Prologue

The Entertainer's Point of View

Location: Unknown

A lone entity hovered high above a silent, barren imitation of New York City. The buildings stood pristine but lifeless, untouched by time. There were no cars, no animals, not even the rustle of wind. Life had never existed here — only the illusion of it.

Before the entity floated three orbs, each distinct in essence:

The first orb glowed with a calm, gentle radiance — simple, unassuming.

The second pulsed with sheer, untamed energy, power crackling just beneath the surface.

The third swirled violently, two opposing forces warring endlessly inside.

The entity's grin widened, gleaming with twisted delight. Of the three orbs, it was Sam's that held its attention the longest. The others were raw chaos, violent energy, and untold destruction. But Sam's? Sam's was different. It glowed with the promise of something greater. Something... unpredictable.

"A thousand years of preparation... and now the curtain finally rises. A three-for-one deal on souls, courtesy of a lower-level deity from one of the multitudes of Earths. How... delightful. That gullible little god never saw it coming. Now, I have more than enough material for my story."

It eyed the plainest orb — soft, steady, unassuming. Almost disappointing.

"Sam Barnes," the entity murmured. "Ordinary name. Ordinary life. Not a hint of spice. What a bore..."

And yet, the orb pulsed faintly under its scrutiny. Curious, the entity leaned closer.

A scene unfolded.

The entity tilted its head. Something shifted within the orb. That faint pulse. There was more to this soul than it had anticipated. Sam Barnes — a name that seemed so... ordinary.

The scene unfolded before the entity's eyes. A young boy, full of life, full of promise — but not the kind of promise the entity had expected. No, this soul would take time to crack, to unravel.

A young boy — Sam — lived a simple but vibrant life. Bright, kind, effortlessly magnetic. His laugh drew people in, and his light seemed to make others shine brighter. He was well-liked. Admired.

Until he moved in.

The boy next door — an athlete, confident and proud — saw in Sam a threat. Jealousy took root. In public, he smiled. In private, he plotted.

He became Sam's best friend.

And then... he began to chip away.

He disguised cruelty as advice. Encouraged Sam to hide his talents. Laughed when Sam questioned his worth. Subtle, relentless — he twisted the truth until Sam could no longer see his own light.

By high school, Sam had become a shadow of the boy he used to be. Quiet. Hesitant. Lost.

But that wasn't enough for the boy who once envied him.

When the athlete's crush began to notice Sam — the real Sam, buried under years of manipulation — it broke something inside him. So he spread rumors. He painted Sam as a predator. A liar. A threat.

He forged evidence. Whispered lies. Let Sam suffer.

And still, Sam clung to him — the only friend who hadn't turned away. Then came the final betrayal.

A new rumor: that Sam was gay and obsessed with his "best friend." Parents demanded answers. Teachers turned cold. Classmates recoiled.

Sam was sent to therapy. But the truth never found ears willing to listen. His parents, convinced by the lies, shipped him off to a disciplinary military camp.

There, for the first time in years, Sam found silence — and in that silence, a flicker of peace. He was still broken, haunted by memories, unsure of who he was — but something inside began to heal.

Until he returned home.

His parents wouldn't meet his eyes. His former friend had vanished. And then came the arrest.

More lies. More planted evidence. Photographs. Audio. A false victim with a trembling voice, coached and afraid.

Sam spent two years in juvenile detention — forgotten by the world.

Only guilt brought the truth out. The false victim confessed. The charges dropped. The lies unraveled.

But the damage was done.

Sam left behind his home, his past, his very name. What was left was just a boy — no, a broken man — hoping for something new. Something different. But deep inside, Sam knew the truth. He could run, but he could never escape what had been done to him.

Then his soul was claimed — not by his own hand, nor by his own will, but by something far greater. Something that had been waiting for him all along.

The entity recoiled from the orb, scowling.

"How is this soul still pure? After everything?"

It stared at the glowing light, flickering but untainted. Not angry. Not bitter. Just... enduring.

"Most humans break under half that weight. But this... this is rare."

A slow smile curled beneath the entity's unseen face, its eyes gleaming with anticipation. It reached into the void, pulling forth a parchment, its symbols as ancient as the void itself. This soul, Sam Barnes, was far more than what it appeared to be. There was something... unexpected about it. Something that would make this performance unlike any before.

"Perfect. This one's going to shine on stage."

The entity pressed the contract into the heart of the glowing orb.

"Have fun, dear Samuel~"

The orb flared once. Then vanished.

The city remained still, waiting for the first act to begin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello Guys! Alex here.

It has been a bit! Shit hit the fan as I started writing last week and I just lost motivation for a brief bit. BUT now is the start of the rewrite.

I decided to do this one first and keep the old chapters up and around since they had some good comments. I'll add bold letters to their titles to let new readers skip to the new stuff though.

But I finally got Sam's backstory on paper as it was initially just a very vague concept. I will also be adding some things to the Gacha system, not items or abilities but just narrative things to make more sense of stuff.

Anyway~ you'll be getting rewrite chapters up to chapter 25 before weekly stuff comes into play! Probably more as 25 chapters will take me all week or more.

Peace out, homies and homegirls! (If you exist, which frankly I don't believe)