Sing Your Soul

Cabling churned and the overhead door opened. One final breath filled her lungs as Sayane closed her eyes and braced for the most important show of her life.

Everything went dark and the crowd fell silent. Then the sounds began.

Pounding drums like war summoners exploded across the expanse. Numerous string quartets streaked out in quarter beats. Digital snares picked up in an intense dance tempo. Digital, drop-tuned horns joined the strings. Thousands of ears received the joyous sound of music for the first time in their lives.

The Great Harmony Shard immediately responded with an all-encompassing explosion of white light.

Hundreds fell to their knees in wonder.

Sayane stayed hidden in the darkness of the stage. This moment was for the music, not her. The sounds built and built into a racing call to move.

Her voice finally joined into the song.

“Whoooooooo oh ohhh ohhh ohh! Ohhhhhh woooooooh ohh ohhhhh!!!” she called.

Eruptions of cheers howled across the square as the instruments fully came to life. Beams of neon light shot out like spotlights in every direction. Every pulse of sound shook Sayane’s ribs with raw power and her head began to bob as more harmonious strings ripped through the air to join her hums.

All the while, she stayed knelt down to not draw attention.

Above her, the Dissonance sparked in rage and began to jitter with unrelenting hate as the Great Harmony Shard rose in response to the music. Sayane’s hands extended as she closed her eyes. It was time.

The riser door opened and she lifted onto the stage’s lights. As she lifted into visibility, the entire sea of beings before her lurched forward in sheer unrelenting excitement. Crushing thuds from the drums threw forceful orders to dance into the crowds as Sayane stood and lifted her hand to the air while clenching the other by her side.

More and more fell to their knees before her as waves of white energy erupted from the enormous shard behind her.

“Get up! I need everybody up!!” Sayane commanded with a joyous yet intense voice that came from deep in her stomach.

“I don’t want you on your knees! I WANT YOU ON YOUR FEET!! LET’S MOVE!!!!” Sayane shouted as she leapt forward and began to spin with complete abandon.

More guitar strings roared high pitched wails as the strings became even more impassioned. Sayane’s voice was ready to sing.

“This is a rebirth and a restart!!

So awaken your heart

And Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing your sooooooooooooooooullllllll!!!!!!”

The Great Harmony Shard chimed out an angelic cry as it fired a beam of pure white straight up into the sky. Before it, Sayane was silhouetted as she kicked her feet in sync with the drums and shook her hair from side to side as the music seized every thought.

“Dance with me! Come on! Dance! Move however you wish! If you don’t know what to do, follow my lead!!” Sayane cried as she motioned their focus to her while jumping in rhythm.

“The symphony of dissonance

Screams aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagain and again

Bitter noise that never seeeeeeeeeems

To find its way to an end.”

Metal and crystals heeded her every thought without delay. Sounds she had only ever imagined pounded the skies as hesitation abandoned Sayane, allowing her to move with a freedom she had not had in years. With every jump, turn, and twirl, she marveled in joy that she felt no pain in her knee. Above her, a massive ringed device spun in sync with her motions as its numerous encased crystals fired out bursts of colored light.

“They filled our ears with their hateful sound

We’ve heard this song too many times before

Deep down we know

We cannot listen anymore!”

Out in the audience, the dancing had begun. Elation overpowered fear or embarrassment, and thousands of strangers were moving in harmony with Sayane as the never-ending war drums sounded and the army of winds and strings screamed in triumphant return.

“This is a rebirth and a restart

Awaken your heart

And Sing your soul

Let the ocean air cover you

As the waves wash you anew

There’s a shining sun on the other side of the sky I know

So pick yourself up, it's time to goooooooo!!!!”

Lights finally shone onto Sayane, revealing her new outfit and hair. Dark, deep purples clung to her feminine body beneath flowing golds and vibrant plum. Neon purple lights lined every edge. White silk draped over her hips, waist, and shoulders before billowing down in ribbons. Gold machina bracings joined with Azag’s brace to give her armor. Bright blue streaks of highlights mixed in to her purple hair, which was now pink at the edges.

Every twirl and jump sent trails of fabric spinning, but she was never tripped. Nothing was too long or heavy. She felt light, free, powerful, and beautiful. Atop her head, the crown glowed with life as it read her every thought.

By now, the Dissonance was firing in every direction, but it didn’t matter. Sayane could neither hear or feel its impacts as she focused on the thousands dancing with her.

“Change is in the air as the winter fades

Listen to the world waking from its dreams

The hopelessness we feel in our darkest days

Is never really as hopeless as it seems.

First to the sea then into the sky

No matter what they said

This light inside you will never die!”

New lights leapt from the Shard and out towards Sayane. The light built in her chest then burst out into the audience. With every drum slam and striking string, dozens of neon white threads exploded forth and bound to the crowd members. Soon, thousands of glowing white lights were all connecting to one another like a living net that fed back to Sayane then to the Shard.

“This is a rebirth and a restart

Awaken your heart

And Sing your soul

Let the ocean air cover you

As the waves wash you anew

There’s a shining sun on the other side of the sky I know

So pick yourself up, it's time to gooooooooooooooooo!!!!”

It was as though the Dissonance could sense its approaching end. Red spires of hate rose like daggers which began to slam into the Great Harmony Shard. But the Shard was unrelenting in its joy.

For the bridge, Sayane decided to calm the sounds and bring in a beautiful chorus of bells and loops of her hum. As the new sounds paused the energy, she continued singing amid lowering lights.

“We buried ourselves in a deep dark cave

Left behind the hurt that they gave

They covered our ears to drown out light

But the humming world

Told us we could escape that night

Crawling out we found the glow

Of a burning sun we used to know

So pick up one another

Because it’s time to go.”

Strobes of light moved through the thousands of light bands as Sayane finally turned to face the Dissonance holsters.

“If you listen closely you can hear

Every tree, field, and stream

Singing out Harmony we all hold dear

Dissonant symphonies could never seem

To fully drown out

What our world must sing!!”

As she sang, her eyes stayed locked on the red. Wicked arches rose and crashed down on her, but she did not feel them anymore. A smile of victory crept onto Sayane’s face as she felt in her heart they were close to winning. Seeing her friends and allies dancing beside her gave her the final push. With that, she raised her hands like a conductor, and the drums returned, followed by the strings and horns.

“This is a rebirth and a restart

Awaken your heart

And sing your soul

Let the ocean air cover you and wash you anew

There’s a shining sun on the other side of the sky I know!!!”

Red lines cracked and glitched as the Great Harmony Shard pulled energy from all of the white net lines. Its glow shined brighter and brighter until it became blinding.

“This is a rebirth and a restart

Awaken your heart

And sing your sooooooooulllllll!!!!”

“Dance with me! Sing with me! Siiiiiiiiingggggg yoooooooooourrrrr sooooooullllll!!!!!” Sayane commanded.

Innumerable voices rose to meet her call.

“Siiiiiiiiingggggg yoooooooooourrrrr sooooooullllll!!!!!”

“Siiiiiiiiingggggg yoooooooooourrrrr sooooooullllll!!!!!”

The Dissonance screamed in agony as its red beams snapped. Waves of white cascaded outward from the Shard in grand blades of purifying force.

“Siiiiiiiiingggggg yoooooooooourrrrr sooooooullllll!!!!!”

The Dissonance devices shook in breakdown as they destabilized. White poured out and slammed into the devices before bursting upwards like waves breaking on rock.

“This is a rebirth and a restart!!

So awaken your heart

And Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing your sooooooooooooooooullllllll!!!!!!

And Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing your sooooooooooooooooullllllll!!!!!!

And Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing your sooooooooooooooooullllllll!!!!!!

And Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing your sooooooooooooooooullllllll!!!!!!”

Drums. Snares. Strings. Screams. Cheers. Sounds. Song. Every sound culminated in a unified symphony that enveloped the entirety of the base and consumed the Dissonance. Red vanished from the square.

“Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing yooooooooooooooooooour sooooooooooooooooullllllll!!!!!!”

The Dissonance devices exploded as Sayane held the final note. Their Silence was banished and the Great Harmony Shard rushed into the air with a roar of freedom as it echoed and amplified Sayane’s voice to the volume of the heavens. There was a concussion of sound and a burst of white engulfed the square until nothing but light was visible.

Then it was over.

Sayane fell forward in exhausted hope. Turning around revealed a glorious sight of shattered Silence devices and an unleashed Great Harmony Shard that was now flinging wondrous light across the realm.

Tears ran down Sayane’s face as scores of cheers drowned out every other sound and her friends rushed to lift her in the air. They had succeeded. Sayane’s plan was going to work. With these instruments, her newfound freedom and growing confidence, the support of her friends, and the energy of the crowds, the Dissonance could be destroyed.

Erosc's strong paw took her hand and helped lift her back to her feet. His other paw grasped Azag's hand.

"Comrades! Allies! Friends and guests! Behold! The leaders of hope! Azag the Guardian! And Sayane the Songstress! By their leadership, a new world shall rise!!!"

Now there was even more cheering. Azag's shock was visible through the mask.

"Erosc?! What are you doing?!" Azag shouted in surprise.

Erosc bowed.

"Forgive me for taking too long to listen to you. You two have proven my ways were wrong. It is time for the Council to step aside and follow your lead. Henceforth, The Revolution shall follow you two..." Erosc said with a bow.

Sayane almost laughed in shock, but she maintained her composure. All she could do was reach out for Azag's hand, which found hers beneath the strobing lights. When they touched, more cheers erupted from the crowd as they witnessed a shift in the rebellion.

For the first time in decades, The Revolution and the oppressed felt true hope.