The music at the SkyLounge had slowly faded away, like a distant echo lost among the skyscrapers of Aurora City.
The last guests were leaving the place, leaving behind the scent of expensive perfumes, the sound of glasses still vibrating on the tables, and a silence that felt more real than the entire party.
Blake remained on the terrace.
The night wind blew with a faint smell of ozone and neon, carrying the constant murmur of the city that never slept.
In his hands, the cigarette burned slowly, releasing a thread of smoke that mingled with the early morning mist.
—I don't usually see many people stay after the applause.
The voice pulled him from his thoughts.
He turned his head and saw her: Valeria Chen, wrapped in a silver satin jacket, her hair loose, her makeup slightly smudged but with an elegance that needed no filters.
For the first time, she didn't have that "perfect influencer" look; there was something tired, human, in her eyes.
—I guess I needed some air —he replied, with a faint smile.
She walked up to the railing. The city reflected in her pupils, a mix of lights and shadows that seemed to tell a thousand stories.
—We all do —she said—. Sometimes I feel like all this… —she gestured toward the horizon full of holograms and advertising screens— is just an illusion.
Each light represents an expectation. An image I have to maintain, a smile I don't always feel.
Blake didn't respond immediately. He just watched her, as the wind played with her hair.
There was something deeply sad in her tone, as if she were speaking more to herself than to him.
—When I started, I just wanted to share my travels, my photos, my ideas —Valeria continued—. But there comes a point where you no longer decide what to show. People start deciding for you.
And if they don't like what they see… you simply disappear.
—Fame is a double-edged sword —Blake said calmly—. It's neither good nor bad. It just depends on how you use it.
Valeria looked at him, surprised.
It wasn't the answer she expected from a guy who, according to rumors, had appeared out of nowhere and was already catching the attention of half the SkyLounge.
—You're right —she said after a pause—. But not many understand that.
(She smiled, this time genuinely).
—I'm glad you came tonight, Blake. There's something different about you.
He replied with a barely visible smile. —Maybe it's the expensive perfume.
They both laughed softly.
The sound was brief, sincere, and for a moment it seemed like the city's noise had stopped.
It was just them, two people talking without masks, without followers, without filters.
Valeria leaned her elbows on the railing, thoughtful. —Sometimes I wonder what would happen if one day I turned off all the cameras. If I stopped posting, if I simply… disappeared.
—Maybe that would be the day you start truly living —Blake replied.
She looked at him, surprised by the calm in his voice.
He didn't say it with arrogance or cheap philosophy. He said it like someone who had already lost things before.
Silence fell between them again, but it wasn't uncomfortable.
Aurora City stretched out in the distance, breathing lights and smoke, like a sleeping monster watching its inhabitants from above.
—Sometimes I think this city only rewards those who don't sleep —Valeria murmured.
—And those who know how to act —Blake added.
She looked at him, intrigued. —And you? Are you one of those?
—No. —Blake put out the cigarette against the railing and tossed the butt into the void—. I only act when I write the script myself.
Valeria smiled.
For a moment, the reflection of dawn began to color her face.
—Then I guess you have something many here don't.
—What's that?
—Control.
He didn't respond, but his gaze said it all.
She understood.
A few minutes later, Valeria said goodbye with a calm gesture, without the formalities of the event, without cameras or flashes.
Blake watched her leave. For some reason, he knew it wouldn't be the last time they talked.
The wind blew again.
The system's silence remained.
For the first time, there were no notifications, no digital sounds interrupting the moment.
Just the city.
Just life.
Aurora City was almost empty at that hour.
The advertising screens were beginning to shut down and the first magnetic trains slid their metallic sound along the suspended rails.
Blake walked through the streets with his hands in his pockets, letting the cold breeze clear away the remnants of smoke and alcohol.
His mind was calm, though he knew the system hadn't disappeared.
It was watching. Waiting.
It always did.
When he reached the building, he greeted the automatic doorman with a sleepy voice and rode up in the glass elevator.
The city lights faded behind him like artificial constellations.
When he entered his apartment, everything was silent.
The minimalist space welcomed him with the aroma of coffee he had left hours earlier and the soft blue light filtering through the window.
He took off his jacket, placed his watch on the table, and poured himself a glass of water.
The sound of the liquid filling the glass was almost hypnotic.
Then, with a simple thought, he activated the interface.
A blue light emerged in the air.
[General Statistics]
Current Balance: $5,100.00
Level: 2 – "Social Conquest"
Charisma: +18
Confidence: +15
Social Persuasion: Level 2
Total Influence: 32%
Active Title: "The Man Who Doesn't Bend."
Mission Completed: SkyLounge Event
Reward Received: +3 Confidence, +1 Level of Social Influence
Next Objective: Increase your real-world presence in high circles.
Blake observed the screen calmly.
The system's blue glow reflected in his pupils, and for a second, those numbers seemed more real than anything outside his apartment.
—Not bad —he murmured—. But there's still a long way to go.
The system remained silent for a few seconds, as if processing something.
Then, a line of text appeared, blurry, with a tone different from usual:
[System Comment]: "Your image has been recorded. Your next battle will be with reality."
Blake frowned.
The text vanished before he could analyze it.
But he understood the message.
The system was evolving.
And the most unsettling part wasn't that… but that it seemed to be evolving alongside him.
He left the glass on the table, turned off the interface, and collapsed onto the bed.
The ceiling looked like a blank canvas where the city lights painted dancing reflections.
For the first time in months, he didn't think about surviving.
He thought about building.
About leaving a mark.
Outside, Aurora City kept burning in lights.
Screens, drones, neon reflections, promises of success on every corner.
But for Blake, that night marked the true beginning.
The start of something bigger.
More dangerous.
More real.
And as sleep began to pull him under, the system left one last line, barely visible, projected onto the window glass:
[System in active observation mode.]
"The world is watching, Blake. Make sure you watch back."
The message faded.
Aurora City breathed.
And Blake, in silence, smiled.
End of Chapter 5.