Levi browsed through the original host's phone's media files, to help clear up the blurred memories faster but instead, he found a gem.
A video file, dated four months ago.
The thumbnail showed the original host sitting in what looked like a bedroom. Everything was neat, including the second hand furniture, but it was not maintained.
His fingers hovered over the play button for a moment, as if recalling the time it was recorded, before tapping it.
The first note hit him with something he couldn't quite grasp.
The voice that came from the phone's speakers was nothing like what Levi had expected. It was from the original host, the hesitant and overlooked omega, from the memories. The melody was familiar and it stirred emotions that weren't entirely his own but resonated deeply within him.
The song was simple and unaccompanied by any instrument, but it carried a sweet sadness that spoke of quiet comfort and unspoken dreams.
It was pure and haunting, and it was beautiful. It carried an emotion that cut straight through the heart. Pain, longing, hope. All wrapped in a melody that floated directly to the listener's chest.
He closed his eyes, letting the music wash over him, as if it could fill the empty spaces within his borrowed memories. A sense of peace settled over him, as it gave a moment of connection to the life he now inhabited.
Levi watched his reflection on the phone screen, seeing the original host's face with different eyes. The kid had been sitting on a gift that could have changed everything, but he'd been too invisible, too overlooked for anyone to notice. He had kept singing when no one was listening, and had kept dreaming when no one believed.
"Of course" Levi said dryly to his tea "Of course the brat had the voice of an angel. Meanwhile, I spent my youth learning forty ways to kill a man with a teacup".
But underneath the sarcasm…
A practical thought came to mind.
'Did this body come with exclusive access to that voice?'
The vocal cords, the breath control technique, and the understanding of pitch and tone.
The memories were fragmented, but the muscle memory might still be there.
He instinctively hummed along the melody he'd just heard. The sound that came out was different from his old voice. This was lighter and more melodic, with an deep sweetness that his normal voice could never produce.
His own version was a little rough, but it was the same voice.
Like a rougher diamond from the same mine.
'Interesting. Very interesting'.
He replayed the video, studying not just the melody but also the technique. The original host had natural talent.
But there was also training evident in his breathing, and in his posture and voice control.
Hidden lessons, perhaps, or self-taught discipline developed in stolen moments when no one was watching.
He felt a swell of admiration mixed with an ache of regret, realizing the potential that had been snuffed out too soon. But the bittersweet melody coursed through him, connecting him to that lost soul, bridging the distance between them.
The original host had died without anyone ever truly hearing him sing. But this soul was hearing it now. And more importantly, he could do something about it.
It was talent. Raw, undeniable, extraordinary talent that had been hidden away like a shameful secret.
Levi found himself looking at the post button. The video was already polished, ready to go. All it needed was someone with the courage to press send.
His finger hovered over the screen. In his old life, he'd avoided attention like the plague. Shadows were safer, anonymity was survival. But this wasn't his old life, was it? This was a second chance in a body that came with its own set of possibilities.
Why not start this new life rich and famous? Better than running and hiding.
He hit post before he could second-guess himself. The upload bar crawled across the screen with agonizing slowness. When it finally completed, Levi set the phone aside and allowed himself a small smile. Let the world see what the Quinn family had been too blind to notice.
He leaned back against the thin hotel pillows, feeling something like satisfaction for the first time since waking up in this body. Maybe the civilian life wouldn't be so bad. No more looking over his shoulder, no more sleeping with one eye open, no more wondering which of his contacts would be the one to finally put a bullet in his head.
Just a soft, comfortable life built on talent instead of violence. The thought was almost laughable to him, settling into domesticity like some kind of reformed criminal in a feel good movie.
The hotel room was quiet, peaceful in a way his old life never had been. Through the thin walls, he could hear the mundane sounds of other people living mundane lives. Television laugh tracks, running water, the distant hum of traffic. Normal sounds. Safe sounds.
For the first time in longer than he could remember, Levi felt something approaching contentment. He was alive, he was free, and he had options. Real options that didn't involve death or betrayal.
Already, his mind was racing ahead to possibilities. If the video gained traction, if people actually listened... he could book studio time, work with producers, maybe even put together a full album. The original host's drafts folder had contained fragments of other songs, half-finished melodies that could be developed into something complete.
For the first time in longer than he could remember, Levi felt something approaching genuine contentment.
Tomorrow, he decided, he'd look into recording studios.