Welcome all patrons, to this new reality. In it, you are offered an opportunity to read defining stories, and you may even find yourself a solid investment for any future plans. My entertainment offers you stories of new beginnings. Stories that offer you real multipliers.
We see a screen. All of us. At the same time.
Its either a mass hallucination or, this is really happening, and I am terrified. This thing's voice is booming and it shakes me to the core.
the manager is observing you
Suddenly I feel the weight of a predatory gaze on me. It takes everything I have to remain conscious for the split second. Then, like a wraith, its gone.
Hello little ants! Christmas has come early and you now have an opportunity to see 'reality'! congratulations!!! all ants will be given ‘page’; a continuous stream of all the actions you take and words you speak created for the sole purpose of entertaining beings of an order far higher than yours is. Isn't it so fun? You're gonna get cute little superpowers and fly around like the heroes in your comic books!
Again, another pause, and I look around, fear trying hard to claw its way into my brain and force me to run. the same look is on everyone's face
So you wanna play???...hahaha Of course you do. after all, your life hangs in the balance and those that cannot adapt...well...they die quite quickly.
Anywayyy, here's the jist of it little ants, you do cool shit, and you get a feat. you merge feats, and you get a litany. You merge litanies, and a patron might give you one of its titles, or lets you build your own. Either way, do cool shit.
after all, your 'page' shows us all the things you do and say.
you have three days to get accustomed to your new reality. after that, I will allow the Patrons to start reading your streams.
The shock is evident on everyone's face. This thing is real and we are all worried. As soon as they can move, people are receiving calls and making them. I still cant believe this is happening. the Professor left to call his family, and many others are walking out to do the same
mom's gonna call any secon--
And there it was. My phone went off, unknown caller id, number ending in -3777
"You okay?" she asks, curtly.
"I will be."
"Family meeting at home. 8pm tomorrow night, don't be late." I Hate that place, and I don't want to go, but this is life or death.
"I'll be waiting obediently." I bite out. the next hour goes by like a blur and I find myself staring out of the window of the family jet, heading to Walvis bay.
The city had grown under my mother's cruel and meticulous hand. Walvis had absorbed Swakopmund, and just became Known as the Bay. Any ship import into Namibia, most likely is on my mother's legers. the woman doesn't quite know what the word 'no' means, but I consider it my Life's mission to remind her it exists.
In the air, I notice a little grey dot, at the edge of my vision. Top left to be exact. It is definitely unnatural, so I know it has something to do with the voice of the blue window everyone saw whilst I was still in class.
how do I ope--
wordstream :Vith Kaveko Harrow]>
Settings]>
Status]>
[+1 new message]
Again, my heart slams into my chest, pumping as much blood and as it possibly can, but I chose to remain calm. In these three days I need to find something that allows me to survive.
open message...
[dear ant,
You’re probably wondering how this whole thing works, and you were smart enough to check your ‘page’. That’s good. You aren’t useless, and useless people don’t get good stories. Well, here are the rules. Follow them, and you’ll be fine. Don’t follow them, and... well you’ll just have to wait and see.
P.S.- system manager]
Rules of the Mythos Power System (Simplified for ant brains)
1. Authors Create Their Own Myths: Power comes from performing extraordinary feats that define their personal legend.
2. Feats can be distilled into a single ‘Title’: A Title is given to a litany that has enough feats that it can evolve, Titles fundamentally change their Owners.
3. Emotions Shape Abilities: The emotions felt during these feats become Attributes, influencing how their power evolves.
4. Readers Increase Power: The more people who read and believe in an Author’s Myth, the stronger it becomes.
5. Citations Share Power: If someone significantly contributes to an Author’s feat, they can "Cite" the Mythos and gain a fraction of its power.
6. A Myth Can Be Stolen or Lost: If an Author loses control of their story (e.g., someone else influences their legend more than they do), they may lose their Myth or even themselves.
7. Extradimentionals read your wordstream and Offer Power: They grant abilities in exchange for entertainment, but accepting their influence comes with risks. They may not be benevolent.
8. All Stories Have an End: An Author’s Mythos is not infinite. How they shape their legend will determine how it ends.
That’s the core of it— write your legend, grow through feats, be shaped by emotions, and gain strength through belief.
Settings? Status? These are new, and the damn system manager didn't say anything about them.
At my mental mention of them, two new screens open up.
[Status – Vith Kaveko Harrow]
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Mythos Title: [Not available]
Feats: [uncompleted]
Litany:
Initial Spark:
Effect:
Attributes (Emotions Tied to the Mythos): Loneliness (core), Anger (auxiliary),
Current Readers: 1
Citations: None (No one has contributed to your Mythos yet.)
Patron: (No Offer)
[settings]
Heir permissions]>
Citation permissions]>
VFX visibility:
Patron management]>
I look closely, and immediately turn off the special effects visibility.
The less information people have about my ability the better.
[Turning off VFX visibility may reduce the amount of readers and patron interest. Does the USER wish to proceed?]
[+3 Notifications]
I agree, and.. Of course nothing happens, but the toggle of the VFX ability turns off. I then think about the notifications. There is way more happening here than I am aware of.
open notifications...
Notifications]>
<[the wandering soul] has started reading your stream>
So feats are like mini quests huh.
[you do not have enough readers to offer quests.]
I can offer quests? How deep does this system go… though I wish my notifications just popped up By themselves. That would be nice.
[+2 notifications]>
<[the nine-tailed fox] has started reading your stream>
so I can somewhat tailor my interface to my own needs.. That is good to know.
It seems that many people are in denial. The air hostesses all seem calm, but there is tension in their eyes. I keep looking out of my window, planning the things that are going to happen to the world, and how terribly people are going to suffer. I think about the chaos waiting for all the people in this world in the next three days.
A pit forms in my stomach, and it registers.
Many are going to die the day after tomorrow. The thought, like a parasite, begins to eat at my brain. It eats away at my logical thinking, and it eats away at the remaining…wait. What is that? I look at another plane, confused. Aren’t planes meant to fly far apart from each other? Its unusual, so press a button that shows my the Jet’s radar in my seat, and before I could pull it up, I hear—
“Everyone brace yourselves!”
Then there’s an explosion, and suddenly the world is spinning. Blue and brown blend into a sickly grey and I don’t feel the chair I was sitting on just seconds ago.
My eyes water, and I can't breathe quite well. I'm falling. I feel the lurching empty feeling in a rollercoaster ride, but this time it’s a thousand times worse. Its accompanied by dread.
What is this…
I spread my limbs and they begin to catch the air. My muscles are burning, my arms feel like they’re going to be ripped off, and my legs are one wrong twist away from breaking
I’m…alone.
Finally the sky and ground stop smearing together in streaks of grey, and i can make out the two of them. My torso is screaming at me and I can barely see with all the air rushing up to meet me.
No one can help me…
I look around, hoping to find something to grab onto, but I'm met with debris that even has the audacity to cut me while I’m in the middle of dying.
If I don’t learn how to fly right now, I’ll die.
I see flashes of my life. Moments where I chose not to act, using the excuse of a strategic retreat.
You cant retreat when gravity is pulling you to your death… something… anything…
I feel a flood of adrenaline in my chest. My heart slams hard against my creaking ribcage. Though consciously unaware, my body knows… my body welcomes it.
+1 Notification
I can make a myth.
I activate the system and access my [status]
I can make myself wings.
I focus hard, on one feat, willing it into the slot of my litany….
It fails.
I can live.
I try again, focusing on anything I can use. I see the feat: the wings that cover and I look at the other feat: first of the hidden ones.
Merge all feats!!!
Congratulations!!! You have merged three feats into a single
>You are among the top 100 authors in the world to activate your spark.
>you have completed a hidden feat: World’s top one hundred ignitors
>you have completed the hidden feat: Africa’s top ten ignitors
>you have [30] new readers
>you can activate
I don’t spend any time thinking about the ability. There is no time to think. I need to get away from all the parts flying around and cutting me. I have to remain focused. If I use an arch, fly down first, then even out slightly, just enough to escape the big stuff that’s coming down, I might just make it.
I pull my limbs towards me and dive. I hope this works… slowly but surely, I start moving faster than the pieces of plane, engine and furniture all surrounding me. I can barely see, but I keep diving, and I watch the earth rush up to meet me. Almost time….. I look around, searching for an opening, there! I see a gap that I might fit through and open my wings only slightly. Just enough that I can cut through, between a chair and a spinning propeller.
I make it through, but there's a big gash on my right thigh. Still dying!! Move!! Move!!! Move!!! I spread my wings and then start weaving through the remaining debris. Dry arid land, with sparse trees seems undisturbed ahead of me. I look above me and behind me to see propellers, chairs, steel beams and all kinds of random broken pieces of the plane impaling the ground in my path. I veer off to the right, banking hard in the hopes that I leave the trail of chaos following the broken plane. I hear a whooshing sound, and after the sound of wet concrete, I pass out.