A Few Good Dreams Pt I

At first, no one moved or spoke. By all rights, Saxum had proposed something blasphemous. Any other gathering or songstress would have devolved into shouting if he’d offered up such an idea. But Sayane was Sayane. Instead of being offended or puritanical against such a heretofore-taboo idea, she was elated.

“You’ll sing with me?” she squeaked.

Lines of light moved between them all, pulling currents of energy among the bodies that all terminated at Sayane’s staff. This was what she’d been so desperately hoping for. There might not be any other songstresses to aid her or share her burden with, but if she could gain strength from others and have others share their own songs, the world might stand a chance. Untold generations of souls had never gotten to sing, but if she could lend her power and the power of the sacred instruments, the world might truly know music’s wonder for the first time.

Sayane had never wanted to be a successful idol for the sake of being famous. She had always loved music. Singing. Dancing. Sharing melodies with others and collectively cherishing a lyric or moment that gave joy and hope. All of those things had made her pursue being an idol, and now, after her adventure in Illarios, she’d only become more driven by those principles and wishes.

The instruments moved closer, warming their long-forgotten bodies. Notes felt jittery and unrefined, like teenagers playing their first show in a small venue attended by strangers. A bizarre dial-like device moved to Sayane and hummed with distortion. Sayane felt like she was being approached by a lanky freshman asking if she’d like to sing with his band. It made her smile even more.

“Hi! I’m Sayane. It’s nice to meet you,” she softly said to it and the other devices.

They all chimed into moderate harmony, playing three notes that mimicked the way she’d said her name. Attis clapped in approval.

Sayane held out her hands to Saxum.

“I’d love to sing with you, my friend.”

Saxum smiled a giddy, nervous smile. Sayane laughed to herself, remembering that before he was her companion and friend, he’d been a skittish fanboy who met her with his mouth agape.

“Not what you ever imagined you’d be doing when we first met, huh?” Sayane joked.

Saxum chuckled and shook his head.

“Not in the slightest, beautiful songstress. I was nervous to even show you our sacred song. I feared I’d be disappointing to you. But if this helps you and our world, I would love to try this,” he said.

“As would I,” Attis said.

“Aye, if you will allow me the honor and chance to humiliate myself,” Can-Mo agreed.

“I’ll try anything once, so I am more than happy to,” Anahita said.

Azag and Erosc nervously glanced at one another.

“I… I think I shall refrain,” Erosc said as he shuffled his hooves on the floor.

Sayane couldn’t believe her eyes. The great and powerful warrior was sheepish. Nervous, even. Azag, the realm’s Great Guardian, was also embarrassedly looking away. His glowing eyes finally peeked at Sayane and she had to bite her lip to stop the smile. He debated then let out a sigh of dejected acceptance. His hand reached for hers.

“Darling, I… I will, of course. I’ll finish adjusting this chestpiece first. But I want to make sure I can fully aid you. Just… None of you can look at me when I do.”

A single new line of light appeared and Sayane was shocked to see it moved from her staff over to her three guards. The light tapered and spread between the three former Silencers, who were all standing as still as statues, as though afraid they’d been caught with a secret. The others quietly gasped and Sayane faced them. An entirely new blasphemy was forming.

“Girls, do you want to sing with us?” Sayane asked the guards.

They all glanced to one another then slowly nodded one by one. Azag let out a deep laugh of approval, and Attis clapped once more.

“What wonder,” Sayane said.

“We are aware it might be frowned upon, and we do not know how to use our voices like the Revolutionary ones or the songstress. But we wish to serve the songstress fully, so we wish to attempt to conduct vocal exercises,” Ixhari said as the other two agreed.

It would have been almost impossible to imagine just a few months ago, but Sayane was about to allow and welcome former enemies and destroyers of song into the ether’s wonder. She half expected the instruments or Shards to protest and deny them, but none of the mystical devices challenged, so she took that as their tolerance or approval. Sayane clapped and prepared for her wildest test yet.

The Revolutionary Shard rose higher into the air, letting a bit more of the night’s darkness into the vault. The Violated Shard began to circle around the group, and the sacred instruments all gathered together in preparation.

“What do I do? I do not have words prepared,” Saxum said.

“I think it will just come to you. The vision crown helps me come up with lyrics I hadn’t always had written. If I can share that with you, then the song will just pour out of you. Just try for a few lines and see how it goes.”

Excitement built in the currents, and Saxum’s massive body boyishly jumped then landed with a thud that Sayane felt in her teeth. He pounded his chest and let out a percussive roar

“Let’s go!!” Saxum said.

“He’s so cute,” Anahita whispered.

“Right?” Sayane agreed.

Grungy, upbeat chords began to articulate.

“WAIT!” Attis shouted.

Everyone paused and turned to the small being.

“Before we do this, can I simply say that I am- I am so very glad it was you, dear child.”

His eyes misted. He looked at Sayane and then the room as though taking account of the totality of it all.

“We may never know why it was you, but had it been any other person, I’m not sure we would have made it. Much less would we have been here in this moment right now. I am so grateful to the Ether that it chose you,” Attis said as he bowed deeply towards Sayane.

“Here here,” Erosc agreed as he pounded his paw to his chest.

“Honor to Sayane!” Can-Mo said.

“Honor to Sayane, the Songstress Supreme!” the others chanted.

His words were true. Sayane had learned enough about the world’s history to know that so much of what was about to be tested might not have occurred with someone else. To herself, she was still just a girl who sang, but she was learning to hold that beside the reality that she was so much more, without letting either one crowd out the other.

“The best hype man,” Sayane winked at Attis.

“Always,” Attis said.

Sayane closed her eyes, squealed, and shimmied her shoulders. Awareness heightened. The staff was dense and as light as a baseball bat in her hand, but it was nearly as tall as her. Light from the crystal insert at its top slid between aquamarine and turquoise, and she watched it spread down into the current that touched Saxum. She prayed that this would work.

Her eyes stayed shut, and she imagined the jam session’s structure. Years of practicing with her groupmates gave her some perspective, but they’d always had producers and choreographers guiding them to create the optimal product. Now, she was all of those things and the vision was hers to craft with her friends.

“A few good dreams,” she said.

Saxum and the others nodded.

“That may have been what all this was, dreams. But Attis was right, they were good dreams, and they may still come true. No matter what, I’m glad I got to dream them with you,” she said as the notes returned. In her first life, she’d been an idol within a group. Back then, singing with others was second nature and no different than daily life. But here in Illarios, she was about to do something unheard of. She was about to sing with non-songstresses, and it meant the world might never be the same after.