Chapter 43: Shadows and Horizons
"Twaang!"
"Yeaaah!"
"Thank you!"
The moment the final note rang out, a roaring wave of cheers and applause filled the entire field, with some people in the crowd even chanting, "One more song! One more song!" But since his slot was up, the solo guitarist took a bow, turned around, and headed backstage.
As he pulled back the curtain, he was caught off guard to see The Red Tide already lined up and waiting. Glancing past them, he noticed a group of girls looking incredibly nervous. The musician simply nodded in greeting and walked past everyone into the back. Right then, a staff member walked up to Zach.
"You guys are up next. It’s The Red Tide right after this, we’re taking a quick three-minute break," the staffer said.
"We’re locked and loaded. Thanks," Zach replied.
Once the staff member walked off, Zach, Max, Naomi, and Jack turned around to face Monica, Priya, Chloe, Heidi, Laura, and Emma standing behind them.
"Well... looks like we’re hitting the stage first. It’s kind of an unfair advantage against you guys, but we can’t really mess with the organizers’ schedule," Zach said.
"Got it... don’t worry about it, we’re good," Emma replied with a smile, flashing a thumbs-up while resting her other hand on her hip.
"Awesome. Let’s go out there and crush it," Max said with a wide grin.
"Alright... go right ahead and get the crowd fired up first," Emma said confidently.
"Okay... The Red Tide, you’re up," the staff member called out.
Zach, Max, Naomi, and Jack immediately walked out onto the stage. A massive wall of noise instantly greeted them, making the entire backstage area vibrate from the sheer volume of the crowd’s energy. Emma let out a breath, but when she turned around, she was shocked to see that Monica, Priya, Chloe, Heidi, and Laura had all gone completely pale.
"Hey... what’s wrong with you guys?" Emma asked.
"This is insane... they haven’t even played a single note yet, they just walked out, and the crowd is already going that crazy," Monica muttered, looking down.
"Do we even have a chance against them?" Priya asked, staring at the floor.
"To be completely honest... my confidence just took a massive hit," Heidi added.
"What happens if we lose and have to disband? We literally just formed yesterday and have only released one song," Chloe said dejectedly.
"And I just learned how to play the drums... sob," Laura added, putting her head down.
"Hey... what is wrong with you guys? There’s no such thing as winning or losing at a gig like this. Plus, you’re taking their little challenge way too seriously. Sure, they have a reputation, but a famous band like them challenging a group like yours is practically punching down. They’d look ridiculous. There’s no way they were being serious, right Eric?" Emma asked, looking past them toward the back.
When Eric didn’t answer, everyone turned around to look at him. He was sitting on the edge of a bench with his hands clasped tightly over his mouth. His brows were knit close together, and his eyes were locked straight ahead, completely focused, as if he were wrestling with some heavy, profound thought.
"Hey... Eric!" Emma called out.
"Oh... right," Eric replied, instantly snapping out of it and jumping to his feet. "What’s up?" he asked.
"Ugh... you’re useless. Whatever, forget about it, don’t worry," Emma said, visibly annoyed.
Suddenly, the opening chords of The Red Tide’s set blasted through the monitors, sending a jolt of tension through the entire group. The music was heavy, powerful, fast, and complex, a booming combination of guitar, keyboard, bass, and drums that practically rattled their chests. Emma, Monica, Priya, Chloe, Heidi, and Laura listened intently, completely captivated.
Meanwhile, Eric stared at a glowing hologram screen that had materialized in front of him moments earlier, leaving him totally stunned.
[Side Quest Triggered.]
[First objective : Perform the solo track "Wide Horizon Comes After Darkness" and blow the entire festival crowd away using the keyboard.]
[Reward: ???]
Eric closed his eyes, tuning into the rhythm of the keyboard echoing from the stage. Without him even realizing it, his hands lifted, and his fingers began to glide and dance through the air, practicing the chords on an invisible keyboard.
"Eric... Eric!"
Eric snapped his eyes open and flinched back. Emma’s face was right in front of his, wearing a massive pout. She had her hands firmly on her hips and was glaring at him so hard her eyebrows practically merged into one.
"What’s wrong?" Eric asked.
"They’re almost finished... What is up with you? Why are you just spacing out like this? Are you tired or something?" Emma fired off in rapid succession.
"Oh... sorry, I was just getting into the song," Eric replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Ugh... why bother getting into it? It’s not like you haven’t heard that track a million times on the radio and podcasts," Emma countered.
"I was actually in the middle of trying to write a song, and now it’s completely gone... so, thank you for that," Eric said with a smile, though his eyes locked sharply onto Emma’s.
"Oh... I see... I’m sorry," Emma muttered, her face instantly falling as guilt washed over her.
"It’s fine, it wasn’t a big deal anyway," Eric replied, gently patting Emma’s head.
Suddenly, a massive wave of cheers erupted from the front as the music ground to a halt. Then, Zach’s voice echoed through the monitors as he tapped his microphone.
"Thank you... thank you, everyone! We have a very special guest with us here today. A brand-new band that just dropped their first track on streaming platforms, and it went completely viral, racking up tons of likes overnight! So, to all our fans... make sure you stick around and check out their performance right after this!" Zach shouted, introducing the next act.
The crowd erupted in excitement at Zach’s announcement. Faintly, people could be heard shouting and asking questions, dying to know the name of the band Zach was talking about. Zach tapped his mic again to calm the crowd down.
"Trio Musica was originally supposed to follow us, but since they couldn’t make it today, the band I just mentioned will be taking their slot. Get ready for them! Alright, now enjoy one final track to close out our set!" Zach yelled, throwing his hand in the air.
"Yeaaaah!"
The crowd went wild yet again. Instantly, the booming sound of the drums and keyboard filled the stage, followed by the bass and vocals blending perfectly together, all driven by a sharp, aggressive guitar riff. Hearing Zach’s announcement out front, Emma, Monica, Priya, Chloe, Heidi, and Laura stood there completely stunned, trying to process what had just happened.
"Wow... he actually introduced you guys. That means he’s being supportive... but at the same time, he’s throwing down the gauntlet right in front of his own fanbase," Eric said from behind them.
Emma, Monica, Priya, Chloe, Heidi, and Laura shot a look back at Eric without a word, then turned right back to peer through the curtain. As he listened to the track Zach and his band were playing, Eric thought for a moment. He reached out and grabbed Emma’s shoulder, gently pulling her back a few steps. Then, he leaned in close to her ear.
"Emma, hold back and go out last. The moment you step out there, do this," Eric whispered, holding up his smartphone screen.
Emma listened intently, nodding along as she kept her eyes glued to Eric’s phone. His breath against her ear made it turn a shade of deep crimson. About three minutes later, the final song came to a roaring finish.
The crowd erupted into another massive wave of cheers as Zach signed off, announcing they were making way for the next act. Before Zach and the rest of the band could even clear the stage, a staff member rushed over to Monica, Priya, Chloe, Heidi, and Laura.
"Reed’s Empress... you’re up! Once they clear the stage, wait exactly one minute, and then you can head out," the staffer instructed.
Not a single soul among Monica, Priya, Chloe, Heidi, or Laura could manage a verbal reply. They were completely stiff with tension, their hearts pounding so loudly it felt like a chaotic rhythm echoing inside their ears. Still, they all managed to nod in unison at the staff member, signaling they were ready.
Once they finished clearing their gear, Zach, Max, Naomi, and Jack walked backstage past the girls, giving them a wink and a smile along with a thumbs-up. Monica took a deep breath and let it out, then turned to face Priya, Chloe, Heidi, and Laura.
"Let’s go, guys," Monica said.
"Yeah," Priya, Chloe, Heidi, and Laura replied in unison.
They immediately marched out onto the stage. The moment they stepped up and looked out at the field, twilight was already beginning to fall. A massive sea of people packed the front half of the field, with the rest of the crowd scattered all the way to the back. They also noticed several video cameras, clearly part of a professional TV network or entertainment studio setup, angled and ready, pointing straight at the stage.
Once they reached their respective instruments and faced the crowd, a heavy silence fell over the venue. The eyes of Priya, Chloe, Heidi, and Laura locked onto Monica, who was frozen dead in her tracks in front of the microphone, simply gripping the stand with both hands. Their expressions practically screamed, "Hey Monica, say something to open the show!"
