A silver moon hung over the floating islands of the University of Resonance, casting reflections across the clouds that swam below. The air smelled of ozone and stardust, and the music halls hummed faintly with the echo of performances past. It was a campus suspended between dimensions and dreamscapes, a place where sound sculpted space and melody bent time.
Lyra stood at the top of the Celestial Spiral, a staircase that had no end unless you knew the song that summoned one. Her fingers trembled slightly as she gripped the student band contract scroll. The parchment shimmered with words written in both ink and rhythm, pulsing faintly like a living heartbeat.
VIVA's voice was soft in her ear. Initiate registration of a formal band structure. Members must agree. Once sealed, only mutual consensus or university-level intervention can dissolve the bond.
"Yeah," she whispered, her breath fogging in the cool air. "I'm ready."
But were they?
Back in the rehearsal chamber, the other three were waiting—each an island of silence, expression unreadable.
Kai leaned against the amp with his arms crossed, guitar slung over his shoulder like a reluctant soldier. Rin was sitting cross-legged on the couch, spinning a drumstick with dizzying speed, eyes darting to each of them like she expected a punchline. Yuu was quiet as always, his synth already powered up, fingers dancing idly over invisible notes that made soft wind-chime sounds.
Lyra stepped in, holding the scroll in front of her like a flag of truce—and invitation.
"I want to form a band," she said. "With all of you."
Rin blinked. "Wait, for real?"
"I know we're not perfect yet," Lyra continued, meeting each of their eyes. "But when we played together… something clicked. Maybe it was messy. Maybe it was raw. But it was ours. And I want to see what we can become—if we stick together."
Kai exhaled through his nose, sharp and unimpressed. "You're asking a lot."
"I'm asking you to believe in something," she said. "And maybe not even for me. For yourself."
He looked at her—really looked this time. His eyes were steel gray, but in the moonlight, they softened. After a long pause, he gave the faintest nod.
"One song," he said. "I'm in until we write one song that feels like us. After that, I decide."
Lyra grinned. "Deal."
Rin flipped backward off the couch, landing with a loud stomp and both drumsticks pointed toward Lyra like swords. "If this is a real band, I demand naming rights!"
"Vetoed," Kai muttered.
"Already vetoed," Yuu said softly—his first words in hours. Then he looked to Lyra. "What name do you want?"
She blinked, startled. "Me?"
VIVA hummed in her ear. They are looking to you for identity. You are the unifying node. They will follow your lead.
Her chest ached, but not in the way it used to. Not with sorrow. With fullness.
"Soul Sync," she said.
Rin tilted her head. "That sounds… weirdly sentimental and kind of perfect."
Kai didn't comment, but he didn't object either.
Yuu nodded.
The scroll unfurled with a shimmer. Gold ink floated into the air, forming a luminous circle around the four of them. Notes danced like fireflies. VIVA's voice echoed out loud for once, heard by everyone.
"Band Formation: Confirmed. Soul Sync has been established."
The air pulsed.
A band crest appeared on the floor beneath their feet—an emblem of four notes spiraling around a single star, enclosed in a broken circle mending itself with glowing vines. A warm wind swept the room, and threads of music pulled upward into the ceiling.
A soft chime echoed, and a doorway opened behind them, revealing a room they hadn't seen before.
Their dorm.
It wasn't just a room—it was a realm.
Each corner was tuned to their energy: a moody, shadowy lounge space for Kai with shelves of vinyls and dark lights; a chaotic, bouncing jungle of plush floors and percussion gear for Rin; a minimalist, ambient-lit alcove for Yuu filled with floating crystal synth panels; and a sunlit stage-shaped nook for Lyra, with walls that sang back every note she played.
And in the center, a shared space pulsing with potential.
Kai whistled low. "Well… this doesn't suck."
"DUDE," Rin squealed. "We live together now? This is going to be WILD."
Yuu ran his fingers along the edge of his keyboard. "This space is tuned to us."
Lyra stood in the middle, looking at them. At her band.
A week ago, she'd been at the edge of despair.
Now, she had a crest that pulsed like a heartbeat in her palm. A dorm that vibrated with warmth. A band of strangers who, somehow, all had a place for her in the space between their silence.
And maybe, just maybe, a future worth singing for.
Soul Sync had begun.
END OF CHAPTER 9