The Grand Ball: Find Our Way

Excitement built like a surging storm. The Ethereum wasn’t spacious enough for them to move. Footsteps and twirls needed space to spin and jump and shift. Rows of seats wouldn’t be enough. Sayane didn’t want to be separated from them. Even if it was at the risk of being engulfed by a sea of beings, she wanted to be among them. This moment was for everyone, and she wanted to be part of that everyone.

So they spilled out from the Ethereum and out into the wide pathways and tiered alleys of Haven. Curious residents who had not attended leaned from windows and ledges to see what was happening. Thousands gathered in every corner and curve and waited for the songstress to appear.

Can-Mo retrieved the vision crown and bracers. Sayane watched the mysterious glowing specks drift from her wrists and throat once more. It felt like there was something more to them that she hadn’t yet discovered. As much as she didn’t want to think about it, she wondered if Kol had any intel, but doubted he would share. Just as she thought of them, she looked up and saw them watching far in the distance with a small cohort of mages.

Their gaze was impossible to translate from that distance. Instead, they simply turned and moved back to the shadows. She hadn’t spoken with them since the failure of the Ether awakening, and she knew eventually they would have to work together again to try once more in another way. But for now, the distance was appreciated.

“I still think you should have killed them,” Erosc partially joked as they reached the doorway.

“I agree,” the three Revolutionary guards said in unison as the Silence guards all three bared their fangs.

“No killing tonight,” Sayane laughed.

Familiar metal and padded cloth slid into place and every instrument hummed with awakening. Claps and muffled chatter told them the crowd was ready and waiting. Sayane turned to Azag, who was talking to the Great Harmony Shard.

“What?” Sayane asked.

Azag awkwardly patted one of the Shard’s massive protrusions, then turned to her.

“I… I was asking it to take care of you,” he sheepishly answered.

“That goes for all of you as well,” Azag said as he looked at the gathered instruments.

Sayane smiled and took his hand.

“I’ll be okay. Tonight, it’s just singing. No Dissonance. No healing. No Ether awakening. Just singing.”

Fatigue was still weighing her down, and she knew that she would have some manner of limitation tonight, but in the end, tonight was just about singing. By now, she was well enough in harmony with the instruments that she didn’t need to continually think on how she wanted the music to sound- they were able to understand her thoughts and ideas even when they were only partially defined. With luck, she’d be able to perform several songs.

“Just a girl who sings,” Erosc said.

Sayane nodded and hummed to fully energize her throat. The sounds shifted as she closed her eyes and moved through different scales. Memories of all the performances before this rose in her mind along with the volume of her voice as it refined itself into clarity. A sustained note and an empty stage in a shopping mall. Shifts into the front of her throat and a small recording studio with her bandmates. Lungs filled with air and the note broadened. That night in the waterfall’s pool. Vibrations in her throat manifested into near-perfect pitch as an image of the falling stage collapsing onto her rose. For once, she didn’t flinch. Instead, she was almost grateful. Death had been a doorway as much as it had been an end.

She was ready.

His steady hand lifted her chin and the scarred remnants of his lips met hers for a brief moment.

“Dance with me later?” Sayane asked.

“Of course. Slow, preferrably,” Azag replied.

Sayane blushed.

“I’d love to slow dance with you. It can be our wedding dance.”

“I look forward to it,” he smiled as he handed her a voice carrier.

Sayane raised the voice carrier to her lips and let out her vocalization.

Across the realm, beyond Haven, in every distant corner of life that could listen, the songstress’s note greeted them.

“Ohhhhh, oh oohhhh oh ohhhhhh,” she sang.

Cheers erupted, and the etherlight within the stone walls strobed in response.

Completeness moved through her. Just like her dress being made of memories from Japan as well as Illarios, Sayane wanted to celebrate every part of life that had brought her here. She’d softly been running from her idol career, with all of her Illarios music thus far being more intense and intentional. But for once, she wanted to bring some of that idolhood into her performance.

Idol music was fun. It was bright. It was hopeful. This moment deserved that as much as anything else.

The instruments led her out into the crowd. Dozens of metallic, fluted, stringed, and hinged devices lifted their sounds to support her. Behind them, the Great Harmony shard sent strands of light to each of the sacred sound tools, amplifying their song even more. Sayane’s note layered on itself and repeated with synthetic, charming urgency. Digital key sounds gleamed and stacked themselves like stairs navigating a soundscape as ambient hums built all around them.

Her voice repetitions built in speed until it became its own rhythm. Sayane reached the door and let out one more powerful, sustained note that caused the cheering to rise even more. With that, she ran into the light as the music swelled around her.

Hands and paws reached for her and she didn’t stop them. Bodies swirled and bumped into one another as they clamored to be closer to her, but no one crashed into another. Life moved in a chaotic dance as thousands ebbed and flowed while Sayane continued to sing abstract notes. It was warm. It was alive. Laughs sounded out as much as cheers. No one pulled on her. No one fought. Everyone moved in broken unity as Sayane spun and swayed between them until she was in the middle of hundreds of beings.

The notes calmed to celebrate her voice as priority. Soft, repetitive taps on the piano-like instruments met her as she began to sing.

“Aaaaaaaaand I know that when I look up, you’ll still be there with meeeeeee!!!” she sang out.

Her eyes closed and she let the sensation of dozens of bodies pressing into her and breathing against her fill her with the awareness that she was alive and still here.

“What’s this feeling?

Is this what it means to be free?

I dreamt of a better day.

One where we’d all have a say.”

The music began to accelerate and Sayane began to jump. Can-Mo’s design once again never tripped her or got caught. Instead it moved with an airy lightness as she closed her eyes and bobbed between the roiling horde of sweating, chanting, laughing friends and fans. All the while, the Shard and instruments moved with her, hovering above them, sending slamming soundwaves into their bodies and souls as the music cascaded like joyous thunder.

“But then my eyes opened

And told me we still have a long way

Left to go before that sunrise

But IIIIIIIIIIII still belieeeeeeeeeeeve,”

Snares built in intensity, leading her into the explosive chorus.

“EVERYONE! I NEED YOUR HELP!!” Sayane cheered.

Unknown hands hoisted her into the air without request, and she was suddenly elevated so that all could see her.

“THANK YOU!!” Sayane called to the unseen aid.

“I want everyone to jump and clap in this chorus! When I say ‘stay’ I want you to jump and clap once! When I say ‘awake’, I want you to jump and clap twice! If you mess up, that’s okay! We’ll do it several times!”

Hundreds of prepared hands raised in anticipation.

“LET’S DO THIS!!” Sayane shouted and the hands lowered her back to the ground.

“But I still belieeeeeeeeeve

Weeeeeeeeee’ll fiiiiiiiiiiiind our waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

If we just-

Stay!”

CLAP

The audience leapt and slammed down, sending out a shockwave that the Shard mimicked with an explosion of purple energy. Every wall ignited in light as the ether surged. Sayane let out a laugh and threw up her hands again.

“Awake!!”

CLAP CLAP

Once more, the entirety of Haven seemed to jump and land in unison. As soon as their claps and landings sounded out, the Shard once more sent out matching storms of light.

“Even if it’s hard to take!

Even when you feel

Like

You’re about to break

We can’t go back to sleeeeeeeep

Because we still have those beeeeetter daaaaaays

To make!!”

High above them, the currents of Ether trembled with strength, then erupted. Drops of refined Ether began to fall like rain. Shocked, reverent hands reached to the heavens to receive the blessing and dance with abandon. Bodies swayed and bent and bobbed as Sayane spun. Music moved through her veins like the blood that kept her alive, and her muscles moved involuntarily, sending her head into a bobbing, synchronized rocking motion.

“Every time I feel down

Or start to think that I might drown

I close my eyes and hear the sound

Of all your voices as we spin around

In this waking world

Of consequence and making sense,”

Sayane spun and caught sight of Azag in the crowd, towering over the nearby beings. Without thinking, her hand raised and reached for him, even though she knew he was too far away. He understood, and reached out for her as well. Distance and flesh may have separated their touch in that moment, but Sayane felt the gentle pulse of his soul drift from the shards on her face and shoulders, and knew it was him calling to her. Their eyes remained on one another as every other being blurred into distortion.

“Of what we saw in our dreams

That might have been more difficult than it seemed

To achieve

But I still believe

We’ll fiiiiiind our waaaaaay

If we just-”

This time, the crowd was ready.

“STAY!!!” thousands shouted as they jumped.

CLAP

The Shard and Instruments roared with hopeful power, cutting and firing swift bursts of harmony.

“AWAKE!!!”

CLAP CLAP

“Even if it’s hard to take

Even when you feel

Like

You’re about to break

We can’t go back to sleeeeeeeeep

Because we still have those better daaaaaays

To maaaaaaaaaake!!”

Haven’s darkness had all but vanished. By now, they were swimming in a sea of light. All around her, hundreds danced in whatever way they wanted. Rhythms and reactions turned to raw expressions of joy and release as the instruments swelled in complexity. New drumming beats layered. Digital strings bent and wailed. Puddles splashed as feet, tails, and hooves kicked up with force.

Sayane felt alive. Truly alive. She prayed that every other being felt the same. No matter what- no matter what they’d endured and what was yet to come, she wanted to hold on to that hope. Her own life was proof that no matter how dark it got, there would always be hope if one just kept running long enough. The instruments softened briefly and the pace slowed for the bridge. Sayane’s arms opened, and a handful of smaller furry creatures rushed into her embrace as she closed her eyes. Every instrument lowered until they were just above the crowd. Curious, impassioned hands and paws lifted to touch the mystical beings.

Sayane opened her eyes and took the moment in.

“Even if those dreams fade away

Tomorrow will soon be yesterday

And our eyes will still be open

If we keep hoping

For a day when

Those better days are just normal days

And all those wrong ways became right

And we aren’t afraid of sleeping at night

Because waking will bring another beautiful sunrise

And we’ll finally realize-”

Once more, the music swelled and the crowd lifted Sayane into the air. Soon, she was crowd surfing on her back, squealing with joy as she was led through the ocean of bodies. More ether rained down on them, and soon they were all soaked glowing with ethereal softness.

“We foooooounnnnnd our way

Because we just

Stayed!!”

Sayane was safely thrown into the air as everyone jumped. She shouted out with excitement, and she knew Azag was flinching in concern somewhere, but she was caught with ease.

CLAP

“Awake!!!”

CLAP CLAP

And then she was airborne once more. Yet again, hands caught her and continued to guide her on her back as she surfed along the tops of the crowd.

“SING WITH ME!” Sayane shouted.

“Even when it was hard to take

Even when we felt

Like

We were about to break

And now we can go back to sleep

Because we finally have those beeeeetter daaaaaays

Forever and always

And now we can go back to sleep

Because we finally have those beeeeetter daaaaaays

Forever and always”

Scents of dampness rose to her nose as she felt the Ether rain drench them all. Familiar hands received her, and she opened her eyes to see she’d wound up back in Azag’s embrace. He smirked then slowly lowered her to the ground as everything radiated optimistic joy. Sayane accepted that her makeup and hair were now ruined, but she didn’t mind. Azag’s hand held hers and she spun beneath his arm as the music swelled one last time.

“We foooooounnnnnd our way

Because we just

Stayed”

Azag and the others clapped. Attis spun with absolute abandon, crying all the while. Sayane held out her hands and he leapt into her arms. They began to dance as he sang along with her.

“Awake!!”

Attis and Sayane slapped their hands together as she jumped.

“I’m sooooo very happy, dear child,” Attis cried and nuzzled her neck.

“Me too!!!” Sayane whispered.

“You finally got to dance in a ball!” she added.

Attis closed all of his eyes and lifted his hands to the air as he drifted in her arms. They twirled together as the music reached its culmination.

“Even when it was hard to take

Even when we felt

Like

We were about to break

And now we can go back to sleep

Because we finally have those beeeeetter daaaaaays

Forever and always

Forever and always

Forever and always

Forever and always.”

Haven had turned to an incandescent realm of light, and Sayane basked in the warmth of the moment. All around her, hope flowed stronger than the Ether, and she drank the moment in, praying it would last forever and always.