Outside the city of love, a phenomenon was taking place. A large, crimson, glowing crack was growing on the ground. Rocks and grass dropped into the abyss like flies. The hole seemed to be widening faster and faster as the seconds flew by.
Dain, in his full Champion gear, stared at the growing hole in confusion. The red aura it emanated was terrifying, but… it wasn't enough.
"My, my, if it isn't my darling prince. You know, you're so handsome when you have that serious 'something is not right' look on your face."
A woman landed behind Dain and wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself against his back. She wore a black crop top beneath a large leather jacket. Her tight, ripped leggings hugged her curves, on full display under the moonlight. Her black hair flowed perfectly as she landed, her red eyes closing as she rested her head on his shoulder—before they opened and glowed gold.
"This isn't the time for this, Eve."
"Right, but it was the right time in front of your pestering daughter, wasn't it?" Dain clenched his fists, thinking back to the moment he walked into that explosion.
The woman smirked. "What's so funny is that it wasn't even my fault this time. You're the one who insisted on checking out my hole before checking out this one."
Dain shrugged her off and walked closer to the crack. He knelt, his golden eyes studying it intently.
"Are you done? Because we need to figure out why I can only sense one creature here. You said the Court of Darkness planned to capture multiple magical creatures. So, where are the others?"
Eve frowned. "Are you sure? There should be a swarm of them. This is where they said it would appear."
"Who exactly gave you this information? You said you've never seen the boss, right?"
She nodded before lunging at Dain.
"I can't remember properly. Babe, quick—give me a little smooch to help me remember."
Dain grabbed her by the collar, his glare dark and cold.
"This isn't the time for your little mind games. I asked you a question."
A golden aura pulsed ominously around him, signalling his building frustration. But Eve only chuckled.
"Alright, alright, calm your hormones, honey. The person who gave me the info was just some weird doctor."
Dain let her go and walked past her, eyes fixed on the distance.
"Obviously, the organisation is trying to mislead us. My guess is, there's a second Fracture Gate somewhere else. One where the Court is planning to ambush the monsters. Stay here while I search. If this one open, kill whatever comes out and guard it until reinforcements arrive."
He didn't wait for a response and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Eve sighed and shook her head.
"Men."
A dark smile spread across her face as she knelt down, voice playful and hungry.
"Here, kitty kitty… come out so Mummy can play with you."
Back in the city, the time for the concert was drawing near. People from across the continent gathered around the massive stadium at the city's centre. The moon shone brightly in anticipation. It was a big night for everyone.
The Aurelion family had just arrived and were making their way through the large crowd. Malrik trailed behind Elara and Sarah, his head buried in his book. Sarah was tempted to slap it out of his hands, but she held herself back. It was a big night, after all. She was finally here to see her favourite artist. All distractions had to be ignored—no matter how painful they were.
After dinner, the trio had gone shopping for fancy clothes. Against his will, Malrik wore a white silk shirt with simple black trousers. His black hair and eyes shimmered under the late-night lights. His mother and sister wore matching dresses—Sarah's was pink, and Elara's was yellow. The shining bracelet Malrik had given Sarah rested comfortably on her wrist.
"Excuse me. Sorry. Excuse me, please, we're trying to get to our seats. Sorry. Please stop kissing—there are children here," Elara scowled, nudging a couple aside.
Sarah turned to her brother. "Mum does know we've got premium seats, right? Why are we wasting time here?"
Malrik shrugged, flipping another page in his book.
Sarah sighed. "Malrik, are you seriously going to read through the whole concert?"
"Hey, I was forced here, remember? I could be at home reading in peace. Since that's not happening, I may as well do it here. By the way, did you know the colour of magical creatures' natural magic is red? Red is the natural opposite of blue—so technically, we humans are their opposites."
Sarah groaned. "Malrik, please. Can you at least watch the first two songs? If you don't like them, I promise I won't complain if you read for the rest."
Malrik frowned, unconvinced. They started moving again, following their mother.
"Please. For me."
He looked at her, then at his book, then back at her. He let out a frustrated grumble and slowly closed the book, sliding it into his back pocket.
"Fine. But I promise—you can't make me dance to anything."
A wide smile lit up Sarah's face. "Right, thank you. Oh, I almost forgot—here."
She pulled a square blue box from her pink purse and handed it to him. Malrik narrowed his eyes and opened it, revealing a black bracelet adorned with sparkling diamonds. The letter 'M' was written in white at its centre.
Malrik looked up at her, surprised.
"Mum helped me order it before we left. I picked it up while you were choosing what to wear."
Malrik nodded and slid it on. The two stretched out their arms, showing off their bracelets.
"So… is this like friendship bracelets or sibling bracelets?"
"I'm surprised you even know what those are."
Malrik puffed out his chest with pride. "Of course—I've been reading."
The two laughed as they entered the premium area.
Backstage, a certain girl dressed in a sparkling black sundress was preparing for the biggest performance of her life. She fixed her makeup and looked into the mirror.
She took a deep breath and smiled. "Alright. I'm about to perform the biggest concert of my career… no pressure."
Suddenly, a knock came at the door.
"Excuse me, Miss Lira, there's a girl here with a note saying she has permission to visit. Should I send her away?"
"No! Bring her in, please," Lira responded quickly.
Soon, the door opened to reveal a girl in a pink dress. They looked each other up and down.
"I see pink's your favourite colour."
Sarah laughed. "And black is yours—just like my brother."
"Your brother has good taste." Lira stretched out her hand, holding a hair tie. "Hey, can you tie my hair into a ponytail, please?"
"So, you really are Nova Lira?" asked Sarah, tying Lira's hair.
"Sorry for hiding it, but you know how celebrities are. Can't ever reveal your identity in public."
"I'm just mad I didn't recognise you. You're like my idol. Seriously—even right now, I'm struggling to believe I'm tying the Nova Lira's hair."
Lira looked into the mirror, admiring the ponytail.
"Wow. I don't think I've ever had a better—"
"I—I've got so many questions," said Sarah, pulling out a notebook from nowhere.
Lira laughed. "Okay, but only one, please. I've got to get on soon."
"Uuh, okay." Sarah paused to think. "How are you so confident all the time? I mean, you've got hundreds of fans out there, all with expectations. How do you handle all that pressure?"
Lira shrugged, thinking. "Honestly? I never think about the fans. I'm here right now for myself—to have fun doing what I love. The fact I get to do it with hundreds of fans? That's just a bonus. I think that's what makes me confident."
"Wow… I don't think I'd be able to forget the fans and just sing for myself. If I were you, I'd probably freeze. Honestly, between my brother and me, he's probably the more self-confident one."
Lira placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Confidence isn't something you're born with. It's stitched together—out of fear, pain, and performance. You wear it until it becomes real. I don't know about your brother, but I'm not as confident in everything as you think I am."
She picked up her microphone and tapped it gently.
"What I do… isn't just music. It's my armour—something that hides what's cracking underneath."
"Isn't armour just a mask to hide what you don't want people to touch, though? The way I see it, having a mask just makes you a coward."
A few tears trailed down Sarah's cheeks at the thought of her father.
Lira smiled sadly, then turned to the door.
"Perhaps you're right, Sarah. Having a mask might make you a coward. But depending on how you see it, masks aren't always lies. Sometimes, they're shields. Shields we wear to protect what we believe is right. If you want to protect the people you love, there will come a day when you have to break through that shield—even when the world is telling you to believe in it."
With those parting words, Lira opened the door. The sounds of cheers and screams poured in.
"Don't miss my show," she said, sprinting onto the stage.
Quickly wiping her tears, Sarah ran back to the seating area.
The crowd's cheers grew louder as Nova Lira appeared. She smiled as she gazed out at the stadium—packed to the brim with adoring fans chanting her name. Pink, blue, and yellow lights beamed skywards, welcoming the Star to centre stage. Music began to swell, preparing the world for the radiant voice of Nova Lira.
As she walked to the centre, she raised the microphone to her lips and threw her free hand high into the air.
"Are you ready for a supernova night!?" she screamed, earning a thunderous roar in response.
"I said—are you READY for a SUPER-NOVA NIGHT?!"
The crowd screamed again, louder, like a repeating chorus.
Lira hopped onto the stage, and fireworks erupted, painting the sky with brilliant colour. The city saw one word flash in lights:
NOVA LIRA
The music intensified. Backup dancers burst from the stage floor in dazzling fashion.
"Let the show begin!"