Avery Rivers' fall happened faster than anyone imagined.
In the morning, she was still living in a penthouse overlooking the city.
By evening, everything was gone.
Her luxury cars were taken first. Men in uniforms arrived with clipboards and cold expressions, ignoring her completely as they drove the vehicles away. Her credit cards were frozen one by one. Even her personal assistant sent a short message before blocking her number.
Sorry. I can't afford to get involved.
By sunset, Avery stood on the sidewalk with two suitcases.
No driver came.
No friend answered.
A black raincloud hung over the city as if mocking her.
She took the subway for the first time in years.
No one recognized her. Or maybe they did—and chose not to care.
An hour later, she arrived at her new home.
It was a basement apartment.
Three hundred square feet.
The stairway leading down was narrow and damp. The streetlights outside flickered weakly, casting broken shadows against stained concrete walls. The air smelled like wet cement and rusted pipes.
This was the opposite of a penthouse.
Avery unlocked the door.
The apartment was quiet.
Too quiet.
A single yellow bulb hung from the ceiling. A moth-eaten sofa sat against one wall, its fabric thin and rough. A small table leaned slightly to one side. The bathroom door didn't close properly.
This was it.
Her entire world had been reduced to this small underground box.
She placed her suitcase down and sat on the sofa.
It creaked under her weight.
For a moment, she simply sat there, staring at the floor.
The original Avery would have cried.
But she didn't.
Instead, she closed her eyes.
"Status," she whispered.
A soft ding sounded in her mind.
A blue system screen appeared.
[Host: Avery Rivers][Prestige: -5,000,000 (Infamous)][Public Image: Destroyed][Available Rewards: 1x Bronze Treasure Chest]
Avery's lips twitched.
"Negative five million," she muttered. "Impressive."
She focused on the reward.
"Open it."
The screen shimmered.
[Opening Bronze Treasure Chest…]
A short pause followed.
Then—
[Reward Acquired.]
[Song: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele][Contents: Full Composition / Lyrics / Arrangement / Emotional Blueprint]
Avery froze.
Then the music exploded into her mind.
It wasn't just sound.
It was emotion.
The deep, steady heartbeat of drums. The raw power of the melody. The weight of betrayal in every lyric. Pain, strength, and dignity woven together.
She felt it in her bones.
In her chest.
In her breath.
This wasn't just a song.
It was a soul.
Tears welled in Avery's eyes—not from sadness, but from recognition.
This world's music industry was obsessed with perfection.
"Idol Music."
Perfect faces. Perfect dance moves. Auto-tuned voices. Shallow lyrics written by committees.
Pretty.
Empty.
They had never heard music like this.
They had never heard pain turned into power.
Avery slowly stood up.
She walked to the small mirror hanging beside the sink.
Her reflection stared back at her—tired, pale, but alive.
She opened her mouth.
And sang.
Her voice filled the tiny basement.
Low.
Deep.
Strong.
The walls vibrated slightly as the song poured out, rich and raw. Every note carried weight. Every word felt honest.
Five octaves.
Perfect control.
For the first time since waking up in this world, Avery felt truly alive.
When the last note faded, the apartment fell silent.
She took a shaky breath.
Then she laughed softly.
"So this is it," she said. "This is my weapon."
A new system notification appeared.
[Hidden Effect Triggered: Artistic Resonance.][Song Compatibility: 100%][Potential Audience Impact: Massive]
Avery sat back down, her heart still racing.
The parallel world she lived in had reduced art to formulas and trends.
They had optimized emotion out of music.
What she carried was different.
Something deeper.
Something dangerous.
Avery smiled.
"The 'dimensionality reduction' starts with a heartbeat," she whispered.
Outside, a train rumbled past.
Above ground, the world continued to believe she was finished.
Below it—
A revolution was being born.