Chapter 1: Rebirth
The scorching afternoon sun shone down on the steps of the American Academy of Cinematic Arts, better known as AACA. Blake Cross stood still for a moment, looking up at the grand building he had once dreamed of graduating from. Now, all he could do was sigh and clutch the cardboard box in his arms, filled with his belongings—half-used notebooks, a worn-out camera lens, a photo of his parents, and a tattered screenplay draft titled "Lights Out".
He had officially dropped out.
Not that he had much of a choice.
Two days ago, he had woken up in this unfamiliar but somehow familiar world. The reflection in the mirror was younger, leaner, more energetic. Twenty-three years old again, even though he remembered living until 35. What stunned him even more than the apparent regression in age was the calendar—2010. Eleven years back in time.
But that wasn't the only thing that didn't add up.
At first, Blake thought he was dreaming. Maybe he had gone mad from grief and exhaustion. But slowly, everything started falling into place—the memories, the emotions, the clarity. This wasn't a dream. He had transmigrated. And worse, it wasn't even the same Earth.
He noticed it the first time he passed a movie theater.
A large poster displayed a gritty-looking soldier kneeling before a pile of dog tags, bloodied and broken. The title read "Ashes of Valor", starring someone named Grant Temple. A name he had never heard of in his previous life.
Curious, he had searched for other movie titles and found none that he recognized. No Inception, no The Social Network, no Harry Potter. Instead, there were completely different posters, celebrities, and songs. It was like he had stepped into a parallel Hollywood.
"So this is an alternate Earth," he had murmured to himself, trying to make sense of it all.
He remembered reading the web novel My Hollywood System in his past life. Will Evans, the protagonist, had faced something similar—dropping out of AACA, losing his parents, and receiving a miraculous system. Blake scoffed at the irony. Now, he was in the same situation. He even shared the same name.
Cross.
It was both his name in his past life and this one. That coincidence alone had shaken him deeply.
Blake sighed again and turned his back to the academy. He started walking, feet dragging a little as the box in his arms grew heavier. His apartment was a fifteen-minute cab ride away. He didn't have the energy to carry the box that far. After some hesitation, he flagged down a cab.
The ride cost him $12. He only had $22 left.
The apartment was a single-room rental in a rundown neighborhood. Bare walls, no curtains, one creaky chair, a small mattress rolled up in the corner, and a flickering ceiling fan. He dropped the box near the wall and stared at the emptiness.
His stomach growled, but he wasn't hungry. Not really. More like exhausted.
He didn't want to face the landlord again. Mr. Kinney was a walking reminder of reality—a man whose every word was about rent, due dates, and eviction threats. So Blake stepped outside again, hoping to clear his mind.
He wandered.
Through cracked sidewalks, past busy intersections and honking horns. LA looked the same as before—same buildings, same sounds—but something felt off, like a song that was familiar but played in a different key.
His mind replayed the facts. In this world - His mother had died young, His father spiraled into alcoholism and died two months ago.The original Blake had struggled hard to keep his dream alive, juggling part-time jobs and film school.Eventually, he had no choice but to drop out.
Then, two days ago, the real Blake—him—woke up in this body.
He sighed again.
"Not even a week into transmigration and I'm broke, orphaned, and a dropout," he muttered. "God bless my future."
He didn't know where he was heading until he found himself standing in front of a cinema.
The poster out front caught his eye.
A man in military fatigues stood over the corpses of his fellow soldiers. His expression hollow, eyes reflecting trauma.
The title read: "Ashes of Valor".
Blake pulled out the last $10 bill from his wallet. It was a stupid decision, but he needed a distraction. The ticket cost $8. He had $2 left now. Not even enough for popcorn.
He settled into the theatre seat. The commercials rolled by—ads for unknown energy drinks, a new popstar named Cassie Moon, and a trailer for a rom-com called "Love Left Unsaid". None of it familiar.
Then the movie began.
The story followed a bright-eyed recruit entering boot camp, eager and full of dreams. But war was not a fantasy. Reality hit fast when he saw the first body bag. A hardened major mentored him, teaching him to find meaning amid chaos. That mentor died halfway through the movie.
Blake found himself immersed. The movie was gritty, emotional, raw. It didn't glorify war—it exposed it.
As the credits rolled and the audience began to applaud, Blake remained seated.
He felt... strange. Not sad. Not inspired. But dizzy.
Suddenly, his vision blurred. He sank deeper into his seat, his head tilting back.
"Hey dude, you alright?"
A muffled voice broke through. Blake blinked rapidly.
"Yeah, I'm good. Don't worry, just got a bit dizzy for a second."
The stranger nodded sympathetically. "It's alright man, the movie was really harsh. It hit me hard too, just take it easy."
Blake managed a faint smile. The man walked away, and the theater slowly emptied.
But Blake couldn't move. Not because he was dizzy—but because of what he was seeing.
A faint, glowing blue screen hovered in front of him.
Translucent. Digital. Unreal.
Text scrolled across it like a system notification in a video game:
[You have been recognized as a creative soul lost in alternate timelines. For your resilience, you have been chosen. Welcome, host, to the Cinematic System.]
Blake blinked again.
A small grin crept across his face.
"Seems like I'm not as helpless as I thought."
Author's Note:
Well, Here it is the Chapter 1, I wrote this with the help of AI, after reading My Hollywood System, I really loved it unfortunately there is no update after Chapter 242, I thought why not write it myself, So I took the help of AI.
So yeah, Thanks for reading.
1 Day - 1 Chapter.