Chapter 19: Tokyo Wakes
The scent of instant coffee lingered in the air as Cal stirred his mug absentmindedly, eyes locked on the system dashboard. The previous night's stats were still pouring in—spikes, pings, viral tags, reposts.
[Replay Upload Processed – "Resident Evil Village: The Tall Lady Rises" – Trending in JP, US, KR, BR]
[You have gained +1,500 Points from Stream Reactions]
[Total Influence Level: 7]
It wasn't just numbers anymore.
Across early online forums like 2ch, GameFAQs, and NeoGAF, users had begun posting screen captures and frame-by-frame breakdowns of the high-res titles Cal had shown. Most assumed it was high-level fan work or next-gen PC mods. But others were starting to put together patterns—repeated game showcases, consistent style, same voice.
And in one university lab in central Tokyo, Professor Sakamoto of Meiji University—an old-school digital media researcher—had begun compiling GhostFrame footage.
"Not a mod," he muttered as he paused the Minecraft RTX footage, zooming in on the reflections in the water. "That's path-traced rendering. Impossible on current gen."
His assistant, a grad student with wild dyed hair, leaned over. "You think he's a time traveler or something?"
Sakamoto didn't answer. He just opened a folder titled "Chrono Artefact: GhostFrame Hypothesis."
Meanwhile, Cal was prepping something different.
His audience had loved the last gaming stream—especially the mix of horror, freedom, and artful design. So he opened a poll within the system's community tab and gave them four choices:
Cyberpunk 2077
Hogwarts Legacy
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Hades
The winner by a landslide: Hades.
"Smart pick," Cal muttered. "Clean art, quick gameplay, mythology twist."
He set up the stream with Greek ambiance music in the background and opened the system's enhanced build of Hades (2023 Director's Edition). With permission settings toggled to minimal spoiler mode, he launched into a fresh run.
The stream opened in darkness.
"In the name of Hades… I accept this message."
Lightning cracked across the screen. The booming voice of Zeus echoed as Zagreus's first Boon activated.
The 2010 viewers were instantly pulled in—not just by the fluid animation and vibrant style, but by the voice acting, combat rhythm, and lore-soaked world.
"This is a future indie game?? Looks like triple-A!"
"The gods… they talk?"
"Why is this so addicting to watch??"
"Who made this??"
"We need more like this!!"
Cal dashed, slashed, deflected, and died—and laughed every time. The rogue-like structure made it perfect for fast-paced viewing. Even his deaths were content. Within 90 minutes, #GhostFrameHades trended on X.
[System Update: Developer Tags Triggered – "Supergiant Echo Detected"]
[Hidden Viewer Unlocked: Timeline Developer Account – Potential Future Ally]
[+700 Points | +2 Timeline Echoes]
"Echoes… what does that mean?" Cal whispered. He opened the glossary.
[Timeline Echo]: A ripple effect created when creative professionals gain inspiration or direction from your content in the past. These may accelerate, change, or create events and cultural shifts.
He leaned back. "So now even devs might get inspired… before they've even made the games?"
He opened the dashboard map—regions glowing where his reach was growing. Japan, Korea, the US. But now, new flickers appeared in France. Germany. Argentina. Thailand. Canada.
This wasn't just about anime or manga anymore. He was touching art. Culture. Tech.
In a small town in France, two teenage siblings sat watching a reposted version of the Hades stream, fascinated by the art and combat flow. One of them opened his sketchpad.
In South Korea, a college student studying programming decided to drop out to start designing his own rogue-like dungeon game, loosely inspired by what he saw.
In Brazil, a music producer clipped the Megara Theme from the background and began composing a remix that would go viral in his own region, catching the attention of underground artists.
And in New York, a young girl named Emily bookmarked the stream with one thought in mind: "I want to voice a character like that one day."
Back in his room, Cal kicked his feet up.
The system chimed again.
[Mission Complete: "Influence Through Art"]
[Reward: 1000 Points, Special Card Unlocked – "Developer's Insight"]
He tapped the card.
Developer's Insight: You may now schedule anonymous Q&A sessions with timeline game designers. Use influence points to direct genre trends.
His eyes widened.
"Wait, I can influence actual developers now?"
Yes, the system replied silently through text.
[Careful. Every suggestion can twist fate.]
Cal sat still for a long moment.
Then he grinned.
"Time to cause another creative storm."
End of Chapter 19