Hold over Myriad of Worlds

Despite not being the biggest fan of the idols and the music associated with them, I have to admit that I enjoyed myself while Muse were on the stage. Be it songs, music, choreography, or costumes, all were top-notch, and combined with the cuteness and attractiveness of the girls, it resulted in a treat of a show.

The reactions of the other spectators indicated that the performance was a great success, and leaving out some out-of-the-line comments between visiting boys, the overall reception was fantastic. By the time Muse left the stage, they gained many new and loyal fans.

In addition, Muse also decided to surprise everyone with a new song. When they announced its title, everyone else in the Chat Group looked at me with meaningful eyes, as said title was 'Moonlight'. The song itself was rather in line with Muse's normal style, but the musical score was noticeably different, as it was adapted from the song I played for them during our prior meeting.

They adapted the melody played on the new guzheng that I created for myself some time ago to more modern instruments, but the original was still discernible to those who heard it before. The lyrics were fully original and conveyed gratitude in addition to admiration for a certain 'Moon'.

I believe no person wouldn't be at least a bit moved when they are the target of a song, and despite having the whole Eden's album created around my person, I was touched by the gesture. Though certain one verse in the song, 'May we one day catch the Moon to our arms', earned me an elbow strike to my side from a Pink Fairy who was jealous she wasn't one the song was written for.

After the Muse were done, Elysia and I decided to meet them in the School Council room where they were resting. The rest of the Chat Group decided to wait as they were unfamiliar with the remaining eight Muses aside from Umi.

~"Good job, everyone."~I congratulated them after entering the room.

-"Thanks!"-The Muses responded simultaneously.

-"You were so lovely! I decided to take you all with me!"-Elysia ran to the girls and started gathering them in a hug.

-"That would be..."-Eli didn't know how to refuse the enthusiastic Pink Fairy.

-"My parents won't agree."-Honoka seemed genuinely sad because of that.

~"How are you feeling after your first public concert?"~I decided to steer the subject somewhere else.

-"Exhausted."-Rin answered without raising her head from the table.

-"I have to remember to make our costumes more breathable. It was so hot that I almost couldn't stand it."-Kotori added after taking off her coat.

-"Yes, we need to up our training."-Umi started to form a training regime after seeing everyone's state now.

-"Devil!"-Honoka looked at their lyricist with fear.

~"It's good to have reflections, but I wanted to know if you had fun."~I smiled, looking at how serious the girls were.

-"Of course."-Nico answered as if this was obvious.

-"It was great."-Agreed Hanayo.

-"What about you? Did you like our surprise?"-Nozomi asked after approaching me and looking at me with a teasing smile.

~"It was a great show, and I have to say that I wasn't expecting that you would write such a song."

-"Did your heart flutter?"-Nozomi continued.

~"The way you are speaking, am I to think that this was not a show of gratitude but affection?"~I responded in kind to Nozomi's tease.

-"Who knows..."

-"Nozomi!"-Eli jumped at her friend and covered her mouth.

~"Let's stop with jokes for now. I know you have just finished your first public concert, but I would like to ask if you are interested in holding another performance?"

-"Ah? Can't we rest?"-Rin asked with a trembling voice.

~"Don't worry, the concert will take place in a month."

-"Could it be..."-Umi looked at us with surprise and some expectations.

~"Yes, it's as you think. We want you to perform in Hold, the world we are from."

-"Truly?!"-Honoka jumped up after hearing this.

-"Yes. We are holding the Festival of Hope, during which many artistic performances will be held. Among those participating will be Eden, Venti, Nilou, Robin, and many more, representing a multitude of styles and genres of art."-Elysia explained to the girls.

~"Because of some circumstances, Idol Culture didn't develop well where we are from, so we wanted you to act as originators of this culture in our world."

This stunned the girls, as the subject changed from a relatively simple concert to now taking part in a Festival as models of Idol Culture.

-"Can we even do this..?"-Asked Nico, quietly.

-"Why not? You'll do great!"-Elysia tried to assure them.

-"..."-Seeing that the girls were still unsure, I also spoke up.

~"Let me ask you, why do you train hard to be Idols?"

-"For the school."-Answered Eli instinctively.

~"Are you sure? Let me tell you a little secret. Your school is already saved."

-"What?!"

~"Due to your status as legally underage, normally you would not be able to have the right to use your image for profit in merch nor own some rights associated with your Idol image as Muse. To help you, I asked Eden to cooperate with your school to make you legally affiliated with Eden's company under the school management."

-"With Mom?"-Kotori asked as she was kept in the dark.

~"The contract made Eden's company, the 'Golden Courtyard', sponsor of your school in exchange for having rights to manage your image until you are of age to take those rights yourself. The value of owning rights to Muse songs and image in a limited capacity due to your age was estimated by experts to be over fifteen years of the amount required for the school to run."

This surprised all the girls, and while they were slightly uncomfortable due to my helping them to such an extent, they understood that the exchange of value should be fair, so they didn't voice that.

~"So let me ask again, why do you train to be Idols? Do you only want to save your school, or maybe climb higher?"

-"I don't want to end."-Honoka was the first to speak up.

-"Count me in."-Rin also quickly agreed.

One by one, all Muses decided to continue with their Idol career. But they couldn't agree on their pursuit for some time until, unexpectedly, Umi suggested something that shocked the remaining girls.

-"How about embarking on the Path of Harmony?"-Umi asked with a serious expression on her face.

-"Huh?"-Honkoa asked after forgetting all about Paths Umi once explained to them.

-"Sigh."-Umi shook her head and explained everything quickly once again.-"You won't be opposed to that, Yue?"

~"I'm not. More so, I welcome you to join Hold when you wish to."

All the girls were interested in what they heard and soon decided to pursue the Path of Harmony as Idols along with their own passions.

-"But what about our parents?"-Maki asked the question that everyone was trying to ignore.

~"I'll make your participation in the Festival into a trip organized through Eden and invite your parents to accompany you. You can reveal everything to them then."

-"That can work."-Eli nodded after thinking this idea through.

~"Then we'll discuss details later. Now, we will have to get going."

-"You are going already?"-Umi asked, not expecting our rush.

~"There is a slight emergency on our side, and we have to deal with it. I'll send everyone in the Chat Group to their worlds to rest and take everyone to show one last thing after we've dealt with everything on our side."

-"I see, be careful."

~"Thank you."

After leaving the Muse, we returned to the rest of the Chat Group, and after giving them a similar explanation, I sent everyone to their worlds, while Elysia and I returned to Hold, where after gathering the remaining Flame-chasers, we entered the Time Bubble and started the Memory Zone.

-"Ugh... Wha..."-An unfamiliar voice sounded from the hospital bed.

-"Doctor Su! Doctor Yue! The patient is waking up."-A nameless NPC nurse called out to us.

-"We are here."-Su spoke as he entered the room.

~"Then try to make the last checks. Her state is now stable, but after being at death's door for so long, there might be some lasting effects."~I spoke while pretending to look through the patient's data.

As this short staged play was happening, I focused on making sure the fragile spirit was stable.

-"Dystopia, can you hear me?"

-"Who..? Su? Where am I?"

-"In hospital, but for now, please focus on my questions."

Dystopia nodded and waited for Su to continue.

-"First, can you feel your arms..."-Su went through a checklist containing some important points hidden in some that were put there to maintain the illusion.

Meanwhile, I continued to monitor and strengthen her spirit, finally being able to make it somewhat solid after fifteen or so minutes. Signaling this to Su, he started to steer the conversation to her memories, making her slowly remember what had happened.

Or rather, that would happen if not for gaps in memory she now discovered, resulting in panic and shaking of the spirit. Su slowly stabilized her psychologically while I took care of the spirit, helping her to accept the fact of the amnesia she is suffering now.

An hour later, she passed the most fragile stage, and the risk of a sudden collapse of the spirit was reduced to the minimum. This meant we could start the gradual process of restoring the memories and allow her to meet others.

-"I know it might be hard for you, but try to rest and don't worry about things you can't remember. Memories should return to you slowly when you experience things that will wake them up."

-"I see."

-"Yue will take care of you. His experience is much better than mine, so you are in good hands."

-"Yue?"

~"Don't worry, you shouldn't remember me as this is our first meeting."

-"Nice to meet you then, Dr. Yue."

~"Likewise, Miss Dystopia."

-"Please, just call me Dystopia."

~"Then please also drop the Dr. when calling me. I'll let your friends meet you, but before that, I want you to listen to me for a moment. I know that the gaps in your memory will make you want to try and remember them, but try not to focus on them too much. Your injury is of a special type, and strain on your spirit might lead to complications."

-"I'll try my best."

~"Next thing I suggest you keep a diary where you write what happened every day. Try to not only write it regularly but also read it from time to time, as this might improve your situation. Lastly, keep calm at all times. Control your emotions, and don't let yourself be carried by them."

-"I understand."

~"Good, I'll let everyone in then."

Walking out of the room, I nodded to the Flame-chasers standing in the hallway and moved to the side. Soon, only Acheron and I were left here.

~"How are you feeling? You spent almost all your time training with Jingliu lately."

-"I'm good. I'm enjoying my fights with Jingliu."

~"Anything lately that caught your attention?"

-"No, I don't think so. Maybe only the power that Jingli gained caught my attention."

~"The Sainthood, huh? The power of Saint can easily contend with Emanators and even outperform them in some aspects. Its biggest downside will be the difficulty in gaining more power. While technically, Saints can have a higher power ceiling compared to Gods, the effort required to reach this level is beyond comprehension compared to God's innate strength from Divinities."

Acheron nodded in understanding.

~"Though not being bound by limits and restraints of Divinito or Path is probably the biggest strength of a Saint. But let's not focus on that now. During the time we are in this Memory Zone, I will help you to take over the power of the Nihility and, similarly to how I did with Finality myself, turn it into a seed for future growth."

-"How?"

~"The idea is simple. Distance yourself from the Path, relinquish all elements that bind you to the Nihility, and turn that power into a tool. When you are free from the Path you don't own, you will be able to find a new way forward."

-"Explain."

~"With me as an example, I was connected to all Paths, especially to Finality, Abundance, and Permanence, but despite that, I also learned many other techniques. I would refrain from using Paths as a main power but imbue them into other techniques, always treating them as tools when I could, though this was made easier as Finality was already divided into Authorities, so it added a layer of distance."

-"Then should I do something similar with Nihility?"

~"Yes, but this is only a first step. Next is to form a core of your own power. I did so with Divination and Nature. Nature was the starting point of my becoming the Spirit, while Divination laid the foundation of my Path."

Acheron nodded as she read through my memories kept in Hold.

~"As a last piece of advice, I would suggest, similarly to me, forming two distinct powers into the core. That way, you would be able to keep the limits of the Aeon in check, as when you transcend, it would be too late to change anything."

-"I see."

~"Any questions?"

-"Why do you want to help me so suddenly?"

~"Sigh. Hold suffers from a lack of foundations. We are slowly pathing gaps in our conventional combat power and other aspects, but there has been no breakthrough when it comes to the top of the power pyramid. Only Jingliu broke into the ranks of top powers, but it's not enough. Xipe and Ena will need a long time to fully restore their power. Winter and Elune are not part of the Hold. Terminus is... Sigh."

-"You want me to become a guardian of the Hold."

~"I know you are not interested in the whole building influence and name for yourself, but I wish that you could become a future pillar of the Hold. I will spare no effort to help you in achieving Transcendence."

-"I agree."

After receiving a direct answer, I smiled and extended my hand to the stoic woman.

~"Then, from now on, we will not only be comrades and fellow Emanators, but partners."

Seeing my extended hand, she also smiled slightly and shook it.

With this, the lone guard and drifter of the Sanzu River finally returned to the bank, taking the first but the most important step in finding a new home.