To Be Idolized

Sayane and Azag inhaled together, then slowly exhaled. It was time.

“You’ll be okay. You’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.”

Azag was whispering to himself. Sayane paused to listen and saw that his hand was trembling on his walking brace.

“Azag?” she asked.

He shook his head and inhaled.

“Nerves. I am not… good at this manner of thing,” he lamented.

“The crowds? Or the leading?” Sayane asked.

A tired chuckle rattled behind his mask.

“Both,” he admitted.

“It was one thing to serve individuals in the darkness of the Stone, but having hundreds look upon me at once is very different.”

Sayane realized that all of her idol existence was paying off once again. Even though BrightStar had never garnered massive crowds itself, she’d been around them for label events and festivals. For Azag, this was all completely new.

“I’ll be okay. Are you ready?” he asked in an attempt to sound calm.

Sayane shook her head.

“I can handle crowds. But I’m not a leader. I’m just a girl who sings.”

Azag shook his head.

“And I’m just a bartender.”

She could sense he was attempting to smile and calm her.

“Here, face me, please,” Sayane said as she raised her hands.

Metal bracings tapped on the polished floor as he shifted to her. Sayane’s hands touched his chest, and he relaxed in understanding. As she began to hum, he removed a glove and placed his hand on her chest as well. They stood there for a moment, with Sayane’s gentle tune serenading them while their calming effects flowed into the other.

“I need you,” Sayane smiled to him.

Azag nodded and lowered his head so that his chin could touch her forehead. It was cold and smooth, but its feeling brought Sayane even more calmness.

“And I need you. There is no me without you.”

Sayane nodded.

“There is no me without you.”

When enough warmth had moved between them, they both sighed and lowered their hands. Sayane’s fingers settled in his large palm, and he opened the door.

Outside, the air was cool with morning blues and pastel purples. Airships hummed above as they soared between crystalline streaks. Voices of thousands of bustling onlookers echoed from the jutting pillars of pink stone that dotted the encampment. Sayane watched in wonder as the light within the stones flowed around them and snaked between veined outcroppings.

“So that light inside the rocks, that’s called ‘ether light’?” Sayane asked.

“Yes. It’s Ether materialized. They say that light is what gave stone life and led to the first beings like Saxum’s kind, the Psephos.”

Azag paused to watch the pulses.

“It’s much more vibrant now. I assume the Shards being freed played a part.”

“It’s so pretty!” Sayane squeaked as she clapped in a moment of pure joy.

Just ahead, a crowd was already gathering. Dozens of faithful were exiting their temporary shelters to come behold The Songstress Supreme and The Great Guardian. Hands were extending to them as desperate mouths muttered their names. Azag hesitated. Then Sayane took his hand, and he trusted that it would be okay.

The couple slowly made their way to the grouping, drawing excited whispers with every step.

“Good morning!” Sayane smiled and waved.

Training after training had told her that the best way to control a crowd was to lead the engagement. Without even realizing it, she was slipping into an aspect of idolhood that she’d never gotten to leverage in her first life. Now, it would be all the more important. Every being seemed shocked that she would address them. Sayane looked back at their bodyguards, Ik-Yu and Mi-Ux, who were following at a safe distance. She’d also never gotten famous enough in Japan to need bodyguards, but she at least had inklings of what to expect.

They would be near, surveying for any trouble. Only now, instead of paparazzi or stalkers, it would likely be remnant loyalists to an evil empire.

“Close enough,” Sayane muttered to herself with a smirk.

Two more steps brought them within arm’s reach of the crowd. There were no barriers to separate them, and a certain nervous, heightened fascination hung in the air, but Sayane didn’t want to leave them just yet.

“Songstress. What wonder. What wonder.”

“What wonder.”

“What wonder.”

Voices repeated the proclamation. Sayane had wanted for so long to be an idol, but now she was truly being idolized, and it felt beyond foreign. Still, the joy in those beings’ faces was true, and her music had played a direct part in that. It all looked so different from what she’d ever imagined, but this was still what she’d always wanted in so many ways. Not fame, or wealth, but to be heard and bring people happiness. Flutters of confused, complex happiness danced in her chest, and she smiled once again.

“Please, just call me Sayane,” she said.

“Sayane, Sayane the Songstress Supreme.”

“Sayane!”

“Sayane!”

Dozens of mouths carried the name through the cluster of bodies, sending the whispered syllables out like a sacred proclamation.

Azag noticed one creature was bandaged and missing an arm.

“Friend, you are hurt. Have you seen a medic yet?” he asked.

The being flinched at the recognition, as though it was surprised that anyone could see it.

“I… I have not. I assumed that supplies would prioritize fighters.”

Azag shook his head.

“There shall be no such thing. Go and be treated. If anyone tries to impede you, tell them Azag the Guardian commands it. Someone, please accompany them to testify to this if needed.”

This caused Azag’s name to join the current of ‘Sayane’s’ that were being repeated.

As the creature turned with excitement, Sayane had an idea.

“Wait!” she called out as she moved to it.

It paused, and the breeze pushed its fur to the side.

“I am too weak to heal you, but I can relieve the pain,” she said.

More gasps carried out.

“Songstress… You would… touch me?” the creature asked, its black eyes wide with shock.

“Of course. What else would I do?” Sayane nonchalantly asked.

With that, she held out her hand. Glowing flecks of purple drifted from her wrist as she did, and the creature inhaled. When her palm touched the bloodied stub, she could feel the warmth of the wound beneath the bandages. Fleshy mass and clumped fur shifted beneath her touch, but she only focused on the idea of making the pain fade for at least a moment.

“OOOOOOOhhhhhhh ohhhhh ooooooooooohhhhh. Ooooohhhhh ooooooooooooohhhhhhh ohhhhhh,” she sang aloud.

Chiming notes danced in the breeze. Sayane felt the movement of the magic move through her body more clearly than usual. There was a faint strain to it, but she didn’t stop. The glowing flecks rose from her wrists and swirled around the two of them. Some fell to their knees. The being closed its eyes and began muttering words to itself as tears flowed down its cheeks. Sayane held the note, and the glow seeped into her companion’s severed limb.

Everything faded back to normal, and the creature opened its glistening eyes. Its gaze met Sayane’s and it slumped forward as though it was about to collapse.

“Whoa. I’ve got you,” Sayane grinned.

“Songstress… thank you…” it whispered.

“Sayane,” she said with a wink.

“Sayane. And Azag.”

“Sayane and Azag.”

“Sayane and Azag.”

Repetitions of their names continued even as the being left in awe to make its way to the medic terminals. For a brief moment, Sayane felt confident. Something told her Azag was feeling it as well. There was a subtle softness in his touch when his hand returned to hers, as though his muscles had slacked. It was enough.

The couple left the crowd and began to make their way into the metal and crystal of the encampment. Hundreds of sky vessels now sat grounded and tethered to the ground. Temporary structures of geodic design had been erected in every available spot of flat surface. Scents of broths and stewing vegetables lofted in the air. Azag finally exhaled when he realized they were not being followed by the faithful.

“Well, if it was only ever that sort of thing, I think I could do this,” he said.

Sayane nodded.

“If only. But hey, we did well. I give us a gold star.”

“I take it that’s a good rating? Are the heavens made of gold in your first world?” Azag sincerely asked.

Sayane laughed and shook her head.

“Just an expression.”

Light reflected on his helmet, causing Sayane to turn her focus to the direction of the glow. Out before them, the great violated Shard was hovering in the distance, casting radiant light high into the heavens.

“That’s our queue,” Sayane said.

Two ears bobbed upwards from behind a patch of rock, and Sayane found herself smiling even more. Attis was there before he was fully there.

A few seconds later, the rest of him appeared, adorned in his cloak once again.

“Awww, our dapper gentleman!” Sayane clapped.

Attis bowed a dramatic bow and laughed his hearty, husky laugh.

“I figured this was an excellent time to break it out. And yes, I do travel with it at all times. Just in case. One never knows when one might need to look delightful.”

“We agree!” Sayane remarked as she held out her arms and twirled, showing off her billowing sleeves and waist adornments.

“I’m not spinning. No one wants to see that,” Azag said as he tapped his leg brace with his walking staff.

The three companions set off together, making their way towards the beaming glow.

Eventually, they reached the center of the makeshift base, and were greeted by a silently hovering disk that was larger than several houses. Even after everything she’d experienced, Sayane still found herself looking at the tiered saucer with awe.

Its base was polished metal, with massive pylons jutting downward towards the ground. Within each pylon was an obelisk of shining blue crystal. Rings of glowing script flowed in circles around the tiers, pulsing in similar flows to the barrier that had for so long covered the sky. A single cable carriage ran from the ground and up to the structure.

“In we go!” said Attis as the three of them lumbered into the domed transport.

As they lifted into the air, Sayane looked back and saw the crowd watching. Azag observed them as well.

“It feels odd. Doing all this away from the common ones,” he remarked.

Sayane agreed. An unpleasant heaviness sat in her stomach as they approached the formidable disk while the rest of the encampment watched from below. Attis seemed to be pondering the idea.

“Is this not how the Revolution came to lose the people’s confidence?” Azag asked.

“-Too many bureaucratic meetings in the shadows, without input or perspective from the people?”

Attis inhaled and then nodded.

“Perhaps we should change that?” Sayane asked.

“Not for this meeting, I fear. Not while too many of The Silence remain alive and against us. This ring totem is the safest place in the new world for now.”

Attis’s answer did not sit well with Azag, but Sayane understood the caution.

“Keep heart, Great Guardian. You will have the authority to make those changes. -Once we are settled and have a functioning society. For now, trust that a measure of restraint is needed.”

Sayane thought about the decision and all that were still to come. So much of her success had been because she’d had the help of others. Everything from healing Y’aaku to freeing the Great Harmony Shards had involved her being aided by so many. Now, deciding the fate of a new world with only a handful of voices seemed hypocritical.

"We're here," Attis exclaimed.

Pulleys slacked, and the carriage slowed. Azag and Sayane shared one last glance before they began.

The carriage reached its apex, and the door sealed into its exit point. Hinges released, and the trio was welcomed into the council chambers of The Revolution.