It started with a DM.
[From: LunaVerse]"Yo, L.C.—is this really your track on EchoBoard? That Fix You cover? Blew my mind. You ever perform live?"
Liam stared at the message on his cracked phone screen, blinking twice. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or reply—or both.
Live performance? He hadn't even done karaoke in this world.
Later that afternoon, Liam and Nova sat across from each other in a café with peeling wallpaper and mismatched furniture. Her laptop was open, showing LunaVerse's profile: a local music vlogger with a decent following and connections to the indie scene in Everhart.
"She runs something called the Underground Echo," Nova explained. "Open mic. Invite-only. A mix of real talent and loud egos."
"And she invited me?" Liam raised an eyebrow.
Nova smirked. "Well, she invited L.C. She probably thinks you're some mysterious, brooding musician."
Liam grinned. "Let's not disappoint her then."
Friday Night – Echo Underground
The venue was hidden below a bookstore. Literally. A narrow stairwell led to a soundproof basement lit by neon lights and filled with mismatched couches, art-splattered walls, and the hum of creative chaos.
Poets. Rappers. Indie duos. A magician for some reason.
And now—Liam Cross.
He sat backstage, tuning an old acoustic guitar he borrowed from the school. His name on the sheet read only:"L.C. – Original & Acoustic Cover."
"You good?" Nova asked, handing him water.
"No," Liam admitted. "But I'm here."
When it was his turn, silence spread through the room like a slow wave.
Liam stepped onto the tiny platform stage, adjusted the mic, and sat on the lone stool.
He took a breath. Then two.
And played.
First, an original.
A soft melody. A song he never wrote in his last life but always wished he had.A piece called "Empty Streets."It spoke of dreams whispered to broken walls, of cities that never cared, and the fire still burning underneath it all.
Then he transitioned—seamlessly—into Fix You, but slower this time. Raw. Just voice and string.
By the time he finished, the room was dead silent.
Then came the eruption.
Cheers. Whistles. A "holy sh*t" from the back.
Even the magician looked stunned.
Luna Verse approached, hand extended, a camera already rolling. "L.C. right? We need to talk. That… that was something else."
Liam shook her hand, calm on the surface, but inside?
The storm had begun.
End of Chapter 5