When Theo held his sword for the first time, the first thing he felt was the knowledge of how to use it surging through his mind.
Basically the sword was like an ordinary sword, as sharp as a Steel sword, but that was only because he had just passed through Bloom.
For Idols, the more Flare their Piece absorbed, the more powerful it became, making it possible to demolish buildings with a hammer blow from a powerful Hammer Piece, or knock a helicopter miles into the sky with a Bow Piece.
For the time being, Theo's Piece only had the strength of a normal sword, but the more he chanted and absorbed the audience's Flare, the more powerful it would become.
But his Piece had one difference from a normal sword, the innate ability that the Piece unlocked!
As soon as he held the sword, the information about the Piece's ability came to his mind.
As his sword was created from a song of despair, the skill was also related to that.
[Disruptor: Generates a black sound vibration so powerful that it can frighten and cause despair in the enemy].
Just like the power of the blade, the power of this skill was also based on how much Flare it had absorbed.
But that wasn't the only power Piece could learn.
If Theo sang songs in different styles, the sword would adapt slightly to the singing style and could boost the feeling caused by that song.
With this, powerful Idols were not limited to the feeling used in Bloom, but could affect people's feelings wherever they wanted if they were good enough at it.
But that was very difficult.
Making songs good enough to affect the public with many different styles was very difficult. Even in his previous world there were few artists who could do this, with each artist focusing mainly on one style of music, with at most an additional secondary style.
But thinking about all the music he knew, Theo felt that maybe this wasn't so impossible for him...
Arriving backstage, Theo saw Miguel looking at him with fury in his eyes.
'The frustration must be great to have the "guaranteed victory" taken out of his hands...' Theo thought as he smiled in the corner of his mouth.
Seeing that smile, Miguel couldn't help himself and pointed his finger at Theo as he approached, shouting. "Who did you buy that song from? You know that's forbidden in the competition!"
Hearing Miguel's accusation, the people around looked at Theo in surprise as they slowly became suspicious.
To them, this accusation actually made sense.
Hope was Theo's fourth song in the program, and the difference in quality between the first three songs and this one was very big.
But there was no way Theo could say that he came from a parallel reality where the songs from the two worlds were completely different.
So Theo just shook his head in denial and continued drinking his glass of water, as his throat was still sore.
"You want me to believe that you wrote this song? Pfft, I'm not going to accept being eliminated by someone who bought someone else's song." At this, Miguel stormed off in a rage and went to complain to the assistant director.
Looking at Miguel complaining to the woman, Theo realized that this could end badly, and thinking about what happened to him in the other world, he wasn't going to accept losing his career because of another injustice, so he also went to the assistant to hear Miguel's complaint.
"You've heard his four songs yourself, I know you're also suspicious that he cheated... if he'd sung a Cover song I wouldn't be complaining, but he's clearly bought this song from a ghost writer and is pretending it's his song to get past Bloom!" Miguel complained loudly, attracting even more attention from the show's staff.
As much as the team was used to inflated egos and arguments between candidates, the tone of Miguel's voice and the commotion he was causing made the atmosphere heavier.
The director's assistant, a blonde woman called Eliza, frowned.
"Black..." She called out, turning to Theo. "Can you confirm that this song is your composition?"
Theo looked at her for a second, then took a deep breath. His throat was still scratchy from the aggressive way he had sung, but he answered firmly:
"Yes, I wrote that song."
Eliza stared at him for a moment in silence.
The eyes of the team, Miguel and even the other participants were on him, waiting for some hesitation, some tremor in his voice. But Theo stood firm, looking straight into her eyes.
"So, can you prove it?" Miguel insisted. "Do you have any sheet music? Any drafts? Any voice files with dates?"
Theo was silent.
He really did have everything Miguel asked for, but it was all in his previous world!
Worried, his heart began to race.
'Not again...' he thought. 'I can't believe I'm going to lose everything again at my first opportunity?
But before Eliza could answer or make a decision, a new voice came from behind them.
"Excuse me..." It was Lucia, the make-up artist. "I was at the side of the stage when he asked to change the song. And I can tell you... he didn't have anything ready, he improvised everything there."
Everyone looked at her in surprise.
Lucia crossed her arms, her expression serious. "Nobody who bought someone else's song would sing it like that... not only did the lyrics perfectly portray Theo's situation in the competition, but you could also feel the passion in his voice as he sang it."
Her answer took everyone by surprise. Even Miguel was speechless.
Theo looked at her in surprise, and she just winked at him discreetly, as if to say: 'Don't worry.
Eliza seemed to consider her words for a few seconds, then shook her head and sighed. "Without hard evidence, I can't make a decision now. We'll investigate more calmly after today's show, but from everything observed so far, the song will be treated as written by Black."
She turned to Miguel. "And you, focus on your own performance, not those of others."
Miguel clenched his fists, but walked away muttering.
Theo let out the breath he hadn't even known he was holding.
Honestly, he also believed that Miguel's song was written by someone else, after that soulless performance he'd seen, it seemed impossible to him that Miguel had written lyrics like that.
But even if he accused Miguel now, it would just look like he was angry at being accused and wanted revenge.
Considering that this was an elimination test, Theo was confident that the results would speak for themselves.
There was only a five-minute break before the show came back on.
The studio lights slowly came back on, accompanied by an energetic soundtrack. The bright Divine Idol logo reappeared on the main screen, signaling the return to the air.
Marcus McBride appeared in the center of the stage with a beaming smile, holding the microphone.
"And we're back, ladies and gentlemen!" He said, opening his arms.
The audience responded with excited applause.
"Tonight was more than just a night of performances... Tonight was a night of transformations, revelations... and, perhaps, the birth of a new great Idol." Marcus walked slowly from one side of the stage to the other as he spoke.
"For those of you watching at home, it's worth remembering: here at Divine Idol, we're not just training artists. We're training the new protectors of humanity. People who will raise their voices, and their weapons, to face the threats that surround our world!" He paused, dramatically. "And now... the time has come to hear the verdict!"
The audience cheered again.
"Please welcome to the stage our two contestants from the elimination round: Miguel Burt... and Theo Black!"
The stage lit up with two opposing lights, a light blue one for Miguel, an intense white one for Theo. The two appeared at the far ends of the stage and walked to the center, stopping side by side.
The difference in their expressions was striking.
Miguel was still sporting his usual confident air, with the smile he'd been wearing all show, but anyone who looked closely could see the nervousness in him.
Theo, on the other hand, let a little of his nervousness show, understanding the weight of the situation, but he was still confident in his presentation, with a straight posture and a small smile on his face.
Marcus looked at the two of them before turning to the judges. "Judges... what did you think of tonight's performances?"
Amber, a juror with red hair and daring outfits, was the first to take the microphone. "Honestly? I've got goosebumps so far. Theo... you made me remember why I became an Idol in the first place. You made me feel, you made me remember pain, hope, overcoming. Although your vocal technique wasn't as good as Miguel's, the passion you put into the song was touching, and that's something no one can teach."
Then she turned to Miguel with a gentle but more restrained smile. "Miguel, you're technically excellent. Your performance was beautiful, and you clearly know how to please the audience, but today... it wasn't enough to touch me."
The audience murmured in approval.
The second judge, Dante, a tall black man with white hair and a black suit, took the floor next, his voice deep and paused.
"In terms of emotional energy, the difference between you was brutal. Miguel, you presented a song with a beautiful message, but it seemed that you were more interpreting the lyrics than really feeling and expressing it, whereas Theo... you didn't interpret, everything about the song you sang, the story you told us, was so real that I wasn't surprised by your Bloom in that performance, congratulations."
The cameras focused on Miguel's eyes, which were trembling slightly, while Theo smiled alongside.
He was still hesitant about whether singing a song he had written was the right choice, but listening to this criticism, he realized that in this world, feeling what the song wanted to say was more important than just singing what the audience wanted to hear.
Finally, it was the turn of the last judge: Leon Ravasco, a renowned music producer and founder of one of the biggest record labels on the continent.
He took the microphone calmly, looking at the two candidates and said something surprising. "I... disagree a little with my colleagues."
Silence overtook the stage.
Waving his arms to calm the audience, he explained. "Don't get me wrong, Theo's performance was exciting, but it was also risky, with the lowest technical level among the participants, and most importantly, out of the program's plan. Miguel... has shown consistency, since the beginning of Divine Idol he has maintained a solid trajectory with clean vocals, an impeccable image and very pleasant performances, and for me, that also counts for a lot."
Some members of the audience frowned at the statement, but no one dared to boo.
"If it were down to today's performance, it would be hard to ignore Theo's impact. But in a competition, we have to look at the whole, and for that reason, I believe Miguel still deserves to continue."
The camera focused on Leon for a few seconds, before returning to the tense faces of the competitors.
Theo watched him in silence, but inside he felt that Leon was a lot like Rowan Espinoza, the man who had practically banished Theo from the world of showbiz in his previous world.
Then Marcus returned to center stage. "Of our Three jurors, two had opinions in favor of Theo... one in favor of Miguel. But the final verdict doesn't depend on that alone, as you all know!"
The screen lit up again, displaying the audience's like rate during the performances.
[Audience Like Rate Vote:
Miguel Burt: ▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░░ 61%
Theo Black: ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░ 87%]
The number appeared large, with the soundtrack increasing in volume as the final announcement was made.
ELIMINATED: MIGUEL BURT
The red lights focused on Miguel, and the audience responded with polite consolatory applause, but the commotion was all around Theo.
Leon just closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Amber and Dante clapped with proud smiles.
And Marcus declared:
"Theo Black, you are officially saved from elimination... and you remain on Divine Idol!"
The audience finally erupted.