The Dawnforge Arena had not felt this alive in decades.
Built at the heart of the royal capital, the arena was a place reserved only for events of national importance—
royal tournaments, inter-kingdom duels, and moments that defined the history of Vornis.
And tonight—
It was filled not with warriors…
But with sound.
Aster stood at the center of the colossal arena, feeling the vibrations beneath his boots. The stone floor, engraved with ancient reinforcement runes, pulsed faintly with mana, designed to withstand catastrophic clashes between high-level mages.
*Good,* he thought.
If anything went wrong, this place could handle it.
Beside him stood Astra, calm and radiant, her silver-white hair tied neatly, eyes reflecting the sea of lights rising around them.
High above, the circular stands were **completely full**.
Every seat.
Every aisle.
Every stairway.
Even though tickets had been sold at high prices—far higher than any previous Snowflakes performance—people came anyway.
They came because this was not just a concert.
This was the **Snowflakes' return**.
Three years of silence.
Three years of rumors.
Three years of waiting.
And now—
The second Snowflakes concert was about to begin.
***
Arlienne Snowflake watched from a private, reinforced balcony, her hands clasped tightly together. Renting Dawnforge Arena had cost a fortune—but safety was priceless.
After the kidnapping, she had sworn never again to let her children stand unprotected.
Every entrance was guarded.
Every corridor warded.
Anti-teleportation arrays shimmered invisibly across the structure.
This arena was safer than the palace itself.
And tonight, her children stood at its heart.
"Do you think they're nervous?" Lea Kingscrown asked quietly, leaning against the railing beside Arlienne.
Lea was fourteen now—taller, stronger, her physical magic far more refined. She wore a simple academy cloak, but her eyes burned with excitement.
Arlienne smiled faintly.
"They've faced worse than crowds."
Lea nodded.
Below them, the audience buzzed.
Students from the Royal Academy filled entire sections—noble heirs, elite commoners, prodigies. Many had arrived just days earlier, expecting orientation and classes.
Instead, they were witnessing history.
Foreign nobles filled the high seats, whispering eagerly.
"So this is Dawnforge Arena…"
"They say the Snowflakes' sound magic can shake mana itself."
"My daughter begged me to come."
"I heard the boy invents magic devices as easily as breathing…"
Merchants, knights, scholars, and common citizens filled the remaining stands.
No one wanted to miss this.
***
Then—
A ripple of shock swept through the arena.
The eastern VIP gates opened.
And an old man walked in.
The crowd went silent.
Then exploded.
"No way—!"
"That's—!"
"Impossible—!"
A figure wrapped in flowing blue robes stepped calmly into view, leaning on a crystal staff shaped like a wave frozen in motion.
His presence alone made the air feel heavy with moisture.
*Archmage Thalorien of the Tides.*
The strongest water mage in the world.
Principal of the Royal Academy of Vornis.
A living legend.
Students shot to their feet.
Nobles bowed instinctively.
Even foreign dignitaries stiffened in awe.
"He came… to a concert?"
"As a fan…?"
Thalorien chuckled softly at the reaction, raising one hand.
"Sit, sit," he said warmly. "Tonight, I am not an archmage."
He looked toward the center of the arena.
"I am simply an admirer of talent."
Aster noticed him immediately.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…Astra."
She followed his gaze.
"…Is that really him?"
Aster exhaled slowly.
"So that's the academy principal."
Lea's voice echoed in his memory:
*He once froze an entire sea to stop a war.*
Aster smiled faintly.
*Interesting.*
***
The lights dimmed.
Mana torches extinguished one by one.
A hush fell over Dawnforge Arena—tens of thousands of people holding their breath simultaneously.
At the center of the arena, a single rune circle ignited beneath Aster and Astra's feet.
Sound-amplification arrays hummed—not crude stones like before, but **second-generation Harmonia systems**, redesigned entirely by Aster himself.
Runes layered atop runes.
Resonance balanced perfectly.
Zero distortion.
Aster lifted his mic-shaped crystal.
His voice carried without effort.
"Good evening, Vornis."
The arena erupted.
Cheers crashed like thunder.
Stomping feet shook the stands.
Mana rippled in waves.
Astra raised her hand, smiling.
"We are the Snowflakes."
The cheers doubled.
Aster waited—patient, composed—until silence returned.
"This is our second concert," he said calmly. "But more than that…"
He looked around.
"This is our return."
Something in his tone sent shivers through the crowd.
Astra continued:
"Tonight, we'll be performing our *new album* 'The Blues' —ten original songs."
Gasps.
Aster added, "And a few… old favorites."
The arena nearly exploded.
***
The first song began.
Soft.
Controlled.
A melody that flowed like dawn light across calm water.
Aster wove low-frequency harmonics beneath Astra's voice, using sound magic not as raw output—but as sculpted resonance.
The effect was mesmerizing.
Mana in the arena responded instinctively, stabilizing rather than surging.
Archmage Thalorien's eyes sharpened.
"…He's using sound to regulate ambient mana," he murmured. "At fourteen?"
The second song followed—stronger, emotional, filled with layered meaning about loss and resilience.
By the third song, people were crying openly.
By the fourth, they were singing along.
Old Snowflakes classics returned—refined, matured, perfected.
When a familiar beat dropped, the younger audience screamed.
"It's THAT song!"
"They changed it!"
"It's even better!"
Aster felt it clearly now.
Control.
No mana overload.
No strain.
No collapse.
He had grown.
***
Between songs, he spoke briefly—not to boast, but to connect.
"Sound is more than music," he said quietly. "It's vibration. Memory. Connection."
He glanced upward, toward the academy students.
"And soon… I'll be studying it even deeper."
Thalorien smiled knowingly.
"So that's his intention…"
***
The concert continued for nearly two hours.
Ten new songs.
Five refined classics.
One surprise encore.
And still, the audience demanded more.
But Aster raised his hand.
"This is not the end," he said. "It's a beginning."
Astra nodded.
"The Snowflakes are back."
The arena shook with applause.
As the lights slowly brightened, Arlienne covered her mouth, tears falling freely.
"They did it…"
Lea clenched her fists excitedly.
"They REALLY did it!"
Archmage Thalorien stood.
And the entire arena fell silent once more.
He bowed—deeply—toward the center.
"To witness talent like this…" he said calmly, "is why academies exist."
His gaze locked onto Aster.
"I look forward to teaching you."
Aster met his eyes.
And for the first time—
The world of magic truly opened before him.
Because music was only the surface.
Runes.
Engravings.
Resonance engines.
Hybrid magic stones.
Aster already felt ideas exploding in his mind.
This concert was not just a performance.
It was a declaration.
And Dawnforge Arena would remember this night—
As the moment the Snowflakes returned…
And the moment a new era of sound magic began.