The asteroid field was a graveyard of forgotten rock and time, scattered across the far edge of the Zelvar system. It stretched like a broken maze, vast and silent, glowing with the faintest bioluminescent moss and mineral shimmer. Hidden among the debris, the Rhythmic Star drifted quietly, camouflaged beneath a cloak of frequency-dampening shields.
Inside the ship, the lights were low. Everything was quiet, save for the occasional beeping of life monitors and the soft humming of power coils trying to stabilize.
Jin knelt beside Hoseok's medical pod, hands glowing faintly with resonance. He had been at it for hours, using his voice in gentle waves. He did not sing, exactly. It was more like a lullaby from the bones, humming with warmth and light. Hoseok's wounds, deep and fractured from the explosion and shrapnel, slowly responded. The bruises were fading. The internal bleeding had stopped.
"His pulse is steady," Jin whispered, brushing sweat from his temple. "But his harmonics are still unstable. Whatever tech the Council used… it nearly severed his emotional current."
Namjoon sat against the wall nearby, eyes closed, jaw tight. "He volunteered. He knew the risk."
"That doesn't mean we were ready to lose him," Jimin said softly, sitting at Hoseok's feet, watching him like he might vanish if no one kept an eye on him.
Jungkook paced the room, fists clenched. "If we had gotten there thirty seconds earlier, maybe—"
"There is no maybe," Yoongi cut in from the console, voice sharper than usual. "It happened."
The silence that followed felt like it had weight.
Yoongi turned back to the screen. "Our frequency trail is buried. The Council won't find us here. For now."
Namjoon opened his eyes. "That does not change the fact that innocent people died back there. That they targeted the Echoes. Our presence made them a target."
"And our music brought them hope," Jimin said, his voice quivering. "It woke people up."
"Is hope worth death?" Jungkook asked, not directing the question at anyone in particular.
Yoongi stood. "I need to be alone."
"Hyung—" Jin started, but Yoongi was already walking out.
He moved to the outer deck of the ship, stepping onto the small observation platform. Through the transparent shield, the asteroid field stretched endlessly. A slow swirl of ancient space stones drifted silently, as if dancing to a tune only time remembered.
Yoongi closed his eyes. In his mind, the bass throbbed. Not from any speaker. Not from any recording. It came from within. A beat born of grief and fury. His fingers twitched, forming invisible keys in the air. He tapped against the railing, the tempo growing with every breath. His anger, his guilt, his sorrow, they poured out of him like ink spilled across the stars.
The beat deepened. It was slow at first. Haunting. Like a heartbeat after heartbreak. But then it grew complex, layered with synthetic echoes and raw pulses. It began to resonate with the asteroid field itself. The rocks vibrated faintly, as if responding to his rhythm.
Inside the ship, Jin looked up suddenly. "Do you feel that?"
Jimin nodded. "It's Yoongi."
Namjoon stood and moved to the deck door. "Wait. Listen."
The ship hummed. Not mechanically, but musically. Hoseok's monitor blinked, and the resonance lines across his chest suddenly lit up. His breath caught. A soft exhale escaped his lips. One of his fingers twitched.
Jin leaned over him, astonished. "The beat… it's stabilizing him."
Jungkook's eyes widened. "Yoongi's rhythm is syncing with the ship. And Hoseok's harmonic flow is tuning to it."
"It's like the music is stitching him back together," Jimin said.
Namjoon opened the door. "Yoongi. Keep playing. Don't stop."
Yoongi did not look back, but he heard them. He raised both hands and let the beat spread. He added higher tones, slight melodic touches like cries buried in thunder. The asteroid field pulsed brighter, rocks shimmering in time with the frequency.
Inside, Hoseok stirred. His eyes fluttered open.
"Hyung," Jimin gasped. "You're awake!"
"Barely," Hoseok mumbled, voice hoarse. "But I heard it. I heard the song."
Jin knelt beside him, eyes filled with relief. "You're safe. You're with us."
Yoongi walked back in a few minutes later, sweat dripping down his neck, expression unreadable.
"You saved him," Jin said.
Yoongi shook his head slowly. "The sound did."
"Which came from you," Namjoon added.
Yoongi looked at his hands. "That beat… it wasn't mine. Not really. It came from the pain. From the planet. From us. Maybe we're just vessels."
"Then let's be good ones," Jungkook said.
They helped Hoseok sit up slowly. He winced but smiled. "I had a dream. We were on stage again. No lights, no crowd. Just us."
Jimin smiled back. "That wasn't a dream. That's where we're going."
Yoongi turned to the console and replayed the beat he had just created. "We need to remember this one."
Namjoon looked around the room. "We name it?"
Jin nodded. "We always name them."
Yoongi typed a few keys and saved the track.
Title: Sound of Survival.
Silence followed. But this time, it felt peaceful. Not empty.
The asteroid field drifted gently outside, still pulsing softly to the rhythm left behind.
And far beyond, in the corners of the galaxy, where people huddled in darkness and silence, something stirred. A forgotten spark, reignited.
The sound was alive. And so were they.