Chapter 6: Strings of Fate
Chapter 6: Strings of Fate
The moon hung high in the sky. It was midnight.
Darkness had enveloped every inch of the room, but the subtle moonlight and twinkling stars symbolized hope.
At least, this was Eden's interpretation. Leaning over to the window, looking at the night sky while sipping on something other than alcohol...
It really gave him a sense of peace and solitude.
"Haa... I suck at making coffee..." Eden lamented.
"Hey, System," he abruptly called out in his mind. "What are your origins?"
[...]
[The Host doesn't have enough authority to know the answer.]
"Of course," he muttered sarcastically.
He indeed was doubtful. What if he had just gone insane? That seemed to be more plausible.
However, he was a man who traveled through dimensions. Maybe, just maybe, this was the last thin thread of hope presented to him.
"Is there really no cure for me?"
[Positive], the system affirmed.
Eden's heart sank. At the end of the day, he couldn't do anything.
"Looks like I mistook reality for fiction." Indeed, ever since he had accepted the presence and power of the system, he felt as though he was the main protagonist.
But in the end, he was just another slave of fate...
"Is there really no way for me to get cured? Why is that? Why me? What's the point of having this damned system?"
His eyes again and again checked the attribute [Lifespan].
Another tired sigh escaped Eden's lips. It was pointless to waste the precious time left. At least he should utilize it to make beautiful memories, to follow his passions and dreams... Maybe, just maybe, somehow a cure for his disease will come out...
"Haa..." He walked towards the computer. Placing the coffee mug on the table, he sat on the chair, squirming for a few minutes to crack some joints.
After having his fair share of stretching, Eden finally looked at the monitor.
Click! Click! Click!
Fitting the headphones on, he clicked a multitude of buttons before getting comfortable. His finger finally came in contact with the play button.
Duhn! Duhn! Duhn! Duhn!
The next second, Eden almost fell from his chair.
"Maestro AI my ass!" he cursed under his breath. Not sleeping one wink, he had created some drafts of his compositions. Not having any satisfactory results, he decided to use an AI, Maestro AI.
"This is just overhyped sh*t!" he cursed again, this time inwardly.
This so-called Maestro AI was something akin to a chatbot or ChatGPT from his previous life. Although not for composers, they indeed just wasted the time of artists (authors). They might work for small changes and polishing but still unreliable.
Sighing inwardly, Eden checked some other drafts. He would occasionally hum, grabbing the pen and trying to make a rhythmical beat.
"Haa, it was just as I expected. It just improves my learning capabilities, it doesn't give me experience."
If Eden received martial arts talent and leveled it up to 100, it wouldn't mean that he'd become a war god.
He would still have to learn, gain the experience. The difference was that his comprehension, learning capability, body posture, and other factors involved in the practice of martial arts would have an increment in their potential.
But it didn't mean that one should look down on those talents. Actually, the contrary.
Having the ability to learn half the basic theory of music in just a few hours was beyond impressive. Even Hugie was shocked, witnessing such great comprehension abilities.
It was as though he was going beyond the potential fate set up for him.
As though he was challenging fate itself. An illusory feeling that at the end could mean nothing, nonetheless was akin to a war cry that boosted the morale of those who heard it.
Shaking his head and getting rid of other thoughts, he focused on the monitor.
A few minutes passed by as Eden removed the headphones.
Some of them were better than the sh*t he used to make, but still not satisfactory enough.
"Haa, 3 for Rising Star..." Eden was sure that with how his compositions were looking, going past the initial review round would be difficult, much less managing to enter the top 100 of 3 different sections.
A month... A month was left for him to improve his talent, gain experience, and practice a lot to at least go past the reviewing round. Even though it was next to impossible, it didn't hurt to try, now did it?
It was only through stacking failures that one could create a path to success.
Author.
Composer.
Actor.
These three were his current goals. A month later, this battlefield would start.
This was a newcomer's season that allowed three people to enter Master of Arts!
A competition that only occurred in the country of Celestria!
It was hard to believe that a competition held on such a small scale would have such great rewards!
But the intensity of the competition was not to be underestimated.
From Star City alone, more than 100,000 works would be sent, let alone the other states.
This so-called competition would start at the beginning of the new year. Only a month was left to prepare.
Only the fated will win...
Let's see if I can challenge it...
Naturally, a smile appeared on Eden's face. Right now, he felt too dramatic, but so be it. If it could motivate him to even spend a second more to perform the necessary tasks, then he'd do so.
Fate ain't dogsh*t, it's worse than that!
I'll piss in its face!
He was feeling the midnight motivation, motivation that would hit a person out of nowhere, harder than truck-kun!
Soon his fingers once again aggressively came in contact with the keys as motivation burned within him, empowering his body like adrenaline.
And this so-called motivation also set up a theme within his head.
Fate.
Strings that manipulated people, turning them into marionettes.
No matter how fate tried to manipulate him, no matter how the strings spun and stretched, his will would never be broken!
The motivation and raw emotions were turning into a draft.
This feeling...!
And so, for the first time, the money-hungry Eden felt something different. He truly enjoyed it...
The first piece of composition that he truly enjoyed creating.
This was where his journey truly began...