Backstage, Aster's breathing was shallow. Sweat clung to his hair. His mana was dangerously low.
Astra hovered beside him, biting her lip. "Aster… please rest a little longer. You don't look okay."
But he shook his head.
"This is the finale. I can't stop now."
Before Astra could argue, he reached for a mana potion on the table and drank it in one gulp.
Astra froze. "Aster—!"
The curtain rustled.
Arlienne rushed in, panic in her eyes.
"Aster! You can't drink a full mana potion at your age, let alone—"
Aster grabbed the second bottle.
"Aster, STOP!"
But he didn't.
He drank the second potion before Arlienne could snatch it away.
The bottle shattered on the floor.
Mana surged violently through his body, making his entire frame tremble. His vision blurred, and his heartbeat became painfully loud.
Arlienne grabbed his shoulders, voice trembling.
"Aster… you'll damage your channels. Your body is too young to handle that much mana—"
Seraphine and Lyria rushed in behind her, pale with fear.
"Aster, no more!"
"You've already done so much—please, don't push yourself!"
Aster's breathing steadied—not naturally, but forcefully, as if he was controlling it with sheer will.
He stepped back, gently removing his mother's hands.
"I have to do this," he whispered. "For all the people who came… and for the dream I'm chasing."
Arlienne's eyes trembled. She knew that tone. It was the same determined voice she heard when he created the birthday miracle. The same voice that invented sound stones. The same voice that carried the heart of a grown soul.
She embraced him tightly.
"Then… promise me you'll come back safe."
Aster's embrace trembled.
"…I promise."
Astra took his hand.
"Then I'm going with you. I'll support your voice."
He smiled.
"Always."
And together, the twins stepped out of the backstage tunnel—
Into the roaring cheers of tens of thousands.
***
The plaza erupted when the twins returned.
"Aster!"
"Astra!"
"They're back!"
"Rap! Rap! RAP!"
"Go little prince!"
Aster raised the amplifying stone.
"Thank you for waiting. These last three songs… are dedicated to all of YOU."
The crowd shook with excitement.
Astra took a breath and began the first of the final songs—a classic-style vocal piece. Her voice soared gracefully above the plaza while Aster generated the beat pattern beneath it, weaving her singing into a warm, uplifting harmony.
But despite recovering mana, his body still trembled. The output drain was still massive.
He endured it.
And then—
Aster exhaled.
Time for the rap.
He stepped forward, his eyes glowing faintly with the unstable mana swirling in him.
"This one," he announced, "is about the people of Vornis—and how proud we are of you."
Astra's magic formed the rhythm this time. A deep, pulsing beat filled the air.
Aster began to rap.
Fast.
Sharp.
Precise.
Each word flowed like a blade carving rhythm through the sky.
"It's happening again—!"
"That rhythm… it's unreal!"
"I've never heard anything like it in my LIFE!"
Aster's rap painted pictures:
The hardworking vendors.
The mothers who raised their children with love.
The people who kept the capital running.
The warmth, the unity, the hope of Vornis.
His words lifted the audience's hearts.
When he finished, the plaza erupted.
But Aster lifted a hand.
"One last song."
The crowd immediately fell silent.
"This," he said softly, "is a rap about how wonderful the world is… and how precious life can be."
Astra started the beat—gentle, emotional, like a heartbeat.
Aster closed his eyes.
And poured everything inside him into the song.
His fear.
His rebirth.
His gratitude.
His hope.
His dreams.
Words flowed like light.
Astra backed him with soft harmonies, tears shimmering in her eyes.
The audience was stunned into silence. Not a single whisper moved through the plaza. Even the nobles watching from afar felt something awaken inside their hearts.
Arlienne covered her mouth, crying openly.
Seraphine and Lyria couldn't blink.
Even the palace guards—trained to remain stoic—had tears gathering in their eyes.
By the end of the rap, Aster's voice cracked once.
Only once.
But that single crack carried more emotion than most performers achieved in a lifetime.
He finished with a whisper:
"…and that is why… this world is beautiful."
The last echo faded into the night.
And for a solid ten seconds—
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Not a breath.
Then—
The plaza detonated with applause.
Screaming.
Crying.
Cheering.
Waving lanterns.
People holding each other.
It was the most emotional reaction Vornis had ever witnessed in a public square.
Aster swayed slightly.
Astra caught him.
"You did it…" she whispered.
But Aster wasn't done.
The twins bowed, and the crowd began to settle.
People prepared to leave, wiping tears from their faces.
But Aster held up a hand.
"Everyone, please wait."
The entire plaza halted.
Tens of hundreds faced him again.
"I have an announcement to make."
Astra stared in shock. "Aster…?"
Arlienne stood, concerned.
Even distant nobles leaned forward in their observation towers.
And somewhere in the palace, the queen sat upright, sensing danger.
Aster lifted the magical stone to his mouth, determination burning in his silver eyes.
Under the glowing lights, with all of Vornis watching, he declared—