Zayan Woke Up With A Heavy Chest And A Heavier Sense Of Dread Because The System Had Been Too Quiet For The Last Eight Hours And That Was Never A Good Sign
He Sat Up Slowly Blinking At The Ceiling Like It Might Collapse On Him And Take Him Out Of His Contract With Destiny
Then The Voice Returned Sweet As Poison
Good Morning Host Today's Mission Is To Showcase The Power Of Expression Through Movement You Will Compete In A Street Dance Showdown At Liberty Park Noon Sharp Bonus Points For Audience Reactions Improvised Props And Unintentional Backflips
Zayan Threw His Pillow Across The Room Then Got Up And Walked Into The Bathroom Where He Gave Himself A Pep Talk In The Mirror That Mostly Involved Deep Breathing And Questioning Every Life Choice That Had Led To This Point
He Got Dressed In The Most Flexible Clothes He Owned Which Turned Out To Be A Pair Of Sweatpants From Tenth Grade And A Hoodie That Said Say No To Normal
He Skipped Breakfast Because He Couldn't Imagine Doing Windmills On A Stomach Full Of Toast And Regret
He Took A Rickshaw To Liberty Park Where A Stage Had Been Set Up In The Middle Of The Open Plaza And A Crowd Was Already Gathering Around A Boombox That Looked Like It Had Survived A War
The Host Of The Event Was A Man In Gold Pants With Sunglasses Bigger Than His Future Who Introduced Each Dancer Like They Were Gladiators Entering A Colosseum
Zayan Tried To Hide In The Crowd But The System Flashed A Message Across His Vision That Read Participant Forty Two Zayan Mango King Confirmed Entry Cannot Be Cancelled Without Consequence
He Watched As The First Contestant A Girl With Neon Hair Did A Backflip While Popping Her Shoulders Like She Had No Bones And The Crowd Went Wild
Then Came A Man In A Suit Who Danced Like A Corporate Robot But Somehow Made It Look Cool
Zayan Thought About Faking An Injury But The System Would Probably Respond By Making Him Breakdance On Crutches
When His Name Was Called He Felt Every Cell In His Body Try To Escape Through His Shoes
He Walked To The Center Of The Circle Heart Racing Sweat Already Forming On His Neck The Crowd Looked At Him Like He Was The Warm Up Act Before The Real Show
The Music Hit A Beat So Loud It Felt Like A Thunderclap In His Spine And He Stood There Frozen Until The System Whispered Into His Brain
Start With Emotion Host Feel The Music Let The Dance Be Your Weapon
Zayan Closed His Eyes Took A Deep Breath And Moved
His First Step Was Awkward A Half Spin That Looked Like A Drunken Turn Then He Threw His Arm Up And Tried To Pop His Chest Like He Had Seen In Music Videos
He Missed The Beat Slipped On His Own Foot And Accidentally Spun Into A Full Circle That Ended With Him On One Knee
The Crowd Clapped Thinking It Was Intentional
Encouraged He Started Swinging His Arms Side To Side Like A Windshield Wiper On Overdrive Then Added A Head Nod That Made His Neck Crack Loud Enough For A Baby To Cry In The Distance
He Moved Forward In What Could Only Be Described As Controlled Flailing Channeling The Spirit Of A Guy Who Had Watched Dance Videos But Only Once And On Mute
Then The Music Changed To A Slower Beat And Zayan Got Dramatic He Pulled Out His Hoodie Strings Spun Them Like Ribbons And Pointed To The Sky Like He Was Summoning Lightning
A Child In The Front Row Gasped And Threw Popcorn Into The Air In Support
Zayan Took It As A Sign From The Universe And Did A Side Step Into A Half Split That Almost Tore His Leg Off
He Heard People Cheering Shouting Mango King Mango King Even Though His Legs Were Screaming For An Ambulance
Then A Woman Threw Him A Hat From The Side And He Caught It Mid Air Put It On Backwards And Did A Moonwalk That Looked More Like A Sliding Accident
But The Crowd Loved It
Someone Threw A Water Bottle On Stage Not Out Of Anger But Like It Was A Trophy
Zayan Pointed At The Crowd Spun Twice And Did A Final Jump With Both Arms In The Air Ending In A Victory Pose That Was Basically Him Falling Backwards Into A Roll
When He Stood Up He Was Panting Eyes Wide Shirt Sticking To His Skin But The Roar Of The Crowd Was Louder Than His Shame
The Host Ran Up Shouting That Mango King Had Broken The Scoreboard And One Of The Judges Gave Him A Ten While Holding A Cup Of Tea That She Almost Spilled
Zayan Limped Off Stage Legs Wobbling Knees Trembling Feeling Like A Warrior Returning From Battle
Mission Completed Said The System Reward Is One Legendary Dance Title Local Fame And A Mysterious Fan Letter Tucked Under A Bench
He Sat On The Grass Breathing Heavily Watching The Next Dancer Slide Across The Stage Like A Soap Covered Seal And Thought Maybe He Wasn't That Bad
Then A Little Girl Came Up Asked For A Selfie Called Him Mango Uncle And Left Without Another Word
Zayan Stared Into The Distance Questioning Everything Again
Back Home He Collapsed On His Bed And Didn't Move For An Hour Until The System Returned
Well Done Host Tomorrow You Attend A Blind Date In A Haunted Restaurant
Zayan Let Out A Sound That Was Somewhere Between A Screech And A Prayer
Do I Get A Day Off He Whispered
The System Replied Never
Because Rest Is For The Ordinary
And You Are The Mango King
Zayan Woke Up With A Bruised Knee A Stiff Neck And A Very Strong Feeling That The System Was Not Done Ruining His Life Just Yet
The Room Was Still Dark But His Vision Lit Up With A Notification That Blinked With Malicious Joy
Congratulations On Surviving The Dance Showdown Host Now Prepare For Tonight's Special Mission Romantic Engagement In A Haunted Restaurant Your Date Will Be Assigned Your Role Is To Not Die Or Cry In Public
Zayan Groaned And Pulled His Blanket Over His Head But The System Replied With A Countdown Clock Ticking Loudly In His Brain
You Have Eight Hours To Look Presentable Learn Basic Table Manners And Maybe Google How To Not Scream When A Ghost Pulls Your Chair
Zayan Dragged Himself Out Of Bed With The Elegance Of A Tired Potato And Stared At His Reflection In The Mirror His Hair Looked Like It Had Been Attacked By Static Electricity And His Eyes Screamed I Haven't Slept Since Episode Two
He Splashed Water On His Face Brushed His Teeth And Considered Watching A Romantic Movie For Research But Accidentally Clicked On A Video Titled Ten Signs You're About To Be Haunted
By Evening He Was Dressed In The Only Shirt He Owned That Didn't Have A Weird Stain On It And A Pair Of Jeans That Screamed I Tried But Not Too Hard
The System Guided Him To An Old Restaurant On The Edge Of Town A Gothic Building With Flickering Lights And A Sign That Read Welcome To Chez Phobia Dining With A Twist
A Bell Rang As He Pushed The Door Open And The Hostess Smiled A Smile That Was Way Too Wide For Comfort
Welcome To Our Spirit Friendly Venue Sir Please Proceed To Table Seven And Beware The Candles They Bite
Zayan Nodded Slowly Wondering If He Should Just Run But The System Buzzed
Cowardice Detected Mission Failure If You Exit Premises Without Hugging A Ghost Or Making Eye Contact With Your Date
He Made His Way To Table Seven Which Was In The Center Of The Room Surrounded By Other Couples Who All Looked Like They Had Been Paid To Act Calm While Chairs Moved By Themselves And Curtains Flapped Despite The Lack Of Wind
Then She Walked In
His Date
She Was Wearing A Dark Red Dress Her Hair Tied Back Eyes Sharp And Focused She Walked Like She Owned The Restaurant And Maybe Even The Ghosts In It
She Sat Down Across From Him And Smiled
You're Zayan Right I'm Lila I Heard We're Supposed To Have A Memorable Night
Zayan Tried To Smile Back But It Probably Looked Like A Nervous Twitch
Hi I'm The Guy Who Once Fainted At A Spider Commercial So This Should Go Great
She Laughed And The Lights Above Them Flickered Like They Were In A Horror Movie Sponsored By A Romantic Comedy
Their Waiter Floated Over Literally Hovering Six Inches Off The Ground Holding A Tray Of Floating Menus That Wobbled In The Air
Good Evening May I Recommend The Screaming Soup Or The Paranormal Pasta It Comes With Ectoplasm Sauce On The Side
Zayan Ordered Whatever Didn't Sound Like It Screamed Back And Tried To Focus On His Date Instead Of The Portraits On The Wall That Seemed To Be Watching Them Eat
So Lila Asked What's Your Deal You Look Like A Man Who Has Been Through Several Awkward Quests And Possibly A Chicken Chase
Zayan Coughed Nearly Choking On His Water And Tried To Explain That He Was Currently Being Mentally Tortured By A Digital Life Ruining System That Assigned Him Ridiculous Missions Without Warning
Lila Nodded And Said Sounds Fun I Work With Paranormal Investigators So This Feels Like A Normal Tuesday For Me
He Blinked Slowly Wondering If She Was Serious Or Just Trying To One Up His Chaos
Before He Could Ask A Loud Screech Came From The Kitchen Followed By A Floating Plate Of Bread That Slammed Onto Their Table With Dramatic Flair
Lila Picked Up A Piece And Bit Into It Like Nothing Had Happened
The Bread Is Great She Said It's Probably Possessed But Still Warm
Zayan Took A Bite Too And Was Pleasantly Surprised Until It Screamed Very Softly In His Mouth
They Continued Talking Through A Dinner That Included Floating Candles That Changed Colors Ghostly Hands Refilling Their Water And At One Point A Rat In A Waiter's Uniform Taking Someone's Order Two Tables Away
Surprisingly He Found Himself Laughing A Lot Lila Was Funny Confident And Didn't Seem To Care That His Eye Twitched Every Time A Dish Moved Without Permission
Then Came Dessert
A Giant Cake Was Rolled Out On A Cart By A Skeleton Wearing A Tuxedo The Cake Said Congratulations Mango King On Your Date In Glowing Red Letters
Lila Burst Out Laughing As Zayan Covered His Face With His Hands
You're Mango King She Giggled The Internet Legend I've Seen Your Mall Karaoke Video Like Five Times
Zayan Considered Faking A Heart Attack But The Skeleton Was Already Serving Cake
He Looked At Her Slowly And Said If You Tell Anyone I'll Deny Everything Even The Mango
The Lights Went Out Suddenly And A Chill Ran Through The Room Guests Screamed Chairs Flew Back And A Deep Voice Echoed From Nowhere
Who Dares To Love In My Restaurant
Zayan Froze Lila Stood Up Pulled A Salt Shaker From Her Purse And Shouted Not Today Demon Love Wins
The Room Lit Up Again As The Ghost Screamed And Disappeared Into The Ceiling Like A Miserable Puff Of Mist
Zayan Stared At Her In Awe
You Carry Salt In Your Purse
Always Comes In Handy On Paranormal First Dates
The System Buzzed In His Head
Mission Complete Host Bonus Points Earned For Not Running Screaming Midway Through The Appetizer You Have Gained One Romantic Connection One Cake And Twenty Five Ghost Social Credits
Lila Smiled At Him And Said We Should Do This Again Maybe Somewhere Less Haunted Or More Haunted Depending On Your Vibe
Zayan Nodded Slowly
Honestly This Was The Least Embarrassing Mission I've Had All Week
They Left The Restaurant Together Laughing As A Floating Fork Tried To Follow Them Out The Door
Outside Under The Moonlight Zayan Felt A Rare Calm Like Maybe This Crazy Life Wasn't So Terrible After All
Then The System Spoke Again
Rest Well Host Tomorrow You Babysit A Psychic Baby With Fire Powers
Zayan Stared At The Sky And Whispered
Why Am I Still Alive
Because You're The Mango King Said The Voice Proudly
And The Show Must Go On