The Brightforge High recording studio was a masterpiece of both magic and technology, a space where enchantments met cutting-edge sound engineering. The walls were lined with acoustic panels, absorbing every stray note and transforming the space into a cocoon of perfect resonance.
A grand piano stood in one corner, its glossy surface reflecting the warm glow of overhead lights. A collection of guitars, both acoustic and electric, rested on their stands like waiting soldiers, while shelves overflowed with notebooks scribbled with half-written lyrics and compositions. The recording booth, encased in glass, offered a glimpse of the soundboard's endless knobs and switches, a dashboard of endless creative possibilities.
Unlike the grand studios in Lysoria, where everything was dictated by magic, Brightforge's studio allowed for something different: choice. You could use magic, or you could rely on nothing but raw skill.
That's why I loved it here.
Quinn dropped into the console chair, spinning lazily before coming to a stop, pen floating in the air beside her, waiting. "Alright, Athens, tell me what we're working with."
I leaned against the desk, already hearing the composition in my mind. "I want the traditional percussion to set the heartbeat of the song: something rich, something that feels ancient, like the kind of rhythm you hear at a festival that makes you want to move. But I also want a modern contrast. Electric bass, electric guitar, something that punches through."
Quinn nodded approvingly, already scribbling notes across the sheet. "Oh, I like where your head's at! Let's work with those for now and see if we need to add anything later."
Without another word, she got to work, layering the percussion first. The deep, resonant beats filled the room, steady and grounding, like the pulse of something ancient. The bass followed, weaving through the rhythm with a hypnotic smoothness. Quinn nodded her head in time with the music, completely immersed.
"It's taking shape," she murmured, adjusting the levels on the console. Then she turned to me with a grin. "Now for the guitar. Come with me, I like to do this part myself. It's about feeling the strings, letting the melody come naturally."
She stood, motioning for me to follow.
I hesitated. "You want me to play?"
Quinn smirked. "You ever tried?"
"No, but I've always wanted to."
"Well, today's the day," she said, grabbing one of the guitars and handing another to me. "Come sit with me in the recording booth."
I complied, settling into the stool beside her. My fingers felt awkward against the strings as she adjusted my grip.
"Relax," she murmured, strumming a slow chord. "Music isn't about mechanics, it's about feeling. Close your eyes, listen to the beat, and let it guide you."
I exhaled, nodding as I mimicked her movements. My first attempts were clumsy, the notes choppy, but Quinn was patient.
"Feel the beat, sweetheart," she encouraged. "You need to hear it in your head before you play it."
I tried again. This time, the sound flowed smoother, blending with the bassline she had already set.
A grin spread across Quinn's face. "There you go."
We played around, testing different progressions, our fingers dancing across the strings. The air between us buzzed with energy, the music guiding our hands. Then, almost randomly, we hit something special: an effortless rhythm, my chords locking perfectly into her riffs.
Quinn stopped abruptly, eyes wide. "Wait, wait, wait." she gasped. "We need to record this."
She restarted the track, layering in the percussion and bass. The room pulsed with energy, the soundboard glowing brighter as the mix came together like clockwork.
We played it through, this time capturing every note, every beat. When we finished, Quinn leaned back, exhaling sharply.
"Damn, Athens," she muttered, shaking her head. "That was insane."
I let out a slow breath, my heart still racing. "Yeah. That was..."
"...missing something," she cut in, tilting her head.
I frowned. "What?"
She turned to me, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It needs vocals."
I stiffened. "Oh, no. I don't sing."
Quinn's laugh was almost musical. "Come on, sweets. Everyone sings at least once in their life."
"Not like this," I muttered, backing away.
She crossed her arms. "You trust me?"
I swallowed. "Yeah."
"Then get in the booth."
I groaned but did as she asked.
I stepped inside, adjusting the headphones over my ears as Quinn's voice came through the monitor.
"Alright, Athens, here's how it'll go. I'll play the track, and you will sing whatever comes naturally. Got it?"
"I..." I panicked, my mind going blank. I was not ready for this.
The music started.
No words came out. I knew I looked ridiculous opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of the water.
Quinn cut the track, laughing. "Okay, okay, my love. Deep breath. Center yourself. I need you to feel the music. You can do it. Just let me know when you're ready."
I inhaled deeply, willing myself to focus. This was what I loved. I got to do it. This was what I wanted. I could do it.
I gave Quinn a small nod.
This time, when the music came on, I was ready.
I let my hips sway to the beat, and when I opened my mouth, the words flowed freely.
When I was done, Quinn's mouth was wide open with shock.
I shifted awkwardly, still catching my breath. "Okay, I was not that bad, right?"
Quinn blinked rapidly, as if she still couldn't process what had just happened. "Bad? Are you kidding me?" Then, suddenly, she launched herself at me, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me like an overexcited storm sprite.
"You are a fucking star, Athena!" she exclaimed. "How have you never sang before? What the hell have you been doing with your life?"
I could barely get a word in before she let me go, running her hands through her hair, still visibly stunned.
"You are fucking talented. I mean, you blew my mind with what you just did." She grabbed my wrist, dragging me toward the console. "Come and listen to this."
I hesitated. A part of me was afraid to hear myself, to face the reality of what I had just done.
But when the track played, I felt like I had stepped outside of myself.
The voice coming through the speakers, my voice, wasn't just good. It was raw, powerful, alive. The way it melted into the guitar, the percussions, the bass, it sounded like it belonged there.
I had expected to cringe. Instead, I listened intently, my heartbeat pounding against my ribs.
Quinn nudged me, smirking. "You really are a prodigy, Athens."
She reached over and picked up a small, glowing memory crystal from the desk. It was no bigger than a coin, but it pulsed faintly with captured soundwaves. As she pressed it into my palm, a warmth spread through my fingers, the imprint of my voice stored inside it.
"Now, here's your very first original composition." She closed my fingers around the crystal. "Be proud of it."
I swallowed, my throat tightening. This wasn't just a song. This was me: a part of me that I had never known existed until now.
"And before you go," Quinn continued, turning toward the instrument rack, "there's something else you might want to hold on to."
She lifted a black guitar case, its edges lined with faintly glowing runes. I recognized the insignia on the latch: Brightforge's mark of craftsmanship.
When she handed it to me, my hands trembled slightly. It felt heavy: not in weight, but in meaning.
"You were born for this, Athena."
I was stunned. This moment felt surreal, like I had walked into a dream and was afraid to wake up.
When words failed me, I did the only thing that made sense.
I launched myself at Quinn, crushing her in a hug.
"Thank you." My voice came out shaky, thick with emotion. "From the depths of my heart. You have no idea how much this means to me."
Quinn hugged me back just as tightly, no hesitation. "I might have an idea."
She pulled back slightly, smirking. "Now go, don't you forget about me when you become a big rockstar."
I laughed, blinking away the sting behind my eyes.
Me? A rockstar?
For the first time, it didn't feel like an impossible dream.
For the first time, I believed it.
I had barely stepped out of the studio when I spotted Jade and Ezzy in the hallway, waiting like they knew I had big news.
Jade was practically vibrating with excitement, her golden eyes locking onto mine like a predator about to pounce.
"Athens! There you are!" She practically bounced on the balls of her feet. "So? How'd it go? Tell me everything!"
I shifted the guitar case in my grip, letting the weight of it sink in before offering a lazy shrug.
"Oh, fine…" I drawled. Then, smirking, I added, "I mean, I just recorded a masterpiece, so…"
They screamed.
Right there in the hallway, loud and unapologetic.
"When can we listen to it?!"
Jade grabbed my shoulders, shaking me slightly, while Ezzy's eyes flickered between my memory crystal and my face, like she couldn't decide what to focus on first.
I laughed, backing away. "Not now, but soon. Promise."
Jade clutched her chest dramatically. "I can't wait! Oh, heavens, Athens, I am so proud of you, I'm gonna cry now."
Ezzy, however, had zoned in on something else entirely.
Her gaze dropped to the guitar case, and suddenly, all her previous excitement was replaced with something much more dangerous.
Suspicion.
"Is that a guitar I see?"
I grinned, nudging the case forward. "Yes, it is! Quinn gifted this to me. Can you believe I just had my first guitar lesson today?"
Ezzy's jaw dropped. She placed both hands on her chest, looking positively betrayed.
"You lucky bitch!" she exclaimed. "I had classes with Quinn forever, and we never ever stepped into that studio, let alone get guitar lessons."
She crossed her arms, her glare borderline murderous. "I am so jealous of you right now."
I laughed, nudging her playfully. "Hey! Don't be. You're talented as well, Ezzy. Don't forget you landed a solo performance at the Cultural Festival."
Ezzy side-eyed me, but her smirk was undeniable.
"Yeah, I did that." She flipped her hair dramatically, as if she had already forgotten her jealousy.
Jade giggled beside her before grabbing both of our wrists. "Come on. Let's get to the stadium. It's almost midday."
And just like that, we were off.
Fridays at Brightforge High were dedicated to Arts & Cultural Classes. While Ezzy, Jade, and I were more inclined toward music and dance, the guys had a different focus.
For them, Fridays meant Titanball.
Titanball wasn't just a game in Elarion; it was a tradition. It had always existed, its roots tied to combat training, cultural expression, and school pride.
Here, at Brightforge High, Titanball was both a sport and a battlefield.
And after yesterday's miserable failure, I wasn't exactly looking forward to watching them train.
But that didn't matter.
Because Titanball Fridays were everything.
As we approached the stadium, the energy was palpable. The bleachers were already filling up, students chatting excitedly, waiting for the first game of the year to begin.
Even professors were in attendance, scattered among the crowd, eager for the match.
My eyes searched the field, scanning the players as they moved through their warm-ups. Jax, Zion, Riven. It didn't take long to find them.
Jax was grinning as usual, talking animatedly, his body already in motion, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. Zion stood beside him, rolling his shoulders, his arms flexing as flames flickered at his fingertips, barely controlled energy waiting to be unleashed.
Riven, however, was quieter.
He nodded absently to something Jax said, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. His body moved through the motions of warm-up drills, but his gaze wasn't on the field.
It was searching the crowd.
I held my breath, waiting. And as I suspected, his eyes landed on me.
A strange tightness settled in my chest.
The buzz of the crowd, the excitement, the anticipation, all of it faded into the background.
For a second, just a second, it was only us.
The memory from yesterday surfaced, uninvited. Sharp words, a heated exchange, the sting of something unspoken.
I looked away.
Before I could stop myself, I forced a smile and waved at Jax instead.
Jax, who was standing directly next to Riven, lit up immediately. His face broke into a wide grin, his hand shooting up as he waved back, overly enthusiastic, completely unaware.
Riven?
Nothing.
No reaction.
He simply turned away, rolling his shoulders, resuming his warm-up as if nothing had happened.
I swallowed, forcing myself to focus on anything else.
Because whatever this thing between us was, I wasn't ready to face it.
Not yet.
"Fifteen minutes until the match begins!"
Their coach, Coach Arius Steele, called them back to the locker rooms, probably to go over the game plan one last time.
Jade, of course, did not miss anything.
I could feel the question brewing, sitting on the tip of her tongue, waiting for the right moment to strike.
She was silent for a beat, clearly weighing out her approach, her green eyes flickering between me and the field. Then, ever so casually, she leaned in.
"Okay. What is going on with you and Riven?"
I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair. I should've known she wouldn't let it slide.
"We had some sort of argument," I admitted, keeping my voice even, detached.
Ezzy and Jade exchanged glances.
Jade tilted her head. "Want to talk about it?"
I shook my head. No.
Not now. Maybe not ever.
Before she could push further, the crowd roared as the guys jogged back onto the field.
This was it.
The first match of the year.