The moment Aster stepped backstage after the final announcement, his body finally reached its limit.
His vision flickered.
His knees buckled.
And before Astra or Arlienne could react—
"Aster?!"
He collapsed.
"Aster!"
Astra caught him just before his head struck the floor. His body was burning hot, shaking uncontrollably from the mana overload.
Arlienne rushed to him in terror.
"No—no, no, no—Aster, wake up! Aster!"
Seraphine and Lyria screamed for the healers. Guards sprinted to fetch doctors. Maids hurried with blankets.
But Aster did not open his eyes.
His breathing was shallow.
His mana channels flickered like broken threads.
The double mana potion…
His extreme output…
An entire concert of conjured instruments…
It was too much for an eight-year-old body.
They rushed him back to the mansion immediately.
***
For the next seven days, Aster Wynfall remained unconscious.
Arlienne rarely left his bedside. Astra cried silently every night, gripping her twin brother's hand as if letting go would make him disappear. His sisters came daily with medicine, toys, books—anything to help.
He didn't move.
He didn't speak.
The healers said the same thing each day:
"His mana channels are damaged. He needs rest."
"He overdrafted his reserves too far."
"A child should never take two mana potions!"
"It is a miracle he survived. Truly a miracle."
Arlienne broke down inside the hallway after hearing those words.
"It's my fault… I should have stopped him… he's still just a little boy…"
But Astra shook her head fiercely.
"He did it because he wanted to make everyone smile. Because he dreamed of this. Aster never regrets anything he believes in."
Arlienne hugged her tightly.
"You two are going to give me a heart attack one day…"
***
Meanwhile, outside the mansion, the world had no idea Aster was unconscious.
They only knew one thing:
*The Sound Recorder Stones were selling out everywhere.*
The Arc Merchant stores were flooded.
"Do you have the song stones?!"
"Do you have Aster's rap?!"
"Do you have the full album?!"
"We'll pay double!"
"No—triple!"
Streets were jammed with buyers.
Lines formed before sunrise.
People cried when stones sold out.
And when they did sell out…
Someone smuggled them across borders.
In a matter of days:
Vornis…
Renniet…
Arkhlund…
Even distant Krestia…
All began selling the recorder stones.
Most people didn't even know what a "concert" was.
But they heard the voice of a prince…
They felt something awaken inside them…
And they begged for more.
Aster had started a revolution.
***
The engineers worked nonstop, using the original recordings to imprint the same songs into new stones.
But copying wasn't simple.
Unlike Earth's technology, these didn't "duplicate" like files.
Each stone had to be individually charged, encoded, and stabilized.
And each one had:
- An ON/OFF rune
- A volume rune
- A replay rune
- A stabilizing mark
- A resonance core
It was a miracle it even worked.
"This is version one," the lead engineer said, wiping sweat. "Prince Aster already had ideas for version two… if he wakes up."
Arlienne stiffened.
"Don't say 'if.' My son is strong. He will wake up."
Astra, silently clutching a recorder stone, whispered:
"He promised me… he wouldn't leave."
***
On the seventh night…
A soft glow filled Aster's room.
Astra was asleep at his bedside, head resting on the blankets.
Arlienne dozed in a chair.
Moonlight streamed across the room.
One of the recorder stones on Aster's table played softly—Astra's voice singing one of the lullaby tracks.
And then—
*Aster's fingers twitched.*
Astra stirred.
"Aster…?"
His eyelids trembled.
Arlienne gasped, waking instantly.
"ASTER!"
His eyes slowly opened—unfocused at first, then sharpening.
"M-Mama…?"
Arlienne broke down into tears immediately, hugging him closer than ever before.
"Aster! My darling! You scared us half to death!"
Astra threw herself onto him, sobbing.
"You idiot! Why did you drink TWO mana potions?! We were so scared!"
Aster blinked in confusion.
"Ah… sorry… I wanted to finish the concert…"
"Concert?! YOU ALMOST DIED!"
"Y-You saw? It was pretty cool, right?"
Both mother and sister smacked his shoulder lightly.
"You foolish child!"
"You reckless idiot!"
But they didn't let go of him.
Not for a single second.
His voice was weak. His mana was empty. His body felt like metal shavings scraping against bone.
But he smiled.
"I'm… alive."
Astra sniffled. "Don't ever do that again."
Aster reached up and ruffled her hair gently.
"I won't. I promise."
Arlienne kissed his forehead.
"You're grounded for a month."
Aster groaned.
"Mama… I'm 8."
"Exactly. And you nearly killed yourself."
He laughed, wincing slightly.
Then Arlienne said softly:
"…Aster. While you were unconscious… everything changed."
Aster blinked. "What?"
Astra held up a glowing recorder stone.
"Your album sold out in every city. Even in other countries."
He froze.
"What…?"
Arlienne nodded, tears of pride in her eyes.
"Your invention has shaken the world. Shops are overflowing with buyers. People are calling it a miracle. A gift. The future of magic."
Aster's heart raced.
Not from exhaustion.
From excitement.
"And that's not all," Astra added, voice trembling with awe.
"Aster… people are calling Sound Magic… **the magic of the future.**"
Aster stared at the recorder stone.
At Astra.
At his mother.
At the ceiling.
And whispered—
"…We really did it."
Arlienne kissed his forehead again.
"Yes, Aster. You did."
He closed his eyes, exhausted but smiling.
This was just the beginning.
The world was changing.
Because of music.
Because of Sound Magic.
Because of an eight-year-old boy with a dream from another world.