Thump.
Thump-thump.
Avery's fingers struck the dusty keyboard again.
The sound was heavy and slow, like a heartbeat echoing inside a coffin. The rhythm filled the small basement room and flowed straight through the cheap microphone, carrying an unmistakable sense of gravity.
Then—
She opened her mouth.
"There's a fire starting in my heart…"
The first line left her lips low and rough, nothing like the sweet, polished tone the public remembered. It wasn't gentle. It wasn't pretty.
It was real.
The livestream chat stuttered.
The flood of insults slowed, then faltered.
People stared at their screens, unsure of what they were hearing.
This voice didn't belong to a broken idol.
It belonged to someone who had been burned—and survived.
"The scars of your love remind me of us…"
Her voice carried weight, each word pressed down with meaning. It was deep and husky, full of restrained fury, vibrating through cheap speakers and phone earbuds alike.
Viewers felt it in their chests.
"They keep me thinking that we almost had it all…"
The song wasn't just music.
It was accusation.
It was memory.
It was a blade wrapped in sound.
The chat changed.
Not suddenly—but unmistakably.
The hateful messages stopped appearing.
Instead, the screen filled with strange symbols.
"…""???""Wait…""Is this actually live?"
Some viewers tried to type insults, but their fingers hesitated.
Others turned up their volume.
Avery's eyes were half-lidded now, her expression calm, cold, and focused. The Ice Queen aura wrapped around her like invisible armor, keeping her emotions sharp and controlled.
She didn't look away from the camera.
She sang as if she was speaking directly to someone.
To everyone.
The beat grew heavier.
Her fingers moved faster.
The basement light flickered.
Then the chorus came.
"We could have had it all—"
Her voice rose.
Not shrill.
Not forced.
Powerful.
Unrestrained.
"Rolling in the deep—"
The sound exploded.
The cheap microphone crackled under the pressure, but it held. Her voice expanded, rich and full, filling the livestream with raw emotion.
Viewers froze.
Mouths hung open.
Eyes widened.
This wasn't a performance designed to please.
This was a declaration.
"You had my heart inside your hand—"
Her gaze sharpened.
"And you played it to the beat—"
The words landed like a verdict.
Somewhere, deep inside VibeLive's servers, warning lights began to flash.
[Abnormal Emotional Surge Detected.][Stream Priority Upgraded Automatically.]
The viewer count surged again.
400,000.
600,000.
800,000.
Clips of the livestream began spreading across other platforms in real time.
Is this Avery Rivers?This voice is insane.She sounds nothing like before.Why does this hurt to listen to?
Inside Avery's mind, the system chimed repeatedly.
Ding.Ding.Ding.
[Prestige Points +100][Prestige Points +500][Prestige Points +2,000][Prestige Points +10,000]
The numbers stacked rapidly.
A new notification appeared.
[Status Update: Infamous → Controversial]
Avery didn't see it.
She didn't care.
She was inside the song now.
Her voice dropped again, darker, colder.
"Throw your soul through every open door…"
The lyrics turned into a challenge.
A warning.
Her fingers slammed the final chords.
The sound echoed.
Then silence.
Complete silence.
The song ended.
For half a second, the world stopped.
The livestream didn't move.
The chat didn't scroll.
Three hundred thousand people sat in stunned quiet.
Then—
The chat exploded.
Not with hate.
With shock.
"WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?""THAT VOICE—""THIS IS LIVE???""I have chills.""She just destroyed everyone.""I can't stop shaking."
Donations began pouring in.
Small amounts.
Then larger ones.
The system chimed again.
[First Live Performance Completed.][Hidden Achievement Unlocked: Voice of Vengeance.][Effect: Audience Emotional Imprint +15%]
Avery lifted her head slightly.
Her breathing was steady.
Her gaze was calm.
She leaned closer to the camera.
For the first time since the livestream began, she spoke.
"I'm not here to ask for forgiveness," she said quietly.
Her voice carried effortlessly.
"I'm here to sing."
Then—
She ended the stream.
The screen went black.
Across the internet, people stared at frozen screens.
The fallen idol was no longer begging.
She was taking something back.
Her voice.
Her power.
Her revenge