Max stepped off the stage with a different swagger in his steps.
And the moment he pushed past the black curtains, he felt the atmospheric shift that was like night and day.
Out front, the air had been superfluous with cameras, lights, applause, and the thick emotional mass of thousands of people reacting to every bar and note hit.
But backstage here, the energy felt different.
Crew members rushed past with headsets pressed to their ears, assistants carried stacks of equipment, while stage managers barked quiet instructions into walkie-talkies.
Max rolled his shoulders and let out a slow breath.
"Man," he murmured, "that was wild".
His chest still buzzed with leftover adrenaline, but now he knew that it was more than just adrenaline.
It was the aftereffect of the artifice energy moving inside him, and it originated from the emotional energy gathered from the audience during the performance.
The system interface lit up again.
DING!
["Artifice Energy."]
["Total: 732/732."]
["Rank: Basic Rank Artist."]
Max stared at the number for a moment.
"Seven hundred already". He whispered.
He remembered the official thresholds clearly, everyone studying artifice systems in school had to memorize them at some point.
The Artifice energy of Basic Rank Artists was within the range of 1 to 1,000, Intermediate Rank is only achieved at 2,000 range.
He was still comfortably inside the first level, but he was climbing.
Max scratched his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Damn, if singing two songs does this much, imagine what happens when the whole world starts listening".
A voice behind him answered. "Your ego might explode first".
Max turned and saw Jalen standing there with two water bottles. The tall Singer tossed one over casually and Max caught it with one hand.
"'Preciate it man".
Jalen leaned against a nearby equipment case and studied him. "You do realize the kinda shi you just did back there right?"
Max twisted the bottle cap open. "I sang?"
Jalen gave him a look. "Don't play dumb bruv".
Max shrugged. "I'm for real".
Jalen laughed under his breath. "You had people on their feet! And on the first joint, man that was crazy!"
Max took a long drink and exhaled with a grin. "Yeah, it did feel good".
Jalen shook his head slowly.
"You ain't even nervous at all, are you?"
Max thought about that for a second, then he answered honestly. "Nah, not really. I think I'm past that stage man," his gaze lingered on the tall singer. "I've experienced what it means to be at rock bottom before, that's why I can't allow nervousness to kill my dream".
"Not anymore".
Jalen stared at him. "You crazy dawg".
Max grinned. "Maybe".
Before Jalen could respond, the backstage door opened and Lila stepped through. She was just finishing her performance.
Her breathing was steady but slightly heavier than before, a sign that she had pushed herself on stage.
Jalen clapped once. "Nice control".
Lila nodded politely.
"Gracias". She grinned and responded in an exaggeratedly graceful manner before complimenting it with a little Korean-esque 90 degrees bow which made Max laugh.
Her eyes quickly moved to Max. "You're trending now big boy".
Max blinked. "Already?"
She pulled out her phone and showed him the screen.
Several clips from the show were already circulating online as fans already uploaded recordings of Max's performance barely minutes after it ended.
Comments flooded the posts at an incredible pace.
Max leaned closer to read.
One comment said: ["This dude sings like he's telling a story instead of performing."]
Another read: ["Who's this Max Walker dude and why does he sound like he's tryna break and mend my heart at the same time? Its crazy dawg!"]
Max chuckled. "Heartbreaker and heart mender combo? That's a new one". He was genuinely enjoying the whole show, far more than he expected.
Jalen grinned. "Yo, that's a pretty dope ass description".
Lila scrolled through the feed. "The engagement rate is nuts!"
She glanced at Max. "This means people are talking about you, and for the record, that means you're the real deal on the net now".
The Artifice System shimmered again.
DING!
["Recognition detected."]
["Artifice conversion active."]
Max felt the shift almost immediately.
It was subtle, like a quiet pressure building behind his rib cage as the numbers kept changing- [...742, 743, 744, 745.]
He exhaled slowly. "So that's how recognition feeds power".
Jalen nodded. "Exactly".
Max lowered the bottle and leaned against the wall. "Man, its nuts how fame is farmed into a literal power source".
"That's the celebrity lifestyle". Lila smiled, then she crossed her arms. "And it's not just fame".
Max raised an eyebrow. "What else?"
"Emotion". She answered simply.
Max thought about that and yeah, it did make sense.
When the crowd connected with his song earlier, he had felt it instantly- a wave of shared feeling moving through the room like a wireless connection.
Then a crackling noise suddenly came from the ceiling speakers.
"All contestants please gather near the stage".
The three of them briefly exchanged glances and Jalen sighed dramatically. "Ah great".
"Elimination announcements," he chuckled. "It's judgement time again and suddenly everybody remembers fear".
Max pushed himself away from the wall. "We gotta bounce then".
They walked back toward the stage entrance where the remaining contestants from all the batches had gathered in a loose group. Thirty people stood there now, earlier there had been more than a hundred left of the batches.
Those who left already knew their fate and didn't want to face the crushing weight of verbal rejection.
The host returned to the center stage with a tablet in his hand.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced. "It is time to reveal the Top Twenty contestants moving forward in Golden Stage!"
The audience roared.
Max stood near the back of the lineup with his hands in his pockets, he was calm. His calm was because despite the fierce competition, he trusted his performance and the resonance that he felt.
The host began reading names.
"Victor Kane!"
Victor stepped forward immediately as applause filled the room.
After stepping forward, like clockwork, he nodded to the judges with confident professionalism.
There was no surprise there, Victor's voice had been one of the most technically precise performances of the night.
"Jalen Cross!"
Jalen shot Max a quick grin. "See you up there," he whispered before stepping forward.
"Lila Hart!"
Lila followed calmly.
The list continued as names echoed through the auditorium. Some contestants stepped forward with relief, others lowered their heads quietly as they realized they would not make the cut despite their earlier confidence.
Max listened patiently, then the host paused briefly before calling out.
"Max Walker."
Max calmly stepped forward as the crowd applauded again.
A couple excited whistles came from the audience, making Max nod at them in acknowledgement.
"Thank you". He mouthed at them.
The system interface lit up again.
DING!
["Recognition spike detected!"]
["Artifice Energy increased!"]
["Total Energy: 781."]
Still Basic Rank, but still climbing.
One by one, the remaining names were called and when the list finished, twenty contestants stood on stage beneath the bright lights.
Everyone else quietly exited, some in tears.
The host then clapped enthusiastically. "Congratulations to our Top Twenty!"
Immediately, confetti burst into the air amid the sound of overhead cannons, scattering silver paper across the stage as the crowd erupted with cheers.
Max laughed softly.
"Man this show is really dramatic, funny as hell".
Victor walked past him slowly, but then he stopped beside Max briefly. "You sing well," he said calmly.
Max nodded. "'Preciate that".
Victor's gaze sharpened slightly. "But talent alone will not win this competition".
Max smirked. "Good thing I got more than just talent".
Victor studied him for another moment before walking away.
Jalen returned a few seconds later. "What'd Mr. Perfect say?"
Max shrugged. "Basically told me the game ain't over".
Jalen chuckled. "He's right".
Max glanced around the stage again.
He let his gaze wander across the roaring audience, the shuttering cameras, and the judges who watched closely, then his eyes briefly met Adrian Vale's again.
The judge looked thoughtful, somewhat curious, almost suspicious even.
Max grinned to himself. "Good," he murmured quietly.
Deep in his chest, he could feel the competition tightening. It was only just beginning, and the past 2 rounds were just the starting launch-pad.
He walked off humming the tune to a certain Afro music by the Nigerian singer Asake he once came by in the previous world.
"They never see me coming..."