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Beneath the stage of a massive stadium, where millions of fans from around the world had gathered to watch, an idol steeled herself. Her eyes were closed as she took deep breaths to work out her usual pre-show jitters. Strange how even after dozens of shows, this familiar anxiety could never fully be culled.
Even where she stood, she could distinguish one word from the din of the crowd, a chant that once was frightening but now familiar.
"FANTINE! FANTINE! FANTINE!"
Username Fantine. A U account created only six months ago, but one that exploded in popularity almost overnight. Some celebrity account had caught one of her songs on film and shared it on U, and before she knew it, she’d become one of the world’s most popular virtual idols. But the truth behind Fantine was far more mundane than what her fame would suggest.
In truth, Fantine was nothing more than a tiny high school girl who had hoped to use the U app to find clues about her missing father.
Annette Dominic certainly hadn’t intended to become famous when she created Fantine. In fact, her username was about as plain as it could be—it was just her middle name. The U app had an unexpected effect on her, though—it brought out a side of her she’d long kept hidden. She always loved to sing in private, but thought her songs were far too embarrassing to be heard in public. But as Fantine, she found herself unable to hold back her song, and before she knew it, she’d become a sensation throughout U.
Her newfound fame had a positive side effect, though. Since so many users wanted to talk to her, she had ample opportunities to find potential leads to her father’s whereabouts. Unfortunately, she didn’t know if he had a U account, and even if he did, finding his account out of a user base of five billion was a herculean task.
Even putting that aside, though, Annette found herself enjoying being an idol. All the emotion she was forced to hide in the real world came to life in her songs. Furthermore, she could do it all completely anonymously. No one would ever guess the lovely Fantine, with her long, flowing black hair and eyes colored like the ocean, would have any connection with the tiny schoolgirl with orange braids. The only thing Fantine kept from her real self was her freckles, and they were far prettier than on the real her.
Fantine took another deep breath and exhaled. This was it. Showtime. She stepped onto the elevator and rode it up to the stage.
“FANTINE! FANTINE! FANTINE!”
When she opened her eyes again, she was met with the familiar sight of millions of avatars seated all around her in a huge dome. Some carried lights, some carried signs, but all cheered and shouted her name. And so there was only one thing to do: give them what they asked for.
She began her first song, and her voice resonated through the entire dome. The cheering slowly faded away as all her focus went into her performance. She spun and danced as flying fish and whales swam through the air around her, accompanied by a shimmering display of bubbles. It was a show only possible through the power of U.
Suddenly, a shriek pierced through the dome. Startled, Fantine stopped singing. Such a mistake was unbecoming of her, but the crowd’s attention was no longer on her, but another figure flying through the dome.
“It’s Zoltan!” a security guard explained,
“Quickly! Protect Fantine!” another cried.
“Zoltan?” Annette whispered. That was not a username she’d ever heard of, and she knew a lot of famous accounts now.
Dozens of security guards quickly moved in on the intruder. However, Zoltan proved to be more than a match for them. They were so fast that Fantine could barely follow them, and dodged the guards’ attacks with a grace that U’s best dancers would envy. If a guard got too close, Zoltan dispatched them with a lightning-fast swing of their sword.
Despite the guards’ best efforts, Zoltan continued to get closer and closer to Fantine. She knew the right thing to do was to try to escape, but she found herself mesmerized. Before she knew it, the once distant figure was right in front of her.
This avatar was certainly distinctive. They were tall and lithe, but their face was hidden underneath a dark hood. Their cloak sported many tears, as if it had been through countless battles. Based on the performance she’d just seen, Fantine was certain that they had to be a warrior of some sort.
“Fantine.”
Zoltan’s voice was distinctly masculine. There was also something… strangely familiar about it, but she couldn't put her finger on why that was.
“What do you want?” she asked.
Zoltan was quiet for a moment, and though she could not see his face, she somehow got the impression that he had a nervous expression.
“I… I want you to sing for me.”
Fantine gaped at him. “What?”
“Get away from her!”
Zoltan leapt into the air as two guards pounced on him. He floated there for a bit and gave Fantine one last glance.
"Tomorrow night. Look for a castle. I'll be waiting."
"Stop!" the guards shouted, but in the blink of an eye, Zoltan was gone. A cacophony of confusion rang from the crowd as the guards scrambled after Zoltan, and Fantine could only stare in shock at where the mysterious avatar had been.
He risked being captured and having his true identity exposed to the world just to ask her to sing for him? If he wanted to hear her sing, all he had to do was watch her videos and performances with the rest of her millions of fans. If he felt he had to do something as rash and foolish as interrupting one of her live shows just to request a private performance, he was either incredibly devoted, incredibly dangerous, or both.
Nonetheless, Fantine was intrigued. What sort of person could have created an avatar like that? And what was this about a castle? Though there was potential danger involved, there was also much she could gain. Zoltan could be holding clues regarding her father's whereabouts.
She nodded to herself, her mind made up. Tomorrow night, she would track down Zoltan. She would have to disguise herself, since her face was too well known in U, but that was a simple thing to fix. Much simpler than that villain at school who wouldn't stop making fun of her real self.
She shoved that thought away as quickly as she could. The less time she spent thinking about him, the better. Whoever Zoltan was, he couldn't possibly be as bad as that awful jerk.
Or so she hoped.