After the candles were blown out and the cheers finally settled, Aster and Astra helped their mother sit in the front row, right before the stage. Arlienne was still wiping tears from her cheeks, overwhelmed by the sight of hundreds gathered for *her* birthday.
She sat down gently, still trembling.
"My children… you've already done more than enough," she whispered.
Aster smiled. "Mama, we're not done yet."
Astra giggled, taking her mother's hand. "We prepared a lot!"
The crowd erupted in excited murmurs.
Everyone expected one song.
No one expected *ten.*
***
Food was arranged for the people—not luxurious palace dishes, but warm, simple, home-style food served in paper plates. The vendors who knew Aster volunteered stalls, and countless townsfolk helped pass plates around.
Most people ate standing, chatting excitedly about the mysterious performance from earlier.
But soon, something unexpected happened.
Because of the amplification stones, **one-fourth of the royal capital** had heard the twins singing earlier. And as word spread…
More people arrived.
And more.
And more.
The plaza swelled beyond anything they had planned. The food began running out.
Arlienne stood up in worry.
Their maids: "Aster, we didn't account for this many people—"
But a familiar merchant lady stepped forward—a close friend whom Arlienne often bought simple dresses from.
"Lady Arlienne, sit down. Let us handle it," she said warmly.
"W-Why are you doing this?" Arlienne asked.
The woman winked. "Call it… a future investment."
Before Arlienne could question that, the woman shouted orders.
"Everyone! Open the backup supplies! Bring more bread! More stew! Quickly!"
Within minutes, the shortage was handled.
Aster bowed to the woman gratefully. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," she whispered, patting his head. "When you become someone great, remember we supported you."
Aster blinked, startled by the unexpected foreshadowing.
***
With the crowd fed and settled, Aster stepped onto the stage again.
The entire plaza fell silent at once.
"Mama," he said through the amplifiers, voice warm and steady. "We're going to sing ten songs. For you."
Astra took her place beside him and waved happily.
The music began.
Song after song filled the air—melodies and music from Aster's old world, reborn through their voices. He rewrote the lyrics to fit this world, this moment, this love they carried.
The skies darkened gently into twilight, but the plaza only grew brighter with lantern light.
People cried.
Laughed.
Held hands.
Swayed with the twins' harmony.
Aster's voice carried the soul of two lifetimes.
Astra's voice carried the purity of a child who loved without limits.
Together, they created something the world had forgotten—
**a night of pure, unfiltered music.**
"Again! Sing again!" the crowd cheered.
Aster smiled.
"We have one last song."
***
The tenth song was something no one expected—not even Astra.
Rap.
Aster took a deep breath.
The rhythm began.
A fast, strong beat—unlike anything this world had ever heard.
People leaned forward in confusion.
"What kind of rhythm is this?"
"Is he… talking fast?"
"No, he's doing something else"
Aster channeled the iconic energy of "Lose Yourself," reshaping the structure and flow to fit his young voice and mana limitations. He wrote new lyrics—clean, powerful, meaningful—about chasing a dream, falling, rising, and never giving up.
This world had never heard rap before.
Not in any form.
Even people with Sound Magic stared in shock—this wasn't singing.
This was rhythm.
Emotion.
Speed.
Precision.
**A voice turned into a weapon of expression.**
Aster's words hit like arrows.
Astra widened her eyes at first, completely stunned—then she grinned wide and jumped in during the chorus, making the performance explode with even more energy.
The crowd lost their minds.
"This is insane!"
"What kind of magic is this?!"
"It's like the words themselves are dancing!"
"He's bending sound in ways we've never seen—this child is a genius!"
Aster wasn't using fancy spells.
He was using art.
His past life's passion and his new life's magic fused into something no one could have predicted.
By the final verse, Aster was breathless.
Astra held his hand as they delivered the final harmony together.
And when the last beat faded—
Silence for one heartbeat.
Two.
Three.
Then—
**The entire plaza erupted.**
Screams, cheers, applause shaking the ground.
People climbing onto walls just to see better.
Children shouting Aster and Astra's names.
Merchants crying openly.
Guards unable to hide their smiles.
Aster and Astra stood on the stage, panting, overwhelmed, glowing under lantern light.
Arlienne covered her mouth with both hands, sobbing uncontrollably again.
"My children… you two are… you are…"
She couldn't finish.
Words failed her.
But her tears said everything.
***
Later, as the celebration flowed deep into the night, Aster and Astra sat quietly backstage, catching their breath.
"We… actually did it," Astra whispered.
Aster nodded slowly, staring at the sky. "Yeah."
They looked at the thousands still gathered, singing fragments of the melodies they had heard, trying to imitate rap poorly but enthusiastically.
Aster exhaled a shaky laugh.
"We changed something today."
Astra leaned her head on his shoulder. "We did."
But neither of them realized—
Music, once forgotten in this world, had just awakened.
The ancient balance of magic was shifting.
The queen had already heard whispers.
The king would hear by morning.
And forces far beyond the kingdom had felt the ripple of Sound Magic reawakening through the land.
Aster and Astra would soon learn:
Even beautiful things…
Have consequences.