''You must be careful.''
Artemia cautioned Alex.
"Don't forget what happened last time, Maria attacked you without saying anything. I know you two built up a good relationship but that's only on the phone.''
Alex shook his head. He knocked on the door.
"Come in!''
An intoxicating voice greeted them from within the cold hard door. Gracier, Saeko, and the other's hair stood on ends. Their expressions also loosened up.
Alex bitterly laughed.
"As expected of the idol, Maria's voice is still as captivating as usual."
Alex pushed open the door to her preparation room.
There was only one individual in the preparation room.
Her long black hair was the most striking feature that entered their eyes. Her icy blue eyes sparkled like the purest blue jewel. Her figure was also explosively good, she wore a white dress that paired well with her glowing skin.
After the last encounter, Maria still looked as beautiful as when they first met. She still looked like a beauty from a fairy tale. The others except for Luna and Sakuya were stunned by Maria's appearance. They seemed to have finally understood something.
Alex had a quick chat with Maria together with Luna and the others.
?????
"Alexa! Alexa! Alexa!"
In the dimly lit concert hall, the fans waved their glowsticks like crazy. They are chanting Maria's stage name with synchronicity only found in choreographed routines. The venue was blowing up with the deafening cheers from Maria's fans.
Alas, their cheers never covered one particular type of sound.
The sound of the singer behind the microphone.
Different sets of light lit up the stage. The flashes hit Maria from different angles. She looked like a celestial maiden in her white dress.
"Alexa!"
Everyone started cranking up their volumes. It sounded like the ground might shatter under this intense barrage of cheers.
Maria beamed at her fans from her brilliant stage.
She waved at them energetically.
"Good to see everyone here! Are you all ready for the show of your life?" She shouted.
"YEAH!!!"
Maria nodded after everyone responded with a loud cheer. She winked at her fans.
"Thanks for coming to my concert. I am very happy to see everyone here! I hope you will enjoy your time here at the concert!"
Maria gave her fans a nice twirl on the stage. She skipped once and the music started playing.
She started singing her siren song.
With light steps, she unfurled a mesmerizing dance that she enjoyed. Her sweet smile and smooth moves worked well with the music. She sang to her heart's content.
The tempo started picking up as she worked her dance routine. The lights also started going crazy.
Her dance became more intense by the minute. She truly gave it her all, and her fans also responded kindly with passionate cheers and roars.
"Sh-she's so pretty…"
Alex's group was watching Maria's performance from the stage access stairway. They are the closest group to Maria. Everyone had different reactions when they heard Maria sing.
Saeko watched with wide eyes. She was completely captivated by Maria's song and dance.
Noire and Alice closed their eyes. They appraised her song with closed eyes, their expressions were calm and peaceful.
As for Gracier, her innocent heterochromia eyes were distant.
Idols and songs are foreign concepts to her. However, she still couldn't resist falling under Maria's spell. That is just how good Maria was at her job.
She showed overwhelming finesse in her dance, expressions, vocal control, and sheer skills. It took her no time at all to capture everyone's heart.
Her fans who are screaming their lungs out while waving their glowsticks are also a testament to her ability as a singer and idol.
Who would have imagined, she's just an idol who debuted half a year ago?
Without a question, Maria's song turned the place into a nuthouse. Her fiery footsteps and passionate fans went like a combo meal. It wouldn't be weird to see her fans collapsing from excited over-exertion.
The girls watched Maria perform with awed looks.
Perhaps, there is a tiny spot in every girl's heart where they secretly wish they can perform on a bright stage just like Maria.
Gracier was sensitive when it comes to her brother's emotions, that was why she spotted Alex looking rather nonchalant despite the hype here.
Alex looked a bit disappointed and frustrated for some reason. Noire finally woke up from her stupor.
"Worry, is the performance not to master's liking?"
Noire's question caught the attention of the others nearby.
"Something wrong?"
Gracier tilted her head in confusion.
"Alex, don't you like Maria's performance?" Artemia asked.
"Oh, What's wrong?"
Sakuya crossed her arms, she also tilted her head.
"If master doesn't like Maria's show then we should leave…" Alice said a little bit dispirited as she was enjoying Maria's performance.
"Big brother…"
Gracier tugged Alex's sleeve, she hinted that she was cool with whatever Alex did.
The girls were ready to leave the show just because it looked like Alex was not enjoying himself. He was touched by their concern. He beamed at the girls.
"Nah, I don't hate this performance…"
Alex rubbed Gracier's head. He also grabbed Luna's hand. He assured the ladies that he was fine. He looked at Maria before sighing.
"I am just worried..."
Maria sang while not using her real voice.
Maria's song is good, she probably didn't need to use anything to get this reaction. However, her supernatural voice had the effect of hyping the crowd beyond normal levels.
What did this show?
She was afraid her real voice might not work as well as she thinks.
Maybe, she was also worried that her song will be met with jeers and sarcastic shouts from her fans.
In other words, Maria was afraid of her fans.
This was her way of coping with her insecurity.
Her past trauma was still haunting her to this day. The incident that day where her real voice caused ton of fans to rush toward her, trying to kidnap her with maddened expression was still haunting her
It was also why Alex felt worried.
He was disappointed not because Maria used her Diva voice, he was disappointed because he couldn't listen to Maria's real voice.
Alex's crestfallen look happened to enter Maria's field of vision since she was pausing for a mid-session break.
His worried and disappointed eyes caused Maria's heart to throb.
Alex's reaction caused her to hesitate. She looked at her hyped fans.
Should I try singing with my real voice?
Maria felt a sudden sense of dread.
She recalled how the crowd stared at her with cold, dark looks, she remembered the toxic fans half a year ago. She remembered how she opened her mouth but no sound came out at all, that despair, that anguish, those feelings magnified her fear.
Maria immediately dispelled any thought to use her real voice. She gave her fans a wave before heading to the stage access hallway nearby.
Maria's dispelled thought left a trace in her heart.
°°°
Backstage, Alex and Maria were face to face speaking.
''I know you're angry but I do have my reasons for acting as I did.'' Maria tried justifying her actions but Alex only stayed silent.
''I'm wrong I'll try to overcome this fear. Can I first sing in front of you?" Maria timidly asked Alex this.
''Sure, I am always ready to lend an ear." He responded.
"Then, will you still come and protect me when I need you? Just like that time?"
Alex finally knew why Maria was acting like this.
He showed up to protect her when she needed him the most.
When he gave her a tiny help during her direst hour, that was enough to make her fall head over heels for him.
Truly, she had a mind like that of a kid.
He rubbed Maria's head softly. Then, he nodded much to Maria's joy and excitement.
"As long as you need me, I will always be there to protect you no matter where it will be."
Maria heaved a sigh. Finally, she couldn't hold herself back anymore. She stood on tiptoes and smooched Alex on the lips.
In the dark passage, the figure of a male and female overlapped.
Maria forgot she was inside an illusion and thoroughly enjoyed whatever was happening, the kiss felt sweet.
'His kiss is not at all the same as those movie stars, but one steeped in a passion that ignites. It is the promise of realness, of the primal desire that lives in us all. And with it, he tells me that he is awake, connected within, that he embraces himself rather than hide as a copy of those romantic idols.'
Maria thought before sweetly whispering into Alex's ears, it did not matter that all of this was fake, an illusion, to her these memories mattered, and that's why she said those words next.
''As long as you are in my life I'll always accompany you. I'll give you the world as you give me your love.''
Afterward, she continued the concert but this time by singing with her real voice. Her dream shattered afterward and Maria woke up in the real world with a smile.
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