A sharp flash.

Suddenly, Meiling was no longer standing. She was seeing.

A blurred image flickered before her — as though she was looking through someone else's eyes.

There was another woman in the vision — one with long crimson hair that glowed faintly under the glowing lights of a high ceiling. Her expression was distant, unreadable.

Meiling could feel the tension in the air, the weight of something terrible about to happen.

The red-haired woman knelt before Meiling, her eyes gleaming with a kind of happiness—as if she had found a perfect prey to feast upon.

She carried many strange tools that Meiling couldn't even begin to understand. It wasn't until the woman used them to slightly peel away what seemed to be Meiling's own face that she realized this wasn't truly her who was witnessing these scenes.

Then the scene distorted — shapes melting, colors flickering like broken glass.

Meiling tried to turn away, but she couldn't.

The red-haired woman raised her hand and wore the face that she peeled off, and light — golden, sharp, beautiful, and horrifying — enveloped them both.

A soundless scream echoed through the Meiling's mind.

The light faded — and standing where the red haired woman had been was someone else entirely.

Lan Jia.

Her familiar face, her soft smile — but the eyes were wrong. Cold. Unresponsive.

Meiling's breath caught. "No… it can't be…"

The red-haired woman's body — now wearing Lan Jia's form — looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers as if testing her new skin.

Her lips curved into a faint, unsettling smile.

And then, in a whisper that somehow echoed like thunder through the void, she murmured:

"Will my beloved Ren love this?"

The words tore through Meiling's mind like a blade.

She stumbled backward, shaking her head violently. "No—no—Ren—!"

The world rippled again. The light twisted violently, shattering into shards of gold.

Meiling gasped and opened her eyes.

Bright light filled her vision. The air smelled of antiseptic and metal. Machines beeped softly nearby.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Her hands gripped the sheets beneath her, rough and real.

She wasn't in her home with Ren and their child. She wasn't in that void either.

White walls. A monitor. A faint hum of an air filter.

A hospital room that looked rather famillar.

Meiling was confused, but soon she understood that everything she had witnessed until now might have just been a vision or a dream, and this was the reality.

Her lips trembled as she tried to make sense of what she'd seen. The warmth of her home still lingered faintly in her memory — Ren's face, the baby's breath, the lamp's glow — but it all felt like it had been taken away.

Her throat was dry. Her voice cracked as she whispered the only name that came to her mind.

"Ren…"

The sound echoed softly through the sterile room, as she kept muttering the same name.

***

The stage lights exploded into life like a thousand suns. The roar of the crowd shook the entire dome, every fan waving glowing pink, blue, and silver lightsticks that shimmered like a sea of stars. The air was electric. The name A.L.S.N—Aria, Luna, Stella, Nova—flashed across the massive holographic screen as the intro beat dropped.

Smoke curled up around their boots, and four silhouettes appeared through the golden haze.

Then, Luna stepped forward first.

Her voice—smooth, divine, and crystalline—pierced through the noise like light breaking through clouds.

She lifted the mic, eyes closed, her long silver hair floating as if caught by the wind.

Luna (singing):

"We burn, we shine, we rise above the night,

Our hearts collide like fire and light.

No more dreams we chase, we're already the sky—

Tonight, we never die!"

The crowd screamed her name. "Luna! Luna!"

Then Stella swung her guitar forward, grinning under the spotlight. The stage lighting turned into an icy blue storm around her.

Her fingers danced across the strings, unleashing a chilling solo that made every fan gasp. She leaned back, hair whipping as the notes sliced the air—each one colder, sharper, wilder.

Stella (singing, after her solo):

"Break my chains, I'll make them gold,

The fire inside won't ever grow old.

If the stars fall, I'll play them again—

In my song, they'll never end."

The rhythm intensified. The lights strobed.

A drum fill burst like thunder.

Nova, sitting at the heart of it all, slammed her sticks down with perfect precision. Her dark blue hair stuck to her cheeks, sweat gleaming under the red light. Every hit was brutal, controlled, beautiful.

The camera zoomed close to her fierce expression—eyes sharp, smile dangerous.

Nova (singing between beats):

"Boom-boom, heartbeat wild,

The night screams, I'm not mild.

Drums of chaos, pulse of fate,

I'm the storm you can't escape."

The crowd jumped in sync, shouting the rhythm.

Then came Aria.

The pink-haired bassist stepped forward, her short skirt glinting with silver trim. Her aura was cute, but her presence had an addictive pull. She plucked her bass strings with calm confidence, grounding the chaos in rhythm.

Her soft smile met the screaming fans as she leaned into the mic, voice sweet but tinged with melancholy.

Aria (singing):

"Candy dreams and neon scars,

We're broken angels reaching stars.

Every beat a secret cry,

Under pink lights, we learn to lie."

For a moment, silence washed over the dome. Then—an eruption.

The four of them came together at the center of the stage, silhouettes merging under golden light. Luna hit a high note that vibrated through every speaker, Stella's guitar howled in harmony, Nova's drumming became a storm, and Aria's bass growled beneath it all.

All together (final chorus):

"We are the lights, we are the flame,

Lost in fame but never the same.

If tomorrow fades away—

Tonight, we'll make the stars obey!"

Confetti exploded. Fireworks bloomed across the ceiling. The crowd lost their minds.

"ARIA! LUNA! STELLA! NOVA!"

The chant filled the air like a heartbeat.

The song ended with Luna's lingering vocal note echoing, fading into the hum of thousands of fans still screaming their names.

Backstage, the energy was chaos and laughter—crew members rushing, stylists fussing, cameras flashing—but inside the private resting lounge, the noise turned into a muffled hum.

Aria dropped into the velvet couch, wiping sweat from her neck with a pink towel. She pulled out her earpiece, exhaling softly. The glow from the dressing mirror made her pink hair shimmer like sunset cotton candy.

Her heart still raced from the performance.

Stella threw her guitar case down beside the couch, grinning wide. "Damn, that was perfect! You see how they screamed when I hit that high bend? I swear, my fingers almost caught fire."

Nova entered last, tossing her drumsticks into a black bag. "You live for that kind of attention," she muttered with a smirk. "But yeah, crowd was insane tonight."

Luna smiled from across the room, still radiant even while wiping her makeup. "We did beautifully. Aria's verse hit them right in the heart."

Aria blushed slightly. "You think so? I messed up the second bar a little…"

"Please," Stella interrupted, leaning close. "Half of them were too busy drooling over you to notice. Especially him."

Aria blinked. "Him?"

Stella nodded toward the hallway beyond the resting area's glass door. "The guy waiting out there. Slightly tall, revealling clothes, gift in his hand. He's been at every concert, front row, every city. Crazy fan of yours."

Aria frowned slightly, curiosity mixing with unease. "Every city?"

"Every single one," Stella whispered, leaning close enough that Aria could feel her warm breath near her ear. "You should think about him, you know? He's been loyal for months. And…" Her lips curled into a teasing smile. "You could probably have some fun too. Just like I did with one of mine."

Aria turned her head slowly, eyes narrowing. "What do you mean by that?"

Stella just winked, biting her lip as she stood up. "He was good. Lasted a whole ten seconds."

"Stella!" Aria gasped, her eyes looking worried. "Don't go overboard and make rumors!"

Stella laughed and flipped her hair back. "Oh, I totally did. What? Don't act so pure, princess. We're idols, not saints. Sometimes I also want to fuck a man."

"I'm not into that," Aria said firmly, crossing her arms. "You know that."

Nova, leaning against the wall with a bottle of water, chuckled. "Then what are you into, Aria? You never come to our afterparties, never join us when we hang out with those billionaire parties or popstars."

Aria sighed. "Because I don't care about those kinds of people."

Nova raised an eyebrow. "So what then? You hiding a secret lover? Or…" she grinned slyly, "you batting for the other team?"

Aria nearly choked. "Hell no!"

Luna giggled softly from the mirror. "Come now, Nova, don't tease her like that."

"I'm just curious!" Nova shrugged. "We're four girls are friends, yet our dear bassist here keeps living in secret."

Aria hesitated, then glanced down, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. "…I think I got someone I'm interested in."

Stella immediately leaned forward. "Oh? Finally some gossip. Who?"

Aria hesitated, the faintest sadness flickering across her face. "…It's complicated."

Nova smirked. "They're always complicated. Who's the lucky guy?"

Aria bit her lip, her gaze distant. "There's another woman who chases him."

That made even Luna turn around. "Oh? So you're in a love triangle?"

Aria gave a soft laugh, but it sounded bitter. "Something like that."

Nova crossed her arms. "Come on, it can't be that bad. You're Aria—famous, beautiful, adored. You could have anyone you wanted. You could outshine anyone."

Aria looked at the floor, voice soft as a whisper that others couldn't hear. "It's that bad… because the woman chasing him…"

She paused. The other three waited, silent hoping she would answer but the last bit of that conversation happened only in Aria's mind.

"…is none other than myself."