Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord-Chapter 119: Kareoke

Outside, the late afternoon sun had dipped lower in the sky, painting the plaza in golden hues. Cassandra balanced two gelato cones - pistachio for herself, dark chocolate for Jayden - while animatedly recounting a story about her first disastrous karaoke experience.

"And then the entire machine... oh!"

Her heel caught on an uneven paver. Time seemed to slow as the gelato cones tumbled through the air. Jayden’s arm shot out instinctively, one hand catching Cassandra around the waist while the other somehow managed to snatch both cones mid-fall.

They froze there, pressed together in the middle of the busy walkway. Jayden could feel the rapid flutter of Cassandra’s pulse beneath his fingertips where they splayed across her back. Her lips were parted in surprise, close enough that he could see the faint freckles dusting the bridge of her nose that only appeared in summer.

"You saved me again," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. Her hands had come up to grip his shoulders, fingers tightening slightly in the fabric of his jacket. "Guess you really are my white knight."

Jayden’s gaze dropped to her mouth for the briefest moment before he carefully straightened, putting a respectable distance between them. "Yeah, guess I am," he said, handing her back the gelato cone.

.....

On the walk back, Cassandra suddenly gasped, yanking Jayden toward a neon-lit doorway. "We have to try this!"

The sign above read "Starlight Karaoke" in pulsating pink letters.

Jayden dug in his heels. "No way."

Cassandra pouted, deploying her ultimate weapon. "Please? For me?"

Jayden groaned. "That’s cheating." But he was already following her inside.

The neon sign of the karaoke lounge buzzed faintly as they approached, its pink and blue lights reflecting off the wet pavement from an earlier rain shower. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of stale beer and strawberry-scented disinfectant.

Cassandra dragged him into a private booth upholstered in worn purple velvet, the touchscreen menu flickering intermittently. "No backing out now," she warned as she scrolled through the song selections, the blue lights of the screen casting shadows across her features.

Jayden eyed the microphone with trepidation. "I don’t sing."

"Everyone sings," Cassandra countered, selecting a duet before he could protest. "Some people just save it for shower stalls and empty cars." She held out the second mic, her eyes challenging. "Unless the great Jayden Starrk is actually scared of a little karaoke?"

Then the song began to play, displaying the lyrics on the screen:

[♪ What would i do without your smart mouth?

Drawing me in, and kicking me out

You’ve got my head spinning, no kidding, I can’t pin you down ♪]

The opening notes of the ballad filled the small space, and something unexpected happened. Cassandra’s normally confident voice wavered slightly on the higher notes.

[♪ My head’s under water

But I’m breathing fine

You’re crazy and I’m out of my mind

’Cause all of me

Loves all of you

Love your curves and all your edges

All your perfect imperfections

Give your all to me

I’ll give my all to you

You’re my end and my beginning

Even when I lose, I’m winning

’Cause I give you all of me

And you give me all of you, oh-oh ♪]

Jayden found himself leaning in, his deeper voice providing an anchor for hers. By the chorus, they’d found an imperfect harmony, their voices weaving together in the dimly lit booth.

When the final note faded, the booth lights dimmed to a soft glow. Cassandra was watching him with an expression he couldn’t quite place - something between amusement and wonder.

"Not bad," she said softly, her fingers playing with her bracelet. "For a first timer."

Jayden chuckled. "You sang really well... i think i might just be infactuated with your voice."

Cassandra giggled, her cheeks turning slightly red. "You really know how to make a girl flustered." she muttered, already choosing another song.

Jayden raised a brow seeing the genre of the song she chose... Pop.

"I thought you listened to classical music." he stated.

Cassandra shrugged. "Yeah, i do. But i like some other genres too. Like Jazz, pop, retro, phonk, even country." she chuckled.

"Classical is just sort of my favourite." she added. "I love it more than the rest."

Jayden smiled. "That’s amazing.. you’re amazing." he said, remembering a certain brat who also never liked just one genre of music. She would listen to all know kinds of songs as long as it had a good beat.

Cassandra smiled wrly. "You really think so?"

Jayden nodded. "Yeah. Infact, Jas..." he paused for a moment, then continued. "My sister was just like you. She loved every genre of music. Though her favourite was techno."

Cassandra chuckled. "Techno’s cool. I think she and i would have gotten along pretty well."

Jayden nodded with a smile, but he didn’t say anything. He simply watched as Cassandra picked the mike as the song started playing.

[♪ Jenny, darling, you’re my best friend

But there’s a few things that you don’t know of

Why I borrow your lipstick so often

I’m using your shirt as q pillow case

♪

’I wanna ruin our friendship

We should be lovers instead

I don’t know how to say this

Cause you’re really my dearest friend’

Jenny, darling you’re my best friend

I’ve been doing bad things that you don’t know about

Stealing your stuff now and then

Nothing you’d miss, but it means the world to me

♪ frёeωebɳovel.com

’I wanna ruin our friendship

We should be lovers instead

I don’t know how to say this

’Cause you’re really my dearest friend

I wanna ruin our friendship

I don’t know how to say this

Cause you’re really my dearest friend ♪]

Cassandra sang the rest of the lyrics without needing to look at the screen, while staring into Jayden’s eyes throughout the song.

After the song ended, she put down the mike and smiled. "So... what’d you think?" she asked.

Jayden chuckled. "I think you were beautiful."

Cassandra scoffed with a playful smirk. "Of course you do." she muttered. Then she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the booth.

"Let’s go home, I’m tired." she added, and Jayden nodded.

As they walked home together, Jayden realized with sudden clarity that he would follow this girl anywhere - through crowded malls and karaoke bars, through whatever came next. The rubies in his bracelet pulsed warmly against his skin, as if in agreement.

After a few minutes of walking in a shared silence, they arrived at Cassandra’s house.

The iron gates of the mansion loomed before them, their intricate scrollwork casting delicate shadows across the cobblestone path in the fading evening light. Jayden shifted the weight of Cassandra’s shopping bags in his grip, the paper handles creasing against his palms as they came to a stop at the threshold.

"Well," Cassandra murmured, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the sapphires in her bracelet catching the last golden rays of sunset. "This is it... your last stop."

Jayden nodded, handing over the bags with careful precision, their fingers brushing briefly in the exchange. A jolt of warmth traveled up his arm—whether from the bracelet’s reaction or something else entirely, he couldn’t say.

The air between them grew thick with unspoken words as they stood there, the distant chirping of evening crickets the only sound in the heavy silence. Cassandra’s gaze flickered to Jayden’s lips, then away just as quickly, her cheeks dusted pink.

Jayden cleared his throat, suddenly fascinated by the pattern of the cobblestones beneath his boots. "I, uh... had a good time today."

Cassandra’s lips curved into a soft smile. "Even the karaoke?"

"Especially the karaoke," he admitted with a chuckle, meeting her eyes again.

A breeze rustled through the surrounding hedges, carrying the scent of jasmine from the garden. Cassandra swayed slightly, as if caught between stepping forward and away. Jayden found himself mirroring her, his body leaning in unconsciously.

The moment stretched, fragile and electric—until Cassandra abruptly straightened, her laughter light but slightly breathless. "Right! I should... uh, I should probably get inside before Mum sends out a search party."

"Yeah," Jayden agreed, though he made no move to leave. "Of course."

They stood there for another heartbeat, the tension humming between them like a live wire. Then, with a shared, understanding smile, they both turned away—Cassandra walking through the gate, Jayden shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked down the tree-lined street.

At the exact same moment, they both glanced back.

Cassandra waved from the doorway, her silhouette framed in warm golden light. Jayden lifted a hand in response, the rubies in his bracelet glinting like embers in the twilight. Then the door clicked shut, and the street was quiet once more.

Jayden exhaled, long and slow, his breath visible in the cooling evening air. He flexed his fingers, the memory of her touch lingering on his skin like a phantom caress.

The walk home had never felt quite so long.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m