The arena at Luminaris Events thrummed with life, neon runes strobing across the vaulted ceiling like a heartbeat. Outside, the cold season’s breath painted frost against the glass walls, but inside, the night blazed with light, heat, and music. It was nearly midnight on Cyrandros 14th, 3448 A.E., and Lira stood front and center, silver dress catching the glow like starlight. At her sides stood Kael, Malik, Sera, Kevyn, and Elira—her anchor in the sea of sound.
Every seat, whether flesh or projection, belonged to someone she knew. Employees from Ashport Disposal & Recovery. Faces from Luminaris Ward. Friends from every stretch of her life. The rest were flickering holograms, carefully curated to maintain the illusion of a sold-out venue. Not a single stranger. That detail had struck her hours ago—and hadn’t stopped striking her since.
Over the last two hours, the arena had erupted with life. Fad groups belted out nostalgic hits. Acrobats spun through the air on mana-thread wings. Talent holders dueled with explosions of flame and mist, illusion and gravity, making war look like art. It was overwhelming. It was perfect.
Kael leaned close, voice low and rough with slumland edge. “Told you it’d be worth it.”
Lira laughed, the sound full and unguarded. “Kael, this is—gods, it’s everything.”
Then the lights shifted. The Sideroad Boys took the stage one last time, their silhouettes backlit in gold. Jinmar, the lead singer, grinned as the opening chords of their most iconic track rang out.
“Lira Taryn,” he called into the mic, voice deep and easy, “get your ass up here!”
The crowd exploded, a wave of cheers crashing forward. Her name chanted, rising like a war cry. Lira barely remembered moving. Her body moved on instinct. She was onstage before she’d even registered it, heart thundering in her ears.
The beat dropped.
“Everybody, feel the fiiire!”
And her feet answered.
The steps were still there—burned into her from childhood, from years of dancing alone to their vids in her room. She matched them beat for beat, hips turning, arms slicing, spin sharp and precise. Jinmar and the others danced around her, not missing a note. The crowd roared. Below the stage, Kael, Malik, Sera, Kevyn, and Elira clapped like maniacs, Kevyn’s hoarse voice rising in a drunken, joyous howl.
As the final chorus echoed across the arena, Jin lifted his mic. “Ashport,” he shouted, voice ringing, “it’s almost time!”
The lights dimmed. Runes pulsed. A hush fell.
“Ten!”
The audience answered.
“Nine! Eight!”
Lira stood at center stage, breath ragged, sweat cooling on her skin, arms open like wings.
“Three! Two! One—!”
“Happy 16th birthday, Lira!”
Fireworks burst overhead, golden starblooms and silver helixes spiraling across the ceiling. A shimmering arc of light spelled out:
LIRA TARYN, SIXTEEN
The noise hit like a wave. The arena shook with celebration.
Lira’s chest rose, breath catching. Tears prickled behind her eyes and this time, she didn’t blink them back.
She was sixteen.
She was here.
And she was seen.
The afterparty unfolded in a private cordon of the arena, where mana-lanterns floated through perfumed air thick with citrus wine and powdered sweets. Lira drifted through it, a comet of hugs and handshakes. Performers and talent holders greeted her one after another, warm and unguarded.
Her silver dress caught the rune-glow like stardust, and in her hands, she clutched a poster already heavy with fresh autographs.
The Sideroad Boys found her near the drink bar.
Their legendary swagger had mellowed with time, but the spark was still there—undeniable, magnetic. Jinmar, the unmistakable lead, wore a lopsided grin as he stepped forward.
“Lira,” he said, sweeping his sweat-soaked bangs from his brow, “you crushed it.”
“You were the real headliner,” another said with a wink.
Jin continued, "Did you enjoy the show?”
Lira laughed, breathless. “Enjoy? It was insane. How did you—why would you guys reunite just for me?”
Jinmar exchanged a knowing look with the others before tilting his head. “Of course, it was Kael.”
At her blink, he elaborated. “He contacted us through our old manager—Syl. You might’ve heard… she got caught in a beast wave earlier this orbit and trapped under rubble for a few rotations.”
“She was an inch from death,” added Eren, the harmonizer, voice low and sincere. “Then Kael ate the rubble trapping her and Malik pulled her out, taking her for medical attention. She told us the whole story.”
“Yeah,” said Kaien, the lead choreographer. “She owes him her life, and we owe her ours. So when he asked us for a favor? Reunion, one night only, for someone important to him? There was no hesitation.”
Eren nodded, smiling. “Took him cycles to pull it off. Coordinated with Syl, got us in a room again after all these years—even talked us through the grudges. It wasn't easy.”
“But worth it,” Sato chimed in. “Being on that stage tonight? Felt like magic again. We’re even talkin’ about maybe doing something new. Kael brought that spark back.”
Jinmar pointed at her poster. “You might’ve been the reason, but he was the architect. And get this—the concert was originally scheduled for tomorrow.”
Lira’s eyes widened. “Wait. Tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” said Kaien, grinning. “Your actual birthday, right? But Kael changed it this afternoon. All he said was that something came up.”
Lira’s breath caught. Her own voice echoed in her mind—“Let’s just have dinner tomorrow. Just the two of us.”
She felt the pieces slide into place. He’d shifted an impossible event, rescheduled a dream, just so she could have one quiet night with him.
Her throat tightened. “He… he really did all that?”
Riko clapped a hand to her shoulder, smiling. “He’s the real deal.”
Jinmar signed the poster last, his handwriting as bold as ever. “You’ve got a good one, Lira. Don’t let him go.”
Their laughter faded into the background as the group drifted on, and Lira stood beneath the rune-glow, heart pounding—not from the music, but from the quiet, overwhelming truth of what Kael had done for her.
Kevyn stumbled up beside her and slung a loose arm over her shoulder, breath heavy with apple fizz. “Proud of ya, kid,” he slurred.
“Did you tell Kael about the Sideroad Boys?” Lira asked, voice sharp.
“Uh… maybe? Yeah, yeah! Wild, huh? Epic night.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How did you even know I liked them? I hid that obsession like a state secret.”
Kevyn gave a crooked grin. “I might be a drunk, but I’m still your father. I remember those nights, Lira. When your mom was too weak to get out of bed and I could barely stand upright from drinking—there you were, in your room, dancing it all out. That music was the only thing keeping the walls from swallowing you whole.”
Lira blinked. Her throat tightened.
Kevyn’s voice softened. “You thought you were hiding it, but I saw you. Hell, I needed you to have something. Even if it was neon tights and glitter boys who moved like lightning.”
She looked away, blinking harder now.
“I was slipping, baby. And you held on the only way you could.” He pulled her into a one-armed hug, voice rough. “So yeah, I knew. I always knew.”
Kevyn, grin returning, “I might be a drunk, but I’m still your father. I know you better than you think. Kids always act like their parents are clueless—like we weren’t young once, too.”
Lira laughed and leaned into him, the moment imperfect and perfect all at once.
By 1 a.m., Kael stepped to her side, his voice gentle. “Ready to call it?”
She nodded, her soul full. The cold night wrapped around them as they slipped out, Kael’s stormfang rings glinting in the lamplight. The mana-bus waited at the curb, runes already humming, its door yawning open like a promise.
They boarded together, bound for home.
