Slow, gradual pacing
John's childhood in Santo Domingo passed quietly at first.
Warm mornings filled with the smell of frying plantains. Long afternoons spent playing in narrow streets with neighborhood kids. Nights where he fell asleep to the steady hum of the Caribbean air drifting through open windows.
He felt normal.
He looked normal.
But as he reached nine years old, something strange began happening — something he didn't have words for yet.
It always started the same way:
a faint chime in the back of his mind.
So soft he thought he imagined it.
Ding.
At first it only happened every few weeks. Then every few days. Then every day.
One night, he sat on the rooftop of his apartment building, knees pulled to his chest, staring out at the city lights sprinkled across Santo Domingo. His parents thought he was just enjoying the breeze, but he was waiting — waiting to understand the sound that haunted his thoughts.
And then, for the first time, a voice accompanied the chime.
Not the goddess.
Something colder.
Mechanical.
Precise.
[Celebrity System Initializing…]
John froze, heart thudding in his small chest.
The voice echoed again, clearer.
[User Detected: John Reyes.]
[Soul Signature Identified: Reincarnated.]
His breath caught.
The system continued, each word sending a chill down his spine.
[Basic Functions Unlocking…]
[Error: Global Stage Not Reached.]
[Warning: User Located Outside Primary Influence Zone.]
A soft flicker of light appeared before his eyes — not real light, but something only he could see, hovering like a translucent screen.
Lines of text blinked in and out:
— Fame Detection: Limited
— Public Appeal: Locked
— Influence Aura: Locked
— Charm Amplifier: Locked
— Performance Booster: Locked
John swallowed hard.
"Locked?" he whispered under his breath.
The system responded instantly, as if always listening.
[Explanation: User must be located within an environment with high media density, global visibility potential, and cultural reach.]
The screen shifted, showing a faint outline of a map.
[Recommended Region for Full Activation: United States of America.]
His heart skipped.
The USA.
It made sense — Hollywood, music, the internet culture, massive audiences, opportunities to rise. But he was just a kid in the Dominican Republic. The system seemed too big, too unreachable.
"What does it mean… celebrity?" he asked softly.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then:
[User Potential: 0.3%]
[Projected Potential if Relocated: > 87%]
Cold certainty washed over him.
He couldn't unlock his abilities here — not truly. Not in a neighborhood where people recorded memories, not videos. Not in a place where fame didn't travel far beyond the island.
The screen faded slowly, and the night returned to its usual stillness.
But John couldn't move.
He sat on the rooftop long after the lights in the city dimmed, long after the breeze cooled, long after the moon climbed high.
The system had chosen him… or perhaps the goddess had woven this into him long before he was born again.
He wasn't meant to stay small.
He wasn't meant to stay unseen.
And if he wanted to grow —
if he wanted the system to awaken fully —
he needed to reach the USA.
But he was only nine.
Just a kid.
With parents who loved Santo Domingo too much to leave.
For now, all he could do was wait.
And grow.
And prepare.
Because one day, the door would open.
And when it did, the Celebrity System would come alive.