"Hey, Gepard, wait up!"
Serval suddenly called out just as Gepard was about to step through the exit.
"What? Is there something else?" Gepard turned around, his expression unchanging.
"Your song!" Serval shouted excitedly, her eyes sparkling as she rushed out from behind the counter. "The song you were singing just now—was it rock? Who wrote it? C'mon, tell me already!"
Ever since she was a child, she had always loved music, especially rock.
And her brother's song—even though it was just a few lines—had stirred something hot and wild inside her chest.
A song that could affect her heart so deeply was clearly not something an ordinary person could've written—or rather, no one in all of Belobog could've written something like that.
"I-It was the Supreme Guardian..." Gepard, feeling intimidated by his sister's hungry, wolf-like stare, stammered. "He sang it once, and I just unconsciously memorized it... When I asked curiously about it, he said he just casually created the song himself..."
"My god..." Serval's eyes lit up as if she had just spotted some rare prey. "Supreme Guardian... You mean Supreme Guardian Lucian—the guy who saved our world?"
Gepard gave a silent nod.
"Unbelievable... How can a guy like that even exist?" Serval muttered, looking completely starstruck, her gaze drifting off dreamily as she pictured him. "He writes songs, plays rock, is crazy strong, and stupidly talented... he's literally my kinda ideal boyfriend..."
Hearing this, Gepard almost choked.
What had gotten into his sister so suddenly?
Twenty-something years of not caring about men, and suddenly she was acting like this?
Of course, deep in his heart, he understood why she was acting this way.
Serval had always been obsessed with research, and her love for niche rock made it nearly impossible to find anyone who shared her passion.
It was no wonder she'd never shown interest in men—until now.
For this reason, the moment she heard Lucian could write songs, and that it was a rock song at that, her attitude completely changed.
Even so, he couldn't help but think it was still absurd.
"Sis, I don't think you stand a chance. I mean, the Supreme Guardian mostly works with Madam Cocolia, and he rarely appears in public. Besides, he's never even met you."
Gepard's reminder was like a bucket of cold water.
"Cocolia?" Serval shot her brother an annoyed look. "Oh, please—she's nothing special. I mean, c'mon, I'm not losing to her in looks or figure. Worst case, I'll just head back to the research institute. Don't tell me I wouldn't get a shot then. Anyway, you got any clue where he's at?"
"Not recently..." Gepard sighed. "I heard he went off to another planet, but no one knows when he'll be back. Just go with the flow—maybe he'll show up right in front of you someday."
"Fine, fine, I'll wait a little longer..." Serval let out a helpless sigh. "But you better keep an eye out for any news about him, got it? Your sister's happiness is on the line here!"
Gepard said nothing, turned, and left the workshop.
He couldn't help but wonder—was that really the apathetic, research-driven, rock-playing mechanic elder sister he had known his whole life?
How could she turn so weird the moment she heard that the Supreme Guardian liked and could write rock songs?
Women's thoughts were truly unfathomable.
Regardless, keeping an eye out wasn't too hard—for his sister, he could at least do that much.
Right after Gepard left, Serval picked up her guitar, sat down, and began to hum the song he had sung earlier.
Even if not completely, she had memorized the tune and lyrics well enough to fill in the blanks herself—it could completely become a full song.
Maybe she could even show it to Lucian someday, and talk about songwriting together?
===
"Ah, feels so damn good... finally found a guy who's into rock like I am. Kinda hope he doesn't think I'm lame though. Anyway, I'll call this song Wildfire. Yeah, the name fits perfectly."
Several hours later, Serval finally finished the song and decided to hold a rock concert—of course, not a true, formal concert, but simply a street performance.
Just like that, right next to the Neverwinter Workshop, she set up her instruments, then began to play her guitar and sing.
Soon enough, passersby were drawn in by the sound and gathered around to watch her performance.
Because other foreign civilizations had come to Jarilo-VI for exchanges, there were plenty of people who understood music, so when Serval sang, they stopped to listen—some even humming along.
And when Wildfire reached its climax, they went absolutely wild!
"Ohh, this part's freakin' amazing!"
"Didn't think anyone here actually knew real rock!"
"Feels like I'm right in the middle of a battle!"
Second by second, the crowd grew larger—some cheered, some sang along, some head-banged in rhythm.
Before long, a figure wearing a strange mask happened to pass by, and by their characteristics, they were unquestionably the so-called 'Clown' Bronya had talked about.
Drawn in by Serval's music and the surging energy of the crowd, the Clown stopped in their tracks.
"Joy! Such joy! Aha must join the fun!"
Indeed, the so-called Clown was, as Lucian had guessed, the Aeon of Elation THEMSELF, Aha!
Aha chuckled and strode toward Serval.
Even though the crowd was dense, THEY slipped through effortlessly like a ghost until THEY stood in the front row—head-banging, laughing, raising THEIR hands, and swinging to the beat.
"HaHaHaHa!"
Aha's laughter carried a strange, infectious energy that made everyone else laugh along with THEM, causing the atmosphere to grow even more festive and lively.
Serval, seeing this scene and feeling the explosive energy surging from the crowd, was thrilled.
It was only natural, for she had never had this many people watching her street performance before!
Noticing the masked figure dancing enthusiastically right at the front, Serval waved excitedly to THEM.
"Hey, masked guy! Do you know how to play the drums? Wanna play?"
At Serval's question, Aha nodded in response, then suddenly did a backflip, earning cheers and loud applause from the crowd, before landing perfectly behind the drum set, grabbing the sticks, sitting down in place, and beginning to play with confidence.
*BANG!**BANG!**BANG!**BANG!*
In an instant, as the rhythmic drumbeats kicked in, Serval matched her guitar and bass with them, while the crowd moved in unison to the beat.
""WHOAAA!!!""
Because the rock song was just too electrifying to resist, more and more people gathered, almost filling up the Central Plaza.
Not far away, Lucian, who was still looking for the so-called Clown, heard the commotion and immediately stopped in his tracks.
"Hmm? Is it just me, or is this song extremely familiar..." Lucian muttered quietly, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Wait, isn't this Wildfire? How the hell is someone playing a song from my homeworld?"
Curious, he decided to take a look and began walking toward the bustling crowd.
Soon after, when he saw the singer, he couldn't help but pause for a moment, then chuckle softly.
Right in the center of the crowd stood a blonde beauty he knew very well—Serval.
At this moment, she was surprisingly handling the vocals, the guitar, and the bass all by herself, without the slightest hint of confusion or haste in her movements.
As for the drums, they were being played by a figure wearing an orange mask with three different expressions.
With just one glance at that distinctive mask, it was more than enough for Lucian to recognize the figure's identity.
Who else could it be but Aha?
"It's really Aha..." Lucian muttered to himself, looking a little relieved, yet uneasy, that his guess had been correct. "But didn't THEY say THEY were looking for me? Why are THEY rocking out instead? Belobog's citizens sure are lucky—having the Aeon of Elation THEMSELF performing for them. If the Masked Fools know about this, they will be jealous for centuries."
In the end, he decided to stay and enjoy the show, blending into the crowd.
However, as he listened more closely to the song, he found that this version of Wildfire wasn't the same as the original.
As for how Serval could know the song, he guessed that it was probably because of Gepard.
He remembered that, in the past, when he casually sang Wildfire, Gepard happened to hear it and, out of curiosity, asked about the song. But since Gepard had only heard it once, he most likely remembered only small parts of the lyrics, and Serval, who was quite good at writing songs, probably filled in the rest by herself.
As for Aha, although THEIR drumming looked half goofy and half masterful, the way THEY moved almost suggested that THEY had done this before.
'Was Aha a drummer before becoming an Aeon?'
Lucian couldn't help but wonder.
Just then, as Serval performed a jump while strumming her guitar hard, her gaze accidentally fell upon someone striking within the crowd—a familiar and stunning man whose looks seemed to outshine everyone else's.
'Lord Lucian? Did he come to see me...?'
When she saw the man, Serval, clearly recognizing who he was, felt her heart nearly stop, and she couldn't help but thank the god out there, if they exist, for granting her one miracle after another.
If only she knew that the drummer beside her was an Aeon, which was no different from a god, she would probably drop her guitar on the spot.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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