Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 73: Keep Singing

The studio doors chimed softly as Aren stepped inside. The receptionist glanced up from her computer, offering a polite smile.

"Evening. Walk-in session?"

Aren paused for half a second.

"No...I’m here to check in for an artist."

She frowned but typed something into her computer regardless. Her eyes flicked over him again, assessing.

"Artist name?"

Before Aren could answer, a faint voice whispered beside him.

"Just tell her it’s under MH."

His eyes narrowed but Aren said what he was told.

"It should be under MH," he said calmly.

The receptionist frowned slightly, scrolling through the system.

"...We don’t have an MH booked tonight."

There was a soft sigh next to him before the air shimmered. Aren reached out to the side and pulled, almost like peeling off a curtain, revealing Miu underneath.

"W-When did you—?"

Miu lifted a finger to her lips.

"Surprise."

She jerked her thumb toward Aren.

"He’s with me. Personal bodyguard."

The receptionist blinked several times, still processing.

"...Right," she muttered before her professionalism returned. "Your technician is currently in Studio Three."

"Thanks!" Miu waved at the receptionist before heading to the side corridor.

Aren followed a step behind her. The hallway was lined with framed platinum records and faded promotional posters from artists long past their prime.

Seems the place is well-established.

Studio Three sat at the very end.

Miu pushed the door open without knocking.

Inside, a young technician spun around in his chair, nearly dropping the headphones around his neck.

"Miss—? I thought you said tomorrow—"

"Change of plans," she replied lightly, already stepping inside. "I just need a quick session."

The technician’s eyes shifted to Aren.

"...And he is?"

"Personal bodyguard," Miu answered smoothly.

Aren gave a short nod, remaining near the wall rather than approaching the equipment. The technician blinked, clearly confused, but didn’t press further.

"Alright," he said slowly. "Everything should be set up like last week."

Miu moved toward the booth, fingers brushing the mic stand almost unconsciously.

"Perfect," she murmured.

Aren sat in one of the waiting couches on the side of the room as he watched the process. He watched her carefully, searching for anything unusual. Aside from the playful idol slipping into complete professionalism, nothing seemed off.

"Run the track from the bridge," she said through the glass. "I’ll take it from there."

The technician hesitated only a moment before nodding.

Music began to play softly through the monitors. Aren shifted slightly, condensing ether to his eyes and ears just in case.

Her voice flowed through the booth, soft and controlled, each word resounding clearly through the mic.

"If I fall, will you still hear me call

Through the noise of a thousand lights?

If I fade in the crowd tonight—

Would you still remember my name?"

The technician nodded subtly at the volume levels before adjusting a few dials. Miu inhaled again, just as the music was reaching the high chorus once more.

"If my voice cracks in the dark

If the stage swallows my spark

And in the end, will you be able to catch me—

If I fall over...and into the flames?

But just as her voice reached the climax, that was when Aren felt it. A faint pressure stabbed behind his ears.

Miu’s eyes widened mid note before her voice fractured. She dropped the headphones and clutched her head.

"Gghhh—"

The instrumental cut abruptly as the technician jerked his hands off the console.

"M-Miss Miu?!"

Aren was already moving. Just as his hand reached the booth door—

BOOM!

The air detonated.

A violent pulse erupted from the center of the booth, slamming into the walls. Aren’s grip tightened instinctively as the shockwave crashed into him, boots scraping backward across the floor.

The technician was thrown clean off his chair, skidding across the studio before landing hard against the couch.

The glass panels spiderwebbed before shattering completely, shards scattering across the booth. Yet, beneath the ringing in Aren’s ears. He heard something speak, yet couldn’t quite decipher what it was saying.

The ringing hadn’t even settled when Aren forced the booth door open.

"Miu!"

She was on her knees in the center of the booth, with both hands pressed to the sides of her head. She was trembling, her entire body shook as her face went pale.

"Make it stop," she whispered hoarsely. "Please... make the voices stop."

He froze for half a heartbeat. The technician groaned behind him, but he didn’t look away. Aren stepped forward slowly.

"Miu. Look at me."

Her pupils were unfocused, gaze fixed somewhere past him—as if she were listening to something only she could hear.

"It’s too loud," she murmured. "They’re answering..."

Aren’s expression hardened.

Maybe it does have something to do with her Bloodline.

He dropped to one knee in front of her, ether condensing at his hands.

"Stay still."

She didn’t respond. Aren moved quickly, two fingers pressed lightly against the base of her throat, one tapped below her collarbone and another at the side of her neck

With the last press against her forehead, a ripple of lightning ether surged from his fingertips, forcing her ether channels shut in rapid succession like closing valves.

The slight hum in the air died instantly as her body went limp. Aren caught her before she hit the broken glass.

The room fell silent shortly after, even the lingering pressure in his ears faded. Behind him, the technician coughed weakly as he slowly stood up.

Quickly, he moved her toward the couch and made his way toward the technician.

"Don’t talk about this with anyone else."

The technician was still dazed, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up.

"W-what the hell was that?" he groaned.

Aren didn’t answer immediately. His eyes remained on Miu for a moment longer, making sure her breathing had stabilized.

"Pull up the recording," he said calmly.

The technician blinked.

"...What?"

"The audio feed," Aren repeated. "And the decibel curves."

The man hesitated, still clearly shaken, but the seriousness in Aren’s voice pushed him back into work mode.

"O-okay... okay."

He spun back toward the console, fingers moving quickly across the controls. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The recording software flickered back to life. Multiple waveforms stretched across the screen, the timeline marking the exact moment of the shockwave.

Aren stepped closer.

"Play it from the bridge."

The technician nodded and rewound the track.

The room filled once again with Miu’s earlier voice.

"If I fall, will you still hear me call

Through the noise of a thousand lights?

If I fade in the crowd tonight—

Would you still remember my name?"

The decibel monitor remained steady, exactly like before. Aren narrowed his eyes.

"Keep going."

The technician let the recording continue.

"If my voice cracks in the dark

If the stage swallows my spark

And in the end, will you be able to catch me—

Her voice began climbing toward the high note as the waveform rose slightly.

Then... he heard it. Not through the speakers clearly, but inside the track with his ether-enhanced hearing.

Buried beneath her voice, he could hear a second voice underneath, yelling:

"KEEP SINGING."

The words crawled beneath the melody like a whisper pressed against the back of his skull.

"THEY LOVE YOU."

Aren’s eyes snapped to the screen.

The technician frowned.

"...What?"

"You didn’t hear that?" Aren asked.

"Hear what?"

The audio continued playing. Miu’s voice reached the exact moment where she had broken.

"If I fall over...and into the flames?"

And the recording dissolved into static before the shockwave hit. The technician shook his head slowly.

"There’s nothing there."