Even if her status had changed, her life was still the same. She spent her days on stage with ‘Heavy Protector’, at the karaoke, recording videos for her MyTube channel, studying, and sewing clothes. She had already finished her stage outfit, but she had enough fabric left to upgrade her wardrobe. She was getting very anxious that people would notice she only had a few clothes, since she was getting more attention. Thankfully, she earned enough with the concerts to buy all the fabric and materials she wanted, so she had a bst designing new garments mixing ‘traditional high society’ and ‘modern underground singer’. The results were varied : High waisted vintage pants with patterned multicolored lining, tailcoats embroidered with microphones and musical notations, she even used her craft abilities to create her own handbag with ‘Mademoiselle Cyrielle’ written in golden thread, and patterns of the same color with an ‘Art Nouveau’ inspiration.
The one thing that had changed were the looks she received when she went outside. Sometimes she knew it was due to her aura and her fashion, but occasionally it was just because people recognized her, most often when she was walking near a bar.
‘I guess my name is being spread in the underground scene of Bordeaux. It’s exciting but also very scary !’
And before she knew it, it had been a month since she first discovered ‘Path of Destiny’. She was alone at Julie’s pce, but Cyrielle was in a festive mood.
‘I really want to celebrate, but nobody will understand why… If it’s Julie, she probably organized something for the anniversary of my YouTube channel, but for me today is the real deal !’
She didn’t know what to do since she couldn’t go outside, so she decided to cook something. She wasn’t the best chef there was, but she could at least make a soup like a pot-au-feu. Cyrielle started working happily, humming a song while she was cutting the meat and the turnips. She was too busy to notice, but time went on and soon it was the evening. And when it had been exactly one month since the apparition of the first blue character, something happened again.
[Congratutions ! It’s been exactly one month since you started your journey with Path of Destiny. You have achieved tremendous results ! You are the first to advance so far in a single month !]
‘Of course I am, you came te ! The others must have been babies when they celebrated their first month…’
She was grumbling, but she was also very excited. If she did well, she would surely receive a gift, right ? So far, this had always been the case.
[Path of Destiny rewards you by offering a gift. a gift. a gifftkheittttttttttt]
Suddenly, the blue characters started to break down and a piercing sound resounded in Cyrielle’s ears. Something was not right. It continued again and again, trying to write sentences in the air but failing and disappearing. Eventually, the system seemed to reboot and the first message appeared once more.
[Congratutions ! It’s been exactly one month since you started your journey with Path of Destiny. You have achieved tremendous results ! You are the first to advance so far in a single month !]
And the long awaited second part followed.
[Path of Destiny rewards you by offering a peek into the truth.]
It felt ominous for some reason. Cyrielle wasn’t sure if she wanted to see that truth. Isn’t it ok to just enjoy the gifts and abilities without knowing anything ? But it was just a peek, so it should be alright.
When she had made up her mind, she looked at the blue characters again. And… nothing happened. She was sure that another wall of text would appear, like the first time she had gained access to the instructions, but she was wrong. The only thing that was floating in the air was a single and very small bck dot. She stared at it and immediately she was sucked into something.
***
“Julie, open the door !”
Someone was banging with all their might against the wood, but the girl wasn’t listening. She was curled up in a ball, hiding in her bnket. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to welcome her visitor, but she just didn’t have the strength. What was the point anyway ? Cyrielle was gone.
In a st effort, Julie lifted her weary body, crawling to reach her phone. When the bnket fell, it revealed an emaciated look to the point where one could count her ribs and vertebrae. She looked like someone at death’s door.
“Please Julie, open up or I’ll call the police !”
A few minutes ter, when officers kicked the door down, it was already too te. Julie had passed away on the floor, holding firmly in her hand the phone that had a wallpaper of two friends smiling.
***
Cyrielle returned to her body as if ejected from the scene she had just witnessed.
‘What… What was that ?! I’m dead ? Julie died ? What is this bullshit ?!’
Was it the future ? No, she remembered clearly the date on Julie’s phone when she died. It was today. Cyrielle looked at the time. If she was to trust that strange vision, Julie should have died an hour ago in this apartment. But one other thing was really strange.
‘It was the appearance of this pce before I changed it with ‘home design’.’
She was starting to draw a conclusion. But before she could do anything about it, she was sucked again into the bck dot.
***
It was a sunny day in Bordeaux, and Cyrielle was leisurely walking on Sainte Catherine street, the biggest pedestrian road of the city. She was headed to the small bookshop she worked at, but she was early so she was taking her time looking at the stores. Then something caught her eye. Or was it her ear ? Her gaze fell on a rugged man sitting on the side of the street. He was so filthy that she couldn’t properly guess the color of his hair, but he had a big contagious smile full of yellow teeth. In his hands there was an old guitar. The melody he was pying was oozing with joy, happiness, and an air of freedom.
Cyrielle was drawn in. She was early anyway so she could probably stay a little bit, right ? A few listeners were already here, they just stopped in their tracks, listened for a few seconds, and then went on their way. Cyrielle stayed way more than a few minutes. When the artist took a break to drink water, she approached and tossed a few coins in the guitar case in front of him. He thanked her with a smile, but curiosity prevented her from going. So she asked in a polite voice :
“I have a few minutes before my job starts, do you mind telling me your story ?”
She sat next to him and listened. She arrived te at work that day.
***
The return was less violent this time around, it was warm and cozy. But still, Cyrielle had no idea why she had to see those scenes.
‘I remember that. He entered France illegally by arriving in a boat at Bordeaux’s port, hidden in the hold of a ship. He had been living for months in abandoned buildings with the beggar’s mafia when I met him. I wonder what happened to him after that day ?’
It was nice to remember that time, but she still didn’t get why this was happening. Then another message appeared, as if to give her a clue. It was one she had seen a month prior, the first day ‘Path of Destiny’ awoke.
[Error : you didn’t unch the Path of Destiny at the ideal predetermined time ! You have accumuted positive karma. Reserve of abilities : 23. Read the instructions for more information.]
As usual, the blue characters disappeared as soon as she had read them, except for one sentence. It was subtle, but it went away half a second after the rest. ‘You have accumuted positive karma’.
Cyrielle didn’t receive any other hints after that, the system stayed silent. She felt like she had received some puzzle pieces, but she didn’t have enough to solve the mystery.
‘The vision of Julie was surely an alternate reality where I didn’t receive ‘Path of Destiny’. Did I choose to exit because I couldn’t bear my situation ? It seems pusible. And the second vision has something to do with positive karma. I thought it was only about the years I spent without ‘Path of Destiny’, but is there more to it ? Is my karma important ?’
She believed that she understood the hints, but had no idea how they fit together.
‘I shouldn’t worry about it for now. If I do well I will have more opportunities to ‘peek at the truth’, right ? By the way, the scuffed message was referring to a gift but it was changed to the visions, do I not get a gift now ?’
Cyrielle was disappointed. And when she was about to resume cooking, blue characters appeared again. Or did they ? They felt strange, as if loading. Somehow, Cyrielle could feel the system was searching for something.
‘Is it trying to give me a gift ? Somehow this thing is kind of cute…’
After some time, a message emerged. It was in bold letters, as if it was a proud decration.
[Path of Destiny rewards you by offering ‘Path knowledge’.]
‘What is that again ? Path knowledge ?’
When she thought about it, something formed in front of her eyes. It was blue and very simir to a game screen. There was a list of characteristics.
[{Cyrielle Laporte}
Age : 23 (Birthday on 5th of march)
Status : Taking her first steps
{Abilities}
Singing, Home and Attire design, Handicraft, Elegance, Stage presence, Studying, Sewing
{Characteristics}
Aura : 75
Visuals : 52
Movements : 21
Impact : 63
Overall rate : B]
An objective evaluation of who she was. But what was the link with ‘Path knowledge’ ? And she didn’t understand half of what was written.
‘What does ‘status’ mean ?’
[Status is how far you are from the objective ‘Path of Destiny’ has set up for you.]
‘So that’s how you do it… Ok, what is ‘movements’ ?’
[Movement is the capacity to move your body.]
No wonder it had the lowest score, she was always frozen in fear when in public, and she hadn’t exercised since collège.
[Ask to dispy one of your abilities.]
Cyrielle almost jumped in surprise. Well, she would have if time was flowing normally. It was the first time the system was telling her directly to do something. It was always hinting at things, but never ordered her so openly. Was something happening because she had ‘peeked into the truth’ ? Or was ‘Path of Destiny’ growing in the same way her abilities were expanding ? Anyway, she did as told.
‘Dispy ‘singing’.’
And another strange game screen appeared.