Chapter 1: God's Gift
"Hahaha."
Aaron was binge watching Superstore again. No matter how many times he rewatched shows, the jokes still landed, and the emotional scenes still hit. He laughed when he was supposed to laugh. He felt it when things got quiet.
Most of his free time was spent watching TV.
Aaron had been paralyzed in a car accident when he was eight. Now sixteen, he was lonely and bored more often than he wanted to admit. His parents took good care of him. They worked a lot, but they were kind, loving, and always tried their best. Because of that, most days looked the same. He spent four hours a day, five days a week, studying online. After that, play games or watch shows until the hours blurred together.
Tonight was no different.
As the episode ended, the screen faded to black. Aaron glanced at the clock.
11:11 PM.
He smirked a little and muttered, "I wish I could enter these shows. That would be so cool." then a pop up appeared on his screen
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
This is an invitation from the God of Entertainment.
Do you accept?
▶ YES ▶ NO
"What the fuck?"
Faced with the choice between missing his protagonist moment or getting a virus, Aaron hesitated for half a second. Then he sighed and clicked Yes.
The screen shifted. A chat room opened.
A robotic woman appeared on video. She looked like an android, too smooth to be human. Aaron noticed immediately that while she could speak, he could only type.
She smiled, almost mechanically.
"Hello, Aaron Dream. I am Syntax, the personal assistant of the Curator, the god of entertainment. He has selected you to be a beta tester for his multiverse hopping system. Do you have any questions?"
Aaron stared at the screen, heart pounding. His fingers hovered over the keyboard before he finally typed:
Hello, yes, first, is this real? Also, what is a god of entertainment, and why me?
She responded the instant he hit send.
"The god of entertainment is a god who enjoys entertainment. He gifts people across the multiverse abilities and airs their lives in his world. As people watch, he grows stronger and gains divine power."
She paused, then continued.
"And as for why you. You have consumed more forms of entertainment than anyone your age in your world. Given time spent watching, reading, and playing, more than anyone ever."
Aaron swallowed and typed back.
"What would I need to do?"
Her answer was immediate.
"Be entertaining. If you fail to do that, you will lose the ability."
His fingers moved quickly.
"Can you explain the powers?"
"Yes. The ability is called the Nightframe. It is a device you place on your head when you go to sleep. It allows you to enter any world of your choosing and select one ability."
She smiled, almost amused.
"That ability must fit the world. No superpowers in Modern Family, for example. But perhaps something less obvious." "Ok, that sounds amazing. What do we do?"
She nodded slightly. "Do you agree to become a form of entertainment for those across the multiverse? Do you agree to log in every night?"
"Yes," Aaron agreed.
"Well then," she said, smiling, "welcome to entertainment heaven."
A white glow flashed through his room. Aaron shielded his eyes as a small box appeared on his bed. When the light faded, he opened it. Inside was simple black boxing style headgear. No wires. No buttons.
He laid back, put it on, and instantly fell asleep.
He woke up in darkness.
A massive TV floated in front of him. Text appeared on the screen.
Aaron Dream
Age: 16
Real World Time: 11:32 PM
Below it, more text scrolled in.
Dream time to real time ratio: 21 to 1
Eight hours of sleep equals one week in world time.
You may log out at any time.
A tablet suddenly appeared in front of him.
As your first world, you will be given three easy choices.
You may select one ability.
You will arrive in the world at birth.
More text followed.
You may fast forward time or stop it whenever you want.
Your body will act and make decisions appropriate for its age.
When you are away, time will pause.
After enough time in the world, when fast-forwarding, decisions will be based on your personality and past actions.
Aaron stared at the screen, heart racing.
He looked at the options for shows.
"MOM."
"The Resident."
"The Fosters."
The only one he actually liked was The Fosters. He didn't even hesitate before clicking it.
A new screen popped up.
Choose Ability.
He scrolled.
Most of the abilities were boring. Small boosts. Minor advantages. Stuff that felt useless in a normal life. Telepathy caught his eye for a second. It sounded cool, but it also felt like it would ruin everything fast.
Then he scrolled again.
10x Rebate
Whenever the user spends money, the amount is multiplied by ten.
Capped at twenty million until level up.
Aaron stared at the screen.
He clicked it.
His body instantly began to pixelate. The room broke apart into light and static, and then everything went white.
When his vision returned, he was being born.
In his peripheral vision, floating text appeared.
11:45 PM
A fast forward button hovered beside it.
"Yeah, I'm not fucking being a baby."
He clicked it and dragged the slider straight to sixteen.
Time snapped forward like he had been thrown into hyperspace. Everything blurred. Years collapsed in on themselves.
Then he woke up again.
This time he was lying in a room with three other kids. Bunk beds. Posters on the walls. Shoes lined up by the door.
Memories slammed into him all at once. Not his. Not entirely. But his now.
He knew their names. He knew the rules. He knew the feeling of waiting.
He was in foster care.
He was the oldest and he lived with a woman in her fifties named Brianna. He walked out the room; it was 7:00am (12:00am earth time)