. "He has this scary ability to just pull a specific, deeply painful emotion right out of the air and hand it to me. But in this song, we really tried to dive more into the fantasy of the girl. The elaborate delusions we build in our heads to protect ourselves. And I think the arrangement captured it perfectly."
The audience immediately erupted into loud, agreeing applause.
"It captured it flawlessly," Galloway agreed, turning to the primary broadcast drone to deliver his professional outro. "The single is an absolute triumph! 'From The Start' is officially available to stream on Echoflow right now! Give it up one last time for Briane Taleini, everybody!"
The jazzy outro theme of the chat show began to play, the studio lights panning out as the cameras cut away to a commercial break.
The second the 'On-Air' signs blinked off, the celebrities on the couch visibly relaxed, instantly resuming their casual chatter.
"I love that dress, by the way," the actress complimented, leaning over to inspect the vintage velvet fabric.
Briane smiled brightly, reaching up to touch her ear. "Thank you! And I love those earrings of yours."
…
And that was exactly how Dorian Kepler passively harvested his system currency.
While he was currently thousands of lightyears away, getting repeatedly pummeled into the marble floors of Mount Olympus by the God of War, this warm, widely broadcast interaction was spreading across billions of screens.
And Briane Taleini wasn't the only one. Across the galaxy, a small army of top-tier artists, Nazir Kal and dozens more were currently out there, singing his words, playing his melodies, and unknowingly generating a massive, endless river of Resonance Points to feed the growing power of the Creator.
⋘ 𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂.. .⋙
🎮:
- Stardwey Valley: Completed.
- Hades: Completed.
- Pokémon: Completed.
- Assassin Creed: Completed.
- Sky: Children of the Light: 66%██████▒▒▒▒ Paused...
🎬:
- Spirited Away: 72%███████▒▒▒
♬:
- Your Song – Elton John (ch.9)
- A Lovely Night – La La Land (ch.20)
- Merry Go Round of Life – Howl's Moving Castle (ch.25)
- Small Fragile Hearts – Victor Lundberg (ch. 27)
- Skyfall – Adele (ch. 29)
- No Time To Die – Billie Eilish (ch. 30)
- Yesterday – The Beatles (ch. 32)
- Lovely – Billie Eilish, Khalid (ch. 47)
- Best Part – H.E.R. feat. Daniel Caesar (ch. 67)
- Lovely Day – Bill Withers (ch. 68)
- My Song – Labi Siffre (ch. 75)
- Isn't She Lovely – Stevie Wonder (ch. 89)
- Gotta Catch 'Em All – Pokémon OST (ch. 90)
- Don't Stop Me Now – Queens (ch. 102)
- Grow As We Go – Ben Platt (ch. 102)
- Feeling Good – Michael Bublé (ch. 104)
- You'll Be In My Heart – Phil Collins (ch. 105)
- We Will Rock You – Queen (ch. 108)
- The Bones – Maren Morris feat. Hozier (ch. 110)
- Achilles, Come Down – Gang Of Youths (ch. 111)
- Wind of Change – Scorpions (ch. 113)
- From The Start – Laufey (ch. 126)