Versatile Superstar Rise In Hollywood

by Stayrr

"To be a star is to own the world and all the people in it." ... Two years ago, Aiden came to the United States to experience the American Dream. But after sleepless nights of struggle, just when he was on the verge of giving up, a translucent screen flashed in front of him - it was a System! A System that would make him embark on a journey to Hollywood. And today, he takes his fir

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"To be a star is to own the world and all the people in it." ... Two years ago, Aiden came to the United States to experience the American Dream. But after sleepless nights of struggle, just when he was on the verge of giving up, a translucent screen flashed in front of him - it was a System! A System that would make him embark on a journey to Hollywood. And today, he takes his first step by mesmerising the world through his singing! So come and join him, for his journey, has just begun. Singing? I'm the best at it. Acting? I have Oscars lying around in my bathroom; you can practice your acceptance with it. Movie Direction? They call me the king of the box office. Novel Writing? Two words: Best Seller. From creating the highest-selling music album to becoming the world's most famous superhero - Aiden will do everything to write his own legend.

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Versatile Superstar: Rise In Hollywood #1 Chapter 1 - Read Versatile Superstar: Rise In Hollywood 1 Chapter 1 Online - All Page - FREEWN

Aiden got out of the taxi and looked around. His eyes reflected the scene of thousands of people gathered outside the Manhattan arena.

All kinds of people had come here to participate in the auditions for X-Star, a singing program that topped the rating charts all over the American region and was now in its third season.

The first season aired in 2013, and it was now March of 2015, but the ratings were higher than ever before.

Most of the participants were waiting with their family and friends, while some had come alone, like Aiden.

Some had come with the confidence to win the show, while many of them were here for the chance to showcase their raw talent, not confident in their singing abilities yet still hoping to be able to pass the preliminary rounds.

Some people were just there for attention.

They were the ones who had come with the wackiest of outfits to stand out from the rest.

Aiden even saw a woman in her wedding dress while there were even people in cosplay outfits – some dressing up as fantasy elves and troop commanders from sci-fi classics.

'Maybe I should have come dressed as Gandalf? I bet that would have added some magic. Hmm, I wonder how long it will take before my turn comes.'

He thought as he moved through the crowd of people.

The guitar on his back was heavy; thus, it was hard to move through the crowd, but he somehow managed it.

After reaching the hall, he went directly to the counter. There were already many people in line, and he had to wait half an hour before he reached in front of the verification table.

The registration for the X-Star was already complete. The participants just needed to show the registration form they had downloaded from the official website, and then the staff would guide them to their audition.

He quickly showed his registration number, not wanting to waste any more time.

"So you are contestant number 526."

"Yep.".

"Take this ID card and go through that door." The staff lady on the other side of the table spoke, "If you are lucky, your turn will come today. Otherwise, you will have to come again early tomorrow morning."

The girl at the counter had scribbled his registration number on an ID card and handed it to him.

Aiden held the card and took another look at the hall before moving towards the door. After checking his ID card, the security staff let him in.

A small passage went on before Aiden found himself in a huge room.

It was filled with over a hundred people with all the seats already occupied. Some people had even bought their own chairs while many were either standing or sitting on the floor.

These people were also contestants like Aiden, who had come for the audition.

When Aiden entered the room, some people glanced at him but lost interest in him after seeing he was just another participant. Aiden quickly found an empty corner and sat down, placing his guitar next to him.

'I wonder if my turn will come today or not.'

He thought as he leaned against the cold surface of the wall and checked his second-hand watch that he had bought from a friend.

It was only 8:30 in the morning.

Aiden had deliberately come so early because he had heard a lot about how people would wait from the wee hours of the morning, but now he felt like he was already late.

The rumours about people being crazy for the X-Star Auditions were indeed true.

After all, it was their one chance at stardom. If they got selected here, their faces would be on TV, which was itself something to be proud of and excited about.

X-Star has produced a lot of stars in the past two years. The winners of each season had gone on to become national singing sensations, while almost all of the finalists had made major jumps in their careers.

The best part was that most of them had gotten record label deals.

The potential of X-Star was evident to anyone. It was especially attractive to teenagers and young adults. It also was a chance for those musicians and singers trying to make it big for decades but had never gotten a proper stage.

As for Aiden, he was here for two reasons.

First, he was taking his chance at singing. It was his second year of struggling in the United States, and he had yet to do anything significant that he could call a success.

He had come to America to become an actor but had ended up driving a taxi and working as a waiter in one of the bars in Greenwich village instead.

In his two years of living in America, Aiden could hardly get into any auditions.

Although he was also registered with the actor's union, there were hardly any benefits for an aspiring actor without any agent to support him.

This had prompted him to look for other ways to get his face out to the public.

Aside from acting, the one thing he was confident about was his singing. His mom was a music and singing teacher back home in India, and she taught Aiden everything about her forte since his childhood.

Some time ago, when he wondered if he should just go back to India, he saw the advertisement for X-Star and decided to take his chances with this reality TV show.

He had sent one of his singing videos to the production team through the official site and was selected to enter the preliminary rounds.

The second reason he was here was because of a weird phenomenon that had happened to him two months ago.

It was something that made him doubt the laws of the world and wonder whether he had suddenly become a part of a bigger, supernatural universe.

He had gotten a system out of nowhere.

[Aiden Silvereye] [24 years]

[Singing level: Basic Grade 7]

–Has all the basic qualities of a vocalist.

–A uniquely calm and soothing voice with a talent for composing.

–Has the ability to express emotions like the very best.

[Acting level: Basic Grade 9]

–Has a charm that reflects during acting.

–Prefers method acting.

–Is able to understand the character being played.

[Special skill: Empathy]

–The ability to understand, interpret and experience the emotions and feelings of characters, music, and people.

–Gives a special boost to performance that can make people might entrance people.

–Weaves strong emotions into music and acting.

'Still makes me feel like I'm in a dream.'

Aiden opened up the system interface as he waited for his turn.

Some time ago, when he was fixing the bulb in his apartment, he got an electric shock, and when he recovered, the 'system' had suddenly appeared in front of him, surprising him even more.

After a deep visit on the internet, as deep as the second page of google search, and a few days of the system floating in front of his eyes, Aiden had finally decided to accept its existence.

Honestly, he had no other choice.

Either he would have to accept that he has a system or proclaim himself mentally ill.

In the beginning, Aiden had really accepted that he was mentally ill, but after checking out the system's abilities, he had no choice other than to believe in it.

Even after accepting that he had suddenly received an actual video game interface, his worries didn't stop for him.

At first, he thought that maybe a man with a black eye patch would come knocking on his door, trying to get him to join a group of superheroes to fight a purple potato.

The idea of fighting supervillains with acting and singing was a weird but funny one to him.

Other than that, he just kept trying to study his system.

His system was unlike anything he had seen in a web novel or a video game. It wasn't an action-based RPG system with stats, mana and fighting skills.

It was based more on art, and Aiden understood the reason too.

After all, there was no reason to have superhuman abilities in a world where there were no monsters.

One of his motives for coming to X-Star was to see whether he could improve his singing levels. His system could enhance his skills at a rapid rate.

It was similar to getting experience after killing a monster in a video game.

In Aiden's case, he had already improved his singing level from Basic Grade 5 to Grade 7 in a short time.

"We will start calling out the contestants now. You will only have 5 minutes to impress the judges."

One of the staff members arrived and started calling contestants to perform in front of the judges, bringing Aiden out of his trance.

This made the contestants more nervous as anxiety enveloped their hearts. They all waited for their turn as the staff called one number after another.

Some people went in with a confident look on their faces, while some were so nervous that they could hardly walk.

Their faces also carried all sorts of emotions when they returned.

Those who got rejected looked devastated, while some were crying. Some were even angry at their rejection, cursing the judges on their way out.

One guy with a face resembling a necromancer had even tried to punch a staff member due to how angry he was at his rejections.

The cameras recorded all this, and the production team seemed keen not to leave out footage that could make it to the premier.

Aiden just silently waited as people kept getting called.

He had read on the internet that the average time taken to audition five hundred people was around 8 hours, so he had come with a lot of patience.

But it was still hard for him to do nothing but wait while leaning against a wall.

Finally, when he was almost out of patience, one of the staff members called out his name.

"Contestant number 526! I repeat, No. 526! It's your turn!"

"Here!"

He promptly stood up as soon as he heard his name. Then, picking up his guitar, he followed the staff member to the stage.

It was time to see if he had the skills to become something more and if he could take the first step of his journey of becoming a Global Superstar!

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As Aiden stepped onto the stage, countless thoughts flooded through his mind.

Would he be able to pass the preliminary round? Was he just making a mistake? What if he made a fool of himself? What if he got trending on youtube for the wrong reason?

But with a shake of his head, he settled his mind. There was no use thinking about all of that, and before he knew it, he was standing at the centre of the stage.

The judges were in front of him, analysing his face and body language while a camera was zooming in on him.

"So, tell us a little about yourself."

A bald man who looked a little intimidating said. He was one of the three judges, Andrew Maxfield.

Although he is working as a judge now, he used to be a famous singer about two decades ago. However, his career had slowly dwindled (along with his hair), and he turned his persona as more of a coach and was also a few of the renowned reality TV show judges.

"I am Aiden Silvereye. I was born in the states but was brought up in India. I've been living in New York for more than a year now."

He tried to speak calmly, but anyone would notice a trace of nervousness in his voice.

"Oh, is one of your parents from India? And you came here to become a singer?"

A white man with wrinkles on his forehead, sitting next to Andrew, asked. Aiden recalled the information he knew about him as he thought of a proper answer.

Steven McDonald – He was a record producer and one of the creators of X-Star. In fact, one of the prizes for winning the competition was a contract deal with Steven's record label Cyco Media.

Undoubtedly for every contestant, he was the judge to impress.

"Yes, my mother is indian. And I came here looking for opportunities. Though, I'm just driving a taxi and working at a bar which obviously wasn't what I was looking forward to."

His words made the third judge, Alyssa Williams, chuckle.

She was a model and a songwriter who had worked with major record labels and singers, including boy bands and pop stars.

"New York is treating you pretty rough, I see."

"It certainly isn't cheap."

Steven smiled hearing that response..

Aiden has a soft but charming voice that makes people pay attention to him. Moreover, his looks were certainly different from the usual contestants, but he was still handsome.

At the same time, his story of coming from a different country was marketable.

However, this only stood if he had more than just looks. If he didn't have the necessary skills, he was pretty much useless.

"Okay, let's start then."

Every contestant had three minutes to sing a song. Most of them would sing a famous song or something that they could sing well.

Some people would even sing a song of one of the judges.

If they could get the judges interested in them, they could easily pass this round.

"What song are you going to sing?"

"It will be my original."

Andrew smiled, hearing that the song was an original.

Throughout his career, he had composed some of his famous songs and was always interested in hearing raw originals from contestants.

Though, only some of these songs are any good. Most would just sound weird, or the lyrics wouldn't make sense.

"What is the name of your song?" Alyssa asked with a tilt of her head.

"I can't seem to forget."

"That's a nice name."

As she nodded, Aiden put his guitar in his hands and strummed it lightly. A soft melody instantly attracted everyone's attention.

He took a deep breath and prepared himself. As he thought about the song in his mind, he was nervous. It was inevitable, but he didn't have time to process the nervousness.

Before he knew it, the thousand people in the audience had their attention on him, waiting intently to see how his voice would be.

Steven had closed his eyes upon hearing that melody. It was calm, slow and easy on the ears.

Aiden suddenly felt that that instant seemed like a great way to start a song.

"Let's stop what we are doing and breathe."

"We need room to just live."

"All we were was just a big disguise."

"Filled with all sorts of compromise."

As the first verse entered the judge's ears, they couldn't help but think that Aiden's voice was really sweet.

His diction was clear, and he sang the lyrics in a way that left a sweet aftertaste.

Alyssa was already able to picture a couple with the guy writing this song for his girlfriend. Maybe a failed relationship?

"All the troubles that I put to bed."

"Rising up inside my head."

"You are not the one I was looking for, not the one who fits the shoes."

"Maybe, it was different a while ago or I was just scared to lose."

The pace picked up as the song went on. He started strumming on his guitar faster as he slowly raised the song's pitch.

It was still low to medium pitch, so it was easy for him to sing it, significantly lowering the chance of any mistake.

"I can't seem to forget the… morning coffee with you."

"I can't seem to forget the evening sunshine passing through…"

He made his voice linger through the words in the chorus to make a lasting impression.

The guitar in his hands kept releasing the required melody, and with his words, Aiden was telling of the regrets of a failed relationship.

"When I see you now, I see the same shades I left in you."

"But I stop myself cause you are now with someone new."

He tried his best to bestow emotions on his words. Without them, the song was meaningless, and the regrets seemed empty.

It was here his special ability, 'Empathy' came into play.

Although no one but him could see it, a white light was coming out of his body, enveloping the area in front of him.

This white light was his ability to weave his emotions into the surroundings and attract people to his voice.

The judges were the most affected when they felt the emotions of regret from his song. They couldn't help but think about the various regretful things they did in their relationships.

"I can't seem to forget the… morning coffee with you."

"I can't seem to forget the evening sunshine passing through…"

"I can't seem to forget the songs I wrote for you…"

As the song neared the end, he slowed the tempo down. In this part, he needed to lower the pitch slowly while keeping up with the rhythm.

It was not an easy thing to do, but Aiden had practised it many times.

One of the reasons why he was able to sing despite being nervous was because he had practised it so many times that his body and mind had gotten used to playing the song.

[Song name: I can't seem to forget

Composer: Aiden [Original]

Proficiency: 92%

-As a bonus for being the composer of the song, it is easier to increase proficiency.]

The System displayed information about the song in front of him on a transparent screen.

Even though it was his own song, his proficiency in it wasn't at 100%.

But it was good enough for the judges to appreciate his talent. When he sang the last line, he saw the judges smiling.

It looked like they were pretty content with the performance.

"I was quite surprised if I'm being honest." Alyssa began first. "We have heard some originals today, and they weren't that good. Most of them lacked the rhythm, and the lyrics were just jumbled together, turned meaningless in an attempt to rhyme."

Aiden wasn't the only contestant who had thought of using an original to impress the judges. There were many others, too, and it was always one of the riskiest methods.

"But your song was different. It has a cliche but a relatable story that you were trying to portray, and those emotions really stuck with me. I loved your singing as well. So it's a Yes from me!"

Aiden smiled, getting a 'Yes' from her. He only needed two judges to give him a 'Yes' out of three to pass the round.

Next was Andrew.

"There's not much to say. You have a very charming voice, and there's obviously something special in you. At least that's what I felt during your performance. As for your original, I feel like it would work better if you changed the composition a little. You can do a lot with it to make it better."

"I understand."

"You are a talented musician and exactly the reason why this show exists. So it's a 'Yes' from me too!"

With that, Aiden passed the preliminary round. He felt excited thinking about it, but Steven had still not spoken yet.

He shifted his eyes towards the latter as he gave back a cheeky smile.

"You know, sometimes there are singers that come that make me want to cheer for them. You are the first one of this kind this year. It's a 'Yes' from me too!"

Aiden pumped his fist in the air after hearing that. It was a perfect start for him.

"Just keep improving, and I'm sure you will go a long way."

"Thank you!"

After saying that, Aiden bowed a little and left the stage. As he exited the stage, the judges began to discuss among themselves in a lowered tone.

"Do you really think he will go a long way?"

Alyssa asked Steven, knowing that he was rarely interested in contestants.

"Maybe. Though, he needs to improve a lot. Thanks to his original song and his familiarity with it and his ability to showcase it, this round was easy for him, but if he doesn't improve himself, he will fall behind quickly."

"Well, the competition this year is very intense."

Andrew said, humming Aiden's song. It was truly a catchy melody.

"Let's hope he goes a long way. He had the potential to be our find from this season."

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As Aiden walked off the stage, various thoughts and emotions reverberated through his body. After a long time, there was a sense of satisfaction, and he felt like he had finally achieved something.

When he returned to the waiting room, literally every eye in the room turned toward him. They had all seen his performance on the TV screen.

Envy, genuine happiness, and even jealousy mixed with many other emotions directed toward him, but Aiden just smiled.

After two years of struggle in America, countless failed auditions, and many sleepless anxious nights, he had finally done something he could be proud of.

His shoulders relaxed subconsciously.

Two months ago, he wouldn't have thought about entering the X-Star auditions, but after getting his system and improving his skills, he was at least able to pass the first round with ease.

[You have received a lot of experience after singing in front of accomplished individuals and impressing them.]

[Your Singing level has increased from Basic Grade 7 to Basic Grade 8.]

He saw the system notifications in front of him and smiled.

It took him two months to gain two levels, but today, he successfully levelled up after just one performance.

Aiden felt like he would be able to increase his levels exponentially by performing more on this show.

As he pondered about it, a short and chubby man with a cameraman following him walked towards him.

He was Marlo Aniston, the host of X-Star and someone who Aiden had seen on various reality tv shows.

He remembered reading on a forum that Marlo was one of the highest-earning hosts in the reality tv industry. Every producer wanted him on their show due to his ability to connect with the audience.

He has been with X-Star since the first season's airing and was one of the factors behind the show's success..

"Hello, that was a great performance. Can I get an interview?"

"Ah, yeah, sure."

"Follow me."

He followed Marlo to a room where two chairs were placed. Marlo sat on one of them, and Aiden sat down across from him.

The cameraman stood at a distance, silently recording everything.

"So, Aiden. Um, Am I pronouncing it right?"

As Aiden nodded, Marlo continued, "You are one of the few contestants that made it to the next round today. How are you feeling?"

He started with a simple question, something that he would ask every contestant just to make them more comfortable.

"I'm feeling good. Probably the best I have felt in a while."

"Were you always confident that you would pass this round?"

"I feel we should be decisive and play the game. There may have been a bit of nervousness, but there's no doubt that confidence made the difference, and I was able to perform well enough."

Marlo smiled inwardly upon hearing this. Aiden was one of the confident contestants with many points they could focus on.

These points would decide how the viewers would see him and how popular he would be.

One of the points was his confidence and skills. The second was his story of coming from India, and the third was his struggle after coming to America.

The audience loves a rag to riches story.

But in the end, Marlo and the producers were the ones to decide how Aiden would be shown and which point they were going to focus on.

As the interview went on, he asked Aiden many challenging questions. He was trying to get a story they could use in the broadcast.

"What was the reason for you coming here from India?"

Aiden thought about the question for a bit before replying.

"It was for an opportunity. I wanted to prove to myself and my family. My uncle is settled here, and he was okay with me moving over, so I came here."

"Weren't there opportunities in India?"

"There were many opportunities. But you can say I just wanted to make a mark in the US. In fact, I was inspired to come here when I heard the President once say, 'In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.' I don't know why, but this quote always stuck with me and increased my curiosity, which has brought me here, thousands of miles away from my home."

His answer caused Marlo to smile. Then, running a hand through his brown hair, he said.

"I hope X-Star becomes the opportunity you are looking for, and you win the competition."

"I feel like you say that to everyone."

Marlo chuckled, "Trust me, the first part was genuine."

The interview carried on with Aiden answering many questions, and in his mind, Marlo couldn't help but think that his answers were very well thought out.

It was because Aiden was carefully considering before answering any question, knowing very well that even one mistake could be fatal.

Since he didn't know what would be on the broadcast, he needed to be careful.

"You said you drive a cab for a living. Tell me a bit about that."

"Uh, I don't want to talk about it."

Aiden said, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the question. However, he could see what Marlo was trying to do.

"A good story sells. In a reality show, you need one, and it's not like you need to lie. A story can often take you to the finals and could become a reason for the public to favour you."

Marlo said, trying to make a case. Just last season, one of the finalists was a fairly average singer, but he had reached the finals just because of his story of coming from poverty.

After losing his parents, he was the only one able to support his siblings, and because of that, the public automatically wanted him to do well.

Here, Marlo would definitely try to project Aiden's story as a taxi driver coming to X-Star with aspirations to become a singer.

He would even show him that Aiden barely survived while fighting poverty. This will give the show some ratings and Aiden some sympathy.

"I know a good story sells, but I don't want to win due to just a story and not skills."

Aiden replied. He didn't like the contestants who did well due to a background that influenced the viewers.

It was a singing competition, and he wanted to win by skill.

"Your story is also a part of your skills."

"I still don't like it."

Marlo shook his head hearing that. Though his expression was still the same, his words sounded slightly different.

"I understand where you are coming from, but it can't happen. No matter what, we can't just not show a story that could sell because you don't want to. Even if I let it be for now, the producers would want it if you keep passing rounds."

Aiden just looked at him without saying anything. He knew that Marlo was telling the truth. And, as a contestant, the power he had was almost negligible.

After thinking for a bit, he opened his mouth again.

"Then, I will just leave this to you."

"What?"

"I can't stop you from showing my story, so I will just trust you to show it the right way. I don't have the power, but you do."

Marlo just stared at him, wondering if his words were a joke, but Aiden's face was serious. In the end, he laughed.

"What if I showed it in a way you don't like?"

"I can do nothing then. That's why I can only request that you show it in the right way."

Marlo didn't reply to that and instead continued the interview. It was like the conversation had never happened.

This time, Aiden replied to all his questions and talked about the time when he had come to America, his struggles while starting as a taxi driver and his job as a waiter in a bar at night.

After they concluded the interview, Marlo shook hands with him.

"Okay, this will be enough footage. Thank you for your time. If you pass the next two rounds, I will interview you again."

"I hope you will ask me easier questions then."

"I can't promise anything." Marlo chuckled.

Aiden left the room after that and made his way outside, ready to celebrate his victory.

After he left, the cameraman closed the camera and then, glancing at Marlo, he asked.

"What will you do about what he said?"

"Huh?" Marlo looked back at him.

"About showing his story the right way. He seems like the exact opposite type of person we get most times."

Most contestants would try to make up struggle stories, knowing very well that the more impactful their story is, the bigger their chances of being shown in the broadcast.

Compared to that, Aiden was certainly different.

"I will do nothing. We will be done with the third round before the broadcast premiers. I don't think he will even go beyond that."

Marlo certainly liked Aiden, but there were a lot of contestants he found out of the ordinary. In that way, Aiden was nothing exceptional.

"What if he does make it to Star Week?"

Star week was the special round that came after the third round. Only 16 people will be left by then.

"I will decide what to do if he does."

Saying that, Marlo left the room, and the cameraman followed. There were still a lot of contestants to interview and a lot of stories to unearth.

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Aiden's celebration didn't last for long. After he passed the first round – the preliminaries- he was excited, but it soon died down after realising that this was just the first step of a long journey.

If he indulged too much in celebration, he might lose the next round, then the disappointment would be on another level.

So, after just one day of celebration, he started practising hard.

In the morning, he would drive the taxi around and practice in between rides, and during the night, he would go to the bar where he worked and even sing a few songs for the customers.

The bar owner was sharp enough to notice Aiden's skills and gave him a slot to sing in the bar at night, which became a good rehearsal session for him.

He practised a lot of popular songs and even unknown songs that he could sing well.

The participants could be asked to sing any song in the competition, so they needed to master many different singing styles.

Like this, he spent two weeks and on the 4th of April, he left his rented apartment and headed towards the theatre where the second round of the reality show was going to happen.

The first three rounds were scheduled in New York, and after that, the show would shift to Hollywood, Los Angeles.

When Aiden entered the set where the next round would happen, the staff directed him toward a room. As he reached there, he couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the number of people in the room.

The room was full of people, with most of them sitting somewhere on the ground while a few were standing. Rather than a room, it was more of a big hall.

'There should be around a hundred people here.' So he thought, but just as he noticed the crowd at the other end of the room, Aiden couldn't help but reevaluate himself, "Um, I guess it's way more than that.'

Exactly 200 people were going to be selected after the preliminary round. And it seemed like there were really that many people.

At first, he wasn't sure because not every contestant made it to the broadcast. The show would even reject some at first but then would decide to call them back.

'Out of all these, only 16 will remain after the third round.'

He pursed his lips as he moved to take a seat in a corner. The Cameramen were shooting everything around them from a distance, and some staff members were responding to the contestants' queries..

From hearing their conversation, Aiden deduced that the judges would soon arrive and brief them about the rules of the second round.

Until then, everyone needed to wait.

If it was going to be like last year, Aiden already had a basic idea.

"Hi?" Just as Aiden was lost in his thoughts about the expected challenges for the Second Round, someone gently nudged the side of his arm, and a voice entered Aiden's ear, attracting his attention. It was from a girl similar to his age.

The girl, an Asian, to be more specific, continued, "Hello, I am Emily Jung."

She had dark black hair with light facial make-up. And with the perfect American accent, he knew she wasn't new to this country.

Before Aiden could react, a guy sitting opposite them spoke. He was a white guy with dyed red hair, creating a stern expression on his face, especially with his sharp eyes.

"I'm Jackson Brown from New Jersey. Nice to meet you all."

As he introduced himself, his eyes fell on Aiden, and the latter had no choice but to introduce himself.

"I'm Aiden Silvereye."

"Ah, I knew you were familiar."

As he introduced himself, a girl sitting beside the white guy muttered. She was a blonde-haired girl with an appearance that one could only describe as model-like.

With a gentle appearance and a sharp chin, she seemed like the type who would get more votes due to her appearance rather than singing.

"Hi! I'm Rachel Rose from New York. I was there when you gave your audition."

"Oh."

Aiden simply nodded at that and wondered how he hadn't remembered seeing her on the day of his audition. It must be because he was mostly worried about his audition and wasn't bothered to look at the other contestants.

"What do you all think we need to do to pass the second round?"

Emily started a conversation, and Jackson quickly chipped in with his guess. Both seemed like the friendly types, and even Rachel would speak from time to time.

Only Aiden stayed silent.

'How are they even in the mood to talk? Am I the only one so nervous?'

He sighed and silently opened his system.

One of the features of his system was to see the skill level of other people. Of course, he can't see the skill level of people with whom he had a lot of skill disparity, but aside from that, he could check the status of other contestants.

[Emily Jung] [21 years]

[Singing level: Basic Grade 10]

-There's a chance of manifesting a special skill.

As Aiden looked at Emily, her information came into view. He couldn't see anything other than her singing level, but that was more than enough.

'She's way better than me and could get a special skill.'

The line which said that there was a chance of her manifesting a special skill was something that made him wonder how formidable she would be after getting a special skill.

Next was Jackson.

[Jackson] [18 years]

[Singing level: Basic Grade 6]

'He' will have to improve a lot too.'

That was the evaluation of Aiden after seeing his information. Jackson probably had barely passed the first round, and he doubted whether the latter would pass the next one.

The only saving grace was his age which was still pretty young, so there was room for improvement.

'I wonder what would be the evaluation of Rachel.'

She noticed his gaze as he turned to look at her and glared slightly at him. She didn't seem to like him a lot, but Aiden didn't care about that.

Silently, he looked at her skill level and couldn't help but be shocked.

'Damn'

[Rachel Rose] [23 years]

[Singing level: Intermediate Grade 2]

[Special skill: High notes]

Seeing her skill interface, he couldn't help but rub his eyes to make sure that he was not seeing anything wrong.

The information was just too unbelievable for him to process.

Working in the bar, he had seen some professional singers from time to time. He even met a guy whose one music video had crossed 100 million views. However, his singing level was only two levels more than Rachel's.

By this logic, Rachel would probably be at his level by the end of the competition.

'No, with those skills, she can win the show.'

Aiden thought and couldn't help but feel like his biggest competitor would be her.

'How am I even going to defeat her…?'

At that moment, the door of the hall was pushed open.

The three judges walked in, with Marlo walking two steps behind them. The camerapersons focused on them as the contestants stood up and made a circle around them.

"Congratulations! You are here from a group of thousands, and you should be proud that you were able to reach this round. But that was just the beginning, and only 40 of you would be left standing after this round."

Andrew began, and not one contestant spoke. Aiden sensed nervousness from the expression of the participants around him.

Like him, many people were feeling nervous about the prospects of passing this round.

"Only one in 200 would get the grand prize of 1 million dollars and a chance to sign a record label deal."

Steven said, and the sound of clapping resounded out. A million dollars was a lot of money, no matter which part of the world you're from.

In the first season, the prize money was only 300k dollars, but as the show got more popular, the prize money had increased drastically.

"But it won't be the end of the journey for any of you. Singing isn't a race to see who's the fastest; it's a marathon, and only those who can preserve till the end etch their name among the greatest of all time. I am sure you all must be wondering about what the challenge of the second round will be."

Alyssa finished her words and looked around. No one had any clue about the second round.

If they went as per the last season, the second round could be a face-off between two contestants. As Aiden wondered what the second round would be about, Marlo took a step forward and gestured to a big screen.

"The second round will be a…"

His words trailed off, and the screen turned on on its own. Then, slowly, the scene of firecrackers bursting into the sky appeared on the screen, and big, bold words appeared in the middle.

'A team mission.'

Aiden read the words and sighed inwardly. Around him, contestants began whispering their thoughts aloud.

"A team mission? Are they going to group us together?"

"I don't even know anyone here!"

"Are they going to put us in a group randomly?"

"What if I get grouped with someone who isn't good?"

Questions like those floated around the room, and Aiden silently waited for the judges to give clear instructions.

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Amidst the murmurs and discussion of the contestants, Steven clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. The whole room silenced as everyone's eyes fell onto him.

His tone was a little harsh, making people pay attention to his every word.

"The team mission will have some rules. Let me explain them. First of all, a team can only consist of 5 people, and there will be 40 teams in total."

Only 40 people were going to pass the second round. So, one from each group? This was the thought in everyone's mind. But Aiden didn't share the same sentiments.

'If the whole team did badly, they will definitely disqualify all of them.'

Even last year, sometimes, the judges would disqualify both contestants if they didn't like their singing during the face-off round. Vice versa, there were times they qualified both the contestants.

It was unfair, but only the best would go ahead.

In the end, it was all about singing well.

"You all can choose your teammates yourself. We won't interfere in that, so it will be your decision in the end. After that, we will give you a song that you have to perform with your teammates. Then, after a week, the performance will be held; this will give you ample time to get familiar with each other."

Steven explained everything, and Aiden could not help but feel like this was literally a death round. No one knew anyone here, and it didn't matter if the judges were selecting a team or not.

It was almost impossible to sing in harmony with someone you had just met. And if someone in the team weren't good, the whole performance would naturally take a hit.

Here, even one lousy cook can spoil the broth.

From the corner of his eye, he could see a nervous Rachel glancing around. It looked like she also had the same worry as him.

"Now, you all have an hour to form teams. After you have done that, the staff members will register your group, and we will give you the song you will have to perform. After that, you will have a week to prepare for the performance and bond with your teammates. I hope you all will give your best!".

Marlo finished Steven's words, and then he and the judges dispersed, leaving the nervous and frightened contestants with the cameramen who were focusing on their expressions, recording everything they could to generate a good clip.

'I don't know if it's better or worse than last year's face-off round.'

Aiden quietly thought in his mind.

If it was the same, then there was a chance he would need to face off against someone like Rachel, which would be the end of him.

But even with a team mission like this, he needed to be careful about who he added to his group.

'Thankfully, I have the system.'

Aiden grinned. With his system, he could look at other people's skills and decide which would be a better person to team up with.

As he was about to check other people's skills, he felt someone gently nudge his shirt.

Turning around, he saw Rachel standing there.

"Let's team up."

"Huh? Aren't you going to team up with Jackson and Emily?"

At his question, she shook her head and pointed at a corner where Emily and Jackson were standing. Three more people were standing with them, and it seemed like Jackson knew them.

"They are Jackson's bandmates. It seemed like they all passed the first round as a band and would be grouping together. Emily also joined them, so the spots are already filled."

Aiden nodded his head while checking the skill level of Jackson's bandmates.

'All three of them are Basic Grade 6… It seems like Emily would surely stand out in that group.'

He thought inwardly and lowered his head to look at Rachel. She was around 170 cm and wasn't wearing any heels, so he had to lower his gaze at her.

"Why me? There are a lot of people here?" He asked, curious as to why she had approached him.

"You have good skills, so even if you couldn't perform exceptionally, I know you won't drag me down."

Aiden gave out a wry smile hearing that. He didn't know whether it was a compliment or something else.

Anyway, Rachel was a strong teammate, and he didn't know anyone here. Not agreeing to be her request would be a much riskier decision.

Now, the issue was with finding three more people.

"If you want, I can collect all the team members."

"Okay."

Aiden suggested, and Rachel just nodded her head. She didn't have a problem with it.

'Now, let's see.'

He turned around, opening up his system and looking around to check the people's skill levels around him. To his surprise, there were many people whose level was Basic Grade 6 and 7.

But some were way better than that. The people who would surely make it to the next round if everything goes normal. But most of them have already chosen a group.

'It's best not to get someone who has a high level.'

With an Intermediate Grade skill, Rachel was already in his group, so if he got more people with the same skill set, he himself wouldn't be able to stand out.

It was not like he wasn't confident in his skills. He was just being smart here.

Aiden certainly didn't want a scenario where everyone other than him qualifies for the second round. As he was wondering who he should approach, his eyes met with a black guy.

'Sam Denver. Basic Grade 7.'

Deciding that he was perfect to be a team member, Aiden walked toward him.

"Hey, want to join my group?"

"Ah, okay. I don't have a problem with it, but my friend will join too."

Sam pointed at a brown-haired white guy who was standing close by. Aiden checked his skill level and realised that he was at the same level as Sam.

"Yeah, I'm fine with it. I already have one person in the group, so we just need one more to complete it."

He said and then started looking for one more person to complete the group. At this point, most people had already joined a group and were registering with the staff.

'I need to hurry.'

When he asked around people to join his group, most of them rejected him, saying that they were already in one. As time passed by, he was becoming more and more anxious. Time was ticking away, and he needed to find one more person.

It didn't matter what the skill level was as long as the person wouldn't drag the group down.

As he was becoming restless, he suddenly noticed a girl moving from one person to another, asking them to let her join their group.

She had brown hair and looked like the typical girl next door.

"Do you have a place for me in the group?"

"Sorry, we already have a complete team."

"Are you looking for a member?"

"No, we aren't."

"Excuse me, do you have a spot left?"

"Sorry, we already registered as a group."

Aiden looked at her for a while. After every refusal, she would pitifully lower her head. By her sad pair of eyes and shy mannerism, he could guess that she was an introverted girl.

'Let's see how good she is.'

He opened up the system and checked her skill level. Basic Grade 8 – she was on the same level as him, but that was not what surprised him. Below her skill level, there was a special skill.

[Michelle Jansen] [18]

[Singing level: Basic Grade 8]

[Special skill: Harmony]

She had a special skill called Harmony. Unfortunately, there was no information about the skill's description or purpose, but Aiden had some idea.

He quickly walked toward her and asked.

"Hi, would you like to join my group?"

"Yes!"

She immediately replied in an excited voice, and like that, he had finally completed his group.

After he completed the group, there was not much time for everyone to introduce each other. Instead, they quickly got in line to register themselves as a team.

It took a while due to the number of people, but they were able to register successfully.

Just as every group was registered, the staff showed the contestants the way to the hotel where everyone would be living together. The show did it because many people were from outside New York.

And even if someone was from New York, it was better for them to stay at the hotel because the production team would be able to capture the footage this way.

After all, it was a reality show, and everyone wanted to be a part of the broadcast.

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After the staff assigned their rooms and their respective songs to them, Aiden and his teammates decided to get together to discuss and create a roadmap for themselves in the morning.

They were going to meet at the restaurant in front of the hotel they were staying at.

The set, restaurant and hotel were close to each other to make it easy for the staff and contestants.

'Ah, I'm still sleepy.'

Due to sleeping in a bed he wasn't used to, Aiden felt a little groggy. The person he was sharing his room with didn't help either with his loud snores that continued all night.

It was to the point that Rachel, who was sitting in front of him, couldn't help but comment.

"You have dark circles under your eyes."

"Yeah, I was tossing and turning in my bed till midnight, and it was hard to sleep when I have a giant roommate who loves to snore and is a heavy sleeper."

"You had a hard night."

Rachel had an expression that said she couldn't care less despite her words. He had already seen enough of her to realise that she was a typical ice queen who won't bother about someone other than herself.

"Let's start the meeting with an introduction. Let me go first."

Sam, who was sitting beside Aiden, said, and everyone nodded. As he was 27 and the oldest in the group, he naturally thought of himself as the leader and took the lead.

Aiden didn't mind it because the group would naturally disband after a week..

"I am Sam Denver, and I'm 27 years old. I work in a bakery, and this is my first time entering a reality TV show, so I'm excited to go till the end. Oh, and I used to play drums in a band."

The brown-haired guy who was Sam's friend went next.

"Eric Myers, I'm from Brooklyn and work as a clerk. Uh, I'm 26, and I can play the guitar."

"Michelle Jansen. I'm 18 and just out of high school. Nice to meet you all."

Michelle, who went next, said. Aiden felt like she was not very comfortable with strangers, but she was still trying her best.

"Rachel Rose."

Rachel didn't say anything other than her name. And after that, Aiden introduced himself.

"Aiden Silvereye. I work in a cafe and drive a taxi. Nice to meet you all."

After the introductions, the next hour went by like a breeze as they discussed the song and how they would sing it as a group. It was hard to sing any song as a group because good communication and harmony were required.

Moreover, the song they received was a pop song from 2003. The song's name was 'Close', and it was written and sung by a male artist named Cyro.

When Aiden had first heard its name, he was confused as he had never heard of it. Moreover, the song wasn't famous, nor did it have a music video.

It was one of the songs that artists would put in an album just to increase its length. But now, they had to sing it.

"The song is 3 minutes and 30 seconds long. So if we divide it according to time, then each of us should get 42 seconds."

Sam suggested, holding a piece of paper containing the music score and lyrics. But Rachel didn't like the idea.

"We can't do that. Some parts of the song are better than the rest, so it would be unfair if someone gets to sing the better part and someone gets the worse part. So instead, I should sing the beginning verse, and you all can divide the middle and end verses, with all of us singing the chorus together."

"But the beginning is the best part of the song, so judges will like you better if you sing it. I think the beginning suits my voice better."

Sam argued, and it seemed like Rachel wasn't going to back down either. They both wanted to hog the best parts for themselves, and it was clear in their tone.

'They will ruin the whole performance due to their selfish motives.'

Aiden thought. Like this, even if one person sang better than the rest due to getting the best part of the song, the judges won't be too happy as the overall song won't sound nice.

"Let's stop arguing and think logically for some time."

He said, quickly butting in as an argument was going to brew. Both Sam and Rachel looked at him with sharp eyes while Eric and Michelle, who were silent till now, also looked over.

"We can't give the best part to someone as it would be too unfair to others. Moreover, the song needs to be sung well overall. Otherwise, there's a chance that the Judges would eliminate all of us. You all watched the show last year, right?"

They all nodded their heads with realisation. And it seemed like they were finally focusing more on his words.

"So, what do you suggest?"

Rachel asked. While picking up the paper containing the lyrics of the song, he trailed his finger on the chorus.

"First of all, we need to fix the problems in this song. Last night, I listened to Close on loop, and it isn't a bad song. Actually, it has a lot of strong points, and the only reason it didn't do well is that it didn't have a catchy chorus. The music is nice, but the lyrics don't go well with it."

Any song that would become famous has one thing in common – a catchy, irresistible chorus. The genre of the song or the way the song has been sung doesn't matter unless the chorus is catchy.

"You want to change the chorus? Isn't it too risky?"

Sam asked, not sure of this idea.

"It's better to take a risk here. Even if it isn't that good, it just needs to be nice on the ears and catchy. The judges will be impressed because it would seem like we have actually thought a lot."

"That's true."

Eric nodded, and even Michelle seemed impressed by the idea.

"You sang an original song in the first round, right? So, you can rewrite the lyrics." Rachel said, and he nodded. With that, the problem with the chorus had some solution.

"But the problem with dividing the song properly is still there."

Eric pointed out, and the next words from Rachel surprised Aiden greatly.

"Let Aiden handle it. I think he understands the song better than us."

"Uh, are you fine with it?"

"Yeah, I don't think anyone would have any problems either."

She glanced at the faces of the other three, and they all seemed to be fine with it. Even Sam, who looked a little conflicted, nodded his head in the end.

'Now, to properly divide the song. How to get the best out of this odd group of people?'

Three guys and two girls. More like five different types of voices.

Thankfully, he had the advantage of the system and already knew the strong points of his teammates.

The all-around natural talent of Rachel, the soft tone and the special skill of Michelle and then for support, Eric and Sam were perfect with their voice, in the end, leaving a lasting impression.

The melody of Close danced in his mind as he tried to put together the perfect scenario with these voices. It was a song where everyone would do their part, and no one was left behind.

In a group of five, it was necessary to have some individualistic quality and the overall harmony of a group.

After a while of thinking, Aiden knew how to do it and quickly opened his mouth.

"First of all, I think it's better to start with Michelle and Sam. The starting doesn't need high notes, and a soft voice would be enough. Going forward, Eric can sing the pre-chorus with all of us singing the chorus together."

Rachel frowned, hearing his words. She looked at him with sharp eyes.

"What about me?"

"You will sing the verse after the chorus. I saw the arrangement, and it seemed like you could go high in that verse. The original singer probably couldn't do that properly, but I think high notes would suit you."

"High notes?"

"Yeah, we can elevate the song to the peak before bringing it down at the end. I will handle the end as that's my forte. Oh yes, in the chorus, I think it's better if Michelle starts, and we all can add after that."

"Me?"

Michelle asked, unsure of herself.

"Yeah, your voice seems to have an innate harmony. Though, it would be more apparent after we practise together. So, does everyone agree with it?"

Aiden asked, glancing around to see if anyone had any objections. Sam was the first one to nod in approval, and Eric followed along.

"I'm fine with it."

Michelle said, and then Aiden turned towards Rachel, who seemed to be thinking of something.

"I don't really have any objections. My only condition is that if it doesn't sound nice after we have practised it together, we will change it."

"Yeah, okay."

With that, the discussion was over, and they quickly moved to the practice room to practice the song. But unfortunately, they only had a week to prepare for their performance, so time was tight.

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"Hello, can you do a 10-minute interview with me?"

Marlo, the host of X-Star, asked Aiden after pulling him into a corner for an interview just half an hour before his second-round auditions.

"That's fine with me, but isn't it better to interview the whole group rather than only me?"

Marlo had just dragged him when he was sitting with the rest of his teammates. He still remembered the jealous eyes of Sam on his back.

"Interviewing the whole group would take more time. Moreover, as you know, not every member will go to the next round. So, I'm just interviewing the more interesting candidates."

"And you think I'm one of them?"

"Yeah."

Marlo said with a thin smile, and Aiden didn't ask any more questions and just gave the nod to start the interview. The experienced host didn't waste any time, and as the camera focused on both of them in one frame, the interview began.

"So, how are you feeling? A bit nervous?"

"Yeah, a bit. But I'm confident too as the group has practised a lot in the last week, and we are confident in performing well."

"Do you think it would be enough to impress the judges?"

"Yes, I think so."

Aiden said, trying not to show any emotions. In the past week, they have practised day and night. Rachel was really serious about it, and in her words, she didn't want anyone to drag her performance down.

So, she was rather hard in practice. At first, they were often missing the tempo or just forgetting their lines or ruining a note.

But slowly, they had learned to work together, and although it wasn't the best they could do, they still reached a great level in just a week.

"From what I heard, you tweaked the song a bit? Can you tell me about it?".

Aiden didn't know how Marlo got to know this, but he still answered.

"I changed some lyrics because I felt like it suited the song and the group more. It's just a way to make the song feel more like ours."

"Do you think the change will make the song better or worse?"

Marlo asked, and Aiden lightly shook his head.

"That's for the judges to decide. For now, I can just try to give my best."

Marlo liked that answer and moved on to some more questions. As they had less time, the questions and answers were kept short and simple, perfect for editing into a 30-second clip before the performance during the broadcast.

He asked one final question and the hardest one in the end.

"There's a high chance only one person in your group will qualify for the next round. Who do you think it will be?" As Aiden was going to take his name, Marlo added. "You can't choose yourself."

Aiden didn't answer right away. It was a hard question, and if he could, he didn't want to answer it. But, if he was being honest, there was only one person who would logically pass to the next round.

'Rachel'

She had the best skills in the group, and he knew it better than anyone else. He had heard her singing from a close level, and he could guarantee that she would reach the finals.

It was to the point that he felt a bit inferior to her.

"You are thinking too hard about it. Just take a name."

Marlo urged him, and finally, with a frown, Aiden opened his mouth.

"Hello, how are you all? I still remember some of your performances very well."

Andrew welcomed them as the group entered the stage. As decided beforehand, Sam answered him on behalf of the group.

"We are all good."

"How's being in a group for you all? Any fights or arguments?"

Alyssa asked because a lot of other groups had fights and arguments. One even got physical, and they needed to change the group members.

"No, thankfully, we didn't have any fights. And since we didn't have a lot of time before the performance, our sole focus was on practice."

"Okay, let's hear you."

Alyssa nodded and signalled the performance to start. Aiden took a deep breath and tried to focus. The others were looking nervous, too, especially Michelle, who he feared would mess up just because of nervousness.

"Just remember what we did during practice," Aiden said and patted Michelle's shoulder.

"T-thank you."

After that, they took their positions, and soft music started to play out from the speakers. The sound of bass increasing in tempo slowly made Sam and Michelle shake their legs lightly as they prepared themselves.

The first verse came 15 seconds into the song.

"I had a pretty bad week, work was taking over."

"Felt like my body was breaking over."

"Tried to keep out the things that make me stressed, but I was already depressed."

"I know I should not have given a damn but I was already messed."

Their voices mixed pretty well as they tried to keep up with the song's tempo. The first verse was simple and had low notes, with an incredible catchy tone.

The soft and shy voice of Michelle and the rather husky voice of Sam mixed surprisingly well together. After that, other instruments came into the song as Eric sang the pre-chorus.

When Aiden had listened to him, he had felt like his voice was rather ordinary, something you could find anywhere. But he liked music, and his special quality was that he could lose himself completely in it.

"It was then that I saw you in the bar."

"Thought you were with the guy with a fancy car."

"But I was already imagining your name written with mine in the stars."

"Oh, I had nothing to lose, so I went to the floor and just pulled you up."

It was then the pace of the song completely changed as the chorus started. The catchy music immediately became louder but still kept a softer touch.

Waiting for the right moment, all five of them came together and started singing with Michelle's voice in the middle, and it was also what stood out in harmony.

"We just danced all night, low and up."

"And I just asked, why can't you and me be close?"

"Letting nature run its course."

"When I'm with you, I just feel the time froze."

"Oh, we will surely go up and down in our time, that's how it flows."

"But for now, why can't you and me just be close?"

As he sang the song, Aiden felt an electrified feeling running down his body, and all the nervousness died down. It was the feeling of the music.

He could see a white light flowing out from Michelle and enveloping the other four around her. And then, the light travelled to every part of the room – to the judges, the audience and even Marlo, who was listening from backstage.

They were feeling and listening to a unique sound resulting from harmony.

Rachel took over after the chorus ended, and the note went way higher than Aiden had ever imagined. She was really good at maintaining notes and making them go high.

Even if the notes were going higher, there was no scratchy feeling and only an elegant voice. And, along with that, there was the catchiness in it.

"When I look into your eyes, my troubles die down."

"With you around, everything was fine."

"So, can we just dance all nightttt…"

The last part was stretched high as Rachel tried to show off her skills. It was so spectacular that even the judges looked at her like she was a monster. Steven was even smiling a bit which was a rare thing in itself.

The remnant of the white light left by Michelle never died down due to Rachel, who added another layer to it.

'It's my turn now.'

Aiden thought as Rachel's part came to an end. He automatically took a step forward and tried to slowly bring down the song while leaving a lasting impression through the emotions in his singing.

A white light gushed out of him, meeting with the already present ones in the room.

"In the end, the week ended up being great with you in my arms."

"Waking up to the sound of your alarm."

"It still felt like a dream but with you and me being so close."

"Everything just felt all right."

As he slowly finished the song, the white light emanating from him was everywhere. Aiden had never seen such strong light, and he knew that it was also because of Michelle and Rachel's special skills.

These three skills coming together had created a great impact, and if he tried to focus on the light, he could see the one that had come from Michelle was in the middle, holding his and Rachel's light together.

For the first time, he felt such beautiful music.

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It took a minute for the judges to stop feeling the emotions that Aiden had added into the song. Soon, the white light died down and the judges finally came out of their stupor.

Andrew was the first one to speak.

"If I'm being honest, this was the best performance we have seen till now. It was simply amazing with all your voices coming together."

At his praise, the whole group cheered. Even Aiden was now smiling a bit. The aftertaste of the song still hadn't left him and it was also because he felt like he had overcome a level in his singing.

"I have mentored a lot of singers and seen them make amazing albums. With that experience, I could say that the way you have sung this song, it could definitely be a title song for an album."

Getting praised by Steven was a big deal and it seemed like he was genuinely impressed by the performance.

"The chorus… You changed it? Who wrote that?"

Everyone's eyes settled on Aiden as Steven asked. He held the mic close to his mouth and answered.

"It was me."

"You performed your original in the first round too. You have good talent."

It was Alyssa who went next, her words particularly praising Rachel.

"The start of the song was exactly like it should have been but I think it really picked up after the chorus, particularly Rachel. Your ability to hit the high notes and your elegant voice really elevated the song to a next level.".

"Yeah, Michelle was great too, especially in the chorus. I feel like your voice is unique and the only thing that you lack is experience."

Andrew said, then turned to Aiden.

"Aiden, I noticed it during your first performance too but your voice leaves a lingering aftertaste which is really rare. I don't think anyone else would have ended the song better."

"Thank you."

"Everyone else too, you all did your roles to perfection. All in all, it was a great performance."

Eric and Sam high-fived each other hearing that. It seemed like even a magical scenario like a whole group qualification was within their grasp.

"Give us a minute to announce the results."

It was the first time that the judges had taken time to discuss. It just meant that they weren't sure about who would qualify. All of them were really good.

One of the cameras zoomed in at the judges table while the other recorded the expressions of the contestants. Only Rachel and Aiden looked a bit composed among the heavy tension in the air.

"Okay, we are ready to announce our decision."

After a while, Steven said and the tense atmosphere just doubled as it clenched the hearts of all the contestants. Eric gulped beside him and Michelle's hands were shaking.

"It was not an easy decision with all of you singing so well but in the end, we were of the same decision that Rachel was the best out of you all."

All the focus was suddenly on Rachel who was beaming a smile, making people think she was confident about winning from the start. But only Aiden who was standing close to her knew that she was also really tense about the results due to her shaking shoulders.

"So, Rachel will qualify."

Aiden and the others clapped for her as Alyssa announced the result. But it was then that Andrew smiled.

"But the performance was too good for us to only qualify one person. There would be one more from your group who will qualify."

His words immediately gave a ray of hope to the four contestants who were already walking the road of sadness and despair.

'If I'm not selected, then it's truly over for me.'

Aiden thought as he took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew that by the praises of the judges, it was either him or Michelle who would go to the next round.

Eric and Sam were good but they were still slightly lacking and had no special things about them.

"Actually, for the second person, we were quite conflicted. We thought any of you could qualify but we decided on someone who earned a bit more points thanks to the additional skills."

Aiden blinked his eyes hearing that.

"Aiden, you are going to the next round. Congratulations!"

A sigh of relief came out of his mouth hearing those words. For a second, he had thought he would be disqualified but he had somehow passed the second round.

"Thank you."

"You deserved it."

After that, it was really over. Although he and Rachel have qualified, the other three haven't. Soon as they walked out of the stage, Michelle started crying.

It seemed like she was holding it back in front of the judges.

Sam quickly left the set in anger and frustration. It seemed like he didn't want to talk to anyone and was really disappointed with the results.

Aiden felt a bit sad about him but he knew this was just the nature of reality shows. If he had not qualified, maybe he would have been like him too.

Only Eric handled it maturely as he left after congratulating Aiden and Rachel, even promising to cheer for them.

All in all, the second round ended with Aiden surviving. But the system notifications after his performance were the ones that pleased him the most.

[You have been a part of a special performance that has managed to enamoure the judges. Substantial experience has been granted.]

[Your Composing skill has increased by one level.]

[The proficiency of the song 'Close' by Cyro has increased to 83% from 78%.]

Although his singing level had not increased, Aiden was pretty happy with getting a level in his Composing skill.

He knew that gaining singing levels wasn't easy and it takes a lot of time to really get the required amount of experience.

He just hoped that his skill level would increase quickly as the competition went on because it was going to be harder and harder for him to survive otherwise.

'This year's contestants are really monsters.'

Marlo thought as he looked beside him. A man with a grey beard and black hair was standing next to him with a smile on his face.

His name was Gary Benjamin and he was one of the producers of X-Star. Both of them had watched Aiden's group performance from backstage.

"What do you think, Gary? I think that was the best group performance till now. I don't think any other group would top that."

Marlo asked and Gary nodded his head.

"I'm hoping someone will top that. If anyone could top it, then the show's rating will just soar."

"Even without anyone topping it, just this performance would be enough." Marlo noticed Gary in some sort of thought and immediately shook his head. "Are you already thinking of using this performance as promotion material?"

"You know me well after working together for two seasons."

Gary smiled like a shrewd businessman. For him, contestants were money and it was important to keep the viewers interested by giving them bits of the talent that would be showcased on the show.

After thinking how he could use the performance, he replied.

"First of all, we could use it as the teaser for the second round. And after the episode airs, there will surely be demands for this cover. So, we will put it on the MeTube channel and make an audio version for music websites. If we promote it a bit, it should gain at least ten to twelve million views."

In a short time, Gary had already finished thinking of ways to earn money from just this performance alone. This was one of his skills and it suited a producer too.

Marlo just didn't like him looking at teams contestants as nothing but money and ratings.

"By the way, Aiden, try to focus on him till the third round. It's good if he makes it to Star week but I think we can get a lot of content out of him even if he doesn't. I saw some of the footage you took of him and his story is interesting. Moreover, him coming from a third world country already gives a rags to riches feel. The audience loves that."

Marlo already had a feeling that Gary was going to say that. He made a wry smile.

"Apparently, he himself doesn't want us to use his story in that way. Something along the lines of wanting his talent to speak for him and not his story."

A small laugh escaped Gary's mouth hearing that but seeing Marlo's serious expression, he coughed and explained.

"His talent is speaking at least till the third round. Only after that voting comes into the picture and it depends on popularity. And if he reached there, he would thank us."

Gary said with utmost confidence and left Marlo to go speak with the music director. He had a feeling that this season of X-Star will break all of the ratings.

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After the second round was over, a lot of people were eliminated. After all, only 40 out of 200 remained.

These contestants would stay in the hotel room for some more days until the third round and after that only 16 would go on to Los Angeles for the main part of the competition.

But before that, something else was there that was making Aiden both nervous and excited.

[Uncle Sam: Are you going to appear on the broadcast?]

[Aiden: Can't say for sure. They have not told us anything, so it's a surprise for me too.]

[Uncle Sam: Your aunt and I are going to watch the whole episode. I think you will do well!]

Aiden smiled seeing the messages on his phone. It was the day of the broadcast of the first episode of X-Star and his family, both in America and India were waiting for it.

When he came to America, his Uncle who owned a restaurant here had helped him a lot. For two months, he had worked in his restaurant and then, found another job and a place to stay, not wanting to trouble him more.

Knock! Knock!

As he was in his thoughts, there was a knock on his door.

Opening it, he saw Jackson standing outside. He didn't know if his performance was really good or if he was just lucky, but surprisingly, Jackson had passed the second round, even if none of his bandmates had.

Both him and Emily had passed from his group.

"The broadcast was about to start, so everyone gathered in the hall. I thought I should call you.".

"Okay, thanks." Aiden moved outside and closed the door of his room. His roommate had been eliminated, so he was using the room alone. "Let's go."

Along the way, Aiden secretly checked the skill interface of Jackson and realised that his level had increased by one, probably the reason for him passing the second round.

Seeing him glancing at him, Jackson questioned.

"Who do you think will appear in the broadcast?"

"I don't know. Probably the contestants that they think might go to Star week or just those who can attract an audience. Do they ask you questions too after your performance?"

"They apparently asked everyone the same type of questions. Probably they will edit it as they want. I heard they call it the devil's editing."

Devil editing – Aiden had heard the term. It basically meant chopping and cutting footage to make it seem like someone had said something completely different and it was a common practice in reality shows.

As Aiden was wondering whether the program team would do the same with the first episode, Jackson suddenly changed the subject.

"You know, I'm actually glad you passed the second round."

"Huh?" Aiden looked at him with confusion.

"It's just that it's better to know people going forward. Who knows there might be more team missions and in that case, it's better to know someone. Aside from Emily, you and Rachel, I don't know anyone here."

Jackson was basically telling him that they should look after each other. Although Aiden didn't know him very well, his proposition was good.

"I believe that too. Do you regret that your bandmates didn't pass the second round?"

At his question, Jackson shook his head.

"No, we were actually going to separate and X-Star was our last shot at success. Their rejection basically meant our end."

Aiden nodded, not asking anything further. They reached the hall and saw that it was jam packed with people. Most of the participants were surrounding the big TV in the middle and some were checking their phones.

He could make out Rachel and Emily from the crowd.

"A lot of people are here."

Jackson said but Aiden found something strange. Taking a look around the room, he muttered.

"It doesn't look like all 40 contestants are here. Is it because many are watching the broadcast in their rooms?"

"Maybe. Oh, yeah, I heard a staff member saying that they have only selected 35 people till now. Actually, for the last five spots, the judges were still in discussion as there were a lot of people who they liked."

Aiden nodded at that and thought that maybe Michelle or Sam still had a chance. It would be good for him if they are brought back in the show, especially Michelle with her special skill.

'The show should start any moment now.'

X-Star broadcast time was 8:30 PM in America and it aired on Panther Network. When Aiden checked his watch, it was just a minute to go for the show.

Soon, some ads started and the logo of the show appeared. Everyone in the room cheered seeing it and then, a voice which belonged to Marlo narrated the beginning.

[Two successful seasons and two winners who won hearts not only all over America but also the world. Now, X-Star has returned with another season, trying to find another singer who has that X factor.]

After that, there were snippets of people waiting in line and registering themselves. Among those snippets, many contestants' faces passed through and some in the room cheered, noticing their own faces appearing on TV.

Those whose faces hadn't appeared yet watched the broadcast with squinted eyes.

Suddenly, Aiden noticed his own face as a snippet of him walking to register himself with the guitar appeared.

"Hey, I saw you! Congrats, man!"

Jackson yelped, shaking his shoulders.

"Thanks."

Aiden tried to stay calm but the phone in his pocket had already started vibrating with messages. It was the first time he had appeared on television and it was a very big deal.

The broadcast kept moving forward at a rapid pace as the judges were shown, looking excited and wondering about the talent they would see in this season. Soon, the first contestant was called in and Aiden quickly looked around, but he wasn't able to find the contestant in the room.

He quickly found out why, as the contestant was eliminated.

Next, a few more contestants came out. Some of these were those who were sitting in the hall. One girl even started crying after seeing herself on the TV.

After a while, he even saw Rachel's audition. Aiden felt a bit disappointed because she obviously had auditioned after him, so it basically meant that his audition of the first round won't be shown.

Although he knew this could happen, when it really did, he felt really disappointed.

'Leave it, it's better to focus on the broadcast.'

He thought, enjoying Rachel's performance of a famous song about breaking up. As her performance was being broadcasted, many people looked at her in jealousy and envy.

"I think I will be on the next episode which will have New Jersey auditions. Do you think they will show your performance today?"

Jackson asked when only ten minutes of the show was left.

"I don't think I will appear-"

"Hey look, it's Aiden!"

As he was in the middle of replying, he suddenly heard his name and turned towards the screen.

On the TV, he was walking on the stage with the guitar on his back.

'It's really me. Did they edit my audition to be the last?'

He thought as he focused on the TV, not knowing when his audition would cut off. But to his surprise, they showed most of his audition.

To him introducing himself to the judges and singing his original song, everything was shown.

As the audition went on, more and more eyes gathered to him and people were even whispering about him, touting him to be a threat to them.

His footage didn't end after the judges passed him to the second round. A snippet of the interview he conducted with Marlo was also shown.

[What was the reason for you coming here from India?]

[It was for an opportunity. I wanted to prove things to myself and to my family. My uncle worked here and he was okay with me moving over, so I came here.]

[Wasn't there any opportunity in India?]

[There were obviously opportunities. But you can say I just wanted to make a mark in the US. You know how it is said to always dream big. Moreover, I always felt like America could be the opportunity I'm looking for.]

After that, his footage was finally over but even after it ended, everyone in the hall kept glancing at Aiden. Besides him, Jackson was going crazy.

"Dude, did you see that? They showed most of your audition. I'm sure that the program team likes you a lot and would advance you to Star week!"

Only those contestants who were thought to be the top most in skills or have special talents would be shown so much in a broadcast.

Aiden knew that too and it took him more than a moment to take all of this in.

'Is it only because of my originality or they just think my story from coming from India is sellable?'

Aiden wondered but at that moment, he saw some frosty gazes directed at him. He felt like some people were now taking him as their biggest competitor because he was shown more than the others.

One of these gazes was Rachel.

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"The reaction to the first episode is pretty good."

Alyssa Williams said while looking over some of the comments on Sparrow – a social media site where people could tweet. The first episode had aired yesterday and just like every year, it had gotten a great response from the viewers.

She was currently sitting in a lounge area, especially made for the judges. The other two judges and Marlo were also sitting there.

"The ratings were similar to previous seasons but the social media response was better. As the season goes, I think the ratings will be better than the previous seasons."

Marlo replied and to his remark, Alyssa nodded.

"Yeah, the audience would enjoy it thanks to the talents we have this year." Saying that, she turned towards Andrew and Steven. "Have you two already decided which contestants you are going to take?"

"More or less. There's couple that I like and want to test. I think it's the same for Steven too."

Andrew replied and Steven just smiled at that.

Their conversation was about the third round. Now the second round is over, they need to start shooting for the next round immediately.

For the challenge in the third round, they were going with the theme 'Judge challenge'.

In this, 40 contestants would be divided between three judges and the judges would give each contestant a particular challenge. It could be singing a particular type of song or something different..

To pass this round, the contestants would have to impress the judge that has given him the challenge.

"Who have you selected?" Alyssa asked and then added. "I particularly want to give a challenge to Rachel."

"Rachel? She's a good one. Probably one of the best in the competition. As for me, I think I will take Cameron. I'm pretty sure he has what it takes to win."

Cameron Bryce was a half English contestant that comes from a singing background. His grandfather was actually a musician who worked in Hollywood during the 60s.

"What about you, Steven?"

Andrew turned towards the judge that was often seen as the most controversial one among them. Steven looked to be in a thought before replying.

"Aiden. I want to give him a challenge."

Alyssa and Andrew both nodded their heads in understanding. As the first episode had given Aiden most of the limelight, he was the most talked about contestant. Even more than Rachel who was already getting many fans thanks to her looks and skills.

"He's good. Though, he's somehow lacking compared to Cameron and Rachel." Alyssa said, having mixed feelings about him.

Andrew shared the same sentiment.

"Yeah, his skills are somehow overshadowed if we compare him to some other top contestants. But his talent lies in expressing emotions and composing. I don't think he will be able to go till the end but he will surely leave an impact. What do you think, Steven?"

Steven put a hand on his chin. He owned a record label, so he obviously has seen a lot of singers closely and worked with them. Through the years, he has gotten a kind of intuition.

That intuition was telling him that Aiden might surprise him. The main reason behind it was that he had noticed that in the second round, Aiden's singing was somehow better than his first round audition.

Because of that, he felt like he could bet on him, even if the odds weren't in his favour.

"I think he can go all the way."

Steven's words sounded like a joke to the other two judges. But they knew that he wasn't the type to joke around.

"That's a wild guess." Alyssa remarked.

"I know he can be marketed well, but I don't know if he will go all the way."

Marlo shook his head hearing their conversation. He was short on time and they still needed to assign all the contestants to one judge. Clapping his hands lightly, he got their attention.

"It's good that you all have your favourites. But let's get the selection over with. The program team needs to go over your challenges after that too."

Hearing that, all three of them nodded and started going over the other contestants.

After the first episode was released, there was already a lot of buzz on the social media around it. Small media houses had released articles about it and even some big ones had tried to keep up with the trends.

As it was the third season, X-Star already has a lot of following.

From its inaugural season, it has attracted a lot of attention and as the program team has managed to keep up with what the audience wanted, the program has become one of Panther Network's staples.

One of the top entertainment blogs on the internet Gossip Tribunal also posted an article about the first episode of X-Star.

[From the last two seasons, X-Star had been one of the top singing reality tv shows in America and most of the world and when it was announced that it would return for another season, fans were elated.

Yesterday, the first episode of the anticipated third season aired and it immediately grabbed a lot of eyeballs. Just like the last two seasons, the show was judged by Steven McDonal and Andrew Maxfield with Alyssa Williams joining the panel this season.

Marlo Aniston also returned as the host with most of the crew being the same.

The first episode was every bit of what the viewers expected from the competition with fresh new talents coming in with new skills and stories. But somewhere, it also felt the same like the last two seasons. Nothing really new.

According to some sources, one of the creative producers of the show had been talking about how this season would be a 'bit different with new challenges and talents never seen before.'

The creative producer was allegedly very confident that the third season would break all records of an already successful show.

It was rumoured that the program team had tried hard to keep the show more interesting and this season, the judging standards would be higher than usual. Because of that, many are waiting to see some more episodes before deciding on how this show is going to pan out.

For now, the first episode has definitely made people interested in this new season.]

Aside from this article, the X-Star PR marketing team had made several posts on social media sites like Sparrow and the reception was also quite nice. There were several tweets about the show after the first episode had aired.

TinyGirl: Just watched the first episode of X -Star. Looks the same as the last season but the contestants look better.

Abdul: It's probably because they all want to look their best in the audition. Though, aside from Rachel, I don't think any of them are particularly good looking.

Huihui Lannister: Rachel is seriously so pretty. I loved her and the others were giving good vibes too. Just I didn't like Brian. Seemed like a girl who bullied people in high school.

George R. R. Margin: I think that Aiden guy stood out the most. I live his surname tho, it has that fantasy novel type. This reminds me, I need to finish my novel.

Eve Lily: His name is Aiden. Looks handsome too and I loved his original.

Jones: @Eve Lily I don't think he performed better than Rachel. Just the program team focused on him more due to his story of coming from another country.

English sheep dog: I'm surprised to see Rachel here. She used to be in my high school and was always regarded as a cold queen. Her family is rich. Pretty sure they got her in the show and she's already selected to be in the finals.

Chris worth: Not everything is fixed and Rachel did sing well. Her singing skills are really good no matter what anyone says. Her and Aiden probably were the standout from the first episode.

Iron knight: Does anyone have a social media profile of Rachel? I'm asking for research purposes only.

Empire of Zenobia: Why are people not talking about anyone other than these two. I loved Tristan and James – I hope we see more of them!

Troll your mom: I don't think we can decide who is good and who is not from the first episode. Let's wait till other episodes are out.

Simping for Will: Did you notice the X-Star MeTube account posted auditions from the first round? Aiden's audition already has 200k views and Rachel has 180k.

Bee x Zinon: I watched the audition video again. God, they sing so well!

Liyanage: I hope we see more people in the second episode. I noticed a very pretty Korean girl in the background.

Lucifer without balls: When is the next episode coming??

Cole Spector: Wondering if there's a reason why Aiden was shown much more than other contestants. Whenever this has happened in the previous seasons, the contestants have gone till the last rounds.

Loofy: Hoping to see something special this season.

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/DreamNote/

Main Character's name changed from Ishan to Aiden Silvereye.

…

"I have thought a lot about the type of challenge, and I decided that I want to be surprised by you. So your challenge would be to sing one of your original songs."

When Steven said that, Aiden couldn't help but feel nervous, yet he knew that this challenge was in his zone. Just in the last round, his composing skill had increased.

"Would you be able to perform it well? I know that telling you to sing an original is a big task."

Steven said, trying to make Aiden a bit comfortable. They were currently in one of the lounges set up for the judges, and a cameraman was shooting their interaction from a distance.

"I have a few originals prepared. Though they are not fleshed out, I believe that I would be able to satisfy you."

"Good. I give you a week to flesh it out. The original doesn't need to be perfect, but I want it to have an essence of its own. That's my only requirement."

"I won't disappoint you."

Steven nodded, and Aiden left the lounge.

'It's not going to be easy, but it's better than I expected.'.

When he had first heard that the judge who would be giving him a challenge would be Steven, he was scared. Steven was infamous for scaring contestants with his harsh tones and judgments.

He had thought that the challenge he would give would be something way harder. But it was well within Aiden's zone.

"Hey, can I take a short interview if you are free?"

As he walked towards his room to prepare for the third round, he suddenly heard Marlo's voice from behind him. Turning around, he saw the latter standing with a mic in his hand and the cameraman whom Aiden had already gotten familiar with.

"Yeah, sure."

"So, how does it feel to be famous? Are you checking your phone every now and then to see what people are saying about you?"

Marlo looked at him. The comments about Aiden on social media were plenty. He and Rachel had gotten the most attention out of anyone else.

"Not really. I checked my phone for a bit after the broadcast. But currently, I am trying to not focus on it."

Although he said that, he knew that his social media accounts had been getting a lot of followers after the broadcast.

"You just got your third round challenge from Steven. Are you confident?"

Aiden nodded, "Yeah, I am confident. It won't be easy, but I think in a week, I can pull off a song that can qualify me for the Star Week."

"You got a lot of attention after the first broadcast. Do you think the other contestants have started to see you as a threat because of this factor?"

Aiden shook his head a bit before replying.

"Well, it's a competition, and everyone is wary of each other. It doesn't matter if I had more screen time in the broadcast. At the end of the day, it's more about our own skills than the skills of others."

"Do you have a song already made that you will perform in front of Steven?"

One song did come to Aiden's mind. It was a song that he had tried to compose three years ago before he came to the United States. Although it was only a half-finished product, he had a melody in mind.

"Not exactly. I have something nice to show, but it isn't complete, so I need to work on it first."

Marlo didn't pry further and ended the conversation. This much footage was enough for now. After all, they just needed to show 5-second footage before Aiden's performance.

"Good luck with your performance. I genuinely hope you make it to Star Week."

"Thank you."

Aiden smiled and made his way to his room. As he only had a week, he needed to perfect the song running in his mind.

"So, is the preparation going well? We will move to L.A. as soon as the third round ends and start the shooting for Star Week. I want everything to be perfect."

Gary Benjamin, the producer of X-Star, said to the staff sitting in front of him. They were currently in the meeting room, going over the result of the first round and planning for the next few weeks of shooting.

Music director, Creative writers, P.R. team head – Every central person of the behind-the-scenes team was present here. Marlo was also sitting right next to Gary.

"Most of the things are smooth. Even the ratings were pretty good, and with how things are going on, I believe the graph will rise in the coming days. We just need to know who will advance to Star Week to plan further."

Gary's assistant said while passing over the rating charts and some other files to everyone.

"Didn't we already have an idea who we would advance to Star week?"

One of the creative writers nodded.

"More or less, but it's still on the judges."

"I know, but we need to promote more popular candidates to ensure that we get good ratings," Gary said while looking over a chart when he suddenly noticed something. "Alex will sing 'The Other side' as his third round challenge? Can he successfully sing it?"

Alex was one of the few contestants that Gary thought was very marketable. With his boyish charms and good looking face, he could undoubtedly get a lot of core fans.

"The Other Side is a hard song to sing, even for famous singers. I don't think he will be able to do it."

The Music director replied honestly. It was an old song that had become a classic because of how difficult it is to sing it. Gary frowned, thinking that it was a waste of an opportunity if he was eliminated so soon.

"Who's the judge assigned to him?"

"Andrew."

"Ask him to change the challenge so Alex can pass." At his words which were akin to order, no one answered. Marlo was the only one who let out a sigh.

"We can't do that. It would be the same as going in the exact direction as Pop Star."

Pop Star was the singing reality show that used to air five years ago. It was the most popular show of its time, but there were scandals about how the show was primarily fake and everything was pre-decided.

It was to the point where reports came out that the show's producers had taken a lot of money to fix the winner and runner up spots for certain contestants.

These scandals forced the show's cancellation, and X-Star was the new alternative that Panther Network came out with. And this time, the network wanted to ensure that at least the results were genuine.

"Just telling Andrew to change his challenge doesn't mean we control the results. In the end, it's on the skill."

"We would still be interfering."

Marlo was stubborn in his stand, and noticing that the atmosphere was becoming awkward, Gary gave up.

"Okay, if Alex is any good, he would pass the round on his own." The atmosphere cooled a little as he ended the argument, "Now, let's go over the other challenges."

In his room, Aiden was blankly staring at the piece of paper in front of him. He already had the tune figured out and just needed to write lyrics to go with it.

But that was the hard part about this song.

Lyrics were going to be the soul of it. Aiden just wanted to make the music on the white canvas and paint it with beautiful lyrics.

The theme of his song was Life, and it was titled 'Life is a story.' Aiden had gotten the idea to write this when he had watched a movie with the iconic line 'Life is a box full of chocolates.'

That inspired him to write a song about the happiness, and sadness one goes through in life. But he found it incredibly hard to start the song because whenever he got to it, he would end up with a blank slate even after hours of brainstorming.

After all, Life was not about one thing. It was incredibly complicated yet simple at times. Describing it in one song almost seemed impossible.

'I need to think of Life. The good parts. The bad. Even The frustrating bits.'

After visualising his own life experiences, he started to write some words. Minutes turned into hours as he scribbled some words down and then erased them. This cycle continued for hours as Aiden worked hard to write a song to describe Life.

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For the third round, the official name was 'Judge House'. It referred to the fact that the show would organise the third-round performance in a judge's house.

Though it was called 'Judge House', the truth was that the team of X-Star just rented the house. And it didn't actually belong to the judges.

During the performance, there would be no live audience. Just the judge who had assigned you the challenge would be there. The other two judges would be in their own assigned houses, looking over the performance of other contestants.

This way, the shooting would go faster.

It took almost three days for Aiden to finish the song. It certainly was the most difficult song to write for him. There were tons of pieces on love or breakup, and many of them would even sometimes sound generic.

But this song was different.

Aiden had put his heart and soul into it, and for the rest of the week, he had practised it day and night, though he had also taken enough breaks not to strain his vocal cords.

Finally, on Sunday, the date of the performance was here.

Sitting in the waiting room in the judge's house, he felt a tinge of nervousness. Sighing a little, he wiped the sweat off his brow and tried to control his beating heart.

'If I qualify here, I would go straight to Star week. One step closer to my goal.'

Aiden certainly didn't want to get disqualified, especially after reaching this far. But, if he lost, he would have no choice but to go back to India or struggle more in America.

Not only him, but the other contestant would also not want to lose from here.

"Aiden!"

He raised his head slowly at the familiar voice. He saw a woman standing there with her long, brown hair tied back in a ponytail. It was Michelle.

Behind her, four more girls were standing.

"Michelle, hi, I didn't expect you to be here."

After the second round, Michelle hadn't been instantly disqualified, and as a lifeline, she was assigned to a group which would act as one contestant.

The girls behind her were her teammates, and the group was called 'Symphony'..

"We just finished our performance. I think you are next."

"Yeah. How did it go? Did you qualify?" Aiden asked, and by the smile on Michelle's face, it didn't seem like it went bad.

"It was good. Steven liked it, but we would know the results later. Anyway, I will leave. Good luck with your performance!"

He nodded as Michelle left with her group. Going by her special skill, Aiden was sure that she would do well in the group. After all, her voice suited being in harmony. It was a natural talent.

'Ah, I need to qualify no matter what.'

Thinking about that, he stood up from his seat and picked up his guitar. It was now his turn to perform in front of Steven.

"How are you feeling? All good?"

Steven asked with a smile. The sun shone brightly down on them as they stood on the lawn. The crew was shooting from the side, and Steven was sitting on a chair with sunglasses protecting his eyes from the direct sun rays.

"Yeah, mostly," Aiden replied as a drop of sweat trickled down his neck.

"What type of song are you going to sing?"

"It's called 'Life is a story,' and it's a ballad about life. I've been writing this for two years and just finished it just a few days ago."

"Are you confident in it?"

Steven asked with a grin. He had thought that Aiden would go the easy way with singing a song about love or anything that might be easier.

But a song like this was certainly an interesting choice.

"Yeah, I'm confident."

"Okay, start your performance."

Aiden took a deep breath and played the song again in his mind. His nerves were raging, but he repeatedly tried to calm his mind.

'Focus. Focus. Focus.'

He chanted it like a mantra, and somehow, it helped calm his nerves down. Then, after a few seconds, he finally started his performance.

His fingers strummed the chord of his guitar, and a soft humming sound came out of his mouth. When Aiden practised this song, he wanted it to feel soft and comfortable, and his sweet voice provided exactly that.

The first verse came precisely fifteen seconds into the song.

"I used to wonder what life means…"

"Maybe, it's just the reason for dreams…"

"Or maybe it's more, but I won't know…"

"But it's fine, in the end, that's how our lives flow…"

The first verse was sung incredibly soft, it was as if Aiden was whispering, and at the end, he even started gently humming.

Slowly, his special skill activated, and a white light started coming out from his guitar and his body. The white light soon engulfed both Steven and the crew.

Though, it was still a bit weak at this point.

"I often wonder what we are."

"Are we the story or just stage pelts…"

"Birds in the sky or the ice that slowly melts."

It was then that the strumming of Aiden's guitar got a bit faster. The song's tempo had been slow from the start but now, close to the chorus; it picked up.

The white light also intensified and suddenly started crackling like lightning. He didn't notice it and just lost himself in the song.

Steven, who was the closest to Aiden, could feel all sorts of emotions penetrating his heart by the effect of the white light.

It was the same for the crew.

'Wow! This song…'

'It feels so peaceful.'

'I am hearing such a soothing song after a long time.'

Those were the thoughts of the crew members. Even though they were shooting, they couldn't help but lose themselves in the song.

It was then that the chorus began.

"Oh, life is a story…"

"Sometimes short, sometimes lengthy."

"It can be one of sadness or of glory."

"We never know what it's gonna be."

"But that's just our destiny."

For this song, Aiden had tried to incorporate whatever he had understood of life till now. Life is like a box of chocolates, we never know what we're going to get.

One never knows what you are going to get. It could be happiness or maybe despair. All in all, it was a mixed bag.

Although he knew the song wasn't perfect, it was still the best Aiden could do right now.

"I don't know if life is written in the stars or the palm of our hands."

"Maybe, the answer isn't in these lands."

"But I know one thing for sure."

After that, the chorus began again as Aiden reached close to the song's outro. At that moment, the crackling white light suddenly got a tinge of silver on it.

That also got Aiden's attention, but he didn't stop strumming his guitar strings and kept singing.

"Oh, life is a story…"

"Sometimes short, sometimes lengthy."

"It can be one of sadness or of glory."

"We never know what it's going to be."

"But that's just our destiny."

It was then that the song came to a close. With a soft humming tone, he tried to end the song. Suddenly, a silver light gushed out of him and tried to mix with the white light already present in the air.

For the first time, Aiden felt something magical in his singing. He immediately linked it to the emergence of the silver light.

Although the white light was still in the majority, it was now mixed with strings of silver light.

"I just wish we could fast forward the bad parts."

"Maybe, just freeze the good parts."

"So, that they forever last."

The song ended with a bit of humming, and Aiden slowly let go of the strings. Although the music ended, the atmosphere didn't change.

Both the white and silver light in the air kept enveloping the lawn for some time.

It gave Aiden sufficient time to look closely at the silver light.

'It looks a bit different than the white light.'

When he first saw the white light, he thought of it as music. After that, sometimes he would see a denser light, like in the second round, and sometimes a weaker one, as it was in the first round.

But he had never seen a silver light.

Examining it further, Aiden felt like it was like a stronger version of the white light.

'It gives a similar feeling. But stronger, more exquisite.'

Aiden thought as the illusionary lights rays began to wane.

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Chapter 13

It took a bit of time for the remnants of the lights to disappear from the room completely. It was only after that that Steven could control his emotions a bit better.

His mind had somehow drifted into a distant world for a moment because of Aiden's song.

'This kid, I didn't know he was this good.'

Steven was someone who had been seeing singers perform for over a decade, so he had gotten a sense of what level someone might be on.

In his eyes, Aiden was perfect for a beginner, even though he had heard better voices with more control in this season. But Steven was pretty sure about one thing.

'He has a lot of room for improvement, and his musical sense and creativity is quite extraordinary. Moreover, there's just this special vibe about him.'

He thought back to the famous singers he knew and had worked with. They all had the same unique vibe about them.

After all, it takes a lot of things to become a famous singer.

But he also knew that many famous singers would just waste their talents by getting into drugs, women and riches that would jeopardize their careers.

In a way, this was one of the common things in Hollywood.

"Steven, the performance ended a while ago. Say something."

As he was in thoughts, the cameraman shooting the scene from the side whispered to him. Steven had gotten lost in his musing and forgotten that he still needed to give his critique..

He sat straight, realizing his mistake and stared at Aiden before revealing his thoughts.

"Your song… you told me you have been preparing it for the last two years? It is clearly showcased in your hard work through the song. Well done, I don't think I have listened to such a nice song in years."

"Thank you."

Aiden knew that Steven was being genuine. He had seen it for himself how the latter had lost himself in the song, which he deduced was an effect of the silver light.

"Even if I want to, I can't really point out any obvious mistakes. The song was beautiful, and your voice just added into it." Steven said. After a slight pause, he added, "I don't say it often to people, but that song can easily become the title song of any singer's album. It was that good!"

Aiden felt like jumping with all the ecstasy sweeping over him. Only he knew how hard he had worked on the song—giving up his sleep and finding the right emotions to add to it.

And in the end, he had finally succeeded.

It was to the point that Steven, who was known to be the 'Devil Judge' was praising him. Although he seemed friendly currently, Aiden had seen him make contestants cry in the past seasons.

As he was spotting a big grin, Steven suddenly said something that cut off his newly unfolded wings and brought him back to reality.

"Now, let's come to singing. Honestly, the other judges and I have told you that your voice is magnificent, but I believe it could have been better for a song of this much potential."

Aiden's grin disappeared a bit at those words. Even the camera crew were a bit surprised because Steven was only praising the song till now, but now he had suddenly taken a 180-degree turn.

Only the oldest of the crew knew that it was his habit never to overpraise the contestants.

"As the competition goes further, the level of singers also increases. And, I feel you might lack compared to them solely based on singing."

Aiden had a feeling that Steven was only saying that to scare him off a bit. But it was also true that his singing ability was quite lacking compared to others.

He knew it better than anyone else because of his system.

The only way he could compensate for his singing was by performing his own songs, which had also kept him in the competition.

"I understand," Aiden replied, trying not to appear meek. He needed to make Steven confident in himself. "But I'm sure that I would be able to improve as the competition goes on if I get a chance."

"Can you guarantee that?" Steven looked like he wanted to see how confident Aiden was by putting him in a spot.

It was on Aiden whether he could give an appropriate answer here.

"Yes, I can. Of course, I won't declare that I'm the best singer in the competition, but I'm sure I can be the best singer if given a chance and will surely be the one who improves the most."

"Alright. I won't tell you your results here. You would need to wait for it."

Steven said, and Aiden silently left the lawn. He didn't know if Steven was satisfied with his answer or not, but he would learn tomorrow when every performance of the third round would end.

Before that, he didn't want to worry about the results a lot.

After all, he had given his best in the performance, and the system messages that appeared in front of him after he left the lawn were proof of it.

[You have composed a song way above your level. For completing such a feat, you have been awarded substantial experience.]

[Your Composing skill has increased by one level.]

[Your Lyrical writing skill has increased by two levels.]

[You have given a performance that has managed to push your limits and given you a glimpse of what the future might hold for you. A large amount of experience has been granted.]

[Your Singing level has increased from Basic Grade 8 to Basic Grade 9.]

[You are close to breaking into Basic Grade 10.]

[There's a small chance of silver light appearing during your performances.]

'I have never gotten so many system messages.'

Aiden read through all of them one by one, and for a second, he completely forgot what Steven had told him.

In front of him was the confirmation that he was improving. Not only that, he was even close to breaking into Basic Grade 10.

'If I really broke into that grade and then with the help of silver light, I would surely be able to compete with a monster like Rachel.'

Aiden silently thought, but he knew that the road ahead was long. His first wall was to be qualified for the Star Week.

"Rachel, as always, your performance broke all my expectations. You are going ahead into Star Week!"

Alyssa, the judge overseeing Rachel's third-round performance, gave her verdict, and for a moment, even the ice-cold face of Rachel blossomed into a smile.

Her challenge was to sing a song called 'House of cards'. It was a five year old song filled with many high notes, and any singer would find it hard to maintain their notes perfectly during this.

Moreover, the song's essence was about a failing marriage which was just like a house of cards that could break with just a puff of wind.

But this song was somehow perfectly made for Rachel, and she had aced the challenge.

Alyssa, who had already expected her to pass this, was pretty happy with her performance. After all, the judges played a part in the contestant's journey.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity." She said, feeling like a stone was finally off her chest.

Although she doesn't make it seem like she's the type to worry a lot about results, this competition was her biggest chance to prove her skills.

"You deserved it."

Alyssa smiled, and with that, Rachel became the fourth contestant to qualify for the Star week.

"So, we have 4 out of 16 contestants who will go through to the next round."

As Rachel's performance was ending, Marlo and Gary, who were standing in the backdrop, couldn't help but start a discussion.

"Yeah, there will be a lot of heartbreaks tomorrow," Marlo said, already used to it. Every year, many contestants feel like their dream is over as soon as they are eliminated.

"We can't do much about it. Who has passed till now?"

"From what I know, Rachel, Cameron, Lydia and Emily," Marlo replied. "I don't think the judges would pass anyone else on the spot."

Hearing those names, Gary was satisfied as these were their premium contestants – those who could amass many core fans.

But he suddenly remembered one more name.

"What about Aiden? His performance ended?"

"I called a staff member who was at Steven's house. His performance ended, and it seemed like he performed great. Even the crew was immersed in the song."

"But he didn't pass?"

"Steven probably felt like he could do better."

Gary nodded, knowing full well how Steven was. Among all judges, only Steven was the one who had enough power to stand against him.

"We will have to wait till tomorrow to know what Steven has in his mind. I hope Aiden passes; he's already getting some traction on social media and is worth investing."

…

/DreamNote/

Don't forget to show your support by voting this novel!

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"All of you have given your best in the third round performances, but only a few will go ahead into Star week."

All the contestants were standing in a big hall with the judges in front of them.

The third round ended yesterday, and today was the day of the results. Again, Aiden had the calmest expression among the tensed group.

"4 contestants have already managed to impress us and have passed the third round, which means only 12 more spots are left."

When Andrew said that, Aiden was able to hear some gulping noises. Andrew's words were a piece of news for them, after all.

Now, they have even a lesser chance of qualifying with only 12 spots left. There were 36 contestants gathered in the hall, so it meant that only one would go ahead in every three contestants.

'It seems like both Rachel and Emily have already qualified. Well, it's expected of them.'

Aiden thought in his mind as he couldn't find both of them in the hall.

Two people he knew had qualified, but he wasn't even least surprised. He knew better than anyone else that they were few of the most skilled contestants in the show.

Aside from them, he could make out Jackson and Michelle standing in some distance. However, both of them looked vastly different.

Jackson looked really anxious and tense, and he was holding onto the helm of his shirt. It seemed like his performance hadn't gone too well, making him more nervous about the result.

On the other hand, Michelle looked calmer standing with her group. It seemed like she was getting used to the stress as the competition progressed.

When she noticed Aiden glancing at her, she nodded her head. He returned the gesture before focusing on Alyssa.

"Now, I know you all are tense. It's evident on your faces but don't be too anxious. I know some of your journeys would end today, but that's not the end. You could return to this show next year or find another path for yourself. Music has endless possibilities, and it's on you to find what suits you.".

Some people nodded their heads at her words, but it didn't seem like their worries were gone. Shaking her head a bit, Alyssa showed a cue card to the contestants.

"In this card, the contestants' names who would be going to the next round are written." Some faces tensed at those words. They felt like the inevitable was coming closer now. "When I say a name, the contestant has qualified."

Aiden took a deep breath hearing that. He was acting calm till now but hearing those words; even he felt a bit nervous.

Would he really pass this round? Or was it going to be the end of his journey?

The only reason he was even so calm was that he knew he had given his best in the third round. But what if his best wasn't enough?

That was still a concern that was literally dancing in the back of his mind.

'I can just hope for the best here.'

Aiden braced himself as Alyssa started to announce the names one by one.

"So, the first contestant that is going to qualify is… Stacy Miller!"

A girl with a ponytail standing right next to Aiden nearly cried as she heard her name and jumped with joy as others applauded her.

After that, Alyssa took one name after another.

"Henry Matthews."

"Elon Husk."

"Selena Murry."

Every time she took a name, Aiden's composure took a hit. He was finding it hard not to become more anxious as time went by.

"Jackson Brown."

When he heard his name, Jackson looked like he didn't believe it. For a second, he just looked at the judges dumbfoundedly and only after that did he realise that he had qualified.

All sorts of emotions overwhelmed him as he thanked the judges while trying to stop himself from crying.

"Next, we decided to qualify one of the two groups."

Other than Michelle's group, there was also a boy band. Both these groups tensed hearing Alyssa's words.

"The group which will go to Star Week is Symphony!"

"Yayyy!"

Michelle's group cheered among themselves as their name was announced, while on the other hand, the boy group had dejected shoulders like they had given up on the world.

Aiden also felt happy for Michelle as her former teammate.

Now only seven spots were left, and still, so many contestants were hoping to be selected.

"Helen Kerr."

"Will Ivan."

"Jeremy Parker."

"Mary Christine."

Only three spots were left now. If Aiden felt a bit anxious before, he had started to feel even more so now. He could feel his heartbeat increasing as Alyssa looked at the remaining contestants with a thin smile.

Even Andrew seemed like he was enjoying the situation.

Only Steven, who had a stoic face like he didn't care a lot about who would go ahead. When Aiden's eyes met his, Steven gave a blank look.

That actually made him more anxious.

'Am I really going to get eliminated here?'

He thought, praying in his mind that his name would be among the three spots that were left.

"Archie Fox."

His heart sank as a black-haired white guy standing in some distance cried tears of joy for passing the round.

Only two spots were left now, and there were still 26 remaining contestants left in the hall.

"Now, the final two contestants…" Alyssa trailed off on her words to make some suspense, but the atmosphere was already quite tense. She slowly read out the name of the 15th contestant who had qualified. "Joe Walker."

Aiden clenched his fist tightly and took deep breaths. Now, only one spot was left.

'This might actually be the end for me…'

He thought inwardly and tried to prepare himself for the worst. He repeatedly told himself that this wouldn't be the end for him, and he would even succeed without X-Star.

But maybe those were empty words, and like everyone else, Aiden was also afraid of being a fail-

"Aiden Silvereye!"

He blinked his eyes repeatedly as he suddenly heard his name.

"What?"

"Congratulations! You are the final contestant to qualify for the Star Week." Alyssa smiled as she said those words.

It took a while for him to take in that sentence. Yet, he has suddenly survived from the river of despair where he was drowning.

'I qualified… Phew… I actually thought this might be the end for me…'

Aiden plunged to the ground thinking that. It was hard for him to keep standing. All around him, he was able to see the sad faces of the contestants that haven't qualified.

Some were even crying as the judges consoled them that it wasn't the end of their musical journey.

But Aiden knew that words were only just that. They might make you feel better, but there was no guarantee that you would find a path for yourself.

'I need to do my best to not become like that.'

He thought as he stood up. His true test would be starting next week with the start of Star week.

At the same time as the results of the third round were being announced to the contestants, the third episode of the X-Star was broadcasted.

In the first two episodes, a lot of contestants were introduced. Some qualified and some didn't, but the reception was the same as the first two seasons.

That changed from the third episode.

Gossip Tribunal, which has released articles on the first two episodes, also released one on the third with intensive research into why the third episode got more eyeballs than the first two.

[Panther TV's reality show [X-Star] is on the cusp of another high-rated season, with the first two episodes getting high ratings, similar to the last seasons.

Talented contestants, interesting backstory and very entertaining – The show had everything that other reality shows in this age don't, and its grounded approach had already made it a fan favourite.

But when the third episode was released, it got way higher ratings than the first two episodes.

It was mainly because of the theme of the second round, which was introduced to be a group round. This made contestants group together with each other, which gave an interesting perspective to the viewer.

Many famous contestants grouped, which made the viewers interested in the development. Moreover, the stills of them working together and even the arguments made it a greatly entertaining episode.

Mainly because many viewers came to Sparrow to talk about their favourite contestants and the groups they were in after the episode.

Due to this, X-Star was trending on Sparrow yesterday. For a while, it had more tweets than even the most critical news yesterday, which was of a famous yet controversial businessman wanting to run for President…

…

/DreamNote/

Don't forget to vote with your power stones

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A continuation of the article on the Gossip Tribunal…

[X-Star Season Three's new episode has garnered huge ratings once again. This show's latest episode's highlights were the contestants grouping amongst themselves for the Second Round. Many famous contestants like Rachel, Cameron, Emily and Aiden were in different groups, giving the viewers a critical dive into their personalities.

Cameron, who debuted in the second episode, had become very popular among female fans because of his looks and skills.

Before coming onto the show, the young singer had already amassed a lot of popularity with more than 100k subscribers on the online video sharing and social media platform, MeTube, and had even released an original song on the audio streaming and media services provider, Melody.

With such a rich background, he grabbed a lot of eyeballs.

He was in a group with three girls and one other guy, and in the episode, an argument was shown amongst the group members, mainly because of creative differences.

Although the episode portrayed Cameron as more of a villain as the main instigator of the fight, his fans defended his behaviour.

One of the users wrote on Sparrow defending his behaviour, "The program team is just trying to portray him as a pretentious prick when Cameron was right in his stance. Without him, that group won't even get any screen time."

Other than Cameron, the other contestants that got a bit of footage were Alex Green, Archie Fox and Helen Kerr. Emily Jung, the Korean-American girl, was also in the limelight as she grouped with a band for the second round.

But, the main players in yesterday's broadcast were the group with two of the most famous contestants in the show.

Rachel and Aiden were certainly the protagonists of the first episode, and it was a great surprise for the viewers when the two of them surprisingly decided to form a group.

Although the group had other talented contestants, the focus was on the two of them..

Practice videos of the group performing and talking about their song were being talked about a lot, especially due to X-Star's team releasing new, unedited footage on their social media accounts after the broadcast.

One of the most viral footage was the whole group talking about how they had practised the song.

Here's a short clip from the viral video:

[Marlo: So, how are you all? Is the practice going well?]

[Rachel: Yes, we have divided the song among us and have been practising it nonstop, and I think we will give an incredible performance]

[Marlo: Are you all getting used to each other? You are all pretty different types of singers]

[Sam: We have tried to do our best to mix our voices well, and although it's not easy, we are pretty comfortable with each other for now.]

Like this, other footage of more contestants was released. But the broadcast ratings broke records at the end when the teaser of the next episode was shown with Rachel and Aiden's group performance.

It might not be wrong to say that X-Star might hit a never seen before peak rating in the next episode]

Aside from this article, there were more from other blogging sites. But the main discussion was still ongoing on Sparrow.

In the past few years, Sparrow has already become a hub for online discussions with people presenting different opinions and getting offended when others' opinions don't match with theirs.

The third episode of X-Star again made Sparrow users discuss their favourite contestants.

Shaquille_Oatmeal: Exciting episode! That dude Cameron could have been an NBA star if he was into basketball! He's so freakin' tall!

Chad_Putin: If only I were twenty years younger, I would have married Rachel. #QueenForTheWin.

Charli_For_President: I feel like Cameron is unfairly trolled. Anyway, I'm pretty sure he will win the competition.

Small_is_Good: I really enjoyed this episode. I have been watching this show since the start but felt like the contestants this season are more interesting. At least, I'm more invested.

Online_Simp: I didn't really expect them to get grouped together. Their expressions were great when the judges announced the second round. Kinda funny because they must have been thinking everyone else was a competitor.

I_YELL_A_LOT: Cameron seems like that rich bad boy type. I don't know if that's his personality or just a persona, but it's too cliche for the current times. Rather than him, Aiden gives a fresh vibe.

JammyCameron: Rachel can be a movie star with those looks. (Speaking with experience.)

You_are_a_Wizard_Harry: Is it only me that's gushing over Aiden and Rachel working together. Both look like they would go a long way. I wonder what they were talking about in the stills we saw during the broadcast.

BST_cursed_fanfiction: @You_are_a_Wizard_Harry. They're probably talking about the song. Or it might be about something else? Who knows.

WhyHateJune: Did you all see the next episode's teaser at the end? I can't wait!!!

Superheroes_are_for_orphans: I feel like we are getting a lot of compelling contestants this season. Unpopular opinion – Rather than Aiden or Rachel, I feel like Cameron is much more talented.

Agent47: He seems to be more talented. More like trained since childhood. He talked about how he had taken singing classes since he was a kid, so he obviously seems better than the rest. But I'm rooting for Rachel.

WhyAsiansAreSlim: I'm on Team Emily. Have a thing for Asians!

Mdfaaaaizz: God, this is getting interesting! I really hope they don't always focus on popular contestants. Popularity doesn't always mean talent. Anyway, it's too early to tell who will win.

Will_is_GoD: Aiden gonna be the new Champ! He has that X factor in my eyes. If you listen to the teaser of the next episode carefully, the song by Cyro seems a bit different. I'm pretty sure Aiden changed some stuff in the song. He's the only one who has shown composing skills till now.

Fuck_the_Sun: @Will_is_GoD Wow!!!! I never noticed it until you pointed it out.

Amber_Turd: Is it only me who's rooting for a romance between Rachel and Aiden? My romantic self wants some gossip.

SleepyJoe: Too early for romance!

WantWorldWar3formemes: Rachel, take my everything! I want to worship you as my goddess and treat you like a queen. Can someone DM me her social media?

Chads_don't_simp: Can someone ban the guy above me? Where's that Martian when you need him?

"The internet has a lot to say about the third episode."

Aiden muttered as he closed his phone off. He was currently standing in the middle of LA International airport. His flight had just landed, and now, he was in the lobby with his suitcase in hand.

The shooting of X-Star had shifted from New York to Los Angeles, so all the contestants who had passed the third round would now be brought to the new location.

"Aiden, why are you standing in the middle of the lobby? Let's go outside, or the bus will leave."

Someone called him from behind. He turned to see Jackson standing there with his suitcase and backpack.

"I was just checking some comments on Sparrow."

"Oh, there are a lot. I checked them last night. Some contestants like Cameron and Rachel are even getting fan pages." Jackson pointed at two people who were walking in some distance. Rachel and the blonde-haired Cameron. "I even saw some comments saying that they will make a fan page for you."

Aiden just smiled at that, and they started walking towards the lobby entrance.

"What about you?" He asked, looking at the red-haired kid. "Aren't people making fan pages of you?"

"Not many are talking about me, to be honest, as I wasn't really shown a lot." He looked a bit sad but then added. "Anyway, now that I have qualified for Star week, the program team would give a lot of exposure to every contestant, right? Anyway, see this!"

Jackson suddenly took out his phone and showed him a Sparrow account titled 'Jackson Brown fan club'.

"You made this?" Aiden asked, and Jackson nodded.

"I can't wait for people to make my fan page. I can do it myself. Some people have already followed it. Want to join my fan club?"

Jackson asked in a goofy manner, and Aiden didn't know whether to laugh at it or not. In the end, he still joined the former's fan club.

After that, they sat on the bus that had come to pick them up. It was the first time Aiden was in LA, and he couldn't help but notice that this city was much different from NYC.

The clear blue sky, the spacious streets and the casual atmosphere with a unique vitality in the air. It was certainly different from the bustling streets of New York.

But he also felt like he could get used to it.

At least, until the end of X-Star, this was his new home.

…

/DreamNote/

Don't forget to vote with your power stones

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In LA, the production team had already prepared the set of X-Star. It was quite similar to the set they had used in the last two seasons with some minor enhancements.

As for the contestants' living quarters, it was right beside the set with separate rooms allotted to everyone and a shared kitchen that they could use anytime, whenever they felt like it.

Aiden probably was the most pleased about having a separate room to himself. He liked privacy, and a whole room to himself meant he could work on more songs and practice without anyone disturbing him.

As for the start of Star Week, the program team had given the contestants three days to get used to LA and sightsee, if they wanted, before the start of shooting.

Many contestants, including Jackson and Emily, visited renowned places in LA. After all, the city is internationally known for being the home of the rich and famous, Hollywood, the main home of major entertainment companies, crazy traffic, ethnical diversity, and the second-largest city in America.

With about four million people, this place is also called the 'City Of Angels'.

It has a lot of places to see, including Hollywood studios, Griffith Park, The Getty Centre, Santa Monica, Venice Beach and even art and history museums. This place was almost an entire world in itself.

But instead of exploring the city, Aiden just spent time in his room, occasionally going out for strolls.

It wasn't like he didn't want to sightsee, but he wanted to improve his skills more than the other contestants. Due to him having a system, he perfectly knew where he stood compared to others, which prompted him to grind his levels and decrease the difference between them as soon as possible.

"The average level of contestants in Star week is around Basic Grade 9, which is the same as me, but there are way better contestants, and with my current level and skills, I don't stand much chance against them."

Tonight was his third night in LA, and by now, Aiden had already analysed every other contestant's skills. Although he was not lacking compared to the average, he knew that the competition was just as much about luck as skill and talent.

And he can't afford to put his trust in something as volatile as luck..

Tomorrow, the shooting for Star Week will officially begin. And there was still uncertainty in his heart as to whether he would be able to survive any longer in this intense competition.

Every day he had practised hard, and even if his system prompted that he was close to breaking into Basic Grade 10, he knew there was a long way to go for him.

He found it even more challenging to break through to the next grade from his current grade.

'Ahh, I'm hungry.'

Aiden sighed, putting down his pen. He was writing lyrics for his next song as he didn't know when he would be required to sing one. After all, his composing skill was his biggest strength, and he needed to use it as much as he could. And when he walked on the stage next time, he wanted to have something that would give him confidence – a new song would be a good bet.

Turning his head, he noticed that it was already close to midnight.

Standing up, he opened the door of his room and slowly moved towards the kitchen. It was on the ground floor, and he had noticed some cup noodles in one of the cupboards earlier that day.

For now, they would satisfy his cravings, and he would be able to sleep.

The hallway was dark, so Aiden had to use the flashlight on his phone, but when he reached the kitchen, he found someone unexpected there, who held a packet of cup noodles in his hand.

With wavy blonde hair and a face that seemed like he starred in a 90s teenage movie, this person was amassing many fans and was one of the hot topics of this season's X-Star.

'Cameron Bryce. One of the strongest contestants in the show.'

When Cameron noticed Aiden standing behind him, he nearly screamed. But when he looked closely, he recognised Aiden.

"You are Aiden, right? Aiden Silverware?"

"Silvereye."

"Yeah, that. Well, hi, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" He asked, putting down the cup of noodles on the table.

"The same thing you are up to."

Aiden pointed at the cup noodles, and Cameron immediately understood. After all, waking up in the middle of the night for some food was not uncommon, so he didn't bother much.

After adding water to their cup noodles, they sat down at the table and waited for them to get ready. By now, every contestant was quite aware of each other.

It was the same for Aiden and Cameron. Though, it was the first time they were talking to each other.

"So, you also woke up in the middle of the night?" Cameron asked, trying not to let an awkward atmosphere set in.

Cameron looked like someone who wouldn't enjoy the company of others, but Aiden felt like he was a better person than people thought of him.

"I have not slept yet. I was trying to write songs." Aiden replied. "I don't know what will come in the next rounds, so I'm trying to prepare a song, just in case I need it."

Cameron nodded his head but hesitated a bit before replying.

"I write songs too or used to. Since I was sixteen, I've been trying to make them, but they never actually worked. Felt like something was always missing from them. So, I have stopped doing that for a while and focused more on my singing."

Aiden recalled the short introduction video of Cameron he had seen in the second episode. Since Cameron's grandfather was a musician, there must be some pressure to walk the same path as him.

"Music is often like that. My songs aren't perfect either, especially when I don't add any instruments to them besides my guitar and voice. You can say they are straightforward and sometimes even quite lacking. I focus more on the emotions."

Aiden replied as the noodles got ready. Then, they both picked a cup and started eating them.

"My grandpa used to say something similar. Music can never be perfect until you are a genius and most of us are not, so we need to focus on affecting the listener's feelings and emotions. What do you feel after listening to a song? You need to portray the emotions directly, but that's the hard part."

"It certainly is hard for me."

"Doesn't seem like it. I have seen you singing. You know how to portray emotions. But, unfortunately, that's not a skill that's easy to come by."

Cameron said, looking a bit envious. Aiden didn't know why but Cameron seemed to have overestimated him by the way he was talking.

If he was truthful, it should be Aiden who should be jealous of Cameron's monstrous talent because when he first saw the latter's status, he felt the same way he did for Rachel.

[Cameron Bryce] [21 years]

[Singing level: Intermediate Grade 2]

[Special skill: Limit Break]

Cameron was on the same level as Rachel, and he was sure to reach the grand finale if everything went normal.

As for his skill, Aiden couldn't make much sense of it. It seemed to be a skill he would normally see in an anime, and the closest guess he had was that the skill helped him break his limits easily.

Maybe, it was because he was on the same level as Rachel despite being two years younger.

"Are you nervous? Star Week is going to start tomorrow."

Cameron suddenly asked while Aiden was looking at the former's skill interface. Star Week was basically a long round in which one or two contestants would be eliminated every week until only four of them would be left for the grand finale.

"A bit, but I'm used to it now. This competition has helped me a lot in getting used to pressure. It was way different when I used to wander through auditions."

"Auditions?"

"Yeah," Aiden pursed his lips. He spoke too much, but after a moment of thought, he decided to go on, "Acting auditions. I mainly came to the United States to become an actor. To take a chance in Hollywood, but it didn't really work out. That's when I found out about X-Star."

"So, you are more of an actor?"

"Well, in this competition, I'm a singer."

Aiden smiled, but Cameron didn't seem satisfied with his answer. He tilted his head a bit before asking.

"I'm asking whether you enjoy acting more than singing?"

"Umm, that's a difficult question." Aiden shook his head, wondering about it. He certainly liked acting more, but his love for music had grown in the past few weeks. "Let's say I enjoy both things. Both are very different and alike to me at the same time. I would love to play a character in a movie, and likewise, I enjoy telling a story through music."

Cameron didn't say anything else at that and just finished his noodles. Then, standing up, he gave Aiden a weird look.

"That was a nice talk. I will see you in Star Week. I think I will love beating you if we are against each other."

He said before walking back to his room.

The last line of the sentence was something that Aiden had seen on the broadcast a lot. Although Cameron turned out to be a good guy, he had a bit of edginess.

'And he got annoyed because I also act…? Weird….'

…

/DreamNote/

Don't forget to vote with your power stones

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Rachel was rich.

From her childhood, she had lived in luxury. Going to the finest school in London, then to the best high school and then to a famous college.

She never had to worry about money, a resource most of the world loses their sleep over.

But reality was far from different.

Her father and mother never got along well and there were always fights in the family. Being the youngest of her siblings, she was always compared to them and more often than not, she was made to believe that she wasn't enough. No matter what she does, she can't be as good at studies like her elder sister or good at sports like her elder brother.

The atmosphere was never good and maybe because she was frustrated with her father, her mother would often scold Rachel a lot to siphoning off her frustration.

But things truly became worse when her mother found out that her father was cheating with another woman. She still remembered the face of her mother as she was screaming at her father with tears.

Her siblings were old enough to deal with it but she wasn't. She was just 9 back then.

It affected her a lot mentally and maybe it was after that, she became cold. It was just to deal with people. A defence mechanism.

She didn't want anyone to get close to her as she has already been hurt too much at a young age. If someone got close to her, they would leave. That's what she had experienced and in the end, she could only depend on herself.

She felt like it was better to be alone than hurt.

She might be cold, act like she doesn't care but in the end, it's just her personality now. After years of acting like that, the act became a reality..

The only thing she ever liked and was good at was singing and music.

Thanks to her being from a rich family and learning instruments being something taught in high society, she was able to learn more about music.

Still, her wanting to take music as a career was something that was never taken seriously by her family. They wanted her to get a more respectful job and get married into another rich family.

Although they were rich, traditional values never left. They just evolved a bit.

That's why, as soon as she graduated from college, she went to America, wanting to have a fresh start without her family surname, deciding what she can or can't do.

And in the end, X-Star was her first big opportunity.

"X-Star is the best opportunity I can get to do something I like. I know being a singer isn't easy and I don't even know if I'm talented enough, but I really want to give my best to try to win the competition."

Rachel was currently in the middle of an interview just before the next round was going to begin. Marlo was doing an interview of every contestant one by one to edit it in the broadcast.

Smiling a bit, Marlo asked, "You have been in the competition since a while and are touted to be one of the most famous contestants, at least going by the online craze for you. How does it make you feel?"

"I feel good because it would help me get a bit closer to the title of the winner."

She was saying this because in the next rounds, viewers voting was going to start and any social media fan following was going to be vital.

Marlo liked her mentality. Everything she had answered was one way or another connected to winning the competition. She was very sure of her goal.

"Have you gotten close to any other contestants? Two people passed the second round with you."

"Not really." She shook her head. "Michelle is mostly with her group and I have not talked a lot with Aiden. I am not in the competition for friendships."

"But isn't some closeness good? After all, a lot of other contestants are getting along fine with each other."

Marlo asked, wondering how he should edit her earlier sentence. Just editing it like she's saying "I'm not in the competition for friendships" without any context would surely get a lot of eyeballs.

"They might be getting along. But I'm not like that. I don't know if I can trust anyone here. I don't really trust a lot of people generally."

"That means you do trust a few."

Rachel made a troubled expression hearing that and Marlo decided to grab onto it. If he didn't, then he wasn't a good host.

"Can you add to this?"

"Uh, well." Rachel struggled with her words and frowned a bit. "I used to have people I was close with but there were not many and after I came to America, we stopped talking. That happens a lot, so it wasn't surprising."

"So, you are not looking to make more friends?"

She shook her head and gave a firm reply, "No, I'm just here to win. Nothing more than that."

The interview finished with that and Marlo thanked her and asked her to leave. He still had to interview some other contestants, so every interview was quick.

As Rachel left the interview room, she felt a bit weak. In the interview, Marlo had asked about her family and it had brought back some unpleasant memories.

She shook her head, trying to not think of those memories.

"I can do it. No matter what, I just need to focus on winning. After I win, I will finally be able to make a name for myself…"

At that moment, she suddenly heard footsteps and stopped talking to herself. From around the corner, Aiden walked in, making her scared for a minute.

"Hello, I guess your interview just ended."

He said but Rachel didn't reply. Her face had become hard, wondering whether he had heard her mutterings or not.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, not getting any reply from her.

"Yeah." She finally said. "You don't have to worry."

Saying that, she walked past him and Aiden stood there, processing the weird and awkward conversations.

'Why is she always acting like that?'

He frowned before going towards the interview room.

"Your challenge in Star Week's first round will be a group challenge."

When Andrew said that, all the contestants gathered on the stage started whispering among themselves. They were certainly not expecting another group challenge.

'Another group challenge? This is X-Star, not MasterChef.'

Aiden thought as he waited for Andrew to explain more about it. He had an overall bad feeling about this round.

"This challenge won't be the same as the second round. You all will be assigned in groups by us and there's going to be a theme for it. Maybe you will understand more about the challenge by its name. It's going to be called 'Band challenge.'"

Steven explained more about the challenge while making eye contact with all the contestants.

"Rock bands are famous all over the world with all sorts of popular musicians coming together to make excellent music. I'm pretty sure you all are fond of some rock bands yourself too." He continued his words with a smirk. "In this round, four people are required to come together to form a band and perform a song which means at least three people in each band need to play some kind of instrument."

Aiden suddenly remembered the time he was filling the form for X-Star. There was a question where they asked if you could play an instrument. Maybe, it was just because of this round.

"As we have a group among us." Alyssa looked at Michelle's group. "There's going to be five bands with four of them consisting of four members and one of them consisting of three."

"A band will pass as a whole, so if you have a good performance, the whole band will pass. Likewise if you mess up, the whole band will fail."

Andrew finished it and with that, everyone understood the gist of this round.

Aiden had realised that the show has a way of throwing contestants into uncomfortable situations that they won't expect. Contestants around him were busy thinking if they were any good in instruments.

In his eyes, this round was way harder than the second round. They would need to play the music themselves and there could be only one vocal. Maybe, a sub vocal can be there but two people needed to focus alone on the instruments.

This just meant that they would need to keep aside their differences, egos and pride and focus on just giving a good performance.

'I can't just be assigned with just anyone here.'

As the judges were going to assign them in their teams, Aiden could only wish that he didn't get assigned with someone who he can't get along with.

Otherwise, he could very well be eliminated right after reaching Star Week.

…

/DreamNote/

Don't forget to vote with your power stones

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

"I can't believe we're grouped together."

Cameron muttered, shaking his head a bit. Although he said it like he was disappointed, there was a thin smile on his face.

"We can't do anything about it. The judges grouped us together."

Aiden replied, looking around the room, his eyes darting over the three people in front of him.

"Isn't it good we are grouped together? It's better than getting grouped with someone you don't really know."

Jackson, the third member of the group muttered. Beside him, Emily nodded her head.

"Yeah, I am acquainted with you, Jackson, since we were in the same group in the second round. And I also talked a bit with you, Aiden. It's only Cameron who I don't know, but I don't really mind this setup."

Cameron grumbled hearing that.

"Then, it's only me who doesn't know anyone here."

It's been an hour since the members were assigned to each band but Aiden's band hadn't been able to even have a proper conversation. They were just sitting in the lounge room provided to them.

'These guys are too different from each other.'

Aiden thought, sighing inwardly. Cameron didn't seem like the type to be good with people, Jackson wasn't someone you could rely on to take charge and Emily just seemed happy to be on the show, not caring about other things..

Clapping his hands to attract their attention, Aiden opened his mouth.

"I don't think we should spend our time leisurely. I know it's hard to work with people you don't really know enough, especially in a setting where we need to work as a band."

"And who made you the leader?"

Cameron asked suddenly and Aiden frowned in response.

"No one did but I'm sure the other bands would have already started discussing the song they have received and some would have even started their practice. Do you want to lag behind?"

Aiden was using the fact that Cameron's pride was quite high and he didn't like being behind other contestants. And it certainly seemed to have worked as he looked a bit blank.

After a while, he blinked his eyes and asked.

"Are you saying it without any substance or do you have a plan?"

"I might have one but first we need to analyse the song. Then, know each other's strengths and assign the vocals and instruments."

The song they received was a song named 'Sweet child' by a band called Bullets and Roses. The good thing was that the song just used some basic instruments like keyboard, electric guitar and drums so it would be easier to perform.

Aiden stood up and got a pen and paper. Then, he wrote down the name of the song on the top of the paper and below it, he wrote 'Vocalist'.

"First, we need a vocalist. That's the main thing in any song. All of us are here because of our singing but only one of us could be the main vocalist in this band."

Cameron seemed like he wanted to say something but Jackson beat him to it and raised his hand, like he was asking permission to speak.

"Yeah, Jackson?"

"I have the experience of being in a band and I was the vocalist of the band, so I have experience. I think I should be the vocalist because of my experience."

"That shouldn't be any criteria to make you the vocalist. In the first place, the vocalist should be the one who has the best vocals out of us. Traditionally, it's like that."

Cameron replied and Jackson didn't seem to like his tone as he glared.

"Are you saying I'm not good enough?"

"If you want to think of it like that but I meant it in a more softer way."

He smirked and Aiden was sure that they were going to end up fighting if he didn't interfere.

Cameron already has a history of it in the show anyway.

"Stop it you two. We will just end up fighting like this." He frowned. "Jackson, you think you should be the vocalist because of your experience, right? Anything you want to add."

Jackson shook his head and then, Aiden looked at Cameron.

"Why do you think you should be the vocalist, Cameron?"

"Just because I think I'm the best among us." That got another glare from Jackson and Emily looked a bit odd. "I'm not trying to be arrogant here or anything. I'm saying this because I passed the third round straightaway. Moreover, I have sung these types of songs before. Heck, I even sang a cover of this song on my MeTube channel! I can sing the song better than anyone here."

Aiden nodded after hearing that and looked at Emily, gesturing to her to speak. He knew that even she wanted to be the vocalist as the most attention will be on the vocal.

She fiddled with her fingers for a bit before opening her mouth.

"Uh, I think I'm pretty good myself. Like Cameron, I passed the judges round straight too. Andrew even said that I have a unique voice and moreover, the original song isn't sung by a girl, so I think it will be a bit different. I'm very confident in acing the song."

"Okay."

Aiden nodded and felt a bit conflicting. All three of them had good reasons to be the vocalist. At that moment, Emily suddenly looked strangely at him.

"Do you not want to be the vocalist?" She said it while finding Aiden's behaviour very strange. "We all said the reasons we should be vocal but you didn't."

"Well…"

Aiden didn't know how to reply to that. If he was telling the truth, he did want to be the vocalist but he also knew that there were two people better than him in this aspect.

Cameron had the best skill rank while Emily had been on Basic Grade 10 longer than he is, so it was not wrong to think that she was better.

In that case, it was better for him to not fight for the position of the vocalist. After all, he would qualify if the whole band did, so rather than thinking of himself, it was better to focus on how they could perform the song well.

"I do want to be the vocalist but it's fine even if I am not one. I haven't sung a lot of songs that have very high notes and require a bit of screaming, so it's better to not fight for it when I'm not confident. Moreover, if I even try to fight for it, I don't think we will reach any conclusion soon."

Everyone nodded at that. His point was pretty clear. After all, being the vocalist was also a matter of huge responsibility.

"Anyway, so who should be the vocalist?"

Jackson asked, looking at him. Emily and Cameron did the same. It seemed like they were leaving the issue to Aiden as he was giving up on being the vocalist.

'This would have been difficult if I didn't have my system.'

He thought, before glancing at Cameron.

"I think Cameron should be the vocalist. Both because of his singing ability and the fact that he knows the song. Moreover, he's one of the top rated contestants in the show and we all know that."

Cameron grinned like he had won a battle while both Jackson and Emily looked a bit disappointed.

"Well, Emily could be the sub vocalist alongside me. I can play an electric guitar or a bass. Can you play the keyboard?" He asked, looking at her and she nodded her head.

"Yeah, I can do that."

Now, only Jackson was left and he felt a lot sad due to the fact that only he won't be the one singing. Knowing that he needed to explain the reasons he hadn't selected Jackson, Aiden said.

"Jackson, it's not like I didn't think you won't be a good vocalist or a sub vocalist, but there are reasons."

"What reasons?"

"As you know, It's a round where we are going in as a band, so we need to think of who is going to play the instruments too. Cameron is going to be the vocalist and Emily on the keyboard. I will be handling the electric guitar, so drums are still left and I think only you can play it among us. Anyway, if we perform well, we all will qualify."

Aiden still remembered how Jackson had told him that he had learnt how to play drums from his older brother but as there was already a drummer in his band, he had instead become the vocalist.

Jackson still looked a bit disappointed but he also understood where Aiden was coming from.

It was at that moment that Aiden's system suddenly showed him a prompt.

[Congratulations! You have unlocked a special trait due to you proving yourself to be a successful planner. Now, you can see the instrumental skill of other people.]

[The levels in the instrumental skills range from Level 1 to 10.]

…

/DreamNote/

Don't forget to vote with your power stones

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

When Aiden saw the system prompts before him, he felt like it was his lucky day. He always had a feeling that what he was seeing of his system was not everything.

It helped him improve his pre-existing skills rapidly, but there was surely a lot more to it. That's why, when he saw the system prompts telling him that he had unlocked a special trait, he felt like his doubts had turned into a reality.

'This will surely help me out in the future.'

He thought in his mind. Checking the instrumental skill of someone would be vital if he had his own performances in the future.

"Is there anything on my face, Aiden? You have been staring at me non-stop." Emily suddenly spoke, feeling a bit uncomfortable from his gaze.

He was looking at his system prompts, but since Emily couldn't see those, it felt like he was staring at her face.

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking about something."

"Is that so? Or you just got a crush on her." Jackson smirked. Emily glanced at the latter, and her expression revealed she didn't appreciate such remarks.

"No, I didn't," Aiden said and changed the subject. "Let's begin the practice now that we have discussed the song."

They all nodded and left the lounge room and headed towards the practice room. The program team had allotted each band a separate practice room, so it was very comfortable.

As he walked, Aiden tried to use the new special trait he had unlocked. He was very curious about the level of his instrumental skills were at.

[Aiden Silvereye] [24 years]

[Singing level: Basic Grade 9]

[Acting level: Basic Grade 9]

[Instrumental skills:

Guitar: Level 5

Keyboard: Level 1

Flute: Level 3]

(AN: Proffeicincy of instruments is now divided into 'Level 1-10' instead of 'Grade 1-10' to avoid confusion with other skill proficiency system.).

Aiden had learned guitar for a long time, so he was happy to see that he at least was middle level in it. As for the keyboard, he just knew the very basics and couldn't play it very well, and the flute was something that he had learnt in India.

'Let's check the others.'

He thought and glanced at Cameron, who was walking ahead of him.

[Cameron Bryce] [21 years]

[Singing level: Intermediate Grade 2]

[Instrumental skills:

Guitar: Level 5

Bass: Level 4]

It was mostly the same as him. Though he knew how to play two instruments, Cameron didn't really seem like the type of guy who would be interested in learning instruments.

Next was Emily, who was walking just beside him.

[Emily Jung] [21 years]

[Singing level: Basic Grade 10]

[Instrumental skills:

Keyboard: Level 4

Piano: Level 3]

Her Keyboard level was pretty fine, and Aiden thought that she would be able to perform 'Sweet child' well because, in the end, the keyboard's part was very minimal.

'Last is Jackson. I know he has played a lot of instruments.'

Aiden thought and quickly checked his skill interface, not knowing that he would be shocked.

[Jackson Brown] [18 years]

[Singing level: Basic Grade 7]

[Instrumental skills:

Drums: Level 7

Guitar: Level 3

Bass: Level 3]

'Am I seeing it right?'

Aiden couldn't help but look at Jackson's status with round eyes. He had thought that having Level 5 in guitar was pretty good, but Jackson had Level 7 skill in drums, which clearly meant that he was super talented in playing the drums.

After all, Level 7 was almost touching the top level.

'I don't think he even knows where his talent lies.'

At first, Aiden had thought of Jackson as someone who had reached Star week on luck. At least, that was the case if he just goes by the stats.

Jackson had the luck of a romantic comedy anime protagonist, barely surviving every round. But he had never thought that he would be so talented at playing the drums.

'Now, how should I exactly use his skill?'

That was the main question roaming in his head.

"I think we should do it a bit differently. We are clearly missing the sync in the second verse."

"Yeah, and try to sing that part a bit slowly. The pace will pick up in the chorus."

"Yeah, okay. I know what to do."

Cameron said, glancing between a sheet of paper containing the lyrics and Aiden. They were in the practice room, and it had already been two hours since they started practising for the next round.

At the start, they were pretty bad since they didn't know if they would be able to keep up with each other, especially Cameron and Emily, who were making many mistakes like missing a beat or forgetting the lines in the middle.

Even Aiden looked out of place with the electric guitar in his hand. Only Jackson was able to play the drums perfectly.

In the two hours practice session, he was brilliant. Aiden could vouch for that as he constantly kept an eye on him. Moreover, he could say with guarantee that Jackson's skills in drums were way better than his singing skills.

'Ah, I really want to find a way to use his skills. Otherwise, I feel like I'm missing an opportunity.'

Aiden grimaced in his mind. He wanted to make the drum part more critical in the song as he knew Jackson would be able to show his skills the best only then, but he didn't know how to do it.

Finding his behaviour a bit strange, Emily tapped him on the shoulder.

"Are you okay? You seem out of place."

"Ah, yeah, I am okay. I am just thinking of an idea to make the song even better. Something that will get us extra points from the judges."

"Like what exactly?" She tilted her head. "Are you thinking of changing some lyrics like in the second round?"

Aiden shook his head. This time, there was nothing really wrong with the song that he could add. At most, they could rearrange it to suit themsel-

'Wait! I know what to do!"

"I got an idea."

He said in a raised voice, attracting the attention of both Cameron and Jackson. They both walked up to him, wondering what idea he had.

"What type of idea did you get suddenly?" Cameron asked, looking at the grin on Aiden's face.

"Let's go for a drum solo for 30 seconds at the song's end."

This was what Aiden had come up with. Although he can't rearrange the whole song, he could at least change the last 30 seconds.

"What do you mean? A drum solo at the end! You're joking, right? We don't have time for this."

Cameron looked like he had heard the most absurd joke because this song was more about the bass and guitar than the drum.

"Hear me out."

Aiden took a deep breath and started explaining his idea.

"I'm pretty sure we would be able to pass this round with our group, but I don't think the song will leave any lasting impression. People would say that we sang the song well, but at the end of the competition, no one will really remember it."

"Aiden, what are you trying to say?" Emily raised an eyebrow, finding his words both weird and intriguing.

"I'm saying let's make the performance memorable. It worked when I did it in the second round. Changing lyrics wasn't a lot, but it made a very good impression on the judges. This song has nothing to change, but we can omit the last vocal part."

"Why would we do that?"

"So that the judges and the live audience get an electrifying drum solo. It won't be hard, considering that the last part of the song has a 10-second drum and bass part with the vocals breaking through it in the end. We can just remove the vocals and the bass and give them a drum solo that makes their hearts beat faster."

Both Cameron and Emily imagined the idea in their head while Jackson already loved it. They had listened to drum solos before and knew their impact if done right, but it needed a very high skill level to pull it off.

"No, it's too risky. Moreover, there's no need to take the risk." Cameron said, rejecting the idea completely.

"I think Jackson can pull it off."

Aiden countered, looking at Jackson, who nodded his head rapidly.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can pull it off. Drums were my first instrument, so I practised with them for hours. I'm very confident in doing a 30-second drum solo."

"Still, I don't agree with this idea."

"Let's just take a vote." Aiden proposed. The fastest way to proceed with this was a vote, and Cameron didn't mind it either, thankfully.

"Go on. I'm rejecting it."

"I'm in favour of it," Aiden said, glancing beside him at the red-haired guy.

"I'm in favour too."

Now, only Emily was left with her decision going to decide the outcome. The three of them looked at her, and she felt a bit of pressure, wondering who to give her vote to.

In the end, her eyes moved a bit towards Aiden before she frowned.

"Uh, well, I think it's an idea worth going for. So I'm in favour."

With that, it was decided!

…

/DreamNote/

Mass Release Target 101:

Based on weekly powerstone rankings!

Top30 = 1 Bonus Chapter

Top20 = 3 Bonus Chapter

Top10 = 5 Bonus Chapter

Top5 = ???

…

Bonus Chapters will be released on sunday mid-night, based on preceding performance of the novel.

Don't forget to vote for more chapters!

Current Rank: 31

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

After almost a week of practice, it was time for the performance. Aiden's band had worked with a new arrangement at the end, and they were feeling pretty confident about giving an excellent performance.

The stage for the performance was way grander than the set in New York, with more live audience seating at the back.

Though, Aiden knew that many in the live audience were just staff of the Panther TV or those who had gotten passes with the help of their connections.

"You are going to go first."

A staff member said, looking down at Aiden's band. They didn't seem much surprised by it—only a bit nervous, which was very typical.

"Okay."

"Just walk through the door in ten minutes. We have already set up everything, good luck with the performance!"

The staff member left after informing them, and with each passing second, they couldn't help but feel a bit more nervous and scared.

Especially Jackson, whose performance was the most crucial in today's round.

Depending on his performance, he would either be a villain or a hero of the day in tomorrow's news articles. There was no grey area in his case.

"Don't worry about it." Aiden looked at him, noticing his shaky legs. "Just remember what we practised. You nailed it then. Now, you just need to do the same in front of the judges and audience."

"Jackson, it will be fine. Just focus on creating great music on the stage." Emily also added, and it made Jackson feel a bit better.

"Thank you, guys."

'I need to give my best too, even if I will mostly be on the sidelines in this song.'

Aiden thought inwardly and stood up from his seat. Then, looking up at his bandmates, he held out his hand in the form of a fist.

"Let's give our best there!".

Emily was the first to bump it, Jackson doing so a second later. Only Cameron didn't, but when he noticed the gaze on him, he bumped it too.

Though, he let out a sigh before doing so.

"Welcome back, guys! So you are the first band tonight. Do you think you can give a good performance?"

Alyssa asked as they entered the stage.

"Yes, we are very confident in giving a performance that will qualify us for the next round," Cameron replied on behalf of the whole team.

"That's good. Cameron, the last time you were with a group, you had arguments. Was it the same this time?"

Steven asked with a smirk. The other two judges also seemed interested in the answer, and after glancing behind him, Cameron replied.

"Things turned out to be much better this time."

The judges nodded at that answer. That was enough chit chat as Steven gave the gesture to start their performance.

"Okay, start your performance. I'm expecting a lot from you all. Let's see what you can bring out."

With that, the performance began.

'Sweet Child' was a rock song with vibes straight from the 80s, and although it sounded like a typical rock song, the lyrics were meaningful.

The song started with the electric guitar. In the past, Aiden had played this tune a lot, so his hands were already moving when they started the song. An electrifying feeling released out of the guitar as the drums joined in, with the keyboard coming at the end.

It was then that, in this harmony, the first verse started with Cameron pushing down on the bass he had in his hand.

"Oh, Sweet child, whenever I look at your face."

"It reminds me of when my friends and I used to race."

"The sky was blue, and times were right."

"You remind me of those cold summer nights."

Cameron tried to impersonate a slightly scratchy voice for the song's first verse, and it came off perfectly with the guitar increasing in intensity with the keyboard sound, adding the required subtle softness.

On the stage, it felt like Cameron was impersonating the aura of a perfect rockstar, and slowly, Aiden even saw a white light coming off of him.

The white light spread everywhere, and seeing it, he smiled while focusing on playing the guitar. He knew he didn't have to worry about the vocals and just needed to do his work.

"You had the smile that I once carried, full of innocence and peace."

"And the joy that I swear not to let it decrease."

"Whenever I tell you my fun childhood stories."

"I break down those memories, sweet and painful, but those were the days of glory."

Ending the second verse, Cameron did a bit of screaming as all the cameras zoomed on him. It was then that the point where Aiden's chance to shine came.

This part of the song required him to increase the tempo to the highest level, and it seemed like his fingers were dancing on the electric guitar as a melody that can make your arm hairs stand came out.

"Oh, child of mineeeee."

Cameron screamed as Emily tapped the keyboard furiously, and it was then that both she and Aiden joined Cameron in singing.

"You will have a lot of dreams under this blue sky."

"I will never let a tear fall down your eyes."

"Cause you are… my… chilllldddd!"

The white light intensified at that moment as even the judges felt like they were in a concert. The live audience felt the same as they started cheering and screaming like they heard a full-fledged band.

Cameron even started dancing a bit, letting his body flow away with the atmosphere.

Now, only the last verse was left, and after that, the song will be of Jackson to complete.

"Wherever you go, my shadow will come along."

"Protecting you from day to night, all along."

"I know there will be times when you're gonna cry, making you wanna leave life behind."

"But those times come and go, and at those moments, memories are the things you should think back to."

"Oh, my sweet child. Oh, ya, ohhhh!"

Cameron sang at the last part in high pitch with all the strength he had in his voice. His vocal cords provided him with enough stability to go all the way, and standing behind him, Aiden couldn't help but marvel at that spectacle.

He wasn't even close to this level right now.

'Now, it's all on Jackson.'

He glanced at Jackson, and the latter didn't look like someone nervous. Instead, his eyes were focused, and he had already lost himself in the music.

Every cell in his body just wanted to complete this song.

After singing the last verse, Cameron stepped away, even if half a minute of the song was left. And at that moment, Jackson completely took over.

He hit the bass drum and released a pitch boom on the entire stage. His hands moved like lightning as they hit every part of the drum, the tom-tom, snare, the bass drum – everything.

It felt like someone had set off fireworks in the music as Jackson showed every ounce of his talent to the judges and the audience.

For 30 seconds, the world was his stage, and he awed everyone in just these few seconds.

It was so brilliant that his other band members stared at him with wide eyes. It was even more spectacular than the practice sessions.

There was already sweat forming on his forehead, but he didn't care about it. The audience who had just listened to Cameron's electrifying voice already forgot its feeling as a new one crept in.

The drum sticks moved like Jackson's weapons as he truly enamoured the audience. Then, suddenly, Aiden noticed a small silver light creeping out from the drum, mixing with the song.

The light made the already bright atmosphere brighter. From here, Aiden just let out a smile and closed his eyes, wanting to feel the music.

Even after the 30 seconds passed, Jackson kept ongoing.

No one tried to stop him as he played. They could only keep their eyes on him and thank the gods for this performance.

Finally, after some more seconds, the intensity started dying down as Jackson's one-man show ended.

'It ended… feels like it's too soon.'

Aiden thought as he saw Jackson wiping sweat off his forehead and taking deep breaths. The performance had left him tired.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of clapping and cheering from the audience. They all looked down from the stage and saw some people even standing up from their seats while others were calling for them to do it again.

'This feels like I'm standing in my own concert.'

All four of them had the same thought as they basked in the cheers and admiration. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience for them.

Aiden saw the white light with a tinge of silver slowly spreading in the audience as the cheers kept getting louder. They were so loud that even the judges couldn't speak for a long time.

Even if they wanted to, they truly needed to take a few moments to gather their thoughts after such a performance.

…

/DreamNote/

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Backstage, silence filled the whole room. Even if they wanted, they didn't find anything to say. Some contestants were even rubbing their eyes in disbelief, but their ears had heard everything.

"What the heck… That performance."

"I can't believe it."

"How are we going to top that?"

"We lost even before our turn came…"

A few contestants muttered; their voices were meek in strength as they glanced at their band members. A sense of inferiority could be seen in their eyes as they weren't sure if they could top the performance of Aiden's group.

It was too high of a mountain to cross.

Even Rachel couldn't help but frown. If she weren't from a wealthy British family and had been taught etiquette and how to react in public, she would have already started cursing in frustration.

'I want to top that atmosphere, but I don't know how to… damn it!'

Still, she cursed in her mind and tried to calm herself down.

At some distance from her, Marlo was having a completely different reaction than the contestants.

His hands were shaking in excitement, and just thinking about the ratings, they would get when they showed this performance was enough for him to grin so much that it looked like his face would rip.

There was stuff like this in the past seasons, legendary moments that caused disbelief and excitement in viewers, but they had happened way later, closer to the finale. This was the first time it had happened so early.

He had never thought that this band round would give something like this. In the first place, any band with Cameron was more likely to argue than give out a performance like this. The kid was talented but too prideful..

But somehow, it had all come together nicely.

Cameron, with his unbelievable vocal skills at such a young age, Aiden with his handsome face and charisma, Emily with her pretty appearance that would sell well among American audiences, but the star at the end was definitely Jackson. This contestant hasn't gotten the same attention as his bandmates before this performance.

Jackson didn't have a great appearance, nor did he have unmatched vocal skills. He couldn't even compose and had barely passed in every round, making him seem like a background character in between the main characters.

But he had emerged as the star. A hidden gem!

'I didn't know he could play the drums like this. It's almost like he has years of experience. He completely aced the drum solo at the end.'

Marlo thought and was sure that some top band would rope him in as their drummer even if Jackson got eliminated.

At that moment, one of his assistants suddenly walked close to him.

"Sir, look at this."

Marlo turned around to his assistant, holding a laptop and headphones. On it, the original music video of Sweet Child was playing.

"Why are you showing me this?" Marlo asked.

"Sir, I checked the music video and the original audio. There's no drum solo at the end. They incorporated it in the song themselves."

"Oh…"

Marlo trailed off and took the laptop in his hands. Then, wearing the headphones, he listened to the whole song again and found that his assistant was indeed right.

"Do you know whose idea it was to change the ending?" He asked, and his assistant nodded with a smile that almost seemed like a grin.

"Yeah, I checked the cameras in the lounge and practice room. I think we might have gotten some great footage."

Andrew was the first to open his mouth among the judges. Touching his forehead, he laughed a bit before speaking on the mic.

"If I'm being very, very honest, I don't think I can judge this. It's too good to be judged."

The band members cheered at that. Jackson looked like he wanted to dance right there on the stage even if he was tired from the performance.

"That was great. Really. I try not to be harsh on the contestants, but I can't find anything to point out with this performance, even if I want to be harsh. Good job, you all! Really a great job you have done."

The audience clapped at her assessment. With this, they had already gotten approval from two judges and were going into the next round.

"What do you think, Steven?"

Andrew looked at Steven, who was silent till now. Then, with a smile, he opened his mouth.

"I think it's a pity." His words caused some unrest among the audience. "I think it's a pity that they are not a real band."

As he completed the sentence, Aiden took a deep breath. In the past seasons, Steven hadn't liked the performance even if everyone else had.

This time, it was different.

"If you were a real band, I would have surely signed you up after this competition. You were that good together."

Finishing that, he looked at Jackson.

"Your drum solo at the end was one of the best I heard in several years. Take my advice, and you would be far more successful as a drummer than a singer."

Jackson seemed to be in some thoughts, but he shook his head and replied.

"I want to focus on singing for the time being."

"I understand that, but come to my label if you ever thought of becoming a drummer. I think I might be able to help you out."

"Thank you."

This was as high a praise one can get from Steven, and Jackson also knew that. That's why he was very grateful for the others.

He had never gotten such an evaluation since the start of the competition.

After that, the judges gave out their evaluation separately on each band member, with Cameron getting the highest praise after Jackson, and Aiden and Emily were commended for being the perfect support.

After all, without the two of them, Cameron and Jackson wouldn't have been able to stand out so much.

In the end, the judges touted the performance to be so good that they were ready to announce the results on the spot.

"You all are qualifying for the next round! Congratulations!"

Emily was the most excited one after the judges qualified them. She screamed in joy and hugged both Jackson and Aiden, who were beside her. She even roped in Cameron for a group hug.

Although it was a bit awkward, everyone was able to understand her emotions.

They were the first band to qualify, after all!

Right after Aiden's band performance ended, the second band was called in. Aiden was pretty relaxed now that he knew his results.

He and his bandmates just enjoyed the performance of the other bands. Though, he was constantly thinking of one thing.

'None of them are as good as ours.'

The other bands didn't seem to have that harmony that their band did. Although the performances weren't bad, they couldn't be called great either. It was barely in the middle.

They also looked to be very nervous due to Aiden's band performance. One band even messed up in the middle with the vocal forgetting their lines.

Their evaluation was the worst among every band, with Steven telling the vocalist, "You are a singer, and it's basic to remember the lines. Very basic! You are not a chicken with a small brain, are you?!"

That was very harsh on the vocalist, who even started crying a bit, but he was sure that just that clip would give the show some more ratings. After all, no viewer hated drama.

Reality shows were all about it in the first place.

If Aiden had to point out who was the second-best, it had to be Rachel's band. He hadn't talked to any of her band members, but the performance was completely a one-man show or, in this case, a one-woman show.

Rachel carried her whole team, who weren't even able to support her perfectly. They kept missing a beat or a chord, and despite that, Rachel kept going.

Her vocal skills were on full display, and it was a good performance just because of her. Even the judges pointed it out, criticising her bandmates.

Only because of her they qualified for the next round.

Aside from that, there were not a lot of good performances. Michelle's girl group was the only other band that was good. They had already gotten used to singing with each other, and that clearly showed in the performance.

In the end, the judges eliminated the band whose vocalist had forgotten his lines, making the total number of contestants 12 from 16 in one go.

But for Aiden, it was a very memorable week.

He had qualified into the next round and had even gotten a great skill. At this point, he didn't know that he would get into trouble due to the infamous Devil's editing.

…

/DreamNote/

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[Move like that… Move like that… Move like that… ay… ay… ay…]

The sound of his phone alarm ringing woke up Aiden. Rubbing his eyes, he picked up his phone and saw that it was 10 PM.

It had been a day since the band round had concluded. Tomorrow, they would be given the challenge for the next round, and Aiden was a bit worried about it.

'I don't know when I will reach Basic Grade 10.'

He thought as he stood up from his bed. Then, stretching his body a bit, he left the room, feeling hungry.

Since he took a nap in the evening, he missed dinner time, but there would surely be some snacks in the kitchen.

Walking downstairs, there were a lot of thoughts in his mind, ranging from eating something good to worry about the competition. But when he reached the kitchen, he saw that it was already full of other contestants.

When they saw him entering, they looked at him with weird eyes. Aiden stopped in his tracks as he felt like the eyes on him were a bit different than usual.

The contestants were looking at him very strangely, and for a second, he wondered if he had done anything wrong.

'It's surely not because I missed dinner.'

He thought and saw Jackson taking steps towards him. He was looking at him with the same eyes as others.

"Aiden, you were sleeping?" He asked, with a bit of hesitation in his eyes.

"Yeah, what's wrong? Did something happen while I was sleeping?".

"Well, yeah… another episode of X-Star broadcasted today, and your interview was in it. Well, you should check it out yourself but don't show your face to Rachel, she looked like she would kill you if she found you."

"Why?"

Aiden titled his head to the side, finding Jackson's words and expressions stranger and stranger every second.

"Just check it yourself."

Taking out his phone, Aiden opened up Sparrow and saw that X-Star was already trending. Opening it up, he saw that there was an article with his name right on the top.

'What the fuck is this?'

He cursed, reading the article's title.

[X-Star's

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"Dude, she's still giving you that death look. If looks could kill, I feel like I would be standing in your funeral."

Jackson whispered to Aiden.

They were currently sitting in the lounge area, waiting for a staff member to call them for a short interview before the next round.

"I don't even know why she's so angry? I should be more offended by that edited clip. Everyone thinks I have a crush on her now."

Aiden sighed, glancing toward Rachel, who had a constant frown on her face. Since last night, they had not really talked with each other, and even if he wanted to talk to her about the last episode, he didn't know how to approach her.

"I think it's because it affected her image. Something like that. I mean, people are talking about her now, so she obviously won't feel good, especially when she was dragged in."

Jackson gave out his reasoning, and Aiden agreed with it. Though, if he was being honest, it wasn't his fault either, but Rachel was surely going to think of him as guilty.

"Uh, I will talk to her when I get the time. It's better to clear up any misunderstandings."

Aiden felt Rachel's reaction was natural. But his anger was directed towards Marlo and the program team, who had edited his interview in this way.

If they had not edited it, there would have been no issue.

'I feel like punching Marlo in the face.'

Even his uncle had called him to ask if there was something between him and Rachel, as social media had already started to consider something brewing between them. Thankfully, he had no girlfriend, or he would have been in way worse trouble.

"Aiden Silvereye, go in.".

A staff member suddenly walked out of the door on the side and told him to go into the interview room. He stood up and followed him to the interview room.

Marlo was sitting alone in the room, reading a file that had a list of questions on it. A cameraman was shooting everything from the side.

As Aiden sat down on the seat in front of him, Marlo gave out a sheepish smile.

"How are you feeling?"

"Very bad. Thanks to you." Aiden simply replied, trying to get straight to the point.

"What did I do now?"

"Don't play innocent. You know what's going on with social media. The clip was clearly edited, but people don't know that. They think I have a crush on Rachel for no reason. I obviously won't be good because of all that."

Marlo made an awkward smile. He knew Aiden was going to be angry about this. The program team had edited it to add some spice to the program, but it somehow got out of proportion.

Knowing that he can't just ignore it, Marlo answered.

"Look, I'm sorry. I understand what you are going through but trust me, this went worse than I thought. I agreed to add it, thinking it might come in handy to make people discuss a topic related to X-Star. After all, people love to gossip, but this went way out of proportion."

"How?"

"Because of many things. One of them is that you and Rachel have gotten a small following, so those fans talked a lot about this. Normally, it would have died down, but your second-round performance made you very popular. You should check the MeTube channel of X-Star if you have not."

Aiden knew that his group's video performing in the second round had already gotten 800k views on MeTube. It would soon cross 1 million from the way it was going.

"That performance made people talk more about the clip at the end, spreading it. I'm sorry, but we did it for the show, and you don't really have a say in it."

Aiden meekly nodded his head, hearing that. Marlo's words suddenly made him realise that he didn't really contain any power as a contestant.

The program team can edit him however they like, and he won't be able to do anything just because he was at the bottom of the bottom.

'For now, I can do nothing aside from being very careful in what I say.'

He thought in his mind, and although he felt all sorts of emotions, he knew the reality of life. His career was just starting, and it would be a while before he got any power to do stuff.

In the end, Marlo was at least answering his questions. He was sure that if it was someone else, they wouldn't even give him an answer.

"I, I understand. Let's get on with the interview."

Aiden said with a conflicted expression. Sighing, Marlo nodded, and another interview started.

"The topic for the next round is a battle between two contestants. You will be singing the same song and competing against each other. Only one contestant will go ahead while the other will be face elimination."

Alyssa announced the next round's theme with a grin on her face, and every contestant glanced around. They have already seen enough of the others that they know who would be a tough singer to beat.

Pairing with someone like Rachel or Cameron would be the endgame for most contestants.

"To know who's gonna be battling with who, we will let the contestants choose for themselves." The contestants' eyes shined, but she wasn't finished speaking. "By that, I mean every contestant would pick out the name of the one he or she would be battling."

A staff member came out with a glass jar as she said that. Aiden was able to see small pieces of paper in the jar. They have the contestants' names written on them.

"We will name a contestant, and he would come here and take out a chit."

Andrew said and looked around the room before his eyes locked onto one contestant.

"Jackson, you go first."

"Okay."

With hesitant steps, Jackson walked toward the glass jar. Everyone's eyes landed on his back as he put his hand inside the jar and took out a chit.

'Please, someone easy.'

He prayed in his mind and passed the chit to Alyssa, who opened it up with a big smile that looked a bit mocking.

"Jackson, the contestant you will be facing, would be… Archie Fox."

Alyssa looked at a guy with brown hair who was standing in the corner. Aiden checked his skill interface and found out that he was also in Basic Grade 7.

'Jackson has a pretty big plot armour.'

He thought as the judges started calling out some other contestants. After Jackson, Cameron coincidentally got paired with Michelle's group Symphony.

Aiden didn't know how it would pan out as although they weren't a match for Cameron individually, the group had given some good performances.

Aside from that, Emily was paired against Elon Husk, a science student more interested in space travel, trying out his singing skills. He was not bad, but Aiden thought Emily would beat him.

"Aiden, go ahead."

Steven suddenly took his name, and he nodded his head.

"Uh, okay."

He walked to the glass jar and took out a chit. Looking it up, he sighed a bit.

He didn't know who he would pick out, but he sure hoped it wasn't someone he couldn't beat. Otherwise, he won't know what to do.

"Bring that chit to me."

"Yeah."

He passed it to Steven, who opened it up, and for a second, his eyes looked a bit surprised. Then, glancing at Aiden, he slowly read out the name that was written on the chit.

"Rachel Rose."

Aiden felt like Steven was an executioner announcing that he would be sentenced to death when he heard that name from his mouth. Then, glancing back, he saw that Rachel looked a bit shocked too.

Her face hardened when her eyes met his, and she glared at him.

'This is going to be very awkward.'

Aiden thought, trying hard not to frown. For a second, he thought that the chits were fabricated to get him and Rachel as a pair, but it didn't seem possible.

In the end, it was just his luck.

He could even imagine a deity in the skies with a beer bottle in his hand, watching all this and laughing at him.

'How exactly am I going to beat her…'

…

/DreamNote/

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"I hate it."

Rachel muttered as she stared at Aiden. The latter sighed with a wry expression. Although Rachel didn't like being in this situation with him after the last broadcast, his feelings were also mutual.

"I don't like it either."

"Then, ask the judges to change the pairing."

"I would have if I could, and if you want to, you can ask them yourself."

They both knew that even asking the judges or program team to change the pairing won't do anything. The program team might even be smiling, thinking of the ratings when this will air on the broadcast.

After all, the last episode broke records and Rachel and Aiden were discussed the most on social media.

'I can't keep bantering with her. We need to practice.'

The song they had received was a pop song titled 'Stay'. It was sung by a British duo and was very popular, with over 200 million views on MeTube.

The problem with popular songs was that most people would already know them, so they would compare the original to the one sung by the contestants, which meant that they needed to correctly use their skills to make a difference and make it memorable.

Moreover, in a battle round, both the contestants needed to sing the same song simultaneously, meaning there needed to be a bit of chemistry and connection between them to make the song better.

It was up to the judges to decide who would go ahead, but if they both kept bantering with each other, they would mess up their performance before it even began.

Aiden didn't want that, especially when he was already at a disadvantage with the massive disparity between their singing levels. Rachel was on another whole level.

'Uh, I need to talk it through and calm her down as we can go ahead with the practice.'

He thought and glanced at Rachel, who just had a frosty expression on her face. It was hard to know what she was thinking, but Aiden didn't care about that. He first has to clear the misunderstanding.

"Uh, I wanted to clarify something about the last episode.".

"What?"

She glared at him, remembering the comments she had read on the internet. Recalling them only frustrated her more.

"I didn't say anything like what was shown in the episode. And it's a huge misunderstanding."

"What do you mean?"

Aiden wondered how to explain it but did not have enough patience so he decided just to talk straightforwardly.

"That clip of mine saying you are great. It's edited. I didn't say anything like that, nor did I think anything like that. It's all fabricated to spice up the show."

"But I saw the clip. Everyone di-"

"Have you ever heard of Devil's editing?"

Aiden interrupted her words, and, hearing that, Rachel fell into some thought. Then thinking of his behaviour towards her until now, it really didn't seem like Aiden had a crush on her.

She had heard about how reality shows used their contestants, but it was the first time she was experiencing it.

"Okay, I understand that. But people are still talking about me, assuming I'm dating you. What about it?"

She asked, and Aiden already had a reply prepared for that.

"Nothing about it. I am sorry, but I can't do anything about that. People are talking even more about me, and neither of us can do anything about it. It's a reality show, and as we are appearing on TV, people will talk about us. All this will automatically die down once the show ends."

He ranted out, and Rachel's body shook slightly as she took in those words. He was right, very right.

It seemed like she had unnecessarily gotten angry seeing the reactions online. In addition, her mom had called her yesterday asking if it was true and was very suspicious, which had gotten her even more incensed.

But suddenly, she felt her anger cooling down.

Still, there were some doubts in her mind. She needed to clear them out.

"So, you don't have a crush on me?"

"I don't have a crush on anyone. And do you think I'm stupid enough to get a relationship on X-Star? It's a singing reality show, not a dating one. I'm here to win the competition, not get into a relationship. Moreover, even if I want to get into a relationship, I won't at this point in my life."

"Hmm, then our thoughts are mutual. I am also not here for any drama. While I have my reasons, do you mind sharing yours?" She asked, finding his words a bit strange.

"I have bigger things to do, and a relationship will drag me down at this point. Now, can we practice?"

He sighed, and although his words didn't entirely convince her, Rachel still nodded her head.

Currently, they need to focus on the next round. Everything else was just secondary.

'I'm very nervous.'

Aiden thought as he leaned back on the sofa. He was currently backstage as his performance was about to come. The round had already started with some contestants having even performed in front of the judges.

He thought that he had gotten better at controlling his nerves as the competition moved. But he realised that the fear of elimination was still gripping his heart very tightly.

After all, he was directly facing off against Rachel. It was hard to say if he had any chance, just depending on their skills.

But he knew that the system didn't show the whole reality.

'Rachel's singing level might be way better than mine, but it doesn't mean she would sing at that level every single time.'

Aiden had been thinking hard about this for a few days, and this was his verdict. After all, the system was just showing the skill level, but a performance contains effort, proficiency in the song, how one was singing it and many other important factors which would then determine how the person performs.

That's why he still had a chance, albeit a small one.

"Our performance is next."

As he was in his thoughts, Rachel suddenly walked right up to him and said. Nodding his head, he stood up and followed her on the stage.

Some members of the audience cheered when they saw both of them. Both Rachel and Aiden had gotten a few fans in their time on the X-Star.

"Hi, how are you two?" Andrew asked, smiling at them. He was the judge who would always try to portray a positive attitude towards the contestants.

"We are fine," Aiden replied, keeping the mic close to his mouth.

"Any nervousness? You two are some of the most popular contestants this year, and only one of you will go forward. Does that make you scared?"

"It does a bit. But in the end, the best one of us would go ahead."

"Yeah, it's not something we can do anything about."

They answered, and with that, the small talk ended. Andrew gestured to start the performance.

The lights on the stage dimmed as both of them took their positions. Soft electronic music started flowing in the background.

'I need to think about music rather than failing.'

Aiden repeatedly muttered in his mind like a mantra, and it seemed to have worked. As soon as he felt music, he forgot all about his worries.

Just focusing on giving out a good performance.

The first verse was his, and Aiden needed to sing it in a low tone while trying to focus on the diction. He had already practised it a lot, and he automatically started singing after ten seconds into the song.

"All I ever wanted was a peaceful life."

"Days passing, with you by my side."

"I know it was my fault, not becoming what you want."

"But I hope you are happier now. I hope you are sunnier now."

It was a type of song with a very flashy beginning. With fast but meaningful lyrics, catchy music in the background and the singer's skills, the song tried to literally force itself in one's head.

Strangely it worked very well.

Rachel, who was moving her legs with the music, started the second verse.

"Without you, I know I'm a mess."

"I don't even know how to explain, but I know I was the one to make you stressed."

"Still, I can't forget about you every time you are away."

"I feel like asking you to stay."

As the second verse ended, the lights on the stage started shining with neon lights as a spotlight illuminated them. The electronic music coming out of a keyboard joined hands with a bass and a guitar.

It was then that both Rachel and Aiden prepared for the chorus.

"Ohhh, baby, I really want you to stay."

"Hold you under the shining ray(s)."

"But I know I need to hold my feelings because I don't have a say."

"Still, I know it would be best if you could stay."

Both of them stretched the last part, and as they tried the note higher and higher, Aiden struggled with it, but he still pushed through as he was able to see white light coming out from them.

The true performance was just starting.

…

…

/DreamNote/

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As the judges looked at Rachel and Aiden performing, they couldn't help but feel like it was tough to know who was singing better.

Both of them had a unique set of skills that were very different from each other.

Rachel was someone with the talent to hit high notes comfortably as if it was a walk in the park for her. Apart from that, her vocal range and skills were top-notch in the competition, and her elegant voice just added to it.

On the other hand, Aiden was a very different type of character.

His voice was very charming and endearing, and with his looks, he could easily become a heartthrob among female fans, but that didn't mean his skills were any bad.

His vocal strength was quite good, and the best thing about his singing was that he knew where his strength lay. He used it very well, and he had a uniqueness that no one in X-Star bears.

'He expresses emotions like no one else.'

Music was all about emotions, and Aiden had a natural talent for that. The judges didn't even know how he had it because it takes years of experience to show emotions like this, even for a genius.

Because of all this, it was tough to judge these contestants when they were pitted against each other.

In the end, they just thought of one thing.

'At best, we can just enjoy the performance.'

Upon thinking about that, their eyes were glued to the stage where Rachel and Aiden were on the second half of the song, performing with as much vigour as possible.

"I know that I wasn't any good, but can he love you the same way I do?"

"I know I make mistakes, but I promise I will stay true.".

"We will make it through."

"So, baby, can you please stayyy?"

As the verse ended, Aiden felt a bit weak. It had taken too much of him to keep up with Rachel's skills, even though he had done well.

But at the end of the song, his vocal cords had started aching.

It was because there were a lot of high notes in the song in the middle, and Rachel would stretch them too far to show her prowess, and he would struggle to keep up with her.

At the same time, Aiden was trying hard to showcase emotions with the help of his special ability.

The whole stage was filled with white light with tinges of silver here and there. The silver light was created when both of them sang the chorus together.

'I need to give my best here for a while.'

Aiden tried to ignore the pain in his throat and just sing to the best of his ability.

After all, there was only the ending to go.

"Without you, I know I'm a mess."

"I don't even know how to explain, but I know I was the one to give you stress."

"Still, I can't forget about you every time you are away."

"I feel like asking you to stay."

Aiden felt like he was breaking through something when he sang the line and tried to stretch it as far as he could. On his side, Rachel was doing it with ease, but he was clearly struggling.

Even Steven, who focused his attention on him, realised it, but he was also impressed.

There was no scratchy feeling in Aiden's voice, and he was clearly giving his all to the performance. This was his evolution as a performer rather than just a singer.

At that moment, the music started becoming softer, like a flying feather was slowly landing on the ground, dangling through the air.

"I know I made some mistakes on the way."

"But please, can you stay?"

The final two lines were sung softly, utterly different from the usual catchy pace of the song.

In this song phase, Aiden tried his best to win it as the notes became lower and lower. By incorporating his emotions into it, he really sang it way better than Rachel, who somehow struggled while taking the high notes to the ground despite performing brilliantly throughout the song.

The song ended like that, and Aiden rubbed his forehead to find it all sweaty.

He felt drained, his vocal cords were hurting, and he was scared that he hadn't performed better than Rachel, but his heart carried a sense of satisfaction.

The audience enjoyed the performance. They were clapping, cheering, and some even gave a standing ovation.

'At least I gave my best.'

He thought, looking sideways to Rachel, who seemed exhausted. At that moment, the judges started speaking on the mic.

"Aiden, Rachel, you two are contestants that have always exceeded our expectations. Today was the same. You performed brilliantly."

Andrew said, giving a smile to the two of them.

"You know, sometimes, we get contestants for whom we ourselves are biassed. You two are those types of contestants, having a unique charm."

Alyssa, sitting beside him, nodded at those words and thought it was the same for her. From what she had heard and seen of Rachel and Aiden, she felt like they could go a long way in their careers.

"Let's start from the song. It's a very famous song. A type of song that, when released, would spread like a forest fire everywhere, and it is imperative to do justice to it and enjoy yourself while singing. I feel like you two did that."

"Thank you."

"Rachel, I really think this competition is too small for your level. But, on the other hand, it's somehow frightening how much talent you have, and I'm saying this because I have worked with many singers."

Rachel's eyes shined hearing that praise. It was genuine and from a judge. Even the audience cheered at those words as they felt the same way.

The next evaluation was from Steven.

"Well, it's hard for me to talk about the performance as Alyssa and Andrew had already said what I think. However, the harmony and chemistry between you two was the main thing for me in this performance."

Rachel glanced at Aiden, hearing that. She wasn't really trying to get any chemistry between them and just focus on her own parts, but their voices suited together.

"Aiden, your voice is something I really like and enjoy listening to. I still feel your vocal skills need work, but you have very, very unique talents."

Steven looked at Aiden, and he nodded his head.

"Thank you."

"Just keep working hard."

After that, it was time for evaluation. Again, the judges looked at each other, and conflict suddenly was apparent in their eyes.

"Give me some minutes to tell you the result."

Steven said on the mic and looked at his fellow judges. They seriously needed to think hard about who to send ahead among the two of them as they both were deserving in their eyes.

"Who do you think should go ahead?"

Steven whispered, but he got no answer. Alyssa was the first one to speak among them.

"Uh, both of them sang great. There were times I liked Aiden more, and sometimes I leaned towards Rachel's high notes. It's hard to decide."

Andrew shared the same sentiment. But in this round, they can't let both the contestants go ahead. Only one is the definite rule, and they can't change it.

Even if it was harsh, they needed to make a decision.

"Uh, personally, if I need to choose, I think Rachel sang better. What do you two think?"

Andrew asked, and Alyssa made a regretful expression.

"For me, it's Aiden. I know there were patches where Rachel was better, but the emotions that Aiden showed deserve backing. We don't get talent like him every day."

Here, it was necessary to note that Alyssa was being a bit biassed about Aiden as a fellow songwriter, but her arguments weren't wrong either.

Both Andrew and Alyssa looked at Steven, who now had the final say. He frowned while thinking hard about his choice as it was a matter of immense importance.

After a while, he finally said the name that he thought was more worthy of going ahead. The conclusion was made.

"Aiden and Rachel."

Andrew looked at the two of them and said with regret hidden in his voice.

"We thought hard about who should go ahead. Finally, we concluded that you two sang wonderfully, but as only one can go ahead, it would be…"

He took a break from his words and glanced toward the two judges before saying the name.

"Rachel. You are going ahead."

Rachel's face made a bright smile hearing that as she thanked the judges. The audience clapped for her, but Andrew's focus was on Aiden.

"I'm sorry, Aiden. Unfortunately, you are being eliminated."

As soon he heard those words, time stopped for Aiden.

Steven's words dug into his heart like someone was continuously stabbing him with a knife. But it was just his reality.

Aiden was eliminated!

…

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He was eliminated!

Aiden always knew this day was going to come. His current level wasn't enough to reach the finals. Earlier, he wasn't even sure if he could get to the current round, and as he passed the rounds, the chances of elimination also increased.

But the elimination still left an empty feeling in his heart that he couldn't seem to get over.

He just focused all his strength to smile somehow, and looking up at the judges, he said through the mic.

"I understand the decision."

"Aiden, you sang brilliantly, but we felt Rachel was better than you overall. Failure is not easy to accept but be strong!"

Steven said and just got a nod in response. The audience looked regretfully at him, and for the first time, even Rachel showed something other than coldness.

Somehow, she genuinely felt bad for him.

But she didn't know what to do as they both made their way backstage.

'Uh, why does this feel so depressing?'

He thought in his mind as he sat down in the corner of the room. All the other contestants looked at him with sympathy and a bit of pity. He ignored them, lost in his own thoughts.

Jackson sat down next to him, patting his shoulders and trying to say something but the only thing Aiden heard was the silence of his own thoughts. His brain was not processing any words at the moment.

"Jackson, can you leave me alone for some time?" He asked with a voice that seemed to crack a bit. His vocal cords were still hurting due to the performance..

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

Jackson nodded, understanding his state of mind. After he went away, Aiden leaned down on his seat and closed his eyes. So many thoughts were in his head, and he needed to process them.

His X-Star journey went on for longer than he had initially considered, and even though he felt depressed, he wanted to believe that there was still a chance left for him.

Trying to distract himself from the depressing thoughts, he opened up his system and saw a lot of notifications there.

[Your Singing level has increased from Basic Grade 9 to Basic Grade 10.]

[You have given a performance that saw you trying to break past your limits. As a result, you're rewarded with a special reward.]

[Your vocal cords have strengthened. You can sing high notes better now.]

Aiden felt the pain in his throat lessening before eventually ending as he read the messages. The system notifications made him feel a bit better.

After all, he was finally Basic Grade 10. One step away from stepping into the Intermediate grade.

But his elimination was still on his mind.

It was not something he could get over in a short time. He looked around backstage to see Jackson and Cameron looking at him from a distance. Michelle, sitting with her group, also seemed a bit worried, glancing at him from time to time.

Jackson had already qualified, beating his opponent, and Aiden had a hunch that Cameron would come out on top with the group Symphony getting eliminated just like him.

At that moment, he saw Rachel looking at him. Their gazes met, and her eyes became a bit sharp. Aiden, who was already used to that expression, didn't say anything.

'At least I lost to her, not someone random. She's way better than me.'

Thinking that he tried to make himself feel a bit better. Though, the thing to worry about for him was more to do with what he was going to do next.

He had come to X-Star with the hope of making a mark, but now he had been eliminated just after entering Star Week. Should he go back to auditioning for movies? Or try to make money as a singer?

At least with him getting a bit of traction on X-Star, he could earn from his singing.

'Uh, I don't know.'

He frowned, feeling his head hurting a bit.

"See the responses from the last episode. It's blowing up way more than the second round. Especially Aiden's song 'Life is a story. We have never gotten such a response before. So many people loved the song!"

An employee of the social media PR team said while looking at the other employees, who happily nodded in unison.

The better the response, the higher their bonuses will be after X-Star concludes.

At that moment, the door to the room opened, and Marlo and Gary walked in. They seemed to have been going through an argument.

"You can't eliminate him. Nor those girls."

Gary said in a pretty high pitched voice. Everyone in the room understood who he was talking about. They all have heard what has happened in the shooting today.

Aiden and Symphony were eliminated.

They were pretty big contestants going by the social media buzz around them. The PR team knew that better than anyone else.

Aiden was one of the prime contestants that people loved, and Symphony as a group has a lot of core fans already. Something about girl groups was always attractive, especially pretty girls.

"It's not my doing." Marlo frowned. "It's just the round. One contestant was going to be eliminated anyway. Both of them are good enough to go ahead, but they were unlucky to face monsters."

"Marlo, but the ratings will take a big hit. I can't sell the program just with Cameron and Rachel. The other contestants are there, but they haven't gotten that amount of buzz. Symphony is a unique idea this season. Getting contestants that got eliminated together and Aiden has gotten us great ratings, you know. Just ask anyone in the room how much his original performance in the third round shook the audience."

Gary ranted and turned his head to look at an employee who got scared seeing his gaze but quickly handled himself.

"Yeah, it's very big. We plan to upload it tomorrow on MeTube, but many want a full studio version of the song. The viewers found it that good!"

Although people wanted it, the song's copyrights were still with Aiden, and the program team couldn't do anything about that unless they bought the copyright.

Another employee, this time a female one with a ponytail, chipped in.

"Yeah, people relate it to their lives a lot as the lyrics are meaningful, and there are not many songs like that, which helped make it more popular."

Gary nodded, hearing those words and turned to look at Marlo, who had a helpless expression on his face.

"I understand. I know Aiden's popularity is really high, and Symphony is a group we should invest more in."

"Then?"

"The thing is, I can't do anything about it. I'm the host, not the judge, and it's their decision. More like, they were just following the rules. We can't shoot the round again, can we?"

Marlo glared a bit, but Gary just smiled. He had already thought of how he was going to save the show's ratings. Just he needed Marlo's help in his plan.

"I have something in mind."

Gary said, and Marlo raised an eyebrow, clearly sceptical of whatever was forming in his mind.

"We won't do the wild card entry," Gary said, and Marlo felt even more confused by his words.

"What?"

"Look, it doesn't make sense. It's a good idea, but it won't fit this season. The new contestants won't give as much competition as someone like Aiden. He's special with his original songs too."

The Wild card entry was something that they had planned to bring in two singers who are already a bit popular on social media but aren't a lot big yet. Someone who has a MeTube channel or someone who's been in the industry for a long time but never got a wider platform.

After all, they eliminated six contestants in this round which would be too quick for the show. So the final will only have five contestants anyway.

So there were going to be two wild card entries. But now, Gary didn't want that.

"What are you going to do if there is no wild card entry? We have already planned everything."

"We will have another round with all the eliminated candidates. Only two will go ahead, and I'm pretty sure Aiden and Symphony can be the two. They are the best among the contestants that were eliminated today."

Gary explained his plan, and Marlo felt like it was good, but there were too many complications he was ignoring.

"Then, that would mean additional shooting. The judges' contract didn't have it. They won't like it. How will you get an empty slot from the channel to show this additional round?"

"I will handle the channel. They are pleased with the ratings. As for the judges, I want you to talk with them."

"Me?"

Marlo frowned. He could clearly see where Gary was heading towards.

"You have a good relationship with them. Steven even calls you to his house parties, and you have known Alyssa for years. Only you can do it. The legal team will talk about the contract and additional money. They just need to agree. Only you can do it."

Gary requested, and even Marlo understood his reasoning wasn't bad. Both for the show and the ratings. A show needed great contestants, and both Symphony and Aiden were those.

In the end, he just meekly agreed.

"I will see what I can do."

…

/DreamNote/

It's a new week! Please vote with your power stones

Ps. Bonus Chapters incoming…?

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"It seems like I really am eliminated. It's finally setting in now that I'm doing my last interview."

Aiden said, sighing and looking up to Marlo, who had a similar regretful expression. Then, shaking his head a bit, Marlo said.

"We actually proposed for another round for eliminated candidates, but the judges disagreed, particularly Steven. So, it's your last interview."

Marlo was very regretful because he genuinely thought Gary's idea wasn't bad for the show, but contracts were not easy to deal with in this industry, or they would need to pay millions.

Panther TV also wanted to continue with the original Wild card entry plan.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not really in the best mood."

Aiden chuckled. He wasn't feeling as bad now because it's already been a day since his elimination. He had already packed the bags and only had this final interview before leaving the set.

"Yeah, my bad. Anyway, do you have any words to say? We won't be showing a lot of this interview, so we can just talk genuinely with each other."

"I would like that."

Until now, he had been cautious as to what to say, especially after the saga with Rachel. At least one good thing about his elimination was that he could freely talk.

"I'm just thankful for the show. I met a lot of good singers here and felt like I improved a lot. It wasn't an opportunity I would get somewhere else."

Aiden wasn't lying while saying this. He knew how hard it was to increase his singing level if not for X-Star. He had become Basic Grade 10 in just a few weeks.

After leaving the show, he doesn't know how much time it would take for him to break through to Intermediate Grade.

Even in songs, only because of proving himself in X-Star, Aiden had written so many pieces in a short time. He knew that they would help him out massively in the future..

"In the last round, do you think you should have qualified instead of Rachel?"

Marlo returned to the topic of the last round, which now seemed like a distant memory to Aiden. But he just shook his head.

"No, I don't. No matter how I see it, she was better. It was no one's fault but mine. But that's in the past now, and I can't change it. I just want to move ahead."

"I understand. So, where are you going to go now?"

Aiden thought for a bit before replying to the question.

"I will return to New York as soon as possible."

"To drive a taxi again?" Marlo said with a bit of regret. He wouldn't like it if such a good singer was driving a taxi instead of making songs.

"No, I won't drive a taxi. Well, I might have to if I can't get another job that could pay my bills. But I want to focus on the stuff I'm good at for the new few months at least."

"You mean singing?"

"And acting."

Aiden had always thought of himself as an actor more than a singer, but due to X-Star, he realised that he could take the two of them simultaneously. Both would help him reach the pinnacle of stardom anyway and beyond that was his true goal.

"Acting is what I always wanted to do, so I will again get into it, trying out auditions. As for singing, I have a few plans. After all, I don't want to lose to Cameron or Rachel."

Marlo raised an eyebrow at that. He didn't understand that. Didn't Aiden already loose with both of them going ahead?

"You already lost though."

"I lost in the competition," Aiden explained with a smile. "Not in life. That will go on for a long time, and although they have a head start currently, if I work hard, I will surely overtake them."

Those were very lofty and confident words, but for some reason, Marlo felt a hunch that they were going to come true in the future. He didn't know why but Aiden felt slightly different after getting eliminated.

Aiden had a sort of fire in his eyes to prove that he was no less than others.

'Facing rejection sometimes makes monsters.'

That's a line he had heard many times from Steven. He had told him that he had seen these cases in singers on his record labels. Today, this line somehow aptly fits with Aiden.

"I really hope you achieve your goals," Marlo replied with a genuine smile.

"My goals are quite big. But I know, one day, I will accomplish them."

Aiden just smiled, and they talked a bit more before ending the interview. Then, standing up from the chair, they shook each other's hands.

Their relationship had begun strangely, but Aiden felt a bit of friendship from Marlo at the end.

"Good luck."

"You too. Hope you get some bonuses after the show is finished."

"I can just pray for that."

Marlo laughed, and Aiden left the interview room. He was finally out of X-Star, and a new chapter of his life was about to begin.

'I need to pick up my stuff from my room.'

He thought and moved towards his room. While walking, his steps turned a bit heavy as he felt lonely in the long hallway of life.

By the time he reached his room, he had encountered no one along the way. He did think that some people might come to bid farewell to him, but there were none. So he just picked up his bags and made his way towards the exit.

'I have a flight in a few hours.'

He thought in his mind as he mused a song. He was excited about starting something new, so he wasn't even wasting time sightseeing in LA. But, if he were successful in life, he would see a lot of LA anyway, as most studios are based here.

'Uh, I really wanted to win, but I guess nothing can be done.'

He felt a bit broken. Even after elimination, he had not cried because he understood that he could do nothing to change the results. But feeling depressed was something entirely different, and he couldn't get over it in a day.

As he made his way outside, someone called out his name.

"Aiden."

Turning around, he saw Jackson standing there. Apparently, he was waiting for him to exit the hotel to talk to him.

"Jackson? What are you doing here?"

"Here to say goodbye to you."

Jackson smiled a bit weakly. He was not happy that the show had eliminated his friend.

"Thanks for that. Just try to win the competition. I would genuinely feel glad if you win."

Although Aiden knew in his brain that it was not possible, his heart still wanted Jackson to win as he was his closest friend in X-Star.

"I will do my best." Jackson smiled before adding. "Actually, I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?"

Aiden raised an eyebrow, and Jackson quickly explained.

"In the band round, you were the one who made it possible for me to get a drum solo in the end when the song didn't have it."

"It's because I believe you could do it, and you-"

"Steven offered me a deal after that performance."

Aiden stopped speaking and just focused on what Jackson had just uttered. Steven offered him a deal? That was certainly something very big.

"Apparently, he has a band ready to debut, but the drummer got into a criminal case. Steven didn't explain a lot, but I think it was something serious. Anyway, he offered me a part of the group because of that."

Aiden's eyes widened hearing that. It was hard for him to believe. After all, it literally meant that Jackson would most likely debut in a band soon.

This was big news!

"Steven told me not to tell anyone, but I had to tell you. It's huge for me, you know." Jackson made a bright smile. "The contract is still not signed, and I need to pass some auditions, but Steven was pretty confident about me."

"That's great, Jackson! Congratulations!"

At that moment, Aiden felt like the world was indeed a weird place. Jackson, who should have been eliminated way earlier depending on his skills, was probably going to debut sooner than Rachel or Cameron.

As his friend, Aiden genuinely felt happy for him.

It was then that Jackson suddenly adopted a serious face and changed his tone a bit.

"I'm not from a very wealthy family. My mom is sick too, so I was always looking to get a good job, and this is my last chance at my passion." Jackson said, making Aiden focus on his words.

"It was only because of you that I could get this opportunity. So I'm really grateful for you."

It looked like Jackson would cry, and before that could happen, Aiden patted his shoulders. Then, he hesitated a bit before replying.

"It's your talent. Think of it like that. Let's hope this isn't our last meeting, and the next time I see you, I want you to be a top drummer, haha! Anyway, it's time for farewell; I have a flight to catch and can't afford to be late; X-star won't book the tickets twice."

"Yeah, thank you again, and let's keep in touch." Jackson nodded.

"Sure."

After just that short word, Aiden began to walk away. A new chapter in his journey was going to start now.

As he stepped out of the production house, he just sang a line from his song, 'Life is a story'.

"Are we just another page of someone's life or is there something more?"

…

/DreamNote/

Bonus Chapter.

Ps. The bonus chapter goal will now also have Golden Tickets from the next month! That will another way for you to get a bonus chapters.

(Ahem, you can always drop a castle gift to make me write more and become a part of the novel by having a character as per your choice kekeke)

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25th May 2015, New York City

"I'm finally back!"

Aiden exhaled as he stared at the apartment in front of him. This apartment was his home for over a year now, and he was back here after two months.

His flight had tired him a bit, but Aiden still felt like he was full of energy. His failure to stay in X-Star had motivated him to give everything towards his dream.

The apartment he lived in was significantly away from the bustling area with bars, clubs and theatres. It had a soothing air about it, and he had enjoyed living here in his time, even though it was one of the most normal apartments in the metropolitan city.

And even if his roommate would often cause problems for him, life wasn't too bad.

'I wonder what James is up to? It's been two months since I saw him.'

James, his roommate, was like him, a struggling actor and both of them rented the apartment together as it was cheaper for people in their line of work. Even if they didn't have much in common, they were quite passionate about movies and acting.

Thinking how he would react seeing him back, Aiden climbed the stairs and moved towards his room. Suddenly, he saw the room door adjacent to his pushed open, and an old lady stepped out of the room.

She was Valerie Hudson, his landlady.

"Aiden? You are back?" She voiced, surprised to see him here. She wasn't expecting him to come back so soon and was sure that she wouldn't see him again for some more months.

"Valerie, how are you?".

"I'm fine, but I thought you were shooting for your show? What happened to it? Is it finished? Did you win?"

She asked. Ever since Aiden had first met her, Valerie has always treated him right, like he was her grandson.

"No, I didn't. The judges eliminated me, so I came back home."

Aiden scratched the back of his head and said while Valerie sighed after hearing his words.

"That's awful. Did the ears of those judges stop working during your turn? I was rooting for you to win."

Aiden smiled, "Thanks for the support, Mrs Hudson, but what's done is done, and I am sure the judges were impartial; it was I who was lacking." He smiled weakly, then asked. "Anyway, it's great to meet you. Now let's see James' reaction when he sees me, haha."

Valerie turned silent at these words and carefully thought of what to say before shaking her head.

"Actually, James got a role in a TV series." As Aiden's steps came to a halt, she continued. "He left the apartment, saying he's going to Australia for the shooting and would get a better apartment from the movie he got from the role."

'Oh, if he's getting a new apartment, he must have gotten a good role.'

Aiden thought inwardly, feeling a bit dejected. Not because of James' success but because he himself was still on the same spot. Trying not to focus on these thoughts, he smiled.

"That's good for him. So, I guess I will be living alone for a while."

"Yeah."

Valerie nodded her head slowly. She could see that Aiden didn't look good from hearing the news since he had been eliminated and James had gotten a role. Hesitating a bit, she asked.

"Aiden, what are you going to do next?'

That was the question he had thought a lot about. There were some ideas in his mind, but he needed to first do something to earn money. The program team took care of his living and food expenses for the last two months, but he can't survive for long without money.

"I don't think I will drive the taxi again. It's not a job I like. I can do night shifts at the bar, but I'm going to try to get some singing gigs till then while trying to get myself a role. Now that I was on TV, chances of getting a gig are higher."

What he said was true, but Aiden will also need to hurry. People might remember his face currently because X-Star is the trend, but this was just his five minutes of fame, and he will soon fade away from people's memory after a few months.

Because of that, he needed to find something in just the next two to three months.

Somehow try to move up in his career.

"Actually, if it's a singing job, I think I can get you one." Valerie suddenly said, attracting his full attention. "My friend is looking for a singer for her wedding. Maybe you can fill in there. Though, the pay won't be a lot."

"Thank you, Valerie. I will do the job no matter how much the pay is." Aiden quickly replied.

He needed a job, no matter what it was. A singing job at a wedding was pretty nice. At least he can eat free food after his job finishes.

"Okay, ask your friend and notify me. I'm free these days. I will go see what stuff James had taken with him while leaving."

He said and walked towards his door, bidding Valerie goodbye.

Opening it, he saw that the apartment looked new. It seems like Valerie has hired people to clean it after James has left.

Quickly, he checked some stuff he had left in the apartment, and everything was there. On his bed, a stack of books was placed as he didn't have a bookshelf.

Books on topics like 'How to be an actor and 'Reasons people aren't successful'. Other than that, there were also some fantasy books and light novels.

'I'm tired.'

Putting up the books aside, he laid down on his bed and thought of everything that had happened in the past months. Getting into the audition of X-Star to make a group in the second. From there, he became a part of Star Week but couldn't go very far.

At least, the competition signified one thing to him, and that was that he had talent, and with the help of his system, he could grow that talent at a pace that no one could fathom.

'I feel like the next months will be very significant for me.'

It was the first time in his life that Aiden would leave everything like his day job and focus on just his career. He saw this as his last chance to do something.

If he can't get a breakthrough in these months, he doesn't know what he will do.

While thinking about this, he didn't know when he fell asleep.

It's been two hours since he had woken up, and currently, he was sitting in front of his laptop.

'These terms aren't bad.'

Aiden thought as he read through the legal terms about how Melody, an online digital music streaming platform, worked for a singer like him. In this age, it was easy for an indie musician to get his song distributed through platforms like Melody and MeTube.

Social media had made all this very easy compared to the old times when large record labels monopolised the distribution channels, so the only thing a musician could do was send his tapes to these labels.

Now, they could just upload their song on MeTube and Melody.

There was no need to get professional and advanced recording equipment as one could just record songs in their garage by just putting egg trays like panels to use as a soundproofing effect.

Aiden was also going to get help from these platforms to see if his songs could garner some views. The more views he gets, the more money he will earn.

One thing that had become clear to him was that his songs weren't bad. He had gotten a good response from them, making him more confident about them.

'I should record 'I can't seem to forget' and 'Life is a story'. Maybe a MeTube video would be nice too. I did get a fair amount of followers due to X-Star.'

He thought as he searched for good recording software on his laptop. There were a few that he was able to download easily.

After that, he needed to think about how to promote these songs. Aside from putting it on his Sparrow account and other stuff, he could also pay to get more promotions from Melody.

But it was very costly, and Aiden couldn't afford it for now.

'Leave it, I can just hope luck shines upon me, and I have made some fans during X-Star.'

As he thought that, his phone suddenly rang. Picking it up, he saw that it was a text from the owner of the bar he worked at.

Abraham Dickson – He was a pretty wealthy man, having his own bar, and Aiden had heard that he even had some connections in Hollywood.

[Mr. Dickson: Aiden, I heard you are back in town.]

It was a short and simple text, and he quickly replied back.

[Aiden: Yes, I was going to come to the bar tomorrow to talk about continuing in the night shift.]

[Mr Dickson: It's alright, we will talk about your job tomorrow. I have something else to tell you.]

[Aiden: What is that?]

[Mr. Dickson: An audition. Come to the bar; I will explain the details.]

…

/DreamNote/

Don't forget to support this novel with your power stones

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The next day, early in the morning, Aiden made his way up to Greenwich Village. It was the place where the bar he worked at was situated.

It was called 'The Rabbit hole'. It was an old bar that had started over 20 years ago and it had a long history. Many popular singers have performed here in the past and it had a pretty antique and homely atmosphere to it.

As Aiden entered the bar through his front door, he was able to see some customers that frequented the bar a lot. There was Freddie who had just gotten married last year and then Old Don who would often fight with his wife and come here to drink.

But he didn't stop to talk to them and directly went up to the bartender.

"Where's the boss?"

Everyone called Abraham the boss in the bar. It was an official nickname for him and it was true too. The bartender, Jeff, smiled at him and pointed at a corner.

"He's waiting for you there. Are you going to begin work tonight?"

"Most probably."

"I will get a stage for you since you are popular these days."

Aiden just politely nodded to that and walked up to the corner, only to find Abraham. He was reading the newspaper.

Abraham was a white man in his 50s but due to his buff body and dyed black hair, he looked a little younger than that. When he saw Aiden, he gestured to him to sit in front of him.

"Kid, you are finally here." Abraham smiled. He treated Aiden and most of the younger staff nicely if he liked their attitude.

"Boss, how have you been?"

"I'm good. But let's not chitchat. Since you are back, I guess you are eliminated." Aiden just nodded at that. "Don't worry, these things happen and I know you have good talent and I think you can treat your elimination as an opportunity. Do you remember what I texted you last night?".

"Yeah, about the audition."

Actually, Abraham was the one who had given Aiden the information on all auditions he had gone to.

Although Aiden was registered with the Actor's Guild of America, there actually weren't a lot of benefits until he had an agent. And it was pretty hard for a struggling actor to get an agent due to the number of fakes filled in Hollywood.

Because of that, it's certainly not easy for a struggler to get news on an audition and in that regard, Aiden was very lucky.

After knowing he wants to be an actor, Abraham helped him a lot, in many ways.

"Yeah, this popped up a few days ago only and you would have missed it if you weren't in New York," Abraham said, then smirked thinking that Aiden was lucky.

"What's the role about and when is the audition actually?"

Aiden asked, feeling a bit nervous. He would need time to prepare for an audition.

"The audition is in a week. I will text you the address. As for the role, the only thing I know is that they are looking for someone from South Asia. An Indian, Pakistani. The requirement is that."

"That's rare."

He couldn't help but comment like that. South Asian representation in Hollywood wasn't a lot.

"Yeah, it's a bit rare indeed. But I heard the director is very experienced and he's backed by Zero International. You know how big they are."

Zero International was one of the biggest Hollywood studios. More like, one of the biggest studios in the world and they have an office in almost all countries that have a movie industry.

"The project looks big. Zero isn't known to use newbies a lot. Seems like the role isn't big."

"You are smart. The last bit of information I got was that it's a small role and you will only appear in a few scenes but it will be an impactful role, so do your best. Just go there and audition. I think you will pass."

Aiden didn't say anything about that and just thanked Abraham.

He has gone to auditions before but rarely has made it past the look test. Many people don't even want to see his acting and just rejected him, saying he doesn't look the part.

But this time, he felt like he at least would have a chance to properly audition because of how confident Abraham looked.

'I really wonder what the role would be.'

He silently thought in his head.

On the same day, in the evening, the new episode of X-Star broadcasted. Although Aiden was out of the competition, there was still footage of him that wasn't shown.

Today, the band round was broadcasted.

Just like previous rounds, it had a great response. But this episode was special in the sense that it was edited in a way to show it like Aiden was the centre of it.

It wasn't deliberate. Aiden's team just had Cameron and Emily, two very popular contestants, so they were shown more. Just that in this round, Aiden had acted like the leader and the episode just enhanced it.

A report by the famous blog website, Gossip Tribunal clearly showed that the article by them mostly focused on Aiden.

[Welcome back to the next segment of X-Star episodes articles. Today's episode once again made things interesting with the band round going on.

This week, things got interesting as contestants were grouped in a band. With that, there were arguments, great moments and a lot of interesting stuff.

It even had two protagonists today, Jackson and Aiden.

Although Aiden had been a popular contestant till now, Jackson was mostly unknown with only a few people knowing him. But it isn't wrong to say that he was the hero of this episode.

His performance even overshadowed the one of Cameron who sang like a true rockstar.

But even then, Aiden was shown as the true star as he handled everything from the shadows. After the performance of his band which included a 30-second act of Jackson playing the drums like he was possessed, a clip of Aiden surfaced.

In that clip, he was shown to be fighting to include Jackson's solo drum performance and even handling stuff as a leader and giving everyone a role.

We all know Cameron's bad history of performing in a group and at first, most people thought this would be the same but he listened calmly to Aiden and it was the first time he seemed to respect a contestant.

We are sure it wasn't deliberate but this episode could have easily been titled 'The Aiden episode'. After this, he was surely the most popular contestant…]

Aside from the report, the comments on Sparrow were mostly about Aiden and how this episode had cemented him as the contestant with the most all-rounding talent.

Monkeypox: I was losing interest in the show as I thought it was the same as last season but this episode really hooked me up! Let's go!! Team Aiden!

Give Me Golden Tickets: I don't know why I don't like focusing so much on a few contestants but this season isn't bad because these popular contestants are really better than the last few seasons. Still, I think there should be more about others!

Shipping is a job: Rachel sang so well but her team was bad. I really hoped we saw more of Rachel x Aiden.

I'm Superfan: Cameron's performance was fab! I didn't know this Jackson dude played this well. Any professional band will get him up for sure.

Smoking Gangster Grandpa: This episode reminds me of 80s and 90s music. Those were the real days.

Anime Guys are chads: After this episode, I'm really rooting for Aiden to win this. Man has a lot of talent. He can be a great producer and composer.

You all thought he won't be eliminated: I love Jackson's solo. Haven't heard of something like this since I attended a concert. Loved the episode!

Let's get this novel to the top 10: No other band came close to Cameron and Jackson. It was the best performance in the show till now, definitely. But I feel like the reaction here is all about Aiden. Though, he was great in his supporting role. Both he and Emily.

Blue Alien Cats: I love Aiden. Is there a fan club? Or can I make one?

Hollywood Insider: Aiden should be an actor. He has the looks. I feel that.

Blow my Whistle: Emily is so cute but she ain't getting the limelight. Though, Rachel ain't bad. Why do singers these days look better than actresses?

Sky Neves: I'm really hoping Aiden goes all the way. My next fab is Cameron and Rachel. Jackson and Emily aren't bad either. Buying the tickets to the finale as soon as I get them.

Bees are best: A band round sounded good but I thought it was a singing competition. Boring!

What other genres do you want: I really hope they release all songs Aiden has sung. I'm seeing the video of Life is a story repeatedly from yesterday Dudes a genius!

New stuff coming: Man, Cameron should be the vocalist of a band. He's the best in the competition purely on vocal skills. Would go a long way.

Cats are gods: This episode really elevated Aiden to the big stage. If the show just focuses on him, they will get a lot of ratings. Man brings something different every single time.

/DreamNote/

Thank you @Omar_Alshaikh for the Magic Castle, It really means a lot! DM me on discord to get an exclusive character role in the novel!

Monthly Golden Ticket Ranking Bonus Chapters Goals.

Top 100: 3 Chapters

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…

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…

Instant Bonus Chapters

Castle Gift: 3 Chapters 1 Character role in the novel.

Since @Omar_Alshaikh has already given a magic castle, I will be releasing 3 chaps in the next 24 hours. Counting this chap, 1 out of the 3 bonus chapters are already posted. 2 bonus chapters will be posted along with the daily chapters by tomorrow.

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While the latest episode of X-Star, especially Aiden, was getting a lot of traction online, he was working his shift at the bar.

"Aiden, come to the kitchen."

He passed two big glasses of beer to customers when he suddenly heard a shout from the kitchen. Putting the glasses down, he ran to the kitchen, only to see the bartender, Jeff, there.

"You are up next. In ten minutes." Jeff added, pointing at the door that led to the stage.

"Noted," Aiden took a deep breath, knowing that his performance was next. However, he was not too nervous due to now having the experience of standing in front of an even larger audience. "Can I record the video of me singing?"

"Video?"

"Yeah, for MeTube. I'm starting a channel."

"Oh, then, I can record for you. Don't worry; I will get a good video. Just go and give a great performance. Everyone is excited to see you because you are a famous one. Boss will be watching too."

Aiden nodded and climbed up to the stage after picking up his guitar. Then, walking up to the mic, he introduced himself to attract everyone's attention.

"Welcome, everyone. I'm Aiden Silvereye. It's been a while since I saw you all."

At his words, every person in the bar looked at him. Some old customers cheered and slapped their tables seeing him, while the newer ones were left surprised to see Aiden here.

He had gotten quite a bit famous after all.

"The boss has given me a slot to perform here. So, I have prepared a song that you might have heard on X-Star. Which one should I go with?"

Many people quickly started pointing out the song they liked the most from Aiden on that question.

"Sing 'Life is a story."

"No, 'I can't seem to forget' is the best one."

"I liked 'Close' more."

Aiden could see that there was a lot of popularity of his songs in the bar. But at that moment, there was a shout from the table where Abraham was sitting.

"Sing an original. You are famous for those.".

It was a woman's voice, and when Aiden looked that way, he instantly recognised her. She was Abraham's niece, Amy Dickson.

When she shouted that, Abraham gestured to Aiden to go by her request, and having no way out, the latter nodded.

"Alright, I'm going to sing an original. I completed it just a few days back, and it's titled 'Lonely'. I hope everyone enjoys it."

Lonely was a song that he had written after reaching Basic Grade 10. It was basically something that he had written after getting eliminated because he didn't have anything better to do.

Slowly, Aiden strummed the strings of his guitar, and a slow melody came out of it. It felt a bit different from his other songs, with this one having a bit of a melancholy tone.

"Where have the good days gone?"

"The times where we used to ask our friends for games to loan."

"We used to have a dream of growing magically."

"But did it all end up so tragically?"

A white light flowed out of his guitar as he sang that verse. 'Lonely' was a song that started with a guy just thinking of his childhood and how the present time was very different from what he had expected.

The day where he would mature suddenly never came, and now, it was already too late.

Aiden's voice expressed this perfectly, and from the second verse, the song picked up pace as the tempo increased.

"Now, I'm just a guy sitting in the small space that has become my life."

"No friends, nothing, nada, for whom I would strive."

"Every day, just hitting a new low."

"Surviving with a coffee to goooo."

The pre-chorus was right next after the second verse. Aiden had composed the song in a way that seemed to be both fun and sad at the same time due to the tempo and bright music with just a subtle soft tone.

"The bright blue skies had turned grey."

"Going to work, faking a smile every day."

"If I try to tell anyone, they just laugh and turn away."

Aiden took a breath as the white light filled the whole room. Again, silver light could be seen mixed with it, and it seemed way brighter this time. Moving one hand away from the strings, he started tapping his guitar and the floor with his foot.

He didn't have any other instruments right now, so he used those to add some sounds to the song.

As the light intensified, he started the chorus.

"I just want to scream out loud, only one thing that sits in the back of my mind."

"Ooh, I just feel lonely."

"Looking for a way out of this, but everything is fading slowly."

"Ooh, I just feel lonely."

"My days are eating me up, nights feel empty, and no one knows me closely."

"Ooh, I just feel lone…ly…"

Amy's eyes were glued to the image of Aiden singing as the chorus ended. The song had already managed to captivate her, and she forgot where she was for a second.

The song was just so enchanting that she couldn't help it.

It was the same with the customers who weren't even talking with their buddies and just listening to the song. They leaned back in their seats and enjoyed the song while sipping their drinks.

"I don't want to go down like this."

"I can't find the passion, and the only thing I could do is to wish."

"No, I don't want to be picked up."

"Even if I'm lonely, I know I could be something more."

"Maybe that is lost in my heart, but I'm trying to find it and soarrrr."

The white and the silver light danced together in the whole bar as 'Lonely' started to enter their hearts.

Abraham even felt that X-Star judges were too dumb not to recognise Aiden's talent. Thankfully, the latter didn't need them to get to the top.

He could do that himself.

At that moment, the song again picked up pace in the fourth verse as Aiden tried to get his notes as high as possible. Before, it was tough for him to do it, but now, he was able to.

He could feel the new flexibility in his voice, and he used it to express his song for the best.

"I just want to scream out loud, only one thing that sits in the back of my mind."

"Ooh, I just feel lonely."

"Looking for a way out of this, but everything is fading slowly."

"Ooh, I just feel lonely."

"My days are eating me up, nights feel empty, and no one knows me closely."

"Ooh, I just feel lonely."

As the song finished, the audience showered Aiden with their cheers and claps. He smiled at the jovial customers and thanked them.

"Thank you for listening to me."

"You did great!"

"Sing it again."

"Yeah, one more song."

Although they wanted another song, Aiden was only allotted the time to sing one song. So, he slowly put down his guitar and bid the customers farewell.

"I'm sorry, but there are other singers who will sing better songs. My time is over now."

Saying that he left the stage as the customers' disappointment fell on his back. He walked inside the kitchen and saw Jeff standing there with a video recorder.

"Jeff, you shot it well?"

"Yeah, it came out great. I'm sure it will blow up after you post it. Anyway, the boss wants to see you."

"Why?"

Aiden raised an eyebrow, but Jeff just sighed helplessly.

"I don't know. Go and find out."

Putting down his guitar, Aiden left the kitchen and moved towards the table where Abraham was sitting. Besides him, Amy was there, and she was smiling at him.

'She gives me bad vibes.'

He thought inwardly but just maintained a charming smile. Of course, Amy needed to be respected due to whose relative she was. But, personally, he had never really relished being in her company because of the predatory gaze she would sometimes show.

"Kid, you sang well. You have improved a lot from the last time."

Abraham said, smiling ear to ear. He liked the song and was surprised that Aiden had grown this much.

"Thank you, boss."

"Anyway, Amy wants to talk to you about something."

Aiden looked at Amy upon hearing that. With blonde hair and a mature face, Amy was in her early 30s. She smirked at him before opening her mouth.

"Have you heard of the Creative Media Agency?" She asked, and the former nodded. It was one of the few mid-sized talent agencies. He had heard of it because Abraham was an investor in it.

"I'm its CEO, and I want to offer you a contract. A record label deal, to be more specific."

…

/DreamNote/

3rd Chapter of the day, and another bonus chapter.

Next chapter coming sharp at 00:00 AM shanghai time.

Vote this book with golden tickets and power stones after the next chapter

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'A record label deal?'

Aiden was pretty surprised when he heard that. His mind wandered off to X-Star, where one of the prizes was a label deal with Steven's company, Cyco media. He couldn't get his hands on that, but now he was suddenly being offered one.

'Since when did my life become so convenient?'

"Can I know a bit more about it?"

He asked while trying his best to keep calm. If it were before he had gotten his system, he would have taken the deal just because it was a big chance to move up in his career.

But now, he wanted to be more careful.

"Of course. My company, CMA, keeps an eye on any talent that might pop up, and since we saw you on X-Star, we are very interested in you as an artist. After listening to you live, I have confirmed your voice is truly great, and you have a talent for writing songs."

Amy stopped to examine his face and found it a bit weird that it didn't have many expressions. Usually, unknown artists who have not hit it big would be very excited by an offer like this.

Not minding it, she continued.

"In simple words, we want to invest in you to make an album. We will make you a brand, and in the future, if you work hard, I'm sure you can be a superstar."

Amy said some words that might seem nice to one's ears. But they did nothing more than to make Aiden be on guard. Thinking of something, he asked.

"Can I ask you something?" Then, at Amy's nod, he asked his question. "I'm mostly an actor rather than a singer, so this deal would mean I need to focus on singing, right?"

"Yeah, obviously. Look, Aiden, you are not a teenager anymore. If you were, you would have more time, but currently, you first need to make something of yourself. Listen to my advice and focus on your singing first, and later on, you can transfer to acting. So many people have done that.".

That was just telling Aiden that they won't let him focus on his acting career if he signed the deal. After all, any company will think of its profit first rather than what the artist wants.

Still, he had a few other questions too.

"How much are you going to invest in me?"

That was a very straightforward question, and Amy needed to think before replying.

"An average investment in a new artist is generally 500k dollars to 1 million. So you can expect that too."

'That's a lot of money.'

He thought in his mind. If they were willing to invest that much in him, it meant that Amy's company was pretty sure that they would make it back.

Still, he found it a bit strange.

'Never ever trust a big company's contract in Hollywood without reading it five times.'

In his mind, a piece of advice that he had heard a long time ago rang, like it was telling him this deal was a trap and he shouldn't agree to it.

"So, what do you think?"

Amy nudged him to answer, finding his behaviour very strange. Usually, indie artists would be on guard, but they would get very excited after knowing about the investment amount and other incentives.

"Well, I need to think about it. Your offer is very lucrative, but I want to first go through the contract."

At Aiden's words, Amy frowned like she didn't like it. She glanced toward her uncle, but he just had a bleak smile, which meant that he couldn't help her here.

"I will send you the contract. Please give me your email. But remember that you won't get the chance again, so you need to give a reply soon."

There was a bit of sharpness in her words that Aiden decided to ignore. For now, signing with a record label wasn't something he was looking forward to.

At least if it meant working under Amy because she didn't seem like the type who would be good to work with.

'There's a reason why so many popular artists have disputes with their labels.'

He thought of the countless articles and media reports he had read. First of all, he needed to research everything before answering properly.

The next day, Aiden woke up early, and after freshening up, he quickly started giving finishing touches to his Melody and MeTube account.

The record label deal offered to him by Amy wasn't really in his mind. He had decided to think about it when Amy emailed him the contract. He first wanted to get the other pending work done.

For MeTube, he already has the video of him performing 'Lonely'. And for Melody, he needed to record a better version of the song in his room.

Thankfully, his neighbours didn't make a lot of noise, and he could finish it in two hours.

But it still took a lot of time to add more final touches to the song. And another one hour to get a cover to go with the song.

Although the song was very nice, the cover didn't look great. It was just a drawing of a man sitting in a cubicle in an office. The entire work looked like a person with no experience had done it, and it was true too.

But Aiden just hoped that his recent popularity in X-Star would help to get the song some views on both Melody and MeTube.

In the next few days, he planned to record 'Life is a story and 'I can't seem to forget' and post them too. He could record the live versions in the bar for MeTube, so it wasn't a lot of work.

'I need to practise for the audition too later. Though, it would have been nice if I knew what sort of character I was auditioning for. Anyway, first l need to upload the song.'

He thought as he uploaded the song on MeTube and Melody. Then, to get some views, he decided to copy the link and promote it on his social media websites.

His Sparrow account now had 7k followers due to him being a part of X-Star, and his Skygram account now has 15k followers. It was a high number for the current him.

'Wait, did my followers increase?'

He thought as he opened his Sparrow account. He didn't recall having these many followers before.

At that moment, his eyes suddenly landed on the trending rankings, and he saw X-Star at number three there. It didn't surprise him a lot, but he noticed something else.

In 9th place, Aiden was trending with over 2k tweets.

"Is it me? Or someone else named Aiden did something?"

He muttered and clicked on it.

At that same time, in a meeting room in Los Angeles, Gary, the producer of X-Star, was shouting at his team.

"You all really don't have any brain cells!! Why did you edit it to show Aiden as the main character? Now, everything is messed up!"

He screamed and seemed like he would smash a chair today in anger. However, one of the creative writers of the show quickly tried to lower his anger.

"Sir, the episode was edited before Aiden's elimination, and the ratings have also gone up."

"And they are going to fall down a lot once they realise that Aiden will get eliminated in just the next round! How do you think those fans of his would feel? They are going to stop seeing the show."

No one said anything about those words. Unfortunately, the shooting of the next round, which included a wild card entry, was currently going on, and they have lost any chance to bring Aiden back to the show.

It would actually be fine if the last episode didn't actually focus on Aiden, but the reality was different, and now, they were in a bind.

If they really showed Aiden getting eliminated, there would be a social media campaign against them. After all, teenagers, these days love cancelling things they don't like, sitting in their bedroom.

"Sir, how about we start some false rumours about him to lower his popularity?"

"That won't work. We would lose credibility if it got out. It's a two-edged sword. Moreover, he's currently becoming a trend. His performance of Life is a story has gotten 8 million views on MeTube, and the band performance crossed a million in a day. We need to think of something better and quick!"

Gary said, glaring at his team that he would soon term as incompetent. At that moment, his assistant suddenly got an idea.

"Sir, the best we could right now is to focus on someone like Cameron for the next episode and make Aiden more of a side character? Then, if we can just get someone else's popularity to rise above him, we might be able to save some ratings."

The others nodded at the idea that seemed a better alternative. Gary thought for a bit before accepting it.

"Okay, along with that, remove anything related to Aiden that we are using on social media and focus more on Cameron and Rachel. We need to be prepared to face some tough times in the future."

Although he said that, even Gary didn't know that his days would soon get more challenging. A report by the Gossip Tribunal was posted soon after this meeting ended.

The title of the report was:

[Latest leak from X-Star Season 3: Aiden Silvereye WILL get eliminated in the next round!]

…

/DreamNote/

It's a new month. Golden Tickets have reseted and I call for your support once again!

Please vote this book with your Golden Tickets and I shall bring you more bonus chapters!

Don't forget to vote with power stone too

Check Creator's Note for the Bonus Chapter Goals!

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Rosie Gallagher was a college girl in Trenton, New Jersey, and she has been a fan of X-Star since the show's inaugural season. She had not missed even a single episode of the popular show.

She had her favourite contestants for whom she rooted and wished that they would win the show every season. This season was the same with many interesting contestants whose voices she enjoyed.

But throughout the show, there was only one contestant who had made her a fan, Aiden Silvereye.

From the start, she had loved his original song and then the second round performance. But it was the third round that had truly enamoured her.

She still remembered the day she had seen the performance. Coincidentally, it was the day that she had broken up with her boyfriend and doubted many of her life's decisions. Then, she heard the song 'Life is a story'.

Just hearing it once had made her feel a bit better, and from that day, she had become Aiden's number one fan (self-proclaimed).

She had decided to support him no matter what because his songs would always make her feel better. So when she heard the band's performance, she was blown away by it but was kind of disappointed when she saw Aiden was playing a supporting role.

But when she saw the clip of him acting as a leader and assigning roles in the band, she realised that he wasn't someone who would care about being in the limelight. Instead, he focused more on the performance.

At that moment, she had decided that she would support him throughout his journey in X-Star, but currently, she was seeing the headline of a bizarre article.

[Latest leak from X-Star Season 3: Aiden Silvereye WILL get eliminated in the next round!]

"What the fuck?"

Rosie couldn't help but swear when she saw the article. She quickly read through it and realised that the report was all about an interview with a staff member who said that Aiden would get eliminated in the next round after facing off against Rachel..

Even if she had read it twice, she couldn't believe it. Closing the article, she quickly opened up a forum about X-Star and saw that there was already a post about it, and people were discussing it.

[Aiden's wife: WTF was that article? Please tell me it's wrong?! He can't get eliminated! They literally hyped him like he would be the winner in the last episode.]

[Dao of snu snu: Gossip Tribunal is a solid blog site. I don't doubt the credibility, and they will surely delete the post in a few hours when the X-Star team gets to know about it.]

[Guy with a long gun: If it's true, boy, X-Star will get a massive outrage. I kind of wish it is, just for free entertainment.]

[Struggle is struggling: Hey, look what I got. Aiden posted this on his social media accounts just a minute ago. I think it's his new song! Check para comments!]

Rosie saw the link on the post and immediately clicked on it. It opened up MeTube and got her to a video of a bar where Aiden was singing.

'Lonely? Is it his new song? Does that mean he's really eliminated?'

She thought as the song began. And by the end of it, she had become Aiden's first subscriber. Even if he was not on X-Star, his journey would keep going on, and Rosie was always going to support him.

As the leak about him being eliminated was making rounds on social media, Aiden was well aware of it. After all, he had already received many DMs, asking if he was really eliminated.

He had not replied to them as it was best for him to stay silent and let the next episode reveal everything.

In the next few days, his life was like a busy cycle. In the morning, he would enact famous movie roles for the upcoming audition and try to prepare himself for it while recording his other songs most of the time.

And at night, he would sing in the bar to earn some money.

Compared to the show, his lifestyle was pretty relaxed, with him not overthinking about getting eliminated. But, at least facing failure had made him tougher against them.

Like this, he spent most of his days and finally, on Sunday, the day of the audition came.

Currently, Aiden was in a taxi, going towards the location of his audition. For the audition, he had tried to look his best, but more or less, he had tried to keep his appearance casual.

To pass the time in the taxi, he had started going through the contract that he had received last night on his phone, and he had really found the contents very problematic.

'They take a percentage in everything: record sales, streams, merchandise, concerts. Record sales alone get 85 percent of the profit, and the contract is even for seven years. Now I can understand why record labels get sued often.'

He thought after reading through a section of the contract.

It was not like he didn't know how shady record labels were. He had even heard of singers whose contract contained that they can't retire and how one big record label had forced a singer to pay back all the investments they had spent on him, even when he had made them a big profit.

Cases like these were pretty common in Hollywood, and he felt like the contract Amy had given him was more or less the same.

'It seems like I have made my decision.'

Aiden thought and took a deep breath. Then, closing the contract, he opened up the MeTube Creator page and saw that Lonely had already gotten 20k views in just a week.

Even the songs like 'I can't seem to forget' and 'Life is a story which he had uploaded later, had gotten more than 10k views.

It was a very good number considering he was new in all this. Other than that, the controversy about him getting eliminated has also given him more views.

In a way, he was fortunate.

"We're here." The taxi driver said, stopping the taxi in front of the theatre where the audition would take place.

Turning his phone off, Aiden paid the taxi driver and got out of the taxi before heading inside the theatre. Although it was an audition, he didn't see a lot of people outside the theatre.

'It seems like it's true that only some people have been called to this audition.'

Unlike other auditions he had attended, which were more open where anyone registered with the actor's union could come, this was more closed.

Abraham had told him that it was because the movie he was auditioning for had already been shot for the most part, and the director was just looking for a South Asian actor to play a certain character.

'Let's hope it goes well.'

He thought, trying to calm himself down. Then, walking inside the theatre, he saw some staff members standing by the door.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where the audition is?"

"You are?"

A brown-haired sharp-faced guy asked as he scanned him from head to toe.

"I'm here to audition for a role. I was told they were looking for a South Asian actor." He said, and the guy took out a tab and started going through a list on it.

"Name?"

"Aiden, Aiden Silvereye."

Hearing that, the brown-haired guy nodded and suddenly found his name on the list. Then, raising his head from the screen, he said.

"Come with me."

Aiden followed the guy, and while walking, he revealed his name and job.

"I'm Leo Shaw, the assistant director. Some guys are already here, so you need to wait for your turn. By then, I will give you the script you need to perform."

Leo said, and Aiden quickly asked, knowing that it was a chance for him to get some information about the movie.

"Script? And can you tell me a bit more about the movie and the director?"

"The director of the movie is Lincoln Bradley. Maybe you have heard of him, but he's making a comeback after five years. And the movie is called [Shadows of War]. That's all I can tell you, and as for the script I'm talking about, every actor here to audition is getting one, and they need to perform it."

Aiden silently nodded his head but couldn't help but ask.

"I don't think it will give me enough time to prepare for it."

"That's what Lincoln wants to see. He's eccentric, so he feels like this is the best way to get a good actor. To see who can perform the best in minimal time."

Aiden didn't mind it as he had heard of how weird some directors are. As for Lincoln Bradley, he had heard of his name as he was someone who had made a lot of good movies since his career began in the early 2000s.

If he could get a role, then maybe his acting career would begin for real.

…

/DreamNote/

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