Arc 1, Chapter 9: Echoes, Spills, and Dramatic Drums

And finally, the evening when they will shine is here.

As the three girls prepare their instruments backstage, Frida keeps glancing around.

Just then, Mizuki hands her a cup of water, which she silently accepts.

Mizuki: “Nervous?”

Frida: “Nervous? Ha! You wish I were! I’m about to go all out tonight…”

As Frida spoke, her hands continued to tremble, causing some of the water in the cup to spill.

Mizuki gave her one big pat on the back and laughed loudly.

Mizuki: “Don’t worry, don’t worry! You got this.”

Frida's eyes widen with some hope in them.

Frida: “T…Thanks.”

Frida starts pouring the cup of water into her mouth, but there’s nothing. She starts looking around and realizes that the floor around her is wet.

Frida: “Y… You spilled my water!”

Frida starts punching Mizuki’s arm repeatedly as Mizuki continues laughing loudly. Seeing the scene, Eillia sighs.

Eillia: “You two, stop messing around. It’s almost our turn to play after all.”

Frida pauses her punching mid-way while Mizuki smiles.

Mizuki: “Yeah. Come on, it’s time for us to shine.”

All three of them start carrying their instruments to the stage and setting up there.

As they were setting up their instruments, many dwarves were watching them silently. Some have frowns on their face, while some have skeptical looks.

Seeing this, instead of shaking as usual, Frida closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Don’t think about them! Think about your love for music, and those 2 who supported me even though we’ve just met!

As Mizuki and Eillia held up their guitar behind the mic, Frida sat down behind her drums, the more realistic ones compared to her usual makeshift ones, and tightened her grip on the drumsticks.

There was silence in the town center. Some dwarves scowled and whispered to one another, while others folded their arms.

Then—

BOOM

The atmosphere shook as Frida's sticks fell with a loud crash. Hands flying to their ears, the audience flinched.

Eillia's melody, however, pierced through the commotion like a river through stone, soft but steady, before the crowd could scoff. Mizuki's voice emerged next, fierce and clear, piercing the storm with light.

At first, the three sounds were jarring and erratic, but with each beat, they started to line up. Rather than consuming, Frida's rage took the form of something. Her pulse became loud, alive, and clearly less like rage and more like a heartbeat.

The air rippled. The tapping of feet started. Shoulders wobbled. Eyes widened, and silence gave way to awe.

The dwarves were standing by the last chorus, shouting, stomping, and clapping. The sound of applause thundered even louder than Frida's drums, and some people who had previously plugged their ears were tearing up.

???: “That was… beautiful…”

A shaking voice whispered.

And the dwarves gave a raw clap. Some even cheered, louder than the cheer they made when the two girls caught Frida previously.

With her chest heaving, Frida lowered her sticks and heard applause instead of rejection for the first time in years.

As the three of them walked down the stage after packing their instruments, Mizuki bumps Frida’s shoulders gently with her elbow.

Mizuki: “Guess you are stuck with us now.”

Frida glances away onto the ground and grumbles.

Frida: “Hmph. That’s true, but… this doesn’t mean that I like you two or anything..!”

A tsundere, huh.

Mizuki smirks as she looks at the embarrassed dwarven girl beside her.

Eillia: “Alright, you two… Let’s go grab some dinner, okay? Since we’ve been practicing for the whole afternoon.”

Mizuki: “Nice idea!”

???: “Frida Goldenshield.”

The voice cuts through the atmosphere, which leads all three girls to turn back.

Frida: “B…Brother? Why are you here?”

The young man with glasses and in an expensive suit smirks.

???: “Cuz I heard of a girl causing trouble… But instead of clearing up a mess caused by discarded trash… I saw a small performance.”

The young man chuckles.

???: “Do you really think a little street performance makes you worthy of the Goldshield name again? Pathetic.”

Mizuki: “You…!”

Before storming forward, Eillia and Frida raise their arm to stop Mizuki.

???: “Oh. Pardon me.”

The man bowed down slightly.

???: “I’m Ergorn Goldenshield. The elder brother and bassist of the Goldenshields. Nice to meet all of you.”

Frida: “Brother, even though I may still not be worthy, I neither need the Goldenshield name nor back home with you all. I’ve… Found where I belong after all.”

Frida smiles and glances at both Mizuki and Eillia.

Ergorn starts chuckling darkly.

Ergorn: “Where you belong? Ha! “Where you belong” is nothing when it’s an incomplete band!”

Ergorn pushes his glasses.

Ergorn: “With MLC within a month, and most of the bassists in Astrea and Dwarven Town taken, what are you 3 gonna do? Convince the most feared, proud, and isolated Dragons to join you? Ha!”

But instead of feeling overwhelmed, Mizuki smirks smugly.

Mizuki: “...Sounds good.”

Ergorn: “Hm?”

He looks at Mizuki quizzically, as Mizuki let out a huge visible smirk.

Mizuki: “That’s the original plan. Being the first to form a band comprising different races and playstyles in one genre of music… Ascending into a legend. That’s perfect!”

Ergon let out an explosive laugh.

Ergorn: “No one has ever done that! Are you sure that 3 weirdos can become the first band to pull off such nonsense?”

Mizuki: “Yeah. Watch us! The two of you! After dinner and packing our belongings, let's head to wherever the Dragons hang out!”

Mizuki starts marching away as the two ran after her.

Ergorn: “Three mismatched girls with no bassist? That’s not a band, that’s a joke!”

Eillia punches Ergorn directly on the stomach.

Eillia: “At least I’m not some nerd-looking dwarf.”

Eillia starts walking away with her two bandmates, and Ergorn falls to the ground, foam forming on his mouth.

Frida looks at Mizuki, who was walking confidently, with some worry in her eyes.

Frida: “Dragons? Are you insane?? They’ll roast us alive!”

Eillia: “But we have no choice… And also… With Mizuki around, I’m sure we can do this.”

Eillia said with a half-amused, but half-resigned tone. Though her trust in Mizuki is strong.

***

A new day begins. After a few hours of rest and packing, it's time for the girls to leave Dwarven Town together to search for their bassist.

As the three girls walked out of the town gates, the crowd of Dwarves and the Town Elder cheered.

Town Elder: “Wait… You haven’t told us your band name yet!”

Eillia and Frida glance at Mizuki, waiting for her response.

Mizuki: “...What?”

Eillia & Frida: “Aren’t you the band leader!?!?”

Mizuki then closes her eyes and touches her chin as she thinks deeply, then her eyes suddenly open and light up.

Mizuki: “We are... Eclipsera.”

Eillia and Frida look at her questioningly.

Frida: “It sounds cool, but… Why Eclipsera?”

Mizuki smugs.

Mizuki: “Because we are gonna create a new era in this Music-based world, of course!

Eillia: “Eclipsera… Sounds good. I like it.”

All 3 of them wave at the cheering crowd.

Town Elder: “Please come back again, hopefully with a bassist as well! Eclipsera, we are rooting for you!”

As the 3 of them walk further away from the crowd, Eillia pulls out the map in her bag.

Eillia: “Next stop. Dragonhill.”