Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Those are the sounds of feet hitting the ground. What started as a street performance is evolving into a full-blown concert. One by one, people are jumping freely, letting their blood boil and sweat pour, feeling the pulse of the melody with their bodies, and igniting the energy of the notes with their souls. You can clearly hear the pounding of your heart through your eardrums—
Gradually, the heartbeat seems to sync with the rhythm of the steps, sparking a never-ending stream of energy.
Oh oh oh! Oh oh oh!
Those are the shouts from the lungs, roaring and howling with reckless abandon and passion, feeling the blood boil and the soul tremble. For a moment, all thoughts and worries are thrown aside, letting yourself be lost in the world of music, immersed in the freedom that makes you lose yourself.
Listen, that's your own voice, letting out all the emotions—good and bad—releasing and burning them all away without restraint.
Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom!
That's the sound of the entire world spinning.
One after another.
No one can escape it, staring in awe at the sea of people in front of them. Before they can even think about what is happening, they've been swept into the storm, their hearts feeling the trembling and shock coming from beneath their feet.
And then, surrender.
Jumping, singing, shouting, swaying—the happiness and joy radiating from their faces, the laughter roaring in their chests, as if they could feel the gusty wind raging in their ears. No wings are needed to fly.
Camila hadn't felt this happy in a long, long time.
Work was heavy and tedious. She hated it to her core, but for the sake of living, she had to work the 9-to-5 grind day in and day out. Only when the workday was over did she feel alive again. She thought no one in the world liked working, and even if they said they did, they were lying to themselves.
As for love, she thought they had a mutual understanding that a simple, uneventful life was enough. But she was wrong. Worse than betrayal was her self-doubt. She questioned her judgment about people and things.
Life had one surprise after another, with no moment to catch her breath. Her father's tumor was just one of many defeats.
She had many confusions but no answers. Exhausted, angry, bitter, she didn't even have the strength to vent her anger loudly.
Growing up, she realized that anger and hatred took energy—more than love or happiness. The daily exhaustion made even being angry hard. Eventually, she lost the ability to react, living like a zombie, numb and stiff.
It seemed that even breathing was consuming her life.
But.
Yesterday and today were different.
Since yesterday afternoon's rock bottom, things had taken a completely different turn.
Life could still offer more.
There was a wide world beyond the comfort zone.
Before reaching the end, there were countless unknowns to explore.
Now, at this moment.
Forget everything for a while, even yourself. Give your body to the beat, your soul and heart to the melody, and embrace freedom.
"Oh oh oh! Oh oh oh!"
The whole world, roaring.
Camila could see Pauline beside her. They were both laughing joyfully, bumping shoulders, nodding heads, just—
Singing out loud.
When they looked forward again, they could finally feel the happiness of the band members, truly becoming part of the performance.
"Oh oh oh! Oh oh oh!"
The singing continued, and Anson sang again, turning the grandeur and brilliance into background music, standing at the end of time and the edge of the world, singing with all his might.
"Hear Jerusalem's bells a-ringin', Roman cavalry choirs a-singin', be my mirror, my sword and shield, my missionaries in a foreign field." (Note 1)
Anson looked around, catching the eyes of the audience, conveying emotions in a flash, as if there was a tacit understanding—
Climbing an octave, the voice soared, the aura fully unleashed.
"For some reason I can't explain, once you go there was never, never an honest word, and that was when I ruled the world."
High notes exploded, emotions fully released at the peak.
Like a gale, like a storm.
Pouring down, trembling from the soles of your feet like an electric current rushing to the top of your head, a roar in your mind.
In that moment, there was an impulse—
To kneel, to worship.
Not just because of the band, but more for the humility and insignificance in the face of the flow of time, shivering amidst the surging emotions.
But Anson didn't continue with the high notes. Instead, he turned around, and the accompaniment abruptly stopped. But at the same time, the band's singing continued.
"Oh oh oh. Oh oh oh."
The whole audience, too.
From the peak of noise, it fell without accompaniment, instruments, or melody, only a cappella. Over a thousand people humming in unison.
Oh oh oh...
Oh oh oh!
Everything returned to its original state, back to the simplest and purest form. Relying only on a voice, they created the most natural and touching melody.
But that's not all.
The heart, pounding; blood, burning.
The vibration and agitation within the body were transmitting from the inside out, transforming into waves of singing. The unified voices outside were surging toward her, surrounding her, every pore feeling the energy.
She, too, became part of the music.
"Oh oh oh... Oh oh oh..."
Anson approached the microphone again, singing gently and lightly, with only the a cappella as accompaniment, softly narrating, peeling away the glamour. All the noise disappeared, standing alone at the end of the world.
"For some reason I can't explain, once you go there was never..."
"Never an honest word, and that was when I ruled the world..."
Sighing, bitter, desolate, but without regret, turning and leaving.
Finally, the curtain fell.
Anson raised his right hand high, like a conductor drawing a rest.
Stop!
Slowly, the singing on-site stopped, some earlier, some later, but eventually, the voices ceased one after another.
Yet, no one moved.
They stood quietly in place, gasping for breath, chests heaving like bellows, feeling the adrenaline surging, ears attentive—
Silence, complete silence.
In the quiet, those breaths, those heartbeats, that hot blood were all audible, quietly narrating the passion and emotion in their hearts, echoing, as if they could still hear Anson's singing in the depths of their souls.
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh.
Again and again, hovering in their minds.
Caught off guard, Camila couldn't control herself anymore, tears streaming down her face, unable to stop. But it wasn't sadness or bitterness; it was happiness and joy, a smile blossoming amidst the tears. She shouted with all her might.
Ah! Ah ah ah!