Chapter 13 — Celeste's Reaction
Morning sunlight filtered through the tall glass windows of Lyric Academy's main hall. The echoes of last night's music still lingered faintly in the air — like ghosts that refused to fade.
Ren hadn't slept.
Neither had Kai.
They sat quietly at the back of the auditorium, instruments beside them, waiting. The old grand piano still held the warmth of their midnight confessions.
Then the door opened.
Celeste stepped inside, her usual elegance shadowed by exhaustion. Her long hair was tied up, but loose strands framed her sharp, unreadable face.
Her heels clicked softly across the marble floor until she stopped at the center of the stage.
"I heard something last night," she began.
Her tone was calm — too calm.
"The security cameras picked up audio from this hall."
Ren's breath caught.
Kai's heartbeat pounded in his chest.
Celeste's eyes flickered between them. "Was it… yours?"
No one answered.
She smiled faintly — not cruelly, but painfully. "Of course it was. Only the two of you could make something that sounds like that."
Ren lowered his gaze. "You weren't supposed to hear it."
Celeste stepped closer. "Why not?"
"Because it wasn't ready," Kai said, his voice trembling. "It wasn't… meant to be judged."
Celeste's laughter was soft, but it cracked. "You think I wanted to judge it?" She paused, struggling to find the right words. "I wanted to understand it."
Ren finally looked up. "Then what did you hear?"
She met his eyes, and for a moment, she looked… human — not the cold, untouchable prodigy everyone feared.
"I heard pain," she said softly. "I heard truth. And I realized something."
Her voice wavered. "All this time, I thought music was about perfection — about winning, proving, surviving."
She took a step closer, her hand trembling slightly.
"But last night, you showed me that music isn't supposed to be perfect. It's supposed to be honest."
Kai's throat tightened. "Celeste…"
She smiled, bittersweet. "That song — it broke something in me. Or maybe it fixed something I didn't know was broken."
Ren swallowed hard. "You mean… you liked it?"
Celeste chuckled softly, brushing a tear from her cheek. "Liked it? No, Ren. I felt it. And that's something I haven't done in years."
For a moment, silence fell — not awkward, but sacred.
The three of them stood there, caught between the weight of rivalry and the warmth of realization.
Then Celeste said, "Let's perform it."
Both Ren and Kai blinked. "What?"
She smiled faintly. "At the Winter Gala. The three of us. Together."
Ren froze. Kai's eyes widened.
"Celeste, you hate—"
"I know what I said before," she interrupted gently. "But last night proved something to me. You two aren't my rivals anymore."
She looked down, her voice softening. "You're my mirror."
---
That night, the decision spread through the academy like wildfire.
The three most gifted students — Ren, Kai, and Celeste — performing together for the first time.
Rumors flew. Excitement buzzed. But underneath it all, something deeper stirred.
For Ren and Kai, it wasn't just about music anymore.
It was about redemption.
About forgiveness.
About finally being heard — not by the world, but by each other.
And Celeste… for the first time, wasn't performing to win.
She was performing to feel alive again.